Initially, we must understand that the creature is desire. In fact, desire is the only means, the tool available to the creature; it is a sense organ, a sensory element, something allowing it to sense its own being and reflect upon it: “Why do I exist? From where did I come and through what? What is life? What is my fulfillment, and where is it going?” All of it manifests in desire.

The Creator, the upper Light, created merely a shapeless point, “existence from absence,” which we have to develop since, in line with the program of the Creator, the creature has to ascend to His height. This point is the entire creation. It’s opposite to the Light, and this property is enough. Thus, it’s called a point.

During its development, the point has to experience various types of opposition to the Light, emanated from the Light. The Light projects itself onto this point and in this way, creates in it reverse forms.

Thus, it was only one point that emerged as “existence from absence.” Its other properties appear as “existence from existence” and take their origins from the Light. This point is evolving in the properties that are projected by the Light and opposite to it. From its opposite state, the point learns the degrees of similarity to the Creator, which it is able or not able to reach. Thus, it reveals the Light.

This point of the desire to receive undergoes a long, grand, multifaceted, gradual development. If the Creator is the desire to give pleasure, the creature, inevitably, is the desire to receive pleasure.

For the creature to have an opportunity to express itself, it has to define the form of its desire to receive. How is it done? It’s by cyclic development: Every time desire acquires its form, receives fulfillment in that form, after which the fulfillment departs, leaving the form empty. Then, the creature decides how to use it.

Previously, the Light determined the conditions of pleasure for the creature. Now, to the contrary, the creature receives pleasure in giving pleasure to the Giver. In this way, the creature turns reception into bestowal.

So, the Light creates desire and its form; it also brings fulfillment to desire. Later, the creature finds out that it needs to become empty, to be deprived of the Light. The creature cannot bear it; shame prevents it. Then, it asks for strength from the Light itself, in order to get rid of it. The Light, which awakened the sense of shame in the creature, agrees and gives strength to the creature. Then, the creature demands internal changes and corrections from the Light and advances through these demands.

Even if everything comes from the upper force, from the force of the Light, that is primary relative to the desire to receive, at the same time, it’s the creature that begins to decide what it wants and intercepts the initiative, gains supremacy. That’s why the period of development begins from a sense of shame and, below, is credited to the creature.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/25/2011, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

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