Question: How is it possible to determine that the Creator is the one who arranges the problems between the friends if He is concealed and we don’t see Him?

Answer: There is none else besides Him. We simply need to believe that and act accordingly until He is revealed. Then we will see that it is so.

How do I act in a spiritual manner? When I work on closeness, I need to act that way, as if I am in front of the Creator. Do I believe that? No. I don’t believe it.

Religious people believe that they pray to the Creator. We don’t behave like that. We try to perform acts of bestowal as if the Creator is within us. The Creator is the attribute of bestowal, and we imagine that He, as it were, is in us, and in this way we act.

In this way we invite upon ourselves His acts of the Surrounding Light, until He really is revealed, is clothed, and acts on us.

Thus our acts are called a game since we play at it as if we were already in the upper world, like small children who play at being grownup, and in this way we attain all of His attributes. But if a child doesn’t play at this, he becomes an adult, and will be older, but still a child.

Thus, in comparison to various other methods, we don’t just see ourselves in our future state, but want to realize it now. Thus there can’t be such a situation that next to me there exists another group, and I wouldn’t want to come in contact with it. How could I imagine a future world, my next level, if at the same time, I wouldn’t want to be connected with another group? Is that the future?
[94031]
From a Virtual Lesson 11/11/12

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The main point we constantly should guard as our inner goal is the principle of “There is none else besides Him.” The Creator is the reason for every state, every thought, every perception, for everything that happens. There is only one force managing me and the world around me, and nothing but that.

It is all meant so that I, through my connection with the world, at every moment, in every event and in every action, both internally and externally, will reach the understanding that “There is none else besides Him” within the global circle. This is called adhesion within the general vessel. This is our work, and this is what we focus on.

However, the world is big, and, so, we begin with the group (1), and only then move on to the rest of the world (2). I must connect with the group through different cases and problems, and it should be the most important thing for me now. When I turn to the group, I also must remember the world as the second part of my work.

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Preparation to the Lesson

“Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Item 42, Lesson 14

The Book of Zohar – Selected Excerpt, Parashat “Emor,” Item 204, Lesson 18

Talmud Eser Sefirot, Vol. 3, Part 8, “Histaklut Pnimit,” Item 14, Lesson 43

“Exile and Redemption”

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Question: The ascent that is felt during a convention is cultivated on purpose: during meals, lessons, and breaks. Do we need to organize unification after the convention in our daily life?

Answer: Of course! A convention is needed so that it does not pass in vain, so that after it we begin serious work on unity in this region, create a serious Siberian group, consisting of serious guys who will really unite in the Trans-Ural region, so that they truly feel themselves masters and begin good work among themselves.

They can make an effort; they have a good environment there—an environmentally clean spiritual space. So, I think that they will be able to accomplish a lot. That is a very good place for spiritual work. I hope that I will feel this; we will connect with them, and then we will move forward together.

I wish you all the best! And once again I am asking: everyone who can, come; I want to see all of you. You cannot lose! You can only win! Come, so not to regret later.

I am waiting for you in Novosibirsk!
[94113]
From a Virtual Lesson 11/25/12

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Question: What actions are most effective for drawing the upper Light at the convention in Novosibirsk?

Answer: The most effective activities at the convention are workshops. There will be a lecture or talk before every workshop. We study a certain topic there, and afterward conduct a workshop based on this topic, and then questions and answers. This is the main “package,” which will be held twice a day. Thus, we will have six lessons in three full days.

In addition, there will be other very effective events. The most important of them are gathering of friends, necessary for “warming up” 15-30 minutes before the morning lesson. Then, there will be meals, held in the form of gatherings with speeches, group presentations and so on. In general, the convention will include plenty of activities. But gathering of friends and workshops are the key things.

The most important thing is your connection and I am within it. Together, we will draw the upper Light. So, get ready!
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From a Virtual Lesson 11/25/12

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Question: At the Novosibirsk congress there are singles events planned for young and older people to meet with the intention of creating a Kabbalistic family. What are your suggestions?

Answer: Attention! There will be a special singles event held during the congress for young or future Kabbalists. I’m very supportive of this. A person needs help along the path. I think that everyone needs it.

If there’s an opportunity to come then people should come. If you haven’t created a family yet then I strongly advise that you try to find your partner among the Kabbalists.

I am very happy that such an event will take place during the congress. After all, the more Kabbalistic families the better.
[94107]
From the Virtual Lesson 11/25/12

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Question: We often think about how to come to a state of prayer. On the other hand, a convention is such a joyful act…

Answer: A prayer should not be sad. A prayer is an expectation of correction. Should I cry, kneel and beat my head against a wall? There is nothing like this.

A prayer is a feeling in the heart. I want my heart to be corrected. I prepare it so that it goes through changes, stops being egoistic, stops thinking about itself.

Once the heart stops thinking about itself, I immediately begin to feel the upper world. This is what I want! This is called a prayer! Nothing else.

Question: But we are saying that we need to come to a state of despair, powerlessness, some very difficult feeling, but a convention symbolizes a state of joy, unity. How can I put this into one?

Answer: It is also very simple.

Despair must be joyful. That is, I despaired of my own abilities—look, what I have accomplished! I no longer have hope for myself.

Baal HaSulam writes that there is no more joyous moment in a person’s life when he feels that in no way he can help himself, and nothing will help him but only a miracle from Above, this is when it happens. There is no happier moment than the feeling that only this will save him. What could be better?
[94110]
From a Virtual Lesson 11/25/12

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It says “there is not a blade of grass below that doesn’t have an angel Above beating it and telling it to grow,” which means that a force from the upper world that matches the grass in the lower world, beats it and forces it to grow according to its role. These blows are felt in the feelings and in the mind, but first of all in our feelings, since we are a vessel of feeling, a desire to receive, which begins to move as a result of the blows.

A blow is felt by the desire when it suddenly discovers that the old images it had are incorrect. The function of the blow is to make a person feel things more deeply. Just like a hammer hits a nail driving it more deeply into the wood, so does the blow drive us more deeply into the matter of the desire. Then we begin to feel it in a new way and we begin to understand it more deeply.

I am confused because of the blow, and I lose control. But in fact, that’s the way it should be: The more a person advances, the greater are the blows that hit him, he is constantly confused and discovers something new, and thus over and over again. You will soon feel how this mechanism is constantly ticking inside, regularly. These small blows, time after time, make us dive more deeply into a feeling of confusion, and thus help us understand and feel things more.

But in order to truly feel something new, we have to go through many such reincarnations. The amount of confusion is always greater than the amount of feelings, and only after great turmoil and many confusions is there a new feeling. Afterward there is another series of confusions and small revelations and then a new feeling comes along.

To sum up, these blows are beneficial, since the “angels,” which are the forces in charge of our development are giving them out.
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From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/25/12

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In the News (from Nielsen): “Global consumer confidence increased one index point to 92 in Q3 2012, and is up four index points from the same period the previous year (Q3 2011), according to global consumer confidence findings from Nielsen, a leading global provider of information and insights into what consumers watch and buy. …

“Seven in 10 global online respondents (69%) changed their spending habits to save on household expenses, an increase of two percentage points from last quarter and three percentage points from a year ago. Half of global respondents (52%) said they spent less on new clothes and cut back on out-of-home entertainment expenses (48%). Other actions taken by global respondents include saving on gas and electricity (47%), switching to cheaper grocery brands (39%) and cutting down on telephone expenses (33%).”

My Comment: Forced savings will not save us, but it will help us in the transition to a new economy of reasonable (necessary) needs, and the rest of our resources and energy should be directed at the development of a homogeneous integral society.
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