Hi all,

B"H I've been clean for about 50 days, with the exception of 2 nocturnal emissions. These were frustrating but I'm trying to validate my progress and not to get down on those involuntary emissions. That being said, I know there are sources that can help us prevent nocturnal emissions from happening. If I remember correctly, the Gemara talks about not eating certain foods or doing certain things to protect from emissions. Does anyone know where this Gemara is? Other Torah sources on preventing emissions? Or just science that is practical and applicable?

I know that spicy foods soon before going to sleep can cause emissions, which applied in my situation, but if anyone has any other ideas please share. I'd love to take any steps to prevent involuntary nocturnal emissions from happening again.

Thanks! 

I know that if I'm lusting during the day a lot or if I lust right before bed then I'm at risk of a wet dream. But I don't pay too much attention to them.

Check out Yoma Daf 18:

כל שבעת הימים לא היו מונעין וכו': תניא רבי יהודה בן נקוסא אומר מאכילין אותו סלתות וביצים כדי למסמסו אמרו לו כל שכן שאתה מביאו לידי חימום תניא סומכוס אמר משום ר' מאיר אין מאכילין אותו לא אב''י ואמרי לה לא אבב''י ויש אומרים אף לא יין לבן לא אב''י לא אתרוג ולא ביצים ולא יין ישן ואמרי לה לא אבב''י לא אתרוג ולא ביצים ולא בשר שמן ולא יין ישן ויש אומרים אף לא יין לבן מפני שהיין לבן מביא את האדם לידי טומאה תנו רבנן זב תולין לו במאכל וכל מיני מאכל אלעזר בן פנחס אומר משום רבי יהודה בן בתירא אין מאכילין אותו לא חגב''י ולא גב''ם ולא כל דברים המביאין לידי טומאה לא חגב''י לא חלב ולא גבינה ולא ביצה ולא יין ולא גב''ם מי גריסין של פול ובשר שמן ומרייס ולא כל דברים המביאין לידי טומאה לאתויי מאי לאתויי הא דת''ר חמשה דברים מביאים את האדם לידי טומאה ואלו הן השוםוהשחלים וחלגלוגות והביצים והגרגיר {מלכים ב ד-לט} ויצא אחד אל השדה ללקט אורות תנא משמיה דר' מאיר זה גרגיר אמר ר' יוחנן למה נקרא שמן אורות שמאירות את העינים אמר רב הונא (המוציא) גרגיר אם יכול לאכלו אוכלו ואם לאו מעבירו על גבי עיניו אמר רב פפא בגרגירא מצרנאה אמר רב גידל אמר רב אכסנאי לא יאכל ביצים ולא יישן בטליתו של בעל הבית רב כי מקלע לדרשיש מכריז מאן הויא ליומא רב נחמן כד מקלע לשכנציב מכריז מאן הויא ליומא והתניא ר' אליעזר בן יעקב אומר לא ישא אדם אשה במדינה זו וילך וישא אשה במדינה אחרת שמא יזדווגו זה אצל זה ונמצא אח נושא אחותו (ואב נושא בתו) וממלא כל העולם כולו ממזרות ועל זה נאמר {ויקרא יט-כט} ומלאה הארץ זמה אמרי רבנן קלא אית להו והאמר רבא תבעוה להנשא ונתפייסה צריכה לישב שבעה נקיים רבנן אודועי הוו מודעו להו מקדם הוו מקדמי ומשדרי שלוחא ואי בעית אימא יחודי הוו מיחדי להו לפי שאינו דומה מי שיש לו פת בסלו למי שאין לו פת בסלו:

Also Kitzur Shulchan Urach Siman 151.

בִּסְעוּדַת הַלַּיְלָה, לֹא יַרְבֶּה בַאֲכִילָה וּבִשְׁתִיָה, וְלֹא יֹאכַל דְּבָרִים הַמְחַמְּמִים אֶת הַגוּף, כְּגוֹן בָּשָׂר שָׁמֵן וְכָל מַאַכְלֵי חָלָב וּגְבִינָה וּבֵיצִים וָשׁוּם. גַּם לֹא יִשְׁתֶּה מַשְׁקֶה הַמְחַמֵם, כִּי דְבָרִים אֵלּוּ גּוֹרְמִים לְחֵטְא זֶה.

הָרוֹצֶה לִשְׁמֹר אֶת עַצְמוֹ מֵחֵטְא זֶה, יִשְׁמֹר אֶת פִּיו מִנִּבּוּל פֶּה, מִשְּׁקָרִים, מֵרְכִילוּת וּמִלָּשׁוֹן הָרַע וּמִלֵּצָנוּת. וְכֵן יִשְׁמֹר אֶת אָזְנוֹ מִשְּׁמֹעַ דְּבָרִים כָּאֵלּוּ. גַּם יְהֵא זָהִיר לְקַיֵם נְדָרָיו, וְלֹא יַרְבֶּה בִּדְאָגָה, וְגַם יְהֵא זָהִיר מֵהִרְהוּרִים רָעִים. וְקֹדֶם שֶׁהוֹלֵךְ לִישֹׁן, יעֲסֹק בַּתּוֹרָה, אוֹ יֹאמַר אַרְבָּעָה מִזְמוֹרֵי תְהִלִּים הָרִאשׁוֹנִים (עַיֵן לְעֵיל סִימָן קלב סָעִיף ה), וְיִזָּהֵר שֶלֹּא לִישֹׁן בַּחֶדֶר יְחִידִי.

Git Voch,
I left out the moat important gemara in Avodah Zara Daf 20.
(דברים כג, י) ונשמרת מכל דבר רע שלא יהרהר אדם ביום ויבוא לידי טומאה בלילה

Hatzlucha Rabba!

Thank you @jewishfiltergeek!!

Maybe nocturnal emissions don't bother me, but I have this problem.

If I rest in the daytime which is an infrequent event, I almost always have lustful dreams.
At night I virtually never have these things nowadays, but if I have a short nap in the daytime for example Shabbat afternoon I'll usually land in some unclean dreamland - these dreams bother me

Anyone else similar? Any solutions?

In case this is at all helpful, I happen to have been browsing seforim online searching for something and came across a sefer called Shemirat Hamachshava by Rav Daniel Frisch which can be found here. If you're not familiar (I myself wasn't), Rav Daniel Frisch wrote the Tikunei Zohar and many smaller works based on Kaballah which make it really accessible, and just great hashkafah about deeply living yiddishkeit. Anywho, I haven't seen this sefer personally, but it is fairly cheap and I'm sure offers helpful eitzos. I myself plan on getting a copy and can fill you in if I do end up reading it, but just wanted to share with you that it is out there as a resource.

Markz wrote on 04 Dec 2016 04:49:

Sometimes like when I'm sick and need to rest during the day I get physically terrified because I know I won't actually rest but lust.

the number 1 eitza is to have small kids. Then you can kiss your afternoon naps goodbye

@shemirathabris: I wouldn't call nocturnal emissions a fall. They're oiness and check the last daf in Yoma, it discusses how even if one had one on Yom Kippur and lived out the year he's guaranteed Olam Haba...
In Yeshiva I would keep complaining to my rav about my wet dreams. Though I never quite let him in on my other, frequent, non-nocturnal emissions.... 

@Singularity, thanks for your response. I would definitely agree with you that wet dreams are not a fall in the same way as deliberate acts such as pornography, masturbation, acting out with other women or men, etc. And thank you for pointing to the Gemara in Yoma as a source. (The Mishnah even takes precautions so that the KOHEN GADOL shouldn't see keri! So yeah, to me, that says something about how human it is for this to come up)

In thinking deeply about our relationship with HaKadosh Boruch Hu, though, if there is anyway we can reach higher levels of kedusha, it is always worth aspiring to. In that vein, there is what to talk about when it comes to nocturnal emissions/wet dreams. Even though we are not fully conscious during these dreams, there is some degree of improper thoughts that contributes to them. Chassidus has much to say on the matter, that the more we can remove these negative thoughts from our minds, through whatever active practical steps we choose to take, or just asking HKBH to protect us through things such as saying Tehillim at night, it is important to try to remain as pure as possible. 

Personally, one of the dreams I had in the last month or so was so vivid and so sensual that I woke up in the middle of the night wondering (albeit disoriented) if I was on any level consciously going along with the fantasy in my dream, and I had to talk myself down a bit and just recognize while I can't beat myself up, if there is a way to prevent that from happening again I'd like to try.

I definitely am focused on my 90 day journey and beyond of just trying to refrain from acting out deliberately, and that will be my priority. But I do aspire to try to clear my head of any other negative thoughts that can contribute to seeing keri. 

Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

shemirathabris wrote on 08 Dec 2016 11:34:

So basically my outlook is that yes there are eitzas of how not to have wet dreams and it's good to follow them. But I don't think it speaks of your spiritual level if you do stillhave wet dreams and perhaps it's a good thing to work on properly once you've finished Shas Bavli Yerushalmi with Rishonim Acharonim and Tur Shulchan Aruch with all Meforshim and then heading your way to mesa'yem the Zohar. 

Oh, and all the while working your 12 steps.
Don't now skimp on the garlic pizza for supper and then hop onto your laptop for a one-way nosedive into shmutz!

Take me for example, the day I decided to complain to my Rabby about my nocturnal stuff, I couldn't concentrate in shiur, I was edgy and frustrated, bemoaning Hashem "How could you do this to me!??"
Needless to say I wasted a day of learning. What does Hashem really want from you?

My Rabby explained it to me like this: Your son and his friend are playing in your computer room. his friend pushes your son into your gevaldike I7 S X premium with the best graphics card and he destroys the whole thing. So you're gonna be angry at your son!?

That's his analogy.

I thought about it long and hard and years later, I had a rebuttal. Granted, I was no longer in Israel. But I'd love to ask him, "Yeah, but who let them play in the computer room in the first place?"
We let our minds get to this state. True. but Ratzon is worse than Oiness and if working on preventing nocturnals will frustrate your working on to prevent reals, then I don't advise it.

On ways to prevent Nocturnal Emission, What works for me the most is making sure to sleep on my left (or even right) side. I don't think I ever had an emission like that, although sometimes wake up in middle of the night and go back to sleep in the wrong position. Hope this helps.