What Is Spiritual Fulfillment?

thin line Two questions I received about the nature of spiritual pleasure:

Question: If genuine fulfillment comes from bestowal, does this mean that at this point I am unable to be fulfilled?

My Answer: Right now the only way I know how to be fulfilled is by fulfilling myself. There are desires or empty spaces within me, and by fulfilling them I receive pleasure, temporarily satisfying my relentless “appetite.”

However, a different type of fulfillment exists, one that arises when I connect with other people and feel that I am fulfilling them. Depending on the level of our connection, we become a single whole, just like parents and their children.

In reality we are all part of one soul, and a soul is a desire. By connecting to other people’s spiritual desires, I fulfill them as if they were my own desires, and I take pleasure in doing so. That is what we call spiritual pleasure. It is also felt through desire, but the only difference is that previously I used my own, natural desires, whereas later on I start to sense pleasure through somebody else’s desires, which are not natural to me.

The desires of others seemed so distant that when I compared myself to them, I felt that the worse off they are, the better off I am. But now, after completing my correction, other people’s desires become my own; I obtain the opportunity to fulfill thousands of desires and to enjoy doing it. The pleasure is then much bigger than the fulfillment of only my personal desires.

The conflict between the desire and the effort I invest in it does not disappear. By replacing hatred with love, I only increase the difference between them, and thus enhance the pleasure. After all, Light is measured in contrast to darkness. Even in our regular lives we have a much higher level of appreciation for peace when it is attained after a long period of hostility.

Question: What is more important in spiritual pleasure: to broaden our spiritual horizons by finding answers to our questions, or helping others reach spiritual attainment?

My Answer: Both are important. Spiritual pleasure is something I sense when I connect with the Upper Force. The revelation of the Upper Force occurs even when I just begin to approach it, even if I don’t see it clearly yet.

The world is divided into two parts: the Creator and the creation. “Spiritual pleasure” means that I unveil the Creator as if He appears out of the fog. I start to understand and feel Him a little more; I follow His example and become more familiar with Him.

Studying helps this process because when I study the system He created, I receive an illumination. Even though I haven’t fully revealed Him yet, the connection with Him still shines on me from afar. It makes me more sensitive and I start to feel how I am getting closer to Him, and that I am under his control. Then out of the corner of my eye I begin to see the contours of spiritual phenomena.

Of course, my sensations are still egoistic: I feel good, more secure, tranquil and hopeful about the future. Yet, the spiritual pleasure is felt from a connection with the Upper Force, illumination whereas material pleasure concerns ourselves and others who are like us.

Reliving Ancient Babylon

Why Do We See Such a Diverse World A question I received: Can we even hope for a better future with the bitter taste of the crisis lingering on our tongue?

My Answer: Indeed, we find ourselves in a situation that will not end on its own. A process has begun that must bring us to correction.

Despite all our attempts to ignore the obvious, we are gradually being shown that there’s something in our society that needs correcting. The pressure of the crisis is making us face its cause, the source of the true problem. This crisis is multifaceted, having affected family, education, economy, society, and the individual. Therefore, the solution must be collective, rather than private “fixes” in separate areas.

In truth there is only one question facing us today: What is the purpose for which Nature has created us? Or, stated differently: What is the meaning of life?

If we discover the purpose of our existence, we will be able to understand where the unfolding processes are taking us. Today we are awakened and are asking this question as we begin to consider our life through the prism of the crisis. The sooner we answer this question, the sooner we will rise above our present state. Anyone who hopes that everything will eventually return to the former lifestyle is mistaken. If the crisis recedes temporarily, then it’s only in order to “re-erupt” even worse than before.

We were shattered into many pieces by the Light, and therefore only the Light can correct the breaking. We must only desire this and feel a need for the reunification.

The same situation had first emerged in Ancient Babylon. Back then a portion of the Babylonians, who later became the people of Israel, understood the need to unite, and for a time they were able to do so. Today humanity must understand that we once again find ourselves in Babylon. Except now there’s literally nowhere to run from one another. We sought to build a tower reaching to the sky, but failed. This is a sign of the crisis, showing us that the only thing we lack is the realization that there exists an Upper Force that can unite us.

In Ancient Babylon, Abraham urged the people to unite, but instead the people decided to disperse. Today dispersion can take the form of protectionism and isolationism, both on the national and individual levels. If we take that route, we will undergo more suffering until we realize that it’s not the answer.

Moments From The Daily Lesson: Desires And Their Fulfillment

How The Point Develops Into A Soul

aboveWe are starting to talk about the development of soul. In order to sense the spiritual world, we use a sense called “the soul.” However, we presently don’t have this sense. In order to obtain it, we must have the desire to develop this ability from a point and by using it, begin to sense all the images that The Zohar tells us about, such as Noah, Leah, Elokim, Yud Hey Vav Hey, the ark, a house, the Light and many other things. We know nothing of their true spiritual meaning yet, just as a baby that’s newly born into this world starts out with a blank, white page. Nothing is yet written on that page!

The baby must become acquainted with this world; little by little, he begins feeling more through his senses. We often do not notice how he prepares himself for this or how he expresses a desire to learn something. He appears closed inside himself and we simply give him nourishment and take care of his basic needs. However, as he grows, he begins opening up and reacting to things more.

In the spiritual world, however, we develop differently than a newborn body does in this world, because there is a soul developing from a point of desire that is inside us. If we read The Zohar under the influence of this point, we absorb all sorts of impressions from the study and this point begins to develop and swell. When it grows into a sphere of a certain size, we will begin sensing the spiritual world within it.

Public Lecture On Hanukkah At The Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education Center

new movieOn December 15, I held a public lecture at the Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education Center. This week’s lecture was on “Hanukkah.”

The Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education Center hosts public lectures every Tuesday at 7:00 PM Israel time. The lectures are broadcast live on our TV channels “YES-66” and “HOT-66” as well as on the Kab TV website. All lectures are translated live from Hebrew into English, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian and Turkish.

Download: WMV Video|MP3 Audio

We Were Not Created To Be Satisfied With This World

Laitman_2009-08_0819Opinon (from IPS): “ENVIRONMENT:  Rethinking Jobs for a Sustainable Economy” John Talberth, president for the Center for Sustainable Economy said, “…there’s no reason everyone should work their butts off 40 or 60 hours a week. There’s got to be more incorporation of leisure time.” Judy Wicks, founder of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies said, “Maybe if we changed our values, you don’t need as much money, you don’t need to work as much… that’s something [good] about indigenous cultures. They spend a lot of time talking to people and making music together… we lack [this] because we’re on this treadmill of making more money to buy more stuff.”

My Comment: Egoism won’t let us relax and go back to a more primitive lifestyle, or be satisfied with the necessities, because it was created by the Creator, and its intended purpose is not to find satisfaction with life on this earth, but for our advancement to the Upper Goal. All the statements and wishes made in the news story above are nice, but they are naive. The program and the Goal of Nature is to bring us to the level of the Creator.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Yes, We Will Survive Without Egoism
Laitman.com Post: Kabbalah Has The Power To Correct Man’s Egoistic Nature Without Revoking It
Laitman.com Post: The Creator’s Desire Is For Us To Join Together And Unite With Him
Laitman.com Post: Reemerging From Noah’s Ark Into A New World
Video: How Do We Get Rid Of The Ego? (5:04)


Connect To The New Generation – January 22-24, 2010

large world congress bannerThe World Kabbalah Congress – “Connect to the New Generation!” will take place on January 22-24, 2010. The central location for this worldwide Congress will be Rome, Italy, which will broadcast lectures and events to the whole world, allowing everyone to be a part of this historic event.

Click here for information and to register for the Congress in Italy.

Visit the World Kabbalah Congress Site for information about regional Congresses taking place to connect with and support the Congress in Italy.