2861 —ההתעוררות כל הלילה בשבועות, מנהגו של הרש"ב, והדרכה על תפילה לאחר שינה

B"H, 17 Menachem Av, 5714.

Brooklyn, NY.

Haraha"ch vavac"h iy"a nu"n oseik b'tzt"z etc. Moharar Rafael Nachman Kohen

Shalom u'Vrachah!

I hereby acknowledge receipt of your letters from Motzaei Shabbos Parshas Korach, 19 Tammuz, and the pan which I will read at an auspicious time at the resting place of my father-in-law the Rebbe zatzukal l'havdil ben chayim mezar z'yanei tzaddikim. May Hashem grant you success to share good news in all matters mentioned therein.

Thank you for what you wrote—at least briefly—about the farbrengens; surely you will continue this practice in the future as well, with more detail and at greater length. Thank you in advance.

Regarding what you wrote about the two opinions concerning someone who stayed awake all night: whether to pray and then go rest or to sleep for a few hours first and then pray—there are no fixed rules for this, as it depends on each person's mental clarity. For some, their prayer will be more settled if they sleep in between; for others, if they only sleep a little and not enough for their needs, their prayer will be confused afterward. Since matters are precious in their attire (i.e., customs), I once heard from my father-in-law the Rebbe that sometimes his father the Rebbe (the Rashab), after staying up all night on Shavuos, would sleep for some time in the morning and then pray. Whether this was always his custom or only sometimes—I did not hear.

Regarding what you wrote about the story of Reb Yaakov Mashlam: it seems it is printed in Sefer Sippurim Yekarim by Mahar"i Kaidaner, but I do not have the book at hand to check. Surely it is unnecessary to remind you to draw close the vavac"h iy"a etc., since he faces many trials and struggles greatly—and we must fulfill the commandment "v'halachta b'drachav" (and you shall walk in His ways; some say this is from the Torah itself). Just as Hakadosh Baruch Hu—as explained in Midrash—so too must we follow this path as is obvious...

Blessings for proper health and to share good news both generally and specifically.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that there is no single rule regarding praying after an all-night vigil; one should consider personal clarity and strength. He encourages sharing stories from reliable sources and stresses kindness toward others facing challenges as part of walking in G‑d's ways.