24- The Main Thing We Need
The main thing we need, and for which we have no fuel for the work, is that we are lacking importance of the goal. That is, we do not know how to appreciate our service so as to know to whom we are bestowing. Also, we are lacking the awareness of the greatness of the Creator, to know how happy we are that we have the privilege of serving the King, since we have nothing with which to be able to understand His greatness.
In the words of The Zohar, this is called “Shechina [Divinity] in the dust,” meaning that bestowal upon Him is as important to us as dust. Naturally, we have no fuel to work, since without pleasure, there is no energy to work.
Where self-love shines, the body derives vitality from this. But in the work of bestowal, the body does not feel any pleasure in this and must naturally “collapse under its weight.”
Conversely, when one feels that he is serving an important King, to the extent of the importance of the King, so is his delight and pleasure from serving Him. Hence, at that time he has fuel that can give him the power to go forward each time, since he feels that he is serving an important King.
Then, when he knows and feels to whom he bestows, to the extent that he had the strength to work with the intention of self-love, now he has the strength to work in order to bestow, since one who bestows upon an important person is regarded as receiving from him. And since the body has the strength to work for reception, in order to receive reward, likewise, in bestowing upon an important King he derives pleasure in this.
By this we will understand what is written in the “Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot” concerning the matter that if she gives, and he is an important person, she is sanctified because of the pleasure of receiving from him. We are seeing something new: Bestowing upon an important person is tantamount to receiving, although there he references the essay about matrimony in the context of reception in order to bestow, at which time reception means bestowal.
From this we can understand the other side of the coin—that bestowal is called reception, and because of this he already has fuel, for if he bestows upon an important person, it is to him as though he is receiving. Therefore, he already has the power to work.
It follows that all we need is to believe in the greatness of the Creator, and then we will have the energy to work in bestowal.