One of Kabbalah’s core values is to selflessly share with others. Kabbalists teach that the purpose of life is to transform our Desire to Receive to the Desire to Share. Many of us believe we are generous individuals, people ready to share with others when they find themselves in dire need. We forget that we encounter opportunities to share with friends, family members, or colleagues every day and these moments are no less significant.
Our boss requests that we work late on an important project or a friend asks for a ride. When these small opportunities come up, we often share because we feel it is our duty. And though we may agree to help, we sometimes feel put out in doing so. Why give our time, energy, or resources when we would prefer not to? Many times it’s because we feel obligated to do so.
When we share because we feel it is our duty, the act does not reveal the greatest potential of Light. In fact, feeling obligated takes some Light out of an act of sharing. Our aim should be to share without considering whether we should share or not. Michael Berg calls this “sharing as a servant.” It is an act that registers on a higher spiritual level. “When we no longer feel that we have a choice about whether to give or not to give,” says Michael, “our consciousness becomes that of a servant, not in the sense of lowering ourselves, but in the sense of elevating ourselves spiritually.” It goes beyond simply helping another person. Sharing as a servant means jumping at the opportunity to share. It can even mean putting someone else’s needs before our own.
This kind of sharing can be misconstrued as placing oneself in the role of a victim. In truth, the two are very different. We are only victims of sharing when we do so out of duty. Michael Berg points out, “There are many people who give to their children, their spouse, or their friends because they feel obliged to do so, even when they don't really want to. These are victims of sharing.” Being a victim of sharing can leave us feeling depleted, used, or resentful. It is damaging to share with others when we feel we have little to give. Those who give with an open heart without question and without hesitation act out of true selflessness; they share as servants.
Our job then is to flip our perspective into one of abundance. When we believe that we have more than enough, we don’t think twice about sharing our time, resources, and energy with others. Embrace opportunities to share as they present themselves; make the act of sharing so natural that you never have time to feel obligated or consider the need to act out of duty. When we release those feelings, we are no longer victims of sharing but true givers, sharing the Light of the Creator every chance we get.
