The Zohar tells us what happens in the spiritual world. It describes the creature’s actions of bestowal. However, because we are incapable of such actions yet, we are unable to understand them. We exist in our egoistic desire. We only know about receiving pleasure and fulfillment and the actions that get us there.

Therefore, the actions described by The Zohar appear to us like they are written in some foreign language, like a secret code. It seems to speak about something utterly unreal. It doesn’t matter whether it’s written in the language of Kabbalah with Sefirot, Partzufim, and worlds or in fairytale-like allegories with the sun, the moon, mountains, people, animals, and so on. We don’t understand or feel any of it because we don’t exist in the quality (meaning, nature) of bestowal, but in the quality of reception.

If our corporeal egoistic qualities were replaced from Above with spiritual qualities of love and bestowal, we would immediately understand what The Zohar is telling us. As we read it, we would reveal the Upper World. It would be revealed not just in our imagination like when reading an adventure novel, but in reality.

Although we don’t have these spiritual qualities yet and the text remains unreal for us, our reading of The Book of Zohar is called Segula, a special remedy. Even if we don’t understand it, we read it and try to draw onto us the forces from that other world described in the book. By wishing to change and to feel the text, it “shines” on us with the “Light that Reforms,” (Ohr Makif – the Surrounding Light).

This force influences us and reveals new qualities of bestowal inside us, which are described by The Zohar. It was written in the nature of bestowal, not reception, and thus it can only be understood in keeping with the nature of bestowal.

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