A Teacher Is The Intermediate Degree Between The Student And The Creator

Unattainability in the Mind of a Kabbalist If a student wishes to ascend spiritually (to acquire qualities of bestowal), he has to “cancel” himself (his egoism) and “adhere” to the Teacher in an attempt to take on the qualities of the Teacher. Of course, he cannot do this on his own, but by making the effort, he will create the conditions for the Teacher to begin raising him “up” to his mind and feelings, which belong to the Upper Reality and the higher degree of the Teacher. This is how we advance in spirituality.

For each level, there is a guide between two states – the intermediate state or degree, the AHP of the Upper Level, which carries you upward (see Talmud Eser Sefirot, Part 3, Inner Reflection). The Upper One, the Teacher comes down to the level of the student and reveals himself to you while appearing to be almost like you. He does this so we could connect to him, like a father, who is an intelligent adult, but plays little kids’ games with his son.

However, at times the Teacher reveals himself “incorrectly,” thereby showing us what we need to cancel out from within ourselves in order to adhere to him for an ascent.

If the AHP of the Upper One did not come down to the lower one, the lower one would have no opportunity to ascend. A student must find a Teacher, since otherwise he will continue to wander in place on his own degree and never have the ability to ascend!

The Teacher exists on two degrees: the degree of the student, to where he purposely lowers himself, and on his own higher degree, the level to which he can raise the student. The same is true in any science: The student has to annul himself before the teacher, since otherwise the student will not receive anything from the teacher.

By rising to the Teacher’s degree, you reveal the next, higher degree, which then becomes your next Teacher. In this manner you constantly annul yourself and reveal the Teacher at higher and higher levels every time.  The Teacher connects you to the Upper Degree, and this is why he is called a Teacher, while the degree that follows him is called the Creator.

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Drawing closer and uniting with the Teacher occurs irrespective of physical closeness to him.  It makes no difference whether a person studies with the Teacher face-to-face or through the Internet. If the student listens to what the Teacher says and carries it out, annulling himself with all devotion and trying to understand what the Teacher is thinking, then it doesn’t matter where each is located.  The student will receive everything through that spiritual channel upward, which he will reveal for himself.

After all, the Teacher is not a physical body, but the intermediate degree between the student and the Creator.

One Comment

  1. Wow! That’s all I can say!

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