Part I; Likkutei Amarim, Chapter 7
The whole chapterיבאַךְ הַחַיּוּת שֶׁבְּטִפּוֹת זֶרַע שֶׁיָּצְאוּ מִמֶּנּוּ לְבַטָּלָה, אַף שֶׁיָּרְדָה וְנִכְלְלָה בְּשָׁלשׁ קְלִיפּוֹת הַטְּמֵאוֹת – הֲרֵי זוֹ עוֹלָה מִשָּׁם בִּתְשׁוּבָה נְכוֹנָה, וּבְכַוָּונָה עֲצוּמָה בִּקְרִיאַת־שְׁמַע־שֶׁעַל־הַמִּטָּה, כַּנּוֹדָע מֵהָאֲרִ״י זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה, וּמְרוּמָּז בַּגְּמָרָא: ״כָּל הַקּוֹרֵא קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע עַל מִטָּתוֹ כְּאִלּוּ אוֹחֵז חֶרֶב שֶׁל שְׁתֵּי פִיּוֹת כוּ׳״, לַהֲרוֹג גּוּפוֹת הַחִיצוֹנִים שֶׁנַּעֲשׂוּ לְבוּשׁ לַחַיּוּת שֶׁבַּטִּפּוֹת, וְעוֹלָה הַחַיּוּת מֵהֶם, כַּיָּדוּעַ לְיוֹדְעֵי חֵן.
12Yet the vitality which is in the drops of semen that issue wastefully, even though it has been degraded and incorporated in the three unclean kelipot, nevertheless it can ascend from there by means of true repentance and intense kavanah17 during the recital of the Shema at bedtime, as is known from the Arizal18 and is implied in the Talmudic saying, “He who recites the Shema at bedtime is as if he held a double-edged sword…,”19 wherewith to slay the bodies of the extraneous forces that have become garments for the vitality which is in the drops [of semen], so that this vitality may ascend, as is known to the students of Kabbalah.
יגוְלָכֵן לֹא הוּזְכַּר עֲוֹן זֶרַע לְבַטָּלָה בַּתּוֹרָה בִּכְלַל בִּיאוֹת אֲסוּרוֹת, אַף שֶׁחָמוּר מֵהֶן, וְגָדוֹל עֲוֹנוֹ בִּבְחִינַת הַגַּדְלוּת וְרִבּוּי הַטּוּמְאָה וְהַקְּלִיפּוֹת שֶׁמּוֹלִיד וּמַרְבֶּה בִּמְאֹד מְאֹד בְּהוֹצָאַת זֶרַע לְבַטָּלָה, יוֹתֵר מִבִּיאוֹת אֲסוּרוֹת. רַק, שֶׁבְּבִיאוֹת אֲסוּרוֹת מוֹסִיף כֹּחַ וְחַיּוּת בִּקְלִיפָּה טְמֵאָה בְּיוֹתֵר, עַד שֶׁאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְהַעֲלוֹת מִשָּׁם הַחַיּוּת בִּתְשׁוּבָה,
13Therefore the sin of wasteful emission of semen is not mentioned in the Torah among the list of forbidden coitions, although it is even more heinous than they, and this sin is greater because of the enormity and abundance of the uncleanness and of the kelipot which he begets and multiplies to an exceedingly great extent through wasteful emission of semen, even more than through forbidden coitions. Except that in the case of forbidden coitions he contributes strength and vitality to a most unclean kelipah, from which he is powerless to bring up the vitality by means of repentance,
ידהגהה
מִפְּנֵי שֶׁנִּקְלְטָה בִּיסוֹד דְּנוּקְבָא דִקְלִיפָּה הַמְקַבֶּלֶת וְקוֹלֶטֶת הַחַיּוּת מֵהַקְּדוּשָּׁה, מַה שֶּׁאֵין כֵּן בְּזֶרַע לְבַטָּלָה, שֶׁאֵין שָׁם בְּחִינַת נוּקְבָא דִקְלִיפָּה, רַק שֶׁכֹּחוֹתֶיהָ וְחַיְילוֹתֶיהָ מַלְבִּישִׁים לַחַיּוּת שֶׁבַּטִּפּוֹת, כַּיָּדוּﬠַ לְיוֹדְﬠֵי חֵן:
14NOTE: The reason being that this vitality has been absorbed by the “female” element of the kelipah, which receives and absorbs the vitality from the holiness. Not so with wasteful emission of semen, where there is obviously no female element of kelipah, and only its powers and forces provide the garments for the vitality of the [wasteful] semen, as is known to the students of Kabbalah.
טואֶלָּא אִם כֵּן יַעֲשֶׂה תְּשׁוּבָה מֵאַהֲבָה רַבָּה כָּל כָּךְ, עַד שֶׁזְּדוֹנוֹת נַעֲשׂוּ לוֹ כִּזְכֻיּוֹת.
15unless he repents with such great love that his willful wrongs are transformed into merits.
טזוּבָזֶה יוּבַן מַאֲמַר רַבּוֹתֵינוּ־זִכְרוֹנָם־לִבְרָכָה: ״אֵיזֶהוּ מְעֻוָּות שֶׁלֹּא יוּכַל לִתְקוֹן – זֶה שֶׁבָּא עַל הָעֶרְוָה וְהוֹלִיד מַמְזֵר״, שֶׁאָז, גַּם אִם יַעֲשֶׂה תְּשׁוּבָה גְּדוֹלָה כָּל כָּךְ, אִי אֶפְשָׁר לוֹ לְהַעֲלוֹת הַחַיּוּת לִקְדוּשָּׁה, מֵאַחַר שֶׁכְּבָר יָרְדָה לָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה וְנִתְלַבְּשָׁה בְּגוּף בָּשָׂר וָדָם:
16From the above, one may understand the comment of our Sages, “Which is ‘a fault that cannot be rectified?’20—Having incestuous intercourse and giving birth to a bastard.”21 For in such a case, even though the sinner undertakes such great repentance, he cannot cause the [newly created] vitality to ascend to holiness, since it has already descended into this world and has been clothed in a body of flesh and blood.
171 The author continues to expound the doctrine of the kelipot, and his definitions of good and evil, distinguishing an intermediate category.
182 Ch. 1.
193 The quotes are the translator’s. According to Lurianic doctrine all things, including inanimate objects, possess a “soul,” which is the creative and preserving force of the Creator, the thing’s reality. This doctrine was adopted and expounded by the Baal Shem Tov and Rabbi Schneur Zalman. See Likkutei Amarim, Part II, ch. 1 ff.
204 See Addendum, Glossary.
215 Ch. 1.
226 Yoma 76b.
237 Maimonides, Hilchot Shabbat 30:7; Hilchot Yom Tov 6:16. Rabbi Schneur Zalman, Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 242:1; 529:1, 3.
248 Pesachim 117a.
259 The Hebrew term מותר literally means “released.”
2610 Another term for kelipot and sitra achara.
2711 Ch. 8.
2812 This paragraph is added according to Luach HaTikkun (below, p. 781).
2913 Zechariah 13:2.
3014 Berachot 34b.
3115 Rosh Hashanah 29a.
3216 This religious experience is unknown to the perfect tzaddik, who never sinned and consequently has never experienced the remorse and yearning of a repentant soul. This does not mean, however, that the tzaddik cannot experience my kind of teshuvah, for in a broader and truer sense (and as the Hebrew term indicates) it means “return” to the Source, which is of infinite scope. (Cf. Likkutei Torah, beg. Haazinu.)
3317 “Intention,” i.e., concentration and devotion in prayer, study, or the performance of a ritual precept. Cf. below, chs. 38, 40, and 41, for an elaboration of the term.
3418 See above, ch. 2, note 9.
3519 Berachot 5a.
3620 Ecclesiastes 1:15.
3721 Chagigah 9a.
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