חלק ב — תורה 117

Regarding the confusion a person experiences when he enters a higher level of holiness; as, for instance, when he begins to come closer to the true tzaddik, and the like. [How is it that] right then he experiences some form of impurity, God forbid?!

This has already been explained elsewhere {that when a person enters holiness, the evil inclination increases its attack against him, because with each further advance in holiness he has a new evil inclination, greater than the earlier one; see Likutey Moharan I, 72 and elsewhere}.

Actually, this confusion is foolishness, no matter how we view the situation. If what happened to him was the result of an immoral thought, whose fault is it? He should not complain at all, since he brought it upon himself. And if it is not the result of an immoral thought, then it is certainly in no way a bad sign. For if it was something bad, our Sages, of blessed memory, would not have taken it as a good sign for someone who is ill. As our Sages, of blessed memory, taught: A seminal discharge is “a good sign for a sick person” (Berakhot 57b).

In fact, it is just the opposite. It is on account of his coming closer to a very exalted holiness that he experienced this, because, as the Sages, of blessed memory, taught: Whoever betters himself below is judged more strictly on high, as it is stated: “and as is your fear, so is your wrath” (Taanit 8a).

It follows, that when a person betters himself and enters holiness, they hold him to a stricter standard, and so accusations and judgments are raised against him, God forbid. And from the devolution of the judgments, the evil inclination is created, as is brought elsewhere (in the aforementioned lesson, Likutey Moharan I, 72). Therefore, he should not complain at all about this. On the contrary, it is because he has entered such a high level of holiness that the evil inclination, through the devolution of the judgments, provokes him.

This is why the Sages, of blessed memory, considered it a great miracle when the high priest did not experience a seminal emission on Yom Kippur, as they taught (Avot 5:5). By the high priest entering such a lofty holiness on Yom Kippur—to the Temple’s innermost sanctum—many accusations and judgments were certainly raised against him. This produced the evil inclination, as mentioned above. It was therefore considered miraculous that the high priest was spared from a seminal emission on Yom Kippur.

Now, look here and understand. How can this matter confuse a person? Can he complain that a miracle was not performed on his behalf as it was for the high priest on Yom Kippur?

Know, too, that there are times when a person possesses a hidden impurity, which due to its concealment and hiddenness is precluded from being rectified. Consequently, what he experienced as a result of his coming closer to holiness was in fact beneficial. It caused the hidden impurity to emerge. Once it emerges, it becomes possible to find a rectification for it, which was not the case previously, while it was still hidden. This is the reason Avraham did not father Yitzchak until he had first fathered Yishmael. Likewise, Yitzchak fathered Esav and only then Yaakov, in order to first remove the feculence, as is brought.