Daytime Naps

The Gemara in Masechet Sukka (26a) instructs that one should not sleep during the day for a longer period than that which a horse sleeps, a duration of "sixty breaths." Rashi explains that sleeping during the day is not allowed because the daytime should be used constructively, for Torah learning. This is mentioned by subsequent writers, and brought as Halacha by the Shulhan Aruch. However, the Mahasit Ha'shekel (Rav Shmuel Kellin, 1724-1806) ruled that if a person needs to nap during the day to enhance his productivity, then this is allowed. For many people, daytime naps increase productivity, as it helps them accomplish more the rest of the day, after they wake up. According to this view, then, although in general one should not take a nap during the day, this is allowed if the objective is to be more alert and productive afterward. The Arizal taught that one must not sleep during the day under any circumstances, as this may cause damage to one's soul. However, the Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909), in his Rav Pe'alim, writes that the Arizal's teaching applies only to the souls of the great Sadikim, which are on an especially high level of sanctity and are thus particularly sensitive. Such souls could be damaged by daytime naps. For us, however, this is not a concern. It is indeed customary in many yeshivot for the students to take a nap during the afternoon, as this significantly enhances the quality of their learning the rest of the afternoon and at night. For most students, the afternoon nap does not at all diminish from their productivity, as to the contrary, it enables them to accomplish far more than they would otherwise. Hacham Ovadia Yosef writes that while it is preferable to avoid napping during the day, this is certainly allowed if one's intention is not simply to relax, but to increase his productivity the rest of the day and in the evening.