Meriting the Final Redemption

The Importance of Tikkun Chatzot

It is taught (Berachot 3a): אָמַר רַב יִצְחָק בַּר שְׁמוּאֵל מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דְּרַב שָׁלֹשׁ מִשְׁמָרוֹת הָוֵי הַלַּיְלָה וְעַל כָּל מִשְׁמָר וּמִשְׁמָר יוֹשֵׁב הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וְשׁוֹאֵג כַּאֲרִי וְאוֹמֵר אוֹי לִי שֶׁחֵרַבְתִּי אֶת בֵּיתִי וְשָׂרַפְתִּי אֶת הֵיכָלִי וְהִגְלִיתִי אֶת בָּנַי לְבֵין אוּמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם (Rav Yitzchak bar Shmuel said in the name of Rav, There are three watches in the night—and regarding each one, the Holy One, blessed be He, sits and roars like a lion, and says, ‘Woe to Me that I destroyed My house, burned My palace and exiled My children among the nations of the world’). Tosefot ha Rosh writes on this: וראוי לכל ירא שמים שיהא מצר ודואג באותה שעה ולשפוך תחנונים על חורבן בית המקדש כמו שנא’ קומי רוני בלילה לראש אשמורות (It is proper for all those who fear Heaven to be distressed and concerned at that time, and to pour out supplications about the destruction of the Holy Temple, as it says [Eichah 2:19], ‘Rise, sing in the night, at the beginning of the watches…’).

Consistent emphasis is placed on this point in the initial three sections of the very first chapter of the Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 1:1-3): יתגבר כארי לעמוד בבוקר לעבודת בוראו שיהא הוא מעורר השחר…המשכים להתחנן לפני בוראו יכוין לשעות שמשתנות המשמרות שהן בשליש הלילה ולסוף שני שלישי הלילה ולסוף הלילה שהתפלה שיתפלל באותן השעות על החורבן ועל הגלות רצויה…ראוי לכל ירא שמים שיהא מיצר ודואג על חורבן בית המקדש (One should strengthen himself like a lion to stand in the morning in the service of his Creator, so that he would wake up the morning [and not the other way around]…The one who gets up early to supplicate before his Creator should aim for the hours when the watches are changing…and the prayer that one prays at those hours regarding the destruction [of the Temple] and regarding the exile is favorable…It is proper for all who fear Heaven to be distressed and concerned about the destruction of the Holy Temple). In addition, the Mishnah Berurah writes at the beginning of a very lengthy passage describing the importance and virtues of rising early to recite the prayer that has come to be known as Tikkun Chatzot, the Midnight Repair (O.C. 1:3:9): והמקובלים האריכו מאוד בגודל מעלת קימת חצות כי רבה היא (And the Kabbalists expound at great length about the tremendous value of rising at midnight because it is very great).

It is told of R’ Eliyahu Lopian (1876-1970) that he started rising at midnight to recite Tikkun Chatzot only later in life. When asked about this, he replied, “When I leave this world and come before the Heavenly tribunal, they will ask me if I kept the Shulchan Aruch and presumably I will say I did. They’re sure to say, ‘Let’s check,’ and they will probably start going through the Shulchan Aruch section by section, law by law. If they catch me on some detail after about two hundred sections, I might be able to come up with an answer. But what am I going to say if they catch me on the very first section?”

True, our Sages did not obligate everyone to get up out of bed at midnight and recite Tikkun Chatzot. They understood our limitations; however, they didn’t ignore the obligation either. As we read above (O.C. 1:3), it is only incumbent upon those who fear Heaven. So just ask yourself one simple question: Do I fear G-d?

Many have been taught that reciting Tikkun Chatzot is something that just the super-religious, the Kabbalists or the tzaddikim do. But is this so? R’ Nachman taught otherwise (Sichot ha-Ran 301): שֶׁעִקָּר עֲבוֹדַת אִישׁ הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִי הוּא בַּחֹרֶף לָקוּם בַּחֲצוֹת לַיְלָה וּבַקַּיִץ בְּעֵת שֶׁהַלַּיְלָה קָצָר מְאֹד שֶׁאָז אֵין עוֹמְדִין בַּחֲצוֹת בְּחוּץ לָאָרֶץ…אָז יִזָּהֵר לַעֲמֹד בַּבֹּקֶר הַשְׁכֵּם כַּעֲלוֹת הַשַּׁחַר (A Jew’s main devotion in the winter is to rise at midnight, and in the summer when the night is very short when we don’t rise at midnight outside of Eretz Yisrael, then we need to be careful to get up in the morning early at dawn). A Jew’s main devotion is Tikkun Chatzot? How can this be true?

When we get up in the middle of the night to mourn over the destruction of the Temple, we are following in the footsteps of Mashiach (Tehillim 119:62): חֲצוֹת־לַיְלָה אָקוּם לְהוֹדוֹת לָךְ עַל מִשְׁפְּטֵי צִדְקֶךָ (I rise at midnight to give You thanks regarding your righteous judgments). These ‘righteous judgments’ allude to the destruction of the Temple and our long, bitter exile. Even for these terrible decrees, which admittedly are very difficult to understand, we thank Hashem because (as we have written many times before) everything—including all of the events in our lives that are very difficult to understand—everything Hashem does, He does for our good. But why is it so important to accept Hashem’s ‘righteous judgments’ specifically at midnight? Midnight is the moment of the greatest darkness, the greatest constriction of consciousness (the world is typically asleep, i.e. ‘unconscious’ at that time) and the greatest judgments. But it is also the opportunity for change for the better because it is the moment when harsh decrees can be mitigated, i.e. ‘sweetened’, as R’ Nachman states (Likutei Moharan 149): חֲצוֹת הוּא מְסֻגָּל כְּמוֹ פִּדְיוֹן כִּי הוּא הַמְתָּקַת הַדִּינִים (Midnight is highly effective, like a ransom, because it sweetens judgments).

It is difficult to mourn over the destruction of the Holy Temple. It happened so long ago. It seems so distant from us, so abstract, so foreign. All true; therefore, instead of focusing on the destruction per se we can focus on ourselves. By focusing on our own deficiencies, we share in the suffering of the Shechinah. And anyway, the fact that the Holy Temple is no longer with us does not give us an excuse to obstruct its rebuilding. In other words, midnight is the optimal time for cheshbon nefesh [self-examination, introspection]. This is the secret of what Tikkun Chatzot is really all about, and this is how R’ Nachman summed it up (L.M. II:67): עַל־כֵּן מְאֹד צָרִיךְ לִזָּהֵר לָקוּם בַּחֲצוֹת לִהְיוֹת מִתְאַבֵּל עַל חֻרְבַּן בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ כִּי אוּלַי בַּגִּלְגּוּל הָרִאשׁוֹן הָיָה הוּא הַגּוֹרֵם שֶׁיֶּחֱרַב הַבֵּית־הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וַאֲפִלּוּ אִם לָאו אוּלַי הוּא מְעַכֵּב עַתָּה בִּנְיַן בֵּית־הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וְנֶחֱשָׁב גַם־כֵּן כְּאִלּוּ הוּא גָּרַם לְהַחֲרִיבוֹ (Therefore, it is very necessary to be careful to get up at midnight, to mourn about the destruction of the Holy Temple, because perhaps in one’s first incarnation, he was responsible for its destruction, and even if not, perhaps he is obstructing its rebuilding now, and that is also considered as if he caused its destruction). By getting up at midnight and sharing in the pain of the Shechinah, we are doing what we can to rebuild the Holy Temple. And this empowers us to begin repairing, i.e. doing tikkun on, our deficiencies one by one.

Tikkun Chatzot is about expanded consciousness and redemption. To receive these, we need to interrupt our sleep at the very moment when our consciousness is at its lowest. Why? This is when redemption takes place (Likutei Halachot, Hashkamat ha-Boker 1:15): שֶׁזֶּהוּ בְּחִינַת קִימַת חֲצוֹת מַמָּשׁ שֶׁאָז הוּא תַּכְלִית הַקַּטְנוּת וְאָז דַּיְקָא הוּא בְּחִינַת הִתְעוֹרְרוּת הַשֵּׁנָה שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת הִתְעוֹרְרוּת מִנְּפִילָתוֹ וּבָזֶה תָּלוּי הַגְּאֻלָּה בִּכְלָל וּבִפְרָט (This is an aspect of rising precisely at midnight for then is the ultimate smallness, for specifically then is the aspect of arousal from sleep, which is an aspect of arousal from one’s fallen state, and redemption both collectively and individually depends on this).

We can now understand why all past redemptions took place at midnight—as we acknowledge during נרצה [Nirtzah] at the end of the Pesach Seder. From Avraham’s crushing defeat of the four kings, to Lavan’s dream in which Hashem told him to cease and desist from hounding Yaakov, to the death of Egypt’s firstborn, to the destruction of Sisera’s and Sancheriv’s armies, to the fall of Babylon, to the deliverance of Daniel from the lion’s den, etc. All of these momentous events of redemption took place at midnight. And so it will be in the future (Hashkamat ha-Boker 1:15): וְעַל־כֵּן הָיְתָה גְּאֻלָּה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה בַּחֲצוֹת דַּיְקָא וְכֵן גְּאֻלָּה הָאַחֲרוֹנָה שֶׁאָנוּ מְקַוִּים בִּמְהֵרָה בְּיָמֵינוּ תִּהְיֶה עַל־יְדֵי בְּחִינַת חֲצוֹת עַל־יְדֵי הַכְּשֵׁרִים וְהַיְּרֵאִים שֶׁעוֹמְדִים בְּכָל לַיְלָה בַּחֲצוֹת (Therefore, the first redemption [from Egypt] took place precisely at midnight, and likewise the last redemption that we hope will come speedily in our days, will come through the aspect of midnight by virtue of those kosher and G-d fearing Jews who get up each night at midnight). The final redemption will come about by virtue of those who rise at midnight? That’s quite a statement. But is it true? Yes, it is what the prophet wrote (Yeshayah 62:6-7): עַל־חוֹמֹתַיִךְ יְרוּשָׁלִַם הִפְקַדְתִּי שֹׁמְרִים כׇּל־הַיּוֹם וְכׇל־הַלַּיְלָה תָּמִיד לֹא יֶחֱשׁוּ הַמַּזְכִּרִים אֶת־יְהֹוָה אַל־דֳּמִי לָכֶם׃ וְאַל־תִּתְּנוּ דֳמִי לוֹ עַד־יְכוֹנֵן וְעַד־יָשִׂים אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַם תְּהִלָּה בָּאָרֶץ (I appointed watchmen upon your walls Yerushalayim, all day and night, constantly, they won’t be silent. Those of you who remind Hashem, do not be quiet! Don’t give Him any quiet until He establishes and makes Yerushalayim a praise on the earth).

The three daily prayers correspond to the Patriarchs: Shacharit to Avraham, Minchah to Yitzchak and Arvit to Yaakov (Berachot 26b). And the three Patriarchs correspond to the three ‘legs’ of the מֶרְכָּבָה [Merkavah, Divine Chariot] as stated in Bereshit Rabbah 47:6. But there are actually four ‘legs’ to the Merkavah (Yechezkel 1). Who merited the fourth ‘leg’? It is none other than David ha-Melech (Zohar Chadash Lech Lecha 32a b). The Chofetz Chaim brings this down in Shemirat ha-Lashon Sha’ar ha-Tevunah 8: וְאָמְרוּ רַזַ”ל שֶׁבְּאוֹתוֹ שָׁעָה זָכָה דָּוִד לִהְיוֹת הָרְבִיעִי לְרַגְלֵי מֶרְכָּבָה (Our Rabbis said that at that time [when David accepted the cursing of Shimi ben Gera] David merited to become the fourth leg of the Merkavah). If David corresponds to the fourth leg, what is the fourth prayer? Obviously, it is Tikkun Chatzot, the midnight prayer that focuses on nothing but the destruction of and the yearning for the Holy Temple, a prayer aptly corresponding to David since he (and his son) merited to build it in the first place. This secret is actually alluded to in the first blessing of the Shemoneh Esrei. Have you ever wondered why we say הָקֵל הַגָּדול הַגִּבּור וְהַנּורָא קֵל עֶלְיון (the great, mighty and awesome G-d, the supreme G-d)? Isn’t it sufficient to say “the great, mighty and awesome G-d”? After all, these are the attributes that correspond respectively to Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov: “great” corresponds to Avraham’s perception of Hashem as well as his own personal mastery of chesed, “mighty” being Yitzchak’s perception and mastery of gevurah, and “awesome” being that of Yaakov in tiferet. Why do we need to say “the supreme G-d”? Now you know the answer. It is because those words encapsulate David ha-Melech’s perception of G-d as well as his own personal mastery. David is Mashiach, the anointed king, the supreme sovereign below, even as Hashem is the supreme sovereign above.

Now we can understand something fascinating. In the future, Hashem will prepare a banquet for the tzaddikim (Pesachim 119b). After the meal, the cup of blessing gets passed around, first to Avraham, then to Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe and Yehoshua, but no one will feel worthy to lead the group in blessing Hashem. Finally, the cup is given to David; he accepts it and leads the group. As it is written (Tehillim 116:13): כּוֹס יְשׁוּעוֹת אֶשָּׂא וּבְשֵׁם ה׳ אֶקְרָא (I will lift up the cup of salvations and I will call upon the name of Hashem).

In this short article, we have tried to lay out some of the rationale for this prayer, but what we can’t do is explain its beauty and sweetness. To appreciate that, you will have to experience it yourself. So if you want to have a part in meriting the final redemption, why not begin rising in the night to pray Tikkun Chatzot?