56- Questions in the Work

How come after a whole year of corporeal work that a person does, he does not ask himself, What have I gained in this year? But in spirituality, a person does ask what he gained during this past year. Does the question about what he gained come from the side of Kedusha [holiness] or from the side of the Sitra Achra [other side]?

It is known that this world is called “the world of falsehood.” Hence, one does not ask what he gained when it comes to falsehood, such as to say that this work was worthwhile. But in spirituality, which is truth, a question comes each time from the side of Kedusha, to awaken him to know what he gains, so as to make corrections.

We see that if a person makes a deal from which he intends to profit, meaning what he should get out of the deal, he does calculate. If it does not pay off, he changes the business for another business, since the profits he wants to make are on his mind. In this, he is not deceiving himself, meaning if this is the reward he wants, namely money or power. By this one measures oneself.

This is not so with the permitted corporeal life in general. In general, all pleasures are false. Hence, there is no point asking what he has to gain from making money or power, since this was made from the beginning so as to be false. However, it is called “a helpful lie.” That is, before one can walk on the spiritual path, from where will he take vitality? Therefore, he is given a life that is called “falsehood.”