Secret of Brit Book
Sexual Purity Foundation of the Jewish Nation It is no secret that in these times of the “birth pains of Mashiac h,” our nation is facing great challenges and dangers. The rebirth of the nation in Israel, with all of its wondrous victories and achievements, seems to have stumbled off track. uring the recent isengagement or “!itnatkut,” the "overnment of Israel evacuated and ra#ed flourishing $ewish communities in "ush %atif and the Shomron. In the process, cherished portions of the !ol& 'and, promised b& "(d to the $ews, were given over to an enem& set upon the destruction of Israel. )e )et, t, from the north and from the south, rocket attack s and terrorism continue with a greater wrath, threatening all of the countr&.
*hile our connection to "(d, and to +ret# )israel, are eternal, the Torah Torah warns vraham vinu that Shmirat !aBrit -guarding the ovenant b& observing the laws of proper se/ual behavior0 is of paramount importance in insuring that the ovenant of the Brit remains constantl& active1 “nd I will give to thee, and to th& seed after thee, the land in which thou dost so2ourn, all the land of anaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their "(d.
3nfortunatel&, 3nfortunatel&, the in(depth stud& of this sub2ect, the foundation of Am of Am Yisrael , has been left largel& unlearned. This is due to two factors1 the long tradition of modest& surrounding the sub2ect4 and the fact that the te/ts which elaborate on the importance of Shmirat HaBrit belong, belong, in large measure, to the world of %abbalah and to the secrets of Torah.
s we shall discover, se/ual purit& purit& and the secrets of Torah Torah go hand hand in hand. 5ur Sages have repeatedl& emphasi#ed the necessit& of learning the s ecrets of Torah Torah at the time of "eula -redemption.0 The hol& %abbalist, 6abbi !aim 7ital, foremost student of the ri#al, emphasi#es in his introduction to the “+t# !ahaim,” that the prolongation of the e/ile, and all of its sufferings, stem from the fact that the inner secrets of Torah have gone unlearned.8 5ne of the reasons that the 9ohar is so vital to our times is because of the great light it sheds on the Brit as the spiritual channel through which ivine blessing is channeled to the nation of )israel. It is sometimes thought that when the word Brit appears i n the Torah Torah and the Tanach, Tanach, it is referring to a general covenant between "(d and the $ewish :eople. The 9ohar, however, however, makes clear that almost ever& reference to the Brit means guarding the s e/ual purit& of m )israel. *e see this clearl& with )o )osef, sef, who is called, )osef )osef !aT#addik, because he overcame the temptations of :otifar;s wife.
*hile man& passages in the 9ohar are understandable on their surface level, the language of the 9ohar is filled with codes that refer to the spiritual world of the sefirot. The 9ohar itself warns1 6abbi Shimon said1 * oe to the man who sa&s that the Torah Torah comes to teach tales of this world and to speak about ordinar& affairs. If that were so, even toda&, we could create a Torah Torah dealing with ordinar& matters that would be far superior. If it comes merel& to e/plain the matters of this world, even the princes of the world have more advanced things to sa&. If so, we should follow after them and c ompose a Torah Torah from their teachings< But this is not the case. =or all the words of the Torah Torah are concerned with e/alted m atters and celestial secrets....
Thus, the stories of the Torah are onl& her worldl& garments, and whoever thinks that this worldl& attire is the Torah To rah itself, and not something deeper, ma& his soul be obliterated > he will have no portion in the world to come. =or this reason, avid said, “5pen mine e&es, that I ma& see the wonders of )our )our Torah,” Torah,” -Tehillim, -Tehillim, ??@1?A,0 meaning the things that are beneath the Torah;s Torah;s worldl& garment. 9ohar, Bamidbar ?Cb0 In order that the reader ma& more deepl& comprehend the selections from the 9ohar in this stud&, it is necessar& to present a brief and ver& basic e/planation of the sefirot. It is widel& known that the spiritual blueprint of the world is comprised of sefirot that serve as channels of ivine illumination. Through these ten channels of ivine blessing, the !ol& 5ne Blessed Be !e manifests !imself in this world. In a sense, the sefirot act as filters, allowing "(d;s illumination to appear in the world without overwhelming it. The higher sefirot are called %eter, hochmah, and Binah. The lower sefirot are hesed, "evurah, Tiferet, Tiferet, De#ach, !od, )esod, and Malchut. The 9ohar rarel& mentions the sefirot b& name. 6ather it speaks in codes. =or e/ample, vraham vinu vinu is associated with the sefirah of hesed, )it#hak with "evurah, and )aacov with Tiferet. Tiferet. Through the teachings of 6abbi Shimon Bar )ochai and his disciples, who were great To Torah rah scholars in their own right, the 9ohar reveals the spiritual blueprint at work behind the narratives and commandments of the To Torah. rah. To help us understand the s&stem, let us imagine that the lower sefirot are aligned i n the form of a funnel. The main bod& of the funnel comprises the sefirot of hesed, "evurah, Tiferet, Tiferet, De#ach, and !od. The spout of the funnel, is the )esod, the channel through which all of the sefirot must pass in order to appear in our manifest world of Malchut. =rom this illustration, it follows that if the spout of the funnel, the )esod, is blocked up because of our sins, then the ivine illumination from bove cannot pass down to our world.
*hile man& passages in the 9ohar are understandable on their surface level, the language of the 9ohar is filled with codes that refer to the spiritual world of the sefirot. The 9ohar itself warns1 6abbi Shimon said1 * oe to the man who sa&s that the Torah Torah comes to teach tales of this world and to speak about ordinar& affairs. If that were so, even toda&, we could create a Torah Torah dealing with ordinar& matters that would be far superior. If it comes merel& to e/plain the matters of this world, even the princes of the world have more advanced things to sa&. If so, we should follow after them and c ompose a Torah Torah from their teachings< But this is not the case. =or all the words of the Torah Torah are concerned with e/alted m atters and celestial secrets....
Thus, the stories of the Torah are onl& her worldl& garments, and whoever thinks that this worldl& attire is the Torah To rah itself, and not something deeper, ma& his soul be obliterated > he will have no portion in the world to come. =or this reason, avid said, “5pen mine e&es, that I ma& see the wonders of )our )our Torah,” Torah,” -Tehillim, -Tehillim, ??@1?A,0 meaning the things that are beneath the Torah;s Torah;s worldl& garment. 9ohar, Bamidbar ?Cb0 In order that the reader ma& more deepl& comprehend the selections from the 9ohar in this stud&, it is necessar& to present a brief and ver& basic e/planation of the sefirot. It is widel& known that the spiritual blueprint of the world is comprised of sefirot that serve as channels of ivine illumination. Through these ten channels of ivine blessing, the !ol& 5ne Blessed Be !e manifests !imself in this world. In a sense, the sefirot act as filters, allowing "(d;s illumination to appear in the world without overwhelming it. The higher sefirot are called %eter, hochmah, and Binah. The lower sefirot are hesed, "evurah, Tiferet, Tiferet, De#ach, !od, )esod, and Malchut. The 9ohar rarel& mentions the sefirot b& name. 6ather it speaks in codes. =or e/ample, vraham vinu vinu is associated with the sefirah of hesed, )it#hak with "evurah, and )aacov with Tiferet. Tiferet. Through the teachings of 6abbi Shimon Bar )ochai and his disciples, who were great To Torah rah scholars in their own right, the 9ohar reveals the spiritual blueprint at work behind the narratives and commandments of the To Torah. rah. To help us understand the s&stem, let us imagine that the lower sefirot are aligned i n the form of a funnel. The main bod& of the funnel comprises the sefirot of hesed, "evurah, Tiferet, Tiferet, De#ach, and !od. The spout of the funnel, is the )esod, the channel through which all of the sefirot must pass in order to appear in our manifest world of Malchut. =rom this illustration, it follows that if the spout of the funnel, the )esod, is blocked up because of our sins, then the ivine illumination from bove cannot pass down to our world.
In the language of the 9ohar, this damage to the spout of the funnel causes the “upper river” to dr& up. Because of this, our world of Malchut is not watered with ivine illumination or shefa. This dr&ing up of the shefa brings about destruction -chorban0 and e/ile -galut.0 oncurrentl&, when when the channel of the )esod )esod is blocked up because of our transgressions, then our pra&ers, Torah To rah stud&, and good deeds cannot ascend to the higher spiritual worlds. Dot being able to enter the spout and properl& rise up the funnel of the sefirot, our pra&ers and good deeds are cast awa& into the realm of the 5ther Side, the realm of the forces of darkness and impurit& outside of the funnel. *ith this illustration in mind, we must mention another central %abbalistic idea vital to the understanding the 9ohar. "(d created man as a microcosm of the world. Man contains the spiritual blueprint for all of e/istence. ccordingl&, the sefirot that make up the spiritual universe find their their parallel in man. The right arm parallels the sefirah of hesed. The left arm, "evurah. The upper bod&, Tiferet. The right and left legs parallel De#ach and !od. nd the place of the Brit parallels the )esod. Thus, referring back to our illustration of the funnel, the organ of the Brit, the male se/ual organ, parallels the spout.
To reach our world of Malchut, the shefa from all of the sefirot must pass through the channel of the )esod, the spout of the spiritual world. =or this reason, the )esod is said to encompass and include all of the other sefirot. Thus the tikun, -rectification0 of the damaged )esod )esod is call ed the Tikun lalli, meaning the all(encompassing tikun. To give an e/ample, at the time of marital relations, all of the genetic information from ever& organ and limb of t he bod& has to converge in the channel of the Brit in order to reach the proper destination in the female, who embodies the sefirah of Malchut. The codes of D from the brain, from the e&es, the arms, the heart, and the legs, all gather in the )esod )esod as it unites with Malchut in order for the genetic transference to take place. Thus, in the ph&sical world, the organ of the Brit, the male se/ual organ, parallels the spiritual function of the )esod, )e sod, in its being the channel of life force through which which the marital union is consummated. In the microcosm of man, the place of the Brit serves the same function as the spout of the funnel. ue to the parallelism of man and the spiritual worlds, it follows that if a man impairs his Brit through se/ual transgression, then his wrongdoing will also damage the parallel spiritual counterpart of the )esod. )esod. This understanding is based on the principle that whatever man does in this world has a direct and i mmediate effect on the upper spiritual worlds. The beginning chapters of the book, “Defesh !ahaim,” describe this phenomenon full& ( how our thoughts, deeds, and speech all impact the upper worlds for good and for evil. Thus b& transgressing the se/ual laws of the Torah, Torah, a person damages the spiritual channel, the )esod, that brings ivine illumination and blessing into the world. The 9ohar emphasi#es time and again that se/ual wrongdoing brings traged& and plagues on the individual and on the nation, in this world and in the world to come. If se/ual sins become rampant on a national level, this c an cause a total blockage, or the dr&ing up of the channel of the )esod, bringing destruction and e/ile to m )israel -the nation of Israel.0
*hen the )esod )esod was damaged bove through Israel;s transgressions, it was onl& a matter of time before the enem& succeeded in destro&ing its ph&sical counterpart embodied in 9ion and $erusalem below.
=rom this, we can understand the great importance of Shmirat !aBrit. B& conducting one;s se/ual life in holiness, the sefirah of )esod is preserved in its pure, functioning state, insuring that ivine bles sing is constantl& poured down upon m )israel and the individual $ew. This is the inner meaning of the verse, “)our sins have withheld good -tov0 from &ou.” -)irme&ahu, 1CE0 In the language of the 9ohar, tov is the )esod. 5ur sins prevent the ivine illumination that comes through the )esod from reaching us. ccording to the %abbalah, this is the prime inner cause of all of the sufferings we face. 5ne further point is needed to facilitate our understanding of the 9ohar. The sefirah of Malchut is the vessel that receives all of the ivine illumination and blessing. In our world, Malchut is manifested in man& different forms, including m )israel, +ret# )israel, $erusalem, the %i ngdom of Israel, and the Shechinah -ivine :resence.0 Malchut and )esod are alwa&s associ ated together. *hen the )esod is damaged, then Malchut is damaged also. This is also wh& se/ual transgression on a national level can c ause a separation between the )esod and Malchut > resulting, "(d forbid, in the destruction of the $ewish %ingdom, and the e/ile of the nation and the Shechinah from the 'and.
=rom this we see the importance of se/ual purit& in establishing and safeguarding the %ingdom of Israel. This understanding, repeated again and again in the 9ohar, is vital in addressing the challenges we are facing toda&. t this critical stage of the Israel;s revival in +ret# )israel, in order to establish the %ingdom of "(d on earth -Malchut,0 we must concurrentl& sanctif& the )esod b& purif&ing our se/ual lives. It is not enough to build a powerful arm&, beautiful cities, and flourishing settlements. The arm&, and the cities and settlements must all be hol& as well. If we violate the se/ual prohibitions of the Torah, we damage the Brit between "(d and vraham vinu, weakening our hold on the 'and. 6el&ing on Israel;s inner, intrinsic hol& segulah -special potential0 is not enough. This can be illustrated from a passage of the 9ohar that e/plains how +liahu !aDavi dealt with the deteriorating situation in his time, when m )israel abandoned "(d through idol worship, se/ual transgressions, and neglecting the mit#vah of circumcision. B& so doing, the& destro&ed the foundation of the $ewish %ingdom, s&mboli#ed b& the destruction of the altar. 6abbi )ehuda was often with 6abbi Shimon. 5nce the& studied the verse, “nd he healed the altar of the '(rd that was broken down,” -Melachim, ?, ?A1FG.0 * hat is the meaning of the e/pression “and he healed,” -instead of sa&ing he rebuiltH0 Behold, in the da&s of +liahu, all Israel abandoned the !ol& 5ne Blessed Be !e, and abandoned the life( sustaining Brit. *hen +liahu came and saw that the children of Israel had forsaken the Brit and its sign, he set out to rectif& the matter to its former state. This rectified ever&thing. This is wh& it is written, “nd he healed the altar of the '(rd that was broken down,” meaning he reestablished the hol& Brit that had been abandoned. -9ohar, Bereshit EEb0 In %abbalistic terms, the transgressions of m )israel caused a breach between the sefirot of )esod and Malchut, damaging the channel of ivine blessing to the nation. 3nderstanding this, +liahu !aDavi sought a spiritual healing. B& rectif&ing the transgressions surrounding the Brit, he reuniting )esod with Malchut and succeeded in restoring the $ewish :eople to "(d, s&mboli#ed b& the “healing” of the altar. The sages of the %abbalah have taught that the Si/th Millenium parallels the sefirah of )esod, number si/ of the lower sefirot. =or this reason, Shmirat !aBrit is the test of our times. s the time of our final redemption approaches, in order to reach the palace of Malchut, first we are t ested in the raging waters of )esod. This is the underl&ing spiritual cause for the alarming increase of promiscuit& and pornograph& in the world. The good news
is that while the problem is great, there is a tikun. $ust as it worked for +liahu !aDavi, it can also work for us toda&.
Excerpts From The Zohar (Abridged For the Internet) The teachings of the 9ohar form the basis of the book, Secret of the Brit ( Torah, %abbalah, and Se/. =or the purposes of this website, onl& a small portion of the 9ohar;s teachings on the Brit have been included, listed chronologicall& according to the Torah portions in which the& appear. :lease note that the te/ts printed the full width of the page are e/planations of the indented uotes from the 9ohar.
man who guards his se/ual purit& in this world is guarded from the torments of "ehinom -!ell0 in the world to come. 9ohar, Bereshit Aa 6av !amnuna the +lder said this1 “o not let th& mouth cause th& flesh to sin,” -%ohelet, 1.0 man should not allow his mouth to utter words that ma& bring him to lustful thoughts, and thus cause his hol & flesh, on which is stamped the hol& Brit, to sin. =or whoever does this is dragged into "ehinom. The one presiding over "ehinom is called uma, and there are tens of thousands of angels of destruction with him. !e stands at the door of "ehinom. But all of those who have guarded the hol& covenant of the Brit in this world, he is im potent to harm them.
This passage underscores the importance of se/ual purit&, owing to the fact that the place of the Brit on the bod& parallels the sefirah of )esod, the spiritual channel that brings ivine goodness into the world -Malchut.0 9ohar, Bereshit JKb “nd "(d blessed the seventh da& and sanctified it -oto,0 -Bereshit C1F.0” *hat did !e sanctif&H The same place of the sign of the Brit -the word oto also means “his sign”0 as in, “and show me both it -oto0 and !is habitation,” -Shmuel C, ?1C.0 This is the place of all of the ivine illuminations. =rom here the& go forth to the ommunit& of Israel and grant her delicacies and the bread of ever&thing goodL.nd all of the ivine illuminations that descend from the upper worlds, the& go forth from this place > and this is the meaning of “and sanctified it -oto,0” where oto refers to the sign of the Brit.
The following two passages e/plain that a man;s purit& or impurit& not onl& influence his spiritual state, the& also directl& influence the spiritual state of his children. 9ohar, Bereshit Ja “nd the man knew +ve his wifeL” -Bereshit J1?.0 6abbi bba e/plained, referring to the verse1 “*ho knows whether the spirit of man goes upwards, and the spirit of the beast goes downward to the earthH” -%ohelet, F1C?0 !e said, This verse has man& facets, and so it is with all the words of the Torah ( the& all contain several understandings, and all of them are correct. So it is that all of the Torah can be e/plained i n sevent& wa&s, corresponding to sev ent& sides and sevent& wings. So it is with ever& word of Torah. nd ever&thing that can be understood from each and ever& word, there are several different facets to all. Therefore, when a man walks in the path of truth, he goes towards the right and draws upon himself an e/alted, spirit of kedusha -holiness0 from above. This spirit ascends with a hol& desire to attach itself to the upper world and to cleave to an e/alted kedusha that never leaves him. *hen a man walks in the path of evil and stra&s from the wa&, he draws upon himself an impure spirit from the
left side, which pollutes his being, as it s a&s, )ou shall not make &ourselves abominable with them Lthat &ou should be defiled b& them, -7a&ikra ??1JF0 impl&ing that a person who c omes to pollute himself is led further into defilement. =rom this we can learn that when a man walks in the path of truth, and draws upon himself a spirit of kedusha -holiness0 from bove and cleaves to it, he also draws a spirit of holiness on to the son he brings into the world, so that the child will be hol& with the sanctit& of his Master, as it is written, “Sanctif& &ourselves, and &ou shall be hol&,” -7a&ikra, ??1JJ.0
The 9ohar teaches that the flood in the da&s of Doach came as punishment for the sin of wasting semen. This is learned from the use of the same word, “ra” in describing )ehuda;s son +r, who was stricken b& "(d for spilling his semen in vain. This sin adds strength to the spirit of impurit& and drives the Shechinah from the world. 9ohar, Bereshit Ea “nd the '(rd saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and all the desire of the thoughts of his heart was onl& evil all of the da&,” -Bereshit, E1.0 6abbi )ehuda uoted the verse, “=or thou art not a "(d who has pleasure in wickedness, nor s hall evil -ra0 dwell with Thee,” -Tehillim, 1.0 !e e/plained1 ome and see > someone who cleaves to the evil inclination and pursues it, not onl& does he defile himself, but he is led to pollute himself further, as has alread& been stated. =or the wickedness of mankind was great -in the generation of Doach0 and all kinds of evil was committed, but the measure of their guilt was not complete until the& wasted their blood -semen0 upon the ground. * ho are these people who corrupted their wa& on the earthH *e know b& comparing two verses. !ere, it is written, “5nl& evil -ra0 all of the da&,” and in another verse, “nd +r, )ehuda;s firstborn, was evil -ra0 in the sight of the '(rd,” -Bereshit, FA1K.0 Said 6abbi )osi1 Isn;t evil -ra0 the same meaning as “wickedness” -resha0H Do. man is considered wicked if raises his hand to strike his neighbor, even if he doesn;t touch him, as it is written, “nd he said to the wicked one -rasha0, wh& will &ou strike &our fellowmanH” !e is called wicked even though the future tense of the verb indicates that he had not &et done an& ph&sical harm. But, evil -ra0 refers onl& to a person who corrupts his wa& and pollutes himself and the earth -b& spilling semen in a sinful manner.0 This lends force and added strength to the impure spirit which is called “ra” as it is written, “onl& evil -ra0 all the da&.” This person will not be allowed to enter the c elestial palace, nor ga#e upon the Shechinah, for b& this sin the Shechinah is driven from the world. !ow do we know thisH =rom )aacov. *hen the Shechinah departed from him, he thought that perhaps his sons were blemished in this manner, and because of them the impure spirit had grown stronger in the world, even blemishing the moon and diminishing its light. If &ou wonder how this can be > the reason is that this sin pollutes the Temple -and drives the Shechinah from the world.0 If this is what caused the Shechinah to leave )aacov, how much more so does it appl& to an& man who corrupts his wa&s and defiles himself, thus adding strength to the spirit of impurit&. Therefore, when a man defiles himself in this manner, he is called evil -ra.0 Behold, when a man defiles himself, the !ol& 5ne, Blessed Be !e does not v isit him with blessing. 6ather, he is sub2ect at all times to visitations of the spirit called “ra.” Since the act of spilling semen in v ain defiles both man and the earth, the spiritual blemishes it causes can onl& be rectified through a great t;shuva. 9ohar, Bereshit E?b 6abbi )it#hak was in the presence of 6abbi Shimon. !e asked him1 6egarding the verse, “nd the earth was corrupt before "(d,” -Bereshit, 1??,0 if men transgressed, wh& should the earth be call ed corruptH 6abbi Shimon answered him, Because it is written, “=or all flesh has corrupted its wa&.” In a similar fashion, it is written, “nd the land was defiled, therefore do I punish its iniuit& upon it,” -7a&ikra, ?A1C.0 If mankind sinned, wh& is the earth to blameH The reason is that mankind is the essence of the earth. * hen the& pollute their wa& in
the world, the earth becomes defiled. This is proven b& the verse, “nd "(d saw the earth, and behold it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their wa& upon the earth.” ome and see, all sins of man, and all of his acts of defilement, can be rectified through t;shuva -repentance.0 But the sin of spilling one;s seed on the earth, which defiles the man and casts semen onto the earth, defiles both him and the earth. 5f such a man it is written, “The stain of th& iniuit& i s before me,” -)irme&ahu, C1CC.0 It also sa&s, “=or Thou art not a "(d that hath pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil -ra0 dwell with Thee,” -Tehillim, 1,0 e/cept through a great t;shuva. 5n this it is written, “nd +r, )ehuda;s firstborn, was evil -ra0 in the sight of the '( rd, and the '(rd slew him,” -Bereshit FA1K.0 6abbi )it#hak asked, *h& did the !ol& 5ne, Blessed Be !e 2 udge the world with water, and not with fire or something elseH 6abbi Shimon answered1 This is a secret. Through their sin of corrupting their wa&s, the& prevented the upper waters and the l ower waters from uniting as the& s hould. Since in corrupting their wa&s -spilling semen in vain0 the& did not allow male and female waters to 2oin, thus the& were punished with water, for the transgression of wasting their water. =urthermore, the waters were boiling and caused their skin to peel off, 2ust as the& had corrupted their wa&s b& spilling their hot semen ( measure for measure.
s long as the $ewish :eople guard their se/ual purit&, embodied b& the Brit, there is no enem& that can harm them. 9ohar, Bereshit EEb “nd I will establish M& Brit with thee,” -Bereshit, ?K1C?0 that &ou shall be the sign of the Brit in the world. fter that, “nd thou shall come into the ark.” =or if he had not been a t#addik -a guardian of the Brit0 he could not have entered the ark, for onl& the t#addik can unite with the ark. Therefore it is written, “nd thou shall come into the ark,” as has been e/plained. 6abbi +la#ar said, s long as men remain attached to this Brit and do not loosen their hold of it -do not blemish it with se/ual sins,0 there is no nation nor language in the world that can do them harm. Doach clung to Brit and guarded it, therefore the !ol& 5ne Blessed Be !e safeguarded him. But all of his contemporaries did not guard the Brit, and because of this, the !ol& 5ne Blessed Be !e removed them from the world. s has been stated, in e/actl& the same wa& that the& sinned, the& were blotted out from the world.
5nce again, the 9ohar emphasi#es that b& safeguarding the holiness of the Brit, a man is protected, not onl& in this world, but also in the ne/t. 9ohar, Bereshit @Ja nother began his e/position b& referring to the verse, “3nless the '(rd had been m& help, m& soul would have soon dwelt in -uma0 silence, -Tehillim, @J1?K.0 *e have learned1 what is the special merit of Israel that the& do not go down to "ehinom, and are not delivered into the hands of uma -the angel in charge of "ehinom0 like the idol worshipping nationsH The reason is that the& are distinguished b& the sign of the Brit. =or we have learned that when a man leaves this world, bands of destro&ing angels, wielders of fier& 2udgment, gather to claim him. But when the& e/amine him and see that he bears the sign of the hol& Brit upon him, the& flee from him, and he is not delivered into the hands of uma, to be c ast down into "ehinom, for whomever falls into his hands is condemned to punishment there. Both upper and lower -angels0 are afraid of this sign, and no evil decrees have dominance over a man if he has succeeded in s afeguarding this sign, because he is attached to the Dame of the !ol& 5ne, Blessed Be !e.
The sefirah of )esod, associated with the organ of the Brit, is the spiritual channel c onnecting an individual to "( d. Through the channel of )esod come ivine Inspiration -ruach hakodesh,0 and perception of "(d. Thus a proper Brit Milah, and guarding the laws of se/ual purit&, are the ke&s to a $ew;s attachment to "(d.
Bereshit @Ja nother e/plained the verse1 “nd from m& flesh, I shall see "(d,” -I&ov,
[email protected] *hat is the meaning of “nd from m& fleshH” It would be more proper to sa&, “from m& inner essence.” !owever, “m& flesh” is to be understood literall& -as being the place of the Brit,0 as in the verse, “and the hol& flesh is removed from thee,” -)irme&ahu, ??1?,0 and also, “and m& Brit shall be in &our flesh,” -Bereshit, ?K1?F.0 =or thus we have learned1 *henever a man is stamped with the hol& impress of this sign, through it literall& he will attain his awareness of "(d, because the hol& soul is attached to this place -in the parallel spiritual world of the )esod.0 But if he does not merit this, because he did not guard this s ign, then of him it is written, “The& lose the soul of "( d,” -I&ov, J1@,0 for he did not properl& guard the impress of "(d. If, however, he guards it, then the Shechinah does not part from himL. *hen is the Shechinah established with himH *hen he is married, then the sign enters into its intended placeL.The hol& soul is attached to this place, and ever&thing depends on this sign. Thus it is written, “nd from m& flesh, I shall see "(d.” This is the perfection of ever&thing, literall& from “m& flesh,” from this ver& sign. Therefore, how fortunate are the hol& $ewish :eople who are attached to the !ol& 5ne, Blessed Be !e4 fortunate are the& in this world and fortunate in the world to come. 6egarding them it is written1 “But &ou who cleave to the '(rd &our "(d, are alive ever& one of &ou this da&,” -evarim, J1J.0
!aving relations with a gentile woman not onl& defiles a $ew and his offspring, it is like bowing down to a false god. 9ohar, Bereshit ?F?b *hoever cleaves to a woman of an& of the gentile nations becomes defiled. The child born from such an attachment receives a defiled spirit. It ma& be asked, if the child is from a $ewish father, wh& should he receive a defiled spiritH Behold, at the ver& start, his father polluted himself when he attached himself to that impure woman. Since the father become impure from this impure woman, all the more so, the child born from her will receive an impure spirit. Dot onl& this, but he transgresses the Torah, as is written, “=or t hou shall not bow down to another god4 for the '(rd, whose Dame is 9ealous, is a #ealous "(dL” -Shemot, FJ1?J.0
vraham had his servent, +lie#er, take an oath b& placing his hand under the place of vraham;s circumcision, because of its e/alted holiness. 9ohar, Bereshit ?A?b “:ut, I pra& thee, th& hand under m& thigh,” -Bereshit, CJ1C0 this is place of the t#addik, the foundation of the world -the sefirah of )esod.0 The secret of the matter is that from this place the life force of e/istence emanates to the world.
The 9ohar teaches that the ivine punishments stated in the second passage of the Shema fall upon the nation and the 'and due to Israel;s se/ual transgressions. Bereshit ?A@b ome and see, when "(d watches over the world with the intent to 2udge it, and finds evildoers there, then, as is written, “!e shut up the heaven, so that there shall be no rain, and the ground shall not &ield her produce,” -evarim, ??1?K.0 nd afterward it is written, “)ou shall uickl& perish from the land,” for through the sins of mankind, heaven and earth are shut up and their natural workings are impaired. Those who do not guard the sign of the hol& Brit cause a separation between Israel and their =ather in heaven, as is written, “nd &ou turn aside and worship other gods, and bow down to them,” -Ibid.0 nd afterward, it sa&s, “!e shut up the heaven, so that there be no rain.” =or to be false to the hol& Brit is considered like bowing down to another god.
=rom )osef, we learn that whoever safeguards his Brit in s e/ual purit&, it is like he observed all of the Torah. 9ohar, Bereshit ?@Ka ome and see, the !ol& 5ne Blessed Be !e fashioned the kingdom of earth after the model of the kingdom of heaven, one like the other, and whatever transpires on earth has first been approved above b& "(d. The hol& kingdom was not a completed kingdom until it was united with the :atriarchs, since the !ol& 5ne Blessed Be !e fashioned the upper kingdom that it should be illuminated in the world b& t he -sefirot m&sticall& embodied in the0 :atriarchs. nd when )osef, the t#addik, went down to +g&pt before his famil&, he drew the Shechinah after him, since the Shechinah onl& follows after the t#addik -keeper of the Brit.0 This is the reason that )osef preceded the others to +g&pt, where he gathered up all the wealth of the world, as was fitting. fterwards, the Shechinah went down to +g&pt to accompan& the descent of the tribes. nd because )osef guarded his Brit in se/ual purit&, he merited to be crowned with and attached to the place fitting him -the )esod,0 and thus merited kingship both in the upper and lower kingdoms. nd likewise, whoever guards the hol& Brit, it is like he observed all of hol& Torah, since the Brit is eual in weight with the whole Torah.
6abbi bba teaches that the most e/alted secret of the Torah is the sec ret contained in the recondite understandings of the Brit. These secrets are onl& revealed to those who fear sin. 9ohar, Bereshit CFEb 6abbi bba e/plained the verse1 “The secret of !ashem is revealed to those who fear !im, to make k nown to them !is Brit,” -Tehillim, C1?J.0 “The secret of !ashem,” is the most e/alted secret of the Torah that "(d onl& grants to those who fear s in. To those who fear sin, "(d reveals the most e/alted secret of the Torah. nd what is the most e/alted secret of the TorahH It is -the secret of0 the sign of the hol& Brit, which is called the secret of the '(rd > this is the hol& Brit. The man who lives a life of s e/ual purit&, guarding the Brit, is the true man of valor. 9ohar, Bereshit CJGb 6abbi bba taught1 “"ird th& sword upon th& thigh, 5 valorous one4 th& glor& and th& ma2est&,” -Tehillim, J1J.0 Is this glor& and ma2est&, to arm oneself with weapons and use themH 5ne who studies Torah and wages the battles of Torah, and arms oneself in this wa&, this is praiseworth&, this is glor& and ma2est&. )et it sa&s, “"ird th& sword.” The main point of the matter, however, is that "(d has given the sign of the hol& Brit, and stamped it upon men for them to guard it, and not blemish it > it being the stamp of the %ing. !e who blemishes it, behold, the sword which avenges the blemish to the Brit is raised up against him, -7a&ikra, CE1C,0 to avenge the blemish to the hol& Brit which is impressed on him and which he impaired. !e who desires to safeguard this place should hurr& and make a rectification(tikun on himself. * hen the evil inclination gains strength over him, he should picture the sword that is girded on the thigh to punish an&one who blemishes this place. This is the reason it sa&s1 “"ird th& sword upon th& thigh, 5 valorous one.” This one is called valorous, and this is his “glor& and ma2est&.” The t#addikim are the guardians of the Brit. 9ohar, Bereshit CJKb =ortunate are the& who are called t#addikim, for onl& he who guards the grade of the sign of the hol& Brit is called t#addik. =ortunate are the& in this world and in the world to come.
Se/ual wrongdoings cause the Shechinah to be e/iled from the world, and the pra&ers of mankind go unanswered. 9ohar, Shemot Fb
There are three transgressions which drive the Shechinah away fro the world! and cause it to be that the "oly #ne $lessed $e "e has no abode on earth! and that the cries and %rayers of an&ind go unanswered'
There are three transgressions which drive the Shechinah awa& from the world, and cause it to be that the !ol& 5ne Blessed Be !e has no abode on earth, and that the cries and pra&ers of mankind go unanswered. nd these are the transgressions1 man who has se/ual relations with a woman during the period of her menstruation. There is no impurit& in the world so strong as menstrual impurit& -niddah.0 The impurit& of niddah is the most damaging t&pe of impurit& there is. The man is defiled and ever&one who touches him is defiled with him. +ver&where the& go, the Shechinah flees from them. In addition, this man brings terrible diseases on himself and on the child born from such a union. Because he had contact with a woman in niddah, this impurit& is transferred to him and clings to all of his bod&. child born from this is possessed with a spirit of impurit&, and this impurit& will accompan& him his whole life, since his foundation is built upon the most powerful and most stringent impurit& that e/ists. =or as soon as m an has relations with a niddah, her state of menstrual impurit& clings to him, as is written, “!er niddah impurit& will be on him,” -7a&ikra, ?1CJ.0 The second categor& is the man who has se/ual relations with a gentile woman. =or he enters the hol& Brit and the sign that upholds the world into a foreign realm, as is written, “=or )ehuda has profaned the holiness of the '( rd whom he loved, and has taken to himself t he daughter of a strange god,” -Malachi, C1??.0 =or we have learned that the !ol& 5ne Blessed Be !e has no #ealousness, e/cept for !is #ealousness over the hol& Brit, for this Brit -the )esod0 is the sec ret of the Sacred Dame and the secret of faith. s is written, “nd the people began to commit harlotr& with the daughters of Moav,” -Bamidbar, C1?0 then, immediatel& afterward, “nd the anger of the '(rd was kindled against Israel.”
The leaders of the $ewish :eople have the responsibilit& to make sure that the Brit is guarded properl&. The leaders of the nation who know of this, and &et do not activel& protest, are the first to be punished, as is written, “Take all of the leaders of the people and hang them up before the '(rd against the sun,” -Ibid, J.0 6abbi bba asked, *hat is the meaning of “against the sun,” in this verseH This is referring to a transgression against the Brit which is called sun. 6eferring to this, the verse speaks1 “=or a sun and a shield is the '(rd &our "(d,” -Tehillim, AJ1?J0 sun and a s hield, this is the hol& Brit. $ust as the sun rises and s preads light over the whole world, so too the hol& Brit rises and spreads light over a man;s bod& -when its sanctit& is properl& guarded.0 $ust as a shield is used to shield a man, so too the hol& Brit shields a man. *homever safeguards its sanctit&, there is no harm in the world that can come near him, and this is the meaning of, “hang them up before the '(rd against the sun,” -for their transgression against the Brit which is called sun.0 The leaders of the people are deemed responsible in ever& generation for this transgression, if the& know of it, &et are not #ealous in stamping it out. =or the& are reuired to be #ealous on "(d;s behalf against this transgression -of se/ual wrongdoing,0 for this is -the impairment of0 the Brit. 6epentance is possible, even for the grave transgression of se/ual relations with a gentile woman.
But he who enters this holiness into a foreign realm transgresses the prohibition, “Thou shall have no other gods before MeLthou shall not bow down to them, nor worship them4 for I the '(rd th& "(d am a #ealous "(d,” -Shemot, CG1F.0 =or it is all the same #ealousness -for bowing down to a foreign god and bowing down to have relations with a gentile woman are considered the same.0 =or this reason, the Shechinah flees from such a person. Being false to the hol& Brit which is stamped on a man;s flesh, is like being false to the Dame of "(d. =or whoever is false to the seal of the %ing is being false to the %ing himself. !e has no portion in the "(d of Israel, unless through the power of a constant -great0 repentance.... bortion is the third wrongdoing that drives the Shechinah from the world. !e who murders his child ( the fetus his wife is pregnant with > b& bringing about its death in the womb. =or this is contrar& to "(d;s blueprint and !is creative workings. There is a man who kills another man, but this one kills his own child. This act brings about three evils that the world cannot endure. These things destro& the world;s foundations, little b& little, without people k nowing the cause, and "(d removes !imself from the world, bringing war, famine, and pestilence upon mankind. These are the things brought about b& abortion1 the murder of one;s child4 the destruction of "(d;s blueprint for creation4 and the Shechinah is e/iled and made to wander in the world without finding rest. 5ver these, the Shechinah weeps, and the world is punished with harsh 2udgments. * oe and sorrow to the man who causes this ( it were better for him that he had never been born. In the merit of guarding themselves from these three sins, Israel was redeemed from the bondage of +g&pt. 9ohar, Shemot Fb -cont0 It was a mark of Israel;s righteousness that, even though the& were in e/ile in +g&pt, the& guarded themselves from these three sins4 from transgressing the laws of Diddah4 from having se/ual relations with gentile women4 and from abortion. In fact, the& made a special effort to m ultipl&, in open opposition to the decree that ever& newborn son be cast into the river. Dot a single $ew aborted a pregnanc&, nor slew an& child at all. It was in the merit of these three things that Israel was liberated from the e/ile. In answer to the uestion, wh& didn;t the lmight& reveal !imself in all of !is glor& when he redeemed Israel and the Shechinah from the Bab&lonian e/ile, like !e did from +g&pt, the 9ohar answers1 9ohar, Shemot Ka Behold, we have learned that it was because of their sin, for the $ews took gentile wives and caused the hol& Brit to enter into a foreign realm -profaning "(d;s Dame.0 This is the reason that the miracles and wondrous signs that were fitting to be performed were denied them. This was not the case in the e/ile in +g&pt, where all of the $ews remained true to being the Tribes of !ashem. s the pure Sons of Israel the& entered +g&pt, and as the pure Sons of Israel, the& departed. "uarding the purit& of se/ual life is the ke& to possessing the 'and of Israel, for in doing so, the sefirah of )esod is united with the sefirah of Malchut, which finds its earth& e/pression in the 'and of Israel. 9ohar, Shemot CFa “nd I have also established M& Brit with them to give them the land of anaan,” -Shemot, 1J,0 because the& circumcise themselves. =or all those who are circumcised inherit the land, for the land is onl& inherited b& the t#addik, and ever&one who is circumcised is called t#addik, as it is written, “Th& people are all righteous, the& shall forever inherit the land,” -)isha&ahu, EG1C?.0 *hoever is circumcised and guards the purit& of the sign of the Brit is called t#addik. ome and see with )osef. !e was not called t#addik until he had safeguarded this same Brit, the sign of the hol& foundation -)esod.0 Since he guarded its purit& -b& ov ercoming the temptations of :otifar;s wife,0 he was called t#addik ( )osef !aT#addik. t the time of the resurrection, onl& those who have guarded the Brit will merit everlasting life. 9ohar, Shemot Kb 6abbi Shimon said, =ortunate are those who will remain in the world at that time -of resurrection of the dead.0 nd who will the& beH Behold, no man will remain e/cept for the circumcised who accepted the sign of the hol& Brit, and have entered into this hol& Brit in its t wo parts, as we have noted -the circumcision itself and the folding back of the skin,0 and have guarded the Brit, not to enter into forbidden relations. These are the men who will
remain, and the& will be inscribed for eternal life. !ow do we know thisH Because it is written, “nd it shall come to pass that he that is left in 9ion, and he that remains in $erusalem, shall be called hol&, ever&one in $erusalem that is written to life,” -)isha&ahu, J1F.0 *e can learn from this that those who are left in 9ion, and who remain in $erusalem, that is, those who perform the circumcision properl& enter into these two grades -of 9ion()esod, and $erusalem(Malchut.0 nd if he properl& guards the purit& of the Brit and is careful not to blemish it, regarding him it i s written, “!e that is left in 9ion, and he that remains in $erusalem shall be called hol&.” These shall remain at that time, and the !ol& 5ne Blessed Be !e will renew the world with them and re2oice with them. 6egarding that time it is written, “Ma& the glor& of the 'ord be forever4 ma& the '(rd re2oice in his works,” -Tehillim, ?GJ1F?.0 The commandment “6emember what malek did to &ou,” is a warning to remember that Israel;s arch enem& wages not onl& a ph&sical war against us, but also a spiritual war against Israel;s attachment to the Brit. s 6ashi writes -evarim, C1?A,0 malek;s strateg& was to entice the $ews into se/ual transgression, as it sa&s, “asher karcha b;derek,” from the word keri, meaning the impurit& of a forbidden seminal discharge. 9ohar, Shemot ?@Jb “nd Moshe gathered together all of the congregation of the hildren of Israel,” -Shemot, F1?.0 6abbi !i&a began b& e/plaining the verse, “nd Shaul said to the %eni, "o depart, go down from among the melekites,” -Shmuel ?, ?1E.0 ome and see. It is written, “I remember that which malek did to Israel,” -Ibid, ?1C.0 *hat is the reason that the war that melek waged against Israel was singled out for remembering b& the !ol& 5ne Blessed Be !e, more than the wars that all other nations waged against themH ertainl&, the reason is that the war with malek was waged on all sides, above and below. =or at the same time, the evi l serpent mustered its strength on high -in the spiritual battlefield,0 and ph&sicall& down on earth. $ust as a poisonous snake lies in wait on the crossroads, so too malek was to Israel, like an poisonous snake waiting to ambush them on the crossroads, as it is written, “!ow he la& in wait for him on the wa& when he came up from +g&pt,” -Ibid, ?1C.0 !e was l&ing in wait on high to defile t he Mikdash -the Temple is Israel;s bond to Malchut,0 and l&ing in wait below to defile Israel;s purit& -Israel;s bond to )esod.0 !ow do we k now thisH Because it is written, “how he met thee -karcha0 b& the wa&,” -evarim, C1?A.0 The meaning of “karcha” can be understood from its alternate form “mikre” in the verse, “If there be among &ou an& man that is not pure b& reason of impurit& that chances -mikre0 b& night,” -Ibid, CF1??.0
*e are omitting a passage describing how Bilaam would enter a state of defilement through keri in order to wage a spiritual war against Israel. !ere also, from the verse,“how he met thee -karcha0 b& the wa&,” we learn that malek set against thee that evil serpent on high in order to defile &ou on all sides. nd if Moshe had not waged a might& spiritual battle on high, and )ehoshua a might& war down below, Israel would not have been able t o overcome him. It is for this reason that the !ol& 5ne Blessed B e !e insisted on preserving the memor& of this hatred from generation to generation. *hat is the reasonH Because malek strove to uproot the sign of the Brit -Israel;s se/ual purit&0 from its place.
$ew is commanded to sanctif& himself in his marital relations and not to be drawn after his lusts. 9ohar, 7a&ikra J@b 6abbi bba said, I see that the masses pa& no attention to, and are ignorant of, the honor due to their Master. It is written of Israel, “I have set &ou apart from the nations to be mine,” -7a&ikra, CG1CJ0 and it is written, “)ou shall sanctif& &ourselves and be hol&, for I, the '(rd, am hol&,” -Ibid, ??1JJ.0 If the& distance themselves from "(d -b& following after their lusts,0 where is their holiness, since their desires turn them awa& from !imH bout this, the verse proclaims, “Be not as the horse, nor as the mule which have no understanding,” -Tehillim,
[email protected] !ow are men distinguished from the horse and the muleH B& sanctif&ing themselves, and b& perfecting themselves, and b& distinguishing themselves from all other beings.
Therefore, a man;s marital relations should be at established times, in order that he ma& concentrate his desire on cleaving to the !ol& 5ne Blessed Be !e. Behold, we have emphasi#ed that at midnight, "(d enters the "arden of +den to take pleasure i n the t#addikim, and then %nesset )israel -the Shechinah0 praises !im. This is the favorable time to cleave to !im. t this time, the disciples who stud& the Torah -at midnight0 2oin %nesset )israel in praising the !ol& %ing b& their stud& of Torah. ll other men at this favorable time should sanctif& themselves in "(d -during their marital relations0 and concentrate their desires on cleaving to the !ol& 5ne Blessed Be !e. =or the Torah scholars, their marital union should be at the time when there is another -supernal0 union, and this is from one Sabbath -midnight0 to the ne/t Sabbath -midnight,0 in order to concentrate their desire on cleaving to the !ol& 5ne Blessed Be !e and %nesset )israel. =or this is a favorable time bove when all of the worlds, the upper and the lower, are blessed. If men distance themselves from !im and behave like beasts during their marital relations, where is their holiness in their dut& to be hol&H *here are those hol& souls that could have been brought down from boveH 6egarding this, %ing Shlomo cried out and proclaimed, “lso the soul without knowledge is not good,” -Mishle,
[email protected] * hat knowledge does this refer toH The knowledge of the !ol& 5ne Blessed Be !e -during marital relations.0 *hen this occurs, then the soul is not good. This is the soul that is drawn down to their offspring through their marital relations, it is not good, for this soul is drawn down from the Sitra chra -the realm of evil called the “5ther Side”0 and this is not a good soul, for their hearts are not concentrated on "(d. man who incites himself with the evil inclination, and who does not focus his intention and the desire of his heart on "(d, the soul which he draws down comes from the side of the evil inclination, and this soul is not good. This is the meaning of, “lso the soul without knowledge is not good.” *hoever races forward transgresses. Someone who hurries -to have relations0 and ignores the favorable time, without desiring to sanctif& the act, he behaves sinfull&. !e acts wrongl& in ever& aspect. nd this is the reason that evil diseases fall upon men, and bear witness against them because of their bra#enness, and reveal that "(d is repelled b& them, and that !e will not look on them with favor until the& repent and mend their wa&s and return to their original purit&. man is called “one” when he sanctifies himself with his wife during marital relations. 9ohar, 7a&ikra A?b nd when is a man called “oneH” *hen the man and his wife are together, and he sanctifies himself with an e/alted holiness, and his intention is directed toward sanctification -during their marital relations.0 Behold, when a man is engaged in marital relations, and he strives to sanctif& the act in the proper fashion, then he is whole and is called “one” without blemish. =or this reason, a man should make his wife happ& at this time, in order that the& should share the same desire and the same intention. nd when the& are united in this manner, then the& are completel& one4 one soul and one bod&. Their soul is one through their shared desire to cleave one to the other. nd their bod& is one, for as we have learned, a man who is not married is in a state of separation, and onl& when male and female are united do the& f orm one bod&. Thus, the& are one soul and one bod&, and are called one person. Then the !ol& 5ne Blessed Be !e rests upon that oneness, and infuses it -the offspring of that hol& union0 with a spirit of holiness. These -offspring0 are the ones referred to as, “sons of !a%odesh Baruch !u,” as has been said, and thus it is written, “Be hol& for I, !ashem, am hol&.” *hen a man ga#es at forbidden things, he brings impurit& upon himself, comparable to worshipping idols. 9ohar, 7a&ikra AJa *e have learned, it is forbidden for a man to ga#e upon the beaut& of a woman, so that he should not c ome to have evil thoughts and thus be incited to something worse -the wasting of semen. See vodah 9ara, CGb.0 =or this reason, when 6abbi Shimon had to walk through the town, followed b& his disciples, whenever he came to a place that beautiful women were apt to be found, he would to lower his e&es and sa& to his companions, “o not turn aside<” -“after foreign gods.”0
=or whoever ga#es at the beaut& of a woman b& da&, will have s inful thoughts at night. nd if these evil thoughts overcome him, he transgresses the commandment, “Thou shall not make for &ourselves molten gods.” =urthermore, if he has marital relations with his wife while thinking about these evil images, the children born from such union are called “molten gods.” =or this reason, it is written, “o not turn astra& after their gods,” and, “Thou shall not make for &ourselves molten gods.” $ewish man and $ewish woman who conduct their marital relations in holiness influence the highest celestial channels and cause ivine blessings to flow to all of the worlds. 9ohar, evarim CEEa s the& walked along, 6abbi bba said, *hat is the meaning of the verse1 “The& have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and have hewn them out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no waterH” -)irme&ahu, C1?F0 The meaning of “the& have forsaken Me -oti0” refers to one who has forsaken “m& sign,” b& being false to the imprint of the hol& Brit. nd how does he betra& itH B& bringing it into a foreign domain, as is said, “and took for himself the daughter of a foreign god,” -Malachi, C1??.0 These women are called “broken cisterns,” for all of the gentile nations are broken cisterns. But Israels women are “a well of living waters.” This is a hol& domain, of a hol& faith, and it is called a flowing well of pure, streaming waters, as is said, “streams from 'ebanon,” -Shir !aShirim, J1?0 and, “rink waters out of &our own cistern, and running waters out of &our own well,” -Mishle, 1?.0 lso, it is written, “ fountain of gardens, a well of liv ing waters,” -Shir !aShirim, J1?0 But the other domain -Sitra chra0 is called, “broken cisterns than can hold no water.” Behold, the ever(flowing stream above -)esod0 waters all the "arden -Malchut0 and irrigates ever& place, as we have alread& e/plained, until it fills that place in the "arden which is called “the well of living waters,” which nourishes all of the upper and lower worlds, as is said, “nd from there it was parted,” -Bereshit, C1?G.0 But all the sides of the 'eft Side are not watered from that fountain of flowing water, because the& are of the side of the other nations, and the& are called “broken cisterns.” nd one who is false to the hol& imprint of the Brit cleaves to this side of the broken cisterns that do not hold water, because the water does not flow into them. *hile the man who merits to guard the Brit properl& merits to drink of the waters of that flowing stream in the world to come, and causes that upper well to be filled in order to send forth blessings above and below. =ortunate is he in this world and in the world to come. bout him it is written, “nd thou shall be like a watered garden, and like a s pring of water whose waters never fail,” -)isha&ahu, A1??.0 It is our fervent pra&er that through the stud& of these teachings from the hol& 9ohar, all those who drink from its waters will e/perience the fulfillment of this verse, “nd thou shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters never fail,” -Ibid.0
Shmirat Habrit
The hatam Sofer
Toward the end of his life, the renowned 6abbi, the hatam Sofer, became seriousl& ill , suffering from terrible pains in the area of his Brit. In a letter, he disclosed his apprehension that the suffering had come upon him because of some sin. 6eviewing his life, he did a scrupulous self(accounting, hoping to discover the cause. But he could not recall ever having committed a s e/ual transgression. =inall&, he understood the reason for his suffering. !e was being punished, he writes, for not having taught enough about Shmirat !aBrit, for it was his custom to speak to his congregation about the matter 2ust one time a &ear, on the eve of )om %ippur. =rom this stor&, we can learn the importance of teaching about Shmirat !aBrit, in order to help people rectif&ing se/ual mistakes of the past. In order to grasp the full significance of the laws surrounding Shmirat !aBrit, it is necessar& to understand the traged& of spilling semen in vain, both for an unmarried person, and for a husband and wife. *e have seen how se/ual wrongdoing damages the flow of ivine blessing in the world, and how it causes the estrangement of the individual, and the $ewish :eople, from "(d. In addition, it is important to reali#e that semen contains the ivine spark of life that sustains the whole world. Before continuing on with a halachic look at Shmirat !aBrit, in the light of these m&stical insights, we can understand the great importance of the laws of modest&. The women of Israel have the responsibilit& to dress in a modest fashion, so as not to cause $ewish men to be drawn into se/ual fantas& and sin. Their attire should cover the bod& according to $ewish 'aw. =or e/ample, sleeves should e/tend lower than the elbow. Skirts should e/tend below the knees. lothes should not be so tight(fitting that the& e/pose the outline of the bod& in a suggestive fashion. Besides violating the laws of modest&, women who dress in a purposel& enticing fashion transgress the prohibition of putting a stumbling block in front of a blind man, in that the& lead others to sin. The Torah warns us that Israel;s s uccess and securit& is dependent on guarding our holiness, specific all& in the area of se/ual purit&.
I= Tank aptain Sets 5ut for Battle “*hen thou goest out to encamp against th& enemies, then keep thee from ever& evil thing. If there be among &ou an& man that is not clean b& reason of an impure emission of semen at night, then he shall go abroad outside of the camp, he shall not come within the camp.” -evarim, CF1?G(??0 “=or the '(rd th& "(d walks in the midst of th& camp, to deliver thee, and to give up th& enemies before thee4 therefore shall th& camp be hol&, that !e see no unclean thing in thee and turn awa& from thee.” -evarim, CF1?0 It is important to note that all unmarried women are considered to be in a state of menstrual impurit&. The impurit& of niddah -menstrual impurit&0 is the severest form of spiritual uncleanness. The punishment for having relations with a woman considered niddah is karet, d&ing before one;s time. Because of the great strength of niddah impurit&, a man does not onl& become impure through having se/ual relations with her, but also through intimacies like hugging and kissing. 8Dot onl& is ph&sical contact with women prohibited, ga#ing at them to en2o& their beaut& is also a serious Torah transgression.8 -Shulchan 5ruch, +ven !a+#er, h. FGG, Section ?GG1C0 6egarding the Torah commandment, “)ou shall not go astra& after &our hearts and after &our e&es, -Bamidbar, ?1F@0 the Talmud e/plains1 “fter &our hearts > this refers to idolatr&. fter &our e&es > this refers to s e/ual immoralit&.” -Berachot ?CB0
person shouldn;t think that he is wiser than the Torah and the great Talmudic rabbis who labored to e/plain the depth and wisdom of $ewish 'aw. If he sa&s, “I go to the beach and the movies all the time, and nothing happens to me,” he is tragicall& mistaken. "a#ing at attractive women, whether at the beach, the movies, in provocative maga#ines, or on the street, causes more damage to the spiritual world of a $ew than eating forbidden foods such as pork. +ating non(kosher foods pollutes the nefesh, the lower ph&sical soul of a man. "a#ing at women, however, pollutes the neshama, the ivine soul itself. In doing so, it damages the flow of ivine blessing emanating from the highest spiritual realms. *asting semen is a Torah prohibition according to all authorities. :unishment is death at the !and of !eaven. -Diddah ?F0 *hile in several places, the 9ohar indicates that there is no tshuva for this transgression, the meaning is that ordinar& repentance, stemming from the fear of punishment, does not suffice, but that a course of higher repentance, or tshuva m;ahava, stemming f rom a great love of "(d, is needed. -Baal !aTan&a, 'etter of Tshuva, h. J0
The Power Of Penitence ' There Is A Ti&un The reader can rightfull& ask, “fter all that I have learned from this book, what can I do to rectif& m& past mistakesH” =irst of all, one must know that with all of the gravit& that se/ual transgression involv es, penitence -tshuva0 is certainl& possible, as the 6ambam states1 “There is nothing that stands in the wa& of repentance.” -'aws of Tshuva, F1CJ0 =urthermore, a person should not think that because of the great number, or because of the seriousness of his sins, he can never start anew. This is not true as the 6ambam makes clear1 “'et not the penitent suppose that he is prevented from attaining the degree of the righteous because of the iniuities and sins that he has committed. This is not s o. !e is beloved b& the reator, and desired b& !im, as if he had never sinned. Moreover his reward is great, since through having tasted sin, he renounced it and overcame his evil passions. The sages sa&, N*here penitents stand, the completel& righteous cannot stand.; -Berachot FJB0 This means that the degree attained b& penitents is higher than that of those who had never sinned, since the penitent has had to put forth a greater effort to subdue his passion than he who has never sinned.” -Ibid, K1J0 The Talmud teaches that the penitent not onl& cleanses himself of transgressions, he penitence brings blessing to all of e/istence. “"reat is penitence for it brings healing to the world, and an individual who repents is forgiven, and the whole world is forgiven with him.” -)oma AE0 The renewal of tshuva is undoubtedl& one of the most uplifting e/periences in life. Donetheless, because of the pain involved in facing past errors, and the need to make real changes in order to set one;s life on a healthier, holier path, the challenges facing the penitent are not eas&. This is especiall& true when it comes to redressing se/ual transgression where the penitent is called upon to redirecting life;s most powerful urge from an egotistical uest for personal pleasure to a fervent love and attachment to "(d. s the 6ambam writes1 “Dothing is more difficult to overcome for the ma2orit& of people as se/ual prohibitions.”
-6ambam, 'aws of =orbidden 6elationships, CC1?A.0 !owever, if the decision is made to stop, in time the desire weakens, as the Talmud teaches, “ man has a small organ > when it is starved, it is satisfied4 when it is fed, it is hungr&.” -Sukkah CB0 The essentials of repentance are that a person abandon his transgression, remove it from his thoughts, and resolve never to do it again. !e must make an oral confession, verbali#ing the resolutions he made in his heart. Moreover, it is necessar& to specif& the sin. -6ambam, 'aws of Tshuva, C1F0 The 6ambam writes1 “Some of the wa&s of e/pressing repentance are that the penitent c ries out continuousl& before "(d with tears and supplications4 gives charit& according to his means4 k eeps far awa& from that wherein he sinned4 changes his name, as if to sa& that he is another individual and not the one who committed those deeds4 changes all of his activities for a better course, on the righteous path4 and e/iles himself from his former residence, since e/ile atones for iniuit&, inducing as it does, humilit&, meekness, and lowliness of spirit.” -Ibid, 0 In effect, in starting off on the road of tshuva, the penitent has alread& succeeded. =or in reaching out to "(d, he has alread& attached himself to the true meaning and greatest pleasure of life. -=or a more in(depth stud& of tshuva, see the book, The Art of Tshuva * The Teachings of +abbi Avraha ,it-ha& "a.ohen .oo& ,” commentar& b& 6abbi avid Samson and T#vi =ishman0
The Power Of Penitence /' 0onstant Tshuva s we have learned, the 9ohar states that even the gravest se/ual transgressions can be rectified through a great and constant tshuva. -Shmot Fb0 *hat is a great and constant tshuvaH *e can find part of the answer in the :salms of %ing avid, whose life was constantl& directed toward tshuva, and toward coming ever closer to "(d. -Maharal, Detivit 5lam, :ath of Tshuva, h.J0 5n the verse in Tehillim, “=or I know m& transgressions, and m& sin is constantl& before me,” -Tehillim, ?10 6abbi Shimon e/plains1 !ow stringentl& should people guard against sinning before !a%odesh Baruch !u. =or behold, after each of his sins, his transgression is imprinted in the upper worlds, and is not erased e/cept b& a great repentance, as is said, “=or though &ou wash th&self with l&e, and make use of much soap, &et the stain of th& iniuit& is before Me.” -)irme&ahu, C1CC.0 ome and see, when a man commits a sin before !a%odesh Baruch !u, it leaves a stain, and when he sins a second time, the stain is deepened. If he sins a third time, the stain spreads from one side to the other. This is the meaning of, “the stain of th& iniuit& is before me.” 5bserve, because %ing avid sinned before !a%odeh Baruch !u in the matter of Bat Sheva, he thought this sin would be engraved against him forever. *hat is written insteadH “The '(rd has also has commuted th& sin4 thou shall not die.” -Shmuel C, ?C1?F0 "(d erased the stain that was imprinted before !im.... Behold, even though avid confessed his sin and repented, he refused to remove from his heart and his thoughts the memor& of the sins he committed, especiall& regarding the sin involving Bat Sheva. =or he was alwa&s afraid from them, lest one of them prove to be an accuser against him in a time of danger. =or this reason, he never removed them from his heart and his thoughts. -9ohar, Bereshit, KFb0
+ven though %ing avid;s life was epitomi#ed b& a burning desire to cleave to "(d through constant self( e/amination, supplications, Torah learning, good deeds, and f asts to break his evil inclination4 he worried that the stain of his sins remained as a barrier in his worship of "(d. There are some sins, like the neglect of a positive commandment, that are forgiven immediatel& upon heartfelt repentance. But there are other sins that reuire a more intensive course of atonement. -See, 6ambam, 'aws of Tshuva, ?1@0 n e/planation for this, and a general overview of tshuva, can be found in the chapter, “The "ate of 6epentance,” in the book, 5rchot T#addikim1 “There are man& levels of repentance, in accordance with which a person draws closer to the Bl essed 5ne. nd the soul is never entirel& pure > as pure as if the transgressions had never been committed > until one purifies his heart. This is analogous to the state of a sullied garment, which will be rid of filth with a superficial washing, but which will still be left with an impression of this filth and a stain. 5nl& much washing will cleanse it completel&, as %ing avid pleads, N*ash me thoroughl& of m& iniuit&.;” -Tehillim, ?1J0
It is e/plained in the %abbalah that certain sins, like se/ual transgressions, blemish a person;s entire spiritual blueprint, leaving an impression on the entire hierarch& of his nefesh, ruach, neshama, cha&a, and &ichida. Because man is a microcosm of e/istence, these same transgressions simultaneousl& pollute all of the spiritual worlds of asi&ah, &et#irah, beri&ah, and at#ilut. superficial repentance ma& onl& clean the stain on the nefesh, but not on the ruach. greater tshuva ma& cleanse the ruach, but not the neshama. So too, an initial tshuva ma& erase the blemish to the world of asi&ah, but not touch the stains in the upper spiritual worlds to which a person is connected. Because of this, more than a superficial “one(time tshuva” is needed. This is especiall& the case with atonement over se/ual transgressions, and the wasting of semen, which involve the more strenuous spiritual work of releasing the souls that have fallen captive to the realm of impurit&. *hile it is important for a baal tshuva to alwa&s remember his sin, as it is written, “nd m& sin is constantl& before me,” the intention is not to be forever in a state of self(chastisement and despair, but rather to alwa&s strive for a higher purit& and rectification. The "emara teaches that a man should spend “all of his da&s in tshuva.” -Shabbat ?F0 In tshuva, and not in despair. True, in the initial stage of ts huva, there is a feeling of remorse and despair, but as 6abbi %ook e/plains, this pain is soon replaced b& feelings of e/uisite 2o&, and endless peaks of greater and greater li ght. !e writes1 “"reat and e/alted is the pleasure of tshuva. The searing flame of pain cause b& sin purifies the will and refines the character of a person to an e/alted, sparkling purit& until the great 2o& of the life of ts huva is opened for him. Tshuva raises the person higher and higher through its stages of bitterness, pleasantness, grieving, and 2o&. Dothing purges and purifies a person, and raises him to the stature of being trul& a man, like the profound process of tshuva.” -5rot !aTshuva, ?F1??. See also, “The rt of Tshuva,” h. K0
The Power Of Penitence 1' Tshuva Fro 2ove Because the se/ual urge is the most powerful passion in man, in order to escape f rom its clutches, a baal tshuva must undergo a process of purification whereb& the se/ual passion is replaced b& a passion even stronger > the passion to come closer to "(d. The pleasure of illicit se/ual sins must be replaced with the supreme pleasure of being attached to !ashem. This tshuva, motivated b& a burning desire to become closer to (d, is tshuva m;ahava -tshuva from love0 also called tshuva ila;a, b & the Baal !aTan&a, because it is the highest l evel of repentance -See Igeret !aTshuva,
h.A,0 and tshuva sichlit b& 6abbi %ook, because it is rooted in the intellectual understanding that union with !ashem is the ultimate good. -5rot !aTshuva, h. ?0 *hat characteri#es this t&pe of penitentH The 6ambam e/plains1 “*hoever serves "(d out of love, occupies himself with the stud& of Torah, observes the commandments, and walks in the path of wisdom, impelled b& no other e/ternal motive whatsoever, moved neither b& fear of retribution, nor the desire for material reward.” These are the basic criterions of tshuva from love. Such a man follows this course of positive action simpl& because it is "(d;s will for the world. !e understands that this is what brings goodness to all of reation. “This standard is indeed a ver& high one4 not ever& sage attained to it. It was the standard of our forefather vraham, whom "(d called !is lover, because he served onl& out of love. It is the standard which "(d bids us, through Moshe, to achieve, as is said, “nd thou shall love the '(rd th& "(d.” -evarim, E10 *hen one loves "(d with the right love, he will straightawa& observe all the commandments out of love as well.”
The 6ambam e/plains the ualities of this steadfast love1 “It is to love !ashem with a great and e/ceeding love, so strong that one;s soul shall be consumed with the love of "(d. 5ne should be continuall& enraptured b& it, like a love(sick man whose mind is at no time free from the passion for a particular woman4 the thought of her filling his heart at all times, when sitting down or rising up, when he is eating and drinking. +ven more intense should be the love of "(d in the hearts of those who love !im. nd this love should continuall& possess them, 2ust as !e commanded, Nwith all th& heart and with all th& soul.;” -6ambam, 'aws of Tshuva, ?G1C(F0
Tshuva from love is filled with boundless 2 o&. It transforms all past transgressions into meritorious deeds. -)oma AEB0 If a man abandons se/ual wrongdoing, not from fear of punishment, nor with the hope of receiving a reward in "an +den, but solel& to please !ashem, he has reached the loft& level of tshuva m;ahavah. In doing so, he has succeeded in transforming his hitherto selfish lifest&le, motivated b& a lust for self(gratification, into the altruistic desire to bring good to the world. This tshuva derives from the loft& understanding that man;s highest purpose lies in pleasing his Maker. Instead of a life of wrongdoing, the baal tshuva longs to put his life in line with "(d;s will for all of reation, out of the recognition that "(d;s will, as e/pressed i n the Torah, is directed toward absolute goodness and truth. This is a tshuva that is not based on an&thing but the love and devotion to "(d. Inspired b& the radiance of "(d;s goodness, the baal tshuva determines to change all of his negative, egotistical acts into positive, transcendental ideals. !e longs solel& to add goodness and holiness to the world, and in thus aligning himself to "(d;s will, to bring 2o& to the Shekinah which was e/iled because of his sins, and the sins of his forefathers. This e/alted level of tshuva not onl& atones for transgressions, but the transgressions themselves become transformed into meritorious deeds. ll of the actions that brought him to this level of love, even his sins, now take on a positive light. =or it was precisel& his past wrongdoings that aroused his thoughts of repentance and motivated him to return with a burning desire to achieve this transcendent oneness with "(d. “ person should not think, how can I ever reach this loft& levelH It is not so far awa& as i t seems. =or if in contemplating his spiritual darkness, a feeling of deep chagrin fills his heart, he is alread& on the path of a higher tshuva. *hen aOperson recogni#es that his faculties for spiritual perception are blocked because of the blemishes in his soul caused b& sin, the anguish he feels works like a cleansing agent, filling his heart with the burning desire to rid himself of the barriers obstructing the flow of ivine light to his s oul. This is the wa& to higher tshuva, the tshuva that is worth& of atoning for an& misdeeds.” -5rot !atshuva, ?J1?a0
The 9ohar itself promises the greatest of rewards for the penitent1 =ortunate are the penitent, for in one hour, one da&, even one second, the& draw closer to the !ol& 5ne Blessed Be !e than even the completel& righteous
who drew close to the !ol& 5ne Blessed after man& &ears. braham did not reach that high grade of completeness in da&s until he was old, as alread& was said. So too, avid, as is written, “Dow %ing avid was old4 he came into da&s.” -Melachim ?, ?1?0. But the baal tshuva immediatel& finds entrance, and cleaves to the !ol& 5ne Blessed Be !e. 6abbi )osi said, *e have learned that the place where baale tshuva stand in the ne/t world, even the completel& righteous do not have permission to stand, because the penitent are closer to the %ing than an&one else4 for their hearts strive more ferventl& to draw near to the %ing. -9ohar, Bereshit ?C@a0 !aving seen the loftiness of tshuva, in the ne/t chapter, we will focus on specific remedies to wash awa& transgressions against the Brit.
The Road To Rectification ' ,ou Shall $e "oly34 The "emara teaches that the mere thought of tshuva atones in and of itself.
-%iddushin J@B, 5rot !aTshuva, C0 *hile this is certainl& true, when it comes to the constant tshuva reuired to rectif& se/ual transgressions, there are practical steps a person must take to distance himself from the temptations and habits that have led him astra&, and to cleanse the stains caused b& his sins. These concrete formulas go hand in hand with the higher tshuva discussed in the previous chapter. The transgression of wasting semen can come about in several fashions, and each reuires repentance. *hile masturbation and forbidden se/ual relations are the most serious offenses, the unintentional wasting of semen -keri0 must also be redressed. If a person had an emission of semen while sleeping, though this happened unintentionall&, more often than not, it is not reall& “accidental.” s we learned, a man is forbidden to look at se/uall& arousing images during the da& lest he come to keri at night. -Diddah ?F0 uring the da&, when a man sees an immodestl& dressed woman or a provocative photo, an automatic response is triggered, arousing the se/ual urge. 3suall&, an emission of semen does not immediatel& occur because the light of the man;s soul protects him. But at night during sleep, when his s oul rises to heaven, the sensual image retained in his mind is now at the whim of unhol& spiritual forces that bring about keri. +ven though he does not consciousl& will it, the outcome of a “wet dream” is the same as m asturbation. Souls are brought down which are snatched up b& the 5ther Side. *hile an instance of keri can be caused b& other factors, such as illness or overeating, in his case, he can not sa& that he is not to blame. !ad he not looked at the woman or the photo, the wet dream would not have occurred. nother instance of unintentional keri can come about in the sanctit& of marriage. In the throes of se/ual passion, if a husband embraces his wife and has an emission before the marital act, this too reuires soul(searching and tshuva. lso, if he should have relations with his wife in an unhol& manner that brings about the wasting of semen, he must rectif& the spiritual damage he caused. -See the book, arkei Taharah, b& 6abbi Mordechai
+liahu, :g.?@A0 It is precisel& in this regard that we are commanded, “)ou shall be hol&<” person should sanctif& himself even in that which is permitted to him. -Ibid, :g.?KA. )evamot CG0
The Road To Rectification /' 5ays #f Atoneent *e have alread& seen the halachic severit& of wasting semen. To start off on the path of tikun, we will uote the detailed remedies listed in the %it#ur Shulchan 5ruch. -h. ?C0 In doing so, we don;t mean to suggest that a person follow each and ever& item on the list. 6ather, it is important to see the depth of repentance that the halacha demands. ?. 5ne who desires to avoid this sin should guard his mouth against obscene talk, lies, tale bearing, slander and mocker&. !e should likewise guard his ears against listening to such speech. 5ne should also be careful to fulfill his vows, not worr& too much, and guard himself against lewd thoughts. Before retiring, he should engage in the stud& of Torah, or he should recite the first four chapters of the :salms, and he should not sleep alone in a room. C. The means of salvation for one who has succumbed to this sin are recorded in the book “)esod )osef” which the author culled from hol& and ancient te/ts. I will onl& cite some of them briefl&1 he should make an endeavor to be a Sandek, to have infants circumcised on his lap, especiall& for poor families. !e should increase his donations to charit&, observe the Sabbath properl&, honor it and light man& candles. !e should honor and love students of Torah, pra& with fervor and tears, cultivate humilit&, and when insulted he should be uiet and forgiving. *hen performing a precept, he should do it energeticall& and speedil&, until it warms him, especiall& when preparing the mat#ot for :esach. !e should raise his c hildren in the stud& of Torah and train them to be "( d fearing4 raise an orphan in his house and treat him as he treats his own children. !e should engage himself in the noble act of dowering poor brides. !e should be called up to the reading of the Torah at least once a month, pronounce the blessings in an audible voice, look i nto the Torah and read silentl& with the reader. !e should be one of the first ten men who come to the s&nagogue, and awake in the middle of t he night to recite the midnight lament -Tikun !at#ot0 for the destruction of the Temple. If he is unable to rise at midnight, he should perform this ritual thereafter, and he should love peace and pursue peace. The %it#ur Shulchan 5ruch continues1 *hoever has had a pollution at night, "(d forbid, shall upon awakening in the morning, wash his hands, and sa& with a contrite heart, “Master of the 3niverse, I have done this unwittingl&, but it has been caused due to evil musings and reflections. Ma& it be therefore Th& will, 5 m& "(d, and "(d of m& fathers, that Thou, in Th& great merc&, erase this iniuit& of mine, and save me from sinful thoughts, forever and ever. men, so ma& it be Th& will.” -h. ??0 The ri#al said that to do atonement for spilling semen in vain, a person should make AJ fasts for each transgression. If he sinned man& times, he should conduct a c&cle of AJ fasts three times in his lifetime, or CC fasts. Toda&, because people are weaker than in da&s past, most rabbis frown on e/cessiv e fasting. Devertheless, it is interesting to note the depth of cleansing reuired to uproot the stain of wasting semen, and the enormous effort reuired to atone for the egotistic pleasures of one;s past. -Tan&a, 'etter of Tshuva AF0 Toda&, increased Torah learning, acts of kindness, and the generous giving of charit& are recommended instead of rigorous flagellations and fasts. -Siddur of the "ra, :gs.AF(AJ0 6abbi +liahu 'eon 'evi, who has championed the importance of Tikun !aBrit in Israel f or over fort& &ears, stresses the role of special pra&ers, called “Tikunim,” to rectif& the transgressions of the past.
The Road To Rectification 1' 2ove For The Torah n initial step in setting out on a path of rectification is overcoming se/ual fantasies and temptations. The medicine for this is the Torah. Instead of being preoccupied with unsavor& thoughts and pursuits, a $ew should feel a ravishing love for the teachings of the Torah, and a burning desire to come closer to "(d. The 6ambam writes1 “It is forbidden for a man to bring himself to think about forbidden se/ual matters. If a se/ual thought enters his mind, he should turn his heart awa& from lewd and polluting matters and focus on matters of Torah which abound with love and charm.” -6ambam, 'aws of =orbidden 6elationships,
[email protected] The 6ambam further advises1 “5ne should turn one;s thoughts to matters of Torah and e/pand one;s knowledge with ivine wisdom, for thoughts of lewdness grow onl& i n a heart void of the knowledge of Torah.” -Ibid, C?1 C?.0 This same sound advice is found in the 9ohar1 5ne da&, 6abbi !isda saw a student whose face was unnaturall& pale. !e said to hims elf, NThis &oung man is undoubtedl& assailed b& sinful imaginations.; So he took him in hand and interested him in the words of Torah until he returned to a better frame of mind. =rom that da& the student resolved not to give wa& an&more to evil thoughts, but to stud& the Torah for its own sake. 6abbi )ose said, *hen a man perceives t hat evil thoughts are assailing him, he should stud& the Torah and that will drive them awa&. -9ohar, 7a&eshev0 Torah stud& is not onl& the wa& of overcoming temptation and cleansing one;s mind. It is also a ma2or part of Tikun !aBrit. This is because the Torah, the Tree of 'ife, is integrall& bound up with the sefirah of )esod. Se/ual transgressions that damaged the )esod can be can be rectified b& attaching oneself to the )esod through the purif&ing fire of the Torah. “The violation of the Brit though the wasting of semen ( to sa& nothing of stark immoralit& or se/ual relations prohibited b& the Torah or the sages, for the words of the sages are even more grave ( c auses a blemish in the mind. Therefore his tikun is that he occup& himself with Torah that derives from ivine *isdom.” -Tan&a, Igeret !aTshuva, h. @0 “If one has stra&ed into transgression and has incurred the penalt& of death at the hands of !eaven, what should he do that he might liveH If he was wont to stud& one page, let him stud& two4 to read one chapter, let him read two.” -7a&ikra 6abbah, C1?0 The Mishna Berurah states1 “It is known from books that the main tikun for someone who has fallen in this matter, "(d forbid, is to increase his Torah stud& for the rest of his life. Then the merit of Torah will protect him, as it sa&s i n Midrash Tanchumin, if a man sins and is deserving of death at the hands of !eaven, what can he do to save himself and liveH If he is used to learning one chapter, he should learn two4 if one page, then two. If he doesn;t know how to learn, he should bus& himself with charit& and good deeds. nd the main point of his learning should be to practice what he learnsL for if not, his learning will not have the power to protect him, "(d forbid.” -'aws of )om %ippur, :rohibition gainst Se/ual 6elations, JC?b, Section F. See there, Shar !aT#ion, and E0 Since the entire Torah is comprised of the Dames of !ashem, all Torah stud& brings about profound tikunim. dditionall&, it is proper to stud& the mussar books of our sages dealing with self(improvement, like “Messillat )esharim.” In atoning for se/ual transgressions, a person has to not onl& change his deeds, he has to change his midot, or character traits. If he was easil& provoked into anger, he has to learn to bear insults and abuse without striking back. If he was prone to depression, he has to learn to face ever& new da& with an orientation of 2o&. Transformations like these reuire intensive learning, self(discipline, and the abilit& to start over with each setback and fall. The tshuva involved in sanctif&ing one;s life is not a onetime thing, but a challenging, lifelong
pro2ect. The love of Torah and the fervent performance of good deeds elevate a person to a higher realm of e/istence. Instead of focusing on the selfish, personal pleasure of se/ual gratification, he now strives to please others, and to please "(d b& dedicating himself to !is Torah. In doing so, base desires no longer hold him captive. Instead of being driven b& a uest for ph&sical pleasure, the baal tshuva finds true 2o& in higher, holier spheres.
The Road To Rectification 6' The Secrets #f Torah *e mentioned that the great Torah scholar, the hatam Sofer, was wont to discuss the
importance of Shmirat !aBrit on the eve of )om %ippur. 5ne of his sermons e/plained how the %ol Didre pra&er was m&sticall& structured to rectif& transgressions of the Brit. t the beginning of the %ol Didre pra&er, we recite a verse of Tehillim seven times1 “'ight -ohr0 is sown -#arua0 for the t#addik, and gladness for the upright in heart.” -Tehillim, @K1??0 The word, ohr, has the same numerical value as the word ra#, m eaning secret. Through the influence of ra# -the secrets of Torah,0 a process of sowing, #arua, takes place, whereb& the spiritual and intellectual light of the #era -the semen whose source is the brain0 is sown in the t #addik ( the )esod. -M;tok M;vash, ommentar& on the 9ohar, Tikunei 9ohar, Tikun C?, =olio Ga0 This means that learning the secrets of Torah replenishes the waters of the )esod. The %ol Didre pra&er is thus a rectification of the )esod. Man& others facets of the a& of tonement are connected with Tikun !aBrit, including the service of the %ohen !a"adol in the Beit !aMikdash. The ver& da& itself, the tenth da& of the month Tishrei, is the da& the vraham vinu performed his brit milah, making it the da& for Tikun !aBrit for all generations to come. This integral connection between )om %ippur and Tikun !aBrit can be found in the writings of the Sfat +met -See his first essa& on the Ten a&s of Tshuva,0 and in the teachings of 6abbi Dachman of Breslov -'ikutei !alachot, )om %ippur, ?1?0 s mentioned, one of the ke&s to understanding the importance and necessit& of Tikun !aBrit is the stud& of the hol& 9ohar which has the cleansing power to sanctif& and transform a person from within. 5f course, one should not, and cannot, dive into the secrets of Torah before he has learned how to stud& Mishna, "emara, and works of halacha, as our rabbis have warned. 6ather, a person should strive to learn each discipline of Torah, each in its proper place, time, and measure, b& learning the simple and inner meanings as well. To do this properl&, one needs the inspiration and counsel of a sage versed in all aspects of Torah, including the secret understandings of the Brit. Shmirat !aBrit and the secrets of Torah are interconnected, as the verse of Tehillim implies1 “The secret of !ashem is with those who fear !im, to make known to them !is Brit.” -Tehillim, C1?J0 This means that onl& the person who delves into the secrets of Torah will come to understand that guarding the Brit is the foundation of all moral and spiritual life. In parallel, !ashem onl& reveals the secrets of Torah to those who guard the Brit in uppermost purit&. In other words, the secrets of Torah are not meant to be learned as an e/ercise in intellectual discover&, but rather onl& in concurrence with an intense course of spiritual and moral cleansing, as books like “Mesillat )esharim” and “Shaare % edusha” make clear.
The Road To Rectification 7' Ti&uni *hile the cleansing power of the Torah is vast, Torah learning, in and of itself, does not necessaril& uproot the deep stains caused b& transgression to the Brit. s we learned, to rectif& se/ual transgressions, a focused, pinpoint tshuva is needed. The revered and hol& %abbalist, 6abbi )aacov buchat#era, #;t#al, of Morroco, grandfather of the saintl& Baba Sali, wrote in his commentar& on the Torah that the frightening warnings and tribulations described in the Torah portion, Bechukotai, have their root cause in transgressions of the Brit1 “The earl& and later Torah authorities stated that the ma2orit& of ma2or tribulations that men suffer, whether pestilence, famine, or war, the ma2orit& stem from transgressions against the Brit.... Therefore, if a man comes to serve "(d, he should first properl& rectif& blemishes to the Brit, and afterward begin to serve "(d. nd it is all of the transgressions against the Brit, and the evil occurrences that stem from it, that are hinted at in the admonishments of this Torah portion. nd the things that are written, “But if &ou will not hearken to me...” -7a&ikra, CE1?J,0 and, “and if &ou despise M& statutes...” -ibid,0 does not mean that the& do not perform an& commandments, nor stud& t he Torah. 6ather, even though the& stud& Torah and observe the commandments, the principle thing is missing, because the Brit, which is the main thing, is blemished and the& did not rectif& it. nd since the Brit is blemished, and was not rectified, ever&thing is considered as being nullified and non( e/istent.” In order to assist the penitent in his path of rectification, masters of the %abbalah composed special pra&ers called “Tikunim” which have the power to erase the blemishes caused b& se/ual transgressions, and to rectif& the souls that fell into the realm of impurit& through the spilling of s emen in vain. These pra&ers, when recited with heartfelt remorse, repair the damage caused to all spiritual worlds, b& rectif&ing the sefirah of )esod, which, as we learned, is the all(encompassing channel of ivine illumination and blessi ng. These Tikunim include1 ?. The “Tikun !a)esod” of hol& "aon, 6abbi )osef haim, #;t#al, also known as the Ben +ish hai. C. The “Tikun lalli” of the hol& T#addik, 6abbi Dachman of Breslov, #;t#al. F. The “Tikun )esod )eshuat +liahu” of the hol& T#addik and %abbalist, 6abbi +liahu 'eon 'evi, shlita. J. The %aballistic version of “:itom !aketoret,” as formulated b& the ri !a%adosh.
These uniue and profound Tikunim, when incorporated into a penitent;s dail& regimen of pra&er and Torah learning, have the abilit& to purif& the deepest recesses of the soul, and to free a person from the mistakes and temptations of the past. The verses of the pra&ers, the ivine names the& contain, and their %aballistic codes act to obliterate the klipot, or shells of impurit&, created through the emission of semen in vain and other se/ual transgressions. This serves to liberate the penitent from the invisible, destructive influences which these negative spiritual forces have on his life. In awakening hitherto dormant powers of holiness, these tikunim also strengthen the penitent to overcome the temptations and challenges of the future. In addition, the& serve as a lifeline, providing an important sense of securit&. =or, if a person should weaken in the battle against the evil inc lination and fall back to erring wa&s, he knows he has a ladder with which he can climb back up out of the imprisoning clutches of se/ual s in. The prolific author and lecturer, 6abbi )israel !ess, #;t#al, counseled thousands of &oung people throughout Israel, most notabl& at Bar Ilan 3niversit& where he taught for man& &ears. In an essa& on Shmirat !aBrit, he emphasi#es the importance of rel&ing on the secrets of %aballah to purif& a person from the pollution and darkness of spilling semen in vain1 “The sin of spilling semen in vain is, at the same time, a transgression like all Torah transgressions, and &et much more severe in its devastating influence, in that it causes deep and high reaching damage, far greater than other prohibitions of the Torah. Because of this dualit&, we cannot understand the magnitude of this transgression and its powerful influences according to standard e/planations. 6ather, our understanding must come from the inner e/planations of the Torah, from the spiritual realm that e/tends be&ond our ordinar& ph&sical orientation. This understanding derives from powers that are be&ond human intell ectual reasoning, which are found in the world of %aballah.“*ithin the ph&sical drop of semen emitted from our material bodies is to be found a ivine creative power hidden from our e&es, be&ond our conceptual understanding, be&ond our abilit& to create it ourselves. “*hen we recogni#e this wonder, it becomes clear that the rectification of an& blemish to this ivine essence cannot be among the ordinar& paths of correction that we are familiar with. *e cannot even understand how or wh& a particular tikun works to rectif& the transgression, or how some particular advice can make whole what
was blemished and erase the damages incurred. “*ith the help of "(d, when we merit to increase our learning and knowledge, when we fill ourselves with Torah and faith, with the fear of "(d, and with greater purit&, then we will merit to fathom what is hidden from us now... 3ntil then, our desire to emerge from our uandar& and to improve ourselves, brings us to proceed forward with the willingness to bow our heads and submit to the giants of the inner workings of the soul, the masters of %aballah. In doing this, ma& there be a balancing atonement > a sin that we committed wantonl&, without thinking about its conseuences will be rectified through tikunim that are be&ond our thinking processes and intellectual grasp.” -+ssa& on Shmirat !aBrit, in the book, “7;!a&item %idoshim,” :gs.?G(??.0
The Road To Rectification 8' 9i&vah Immersion in a mikvah is an essential part of the purification process. * ith each immersion, thousands of klipot, or shells of impurit&, are drowned in the mikvah;s spirituall& cleansing waters. *hen one remembers that with each emission of semen, hundreds of thousands of souls are released and imprisoned b& the realm of impurit&, one can appreciate the great number of tikunim and tevilot -immersions0 needed to rectif& the damage. The atonement over se/ual sins, as we learned, is not a onetime thing. 'ittle b& littl e, the darkness that surrounded the soul begins to disappear and a powerful, hol& light fills the penitent with a new sense of being. Starting out each da& at the mikvah is a wonderful thing. If this is too difficult, then a regimen of immersion several times a week is e/cellent as well. Immersion in a mikvah before Shabbat and the $ewish holida&s will help a person e/perience their profound spiritual light. =or married men, a visit to the mikvah before and after marital relations is important in maintaining a high level of holiness in one;s marriage.In letting lusts and fantasies overcome us, we heated our passions and our bodies and brought ourselves to sin. Immersion in a cold mikvah is a remed& for this. !owever, since man& people are sensitive to cold water, this should onl& be done when it will not impinge on a person;s health. Immersion in a warm mikvah is effective as well. In the case of spilling semen in v ain, whether willfull& or inadvertentl&, a person should shower thoroughl& and immerse in a mikvah as soon as one can. 6abbi +liahu 'eon 'evi, shlita, advises that a person should immerse his whole head and bod& in the water three times in succession, then confess his wrongdoings, make a commitment not to continue in his errant wa&s, and then immerse another seven times in succession. It is also proper to have in mind that while one;s bod& is completel& immersed in the purif&ing waters of the mikvah, his soul root is concurrentl& being immersed in the purif&ing waters of "an +den above. Because it is also forbidden to look at a man;s se/ual organ, a person should behave with modest& in a mikvah. !e should wrap himself in a towel to and from the immersion pool, and he should guard his e&es from looking at other men. It is best not to talk in a m ikvah, and not to linger unnecessaril&. lso, as in the case of all other tikunim, one should be especiall& happ& after immersing in a mikvah, k nowing that "(d is surel& pleased with his efforts. But one should guard against feelings of pride, since the poison of pride can nullif& all of the positive effects of tshuva. If a person immerses after a keri, !a6av 'evi further advises a half(da& fast and the heartfelt reciting of the “Tikun !a)esod, )eshuat +liahu.”
The Road To Rectification :' ;idui 7idui means confession. *e learned that one of the essentials of repentance is the need to verball& confess
one;s sins and make the commitment not to repeat them. In addition to recent transgressions, a sincere baal tshuva should strive to confess ever& sin he can remember from his past. =or a person who sets out on a path of constant tshuva to rectif& se/ual sins, one time vidui isn;t enough. The 6ambam rules that transgressions confessed on one a& of tonement are once again confessed on the following a& of tonement, even if one has continued penitent, as is said, “=or I k now m& transgressions, and m& si n is ever before me.” -Tehillim, ?1. 'aws of Tshuva, C1?G0 Because the stains of se/ual sins are so deep, and because the& pollute la&er upon la&er of spiritual worlds, an ardent scrubbing is needed. This can be seen in the structure of our a& of tonement pra&ers. The long, )om %ippur vidui starts during the Mincha service on the eve of )om %ippur. In the course of the da&, we repeat the detailed confession another five times, to cleanse deeper and deeper levels. onfession with tears shatters all barriers, as is said, “The sacrifices of "(d are a broken spirit4 a broken and contrite heart, 5 "(d, Thou will not despise.” -Tehillim, ?1?@0 ccording to m&stical understandings, tears atone for the drops of semen which were spilled in vain. The main thing is to pour out one;s heart before "(d in anguish over the damage caused b& his sins. Since thought, speech, and looking at forbidden images also cause great spiritual damage, transgressions of this nature have to be included in one;s repentance. =or e/ample, 6abbi avid Samson of $erusalem suggests that a vidui might begin like this1 “Master of the 3niverse, merciful and gracious "(d, I have sinned before Thee. 5 '(rd, who is filled with compassion, have merc& on me and accept m& supplications. “=orgive me for thinking erotic thoughts. =orgive me for reading erotic literature. =orgive m e for m& se/ual fantasies about the girl ne/t door, and about the woman I saw on the bus. =orgive me for making lewd 2okes. =orgive me for looking at se/& photographs of women in maga#ines, in the movies, and on the Internet. =orgive me for ga#ing at girls on the beach. =orgive me for looking with lust at m & friend;s wife and for desiring to have se/ual relations with her....” This is a ver& partial list, without even mentioning the sins of masturbation and illicit se/ual relationships, 2ust to indicate the scope and detailed specification involved in a proper confession.
The Road To Rectification <' "itbodidut = Tehilli Hitbodidut ( pouring out one;s heart before "(d ( is one of the main teachings of 6abbi Dachman of Breslov. personal, heartfelt conversation with "(d, whether in the seclusion of one;s room, or in the solitude of a forest, is a powerful tool in bringing "(d activel& into our lives. !itbodidut, the fervent, unrepressed outpouring of the soul, contains ever&thing > the confessing of one;s sins, one;s fears, and one;s shortcomings, and the pleading with of "(d to help in ever& endeavor in life. In the following chapter on the teachings of 6abbi Dachman of Breslov, a sample of hitbodidut composed b& his foremost pupil, 6abbi Datan, is included as a guideline to opening a conversation with "(d. !itbodidut gives e/pression to the baal tshuva;s desire to climb ever higher and higher in "(d;s service. In effect, all of %ing avid;s Tehillim, are e/amples of hitbodidut > the &earning of %ing avid to maintain a constant closeness to "(d throughout all of life;s trials. This constant &earning of avid, e/pressed in the outpourings of his soul and unsurpassed beaut& of his :salms, is the secret of his triumph over all of his man& adversities. -See the ommentar& of the Malbim, Tehillim CF.0 Tehillim, the :salms of %ing avid, are eternal. The& speak to ever&one, and for ever&one, throughout all generations. The praises of "(d and the supplications of the :salms appl& to %ing avid in his personal life, and to the national life of the people of Israel throughout its long histor&. ccording to their inner understandings, the& also are addressed to the spiritual world of the sefirot and the war against the forces of evil. =or this reason, the earnest recital of Tehillim is a powerful rectification of the hol& souls that, due to se/ual transgressions, have fallen captive to the realm of impurit&.
To prevent an unintentional seminal emission on )om %ippur night, "(d forbid, the sages have recommended reciting the first four chapters of Tehillim before retiring to s leep. This is also an e/cellent remed& for people who have a reoccurring problem with keri at night.
The Road To Rectification >' Ingathering #f The ?xiles The spilling of semen in vain causes innumerable souls to be scattered in all directions without a fitting bod& to receive them. Instead the& are doomed to wander in e/ile among the kleipot. These outcast souls must be rectified and returned to their heavenl& source. In addition to the actual ingathering of the $ewish :eople to Israel, this inner understanding is one of the meanings of the blessing in the midah pra&er, “Tekah bshofar gadol.” This should also be in our mind when we sa&, “Blow a great shofar for our freedom, and raise a banner to gather in our e/iles, and gather us together speedil& from the four corners of the earth to our land.”
The Road To Rectification @' The $edtie Shea The ri#al writes that the thoughtful, heartfelt recital of the three paragraphs of the Shema )israel pra&er -%riat Shema al !aMitah 0 before retiring to sleep is a powerful tikun for rectif&ing transgressions to the Brit. Most pra&er books contain the Bedtime Shema along with the Tehillim and v erses that accompan& it. ll of these contain erudite %aballistic codes and formulas specificall& designed to rectif& the souls that have fallen into the realm of impurit& through the spilling of semen in vain. This is true with each of t he four recitals of the Shema in the course of the da&. If in the past, we made personal pleasure our master, in reciting the Shema and accepting the &oke of "(d;s %ingship, we make !im our Master instead. If in the past, we lived for our personal pleasure, when we read the Shema with the willingness to sacrifice our lives for the sake of "(ds Dame, we bring about a great sanctification and rectification of all of the worlds and the souls that we damaged.
The Road To Rectification ' Ti&un "at-ot *e mentioned that to uproot the damages caused b& se/ual transgression, a person has to transform his former, egotistical pursuit of pleasure into an altruistic orientation to life, devoted to helping others. Instead of focusing on himself and his personal desires, he focuses on pleasing "(d. *hen he reali#es the great anguish he has caused the Shechinah through his sins, he longs to cause her 2o&. To make up for his shameful desecration of the Brit, he is stirred to devote himself t o magnif& the honor of "(d in the world, the honor of Torah, and the honor of the $ewish :eople. In drawing closer and closer to "(d, the penitent comes to feel true anguish over the destruction of the Temple, the e/ile of the $ewish :eople, and the e/ile of the Shechinah with them. The foremost e/pression of this anguish is the tearful Tikun !at#ot pra&er, composed of chapters of Tehillim and special supplications recited at midnight over the destruction of $erusalem. 6epeatedl&, the 9ohar e/tols all t hose who rise at midnight to m ourn over the pain of the Shechinah, to learn Torah, and to sing the praises of their Maker. The 9ohar calls this the most praiseworth& service1 t midnight, all of the true t#addikim rise to stud& the Torah and to sing its praises. Behold, it has been said that the !ol& 5ne Blessed Be !e, and all the t#addikim in "an +den, l isten to their voices, and a thread of grace is drawn over them b& da&, as is written, “The '(rd will command his grace in the da&time, and in the night !is song shall be with me.” -Tehillim, JC1@0 Therefore, the praises that ascend in the night before !im, this is the most perfect praise. -9ohar, Bereshit ACb0
*e have learned that the pain of the Shechinah is the pain of the sefirah of Malchut which, because of transgressions to the Brit, is no longer watered b& the river of the )esod. Thus our pra&ers at midnight over the e/ile of the Shechinah, and the Torah that we learn afterward, act to replenish the flow and bring about a reunion between Malchut and )esod, effecting a great tikun.To uote once again from the 9ohar1 “I have sworn to avid, M& servant,” -Tehillim, A@1J0 this is the secret of faith -Malchut0 t hat it is alwa&s bound up with the t#addik -)esod.0 nd this is the foundation of the world, that the& -Malchut and )esod0 never be separated. +/cept in the time of the e/ile, when the flow of blessing is cut off -because of transgressions,0 and the secret of faith is impaired, and all 2o& -caused b& the union of Malchut and )esod0 is stunted. nd when nighttime -the e/ile0 comes, 2o& does not enter before the %ing. nd even though 2o& is not awakened, nevertheless, outside of the palace the angels still sing. nd at midnight when the stirring from below ascends on high, the !ol& 5ne Blessed Be !e arouses all the hosts of heaven for weeping, and strikes the firmament, causing upper and lower worlds to t remble. nd there is no comfort e/cept at the time when those below awaken to stud& the Torah. Then the !ol& 5ne Blessed Be !e, and all the souls of the t#addikim with !im, listen with 2o& to that sound of learning, and comfort is felt b& all. =or from the da& the Temple was destro&ed below, "(d swore that !e would not enter the heavenl& $erusalem until Israel should enter the earthl& $erusalem, as is written, “until holiness be in the midst of &ou, I will not enter the cit&,” -!osea, ??1@0 as we have learned. -9ohar, Bereshit CF?a0
Tikun !at#ot brings about the )ichud(union of !a%odesh Baruch !u and t he e/iled Shechinah, and effects great rectifications in all of the worlds. In the same wa& that se/ual transgressions brought about the destruction of the Temple and $erusalem, separating the e/alted spiritual union of the sefirot of Malchut and )esod, so do our se/ual sins toda& e/tend this spiritual damage and lengthen the e/ile. s it sa&s in Tikun !at#ot, “5ur sins have withheld the good -)esod0 from us.” -)irme&ahu, 1C0 Tikun !at#ot comes to reawaken the love and flow of blessing that was lost. Thus its heartfelt recital, a few times a week, or as much as one can, is a vital aspect of Tikun !aBrit. Those who are able to keep awake to learn Torah afterward will be rewarded with an e/alted spiritual light. 6elated rticles1 +abbi ?liahu 2eon 2evi on Ti&un "at-ot 5hat are Ti&uni
The Road To Rectification /' Bivine Assistance In the 6abbinic literature written on Tikun !aBrit, man& other methods of rectification are emphasi#ed, for instance, guarding one;s speech, giving charit& generousl&, and special %abbalistic intentions in pra&ers. !owever, in order not to confuse and overwhelm the reader, we have focused on the ma2or methods. lso e/ceedingl& beneficial to one;s spiritual development is forming a connection to a Torah sage who is well versed in matters concerning the Brit. The important thing is not the sheer number of tikunim, immersions, and pages of "emara and 9ohar, but rather the sincere contrition in the heart of the penitent over his wrongdoings. Dot from fear of punishment, but out of a profound regret over the spiritual damage caused b& his sins. *hen a person raises himself to the level of tshuva from love, wherein his sole desire is to please !is Maker b& living a life of Torah and good deeds, he can know that he is a true baal tshuva. The ain thing is the constant striving for a higher level of Bivine service! filled with a fervent love and fear of CDd! and the coitent to sanctify oneself in all of oneEs endeavors' In the beginning, it often happens, that when a man comes to purif& himself, the evil incl ination battles against him with great force. +ven still, he can overcome his &et#er -evil incl ination0 and se/ual fantasies, since a man;s intellect has the power to overcome the urgings of the heart. -Tan&a, h.?C.0
6ather than being discouraged b& reoccurring temptations and lapses, a man should fortif& himself with the knowledge that each time he pushes a lustful thought out of his mind, or turns awa& from looking at an erotic image, he makes a great tikun in all of the spiritual worlds. +ver& victor& over his &et#er weakens the power of the Sitra chra in the world, and e/alts the Dame of "(d more than an& other action. -9ohar, Shmot ?CAa0 5ur sages have promised that a person who comes to purif& himself is granted ivine assistance. “*hen a person comes to make himself impure, the doors are opened for him. *hen he comes to purif& himself, he is assistedL If he sanctifies himself a l ittle, he is given great sanctit&. If he sanctifies himself below in this world, he is sanctified above and in the world to come.” -)oma F@0 s 6abbi Dachman of Breslov teaches, the main thing is to be happ& that he has found the right path, and not let setbacks drag him back into the darkness of se/ual passion.
Rabbi Nachman’s Teachings 6abbi Dachman of Breslev formulated the “Tikun lalli,” a grouping of special Tehillim and pra&ers designed to rectif& transgressions to the Brit. Throughout his writings, he stresses the importance of Shmirat !aBrit. This chapter presents are small sample of his teachings, as recorded b& his foremost student, 6abbi Datan.
' Teachings from the Book, “Likutei Etzot” If &ou guard the sacred Brit in purit& &ou will be worth& of true pra&er. The se/ual desire is the source of all impurit&. onfronting the se/ual desire is the main test a person has to face in the world. Se/ual desire is sub2ect to the e&es. The mit#vah of t#it#it is protection. *hen &ou wrap &ourself in t#it#it, concentrate on the desire to live a life governed b& the purit& of the Brit and the counsel of the t#addikim. !ave faith in the t#addikim and don;t get involved in their disputes. The guidance of the t#addikim and their followers is the foundation of the Brit. The struggle to make a living comes from se/ual impurit&. person who guards the Brit will learn to find wisdom in all things. !aving relations with one;s wife in purit& is also guarding the Brit. The highest level of marital relations can be achieved onl& on Sabbath night. man must conduct himself in perfect holiness. Then the secrets of the secrets will be revealed. "reat &ichudim -unifications0 are achieved in the upper worlds through this. beneficial tikun for transgressions to the Brit is to help one;s friends overcome their spiritual difficulties. :ride can bring a person to se/ual immoralit&. B& guarding the Brit a person will find the light to lead him back to "(d. The gentile nations are characteri#ed b& se/ual impurit&. "(d has separated Israel from the other nations through the Brit. More than an&thing, a $ew must guard himself against se/ual desire. This is the foundation of the holiness of the $ewish :eople. Man has the power to uproot this impulse from himself completel&. ke& to subduing se/ual desires is to sanctif& one;s speech with Torah and pra&er. 5ne should strive to master the !ol& Tongue, but even when speaking one;s own language, one should alwa&s speak in a hol& fashion. 5nl& through actuall& hearing the words of the t#addik who has mastered his se/ual desire can a person free
himself from his passions. )ou must go to him &ourself. The main force of the evil inclination is directed to the area of se/ual desire, as is written, “Sin couches at the door.” Because of the desecration of the hol& Brit, a sword is let loose in the world, “the sword that e/ecutes the vengeance of the Brit,” -7a&ikra, CE1C.0 r&ing out loud is a remed& for se/ual impurit&. This is wh& we read the :assover !aggadah out loud. "uarding the Brit protects against the desires for materialism. The Brit is the source of true enlightenment, called hadrat panim, the shining glor& of the face. The more &ou stand up to se/ual temptation the greater &our revelations in Torah and devotion to "(d, and &our abilit& to draw the world closer to "(d. Immoralit& leaves a blemish on the mind. This blemish blocks the true understanding of Torah. person who has not reached the level of se/ual purit& should not drink wine, since it stirs up the blood, leading a person to sin. The Brit is the source of true freedom. Before a person can receive a new revelation of Torah, he is tested in the crucible of se/ual passion. 5nce a man breaks his se/ual desire, he can break all desires. This is wh& the tikun for se/ual impurit& is called the Tikun lalli, the all(encompassing tikun.The level of spiritual perception that a person can attain depends on the degree of purit& he has obtained. It is a fundamental principle that one can onl& c omprehend the words of the t#addik if he first purifies himself. person who abuses the Brit will not be able to pra& with the fervor of total devotion. 5ne who worries about his ph&sical attractiveness to women will fall into the futilit& of vanit&, and will become a slave to the charm he feels he must pro2ect. epression and an/iet& are the m ain causes of se/ual immoralit&. The foundation of the Brit lies in 2o&. Toda& publicit& and fame go to false figures whose arrogance brings se/ual immoralit& to the world and the wanton waste of semen. The remed& is to honor the t#addikim. The more strongl& &ou are assailed b& se/ual temptations, the greater tikun &ou bring when &ou fight and break them. !oliness is released from the power of the husks. Se/ual fantasies are sent to a person so that he will transform them and elevate them to holiness. 5ne who breaks his se/ual desires will have hol& dreams. *hen a person is beset with se/ual desire, he must remind himself of the superiorit& of the spiritual world. The spirit of Mashiach cannot tolerate se/ual desire. 5ne who obtains se/ual purit& is perfectl& free. !is whole being becomes infused with the spirit of Sabbath. !e can go into the world and rescue others caught in the net of passion, leading them to a fear and love of "(d. person who e/periences a nocturnal emission should recite the following ten Tehillim on the same da&1 ?E, FC, J?, JC, @, KK, @G, ?G, ?FK, ?G. 5ne who recites t hese Tehillim on the same da& need have no further fears about the harm such an emission can cause. n& damage will certainl& be repaired through this. It is a ver& great tikun. (Translations of “Likutei Etzot” based on the translations of Rabbi Aryeh a!lan" from the book" “Ad#i$e%”&
The 9ohar states that tshuva does not help for the sin of spilling one;s seed in vain. 6abbi Dachman said that this is not so. T;shuva helps for all sins. !e also said that no one understands the meaning of this passage in the 9ohar e/cept for him. The truth is that t;shuva certainl& helps for this sin, even if one has carried out this sin man& times. True t;shuva involves never repeating this sin again. )ou must go to the same place and be placed in the same situation as &ou were before, and be e/posed to the same temptation. 5nl& this time, &ou must take care not to do t he same thing as &ou did before. )ou must break &our desire and withstand the temptation. This is the essence of t;shuva,” -6abbi Dachman;s *isdom, K?.0
1' Fro the boo&! 2i&utei "alachot4 PThe “point” referred to in this section is the point, or “nekudah,” which radiates ivine life and illumination to this worldQ The hol& drop of semen that emerges from the )esod is the light of the hol& “point.” It is f orbidden for a man to discharge it unless in the conte/t of a hol& marital union, in the vessel of Malchut, embodied in his wife, for this makes a great tikun, the tikun of the “shattered vessels.” =or all of the hol& marital unions act to separate the hol& from the unhol&, and to rectif& the shattering of the vessels, as has been e/plained. -See, “Innerspace,” b& 6abbi r&eh %aplan, h. ?G, for an e/planation of this concept.0 This is the reason that the principle time of marital relations is the Sabbath when the “point” is most illuminated. !owever, when the drop of semen is spilled in vain, "(d forbid, then the light of the “point” of the )esod is drawn outside of its hol& sanctum. This is tantamount to destro&ing the world, for in doing so a m an gives power to the realm of evil outside, and this renews the shattering of the vessels, as e/plained i n the writings of the ri#al. =or, not onl& does he not rectif& the shattered vessels through the light of the hol& “point,” on the contrar&, he reenacts the primal shattering and draws the light of the “point” outside the boundaries of holiness. This causes the vessels to shatter again, since there is no proper vessel to c ontain the light. =or this reason, it has been said that he uproots his life constellation -ma#al,0 "(d forbid, b& uprooting the “point,” which is the principle root of his life. This is the reason wh& it is stated that t;shuva is impossible for one who spills his seed, because he has nowhere to return to. *here should he return now that he has ruined the “point” itself, which is the ver& root of his vitalit&H T;shuva is possible as long as a person;s “point” remains intact. But as for one who ruins his “point” and, as it were, uproots it, "(d forbid, where should he returnH nd &et, the truth of the matter is that “nothing stands in the wa& of t;shuva,” as is mentioned throughout the hol& literature. If a person repents, he will surel& be forgiven. !owever, the essence of his t;shuva can onl& come about with the help of the T#addik of the era Pthe embodiment of the )esod,Q who is the comprehensive “point” from which all the other “points” draw. The sinner who spilled his seed and ruined his own “point” is obliged to receive the light of the “point” anew. This is onl& possible with the help of the T#addik of the era, who is the root of all “points,” and who therefore has the power to radiate the “point” to him anew. =or he is the root of all the “points.” This is the meaning of the teaching of our master, 6abbi Dachman, on the !at#ot#rot -'ikutei Moharan, there, section ,0 that when the ear hears rebuke, renewed life is granted, for the principle tikun for this matter is through the T#addik of the era. Strict 2ustice demands that the sinner should not be given the opportunit& of t;shuva. Donetheless, if he is filled with regret and pleads before "(d, even the t;shuva of one who is unworth& of being granted forgiveness will be accepted through "(d;s gratuitous hesed(kindness. This indeed is the remed& itself > that the sinner succeeds in arousing "(d;s merc&, so that "(d accepts his repentance. This t;shuva thereb& arouses and reveals a totall& new dimension of "(d;s kindness that has not e/isted before. =or the hesed(kindness that alread& e/ists in the world does not e/tend to granting atonement for his sin, because t;shuva does not help in this case. nd this is appropriate because the sinner who has ruined his “point,” which is the light of hesed(kindness, has thereb& damaged the light of hesed itself. This is wh& there is no repentance for him, for the light itself is damaged. Therefore when "(d wishes to take pit& on him, !e shows him a new hesed( kindness which has never e/isted before. "(d reveals a new dimension of kindness in order to heal and forgive even one who has committed this
sin. This is in itself the essence of his tikun, in that he has caused a new facet of "(d;s kindness to be revealed, and this effects his rectification, because the sinner receives a new “point” through this hesed(kindness. Because the point is kindness, as e/plained above. nd since he has succeeded in attracting a new kindness, this in itself brings him to receive the light of the “point” which is kindness, and this is his tikun. The onl& wa& this tikun can come about in its entiret& is through the Mashiach, ma& he come soon in our time. =or the Mashiach will come to rectif& this sin in its fullest, as it is written, “and gather together the dispersed of )ehuda,” -)isha&ahu, ??1?C.0 !e will gather the outcasts and those who have been dispersed to the four corners of the earth, and this is the overall tikun for this sin. =or Mashiach embodies the light of this new hesed( kindness which comes to remed& ever&thing, as is written, “nd !e does kindness to !is anointed one,” -Tehillim, ?A1?.0 This is the meaning of what is written, “ redeemer will come to 9ion and to those of )aacov who return from sin, sa&s the '(rd,” -)isha&ahu, @1CG.0 Those who return from this sin specificall & > the ones who repent from the vain emission of seed, which is referred to, “re &ou not children of transgression, a seed of falsehoodH” -)isha&ahu, K1J.0 It sa&s in the Sefer !a%avanot of the ri#al that this verse is speaking about this sin. It is precisel& to these people that the righteous redeemer will come, because all of the remedies come about precisel& through him. *hen he comes and rectifies them, then the “point” will return and radiate within them. This is the meaning of the words that follow -)isha&ahu, @1C?,0 “nd as for Me, this is M& Brit with themLM& spirit that is upon &ou, and M& words that I have put in &our mouthL.” This refers to the “point” which e/ists where the Brit of shalom is observed, and this is the source of ruach hakodesh, which, as our master of blessed memor&, e/plained is the meaning of, “M& words that I have put in &our m outh.” (Likutei Hala$hot" 'ra$h haim" )art *" Tefillin" h% +" S e$tion" ** and *+%&
Rabbi Nachman’s Teachings 6' "itbodedut s mentioned, one of the foundations of 6abbi Dachman;s teachings is the importance of !itbodedut in serving !ashem. The essence of !itbodedut is pouring one;s heart out in personal pra&er before one;s Maker. 6abbi Dachman emphasi#es that this practice should be practiced in seclusion, and that it is especiall& effective when conducted outdoors in a field or a forest. In his books, 'ikutei Tefillot, and “Torot and Tefillot,” 6abbi Datan presents man& e/amples that can help ever& $ew rise to more fervent outpourings of the heart. !ere is one such e/ample1 “:lease, most honored and awe(inspiring "(d, honored %ing, )ou who created the entire world for )our blessed honor, as is written, N+ver&thing I created and formed and made, for m& Dame and M& honor I created,; help me in )our great compassion, that I merit to increase and elevate &our praise and honor. “!elp me to nullif& m&self completel& before )ou, and to diminish m& own honor, that m& own honor be as if void and non(e/istent. !elp me that I do not raise m&self up to declare m& own honor in an& wa&, but rather that I onl& endeavor to enhance the honor due )ou, and that all of m& doings and thoughts and desires be directed e/clusivel& to )our great and blessed honor alone. “ssist me in &our great merc& to shatter and remove all feelings of arrogant self(pride from m& heart, that there shouldn;t rise in m& heart an& trace of conceit at all, and that I merit to achieve true humilit&. "ive me the intelligence and wisdom so that I can find the wa& to true humilit&, and to flee from false humilit&, from humilit& which is reall& to win honor from others. :lease help me in )our great merc& and kindness that I merit to attain true and absolute humilit&. “:lease, "(d, in )our infinite merc&, have merc& on )our creation, and open m& mouth in pra&er that I be able to pour forth m& speech before )ou in a manner that awakens )our merc& to e/tend over me, that )ou have compassion on me this ver& moment and that )ou aid me to sanctif& and purif& m&self in the holiness of the Brit, that I ma& be saved from this moment onward from ever& transgression against the Brit in the world. “nd for all of the blemishes in which I blemished the hol& Brit until now, please forgive me, please forgive me and cleanse me in )our towering merc& and k indness, in ever&thing that I blemished b& m& thoughts, and m&
