Friday, September 29, 2006

Daf Yomi - Sukkah 26 - No more night

The Gemara states that the sleep of Dovid HaMelech was as long as a horse, and a horse’s nap is sixty respirations. The Zohar states that Dovid did not wish to sleep more than sixty respirations, because sleep is one sixtieth of death, and Dovid did not wish to taste death. Rabbi Yonasan Eibschutz writes in Ya’aros Devash that the Medrash states that when the angels observed Adam HaRishon, they wished to declare on him kadosh, the Holy One i.e. that he was g-dly and thus eternal. For this reason HaShem cast a slumber on Adam, to demonstrate to the angels that Adam was mortal and would eventually die. Nonetheless, had Adam not sinned by eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad, he would have lived forever. For this reason, writes Reb Yonasan, in the future there will only be day and no night, because the purpose of night in this world is for sleep, and in the future the righteous will not experience death,. Since sleep is one sixtieth of death, in the future there will be no need for night.

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