From the Talk during the "Seudah Mafseket" Meal before Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), 1996
"Talmid Hacham", the sage's student, these terms describe those who study directly with the Creator. What can one study with the Creator? The Creator"s sole attribute is to please His creation. If man desires to acquire this attribute in order to please the Creator just like the Creator pleases man, he becomes "the Creator's student".
Provided man makes efforts to work, the Creator will hear his call for help. This process should be sincere as one cannot beat about the bush with the Creator. Spiritual progression is a personal inner path, it is not necessary to reveal it other people otherwise one's prayer may be in vain. hen spiritual impressions begin to be perceived there are no words to describe them therefore a man seeking the divine should never speak about the level where he stands.
Whenever man thinks of nothing else but to progress toward the Creator, when all his time and energy are dedicated to his progression, the Creator will satisfy his desires.
At first man must know what is required for his correction but he does not clearly grasp what is a Kli (vessel ) ready to receive divine light as well as the nature of that light.
The works of Yehuda and Baruch Ashlag provide instructions and a global method to progress spiritually. Baal Hasulam has given us specifics on how to undertake our spiritual progression and draw ourselves closer to the Creator.
Why do we fast during Yom Kippur (day of atonement, Heb.)? If an ill person is asked not to eat during a full day and to dress up in white to cure a disease, he will do it for his own good. This is how most men perform deeds stemming from religious prescriptions.
Commandements must be observed only because they correspond to His will. We do not understand how the spiritual is connected to our world, and how spiritual worlds take the aspect of our material world.
Man studies: if he understands that he does not understand, this is already a truth. The Creator gives man this impression because he wishes to draw him closer to Him. Conversely if He does not want man to draw himself closer he will give him satisfaction in his study, work and family. Spiritual progression is possible only when there is a feeling of dissatisfaction.
Generally man is educated to feel his own perfection. This is how teachers strip man's being of possibilities of rising or falling. In our modern societies education is based on self-satisfaction principles. This kills man because his selfishness is satisfied.
The same goes for our spiritual development because only the degree of dissatisfaction fuels the inspiration to go beyond the limits of habits and laziness in order to rise spiritually.
Indiviudal efforts in quantity and quality enable us to achieve the goal we have set for ourselves. All efforts - studying, discussing or disseminating the wisdom of Kabbalah - greatly benefit those who make them. They become a gateway allowing others in our world to become familiar with the Creator.
To be authentic Kabbalistic knowledge must be bred in man's heart and feelings. Sciences may be studied but they will not modify the human character, they do not require from the seeker a transformation of his existential outlook. Sciences only deal wth a small part of creation, the outer one which is confined to the narrow limits of our world. Nowadays however science has begun to discover that there exists a relation between the experience and the experimenter. In Kabbalah the researcher can only obtain knowledge if his qualities match the ones of the subject of his study.