Chasidut · Breslov
Likutei Halakhot, Orach Chaim, Laws of Morning Conduct 1:5/ליקוטי הלכות·
אוזְֶהוּ (תהלים נז, ט): ״עוּרָה כְבוֹדִי עוּרָה וְכוּ׳״, וְעַל־יְדֵי מַה אוּכַל לְהִתְעוֹרֵר? עַל־יְדֵי ״אָעִירָה שָׁחַר״! עַל־יְדֵי מַה שֶּׁאֲנִי מְעוֹרֵר הַשַּׁחַר, הַיְנוּ הַנְּקֻדָּה טוֹבָה שֶׁהִיא בְּחִינַת שַׁחַר, בְּחִינַת ״שְׁחוֹרָה אֲנִי וְנָאוָה״, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה אוּכַל לְהִתְעוֹרֵר מִשְּׁנָתִי וּנְפִילָתִי וְכוּ׳ כַּנַּ״ל. וְזֶהוּ בְּחִינַת ״עוּרָה הַנֵּבֶל וְכוּ׳״, כִּי עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה נַעֲשִׂין נִגּוּנִין, בְּחִינַת ״אֲזַמְּרָה לֵאלֹקַי בְּעוֹדִי״, כַּנַּ״ל.
1INCLINED TOWARDS KINDNESSReb Noson next completes his interpretation of the verse from Tehillim cited at the beginning of §3, and then returns to explaining the law of the Shulchan Arukh.And this is the meaning of “Awake, my soul! Awake …”29 cited at the beginning of §3 above. How will I wake myself up? Through “I will awaken the dawn”—that is, by means of my awakening the shachar. This refers to the good point, which, because it appears to be black, corresponds to the dawn, as in “I am shachor but pleasing.” In other words, although I appear to be black, I am actually very beautiful. And this awakening of my good point, the uncovering of Godliness that enlivens my soul, will enable me to rouse myself from my slumber and raise myself up from my spiritual fall. This is the significance of “Awake the harp …” As explained previously, selecting the good points, which are one’s “little bit” of good, creates melodies, as in “I will sing to my God with what I still have left.”
בוְזֶה מְרֻמָּז בְּדִבְרֵי הַשֻּׁלְחָן עָרוּךְ: ״יִתְגַּבֵּר כָּאֲרִי לַעֲמֹד בַּבֹּקֶר לַעֲבוֹדַת בּוֹרְאוֹ״, שֶׁהָאָדָם צָרִיךְ לְהִתְגַבֵּר וּלְהִתְעוֹרֵר מִשְּׁנָתוֹ וּנְפִילָתוֹ, וְעַל־יְדֵי מַה יִתְעוֹרֵר? עַל־יְדֵי ״שֶׁיְּהֵא הוּא מְעוֹרֵר הַשַּׁחַר״, הַיְנוּ כַּנַּ״ל, שֶׁיְּעוֹרֵר הַנְּקֻדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינוֹת שַׁחַר, בְּחִינַת ״אָעִירָה שָׁחַר״, וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה יִתְעוֹרֵר מִשְּׁנָתוֹ וּנְפִילָתוֹ וְכוּ׳ כַּנַּ״ל.
2This idea is implicit in the opening words of the Shulchan Arukh, “A person should strengthen himself like a lion to rise up in the morning for the service of his Creator.” A person must overcome every obstacle to wake up from his sleep and spiritual fall. This refers not only to rising in the morning, but also to whenever his spirit falls into a state of sleep and he feels distant from HaShem. He must then act determinedly to shake off his slumber. By what means will he wake himself up? By seeing to it “that it is he who awakens the dawn”—that is, by rousing his good points, which, as noted previously, are black and so akin to the dawn, as in “I will awaken the shachar.” This will enable him to rouse himself from his slumber and rise up from his spiritual fall.
גוְזֶהוּ בְּחִינַת ״לַעֲמֹד בַּבֹּקֶר״, כִּי עִקַּר הַהִתְעוֹרְרוּת מֵהַשֵּׁנָה כַּנַּ״ל, הוּא עַל־יְדֵי בְּחִינַת בֹּקֶר דְּאַבְרָהָם אִישׁ הַחֶסֶד (זהר מקץ רג, לקוטי מוהר״ן חלק א׳ סימן ל), דְּהַיְנוּ עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁמַּטֶּה כְּלַפֵּי חֶסֶד וְדָן אֶת עַצְמוֹ לְכַף זְכוּת כַּנַּ״ל. וְעַל־כֵּן הָיָה אַבְרָהָם מְגַיֵּר גֵּרִים, כִּי הָיָה מַטֶּה כְּלַפֵּי חֶסֶד וּמָצָא נְקֻדָּה טוֹבָה בְּכָל אֶחָד, וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה קֵרֵב הַכֹּל לְהַשֵּׁם־יִתְבָּרַךְ כַּנַּ״ל.
3And this is the significance of “to rise up in the morning.”30 we see that the most auspicious time for rising from sleep is in the wee hours of the morning, so that “it is he who awakens the dawn,” and not that the day begins before he wakes. Even so, for one who is spiritually asleep, “morning” is whenever he awakens with new awareness. The key to waking up from sleep is the concept of “the morning of Avraham,” who is called “the man of chesed.”31 19:27), “Avraham awoke in the morning,” the Zohar (I, 203) explains that the Torah makes note of when he awoke to teach that Avraham is identified with “morning,” the part of the day associated with the attribute of chesed. Avraham himself is the model of kindness (see §12A and note 97 below; also LM I, 30:6), and thus in kabbalistic teaching is identified as the personification of the sefirah of Chesed (see Zohar I, 137a; Tikkuney Zohar #22, p. 67b). In other words, a person awakens the dawn, namely his good points, by inclining towards kindness and judging himself favorably. For this reason it was Avraham who brought converts to Judaism.32 12:5. Commenting on the words “and the souls they had made in Charan,” Rashi says that these souls were the converts who joined Avraham when he journeyed to the land HaShem had promised to show him. Rashi notes that Avraham would convert the men and Sarah would convert the women. He would incline towards kindness and find a good point in each person. In this way, he brought everyone closer to HaShem.
דוְזֶהוּ שֶׁנִּסְמַךְ הַהַגָּ״ה: ״שִׁוִּיתִי ה׳ לְנֶגְדִּי תָמִיד״, הַיְנוּ שֶׁתָּמִיד אֲנִי מֵשִׂים וּמְשַׁוֶּה ה׳ לְנֶגֶד עֵינַי, כִּי אַף־עַל־פִּי שֶׁאֲנִי רָחוֹק מִמֶּנוּ יִתְבָּרַךְ, אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן ה׳״לְנֶגְדִּי תָמִיד״ בְּכָל מָקוֹם, כִּי אֲנִי מוֹצֵא בְּעַצְמִי נְקֻדָּה טוֹבָה כַּנַּ״ל.
4Reb Noson has explained that, on a deeper level, awakening the dawn alludes to lifting oneself out of spiritual slumber and despair. A person must judge himself favorably, so that finding his good points will rouse him from his state of slumber and revive his spirit. In the remainder of this section Reb Noson will discuss Rama’s gloss on the first law in the Shulchan Arukh (see p. 18 above).This is the reason that the Rama’s gloss, “I set HaShem before me always”— advising us to always be mindful of HaShem—is juxtaposed with the words of the Shulchan Arukh instructing us to find our good points. The gloss means that as a result of first finding my good points, in effect I am always placing and setting HaShem right in front of my eyes. Even though according to my spiritual standing I am far from Him, HaShem is nevertheless “before me always,” everywhere—because I find in myself a good point. With the discovery of my good point, I am always able to feel close to Him.33. To wake up, a person has to seek out his good point, which is something every Jew has—since, as explained previously, it is impossible that a person has never done anything good in his life. And on account of that good, he has HaShem before him, always.
הוְזֶה פֵּרוּשׁ הַפָּסוּק (תהלים טז, ח): ״שִׁוִיתִי ה׳ לְנֶגְדִּי תָמִיד כִּי מִימִינִי בַּל אֶמּוֹט״, הַיְנוּ שֶׁתָּמִיד אֲנִי מֵשִׂים ה׳ לְנֶגְדִּי, אֲפִלּוּ בַּמַּדְרֵגוֹת הַתַּחְתּוֹנוֹת, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, ״כִּי מִימִינִי בַּל אֶמּוֹט״, כִּי עַל־יְדֵי בְּחִינַת יָמִין, בְּחִינַת אַבְרָהָם, בְּחִינַת חֶסֶד, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה בַּל אֶמּוֹט.
5Reb Noson now extends his interpretation of the verse cited by Rama to the verse’s second clause as well.And this idea that finding one’s good points leads to constant awareness of HaShem is the explanation of the verse “I set HaShem before me always; because He is at my right hand, I will not stumble.” This means that I always place HaShem before me wherever I am, even on the lowest of levels, chas ve-shalom. Thus we can reread the verse as “by dint of my right hand I will not stumble.” With “my right hand”—i.e. the middah of chesed, the quality of loving-kindness—I find my good points. And due to the aspect of the “right side”34 configuration; see note 83 below. The Zohar (I, 83b) teaches that Avraham devoted himself entirely to the Holy One and came to represent the “right side” of the world.—the concept of Avraham, the model of kindness—“I will not stumble,” but instead succeed in being ever mindful of HaShem.
ובּבְחִינַת (שם צד, יח): ״אִם אָמַרְתִּי מָטָה רַגְלִי חַסְדְּךָ ה׳ יִסְעָדֵנִי״, כִּי עַל־יְדֵי הַחֶסֶד, הַיְנוּ שֶׁמַּטֶּה כְּלַפֵּי חֶסֶד וְדָן אֶת עַצְמוֹ לְכַף זְכוּת וּמוֹצֵא בְּעַצְמוֹ אֵיזֶה נְקֻדָּה טוֹבָה עֲדַיִן, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה יָכוֹל לִמְצֹא הַשֵּׁם־יִתְבָּרַךְ תָּמִיד, וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה לֹא יִמּוֹט לְעוֹלָם.
6This idea, that chesed keeps one from stumbling, is reflected in the verse “If I said, ‘My foot totters,’ Your chesed, HaShem, would support me.” This means that through chesed—by inclining towards kindness and judging himself favorably, still finding inside himself some good point—he is always able to find HaShem and receive His support. On account of this he will never stumble.
זוזְֶהוּ (שם צד, יט): ״בְּרֹב שַׂרְעַפַּי בְּקִרְבִּי תַּנְחוּמֶיךָ יְשַׁעַשְׁעוּ נַפְשִׁי״ – הַיְנוּ כְּשֶׁרֹב הַמַּחֲשָׁבוֹת מְבַלְבְּלִין אוֹתִי וְרוֹצִין לְהַפִּיל אוֹתִי, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, עַל־יְדֵי רִבּוּי הַפְּגָמִים וְכוּ׳, אֲזַי ״תַּנְחוּמֶיךָ יְשַׁעַשְׁעוּ נַפְשִׁי״, דְּהַיְנוּ מַה שֶּׁהַשֵּׁם־יִתְבָּרַךְ מְנַחֵם אוֹתוֹ, בְּמַה שֶּׁעוֹזֵר לוֹ לִמְצֹא אֵיזֶה נְקֻדָּה טוֹבָה בְּעַצְמוֹ, וְזֶהוּ נֶחָמָתוֹ וּבָזֶה מְשַׁעֲשֵׁעַ נַפְשׁוֹ וְכוּ׳, כַּנַּ״ל.
7And so the next verse adds, “When the fears within me are abundant, Your consolations cheer my soul.” In other words, when incessant thoughts confound me and, by dint of my many blemishes, seek to bring me down, chas ve-shalom, then “Your consolations cheer my soul.” That is, HaShem consoles him by helping him find some good point inside himself. That good point is his consolation, and with it he brings himself to good cheer.