Clothing the Light of the Creator

Our consciousness about the Light of the Creator directly influences what Light is revealed to us and how we manifest that Light for ourselves and others. Rav Ashlag teaches that there is only ourselves, the Light of the Creator, and nothing else; if we live with a limited consciousness, we limit the revelation of the Light of the Creator for ourselves and the world. Therefore, exactly how we think of the Light of the Creator is how the Light of the Creator is revealed.

It says in the Tikunei Zohar, in the section called the Prayer of Eliyahu HaNavi, Elijah the Prophet, that no thought can be attached at all to the totality of the Light of the Creator, what's called the Endless Light, the Endless World. And even though we can never come to connect to the totality while we are in this physical form, we can still reveal aspects of that Light; as we speak and think is as we manifest the Light of the Creator. As we think and speak about the Light of the Creator is as the Light of the Creator is revealed for us.

There is a song that is part of the connection during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur that speaks of v'chol ma'aminim, which means everybody believes that the Creator is merciful, that the Light of the Creator heals, that the Light of the Creator forgives. It is a very strange way to speak, because you either believe it or you don't believe it. What's the point of saying that we all believe it; if you don't believe it, what's the point of saying you do, and if you do believe it, what's the point of saying so?

The idea, the kabbalists teach, is that the words and consciousness that we awaken through those words are actually influencing both the way the Light of the Creator is revealed to us, and the type of Light that is revealed to us. We know, for instance, there is a story in the writings of the Ari where he speaks about what's called dinim, judgment, or limited Light, being immediately revealed in his life, because as we speak, we actually manifest the Light of the Creator. This has to be a very clear understanding.

For instance, it says in the Amidah, in the prayers and the most-elevated connection, first you have to say praise to God; however, it's not about just saying the words. It's about the consciousness that goes with it. When you don’t just say the words, "I know that the Light of the Creator heals,” but know that it’s really the consciousness you awaken, then you have revealed the Light of the Creator as a healing Light. So, now when we say the words, "The Light of the Creator is a healer," we manifest that Light as a healing light. And this is true of any way that we speak of Light.

The Maggid of Mezeritch, a student of the Ba'al Shem Tov, the great kabbalist, said there is a story in which Moses is asking the Creator to allow him to awaken forgiveness, and the Creator says, V'Atah Hanichah Li, “Let me go." We know that the Light of the Creator is not a physical form, but it says in the Gemara, in the Talmud, a crazy thing - that in that situation, it was like Moses was holding on to God's shirt and God was saying, "Let me go!"

That's very strange, because we know there is no physical form to the Light of the Creator, so what does it mean that the Creator is telling Moses, “Let me go?” We connect to and draw the Light of the Creator, but have no concept of the Simple Light, only of how it manifests in our lives, whether it is kindness or mercy that is drawn to us. We don't understand… we can't; it is beyond our possible conception what the Simple Light is. While we are still in the physical body, it's hard for us to connect to the Simple Light. But we know what healing is, and when we say that the Light of the Creator is healing, when we are saying it is a Light of healing, it means that Light is diminished and constricted within the clothing of healing, and so, too, in anything else.

If a person wants to have children, for example, and he is able to awaken that Light, it means he takes the Simple Light, which has the potential to be anything, and he restricts it, constricts it, and clothes it in the clothing of children. We, through our awakening both of consciousness and word, take that Simple Light, and clothe it in some form of more restricted Light, such as healing, children, or other types of assistance. And the way we manifest the Light of the Creator is through what's called the clothing of the Light, which means, again, that because the Light is simple and has no design or specification, it has the potential to do anything.

We say, "This Light, right now, I am going to clothe in the ability to heal. I'm going to clothe in the ability to bring children. I'm going to clothe in the ability to bring assistance." That's the secret of what's called the clothing, as Eliyahu HaNavi, Elijah the Prophet, speaks about in the Tikunei Zohar. When an individual speaks of the Light of the Creator as having the ability to heal and to bring assistance – here he was talking about tzadiks, but each one of us has the ability to connect to that level – that person is then clothing that Light with a restricted Light, because from Its endless form now It becomes restricted into the clothing of this unique Light.

When we awaken the consciousness that the Light of the Creator can heal, or that the Light of the Creator can bring children, then we are clothing the Light of the Creator with that ability and we manifest it; we, through our words and our consciousness about the Light of the Creator, manifest the Light of the Creator. We are only able through our words to clothe that Light for our needs. And we have the power to do that. When it says that Moses was holding on to the clothing of the Light of the Creator, it means that he, in that case, was awakening the Light of the Creator in that unique way, and the Light has to manifest as he desires for it to manifest, because the Light of the Creator has no desire, the Light of the Creator has no form, and the Light of the Creator is simple; it is through our consciousness and words that we manifest It in unique ways.

It is a tremendously powerful teaching in consciousness: we, through our words, clothe the Light of the Creator. We have to know, first, that the Light of the Creator is everywhere, and everything and is only the Light of the Creator, and then we have to realize that it is our power to clothe and hold on to that Light as we so desire, speak, and think. We have to know we have this power. We asked earlier, why in the prayers do we say the Creator can heal the sick, the Creator can bring assistance? Saying it means nothing, unless we are, at the same time, awakening consciousness. It is what we are meant to, and can, awaken with our consciousness, with our words.

The next time we’re making a connection or saying those words about the Light of the Creator, we have the opportunity to remember that we’re not actually saying anything about the Light of the Creator, because the Light of the Creator is none of those things we are saying; we are saying those words to clothe that Light and enable ourselves to draw the restricted Light in that way. That is what we have the power to do.