Man was created with a complex corporeal body and what he does in this world affects it. Therefore, what we do in our world is important. If you had the possibility to do anything with an aim toward the Creator, that would be considered a spiritual act, though the act itself might still be completely ‘beastly.’
Anything man does promotes him toward the purpose of creation. Even the pains we suffer do not come in vain, but are collected, and when the right time comes, they count in our favor. It is a slow progress with man not being a consciously active part of it. In order to shorten this long path of pain, the Creator gave us the Torah, which directs us to the right goal less painfully.
Only in resent decades, once the souls have collected a sufficient amount of pain, a growing number of special souls began to descend to our world, which yearn for the wisdom of Kabbalah. Nothing happens without a reason, but everything finds its own expression through a gradual process.
These souls took the path of pain, accumulated deficits that have turned into a desire to study Kabbalah. In future lives these souls will delve in the study of Kabbalah more intensely, and within a month or two attain fantastic results. That is because they have accumulated a sufficient desire for it in their past lives. If a person has a strong enough desire to study and occupy himself solely with Kabbalah, and for one purpose only, then three to five years should certainly do in order to exit to the spiritual world.
Man prays involuntarily for what lies in his heart. The role of prayer is to prepare one’s heart to yearn to feel the Creator. The desire in one’s heart is his prayer. Therefore, a genuine prayer is called “the work of the heart,” the preparation in man’s heart. Nothing can be done about the desire, but through a special kind of work, through study and examination, one can prepare oneself to awaken the right desire in his heart.
Man shouldn’t have to refrain from pleasures. Whether he chooses to receive it or not, the heart does. It is impossible to impose anything on it. Only through vigorous work on yourself, using a variety of means to aid yourself, will you be able to change the direction of the desires of the heart toward spirituality. Even in our situation, we have to say that we “want to feel the Creator” even if it is for a mere personal pleasure. That desire must be complete because only then it bears the desired result.
The Creator sends us mental and physical pains, and the only reason that psychologists and doctors can ease our pains is to create a way for people to communicate, cooperate, and help one another. That would bring about the inclusion of the souls into one collective soul.
Under no circumstances should we interpret pain as a punishment for past events, but as a specific, rough providence that comes from the Creator, in order to show the right direction for the attainment of the thought of creation. If a person understands the pains, he can go through them by himself, in his mind and aspirations, and not wait until they push him from above.
When you do not feel any pain, it is not a sign that you are on the right track, but it is simply a phase where the Creator does not demand anything specific of you, and doesn’t push in any specific direction – it is a sign your time has not yet come.
A person comes to study Kabbalah when the events of his life bring him to it. The first phase – persisting with the classes – is also not given to man’s decision, because he is still under the influence of the preliminary push from above. But the continuation depends on man’s own efforts, his awareness of what he was brought here for, and continuous efforts toward that purpose.
Each soul has a specific assignment in this world. Some come down for a certain purpose at the end of which they retire early from the world. Such was the soul of the holy Ari, who past away at the age of 36, leaving behind an enormous amount of writings.