In order to "see" the Creator, the initial "arousal from above must be followed by "arousal from below". In the Song of Songs G-d and the Jewish people are compared to groom and bride. The groom first arouses the bride by knocking on the door and making his voice "heard". The bride must then rise and open the door that separates her from her groom in order to "see", him. Thus, after the spontaneous "hearing" of G-dliness, the Jew must rise and remove that which separates him from G-d. G-d asks the Jew to open the way from below, to regain consciousness and rediscover his identity by making a genuine effort to reveal his love for Him. The "arousal from below" occurs in four stages, represented by the four names by which the beloved is addressed.
previous post
