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Is there any clarification available on identifying where we are driven by the will to receive’s calculation ?
Where as in what areas of our life (everywhere…) ?
Where as in our mind, heart ?
Feeling confused.
Thank you.
Hi Cat,
Our nature is the will to receive pleasure. Meaning that we’re constantly calculating how to get more pleasure and less pain. This calculation permeates everything that we do. Every single action, either consciously or unconsciously, is motivated by chasing pleasure and avoiding pain.
Baal HaSulam writes about this in the article The Freedom, here’s an excerpt:
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Pleasure and Pain
However, when we examine the acts of an individual, we will find them compulsory. He is compelled to do them and has no freedom of choice. In a sense, he is like a stew cooking on a stove; it has no choice but to cook, since Providence has harnessed life with two chains: pleasure and pain.The living creatures have no freedom of choice—to choose pain or reject pleasure. And man’s advantage over animals is that man can aim at a remote goal, meaning agree to a certain amount of current pain, out of choice of future benefit or pleasure to be attained after some time.
But in fact, there is no more than a seemingly commercial calculation here, where the future benefit or pleasure seems preferable and advantageous to the agony they are suffering from the pain they have agreed to assume presently. There is only a matter of deduction here—where they deduct the pain and suffering from the anticipated pleasure, and there remains some surplus.
Thus, only the pleasure is extended. And so it sometimes happens that we are tormented because the pleasure we received is not the surplus we had hoped for compared to the agony we suffered. Hence, we are in deficit, just as are merchants.
And when all is said and done, there is no difference here between man and animal. And if this is the case, there is no free choice whatsoever, but a pulling force drawing them toward any passing pleasure and rejecting them from painful circumstances. And Providence leads them to every place it chooses by means of these two forces without asking their opinion in the matter.
Moreover, even determining the type of pleasure and benefit are entirely out of one’s own free choice, but follows the will of others, as they want, and not he. For example: I sit, I dress, I speak, and I eat. I do all these not because I want to sit that way, or talk that way, or dress that way, or eat that way, but because others want me to sit, dress, talk, and eat that way. It all follows the desire and fancy of society, and not my own free will.
Furthermore, in most cases, I do all these against my will. For I would be more comfortable behaving simply, without any burden. But I am chained with iron shackles, in all my movements, to the fancies and manners of others, which make up the society.
So tell me, where is my freedom of will? On the other hand, if we assume that the will has no freedom, and we are all like machines operating and creating through external forces, which force them to act this way, it means that we are all incarcerated in the prison of Providence, which, using these two chains, pleasure and pain, pushes and pulls us to its will, to where it sees fit.
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Link to the article The Freedom: https://kabbalahmedia.info/sources/4AtF9tGS
Albert @ KabU
Thank you for the links to reading sources and blog posts that you often include in your answers to people. I am finding them to be very valuable.
My question in regarding praying for help with our spiritual development. In “Our Only Prayer Should Be To Have The Correct Desire,” Rav Leitman makes very clear what to pray for. I understand that very clearly. I’m not sure, though, how personal or impersonal to make it. In some parts of what we’re learning, the Creator/creation is described as an impersonal system. But, sometimes Rav Leitman and Baal haSulam make it seem like we are to approach it with more of a love connection (which is how I tend to feel it). Can you please clarify this for me?
Hi Lora,
The Kabbalists tell us that there is no one closer to a person than the Creator. We exist in Him like an embryo within the mother. The main thing is to constantly turn to Him, to constantly be in connection with Him.
Check out this clip from Rav Laitman for more details:
Albert @ KabU
I am struck by the thought that everything is happening now, the past, the present and the future- in other words, we have attained freedom and the collective soul has come back together as one and yet, inside of time and space it is still shattered and on it’s journey up the ladder –
Hi Cyndi,
Baal HaSulam explains this in detail in the three state model in the Introduction to the book of Zohar, from item 14. You can learn more about it from there: https://kabbalahmedia.info/sources/ALlyoveA
Also check out this blog post from Rav Laitman on the topic: https://laitman.com/2014/01/from-perfection-to-perfection/
Albert @ KabU
Where and how does the Tora or the new testament speak of reincarnation? I have studied it and have never read anything like that, that I am aware of. and why should I even bother with any connection if i will be recycled until I am corrected?
Hi William,
Reincarnation happens on the level of desire. We all have this desire called the point in the heart. This is our spiritual potential. If we realize this potential, this grows into a desire called a soul. If not, this same desire continues to reincarnate again and again until it gets fully realized.
The Torah talks about the changes of the desires but in the language of roots and branches. It describes how this desire is constantly developing. First it’s raw and then it becomes more defined (Egypt), until it becomes corrected and aimed at the Creator (Israel). All of those changes are essentially the reincarnation of the desire.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2018/06/breaking-israel-news-prominent-kabbalist-describes-near-death-experience/
As to why bother? Correction is a conscious process. If we don’t participate in it, even if a thousand more years and lifetimes go by, we will not reach it. The only thing that will change is that we’ll experience more and more pressure in life to push us towards correction. The Kabbalists call that “the path of suffering”. It’s like a child that refuses to go to school, so the parents put more and more pressure on him. But pressuring and punishing him is not the same as educating him. So after all of the pressures and punishments they put on him, he will still have to go to school and get his education.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2015/05/we-wont-follow-the-path-of-suffering-forever/
Albert @ KabU
I have debated on whether or not I should ask this.. I am not trying to stir the pot, but I just can’t get it off my mind and it is interfering with my studies.
Why did Rav Laitman post this incredibly negative post, including a statement that he is not optimistic for humanity?
(That is supposed to be a link to the article, but I am having trouble posting without it being edited or automatically deleted.)
This is really messing with my head because it seems to go directly against everything I have been taught here.
Is it simply a matter of “no one is perfect?” and he was having a moment of doubt?
Or is this article really a reflection of Rav Laitman’s inner self/beliefs/subjective reality?
Linked to this very article is one about how our negative attitudes are causing negative reality.
I understand that we can’t turn a blind eye to what is happening, and that we must take it seriously and face it in order to make change, but is that how we should approach the challenges?
That things were horrible last year, are horrible this year, and will continue to be horrible with no hope/optimism for humanity?
Aren’t we literally taught that all of the bad things that we perceive are lessons, reflections of ourselves, and all just a part of the journey home?
Aren’t we taught that our beliefs and our intentions are what matters the most?
Many people are influenced by what Rav Laitman posts, and may now have a negative belief, and no optimism for the future of humanity.
Why would he want to create that?
What am I not understanding?
(Also, if the article entered my reality, and I am getting emotional about it, does that mean that it is a reflection of how *I* secretly feel?
Do *I* secretly have no hope for myself/humanity?
Is that the entire point of his post? To cause us to ask that question and take action???)
I’m sorry about this. I need to know.
Hi Shel,
These are good questions, thank you for bringing them up.
1. Sorry for the linking issue, the developers are still working out the kinks in the forum links, it does not always work for me either. But here’s a link if someone wants to read the full article: https://www.kabbalah.info/net/2022-was-bad-2023-will-be-no-better/
2. We all develop at different rates, as such, the dissemination of the wisdom of Kabbalah gets adapted to the different levels of development of humanity. Those with active points in the heart have a desire to study Kabbalah. They learn it in a more direct way, like we do on KabU. Those without active points in the heart have all sorts of other media channels through which this wisdom is brought down to a level that they can understand.
This article was written for a wider audience, those without active points in the heart. Meaning such people are not looking for the meaning of life, they don’t have a need or foundation to understand our inner spiritual work. They simply feel bad in life and are looking for a logical explanation for why and what to do. This is why this article was written in such a way.
3. Why does it have such a negative tone? Because the situation in the world is indeed dire. It’s like the world is sick with cancer and Rav Laitman is the doctor that diagnosed it. As difficult as it is for a doctor to tell a person that they have cancer, it’s still the truth and the right thing to do.
4. Regarding things being bad and will continue to be bad, this is correct. All the bad things in the world stem from our uncorrected egoistic nature. As long as we don’t correct that egoistic nature, we should not expect things to get better. On the contrary, life will indeed only get worse and worse.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2011/06/how-can-we-justify-the-creator/
5. As for the world being a reflection of our uncorrected internal world, that is correct. But trying to see that the external world is our reflection is our inner work. It should not stop us from carrying out any of the normal actions that we need to carry out in the external world. If I’m sick, I still go to the doctor. If someone is trying to hurt me, I still need to stop them, call the cops, sue them, etc. If the world is heading towards destruction, the Kabbalists still need to warn them and teach them how to correct the situation.
I think I largely answered your concerns with the above five points, let me know if something is still unclear.
Albert @ KabU
Thank you for your answer.
I am still unclear as to why Rav Laitman would say that he has no optimism for humanity.
This in specific is really bothering me.
Is this really his view?
It goes against everything we’ve been taught (thus far at least.)
Reading that after watching the last few videos is a very.. jarring difference.
Using your example of the doctor diagnosing his patient with cancer:
Imagine if a doctor told a patient: “I am not optimistic for your recovery” VS telling the patient: “If you do the following actions, you could recover.”
If he tells the patient they can recover with certain behavior changes, they are MUCH more likely to attempt those behavior changes, compared to being told there is no hope. In which case they are much more likely to put their affairs in order, and just live it up until they die.
If there is no hope, why bother trying to change things?
I think that there must be a positive finale to our Story as Humanity since Creator cannot fail in his aim of guiding and supporting us in attaining His quality of Unconditional Love. We still have 215 years to reach our goal (completion of 6.000 years from Adam HaRishon onwards) therefore we will accelerate. The point is: what Path will we go through? (Hope to have understood properly…)
Hi Shel,
Is this really his view?
Not necessarily. It’s like when we educate our kids. Sometimes we want to reinforce a certain behavior, so we smile and show them a happy face. Sometimes we want to teach them that a certain behavior has bad consequences, so we show them a sad or upset face. Are we actually happy or sad when we show them those faces, not necessarily. But if we have to show them a happy or sad face to teach them something, we do.This is why I pointed out in my previous explanation that this wisdom gets adapted in different ways towards those with active points in the heart and those without them. And that article was geared more towards those without active points in the heart, so it’s written in a style that will have the strongest influence on that level of desire.
If such articles confuse you, I would recommend avoiding them for now and focusing more on the things we are studying here. Once you have a stronger foundation, you’ll better understand those types of articles as well. Similar to how as kids, we don’t always understand our parents’ attitude towards us and everything they do in order to educate us. But when we grow up and become parents ourselves, we’ll be able to understand them and what it takes to educate a child.
Albert @ KabU
Hi Rae,
Freedom means rising above our egoistic nature. As we learned in this week’s lesson, we do this by building for ourselves a strong spiritual environment.
Baal HaSulam talks about this in the article, the Freedom. He writes: “Harut (carved) on the tables”; do not pronounce it Harut (carved), but rather Herut (freedom), to show that they are liberated from the angel of death.
Throughout the article he explains how our current egoistic nature is that angel of death. Meaning although we are technically alive and surviving, relative to spirituality, our life is considered death. True life is within a completely different nature, that of bestowal. In order to reach freedom from our current nature, we need to choose and build a spiritual environment for ourselves which will influence us with the importance of acquiring the quality of bestowal.
For this reason, the Kabbalists equate our main freedom in life in choosing to be influenced by a spiritual environment. Not just any environment, but specifically a spiritual environment, since only through the spiritual environment can we get the importance of coming out of our egoistic nature and only through that environment can we draw the light that can help us to actualize this.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2012/10/bestowal-should-become-fashionable/
Albert @ KabU
Thank you so much! So eof these studies I have to do in secret to blend in with corporeal life. I’m blown away by the growth this is forcing in me and to finally understand my own ignorance and why it makes me happy to see it I just can’t express in words. Thank you so much for the teachings and your kindness is beyond appreciated! Thank you for the link ❤️
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