I Have Sinned, Can I Pray?

Greetings and blessings. One must not refrain from praying because of any sin. Certainly, one should strive as much as possible not to fall into any sin, but falling does not prevent a person from continuing to serve Hashem with all his heart and soul. If one has sinned specifically through wasting seed, one must wash the area thoroughly so that no seed remains on him at all. In this condition, he is fit to pray to the Creator and may ask in prayer to merit purification and cleansing from all sin and transgression, and to merit overcoming the yetzer hara. The yetzer hara (evil inclination) tempts a person after the sin and tries to convince him that he is no longer worthy of any spiritual elevation, and that it is as if he is permitted to do everything his heart desires. But this is not so; the person must know that even after failure he is still beloved before Hashem, and Hashem desires his commandments, as long as he does not act to anger his Creator or provoke Him. Here we are dealing with a powerful temptation, Heaven forbid, and if the sin indeed is a grave one, it does not prevent one from fleeing again to cling to Hashem, to sanctify oneself, and to become purified. 

With blessings, Binyamin Shmueli