Teachings of the Baal Shem Tov, related in the name of his successor, The Saintly Rabbi DovBer, The Holy Maggid of Mezeritch
2
בשעת הזיווג צריך להיות אין. וזהו רבה גרש זבובים שאפילו כזבוב לא החשיב א"ע.
At the time of marital relations, your I-אני must be nothing-אין. This is the meaning of the statement,178Talmud Bavli, Nidah 17a “Abaye drove away flies,” meaning that during relations, he did not think of himself to even be like a fly.
3
[יחשוב שהוא רק ככלי כמו אומן שמכה בפטיש על האבן בחשקו ולאו היא תאות הפטיש שיכה על האבן דאם כן נפרד הוא מהאומן כך הוא כמו שמשפיע קדימת השכל בכלים.
Consider yourself as an instrument in the hand of HaShem. For example, the craftsman strikes the hammer on the rock according to his desire. The hammer itself has no desire to strike the stone, for if it did, it would be acting separately from the craftsman, which it cannot do. So also, our limbs only act according to the influence of the intellect, which originates the action.
4
כך הוא יעשה וכל אבריו הם רק כלים שהוא צריך לאכול ואי אפשר כי אם על ידי אבריו ולא יאכל לשם תאותו ולא יאהב שום דבר רק ה' ומצוותיו.
This being the case, consider all your limbs and organs to be instruments in the service of HaShem, blessed is He. For example, to serve HaShem you need to eat, which is only possible through the medium of the organs of your digestive system. However, eat to serve HaShem with a healthy body, rather than to satisfy your lust. Instead, love nothing but HaShem, blessed is He, and His mitzvot, and all your actions will be for His sake only.
5
וכך צריך הזיווג לקיום הדור ואי אפשר כי אם על ידי זיווג זכר ונקבה. ועכשיו שהוא והיא רק ככלים לא יזווג לשם תאותו ולא יאהב שום דבר רק ה' ומצותיו. ויאהוב את אשתו כמו שאוהב את התפילין בלבד רק שהם מצות ד'.
The same is true of marital relations, which are necessary to fulfill the mitzvah of establishing the next generation. This is only possible through relations between male and female. However, since both you and your wife are instruments in the hands of HaShem, the marital relations should be for the love of HaShem and His mitzvot, blessed is He, rather than to fulfill lust. Therefore, your love of your wife should be like your love of your Tefillin, through which you bind your heart and mind to HaShem. That is, bonding to your wife during marital relations is compared to binding the Tefillin to your arm and head, thereby bonding your heart and mind to HaShem, blessed is He, and both are His mitzvot.
6
ולא יהרהר אחרי' כי הוא רק כמשל אחד נוסע ליום השוק וא"א ליסע רק עם הסוס וכי בשביל זה יאהב את הסוס יש שטות גדול מזה כך בעוה"ז צריך לאדם אשה בשביל עבודת הבורא לזכות לעוה"ב ואם יניח עסקיו ויהרהר אחרי' יש שטות גדול מזה וימאס אותה.
Therefore, do not have lustful thoughts about your wife. To what can this be compared? To a person who needs to travel to the market and his only transportation is his horse. Is it fitting that he should therefore love his horse? Is there any greater foolishness than this? In the same manner, as long as a person is in this world, he requires a wife to fully serve His Creator and merit the world to come. If he places the primary matter, of serving His Creator, aside, and instead engages in lustful thoughts about his wife, is there any greater folly than this? He should be embarrassed and disgusted for thinking of her in such a way, for certainly, his wife is no less holy to him than his Tefillin.
7
כי אם רואה אשה נאה יחשוב הלא הלובן הוא מזרע האב והאודם הוא מזרע האם דם עכור שהם סרוחים ומאוסים ואם יניח' אצל המאכל ימאס המאכל.
Likewise, if you inadvertently see a beautiful woman, contemplate to yourself, “All I see of her is her physical body. However, is it not the case that the whiteness of her flesh comes from the whiteness of the seed of her father and that the redness of her flesh is from the seed of her mother? If so, physically, she is nothing more than repugnant and repulsive blood and flesh!
8
רק הנאות שזרע האב נמשך מאבא עילאה עולם האהבה וזרע האם נמשך מאימא עילאה עולם היראה וזה היופי שלה מוטב לדבק באהבת ויראת הבורא ב"ה.
In reality, her beauty comes from the seed of the “father,” which refers to HaShem’s Supernal Wisdom that is called the “Upper Father-Abba,” and from the seed of the “mother,” which refers to HaShem’s Supernal Understanding that is called the “Upper Mother-Imma-mother.” This is her true beauty. This being so, better to adhere to HaShem, the Creator, blessed is He, and to love and fear Him only.”
9
וכשנמאס בעיניו העבירה ההיא נמאסים בעיניו כל העבירות כי מכחה נוצר אדם והאדם יש בו שס"ה גידים מרומזי' על שס"ה מצות ל"ת ונתבטלו כל השס"ה ל"ת.
When sexual lust will become repulsive to you, all sin will become repulsive to you. The reason is because man is formed through the power of marital relations and he possesses 365-שס״ה sinews, corresponding to the 365-שס״ה prohibitions. Thus, if you negate and are repulsed by the primary source from which they all were formed, you negate and are repulsed by all 365-שס״ה prohibitions.
10
וגם ריב"ש ע"ה אמר מפני מה יש לעבירה הזו תאוה גדולה כי מכחה נולד אדם. והאדם יש לו תענוג מסתמא מאכילתו ושאר דבריו. וכל התענוגים הם מטיפה ההוא א"כ הוא דבוק הכל לקטנות ומוטב שידבק א"ע בהקב"ה:
Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem, peace be upon him, also said: Why is sexual lust so powerful? Because it is through its power that you were conceived! More so, all the pleasure you have from eating, drinking and other matters, originated in the drop of semen from which you were born, and it is because of this, that you connect to everything in a diminished state of awareness-Katnut. Better to bond to the Holy One, blessed is He.
בשם הרב מ"מ דק"ק מעזריטש:
Teachings of the Baal Shem Tov, related in the name of his successor, The Saintly Rabbi DovBer, The Holy Maggid of Mezeritch
בשעת הזיווג צריך להיות אין. וזהו רבה גרש זבובים שאפילו כזבוב לא החשיב א"ע.
At the time of marital relations, your I-אני must be nothing-אין. This is the meaning of the statement,178Talmud Bavli, Nidah 17a “Abaye drove away flies,” meaning that during relations, he did not think of himself to even be like a fly.
[יחשוב שהוא רק ככלי כמו אומן שמכה בפטיש על האבן בחשקו ולאו היא תאות הפטיש שיכה על האבן דאם כן נפרד הוא מהאומן כך הוא כמו שמשפיע קדימת השכל בכלים.
Consider yourself as an instrument in the hand of HaShem. For example, the craftsman strikes the hammer on the rock according to his desire. The hammer itself has no desire to strike the stone, for if it did, it would be acting separately from the craftsman, which it cannot do. So also, our limbs only act according to the influence of the intellect, which originates the action.
כך הוא יעשה וכל אבריו הם רק כלים שהוא צריך לאכול ואי אפשר כי אם על ידי אבריו ולא יאכל לשם תאותו ולא יאהב שום דבר רק ה' ומצוותיו.
This being the case, consider all your limbs and organs to be instruments in the service of HaShem, blessed is He. For example, to serve HaShem you need to eat, which is only possible through the medium of the organs of your digestive system. However, eat to serve HaShem with a healthy body, rather than to satisfy your lust. Instead, love nothing but HaShem, blessed is He, and His mitzvot, and all your actions will be for His sake only.
וכך צריך הזיווג לקיום הדור ואי אפשר כי אם על ידי זיווג זכר ונקבה. ועכשיו שהוא והיא רק ככלים לא יזווג לשם תאותו ולא יאהב שום דבר רק ה' ומצותיו. ויאהוב את אשתו כמו שאוהב את התפילין בלבד רק שהם מצות ד'.
The same is true of marital relations, which are necessary to fulfill the mitzvah of establishing the next generation. This is only possible through relations between male and female. However, since both you and your wife are instruments in the hands of HaShem, the marital relations should be for the love of HaShem and His mitzvot, blessed is He, rather than to fulfill lust. Therefore, your love of your wife should be like your love of your Tefillin, through which you bind your heart and mind to HaShem. That is, bonding to your wife during marital relations is compared to binding the Tefillin to your arm and head, thereby bonding your heart and mind to HaShem, blessed is He, and both are His mitzvot.
ולא יהרהר אחרי' כי הוא רק כמשל אחד נוסע ליום השוק וא"א ליסע רק עם הסוס וכי בשביל זה יאהב את הסוס יש שטות גדול מזה כך בעוה"ז צריך לאדם אשה בשביל עבודת הבורא לזכות לעוה"ב ואם יניח עסקיו ויהרהר אחרי' יש שטות גדול מזה וימאס אותה.
Therefore, do not have lustful thoughts about your wife. To what can this be compared? To a person who needs to travel to the market and his only transportation is his horse. Is it fitting that he should therefore love his horse? Is there any greater foolishness than this? In the same manner, as long as a person is in this world, he requires a wife to fully serve His Creator and merit the world to come. If he places the primary matter, of serving His Creator, aside, and instead engages in lustful thoughts about his wife, is there any greater folly than this? He should be embarrassed and disgusted for thinking of her in such a way, for certainly, his wife is no less holy to him than his Tefillin.
כי אם רואה אשה נאה יחשוב הלא הלובן הוא מזרע האב והאודם הוא מזרע האם דם עכור שהם סרוחים ומאוסים ואם יניח' אצל המאכל ימאס המאכל.
Likewise, if you inadvertently see a beautiful woman, contemplate to yourself, “All I see of her is her physical body. However, is it not the case that the whiteness of her flesh comes from the whiteness of the seed of her father and that the redness of her flesh is from the seed of her mother? If so, physically, she is nothing more than repugnant and repulsive blood and flesh!
רק הנאות שזרע האב נמשך מאבא עילאה עולם האהבה וזרע האם נמשך מאימא עילאה עולם היראה וזה היופי שלה מוטב לדבק באהבת ויראת הבורא ב"ה.
In reality, her beauty comes from the seed of the “father,” which refers to HaShem’s Supernal Wisdom that is called the “Upper Father-Abba,” and from the seed of the “mother,” which refers to HaShem’s Supernal Understanding that is called the “Upper Mother-Imma-mother.” This is her true beauty. This being so, better to adhere to HaShem, the Creator, blessed is He, and to love and fear Him only.”
וכשנמאס בעיניו העבירה ההיא נמאסים בעיניו כל העבירות כי מכחה נוצר אדם והאדם יש בו שס"ה גידים מרומזי' על שס"ה מצות ל"ת ונתבטלו כל השס"ה ל"ת.
When sexual lust will become repulsive to you, all sin will become repulsive to you. The reason is because man is formed through the power of marital relations and he possesses 365-שס״ה sinews, corresponding to the 365-שס״ה prohibitions. Thus, if you negate and are repulsed by the primary source from which they all were formed, you negate and are repulsed by all 365-שס״ה prohibitions.
וגם ריב"ש ע"ה אמר מפני מה יש לעבירה הזו תאוה גדולה כי מכחה נולד אדם. והאדם יש לו תענוג מסתמא מאכילתו ושאר דבריו. וכל התענוגים הם מטיפה ההוא א"כ הוא דבוק הכל לקטנות ומוטב שידבק א"ע בהקב"ה:
Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem, peace be upon him, also said: Why is sexual lust so powerful? Because it is through its power that you were conceived! More so, all the pleasure you have from eating, drinking and other matters, originated in the drop of semen from which you were born, and it is because of this, that you connect to everything in a diminished state of awareness-Katnut. Better to bond to the Holy One, blessed is He.