Life Is Not Always A Picnic

Laitman_903A question I received: The World Zohar Convention has just ended. At the convention we saw over a thousand people of different races and nationalities many of which carry historical stereotypes. Unexpectedly, in a mere 20-30 hours all these differences disappeared giving rise to connection and love. What do we lack to be in this state continuously?

My Answer: At the convention people felt unity, inspiration, and importance of the goal. However, 20 hours have passed since the gathering, and now we can hardly remember how it was there. Everything vanishes from our senses and memory. Why can’t we to continue in this way and always be in this state?

This state just like everything else in our life cannot last long. One’s inspiration and enthusiasm reach a peak and then a person calms down. It’s impossible to stay inspired forever. This follows from the law of the inverse relationship between the Light and desire: At one moment the Light has to increase, at another the desire. They increase alternately, and through this we advance as if walking on two legs along the middle line that connects two other lines, left and right.

The two lines connect only with the purpose of pressing forward, and then to start moving again. We first move to the right where we obtain the importance of the goal, connection, and desire to continue and go. Then from the left, there comes “heaviness the heart,” so that we have something to work on and return again to the middle line. This is how we advance.

This is why this state cannot last long: It would go against nature. I would even say that no state is more undesirable than being in constant euphoria. A person has to feel that he advances, works, and overcomes some internal resistance, instead of being constantly “up in the clouds.”

Our work is to acutely feel that we give and receive something, and give again, and receive again. We have to feel resistance, actions, and achievements. This is why there is so much pleasure in hard work and difficult preparation that culminate in such a great convention where we see the results of our work and enjoy what we attained for two or three days. However, after this, we again have to return to the state of burden, overcoming, search, clarifications, and corrections so as to eventually arrive at another beautiful outcome.

It is because the Creator and creature stand opposite each other as two opposite properties: the desire to receive and the desire to bestow. Equality between them is achieved only by the means of such mutual actions. Advancement is impossible otherwise. We can’t stay in the small state (Katnut) or Hafetz Hesed: We have to move forward!

Post Zohar Convention Lesson 5/11/10

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2 Comments

  1. I seem to be more fortunate. I have not forgotten. I give our Creator thanks for each and every person, experience & challenge I received in the whole process.
    Then I stay connected and look forward to seeing you next conference/congress.
    Shalom Habariem

  2. The feelings were so intense at the Zohar Convention, just like you said they would be. I arrived late on Friday night and I was at the last lesson of the day. I immediately felt the love, the connection, the welcome feeling. The next day the opposite force hit me like a bomb. The sweetness was gone and like a child without his candy, all I wanted to do is cry. Feelings of alienation invaded me and I wanted to run away to my little cave and feel safe again.
    On my way out I found a friend who took me by the hand and brought me back to the middle. He explained to me that it was part of the process of spiritual advancement and a small price to pay for a wonderful reward. It was so beautiful! He is in my heart now, a part of me just like my own brother, mother or daughter.
    I also made many more connections with brothers and sisters that for sure will last forever.

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