- This topic has 707 replies, 290 voices, and was last updated 1 week, 4 days ago by
.
- Replies
Walking the path of truth…Questions.
Can the word NRNHY be correctly understood as ‘intensity’? as suggested in Dr Laitman’s comments in the ‘An Electric Stove’? To increase one’s intensity is dependant upon our ‘resistance’ What does ‘resistance’ mean in this analogy, my mind wants to think in terms of electrical resistance, but I’m sure it is much deeper?
Further it states that the 620 mitzvot are actually the 5 properties, or “intensities’ of the soul and that these are the ‘light’ of the Torah, which the creator is wrapped within as all of these 620 mitzvot are the names of the creator which he wishes to bestow upon his created beings. The Torah and the G-d are one.
Do these 5 letters of intensity, N R N H Y, which are also the 5 properties of the soul, relate individually to each one of the properties or intensities of the soul as is suggested in Dr Laitman’s article (above),
“A scale of voltages goes out like this but at every level the voltage is constant, and everything depends on this, how you connect to it: Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Haya, Yechida. You finish this level, you have used all the divisions of the switch on your “stove,” and now you can move to a new “stove.”?
Concerning the 3 ‘discernments;
The first, Isreal, is myself, me. What do I need to discern about myself in relation to this topic, ‘walking the path of truth’ ?
Secondly, the Creator, which we all long for, seems self evident but I wish to learn ‘how’ to discern the Creator, to better walk the path of truth?
Third, so now the 5 letters of intensity, the 5 properties of the soul, the 613 ways of Torah which are the 613 names of the creator, are the way in which we ‘purify’ our soul,“This is the spice, as it is written, “I have created the evil inclination, I
have created for it the Torah as a spice.” and,” Just like seasoning does not nullify the flavor of the food, but only improves and enhances it, so too does Torah affect the evil inclination. Torah study and its commandments do not come to destroy the evil inclination, but rather to purify and elevate it. The ultimate goal is to use the evil inclination to do good, so that it becomes like an ox that is made to plow a field. Not only should the evil inclination not be an obstacle to serving G‑d, it should itself serve G‑d! (latter quote from Chabad.org, 2 hearts in one)
This discernment seems to be of utmost importance and as I know from this lesson my failure to discern these are a result of my ‘incomplete’ efforts in the work of the G-d. Also as this is all about the ‘middle pillar’ of the G-d’s work and the narrow path it presents to our soul. This teaching seems to suggest that we must discern all three of these to achieve the goal of returning to the root of our soul, the G-d.
Then the lesson states the following,” Hence, one who walks upon the true line of preparing for the work of
God must always test himself: Does he crave the three above discernments
equally? Because the end of the act equalizes with its beginning. If one craves
one discernment more than the second or the third, then one deflects from the
path of truth. Then this statement follows,Thus, you had better hold onto the goal of yearning for the commandment
of the Upper One, for “one who does not know the ways of the Upper One and
the commandments of the Upper One, which are the secrets of Torah, how will
he serve Him?” Among all three, this is what guarantees the middle line most. ”The final question I have is how to accomplish these thing in my life today. As I am eager to follow the ‘straight and narrow’ path as it were, I need to come to a deeper understanding of how to “Walk the path of Truth”
I understand that this message is somewhat verbose, however I really wish to learn the deep complexities involved in the work towards cleaving unto my G-d. Thank You
ShalomHi Philip,
1. NRNHY is an acronym for Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Haya, Yechida. These are the names of the lights that enter into the spiritual desire. There are five of them because there are five levels of the spiritual desire. Each level of desire has a corresponding light that enters it. You can liken it to intensity, Nefesh being the smallest light and Yechida the greatest.
2. In the article Walking the Path of Truth, Baal HaSulam writes to us about three components in our work: Israel, Torah, and the Creator.
Israel is me, my point in the heart, my desire to actualize myself, to reach spirituality. Torah comes from the Hebrew word Ohr, meaning light. So when Kabbalists us the word Torah they are not referring to the book but rather to the system through which we draw the light that corrects us. The Creator is our root to which we want to return.
He writes that these three components need to be present and equal, otherwise I deviate from the spiritual path. Meaning if I’m just thinking about the Creator, without working with the system called Torah in order to correct myself, then I’m deviating from the path. Also if I’m just working on correcting myself without aiming my work to the Creator, this too is a deviation.
Only when all three of these things are used equally, then we are truly progressing and the light works on us in the most optimal way. It’s like I have a rifle, the rifle scope, and the target. My job is to align the rifle through the scope towards the target. In this way I’m certain to hit the mark.
We’ll learn how to work with these things practically in the more advanced lessons.
Albert @ KabU
Oh how I love the attainment of this preparation. The soul fragment that is within me has always been calling me here. But, I have an enduring question. I have studied the holocaust to the point that I feel that I was somehow present within it. I feel the pain of it and other genocides that have been and are being enacted as if it were touching me… the connection of the soul, possibly. I am beginning to understand that this is the path of suffering the human race experiences to draw them toward the need to feel the connection.
So, the dangling question: The premise being presented that there are no “good or bad” actions (this is dependent on our level of spiritual attainment/perception) and that enlightened perception allows us to see the intention of perfect love behind every event– is Kabbalah really teaching that there is no evil force working in/through people who enact and willfully participate in these human atrocities? Is there no — Lucifer/Satan/fallen angelic beings that are seeking to destroy the human race through our own egoistic indifference toward others?
Thank you for sharing your insight on this.
Deborah Joplin
Hi Deborah,
There is indeed an evil force, but it’s not outside of us, it’s within us: our own egoistic nature.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2015/07/a-devil-with-horns-or-our-own-egoism/
Albert @ KabU
I just listened and watched this lesson again and I Loved it. My question is about the number of 600,000 souls. I don’t quite understand about the limitations of the number 600,000. I thought I heard in the first lesson that the original EnSof eventually became the billions of souls now in the world.
Hi Joel,
600,000 is less of a quantitative number and more of a qualitative number. It represents the strength of the spiritual desire after it’s been fully corrected. So essentially all of humanity is included in this number.
Check out this blog post to see how this number is derived: https://laitman.com/2010/09/love-and-hatred-of-600000-souls/
Albert @ KabU
I have read the Torah and I don’t understand why there are things in it like the demands of sacrifices of animals and why are animals divided into unclean and clean animals. I also do not believe Abraham was told to sacrifice his son by the creator of all that is good. I’ve asked questions before to Rabbis and they always get angry with me.
For the Kabbalist, the Torah is not a history of a people and their religion, but rather it is written in code, in symbology to express what is going on in the spiritual realms using words, terms and ideas derived from the goings on in this world. If you should decide to study Kabbalah you will in a very short time see what I mean and the Torah will take on a much deeper understanding for you. Love, Peace. Shalom
Hi Joel,
Yes Gematria is a part of the code. Overall this code is called the language of roots and branches. Meaning that it uses words of our world to describe spiritual phenomena. But if we’re not yet in spiritual attainment, then we lack the means to decipher this code.
It’s like a blind person that is trying to study colors. He can learn the wavelengths behind each one, the different feelings they all evoke, but ultimately he will never truly understand colors. But if this blind person was to undergo an operation and gain his sense of sight, how easy and simple it would be to teach him colors. We would simply point to it and say “this is red”.
It’s the same with the language of roots and branches. It’s currently impossible for us to truly grasp these things. But once we gain our “spiritual sight” we would pick these things up very easily and naturally. And only then can we properly interpret what is written in the Kabbalistic books.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2011/02/why-do-we-need-the-language-of-branches/
So what good are these writings for us if we cannot understand them at all? By reading the Kabbalistic texts and aspiring to be in those spiritual states of love and bestowal, by that we evoke the force of the light to correct us and make our aspiration a reality.
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
How do we know that we have the correct perception to assess our development? How do we assess what we have attained?
Hi Glo,
We’re not yet on any spiritual degree, we’re still in the preparation period prior to the spiritual ladder. But once we start to do real spiritual work, we can measure our progress in our attitude towards other points in the hearts. That I’ll feel how my attitude towards them changes, from complete indifference, all the way until I feel them as pieces of my soul. We’ll learn more about this in the more advanced lessons.
Albert @ KabU
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.