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Homework Assignment #4
Rabash The Social Writings
THEY HELPED EVERY ONE HIS FRIEND
Article #4 1984
“We must understand how one can help his friend. Is this matter specifically when there are rich and poor, wise and fools, weak and strong? But when all are rich, smart, or strong, etc., how can one help another?
We see that there is one thing that is common to all—the mood. It is said, “A concern in one’s heart, let him speak of it with others.” This is because with regard to feeling high-spirited, neither wealth nor erudition can be of assistance.
Rather, it is one person who can help another by seeing that one’s friend is low. It is written, “One does not deliver oneself from imprisonment.” Rather, it is one’s friend who can lift his spirit.
This means that one’s friend raises him from his state into a state of liveliness. Then, one begins to reacquire strength and confidence of life and wealth, and he begins as though his goal is now near him.
It turns out that each and every one must be attentive and think how he can help his friend raise his spirit, because in the matter of spirits, anyone can find a needy place in one’s friend that he can fill.”
I am feeling the special significance of this writing by Rabash. The way in which he provides us the destination and then offers us the map to find our way. My friend is low. Yet Rabash tells me the friend cannot escape the chains of his mood by himself. Rather, the friend needs me to raise him high from the state the friend is in to a new state, one of liveliness. Then my friend may reacquire the necessary strength and confidence. Rabash then reminds me I must be ever attentive and ponder how I may help the friend raise spirits because in this matter there is always a place in the friend that I may fill. Beautiful words. Lovely and majestic in its abundance of kindness and generosity. I’m moved by the elegant simplicity and practical instructions to feel and love the friend with all my heart. Love you all.
Social challenges, obstacles, and contentions would be approached with altruistic rather than egoistic solutions, with connection rather than separation, with bestowal rather than reception.
The Kabbalistic books draw the reforming light and give us the yearning and desire to understand we require, to awaken the Lights surrounding the soul. The Rav is our source whose advise we implement in our work in group; the work of annulment, integration and impression. When I annul myself, eventually making my self a zero (0) and each and every friend in the group a 1 (one) , I may accelerate my spiritual ascent and aspiration to attain the first degree. Next I must be a zero and raise each of the friends to a 100, then a thousand. This accelerates our spiritual ascent. So it is. By raising the friends above me, always, I may truly support them and their spiritual yearnings, and inclinations.
What is my impression of the Rav?
My first impression of Rav from the documentary clip “Into Truth” was of a man who understood and fully embraced his obligations ; his obligation to the importance of the goal and to his teacher who he states ” … has left me everything.” I could clearly see in his eyes and feel in his words the significance and importance he attributes to the thousands of Kabbalists across thousands of generations. His heartfelt words, “My life doesn’t belong to me … because it doesn’t belong to me it has some merit.” left me in tears. The Rav is our teacher, the one who leads us to the Creator, and helps us to find the connection between us. One further impression: for me the Rav is the best example of a true mensch, a human being the way we, and I would imagine the Creator, wants a human being to behave, live and love.
