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Love and Fear, Truth and Illusion

Rabbi Laibl Wolf
3029 Views     6 Ratings
The Art of Loving Session 1 - Love and Fear - Truth and Illusion A five part series by Rabbi Laibl Wolf, Spiritgrow Josef Kryss Centre, Melbourne, Australia

Filmed 27th June 2011

The Nature of Consciousness
Consciousness lies deeper than the 'I'. It resides in the soul which in turn mediates the flow of creation's energies. The two primary conscious paths are mind (seichel) and emotion (middos). Western psychology is not clear as to the nature of emotion or the inter-relationship of mind and emotion. Kabbalah instructs that mastery of consciousness is primarily enacted by the Alter Rebbe's teaching in Sefer Tanya paraphrased in the following dictum: 'the compass of mind must provide the bearing for the flow of the raw energies of emotion.' This is the basis of self-mastery.

The Primary Emotions
The two primary emotions Ahavah (love) and Yir'ah (fear).These also powerful motivational factors that propel the human being through life. The nature of love is to bridge the distance that separates: person to person, person to animal, person to vegetation, and person to the inanimate. Love connects and fear withdraws. The nature of fear is to distance the person from these.

Two Levels of Yir'ah (Fear)
Yir'ah Tata'ah (the lower fear) induces withdrawal and stepping backwards due to fear of consequences. Yir'ah Ila'ah (the higher fear) also causes a moving away -- distancing -- but due to due to awe of overwhelming greatness. A person may be afraid of speaking back to one's employer because it may result in the loss of one's position (lower fear). Or the person may step backwards in the sudden experience presence of a cavernous magnificent architectural space, or in the presence of true greatness (higher fear).

Positive and Negative Love and Fear
Both emotions are mediated by the ego-self (Nefesh Behamis) or by the egoless- self (Nefesh Elokis). When lower-fear is filtered through the lower order consciousness of Nefesh Behamis it becomes self-defeating e.g. fear of failure; fear of ridicule. The higher-fear examples are fear of inadequacy or inability to tolerate another's advantages. When filtered through the Nefesh Elokis , lower-fear enhances spiritual behaviour e.g. conforming to wisdom teachings for fear of veering away from good advice, whereas the higher fear could express as total self- abnegation in the face of the Divine or immensity of creation.

Two Levels of (Ahava) Love
Ahavah Rabba (the higher love -- lit. the 'Great Love') is be achieved only by those who have practiced Yir'ah Ila'ah (the higher fear), and even then it arises as a gift from Above. It manifests as ecstasy and like a fiery flame of emotion. It originates in the world of Atzilus where everything is in a state of Oneness, and hence the pre-requisite of complete ego abnegation (Bittul HaMetzius) - the path to the higher fear as well.

Ahavat Olam (the lower love -- lit. 'Love of World') can be exemplified through inter-Personal that is borne of contemplation on inner beauty and unique personality traits of the other. In a cosmic sense it is borne of contemplation on memalleh (permeating Divine energy) and sovev (encompassing Divine energy), and the enormity of creation described by the comparison of a pristine thought when it is still latent in the soul compared to the articulated word.

The next session will focus on Love as 'desire' and the phenomena of yearning, pining, craving, and even addictive love.

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Link to this video

Scholars: Rabbi Laibl Wolf
Video title: Love and Fear, Truth and Illusion
Category: Dating, Kabbalah, Marriage
Series: The Art of Loving
Views: 3029
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