LESSON FOURTEEN SEXUALITY IN

You form me behind and before (Ps. 139:5). Rabbi Jeremiah ben Elazar said: When the Holy One, Blessed be He, created the first man, he created him a hermaphrodite, as it is said: Male and female He created them (and called them Adam; Gen. 5:2). Rabbi Samuel bar Nachman said: When the Holy One, Blessed be He, created the first man, He created him double-faced (du-partzufim), then He split him and gave him two backs, one on this being and one on the other. [Others] objected to him: But it is written, He took one of his ribs (mi-tzal’otav; Gen. 2:21)! He replied: that means, one of his two sides, just as it says: And for the other side (tzela) of the tabernacle (Ex. 26:20)... --- Bereshit Rabbah 8:1

Know that the male is the mystery of wisdom and the female is the mystery of understanding. And the pure sex act is the mystery of knowledge. Such is the mystery of man and woman in the esoteric tradition. If so, it follows that proper sexual union can be a means of spiritual elevation when it is properly practiced, and the mystery greater than this is the secret of the heavenly bodies when they unite in the manner of man and woman...

On all these matters of which we have spoken, (i.e., the divine powers, the ) they are the mystery of the arrangement of the order of the universe, and its structure in the likeness of males and females (which are) in the secret of the giver (of the influx) and the receiver...the union of man with his wife, when it is proper, is the mystery of the foundation of the world and its civilization. ---Iggeret ha-Kodesh (The Holy Letter), 13th c.; excerpts, chapter two

Abraham concentrated his thought at the time of union, and his thoughts cleaved to the upper thoughts. Therefore he merited having a son worthy of what was promised to him by God...

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...in the instance in which a man has no intention of concentration for the sake of heaven, that seed drawn from him is a fetid drop, in which God has no portion, no share and is called perverting his way (Gen. 38:9).

...one who has an improper thought at the time of intercourse, the filthy thought defiles the drop and from this issues forth an evil, wicked and filthy foundation. ---Iggeret ha-Kodesh, excerpts

Rabbi Shimon was sitting engaged in on the night when the Bride is joined with Her Husband. For we have learned: All those Companions initiated into the bridal palace need--on that night when the Bride is destined the next day to be under the canopy with Her Husband--to be with Her all night, delighting with Her in Her adornments in which She is arrayed, engaging in Torah, from Torah to Prophets, from Prophets to Writings, midrashic renderings of verses and mysteries of wisdom: these are Her adornments and finery.

She enters, escorted by Her maidens, standing above their heads. Adorned by them, She rejoices with them the whole night. The next day She enters the canopy only with them, and they are called “members of the canopy.” As soon as She enters the canopy, the Holy One, Blessed be He, inquires about them, blesses them, and crowns them with bridal crowns. Happy is their share! Rabbi Shimon and all the Companions were singing the song of Torah, innovating words of Torah, each one of them; Rabbi Shimon and all the other Companions rejoiced. ---, I, 8a

As long as one lingers on the way, he must guard his conduct, so that supernal coupling will not separate from him, leaving him defective, lacking male and female. In town he must, when his female is with him; how much more so here (on the road), for supernal coupling is linked with him! Further, this supernal coupling protects him on the way, not parting from him until he returns home. Upon entering his house he should delight the lady of his house, for she

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engendered that supernal coupling. As soon as he reaches her he should delight her anew, for two nuances. First, because the joy of this coupling is joy of , and joy of mitzvah is joy of . Further, he increases peace below, as is written: You will know that your tent is at peace, attend to your abode and not sin (Job 5:24). Is it a sin if one does not attend to his wife? Certainly so, for he diminishes the splendor of supernal coupling coupled with him, engendered by the lady of his house. Second, if his wife conceives, supernal coupling pours into it a holy soul, for this covenant is called Covenant of the Holy One, Blessed be He. So one should focus on this joy as on the joy of Sabbath, coupling of the wise. ---Zohar I, 49b-50a

Prayer is coupling with the Shekhinah. Just as at the beginning of coupling there is movement, so one must initially sway in prayer. And afterwards, one can remain immobile and be attached to the Shekhinah with great . As a result of his swaying, man is able to attain a powerful stage of arousal. For he will ask himself: Why do I cause myself to sway? Surely it is because the Shekhinah stands before me. This will cause him to arrive at great hitlahavut (rapture). ---early Chasidic teaching (18th c.), Tzava’at Ha-Rivash, p. 6b

From my own flesh I behold God (Job 19:26). (This means that) just as no child can be born from physical copulation unless it is performed with a vitalized organ and with desire and joy, so it is with spiritual copulation, that is, through the study of Torah and prayer. When this is done with a vitalized organ and with joy and delight, then it gives birth. ---Ba’al Shem Tov (18th c.), Shem Tov, #16

From my flesh, I shall see God: ( corresponds to) the sexual organ, which is the seat of one’s greatest physical pleasure. This pleasure comes about when man and woman unite, and it thus results from unification. From the physical, we perceive spiritual joy. ---Ba’al Shem Tov, as quoted in Toldot Yaakov Yosef, 1:57, Lekh Lekha, Mitzvat Milah. 3

Come and see. From the crevice of the great deep, above, there came a certain female, the spirit of all spirits, and we have already explained that her name was . At the very beginning, she existed with Adam. When Adam was created and his body had been completed, a thousand spirits from the left side gathered together around the body, each one wanting to enter it, but they could not, and in the end the Holy One, Blessed be He, rebuked them. Adam therefore was lying down, a body without a spirit, and he had a green pallor, and all these spirits were hovering around him. At that moment a cloud descended and drove away all these spirits. Concerning this moment it is written: And God said, Let the earth bring forth a living soul. (Gen. 1:24)

We have already explained that the female became pregnant by the male in the soul of Adam and produced the spirit that was comprised of two sides, as was proper, so that it could be breathed into Adam. This is the meaning of and He breathed into his nostrils the breath [or soul] of life and Adam became a living soul (Gen. 2:7) – a really living soul. Whoever has doubts about this because he does not know whether it refers to the life below or to the life called “Israel,” or whether it is male or female, should notice that it does not say “the living soul,” but “a living soul,” without the definite article, implying everything.

When Adam arose his wife was fastened to his side, and the holy soul that was in him spread to this side and to that, and nourished both sides, because it was comprised of both. Subsequently, the Holy One, Blessed be He, split Adam, and prepared his female. This is the meaning of And the Lord God constructed the side... (Gen. 2:22) – the side we have explained before, as it is written: the side of the tabernacle. (Ex. 26: 20) And He brought her to Adam (Gen. 2:22) – attired as a bride for the wedding canopy.

When Lilith saw this she fled, and she is now in the cities of the sea, still intent on injuring mankind. When the Holy One, Blessed be He, destroys wicked Rome, and it becomes an eternal desolation, He will bring up Lilith and settle her in the ruins, because it will be desolate forever. This is the meaning of Lilith shall repose there, and find her place of rest. (Isaiah 34:14) ---Zohar III, 19a 4

The secret of secrets: From the strength of the fierce noon of Isaac, from the wine lees, a naked shoot came forth, comprising together male and female, red like a lily, and they spread out on several sides, down several paths. The male is called Samael, and his female is always included with him. Just as on the side of holiness, so on “the other side” there are male and female, included one with the other. The female of Samael is called “snake,” “a wife of harlotry,” “the end of all flesh,” “The end of days.” Two evil spirits are attached to one another. The male spirit is fine, the female spirit spreads out down several ways and paths, and is attached to the male spirit.

She dresses herself in finery like an abominable harlot and stands at the corners of streets and highways in order to attract men. When a fool approaches her, she embraces him and kisses him, and mixes her wine lees with snake poison for him. Once he has drunk, he turns aside after her. When she sees that he has turned aside after her from the way of truth, she takes off all the finery that she had put on for the sake of this fool.

The finery she uses to seduce mankind: her hair is long, red like a lily; her face is white and pink; six pendants hang at her ears; her bed is made of Egyptian flax; all the ornaments of the East encircle her neck; her mouth is shaped like a tiny door, beautified with cosmetic; her tongue is sharp like a sword; her words smooth as oil; her lips beautiful, red as a lily, sweetened with all the sweetnesses in the world; she is dressed in purple, and attired in thirty-nine items of finery.

This fool turns aside after her, and drinks from the cup of wine, and commits harlotry with her, completely enamored of her. What does she do? She leaves him asleep on the bed and ascends to the realms above, accuses him, obtains authority, and descends. The fool wakes up, thinking to sport with her as before, but she takes off her finery, and turns into a fierce warrior, facing him in a garment of flaming fire, a vision of dread, terrifying both body and soul, full of horrific eyes, a sharpened sword in his hand with drops of poison suspended (and dripping) from it. He kills the fool, and throws him into Gehinnom. ---Zohar I, 148, Sitrei Torah

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