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tcv okugv ic tuva uk jycun ouh kfc ,ufkv vbuav kf 'uvhkt hcs tb,IT WAS TAUGHT IN THE ACADEMY OF ELIYAHU, WHOEVER STUDIES TORAH LAWS

EVERY DAY IS ASSURED THAT HE WILL BE PRESENT IN THE ‘WORLD TO COME’

Chapter 1, Question 5

What is the source and reason for saying Tikkun Hatzot ?

At the very beginning of almost every siddur, just after Birchat Hashahar, one will find

the nusach of a special prayer called ,umj iueh, Tikkun Hatzot. The accepted custom is to

recite ,umj iueh, at the moment the clock strikes halachic midnight, and one still has

time to recite it until just before rjav ,ukg dawn. The theme of this prayer is mainly

focused and centered around mourning the tragic loss and destruction of our

Beit Hamikdash, but elements of ,umj iueh, also relate to our deep sorrows over the

historic burning of the Sefer Torah, on the subsequent loss of the ‘Secrets’ of the Torah to

outer negative spiritual forces and on the brutal slaying of the Righteous1. The halachic

manner in which one should recite ,umj iueh, is detailed in the Ben Ish Hai2, the Kaf

HaChaim3 and has subsequently been brought down clearly in various siddurim.

It is surprising to find that even though this unique prayer was positioned at the beginning

of our siddurim, the majority of people know little about its importance, where it comes

from, the reason why we say it and the understanding behind the holy ocean of pasukim

and supplications that form its nusach. It is additionally unfortunate that many people

very readily relate the concept of ,umj iueh, as something relevant only to the realm of

the exceptionally righteous... to pious individuals or elderly Rabbanim of immense

quality of character and refinement, and not so relevant to the average simple Jew.

Nothing could be further from the truth!

1. t jkahu 'hj ;xuh sug2. jkahu 3. yh ,ut 't inhx

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Let us attempt to clarify the depths of this special mitzvah by first looking into the source

of ,umj iueh, and then bring to light the major importance and benefits associated with

its recitation by every individual.

The ideal place to begin is none other than our holy Shulchan Aruch.

HaRav Yosef Cairo (1488 - 1575), the author of our Shulchan Aruch and otherwise

known as Marwan (our Master), states the following halacha4 near the beginning of the

first simman (chapter):

hutrohna trh kfk/asenv-,hc icrj kg dtusu rmn tvha

It is fitting for all ‘Fearers of Heaven’ to be pained and worried

over the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash.

This seems like an open-ended statement. How exactly should one fulfill this obligation?

Is it enough to simply feel pain and anguish over our lost Temple and no further action is

required? Indeed it seems that this halacha was left open to individual understanding and

methodology.

This cannot be true. The Shulchan Aruch was designed to be a clear code of Jewish Law

and not open to personal interpretation. So in order to attain a clearer understanding one

needs to look into the source of this halacha, and surprisingly we find that Marwan’s words

are in fact borrowed almost word by word from the ‘Rosh’ who comments on a certain

piece of Gemara in tractate Berachot. The Rosh, HaRav Asher ben Yehiel (1250-1328),

was an early Rishon and an immense figure of Torah and halachic authority.

Here are the words of the Gemara followed by the Rosh’s powerful statement5:

:crs vhnan ktuna rc ejmh cr rntvkhkv huv ,urnan aka

u rnanu rnan kf kg,t h,crjv ovh,ubugca ohbck hutw :rnutu hrtf dtuau v"cev cauh

/wokugv ,unut ihck o,hkdvu hkfhv ,t h,prau h,hca"trrmn tvha ohna trh kfk hutru :

dtusuvga v,utc asenv ,hc icruj kg ohbubj, lupaku:

4. d wgx 't inhx5. wd ;s ,ufrcc wnd

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Rav Yitzhak bar Shmuel said in the name of Rav;

The night consists of three watches,

And at each and every watch Hashem sits and roars like a lion and says,

‘Woe to the children! That because of their sins I destroyed my house and I

burnt my sanctuary and I exiled them amongst the nations of the world!

Rosh: And it is fitting for all Fearers of Heaven to be pained and worried at that

moment and to pour out supplications over the destruction of the

Beit Hamikdash.

This is a clear example of a giant in Torah (the Rosh) who in learning a piece of Gemara

and was able to expound from it a profound lesson that would affect generations to come.

The Rosh learnt that the Sages of the Gemara were conveying to us a fundamental

principle.... It is indeed very moving to have the knowledge that the night in reality

consists of three watches, and that Hashem ‘roars’ with much sorrow (so to speak) at the

head of each watch over the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash and his nation’s

self-afflicted exile. However, what real significance does the possession of this

knowledge have on our daily lives? What are we supposed to do with this knowledge?

The Rosh with his special sensitivity saw the message clearly and grasped it. These

moments - these ‘watches’ - are packed with special spiritual opportunity at which time

one can make significant changes both in this physical world and also in the spiritual

realms above. The Rosh understood that if Hashem conducts Himself in such a way at

these specific moments of time, then it is befitting that we as his subjects use that moment

as an opportunity to also show our heartfelt grief over the destruction and exile. In doing

so we would be utilizing the relevant energies available to make cosmic change in our

lives and in the world as a whole.

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The Rosh’s insight was then brought down in the Shulchan Aruch6 as a halachic

obligation upon every Jew (Fearer of Heaven) to feel pain and concern over the

destruction. Marwan further adds7 that one who gets up early to supplicate before Hashem

should have in mind the specific times of the three watches which divide the night,

because prayers at those times on the destruction or the exile are particularly desirable.

However, the Sages of Kabbalistic wisdom, like the Ari z’l,8 revealed with much

emphasis that the correct time for supplications to Hashem and mourning over the

destruction is actually at halachic midnight. This is how the name ,umj iueh, came

about, which is loosely translated as meaning ‘Rectification of the Midnight’.

The source of this knowledge is from various sections of the holy Zohar9:

hfvst 'tkhk dhkp,t tks sg whhrtc hexg,n teu sj thkhk hc,h uuv hxuh hcru rzgkt hcr

vtn ,k, gzgszt v"cue t,av sg hzj t, rntu rzgkt hcr vfc /t,frc ufrc trcd tre

////ihgns ihr, shrutu tasen wc icrj kg vfcu ///ihgher ihga,u

Rebbi Elazar and Rebbi Yossi were sitting one night and indulging in the learning of

Torah before the night was halved, (i.e. just before midnight). When midnight came the

rooster crowed and they blessed its blessing (the blessing of vbhc hufak i,ubv).

Rebbi Elazar cried and said;

‘Come and see! Until this moment Hashem was shaking three hundred and ninety

Heavenly realms, and He cried over the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash

and let two tear drops fall...

The first thing that is evident from this piece of Zohar is that it seems to contradict the

Gemara we just saw in Berachot. From the Zohar we see that Hashem’s ‘cries’ over the

destruction of the Temple actually occur at midnight and not at the three watches

mentioned in the Gemara.10

6. oa7. c wgxc oa8. jb ;s ',umj iue, aurs ',ubuufv rga9. t"g zr ;s adhu wpu 'c"g vme ;s kvehu wp10.s e"x oa t"nv rhgv lf

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There are several Acharonim who were able to solve this seeming difference, or at least

weaken it. For example, the Nod’ah B’Yehuda11 brings an interesting proof from another

Gemara in Yevamot12 that says explicitly that midnight is an iumr ,g, i.e. a period of time

that is particularly desirable. The Aruch HaShulchan13 also tries to resolve the difference

between the Gemara in Berachot and the Zohar by reasoning that the three watches

mentioned in the Gemara are special times related to the mourning over the destruction of

the Temple, whereas midnight is a time that is desirable for all forms of supplications,

including over the destruction. However from the words of the Zohar above it is apparent

that the most suitable time to mourn over the Temple is at midnight.

Another interesting observation from the Zohar is the revelation that Hashem ‘sheds’

precisely two tear drops. The Seder HaYom14 explains the deeper understanding of this.

The two tear drops are shed over the destruction of the two Temples, and their purpose is

to sweeten the harsh decrees that are upon us and awaken Hashem’s attribute of mercy. It

is clear then that at this moment Hashem ‘feels’ great remorse and regret over the

destruction and over our very exile. The Seder Hayom therefore says that this is a very

powerful moment in time in which our prayers can be answered and our merits can bring

about our ultimate redemption from exile.

Coming back to the Shulchan Aruch... We can clearly see that the words of the Shulchan

Aruch are based on those of the Rosh who says one must recite supplications over the

destruction of the Temple. And, like the Rosh, the Shulchan Aruch also expresses the

importance of reciting supplications at these specific three periods of time at night.15 It is

thus clear from the Shulchan Aruch that all Jews must actively mourn over the

destruction of our Temple at specific times of the night, rather than simply feeling

anguish and sorrow. The Sages of Kabbalistic wisdom then simplified matters by

revealing that the correct time for the recitation of ,umj iue, is at halachic midnight.

11.oa ,ufrc n"g j"km urpxc12.cg ;s13.f ,ut oa14. z ;s 'vkhkc vru, sunk ,buf15.c wgx oa

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Now that we have discovered the source of ,umj iue,, the reasons behind why it was

instituted and the correct time of its reciting, let us get a better understanding of the

essence of this prayer.

Tikkun Hatzot consists of two sections. The first section is called kjr iue,

Tikkun Rachel which is followed by the second section called vtk iue,

Tikkun Leah. The Ben Ish Hai16 reveals the meaning behind the names of these Tikkunim

and their significant purposes...

When Bnei Yisrael sins, their transgressions cause a spiritual defect in the higher

heavenly bodies of ,ufkn Malchut, otherwise known as the Shechinah. The Shechinah is

also surprisingly called kjr and sometimes called vtk. [As an aside, it is interesting to

note that these names of the Shechinah obviously preceded the existence of our holy

Matriarchs, Rachel and Leah, who were named after the Shechinah through Divine

intervention.] We could say that the reference of Hashem shedding two tears as seen in

the Zohar is actually a metaphor for the two aspects of the Shechinah - Rachel and Leah -

which are damaged by our sins and ‘fall down’ to this world.

Fortunately Hashem has given us the wisdom and power to rectify the damages caused by

our sins through the medium of these two special Tikkunim. The purpose of kjr iue, is

to repair the damage caused by our sins through supplications and mourning over the

destruction and exile. The purpose of vtk iue, is to repair the damage through the

learning of Torah. How it works exactly cannot be discussed in this forum, but it is

suffice to know that the contents of these prayers were established according to the vast

Kabbalistic knowledge of Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai and the Ari z’l.

This information may give us a better understanding now of the Shulchan Aruch. We

could say that when Marwan stated one should be rmn ‘pained’ over the destruction, he

was referring to kjr iue, because as we have seen the essence of this section is to mourn

and cry over the destruction.

16.t ,ut jkahu 'j"hg urpxc

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Similarly, when Marwan said one should be dtus ‘troubled’, he was referring to vtk iue,

because when a Jew becomes concerned about the status of his exile (or in all aspects of

his life) the best advice is to increase the study of Torah which is what vtk iue,

represents.

One could write forever on this topic. But if there is one message we should take from the

lesson of ,umj iue, it is the knowledge of the immense spiritual power a Jew possesses

and how cosmic are the effects of his actions. For in our actions we have the power to

achieve the greatest spiritual heights... and unfortunately, R’L, we also have the ability to

damage the Divine Shechinah, so to speak.

Today there are many wonderful outreach organisations all over the world, many sincere

people trying their best to focus on helping other Jews in bringing them back under the

‘Wings of the Shechinah’. However, if we were able to perceive this same Shechinah and

see the blemishes of our sins that it carries in this dark exile, would we not also reinforce

the beauty of ,umj iue, and inform people what each and every Jew can achieve within

5 minutes of halachic midnight? Indeed what would people do if they really knew the

power of a Jew reciting ,umj iue, ?

We are living at the dawn of the Messianic Era, but at the same time it is a dark exile...

filled with suffering and a longing for salvation. Should we not take comfort by joining

Hashem in this precious moment of the night and mourn with Him over the destruction of

our Beit Hamikdash and our terrible exile?

As the saying goes... this task is not far away in the Heavens... nor is it across the sea...

but it is in the very first pages of our siddurim.... !

hbhnh jfa, ohkaurh ljfat ot

If I forget Jerusalem...let my right arm be forgotten

Rabbi Yosef Haim David

This document contains divrei Torah. Please treat it with necessary respect.