He who fulfills at least one law of the above world, wins himself and
the world over to the virtue of goodness.
Correction of the creation is in the intention
The correction of the authentic human nature, the egoistic desires,
should be carried out only for the purpose of convergence with the
upper power, by means of a similarity in attributes and by acquiring
the quality of unconditional giving. It is the same way that it works
towards us; for the sake of giving in order to fill up our desire to
receive.
This human desire to attain pleasure is created by the source, the
supreme power, and it is by no means opposite to it. The opposite is
the INTENTION to receive pleasure 'for the sake of one's own self''.
In fact, this is the desire for pleasure for the sake of one's self
that is called egoism, not the pleasure itself. The desire to receive
or, as Kabbalists say, to be completed is, unchanging; it is exactly
that one and only thing that has been created. There is nothing else
in creation except the desire to receive, and the Creator Himself.
However, according to His will, creation must reveal the special
pleasure in His light, and in being near to Him.
The only change that we are able to make for creation is in the way
we use our uniquely authentic, natural quality, i.e., the desire to
receive- either 'for our own sake' or 'for the Creator's.'
Receiving pleasure 'for one's own sake' is restricted by the limits of
our world.
Overall, it cannot be fulfilled because the pleasure, by its filling
the desire, nullifies it, and, as a result, disappears itself. The
enjoyment and satisfaction do not stay in our senses.
This micro-desire exists only in order to make life possible for a
person, until he begins to take hold of the true intention and is able
to fill himself with unlimited and infinite pleasure. This micro-desire
can receive just a 'littlie spark' of pleasure, 'ner dakik', and every
infinite and everlasting fulfillment can only be achieved via the
intention 'for the Creator'.
From this, we see that the desire to receive is not intended by the
Creator to be used in a direct way 'for the sake of one's own
pleasure', but, quite the contrary, “for the sake of Him”. In that
case, we become similar to Him. By changing the egoistic intention
of 'taking pleasure for one's self' to an altruistic one of 'taking
pleasure for the sake of the Creator', a person becomes wholly
identical with the Being Beyond, because it is the intention that
determines the action.
However, it is impossible to make an immediate transition from the
egoistic intention 'for one's self' to the altruistic one 'for the
Supreme Power'. Such a change in the person’s thoughts, habits, and
lifestyle requires a gradual transformation. A person’s choice to
take pleasure is influenced by society, public opinion, and mode,
and consequently, only by changing the environment. Therefore, only
by its placing priority in giving instead of receiving, can a person
make the transition from the intention 'for the sake of one's self'
to the intention 'for the sake of others.'
What is that swift and clear-cut method that enables a person to
obtain this attribute of the Almighty? The only way to acquire the
ability of 'giving' is by thinking about his own personal needs only
to the extent of his primary necessities, and for the rest, about the
welfare of society and its citizens. By doing this, a person becomes
akin to the attribute of the Supreme Ruling Power. Such drastic change
is only possible in a special society that creates for a person the
right environment to undergo this improvement.
Two principles for stimulating society to the fulfillment of this
law
That society, or indeed humanity, encourage an individual to follow
the law
That the rule of giving for the sake of humanity prepares one to
carry out the law of
Giving for the purpose of convergence with the Upper Power.
Only then does a human being have the energy to fulfill the act of
giving. The society, by praising his deeds, provides him with the
altruistic ability to give, at the beginning for the sake of reward,
such as honor and admiration of the society. Nevertheless, the habit
of giving slowly becomes second nature, and a person starts wishing it
from habit.
In addition, acts of giving will evoke the descending of the Upper
Correcting Light, which changes an individual in likeness with the
Creator, following the mechanism from 'for one's own sake', to 'for
the sake of the Creator'.
This preparation is one of the components of the final goal, since,
by accustoming himself to work for others and for their good, he
gradually grows eager to fulfill the laws of the Creator, following
the intended rule 'for the sake of the Creator', and not 'for the
sake of one's self'. Thus, our intention is according to the plan of
creation.
Part of the method, responsible for the relationship of an
individual with his comrade
The method of convergence with the Upper Power has two parts:
- The attitude of a man towards the Creator.
- The attitude of a man towards his comrade.
The most effective and useful thing to do is first of all to focus on
the relationship between comrades, since by so doing, one acquires
the right habits, in order to apply them later in his approach towards
the Creator.
Thought, dialog, action
Any effort of correction includes thought, dialog, and action.
Action is preceded by intention, and intention is revealed through
action. There are two types of intention 'for one's self' or 'for the
Creator'. The action with the intention that is 'not for the sake of
the Creator' does not reach the Creator. He reveals Himself to a
person only on one condition: that a person possesses the continuous
true intention of giving, i.e., to the extent of mutual affinity
between them. There is no doubt that the Creator always and fully
understands a person, but His comprehension is one-sided. A person
begins to perceive the Creator, or stated differently, the Creator
uncovers Himself to a person; however, only to the extent of their
similarity. The most effective way to become similar to the Creator
is by taking upon one's self the duty of dedication to the service
others, having as the final goal – to be reunited with the Creator.
The deeds concerning the relationship between people are dictated by
human conscience, which binds a person to act in a certain way.
However, acting from this reason does not bring any correction.
Actions of conscience do not bring a person nearer to the Creator.
Because of that, a person always has to keep in mind that anything he
does has the single purpose: to please the Creator in order to be
identical to Him, which amounts to equivalent unselfish giving. Such
a comprehension, in combination with good deeds, will draw a person
nearer to the Creator, that his attributes might be similar to their
spiritual mould (human being like an imprint of the Creator). Then a
person will be ready to receive the Upper Light and greater
abundance.
Thought in this commandment is more essential than in the relationship
of a person with the Creator.
Dialog means the appeal to the Upper Power for correction, and for
the alteration of the intention from 'for the sake of one's self' to
'for the sake of others' during any actions, but especially, while
studying Kabbalah.
Two types of giving pleasure to the Creator
Conscious – because humankind must not hope that one day it will be
possible to obtain at once the likeness to the Creator, - without the
preliminary extended efforts while the Creator is still hidden, and
without the collective work in a group to receive the intention 'for
the Creator'. Previously, presently, and in the future, anyone wanting
to achieve the connection with the Creator will have to begin his
efforts from the initial egoistic intention, then, only after the
fulfillment of all the commandments will he become similar to the
Creator in his intention.
The approach to this condition is not limited in time, but depends
rather on the readiness of an individual and his power over his heart.
Moreover, since people have fallen and will fall, doing it 'for
themselves', they will die before gaining the wisdom. Yet at the same
time, their reward is great, and the human mind cannot place a value
on the significance of the pleasure that is given to the Creator.
Subconscious – even a beginner who fulfills any act with some
intention, though he is not ready yet for acting otherwise, he also
gives pleasure to the Creator.
Duty of carrying out 613 commandments
Man’s soul consists of 613 separate desires, and the correction of
those from the intention 'for one's self' to the intention 'for the
Creator' allows a person to feel union with the Creator through every
corrected desire. The comprehension of each private manifestation of
the Creator in one's self is seen as the revelation of the Creator,
and is called by one of His names. In other words, the names of the
Creator reflect the private comprehension of the various measures of
the universal abundance of the Creator. Every person has to go through
all of these measures and has to perceive the complete general
revelation (name) of the Creator.
True wisdom
The Kabbalists of the past presented the method of individual
comprehension. Here we offer a general way, because of its consistency
and because it defines the spiritual substances without placing them
in a material cover. This latest approach is the most useful for the
development of the method of comprehension. In addition, this science
is called the true wisdom.
The success of its presentation will grow in succeeding generations,
because they will be more prepared to understand the true wisdom. The
success of its understanding depends on the magnitude of the spiritual
leader of that generation, or on the generation itself, or on both of
these factors.
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