The Open Door To Freedom
A question I received: How can a person transgress at the very first stage of double concealment (as mentioned in Item 58, Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot)? At this point, he doesn’t really see spirituality; in order to transgress one has to be able to see what he is doing.
My Answer: Kabbalah says that you are a criminal from the start; you were born that way. We are all criminals! But we don’t need to be caught because we are already imprisoned by being in this world. All we can do is realize that we are jailed criminals and that such a state is given to us from the beginning. If someone wishes to leave the jail, he can go ahead, the door is open! However, in order to do so, one has to change himself.
Our transgressions and mistakes reveal to us how opposite we are to the Creator. If we don’t see them as such, there aren’t any transgressions or mistakes. This is the stage called the “Providence of reward and punishment.” Reward is the opportunity to act in bestowal. Punishment is the lack thereof.
Transgressions are the effect of double concealment; mistakes are the effect of single concealment. One concealment is over “There is none else but Him,” and the second one is over “He is good and does good.” If we err in both, it is called a transgression. If we err in one of them, it is a mistake.
Therefore, it is easier to correct the mistakes. In correcting a mistake, we correct half of a transgression, and it becomes easier to correct it in full because a transgression has now become a mistake. Essentially, we are always correcting mistakes since even transgressions first turn into mistakes and get truly corrected only when we begin to receive in order to bestow. This is what is called repentance from love rather than fear.
From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/13/10, Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot
Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Action Plus Intention
Laitman.com Post: The Mistakes We Can Learn From
Baal HaSulam Article: “The Creator’s Concealment and Revelation”
Kabbalah Moments: “You Are A Felon From The Start”
Discussion | Share Feedback | Ask a question