We need to strive to always be in faith above reason. If the Creator were to reveal Himself, I would lose my independent “I” and become a “parasite” (one who receives) in the upper system.

It is similar to the way a person who lies in bed attached to tubes with artificial support doesn’t need to get out of bed. If the Creator were to reveal Himself, I would be unable and unwilling to make a single move because He would fill the entire world with Himself. This is why I always need to be independent from Him and conceal Him.

Now, we understand why Malchut, once she experienced this state in the World of Infinity, was unable to handle it: This cancels the “I” which is the essence of creation. The Creator awakens the “I” in us, and we become ready to refuse the entire fulfillment, the entire knowledge. This is the feeling of shame when it seems to us as if we have ceased to exist.

This is why our entire work is in constantly preserving ourselves as the creature that is distinct from the Creator, but, on the other hand, similar to Him. This is possible only when we keep a divider between us. However, this divider does not really separate us. We connect above it through similarity, meaning the connection that we have built between us to the extent of our similarity.

I do not let my desire to enjoy receive the Light directly. We unite with the Creator and are inseparable from one another in the Reflected Light where I build the similarity to Him. Knowledge and reason are below, while faith and bestowal are above them. It is in this faith and bestowal where I connect with the Creator.

The Creator never reveals Himself in such a way as to do all of my work for me and cancel my “I.” The Upper One only shows me examples by lowering His lower part, AHP (Awzen, Hotem, Peh), to me, while I take these examples and make myself similar to Him.

This is what is referred to as “the Creator’s work.” He does not do the correction for me, but teaches me how to correct myself. And the pleasure comes from our adhesion or connection.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/15/10, “What is the Advantage that There is in Work Which is More than the  Reward”

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Right now we are thinking about the unity between us because we have discovered that we can reveal the Creator only inside it. I don’t want to feel myself inside the connection between us; I want to feel everyone together. And no matter what problems come to us, it’s only in order to give me the opportunity to strengthen the connection even more. Then the problems are called “a descent in order to ascend,” but we have to prepare for them.

Imagine that you have already attained the sensation of “outside yourself.” If we want this field of connection to exist between us, then inside the descents, disappointments, and efforts to stay together, we will feel that the only force that can hold us together is the Creator.

Why do we need the Creator? Why can’t we connect together on our own? In order for a connection to emerge between us, we have to reveal the inner force that hides inside us. This force does not belong to us at all, but the field of connection between us will be able to exist only if this force (the Creator) becomes revealed.

We need the revelation of the Creator because otherwise our unity will be lifeless. It will be similar to dead cells that were taken from different bodies and brought together – but where do you get the force of life? How can you breathe life into a body from outside? We don’t know how to do this. This is the force of the Creator who is inside matter and enlivens it.

You can take atoms or molecules and connect them however you want to. But where will you get the force of life in order to bring your creation to life? We are unable to do this, and will never be able to. We can connect things that are already alive, meaning, use something that’s already there.

The same thing happens to us: We can unite and create a connection, but who will bring it to life? That’s why we will demand the Creator! We are already starting to feel that this connection cannot exist without Him.

From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/17/10, Selected Excerpts for Yom Kippur

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Question: In his article, Rabash refers to a fable about a person who loaned a large sum of money to his friend although he wasn’t too sure he would ever get it back. However, when the friend of his brought a warranty letter from the bank that secured the loan, he got upset because he lost a chance to stay in “faith above reason” and, thus, couldn’t advance spiritually.

Answer: Be apprehensive of the Creator’s revelation. I don’t want Him to disclose Himself because, if He does, I’ll completely obey Him and will turn into an animal; the point of independence (“a human being”) will disappear in me. A human being is emerging in me when I am not yet sensing the Creator, but rather when I am searching for His image to set an example of bestowal and build it within me. In order to do that, I have to get a model and obtain the power to form this property without His pressure.

This is similar to the way that we act with a child where we give him a toy, but don’t help him out, thus allowing him to do his work. Moreover, we deliberately create difficulties so that he tries to cope with them on his own and learn. We enjoy watching his effort and progress because this is how a child advances.

We don’t let the child know that for us, it is easy to do this job. On the contrary, we pretend that we don’t know how to do it and that we are reluctant to perform it. We play and find solutions together with the child. We do it to provide him with a working space, give him a chance to apply effort, and uncover the reality out of the darkness. We don’t find solutions for him; he has to find them on his own.

Even if we are willing to help him and provide the explanations he needs, we shouldn’t do it before he totally explores his own opportunities to find the right answer. If he seeks our help, it means that he has a painful, tangible, and essential question. He already tried everything he could and nothing worked. Only in this case do we help him and replenish what he couldn’t attain because of his nature.

If he applies much effort and understands that he is unable to do it on his own, he eventually prepares his desire and sets up his mind for our clarifications and assistance, that is, input from a level that is higher than his. This “addition” makes him a human being. However, if I reveal everything to him before he applies his own effort, then my explanations won’t create anything worthy or new for him either in his desires or in his mind.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/15/10, “What is the Advantage that There is in Work Which is More than the  Reward”

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When the Light leaves the Partzuf, only a minimal spark of Light remains in it, and it is called Kista de Hayuta (a small pocket of life force). This is similar to a sleeping person whose strengths have left him, but we do not consider him to be dead because a little bit of life still remains in him in order for him to return to a normal state. This data record, Kista de Hayuta, receives the Returning Light, which comes from the Upper One.

Kista de Hayuta is a point that separates two different states. It’s like a hungry person who has completely forgotten the previous satisfied state and is ready to receive a new fulfillment. Here, too, one completely frees himself of the previous ten Sefirot and is ready to receive the ten new ones. So, this point which no longer has anything from the previous state and has not yet acquired anything from the future state is called the minimal spark of life.

I, myself, restrict my desires and want to put an end to everything in the past in order to begin a new degree, a new level of bestowal. I cannot do anything with the old Kli. After all, I have already tried to do everything I could in it. I discovered that I was unable to do something and, thus, have uncovered a new, empty space within me.

For this reason, I see the old state as flawed in relation to the new one. I reject it and move on. Since I am planning on bestowing in the next state, I must begin at zero. I do not have anything. I do not want to carry my old baggage with me. I only want bestowal, and there are no old possessions in bestowal. I start the journey empty-handed just like one goes into exile.

Some time ago, the first Hasids (who were Kabbalists) had a custom like this. One would leave his house and would not take anything with him. He would take only the clothes that he was wearing, the staff in his hand, and nothing else. You do not even take a piece of bread with you just in case. You just leave, and that is it. You do not know what will happen. You will be back only in six months or a year.

Are you ready to start on a new path today?

From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/15/10, Talmud Eser Sefirot

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On the spiritual path, souls desiring to unite must perpetually work on building a connection between them. In that case they constantly influence Malchut of the World of Atzilut (the bride) and it awakens a connection in Zeir Anpin on the level of faith rather than reception of pleasure.

Then the covenant exists because we sign a pact that we hold on to each other only because of the spiritual goal’s importance regardless of who’s paying and how much. For example, if your girlfriend is beautiful, then when you receive pleasure from her, it’s as if you sold yourself to her. If you live with a woman because she’s beautiful, then you’re a “sell out” because you receive pleasure from her beauty, which is like her payment to you.

That’s why we sign a covenant saying that we advance by faith above reason or that bestowal is more important than reception for us. That’s why we constantly look for ways to strengthen our connection through mutual bestowal.

To the degree I join the connection through mutual bestowal, I start to notice how much uglier my “bride” is (meaning the group and the spiritual world), and that my partner (the Creator) is a liar. So who did I sign a covenant with, to whom did I obligate myself!? Yet, that’s when you have the opportunity to go by faith above reason, to prefer bestowal above the calculation of reception.

From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/17/10, Shamati #52

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Question: It is written, “Don’t believe in yourself until you die,” meaning until your egoism dies. How, then, can I be sure that I’ll reach the goal and won’t lose the path?

Answer: I have a spiritual goal and the means to attain it, and I have to hold on to them. I cannot be sure about tomorrow, which is why I have to make a covenant with the group and the Creator today in order to guarantee that I will reach the Upper Goal!

If I can’t manage to stay on the path, then I will fall into the animate existence and will view life from that level. Then the Creator will not take me into consideration at all.

Alternatively, I can bind myself to the group and give myself over to them completely so they will guard me. Then I am tied to the group and I can’t fall, as if I’m on a ship caught in a storm where the sailors tie themselves to the deck so they don’t get washed into the sea by the waves. Every person should see himself as being in such a perilous state.

I have to organize the covenant between us while I am still full of energy and inspiration, while I am in the state of ascent. That’s when I sign the covenant because I understand that later on there might be a time when I won’t be able to justify the spiritual goal. Everything will seem hopeless and bad and I won’t have a doubt that I am right about that.

Therefore, it is written, “Don’t believe in yourself until you die.” If a person doesn’t give himself over to the group so it governs him, then he will be governed by his own egoism and won’t have a chance to break out of it. It’s useless to waste time in vain: Either make the covenant or go back home to sit on the couch.

From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/17/10, Shamati #52

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