Evening Zohar Lesson 05.03.10

The Book of Zohar – Selections, Chapter “VaEra (And I Appeared),” Item 128
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Revealing The Zohar To The World

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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 Zohar Convention 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.

REGISTER

The Spiritual World Is Right Around The Corner

Laitman_401_01It’s essential for a person who wants to reveal spirituality to try to achieve that “everything would be in your eyes as new,” as if I was just born and I’m starting from scratch. I don’t know what world I‘m in, or who I am. While reading an article, I have no idea what it speaks about, as if I know nothing about these things. I erase all previous views, like I landed here from another planet without understanding a thing about the order of the universe. I want to perceive it anew.

Why? In their teachings, Kabbalists wish to show us that there are spiritual phenomena in our world. However, they are concealed from us, for if there was nothing of spirituality in our world, spirituality would not be called concealed. This is why we have to try to discern spirituality in our reality. But how can we do it? What kind of a special light, what illumination can help me see the spiritual reality? I don’t know; I have to master this.

Kabbalists tell us the following: If you want to recognize spirituality that is concealed here in this world, you can perceive it in a new relationship between you and the environment. Herein lies the entrance into the spiritual world, and you can penetrate it. Through your discovery of this opening, you will begin to see a new world. Its entrance is in your relationship with the environment, but it is a new relationship that you’ll unexpectedly reveal.

Suddenly you’ll see that an entrance into another world is from the world that surrounds you. No one recognizes it. It’s as if you’re walking down the street and right around the corner you are in the spiritual reality. This entrance opens when you look at our world in a different way, as if totally unfamiliar with it, with a fresh approach you perceive the reality of “I and the environment” anew.

From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/30/10, Rabash, Article 17, 1986

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Discontent Is A Catalyst For Development

Laitman_068The difference between the Light and the desire compels us to move forward. When the Light fills the desire, we (the desire) calm down. We are pacified so much so that we are unable to move because we don’t feel the need to; we don’t feel any lack whatsoever. We begin to worry and strive for inner balance only to the extent that the Light differs from the desire.

We strive for balance both in terms of its quantity and quality. When the Light created the desire to enjoy and filled it (Phase One, Behina Aleph), the creature did not feel any problems since the Light came first. Only afterward does the difference emerge between Behina Aleph filled by the Creator and the Creator Himself.

A certain addition occurs. The Light begins to introduce new properties into the original desire, and the creature starts sensing the source of pleasure. “There is someone who fills me! It’s higher than me, it comes before me. It’s someone who gives; it is my Maker, the Creator.” Thereby an additional sensation is introduced into the desire of Phase One. This sensation forces the creature to compensate for it; it compels us to develop.

Discontent - An Engine of Development
The kind of “friction” determines everything. In Phase One, Hochma, the friction was the sensation of the Upper One. In Phase Two, Bina, this will be the sensation of insufficiently realizing the desire to bestow.

Bina wanted to give, became filled with the Light of Hassadim (Hafetz Hesed), and therefore didn’t want to move anywhere or do anything. But then felt: “The Creator is truly giving, and what do I give?”, which produced the feeling of discontent. Hence, movement starts, which leads to a new state. In this way, the incompatibility between the Creator’s and creature’s properties, the Kli and the Light, the desire and fulfillment, brings about constant movement or development.

From the Evening Zohar Lesson 4/29/10

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The Law Of Upper Love

Dr. Michael LaitmanA question I received: I came to the science of Kabbalah, the science of reception, in order to receive. But suddenly I see that it teaches about how to increase one’s desire. Where is the reception here?

My Answer: This is reception. I receive a special force from the Creator called “love,” which is something completely unknown to us. With the help of this force I attach all the desires existing in reality to myself. They all become my desires and I receive them along with their fulfillment.

This is called the science of Kabbalah, which is about how to receive desires full of goodness. They are all yours. All you need is to feel love for them. Then you will discover that they are in the state of the End of Correction, and all of it is yours.

When you acquire the force of love, you start to feel the desires of your neighbor better than he does, and you then fulfill him according to your sensations. It’s like a mother feels what her child needs.

In spirituality the Upper One knows best what the lower one needs. The lower one simply screams, revealing his desire to you. But you know all the components of his desire, even though he does not. That’s because you are the upper one. If you are the one who bestows and you fulfill him, then you are the upper one in relation to him and you know more about him than he does.

This is the law of upper love, which does not have anything in common with the notions we attribute to the word “love” in our world.

From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/3/10, “Matan Torah”

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Spirituality Is The Unity Of Darkness And Light

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe Zohar, Chapter “VaEra (And I Appeared),” Item 90: …“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart” means with both your inclinations—the good inclination and the evil inclination, so the bad qualities of the evil inclination will become good… Then there will certainly be no difference between the good inclination and the evil inclination and they will be one.

In our world we aren’t aware of the qualitative difference between good and evil, and therefore we don’t understand that they define and support each other and cannot exist one without the other. We would like to immediately annihilate all the evil and leave only the good, meaning whatever we consider good at this moment.

Spirituality, however, is revealed upon the contrast of opposite qualities, rather than through attempting to eliminate or destroy one of them. Both qualities exist in order for us to discern both of them, and the spiritual state is built from both of them – the Light and darkness together.

Initially we do not have the right inner definitions; we don’t understand what is Light and what is darkness. Once we identify them and can tell what is Light and what is darkness, and once we choose the Light over the darkness, we can then fully use all of the Light and all of the darkness to build our spiritual state.

We do not erase either one because if we were to remove one of them, the other would disappear as well. We build the middle line from both of them. In our world this structure does not exist. This phenomenon, the middle line, is unknown to us. We always strive to eliminate anything we don’t desire or feels unpleasant to us. It seems to us that there is no room for them in the world.

However, in spirituality, there is room for everything and everything has to remain forever. Only when both things unite with each other in the right way, is there room for the existence of both and one does not exist without the other.

Therefore, the wicked and the righteous, reception and bestowal, faith and knowledge are all built one upon the other. Therefore, they are equally important for attaining the goal. It is written, “A person must be grateful for the bad just as for the good.”

The correction of evil lies in using it correctly, together with goodness. Then the two participate equally and together to reveal their Source, the Creator. The middle line, the soul, is created from both of them. It is the revelation of their Source, the Creator.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/3/10, The Zohar

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Miraculous Glasses

Dr. Michael LaitmanA question I received: How do I recognize the form I’m being taught from Above?

My Answer: The science of Kabbalah speaks of very logical things and reveals a great deal of new knowledge about man in this world and the force that governs us all. By doing so, Kabbalah supplements our knowledge of human psychology and our general outlook on the world.

Yet the science of Kabbalah is meant for those who already sense spirituality and have five spiritual “organs of perception”: Keter, Hochma, Bina, Zeir Anpin and Malchut. Until a person acquires these higher organs of perception, Kabbalah is not a science for him, but rather an encoded message, a book of mysteries.

What can I do if I am unable to understand a single word that I read? I don’t exist in the reality that converts every word I read into a concrete sensation. If I lack such a connection with the world under investigation, it’s not considered a science. Only when I have all research data and can experiment with it, does it become a science.

Thus initially, we study Kabbalah not to learn this wisdom, but to obtain the tools (Kelim) to attain it so that we can  begin to sense the object of our research. If my vision is bad, then to be able to see, I first need to get myself a pair of glasses. I earn money to buy the glasses, put them on, only then do I begin to see clearly. Only then do I begin to hear the explanations and understand what I am being told about.

That is why there is “preparation time” during which we work on ourselves in order to enter the spiritual world.We begin to sense it to the extent we acquire its properties. Later on, as they appear and develop within us, we proceed with investigation of the new world, much like a child who grows because of new properties that surface in him.

At the initial stage of developing new properties within us, we have nothing to ask about, because we have no ability to understand. Only one question is appropriate during this time: Are we aligning ourselves correctly in order to attract the Upper Light which forms new properties within us? Our success and future depend on the Light’s actions.

From the Evening Zohar Lesson 4/29/10

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The Importance Of Spreading The Wisdom Of Kabbalah, Part 2

Laitman_909Baal HaSulam, “The Future Generation,” Preface (abridged):
There is a legend about a group of people that were lost in the desert and suffered from hunger and thirst. One of them found an abode filled with abundance, and started to shout and blow his horn so that his less fortunate friends could hear him and come to this place of abundance.

All of humanity is lost in a horrible desert, but we have discovered Kabbalah books, a source that can fill our souls with life. We remember our friends who are still lost in the desert, and thus we blow the horn hoping that they will hear us, come closer to us, and become as happy as we are.

In this world, knowledge helps us provide for our corporeal needs. Aside from that, we develop through hardship and affliction, desperately trying to prevent pain and suffering. Imagine that there is a book that describes the way of attaining order, confidence, and tranquility, a book that guarantees peace in the world and in our everyday lives. With it, we have a chance to correct our future.

The Appeal to Study Kabbalah
I don’t consider myself to be a special person, so if I managed to find everything I need for happiness in these books, then you can too.

Why Do I “Blow The Horn”?
I take everything that is happening and the opportunity presented to us now so close to my heart that I simply cannot hold back any longer. I’ve decided to broadcast the way to achieve happiness. So, I reach out to people and blow the horn because, in my opinion, it is worth doing in order to gather together all the “chosen ones,” who by studying and comprehending these books will bring themselves and the whole world to the scale of merit.

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 05.03.10

Preparation to the Lesson, Shamati #206 “Faith and Pleasure
My environment has the power to fundamentally change my values and me and make me desire things that are opposite to my egoistic nature.
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The Book of Zohar – Selections, Chapter “VaEra (And I Appeared),” Item 77
By understanding that the entire world is a reflection of my own qualities, I begin to view reality as a testing ground for self-correction.
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Beit Shaar HaKavanot, Item 117, Lesson 37
The book, Beit Shaar HaKavanot, describes states that are closer to us, thereby sharpening our demand for correction.
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Rav Yehuda Ashlag “Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah),” Lesson 5
Love is boundless and the pleasure it gives me doesn’t put out its flame.
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