Connecting All The Worlds

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Is a man’s wife one of the "neighbors" or "friends" who he needs to “love as himself?”

Answer: Our life in this world is arranged so that we have to connect for the sake of the spiritual goal in our families too. This is a consequence of the highest and brightest spiritual root, and it applies to every person in the world.

As a result of the breaking, our souls have separated and become opposite to one another. This applies not only to the “man – Creator” or “group –  Creator,” but also to the “husband – wife” pair. We have come to the stage of the breaking of the family unit, so spouses, too, will have to realize the principle of “love thy neighbor as thyself.”

It works between a husband and wife the same way as towards other people. And when a husband and wife will merit this connection, Shechina, the Creator, will dwell between them. This means that in all their actions from the most material to the most spiritual one, they will strive to remain in one intention: to be connected only through mutual bestowal, the Creator.

Every person can reveal this, and this is precisely why the Creator divided the first man into two parts: Adam and Eve. This opportunity is already preset in every married couple in this world. I am convinced that we must correct this area. After all, until we bring all the corrections to their completion on the lowest degree, the corrections won’t exist Above either.

It is not enough to feel like we are connected. In this world, we have to connect in all our material things in a perfect form, like in the World of Infinity. And then these two vertexes, our world and the World of Infinity, will connect and everything will return to its perfect state. We need to connect these two worlds: the highest one and the lowest one.

For this reason, everything needs to be happening in accordance with the spiritual laws both in family life and in one’s attitude toward children and adults. And of course, when a husband and wife both study Kabbalah and are able to reach this kind of attitude and intention toward one another, this reveals opportunities to do one of a kind work that is possible only with a spouse.
[22129]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/28/10, “The Love for the Creator and Love for the Created Beings”

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The Intention Is The Thread To The Future

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: What is intention, a thought or a feeling?

Answer: Intention is my connection to the end of the action. I need to stretch the binding thread from me to the end of the action: Now, I intend to disclose the place where I will reveal the Creator by acquiring the equivalence of form.

In other words, right now, I intend to reveal the force of bestowal in myself to the extent that I can, and in this force that I obtain, I will reveal Him. Then, the force of bestowal will emanate from me, and the Creator will be revealed. A connection will arise between us called “mating, coupling” (Zivug), unification, or adhesion.

I imagine this desired state for myself, and this is called my intention. It is what exactly that I intend to achieve, what future state I picture for myself, and wish for it to occur.
[21970]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/26/10, The Zohar

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Kabbalists On The Language Of Kabbalah, Part 9

Dr. Michael LaitmanDear Friends, please ask questions about these passages from the great Kabbalists. The commentaries in brackets are mine.

The Law of Root and Branch

Each of the manifold still, vegetative, animate, and speaking in this world have their corresponding parts in the world Above it, without any difference in their form, but only in their substance [receiving in this world and bestowal in the Upper world]. Thus, an animal or a rock in this world is a corporeal matter, and its corresponding animal or rock in the Higher World is a spiritual matter, occupying no place or time. However, their quality is the same.

And here we should certainly add the matter of relation between matter and form, which is naturally conditioned on the quality of form, too. Similarly, with the majority of the still, vegetative, animate, and speaking in the Upper World, you will find their similitude and likeness in the world Above the Upper [the Highest]. This continues through the first world, where all the elements are completed, as it is written, “And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good.”
– Baal HaSulam, “The Teaching of the Kabbalah and Its Essence
[21768]

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Preserving The Spirit Of Life

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: What are the signs of a good connection between friends?

Answer: The spirit of life between them, elation and inspiration regardless of the current states all point to a good connection between friends. The Light performs various actions on us, disclosing hatred, separation, and the breaking between us. It then corrects us. Then it reveals the breaking again and corrects again, and this continues until we become completely corrected.

We understand that we go through various states on this path; some of them are more pleasant or understandable than others. We always justify them since they come from the One who is good and does good, and there is none else besides Him. We just try to maintain the unity and keep up the general spirit: our spirit of life.

This is, in fact, the desired state. All 125 spiritual degrees are situated precisely here, in maintaining the connection and the spirit of life above the ascents and descents. When separation or unity are revealed between souls, you reveal the whole story of the Torah, which you have to go through yourself.

You reveal the evil inclination there: Egypt, exile, and their cause, the whole depth of the evil that arose from the breaking, and the order of corrections. You reveal the actions that lead to unity there, the “patriarchs” and the “sons.” You discover the souls, meaning our parts which are interconnected to some degree. You reveal the whole history that you read about in the form of processes that you are going through. You identify yourself with every soul and reveal its path of correction.
[21954]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/26/10, “They Helped Everyone His Friend”

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Spirituality Begins With The Breaking

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: A “blessing” is the force of Bina, which comes from Above and raises the souls. Does the notion of a "blessing" apply to the relationships between friends or souls?

Answer: No, there is only support between friends or souls because I cannot give another person the force of bestowal. I can only help another with my support so that he may acquire this force from Above, the only source of strength and correction.

However, without the help of my friend in creating a common desire (called "MAN") for mutual connection and for revealing the quality of bestowal (the Creator), I cannot appeal to the Creator concerning correction. I myself lack the desire to appeal to Him. This desire needs to come from revealing the lack of connection between my friend and me.

Therefore, we have no choice but to reveal the states between us and raise them toward correction. In order for this to happen, I need to reveal these states as evil, sense the vital need to see them as good, acquire the force of faith, and be confident that I undoubtedly can make an appeal, that I have to Whom to appeal to and the support of the group.

Yet, this is only the case if I appeal with the force received in the group rather than on my own. Only if the group supports me, and we reveal the lack of connection in it, the breaking between us, then I use both its support and its breaking. In other words, I take all of the support towards achieving correction along with everything negative and appeal to the Creator with it.

This means that each of us appeals personally, but each appeal is made with what one took from the revelation of the breaking and with mutual guarantee. And with these two forces, one raises an appeal to the Creator.

Then this appeal is called “MAN” (Mayin Nukvin, the waters of Nukva). It has the power of support and mutual help, which they wish to express to each other, and it has the power of their desire to correct the breaking, purposely prepared for them by the Creator. It turns out they are what connects to spirituality, to the Creator since their mutual support is already a connection to spirituality, and the lack of fulfillment that they reveal is a lack of connection, the breaking.

On one hand, their MAN has the force of mutual bestowal and support, which they are willing to express to each other. However, they are still the Nukva, which is the revelation of the mutual breaking where there is no real power of bestowal. Then this works since they have what is needed to appeal to the Creator.

Nothing material pertains to correction, spirituality, or the breaking. Initially we don’t have anything spiritual that needs to be corrected because without revealing our broken relationships, we have nothing to work with. Spirituality begins with disclosing the breaking.
[21974]
From the 2nd part of the DailyKabbalah Lesson 9/26/10, The Zohar

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