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Hi Williams,
It’s perfectly normal to get confused. We go through many ups, downs, and confusions on the spiritual path. The important thing is to just keep going, to keep placing yourself under the influence of the light and it’ll balance everything out.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: http://laitman.com/2013/02/sunbathing-in-the-rays-of-the-reforming-light/
And if you have any questions, feel free to post them in the forums here. We’ll be happy to answer them for you.
Albert @ KabU
It is my understanding that as we descended, our awareness and connection to Creator became more and more concealed, till it reached a virtually zero state. Did the Creator’s awareness of us diminish as well? If so, then it would seem to me that the awakening of a point in the heart happens on the same level that all events in our universe happen; mechanically, according to a predetermined program. If my thinking to this point is correct :), then it would seem to follow that as we ascend in this remarkable system, that each higher attainment of equivalence of form with the Creator would also mean that the Creator is becoming more and more aware of us. And, that as we repeatedly lose our connection to spirituality during this process of return, so the Creator would, again and again, become unaware of us. I realize that I am probably projecting my own conceptual limitations -space, time, relativity, concealment, revelation, etc. – onto that which is limitless, and look forward to your clarifying response.
Hi Miryam,
1. The science of Kabbalah does not speak from the Creator’s perspective since this is not something we attain. In general, Kabbalah differentiate two parts to the Creator.
The first is His essence (atzmuto in Hebrew). This is He Himself, His point of view, the Creator as an entity separate from the Created beings. We’re incapable of researching this part of the Creator simply because our research tools are not built in such a way that we can grasp such things. Perhaps after we finish the process of correction, we’ll discover additional research tools through which we’ll be able to research these things, but until then we limit ourselves and don’t talk about this part of the Creator because we cannot properly research it.
The other part of the Creator is called Bo-Re (Hebrew for Come (Bo) and See (Re)). This is the part of the Creator that we can research and reveal. How do we research this? Through the desire. When we take a part of our desire to receive and correct it in the direction of bestowal, in that corrected desire, we reveal a certain phenomenon, we call this phenomenon the Creator. This is why there are many names for the Creator (in Hebrew), since every time we correct a different part of the desire, we reveal a different aspect of this thing called the Creator.
So all of our understanding of this thing called the Creator (and any spiritual phenomena) is based on what we reveal within the corrected desire. But whatever exists outside of the corrected desire, whatever we don’t grasp, perceive or attain within the desire, whatever is beyond our tools of research, we don’t talk about. We need to keep these limits in mind in order to stay within the realm of science and not venture off into religion or philosophy.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2011/12/the-holy-names-of-bestowal/
2. The whole process we undergo is for our own growth and development. The Creator is not deficient in anyway because of this process. It’s just like the spoon feeding example I gave you in a previous reply in the KR1 week 5 questions forum.
Albert @ KabU
In Dr Laitmans short video (Week 2 Related section) he says “You have freedom in only one thing – to agree to this activation, to study this operation, to want to perform the very same actions that are performed upon you from above…. ”
This suggests to me that I have no volition of my own. I can desire it to be other than it is, but that makes no difference to how things are.
But in this lesson the 4th factor suggests that we can change our environment to some extent if it is to expand the point in the heart.
If “There is none else besides Him” and if I am understanding Dr Laitman’s video correctly, then how do I have free will to act on the 4th factor? And who or what is the “I” that would act?
Apologies if this is a confusing question! Thank you for your answers.
Hi Marion,
All of our thoughts and actions are driven by our egoistic nature, by the desire to receive. As such, on the level of our world, which is driven by this desire, there is no freedom. We’re simply carrying out our internal programming, like animals. This is why there are people out there that can very accurately predict the future (not that I’m recommending going to them, but this is just an example).
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2010/10/what-no-fortune-teller-knows/
Freedom begins when we rise above our egoistic nature through the help of the 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/
Regarding “none else besides Him”, this means that we’re in a closed system of forces that are constantly acting upon us. But we still have room to place ourselves under the optimal conditions so these forces will influence us better or worse.
Just like suntanning, the sun is always present, but if I want it to influence me more, I can go to the beach and if I want it to influence me less, I can stay in the shade.
Albert @ KabU
Is our “Free will” Choice to change environments predetermined? Maybe I am just being difficult, but from my point of view, it seems anything that is predetermined only gives us the illusion of free choice.
If I am destined to climb the latter of spiritual degrees, then every step along the way has been planned. I’ve been reading that everything in my whole life, down to the meal I eat, is predetermined by the creator. So I really don’t have any choice at all. I am okay with this, but it does make it confusing when first the Kabbalists say that EVERYTHING is predetermined towards a set goal, and then go to say that we have the freedom to choose the environment. It doesn’t really follow.I understand how working in the right environment can nourish growth when working with like minded individuals. Maybe i’m getting hung up on the terminology
Given the inverse relationship between light(s) and vessel(s) is it right to assume that the more I aspire for spiritality (being the will to receive), the more light I will attract? And that that light, the light that reforms, changes gradually my nature, transforms it (better inner qualities) , so more corrections are possible then?
Hi Paul,
Yes, you can say that. Keep in mind that for more corrections to be possible, it means that we reveal more of what we need to correct. In other words, the more we progress, the more that our ego grows. As a result, we’ll have more of what to correct. Just keep in mind that revealing a greater ego is not something we aspire for directly. But it’s only a side effect of aspiring towards bestowal, connection, etc.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2011/02/the-worse-the-better/
Albert @ KabU
In the forums, there is an option to click ‘reply’. Is it okay to respond to another participant’s sharing, or is it best, for now, to converse only with our teachers? Thank you!
Hi Miryam,
Our main concern is to not confuse others. So it’s not recommended to start answering other people’s questions or sharing outside materials. But aside from that, it’s perfectly fine to reply to what other students are sharing. In fact, I’ve seen in the past semesters students forming very good, warm, and supportive connections even in the fundamental forums. So go for it!
Albert @ KabU
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