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Hi Helen,
We were indeed created in the state of perfection, in complete adhesion with the Creator. (Baal HaSulam describes this in the article Introduction to the book of Zohar). But this was an unconscious state, like a baby in its mother’s womb. So we necessarily had to come to the complete opposite state, to lose that state of perfection, in order to once again reach it, but this time consciously.
And the fact that we had to lose this state is not something bad, but it’s a necessary part of our development. It’s just like with kids. We don’t just give them a completed jigsaw puzzle. On the contrary we take it and break it down into many pieces. Then in the process of them putting it together, they grow and develop. Same with us, this process of losing that state is a necessary part of our further growth and development.
This process also adds to us a certain level of freedom, without which, we would be no different than machines, or robots, that were programmed to act a certain way and they just carry out this inner script. Instead, we were programmed one way, and we rise above this inner programming, become independent of it, and then develop our own desire to advance towards this goal.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2014/01/from-perfection-to-perfection/
Albert @ KabU
Hi Michael,
You’re right that true freedom is not something automatic but takes much development to reach, even after we come to Kabbalah.
See my answer 359398 to Al below for more details.
Albert @ KabU
Hi Terry,
I’m not an expert in other methods, so I cannot comment on that. In general, there are two path of development: the path of light and the path of suffering. The path of light means that we develop consciously under the influence of the light.
Whereas the path of suffering is an inactive form of development, where we wait for sufferings to accumulate until we start to move. It’s like a child that refuses to go to school, so the parents put more and more pressures on him until he agrees to go. Keep in mind that we don’t really advance on the path of suffering. Since pressuring and punishing a child is not the same as educating him. So after all of the pressures and punishments they put on him, he will still have to go to school and get his education.
Check out these blog posts from Rav Laitman for more details
https://laitman.com/2011/01/lets-go-with-the-light/
https://laitman.com/2015/05/we-wont-follow-the-path-of-suffering-forever/
Albert @ KabU
Hi João Chico,
The Creator is not the cause of the suffering, our ego is the cause of the suffering. The Creator sends us only goodness, but this goodness is inverted by our ego. It’s just like multiplying numbers: a positive times a negative equals negative.
In other words, there is nothing evil in the world, except for our own egoistic nature. As soon as we correct that nature, we will reveal the true reality, where only goodness exists.
As for Satan, that’s another way of describing our egoistic nature. Meaning that it’s not something out there somewhere, but it’s the very nature inside of us. It’s the cause of all the suffering we see outside of us.
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
Google translation of Johan’s question:
Can we feel the creator, even before we know him?
Hi Johan,
You won’t be able to feel Him or know Him before you become similar to Him. This is because feeling the Creator works according to the law of equivalence of form. Meaning that in order to feel Him, we need to become similar to Him, to His qualities of love and bestowal. This is just like how a radio can pick up an external wave, when we tune the internal frequency of the radio to that wave.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: http://laitman.com/2013/04/everything-is-attained-by-the-equivalence-of-form/
Albert @ KabU
Hi Jonah,
Kabbalah is the scientific method by which we can correct our egoistic nature. As a result of this correction, we become similar to the Creator, to the general force of love and bestowal. As a result of becoming similar to Him, we reveal Him in practice, in our lives. This follows the law of equivalence of form and this is what Kabbalah helps us to achieve.
As for the Messiah, in Kabbalah, the Messiah is not a person but a force. Messiah (Mashiach in Hebrew) comes from the verb “to pull” (Moshech in Hebrew). This is the force that has the ability “to pull” us out of our egoistic nature into the Creator’s nature of love and bestowal.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2013/02/what-do-they-expect-from-a-messiah/
Albert @ KabU
