Evening Zohar Lesson – 12.27.09

The Book of Zohar – Selections, Chapter “VaYishlach (And Jacob Sent),” Item 222
“The gate of tears” is the joy from the fact that I finally and truly want to become similar to the Creator.
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5 Minutes Of Light From The Daily Lesson: Be Happy At The Gate Of Tears

Another Disappointment With Global Warming Research And Prevention

ecologyIn the News (from Political Lore): “Why is “Climategate” Getting Little to no Coverage?” In 2008 Dr. Roy Spencer wrote a book entitled “Climate Confusion: How Global Warming Hysteria Leads to Bad Science, Pandering Politicians and Misguided Policies that Hurt the Poor.” Dr. Roy Spencer is the former Senior Scientist for Climate Studies at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. In this book he argues that the programs congress creates to “combat” global warming are rushed into law. Laws and policies are easily made when there is a “fear” that needs to be taken care of. Fear is a lawmaker’s best friend. Fear makes passing bills easy, with little opposition.

Why is “climategate” getting little to no coverage? It is all about the money. There is so much money to be made on account of the fear caused from global warming, just ask Al Gore. The more fear, the greater the reward, for congress, for anybody. Newscasters NEED apocalyptic stories to survive. It gives them this story they can add to here or there, whenever they need something to talk about. The people who are promoting global warming just want to put fear and guilt into the American people, and business. Fear produces money, and rushed legislation. How many scientists are funded due to the need to figure out why this “warming” is happening, or the need to figure out how to combat this “warming.”

My Comment: This is another sign of how people are gradually getting frustrated with all their efforts to make life better. Meantime, things are getting worse, and as a result, people are more prone to begin hearing Kabbalah’s perspective.

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What Can We Do To Change The World? (3:25)

The Science Of Coming Out Of Yourself

It Takes Time, Effort and Experience to Reveal the Upper World The world is the outcome of our inner qualities, our senses. Currently our five senses – vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch – have a narrow, limited range of perception. However, we have the ability to expand our senses so they will perceive without any limitations. The way to do this is to come out of the desire to receive and to exclusively consume, and instead learn to perceive the world as it exists outside of us, instead of perceiving it through our five senses. We will then perceive Infinity, the absolute reality, without any boundaries.

Of course, the question is: How do we come out of ourselves? We can understand what it means to expand the range of our senses, but how do we come out of ourselves? If the only thing in nature is the desire to receive pleasure, then it would seem impossible to come out of it.

Kabbalists say that this possibility does exist: It can be done by feeling what our neighbor feels. Just like we reveal the world through ourselves, we are able to connect with a friend who has the same spiritual goals, and to perceive the world through him, and then through another person, and another, and so on. Once we reveal the entire spiritual reality through other people, we will discover that it is, in fact, outside of us.

This is why the condition for perceiving spirituality is “Love your neighbor as yourself.” In our world this sounds like an old, worn-out saying. But Kabbalists have a completely different condition in mind when they say this phrase. Loving your neighbor means feeling what is happening in him. It means connecting to his soul, his senses, and his perception to your own. Or, in other words, it is when you come out of yourself and begin to reveal whatever is outside of you, whatever is in him.

Thus, as you begin to examine what is outside of you, you also reveal the Upper Force, the Creator. This is called “From love for the creation, to love for the Creator.” This phrase may sound religious, but in reality it speaks of our sensory development.

The wisdom of Kabbalah teaches us how to feel our neighbor and to build a common vessel of perception (Kli), called “Shechina.” This is a sense so enormous that we can perceive the Creator in it.

This is what the method of Kabbalah is about: learning to perceive and receive everything that is outside of you, without any limitations.

What Is Hell?

Kabbalah Leaves No Room for Simple Faith The Zohar, Chapter “VaYishlach (And Jacob Sent),” Item 16: “He who deems himself a worthless slave is better than the vain who thus deprives himself of bread.” This speaks of the evil inclination, for it constantly accuses people, swelling pride in man’s heart and desire. And man follows it with his head raised high, until the evil inclination soars over him, carrying him to hell.

This is describing a state that we have to experience. Kabbalists know it because they have already gone through it.

It is impossible for a person to reveal anything other than through his own experience. Does that mean that every person must experience hell? Yes, it does! But what is hell?

Hell is when I reveal the evil inside myself, which governs me and tears me away from the Creator. It is a terrible feeling, like being enveloped by flames of shame. I see how much I am losing out, yet I cannot help myself.

This state must be experienced by every person, as it is written: “Man shall not perform a commandment without breaking it first,” and, “There is not a righteous person in the world that has not first sinned.”

The verse, “I have created the evil inclination and the Torah for its correction” means that I must always reveal my evil inclination first. I must go inside it, immerse myself in it, in order to discover that it is evil.

Initially we don’t see that it is evil, for if we did, how could we immerse ourselves in it? Initially it draws us in with a shiny and sparkling appearance. It appears good and wonderful, and that is how evil tricks us.

A person that advances on the spiritual path “digs” within his soul, trying to reveal the form of bestowal to the Creator there. He has to go through a state of confusion, and through this confusion to descend into the state of “hell.” This state exists at every degree, and only by experiencing it can a person scrutinize the evil contained within him.

Everything the Kabbalists write comes from their own inner attainment, according to the rule, “A judge has only what his eyes can see.” The authors of The Zohar have personally experienced everything written above.

Let us hope that we too will reach such states, and go through the entire spiritual path, which encompasses everything.

Desire Knows No Boundaries

activity A question I received: I am sitting here in Australia in front of a computer screen. How can I adopt the group’s desire and tune into the group?

My Answer: Desire knows no boundaries. Only our material bodies are limited by place, movement, distance, and time. However, our soul or desires are in a different dimension where there are no boundaries or limitations.

The spiritual world is a world of forces. The Book of Zohar describes it through stories about Abraham and Jacob, Pharaoh and Moses, and others, which are all talking about forces that a person discovers within. He reveals them beyond time and space.

If I want to unite with the friends, what difference does it make where I am located? In ancient times, Kabbalists were also not physically near each other, but this did not pose an obstacle for them. It was not perceived as a barrier to advancement.

If I wish to advance spiritually, the body cannot help me do this. Therefore, we shouldn’t pay attention to the external things. We need the inner desire of our friends, their points in the heart that aspire to attain the Creator and a connection with Him.

The Creator is an all-encompassing force that fills all of reality. If my friends and I strive toward Him, we can unite our efforts by rejecting our egoism. It doesn’t matter where my friends are located. I don’t even need to talk to them. The action of the desire itself is enough to come closer to the Creator, but it will only happen to the extent that I nullify myself before my friends.

However, since we are living in the material world, we have the ability to connect through the Internet and at Congresses. These allow us to establish more than just an inner connection. Therefore, it pays to attend a Congress once a year, as it can become a great training wheel for us to tune into the common desire.

We Have The Right To Reveal The Upper World

contact In spite of our egoism, the unpleasant states we go through, and the poor qualities we have, we are capable, ready, and justified to receive the force from Above that will enable us to reveal the Upper World. If we aspire to the goal to the best of our ability, then even though we may be far from having pure intentions and even if our spiritual “proficiency” is doubtful, all of this is irrelevant. This is how we are now; there are our current qualities and our present state.

If a person in any situation wishes to receive the forces needed for correction and for spiritual advancement, then he deserves them. The Creator says, “Turn to Me, and I will repay your effort.”

Shameless Enjoyment

A Day for Each Year A ban on receiving pleasure does not mean that you may not enjoy for the sake of bestowal. For example, a guest tells the host: “I will not eat anything you give me.” “Why?” wonders the host, “I worked so hard and I really wanted to please you. Please, do me a favor, eat something. If not for you, at least do it for me.” Now the guest understands that the pleasure won’t be for his own sake, but in order to bestow to the host. Therefore, instead of shame he feels respect and compassion.

The guest reasons, “The host really loves me and is really upset because I am not accepting the treats he has prepared. I can’t let him suffer this way! In reality, I would really love to taste his dishes, but I will never do it for my own sake. In order to please him, I have to evoke the same desire for the food, but with a new intention: to want to receive pleasure, but for the sake of the host.

The appetite that I am now awaking does not come from my desire, but rather because I have looked into the host’s heart and saw how much he loves me. I found out what I can do to please him – I have to enjoy whatever I receive from him.

My desire to eat is not important to me; it is nothing but a means for the two of us to connect. Before it was the most important thing determining all my actions, and that is why I was ashamed, but now it helps me bestow.”

The Creator created us this way. He gave us the desire to receive pleasure and fulfillment, but we can use all of this in order to bestow pleasure to Him.

Spiritual Reward Always Comes With A Bonus

Don't Look for Love In This World In spirituality, when I complete my work on a certain degree, I receive more than I earned. Let’s say I corrected my desires on the still level; is this really enough to make the qualitative leap to the vegetative level? This is where you find something extra, a kind of a “bonus” that is necessary for you to have the strength to advance.

We do the same in our everyday lives by “filling” a child ahead of time with different knowledge and abilities, which he will need at a later time. Likewise, we begin our spiritual development at the lowest, worst degree, and this is why I am entitled to additional strength, since I could never manage without it.

It seems like I receive it for “free,” and later I return my “debt” as I correct myself. The Creator created the evil inclination, and we ask Him for help with our correction. However, wasn’t it Him who put us in this situation? So why then do we have to ask Him for this?

The thing is that by asking for help, we organize ourselves and begin to understand the kind of correction that we need, what an intention for the sake of bestowal is, and what we need in order to come to the next stage. Thus, we are compelled to turn to the Creator and thus establish a connection with Him.

“I am listening,” He says. “I need to correct this,” you say, “But I can’t do it on my own.” Thus, you become a “supervisor” of your own construction, and through this you begin to understand the Creator’s actions, mind, program, and His quality according to the principle: “I shall know You through Your actions.”

It turns out that your appeal to the Creator forms the future you – and He will do all the rest.

The Light Does All Of The Work If We Let It

drugs The science of Kabbalah is the method of developing the soul. However, while developing my soul, I don’t really understand the process. I don’t know what is good or bad for its development, what kind of desires should increase in me and to what extent. It’s as if I wander aimlessly between egoism, disdain and self-sacrifice.

Here we need to obey a simple rule: love for the Creator will come after love for others. I will attain Him exactly inside the connection between myself and others. Our entire study is devoted to this.

At first thinking of others seems like the most repulsive thing to me. I am sick of it, and I would prefer to just study and work on myself, but not depend on others. However, I soon discover that there is no other way to go.

Although we are not familiar with the program of our development, we can still try to establish an interconnection among us. But the fact is that the Light does all of the work. It reveals various properties inside us, revealing them individually in every person depending on the root of his soul. Therefore, one person advances in huge steps while someone else advances by small steps. Someone reveals anger in himself and someone – apathy. There are no exact templates and standard rules.

The thing Kabbalists explain to us are what belongs to everyone with no exceptions – what is the goal we all have to reach and how to exert efforts on the path to the goal. Kabbalists reminds us time and time again that no matter what is happening, we shouldn’t forget to push on the gas, always strive to accelerate and always move straight ahead.