One of the gifts that Rav Ashlag gave us was writing that three books are opened up on Rosh Hashanah: The Book of the Righteous, those who are written up for a good life this year; the book of those subject to the negative. Then there is the third book, those who have not made the complete connection, but have time to complete their correction.

Then he says that it’s not up to God to write us in the Book of Life, it’s up to us to write ourselves in the Book of Life. We know that the words of these great souls is their energy as well.

It’s not up to God to write us in the Book of Life. We, through our consciousness and our connection, can and will, God willing, write ourselves in the Book of Life.

Later I will get more opportunity, when there is more time to share what he writes at greater length. He says there are only two mitzvot that are important, one positive and one negative. Today on Rosh Hashanah I want to hear them for the first time. There are only two decisions we make in our life — in every relationship, in every decision, every action. Are we acting with the Desire to Receive for Self Alone, or with the Desire to Share? Rav Ashlag says those are the only two commandments we need to remember.

I cannot express the excitement I have in reading from these writings that have never been published. In no other book does Rav Ashlag make it as clear as in these writing we have just received. If you act with Desire to Receive for the Self Alone, you disconnect from the Light and connect to darkness. Act with the Desire to Share, and you connect to Light and life. We inscribe ourselves in the Book of Life. This singular decision is the seed for the year. We have to decide in our minds, am I going to dedicate myself to living to the degree I can based on desire to give to others, or will I live too much in the Desire to Receive for the Self Alone. That decision is how we inscribe ourselves in the Book of Life. It is not easy. Because, as the Rav always says, the Desire to Receive for the Self Alone has a good time in the short term. It’s not easy to decide this year we will be dedicated to the Desire to Share. We need to think about this, that in my life this year, when given the strength, I will dedicate my life to the Desire to Share because I know that is the path to Light.

Rav Ashlag writes that this simple teaching is the biggest secret of Kabbalah. It’s not about the understanding of it. It’s about the feeling of it. It’s about the receiving of it. All of us have heard this concept. What I hope for myself, and for all of us, is that today we make a deeper and truer connection to these teachings. This is the essence of life. And how we will inscribe ourselves this year in the Book of Life.

In these two days, make the true, deeper decision. In the introduction to Ten Luminous Emanations, Rav Ashlag says to chose life. He asks, who would chose anything but life? But the reality is that often, almost every day in our life, we take the step filled with Desire to Receive for the Self Alone that leads us toward not-life. We have the power, we can receive the power to become a different person.

I hope that when I make the decision today I am choosing life. I am not choosing a little bit more than last year. I know that I have nothing today. I know that my life force is completely gone today. What every one of us should ask today is, am I choosing life? Am I asking the Creator to give me the power, the ability, the consciousness this year to become a completely differently dedicated person to the Desire to Share? I know through that decision, one we should think about during these two days, I am inscribing myself in the Book of Life.

It sounds simple, but is the most difficult decision, and the most important one we can make in these 48 hours.

I would just like to end by once again expressing that I cannot really contain my excitement about these writings of Rav Ashlag. I know these are one more step for all of humanity in connection to this true wisdom.