Question:
If evil can create wonderful change and positivity, and out of great goodness can come terrible disasters and negativity, then why should we feel any personal remorse for any of our own actions? ~DN
Answer:
What a wonderfully insightful question! I always appreciate a student that studies with such desire to learn and apply kabbalistic teachings.
First, let’s keep in mind that the Creator created each and every human being perfectly and filled with the pure endless Light of God. Unfortunately, over the millennium, we have covered that perfection with veils called klipot that are created by acting in reactive ways, such as with anger, guilt, fear, greed, ego, resentment, insensitivity, etc. Our entire purpose for coming into the physical world is to let ALL our Light shine into the world by means of proactive, Light-like behaviors.
In order to have true, lasting fulfillment from the Light in our souls we have to make an effort to exert ourselves through proactive, sharing behavior against a force of opposition called Satan, the adversary. The main weapons Satan uses to trick us into reactive behavior are our five senses, time, space, and motion. That’s how Satan creates an illusion for us.
In relation to your question, Satan, or evil as you called it, makes it appear that our reactive or negative behavior creates some kind of goodness. What the kabbalists explain to us is that the good that appears at first is only temporary. It is like a time bomb that eventually blows up into some form of chaos. Conversely, when we make an effort to exert ourselves against Satan and our reactive feelings, and be proactive and share, it can appear that the first thing that happens looks like chaos. This is also a time bomb, which eventually goes away and serenity, blessings, order, clarity, and fulfillment appear.
It is important to understand this universal law of cause and effect. A person that does a negative action - thereby adding more chaos to their lives, creating klipot, and thus covering their soul’s Light - can begin the process of repairing or correcting that negativity by feeling remorse. The process can then be completed through using a kabbalistic tool of repair called teshuvah. To read about teshuvah or “repentance,” you can find a powerful section in the chapter Naso, of the Zohar. To apply teshuvah in your personal life, please speak with your Kabbalah Centre teacher.
Wishing you all the best,
Chaim
