To understand at least something about the surrounding nature and ourselves, we need to have a clear idea of the purpose of Creation and its final state, as the intermediate states are rather deceptive. Kabbalists assert that the purpose of Creation is to bring the created beings to the ultimate pleasure. For this reason, the Creator created souls, the “will to receive pleasure.” And since he wished to completely satiate them with delight, He created a massive will to enjoy, well matched for His will to bestow pleasure.
Thus, the soul is the will to enjoy. In accordance with this desire, the soul receives pleasure from the Creator. The amount of received pleasure can be measured by the degree of desire to receive it.
All that exists is either related to the Creator or to His Creation. Prior to the creation of the will to enjoy, or the souls, only the Creator’s will to bestow delight existed. Hence, in line with His desire, the will to bestow delight created an equal amount of the will to enjoy; however, it was opposite in property.
Consequently, the will to enjoy is the only thing that was created and exists besides the Creator. Moreover, this will is the material of all the worlds and all objects that populate them. And the pleasure emanating from the Creator vitalizes and governs it all.
In the spiritual worlds, the discrepancy between properties and desires separates two spiritual objects, moving them away from one another just like two corporeal objects separated by distance. In our world, if two people love and hate the same thing, meaning their predilections coincide, we say that they are close to one another.
If their predilections and views differ, their remoteness is proportionate to the difference between their predilections and views. Affinity between people is determined by “spiritual” closeness, not by physical distance. Those who love each other adhere to each other and merge, while those who hate each other are as spiritually distant as two poles.
The will to receive pleasure: The soul is infinitely remote from the Creator because it is opposite from the Creator’s will to bestow pleasure. To mend this remoteness of the souls from the Creator, all the worlds were created and divided into two antagonistic systems: the four Light worlds ABYA opposite the four dark worlds ABYA.
The difference between the system of the Light worlds and the system of the dark worlds lies only in the fact that the distinctive property of the first, light worlds is to bestow delight, and the distinctive property of the second, dark worlds, is to receive delight. In other words, the initial desire to enjoy was split into two parts: one remained the same in its properties (to receive) while the other acquired the attributes of the Creator, i.e., drew closer to Him, merged with Him.
Afterwards, the worlds were transformed down to our corporeal world, meaning to the place where humans exist as “body and soul” systems. The body is the will to receive pleasure that descended unchanged through the dark worlds ABYA, which is the will to enjoy for its own sake – egoism.
Hence, a person is born an egoist and continues to exist under the influence of this system until he or she begins to observe the spiritual laws and brings joy to the Creator. In so doing, one gradually purifies oneself of egoism (the will to enjoy for oneself) and acquires the desire to enjoy for the Creator’s sake. Then, the soul descends through the whole system of Light worlds and dresses in a body.
Here begins a correction period that continues until all egoism is transformed into altruism (the will to enjoy only for the sake of the Creator).
In this way, one’s properties become equalized with those of the Creator, because receiving for the sake of another is not considered reception, but bestowal. Since equivalence of properties means merging, or adhesion, a person automatically receives all that was prepared for him or her in the plan of Creation.
The separation of the divinely created egoistic will to enjoy into two parts (the body and the soul) by the systems of ABYA lets us transform the egoistic will to enjoy into a will to enjoy for the Creator’s sake. In this way, we can both receive all that was prepared for us, according to the plan of Creation, and become worthy of merging with Him.
This is considered the ultimate purpose of Creation. At this degree, the need for the dark system of ABYA disappears and ceases to exist. The work destined to take 6,000 years (the time it takes to transform egoism into the will to enjoy for the Creator’s sake) is actually carried out by every person during his or her lifetime and by all generations combined. Everyone must continue to reincarnate until the work is completed. The existence of the dark system of ABYA is necessary only for the creation of the body, so that by correcting its egoism, one will acquire one’s second, divine nature.
However, if egoism (the selfish will to enjoy) is so base, how could it appear in the Creator’s thought? The answer is simple: since time does not exist in the spiritual world, the Creation’s final state appeared simultaneously with the plan of Creation. This is because in the spiritual worlds, the past, present and future merge in a single whole.
Therefore, the egoistic will to enjoy) and the resultant opposition of properties and detachment from the Creator have never existed in the spiritual world. From the beginning of Creation to its end, the soul passes through three states. The first state is final; it already exists beside the Creator due to the similarity of properties.
The second state is our reality, where egoism (divided into the body and the soul by the two ABYA systems) is transformed into altruism during 6,000 years. During this period, only souls undergo correction. Egoism, inherent in them under the influence of the body, is destroyed and altruism, inherent in them by nature, is acquired.
Even the souls of the righteous do not reach Gan Eden (The Garden of Eden – a certain level in the system of the Light Worlds ABYA) until all egoism is destroyed and they rot in the “earth” (Malchut of the world Assiya).
The third state is the state of the corrected souls after the “revival of the dead,” after the correction of the “bodies.” It is the situation when egoism, inherent in the body, turns into altruism and the body becomes worthy of receiving all the delight that the Creator had prepared for it. At the same time, the body merges with the Creator because of the equivalence of their qualities. By so doing, it pleases the Creator because unification with the Creator is the actual pleasure.
By looking closely at these three states, we will discover that each of them necessitates the emergence of the other. At the same time, the exclusion of one of them will result in the annulment of the others.
For example, if the final, third state had not appeared, the first state would not have appeared either. This is because it only came into being because the third state exists, which is already present in the first state. All perfection of the first state is determined by the projection of the future state on the present. Without the existence of the future state, the present state would have been annulled as well. This is so because there is no time in spirituality, only changing situations.
Prior to the beginning of Creation, in the Thought of Creation, the goal was designed as definitive and existing, and this is where Creation started. Thus, the first and the second states are supported by the last and third state. Generally speaking, contrary to our actions in this world, every act in spirituality begins with designating the potential final state, followed by the act of actually attaining it.
Thus, the future necessitates the existence of the present. And if something had disappeared from the second state (the work on self-correction), how would the third, corrected state (necessitating the first one) have appeared? In the same way, the primary state where perfection already exists, thanks to the future third state, necessitates the existence and completion of both the second and the third states.
However, if the third state already exists (albeit not in our sensations) and, according to the Creator’s plan, we are obliged to achieve it, then where is our freedom of will?
It appears from the aforesaid that although we are obliged to attain the set goal, there are two ways to do that, or to pass from the first to the third state:
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The first way is voluntary; it includes a conscious observation of rules prescribed by Kabbalah;
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The second is a path of suffering, because suffering can purify the body of egoism, force it to achieve altruism, and thus merge with the Creator.
The only difference between these two paths is that the first is shorter. After all, the second, or the path of suffering, still brings us back to the first one. In any event, everything is interconnected and mutually necessitates all our states, from the beginning of Creation to its end. Because we are corrupted and mean, we must become as perfect as our Creator. Indeed, a perfect One such as He cannot create imperfection.
Now we understand that the body we possess is not our real body. In fact, our true body, perfect and immortal, exists in its first and third states. In our present (second) state, we are deliberately given a base, corrupt, defective, and completely egoistic body that is detached from the Creator by the difference in desires. We received this body specifically for the purpose of correcting it, and receive an immortal body in its stead, when we reach the third state. Only in our present state can we complete the work.
However, one may say that in the second state, we also exist in absolute perfection. This is because our body (the will to enjoy, egoism), which dies more with every passing day, does not create obstacles for us to reach the desired state. There is only one: the time required for its final elimination and the reception of an eternal, perfect body in its stead, namely the altruistic desire.
Yet, how could such an imperfect universe, namely we and our society with its base inclinations, emerge from such a perfect Creator? The answer is: our transient body, the entire universe, and humanity in its present form were not included in the Creator’s purpose. He considers that we already exist in our final state. All that is temporary (such as the body with its egoism) merely facilitates our spiritual ascent by working on ourselves.
All the other created beings populating this world spiritually ascend and descend along with us, and along with us they attain perfection. Since the third state affects the first, we are destined to achieve the set goal by two means: voluntary spiritual development or undergoing suffering, which affects only our bodies.
It follows that egoism was created only to exterminate it from the world and transform it into altruism. Suffering shows us how insignificant the body is to reveal its transience and worthlessness.
When everyone in the world decides to eradicate egoism and think about each other and not themselves, all worries will disappear and everyone will surely live a calm, healthy, and happy life, because everyone will be confident that their well-being will be assured.
But as long as we are stuck in egoism, there is no salvation from the suffering that constantly befalls humanity. On the contrary, the Creator sends these sufferings with the purpose of leading us to decide to choose the path offered by Kabbalah, the path of love and care for one another.
Therefore, Kabbalah considers the instructions that refer to interpersonal relationships to be more important than our duties regarding the Creator. This is because social duties lead to a faster extermination of egoism.
Although we have not yet reached the third state, this in no way belittles us, because it is merely a question of time. We can already feel the future now, in our present state, yet our ability to sense the future depends on our confidence in it. As a result, an absolutely confident person can develop a clear sensation of the third state. When this happens, it is as if our bodies do not exist.
However, the soul exists eternally because this attribute coincides with the Creator (in contrast to the mind, which is the product of matter). The soul acquires the Creator’s attribute in the process of development, although its initial nature consists of a will to receive pleasure.
Desire creates needs, and the needs stimulate the appropriate thoughts and knowledge to meet these needs. Since people have different desires, it is only natural that their needs, thoughts, and development will differ.
Those who have only base needs will direct their thoughts and education to satisfying those desires. Although they do use their knowledge and intellect, these are serving the low (animate) mind. People whose ego-based desire for pleasure is limited to such human needs as power over others, use their strength, intellect, and education to satisfy it.
Others’ desire to enjoy is focused on using knowledge to receive pleasure. These people must use their minds to fulfill such needs. These three types of desires never occur in their pure forms because they are mixed in various attributes in all of us. It is this combination of desires makes people different.
While passing through the pure (Light) worlds ABYA, human souls acquire the ability to receive pleasure for the sake of both others and the Creator. When the soul enters the body, the desire is born for altruism, an aspiration for the Creator. The force of this aspiration will depend on the magnitude of desire.
All that the soul attains in the second state remains in its possession forever, regardless of the degree of decay or age of the body. Conversely, outside of it, the soul instantly receives a corresponding spiritual level and returns to its Root. Naturally, the soul’s eternity in no way depends on the knowledge that was acquired during life, which disappeared with the demise of the body. Its eternity lies only in the acquisition of the Creator’s traits.
It is known that during the 6,000 years we were given for correction with the help of Kabbalah, we are to correct not our bodies, with their corrupted desire to enjoy, but only our souls, elevating them along the levels of purity and spiritual development. However, the final correction of egoism is possible only in the state called the “revival of the dead.”
As previously mentioned, the first state necessitates the existence of the third state to fully manifest. Therefore, the first state requires the “revival of the dead bodies,” i.e. the revival of egoism with all its defects. Then, the work to turn egoism in its corrupted form into altruism in the same degree starts anew. This way, we gain twofold:
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we receive an enormous desire to enjoy from the body;
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we enjoy not for ourselves, but for the sake of fulfilling the Creator’s desire. It is as though we do not receive pleasure, but rather allow Him to bestow it upon us. As we are similar to Him in action, we are merged with the Creator. He gives us pleasure, and we allow Him to do that; thus, the “revival of the dead” ensues from the first state.
As we now understand, the “revival of the dead” should occur at the end of the second state, after the extermination of egoism, the acquisition of altruism, and the attainment of the soul’s highest spiritual level. In this state, the soul achieves perfection and enables the body to experience a revival and complete correction.
By the way, this principle (the “revival of the dead”) is effective in every case. When we want to correct a bad habit, attribute, or inclination, we must completely get rid of it. Only then we can resume using it partially in the proper direction. However, until we rid ourselves of it entirely, this habit cannot be used in a proper, intelligent, and independent way. Thus, we can now understand our role in the long chain of reality, where each of us is a tiny link.
Our lives are divided into four periods:
1. The attainment of the maximum level of egoism. We receive this from the dark system of ABYA in order to subsequently correct it. The pleasures that we receive in the dark system of ABYA will not satisfy the will to enjoy, but will merely increase it.
For example, when one wishes to enjoy and receives pleasure, the desire doubles. When the doubled desire is satisfied, it quadruples. If we do not restrict ourselves from needless desires (using the Kabbalistic method) and cleansing them, and then turning to altruism, our desire will keep growing all through life. Finally, at our deathbed, we discover that we failed to achieve even half of what we wanted.
In other words, although the role of the dark forces is to provide us with material to work on, it usually turns out that we ourselves are the material for the dark forces.
2. In the second period, the pure point in our hearts (which has existed since we were born spiritually) receives power and an opportunity to ascend by observing the spiritual laws with the help of the Light worlds ABYA.
The main task in this period is to acquire and increase the desire for maximum spiritual pleasures. At the moment of birth, we desire only material things: to dominate the entire world and seize wealth, fame, and power, in spite of their transience and instability.
However, when we develop the spiritual desire, we want to control the spiritual, eternal world as well. This is both the true desire and the ultimate egoism. By working on oneself, on this enormous will to receive pleasure for self-gratification, we can attain spiritual heights in proportion to our corrected egoism.
Egoism creates tremendous difficulties and pushes us away from the spiritual. Unless continuously and fiercely struggling with ourselves, we begin wishing for everything in the world. If we succeed in the struggle, we feel an unusually strong attraction to the Creator, which helps us merge with Him.
This struggle is not against the desires that we are familiar with in this world, by which one limits and disciplines oneself in using his or her desires. Rather, we cultivate a compelling yearning to attain spirituality and eternity after contemplating the greatness of spirituality, eternity, and domination beyond universe and time. This desire to merge with the Creator is the last level of the second period.
3. The third period of development, includes the study of Kabbalah and observance of the laws of the Upper World. In this, we are assisted by an anti-egoistic screen whose intention is to bring joy to the Creator, and by no means for us to receive for our own benefit. This work corrects and transforms egoism into the desire to perform good deeds, as does the Creator.
In proportion to the annulled part of the egoism, we receive a soul of a certain level, a certain amount of Light and pleasure consisting of five parts: Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Haya, Yechida (NRNHY). As long as we retain the egoistic will to enjoy, egoism, we will remain detached from the Creator, and even the tiniest particle of the soul cannot enter into our bodies.
However, after completely destroying the ego and attaining the will to enjoy only for the sake of the Creator (by becoming similar to Him), our entire soul (a part of the common soul) immediately takes us over.
4. The fourth period, follows the “revival of the dead,” when its complete restoration occurs once the egoism is completely annulled. The work transforming it into altruism resumes, though only a few people in our world can complete this task.
Kabbalah says that all the worlds were created for man’s sake (man in the sense of “collective humanity”). However, isn’t it strange that the Creator troubled Himself to create all this for such a small object as man, who is lost even in our world, let alone in other worlds? Why does humanity need all of this Creation?
The Creator’s enjoyment, which lies in delighting His creatures, depends on how much they can perceive and discern. It also is affected by how much we can discern Him as the giver of all goodness. Only in this case does He receive pleasure from us. This is much like a parent who plays with his or her beloved child and enjoys the child’s attitude toward him or her. The parent is delighted that the child recognizes the parent as a loving and strong parent who only awaits the child’s requests and is ready to grant them.
Now try to imagine what an immense delight the Creator derives from those perfect ones who rose so high, they recognize and experience all that He had prepared for them. They established a relationship with the Creator resembling that of the parent and the loving and beloved child. From this, you will realize that it was worthwhile for Him to create all the worlds, and the chosen ones will understand even more what those who approach the Creator reveal.
To prepare His created beings for the revelation of the worlds, the Creator gave us four levels of development: inanimate, vegetative, animate, and human, corresponding to the four levels of the will to receive pleasure. The main level is the fourth, but it is attainable only by gradual development, after we have completely mastered each level.
The first level (inanimate) is the beginning of manifestation, the conception of desire in our corporeal world. Its force includes all types of inanimate nature, but none of the elements that form this nature (for example, rocks) can independently move.
The will to enjoy brings forth needs, and these generate movement towards attaining the desired object. In this case (the first level) the will to enjoy is very small. It therefore affects only the sum of all the elements, and is not separately manifested in each of the inanimate elements of nature.
At the next level (vegetative), the will to enjoy is bigger, and already manifests in each particular element. Hence, each element at the vegetative level already possesses the ability for individual movement (for example, plants open their petals and turn toward the sun). This level includes such processes as absorption and excretion, yet beings at this level still lack the sensation of individual freedom of will.
At the third level (animate), the will to receive pleasure grows even larger. Desire produces individual sensations in each particular element and creates a unique life for everyone, one that differs from those of the others. However, there is no sense of empathy with others at this level. These beings still lack the necessary compassion or joy with regard to others.
At the last, fourth level (human), the will to enjoy creates the sensation of others. For example, the difference between the third and the fourth levels is similar to the difference between all the animals put together and a single human being. This is because animals cannot sense others and can generate needs only within the limits of their own desires.
At the same time, a person who can sense another acquires the other’s needs, and thus becomes envious of others and wants more and more, until eventually that person desires the entire world.
The Creator’s goal is to please the created beings so that they will reveal His greatness and receive all the delight that He had prepared for them. Clearly, only human beings can fulfill this role. Only humans have the necessary sensation of others, and only humans can turn the will to enjoy into a will to please others by following the suggestions of Kabbalah in the process of working on themselves.
The presence of such abilities brings one the sensation of the spiritual worlds and the Creator. By attaining a certain level of NRNHY (Lights) in a particular spiritual world, a person receives pleasure in accordance with the purpose of Creation.
We may seem small and inconsequential, but it is still man that constitutes the center and the goal of Creation. We are like the worm that lives inside the radish, believing that the whole world is as bitter and small as the radish it was born in. However, when it breaks through the shell of the radish and looks outside, it calls out in amazement: “I thought the whole world was like my radish! Now I see how vast and beautiful the world really is!”
In the same way, we who were born within the shell of egoism and wished only to please ourselves cannot break through this shell without Kabbalah, the instrument of our correction. We cannot turn the will to enjoy into a will to please others and the Creator. This is why we think that the entire world is only what we see and feel, failing to perceive how much good the Creator has prepared for us.
All that was created is divided into five worlds: Adam Kadmon, Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, and Assiya. Nevertheless, every one of them consists of an endless number of elements. The five worlds correspond to five Sefirot: Adam Kadmon corresponds to Sefirat Keter, Atzilut corresponds to Sefirat Hochma, Beria to Sefirat Bina, Yetzira to Sefirat Tifferet, and Assiya corresponds to Sefirat Malchut.
The Light (pleasure) that fills the worlds is accordingly divided into five types: Yechida, Haya, Neshama, Ruach, and Nefesh (the abbreviation in the reverse order forms the word NRNHY).
Therefore, the world Adam Kadmon is filled with pleasure (Light) called Yechida; the world Atzilut is filled with pleasure called Haya; the world Beria is filled with pleasure called Neshama; the world Yetzira is filled with pleasure called Ruach; and the world Assiya is filled with pleasure called Nefesh (see Table 1).
From the Creator come the worlds. That is, both the desire to receive delight and the delight that fills them come from the Creator. Yet, each world is in turn divided into Sefirot: Keter, Hochma, Bina, Tifferet, and Malchut, which are filled with their corresponding Lights NRNHY (see Table 1).
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World
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Primary Light in each world
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Sefirot in each world
(primary Sefira in bold)
and The Lights that fill them
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Adam Kadmon
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Yechida
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Keter (Yechida)
Hochma (Haya)
Bina (Neshama)
Tifferet (Ruach)
Malchut (Nefesh)
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Atzilut
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Haya
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Keter (Yechida)
Hochma (Haya)
Bina (Neshama)
Tifferet (Ruach)
Malchut (Nefesh)
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Beria
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Neshama
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Keter (Yechida)
Hochma (Haya)
Bina (Neshama)
Tifferet (Ruach)
Malchut (Nefesh)
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Yetzira
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Ruach
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Keter (Yechida)
Hochma (Haya)
Bina (Neshama)
Tifferet (Ruach)
Malchut (Nefesh)
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Assiya
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Nefesh
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Keter (Yechida)
Hochma (Haya)
Bina (Neshama)
Tifferet (Ruach)
Malchut (Nefesh)
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Table 1
In addition, there are four levels in each world: Inanimate, Vegetative, Animate, and Human. Palaces (Heichalot) correspond to the Inanimate level; robes (Levushim) correspond to the Vegetative level; angels (Mala'achim) correspond to the Animate level, and human souls (Neshama) correspond to the Human level.
These levels are located one inside the other like concentric circles (or onion layers).
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The innermost Sefirat Keter influences a particular world as the Creator.
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Neshamot (the souls of people who exist in a particular world) dress it.
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Then, Mala'achim, Levushim, and Heichalot dress one another.
The inanimate, vegetative, and animate levels are created for the sake of the fourth level of desire: the human soul. Therefore, it is as though they dress the human soul (serve it) from the outside. From birth, we possess a part of the common (original) soul. This part is a point in our hearts, within our desires, or egoism. All of Creation is built so that the general laws ruling at every level and in every world manifest in every part of Creation, even the smallest particles.
For example, all that exists is divided into five worlds, or Sefirot: Keter, Hochma, Bina, Tifferet, and Malchut. Each particular world consists of five Sefirot, within which even the least significant object is also divided into five Sefirot.
As was already mentioned, there are four levels in our world: inanimate, vegetative, animate, and human. These correspond to Sefirot Malchut, Tifferet, Bina, Hochma, and their root, Keter. Additionally, every part of the inanimate, vegetative, animate, and human levels is divided into four sub-levels (inanimate, vegetative, animate, and human) according to the magnitude of the desire. Thus, a human desire also consists of four levels: inanimate, vegetative, animate, and human, with the point of the soul at the center of each level.
However, even if one begins to observe spiritual laws without having a special attitude toward the Creator as the ruler of all existence (without due respect and awe because one cannot feel Him), if one wants to receive pleasure only for oneself, yet aspires to acquire an inclination for altruism, this is enough for the point in the heart begin to develop and be felt.
This is what makes Kabbalah and its method of observing spiritual laws so amazing. Hence, study and observance of its principles, despite the egoistic purpose of spiritual growth, will purify and gradually elevate the student, although only up to the first, inanimate level.
To the extent that we elevate the spiritual above the physical and aspire to altruism, we change our desires, thus building the entire structure of this first level. The soul then rises and dresses up in Sefirat Malchut of the world Assiya, and one’s entire body senses the corresponding Light (pleasure) at that level. This Light helps to advance further toward higher levels.
Just as the point of the soul’s Light of the Nefesh level exists in our hearts at the moment of spiritual birth, so does the point of a higher level of Ruach of Assiya exists within the entire emerging level of Nefesh of Assiya.
The same occurs at every level: after completely mastering a level, one passes to the point of the next, higher level. This is the only connection between the lower and higher levels, up to the highest. It is through this point that one can advance toward the Creator.
This Light of Nefesh of the world Assiya is referred to as the “Light of the inanimate level of the world Assiya” because it corresponds to the corrected inanimate part of the desire in the body. The actions of such a person in the spiritual world resemble the actions of the inanimate nature in the corporeal world. In both cases, individual movement is absent, and one merely belongs to the all-encompassing general movement of the collective mass of all the inanimate objects and desires.
In correspondence to the 613 spiritual laws, the object called Nefesh of the world Assiya includes individual elements resembling 613 organs of the human body. Each of them has a unique perception (pleasure) of the Creator’s Light. However, the differences among the parts remain inconspicuous and the Kabbalist perceives only the Light’s general impact that spreads equally to all parts. Although there is no difference between the Sefirot from the highest (Keter of AK) to the lowest (Malchut of Assiya), such a difference does exist with respect to the person receiving the Light.
Sefirot are divided into vessels and the Light that fills them. The Light emanates from the Creator Himself. The vessels are also called Sefirot Keter, Hochma, Bina, Tifferet, and Malchut. In the last three worlds, Beria, Yetzira, and Assiya, these vessels constitute filters that block and precisely measure portions of Light to the receiver.
In this way, everyone receives a portion that exactly corresponds to that soul’s spiritual level of development. Although the Light inside them is homogeneous, from the perspective of the receiver, we refer to the Lights as NRNHY because the Light is divided according to the properties of the filters (vessels).
Malchut is the densest filter. The Light received from it is small and is meant only tocorrect the Inanimate part of the body; hence it is called “the Light of Nefesh.”
Tifferet is a more transparent filter than Malchut; therefore, the portion of Light that it passes from the Creator to us is intended to spiritualize the Vegetative part of the body. It is more intense than the Light of Nefesh and is called Ruach.
Bina is more transparent than Tifferet. It passes on the Creator’s Light that is meant to correct the Animate part of the body and is called Neshama.
Hochma is the most transparent filter. It passes on the Light to elevate the desires of the Human level. It is called “the Light of Haya” and its power is unlimited.
As already pointed out, if we have already attained the level of Nefesh (with the help of Kabbalah), the point of the next level, Ruach, already exists within us. If we continue applying the method of Kabbalah to fulfill the spiritual laws, we will acquire the Vegetative level of the will to enjoy, which rises and dresses Sefirat Tifferet of Assiya. This provides a more powerful Light – Ruach – corresponding to the Vegetative level of the body.
Just as plants in our world, compared to the inanimate, are capable of personal movement, a person at the beginning of the spiritual development experiences the awakening of spiritual movements and spiritual forces. Also, as one completely attains the level of Ruach, the point of the next level of Neshama already exists within that person.
By studying the secrets of Kabbalah, one spiritualizes the animate level in one’s desire. When building the entire vessel, one rises and dresses Sefirat Bina of Assiya and receives the Light of Neshama from it. In this case, a person is called a “pure animal” (cleansed animal), because of the purified animate part of the body.
Just like an animal, such a person acquires an individual sensation of each of the 613 desires, because just like an animal in our world, that person individually makes every movement. The Light that such a person receives differs as much as animals differ from plants in our world.
Upon completely mastering the 613 desires (vessel parts) and receiving a special Light of pleasure for each of its 613 parts, one continues working on oneself. The same Light is used to purify the human part of the desire, which originated from the point that appeared after the vessel of Neshama had been completely built.
Once having completed the creation of the corresponding desire at the human level, we can acquire the ability to feel other people’s feelings, and to know others’ thoughts. The received Light (pleasure) differs from that of the previous level just as a person in our world differs from an animal.
Yet, these five levels are merely the pleasures of NRNHY of the world Assiya, i.e. Nefesh. Even Ruach is absent in it because Ruach is the Light in the world Yetzira, Neshama – in the world Beria, Haya – in the world Atzilut, and Yechida – in the world Adam Kadmon. However, that which exists in the general is also present in each part of the general, meaning in the specific parts. In other words, these five types of Light are in the world Assiya, albeit at the smallest, inanimate level of Nefesh.
In the world Yetzira these five types of Light exist at the general level of Ruach. In the world of Beria – it is the NRNHY of the level of Neshama; in the world Atzilut – it is the NRNHY of the level of Haya, and in the world of Adam Kadmon, it is the NRNHY of the level of Yechida. The difference between the worlds is like the difference between the levels of NRNHY in the world Assiya.
Thus, everything depends on the spiritual level of those who wish to attain the Upper World, and therefore equalize their spiritual qualities to the properties of the worlds. Consequently, they become an integral part of the worlds, which explains why all the worlds were created, and why we need them.
Indeed, we would have been unable to attain the Creator without consistently ascending the NRNHY levels of each world. By attaining a certain level, we feel the Light (pleasure) and this helps us continue eradicating the egoistic will to enjoy until we achieve the purpose of Creation – equivalence and adhesion with the Creator.
It is important to understand that the NRNHY constitutes the division of the entire Creation into five parts. That which functions in the general system also functions in its tiniest part. Thus, even the lowest level of the world Assiya consists of its five constituent elements, its individual NRNHY. This is because every infinitesimal desire consists of five parts: Keter (the Creator’s representative), Hochma, Bina, Tifferet, and Malchut (the four levels of Creation itself). Additionally, the pleasure guiding it also consists of five types of the Light of NRNHY.
It follows that even the Light of the spiritually inanimate level in the world Assiya cannot be reached without these four kinds of attainment. No one can be dismissed from studying Kabbalah and observing the spiritual laws by means of thought for the good of people and the Creator. No one, either, can attain the level of Ruach or the level of Neshama without studying the secrets of Kabbalah.
Our generation is still immersed in darkness. However, the reason for this is clearly the general decline of faith, and particularly the decline of faith in the wisdom of the sages. The most obvious example of this decline is today’s books on Kabbalah, which are teeming with materialized descriptions.
Hence, a need arose for a complete commentary on The Book of Zohar, a work that would save us from misinterpreting Kabbalah. This commentary is called The Sulam (The Ladder) because it helps students gradually climb its rungs and reach spiritual heights. Everything depends on one’s desire to attain the depths of the worlds’ creation and one’s place within them.
The purpose of Kabbalah can be illustrated by the following parable:
A subject in a distant Kingdom broke the law, and by the King’s order he was banished from the land. He parted from his friends, family, and all that was dear to him. At first he was very sad in his new location, but gradually, as with all things in life, he got used to his new home and completely forgot where he had been born and how he had once lived. He remembered neither that he was exiled, nor that he had ever lived elsewhere. He built a house, made new friends, and built a life. One day, he found a book about his home Kingdom. He remembered where it was and what a wonderful life he had had there. After contemplating the book, he understood why he had been exiled and how he could return there.
That Kingdom is the spiritual world, where everything is fine for those who observe the laws of the Great King. The land of exile is our world. The book through which everyone can remember the forgotten, find the homeland of the soul, realize why he or she had been expelled, and finally return to the original place, is The Zohar!
Yet, if The Zohar is so important that it can help us attain the Upper Worlds, to see and feel the world of souls and the Creator Himself, why was it concealed for so many years – from the time it was written until the appearance of the Ari’s Kabbalistic method?
The answer to this question is found in Kabbalah: for 6,000 years of its existence, the world has been structured as ten Sefirot, where Keter designates the Creator’s influence and the other Sefirot are divided into three groups (see below and in Drawing 3):
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Head: Hochma, Bina, Daat;
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Middle: Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet;
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End: Netzah, Hod, Yesod.
The 6,000 years are also divided into three parts:
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2,000 years – darkness;
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2,000 years – the preparation period; and
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2,000 years – the days of the Messiah (Redeemer).
The first 2,000 years refer to the head, meaning this period receives the small Light (Nefesh) because the Sefirot are inversely related to the Creator’s Light that fills them. The first group (higher Sefirot) appears first: Hochma, Bina, Daat, albeit these are filled with a small Light. This first 2,000-year period is called “the darkness period.”
During the second 2,000 years, when the second group of Sefirot(Hesed,Gevura, and Tifferet) develops, the Light of Nefesh that filled the first group of Sefirot descends to the second one, and the Light of Ruach fills the first group. These 2,000 years, following the darkness period, are called “the Torah period.”
The third group of Sefirot, Netzah, Hod, and Yesod, takes the last 2,000 years. The Light of Nefesh descends here from the second group, the Light of Ruach descends from the first group to the second, and the Light of Neshama enters the first group.
The entire wisdom of Kabbalah, and The Zohar in particular, was concealed until the emergence of the third group. The Ari revealed The Zohar to us, and his commentaries showed us the path to attain the spiritual world. The Ari passed away before the end of that period, meaning before all the Light had entered the third group. Hence, at that time only special souls could study Kabbalah without revealing its essence to the world. Today, as we are approaching the end of the third period, we are ready to receive the comprehensive Sulam (Ladder) commentary on The Zohar, and a systematic textbook on Kabbalah entitled Talmud Eser Sefirot (The Study of the Ten Sefirot).
Although the souls who lived during the first and the second 2,000 years were highly exalted and corresponded to the upper Sefirot(Hochma, Bina, and Daat, Netzah, Gevura, and Hod), they could not receive the appropriate Light because it had not yet reached our world. Now, the lowest souls are descending to our world, as the events in our world testify, yet these souls are the ones that complete the structure. The Upper Light enters the upper souls that have already ascended from our world to the Upper Worlds, whose Light reaches us as Surrounding Light.
Although the souls of the first generations exceeded ours in quality, because the pure souls were first to appear in our world, the science of Kabbalah, its inner, concealed part (as well as other sciences) is being revealed only in the latest generations, since it depends on the intensity of the Light.
The lower the souls, the bigger the Light that is revealed and enters our world. This is because a lower Light can descend from the upper to the lower Sefirot (or souls) and the Upper Light enters the emptied spaces in the Upper Sefirot (souls).
The fulfillment of the correction refers to Sefirot (souls), and mental observance (intention) refers to the Light entering the souls. The same reverse dependence exists between the Sefirot (souls) and the Light: the Creation starts with the upper Sefirot, filled with the lower Lights, and ends with the lower Sefirot (souls), filled with the Upper Light. Thus, it is the low souls that reveal the Upper Light, but only if they engage in the proper study of Kabbalah.
The study of The Zohar, and Kabbalah itself, is a starting point in the correction of the entire world and the achievement of absolute peace and happiness.