Talks about the Steps of the Ladder, Part 86

How Can We Subjugate Ourselves to the Group’s Decision?

Unlike other groups in society, in Kabbalah, subjugating to the group is not achieved through self-limitation, which leads to foolishness. In a regular society, the more a person complies with society’s demands, the more they are considered a good citizen or a pious individual. Nothing beyond that is required.

People who wish to live their lives quietly, without any excess turmoil, need to diminish and hide their inner intensity. They should pretend to be slightly less than they truly are. By doing so, they accept society’s influence and rules, and in return, receive its support. This is how people grind on in life peacefully, finishing it as if they had never been born.

In a group engaged in Kabbalah, the opposite is true. We need to harness the full extent of our desire, personality, and everything within us to work on uniting the group, not to stand out against everyone, but to bring everyone together. How is this different from regular society? In the external society, i.e., outside of the group that advances to the spiritual goal, we do not achieve unity through strengthening our desire, but rather through diminishing and concealing ourselves.

In Kabbalah, the more we work on social cohesion, then the stronger our sense of self-worth and the greater our abilities, and the more we contribute to uniting the group. The two kinds of societies use opposite approaches. In Kabbalah, we form a group where each member dedicates their full strength and power to unify the collective. Accordingly, unity is a result of effort, not of prior submission, self-concealment, or dissolving into the collective.

In Kabbalah, everyone stands out and connects together. The unity we achieve in such a setting is on a very high level.

Related Material:
Talks about the Steps of the Ladder, Part 85
Talks about the Steps of the Ladder, Part 84
Talks about the Steps of the Ladder, Part 83

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