The Book of Zohar, Chapter “VaYera (And the Lord Appeared),” Item 167: When the Creator loves a person, He sends him a gift. And what is the gift? Poor, so as to be rewarded by it.

The world we live in is opposite to the spiritual world. A reward in the upper world is considered a punishment in our world and vice versa. For this reason it is said regarding the upper reality: “I saw an inverted world.”

A gift from Above is an awakening through a desire. We all originate from the still level, from “ashes.” In other words, we come from such a low degree of desires, where a person doesn’t feel his or her spiritual existence or his desire for the spiritual, doesn’t know where he came from or why, and is unaware of the purpose or the meaning of life. He doesn’t feel anything. This is our starting point.

Everything else comes only through strengthening and elevating the desire. It is said in regard to this: “I created the evil inclination.” But it’s up to the person to feel and distinguish this creation within himself. Time after time this inclination is aroused in him more, and the person has to determine that it is really evil.

The Creator arouses a desire, however, one must discern that this desire is wicked and turn it from reception to bestowal, from evil to similarity to Him. This is entirely up to the person. It is said: “I am the First and I am the Last.” The Creator gives the desire, and then the person must conduct an analysis and rejoice in the received desire. He is happy to receive the opportunity to recognize the evil within the desire through the teacher, the group, and the books. He realizes that the wicked desire came from the Creator, according to the principle: “I created the evil inclination.”

Then a person develops a proper attitude toward his desire: He wants to change it into good, into correspondence to the Creator, aspiration for bestowal. When a person comes to this decision, he begins to demand that the Creator transforms his desire.

A person then appeals to the Creator with this demand. This action is called: “My sons have defeated Me.” And the Creator grants him the strength, the screen, which transforms the evil inclination into goodness. This is the meaning of “I am the Last.” After giving a person the desire, the Creator now transforms it.

In the intermediate state a person independently determines what he received, what he wants, and what he demands of the Creator, and by means of these stages of development, he advances toward total similarity to the Creator.

Time after time a person gains more knowledge, awareness, understanding, attainment, and love for the Creator who gave him the evil inclination, thereby presenting him with the opportunity to realize how he differs from the Creator and how he can become similar to Him. Thanks to this a person can ask the Creator for the transformation and closer contact, as well as gain independence, perfection, involvement, and adhesion to Him.

A person who understands this process justifies the Creator whenever he receives a wicked desire from Him. In this case I don’t see evil in it, but rather a gift that can be turned into my new reality. I understand that the Creator acts out of love for me, in order to make me independent and similar to Him.
[34422]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/4/2011, Writings of Rabash

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