אָמַר, שֶׁמִּקְוֶה אֵינָהּ מַזֶּקֶת כְּלָל, וְהַדָּאקְטֶיר שֶׁיֹּאמַר
The Mikvah Does No Harm
Rebbe Nachman said that the mikvah does no harm at all, and a doctor who says it does is no doctor. On the contrary, immersing opens the body's pores and is very good for health, provided the water is not too cold. The efforts and hardships of serving Hashem do no harm either; if they seem to, the cause is only pride.
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הַמָּקוֹר · Original text
אָמַר, שֶׁמִּקְוֶה אֵינָהּ מַזֶּקֶת כְּלָל, וְהַדָּאקְטֶיר שֶׁיֹּאמַר לוֹ, שֶׁמִּקְוֶה מַזֶּקֶת, אֵינוֹ דָּאקְטֶיר כְּלָל.
אַדְּרַבָּה, טְבִילַת מִקְוֶה טוֹבָה מְאֹד לִבְרִיאוּת הַגּוּף, כִּי יֵשׁ נְקָבִים קְטַנִּים הַרְבֵּה בְּגוּפוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם וְהֵם נִקְבֵי הַזֵּעָה, שֶׁדֶּרֶךְ שָׁם יוֹצֵא הַזֵּעָה מִן הָאָדָם, וְהֵם צְרִיכִין לִפָּתַח, כִּי אִם נִסְתָּמִין נִקְבֵי הַזֵּעָה יוּכַל לֵחָלֵשׁ וְלִפֹּל לְחֻלְשָׁה, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם,
וְעַל־יְדֵי טְבִילָה בְּמַיִם נִפְתָּחִין נִקְבֵי הַזֵּעָה, וְזֶה טוֹב מְאֹד לִבְרִיאוּת הַגּוּף. רַק שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיוּ הַמַּיִם קָרִים בְּיוֹתֵר, כִּי אָז מַיָּא מְטָרְשִׁי לְהַנְּקָבִים הַנַּ"ל, אֲבָל כְּשֶׁאֵין הַמַּיִם קָרִים מְאֹד, אֲזַי הַטְּבִילָה בָּהֶם טוֹבָה מְאֹד:
גַּם כְּבָר מְבֹאָר, שֶׁאֵין הָעֲבוֹדוֹת וְסִגּוּפִים, שֶׁקּוֹרִין "הָארִיוַואנִי", מַזִּיקִים כְּלָל, וּמִי שֶׁמַּזִּיק לוֹ הָעֲבוֹדָה וְהַסִּגּוּפִים, זֶהוּ רַק מֵחֲמַת גַּדְלוּת:
Hebrew text: Likutei Moharan Tinyana - rabenubook.com via Sefaria (Public Domain) · Sefaria. Names of Hashem are written in the customary form.
Transcripts
1-minute recap
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and twenty three: the mikvah does no harm.
Rebbe Nachman said: the mikvah does no harm at all. A doctor who says it does is no doctor.
On the contrary, immersing is very good for the body's health. It opens the pores, and that keeps a person strong.
Only the water should not be too cold. When it is not very cold, immersing is very good.
Service of Hashem does not harm either. If it seems to, the cause is only pride.
Our own reflection: what draws us close to Hashem is good for body and soul. Approach it with joy, and without pride.
Explainer
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and twenty three. Some people worried that immersing in the mikvah could harm their health. Rebbe Nachman answered clearly.
He said: the mikvah does no harm at all. And a doctor who tells you the mikvah is harmful is no doctor at all.
On the contrary, immersing in a mikvah is very good for the body's health. The body has many tiny openings, the pores through which sweat leaves. They need to be open; if they are blocked, a person can grow weak and fall ill, Heaven forbid. Immersing in water opens them, and that is very good for health.
There is one condition: the water should not be too cold, because very cold water closes the pores. When the water is not very cold, immersing in it is very good.
He adds that it has already been explained: the efforts and hardships of serving Hashem, which people call hard labour, do no harm at all. If someone is harmed by them, it comes only from pride.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. We need not fear the mitzvos for our health. And if serving Hashem ever leaves us drained, it is worth asking whether pride has slipped in.
Full shiur
— Part 1: The Mikvah Does No Harm —
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and twenty three. A short shiur in one part: the mikvah does no harm, and service of Hashem does no harm.
Gold is Rebbe Nachman's own words, from Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and twenty three. Grey is a verse or teaching he quotes. Green is our own explanation. The Hebrew is the public-domain text from Sefaria; the English is our own paraphrase.
He said that the mikvah does no harm at all, and the doctor who tells someone that the mikvah is harmful is no doctor at all.
On the contrary, immersing in a mikvah is very good for the body's health. For there are many small openings in a person's body, the pores of sweat, through which sweat leaves a person. They need to be open, because if the pores of sweat are blocked, he could become weak and fall ill, Heaven forbid.
And through immersing in water the pores of sweat are opened, and this is very good for the body's health. Only the water should not be too cold, because then the water closes up these pores. But when the water is not very cold, immersing in it is very good.
It has also already been explained that the efforts of service and the hardships, which people call 'harivani', do no harm at all. And one whom the service and the hardships harm, this is only because of pride.
Our explanation. The mikvah does not weaken the body; it strengthens it. And the same is true of the efforts we make in serving Hashem. If a person feels harmed by them, the problem is not the service but the pride mixed into it.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. Immerse with joy; the mikvah is good for you. Serve Hashem without fear of harm. And keep pride out of it.
This has been Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah one hundred and twenty three.
Sources for this Torah
Texts used
Hebrew: Likutei Moharan Tinyana (Part II), Torah 123, edition 'Likutei Moharan Tinyana – rabenubook.com', public domain, via Sefaria — https://www.sefaria.org/Likutei_Moharan%2C_Part_II.123
English: our own paraphrase of the Hebrew, written for these videos. It is not copied from any published translation.
Verses and teachings of the Sages appear only as Rebbe Nachman quotes them inside this Torah.
How the text is shown
The Divine Name is shown as ה' and voiced as Hashem. Other Names are written in the customary form (אֱלֹקִים, קֵ-ל, קָהּ, שַׁ-דַּ-י, אֲדֹ-נָ-י, אֶקְיֶ-ה, צְבָקוֹת). No full Name is written or voiced.
Parenthetical source references inside the printed Hebrew are left off the screen to save space; the citation line names the source instead.
Long paragraphs are shown in consecutive pieces. Every Hebrew word on screen is from the edition above; nothing is reworded.
Cards labelled EXPLANATION (green), and every line marked 'our own reflection — not a quote', are our own words, not quotations.
Every on-screen quotation in the full shiur, by part
Part 1 — The Mikvah Does No Harm
Scene 3 · LM II:123 §1 · paragraph §1.1
אָמַר, שֶׁמִּקְוֶה אֵינָהּ מַזֶּקֶת כְּלָל, וְהַדָּאקְטֶיר שֶׁיֹּאמַר לוֹ, שֶׁמִּקְוֶה מַזֶּקֶת, אֵינוֹ דָּאקְטֶיר כְּלָל.
EN (our paraphrase): He said that the mikvah does no harm at all, and the doctor who tells someone that the mikvah is harmful is no doctor at all.
Scene 4 · LM II:123 §1 · paragraph §1.2
אַדְּרַבָּה, טְבִילַת מִקְוֶה טוֹבָה מְאֹד לִבְרִיאוּת הַגּוּף, כִּי יֵשׁ נְקָבִים קְטַנִּים הַרְבֵּה בְּגוּפוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם וְהֵם נִקְבֵי הַזֵּעָה, שֶׁדֶּרֶךְ שָׁם יוֹצֵא הַזֵּעָה מִן הָאָדָם, וְהֵם צְרִיכִין לִפָּתַח, כִּי אִם נִסְתָּמִין נִקְבֵי הַזֵּעָה יוּכַל לֵחָלֵשׁ וְלִפֹּל לְחֻלְשָׁה, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם,
EN (our paraphrase): On the contrary, immersing in a mikvah is very good for the body's health. For there are many small openings in a person's body, the pores of sweat, through which sweat leaves a person. They need to be open, because if the pores of sweat are blocked, he could become weak and fall ill, Heaven forbid.
Scene 5 · LM II:123 §1 · paragraph §1.3
וְעַל־יְדֵי טְבִילָה בְּמַיִם נִפְתָּחִין נִקְבֵי הַזֵּעָה, וְזֶה טוֹב מְאֹד לִבְרִיאוּת הַגּוּף. רַק שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיוּ הַמַּיִם קָרִים בְּיוֹתֵר, כִּי אָז מַיָּא מְטָרְשִׁי לְהַנְּקָבִים הַנַּ"ל, אֲבָל כְּשֶׁאֵין הַמַּיִם קָרִים מְאֹד, אֲזַי הַטְּבִילָה בָּהֶם טוֹבָה מְאֹד:
EN (our paraphrase): And through immersing in water the pores of sweat are opened, and this is very good for the body's health. Only the water should not be too cold, because then the water closes up these pores. But when the water is not very cold, immersing in it is very good.
Scene 6 · LM II:123 §1 · paragraph §1.4
גַּם כְּבָר מְבֹאָר, שֶׁאֵין הָעֲבוֹדוֹת וְסִגּוּפִים, שֶׁקּוֹרִין "הָארִיוַואנִי", מַזִּיקִים כְּלָל, וּמִי שֶׁמַּזִּיק לוֹ הָעֲבוֹדָה וְהַסִּגּוּפִים, זֶהוּ רַק מֵחֲמַת גַּדְלוּת:
EN (our paraphrase): It has also already been explained that the efforts of service and the hardships, which people call 'harivani', do no harm at all. And one whom the service and the hardships harm, this is only because of pride.
Hebrew phrases in the Explainer
Scene 2 · §1.1: שֶׁמִּקְוֶה אֵינָהּ מַזֶּקֶת כְּלָל,
Scene 3 · §1.3: וְעַל־יְדֵי טְבִילָה בְּמַיִם נִפְתָּחִין נִקְבֵי הַזֵּעָה, וְזֶה טוֹב מְאֹד לִבְרִיאוּת הַגּוּף.
Scene 4 · §1.3: רַק שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיוּ הַמַּיִם קָרִים בְּיוֹתֵר,
Scene 5 · §1.4: זֶהוּ רַק מֵחֲמַת גַּדְלוּת:
Hebrew phrases in the 1-minute recap
Scene 2 · §1.1: שֶׁמִּקְוֶה אֵינָהּ מַזֶּקֶת כְּלָל,
Scene 3 · §1.2: טְבִילַת מִקְוֶה טוֹבָה מְאֹד לִבְרִיאוּת הַגּוּף,
Scene 4 · §1.3: רַק שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיוּ הַמַּיִם קָרִים בְּיוֹתֵר,
Scene 5 · §1.4: זֶהוּ רַק מֵחֲמַת גַּדְלוּת: