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I must admit, when I first started this course, I thought the forum chat room thing was kind of silly, now I think it’s one of the most interesting parts of the entire course. I don’t really have a question so much is just a statement the whole screen thing. It’s kind of confusing however, I figure my questions of it will probably get answered if I’m patient and keep on Truckin with the course. Thank you so much . instructors for your insight and just as importantly, thank the rest of you for your interesting questions I really am beginning to feel that we are sort of a family here.
As far as I understood, there is an hierarchy in the evolution of the desires: still, vegetative, animate, human, all of which are supposed to be mastered before the final spiritual level opens up. Does this mean that we incarnated as plants and animals before incarnating as humans (in order to master the vegetative and animate levels first)?
Hi Julia,
No, we don’t incarnate as plants or animals, rather all those levels of desires are inside of us.
As for mastering the desires, everyone has a certain set of desires that they need to experience before the point in the heart awakens. But you don’t need to fulfill all of your desires or go through all the other desires to reach the point in the heart. Rather, whenever it’s awakened within a person is when he can already start to realize it. If you’re here, it’s already a sign that the point in the heart awakened in you.
Check out these blog posts from Rav Laitman for more details:
https://laitman.com/2018/09/my-world-is-a-collection-of-desires/
https://laitman.com/2012/11/still-vegetative-animate-and-speaking/
Albert @ KabU
Hi Albert,
Thanks for your answers and links to Julia’s questions!
I’ve just read the second linked article, about the still vs vegetative vs animate vs speaking levels, and in it it’s stated that there are 620 spiritual desires, not 613? Why he difference? Are we removing the 7 deadly sins from the 613 count??
Hi Alessa,
There are 620 spiritual desires in total. 248 of them are corrected towards bestowing in order to bestow, 365 desires of receiving in order to bestow, and 7 additional desires that are corrected only in the final correction.
So the numbers 613 and 620 are connected. Depending on the context, sometimes Kabbalists include those additional 7 desires and sometimes they omit them.
Albert @ KabU
At which point of our evolution does the Masach (the screen) appear? Did we have the Masach the first time we incarcerated on Earth? Or does it develop later on as we progress? Do people without the point in the heart (or with inactive point in the heart) have the Masach? Or it appears only when the spiritual development starts? Do animals have the Masach?
I have a few questions about the point in the heart.
1. Does everyone have it from the very beginning or does it appear later on when we progress to the point when all corporeal desires are proven to bring emptiness?
2. If a person doesn’t have the point in the heart yet (or if it is not yet active), then it doesn’t seem that this separation of paths (path of pain and path of light) apply to such a person. We cannot even say that they go along the path of pain, because since the point in the heart is not active, Light cannot work on these people as they are not yet accessible for the work of Light. This means that such people are in the “safe place of darkness” meaning that they will not experience the majority of the problems that a person with an active point in the heart will experience along the path of pain. Would it be correct to put it this way?
Hi Julia,
1. Everyone has a point in the heart but not everyone’s point in the heart is active.
2. Without an active point in the heart, they cannot choose the path of light. But they are still part of the system and the system is still working on them. They will still experience problems, they just won’t understand the source of the problems.
It’s like with gravity, a baby who does not understand this law of nature can crawl off a cliff and gravity will still be working on it, regardless of the fact that this baby does not understand it. Likewise with those without active points in the heart, the laws of nature will not change for them. They will still experience the path of suffering, but they won’t understand the reason for it.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2011/01/lets-go-with-the-light/
Albert @ KabU
Hi Julia,
Yes, animals are naturally in balance with nature on their level and don’t require any correction.
Although we do sometimes see animals suffering. This is because the speaking (human) level is at the top of the pyramid of nature. And since the human level is not corrected, it corrupts all the lower levels of nature. In other words, when we correct ourselves, we will see the rest of the levels of nature come back into their natural balance.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2016/01/chernobyl-is-flourishing/
Albert @ KabU
I hope I am not being presumptuous by attempting to answer your questions, but the way I see it is that the point in the heart is the beginning of the formation of our soul and no, not everyone has it. Therefore, those that have not developed the point in the hearts do indeed continue along the Path of Suffering. We may not perceive the problems that afflict us but we will feel their consequences. When you correct your intentions you are better able to perceive these problems.
In the recommended readings, I read that we should put as much time and effort in the study of Kabbalah as possible. But it is not only about the quantity of study, but according to dr. Laitman mainly about the quality of time invested. I also understand now, that I should try to evaluate all of my actions with the questions; why am I doing this? What are my intentions?
What confuses me is that I live a very result-driven live. I am an entrepeneur, whit 2 kids growing up, and recently started a study to become better at what I do professionally. To be able to handle this I invest a lot of time in staying healthy; running 3 times a week, going to the gym, finding the best ways to eat for my family and myself. This often feels like a ‘path of pain’, so I can relate to the things written by dr. Laitman. However, if I am able to change the intention behind all the actions that drive my day to day life; would that set me on the ‘path of light’ without changing the actual structure of my life? In other words; does it really matter what I do when my intentions are right?
Hi Nathan,
We learn that “necessities are neither praised nor condemned”. Meaning that taking care of our necessities to live a normal life is not considered egoistic. It’s perfectly fine to do that.
As for choosing the path of light, that depends on what we do with the rest of our free time, beyond the time it takes us to acquire our normal necessities. On the one hand, you can say that it’s all about adding the right intention to our lives, but on the other hand, if we don’t invest a certain amount of time in the studies, we won’t be able to extract enough light to make this type of change. So we do need to find the right balance between the Kabbalistic studies and our everyday life.
Also keep in mind that the study is not just the time we read and learn, but also the time that we are connecting with other points in the heart. This is actually the most important part, as we will learn from the shattering of the common soul, the only thing broken in the entire system of creation are the connections between people, so that is really the only thing that needs fixing.
We’ll learn more about this in the upcoming lessons, in the meantime, check out this blog post from Rav Laitman: https://laitman.com/2014/05/puzzle-adam-harishon/
Albert @ KabU
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