Catch The Thief!
Question: In our world it is customary to lower yourself before a person you deem important. Why is it so difficult to lower yourself in the spiritual world?
Answer: In our world we lower ourselves before an important person because by doing so, we profit. Our egoism always carries out actions that are profitable for it. If a person is influential, powerful, and wealthy, then it’s worthwhile for me to lower myself before him and to be next to him, to serve him, because I know that usually a small person receives from a big one, and I expect to receive something as well.
That is how we usually act in this world. And if we don’t act that way, then we receive blows that make us learn this principle. Suppose I don’t want to listen to what a policeman says to me. Then I receive a fine or get called to court where I receive a punishment. So next time I will listen. That is, in our world it is egoistically profitable to listen to a powerful person, and if I don’t understand this, then life will teach me with blows.
However, this does not work in relation to the Creator because He is concealed! After all, if His quality of bestowal became revealed to you, then you would run after Him like a thief who runs ahead of the crowd, yelling, “Catch the thief!” It would seem that you love the Creator from the bottom of your heart because you can receive so much from Him. Who wouldn’t want to cleave to this force, which controls the whole world? It’s clear that this is what every person does.
That is why the Creator cannot become revealed to us as great, mighty, and generous. He can only become revealed as an example of the quality of bestowal, which we have to acquire on our own. But then you won’t want Him and will run away from Him. That is why He cannot become revealed to you—not from the good side nor from the bad, not from the side of fulfillment, nor from the side of intention.
The only thing that remains for us is to work with the environment. The Creator gives us a small desire for bestowal, but everything else has to be revealed by us in the environment that inspires us to bestow, to build our desire for the upper force. We receive help and awakening from above only to the extent of our exertion in the studies, the environment, and dissemination.
It’s impossible to advance in any other way. Otherwise we would chase Him, wishing to swallow Him up, or would run away from His quality of bestowal, being scared of the possibility of becoming that way ourselves.
[53599]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/4/11, Shamati
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Concealment Makes Us Human
The Creator Pushes, While The Environment Catches Me
Lower Your Head And Take As Much As You Want
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This is so true. In our world, if I don’t lower myself before corporeally successful people then people look at me like I’m nuts to not treat people kindly based on their accomplishments. Because, in the corporeal world, that’s how people get ahead. And, if others saw me gaining anything from lowering myself before the Creator, then they would encourage it because it would be seen as me gaining things and getting ahead in the world. But, in truth, most people run away from the Creator, because bestowal is asking us to give, and that is opposite of the goal of our world. In fact, in our world, anyone who would choose to give instead of get is considered stupid, despised, or looked upon as nice as long as they don’t have to be the ones who are giving. No loss to them. The Creator is detached from these gains or losses and works independently of it all. And, not really influenced by any of it either.
If I am just loving the Creator for what I get out of it, then I know in my heart it’s not really the genuine love that I’m supposed to be giving through loving others. If I genuinely want to love the Creator, the only way I can do that is through loving others without receiving anything in return. Receiving might be a nice side effect of my efforts. However, it’s probably best if I get nothing in return, so I know it is real.