Baal HaSulam. Shamati, 72. Confidence Is the Clothing for the Light

LESSON MATERIAL

72. Confidence Is the Clothing for the Light

I heard on Nisan 10, March 31, 1947

Confidence is the clothing for the light, called “life.” There is a rule that there is no light without a Kli [vessel]. It follows that the light, called “light of life,” cannot clothe but must dress in some Kli. The Kli where the light of life is clothed is usually called “confidence.” It means that he sees that he can do every difficult thing.

Thus, the light is felt and recognized in the Kli of confi­dence. Because of this, one’s life is measured by the measure of confidence that appears there. One can measure the magnitude of vitality in oneself according to the confidence in himself.

For this reason, one can see in oneself that as long as his level of vitality is high, the confidence shines on every single thing, and he sees nothing that can obstruct him with what he wants. This is because the light of life, which is a force from above, shines for him and he can work with superhuman powers since the upper light is not limited like corporeal forces.

However, when the light of life departs from him, which is considered that he has descended from his previous level of vitality, then he becomes clever and inquisitive. He begins to calculate the profitability of everything, is it worthwhile to do it or not. He becomes temperate and not lively and sizzling as before he began to decline in his level of vitality.

However, one does not have the wisdom to say that all this cleverness and wit, that now he has been rewarded with thinking about everything, are because he’d lost the spirit of life he had then. Instead, he thinks that now he has become smart, not as before he’d lost the light of life. Rather, then he was reckless and careless.

However, he should know that all the wisdom he has now acquired came to him because he has lost the spirit of life that he had had before. Before, he measured all the acts with the light of life that the Creator gave him. But now that he is in decline, the evil inclination has the power to come to him with all their “just arguments.”

The advice for this is that one should say that now he cannot speak to his body and argue with it. Rather, he should say, “Now I am dead and I am awaiting the revival of the dead.” Then he must begin to work above reason, meaning say to his body, “Everything you say is true, and I have nothing rational to answer you. However, I hope that I will begin to work anew. Now I am taking upon myself Torah and Mitzvot [commandments], and now I am becoming a proselyte, and our sages said, ‘a proselyte who has converted is like a newborn baby.’ Now I await the salvation of the Creator; He will certainly help me and I will come once more into the path of holiness. When I have power in holiness, I will have what to answer you. But in the meantime, I must go above reason for I am still without the mind of holiness. Hence, you can win with your intellect, and there is nothing I can do but believe in our sages who said that I should keep Torah and Mitzvot with faith above reason. I must certainly believe that by the power of faith we will be helped from above, as our sages said, ‘He who comes to purify is aided.’”