When we study Kabbalah correctly, the surrounding Light that is awakened works our souls and initiates the next spiritual state. That state will arrive by itself and replace the present state. By making considerable efforts in the study of Kabbalah, a person can accelerate personal changes. That, in fact, is the only freedom of choice we have in this world.
Baal HaSulam writes in the “Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot” that the Creator rests one’s hand on good fortune and tells him: “Choose this for yourself.” So where, then, is the choice? The choice is, in fact, that either we are pushed from behind, which we will feel as pain, or we run forward by ourselves, ahead of the pain.
This is our only freedom of choice.
Anything that happens in our world, anything that people do, is all predetermined, because all our characteristics and our environment, both internal and external, are predefined by the Creator. Freedom of choice exists only for those who crave spirituality and only by their personal efforts.
Every student wants to know how to accelerate his or her spiritual progress and in so doing, avoid the agony. You can do this in the following ways:
- Read the books of Baal HaSulam, Rabash, and Dr. Laitman. (Ed. These are all available for free to read in the Kabbalah Library).
- Join a group that aims to discover the objective of creation. Be active and do things for the members of the group and the spiritual leader. (Ed. The most recommended way to find a group is to join the Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education Center, and go through the courses that take students step-by-step through Kabbalah’s fundamental principles, basic concepts and lead into how to work in a group.)
- Begin to write everything you know about spirituality. That way, you can correct your current spiritual degree more quickly and create a need to attain the next degree.
- Take an active part in sharing the wisdom of the Kabbalah. This is the most effective means of all.
Understanding “Negative” States
People often have questions about so called “bad situations.” Actually, from a Kabbalistic point of view, bad situations do not exist. The Creator gives us everything for the sole purpose of correcting us. There is the Creator, there is us and there is what we receive from Him.
It is said “The Light of the Creator makes one weary.” The Light shows us who and what we are, that we’re only tiny egoists. However, it shows us our weaknesses—our enslavement to our ego—only to the degree that we can bear what we see. The more we develop and correct, the more obvious it becomes that we are lowly, and far different from the Creator. We are shown this to correct ourselves by simply recognizing our own nature, and then rejecting it. Each time we read the right books, we will realize more and more deeply who we are and who the Creator is.
Getting Closer to the Creator by Drawing His Force on Ourselves
What is the meaning of the study of Kabbalah? When we begin our studies, according to our progress in life, we begin to aim our actions toward the goal, which is to attain a spiritual contact with the Creator. We go under His private Providence exactly to that extent, which is the purpose of our search, though our search is still an unconscious one.
If we read only genuine books about the spiritual world, if that is what we find interesting, we are already under the private Providence of the Creator. The Creator guides everyone, but He guides us personally. Every soul receives the Light from Above with growing intensity, and there- fore develops in accordance with the purpose of creation. This is called “general Providence.” But when He takes us out of the ranks to promote us faster and pull us toward Him, it is called “private Providence.”
In a state of Private Providence, we begin to feel ups and downs. These will be expressed in our sensation of the Creator or its absence, according to our own attributes. We will stop looking at life as others do. While others say, “Thank God another day went by. I stayed healthy, I did a few things,” we, on the other hand, will start evaluating ourselves in greater detail.
We will ask ourselves, “Am I closer to the Creator today? Do I have a desire for Him?” Even if our answers are negative, they are nonetheless a testimony to our progress.
Contrary to all religions and philosophies, Kabbalah states clearly and unequivocally that spiritual ascent means increased pleasure. The beginning of the path includes the study of the Kabbalah, while the reader maintains a regular way of life without change or limitations. But since our desires influence our acts, if we want to achieve something sublime, we must act accordingly.
Thus, we see that the correction is a process involving the effect of the Upper Light on us. It is not a process of restriction by coercion. That is precisely the difference between Kabbalah and religion: Kabbalah activates the power of the Creator— it is not an oppressing force from the outside. Therefore, when we receive more and more strength from Above, it opens up the channels for greater desires, which can then be corrected and used appropriately.
“Studying Kabbalah: Its Purpose & Some Tips” is based on the book, Wondrous Wisdom: Everyone’s Guide to the Study of Authentic Kabbalah by Michael R. Kellogg.
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