What
Is
the
Gift
that
a
Person
Asks
of
the
Creator?
Article
No.
22,
1987
It
is
written
in
The
Zohar
(Pinhas,
Item
180):
“It
is
written,
‘My
God,
save
Your
servant.’
‘Delight
the
soul
of
Your
servant.’
‘Give
Your
strength
to
Your
servant.’
Three
times
did
David
become
a
servant
in
this
praise,
corresponding
to
the
three
times
that
the
authors
of
the
Mishnah
established
that
man
should
be
a
servant
in
the
prayer.
In
the
first
blessings,
he
should
be
as
a
servant
who
praises
his
teacher.
In
the
middle
ones,
he
is
as
a
servant
who
asks
for
a
gift
from
his
teacher.
In
the
last
blessings,
he
is
as
a
servant
who
thanks
his
teacher
for
the
gift
he
has
received
from
him,
and
he
walks
away.”
We
should
understand
why
they
compared
man’s
prayer
to
a
servant
receiving
a
gift
from
his
teacher,
and
not
to
charity
or
other
things.
What
does
this
teach
us
in
the
work?
It
is
known
that
from
the
Creator,
two
things
come
to
us
directly:
1)
the
light,
2)
the
Kli
[vessel]
to
receive
the
light.
1)
We
learned
that
the
purpose
of
creation
is
His
will
to
do
good
to
His
creations.
It
follows
that
the
Creator
wanted
to
do
good
to
the
creatures
even
without
an
awakening
from
the
lower
ones,
for
there
were
still
no
creatures
in
the
world
from
whom
to
receive
awakening.
This
is
regarded
as
the
light
coming
from
the
Creator
without
any
involvement
of
the
lower
one.
2)
The
Creator
created—existence
from
absence—a
Kli
called
“desire
and
yearning
to
receive
delight
and
pleasure.”
This
means
that
what
we
see
is
as
in
“By
Your
actions
we
know
You,”
meaning
that
we
speak
only
of
what
we
see
that
exists
in
the
nature
of
creation.
We
see
that
it
is
impossible
to
enjoy
anything,
whatever
it
is,
unless
there
is
a
yearning
for
it.
For
this
reason,
we
learned
that
from
the
perspective
of
the
light
that
created
this
Kli,
called
“will
to
receive,”
it
underwent
four
Behinot
[discernments],
meaning
four
stages
until
the
will
to
receive
acquired
the
complete
form
of
yearning.
After
the
light
created
the
Kli,
this
Kli
received
the
delight
and
pleasure
that
He
wished
to
give.
These
two
above-mentioned
things,
the
light
and
the
Kli,
pertain
to
the
Creator.
We
learn
that
in
this
respect,
there
was
complete
perfection
and
there
is
nothing
to
add
to
this.
However,
afterwards,
something
new
was
born,
which
we
attribute
to
the
creature
and
not
to
the
Creator.
In
other
words,
we
attribute
the
matter
of
giving
to
the
Creator,
who
is
the
giver,
for
His
desire
is
to
do
good
to
His
creations,
which
is
to
give
abundance
to
the
creatures
and
receive
nothing
from
them.
Yet,
afterward,
something
new
was
made,
as
it
is
written
in
The
Study
of
the
Ten
Sefirot
(Part
1),
that
the
first
receiver,
called
Malchut
de
Ein
Sof,
craved
a
decoration
called
“decoration
at
the
point
of
desire”:
to
have
equivalence
of
form
called
Dvekut
[adhesion].
For
this
reason,
the
Tzimtzum
[restriction]
was
made,
meaning
that
she
diminished
her
will
to
receive
on
the
Kli
called
“will
to
receive,”
hence
the
light
departed.
Malchut
invented
a
new
Kli,
called
“will
to
bestow,”
meaning
not
to
receive
delight
and
pleasure
according
to
the
level
of
the
yearning
for
the
light,
but
according
to
the
level
of
her
desire
to
bestow.
This
means
that
Malchut
calculated
how
many
percent
of
the
abundance
she
could
receive
with
the
aim
to
bestow.
On
the
part
she
would
receive
in
order
to
receive,
if
she
were
to
receive,
she
would
not
receive.
It
follows
that
we
attribute
this
Kli,
which
the
lower
one
gives,
to
the
lower
one,
since
the
Kelim
[vessels]
of
the
upper
one,
which
the
upper
has
made
in
order
for
the
lower
one
to
be
able
to
enjoy
the
light,
is
only
the
will
to
receive.
That
Kli
will
never
be
revoked
because
what
the
Creator
has
created
must
always
exist.
However,
the
lower
one
can
add
to
the
Kli
of
the
Creator,
as
it
is
written,
“Which
God
has
created
to
do.”
This
means
that
God
has
created
the
Kli
called
“desire
to
receive
pleasure,”
and
man
must
add
to
it
a
correction
called
“the
intention
to
bestow,”
as
was
said
above,
that
Malchut
de
Ein
Sof
decorated
herself
at
the
point
of
the
desire.
This
means
that
her
decoration
was
in
that
she
placed
on
the
will
to
receive
the
aim
to
bestow.
There,
in
Malchut
de
Ein
Sof,
was
only
the
root.
From
her,
it
extended
to
the
lower
ones
that
it
is
forbidden
to
receive,
following
the
rule,
“A
desire
in
the
upper
one
becomes
a
binding
law
in
the
lower
one.”
It
extended
from
this
discernment
until
the
Sitra
Achra
[other
side]
was
born—the
opposite
of
Kedusha
[holiness/sanctity].
In
Kedusha,
there
is
only
the
desire
to
bestow,
which
is
Dvekut.
But
those
who
want
to
receive
in
order
to
receive
become
removed
and
separated
from
the
Life
of
Lives.
For
this
reason,
they
said
in
The
Zohar,
“The
wicked
in
their
lives
are
called
‘dead,’”
and
said
the
verse,
“The
grace
of
the
nations
is
a
sin,”
about
the
wicked,
“All
the
good
that
they
do,
they
do
for
themselves.”
It
therefore
follows
that
Creator
gives
two
things
directly
to
the
creature:
1)
the
delight
and
pleasure,
2)
the
desire
to
yearn
for
pleasures.
However,
unpleasantness,
called
“shame,”
extends
indirectly
from
the
Creator.
That
is,
the
Creator
wants
the
lower
one
to
receive
delight
and
not
suffering,
but
indirectly,
meaning
that
the
upper
one,
the
Giver,
does
not
want
the
lower
one
to
feel
shame
upon
reception
of
the
delight.
This
is
why
the
correction
of
the
Tzimtzum
was
made.
Because
of
the
Tzimtzum,
the
abundance
does
not
come
to
the
Kelim
[vessels]
that
the
Creator
has
made,
unless
the
creature
has
placed
a
correction
of
the
intention
to
bestow
on
the
Kli.
If
a
person
does
not
have
this
Kli,
he
remains
in
the
dark
without
light,
and
the
name
The
Good
Who
Does
Good
is
hidden
from
him
because
he
does
not
have
the
right
Kelim
for
reception
of
the
abundance,
which
is
called
“equivalence
of
form.”
It
follows
that
the
whole
novelty
that
was
made
after
the
Tzimtzum
is
that
only
the
aim
to
bestow
is
missing,
but
the
two
discernments
that
extended
prior
to
the
Tzimtzum
did
not
change.
In
other
words,
in
the
first
Behina
[discernment],
which
is
His
desire
to
do
good,
there
was
no
change,
and
after
the
Tzimtzum
He
still
wants
to
impart
delight
and
pleasure.
In
the
second
Behina,
which
is
the
will
to
receive,
there
was
also
no
change.
It
is
as
we
learn
that
there
are
no
changes
in
spirituality,
but
only
additions.
It
follows
that
after
the
Tzimtzum,
it
is
impossible
to
receive
any
upper
abundance
unless
we
add
to
the
will
to
receive
the
aim
to
bestow.
This
is
all
of
our
work
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot
[commandments]:
to
be
rewarded
with
vessels
of
bestowal.
Our
sages
said
about
this
(Kidushin
30),
“I
have
created
the
evil
inclination;
I
have
created
the
spice
of
Torah.”
It
is
known
that
the
will
to
receive
is
called
“evil
inclination”
because
it
causes
remoteness
from
the
Creator,
since
it
is
in
disparity
of
form
from
the
Creator.
The
Creator
aims
to
bestow,
whereas
the
evil
inclination
wants
only
to
receive.
For
this
reason,
all
the
delight
and
pleasure
in
the
thought
of
creation
is
hidden
from
it.
However,
how
can
we
obtain
these
Kelim,
since
this
is
against
our
nature?
The
answer
is
that
this
is
why
we
were
given
the
Torah
and
Mitzvot.
Through
them,
we
can
obtain
these
Kelim.
Yet,
why
are
not
everyone
awarded
with
vessels
of
bestowal
through
Torah
and
Mitzvot?
The
reason
is
that
there
is
no
light
without
a
Kli.
It
follows
that
if
a
person
does
not
know
for
certain
that
all
we
need
are
only
these
Kelim,
he
still
does
not
have
real
Kelim.
In
other
words,
he
does
not
have
a
need
for
these
Kelim.
It
follows
that
the
light
is
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot,
which
can
assist
a
person
to
attain
in
these
Kelim,
but
he
does
not
have
a
real
need
to
be
given
these
Kelim.
If
we
look
a
little
deeper
in,
and
thoroughly
examine
those
who
observe
Torah
and
Mitzvot,
whether
they
want
to
be
given
vessels
of
bestowal
and
to
give
in
return
the
will
to
receive,
the
vast
majority
of
the
workers
will
say
that
they
pass
on
this.
Instead,
they
want
to
observe
Torah
and
Mitzvot
in
order
to
receive.
It
follows
that
they
have
no
need
for
vessels
of
bestowal.
For
this
reason,
how
can
they
say
that
the
Torah
and
Mitzvot
they
labor
in
should
give
them
a
reward
for
which
they
have
no
need?
On
the
contrary,
they
are
afraid
lest
they
will
lose
the
vessel
of
reception
called
“self-love.”
This
is
as
Maimonides
says
(end
of
Hilchot
Teshuva),
“Our
sages
said,
‘One
should
always
engage
in
Torah,
even
if
Lo
Lishma
[not
for
Her
sake],
since
from
Lo
Lishma
he
will
come
to
Lishma
[for
Her
sake].
Therefore,
when
teaching
little
ones,
women,
and
uneducated
people,
they
are
taught
to
work
only
out
of
fear
and
in
order
to
receive
reward.
Until
they
gain
knowledge
and
acquire
much
wisdom,
they
are
taught
that
secret
little-by-little
and
are
accustomed
to
the
matter
calmly
until
they
attain
Him
and
serve
Him
with
love.’”
It
therefore
follows
that
one
should
yearn
to
obtain
vessels
of
bestowal.
Although
he
sees
that
the
will
to
receive
disagrees
with
it,
meaning
that
it
does
not
let
him
pray
that
the
Creator
will
give
him
these
Kelim,
for
that,
too,
one
must
pray
to
the
Creator
to
give
him
a
desire
to
understand
the
necessity
that
there
is
in
these
Kelim.
He
asks
the
Creator
to
have
the
strength
to
overcome
the
desire
of
the
body,
which
wants
to
remain
specifically
in
vessels
of
reception.
Moreover,
when
he
sees
that
a
desire
can
emerge
from
this
thing—that
the
person
will
later
want
to
come
to
vessels
of
bestowal—he
promptly
feels
this
and
begins
to
instantaneously
resist.
However,
a
person
does
not
come
easily
into
seeing
that
he
cannot
work
in
order
to
bestow.
Instead,
a
person
thinks
that
now
he
still
does
not
have
the
desire
to
bestow,
but
whenever
he
wants
to
work
in
order
to
bestow,
the
choice
is
in
his
hands,
meaning
he
will
be
able
to
work
in
order
to
bestow.
The
awareness
that
he
thinks
he
has
calms
him
down
so
as
not
to
be
impressed
by
the
fact
that
he
is
not
engaging
in
work
of
bestowal,
since
whenever
he
chooses,
he
will
be
able
to.
For
this
reason,
he
is
not
worried
about
this.
However,
the
truth
is
that
this
is
not
within
man’s
power,
as
it
is
against
human
nature.
Our
sages
said
about
this:
“Man’s
inclination
overcomes
him
every
day.
If
the
Creator
does
not
help
him,
he
will
not
overcome
it.”
However,
in
order
to
receive
help,
a
person
must
see
and
exert
to
have
a
need
for
His
help.
This
is
why
it
was
said,
“He
who
comes
to
purify,”
then
the
Creator
helps
him.
We
asked,
Why
does
man
have
to
begin
the
work
and
only
then
the
Creator
helps
him?
Why
does
the
Creator
not
give
him
this
strength
right
away,
meaning
that
even
if
a
person
does
not
ask
for
help,
the
Creator
will
help
him
as
soon
as
he
begins
the
work
of
the
Creator?
According
to
the
rule
that
there
is
no
light
without
a
Kli,
a
person
must
begin.
When
a
person
sees
that
he
cannot,
he
has
a
need
for
the
Creator’s
help.
Therefore,
specifically
when
one
has
begun
the
work
and
sees
he
is
unable,
in
that
state
he
receives
a
Kli
for
the
Creator
to
impart
him
this
force,
called
“desire
to
bestow.”
However,
normally,
when
a
person
begins
the
work
of
bestowal
and
sees
that
it
is
difficult
for
him,
and
sees
that
in
his
view,
he
has
already
asked
the
Creator
many
times
to
help
him
but
received
no
help
at
all,
a
person
escapes
the
campaign
and
says
that
this
work
is
not
for
him.
Indeed,
precisely
in
this
place,
when
he
has
resolved
that
this
is
difficult
for
him
alone
and
only
the
Creator
can
help,
a
person
must
trust
the
Creator
that
He
will
help
him.
However,
this
still
does
not
complete
the
Kli,
meaning
the
need
for
His
help.
Each
time
he
asks
for
help,
although
he
still
does
not
feel
His
help,
we
must
believe
above
reason
that
the
Creator
does
help,
but
that
we
still
do
not
need
to
see
in
order
to
reveal
the
real
need
for
this.
According
to
the
above,
we
should
interpret
that
the
verse,
“For
the
ways
of
the
Lord
are
straight.
The
righteous
walk
in
it
and
the
wicked
fail
in
them.”
This
means
that
precisely
at
this
point,
when
a
person
comes
to
a
resolution
that
it
is
not
within
man’s
power
to
obtain
vessels
of
bestowal
because
he
sees
that
not
a
single
organ
in
his
body
agrees
to
this,
now
he
has
arrived
at
the
point
of
truth.
Now
he
should
make
an
honest
prayer
for
the
Creator
to
help
him.
Certainly,
he
will
receive
the
help
from
the
Creator,
who
sits
and
waits
for
man
to
give
him
the
Kli,
meaning
the
need
for
it.
It
is
precisely
here
that
a
person
escapes
from
that
state,
and
precisely
here
is
where
the
help
can
come
to
him.
Yet,
he
escapes
the
campaign
and
for
this
reason
he
is
called
“a
criminal.”
Yet,
the
righteous
does
not
despair
because
specifically
now
he
is
rewarded
with
vessels
of
bestowal.
It
follows
that
in
the
same
place
where
“the
righteous
walk,”
meaning
receive
an
ascent
in
degree,
in
that
very
same
place
“the
wicked
fail.”
Precisely
in
this
place
where
they
should
receive
help,
they
fail
and
escape
the
campaign.
It
follows
from
all
the
above
that
man
should
ask
for
the
Creator’s
giving,
meaning
that
the
Creator
will
give
him
as
a
gift
the
vessels
of
bestowal,
just
as
He
has
given
him
the
Kli
called
“will
to
receive.”
In
other
words,
on
one
hand,
we
say
that
the
Creator
has
given
the
Kli
and
the
light,
meaning
both
the
desire
and
the
yearning
to
receive
the
pleasure,
as
well
as
the
pleasure.
Only
the
addition
to
the
Kli,
which
is
the
will
to
bestow,
we
attribute
to
the
creatures,
as
it
is
written,
“Which
God
has
created
to
do.”
“Which
has
created”
refers
to
the
will
to
receive,
called
“created,”
which
is
something
made
existence
from
absence,
called
“creation.”
On
this,
man
should
place
the
aim
to
bestow,
meaning
that
this
really
does
belong
to
the
creatures
and
not
to
the
Creator.
However,
the
truth
is
that
the
Creator
should
give
even
this
Kli,
called
“addition.”
When
we
say
that
this
pertains
to
the
creatures,
it
means
that
man
should
ask
the
Creator
to
give
him
this
Kli
called
“intention
to
bestow.”
That
is,
only
the
lack,
his
lack
of
desire
to
bestow,
is
what
the
lower
one
should
exert
to
have.
But
regarding
the
will
to
receive,
it
cannot
be
said
that
there
is
an
awakening
of
the
lower
ones
for
this
because
if
the
desire
to
receive
still
does
not
exist
in
the
world,
who
would
ask
to
be
given
a
desire
to
want
to
receive
pleasure?
It
is
impossible
to
say
that
before
a
person
is
born,
he
wants
something.
This
is
why
we
say
that
the
will
to
receive
belongs
entirely
to
the
Creator.
But
afterwards,
once
the
will
to
receive
pleasures
has
been
born,
comes
the
time
when
a
person
feels
that
this
will
to
receive,
without
additions,
but
as
it
came
from
nature,
is
bad
because
he
cannot
receive
real
pleasures
with
this
desire,
but
only
as
a
“thin
light,”
which
the
Creator
has
given
to
the
Klipot
[shells/peels]
so
they
would
not
be
canceled.
When
a
person
comes
to
this
awareness,
he
receives
a
need
to
have
the
ability
to
aim
to
bestow.
Before
he
has
the
need
for
this,
he
cannot
be
given
the
Kli,
as
was
said
that
“there
is
no
light
without
a
Kli,”
and
a
Kli
is
called
“need”
and
“lack.”
That
lack
is
not
apparent
as
such
unless
he
suffers
torments
and
pains
from
needing
this
thing
and
not
having
it.
A
regular
lack
is
when
a
person
sees
that
he
does
not
have
something
and
understands
that
he
needs
it.
However,
if
he
knows
that
he
can
live
without
it,
it
still
cannot
be
said
about
him
that
he
has
a
real
lack.
A
real
lack
means
that
he
knows
that
without
the
thing
he
lacks,
he
cannot
go
on
living.
This
is
called
a
“real
need.”
It
is
likewise
in
the
work:
Many
times
a
person
knows,
understands,
and
feels
that
he
is
lacking
the
desire
to
bestow.
He
asks
the
Creator
to
give
him
the
ability
to
overcome
the
body
called
“will
to
receive,”
and
he
knows
that
he
has
already
asked
the
Creator
several
times
but
the
Creator
did
not
want
to
listen
to
him.
Seeing
that
he
still
did
not
receive
this
strength
from
the
Creator
puts
him
off
and
he
does
not
have
the
strength
to
ask
the
Creator
once
again
to
give
him
what
he
wants,
since
he
sees
that
the
Creator
is
not
listening
to
him.
Hence,
he
can
no
longer
pray
to
the
Creator.
But
in
truth,
we
should
say
that
a
person
still
does
not
have
the
real
need
for
the
Creator’s
help.
The
need
that
the
person
has,
where
he
sees
that
he
is
unable
to
aim
to
bestow,
is
still
not
regarded
as
a
real
need.
Rather,
a
real
need
means
that
he
sees
that
if
he
does
not
have
what
he
needs,
he
cannot
exist
in
the
world.
This
is
regarded
as
a
real
need.
For
this
reason,
when
a
person
realizes
that
unless
he
obtains
the
desire
to
bestow
he
will
be
separated
from
Kedusha,
and
he
has
no
hope
of
ever
achieving
spirituality,
called
“Dvekut
with
the
Creator,”
but
he
will
be
constantly
immersed
in
self-love
and
have
no
chance
of
entering
Kedusha,
and
he
will
remain
in
the
Klipot,
and
this
pains
him
and
he
says,
“In
that
case,
I
am
better
off
dead
than
alive,”
this
is
called
“a
real
need.”
Then,
when
a
person
prays
that
the
Creator
will
grant
him
the
vessels
of
bestowal,
this
is
called
a
“real
need,”
and
it
is
only
this
that
we
can
attribute
to
the
lower
ones,
meaning
the
lack,
that
he
is
lacking
vessels
of
bestowal.
This
is
called
a
Kli,
meaning
a
need.
The
filling
for
this,
meaning
the
desire
to
bestow,
belongs
to
the
Creator.
In
other
words,
as
the
Creator
has
given
the
first
Kli,
which
is
the
will
to
receive,
He
also
gives
the
Kli
called
“desire
to
bestow.”
The
only
difference
between
the
first
Kli
called
“will
to
receive,”
and
the
Kli
called
“desire
to
bestow,”
is
that
the
first
Kli
was
without
an
awakening
of
the
lower
one,
since
before
he
was
born,
who
would
ask?
But
afterwards,
when
the
will
to
receive
was
born,
he
began
to
feel
what
that
will
to
receive
is
causing
him.
To
the
extent
of
the
understanding
of
the
need
for
vessels
of
bestowal,
so
does
a
person
awaken
to
feel
the
need,
and
it
is
only
the
need
for
vessels
of
bestowal
that
we
attribute
to
the
creatures.
Accordingly,
we
can
interpret
what
we
say
and
ask,
“Grant
me
the
treasure
of
a
free
gift.”
This
is
perplexing,
since
we
need
to
serve
the
Creator
not
in
order
to
receive
reward,
much
less
ask
for
a
free
gift.
So,
why
does
it
say
(in
the
prayer,
May
It
Please,
before
saying
Psalms)
“Grant
me
the
treasure
of
a
free
gift?”
The
meaning
is
“Give
us
a
free
gift,
grant
me.”
That
is,
give
us
the
gift
of
the
vessel
of
bestowal,
just
as
You
have
given
us
the
Kli
of
the
will
to
receive.
We
are
asking
You,
since
we
feel
the
need
for
the
vessel
of
bestowal.
And
what
are
the
vessels
of
bestowal?
To
be
able
to
work
for
free,
without
any
reward,
but
rather
that
our
work
will
be
only
in
order
to
bestow.
That
is,
in
the
first
Kli,
called
“will
to
receive,”
a
person
can
only
work
for
a
reward,
and
this
Kli
is
called
“a
new
Kli,”
a
new
creation
that
did
not
exist
before
He
has
created
it.
Now,
give
us
a
Kli,
meaning
a
desire
from
Your
treasure.
And
what
is
it?
The
desire
to
bestow.
This
was
also
before
He
has
created
the
will
to
receive,
for
the
desire
to
bestow
is
the
reason
for
the
desire
to
receive.
The
desire
to
bestow
is
called
“existence
from
existence,”
and
the
will
to
receive
is
called
“existence
from
absence,
since
it
is
known
that
there
is
no
will
to
receive
in
the
Creator
because
from
whom
would
He
receive?
For
this
reason,
we
ask
for
“the
treasure
of
a
free
gift,”
meaning
from
Your
treasure.
Since
You
have
a
desire
to
bestow,
You
give
that
desire
for
free.
Give
it
to
us,
so
we,
too,
can
work
for
free,
without
receiving
reward.
By
this
we
will
understand
what
we
asked,
How
can
we
ask
the
Creator
to
give
us
a
free
gift?
The
meaning
is
that
we
are
asking
the
Creator
to
give
us
the
ability
to
serve
Him
for
free.
In
other
words,
the
vessel
of
reception
that
a
person
receives
is
called
“a
free
gift.”
Thus,
what
is
the
gift
that
one
should
ask
the
Creator
to
give
him?
We
asked,
How
can
one
ask
for
presents,
since
it
is
known
that
you
can
ask
for
charity,
but
a
gift?
Who
asks
for
gifts?
Normally,
we
give
gifts
to
those
we
love.
The
answer
is
that
since
a
person
wants
to
love
the
Creator,
and
since
the
will
to
receive
is
the
obstructor,
a
person
asks
for
this
gift
called
vessels
of
bestowal,
where
through
this
gift
that
he
will
receive
from
the
Creator,
a
person
will
be
rewarded
with
the
love
of
the
Creator
and
not
with
self-love.
This
is
why
it
is
called
a
“gift,”
and
this
is
what
a
person
should
ask.
This
is
the
meaning
of
what
we
asked,
What
gift
should
one
ask
of
the
Creator,
which
is
permitted
to
ask,
and
on
which
our
work
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot
stand,
where
by
observing
them
we
will
receive
a
need
for
this
request
and
understand
that
“they
are
our
lives
and
the
length
of
our
days”?
That
need
is
that
we
are
lacking
Dvekut
with
the
Creator,
called
“equivalence
of
form,”
by
which
we
can
adhere
to
the
Life
of
Lives.
And
if
we
are
not
rewarded
with
Dvekut
and
remain
in
self-love,
we
will
be
separated
from
the
Life
of
Lives,
which
is
the
meaning
of
“the
wicked
in
their
lives
are
called
‘dead,’”
due
to
the
separation
between
them.
Concerning
the
request
for
the
gift,
the
main
point
is
the
need
for
the
matter.
Through
Torah
and
Mitzvot
we
receive
a
need,
and
through
the
need
there
is
room
to
ask
for
this
gift,
regarded
as
Him
giving
us
the
Kli
called
“desire
to
bestow
upon
the
Creator.”
It
is
written
about
it
(Hagigah
7):
“As
I
am
for
free,
you
are
for
free.”
In
other
words,
a
person
should
exert
to
work
in
order
to
bestow
and
not
want
to
receive
any
reward.
Although
the
Gemara
interprets
this
differently,
this,
too,
is
implied
there,
as
it
is
called
Dvekut.
According
to
the
above,
we
can
interpret
what
we
say
in
the
blessing
for
the
food,
that
even
on
Shabbat
[Sabbath],
when
it
is
forbidden
to
speak
of
mundane
matters,
we
ask
the
Creator,
“Do
not
make
us
need
the
gift
of
flesh
and
blood.”
Such
a
prayer
is
suitable
on
weekdays,
when
we
ask
for
provision,
but
not
on
Shabbat.
We
should
interpret
that
the
request
on
Shabbat
not
to
“need
the
gift
of
flesh
and
blood”
refers
to
the
Kelim
of
flesh
and
blood,
which
flesh
and
blood
use,
namely
vessels
of
reception.
They
ask
the
Creator
to
help
them
not
need
to
use
their
Kelim,
but
the
Kelim
of
the
Creator,
which
are
vessels
of
bestowal,
and
on
these
Kelim
we
ask
of
the
Creator,
for
they
are
Kelim
of
a
free
gift.