ִבְּר כוֹת ַה ַשּׁ ַחר • Birkot HaShachar & ֶמוד ה ֲא ִני •

מו ֶדה [מו ָדה] ֲא ִני ְל ָפ ֶני ֶמ ֶל ַחי ְו ַק ָיּם, ֶשׁ ֶה ֱח ַזְר ָתּ ִבּ י ִנ ְשׁ ָמ ִתי ְבּ ֶח ְמ ָלה, ַר ָבּה ֱאמוּ ָנ ֶת:

Modeh anee lefanecha melech chai vekayam, she-he-chezarta bee nishmatee b’chemla, raba emunatecha

I offer thanks to You, living and eternal Sovereign, for You have mercifully restored my soul within me; Your faithfulness is great

Where Does Our Soul Go at Night? Bedtime prayers One who enters to sleep on their bed recites Shema in bed from to VeHaya Im Shamoa. Then recites: Blessed…Who makes the bands of sleep fall upon my eyes and slumber upon my eyelids, and illuminates the pupil of the eye.

May it be Your will, O Lord my God, that You make me lie down in peace and give me my portion in Your , accustom me to mitzvot and do not accustom me to transgression, lead me not into error, nor into iniquity, nor into temptation nor into disgrace. May the good inclination have dominion over me and may the evil inclination not have dominion over me. Save me from an evil mishap and evil diseases. Let neither bad dreams nor troubling thoughts disturb me. May my bed be flawless before You, that my progeny should not be flawed. Enlighten my eyes in the morning lest I sleep the sleep of death, never to awaken. Blessed are You, O Lord, Who gives light to the whole world in His glory. B abylonian Talmud, 60b

ָבּרוּ ְי ָי ַבּיּוֹם ָבּרוּ ְי ָ י ַבּ ָלּ ְי ָלה ָבּרוּ ְי ָ י ְבּ ָשׁ ְכ ֵבנוּ ָבּרוּ ְי ָ י ְבּקוּ ֵמנוּ. ִכּי ְבּ ָי ְד ַנ ְפשׁוֹ ת ַה ַח ִיּי ם ְו ַה ֵמּ ִתים. ֲא ֶשׁ ר ְבּ ָיד וֹ ֶנ ֶפשׁ ָכּ ל ָח י ְורוּ ַח ָכּ ל ְבּ ַשׂר ִא ישׁ (איוב יב, י). ְבּ ָי ְד ַא ְפ ִקי ד רוּ ִחי ָפּ ִדי ָתה אוֹ ִתי ְיה ָוה ֵאל ֱא ֶמ ת (תהלים לא, ו). ֱא ֵקינוּ ֶשׁ ַבּ ָשּׁ ַמ ִי ם ַי ֵח ד ִשׁ ְמ ְו ַק ֵיּ ם ַמ ְלכוּ ְת ָת ִמי ד וּ ְמך . ָﬠ ֵלינ וּ ְלעוֹ ָלם ָו ֶﬠד

Blessed is the Lord by day, blessed is the Lord by night. Blessed is the Lord when we lie down; blessed is the Lord when we rise. For in Your hand are the souls of the living and the dead, [as it is written]: “In God’s hand is every living soul, and the breath of all humankind. Into Your hand I entrust my spirit: You redeemed me, Lord, God of truth. Our God in heaven, bring unity to your name, establish Your kingdom constantly and reign of us for all time.

Babylonian Talmud, Berachot 57b The Gemara says: There are five matters in our world which are one-sixtieth of their most extreme manifestations. They are: Fire, honey, , sleep, and a dream. The Gemara elaborates: Our fire is one-sixtieth of the fire of Gehenna; honey is one-sixtieth of manna; Shabbat is one-sixtieth of the World-to-Come; sleep is one-sixtieth of death; and a dream is one-sixtieth of prophecy.

חמשה ושש ה ועשרה סימן): חמשה אחד מששי ם אלו הן אש דבש ושבת ושינה וחלו ם אש אח ד מששי ם לגיהנם ד בש אח ד מששים ) למן שבת אחד מששים לעולם הב א שינ ה אח ד מששים למיתה חלו ם אח ד מששי ם לנבואה

Learners’ Service/Birkot HaShachar: Modeh Ani & Birkot HaShachar , Rabbi Jason Gitlin 1

Returning Our Soul in the Morning

ֱאל ַהי ְנ ָשׁ ָמה ֶשׁ ָנּ ַת ָ תּ ִבּ י ְטהו ָרה ִהיא. ַא ָתּה ְב ָרא ָתהּ. ַא ָתּה ְי ַצ ְר ָתּהּ. ַא ָתּ ה ְנ ַפ ְח ָתּהּ ִבּי. ְו ַא ָתּ ה ְמ ַשׁ ְמּ ָר הּ ְבּ ִק ְר ִבּי. ְו ַא ָתּ ה ָﬠ ִתי ד ִל ְטּ ָלהּ ִמ ֶמּ ִנּי. וּ ְל ַה ֲח ִז ָירהּ ִבּי ֶל ָﬠ ִתי ד ָלבוא. ָכּל ְז ַמ ן ֶשׁ ַה ְנּ ָשׁ ָמה ְבּ ִק ְר ִבּי מו ֶד ה ֲא ִנ י ְל ָפ ֶני ה' ֱאל ַהי ֵואל ֵה י ֲאבו ַתי. ִרבּו ן ָכּל ַה ַמּ ֲﬠשי ם ֲאדון ָכּ ל ַה ְנּ ָשׁמות: : ָבּרוּ ַא ָתּ ה ה' ַה ַמּ ֲח ִזיר ְנ ָשׁמות ִל ְפ ָג ִרי ם ֵמ ִתים

My God, the soul which you have placed within me is pure. You have created it; You have formed it; You have breathed it into me. You preserve it within me; You will take it from me, and r estore it to me in the hereafter. So long as the soul is within me, I offer thanks before You, Lord my God and God of my fathers, Master of all creatures, Lord of all souls. Blessed are You, Lord, who restores souls to the dead. (Prayerbook, BT60b)

ְבּ ֶח ְמ ָלה - Mercifully Why is this language of "Chemlah", and not "Berachamim", or "Chessed"? We can explain according to the explanation of the Gra that the language of Chemah is only relevant after anger. And behold, every night when the soul goes through a judgement, and in the spiritual world it is more dirty then before, there is awakenened upon a person an anger and judgement... and nonetheless the the mercies of heaven gain the upperhand. T orah Ohr

ַר ָבּ ה ֱאמוּ ָנ ֶת - God’s Faithfulles is Great But this do I call to mind, Therefore I have hope: 22 The kindness of the LORD has not ended, God's mercies are not spent. 23 They are renewed every morning— Ample is Your grace! 24 “The LORD is my portion,” I say with full heart; Therefore will I hope in God. L amentations 3:23:

“Modeh ani tells us that every day we wake up to a new adventure, a new set of possibilities, and new chance to connect to God.” L amentations Rabah 3:8, probably 5th century

It is written (Psalms 31:6) "In your hands I entrust your spirit". Behold every night a person entrust his soul to the original owner-and Hashem finds the soul he emplaced damaged-so why should Hashem return us our soul? Won't we just return it back worse? But Hashem still entrusts his soul to us each morning-in the hope that perhaps a man will fix his soul and return to the straight path. That is the meaning of "great is your faith"! Chattam Sofer

Soul Care and Steps

When one forgets the essence of one's own soul, when one distracts his mind from attending to the substantive content of his own inner life, everything becomes confused and uncertain. The primary role of penitence, which at once sheds light on the darkened zone, is for the person to return to himself, to the root of his soul. Then he will at once return to God, to the Soul of all souls. Then he will progress continually, higher and higher, in holiness and purity. This is true whether we consider the individual, a whole people, or the whole of humanity, or whether we consider the mending of all existence, which always becomes damaged when it forgets itself… L ights of Penitence 15:10 - Rav Kook

Learners’ Service/Birkot HaShachar: Modeh Ani & Birkot HaShachar , Rabbi Jason Gitlin 2 "God renews the world each day: Every day God gives us a new soul. Rabeinu HaGra:

Kabbalists are aware that the spiritual part of man, commonly known as "soul," exists on five different levels. ראש level we experience on נפש The .יחידה and נפש, רוח, נשמה, חיה These levels known in ascending order as every חיה level on the Day of Atonement, the level נשמה level on festivals; the רוח the ,חו ל המועד and חודש ,we will only experience in the World to Come. S hney Luchot HaBrit יחידה Sabbath. The highest level, that of Pinchas, Torah Ohr 9

Shabbat Kiddush (Exodus 31:16-17)

ְו ָשׁ ְמ֥רוּ ְב ֵֽני־ ִי ְשׂ ָר ֵ֖א ל ֶאת־ ַה ַשּׁ ָ ֑בּת ַל ֲﬠ ֧שׂוֹת ֶאת־ ַה ַשּׁ ָ ֛בּת ְל ֹד ֹר ָ ֖תם ְ ִבּ֥רית עוֹ ָֽל ם ֵבּי ִ֗ני וּ ֵבי ֙ן ְבּ ֵ֣נ י ִי ְשׂ ָר ֵ֔א ל ֥אוֹ ת ִ ֖הוא ְל ֹע ָ ֑ל ם ִכּי־ ֵ֣שׁ ֶשׁת ָי ִ֗מים ָﬠ ָ ֤שׂה ְיה ָו ֙ ה ֶאת־ ַה ָשּׁ ַ ֣מ ִי ם ְו ֶאת־ ָה ָ֔א ֶר ץ וּ ַביּוֹ ֙ם ַה ְשּׁ ִבי ִ֔ﬠי ָשׁ ַ ֖ב ת ַו ִיּ ָנּ ַֽפשׁ

The Israelite people shall keep the sabbath, observing the sabbath throughout the ages as a covenant for all time: it shall be a sign for all time between Me and the people of Israel. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He ceased from work and was refreshed.

וינ פש - כמ י שייגע וישי ב נפשו. ואמת כי השם ל א ייעף ולא ייגע. ר ק דבר ה תור ה כלשו ן בני אד ם להבי ן פתאים Ibn Ezra on Exodus 31:17 Refreshed – Literally, “resouled,” like one who feels so tired that he needs to rest to restore his soul. Ibn Ezra

Shearit Natan: (Rav Natan Lobart) On e can explain according to the explanation of the Zohar, that when a person gets up in the morning his soul is within him, but after tfillah it spreads throughout his whole body.

ִבְּרכוֹת ַה ַשּׁ ַחר • Birkot HaShachar

כי שמע קול תרנגול א לימ א ברוך אש ר נתן לשכוי בינה להבחין בי ן יום ובין ליל ה כ י פת ח עיני ה לימ א ברוך פוק ח עורים כ י תריץ ויתי ב לימ א ברוך מתיר אסורים כ י לב יש לימ א ברוך מלביש ערומים כי זקיף לימ א ברו ך זוק ף כפופי ם כי נחי ת לארע א לימ א ברוך רוק ע הארץ על המים כי מסגי לימא ברוך המכין מצעדי גבר כ י סיים מסאני ה לימ א ברו ך שעש ה ל י כל צרכ י כ י אסר המייניה לימא ברוך אוזר ישרא ל בגבור ה כי פריס סודרא ע ל רישי ה לימ א ברוך עוט ר ישרא ל בתפארה (Babylonian Talmud 60b)

● Upon hearing the sound of the rooster, one should recite: Blessed…Who gave the heart [s ekhvi] understanding to distinguish between day and night. ● Upon opening his eyes, one should recite: Blessed…Who gives sight to the blind. ● Upon sitting up straight, one should recite: Blessed…Who sets captives free. ● Upon dressing, one should recite: Blessed…Who clothes the naked, as they would sleep unclothed. ● Upon standing up straight, one should recite: Blessed…Who raises those bowed down. ● Upon descending from one’s bed to the ground, one should recite: Blessed…Who spreads the earth above the waters, in thanksgiving for the creation of solid ground upon which to walk. ● Upon walking, one should recite: Blessed…Who makes firm the steps of man. ● Upon putting on his shoes, one should recite: Blessed…Who has provided me with all I need, as shoes are a basic necessity. ● Upon putting on his belt, one should recite: Blessed…Who girds Israel with strength. ● Upon spreading a shawl upon his head, one should recite: Blessed…Who crowns Israel with glory

Learners’ Service/Birkot HaShachar: Modeh Ani & Birkot HaShachar , Rabbi Jason Gitlin 3