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When the Mashiach comes, will anxiety and depression end?
While it doesn’t completely resolve, I do feel a sense of peace in watching the morning and afternoon videos on the Kabbalah Media app (especially recently), and I feel like there is greater purpose and meaning to the “worst days.”
In communing with the 10 friends and world kli, should I be intending that nobody else has to experience those “dark times?” …or is it the perfect opportunity to engage in scrutiny of intention, and/or should I be engaging in such a way that I speak what I am feeling (short of disrespect)? I ask these questions because I want to be the best friend I can be… but what is a friend?
Hi Jarrett,
Great questions, although they are a bit advanced for where we are now in the fundamentals, but great questions nonetheless.
1. Our nature is egoistic. As long as we remain within this nature, we’ll continue to experience unpleasant things because that is the major motivating force for our ego. But once we rise above our ego, we’ll no longer need suffering to move forward.
The force that pulls us out of our ego is called Mashiach (Messiah in English), which comes from the verb “to pull” (Moshech in Hebrew). So in Kabbalah, the messiah is not a person, but a special force that has the ability to pull us out of our egoistic nature.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2011/06/how-can-we-justify-the-creator/
2. Friend (Haver in Hebrew) comes from the word connection (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 in which people are aspiring towards a spiritual connection within which we reveal the Creator.
3. Regarding talking about what we’re going through, the only person we can openly share every single inner state we’re going through is our spouse.
Whether to do so with the friends, it depends. Before we do anything, we need to make sure that our intention is to help the friends, not ourselves. With that intention in mind, there could be a scenario where sharing with the friends that we’re going through hard times can be beneficial for the friends. It can give them a push to unite and pray. There are other times when sharing such things can bring the spirits of the friends down. So it depends. But in general, if we’re aspiring to love the friends and do what is good for them, then we won’t be mistaken in what we do or don’t present to them.
But if we are not sure, then we should only show them a good example, that we’re full of energy, excited about the path, that bestowal is important, etc. Even if it’s just a game and not how I truly feel. Nonetheless, what is just a game for me is felt as real by the friends and actually inspires them. And they will do the same for me. In this way, everyone gets help to come out of their state.
We’ll learn about these things in the more advanced semesters, when everyone will receive their own Kabbalah group with whom they can practice these things. In the meantime, check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2012/03/building-blocks-of-the-first-spiritual-degree/
4. And yes, connecting to the Kabbalistic lessons is an important part of our spiritual work. That is the main way by which we extract the light. It’s ultimately the light that clarifies all the states that we’re going through and corrects us.
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 @ Kab
Hi KAbu team,
Apart from perceiving the meaning of life, is kabbalah a place where people are able to correct themselves like those habits that boost their egos? In other words, to step on higher levels of spiritual realm, does kabbalah help us to shift our egoism into altruism step by step?Hi Sara,
Yes, Kabbalah is meant to be a very practical method by which we correct our ego. Keep in mind that since our very nature is egoistic, we ourselves are powerless to do anything against the ego. We need outside help to change this nature. We get this help from the force of the light. This is a special force which has the ability to correct our ego.
We extract the light primarily during the Kabbalistic studies. So even the studies themselves, although they seem theoretical, the act of studying and yearning towards the things we learn about is actually a major part of our practical work. Since that is the primary way in which we extract the light. And every time we do so, the light works on us more and more and corrects our ego more and more.
There are other ways by which we extract the light, such as connecting in a Kabbalistic group. We’ll learn about that in the more advanced semesters.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: http://laitman.com/2013/02/sunbathing-in-the-rays-of-the-reforming-light/
Albert @ KabU
Good morning Instructors . I have a question and perhaps I am jumping ahead but from what I am understanding we need the dark in order to have the light . Ego in order to have spirituality . We must have the opposites to have a whole .
My question then is about suffering . I understand suffering has a purpose and ego is like a catalyst but I can’t help but wonder why some people seem to suffer more than others ?
Or is this just my perception of suffering ? Or my perception of their suffering ?
I also understand that nature will push a person or against a person as friction to help get to the point of the heart and develop a soul. Does this mean that the greater the suffering the greater the ego the greater the potential (if one chooses to develop it ) for higher levels of attainment for spirituality ?!
I can’t also help but wonder about reincarnation when it comes to the greater levels of suffering . That perhaps nature with each passing incarnated life would give more friction ?
Thank you so much .
Hi Kristin, great questions!
1. You’re right that spirituality is built on opposites. So we cannot reach spirituality without the ego. This is why we don’t work on eradicating our ego, but only on rising above it. In fact the more we advance, the more our egoistic desires grow. They turn into a type of mountain that we climb over. The bigger the desires, the higher we can climb, and the higher the spiritual degree that we can attain. On the other hand, if we were to eliminate our egoistic desires, then accordingly, we would only be able to attain a tiny degree of spiritual attainment.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2011/02/the-worse-the-better/
2. Yes, you can say that suffering is due to looking at the world through the lens of the ego.
We learn from the Kabbalists that every single moment comes to us directly from the Creator, this is called “there is none else besides Him”. Furthermore, they also say that He is the “good that does good”. Meaning that every moment He is sending us nothing but goodness. But why then don’t we see this in our world? Why do we see so much suffering in the world?
This is because our world is governed by our egoistic nature. This egoistic nature is opposite to the Creator’s nature. Because of that, it inverts the Creator’s goodness into something bad. It’s just like multiplying numbers: a positive times a negative equals negative.
So as long as we remain within this egoistic nature, we will continue to see and feel more suffering and horrors in the world. But if we correct our nature to be similar to the Creator’s nature, then we will reveal the true reality in which only goodness exists, and our previous egoistic state would appear as nothing more than a dream.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2011/06/how-can-we-justify-the-creator/
3. As for the necessity of suffering, it’s true that without suffering, we would not have the motivating force to move forward. But this is only in the preliminary stages. Once we reach a certain level of correction, avoiding suffering is no longer necessary to motivate us to move forward (as you saw in the previous blog post).
It’s sort of like when kids don’t want to go to school, then we threaten to punish them. But if the kids do want to go to school and they willingly run to school, then not only do we stop punishing them, but we can also build a completely different relationship with them. We can take them on educational trips, give them all sorts of puzzles and extra curricular activities, etc.
So some suffering is necessary for our ego, but it’s not the ideal way to advance forward. We can move forward in a much more pleasant way. Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2011/01/lets-go-with-the-light/
4. We can argue that suffering increases as the generations develop, but it’s more of a qualitative difference. After all, previous generations barely had food to feed their families and didn’t have most of the modern technology and luxuries that we have. Whereas we have all these things and yet still feel empty.
Albert @ KabU
Dear KabU team;
From the material I have covered so far, it seems the only practical correction humans have undergo is egoism, which should be transformed to altruism.
I am finding this very impossible…if I consider that …the desire to receive ( all creation) is engineered by the creator to only seek what gives self pleasure, to avoid or run away from anything displeasing. Can this ( altruism) be possible….I am inclined to think that given the above quality of the desire to receive even it’s act of giving is done with an expectation to receive something in return.
Therefore these are my questions
1. in practical terms what will be acts of altruism? Does this mean praying for other people?
2. Does egoism mean we should not ask from the Force above to receive a degree, a house, a wife, a new job etc….since this is all egoistic. Does this mean we should have no aspirations, How is life expected to happen in such a space.
B. In the recommended reading material ” SPIRITUAL PATH” under the section-‘Attaining the world’s beyond’ of 32
The author talks about a spiritual body of the soul which has 620 organs. The organs are considered Mitzvah ( spiritual acts/ spiritual law).
1. Does this refer to the Mitzvah written in the Hebrew bible. Are they to be explained literally as they are written or this is also a language of branches as I would assume Moses was also a Kabbalist? Is there any text that explains the Kabbalistic meaning of each Mitzvah as most of the do not make sense.
The light of the Creator fills each organ ( Spiritual act/law) – when every organ of the soul is filled its called the Torah. When we ascend to a new spiritual level , it is called fulfilling a spiritual law.
2. The spiritual levels the author is referring to are the ” world’s above” to be attained through the 125 steps of ascent, ….is this correct?
As a result of this elevation, new altruistic aspirations are created and the soul receives the Torah , the light of the Creator.
3. The receipt of the Torah in this last line….does it refer to ” Understanding”
Regards
Frank
Hi Frank, great questions!
A1. You’re right that according to our nature, we’re incapable of doing anything that is truly altruistic. Which is why the first step is to correct this nature. We do this with the help of the reforming light. The more we extract this light, especially during the Kabbalistic studies, the more it works on us and gradually corrects our nature.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2013/02/sunbathing-in-the-rays-of-the-reforming-light/
A2. We learn that “necessities are neither praised nor condemned”. So the things we need to do in order to acquire our normal necessities are not considered egoistic or altruistic. It’s simply what we must do to preserve ourselves and not become a burden on society.
B1/B3.
Yes Moses was a Kabbalistic.
Torah comes from the Hebrew word ohr (light). So when Kabbalists use the word Torah, they are not referring to the physical book, but rather to the light. This is a special force that we can extract, especially through the Kabbalistic studies, in order to correct our egoistic nature. Once we correct that nature, the light of Torah also refers to the fulfillment that is felt in that corrected state.
Keep in mind that the light itself does not change. We change, meaning our desires change, and accordingly we feel the light differently. It’s similar to how electricity is the same electricity but based on what appliance we plug in, we have different uses and results from it. Plug in a heater and you’ll produce warmth, plug in an AC and you’ll get cool air, etc. So when we’re not corrected, the light helps to correct us. And when we are corrected, the light fulfills us.
As for the Mitzvot, when Kabbalists use the word Mitzvot (plural of Mitzvah) they are not referring to the corporeal Mitzvot that a religious person performs with his hands and feet. But rather the Mitzvot are the internal processes by which we draw the light and correct the egoistic desires.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2010/11/spice-up-your-desire/
As for the list of Mitzvot, in practice, we don’t work with a list, but only according to whatever desire is awakened at the moment. Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2015/09/compliance-with-the-613-mitzvot-commandments/
B2. Yes, correcting the spiritual desire takes 125 steps.
Albert @ KabU
Is there a difference between the ego and desire? I see that both words are used, but are they different concepts, or are they interchangeable with each other?
Hi Skye,
There is the desire to receive pleasure and there is egoism. Although we sometimes use these two things interchangeably, in truth they are two separate things.
Our nature is the desire to receive pleasure. It simply means that every calculation we make is to chase pleasure or avoid pain. This is similar to how any other animal functions. By itself, there is nothing wrong with this nature, it’s simply the program by which we function and preserve ourselves.
Egoism is when this program begins to be used in a way that harms others. Not only do I want to receive pleasure, but I want to receive it at the expense of others, at their detriment. This is the corporeal ego.
There is also a spiritual ego. Spiritual egoism is everything that stands in the way of our connection with the Creator. Normal people don’t have a spiritual ego. This is only something that we discover after doing some serious spiritual work.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2010/10/true-evil/
Albert @ KabU
Dear Albert,
I watched the video “Kabbalah Revealed Episode 6: The Screen”.
In this video it is explained the spiritual ascent process of the 125 ladders or phases, “the gradual likening of one’s properties to the light and consecutive filling with it”.
In the minute 20:40, Tony Kosinec states that:
“When the creature gets the level of Yechidah,
the creature has reached complete similarity of form with the Creator, because it has instituted itself its own thought of creation (“Not for me”). It has an independent desire that does not depend on the external delights, but only on the thought of the creature to do something equal to the thought of the Creator.
(…) By having a Rosh (head), what that means is, through an independent desire, the creature can now determine what the reality inside of the vessel would be, the quality of their world, the quality of the light, and all this done for the good of the world as a whole: “Not for me”.
The light (the pleasure), the screen (the means of reception), and the soul (receiver).
I would be very grateful if you could give me further references about this topic.
Thank you in advance for your kind attention.
Have a nice day!
Hi Marta,
That video is covered in week 4 of this course. Here is the recommended reading link and related videos link for that week’s content.
And here’s a blog post from Rav Laitman about the law of equivalence of form.
Albert @ KabU
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