READING: BETWEEN AFTER MIDNINGHT AND DAWN SUNDAY

Baal HaSulam. Shamati, 30. The Most Important Is to Want Only to Bestow

LESSON MATERIAL

30. The Most Important Is to Want Only to Bestow

I heard after Shabbat Vayikra, March 20, 1943

The most important is not to want anything except to bestow because of His greatness, since any reception is flawed. It is impossible to exit reception, but only to take the other extreme, meaning bestowal.

The moving force, meaning the extending force and the force that compels to work, is only greatness. One must think that, ultimately, the efforts and the labor must be made, but through these forces one can yield some benefit and pleasure. In other words, one can please a limited body with one’s work and effort, which is either a passing guest or an eternal one, meaning that one’s energy remains in eternity.

This is similar to a person who has the power to build a whole country, and he builds only a shack that is ruined by a strong wind. You find that all the efforts were wasted. However, if one remains in Kedusha [holiness], then all the efforts remain in eternity. It is only from this goal that one should take one’s basis for the work, and all other bases are flawed.

The power of faith is sufficient for one to work in the manner of bestowal, meaning that he can believe that the Creator accepts his work, even though his work is not so important in one’s eyes. Nevertheless, the Creator accepts everything. If one attributes the work to Him, He welcomes and wants all the works, however they are.

Thus, if one wants to use faith in a manner of reception, then the faith is not enough for him. This means that at that time he has doubts in the faith. The reason is that reception is not the truth, meaning in fact, one has nothing from the work; only the Creator will have from his work.

Therefore, one’s doubts are true. In other words, these foreign thoughts that come up in his mind are true arguments. But if one wants to use faith to walk in ways of bestowal, he will certainly have no doubts in the faith. If one has doubts, he must know that he probably does not want to walk in a manner of bestowal, since for bestowal, faith is enough.