Daily learning

ואַךְ מִי שֶׁהוּא בְּזוֹלְלֵי בָּשָׂר וְסוֹבְאֵי יַיִן, לְמַלֹּאת תַּאֲוַת גּוּפוֹ וְנַפְשׁוֹ הַבַּהֲמִית, שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת יְסוֹד הַמַּיִם מֵאַרְבַּע יְסוֹדוֹת הָרָעִים שֶׁבָּהּ שֶׁמִּמֶּנּוּ מִדַּת הַתַּאֲוָה, הִנֵּה עַל יְדֵי זֶה יוֹרֵד חַיּוּת הַבָּשָׂר וְהַיַּיִן שֶׁבְּקִרְבּוֹ, וְנִכְלָל לְפִי שָׁעָה בְּרַע גָּמוּר שֶׁבְּשָׁלֹשׁ קְלִיפּוֹת הַטְּמֵאוֹת, וְגוּפוֹ נַעֲשֶׂה לָהֶן לְבוּשׁ וּמֶרְכָּבָה לְפִי שָׁעָה. עַד אֲשֶׁר יָשׁוּב הָאָדָם וְיַחֲזוֹר לַעֲבוֹדַת ה׳ וּלְתוֹרָתוֹ, כִּי לְפִי שֶׁהָיָה בְּשַׂר הֶיתֵּר וְיַיִן כָּשֵׁר, לְכָךְ יְכוֹלִים לַחֲזוֹר וְלַעֲלוֹת עִמּוֹ בְּשׁוּבוֹ לַעֲבוֹדַת ה׳, שֶׁזֶּהוּ לְשׁוֹן ״הֶיתֵּר״ וּ״מוּתָּר״, כְּלוֹמַר שֶׁאֵינוֹ קָשׁוּר וְאָסוּר בִּידֵי הַחִיצוֹנִים שֶׁלֹּא יוּכַל לַחֲזוֹר וְלַעֲלוֹת לַה׳.

6On the other hand, he who belongs to those who gluttonously guzzle meat and quaff wine in order to satisfy their bodily appetites and animal nature, derived from the so-called element of water of the four evil elements contained therein, from which comes the vice of lust—in such case the energy of the meat and wine consumed by him is degraded and absorbed temporarily in the utter evil of the three unclean kelipot, and his body temporarily becomes a garment and vehicle for them, until the person repents and returns to the service of G–d and His Torah. For, inasmuch as the meat and wine were kosher, they have the power to revert and ascend with him when he returns to the service of G–d. This is implied in the terms “permissibility” and “permitted” (muttar),⁹ that is to say, that which is not tied and bound by the power of the “extraneous forces”¹⁰ preventing it from returning and ascending to G–d.

זרַק שֶׁהָרְשִׁימוּ מִמֶּנּוּ נִשְׁאָר בַּגּוּף, וְעַל כֵּן צָרִיךְ הַגּוּף לְחִיבּוּט הַקֶּבֶר, כְּמוֹ שֶׁיִּתְבָּאֵר לְקַמָּן.

7Nevertheless, a trace [of the evil] remains in the body. Therefore the body must undergo the Purgatory of the grave, as will be explained later.¹¹

חוְכֵן הַחַיּוּת שֶׁבְּטִפּוֹת זֶרַע שֶׁיָּצְאוּ מִמֶּנּוּ בְּתַאֲוָה בַּהֲמִית, שֶׁלֹּא קִדֵּשׁ עַצְמוֹ בִּשְׁעַת תַּשְׁמִישׁ עִם אִשְׁתּוֹ טְהוֹרָה.

8So, too, with regard to the vitality of the drops of semen emitted from the body with animal lust, by him who has not conducted himself in a saintly manner during intimacy with his wife in her state of purity.¹²

טמַה שֶּׁאֵין כֵּן בְּמַאֲכָלוֹת אֲסוּרוֹת וּבִיאוֹת אֲסוּרוֹת, שֶׁהֵן מִשָּׁלשׁ קְּלִיפּוֹת הַטְּמֵאוֹת לְגַמְרֵי – הֵם אֲסוּרִים וּקְשׁוּרִים בִּידֵי הַחִיצוֹנִים לְעוֹלָם, וְאֵין עוֹלִים מִשָּׁם עַד כִּי יָבֹא יוֹמָם וִיבוּלַּע הַמָּוֶת לָנֶצַח, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: ״וְאֶת רוּחַ הַטּוּמְאָה אַעֲבִיר מִן הָאָרֶץ״; אוֹ, עַד שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה תְּשׁוּבָה גְּדוֹלָה כָּל כָּךְ שֶׁזְּדוֹנוֹת נַעֲשׂוּ לוֹ כִּזְכֻיּוֹת מַמָּשׁ, שֶׁהִיא תְּשׁוּבָה מֵאַהֲבָה מֵעוּמְקָא דְלִבָּא בְּאַהֲבָה רַבָּה וַחֲשִׁיקָה וְנֶפֶשׁ שׁוֹקֵקָה לְדָבְקָה בּוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ, וְצָמְאָה נַפְשׁוֹ לַה׳ כְּאֶרֶץ עֲיֵפָה וְצִיָּה, לִהְיוֹת כִּי עַד הֵנָּה הָיְתָה נַפְשׁוֹ בְּאֶרֶץ צִיָּה וְצַלְמָוֶת, הִיא הַסִּטְרָא אָחֳרָא, וּרְחוֹקָה מֵאוֹר פְּנֵי ה׳ בְּתַכְלִית, וְלָזֹאת צָמְאָה נַפְשׁוֹ בְּיֶתֶר עֹז מִצִּמְאוֹן נַפְשׁוֹת הַצַּדִּיקִים, כְּמַאֲמָרָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה: ״בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁבַּעֲלֵי תְשׁוּבָה עוֹמְדִים כוּ׳״.

9Such is not the case, however, with forbidden foods and coition, which derive from the three kelipot that are entirely unclean. These are tied and bound by the extraneous forces forever and are not released until the day comes when death will be swallowed up forever, as is written, “And I will cause the unclean spirit to pass from the land,”¹³ or until the sinner repents to such an extent that his premeditated sins become transmuted into veritable merits, which is achieved through “repentance out of love,” coming from the depths of the heart, with great love and fervor, and from a soul passionately desiring to cleave to G–d, blessed be He, and thirsting for G–d like a parched desert soil. For inasmuch as his soul had been in a barren wilderness, and in the shadow of death, which is the sitra achara, and infinitely removed from the light of the Divine Countenance, his soul now thirsts [for G–d] even more than the souls of the righteous, as our Sages say, “In the place where penitents stand, not even the perfectly righteous can stand.”¹⁴

יוְעַל תְּשׁוּבָה מֵאַהֲבָה רַבָּה זוֹ אָמְרוּ שֶׁ״זְּדוֹנוֹת נַעֲשׂוּ לוֹ כִּזְכֻיּוֹת״, הוֹאִיל וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה בָּא לְאַהֲבָה רַבָּה זוֹ.

10It is concerning the repentance out of such great love that they have said, “The penitent’s premeditated sins become, in his case, like virtues,”¹⁵ since thereby he has attained to this great love.¹⁶

יאאֲבָל תְּשׁוּבָה שֶׁלֹּא מֵאַהֲבָה זוֹ, אַף שֶׁהִיא תְּשׁוּבָה נְכוֹנָה, וַה׳ יִסְלַח לוֹ, מִכָּל מָקוֹם לֹא נַעֲשׂוּ לוֹ כִּזְכֻיּוֹת, וְאֵין עוֹלִים מֵהַקְּלִיפָּה לְגַמְרֵי עַד עֵת קֵץ, שֶׁיְּבוּלַּע הַמָּוֶת לָנֶצַח.

11However, repentance that does not come from such love, even though it be true repentance and G–d will pardon him, nevertheless his sins are not transformed into merits and they are not completely released from the kelipah until the end of time, when death will be swallowed up forever.

Kehot Publication Society (English Translation)