Chasidut · Breslov
Likutei Halakhot, Orach Chaim, Laws of Morning Conduct 3:3/ליקוטי הלכות·
אוְזֶהוּ בְּחִינַת קִימַת חֲצוֹת, כִּי אַף־עַל־פִּי שֶׁהַשֵּׁנָה הוּא תִּקּוּן גָּדוֹל לְהַמֹּחִין, כִּי נִתְחַדְּשִׁין עַל־יְדֵי הָאֱמוּנָה בִּשְׁעַת שֵׁנָה כַּנַּ״ל, אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן צְרִיכִין לִזָּהֵר לָקוּם בַחֲצוֹת לַיְלָה.
1UNBLOCKING DAAT AT MIDNIGHTReb Noson next elaborates on the distinctive roles of the two halves of the night, focusing in particular on the hours from midnight until dawn.This idea, that we strengthen emunah through sleep, relates to rising at midnight. For although sleep is a major rectification for the mochin—since they are renewed through emunah at the time of sleep—nevertheless, one must be vigilant to rise at midnight.
בכִּי הַלַּיְלָה, שֶׁהוּא הַחֹשֶׁךְ, הֶעְדֵר הַדַּעַת, כְּלוּלָה מִשְּׁנֵי חֲלָקִים, שֶׁהֵם חֲצוֹת לַיְלָה הָרִאשׁוֹן וַחֲצוֹת לַיְלָה הַשֵּׁנִי, כַּמּוּבָא (לך לך צב.).
2The reason for this is that the night—which is the darkness, meaning the absence of daat—is comprised of two parts. These are the first half of the night, the hours until midnight, and the second half of the night, the remaining hours until dawn, as discussed in Kabbalah.50 I, 92b. See also Kehillat Yaakov (Erekh: Chatzot), ,(ליל) that during the first half of the night, called leil the dinim (also known as gevurot) rule; whereas during the ,(לילה) the second half of the night, called lailah chasadim prevail. Thus Chazal teach: Whoever studies Torah after midnight is endowed with a touch of chesed during the day (Avodah Zarah 3b).
גשֶׁהֵם כְּנֶגֶד שְׁנֵי הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת הַנַּ״ל. כִּי חֲצוֹת לַיְלָה הָרִאשׁוֹן אָז הַחשֶֹׁךְ וְהַדִּין גָּדוֹל בְּיוֹתֵר, כִּי אָז נִמְשַׁךְ הַחֹשֶׁךְ מִבְּחִינַת הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת שֶׁאֵין עֲלֵיהֶם תְּשׁוּבָה, שֶׁאֵלּוּ הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת הֵם בְּחִינַת תֹּקֶף הַחֹשֶׁךְ, כִּי אִי אֶפְשָׁר לְיַשְּבָׁן. וְעַל־כֵּן אָז צְרִיכִין שֵׁנָה, שֶׁהוּא הִסְתַּלְּקוּת הַדַּעַת, כִּי אָז צְרִיכִין לְסַלֵּק דַּעְתּוֹ לְגַמְרֵי וְלִסְמֹךְ רַק עַל אֱמוּנָה, שֶׁזֶּהוּ בְּחִינַת שֵׁנָה כַּנַּ״ל.
3These two parts of the night correspond to the two types of questions mentioned above. During the first half of the night, the darkness and din are most intense, since the darkness at that time derives from the nature of the questions that are insolvable. Those questions represent the deepest darkness, since they cannot be resolved. Therefore a person needs to sleep at that time, since sleep is the departure of daat. For during the first half of the night one needs to completely remove his daat and rely solely on emunah; this removal itself being the aspect of sleep.
דאֲבָל בַּחֲצוֹת לַיְלָה אָז נִמְתָּק הַדִּין, וְאָז נִסְתַּלְּקִין מִן הַדַּעַת אֵלּוּ הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת הַנַּ״ל, וְאָז צְרִיכִין לָקוּם וְלַעֲסֹק בְתוֹרָה וַעֲבוֹדָה, וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה מַמְשִׁיכִין הַדַּעַת וּפוֹתְחִין שְׁבִילֵי הַשֵּׁכֶל כְּדֵי לִזְכּוֹת לְדַעַת שָׁלֵם לְיַשֵּׁב וּלְהָבִין תֵּרוּץ עַל אֵלּוּ הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר לְיַשְּׁבָן כַּנַּ״ל.
4However, at midnight din is sweetened,51 (lit. “sweetening of judgments”) by mitigating their harshness. In §2 Reb Noson linked the dinim with the kelipot and destructive forces that rule the night. Transformation of these agents of harm and judgment begins with the second part of the night. and then those questions that cannot be resolved are dispelled from the mind. And so that is the time we must rise from sleep to study Torah and serve HaShem.52 By doing so, we draw daat and unblock the pathways of the intellect. Our objective in this is to merit the complete data necessary for resolving and comprehending answers for those questions that can be resolved.
הוזְֶהוּ (תהלים קיט, סב): ״חֲצוֹת לַיְלָה אָקוּם לְהוֹדוֹת לָךְ עַל מִשְׁפְּטֵי צִדְקֶךָ״ – ״עַל מִשְׁפְּטֵי צִדְקֶךָ״ דַּיְקָא, כִּי קִימַת חֲצוֹת לַעֲסֹק בַּתּוֹרָה כְּדֵי לְהַמְשִׁיךְ הַדַּעַת וְכוּ׳ כַּנַּ״ל, זֶהוּ בְּחִינַת לִמּוּד הַפּוֹסְקִים הַנַּ״ל, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה מַמְשִׁיכִין הַדַּעַת לְיַשֵּׁב אֵלּוּ הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר לְיַשְּׁבָן, שֶׁזֶּה זוֹכִין עַל־יְדֵי עֵסֶק הַתּוֹרָה בַּחֲצוֹת כַּנַּ״ל.
5This is the meaning of “At midnight I will rise to praise You for Your just laws”—with the emphasis on “for Your just laws.” For rising at midnight to study Torah in order to draw daat relates to the idea of studying the previously mentioned rulings of Jewish law. Through this study one draws the daat required to answer those questions that can be resolved, namely the daat that one merits by studying Torah at midnight.
ווְכַמּוּבָא בַּזֹּהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ (בשלח נז:) וּבְדִבְרֵי רַבֵּנוּ זַ״ל (סימן קמט), שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי קִימַת חֲצוֹת, וְעַל־יְדֵי שֶׁעוֹסְקִין אָז בַּתּוֹרָה, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה נִמְשַׁךְ הַדַּעַת. הַיְנוּ כַּנַּ״ל, כִּי אָז בַּחֲצוֹת לַיְלָה הַשֵּׁנִי נִמְתָּק הַדִּין, וְאֵין הַחֹשֶׁךְ נִמְשַׁךְ אָז רַק מִבְּחִינַת הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר לְיַשְּׁבָן, רַק שֶׁנִּסְתְּמוּ שְׁבִילֵי הַדַּעַת, שֶׁזֶּהוּ בְּחִינַת חֶשְׁכַּת לַיְלָה.
6This accords with what is discussed in the holy Zohar 53 II, 57a. and the teachings of Rebbe Nachman,54 that rising at midnight and studying Torah at that time draws down daat. For then, during the second half of the night, din is sweetened. Thus the darkness at that time derives only from the nature of the questions that can be resolved. These questions have answers, but the pathways of daat have become temporarily blocked, as symbolized by the darkness of night that remains even after din has been sweetened.
זוְעַל־כֵּן צְרִיכִין אָז לַעֲסֹק בַּתּוֹרָה כְּדֵי לִפְתֹּחַ שְׁבִילֵי הַדַּעַת, כְּדֵי לִזְכּוֹת לְדַעַת שָׁלֵם בְּאוֹר הַיּוֹם, כְּדֵי לְהַעֲלוֹת וּלְגַדֵּל אֶת הָאֱמוּנָה בִּשְׁלֵמוּת בַּעֲלוֹת הַשַּׁחַר שֶׁאָז הִיא נִשְׁלֶמֶת, בִּבְחִינַת: ״נַפְקַת בְּצַפְרָא״, שֶׁזֶּהוּ בְּחִינַת: ״שֶׁיְּהֵא הוּא מְעוֹרֵר הַשַּׁחַר״, כַּנַּ״ל.
7Therefore we need to study Torah at that time, in order to unblock the pathways of daat and, with the light of day, merit perfect daat—i.e. to fully elevate and magnify the emunah at dawn. For morning is the time that emunah becomes whole, as in “She emerges in the morning.” This is the deeper intent of the law that a person should rise at midnight “so that it is he who awakens the shachar.” Waking the shachar, as we have seen, strengthens emunah.55 A person should get up and study Torah after midnight so that he is the one who awakens and strengthens emunah, enabling it to emerge in the morning whole.Reb Noson has set out the nighttime devotion of a Jew. He sleeps during the first half of the night, and this clears from his mind the questions of emunah that have no answer. Then he rises at the start of the second half of the night and studies Torah, gaining the daat that will enable him to answer the questions for which answers do exist.