Absolute Mekor to Sexual Addictions From R Tzadok (Zohar)
« Reply #1 on: January 02, 2010, 08:31:24 PM »
I'm sorry for the inaccuracies in giving this over, but I had to translate everything (I don't have hebrew lettering on my keyboard)
R Tzadok in his sefer Pri tzedek, vayechi, 4.
We say every shabbos, in pesukai desimra "hodu Lashem....Ki leolam chasdo". Within that kepitel of tehilim we say "leosei niflaot...", and subsequently go-on to mention brias haolam and yetzias mitzrayim, and finally kriyat yam suf. The question begs to be asked, how are these 3 an expression of "Leosei Niflaos"? I'll leave you to guess about brias haolam. But yetzias mitzrayim was a "peleh" of a geulah. In-that all other geolas, still left of with a stain of their respective gauls. As the gemara (megilah 14a) says, "we are still subjugated to achashveirosh", in that what his galus repsented still scars klal Yisrael today. However when we left mitzrayim, hashem said "Lo Tosifu lirotam oid", not just their physical decaying bodies, but everything they represented and embodied. And not only will we not see it in them, but we will not see it in ourselves, in our actions, and natural inclinations. This great rebirth happened at Kriyas Yam Suf, ad it was only at that great moment that we became freed. As we say every day in davening "Shira Chadasha shibchu geulim ... and when... Al Sfat hayam!"
The sefer ?Matnas kehuna? (mem,tuf"chaf) says that just as the geula of mitzrayim, and likewise the geulah HaAsidah was a 'peleh', so too parnasah is a 'peleh'. In exactly what aspect do we find the comparison?
The obligation/curse for man to seek a livelihood, stems from the cheit of the Eitz hadaas. And says r tzadok, the nature of that cheit was not merely in food, but in all areas of lust. When we derive pleasure from something, intended to be a keli for kedush vetahara, and we solely lust after it. If we where to eat, merely for the nourishment that our bodies require, for the performance of torah and mitzvot, even if that where our only 'holy' intention, we would be attaining new spiritual levels with every bite! {see kuntres Eit haochel - after vayachi} But when we desire food, "ki tov haeitz lemaachal, Vchi taavah Hu LaEinayim, Vnechmad haEitz Lehaskil" we are fortifying the 'zuhama' instilled within us by the nachash. When man makes a 'kosher' livelihood, and when he spends his money in a 'kosher' way, he is perfecting himself in this area. He is rectifying the pegam that was instilled into mankind by the nachash!
And being that the pegam hanachash is not only in food/money, but in all areas of tayvah, for the sake of lust (R Tzadok somewhere in vayechi), it also applies to sexual addictions. Shabbos is a prime time to rectify ourselves in this area in regard to both food and sexual desires. i didn't make-up this correlation, r tzadok crings it from a zohar chadash in this parsha. by rectifying one's lust for food, he also rectifies his pegam habrit.
We all know this well, but why not say davar beshaim omro? The zohar in noach (219,2) says that everything can be rectified with teshuva, except for this (bar Miha). Ay but ain davar omeid bifnei hatshuva??? So R tzadok bring another zohar (noach 73, 2) "if you do it once it leaves a mark, when you repeat it [SA] it strengthens it's mark, when you do it a 3rd time the stain spreads form one side to the other, as it says "nechtam Avonecha". Pretty scary, huh? Since the pasuk the zohar bases "addiction" on, implies that it cannot be undone. So r tzadok is medayeik in the pasuk. {sorry I don't know the source, check in a better printing} "ki im tiochabseini bineter vitarbi lach borit nechtam avonecha lifunai" if we try to 'clean' this stain, not only will we be unsuccessful, but the addiction/aveira will be permanently lifnei hashem!!! Since "Sheain moil hatshuva mitzad ha'adam livado rak tzarich levakeish mahashem yitborach shehu yitharenu" And if we use that approach, then "Ubikeish Tichabseini Umisheleg albin" !
If merely breaking free of our destructive addiction where not enough, R tzadok makes a beautiful diyuk in the lashon used by the pasuk to define our tshuva, "misheleg albin". If i am not misstaken, in the levels of tzara'as the whitest of them is 'sheleg'. When hashem tells us of the level we cain attain by putting ourselves in his hands, he says we will be 'whiter than snow', whiter than the purest of whites. This level, says r tzadok, is the Sha'ar HaNun of Bina that even moshe rabeinu couldn't reach. Because in order to attain it one must do teshuva meAhava. He must be 'a light emerging from the darkness'. As r Tzadok frequently quotes the zohar "leis nehora Ela DiAsi migo Chashucha" The Greatest light is that which emerges from a place od desolation/darkness. Klal Yisrael thus HAD to emerge from the choshech of mitzraim, and they HAD to reach the 49th level of tumah, because only through this could they attain their lofty status.
When we reach this level of kedusha, and teshiuva meahava, even our aveiros will count for zechoyos! We will be greater than what we otherwise would have been had we not ever viewed pornography. The sefarim hakedoshim say that if someone has a pull and urge for a specific area of rah (evil), that urge is only a veil of a great wellspring of tov. They learn this from tzara'as habayis. When hakadosh baruch hu effected the stones that concealed hidden treasures built into the walls of the house. It couldn't have been any brick, NO! Because hashem gave us a yetzer hara to make us greater. WE have been given bechira, for the purpose of choosing the correct thing, and in doing so overcoming our inclination for everything wrong. So too the nigai Batim where also the opportunity to uncover a treasure, within in that case was of gold.
Our addictions put us in the opportunity to finally correct, and set strait the pegam habrit. and in doing so, the pegam hanachash (which essentially goes on all lusts). The irst 4 weeks of shovavim provide us the opportunity to rectify ourselves, untill we are worthy of kabalas Hatorah (parshas yisro). After which we are capable of accepting the mishpatim of parshas Mishpatim. Oh and if you haven't yet caught on, the weekly parsha effects that weeks spiritual areas. So not only do we discuss that weeks topics, but we live them.
A guttah voch, and a Gutta kosher SHOVAVIM!!!
[Whomever is capable of learning r tzadok is advised to learn it. I had to 'cut-out' all the references to kabalah when posting. but the full vort is actually very powerful.]
:-[
