איני והא אמר רב יהודה אמר רב שתים עשרה שעות הוי היום שלש הראשונות הקב"ה יושב ועוסק בתורה שניות יושב ודן את כל העולם כולו כיון שרואה שנתחייב עולם כלייה עומד מכסא הדין ויושב על כסא רחמים
There are twelve hours in the day.
During the first three, the Holy One, Blessed be He, sits and engages in Torah study.
During the second three hours, He sits and judges the entire world. Once He sees that the world has rendered itself liable to destruction, He arises from the throne of judgment and sits on the throne of mercy, and the world is not destroyed.
During the third set of three hours, the Holy One, Blessed be He, sits and sustains the entire world, from the horns of wild oxen to the eggs of lice.
During the fourth three hours, He sits and makes sport with the leviathan, as it is stated: “There is leviathan, whom You have formed to sport with” (Psalms 104:26)....
The Gemara asks: If God no longer makes sport, what does He now do during the fourth three-hour period of the day?
The Gemara answers: He sits and teaches Torah to schoolchildren,
And during the twelve hours of the night, what does God do?
The Gemara answers: If you wish, say that the night is similar to the day, i.e., God performs the same activities as in the day. [Torah, Judging, Sustaining, Playing with Leviathan]
And if you wish, say instead that He rides on his light cherub and flies in eighteen thousand worlds,
And if you wish, say instead that God sits and listens to the songs from the mouths of the angelic creatures, as it is stated: “By day the Lord will command His loving-kindness, and in the night His song shall be with me” (Psalms 42:9).
יוֹמָ֤ם ׀ יְצַוֶּ֬ה יְהוָ֨ה ׀ חַסְדּ֗וֹ וּ֭בַלַּיְלָה שירה [שִׁיר֣וֹ] עִמִּ֑י תְּ֝פִלָּ֗ה לְאֵ֣ל חַיָּֽי׃
§ Rabbi Levi says: Anyone who interrupts his study of words of Torah to occupy himself with mundane matters will be fed with the coals of the broom tree, as it is stated: “They pluck salt-wort from wormwood, and the roots of the broom are their food” (Job 30:4).
Reish Lakish says: With regard to any-one who occupies himself with Torah at night, the Holy One, Blessed be He, extends a thread of kindness over him by day, as it is stated: “By day, the Lord will command His kindness, and in the night His song shall be with me” (Psalms 42:9).
The verse is understood as follows: What is the reason that by day, the Lord will command His kindness to extend over him? It is due to the fact that in the night His song is with me, i.e., he occupies himself at night with Torah, which is referred to as a song.
אני ישנה ולבי ער (שה"ש ה ב).
שאמרה כנסת ישראל לפני הקב"ה, רבון העולמים אני ישנה מבית המקדש, ולבי ער בבתי כנסיות ובבתי מדרשות.
אני ישנה מן הקרבנות, ולבי ער במצות ובצדקות.
אני ישנה מן המצות, ולבי ער לעשותם.
אני ישנה מן הקץ, ולבי ער לגאולה.
אני ישנה מן הגאולה, ולבי ער להקב"ה (עד) שיגאלני.
(Cant. 5:2:) I SLEEP, BUT MY HEART IS AWAKE.72PRK 5:6; PR 15:6; Cant. R. 5:2:1-2.
The congregation of Israel said to the Holy One: Sovereign of the Universe, I SLEEP without the Holy Temple, BUT MY HEART IS AWAKE in the synagogues and in the academies.
I SLEEP without the sacrifices, BUT MY HEART IS AWAKE in the commandments and almsgiving.
I SLEEP without the good deeds, BUT MY HEART IS AWAKE for performing them.
I SLEEP without the end time, BUT MY HEART IS AWAKE for the redemption.
I SLEEP without the redemption, BUT MY HEART IS AWAKE for the Holy One when he redeems me.