Born Again On Every New Degree

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Is a Kabbalist able to measure precisely the “miraculous force” of the upper Light like in a scientific experiment, or is it an axiom for him, like it is an axiom for us?

Answer: No, we never know how we rise to the next degree. It is like in the example of Rabbi Shimon who fell so low right before attaining the highest degree, the final correction, that he became a regular person, just Shimon from the market.

When it comes to the next degree, we always operate through faith above reason, and we never know what will happen there. Since I already have experience, I can say that greater bestowal and greater love and unity await me there, but because I do not yet actually feel it, I have no ability to predict anything with even a 1% accuracy.

It is always something absolutely unexpected and new, a full “upgrade,” a complete change of all my components, improvement of the entire ten Sefirot. Usually, it is felt as a very strong renewal which gives such an overpowering impression that everything turns upside down in comparison to what it was before.

The entire perception of reality, sensations, and understanding change. This happens on every degree, regardless of where the person is. It is a new creature every time.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/8/2011 on The Importance of the Study

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Urgent Call To Inner Work

You are invited to a special workshop on Thursday, March 10 at 8pm EST (North America) on kab.tv.

I will guide a special Question & Answer Workshop as the World Group begins its inner preparation for the coming state of unity that will be realized at the WE! Convention.

 

This workshop is a unique opportunity for you to bring your desire, doubts, questions and start uniting now!

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Creation Swimming In An Ocean Of Light

Dr. Michael LaitmanThere are only two forces in the universe: the force of bestowalthe Creator, and the force of receptioncreation. They begin from the state one opposite the other where the force of the Creator is infinite, like an ocean of Light that is at eternal rest. And the force of creation begins with a small point inside this Light of Infinity.

The Creator’s aim is to raise this point so it will become as big as the Light and equal to it in every way both in size and quality. This will mean that the good and generous Creator has carried out his good and benevolent action—the action of bestowal.

Therefore, the Creator gives creation all of the qualities that are present in the desire to receive pleasure, in opposition to what is present in the Creator, in the desire to bestow, so creation would independently decide and freely choose the state of the Creator, bestowal, as the highest and most desirable quality compared to everything that is present in creation. Even if it received the opportunity to acquire infinite fulfillment for its own sake, it would prefer to remain empty just to be closer to the quality of bestowal.

On this path creation has to go through an enormous amount of discernments, but they can all be divided into two parts: quantitative understanding and qualitative understanding. All the work of creation lies in realizing its evil. It has to understand how bad its egoistic quality of reception is compared to the Creator’s quality of bestowal.

And the reason it is bad is not because it causes creation to suffer. In that case creation would choose bestowal egoistically. Yet these discernments of good and evil should not depend on the desires of creation itself, meaning it cannot choose something that it would be able to enjoy naturally.

The choice has to be made from a point that is independent of your own desires so you would prefer bestowal for the sake of this quality because it is the most exalted one. And it shouldn’t happen because you plan to receive some kind of fulfillment or benefit from it.

Therefore, on this path creation always starts by asking, “Who is the Creator so I would listen to His voice?” And “What will I receive for all of this work?” That is, it reveals all of its desire, the entire vessel (Kli) and its size as well as quality, attains itself, and demands natural fulfillment according to its egoistic qualities.

Then it works by analyzing its desires from within, and reaches the understanding that it is completely limited and aspires only toward its own pleasure, which is therefore false. Under these conditions, it cannot objectively value the truth.

And when it tries to reach the truth in order not to depend on its own desires, to “hang” between the sky and the earth, it sees itself as “half sinner and half righteous” like on the scale of justice. From here on, creation already starts working on its own free choice.
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/10/11 on Prayer

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Weekly Torah Portion – 03.10.11

The Book of Zohar, Weekly Torah Portion “VaYikra,” Selected Excerpts
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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 03.10.11

What Is Prayer?, Lesson 2
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The Book of Zohar — Introduction: “Ekev (Because),” Item 7, Lesson 2
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Talmud Eser Sefirot 3, Part 9, Item 6, Lesson 5
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Topic Lesson: Life and Death, Lesson 1
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The Protection From All Troubles

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How can we keep the right intention in our regular day to day lives? And how should a person react to the troubles that befall him?

Answer: It is written that a person has to make all the possible efforts to reveal his connection with the Creator and with the world, no matter what happens. “If I don’t do it for myself, then who will do it for me?”

He still doesn’t understand the causes, but in the end he must perceive everything taking place as necessary and as the best possible thing for his spiritual advancement. He has to ask his group and the whole world group to think about each other so not one of us would lose the connection with the upper force in his thoughts, with “There is no one else beside Him.”

As soon as we unite in the connection between us and together with the Creator, then nothing bad can happen to any of us. That’s because we enter the process called “carrying out a commandment” and a person who carries out a commandment cannot be harmed.

If a person makes a correction, then no one can harm him. Even if he gets into a descent, it will be a descent for the purpose of ascent and correction. It will be a descent without which an ascent is impossible!
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From the 1st lesson at the Dead Sea Convention on 2/24/11

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He Whose Heart Is Broken

Dr. Michael LaitmanWritings of Rabash, Why does it say that “The Creator heals broken hearts”? It is because the most important thing for a person is the heart because it is the vessel for the Upper Light. But if the vessel is broken, then everything filling it spills to the outside.

Therefore, if the heart is broken, meaning, if the egoistic desire rules over the heart, then the Light cannot enter it. Everything a person receives egoistically goes to the impure forces (Klipot). This is called “a broken heart.”

Therefore, a person asks the Creator to help and cure his broken heart because nothing spiritual can enter it and only the Creator can save him. That is why it is written, “The Creator is close to those whose heart is broken.”

The Creator created creation perfect. But then, in order to give creation the ability to understand, feel, reveal, and value this perfect state, He had to take it through states that are opposite to perfection in every form. Then creation will prepare, acquiring the force, sensations, and ability to reveal the perfection that was created in it.

States that are opposite to perfection are called “breaking.” They exist only in relation to creation, inside its sensation and understanding. That is to say, a person reveals that his heart is broken—that all of his desires are broken and that he is ruled by egoism. And just like in a broken vessel, all of the fulfillment he is given spills to the outside and goes to the egoistic desires.

A person feels that he passionately desires bestowal, but is unable to do it because his entire heart is broken. He suddenly reveals that all of his thoughts and desires, his entire aspiration to bestowal is actually aimed at the total opposite: at egoistic reception.

That is to say, he is torn apart in two directions. The first is his passionate desire to the Creator, which seems to come from the bottom of his heart. But he reveals that in actuality, from the bottom of his heart he wants the opposite.

Then, as a result of these two opposite directions that become revealed inside him, a person feels that his heart is broken. That is why he asks the Creator to cure his heart so his intentions would be aimed at the Creator, at bestowal, at the neighbor—only in one direction, without returning back to himself.

Then it is considered a true prayer that is accepted from above, as it is written, “The Creator is close to those whose heart is broken.”

This discernment is the only thing we need.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/9/11 on Prayer

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The Path Through The Broken Heart

Dr. Michael LaitmanWith all our might we are trying to make at least some kind of practical action of bestowal, to see our environment as bestowing and perfect. We desire to lower ourselves before the environment and to see the friends as the greatest people of the generation so that through them we would receive the opportunity to come to the Creator. But the more we try to do this, the more we reveal that we only want this egoistically, in order to profit at everyone’s expense and to use everyone for our own sake.

These opportunities are constantly revealed to a person and he sees that he immediately recognizes them and wants to use society for his own interests. These are the best moments—revelations of truth. And if a person is willing to endure them and to advance without milling around in them, but continuing to move in the direction of bestowal to the environment, then he will reveal his desire more and more.

He will see that no matter how much he tries to act for the sake of bestowal, to bestow to the environment and to reveal the Creator through others in order to bestow to Him—in response to all the attempts he continuously reveals thoughts of the “broken egoism” and opposite intentions, meaning symptoms of the broken heart.

Only to the degree that a person aspires to bestowal and holiness does he reveal the expressions of the impure force that rules over him. And there is nothing you can do about it because we need this revelation. If egoism is revealed to a person so strongly that he comes to hate it and doesn’t want to remain in it, this is a prayer.

After that it is not necessary to ask for anything any longer. If one does, they will be artificial requests. A prayer is the sensation that is in the heart. If a person feels how much he suffers from his egoistic inclinations, which prevent him from using the means that should have brought him to bestowal to the Creator, then this is already enough. Through that he already becomes closer to the Creator. Everything turns out to be the other way around! He is closest to the Creator precisely when he reveals how broken and opposite to the Creator his heart is.

It follows that we should understand that our work is opposite to the work of a religious person who feels perfect, inspired, and exalted. In Kabbalah everything is opposite: the path to the Creator lies through the broken heart, which is precisely the time we discover how opposite we are to Him. And precisely from this profound descent, calling out to the Creator, we reveal that we have a point of contact with Him.

Therefore, joy and despair come simultaneously, supporting each other and uniting together. That is when the Creator becomes revealed as a result of the unification of these two opposites into one.
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/9/11

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Blessed Are You Who Created The Worlds….

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe Zohar, Introduction, “The Intention in the Blessing,” Item 16: …For this reason, the blessing that a person blesses the Creator awakens to bestow upon the Creator blessings from above to all the worlds.

Question: What is a blessing?

Answer: A blessing is a special force from above, the force of Bina that influences Malchut. The Creator is called Blessed if I turn to Him from Malchut with the request for the forces of bestowal to come to me, to enter me, and become part of me.

When I include these forces inside of me, it means I receive a blessing, the qualities of Bina that become included in Malchut. According to these qualities, which I received from the Creator, I can call Him Blessed. Otherwise I do not have the same qualities for which I can value and thank Him.

Why do I want to receive these qualities from Bina? It’s so that I won’t curse the Creator, but will bless Him. That is to say, all of the corrections that I try to acquire are not for my own benefit, but only in order to love, to respect, and to bless the Creator.

Therefore, the words “Blessed are You” in the blessings of prayer mean that I have already gone through the corrections enabling me to work for the sake of bestowal, that I have received blessing from Him, and am now in the quality of bestowal and love. And I bless the Creator for this opportunity.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/9/11, The Zohar

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Convention = Acceleration

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How can we unite at the upcoming convention in New Jersey so we will accelerate time?

Answer: The convention is the maximum acceleration possible in our world. There is no action that’s more powerful. That is how I experience it myself.

I saw the same thing with Rabash during the simplest actions made by the group to unite. Even if we didn’t travel somewhere together and did not connect other people from the whole world to us, it was still very important to him.

After every convention I feel how we ascend a level higher and I gain the ability to explain the material in new ways. I think everyone feels this.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/9/11 on Time

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