Torah – Night Study
Thread of Hesed [Mercy/Grace]
Miketz [At the End]
33) …When a person engages in Torah at night, a thread of mercy extends upon him during the day, as it is written, “By day the Lord will command His mercy, and in the night His song shall be with me.”
Great Love at Night
Aharei Mot [After the Death]
217) “My spirit within me seeks You,” to cling to you at night with great love. Man needs to rise each night because of the love of the Creator to engage in His work until the morning rises, and draw upon him a thread of Hesed [mercy/grace]. Happy is the man who loves the Creator with this love. And those true righteous, who love the Creator in this way, the world exists for them, and they govern all the harsh decrees above and below.
They Who Rise from Their Bed to Engage in Torah
VaYikra [The Lord Called]
379) “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” When the Creator comes to entertain with the righteous in the Garden of Eden, all things, meaning degrees in the lower world, Malchut, and all the upper ones and lower ones awaken toward Him. And all the trees, meaning degrees, in the Garden of Eden begin to praise before Him, as it is written, “Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joybefore the Lord, for He has come.” And even the birds in the land all utter praise before Him.
At that time, a flame comes out and strikes the wings of the rooster, who calls and praises the holy King. He calls upon people to exert in Torah, in praising their Master, and in His work. Happy are those who rise from their bed to engage in Torah.
380) When the morning comes, the doors on the south, meaning Hesed, open and the gates of healing come out to the world. And Eastern wind, ZA, awakens and Rachamim are present. And all those stars and signs, meaning degrees, which are appointed under the governance of that morning, which is Yesod that shines Hassadim, they all begin to praise and to sing for the High King. It is written about that, “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.”
But what do the sons of God, who are Din, want here, summoning a shout on this morning, which is the time of Hesed? After all, all the Dinim are removed when the Hesed awakens in the world. However, “And all the sons of God shouted for joy” means that the authority of the harsh Dinim has been broken, their strength has been shattered, since “Shout” means that they broke, as it is written, “The earth is broken, broken down.”
Gifts for Members of the Palace
Beshalach [When Pharaoh Sent]
46) The Creator and all the righteous in the Garden of Eden, all listen to His voice. It is written, “You who sit in the gardens, friends listen to your voice; let me hear it.” “You who sit in the gardens” is the assembly of Israel, Malchut. At night, she praises the Creator with the praise of the Torah. Happy is he who partakes with her in praising the Creator in the praise of the Torah.
47) When the morning comes, the assembly of Israel, Malchut, comes and plays with the Creator, and He gives her the scepter of Hesed [grace/mercy]. But not only to her, but to her and to all those who partake with her. One who engages in Torah at night, the Creator draws to him a thread of Hesed during the day. This is why Malchut is called “The morning star,” for she praises the Creator at night with the praise of the Torah.
48) When the morning should rise, the light darkens and grows black, and the blackness is present. Then a woman clings to her Husband, which is the third watch, when a woman tells with her husband, meaning ZON, to tell with Him, and she comes to His palace.
49) Afterwards, when the sun should set, the night shines and comes and takes the sun. Then, all the gates close, donkeys bray, and dogs bark. When half the night is through, the King begins to rise and the queen, Malchut, begins to sing. The King, ZA, comes and knocks on the palace’s gate and says, “Open for me, my sister, my wife.” And then He plays with the souls of the righteous.
50) Happy is he who has awakened at that time with words of Torah. For this reason, all the children of the queen’s palace must rise at that time and praise the King. All praise before Him, and the praise rises from this world, which is far from Him, and this is more favorable to the Creator than anything.
51) When the night departs and the morning comes and dawns, the King and queen are in joy, in Zivug, and He gives her presents, as well as to all the dwellers of the palace. Happy is he who is numbered among the dwellers of the palace.
Sixty Breaths
VaYigash [Then Judah Approached]
34) King David would sleep as a horse; he slept little. Thus, how did he rise at midnight? After all, this measure of sixty breaths of the horse’s sleep is little and he would not rise even at a third of the night.
35) However, when the night came, he would sit with all the great ones of his house and he would sentence judgments and engage in words of Torah. This means that he did not go to sleep in the beginning of the night, but close to midnight. Afterwards, he would sleep his sleep until midnight, rise at midnight, awaken, and engage in the work of his Master, in song and in praise.
36) King David lives and exists forever and ever. King David kept himself all his life from tasting the taste of death, since sleep is one part of sixty of death. And David, because of his place, which is “alive,” slept only sixty breaths, since he lived only through sixty breaths, minus one, and from there on, man tastes the taste of death and the side of the spirit of impurity governs him.
37) This is why King David kept himself from tasting the taste of death and from being governed by the side of the other spirit. This is because sixty breaths minus one means that the life above—up to sixty breaths—are sixty high breaths, and life depends on them. And from there down it is death.
38) This is why King David was measuring the night until midnight, so he would remain alive and the taste of death would not govern him. And when half the night was through, David would exist in his place, in his degree, living and existing, since he had woken up from his sleep and sang and praised. This is so because when he awoke at midnight and the holy Keter—the Nukva, awakened—it must not find David connected to another place, the place of death.
39) When half the night was through and the upper holiness awakened, if a person who sleeps in his bed does not rise from his sleep to observe the glory of his Master, by that he connects to death and clings to another place, to the Sitra Achra. This is why King David would always rise at midnight to observe the glory of his Master, living in a living, and he would not sleep in slumber to the point of tasting the taste of death. This is the reason why he would sleep as a horse, sixty breaths, but not in completeness, for they lacked one.
Sleeping means shutting of the eyes, meaning the Mochin. This is as one who is lying mindlessly with his eyes shut. Its root extends from the domination of the illumination of the left line, Hochma, when it is in dispute with the right line, Hassadim, where because the Hochma cannot shine without Hassadim, the Mochin are blocked out.
Awakening from sleep extends from the middle line, since the state of sleep continues until the ascent of the middle line with the Masach deHirik in it. This is the point of Man’ula [lock], which diminishes the left line and includes it in the right, when the Hochma in the left is included in the Hassadim in the right. At that time, the Mochin open and the Hochma can shine.
Torah that Is Studied Together Is Purer
VaYikra [The Lord Called]
394) Torah that is studied at night is purer than Torah that is studied during the day, since the purity of the written Torah is in the oral Torah, in Malchut, which is called “night.” The oral Torah, Malchut, governs at night and awakens more than at daytime, and when Malchut governs, she is the purity in the Torah.
Children of Faith—Those Who Know How to Unite the Holy Name
VaYikra [The Lord Called]
200) “Bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord.” This is a praise for all those with faith. Who are those with faith? They are the ones who engage in Torah and know how to unite the Holy Name properly. And the praise of those with faith is that they stand at midnight to engage in Torah and adhere to the assembly of Israel, Malchut, to praise the Creator with words of Torah.
201) When one rises at midnight to engage in Torah, a Northern wind—meaning illumination of the left—awakens at midnight, which is the deer and Malchut, and stands and praises the Creator, ZA. And when she stands, several thousands and several tens of thousands stand with her in their existence, and they all begin to praise the holy King.
202) The Creator listens to he who was rewarded and rose at midnight to engage in Torah…And all that multitude above and those who praise their Master in song keep silent for the praises of those who engage in Torah. They declare and say, “Bless the Lord, all servants of the Lord.” In other words, you who engage in Torah, bless the Lord. You—praise the holy King; you—crown the King.
203) And the deer, Malchut, is crowned in that man. She rises before the King and says, “See in what son I have come to You, in what son I have awakened toward You.” And who are those that all their merit is before the King? It is they who stand in the house of the Creator in the nights. They are the ones who are called “servants of the Creator”; they are the ones who are worthy of blessing the King and whose blessing is a blessing, as it is written, “Lift up your hands to the sanctuary, and bless the Lord.” You, who merit the holy King being blessed by you, the blessing through you is a blessing.