Audio Version Of The Blog – 09.07.12

Listen to an Audio Version of the Blog
Download: MP3 Audio
[audio:http://files.kabbalahmedia.info/audio/eng_o_rav_2012-09-07_declamation_blog-rav_full.mp3 title=’7.9.12′]

Carry The Light To All Of Its Consumers

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Why do we receive the Light through the dissemination of Kabbalah?

Answer: We receive the Light only through dissemination since according to all of the physical laws, energy can only flow when there is somewhere it can flow, like a running wave, the electrical current in a circuit, water in a pipe. However, if the Light has nowhere further to spread, then you become a stopper blocking its way.

Imagine that there is a source of energy, a battery with a wire connected to it. However, this wire is broken and it does not lead anywhere. There will be no current there, although it is connected to a source of energy! The current will not flow in it because it has not connected to the second pole and has not provided for a closed circuit for the circulation of the current.

Carry The Light To All Of Its Consumers
From this example it is clear, that even if you have connected to the source of Light, but have not closed this circuit, then you will not feel that there is Light inside of you. That is why, you are obliged to connect with others and close this circle through them.

Throughout all of the thousands of years when Kabbalah was still hidden, it was only revealed to a few chosen people in each generation in order to somewhat renew and adapt the methodology for the current generation. However, in essence, they didn’t do anything other than this adaptation for the new time.

However, when the opportunity to widely disseminate the science of Kabbalah and to close this this circuit has finally been revealed, it means that the time for correction and revelation has arrived. And the whole of the thousand years history was only the preparation for revelation.

That is why it is necessary to understand that by widely advertising Kabbalah you are not only helping others, but first of all, yourself. In this way, you are closing the circuit for the revelation of the Creator and by this, you give Him pleasure. Without this closed circuit, you are worth nothing.

It is written that Israel only passes the Light through itself to everyone else. That is why we must build this closed circuit between the Creator and all of the other people who do not have a direct connection to Him, and  we must become a transmission unit in the circuit ourselves. This is the only way we will be able to accomplish our mission.

If the desire to reveal the Creator has been awakened inside of you, it means that you have to become the transmitter of the upper Light and pass it on to all of the other “consumers” of it.
[87661]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/5/12, Writings of Rabash

Related Material:
How To Grow From Zero To Infinity
The Baby Is Crying And The Grownups Are Happy
In The Role Of The Connectors

Concealment For The Sake Of Revelation

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: The world is so great, and there are so few of us. At first glance, we stand no chance of reaching it. But on the other hand, it is written that salvation comes from the Creator in a blink of an eye…

Answer: We do not sit around relying on the Creator. A person must go by what he sees. The “Creator” (Boreh) is a quality that is revealed in us according to how prepared our vessels, our desires, are. I build Him for myself according to the principle of “come and see” (Bo-Reh).

There is no foundation inside me, and I can only rely on the forces I awaken in myself, in my environment. If I fail to awaken them in the right form at the right time, then they become revealed in a negative form. But one way or another, everything is inside us. There is nothing on the outside.

When we keep order and follow the schedule in our development, we reveal the Creator. But when we fall behind, when we are late, this delay conceals Him from us, in other words, it conceals the corrected system from us where the mutual forces of bestowal manifest. This is the spiritual world. There simply is no other Creator. In the worst-case scenario, you create an idol for yourself, an “external” image.

As for our possibilities, some are strong in their quantity and others in their quality. And this is why we do not fear the fact that there are few of us. The main thing is to bring the message to the people so that they will hear it. And this is why you have Internet that erases boundaries.

This world wide Web has appeared because it appeared for us. If we use it the right way, then we will reach everyone, and people will accept our message. After all, in reality these are small, helpless desires, like children, and we must care for them.

Question: So what should correct dissemination be like?

Answer: We must always be analyzing this. Rabbi Abba revealed in secret, and we, on the contrary, must conceal ourselves in revelation. Instead of revelation in concealment, concealment for the sake of revelation, we must learn to treat people this way…
[87675]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/5/12, “Messiah’s Shofar”

Related Material:
The Future Is On The Web
Gather The Harvest And Feed The Afflicted
To Reveal Or To Conceal?

About The Attraction To The Wisdom

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam: “A Handmaid that Is Heir to Her Mistress”: Since the very power of the mistress—the dominion of the internality—is by the force of our wisdom and knowledge, as it is written, “we are distinguished, I and Thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.” And now the handmaid has stepped forth and prides herself in public that she is the heir of this wisdom. And you should know that this power of theirs is the shackle by which the legs of the children of Israel are chained in the exile, under their dominion.

Question: According to what scale can a person determine what he studies, whether the method of correction or just “wisdom?”

Answer: It depends in which vessels he wants to receive what he studies.

In fact we are drawn to wisdom, but imagine that there are no books, paper, or writing instruments, and you simply sit and study. You don’t remember anything of what you study. After all, you study in order to improve yourself, to build new attributes that will enable you to discover a new world each time—this is the correct study.

Question: But we have to disseminate, and on the whole this obligates us to study in the traditional sense. Do we need “wisdom” in order to disseminate the wisdom of Kabbalah?

Answer: “Wisdom” is needed so that there will be a “basis” for the connection with the Light and the changes inside you. According to the wisdom of Kabbalah it isn’t the wise that learns.

Question: So what do I tell people during the lectures and the lesson?

Answer: You approach people with the “wisdom” and gradually explain to them that the main thing is not the amount of knowledge but the inner change. It is in the inner change, to the extent that it is compatible with the Light that we begin to feel spiritual phenomena.

By perceiving and understanding this, you see that the standard is very high: “I can do anything, but this is beyond my powers.” You feel helpless and here you have an opportunity to raise MAN, a request, and to really reach the breaking of your heart.

Question: But what can you do with the yearning for the wisdom of Kabbalah?

Answer: Build “faith above reason,” so that the demand for bestowal will be above the demand for receiving. By that you don’t annul the wisdom; on the contrary, when you rise in “faith above reason,” your knowledge increases according to your faith.

This is because “faith” is the feeling of the Creator, equivalence in form with Him. You yearn to acquire a vessel of bestowal, because in it you will reveal the Creator and will be able to understand, feel Him, and bring Him contentment. Your goal is not to fill your corporeal vessels, the desires that yearn for wisdom. You need them only so that you will know exactly how to “format” yourself and to become equivalent to the Creator. We need such a mind.
[87638]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/4/12, “A Handmaid That Is Heir to Her Mistress”

Related Material:
The Letter And Spirit
Sensual Attainment
Kabbalah: Wisdom Or Knowledge?

It Is Very Important From Whom You Learn!

Dr. Michael LaitmanA student who wants to acquire wisdom from a teacher has to receive it in the right form, in the dressing of the upper acting mind. The same thing happens in an ordinary school to a certain extent, since each of us is born as raw material from which a certain form is later molded and is accordingly filled with different knowledge.

We always receive from others both the essence of the knowledge and the external form it is dressed in. This is how it happens in the upper spiritual roots and in our world. So it is very important from whom you learn. The knowledge is conveyed in the same way through books without the live contact with the author. Even in external corporeal sciences we always acquire knowledge as if “the Direct Light is dressed in the Returning Light.”

So it is especially true when speaking about the wisdom of Kabbalah. Here in order to convey information, there has to be a connection that is called “mouth to mouth,” a connection of “spirit in spirit,” which means that the Returning Light has to be compatible to a certain extent in giving and receiving. Of course, they are on different levels, but there is a certain resemblance between them, and so the lower can receive an illumination from the upper one.

These are intentional actions that take place in one’s understanding and recognition when there is a spiritual revelation.

If in external science we are concerned with the inner content, the knowledge itself, in the wisdom of Kabbalah we are concerned about the external form, the adhesion, and then in it, to the extent of the adhesion, we receive the Internal Light, and not in any other way.
[87567]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/4/12, Lesson About the Greatness of the Rav

Related Material:
Passing The Wisdom From A Teacher To A Disciple
There Is No Adhesion With The Creator Without Respect For The Teacher And The Group
Love And Hate

The World Faces A Hard Landing

Dr. Michael LaitmanIn the News (from Ereport.ru): “Moody`s Investors Service has slashed its growth forecasts for the advanced and emerging nations in the G-20, citing an increase in the downside risks to global recovery.

“In its latest Global Macro-Risk Outlook 2012-2013 update, the ratings agency says real growth in the G-20 economies will be about 2.8 per cent in the 2012 and 3.4 per cent in the following year. This is a respective 20 basis points and 10 basis points lower than Moody`s predicted in April.

“According to the agency, the main risks to global growth are the deeper than expected recession in the eurozone, the danger of a hard landing in major emerging markets such as China, India and Brazil, an oil-price supply-side shock caused by resurfacing geopolitical risks and the potential for sudden and sharp fiscal tightening in the US next year. …

“Moody`s group credit officer for sovereign risk Elena Duggar says: ‘In our view, fiscal consolidation efforts, weak consumer and business confidence, banking and household sector deleveraging, persistently high unemployment levels and real-estate market weakness will continue to constrain growth in advanced economies.’

“The ratings agency also predicts G-20 emerging economies will grow by about 5.2 per cent in 2012 and 5.7 per cent next year. This is ‘materially lower’ than the 6.6 per cent seen in 2011 and the 8 per cent achieved in 2010.

“Duggar says: ‘We are revising downwards our forecast for these large emerging market economies, where the weaker external environment and decelerating domestic demand are causing a slowdown in growth momentum.

“‘We continue to expect that the slowdown in advanced economies and volatile capital flows will suppress growth in emerging markets.’”

My Comment: There is only one question: Is the speed of the deepening crisis faster or slower than the speed of thought of politicians? If the crisis overtakes the opportunity to reflect on what is happening, the world will plunge into the darkness of war, famine, and natural disasters. If nevertheless, they will be able to interpret the events and threats and rise above their egoistic calculations (or rather failures), then we will pass the crisis with small losses and begin to build a new economy in the new society.
[87375]

Related Material:
Apocalypse Tomorrow
A Terrible Infection Spreads Around The World
A Finale Is Approaching

Don’t Lose Your Head In The Hot Embrace Of The Light

Dr. Michael LaitmanInner work is divided into night and day. “Before sunrise” man prays for the salvation of the Shechina from exile. These are such internal states, when man feels that he is in exile from the quality of bestowal, from the good desire, from the land of Israel, the desire directed straight at the Creator (Isra-el).

One needs to delve into this feeling a little bit in order to feel the depth of his egoistic desires. After all, if you are not in the land of Israel, it means that you are in Egyptian slavery! It is necessary to realize how great the concealment is and that you are not able to come out of it by the means of your own strength.

However, one must not lose control of this state, and after checking yourself, you must wake up and come out of it, rise and take care that you have strength, and it was not completely lost in the feeling of exile.

Now, you need to gradually awaken and in the darkness, prepare your desires in expectation of Light. Bitter dissatisfaction, which you felt in Egypt, must transform from the material feeling that you feel bad into a call, an urging towards corrections. It was necessary because otherwise you would not have woken up.

You need to see what corrections you need and begin attuning yourself to bestowal until you reach a true demand for bestowal, meaning towards obtaining an anti-egoistic screen.

We do not understand that we are in bestowal; it is not simple at all. The unity, which man attains with the Creator, gives him great fulfillment; it softens his heart and gives the feeling of complete freedom from one’s egoism, and starts to rule over it. The Light comes and takes power over man if he reaches correct unity with a close one.

And for this, one needs very strong desires in order to not lose one’s head, to maintain control over oneself, and to accept this feeling precisely for the sake of giving pleasure to the Creator. Since here, there is a great danger of beginning to enjoy for yourself, and then man will not fall simply into petty earthly egoistic desires, but into the true Klipot.

That is why we need to prepare our desires for the Light in the darkness of the night, and then right before dawn the upper spiritual Partzufim Aba ve Ima unite. All of the spiritual pleasures that we receive and the Upper Light, all of that is the consequence of unity, meaning the Light, the warmth, which is born from it.

That is why, on one hand, one needs to passionately aspire towards unity, but on the other hand, to stop and strongly control oneself in order not to cleave to it naturally and egoistically, but only consciously and deliberately. It is as if a man is running full-speed, eager to reach unity, but at the very last moment just before touching it, he must stop abruptly and check himself! This is the whole meaning of the wars when entering the land of Israel.

He must clearly identify whether he will now reveal this unity specifically for the sake of bestowal or not. Since when he is not yet in unity, it is not that scary what kind of intentions he will have. For now, his actions are egoistic and the intentions are broken. However, when he begins to enter unity, a danger to enter the unclean forces emerges, the Klipot.

The result of unity and the revelation, which has been reached due to it, must be directed only at the benefit for the Creator, and not for one’s own benefit. Here is where the true war against one’s desire to enjoy begins.
[87458]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/2/12, Writings of Baal HaSulam

Related Material:
The Breakthrough To Freedom Through The Thorns
Slavery Is The Lack Of The Quality Of Bestowal
There Is No Advancement Without Obstacles

The Role Of The Group Is To Discover The Creator

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe main and only role of the group, I would say, is to increase the importance of the attribute of bestowal in my eyes. Many articles speak about it. If I have to acquire this attribute and to yearn for it, but I cannot do it by myself because I don’t know about this attribute, then I need some external source that will spur me in that direction. This is the group.

So the role of the group is to raise the attribute of bestowal in me, or the Creator’s greatness.

In order to discover the Creator, we have to prepare a place for His revelation. Now this place of connection between us is egoistic, and so the Creator in them is concealed. This is why our world, our state, is called the concealment of the Creator.

In order to reveal Him, we have to create among us attributes of bestowal that are compatible with Him. The place for the revelation of the Creator is the altruistic connections, the attributes of bestowal among us. They are first revealed in the group where we can develop them by constantly raising the attribute of bestowal and thereby become attracted to it.

Originally this attribute is called Shechina, which means the place for the revelation of the dweller (Shochen in Hebrew). The root of the word Shechina (in Hebrew) means a place to dwell (Mishkan) or a vessel.
[87522]
From the Kharkov Convention “Uniting to Ascend” 8/18/12, Workshop 4

Related Material:
Treating The Environment Like A Beloved Child
Don’t Identify Yourself With Egoism
The Creator Is Hidden, But The Group Is Open

When You Don’t Feel Like Growing Up

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam: “A Handmaid That is Heir to Her Mistress”: Hence, the worlds have been divided into internality and externality, where each world contains illuminations suitable to operate in slow development. And these are called “the internality of the world.”

Opposite them are illuminations that can only act instantaneously. Hence, when they appear here in their worldly branches and are given control, not only do they not correct, they ruin.

The internal part develops gradually, according to its nature, while the external part, according to its nature doesn’t even develop but makes one leap. These are two types of vessels, desires that operate according to their nature.

Know that this is what we call “the dominion of the externality,” as in the verse, “God hath made even the one as well as the other. It contains a force that urges and rushes towards the revelation of the dominion of the internality.

Desires that belong to GE cannot develop by themselves because they don’t feel a lack of anything (Hafetz Hesed).

I have nothing but I don’t need anything. Everything is just fine.

  • How will you develop?
  • What for? I am happy the way I am.

Then an external force comes and begins to push them by sufferings, hatred, and different problems and as a result GE have no choice but to develop. It happens since they have no choice, against the nature of these desires. Actually, the force that is revealed so negatively does good. Later on, this “evil” will turn out to be an “angel,” even though now it plays the role of all the enemies and the troubles of the people of Israel.

Those who belong to the “nation of Israel,” being aimed straight to the Creator, cannot advance without the “nations of the world.” They need the pressure of the negative force from behind. There is no other means of correction except the pressure of the external part on the internal one.

In fact these two parts make up the desire to receive, but the external part would only like to advance at one time. It is ready to swallow everything since it is the nature of the vessels of receiving. On the other hand, the internal part wants to bestow and so it is willing to restrain itself and to perform actions equivalent to its ability to bestow, which is a gradual process.

The problem of the external part is very simple: it wants to receive everything all at once, but it doesn’t have anywhere to take it from. So it turns to GE, which means to the nation of Israel and claims: “It is your fault! I don’t receive what I want because you don’t want to give it to me! You are the source of all the evil in the world.”

The people of Israel have been chosen as the operator of the general purpose and correction. It contains the preparation required for growing and developing until it moves the nations of the worlds, too, to achieve the common goal.

In other words there is a clear division between GE (Galgata ve Eynaim), meaning “Israel” and AHP, meaning the “nations of the world. The upper part is Bina and the lower part is the vessels of receiving (Kli Kabbalah). This is the structure of all of reality, of the whole general vessel.

When You Don't Feel Like Growing Up
We should understand that the people of Israel are the descendants of those who left ancient Babylon. Throughout history they underwent different changes, and today we speak about those in whom the “point in the heart” is revealed (•), and also those in whom it hasn’t been revealed yet—the people of Israel who don’t feel and don’t understand this component yet [(•)?].

The correction is the obligation of “Israel” and the “nations of the world” are the passive part. So humanity doesn’t have to change. What is more, if the “nations of the world” change without our dissemination, it is against us because in that case we don’t fulfill the goal of creation. The moment we received the wisdom of Kabbalah we have to immediately pass it on to the nations of the world, because the whole correction goes through us.
[87134]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/30/12, “A Handmaid That Is Heir to Her Mistress”

Related Material:
A Point Which Encompasses The Whole Process
When A Child Does Not Want To Grow
Reveal, Correct, Fulfill

Prayer And Confidence

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam, “Letter 24”: You already know that prayer and confidence go hand in hand. And we should believe in complete faith that the Creator hears the prayer of every mouth. And by this faith we acquire confidence in the Creator’s help, and then our prayer becomes complete, in confidence that we will be saved. And then we are awarded confidence and joy all day long, as if we have already been saved.

Baal HaSulam says that prayer and confidence stem from the same branch, and this is a very important principle. In our ordinary life it’s the exact opposite: The prayer appears when a person has no confidence and is confused. He prays when he feels total helplessness, fear, and worry and needs help from Above; he feels lost in life and doesn’t know where to turn to and what to do. In this state of despair and anxiety a prayer is evoked in a person since he feels no hope for the future and has nothing to rely on.

But a spiritual prayer is the opposite: It’s evoked when a person feels that there is a Host who manages the world, his whole life, and who will fix everything. He understands that the Creator has already prepared everything in advance and that he only needs to keep in contact with Him. This means that he has confidence in the upper force, in the Creator, besides Whom there is none else, and with this confidence he turns to Him asking and demanding that the Creator will open his heart and mind and advance him.

It’s absolutely the opposite of what is expected in our world, as it says: “The opinion of the Torah is opposite from the opinion of the landlords.”

So the time of prayer is only after the preparation, after a prayer before a prayer. By a prayer before a prayer I have to spur myself towards the source. When one feels confidence and a connection with the source, he can raise a request for help to Him.
[87371]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/2/12, Writings of Baal HaSulam

Related Material:
Fear Of Appealing To The Creator
How Do We Oblige The Creator To Help Us?
The Prayer Of Many