How Can We Overcome Fear?

How Can We Overcome Fear?Two questions I received on overcoming our fears:

Question: In one of your lessons on the book Shamati you spoke about fear, and you said that when a person is afraid, he should immediately connect to the Creator. Can you elaborate on this? What should I do when I feel chilled to the bone with worry about my loved ones?

My Answer: You should connect everything that is happening with the Creator, with yourself, and with the entire world, so that all of these will unite into one and there won’t be any difference between them. All of your doubts and fears should vanish within this union. And if they don’t – then it’s even better! Then you can ask the Creator to help you.

Actually, if you open The Book of Zohar , you’ll discover that the first correction, “Pkuda Kadma” (in Aramaic) is when one attains true fear. In fact, fear always haunts everyone and everything: On the still level of nature, there is fear to preserve its structure, on the vegetative and animate levels of nature, there is fear to become filled with what’s necessary and to push away what’s harmful. And it’s the same with man.

The only difference between different kinds of fear is the scope of one’s use of fear. That is to say, one uses it more to the extent that one realizes its depth within him, or in other words, to the extent of one’s egoistic development. An ordinary person in this world has two types of fear: fear for this world (about his quality of living, health, children, etc.) and fear for the world to come (to make sure he will go to heaven instead of hell).

However, as one’s egoism develops, one goes through all these types of fear and reaches a third kind – true fear. He then asks, “Will I be able to become like the Creator? Will I attain the property of love and bestowal for other people and for Him?” And when a person feels the need to attain this property of love and bestowal, then fear pushes him forward and brings him to the Machsom, and he makes “a return to the Creator out of fear (or agitation, trepidation)” (Tshuva mi Iraa).

Question: Can studying Kabbalah help one get rid of his fears, for example, the fear of being on stage or of expressing one’s opinion?

My Answer: Yes, because studying Kabbalah develops your perception of the unity of everything, of the integral universe. It also replaces one’s earthly fears with the true fear – the need to attain the Creator.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Kabbalah – the Cure for Any Affliction
Shamati #38: The Fear of God is His Treasure
Shamati #138: About Fear that Sometimes Comes Upon a Person

One Comment

  1. Hello,

    I am searching for a way to overcome fears and concerns. I found your response to overcoming fears only recently via surfing the web.

    Here is your overcoming fear response that I am referring to that was posted on the 6th of August in 2008: “You should connect everything that is happening with the Creator, with yourself, and with the entire world, so that all of these will unite into one and there won’t be any difference between them. All of your doubts and fears should vanish within this union. And if they don’t – then it’s even better! Then you can ask the Creator to help you.”

    Can you please provide details on how to make the connections (with the Creator, with yourself and with the entire world) you have mentioned in your response with respect to a fear? I would really appreciate learning how to do what you have outlined.

    Thank you,

    – Darryl

Discussion | Share Feedback | Ask a question




Laitman.com Comments RSS Feed