Berlin Convention, Dr. Laitman’s Introductory Talk, Lesson 1
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Berlin Convention, Opening Ceremony
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Berlin Convention, “Man and the Laws of Nature,” Lesson 2
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Berlin Convention, “Man and the Laws of Nature,” Lesson 3
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Berlin Convention, “The Basics of Spiritual Work,” Lesson 4
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Berlin Convention, “Kabbalah As a Social Science, Lesson 5
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Berlin Convention, Friends Meeting 1
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Question: In your opinion, what is freedom? And are you free?

Answer: In my opinion, freedom is absolute similarity to the Creator, when I do not have any other desires but His. This is because the Creator is the absolute law of nature. It is not somebody from the skies, but an enormous law of nature that surrounds the entire nature and controls everything, all of its parts, including me.

And I exist in an absolute prison. Imagine yourself completely tied up. Your nervous system is not able to handle it, you are losing your mind; it is awful! This is your state when you are opposite to the Creator. But when together with Him you reach similarity to Him, His understanding, and balance, you suddenly feel that all these chains, these limitations, disappear.

Like a cogwheel, you are locked in from all sides with all other cogwheels. You are not able to move anywhere; you are not able to do anything at all! And suddenly you feel that specifically your understanding of the Creator, your agreeing with Him brings you to balance, a joyful state when you simply do not need anything else. What a relief!

This already is a state of “Hassadim (Mercy),” a state of  faith. You do not need anything else but corresponding to Him in properties. And no matter what happens, it is Him influencing you with the only purpose of giving you the opportunity to find an even greater possibility to correspond to Him.

Once all His different influences touch you, and you find your similarity to all of them, now nothing can affect you and make you fail to be similar to the Creator: You have attained the state of absolute bestowal, Bina. Now you feel completely free.

What does “completely free” mean? You are under the Creator’s complete power just like before, but you agree with Him completely of your own will, and not against it because you realize that everything must be this way and not the other. You find yourself in absolute harmony, in unison with Him. This is the state of Bina, when nothing is lacking!

The next type of work only begins after this. We call it reception for the sake of bestowal.
[33105]
From Lesson1 in Moscow 1/14/2011, “Introduction of The Book of Zohar”

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Question: Who belongs to the human level of development, and who to the animate one? Does this depend on the region where a person lives?

Answer: This has nothing to do with any corporeal parameters. The still, vegetative, animate, and human levels of nature exist in all the people living on Earth. And every person must reach his perfect state at the end of his or her development.

The key issue here is one’s aspiration towards it, which absolutely does not depend on any of us. All souls are gathered together in their initial state, in the initial informational record, referred to as Reshimo in Kabbalah. And every one of us has a place in this hierarchy of souls.

For this reason, when the time comes and a point in this global mechanism must begin its development, the person who possesses this point feels a certain pressure, and this pushes him forward. And the only thing that depends on him is the speed of realization of this Reshimo and its kind: good and fast or slow and evil. Nothing else is up to him.

So, in every region there can be people who are already striving towards spirituality. And this does not depend on one’s location or quality of life.

In Europe we have found a lesser number of people like this so far; the most are in South America and Russia. But, generally, they live everywhere: in China, Iran, Japan, Africa, Australia. We have students everywhere; they are of different races, nationalities, and social levels. And we are not able to foresee which ones are yet to strive ahead, how they will do it, and when. This is completely unpredictable.

We do not know the order of development of every part of the common soul. Just like an embryo in a mother’s womb develops in a certain order, the parts of the single collective soul of humanity, all of us, also develop in the same order. Every individual soul also develops according to the same image and similarity to the collective soul.

Question: Can we say that if the question about the purpose of life has appeared in a person, in other words, that if he has acquired a point in the heart, it means that he is already working with the “human” level?

Answer: Yes, if he has acquired a point in the heart, and he is beginning to ask about the purpose of life from within it, he is already working on the “human” level.

But he can “conserve” himself on this level for many years. Practically, he will not be able to do anything if he does not find himself in a group, near authentic sources, and next to a teacher. Regrettably, there are people like this, and it saddens me to see them. They were with us, and then they stepped away and froze. I hope to see them back soon.
[33127]
From Lesson 1 from Moscow 1/14/2011, “Introduction of The Book of Zohar”

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The convention in Berlin is about to begin. Our intention has to be simple: I wish to unite with the others and through this unity, receive new, additional, greater forces that will help me see the entire reality within. I wish to feel that all that was not mine is mine, everything external is internal, and that the Creator is also within. I wish to unveil everything within me and treat the creation as my internal world, even if it’s egoistically for now.

Question: So, instead of exercising the principle of “There is none else besides Him,” I should say: “There is none else besides me?”

Answer: True, there is none else but you. The Creator, the friends are all within me; all of it is me. One should tell himself: “The world was created for me.”

You may object to this: “I bring everyone within, but still treat them egoistically. It is as if I have found my children. Previously, I didn’t know they were mine, but now I discover it is so. Then, naturally, I will love them, if only expanding my egoistic Kelim (vessels) and considering what advantage it will give me. So, I am simply cultivating my will to receive, aren’t I?”

Don’t worry. While you’re at it, you will also feel the force of resistance, and then unification with the friends will not become another dab of selfish desires. To the contrary, it will be done above your egoism. Oneness is formed one degree higher.
[33773]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/26/2011, Writings of Rabash

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Everything occurs within a person. On the spiritual path, he starts realizing that there are no forces outside of him. The forces of nature, the strength of the group, everything is within him, and he treats it all as relevant to himself. In this case, the group enters, the friends’ forces appear within, and the person sees more clearly that everything depends on the degree of his qualities.

For example, this weekly chapter of the Torah (“Mishpatim”) tells us about judicial precepts. It prohibits marrying under certain circumstances, laying with beasts, stealing, judging unfairly, and so forth. All of this refers to the internal “lawsuit”: A person must build correct relations with his “beast,” “thief,” and “another’s wife.” Everything is within.

While arranging the forces of my soul, I continue to see the external world, but at this point, I realize that the forces of all external objects reside within me. I come to such a conclusion, becoming more aware of how my attitude changes and draws the real picture within me. I start viewing the external world as a copy, a projection, of my inner properties. It is I and only I, within myself, who changes the picture of the world by altering combinations of forces, properties, and desires.

I become more and more aware that this picture is formed and painted solely by me. As a result, its entire image changes as well. There is no other; this is the only way I see it.

A person works within with his desires, intentions, thoughts, and attitudes. This is precisely how Kabbalists advise us to relate to everything we have within. A person breaks himself down into 613 parts, desires, and sees that his inner world, as well as the outer one, does change. As soon as an attitude changes, so does the world.

Everything is now inside a person, and he finally sees the authentic picture. Time after time, he asks for the new forces of bestowal in order to reach the true form to the best of his ability.

One always has only one instrument to ascend to the next rung, his environment: the teacher, Kabbalistic texts, and the group. He constructs a place out of them where he receives the forces to change and the form of change, advancing therewith.

Thus, gradually, thanks to this work, all the enormous desire for pleasures transitions to the area of the property of bestowal, in parts, piece by piece.
[33744]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/26/2011, Writings of Rabash

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We get together, listen to a lesson, and do something without much desire for it or even with an opposite desire. After all, I enter the group and perform various actions so that I may feel good.

However, these actions were suggested for me by Kabbalists. I read their books along with the others, and while I’m at it and despite the fact that I expect it to do me good, I nonetheless start wishing for the friends to feel good. It almost seems like I get “corrupted” because I turn away from what I want. This is how Kabbalistic material works on me in the beginning.

The changes occurring in me seem very odd. I neither desire nor comprehend them. In the beginning stages, I am totally confused and don’t know what is happening, but, eventually, I start agreeing with and even anticipating them.

I start wishing for such changes to visit me and begin “moving the hands” of my intention clock. Previously, I egoistically wished to be in the group, study, and participate in everything so that I may feel good. Now, however, I do it for the changes within me. I want to turn myself to desire aimed toward the others, their good, the thoughts about the others, and stepping outside of myself.

All of this is also permeated with calculation for personal benefit so far. After all, bestowal is closeness to the Creator, an opportunity to break free from our tiny world, and so forth. Still, we start seeing alterations in our intention and expectations. This is described as going from Lo Lishma (not for Her Name) to Lishma (for Her Name), meaning from egoistic intention to the altruistic one, making small steps as beginners do.

Afterwards, I tear even farther away from calculations for personal benefit. I want to fall into a trance, withdraw from myself, stop sensing myself, and soar above egoism and personal calculations to feel free.

Again, it is I who feels good being free. It is as if I am drugged, drunken, and unrestricted by my egoism. Still, at this point, I am already aware of the evil and understand that egoistic desire prevents and pulls me away from the goal.

Finally, a person starts putting effort into working against his Pharaoh, in spite of and above it, desiring to rise to bestowal.
[33747]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/26/2011, Writings of Rabash

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Question: How can we discuss love for the Creator if we don’t know what it is?

Answer: Love is an expression of desire. Frankly, no matter what we are talking about, we discuss only what occurs within the desire and the derivatives thereof.

True, we don’t know what love is. What should we do then? First, we receive a demonstration of what we have. All properties and forms are programmed within us as reception. Based on them, through mechanical efforts in the group and the study, the reforming essence of which we don’t comprehend, our natural properties gradually start transforming.

Why? By way of which force? What happens to us? We don’t know. We just “watch” the changes that are occurring in us. Today, I don’t think as I did yesterday, and I don’t desire what I did then.

But doesn’t any person change day to day? That’s right, but we are talking about qualitative alterations. Yesterday, I wasn’t attracted that much to bestowal, love of others, and connection with them, but today, it is a bit more appealing to me, a little clearer and more acceptable in my eyes.

How did this “supernatural” transformation happen to me? I honestly have no clue. This is why it is called a miraculous force, Segula (remedy).
[33751]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/26/2011, Writings of Rabash

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Whom does the Creator, the Upper Force, the omnipotent property of bestowal, Nature, help? It helps those who desire to be like it.

It comes to people who “trust in her mercy,” meaning anticipate to receive correction and obtain the property that governs Nature: the property of bestowal. The property called “the upper grace” comes specifically to those who have reached such desire.

Essentially, everything is done according to a person’s desire. I have to work on mine so as to have it changed and improved until I truly wish to bestow. Then, I will acquire the property of bestowal. Therefore, we should constantly think only about desire.

Truth be told, I cannot really start wanting a new desire to bestow. If I did want it, I would already be in it. After all, besides desire, there is nothing else; hence, to want to bestow is to be the one who bestows. As to bestowal, a person immediately receives what he wishes for to the corresponding degree.

However, we keep moving from receiving desire to the bestowing one by wishing to bestow not seriously, but just for fun. Therefore, our work always comes down to a plea to make us desire to bestow. Then, we receive the desire to bestow followed by an opportunity to actualize this property.
[33754]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/26/2011, Writings of Rabash

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

What Is a Prayer?

By not being able to exit the will to receive for oneself and feeling needy of the Creator’s help, a need is born within for the Creator’s assistance. And His help is through the Torah since the Light in it reforms him, meaning he receives vessels of bestowal.
– Rabash, The Rungs of the Ladder, “What Is the Basis upon which Holiness Is Built”

From one’s praying to Him, to draw him near by Dvekut (Adhesion), called “equivalence of form,” discerned as the annulment of the will to receive to be in order to bestow. The Creator says about that, “My sons defeated Me.” That is, I gave you the will to receive, and you ask of Me to give you a will to bestow instead.
– Baal HaSukam, Shamati, Article #19, “What Is the Creator Hates the Bodies, in the Work”
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