Lesson 16

Preparation for the Kabbalah Convention "Awakening from Below" - part 4

Selected Excerpts from the Sources

Rabash, Art. 24 "The Main Thing We Need" >>

1. From : TES, Part 1, Histaklut Pnimit, Item 8

"The entire reality was emanated and created with a single thought. It is the operator; it is the very operation and it is actually the sought-after reward and the essence of the labour."

2. RABASH, Shamati, Article 29 (1986), "Lishma and Lo Lishma"

"There is only one way—to try to attain the greatness of the Creator. That is, in all that we do in Torah and Mitzvot, we want our reward to be the feeling of the greatness of the Creator, and all our prayers should be to “raise the Shechina [Divinity] from the dust,” since the Creator is hidden from us due to the Tzimtzum that took place and we cannot appreciate His importance and greatness.

Therefore, we pray to the Creator to remove His concealment from us and to raise the glory of Torah. As we say in the Eighteen Prayer of Rosh Hashanah [New Year service], “Indeed, give glory to Your people.” That is, “Give the glory of the Lord to Your people,” so they will feel the glory of the King."

3. RABASH, Article No. 17 (1986), "The Agenda of the Assembly – 2"

"According to what is written, “In the multitude of people is the King's glory,” it follows that the greater the number of the collective, the more effective is the power of the collective. In other words, they produce a stronger atmosphere of greatness and importance of the Creator. At that time, each person’s body feels that he regards anything that he wishes to do for holiness—meaning to bestow upon the Creator—as a great fortune, that he has been privileged with being among people who have been rewarded with serving the King. At that time, every little thing he does fills him with joy and pleasure that now he has something with which to serve the King."

4. RABASH, Article No. 146, "Suffering and Joy"

"One must be grateful to the Creator for rewarding him by giving him a thought and desire for the least thing in Kedusha, since he sees that he is not more worthy or important than the rest of the people, yet the Creator awarded him with this. Hence, such a state commits him to thank the Creator, meaning that this is the time to give singing and praising to the Creator."

5. Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira, Bnei Machshava Tova

"The melody is only a form of revelation of the soul and its feelings. It is revealed in the words that one says to one’s friend about his thoughts and feelings of sorrow and of joy, and even more so in his voice. As it is said in the holy books as evidence of that, when one’s sorrow increases, he can no longer speak, and he only cries out and weeps with his voice. Therefore, the tune, which is happy or bitter sounds, awakens the person’s feelings in which the sparks and organs of the soul are revealed."