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Why did the Upper Force feel the need to create and start the shattering to exclude us from the perfect connection we were previously in? Is this a test? Someone that does not understand the Oneness of Reality might say that this was cruel, no?
Hi Chavdar,
In the article Introduction to the book of Zohar, Baal HaSulam describes how we were created in the state of perfection, in complete adhesion with the Creator. But this was an unconscious state, like a baby in its mother’s womb. So we necessarily had to come to the complete opposite state, to lose that state of perfection, in order to once again reach it, but this time consciously.
And the fact that we had to lose this state is not something bad, but it’s a necessary part of our development. It’s just like with kids. We don’t just give them a completed jigsaw puzzle. On the contrary we take it and break it down into many pieces. Then in the process of them putting it together, they grow and develop. Same with us, this process of losing that state is a necessary part of our further growth and development.
This process also adds to us a certain level of freedom, without which, we would be no different than machines, or robots, that were programmed to act a certain way and they just carry out this inner script. Instead, we were programmed one way, and we rise above this inner programming, become independent of it, and then develop our own desire to advance towards this goal.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2014/01/from-perfection-to-perfection/
Albert @ KabU
How can a person practically train their mind to perceive the single force of love when facing a very difficult or negative situation in day-to-day life?
Hi Araya,
We can do different exercises or set reminders for ourselves to help us think about these things. But to actually perceive the Creator in practice, not just intellectually, for that we need to become similar to Him, to His qualities of love and bestowal. This is just like how a radio can pick up an external wave, when we tune the internal frequency of the radio to that wave.
We’ll learn how to do this in the more advanced lessons, in the meantime, check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2013/04/everything-is-attained-by-the-equivalence-of-form/
Albert @ KabU
When you say that Kabbalah has nothing to do with religions, and even religions other that Judaism can also study, I have 2 questions:
1. ‘Religion’ – Do you define it as a belief that benefit only oneself in terms of egoism? For example, one have faith in some type of deity to hope life gets better or is afraid of punishment.2. If everyone, despite their religious background, can learn Kabbalah, what about the mitzvot that are mentioned in the Torah? Since Kabbalah is the Secrets of the Torah and Torah is the foundation of everything. Then, for example, if one engages in the study of Kabbalah, do they have to keep kosher and also other ‘laws’ such as, ‘don’t put yourself in idolatry’, in the Torah?
Hi John,
1. By religion we mean the customs and culture of a group of people. As for our beliefs in a certain deity, a person in spiritual attainment reveals the Creator in practice, in their lives, so there is no room for beliefs.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2008/10/religions-place-in-our-lives/
2. Kabbalists don’t look at the 613 commandments as physical actions to be performed by our hands and feet, but rather as allegories to the internal process of correcting our desires.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2016/02/mitzvot-commandments-the-correction-of-desires/
But if a person does want to perform these actions physically in our world as well, Kabbalah is not against that, but encourages doing so with the right intention. This follows the saying that “a commandment without an intention, is like a body without a soul”.
So if a person is Jewish and this is part of their customs, they can continue to carry these things out physically if they want. But the most important thing is to carry these things out internally, on the level of our desires.
Albert @ KabU
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