The Sanctity of Thought

In Mesillat Yesharim, The Path of the Just, one of the most famous and premier works on spiritual development, the author gives us step by step instructions on how to become closer to G-d. Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, The Ramchal, titles his first chapter, and references throughout the book, “Man in His World.” He doesn’t say “in this world,” “in our world” or “in the physical world,” but rather, clearly points out the individual and personal nature of our worlds as to where our development is to be done. 

What makes up our worlds?

Our worlds consist of our spiritual, intellectual and emotional spaces, our inner lives. We access these spaces through our thoughts. Our thoughts reflect our innate desires and are the basis for our speech and the actions we take. Refining our thoughts has a ripple effect on the ensuing stages of the creative process. 

There’s a concept that the beginning stages of a process, the origin, the roots, are closer to G-d than that of the latter stages. We see this as time progresses and we move further from creation; there is a slight decline in spirituality with each passing generation. We see this concept in the human anatomy as well. Our head is the seat of our intellect and as we move further down to our limbs, they become less G-dly and more physically driven. The five levels of the creative process are much the same.

Will - Thought - Imagination - Speech - Action

Our will is almost completely spiritual. It's our innate and instinctual desires, the spark of G-d within us. Our will is the Divine energy of the ohr infused into our physical forms. 

Our thoughts are intellectual and emotional, still in the spiritual world but within our control. Though they might come from somewhere outside of us, or deep inside of us, we have agency over them and the ability to negate or elevate them. 

Our imaginations are a true partnership between us and Hashem, the midpoint of this process. We create in our minds and Hashem brings our visions to fruition. 

With speech, we begin to more fully take the reins. Speech is the bridge between our inner and outer worlds, merging spirit with real world action. 

Our actions are in man’s hand. Here, Hashem gives us the reins almost completely. Fully in our control, we are responsible for our efforts, Hashem for the outcome. 

As we go through the levels of creation, the pendulum swings from fully given and inspired by G-d to man’s independent choice. Thought is the second of the five levels of creation, their reverence apparent, as the closer they are to the origin the closer they are to G-d.

Our thoughts are so close to the light of Hashem they are already infused with G-dliness as their default. Our thoughts are holy by nature, from inception. As we experience life our cherished thoughts get clouded and mucked over by the pull of this world. It is our mission to excavate them, to clear away the mundaneness of life and lift them, elevating them to their original, sanctified state. We are here to bring them back to where they should be, to where they began, to release them from the influences of physicality and the impacts of this world and to focus only on our intimate relationship with G-d. 

We aren’t changing our thoughts, we are clearing away their shell and releasing their inherent holiness. 

Thoughts are the first stage we have conscious control over. Our thoughts become our intentions, having a direct effect on the subsequent steps in the creative process. They become the driving force behind our decision making process and the guide to how we live, to what we do. 

We can choose to enhance our relationship with G-d by thinking and framing situations in a more spiritual way. We can choose to surround ourselves with ideas and people who support this perspective. We can choose to hear and see G-d in every aspect of our everydays. We can choose to live with G-d.

And so, like The Ramchal teaches, refining our inner worlds is the impetus to strengthening our connection to G-d. May we all have the ability to let our most beautiful and sacred thoughts, the thoughts of our origin, push through to the forefronts of our minds and affect our lives as only they can, to truly connect us with G-d.