Luckily, we were born in the era of transition. After billions of historical processes that took place in our universe and on Earth, we have found ourselves at the turning point from the past to the future, when we ourselves have to realize the transition from an egoistic, individual, and detached system to an altruistic, integral, and analog one.

In all past generations, we existed in an egoistic desire acting linearly, each for his own sake. Now, under the influence of nature, we are forced to feel that we must change our entire outlook and all the actions in our world for our future existence.

Since humanity has become globally connected, we cannot continue to act individually because in this case, we will inflict harm on ourselves. Each day this new system, this general, global, and integral relationship becomes more revealed to everybody and apparent to thousands of people in the world.

In the science of Kabbalah, we do not guess but actually investigate how the next spiritual level of humanity will rise in our time and how this system is created. Moreover, we study not only the system itself, but also the method of reaching it: how one can rise to it, without waiting for nature to start pushing us from behind as usual.

During all the previous stages of our egoistic development, nature only propelled us from behind. We were given a bit of egoism and rushed forward in attempts to satisfy it. We felt more egoism and ran in the other direction in search of another fulfillment.

We were advancing in a zigzag manner: We built society, an education system, and family, brought up children, created states, technology, industry, and so on. All this was caused by the development of egoism which urged us to seek more and more contentment.

But now we have a problem: Egoism no longer drives us. However, we are pulled together by the unfolding integral system, integral nature, which compels us to connect together to continue our existence.

That is, technology, families, social relationships, politics, countries, and schools, everything that has been created suddenly stops working because we can no longer function in this world with our past egoistic drive. Now we can only advance using a different system, the system of general interconnection. But we enter it with our past actions, habits, laws, and our public relations.

We find ourselves in a completely different system. We have a different attitude towards the world than the way it should be today, different from what the world requires from us. It turns out that we have to do something with ourselves, and we don’t know what. We don’t know how to connect with each other in order to correspond to the world.

How can we achieve this connection? How can we convince ourselves that this is necessary? Although many people today understand this logically, they are still unable to find the answer to these questions.

So today we are in this transition from the lower degree to the higher one. This transition is not the usual shift from one formation to another, from one technological level to the other, how it used to be in the past. Now, we are in a qualitative transition, not a quantitative one.

A qualitative transition is not merely a change in the quality of our lives, in the quality of the relationship between us, but a complete change in everything that happened in the past. The world must become totally different. This is our problem.

The world has become different and closer to us, but we don’t know how to feel it correctly yet; we are still in the old ideology, consciousness, and perception. As if we found ourselves in an unknown space, and thus, cannot operate properly inside it.

Because of our wrong actions, all of our previous ways of experiencing life have led us to a so-called crisis today. Hopefully, we quickly realize that we need to change. The science of Kabbalah talks about this. I hope it will help not only us but all the people in the world to come to this.
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From the Sunday Virtual Lesson Series 7/17/2011

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The period of preparation is called the period of “sins and transgressions.” You can object and say: How was it a transgression if I had no understanding or knowledge of anything?

Yes, you didn’t know but you acted. And even though you tried to follow the instructions of Kabbalah, you studied and were in a group, you did it all for your own sake. This is why unknowingly, you carried out the actions in the group and studies egoistically, instead of performing them for the sake of bestowal. You tried to use your friends and Kabbalah for your own sake, and these sins are called either “intentional transgressions” or “unintentional mistakes, negligence.”

Later, when we rise to a spiritual degree and acquire the strength to act for the sake of bestowal, we correct these sins. At first we correct the “mistakes,” and by doing so we rise to the degree of Bina, bestowal for the sake of bestowal, trepidation. And then we correct the “transgressions” for bestowal and acquire the degree of love, absolute faith.

Where do the transgressions and negligence which we correct for bestowal and love on the degree of Bina and Keter come from? They were once saved in our egoistic desires, as it is written: “The beast will swallow and spew out.” And this is how we have collected a number of transgressions that we can now correct.

But a person who doesn’t enter the group and doesn’t begin to study to attain the goal with whatever intention he is capable of, doesn’t commit “transgressions” or make “mistakes.” He has nothing to correct at all; he lacks the “evil inclination.”

This “egoistic inclination” that Kabbalah speaks about is a special quality. We form it while in the group, when we study, when we aspire to bestow (Lishma), when we are certain that we currently exist in egoism (Lo Lishma), and when we commit horrible transgressions by wanting to attain spirituality for our own sake and to reap rewards in all the worlds.

This is how we accumulate transgressions and mistakes within us. And until we gather a full measure of them over the “400 years of the Egyptian bondage,” we are unable to escape them and begin correction.
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From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/19/2011, ”The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”

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Baal HaSulam, “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”: But the role of Israel toward the world resembles the role of our holy fathers toward the Israeli nation….

If it were not for our forefathers, there would be no nation of Israel, meaning the group who yearns for the Creator and correction. In the same way, we now have to take care of the world because without our help, people will not be able to correct themselves. Their desires are not capable of ascending by themselves, and people cannot even think about correction for the sake of bestowal.

Today, we see this in the work of scientists and prominent experts in various fields. They write correct things about the world, but they cannot utter a word about the solution. They have no aspiration “straight to the Creator,” no spiritual spark. Thus, they do not realize that this is the only possibility. They are helpless before the need for correction; they have no means for it.

Therefore, they avoid answers in their search and discussions. They cannot see further down the road; they only see what is happening. They understand the necessity to create an integral world, and they stop there. Consequently, their reasoning is vague. It ends in nothing or falls back on completely unrealistic proposals.

I do not reproach them. This is not a sign of their limitations. It’s just that without the addition of a spiritual spark to human desires in our world, people cannot see the future, the only development possible.
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From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/19/2011, ”The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”

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

The Freedom of the Collective and the Freedom of the Individual Are Equal

Mutual guarantee of all people in the world for their general well-being is similar to two people on a boat. If one of them drills a hole in the boat, he drowns the other as well.
– Baal HaSulam, “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee),” Item 18

Every person in the world is responsible for all. If one corrects oneself in something, he brings the whole world closer to the general correction. And on the contrary, using his individual egoism, he worsens the state of the whole world.
– Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Item 110

Every person prompts elevation or decline of the whole world since one person’s actions lower or elevate the whole world.
– Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Item 68
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Shamati #39 “And They Sewed Fig-Leaves″
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The Book of Zohar – Selected, Chapter “Truma,(Donation) 2,” “Light, Water and Firmament,” Item 759, Lesson 32
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Talmud Eser Sefirot Part 1 “Table of Answers for Topics,” Item 102, Lesson 46
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Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah, Item 38, Lesson 25
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“The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee),” Item 28, Lesson 9
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