Good Environment – 10.28.10

My Good Environment – Questions of the Day

Sviva Tova (Good Environment) is the worldwide network that connects between points in the heart, and brings them a step-by-step external-corporeal connection to the inner connection of bestowal. Sviva Tova is an order of Kabbalists in our generation for the building of a new society, based on connections of love and bestowal, as the single solution for all of humanity’s problems.

The website Sviva Tova connects you to the daily spiritual stream, updates you in real-time on all events of the worldwide Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute, and allows you to stay connected with the World Kli at any time of the day.

Last Plagues Of The Modern Day Pharaoh

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe correct relation between all parts of nature as a unified system is called love which takes into account the interests of all as a single system. In other words, I feel everyone as an inseparable part of me because we really are all connected!

The only problem is that in our world we do not perceive the force that can bring us to this state. Therefore, we don’t even look in that direction, considering it as a kind of unreal utopia, and try to use this world as egoistically as each one can. In the end, we completely ruin this world, and there is nothing left in it to use. We have rendered it to such altered conditions that any kind of control on our behalf is lost.

That is why the point in the heart and the wisdom of Kabbalah surface only in the generation that reaches an ultimate stage of desperation and helplessness. Kabbalah becomes absolutely necessary, and hence we are obliged to disclose it.

It is an indispensable condition for correction of the world. The whole world must know about it. It is like the story of the Egyptian Plagues when Moses argued with Pharaoh. Why did he come to Pharaoh in the first place? It’s because each egoist in this world should know that a method of correction exists!

Due to the circulation of this method on one hand and the growth of egoism on the other, two stubborn qualities, the people of Israel and Pharaoh, are facing each other, and they both realize that there is no way out. And then this world (the egoistic Pharaoh) has to understand that the only solution is to rise above its current condition and accept the method of correction.

Therefore, Baal HaSulam explains to us that dissemination of the wisdom of Kabbalah is the most necessary and important condition of spiritual liberation.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/24/10, “The Giving of the Torah”

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Hear The Teacher

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How should a group, which strives to achieve the mutual guarantee, relate to its teacher? After all, the teacher is the one who connects us with the general system of the souls.

Answer: A teacher is a mentor, a guide; he is called Rav, which means “great.” Generally, I should relate to each of the friends as a Rav, and the Creator is also Rav, of course, since He is great.

The same is true with a mentor. In what sense are they great? If a person does not elevate the importance of the Creator, a friend, and a mentor in his eyes, then he cannot connect to them, receive something from them. He is unable to bow down before them, and only a small one can learn from a great one.

Certainly, we have to perceive the teacher as “great”. If he is greater than me, it means that whatever he says is more important than what I am currently thinking. It is important that the method of correction is taught by a mentor who has come to the end of that path and speaks from experience. Who else can I learn from if I want to follow the same path?

That is why I bow my head and accept the method from the teacher; I take his advice above my reason. Otherwise, I would be stuck wandering, unable to find the road. The spiritual path can’t be seen, and therefore one should rely on the teacher more than the books, which everyone understands differently, based on one’s own logic.

Actually, everyone hears the teacher differently too, but common work in the group increases the chances that the teacher’s words will seep inside. There is no guarantee either, but it is possible. Therefore, I have to fully annul my ego before the teacher, otherwise I won’t hear anything, and there is no other real source. The measurement of which is its implementation.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/26/10, “All of Israel Have a Part in the Next World”

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When The World Compresses Into A Point

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Why do you compare rising to the mutual guarantee with a narrow opening that we still need to find? Doesn’t investing in the friends mean breaking down all the barriers and boundaries and giving everything, rather than trying to find a single point?

Answer: The passage between two worlds is always narrow. It is like a birth, like coming out of a mother’s womb into the world. It is as though we go through a gorge of misfortunes under the pressure of “labor contractions.” This is in fact that small point which we widen, making it a narrow passage.

In addition, the mutual guarantee is an extremely powerful concentration of thoughts, desires, passions, intentions, and goals of a person, when one suddenly sees that they all unite, revealing his dependence on a neighbor. It is precisely a neighbor, and not neighbors. Everything compresses and contracts into one whole. This point reveals an opening into the World of Infinity to us, but we need to go through it all together.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/17/10, “The Arvut”

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Building Myself

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe purpose of creation is to bring good to the Creator’s beings. The Creator is a good force that does good, and therefore, He gave us an opportunity to attain the most exalted state, to become similar to Him. We become equivalent with the Creator in two basic elements:

1. Independence. After all, the Creator is original, and man must be original in his actions; otherwise, he is not independent.

2. Bestowal. A person acquires the form of bestowal that must clothe in his nature opposite to the Creator. Thus, on the inside, man is opposite to the Creator, but on the outside, he is congruent to him.

By combining these two opposite properties within, a person builds his independence himself. Thereby, he doesn’t get out of the Creator’s hands, but grows independently. The rule of attaining independence is called the “covenant.”

This covenant means that I undertake building a human within me. The Creator provides all that is needed for it: a preparatory base, the fuel, desire of pleasures, the force of correction, and the power of fulfillment. I utilize these means. Contrary conditions emerge within me, a contrast between egoistic desire and the form of bestowal that I need to clothe in, and all of this together allows me to construct myself.

A person who accepts these conditions and aspires straight to the Creator is called “Israel.” He decides to attain adhesion and is willing to walk through all states and spiritual rungs. While he is at it, he understands that he must always walk with faith above reason; otherwise, he won’t be able to take one step, ascend, and approach the Creator.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/26/10,”All of Israel Have a Part in the Next World”

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A Single Opportunity To Initiate Changes

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How can a person make sure that the Creator calls him to the Pharaoh?

Answer: This realization occurs gradually. First of all, a person senses detachment from spirituality, but doesn’t associate it with himself: “No, it’s not me who is deviating from the goal. I am simply going through a difficult time; it’s not my fault.” Then, a person applies more effort, envisions himself “a hero,” and, thus, advances.

Next time he feels even more heaviness of the heart. A black cloud hides his horizons, but he still doesn’t consider it to be “his fault.” However, this time, he connects the situation he is in with the Upper Governance and gets angry with the Creator: “Why is it so unfair? I don’t deserve it.” He applies effort again and waits until the new heaviness disappears. Once again, it does. Yet, a person doesn’t attribute this new change to the Creator: “Sooner or later, everything in life ends.”

The next descent brings him even stronger impressions. A person starts to better understand that this recurs once in a while. Now, his attitude is based on his prior experience since he knows that a descent always brings a certain change of states.

A person is helpless; he understands that he is not in control of his own descents and ascents. He screams and demands from the Creator not to keep him in the descent any longer. His helplessness gives birth to a certain mindset.

Eventually, a person begins to realize that he is “taken through” some sort of “therapy.” If he saw that everything that happens to him is done by the Creator from the beginning, it would have kept him calm: “Obviously, the Creator has a plan; even if today I am feeling very bad, tomorrow I will feel much better. I’ll wait.” This type of “acquaintance” with the Source of the Upper Governance can really promote our weaknesses and nullify our personal responsibility.

Therefore, it is worthless to plead with the Creator, the Law of Nature. We only have one option: to expose ourselves to the influence of the environment that is oriented toward the goal. Everything else is “rigid laws,” and only one formula in the system of these laws allows us to modify the coefficient: the influence of our environment upon us.

Consequently, we can achieve certain results by simple actions that we decide to do involuntary, out of despair. In the depth of my soul, I disagree with this situation, but I still demand from my friends to “wake me up” and prompt them to do it. This is how on this material level, we start modifying the whole system of laws.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/18/10, “Come to Pharaoh”

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The Math Of Spiritual Steps

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe Zohar, Chapter “BeShalach (When Pharaoh Sent),” Item 36: When that deed [the sin of the golden calf] was done, it caused death; it caused the enslavement of the Malchuts; it caused the shattering of the first tablets, and caused several thousand [people] of Israel to die. All of it was because of the bonding with the mixed multitude that bonded with them.

Question: Who are these “thousands” that died in me?

Answer: These thousands are spiritual degrees. The ones are Malchut (Kingdom); the tens are Zeir Anpin (Small Face); the hundreds are Bina (Intelligence); the thousands (are Hochma (Wisdom); and the ten thousands are Arich Anpin (Long Face). Hence, when Zeir Anpin (6 x 10 individual Sefirot = 60) ascends to Arich Anpin, it multiplies in its power by 10,000 (Ribo). Therefore, it is written: “60 Ribo” (60 x 10,000) or “600,000 souls.” If it is written “100,000,” it means that the complete spiritual rung 100 ascended to the level of Hochma (1000 is Hochma). If it is written “500,” it is also a complete rung 5 which ascended to Bina (100 is Bina).

In other words, ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, and ten thousands are the spiritual steps, their might. Every time you ascend, your rung is multiplied by 10.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/20/10, The Zohar

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The Light Of Our Life

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: If The Zohar talks only about the types of connection between the souls, then what is the Light that we reveal?

Answer: The Light is the sensation of connection between us. Nothing else becomes revealed.

If there are no changes in the connection between us, who are the parts of the common soul, then there is no Light, no sensation of life. Everything is dead. On the other hand, if the parts of the Kli feel unceasing changes in the connections between them, this means that there is life flowing through the Kli, there is Light in the soul. Since different interinclusions and unifications take place between the parts, these changes provide the sensation of life or Light inside the Kli.

If they stop for a moment, everything will be silent and dead, but if everything changes, it creates a sensation of Light, the sensation of life inside the body of the soul. Therefore, it’s wrong to think that the Light is external and foreign, or that it comes to the Kli from outside. Nevertheless, we do depict it this way on charts in order to schematically explain the phenomena happening inside the Kli, reception and bestowal, the inner and the outer. We are talking about the Light in relation to the Kli.

Therefore, to feel life means to continuously reveal new facets of our unity and constant changes in the connections between different parts of our common Kli (desire, vessel, or soul).
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/28/10, The Zohar

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Our First Spiritual Level

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How can I turn to the group if no matter what I do I remain an egoist in my thoughts? And how can we feel the Surrounding Light at the Convention and turn it into Inner Light?

Answer: Tuning into the group means attaining the common desire so I won’t have any thoughts about myself, any individual goal or opinion, but only the common one, “as one man with one heart.” It’s when I don’t want to feel myself and judge things with my own mind, but only be together with everyone.

I don’t know the meaning of common thoughts and desires, but I hope it will be something that belongs to everyone. To the extent we unite together in one heart and one mind, to that degree we are called a group. Otherwise we are not! By virtue of this unity we will be able to advance.

At the Convention we have a very powerful influence on one another because if a person desires to put this force of common inspiration to the right use, he will be able to intermix with the rest of the desires. Granted, this requires serious inner work and efforts. Then a person will be able to join and feel the common mind and the feeling of all the souls that have already attained all the spiritual degrees while in our world.

If we unite together even for a fraction of a percent, then we will already be included into the common system of souls and they will all start to influence us. The Kabbalists of all generations, the prophets will start to work together with us! We will enter the place where they all dwell and will unite together with them in one common mind and feeling.

We can be next to them as babies, but nevertheless we will still have the same sensation and mind and will begin to attain this common soul. This connection will remain forever, even if it later disappears from our sensation. The fact that we attained it will already be “recorded in our account”!

Nothing disappears in the spiritual world. All your attainments are recorded in your account even if you lose that sensation later on in order to rise one level higher. Nevertheless, this level is already yours!
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/28/10, The Acting Mind”

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I Am The Act Of The Creator!

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: When we look at this world, we judge it with our mind, but how can we attain the Creator’s mind?

Answer: That is why we have to make corrections: to purify our mind from all the egoistic nonsense that fills it, preventing us from seeing the Creator. If we make a correction through the Light of Hassadim, then we rise above our egoistic desire and become ready to accept the Light of Hochma: the Creator’s mind.

Essentially, we research ourselves and based on that we recognize the One who created us. It is written, “I will know You through Your actions.” But what is His action? It is me! I am the Creator’s action! And I have to understand who I am.

To do this I have to come out of my limited, egoistic view and build a group outside of myself. If I start checking myself in relation to the group like a desire in relation to the Light, this marks the beginning of my attainment of the Creator’s actions. It happens to the degree I am able to stand it and desire it.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson, 10/28/10, “The Acting Mind”

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