Chasidut · Breslov

Likutei Halakhot, Orach Chaim, Laws of Morning Conduct 1:13/ליקוטי הלכות·אורח חיים·הלכות השכמת הבוקר א׳:י״ג

אוזְֶה בְּחִינַת (שמות יא, ד): ״כַּחֲצֹת הַלַּיְלָה אֲנִי יוֹצֵא בְּתוֹךְ מִצְרַיִם״; ״כַּחֲצוֹת״ דַּיְקָא, כִּי בַּחֲצוֹת הַלַּיְלָה אָז מִתְעוֹרֵר הַנְּקֻדָּה טוֹבָה, בִּבְחִינַת רוּחַ צָפוֹן הַמְנַשֵּׁב בַּכִּנּוֹר שֶׁל דָּוִד, כַּנַּ״ל.

1SPLITTING THE NIGHTReb Noson further develops the topic of chatzot and, in doing so, explains why the Exodus from Egypt took place specifically at midnight.This connection between the good point and redemption is alluded to in Moshe’s declaration, “[Thus said HaShem,] ‘Around midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt.’”¹²⁸ midnight” rather than “at midnight”—is explained in the introduction to §15 and notes 141 and 148 below. The emphasis is on “around midnight,” for at midnight the good point rouses. This is because midnight is associated with the ruach tzafon, which contains the good that would blow upon David’s harp at midnight to arouse him, as explained previously.

בוְעַל־כֵּן נִמְשָׁךְ הָרוּחַ טוֹבָה, הַנְּקֻדָּה טוֹבָה, מִצָּפוֹן דַּיְקָא, כִּי ״מִצָּפוֹן תִּפָּתַח הָרָעָה״ (ירמיה א, יד), וּמִשָּׁם דַּיְקָא נִמְשָׁךְ הָרוּחַ צָפוֹן, רוּחַ טוֹבָה, הַמְנַשֵּׁב בַּכִּנּוֹר שֶׁל דָּוִד וּמְנַגֵּן. כִּי זֶה עִקַּר מַעֲלַת הַטּוֹב הַיּוֹצֵא מִתּוֹךְ תֹּקֶף הָרַע וְהַסִּטְרָא אַחֲרָא כַּנַּ״ל, וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה דַּיְקָא נַעֲשִׂין נִגּוּנִים כַּנַּ״ל, וְּכַמּוּבָא בַּסְּפָרִים, שֶׁיִּתְרוֹן הָאוֹר מִן הַחֹשֶׁךְ (קהלת ב, יג), דַּיְקָא, כַּיָּדוּעַ.

2And this is why the good ruach—the good point—issues specifically from tzafon, namely the side of judgment and concealment, as the prophet Yirmiyahu states, “From the tzafon the evil will break out.”¹²⁹ 3:6) as proof that when the evil of consummate concealment “breaks out” (lit. “opens”) and thus is exposed, great good issues forth. That hidden good of the Babylonian conquest may have been the fact that HaShem chose to pour out His wrath on the wood and stones of the Beit HaMikdash rather than on the Jewish people themselves (see Yaarot Devash, Chelek 1, Drush 13). Reb Noson likewise cites this verse in LH, Pikadon 3:10, where he links “north,” the consummate concealment, with the challal ha-panui, the Vacated Space (see Appendix A, p. 226). The Void that preceded the Creation similarly appeared to be vacated and “open” (devoid) of all Godliness. The hidden good of that concealment lies in the fact that, as Reb Noson explains elsewhere, it introduced into the creation bechirah, free will (see LH, Shluchin 3:2). The ruach tzafon, the good ruach, which would blow melodiously upon David’s harp, is drawn specifically from there, from the place that is tzafun.¹³⁰ (north) and tZaFuN (concealed) in the previous section; see also note 121 above. For the primary benefit of the good is most apparent when it issues from extreme evil and the Sitra Achra; particularly through this beirur of the good from the bad are melodies made. This same idea is brought in the holy teachings, which cite the words of Kohelet that the advantage of light is most apparent specifically when it emerges from (i.e. is contrasted with) darkness.¹³¹ (2:13) states, “I perceived that the advantage of wisdom over folly is as the advantage of light over darkness.”, ¹³² (III, 47b) teaches that without darkness in the world, we could not appreciate the profound spiritual benefit of light.

גכִּי בַּחֲצוֹת אָז הַשְּׁכִינָה, כִּבְיָכוֹל, בְּתַכְלִית הַמִּעוּט, כַּיָּדוּעַ. וְאָז הִיא בִּבְחִינַת נְקֻדָּה, וְאָז הוּא הִתְגַּבְּרוּת הַשֵּׁנָה, וְאָז דַּיְקָא צָרִיךְ כָּל אֶחָד מִי שֶׁנּוֹגֵעַ יִרְאַת ה׳ בְּלִבּוֹ לְהִתְגַּבֵּר בְּהִתְגַּבְּרוּת גָּדוֹל מְאֹד – לְהִתְעוֹרֵר מֵהַשֵּׁנָה אָז, וְזֶה בְּחִינַת שֶׁמִּתְעוֹרְרִים מִתֹּקֶף הַשֵּׁנָה וְהַסִּטְרָא אַחֲרָא עַל־יְדֵי נְקֻדָּה טוֹבָה לְבַד וְכוּ׳, כַּנַּ״ל. וְאָז הוּא בְּחִינַת יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם כַּנַּ״ל.

3The necessity to reveal the good from the deepest concealment is the reason the ruach tzafon blows specifically at midnight. For at midnight the Shekhinah is, so to speak, at its absolute smallest.¹³³ and raise up the sparks of holiness that have fallen there. See Shaar HaKavanot cited in note 37 above. She is then just a tiny point,¹³⁴ 2. akin to the good point submerged among the kelipot. Therefore sleep is heaviest at that time, and anyone whose heart has been touched by the fear of HaShem must exert great effort to overcome sleepiness and wake up specifically then. This is analogous to rousing oneself from the grip of spiritual slumber and the kelipot of the Sitra Achra by means of no more than a single good point. And so, waking up at that time, at midnight, corresponds to the Exodus from Egypt, which similarly came about through finding the good points within the dark night and great impurity of exile.

דוְזֶה בְּחִינַת פֶּסַח, שֶׁחָמַל וְדִלֵּג הַשֵּׁם־יִתְבָּרַךְ עַל בָּתֵּי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּנָגְפּוֹ אֶת מִצְרַיִם (שמות יב). וזְֶה בְּחִינַת שֶׁהַשֵּׁם־יִתְבָּרַךְ בְּרַחֲמָיו לִקֵּט וְהִצִּיל אֶת הַנְּקֻדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת, שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּחִינוֹת (שם ד, כב): ״בְּנִי בְּכֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל״, מִבֵּין בְּכוֹרֵי מִצְרַיִם, מִבֵּין תֹּקֶף הַסִּטְרָא אַחֲרָא, שֶׁזֶּה הָיָה עִקַּר גְּאֻלַּת מִצְרַיִם, כַּנַּ״ל.

4This also relates to the night of Pesach. For at midnight HaShem took pity and skipped over the homes of the Jewish people and their firstborn when He afflicted Egypt and killed its firstborn.¹³⁵ 12. This means that HaShem, in His mercy, passed over the evil and instead gathered up and rescued the good points—namely the Jews themselves, whom HaShem calls “My son, my firstborn, Israel”—separating them out from the midst of the Egyptian firstborn, from the midst of the strength and stranglehold of the Sitra Achra. This was the essence of the redemption from Egypt: Pesach night, at midnight, HaShem skipped over their evil and found their good instead.

הוְעַל־כֵּן הָרִאשׁוֹן שֶׁגִּלָּה סוֹד חֲצוֹת הָיָה אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ, עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם, בְּעֵת שֶׁנִּלְחָם עִם הַמְלָכִים וְהִצִּיל אֶת לוֹט, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (בראשית יד, טו): ״וַיֵחָלֵק עֲלֵיהֶם לַּיְלָה וְכוּ׳״, כִּי עִקַּר בְּחִינוֹת חֲצוֹת, דְּהַיְנוּ לְשַׁבֵּר תֹּקֶף הַשֵּׁנָה, לְשַׁבֵּר הַלַּיְלָה וְהַחֹשֶׁךְ, עַל־יְדֵי הַנְּקֻדָּה טוֹבָה כַּנַּ״ל, זֶה נַּעֲשָׂה רַק עַל־יְדֵי בְּחִינַת אַבְרָהָם אִישׁ הַחֶסֶד, עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁמַּטֶּה כְּלַפֵּי חֶסֶד כַּנַּ״ל.

5Thus the first to reveal the mystery of midnight was Avraham Avinu. This was at the night’s divide, midnight, when he fought against the four evil kings and rescued Lot from captivity, as it is written, “The night was divided against them.”¹³⁶ (I, 92b), which teaches that, as in Egypt, the essential miracle occurred at midnight—i.e. at the divide of the night. See also Bereishit Rabbah 43:3. For the underlying concept of midnight is fulfilled through Avraham’s dominant character trait. Metaphorically, rising at midnight refers to breaking the heaviness of spiritual sleep, shattering the spiritual night and darkness by means of the good point. This comes about only through the example of Avraham, “the man of chesed,” by inclining towards kindness and judging favorably.

וכִּי אַבְרָהָם רָדַף אַחֲרֵי הַמְלָכִים לְהַצִּיל אֶת לוֹט בִּשְׁבִיל הַנְּקֻדָּה טוֹבָה שֶׁהָיָה בְּלוֹט, וְעַל־כֵּן אַף־עַל־פִּי שֶׁלּוֹט הָיָה רָשָׁע, מָסַר אַבְרָהָם נַפְשׁוֹ בִּשְׁבִילוֹ לְהַצִּילוֹ, בִּשְׁבִיל הַנְּקֻדָּה טוֹבָה שֶׁהָיָה בּוֹ, כִּי מִמֶּנּוּ יָצְאָה רוּת, שֶׁיָּצָא מִמֶּנָּה דָּוִד־מָשִׁיחַ, שֶׁהוּא עִקַּר וְשׁוֹרֶשׁ הַנְּקֻדָּה טוֹבָה כַּנַּ״ל.

6This goes further, because the reason Avraham pursued the kings to rescue Lot was for the purpose of rescuing the good point inside Lot. Although Lot himself was a wicked person, Avraham risked his life for him, to save him for the sake of the good point that Lot had inside him. For Ruth was destined to descend from him, and from her would descend David HaMelekh, ancestor of Mashiach, who, as mentioned above, is the essence and root of the good point.¹³⁷

זוְעַל־כֵּן עִקַּר כַּוָּנַת הַמְלָכִים הָיָה לַהֲרֹג אֶת לוֹט, כִּי כָּל כַּוָּנַת הַסִּטְרָא אַחֲרָא הוּא לְהִתְגַּבֵּר עַל בְּחִינַת הַנְּקֻדָּה טוֹבָה, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, אֲבָל ה׳ לֹא יַעֲזְבֶנָּה בְּיָדָם, וְנָתַן כֹּחַ לִבְחִינַת אַבְרָהָם, בְּחִינַת חֶסֶד, לְהַצִּיל אֶת לוֹט עַל־יְדֵי הַנְּקֻדָּה טוֹבָה שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ. וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה הָרַג אֶת הַמְלָכִים, כִּי עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁדָּנִים לְכַף זְכוּת וּמוֹצְאִים הַנְּקֻדָּה טוֹבָה אֲפִלּוּ בִּרְשָׁעִים, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה נִכְנַע הַסִּטְרָא אַחֲרָא, כִּי הָרָע נִדְחֶה מִפְּנֵי מְעַט הַטּוֹב כַּנַּ״ל.

7Therefore the main intention of the four evil kings in their war was to kill Lot, since the entire aim of the Sitra Achra is to overpower the good point. But HaShem does not abandon it into their hands. He instilled sufficient power in Avraham, the embodiment of chesed, to rescue Lot on account of the good point that Lot possessed. This enabled Avraham to kill the kings, because by judging favorably and finding the good point even in the wicked, the Sitra Achra is defeated. For, as explained above, evil is dispelled by just a little bit of good.