Lesson 1: Human nature and the perception of reality according to Kabbalah
The lesson dives into what drives us, where our thoughts come from, and what sparks our desires. It breaks down Kabbalah’s core idea: our desire for pleasure. Discover the goal of authentic Kabbalah and why it’s still crucial today.
- What drives human nature? Where do our thoughts come from and what awakens in us the desires that drive us?
- What are the fundamental building blocks of creation according to the wisdom of Kabbalah—the desire to receive pleasure and delight—and what are their characteristics?
- What is the benefit of studying authentic Kabbalah, and why is it relevant today?
Lesson 1
Human nature and the perception of reality according to Kabbalah
Slide #2
What brought me here?
Meaning to have an interest in the wisdom of Kabbalah?
Slide #3
The four groups:
- The curious / searching
- Life is dull / grey
- In a rat race / endless chase
- A shake-up / crisis
Slide #4
What is 'Nature' to me?
Slide #5
“We make nothing new, our work is only to illuminate what is hidden within a person.”
- Rav Menachem Mendel of Kotzk
Slide #6
Nature
- In nature there is an amazing unity - each element complements the other and is necessary for proper functioning.
- Nature is an integral system and all its parts are interconnected
- It is a system that develops us toward connection and cooperation in two directions:
- On the one hand, there is a union of all the parts
- And on the other hand - differentiation and division, which lead to the creation of a great variety of natural elements.
Slide #7
Nature
- Humans are not above nature, but are part of a massive and complex system, and are connected to it by countless invisible connections
- An imbalance between reception and bestowal in human relations causes the imbalance with the overall nature.
- As a result, humanity is subject to suffering: depression and various crises on the one hand, and on the other hand, 'natural disasters', economic and environmental crises, epidemics and so on.
Slide #8
Between Science and the Wisdom of Kabbalah
Science investigates physical reality, builds and organises knowledge, and tries to explain phenomena in our world through empirical methods:
- Impartiality
- Empiricism
- The principle of falsifiability
- Abstraction
- Consistency
Slide #9
“Our essence is as the essence of all the details in reality, which is no more and no less than the will to receive.”
- Baal HaSulam. Item 20. “Introduction to The Book of Zohar”
Slide # 10
"The greatness of the value of the power of the human will will yet be discovered in the world, and its degree in reality, how decisive it is, and this discovery will be the crown of all science."
- Rav Kook
Slide #11
“The abundance itself is like an ocean. There is one who draws with a thimble, and there is one who draws with a bucket, and so forth.”
- RABASH, Assorted Notes. Article No. 798, "The Merit of the Little One"
Slide #12 - picture
Slide #13
“The whole of the wisdom of Kabbalah is only to know the guidance of the upper desire, why He created all those creations, what He wants with them, and what will be the end of all the turnings of the world.”
- RAMCHAL, Daat Tevunot
Slide #14
Characteristics of the will to receive
- Our desires are growing all the time
- Fillings, which are achieved by much effort, are felt for a short time and disappear.
- When the filling is gone - it leaves us with a greater emptiness
- As a pleasure increases in quality, the filling lasts longer
- Desires are not under the control of the person
- Desires are strongly influenced/controlled by the environment.
Slide #15
Characteristics of the will to receive
- Desires cannot be cancelled - it is possible to reduce them through sufferings
- Egoism = a person’s pleasures come at the expense of others
- Desire as substance is neutral
- The ego = a natural hate (unfounded) for others, one will always prefer fulfilment for one’s own self over the fulfilment of others, and usually this will happen at the expense of others.
Slide #16
RABASH, Letter 38-1
“Creation of the Will to Receive
The need to create the will to receive is because they interpreted that the purpose of creation was to do good to His creations. The Creator wishes to impart His goodness in order to delight the creatures, and consequently, creation must contain be a Kli (vessel) for reception of pleasure. It is impossible to receive pleasure if there is no need and lack for it, for then we do not feel any pleasure.
Slide #17
This is similar to a person treating his friend to a good meal, but he has no appetite and therefore cannot enjoy the meal, for only the craving for the food determines the measure of pleasure in the meal. For this reason, in order for the creatures to enjoy His gifts, He has imprinted in the creatures a nature of always wanting to receive pleasure.
Slide #18
This discernment that exists in a person, namely the desire to receive pleasure, is the whole of man which the Creator has created. Everything we speak of with regard to man is nothing more than the desire to receive… and in the future he will be granted eternal pleasure. That is, the desire to receive pleasure will be rewarded, at the end of its work, with receiving all the pleasure that the Creator contemplated giving to it.
Slide #19
Some of the topics we will dive into during the course
- The plan of creation and its purpose
- What is a soul, and how does it relate to me?
- The upper force: Is there any? None? How and what?
- Perception of reality
- Freedom of choice
- The history of humanity and the wisdom of Kabbalah
Slide #20
Introspection / further self-study
We will study our desire according to the following questions:
- What desires arise in me, and at what rate?
- Do my desires appear on their own?
Slide #21
Introspection / further self-study
Let's observe people around us, how do their desires operate them?
Am I able to differentiate between the point in the heart and the other desires?
