05 May THE MOST POWERFUL SLEEP AID YOU MAY NOT BE USING

You may know the
feeling: you climb into
bed exhausted,
convinced you’ll be out
in minutes, and then
suddenly it’s an hour
later and you’re still
staring at the ceiling. You flip your pillow,
shift positions, check the clock (and instantly
regret it), and try to quiet a mind that only
seems to grow louder as the night deepens.
For millions of people, this isn’t occasional,
it’s routine. About one in three adults report
struggling with sleep, whether it’s lying
awake long after lights out or jolting awake
at 3 a.m., body tired but mind wide open. In
those moments, it’s tempting to reach for

something, sleeping pills, melatonin, a late-
night scroll, even a l’chaim, anything that

might take the edge off and finally bring
sleep.
But for many, these fixes don’t work, don’t
last, or don’t make sense long term. Pills can
leave you foggy or simply aren’t healthy to
rely on. Scrolling keeps your brain switched
on. And the harder you try to force sleep, the
more it slips out of reach. Night after night,
for so many, it becomes a familiar cycle:

exhaustion, effort, and a frustrating kind of
wakefulness that feels impossible to escape.
Recently, in our Living with Emunah shiur,
we explored a sleep strategy, one that
doesn’t cost money, doesn’t require a
prescription, and not only has no negative
long-term effects but may actually carry
positive ones.
In his sefer Shaarei Tefillah, Rav Dovid
Avuchatzeira points to a sentence from
Tehillim that we repeat three times as part of
Krias Shema al Ha’Mita, the nighttime
Shema:
“See, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers
nor sleeps.”
Rav Dovid suggests that Chazal chose this
pasuk, and encouraged us to repeat it
specifically at night, because it can serve as
a profound sleep aid. Just before we close
our eyes, Hashem is, in a sense, telling us:
“My child, I am your Guardian. I am
watching over you, not only now, throughout
the night, but always. Whatever you are
worried about, whatever is keeping you up,
whatever is making your mind race, I am
watching over you. Whatever is weighing
on you is in My hands. So, My child, close

your eyes and sleep well,
because I will be up. I
neither slumber nor sleep.
I am always guarding you.
I stay awake so that you
can sleep. Now let it go.
Cast your burdens onto
Me. Allow yourself to fall
into a deep sleep, knowing
that I remain awake,
tending to whatever is on
your mind.”
When I first learned this, I
found the idea deeply
powerful, but I wondered
whether it was practical.
Could something so
simple truly make a difference?
Then I received this email:
Hi Rabbi Goldberg, I hope all is well. I
recently started listening to your shiurim
and wanted to share something. For over
a year, I struggled significantly with
sleep. I’m a young woman in my 20s,
and sleep had never been an issue for me
before. On the contrary, I used to fall
asleep easily anywhere when I was tired.
But over the past year, that completely
changed. I would either take hours to
fall asleep or wake up multiple times
throughout the night, and I would wake
up exhausted in the morning.
I tried many different things, setting a
consistent sleep schedule, exercise,
melatonin, magnesium, and more. Some
of it helped briefly, but the issue always
returned.
About two weeks ago, it had gotten
particularly bad. I was extremely tired
and desperately wanted to sleep, but the
moment I lay down, my mind became
fully alert and I simply couldn’t fall
asleep. I’m not generally an anxious
person, so I was confused and frustrated
by what was happening.
That week, I was out with a friend and it
was getting late. She suggested I go
home since I had work the next day. I
told her I actually needed to stay out
longer so I could become very tired,
hoping I might finally sleep better.
Shortly after, I drove home and put on
one of your shiurim (Living with
Emunah, episode #382). I had debated
whether to play acapella music or listen
to a shiur—I’m so glad I chose the shiur.
In the shiur, you said: “There are people
who lie awake in bed all night and can’t
fall asleep.” I was instantly taken
aback—I had just been speaking about
this struggle with friends and family.
You then explained the words from

Krias Shema al Ha’Mita: “Hinei lo
yanum ve’lo yishan Shomer Yisrael.”
It’s as if Hashem is telling us: I neither
slumber nor sleep. Shomer Yisrael. You
can go to sleep, because I am staying
awake. I am guarding you. I am watching
over you. Sleep comfortably. Sleep well.
Whatever is keeping you up—just sleep.
Don’t worry. I am guarding you.
As you repeated these words, I actually
had to pull over and just listen in
disbelief. It felt as though Hashem was
speaking directly to me through your
shiur. I was in complete awe.
That night, I slept better than I had in
over a year. I did not wake up even once.
Since then, my sleep has continued to
improve significantly, and I hope it
continues.
I immediately sent this part of the shiur
to my friends and shared it with
coworkers I had been complaining to.
We were all blown away by the
hashgacha, how perfectly tailored that
message felt for me.
I wanted to share and thank you, Rabbi
Goldberg, for being the shaliach.
It wasn’t the only message. Another email
described that after the shiur, and after
focusing on this thought before going to
sleep, “I slept so much better than usual for
the first time in well over a year.” Others
have shared that this simple meditation, the
image of Hashem saying, “Close your eyes
because I keep Mine open. Sleep and rest
well because I stay up and watch over you,”
has made a profound difference in their
nights.
I can’t guarantee this will work for everyone.
Someone who needs other aids or forms of
help should never feel guilty or ashamed for
seeking them. But if you’ve tried everything,
and even if you haven’t, consider embracing
this pre-sleep practice. You may discover
what you’ve been chasing all along: a mind
that can finally let go, a soul that feels held,
and a night of real, restful sleep.