Quotation zu Tehillim 108:3

Judah ben Tema says: "Be as strong as a leopard and as swift as an eagle; fleet as a gazelle and mighty as a lion, to perform the will of your Father in Heaven." He specified four things concerning the service of the Creator, may He be blessed. And he began with ‘strong as a leopard’ because it is an important general principle in the service of the Creator, may He be blessed, since sometimes a person desires to perform a mitzvah but is prevented from performing it because of people who mock him. Therefore, he cautioned that you should have fortitude against the mockers and not refrain from performing the mitzvah. And thus said Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai to his students: “May it be your will that the fear of heaven be upon you like the fear of flesh and blood.” And so he says concerning the subject of shame, that sometimes a person is ashamed before a person more than he is ashamed before the Creator, may He be blessed. Therefore he warned that you should have fortitude against the mockers and not be ashamed. So too did David, peace be upon him, say “I will speak of your decrees in the presence of kings and not be ashamed,” though he was pursued and he fled among the nations, he had taken strength in his Torah and learned, though they had mocked him. And he said ‘as light as an eagle’ corresponding to the eye’s vision, and compared it to an eagle because just as the eagle soars through the air, so too does the eyes’ vision, meaning that you should shut your eyes from seeing evil, for it is the beginning of transgression, for the eye sees, the heart covets and the person's limbs complete the act. And he said ‘as strong as a lion’ corresponding to the heart, for the might of service of the Creator, may he be blessed, is in the heart, and he stated that you should strengthen your heart for His service. He stated ‘run like a gazelle’ corresponding to the legs, for your legs shall run toward the good. So too would David the king, peace be upon him, pray for the three of them, but he changed the sequence, “Lead me in the path of your commandments” about legs. Following that he said “Turn my heart to your decrees.” And after that he said “Avert my eyes from seeing falsehood.” Concerning the heart he mentioned ‘turn,’ whereas concerning the eye, ‘avert,’ for the heart is in his power to turn toward the good path or the evil one, even after he has seen an evil action. Thus he prayed that he should help him to turn to the good path. But (avoiding) seeing an evil action is not in his power, for it is possible that it will come upon him suddenly, and he will see it. Thus he prayed that he avert his eyes from seeing falsehood, so he would not invite it before him at all. Thus a person needs strengthen himself as a lion to stand in the morning for the service of his Creator, even if his evil impulse taunts him in winter, saying ‘How can you get up in the morning when the cold is so great?’ or taunts him in summer, saying ‘How can you get up from your bed when you have not had enough sleep?’ he should strengthen himself to rise, for you should awaken the dawn, but it should not awaken you, as David, peace be on him, stated “Awake, my soul, awake, harp and lyre; I will awaken the dawn,” ‘I awaken the dawn, but the dawn does not awaken me.’ So much the more so had he awakened prior to the morning light to rise and offer supplications before his Creator, how great His beauty, and how good. And it is good that one who begins early should aim for the hours when the guard shifts change, which are at a third of the night, and at the end of two thirds of the night and at the end of the night, for at these times does the Holy One, blessed be He, recall the destruction of the Temple and the dispersion of Israel among the nations, and the prayer which a person offers at that hour for the destruction and the dispersion is propitious and close to acceptance. His supplication shall fall before God whether drawn out or cut short, it is only that he should orient his heart toward heaven in his supplications, for better a little with intention than increasing them out without intention. It is well to say the section of the Akedah and the section of the manna, and the Ten Commandments and the section of the sacrifices, namely the section of the burnt offering and the meal offering and the offering of well being and the sin offering and the guilt offering. Of course it is preferable to say the section of the sacrifices during the day, for they are in place of the offering of the sacrifice, whose time is during the day. When he concludes the section of the burnt offering, he shall say ‘Master of the universe, may it be your will that this be considered and accepted before you as if I had offered a burnt sacrifice in its time. So too shall he say after the section of the meal offering and the offering of well being and the guilt offering. But after the section of the sin offering, he shall not so say, since it does not come freely. And if he is not able to rise early, prior to morning light, in any case he designates the time of the prayer which he is designates for all of life, and should not tarry. And he should well consider in his heart, if he had been in the service of a flesh and blood king who commanded him to rise early at the morning light to his service, he would have taken care and rushed to arise for the service which he commanded him, so much the more so, all the more and all the more so much the more so before the King of kings of kings, the Holy One blessed be He.

If you are able to awaken and rise at midnight⁶According to Mishnah Berurah somewhat before midnight. to recite the prayer of Tikun Chatzos⁷These are prayers lamenting the destruction of the holy Temple. it is most praiseworthy, as it is said: "Rise, cry out in the night at the peak of the night watches" etc.⁸Lamentations 2:19. For the Holy One, Blessed is He, [also] laments at that time, as it is said: "Hashem from His high place cries, and from the Dwelling Place of His Holiness He sends forth His voice, as He cries for His Sanctuary."⁹Jeremiah 25:30. And He says, "Woe unto the children that on account of their sins I destroyed My house, and I burned My Sanctuary, and I exiled them among the nations."¹⁰Maseches Berachos 3a. If you cannot rise at midnight, you should nevertheless exert yourself to rise before daybreak, as said King David, may he rest in peace, "I will awaken the dawn,"¹¹Psalms 57:9. [He meant] "I awake the dawn but the dawn does not awaken me." You may recite Tikun Chatzos, even after midnight and then afterwards engage in Torah study according to your ability [or capacity]. A lesson in Mishnah is preferable to any other study, (and by so doing you will be worthy of [your] neshamah [soul] [as inferred from the word] Mishnah which has the same letters as neshamah.¹²נְשָׁמֶה - מִשְׁנֶה If you are not capable of this [studying Mishnah], you should recite Psalms and Ma'amados¹³Various selections of Scripture and other sources. and study works of ethics. A little learning or recitation with concentration is better than a great deal without concentration. Rabbi Chiyah taught: "Whoever studies Torah at night the Divine Presence is before him, as it is said: "Rise, cry out in the night at the peak of the night watches. Pour out your heart like water before the Presence of Hashem."¹⁴Lamentations 2:19. This verse signifies that the Divine Presence is before us at that time. It was also said by our Sages, of blessed memory: "Whoever studies Torah at night is called a servant of Hashem, as it is written: [Behold, Bless Hashem] all [you] servants of Hashem who stand in the House of Hashem, during the nights."¹⁵Psalms 134:1. During the short nights when it is difficult to rise so early, you should at least endeavor to rise while there is sufficient time to prepare yourself to go to the synagogue to pray together with the congregation.