R' Ashlag Ch. 23

Rabbi Yehudah Ashlag's "Introduction to the Zohar"

-- as translated and commented on by Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

__________________________________________________

23.

“Hence (we can understand how it is that) our immortal souls (rather than our egos) want only to please their Creator -- which as we’d indicated is actually their nature, thanks to the garbs of ‘reverting light’ they received from the upper worlds they’d come from (see 21:1).”

-- That is, since “we can deduce things about the makeup of spiritual phenomena ... from the makeup of physical phenomena” as we learned in the last chapter; and since we also observed that our egos just naturally want to please themselves alone, and that all they do as a consequence is generate needs, thoughts about, and plans to satisfy their various desires -- it stands to reason that our immortal souls, which are comprised of a desire to please G-d rather than themselves would set out to actually please Him. So, indeed, ...

“Once it’s clad in a human body, our immortal soul (indeed) starts to manifest needs, thoughts, and plans to satisfy its ratzon l’hashpia to its fullest and to please its Creator in proportion to its will to do that.”

-- ... much the way our egos manifest needs, thoughts, and plans to satisfy *itself*. But rather than channel that desire through a combination of animalistic and more ideal venues the way our egos do, the immortal soul only sets out to satisfy G-d in an ideal fashion, since it’s utterly spiritual and hence doesn’t do anything by degree or in combination the way physical things do.

(c) 2005 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

(Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org )

********************************
AT LONG LAST! Rabbi Feldman's translation of "The Gates of Repentance" has been reissued at *at a discount*! You can order it right now by logging onto www.tinyurl.com/49s8t (or by going to www.rowman.com and searching for it). Rabbi Yaakov Feldman has translated and commented upon "The Gates of Repentance", "The Path of the Just", and "The Duties of the Heart" (Jason Aronson Publishers). And his new work on Maimonides' "The Eight Chapters" will soon be available from Judaica Press.
His works are available in bookstores and in various locations on the Web.
Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes on www.torah.org entitled "Spiritual Excellence" and "Ramchal".