The Death Of The Firstborns Is Symbolic Of The Last Step To Freedom

dont-fighy-egoism-aloneTwo questions I received about the spiritual meaning of the exodus from Egypt:

Question: Why was the last Egyptian plague – the death of the firstborns?

My Answer: The firstborn is the head of the previous degree. By going through this plague, we disconnect from the previous, egoistic degree of our life in Egypt. This plague afflicts all the firstborns, which means that we destroy everything that connects us to Egypt – all of our egoistic desires, intentions, decisions and plans, including President Obama’s, President Putin’s, the World Bank’s and anyone else’s new economic programs. This is called the death of the firstborns – when, on the highest level, I reject everything I did and thought before and admit that these were all silly actions, incapable of doing any good. That is when a person is ready to come out of Egypt.

Question: What are the vessels that the Jews stole from the Egyptians?

My Answer: The vessels that we carry out from Egypt are despair and emptiness – we recognize that we are unable to fulfill them. What do we come out of Egypt with? We come out with our desire to receive pleasure.

However, we know that the former egoistic method cannot fulfill that desire. And using the same old Kelim, we come to the intention for the sake of bestowal. We only change the method of the desire’s fulfillment. We begin to understand that by bestowing, we can fulfill our desire to receive pleasure, while by receiving, we leave it empty.

When a person crosses the Machsom, this is called the exodus from Egypt. This is when the old method through which he tried to be fulfilled, dies. And the person desires its death – he wants to kill his egoistic desire, because he recognizes that this method of fulfillment is completely inadequate, and he does not wish to use it any longer.

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If Your Husband Doesn’t Want To Study Kabbalah, Leave Him Alone

love-is-providing-others-with-the-means-to-fulfill-their-point-in-the-heart1Three questions I received from women:

Question: In your post, “The Surrounding Light’s Influence Depends On Your Aspiration to the Future State,” you wrote that the biggest influence of the Surrounding Light occurs during the morning lesson. Does it work the same way for the women studying Kabbalah?

My Answer: The Light comes to a woman from the men’s part of the group and through her participation in dissemination, rather than from knowledge, studying, and the group.

Question: Does Kabbalah deem it acceptable for a woman to make a living by singing, and can she sing about the purpose, the goal in Kabbalah?

My Answer: Yes to both questions.

Question: I began to study Kabbalah, and I would like my husband to study as well, but his interests are completely different. What can I do?

My Answer: Leave him alone.

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Yes, Kabbalah Can Save The World From Catastrophe

is-correction-possible-without-a-man2Three questions I received on how Kabbalah can change the world:

Question: I do not see how changing the political direction toward a unified world is at all realistic. I just don’t see how we can influence the course of the world’s development with our limited resources. Can the unification of all those who study Kabbalah really save the world from catastrophe?

My Answer: Yes, because they are a tremendous spiritual force, as compared to the spiritually inanimate masses.

Question: If I were a great Kabbalist, what would I have to do to help others like me?

My Answer: Give them an explanation of the reason for our current state and how to correct it.

Question: I have read a myriad of your articles in French on your site, and I think I have understood the purpose of Kabbalah. Essentially, it answers my inner metaphysical questions – how and why we exist, as well as the purpose of our existence. But how do I go from theory to practice?

My Answer: Through study in the group: you must use the group to create the conditions of a corrected humanity.

Related Material:

Laitman.com Post: Humanity and Nature Want the Same Thing – Unity
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The Real Meaning Of Prayer And The Commandments

new-theoriesQuestions I received on the commandments, the Hassidut, prayer and the Creator:

Question: Why do you teach that the 613 commandments are actually 613 desires?
My Answer: Because the only thing that was created is the desire, which was then separated into 613 parts. Our task is to correct the aim of this desire from “for one’s own sake” to “for the sake of others.” It is written, “I created evil (egoism) and created the Torah for its correction, because its Light returns one to the Source, to Goodness.”

Question: While you omit some commandments, you don’t reject others: you and your students wear Kippahs (skullcaps) and some of you have beards. Incidentally, wearing the Kippah is a relatively late commandment – given in approximately 1700.

My Answer: One’s appearance bears absolutely no relation to the commandments or the correction of one’s desire from egoistic to “love your neighbor as yourself” (the general commandment of the whole Torah).

Question: Why don’t you view the point in the heart in the same way as the Hassidut, which defines it as an awakening of the intelligent soul, which exists in the right part of the heart?

My Answer: The point in the heart is an aspiration to the Creator, which pertains to the quality of bestowal – “the right portion of the desires,” and the “heart” refers to the collection of all of a person’s desires. However, the physical heart lacks any desires whatsoever. What if a heart transplant was performed and a righteous man received the heart of a wicked person? Is this forbidden by the Torah?

Hassidut (the authentic one) comes from the word Hesed – goodness, which develops only in a person who studies Kabbalah. That’s because the study of Kabbalah is the only way to draw the Light of Correction to yourself.

Today the only thing remaining of Hasidut is the externality. It consists of rituals and the literal interpretation of the texts. This is why they interpret the statement, “Goodness lies in the right part of the heart,” literally. Kabbalah, on the other hand, explains the true meaning of these words.

Question: Why don’t you view a group of students as a Minian (traditional group of at least ten men) of those who pray?

My Answer: Prayer occurs during the studies, when a student asks the Creator for correction, and to help him attain the degree that he is learning about. Then, over the course of the day, he aspires for this transformation to take place, as it is written, “And he prays the entire day.”

Question: Some of the people who pray reach Lishma, even though they start out in Lo Lishma. This is exactly the same as your students! I am convinced that “all roads lead to Rome,” but apparently, you don’t think so?

My Answer: I don’t think, but I know, that no one reaches Lishma without studying Kabbalah thoroughly and correctly. And in order to understand my answers, you have to study it as well.

Question: If the Creator or the Upper Light is constant and does not change, then how could He have restricted Himself? And how is it possible that the Creator created anything?

My Answer: Constant and unchanging means that He does not change His intentions and actions – He is always “Good and does Goodness,” despite the fact that His actions seem contradictory to us.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Why Does a Kabbalist Wear a Skullcap?
Wondrous Wisdom: “A Point in the Heart – the Soul”
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Baal HaSulam Article: “The Teaching of the Kabbalah and Its Essence”

Is War Just Around The Corner?

longerIn the News (translated from politjournal.ru): Konstantin Simonov, Director General of the National Energy Security Fund stated: There are two occurrences that indicate the possibility of a world war: a shortage of resources and an arms race.

The powerful countries that will experience a shortage of resources will begin to take them away from the countries that have extra reserves. Thus, the territories that are rich in resources are at risk of becoming a combat field, which can provoke a new world war.

My Comment: This is true, unless we realize that this is also a lose-lose situation and restrain ourselves for the sake of general security.

Related Material:
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Baal HaSulam Article: “The Last Generation”