A person’s spiritual impression is called “Light.” It is similar to how in our world light signifies vision and understanding, which we see from such common expressions as “the light of wisdom,” “clear as day,” or, to the contrary, “dark confusion.” All the names are taken from our world since there are no words in the spiritual world. The spiritual expression determines the extent of common bestowal, my similarity to the Upper Light in which I exist. It ranges from 0 to 100% and is represented by 125 spiritual degrees, each of which is split into 10 Sefirot and many sub-levels.

It is in this manner that our entire language with all its words came about. This is true even in our world where it seems to me that I receive impressions from material objects or actions. These are all imaginary. There is nothing except my perception of the Upper Light which is revealed in my desire.

In other words, we always exist in either direct or reverse contact with the Creator, and we react only to His Light or its absence. This is how all our words are born. The only difference between spiritual terms and material names is whether or not I can measure how similar I am to the Upper Light. If I can, then this will be a spiritual term. However, if I still don’t recognize myself and my measure of similarity to the quality of bestowal, then I give my sensations “material names.”

We shouldn’t fool ourselves into thinking that we are free to come up with these names on our own; they come from our nature. If I created something first and called it a “table,” this means that I received this name in my desires and qualities from the Light that spreads out within them. After all, I am a spiritual vessel in which some phenomenon occurs.

Therefore, there cannot be any coincidences here. The whole of creation, however it may seem, is merely a desire to enjoy that receives impressions from the Creator.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/6/10, Article, “The Wisdom of Kabbalah and Its Essence”

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Question: Does the death of the ARI mean the death of Messiah ben Joseph (Messiah Son of Joseph)?

Answer: We are speaking about souls! What does the death of a physical body have to do with this? The soul can operate in the common system without revealing itself in this world. There are many souls like this. The body in our world is one of the external consequences of the soul that helps other souls.

Connection among souls is the only reality. We see and understand certain connections among souls whereby we work together and convey knowledge and feelings to one another. However, there is another type of connection whereby the souls are unable to feel their true state, and hence perceive their connection as a picture of this world.

What is the difference between this world and the spiritual one? In the spiritual world, the deep inner connection among our souls is revealed to me. Conversely, when I am unable to reveal this inner connection, I see it in its external form as this world, which manifeststs to me in a very unclear, uncertain, and blurry manner.

World (Olam) is a degree of concealment (Alama). I exist in the common system of souls, but the concealment affects me and presents this system to me in the misleading form of this world. Yet, it is the same system! Nothing else exists besides the single structure of Adam HaRishon, the system of connected souls. We are all parts of it. However, instead of perceiving all the souls and the network that connects them, we perceive this world.

This is why this world is called the last degree, meaning that it is completely cut off from our actual perception. It is similar to what happens during the loss of consciousness when a person lies with his eyes closed and sees hallucinations. However, I exist in the same system. I am just unable to perceive it and hence, imagine it in a distorted form, as is written, “Every person judges according to their own flaws.”

But once the true picture becomes revealed to me, I will be shocked at how everything is different from the way it initially appeared to me. There are no worlds separated from one another; there is one single structure which we reveal as we correct our desires. There are five levels of their correction, and according to this we reveal the five states of reality: the five worlds and 125 degrees.

This is what we live for because the Creator never created another world. Some parts of the common soul are already corrected and function actively, while the rest are still broken up and do not perceive the proper connection among all the souls. This is why we should understand our obligation to perform the correction, our duty to others, ourselves, and the common system which supports them and which we call the Creator.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/5/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”

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The Book of Zohar – Selections, “The Intention in the Prayer” and “Raising a Prayer”
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Baal HaSulam’s article “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot,” Item 8: Our sages have already said, “You have not a generation without such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Indeed, that Godly man, our Rav Isaac Luria, troubled and provided us the fullest measure. He did wondrously more than his predecessors, and if I had a tongue that praises, I would praise that day when his wisdom appeared almost as the day when the Torah was given to Israel. There are not enough words to measure his holy work in our favor.

The entire method of correction came to us from the ARI. He actualized everything that was prepared by all the preceding Kabbalists. The soul of the ARI has such a special place in the common system of souls that from his time onwards the Light begins to act upon all souls, bringing them to the final correction (Gmar Tikkun).

Before the ARI, all development occurred through the steps 0, 1, 2, 3, and only the ARI, through his corrections in the system of souls, entered the 4th stage and started building the true Malchut in its final form. He is Sefira Yesod (the last one before Malchut) and thus he is called Mashiach ben Yosef (Messiah Son of Joseph, where Joseph signifies Sefira Yesod), after which Malchut itself begins its correction.

All the previous souls pertained to the preparation stage of correction. And only with the ARI does the awakening of all souls begin. Obviously, this process takes hundreds of years, but the ARI opened the channel for the Light from the previous three stages to the last, the fourth stage whence the correction begins.

Messiah is the revelation of the Light in the common system of souls. This Light enters Malchut through Yesod. The ARI opens the gate for the Light, and therefore he is called Messiah Son of Joseph. Messiah is a force of correction. The ARI manifests this force that passes down through his soul. While he resides in the collective system, he performs corrections in his soul, and now the Light flows through it into Malchut and acts upon the souls.

Now, however, it is our job to prepare our souls for the ascent from Malchut to Bina. This process pertains to the correction of Malchut, Mashiach ben David (Messiah Son of David).

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/5/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”

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Excerpts from my upcoming book, A Guide to The Book of Zohar

In order to let us realize the entire process of spiritual development, the Creator created the system of connection between Him and us. He uses this system to control us from Above, and from beneath we can use it to ask for and receive help from Him.

This system divides into several parts:
1. The World of Infinity, where the Creator is found with His fully revealed strength.
2. The level below the World of Infinity referred to as the “World of Adam Kadmon,” where the Creator divides His influence into five types, according to the five levels of our ego above which we can ascend.
3. Beneath the World of Adam Kadmon, there is the governance and surveillance system which we refer to as the “World of Atzilut.” The World of Atzilut divides into five parts: Keter, Hochma, Bina, Zeir Anpin, and Malchut that are called Atik, Arich Anpin, Aba ve Ima, Zeir Anpin, and Malchut (Nukva).

• The Zohar refers to Atik and Arich Anpin as to the “unattainable head” of the World of Atzilut;
• Aba ve Ima are Hochma and Bina from where all the Lights of Hochma and Hassadim come to us;
• As they pass through Zeir Anpin, these Lights come to Nukva, that is, Malchut of the World of Atzilut, which is called “Shechina” since all of the Light from Infinity, intended for the souls, comes to it. This Malchut is also called the “gathering of the souls of Israel” because it incorporates all the souls that wish to become “Isra-El” (“straight to the Creator”), that is, to ascend to the World of Infinity.

4. Beneath the World of Atzilut are the Worlds of Beria, Yetzira, Assiya (Worlds of BYA), where our souls exist.
5. This world is located beneath the Worlds of BYA.

In the language of The Zohar, Malchut is called “earth” and Bina (Ima) “heaven.” In The Zohar, Zeir Anpin and Malchut are also referred to respectively as Shochen and Shechina , the Creator (Kadosh Baruch Hu) and the gathering of the souls of Israel, the Groom and the Bride, the Masculine and the Feminine parts (Zachar and Nukva). Every one of these components of reality receives many names from The Zohar in the language of the legends (Midrash). And for this reason, in order to help us connect with their inner essence, Baal HaSulam meticulously adds Kabbalistic terminology next to the words of The Zohar.

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Question: Fires are breaking out in Moscow; people are walking around with breathing masks and leaving the city. There are floods in India and landslides in China due to heavy rains. Is it possible to fix the situation?

Answer: Nature is closing in on us from all sides in order to show us a simple fact: We are inside of it, we are very small, and exist inside a tiny area where we all depend on one another and on the all-enveloping, wise nature (the Creator) that surrounds us.

We are obligated to find the only reason for all our troubles and to understand the only thing we have to do in order to prevent global catastrophes. It is already clear that the oil spill in America, the volcano eruption in Iceland, the fires in Russia, and the tsunamis and floods in Asia and Europe cannot be called “local troubles.” They are global influences of nature upon all of us. Moreover, they will continue without a doubt; no one will be able to remain untouched and feel safe.

When the financial crisis broke out in America, people in Russia were happy, thinking that this only affected America and it wouldn’t happen to them. But their short-sightedness was revealed to them a few weeks later in their own bank accounts! Someone might think, “What do I care if a volcano erupts in India? All the volcanoes can erupt for all I care!” However, this influenced everyone, as do the fires and floods. And winter is still ahead of us….

At the end of it all, we will have to understand that our planet is round and we must unite together and think about survival all together. The Creator or Nature (which is the same thing) has a mind, feelings, a direction, and a goal. It will force us to become “good children.” Let us hope that we will understand this quickly and will get smarter.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/8/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”

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Rabash, Shlavei HaSulam, “The Importance of Faith that Always Takes Place”
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The Book of Zohar – Selections, Chapter “Lech-Lecha (Go Forth),” Item 382
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Rav Yehuda Ashlag, Talmud Eser Sefirot, Vol. 6, Part 15, Item 137, Lesson 9
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Rav Yehuda Ashlag, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot,” Item 8, Lesson 9
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If we fail to awaken the world to spiritual evolution, to the Light that shines ahead, it will be pushed from behind by suffering and thereby forced to advance. This path is very long, till torment forces man to contemplate why he suffers and what to do. Imagine how long it will take and how much pain it will bring!

However, if we somewhat assist mankind’s development by disseminating the science of Kabbalah, we quickly instill advancement and avoid all these blows. We know that everything that occurs at the inanimate (still) degree equates to a single act at the vegetative one. Everything that happens on the vegetative level is equal to a single act at the animate one. Just think about the difference between these states.

There have to be wars, torment, and horrific disasters in order to move us one step up, onto the higher degree. Instead, we can draw the Upper Light and avoid all these problems at the level of this world. We can replace a decade of suffering with our one minuscule individual effort toward spiritual advancement with the help of the Light.

This is how great the difference is between the still, vegetative, animate, and speaking levels of nature. Hence, we must take serious responsibility for the opportunities handed down to us.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/4/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”

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Dear Friends, please ask questions about passages from the great Kabbalists. I promise to answer them. The commentaries in brackets are mine.

The Wisdom of Kabbalah and Philosophy

I am not an enthusiast of formative philosophy, since I dislike theoretically based studies [conjectures of the human mind, not founded on practical studies], and it is well known that most of my contemporaries agree with me for we are too familiar with such foundations [we have suffered throughout our history], which are rickety foundations [not based on practice]; and when the foundation fluctuates, the whole building tumbles [this is why philosophy is constantly changing, thereby exposing its past fallacy].

Therefore, I [as a Kabbalist and not a philosopher] have come here to speak only through critique of empirical reason.
– Baal HaSulam “The Peace”

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