Day by day, we approach the realization that as long as the ego continues its rule, the end of the world is nearing, and we must choose life and love. But without assistance, we will not be able to transcend our egos because this is how we were born. To do that, we need an outside force that does not exist in our world. For that purpose, we were given the method of correction—Kabbalah.
There is a special force in the wisdom of Kabbalah, one that can create a new quality within us. Authentic Kabbalah sources describe the nature of the Creator, the upper world and the processes that occur therein. When we learn from these sources about the states that are opposite from our world, about actions of love and bestowal, we draw the force from them toward us.
This projection of the upper states on our current state is called “the action of the reforming light,” the “surrounding light.” Eventually, the surrounding light makes us yearn for the quality of the Creator.
Baal HaSulam explains it in the following manner: “Through the yearning and the great desire to understand what they are learning, they awaken upon themselves the lights that surround their souls ... which bring one much closer to achieving perfection.”
(“Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot”, Item 155)