From Our World, to the Virtual World, to the Upper World

From Our World, to the Virtual World, to the Upper WorldA question I received: Lately you’ve been talking about going from regular newspaper dissemination like in Sochi and other places to dissemination through the Internet. Does this mean that we are going to stop publishing newspapers and magazines, producing TV shows, and so on?

My Answer: We are not going to make any hasty changes. We are continuing all of our present means of dissemination, including publication of books and newspapers, productions of films, and so on. However, gradually the priority is shifting to dissemination through the Internet. Here’s why:

Necessary for existence. Nature on the still, vegetative, and animate levels is programmed to consume only what is necessary for existence. The rest of the time, it rests.

Excess or luxury needs. Unlike animals, man strives to satisfy more than the natural (animalistic) needs of the body, such as food, shelter, sex, and family. He starts feeling additional desires for excess or luxury things by absorbing them from society. Hence, he begins wanting things like wealth, respect, fame, and knowledge. This is why man is forced to work more than is really necessary, in order to satisfy these excess demands. However, these desires aren’t actually his own, but society’s, and they were imposed on him by society. He devotes most of his life to satisfying these demands, and along the way, burdens many other people with extra work.

Needless luxuries are the cause of self-destruction. Nature’s harmony becomes disrupted when man, as a species, takes more from nature than what he needs for existence. This is why we are witnessing the exhaustion of the planet’s natural resources as well as the general crisis.

A society of necessary consumption. The solution to the problem lies in establishing a merciful attitude to one another. When we achieve an attitude of love, then society will no longer impose extra desires and work on man, but only those necessary for existence.

The time and efforts that will be freed up by this will be used for man’s spiritual development – a connection with the Creator, the highest reward. This will be realized by means of a greater connection between people (souls), until they are all drawn together into a single system of total inner interconnection – the single soul of Adam.

Establishing new relationships. New relationships between people – bestowal, mutual guarantee, and love for one’s neighbor, will mainly be realized through the virtual World Wide Web, which will incorporate all people. The diversity of the Internet will enable every user to satisfy all his needs, including study, communication, work, rest, and even some of the physiological needs, and so on. Even the necessary work will mostly be done through the Internet. Only a small number of people who work to produce goods and services necessary for human existence, will retain work outside of the World Wide Web.

Changing man. If we could transfer all the lessons, teaching, dissemination work, and the realization of the program of union with the Creator (gatherings of friends, communication, and congresses) to the virtual World Wide Web environment, and attract all of humanity into our environment, then we will be able to revive the world, making it ecologically healthy, and reeducate man.

The realization. People’s entire connection through the Internet is based on their desire to communicate with each other. Therefore, we have to show that we are willing to have any kind of contact with all the users. The development of Kabbalah on the Internet is a top priority. It will allow us to bring man not only to the perception of our world or the virtual world – but the true Upper World and the Creator.

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The Book of Zohar. Chapter “Among All the Sages of the Nations of the World, There Are None Like You”

The Book of Zohar.The Book of Zohar. Chapter “Among All the Sages of the Nations of the World, There Are None Like You” (abridged)

161. Rabbi Elazar said, “It is written: ‘Who would not fear the King of the nations of the world!’ What kind of praise is this?” Rabbi Shimon replied: “This has been said, but one should not understand the verse, ‘For among all the sages of the nations of the world, and in all their kingdoms, there are none like You,’ in its simple, literal interpretation. This is because it naturally gives rise to evil intentions of sinners. Therefore, their folly must be clarified.

A philosopher came to me and said, “You say that your Creator governs the entire Heavens, and that all the Heavenly hosts are unable to attain Him, nor come to know His dwelling place. However, this does not add to His greatness, as it is written, ‘among all the sages of the nations of the world, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You.’ What kind of a comparison is this when the Creator is compared to man, who is nothing?’”

162. Furthermore, you claim, as your Torah says, that “There had not risen a prophet since in Israel like Moshe.” There are none in Israel, but there is one among the nations of the world! So I claim the same: there is none like You among all the sages of the nations of the world, but among the sages of Israel there is one like You. However, if there is one like Him among the sages of Israel, then He cannot be the Supreme Ruler.

163. Rabbi Shimon said to him, “You object correctly that there are those among the sages of Israel who are similar to the Creator. For the Creator resurrects the dead back to life, yet Eliyahu and Elisha came and resurrected the dead back to life! The Creator causes rains to fall, yet Eliyahu came and abolished rains! The Creator created the Heavens and the earth, yet for Avraham the Heavens and the earth were revived.”

164. “The Creator governs the sun, yet Yehoshua came and stopped it. The Creator issues His decree, yet Moshe immediately issues a decree of his own, and it is carried out. The Creator wishes to punish, and the righteous of Israel annul His verdict. Moreover, He bid us to closely follow His ways and to be like Him in every way.” The philosopher then went and became Israel, and lived in the village of Shachalayim, and they called him Yosi HaKatan (Little Yosi). He studied the Torah a great deal, and was among the sages and the righteous of that village.

165. And now the time has come to take a closer look at this verse (to understand the inner essence of it). It is written that all the nations of the world are nothing before the Creator. Yet, how does this exalt Him? Hence, it is written: “Who sees the King of the nations of the world?” Yet, is the King of the nations of the world also not the King of Israel? The Creator wishes to elevate Israel (the property of love and bestowal toward others, similarity to Himself); this is why He is called everywhere “the King of Israel” (in accordance with man’s intention towards the Creator: Israel = Isra-El = straight to the Creator). The other nations of the world (egoistic intentions) say (about man) that they have another King up in the Heavens (egoistic goals), for it seems to them that He governs only them, and not us (they claim that the governance over the property of reception and the property of bestowal, seeing as they are opposite, does not descend from a single Upper Force).

166. It is written: “Who would not fear the King of the nations of the world?” That is, their Supernal King is there to threaten and persecute them, and do with them as He pleases (so strictly does the Creator manifest in egoistic desires). Hence, He should be feared. And all fear Him, Above and below. For it is written that among all the sages of the nations of the world (the angels that rule over these nations) and in their Kingdoms (Above) there is none like You. There are four Kingdoms Above that rule over all the nations of the world (the universal egoism, so as to bring it to correction) according to the Creator’s will. And there is no one who can do even the smallest action without His personal instruction (because the end goal determines every action). The sages of the nations of the world are the forces that rule them from Above, and all the wisdom of the nations of the world comes from these rulers. “In all their Kingdoms” means that the Creator’s will rules over them.

167. Yet, among all the sages of the nations of the world and in all their kingdoms, who among them can do it if not You, who will do it better than You! For You excel over them all in both properties and deeds. Hence, it is written: “There is none like You.”

168. Rabbi Shimon (joyous over the revelation that everything stems from the Creator) said to his friends: “This wedding (unification of souls with the Creator) must be a wedding for all of you, and each of you should bring a gift (his own part in the common Malchut) to the Bride.” He said to Rabbi Elazar, his son: “Present the Bride (Malchut) with a gift, for on the following day Zeir Anpin will look as he enters the wedding canopy (the common Screen with Ohr Hozer) at the sound of these songs and praises of the sons of the wedding canopy (the souls exiting exile into adhesion), who stand before the Creator.”

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Equality and Brotherhood Are the Means of Attaining Spirituality

arvutThree questions I received on the group and virtual connections:

Question: We’ve learned that all of reality is inside us and it’s our desires that make it seem as if everything is outside of us. In addition we learn that it’s necessary to reach love for one’s neighbor, the way we love ourselves. So why do I have to achieve this only with my group that studies Kabbalah? Why not do it with all my other desires too, with the whole world?

My Answer: It’s because, as Baal HaSulam and Rabash write: “Love thy neighbor” is talking about those who are close to you according to the spiritual goal, the people who are going toward the mutual guarantee together with you.

Question: Right now we have a virtual group in Israel as well as other virtual groups in the world Kli. Will everything between us become virtual, including our connections, which will happen through the Internet? Is everything moving toward the unity of the “virtual” Kli, which works together in order to unite?

My Answer: The virtual in our world (in egoistic relationships) will turn into unity in the Upper World (in the relationships of mutual guarantee, love).

Question: Considering all the descents and ascents that happen in the group, what should be the correct group structure for the fastest possible attainment of spirituality?

My Answer: Equality and brotherhood, for the sake of union with the Creator (attainment of the property of bestowal and love).

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Get Through the Night, and Welcome the Dawn

Get Through the Night, and Welcome the DawnA question I received: I have a question about that period just before going to sleep and the importance of reading or listening to something inspirational. I have often heard the phrase, “Passing the night guards safely.” Who are these night guards? What happens to us when we fall asleep?

My Answer: In spirituality, falling asleep is when one gradually loses the clear perception of the Upper Light. In Hebrew, “evening” comes from the word Erev, to mix. Hence the phrase “evening descends onto man” refers to the mixing of Light and darkness. A person is no longer clear on the difference between the Light and the darkness, and he gradually submerges into the night – the absence of the Upper Light. Hence he is unable to correct his desires.

This is a state, because there is no time in spirituality, and it is necessary in order for new, uncorrected desires to be revealed in a person, as well as the desire to correct them. When one is in the state of darkness, but he desires to start correcting his new desires, this is called “morning.” This is when love and bestowal (which seemed as darkness before, in the new uncorrected desires) start surfacing and one feels that they are good, and he desires them. This is the dawn!

Once a person fully corrects all of his desires, then the entire darkness of our world, of every state in it, will turn to Light. He will understand that it has always been this way, but like a bat, he could not see Light. Then there will only be daytime, without the night.

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