Talks about the Steps of the Ladder, Part 102

How, in the End, Do We Emerge from a State of Descent?

We emerge from a state of descent by lingering in it, recognizing our state in depth, and accepting it as one of the states that will bring us the letters of the work.

What are letters? They are the very vessels through which we later perceive the end of correction (Gmar Tikkun), which is a state we are already in, but we lack the vessels to feel it. The missing vessels, through which we sense the world of Ein Sof (infinity) and the end of correction, include two extremes, one of which is called “descent.”

A descent does not mean a complete loss of connection with reality. Rather, it is an awareness of the state and acceptance of the fact that at the moment there is weakness and lack of discernments. If we enter this state with understanding, we extract the maximum possible discernments from it. We treat ourselves as one who has been in darkness for a long time and are trying to see through it, to orient ourselves, to distinguish shadows and shades.

Nevertheless, we cannot work in a descent as we do in a state of ascent. This does not refer to the lowest states where we simply have to wait and where we must determine for ourselves: “Now, I will lie down.” “Lying down” refers to the inner state called the “root” or “still” state. Even in this state there are several discernments. In other words, every given state, up to a state of complete death, contains several discernments, which are referred to as “death.”

Related Material:
Talks about the Steps of the Ladder, Part 101
Talks about the Steps of the Ladder, Part 100
Talks about the Steps of the Ladder, Part 99

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