Overcoming Sleep
Featuring Jeremy Tabick with Leora Perkins (RS โ19)
“[F]or I, your God, am a jealous God.” (Exod. 20:5)
[God says:] I rule over jealousy; jealousy does not rule over me.
[This is in the same sense that] I rule over sleep; sleep does not rule over me, as it is said, “Behold, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.” (Psalms 121:4)
(from Mekhilta Derabbi Yishma’el, 20:5)
“ืื ืื ืื ื’ ืืืืื ืื ืงื ื”.
ืื ื ืฉืืื ืืงื ืื, ืืืื ืงื ืื ืฉืืืืช ืื,
ืื ื ืฉืืื ืื ืืื ืืืื ื ืืื ืฉืืืืช ืื,
ืฉื ืืืจ (ืชืืืื ืงืื:ื) “ืื ื ืื ืื ืื ืืื ืืืฉื ืฉืืืจ ืืฉืจืื”.
Image of Psalm 121 taken from the British Library’s “Duke of Sussex” Bible (Spain, 14th century)