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The Flame Of Love Above Seething Hatred

Dr. Michael LaitmanIt is written that the students of Rabbi Shimon, before writing The Book of Zohar, felt an enormous hatred toward each other, seething like a flame. Then, they would start to work on The Book of Zohar that had not yet been written, to study the connection between them, meaning that they would begin to build a connection with one another based on hatred. Then, with an inspiration and an enormous force of overcoming, they would reveal the flame of love instead of the flame of hatred, as it is written: “A white fire on the basis of a black flame.”

Thus, they described their revelations, the forms of relationships between them, revealing love above hatred. In fact, that is the essence of Torah and The Zohar.

If one day we reveal such relationships, we will understand what they wrote about in The Zohar. Until then, let’s try to yearn toward connection with one another, and as a result, reveal an even greater rejection. And again, based on that, let’s seek unity and reveal an even greater rejection. Thus we will feel such “entries” and “exits” each time, as it is said: “From Zion (“Zion” derives from the word “Yetzia,” exit) will the Torah come forth”—specifically from exits. That is how we advance.

Thus, while reading The Zohar, let’s think only about the states of separation and unity. There is nothing else. The authors of The Zohar write about these states and the contrasts between them, only on the spiritual degrees, where real hatred becomes aroused and true love reigns.
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/3/2011, The Zohar

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Don’t Count On Slogans

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How can I keep the general picture in mind, no matter what part of it we study?

Answer: Only the reforming Light will depict this picture. You can write in bold letters: “Our goal is adhesion with the Creator.” The problem is that the slogans themselves don’t explain anything, and what’s more, they blur details. I would like to keep one phrase in mind and not remove it from my insight. But I still have to realize it.

Besides the Light, we have no other way, no means to perform any changes. The Light operates all the time in a predetermined pace, constantly creating the internal and external conditions for us, as the general direction is for the worse. If we succeed in drawing this Light so that it will reform us, dramatic conflicts between its nature and ours will not be necessary. But it can all take place in the opposite direction.

In any case, there is nothing that we need besides the Light, the vessel, and our current state. It is the Light that shows us the problems and the growing threats, and it is the Light that will correct you and free you from these horrible conflicts if you ask for it.

It will correct you by means of the environment. There is no other way. It is time for the world to understand what many experts already do: A clear mutual connection has been formed among us, which cannot be torn apart, so only the love of others can save our lives from mass destruction. Even if we don’t feel it at first, there should be cooperation, mutual guarantee.

In the meantime, not everyone notices the strings that connect us. But when each of us feels in his bones that he is totally connected to others in every possible way, people will need this method.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/31/2011, “The Love for the Creator and Love for the Created Beings”

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Falling Upwards

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: When I check my integrity, I see that I can’t constantly worry about mutual guarantee. I find it much easier to take some concrete external issue and make a check mark in my diary.

Answer: This is also good. The “check marks” are also necessary. After all, our way is all about the recognition of evil. The problem is that we hardly see that we advance.

I feel stupid, but I still come to study and participate in the group activities. I feel desperate, helpless, and lacking in intention, but still I go on. At the same time, I don’t understand that it is the Light that operates on me in this way. If it weren’t for the Light, I wouldn’t be able to move. I would totally collapse.

So I experience ups and downs simultaneously. Although you feel desperate, you can still go on. Although you feel disrespect and regret, you still hug your friends and sing with them. If you are constantly moving forward, falling but also rising, these are not separate periods of despair and encouragement that change from time to time, but rather two lines that are opposite each other and between which there is the amplitude of the states you are in. This is already a sign of advancement.

You should understand that if I recognize the evil in me more accurately today, it is already a great step forward because it is the Light that reveals in me what I couldn’t see previously. Yesterday I thought that I don’t harm you in any way, and today I am surprised to discover that I treat you badly. Tomorrow I will feel sorry that I can’t change.

On one hand, this makes me feel more desperate, and on the other, I should say to myself: “Just a minute, where does all this come from? I feel worse because a greater Light flows upon me. So this is a sign that I am winning, I am growing, and the evil inclination is growing with me, in competition with me.”

The quality of the evil revealed in me is a sign of advancement. It isn’t easy to attain it, and such a discovery costs dearly. After all, I acquire a great treasure and finally discover the shattering and how to correct it.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/31/2011, “The Love for the Creator and Love for the Created Beings”

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Bestowal Without Reward

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam: “The Love for the Creator and Love for the Created Beings”: Because of that we are compelled to begin with Lo Lishma (for oneself). Rambam says, “our sages said: ‘One should always study the Torah, and even Lo Lishma, because from Lo Lishma one comes to the altruistic intention of Lishma.

This means that first I have to bestow upon the friends, the others, and the Creator as much as I can, thinking that thanks to this I will feel good. I don’t have the right intentions yet, but still I already perform actions of bestowal. We are used to doing favors for each other in this world as well, hoping to benefit from it. A person doesn’t help others unless he sees a personal benefit in it.

In the meantime, my fuel doesn’t come from the Light that Reforms, but from my own benefit. I receive an egoistic pay for my bestowal, and it is clear to me. But thanks to these actions I awaken the reforming Light, and it changes my reward.

The Light makes “a miracle,” something unfamiliar to me. It enables me to bestow without any reward. I am filled, but only by bestowal. This is a “one-way movement.” At the moment we can’t imagine such a filling, but when the Light will change us, we will understand what it is.

So in the meantime, I act with an egoistic intention of Lo Lishma, as if I want to reach the intention of Lishma. I bestow upon the friends, I learn in order to awaken the Light that will change me, but in the meantime, I find personal pleasure in it. Otherwise I couldn’t begin.

Later the Light that Reforms enables me to act without thinking about myself. Then I discover that I am totally outside myself, in others, or in the Creator, which is the same for me.

So the spiritual world, the altruistic intention, bestowal, is when I can act without any reward, without any personal benefit, consciously and unconsciously. Only the Light that influences us can enable us to do that, even if for now we perform egoistic actions—provided that our actions match the advice of Kabbalists perfectly.

When we study together, understand that we study about the corrected states and we want to find ourselves in them. By our great desire to know them, to connect with them, we awaken the Surrounding Lights upon ourselves.

Actually, Kabbalah books tell us how we are connected to one another, how we bestow upon each other, and turn into one corrected vessel. So if we yearn for this state, at least a little, then from there, like from a spring of water, the Light that Reforms comes and brings us closer to perfection.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/1/2011, “The Love for the Creator and Love for the Created Beings”

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When The Creator Is Near

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam, “The Love for the Creator and Love for the Created beings”: But we still do not know what that refinement is. With regards to the aforementioned, we know that “a wild ass’s colt is born a man.” And we are completely immersed in the filth and lowness of self-reception and self-love, without any spark of love for one’s fellow person and bestowal. In that state, one is in the farthest point from the root.

When one grows and is educated through Torah and Mitzvot (commandments), defined only by the aim to bring contentment to one’s Maker and not at all for self-love….

A person is in the right environment, in the right atmosphere, near the group, the teacher, and the books when he is told what the essence of his desire is, how to fulfill it, in which direction, towards what situation, and what goal to go. Then a person grows and learns.

One comes to the degree of bestowal to one’s fellow person. One comes to that degree by the natural remedy in the study of Kabbalah with the altruistic intention….

Ultimately, we study the wisdom of Kabbalah with the right intention in order to reach mutual bestowal and thereby assemble one vessel, according to the principle of “one man with one heart.” Everything that is called “Torah and commandments” is only meant to build the corrected vessel. This is why: “Love thy neighbor as thyself is the great rule of the Torah.” This is because it is meant to make a general corrected vessel of us.

So why do we need unity? In order to bestow upon the Creator and to bring Him contentment. This means that we have to develop the right feelings between us, to develop the right attitude to what we call “the Creator” so that He will be very close and dear to us, so that we will really want to bring Him contentment and to feel pleasure in it. The group can convey this warm attitude to a person.

By that the creature develops in the degrees of the above sublimity until one loses any form of self-love and self-reception. In that state, one’s every attribute is either to bestow, or to receive in order to bestow. Our sages said about that, “The commandments were only given in order to purify people with.”

The actions I perform in order to correct my nature are called “commandments.” Their purpose is to help me tie myself, like with strings, in all my 620 attributes, to all those who are outside of me. Thanks to this I can become the one who bestows and connects everyone into one.

The actions that connect me with others are called “248 positive commandments” of Bina that can be everywhere. Then I use the desire of others and my desire in order to fill them, and these are already “365 negative commandments.”

We can say that the negative commandments belong to Galgalta ve Eynaim. Hillel said: “Do not do unto others that which is hated by you.” First I refuse to perform any actions because I don’t have the power to bestow yet. Then, I move on to the positive commandments that can be summarized by the principle of “love thy neighbor as thyself.” These are already the commandments of AHP, actions towards actual connection.

And then one cleaves to one’s root, as it says, “and to cleave onto Him.”
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/1/2011, “The Love for the Creator and Love for the Created Beings”

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