Yehudah ben Tema dice: Sii audace come un leopardo, [... e non vergognarti di chiedere al tuo rabbino ciò che non hai capito, come abbiamo appreso: "Il timido non impara"] e accendi come un'aquila [a insegui il tuo apprendimento e non stanco, come è scritto (Isaia 40:31): "Solleveranno l'ala come aquile; correranno e non stanchi"], e rapidi come un cervo [per inseguire Mitzvoth], e forte come un leone [per sottomettere la tua inclinazione malvagia contro la trasgressione], per fare la volontà di tuo Padre celeste. Non voleva dire: "La" faccia sfacciata "di Gehinnom" [Questa espressione è usata perché la sfacciataggine è vista in faccia, vale a dire. (Proverbi 21:19): "Il malvagio è sfacciato in faccia"], e il "volto vergognoso" di Gan Eden. "Possa essere la tua volontà, OL nostro Dio che tu costruisca la tua città in fretta ai nostri giorni e dacci (noi) la nostra porzione nella Torah. [Cioè, proprio come ci hai concesso questo tratto (di vergogna), i segni del seme di Abramo sono vergogna, misericordia e benignità, così, può sia la tua volontà, ecc.]
Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim
One should strengthen himself like a lion to get up in the morning to serve his Creator, so that it is he who awakens the dawn. Rem"a: At least, one should not delay beyond the time when the congregation prays (Tur). Rem"a: "I have set the Lord before me constantly" (Psalms 16:8); this is a major principle in the Torah and amongst the virtues of the righteous who walk before God. For a person's way of sitting, his movements and his dealings while he is alone in his house are not like his way of sitting, his movements and his dealings when he is before a great king; nor are his speech and free expression as much as he wants when he is with his household members and his relatives like his speech when in a royal audience. All the more so when one takes to heart that the Great King, the Holy One, Blessed Is He, Whose glory fills the earth, is standing over him and watching his actions, as it is stated: "'Will a man hide in concealment and I will not see him?' - the word of God" (Jeremiah 23:24), he immediately acquires fear and submission in dread of God, May He Be Blessed, and is ashamed of Him constantly (Guide for the Perplexed III 52). And one should not be ashamed because of people who mock him in his service of God, and should also go modestly. And when he lies on his bed he should know before Whom he lies, and as soon as he wakes up from sleep he should rise eagerly to the service of his Creator, May He Be Blessed and Exalted (Tur).
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Sefer HaChinukh
And I will say that the matter of all of the sacrifices is to arouse the thoughts of the one that offers [them]; and according to that act, he shall take its similarities into his soul - all as we have already written (Sefer HaChinukh 95, 116). Hence in distancing chamets, which is made with great delay, he will take the similarity from his sacrifice to acquire the trait of alacrity, of lightness and of speed in [doing] the act of God, blessed be He. And as they, may their memory be blessed, said (Mishnah Avot 5:20), "Be[...] light like the eagle, swift like the deer, and mighty like the lion to do, etc." And we are obligated in the matter with the meal-offering of individuals more than with the communal meal-offering; since discouragement and laziness are found more with the individual - as the many will flag one another. And therefore the Torah did not concern itself about this with a communal meal-offering that comes from time to time, such as two breads of [Shavouot]. But with the bread of display - even though it is also called a communal meal-offering - since it is a constant meal-offering on each and every Shabbat, the Torah concerned itself about it and also commanded us about it that it should be matsa.
