A question I received: What is the connection between the earthquake in Chile and the correction of our intention?

My Answer: It’s the most direct connection there can be. All the forces of nature (on the still, vegetative, animate, and human levels) are aimed at correcting man. They are all included inside man.

Baal HaSulam writes in many articles that the still, vegetative, and animate levels are included in man, depend on him, and descend or ascend along with him. The still, vegetative, and animate levels of nature in our world are the projection of our inner levels – the still, vegetative, and animate levels inside us. Therefore, when we don’t manage and correct our inner forces of nature, we see the corresponding results on the outside.

It is written that before Adam HaRishon (the first man) sinned, the world was wonderful – a true paradise. But after the sin, it turned into hell. Thus, it is the change of man’s intention from bestowal to reception that transforms paradise to hell.

This is what we are now revealing. There are great disasters ahead of us unless we forestall them with the remedy. Let us hope that we will succeed in doing this.

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A question I received: In light of the fact that The Zohar talks about true states, how are we to understand the earthquake that just took place in Chile?

My Answer: The Zohar talks about two opposite forces that descend into our world and whose expression we witness upon people and places. However, for now we don’t see the true order of development because we still haven’t achieved the implementation of the method of Kabbalah, the middle line.

When we do, we will see that everything taking place is for our own good. It comes as the correct combination of opposite forces in order to facilitate their proper realization. It is leading us to prosperity, perfection, health, safety, and universal harmony, and as a result – unity with the Creator.

However, as long as we don’t begin the correction and spread the wisdom of Kabbalah around the world, the nations won’t feel their common predestination, which is to find the middle line by virtue of the right combination with one another. Therefore, we won’t be able to justify the suffering and see why it is necessary, including the suffering that befell the nation of Israel throughout the course of its entire history and the suffering that now befell Chile, as well as other countries before that.

We also don’t know what else nature has in store for us for the future. Things will only deteriorate if we don’t hasten to use the Upper Light in order to advance toward the Creator on our own, rather than waiting for the forces of nature to compel us to this through suffering and disasters. This is why it is necessary to disseminate the science of Kabbalah as widely as possible and to see it as the only means of advancing along the middle line. The middle line is the salvation, whereas both the right and left forces are extremely destructive. The right force acts in a concealed manner where we don’t feel its effects immediately, but it is able to bring unfortunate consequences as much as the left force.

Therefore, we have to help each other and disseminate the science of Kabbalah as widely as possible. Our fate is up to us; the dissemination of Kabbalah can salvage us from all the misfortunes. Without it, we will face disaster after disaster. The prophets wrote about horrible events that will take place in the world in our times unless we intervene in what is taking place.

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Do not be surprised by the fact that even an individual person, through his or her deeds, can cause an elevation or degradation of the whole world. This is an unalterable law; the whole and its parts are as identical as two drops of water. Everything that occurs in the whole occurs in its parts as well. Furthermore, whatever happens in the parts happens in the whole, because the whole is only revealed through the manifestation of its individual parts, according to both their measure and quality.

This is how we can understand what is written in The Zohar that through the study of this book and the practice of the true wisdom, we can put an end to our state of exile and achieve a complete redemption.
— Rav Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam), “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Item 68

Studying The Zohar is above everything else, because the Torah has four levels of understanding of the Pardes (direct, hinting, allegorical, and secret). Those studying a simple commentary do not even imagine that there is a hidden meaning. But those studying The Zohar know that there is a secret in it, and this really helps with the correction of his soul.
— Rav Chaim Ben Yitzchok (Chaim Volozhin), Nefesh Chaim, Chapter 7

There is no other method to remove the external apparel from the Torah and reveal it, but through the works of Rashbi (author of The Zohar).
— Rav Moshe Cordovero (Ramak), Da et Elokey Avicha, Item 16

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During the spiritual ascent, it’s as if a person wakes up, inhales, and becomes full of inspiration. This is a sign of being close to spirituality. One doesn’t feel the Light yet, but it seems the dawn will break soon.

It is the time when one can discern and grasp many new things in the same study materials. One should use this time for the maximum bestowal; one should scoop it out completely without wasting a single moment. Otherwise, it’s as if he disregards what was given to him from Above.

It doesn’t matter what books a person reads during this time as long as they are close to his soul. After all, even without understanding what he reads, he exerts efforts in joining his desire and mind with the Light that comes upon him. He wants the Light to penetrate his desire, and then the collision between them advances him.

Our world, atoms, molecules—all of it does not exist. There is only the power of desire. When one’s desire is close to the Light, he should try to work with it as much as possible.

The aspiration to the goal that becomes revealed in a person’s heart is the appeal for correction. The efforts put forth during the spiritual ascent on the studies, dissemination, and work in the group, lead to the desire that deserves the revelation of the Light.

The spiritual world doesn’t have boundaries, walls, or prohibitions. The Light and the Kli exist next to each other, but they don’t intersect much like waves of different frequencies. It’s only if a person switches from the wave of receiving to the wave of giving that he tunes in to the Light and becomes fulfilled with it.

For this, a person needs a strong and whole desire which is similar to the Light at the minimal level. This desire can be very small but it should be completely focused on the goal. It is similar to how a child wants something small, but with all his might this desire seizes him completely, even if for a short time.

The minimum similarity to the Creator will immediately allow us to sense Him. The sensation of the Creator is our soul. Then, we discover the eternal and perfect life at His level and not at the level of our body. The desire to bestow corrected by the Light brings us to the Creator, to the common property of Nature, and we merge with its level and might.

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The Book of Zohar – Selections, Chapter “Ve’Eleh Toldot Itzhak (These Are the Generations of Isaac),” Item 77
A spiritual charge and an aspiration toward bestowal has to be passed on, otherwise one can become sick as though from an overdose.
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“Beit Shaar HaKavanot,” Item 1, Lesson 1
Our prayer has to be mutual and all encompassing. This type of appeal is worthy of an answer.
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“Introduction to the Book of Zohar,” Item 58
Masses that consciously follow a true spiritual leader obtain the same importance as him.
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Our egoistic desire filters reality to suit its purpose. In effect, there is a filter before us through which we see the world. In other words, we don’t see the world, nature, society, and people objectively the way they really are; rather, we merely see what is profitable for our ego in every object, namely by what is either beneficial or harmful to it. Thus, out of an infinite reality, we sense only its minuscule part called “this world” because our ego cannot perceive anything more than that.

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The science of Kabbalah tells me that reality does not exist outside of me. All of reality exists inside the person who observes and feels it. Outside of me there is nothing. The problem is that we’re not accustomed to this perception of reality.

I was born perceiving reality through my body’s five senses. This is very limiting, and it’s hard to relate to the world differently. When I begin to realize that my reality depends on the qualities inside me, then it forces me to examine them and determine what they should be. I realize that I must correct them in order to create a true, unchanging, eternal reality inside myself. This is a true reality, but I must live in different states, different levels of false reality, before I can reach it.

Kabbalists tell us how to achieve a true perception of reality. They tell me that I am the one who determines my own life. If I start to look at life according to the perception that “everything exists within me,” then I can place the whole outside world inside me. Then, I will never die because the whole world will remain within me and I will continue to exist inside it.

So the perception of reality, which at first seems to us an abstract philosophy, something virtual and unreal, becomes a matter of “our life and death.” If I am able to change my qualities, my perception, everything that I presently see and sense as existing outside of me, then I begin to perceive and sense the world as my inner phenomena, my unchanging, eternal, perfect existence, and nothing will have changed, disappeared, or perished. By changing my perception of reality from external to internal, by placing it inside me, I ascend 125 degrees of the perception of reality, and reach a state of complete connection with eternity because I perceive it all within me.

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The Zohar is structured in a way that requires a great deal of reading. A person should read it for one or two hours, go through various inner states, concentrate on each state he encounters, realize how distracted and unable he is to listen, and then once again come back to The Zohar noting its influence.

Gradually a person begins to feel that something becomes clearer. This clarity comes through seemingly dry material, different states, and by making efforts. This is how it works.

The main thing is not to forget about the intention. A person should look within for all those desires and properties that The Zohar speaks of, yet at the same time, want to be together with everyone and feel that together they are him.

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A question I received: What kind of spiritual advancement did we gain at The Zohar Convention 2010 that was held last week?

My Answer: We went through enormous changes. I felt that the nation of Israel did not simply receive The Book of Zohar, but returned to it. It wasn’t the reception of something new, but the joy of people who found what they once lost.

Maybe they can’t even give themselves an explanation of what happened to them, but I saw that this is exactly what their souls experienced. They felt that they found what they lost two thousand years ago. They aren’t studying The Book of Zohar now, but are remembering it.

Indeed, this is the case: They aren’t finding out something new, but are rejoicing about the return of something that was once lost. Therefore, I think that the nation of Israel went through a great, wonderful spiritual ascent. Moreover, this doesn’t apply just to the people who were with us at the Convention. It was a step forward for the entire dissemination of the science of Kabbalah among the nation of Israel, which will later be joined by all humanity. Thus, all of Babylon (all of humanity) is returning to its spiritual source.

There is reason to hope that all the souls will unite into one soul of Adam in our lifetime and we will attain the state of the Final Correction, the World of Infinity, the corrected common soul. I believed in this and waited for it, but our success exceeded all my expectations. I think that we are being given great opportunities from Above to correct our nature.

There is still a lot of work ahead of us, which is special and yet difficult. At the same time, it is extremely important and exalted, and we have to be grateful that the Creator has chosen to fulfill His great plan through us.

Now all we have to do is continue to disseminate Kabbalah among the nation of Israel with the help of all the people who took part in the Convention together with us. By virtue of the wisdom of Kabbalah and the force of the Light of The Book of Zohar, Israel will unite into a single nation, as Baal HaSulam writes in the newspaper “The Nation” and Item 70 of “Introduction to The Book of Zohar.” This is possible only by uniting the hearts, and that can only happen by the force of the Light that Reforms, which raises us above our egoism.

I would like to thank all the people who came to the Convention from many different countries all around the world. Together we will be able to carry out this great correction, and judging by the speed of its current dissemination, it is bound to happen very fast.

The time has not yet arrived to reveal the true depth and greatness of what is unfolding, but I can say that we carried out exalted and mighty inner corrections. And this will soon be expressed inside us and in the world.

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The Book of Zohar – Selections, Chapter “Ve’Eleh Toldot Itzhak (These Are the Generations of Isaac),” Item 51
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