Why is it severe at all?

The severity of the sin of wasting seed

The Sages went to great lengths (Niddah 13a) regarding the severity of the sin of wasting seed, saying that one is liable to death, and that it is as though he sheds blood and worships idols. And in tractate Kallah (1:19; Kallah Rabbati 2:6) they added that he has no share in the World to Come.

The Zohar goes even further, saying that wasting seed is the gravest transgression of all. Zohar, Bereishit 188a: “Come and see: among all the sins by which a person becomes defiled in this world, this is the sin by which a person is defiled more than by all others, in this world and in the World to Come—one who spills his seed in vain and brings forth seed for nothing by hand or by foot, and is defiled by it… as it is said (Psalms 5:5): ‘For You are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil shall not dwell with You.’ Therefore he does not enter within the curtain and does not behold the face of the Ancient of Days… as we have learned: here it says, ‘evil shall not dwell with You,’ and there it says (Genesis 38:7), ‘Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the sight of the Lord.’ And therefore it is written (Isaiah 1:15): ‘Your hands are full of blood.’ Happy is the portion of the man who fears his Master, guards himself from the evil path, and purifies himself to labor in the fear of his Master.”

Zohar, Bereishit 219b: “For we have learned: whoever emits his seed in vain is called evil and does not behold the face of the Shekhinah, as it is written (Psalms 5:5): ‘For You are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil shall not dwell with You,’ and it is written (Genesis 38:7): ‘Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil.’ Likewise here: ‘Woe to the wicked—evil’ (Isaiah 3:11)—woe to that guilty one who is evil, who made himself evil; ‘for the work of his hands shall be done to him’—this includes one who commits sexual wrongdoing with his hands, to bring forth and destroy his seed in vain, and this person is punished in that world more than all others.

Come and see: it is written, ‘Woe to the wicked’; once it says ‘to the wicked,’ why add ‘evil’? Rather, as I said, because he made himself evil, and it is written, ‘evil shall not dwell with You.’ And all of them ascend, but this one does not ascend. And if you should say: what about other sinners who killed people? Come and see: all of them ascend, but he does not ascend. Why? They killed other people, but this one killed his very own children and spilled much blood. Come and see: regarding other sinners in the world it is not written (Genesis 38:10), ‘And what he did was evil in the sight of the Lord,’ but here it is written, ‘And what he did was evil in the sight of the Lord.’ Why? Because it says (ibid. 9), ‘and he wasted it on the ground.’” See also Zohar Pekudei 263b.

Based on these statements, the Shulchan Arukh, Even HaEzer 23:1, wrote: “It is forbidden to emit semen in vain, and this sin is more severe than all the sins in the Torah.”

The later authorities elaborated on the severity of this sin. In the words of Sdei Chemed (Asifat Dinim, system of Marriage 1:33): “Regarding the destruction of seed, the severity and greatness of its prohibition beyond all the sins in the Torah is well known, as stated in Shulchan Arukh sec. 23. Our Sages in the Talmud, the midrashim, and the holy Zohar greatly expanded in many places in denouncing this evil act, and the moralists cry out over it like town-criers, as is known. And Er and Onan, sons of seven years, were evil in the eyes of the Lord, and He killed them. And the interpreters of hints said: everything depends on this—on one who emits seed in vain—for all the troubles that come upon a person are because of this sin. See also Sefer HaBrit, Musar Haskel, on this, spoken pleasantly. And truly, if the seas were ink, etc., it would still not suffice to write all that they said in their holiness on this matter; we have not heard even half or a third or a quarter of it, and this is not the place to elaborate.”

See Sha’arei Kedushah by Rabbi Chaim Vital 2:8; Sefer HaBrit, essay 16 chapter 3, in the name of the book Hashem by the Rokeach; the words of the Maharal in Netivot Olam, Netiv HaPerishut chapter 3, and Chiddushei Aggadot to Niddah 13a; Seder HaYom (Order of Night Practices); Reshit Chokhmah, Gate of Holiness 17; Shelah, Sha’ar HaOtiyot, Holiness of Marital Union; Yesod Yosef by Rabbi Yosef Pozna; Avodat HaKodesh by the Chida, Tziporen Shamir chapter 6; and more.

That of course doesn’t answer my question: *why* is it severe? Not: *is* it severe.
Of course it may be that in the sources you listed for further study there’s an answer. I admit I didn’t check there.
My question is more whether, in the Rabbi’s opinion, there is some reason why the Sages (or the Zohar) were so strict about this sin.

I don’t think the Sages were especially strict about it. It seems to me this is a psychological taboo that got upgraded because of kabbalistic sources. It’s not even clear whether there is any Torah-level prohibition here at all. Comparisons between prohibitions and other severe prohibitions are common, and it’s impossible to learn anything from them about the true severity of this sin.

With God’s help, eve of Rosh Chodesh Elul 5780

And see further Genesis 38:9, and Maimonides’ sharp words in the Laws of Forbidden Relations, chapter 21, halakhah 18.

Best regards, S. Tz.

Rabbi Michi, does the psychological taboo originate in Kabbalah or in evolutionary sources?

If its source were in Kabbalah, I wouldn’t call it psychological. In my opinion it works the other way around: the kabbalistic source was created because of a psychological taboo.

With God’s help, eve of Rosh Chodesh, “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine,” 5780

And in the Talmud (Niddah 13), Rabbi Eliezer says it is like bringing a flood upon the world; according to Rabbi Yohanan, “he is liable to death” (and he cites what is said in the Torah about Onan); according to Rabbi Yitzhak and Rabbi Ami, “like shedding blood”; and according to Rabbi Assi, “like worshiping idols,” for such is the way of the evil inclination: today it tells a person this, tomorrow that, until it tells him, “Go worship idols.”

Maimonides already advised in chapter 21 of the Laws of Forbidden Relations that a person should invest his thought in words of Torah, for thoughts of sexual immorality prevail only in a heart empty of wisdom, as Rabbi Nachman of Breslov explained that it is impossible to think two thoughts at once.

In our generation this is harder than in earlier generations, both because of the delayed age of marriage and because of the constant flooding of stimuli in the street, in the media, and on the internet. But one must remember that the greater the difficulty, the more “according to the pain is the reward,” and the more effort one makes, the more satisfaction the Holy One, blessed be He, has, and a person should rejoice over every moment in which he managed to divert his mind and overcome his inclination. The more one struggles joyfully, the more one succeeds.

Wishing you a fruitful Elul and a good and blessed year,
S. Tz.

Dear S. Tz., “In our generation this is harder than in earlier generations” — who revealed this secret to you???

B.G., because the two groups most prevented in this area are Catholic monks and Religious Zionist youth

To B.G. — greetings,

The special difficulty in our generation is explained in the continuation of the sentence, which speaks about the delayed age of marriage and the constant flooding of stimuli from every direction.

Actually, your question raises a third explanation. People of our generation don’t have the patience to read a sentence to the end 🙂 — so of course it’s hard to restrain oneself for years until the wedding…

Best regards, S. Tz.

S. Tz., a flood of stimuli from every direction existed in every generation; that’s typical Haredi demagoguery.
Likewise, Nachman of Uman married young, and despite that his head and most of him were immersed in “defilement of the covenant,” as stated explicitly in his writings.

There’s something to this: https://www.srugim.co.il/?p=481054

Benjamin,
I’m not well-versed in the writings of Moharan. This is intriguing. Can you point to sources in the writings you mentioned earlier?
(By the way, people are waiting for your answer in the comments section of the question “Toward the coming year — yeshiva.”)

B.G.’s basic assumption is that someone who invests his energies in solving a problem must himself suffer from that very problem. According to this rationale: a cardiologist suffers from heart problems, a psychologist suffers from mental problems, a criminologist is a criminal. And accordingly: someone who develops ways of coping with problems of guarding the covenant is himself afflicted with this problem.

Presumably according to this rationale, someone who talks all the time against Haredim is also neck-deep in “Harediness” 🙂

Best regards, Samson Zwieblinger

Dear “Clarifying Benjamin’s words”:
A. Through guarding the covenant one merits prayer (Likkutei Moharan I, sec. 2, para. 2)

B. The essence of the evil inclination is over sexual immorality, and this is the essence of defilement. Therefore one must know that the main trial of every person in this world is in this desire. Fortunate is the one who merits to win the battle. (ibid., para. 6)

C. One who knows about himself that he damaged the “drops of his brain” must have pity on himself and not let the disputes and quarrels among the righteous enter his heart at all, but should believe in all of them. For all the questions and crookedness that arise in his mind about the righteous because of the disputes between them are all due to his having damaged the drops of his brain. For if he had not damaged his brain, they would not be difficult for him at all, and the dispute comes only on his account. (See inside; and below under “Tzaddik,” para. 8.) (Likkutei Moharan I, sec. 5, para. 4)

D. The counsel of the true righteous and their disciples is an aspect of remedying the covenant. And conversely, the counsel of those who oppose and obstruct, who speak slippery words in order to incite and mislead away from the point of truth, is an aspect of defilement of the covenant. For the counsels one receives from a person are an aspect of drops of intellect. Therefore, one who has damaged his covenant must guard himself very, very much from the opposite counsels of those who oppose the truth, so that he not lose his world in an instant, God forbid. (Likkutei Moharan I, sec. 7, para. 3)

E. The essence of adultery depends on the eyes, and the commandment of tzitzit protects against this. Through this one is saved from the evil counsels mentioned above and merits to receive true counsels from the true righteous. Therefore one must be very careful with the commandment of tzitzit, and intend at the time of wrapping oneself in the holy tzitzit and making its blessing, that through this one should merit guarding the covenant and good and true counsels. Through this he will merit faith, the Land of Israel, bringing the redemption nearer, prayer, performing miracles and wonders in the world, and livelihood. For livelihood mainly depends on remedying the covenant. Through this he will merit understanding in every place he studies, and all the wisdoms will be revealed to him like a set table. (ibid., paras. 1, 4, 5)

F. Arrogance and adultery depend on one another. And when one guards the covenant and is saved from arrogance, he merits the light that illuminates repentance for him. (Likkutei Moharan I, sec. 11, para. 3)

G. The essence of the bitterness of the burden of livelihood and its toil is because of defilement of the covenant. For one who guards his covenant, even though he does work and commerce, they are in the category of the work of the Tabernacle and in the category of the thirty-nine lights. But one who damages the covenant is pursued by poverty and draws upon himself the yoke of livelihood with toil and great bitterness, in the category of the thirty-nine lashes, may the Merciful One save us. (ibid., para. 4)

H. Guarding the covenant has two aspects. There is one whose marital union is on weekdays, and this too is called guarding the covenant, since his union is permitted according to the Torah, provided he guards himself from transgressions, may the Merciful One save us. This is the aspect of the lower unification, and through this one merits attaining halakhah in the Torah, the aspect of mysteries. But there is one whose marital union is only from Sabbath to Sabbath, and this is the aspect of the higher unification, and through this one attains also the aspect of Kabbalah and the deepest mysteries. But even one whose union is only from Sabbath to Sabbath still needs great guarding, that his union be in holiness and that he be included among those who guard the covenant. How much more so the younger ones whose union is also on weekdays, who certainly need extra guarding so as not to damage their covenant, God forbid, and at least not to transgress the Torah, God forbid. Through guarding the covenant in all these aspects, the honor of God, blessed be He, is perfected, and one merits all the aspects above, until one merits coming to the deepest understandings of Torah. (ibid., paras. 5, 6, 7)

I. To speak with one’s fellow about ethics and fear of Heaven and arouse him to repentance is a remedy for seminal emission. (Likkutei Moharan I, sec. 14, para. 13)

J. The desire for adultery is the inclusive evil, for all the evils of all the seventy nations are included in it. For each nation and tongue has a grasp on a particular evil—that is, some bad trait or bad desire unique to that nation—and they are sunk in that desire and there is their hold. But the desire for adultery is the inclusive evil, for in that desire all the various evils of every nation are gathered together, which are the evil of all desires. And all these evils are kindled together and become a bonfire, and that is the burning blaze that burns in a person in the desire for adultery. But God, blessed be He, separated us from the nations and exalted us above all tongues, and we must separate ourselves from all their evils, that is, from all desires that do not belong to us at all, and especially from the desire for adultery, which is the inclusive evil of all the nations. For this is the main distinction and difference between us and the gentiles—that we separate ourselves from adultery. For this is the main holiness of Israel. For a person has the power to turn his mind away from this desire and break it. And this is our essential holiness. (Likkutei Moharan I, sec. 19, para. 3)

K. The main subjugation and breaking of all desires, especially the desire for adultery, which is the main one that must be broken, is through perfection of the holy tongue—that is, through much holy speech, namely Torah, prayer, and personal conversation between oneself and one’s Creator. And even if one speaks with one’s Creator in the vernacular spoken in our country, that too is included in the holy tongue. For on the contrary, when one speaks to one’s Creator, one must specifically speak in the language one actually speaks (as explained elsewhere, under hitbodedut, para. 13). The main thing is to guard the tongue and sanctify it with holy speech, which is the aspect of perfection of the holy tongue, and to guard the tongue from speaking evil words, which damage the holy tongue. Through the holiness of speech as above, one subdues the inclusive evil. (ibid.)

L. Remedying the covenant and perfection of the holy tongue depend on one another. To the extent that one increases holy speech, which is the aspect of the holy tongue, so too one merits remedying the covenant. And to the extent of remedying the covenant, so one merits perfection of the holy tongue. And likewise the reverse with regard to damage, God forbid. (ibid.)

M. The desire for adultery, which is the inclusive evil, is the aspect of the serpent that seduced Eve and cast impurity into her, which is the storm wind, the spirit of folly, the fire of the foolish woman. And it goes and seduces the holy spirit, which is the holy tongue, which is the aspect of guarding the covenant, and casts impurity into it. This is the aspect of “sin crouches at the door,” that this sin, which is the serpent, crouches to draw sustenance from him through defilement of the covenant. For the main evil inclination in causing a person to sin is through this desire. (ibid.)

N. One must speak many holy words, which are the aspect of perfection of the holy tongue, until he cools his heat through the holy tongue, as in the verse, “My heart grew hot within me… I spoke with my tongue,” that he should cool his heat through speech of the holy tongue. Through this he will be saved from nocturnal emission, so that the storm wind will not cool him through a nocturnal occurrence, God forbid. (ibid., para. 5)

O. All the disgrace and shame that come upon a person are because of defilement of the covenant. And conversely, through remedying the covenant one merits honor. (ibid., para. 3)

P. Through perfection of the holy tongue, which is the aspect of remedying the covenant, one can interpret dreams like Joseph. (ibid., para. 4)

Q. The main perfection of the holy tongue, which is the main remedy of the covenant and includes the repair of all desires and traits, can only be received from the mouth of the true righteous. For this reason one must travel to the righteous one to hear from his mouth specifically, and books of ethics are not enough, nor hearing from someone else who heard from him. For the main perfection of speech, which is the aspect of perfection of the holy tongue and the main remedy, can only be received from his own holy mouth, because there is the source of fear, which is the essence of perfection of the holy tongue, which is remedying the covenant, which includes all remedies. (ibid., para. 9)

R. Because of defilement of the covenant, a sword comes, in the category of “a sword avenging the vengeance of the covenant.” (Likkutei Moharan I, sec. 20, para. 10)

S. Crying out loudly is a remedy for the covenant, and one merits revelation of knowledge. For initially, when the covenant was damaged, knowledge was damaged. (ibid.)

T. For this reason we say the Haggadah aloud, for the Haggadah is a remedy for the covenant. And through this there was redemption. For the exile in Egypt came because of defilement of the covenant, as brought elsewhere. Also, the wine of the four cups is a remedy of knowledge, which is a remedy of the covenant. (ibid.)

U. Through remedying the holy covenant one is saved from the face of the “other side,” which is the desire for money, which is idolatry, bitter depression, darkness, darkened countenance, death. And one becomes connected to divinity and merits “satisfying joys with Your countenance,” for the light of the face of the living King shines upon him. (Likkutei Moharan I, sec. 23, para. 2)

V. Also through remedying the covenant one merits gazing at the root of all influence and money, where in its root all abundance is pure radiant light, and through this the desire for money is automatically nullified. (ibid., para. 5)

W. Through remedying the covenant one merits radiance of face and beauty of face—that is, his wisdom in Torah becomes refined, and he knows how to explain it and expound it well through the thirteen hermeneutical principles by which Torah is expounded, which is the aspect of beauty of face. Through this he merits that the voice of his song becomes refined, until through merely hearing the sound of his song, even without speech, the Holy One, blessed be He, saves him in his time of distress. Through this he merits peace and can draw the whole world to His service. (Likkutei Moharan I, sec. 27, paras. 1–6)

X. According to the prohibition one transgresses, so one arouses, God forbid, the aspect of menstrual blood in the Shekhinah, and causes separation between the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Presence. To fix all transgressions individually is very much and difficult for a person, and it is impossible to fix them, because each prohibition has many details and fine points. Therefore one must effect the general remedy, which is remedying the covenant, and through this all the prohibitions he transgressed are automatically repaired. And even into the narrow and constricted places where no remedy can reach, the general remedy throws remedies even there. (Likkutei Moharan I, sec. 29, paras. 3–4)

Y. Through the general remedy, which is remedying the covenant, the intellect is elevated. For the essential repair of knowledge is according to the repair of the covenant. And the main drawing-near of Israel to their Father in Heaven is through guarding the covenant. (ibid., para. 4)

Z. Through the general remedy one has livelihood without toil, in the aspect of manna. (ibid., para. 5)

AA. As long as one has not repaired the general remedy, speech is forbidden, and then it is impossible to speak and reveal Torah. And one who speaks then transgresses “Do not go about as a talebearer among your people,” and is “a talebearer who reveals secrets.” But through the general remedy, speech is permitted, and one can open one’s mouth with words that illuminate Torah. (ibid., para. 6)

AB. Because of defilement of the covenant, epilepsy comes, may the Merciful One save us. And through remedying the covenant one is healed from the sickness of falling. (ibid., para. 7)

AC. When one lacks the general remedy, one should distance oneself from drinking wine, because through it the bloods are strengthened in him, from which all sins come, God forbid. It also harms livelihood and makes one poor. But one who merits the general remedy—on the contrary—through his drinking he elevates the intellect and repairs the general remedy even more. (ibid., para. 8)

AD. The essence of sustaining faith is only through guarding the covenant. (Likkutei Moharan I, sec. 31, para. 3)

AE. All the conduct of the spheres, all the conduct of the world, and all the blessings and influences—all depend on guarding the covenant. (ibid., paras. 2–3)

AF. All the sufferings a person has on journeys are because of defilement of the covenant. Through guarding the covenant he will not have suffering on the road. (ibid., para. 4)

AG. Through guarding the covenant one merits freedom. (ibid., para. 5)

AH. There are two aspects of covenant: one is guarding the holy covenant, which is a higher aspect; and the second is guarding the laws of prohibition and permission. Therefore one should study the laws of prohibition and permission so that one may merit also the second aspect. When one merits guarding the covenant in these two aspects, he is like an angel of the Lord of Hosts, and merits complete faith and draws all the blessings and influences mentioned above. He merits love, longing, and good yearning for God, blessed be He, and through this forms the letters of Torah for good. Then the letters of Torah themselves ask him to speak them with his mouth so as to form them for good. Through this he merits that all his eating and meals are in the aspect of the showbread. Then his table atones like the altar, and then all the stars, constellations, and all the nations of the world toil for his livelihood. (ibid., paras. 5, 6, 9)

AI. The main trial and refinement with which a person is tested is only in adultery, which includes the desires of all the seventy nations. And when a person in this exile comes to this test, each according to his level, then he must cry out many cries to God, blessed be He, just like a woman giving birth, who cries out because of the bitterness of labor pains, so many cries that are included in at least seventy sounds. So too he must cry out many, many cries to God, blessed be He, until God has mercy on him and he merits to overcome and break this desire. Then he will merit to give birth to intellect, and then the secrets of Torah that were hidden will be revealed to him. And each person, according to how he stands up in this trial and breaks this desire, so does he merit great revelation in Torah and divine service, and merits the seventy faces of Torah. (Likkutei Moharan I, sec. 36, paras. 1–2)

AJ. The remedy for thoughts of sexual immorality that come to a person is to say “Hear, O Israel” and “Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever.” Then he includes his soul within the twelve tribes of God and separates his soul from the soul of the mixed multitude that comes from a promiscuous woman, who is the evil maidservant, from whom this desire comes, which includes all the bad traits. (ibid., para. 3)

AK. And all this is when a person has such a thought only incidentally; then it is enough for him to say those two verses. But if he is, God forbid, accustomed to thoughts of this evil all-inclusive desire and cannot separate from it, then he must also shed tears at the time of accepting the yoke of Heaven—that is, he should arouse himself until he cries and sheds tears when he says “Hear, O Israel” and “Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever.” (ibid., para. 4)

AL. When one repairs the sign of the holy covenant, then his intellect is whole and he can understand the speech of the righteous one. According to each person’s level of repair, so is his level of comprehension. This is a great rule: no one can grasp and understand the speech of the righteous unless he first repaired the sign of the holy covenant properly. But through defilement of the covenant his knowledge and intellect are damaged, until he cannot grasp at all the words of the righteous, and may stumble over them if he follows the crookedness in his heart and the foolish questions that arise in his mind about him. (ibid., para. 5)

AM. Through the desire for adultery one can come to insanity, becoming literally insane. Therefore medical sages wrote that castration is a cure for a madman. (ibid., para. 6)

AN. One who breaks this desire for adultery can easily break all desires. Therefore this is the general remedy. And each and every person, according to his distance from this desire, so is he close to revelation of Torah—and vice versa, God forbid. Therefore before a person merits revelation of Torah, he must come into trial and refinement within this desire, which is the main trial and refinement, as above. And when he stands in the test and breaks the husk that preceded the fruit, he will merit the fruit, namely revelation of Torah. (ibid., paras. 1–2)

AO. When your marital union is in holiness and you break your soul that craves—that is, the animal soul—and it will seem to you as if you had subdued a demon, through this you will have children who endure. For the death of children, God forbid, is because of the animal soul. (Likkutei Moharan I, sec. 39)

AP. Also, your marital union should be on Friday night so that you will have living and enduring children. (ibid.)

AQ. One must beware of hearing the words of a wicked person who is intelligent, because his words generate adultery in the listener. For his words are poisonous words of adultery and they enter the body of the hearer. (Likkutei Moharan I, sec. 43)

AR. One who damages the covenant is in the category of bitter waters, defiled waters, impure seed. Then he cannot pray in the mode of “All my bones shall say…”—that is, he cannot taste sweetness in the words of prayer, and then a dog descends to eat his offering, namely his prayer. He is in the category of bitterness, of a double-edged sword, of Gehinnom. But through guarding the covenant he is in the category of sweet waters, purified waters, holy seed, and then his words are sweet and good. When they leave his mouth and he lets his ears hear them, the sweetness of the words enters his bones, and then his prayer is in the aspect of “All my bones shall say…,” and then a lion descends to eat his offering. (Likkutei Moharan I, sec. 50)

AS. Know that the brazen-faced people in the generation are the dogs, and they stand and oppose the prayer of the Jewish man who has not yet completely repaired his covenant. (ibid.)

AT. One who damaged his covenant should guard himself from dogs and from the sword. (ibid.)

AU. Through subduing the husk of Amalek, which is defilement of the covenant, and meriting the repair of the covenant, one merits double abundance, which is the aspect of the double bread on the Sabbath—that is, the repetition of Torah. Through this one merits innovating Torah insights on Sabbath in doubled measure, and Sabbath influences the other worlds, sending its illuminations to all the levels, healing soul-healing and bodily healings, and arousing the world to repentance out of love. Then all the upright people in the generation are healed and become honored in the eyes of others. Through this each person receives the Torah innovations that the righteous one bestowed on the Sabbath day. (Likkutei Moharan I, sec. 58, paras. 4, 5, 7, 8, 9)

AV. Through the vanity of beauty—that is, when one is not guarded against the beauty of women—one comes to false charm. For there are various kinds of false charm that people make in their standing, eating, speaking with others, etc., and for every matter there is a different charm. All these kinds of false charm come because one was not careful regarding the beauty of women. (Likkutei Moharan I, sec. 60, para. 3)

AW. Through the vanity of beauty one comes to poverty. (ibid.)

AX. Through adultery, breath is cut off—which is the soul, the essence of a person’s vitality. Through this the body’s moisture dries up, and through that the brain and intellect are damaged. For intellect mainly depends on the body’s moisture and fats. Therefore all madmen become such through adultery, as is known. And so too other people who are not literally mad but have much deficiency and confusion of mind—it all comes through adultery, which dries up the body’s moisture and fats, and through this the intellect is damaged. (ibid.)

AY. Through fear—that is, fear of Heaven, fear of one’s rabbi, and fear of father and mother—one is saved from the beauty of women and from false charm, and merits wealth (see under “fear”). (ibid., paras. 3–4)

AZ. One who marries a woman for money is a fool and an idiot, and damages and loses his knowledge and intellect. Through this he will have unworthy children. (Likkutei Moharan I, sec. 69)

BA. Secret charity is a remedy for nocturnal emission, may the Merciful One save us. (Likkutei Moharan I, sec. 83)

BB. The main cause of defilement of the covenant is sadness and black depression. And conversely, the main guarding of the covenant is through joy (see under “joy”). (Likkutei Moharan I, sec. 169)

BC. Sexual desire is one of three desires that ruin and damage the fear in the heart. By properly receiving the festival of Shavuot, one draws knowledge to repair this desire. Through this one merits fear, prophetic influence, prayer, etc. (see under “holiday” and “fear”). (Likkutei Tefillot? / Likkutei Etzot sec. 1, paras. 4, 5, 8)

BD. Sexual desire depends on the milk one nursed in childhood. Therefore one must guard an infant very carefully that he nurse from a proper woman. For when an infant nurses from an immodest woman, then the desire for adultery, God forbid, grows stronger in him. And conversely, when he nurses from a proper woman, he does not have the heat of this desire except for the small amount necessary for the commandment of the Torah. (ibid., para. 4)

BE. Because of the pride of leaders and false famous men, the desire for adultery grows stronger in the world, and through this there comes destruction of seed, God forbid, which is the aspect of “he sealed his flesh,” the seal of the Other Side. It is impossible to be saved from this except through the power of the defenders in the generation—the righteous and upright, who are called “shields of the earth”—who have a great battle in this matter. They elevate from “he sealed his flesh” to the aspect of the holy seal, which is the aspect of tefillin, the sparkling of the intellect. For the main repair of the brain is according to the breaking of this desire. That is, when thoughts overpower them very, very strongly, and they could have come to emission, God forbid—which is the aspect of “he sealed his flesh”—they strengthen themselves greatly to break and banish the thoughts from themselves and draw holy thoughts upon themselves. Through this they elevate from “he sealed his flesh” to the aspect of tefillin, the holy seal, which is the sparkling of the intellect. From these “shields of the earth” each person must receive strength to overcome the thoughts and turn them into holy intellect. Every person must know this: the more these thoughts overpower him, when he strengthens himself against them and flees from them and breaks them, he thereby performs a very great repair, elevates holiness from the husk, and draws the holiness of tefillin—which is the sparkling of the intellect—to know and make known His divinity in the world. And the more they overpower him, the greater becomes the repair of tefillin when he strengthens himself against the extent of their spread in order to break them. These evil and foreign thoughts are sent upon him only for this reason: so that they may be transformed specifically into the aspect of repairing tefillin. (Likkutei Etzot sec. 5, paras. 6–7)

BF. By breaking thoughts of adultery one merits repair of the intellect, as above. Through this one merits dreams through an angel, and then he is called “man.” And conversely, when the intellect is not pure, then the dream is through a demon, God forbid, and then he resembles an animal. (ibid., para. 9)

BG. Food also plays a part in dreams. Therefore sometimes the dream becomes damaged, in the category of a dream through a demon, God forbid, because of the foods one eats, and through this one can come to seminal impurity, God forbid. The remedy for this is joy—to strengthen oneself to be always joyful. (ibid., para. 10)

BH. Also, sometimes because of rabbis and judges who are unfit and pervert justice, impurity of seminal emission comes, God forbid. The remedy for this is the “binding of the chariot,” namely the ancient practice of saying before sleep, “In the name of the Lord… Michael is at my right,” etc., which is the binding of the chariot. It is a segulah to be saved from this impurity, which comes because of the perversion of justice by unfit judges. (ibid., paras. 11–12)

BI. A person’s brain and knowledge protect against the desire for adultery. For there are three intellects in a person, and each one is like a partition spread out before this desire. For the main strengthening of this desire is through a spirit of folly. Therefore every person must know and remember this: every time these thoughts seek to overpower him, God forbid, he should immediately flee from the spirit of folly to knowledge, and spread the partition of the intellect before this desire like an actual partition. For true knowledge protects against this desire like an actual partition. Understand this, because it cannot really be explained; each person should understand for himself how to flee and divert his mind from that spirit of folly and draw himself to knowledge, which is the partition spread before them. (Likkutei Etzot sec. 8, para. 2)

BJ. Through anger and cruelty, knowledge is damaged, and through this the desire for adultery comes, God forbid. Then prayer is in the aspect of judgment, and then the Other Side draws sustenance from it. Then one needs a person of great power who will pray a prayer in the aspect of judgment, and through this he repairs everything (see inside, Likkutei Tinyana sec. 8). (ibid., paras. 2–3)

BK. Every single Jew, according to his purity and holiness, has an aspect of Messiah. One must be very careful that his aspect of Messiah not be damaged. The main thing is guarding from adultery. One must guard oneself very much even from the scent of adultery, for it damages one’s aspect of Messiah. (Likkutei Etzot sec. 32)

BL. The spirit of Messiah becomes a spirit of jealousy and goes and is jealous everywhere there is a defect of adultery, God forbid. Even where there is no full adultery, only some slight defect, it is jealous even of that. For because of the great holiness and purity of the aspect of Messiah, it cannot tolerate even a slight blemish of adultery, and it is very jealous over this, may the Merciful One save us. (ibid.)

BM. When the couple—that is, the man and the woman—are fit, without any taint of defect, and their union is proper and of great holiness, then through their union a higher unification is made, and their union is exceedingly precious. (ibid.)

BN. Through remedying the covenant one can bring forth the words of prayer like arrows from a bow, and then begins the growth of the horn of Messiah. Then one comes to the holiness of the Sabbath, becomes free, and merits the ultimate knowledge. Then one strips off his leprous body, which is from the skin of the serpent, and puts on Sabbath garments—that is, a holy body from the Garden of Eden. Then his fortune is elevated and he merits wealth, his good inclination is strengthened, sadness and mockery are nullified. Through this he raises up those who fell to bad loves and fears and lifts them to holy loves and fears, and removes darkness from their eyes so that their eyes see wonders. It is considered as if he created the world. Through this all the requests and supplications that people pray are elevated, and the redemption dependent on the heart is aroused—to nullify the leaven and sourdough of the evil inclination remaining in a person’s heart from his youth. Then the heart can blaze in Torah study with flames of love. And many waters—which are external loves and fears—cannot extinguish this blaze. The Shekhinah covers with her wings the people of Israel in this love, so that evil seed, which are the waters of the flood, should not rule over them. All this is merited through remedying the covenant, as above. (Likkutei Etzot sec. 83)

BO. Through defilement of the covenant it is hard for a person to find his match, and even if he finds his match she will oppose him and will not be inclined after his will. Through these Elul intentions one repairs defilement of the covenant, and through this he will merit finding his match, and she will be inclined after his will (see the secret of the intention of Elul in sec. 6, part I, inside). (Likkutei Etzot sec. 87)

BP. A great remedy for nocturnal emission, God forbid: to say ten chapters of Psalms that same day. These are: “A Miktam of David” (16), “A Maskil of David” (32), “Happy is he who considers the poor” (41), “As a deer longs” (42), “For the leader, destroy not” (59), “For the leader, according to Jeduthun” (77), “A prayer of Moses” (90), “Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name” (105), “By the rivers of Babylon” (137), “Praise God in His sanctuary” (150). And whoever merits saying them that same day need no longer fear at all from the terrible blemish of that occurrence, God forbid, for it is certainly repaired through this. (Likkutei Etzot sec. 92)

[BQ]. When thoughts of sexual immorality come to a person’s mind, and he breaks his desire and diverts his mind from them, this is the main part of his repentance and repair for the defilement of the covenant in which he had previously blemished, each according to his matter. For this is literally repentance of equal measure. In this way he extracts the sparks of holiness that fell through the defilement of the covenant, and through this he merits remedying the covenant. Through this he merits that wisdom and voice become refined, as written above in para. 23. He merits peace, through which one can draw the whole world to His service (see “thoughts and reflections,” para. 2). (Likkutei Moharan I, sec. 27, para. 8)

BR. The graves of true righteous people are holy with the holiness of the Land of Israel ממש, and the Land of Israel is a great remedy for defilement of the covenant. Therefore one should try to come to their graves, for the place of their graves is holy like the Land of Israel, as above, and it is a great remedy for defilement of the covenant. (Likkutei Etzot sec. 109)

BS. Nowadays it is easier to stand up in the test. For there have already been a number of righteous and upright people who stood firm in many great trials in this desire, and through this they broke the husk of this desire so much that now one can stand in the test easily, even a simple person, if he wants to have pity on his life in this world and in the World to Come forever. (Sichot HaRan sec. 114)

Dear S. Tz., my basic assumption is simple and clear: a person who raises a new problem and writes up a “patent” for solving it is at the very least worthy of suspicion that he has a personal stake in the matter. Likewise, if a cardiologist were to recommend uprooting the heart in order to cure the disease, I’d relate to him accordingly. Of course, consistent with my approach, that’s also how I relate to Nachman, who recommended castration as a cure for insanity…

Fine. Many thanks indeed for benefiting me and everyone studying Moharan’s writings.
Still, I see that S. Tz. is right. I had thought that Moharan wrote that he himself had fallen in this area.

I do agree with your puzzlement about Moharan regarding castration. Interesting…
But unlike you, I checked the source more deeply—Likkutei Moharan part I, end of section 36.
And in my humble opinion, it seems that whoever wrote the abridgment you brought in item 39 simply doesn’t understand the first thing and doesn’t know how to read Hebrew.
Look at the source I cited. Moharan does not write that the adulterer should be castrated!!!
He is speaking there at all about Balaam the wicked’s scheme to cause Israel to sin. And as far as I understand, he compares the general remedy to the medical “cure” of castration that uproots a person’s madness.
Or maybe you have another reading…
By the way, what about the question directed to you in the responsa “Toward the coming year — yeshiva”?

Rabbi Nachman brings that statement in the name of the “medical sages,” and its precise source in 18th-century medical literature should be checked. Sigmund Freud also dealt extensively with the connection between sexual problems and mental problems.

Even today, a significant portion of psychiatric medications cause impairment and suppression of sexual functioning. See the article “The Effect of Psychiatric Medications on Sexual Function,” on the website “Psychiatrist.”

Wishing you robust health,
S. Tz.

With God’s help, 1 Elul 5780

In Likkutei Moharan, Meshakh HaNahal edition, Jerusalem 1999, there are additional references beyond those in previous editions. The old references are marked with round brackets—(a) (b) …—while the new references are marked with square brackets—[a] [b] …

On Rabbi Nachman’s words (part I, sec. 36): “And this is what the medical sages wrote, that castration is a cure for a madman,” note [10] points to: Sefer Ma’aseh Tuviyah, essay “A Sealed Spring,” chapter 1.

And the words are indeed found in the book Ma’aseh Tuviyah by Rabbi Tuviyah the physician son of Rabbi Moses Katz, Venice 1707, folio 142c: “…and from here the physician Riverius brought proof that he found no better cure for an absolute madman than castration, by which he would castrate him.”

Rabbi Nachman, as is known, did not think very highly of physicians and their methods. It seems he brought the statement only as support for his idea that excessive and unrestrained sexual desire may lead to mental problems.

Wishing bodily and mental balance,
S. Tz. Lewinger, librarian, ‘Yad Harav Nissim’

S. Tz., Nachman didn’t think much of doctors and their methods, and they, as is known, didn’t think much of him and his methods either…
Honestly, there’s no point in dealing with ancient medical books; it’s stupidity and a complete waste of time, exactly like dealing with Nachman.

Mr. Benjamin,
You make assumptions, raise difficulties, dodge giving answers, and loathe everyone who doesn’t think like you.
I brought you an explicit source that this was not Moharan’s intention. So either answer or prove what you have against Moharan.
To say this is stupidity and a waste of time? After all, you’re the one who raised the question about defilement of the covenant!
Of course you don’t have to answer. But at least the public will understand who they’re dealing with.
And to exactly the same degree you should explain and prove what you have against the Haredim…
Maybe really “one who disqualifies others does so with his own defect”???