מעלת ההשכמה ב'חצות' כדי לעסוק בתורה
The advantage of getting up at ‘midnight’ to be involved in Torah
וְאַתָּה תְצַוֶּה אֶּת־בְנֵי יִשְרָּאֵל וְיִקְחו אֵלֶּיךָ שֶּמֶּן זַיִת זָּךְ כָּתִית לַמָּאוֹר לְהַעֲלֹת נֵר תָּמִיד: (כז, כ)
And you will command the Children of Israel that they shall take for you clear olive oil, crushed, for illumination, to light a lamp continually. (27:2)
The words ‘crushed, for illumination, to light a lamp continually’ can be explained by way of a hint: ‘crushed’ – if the person wants to purify himself and break his bad habits, ‘for illumination’ he should see fit to increase his time in Hashem’s Torah which is an illumination for the person as it states (Mishlei 6:23) 'כי נר מצוה ותורה אור' – for a commandment is a lamp and the Torah is light’. The main segulah of the Torah that helps this is learning at night when we must ‘light a lamp’ in order to illuminate the dark. This is how a person should conduct himself ‘continuously’ without delaying from getting up even for one night, to be involved in Hashem’s Torah from before dawn.
The advantage of learning at night has been mentioned in holy seforim, and I will quote the language of the Rambam (Talmud Torah 3:13), ‘Even though the mitzvah is to learn day and night, a person learns most of his wisdom only at night. Therefore, one who wishes to earn the crown of Torah should be careful with all of his nights, and not lose even one of them to sleeping, eating and drinking, and idle talk or similar things, rather, only learning Torah and words of wisdom. Chachamim said (Vayikra Rabbah Parsha 19 Siman 1), there is no glad song of Torah except at night, as it says (Eichah 2:19) 'קומי רוני בלילה' – ‘Arise, cry out at night’, and whoever is involved in Torah at night, a thread of chesed [kindness] extends over him by day, as it says (Tehillim 42:9) 'יומם יצוה ה' חסדו ובלילה שירה עמי תפילה לא-ל חיי' – ‘In the day Hashem will command His lovingkindness, even by night His song is with me, a prayer to the G-d of my life’. Any house where the words of Torah are not heard at night will be consumed by fire, as it says (Iyov 20:26) 'כל חשך טמון לצפוניו תאכלהו אש לא נופח כי דבר ה' בזה' – ‘Total darkness lies in wait for his hidden treasures, an unfanned fire will consume him’ for the word of Hashem is in this. One who did not watch over the words of Torah so much.’
From his language you learn that all the segulos that come from learning Torah, more come from night than from day, for in the merit of the Torah the person’s wisdom is increased, and to him ‘a person learns most of his wisdom at night’, for the night is more propitious to allow the Torah to make an impression on the person. If so, then the purification is dependent on learning Torah, its advantage is by night more than by day.
In several places in the holy Zohar, he explains the great advantage of learning Torah at night, especially during the second half of the night. I will quote to you several teachings of many, first I will bring you a teaching that applies to everyone (Cheilek 3 Daf 23b), ‘One who wakes up at night to be involved in Torah, the Torah informs him of his sins, and in a merciful way it shows him like informing a daughter in a soft tone, and he does not forget the rebuke and does Teshuvah before his Maker.’
I will quote another teaching from the Zohar HaKadosh (Cheilek 1 Daf 82b) which first speaks about the advantage of the Torah of the tzaddikim in Gan Eden at night, and afterwards he speaks of the advantage of the Torah of the tzaddikim in this world. ‘R’ Yassa asked R’ Yosi, since you have said that HaKadosh Baruch Hu sports with the neshamos of tzaddikim when they are involved in Torah, tell me, is this also said about the tzaddikim found in this world? And if you say yes, where is this? [Like one looking for an illustration, how does He sport with them?] R’ Yosi told R’ Yassa, ‘He definitely sports with the tzaddikim even in this world because the tzaddikim get up in the middle of the night in this world to learn Torah and to hear the praises of HaKadosh Baruch Hu, and HaKadosh Baruch Hu and all the tzaddikim in Gan Eden descend to hear their voices, and a thread of chesed extends over them by day, as it says (Tehillim 42:9) 'יומם יצוה ה' חסדו ובלילה שירה עמי תפילה לא-ל חיי' – ‘In the day Hashem will command His lovingkindness, even by night His song is with me, a prayer to the G-d of my life’, meaning because of the song of night they merit chesed by day. Therefore, it is specifically the songs and praises that are brought up at night before HaKadosh Baruch Hu, they are complete praises more than the praises by day, for only this is relevant to the sporting of Above.
The Zohar HaKadosh discusses this at length in several other places, and also in the seforim of the Ari HaKadosh and his students, and his students’ students, he discusses at length the greatness of learning Torah at night, especially in the second half of the night where special segulos are hidden that arise in sanctity through the learning of then, an see the sefer ‘Reishis Chachmah’ where this topic is discussed at length.
In the sefer ‘Shaarei Kedusha’ by Rav Chaim Viytal (Cheilek 2 Shaar 7) he writes, ‘Arise after the middle of the night except those included in the mourners of Tzion and Yerushalayim, as it says (Yeshayah 66:10) 'שישו אתה משוש כל המתאבלים עליה' – ‘Exult with her in exultation , all you who mourned for her’, when even HaKadosh Baruch Hu mourns and roars like a lion at that time. Even those involved in Torah at that time, our Rabbis have said (Shir HaShirim Rabbah 5:7) 'אין רינה של תורה אלא בלילה' – ‘There is no joyous song of Torah except at night’, and our Rabbis said (Avodah Zara 3b) ‘One who is involved in Torah at night, a thread of chesed extends over him by day’, and our Rabbis said (Tamid 32b) ‘One who is involved in Torah at night, the Shechina is opposite him’. It is written (Eichah 2:19) 'קומי רוני בלילה' – ‘Arise, cry out at night’, Dovid HaMelech only merited staying alive and existing in this world and in the World to Come only in what he wrote (Tehillim 119:62) 'חצות לילה אקום להודות לך' – ‘At midnight I arise to thank You’. Throughout the sefer Zohar the praise of this mitzvah is explained endlessly, even Ruach HaKodesh [Divine Inspiration] hovers over the person as mentioned there in Parashas Shemos.’
But nowadays when the generations have weakened, it is impossible to teach people to get up and be involved in Torah from midnight, However, as early as the person is able to get up to spend the last portion of the night involved in Torah and plea, the more he is praised, since it has been received from several tzaddikim that this great segulah atones for sins and brings one closer to Hashem.
