Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Academy

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.

We should interpret this as the Ari writes (Talmud Eser Sefirot, Part 13, Item 152), “There is the matter of Se’arot [hairs], which cover the light, so they do not enjoy the light as long as they are unworthy, since they might blemish.” The thing is that we must believe that the Creator gave us a desire and yearning to do good deeds. And as long as one is unworthy, he must not feel that the Creator compels him to do good deeds. This is why the Creator hides Himself in dresses, and this dressing is called Lo Lishma [not for Her sake]. In other words, sometimes the Creator hides Himself in a clothing of friends.

For example, there is a situation where a person does not want to get up and learn before dawn. So the Creator hides Himself in a dressing of friends and he gets out of bed, even though he is tired, since a thought came to his mind that it is not nice to the friends that they all come to learn, and he is not, since then everyone will look at his lowliness. Hence, he gets up and goes to the seminary and learns. It follows that he does not have the energy to get out of bed because of the commandment of the Creator, so the Creator does not force him to go to the seminary, since if this were the reason, he would be lying in bed. But the friends do obligate him.

And similar to this example are all other things when a person acts Lo Lishma. Although there are many degrees in Lo Lishma, we will speak of this example. Here we should look at the person who is going to learn and to observe Mitzvot [commandments/good deeds] not because the Creator commits him. In other words, if it were because of the commandment of the Creator, he would not have the strength to overcome the body and to compel it to do good deeds. However, because of people, he does have the strength to do good deeds. Thus we see what importance there can be in the Lo Lishma.

Yet, one must believe as was said above, that “there is none else besides Him,” meaning that it is the Creator who compels him to do the good deeds, but since he is still unworthy of knowing that it is the Creator who commits him, the Creator dresses Himself in dresses of flesh and blood, through which the Creator performs these actions. Thus, the Creator acts in the form of Achoraim [posterior].

In other words, the person sees people’s faces but he should believe that behind the faces stands the Creator and performs these actions. That is, behind the man stands the Creator and compels him to do the deeds that the Creator wants. It follows that the Creator does everything, but the person regards what he sees and not what he should believe. For this reason, a person says that he is doing the deeds Lo Lishma, as with the example of the friends who commit him.

Also, it does not have to be friends. Rather, everyone has his own external clothing, which suits him. Hence, when, for instance, one comes to the synagogue because the friends committed him to come, he says, “The Creator was the reason that he went to learn, but the Creator only dressed in a clothing of friends.” Thus, now he thanks the Creator for being the reason.

It follows that when a person did the deed Lo Lishma, when the Creator was not the reason that compelled him to perform the Mitzva [singular of Mitzvot], but he acted because, for instance, the friends ordered him and he had to obey, one must believe that he did this because the Creator commanded him to observe the Mitzva, and he had to obey what the Creator commanded him to do. However, the Creator hid Himself in a clothing of Lo Lishma, such as the friends, so that through this clothing he would think that he must obey the voice of Lo Lishma.

But in truth, one must believe that it was all the Creator’s doing. Thus, after he performs the Mitzva, he should say that it was the Creator who acted behind the clothing of Lo Lishma. It follows that then one should thank the Creator for giving him the desire to observe His commandments through this clothing.

With the above said we can understand the great importance of Lo Lishma. That is, it is not as one thinks—that he does everything for the Lo Lishma. Rather, he is doing everything because the Creator commanded him, except he was still not rewarded with feeling that the Creator is actually the commander. For this reason, a person thinks that the Lo Lishma is the commander, and hence the act is not so important in his eyes.

However, if he believes that “there is none else besides Him,” as was written in previous articles in this portion, then in truth, he is observing the commandments of the Creator, and he should appreciate his actions in Lo Lishma. And one’s imagination that he is only observing an act in Lo Lishma is only because he was not rewarded yet with feeling that he is observing the King’s commandment and that he is serving the King.

Hence, if he believes that the Lo Lishma is truly the Creator committing him to engage in Torah and Mitzvot, then he can give thanks to the Creator for dressing in a clothing of Lo Lishma. And from this, one can come to appreciate the importance of Torah and Mitzvot even Lo Lishma. Our sages said about this: “And they collect from a person knowingly,” meaning Lishma, and “Unknowingly,” meaning Lo Lishma.

This is the meaning of what is written, that the Se’arot [hairs], meaning the Lo Lishma, cover the light, so they will not be fed by the light as long as they are unfit for it. In other words, the Se’arot are a clothing, and under that clothing, the light stands and shines. But in the meantime, the light is covered.

**2. From: Maor VaShemesh, VaYechi**

"The essence of the assembly is for everyone to be in one unity and for all to seek but one purpose: to find the Creator. In every ten there is the Shechina [Divinity]. Clearly, if there are more than ten then there is more revelation of the Shechina. Thus, each one should assemble with his friend and come to him to hear from him a word about the work of the Creator, and how to find the Creator. He should annul before his friend, and his friend should do the same toward him, and so should everyone do. Then, when the assembly is with this intention, then “More than the calf wants to suckle, the cow wants to nurse,” and the Creator approaches them and He is with them, and great mercies and good and revealed kindness will be extended over the assembly of Israel."

3. From: RABASH, Article No. 13 (1986), “Come Unto Pharaoh 2”

"We should know that we were given love of friends to learn how to avoid blemishing the King’s honor. In other words, unless he has no other desire except to give contentment to the King, he will certainly blemish the King’s honor, which is called “Passing on Kedusha [holiness/sanctity] to the external ones.” For this reason, we mustn’t underestimate the importance of the work in love of friends, for by that he will learn how to exit self-love and enter the path of love of others. And when he completes the work of love of friends, he will be able to be rewarded with love of the Creator."

4. From: Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 67, "Depart from Evil"

"One who thinks that he is deceiving his friend is really deceiving the Creator, since besides man’s body there is only the Creator. This is because it is the essence of creation that man is called “creature” only with respect to himself. The Creator wants man to feel that he is a separate reality from Him; but other than this, it is all “The whole earth is full of His glory.”

Hence, when lying to one’s friend, one is lying to the Creator; and when saddening one’s friend, one is saddening the Creator."

5. From: RABASH, Article No. 15 (1989), “What Is, 'The Righteous Become Apparent through the Wicked,' in the Work?”

"If their intention is to bring contentment to the Creator, then if they want to increase the work, they must increase the greatness of the Creator, since to the extent of His greatness, to that extent they can annul before Him and do everything they do only for the sake of the Creator. It is as The Zohar says about the verse, “Her husband is known at the gates,” each according to “what he assumes in his heart.”

Therefore, in order to have fuel to work, those who want to work for the sake of the Creator must try each day to exert to obtain faith in the greatness of the Creator, since the greatness of the Creator is what compels them to work for Him, and this is all the pleasure they derive from their work."

6. From: RABASH, Article No. 13 (1989), What Is the "Bread of an Evil-Eyed Man" in the Work?

"We want to be rewarded with feeling—while engaging in Torah and Mitzvot—that we are serving a great and important king, and that by this there will be love of the Creator within us, from feeling His exaltedness. However, all of our pleasure will come from serving the Creator; this will be our reward, and not that He will somehow reward us for the work. Instead, we will feel that the work itself is the reward, and there is no greater reward in the world than the privilege of serving the Creator."

**7. Pri HaAretz [Fruit of the Land], Letter No. 30**

"The thing that leads to keeping from ignorance and cessation of Dvekut [adhesion] is the connection and love, and true peace in Dvekut among friends. One should accustom oneself to always instill love of friends in his heart to the depths of one's soul, and continue with this until his soul is adhered and they will cling to one another. Then when all are as one man, the Creator will dwell within them and will shower them with ample salvations and comforts."

8. Baal HaSulam, Letter No. 4

"You lack nothing but to go out to a field that the Lord has blessed, and collect all those flaccid organs that have drooped from your soul, and join them into a single body.

In that complete body, the Creator will instill His Shechina incessantly, and the fountain of intelligence and high streams of light will be as a never ending fountain."