We carry a reminder in our bodies of the light of the moon,

appreciation of the moon’s power over processes of change.

angels are beings whose primary domain lies in what Jewish mysticism calls the world of formation (Yetzirah), a world where pure energies reign. These energies are analogous to the currents of energy that we associate with feelings and emotions.

It is as if we defend ourselves against sleep because our waking consciousness—the ego that organizes perceptions of the external world, creates our self-image, and plans action—is instinctively regarded as essential for survival.

But death, in the rabbinic tradition, did not mean an end to life. Rather, death was a transition from the physical world into another world, the soul-world, which in its fullest expression was called Gan Eden, the Garden of Eden.

Somehow, the state of sleep, which brings dreaming consciousness, allows a glimpse into a higher world that is beyond this one.

form of spirit.

Moreover, the Evening Prayer joined the morning and afternoon prayers (inaugurated by Abraham and Isaac) to create three “legs” for the Divine Throne.

God created sleep so that we could attain insights that were unattainable in our waking state.