During this month of Kislev, the nights grow longer and ever darker. According to the Kabbalah, the month of Kislev parallels the act of sleep. What’s the connection? What good could there possibly be in sleeping? Isn’t it just a waste of time? In actuality, sleeping is an act of Bitachon, of trust in HaShem. Sleeping demonstrates our Bitachon that HaShem is watching over us! When one falls asleep near their spouse, it demonstrates their trust and their sense of security. That’s the sort of security a child is looking for when they’re scared, and they ask to sleep next to their parents. That’s what Kislev is all about. The sleep of Kislev represents the deep sense of security and confidence that we have during the darkest of times and the coldest of seasons. We sleep soundly, knowing that we can always rely on HaShem, knowing that He does not sleep nor slumber. 

It’s significant that Esav is the first person whose fatigue is mentioned by the Torah. No doubt, there were those who were tired before Esav, but the Torah first mentions fatigue by Esav to teach us a lesson. Instead of going to sleep, Esav reacted to his fatigue by trying to stay awake. In this case, he begged his brother for food. Esav was scared to go to sleep; he didn’t want to miss out on anything. This fear drove him to sell his Bechora (birthright) and eventually led him to becoming a murderer. When Esav tells Yaakov that he’s tired, he says “Ayef (tired) Anochi (I am).” [In Hebrew, as opposed to English, adjectives come after the noun/subject. E.g., in Hebrew a blue dog would be referred to as a kelev (dog) kachol (blue)]. So, we see that being Ayef, being tired, defines Esav…It’s who he is. It’s not merely a descriptor or a temporary state—fatigue is his essence. 

 In contrast, Yaakov is the first person whose sleep is mentioned by the Torah. No doubt, there were those who went to sleep before Yaakov, but the Torah first mentions sleep by Yaakov to teach us a lesson. Yaakov—the polar opposite of Esav—went to sleep when the time to sleep arrived. And the visions he saw in his dreams sustained him throughout his long trial with the unholy Lavan. The Western World sees sleep as a waste of time, but the Torah teaches us the incredible potential that lies within sleep! To dream (לחלום) is to recover (להחלים) from the day that was!

This month is represented by the letter ס, which stands for the words of Tehillim, “סומך ה׳ לכל נופלים,” “HaShem supports all who fall.” The Bitachon of the Maccabim shines upon us and shines within us. We are warriors of light! We are not afraid of the darkness! We are not afraid of sleep. Because we know that there will be a tomorrow and that it will be just as beautiful as today!

Chodesh Tov and Shabbat Shalom!