Baal HaSulam, “The Essence of Religion and It’s Purpose”: It turns out that our final aim is to be qualified for adhesion with Him—for Him to reside within us. That aim is a certainty and there is no way to deviate from it, since His guidance supervises us in both paths, which are the path of suffering and the path of Torah.

There is an upper force that has created the desire to receive and has raised it. It gave the desire everything it needs to grow, but when it grew, it suddenly discovered that it feels bad, and that it actually doesn’t get what it desires. In its youth, while it was growing up everything was fine: It got everything that it desired. Then it desired more and received it. But now when it is grown, everything is different; it doesn’t get the filling automatically. On the contrary, the more it wants, the less it receives. So the desire thinks to itself: “Who or what is the cause of this bad feeling?”

Humanity is divided into several categories when it comes to this question. There are those ninety-nine percent who simply go on, attracted from the bad to the good, enjoying life as much as they can. There are those who go out searching for the truth, meaning looking for the reason for what is happening.

Humanity is trying to explain this contrast in the leadership that changes so dramatically when a person grows up. At first everyone treats him nicely until the real change comes and now everyone demands something from him and treats him badly. This contrast and this conflict are very confusing, and so there are those who begin to look for a solution. The upper force that has created the desire to receive and that has raised it to a great egoism can eventually bring it to the right state.

There are two forces that operate in reality and help us reach that state: there is the pulling force and the pushing force. The egoistic desire loves pleasures and hates suffering. In other words, it loves the filling and hates the emptiness. So it can be managed by these two states. When it is emptied, it runs away looking for a filling. When it is filled, it is drawn to it. By using these two reins we can do whatever we want with it.

But what’s the use if the desire totally obeys the Creator’s reins? After all, the inanimate, vegetative, and animate levels develop this way, so what’s the need for creation? After all, in this way there is no uniqueness and man is also led by pleasures and suffering in life. The originality and the uniqueness of creation, of the worlds, among the created beings can only be revealed in unique creatures that can operate between these two “reins.”

This means even if the desire totally obeys the upper guidance and has nowhere to run, as the forces totally surround him even if they are concealed. The main thing is that these creatures want to attain the actions: What are they? What are they for? Which desires do they affect? They want to attain their own system by themselves and according to it they begin to understand who manages their desires. Thus, according to the principle of “we know You by Your actions,” they attain the operating mind, the force that operates in creation.

So when we grow and discover the two forces that operate upon us, the positive force and the negative one, when we see the “reins” that control our running, it’s a good sign. It means that we have moved from the ninety-nine percent to the one unique per cent, for which creation was meant.

When we discover the Creator’s bestowal in the form of suffering and pleasure, good and bad, coldness and heat, hunger and satiation, we should understand that it’s all in order to make us aware that the Creator is the Absolute Good. The wisdom of Kabbalah is the wisdom for the revelation of the Creator, for the revelation of His actions. Therefore, we constantly study ourselves: “Who am I and what am I? All of reality including the group is inside me.” Eventually I discover that deep inside me it’s the Creator, the Absolute Good that operates inside me.
[61976]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/28/11

Related Material:
Man The Creator
Be The Chief Of Unification
Whom And What Does My Uniqueness Serve?