Reconnecting to Our Roots

Kabbalah explains that all people are predestined to attain their spiritual root, the point of their souls' origin. In this point, one feels connected with all other people and with the general, benevolent force of Nature, the Creator. One feels eternity, infinity and perfection, and all of one's desires are fulfilled to the brim. Furthermore, Kabbalah explains that people reincarnate in the physical body again and again in order to finally reach this goal. It is the purpose of our lives here on earth.

But we don't move toward this goal automatically, simply by living out our day to day lives. One's very first step in attaining his spiritual root is the moment he begins asking the question, "What is the purpose of my life?" After this initial step, one continues to come closer and closer to his root.

How does this actually happen? Kabbalah explains that we function according to our desires, which are constantly growing. Our desires grow through several levels of development. A person's smallest, initial desire is only to have enough food and a secure place to live. Later, he begins wanting more material possessions and strives to earn money to acquire them. As our desires continue to grow even more, we begin wanting to have power over others, to be respected, and to occupy important positions in society. An even more developed desire seeks to know how everything works, how the world is built, and how to gain power over the whole world through that knowledge.

But at a certain point, one's desire reaches a level where it can no longer be satisfied by anything that belongs to this world. One cannot fill this desire with good food, lots of money, power, or even knowledge. And yet, one wants something badly, even without being able to explain what it is. This feeling is experienced by many people today, because humanity as a whole is reaching its fully developed desire - to answer the question of our life's purpose and reconnect to our spiritual root.

If this desire remains unfulfilled, it can make people feel emptiness as the lack of purpose in their lives becomes evident. Hence today's increasing rates of phenomena like depression and drug abuse. But on the other hand, given the method to realize this desire, a person will discover his spiritual root, where he exists in perfect harmony with the all-inclusive force of Nature - the Creator.

Kabbalah explains that humanity has gone through this long development in order to finally face its existential question. Great 20^th century Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam) puts it this way in his article Introduction to Talmud Eser Sefirot:

"Indeed, if we set our hearts to answer but one very famous question, I am certain that all [other] questions and doubts will vanish from the horizon, and you will look unto their place to find them gone. That is the tiny question asked by the whole world, which is: "What is the point of our lives? ... And it is indeed true that researchers of all generations have grown weary contemplating it and all the more so in our generation. No one even wishes to think it over. Nevertheless, the question itself still stands bitterly and vehemently, and sometimes it meets us without inviting it, and picks at our minds, and humiliates us to the ground before we can find the familiar ploy, that is, to flow mindlessly in the currents of life, as yesterday."

As said in the beginning, facing this question is the first step to our true, lasting fulfillment. From here onwards, one begins exploring this question and gradually begins to feel the perfect, spiritual root of his soul.