Chasidut do Powtórzonego Prawa 6:6

This corresponds to washing the hands in the morning. Sleep corresponds to bitul-submergence into the Absolute by closing the eyes, which is the root of sleep (see LM 1 54). For during sleep, we bond with the World of the Future, representing bitul/submergence. From LM I 7, on the story, "Rabbi Eliezer was sleeping," we also see that sleep corresponds to submergence, to, "No eye has seen." In fact, the main reason why God puts man to sleep is for these above reasons, to escape from the judgments and suffering that are all caused by a confused mind, as we have spoken about elsewhere. Man has been sent into this world for one reason alone — to fight a holy war against desires and confusions and to bind one's thought to God at all times. But this tires the mind. Therefore, God imprinted the instinct in man that when the mind is too confused and tired that one falls asleep, closing one's eyes and submerging the mind, completely letting go of one's consciousness and intellect. This is the submergence, surrendering oneself into the Absolute Good, where all confusions, including all judgments, troubles, pains and obstacles, disappear and are all submerged into the ultimate purpose. This is why sleep is innate to man and to all creatures. Therefore, it is possible to attain very sublime perceptions during sleep, since one is then submerged into the Light of the Ein Sof, by means of which one is able to perceive great things, as stated in the holy Zohar on the verse, "Who will ascend God's mount?" (Psalms 24:3; Zohar 11 195b). Therefore, one must wash the hands with water upon awakening from sleep, for wakening from sleep corresponds to returning from submergence, when judgments and confusions, the cause of all impurities, seek even more intensely to overwhelm the person, as explained in the lesson. Specifically then one must muster more strength to subdue them by the Torah that one draws from the Impression, which corresponds to water. This is why we wash the hands with water immediately upon awakening from sleep. Since awakening from sleep corresponds to submergence, we must immediately evoke the waters of Torah in order to abolish the spirit of impurity that rests upon the body, only on the hands. The forces of judgment and confusion stand in ambush over the human body during the submergence, waiting for the moment when a person's consciousness will return so that they will gain even firmer grip on him. Therefore, we must be careful to banish them immediately upon awakening from sleep by purification with water, which evokes purity and sanctity from the waters of Torah that are from the Impression of the submergence, from which all suffering and judgments come after one has returned. As our Sages of Blessed Memory said on the verse, "Which I have commanded you ; today" (Deuteronomy 6:2) (the words of Torah should be new in your eyes everyday" (Sifri ad loc). Hence, one must receive the Torah anew every day, for through sleep, which corresponds to submergence, one receives a renewal of the Torah in order to counter judgments and impurities that seek more than ever to overwhelm a person specifically at this time. Fortunate is he who attains this to perfection, attaining new and authentic Torah insights every day. However, even the majority of people who cannot attain this should at least do their best to study Torah in the morning upon awakening from sleep. Jewish literature is full of the importance of rising early in the morning to study Torah in order to quench the soul's thirst, to banish suffering, judgments, the forces of evil and all confusions by means of the Torah that one receives from the impression. Therefore, even someone who is not really able to attain new Torah insights must at least make great effort each and every day to study Torah with renewed enthusiasm and passion, that it will be literally "as new" for him, for this too is considered a renewal of the Torah, as explained elsewhere. This corresponds to tzitzit, tefillin, kriat shma and prayer, all of which represent a renewal of the mind that is drawn upon each Jew every day. All this is evoked by the shining and the impression of the Submergence into the Absolute, which corresponds to sleep.

And these three correspond to the three [items] mentioned previously. For we can recognize the existence of God, by way of the heavens and the earth. This is like their statement, may their memory be blessed, “When Avraham died, [God] hung [Avraham’s healing stone] upon the sphere of the sun” (Bava Batra 16b); and like the Rambam, may his memory be blessed, wrote (Mishneh Torah, Foundations of the Torah 2:2), “and when [a person] will think of all these matters, and those like them, he will be taken aback and stricken with awe.” And it is like David said, “When I behold Your heavens, etc. (Psalms 8:4). And knowledge of the truth of the Torah is [attained] by way of circumcision. For the Jewish people are one of [God’s] acquisitions (Pesachim 87b), since we were acquired by him as His slaves – and it is customary that when one acquires a slave for life, a tag is placed upon [that slave]. And since we are his slaves, we are obligated to do [His will] – as it is written, “today upon your hearts,” such that they should be in your eyes like new items every day (Deuteronomy 6:6 with Rashi) – just like we run to find out a [new] decree of a king. And hence circumcision (brit) has a numerical equivalent (gematriya) of 612; and with [the addition of] this commandment, itself, it adds up to 613. Therefore, one who rejects idolatry is as if he assents to the entire Torah (Kiddushin 40a); as the main thing is that he takes on the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven upon himself – ‘and the rest is commentary.’ And the third is [knowledge of the existence of] reward and punishment; and it is felt by way of the Shabbat, which is ‘a taste of the world to come, the day of Shabbat rest.’ And therefore Scripture opened with, “In the beginning,” to hint about the three of them together, since they are the purpose of existence – the creation and the day came ‘together with circumcision.’

So behold, the main intent of the above words, for practical application, is what I saw and heard from the mouth of Rabbeinu z"l himself, many times, that he lived new life all the time; like I heard from him many times saying, “I lived life today, such life as I had never experienced” etc. And also I heard him other times speaking a great deal about life, that the world calls everything life etc., and even regarding painful life there are many differences etc., see there in the Sichoth [CM #400], but actually the essence of life is True Longevity, which is the aspect of the Long Life of the blind one, who really lives long life, for he boasts that he is utterly old and yet utterly a suckling babe and still has not begun to live at all. For this is the essence of life: when one starts serving Hashem anew all the time, as if he has still not started serving him at all, as written (Deut. 6), “Asher anochi metzawekha hayom/Which I enjoin you today.” And our Rabbis z”l (Sifri there), commented, “Every day let them be new in your eyes;” and (ibid. 27) “Hasket ush'ma` Yisrael, hayom hazeh nihyeytha le`am laShem Eloheikha/Pay attention and listen, Yisrael: this day you are become a people to Hashem your God,” and our Rabbis z"l explained (brought in Rashi): every day let them be in your eyes as if today you have entered the covenant with him. And like I saw from Rabbeinu z"l innumerable times, that even though he had previously boasted of big and wondrous things, and revealed wondrous Torah never before heard, as he usually did — and then afterwards we saw him in great pain, and many times he laid out his pain and conversation before us from the depth of his heart, that he is extremely afflicted over how to attain being a Jew, like someone who never before smelled the spirit of serving Hashem. And whoever did not see this, it is impossible to describe it to him in writing, but a little about this is already explained in this Shevachim that are printed, and every time he would say that now he knows nothing at all, nothing nothing at all etc., even though earlier he had revealed what he revealed and boasted that he attained what he attained that is impossible to reveal; nevertheless immediately after he would say that he knows nothing at all. So the rule was that he never stood on one level, but just always quickly went from level to level in the apex of uppermost and loftiest levels, and even when he reached what he reached etc., his mind still did not grow cool to this etc. But here is not the place to prolong discussion of this, but it will be explained elsewhere. And this is truly the essence of life, when one attains always beginning anew in serving Hashem, which is truly the essence of life, as written (Deut. 30:20), “Ki hu chayeykha/It is precisely your life.” And the essence of serving Hashem is to always perform one's service anew, and to not fall into old age of the Sitra Achra; that his service not become old for him, God forbid, as Rabbeinu z"l warned us against and said it is forbidden to be old; not an old tzaddik and not an old chasid, old is not good etc., as explained in his holy Sichoth appended to Sipurei Ma`asiyoth, namely, one needs to always begin anew. And this is the essence of the long life of the holy elder who is the blind one, for he was most old and most yanik [infantile, lit. suckling], that is, the more he grew and became subsumed into holy elderliness which is the aspect of `Atik de`Atikin, the more yanik he became. For, each time he perceived that he is utterly far from Hashem Yithbarakh, for “there is no probing His greatness,” therefore the more he was subsumed into holy elderliness, the more he saw and perceived that he still has not begun living at all, until he attained the aforementioned Long Life where elderliness and infancy and united, which is totally impossible to comprehend. And this is the aspect of tefillin which are drawn from the aforementioned Elder, who is the root of the tefillin, brains, as mentioned., which are the aspect of life, as mentioned., the aspect (ibid 4), “We'atem hadeveqim baShem Eloheikhem chayim kulkhem hayom/And you that cleave to Hashem your God, all of you are live this day,” which is said of tefillin, as is known, for this is the essence of tefillin-brains, in order to attain, through the mitzwah of tefillin, living new life of holiness, to renew his days like an eagle, to begin serving Hashem Yithbarakh anew all the time, and not fall into the oldness of the Sitra Achra, to not view his devotion be as old; on the contrary, tangibly new, as if he had never ever began. For in truth, even one who is a very great tzaddiq and has labored and toiled many years in His Blessed devotion, nevertheless in accord with the Every Day Renewal of Creation, he still has not begun at all, for Hashem Yithbarakh does new things all the time, as written, “and in His goodness renews every day constantly the work of creation,” and no day is like another, and no time is like another, and each and every moment there are changes in the rising of the worlds and their order and position and conduct, in unfathomably wondrous and awesome changes. And all their vitality derives from the devotion of the man in this world, on which it all depends, from the head up to the Ein Sof. Therefore one must always serve Hashem Yithbarakh anew, in accord with the renewal of the work of creation in all the worlds needed now, and in accord with the revelation of the greatness of the Blessed Creator that needs to be revealed now. For, “Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge” [Ps. 19], as every day, every night, every time and every moment, His Blessed Greatness is revealed in a new consciousness and awareness that never before existed. Therefore one needs to begin in His service new every time, in the aspect of, “Let them be like new in your eyes every day,” and this is the essence of vitality, this aforementioned aspect of long life, and as explained in Rabbeinu z"l's words, that the essence of longevity, the aspect of long life, is to see to it, every next coming day, to extend the day with additional sanctity and consciousness. For, the day, at its beginning when it comes to a man, is very narrow, and one needs to see to it to widen and lengthen it with additional sanctity all the time. And so every day one needs to see to it that each day be longer than the other, with additional sanctity and purity etc. (as explained in the Torah Pathach R' Shim`on in LM #60). And this is the essence of length of days, the aspect of long days, namely all the time beginning new in new service, with great addition. For, all the service he has performed until now, he needs to forget entirely, and now begin new, as mentioned. And by tefillin we attain this, as mentioned. And this is the essence of the mitzwah of tefillin that we lay every day, in order to attain life, the aspect of “You who cleave” as mentioned, that is, to attain the aforementioned long life, to renew is life of holiness at all times, beginning new all the time, and this is the essence of brains and life that originate are drawn from the aforementioned Most Supernal Elder, where the source of tefillin is, as mentioned, as he lives the aforementioned long life, as there, elderliness and infancy are united together, which this is the aspect of (Ps. 103), “That your youth be renewed as an eagle,” as our Rabbis z"l said (brought in Rashi there), “This eagle, the older it gets...”, that is, the older it gets, the more it renews its vitality and begins new, all the time beginning new life. And therefore he had concurrence from the Great Eagle specifically, for such vitality is the aspect of “Being renewed as an eagle” as mentioned. And the aspect of tefillin, which are the aspect of this life, is from there, as mentioned.

Genesis 31,13. “I am the G’d of Betel to Whom you have ‎vowed, etc.” The spelling of the word ‎ביתאל‎ both here and in ‎‎35,1 suggests that a house may serve more than one function. It ‎may serve a person to dwell in, just as clothing serves the body as ‎a “house” to surround him with a feeling of security and ‎familiarity. When you see the clothes a person wears, this serves ‎as a preparation to making the acquaintance of the personality ‎behind these clothes. When you see the house a person lives in, ‎you get an initial impression of what kind of a person lives in ‎such a house.
‎When a person prepares to “meet” his Creator, in prayer, etc., ‎he also has to prepare himself for what to expect, by performing ‎certain commandments that serve his soul, much as his clothing ‎serves his body. One of the most appropriate “introductions” ‎prior to addressing G’d is to do so in a house designated for this ‎purpose, i.e. a synagogue. The type of “preparations” used, ‎depend on the importance of the “interview” one expects to have ‎with one’s Creator. Issues involving life and death, obviously ‎deserve a more careful preparation.‎
In psalms 84,2 and 84,3 respectively, the authors (sons of ‎Korach) describe their yearning for entering either the dwellings ‎of G’d on earth, or at least to be allowed to enter the courtyards ‎of these dwellings. They speak of both their body (flesh) and their ‎‎“heart,” (spirit) yearning for this. They hope that admission to ‎these sites will enable them to shout for joy to the living G’d. ‎Their yearnings reflect the fact that they are in exile, and they ‎pray that they not be treated worse than birds that always can ‎return to their nest. They are aware that in order to really come ‎close to G’d, they must first make the appropriate preparations, ‎i.e. build a Temple with the courtyards surrounding it. The ‎psalmist clearly suggests, at the end of verse 3, that only after ‎these preparations have been made can his heart and body rejoice ‎having come closer to His Creator. He can then approach G’d ‎being certain that he, on his part, has made the appropriate ‎preparations.‎
Our author sees in the word ‎נכספה‎ at the beginning of verse 3 ‎an additional spiritual plus of the psalmist, as he made plain that ‎he had made the necessary preparations that would entitle him to ‎have the desired “interview” with Hashem, but he ‎emphasizes, that contrary to performing such a commandment ‎as putting on phylacteries, an act that does not involve ‎pleasurable sensations of his body, what he did when building a ‎courtyard and temple for G’d involved him emotionally on the ‎highest level. He was literally yearning for the spiritual ‎experience no less than the body on occasion yearns for satiating ‎physical urges.‎
On folio 40 in Kidushin 40, where the Talmud deals with ‎the relative moral/ethical value of appropriate intentions when ‎compared to performance, but not necessarily with appropriate ‎intentions, we are told that if someone planned sincerely to ‎perform a certain commandment but was prevented from ‎carrying out his intention by forces beyond his control, he is ‎credited with having performed the commandment. In ‎emphasizing the value of a constructive attitude, the Talmud ‎adds that planning to commit a transgression, and carrying it ‎out, brings in its wake a penalty only for the execution, not for ‎the planning that preceded carrying out the foul deed. ‎‎[The planning of idolatry is the only exception to this ‎rule. ibid. Ed.]‎
This is also the meaning of Deuteronomy 6,6: ‎והיו הדברים האלה ‏אשר אני מצוך היום על לבבך‎, “these matters that I command you this ‎day shall be on your heart.” Even commandments that are not ‎capable of being fulfilled in exile should remain part of our ‎constant consciousness through discussion between father and ‎son, pupil and teacher, so that we are not deprived of receiving a ‎reward for them as if we had actually performed them. The desire ‎to be able to perform the respective commandments in reality is ‎the principal criterion used by G’d to judge our mitzvah ‎performance. Even King David in Chronicles I 22,14 already ‎referred to this when he said (concerning his desire to build a ‎Temple) ‎והנה בעניי הכינותי לבית ה' זהב ככרים מאה אלף כסף וגו'‏‎, “and ‎here through denying myself, I have set aside for the house of the ‎Lord one hundred thousands talents of gold, and one million ‎talents of silver, etc;” what David meant was that the ‎commandment of charity cannot only be fulfilled by the actual ‎handing out of sums of money, but can also be carried out by ‎preparing such monies to be ready when the need arises. David ‎adds that even while he was not able to hand out sums that were ‎needed because he was temporarily short of even bare essentials ‎for himself, i.e. ‎בעניי‎, his sincere desire to be of help would be ‎accounted for him as if he had actually carried out his desire, as ‎we know from psalms 119,106 ‎נשבעתי ואקימה לשמור משפטי צדקך‎, “I ‎have sworn to keep Your just rules.” [As soon as the ‎opportunity will arise. Ed.] Yaakov had similar thoughts ‎when he vowed that if G’d would be with him and grant him even ‎minimal comforts he would turn what is now merely a stone into ‎a building designed to serve G’d. G’d reminds him (31,13) of this ‎vow by describing Himself as ‎אנכי הא-ל ביתאל‎, saying that His ‎presence will not only be with him in his heart, but that he can ‎now carry out his desire to convert the stone he had anointed ‎into a house of G’d.‎