And When It Rose – Part 10: Service Over Study

During our online class this week, and part of the Kabbala series “And When It Rose”, the students brought up a few questions.

Question:
Service – over – Study: Service being as important as the study, or more important than the study?

Answer:
It is more important than the study. It is rare that Baal Hasulam speaks about RAV – Teacher. He normally speaks about the importance of the group and very seldom does he speak about the importance of the Rav. In the speech of completion of the Zohar, he speaks about the RAV.

We need to understand that we are speaking in the root – sacred – language. To serve – Leshamesh (Hebrew) – to be in a very intimate thought and persuasion and act. Because, when we focus on the study, it is difficult each time to separate from the agenda of wishing to draw the light to ourselves. This is why we do the order of the work – to remind ourselves of the purpose. But, when you are in service to the books, the place of revaluation, it has a few features: the books and the Rav (the teacher). This has to do with the reason you wish to serve something. Meaning, that if we go to the root of Leshamesh (to serve), you want to be in the proximity of it regardless of your own benefit. It is putting you in a position of saying “I don’t know what will come out of it, but something stronger than that wants to see the outcome – even if not for myself, for others”. The study, always puts you in a state of “for me, now”, even if you try to prepare differently.

Service was always graded highly because it puts us in a state of openness without condition. Therefore, the flow of the light to ourselves is less hindered by all kinds of different agendas of the mind and the feelings. Because, in service, there is a dedication that fits the pre-conditioning.

Leshamesh’s origin says – use me. I am willing to be used. I am willing to be this candle that lit all others and you put it out at the end…like in Hanukah. ‘use me’ is a very different state of the createe than ‘let me use you’ which is the study. This is the depth.

Since we are in the portion of ‘Shemini‘, the book of Vayikra, while the 2 sons of Aaron die by fire…there is a completion of Mishkan – Moses is serving for 7 days, and preparing all the sons – they are taking the tools of incense…and sacrificing foreign fire. What are foreign fires that consume them? All of the explanations and commentaries, this is the incident that has many explanations trying why this is so severe… They wanted to serve. They were enthusiastic.

First, service is a serious business. You have to be accurate in yourself In that sacred moment, where the entire world can be reformed, it is the asking that we will use this opportunity – we will use the highest presence They didn’t want to say ‘use me’. This is one of the points which the Zohar explains
What is a foreign fire in us? What becomes foreign to the ‘oneness’

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