JSSUMMERS™ Entertainment®: When You're Ripe

Sunday, August 23

Rav Ashlag, the very man who founded The Kabbalah Centre in 1922, uses this example when describing a person's spiritual process:

When you take a bite of an apple that's not ripe, perhaps even bitter, the problem isn't with the apple; the problem is we didn't wait for the tree to get to the place where the apple is ripe. It's our timing that is the problem, not the apple itself, nor the tree.

This is a powerful message for us, because it makes clear that the only real problem we have is that our process is not yet complete. That means we cannot beat ourselves up because we're angry, sad or depressed, or because we haven't reached our goals or benchmarks.

We're just a work in progress. We are the fruit not yet ripe for the picking.

You wouldn't cut down a tree because it gives unripe apples. Instead, you wait two months and then pick the ripe apples.

Rav Ashlag goes on to say that there isn't any bad in our world — only people and situations in mid-process. Our imperfection doesn't make us bad. Rather, there's no such thing as bad.

This lesson doesn't only apply to our relationship with our spiritual growth. It also means we can't judge anyone, or say that they are bad or not worthy. Not one of us isn't good enough. Not one of us isn't worthy enough. Whether we are at the seed, or the branch, or the fruit — remember, it's all about process.

A carob trees take 70 years to bear fruit. The fact that a carob farmer may not live long enough to taste fruits of his labor doesn't make his work worthless, nor does it mean that he's wasting his time. Often we find ourselves in relationships that seem to go nowhere, or working on business projects that can't get off the ground. But it's the next relationship or next business venture that bears fruit, because we invested in the prior one. And sometimes it takes 10, 20, or even 100 planted seeds before fruit is borne. But there is no such thing as wasted effort.

When Rav Shimon wrote the Zohar, he knew it would take more than 1000 years until the Zohar would be revealed. He knew it! Why would he spend the time writing it if he knew that? Wouldn't he want to be famous now? Wouldn't he want the credit, or on a more altruistic level, the pleasure of seeing the Light he brought to the world? But he knew that the seeds would one day bear fruit, and that was enough to keep him going.

Next week we'll talk about how to speed up the process, how to plant the right seeds, and other good spiritual gardening tactics. But, until then, stop judging yourself and others for not being ripe. Figure out which trees need more patience from you. And perhaps most importantly, look back on your previous harvests and know the bounty is on its way.

All the best,

Yehuda

72 Name of the Week

I have the power of clear vision and foresight in every part of my life. The blindfolds are removed. I can see the full-grown tree with-in the newly planted seed. I can grasp the cause-and-effect relationship that governs all reality. My life choices and actions are motivated by ultimate results, not momentary illusions. I can now also see more with my eyes; I can perceive more through my mind's eye; and I feel more through my intuition.