A question I received: What is the creature that Kabbalah talks about all the time? Are we creatures or not? What makes someone a creature; is it a special desire or state? For example, are a cow, cat, or dog creatures or not? They seem to exist, yet they have no freedom of will so can someone without free will be called a creature? If so, then it seems metal could also be called a creature. If a creature is something that has free will, then can we be called creatures? Maybe a creature is only one who knows the Creator, communicates with Him, and mutually bestows to Him? In other words, is a creature a measure of being similar to the Creator?

My Answer: The Creator and the creature exist together, in one desire. The creature bestows to the Creator, and the Creator to the creature. The Creator and the creature both make decisions. The creature exists if it perceives the Creator; it is a creature to a smaller or a larger degree according to the measure to which it feels the Creator, that is, is similar to Him. A creature is not simply a controllable robot under the complete rule of the Creator.

For this reason, the creature begins with the union of Malchut with Bina, that is, when Malchut rises to Bina and forces her to either open or close herself. This indicates that someone else beside the Creator is performing actions.

Hence an independent creature standing opposite to the Creator is born following an entire sequence of events. It isn’t that simple to accept the forces of love of bestowal from Bina or to gain the strength to renounce one’s egoism. And it’s equally hard to rise to Bina, restrict her, and say: “Don’t give me anything, I’m unable to receive unselfishly.”

I want to receive; yet I can’t because that will bring me spiritual death. If I do receive, I will stop being independent; that is, I will die as a creature. The Upper One has everything that I want, but I ask Him not to reveal Himself, not to give me anything. I restrict Him by myself so that He won’t give me anything.

Only after I restrict the Upper One do I start to gradually reveal myself to Him. I regulate the Light coming from Above by myself and determine the way, the amount, and the conditions of receiving it. And by acquiring  multi-sided fulfillment, I acquire the form of the creature, which is my similarity to the Creator.

I cannot do it alone. I have to accumulate the desire, which comes from the group, and the strength, which comes from the Light that Reforms, and the Light enables us to become similar to the Creator.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/9/10, “Preface to the Sulam Commentary”

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