Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Academy

"I have already said in the name of the Baal Shem Tov that prior to making a Mitzva [commandment], one must not consider private Providence at all. On the contrary, one should say, “If I am not for me, who is for me?” But after the fact, one must reconsider and believe that it was not by “My power and the might of my hand” that I did the Mitzva, but only by the power of the Creator, who contemplated so about me in advance, and so I had to do.

It is likewise in worldly matters because spirituality and corporeality are equal. Therefore, before one goes out to make one’s daily bread, he should remove his thoughts from private Providence and say, “If I am not for me, who is?” He should do all the tactics applied in corporeality to earn his living as do others.

But in the evening, when he returns home with his earnings, he must never think that he has earned this profit by his own innovations. Rather, even if he stayed all day in the basement of his home, he would still have earned his pay, for so the Creator contemplated for him in advance, and so it had to be.

Although the matters look the contrary on the surface, and are unreasonable, one must believe that so the Creator has determined for him in His law, from authors and from books.

This is the meaning of the unification of HaVaYaH Elokim [God]. HaVaYaH means private Providence, where the Creator is everything, and He does not need dwellers of material houses to help Him. Elokim in Gematria is HaTeva [the nature], where man behaves according to the nature that He instilled in the systems of the corporeal heaven and earth, and he keeps those rules as do the rest of the corporeal beings. And yet, he also believes in HaVaYaH, meaning in private Providence.

By this he unites them with one another, and “they became as one in his hand.” In this way, he brings great contentment to his Maker and brings illumination in all the worlds.

This is the meaning of the three discernments—commandment, transgression, and permission. The commandment is the place of Kedusha [holiness], the transgression is the place of the Sitra Achra [other side], and permission, which is neither a Mitzva nor a transgression, is the place over which the Kedusha and the Sitra Achra fight.

When a person does permitted things but does not dedicate them to Kedusha, that entire place falls into the domain of the Sitra Achra. And when a person grows stronger and engages in permitted things to make unifications as much as he can, he returns the permission into the domain of Kedusha."

2. From: Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 217, "If I Am Not for Me, Who Is for Me?"

“If I am not for me who is for me, and when I am for myself, what am I?” This is an inherent contradiction. The thing is that one should do all of one’s work by way of “If I am not for me, who is for me,” that no one can save him, but “by your mouth, and by your heart to do it,” that is, a discernment of reward and punishment. However, to oneself, in private, one should know that “when I am for myself, what am I?” This means that everything is in private Providence and no one can do anything.

If you say that if everything is in private Providence, why is there the issue of working in the form of “If I am not for me, who is for me?” Yet, through working in the form of “If I am not for me, who is for me,” one is awarded private Providence, meaning attains it. Thus, everything follows the path of correction, and the distribution of added fondness, called “children of the Creator,” is not revealed unless it is preceded by work in the form of “If I am not for me, who is for me.”

3. From: RABASH, Article No. 19 (1990), “Why Is the Torah Called “Middle Line” in the Work? - 2”

One should believe that “there is none else besides Him,” that the Creator does everything. In other words, as Baal HaSulam said, before each action one should say that man was given only choice, since “If I am not for me, who is for me?” Thus, everything depends on one’s choice. However, after the fact, one should say that everything is private Providence, and that one does nothing on his own.

4. From: RABASH, Article No. 6 (1991), "What Is, 'The Herdsmen of Abram’s Cattle and the Herdsmen of Lot’s Cattle,' in the Work?"

“It is not for you to finish the work.” This implies that it is not within man’s hands, but rather, as it is written, “The Lord will finish for me.” This means that it is not within man’s ability to obtain the desire to bestow.

However, there are two matters here: 1) A person must say, “If I am not for me, who is for me?” Hence, he should not be alarmed by the fact that he has not been rewarded with obtaining the desire to bestow, although in his opinion, he has made great efforts. Nonetheless, he should believe that the Creator waits until he reveals what he must do. 2) Afterward, the Creator will finish for him, meaning that at that time, he will receive what he wants at once, as it is written, “The salvation of the Lord is as the blink of an eye.”

5. From: RABASH, Article No. 18 (1986), "Who Causes the Prayer"

"One must not say, “I’m waiting for the Creator to give me an awakening from above, and then I will be able to work in the work of holiness.” Baal HaSulam said that in regard to the future, a person must believe in reward and punishment, meaning he must say (Avot, Chapter 1), “If I am not for me who is for me, and when I am for me, what am I, and if not now, then when?”

Thus, one mustn’t wait another moment. Instead, he should say, “If not now, then when?” And he must not wait for a better time, so “Then I will get up and do the work of holiness.” Rather, it is as our sages said (Avot, Chapter 2), “Do not say, ‘I will study when I have time,’ lest you will not have time”."

6. From: RABASH, Article No. 659 “What Are Torah and Work?”

"With regard to the Creator, we can speak of Torah, since work pertains specifically to the created beings.

Work applies only to the created beings. Hence, when we speak of work, it means that we learn what one should do. In that state, a person should say, “If I am not for me, who is for me?”

Afterward, we should extend the quality of Torah on this work, regarded as what the Creator does. That is, we must extend the discernment of private Providence and we must not say, “My strength and the might of my hand has gotten me these riches.” This is the meaning of the Torah being called “the names of the Creator,” meaning that the Creator does everything."

7. From: RABASH, Article No. 845, "None as Holy as the Lord"

"All the Kedusha [holiness] that one feels he has comes to him from the Creator. This is what it means that there is no Kedusha, meaning no Kedusha in the world that one can obtain by himself. Rather, everything comes from the Creator. This is why it is written, “There is none as holy as the Lord,” and “There is no rock like our God.”

It is known that Kelim [vessels] are called by the name Elokim [God], and lights are called by the name of HaVaYaH. It is written, “there is no rock,” which is when one sees that he has vessels of bestowal. This is regarded that a new thing was created for him, which is called a “rock,” meaning that in a place where he had vessels of reception, vessels of bestowal have been depicted in him. One should not think that he helped the Creator in any way and by this obtained vessels of bestowal. Rather, everything came from above.

Baal HaSulam said that prior to working, one must say, “If I am not for me, who is for me?” After the work, he should believe in private Providence, meaning that the Creator does everything. This is the meaning of what is written there: “The Creator draws a picture within a picture.” We should interpret that within the form of the Kelim, which is reception, He draws there the form of bestowal."

8. From: Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 5, "Lishma Is an Awakening from Above, and Why Do We Need an Awakening from Below?"

"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."