At The Home Stretch In History

The Congress in New Jersey “Completing the Circle,” Lesson 1

A Miserable Lot

Everything that happens in the world happens solely in order for us to reveal the true world, in which we all exist. In essence, everything that is depicted outside of a person’s desire, when one sees inanimate, vegetative, and animate nature, and other people—all of that is the Creator’s manifestation before the person. But a person does not feel this or understand what is wanted from him. Consequently we are going through a quite lengthy and painful process in history, just so that in the end we would ask ourselves the question about life’s meaning: what is all this for? Who benefits from all this? Who do I please? What secret lies hidden in our existence?

We see logic and meaning in every cell, in the oneness of nature, in the relationship of all its parts, but we find no logic in our own existence. A person, who is the “crown of creation,” is also the one who suffers the most of all created beings. We possess a developed mind and feelings, but yet we act like the biggest spenders and squander all our potential for mutual interactions.

Moreover, even when we realize this, we cannot do anything about it. Our wretchedness is amazing: a person knows when he does something stupid that will bring harm to him and others, but he is unable to change anything.

For example, a glutton cannot hold back from his favorite foods and loses control, all the while understanding perfectly well how horrible he will feel later. We face the same trouble with all types of pleasures, great and small.

Throughout history people have been asking themselves if there is any way out. Is it possible to enter a more mature, a more “solid” state? Is it possible to avoid being so miserable and lowly? We realize our lowliness and still we follow it, and today is always like the day before. We close our eyes and go with the flow…

Facing the Issue Head-On

At this point we definitely need to say a big thank you to Kabbalists. They suffered just like many others, but they succeeded. They were able to discover that this whole miserable life is meant to bring us to the key solution.

After all, it cannot be that our life would flow from birth to death in such an absurd existence. It cannot be that such wise nature would create a creature that is so developed and at the same time behaves in such a despicable manner. This discrepancy of our abilities and actions is too striking.

Moreover, nature itself pushes us into an abyss. Maybe I want to act differently and be a different person. If I planned on my own and programmed myself, I would act differently—certainly better than “destined” by nature or the Creator.

When we reach this realization or understanding, it indicates just one thing: the need to solve the question posed. Therein lies the source of understanding life, success in life, and success beyond the limits of its passing frames. It’s unlikely that it is limited to our “protein” existence for 60-70 years.

The Science That Leads Us Through Life

People who asked this question found that the world and the human beings here truly have an ultimate goal: to reveal the single force that sends us everything. It fully includes the whole universe and “plays” with it in order for us to truly wish to reveal it.

Meanwhile, all throughout history only some individuals learned about the opportunity to reveal the Creator. Nonetheless the number of people who ask the right question is growing. And these people are telling us that this is the only productive task of a person in this world from the moment he matures and realizes who he is.

As children, when we are 6-9 years old, we also asked the question about life’s essence and meaning. Maybe we didn’t ask adults, our parents, these questions, but they were there.

Starting from an early age, children need to receive an upbringing that explains how to exert constant effort to reveal the upper force, which influences us constantly, brings us life, and leads us through everything that occurs on the path.

Throughout history people made great efforts to reveal this force. They found a whole system of gradual acquaintance with it and called this method “the science of Kabbalah,” which literally means “the science of receiving.”

It explains how a person in our world can receive revelation of the force that influences him and demonstrates to him the whole picture of reality.

According to the words of Kabbalists, one needs to engage in this science particularly incessantly, and lead one’s whole life in it so that he attains the upper force in the time that is allotted to him. One needs to attain it to the point of encountering it in all its details.

Everything else in life should be used only to provide for the bare necessities—to the same extent that animals care for themselves. There is no point to exert more than necessary into the material existence—only as much as is needed to exist rationally.

This does not mean that we need to live in caves and wear animal skins. If we do not exceed the “survival bar” and dedicate all our effort to revealing the Creator, rising to His degree of eternity and perfection, then it goes without saying that we will not do silly things and pursue excesses of the material world. If we limit ourselves to simple existence, we will give all our strength to our true purpose.
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From the Convention in New Jersey “Completing the Circle,” Day One, 7.24.15, Lesson 1