The environment is designed to pull us out of the grasping hands of the impure forces (Klipot). After all, we cannot escape them by our own forces and will always remain in their sweet captivity. Only to the extent of my connection with the group that evokes me, inspires, and pushes me, can I choose to move forward with the group instead of relaxing in the warm company of my Klipot.

From where does the group take force to influence me more than the force of Klipa? The fact is that the group acts on the same egoism of mine that the Klipa does. If the group persuades me that the goal is great, that this is the dream of our life, then it’s not even important to my egoism whether the goal is spiritual or material. If everyone around me insists that it’s important, then I will have forces to fight against my laziness.

We get this great help as a result of the breaking of desires. Thanks to this, I can play with my egoism, with my stony heart, with the help of the environment. Friends can pull me anywhere, even lead me to death, and I will gladly go with them.

If the environment knows how to affect me, I will be ready for anything. But the challenge is to ensure that our environment affects us only to the extent to which I allow it, giving myself to it! I pay the group for this special influence; I become integrated with the friends. Otherwise, the group will have no effect on me.

This is no ordinary society because I can be in the group and not feel any of its effects. We see these examples when a person studies with us for 15 years and doesn’t fall under the influence of the society because he doesn’t want to bow his head before others.

But here I have freedom of choice: If I bow to the group and join it, then to that extent it will begin to affect me. Thus, in this group I get the opportunity for free development. All this ultimately happens because of me! I have cancelled myself and thus the environment influences me, and I enter the spiritual world. I myself reach the spiritual world, having used the environment of my own accord.

At the same time, entering normal society, a person falls entirely under its influence, and nothing depends on him; the environment affects him and directs everything. In a Kabbalistic group, I have to cancel myself before the environment every second.
[114567]
From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/12/13, The Book of Zohar – Introduction

Related Material:
Today’s Environment Is Tomorrow’s Me
A Shadow Over The World
Tell Me How You See The Group And I’ll Tell You Who You Are

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