Question: It is said that when Rabbi Shimon and his disciples were creating The Book of Zohar, they were sitting in a cave, Rabbi Shimon was talking, Rabbi Abba was writing it down, the son of Rabbi Shimon, Rabbi Elazar, was listening to him "from mouth to mouth," while the rest were listening through the heart. What do these different levels of connection mean?

Answer: Beside the external language that Kabbalists can use for communication, "the language of branches," there is also an internal connection called "Peh El Awzen" (from mouth to ears) at the level of Bina, when the teacher and the student are united in a state of Katnut (a small state), as well as the connection called "Peh El Peh" (from mouth to mouth) at the level of Keter, in the state of Gadlut (a big state). Such connection requires no language: One understands the other without words, through the inner adhesion, union.

In other words, we can understand each other in one of the following ways:

• After long conversations, or
• by taking the hint, or
• we start understanding each other without words, or
• we become so united into one whole that it becomes impossible to say that you understand me and I understand you since we are inseparable, and we don’t need to pass anything to each other.

These are the levels of the spiritual connection.
[35328]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/14/2011, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

Related Material:
Make Yourself A Teacher And A Group
The System Of Spiritual Connection
A Perfect Language

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Inner Work, Q&A, Spiritual Teacher - No Comments →

In his article “The Freedom,” Baal HaSulam writes that according to the plan of the upper governance, a person must live in a society and follow its laws. And the law of the life of society is to “take after the collective.”

But does it really mean that one has to comply with the most primitive, ignorant, uncivilized masses, which prevail in the world? In many countries up to this day, people live exactly as they lived hundreds of years ago. They haven’t even been impacted by the technological progress that much; they learned to use only its external benefits and didn’t receive any internal changes from it, no internal culture.

In truth, however, the law to “take after the collective” obligates us to work namely on the collective fostering of the whole world. After all, the world needs to be elevated to the level where everyone will understand that perfection is reached only through total unification. And we don’t have a choice: It’s impossible to instill this by force from above, by some small group of people who wish to make a revolution.

In former times, the world lived under the power of its rulers, but that time is gone. That is how humanity existed during the period of exile. But now, as we are entering the era of correction, the epoch of the “future generation,” it is impossible to live by the old ways.

In the near future we will see that the masses will be increasingly decisive in making decisions, while state leaders and governments will only follow the people. After all, the world has become global.

Therefore, it is necessary to apply all our effort to educating the broad masses so as to raise them to the degree of the final correction regardless of their current level. And indeed, people don’t need to learn some complicated sciences; they only need to know how to relate to each other correctly. On the contrary, connection between people is established not by way of the mind, but through the heart. It is the wisdom of the heart.

The law to “take after the collective” means that we have to turn to the majority, and it is from these simple broad masses that all changes will come, and not from those who possess power, wealth, and scientific degrees. Sages said: “The Torah will come forth from the children of the poor.”

Transformation depends precisely on the degree to which we will raise our collective spiritual vessel (Kli).
[35089]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/11/2011, “The Freedom”

Related Material:
Tied By The Single Network
Man’s Heart Between Two Flames
Let The Upper Light Be Your Teacher

Filed under: Crisis, Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Society - 2 Comments →

Question: If human nature is the will to enjoy, why then is the majority of humanity satisfied with very little and why doesn’t it seek eternal pleasure?

Answer: Some time ago, I ran into my old childhood friend. Back then he was already collecting stamps. In my own time, when I “grew out” of this hobby, I gave him my entire collection. I recall that stamps had lost value in my eyes, but he really liked them.

So, when we met this time, he said to me: “Now I also collect envelopes.” He said it with such seriousness that I promised to send him our envelope. There is nothing funny about this: A person values something, he has a certain desire. I didn’t even want to start talking to him about the Lights and eternal pleasure. What sense will it make if he wants to talk about envelopes and stamps?

Everything derives from desire. When I had a desire, I collected stamps. In childhood, everybody passes through such periods. But his desire remained, so how can I pass my desire to him? It is impossible.

I saw many children growing up near Rabash, as well as his students and relatives. If a child has a desire, it is there; and if he doesn’t, it isn’t. You cannot force it on him. He sees what you do, and the rest depends on his aspirations. There is nothing you can do in this regard.

So, we can’t demand a person to work on unification. How many people in the world really care about it and wish to see the whole world as one simple Light, one force? Who wants to see only this picture of reality and not to even feel himself in it? You either have such desire or you don’t.

Yes, with the help of the group we can speed up our development, but again, without pressuring a person.
[34965]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/10/2011, Writings of Rabash

Related Material:
Faster Than Time
Pouring Fresh Blood Into A Spiritual Embryo
Descending By The Order, Ascending By Personal Choice

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Inner Work, Q&A - No Comments →

Kabbalah does not talk about our imaginary world, but about the soul’s correction and how to attain the true reality. The true reality is the Kli in which the Creator is perceived by virtue of a certain degree of adhesion with Him.

The Kli or soul is divided into two parts: Israel, the part that aspires toward unity with the Creator, toward the goal, and the nations of the world, which is the part that’s unable to do so. We feel a certain yearning to reveal the Creator. The science of Kabbalah is by definition the method of revealing the Creator to creation. In other words, it is talking about revealing the quality of bestowal and love in creation itself.

In order for us to have the opportunity to attain this goal, the people who have the suitable desire unite in the common field of the Creator. They feel attracted to one another without knowing why and they come together like electrical charges or metal shavings in a magnetic field. That’s when they acquire the opportunity to realize the method of correction.

At first they do not know that they have to correct themselves. They simply feel a calling to the most important thing: “What am I living for? What is the meaning of my life?” Eventually they start to understand that all of these questions lead to the revelation of the Creator, the upper force that builds, supports, forms, and controls all of reality. There is nothing besides this force.

That is how a person goes from the question about the meaning of life to the question about how to reveal the Creator. After all, the revelation of the Creator gives him the answer to everything. Thus, in order to come closer to revealing the Creator, these people unite.

The Creator is concealed, and in order to reveal Him rather than anything else, meaning to reveal the quality of bestowal and love that lies outside of our nature of reception and hate, to rise above it, I am brought to a certain gathering of people.

Together with them I begin to understand that the question about the meaning of life shifts to the need to reveal the Creator as the answer to all questions that I have asked and will ask. Revealing the Creator means revealing the force of bestowal and love. It can be understood only to the degree of one’s similarity to it, only if I will also attain this quality, which is Him.

I have to acquire this quality, and in order to ensure this acquisition I am among people similar to me. This was arranged for me deliberately. The Creator is concealed because the quality of bestowal is opposite to me. Due to their fundamental difference, these qualities do not feel one another and therefore I do not feel the Creator. And it is impossible to work in relation to someone I do not feel. I will definitely be mistaken and will fall into self-deception.

Therefore, instead of giving me work with Himself, the Creator gave me work with my neighbor. This enables me to perform authentic verifications, to receive forces from the friends, and to check myself in relation to them: How much do I advance from hatred to love?
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/15/11, Writings of Rabash

Related Material:
A Leap Across The Abyss
All The Answers Are In The Group
A Ray Of Light In Pitch Darkness

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Israel, Kabbalah Study, My Similarity to the Creator, Perception - 1 Comment →

During the recent European Convention in Berlin, I gave a number of interviews to the German media. In the picture below, you see my interview with a reporter from the German newspaper “Jüdische Allgemeine.” As a result of our conversation, the newspaper published a lengthy, serious article about the convention and our movement.

[Show slideshow]

[35273]

Filed under: Conventions, News - No Comments →

Question: If a considerable part of humanity starts to unify as we do during Kabbalah conventions, then there should be less suffering in the world, correct?

Answer: Our actions are undoubtedly fruitful. It’s also true that today suffering manifests in the world in a lighter and more cushioned form than it would without our external and internal efforts. But how much lighter it is remains unclear to us because we don’t see the connection between our actions and all kinds of events.

Therefore, we can’t say by what percent the flood or fire rate went down thanks to our convention, but it most certainly did. The picture of our influence can be visible only if we develop the same collective sight as an integral environment (society), meaning if we reach at least the first spiritual level, the first degree of oneness.

Question cont.: So, in egoistic sensory organs we will never see how through our unity we prevented a terror act or a natural disaster, will we?

Answer: You can see it on the condition that you have the screen and your goal is to reveal the information not in order to satisfy your curiosity or gain internal peace, but to bestow to the others thereby. You need knowledge so you may go above it: First, you feel the necessity to go above reason, and afterward, in accordance with this, the upper (global, integral, spiritual) knowledge unfolds.

Question cont.: In that case, I shouldn’t blame myself that because I didn’t put forth sufficient effort to unite, something bad happened, should I? It doesn’t help my correction, does it?

Answer: It is a system of nature: If this information were necessary for you, it would be revealed to you since everything works according to one program and moves the world to the final correction.

At present, you cannot see it, but later on, you will reach a state when it will become possible. However, if such knowledge isn’t required in order to bestow, you won’t want it to be revealed to you. If it isn’t for bestowal, why do I need to see and know?!

Eventually, you will see the world from end to end; you will know everything! And you will say: “I don’t want any of this! I will take as much knowledge as I need for bestowal so that I can rise above it in bestowal.”
[34978]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/9/2011, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

Related Material:
Rising Above Knowledge
Faith And Reason
Jump Above Your Head

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Inner Work, Q&A - No Comments →

Question: What desires do we have to receive from the world? What does it mean, “to absorb the desires of others”?

Answer: It’s the same as connecting to the group. I have a spark of love for another called “the point in the heart.” But it is just a spark which won’t flare up by itself. I have to connect it to the sparks of my friends. If our sparks unite, it will supply us with greater strength for correction. And then we will receive the Light.

The same applies to our work with the world: A person has no desire to correct his or her soul unless he unites with “the nations of the world.” It’s because one part of his soul (GE) exists in himself and his friends, while the other part (AHP) in “the nations of the world.” Our task is to unite these parts in order to create the whole Kli (vessel).
[35187]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/13/2011, Writings of Rabash

Related Material:
The Answer To All My Question
It Is Our Job
To Know Is To Bestow

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Inner Work, Israel, Q&A - No Comments →

Question: How can a person know that his teacher is a real Kabbalist?

Answer: How can you know that he is a true Kabbalist? He cannot show you any specific diploma or perform miraculous acts that would look spiritual to you since how do you know what spirituality is anyway? Hence, you can only listen to your heart and examine whether what you hear resonates with you, connects you to the root of your soul.

I studied in five or six places before I found Rabash. And I used to leave them not because I would find something better; I just saw that there was nothing else to do there, nothing else to learn. And it isn’t because their intent was to deceive me; it’s just that each of them had their own method, ideas, and delusions.

But I was seeking a place where I could study Kabbalah as a science. And when I met Rabash, I immediately saw that his students studied authentic primary sources: The Zohar, the works of the ARI and Baal HaSulam, which are the most fundamental Kabbalistic texts, and that he attached deep meaning to the concepts in a logical form, without external religious acts or meditation.

In other words, he used a strictly scientific approach without shifting to one or the other side. By then, I had already realized that everything else has nothing to do with truth. I had a sense that wherever they talk about some actions related to the corporeal body or fantasies, it doesn’t have anything to do with spirituality.

I had a very clear feeling that here there was some entrance into a more internal world that doesn’t depend on the body or imagination, on all those attributes I have at the moment. It is required that a person reveals a certain internal layer within, and I was searching: How do I do that? And when I came to Rabash and started to study, I saw that that’s exactly about what he was speaking.

Baal HaSulam writes that anyone who wishes to receive spiritual knowledge must find himself a teacher, an authentic sage-Kabbalist who seems to be right for the job. But if he feels that he is in a place which doesn’t suit him, he shouldn’t stop looking. After all, time is running out.
[35227]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/13/2011, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

Related Material:
Anticipating The Light That Reforms
Choosing The Good Fortune For Yourself
Why Do We Need The Language Of Branches?

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Inner Work, Kabbalah Study, Q&A, Spiritual Teacher - No Comments →

Question: I am quite convinced by what Baal HaSulam says about the fact that there is no chance for us to comprehend spirituality with our corporeal mind because if somebody wanted to lure me into it, they would promise me exactly the opposite. But it is still painful to realize that I am unable to understand anything. Why is it so?

Answer: It is because you don’t have spiritual organs of perception, awareness, or sense.

I always bring up a memory of a very vivid example I received when we were working on a musical adaptation of one of Baal HaSulam’s melodies .The home owners’ fat cat was always near us while we worked. We cried and were overwhelmed with feelings, while the cat just lay there totally undisturbed; only his ear would occasionally twitch when the music was getting too loud.

Both of us live in corporeal bodies, in the very same world, but a cat cannot understand me. It lacks the ability to feel. How can you explain to a cat what emotions we wish to express through music?

But trust me, to teach a cat to comprehend a symphony is a less complicated task than for us to comprehend spirituality. After all, the animal is at the same level in this world, while we need a much stronger impact of the upper Light in order to bring us to sense the spiritual world.

And then, according to this sense, you will immediately begin to understand what every word a Kabbalist says means. You will hear some words with external hearing, but the internal sensations will start unfolding in you. Imagine yourself speaking with a cat, when it suddenly starts understanding you….
[35224]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/13/2011, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

Related Material:
Spiritual Diagnosis – A Total Breaking
Now I Get It!
Then You Will Remember Everything You Learned

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Inner Work, Perception, Q&A - No Comments →

Question: If all our work is to find the place of our breaking, what are we lacking then in order to do it?

Answer: You simply don’t want to reveal it! Why should you disclose your envy and hate? It is much easier and safer to remain apathetic.

A person feels that the friends, “the others,” simply don’t seem to exist. In Kabbalah, “the other” is a person whom I feel as being outside of me. I know that everybody is supposed to be within me if my perception of reality is correct, yet I feel them as outsiders in relation to me, someone who is distant and abhorrent. And it frightens me: Do I really hate the parts of my own soul this much?! That is exactly how the force of the breaking feels. I know that it is a lie, and I want to fix my distorted sight!

Try to attempt to see that all the friends are related to you. Even the whole world already sees how round and interconnected it is. But we don’t arrive at this conclusion from the external side due to the lack of choice. This is what the rest of the world does, by getting blows that point at people’s interconnectedness. Our path is internal and in this way, we gradually discover that all of us are one whole and are linked in an integral system.

Knowing all this, I look around and see people who are alien to me. I don’t feel what they are thinking about, what they desire. Moreover, I don’t even care about them; I am unable to keep focusing on them, let alone feel them. Not even one of them!

In other words, I realize that it is a total breaking: I am ill with a horrible disease. In fact, I see that I completely lost my sensitivity, my ability to feel all these parts that must become mine. I am disintegrating like a corpse. After all, death is when the life force leaves the body and it starts turning into dust. I feel as if I am losing my arms and legs. It throws me into a panic.

I can see and feel all of this in the organs of perception (Kelim) that evolve in me thanks to the study of Kabbalah and that in the future will become my properties of love and bestowal. But love starts with our revelation of hate towards the others, and we begin to hate it within ourselves.

And now I am living this hate, my inability to feel the other because I don’t care about him. And even worse than that, I measure my success by their failures. The worse they feel, the better I feel. What a perverted and distorted perception it is, and how blind I am that I think of the others in this way.

Rabash gives an example of a person who suddenly finds out that the child next door who annoyed him so much is in fact his son. It is possible to repair this picture only if you strive to see how everyone in the group is eager to correct this distortion together.
[35220]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/13/2011, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

Related Material:
Don’t Lose The Time You Have Been Given
How To Localize The Spiritual Area
Reunion In Malchut

Filed under: Collective Soul, Crisis, Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Inner Work, Q&A - No Comments →