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Does crossing the Machsom change the animate experience itself, or only the identification with it? And why does Kabbalah insist on keeping the body fully within the laws of nature even after spiritual attainment?
There’s no “insist” because when we attain what the Kabbalists attain, there’s no question about it. This attainment needs to happen within one’s time left in his lifetime. That’s how all Kabbalists did it, and they write to us from the perspective of that Upper World, from having one foot in this world and one foot in the Upper World. Meaning, the experience of the animate body is a certain dream one is having. If he rises above that dream, of course this profoundly alters the experience of the dream, which still serves some purpose we will then understand, until he makes all the corrections he should make.
Hi Gianni,
This was the clearest lesson for me about the nature of egoism and how to correct it. There is one thing though that remains a mystery,
Does having more desire potentially increase more hatred and violence towards things in the limited perception of the creature ?
In the second reading, Rav Laitman states that egoic desire increases when spiritual desire does, and that is what we’ve been learning until now. This seems to contradict my understanding of the creator, who is pure love, and therefore tolerant.
to show this in an example, let’s say a farmer with a greater desire, on the path of correction, grows lettuce. His duty and responsibility is to his crop first so that’s where his desire is oriented. However, a cow wanders onto the field and eats his crop so he kills it.
A second farmer, not on the path of correction, experiences the same thing–but since he has less desire towards his primary objective, he may be able to rationalize this behaviour before acting. Realizing that a cow compulsively eats crops, he has tolerance for the behaviour. It might even turn out that the cow belongs to an important person so by allowing i to live his plants were protected even more.
What I mean is both desires exist in us, but by increasing all desires, the desire for hatred, destruction, violence, can also increase, and it may turn out that the action is done because of a false understanding.
Yes, but we’re talking only about one on the path of Kabbalah. For everyone else, of course the increase in ego makes us more cunning, brutal and heartless. Smarter as well, and he uses it for bad. But Kabbalists, alongside this growing ego, have much more of the quality like the second farmer who can take into account a much broader, integral calculation. In short, he’s much wiser. Because he has 2 lines, and others have only 1 line. So in his case, more ego is good because he can turn it into good.
To evolve into a Kabbalist (of receiving from the Upper World), one has to give of themselves by not internalizing but through external behaviors that relate to loving your friend as yourself. Putting egoism in its’ proper place by allowing it to expand gives us the ability to correct egoism into auteurism.
As I come to understand each lesson, I try to put it into practice in my everyday life. Some days don’t always allow me the opportunity, but when it does, no matter the situation, it’s an opportunity to put others before myself. It is truly a freeing experience because at the same time I am putting someone before me, I’m also sensing a freedom like a bird that is flying on the wave of the current – a frequency of the light – the pathway to correction – a pathway that is producing merit by obeying the pathway of the light – the Torah – the Truth – Emet. It takes me into another dimension that is only attained through trusting the process.
I have been re-reading prior class materials, and now with new perspective I have additional questions. Is this the right forum to ask these questions?
I am including the subjects and questions below. If this is not the correct forum to address these, please let me know where to post these to obtain answers. Thank you.
Chapter 7 Guide To Hidden Wisdom Of Kabbalah
My understanding of the reading re. Spiritual Development, and questions.
SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT: The initial goal is to get over the Barrier so our spiritual development can begin (the point in the heart is awakened).
Climbing the 125 Ladder
The smallest element of spirituality is Sefirot
There are 5 (10) Sefirot
Mechanics of the Method
5 Sefirot combine to ONE Face
5 Faces combine to ONE World
There are 5 Worlds
Hence 5X5X5 = 125Question 1: What is Partzuf (Face)? Is it attainment of one’s knowledge of whom one is at that level (also level of attainment of knowledge of the Creator)? Is it like a level of our own knowledge of who we are and what we would or not would do, or what we stand for or do not? I read the meaning of Face as attainment of some level of knowing who I am. I have been reading the meaning of FACE quite literally as attainment of a set of (my) beliefs or what I stand for. My face is that set of beliefs that I attained at that level. That is how one would recognize me. That is my real face (not the corporal, cellular, biological face)
Question 2: What is meant by a World.
Question 3: There are 613 desires that need to be corrected as we climb the ladder through 5 Worlds (Assiya, Yetzira, Beria, Atzilut, and highest Adam Kadmon.
Question 4: Do Kabbalist teachings associate a set of the 613 desires into each of the worlds? Meaning when we are climbing to Assiya we are correcting these desires; as we are climbing to Yetzira we are correcting these desires, etc.?
Question 5: Is the climb progressive or collective? We have to go through Assiya and Yetzira in order to start work in the world of Beria, or is the correction on multiple Worlds at the same time?
There are 5 PHASES of spiritual reality with 4 steps (Phase 0: Root Point also Keter; Phase 1: Will to Receive also Hochma; Phase 2: Wanting to to Give to the Creator, also Bina; Phase 3: Realization only way to give to creator is to do what he wants of us, also Tifferet (ZA); Phase 4: To understand the thought of Creation. Why giving is pleasurable, what does it provide, also Malchut.
Question 6: Sounds like Malchut is where we are mostly separated from the Creator, is this our future state, or current state? Is this the state that we are going towards ? This state confuses me.
DEATH, REINCARNATION, POINT IN THE HEARTH
As I currently understand it, our bodies die, we are reincarnated as a part of the process over and over again, perhaps through thousands of years (we are the same but in different clothing).
Once we are ready, in a perfectly planned way, our point in the heart awakens, and we begin our spiritual journey.
That spiritual journey can take a lifetime or many lifetimes. One way we can help speed it up is to follow the Kabbalist method including learning through connection in a 10 person group.
Question 7: How does the experience of death differ between a person within whom the point in the heart was not awakened and a person within whom the point in the heart was awakened?
Hi Peter, good questions.
Question 1: What is Partzuf (Face)? This is Baal HaSulam’s definition: The 10 Sefirot, one below the other, revealed by Malchut’s acsent to the Emanator.
Question 2: What is meant by a World. A world, Olam, means He’Elem (concealment). Another from Baal HaSulam, which you can find in the glossary at the end of the green Kabbalah for the Student book.
Question 3: There are 613 desires that need to be corrected as we climb the ladder through 5 Worlds (Assiya, Yetzira, Beria, Atzilut, and highest Adam Kadmon. Yes.
Question 4: Do Kabbalist teachings associate a set of the 613 desires into each of the worlds? Meaning when we are climbing to Assiya we are correcting these desires; as we are climbing to Yetzira we are correcting these desires, etc.? Yes, some of them relate to earlier stages in the path, some relate to later stages, and all are summarized by ‘love your friend as yourself.’ Hence, one can try to reach love of others right away, though there will be many degrees in this along the way.
Question 5: Is the climb progressive or collective? Progressive, one degree at a time.
Question 6: Sounds like Malchut is where we are mostly separated from the Creator, is this our future state, or current state? We are parts of the broken Malchut. We have to correctly assemble these pieces. Hence the commandment to love the other as you love yourself.
Question 7: How does the experience of death differ between a person within whom the point in the heart was not awakened and a person within whom the point in the heart was awakened? The awakening of the Point in the Heart is the beginning, the seed out of which grows a sensation of an eternal world. But one had to grow this seed into something real, the feeling of the Upper World. Otherwise, he’ll die in the same way as everyone else.
Sometimes I feel like I can’t really grasp the importance of kabbalah, in the sense that corporeal things seem more important to me. Kabbalah sometimes feels like this unattainable idea. Is this normal?
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