Question: I recently read an article that talks about how things that became successful throughout the world did not catch on in Israel, such as fantasy films and complicated media gadgets. Why is that?

Answer: We, the people of Israel, are “primitive animals,” the most backward nation if we do not live in a framework that’s appropriate for us. This is evident from the culture, the upbringing, and everything else happening here. We can’t do anything right, and we’re also proud of that.

We don’t understand that we don’t and won’t have any achievements until we place ourselves beneath the upper force. Compared to the achievements of the Jews abroad, we have practically nothing to be proud of here. Of course, we do manage to do some things well, but considering our potential, it’s a miserable fraction of what we can do.

We have always compared ourselves to other nations, but that is incorrect because our entire potential comes from Bina, not Malchut. So why do we always retreat? In essence, our “achievements” are failures compared to what we are able to do.

Nothing will help us. If we don’t connect to our Source, then we simply won’t survive.

This is why we celebrate Independence Day, when we are happy about the opportunity to do spiritual work and to ascend spiritually. This day is not about “being chased into the pound,” which is what happened to our bodies. We can’t look at life that way.

Independence Day for us is a reminder of the chance that has been given to us. By realizing this opportunity correctly, we will be able to bring the whole world to a spiritual ascent, to eternity and perfection. The issue here is not the state of Israel or the nation of Israel, but the spiritual essence of what is happening. We have been brought to the place of spiritual realization, the place where the spiritual redemption of the whole world begins.
[42699]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/10/11, ‘Inheritance of the Land”

Related Material:
The Nation Possessing Nothing But An Idea
Why People Hate Jews
Progress Based On Stolen Energy
Independence-From-Egoism Day

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Holidays, Israel, Q&A - No Comments →

Even in the material world we don’t have any opportunity to become a nation living in our own country, on our own land unless we first correct ourselves spiritually. Only the forces descending from above build the material conditions for us here.

In general, we must try to understand to the best of our ability what the material world is. It is not a goal, but the smallest, most external means to start ascending. In this extremely flawed material reality that is lying on the lowest level, we must start carrying out the work of unification in order to enter the spiritual world.

After that we will turn to all the other nations and show them this work so they would also unite with each other. As a result, all of us, the whole world will become one single whole, one family, and will then ascend to its spiritual level. That is the only way we will realize our predestination, the purpose for which we exist.

We have to give everything its proper importance: our world compared to the spiritual world, the material nation of Israel compared to its spiritual analogue, the material state of Israel compared to the spiritual land of Israel. Every thing has to have its own place according to the final goal. Precisely this determines an object’s importance and the means to use it.
[42701]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/10/11, “Inheritance of the Land”

Related Material:
Israel’s Independence Day: Dizzy From The “Achievements”
Inheritance Of The Land Of Israel
Our Main Trump Card

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Holidays, Israel, Spirituality, Unity - No Comments →

We are separated from the Creator only by a tiny black point within the infinite Light, which is regarded as “existence from absence” (Yesh Mi Ain). This is, in fact, the very basis of the entire creation, the new reality “from absence.” The rest of it is “from existence,” from the Creator.

This point is created by the Creator, while all “existence” (Yesh), which is added to this point, must come from us, our own effort. Hence, in the end, we attain similarity to the Creator, adhesion, the level equal to His.

First of all, this point of creation evolves in four stages of the expansion of the Direct Light, whereby these four degrees of bestowal instill into the point “from absence” all the basics. On the part of the Light, no more actions are necessary; it’s enough. The rest emerges as the reaction of this point that received an impression from the Light, absorbed its properties, and is able to act on its own thereby.

Thus, from the world of Infinity, from the state where it merged with the Light, it begins to withdraw into our world through the ten “Sefirot of concealment” (Sefirot Blima) that absorb (Bolim) the Light inward, inside the creature. Due to this, the creature grows from the point opposite to the Creator, reaching the utmost possible distance from Him, which is regarded as “this world.”

This withdrawal (both qualitative and quantitative) encompasses all properties and locations. As a result, the created being has no quality that would match the Creator’s to the smallest degree. We think that this means a downfall, a descent, withdrawal, darkness, but it is quite the opposite. It is the unfolding of our nature, the very black point created by the Creator!

This development is necessary to reveal how much this point from “absence” is opposite to existence, to that which “exists.” It is what we attain from this entire descent, albeit not all at once, but with time, descending deeper and deeper, after we reach “this world” and experience the development of our egoism, meaning realize our being opposite to the Creator. Thereby, we pass through the still, vegetative, and animate levels of nature, until we reach the lowest one, “human.”

A human becomes aware of being far from and opposite to the Creator and concludes that it is evil. From the awareness of evil, he continues to study himself and the Creator even more, as the “advantage of Light coming from darkness,” and understands that it is necessary to become corrected. Thereby, he reaches true opposition to the Creator.

When he begins his correction, on one hand, he starts ascending back to the world of Infinity by equalizing himself with the Creator. On the other, even while doing so, he attains how opposite he is to the Creator ever more.

Only in the very end of correction (Gmar Tikkun), when he returns to the initial point, Malchut of Infinity, he gains complete understanding, awareness, and experience of what existence (Yesh), the property of the Creator, means.
[42526]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/8/2011, “All Who Suffer for the Public”

Related Material:
Connecting The Creator And The Created Being
The Multi-Dimensional Creation
We Are Existence From Absence

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Inner Work, Perception - No Comments →

Kabbalah for the Nation Introductory Lecture Series, “Independence”
Download: WMV Video|MP3 Audio

Filed under: Education, Kabbalah for the Nation, Lectures - No Comments →

Writings of Rabash, Shlavei HaSulam, “What Is the Israel Return to the Creator Your Lord in Work”
Download: WMV Video|MP3 Audio

The Book of Zohar – Selected, Chapter, “Mishpatim (Ordinances), ‘The Grandfather,’” Item 359
Download: WMV Video|MP3 Audio

Talmud Eser Sefirot Vol. 1, Part 1“Histaklut Pnimit,” Lesson 11
Download: WMV Video|MP3 Audio

Baal HaSulam “Inheritance of the Land”
Download: WMV Video|MP3 Audio

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Zohar - No Comments →

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson - No Comments →

Question: You say that The Zohar is the system of ties between us. How are these connections expressed in The Zohar: in the shape of the letters or the meanings behind the words?

Answer: You won’t find the symbols of these connections in letters or words, and not even without them. We should view The Zohar as a connecting device and nothing more. I don’t know how it works. All I know is that if my desires are correct and I am reading The Zohar with the hope that these desires will be fulfilled, it will occur.

I have a certain device that I adjust and plug into electricity, but the one last drop is missing: a little bit more of my thought and desire for it to occur, for the device to start channeling electricity and begin to work.

I should be anticipating it, nothing more. It is regarded as “awaiting salvation.” But we must, to the best of our ability, prepare our desires and needs so that they are fit for correction as much as possible. After all, an unripe desire doesn’t merit correction. Desire the time which has passed and a new desire needs to be used or the same desire but at a higher degree won’t merit correction either.

Everything has to occur with the utmost precision, and then the Light that Reforms comes and performs our merging with the Creator. This is what our work entails.
[42476]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/8/2011, The Zohar

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Inner Work, Q&A, Zohar - No Comments →

The Book of Zohar, Chapter “Mishpatim (Ordinances),” Item 343: He [King Solomon] signed his chair with a seal engraved with the holy Name, took a ring on which the holy Name was engraved, went on an ascent, riding that eagle, and went away.

Question: What is this ring?

Answer: This is a special force protecting Malchut, which restricts itself in order to use the Light of Hochma only from above downwards, above the will to enjoy, meaning in the intention to bestow rather than to receive into itself, into its egoistic desire. This is called a “ring.”

This is the origin of the wedding ritual where people put rings on each other, symbolizing their bestowal to one another and their connection.
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/9/11, The Zohar

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Family, Q&A, Zohar - 2 Comments →

Question: Throughout all of history, Kabbalists passed the science of Kabbalah from one generation to the next. But on the other hand, they created a special concealment over this science to make sure it wouldn’t expand all over the whole world. Why?

Answer: Kabbalists reveal their attainments in concealment. That’s why it is written, “When revealing one measure, conceal two.” This is talking about the revelation of the necessary desire in a person, in which he will then feel the upper world.

Our nature is desire, and only if this desire is present do we perceive the world inside of it. The greater the desire, the more it perceives. All the objects in our world differ from one another only by the size of the desire. The desire of level 1 is still, level 2 – vegetative, level 3 – animate, and level 4 – human. If the desire intends to enjoy by itself, then it is in our world. If it intends to give pleasure to someone else, then it is in the upper world.

It’s known that pleasure can only be felt to the extent that one has a desire for it. In other words, the Light can only be received when there is a vessel.

Concealing two measures means that a Kabbalist teacher must create a concealment in a student—the desire of one measure, the need for revelation, and the concealment of one more measure so this desire for revelation would be for the sake of bestowal. In that case, the student will merit revelation inside of that corrected desire.
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/9/11, The Zohar

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, History, Q&A, Spiritual Teacher, Zohar - No Comments →

In commemoration of National Remembrance Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism

We received this land when we came out of Babylon. Our spiritual root in relation to the material world lies only here. Baal HaSulam says that here, we have to give an example to the entire humanity of what it means to be a nation corrected in accordance with the upper force, with nature. All the nations and the entire world have to abide by this natural law in order to continue to exist. Otherwise, a mass destruction will begin.

We must endeavor so that all the wars of the state of Israel were not in vain. We have to be faithful custodians of what we have obtained thanks to those who fell in wars. A succession of endless wars is not the way to advance the country. On the contrary, in honor of those who have given everything for us, we must understand how to live on, how to put an end to wars and killing.

It depends on us. So, instead of talking, let’s do what we have been entrusted with. Our duty is not only to prepare for a possible war, but to advance toward a true reconciliation, to peace. Only united with each other will we pass on the peace between us to everybody else.
[42503]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/8/2011, “The Nation”

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Inner Work, Israel - 1 Comment →