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What does Kabbalistic perception of reality truly feel like? In conventional (corporeal) perception, information flows inward, being received by various parts of our body. Take, for instance, light, which enters our eyes and is received by our retina. All sensations contributing to our perception of reality stem from this fundamental mechanism. However, our ultimate aspiration is to attain an “equivalence of form” with the Creator, who exists in a pristine state of bestowal, receiving nothing. Consequently, perceiving reality from the Creator’s vantage point is not about the act of receiving, but rather, it emanates from a state of bestowing. There is no corporeal model to which this can be compared, rendering such endeavors seemingly irrational. How would my perception alter if my only option was to flow outward instead of inward? If we observe and comprehend our world through a desire to bestow, the most fitting pursuit is a profound, radical love for others. Thus, the goal toward which we strive is this radical love, beginning with my group of 10. Through this journey, I gradually learn to perceive reality through such a lens. As you shared in your ‘Sage Speaks’ session for Seth last Tuesday, everyone’s perception is unique. It’s akin to visiting London: while it remains the same city, each visitor experiences it through their own “lens of bestowal.” Is my understanding accurate?
I had this nagging feeling for a while since I heard that reaching the Creator can only be done through the friends and I scrutinized a lot, so it crystallized to a fear that I have that somehow the friends will leave me, or they would just disappear, or something will happen like the Internet will crash forever and I won’t be able to connect to anyone and I will be left in this limbo forever. And that actually doesn’t allow me to completely surrender or open up to the friends and keeps me in a loop. The more I pray to the Creator to liberate me from this feeling, the more intense it becomes and more tangible. What am I doing wrong?
Thanks in advance!
Trust the Creator that He is only interested in everyone reaching the goal of life. All things happening are to get us closer to that.
Ok, thanks, and one more thing I didn’t mention, I feel enormous pressure from the inside to study more, to spend more time reading, watching lessons and videos, neglect all on the outside, like whatever I do it’s not enough, and I am stretched, because I feel like I am losing balance with corporeal life, and find myself questioning each corporeal action “was this really necessary? I could have studied that time instead doing this…” so I sometimes feel quilt, sometimes frustration and sometimes I am just devastated that I didn’t do all I could and that is why I will never bla-bla… is this also normal?
It is written, “against his will he’s born, against his will he dies”. This means that against my will – above reason – I reach spiritual life; and (if I’m spiritually oriented) against my will, I die – meaning engage in corporeality. But I must do it nevertheless. This is how I know I’m working correctly on both fronts.
Rav often says that no corporeal action bears any merit to the spiritual advancement, yet several times he also mentioned that it is good if we visit the graves of Baal HaSulam and Rabash at least once in a lifetime. I am confused, does any corporeal action have any significance or not?
Thank you in advance!
True but none of our actions are spiritual yet; only psychological. I’m all psychology so that’s how you have to influence my desire. When my heart moves a bit toward connection, the Light works. And such places impress me. Also, as a trip when you’re already in Israel, it’s good. We can do a little Kabbalistic sightseeing as an activity with friends. It’s good to have such experiences together. By myself, I honestly wouldn’t go.
In our 10, we are doing a “round robin” where we bounce around the responsibility to pick an excerpt from the sources and workshop a question. I found a swath of source material on kabbalahmedia.info/
Question: is there a particular location for excerpts and workshop questions? I can find good excerpts but I struggle with workshop questions. Any other advice would be appreciated to bring connection activities to our 10.
There isn’t. Best is if you think of the ten and what question would cause them to need to move their hearts. Close to the passage you read is good because the friends will have been thinking about it. It’s an art to come up with questions that are less easy to generate an intellectual answer to. If you can’t think about what would work in them, think about what would work in you.
How can we all do what the Rav is asking is to do and come closer to one another, wherever we are and whatever level if study, and how can i, as a YG student and very new, help? How can i best give back now?
You only need to connect to the ten. Everything is in there. If you want to do more, help the friends connect. That’s a whole art to do it so it’ll be accepted nicely.
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