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Dear instructor, can you elaborate on 613 desires?
and is there any connection between 613 desires and 613 Mitzvot?
Hi Helen,
The 613 desires that we are learning about are spiritual desires, meaning desires that we don’t yet have. This is similar to how a single cell in a body only has some basic desires. But when that cell is part of a greater body, it reveals there higher desires which are impossible for the individual cell to have: desires for money, honor, power, etc. Same with us, until we integrate with the general body of Adam HaRishon, we don’t reveal or understand these 613 spiritual desires.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2008/12/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-613-desires/
As for the 613 Mitzvot, each Mitzvah (commandment) is an INTERNAL process by which we correct the corresponding desire. In other words, Kabbalists don’t look at the 613 Mitzvot as physical actions to be performed by our hands and feet, but rather as allegories to the internal process of correcting our desires.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2016/02/mitzvot-commandments-the-correction-of-desires/
Albert @ KabU
Hi Shiloh,
We’ll learn about the spiritual meaning behind these things. But the most practical tool that we have is building for ourselves a strong spiritual environment.
This is because spirituality is against our egoistic nature. So it’s impossible to do real spiritual work by ourselves. We simply don’t have the strength to do it. Where do we get this strength? From the spiritual environment. The spiritual environment is like a support group which gives us the strength to do something we’re naturally incapable of doing. It’s just like with the example of exercising. If I don’t feel like going to the gym and exercising, but if I have friends who do enjoy this and want to do this, if I value these friends, by this I’ll receive their strength to overcome my resistance and will also go to the gym and exercise.
So all of our spiritual work boils down to building for ourselves a strong spiritual environment. All the rest is a result of that work. We’ll learn more about this in lesson 2 of the next semester.
For now, your spiritual environment consists mostly of these different KabU forums, weekly lessons, live sessions, etc. But in the more advanced semesters, everyone will receive their own virtual Kabbalah group with whom they can put these things into practice.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2012/10/bestowal-should-become-fashionable/
Albert @ KabU
“How all of nature is already in perfect balance with these forces, all except the human level, which does not instinctively keep the Law of Equivalence of Form.”
Dear instructor, can you elaborate why all of the nature is already in perfect balance with the force? how is the nature like a plant, like a lion is keeping the Law of Equivalence of Form?
thanks
Helen
Hi Helen,
They are already in balance with nature because there is no egoism with them. So they are simply carrying out their instincts, their inner programming, like machines.
Humans on the other hand were given an egoistic nature. The ego on the one hand throws off our inner balance with nature and thereby causes all the harm and destruction that we see in the world. But on the other hand, it allows us to have free will. And once we correct the ego, we’ll reach a much higher degree than the other levels of nature.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2014/10/nature-is-not-a-resource-for-the-ego/
Albert @ KabU
thank you for the explanation, however i still don’t quite understand. ” the Law of Equivalence of Form.” I thought the Creator’ form is bestow, so the nature to be equivalence of form, will mean the nature is all about bestow like the creator, how are they “bestowal “though? a plant, or a lion chasing another animal for food, bestowing?
Hi Helen,
They are bestowing because they are completely following the Creator’s commands. This follows the saying that “there is not a blade of grass that has not an angel above it that strikes it and tells it to grow.”
As for the Creator’s bestowal, it’s not by Him being nice to us or giving us gifts. Rather the Creator’s bestowal is in Him creating the entire system of nature that envelopes us and gives us everything we need in order to help us reach the highest, best possible state: to be like Him, to fully adhere to Him.
In other words, His bestowal is only evident relative to the purpose of creation. And if we try to examine Him through the lens of our egoistic nature, we won’t see Him as good and bestowing. Since the purpose of creations is not to pamper our ego, rather it’s to help us rise above the ego. Only above the ego can we identify the Creator as good and bestowing.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2011/06/how-can-we-justify-the-creator/
Albert @ KabU
down the road of continuous learning, how will you know which level you are at? May I ask Dear instructor which level you are at and how are you different from your past self, can you give a couple of examples? thanks
Helen
Hi Helen,
In general, we don’t speak about our personal attainments. Kabbalists don’t share their personal revelations with anyone, since people are not yet corrected and this evokes negative envy, which ultimately harms both parties.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2011/05/do-not-trigger-fire-upon-yourself/
As for measuring our spiritual degrees, 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
Addictions are some of the most intense desires we have. As we speak, an opioid crisis hits the US. And many people world wide struggle with all kind of addictions. It destroys lives and numbs the minds of those who are in it. How can people that are so stuck in their addictions ever begin to see or understand the thought or intention of the creator of all things they feel or happens to them?
Hi Nathan, good question.
But even without such an extreme example of a person addicted to drugs, you can ask the very same question about anyone. How can the average Joe who just works, comes home, spends a few hours watching TV, sleeps and repeats the process, how would the average person ever awaken to the purpose of creation?
Even more than that, we can also ask about ourselves, why is it that we have a desire to to reach the purpose of creation? After all, a few months ago, we were no different than that average Joe. So why all of a sudden now we decided to study Kabbalah? Why not ten years ago? Why not twenty years ago, etc?
It’s because everything depends on the point in the heart. When that desire awakens in a person, regardless of all the other circumstances of life, he will suddenly start searching for answers. And if that point has not yet awakened, then a person would rather engage in drugs, or watch TV, or a million other things that we can be doing in life.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2008/11/only-people-with-the-point-in-the-heart-can-feel-that-kabbalah-is-the-salvation/
Furthermore, we can also ask why did I receive an awakened point in the heart while another person did not?
This is because there is a certain order of corrections that need to take place in the system. It’s like building a large jigsaw puzzle. First you start with all the corner pieces, and only then do you gradually work your way to the center. So those that received awakened points in the hearts are like those corner pieces of the puzzle that need to start the whole process. Later on, due to their good work, they pave the way for the rest of the world to join this process.
Albert @ KabU
Hello.
This is a practical question and not one for the studies. I noticed that above in the header of any page during the 5 week course there is a bar that counts the steps that I have completed. As of this writing I am 46 of 62. I am assuming and this could be wrong, that after the 5 week course that I would have made it all the way to 62. I thought that I followed each direction as it was given and didn’t skip over anything. Am I missing something? I am ready to take the next step in the course. Thank you
Hello Juule,
I too noticed that some of my pages didn’t show complete for some reason. In the top right of the page, just next to our profile picture there is either a “✓Completed” or a “Mark Complete”. I was able to click on “mark complete” and it would cause the page to change to a completed state for recorded progress.
As Albert said though, there is no need to stress if you went through the material – the groundwork has been laid to continue forward.
Still, I wanted to share, so that in the future you could keep an eye out for this and make the change for the peace of mind of seeing the full recorded progress.
~Julian
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