Talks about the Steps of the Ladder, Part 39

How Can We Acquire the Creator’s Qualities Emotion-Free?

We cannot rely solely on emotions. How can we compare one feeling to another and discern which is genuine? Reason must guide this process.

There are concepts of good and evil, sweet and bitter, truth and falsehood. Sweet and bitter are emotional judgments, while truth and falsehood are intellectual evaluations. To distinguish correctly, we must use the measures of truth and falsehood rather than sweet and bitter, which can lead us away from Kedusha.

It is beneficial to understand the opposite of Kedusha, but even such understanding requires intellect rather than relying on emotional measures like sweet and bitter.

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Talks about the Steps of the Ladder, Part 38

What Is Supervision with Reason?

There is “mind” (Mocha) and “heart” (Liba). Mind involves constant, purposeful supervision aimed at a specific goal, and assessing our states and experiences. It is like a critical mechanism that lets us observe ourselves from the outside. For instance, we might be immobilized, unable to act or think, yet still be aware of our state. Alternatively, we might be confused, unable to think clearly, yet still observe and recognize our confusion. Such an ability to view ourselves from the outside helps us learn who and what we are. If we adopt the Creator’s qualities, we begin to see ourselves from the Creator’s perspective. Gradually, we start identifying with the traits we acquired from the Creator, and view our own uncorrected traits as “Pharaoh,” an external force within us.

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Talks about the Steps of the Ladder, Part 37

Is Upliftment the Same as Fear of Heaven?

Upliftment toward the Creator and the desire to direct ourselves at bestowing upon Him is generally called “fear of Heaven.” If we fear the Creator to avoid suffering, this is fear of punishment, not fear of Heaven. It is akin to a child fearing a mother’s scolding rather than fearing the mother herself.

True fear of Heaven is not about fearing punishment, but fearing disconnection from the Creator and being unable to give to Him. Otherwise, it is fear of harm, not of Heaven, even though harm also comes from above.

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Talks about the Steps of the Ladder, Part 36

Does Society Give Wisdom?

Society cannot give wisdom. Wisdom is an outcome of one’s efforts. Society’s role is only to uplift a person toward the goal. After receiving this upliftment, we work with books, teachers, and the society, and through such efforts, wisdom emerges.

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Talks about the Steps of the Ladder, Part 35

Does Constant Control Destroy Joy?

Joy arises when, in every moment, we see, through deliberate and purposeful self-criticism, where we stand. Whether or not we can correct the situation is less important than feeling and perceiving our current state. These impressions serve as markers showing that we go through states and progress.

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Talks about the Steps of the Ladder, Part 34

How Should We Relate to Feelings?

It is written that the purpose of creation is “to do good to His creations.” It means that the goal is to experience pleasures, to feel goodness and benefit. Our path involves correcting the vessels of sensation, which are designed for enjoyment. However, until we complete our work and reach the end of correction, we must constantly monitor our feelings to avoid being misled.

As long as we lack a spiritual screen (Masach), following our sensations can lead to excessive use of the desire to enjoy for oneself. Therefore, we must constantly supervise ourselves to make sure that we use the desire to enjoy correctly; otherwise, we cannot escape the vessels of reception.

We cannot determine the validity of something solely based on good or bad feelings. For example, according to an analogy of Baal HaSulam, a person with a boil might enjoy scratching it, but the process ultimately leads to infection and death.

Until all corrections are completed—both in this world and on spiritual levels—we must not, even for a moment, abandon the guidance of reason and its connection to the purpose of creation: “What is happening to me now? What am I doing?”

The sole exception is acting with a clear intention to break free from all definitions and order, to “lose oneself” as in the Purim celebration. Even then, this must be done deliberately, as otherwise it holds no benefit. One cannot completely forgo supervision.

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Talks about the Steps of the Ladder, Part 33

Where Should We Place Our Focus?

We should look only within ourselves, at our own qualities, and not at the world or others, which we cannot truly understand. Even when looking within, we must do so from a perspective that is aimed at correction. If we cannot examine ourselves from this perspective, we should not delve into our own qualities until we have prepared ourselves for proper self-reflection. Doubts, fears, and caution help us accurately perceive our current state and our resources.

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Talks about the Steps of the Ladder, Part 32

Chapter 4. Between Fear and Joy

It is unclear why some things are counted while others are not. After all, we need to count what we have, to know where we stand, how much we have done, and how much more we can do. Even in the Shulchan Aruch, there are rules that require counting and rules that forbid it, all of which relate to spiritual work. Everything depends on the intent and purpose of the one who counts.

The will to receive was initially created in us with the intention to receive for oneself. If we approach the will to receive without intending to correct it, we must not count or dwell in it because doing so drains our strength, places us under the control of the will to receive for ourselves, and distances us from the purpose of creation.

However, if we examine both sides—first the right line and then the left—it becomes our duty to count what we have in the left line and determine how much we can take from it for correction. This is because our approach has become creative and beneficial for progress and correction. Therefore, everything depends on the intent and the approach to the will to receive. It is what lets us determine whether counting is permitted or forbidden.

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Talks about the Steps of the Ladder, Part 31

Where Is the Point in the Heart Located and How Does it Affect Prayer?

The point in the heart is internal and, in truth, is not merely a point but an entire system. Like a computer virus, which is not just a simple disturbance but a unique program that knows how to integrate into the hardware components of a computer, and thus disrupt it, this program has its own structure and logic devised by clever minds. Likewise, viruses in the body and cancerous cells are complex biological programs that develop in a destructive manner.

We tend to describe the point in the heart as just a point, a desire that a person suddenly receives from above, a spark from the Creator, from a vessel of bestowal that enters the person. However, in reality, the point is a mechanism, an entire system that gradually reveals itself within a person’s heart.

From a Talk on the Article “What Is Half a Shekel in the Work? – 2” 5/21/2002

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Talks about the Steps of the Ladder, Part 30

What Prayer Does the Yearning for Rain Belong To?

The yearning for rain, such as that of farmers in the Negev, is a prayer, but it is not one that belongs to those engaged in spiritual work, nor is it a middle prayer. For those of us on the spiritual path, the middle prayer constantly changes as it is influenced by all the events we experience. If we can feel only one prayer in our heart, then we are called “holy still.” If we do not consider our heart as a prayer at all, then we are simply an animate organism.

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