It’s a question that's haunted mystics and philosophers for centuries. But what if there was a way to actually pinpoint it?
The wisdom of Kabbalah, or Chokhmat HaKabbalah, offers us a fascinating perspective. It hinges on this concept of the “will to receive.” : aren’t we all, in some way, receivers? We take in information, we experience pleasure, we crave connection...
But here’s the kicker. According to the Kabbalah, it's the degree of this desire to receive that determines whether something is considered spiritual or corporeal – material.
Anything that has a fully-formed "will to receive," in all its facets, reaching what's described as the "fourth level," is considered corporeal. This is the level, we're told, that exists in everything visible to us in this world. It’s that deep-seated, almost instinctual drive to acquire and possess.
Now, what about everything else? Everything that transcends this ultimate measure of the will to receive? That's where things get really interesting. That's considered spirituality. This realm encompasses the worlds of Atzilut (Emanation), Beria (Creation), Yetzira (Formation), and Asiya (Actualization). These are considered higher, more refined realms than our own physical world.
Think of it like this: Our world, the one we experience every day, is saturated with this "will to receive." It’s the driving force behind so much of what we do. But beyond it lie realms where the desire to receive is diminished, replaced by something else... a desire to give, to connect, to simply be.
These higher worlds, and everything within them, are considered spiritual. They exist beyond that boundary defined by the ultimate measure of the will to receive. They offer us a glimpse into something beyond our everyday grasp.
So, where does this leave us? Perhaps with a new way of looking at the world. A way of seeing that the line between the physical and the spiritual isn't a solid wall, but a permeable membrane. And that by understanding the nature of our own "will to receive," we can begin to glimpse what lies beyond.