Chasidut · Breslov
Likutei Halakhot, Orach Chaim, Laws of Morning Conduct 4:7/ליקוטי הלכות·
אכִּי צְרִיכִין לְנַדֵּד שֵׁנָה מֵעֵינָיו וּמֵעַפְעַפָּיו תְּנוּמָה, לְשׁוֹטֵט לְבַקֵּשׁ וּלְהַרְבּוֹת בִּתְפִלָּה וְתַחֲנוּנִים, שֶׁיִּזְכֶּה לִמְצֹא הַצַּדִּיק הָאֱמֶת שֶׁיּוּכַל לְרַפְּאוֹתוֹ וּלְהַכְנִיס בּוֹ הַשָּׂגַת אֱלֹקוּת, כְּדֵי לְהַצִּיל אֶת נַפְשׁוֹ מִנִּי שַׁחַת.
1SEARCHING FOR THE TZADDIKReb Noson now interprets a number of verses from the Book of Mishlei as referring to searching for the tzaddik, whose closeness enables a person to attain whatever he is missing in life, both materially and spiritually.To find the true tzaddik, one has to “shrug off sleep from his eyes and slumber from his eyelids.”52 (Chodesh Elul, ch. 2) uses this expression, a rewording of Mishlei 6:4, in connection with rising at midnight. He must wander about in search of him, and offer many prayers and supplications that he will merit finding the true tzaddik who can heal him and instill in him a perception of Godliness, in order to save his soul from destruction.
בכְּמוֹ שֶׁצָּעַק עַל זֶה שְׁלֹמֹה הַמֶּלֶךְ, עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם, בְּסֵפֶר מִשְׁלֵי, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (ו, ד–ה): ״אלַ תִּתֵּן שֵׁנָה לְעֵינֶיךָ וּתְנוּמָה לְעַפְעַפֶּיךָ, הִנָּצֵל כִּצְבִי מִיָּד וּכְצִפּוֹר מִיַּד יָקוּשׁ״. וְזֶה עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁיְּבַקֵּשׁ עַד שֶׁיּמִצְאָ אֶת הַצּדִַּיק הַמַּנהְִיג הָאֱמֶת שֶׁיּקְָרְבהֵוּ להְַשֵּםׁ־יתְִבּרַָךְ, כּמְוֹ שֶׁכּתָוּב שָׁם בּמִַּקְרָא הַקּוֹדֵם הַסָּמוּךְ לָזֶה (פסוק ה׳): ״עֲשֵׂה זֹאת אֵפוֹא בְּנִי וְהִנָּצֵל, כִּי בָאתָ בְכַף רֵעֶךָ לֵךְ הִתְרַפֵּס וּרְהַב רֵעֶיךָ״; וּפֵרֵשׁ רַשִׁ״י: ״הַרְבֵּה רֵעִים שֶׁיִּתְפַּלְּלוּ עָלֶיךָ לְפָנָיו״, הַיְנוּ צַדִּיקֵי אֱמֶת, שֶׁהֵם נִקְרָאִים אַחִים וְרֵעִים לְהַשֵּׁם־יִתְבָּרַךְ, שֶׁצְּרִיכִין לְהַכְנִיעַ אֶת עַצְמוֹ כְּאַסְקֻפָּה הַנִּדְרֶסֶת וְנִרְפֶּסֶת לְבַקְּשָׁם בְּכָל תַּמְצִית כֹּחוֹ, עַד שֶׁיִּזְכֶּה לְמוֹצְאָם, (וכעין שפרש רש״י שם על ׳לך התרפס׳, עין שם).
2Shlomo HaMelekh, peace be upon him, cried out about this in Mishlei, “Give your eyes no sleep, your eyelids no slumber. Save yourself like a deer from the hand [of the hunter] and like a bird from the clasp of the trap.” This advice is fulfilled through a person’s searching until he finds the tzaddik, the true leader who will draw him close to HaShem. This is the meaning of what is written in the verse immediately preceding this, “Do this, then, my son, and be saved, for you have fallen into your friend’s hand. Go humble yourself and bolster your friend,” which Rashi explains as meaning “Bring many friends who will pray to Him on your behalf.” In other words, bring true tzaddikim, who are called “brothers” and “friends” of HaShem.53 19:17 (remez 613). For a person must humble himself, like a doorstep that is trodden and stepped upon, in order to seek out the true tzaddikim with every ounce of his energy, until he merits finding them.54 is a person who has pledged security for another to a moneylender, but cannot honor his pledge. Rashi reads this homiletically as referring to someone who has not honored his pledge at Sinai to keep the mitzvot, but instead has gone in the ways of heretics and nonbelievers. He should humble himself like a doorstep that is stepped and trodden upon, and bring many friends to plead with HaShem on his behalf. Reb Noson reinterprets this here as referring to someone who seeks greater closeness to HaShem. He should bring many true tzaddikim to pray to HaShem on his behalf.
גוְזֶה שֶׁכָּתוּב שָׁם בְּסָמוּךְ (פסוקים י-יא): מְעַט שֵׁנוֹת מְעַט תְּנוּמוֹת מְעַט חִבֻּק יָדַיִם לִשְׁכָּב. וּבָא כִמְהַלֵּךְ רֵאשֶׁךָ וּמַחְסֹרְךָ כְּאִישׁ מָגֵן – שֶׁצְּרִיכִין לְמַעֵט בְּשֵׁנָה וּתְנוּמָה כְּדֵי לְבַקֵּשׁ הַצַּדִּיק הָאֱמֶת שֶׁנִּקְרָא ״מְהַלֵּךְ וְאִישׁ מָגֵן״, כִּי הַצַּדִּיקִים נִקְרָאִים מְהַלְכִים, עַל שֵׁם שֶׁהוֹלְכִים מִדַּרְגָּא לְדַרְגָּא תָּמִיד, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (זכריה ג, ז): ״וְנָתַתִּי לְךָ מַהְלְכִים בֵּין הָעֹמְדִים וְכוּ׳״, וְגַם נִקְרָא הַצַּדִּיק ״אִישׁ מָגֵן״, כִּי הוּא מָגֵן לְכָל הַחֹסִים בּוֹ.
3This is also the subject of what which is written further on, “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to recline, and your poverty will arrive like a strider, your lack like a defender.” For a person must minimize his sleep and slumber in order to seek out the true tzaddik, who is called a “strider” and a “defender.” Tzaddikim are called “striders” because they constantly go from one spiritual level to another, higher level,55 4. as it is written, “I will let you be one who strides among the stationary.”56 stationary), because they are created complete and can ascend no higher. Man, on the other hand, is created spiritually incomplete, but by striving can advance to ever higher levels of holiness, and so is called strider) (Shnei Luchot HaBrit, Hagahot ,מהלך) mehaleikh le-Mesekhet Chullin 7). The tzaddik is also called a “defender” because he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.57 22:31 and Tehillim 18:31. The Zohar (III, 71b) teaches, “The tzaddikim protect the world during their lifetimes, and even more so after their deaths.”
דוְזֶהוּ ״מְעַט שֵׁנוֹת מְעַט תְּנוּמוֹת וְכוּ׳״, עַד אֲשֶׁר תִּזְכֶּה שֶׁיָּבֹא כִמְהַלֵּךְ רֵאשֶׁךָ, וּפֵרֵשׁ רַשִׁ״י: ״דְּבָרִים שֶׁאַתָּה רָשׁ מֵהֶם וּמַחְסֹרְךָ יִתְמַלֵּא וְכוּ׳״, הַיְנוּ כָּל הַדְּבָרִים שֶׁאַתָּה רָשׁ מֵהֶם, וְכָל מַה שֶּׁחָסֵר לְךָ בְּגַשְׁמִיּוּת וְרוּחָנִיּוּת – הַכֹּל יָבֹא לְךָ מְהֵרָה כִּמְהַלֵּךְ וּכְאִישׁ מָגֵן, הַיְנוּ כְּפִי מַעֲלַת הַצַּדִּיק שֶׁתִּזְכֶּה לִמְצֹא שֶׁנִּקְרָא ״מְהַלֵּךְ וְאִישׁ מָגֵן״, כְּמוֹ־כֵן יָבֹא לְךָ כָּל מַחֲסוֹרְךָ וְרֵאשֶׁךָ, דְּהַיְנוּ הַדְּבָרִים שֶׁאַתָּה רָשׁ מֵהֶם, כִּי כָּל הַחֶסְרוֹנוֹת נִתְמַלְּאִים עַל־יְדֵי הַצַּדִּיק, כִּי הוּא מַמְשִׁיךְ כָּל הַהַשְׁפָּעוֹת בְּגַשְׁמִיּוּת וְרוּחָנִיּוּת עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁמַּכְנִיס יְדִיעַת אֱלֹקוּתוֹ בְּהַנִּלְוִים אֵלָיו, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה נִתְמַלְּאִים כָּל הַחֶסְרוֹנוֹת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (נדרים מא.): ״דַּעַת קָנִיתָ מַה חָסַרְתָּ״.
4This is now a restatement of the verse in the affirmative: “Sleep little, slumber little …” until you merit the arrival of “your poverty like a strider.” Rashi explains this to mean that the things you are wanting and lacking will be provided in full. In other words, whatever impoverishes you, and whatever you lack materially and spiritually, will come to you quickly, like one who strides swiftly and like a defender who is nimble. Consistent with this explanation, this means: According to the greatness of the tzaddik that you merit finding—the one who is called a “strider” and a “defender”—all that you lack and your poverty, meaning that which makes you poor, will come to you. For all lacks are filled through the tzaddik, because he draws all physical and spiritual bounty by instilling awareness of His Godliness into his followers. Through this, all lack is filled, as it is written, “If you have acquired daat, what do you lack?”58 1:6.
הוְעַל־כֵּן צְרִיכִין לְשַׁבֵּר הַשֵּׁנָה וְלָקוּם בַּחֲצוֹת לַיְלָה, לְאוֹנֵן וּלְקוֹנֵן וְלִבְכּוֹת וְלִצְעֹק מְאֹד עַל חֻרְבַּן בֵּית־הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וְתֹקֶף מְרִירוּת הַגָּלוּת בְּגוּף וְנֶפֶשׁ, וּמִכָּל שֶׁכֵּן וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן לִבְכּוֹת וְלִצְעֹק מְאֹד מְאֹד עַל הִסְתַּלְּקוּת הַצַּדִּיקִים, שֶׁקָּשֶׁה כִּפְלַיִם כְּחֻרְבַּן בֵּית־הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זַ״ל (מדרש איכה-רבה א, לז), אֲשֶׁר כָּל הַצָּרוֹת, רַחֲמָנָא לִצְלָן, אָנוּ סוֹבְלִים עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (ישעיה נז, א): ״הַצַּדִּיק אָבָד, וְאֵין אִישׁ שָׂם עַל לֵב... כִּי מִפְּנֵי הָרָעָה נֶאֱסַף הַצַּדִּיק״.
5Reb Noson concludes that given the great benefit of closeness to a true tzaddik, a person must make every effort to “shrug off sleep from his eyes” and rise at midnight to mourn the loss of the tzaddikim from the world.Therefore one must break the grip of sleep and rise at midnight in order to copiously mourn, lament, weep and cry out over the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash and the overpowering bitterness of the exile, both physical and spiritual. Even more than this, one must weep and cry out profusely over the loss of the tzaddikim, which is many times worse than the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, as Chazal teach. All that we suffer, may HaShem spare us, is on account of this, as in a rereading of the verse as “The tzaddik is gone, but no one takes it to heart … that because of evil the tzaddik has been gathered in.”
ועַל־כֵּן כָּל מִי שֶׁחָס עַל נַפְשׁוֹ – צָרִיךְ לִצְעקֹ מְאדֹ שֶׁיִּזְכֶּה גַּם עַתָּה לִמְצאֹ רַבִּי וּמַנְהִיג אֲמִתִּי, שֶׁיּוּכַל לְהַכְנִיס בּוֹ יְדִיעַת אֱלֹקוּתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה יִתְמַלְּאוּ כָּל הַחֶסְרוֹנוֹת וְיִתְבַּטְּלוּ כָּל הַצָּרוֹת, וְיִתְתַּקֵּן הַכֹּל.
6Therefore whoever pities his soul needs to cry out greatly to HaShem that even now he should merit finding a true rav and leader. This must be a tzaddik who can instill in him awareness of HaShem’s Godliness, namely the daat through which whatever he lacks will be filled, all suffering will be eliminated, and all that exists will be rectified.