Avraham Avinu – The Secret of Ayelet HaShachar According to the Holy Zohar

Avraham – The Connection to Ayelet HaShachar

The concept of “Ayelet HaShachar” appears twice in Tanakh: in the Torah and in Tehillim, but it is written differently: Alot HaShachar in connection with Yaakov (in the Torah), and Ayelet HaShachar in connection with Esther (in Tehillim). Chazal teach that there are 5 days of the year when one should rise early, before sunrise, and pray. An allusion to these five days is found in the five letters of Avraham’s name in the verse: “vayashkem Avraham ba-boker” – “and Avraham rose early in the morning” (Vayera 22:1). When commanded by Hashem to bring his son as an offering, Avraham responds without hesitation—he rises early in the morning. The Sages teach that the letters of the name “Avraham” encode the days when Jews, too, should be quick to rise and get up without hesitation, even before dawn: א – Av – the 9th of Av; ב – Shavuot – the Torah begins with the letter “Bet”; ר – Rosh Hashanah; ה – Hoshana Rabbah; ם – Megillat Esther (Purim). The Holy Zohar tells us that on Purim, a malach descends, gathers our prayers, and raises them baShamayim—to Heaven. Therefore, the most powerful time for prayer is from Chatzot Laylah until Ayelet HaShachar—this is the time when all prayers are accepted without hindrance.

Shlomo HaMelech and Ayelet HaShachar

Once, during the days of Purim, the Maggid of Mezeritch, Rabbi Zvi, son of the Baal Shem Tov, and the Baal HaTanya were sitting together. Rabbi Zvi, the son of the Baal Shem Tov, then told them a story he had heard from his father. The Holy Zohar, in Parashat Mishpatim, says that Shlomo HaMelech rose every morning long before dawn. At that time, an “amud ha-esh” (pillar of fire) and an “amud he-anan” (pillar of cloud) would appear. Between them was a “nesher” (eagle), strong and enormous: its right wing touched the pillar of fire, while its left wing touched the pillar of cloud, and in its beak the eagle held an olive branch. Every morning, the eagle and the pillars would bow to Shlomo HaMelech. Shlomo HaMelech would climb onto the roof, sit on the eagle, and fly. Every place in Heaven over which they passed would immediately grow dark—and this is the “Sod shel Purim” (the secret of Purim). The chachamim of that time knew that when the heavens grew dark, it meant that Shlomo HaMelech was passing above them, while the fools claimed that it was simply clouds. Rabbi Zvi, the son of the Baal Shem Tov, taught all generations that when we look upward and see that it is dark, it means that Shlomo HaMelech is passing above us—and that dawn will soon arrive. The Mekubalim reveal the secret that there are 2 hours before Ayelet HaShachar when it is especially dark. Hashem is very close to our world; He passes above us. That is why these hours are so important for prayer—from Chatzot Laylah until Ayelet HaShachar—for prayers offered then are accepted immediately. And if a person is facing serious problems and everything in life is going badly, let him rise at Ayelet HaShachar, lift his head, look toward Heaven, and say: “The Almighty is passing above me now, and all the evil will pass; the darkness will pass, and dawn will come.”   (Based on a lesson by Rabbanit Hagit Shira for Purim)