The first principle of upbringing: “Nature is unified, and we are opposite to it.”

Part two: “Reciprocity as the ground for balance”: Each component of nature strives for balance and harmony (in the language of science, to homeostasis). So do we, being part of the nature’s system, must reach equilibrium and harmony.

Unlike the still, vegetative, and animate levels of nature that aspire to balance instinctively, we have to come to oneness and mutual consideration of interests based on conscious development. This constitutes the unique difference between man and all other elements of nature.

A person must disclose the imbalance—mindfully, consciously, experientially, and logically. He must see all the positive and the negative aspects: how opposite to and how balanced with nature he is. He must feel and cultivate his receptivity to it, developing it to such a degree when his sensitivity to being in equilibrium with nature in particular would lead him to the very top of the spiritual ladder.

As Baal HaSulam states, we received the method of Kabbalah in order to become aware of our evil. We approach a new way of upbringing so we may become conscious of our evil since there is nothing else we need to do. Having experienced evil, we naturally flee from it and withdraw just enough so we don’t feel it any longer. Hence, cultivating within ourselves sensitivity toward evil, we will walk further and further away from it, always to such a distance where we can feel it no more.

Evil unfolds in our mutual hatred which makes us opposite to the nature of creation. This is the problem we are facing today: to connect all pain and misfortunes of the modern world with the lack of our interconnection, our discord with the global nature.

Our major issue is the absence of connection between us. The problem is not in shortage of natural resources and pollution. In truth, it doesn’t matter. Nature is able to clean itself up and return to the corrected state, but even this depends solely on our good interconnection.

We must look not at nature but at what is going on between us. Thereby, we will reach similarity to it.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/16/2011 on The Principles of Global Education

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We are inside of a screen on which our qualities are depicted. And if they are egoistic, then accordingly they are depicted before our desire to enjoy on the still, vegetative, animate, and human levels (in sizes 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4). Thus, we see them as the world around us. That means the reality I see, feel, and in which I live is an imprint or reflection of the desires and thoughts that are inside of me.

If in addition to my general nature, the qualities of reception, I also acquire a second nature, the quality of bestowal, then just like on a computer screen I reveal one more window on which I see the upper world—the force of my soul. Now I recognize that what I see in the first window is a projection of my receiving forces, while in the second window, I depict the form of my unification with other people for the sake of bestowal.

To the degree I am able to unite with others at least on the level of “don’t do to others what you hate,” to that extent I can recognize the spiritual world. And now everything depends on the calculation I make, on how I continuously awaken myself to transfer reality from the material world to the spiritual world.

The most perfect spiritual state is Purim, which comes from the word Pur—lot. In this state my desires are corrected and I am united with all of the souls, thus fulfilling my soul with the upper Light according to the law of equivalence of form.

Purim is the celebration of the final correction. When we celebrate this holiday, we attract the force from that corrected state which corrects and unites us.

The custom to wear masks and dress up in costumes on this day came to us because Haman (the egoistic desire) dresses into the clothing of Mordechai (the altruistic desire), which means that we can receive Light into the great desires of Haman through the qualities of Mordechai.

This is also why on the holiday of Purim there is a custom to eat cookies in the shape of a triangle called “Haman’s pockets.” A pocket symbolizes the desire to receive. We have to receive these desires from Haman and then, with the help of Mordechai, by means of the Light of Hassadim, the quality of bestowal, correct them by the intention for the sake of bestowal. Then we will be able to receive the Light of Hochma, the revelation of the Creator, meaning the state of the final correction.
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From the lecture on 3/15/11 on Purim

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Shamati #37 “An Article for Purim”
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The Book of Zohar — Selections, Chapter “Yitro (Jethro),” “And Moses Went Up To God,” Item 245, Lesson 4
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Talmud Eser Sefirot 6, Part 15, Item 200
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Question: Is revealing one’s evil inclination the most important thing?

Answer: We shouldn’t try to reveal our evil inclination and it’s not important what states we experience. The most important and the only possible action we can perform is to attract the upper Light.

The Light will lead me through all the stages which are currently unknown to me: I will reveal my evil inclination, correct, and then fulfill it. Only the Light can help me along this path. I have to aspire toward the upper Light which will act upon me. The form and sequence of those actions are none of mine concern.

I shouldn’t be thinking about the Light revealing my evil inclination because I don’t know what it’s supposed to reveal. And even though it is written in the books about it, I don’t yet understand what the “evil inclination” really is. It’s not worthwhile taking your attention and concentration away from the essence: attracting the Light.

Otherwise, we start looking for this evil inclination within us and start thinking that each negative quality we posses is the evil inclination. But believe me, we haven’t revealed it yet.

The evil inclination is an angel. That is, when we reveal the evil, we discover that the Creator is concealed within it, and that this evil inclination comes from Him. This is why in order to reveal the Creator, we must think about unity instead of hatred! And while I aspire toward unity, I reveal that the evil inclination is what gets in the way.

I am always aspiring toward unity, while the upper Light acts upon me and ultimately reveals to me who I am. I have to go through all the stages: 0,1, 2, 3, and on stage 4 (Behina Dalet), I always feel that I’ve completed a certain step and received a new understanding. And then once again I go through all the stages, and on the fourth stage a new understanding is revealed.

This, however, doesn’t change my attitude toward the past, present, or the future. I always aspire toward unity without thinking about anything else. And it doesn’t matter to me whether I’m in a good state or a bad one.

I’m fine with whatever becomes revealed to me. Nothing can stop me from going forward: neither the good, nor the bad, nor any philosophical theory that I conjure up in my head, which only confuses me, making me believe that I understand what’s happening. All of my attention has to be focused on unity only. Then I can be sure that I’m attracting the Surrounding Light.

When you begin to over-intellectualize and decide for yourself what to do, you instantly lose the Surrounding Light. You must aspire only toward the Light which is whole and absolute. It is written that we must be ready to accept the mutual guarantee as one man with one heart. We should think only about this.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/17/2011 on the topic of “I created the evil inclination, and I created the Torah as a spice”

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As soon as the righteous [those who wish to justify the Creator] unite, there immediately intensifies mutual hatred [egoism] that causes fights and quarrels.
– The book, Noam Elimelech

When ten of Israel [who strive toward the Creator] unite in order to acquire the property of love and bestowal, through their force of oneness, the property of love and bestowal is drawn to the world.
– Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter, The Language of Truth
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In nature there is no freedom that has appeared from nothing. Nature is a system of laws and nothing in it can stand beyond the law.

We are being controlled by two forces: reception and bestowal. Freedom is when we are able to supplement the action of one force with that of the other and, standing between them, comprehend the reality that has unified them both within.

I always have to choose which influence to put myself under, under control of which force to be. It has to be one or the other: the force of bestowal or that of reception.

Moreover, in order to gain autonomy, I don’t want to be dominated by either of them. On one hand, Pharaoh tells me: “Who is the Creator to me that I must listen to Him?” But on the other, I have to preserve Pharaoh in tact, even if keeping myself at a distance. I flee from him so I may obtain the second force as well. Before, I was the Pharaoh’s slave, and now I become the slave of the Creator.

All of this is done so that in the end, we can reach the middle point between them. It is regarded as the middle third of Tifferet, Klipat Noga (Noga shell). This is the place where the scales which hold good and evil come into balance. I stand in the middle and neither the Creator nor Pharaoh controls me: I rule over both of them. This state is described as “My sons have defeated Me.”

This is a subtle balance that a person must build at every spiritual degree. We align two forces, two lines, the right and the left, judgment and mercy, and thereby advance in the middle line.

Thus, my work lies in finding both Pharaoh’s force, the evil inclination, and the Creator’s force, the good inclination, in the present “animate,” “blind” state. I place them before each other since the Creator says: “Come onto Pharaoh for I have hardened his heart.” When the evil force increases, the Creator can also grow in my eyes and show Himself behind Pharaoh. Then they will both unfold equally in my point in the heart, and this point will receive freedom, the power over both forces.

That’s what I need to accomplish. In this point of mine, between the good and evil inclinations, in the middle third of Tifferet, I find my freedom at last. And this is my real Self. From the points that emerge at each spiritual degree, I construct the middle line, the line of the human within, until I reach Infinity.

In the world of Infinity, we create our autonomous state which is 620 times more powerful thanks to the fact that we use both these forces in full. This is the correct method for utilizing the forces of the Creator and Pharaoh that rule in nature. And man is able to accomplish this.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/17/2011 on The Principles of Global Education

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The entire wisdom of Kabbalah is but the method of education. After all, a person needs to change, to grow from a “little savage” living in this world to a human similar to the Creator. We can’t even sense this—the goal is so exalted and opposite to us that it slips our perception.

We undergo changes along the path in order to become increasingly similar to the Creator. By transforming ourselves, we reveal our new states in the spiritual world, on the spiritual degrees. All these states are essentially the steps of education. We are being raised by the upper Light that surrounds us; we change and thereby go through the education process.

Hence, Kabbalah is the method that enables one to educate oneself in similarity to the Creator. We do it with the help of a teacher, the sources, and the group or the environment. This education requires differentiation between children and adults, between men and women, or various types of people. We need to look for a way to help everyone receive the correct education.

Every person who receives the spiritual awakening has to correct himself and facilitate the general correction of all. Essentially, “all” are he himself. If he relates to others in this way, he has to correct them. However, if he separates himself from the rest, he becomes a “reformer” who only corrupts himself and others.

We will have to clarify these matters and formulate them in a light and understandable manner. At this stage, all of humanity is approaching the realization of the wisdom of Kabbalah; it begins to feel the need to educate itself to the level of correspondence to the Creator. Otherwise, we will start feeling how many misfortunes our opposition to Him brings to us.

With this goal in mind, we are preparing a list of global education principles. The key is that they should be understandable for everyone. We ourselves have a relatively good idea about where they spring from. It’s not difficult for us to talk about these principles in the language of Kabbalah and in the language in which Baal HaSulam presents them, mostly in his articles. But how can we make them applicable to every person in the world? This is the problem we are facing today. We will try to solve it.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/16/2011 on The Principles of Global Education

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