The Zohar: It is written of the sinner Bilam: “He walked in solitude… as a viper on the road,” as a snake that crawls alone, and a raven along meandering roads. So Bilam walked in solitude so as to strengthen his spirit of impurity.

So it is with every person who walks alone, even in a prominent place, even in a city, in known places, he draws upon himself the spirit of impurity.

Hence it is written: “Let not man walk in solitude on a road and in a city” – but only in connection with others, even where people walk and dwell.

And also: “Let not man walk alone in the night” – for during that time there are no people.

All of this is telling you: Unite with your friends. Kabbalists are saying that you cannot embark on the spiritual path alone. If you want to get on the road, but the road is dark and you can’t see anything because you have no Light (no quality of bestowal, you haven’t yet connected to the spiritual system, to other souls), then you must not leave your “house” alone. You are in the dark because you are alone.

You must not take even a single step; it will not benefit you because you’re not yet able to unite with others in spite of your egoism. You must not take even a single step, because this step will not be made in the right direction – toward bestowal, toward love, toward the Creator. First you must unite with others and then come outside. And once you unite with them, you will suddenly see that it isn’t night outside at all, but day.

But at night, you shouldn’t embark on a path, even when together, because it means that you haven’t yet achieved the required level of unity. As we see from The Zohar, when night falls, you must hide in a “cave” – the qualities of Bina (bestowal), like Noah in his shelter.

Now let us step back and ask: What is the meaning of all this? The Zohar’s aim is not to scare us with creepy stories. Rather, it is a holy book that tells us the correct approach to correcting our souls. We have to open this book with the desire to correct all of these forces within us, all the desires and qualities that we read about. They are all within us.

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Zohar | Add Comment →