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Thought, feelings, intention, emotion are these what separates the human level from the other levels? And if we correct them to bestow instead of being egocentric, would that make the connection to the creator possible?
Hi Rex,
It’s the level of desire that separates us, the ego in other words. The rest of the levels of nature have a natural connection to the Creator. Whereas our ego disrupts this connection and forces us to consciously aspire towards it.
And yes, adding the intention to bestow is essentially the correction necessary to reach the Creator. We’ll learn how to do this practically in the more advanced semesters.
Albert @ KabU
While I was reading “A Speech for the Completion of The Zohar,” pp. 69-71″ and “Understanding Our True Nature,” pp. 424-431″ I thought about this in the bible: Isaiah 45:7-“I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things”, how can we interpret Isaiah 45:7, and does it fit into the context of the reading of this week “A Speech for the Completion of The Zohar,” pp. 69-71″ and “Understanding Our True Nature,” pp. 424-431″? if yes How? can you clarify
Hi Jul,
This is similar to the saying that “I created the evil inclination, I created the Torah as a spice”. This means that we know in advance that it’s the Creator that made our egoistic nature. At the same time, He gave us the means, the Torah to correct it.
The word Torah comes from the Hebrew word Ohr, meaning light. So using the means of the Torah means extracting the reforming light from the Kabbalistic sources in order to correct our egoistic nature. And once we correct that nature we reach equivalence of form with the Creator.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2010/11/spice-up-your-desire/
Albert @ KabU
While looking at the 613 commandments (Mitzvot) as merely correcting our desires; and I believe there is a spiritual component to that… I truly believe that is revealed with physical actions… how do we reconcile the spiritual with the physical?
Hi Gregory,
If we’re able to add the right intention to the action, then the action becomes holy. If not, then it’s like the sages tell us in the Zohar that “a commandment without an intention is like a body without a soul”.
For more details, check out Baal HaSulam’s article The Teaching of the Kabbalah and Its Essence.
Albert @ KabU
Am I correct in understanding that we are not required to study the Torah and can just study Kabbalah and The Zohar. This is what the article by Baal HaSulam seems to say, i.e. that by studying The Zohar you are receiving everything that you. would receive from.reading the Torah. It is a final development of the 3. previous forms…Well I’m sure it’s endless.
Hi Madelainne,
Yes, you can say that.
By the way, the Zohar is a commentary on the Torah. So by studying the Zohar we do indeed study the Torah.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2017/07/connection-between-the-torah-and-the-book-of-zohar/
Albert @ KabU
Does it count if you put your partner’s interests before your own even if your partner’s point in the heart hasn’t hasn’t awakened yet?
Hi Melanie,
It depends on your goal in life. If your goal is to reach the revelation of the Creator, this is possibly only when we practice connection and bestowal with other points in the heart in the Kabbalistic group.
If you practice this anywhere else, in the best case scenario you’ll build some good relationships, in the worst case, people will think you’re weird or try to take advantage of you. But either way it will not lead to the revelation of the Creator.
So generally, with the rest of the world, it’s best to just act normal, like everyone else. Meaning don’t make a saint of yourself and at the same time don’t cause harm to others or break the law, but just act the way normal people act.
Albert @ KabU
Hi Mitch,
613 is the number of corrections that need to be placed over the spiritual desire. This number is further divided into 248 desires of bestowing in order to bestow and 365 desires that operate on receiving in order to bestow. We’ll learn how these numbers are derived in the more advanced lessons on KabU that deal with the structure of the upper worlds.
Albert @ KabU
I have understood that we human vessels are a type of co-creator in the since that Light, Giver, Permeates and penetrates every aspect of existence. Light, therefore, gives us thoughts, and nothing is created without the thought of man. In fact, Giver seems to give only us certain thoughts, dreams, aspirations, and etc. We are the only species attempting space flight, business, writing, art, etc. my question is, how does a Kabbalist understand/explain the passionate drive of man to create? Is this drive to create a rocketship, for example, just part of the program of receiving the idea (desire) and NOT an actual action of creation on the behalf of man?
Hi Gates,
All these things essentially fall under the desire to receive pleasure.
Even our drive for spirituality stems from our desire to receive pleasure. This is why the point in the heart is initially described as a black point, meaning that it too is egoistic.
So naturally, we all start out as egoists wanting only to receive. It’s only after much spiritual work that a person is capable of rising above this nature. And even then, rising above the ego is a gift from above, it’s not something we can do by ourselves. Just like a PC cannot just reprogram itself to run as a Mac, we too cannot just change our own nature.
So ultimately we’re all enslaved to our egoistic nature and it’s only thanks to the light that we have the ability to come out of it.
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
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