Introduction to the Book of Zohar (PDF) - Kabbalah Media Archive

More documents

Recommendations

Info

I N T RO D U C T I O N T O T H E B O O K O F Z O H A R cept it in our vessels of bestowal, in the intention “for the sake of the Creator”, because He desires it. We need to ask for strength to accept it without seeing. Question: My next level is opposite to me. Does it mean that what I can “see in this life” happens to be just a tiny part of the level closest to my properties? Otherwise, it will repel me and not attract me. This is precisely why the revelation of the AHP of the higher level is defined as a spiritual downfall. If the person realizes that, he immediately finds strength to master this AHP. 6. Our sages said: “The Creator created the world for no other reason, but to bestow delight upon His creatures (i.e., the sages, who attain the Creator, know His thoughts). Here is where we must place our mind and heart, for it is the final aim of the act of the creation of the world. Baal HaSulam says that one sentence “The Creator created the world to bestow delight upon His creatures” contains the thought, the act, and the end of the creation. Apparently, that is why he suggests that we should reflect on this phrase. What he actually means is that at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of all the actions that take place in the world, however noble or mean they may seem, on all their levels and in all their combinations, they pursue only one goal: to bestow delight upon the creatures. There is no other motive in any of the Creator’s actions. In addition, we must bear in mind that, since the thought of creation is to bestow to His creatures, He had to create in the souls a great amount of desire to receive that which He had thought to give. For the measure of any delight depends on the measure of the will to receive it. The greater is the will to receive, the greater the pleasure, and the lesser the will, the lesser the pleasure from reception. We know it from our own experience in this world. I may sit at a table beautifully laid with most exquisite delicacies, but I can enjoy it 118
I N T RO D U C T I O N T O T H E B O O K O F Z O H A R only to the extent of my desire. Therefore, we say that the Creator’s light fills the entire creation. We are inside this ocean of light, and we shall feel it only in our desire for this light, for its property, for the delight of bestowal. It is quite natural that if we do not feel anything now, it means that we have no desire whatsoever for this light of bestowal. Nevertheless, the Creator preinstalled in us an enormous desire to receive delight perfectly matched to His desire to bestow. Therefore, the thought of creation itself dictates the presence of an excessive will to receive in the souls, to fit the immense pleasure that the Creator thought to bestow upon them. For the great delight and the great desire to receive must go hand in hand. 7. Once we have learned that, we have come to understand the second inquiry to its fullness, and with complete clarity. For we have learned what is the reality that one can base clear decisions on, that is not a part of His essence, but constitutes a new creation. Now that we know for sure that the thought of creation is to bestow to His creatures, He necessarily created a measure of desire to receive from Him the bounty and delight that he had planned for them. Thus, we see that the will to receive certainly was not a part of His essence before He had created it in the souls, because He can receive from no one. He created a novelty that is absent in Him. Along with that, we understand, according to the thought of creation, that there was no need to create anything more than the will to receive. For this new creation is sufficient for Him to fulfill the entire plan – to bestow delight upon someone (if this someone exists as a will to receive pleasure). Since the Creator’s desire is to bestow delight, He is in need of a will to receive delight. We happen to represent this will. 119
Page 3:
T H E L I G H T O F K A B B A L A H
Page 6 and 7:
We wish to extend our gratitude to
Page 9:
T O T H E R E A D E R For many cent
Page 13 and 14:
PREFACE TO THE BOOK OF ZOHAR 1. The
Page 15 and 16:
P R E FAC E T O T H E B O O K O F Z
Page 17 and 18:
Page 19 and 20:
Page 21 and 22:
Page 23 and 24:
Page 25 and 26:
Page 27 and 28:
Page 29 and 30:
Page 31 and 32:
Page 33 and 34:
Page 35 and 36:
Page 37 and 38:
Page 39 and 40:
Page 41 and 42:
Page 43 and 44:
Page 45 and 46:
Page 47 and 48:
Page 49 and 50:
Page 51 and 52:
Page 53 and 54:
Page 55 and 56:
Page 57 and 58:
Page 59 and 60:
Page 61 and 62:
Page 63 and 64:
Page 65 and 66:
Page 67 and 68: P R E FAC E T O T H E B O O K O F Z
Page 89: P R E FAC E T O T H E B O O K O F Z
Page 92 and 93: I N T RO D U C T I O N T O T H E B
Page 168 and 169:
I N T RO D U C T I O N T O T H E B
Page 170 and 171:
Page 172 and 173:
Page 174 and 175:
Page 176 and 177:
Page 178 and 179:
Page 180 and 181:
Page 182 and 183:
Page 184 and 185:
Page 186 and 187:
Page 188 and 189:
Page 190 and 191:
Page 192 and 193:
Page 194 and 195:
Page 196 and 197:
Page 198 and 199:
Page 200 and 201:
Page 202 and 203:
Page 204 and 205:
Page 206 and 207:
Page 208 and 209:
Page 210 and 211:
Page 212 and 213:
Page 214 and 215:
Page 216 and 217:
Page 218 and 219:
Page 220 and 221:
Page 222 and 223:
Page 224 and 225:
Page 226 and 227:
Page 228 and 229:
Page 230 and 231:
Page 232 and 233:
Page 234 and 235:
Page 236 and 237:
Page 238 and 239:
Page 240 and 241:
Page 242 and 243:
Page 244 and 245:
Page 246 and 247:
Page 248 and 249:
Page 250 and 251:
Page 252 and 253:
Page 254 and 255:
Page 256 and 257:
Page 258 and 259:
Page 260 and 261:
Page 262 and 263:
Page 264 and 265:
Page 266 and 267:
Page 268 and 269:
Page 270 and 271:
Page 272 and 273:
Page 274 and 275:
Page 276 and 277:
Page 278 and 279:
Page 280 and 281:
Page 282 and 283:
Page 284 and 285:
Page 286 and 287:
Page 288 and 289:
Page 290 and 291:
Page 292 and 293:
Page 294 and 295:
Page 296 and 297:
Page 298 and 299:
Page 300 and 301:
for suffering and pleasure, for tho
Page 302:
and takes control over one’s life
show all

Introduction to the Book of Zohar (PDF) - Kabbalah Media Archive

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?