Question: Can despair extinguish my spark of spiritual desire?

Answer: Of course it can. I’ve already given way to despair in this world, and I’m no longer consumed with the earthly desires. Meanwhile, there is a “spark” that shines within me. It’s the awakening from Above that brings me to a teacher and a group.

Between my despair and the spark emerges a tension, a vector, a force of desire that is caused by their difference. I don’t know where it is directed exactly, but it is already a subconscious direction towards bestowal.

This Kli is already aimed upwards like a dipole (a pair of charges with opposite signs). To use my desire correctly, I place it in the “magnetic” field of the group. In this case, the group’s forces aim my dipole and move it in the direction of the goal, the quality of bestowal and love.

The environment, the group, has powerful poles: a big disappointment with this world and the importance of bestowal. To the extent of my connection with this field, a common desire, it influences me and carries me along to the goal.

Particles (dipoles, charges, particular desires) are powerless by themselves. To empower and accelerate them, we build accelerators. In the same way, the group (the common desire) blows up my spark of desire into a big fire. The principle is simple: I join the community and make my road to the goal quicker and easier by means of the common desire.

When I join the group, I am taught how to become absorbed into this field, this common desire of bestowal and love. I receive more than just a desire from the environment because I’m not in a regular egoistic society, but I am surrounded by Kabbalists that want to reveal the Creator in their common field of desire of the Creator.

I draw closer not only to the group, but to the Upper Giving Force that is concealed in our common desire. This is why in return for my efforts to unite, I receive from the environment the power of the Creator: the Light that Reforms.

The environment that one builds responds to his efforts with the Surrounding Light (Ohr Makif, OM).

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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/21/10, “Who Testifies for Man”

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The surrounding Upper Light fills the entire reality, and all depends on those who receive it. Nothing ever changes; the Creator created a point of desire in His Light, and there is nothing else. All of evolution occurs in this point which expands, as it were, changing its size because it feels that it is receiving something from somebody. Hence, desire is that very point that grows in the perception of the receiver.

Desire doesn’t grow on its own but through the sensation that there is a Giver. At the first stage of development (Behina Aleph), the creature feels as a receiver. The instance it senses the Giver, it begins to change.

At the second phase (Behina Bet), it wishes to be similar to the Giver and starts thinking how to accomplish that. This lays the foundation for the beginning of Zeir Anpin, the third stage (Behina Gimel), where a copy of the Creator is created by way of receiving in order to bestow.

Then, having acquired the sensation of what it means to be similar to the Creator, the creature transitions into the fourth stage (Behina Dalet) and wishes to reach the status of the Giver. That is where the creature feels shame, and the First Restriction (Tzimtzum Aleph) takes place. Thus, with the exception of initial creation as “existence from absence,” all the subsequent development is induced by the sensation of the Giver.

In the Upper Light, there are no changes. Sages even inform us that in the World of Infinity (Ein Sof) there will be the smallest of Lights, Nefesh De-Nefesh. In spirituality, calculations are made not in weight or volume; rather, quality is what matters there.

From one tiny point, the physicists tell us, the Universe was born. How? They don’t know because in truth, everything is measured according to a totally different criterion that we haven’t yet obtained, the criterion of importance. We think that importance lacks substance and isn’t real enough, but in truth, it is the most significant and effective.

Therefore, the size of the Kli is determined by the awareness of the importance of the Giver. In other words, the Light depends on to what degree I expand the vessel. The Light is just a spark, the vessel is the size of a grain, and I can increase them to the “size” of Infinity. It is entirely up to me.
[21607]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/20/10, “The Greatness of a Person Depends on His Faith in the Future”

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Rabash, Article 37, 1984/85 "Who Testifies For Man":  In the degree that a man stepped out of self love he may be rewarded with absolute faith.

Question: What is absolute faith?

Answer: This passage talks about a very high spiritual degree or the process of building the middle line. After the preparation period, we arrive at the state of partial faith (Hafetz Hesed). During this stage, I focus solely on rising above a constantly growing mountain of egoistic desire. Time after time, ascending over it, I turn the transgressions and mistakes of the previous step into the mistakes and merits, accordingly. In doing so, I become an incomplete righteous.

Afterward, I ascend to the degree of love and turn everything into merits. This is what we call absolute or perfect faith, which is divided into degrees as well. “Faith” is the Light of Hassadim, which expands into the Kli, and “perfect faith” is Hassadim with the illumination of Hochma. Perfection is attained solely due to the Light of Hochma when it is able to fill the Light of Hassadim.

At this stage, I work in two lines and realize the third line by receiving for bestowal. When I fill the will to receive and the will to bestow, the perfect faith emerges in me: Hochma in Hassadim.

[21665]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/21/10, “Who Testifies for Man”

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At a certain moment after many incarnations (Gilgulim), an initial awakening for spirituality, the point in the heart (Reshimo), is roused in a person. It is comprised of two forces: 1) emptiness that one feels from the worthlessness of this transient, vain existence and despair from being unable to find fulfillment in this world, and 2) some inner “spark” that makes a person seek something unknown that exists beyond this world.

On the one hand (downward), there is despair; on the other (upward), there is a spark. As a result, a person sets his course. Together, these two forces form within a person the Reshimo: a new direction in his existence.

This Reshimo leads him to the teacher and the group who study Kabbalah. Later on, he gradually realizes that he will be able to build the force of bestowal or equivalence to the Creator only by connecting with other Reshimot similar to his. This is his only free choice and act of free will in life.

A person’s success is determined by the degree to which he is able to increase his spark with the help of the group, against all personal obstacles. If he manages to enhance it, he will feel the need for faith (bestowal) and for the others (the means). It is all defined by the luck in reception (absorption) of the effects of the spiritual environment (the teacher’s recommendations and the collective opinion of the group).

The environment is not just the group or the friends, but Shechina (Divinity). My connection with them is the connection with the Shechina, Malchut of the World of Atzilut, the collective soul of Adam. Unity of the friends in annulling their egos and attaining the property of bestowal evokes a response from Shechina and receiving the Light of correction from her, Ohr Makif.

Thus, a person enters interacting with the Surrounding Light (Ohr Makif) that advances him to the revelation of the property of bestowal (faith) within himself. And within this property, he reveals the Inner Light (Ohr Pnimi). All our work is aimed at increasing the desire for the property of bestowal through the correct environment and the importance thereof. It can’t be learned; this work is described as “we shall do, and we shall hear.”

A person exerts effort in connection with the group despite the fact that he may not feel the need to do so. In return, he receives support and the collective need, the desire, accumulated by the friends in the group: the need for faith and bestowal.
[21672]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/21/10, “Who Testifies for Man”

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Question: How do I change my values? How do I place the importance of the Upper Force which constantly defines and forms me and my world above all material, animate, physical, and even human desires? How do I use the group, the environment, to raise it above everything that is important to the egoistic desire?

Answer: It is specifically the importance that differentiates the egoistic desire from the spiritual desire to bestow. On the corporal level, it is concentrated on the Kli (vessel), while on the spiritual level, it is focused on the Creator.

That is, what matters is where you focus your attention: on what you receive or from Whom you receive it.

Importance can be switched over. For example, from a mother’s perspective, a child is more important than her. However, how do I follow her example regarding other people in such a diverse world? How do I convince myself to transfer the importance from my life to a certain force that paints this world for me?

It’s worth remembering that I reveal this force by making an effort to examine it. I acquire the vessel of revelation. Now, the force is also present, but I am not focused on perceiving it. So, how do I focus my attention on it?

Everything depends on importance. When it is focused on the Creator, I feel Him and live in Him. I can finally discern the things I did not notice before. The Creator Himself does not change. He remains at absolute rest. It is only the constantly operating Reshimot (reminisences, the spiritual genes) that make me make an effort. And later, I myself need to look for a way to focus these efforts on whatever really matters.

This is where the environment comes to the rescue. Like glasses, it focuses my eyes on the essence. We unite, raise the importance of spirituality in our eyes, and focus our common efforts on a tiny point through which I begin to see the Creator.
[21600]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/20/10, “The Greatness of a Person Depends on His Faith in the Future”

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A joke I received:

In the belly of a pregnant woman, two babies are having a conversation. One of them is a believer and the other is an atheist.

The Atheist: Do you believe in life after birth?

The Believer: Of course I do. Everybody knows there is life after birth. We are here in order to grow strong enough and prepared for what awaits us after it.

The Atheist: Nonsense! There can’t be life after birth! Can you imagine how this life would be?

The Believer: I don’t know all the details, but I believe there’s more light, and maybe we will walk and feed ourselves there.

The Atheist: Rubbish! It’s impossible to walk and feed ourselves! Ridiculous! We have the umbilical cord that feeds us. I just want to point this out to you: Life after birth can’t exist because our life, the cord, is already too short.

The Believer: I am sure it’s possible. It will be just a little different. I can envision it.

The Atheist: But there is nobody who has ever returned from it! Life simply ends with birth. And frankly, life is just one big suffering in the dark.

The Believer: No, no! I don’t know how life after birth will be exactly, but in any case, we will meet our mother and she will take care of us!

The Atheist: Mother? You think we have a mother? So, where is she then?

The Believer: She is everywhere around us, and we are in her! We move because of her and thanks to her, we move and live! Without her, we wouldn’t exist.

The Atheist: Baloney! I haven’t seen any such mother; hence, there is none.

The Believer: I can’t agree with you. In fact, sometimes, when everything calms down, we can hear her sing and feel how she caresses our world. I strongly believe that our real life will begin only after birth.

And what about you, dear reader?
[21548]

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Rabash, Shlavei HaSulam, “What in the Work, is Israel Who Exiled Divinity, is with Them”
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The Book of Zohar – Selections, Chapter “VaYechi (And Jacob Lived in the Land of Egypt),” Item  419
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Rav Yehuda Ashlag, Talmud Eser Sefirot, Vol. 6, Part 15, Item 104
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Rav Yehuda Ashlag, “The Love for the Creator and Love for the Created Beings,” Lesson 1
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