Planting Yourself In The Right Environment For Spiritual Growth

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe Surrounding Light influences a person only to the extent of his desire for spirituality. He receives this desire from a Kabbalistic group. The group is his environment which exists on the same level with him; from it he absorbs everything, like a seed planted in the ground.

The seed itself is dead. It comes alive only when the seed is introduced into suitable soil. The enlivening happens only as a result of the environment. Without a proper environment the seed is merely a lifeless informational gene. In the appropriate environment where it begins to be influenced by the sun and other forces of nature, the seed comes to life.

The seed must interact with the environment in order for the general Upper Force to operate on it. The same holds true for a person. A person is influenced by his or her environment, just like a seed will grow and thrive only when planted in the appropriate soil with favorable surrounding conditions.  If a person does not place himself in the right environment, he shouldn’t expect any spiritual advancement.

This is a fact that ought to be clear to everybody. Only to the degree that a person absorbs from his environment does he receive the "sun" and "oxygen," (the requisite forces) which begin to cultivate him into a "tree." Then this force will be felt inside him even by those who are unable to clearly see it with their physical eyes. Since we are all connected within a single general system, other people will feel that within us lives a true and clearly felt spiritual charge: the Light within the vessel.

From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/14/10, Article “Make Yourself a Rav and Buy Yourself a Friend”

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The Most Important Event Of Our Lives

Dr. Michael Laitman There is no holiday greater than the holiday of receiving the Torah. If not for the Torah, we would be confined to leading an animalistic existence for as long as the Earth goes ’round.

Yet, we have received the opportunity to use the Upper Force and with its help, to enter the Upper Dimension, where we continue our existence and life in the spiritual dimension. We can go smoothly from our world and this reality that we now feel, to a new state, a different world or dimension that is in no way connected to the planet Earth and this universe. We can reveal our existence in an eternal and perfect form, complete harmony, without the limitations of the material world.

With the help of the Upper Force, we can reveal the passageway from our world and this flawed life, to a perfect existence. The means of making the transition from our dimension to the upper one is called “Torah.” This is a special force that gradually changes us, leading us into a new state. To the degree we change, we smoothly make the shift to that state, until all of our “earthly” (egoistic) qualities change to spiritual, altruistic ones.

We then gain the opportunity to lead an eternal, perfect existence. Therefore, receiving this opportunity is the most important event of our life, a true holiday!

From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/17/10, “What is the Preparation for Receiving the Torah”

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How Do You Define Good And Evil?

Dr. Michael Laitman The Zohar, Chapter “VaYikra (The Lord Called),” Item 87: Since the Torah came out of Bina, the first tables were written from Bina, when it writes, “Harut [Engraved] on the tables,” do not read it, Harut [engraved], with a Kamatz, but rather Herut [freedom], with a Tzereh. It is actual freedom since it is the place upon which all the freedom depends, for there is no freedom from all the Klipot unless through the lights of Bina. Also, there is nothing in the Torah that is divided or that does not go into one place, Malchut, or does not gather into one wellspring, which is Yesod.

We are the matter of creation, the will to enjoy, the will to fulfill ourselves. This desire is only able to receive. If the intention over this desire is “to receive for one’s own sake,” then we call this intention (but not the desire) “evil.”

Desire is matter which does not change. It cannot be deemed good or bad. Only the intention determines whether the desire is good or bad. And therein lies our freedom of choice.

We don’t have freedom of choice about our desires on the still, vegetative, and animate levels. We cannot change anything about those desires. This fact is also confirmed by all the scientific research. The only change we can possibly make is on the human level; we can change the intention above the desire.

The desire itself was created by the Creator and was given to us in an unchanging form. The intention above the desire that we were initially given is egoistic, “for our own sake.” We have to realize that this intention is evil because it is aimed against unity, against bestowal to one’s neighbor, and against bestowal to the Creator.

However, our intention can be made opposite, “for the sake of others,” for the sake of bestowal. Then it is called, “the good inclination.” Thus, the good inclination and the evil inclination, or good and evil, are defined according to one’s intention. However, the “inclination” itself, the desire, is unchangeable. Everything is defined by the intention on the human level. The intention to become similar to the Creator is called good, and the opposite intention is called evil. The expression of the intention takes place through unity or through separation from others.

Therefore, out of all my intentions, I have to choose only the ones that give me freedom of choice: the freedom to unite with others through a shared intention for mutual bestowal. And we thereby become equal to the Creator.

This is our only chance to choose good or evil, whether in relation to our egoism or in relation to what the Creator places before us. Therefore, if we wish to correct ourselves, it can only be done by Bina, the upper quality of bestowal. When Bina comes to the will to enjoy, it transforms its evil quality into a good quality. That is to say, it changes the intention of reception to the intention of bestowal.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/17/10, The Zohar

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We Have Assembled Here To Become Human

Dr. Michael Laitman Rabash’s article, "The Purpose of the Association:" We have met today to establish an association of those interested in following the path and method of the author of the “Sulam” (Kabbalist Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag), the path of ascension from the level of an animal to the level of man.

We have to deduce the fundamental principles from this article:

1. What does it mean "to assemble"?

2. What is "the method of Baal HaSulam"?

3. What is "the human level"?

4. Was man created to experience pleasure or fear before the Creator?

5. The condition for attaining all of this is equivalence of form with the Creator.

6. The will to enjoy by itself is not bad. It is the matter of all creation. The evil inclination (Yetzer Ra) is our unwillingness to unite and to correct the breaking of the common soul into parts, our individual souls.

7. We must not destroy the egoistic desire, but only correct its intention from "for myself" to the intention of bestowal, "for others." Inside our desire to receive, we are always opposite to the Creator, but inside the intention to bestow, we join Him.

8. Adhesion with the Creator takes place through equivalence of form with Him. The way to attain the intention to bestow is by working with the group. This task is achievable and verifiable, and the common desire to bestow that we create together is our common soul, which the Creator fulfills.

9. Any state we are in consists of two opposite states, and as we advance, the gap between them increases. On one hand, I continually reveal how insignificant I am, and at the same time, I continually reveal the greatness of the goal.

I have to unite all of this inside one point. Thus, I will feel the breaking between the souls which will force the Upper Light to correct me. Then bestowal will reign between myself and other people.

This is called "the giving of the Torah, the Light of Correction." After that the One Who Gives the Torah becomes revealed as well inside our corrected attitude to our neighbor, inside the common spiritual vessel (Kli).

From Part 3 of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/16/10, "The Purpose of the Association – 1"

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Do Not Miss Our Train!

Dr. Michael LaitmanA question I received: How should we work during the day on building a Kabbalistic group, a vessel that we prepare to be filled by the Creator’s Light and revelation? How do we assess our personal state and that of the world group?

My Answer:
We should interpret the Creator’s message which we receive from Baal HaSulam and Rabash as a single appeal: to unite. Rabash discloses this state, this point of contact, and tells us what it involves. However, it can only be reached by combining in oneself all opposite qualities.

These qualities seem different to you because you are not perfect. Yet the more you engage in this work, the sooner you will see that everything contracts into the single point which is called unity. Everything merges in it: you, the Creator, your efforts, the group, correction of the evil inclination, the greatness of the goal, your own insignificance, and the intention for bestowal with the egoistic inclination below it. Everything unites into one whole.

It is incorrect to take one item from the article and lock onto it. Rather, everyone should work on the entire article during the day: Read it a number of times and prepare a summary. Suddenly you’ll discover that with the synopsis you’ve prepared the subject can be examined from many different perspectives.

However, simply engaging in this work is most important. It attracts upon us the Light that Reforms. A person is not required to make correct and clever conclusions. As we advance, we become less and less successful in making reasonable conclusions as we feel more shattered and unfit. It looks as we are moving in an opposite direction, but this sensation is given to us by the Light that comes to awakens us!

Every day we have to set  a new task for everyone of us. If someone fails to perform it, he immediately lags behind. By the next day, he won’t be able to continue together with everyone because we move consecutively from one state to another. One can’t leap over several states and make a running jump onto a high-speed train.

Now that we have started this work, we should make sure that we perform it every day, regardless of our mood. We have to support each other to ensure that nobody falls down because anyone who is in descent prevents others from the proper understanding and learning.

From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/16/10, Article “The Purpose of the Association – 1”

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Get Up And Keep Walking

Dr. Michael LaitmanWe have started our work on building a Kabbalistic group. If, throughout the day, we keep thinking about the day’s article we are studying, we will see enormous transformations within us. When so many hearts and desires act according to the method of Baal HaSulam, aspiring to and clarifying the goal together, this action itself already unifies us.

Together we attract the Light which begins to act upon us, and we feel tremendous changes. These changes, however, may seemingly be to the worse. So what? Their purpose is to teach us that advancement occurs above our egoism, above our desire to receive pleasure and sense an egoistic reward.

I worked so hard, but the next day I felt even more heaviness of the heart, my own insignificance, weakness, disregard, hate, and indifference. Nonetheless, I have to get up and continue walking. It is similar to the wandering in the desert described in the Torah. “You have discovered your evil? Great! Now you will learn how to correct it and continue on the path.”

From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/16/10, Article “The Purpose of the Association – 1”

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 05.17.10

Preparation to the Lesson, Shamati #214 “Known in the Gates
All spiritual work is conducted in the group. The group’s unity creates a Kli-a vessel for the revelation of the Creator.
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The Book of Zohar – Selections, Chapter “VaYikra (The Lord Called),” Item 85
The correction of the soul is the correction of its connection with other souls.
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Rav Yehuda Ashlag “Preface to Sulam Commentary,” Item 5, Lesson 2
In our world light can be detected only if it hits an object. Similarly, the spiritual Light becomes revealed with the help of a screen.
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Writings of RabashShlavey HaSulam, Article 18 “What is the Preparation for Receiving the Torah,” 1987
With the help of Kabbalah we can exit the ordinary existence and enter the spiritual, which is perfect in every way.
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Kabbalah Moments: Rising Above The Hatred