A R E Y O U R E A L L Y A W A K E?

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Garry Warren
5 years ago
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יר ש נ ה מ ע ינ י ות נ ומ ה מ ע פ ע פ י Blessed are

removes sleep from my eyes and slumber from my

Question to think about: Why is this bracha the last

2 A R E Y O U R E A L L Y A W A K E? ב ר ו ך א ת ה י י א לה ינ ו מ ל ך ה עו ל ם, ה מ ע ב יר ש נ ה מ ע ינ י ות נ ומ ה מ ע פ ע פ י Blessed are You, Hashem our God, King of the Universe, who removes sleep from my eyes and slumber from my eyelids... WHICH BEST DESCRIBES YOU? Question to think about: Why is this bracha the last in the series of morning blessings? Surely it should be one of the first? Morning Brachos Page 1

3 The invention of the electroencephalograph allowed scientists to study sleep in ways that were not previously possible. During the 1950s, a graduate student named Eugene Aserinsky used this tool to discover what is known today as REM sleep. Further studies of human sleep have demonstrated that sleep progresses through a series of stages in which different brain wave patterns are displayed. THE STAGES OF SLEEP TYPES OF SLEEP Our bracha talks about two types of sleep- sheina and tenuma. What types of sleep are these? What is the difference? Vilna Gaon Sleep is internal in the removal of thought, and tenuma sleep is external when one is asleep but not asleep, that is that his eyelids are closing but his thought has not been removed from him, for if you call to him he will answer you. הגר "א: משלי ו ד שינה הוא בפנים בהסתלקות המחשבות, ותנומה היא מבחוץ כאשר הוא נים ולא נים, והיינו שעפעפיו סגורות אבל אין מחשבתו נעדרת ממנו, דקרי ליה ועני... Adapted from Lifehacker.com WHY DON'T YOU REMEMBER YOUR COMMUTE? We've all been there before: you snap out of a daze, look around, and realize you've driven all the way to your destination without really noticing it. It's a bit scary when you think about it, but it happens to all of us at some point. The idea that we can forget about large chunks of time is unsettling, but it really just boils down to how we perceive time in general. In this particular case, it's about how time and memories are formed together. Morning Brachos Page 2

4 The reason is simple: the longer it takes for our brain to process information, the longer the period of time feels. So, when the brain isn't doing a lot of processing, like, say, on your commute to work that never changes, the time it took to do so doesn't feel that long. One study suggests that the more attention we pay to an event, the longer the interval of time feels. Another study from the Journal of the Association for Psychological Science had similar findings. It makes sense too. Think back to the last really great day you had. Chances are by the end of the day, you felt like full days had passed since you had breakfast. Now, think back to that morning commute. Despite the fact you were actually stuck in congested traffic and bored for much of it, it likely feels really short. Essentially, new experiences make it feel like time passed more slowly. In the moment, that commute may have felt like it was taking forever, but when it's done, it felt like it flew past. Think of it as though your commute has just a few prints of film in it to fill up a whole hour. When you play it back, you can watch the whole thing in 10 seconds. Now, think about that great vacation, all those memories fill up a lot more film, and thinking through those memories takes a lot longer than the commute. Effectively, that makes us perceive that time is actually extended. So, how do you actually remember your commute? You'll need to recalibrate your reality a little and pay attention to the world around you. You can increase your powers of observations with practice, and when you break out of your comfort zone you'll inevitably create a new set of memories that help you parse time better. Our attention is valuable, and when you use it to create memories, you're effectively making it seem like time stretches out. When you don't, it just flies by like your boring commute. HAVE YOU EVER EXPERIENCED THIS? WHAT HAPPENED? WHY DO YOU THINK THIS HAPPENS TO PEOPLE? ARE YOU REALLY AWAKE? Messilas Yesharim the Path of the Just is the Ramchal s classic work about the fundamentals of the purpose of life. Messilas Yeshorim Introduction The writer says: I have written this work not to ספר מסילת ישרים הקדמה אמר המחבר: החיבור הזה לא חברתיו ללמד לבני Morning Brachos Page 3

teach men what they do not know, but to remind them of what they already know and is very evident to them, for you will find in most of my words only things which most people know, and concerning

It follows, then, that the benefit to be obtained from this work is not derived from a single reading; for it is possible that the reader will find that he has learned little after having read it

5 teach men what they do not know, but to remind them of what they already know and is very evident to them, for you will find in most of my words only things which most people know, and concerning which they entertain no doubts. But to the extent that they are well known and their truths revealed to all, so is forgetfulness in relation to them extremely prevalent. It follows, then, that the benefit to be obtained from this work is not derived from a single reading; for it is possible that the reader will find that he has learned little after having read it that he did not know before. Its benefit is to be derived, rather, through review and persistent study, by which one is reminded of those things which, by nature, he is prone to forget and through which he is caused to take to heart the duty that he tends to overlook. האדם את אשר לא ידעו, אלא להזכירם את הידוע להם כבר ומפורסם אצלם פירסום גדול. כי לא תמצא ברוב דברי, אלא דברים שרוב בני האדם יודעים אותם ולא מסתפקים בהם כלל, אלא שכפי רוב פרסומם וכנגד מה שאמתתם גלויה לכל, כך ההעלם מהם מצוי מאד והשכחה רבה. על כן אין התועלת הנלקט מזה הספר יוצא מן הקריאה בו פעם אחת, כי כבר אפשר שלא ימצא הקורא בשכלו חדושים אחר קריאתו שלא היו בו לפני קריאתו, אלא מעט. אבל התועלת יוצא מן החזרה עליו וההתמדה. כי יזכרו לו הדברים האלה הנשכחים מבני האדם בטבע, וישים אל לבו חובתו אשר הוא מתעלם ממנה ACCORDING TO THE RAMCHAL, WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO REMIND OURSELVES ABOUT THESE PRINCIPLES? HOW OFTEN DO YOU TAKE TIME TO REFLECT ON THE PURPOSE OF LIFE? Rambam Hilchos Teshuava Even though he sounding of the shofar on Rosh Hashana is a decree, it contains an allusion. It is as if (the shofar s call) is saying: Wake up you sleepy ones from your sleep and you who slumber, arise, Inspect your deed, repent, remember your creator. Those who forget the truth in the vanities of time רמב "ם הלכות תשובה פרק ג אע"פ שתקיעת שופר בראש השנה גזירת הכתוב רמז יש בו כלומר עורו ישינים משנתכם ונרדמים הקיצו מתרדמתכם וחפשו במעשיכם וחזרו בתשובה וזכרו בוראכם, אלו השוכחים את האמת בהבלי הזמן ACCORDING TO THE RAMBAM, WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF BEING SLEEPY AND WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO BE AWAKE? Morning Brachos Page 4

DAVID FOSTER WALLACE, IN HIS OWN WORDS It is extremely difficult to stay alert and attentive, instead of getting hypnotized by the constant monologue inside your own head (may be happening right now).

learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think.

Because if you cannot exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed. Think of the old cliché about "the mind being an excellent servant but a terrible master".

6 DAVID FOSTER WALLACE, IN HIS OWN WORDS It is extremely difficult to stay alert and attentive, instead of getting hypnotized by the constant monologue inside your own head (may be happening right now). Twenty years after my own graduation, I have come gradually to understand that the liberal arts cliché about teaching you how to think is actually shorthand for a much deeper, more serious idea: learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. Because if you cannot exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed. Think of the old cliché about "the mind being an excellent servant but a terrible master". BACK TO THE ORIGINAL QUESTION Why is this bracha the last in the series of morning blessings? Surely it should be one of the first? When we say this blessing, the idea is not to merely thank God for waking us up. We already did that when we said Who differentiates between day and night. Rather we are recognizing the two levels of sleep we experience. We are awake from our deeper state of unconsciousness- sheina. But we are now focused on being awake, focused and intentional about our tasks for the day. We bless Hashem for removing the slumber from our eyelids, the tenuma that can leave us just going through the motions. When we face the day, after we have completed this series of blessings, it should be wide awake and fully conscious and aware to achieve everything we can. Morning Brachos Page 5

Advisor Copy. Welcome the NCSYers to your session. Feel free to try a quick icebreaker to learn their names.

Advisor Copy. Welcome the NCSYers to your session. Feel free to try a quick icebreaker to learn their names. Advisor Copy Before we begin, I would like to highlight a few points: Goal: 1. It is VERY IMPORTANT for you as an educator to put your effort in and prepare this session well. If you don t prepare, it