Admiring The Friends, Not Idols
At first Abraham was an idol worshipper and made idols, that is, he worshipped the desires accepted in this world for money, honor, and knowledge. All our actions in this world are called creating idols or idol worshipping. After all, we work for our own egoism, which will die along with us, and that means that the work does not produce results, just like idol worshipping. Not working for an idol means working for someone who reacts to your work, someone with whom you live and develop together. 1
Unity is not a goal in and of itself, but a means to reveal the upper force. It’s the same net into which we gather a great catch that we dream of: a Leviathan. If we achieve unity in the ten, then it multiplies, broadens, it “fattens up”: a fish becomes fatter and fatter until it becomes a Leviathan. A Leviathan is the whole desire to enjoy that is created by the Creator. Thus we come to the meal of the Leviathan where we receive all the abundance of the world, which fulfills us. We perceive it in the mind and heart.
By studying Kabbalah one prepares to catch the fattest, biggest catch. It is a super egoistic work. A Kabbalist doesn’t run after the Nobel prize or a billion dollars, which tomorrow will become obsolete, and even if they don’t, you still can’t take them to the grave. A Kabbalist hopes for a serious win, which exceeds the possibilities of this world.
People who are far from Kabbalah laugh at our aspiration to reach unity, considering this engagement naive or not serious. In actuality, their engagements are child’s play, which bring no benefit: like sand castles built by children on the shore. Sooner or later a wave will pass and wash everything away. And this is called a serious occupation in our world? 2
If a person establishes connection with the Creator, it means that he belongs to the Kli (vessel) that is tied to Him, that is, the common Kli of all humanity. This means that it is impossible to be connected to the Creator if you do not associate yourself with all of humanity. One is connected to the other.3
A sign of advancing is seeing that your friends are significantly more successful than you. I believe that they are breaking through, establishing an inner connection with each other, saying deep things, not just empty words, but truly from the heart, and that is their life. Meanwhile, I am still looking at them skeptically and feeling that I am confined in armor, which disallows me to feel as good as them, to rejoice and grieve along with everyone. They went through a breakthrough in their feelings; they broke the shell; they emerged from it, like a worm from a radish, and they feel something outside of their egoism.
On one hand, I am filled with envy, and on the other hand, I am proud and rejoice in the fact that I find myself in such a society and relate to such great people. It turns out that if not today, then tomorrow I too will reach this.
Envy makes me do my best all the time. Envy is very healthy if it is positive envy. I do not want the friends to fall from their level since they are the rope that they tossed to me, the one drowning in the river. I hold onto this rope, and as such, I want the friends to be as high up and as strong as possible; they are my only hope.
I begin to rejoice in the fact that I am behind them. Suddenly I see that the group and the Creator revealed between the friends are my salvation, and it cannot be any other way. Therefore, it is good that I am smaller than everyone. Of course I want to grow up, but I am ready to serve them and the Creator—I already have the right attitude to the force that advances. It is a great success to begin to feel this way. 4
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/1/18, Writings of Rabash, “What Are the Light Mitzvot that a Person Tramples with His Heels, in the Work?” Article No. 41, 1990
1(Minute 51:30)
2(Minute 53:25)
3(Minute 57:15)
4(Minute 58:00)
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New Life #721 – From Abraham To The Generation Of The Desert
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