Ari – The Turning Point From Darkness to Light

Ari, “Tree of Life”: Behold, that before the emanations were emanated and the creatures were created, the upper simple Light had filled the whole existence…

The goal of creation is to bring the creations to the attainment of the Creator, to adhesion with Him, to reaching His level. The entire development of the human being in this world throughout thousands of years is directed at the realization of this task.

There were many people throughout human history who were able to come out of the animal degree into the human one, starting from Adam, the first man, Adam HaRishon. Such people are called Kabbalists, and during all the generations they kept helping others to come to the attainment of the upper force, to enter the spiritual degree.

Our whole life in this world, within our egoistic desire, is there for the purpose of coming out of it and elevating ourselves to the level of bestowal, to the highest existence—eternal and boundless.

So we ought to thank those people, who, having attained the Creator themselves, exerted all their efforts to develop the science of Kabbalah, helping others reach the same degree and go through the same states on the way to attaining the highest reality.

All evolution can be divided into two stages. Initially, there is an instinctive maturation and the development of the desire for pleasure. However, at some point that desire develops to the extent of demanding its correction into the desire to bestow. That turning point is symbolized by a special Kabbalist, whose name was Ari.

That messenger from above did for us what no one else has ever done. There is no other person who has made a greater contribution to the general correction. Starting with him, humanity entered the period of deliverance. For it was the Ari who revealed the science of Kabbalah, the methodology of correction, who took it from above and brought it deep down for us.

That is why today’s date [July 27, 2017] is so important for us—Ari’s Memorial Day. For everything we have in our spiritual life, what we strive for, investing our whole life into, has really come from the great Ari. It is the soul that symbolizes the turning point from the world of darkness into the world of correction.

He was the first Kabbalist who brought people the practical methodology of correction that includes the structure of the upper worlds, the circulation of souls, distribution of Light, and development. He linked these explanations to the holidays and quotes from the Torah.

Ari created the language of Kabbalah amd made it possible for study, research, and implementation. He translated Kabbalah from the language of parables and hints, received before him among the Kabbalists, into a modern, precise, scientific language: measures, degrees, Aviut (depth of the desire), Kashiut (strength of the screen)—all scientific terms.

After him, Kabbalah turned into a real science, due to the highest degree that Ari has attained, allowing him to encompass the whole upper world.

That is why he begins his writings from the four stages of Direct Light, in all the details. All the structure of the worlds that the science of Kabbalah teaches came from Ari. Baal HaSulam writes that he attained his spiritual heights due to the fact, that he received an embryo of the soul of Ari. Because of this special soul, Baal HaSulam reached his attainments and continued the work of Ari.
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From the Lesson on the Day of Ari’s Memory 7/27/17