We reside in a system of forces that expand from Above downward. And hence, a ladder of rungs was formed in this system, where each rung is made of opposite forces in their various combinations both in terms of height and quality. And the entire difference in these forces lies in the depth of the level of desire (Aviut) at which they work since desire’s depth changes its quality. After all, desire can be of any degree: the still, vegetative, animate, and speaking (0-1-2-3-4).

But when we begin to climb upward, we receive only one force at first: the receiving one. Then, we start working with the group, and within it we see the second force: the force of bestowal. It is against this force that we discover the force of reception, which is not the same as the earthly desire we arrive here initially with.

When we begin studying Kabbalah and try to unite with the group, we thereby evoke the Light which illuminates a new desire within us that is against unification, the group, love, and bestowal. Then, with the help of this Light, we get to know our evil.

Only due to engaging in the group do these two forces emerge in a person and stand in opposition to one another: the force of love and the force of evil, both of which are connected to the spiritual goal that a person is working with in order to achieve it. And all the properties and tendencies he initially came to Kabbalah with don’t really matter at all. They are simply the attributes of his animate body.

Therefore, the entire success in advancement depends on how a person strives to engage in the group and reach unity. He will discover the force of rejection, and both of these forces will start working, sometimes in turns and other times by bumping into each other. And then he will know the force of the prayer, without which it is impossible to unify these two forces into one.

On one hand, he doesn’t wish to lose his “self” under the infinite power of the force of bestowal, but he doesn’t want to remain a slave to his egoism, the force of receiving, either. In the person, there grows an independent character who stands right in the middle between the two forces and makes decisions. He wants to rise above these two forces, the right and left, in the middle line. And this is what he asks the Creator for in his prayer.

The property of Bina that a person receives allows him to hold the two forces in balance and be above them both. He acquires the force of “receiving in order to bestow,” which lets him bestow to the Creator. Both of these forces, receiving and bestowal, reside in him while he, himself, becomes the head (Rosh) of the spiritual Partzuf and decides how and to what extent he can bestow. So does man advance along the spiritual rungs.

He asks the Creator not for one force to defeat the other, but for an opportunity to unify them together and to be above them with his “head.” This is what he thinks about all the time. And this is why he is regarded as a sage, a “sage’s disciple” (Talmid Hacham) who, thanks to his prayers, always learns from the Creator (the sage) to be able to use these two forces correctly.

Thus, a person elevates himself above Creation and becomes as the Creator, using the force of bestowal and the force of receiving while remaining above them and making decisions. In the very same manner, the creature begins to act.
[37695]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/10/11 on Prayer

Related Material:
Ascending To The Original Root Of The Root Of Creation
While Losing Yourself In Others, Don’t Lose Yourself!
Gathering The World Within