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Shalom Seth
Would I be correct in framing the message in this vid as follows:
Level one – The four elements that make up man (fire / earth / air / water) with a sprinkling of stardust of course. 🙂
Level two – The parts of me I’m born with, gender, personality, weaknesses and strengths.
Level three – The environment I’m born in, country, city/ town, parents, school, peers etc.
Level four – Whom I choose to associate with and how I choose to perceive my experiences and how/ where I choose to nourish my Soul.
Hi Leyah,
It depends on the context, but yes you can say that.
The main takeaway from this lesson is that every moment we’re under fixed deterministic laws which we have no direct control over. Like placing a seed in a ground and the seed is completely powerless to do anything about what happens to it.
But, we do have the choice of WHERE to place that seed. If we place it in the desert, nothing will come out of it. If we place in a good nourishing environment, then that seed can grow and develop properly.
Likewise with our spiritual work, if we place ourselves under the influence of a good spiritual environment, then we can get the proper nourishment to develop spiritually. Essentially our entire spiritual life depends not on our own strength and willpower, but on our choice of the spiritual environment. Everything else is a result of that choice.
Baal HaSulam writes about it in the article “The Freedom”. Here’s an excerpt:
“However, there is freedom for the will to initially choose such an environment, such books, and such guides that impart to him good concepts. If one does not do that, but is willing to enter any environment that appears to him and read any book that falls into his hands, he is bound to fall into a bad environment or waste his time on worthless books, which are abundant and easier to come by. In consequence, he will be forced into foul concepts that make him sin and condemn. He will certainly be punished, not because of his evil thoughts or deeds, in which he has no choice, but because he did not choose to be in a good environment, for in that there is definitely a choice.
Therefore, he who strives to continually choose a better environment is worthy of praise and reward. But here, too, it is not because of his good thoughts and deeds, which come to him without his choice, but because of his effort to acquire a good environment, which brings him these good thoughts and deeds.”
We’ll learn how to do this practically in the advanced semesters, in the meantime check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2012/10/bestowal-should-become-fashionable/
Albert @ KabU
I like the part about our ignorance. I truly, really, seriously don’t know anything and understand nothing. The more aware I become, the more I see the business of this world as fake. I am becoming cynical about everything. I feel everybody is trying to sell me stuff or trying to convince of something. Is this normal or is it me going crazy given the current state of the world?
Hi Loyda,
It’s normal. We go through many states on the spiritual path. Many ups and downs, cloudy states and states of great insight, and everything in between. The main thing is to just keep going, to keep placing yourself under the influence of the light, especially during the Kabbalistic lessons, and it will balance everything out.
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 @ KabU
I don’t not have a question but I wanted to share the gratitude I have for the message In the video: Free Will The four factors. By the end of the video I was in tears(Joyful tears) at realizing the creator brought me here to the proper environment to learn from all you wonderful Souls❤️
Thank you all so very much for offering these teachings to each of us to aid in each of our development to correct the collective Soul!
May Hashim always bless each of you!Hello Albert,
Where does the number 600,000 come from? I read the blog post from Rav. Laitman: laitman.com/2010/09/love-and-hatred-of-600000-souls/
But I didn’t undersunderstand what is the meaning of Zeir Anpir and Arich Anpir?
Many thanks,
Mira
Hi Mira,
The Creator created a single desire to receive pleasure. In the process of correction, this desire gets partitioned into sefirot, partzufim, and worlds.
The most basic division of the desire is 1 Sefira. 5 Sefirot compose 1 partzuf. 5 Partzufim compose 1 world. There are 5 worlds in total. So 5 worlds each with 5 partzufim each with 5 sefirot equals 125 (5x5x5) steps on the spiritual ladder, or in other words corrections that need to be performed on the desire.
Zeir Anpin and Arich Anpin are two different partzufim, referring to two different parts of the desire. The main takeaway from the 600,000 blog post should be that 600,000 is not a quantitative number, but a qualitative one. It represents the strength of the spiritual desire after it has been fully corrected.
As for the technical differences between the sefirot, partzufim, worlds, etc, in the advanced semesters, there is a whole course dedicated to that, where we’ll learn these things in depth. In the meantime check out the article: Foreword to the Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah for more details.
Albert @ KabU
I felt lethargic after class. The realization that you have no direct influence on your free will. I hope to learn this soon.
I also understand that you can achieve better results with a group of 10 (connection).Hi Ramar,
On the one hand, it could be discouraging, but on the other hand, it really helps to focus our work. It’s like stepping into a room with a thousand buttons, and you know that only one will actually do anything.
It’s the same in our lives, we can run around from morning to night doing all sorts of actions, but the only thing that has any influence whatsoever on the system that we’re in, is choosing to be influenced by the spiritual environment. All the rest is a result of that choice.
For more details, see my reply 333155 to Lana below, as well as this blog post from Rav Laitman: https://laitman.com/2010/10/what-no-fortune-teller-knows/
Albert @ KabU
The point in the heart is like a drop of semen containing all the information and tendencies of previous generations, but in abstract form. So out of this point unfold all the worlds.
What worlds are we talking about here? Spiritual or a Corporeal actual one?
By reading this, I am getting the impression that one can be the creator and create “worlds” if he grows the point in the heart in the right environment. Am I correct in that assumption?
Hi Iheb,
All the worlds, starting from the spiritual, until it descends to our world.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2011/06/a-science-about-the-world/
We don’t become the Creator, we become LIKE the creator.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2010/11/everyone-is-a-point-everyone-is-infinity/
Albert @ KabU
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