We are egoists and are only able to do whatever is important to our ego. How, then, can we get rid of it?

This is why we carry out Kabbalists’ advice. We have two possibilities:

1. To move under blows from our nature, meaning to develop due to having no other choice until we will nevertheless desire to get rid of the suffering. However, the path of constantly running away from evil is very lengthy and diffcult.

2. To use the magnifying glass of the mind without waiting for the blows to come. In the article “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose” Baal HaSulam explains that we can raise our perceptivity and keenly recognize the signs on the path, similar to being able to understand a word before it’s finished. A wise person sees things that others don’t even notice.

Some people write down wise advice but don’t let it pass through their heart. There are all kinds of cases. Every person has his “fate.” To the extent that a person hears what he is being told, that is how much he will advance if he is ready to draw a distinction between his ego and the spiritual path, if he properly interprets the meaning of "exile" and "redemption" and is willing to be relentless and stubborn even though it’s unpleasant to his egoism.

A person works in order to raise the importance of ascending above egoism, even though this causes him pain and seems like a loss. He discerns new things again and again, and with every new stroke the loss of egoism no longer seems sorrowful compared to the spiritual attainment that becomes revealed. And then he receives another addition of coal into the furnace of self-love, and that is in order to achieve the following ascent.
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/13/11, Writings of Rabash

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Egoism, Inner Work, Suffering | Add Comment →