The Thief Who Didn’t Steal One Coin
The fact that our desires are broken and distanced from each other is a great help. Thanks to this, we are in a situation similar to the one described in the parable about the king who wanted to transfer his entire treasure from one place to another but was afraid to put it all in the hands of one person since all were thieves.
So he divided his treasure and gave each person one coin so that each one could stand up to such a small temptation and would not steal, but would bring the coin to the repository. In this way the king transferred his entire treasure to the new location.
This is exactly what happens to us. Our vessels (desires) are broken, so each person has his own small desire. However, if he connects to others, thanks to that, he doesn’t take the bad, broken desires from them, but takes the force to overcome his own desire.
This gives us a number of advantages. First, all that I need to restrict is my small desire. Second, around me there is a big society with huge forces, and it can influence me with its values.
After all, despite the fact that our desires are broken, they are connected to one system. That is, we are not connected to one another by our own desire, but against our will, not from our side, but from the side of nature. If I am under the influence of the desires that are so distant from me, I can use them like a foreign instrument, external help, instead of the Creator.
It turns out that thanks to the shattering, I receive “help against Him”: I can use part of my desire that was separated from me by my egoism. It seems to me that these desires are opposite to me, far away from me, and rejected and hated by me. Thus I can use them like assisting forces.
This means that we greatly gain from the breakage. On one hand, I am not required to correct, all at once, the entire great desire and resist all of the treasure of the king. It is enough to overcome the temptation of one coin placed in front of me.
On the other hand, I receive from everyone the forces that don’t allow me to steal. Everyone convinces me of the greatness of the king. If I can somehow connect to them with my broken desire, yield to them a bit, even in an egotistic way for the sake of my gain, which is called “Lo Lishma, then even that is good. And through them I receive the Light that Reforms.
After all, the Inner Light can’t shine within me, but the Surrounding Light can!
[59308]
From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/31/2011, TES
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Does this relate to the (Chabad) Chassidic concept of the “Farbrengen” — literally, bringing from afar. That is, on the spiritual level, it is supposed to be a connection of souls. While the “animal souls” are selfish and remain individual, the “Divine soul” (human-level?) gathers as one, those becoming the overpowering force.
As such, it would seem to correspond to the power of the total group in elevating the service of the King, overcoming the individual lust for his treasure.
“The fact that our desires are broken and distanced from each other is a great help.” Does this not contradict the preceding blog entry: “Desire does not break—the screen does.” I’m in a constant state of confusion due to the contradictions presented not only here, but in the lessons. Is this part of the intention?