Tikkun HaKlali
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''Tikkun HaKlali'' (), also known as The General Remedy, is a set of ten
Psalms The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament. The book is an anthology of B ...
whose recital serves as ''
teshuvah Repentance ( /tʃuvɑː/; "return") is one element of atoning for sin in Judaism. Judaism recognizes that everybody sins on occasion, but that people can stop or minimize those occasions in the future by repenting for past transgressions. Thus, ...
'' (repentance) for all sins — in particular the sin of "wasted seed" through involuntary
nocturnal emission A wet dream, sex dream, or sleep orgasm, is a spontaneous occurrence of sexual arousal during sleep that includes ejaculation (nocturnal emission) and orgasm for a male, and vaginal lubrication and/or orgasm for a female. Context Nocturnal e ...
or
masturbation Masturbation is a form of autoeroticism in which a person Sexual stimulation, sexually stimulates their own Sex organ, genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm. Stimulation may involve the use of han ...
. The ''Tikkun HaKlali'' is a unique innovation of
Rebbe A Rebbe () or Admor () is the spiritual leader in the Hasidic movement, and the personalities of its dynasties.Heilman, Samuel"The Rebbe and the Resurgence of Orthodox Judaism."''Religion and Spirituality (Audio)''. UCTV, 20 Oct 2011. web. ...
Nachman of Breslov Nachman of Breslov ( ''Rabbī'' ''Naḥmān mīBreslev''), also known as Rabbi Nachman of Breslev, Rabbi Nachman miBreslev, Reb Nachman of Bratslav, Reb Nachman Breslover ( ''Rebe Nakhmen Breslover''), and Nachman from Uman (April 4, 1772 – O ...
, and its recital is a regular practice of
Breslover Breslov (also Bratslav and Breslev) is a branch of Hasidic Judaism founded by Nachman of Breslov (1772–1810), a great-grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism. Its adherents strive to develop an intense, joyous relationship with ...
Hasidim Ḥasīd (, "pious", "saintly", "godly man"; plural "Hasidim") is a Jewish honorific, frequently used as a term of exceptional respect in the Talmudic and early medieval periods. It denotes a person who is scrupulous in his observance of Jewish ...
to this day.


Form

The ''Tikkun HaKlali'' consists of the following ten
Psalms The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament. The book is an anthology of B ...
said in this order: 16, 32, 41, 42, 59, 77, 90,
105 105 may refer to: *105 (number), the number * AD 105, a year in the 2nd century AD * 105 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * 105 (telephone number), the emergency telephone number in Mongolia * 105 (MBTA bus), a Massachusetts Bay Transport Authority ...
,
137 137 may refer to: *137 (number) *137 BC *AD 137 *137 (album), an album by The Pineapple Thief *137 (MBTA bus) *137 (New Jersey bus) 137 may refer to: *137 (number) *137 BC *AD 137 *137 (album), an album by The Pineapple Thief *137 (MBTA bus) Th ...
, and
150 150 may refer to: * 150 (number), a natural number * AD 150, a year in the 2nd century AD * 150 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * 150 Regiment RLC * Combined Task Force 150 * 150 Nuwa, a main-belt asteroid * Chevrolet 150, an economy or fleet car ...
. Each recital is preceded by a paragraph expressing one's desire to bind himself to the
tzadik Tzadik ( ''ṣaddīq'' , "righteous ne; also ''zadik'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' ''ṣadīqīm'') is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The root of the word ...
im of all generations, especially Rebbe Nachman, and several verses which are customarily recited before any saying of Psalms. The recital of the ten Psalms is followed by a prayer composed by Reb Noson, the Rebbe's foremost disciple, asking God for forgiveness from sin.


History

Rebbe Nachman first revealed the existence of a rectification for involuntary nocturnal emissions in 1805. At that time, he stated that any ten Psalms would serve as a rectification, since they correspond to the ten expressions of song and praise on which the Book of Psalms is based. These ten types of song are: ''Ashrei'', ''Beracha'', ''Maskil'', ''Nitzuach'', ''Shir'', ''Niggun'', ''Mizmor'', ''Tefilla'', ''Hoda'ah'', and ''Halleluyah''. In that lesson, Rebbe Nachman explained how some of these expressions stand in direct opposition to the ''kelipah'' (forces of evil), and therefore have the power to extract the wasted seed from the realm of unholiness.''Likutey Moharan'' I, 205. Rebbe Nachman's main teaching on ''Tikkun HaKlali''''Likutey Moharan'' I, 29. was given on
Shavuot (, from ), or (, in some Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazi usage), is a Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday, one of the biblically ordained Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It occurs on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan; in the 21st century, it may ...
5566 (May 23, 1806). Yet he did not reveal the specific ten Psalms of the ''Tikkun HaKlali'' until April 1810. At that time, Rebbe Nachman revealed the specific ten Psalms to two of his closest disciples, Rabbi Aharon of Breslov and Rabbi Naftali of Nemirov, making them witnesses for an unprecedented vow:
"Bear witness to my words: When my days are over and I leave this world, I will still intercede for anyone who comes to my grave, says these ten Psalms, and gives a penny to charity. No matter how great his sins, I will do everything in my power, spanning the length and breadth of the creation to cleanse and protect him.
"I am very positive in everything I say. But I am most positive in regard to the great benefit of these ten Psalms.
"These are the ten Psalms: 16, 32, 41, 42, 59, 77, 90, 105, 137, 150.
"This is the General Remedy. There is a specific remedy for each sin, but this is the general remedy.
"Go out and spread the teaching of the ten Psalms to all men.
"It may seem like an easy thing to say ten Psalms. But it will actually be very difficult in practice."
In the accompanying lesson, in which he enumerated and discussed the allusions of the specific ten Psalms, Rebbe Nachman asserted:
Know that the ten Psalms which a person must recite on the very same day as he has an impure experience, God forbid, are: 16, 32, 41, 42, 59, 77, 90, 105, 137, 150. These ten Psalms are a very great remedy for this problem. One who is worthy of saying them on the same day need have no more fear whatsoever of the terrible blemish caused by an impure emission, because it has indubitably been corrected by this remedy without any doubt.


Mystical meaning

The ''Tikkun HaKlali'' is based on the idea of the ''
Brit Brit most commonly refers to: * Briton, a British person Brit, Brits or BRIT may also refer to: People Nicknames * Brit Hume (born 1943), American TV journalist * Brit Selby (born 1945), Canadian ice-hockey player * Brit Smith (born 1985), ...
'' (Covenant) which God made with the Jewish people. In return for absolute allegiance to God on the part of the nation, God promised to be their God and to give them the land of Israel as an inheritance (
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Religion * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...
17:7-8). As a mark of this Covenant, God commanded
Abraham Abraham (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father who began the Covenant (biblical), covenanta ...
to perform the
mitzvah In its primary meaning, the Hebrew language, Hebrew word (; , ''mīṣvā'' , plural ''mīṣvōt'' ; "commandment") refers to a commandment Divine law, from God to be performed as a religious duty. Jewish law () in large part consists of disc ...
of
brit milah The ''brit milah'' (, , ; "Covenant (religion), covenant of circumcision") or ''bris'' (, ) is Religion and circumcision, the ceremony of circumcision in Judaism and Samaritanism, during which the foreskin is surgically removed. According to t ...
(circumcision):
"This is My Covenant which you shall keep between Me and you and your seed after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a token of a Covenant between Me and you." (Genesis 17:10-11)
By choosing this specific organ to bear the sign of the Covenant, God indicated the tremendous power of the sexual organ. When it is used in the context of marriage, the sexual organ is elevated and man becomes a partner with God in creation. But when it is used for personal gratification, it distances a person from God and leaves him unfulfilled, frustrated and depressed. Rebbe Nachman taught that the antithesis of the joy one should feel by uniting with a marriage partner and performing all of God's other
mitzvot In its primary meaning, the Hebrew word (; , ''mīṣvā'' , plural ''mīṣvōt'' ; "commandment") refers to a commandment from God to be performed as a religious duty. Jewish law () in large part consists of discussion of these commandments ...
is depression, a state which is in the domain of
Lilith Lilith (; ), also spelled Lilit, Lilitu, or Lilis, is a feminine figure in Mesopotamian and Jewish mythology, theorized to be the first wife of Adam and a primordial she-demon. Lilith is cited as having been "banished" from the Garden of Eden ...
, the name of the ''kelipah'' associated with unholiness. The ''Tikkun HaKlali'' comes to rectify the sin of misusing the sexual organ and, by extension, undoes the root feelings of depression that lie at the core of any sin. It does this through the power of Psalms (''Tehillim'' in Hebrew), which are songs of praise and rejoicing in God. The word ''Tehillim'' has the same
gematria In numerology, gematria (; or , plural or ) is the practice of assigning a numerical value to a name, word, or phrase by reading it as a number, or sometimes by using an alphanumeric cipher. The letters of the alphabets involved have standar ...
as the word ''Lilith'' (with five units added for each of the letters of ''Lilith''). Moreover, the word ''Tehillim'' has the same gematria as the two names of God, ''El'' and ''Elohim'', which have the power to release the seed from the ''kelipah''. Further, these ten Psalms have been particularly identified in relation to the wasted seed being released from the forces of evil and rectification being completed.


Other rectifications

Although the sin of wasted seed is considered the most serious of the violations of the Covenant, other sins also accomplish the same thing. Rebbe Nachman taught that one who earns his livelihood dishonestly also breaches the Covenant, as his craving for money can make him go so far as to rob his fellow man. The way one thinks, speaks and acts are also areas in which he can uphold or damage the Covenant. Rebbe Nachman further taught that the ''Tikkun HaKlali'' can rectify all spiritual and physical flaws or maladies. He stated,
"There are places that are so fine and narrow that no remedy has the power to penetrate them except through the General Remedy, which injects healing into even the narrowest, finest places. First it is necessary to apply the General Remedy, and through this all the individual flaws will automatically be rectified."
For this reason, many Breslover Hasidim recite the ''Tikkun HaKlali'' every day. Women also recite it as a general rectification for sin.https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/breslov1.html Breslov Judaism: Questions and Answers. Its recital is a cornerstone of any visit to the Rebbe's grave, as per his promise.


See also

*
Breslov (Hasidic group) Breslov (also Bratslav and Breslev) is a branch of Hasidic Judaism founded by Nachman of Breslov (1772–1810), a great-grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism. Its adherents strive to develop an intense, joyous relationship with ...
*
Nachman of Breslov Nachman of Breslov ( ''Rabbī'' ''Naḥmān mīBreslev''), also known as Rabbi Nachman of Breslev, Rabbi Nachman miBreslev, Reb Nachman of Bratslav, Reb Nachman Breslover ( ''Rebe Nakhmen Breslover''), and Nachman from Uman (April 4, 1772 – O ...


References


Sources

* *Kaplan, Rabbi Aryeh, trans. (1973). ''Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom''. Jerusalem:
Breslov Research Institute Breslov Research Institute is a publisher of classic and contemporary Breslov texts in English. Established in 1979, BRI has produced the first English translation of all the works of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772–1810) and selected works of R ...
.


External links


Tikkun Haklali in Hebrew with English transliteration, plus prayersHebrew cantillation of the Ten Psalms by Tzion Palach, steady paced (Youtube, 30min.)
{{Authority control Breslov Hasidism Jewish prayer and ritual texts Jewish mysticism Psalms Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish prayers and blessings Hasidic literature