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Is a person allowed to sleep during the day of Rosh HaShanah? I have heard that you're not.

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The question would be improved if you'd include some justification for asking (why you think he might not be allowed to). – msh210♦ Sep 25 '12 at 8:22
I was thinking of saying that I had heard that you're not allowed to sleep then (which is true), but by the time I had written the question I had already looked it up – b a Sep 25 '12 at 17:02

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The Rama (Orach Chayim 583:2) says that some have the practice not to sleep on Rosh HaShanah, and it is a correct practice. The Taz (3) quotes the source of this: The Yerushalmi which says "Whoever sleeps on Rosh HaShanah, his luck sleeps." The Magen Avraham (6) quotes the Arizal, that it is permissible to sleep after midday, since the angel (of "luck," I guess) has already been awoken by then. However, the Taamei HaMinhagim #606 (in Kuntres Acharon #22) writes in the name of Mateh Efrayim that you shouldn't sleep even according to the Arizal, because ordinary people don't do even one thousandth of what the Arizal did even in his sleep.

The Magen Avraham there also adds that someone who sits idle is just as bad as if he were sleeping. The Machatzis HaShekel explains that the reason for the Yerushalmi is that the person isn't praying or doing something to awaken the angel for him. Therefore, being idle is not awakening the angel.

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And what about a person who is very tired? Or davens Vasikin and must go to rest afterwards? – Yehoshua Sep 18 '12 at 17:05
i have always understood this injunction not as a caution not to take a nap if you are very tired, but not to start the year wasting time that could be spent learning as it doesn't bode well for the year -- if you aren't making an effort to learn on r"h you probably won't when the religious intensity leaves. – Dan Sep 19 '12 at 0:14
@Yehoshua I have seen no distinction addressed in halachah. If you have, please give another answer to the question. Dan, nice drashah. It doesn't seem to fit into the Magen Avraham's wording יושב בטל כישן דמי, though (but the Arizal whom he is quoting may have said it in slightly different wording) – b a Sep 19 '12 at 3:35
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See Aruch Hashulchan who says he doesnt know where that Yerushalmi is. – sam Sep 19 '12 at 4:22
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@ba , I was talking about 597:2 where he mentions it at the end saying he does not know where it is and the Arizal lo chasash lazeh, he.m.wikisource.org/wiki/… – sam Sep 19 '12 at 17:55
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