But let us clarify. Usually, when we speak about a lack of השכינה השראת, people think of the difficult things. “I know that I need to learn more, to have more kavannah during davening... I know. But what can I do? I tried ten times, and it doesn’t go! I have no concentration; I have no patience... it just doesn’t go! I can’t fight reality!”
HaKadosh Baruch Hu reveals an incredible secret to us: If you see that it doesn’t go, one of the primary reasons is because you don’t have the keilim, the vessels, for this right now, because you’re in a lower state. You need to ascend the ladder upward. And how does one go up a level? By attaining השכינה השראת in your current state; through this you can begin the ascent to the next level, and to the next after that. We aren’t talking, chas v’shalom, about giving up on Torah, tefillah, kedushah, taharah, emunah, and ehrlichkeit—these are all necessary and vital. But the question is how to get there. How do we begin? When you know a Yid who is a vehicle for the Shechinah—because he is a Yid—connecting with him is like connecting with the Shechinah. When you do this, you’re truly able to go higher and higher.
