Question: How can I avoid making mistakes and diversions along the way if I have to totally annul myself?

Answer: To annul myself doesn’t mean to totally erase myself. Self-annulment means that although I have the greatest egoistic desire, I am ready to work without any reward for my desire to receive, without any compensation for my ego.

I have pride, lust, envy, etc.; I would like to be like the King! I come to the palace and offer my devoted help. I can really do any kind of work in the palace, arranging and fixing everything. There isn’t a job that I cannot do!

Instead I am told: “Great! The king has a farm far away from here, on the border of his kingdom. Go there and wash the floor. It will take you twenty years to get there. You will wash the floor and then come back and report to us; that will take you another twenty years. So your whole life will go by, but never mind, you will at least do something for the King. We, his ministers, give you this mission. We will not even tell Him about it, why should we bother Him with such trifles? It is enough for you to know that you are doing this job for Him. At the moment we have no other available job.”

You gladly take this job and dedicate your whole life to washing the floor in some distant place about which the King will never know and his ministers have long forgotten about the mission that you were given.

This example shows us a little of what self-annulment means. It means that you don’t annul your desire to receive; you annul your demands. We cannot annul the thickness, the thickness is not refined; it only ascends or descends according to the Creator’s plan with regard to everyone individually or to everyone together. But it is not refined; it is only revealed or concealed.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/6/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Lately we have been speaking a lot about self-annulment. And this is no accident; I hope that we really are approaching it. Even though the ego is propelling us, we need to be directed to adhesion.

At the time of adhesion with the upper, I see myself as a part of some machine and I need to connect to it with each cell, each organ, every part of my “body” so as to integrate exactly into the work of this machine.

I don’t have a “head,” meaning, self-understanding; I need to annul all my thoughts, all my calculations, and all my desires. My only pleasure, my singular intention, and my singular desire are directed at how to integrate with this machine. Let everything pass through me, but I do not participate in it to begin with. I do everything as if I do not exist. They will activate me 100%, not only will they tell me what to do, but they will also activate me; this is called self-annulment.

After that comes disagreement, criticism, bad impulses, clarification, disappointments, complaints…and together with all this, I need to annul myself all the time to participate in the work of this machine. I find myself in it “outstretched and open to it as if I do not exist, and even though the desire and the mind begin to work inside me, I, with all this, still continue to annul myself. That’s how the fetus grows inside the womb: The Light of Ein Sof passes through me, but I take it only in the Behinat Nefesh.

The fetus annuls himself in the level of Nefesh, in the level of still, in Aviut Shoresh, the root level of the desire. Precisely because of that, all the Lights of NRNHY de Nefesh can pass through me. All his work in Mocha and Liba, mind and heart, in Galgalta ve Eynaim (GE) and AHP, in all his participation with Partzuf Ima, with Bina, is by him annulling himself. No matter how many thoughts and desires will pass through him, no matter how much he will be confused, no matter what obstacles will stand in his way, he continues to annul himself, and by that he is able to be part of the “body” of Ima (mother), to be inside her.

The fetus does not activate itself in any way even though all its parts are growing. They grow and work in annulment. The mother does everything through the umbilical cord, and the fetus completely annuls itself; each part of the fetus works only in annulment. Otherwise, he is not ready to be born; he could not become a complete newborn. He still doesn’t have the form of “man.” Therefore, he must finish his work of annulment toward the upper.

He moves, his heart, his lungs, and all the rest of his parts are working properly, but only in annulment. We don’t understand this, we think that this is simply a small man and that everything works in a regular way, but the whole form of the work is in annulment towards the upper. Otherwise birth is in danger.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/4/13, “A Speech for the Completion of The Zohar”

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Question: What symbolizes the correction in three lines?

Answer: Correction in three lines is the ability to differentiate the influence of the Light, the desire to bestow (right line), from the influence of the desire to receive (left line), and the ability to be in the middle between them, in order to couple them and connect them together in the middle line.

If a person works in above reason in order to connect his vessels of reception with the force of bestowal that exists in him, this means that he is the middle line, in his middle point and is doing corrections in three lines.

In this case, he does not use his real Malchut, but only Malchut that rises to Yesod. It means that he scrutinizes the vessels, which will be in the correct connection and participation of Malchut and Bina. Correction in three lines is possible only after the second restriction (Tzimtzum Bet) when it is clear to us that Malchut is not capable of receiving any Light in herself, but only under the condition that she rises to the level of Bina. (Rising in spirituality symbolizes correction.)

At the time that Malchut rises to Bina, they partially connect. Malchut clarifies which of its qualities it can use in order to be in contact with the Light, with the Keter.

In order to be similar to Keter and to be bestowing like the Keter, it must connect with Bina and become similar to her, the same as Bina. At the time of Bina expanding from top to bottom, she wanted to be similar to Keter with all the depth of her coarseness (Aviut). A correct joining between Malchut and Bina brings Malchut to the calculation in the middle line.

It cannot be a prayer (MAN) without correction of three lines. However, the upper receives our prayer the first time when we request the first contact and are ready to turn into a spiritual fetus that annuls and restricts itself completely. Meanwhile, we don’t have correction of three lines. But later we start the period of the “three days of the absorption of semen” in which the three lines: right, left, and middle are created. From here onward begins the development of these three lines.
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From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/29/13, The Study of the Ten Sefirot

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Baal HaSulam, “A Speech for the Completion of The Zohar“: Hence, those with attainment can compose books and put their attainments to writing in intimations and allegories. They will be understood by all who have been rewarded with the degrees that the books describe, and they will have common attainment with them. But those who have not been rewarded with the full measure of the degree as the authors will not be able to understand their intimations. It is even more so with those who have not been rewarded with any attainment; they will not understand a thing about them, as they have no common attainments.

If a person attains something, then according to his understanding he can imagine and clarify, at least a little, what Kabbalists on other levels feel. But of course, a person who has not been through the levels that the books speak about cannot understand what they are like. Of course, if a person is only in this world and has not acquired any spiritual attainment on any level, he will certainly not be able to imagine correctly anything that is said in Kabbalah books.

Question: Can we say that two people who are in the same spiritual world attain the same level of annulment?

Answer: But each one does only in his own way and according to his specific measure.

Question: So in what way is their annulment equal and in what way are they different?

Answer: Suppose I started studying in a university together with my clever talented friend; he is clever and I am not so clever, and so we are each required to make different efforts. He, along with his study, manages to have fun and to look for work; everything is easy for him, while poor me, I have to sweat over my books from morning to night and don’t see the light of day. Eventually we both graduate: He has a diploma and I have a diploma. This is what usually happens in our world.

But in spirituality it’s different; the whole point is the efforts a person makes. I feel the level that I acquire to the full depth of NRNHY, while he attains the minimal level of Nefesh. Therefore it says, “The reward is according to one’s sorrow.” The sorrow in this case is a person’s exertion. This is the way the opposite value between Lights and vessels is arranged.

Question: So what does it mean to be in the same world with someone?

Answer: We are on the same level, but the depth, the recognition, the understanding, the reasons, and the outcomes are different for each of us. On every level there are the Lights of NRNHY, the Sefirot KHB-ZON, the levels of the still nature, the vegetative, the animate and the speaking. A cat lives in our world just like us, but what does it understand compared to us? It’s the same in spirituality: What will a desire on the level of a “cat” understand and feel?

Question: If two people worry about one another and each one does his best, how can their effort be compatible?

Answer: Each one’s specific personal force doesn’t change, just like stem cells. It is rather the efforts and the exertion that change: to what extent each one has made efforts and is incorporated in everyone. If I am incorporated in everyone at my root point, at the end of correction I attain what you attain and we are totally adhered. But each of us can reach this adhesion from this root point.

Thus we differ in the initial “root” point in which there is no thickness (no “thickness” of the desire), but only the difference, the root, the posterior of Nefesh of Kedusha. We take everything else from the whole general vessel, eventually, we become equal in our attainment, in our understanding, in everything, but each one still sees it from his initial point. We remain different, the root disparity that comes from the Creator remains, and from it we begin to see and to discover His richness and variedness.

Question: The picture at the end of correction is clear, but what happens along the way?

Answer: All the friends are in the same world, but each one thinks and understands differently. Each one has his own abilities and skills: one is more talented in music or in painting, another writes books, and another makes movies, and still another only knows how to fix a flat tire. It’s the same in spirituality: At the end of correction there are no differences, but in the intermediate levels during the ascent, everyone attains the world in his own way, of course.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/6/13, “A Speech for the Completion of The Zohar”

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Question: What can a woman do if dissemination takes 5-6 hours a day and there is no time left for group work, in particular, to participate in workshops? How can we prioritize our time?

Answer: I think that one must necessarily devote a certain amount of time to their inner work. Although dissemination to the general public is very important because without it we will not advance, but if you do not pay attention to internal spiritual advancement, it’s not good.

You will fall behind in the material; you will not be with everyone as in one team, etc. We must still prioritize so that the inner work, meaning participation in women’s workshops, in general lessons and workshops, does not suffer because of external dissemination. You should tighten the schedule and not miss our general activities, especially workshops.

But without dissemination, it’s impossible as well, not because someone calls us to it, but rather because we reveal internally those gaps that will be filled with the upper Light. If we study without passing it to others, we remain just empty smart alecks because only mechanical knowledge will enter us, but not spiritual.
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From the Virtual Lesson 2/3/13

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Question: How can we combine the work in unity and dissemination correctly?

Answer: Work in dissemination unites by itself. Precisely in the process of dissemination, many people are brought closer together, stay in the group, do not leave it, unite with each other, and find their closest friends.

I believe that dissemination is a huge gift that fate has given us because it was impossible to disseminate in the past, and you can do it now. In addition to Kabbalah, there is integral education, which is a great place where we can unite.
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From the Virtual Lesson 2/3/13

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Question: Is it typical in the formation of the group to have periods when the need for unity arises from lessons, workshops, conventions, or from participation in dissemination?

Answer: I know for myself that I was involved in one or another. All of a sudden I wanted to further explore the material, or to disseminate more, or to be engaged precisely in spiritual ascent, or in some “mundane” things like making the layout for books or preparing them for publication. A person always has these swings in different directions. We have to go through all of them. This is a natural period of our growing up, and then everything gradually comes into balance.
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From the Virtual Lesson 2/3/13

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Opinion (Gary Cohn, President of Goldman Sachs Group Inc.): “Goldman Sachs Group Inc. President Gary Cohn said Europe still faces ‘fundamental problems’ and policy makers lack plans to foster economic growth in southern European nations. Spain’s recession deepened in the last quarter of 2012 and its economy is set to shrink a second year in 2013, undermining the government’s efforts to reorder public finances amid a 26 percent unemployment rate.”

My Comment: When will financiers finally stop dreaming of new growth? Already for many years, they have been producing just to buy, throw away, and buy again. They are ready to lend for this purpose and they live in a dreamland that all this will continue. Of course, the process of establishing new (necessary, rational) needs runs consistently and gradually, but it is strongly implemented around the world by Nature.
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Opinion (Michael Khazin, economist): “The feelings of the end of 2011 were optimistic. Everyone was confident that the crises would end in 2012. … But by the end of 2012, the situation began to change dramatically. The main example of that was the report of the U.S. intelligence community about the future of the world in 2030. The report itself is not crucial, what is important is that none of the reviewed scenarios considers the option of the U.S. dominance in that period. …

“It is not just an important event, it is in some ways a radical change in the conditions of human existence in the last 2000 years. … Since then, there was always a group of people who were ready to take responsibility for the entire humanity, offering universal “rules of the game.” Originally, they were built only on the basis of the Biblical values (Christian global projects and Islam), then, from the 16^th century, there were also projects that began to limit the Biblical value system (the global capitalist project). …

“Today, we see that the elite of the “capitalist” project … is ready to hold back and give up on imposing the rules of conduct and social behavior.

“But people in all the countries and regions are not ready to write rules for themselves. This means that they will be established spontaneously and not always peacefully and safely. …

“Unless someone takes responsibility again by proposing common rules. But there will be a problem because in any case this “someone” will have to be strong enough to explain to the nervous opponents that some things should not be done. …

“I think that it was namely the refusal of the elite of the “capitalist” project to dominate globally that became the main result of the previous year. …. The crisis that we faced was not only economic; it has already reached the systemic level.”

My Comment: For those who study Kabbalah, it is clear that with the destruction of connection with the upper world 2000 years ago, religion (the religious project) prevailed in the world, which was replaced during the time of Ari (the 16^th century, the beginning of correction of the world) with the economic project. All these are the stages of development of egoism that are manifested in the form of various “projects.”

In 1995, we actively entered the latest “project”—the correction of egoism, integral humanity, ascent to the upper stages of unity, bestowal, and love—unwillingly, through suffering, or knowingly, with joy. No one but Kabbalists wants and is able to lead us forward because we know the next states of humanity.
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