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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
O.H.P (Ozen (ear), Hotem (nose), Pe (mouth), representing the
vessels of reception), coming down to the G.E (Golgalta and Einayim,
representing the vessels of bestowal) of the level below (i.e. the
student's). Rising to the level of the master's O.H.P means bonding
with his wisdom and his thoughts. Likewise if a student delves into
the O.H.P 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.
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A talk
in a dinner of the holiday of Soukot, 1995
All corrections taking place within the
partzouf Z"A of the world of Atzilout, man's prototype in our world,
are included in a spiritual process named "Soukot". Man, the
spiritual vessel, the soul, is similar to the state of Z"A in the
world of Atzilout.The light that the soul receives comes from the
interaction of Bina, Z"A and Malkhout in the world of Atzilout.
Yehuda Ashlag said : "The Souka reunites two concepts : the covering
roof made up of small branches and vegetal residues. Similarly if
man can build a protection against pleasures from above he will
discover the Creator and His glory".
When man builds the roof of the Souka he symbolises the construction
of the screen, the masakh which enables to reflect the pleasure
procured by the perception of the Creator.This work is called "man
de ima", it is like a prayer to receive the strength to oppose
selfishness. If man's prayer is sincere, the strength is sent to him
and he can receive the divine light with the help of a screen .This
light is the light of wisdom and understanding,the "or hokhma". This
light carries all information about man's present spiritual level
and the degree reached as well as the "hows and whys" of events
occuring to him. Once man has understood the attributes of this
spiritual degree he bears the name of this degree. Each new higher
degree he reaches will correspond to more perfection and new names
as he moves up. During this process new attributes are acquired .
The mission of souls incarnating our world is to reach the level
they stood on before descending and entering the flesh of the body .
It is man's task during one of his lives, in spite of the opposition
of his body, to return to the root of his soul, the spiritual level
he dwelled on before his soul's incarnation. Some souls only need to
rise back to their former level . In this case their path, the one
along which they rise, is composed of 6000 degrees called "years"
hence the notion of the world's 6000 years of existence. There are
also some special souls who not only need to return to their former
level but carry on their progression through the worlds of ABY"A and
reach the level of the partzouf of SA"G in the world of Adam Kadmon.
This level is named "7000 degrees" or "7000" years . They may also
reach the level of the partzouf of A"B in the world of Adam Kadmon
named "8000 years". Or even higher the level of the partzouf of
Galgalta named "9000 years". Finally some souls reach the level
"10000 degrees" or "10000 years" and their knowledge and perception
enable them to penetrate the World without End - the Einsof . Such
souls will incarnate only once in tens of generations . Mankind has
witnessed very few of these souls . The great kabbalists possess
such a soul .
Observing the commandement of the building of the Souka symbolises
the fusion at the highest level between the Creator and creation
How does this all happen ?
Z"A which comprises 6 sefirot provides the orientation according to
the origin of the light : North, South, East, West, Above and Below
. Malkhout receives the light from the sefirot of Z"A, from its 6
attributes. This is why the etrog is first applied to the loulav
opening the door for the blessing to be pronounced. This concerns
the observance of the commandement of the Souka and the Loulav. A
person performing a commandement must not believe that with
mechanical gestures, she will accomplish spiritual actions . This is
never the case. Man cannot accomplish anything spiritual with he
help of his hands, feet and lips ! A true spiritual action only
takes place when man draws a screen against his selfish desires,
opening himself to the divine light and dedicating this pleasure to
the Creator .
The feast of Soukot lasts 7 days, in the image of the light entering
the 7 sefirot of Z"A of Bina. Each day corresponds to a spiritual
degree-level, a new light in a new sefira.The 7th day, when light is
transferred from Z"A to Malkhout, is called "Simkhat Torah" also
"The Joy of the Torah". This phase corresponds to the gathering of
all the light received by Malkhout and which descends into the souls
and the general light called "Torah".
This light does not enter the Souka, it corresponds to a separate
feast.The Souka corresponds to the light passing through Z"A with
the help of a screen during the celebration of the seven days of
Soukot. Simkhat Torah corresponds to the passing of the light of the
Torah, Z"A into Malkhut and their complete union .
The night preceding Simkhat Torah is called "Leil hashana raba ". It
is a special night during which all the surrounding light gathers
around Z"A. As this light is all around Z"A this degree is called
"night" before its transformation into inner light, "or pnimi", that
will subsequently enter Malkhout .
Any deed performed with an intention "dedicated to the Creator " is
spiritual, the same deed performed with a "self-aimed intention" is
material and selfish. The beginner Kabbalist finds it very difficult
to physically observe the commandements, something easy for
religious people, however he must strive to observe them. One of the
difficulties for the Kabbalist is that he analyses all his thoughts,
actions and events according to their impact on his spiritual path.
He gauges the importance of these factors in his progression, in his
relation with the Creator. As the connection with the Creator
fosters higher concentration and inner efforts against selfishness,
man meets difficulties in performing physical deeds supposedly
linked to the spiritual. No physical deed can have an influence on
the spiritual world, the Creator . The relation between man and the
Creator is woven in the heart of man . The mechanical observance of
the commandements remains necessary because it corresponds to the
Creator's desire.
All efforts on himself help man progress spiritually . These efforts
help him focus on the existence of the Creator while studying
Kabbalah so he can understand His deeds and achieve the goal of
creation. Selfishness enables us to do something only when it is
sure to benefit and derive pleasure from it . One must ask the
Creator for help during prayer to contain the forces of
selfishness.This is the only direct path to Him and as time goes by
the connection between man and the Creator will clarify itself and
become more sustained. Thanks to this process man begins to
understand what happens to him, why he experiences certain feelings
and what he needs to do. These new induced states are used as a
springboard which propels man to the next spiritual degree-level .
What is a secret or a secret teaching ? A secret will continue to
exist unless man penetrates it .The same occurs in everyday life
which can be obscure and incomprehensible one day, obvious and
self-evident the next. Only an individual person can open the doors
of a secret and make strenuous efforts to understand what was not
clear before.
It is not possible to measure the efforts in our study because they
pertain to the sphere of feelings and are therefore difficult to
express. It is hard to grasp what other people feel. Generally
speaking all efforts made in our world correspond to some selfish
activity. A man who transforms his pleasures by seeking small
fragments of light usually strives to reach them using the objects
of our world.This stems from the fact that he is motivated by
selfish needs. In Kabbalah an effort is what man cannot accomplish
without hurting his own ego. After having tested out all sort of
possibilities to no avail man turns to the Creator to send Him his
demands. This is a true prayer following a genuine effort.
Only the Creator can lift us out of our selfishness, there is
nothing man can do about it. If man still lives under the impression
that he can improve spiritually or that there are still some options
left, his selfishness will prevent him from genuinely crying out for
the Creator. Selfsihness will not give in to the benevolence of
Creator as long as man is not convinced that if he refuses to follow
the path of spirituality he is dead, and that the journey can only
be undertaken with the help of the Creator. This path is similar to
no other one as it is impossible to perceive the next move. Each new
move takes place in total darkness and past experience is useless in
understanding one's future progression. If it weren't the case man
would use his reason instead of placing his faith in the Creator
above his own knowledge and understanding.
The authenticity of one's efforts and the proper direction can be
verified if one constantly redirects his thoughts toward the
Creator. One must know that every new sensation is sent by the
Creator because it corresponds to His desire. The Creator give us
what we can understand at the present moment. This process is
private and cannot be compared to any other. All we can do is become
aware of our selfishness, our ennemy and face it rather then tilting
at the windwills. This stage is shared by all men albeit perceived
differently by each of them.
There is no direct link between the intensity of our selfishness and
the duration of our spiritual journey. Nothing happens from outside
all is based on the energy man invests in his request for help to
the Creator. This request is difficult to formulate because
selfishness feels humiliated in this battle.
Without the help of the Creator and the spreading of His light
inside the kli, the kli will not become altruistic.Without the
attributes of the light the kli will remain totally selfish and
unable to move toward spirituality.There is no other way to reach
spirituality.
After having explored all options, man is convinced there is no way
out and his selfishness is ready to accept help. In order to reach
this degree man must permanently put the spiritual plane above the
physical even if he chooses a completly selfish goal in the
beginning ie the desire to gain something from spirituality .
We need to use all the means available in the world today. As
selfish desires diminish we need to select means to keep up with our
desire to study Kabbalah. Gaining respectability and honors, power
are driving factors followed by the true desire to feel the
Creator.Afterwards it becomes important to man's eyes to do
something to please the Creator.
We should never discard the means at our disposal and at the same
time never forget that the Creator acts upon us by using the various
elements of our world.
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From the dining "seuda mafseket" before "Yom
Kippour" (the day of atonement), 1996
"Talmid hakham" , 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.When 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 Barukh 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 ? 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.
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Dinner for rosh chodesh Tishrei (the new moon),
september 1996
The universe is made up of two
components ; the Creator and his desire to give pleasure and the
creation and its desire to receive it . The desire to receive
pleasure when corrected by an anti-selfishness screen is termed "partsouf"
,a spiritual element .When the partsouf allows the light of the
Creator to enter and dedicates it to the Creator it realises the "zevoug
de akaa" .This action is termed "commandement". This light in the
parsouf is called "Torah". Whenever man performs a physical
commandement with spiritual intention he receives the light of
Torah. His selfishness is corrected and two worlds are united.
While observing the commandements in this world , man still needs to
define what he wants to obtain. Mechanical observance does not lead
to spiritual progression it only places man on a "spiritually
inanimate" level. Only intention can help man enter the spiritual
world. It also defines his spiritual level and the degree of
perception of the spiritual light , the Creator."A commandement
without intention is like a "spiritless body" meaning that it is
performed on the "spiritually inanimate" level.
The teaching of the proper intention is the purpose and task of
Kabbalah. Kabbalah represents the hidden part of the Torah and is
based in its preliminary teachings on the study of man and on how to
define one's true intentions. Finally man becomes aware of his
selfishness and true nature which foster his desire to receive
pleasure without considering other people's opinions , thoughts and
desires.
When embarking on his spiritual voyage , man does not know why he
gets up early in the morning , studies and attends lectures. All
this is takes place unconsciously.Only once the Creator has revealed
Himself to him does man understand he was guided to act in such a
way and everything becomes clear.The worlds cannot exist without man
who perceives them.Only when man perceives one of the fragments of
the infinite and smooth light does he call "his world" the fragment
perceived. Conversely all the degrees of the world are latent in man
.These degrees of spiritual knowledge correspond to the progressive
acquisition of knowledge located beyond the limits of our world.
Man is a selfish point in creation and he must ripen spiritually to
progress.Only this maturation- that is to say the opening of the
point in the heart-matches the initial incentive , all other actions
stem from it.
We are only animated by the desire to feel pleasure at all stages of
our development.This desire is termed "klipa" (skin ,husk) because
this force protects man as long as he has not reached the level
where he wishes to remove the skin to enjoy the fruit.The fruit is
the mended klipa , the desire to bestow without return , to please,
just like the Creator.The klipa is a spiritual force.The klipa's
spiritual body is composed of a head and a body.The head of the
kilpa is termed "knowledge" and the body "desire to receive".The
"head" of a spiritually pure body is called "faith above reason" and
the "body" is named " the action of bestowing without return".Only
assiduous study can lift man above undesired states in which he
helplessly wallows.Daily study purifiies our thoughts and sets us
moving in the right direction.
Question : Why do we say "lehaןm" - to life- when we drink ?
Wine symbolises the light of "Hokhma" , the light of life. In order
to stress that we receive the light of life with the help of a
screen we say "lehaןm". That way the received light shines upon us
in the name of life. It is not incorrectly received via desires
which are not repared-mended. If this were the case , the light
would disappear and bring "spiritual death".
Question : Are there wrong or useless questions ?
No, because if there is a question this means that a desire needs to
be satisfied hence the question has the right to be asked. As for
the answer it is a little bit more complex. It is sometimes not
possible to provide an answer due to the fact that the feelings of
the questioner differ from those of the answer provider.One must
find an answer to his own questions.
If man has spiritual worries this means that there are personal ties
between him and the Creator.
Even if they are not clearly felt these ties exist.Only man can find
his own answers even if he does not understand what is going on.The
spiritual world is nothing but the desire to receive and the screen
(masach) which opposes it . Decision making in the kli (vessel)
begins either with a desire (the selfish kli) or the masach (a
spiritual kli bestowing without return) or their merging (spiritual
kli receiving).
Man must strive to accept everything that happens to him as all
events are a means to progress spiritually.There is no one recipe
for any particular case and man must find out what he can or cannot
do as well as apply the methods exposed by our masters.When man
realises that after having tried everything he cannot escape the
small universe of his selfishness , he calls God and cries out for
help. Selfishness feels that it is the beginning of the end. Only in
this dead end situation can the Creator help man because man is now
ready to accept His help.
We will all reach the state of "gamr tikkoun", the achievement of
correction. Whatever happens we will all reach our root in the "Ein
Sof"(endless world). Everything is geared towards the final
correction , the end of selfish desires.The notion of "end of the
world" in everyday life radically differs from its true meaning in
Kabbalah.
The study of true sources can speed up our progression towards the
spiritual and allow us to live the spiritual in this life.This way
is called the way of the Torah. Progression can also occur through
suffering , following the reincarnation of the soul but in any case
the result is the same.The way of the Torah does not mean reducing
suffering or avoiding it.This is not the driving force of the one
who follows the way of the Torah.
Man transforms suffering induced by worldly selfish desires into
suffering corresponding to a lack of spiritual and thus shortens the
time left to reach his goal.
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Dinner for rosh chodesh Tevet (the new moon), Tevet
1995
Man 's desire to know the divine equals
the most intense aspiration to know oneself. Selfishness hinders
man's aspiration because man's nature is to seek self-satidfaction
and the saturation of his desires.Everytime man ceases to give in to
illusions he immediately wishes to know the CREATOR , his Source ,
his true nature.
The Baal Hasulam was ready to speak to everybody ,to look after
students and he published a newspaper whose excerpts later became a
book "Matan Torah" (The Gift of the Torah ). However he had
practically very few students who would have wished to study.The
paradox lies in the fact that before there were kabbalists and no
students whilst presently many wish to study but there are no
kabbalists.
IT IS THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY THAT WE FACE SUCH A SITUATION : the
desire to study is fostered from below while from above we find
ourselves thrown into increasing spiritual darkness.This is a
constructive situation because it bears witness to the fact that if
our desire to progress spiritually is genuine the answers received
will be proportional to its intensity.
What defines the power of love between man and the Creator ? It is
the degree of suffering and passion , the degree of suffering due to
the absence of light inside the kli and the passion following the
penetration of the divine light when bonding takes place.This means
that if man can feel true desires within himself , his desire will
be fulfilled.
The problem of people who try to enter or perceive the spiritual
worlds is that they rely on reason ignoring that it is the product
of our selfish nature. This nature prevents us from becoming
acquainted with the spiritual world and usually beginners in
Kabbalah follow this path.
We are used to increasing our perception of things first and
afterwards place faith above reason. This helps us understand that a
kli filled with selfishness matches the desire to feel pleasure and
not the intention to please the Creator. A spiritual kli is the
desire to please the Creator through our deeds.
We open books study and try to understand with our reason. It is
however impossible to feel what is spelt out by the intellect.The
same goes with the threshold (makhsom) which seperates our world
from the spiritual world
OUR PERCEPTION OF THINGS , OUR BRAIN ARE SECONDARY BECAUSE THEY
PROCESS INFORMATION AND SATISFY OUR DESIRES.THE BRAIN IS ONLY AN
AUXILLIARY MEAN . AS SOON AS MAN UNDERSTANDS THAT IT IS KEY FOR HIM
TO IMPROVE HIS SENSATIONS AND NOT HIS AWARENESS OF THINGS THE PATH
TO SPIRITUALITY CLEARLY OPENS ITSELF TO HIM.
MAN USUALLY DOES NOT TRUST HIS FEELINGS. FIRST HE WANTS TO
UNDERSTAND , THEN FEEL AND ACT. SO WHY WAS THE BRAIN GIVEN TO US IF
IT IS SUCH AN OBSTACLE ? SO THAT WE MAY USE IT AND AT THE SAME TIME
PROGRESS BY PLACING FAITH ABOVE REASON. THE PATH PLACING FAITH ABOVE
REASON IS BASED ON TRIAL AND ERROR AND IS FULL OF HARDSHIPS. THIS
PATH HELPS MAN REALIZE THAT ALL SITUATIONS IN LIFE ARE HELP SENT BY
THE CREATOR TO STIMULATE SPIRITUAL PROGRESSION.
The Creator sends all sorts of forces and they are brought forth so
that man can improve his self-control. A golden rule needs however
to be applied and that is secrecy. We must conceal our goal to our
own selfishness and even more to other people !! The student in
Kabbalah should behave discretely and not mention his goal to the
first come. If this principle is not complied with , the student can
draw against him very powerful negative forces.
When Kabbalah students get together , they must neither speak of
their love for the Creator nor of their feelings for one another
because by doing so they only express their personal opinion and
subjective feelings.
The distance seperating man from the CREATOR is similar to a ladder
with rungs.We occupy the lowest and the Creator the highest.Our task
is to climb this ladder up and reach the Creator.There are several
ways to progress.One consists in stimulation from below , it is our
path : man longs for spirituality and elevation , begins to read
books etc...There exists however another path with stimulation from
above whereby the Creator lifts us and draws us closer to Him.
What is the difference between those two paths? The stimulation from
above corresponds to the constant uplifting of our world regardless
of each and every personal aspiration.
Those who manifest personal aspirations are guided toward the study
of Kabbalah and it is preferable for man to take advanta ge of what
has been sent to him. Man must behave seriously in his work as well
as with the capacities that are sent to him.
There are 32 sparks within us "lamed bet nitsoutsim", the "lev
haven" or heart of stone.This corresponds to a type of selfishness
which cannot only be corrected when the general light called
"Messiah" is corrected. Only this type of light can free us form
selfishness.We need to persevere in our efforts to rid of ourselves
of selfishness and our desire helping the "Messiah" will appear and
free the world form its chains.
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