Good Environment – 12.16.10

My Good Environment – Questions of the Day

Spiritual Development: From Embryo To Person

Dr. Michael LaitmanTalmud Eser Sefirot, Volume 3, Part 8: Time and place in spirituality signify a renewal of form. Since a Partzuf grows only through a multitude of unions (Zivugim) and transfers of Lights that differ from one another, building it together, they are called "the months of the intrauterine development" or the period of embryonic development, which can last for 7, 9, or 12 months depending on the amount of portions of Light that are necessary to form it.

We study the changes that happen to the will to enjoy and count the number of these changes or renewals, which are called "months" (Hodesh, month, comes from the word Hidush, renewal). There is no time in spirituality. Time is determined by the number of changes that we have gone through, rather than the motion of the hand of a clock or the changes of some external factor. As much as I changed, that is how much time has gone by. This is how time is defined in spirituality.

Therefore, the period of an embryo’s development means that I go through one state after another ("I go through," Over, comes from the word embryo, Ibur). I have to go through a specific amount of changes in order to go from the intrauterine development inside the Upper One to development outside of Him.

Now I am also in the Upper One and He develops me. During this process of development I have absolutely no influence on the changes I undergo. I am forced to change by instincts and forces that I experience as suffering, and thus, I go through these changes against my will.

Then another phase comes: I start to feel that there is some kind of reason behind it, that there is a high need for it, and there is an Upper One who makes all these changes to me, wishing for me to start finding out about the system of governance, the cause and effect order of development, the beginning and goal of the whole path. That is how the whole world is beginning to awaken in our times.

After that we reach the realization that we have to evoke these changes ourselves. From a certain state onward there is no time that the Upper One changes for us, forcing us to develop. Now the Upper One only adds Lights for us, which we perceive as evil. However, this does not enable us to develop, but only to reach the realization that we have to demand development from the Upper One. That is, we must already participate in the development ourselves and demand it.

The Upper One does not force me to do the action itself, but only to request it so I would ask the Upper One to carry it out. My request has to be in the middle. For now this request can be expressed as a cry due to feeling bad.

After that I develop and am required to have this cry come out of the realization of goodness, when I understand that all of this is for my good. Even though I might feel bad in my sensations, I already realize that this is good for my development, because I have to ascend to the next level. Then the Upper One no longer demands a cry from me, but cooperation in development. This is called partnership.

After that we reach a state where the Upper One does not awaken me at all, but I have to search for an opportunity to awaken inside of me, using the environment. I have to awaken the Upper One so He would awaken me, and then agree with His action and tell Him exactly how to do it. It’s as if I understand and choose the best form of action for myself, and then the Upper One does it.

In the end we reach a state where I give the Upper One all the orders. In the beginning of the path He made all the actions upon me, from beginning to end, without my awareness. I did not know who is operating me, what He does, and where I am. But at the end of the path I determine everything from beginning to end, and only use the force of the Upper One.

Our entire path lies in that we acquire increasingly greater independence and self-sufficiency, becoming more and more similar to the Upper One.
[29951]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/16/10, Talmud Eser Sefirot

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A Person Who Draws The Worlds

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: As I advance, I should be more grateful for the fact that there is the Upper Force which advances me. But I don’t know how I can do it, how can I rely on the existence of the Upper Force?

Answer: Don’t rely on it! Don’t believe in the Upper Force  until you activate your power from below. There is no Creator without the creature. We advance only according to our request, MAN, by influencing the forces of nature with it.

When Kabbalists describe the Partzufim, they tell us only about the actions of bestowal. Partzufim, per se, don’t exist. In exactly the same manner, they write about our effort and existence: There is no Creator and no worlds; there is nothing if a person does not activate his or her power of bestowal.

As soon as a person activates the force of bestowal, the worlds immediately appear, not relative to him, but in a general sense since they don’t exist otherwise. All of reality, including the spiritual world, does not exist outside of man. This is what the wisdom of Kabbalah states in its section “The Perception of Reality.”

So, what can a person rely on? Outside of man there is nothing; everything is within him only. If we don’t put ourselves in motion, we don’t construct the system of worlds.

As soon as I’m willing to give, I immediately face the Light of Infinity. Then, between it and me, the worlds are born, a communication system between me and the world of Infinity. If I am not performing acts of bestowal, then nothing exists.

All of spiritual reality (we are not talking about the material world because it’s imaginary) exists within man to the extent that he has the power of bestowal. If he has no power of bestowal, then nothing exists. We can’t say that there is something outside of man unless he himself builds it, creates and implements it.
[29156]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/8/10, Talmud Eser Sefirot

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Weekly Torah Portion – 12.16.10

The Book of Zohar, Weekly Torah Portion “VaYechi,” Selected Excerpts
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Once Again About Love

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: What is the love of friends?

Answer: Love is unity in one common desire. Kabbalah gives us the following example: When Bina reaches the state of Hafetz Hesed (wanting nothing for oneself), it comes down to Malchut, unites with it, and absorbs its desire so as to fulfill it with all the force of Bina.

That’s called love: to absorb someone else’s desire and fill it with whatever you can. It is written that one has to give up his only pillow; it’s the manifestation of love which we need to achieve.

But how is it possible to achieve it? We have to make sure that in the material world each one would have all the basic necessities, and in the spiritual world each one would receive everything there is in our common desire (Kli, vessel).

It’s very important to view all of us as one desire and to do everything to keep it alive. Each one must feel that it depends on him and that it’s in his power to tip the scale for this world from the cup of guilt to the cup of mercy. This way, we create a place called Malchut in which the Upper Light, the Creator, is revealed, but we have to try not to forget that the ultimate goal is to give contentment to the Creator.

But it’s not easy to do it in regards to the Creator; we still lack a clear feeling of His Light. So we should, at least, think about how to bring pleasure to the place where He is hiding, the place all desires for Him have assembled. As it is written, "From the love of the created beings to the love of the Creator." Love of the created beings actually is the most general, unified desire.

The relationship between our souls that we want to restore is called the love of friends. Friends are individuals coming together on the material level in order to reach the inner, spiritual connection. We already know all about it; now it’s the time to just implement it.

An infinite number of words have already been spoken about it, but, each time, they are perceived anew, according to the state a person is in. We only need to absorb them more deeply within ourselves, and the Light will come and develop in a person the entire picture without words. Then it will become clear to us.

Here, patience is needed. It’s not that I agree to wait and put everything away for later, for tomorrow. Have the patience to make every possible effort today, but if you don’t see any signs of success, have confidence that it will happen any moment.
[29711]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/10/2010, Baal HaSulam, Letter 13, 1925

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We Have Changed

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: What is the difference between the need to prepare for the lesson before the convention and now?

Answer: It has become clearer to us that we are under the rule of egoistic desire which will never let us reveal the Creator on our own without help from Above. We have revealed our helplessness a bit more, the inability to achieve it on our own, and as a counter to it, we have come to realize that there is an Upper Force that can do this if we really want it.

It’s become a little bit clearer, but that "little bit" is quite a lot indeed! It’s a revelation from Above. It actually is the "illumination of the day," an "illumination by the Light," and that Light makes egoism visible, something Baal HaSulam called the "revelation of the wicked." The convention did its job.
[29708]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/10/10, “Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot

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A Tenured Professor In The World Of Atzilut

Dr. Michael LaitmanYou can’t get into the final state at once since then you wouldn’t be independent. You have to re-create and build the bonds with other souls yourself. The connections disappear, the picture gets erased for you, and you have to restore it again and again. Thereby you build your independent personality.

The final corrected state is not important: It exists already! Your current state is unimportant either for it is imaginary. What matters is only your effort, your desire to envision this system and put it into motion, similar to when a child plays his adult life. By this game you build your "I."

The state into which you are constantly being thrown is called "this world." A corrected state depends only on what level of connection you rise to: Assiya, Yetzira, Beria, Atzilut, or the world of Infinity.

Each time you enter and leave the spiritual world, even at the highest degrees where this entire system becomes clear to you and only some small, perhaps even unnoticeable details, are left unclear. Suddenly, you are being thrown out completely into the complete darkness, and you have to come back.

And the work becomes harder and harder, as it should be for big people. Indeed, who is considered to be a great expert? A person who is able to perform difficult tasks and solve the problems nobody else can handle.

So it follows that he works harder than the others, he earns more money ("Kesef" – covering, the screen), fame, and status than everybody else.
[29650]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/13/10, “A Handmaid that is Heir to Her Mistress”

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Start Small And Reveal Eternity

Dr. Michael LaitmanIt’s a problem when a religious, orthodox person becomes stuck on carrying out the physical commandments and doesn’t wonder what is it for, what is the purpose of creation, and what does the Creator want from us? The Creator wants us to reveal and know Him!

By being satisfied with only physical actions, a person causes all of the world’s problems. He doesn’t understand how carrying out these physical commandments can be harmful. However, by doing so, he doesn’t correct anything because all correction takes place within the desire.

This is why we have to reveal all Reshimot (reminiscences, spiritual records), all of our inner breaking, starting with the source. That is, each one of us has to reach his root in the world of Infinity. There can’t be a correction unless the Creator becomes revealed within a person’s inner desires, Kelim (vessels). If he doesn’t study Kabbalah with the purpose of revealing the Creator, he won’t advance.

Everyone is ready for this to some extent since everyone has a desire. He is, after all, a human being, not an animal. This means he must bring his desire to similarity with the Creator. This is all that’s required of him or her. Start studying with your initially small desire, and see what a great and eternal desire will become revealed within you. After all, the root of each soul exists in the world of Infinity.

This is why the wisdom of Kabbalah can’t be hidden from people. On the contrary, people have to be provided with all that is necessary for them to study.

Right now, they are unable to understand it, but we will see how things suddenly will change and everything will become revealed. This wisdom isn’t perceived in the mind, but in the desire, and this desire is infinite in everyone.

A person can be undeveloped, living the most primitive life style in some remote place, but if a path to correction suddenly becomes revealed to him, then he’ll completely change because this is a matter of spiritual sensation. This is why Kabbalah can’t be hidden from anyone.
[29541]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/12/10, “A Handmaid that is Heir to Her Mistress”

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 12.16.10

The Book of Zohar — Introduction: “The Letters by Rabbi Amnon Saba,” Item 32, Lesson 5
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Talmud Eser Sefirot 3, Part 8, Item 27, Lesson 13
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Baal HaSulam, “Beit Shaar HaKavanot,” Item 81
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Rav Yehuda Ashlag “A Handmaid that is Heir to Her Mistress,” Lesson 8
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