Kabbalists On The Nature Of Man And The Nature Of The Creator, Part 16

Dr. Michael LaitmanDear Friends, please ask questions about these passages from the great Kabbalists. The commentaries in brackets are mine.

The Discrepancy between Man’s Nature and the Nature of the Creator

When one emerges out of the bosom of creation, one is in utter egoism, self-love, and his every movement is without a shred of bestowal upon others. Thus, then one is at the farthest distance from the Creator, the property of absolute altruism. Therefore, his situation is regarded as being at the lowest point of creation.
– Baal HaSulam, Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah), Item 12

Although the will to receive is a mandatory law in the creature, it nonetheless completely separates it from the Emanator. There is disparity of form to the point of oppositeness between the creature and the Emanator, between the will to receive and the will to bestow.
– Baal HaSulam, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” Item 13

Evil, in general, is nothing more than self-love called “egoism” since it is opposite in form from the Creator who hasn’t any will to receive for Himself, but only to bestow.
– Baal HaSulam, “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose
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Related Material:
Kabbalists On The Nature Of Man And The Nature Of The Creator, Part 15
Kabbalists On The Nature Of Man And The Nature Of The Creator, Part 14
Kabbalists On The Nature Of Man And The Nature Of The Creator, Part 13

One Comment

  1. How do you help a friend who might start to see egoism and how damaging it is to the world. Let’s say he understands it might be the root of the problem, and he starts to look at his own actions and tries to not be like that, but then he doesn’t see the outcomes of change he expects to see when he takes away egoism. The environment doesn’t get better. How do you help someone who starts out in the right direction but then he dips down again. Is this where someone wants to ascend again and you have to make sure they rise above it?

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