The great kabbalist Baal HaSulam offers a powerful answer, deeply rooted in the wisdom of the Zohar. And it all starts with desire.
You see, according to Baal HaSulam’s “Introduction to Zohar,” that inherent desire to receive—that core drive within each of us—is actually built into the very blueprint of our souls. It's part of the plan. But—and this is a big but—that desire needs repair. It needs refinement.
Think of it like this: God created not one, but two systems. Two opposing forces. Baal HaSulam calls them the system of purity and the system of impurity, also known as the sitra aḥra, the "other side.” Souls, on their journey, pass through both.
And what happens when they do? They become separated, almost like two strands being woven together. The body and the soul become intertwined – or as Baal HaSulam puts it, mitlabshot, enclothed in one another. It's a beautiful image, isn't it? But it also speaks to the inherent tension within us.
So, how do we fix this? How do we repair that primal desire to receive?
Through Torah and mitzvot. Through study and commandments. These aren’t just arbitrary rules. They're the tools, the very mechanisms, by which we can transform our desire to receive into a desire to give. It’s a process, a lifelong journey of turning our focus outward.
And what happens after that transformation? Then, and only then, can our souls truly receive all the goodness that was intended for us from the very beginning. We become worthy of a deeper, more profound connection with the Divine. Why? Because through our service, through our commitment to Torah and mitzvot, we begin to align our very essence, our form, with that of the Creator.
This, Baal HaSulam tells us, is the ultimate stage of tikkun, of repair. The final act in the grand cosmic drama.
And when this happens, something incredible occurs: there will no longer be a need for that impure "Other Side." It will be eliminated, banished from the earth. Death itself, as we know it, "shall be swallowed up forever." It’s a powerful image of redemption, of a world perfected.
Think about it: all the service, all the effort, all the Torah and mitzvot performed throughout the six thousand years of the world's existence – and even the seventy years of our own lives – all of it is ultimately geared toward achieving this final stage of repair. It's about aligning our forms, our innermost selves, with the Divine. It’s about becoming, in essence, more like God.
So, what does this mean for us, here and now? It means that every act of kindness, every moment of study, every conscious choice to give rather than receive, is a step towards that ultimate redemption. It's a step towards a world where desire is no longer a source of separation, but a pathway to unity. It’s a profound and hopeful vision, isn't it?