When a person begins to study Kabbalah, it is as if one jumps into the sea and at first does not distinguish the deep, subtle definitions. A person is like a newborn baby who in the first days does not understand anything, does not see, and does not hear. Most importantly, one is firmly attached to one’s will to receive, to one’s egoism. The first stage of spiritual work consists of cutting oneself off from this egoism, moving away from it, and looking at it from aside.
It takes years of work for the reforming light to do its work on a person and change him or her. The first change is that we begin to hear what the Kabbalists are talking about.
In order to enter spirituality, a person must make oneself an absolute zero, that is, from one’s will to receive, from one’s aspirations and expectations for something to change for oneself. That is, I agree with everything I receive and completely cancel any criticism.
Everything that happens comes from the Creator and undoubtedly is the best for me. Therefore, I do not think about it at all: the Creator acts only for my benefit. This limits my attitude to corporeal life.
With respect to spirituality, I also get the most optimal in everything. But I have nothing?! That is great, this is the best because I receive it from the Creator, who is good and does good! A person reaches this decision, accepting one’s corporeal state as the most optimal one without needing any additions, completely annulling oneself. The only thing I ask in both corporeality and spirituality is for the Creator to organize me according to His will and to help me to agree with it completely.
The first spiritual degree is the ability to completely adhere to the Creator, day and night, in light and in darkness, in sorrow and in joy, no matter what is happening. If I reach two such zeros: in corporeality and in spirituality, then I enter the spiritual world, the degrees of the ladder.
This is the ascent between the two states: from below—reason, and from above—faith above reason.
Everything comes from the Creator who knows what I need. My work is only to accept it completely. This most certainly does not mean that I forget about corporeal requirements: I must take care of my family and health. Yet, whatever my inner state is—in darkness and despair, in chaos and misunderstanding, in confusion and dullness of feelings, I agree with it as sent by the Creator and I am ready to remain in it forever.
I should ask to change not my state, but my attitude to this state. That is, I want to agree with it completely and not to demand anything more. If it is coming from the Creator, then I need nothing else.
I have nothing, not now, not in the future; there is complete darkness, the world has turned dark. All I hold on to is the fact that this state is intentionally sent by the Creator, the “good that does good,” and therefore, I expect no change. I do not demand the darkness’ disappearance and my reception of attainment and understanding; I am prepared to remain in the current state as much as necessary.
This is how I create my degree of Keter, the Kli of bestowal. The lower degree of the upper one is Malchut that has nothing in it. If I accept with joy this kingdom of the upper one (Malchut) in the form it is revealed: darkness and hopelessness, both in the present and in the future, beyond time, then it becomes my degree of Keter, the finest, bestowing Kli that shines upon me and allows me to continue the path.
On all the degrees, until the very end of correction, we must constantly annul ourselves to zero on our level and then from above we will receive additional higher degrees. This is the entrance to the spiritual world and the first contact of the lower one with the upper one. The upper one becomes my first spiritual state.
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/1/19, The Absolute Zero
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/1/19, The Absolute Zero
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