Noam Elimelech · Tzetel Katan · Maamar ט From the Torah ofRebbe Elimelech of Lizhenskרבי אלימלך מליז'נסקProfile ›

Waking with Thanks: A Joyful First Blessing

The first moment after waking sets the tone of a person's day. R' Elimelech prescribes the words to say then, a thanks and a blessing, and he even allows the blessing in Yiddish. What matters most to him in how these first words are said?

9Let him accustom himself, the moment he wakes from sleep, to say: “I thank You, living and enduring King, for You have returned my soul to me in compassion; great is Your faithfulness.” Then let him say, even in Yiddish, with a joyful heart: “Blessed is God Most High, Who has given me the mitzvah of these tzitzis that I am wrapped in, and the mitzvah of washing the hands in the morning, to remove the evil spirit¹ and the hard kelipah, the husk that hides holiness, from my two hands.” He should see to it that his heart is full of joy as he says these words. And let him take upon himself the safeguard of speaking little, described in item 8.

ט. יַרְגִּיל אֶת עַצְמוֹ תֵּיכֶף וּמִיָּד כְּשֶׁיִּתְעוֹרֵר מִשִּׁינְתּוֹ, יֹאמַר "מוֹדֶה אֲנִי לְפָנֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ חַי וְקַיָּים שֶׁהֶחֱזַרְתָּ בִּי נִשְׁמָתִי בְּחֶמְלָה רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶךָ". וְיֹאמַר אֲפִילּוּ בִּלְשׁוֹן אַשְׁכְּנַז בְּלֵב שָׂמֵחַ: "בָּרוּךְ אֵל עֶלְיוֹן אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לִי מִצְוַת צִיצִית אֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי מְסוּבָּב בָּהֶן, וּמִצְוַת נְטִילַת יָדַיִם שַׁחֲרִית לְהַעֲבִיר רוּחַ רָעָה וְהַקְּלִיפָּה הַקָּשָׁה מֵעַל שְׁתֵּי יָדַיִם שֶׁלִּי". וְיִרְאֶה שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לִבּוֹ מָלֵא שִׂמְחָה בְּאָמְרוֹ כנ"ל, וִיקַבֵּל עָלָיו הַגָּדֵר שֶׁל מִיעוּט הַדִּיבּוּר הַנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל סִימָן ח׳:

The ruach ra'ah, “evil spirit,” is the impurity that rests on the hands after sleep, which the morning washing removes. ↩

In shortThe day opens with Modeh Ani and a joyful blessing, even in Yiddish, over tzitzis and washing the hands, and with the resolve to speak little.

The maamar as a whole

The ninth practice is the first act of the day. The moment he wakes, a person says Modeh Ani, thanking the living and enduring King for returning his soul in compassion. Then, even in Yiddish, he blesses God Most High for the mitzvah of the tzitzis he is wrapped in and for washing the hands in the morning, which removes the evil spirit and the hard kelipah from them. R' Elimelech cares less about the language than about the heart: it must be full of joy as he says these words. Finally, he joins this opening to item 8, taking on from the first moment the safeguard of speaking little. The day begins in thanks, in joy and in guarded speech.

Takeaway

Make your first words on waking a joyful thanks to Hashem, in whatever language your heart speaks, for R' Elimelech asks that the day begin with a heart full of joy. From that moment, keep your words few.

Learn this in the merit of Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk. His yahrzeit and life ›

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