My Spiritual Simulator – 10.01.10

Spiritual Simulator: Questions of the Day

Grieving For The Shechina In Exile

Dr. Michael LaitmanIt is very hard to sense spiritual exile. For this, one needs to sense the opposite state of spiritual redemption. And for that to happen, one has to feel the Surrounding Light (Ohr Makif), an implicit sensation of the property of bestowal.

What does “Shechina (Divinity) in exile” mean? How should I grieve for her, lament the absence of the place of the Creator’s revelation? Or rather, how should I grieve my inadequacy and inability to find Him instead of feeling bad that I can’t see Him?

Certainly, everybody wants to see the Creator. But only a person who has received Ohr Makif can suffer from being inadequate to Him. Nobody feels the need for the Shechina. If the Creator exists, let Him reveal Himself to me since, surely, it’s for the better! However, nobody feels grief over the place this revelation should occur.

There is a huge difference. The revelation of the Creator is perceived egoistically as reception. However, the place of His revelation must be built from our yearning to egoistically reveal the Creator by turning the desire to find Him into intention to do so for “His sake.” This is the preparation of the place whose property will allow the Creator to reveal Himself to us.

It is similar in our world: Everything that emerges in me does so according to my properties. Only after I have adjusted my perception to the outside influence can I recognize it to the degree that our properties (its organ of exposure and my organ of perception) are the same. It all depends on correction of the tools of perception.

Shechina is the place we have to create from the sum of our aspirations to the Creator and correct it in our intention for bestowal. First of all, a person needs tremendous desire to reveal the Creator for his own benefit (Lo Lishma, for Her name). Only later does he understand the necessity of correction, which happens as he uses the environment and draws the Light that Reforms by studying together with the group.

That’s when he begins to realize that success lies solely in the equivalence of form or intention for bestowal which will allow him to adapt to the revelation of the Creator, the property of bestowal. Now that he has something to correct, the phase of correction begins.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/27/10, “What in the Work, is Israel Who Exiled Divinity, is with Them”

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How We Can Enter The World Of The Zohar

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe Zohar, Chapter “VeYechi (And Jacob Lived),” Item 442: This is so because since the day the Temple was ruined below, the Creator swore that He would not enter Jerusalem above until Israel enter Jerusalem below. It is written about it, “A holy man among you who is holy, and I will not come into a city.” That is, even though there is a holy man among you, I will still not come into the city—Jerusalem above—until Israel enter Jerusalem below.

When we were children, adults used to tell us various things which we didn’t understand. However, time after time, they explained to us what we should do or think one way or the other. The same happens when we read The Book of Zohar. We are simply told about something concealed from us, something we don’t know or recognize, but, gradually, it enters us.

This is the most natural form of teaching for every person. It doesn’t matter what world he lives in and what he studies. After all, he doesn’t have any preliminary preparation for new knowledge and sensations. He doesn’t have the correct instruments or properties of perception (Kelim, vessels). A person needs to develop the mind and sensations. Then, he can sense a new phenomenon and later study what it means.

Therefore, the first stage is reading or listening about something unknown to us and feeling dumb; we should appreciate this. This is the natural process of treating our children, and it is clear to us that this its the way it should be done. We explain things to them again and again.

The problem is that a child has an aspiration to know, to learn, to see us as big people, and to follow our example. In our spiritual upbringing, we, adults, have to create such an inner aspiration by ourselves. This is possible only when using envy in the group.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/27/10, The Zohar

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Don’t Ask For The Death To The Wicked

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How can I remain directed at the goal if I have some physical problem that constantly demands my attention?

Answer: There are different cases. Every person sometimes has bodily or emotional problems, concerns, or fears. The Creator addresses a person and sends him the entirety of these problems in order to awaken him.

It’s irrelevant what situation a person is in. He receives this whole state in its totality from the Creator, and he should relate to Him from this state. One also needs to understand that if he has health problems, he should see a doctor; if he has problems with his income, he needs to look for a job, and so on.

However, as a whole, if the problems become resolved, this is only because he needs to be in a different state in order to advance. Each state is the correct state for further advancement. Yet, one should relate to it by correcting it as one whole on both the corporeal and the spiritual levels.

It is forbidden for us to separate the world into two parts, such as “this is for me, and this is for the Creator."  There is no such thing as, "Now, I’ll work on my business and engage in my corporeal affairs. Then, I will turn to Him, make a donation, and, thank God, I am clean now.” If we are talking about correcting the intentions, then there is not a single minute that is free. We need to raise an appeal to the Creator in all the states and situations that we are in with whatever problems they pose.

This appeal should not be about the physical, family, or some other problem. It should always be about the most elevated goal since it undoubtedly will include lower and lower levels of concerns, fears, illnesses, and misfortunes.

All together, as a whole, they are called “suffering” and are meant to attune a person to the right direction. If there should be an opportunity to take some suffering away from him (such as fears concerning money, health, or family), he would sway from the path. He would not proceed as the Creator is directing him.

Therefore, it is forbidden for us to directly interfere with this process. We should help a person deal with these problems, but he himself needs to know that such is the path. Everything is sent by the Creator who is “good and does good,” and “There is none else besides Him.” One needs to accept all the states and overcome them correctly: through all the possible means on the corporeal and the spiritual levels and with the help of the group.

However, as it is written, it is forbidden to ask for “my wicked” to die. We should only ask for them to return to the Creator. In other words, we need to correct every state using the seemingly negative obstacles correctly since they are the most useful for our spiritual progress.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/27/10, The Zohar

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How To Prepare For The Creator’s Revelation

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How is the Creator’s revelation related to what we read in Talmud Eser Sefirot (Study of the Ten Sefirot)?

Answer: Kabbalists write about the Creator’s revelation as the only necessary action in our world in order to prepare us for it. For this, we need to receive an impression from the Light of Hochma (Wisdom) and the Light of Hassadim (Mercy) and thus form the impressions (Reshimot, spiritual reminiscences) of these influences in our matter (desire) which neither feels nor perceives the spiritual world.

For every influence of the Light, we need to evaluate who receives pleasure from the revelation (reception): I, the Creator, or both? This is why the Light comes from the system of Aba ve Ima (father and mother) while Zeir Anpin (HaVaYaH) operates as the reference point for Malchut, determining what she needs to become in order to become like Him, to receive and bestow Light.

The influence from Above constantly changes Zeir Anpin’s attitude toward Malchut as if he were turning his different sides to her and, this way, she changes. She needs to feel the sensations from Zeir Anpin while the only thing needed from her is her readiness to become like Him.

This is our work because we make up the body of Malchut. Zeir Anpin, on the other hand, teaches us to properly perceive the Light or the three lines by influencing Malchut. He shapes us like a child by filling us with impressions and explanations: the impressions in an obvious manner while the explanations in a concealed manner as if they manifest on their own within us and do not come from Him.

We learn how Malchut is being developed from Above in the Study of the Ten Sefirot. We study how Zeir Anpin prepares Malchut (Nukva) for adhesion with Him in their absolute similarity and absolute opposition.
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/27/10, Talmud Eser Sefirot

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Weekly Torah Portion – 10.01.10

The Book of Zohar, Weekly Torah Portion “Bereshit,” Selected Excerpts
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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 10.01.10

Shamati #38 “The Fear of God is His Treasure
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The Book of Zohar – Selections, Chapter “VaYechi (And Jacob Lived in the Land of Egypt),” Item 477
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Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah, Item 92
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Kabbalah Learning Approach
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Unity Is The Bridge To The Creator

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Why should I support a friend? Why can’t we just turn to the Creator and ascend with the assistance of the Surrounding Light?

Answer: None of us can turn to the Surrounding Light, the Upper Force, the Creator, unless it’s done from the place of the breaking, a discernment of the connection to the group. A person cannot contact the Light directly due to a lack of similar properties, even the opposite ones. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out one’s request together with others, either in unity or the lack thereof.

The Creator created one will to receive and that hasn’t changed. It’s what we call the World of Infinity where we all exist together. Below the World of Infinity, we exist in a state of separation; we are unconscious and unaware, totally disconnected from spirituality. These states are included in each other and manifest solely within our sensations. In order to attain Infinity, I have to do the following: 1) come to the state of separation, 2) discover that we are broken, and 3) finally ascend to the place where we are all together.

I cannot turn to the Creator directly since the Creator is the force that exists in the corrected Kli. I either ask for the strength to be corrected along with everyone else, or if I have already gained connection with the others, then I turn to the Creator. There is no Creator without the created being, and there is no Upper Force that I can find without the Kli.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/26/10, “They Helped Everyone His Friend”

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