The desire to enjoy in and of itself is no obstacle for the union of the Creator and the creature. The only thing standing in the way is the desire’s egoistic form, which is opposite to the Creator. However, the desire itself is the perfect material for the reception of Light.

If I want to catch a radio wave, I don’t need to be the wave myself; I simply need my matter to attain the same quality as the wave. The matter itself is no hindrance; on the contrary, it is the foundation in which I reveal the wave. I only have to make this matter similar to the radio wave’s quality, and then within my matter I will catch its influence. In other words, I will perceive the form of the wave that I am capable of.

If it weren’t for my desire to enjoy, I would never be able to know and feel the Creator. How could I perceive Him if He’s the Creator, an entity that exists outside of me? For that I would need to accept Him within and feel Him within me, and that’s only possible inside my matter, by receiving His form.

I would never be able to feel Him outside of my matter because I am the creature and as such I only feel what is inside of me. However, my matter doesn’t hinder me; quite the opposite, I perceive the Light within my matter. I am like a radio receiver – although it’s made of metal, plastic, and silicone, it is able to catch the radio wave because it can reconstruct that wave’s form within itself. Therefore, I should focus on my matter, but only my intention, because the intention is the form.

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When we read The Book of Zohar, we not only try to imagine our inner desires and qualities behind all the words, we also try to see that one Upper Force whose presence permeates all these inner definitions. This Upper Force desires that we reveal it in this manner.

There are three dimensions here:

1.    Me – the one who feels, reads, and understands these words in a simple way;
2.    The words which I wish to imagine in the form of my inner forces and qualities;
3.    The Upper Force which conceals itself behind these forces, and which I attempt to penetrate trying to interpret them correctly.

As Baal HaSulam says in the article, “Thou Hast Hemmed Me In Behind and Before,” regardless of whether a person is in the state of revelation or concealment and throughout everything he feels and imagines, all of his efforts are aimed at revealing one single force – the Creator. This is the force that is constantly governing us.

However, He desires to be revealed by me through my efforts to become similar to Him, meaning according to the similarity of qualities. This is why He acts in this manner.

Therefore, The Book of Zohar is a collection of exercises which, starting from the very first word, we need to carry out continuously. We then begin to perceive all these words on the sensory level rather than with the mind, making it not as difficult to penetrate. The text begins to become clearer for us through the forms and combinations of letters, and we do not need to “think” about this.

This is the same way that a little child learns. He does not think about why things are called this or that in particular or why he imagines and recognizes them in such a manner. This is clear to him. We are the same in this regard. However, in addition to the fact that we try to recognize some inner quality of ours behind every word, we also need to see the goal behind it – that same force which supports us, thereby giving us an opportunity to reveal it.

This is much like an adult playing with a child. The Creator plays with us this way as well. He gives us certain exercises and how successfully we perform them depends upon us. The system exists. The law is established and cannot be violated.

Therefore, we need to try to see that single force – the Creator, through all the words that we read in The Book of Zohar. And although we are reading about different forces which are foreign, opposite to one another, good and evil, we need to recognize the only force that exists behind them: a force that is good and does good, which controls everything only to our benefit, in order to draw us closer to the goal.

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The Book of Zohar – Selections, Chapter “Bo (Come Unto Pharaoh),” Item 90
The Zohar is a guide to unity. I am one, the Creator is one, and together we become as one whole.
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“Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” Item 125, Lesson 54
A Partzuf cannot alter its states and ascend up the spiritual levels independently. For this to happen, it needs help, a force from Above, to make the ascent happen.
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“Introduction to the Book of Zohar,” Item 11, Lesson 6
The more spiritual desires I acquire, the greater my soul becomes and the more Light it receives.
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