5 Minutes Of Light From The Daily Kabbalah Lesson: Kabbalah Moments: Spiritual Embryo

Going Around In Circles Is Moving Forward

каббалист Михаэль ЛайтманThe Zohar, Chapter “Tazria (When A Woman Delivers),” Item 158: When affliction enters the house, the spirit of impurity that was in the house appears, and they fight one another.

This whole war occurs inside a person.

At first it seems that the spirit of impurity that was covered has reappeared, and the affliction that was revealed has been covered. Afterwards, it appears that an affliction was revealed in the house and that the spirit of impurity has been covered. It is written about that, “Shall come and tell the priest,” for it is a word of wisdom.

In spirituality, we always advance toward a greater sensation. What seemed good to me yesterday seems bad to me today. This does not mean that I descend. Rather, going around in circles like this leads to my next state.

Yesterday I thought that I reached correction. However, a few minutes went by and the next stage arose with a new Light shining (called a “new day”). This makes me see that my previous state was not good, but bad. I no longer feel that it was the same good state that I had previously. In my eyes it has turned into a bad state since I begin to evaluate it from the point of view of greater bestowal.

A person might think that he is getting nowhere or even going backwards, but in actuality he is always moving forward. Yesterday he thought that he had risen, whereas today he feels that he descended. In reality, he did not descend. He is situated on the same ascent as yesterday, however, this is how he defines his state today and it becomes a springboard for the next ascent.

The Three Day Preparation

каббалист Михаэль ЛайтманA question I received: Prior to the reception of the Torah, the people of Israel performed a special preparation for three days. How can we prepare in the best possible way during the three days preceding the Zohar Convention 2010?

My Answer: These three days are called “days of restriction”; it is when you completely detach from everything you had before.

We know from the science of Kabbalah that the screen, which rises with the Reshimot when the Light exits the Partzuf, ascending from Tabur to Peh, needs to go through three stages. Once it reaches the third stage, it loses all connection with the first stage.

In the same way, a person who is in the first stage raises to the next degree, where there is an emanation of Reflected Light, which descends to the previous degree – the first stage. When the person rises one degree higher, he also emanates these Lights onto the two previous levels.

After going through these three stages or three days (limitations), one reaches a state where he has no connection to the “transgression” of the past. Therefore, we need to detach from everything we had or knew before and prepare for the correction of our desires. This is how we’ll be able to reveal the Upper Force inside us.

Schedule Of The Zohar Convention 2010

Times are listed in Israel time (GMT+2)

Monday, 22 February 2010
08:30 – Gathering
10:00 – Zohar Lesson: Intention Reveals the Upper World
11:45 – Stands and activities
12:30 – Lunch
13:30 – Stands and activities
14:00 – Opening Ceremony
14:15 – Yeshivat Haverim (Friends’ Gathering)
15:00 – Stands and activities
16:00 – Zohar Lesson: Unity is the Kli for the Revelation of the Creator
17:30 – Stands and activities
18:15 – Dinner
19:00 – Stands and activities
19:30 – Cultural Evening
20:30 – Stands and activities
21:00 – Zohar Lesson: Freedom – Only by Uniting with Others
22:00 – End


Tuesday, 23 February 2010

09:00 – Gathering, stands and activities
10:00 – Zohar Lesson: Advancement in Three Lines
11:30 – Presentation of media distribution activities of Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute
11:45 – Stands and activities
12:30 – Lunch (with authentic songs)
13:30 – Stands and activities
14:00 – Yeshivat Haverim (Friends’ Gathering)
14:45 – Presentation of the Kabbalah TV Channel in Israel
15:15 – Stands and activities
16:00 – Zohar Lesson: Israel’s Role in the World – Being a Light of the Nations
17:30 – Stands and activities
18:15 – Dinner with a Moti Mor concert
19:00 – Stands and activities
19:30 – Cultural Evening
20:30 – Stands and activities
21:00 – Zohar Lesson: The Last Generation
22:00 – End

Wednesday, 24 February 2010
09:00 – Gathering, stands and activities
10:00 – Zohar Lesson: Perception of Reality
11:45 – Stands and activities
12:30 – Lunch
13:30 – Stands and activities
14:00 – Presentation of groups in Israel, All Together gatherings, and Kabbalah Campus
14:30 – Yeshivat Haverim (Friends’ Gathering)
15:15 – Stands and activities
16:00 – Zohar Lesson: Educating the New Generation (not just the young of age)
17:30 – Stands and activities
18:15 – Dinner with a Moti Mor concert
19:00 – Stands and activities
19:30 – Zohar Lesson: The Day After the Congress
20:30 – Stands and activities
21:00 – Performance by the band, Dor Acharon (The Last Generation)
22:00 – End

The Light Is Revealed Through Its Opposite

clip_image001The Zohar, Chapter “Ki Tissa (When You Take),” Item 81: …for a thing that requires disclosure, to be revealed later, needs a place for hiding and covering, first. First, it must be concealed from the eye, and then the craftsman lets his craft be shown. Thus, what needs covering later needs to be revealed first. This is so because “God has made them one opposite the other.” All that exists in the degrees of holiness has its opposite in the Sitra Achra (impurity).

Everything will be disclosed through its opposite; the advantage of the Light is revealed from within darkness. The Creator cannot disclose Himself to the creature until the creature reveals His opposite form and learns through that opposite form about what the direct form is.

We can perceive only darkness. We read black letters on a white background, meaning that we feel what is missing. What we reveal is not the Creator, but His absence. We are unable to reveal His properties. Our entire work amounts to revealing Him from His opposite side, as it was said to Moses: “You shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”

That is why a person who truly wants to attain the revelation has to go by faith above reason and acquire the power of bestowal, Bina. However, he is unable to reveal this force of bestowal, since he does not feel it. He can reveal it only under the condition that he feels a lack within him, within his darkness, his egoistic desire. This lack is a need for bestowal. We have to reveal it from the opposition, because we always come from the side of the darkness, from the side of egoism and see the opposite of everything. Upon revealing the spiritual world, we will say: “I saw a reverse world.” We don’t even realize how opposite to us spirituality is.

We Have All The Conditions For Making A Spiritual Breakthrough

Those Are Study Kabbalah Are Not Scared of Anything The most important thing at the upcoming Zohar Convention 2010 is our inner work. We must have the right intention, which will give everyone who attends the Convention and the whole nation of Israel the feeling that if the quality of Israel (Directly to the Creator) that exists in every person, dispersed among the Klipot, will unite as one, this will cause the correction of the world.

Because this opportunity is being revealed to us, it is a sign that we don’t need greater numbers in order to attain spiritual revelation. Since we are given the opportunity to assemble this many forces in the whole world and in Israel, on such a scale, it’s a sign that all we lack is a connection among everyone, rather than lacking more people.

The current amount of people is already sufficient; unity is all we lack. If we unite, then the “candle” will light up. By connecting, we build a common screen, and then the Light will immediately ignite it.

We have the oil — the desire to enjoy, and the filter — the screen, and the Upper Light that is above the filter. When we have a screen that connects our desire to enjoy with the Light, then our desire becomes similar to the Light, since the screen is the force of overcoming, where a person desires to unite with everyone in spite of his egoism that separates him from them. Then, it happens — a connection emerges.

Our entire work, the concentration of all our efforts lies only in this point of unity between the screen and the “wick.” The oil is below, the Light is above, and in the middle there is the point inside of which we must all unite together. Then the candle will light up and begin to burn.

In the past we thought that our dissemination in the whole world and in Israel would bring us Light and revelation. But if we are given the chance to carry out such a great event — the upcoming Convention, the only thing that’s missing is our inner connection. We already have the critical mass.

Right now we must think together with all our friends around the whole world, about how much we desire to ignite this point of contact, this “candle.” We have all the conditions for doing this. We have the chance, and now everything depends on us. We have the oil, and the Light is also present; we have an assembly of souls and a certain degree of connection.

It doesn’t matter how much we know or understand. Every person must only add his own desire for unity between the Light and the oil, as much as he is capable. In other words, each person must overcome his ego to create a wick (bestowal) above the oil (egoism). Then it will happen. But we are the ones who have to create this wick — the screen and the Reflected Light.

It’s impossible to do it alone, but together, it’s easy.

Spiritual Attack

destiny A question I received: At the upcoming Zohar Convention 2010, how is it possible to carry out so much work and attain the spiritual level in such a short time, just three days?

My Answer: It does not depend on time at all. It will happen the moment we carry out an action of unity together.

When I was in Rabash’s group, we once went through a similar state. I asked him, “What do we need to do in order to realize this state?” He replied, “You need an attack!”

You have to do this yourselves; everything depends on each and every one of you. You have to go into this attack, aspiring to create a connection among you. Then it will happen.

Even people who attend the Convention just in order to take part in the general inspiration, to simply tune in to the common flow, by desiring to become part of it, they will perceive holiness on the first level. It is called the still level, Domem de Kedusha, because it doesn’t require any special abilities on your part. All you have to do is come there and “go with the flow.” Just by doing this, you can merit to come out of Egypt. A person who joins others will also run away from Pharaoh together with everyone.

When we hold a Convention such as this one, a special state emerges because even though we don’t feel spirituality yet, we greatly influence one another when we get together physically. It wasn’t an accident that the Creator made this world, where we are connected physically and can influence one another.

While we sit somewhere far away by a computer monitor or TV screen, we can’t feel each other so well because we don’t yet have the sixth sense. Therefore, coming together physically in one hall greatly influences us and awakens our inner aspiration to unite our desires.

This is why our world exists, because it is precisely the place where we can begin our spiritual work from scratch. In it, we don’t depend on spirituality and can discern and acquire every spiritual quality, making a free decision of wanting it or not.

We have freedom because we are outside of spirituality, and are able to connect with each other in the material world. From here we can begin our spiritual ascent if we desire to do so. If we don’t desire it, then we can keep living merely in our physical bodies.

It’s unrealistic for one person to do it alone, but together it’s easy.

We Are A Splinter In The Body Of The Universe

climate The system of nature is perfect and divine. To the extent that we wish to belong to it, we each pour our “glass” of desire into the common capacity, Malchut, in order to join it even slightly.

However, today, we are situated outside of this system. There is only a minimal glimmer of life’s spark inside us that revives us in our world (this spark is called Kista De-Hayuta). Our situation is similar to what happens when a splinter gets inside our body. The organism encapsulates it to protect itself, isolating the sick place from the rest of the body, which is healthy.

This is where we now reside – inside this abscess.

Making Corrections Pours Life Into Our Common System

каббалист Михаэль Лайтман Just imagine how every cell and organ in a body feels being dedicated to its individual work. Its entire life depends completely on other organs, from which it receives everything it needs to live. At the same time, the purpose of its own work is to provide life to them. Without this reciprocity, it wouldn’t receive the vital force it needs from them and they all wouldn’t be able to participate in the common life of the body. This is what connects them to the common force of the Creator. The Light and life come to them from Him.

I feel that I exist in a system. The whole world and the entire universe are one common system in which I can see its internal connections. Within this system, I feel that everyone is connected with one another, depends on each other, and is obliged to fulfill their own function. This is why it’s clear to me that there is no division between myself and others.

If this were a closed, self-sufficient system, then everything would end there. However, new shortages, corrections, and breakages appear in the system all the time. Something becomes activated in one place, egoism is growing in another place, and I constantly find myself in fear. On the other hand, I can stay ahead of my fear if I advance of my own accord, accumulating strength and gaining new properties. Then, I won’t fear anything that becomes revealed to me. On the contrary, I will be happy about the opportunity to immediately make corrections and pour even more life into the common system. By doing this, I will feel that I give more pleasure to the Creator.

Imagine That We Are All One Person

каббалист Михаэль ЛайтманAt our current level, we don’t need to delve into details but should simply work together tending to our common spiritual vessel into which everyone adds their own part. When we ascend to higher levels, we will need to clarify precisely which of our parts we are connecting together in the same way as in the human body where there are tissues, matter, and cells connecting together. The organs connect, discover their respective functions, and provide specific things to the others.

For now, however, we’re only talking about uniting our desires toward one goal. We need to concentrate on one thing only: We all want to reveal the Creator simply because we want to feel good. We want to attain mutual bestowal where He will bestow to us and we will bestow to Him and to each other. This is in order for our spiritual “basin” to come alive and sustain itself. Within this basin, we will exist together as one organism without any separation between us.

The Light must solder us together into a single whole so that my “I” will vanish. Every one of us adds his own drop of water, but inside the basin, one can no longer feel which water belongs to him because everything is collective. Then, our mutual connection above our ego begins. One part coalesces with another as if connected by vital arteries in one living organism. Life in the body is like life in Malchut of the World of Infinity: Malchut is filled with Light and its life is collective, relying on mutual bestowal among all its parts and to the Creator.

Imagine that we are all one person. We are his organs and we all want this person to live because by living, he bestows pleasure to the Creator. Then, we begin to reveal that we’re not just some disconnected part like a part of a brain, for instance, but we’re a part of the brain that’s included in all the other organs. How else would we be able to care about others? Inside every cell and bone there is a brain particle, and in the same way, we will feel included in everybody without exception. We lose our individual identity, but on the other hand, we acquire more opportunities to think about others beyond our ego, while our ego continues to reveal itself in new ways.