BINAH: KIDDUSH LEVANAH קִדּוּשׁ לְבָנָה
KIDDUSH LEVANAH קִדּוּשׁ לְבָנָה :
– PRAYER OF CONCESSION ON FIRST QUARTER MOON
- THE MOST IMPORTANT IS
TO WANT ONLY TO BESTOW
I heard after Shabbat Vayikra, March 20, 1943
The most important is to not want anything except to bestow
because of His greatness, because 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 His 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 hut that is ruined by a
strong wind. You find that all the forces were wasted. However,
if one remains in Kedusha (Sanctity), then all the forces remain
in eternity. It is only from this that one should receive one’s
basis for the work, and all other bases are disqualified.
The force of faith is sufficient for one to work in the form
of bestowal. It means that one can believe that the Creator
receives one’s work, even though one’s work is not so important
in one’s eyes. Nevertheless, the Creator receives 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 by way of reception, then
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
alien thoughts that surface in one’s mind are true arguments.
However, 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,
one must know that he probably does not want to walk on a way
of bestowal, because for bestowal, faith is enough.
-Baal HaSulam, Shamati, page 85-86