Who Can We Call A Creature?

Question: What is the creature that Kabbalah talks about all the time? Are we creatures or not? What makes someone a creature; is it a special desire or state? For example, are a cow, cat, or dog creatures or not? They seem to exist, yet they have no freedom of will, so can someone without free will be called a creature? If so, then it seems metal could also be called a creature. If a creature is something that has free will, then can we be called creatures? Maybe a creature is only one who knows the Creator, communicates with Him, and mutually bestows to Him? In other words, is a creature a measure of being similar to the Creator?

Dr. Laitman's Answer: The Creator and the creature exist together, in one desire. The creature bestows to the Creator, and the Creator bestows to the creature. The Creator and the creature both make decisions. The creature exists if it perceives the Creator; it is a creature to a smaller or a larger degree according to the measure to which it feels the Creator, that is, to the measure it is similar to Him. A creature is not simply a controllable robot under the complete rule of the Creator.

For this reason, the creature begins with the union of Malchut with Bina, that is, when Malchut rises to Bina and forces her to either open or close herself. This indicates that someone else besides the Creator is performing actions.

Hence an independent creature standing opposite to the Creator is born following an entire sequence of events. It isn't that simple to accept the forces of love of bestowal from Bina, or to gain the strength to renounce one's egoism. And it's equally hard to rise to Bina, restrict her, and say: "Don't give me anything, I'm unable to receive unselfishly."

I want to receive; yet I can't because that will bring me spiritual death. If I do receive, I will stop being independent; that is, I will die as a creature. The Upper One has everything I want, but I ask Him not to reveal Himself, not to give me anything. I restrict Him by myself so that He won't give me anything.

Only after I restrict the Upper One do I start to gradually reveal myself to Him. I regulate the Light coming from Above by myself and determine the way, the amount, and the conditions of receiving it. And by acquiring multi-sided fulfillment, I acquire the form of the creature, which is my similarity to the Creator.

I cannot do it alone. I have to accumulate the desire, which comes from the group, and the strength, which comes from the Light that Reforms, and the Light enables us to become similar to the Creator.

 -from the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/09/10

Our Work Is In Preparing The Desire

According to the Kabbalists, The Zohar is the most effective part of the entire Torah and of all Kabbalistic books. Why? These books are called holy (the property of Bina) because they are written from the heights of spiritual attainment. Therefore, by reading them, we can attract upon ourselves the Light that brings us back to the Creator, to similarity to Him.

However, we can correct the desire to receive only by the desire to correct ourselves, for there is no Light, no fulfillment without a desire. Hence, we have to demand for the Light to act upon and transform us. This Light is called the "Surrounding Light" because it shines on us from afar. Under the influence of the Light, our "evil intention" turns into a good one. Then, to the measure to which the desire resembles the Light, the Light fills it.

Hence to prepare for the study of the Torah means to acquire the desire for correction. This desire is preceded by realizing that our nature is evil (for us). The evil in our nature is our inability to unite with each other! Our unification is precisely the vessel where our Upper, spiritual life can be revealed.

For this reason, we have to try to establish a connection with each other and to unite together. This is described in the writings when Israel stood at the foot of  Mount Sinai: "as one man with one heart," "All of Israel are friends," and "Love thy neighbor as you love thyself." After we discover our inability to unite and start feeling what prevents us from achieving our good state, then MAN, a true prayer, the wish to become corrected, will emerge within us.

That is, preparation for studying the Torah amounts to our efforts to unite, feeling how incapable we are of doing it, and realizing this state as evil, as an obstacle on the path toward good. That is, the Torah study comes after the correct preparation; MAN emerges itself.

We can think and clarify all of it already while we read The Book of the Zohar. Meanwhile, the Light will help us in our work.

 -from the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/09/10