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The Recognition of Evil and the Revelation of Good

In the previous chapter, we talked about the recognition of evil,
that is, the recognition that we are egoists, acting only in our own
interest. We said that if we consider our state as totally evil, and
His state as utterly desirable, we will cross the barrier and enter 

the spiritual world. The question that remains open is which is
the quickest and most painless way to recognize our evil. This
is where Kabbalah comes into play. The advantage in Kabbalah
is that it teaches you about human nature without having to
physically experience the evil. This is why Kabbalists say we don’t
have to suffer; we can study instead. 

In that sense, humans finish the Creator’s creation,
meaning that they correct it. Because humans have
the ability to be like the Creator, the Creator passes
on to them the leadership of creation, once they are
corrected. So the good purpose of evil is realized
only if egoism becomes a driving force towards the Creator.
Otherwise, evil is evil is evil. And it produces evil, as egoistic acts
throughout history show.
The Creator increases the pressure on us to make us take
control of ourselves. This is why the world seems to become
increasingly hostile. The Creator made it that way so you and
I would begin to correct the world and ourselves. If He hadn’t
done it this way, you and I would sit under a tree and work on
our tan. Although that may sound great, it doesn’t bring you any
closer to becoming like the Creator, which is why He created us
in the first place.
The Creator wants us to partake in our own creation. If
you remember that, all your calculations stop being passive.
Instead, they become tools with which you contact the Creator
and experience Him. Every negative, or evil, attribute in you
becomes a means to an end. 

In Kabbalah, there is no other way to make contact with
the Creator—only through realization that our attributes are
negative. Put differently, the recognition of evil is the beginning
of the revelation of good.
This explanation of the Creator’s goal leaves one question
open: if he wants to give us pleasure, as Kabbalists say, what’s
wrong with a good tan, if we enjoy it? Well, there is nothing
wrong with it, if that’s what you really want. But if you have
a question nagging in the back of your mind (while lying on
the beach), and you can’t enjoy sunbathing anymore, then
maybe you need something more, and maybe that something
is Kabbalah. As Baal HaSulam puts it: Kabbalah is for
those who ask (even unconsciously), “What is the meaning of
my life?”