The Maggid of Mezrich, a great Kabbalist of the previous century, proclaimed: “There are ten rules of spiritual work. Three of these rules can be learned from an infant and seven of them can be learned from a thief.”
We must come to the realization that the very feeling of being distanced from the Creator is specifically the means by which we will be able to perceive the Creator. These two senses are known in Kabbalah as kli (vessel) and or (light). The first of these is a desire to experience the Creator, which is gradually born in us while experiencing obstacles (thoughts and desires).
Even though the spiritual work of raising altruism above egoism is carried out within the heart, while that of raising faith over the assertions of the intellect is carried out within the mind, both are contingent upon our rejection of the intellect that was given to each of us at birth, as well as upon the rejection of self-gratification and self-affirmation.
This is because, even while working towards altruistic aims, one still prefers to see and know to whom one gives and who receives the fruits of one’s labor—and in such a case one has nothing but the faith in the existence of the Creator and the faith that He is accepting the fruits of one’s work.
The desirable path of spiritual ascent is the path of Kabbalah. The path of suffering awaits us only if there is no other way to prompt us to reach perfection. The path of Kabbalah is an opportunity given from Above to each of us to create in ourselves the desires necessary for spiritual growth, demonstrating through spiritual ascents and declines that the spiritual Light is pleasure and its absence is suffering.
In this way, we begin to desire the Light and spiritual ascent and the perception of the Creator. Without first receiving the Upper Spiritual Light and then having it taken away, we cannot feel a desire for the Light.
The path to attaining what is hidden through Kabbalah is unlike any other experience in this world. For example, when one is honored, this fills the ego and consequently causes great damage to the soul. The damage is considered to be so great that prominent righteous people who gained immense popularity and acquired followers considered that such fame had actually been a punishment from the Creator.
On the other hand, there are those great ones whom the Creator wishes to protect so that they do not forfeit even the slightest amount of their spiritual level. To these, the Creator sends not only followers but also those who hate them, envy them, oppose their views, and are ever ready to slander them. Thus the Creator balances the praise and honor received by these great ones with the suffering they experience at the hands of their contemporaries.
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