The First Step of Spiritual Development

There are two consecutive stages of correcting egoism. The first stage is not to use it at all, but to think and act only with the desire to “give,” without any thought to possible gain from the results of one’s actions. When we are capable of acting in such a way, we then proceed to the second stage: we begin to gradually employ our egoism by gradually incorporating it into our altruistic actions and thoughts, thereby correcting it.

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Unparalleled Greatness—Desiring the Creator’s Perfection

Even if we do not yet possess a true desire to attain the right state, we should still ask the Creator to grant the true desire and faith through the power of prayer. That is, we should ask the Creator to give us a desire to ask, which is now lacking.

Our souls, the “self” of each of us, exist in a perfect condition from the moment the Creator decided how they should exist. This condition may be described as “the condition of absolute peace” (since every action is initiated by the desire to gain a more perfect state), and the condition of absolute happiness (since all the desires created in us by the Creator are absolutely fulfilled).

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Egoism Helps Us Return to the Creator

Egoism was created as an aid to humankind. Gradually, while struggling against it, each person acquires all the senses necessary to experience the spiritual. For this reason, each person should look upon all obstacles and suffering with a full consciousness of their purpose, that is, to induce one to ask for the Creator’s help in receiving redemption from that suffering. Then, egoism and other unpleasant aspects transform into “help against you”—which is actually against egoism itself.

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What “There is none else besides the Creator” Means

The entire spiritual body of law is intended to help us overcome our egoism. Therefore, the spiritual law, “love thy neighbor as thyself” is a natural result of attachment with the Creator. Since there is nothing else besides Him, when a person understands this, all the creations, including our world, merge in our perception of the One Creator.

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The Means of Perceiving the Creator

We must come to the realization that the very feeling of being distanced from the Creator is specifically the means by which we will be able to perceive the Creator. These two senses are known in Kabbalah as kli (vessel) and or (light). The first of these is a desire to experience the Creator, which is gradually born in us while experiencing obstacles (thoughts and desires).

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