There Are Three Watches in the Night

297. “A Song of Ascents. I cried to the Lord in my plight, and He answered me.” The Creator created craving psalms in the creation of heaven and earth, in order to glorify and praise Him, who is the maker of everything. The heaven recite psalms before Him, as it is written, “The heaves tell the glory of God.” The earth, too, recites psalms, as it is written, “Sing to the Lord, all the earth.”

298. The whole world is craving and rejoices in praising their maker when they see His wonders in heaven and in earth, and this is Beresheet. Examine the letters and you will see, Shir [Shin-Yod-Reish] Taev [Tav-Aleph-Bet], meaning Taev [craving] to say a psalm about His wonders in heaven and in earth. Are these the same ascents that King David would say? These are the psalms of the same ascents, which are the heaven, as it is written, “Who builds His ascents in the heaven.” David craved them and would say them, and this is a craving psalm.

299. It is written, “When morning stars sing together and all of God’s children cheer.” God’s children are the angels who say psalms before the Maker of Beresheet each night, corresponding to the three watches in the night. In each watch, each sect says psalms. In the last watch, when the morning comes, all the stars and signs, and the angels who are called “God’s children,” say psalms, as it is written, “When the morning stars sing together.”

300. Each one according to his merit, indicating that “high watches over high,” since they have merits one above the other. This is why it was said “A song of ascents,” from the ascents of the angels who say psalms. This is Beresheet, Shir Taev [craving song], “God created the heaven and the earth.”

301. Rabbi Hizkiya and Rabbi Yosi were walking on another road after midnight. As they were walking, Rabbi Yosi said to Rabbi Hizkiya, “What should we do, since we learned “One should always leave in goodness, in the morning, while we are walking at night?”

302. Rabbi Hizkiya told him, “Yosi my son, come and hear the splendor of the pleasantness of the voice of the wheels of the animals that praise our God with singing.” As he was lending his ear, he heard a voice of pleasant praising that they were saying, “The Lord will exist forever.”

303. Rabbi Hizkiya said, “My son, did you hear something?” He said, “I heard a pleasant voice, and from the pleasantness and the praise from that verse that I heard, I now know its meaning. It is written, ‘The Lord will exist forever; He has established His throne for judgment,’ since whenever the judges sentence, the Creator’s Shechina [Divinity], which is the throne, is established there, as it is written, ‘He has established His throne for judgment,’ for the throne is established in a place where there is judgment.”

304. “Do you know which watch of the ministering angels say this verse?” He said to him, “No.” He said, “It is the watch of those angels who are called gods.” There are ten watches of the ministering angels in the firmament, which are divided into the three watches of the night.

305. When Israel complete their prayer at night, those angels called “people” take singing after them and say psalms. They say, “What is man, that You should be mindful of him, and the son of man, that You should visit him? And You have made him a little lower than gods, and You have crowned him with glory and honor.” And they conclude, “The Lord, our God, how great is Your name in all the earth.”

In the second watch, angels that are Hashmalim and Erelim take singing and say, “Give to the Lord sons of gods.”

306. At midnight, until the second watch is over, when the Creator looks at Eden, at Hochma, which is called “Eden,” which He concealed for the righteous in the days to come, the holy animals and Seraphim, and Ophanim, and Cherubim open and say, “How great is Your goodness, which You have concealed for those who fear You. Extol He who rides in the prairies; in the YAH is His name.”

307. In the beginning of the third watch, those who are called gods take singing and say, “The Lord will exist forever.”

When the morning comes, they open the heaven and say, “The heavens tell the glory of God.” The morning stars say, “He counts the number of the stars; He gives them all names; great is our Master and mighty in strength.” The angels, who are called “sons of gods,” open and say “Give to the Lord sons of gods; give to the Lord honor and strength.”

308. As they were walking, they saw that the dawn has grown dark, and then the day shone. Rabbi Hizkiya said to Rabbi Yosi, “Come and I will show you that so is the redemption of Israel. When the sun of redemption shines for them, trouble after trouble will come to them, and darkness after darkness. And while the troubles are in it, the light of the Creator will shine on them, as it is written, ‘As sure as the dawn is His emergence,’ and as it is written, ‘But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.’”

309. At that time, wars will awaken in the world, nation against nation, city against city, many troubles will come upon the enemies of Israel until their faces grow dark like the rims of a pot. And afterwards, their redemption will be revealed upon them, out of the roar from their pressure and distress.

310. This is as King David said, “To the conductor over doe of the dawn.” But should he not have said “the doe of the morning”? However, it is about the doe and the force of the blackness of Israel, since doe means strength, as it is written, “There is no man like a dear.” At that time, the children of Israel will cry out from their plight and say, “My God, my God, why have You left me?” And then it is written, “You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,” meaning redemption.