Chasidut · Breslov

Likutei Halakhot, Orach Chaim, Laws of Morning Conduct 3:5/ליקוטי הלכות·אורח חיים·הלכות השכמת הבוקר ג׳:ה׳

אוְעַל־כֵּן אָסוּר לֶאֱכוֹל קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה (שלחן ערוך ארח חיים סימן פט סעיף ג), וּבַזֹּהַר (ויקהל רטו:) וּבַכּתְָבִים (עין מגן אברהם פט, יד בשם מהרח״ו) מַחְמִיר מְאֹד מְאֹד, שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ כְּשֶׁקָּם בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה – אָסוּר לֶאֱכֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת עַד אַחַר הַתְּפִלָּה, וְכָל הָאוֹכֵל וְשׁוֹתֶה אָז, נֶחֱשָׁב כְּעוֹנֵן וּמְנַחֵשׁ, רַחֲמָנָא לִצְלָן, עַיֵּן שָׁם.

1MAKING A NEW STARTReb Noson next discusses the reason why Jewish law forbids eating or drinking before Shacharit, and explains how this safeguards emunah and enhances one’s prayer.Therefore it is forbidden to eat before prayer, in order to pray Shacharit with devotion.⁶⁴ 89:3. The Zohar and other kabbalistic texts are extremely stringent on this point, stating that even when a person rises from his sleep at midnight, he must not eat or drink until after praying Shacharit. Whoever does eat and drink at that time is considered like one who practices sorcery—may HaShem save us! Study there.⁶⁵ II, 215b; Eitz Chaim 49:3.

בלֹא כַּאֲשֶׁר רַבּוּ עַתָּה הַמִּתְפָּרְצִים בָּעָם לִשְׁתּוֹת קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה עַד שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה אֶצְלָם כְּהֶתֵּר, וְתוֹלִין עַצְמָן בְּאִילָן גָּדוֹל, מַה שֶּׁמָּצְאוּ קְצָת צַדִּיקִים שֶׁהָיוּ חוֹלִים גְּדוֹלִים וְשָׁתוּ קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה, כִּי הָיוּ מֻכרְָחִים לזָהֶ, והְֵם מִתְדַּמִּים אֲליֵהֶם כּקְוֹף בּפִנְיֵ אָדָם וּמעְקְַּמִין אֶת עצַמְָן אַחֲרֵיהֶם, וּממְַלּאְִים כְּרֵסָם בִּשְׁתִיַּת קַאוֶוי קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה, עַד שֶׁנִּמְצָא גַּם קְצָת שֶׁאוֹכְלִין גַּם כֵּן קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה, אוֹי לָהֶם! אוֹי לְנַפְשָׁם! כִּי הוּא אִסּוּר חָמוּר מְאֹד, כַּמְבֹאָר בְּדִבְרֵי רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זַ״ל (ברכות י:), וּבִפרְָט בַּזּהַֹר הַקָּדוֹשׁ וּבַכְּתָבִים.

2Yet nowadays, the defiant ones in the nation who drink before prayer have grown in number. It has gone so far that doing so has become completely permissible to them. And to justify their behavior, they base themselves on greater authority,⁶⁶ in that they have found several tzaddikim who conducted themselves in this way. However, these were tzaddikim who were very ill and so had no choice but to drink before praying. These defiant ones presumptuously liken themselves to those tzaddikim, rather like an ape to a man, and imitate their actions—all in order to justify filling their bellies with coffee before prayer. There are even some who also eat before praying. Woe to them! Woe to their souls! For this is a very serious prohibition, as explained in the teachings of Chazal⁶⁷ 10b. and especially in the holy Zohar and other kabbalistic texts.⁶⁸

גוְאֵין לָנוּ לְדַמּוֹת עַצְמֵנוּ לְצַדִּיקִים גְּדוֹלִים אֲשֶׁר רוּחַ אַחֶרֶת אִתָּם, וּבִפְרָט שֶׁהָיוּ חוֹלִים גְּדוֹלִים, וְגַם כִּי רֹב הַצַּדִּיקִים לֹא נָהֲגוּ כַּךְ. וְרַבֵּנוּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ זַ״ל סִפֵּר, שֶׁמֵּעוֹלָם לֹא שָׁתָה אֲפִלּוּ מַיִם קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה, אַף־עַל־פִּי שֶׁמִּדִּין הַשֻּׁלְחָן עָרוּךְ מֻתָּר לִשְׁתּוֹת מַיִם, אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן הוּא לֹא שָׁתָה אֲפִלּוּ מַיִם קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה (שיחות הר״ן סימן רעז).

3And so we should not compare ourselves to these great tzaddikim, who are possessed of a different, higher spirit. This is especially true since they only drank before praying because they were very ill and so were compelled to do so. Furthermore, we should not permit this to ourselves since most of the tzaddikim did not engage in this practice. Our holy Rebbe, Rebbe Nachman, related that he never as much as drank water before morning prayers. Even though according to the law in the Shulchan Arukh drinking water is permitted, he did not do even this before praying Shacharit.⁶⁹ #277.

דנַחֲזוֹר לְעִנְיָנֵנוּ, שֶׁעַל פִּי הַנַּ״ל מְבֹאָר קְצָת עִנְיַן הָאִסּוּר לֶאֱכֹֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה.

4Let us return to our subject. Based on what was said above about praying with fervor and focus, it is a bit clearer why one is forbidden to eat or drink before prayer.

הכִּי מְבֹאָר בְּהַתּוֹרָה הַנַּ״ל, שֶׁתִּקּוּן הָאֱמוּנָה הוּא עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁמַּעֲלִין נִצּוֹצֵי הַדִּבּוּר וְכוּ׳, שֶׁזֶּה זוֹכִין עַל־יְדֵי הַתַּעֲנִית וְכוּ׳, כִּי עַל־יְדֵי תַּאֲוַת אֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה אֲזַי מִתְגַּבְּרִין הַקְּלִפּוֹת, שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינַת שָׂרֵי פַּרְעֹה, וּמַמְשִׁיכִין אֶת הַדִּבּוּר לְתוֹךְ בְּחִינַת מֵצַר הַגָּרוֹן, וְאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְדַבֵּר שׁוּם דִּבּוּר לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם־יִתְבָּרַךְ וְכוּ׳.

5It is explained in the Rebbe’s lesson⁷⁰ that the tikkun of emunah is achieved by elevating the sparks of speech and restoring them to holiness. One merits achieving this elevation by fasting. For by indulging one’s desire for food and drink, the kelipot become stronger. This is especially true of the forces of evil embodied as Pharaoh’s officials.⁷¹ that is empowered when holiness is lacking. He identifies the kelipot that parallel the trachea, the esophagus and the jugular veins with Pharaoh’s three officials. The trachea (windpipe), which aids in maintaining the body’s fluids by carrying air to the lungs, corresponds to Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer, in charge of drink. The esophagus (food pipe), which carries food from the mouth to the stomach, corresponds to Pharaoh’s chief baker. The jugular veins that pass through the neck are responsible for draining blood and ,פרעה) so correspond to Pharaoh’s chief butcher. PaROH Pharaoh) himself is identified with the kelipah that, as the back ,הערף) his name suggests, stands at HaORePh of the neck) (Likutey Torah, Vayeishev; see also §5 of the Rebbe’s lesson, and notes 66 and 68 there). They draw the faculty of speech into the exile of Mitzrayim—i.e. the realm of meitzar ha-garon, the narrowness of the throat.⁷² strait or ,מצר) is etymologically related to MeitZaR narrow). The Arizal teaches that “Mitzrayim” signifies meitzar ha-garon, the narrowness of the throat. The throat, being a narrow passage between the head and the body, represents constriction and severe judgment. At a time or in a situation of din, the throat becomes a bottleneck, referred to here as the exile of Mitzrayim (Likutey Torah, Vayeishev). Holy speech is then prevented from exiting,⁷³ In the human body, the organs of speech lie adjacent to the trachea, esophagus and jugular veins. This proximity enables Pharaoh’s three officials—the kelipot associated with the throat—to trap the letters of speech in the narrow of the throat. Then Pharaoh, the kelipah that stands at the back of the neck, draws sustenance from the holy sparks in the letters of insufficiently holy words. and one is unable to enunciate a single word before HaShem.⁷⁴ #88; see also LM I, 9:5).

ווְהַתִּקּוּן לָזֶה הוּא תַּעֲנִית, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי שֶׁמַּרְעִיב אֶת עַצְמוֹ, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה מַמְשִׁיךְ מֵימֵי הַחֲסָדִים לְלַחְלֵחַ מֵצַר הַגָּרוֹן, לְקַיֵּם ״קְרָא בְגָרוֹן אַל תַּחְשֹׂךְ וְכוּ׳״ (ישעיה נח, א), וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה נִתְתַּקֵּן הָאֱמוּנָה בִּשְׁלֵמוּת וְכוּ׳, כַּמְבֹאָר שָׁם כָּל זֶה הֵיטֵב, עַיֵּן שָׁם.

6Reb Noson next explains that when a person’s speech descends into the exile of Mitzrayim /meitzar ha-garon, his inability to speak to HaShem—a “dryness of the throat”— signifies his incomplete emunah and the presence of kelipot. But if he fasts, he conceals the back of holiness and so breaks any hold Pharaoh’s officials have over holy speech. He is then able to speak and call out to HaShem.The remedy for this is fasting. By depriving himself of all food and drink, a person conceals the back of holiness and thereby denies sustenance to the kelipot associated with the throat. Instead, his fasting draws the waters of the chasadim, benevolences,⁷⁵ and gevurot, the respective root elements of Chesed and Gevurah, together form the inner structure of Daat, the sefirah corresponding to the throat. One way in which Kabbalah depicts Daat’s chasadim and gevurot is as the forces of expansion and constriction. The expansiveness of the chasadim is characteristic of water, while the constriction of the gevurot is characteristic of fire (Eitz Chaim 34:6). Reb Noson explains that when a person fasts, the chasadim (whose origin is in the mind) are drawn into the throat to relieve the constriction caused by the “dryness of the throat” (cf. Tehillim 69:4). See also LH, Tisha B’Av u-She’ar Taaneitim 1:2, where he relates this to fasting in order to bring rain in a time of drought. to moisten the throat and so relieve the meitzar ha-garon, the throat’s constriction. This enables him to fulfill the verse “Cry out from the throat—do not hold back!” As a result, his emunah is entirely rectified. He is then able to eat in holiness, and through his eating bring HaKadosh Barukh Hu and His Shekhinah into yichud. Rebbe Nachman has thoroughly explained all this. Study his words there.⁷⁶

זוְעַל־כֵּן אָסוּר לֶאֱכֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה, כִּי צְרִיכִין לְהַרְעִיב עַצְמוֹ קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה, שֶׁזֶּהוּ בְּחִינַת תַּעֲנִית שָׁעוֹת, שֶׁבְּכָל יוֹם מַרְעִיבִין עַצְמָן וּמִתְעַנִּין קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה. וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה מַמְשִׁיכִין הֶאָרָה מִבְּחִינַת תַּעֲנִית לְדַבֵּק אֲחוֹרֵי הַקְּדֻשָּׁה, כְּדֵי לְהוֹצִיא הַדִּבּוּר מִמֵּצַר הַגָּרוֹן, כְּדֵי לְקַשֵּׁט הָאֱמוּנָה הַקְּדוֹשָׁה הַמִּתְחַדֶּשֶׁת בְּכָל בֹּקֶר, כְּדֵי לִזְכּוֹת לְדִבּוּר שֶׁל הַתְּפִלָּה בִּשְׁלֵמוּת.

7Therefore one is forbidden to eat and drink before prayer, because he needs to deprive himself of food and drink before praying Shacharit in order to safeguard emunah. This is akin to the concept in Jewish law known as a “fast of hours,”⁷⁷ 562:10. Taanit sha’ot, a “fast of hours,” is a voluntary fast that an individual undertakes for a part of the day rather than the entire day. where even a partial-day fast adds to one’s merit. This fast of hours happens all the time, in that every day people go without food by fasting before prayer. By doing so, they draw the spiritual illumination associated with fasting to conceal the back of holiness.⁷⁸ emerges in the morning it is vulnerable to attack by the kelipot, which draw sustenance from the heretical questions that undermine faith. If a person eats or drinks before Shacharit, he empowers the kelipot even more. Therefore it is necessary to conceal the back of holiness by fasting until after prayer. This enables them to extract the faculty of speech from the narrow of the throat, and by dint of this, adorn the holy emunah that is renewed every morning.⁷⁹ by bringing closer to HaShem those who are most distant from Him, see §1 and note 16 above; see also further on in that same section. Adorning emunah in turn enables them to merit expressing speech— namely the words of the Shacharit prayer—with complete devotion.

חכִּי הַתְּפִלָּה הִיא בְּחִינַת אֱמוּנָה, כַּיָדוּעַ, שֶׁהִיא נִשְׁלֶמֶת עַל־יְדֵי תִּקוּן הַדִּבּוּר, כִּי עִקַּר הַתְּפִלָּה הוּא בְּדִבּוּר דַּוְקָא, וּשְׁלֵמוּת הַדִּבּוּר הוּא עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁמַּרְעִיב עַצְמוֹ בְּתַעֲנִית, וּמְשַׁבֵּר תַּאֲוַת אֲכִילָה כַּנַּ״ל. וּבִשְׁבִיל זֶה צָרִיךְ כָּל אֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל לְהִתְעַנּוֹת וּלְהַרְעִיב עַצְמוֹ עַל כָּל פָּנִים קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה, שֶׁאָז אִסּוּר גָּדוֹל מִדִּינָא לֶאֱכֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת כַּנַּ״ל, כִּי צְרִיכִין בְּכָל יוֹם קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה לְהַרְעִיב עַצְמוֹ לְהַמְשִׁיךְ בְּחִינַת תַּעֲנִית, כְּדֵי לְתַקֵּן הַדִּבּוּר שֶׁל הַתְּפִלָּה, שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת תִּקּוּן וְקִשּׁוּטֵי הָאֱמוּנָה וְכוּ׳ כַּנַּ״ל, כַּמְבֹאָר בְּהַתּוֹרָה הַנַּ״ל, עַיֵּן שָׁם.

8Prayer itself is synonymous with emunah, as known from Kabbalah.⁸⁰ is synonymous with prayer. Prayer, as Reb Noson noted above, is identified with Malkhut. And see note 35 above, linking Malkhut with emunah. We know too that emunah is perfected through the tikkun of speech. This is the reason why speech in particular is the primary medium of prayer. And perfection of speech is achieved by depriving oneself through fasting and breaking one’s excessive desire for food. On account of this, every single Jew must fast and deprive himself at least before the Shacharit prayer, when, in any case, the basic law strictly forbids eating and drinking. A person must go without food every day before prayer so that he can draw illumination from the inner aspect of fasting in order to rectify the words of his prayer. This corresponds to the tikkun and adornment of emunah, as discussed above, and as explained in the Rebbe’s lesson. Study there.⁸¹

טגַּם, כִּי הַתַּעֲנִית שֶׁמְּדַבֵּק אֲחוֹרֵי הַקְּדֻשָּׁה, זֶהוּ בְּחִינַת כֹּחַ הַהַתְחָלָה שֶׁחוֹזְרִין פָּנָיו בְּכָל פַּעַם אֶל הַהַתְחָלָה לְקַבֵּל כֹּחַ מֵהַהַתְחָלָה, שֶׁהוּא עִקָּר, כִּי כָּל הַהַתְחָלוֹת קָשׁוֹת, כַּמְבֹאָר הֵיטֵב בְּהַתּוֹרָה הַנַּ״ל. וְכַמְבֹאָר בְּסוֹפוֹ שָׁם, שֶׁבִּשְׁבִיל זֶה צְרִיכִין לְהִשְׁתַּדֵּל לְהַתְחִיל בְּכָל פַּעַם מֵחָדָשׁ, וְלֹא תִהְיֶה הָעֲבוֹדָה יְשָׁנָה אֶצְלוֹ, כִּי עִקַּר כֹּחַ הָעֲבוֹדָה הוּא כְּפִי הַהַתְחָלָה, וְעַל־כֵּן צָרִיךְ לְהַתְחִיל בְּכָל פַּעַם מֵחָדָשׁ, כִּי אוּלַי לֹא הָיְתָה הַתְחָלָתוֹ בַּתְּחִלָּה כָּרָאוּי, עַל־כֵּן צָרִיךְ לְהַתְחִיל עַתָּה, וְכֵן בְּכָל יוֹם וּבְכָל פַּעַם, עַיֵּן שָׁם.

9In conclusion, Reb Noson discusses the connection between fasting and keeping one’s devotions to HaShem fresh by starting anew each morning.In addition, a person must go without food before Shacharit, since the fast, which conceals the back of holiness, is itself the power of the beginning.⁸² This means that when a person repeatedly turns back toward the beginning to re-experience the drive and excitement he felt then, he is able to receive power, i.e. inspiration, from the beginning. For the beginning is the main thing, and also because “all beginnings are difficult,” as explained well in the Rebbe’s lesson.⁸³ It is also clarified there, at the end of the lesson, that because the primary inspiration for all one’s devotions comes from their beginnings, one must endeavor to begin afresh every time. This is so that his service of HaShem does not become old and habitual for him. It will enable him to succeed in his devotions, because one’s energy in serving HaShem mainly conforms to the beginning. And so each time he must begin anew, since perhaps his first beginning, right there at the start, was not as it should have been. Therefore he needs to begin again right now. Similarly, on each day and with every chance he gets, he should begin anew. Study the Rebbe’s lesson there.

יוְעַל־כֵּן בְּכָל בֹּקֶר קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה צְרִיכִין לְהִתְעַנּוֹת – לִבְלִי לֶאֱכֹל קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה, כְּדֵי לְהוֹצִיא הַדִּבּוּר מִמֵּצַר הַגָּרוֹן וְכוּ׳ כַּנַּ״ל, עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁחוֹזְרִין אֶל הַהַתְחָלָה, שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת דְּבֵקוּת אֲחוֹרֵי הַקְּדֻשָּׁה, שֶׁחוֹזְרִין בְּכָל פַּעַם אֶל הָאוֹת הָרִאשׁוֹן, כַּמְבֹאָר שָׁם, עַיֵּן שָׁם.

10Therefore every morning before praying Shacharit a person must fast. He should not eat or drink before prayer in order to extract the sparks in the letters of speech from the narrow of the throat, since their being trapped there will prevent him from praying with fervor and focus. The way to accomplish this is by returning to the beginning, which conceptually underlies the fast.⁸⁴ This act of returning, attaching each successive day of fasting to the first day, is the concept of attaching and concealing achor, the back, of holiness. It is analogous to achorayim, the “stepping back” method of writing the Name of HaShem, in which one repeatedly returns to the first letter, as explained in the Rebbe’s lesson.⁸⁵ by returning to the beginning is analogous to the retrograde method of writing HaShem’s Name known This calls for “stepping back” .(אחוריים) as AChORayim and repeating the previous letters before adding the next one, until the entire Name has been written out in full. The achorayim of the Holy Name YHVH is written then ;(י־ה) then yod heh ;(י) as follows: we first write a yod In .(י־הוה) and finally yod heh vav heh ;(י־הו) yod heh vav writing the Name this way, each additional letter draws from the first one, much as each additional day a person fasts draws value from the day his fast began. Study there.⁸⁶

יאוְזֶה צְרִיכִין בַּבֹּקֶר, כִּי בְּכָל יוֹם וָיוֹם בַּבֹּקֶר צְרִיכִין לְהַתְחִיל לַעֲסֹק בַּעֲבוֹדַת ה׳ מֵחָדָשׁ, בִּבְחִינַת ״חֲדָשִׁים לַבְּקָרִים וְכוּ׳״, כְּאִלּוּ לֹא הִתְחִיל עֲדַיִן מֵעוֹלָם כְּלָל. וּכְמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זַ״ל: ״אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם״ (דברים ו, ו) – ״בְּכָל יוֹם וָיוֹם יִהְיוּ בְּעֵינֶיךָ כַּחֲדָשִׁים״ (ספרי שָׁם). וְכֵן דָּרְשׁוּ עַל פָּסוּק (דברים כז, ט): ״הַסְכֵּת וּשְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה נִהְיֵיתָ לְעָם וְכוּ׳״, שֶׁבְּכָל יוֹם יִהְיֶה דּוֹמֶה בְּעֵינֶיךָ כְּאִלּוּ הַיּוֹם בָּאתָ עִמּוֹ בִּבְרִית (רש״י שָׁם).

11This must be done every morning, since each and every day, in the morning, a person must make a new start in Divine service, as in “They are renewed in the mornings…” He should begin his day as if he had never before begun serving HaShem. This accords with Chazal’s teaching on the verse “‘that I charge you this day’—Each and every day the words of the Torah should be in your eyes like new.”⁸⁷ 6:6 citing Sifrei, Va’etchanan 8; also Rashi on Devarim 26:16. They similarly expounded the verse “‘Be attentive and hear, Israel: This day you have become a people’—Every day it shall seem to you as if today you have entered into a covenant with Him.”⁸⁸ 27:9.

יבנִמְצָא, שֶׁבְּכָל יוֹם צְרִיכִין לְהַתְחִיל מֵחָדָשׁ, עַל־כֵּן אָסוּר לֶאֱכֹל קֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה בַּבֹּקֶר, שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת ״תַּעֲנִית״, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה מַמְשִׁיכִין הָאוֹר שֶׁל כֹּחַ הַהַתְחָלָה, וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה זוֹכִין לְהַתְחִיל בְּכָל בֹּקֶר מֵחָדָשׁ, כַּנַּ״ל.

12It follows from this that in serving HaShem we must begin anew every day. Therefore we must not eat before praying in the morning, since restraining ourselves from eating is an aspect of fasting, a return to the beginning.⁸⁹. When a person practices self-control with regard to food, he conceals the back of holiness from the kelipot. This is true of all one’s devotions to HaShem. When a person repeatedly returns to the beginning, each time making a fresh start, his renewed fervor conceals the back of holiness. The fallen sparks can then be elevated and restored to the realm of the holy. See also LM I, 261, where Rebbe Nachman teaches, “This is a cardinal principle in the service of HaShem: Literally every day, a person needs to begin anew.” In this way, we draw the light of the power of the beginning, and as a result of this inspiration, merit starting each morning anew.