Make Every Instant More Exalted

Dr. Michael LaitmanIn every state of ascent, you should immediately imagine a state of descent. If you are able to do so, you remain in an ascent longer than one instant. And that’s enough!

You already received this impression, made a “record” (Reshimo), and if you continue it further, you start to enjoy this state egoistically. It turns out that you not in control of it any more, you don’t finalize or aim it correctly as you did before, when you entered it. Instead, you simply start receiving pleasure from it, turning it toward your egoism.

If a state of ascent continues longer than one instant, and you have acknowledged it and are not going to add anything to it, you should view it as a descent. In spirituality, if you do not add, but stay in the same timeline, the same momentum, at the same height, you turn into zero. In spirituality, only acceleration counts, rather than speed.

And spirituality is in the group, the place where unity is achieved, since within our unity, we reveal the Creator. So, we need to constantly examine ourselves in reference to this unity. If I contribute in the group the impression of the importance of the group compared to my own lowliness in regard to it, the value of the goal, spiritual work, and the Creator being revealed in our unity, then I act in the right direction.

Suppose I’ve exerted effort in this direction and managed to reach a certain awareness pertaining to spirituality, the property of bestowal; I got to feel and understand something in my current state. But I cannot remain in the same state longer than an instant after I have experienced it emotionally and mentally. After all, the next moment, by realizing that I did understand and feel, that I achieved something, I will start feeling selfish pleasure. It will be serving the ego from that moment on.

Hence, at the very next moment, you have to immediately add more desire yourself and seek even more! But where does one get this kind of need to constantly strive for more? How can one not descend into to his desire to enjoy, by letting himself rest and delay and gaining pleasure from what’s been accomplished?

Rabash writes that if a person has felt a state of ascent, he must immediately seek explanation for it in the books and articles, dive into them with this newly achieved current desire, and attain this state deeper and deeper. A person does so in order to receive from it an additional desire that will allow him to continue ascending further.

In fact, if we don’t ascend, we fall! It’s impossible to crawl on the “straight path”; in spirituality, it doesn’t exist. It is written: “No instant is like another!” I must make it so that the next one is more exalted than the previous one.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/12/2011Writings of Rabash

Related Material:
Always Ask For More
Preparing For A Descent
A Descent Is A Joy

One Comment

  1. It takes a measure of control and discipline to just stay in the state of ascent in an instant instead of staying there a bit longer — because a ‘bit longer’ would mean I am receiving only for myself.

    Likewise, while in an ascent, as Rabash suggested, to delve deeper into the books and find explanation for it further in order to gain a new level of desire for the coming new state of spirituality is a way to not settle for a ‘break’ from the work.

    Working in the group is always advised by the rav to avoid the feeling of a ‘descent.’ However, delving into the text by the sages to gain a new desire should not be overlooked while doing the practical work in the group. For in the text can be found the tool to go on further into a different level.

    Being in a state of bestowal takes constant discernment and never ever taking a rest. This in itself, just the thought of it, sounds really a great effort.

    Only by the mercy of Creator can I possibly achieve this kind of effort for my nature would want me to stop and take a rest.

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