When The Book of Zohar Becomes Revealed
The goal of creation is to
acquire the quality of bestowal, and through it to attain adhesion with the
Creator. We exist in
the opposite quality, in the intention to receive for our own sake.
In order to correct our intention
from reception to bestowal, we have to attract upon us the Light that reforms,
that brings us back to the source, the Creator. This Light is on a higher level
than we are, and it continually corrects us, raising us to higher levels of
bestowal and love.
The Light comes to us during the
time when we unite together in our hearts, in our desires, the intentions to
become corrected, and when we study the same corrected system that the
Kabbalists tell us about. By studying this system and wishing for the
description in these texts to happen to us, to become revealed between us, we
thereby attract the same Light that is inside of it on the levels of the proper
connection between the creatures. Then we correct our connection and enter the
same states that the book tells us about. And this means that the book becomes
revealed.
The book with the strongest
influence on the reader, with the greatest capability to bring him to the corrected
state, to bestowal and love, is The Book of Zohar. Therefore, while
reading this book, let's desire to feel all of us together so that inside of
the right connection between us we would reveal the general quality of
bestowal, the One who is good and does good, the Creator who is revealed to the
creatures.
From the 2nd part
of the Daily
Kabbalah Lesson 06/19/11, The Zohar
The Guide Book to Goodness
We are in an
unknown reality, and to this day, while existing in this world we still do not
understand exactly where we are, by what program we develop, and what goal we
are moving toward. We do not understand anything in our life, and being sheltered by concealment, we
consider ourselves smart and intelligent, as if we have knowledge, our own
opinion, and freedom of
will.
But when
blows and suffering catch up to us, we understand that we are incapable of
anything, that we don't understand anything, and don't have any chance to
behave intelligently. Especially now, during a time of crisis, we see
that we do not have any chances of relating to reality correctly, that we are
facing problems and don't even have the slightest ability to understand them. Even
if we sometimes understand something one millimeter ahead of time, this does
not enable us to change our state or to behave differently. Even if we decide
that we really do need to change and start behaving differently, we don't have
the forces to change our behavior. So what's the use of these decisions if we
can't change ourselves, influence one another, and the whole world?
Even when we
see that we only inflict harm and misfortunes upon ourselves, that we are, in
fact, leading ourselves to death, we are still unable to stop ourselves. What
insignificance, what ignominy! We would simply finish our lives inside of our
will to enjoy, which completely kills us if we did not receive the Torah, the
means to correct the egoistic desire so that starting from the lowest possible
point, a moment before death, we could start raising it to the top, to the
level of the Creator, the
higher, opposite quality-the will to bestow.
This means,
called "Torah" is more important than anything. Without it there is no chance
to achieve anything. We cannot develop through suffering. The influence of
suffering only makes the will to enjoy develop. Blows make it search for all
sorts of means to get rid of the troubles, and in the end it leads itself to
death in order to avoid suffering. When the desire feels unbearable suffering
due to its absolute opposition to the Light, it is willing to nullify itself
completely, anything but to suffer.
If so, then
the Torah is the only means leading us to life, correction, and existence. That
is why there is no path of suffering, no path without Torah. The Torah has to
become revealed to humanity so people would be able to use it. And they have to
reveal it in the right form-as the Light that reforms. But if they don't use
the Torah correctly, meaning that they don't realize it, that means they are
following the path of suffering. If they use it correctly, then they follow the
path of Torah, the path of Light. And if they are in the middle between one and
the other, they advance by "the earthly path."
Therefore,
Baal HaSulam's article, "The Revelation of Godliness (Matan Torah)" is very important since
it tells us about how we can receive the Torah. There is a giving of the Torah
from above, and there is a reception of the Torah from below. All of the
suffering comes to us because we do not use the Torah correctly, the Light that
reforms, that brings us back to the source of goodness. Everything depends on
our efforts to become good. Therefore, we do not have a lack for anything
besides this means. So let's find out how to receive the Torah and come to
goodness!
From the 4th part of the Daily
Kabbalah Lesson 06/19/11, "Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah)"