Chapter I
בידך אפקיד רוחי פדיתה אותי ד׳ א-ל אמת
"I entrust my spirit into Your hand; You will redeem me, L-rd, G‑d of truth."1
The Midrash2 quotes R. Alexandri, who says: "When one entrusts his fellow with an object, even if he gives it to him when it is brand new, it will be returned to him in a tarnished condition. When, however, G‑d is entrusted with the spirit of man, He is entrusted an object which is tarnished and weak, and He returns it fresh and healthy, as if it were brand new."
We observe this to be so in the case of an individual who puts in an extremely hard day's work. He goes to sleep exhausted and hurting all over, and entrusts G‑d with his weakened and weary soul. Comes the morning and G‑d returns his soul to him refreshed and reinvigorated, as if he were newborn. The verse is thus referring to waking up renewed and restored when it says "You will redeem me, L-rd, G‑d of truth."
In truth, the very fact that a person "entrusts his spirit into G‑d's hand" makes for a different result than entrusting another individual with an object. Even when the trustee receives a new object, he cannot be held responsible for the natural aging process which the object undergoes. G‑d, however, is entrusted with something old and decrepit and returns it fresh and healthy.
There is yet another priceless quality in G‑d's behavior. Should one commit even a small infraction against his fellow, he will become the object of his wrath and contempt. His fellow will not be bothered by the fact that a sin was committed, or that an injustice was done; he will only be bothered by the fact that it was done to him. When an opportunity arises to take revenge, he will seize it. This is especially true if an individual sins against a king, and even more so if his sin is serious in nature, such as rebelling against an important decree by doing something he should not have done or not doing something that he should have done. Even if the perpetrator goes into hiding, no effort will be spared to find him. When he is eventually caught, his punishment is meted out in the harshest manner possible.
How different it is with the Al-mighty! When a sinful person goes to sleep and entrusts G‑d with his soul, his soul rises to a higher world. There, all manner of evil angels created by his sins want to take revenge on the sinner. G‑d, however, takes pity on the sinner and protects him from the Angels of Retribution. This is the meaning of: "You will redeem me, L-rd, G‑d of truth;" G‑d with His attribute of mercy for G‑d's Ineffable Name Havayah [mentioned in this verse] is the Divine name of mercy3 redeems the person.
G‑d does this because He is a "G‑d of truth:" He knows the truth of every matter, and realizes that the sinner may not be entirely responsible for his sin, as our sages say:4 "Much [evil behavior] is a result of evil friends."
G‑d therefore waits for the sinner to realize the truth and repent.
In summary: Explains the meaning of "I entrust my spirit into Your hand." When a new object is entrusted to a person for safekeeping, the object will become older and weaker by the time it is returned. G‑d is entrusted nightly with a deeply weary soul and a tired body, but each morning He returns a healthy body and an invigorated soul. "You will redeem me" refers to redemption from the Angels of Retribution which a person creates through his sins. [The L-rd is a] "G‑d of Truth" G‑d causes circumstances to arise that lead a sinner to understand the truth [and repent].
Chapter II
The verse, "I entrust my spirit into Your hand; You will redeem me, L-rd, G‑d of truth," is recited as part of the Kerias Shema before retiring at night.5 Kerias Shema involves [becoming one with] G‑d's unity, so before the person goes to sleep is a propitious time for its recitation. It is similar to the recitation of Shema prior to one's leaving this world permanently. At that time Shema is said by a person so that he may be unified with G‑d's oneness. This unity is the purpose of creation and a Jewish soul's descent into this world; through Torah study and the performance of mitzvos, the sparks of holiness contained within physical matter are refined and elevated to their original source.
Through all of the above, G‑d's unity [permeates the world] and it becomes one with Him. Similarly, Kerias Shema is to be recited before retiring at night.
With the recitation of Shema, the day draws to a close. The verse states:6 "Days have been fashioned, and for Him they are as one."7 This means to say that G‑d created days and granted them to man in order for him to achieve oneness through his spiritual service. "One" [i.e., unity with G‑d through Torah and mitzvos] encompasses all that man achieves spiritually in his lifetime, and "one" is all that remains of man's labors after he passes on.
In the prayer of Ezras Avoseinu we say:8 "The waters engulfed their adversaries; not 'one' of them remained." The Egyptians died by drowning, and "not one of them remained," i.e., they died without leaving any aspect of "one [ness]." When a Jew, lihavdil, passes from this world to the next, "one[ness]" remains, i.e., there is still [the divine unity] he achieved through Torah and mitzvos. This is why G‑d's unity is stressed through the recitation of the Shema before a person goes to sleep.
More specifically, the prayers recited before retiring involve spiritual stocktaking9 an inventory of the events that transpired during the day. This process varies depending on the individual, each one making a spiritual accounting in accord with his station. There is, for example, the spiritual stocktaking of a simple Jewish laborer. [His accounting of the day may go somethinglike this:] He woke up very late and in his rush [to start work] prayed alone instead of reciting Psalms and then participating in communal prayer. Today he did not even recite Psalms privately, and rushed through his prayers. He left to his place of business and worked the whole day through until late in the evening. He was so busy that he did not even take time to pray Minchah and Maariv in the synagogue, or join the class in Ein Yaakov as he usually does.
He takes stock of the words he spoke during the day, and realizes that much of it was idle talk, falsehood and empty flattery. He realizes that all his extra labor and talk did not get him anywhere, but merely kept him from participating in communal prayer and his regular study sessions. He is filled with regret, and firmly resolves that from this day on he will observe communal prayer and attend his scheduled Torah lessons.
Then there is the spiritual stocktaking of wealthy people. They become aware of the idle talk and mockery that stemmed from their haughtiness, conceit, pursuit of imagined honor, and above all from the fact that "a rich man responds with arrogance."10 Such people negate Torah scholars and G‑d-fearing individuals. They forget that wealth may bring nothing but heartbreak.11
There is also the spiritual stocktaking of those who are great in Torah knowledge. Among them may also be found individuals who their knowledge notwithstanding are arrogant, seek honor, are jealous of others, gossip and slander. This is as written regarding Do'eig the Edomite, to whom Dovid says:12 "You who are the head of the Sanhedrin [the Jewish supreme court], because of your great knowledge, you are a slanderer."
This spiritual stocktaking is the intent of the verse: "I entrust my spirit into Your hand; You will redeem me, L-rd, G‑d of truth," recited before one goes to sleep.
In summary: The recitation of the Shema reflects the aspect of G‑d's unity which is the purpose of man's life. The phrase "Days have been fashioned, and for Him they are as one" is explained. Reciting Shema before going to sleep is similar to the Shema Yisroel recited prior to one's expiration. There are various forms of spiritual stocktaking at the end of the day, such as that of a simple Jew, a rich person, and one who is great in Torah knowledge.
