Breslov War on Masturbation Spreads to Jewcy
January 21, 2009 Judaism, Sexuality
Jewcy’s Lori Gross explains the *logic* behind Breslov’s campaign against self-pollution.
Gross writes,
Breslover Jews are particularly fearful of the spiritual ramifications of Onanism. Rebbe Nachman himself purportedly married soon after his Bar Mitzvah in order to avoid cowing to his urges. He also compiled ten psalms for incantation (in this order: Psalms 16, 32, 41, 42, 59, 77, 90, 105, 137, and 150) for what he called the “general fix”, which (among other sins) constitute a special spiritual remedy for nocturnal emissions.
To be sure, the mainstream ultra-Orthodox community is staunchly against masturbation. However, for penance, most modern rabbis would recommend Torah study and charitable donations rather than the 84 fasts for each one session demanded by one of Talmud’s sages.
We can look askance at the Breslovers’ obsession with male sexual purity, and the draconian punishment of 84 fasts, or we can consider that the original source for such an obsession in the first place.
The fact is, normative Judaism promises an early death at the hands of heaven for the sin of male masturbation. According to traditional commentaries, and verified by modern medical science, circumcision is meant to “help” a person “control his evil inclination” by decreasing the sexual experience, and obliterating tactile touch enjoyment. This is a similar reason invariably attached to ritual genital mutilation in all societies, and in all cultures that practice it. The fact that it is not efficacious does not mean it doesn’t have tangible deleterious effects.
The Breslovers may, in fact, make the most sense when viewed in context of sexual prevention. We do not cut off a child’s thumb so he does not kill. We do not cut out part of his tongue to he does not speak evil. We do cut off part of his penis and stress that he remain sexually pure.
Breslov is in line with traditional Jewish emphasis on this matter, as well as the the approach of Eastern African and Islamic societies. The reason we disagree is not because we think Breslov is radical, but because we pretend that Judaism is significantly different in this regard.
Now, you can retort that in fact, normative Judaism doesn’t actually consider murder and rape worse than male masturbation as the Breslovers claim.
But that’s because we are such a wonderful and moderate civilization.
23 comments
“From this, Biblical commentators deduced a Divine prohibition against extra-uteral ejaculation — whether in the audience of a partner, or alone.”
So I guess that Bresolv women don’t get many pearl necklaces.
“Breslovers and Lubavitchers maintain that it is the worst sin one can commit. Often, they cite a passage in Tanya — a sacred Lubavitch text based heavily upon the Zohar — which indicates that even incest is less heinous than male masturbation.”
“Breslover Jews are particularly fearful of the spiritual ramifications of Onanism. Rebbe Nachman himself purportedly married soon after his Bar Mitzvah in order to avoid cowing to his urges.”
So women, even say your own sister, are basically sex toys.
HEAD > DESK, HEAD > DESK, HEAD > DESK, HEAD > DESK, HEAD > DESK, HEAD > DESK, HEAD > DESK, HEAD > DESK
“So I guess that Bresolv women don’t get many pearl necklaces.”
Eeew. Let’s not get blue.
Good job, Lori. I’m glad you were able to write about this in an open way and didn’t shy away from citing sources. I don’t understand why you didn’t mention the 7th chapter of Tanya specifically, though. And perhaps the chapter of kitzur Shulchan Aruch for direct reference. Those are very long books to look through for one small thought found within.
Either way, well written. Kein Yirbu!
Oh, one thing that I thought was cute. It’s like the Chi’ia Adam quote somehow would change anyone’s take on this subject?
I mean how many sons of Ja’acov sit around going, “well, it’s either a harlot or my hand…hmm. Okay, okay…”
I mean if you’re at the level where prostitutes or adultrey temp you even slightly, something tells me you don’t think twice before putting your own hand on your place of covenent.
May G-d Almighty bless you in everything that you do.
Ronen,
I hope that you honestly felt that I wrote an objective, informative piece. I thought of linking to your video, but didn’t want to do so without your permission.
I really think it came out well and I also think it is an important subject not often spoken about.
And you are always free to link my videos to anything you want. I think that’s the general understanding in regards to all youtube content you choose to make public.
Anyway, well done and hopefully you’ll merit to write about many more important issues in the Jewish world that for some reason aren’t spoke about so much.
Mental health comes to mind right away, but I’m not one to try and sway an artist. When inspiration hits, you guys always know what to do…
May G-d Almighty bless you and your writing.
I just, SO don’t want to share my feelings and experiences on this topic on the web. Not that it isn;t of significance, but what could be gained by discussing the topic in public is beyond me. Some things should be dealt with in private. Le’tov u’lemitiv.
“I just, SO don’t want to share my feelings and experiences on this topic on the web.”
And yet, you just sorta did. It’s a fascinating topic for some. If you’re not interested, don’t read it.
Jews aren’t the only ones having obsessives on this issue. There’s a load of Christians in nearly every denomination who are OCD on it. Not as well cohesive as Breslovers are but still committed to portrayal of it as wrong.
Then they say things like quoted and the implication is that a healthy sex life is not as important as the wife serving the husband’s sexual needs period. That tells me the men are themselves in danger of thinking that sexual immoderation is okay as long as it is between man and wife.
It’s not and if you cannot resist sexual immoderation when single, then getting married isn’t going to fix a thing. The problem is in a man’s immaturity, and he needs to grow up and practice some willpower.
As my wife and I agreed, better that we both want it at the same time than only one of us and the other just going along to make the first one happy. Mutually wanted sex is better than bad one-sided sex. That being the case, self-control and not marriage is the better course.
Part of the joke of Breslov is that R’ Nachman is the first to offer a resolution to masturbation guilt with the whole Ten Psalms/Tikkun Haklali incantation. Breslov, like Chabad, R’ Kookism, mussar, and the whole enterprise of Rabbinic Judaism, is just an attempt to make sense of the Jewish tradition and resolve ambivalence to arcane, confusing or disturbing aspects of the trips without denying the imperatives and ostensible wisdoms in them.
Alot of traditional cultures eschew masturbation, Traditional Chinese Medicine describing it as a wasting of precious life essence, equating semen with the physical spark at the bottom of you from which youth and vitality flows. Breslov is just an attempt to relieve stress and existential ambivalence from the (modern) religious experience, by giving the initate, anybody, a chance to turn off the justification button and be a post modern fundamentalist, with all the perks of being religious in the most satisfyingly savage ways, heartbroken and exctatic nakedly, and alot of sexual embarassment tends to get expressed very jarringly abstract because of it. More problematic that the ejaculation (although that is pretty much the main problem with any eros-crime in halacha traditionally) is the relationship to self and pleasure implied in masturbation, which the world does tend to recognize. Masturbatory is not a word than an artist is proud to see in a review of their work, not unless they’re a complete, ah, douche. But there I go being judgemental again.
But to wit: Breslovers are less sex-guilttripped than other Charedim, just like Christians are less concerned about being sinners in general. A pentitent who has found a way out of Sin loves to talk about how riddled with Sin man is, because they’re just trying to spread their relief and stop the pollution of our shared world. The main problem is how much all the old patterns and unhelpful practices and perspectives get perpetuated in p-p-process.
As if to say: what’s new in the world enough to make circumsision irrelevant? If it’s about preventing masturbation (or rape?) by making sex less pleasureable, then what’s new in the hearts of man across civilizatia to make the imperative to temper how much boys can get off physically less culturally compelling? I’m sure that part of the unconcious instinct involved in the push to circumcize Africa is about making men less dangerous; ha ha, as if.
Taoism, too, like traditional Chinese medicine, views seminal fluid and vaginal secretions as essential life force, or “qi.” The suggestion offered is oral sex; i.e., through fellatio and cunnilingus, the life force that is lost is absorbed by one’s partner.
In the Halachic perspective, however, masturbation is not a sin of sexual depravity (Ervah), but a sin of murder (Retzichah).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homunculus
Good article.
A genuine question for general discussion to which I do not know the answer:
Do you think anyone has ever gone their whole life without masturbating?
I suspect the answer is probably no (assuming capacity). If that is correct then the point of the prohibition must be to induce feelings of guilt in the believer who wavers. Perhaps this is with a view to increasing the believer’s allegiance or zealousness to the religion as a response to the guilt feelings.
My frum nephew told me that no frum person does it. He was an adolescent at the time, and I asked him if this is what he and his friends were telling each other. He then informed me that no frum person talks about it, either. I then asked him how he knew no one did it. He didn’t have an answer. Some form of telepathy, I assume!
Jeff, as RD Laing put it,
They are playing a game. They are playing at not
playing a game. If I show them I see they are, I
shall break the rules and they will punish me.
I must play their game, of not seeing I see the game.
Just passing on the latest study about this. Thanks, G-d for letting your cherished nation know this was bad some 3,320 years ago. Eventually, science proves the Torah…
(Illseed News) A recent study will have men shaking in their boxers if they choked the chicken a bit too much in their younger years.
Researchers at the University of Nottingham have determined that men who masturbate often in their 20s and 30s are far more prone to developing prostate cancer.
The scientists surveyed 800 men and about half of them had suffered from prostate cancer.
The same data could be attributed to gentlemen that got their mack on frequently with the ladies, but the higher sexual activity was generally credited the act of self-love.
Ironically, men over 40 that jerk-off or shag a lot of babes can reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
Masturbation clearly needs a great publicist to stop this bad press.”
Um, thanks G-d for making it perfectly clear to us in your holy Torah how dangerous this is…
A more comprehensive report on the findings:
http://www.webmd.com/prostate-.....ancer-risk
Illseed News? Ronen, I dare say this article is a piece of satire.
It’s based on a real study, but the source Ronen cites is presenting a biased view. I posted a comment earlier with a link to another article about it, but I think it’s in moderation.
Either that, or HaShem deleted my comment to prevent me from spreading kefira!
If I had lived in biblical times with these clowns in charge, it wouldn’t have been too long before I was dodging stones with my putz in my hands. They are lucky they managed to slip into this country at a time when slipping in was possible with their asinine beliefs. Let them practice metzitza b’peh on each other. That is what they go for. Shalom and zei gezunt!
I had a nightmare last night and I am still shaking. I know there must be some deep and hidden meaning behind it and I am hoping that someone out there might be able to help me interpret this dream as Joseph helped the Pharaoh. I dreamt that I was the meat in the sandwich between Tzippi Livni and Sarah Palin, you know what I mean, that I was “Lucky Pierre”. But, in this dream, upon my awakening in the morning, I had a terrible taste in my mouth and found myself between Golda Meir and Madeline Albright. Oy, gottenyu!!
i was a devoted member of the na nach cult in israel from 1991-1995. i knew rabbi odesser and many of the followers well. they are rebels against both secularism and the orthodox jewish establishment.
as for the breslov obsession with onanism, i can report from my time as a married orthodox jewish person that any sexual activity, even permitted in marriage, causes the man to fall into a state of deep tumah. this state is mitigated by mikvah.
however onanism brings a much deeper state of tumah. it seems to be related to the idea that sex causes a man to lose life-giving potential. this is hard for women to relate to, since sex for them is the opposite: bringing life to fruition.
but perhaps you can understand it better by comparing it to menstruation. onanism is even worse, since it is a deliberate act of selfishness, unlike menstruation which is a normal process that no woman can control. but ladies know well how rotten they feel during this time of the month.
onanism is prohibited by the talmud based on the words in Genesis about Judah’s sons who withheld seed from Tamar. see Rashi on Genesis 38:7
http://www.chabad.org/library/.....rashi/true
another interesting idea: losing seed is so bad for the male’s spiritual level that were it not so immensely pleasurable no man would be willing to do it. think about that!
finally, Rabbi Nachman himself stated three very paradoxical things about sexual relations:
1. a man who desires sex is no better than an animal.
2. a man who withholds sexual gratification from his wife deserves to die.
3. the intercourse of the Tzaddik and his spouse is a supremely holy act.
when i say that na nachnikim are rebels, i dont mean in a dangerous or destructive way, although others would disagree with me.
maximum they are dangerous to themselves.
but they exude energy and joy which is what people need today, so let it be.
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