- This topic has 375 replies, 148 voices, and was last updated 1 hour, 10 minutes ago by
.
- Replies
In this weeks readings it is written, “Having grasped and perceived the Creator and his absolute benevolent Dominion, as well as his power in the entire creation, we should choose not to see the creator in all his glory because this would undermine our faith.”
If ascending the spiritual ladder gives us a more tangible perception of the spiritual worlds and more tangible perception of the Creator, Does this not contradict the above statement? in other words, I thought one of the benefits of attainment was this ability to tangibly see the creator and the spiritual world. But then once that happens, doesn’t that mean we’re no longer operating by faith above reason? I would really love it if an experienced Kabbalist could tell me what attainment even in the first few degrees looks like as far as our heightened perception of the spiritual. Or even to greater degrees, How can someone ascend so high in the practice of Kabbalah and still end up with doubts as to the existence of the Creator altogether? I would think having an experience like that would leave you with no doubts.
Hi Adam,
Spirituality works according to the law of equivalence of form. Meaning that to reveal spirituality, we need to become similar to it, to the qualities of pure bestowal that are there.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2013/04/everything-is-attained-by-the-equivalence-of-form/
So we reveal spirituality by aspiring towards bestowal. If we reveal spirituality, and stop aspiring towards bestowal, instead wanting to receive for ourselves, then we will lose our equivalence of form and thereby lose our attainment of spirituality.
As long as our ego is not fully corrected, there needs to be a certain level of concealment. Otherwise we would steal everything we reveal into our ego. If we’re fully uncorrected, the concealment is placed upon us from above. The more that we are corrected, we begin to place the concealment upon ourselves. In allegorical terms this is sometimes referred to as a cloud, shade, or wings. All of those things are talking about the importance of the concealment for our spiritual development.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details:
https://laitman.com/2015/07/revelation-in-concealment/
As for doubts, doubts accompany us throughout our entire spiritual development. They are the challenges thanks to which we grow and develop.
It’s just like in school, if we master all the challenges and exercise in first grade, we’re promoted to the second grade. And in second grade we’re given even harder challenges and exercises than the first grade. Or like in weightlifting, if we master an exercise with 10 pounds, we increase it to 15 to keep challenging our bodies to grow stronger.
Likewise in spirituality, every new spiritual degree comes with its own set of doubts and problems, thanks to which we can grow and develop further.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2011/06/the-benefit-of-the-doubt/
Albert @ KabU
So if you may kindly elaborate on the practical way to >> bond with the Creator and fulfil the Law of Equivalence of form ? How can I do this ?
Hi Milo,
First we need to keep in mind that our very nature is egoistic, meaning it’s completely opposite to spirituality, to the Creator. And just like a PC cannot just reprogram itself to run as a Mac, we too cannot just change our own nature. We require outside help to make this change. This help comes to us from the light. The light is a special force that has the ability to change our nature. Our work essentially boils down to extracting more and more of the light, especially during the Kabbalistic studies, and it does all the rest.
So the most practical action that you can do towards reaching equivalence of form with the Creator is to set aside some time to regularly return to the source of the light, meaning to the Kabbalistic sources, videos, lessons, books, etc. Such a habit will help you throughout your entire spiritual development.
And in the more advanced semesters, we’ll learn how to do this type of spiritual work within the Kabbalistic group. The Kabbalistic group is like a lab where we practice manifesting the Creator’s qualities of love and bestowal. In the group we build a strong connection with other points in the heart that are together with us on the spiritual path. This becomes like a nucleus. Once we build that nucleus, we will be able to add to it wider and wider circles of the world, until we’ll come to include the whole world in that connection. But this is gradual work. And until we build that nucleus, we have nothing with which to do any spiritual work towards the world.
We’ll learn about these things in greater detail in the more advanced lessons, in the meantime, check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: http://laitman.com/2013/02/sunbathing-in-the-rays-of-the-reforming-light/
Albert @ KabU
Is the 613 laws of love or laws of bestowal the same as the 613 Commandments (Mitzvot), where the 10 Commandments taught in Christianity is also derived from?
Hi Dulce,
I’m not an expert in Christianity, so I cannot comment on what they teach there.
As for the 613 laws, they are the same as the 613 commandments. There are 613 desires that we need to correct. Corresponding to each desire, there is a law or commandment. These are the INTERNAL processes by which we correct that specific desire. In other words, Kabbalists don’t look at the 613 commandments as physical actions to be performed by our hands and feet, but rather as allegories to the internal process of correcting our desires.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details:Â https://laitman.com/2016/02/mitzvot-commandments-the-correction-of-desires/
Albert @ KabU
hi
Sometimes when I am in nature, hiking or walking and noticing the environment. I get a great sense of connection and peace. Would you say this is a beginning of being one with the creator?Hi Yvette,
Being one with the Creator works according to the law of equivalence of form. Meaning that to the extent that we’re similar to Him, to His qualities of love and bestowal, to that extent we connect to Him and become one with Him. Practicing these qualities of love and bestowal requires other people. So although there is truly something special about being in the nature of this world, true connection with the Creator comes through our connection with other people. We’ll learn how to do this in practice in the more advanced lessons.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2013/04/everything-is-attained-by-the-equivalence-of-form/
Albert @ KabU
When I’m trying to be closer to the Creator, should I try to understand the intentions behind “bad” actions like when people hurt others emotionally or physically, or focus only on the intentions behind “good” actions such as people showing kindness and support to one another?
Hi György,
The focus is on ascribing all the actions, good and bad, to the Creator. This is called that “there is none else besides Him” behind all of reality. But this is our inner work.
Externally we continue to operate in the normal way. So if you are sick, you should still go to the doctor, if someone is hurting you, you should still stop them, call the police, sue them, etc. Whatever is the normal way of dealing with all these things externally, we continue to do so.
We’ll learn how to work with these things practically in the upcoming lessons. In the meantime, check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2017/12/there-is-none-else-besides-him/
Albert @ KabU
I understand what you are referring to in terms of spiritual desires that we will only possess in the causal/spiritual world and are not related to the desires we have in the manifested/physical world.
I just can’t believe that such a specific number such as 613 would randomly be both the number of spiritual desires and the number of Mosaic laws.
There must be some relation.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.