Question: What does it mean to open oneself to the group?

Answer: On one hand, it means to want to bestow onto them, like someone who is greater than them, who fills them with everything they need, not by pressure, but according to their will. This is similar to ZAT de Bina, which acts according to the desire of the lower one. Thus, you also become greater than them.

You open yourself in order to receive all the deficiencies from them, like from children. You incorporate them into yourself to such an extent that you feel pain if they don’t receive what they want, and you are ready to fill them again and again.

On the other hand, you should have an opposite mechanism. This means that you have to sail against the wind, zigzagging to the left and to the right. You also feel that you are lower than others, you are ready to serve them and to do anything in order to receive spiritual uplifting from them, the spiritual attainment, the Creator in them, the One you want to discover in the connection between you.

This is how you advance: once on the side of the deficiencies and once on the side of the spiritual uplifting in working together with the group—until you exert to the full measure.

The main test of your work is to what extent you see the structure in which you will attain spirituality. This structure is the connection of all the friends’ and the whole world’s desires for spirituality. The Creator is revealed in your mutual yearning for spirituality. This is called Shechina, the collection of the souls that yearn for the Creator (Knesset Israel).
[55642]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/21/2011, Shamati #232

Related Material:
The Group Is My Sail
Blows In One Point
You Won’t Believe What Kind Of Group This Is

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Inner Work, Q&A - 1 Comment →

We cannot make a beeline for the goal, but we can build an environment that will exert an influence upon us from both the positive and negative sides. With regard to the positive side, it means that the environment reveals additional desires within a person, jealousy, and the urge to reach what others have attained.

As for the negative side, the environment shows a person how much less than others he is, how unable he is to be together with them, and how against everyone he is, torturing a person with the feeling of his insignificance and anxiety about his future.

This is how the environment pushes a person both from the positive to negative sides, moving him forward in a “zigzag” path against the wind in the direction of the goal. It is how he reveals the additional urge to the original desire instilled in him from the side of creation in the informational genes (Reshimot), awakened in him by the Creator. This is how he advances.

For the most part, this work consists of building the environment that influences the person. As it turns out, he is the one building this influence, and to that extent, he opens himself up to it. If he doesn’t invest his strength into the group, he will not open up to it.

This can be seen in the example of a person who is taking care of his children or pets. The more we invest in someone, the closer and more loved they become to us. And that is why we begin to react more sensitively to his feedback, opening ourselves up for love and connection.

The same thing happens to the environment. The more we invest in it, the more valuable it becomes to us. And then we open ourselves to the influence of the environment, having built the means that moves us forward on a zigzag path against our egoism towards the purpose of creation.

With this, we complete our efforts to the full extent, about which it is said “I labored and did not find, do not believe.”
[55280]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/21/2011, Shamati #232

Related Material:
You Won’t Believe What Kind Of Group This Is
Toward The Wind!
Everything Depends Upon You

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

It is important to explain in our round table discussions that mutual guarantee isn’t attained by itself, but rather as a result of serious study of nature’s system of mutual dependence, in order to introduce man into it as an integral component. Only a connection between nature and all people, when everybody is in perfect balance, that is, when a person gives and receives in human society in perfect harmony, as it is done among the cells of the body, only such connection is called mutual guarantee.

But first we have to study the elements: mutual guarantee, mutual yielding and connection, above all the differences that separate us, which the ego purposefully presents to us. We should see the differences between us as exercises above which we have to ascend and thus grow namely in this way, just as children grow as a result of the games they play. This is the essence of our progress towards the state of mutual guarantee—the full mutual connection, just like in one healthy body.

This is the purpose of the entire creation, and therefore, to the extent that we reach this connection, we feel mutual bestowal, love, participation, the merger of our desires, the joining of whatever used to stand in our way. Nothing disappears. All the differences remain, and it is above them that we build our relationships.

We have to patiently explain this method of connection despite all contradictions. Then, people’s consciousness will gradually evolve, to the extent that they master the general mutual connection above the contradictions that manifest.

It is a long way of restoring the broken ties among us. We advance this way and reach the end of correction of humanity and its connection with nature into one.

This is how we reach Malchut of the world of Infinity, where all the differences and contradictions come together: utmost egoism and above it, utmost altruism—and the recognition of the Thought of Creation is revealed in us.
[55154]

Related Material:
At The Round Table
Mutual Guarantee Is The Key To The New World
What Is Mutual Guarantee?

Filed under: Crisis, Group Work, Inner Work, Mutual Guarantee, Mutual Guarantee Movement - 1 Comment →

When my egoism becomes revealed to me, I have to catch it by its tail like a snake. And then I start playing with it, untangling all of its cunning ways and the connections that it wanted to build step by step, with great wisdom. This plan opens my eyes, reveals my corruption. I acquire wisdom, eyes that see far. I can’t grow wiser without this.

It’s like playing chess with somebody who’s as clever as a snake. He builds an unusual, tricky, and complicated combination of 20 steps in advance, calculating all the possibilities, building a real trap for me, but suddenly I catch the very end of his thought.

Instead of the chess figures on the board, I see his thoughts contained in them—the tail of the snake. I pull that tail and begin to reveal his intention, his abilities little by little. This is how I play with the Creator. He teaches me how to prepare my desires to the required level of fulfillment in order to reveal Him in this game.

If I don’t go through this entire game, I will not become smart and sensitive enough to reveal Him. In fact, He is revealed now, but I am unable to see Him. I am like a little child standing next to a chess board, watching a game without the ability to understand how to play.

Our entire life is a game of gaining the mind of the Creator, revealing Him. Our egoism is incredibly cunning and tries to bribe us by all means. It catches us in one or another opposite direction—and this is great help coming from the Creator. Whoever wants to reveal His crafty designs will understand that the life he sees in front of him is only a game. At every moment, the Creator gives us an opportunity through our thoughts, desires, and actions to meet Him as our partner in the game. And then our whole life becomes an exciting adventure.
[55165]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/20/2011, Shamati #152

Related Material:
A Heated Chess Game Against The Snake
Turning A Snake Into A Staff
All Of Creation Is The Creator’s Game

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

The whole problem is in the approach. If I’m trying to correct this crisis using my old means, looking for solutions and trying to fix the economic systems I have built, this is called Amalek (the greatest, most ferocious will to receive in us), our main enemy.

But I have to realize that this revelation comes to me from nature. There’s nothing that can be done using the old methods as this change is happening inside human nature. This change is not in each of us individually, but in our relationships, in the connections between people. I didn’t want this to happen, but it has.

We have to begin seeing this and to understand that each one of us is an egoist and will remain an egoist. At the same time, the connection between us has grown stronger and is different than before. I will not be able to establish this connection according to my ego’s demands.

For the time being, we are all like marbles inside one system, and each marble is an egoist. However, the connections between us aren’t egoistic anymore. They are not the way we built them in the old economic system, which was a direct imprint of our old ego, an accurate demonstration of the egoistic relationships.

But nowadays, a different kind of connection is revealing itself, and that’s why we’re unable to control the network we have built. This is called the revelation of the Creator, and we’re not treating it appropriately. We don’t understand that we must include ourselves in the new nature.

We’re egoists, but the connections between us are not egoistic; they are changing. We have to be more sensitive to these changes and always adapt ourselves to them, to agree with this new connection. By doing this, we will “obliterate the memory of Amalek,” our worst enemy.

This way, we erase our indifference, disregard, and carelessness. We overcome our careless attitude toward the changes and start to examine what is going on here. Then, we’ll need the wisdom of Kabbalah because otherwise, we can throw all the powers we have, all the scientists, and all the means in the world into an analysis and still not draw a single correct conclusion.

It’s because we would remain like impenetrable marbles, everyone inside their old egoism. Now, we have to receive the instruction (the word “Torah” comes from the word “Oraa” or the instruction manual) that will teach us how to act correctly in order to perform such actions down here, and this will give rise to changes Above.

The Creator Himself reveals the new network, the new connection between all of us. To us, however, this means a crisis because we have built a certain system and He is imprinting a different one over it.

There’s nothing we can do with this new system. All we can do is change ourselves according to this newly revealed system, to adjust these marbles to this new connection between us. This means that I must raise a prayer, meaning that I have to ask for a change in myself, to ask for something that’s missing from me, that’s preventing me from connecting with this new network properly.

This new network will keep revealing itself more and more; this cloud will keep coming down lower and lower. Our work is in trying to recognize this network and to desire to adjust ourselves to it by our practical actions. Thus, we will invoke an influence from Above that will realize this within us.

The change will not be in the system, but in us. We will change in accord with it.
[54349]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/2/2011, Rabash’s article

Related Material:
End Of The First Episode. What’s Next?
An Obscure Cloud Over The World
Indifference Kills Quietly, Like A Cunning Serpent

Filed under: Crisis, Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Inner Work, Kabbalah Dissemination, Mutual Guarantee Movement - No Comments →

There is no division between individual and group or collective work— all this is one work where I can see parts of my own soul as foreign and hateful to me. And I have to overcome all this haze and fog that deceives me, picturing them to me as my hateful enemies or at least, my slaves.

This is not a simple work for I am working on my spiritual vessel until I gather all of it and join it to myself. This is only possible by the power of love, raising above all hatred and resistance that I feel toward them.

All of this opposition remains like the resistance generated in opposition to an electric current. Together, the electric current and the resistance do the work to spin the motor. As a result of this action, the Light, the spiritual world, is being revealed.

However, now, we are completely separated from each other like a broken chain. This is not even an opposite kind of connection. I don’t love or even hate others—I simply don’t care about them. However, when we begin to work in order to get closer to each other, we then feel how the hatred, the opposition, is being revealed.

Only after the hard work in the Egyptian slavery of our own egoism, we come from the level of Jacob (from the small state) toward Mount Sinai (the mountain of hatred). From this mountain of hatred, it is possible to receive the Light that Reforms, which is called the Torah. Now, we already have something to work on.

However, he who has not started to unite, who is still under the control of the feelings of this world and tries to use his friends in a petty way as in any other place, this person has not even started his work. Perhaps, he is not trying to use them because he may have a kind character and wants to be friends with everyone, but this does not do anything toward his development.

As it is written, “She bringeth her bread [faith] from afar,” namely from distancing and rejection. There is no personal or group work here. You need to join within yourself all of the seemingly foreign parts of reality, until you reveal in the connection of these parts that the entire universe is in inside of you.
[54210]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/29/2011, Shamati #121

Related Material:
Building A Bridge Above Hatred
No One Will Help Us But Us!
Everything Depends Upon You

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

Kabbalists have prepared for us an easy and simple way of attracting the Light that Reforms, in contrast to what used to be before.

We find and see in the words of the sages of the Talmud that they have made the path of Torah easier for us than the sages of the Mishnah. This is because they said, “One should always practice the Torah and Mitzvot (commandments), even Lo Lishma (for oneself),  and from Lo Lishma he will come to Lishma (for the sake of bestowal), because the Light in it reforms him.”

Thus, they have provided us with a new means instead of the penance presented in the above mentioned Mishnah, Avot: the “Light in the Torah.” It bears sufficient power to reform one and bring him to practice Torah and Mitzvot Lishma.
– Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Item 11
[54286]

Related Material:
Resting In The Hands Of The Great Kabbalists
On Human Nature
Light Instead Of Suffering

Filed under: Kabbalistic Sources - 1 Comment →

Writings of Rabash, Dargot HaSulam, “The Prayer for Rosh HaShanah”
Download: WMV Video|MP3 Audio

The Book of Zohar – Selected Chapter “VaYakhel (And Moses Assembled)” “The Revival of the Dead,” Item 493, Lesson 24
Download: WMV Video|MP3 Audio

The Book of Zohar – Selected Chapter “VaEileh,” Lesson 1
Download: WMV Video|MP3 Audio

Talmud Eser Sefirot Part 6, Chapter 15, Question 131, Lesson 32
Download: WMV Video|MP3 Audio

Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah, Item 130, Lesson 56
Download: WMV Video|MP3 Audio

Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Nation,” Lesson 20
Download: WMV Video|MP3 Audio

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