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So I keep hearing in the lessons that everyone doesn’t have a soul, but it can be cultivated. But many people don’t have the point in the heart when they pass away. They are content in this life, and you say that is ok. They come back in another life to continue their progress of correction. However, you also say that we all have a spiritual counterpart, since this world is just a reflection of internal states, and so by this definition the soul is not the thing that perpetuates the individual person, so what exactly is a soul and how does that differ from the soul of Adam HaRishon?
Hi Sean,
There are different levels to this thing called a soul. In the beginning, we all have an animalistic soul, meaning a certain force that enlivens our animalistic body, similar to any other animal. But the human level of the soul is not something we have by default, but rather something that we acquire by correcting our egoistic nature. In other words, each one of us has a human soul in potential which we call the point in the heart. If we correct that point, out of it, we can build the full level of the soul. If not, that same potential continues to reincarnate again and again until it gets corrected.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2015/06/what-happens-to-the-soul-after-death/
Albert @ KabU
Hi ! Can you tell us more about 613, please ? The creator did put 613 desires in the creature, 613 screens, 613 laws ?
Thank you
Hi Basma,
There are 613 spiritual desires and corresponding to each desire there is a law, or a process by which we correct that desire. So 613 is the number of corrections that need to be placed over the spiritual desires. This number is further divided into 248 desires of bestowing in order to bestow and 365 desires that operate on receiving in order to bestow.
Keep in mind that these 613 desires that we are learning about are spiritual desires, meaning desires that we don’t yet have. This is similar to how a single cell in a body only has some basic desires. But when that cell is part of a greater body, it reveals there higher desires which are impossible for the individual cell to have: desires for money, honor, power, etc. Same with us, until we integrate with the general body of Adam HaRishon, we don’t reveal or understand these 613 spiritual desires. We’ll learn how to do this practically in the more advanced lessons.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2008/12/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-613-desires/
Albert @ KabU
I am not sure if i have a right understanding of the word “Reshimo”… is a Reshimo a spiritual state that you once experienced and that now is played out for you in a situation in your daily life, and so if you succeed to see that situation through the eyes of the Creator, you will remember that spiritual state you were once in ? Or do i understand it completely wrong ? 🙂
Hi Ilse,
The reshimot are our spiritual genes. Just like when we investigate our corporeal genes, we reveal our entire ancestry, where we came from, as well as the reasons for our inclinations, tendencies, etc. Similarly, the reshimot are our spiritual genes. They are all the states that we have gone through and all the states that we will need to go through in the future.
In other words, they detail the process we need to undergo starting from the initial thought of creation all the way until the end of correction. Essentially our entire path of development is preset in these reshimot. So all the forms we need to evolve through and all the desires that will awaken in us is also preset there. The only choice we have is in the pace we go through it. It’s like all of life is one big strip of film or a movie reel. Every new moment is a new frame, a new reshimot is shown to us. And we cannot change the movie at all, but only to fast forward or go one frame at a time.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2010/07/the-whole-world-is-inside-the-reshimo/
Albert @ KabU
Thank you Albert, so its all about how we go through the movie, and not about the movie itself… I still have another question: one of the ways of coming in balance is to place the desires of my friends before my own. But by doing that, don’t I run the risk to become their slave ? I have the tendency to put others before myself, and so once my therapist told me that i have to be careful not to become a doormat…
Hi Ilse,
Friend (חבר Haver in Hebrew) comes from the word connection (חיבור Hibur in Hebrew). So when we say “friend” in Kabbalah, we’re not talking about our corporeal acquaintances and buddies, but specifically the Kabbalistic group where people are aspiring towards a spiritual connection within which we reveal the Creator. That’s where we put everything we learn here into practice.
So in the Kabbalistic group, we try to put our friends desires before our own. That means that their spirituality is more important to me than my own spirituality. And my goal is to not think about myself but rather to help them reach spirituality. In doing so, I rise above my own ego and truly attain the spiritual qualities of love and bestowal.
As for the corporeal friends, don’t practice these things there, they might indeed take advantage of you, or even if they don’t, it wont lead to attaining spirituality. So in corporeality, it’s best to act normal, just like everyone else.
We’ll learn about these things in greater detail in the advanced semesters of KabU where everyone will receive their own virtual Kabbalah group with whom they can practice these things.
Albert @ KabU
I wonder if you can give me some guidance. When I began my Kabbalah journey I was fired with enthusiasm, however I now find it really difficult to study. I find that when I read a book or watch a video I am unable to remember anything! However I still feel drawn to Kabbalah, I feel as if I should be doing more and working harder but am unable to find the will to do so.
In your experience is this reluctance to study common and how should I approach my studies in future?
Hi Paul,
Spiritual advancement happens specifically from the ups AND downs. It’s just like the EKG chart that measures the heart. If there are ups and downs, the heart is beating, the body is alive. If it flatlines, the body dies.
Likewise in our spiritual work, our advancement is composed of many ups and downs. But if we’re in the same state for a long period of time, then we stop advancing and are spiritually dead.
So what you are experiencing is normal. You should see it as a sign of advancement, like a child that graduated first grade and is now given second grade work. The second grade work is harder and more challenging, so the child is confused, maybe even sees this work as a punishment, but that’s not correct. It’s because he finished the first grade that now he’s given a greater challenge in second grade so he can continue to grow and develop.
Likewise with us, every down state is a necessary challenge for our spiritual growth. This is why we go through many states on the spiritual path, many ups, downs, and everything in between. But the main thing is to just keep going, to keep placing yourself under the influence of the light, especially during the Kabbalistic studies (lessons, videos, Q/A forums, books, etc), and it will balance everything out.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2013/02/sunbathing-in-the-rays-of-the-reforming-light/
Albert @ KabU
was a special ed teacher for many years. Many of those years i was with students who were intellectually delayed I have been thinking how they can be expected to attain Equivalence of Form with the Creator given their intellectual capabilities But I think I know . If the attainment is love,, then they are already there. they exude love for all creatures. Am I looking at this correctly or is there more involved?
Hi Sally,
We learn that “there is no coercion in spirituality”, meaning that in order to study Kabbalah, a person needs to have a desire for it.
So regardless of any of their life circumstances, if a person does not have an active point in the heart, it’s a sign that they are not yet ripe for this type of work.
How will the rest of the world receive an awakened point in the heart?
That already depends on us. That is because all of humanity is part of a single system, within this singular system, there is a certain order of corrections that need to take place. It’s like building a large jigsaw puzzle. First you start with all the corner pieces, and only then do you gradually work your way to the center. It’s the same with our spiritual work. There are those that are awakened to this work earlier and those that are awakened to it later. Those that received awakened points in the hearts are like those corner pieces of the puzzle that need to start the whole process. Later on, due to their good work, they pave the way for the rest of the world to join this process.
So ultimately, whether a person receives a point in the heart now or later depends on their place in the system, which is called the root of one’s soul.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2010/10/the-root-of-the-soul/
Albert @ KabU
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