Everything Is The Other Way Around

Baal HaSulam, Beit Shaar HaKavanot (The Gatehouse of Intentions): "The Moon waned on the fourth day of creation, for in the beginning Zeir Anpin and Nukvah were as two great lights, standing on the same degree, back to back, and Nukvah had a full spiritual Partzuf of ten Sefirot of the reverse side. [This means Nukvah contained spiritual vessels. Why, then, did she lack lights?] When the Moon made a complaint, saying that two kings cannot use the same crown (Keter), she was told, 'Go and diminish yourself!' Thus, she returned to a point beneath Yesod of Zeir Anpin, where she dwelled prior."

Malchut (creation) thought that she could be the same as Zeir Anpin; however, she could not shine as he. She ascended to Bina in order to receive Light like Zeir Anpin, but was unable to. This was for the reason that Zeir Anpin possesses the quality of bestowal. His nature is the Light of Hassadim (Mercy) and He feels perfection even when there is no Light of Hochma (Wisdom). He shines with the Light of Hochma anytime he wishes because he always has the Light of Hassadim.

However, Malchut does not have the Light of Hassadim, and she feels her existence in the Light of Hochma as darkness. This constitutes the complaint made by creation (Kitrug Yareach, the waning of the moon): "I can ascend to the height of the very World of Infinity, but if I don't have the Light of Hassadim, the Light of Bestowal, then the Light of Hochma won't shine for me and I will only feel greater darkness."

When do we reveal that we are in the dark? It's precisely at the time when we are being elevated! When we are slightly elevated upward, it makes us feel that we lack the corrected desires, the Light of Hassadim. This is what we perceive as darkness.

We don't feel darkness because we fall, but because we ascend; however, it's because we ascend without the garment of the Light of Hassadim, the Light of love and bestowal. What we consider descent is actually the ascent, but one that is not corrected. Likewise, what seems to us as an ascent is really a descent, because we receive what we are given into the desires of reception. Thus, everything is the other way around in the spiritual world.

Mutual Guarantee

The Creator constantly confuses a person by placing obstacles before him all along his spiritual path. And it so happens that the joyful occurrences confuse us even more than the troubles. We suddenly uncover extraordinary opportunities, find success in business, have a chance to go on an exciting trip, and many other small temptations that come to us at every moment.

This causes us to start revealing that we don't have any ability to control our state without the support of the environment, which is called "mutual guarantee." If I don't have global, universal support, with thousands of people all over the world also aspiring to reveal the Creator, despite all the obstacles which He deliberately places before us, then I cannot go through the "49 gates"-the obstacles that separate me from the Creator. And then I cannot reach the last, "50^th gate," where I unite with Him. (The number 40 designates the distance from Malchut to Bina, and the number 10 is my own structure; together they add up to 50.)

If I am not connected to people who are doing the same thing, then it's all over for me and I will never attain the goal. I will stretch this work out for several lifetimes, and unfortunately, this is what is happening to people.

Even conventional science is now revealing that human thoughts are interconnected and transferred miraculously from one end of the world to the other. Scientists explain this by saying that our very nature causes us to think in synchrony. However, we who study Kabbalah understand that we are simply connected to one another through our desires within one common net of souls. That is why my thoughts and desires are transferred to everyone else.

Moreover, if we aspire toward the spiritual goal, then with this thought we begin to actively influence everyone and it spreads all along the entire system. Mutual guarantee is this inner intention, rather than sending each other SMSs over the phone. Mutual guarantee is when I think about spirituality, I desire it, and I'm burning with the desire for others to think about the same goal as well. Then I am redeemed from the "angel of death."

If others don't think about this, then nothing will help me and I will never be able to make the right calculation. I will always be distracted by something else. I won't have the basis, the connecting net that holds me inside like a mother holding a baby in her hands. Without this, it's impossible to attain our goal.