Chasidut · Breslov
Likutei Halakhot, Orach Chaim, Laws of Morning Conduct 3:4/ליקוטי הלכות·
אוְזֶהוּ שֶׁנִּסְמַךְ שָׁם בְּשֻׁלְחָן עָרוּךְ: ״שִׁוִּיתִי ה׳ לְנֶגְדִּי תָּמִיד״ זֶה כְּלָל גָּדוֹל בַּתּוֹרָה, כִּי אֵין דּוֹמֶה יְשִׁיבַת הָאָדָם וּתְנוּעוֹתָיו וְכוּ׳, כַּמְבֹאָר בְּשֻׁלְחָן עָרוּךְ.
1PRAYING WITH A WHOLE HEARTReb Noson now returns to the discourse’s opening citation from the Shulchan Arukh. He will explain the juxtaposition of Rama’s gloss to the words of the law, particularly as it relates to elevating emunah.This emergence of emunah is the reason why in the Shulchan Arukh, immediately following the law of “awakening the dawn,” Rama notes, “‘I set HaShem before me always’—this is a major principle in fulfillment of the Torah … For [when a person is by himself at home] he sits and moves differently [than when in the presence of a great king … All the more so when a person takes to heart that the Great King, HaKadosh Barukh Hu, Whose glory fills the whole world, stands over him and observes his actions],” as explained there.56
בהַיְנוּ שֶׁצְּרִיכִין לֵידַע וּלְהַאֲמִין שֶׁמְּלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ, וְהוּא יוֹשֵׁב וְעוֹמֵד וְכוּ׳ תָּמִיד לִפְנֵי מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וְכוּ׳. כִּי זֶה זוֹכִין עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁמְּעוֹרְרִין הַשַּׁחַר, עַל־יְדֵי קִימַת חֲצוֹת, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה מַמְשִׁיכִין הַדַּעַת וְכוּ׳ כַּנַּ״ל, עַד שֶׁזּוֹכִין לִידִיעָה שְׁלֵמָה שֶׁמְּלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ, כַּמְבֹאָר הֵיטֵב בְּהַתּוֹרָה הַנַּ״ל.
2The meaning of this gloss is that one has to know and believe in HaShem’s Immanence, that “the whole world is filled with His glory,” and that whether he is sitting or standing he is always in the presence of the King of kings, HaKadosh Barukh Hu. He merits this steadfast emunah by awakening the dawn, i.e. by rising at midnight. Through this he draws the daat that unblocks the intellect, until he merits knowing completely that “the whole world is filled with His glory,” as is explained clearly in the Rebbe’s lesson.57
גוְעַל כֵּן נִסְמַךְ בְּשֻׁלְחָן עָרוּךְ ״שִׁוִּיתִי ה׳ לְנֶגְדִּי תָּמִיד וְכוּ׳״, דְהַיְנוּ לֵידַע שֶׁמְּלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ – לְהִתְעוֹרְרוּת הַשַּׁחַר, כִּי הָא בְּהָא תַּלְיָא כַּנַּ״ל, כִּי זוֹכִין לִידִיעָה שְׁלֵמָה בְּלֵב שָׁלֵם שֶׁמְּלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ עַל־יְדֵי הַדַּעַת שֶׁמַּמְשִׁיכִין עַל־יְדֵי קִימַת חֲצוֹת, שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת לִמּוּד הַפּוֹסְקִים, בְּחִינַת: ״חֲצוֹת לַיְלָה אָקוּם לְהוֹדוֹת לָךְ עַל מִשְׁפְּטֵי צִדְקֶךָ״ כַּנַּ״ל.
3Therefore the gloss in the Shulchan Arukh, “I set HaShem before me always”— which means knowing that “the whole world is filled with His glory”—is juxtaposed with the idea of awakening the dawn. For the two are interdependent: we can merit knowing completely and with a whole heart that “the whole world is filled with His glory” by means of the daat that we draw down by rising from sleep at midnight. This is the daat that relates to studying the rulings of Jewish law, as explained previously in connection with the verse “At midnight I will rise to praise You for Your just laws.”
דוְזֶהוּ: ״לְהוֹדוֹת לָךְ״, בְּחִינַת: ״אוֹדְךָ בְּיֹשֶׁר לֵבָב בְּלָמְדִי מִשְׁפְּטֵי צִדְקֶךָ״ הַמְבֹאָר בְּהַתּוֹרָה הַנַּ״ל, שֶׁזֶּה זוֹכִין עַל־יְדֵי חֲצוֹת כַּנַּ״ל.
4Reb Noson now shows that rising at midnight to study Torah and serve HaShem also enhances the quality of one’s prayers the following morning.And this is the inferred meaning of “to praise You”—the word le-hodot connotes prayer,58, who as “to praise” rather than the (להודות) renders le-hodot more common “to thank.” as connoting (אודך) as does the word odekha in “odekha with an upright heart when I study Your just laws,”59 praise. which is explained in the Rebbe’s lesson.60 We merit praising HaShem through wholehearted prayer by rising at midnight to study Torah and serve HaShem.61 119 contain most of the discourse’s major topics. Both refer to “Your just laws,” namely Jewish law, and to praising HaShem. But the topics of Torah study and the whole (“upright”) heart needed to pray with kavanah are mentioned only in verse 7, whereas rising at midnight appears only in verse 62. By linking them here through their common themes, Reb Noson shows that rising in the night to study Torah is what enables us to pray with kavanah in the morning.
הוְקִימַת חֲצוֹת זֶהוּ עִקַּר בְּחִינַת הִתְעוֹרְרוּת הַשַּׁחַר הַנֶּאֱמַר בְּשֻׁלְחָן עָרוּךְ. כִּי הָעִקָּר לָקוּם בַּחֲצוֹת, וְגַם מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לַעֲמֹד בַּחֲצוֹת, כְּשֶׁמִתְגַּבֵּר עַל כָּל פָּנִים לַעֲמֹד קֹדֶם אוֹר הַיּוֹם לַעֲסֹק בַּתּוֹרָה וַעֲבוֹדָה, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה פּוֹתֵחַ שְׁבִילֵי הַשֵּׁכֶל וְכוּ׳, לְפִי בְּחִינָתוֹ כְּפִי עֲבוֹדָתוֹ, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה זוֹכִין לָדַעַת בְּלֵב שָׁלֵם שֶׁמְּלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ, כִּי נִסְתַּלְּקִין הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת הַנַּ״ל כַּנַּ״ל. וְעַל־כֵּן נִסְמַךְ לָזֶה: ״שִׁוִּיתִי ה׳ לְנֶגְדִּי תָמִיד וְכוּ׳״, דְּהַיְנוּ לָדַעַת שֶׁמְּלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ, כִּי הָא בְּהָא תַּלְיָא כַּנַּ״ל.
5Reb Noson interrupts his discussion linking one’s devotion before dawn with prayer in order to further clarify the meaning of rising at midnight.Thus rising at midnight is the essence of what the Shulchan Arukh calls “awakening the dawn.” For the main thing is to rise at midnight. But even someone who is unable to get up at midnight can achieve much when he strengthens himself to at least get up before the light of day to study Torah and serve HaShem. In this way, he unblocks the pathways of the intellect relative to his spiritual level, in accordance with his serving HaShem in the hours before dawn. Through his devotions he merits knowing with a whole heart that “the whole world is filled with His glory,” because all his doubts and questions of emunah have departed, as explained previously.62 This is why, in the Shulchan Arukh, juxtaposed to this law of awakening of the dawn is the gloss “I set HaShem before me always”—which means knowing that “the whole world is filled with His glory”—since one is dependent on the other.
וכִּי עִקַּר הִתְעוֹרְרוּת הַשַּׁחַר הוּא בִּשְׁבִיל תִּקּוּן הַתְּפִלָּה, כְּדֵי לִזְכּוֹת לְהִתְפַּלֵּל בְּשַׁחֲרִית בְּכַוָּנָה גְּדוֹלָה בְּלֵב שָׁלֵם.
6Reb Noson now returns to developing the idea that studying Torah and serving HaShem in the night enhances prayer the next morning.And rising at midnight also leads to improved prayer. For the main objective in awakening the dawn is to improve our prayer, so as to merit praying in the morning with great kavanah and a whole heart.
זכִּי עַל־יְדֵי הִתְעוֹרְרוּת הַשַּׁחַר שֶׁעוֹסְקִין אָז בְּתוֹרָה וַעֲבוֹדָה, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה נִפְתָּחִין שְׁבִילֵי הַשֵּׁכֶל וְזוֹכִין לְבַטֵּל הַקֻּשְׁיוֹת וְהָאֶפִּיקוֹרְסוּת, וְאָז זוֹכִין לְדַעַת שָׁלֵם שֶׁמְּלֹא כָּל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ, שֶׁזֶּהוּ בְּחִינַת ״שִׁוִּיתִי ה׳ לְנֶגְדִּי תָמִיד וְכוּ׳״, כַּנַּ״ל. וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה שֶׁיּוֹדְעִין בְּלֵב שָׁלֵם שֶׁמְּלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה זוֹכִין לְהִתְפַּלֵּל בְּכַוָּנָה גְּדוֹלָה. כִּי כְּשֶׁיּוֹדֵעַ שֶׁהַשֵּׁם־יִתְבָּרַךְ עוֹמֵד עָלָיו בִּשְׁעַת הַתְּפִלָּה, וְשׁוֹמֵעַ וּמַאֲזִין וּמַקְשִׁיב כָּל דִּבּוּר וְדִבּוּר שֶׁיּוֹצֵא מִפִּיו, אֲזַי בְּוַדַּאי יִתְלַהֵב מְאֹד בִּתְפִלָּתוֹ וִידַקְדֵּק מְאֹד לְכַוֵּן דְּבָרָיו, כַּמְבֹאָר לְעֵיל.
7By awakening the dawn, engaging at that time of the night in Torah study and serving HaShem, the pathways of the intellect are unblocked and we merit eliminating the questions of emunah and the heresy. Following this we merit knowing completely that “the whole world is filled with His glory,” which is the intention of the gloss in the Shulchan Arukh “I set HaShem before me always.” And then, through knowing with a whole heart that “the whole world is filled with His glory,” we merit praying with great kavanah. For once a person is aware that HaShem stands over him at the time he prays, and that He hears, listens and is attentive to every single utterance that comes from his mouth, he will surely pray with great fervor and be very careful to focus his attention on what he is saying, as explained above.
חוְלִידִיעָה זוֹ בְּלֵב שָׁלֵם שֶׁמְּלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ זוֹכִין עַל־יְדֵי קִימַת חֲצוֹת, שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת הִתְעוֹרְרוּת הַשַּׁחַר כַּנַּ״ל.
8And the way to merit this awareness of HaShem’s Immanence—knowing with a whole heart, without any doubts or questions of emunah, that “the whole world is filled with His glory”—is by rising at midnight, which is the idea of awakening the dawn.
טנִמְצָא, שֶׁקִּימַת חֲצוֹת מְסֻגָּל לִתְפִלָּה בְּכַוָּנָה. וְכֵן מוּבָן בְּכַוָּנַת הָאֲרִ״י זַ״ל שֶׁקִּימַת חֲצוֹת הוּא תִּקּוּן והֲַכנָהָ לִתְפִלָּה.
9It follows that rising at midnight is spiritually beneficial for praying with kavanah. Likewise, from the Kavanot of the Arizal, it is understood that rising at midnight is a tikkun and a preparation for prayer.63 5.Reb Noson has explained that serving HaShem in the night enables a person to become fully aware of HaShem’s Immanence—to know with a whole heart that “the whole world is filled with His glory”—and so to pray with proper devotion in the morning.