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Excerpt from: What Is, “A Ladder Is Set on the Earth, and Its Top Reaches Heaven,” in the Work?
Article No. 9, 1990
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“But when he receives from above the feeling of what it means to do everything only for the Creator, the person does not want the Creator to give him this power, and he resists with all his might. Therefore, when a person begins to ask the Creator to give him the power to overcome the will to receive, a person still does not have the full power of resistance of the body, since he still does not know what is “entirely for the Creator.”
Therefore, when his prayer is answered from above, what is the answer? The answer comes from above in that they show him so he will know what he is asking, as though there is no deceit here, so he will later be able to say, “I did not know what I was asking.” For this reason, a person must know that the Creator does hear the prayer. And the reason he sees that now he is worse than before he prayed for the power to overcome the will to receive, this is the answer from above to his prayer.”
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I chose this because we reviewed the first half in the Graduate Class and I found it particularly difficult to remove corporeal interpretations during the reading. I’m very happy that Mike and Igal recommended reading this a few times to let it really sink in.
In reading these paragraphs, it feels that the ego wants to rise above and diminish the value of the friends, that bestowal somehow feels “wrong” to it, and for this reason the ego resists. When I am given tests and blows to the ego, I want to justify myself somehow, and so to humble myself before the friends, to see that they are great, are already in spirituality, and that they offer me these tests to my ego to bring me up to their level, is going to feel so very foreign and much that “I did not know what I was asking.” Then I am given the realization that the friends are very much higher than I am, and that the uncomfortable feeling I have is actually a blessing, and then I must admit the ego to defeat, once again, for even the realization that I might coming into any equivalence of form is enough to break my concentration, and I would much rather serve the creator and the friends without even knowing it, lest knowing break my concentration and the creator or friends be forced to carry any undue burden from me if I weren’t in such a lowly state.This whole course was the icing on the cake as far as preparation for what is to come. I learned how to better keep myself in check and now I’m paying a little more attention to the friends so that I can build on their intention and keep the floor open for their voices.
Thank you for everything, Julian and friends!I just want to thank you, Julian, for being our instructor. I’m really looking forward to implementing all that I’ve learned with you in the Young Group.
Much love.In order to make myself a Rav I must nullify before the Rav and attain his state. With an open heart I must subjugate myself to the environment he deems worthy for me and follow his commands.
Rav is a lot like a parent fulfilling a role. He doesn’t think too highly of himself, but nonetheless recognizes that his position is one whose actions and words must be executed with tact and, may even feel compelled or even responsible to do so – like a parent feeding a child broccoli.a combination of connection with the friends, the Rav, and the books are the catalyst for awakening us to the spiritual world. just as many of the friends have already said, the act of nullifying our physical/egoistic desires before group is the “converter” which attracts the light that reforms.
