Who are you?

 

 

Do you know, you are many!

 

You see Hashem is One – a single simple uncomplicated source.   Hashem if we could describe him (which of-course must come from his own self-description) is sensitive – compassion – identification (feeling the other person as one feels oneself – In fact, as it says in the Tanya, all of Hashem’s knowledge is self-knowledge – just like you say are aware of your hand that may have an itch, and at the same time your desire/thoughts – the temperature….)

 

But we are a composite – we are made up of multiple realities – realms – different – even opposite!

 

To begin with, our Neshomah, source of our life is Hashem (for there must be a first source – this is like one flame lights another.)

 

But then this Neshomoh travels down through four spiritual worlds – the world of Atzilus which is so called, because it is close to Hashem – in that world the truth that all existence comes from Hashem is apparent – all souls there have only love for Hashem.

 

Then comes the world of Beriah – In this world, it seems to be that the world (which is a place where an independent Neshomoh sees / experiences – for example, our world is a “place,” and as time goes by, we have multiple experiences – this is the idea that a universe is made up, as it says in the first book of Kabbalah, Sefer Yetzirah, of “space” – and in this space there is time (which means, things are moving, as time means there was a before (past) present (current experience) and future (as it continues to move) and Neshomoh/soul (the conscious mind which experiences) so in the world of Beriah, is the first place where the universe seems (a little like ours ) to exist independently.   Now as the Neshomoh comes into a body, and the body is made from the same stuff that the universe is made of – so not only do I think that the universe exists independently, but “so do I!” – however in the world of Beriah (which is filled with the knowledge about Hashem, the souls and angels are mainly into fulfilling Hashem’s wishes! – for when you love someone, your wish is, to fulfil their wishes.)

 

Then comes the world of Yetzirah – In this world, like the world of Beriah, the universe and the soul seems to be independent, however it is mainly about emotions – feelings – and it is about the knowledge of one’s distance from Hashem and therefore the desire to connect – this is what it states, that the angels in this world are ratzu (desire – leap forward like a moth to a light) and shuv (return – must jump back, because the heat of the light can burn them, so there is this continuous desire and return; – a wish for something – Now emotions, even though they seem holy are really about “my desire” (as opposed to the previous world, which is about fulfilling Hashem’s.)

 

Then comes the world of Asiah, in this world there is a whole new set of desires, for in this world the animal soul is introduced – here, not only is there a desire for closeness to Hashem, but simply every animal has a soul (spirt) and this spirit consist of 1. A desire to Be / Live / Exist; 2. Certain things that make it feel pleasure and certain things that make it feel pain.

 

This is very important to understand, for the physical Asiah (our world is a mirror of the spirit one) and so when your Neshomoh (part of Hashem) comes into a body – the body it comes into is like an animal – for example, we like the pleasure food gives and we are as one doctor (who researches food) says “addicted to sugar” (because it makes us feel good, even though it is unhealthy, and the list of things that we do because the may feel good (for example, there are drugs which even Chas Vshaloim kill people but as the animal is looking for pleasure and whatever a person desires – if this desire is stronger than their other desires, this becomes like an automatic self-driving GPS – So even though a person may know they will die, they are not strong enough to stop – these people are called addicts.)

 

So you can see, it is very very very important to be stronger than your animal!!

 

In order to do, this Hashem gave us a mind – the example for the animal and the mind is like a horse and a rider – you see the horse of-course is an animal – it wants what will give it pleasure, like hay – grass – but the rider wishes to use the horse – so he must put on it reigns – which is a bridle (a piece that goes in its mouth attached to like two ropes and when you pull the rope to the right, the horse knows it must go to the right and when you pull it to the left, the horse knows it must go to the left.)

 

Now I had a friend who was a horse-trainer – horses don’t want to listen! – so it took some time for the horse to begin to obey – the same thing is with you and your body – your body doesn’t want to listen – it simply wishes to do whatever right now will feel good (or, as the opposite of pleasure is pain / stay away from right now what will feel bad – unfortunately as the largest study into mental disturbance found, that all of our emotional problems come from fear – because when a person feels fear, their horse (body) says “stay away!” – Sometimes we have been bullied so we even develop fear of people (in fact studies show everyone has been – because as everyone wishes to be happy and unfortunately some people themselves have been shamed, so then they become jealous – jealousy is like the famous story of Shlomoh Hamelech – once, there were two women who gave birth – now one unfortunately slept on her child – and the child died – so they came before Shlomoh Hamelech, as the one who slept on her child stole the child of the other, and now they each said, that other slept on the child… – so Shlomoh Hamelech said to bring out a sword and to cut the baby in half and give half to each – so one woman said “No, let her keep the child!” – so Shlomoh Hamelech said “You are the real mother” – – you see Shlomoh Hamelech (who was said to be one of the wisest people who ever lived) realized that one lady was jealous – now when a person is jealous instead of being happy for the good another has (which comes when you love them) as jealousy is a form of hate, you actually want the other person to be miserable (this explains why there are bullies, as the saying “misery loves company” why there are terrorists (for these people grow up in very bad environments and they are jealous – this is also why there is anitsemitism – those who hate Jews/Israel, because they are miserable and generally Boruch Hashem Jewish people are happy – because to be happy you must have safety and not fear and also have been loved so you know you are.)

 

Now in order to get the horse to obey, they would punish the horse – once the horse realized it is the servant, then it begins to obey.

 

The same thing is with your body – in order to get control over yourself (at least in the beginning) you must actually shout at yourself! – you must be like the master shouting at a servant – for the body is not brave (it just desires) but then as your body realizes that you are in charge it will begin to obey.