Question: If in the beginning of the 20th century neurotic symptoms were expressed as sexual deviations, now they are rather expressed as hypochondria, a fear of getting a disease. How can I work with the fear that I may become ill? What attitude should I have?

Answer: I should explain the meaning of a disease.

A disease is a dysfunction in the harmony of an organism. When systems work out of harmony with one another then various problems begin to appear. This is a disease.

If we achieve harmony then it establishes itself and governs on all levels including the physiological one.

This is exactly the way we can cure ourselves from serious chronic and even untreatable illnesses.
[71534]
From a “Talk on Integral Education” #11, 12/16/11

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It says: “There are many thoughts in a man’s heart, but the salvation of the Creator comes in the blink of any eye.” So all our claims are justified, but they should all come down to one claim: We need to reveal the Creator; otherwise, we have no chance to understand, feel, advance, or achieve success. This means that we cannot remain the way we are, not understanding anything and not reaching anything, and we cannot come out of this state.

This desperate, hopeless state is the best; it is exactly the way things should be. It is the revelation of the vessel that really needs treatment. But it has to be revealed as a result of clarifying the problems, the intentions, the “there is none else besides Him” from the start, that everything that I do is in order to reveal the Creator. What do I need it for? Because this is the goal of creation and I bring Him contentment by that.

The revelation of the Creator can only be in our collective vessel, in a collective desire. We build this collective desire from the points in the heart, which we connect when we rise above ourselves. Except for the points in the heart, everything else is our beastliness, and we lower it downwards. Thus we clarify the total structure of our general soul. That’s the way it should be.

The revelation of the Creator takes place unintentionally, which means in great confusion, and it is good. We should only hold on to the thought, to the intention, to the search, and add it to the joy of “what kind of work we, of all people, were given.” You may be dreaming of another place, of sitting at home in front of the TV, in an armchair, watching some series, or something like that. But just think of how special you are of all the billion people in the world, in order to help them, in order to discover Him, in order to serve the friends and in that to find peace and joy.

Now I’ve probably confused you even more….
[71265]
From the Arava Arvut Convention Lesson #2, 2/23/12

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To help us identify the intention, to receive or to bestow, special conditions have been: Each one sees himself existing in a big world of still, vegetative, animate, and human nature.

When the intention to receive approaches the very surface of consciousness, a person becomes despaired of this life. He might not yet realize it, but in reality, his despair was evoked by the egoistic intention. Everything is evaluated in relation to the intention, and everything is revealed in thoughts.

We need to clearly analyze ourselves to see the evil of egoism and acknowledge that the altruistic reality, which is opposite to it, may end up being good. This is why we suddenly end up in a group, which is given to us for this reason. No one thought or planned to join it, to study, and to work on establishing a connection with friends. However, since our egoistic intention has exhausted itself, the time has come to elucidate how evil it is. And then we find ourselves among people, who strive towards the same thing: They also wish to figure out what our life is about. And it is nothing like life in the egoistic intention. And even though the realization will come later, the analysis of the situation has already begun.

As a result, these people are gathered by a root, which created our egoistic existence; it gathers them so we would get our lives in order. It brings us closer (also in space) according to the similarity in qualities, that is, our intentions. It does not matter where we live and what we do; we become close in our analysis of the intention and then we suddenly become acquainted with each other. We begin to recognize each other all over the place only by our intention to receive, and we get together only in accordance with it.

All the friends are selected above and come to this final stage of development in our world, coming closer to the line, where it becomes clear that the love affair with egoism has come to an end, it is impossible to go on this way, the time has come to change the vector and move on to a different kind of existence, the intention to bestow.

So we would feel the need for it, the same root has prepared accordingly: Suddenly all our actions show how evil they are, the world appears broken, and we are broken between us. The crisis grasps the entire humanity, and us as its inner part.

• For the masses, this
 manifests as a deterioration of living conditions: They simply cannot live
 as before, even though they are not yet able to discover the cause of the
 events. People want to continue using their neighbors—and they are
 unable to do it. This also makes them recognize the evil, but so far instinctively,
 and not in the form of the egoistic intention: They fail to achieve things
 in the given conditions, and do not know the recipe for success.
• Moreover, there
 is our group where friends recognize the reason: They are failing because of the intention.

People, who identify the intention as the cause of all the evil, are called “the head,” while people, who are simply unhappy, are called “the body.” This way the group becomes “the head” of the entire humanity.

This way, together with his friends, man discovers their breaking, and together they discover the reason for it. And the world, which also discovers the breaking, gradually receives the realization of evil from this group: the understanding of why things are the way they are. This way the group and the world connect between them.

In reality they are initially connected, and they are just gradually beginning to realize it. Soon, we will discover how much the people need our analysis, which uncovers how evil the egoistic intention is, because they are unable to do it on their own. Our objective is to reveal this knowledge to the world, in other words, to provide integral upbringing.
[71257]
From the Arava Arvut Convention Lesson #1, 2/23/12

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Question: Since I came to the convention I am talking with the “Pharaoh” in me; I ask him questions and he answers me. He says: “whatever you do, you are enjoying it.” I go to work in the kitchen, Pharaoh says: “it doesn’t matter, you are still enjoying it.” If I clean the toilets, I enjoy that too. Finally I say to Pharaoh that I have one goal for which I came to the convention, another goal to reach the state in which everyone is connected. Pharaoh in me says that even this connection I am waiting for, is eventually for me. If so, what should I do?

Answer: Enjoy! I say this seriously. If I can do different things for the society, both physical and mental, to think about them all the time and to enjoy it, that’s wonderful. Who says that we have to suffer?

But after several such actions, you will suddenly see that you don’t enjoy it anymore. Suddenly you will ask: “What do I need all this for, why?” and so on. Then “Pharaoh” is revealed.

At first there are the “seven years of satiation,” everything is nice in an egoistic manner. Indeed, your Pharaoh is right, he says that whatever you do, you do it for him. So do it for him, like in Egypt in the first seven years of satiation where everyone works doing everything for Pharaoh and then eventually discover that it is the force of evil.

Why does the evil Pharaoh suddenly appear instead of the good Pharaoh? It is because we advance toward the Creator. As we advance, the desire that previously looked good begins to seem evil. The group is good, the study is good, the friends are good, I want to be with them and to be on duty, to clean the toilets, to work in the kitchen, everything is nice and I enjoy every minute that I am in this society—this is how every beginner who comes to the group feels. Then suddenly he begins to feel disrespect, to explode, not to care about anything, he doesn’t feel like doing things and doesn’t want anything: “What duties? What for?”

Why? This is because the “seven years of hunger” begin. What is hunger? A person doesn’t feel pleasure in being in the group, in being with the friends—and this is advancement.

Everything is revealed according to the order of the degrees. We should be happy and serious and follow that line carefully, and accept whatever is revealed along the way. The Torah tells us about it; after all, the Torah is an instruction (they have the same root in Hebrew); it tells us where you will get stuck and what you should do on the way to the revelation of Godliness.

So you have no choice, you have to enter Egypt, you have to do this kind of work, and you have to come out. Only then do you receive the Torah, the instruction of how to advance more clearly.

This is because the Torah is only about the correction of the desires. You correct your 613 desires from the intention of “in order to receive” to the intention of “in order to bestow,” and then you discover the Creator.
[71268]
From the Arava Arvut Convention Lesson #2, 2/23/12

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Preparation to the Lesson
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Shamati #203 “Man’s Pride Shall Bring Him Low“
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The Book of Zohar – Selected Chapter “Beresheet (Genesis),” “Pure Marble Stones,” Item 252, Lesson 73
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Question: When you are incorporated in a collective action, you sometimes feel united with the friends even in your thoughts, but at the last moment you feel that something is missing, an effort within an effort, the last drop. How can we achieve this last drop so we can come to the general cry, so that we will be able to open our hearts once and for all?

Answer: That last drop is exactly the point of birth, the point of the exodus from Egypt, and it’s the most difficult. A person is ready to go almost to the end, and then he sees a wall in front of him, something he can’t overcome, and suddenly he has endless excuses. His evil inclination tells him, “You still have to take care of this and that, you haven’t studied all of the Study of the Ten Sefirot yet, you don’t know all the Shamati articles yet, there is still so much you have to do,” and so on.

And it’s the same in relation to the friends, meaning that when you actually reach the point that you can now break your ego and connect, to make the welding point between you and the friends, you can’t do it. To create a point of soldering means that this drop of glue will now fall on the connection between you and the friends, and glue you together in a single adhesion. You can’t do that. At the last moment you suddenly pull back.

Only a general effort will help here. Therefore the prayer of an individual doesn’t help. A prayer should be the “prayer of the many,” when you pray for the friends and not for yourself, and when the entire group or most of the group prays together. But you are telling us about an individual effort. You can tell me about an individual effort for another thousand years, nothing will happen to you. The direction is familiar but it’s wrong because you don’t worry about the connection with the friends.
[71426]
From the Arava Arvut Convention Lesson #3, 2/24/12

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Question: What is the small effort that needs to be applied by each person in order to open his heart and finally reveal the opening into the spiritual world?

Answer: First and foremost I must include everyone in my heart. You can think it over or keep it in your sensations. It all depends on how you work in the heart and in the mind. You might not want to remain in your sensations; it depends on the person. For me, it helps to add reason because it strengthens my sensation. I absorb everything into my heart and remember that the entire universe is contained within a person, and that he embodies the entire world. I include all my friends in my heart because for the time being I’m unable to include the entire world. If I posses an aspiration toward my fellow friends, then undoubtedly they posses an aspiration toward me as well. We don’t even need to talk about it. I really begin to feel that they exist within me, like a mother that feels her children within.

Thereby I obtain a more accurate perception of reality, which exists within me. Baal HaSulam writes that the picture of the world occurs in the back of our brain and the sensation of the world occurs in our heart. There is no world outside of my sensation.

My heart is Malchut of the world of Infinity, but if I include everyone within me, then I become Adam ha Rishon (the First Man) and the picture of the Creator becomes revealed within me. My material will obtain the form of Adam and when the Creator’s form becomes enrobed in it, it’s called adhesion of the Creator with the creation, or unification of Zeir Anpin with Malchut.

I receive confirmation from every end that all I need to do is absorb all of reality within. I begin this by working with friends because we can influence and help one another. The first opening of the heart depends upon my understanding of the fact that I don’t have another option. I’ve raised my hands in despair, seeing that I haven’t achieved anything. I’ve become certain that there’s no other way to reach the source of life and to attain its purpose. Therefore, I’m ready to open up.

Although it may be that you might decide that you haven’t explored all your options. This is because a person’s egoism always tries to convince him that he can still try to obtain success on his own through different means. Only as a result of becoming totally disappointed one agrees to unite with friends. This is the last thing left for me to do. If I become disappointed with all of my pursuits, if all of my attempts to succeed end in failure, only then as a result of my hopelessness, despair, and extreme pressure do I agree to unite.

This is similar to an infant that would be glad to remain inside the mother, he doesn’t want to leave, but the pressure is pushing him out of her! Do you think that the sons of Israel wanted to exit Egypt? While they were in the desert they already regretted leaving Egypt where they had everything. No one wants to be born into the spiritual world because we’re all egoists. It’s a very difficult transition and that’s why it’s so narrow (Tzar) and it’s called the birthing pains (Tzirim).

It’s said that a pregnant doe goes high into the mountains and until a snake comes along and bites her, the doe will not be able to give birth. The snake represents the worst egoism, and until it becomes revealed in a person, he isn’t ready to be born.
[71428]
From the Arava Arvut Convention Lesson #3, 2/24/12

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The prayer of the many means the praying for others. You will come out of the dark, only if you worry about others. This is our only work. But see what we have to go through in this world throughout history in our evolution by different blows and preparations, until we attain this. And what is all this for, meaning science, technology, all these crises, the economic problems, everything? From the negativity of everything around us we’ll reach the understanding that there is no other choice but to connect.

We cannot reach connection directly. Only when a person examines his dealings and sees that they’re futile is he ready to exert himself in the spiritual work. Even then he is not ready, but he comes to the group and is empowered there. He is empowered positively and negatively and then he is ready for connection.

Of course, it is done by blows. The plagues of Egypt are all for connection. We experience disappointments as a group and individually, and this is in order for us to realize our own helplessness and to understand that there is no other way to advance but by connection. Only then will we be ready to exit Egypt. Through all the sufferings, all the plagues of Egypt we read about, all the hard work, and when they wanted to build beautiful cities, through hard, thankless labor, they suddenly discover that they don’t get anything from all that. All the years of hunger they experience, all the plagues are on their ego which doesn’t let them connect.

How many plagues do they have to experience until they understand that there’s no choice but to escape—into the darkness, no matter where or how—only to escape? But this work can be done easily. We are on a different level of development than the level of which the Torah speaks. We don’t have to experience all this physically. They have been through all that already. Every spiritual action must have a copy in corporeality, and this action already took place in history, so now it can take place only in spirituality.

So our path is really much shorter. There is only the spiritual effort left without suffering in material bondage, wandering in the desert, and without going through all those phases. It remains only to make spiritual effort and to connect!
[71435]
From the Arava Arvut Convention Lesson #3, 2/24/12

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Question: All the people who have gathered here and the whole world Kli are actually depicted inside me. They all want one thing only: that I will reach the Creator. So why don’t I want that?! It turns out that I draw this barrier, but does it really exist?

Answer: The barrier is in my heart; it is a psychological barrier. What kind of a Machsom (barrier) are we talking about? I have to change my vision from looking at myself to looking at the friends. This shift, this inversion, that I have to make is called the Machsom.

But if we make mutual efforts in order to start treating society this way, to see it as more important than myself and let it enter my heart, then this collective thought helps me. This is called “every man shall help his friend,” and this collective thought gives everyone the power to carry it out. It is as the Rabash says that in every one of us there is a very small spiritual power, this inversion has a very small power, but together, when everyone gets the power from everyone, we will be able to do it.

We will make collective efforts, everyone on his own and all of us together, in the world Kli, in all its parts, in all its kinds, all of us together. That’s how it’s done. And for sure, for sure we will succeed. Nothing will prevent us. It is our only free action. The Creator is expecting this from us; the world is expecting this from us, although it doesn’t realize that yet.

There is nothing here but the fact that everyone should incorporate himself in others or let everyone enter his heart. If we all think about that, you will see what the results will be. We have come to transcend the Machsom, so let’s make an effort. This is what we are doing here and now.
[71424]
From the Arava Arvut Convention Lesson #3, 2/24/12

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