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I’ve learned about prayer from Kabbalah, that only a true prayer is answered. Which comes from a place of absolute need, deficiency. A prayer that is not meant to change the world to fit my needs, but to ask the Creator to change me. But my prayers don’t ever seem to work. What am I doing wrong? Am I looking in the wrong direction for the answer? I keep on coming up to this roadblock.
In many of the Kabbalah lessons from this school, there is a recurring emphasis on refraining from creating visual representations of God. My interpretation of this teaching is rooted in the belief that such depictions stimulate our intellect/ego but do not necessarily contribute to real spiritual growth. Interestingly, I’ve observed that this school frequently employs schematics, diagrams, and illustrations as teaching tools for spirituality. Personally, I find myself deeply drawn to this method of instruction because it resonates with me on a profound level.
Rather than viewing these diagrams as mere intellectual stimulants, I see them as symbolic arrows pointing us towards a deeper feeling of the Creator. I’ve even had dreams of transforming these diagrams into sculptures. However, this apparent contradiction between the teachings against graven images and the use of visual aids in our spiritual journey raises some questions for me.
When is it acceptable to create visual representations in the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment, and when does it cross the line into forbidden territory?
I’ve noticed a common thread in the questions posed by various students, all converging on a central theme: our current stage in the spiritual journey. This leads me to ponder the following questions.
Is our desire to pinpoint our spiritual stage inherently egotistical, or is it a necessary and integral aspect of our journey? Could there be drawbacks to this desire, and should we perhaps shift our focus entirely towards bestowing to my friend, especially my friend in the group of ten? Or is this intense desire for the study simply the yearning and the purpose is unconscious drawing of the reforming light?
In this initial preparatory phase do we engage with a provisional, ‘training wheels’ type of Screen during our ‘Lo Lishma’ phase. Does this initial Screen, fueled by our own efforts and aspirations, serve as a preparatory stage before we receive the ‘real’ Screen from the Creator?
Does our spiritual journey progress out of preparation to a stage where our longing for The Creator intensifies to such an extent that it leads us to self-restraint (a conscious restriction)? At this transformative juncture, are we bestowed with an authentic Screen, signifying the maturation of our heart’s point into a true spiritual form (a Partzuf), thereby marking our genuine entry into spirituality? Is this understanding broadly accurate? Also, great job on your Q&A session!
I’ve been diving into Lesson 11 of Pticha with KabU past lessons, where a humorous yet insightful analogy caught my attention. Daniel raised a question about the concept of free choice. You responded with a clever parable: imagine fish debating the nature of dryness—a condition entirely alien to their underwater existence.
These fish enthusiastically try to convince each other about the wonders of dryness, despite having no real grasp of it: “dryness?! yeah, it’s great!”. They even muse about what it might be like under a rock or at the water’s surface, all the while circling around the concept of dryness as if it was something within their reach. This analogy was a humorous way to show how we, much like the fish, grapple with the abstract idea of free choice. You explained that true free choice exists in a perfect balance of giving and receiving, in a specific state known as the middle third of Tifferet, and that while this concept is complex, we approach it through our environment.
The story and the discussion were not only amusing but also illuminated the nuanced path to understanding free choice. It’s these moments that make the educational journey at KabU so fantastic. Thank you!
Thank you for your guidance! I understand from both you and Zohar in the course that the primary aim of these studies is not merely intellectual understanding, but to draw the light. I’ll continue my journey with this in mind. I deeply appreciate your dedication and support.
I’ve been following the course you and Zohar taught in 2021, “Pticha – Intro to the Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah.” Currently, I’m on Lesson 7 and I’m deeply grateful for the wealth of incredible content from KabU, thank you.
I have a question that I’m grappling with.
It’s about the concept of “reflected light.” We often discuss the idea of receiving in order to bestow, with the ultimate goal of aligning ourselves (“Equivalence of Form”) with the Creator, thereby attaining spirituality. This concept is emphasized repeatedly: our intention should be focused on “bringing contentment to the Creator.”
However, this raises a paradox. The Creator, as I understand, has no need for anything. In fact, it goes beyond mere lack of need; the Creator is averse to receiving. In “The Path of Kabbalah” by Rav, he clearly states on page 84: “Because the Creator gives, his creatures must strive for the same. Conversely, THE CREATOR HATES TO BE A RECEIVER. Being complete and needing nothing, the creature should also despise reception, as it is the root of all evil.”
In trying to make sense of this, I’ve considered what it means to “bring contentment.” Perhaps it’s not about giving something that is received, but rather fulfilling a desire. For instance, when a parent gifts something to their child, they don’t receive anything tangible in return, but the act itself brings them a sense of wholeness and completion. However, this is my interpretation and not something explicitly stated in our teachings. Moreover, the illustrative arrow does hint at some form of exchange.
So, essentially, I have two question:
1 – Does God disdain our attempts to bestow upon Him?
2 – Where does the reflected light go? Who receives it? I have come to understand that there is none else beside the Creator. Wife, children, relatives, work, and friends – everything is but the Creator, standing behind all these different forms. Does the reflected light, as we aim it at the Creator, land on all these different forms?
