Protection and Correction

A person may say the following “It is very good if I was living in Tzfat or Meah Shearim studying Torah all day, then it would be very easy to be Shomer HaBrit. Unfortunately life has placed me in a situation that I have to travel to the city every day and work in a mixed office with non-Jewish and nonreligious coworkers. I also hardly have time to pray and study Torah. I am being exposed to the Klipot (forces of spiritual impurity) the whole day, how is it possible to be Shomer HaBrit?

The answer is the following: the more impure a person is, the more hold the Klipot have over him. The more tikkunim a person does, the more protection he has and the less of a hold the Klipot have over him. If a person builds protection, then when he is forced to go into the domain of the Klipot they have little grasp over him and he can pass through unaffected. Just like a small child who has not yet defiled himself can walk through the streets and is much less affected, so to a person who does tikkunim can walk through the streets and has much protection from the Klipot, impure thoughts and desires.

The basic trick is to build armor in advance. To do tikkunim before you need them, to seal the holes before the Klipot can gain a hold. Tikkunim is a double term, it helps rectify the past and build protection for in the future. Even a person that is fully aware that he is still in the possession of the Sitra Achra (dark side) and that he is still falling to the sins of p’gam HaBrit, Heaven Forbid, he should also do the tikkunim. Doing the tikkunim will remove a large percent of his impure thoughts and desires and will make it much easier for him to be Shomer HaBrit. In addition they will also send him much protection from heaven and save him from even entering into a situation where he may stumble. A person who does tikkunim if he ever, Heaven Forbid, enters a situation where he is about to stumble, suddenly all the tikkunim that he has done in the past will rise up to his aid and save him.

The first thing a person has to do is mark a separation between the things he is forced to do and the things that he does maliciously, whether out of irresponsible planning or from the fact that he is not willing to make some simple sacrifices to become Shomer HaBrit. A person can only expect to be protected in situation that he must enter, not in situations that he enters form his own will and for his personal desires. In addition a person is required to make some sacrifices. If a person places himself in a situation because not doing so would have caused him some slight discomfort, that is not called a situation that he was forced to enter.

Let us give some examples a person might be forced to work in the city. He might be forced to travel on the subway/railroad system. He might be forced to work a mixed office and talk to women. He might be forced to use the internet for work related reasons. He might feel forced to keep up to date on current events. However there is absolutely no excuse in the world for ever watching a movie. Halacha doesn’t allow ever reading any non-work related books; for watching TV, or for ever going to impure places for any social activity. He has no excuse to for socializing with women for non-work-related reasons. If a person is not willing to sacrifice these activities, only because at times it will place him in a situation of discomfort, then the fault is his. It he stumbles to the sins of p’gam HaBrit because of his own forbidden activities, he will pay the price.

[Let us just add two things here. The first is, if a person carefully plans out his life and also if he prays to Hashem then he can avoid most of the situations that we listed above of being “forced to do”. The second thing is that even if a person still actively does the things we stated above that should not be done, or that he made a judgment upon himself that if he changes his whole life in one minute he will surely fall after a short period of time. He consistently removes himself from the Klipah little by little until he has total stopped. Both these people should also do tikkunim since they will help him out.]

A person who works in the city should try to go to the Mikvah every morning, if he does so for a number of weeks he will easily notice a definite change. A large percent of his temptations will simply disappear. Everyone should make an extreme effort to go to the Mikvah on Erev Shabbat and Erev Chag. A person who sees keri (spilling seed) or was p’gam HaBrit in any way should go to the mikvah as soon as possible. It is stated in the writings of the Holy ARI that the mark remains on a person forehead until he immerses in the mikvah, and anyone who has guarded his eyes can see this openly.

It is extremely advisable to recite the Tikkun Haklali every day, even if a person does not manage to concentrate as he recites it. Just uttering the words is a large tikkun. Everyone should recite the Tikkun Haklali at least once a week. A person who sees keri or was p’gam HaBrit in any way must do everything and anything within his power to say Tikkun Haklali that day.

Everyone must have some time set aside every day to study Torah. If a person has contaminated his mind and lost his power of concentration then he should learn other parts of Torah, it is not necessary to only study Talmud. A person should study Mishnah, Navi, Medrash, Musar, or Chumash. If a person has time he should try to study from all parts of the Torah every day, either with Chok L’Yisroel or go at his own pace. If a person must travel on the subway or railroad and he finds that the impurity of the Klipot does not allow him to concentrate on any part of Torah then he should read stories about the Holy Tzaddikim.

A person should try to do Hitbodedut every day. He should find time and a place where he can talk and pray to Hashem in his own words. He can do this about any topic he likes but he may use the opportunity to beg Hashem to help him be Shomer HaBrit. Everyone should try to set aside at least a half an hour a week to do Hitbodedut.

A person should be extremely careful to always wash his hands in the morning and after he leaves the bathroom according to Halacha. That is to wash each hand three times from a washing cup, first right hand then left hand and then back to right hand and so forth. In the morning he should try not to walk four amos before he washes his hands. He can keep a washing cup covered by a bowl next to his bed and wash in the morning. A person should try to wash outside the bathroom. In a situation with no other options, he should wash even with the bathroom sink and without a cup. This is very important for when a person goes to the bathroom – a spirit of impurity hangs over him, which he removes by washing his hands. Impure thoughts and temptations only have a place in his mind according to his impurity. Also a person should spend the least amount of time is the bathroom/shower as possible. Both because of the impurity and because it is a place of temptation. Never read any magazines or newspapers in the bathroom since they all contain impure information buried somewhere in side of them and you are giving them an opening to start.

Finally, with desire, one will succeed to be a Shomer HaBrit and bring the Geula closer, amen!