Likutei Etzot (Compilations of Advice), Brit - Its Damage and Rectification 11-20

Brit - Its Damage and Rectification (continued)

11. The main subduing and breaking of the lusts, particularly the lust for promiscuity which is the main thing one must break, is through wholeness of holy tongue. Meaning through a multitude of of holy speech which is [done by learning] Torah, prayer, and conversation between oneself and his Creator. Even though one converses and speaks between himself and his Creator in the language of Ashkenaz [Yiddish], which people speak in our country, this is also included in [the category of] holy tongue. For on the contrary, [to speak] between oneself and his Creator, one specifically needs to speak in the language that they speak (as is explained in sec. Hitbodedut, 13).
The principle is to just guard the tongue and to sanctify it with holy words, that this is the aspect of holy tongue; and to guard the tongue so as not to speak evil words and damage the holy tongue. Through the holiness of speech, as above, one subdues the all-encompassing evil [which is promiscuity], as mentioned above. (From Likutei Moharan I, 19)

12. Tikun habrit and wholeness of holy tongue depend on each other. According to [how much] one increases speaking holy words, which correspond to holy tongue, is [the amount] that one merits tikun habrit. And according to [the amount of] tikun habrit thus is the [amount that] one merits wholeness of holy tongue; and also [this is so] for the opposite, for the idea of damaging [the brit and holy tongue], God forbid. (There^)

13. The lust for promiscuity, which is the all-encompassing evil, corresponds to the snake that seduced Eve and cast filth into her. This is the storm wind, the spirit of folly, the woman of foolishness. He [the snake] goes and seduces ruah hakodesh which is holy tongue, corresponding to shmirat habrit, and he casts filth into her. This is the aspect of "sin crouches at the door" - that this snake of sin crouches to be nourished from it [from holy tongue, etc] through damage of the brit. For the evil inclination makes a person sin through this lust [for promiscuity]. (There^)

14. One needs to speak holy words which correspond to the wholeness of holy tongue, until his heat is cooled by the holy tongue, the aspect of "my heart is warm within me...I spoke with my tongue" (Psalm 39) - to cool his heat with speech of holy tongue and through this he'll be saved from a nocturnal emission, God forbid; that the storm wind will not cool him [via] nocturnal emission, God forbid. (There^)

15. All insults and shame that come upon a person are from a damage in the brit. And the opposite - through tikun habrit one merits honor. (There^)

16. Through wholeness of the holy tongue, which corresponds to tikun habrit, one can explain dreams like Yosef. (There^)

17. The essential wholeness of holy tongue, which is [also] the main tikun habrit that encompasses the rectification of all the lusts and traits, is impossible to receive except from the mouth of the true tzadikim. And for this, one must travel to the true tzadik to hear from his mouth specifically. It is not enough [to learn] a book of discipline [that the tzadik authored] or to hear from the mouth of another that heard from him [the tzadik] because the main wholeness of speech which is the wholeness of holy tongue is impossible to receive except specifically through his holy mouth itself. For there is [found] the source of fear [of Heaven] which is the wholeness of holy tongue, which is tikun habrit which includes all the rectifications. (There^)

18. For damaging the brit, the sword [war and/or destruction] comes, corresponding to "the sword [that] avenges the vengeance of the brit" (Leviticus 26). (From Likutei Moharan I, 20)

19. Shouting with the voice is tikun habrit, and one merits to reveal knowledge [through this], because at the outset when the brit was damaged, the mind was [also] damaged. (There^)

20. For this reason we say the hagada with a loud voice, for the hagada is tikun habrit and through it the redemption happened. For the Egyptian exile was over damaging the brit, as is presented. Also, the wine of the four cups is a rectification of the mind, tikun habrit. (There^)

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