1. RABASH, Article No. 6 (1988), "What Is the Difference between a Field and a Man of the Field, in the Work?"
Our sages said, that Malchut [kingdom] of heaven must be as an ox to the burden and as an ass to the load.” Baal HaSulam said that “an ox to the burden” means that the burden of faith must be as one places the yoke on the ox so as to plow the field, without any consideration of its will, if it agrees with it. Instead, we place the yoke on it against its will. Likewise, man must take upon himself the burden of the kingdom of heaven, since an ox means knowing, as it is written, “The ox knows its master.” For this reason, faith is regarded as a burden to one who needs knowledge.
2. RABASH, Article No. 8 (1990), "What It Means that Esau Was Called 'A Man of the Field,' in the Work"
As the ox works by coercion and must obey what its owner wants, man must not ask the body if it wants to take upon itself the burden of Torah and Mitzvot. Rather, he must force it and believe in the sages that such is the path of truth.
Also, there is the discernment of “and as a donkey to the load,” meaning it is the quality of the heart. In other words, a person must work not in order to receive reward. Therefore, when the body is told to work without any reward, this work is a load to it and the body wants to take off this load, which man wants it to suffer. In other words, the body understands that it can carry a load even for a doubtful reward for this work. But if it is told, “Work and carry loads without any reward,” it wants to get rid of this work every moment. Then it was said, “as a donkey to the load.” That is, a person must walk in this direction even though the body disagrees.
It follows that the labor is in two manners: 1) as an ox to the burden, 2) as a donkey to the load.
3. RABASH, Article No. 37 (1991), "What Is the 'Torah' and What Is 'The Statute of the Torah,' in the Work?"
“Burden” means “coercion,” which is work above reason. This ox, on which the owner places the yoke so it will till the land, does not understand why it needs to work for the owner. Also, we cannot say that the ox works for him because he loves the owner since he lets it eat and drink. If this is because the owner has a kind heart, and this is why he gives the ox all its needs, the ox probably knows that if the owner could work with the ox without having to provide for its needs, he would certainly do so. But the owner knows that if he does not provide the ox with all its needs, the ox will not have the strength to work. Therefore, he gives everything to the ox so he can work with the ox, and not because he wants to delight the ox. In other words, he knows that if he does not give the ox everything that the ox needs in order to have the strength to work, the owner will not be able to yield crops and produce from the land.
4. RABASH, Article No. 19 (1984), "You Stand Today, All of You"
A person should take upon himself the burden of the kingdom of heaven as an ox to the burden and as a donkey to the load, which are mind and heart. In other words, all of one’s work should be in order to bestow.
Accordingly, if one works in order to bestow and does not wish for any reward in return—except to serve in the holy work without hoping to be given any addition to what he has—he has no wish even for additional work. In other words, receiving some knowledge that he is walking on the right path is certainly a just demand, and yet he relinquishes even that because he wishes to go with his eyes shut and believe in the Creator. And what he can, he does and he is content with his lot.
5. RABASH, Article No. 37 (1991), "What Is the 'Torah' and What Is 'The Statute of the Torah,' in the Work?"
We already know the meaning of “the burden of the kingdom of heaven” and “the burden of Torah,” meaning to work with the body coercively, even if it disagrees with the work. It should all follow the example of the ox to the burden and the donkey to the load. However, it is a lot of work for a person to have the strength to overcome the body and work with the body coercively, as with an ox. From what source can one derive this strength? Our sages said about this, “The Creator said, ‘I have created the evil inclination; I have created the Torah as a spice.’” That is, only through the Torah that a person engages in, even if Lo Lishma [not for Her sake], and he aims that he wants to engage in the Torah so as to thereby receive the light of the Torah, which will give him the strength to force the body when it disagrees with the work.
6. RABASH, Article No. 37 (1991), "What Is the 'Torah' and What Is 'The Statute of the Torah,' in the Work?"
Before one is rewarded with purification of the Kelim [vessels], so they work in order to bestow. At that time, his work is compulsory, and this is called “a law.” That is, if the body comes and asks, “What is this work for you?” we tell it, “You ask questions according to the mind of the will to receive. I have no answer to this, and you are right. Yet, I do not want to answer within reason,” meaning so that the will to receive will also understand it. It would mean that I am working for the will to receive, or it would never agree to work.
Therefore, at that time, a person says, “You are right when you ask, ‘What will I have,’ meaning the will to receive, ‘from this work?’ So I am telling you that I do not want to work for you. Why? It is because I believe in the sages that we must work for the sake of the Creator above reason although the body does not understand, and I accept this work ‘as an ox to the burden and as a donkey to the load’.
7. RABASH, Article No. 26 (1986), "A Near Way and a Far Way"
Since man must assume the burden of the kingdom of heaven and must be as an “ox to the burden and as a donkey to the load,” and man cannot carry it, meaning that it is hard for him to bear the load, which is the meaning of, “cannot carry it,” for this reason the road will be far for you.
This is not so if one did take upon oneself the burden of the kingdom of heaven. He would see that everything is near him. That is, a person sees that “the place where the Lord your God chooses to set His name,” meaning the place where God has chosen to set His name, is far from him. This is as it is written, “And let them make Me a Temple and I will dwell within them.” That place is far from the person, meaning from being able to make in his heart room for instilling the Shechina [Divinity]. He is far from understanding such a thing—that one will have the strength to make room for instilling the Shechina in his heart. This is so because he will not be able to carry it, meaning he will not want to take upon himself the accepted way, “as an ox to the burden and as a donkey to the load.”
8. RABASH, Article No. 37 (1991), "What Is the 'Torah' and What Is 'The Statute of the Torah,' in the Work?"
We must work with the will to receive, called “body,” coercively, “as an ox to the burden and as a donkey to the load.” This coercive work is only before one is rewarded with purity. After one has been rewarded with purity, which implies to us the matter of the red cow, he is rewarded with work, “on which a yoke has never been placed.” At that time, his work is no longer coercive, and he serves the Creator from love.
9. RABASH, Article No. 159, "The Need and Importance of Teaching Faith"
When one does not feel any flavor in the work, he becomes accustomed to doing things even without a reward. Hence, afterward, when he is rewarded with receiving the interior of the Torah and is rewarded with the light of pleasure, when he will be in a state of revelation of the face, he will still be able to receive these pleasures only because of a Mitzva [sing. of Mitzvot].
That is, it is the aim of the Creator that man will receive the upper pleasures, as this is the purpose of creation, but not for his own benefit. That is, he does not want to receive the pleasures in order to please himself. Rather, his aim is to receive in order to bestow. This was the whole purpose for making a place of concealment.
Hence, during the concealment there is room to work to take upon himself the fear of heaven “as an ox to the burden and as a donkey to the load” in order to accustom himself to serve the Creator not in order to receive reward.
10. RABASH, Article No. 814, "Times in the Work"
When a person comes to perform some Mitzva [commandment] and the will to receive does not want to do this, a person does what he can and overcomes his desire. By this he has done his work by deciding to the side of Kedusha [holiness], by acting against his will.
By overcoming, he will take upon himself “as an ox to the burden and as a donkey to the load,” and a spirit from above will immediately rest on him to the extent that he overcame his desire, meaning according to the revealing of his forces.
11. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 19, "What Is 'The Creator Hates the Bodies,' in the Work?"
Sometimes one despises this work of assuming the burden of the kingdom of heaven, which is a time of a sensation of darkness, when one sees that no one can save him from the state he is in but the Creator. Then he takes upon himself the kingdom of heaven above reason, as an ox to the burden and as a donkey to the load.
One should be glad that now he has something to give to the Creator, and the Creator enjoys him having something to give to the Creator. But one does not always have the strength to say that this is beautiful work, called “adornment,” but he despises this work.
This is a harsh condition for one to be able to say that he chooses this work over the work of whiteness, meaning that he does not sense a taste of darkness during the work, but then one feels a taste in the work. It means that then he does not have to work with the will to receive to agree to take upon himself the kingdom of heaven above reason.
If he does overcome himself and can say that this work is pleasant to him that now he is observing the Mitzva [commandment] of faith above reason, and he accepts this work as beauty and adornment, this is called “A joy of Mitzva.”
12. RABASH, Article No. 1 (1986), "Moses Went"
When a person waits for the Creator to help him and says, “Now I can work, but before the Creator gives me a desire and craving, I cannot overcome the desires of my body, and I sit and wait for the Creator to help me so I can begin the work of the Creator.”
This is similar to a person waiting for any person passing by him to place the heavy sack on his back. Likewise, that man is waiting for the Creator to give him strength and help him, and place the burden of the kingdom of heaven on his back, as it is written, “as an ox to the burden and as a donkey to the load.” He wants the Creator to help him with these burden and load and then he will begin the work. At that time he is told, “Wait for an opportunity, and in the meantime stay with the sack of assuming the burden of the kingdom of heaven below on earth.”
13. RABASH, Article No. 1 (1986), "Moses Went"
One who begins to see that the burden and load are beginning to fall off from him, meaning the work he had previously assumed, to be “as an ox to the burden and as a donkey to the load,” and he sees that soon he will be in descent, so he cries out to the Creator and receives help. It is as our sages said, “He who comes to purify is aided."
14. RABASH, Article No. 266, "Anyone Who Is Settled in His Wine"
Even when he is later rewarded with attainment and knowledge, he must not take this as support for the work, meaning to say that now he is delighted that he has attainment, that he has become liberated from the burden of faith, that he had work having to go above reason, that it is a great effort and now he is happy that he does not need to exert over faith and is freed from carrying that load called “as an ox to the burden and as a donkey to the load.”
Rather, he must understand that being rewarded with attainment, now he is happy that he sees that the path he was on before, the path of faith, which is the view of Torah, is the real way. And the proof is that now he has been rewarded with nearing the Creator, that the Creator has given him the attainment.
15. Baal HaSulam, Letter No. 9
I find myself committed and obligated, as today and as always, to be as an ox to the burden and as a donkey to the load, all day and all night. I will not rest from searching some place where I can bring some contentment to my Maker. Even in this day that I am in, I am happy to work under a great burden even seventy years, without any knowledge of its success (even my whole life), except that it is certainly the way that I have been commanded to walk in all His ways and to adhere to Him, which I have heard initially.
At the same time, I cannot excuse myself at all by any notion or contemplation from doing any work for His sake because of my lowliness. I crave and think all day about the sublimity of the work of God, in such sublimity that I cannot even write about it.