Come and see: When she [Eve] was prepared to be fitting for Adam, G‑d blessed them. This is what is written, "And G‑d blessed them," (Gen. 1:28) as a cantor who blesses a bride with seven blessings [under the wedding canopy]. From this we learned that once a bride and a groom are blessed with seven blessings, they cleave as one, the likeness of [the seven sefirot united] Above.

Therefore, one who comes to consort with another's wife, blemishes the [supernal] union [and separates the supernal sefirot from one another] because the Congregation of Israel unites only with the Holy One, blessed be He, both at the time when He is of mercy and when He is of judgment. [There is no time when G‑d is not united with Congregation of Israel.] Come and see, one consorts with another's wife, it is as if he is false to the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Congregation of Israel. For this, the Holy One, blessed be He, does not atone for him [even] through repentance, and [his] repentance [remains] suspended until he leaves this world. This is the meaning of, "This sin shall not be atoned for you till you die." (Isaiah 22:14) When [will it be fully atoned]? When he comes repentant into that world [to come] and he [also] needs to receive punishment [in Purgatory].

Rabbi Elazar said, one who is false [only] to the Congregation of Israel [by consorting with an unmarried woman, for he withholds from her those seven blessings fitting for a bride], repentance is not accepted until he is punished in Purgatory. All the more so for one who is false to [both] the Congregation of Israel and the Holy One, blessed be He, [by consorting with a married woman] and all the more so if he troubles the Holy One, blessed be He, to make the form of a mamzer in another's wife, and [thus] publicly denies the [seal and image of the] King.

Rabbi Hiya opened [his discourse] with the words, "He who robs his father and his mother..." (Proverbs 28:24) "His Father" is the Holy One, blessed be He [Zeir Anpin] and "his Mother" is the Congregation of Israel [Shechinah/malchut]. What does he "rob"? As is written, "the robbery of the poor is in your houses." (Isaiah 3:14) Who is [the poor]? One who covets another woman who is not his wife [for he robs the Shechinah of those seven blessings].

We learned there (Berachot 35b) that all who derive enjoyment from this world without a blessing, it is as if he robs the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Congregation of Israel [the Shechinah], as written, "He who robs his father and his mother [and he says, 'It is no transgression'; he is a companion of a destroyer"]. [The addition of the word] 'All who derive enjoyment from this world' [comes to also] include [enjoyment of] a woman. Whoever cleaves with a woman to enjoy her without a blessing, even if she is unmarried, it is as if he robs the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Congregation of Israel. What is the reason? Because Their [Zeir Anpin and Shechinah] unification is by means of [those] seven blessings. And if this is true of an unmarried woman, it is all the more true for one who unites with another man's wife, who is [constantly united with her husband] as the likeness Above by means of seven blessings.

[The second half of the verse:]"He is companion of a destroyer" (Proverbs 28:24) refers to Jeroboam, as was explained; "who says, It is no transgression", saying, she is single, why should it be forbidden? Therefore, he "robs his father and his mother" [of the 7 bridal blessings]. Moreover, "he is companion of a destroyer." The destroyer is a man who blemishes the portrait and rectification of Above [the Shechinah] and all the more so he who covets his neighbor's wife to cling to her, who blemishes even more. He [who begets a mamzer] is thus blemished forever. He is [called] a 'destroyer' because he blemished Above [the unification of Zeir Anpin and the Shechinah] and blemished below and blemished his soul, as is written, "a destroyer," and, "he who does that destroys his soul." (Proverbs 6:32)

BeRahamin LeHayyim: What does the above mean to you, and why is it revealed to now?

How can improper thoughts harm? After all, they are only in my head, right? Wrong. The Gemara says that bad thoughts are even worse than bad deeds. (Yoma 29) Why, because negative thoughts blemish more sublime worlds. Above, the Zohar gives over many secrets concerning mis-takes. When we eat food without acknowledging our Creator, it is as if we are stealing from our supernal Parents. If we, G‑d forbid, commit adultery, we blemish the supernal Union. And even if we even merely covet another's spouse, "we blemish even more." Harsh words for harsh penalties. We do not see the results down here, but the Zohar tells us that the cleansing for these mis-stakes will take place later. Food [after blessing!] for thought.

Bracketed annotations from Metok Midevash and Sulam commentaries
Copyright 2003 by KabbalaOnline.org, a project of Ascent of Safed (//ascentofsafed.com). All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this work or portions thereof, in any form, unless with permission, in writing, from Kabbala Online.