Nowadays, because spiritually "mature" souls descend into our world,
the above mentioned education becomes insufficient. Man needs to let
his intention be modified to match his desires. Kabbalah enables man
to change his selfish intentions into altruistic ones. Using a
screen (masach) one begins to work on his self aimed desires with
the intention of directing them toward the Creator.
The process of correcting selfishness is called "the spiritual
observance of the commandments". Man is endowed with desires so that
he may develop his intention to use them "by turning them toward the
Creator". These desires were not his so long as he did not have the
capacity to create a screen (masach) .
These desires are new; they are of spiritual nature which means that they correspond to the desire to rejoice in the divine presence. These desires are cultivated in a man capable of building a screen in the form of selfish desires to rejoice in the Creator. These desires are termed "klipot" (shells) or "impure desires". At this stage man has overcome worldly desires such as sex, wealth, fame, power, and craves for more spiritual pleasures.
There are 613 impure desires. They are born in man and range from the easiest to the most difficult ones to correct. When man acquires a screen against receiving for himself alone (klipa), one endows oneself with an intention "turned toward the Creator" (kedusha). One’s corrected desires can then receive spiritual "light", feel the Creator, and they lead to the joy of having equivalence of form with the Creator.
The correction of desires corresponds to what is called the observance of commandments. The spiritual light received is the perception of the Creator which corresponds to the Torah.
It is clear that the physical observance of the commandments differs from their spiritual one. However inner spiritual observance does not prevent or cancel the physical one. It is exactly because one who observes a commandment lives in both worlds that one can reconcile within oneself the two modes of observance.
From the above it follows that the physical observance of a code of law does not affect the spiritual worlds. This is what is meant by the sentence "a commandment without intent is like a body without a soul" - spiritually dead. A commandment cannot be inspired by a "li chema" intention when its corresponding gestures do not refer to a spiritual observance. A man may be handless and still observe all spiritual commandments requiring "spiritual hands", i.e. spiritual desires.
Our soul is referred to as a body, "partsouf". It is composed of 613 parts, the attributes of our biological body. Each of the 613 parts of this spiritual "body", this partsouf, corresponds to a specific desire. The partsouf divides itself into two parts, two types of desires: the ones corresponding to the desire to give without restraint (lehashpia al menat lehashpia) and the ones corresponding to the desire to receive without restraint, but not for one’s own satisfaction (lekabel al menat lehashpia).
These desires are new; they are of spiritual nature which means that they correspond to the desire to rejoice in the divine presence. These desires are cultivated in a man capable of building a screen in the form of selfish desires to rejoice in the Creator. These desires are termed "klipot" (shells) or "impure desires". At this stage man has overcome worldly desires such as sex, wealth, fame, power, and craves for more spiritual pleasures.
There are 613 impure desires. They are born in man and range from the easiest to the most difficult ones to correct. When man acquires a screen against receiving for himself alone (klipa), one endows oneself with an intention "turned toward the Creator" (kedusha). One’s corrected desires can then receive spiritual "light", feel the Creator, and they lead to the joy of having equivalence of form with the Creator.
The correction of desires corresponds to what is called the observance of commandments. The spiritual light received is the perception of the Creator which corresponds to the Torah.
It is clear that the physical observance of the commandments differs from their spiritual one. However inner spiritual observance does not prevent or cancel the physical one. It is exactly because one who observes a commandment lives in both worlds that one can reconcile within oneself the two modes of observance.
From the above it follows that the physical observance of a code of law does not affect the spiritual worlds. This is what is meant by the sentence "a commandment without intent is like a body without a soul" - spiritually dead. A commandment cannot be inspired by a "li chema" intention when its corresponding gestures do not refer to a spiritual observance. A man may be handless and still observe all spiritual commandments requiring "spiritual hands", i.e. spiritual desires.
Our soul is referred to as a body, "partsouf". It is composed of 613 parts, the attributes of our biological body. Each of the 613 parts of this spiritual "body", this partsouf, corresponds to a specific desire. The partsouf divides itself into two parts, two types of desires: the ones corresponding to the desire to give without restraint (lehashpia al menat lehashpia) and the ones corresponding to the desire to receive without restraint, but not for one’s own satisfaction (lekabel al menat lehashpia).
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