Kriat Shema Al Hamitah (Part 27)
“The amount of sleep required by the average person is five minutes more.”
Wilson Mizener – American Playwright
Kriat Shema al Hamitah concludes with the poetic Tefillah “Adon Olam”: Master of the universe, Who reigned before any form was created; at the time when His Will brought all into being, then His Name was proclaimed as King. After all has ceased to be, He, the Awesome One, will reign alone. It is He Who was, He Who is, and He Who shall remain in splendor. He is One, there is no second to compare to Him, to declare as His equal. Without beginning, and with no end, He is the power and dominion. He is my God, my living Redeemer, Rock of my pain in time of distress. He is my Banner, and Refuge for me, the portion in my cup on the day that I call. Into Your Hand I shall entrust my spirit when I go to sleep, and I shall awaken. With my spirit shall my body remain, Hashem is with me I shall not fear.
“Adon Olam” is one of the most famous liturgical poems in the Jewish world. Fascinatingly enough, despite its almost universal recognition and enormous popularity, no one knows for sure who actually composed it. Many attribute “Adon Olam” to Rabbi Shlomo ibn Gabirol (1021-1058), the renowned Spanish philosopher and poet. Others attribute it to Rabbi Chai Gaon (939-1038), the head of the legendary Yeshivah in the ancient city of Pumbedita (located in modern-day Iraq). Some even suggest that it might have been composed by the first century luminary Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai. In all events, despite the mystery surrounding its composer, it has been a part of the Shabbat morning services for hundreds of years and many communities also have the custom to sing it at the conclusion of the nighttime services on Yom Tov as well.
There is so much that can be written about this beautiful and sublime Tefillah. However, with your permission, I would like to focus primarily on the reason that it is included as a part of Kriat Shema al Hamitah.
The final two verses read, “Into Your Hand I shall entrust my spirit when I go to sleep, and I shall awaken. With my spirit shall my body remain, Hashem is with me I shall not fear.”
“Adon Olam” is split into two sections. The first part focuses on the fact that Hashem is Eternal and Inestimable. Whereas the second part concentrates on our being able to build an intensely personal and intimate relationship with Him. It is the most astonishing concept! That Hashem, the Master of the entire universe, the Controller and the Sustainer of every single detail in His creation, is my personal God. That He cares for “little, insignificant” me. Because in His Eyes I am anything but irrelevant. What could possibly be more inspirational than ending the day contemplating both Hashem’s Omnipotence and His perpetual accessibility!
Rabbi Nachum Levi of Brisk, an ardent Chassid of Rabbi Moshe of Kobrin, recounted that during a business trip to Leipzig, he stayed in an inn together with a local Jew who had come for business reasons to the famous Leipzig fair. Rabbi Levi was captivated by the refined conduct of his new acquaintance. Something, however, puzzled him greatly: His new-found friend’s particular profession left him vulnerable, by his own admission, to many spiritual pitfalls and, yet, the intensity of his Avodat Hashem was remarkable and inspiring. Some time later, Rabbi Levi found the correct moment to ask him: What was the secret to his spiritual success?
The German Jew told him, “Every night I recite Kriat Shema al Hamitah, and when I get to the words ‘b’Yadcha afkid ruchi – in Your Hand I shall entrust my spirit,’ I invest a lot of energy internalizing that these are not mere words. That, each night, I am actually entrusting my soul to Hashem! And I beg Him, ‘If You know that tomorrow I will be better, then please return my soul to me in the morning. But if, chas v’shalom, You know otherwise, please do not give me back my soul.”
That is why we bring our day to a close by defining our aspirations for the coming day! That tomorrow we should merit to sanctify Hashem’s Name and, by doing so, reveal another layer of Hashem’s Majesty in His world.
Or, as Rabbi Elazar Azkari (1533-1600) in his brilliant work Sefer Charedim on the Mitzvot (Mitzvat Lo Ta’aseh chapter 7) hauntingly expresses, “B’toch libi Mishkan evneh – In my heart I will build a tabernacle. Korban akriv lo nafshi hayechidah – I will bring Him [Hashem] my only soul as a sacrifice.”
To be continued…
