The science of Kabbalah defines life and death only with respect to merging with the Creator. A state similar to the Creator is called life, while one that is opposite to Him is death. Therefore, egoistic desires (Klipot) are considered dead, whereas the “poison of death” refers to the force that separates the creature from the Creator.

Death is not a loss of existence, as we observe the disappearance of one’s form in this world (at our degree). All that is created (desire) changes only with respect to drawing closer to or further away from the Creator in its intention to bestow; in everything else (in its desire), the creature remains the same. Hence distancing from the Creator, losing the state of adhesion with Him, is called “death,” whereas adhesion with Him, acquiring the quality of bestowal, is called “life.”

In his article, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” Baal HaSulam writes that the science of Kabbalah is a means for the creature to reveal the Creator in this world. To reveal the Creator means to assume His qualities.

Although we exist in a world of the still, vegetative, and animate matter, by acquiring the human level of similarity to the Creator, we come to feel ourselves and our existence as perfect and eternal, like the Creator. The science of Kabbalah changes us to facilitate our ascent to the next level (degree) where we begin to see that we do not disappear, but simply change the level of our existence.

From the Evening Zohar Lesson 4/21/10

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A question I received: In the Torah, a lot is written about death. Yet the Torah and the Creator are eternal and perfect; the reality that He created is also eternal and perfect. Therefore, it seems that “life and death” are states of the eternal process.

My Answer: We see how still objects lose their form; animals and plants lose their life. They are also born in a new form. We learn that nothing disappears; everything that exists only changes form. Since we do not perceive some of the forms, we imagine that they disappear or no longer exist.

A soul or a Partzuf loses the screen and the Light (Ohr Pnimi) leaves it. Its previous form remains, but it is hidden behind the new form that is born. However, at the End of Correction, all the previous forms unite and form a final corrected state.

Therefore, there is no death, just the disappearance of the previous form with respect to the observer since he is not on the level of his subsequent state. Yet if we were able to look at these states “from the side,” we would see the transformation.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/22/10, The Zohar

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A question I received: What is a song? Is it a prayer (MAN), an awakening from below?

My Answer: The entire process of the spiritual work is included in a song. Similar to our spiritual work, a melody always contains the collision of different sounds with altering pitches and pauses without which we wouldn’t hear a melody but only noise.

Why does a melody give us a feeling of harmony and awaken our emotions? Why is it that a particular sequence of sounds is capable of suddenly making us laugh or cry? A sound is but an aerial wave of a particular frequency that affects the eardrum. What is this inner mechanism whereby mechanical actions and electrochemical reactions inside the brain turn into emotions? Moreover, emotion isn’t contained in the sounds themselves, but the sounds awaken the emotions in us.

How can somebody else convey to us a feeling via this essentially inanimate mechanism, via this inanimate process, which penetrates inside our living, animate organism and awakens in it feelings on the human level?

This is a complicated process. All this is possible only because a melody contains separate sounds of varying pitches and breaks or pauses between them. That is, it contains the same qualities present in our work with the three lines: right, left, and middle.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/21/10, The Zohar

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The Zohar, Chapter “Shemot (Exodus),” Item 333: The ministers below are called “Levites” because they accompany and join above as one [Livui means accompanying], and because one who hears the singing becomes accompanying and his soul clings upwards, in the Creator.

A song is the revelation of the Light of Hochma in the Light of Hassadim, the greatest revelation there is. "The Song of Songs" is the peak of adhesion, connection, and unity between the creature and the Creator. Psalms are songs, which King David (Malchut) revealed in the darkness, they are revelation of the Light of Hochma in the Light of Hassadim.

Sometimes it seems to us that King David cries, not knowing what to do, and hides from enemies; yet in this darkness, he reveals Hassadim, the Creator’s mercy. Thus it is a song.

First we need to reveal the right line, faith or Hassadim, while suppressing the left line and holding onto the right one alone. When Hassadim are revealed completely, we rise into Bina and see that we can stay in mercy in all the desires, on this whole degree (in the desires of GE). Then we begin to work with the desires of reception (AHP) and rouse the left line. In other words, we begin to awaken the forces of Malchut and to accept the Light of Hochma in these receiving desires.

By elucidating our desires of reception and adjoining them to the right line, we thereby build the middle line. The state when the Light of Hochma is revealed in the Light of Hassadim, when the left line connects into the right line and gives raise to the middle line, it is called a song. This is called a "crusade" since we switch from state to state as a result of these relocations, thereby advancing by the three lines: Ibur, Yenika, and Mochin. We first prepare the desires, and then we fill them with Light.

Therefore, Psalms (the songs) of King David describe all the different states during the correction of Malchut in the three lines. They contain the immense Light that overspills the Kli, meaning that the correction is so high that the Kli becomes completely like the Light.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/21/10, The Zohar

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The Zohar, Chapter “BaHar (On Mount Sinai),” Item 3: At midnight, a northern wind awakens and a flame of fire comes out of the lower altar, Malchut. Then the gates open and low Dinim, Dinim de Nukva, gather in their holes and that flame walks and wanders, and the gates of the Garden of Eden open. Finally, that flame reaches and divides into several sides of the world and enters under the wings of that rooster, and it calls.

The most special corrections are performed in the state called “night” when a person feels darkness, lack of strength or interest, when spirituality does not attract him much, he is tired, he wants to forget everything and fall asleep, and he is fed up with everything – in short, when he does not feel the importance of the spiritual goal.

The work at “night” is crucial. It is written that King David “got up” at “midnight” and took upon himself the “northern wind,” the great restricting powers of overcoming and correcting egoism (“Gevurot” and “Dinim“). Precisely using these unpleasant “northern” powers he “played the harp” and in this way he welcomed “dawn,” which is the manifestation of the Light in the soul.

During all the work at “night” he was bringing himself to the state where he was turning the very desires (Kelim) in which he sensed darkness, lack of power, and separation from the Creator; he “cried and screamed” into desires or “vessels” for the Light. That brought about “morning.”

In spirituality, there is no morning, evening, or afternoon. We perceive the entire reality within our desire. This is why we reveal the “Light” in our corrected desire which formerly was dark and empty. Then the Light of Hassadim shines in it, and this is called “day.” When the Light of Hassadim cannot shine, meaning we don’t have the intention to bestow, it is called “night.”

From the Evening Zohar Lesson 4/22/10

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Initially in the world of Nekudim, Malchut connects to Bina, creating the small state (Katnut). Then Bina connects to Malchut giving her strength by which Malchut appears to attain the big state (Gadlut). This action is performed by Aba ve Ima of the world of Nekudim. However, there is a desire in Malchut called “Malchut de-Malchut,” which is unable to include the qualities of Bina in itself and simply remains Malchut. Hence, this is the reason for the breaking, and in every particle and desire there is a part of this desire called “the stony heart” (Dalet de-Dalet), which is incapable of mixing with Bina.

The lifting of the Second Restriction (Tzimtzum Bet) has led to the revelation of desires that are unable to accept Bina (bestowal). Yet it’s impossible to know ahead of time that Malchut includes desires that will always remain egoistic since they can only be revealed by the breaking! Therefore, the world of Atzilut appears after the breaking and already knows what to select for corrections: Bina in Malchut, Malchut in Bina, and pure Bina, as well as knowing not to use pure Malchut. In sum, all of this knowledge comes thanks to the breaking.

Thus on our path upward, we need to receive an impression from the breaking. This means we are bending over backwards, but see that we’re powerless. We try to unite with others, bestow to them, and love them while accepting their love, but see that we’re incapable. We must reveal this quality within ourselves, and this means we ultimately reveal that very part of Malchut that is unable to include Bina within. That is when a person breaks down and weeps, and therein resides the point from where correction comes.

Indeed, everything else is easily corrected. The main thing is to separate Malchut de-Malchut from the rest of the desires that can be corrected. Our analysis and separation must be done before anything else. In this way, we correct the parts that can be corrected.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/18/10, Beit Shaar HaKavanot

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Preparation to the Lesson, Shamati #69 “First Will Be the Correction of the World”
The process of correction goes from easy to difficult, and that is why the real great desires are in the external Kelim, or the “nations of the world”.
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The Book of Zohar – Selections, Chapter “BaHar (On Mount Sinai),” Item 34
The correct approach to The Book of Zohar:  We’re united with each other like its authors and we study what goes on in a person’s soul, and not outside of it.
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Beit Shaar HaKavanot, Item 92, Lesson 32
A real Kli is a desire that I’m able to completely correct into bestowal, not leaving anything unresolved.
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Rav Yehuda Ashlag “Peace in the World,” Lesson 3
Today the global interdependence is becoming revealed and that’s why we must create a system of worldwide mutual guarantee.
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New York, May 7th – 9th

You’re invited to join friends from all around the world to discover a new reality together. The World Zohar Convention 2010 is an intensive 3 days of studies and workshops on The Zohar with Dr. Michael Laitman and the Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education and Research Institute, open for all who wish to sense the eternal, complete reality.

The Zohar holds the key to discovering the complete, eternal reality, where humanity is united in perfect harmony as one soul, in the shortest time possible. The World ZoharConvention is aimed at giving its participants a taste of this reality, and by doing so, accelerating everyone’s advancement toward it.

The World Zohar Convention 2010 is for anyone with a desire to change oneself and better the world we live in. Students currently studying with Bnei Baruch via Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Learning Center on their own or through Kabbalah TV or the Kabbalah Academy are especially welcome.

If one is new to The Zohar or the wisdom of Kabbalah, then we recommend going through the free introductory course we have available at the Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Learning Center. Sign Up For A Free Introductory Course

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The Zohar, Chapter “Shemot (Exodus),” Item 368: When Rabbi Elazar was sitting while fasting, he was praying and said, “It is revealed and known to You, the Lord my God and the God of my fathers, that I have sacrificed my fat and my blood to You, and I boiled them with the warmth of the weakness of my body.”

There is a tremendous difference in whether I read these words from a prayer book, or something happens inside of me that causes an explosion from within, an outburst toward the Creator.

The feelings form inside of me, and they build into the words and phrases. I may not even know this language. I don’t know how it happens, but it is the consequence of my effort to equalize my desires with the Light and unite with It. The reaction of the Light and the desires occurs in the soul. These words are realized in my brain, the brain transmits the orders to the organs of speech, and I utter the words without knowing where they came from.

This is what true prayer should be like, when everything comes from within. From the union of the Lights and the Kelim inside the depth of creation, gradually with the fulfillment of the desire by the Light, the whole TANTA (a full Kli – Taamim, Nekudot, Tagin, Otiot) is built, until it reaches an expression through the organs of speech.

It is clear that Rabbi Elazar did not read this prayer from a prayer book, but he uttered it while existing in this state about which he spoke to the Creator. Before the destruction of the Second Temple, the nation of Israel was connected with the Creator, in the qualities of bestowal and love, thus the feeling in Rabbi Elazar’s heart, in his desire, constituted a prayer. It is written: “What is a prayer? It is work in the heart.”

However, the sages of the Great Assembly (Anshei Kneset Agdola) were aware of the imminent descent into egoism and concealment of the Creator. Thus they gathered a collection of prayers – states that a person needs to reach. They called it “Siddur,” the order of spiritual states that we need to go through inside, in our hearts, in our desires.

But since we are incapable of doing this during the exile, without a connection to the Light or the Creator, while the Upper Force is concealed, we read the words from a prayer book mechanically. Some people try to imagine what it could mean spiritually. Yet only while studying Kabbalah will the Light provoke the feelings, thoughts, sensations, words, and phrases of our prayer inside us, as work in the heart, rather than work in the organs of speech.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/22/10, The Zohar

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