Who doesn't enjoy a nice, long sleep? It's something that entices us human beings, something that we look forward to after a long day. How does a yid view this concept of sleeping?
In this week's parsha, Yaakov Avinu went to sleep and had the famous dream of angels going up and down a ladder. The pasuk says 28:11 "Vayifga bamakom vayulen sham ki va Hashemesh vayikach m’avnei hamakom vayusem merashosav vayishkav bamakom hahu"- he encountered the place and spent the night there because the sun had set and he took from the stones of the place and he put them around his head and lay down in that place".
I would like to explain this whole idea of sleeping. Why did Hashem put into creation this idea of going to sleep? Sleep is very time-consuming, taking up between a quarter to a third of a person’s lifetime. Why is this necessary?
Rav Chaim Mintz in his sefer Eitz Chaim brings down the Vilna Gaon and says Hashem created sleep because we are not able to grasp certain things while our neshama is connected to our body. These lofty ideas are revealed to us at night when the neshama is separated from the body.
It’s well known that the Gaon got many of his learning ideas at night and his lips would even move while he was sleeping. His talmidim would hear extraordinary chidushim from him while he was sleeping. The Arizal also would say that sleep is big inyan. On Shabbos day he would sleep for two or three hours. And the Shaarei Teshuva (siman 290 seif katan 2) brings in the name of the Chida that many people are very quick to fulfill this custom of the Arizal and fail to fulfill the many other holy customs of the Arizal.
On the other hand, sleep can be very detrimental to us. We can fall and be caught up with many sins while we sleep. There are bad spirits and powers of impurity can come on a person at night. Like the gemara says in Kesubos 46 - don’t be meharher by day because that can lead you to tumah at night.
Another downside of sleep can be seen in a difference between a person and an animal. A person’s head is always raised above because his Neshama is lifting him above. But an animal walks with four legs and his head is tilted to the ground, because an animal is completely gashmiyus. However, when a person goes to sleep, his neshama is removed from him and then he’s like an animal without a neshama. Therefore, when a person goes to sleep, his head is close to the ground like an animal. However, tzadikim who involve themselves all day with pure thoughts are able to reach great heights when they go to sleep. That’s why the Gaon said that a person can grasp lofty levels while he is asleep.
Yaakov was immersed in Torah learning in the yeshiva of Ever for many years, never stopping to formally go to sleep. When he finally went to sleep, he put a stone under his neck because even at night his neshama rules. He wanted that his head should be raised above the rest of the body and he merited to have this special dream of Hashem's protection.
The truth is that we all sleep with pillows, but we do it for comfort reasons. Yaakov placed a stone under his head because he wanted that his head should be raised.
The pasuk continues (17) "Vayikatz Yaakov mishnoso vayomer uchen yesh Hashem bamakom hazeh v’anochi lo yodati" - Yaakov awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely Hashem is in this place and I did not know". It is said from Rav Meir m’Primishlan that we see how a yid like Yaakov Avinu goes to sleep with learning Torah and wakes up with Torah and avoda, as he said "achen yesh Hashem bamokom hazeh" – surely Hashem is in this place – a makom kadosh for Torah and tefilla. However, a non-Jew like Pharoah, when he wakes up from his sleep, what does he do? He goes back to sleep and dreams a second time.
The pasuk said that Yaakov woke up and he said "Surely Hashem is in this place", and then it says "and I didn’t know". What is the significance of the words "and I didn't know"? The Chanukas hatorah says the gemora in Brachos 55: that a person only dreams what he thought about during the day. The Gemora says that a person never dreams that an elephant going through the eye of the needle because that is something that doesn’t exists. The Midrash says that when Yaakov said that this is the place of Hashem, he said it with certainty. How was he able to say it with certainty - maybe he thought about this by day? That’s why the pasuk ends off "v'anochi lo yodati" – I did not know – meaning I never thought this was a place of Hashem. Therefore, If I did have such a dream, it must be true that it is a place of Hashem, because it wasn’t what I was thinking about during the day.
When Yaakov Avinu awoke, the lashon in the pasuk is "Vayikatz", meaning he woke up. Rav Schwab points out that the word "Vayikatz" can also mean "and he was disgusted". When Yaakov Avinu wakes up, he is disgusted with sleep. When a person is sleeping, he cannot accomplish, he cannot move forward. Sleep is a must because Hashem put it into creation that humans must sleep. But it is not meant to be attractive.
The first time that we find someone sleeping in the Torah, the pasuk says "Vayapel Hashem Elokim tardaima al ha'adam vayishan" – Hashem caused a deep slumber to fall upon Adam. Rav Lazer Gordon comments on these words that we see that sleep is a "mapala" for a person. Sleep may be necessary, but it is unfortunate for a person. R' Lazer says, "hata'am she'aino margish es hachaim" – the reason that sleep is a mapala for a person is because he doesn't realize that he is alive. He cannot accomplish or do.
What a lesson in attitude towards sleep! As much as we are an exhausted generation for many reasons and find that we crave sleep, let's change our attitude just a bit. Sleep should be viewed as a necessary component of life, but not as an enjoyable activity. We should crave to accomplish, to achieve, to climb ever higher. When our "batteries" run out and we have no choice but to lie down and recharge, we should do it because that's what we need to do, not because we are craving to "do nothing and sleep". A yid must always crave to accomplish in our avodas Hashem.
On a side note, never forget to be thankful for the blessing of sleep. There are unfortunate individuals who cannot sleep and suffer terribly from insomnia. If you are part of those blessed to fall asleep easily and wake up refreshed, you should wake up singing and dancing for the gift you have received at no cost to you. Your bodily functions were recharged, detoxified, and energized without you even noticing it and with no effort on your part. So don't crave sleep, don't be too attracted to it, but never forget to thank Hashem with all your heart for the gift of sleep.
