Rabash, Letter 16:Thus, we can see that to be rewarded with Lishma (for Her Name), we first need to prepare the biggest Lo Lishma (not for Her Name), and then we can achieve Lishma. And similarly, Lo Lishma is called a “lie” and Lishma is called “truth.”

When the lie is small and the Mitzvot and good deeds are few, he has a small Lo Lishma, and then he cannot see the truth. Hence, in that state, he says that he is walking on the good and true path, meaning working Lishma.

But when he engages in Torah all day and all night in Lo Lishma, then he can see the truth, since by the accumulation of lies, his lie increases and he sees that he is indeed walking on a false path.

And then he begins to correct his actions. In other words, he feels that everything he does is only Lo Lishma. From this point, one passes to the path of truth, to Lishma.

If a person makes small effort, then by his minor actions he draws the Surrounding Light a little and so his actions do not accumulate in a short time in one place to such an extent that the Light that is drawn by them can illuminate the truth and show the person the state he is really in.

When the Light illuminates in a low intensity, a person doesn’t see the difference between himself and the Light. It adds some color to his life, some taste, some understanding and feeling, but the Light is not powerful enough that the person can see how opposite his attributes are from the Light.

Like the “four phases of the direct Light,” it is impossible to see our oppositeness from the Light until the fourth phase. We only see it in the last phase in which the created being restricts himself, an action that is opposite from his nature, and results from the false state that he has revealed.

A great deal of work is required from the group to pressure a person and motivate him, to not let him calm down, evoking envy, lust, and honor in him, and thus forcing him to do what he has to do. He needs to perform as frequently and as intensively as possible certain actions called “good deeds” that bring contentment to the Creator.

Here he needs to work with the lie and with the truth by clarifying what good deeds really are, what it means to bring contentment to the Creator, and what exactly the Creator is. When he clarifies all these questions, a person gradually advances to the critical point through which he passes from Lo Lishma (not for Its Name) to Lishma (for Its Name). This point is called the Machsom (barrier), the border of the upper world. So with the help of the Light, a person takes himself out of the state of death and brings himself to life.

All this is achieved thanks to the group pressuring all its members. Unless a person feels the group pressure, he will not be able to do anything since the Light only comes to us through the group.
[100058]
From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/10/13

Related Material:
The Beginning Of The Spiritual Work Has Started
The Donkey Work Of The Light
My Dark Silhouette Against The White Background Of Bestowal

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Spirituality | Add Comment →