A Worthwhile Effort

Q: It seems that in Kabbalah, just like in any other field, it takes a great effort to make it to the top. But most people are busy with their little everyday problems and their small affairs. The ordinary person thinks: “Kabbalah relieves us of pain and has a sublime goal. Great! Too bad I’m just an ordinary person, unsuitable for such exalted goals.”

Can I progress in spirituality, knowing in advance that I will not be able to give myself entirely to Kabbalah, or is it not worth it for me to even begin?

A: You cannot attain even the smallest spiritual degree without an effort “beyond human ability.” That is because it is impossible to change your nature by yourself.

When the sages say that you have to exert yourself “beyond human ability,” they mean that by making a great, though not impossible effort, it can evoke the important awareness that nothing can help you but the Creator Himself. You have to be “broken down” to such a point that you reach a true demand of God for help.

The moment you can actually do that, your redemption from your nature will come. You’ll be freed from the boundaries of this world and will receive the first Upper Attribute - the first spiritual degree.

“He who walks, defeats the path,” and I would add that there is no other path. We do everything by coercion, even chasing money and power. The more we want to escape it, the more the need will push us forward.

I’m sure you remember the story of the prophet Jonah who tried to escape the Creator in order to avoid the correction that was given him to perform. But the city of Nineveh must still be corrected from within.