Baal HaSulam 

“The Freedom”

Key Points from Lesson #1

Slide #2

Humanity’s Quest for Freedom

• Humanity has struggled for thousands of years over the idea of freedom.

• Both humans and nature resist enslavement.

• The tendency toward freedom is natural and internal.

• But the concept remains vague — everyone defines it differently.

Slide #3

The Concept of Freedom in the Wisdom of Kabbalah

• In Kabbalah, freedom means rising above the will to receive and becoming free from it.
• The freedom from the will to receive in order to receive is the gateway to the spiritual world.

Slide #4

Freedom from the Angel of Death

• In Kabbalah, the "Angel of Death" refers to the will to receive in order to receive.
• Freedom from the Angel of Death means reaching a state of intention to bestow.

Slide #5

The Point in the Heart

• Developing the "point in the heart" is the beginning of building the free vessel.
• Through it, a person reaches the revelation of the truth.

Slide #6

Pleasure and Pain

• Providence has bound life with two reins: pleasure and pain.
• A person is drawn to pleasure and flees from pain; through these two reins, Providence guides him to all the desirable places.
• A person is like a puppet on a string and naturally carries out the commands of Providence.

Slide #7

Pleasure and Pain

• According to Baal HaSulam a person is not free. He is dependent on society and those around him and is compelled to act according to what is respected and valued in the eyes of others.
• A person’s pride and pursuit of honor cause him to behave according to what is accepted by society.

Slide #8

Pleasure and Pain

• In the article, the person is described as a stew cooking on a stove, meaning he has no choice and is being cooked by the flame.
• There is no essential difference between man and animal, because man also has no conscious free choice.