“We need eman-/cipation from/ desire & no-desire.”
---Leonard Cohen, Hydra small notebook, (Leonard Cohen Archive, MS 122: Box 8b)
"I needed so much to have nothing to touch/I've always been greedy that way"
---Leonard Cohen, "Night Comes On" (Various Positions, 1984)
What does the man of renunciation do? He strives for a higher world, he wants to fly higher and higher than all men of affirmation--he throws away much that would encumber his flight, including not a little that he esteems and likes; he sacrifices it to his desire for the heights. This sacrifice, this throwing away, however, is precisely what alone becomes visible and leads people to call him the man of renunciation...But he is quite satisfied with the impression he makes on us; he wants to conceal from us his desire, his pride, his intention to soar beyond us. -- Yet, he is cleverer than we thought and so polite to us--this man of affirmation. For that is what he is, no less than we, even in his renunciation.
---Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900, Germany), The Gay Science/ Die fröliche
Wissenschaft (1882)
...the thing the ascetic ideal employs in response to displeasure is jouissance, (surplus-)enjoyment...Nietzsche repeats this insistently: the ascetic ideal is about excitement--it is, so to speak a 'passion diet'; it is not about moderation, it counters passion with a surplus of pure passion.
(2) No one whose testes are crushed or whose member is cut off shall be admitted into the congregation of YHVH.
(לב) וַיִּשָּׂ֤א פָנָיו֙ אֶל־הַ֣חַלּ֔וֹן וַיֹּ֕אמֶר מִ֥י אִתִּ֖י מִ֑י וַיַּשְׁקִ֣יפוּ אֵלָ֔יו שְׁנַ֥יִם שְׁלֹשָׁ֖ה סָרִיסִֽים׃
(32) He looked up toward the window and said, “Who is on my side, who?” And two or three eunuchs leaned out toward him.
(ד) כִּי־כֹ֣ה ׀ אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֗ה לַסָּֽרִיסִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֤ר יִשְׁמְרוּ֙ אֶת־שַׁבְּתוֹתַ֔י וּבָֽחֲר֖וּ בַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר חָפָ֑צְתִּי וּמַחֲזִיקִ֖ים בִּבְרִיתִֽי׃
(4) For thus said YHVH: “As for the eunuchs who keep My sabbaths, Who have chosen what I desire And hold fast to My covenant."
When a woman is a man on the path of the Lord Most High, she cannot be called woman.
---Attar on Rabia of Basra
For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others-and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.
---Matthew 19:12
(ב) יֵשׁ לְאִשָּׁה לְעַכֵּב עַל בַּעְלָהּ שֶׁלֹּא יֵצֵא לִסְחוֹרָה אֶלָּא לְמָקוֹם קָרוֹב שֶׁלֹּא יִמָּנַע מֵעוֹנָתָהּ וְלֹא יֵצֵא אֶלָּא בִּרְשׁוּתָהּ. וְכֵן יֵשׁ לָהּ לְמָנְעוֹ לָצֵאת מִמְּלָאכָה שֶׁעוֹנָתָהּ קְרוֹבָה לִמְלָאכָה שֶׁעוֹנָתָהּ רְחוֹקָה. כְּגוֹן חַמָּר שֶׁבִּקֵּשׁ לְהֵעָשׂוֹת גַּמָּל אוֹ גַּמָּל לְהֵעָשׂוֹת מַלָּח. וְתַלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים יוֹצְאִין לְתַלְמוּד תּוֹרָה שֶׁלֹּא בִּרְשׁוּת נְשׁוֹתֵיהֶן שְׁתַּיִם וְשָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים. וְכֵן רַךְ וְעָנֹג שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה תַּלְמִיד חָכָם אֵין אִשְׁתּוֹ יְכוֹלָה לְעַכֵּב:
A wife has the right to prevent her husband from making business trips except to close places, so that he will not be prevented from fulfilling his conjugal duties. He may make such journeys only with her permission. Similarly, it is her prerogative to prevent him from changing from a profession that grants her more frequent conjugal rights to one that grants her less frequent rights like a donkey-driver who wishes to become a camel-driver, or a camel-driver who wishes to become a seafarer. Torah scholars may, however, depart for Torah study for 2-3 years without their wives' permission. Similarly, a wife cannot prevent a husband who is pampered and indulged from becoming a Torah scholar.
(א) עוֹנָּה הָאֲמוּרָה בַּתּוֹרָה. לְכָל אִישׁ וְאִישׁ כְּפִי כֹּחוֹ וּכְפִי מְלַאכְתּוֹ. כֵּיצַד. בְּנֵי אָדָם הַבְּרִיאִים וְהָרַכִּים וְהָעֲנֻגִּים שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם מְלָאכָה שֶׁמַּכְשֶׁלֶת כֹּחָן אֶלָּא אוֹכְלִין וְשׁוֹתִין וְיוֹשְׁבִין בְּבָתֵּיהֶן עוֹנָתָן בְּכָל לַיְלָה. הַפּוֹעֲלִין כְּגוֹן הַחַיָּטִין וְהָאוֹרְגִין וְהַבּוֹנִים וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶן. אִם הָיְתָה מְלַאכְתָּן בָּעִיר עוֹנָתָן פַּעֲמַיִם בְּשַׁבָּת. וְאִם הָיְתָה מְלַאכְתָּן בְּעִיר אַחֶרֶת עוֹנָתָן פַּעַם אַחַת בְּשַׁבָּת. הַחַמָּרִים פַּעַם אַחַת בְּשַׁבָּת. וְהַגַּמָּלִים אַחַת לִשְׁלֹשִׁים יוֹם. וְהַמַּלָּחִין אַחַת לְשִׁשָּׁה חֳדָשִׁים. תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים עוֹנָתָן פַּעַם אַחַת בְּשַׁבָּת מִפְּנֵי שֶׁתַּלְמוּד תּוֹרָה מַתִּישׁ כֹּחָן וְדֶרֶךְ תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים לְשַׁמֵּשׁ מִטָּתָן מִלֵּילֵי שַׁבָּת לְלֵילֵי שַׁבָּת:
Conjugal relations as prescribed by the Torah are contingent upon individual libido and their profession. What is implied? Healthy people who are pampered and indulged, and who are not employed in labor that weakens their strength - but rather eat, drink and spend [the majority of their day] at home - should fulfill their conjugal duties every night. Workers like tailors, weavers, construction workers and the like. If they work in the city [in which they live], they should fulfill their conjugal duties twice a week. If they work in another city, they should fulfill their conjugal duties once a week. Donkey-drivers should fulfill their conjugal duties once a week. Camel-drivers should fulfill their conjugal duties once every thirty days. Seafarers should fulfill their conjugal duties once every six months. Torah scholars should fulfill their conjugal duties once a week, because the study weakens their libido. It is the practice of Torah scholars to engage in marital relations on Friday eve.
(י) וְאִקְרוּן סָרִיסִים וַדַּאי, בְּגִין לְחַכָּאָה לְשַׁבְּתָא לְאַשְׁכְּחָא רַעֲוָא דְּמָארֵיהוֹן, דִּכְתִּיב ובְחָרוֹ בַּאֲשֶׁר חָפָצְתִּי. מַאי בַּאֲשֶׁר חָפָצְתִּי. דָּא זִוּוּגָא דְּמַטְרוֹנִיתָא. וּמַחֲזִיקִים בִּבְרִיתִי, כֹּלָּא חַד, בִּבְרִיתִי סְתָם. זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵיהּ דְּמַאן דְּאִתְקַדָּשׁ בִּקְדוּשָׁה דָּא, וְיָדַע רָזָא דָּא.
They are called eunuchs, surely--awaiting the Sabbath to discover the desire of their Lord, as is written: who have chosen what I desire (Isaiah 56:4)--unspecified. What is what I desire? Coupling of Matronita. And grasp my covenant (Isaiah 56:4)--all is one. My covenant--unspecified. Happy is the share of the one who is sanctified in this holiness and knows this mystery!
(Pritzker Zohar, tr. Matt, vol. IV, p. 506)
(ח) אֲמַר לֵיהּ, תָּא חֲזֵי, מִלָּה דָּא הָא אוּקְמוּהָ חַבְרַיָּיא, וְלָא פְּרִישׁוּ מִלָּה. כֹה אָמַר יְיָ' לַסָּרִיסִים. מַאן סָרִיסִים. אִלֵּין אִינּוּן חַבְרַיָּיא, דְּמִשְׁתַּדְּלֵי בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וּמְסָרְסֵי גַּרְמַיְיהוּ כָּל שִׁיתָא יוֹמִין דְּשַׁבְּתָא, וְלָעָאן בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וּבְלֵילְיָא דְּשַׁבְּתָא מְזָרְזֵי גַּרְמַיְיהוּ בְּזִוּוּגָא דִּלְהוֹן, מִשּׁוּם דְּיַדְעֵי רָזָא עִלָּאָה, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּמַטְרוֹנִיתָא אִזְדַּוְּוגַת בְּמַלְכָּא.
He said to him: 'Come and see: This matter has already been established by the Companions, though they did not elucidate. 'Thus says YHVH: as for the Eunuchs. Who are the Eunuchs? These are the Companions who engage in Torah, emasculating themselves all 6 days, and on the Sabbath Eve they arouse themselves for their coupling, for they know the supernal mystery of the hour when Matronita couples with the King.'
(ט) וְאִינּוּן חַבְרַיָּיא דְּיַדְעִין רָזָא דָּא, מְכַוְּונִין לִבַּיְיהוּ לִמְהֵימָנוּתָא דְּמָארֵיהוֹן וּמִתְבָּרְכָאן בְּאִיבָּא דִּמְעֵיהוֹן בְּהַהוּא לֵילְיָא. וְדָא הוּא דִּכְתִּיב, אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁמְרוּ, כְּמָה דְּאַתְּ אָמַר, (בראשית לז) וְאָבִיו שָׁמַר אֶת הַדָּבָר.
Those Companions who know this mystery concentrate their hearts on the [skill means] of their Lord, and are blessed on that night with the fruit of their loins. This is what is written: 'Who keep [my Sabbaths]' (Isaiah 56:4), as is said: 'His father kept the matter in mind.' (Genesis 37:11)