Strengthening the Purpose of Study

There are many unique aspects that are available to us in this month of Taurus, or Iyar, and I’d like to talk about one in particular. The kabbalists teach that in the ancient book Sefer Yetzirah, the Book of Formation, Abraham writes that the aspect which was created in the month of Iyar is the aspect of thought. Thought is very important; we know how important consciousness, thought, is. I repeat as often as possible what Rav Berg would always say - "Consciousness is everything." Of course, you have to do actions, but if your thoughts, your consciousness, are wrong, then it will be very difficult to manifest what you desire. Therefore, this is the month when we can elevate and change our thought patterns.

As we often talk about, when you have certainty in situations that the Light of the Creator will come in and assist, the Light will come in and assist. However, we have to be clear that there is a great difference between certainty and positive thinking. Certainty does not mean just having a positively strong desire for something; it is a completely different level of consciousness, a completely different level of thought, where there is no level of doubt whatsoever. We often speak about the fact that if you want to draw any type of blessing, any type of assistance, you have to awaken certainty.

But the truth is that certainty is not something that comes naturally to us nor that we can simply desire and then manifest. Our mind has been trained from the moment we are born to the restrictions of this world – for example, that certain types of diseases do not become healed or that certain situations do not get better… It is ingrained in our thought processes throughout our lives, no matter when we began our spiritual journey, that certain situations do not change. So, you can talk about certainty all day and all night, but the reality is that unless you are actually doing something to change your thought process – to “cleanse your mind,” as the kabbalists call it - it will be almost impossible to awaken true certainty.

Iyar is a month within which we can grow our certainty. But, how do we do it? It is not enough to know it is important to try to do it. We have to know that our mind has been trained already, and no matter how positive we want to be, no matter what type of thoughts we want to awaken, it cannot occur without the clearing of these ingrained thought processes. Most of us began our journey in Kabbalah by studying. However, most of us view the purpose of study as that of gaining information: How do I do this? How do I handle this? How do I deal with this? But the true purpose of the study of Kabbalah is not to learn how or to know wisdom; it is to use as a tool to help clear the mind of all those thoughts which keep us from having certainty.

Life has taught us doubt and uncertainty, and we have to clear those pathways of the brain in order to awaken true certainty, in order to be able to receive and draw the true blessings that are meant to come to us; but that can’t come simply by desiring or trying to awaken certainty. We have to make it a constant practice to deepen our study, to deepen our connection - not just because it is a powerful tool and will bring us Light, but because as we think these thoughts and allow them to permeate our minds, they will allow us to have certainty when we need it.

Therefore, the first commitment for those of us who want to receive this gift of the month of Iyar is to shift and strengthen our purpose in study, and to truly understand why we are doing it. That is why, in order to elevate ourselves in our mind and thoughts this month, we must first make a commitment to focus on the deeper study and on a true connection. Why? Because we know that we are going to need certainty now, tomorrow, and next month, and that we cannot achieve that level of certainty while our mind is still as it was, trained with restrictions from the moment we were born. It is a powerful understanding and gift of this month - we have the ability to awaken this certainty through clearing our mind of its training of doubt and fear, and the only way to do that is by an ever-strengthening and constant connection to the deeper aspects of study.