Day Four

[Ms Tercy Lonan]

DAY FOUR
“And God said: ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the
heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for
signs, and for seasons, and for days and years; and let them
be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light
upon the earth.’ And it was so. And God made the two great
lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light
to rule the night; and the stars. And God set them in the
firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to
rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light
from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. And there
was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.”
Reminder: the human being (Adam) inside of you has
not yet been born. This excerpt speaks only of creating
the environment for his birth and life. What is an
“environment”? It is forces—the Creator’s forces that will
influence the person. They exist only to bring one to the
goal of Creation—unification with the Creator and eternal
happiness.
So, which forces were revealed on Day Four? “And God
said: ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to
divide the day from the night.’”
Chapter 1:In the Beginning (Genesis, Beresheet)

The lights are to govern “night” and “day”—the states one
undergoes on the path to the Creator. I’ll bet you’ve already
felt periods of constant ascents and descents—these are the
“day and night” in question.
“Day” refers to an ascent, when you are filled with
confidence that you are on the right path, flying on the
anticipation of the doors into the spiritual world opening
up before you any second now. “Night” is a descent, when
nothing brings joy and the spiritual world seems nonexistent
or made up, and you ask yourself, “Why am I wasting my life
on this nonsense?”
These questions are thrown at you by your ego. The ego
finds the perfect moment to attack because it knows that if
you endure, and break into the spiritual dimension, you will
escape its rule. Naturally, the ego doesn’t want this, so these
common questions abound, “Whom do you work for?”
“Can you even see Him?” “Where is your reason?” “Look
around, people are leading peaceful and pleasant lives, while
you’re struggling toward an unrealizable goal!”
Need I go on?
There is only one thing to suggest: when “night” falls,
make sure you are surrounded by people like you, who are
seeking the path into the spiritual world. Friends who have
the same goal as you will bear the brunt of the ego’s blow,
and you will realize that alone, you are helpless, but together,
you will endure.
Another useful advice is to go to sleep. What does it
mean to “go to sleep?” It means to disconnect from all the
pestering questions, block them out, and not look back. You
“sleep” through this period. Hey, it’s dark out, anyway. Lie
down and sleep so that your head (thoughts, calculations)
The Secrets of the Eternal Book

and body (desires) are on the same level, like an animal. In
essence, you don’t let anything in.
It’s as if you cancel, nullify yourself, waiting it out as
you gather your strength. You think no thoughts, make no
actions or movements, and rightfully so. You know that
morning is right around the corner.
“Morning” signifies a new ascent, a way out of the state
of descent.
You may ask, “Why does the Creator send us these
ascents and descents? Couldn’t He have gifted us with all the
goodness, as He plans on doing ultimately anyway, foregoing
all the suffering and doubts?” Well, He sends us these states
because without them there would be no advancement, as
progress is possible only via a continual change of states.
Only by overcoming is a true person born, a real “man.”
I repeat, we’re always talking about what happens within,
and there we have “man” and “woman,” as well. This
notion refers to the “inner man” (Heb. Gever, from the word
Hitgabrut—to overcome).
What would happen if you gave your child everything it
wanted? It would not develop, but would grow up spoiled,
capricious, selfish, and lacking empathy. Would you be
happy with such a child? This is why one must go through
all that is destined for one. Every soul has a unique path to
the Goal.
Also, if the Creator had placed you in a good state right
away, He would crush you with His Light. You’d be deprived
of any free choice, having become a slave to that state. Who
could refuse absolute happiness?! But the Creator doesn’t
want a slave of the Light. He wants a friend, an equal, which
Chapter 1:In the Beginning (Genesis, Beresheet)

you can become only if you go through all the states and
choose the Creator of your own volition.
Your task is to feel the immortal soul behind the mortal
bodies, whereupon all your questions will fade away
instantly; then, you will see the goodness emanating from
the Creator and His individual attitude toward every soul.
He is with us always; we need only trust His guidance, like
a child heeding the advice of a loving father. The child
knows that it can rely on the father in every way, and trusts
itself to his care.
There is a reason why the lights that separate the day
from the night, i.e., my states, are in the heavens. “…and let
them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give
light upon the earth.”
Heaven refers to your quality of bestowal, the Creator’s
quality. Because the lights in the firmament of heaven “give
light upon the earth” (egoistic desires), egoistic desires are
subject to the “heaven,” the altruistic quality in us.
“And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to
give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over
the night, and to divide the light from the darkness; and
God saw that it was good.”
It follows that only the “lights in the firmament of
heavens” affect the change of our states, separating them:
“…and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide
the light from the darkness.”
Let us repeat once more: this Biblical text describes the
structure of the universe in which Adam will reside. Adam
is the human in you. The firmament, earth, and lights all
refer to the altruistic and egoistic qualities within which he
will exist.
The Secrets of the Eternal Book

The Creator will push the human toward attainment
of the spiritual world. To this end you need to identify
yourself with your inner qualities, with the “human” in you.
If you succeed you will pass through all the states that lie
ahead together with Him. The “nights” and the “days,” the
“mornings” and the “evenings” are spiritual states designed
to bring you to Infinity, to life in the Upper World.
“…and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for
days and years.” Whenever speaking about time, we must
refrain from imagining corporeal days, months and years,
for there is no time in the spiritual world. How could time
possibly exist in infinity?! You are already connected to an
eternal, immortal soul, so what room is there for the notion
of time?! Indeed, there is no time, but only changing states
on the ever upward path along the spiritual ladder.
“Day” embodies a changing state—ascent and descent in
the span of one degree (“morning,” “day,” and “evening” are
all “one day”) before crossing over to the next degree.
Hodesh (month) derives from the word Hidush (renewal)—a
return to a former state on a higher level, renewed and more
advanced, having already gone through thirty ascents and
descents. Each time you are given additional work with your
egoism, causing you to fall, overcome, and continue the
ascent along the spiritual ladder.
Shanah (year) derives from the word Lishot (to repeat),
which is like moving along a spiral that returns to the same
state on a higher level. Either way, the ascent is constant.
“Days,” “months,” and “years” are all in you. You “live
through” them by correcting newer and increasingly difficult
egoistic desires.
Chapter 1:In the Beginning (Genesis, Beresheet)

Some require a “day” to be corrected, others a “month” or
a “year.” Nonetheless, the direction remains invariably up.