Rabbi Shalom Ber Schapiro of the NMP was asked if the Rebbe has advice regarding trouble with sleeping.
Rabbi Schapiro is pleased to share a letter of the Rebbe in the making from the MIndel Archives on this issue, with many interesting and unusual notations by the Rebbe.
NOTE: What is a letter of the Rebbe in the making? As was described on previous occasions – the Rebbe’s letters would sometimes go through one or more revisions before the final draft was finished and sent to the correspondent. Rabbi Mindel went in for dictation of the Rebbe’s letters a few times a week and would compose the letters in any of the four languages: Hebrew, Yiddish, English, Russian. The Russian one he would hand write and the rest, typed. Letters would sometimes go through detailed revisions by the Rebbe – a sample of one such letter is presented here.
Free translation of the letter with the Rebbe’s extensive notations:
In answer to what his wife reported that his sleep is not as it should be – Hashem will surely send him a speedy recovery and I am glad to hear that the situation is improving.
He should totally take his mind away from this and not pay it any attention.
It would be proper to have next to his bed a kosher mezuzah – not necessarily the one on the doorpost – understandably, if necessary, it should have a cover within a cover.
As it is known her fondness for the words of the Rav, I will mention what I heard from my father-in-law: in the case of some of our Nessi’im (it seems almost certain that he spoke in the name of the Rebbe Maharash ) there was lying on their table a note upon which was written “I see Hashem before me always.” And certainly he will take to heart the fact that on the table of my father-in-law was lying a mezuzah (as the Mishnah in M’ Keilim states that one would carry a mezuzah in their walking stick).
P.S. If he has neighbors in his room it would perhaps be worthwhile for him to discuss their situation in connection with Torah and mitzvos, in D’A’Ch. (Chasidus)