Daily Kabbalah Definition

Definitions in the daily Kabbalah lesson guide a precise, spiritual approach to terms, & disqualify materialized corporeal definitions

Dog     

What is the meaning of the spiritual concept "dog" that The Zohar mentions?

"Dog" stands for the desire to receive in us that is not able to receive the attribute of "for the sake of bestowal" on the level of the "speaking." It is able to be in bestowal only on the level of "animate," with the intention of "for the sake of receiving." This means that the difference between "for the sake of receiving" and "for the sake of bestowal" transforms him, in fact, to "impure beast." This is very close to man and impurity, i.e., very loyal on the level of desire to receive and the complete opposite from the desire to bestow.

We see these forms in our lives also in spiritual work. Sometimes it seems to us that certain acts are acts of bestowal, but the truth is that they are completely not spiritual since we don't understand their internality.

 - from the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 01/13/11, The Zohar (minutes 33-36)

Daily Kabbalah Tip

Advice in the daily Kabbalah lesson is recommended, practical tasks for advancing spiritually

Unusual Desire       

What am I to do with the new spiritual desire that has awakened in me?

We need to feel blessed that we are in connection with the Upper and not detached from Him. From all of those in humanity, the Creator choose us to feel a deficiency for Him. If we relate to this deficiency as to the other deficiencies that we feel, it isn't pleasant for me and I want to fulfill it for the sake of receiving. But this deficiency can be filled only for the sake of bestowal. This is a deficiency of another kind. For me to get enjoyment from it I need to give and not get...

When this desire awakens in me, I must relate to it differently in comparison to how I related to my other desires until now since the new desire belongs to a new dimension and because my development has to be different. Now my attention needs to be to increase the deficiency and not to fulfill it.

The wisdom of Kabbalah is the correct environment for this deficiency since it teaches how to develop it, how to work with it. I need to arrange the group, the teacher, and the books according to the same new desire in me and discover it as Adam (man) on the level of speaking; otherwise, it won't grow. And if I try to use this deficiency in order to receive, I will only receive blows.

 - from the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 01/13/11, Writings of Rabash (minutes 29-38)