5.
Lishma
Is
an
Awakening
from
Above,
and
Why
Do
We
Need
an
Awakening
from
Below?
I
heard
in
1945
In
order
to
attain
Lishma
[for
Her
sake],
it
is
not
within
one’s
hands
to
understand,
as
it
is
not
for
the
human
mind
to
grasp
how
such
a
thing
can
be
in
the
world.
This
is
so
because
one
is
only
permitted
to
grasp
that
if
he
engages
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot
[commandments]
he
will
attain
something.
There
must
be
self-benefit
there
for
otherwise,
one
is
unable
to
do
anything.
Rather,
it
is
an
illumination
that
comes
from
above,
and
only
one
who
tastes
it
can
know
and
understand.
It
is
written
about
it,
“Taste
and
see
that
the
Lord
is
good.”
Thus,
we
must
understand
why
one
should
seek
advice
and
counsels
regarding
how
to
achieve
Lishma.
After
all,
no
counsels
will
help
him,
and
if
the
Creator
does
not
give
him
the
second
nature,
called
“the
desire
to
bestow,”
no
labor
will
help
him
to
attain
the
matter
of
Lishma.
The
answer
is,
as
our
sages
said
(Avot,
Chapter
2,
21),
“It
is
not
for
you
to
complete
the
work,
and
you
are
not
free
to
idle
away
from
it.”
This
means
that
one
must
give
the
awakening
from
below,
since
this
is
regarded
as
a
prayer.
A
prayer
is
considered
a
deficiency,
and
without
a
deficiency
there
is
no
filling.
Hence,
when
one
has
a
need
for
Lishma,
the
filling
comes
from
above,
and
the
answer
to
the
prayer
comes
from
above,
meaning
he
receives
fulfillment
for
his
lack.
It
follows,
that
the
need
for
man’s
work
in
order
to
receive
the
Lishma
from
the
Creator
is
only
in
the
form
of
a
lack
and
a
Kli
[vessel].
Yet,
one
can
never
obtain
the
filling
by
himself;
it
is
rather
a
gift
from
the
Creator.
However,
the
prayer
must
be
a
complete
prayer,
from
the
bottom
of
the
heart.
This
means
that
one
knows
one
hundred
percent
that
there
is
no
one
in
the
world
who
can
help
him
but
the
Creator
Himself.
Yet,
how
does
one
know
this,
that
no
one
will
help
him
but
the
Creator
Himself?
One
can
acquire
that
awareness
precisely
if
he
has
exerted
all
the
powers
at
his
disposal
and
it
did
not
help
him.
Thus,
one
must
do
every
possible
thing
in
the
world
to
attain
“for
the
sake
of
the
Creator.”
Then
one
can
pray
from
the
bottom
of
the
heart,
and
then
the
Creator
hears
his
prayer.
However,
one
must
know,
when
exerting
to
attain
the
Lishma,
to
take
upon
himself
to
want
to
work
entirely
to
bestow,
completely,
meaning
only
to
bestow
and
not
to
receive
anything.
Only
then
does
one
begin
to
see
that
the
organs
do
not
agree
to
this
view.
From
this
one
can
come
to
clear
awareness
that
he
has
no
other
choice
but
to
pour
out
his
heart
to
the
Creator
to
help
him
so
the
body
will
agree
to
enslave
itself
to
the
Creator
unconditionally,
as
he
sees
that
he
cannot
persuade
his
body
to
annul
itself
completely.
It
turns
out
that
precisely
when
one
sees
that
there
is
no
hope
that
his
body
will
agree
to
work
for
the
Creator
by
itself,
one’s
prayer
can
be
from
the
bottom
of
the
heart,
and
then
his
prayer
is
accepted.
We
must
know
that
by
attaining
Lishma,
one
puts
the
evil
inclination
to
death.
The
evil
inclination
is
the
will
to
receive,
and
acquiring
the
desire
to
bestow
cancels
the
will
to
receive
from
being
able
to
do
anything.
This
is
considered
putting
it
to
death.
Since
it
has
been
removed
from
its
office,
and
it
has
nothing
more
to
do
since
it
is
no
longer
in
use,
when
it
is
revoked
from
its
function,
this
is
considered
putting
it
to
death.
When
one
contemplates
“What
he
has
in
his
work
which
he
works
under
the
sun,”
one
sees
that
it
is
not
so
difficult
to
enslave
oneself
to
His
Name
for
two
reasons:
-
Anyhow,
meaning,
whether
willingly
or
unwillingly,
one
must
exert
in
this
world,
and
what
has
one
left
from
all
the
efforts
he
has
made?
-
However,
if
a
person
works
Lishma,
he
receives
pleasure
during
the
work,
too.
According
to
the
proverb
of
the
Sayer
of
Dubna,
who
spoke
about
the
verse,
“You
did
not
call
Me,
Jacob,
for
you
labored
about
Me,
Israel,”
he
said
that
it
is
like
a
rich
man
who
departed
the
train
and
had
a
small
bag.
He
placed
it
where
all
the
merchants
place
their
baggage,
and
the
porters
take
the
baggage
and
bring
them
to
the
hotel
where
the
merchants
stay.
The
porter
thought
that
clearly
the
merchant
would
take
a
small
bag
by
himself,
and
there
is
no
need
for
a
porter
for
this,
so
he
took
a
big
package.
The
merchant
wanted
to
pay
him
a
small
fee,
as
he
usually
pays,
but
the
porter
did
not
want
to
take
it.
He
said,
“I
put
a
big
bag
into
the
hotel
depository,
which
exhausted
me,
and
I
barely
carried
your
bag,
and
you
want
to
pay
me
so
little
for
it?”
The
lesson
is
that
when
one
comes
and
says
that
he
exerted
extensively
in
observing
Torah
and
Mitzvot,
the
Creator
tells
him,
“You
did
not
call
Me,
Jacob.”
In
other
words,
it
is
not
My
baggage
that
you
took.
Rather,
this
baggage
belongs
to
someone
else.
Since
you
say
that
you
had
much
effort
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot,
you
must
have
had
a
different
landlord
for
whom
you
worked;
so
go
to
him
to
pay
you.
This
is
the
meaning
of
“for
you
labored
about
Me,
Israel.”
This
means
that
he
who
works
for
the
Creator
has
no
labor,
but
on
the
contrary,
pleasure
and
elation.
But
one
who
works
for
other
goals
cannot
come
to
the
Creator
with
complaints
that
the
Creator
does
not
give
him
vitality
in
the
work,
since
he
did
not
work
for
the
Creator,
for
the
Creator
to
pay
for
his
work.
Instead,
one
can
complain
to
those
people
for
whom
he
worked
to
give
him
pleasure
and
vitality.
And
since
there
are
many
purposes
in
Lo
Lishma
[not
for
Her
sake],
one
should
demand
of
the
goal
for
which
he
worked
to
give
him
the
reward,
namely
pleasure
and
vitality.
It
is
said
about
them,
“They
who
make
them
shall
be
like
them,
everyone
who
trusts
them.”
However,
according
to
this,
it
is
perplexing.
After
all,
we
see
that
even
when
one
takes
upon
himself
the
burden
of
the
kingdom
of
heaven
without
any
other
intention,
he
still
does
not
feel
any
vitality,
to
say
that
this
vitality
compels
him
to
take
upon
himself
the
burden
of
the
kingdom
of
heaven.
And
the
reason
he
does
take
upon
himself
the
burden
is
only
because
of
faith
above
reason.
In
other
words,
he
does
it
by
way
of
coercive
overcoming,
unwillingly.
Thus,
we
might
ask,
Why
does
one
feel
exertion
in
this
work,
with
the
body
constantly
seeking
a
time
when
it
can
be
rid
of
this
work,
as
one
does
not
feel
any
vitality
in
the
work?
According
to
the
above,
when
one
works
in
humbleness,
when
his
only
goal
is
to
work
in
order
to
bestow,
why
does
the
Creator
not
impart
him
taste
and
vitality
in
the
work?
The
answer
is
that
we
must
know
that
this
matter
is
a
great
correction.
Were
it
not
for
this,
meaning
if
light
and
vitality
had
illuminated
immediately
when
one
began
to
take
upon
himself
the
burden
of
the
kingdom
of
heaven,
he
would
have
vitality
in
the
work.
In
other
words,
the
will
to
receive,
too,
would
have
consented
to
this
work.
In
that
state
he
would
certainly
agree
because
he
wants
to
satisfy
his
desire,
meaning
he
would
work
for
his
own
benefit.
Had
that
been
the
case,
it
would
never
have
been
possible
to
achieve
Lishma
since
he
would
be
compelled
to
work
for
his
own
benefit,
as
he
would
feel
greater
pleasure
in
the
work
of
the
Creator
than
in
corporeal
desires.
Thus,
he
would
have
to
remain
in
Lo
Lishma,
since
he
would
have
had
satisfaction
in
the
work,
and
where
there
is
satisfaction,
one
cannot
do
anything,
as
without
profit,
one
cannot
work.
It
follows
that
if
one
received
satisfaction
in
this
work
of
Lo
Lishma,
he
would
have
to
remain
in
that
state.
This
would
be
similar
to
what
people
say,
that
when
there
are
people
chasing
a
thief
to
catch
him,
the
thief,
too,
runs
and
yells,
“Catch
the
thief!”
Then,
it
is
impossible
to
recognize
who
is
the
real
thief
so
as
to
catch
him
and
take
the
theft
out
of
his
hand.
However,
when
the
thief,
meaning
the
will
to
receive,
does
not
feel
any
flavor
or
vitality
in
the
work
of
accepting
the
burden
of
the
kingdom
of
heaven,
in
that
state,
if
one
works
with
faith
above
reason,
coercively,
and
the
body
becomes
accustomed
to
this
work
against
the
desire
of
his
will
to
receive,
then
he
has
the
means
by
which
to
come
to
work
that
will
be
with
the
purpose
of
bringing
contentment
to
his
Maker,
since
the
primary
requirement
from
a
person
is
to
come
to
Dvekut
[adhesion]
with
the
Creator
through
his
work,
which
is
discerned
as
equivalence
of
form,
where
all
his
actions
are
in
order
to
bestow.
This
is
as
it
is
written,
“Then
shall
you
delight
in
the
Lord.”
The
meaning
of
“Then”
is
that
first,
in
the
beginning
of
his
work,
he
did
not
have
pleasure.
Instead,
his
work
was
coercive.
But
afterward,
when
he
has
already
accustomed
himself
to
work
in
order
to
bestow
and
not
examine
himself—if
he
is
feeling
a
good
taste
in
the
work—but
believes
that
he
is
working
to
bring
contentment
to
his
Maker
through
his
work,
he
should
believe
that
the
Creator
accepts
the
work
of
the
lower
ones
regardless
of
how
and
how
much
is
the
form
of
their
work.
In
everything,
the
Creator
examines
the
intention,
and
this
brings
contentment
to
the
Creator.
Then
one
is
rewarded
with
“delight
in
the
Lord.”
Even
during
the
work
of
the
Creator
he
will
feel
delight
and
pleasure
since
now
he
really
does
work
for
the
Creator
because
the
effort
he
made
during
the
coercive
work
qualifies
him
to
be
able
to
truly
work
for
the
Creator.
You
find
that
then,
too,
the
pleasure
he
receives
relates
to
the
Creator,
meaning
specifically
for
the
Creator.