Only You

Every single one of us has a unique job to accomplish in this world. We all have a distinct soul and Light we are destined to reveal. Nobody else in the world – past, present or future – has or will have the ability to do what the Creator has entrusted us to do. If all the greatest spiritual giants were to come down and work for a million years, even they could never do what we can – and must - do.

There is a story about the building of the Holy Temple (an important world spiritual center) in Jerusalem. According to the ancient texts, all the most beautiful stones were gathered for the building. During the construction, the workers found a stone that was so ugly it was cast aside into a rubble heap. As the Temple neared completion, they found a stone missing in a tiny corner of the most important part of the building, what Kabbalists call “the Holy of Holies” (the innermost sacred chamber.) They were unsure what to do because they were all out of stones.

Finally, one man remembered the ugly stone they discarded earlier, and he retrieved it from the trash. Not only did it fit, but it was a perfect fit! King David even writes a verse describing the scene, “the stone the builders despised became the cornerstone.”

One of the greatest ploys of our negative side is to convince us that we are not enough. We think others are more knowledgeable and better suited to do great things whereas we are somehow limited in what we can accomplish. But as this story teaches us, the lowest can become the highest because each one of us has a unique gift that only we can share with the world.

There is another story of the student of a great kabbalist who wished he could accomplish great things in this world, but doubted his ability to do so. He told his teacher, “if only I had the brains of this great wise man, the vision of this other great wise man, and the physical abilities of yet this other great wise man, only then could I really accomplish something significant with my life.”

The kabbalist responded, “There are things only you can do for people because of your unique qualities that no one else in the world can do. You do not need anybody else’s abilities to accomplish your life’s important purpose.”

This is an essential point. Many of us think, “If only I had that talent or education or money of so-and-so, then I could do big things.” The kabbalists warn us of such erroneous thinking. We are exactly the way we are meant to be, and no one can do what we can - and need - to do. The Light gave us everything we need and all of those people we are envious of can never do what we can.

The great 18th century polish kabbalist, Rav Zusha of Anipoli, once said, “When I go to heaven, I won’t be asked, ‘Why weren’t you Moses? Why weren’t you Abraham?’ I will be asked, ‘Why weren’t you Zusha?’”

We each have all the qualities we need to do the great things we are meant to do. We do not need to be someone else. We are exactly who we are for a reason, and we have a unique soul and mission that only you or I can accomplish.

I cannot stress this point enough. There are so many people out there whose unique gifts remain hidden. And if they leave this world without bringing out their gifts, the world will be forever lacking, no matter how many spiritual giants come into existence.

This week, realize there are people whose lives can be influenced, improved and changed only by you. Look within and ask yourself, “What is my unique gift to this world?” Once you know what you are looking for, you will find it. And when you do, cherish it because nobody else can reveal the unique Light you are meant to reveal.

Perfection Exists Within

All of us have at one point or another done something, or perhaps many things, of which we are not proud. In fact, we may even feel that because of our actions we have somehow damaged our soul, rendering us incapable of growing and maturing spiritually.

To this the Kabbalists say the soul can never be damaged; it can only be covered up.

The spark of soul inside every one of us is perfect and pure beyond words. At every moment we are connected to the Light of the Creator and no action can sever this connection. We can veil this connection, thereby preventing our soul from shining as bright as it can for ourselves and others, but we can never destroy it.

At the core of our being, we are perfect and pure. Always. We must know this if we are to lead the fulfilling lives we are meant to lead. Keep in mind, this is not meant to be a nice message designed to make you feel good about yourself. This lesson is connected to the fundamental kabbalistic concept that states, blessings cannot rest on darkness.

The idea is, when we share with someone, Light is revealed. Naturally, we want to add that Light to our spiritual bank account. However, what the Kabbalists are saying is, if our view of ourselves is dark, then the Light can’t come to us because there is no affinity.

For those of us who are a little too hard on ourselves, we need to change our self-perception so that we can experience the Light our actions are revealing.

Remember this always, we can connect to the Zohar, pursue actions of sharing, and do everything the kabbalists prescribe to reveal Light. However, if we are missing this one essential ingredient, then the Light we reveal will have no place on which to rest.

Seeing our perfection is the groundwork on which Kabbalah is practiced.

We must be ever-vigilant to not push ourselves off the path with thoughts of, I don’t deserve, I’ve caused too much damage – to others and to myself, I cannot grow and change now.
It’s these very thoughts that block the Light of the Creator from permeating our lives.

When we desire a deeper flow of Light and blessings into our lives, we must be conscious of our innate perfection. It doesn’t mean we are not honest with ourselves. We have all obscured our souls with layers of selfishness and hurt, and there is an on-going removal process that needs to take place. But our negative actions can never extinguish our spark of Light.

To put a fine point on it, there is a distinct difference between thinking, I am a bad person, and thinking, I am a perfect soul that is partially covered up by actions I have done.

Self-loathing is so sabotaging because if we are trying to connect to the Light while thinking badly about ourselves, then we simply cannot draw the Light. Therefore, to combat this tendency of unproductive self-criticism, we must strengthen our consciousness to see beyond the clutter, and into the pure, powerful truth at the center of our being.

The Kabbalists take this thought one step further. If we want to help the people in our lives, then we have to see their perfection as well. When we only see the darkness within our friends, students, children, and colleagues, we cannot help them. Only by seeing their perfection can we be of any real assistance.

When I want to help a friend who has done something wrong, I must restrict my natural tendency to judge, because once I am in that frame of mind, it’s useless. I can’t help him any more, certainly not in a lasting way. Rather, what I need to do is remind myself that he is connected to the Light, he is a perfect soul, and all that I am doing is helping him to remove those veils so that his perfection can shine.

This week, concentrate on your greatness. Let this be a focus for your morning prayers or meditations. Remind yourself that you have an amazing soul and that you are always tremendously connected to the Creator. As you strengthen this consciousness, the Creator’s Light can shine brighter than ever before.

Holy Audacity

For those of us on a spiritual path, despite the fact that we’ve been studying and making our connections, we believe there are just some things we cannot change. We all have a wall, a barrier we cannot push beyond. And yet the truth is, as Rav Ashlag often said, our spiritual work is not to push ourselves to the limit of our abilities. It is to push beyond our abilities.

Beyond our abilities. How do we achieve that? How do we do what we can’t do and draw what we don’t deserve? There is a way. It’s through what the Kabbalists call “holy audacity,” meaning when we have a desire to become stronger and a drive to create real change in our lives and in the world, we can awaken that strength even if we do not think it exists within us. When it’s for the sake of sharing with others, not only do we have to, but we must push against the barriers of our capabilities.

There’s a beautiful story in the kabbalistic literature that speaks to this idea. During the time the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, three times a year people would travel there from all over the world in order to make their spiritual connections. One such time there was a great water shortage, and the influx of visitors put a terrible strain on the water supply.

To avert a health crisis, a man by the name of Nakdimon responded by approaching one of the wealthiest landowners in the city and asked him to loan him water from 12 of his wells, with the promise of repayment at a later date in either the exact amount of water borrowed or 12 loaves of silver. The landowner agreed and the crisis was averted.

The months passed, and when the day for repayment arrived, Nakdimon could not give back the water because not a drop of rain had fallen in months. That morning, a messenger arrived at his door, demanding either the water or the silver. He responded, “I have all day to repay you. If it doesn’t rain by the end of the day, I will repay you in silver.”

In the afternoon a messenger arrived again at his door with the same message, and he sent back the same response. As the sun was about to set, the messenger returned yet again and was told the same thing, the day is not yet over.

Upon hearing this final response, the landowner laughed because he knew it was impossible for that much rain to fall in such a short period of time. He felt so elated that he went into the local bathhouse to freshen up before he met with Nakdimon to retrieve his money.

Meanwhile, Nakdimon was sad, and he went into the temple where he began to pray. His prayer was short. “I did not borrow water from those 12 wells for myself,” he told the Creator, “I did it only for the sake of sharing.” That’s was his entire prayer.

Immediately afterwards, the sky became full of clouds and rain came pouring down. It rained so hard in those few minutes that not only did the 12 wells become full of water, but there was an overflow of water.

As he left the temple, he saw the landowner and said to him, “Now you owe me money! Because of the overflow of water, I’ve paid you back too much.”

The landowner responded, “I know the only reason it rained is because the Creator wanted to make this miracle for you. But in truth, if I wanted to argue with you, I could, because if you look up in the sky, it’s dark. Maybe it’s already nightfall, and this rain really came on the next day, after nightfall, and therefore it’s not your water. It’s my water.”

Upon hearing this, Nakdimon turned around and went back into the temple where he prayed another short prayer to the Creator: “Master of the World, let it be known that you have people in this world that are close to You.” That was his entire prayer.

Immediately the clouds dispersed, and the sun resumed shining.

What’s powerful about this story is that in both prayers Nakdimon didn’t beg or plead with the Creator. He simply asserted what needed to happen. He did not earn these miracles, nor was he a great scholar or a spiritual giant. And yet, because his singular purpose was for the sake of others, he went in with this audacity, and he requested in short terms what he wanted to happen. And it happened.

Of course, not everyone is at the level where they can ask for the skies to open. Yet, the purpose of this story is to teach us the importance of living this consciousness of assertiveness, provided that our singular aim is the welfare of others. We are each meant to aspire to reach this place where, because our lives are so dedicated to elevating others, we can utilize this tool of holy audacity.

This week, live with audacity! Remember that you can ask for more than you have earned or deserve. But it’s more than just asking – it’s living in this consciousness. If you are going to do something that involves assisting others, don’t hope for it to turn out well. Insist that it does. Push beyond your personal boundaries of what you think you can do and what you think you deserve. Because as long as you are focusing on drawing these abilities for the sake of sharing, you can ask for everything.