הלכה אויף בראשית 38:7

If so, wherefore is it written in the Torah, "And there was under his feet" (Ex. 24,10), "Written with the finger of God" (Ex. 31,18), "The hand of the Lord" (Ex. 9,3), "The eyes of the Lord" (Deut. 11, 12), "The ears of the Lord" (Num. 11,18) and more like expressions? All such terminology is in accordance with the conception of sons of man who cannot recognize aught but corporeal things, and the words of the Torah is like human speech, but they are all attributes; for example, it is said: "If I whet My glittering sword," (Deut. 32. 41.); Hath He a sword, or doth He slay with a sword? But it is a metaphor, so is all metaphorical. As testimony thereto, one prophet says that he saw the Holy One, blessed is He! "His raiment was as white snow" (Dan. 7,9), and another saw Him "With crimsoned garments from Bozrah" (Isa. 63,1); Moses our Master himself saw Him at the Red Sea "as a hero engaged in battle," (Ex. 15.3) and upon Sinai as "a garbed minister of a congregation (Ex. 19.19.), to say: He hath neither form nor image, but all is a vision of prophecy and a mirage, the absolute truth of the matter no human mind comprehends or is able to fathom it or penetrate it. It is even this what it says in Scripture: "Canst thou find out the deep things of God? Canst thou attain unto the purposes of the Almighty?" (Job. 11,7).

It is forbidden to discharge semen in vain. This is a graver sin than any other in the Torah.¹Zohar, Shulchan Aruch, Even Ha’Ezer 23:1. Beis Shmuel explains this is not meant to be taken literally. Any sin that carries a penalty of death or koreis is a graver sin. This is meant to impress man with the severity of this sin. Those who masturbate and thus discharge semen in vain, not only do they commit a grave sin, but also one who does this is placed under a ban. Concerning such people it is said, "Your hands are full of blood,"²Isaiah 1:15. and it is likened to killing a person. See what Rashi wrote in the Sidrah of Vayeishev³Genesis 38:7. concerning Er and Onan, who died because of committing this sin. Occasionally, as a punishment for this sin, God forbid, one's children die when young,⁴Under the age of Bar or Bas-Mitzvah. or grow up to be wicked, while the sinner is reduced to poverty.