Earthly And Extraterrestrial Pleasures

Baal HaSulam, “The Quality of the Wisdom of the Hidden in General,” Practical Learning: It is the nature of those degrees that one who attains finds in them tremendous pleasure and delight when he attains them. This extends from one’s coming into the will of the upper one… .

Question: Is it only about spiritual steps or in our material world, that pleasure is also explained by entering into the desires of the Creator?

Answer: No. By gradually acquiring the qualities of the Creator, one begins to feel pleasure in the state in which he is in our world. Also, an inner Kli is formed in him, an inner vessel for receiving this pleasure.

The pleasures of our world are very specific, small, earthly. They cannot fill us, because they are pleasures within the desire to receive.

Entering the desire to receive (for self), the pleasure consumes it, just like being hungry, I begin to fill myself with food and with every bite my desire decreases. As a result, I stop eating, although there may still be many dishes on the table, but I don’t have any desire for them.

Whereas extraterrestrial desires are based on non-egoistic receiving, when I receive not in order to satisfy my desire, but to satisfy the wishes of another.

And the other’s desires are endless for me. I am in front of a common system that has the greatest desires, equal to the Creator in its strength and force. This is the most incredible, infinite volume that I can fill with infinite upper light passing through me and filling completely this huge vessel.

Therefore, my pleasures will be infinite, if only I will treat the filling as something that I very much desire. Suppose when I feed my child, the more I feed him, the more I enjoy. But in the end, he is sated, does not want to eat more. What can be done?

In contrast, spiritual enjoyment is imperishable, eternal, infinite, perfect, because its desire to receive is unlimited. This is what a special principle of spiritual attainment is about.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian, 2/10/19