[Michael Brewer]

My main message to everyone: “I love and believe in you.”

What most inspired me this semester?

Discovering that my life has a genuine purpose and that the Creator is always present. I’m beginning to recognize that every interaction—with every person, animal, insect, and plant—and every awe-inspiring moment is an opportunity to connect with the Creator. Before studying Kabbalah, my deepest spiritual experiences often occurred in the wilderness, far from civilization. I’m beginning to understand why: immersed in nature, I felt removed from many of the distortions created by our egoistic desires.

What have I learned about myself?

I’ve learned to perceive reality with greater objectivity and acceptance, moving beyond my judgments of good and bad. I’m beginning to understand that everything we encounter has its place and purpose within the perfection of creation.

What do I wish for my fellow students?

I wish for everyone to pursue their spiritual development with lightness of heart and kindness toward themselves. Our will to receive is not a flaw; it is our very nature, created perfectly, and what needs correction is our intention in how we receive. I wish success not only to my fellow students but to every human being, wherever they may be on their path toward the Creator. May we all come closer to Him with grace, beginning with the grace we extend to ourselves.

[Michael Brewer]

Well put. I’ve definitely had to learn this the hard way.

Cognitive capacity and sheer knowledge that is applied without wisdom only makes a person all the more destructive.

However, the same capacities, properly honed and channeled, can produce miraculous outcomes.

[Michael Brewer]

My understanding is that this refers to the Masach (screen). The Creator’s nature is to bestow, while the creature’s nature is to receive. Receiving the Creator’s Light directly for our own gratification creates a disparity of form, or spiritual separation. The Masach allows us to resist egoistic reception and receive only with the intention to bestow, creating equivalence of form and adhesion with the Creator. I believe the “short circuit” is a metaphor for what happens when reception occurs without that corrected intention.

[Michael Brewer]

I continue to be surprised by how drawn to this wisdom I am.

 

I can tell that my intentions have improved, millimeter by millimeter, over time (throughout my life and during my study of Kabbalah), but I am also becoming more aware of where my intentions are purely self serving more and more. It has been helpful to read that this is not a sign that I am off track, but that the Creator is, in fact, trying to draw me closer and that my increasing ability to perceive evil within myself is actually a sign of progress.

While not a direct perception, I have also recently come to recognize the Creator’s will to bestow in my environment (His thought). I cannot thank Him enough for allowing me to draw closer to Him, even if that means drawing closer to barriers that only grow stronger and harder to overcome as my proximity to Him increases.

[Michael Brewer]

Thank you, Albert. I greatly appreciate that explanation and reassurance. 🙏🫂🙏

[Michael Brewer]

I feel as though I’ve begun to understand the Thought of Creation in increments. But is understanding the Thought of Creation different from actually attaining it? Can this attainment occur in degrees, and is there a way to recognize when we’re approaching it? I’m curious about experiencing the intention behind everything we perceive, rather than simply understanding it conceptually. Not trying to ask too much, so feel free to pick just one of these questions if that seems to make the most sense. Thank you.  🙏🫶🙏

[Author]

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