A Shabbat Sleep from Heaven: The Alshich and the Ari

"This place is dangerous," said the holy Ari to his students one Friday as the sun was setting. "Wake him up, so nothing harms him, not wild animals, not bandits, Heaven forbid..."

Rabbi Moshe Alshich, later known across Jewish communities for his Torah commentaries, once made a heartfelt request to the Ari, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria of Tzfat, the greatest teacher of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) in his time. The Alshich, who is remembered with the rare title "the holy Alshich," wanted to learn the hidden teachings of Torah. He pleaded with the Ari, using a poetic phrase from Psalms: "You gave life to him who asked of You." In other words, "You gave Kabbalah to Rabbi Chaim Vital, your student. Why won’t you teach it to me?"

But the Ari replied gently, “Your soul is deeply rooted in the revealed part of the Torah, the written and oral law. The secrets of Torah are not your path.” Rabbi Moshe begged again and again, until the Ari finally said, “Come join us as we go out to the fields to welcome Shabbat. If you’re there with us, that will be your sign. But if you miss it, that means Heaven has chosen a different path for your soul.”

Rabbi Moshe agreed. That Friday, he prepared early. He immersed in the mikvah (ritual bath), put on his Shabbat clothes, and went to the spot just outside the city where the Ari and his students would soon pass. As he waited, he studied Torah with great focus.

Hours passed. The Ari and his students finally arrived and saw Rabbi Moshe sitting with his head bowed in deep sleep. It was not an ordinary nap. It was a sleep from Heaven, placed upon him to show that his mission in this world did not require the mystical path of Kabbalah. And while the Ari and his students welcomed the Shabbat Queen through deep spiritual unifications, Rabbi Moshe slept in holy peace.

When they returned to town for Shabbat prayers, the Ari asked his students to gently wake the sleeping sage. “Wake him up,” he said. “There are dangers here, and he mustn’t be left alone.”

From that day on, Rabbi Moshe no longer tried to enter the world of Kabbalah. He accepted that his purpose was to teach and learn the revealed Torah and his commentaries still inspire us to this day.

There is another story that beautifully shows the spiritual connection between the Ari and the Alshich. On a Shabbat in Tzfat, Rabbi Moshe gave a sermon about Laban, the trickster who tried to deceive Yaakov (Jacob). The Torah says Laban tricked Yaakov “ten times,” but our Sages teach that the number was actually one hundred. And in the Passover Haggadah, we read that Laban tried to destroy everything.

During his sermon, the Alshich listed every one of Laban’s deceptions, backing them with verses. The holy Ari sat in the audience, listening carefully. Then, at one point, a big smile crossed his face.

After Shabbat, the Ari explained to his students why he smiled. “Laban’s soul came down from Heaven and stood near the bimah to hear the sermon. He nodded in agreement as each of his tricks was mentioned. But then, when Rabbi Moshe listed one particular trick, Laban shook his head and said, ‘That one, I never thought of something so low!’ And that’s when I smiled.”

The Ari saw what no one else could see, and the Alshich spoke what no one else dared to say. Two different souls, two different paths but both guided completely by Hashem.