Likutay Moharan - Torah-teaching 253

253 - Decreased sleep, it decreases desire of licentiousness

Know that decreased sleep decreases desire of licentiousness [forbidden sexual desire]. For there is fire in the person from the beginning of generation [creation or birth] that from this fire burn in the person all the burnings of all the desires. And also all the eating and drinking that one gives to the body this fire consumes and burns all. And through decreased sleep this fire is weakened and has no power to burn. But decreased sleep harms the brain. And similarly increased sleep when the person forces himself to sleep much also this weakens and decreases the fire the above. And also this harms the brain. Only when a person sleeps in proper measure then desire of the intercourse is in its strength and its power because the fire the above is not weakened [All this we heard from within his holy conversations. And the content of his intention in this he did not explain well. But according to what I understood from his conversation the intention is that no advice helps to decrease desire of licentiousness through some stratagem because it harms the brain. For it would be possible to weaken the desire through decreased sleep or increased sleep but both harm the brain. Therefore there is no wisdom and no advice against this only to strengthen to be a hero to conquer his inclination and Hashem will help him to remove this desire from him].