Laws of Rising in the Morning — Halacha 2

Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 1:1 "One should muster the strength of a lion to rise in the morning, that he should be," etc. That is, one must rise with alacrity, without laziness.

And this is the aspect of emunah, as our Rebbe said (Sefer HaMiddos, entry: Zerizus): that alacrity is the aspect of emunah.

For at night, the emunah is among the kleepoas, and in the morning it grows and is aroused. Therefore one must rise from his sleep with alacrity, to strengthen himself in emunah, in order to build and to magnify the emunah. And this is: "that he should be the one who awakens the dawn [shachar]" — that is, the aspect of ayeles hashachar [the dawn-deer], the aspect of Malchus, the aspect of emunah.

And this is the aspect of breaking the desire for money. For through this, one can elevate the souls and draw down Torah, as is written in the Torah-teaching "Ashray HaAm — Hashgachah" (Likutay Moharan I, 13) — see there. For each and every day, one must receive the Torah anew, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Sifri, Vaeschanan): "Which I command you today" (Deuteronomy 6:6) — each and every day they should appear in your eyes as new. And the receiving of the Torah is through elevating the soul and renewing it, as explained there. And this is accomplished through breaking the desire for money, as above — which is the aspect of the awakening from sleep with alacrity, the aspect of emunah, as above. For the desire for money is the aspect of kifeeroas [heretical denials], the aspect of night, the aspect of darkness, anpin chashuchin [darkened face], the aspect of sadness and laziness, the aspect of death, the aspect of sleep — which is one-sixtieth of death (Berachos 57b). And one must have the strength to break the sleep, which is the aspect of death, the aspect of the desire for money. And then he can renew his soul and elevate it, to draw down Torah.

And then, when he breaks the sleep — the desire for money — then on the contrary, the sleep itself becomes good for him specifically. For through the sleep, he renews his soul, in the aspect of: "They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness [emunah]" (Lamentations 3:23). And similarly, through the money itself, he renews his soul — through conducting business with emunah — which is the aspect of sleep, as is written in the Torah-teaching "Ashray HaAm — Zarka" (Likutay Moharan I, 35). And this is the meaning of: "How long, O sluggard, will you lie down? When will you rise from your sleep?" (Proverbs 6:9) — that is, how long will you lie and sleep in laziness? When will you break the sleep? For then, on the contrary, through the sleep his mind will be strengthened and his soul will be renewed, as above. And this is: "When will you rise from your sleep?" — that is, when will you have an elevation [tekumah] — that your soul will rise and be uplifted through the sleep? And when one merits to elevate his soul through breaking the sleep — through this, he effects a unification of Kudsha Brich Hu [The Holy One, blessed be He] and the Shechinah. And this is: "that he should be the one who awakens the dawn [shachar]" — to arouse the ayeles hashachar for union.

And this is the meaning of: "he should muster the strength of a lion [ari]" — this is the aspect of the gathering of the souls to elevate them, as our Rebbe wrote in the Torah-teaching "Ashray HaAm" (Likutay Moharan I, 13), the aspect of: "I have gathered [arisi] my myrrh with my spice" (Song of Songs 5:1). And through this, one draws down complete hashgachah [Divine providence], through drawing near to the power of sight through the Torah. And this is: "I have set Hashem before me always" (Psalms 16:8) — that is, that His hashgachah is upon us always.

And this is what is written (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 1:3): that it is fitting for every G-d-fearing person to be distressed and to worry over the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash — for whoever mourns over Jerusalem merits to see its joy, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Bava Basra 60b). It emerges that through being distressed and worrying over the Bais HaMikdash — this is the aspect of its building. And the building of the Bais HaMikdash is the aspect of the building of da'as — through which one can elevate souls, as above — as explained in siman 13 mentioned above, see there. And this is the aspect of kimas chatzos [rising at midnight], when one breaks the sleep — which is the aspect of the desire for money — and mourns over Jerusalem and the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash, and through this, one builds it. And through the aspect of the building of the Bais HaMikdash, through this, one can gather the souls and elevate them. And therefore, chatzos sweetens judgments — for one breaks the sleep, which is the aspect of death, the aspect of kifeeroas, as above — for "as long as there is idolatry" (Sifri, Re'eh) — etc. And through kimas chatzos, one establishes the emunah and draws down chasadim. And this is what our Rebbe said (Likutay Moharan I, 149): that chatzos is a segulah [propitious remedy] like a pidyon [redemption] — like a pidyon specifically. For the pidyon is the aspect of tzedakah, which breaks the desire for money and sweetens the judgments. And similarly, chatzos is the breaking of the sleep, which is the aspect of the desire for money, as above — through which one sweetens judgments, as above.