In memorial of Kabbalist Rabbi Baruch Ashlag, 1995
The Creator acts upon us using the various elements of our world. Man must understand that events occurring to him are nothing but messages from the Creator. If man responds correctly to divine action, he will clearly grasp what the Creator expects of him and he will feel Him.
Not only does the Creator act upon us through the people in our environment, but he uses everything which exists in our world. The structure of our world is such that the Creator can influence us and draw us nearer to the goal of creation.
We hardly ever feel the presence of the Creator in the daily situations we need to face. This is because our attributes place us opposite to the Creator and make it impossible for us to feel Him. As soon as man acquires attributes similar to those of the Creator, he begins to feel Him proportionately.
When hardships befall us we need to ask ourselves the question: "Why am I getting this"? "Why is the Creator doing this to me"? Punishments as such do not exist although many are mentioned in the Torah. There are only "incentives" forcing man to progress toward what he selfishly feels.
The awareness of things is only an ancillary mechanism, which helps us to properly understand what we feel. Whenever we picture our life as a gigantic classroom with the omniscient Creator acting as a teacher and lavishing on us the knowledge we are prepared to receive. This progressively awakens in us the feeling of the Creator in our newborn spiritual sense organs.
The Creator has made a ladder for our ascension. It is a moving ladder. This ladder appeared in Jacob's dream and was described by Baal Hasulam rabbi Yehuda Ashlag and his son Baruch Ashlag.
We turn our backs to the source of knowledge symbolised by this ladder and only through efforts will we manage to turn around and start moving toward the Creator. This is why the Creator sends us teachers, books as well as study companions.
The student who follows the teachings of the Kabbalah lives in the physical world but is overburdened by his selfishness. This is why he cannot properly understand the wise sages who are physically close to him but who also evolve in the spiritual worlds.
If the student can leave aside his reason, his opinions and follow the ways expounded by the writers of authentic books of wisdom, he may be able to bond unconsciously with the spiritual.
We do not see and feel the Creator in our world and it is therefore impossible for us to make our selfishness surrender to Him. The thoughts of a teacher or a master can penetrate the student and induce faith in him. This corresponds with the teacher's spiritual OHP (Ozen (ear), Hotem (nose), Peh (mouth), representing the vessels of reception), coming down to the GE (Galgalta and Einayim, representing the vessels of bestowal) of the level below (i.e. the student's). Rising to the level of the master's OHP means bonding with his wisdom and his thoughts. Likewise if a student delves into the OHP of a text of wisdom, he rises temporarily and the spiritual is revealed to him.
Whenever we read the works of the righteous, the Baal HaSulam, Simon Bar Yohai, we bond directly with them through the surrounding light, the Orh Makif. We are then enlightened and our vessels of reception purified.
It is important, when reading, to bear in mind the stature of the author. Whether he is alive or dead does not really matter. We can always bond with him using our feelings when studying his works.
There are many paths leading to the Creator and he uses many means to act upon us. Any difficulty or obstacle on the student's path, in particular the death of a master, may be considered an opportunity to transform oneself at an individual level.