Halachic Background

Zos Brisi

The sin of פְּגַם הַבְּרִית refers to engaging in activities or thoughts that cause harm to the kedushah of one’s neshamah, as represented by the mitzvah of bris milah. It refers to breaches in all areas of kedushah: laxity in guarding one’s eyes, ears, mouth, etc. And most of all, it includes the severe sin of hotza’as zera l’vatalah, wasting one’s semen.

This last sin is explicit in the Torah. Er and Onan, the two oldest sons of Yehudah ben Yaakov Avinu, both died at a young age. In relating that Onan died because of this sin, the Torah states, “And He [Hashem] caused him to die also.” From the word “also” Chazal derive that Er was guilty of this same sin and that is why he died. Rav Yochanan derived from this episode: One who is motzi zera l’vatalah is liable to death [at the hands of Heaven]. Rav Yitzchak and Rav Ami added: It is as if he spilled blood [i.e., murdered]. The reason for this is that every drop of semen has in it the potential for life.

Chazal make clear the severity of engaging in thoughts or activities that can lead to this sin:

Rav said: One who arouses himself intentionally deserves to be excommunicated. [Asks the Gemara:] Let Rav say that it is forbidden! [Why the severe punishment of excommunication? The answer is:] because he is inciting the yetzer hara upon himself.

Rav Ami said: One who brings himself to improper thoughts will not be permitted to enter the “private confines” of HaKadosh Baruch Hu.

In Halachah

Shulchan Aruch states: It is forbidden to be motzi zera l’vatalah; this sin is the most severe of any of the Torah’s sins.

In his Igros Moshe, Rav Moshe Feinstein writes:

Regarding his honor’s comment that the sin of hotza’as zera is not one of the 365 negative commandments: It appears that his honor considers it only a Rabbinic sin. Forgive me, but this is wrong; G-d forbid to say such a thing! Hotza’as zera is prohibited by the Torah and it is punishable by death at the hands of Heaven. It is a most severe sin, as stated in Shulchan Aruch.

The sin of engaging in immoral thoughts is learned from the pasuk “And guard yourself from any evil matter,” from which Rabi Pinchas ben Yair derives that “one should not think immoral thoughts by day and thereby come to tumah (spiritual impurity) at night.” This is a Biblical derivation, not a mere “asmachta” (Rabbinic teaching for which Chazal found support in a pasuk). All the more so is hotza’as zera l’vatalah included in this prohibition. The fact that it is not counted as one of the 613 mitzvos does not mean that it is not a Biblical law; many acts that are prohibited by the Torah are not included in the 613 mitzvos.

See also

• Understanding Masturbation > Learning the Halachos
• Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) > Learning the halachos
• Battle of the Generation p. 238-9 (why it's important)

אנצי' תלמודית כרך יא - השחתת זרע

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אנצי' תלמודית כרך י -הרהור עבירה

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איסור אחר יש בהרהור עבירה, והוא מה שכתוב וְנִשְׁמַרְתָּ מִכֹּל דָּבָר רָע (דברים כג י), מכאן אמר ר' פנחס בן יאיר אל יהרהר אדם ביום, ויבוא לידי טומאה בלילה (כתובות מו א). רוב הראשונים סוברים שזו דרשה גמורה, והאיסור הוא מן התורה (תוספות עבודה זרה כ ב ד"ה שלא; רמב"ן ור"ן חולין לז ב; ועוד ראשונים).

אפילו בפנויה ההרהור אסור מן התורה (בית שמואל שם סי כא סק"ב).

• ויש סוברים שכל האיסור הוא מדרבנן, והדרשה אינה אלא אסמכתא (יראים השלם מה).

לא תתורו

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