When Everything Is Not Right
The wisdom of Kabbalah conducts much more accurate and objective research than any other science. In the course of this study, we learn that there is only one force, one factor, that acts in reality. Therefore, we characterize it with the phrase “There is none else besides Him.”
This is not a name or a definition, this is just the way we want to emphasize the uniqueness of this phenomenon. Studying ourselves and all of reality at all degrees and at all levels, we can see that only the Upper Light operates and organizes everything.
And its corollary, beginning from a certain point, divided into two. The Upper Light affects something and we determine whether matter is opposite to the Light according to its properties or matches it. This is the main feature of matter: the ability to remain in a state of oppositeness or similarity.
Accordingly, our experiments may show polar results. If the matter of our desires is opposite to the Light, then we feel it as darkness. If we have prepared ourselves for the meeting with the Light and match it, at least partially, then we feel it as a blessing.
There is nothing in the Light, either good or bad, just the property manifested in giving, loving, fulfilling, advancing, and developing. And it all depends on the vessel, on the created being.
In this, the preparation of the vessel to receive the Light is carried out by the same Light. Indeed, It is primary; it marked the beginning of creation, the whole process; it causes all matter to develop. But matter itself is devoid of any ability to realize anything.
Consider where do atomic particles—protons, electrons, neutrons, etc.—take strength from to move endlessly and so rapidly? They do not stop, do not slow down, for billions of years. How can this be?
The Light supplies them with energy. It is primary and it acts. Otherwise each particle would eventually stop, which according to physicists is equivalent to its disappearance. All matter exists due to the power of the Light, the force of bestowal. This force gives energy to the dead material by its desire so that by receiving it, it would begin to move.
Why does matter have to be developed on the degrees of the still, vegetative, animate, and human nature?—To become like the Light in the end of development. Towards this purpose, the Light pushes all particles and their compounds, be they atoms, molecules, including biological organisms or spiritual forms, inherent in matter, which is already capable of performing bestowal, similar to the Light, until finally they both become equal.
The Light does all this. Apart from it, there is no other acting force in the process. We say about all of this, “There is none else besides Him.”
However, this upper force wants to give something greater to the created being, originally dead matter like dust, as it is said: “For of dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” The Light wants to give this dust vitality, not at the degrees where it inevitably develops, transformed into the vegetative, animate, and human nature. No, the created being is intended to develop in a particular direction above its nature and to acquire a higher nature.
This becomes possible due to the breaking of the vessels, because the Light “corrupted” the desire it created, cut it into many pieces, by force penetrated into the matter and left in it an egoistic urge to receive for self-fulfillment, the inclination to enjoy it, to desire it and do only that.
As a result, the desire became the complete opposite to the Creator. Now, it is not just the created being, a derivative, because it has its own momentum to resist the Creator, to be in antagonism towards Him. The dominant force, demanding power, was revealed in the desire.
And then the Upper Light, the Creator, begins to “play” with the desire that is opposite to Him. A certain system of relations is formed and develops between them; they mutually influence each other.
The created being begins to understand that it is in a complex world. At first, it behaves in our world as the “higher animal,” creates science, culture, education, and forms of human society develops…until a crisis occurs. And then the desire realizes that something is wrong here.
Today, humanity has entered exactly this era; it is not yet the genuine crisis of the basic paradigm but its threshold. From this era, the moral must be drawn: We are in the system, in a network of forces.
They all interact harmoniously, creating a single network, focused on matter, i.e., still, vegetative, animate, and human nature, in order to lead it to self-realization. In other words, so that it begins to realize what it is.
This makes it immediately clear: It is possible to realize only if the created being learns who controls it, who stands on the other side. Indeed, it is possible to investigate and understand anything only from the opposite, like black on a white background.
Therefore, we perceive that “there is none else besides Him,” by coming from the opposite state, when we are sure that there is nobody but us people. In our eyes, we are ourselves are the active force in reality, and no one else.
With this confidence, we boldly and resolutely go ahead, until under a hail of blows “on our own bodies” we learn that something is wrong. Something does not go well to the extent that the global crisis comes, and there is no success in anything. Nothing helps, not reason or senses, not science or culture.
It turns out that we are stupid, clueless, and cannot even establish our normal life or everyday relationships. Even animals somehow make themselves comfortable. And we, on the contrary, destroy the lives of those near and far, using all our strength and knowledge.
That is our nature and we cannot go against it. Our evil nature is stronger than our mind. Intellect does not help in dealing with it. We would like to establish healthy relationships; we produce so much we could make a paradise on Earth for everyone, but we are not able to. Instead, we have only troubles and problems, threats, and fear of tomorrow.
Thus, my nature reigns over me and I cannot do anything about it.
As a result, people become conscious of all the baseness of their own nature. And this, in fact, is the best starting point. Baal HaSulam indicates it in the “Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot,” explaining what questions we ask in the end of our development: “What is the meaning of our life, the years which cost us so dearly?” “What am I here?”—and in his thoughts only this persistent question remains.
Ultimately, explains Baal HaSulam, this question should lead us to the realization of the necessity of the revelation of the Creator. If a person is thinking about what he lives for, what the meaning of his life is, he eventually comes to the conclusion: “There is something above me. The fact is I cannot arrange my life. Even my nature is beyond me.”
The solution is formulated as follows: “Come and see that the Creator is good.” In other words, from an actual need we really can come to the revelation of the Creator, and then we will see that He acts in everything. We will see that the entire distance traveled was necessary only to get blows and to eventually understand that our only way out is to reveal the force acting in the created being and causing us to move.
[147073]
From the Convention in Los Angeles “Day Two” 10/31/14, Lesson 3
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