Dr. Laitman's summary of
Rabash's article "The Matter of Bestowal"
When a person services someone who is considered important in the eyes of the world, he does not require anything in return for his service, rather servicing the important person in itself is considered the reward, since he takes pleasure in servicing an important person. Whereas if he services a simple person, he requires a reward. Importance=reward.
It depends on the feeling of his importance and greatness, if he realizes that the other is a great person or that society says that he is a great person, he has the desire and the strength to service him for nothing in return. In servicing, it is important whether his intention is in his own pleasure servicing him, or that servicing him gives him great pleasure. What is the source of that pleasure?
Whether the intention is for the important person to be content, or he is servicing him in order to feel pleasure, and if he could receive that same pleasure of servicing him from a different source, he would give up servicing.
The servicing is for the important person to have a feeling of pleasure, whereas his own feeling of pleasure in that is only the outcome. Or he has no regard for the person's importance, rather how much pleasure he will receive for himself.
There are three discernments with respect to an act in order to bestow:
1) Bestowal for the benefit of others, in order to be rewarded. The service is not sufficient to give him pleasure, rather he desires honor in return. Otherwise he does not do it.
2) Bestowal for the benefit of others with no reward, since it is in his nature to enjoy bestowal, or he gets pleasure from others' contentment. If someone else can do better, he gives up his own pleasure from bestowal, and makes an effort for the other one to carry it out. That is bestowing in order to bestow. If he is incapable of giving it up - it is not, since self-love determines.
3) To bestow in order to bestow - he does not receive a reward, he relinquishes his pleasure and is concerned only with the benefit of others.
If he agrees to give up his service, even though he feels pleasure in servicing the important person by servicing others, not thinking of himself, rather everything is to the benefit of the important person - it is considered that his intention is not for his own benefit, rather it is all in order to bestow, and he reaches that discernment. And that is "complete bestowal."
However, when he realizes that he cannot attain that with his own power, "the Light that reforms" desires the reward called "the force of bestowal." Hence, he exerts in Torah and Mitzvot.
Thus, prior to beginning his exertion in the work of the Creator he discerns: What reward does he desire? What is his compelling purpose in engaging in Torah and Mitzvot? It is difficult for him to know! Many people exert themselves so "all will be good."
Only few individuals have the intention of adhesion with the Creator. Therefore one must attain equivalence of form, for all of one's actions to be in bestowal. Then the restriction and concealment will be traversed and one will feel the sanctity.
Then he sees that he is incapable of aiming toward bestowing in order to bestow. The more he increases his exertion, he sees that he is more distant. Until he reaches the realization that people do not have the force to attain that. He becomes aware that the Creator alone can help him. Only then he realizes that he needs to engage in Torah and Mitzvot in order to be rewarded - for the Creator to give him the force of bestowal, to attain adhesion, which is the equivalence of form, bestowal. Exiting self-love and receiving desire to have the strength to engage only in the love of others.
Why should he not begin his work Lishma immediately? Because "there is no Light without a Kli (vessel)." The lack for fulfillment, Lishma. He enjoys the fulfilling according to the longing. Hence, it is impossible to give the Reforming Light if there is no desire for it. Reforming - one loses self-love and receives the power of love of others.
Hence by engaging in Torah and Mitzvot the reward will change. For he worked in Lo Lishma and began to realize that the vessels receiving the reward are the vessels of bestowal, specifically through those vessels we receive the goodness and the true pleasure.
Exertion - acting against his will, preventing himself from receiving pleasure.
In Zivug de Hakaa there are two yearnings: to receive pleasure, equivalence of form. Out of that something new is born, the clothing of Returning Light, in which one can receive abundance: Receiving the pleasure of the abundance from the Thought of Creation to do good to His creations. Furthermore, one is in equivalence of form. The entire reward - Returning Light, the power of bestowal which one gives to the Upper. The abundance - Returning Light.
In doing good to His creations, the Creator wants them to receive. Why is the power of bestowal the reward? The Creator wants to give, yet in equivalence of form, for there not to be shame. The creature has no vessel for pleasure, as a result of the shame. Hence, the reward is the "power of bestowal," for only that is lacking, not the Light. In order for there to be a lacking for the "desire to bestow," one engages in Torah and Mitzvot in "Lo Lishma." One makes efforts and sees that it is all for self-benefit and not in order to bestow - so one realizes that the force of bestowal is lacking, for that will be the reward for our work, which the Creator will give.