Don’t Despair You’ll Reach The King’s Castle

Question from a Student: Why do we simply read The Zohar-why don't we go over the meaning of every word?

Dr. Laitman's Answer: If I explain the meaning of every word, such as "mountains, night, darkness, and day," then you will think that you have found out their meaning and will relax. You will think that you have read and learned an excerpt and now you can go home happy. However, this is not how you should feel when leaving the lesson.

You have to leave The Zohar lesson feeling as though you did not understand anything at all-not one word. Everything is locked and closed; the book talks about a world that you don't feel and don't belong to. You tried to feel it, but didn't succeed, and you still don't know how to do this.

Until a person enters the spiritual world, he is unable to understand that the only thing that's important is his desire. As for knowledge, the game of playing around with words, and memorizing the theory, all of this merely constructs an artificial system inside of you which calms you down and leads you away from the goal.

My great teacher Rabash had the ability to make a person leave the lesson feeling even emptier than when he came to the lesson. Our task is to awaken such a desire inside us that even our numbest places within will sense that the problem lies in our soul, which does not feel its state. Our soul feels that it is in the dark because it is receiving the illumination from the following state, and it does not match that state.

When I feel that I am unable to feel, it means that I have reached the realization of being opposite to the Upper Level. It's as though I am standing opposite a person that I completely depend upon, but he ignores me like a wall. I can stand on my head for him and cry, but he remains impenetrable and does not react to any of my pleas.

At that point I have to collect all my strength and understand that this is the Creator's behavior towards me, and that is how He is showing Himself to me in order that I may persist despite everything. It is written, "Only those who are persistent and truly patient attain the King's castle."

I Am Great And Infinite

Question from a Student: Does The Book of Zohar reveal the realm of desire to us? Can we reveal this through this book?

Dr. Laitman's Answer: The Light that shines upon us reveals various forms of desire within us. These forms are already inside us, but they are concealed. It seems to me that I grow, turning from a child into an adult and putting on weight and height. But this is not so.

In reality the Light influences me and I reveal a greater desire within me, along with its various new forms. All of these forms are my own and they have always been inside me. It's impossible for anything new to be revealed; things only seem new to me.

I am enormous and infinite, but I perceive myself as being small. I have to evoke Light upon myself in order for it to reveal more and more of my forms to me, until I return to infinity with all my different qualities and desires. This will mean that I am growing, that is, ascending the steps of the ladder.

The same thing takes place in our world, and it is how children grow as well. There is nothing new under the sun. There are only new revelations. Everything exists from the beginning, as it is written, "You will eat what has been stored away for a long time."

It turns out that all I have to do in this entire process is desire for the revelation to happen to me, to reveal my inner qualities and forms that are more developed and closer to the Creator. I want to open myself up so the Light will come and open me up even more. I don't reveal the Light, but attract it so it will open me up and show me the real me-the me that is greater and closer to infinity. When I can become more and more revealed to my own self, this means that I ascend up the spiritual ladder.