New, improved Kabbalah Series

Chapter 17 Part 1


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This series is a continuation and should be read in order. If you are not familiar with previous posts you may have trouble understanding later ones.

And now Chapter 17.01

Now that we have given the basic analogy for the concept of the kav/line it is necessary to understand the particular concept of how the kav/line is in a manner of circle and straight lines etc. However, first an introduction about the beginning of this kav/line is necessary. For, the kav/line comes in a manner of a pervading [pnimi inner] light first and then afterwards circles (to become encompassing) and then it is again drawn forth in a manner of a pervading [pnimi] light and then circles once more etc. So that the kav/line is drawn forth in both a manner of "straight lines" as well as "circles." In addition, it is explained in Eitz Chayim that in the scheme of the ten Sfiros/Emanations of egullim [circles] the upper one is the superior of them all, while the innermost one is the inferior of them all etc. While in the scheme of the ten Sfiros/Emanations of yosher [straight lines] it is the opposite--the upper sfirah is inferior and the inner sfirah is superior etc. So it is now necessary to understand the difference between the scheme of egullim [circles] and that of yosher [straight lines].

The explanation of these things is such: it is known that this ‘First Desire’, even though, relative to the simple predetermined will within the Essential Self, it is referred to as an extension of will - i.e. a will that is revealed outside of the Essential Self - however, it (the First Desire after the tzimtzum/lessening) is still in a state of concealment, not revealed at all. For, this ‘First Desire’ is only the expression and issuance of the simple desire for kindness, which was already predetermined within the Essential Self, that it should come into actuality and the instant that this thought arises that everything that was desired within oneself should come to fruition - this (immediate arousal of thought) is what is referred to as the ‘First Thought and Desire,’ which includes all of the particular desires, which are within it, as discussed previously about the analogy of the house(ch 16). So that, just as there the first, general desire for a home includes the desire for everything that is included within the process of planning, financing and building a house and will automatically include a wish to do any of the things which will actualize his desire for the house. So too, here the desire for all of the particulars of the hishtalshellus/chaining of the worlds are included in the First Desire to bestow His kindness.

In addition, the first desire for a house really has no relation to the outside world, for it is not really a desire for a house, but rather for a home. This means that this ‘first desire’ is not really a desire for something outside of oneself, but rather, it is a desire for the expression of a particular aspect of oneself. For example, the true inner desire for a home is something rooted within a person’s very essential self, as the Talmud states "a man without a house is not a man," meaning that without a house a person is lacking an expression for a vital aspect of their soul, rooted to their inner being. Therefore, a person without a house can not find true fulfillment and a feeling of tranquility. If so, then the true inner desire for a home is for oneself, that one should be able to experience this pleasure and find this fulfillment. At this stage this inner desire has not been shaped by one’s surroundings into a desire for a physical house, for the definition of a house is something dependent on the outside world; what will practically serve the purpose of one’s essential desire. This concept of a physical house is something outside of one’s essential self and it is created according to world and circumstances that one lives in. This inner desire being an inner integral part of his essential nature which translates into an unrest, a yearning for independence and a feeling of tranquility with free self-expression. It is this inner unrest that drives a teenager’s search for self-fulfillment, a spouse to share oneself with and finally a physical structure (one’s spouse being called one’s inner "home"). So that, when one thinks about a home one is not really thinking about a physical structure, but rather, the feeling of fulfillment and tranquility that one experiences sitting with one’s family and possessions and everything is just right - an inner contentment in one’s being.

Now the physical aspects of this desire come afterwards and are created according to one’s environment. So that, while in Western culture we may feel at home in a condo or town house, a native of some under-developed country may feel this same contentment with a thatched hut. So that the true home is a state of being, while the physical manifestation of it is something invented in our minds by our needs, wants and social influences.

The same is true with any desire, that its true inner source is a desire for oneself, for one’s own self-expression and self-fulfillment and not for anything external from oneself. This is so both with a particular hishtalshellus/chaining to achieve a particular desire, such as the desire for a home or a car or the general desire of one’s life ambition. In both instances the first inner desire is for one’s self enjoyment. The same is similarly the case with the ‘First Desire and Thought’ for the creation of the world; it is really a desire for the expression of G-d’s simple kindness and the enjoyment which will result from it as predetermined in the simple will before the tzimtzum, according to G-d’s freewill. 


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The material in this series is copyrighted by Rabbi Yossi Markel