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Great question, mrc. Actually, yes, but you have to add to that the understanding that He caused you to feel such a way. The question is what is your reaction to that recognition? This is where you truly have the ability to find the light in the darkness. Darkness being your cursing the Creator and not that you feel bad.
Thanks!
Chris
Hello Adelina. I’m not an instructor or moderator, just a fellow student but I found this and hope it helps. It’s from “The Letters of Rabbi Hamnuna-Saba” under THE LETTER TAV.
“These two parts of Malchut manifest in different ways: Miftacha – openly and Man’ula – secretly. Two paths of bringing man to correction emerge from them: the good path of the Torah and the path of suffering.”
There is much more to read about it but that was the most direct definition in the passage. If you’d like to read it all just copy/paste – the letters of rabbi hamnuna-saba miftacha – into Google then select the result from from Kabbalah Info titled “The Letters of Rabbi Hamnuna-Saba | The Zohar.” When you arrive on the page press Ctrl & F together then a search box will appear in the top right corner of your screen. Search for the word Miftacha. It will take you to information your seeking. I apologize that I am unable to provide the hyperlink for easier access to the web site. Unfortunately, the forum does not allow it at this time.
—————— Dear Instructors/Moderators, if students are only to reply to each in the classroom forums and not in this forum that is directed toward KabU instructors please let me know and I won’t continue to do so. It’s just in my nature to answer questions when I’m able to do so.
Hi Adelina,
A reader of the Zohar I see!
Hi Adelina,
A reader of the Zohar I see! No one explains it better than Rav Laitman I suppose. Here you go!
http://www.kabbalah.info/eng/content/view/frame/2865?/eng/content/view/full/2865&main
Malchut that stands in NE is called a “lock,” for she prevents Ohr Hochma from entering the Partzuf. The entire Partzuf ends in Hochma (the Light can only be in K-H). Hence, it is merely Nefesh- Ruach. After all, in the absence of Kelim- Sefirot B-ZA-M, the Lights Neshama-Haya-Yechida are absent. Yesod de Malchut is the 49th gate, the maximum that can be before the end of correction, for Malchut de Malchut itself is the 50th gate.
If the key (Ateret Yesod of the Light) enters Yesod de Malchut (the 49th gate), then this Light lowers Malchut to her place, from NE to Peh. This Light opens the Partzuf and Ohr Hochma fills it. This is why Ateret Yesod is called a “key.”
Thanks!
In reference to Gil’s latest teaching, Spiritual Meaning of the Hebrew Alphabet.
— The Light of Chochma & Chasadim, Questions–
Are these the two great lights created in Genesis 1:16?
Do the Light(s?) of Chochma refer also to the 3 vertical lines in the Tree of Life?
And likewise, do the Light(s?) of Chasadim refer to the 3 horizontal lines in the Tree of Life?
–The Letter Bet–37) The letter Bet entered. She said to Him, “O Lord of the world, it is good for You to create the world with me, for in me are You blessed above and below, since Bet is Beracha [blessing].” The Creator told her, “I will indeed create the world with you, and you will be the beginning with which to create the world.” (The Introduction of the Book of Zohar-The Letters of Rav Hamnuna Saba)
–Proverbs–8:22-31 I, wisdom, was with the Lord when he began his work, long before he made anything else. I was created in the very beginning, even before the world began. I was born before there were oceans, or springs overflowing with water, before the hills were there, before the mountains were put in place. God had not made the earth or fields, not even the first dust of the earth. I was there when God put the skies in place, when he stretched the horizon over the oceans, when he made the clouds above and put the deep underground springs in place. I was there when he ordered the sea not to go beyond the borders he had set. I was there when he laid the earth’s foundation. I was like a child by his side. I was delighted every day, enjoying his presence all the time, enjoying the whole world, and delighted with all its people.
Question: From these two passages they appear to tell the same story but, one refers to Binah (understanding) and one to Chochmah (wisdom). Please explain…I feel I’m missing something. Or is it that they Chochmah was/is with God performing creation and that Binah works with Chochmah to teach men?
Proverbs 8:1 “Doeth not wisdom cry and understanding put forth her voice?” …or is it that when forming the letter Bet the student begins its stroke at Binah (understanding) then goes to the right Chochmah (wisdom) and then through the Zeir Anpin to become the manifested knowledge of Malchut?
Thank you for sharing your time, insight and patience with me.
Hey Jennifer,
I’m not 100% sure what you’re asking about here. The letters represent the ‘values’ of Hochma and Hassadim (from Bina). You could say the Sefirot that emerge one below another are due to the spreading of Hochma.
Attainment comes from the one who attains from below-upward. Meaning, Malchut needs to rise each time upwards through ZA to Bina.
It’s important to know what the letters are and where they come from, but to dive into them expecting to take something spiritual from it is the wrong approach. The letters represent the forces that ultimately construct all of creation – not something we can grasp at the moment. It’s not necessary to delve into all kinds of philosophies to try and understand something we simply can’t currently. The correct approach is to read these texts, build some kind of minimal understanding, basic foundation, and from there aim for the light that reforms to change our inner qualities to be similar to the qualities of the Creator. From there we can understand His thought and His creation.
Hope this helps. Thanks!
Chris
Hello Chris and thanks for your quick reply! I will try to break up my questions into smaller pieces starting with the letter Bet. I’ve taken a screenshot from the lesson showing how Bet took the path from Bina to ZA to Malchut; not to achieve attainment but to receive the light of the Creator. This will be my first time attempting to add an image to a post so hopefully it works. If it does not it is from marker 54:03 of the lesson of “Spiritual Meaning of the Hebrew Alphabet.” It was this that lead me ask about the path of Bina (understanding) to Chochmah (wisdom) to Malchut (man). I am confused at your comment saying I should not expect to take something spiritual from the letters because the title of the teaching is “Spiritual Meaning of the Hebrew Alphabet.” Hope this helps clarify part of the Bet part of my question. Again, thank you for your time and patience. It is appreciated.
You got me! You’re right, but we still have to use the word “spiritual” to basically describe something that is not absorbed or understood in our current state of “in order to receive”. So, even though we receive knowledge about something spiritual (this is our entire study in the preparation phase), it’s not attainment, meaning, there’s no emotional understanding.
The letters themselves express a spiritual action but what do we get from knowing that? It’s important to be familiar with what Kabbalists want to tell us but there’s no way of understanding/feeling anything until we attain it ourselves. It’s like trying to explain to a small child some advanced concept. Even though you’re breaking it down and trying to make it as simple as you can, the concept itself is just over the head of the child. They simply can’t grasp the concept of, for example, sharing your toy with others. You can explain it up and down and all around, in all kinds of ways how it’s more beneficial for everyone to share but they only see what they see on their level.
You’re not missing anything. In fact, the “question” or this deficiency in understanding is what we need to feel the need for the Creator. Receiving some intellectual answer in our corporeal minds actually relieves this need – puts out the fire/desire. I’m saying this just as a little tip for the future, and balancing the lack of understanding with the “answers” is key to continuing “straight” on the path. Otherwise, we will very easily want to absorb all the spiritual concepts in our worldly minds thinking we’ve attained something but in reality we’ve just put rocks in our pockets. You will always have unanswered questions, but as we progress on the path we can begin to arrange ourselves in a way that uses this deficiency/lack of understanding as a plea to the Creator for bestowal instead. We will never enter spirituality with our egoistic minds that see the benefit in bestowal because the ego will never see the benefit of bestowal.
We can say Bina wants to bestow and give to the lower ones, and it does this by using ZA but I don’t have an emotional understanding or a spiritual understanding of this. Certainly, the entire purpose of creation is for us to reveal everything, know everything, become incorporated with all of reality, and there’s a system in place to develop us and prepare us for such states. The light of Hochma is the light of the Creator which we were built to receive within us, just as long as it is “in order to bestow”. We need to arrange the quality of Bina to rule over us so we can use it to clothe in Hochma. You could say “understanding” is being similar to the Creator on that degree, the willingness. When you have prepared those vessels of bestowal, but do not yet have the ability to bestow, this is when Hochma is given and this is attainment/wisdom.
Hope that helps, thanks!
Chris
Hey mrc,
The wisdom of Kabbalah defines “body” as the general will to receive. In our world the physical body is just a temporary and necessary means to disconnect from adhesion with the Creator in order to return to adhesions but independently and consciously.
There’s nothing “bad” the way we think of it today. “Bad”, according to Kabbalah only refers to its role in pushing a person away from the Creator, yet with the intention to ultimately bring them closer.
Thanks!
Chris
Hey mrc,
Whatever we sense in reality, this is the Creator. Pleasurable – the Creator. Not pleasurable – the Creator. Good and bad, that only depends on a person’s degree. Good can be pleasurable to my will to receive or, if it’s more important for me to give pleasure to the Creator instead of receiving it – then we are in equivalence of form.
A person enjoys this world and its pleasures until they no longer fulfill them and the search begins to find other pleasures. It’s like a child who enjoys a toy car to play with until they grow up and that’s no longer something they want to play with and instead, they have a desire for a real car.
Thanks!
During the pandemic I took the courage to leave my job and start a business with my younger brother. I had saved some money to keep us afloat however the money ended way before our business started to take off. Thus, my brother and I struggled a lot financially for a good while – I’d say that we really went through our share of humiliating situations in our lowest points. As soon as my money ended I feel like I’ve fallen in despair to the point that getting money was the only thing that mattered to me and I’ve abandoned any serious spiritual pursuit. I basically didn’t advance with my (very beginner) studies and only kept up with TGT weekly podcast, even if the thought of coming back to study here at some point rarely left my mind.
I eventually got a part-time consulting job that got us through this challenging phase and our business is finally starting to bloom. My bond with my brother is stronger than ever and I feel very happy to have chosen to pursuit my dream of having my own business.
Yet, even after things started to get better financially, I still find myself with a deep-rooted desire to “get rich”. I feel torn as I feel that I should want to develop myself spiritually instead of only focusing on money. It’s not like that (a) I’m under the impression that my life will be perfect when I “get rich” or that (b) I believe I’ll become “satisfied” when I get an “x amount” of money, as I know and feel that the spiritual path is where true satisfaction lies. Yet, I still feel that I need to become rich to have freedom to do what I want.
In other words, I want to develop myself spiritually but I don’t genuinely desire to stop my material pursuits. This anguishes me. Recently I’ve gotten to the point of preferring to spend my time reading things that seems like bastardizations of the principle of the Equivalence of Form – such as “Law of Attraction” – instead of getting back to study Kabbalah, as it’s basically about the material word and getting what you want in the material world. Looking back, I feel kind of ashamed and foolish (in lack of better words) for trying to make spirituality an instrument for material gains.
I apologize for the long rant but I feel like I don’t really have anyone around me to talk about this, or better yet, to give me some guidance. I’d like to understand if my pursuit of material success has any meaning or legitimacy or if it’s only a consequence of being fixated with it (probably since I was a child) plus this tough financial situation I’ve faced of the last couple years.
Thanks Gui for the nice sharing., And thanks Chris for the suggestion.
@Gui, your question actually touched me. I have exactly same feelings in my spiritual path. While I am studying the Kabbalah classes, one thing make me feel react a lot, is that, everytime when I hear “our mission / purpose here is to become a person who desire to give” / “setting up greater connection to the creator”. I feel like I’m connecting to something that I don’t even know what is it, yet forcing myself to like it.
But I understand what Chris mentioned, the upper world is the root and this world is the effect. So whatever happening here has some reason up there, wanting us to have this burning desire for richer experiences. I’m still trying to understand that, I hope you will stay finding the answer together , maybe studying together we figure out easier 😉
Hey Gui,
That was well written so thanks for writing that and it’s no problem at all.
We know every desire comes from the same source and we are helpless to that fact. Whatever awakens, awakens for a reason. We can’t tell you what decisions to make here, because only you can decide whether you will feel you ultimately have to fulfill that desire or if you see it’s something you will always need to face. Sometimes it’s enough to imagine having that desire fulfilled and moving on and sometimes it’s not.
I will say though, if you already found yourself here, with all the material and resources needed to build a new life and you feel like it’s less important than other desires then you’re already facing your first experiment with inflating the importance of bestowal over reception using the influence of the environment.
If you want to experiment, you should try it and see if you can be lifted above the need to care for your own needs, just even a bit, for half a second. It would be a relief not to have to care for your own well-being.
Otherwise, it might be one of those things you have to taste and mark it off the list. Our doors are always open.
Best of luck friend.
Chris
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