Questions and Answers #3

Here are some of the questions that were sent to us, and the answers sent back.
If you have a question that you would like answered please click here.

Q     Is there any other Mitzvot that can help me out in Shmiras Habris?

A    There are three things that are called an "Os" (sign declaring that he is a Jew). These are Os Bris Kodesh (shmiras habris), Shabbos and Tifillen. In the last e mail you wrote that you are working on Shabbos, this is very good. Also try to work on Tifillen. It is very easy, just put them on for 5- 10 min in the morning and read over the Sehma. Just be very careful that you have a Kosher pair of Tefilin, it should be checked by a reliable Sofer.

Q     I just started going to a certain mystic who gives me guidance based on my past reincarnations.

A     Many people when they were younger ran around from one mystic to the next. In the end most of the information you get from them is distracting. The only way to really get anywhere is to focus and work hard again and again until you break through. Although when a person is younger such things can give him a very large drive, they can many times mislead him. This is especially true if he goes to mystics who gain their powers from the Sitra Acher.

Q     I was Pogem Habris and now my life is in shatters, am I doomed for life?

A     Depending on how long and how bad a person was pogem will be the amount of time it takes the damage to clear up after he stops. You are still young if you stop now and do basic Tikunim such as Mikvah, Torah and Tikun Klaili the damage will go away.

I am limited on time so I can not write the full list of methods a person can use to remove impure thoughts but the basic method is to simply ignore them and think about anything else. This is very hard when one starts but then it starts becoming very easy if a person continues doing so and does not give up.

Q      I was in the shower by the Mikvah and I felt as if I was being attacked by demons.

A     What is happening is very simple. When a person first starts doing Teshuvah he encounters a lot of opposition. Those people that are weak turn back. If a person is smart he just sticks it out and the opposition becomes less and less as times go on.

Does not worry at all, keep on going to the Mikvah. If one day they throw you off just laugh and continue the next day from fresh. This is not something unique that is happening to you, this is a stage that every Bal Teshuvah goes through.

Q    I try very hard to be Shomer Habris but I still see keri (nocturnal emissions).

A    Tumat Keri is one of the most unfair elements of creation. It makes sense that a person who defiles himself during the day by looking at impure images and having impure thoughts should be defiled at night. However there are people who try their hardest to guard their minds and go through great lengths to avoid looking at impure objects, these people also try many of the Segulot and all this does not work. At night they are still defiled by the Lilim Y"S.

The reason for this is one of two things. The most common is that a person has not completely rectified his previous sins. It may even be that a person was Shomer Habris for a number of years already; nevertheless he did not finish the Tikunim to rectify his previous actions. The Second is less common but sometimes due to the process of Gilgulim a person is born with an opening in this are due to actions in previous reincarnations. This gives the Lilim a stronger hold over him then most people.

For a person in this situation this can be extremely frustrating. A person feels as if all his Tikunim and all his Avodah is going to waste. He can practically swear that he had done nothing to cause the Keri yet the Klipot steal his energy time after time leaving him completely wasted.

This is one of the hardest tests that a person has to go through in Avodas Hashem. Rebbe Ahron Rateh writes in Tharas Hakodesh that many many people fell back down only because of this reason. It is a very unfair battle with almost no way to fight back. Infact it seems to the person that the harder he tries to be Shomer Habris the more they defile him with Keri. A person can sometimes even finish a huge Tikkun and that very night they will simply laugh at him and defile him with Keri.

There is not much that can be done to immediately stop this. In Taharas Hakodesh it lists a lot of Segulot that we did not get a chance to post on the site yet. However most simply will not work for who has energy to say all the prayers and Pesukim with kavanah every night and even when a person does they can always wake him up in the night and then it starts all over again.

There is only one solution and that is to win over time. To not let it affect you at all and keep on doing Tikunim and being Shomer Habris and over time you will win. The best solution is when a person sees keri and he knows that he has not caused it then he should ignore it. It is very hard to ignore since they did just suck you dry of energy, nevertheless there are still levels of this that a person can do. There are no doubt times that this will knock a person down and ruin his Avodah the next day. However on a general basis a person should start getting used to not letting this knock him down.

When a person sees Keri and he knows he did not cause it he should do the following. Firstly he should not worry at all since Hashem does run the world in justice and even though it seems unfair now in the end if he continues moving he will win and he will get all his energy back. Second of all when a person did not purposely fantasize during the day the Klipot that were created are not so damaging. It is for sure many times less damaging then Zera Lvatalah which causes much higher levels of damage. (This is obvious from the Kabbalh sefarim that bring down the technical information of which Shamos and Alomes receive damage from these sins. The damage caused from such Keri is many times less then caused by Z”L. Also on a simple level when a person is sleeping the higher parts of his soul are not even in the body when the Keri occurs and therefore sustain much less damage. Also what ever attributes a person uses to sin become defiled. A person that is heaven forbid Motze Zera Lvatalah defiles his conscious mind as well as many other attributes these are not relevant by Keri.)

A person should then go to the Mikvah and say Tikun Klali, after this he does not have to worry at all if it was not his fault then he will not held responsible. In time he will receive his Tikun and get all his energy back.

If a person has more energy he should do some more tikunim that day. Here is a partial list.

Say another 8 chapters of Tehilim so with the Tikun haklali it will be 18 Chi

Give 18 (Chi) coins to Tzedakah

Say Tikun Hayesod from the Ben Ish Chi.

Learn Chi Chapters of Mishnah.

Say Rebbe Nasans prayer for the Tikkun Haklali

If a person can not do all this he should not worry, if he said Tikkun Haklali and went to the Mikvah then he is in good shape. As a person gets stronger he will feel that he is actually pulling the sparks out of the Klipah.

Remember it is a long term game with many ups and downs but if a person is persistent he is guaranteed to win. Remember the bigger a person is the harder the Sitra Acher tries fighting him. Be strong and fight back.

Rebbe Nachman gives a story of a merchant who owned a store. One night the store was broken in to and all his merchandise was stolen. The merchant quickly got his act together and, taking money from his savings he restocked the store. However the robbers broke in again and once again wiped him clean. Not giving up the merchant borrowed money from family and friend once again restocking the store. However the robbers returned time after time until he literally had nothing left.

The Merchant sold his last belongings, using the money to buy some cheap objects, these he placed in a sack and wondered from town to town, door to door trying to make enough money just for food. One day the merchant was on the path when he was once again held up by the robbers, they stole everything leaving him just in his underclothes. This time the merchant was real ready to give up. However he told himself “let me try just a little more, I will drag myself to the end of the path and see what happens.” He did this and to his surprise he saw the robbers lying dead on the ground, having been trampled by their own horse. The merchant quickly searched their luggage and found all the money that was ever stolen from him as and many times that amount as well.

The parable is quite obvious. If you keep on getting back up and trying you will win and not only will you get all your own energy back you will also get the energy of all the other people around you who did not try.

Q      Nothing is going right in my life and I am having a very hard time with my boss and I can not seem to find a wife.

A     In the world of Midas Hadin a Bal Teshuvah can have a very rough time for when he sins he causes much damage to his soul and the spiritual worlds. This tends to cause him much anguish and suffering later on. In order for things to get better he must do many very harsh Tikunim to fix the damage. These involve much Fasting and Segufim. There are not many people that can handle this nowadays.

There are however two things that can help and even if a person deserves to be punished greatly it will be over looked. These are prayer and Tzdakah.

When a person prayers there are times when he is answered right away, there are also times when he has to pray over and over again, forcing himself to pray even when he feels that he is being completely ignored. The rule with prayer is that it works; only sometimes they tell you wait. Any person that does not give up and continues praying time after time will get what he was praying for.

The second thing is Tzdaka. A person is never guaranteed results but it has helped out many people in the past. A person should just make sure that it is going to the right place...

For a family that has almost no money for food
Preferably a Talmid Chacham
Poor people of Eretz Yisroel
Matan Biseser... and all the other conditions of Chazal

Q      I work very hard to be Shomer Habris but I still experiounce Keri (nocturnal emission) while I am sleeping. If I am seeing Keri anyway why should I be Shomer habris?

A      Keri does take away a lot of energy but much less then Zera Lvatalah. If a person tries his hardest to guard his thoughts, speech and actions and then he sees Keri against his will, he should simply go to the Mikvah say Tikun Klali and he has nothing to worry about. Also the Kabbalah teaches that the damage caused by Keri is much less then if done consciously.

Q     What about a person that wants to do an operation to change himself into a women?

A      Regarding the second case you are probably right that they have the soul of a woman in the body of a man however it is prohibited for them to do the operation. It is their Tikun to control their desires, they must do this to rectify the horrible sins they probably committed in past Gilgulim. If they attach themselves to holiness almost all their desires and temptations will go away and they too can lead very happy lives.

Q     A person that committed the sin of Mishkav Zachor (sinning with other men) and does not do repent, what is he reincarnated as?

A     The Kabbalah teaches that he will be reincarnated as a rabbit, which is a very sever punishment with a lot of suffering. In Minchat Yehudah, Rabbi Fatayah writes over a number of conversations he had with the spirits of such people and they describe their punishment in length.

Q    A person that was born with desires for other men, why should he get punished for sinning, since there is nothing that he can do about it?

A     If the Torah says that it is possible to avoid such actions then it is possible. There are many unmarried men that are perfectly Shomer Habris. When a person impurifies himself it is hard to imagine but as he does Tikunim it becomes easy. Most people that have these problems it is due to sins done in past reincarnations or they are they are possessed by the spirit of a women or a wicked person.

Q      What if a person does not know that it is wrong to sin, what happens?

A       A person who sins and is not knowledgeable, still causes the damage. However since there are elements of his consciousness that he is not activating to sin these do not become flawed. In addition everyone deep down in their soul knows and feels that these acts are wrong. There are stories of many people who got punished for such “ignorant actions” however if in Heaven they can testify that he did so in pure innocence then they generally have mercy and greatly decrease his punishment. However he is definitely going to have to come back in a reincarnation to fix his actions.

In general it is also the fault of the people who know, for not spreading the information. Our group tries very hard to spread these issues.

Q     I was listening to a Torah tape and I fell asleep. While I was sleeping I had many impure dreams and the Klipot almost defied me but I woke up just in time. This contradicts what the sages say that studying Torah will protect a person.

A      This is an old issue that we see in all Midrashim, like by Dovid that a person can not die while studying Torah, yet we see that this does happen. The answer is that when a Tzadik studies torah he is fully bound to it all parts of his soul they therefore have no opening. When a regular person studies it definitely helps but only a small part of him is bound to it. Proof is that even when a person is studying there are many other thoughts streaming through his head. In addition most other times you would not have woken up in time.

Q       I try to be Shomer Habris but sometimes I stumble.

A     The only way it is possible to fight ones desires and thoughts constantly is if a person is attached to the side of Kedusha. To just get rid of Klipot never works one must replace them with holiness.

I have seen most paths that can lead a person to Holiness; the most effective one for today’s age is the path of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov. If a person starts following his advice many of his desires and bad traits leave him. It completely changes his life around; even a person in the worst Klipot will get his Tikun.

Here is what I suggest

Start reading the books of Rebbe Nachman, there are many that are being published in English. Also try the books of Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan.

Q      How come I never saw the teachings of Shmiras Habris spoken about by my local Rabbis and Yeshivas?

A      These things are taught in many groups but not in the watered down Western Judaism. In Eretz Yisroel and in many other communities that are not run by the Erev Rav this topic is spoken about all the time and children are warned about it from an early age.

Q       In today’s age there are many people that sin for years and do not even know that what they are doing is wrong. Why should they get punished?

A     Chazal teach that after a person has committed a sin twice it becomes permissible in his eyes. This means that everyone when they first start sinning knows and feels that they are doing something wrong, however they soon loose this feeling. After this one sin leads to another and soon they feel that it is perfectly natural to sin. It comes out that everyone can be blamed for not controlling themselves in the beginning.

However today society is is very misleading and it is very hard for a person to see the truth. In addition he does not have the tools that are necessary to fight the Klipot.

One would think that it is very unfair for this person. However the real situation is as follows, the person had knowledgably committed sins in previous gilgulim. He is then taken to the worst pits in this Gilgul, at one point he becomes informed through heaven what he really should be doing. At this point it his job to start rectifying his sins. It is in this way that he clears up all his actions in past Gilgulim. Although it seems kind of unfair now, one has to look at the full picture.

In short the only way this person could possibly achieve his tikun is by starting in the worst Klipot and then climbing back up. In this generation this can happen easily since there is a large lack of information. When the person becomes knowledgeable at a later time in his life, it is Hashem telling him that he must start his Tikkun.

Q      Someone that has been classified as a Hom----- by a psychiatrist can he become normal?

A       It is possible in many cases for a person to become normal after he has done enough Tikunim.

Q    My plan is to start going through all parts of the Torah untill I have completed all of them. Even though it will take me years.

A      The plan sounds good. However as with all big plans, a person when he starts has a lot of ambition and energy. After a while he loses it and then falls back down. He might even be worse then when he started for now he does not think it is possible to succeed.

In short studying Torah is not an easy thing and a person needs something that will provide a constant source of energy to be successful with such a plan.

The easiest and most effective way to reach spiritual levels in this generation is to follow the path of Rebbe Nachman of Bresslov. He foresaw the fall of the generations and provided a solution in advance.

Our advice to you is to go ahead with the plan. (maybe just break it up doing a little of each part of Torah each day so you get an overall grasp). However set aside part of the allotted time each day to study the books of Breslov. If you do so there is a much larger chance that you will succeed since it will provide you much energy and advice how to proceed. Many of the books are available in English by Breslov research institute.

Just one final word of advice do not get stuck on anything if you do not understand it now keep on moving you will understand it next time you pass through it.

Q      Can a convert join your group?

A      Once a person converts to Judaism he is like any other Jew and is not to be treated differently in any way. The only problem is I doubt that your conversion was authentic. Any conversion done by a reform or Conservative rabbi or by the cabala center is practical worthless.

Q     I bought a Zohar from the Kabbalah Center is it real?

A    You are right about the Kabbalah Center they are very far from any truth.

The Zohar is the right one, since even they would not have the nerve to play around with the Hebrew text. However there is a concept in Kabbalah that books printed by not righteous people should not be used. If a person is keep this Zohar around for protection it kind of defeats the whole purpose.

Q    I am half way done with my 40 days of saying the Tikkun Haklali, when can I expect to find my zivug?

A    There is really no definite answer, it all depends on the person. I know a number of people who did forty days by the Kotel and found their zivug on the 38 - 40th day exactly. I know other people that did this Tikun 3 times plus many other Tikunim and were Shomer Habris for years and were still unable to find their zivug.

In general Hashem only gives a person what he can handle. If he sees that a person is honestly trying and does not have the strength to pass the test of failer then he might be answered immediately or with in the month or sometimes with in the year.

The people I wrote of above that were not answered after all their Tikunim, I know them to be very strong people that can do very large Tikkunim one after the other and not be thrown off by not receiving the results the way they expected. Hashem is obviously giving them tests according to their strength. However for most people this will normally not happen, and after doing a tikkun a number of times they will be answered, maybe even the first time.

Q    In Likutay Maharan it says "Sometime because the sin aperson can lose his destined zivug, since he has turned away from his sivug is veru hasr for him to find her. Even if he find her she will be rebellious towards him". (L2 Torah 87)

If one corrects this with the tikun klali, the destined zivug comes back to him again?

A    First of all it is very clear from the words of Rebbe Nachman that no matter how badly a person has sinned in the past, if he tries he will be able to rectify his actions.

There is an opinion of many kabbalists that the whole concept of one true soul mate "Zivug Hamiti" "Zivug Rishon" was only applies during a persons first time in this world. When a soul descends the first time it is a complete unit composed of a specific train of sparks. Here there is a single female counter part that he must marry.

However in later reincarnations the soul has already been broken up and can be composed of parts from a number of souls. It comes out that although there is still a concept of Zivug there can be a number of them for any one specific person. Obviously the closer the Zivug is to his root the more it will line up. A person can marry any of a number of women and still live a peaceful life. Obviously even after this is said a person still has to find one of these zivugim. If a person sins it will harder for him to find one. If he does she might be opposed to him and the person might even be convinced that it is not one of his Zevugim.

However if a person does Tikkunim he will merit to find another one of his Zevugim that will serve as a good wife.

If a person tries to recite the Tikkun Klali daily and immerse in the Mikvah when ever possible then no matter how much he has sinned in the past he will start noticing much improvement. If a person is unable to refrain from sinning doing the above will make it a lot easier to control himself.

If a person does the above and studies the books of Rebbe Nachman and begins following his advice and his path of life, then over the years his sins will become completely erased and he will attain spiritual levels.

Q        I have made a very interesting discovery in the bible and I would like to share it with you and the rest of the world. (that one of the names of the 72 triplets has same gematryah as their pathetic leader)

Could you please read the attached documents and share your thoughts on the discovery with me?

A       You can always count on the "Pundrics" to distort everything.

Remember Yushke Pundric was a little rasha who couldn't make it in the world of Kabbalh so he started his own pathetic group. He currently rotting in one of the lowest pits of Gehunom for the trouble he has caused our nation, Yemach Shemo Vezichro.

Q    What is the metaphysical meaning of men wearing a Kippah? What is the spiritual meaning of covering my head?

A     It represents submissiveness to the forces of Hashem.

Different parts of the hair are storage for different energies. It is an external thing to the body like an extra battery pack. The Beard is chesed that why a person is not supposed to trim his Beard. The hair on the head are the gevurot. The part on the side are the good gevurot that is why we leave payot. The center are the harsh gevurot that is why many kabbalist shave the center of their head. The Ari warn about having the payot intertwine with the Beard for one is chesed and one is gevurah. When a person immerses in the mikvah if even one hair remains out side the water the external klipot can still attach themselves there. So it works out that we want the center of the head covered.

Q       I have been doing a lot of thinking lately. It is clear now that the reason I don't stay "shomer habrit" is simple" I don't want to.

So the root of the problem is that I simply don't want to. Although I am aware of the terrible consequences of spilling seed, I still just don't want to be pure.

So what would you and Reb Nachman say to a guy like me who knows about the sexual demons that he's creating by spilling seed...but still does not want to stop with this sin.

The bottom-line is: I don't want to.

A       Fear is not enough to stop a person long term, for this is the hardest desire that a person has to beat.

Logically you want to stop however your body desires and emotions all of which are controlled by your Klipot do not want to stop.

What you must do is the following you have to begin weakening your desires.
For now do this estimate how often you are Pogem. Then make a commitment that for the next month you will only sin half of the regular amount.

Q     Some Rabbi told me to start wearing a red string

A     Most of these red strings are fake.
If this "Rabbi" has anything to do with berg and his Kabbalah center then he is irrelevent and should be ignored