[AspiringAltruist]

How does the reforming light actually bring about change in us? Is there a particular analogy, narrative or mechanism that can be explained simply?

[AspiringAltruist]

I have a question about our relationship with the Creator, particularly in light of Shamati 16, which describes how the Creator does not receive or need anything from us. It mentions that our relationship is like a game to the Creator, as expressed in the phrase, “He sits and plays with a whale,” referencing the verse, “There go the ships, and Leviathan, which You have formed to sport in it” (Avoda Zarah, p. 3). A teacher once explained that the whale alludes to the final correction, symbolizing the full rectification of the will to receive. However, I’m still pondering the meaning of the word ‘play’ in this context. What does it mean that the Creator ‘plays’ with the whale? Is this play something ongoing with creation—meaning, is He playing with us now—or does it only occur at the end of correction?

Additionally, is play a strong mechanism for connection with the friends? For example, I ‘play’ with the friends, giving and pretending to receive, but deep down, I don’t actually care to receive anything. Is it like playing a board game with my son—winning and losing is just for sport, but I’m really doing it because I enjoy spending time with him? Is this a good understanding of how the Creator relates to us?

[AspiringAltruist]

I’ve been revisiting Pticha and have a question about the screen. The screen is described as having two qualities: aviut(coarseness) and kashiut (hardness). I understand aviut, but I’m a bit confused about kashiut. Specifically, does having a harder screen make it better or worse in terms of being an effective screen? One source I read suggested that the harder the screen, the more stubborn we are, making it harder to correct. But I also got the impression that a harder screen might actually be more effective in resisting the light for self-gratification. Could you clarify this for me?

I also have another question about the screen in relation to the light. The text states that the screen ‘strikes the light,’ rather than the light striking the screen. In corporeal terms, we usually understand the light as always striking something, not the other way around. Why is it written this way? Is there any significance to this phrasing? Thanks!

[AspiringAltruist]

Hi Gianni,

I have a question about our approach to seeking connection with the friends. Should we actively want, need, or ask for connection from our friends? Does doing so exercise the will to receive in a negative way? Additionally, if we pray silently in our hearts for this connection and still experience silence in return, should we then reach out to the friends to encourage connection ? Or is it more appropriate to remain in silence and accept that as the Creator’s will for us at this time?

Thank you for your guidance, Dave.

• This reply was modified 3 months, 1 week ago by AspiringAltruist.

[AspiringAltruist]

Hi Gianni,

How should we regard “thoughts of emptiness (that) come to a person”? With reverence or irreverence?

REF: Shamati 13. A Pomegranate

“And this is the meaning of, “and God hath so made it, that men should fear before Him.” It means that these thoughts of emptiness come to a person in order for one to have a need to take upon himself faith above reason. And for that we need the help of God. It follows that at that time one must ask of the Creator to give him the power to believe above reason.”

http://www.kabbalah.info/eng/content/view/full/31754

Thanks,

Dave

• This reply was modified 3 months, 2 weeks ago by AspiringAltruist.
• This reply was modified 3 months, 2 weeks ago by AspiringAltruist.

[AspiringAltruist]

Shamati 9. What Are Three Things that Broaden One’s Mind in the Work

I have a question about Shamati 9 that has been on my mind. I’ve encountered the phrase “envy, lust, and honor bring a person out of this world” before, and I thought I understood what these terms meant. However, after reading Shamati 9, my understanding has been completely turned around, particularly with regard to the concept of “lust.”

In Kabbalah, it often surprises me how the definitions of concepts are different from what we might initially think. Could you provide a concise explanation of what “envy, lust, and honor” mean within the context of this method, particularly as they are described in Shamati 9?

Here’s the quote from the article that I’m referring to:

“Obtaining that is through envy, lust, and honor, which bring one out of the world. Envy means through envy in the Holy Shechina, regarded as zeal in ‘The zeal of the Lord of hosts.’ Honor means that one wants to increase the glory of heaven, and lust is by way of ‘Thou hast heard the desire of the humble.'”

Thank you for your guidance.

• This reply was modified 3 months, 2 weeks ago by AspiringAltruist.

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