בְּרִית - פְּגָמוֹ וְתִקּוּנוֹ

The illness of bone-breaking [brechiniш — Yiddish: brechinis], may the Merciful One protect us, comes on account of the lust for licentiousness [ta'avas ni'uf].

Insufficient sleep or excessive sleep both diminish the lust for sexual relations — but they also damage the brain [moach]. [Translator's note: This teaching presents a delicate balance: while reduced sleep can curb this lust, it comes at a cognitive-spiritual cost. Neither extreme is endorsed.]

Through the rectification of the bris — which is the dimension of mayyim mesukim [sweet waters], attained through the meginei eretz [the defenders of the land / those who guard the covenant] — through this the mochin [the mental-spiritual faculties] are rectified. And thereby one also merits that sleep itself — which is the dimension of the withdrawal [histalkus] of the mochin — becomes sweet and very good, in the dimension of "Sweet is the sleep of the laborer, etc." [Ecclesiastes 5:11]; for in truth one must specifically set aside the moach [intellect] and serve Hashem Yisborach with simplicity [pshitus] and wholesomeness [temimus].

The primary holiness of the camp of Israel is through guarding oneself from the lusts of licentiousness [ta'avos ni'uf] and from nocturnal emission [mikreh lailah], Heaven forbid.

One who is a truly wise person — even a non-Jew [akum] — since he is only truly wise, it is fitting that the lust for sexual relations should not be considered a lust for him at all. And similarly, one who is expert in the wisdom of anatomy [chochmas ha'nituach] — it is fitting that this lust should be utterly repulsive to him. In particular, since this lust greatly corrupts and damages a person's vitality and exhausts his strength — it is certainly fitting to minimize it to the absolute minimum, solely for the sake of the continuation of the species. [Translator's note: Rebbe Nachman draws here on the rationalist argument that a truly clear-minded person would naturally recoil from this lust, since it visibly saps human vitality — let alone the spiritually sensitive person.]

The primary strengthening of the yetzer hara [evil inclination] is in this lust — and therefore a person must strive first and foremost that his entire direction and aim [megamaso] and his toil and labor [yegi'aso] be directed primarily to breaking this general, all-encompassing lust first. And the true Tzaddik — not only has he merited to break his lust to the point that he has no such desire whatsoever — but on the contrary, even the coupling that is unavoidable for the true Tzaddik is very difficult for him, and he suffers from it like the suffering of an infant at the time of circumcision — and even more than this. And every person can merit to reach this level, for it is a straightforward matter; and the level of the Tzaddik's holiness in this matter is higher and higher still.

One who merits to purify himself from this lust, to the point that for him man and woman are equal and he has not even the slightest trace of fear or concern from thoughts about a woman — such a person has no fear whatsoever, even of an angel. See the inner text.

Although the lust for money is a very debased lust and is literally idolatry [avodah zarah mamash] — even so, the primary trial of every person in this world is the lust for sexual relations.

Regarding the blemish of nocturnal emission, Heaven forbid — the primary rectification [tikkun] for this is the mikveh [ritual immersion pool]. One must take great care to immerse specifically on that same day; even if one cannot immerse in the morning, one should in any case immerse on that same day, even toward evening. And it is very good to immerse immediately right after the occurrence happened, Heaven forbid. Regarding the wondrous rectification of reciting the Ten Chapters [kapitlech] of Psalms as explained in Likutay Moharan — certainly, one who can immerse in the mikveh and then recite them: how good. But even if one is compelled and unable to immerse, even so — if one recites them, they are a great and awesome rectification. And if one recites them with proper kavanah [intention] — certainly how good; but even the recitation itself is a great segulah (propitious remedy).

The primary intensification of the lust for sexual relations is only on account of sadness [atzbus] and melancholy [marah shechorah]. One must therefore strengthen oneself with all one's might to be only joyful always. And even when one falls, Heaven forbid, into mud and mire from which it is very hard to emerge — one must in truth cry out over this to Hashem Yisborach: and one cries and cries and cries, etc. And regarding the thoughts and confusions that confuse a person in this matter — in truth, sufficient is each trouble in its own time; in any case, one should not think or confuse oneself in this matter at all, neither beforehand nor afterward.