THE ACTING MIND
by Rav Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag
It is written that every person is obliged to attain the root of his soul. This means that the aspired-for purpose of the created being is Dvekut [adhesion] with His qualities, as it is written, “And to cleave unto Him.” Our sages interpreted that this is the Dvekut with His attributes: “As He is merciful,” etc. His qualities are the holy Sefirot, and this is the acting mind that guides His world and by which He allots them His bestowal and goodness.
We must understand why this is called “Dvekut with the Creator,” as it seems to be mere learning. I will explain it with an allegory: In every operation in the world, the mind of its operator remains in that operation. In a table, one can attain the carpenter’s mind and deftness in his craft, whether great or small. This is so because while working, he built it with his mind and the qualities of his mind. And one who observes this operation and considers the mind imprinted in it, during this act, he is attached to the mind that performed it, meaning they actually unite.
In truth, there is no distance or cessation between spirituals, even when they are in distinct bodies. But the mind in them cannot be distinguished, since what knife can cut the spiritual and leave it separated? Rather, the main difference between spirituals is in their qualities—praiseworthy or blameworthy—and the composition, since a mind that calculates astrology will not cling to one that contemplates natural sciences.
There is great diversity even within the same teaching, for if one exceeds another in even one element, it separates the spirituals from one another. But when two sages contemplate the same teaching and have the same measure of knowledge, they are in fact united, for what separates them?
Hence, when one contemplates another’s action and attains the mind of the sage who performed it, they have the same mind and power. Now they are completely united, like a man who met his beloved friend on the street, he embraces him and kisses him, and because of their great unity, it is impossible to separate them.
Hence, the rule is that in the speaking, the mind is the best-adjusted force between the Creator and His creatures. It is considered the medium, meaning He emanated a spark of that force, and through that spark, everything returns to Him.It is written, “In wisdom You have made them all,” meaning that He created the whole world with His wisdom. Hence, one who is rewarded with attaining the manners by which He created the world and its conducts is adhered to the Mind that performed them. Thus, he is adhered to the Creator.
This is the meaning of the Torah being all the names of the Creator, which belong to the created beings. And by their merit, the created being attains the Mind that does everything, since the Creator looked in the Torah when He created the world, and one achieves illumination through creation and forever adheres to that Mind; thus, he is adhered to the Creator.
Now we understand why the Creator showed us His tools of craftsmanship, for do we need to create worlds? But from the above-mentioned, we gather that the Creator has shown us His conducts so we may know how to adhere to Him, which is “cleave unto His attributes.”
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‘INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF ZOHAR‘
-Rav Yehuda Leb HaLevi Ashlag
…. [This] equivalence of form, destined to be revealed at the end of correction, appeared instantly in the Infinite. And our sages said about that: “Before the world was created there were He is One and His Name One,” for the separated form in the will to receive had not been revealed in the reality of the souls that emerged in the Thought of Creation. Rather, they were cleaved unto Him in equivalence of form by way of, “He is One and His Name One.”
14) Thus, you necessarily find that on the whole, there are three states to the soul:
The First State is their presence in Ein Sof, in the Thought of Creation, where they already have the future form of the End of Correction.
The Second State is their presence in the six thousand years, which were divided by the above two systems into a body and a soul. They were given the work in Torah and Mitzvot, in order to invert their will to receive and turn it into a will to bestow contentment upon their Maker, and not at all to themselves.
During the time of that state, no correction will come to the bodies, only to the souls. This means that they must eliminate any form of self-reception, which is considered the body, and remain with but a desire to bestow, which is the form of desire in the souls. Even the souls of the righteous will not be able to rejoice in the Garden of Eden after their demise, but only after their bodies rot in the dust.
The Third State is the end of correction of the souls, after the revival of the dead. At that time the complete correction will come to the bodies, too, for then they will turn reception for themselves, which is the form of the body, to take on the form of pure bestowal. And they will become worthy of receiving for themselves all the delight and pleasure and pleasantness in the Thought of Creation.
And with all that, they will attain strong adhesion by the force of their equivalence of form with their Maker, since they will not receive all that because of their desire to receive, but because of their desire to bestow contentment upon their Maker, since He derives pleasure when they receive from Him.
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