The Torah Is A Guidebook For Love

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe Torah has existed for thousands of years and we must understand what it represents. Basically, there is a means in our world through whose help it is possible to attain the goal of creation. But what is the goal of creation? Come, let’s clarify this.

In front of me is a universe, stars, the sun, and the moon. Under my feet is the earth and on it all of the still, vegetative, and animate nature, and humans. All of this exists. Why does this exist? Where does this come from? What is it for? For what purpose does it exist?

The Torah explains all of this to me. It is designed to inform me why and for what I live, the reasons for my existence and what the result is, where I am going. In short, the Torah can teach me about everything without leaving any space or location empty.

So how does one acquire this knowledge? How does one penetrate into this vast and wonderful wisdom that is found above our reality and extends to the spiritual worlds?

It is possible to reach this by means of defined general rules that seem to me very far from nature and its laws, like: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Zoology, and other fields of natural science. Instead of bringing me scientific facts, they say: “And you shall love your friend as yourself.”

This is not at all clear to me. Give me precise formulas! Love is a simplistic idea. Nobody knows what to do with it; each one pulls it towards himself in whatever way he likes, and “rolls” it out from one end to the other. Ultimately, we don’t grant any seriousness, stability, or real power to this characteristic.

However, if a person undergoes suffering, things become serious; this we understand. Whereas, love lacks all power in our eyes, it lacks clarity; it doesn’t underlie the foundation of the world. And therefore it is very difficult for us to internalize the concept that is called a “great general rule of the Torah.” We cannot seriously relate to it.

But in reality, an approach that moves through love possesses greater weight and cannot be destroyed. This is an “iron rule” from which it is impossible to deviate; it requires us to pass through all of the restrictions, all of the threats, through everything, so that we will attain that concept of “And you shall love your friend as yourself.” Specifically through attaining the characteristic of love, we explore the whole world, understand it, and attain all of reality.

And so true love is different from what we imagine to ourselves; yet we have a problem with this when we relate to this concept with the utmost seriousness and begin to realize it.

Once, many years ago I was present at the funeral of a young couple that were killed in an accident right before their wedding. While reciting the Kaddish the chief Rabbi of the city, a person who understood the wisdom of Kabbalah, then said with tears in his eyes that what we lack is love, that only thanks to that can we correct all crimes and defects.

I didn’t understand him then and I thought that probably this is how it is customary to say a eulogy. And only much later, after I studied for some time, I understood what he meant. Yet all the other people related to his words the way I did in the beginning, even though there were many spiritual people there…
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From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/16/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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