What Is the Main Deficiency for which One Should Pray?

In-Depth Study, The Writings of Rabash - every Tuesday evening

We're so grateful that this upcoming convention is forcing us to discover all kinds of new things about our path. We're all working on new tips for our study together. Even if it may seem a bit challenging at the moment - it's all good. The main thing is that everyone gathers together for the convention. At the last moment there are all kinds of surprises. Once everyone will show up everything will work itself out.

We're studying materials in accordance with the convention materials that you can see on the convention site. We're taking the next 90 minutes to invest some more in our preparation.

I actually spent half the day looking for advice from Rav on how to prepare for the convention. There is so much material in our archive. I saw there is advice for before the convention, during and after the convention. We're preparing a document with all this special advice for Rav. On Shabbat and Sunday half of the morning lesson will be on this topic. It's all written and has been said. But it's very hard to find these things because it's based on personal guidance Rav gave over the years. You may have already seen a draft. Now we're updating it.

Rav says that our attitude needs to be that we're going to a wedding of someone very close to me. Today there was a wedding like that in my family and over the last week and half I watched everyone go crazy - buying this and that for the big event. That's the right attitude.

It's also good to show up early and help - this is the greatest gift you can give yourself. Because then you don't show up like a guest - but rather more like a host.

We really need to get each other all fired up - even if we're not feeling it. We need to talk about it - even if we're faking it at first. We can infect each other with this excitement for the upcoming event.

So regarding the article - we received great advice from Rav a few days ago. To read as slowly as the person writing it to try to sense how the author - The Rabash - felt when he was writing it.

We have this inner drive to search for filling - we have corporeal one and spiritual ones. And Rabash is explaining the difference to us. One is about filling ourselves and the other is for the Creator. Here is an excerpt -

What Is the Main Deficiency for which One Should Pray?

Article 12, 1986

It is known that Creation is called “deficiency.” This is why it is called “existence from absence.” Man was created full of deficiencies. Therefore, for man to succeed in the work when he is going to satisfy his deficiencies he must first know what is the main deficiency to which he should give preference over all his deficiencies. Since there are spiritual deficiencies and corporeal deficiencies we must first clarify which we defined as “spiritual” and which we defined as “corporeal.”

In the essay, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah” (item 11) it is written, “Now you can understand the real difference between spirituality and corporeality: anything that contains a complete desire to receive, in all its Behinot [discernments], which is Behina Dalet, is considered ‘corporeal.’ This is what exists in all the elements of reality before us in this world. Conversely, anything above this great measure of desire to receive is considered ‘spirituality.’”

It follows that corporeality means that which relates to satisfying our will to receive. Thus, everything that one does for one’s own benefit is called “corporeality,” and what he does to benefit the Creator is called “spirituality.”