Baal HaSulam's Introduction to the Zohar Chapter 8-11

(1) Now we can understand what the Kabbalists say, when they compare the soul to a stone quarried from a mountain. Just as a stone was once part of the mountain, so too the soul was a part of G-d. And we wondered (in our third inquiry), the stone is separated from a mountain with a special tool, but what tool separated the soul from G-d, that now it is called soul and not the Creator Himself.

(2) You must realize that in the physical world there are tools that separate the stone from the mountain, however, in the spiritual worlds there are no objects, there is no physical space, there are only "similarity of forms". What separates, or combines two spiritual beings is their desires. If their desires have similarity of form i.e. the same desires, they connect, if they have opposite desires they separate. We see this also in our physical world. Two friends who have the same interests, same desires, are close, no matter the distance between them. However, two people who have different interests, different desires, are far apart no matter how physically close they are to each other.

(1) You now know that in spirituality the difference of form, differences in desires, acts like an ax that splits an item into two. And also, that distance in spirituality, is measured according to the difference of form, difference of desires, between spiritual entities. The desire to receive that G-d implanted in the soul, to receive all the goodness that He wanted to give; this desire to receive, separated the soul from G-d who has an opposite desire, a desire only to give.

(2) However, concerning G-d's goodness, the light that the creations receive, in that aspect, there is no difference between them and the Creator. The difference occurs when the light is shaped in the desire to receive, the vessel that accepts this light. The light received , being in the vessel of the desire to receive, has separated from the original light, and is now only a part of the original light, and is no longer the whole. One becomes the part, while the other is the whole, as a stone quarried from a mountain. Contemplate this carefully, for it is not possible to explain these lofty matters at length.

(1) We now have an opening to understand the fourth inquiry: How it is possible that evil emanated from G-d's holiness, since evil and holiness are complete opposites. Also, how is it possible that He sustains evil.

(2) But we need to understand the source of evil, that evil comes from the strong desire to receive which is the essence of all the souls that were created, because only through the desire to receive, can the souls receive all the fulfillment that G-d had in store for them. However, the desire to receive for oneself cannot remain in this state. For if it did, the souls would be in permanent separation from their creator. For they are opposites, one a desire to receive, the other a desire to give, they can never bond.

(3) In order to fix this separation, G-d created two systems, as is written (Kohelet 7:14) "this one, versus that one, did G-d establish". One system, the four worlds (levels) of holiness, the other, the four worlds of impurity. These worlds (levels) are known by the acronym ABYA, they are: Azilut, Beriya, Yetzira and Asiya. He implanted the desire to give, in the system of ABYA of holiness, and the desire to receive for oneself, in the ABYA of impurity. The desire to receive is now separated from the Creator, and from all the worlds (levels) of holiness.

(4) For this reason, the "shells"(evil) are called dead as it is written "sacrifices of the dead". The wicked are also called dead, as it is written "the wicked in their lifetime are called dead". This is because the evil within them, the opposite of form (opposite desires), separates them from the life force of the universe (G-d), and they are distanced from Him an infinite distance. For He has no desire to receive, but only to give, and the "shells" (evil) have no desire to give, but only to receive for themselves, and there are no greater opposite desires than that. And as you already know, distance in spirituality is measured according to the difference in form (desires), and these opposite desires cause the maximum distance between G-d and those that He created.

(1) The spiritual worlds evolved to the reality of our physical world, where a person is born with a [spiritual] body (the desire to receive) and a soul (the desire to give), a time of decay and a time of rebuilding (tikun). The [spiritual] body, the desire to receive for oneself, which has its roots in the thought of creation, travels through the system of impurity, as it is written "man is born a wild donkey", and remains subservient to this system until the age of thirteen. This is the time (under thirteen) of [spiritual] decay (because the person is mostly thinking of himself).

(2) And through his involvement in mitzvot beginning at thirteen, for the purpose of conferring pleasure to His creator (by becoming a giver), he slowly pivots from the desire that was ingrained within him, the desire to receive, and turns it into a desire to give. That person has now entered the system of holiness, and is acquiring a soul (the desire to give), whose roots are also in the thought of creation. This is the time of rebuilding (tikun).

(3) The person adds and attains levels of holiness, (by becoming more of a giver), and thus fulfills the purpose of creation which is [known by the term] "Ein-Sof". These levels of holiness help change a person's desires for himself, and help make him a "receiver in order to give" where giving and receiving become one. At that point he achieves similarity of form with his Creator. Because receiving in order to give is considered complete giving. As is mentioned in Tractate Kiddushin 7a: A groom, if he is someone of stature, the bride can put the ring on his finger, and when the groom says: "you are hereby married to me with this ring", they are married. (Usually it is the groom who puts the ring on the bride, however, in the above scenario, the groom who usually doesn't accept gifts because he is an important person, by accepting her ring, he gives her pleasure, and with this pleasure she is married to him). We see then, that by receiving (the ring) the groom is actually giving [pleasure to the bride]. Because his act of receiving in order to give [his bride pleasure] is considered pure giving. Such a person when it comes to his relationship with G-d, who accepts from G-d, in order to give Him pleasure, acquires similarity of form with G-d, (they are now both givers, although in actuality the person received and G-d gave) and that person can now receive all the goodness that was in G-d's thought when He created the world.