1. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 20, "Lishma [for Her sake]"
Concerning Lishma [for Her sake]. In order for a person to obtain Lishma, one needs an awakening from above, as it is an illumination from above and it is not for the human mind to understand. Rather, he who tastes, knows. It is said about this, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”
Because of this, upon assuming the burden of the kingdom of heaven, one needs it to be in utter completeness, meaning only to bestow and not at all to receive. If a person sees that the organs do not agree with this view, he has no other choice but prayer—to pour out his heart to the Creator to help him make his body consent to enslaving itself to the Creator.
2. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 5, "Lishma Is an Awakening from Above, and Why Do We Need an Awakening from Below?"
The need for man’s work in order to receive the Lishma from the Creator is only in the form of a lack and a Kli [vessel]. Yet, one can never obtain the filling by himself; it is rather a gift from the Creator.
However, the prayer must be a complete prayer, from the bottom of the heart. This means that one knows one hundred percent that there is no one in the world who can help him but the Creator Himself.
Yet, how does one know this, that no one will help him but the Creator Himself? One can acquire that awareness precisely if he has exerted all the powers at his disposal and it did not help him. Thus, one must do every possible thing in the world to attain “for the sake of the Creator.” Then one can pray from the bottom of the heart, and then the Creator hears his prayer.
3. RABASH, Article No. 12 (1988), "What Are Torah and Work in the Way of the Creator?"
Feeling the vitality in the Torah requires great preparation to prepare his body to be able to feel the life in the Torah. This is why our sages said we must begin in Lo Lishma, and through the light of Torah he obtains while still in Lo Lishma, it will bring him to Lishma, since the light in it reforms him. Then, he will be able to learn Lishma, meaning for the sake of the Torah, which is called “Torah [law] of life,” as he has already attained the life in the Torah, for the light in the Torah will have given such qualification to a person as to be able to feel the life that is in the Torah.
4. RABASH, Article No. 587, "The Upper One Scrutinizes for the Purpose of the Lower One"
One must receive the power to work Lishma from the upper one, since the lower one is powerless to begin the work, but only in the form of Lo Lishma [not for Her sake], called “will to receive,” for only the Lo Lishma gives the first moving force of the lower one, for when a person does not find sufficient flavor in corporeal pleasures, he begins to search for spiritual pleasures.
It follows that the root of the work of the lower one is the will to receive, and the prayer, called MAN, rises up, and then the upper one corrects this MAN and places on it the power of the Masach, which is a desire to delay the abundance before the lower one knows about himself that his aim is to bestow.
That is, the upper one bestows upon the lower one good taste and pleasure in the desire to bestow.
5. RABASH, Article No. 223, "Entry into the Work"
Only after he achieves this degree called Lo Lishma, he is rewarded with other phenomena, when he comes to a higher state. That is, at that time he has no consideration of himself, and all his calculations and thoughts are the truth.
In other words, his aim is only to annul himself before the true reality, where he feels that he must only serve the King because he feels the exaltedness and greatness and importance of the King. At that time, he forgets, meaning he has no need to worry about himself, as his own self is annulled as a candle before a torch before the existence of the Creator that he feels. Then he is in a state of Lishma [for Her sake], meaning contentment to the Creator, and his concerns and yearnings are only about how he can delight the Creator, while his own existence, meaning the will to receive, does not merit a name whatsoever. Then he is regarded as “bestowing in order to bestow.”
6. RABASH, Article No. 23 (1987), "Peace After a Dispute Is More Important than Having No Disputes At All"
We should know that the degree of Lo Lishma is a very important degree, and we haven’t the intellect to appreciate the importance of Torah and Mitzvot Lo Lishma. Baal HaSulam said that “as much as one may appreciate the work Lishma, which is important work, he should know that Lo Lishma is more important than the importance that a person attributes to Lishma, since one cannot properly assess the importance of observing Torah and Mitzvot even Lo Lishma, although observing Torah and Mitzvot should be Lishma.
7. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 5, "Lishma Is an Awakening from Above, and Why Do We Need an Awakening from Below?"
One must know, when exerting to attain the Lishma, to take upon himself to want to work entirely to bestow, completely, meaning only to bestow and not to receive anything. Only then does one begin to see that the organs do not agree to this view.
From this one can come to clear awareness that he has no other choice but to pour out his heart to the Creator to help him so the body will agree to enslave itself to the Creator unconditionally, as he sees that he cannot persuade his body to annul itself completely.
8. Baal HaSulam, "One Commandment"
It is hopeless to wait for a time when a solution is found that enables one to begin the work of the Creator in Lishma. As in the past, so is now, and so will it be: Every servant of the Creator must begin the work in Lo Lishma, and from that achieve Lishma.
The way to achieve this degree is not limited by time, but by his qualifiers, and by the measure of one’s control over one’s heart. Hence, many have fallen and will fall in the field of working Lo Lishma, and will die without wisdom. Yet, their reward is nevertheless great, since one’s mind cannot appreciate the true merit and value of bringing contentment to one’s Maker. Even if one works not under this condition, since one is not worthy of another way, one still brings contentment to one’s Maker. This is called “unintentionally.”
9. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 22, "Torah Lishma"
Torah is called Lishma [for Her sake] primarily when one learns in order to know with utter certainty, within reason, without any doubts of the clarity of the truth, that there is a judge and there is judgment. There is a judgment means that one sees reality as it appears to our eyes. This means that when we work in faith and bestowal, we see that we are growing and climbing daily, since we always see a change for the better.
And it is likewise to the contrary: When we work in a form of reception and knowledge, we see that we are declining every day down to the ultimate lowliness in reality.
When examining these two states, we see that there is judgment and there is a judge, since while we do not follow the laws of the Torah of truth, we are punished instantly. In that state, we see that there is just judgment. In other words, we see that this is precisely the best way, which is fit and can achieve the truth.
This is considered that the judgment is just, that only in this manner can we come to the ultimate goal: to understand within reason, with complete and absolute understanding of which there is no higher, that only by way of faith and bestowal can we achieve the purpose.
Thus, if one studies for this purpose, to understand that there is judgment and there is a judge, this is called Torah Lishma.
10. RABASH, Article No. 587, "The Upper One Scrutinizes for the Purpose of the Lower One"
By which the lower one feels His exaltedness. At that time, he begins to understand that it is worthwhile to annul before Him and cancel his existence before Him. Then, he feels that all that there is in reality is only because such is His will, that the Creator wants the lower one to exist, but for himself, he wants to annul his existence. It follows that then, all the vitality he feels is regarded as Lishma and not for himself.
When he feels this, it is considered that he already has the correction of the MAN, and then he is also fit to receive the MAD, as well, for there is no contradiction between them anymore, since the lower one, too, wants the benefit of the upper one and not his own benefit.
It is considered that when the upper one gives the lower one Mochin, he also gives him the clothing of the Mochin, meaning that he gives the lower one the abundance, as well as the power of the Masach, which is the desire to bestow. This is the meaning of “from Lo Lishma, we come to Lishma.”
11. RABASH, Article No. 279, "Why Israel Are Compared to an Olive Tree"
When he sees that he will not obtain vitality through acts of reception, he begins to perform acts of bestowal so that the acts of bestowal will give him pleasure.
It follows that the suffering reforms him, meaning the suffering he feels when he has nothing from which to derive pleasure makes him become reformed, meaning perform acts of bestowal, since “being reformed” means bestowal, as it is written, “My heart overflows with a good thing, I say, ‘My work is for the King,’” meaning to bestow.
It follows that through the suffering he suffers from having no vitality, he chooses for himself a new way and begins to engage in bestowal.
Although this, too, is with the aim to receive, it is called Lo Lishma [not for Her sake] that is close to Lishma [for Her sake]. This is the meaning of “From Lo Lishma we come to Lishma,” since “the light in it reforms him.” Since he acts in order to bestow, by this he begins to feel light in the acts of bestowal, and that light can then make him bestow.
12. RABASH, Article No. 269, "One Does Not Toil Over a Meal and Misses It"
The advice is that if a person sees that he still cannot work Lishma, he should increase his actions in Lo Lishma, since when he sees that he has done many actions in Lo Lishma, he will have no other choice but to repent and work Lishma, or his entire work will be in vain.
The rule is that a person does not toil over a meal and misses it. Hence, if one has done many actions in Lo Lishma, he will not want to lose all his trouble, so he will need to correct all his work so it enters the Kedusha.
But one who works Lo Lishma and did not do many works, meaning he did not dedicate much time to the Torah and work in Lo Lishma, he will not have such a need to repent, since he will not have that many actions to lose. For this reason, we must try to do many good deeds even in Lo Lishma because this is the reason he will have a need to repent and work Lishma.
13. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 79, "Atzilut and BYA"
Our sages said, “From Lo Lishma [not for Her sake], we come to Lishma [for Her sake].” This means that we begin the engagement in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments] in order to “Give us the wealth of this world,” and afterward, “Give us the wealth of the next world.”
When learning in this way, one should come to learn Lishma, for the sake of the Torah, meaning that the Torah will teach him the ways of the Creator. And then he should first make the sweetening of Malchut in Bina, which means that he elevates Malchut, called “will to receive,” to Bina, which is considered bestowal. That is, that all his work will be only in order to bestow.
And then it becomes dark for him. He feels that the world has grown dark on him since the body gives strength to work only in the form of reception, and not in the form of bestowal. In that state, he has but one choice: to pray to the Creator to open his eyes so he can work in the manner of bestowal.
14. RABASH, Letter No. 16
Baal HaSulam said that to be rewarded with Lishma (for Her Name), we first need to prepare the biggest Lo Lishma (not for Her Name), and then we can achieve Lishma. And similarly, Lo Lishma is called a “lie” and Lishma is called “truth.”
When the lie is small and the Mitzvot and good deeds are few, he has a small Lo Lishma, and then he cannot see the truth. Hence, in that state, he says that he is walking on the good and true path, meaning working Lishma.
But when he engages in Torah all day and all night in Lo Lishma, then he can see the truth, since by the accumulation of lies, his lie increases and he sees that he is indeed walking on a false path.
And then he begins to correct his actions. In other words, he feels that everything he does is only Lo Lishma. From this point, one passes to the path of truth, to Lishma. Only here, at this point, does the issue of “from Lo Lishma one comes to Lishma”
15. Baal HaSulam, "The Arvut" [Mutual Guarantee, Item 22
The impression that comes to a person when engaging in Mitzvot between man and the Creator is completely the same as the impression he gets when engaging in Mitzvot between man and man, since one is obliged to perform all the Mitzvot Lishma [for Her sake], without any hope for self-love, meaning that no light or hope returns to him through his trouble in the form of reward or honor, etc. Here, at this exalted point, the love of the Creator and the love of his friend unite and actually become one.
16. Maimonides, Mishneh Torah
“Our sages said: ‘One should always engage in Torah, even if Lo Lishma [not for Her sake], since from Lo Lishma he comes to Lishma [for Her sake].’ Therefore, when teaching the young, the women, and the uneducated, they are taught to work only out of fear and to receive reward. Until they accumulate knowledge and gain wisdom, they are told that secret bit by bit, and are accustomed to that matter with ease until they attain Him and know Him and serve Him out of love.”
17. Mishnah, Masechet Avot, 6:1
Rabbi Meir says, “Whoever engages Torah for Her sake is rewarded with many things. Moreover, he merits the whole world. He is called friend, beloved, he loves the Creator, loves the people, delights the Creator, delights the people. It [the Torah] dresses him with humility and fear, and qualifies him to be righteous, pious [hassid], honest, and faithful. It drives him away from sin, and closer to merit. Counsel and sound wisdom, understanding and might benefit from him, as was said, ‘Counsel is mine and sound wisdom; I am understanding, power is mine.’ It gives him kingship, rulership, sharpness in judgment, and the secrets of the Torah are revealed to him. He becomes as an ever-flowing spring, as a river that never ceases. He is humble, patient, forgiving an insult, and it raises and elevates him above all the actions.”