The Place Of Our Choice

Everything depends on the Elyon (Upper One) except the awakening from below, which the Tachton (Lower One) must perform after the Elyon awakens him. If the Elyon does not awaken him, the Tachton will never rise. But the question is, if after the Tachton awakened, can he continue this awakening by himself? Because the Tachton awakens with the egoistic desire in him, he must add his labor here - to want to rise above this egoistic desire. How? Only by annulling himself before the environment (group and books) and receiving importance from it.

So here there is a part performed by the Elyon and a part that must be added by the Tachton. The Elyon gives direction to the Tachton, the rider sits on the horse and gives it direction, and now the horse stands before its ego, its will to receive. The Tachton realizes that the Elyon wants him to take several steps toward a certain goal, but his will to receive stops him and objects. And then he thinks: "The Elyon is important to me and He awakened me. I stand before nice and good advancement, but it's hard for me, I can't, it's far from me."

And the man always stands like that equally balanced on the scale. Now he must arrange himself so that the Elyon will be more important to him, and that walking according to his will to receive will be despicable in his eyes. And out of this attitude, between the Elyon's importance and his own despicableness, the strength should come to perform the action correctly and with joy. Otherwise it is not worthwhile. The person must operate out of joy, and not halfway or out of compulsion. We think that something happens as a result of us performing some action. But this action does not count if it was not performed out of joy, because joy is a sign of agreement and desire.

Therefore in this intermediate state, called "Middle Third of Tifferet," I must decide where I am headed. How can I decide, if there is nothing in me other than my ego and the awakening from above? For that, I need to use the additional force arranged for me from above - in the group, in the friends, and in the books. And also in the guide who explains how to perform these actions. Through this additional force I must come to necessity, to the importance of the quality of bestowal, which I want to adhere to over my Aviut (thickness), over all the obstacles. And I am happy that I have been given the opportunity to do so, and I am running to fulfill it as if I am about to receive "great abundance." Otherwise it is not a correction. This is why, here, is the "place of choice."

Criticizing Myself From The Side

We learn that "Thou Hast Hemmed Me In Behind and Before." That is to say, that all the thoughts, all the desires, everything that exists in a person comres from the Creator. And even when it seems to a person that now he overcomes, that he asks, and that he wants, this also comes from the Creator. And if he wishes to advance toward the Creator, it is a sign that the Creator wants him and is putting these words in his heart and in his mouth. And if the person does not want, it means that the Creator is arranging it for him. If so, what else is left for us to do?

Other than the Reshimot that awaken in a person and determine the states he will be going through, at every instant, he is given an additional point outside of this state in order for him to see and criticize his current state from the side. And this scrutiny that the person is doing of himself from the side, the ability that he was given to see how the Creator is playing with him and giving him various impressions - this is already a level that belongs to spiritual development.

Therefore the person asks from the Creator not to give him things that will repel him from bestowal, but only thoughts and desires that will advance him toward the goal. And he must respond to the Creator like that at every single moment, in every state that the Creator arranges for him.

And then his entire life becomes a dialogue with the Creator. Every time the Creator stabilizes him, and he responds to it in his work. Such labor is called "Work for the sake of the Creator." Then the person thanks the Creator for the bad as well as the good, but more than that he thanks Him for the ability to be in recognition, to be in contact with Him, and to ask Him to advance even more.

And the person does not want this advancement to be for his own benefit - that he will be happy in any animalistic way - but all he wants is to be close to the Creator in order to cause Him contentment.

Everything Depends On Me

The Upper Light is in complete rest, but the Reshimot awaken in the creatures gradually every time, from light to heavy. And these Reshimot are connected to one another, because the creatures put together a sort of net, a system. Therefore each person's reaction to the sensations that he feels - whether it is for the goal or not - always influences all the rest of the souls in that net. Then it turns out that every individual determines and makes true all the others' lives. And the Creator, the general Light, the general bestowal, the general love - does not change.

Therefore we should only organize our environment in the correct way, and believe that other than this there is nothing that can disturb or help, but only myself, because the Light is always there for me, because the entire creation exists within the person.