Regarding the recital of HaMapil<\/i>, some are concerned that perhaps they will not fall asleep and their berachah<\/i> will have been said in vain. However, in practice, the fact that the Chachamim<\/i> instituted reciting HaMapil<\/i> means that they were not concerned about this. The blessing is a thanksgiving berachah<\/i> to Hashem about sleep, and even for a person who does not succeed in falling asleep, the expression of thanks is not made in vain (Chayei Adam<\/i> 35:4). Still, l’chatchilah<\/i>, the Chachamim<\/i> instituted the recital of this berachah<\/i> for those who intend to sleep, and therefore one who has no intention of sleeping does not recite HaMapil<\/i> on that particular night.<\/p>\n
The HaMapil<\/i> blessing is not recited on daytime sleep, although some say that it is good to say Viyhi No\u2019am<\/i> before a nap taken during the day (Mishnah Berurah<\/i> 239:8 and see Bei\u2019ur Halachah<\/i> \u201cSamuch<\/i>\u201d). HaMapil<\/i> is also not recited on a temporary sleep at night. However, sleeping in one\u2019s bed for half an hour or more is considered a regular sleep (Eshel Avraham<\/i> 239; Beit Baruch<\/i> 35:10). A person who went to sleep at night after reciting HaMapil<\/i>, arose later to attend to certain matters, and then went back to sleep, does not repeat the HaMapil<\/i> blessing, since HaMapil<\/i> is only recited once a night (Beit Baruch<\/i> 35:9; Piskei Teshuvot<\/i> 239:1, note 4). One who fell asleep without reciting HaMapil<\/i>, and woke up in the middle of the night with the intention to continue sleeping, must recite the berachah<\/i> before falling asleep again. If he does not wish to get up from his bed and wash his hands, he may rub his hands on his blanket and then recite it (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim<\/i> 4:23; Mishnah Berurah<\/i> 61; unlike Piskei Teshuvot<\/i> 239:1 who maintains that washing one\u2019s hands is a requirement).<\/p>\n
There are those who learned, based on the Kabbalah <\/i>of the Arizal<\/i>, that only a person who goes to sleep before chatzot<\/i> (halachic midnight) recites the HaMapil<\/i> blessing, and whoever goes to sleep after chatzot<\/i> does not. Hence, many Sephardim<\/i> are accustomed to reciting HaMapil<\/i> without Shem u\u2019Malchut<\/i> (Hashem\u2019s Name) when going to sleep after chatzot<\/i> (Kaf HaChaim<\/i> 239:8; see Yechaveh Da\u2019at<\/i>, part 4, pp. 122-124). However, according to the Ashkenazic minhag<\/i> and that of some Sephardim<\/i>, as long as one goes to sleep before amud hashachar<\/i>, HaMapil<\/i> is recited.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Regarding the recital of HaMapil, some are concerned that perhaps they will not fall asleep and their berachah will have been said in vain. However, in practice, the fact that the Chachamim instituted reciting HaMapil means that they were not concerned about this. The blessing is a thanksgiving berachah to Hashem about sleep, and even […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-26-the-bedtime-shema"],"yoast_head":"\n