- This topic has 1,557 replies, 119 voices, and was last updated hace 3 días, 3 hours by
.
- Respuestas
I just want to ask, I have doubts about the assertion that the Creator is the good that does good.
I watched a natural history documentary about migration of zebra across the planes of Kenya and was 100% horrified to see many zebra getting eaten alive, torn apart, become injured and become pray and the little zebra being torn to shreds by hyena, crocodile and snakes.
While we all talk of connection and the unbounded ever-beneficent love by the Creator I just can’t pass this question by and it keeps popping up and annoying me all the time and, of course this is just one example of the innate cruelty of nature – how can I ever accept the creator is good when he is capable of this. CAN YOU HELP?
Second connected point, when I was walking in the lovely February sun today in the English woodland with a friend they said to me ‘oh how beautiful nature is!’ I just don’t see it that way, nature is pitted in a horrific and perpetual battle for survival and terrible misfortunes and tragedies all around and that life has to live on death to survive – all in the name of the creator, this does not work for me? This is a point I cannot progress beyond at present. Thanks. Lyndon S
Hello Lyndon. You make a great point – how can the good that does good create such pain? This is perplexing, to say the least. We study kabbalah in order to understand the answer to this ( and all) dichotomy. Here’s a link to a You Tube clip made by BB on this subject of pain, suffering and the Creator:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=why+does+god+allow+pain+and+suffering+
Thanks for the prompt to watch the video again “Why Does God Allow Pain & Suffering? “
The video focuses predominantly on the humanistic aspects of reception and bestowal and not the natural laws of survival and really doesn’t speak of the dire cruelty in nature.
It’s all still a very great mystery to me, how can I “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” when I just watched the documentary where a young zebra got half-eaten while it’s mother’s face was ripped off by an alligator (and of course all the other terrors in the natural world). The dreadful clamour for survival, the dreadful terrors which befall the animals and life having to sustain itself on death (it’s all too much for me and always has been).
The zebras were doing exactly what they were supposed to; working together, connecting as a whole etc (quite kabbalistic virtues) and still many fell prey to numerous predators: truly horrific.
It’s all too horrible (the natural world) and while we might focus on the human world and explain altruism, egotism and the finer virtues of each etc in a human way these can’t apply to the natural world the same way because the poor zebra has no means of understanding and yet has to feel such terrible pain, suffering and death (as does all the natural world).
I’m truly at an impasse with this, it’s too far for me to stretch, I can’t love a creator that does this, permits this, stands by and lets this (or any other permissive act) from the seat of almighty exact-fullness, bestowal, love and omnipresence? It’s an oxymoron and I’m stuck very stuck. Hence when I was in the English Woodland walking through a leafy glade been reminded by my friend of the beauty in nature I recoiled because I know that nature is a battlefield with millions and millions of tragedies everyday with every animal, bird, fish and insect having to fight for its very basic survival – I can’t attribute this to a loving creator whether one cares to address it is God, the Lord or nature it’s all the same. Thanks for your support.
Rabash gives helpful tips of how all should show up at our workshops to inspire one another. I know nothing is redundant in terms of our corporeal traits. I also have yet to read anything in Rabash about optimists or pessimists but wonder if there is more instruction on how these two forces can best help one another in a ten? For example, we learn that descents are to be embraced for the illumination on what needs to be corrected, but we also do not want to prolong them. Can the force of optimism help to move along the dark cloud that lingers over the pessimist just a little bit? If so, how?
Dear Grad Environment, while doing the young group for the first time I was in a temporary ‘10’ which ended a good few weeks back. I’m currently waiting to be placed in my second permanent ‘10’ but haven’t been given any indication of time when this will happen (although somebody said it is approximately week eight of the young group). I’m uncertain but currently I am doing the second round of the young group and waiting but if you could let me know that would be helpful – no problem in the mean time Warm wishes and thank you Lyndon.
Dear Instructor, in ‘Gems of Wisdom’ at p.19 it says, “The soul cascaded by way of cause and consequence and descended degree-by-degree until it became suitable to come into this world and clothe the filthy corporeal body.”
Why does it here refer to the physical body as being ‘filthy’, surly the physical aspec of me is not filthy and I haven’t heard this before. Surly the physical body is as necessary for the individual to experience the world in its fullness and learn by way of it and not to be despised or spoke of as being filthy. It [the physical organs and body] is a temple to the living spirit which dwells within?
Could you explain. Thanks. Lyndon S.
Hello Lyndon. The descent into the filthy corporeal body refers to the state where I only want to receive for my own benefit. We start to see this state as filthy when we feel it is preventing us from attaining the pure state of being like the Creator. Both states are necessary because without both we feel nothing. Kabbalists bless for both the “bad” and the “good”.
What is the distinction between being balanced int he middle line and being centered in the middle line?
Hello Paul. I don’t know that there is a distinction. Sounds like two ways to same the same thing. The problem is I don’t know what the middle line is until actually entering spirituality. After crossing the machsom, then, as the kabbalists say, there is none so wise as the experienced.
Hallo Jim, I asked it because I was intrigued by a blogpost from Rav Laitman. **Here is an excerpt (and now i see, containing the answer to my question) :
[…] However, on the human level, balance is not reached by averaging, like it is on the still, vegetative, or animate levels, but by the means that the minus and the plus are uniting together! The left and the right lines do not balance themselves out in the middle, but are united at the center, and that is why this middle line turns out to be on a higher level than their simple sum. This is the difference between the middle line in our world and in the spiritual.
** Blogpost: The union of the plus and the minus.
When we are starting in the study of the wisdom of Kabbalah, we might be confused about the concept of prayer, and therefore do not want to engage in prayer, because we don’t feel we have developed a deficiency for a true prayer. However, in Ten, the work sometimes requires engaging in prayer with other friends that might have the need for it. What is the right approach here? Should we resist prayer until we feel the true need for it? or Can we start engaging in a group prayer even if we still do not feel the deficiency for prayer? and/or we don even understand what a true prayer is? How can we at least express gratitude to the Creator for putting us in the right environment? Can we try at the beginning to elevate in a form of prayer that the need for a prayer and the deficiency for it comes?
Hello Jhon. “Can we try at the beginning to elevate in a form of prayer that the need for a prayer and the deficiency for it comes?”
This is a good discernment. If we don’t have a deficiency for a prayer, we need to pray to have such a deficiency. Kabbalists call it a prayer before the prayer. Rav Laitman has said many times – our only work is to connect together and pray. The challenge is to keep at it until we achieve both of these.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.