The Torah Develops the Recognition of Evil in a Person
When one engages in the Torah, one feels one’s remoteness to the extent of one’s exertion.
Baal HaSulam, Shamati [I Heard], Article no. 56,
“Torah is Called Indication”
For engaging in Mitzvot, and the work to bring contentment to our Maker rapidly develops that sense of recognition of evil.
Baal HaSulam “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose”
The Torah and the Mitzvot were given only to purify Israel, to develop in us the sense of recognition of evil, imprinted in us at birth, which is generally defined as our self-love, and to come to the pure good defined as the “love of others,” which is the one and only passage to the love of God.
Baal HaSulam, “The Freedom”
The beginning of one’s work is the recognition of evil. This means that a person asks of the Creator to feel how bad he is, meaning the will to receive. Knowing it—that the will to receive is called “evil”—is something that only the Creator can make him feel. This is considered that through the Torah, one can achieve recognition of evil, meaning to know how evil the will to receive is. Afterwards, he can ask for the will to receive to be replaced and to be given the desire to bestow in return for it.
Rabash, The Rungs of the Ladder, “Holiness and Purity in the Work”
When one engages in the Torah, he sees the truth, meaning one’s measure of remoteness from spirituality, and one sees that he is such a low creature, that there is not a worse person on earth than him.
Baal HaSulam, Shamati [I Heard], Article no. 56,
“Torah is Called Indication”
What should one do in order to come to love the Creator? For that purpose we are granted the remedy of engaging in Torah and Mitzvot, for the Light in it reforms. There is Light there, which lets one feel the severity of the state of separation. And slowly, as one intends to acquire the Light of Torah, hatred for separation is created in him. He begins to feel the reason that causes him and his souls to be separated and far from the Creator.
Baal HaSulam, Shamati [I Heard], Article no. 34,
“The Profit of a Land”
What is the essence of that development, which is attained through Torah and Mitzvot?
Bear in mind that it is the recognition of the evil within us. That engagement in Mitzvot can slowly and gradually purify those who delve in them. And the scale by which we measure the degrees of cleansing is the measurement of the recognition of the evil within us.
Baal HaSulam, “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose”
Since he had learned a lot of Torah, through it he was granted seeing the truthabout the distance between him and the Creator, meaning the measure of his remoteness and nearness. This is the meaning of his mind being crude, meaning that he saw the complete form of one who is proud, which is his will to receive, and then he could see the truth that it was him who was most ugly. How did he see thetruth? By learning much Torah.
Thus, how will he be able to cleave to Him, since he is such an ugly person? This is the reason why he asked if all the people were as ugly as him, or that he was the only ugly one but the rest of the people in the world were not ugly.
What was the answer? “I don’t know.” It means that that they do not feel, hence they do not know. And why do they not feel? It is for the simple reason that they were not rewarded with seeing the truth, since they lack Torah, so the Torah will show them the truth.
To that Elijah replied to him: “go to the craftsman who made me,” because he saw that he had come into a state from which he could not ascend. For this reason Elijah appeared and told him, “go to the craftsman who made me.” In other words, since the Creator created you so ugly, He must have known that it is with these Kelim (Vessels) that the goal can be achieved.
Baal HaSulam, Shamati [I Heard], Article no. 56,
“Torah is Called Indication”
Through the subtle pleasantness we feelwhen working sincerely to Him, to please Him , there develops within us a relative recognition of the lowliness of these sparks of self-love —that they are obstacles on our way to receiving that subtle taste of bestowal upon the Creator.
Baal HaSulam, “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose”
If one engages in Torah and Mitzvot, even for one’s own pleasure, still, through the light in it, he will feel the terrible inferiority and depravity in the nature of reception for oneself. At that time, he will devote his heart to retiring from this nature of reception and will completely dedicate himself to working only to bestow contentment upon his Maker. Then the Creator will open his eyes and will show him a world that is utterly perfect.
Rabash, The Rungs of the Ladder, “There Is an Appointee Above
Who Strikes Him and Tells Him, ‘Grow,’ in the Work.”