From Rabash’s article “The Matter of Root and Branch”: It is important to separate the internal from external. An external branch has to match its spiritual root, but an internal branch can abide without its external root.

In order for “the Land of Israel,” which originates from its spiritual root “Malchut” (the Creator’s governance), to set in the human heart, it is not necessary to physically be in the Land of Israel. A person may be granted the Creator’s presence (Shechina) and be worthy of great attainment while staying outside Israeli boarders like all great Kabbalists who lived abroad.

“Internal” stands for the work in the heart that has nothing to do with “external.” But at the same time, “external” is also extremely important. For example, there is a law that one should pray in a “Minyan” (ten men), but it is redundant to check on the level of spirituality they have attained; any ten men can pray and read from the Torah. But nine perfect, righteous men are prohibited from praying together.

Material actions (“branches”) shouldn’t be confused with corresponding spiritual actions (“roots”). Earthly actions (traditions of this world) have nothing to do with the spiritual level of a person and by no means can define it. Anybody can bring sacrifices to the Temple, but only a few are able to make “spiritual sacrifice,” meaning the correction of their egoistic desires by the Upper Light.

Any person is able to distinguish between those desires that can be shifted into bestowing ones (“sacred”) and raised to the level of bestowal (“Temple”), meaning to raise Malchut to Bina. Malchut stands for a “house,” Bina for “sanctity.” Malchut rises to Bina, thus creating a “House of Sanctity” (a Temple) in Bina.

All “internal” actions that a person performs within the property of Bina are called “sacrifice.” With the help of the Light, a person manages to transform his “inanimate,” “vegetative,” and “animate” desires into altruistic, “speaking” level desires.

The correction of each desire happens consecutively by undergoing three impacts of the Light: “Kohen,” “Levi,” and “Israel,” thus bringing it to similarity and merging with the Creator. It is called “to sacrifice” (Korban), meaning to become closer (Karov) to the Creator. These steps of correction define the spiritual height of a person.

Physical implementation of actions that are related to spirituality but look irrational in this material world are called “commandments,” that is, traditions or rituals (Minhag). They don’t depend on the fact as to whether a person has attained spirituality or not, or whether he is planning to make corrections in his spiritual roots.

In our world, we can undertake certain material actions that reflect spiritual deeds, but they are in fact just folklore traditions. They do not correct us or our desires and we can determine this by watching people who observe them.

In order to correct our desires, we have to connect with the Upper Light which in turn alters them through the intention to bestow.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/1/10, Article, “The Matter of Root and Branch”

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The Zohar, Chapter “Lech Lecha (Go Forth),” Item 356: “The law of the Lord is perfect” because it contains everything. Happy are those who engage in the Torah and do not part from it, for anyone who is separated from the Torah for even an hour, it is as though he has parted from life in the world. And it is written, “For it is your life and the length of your days,” and it is written, “For length of days, and years of life, and peace, will they add to you.”

In the wisdom of Kabbalah, we study the two components of creation: the Light and desire. The Light impacts the desire, whereas the desire merely results from the Light’s impact on it, as it is written, “Light moves desires.”

The universal Light called “the Creator” (Kadosh-Baruch-Hu), the Light of Infinity, leads the entire evolution of the desire through various states, step by step, in a cause and effect order to the equivalence with Self. It is done so that the desire, despite its being created as “existence from absence,” would attain the same condition as the Light, “existence from existence.”

Actions taken by the will to receive pleasure while progressing in stages toward this goal (equivalence with the Creator, the property of bestowal) are called “discernments,” “corrections,” “fillings,” the purpose of which is “adhesions” (Zivugim). “Adhesion” means partial or complete (at the end of all corrections) equivalence to the Light. During these adhesions, the bond between the “will to receive in order to bestow” and the Light, the property of bestowal, manifests.

All our actions are called spiritual work, during which our desire with the help of the intention to bestow attains at least some equivalence with the Light, partial adhesion with it, until such actions reach the highest adhesion called complete correction.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/5/10, The Zohar

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Question: Why is it said in The Zohar that “There is nothing new under the sun”? Is there something new above the sun?

Answer: There is something new above the sun since the Light does not bring new desires (Kelim) to the creature. The creature has to discern within itself, want, put forth efforts, and find new desires and deficiencies of fulfillment.

The Light of the sun is the Light of Infinity. Creation senses the sun’s Direct Light as minimal illumination (Nefesh de-Nefesh), and in this way it discerns new deficiencies within itself against the revelation of the Creator’s greatness. This occurs through multiple discernments of being opposite to the Light and of egoism being opposite to bestowal. By doing so, the creature discovers new possibilities of bestowal. Because of this, in the light of His greatness, the previous Light of Nefesh de-Nefesh, a sensation of the Creator, is then sensed as endless “Yechida” of the Light NRHY.

The revelation of this great Light, the greatness of the One Who bestows, is the reason for the Light “above the sun.” It is higher than knowledge, desires, and fulfillments coming directly from the Creator to the creature. Therefore, the Light of the sun is only a spark of life, and the rest of creation is built above the sun, adding the aspiration of love to the original desire.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/5/10, The Zohar

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From Rabash’s article “These are the Generations of Noah”: A person in a state of negative desires and thoughts has to make big efforts to overcome arguments of the evil inclination that nag him with well-known questions of “who?” and “what?” (“Who is the Creator that I should obey His voice?” and “What does this work give you?”) And there is no other way for a person to overcome them but by the power of faith above reason.

In other words, a person does not work according to his egoistic reason defined by his current desires. Rather, he acts according to the reason of a higher degree, which is greater bestowal.

Indeed, if I obey my desire and reason that services it, then I am called an animal that has its head (reason) and body (desires) on the same level or height. If I want to be “man,” then my head has to be above my body, that is, above my desire. This means that my reason must service a higher desire, meaning bestowal that is outside me rather than the desire currently inside me.

Today the desire of bestowal is outside of me (“today” denotes my current degree), but tomorrow (at the next degree), it will already be inside me. This is why I try to serve my neighbor with my head all the time. It is how I work for the next degree, and thanks to this I am called “man” whose head is above the body.

This is the structure of spiritual objects: GE (the upper part) of the lower Partzuf clothes AHP (the lower part) of the Upper One and makes a calculation according to the Upper One by connecting to it and trying to be similar to it. That is, I connect to the group that serves as AHP of the Upper One for me, and use my reason to serve it instead of serving my egoistic desires (AHP) that are on a lower degree.

The upper spiritual object divides into two parts: its desire and the Light in it. The desire of the Upper One is the group and the spiritual environment. In other words, it is all parts of the common soul that I have not yet connected to myself, and because of this they are external to me.

Later on, everything will unite into one desire and the Light within it, as it is written: “He and His name are one.”
[18493]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/3/10, Article, “These are the Generations of Noah”

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The Book of Zohar, Weekly Torah Portion “Re’eh,” Selected Excerpts
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News from Bnei Baruch San Francisco: Following the conclusion of the Mega Kabbalah Congress, the San Francisco group broadcast a 2-hour Q&A session this past Wednesday in preparation for the upcoming semester at the Learning Center.

The broadcast was extremely successful with over 620 connections. I hope that such broadcasts from the West Coast will become regular, and we will be able to awaken greater and greater numbers of dormant points in the heart.

[Show slideshow]

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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

However, understanding the meaning of the word “spirituality” [something of a different nature other than our material world, its sensations and thoughts] has nothing to do with philosophy. This is because how can they discuss something that they have never seen or felt? What do their rudiments [research and conclusions about something they have never perceived] stand on?

If there is any definition that can tell spiritual [properties of bestowal and love] from corporeal [receiving and hatred], it belongs only to those who [by altering their nature from receiving to bestowing] have attained a spiritual thing [obtained a property of bestowal] and felt it [through the property of bestowal a new attitude to their surroundings, meaning the spiritual world]. These are [only] the genuine Kabbalists [since such changes are possible solely through practical application of the wisdom of Kabbalah]; thus, it is the wisdom of Kabbalah that we need.

– Baal HaSulam “The Wisdom of Kabbalah and Philosophy”

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Shamati #8 “What is the Difference Between a Shade of Kedusha and a Shade of Sitra Achra?”
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The Book of Zohar – Selections, Chapter “Lech-Lecha (Go Forth),” Item 373
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“Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah” Item 70
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Rav Yehuda Ashlag, Article “The Teaching of the Kabbalah and Its Essence”
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First of all, let’s thank our ego for bringing up such questions as “Who” and “What.” In fact, they indicate that the Creator, Moshe, and the Pharaoh have met. The Pharaoh dares Moshe: “Who is the Creator for me to listen to His voice?” This is a revelation of the point of “Moshe” in you, the point that comes from the Creator to the “Pharaoh” and evokes these questions in you. Such questions belong on the spiritual dimension, not the corporeal one. Now, you have to move on and cultivate them further.

Do you recall how the Torah describes what happened as a result of these questions? Moshe is scared but has no choice. Time after time, he comes to the Pharaoh with the Creator, and the “Pharaoh” (our egoistic desire) is stricken over and over again. This is how a person evolves.

The Creator admits that He deliberately coarsens Pharaoh’s heart, our ego. Thus, we are suddenly pressed by various egoistic calculations. Our earthly fascinations get renewed, and we feel that this world is full of potential. We think that we can attain great success in it and don’t understand why we had left it behind. Besides, where are recognition, wealth, power, and a chance to establish ourselves in it as the others do?

More such questions will arise, and your advancement will depend solely on the environment. We see that, until all these “Egyptian plagues” have passed, the “nation of Israel” doesn’t become one in us. It takes place only before the very exodus. In the meantime, we must remain strong. We can receive all of the Creator’s Light, the Upper assistance, solely through the environment. It will come from nowhere else.

The Light comes from the Kabbalistic texts. However, if you are not connected with the spiritual environment, they won’t affect you. In order to find the Creator and go to the Pharaoh with Him, you need the environment and the authentic sources.

This is how we should answer these questions even before they surface in us. Don’t wait until the clock strikes and the Egyptian executions begin. Start right now. Plug into the group and build a solid foundation for yourself. If the group gives you the force, you will advance undisturbed by downfalls, and your vehicle will keep leaping forth fueled by this force.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/3/10, Article, “These are the Generations of Noah”

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