These days, we commemorate the memorial day of the ARI (Isaac Luria Ashkenazi)—a unique person, a great Kabbalist. The fact is that the upper force, the reality in which we exist, is revealed in our world gradually. It was first revealed to a person named Adam, who is therefore considered the first man.
From him, this revelation was passed down along a chain of Kabbalists to Abraham, then to Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph, David, and so on. The entire Torah is revealed stage by stage, because our development is egoistic. From generation to generation, egoism grows, humanity evolves, and along with it, Kabbalah and the Kabbalists develop.
Before Abraham, there were only small groups of Kabbalists. But Abraham gathered a large group, which developed and called itself the “people of Israel,” meaning Yashar-El (straight to the Creator). This group went through many ascents and descents on the spiritual path, through shatterings, and eventually entered the final exile, meaning the last spiritual descent.
The soul of the ARI symbolizes the exit from this final exile and the beginning of the redemption, meaning the beginning of the revelation of the spiritual world, the upper force, to all of humanity. From within this world, we can now begin to reveal the world of infinity, to connect the two opposite poles of creation, and to move from this temporary, transient life to one that is eternal and perfect.
The ARI is unique in that he revealed the wisdom of Kabbalah to us in its complete form. In his time, the period of the final exile came to an end, and so he stood at the peak of the revelation of the vast egoistic desire. By correcting it, he was able to attain the entire creation and describe this wisdom in full.
He understood how all parts of creation are connected, in what form, and by which laws and formulas they develop, and how we, human beings, human souls, gradually reveal all of this as we progress toward complete revelation, our final correction.
All of this the ARI revealed and described in a way suited to the perception of the modern person, to the souls of our generation. That is why Kabbalists, who understand who the ARI was, hold him in the highest regard. Truly, he is a unique soul.
Baal HaSulam writes that he lacks the words to express the greatness of the extraordinary soul of the ARI and his contribution to the development of Kabbalah. The ARI left us all the keys to the attainment of the spiritual world. Today we are not yet capable, but we hope that one day we will come to understand his greatness.
Baal HaSulam writes that he was granted an inclusion with the soul of the ARI (Ibur Neshama), and that through this, he was able to write the Sulam (Ladder) commentary on The Book of Zohar, and The Study of the Ten Sefirot—his commentary on The Tree of Life (Etz Chaim). All of this was made possible by the inclusion of the soul of the ARI within him, this special soul, this unique desire, corrected by the great Kabbalist.
Naturally, we must try at least a little to adhere to this exalted soul. To the extent that we are able to connect, to bond, and to nullify before him, to that same extent, we too will be able to enjoy some of his light, and perhaps attain something from his revelations.
The language of the ARI is entirely unique: flowing, beautiful, gentle, and close to us. He describes each detail that he chooses to explain with utmost precision. And all his explanations are primarily aimed at drawing the surrounding light so that through this study, we may attain spiritual perception.
This is how the book of the ARI Etz Chaim (The Tree of Life) begins:
Behold that before the emanations were emanated and the creatures were created,
The Upper Simple Light had filled the whole existence.
And there was no vacancy, such as an empty air, a hollow,
But all was filled with that Simple, Boundless Light.
And there was no such part as head, or end,
But everything was One, Simple Light, balanced evenly and equally,
And it was called “the Light of Ein Sof (Infinity).”
And when upon His simple will, came the desire to create the worlds and emanate the emanations,
To bring to light the perfection of His deeds, His names, His appellations,
Which was the cause of the creation of the worlds,
Then the Ein Sof restricted Himself, in His middle point, precisely at the center,
And He restricted that Light, and drew far off to the sides around that middle point.
And there remained an empty space, an empty air, a vacuum
Precisely from the middle point.
And that restriction was equally around that empty, middle point,
So that the space was evenly circled around it.
And after the restriction, when the vacant space remained empty…
[191388]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/5/16 on the topic of “Memorial Day for the ARI”
Related Material:
Ari: The Beginning Of Ascent
The Significance of the Writings of the ARI
The Uniqueness of Implementing the Method of the ARI
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