Shame Is A Spiritual Degree
Question: If presently I don't feel shame before
the Creator, does it mean that I still don't have the need to become independent?
Dr. Laitman's Answer: Obviously, at present, we still do not
feel the need to become independent because we do not yet sense our dependency
on Him. For that, we have to undergo a gradual, cause-and-effect development,
the process of developing the creature.
We see an example of this kind of
development in our children. They want to develop, but refuse to listen to
their parents since they aspire to do everything themselves. Nature compels
them to act this way since otherwise they would not grow. The same principle
applies to us.
However, our spiritual
development is under the condition that we feel our dependency
on the Creator, that He does everything instead of our doing it
ourselves. When we sense this condition, we don't want to remain in this
state; we wish to become independent, big, and do something
ourselves!
For this reason, the creature begins to
feel shame, its dependency on the Creator, and detaches itself from Him. That
is, we are willing to take upon ourselves the concealment; we want to feel it, protect
it, and make sure it does not disappear. Above the concealment, we build our
similarity to the Creator. Meanwhile, this concealment, the First Restriction,
does not go away. We adopt it on ourselves. We do not want to become annulled
in front of the immense force of the Creator.
-from the 1st part of the Daily
Kabbalah Lesson 6/29/10
Religion Is A Reverse Connection With Spirituality
Religion was given to the nation of
Israel during the exile so that the nation would realize the evil nature of
egoism and develop the need for the Light that Reforms. All other nations had to evolve by
means of their own religions and beliefs. Back in ancient Babylon, Abraham
"gave presents (belief systems) to the children of his concubines and sent them
to the East." The nearby nations received these "presents" in the form of the
world religions: Christianity and Islam. They are considered presents
because they stem from the Creator, and their mission is to bring people closer
to Him. Their followers, too, are called to help man realize the evil nature of
his egoism.
All religions are a "reverse"
connection with spirituality. This link ultimately shows us that we are opposite
to spirituality. Gradually, we reveal that our egoism has developed to the
point of no return; it is like a cancerous tumor that consumes us. This is
revealed with the Light's help. All of our historical development occurred by
the influence of the Upper Light. The Light does everything by acting toward us
directly or in its reverse form.
The Light develops our egoism and
gradually elucidates its own nature to us. It lets us see that we exist in the
evil, egoistic nature and that we distinguish only darkness, which is only what
is beneficial to us. We slowly see egoism as evil, as the reason for all evil
in the world. By seeing all of it, we then strive for goodness. These are all
necessary stages of our development.
-from the 3rd part of the Daily
Kabbalah Lesson 6/29/10
Kabbalah International
