THOUGHTS AND FANTASIES Make sure that you don’t allow your mind to become chametz — leavened. Don’t dwell on bad thoughts or desires at all. These thoughts are rooted in the side of death. If they come into your mind, just reject them and push them out completely, because ultimately they ruin the mind and make it impossible to pray properly and experience genuine joy. You should try and avoid even the merest hint of thoughts like this. You should be as carful about it as we are to avoid even the merest speck of chametz on Pesach. Evil thoughts are the leaven in the dough, and the law regarding leaven on Pesach is that we must destroy it completely so that it can neither be seen nor found. Purify your mind and empty it of any thoughts like this (Likutey Moharan 5:4).
מַחֲשָׁבוֹת וְהִרְהוּרִים
[א]. הָעִקָּר לִשְׁמֹר מֹחוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יֶחֱמָץ, שֶׁלֹּא יְהַרְהֵר בְּהִרְהוּרִים רָעִים וּבְתַאֲווֹת שֶׁהֵם סִטְרָא דְּמוֹתָא. וְצָרִיךְ לִגְעֹר בְּאֵלּוּ הַמַּחֲשָׁבוֹת שֶׁהֵם סִטְרִין אַחֲרָנִין וּלְגָרְשָׁם מִדַּעְתּוֹ וּמַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יִתְקָרְבוּ אֵלָיו, כִּי הֵם מְטַמְטְמִין מֹחוֹ וְעַל־יְדֵי זֶה אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְהִתְפַּלֵּל וְאִי אֶפְשָׁר לוֹ לִשְׂמֹחַ. עַל־כֵּן צְרִיכִין לִזָּהֵר בָּהֶם בְּמַשֶּׁהוּ, כִּי הֵם עִקַּר הֶחָמֵץ וְהַשְּׂאוֹר שֶׁבָּעִסָּה שֶׁצְּרִיכִים לְבַעֲרָם בְּבַל יֵרָאֶה וּבְבַל יִמָּצֵא וּלְטַהֵר וּלְפַנּוֹת אֶת הַמֹּחַ מֵהֶם: (לק"א סי' ה' אות ד')
THOUGHTS AND FANTASIES
Make sure that you don’t allow your mind to become chametz — leavened. Don’t dwell on bad thoughts or desires at all. These thoughts are rooted in the side of death. If they come into your mind, just reject them and push them out completely, because ultimately they ruin the mind and make it impossible to pray properly and experience genuine joy. You should try and avoid even the merest hint of thoughts like this. You should be as carful about it as we are to avoid even the merest speck of chametz on Pesach. Evil thoughts are the leaven in the dough, and the law regarding leaven on Pesach is that we must destroy it completely so that it can neither be seen nor found. Purify your mind and empty it of any thoughts like this (Likutey Moharan 5:4).