On April 8, 2013, Israel marks the Holocaust Remembrance Day and the Day of Heroism of European Jews. Talking about this, we first need to clarify the big picture, as it is described by the wisdom of Kabbalah, which studies the descent of the general vessel from Infinity and its revelation in our world. Having been broken into parts, this vessel went through additional shattering here and then began to develop in the opposite direction. Essentially, this last stage aimed at correction began in Babylon.

In fact, we can start counting from Adam, but we are talking not about personal advancement, but about collective advancement. It became possible when the part worthy of correction emerged in the general vessel and, as it is always happens in such cases, took the responsibility for itself and for all the other parts. This is the law stemming from the structure of the integral, “analog” system, closed and completely dependent on its original ten Sefirot.

So, Abraham created the first group in the Ancient Babylon, and it became responsible for the correction of the general vessel. Abraham carried out a different kind of correction with the rest of Babylonians, and that later gave birth to various religions and beliefs. And the more effectively this group used its unity for the benefit of all the other parts, the further it developed.

This group, which in the future became named the people of Israel. It carried out correction by being connected with other souls, with other nations that lived in the land of Canaan—if we use corporeal terms to define the spiritual relationships in the general vessel. Then, there was the Egyptian exile, and after exiting it, the followers of Abraham began to correct themselves practically, reached the height of the First Temple, fell from that level into the Babylonian exile, returned and built the degree of the Second Temple, and then fell for millennia until our times.

Thus, the group of Abraham is responsible for the process of correction of the world. The program of this development consists of two parts, specifying the path of the group and the path of humanity. Moreover, the development of the group depends on the development of the world. The group doesn’t exist for itself, it is inseparable from the general community, and that is why the corrections that it carries out could suffice it, but not the world. As a consequence, throughout history, the nation of Israel has been falling, suffering, and experiencing distress.  [Read more →]

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Question: How do we work together in a group that surrenders itself to the upper?

Answer: For this, each one bows his head to each of the friends. With the help of the shattering of the Kelim you have been given the opportunity to work with the friends as with the Creator. You cannot see and attain this with your uncorrected desires; therefore, you work with the group.

The further you are from the upper Light, the further you are also from the friends. This builds the right state in you, a “shared field” where you can “play” and train with them. Your attitude to them is precisely your attitude to the Creator, but here you see results, you work together with them on changes of state, both in you and in the friends.

The Creator is absolute, and within the group there is reciprocity, the changes there prepare you much better for an encounter with Him. For you have two desires in you—a desire to receive and a desire to bestow—that appear before your ego and the ego of the friends; and through this you acquire a complete Kli ready to face the Creator.

The truth of the matter is that everything is prepared through divine wisdom, which supplies you with everything necessary in the form of the group for the entire path.

Suppose that you need to rise from level 120 to level 121. There, you find yourself in concealment also, and even further concealment, in absolute darkness, where there is no memory of the Creator, and inexplicable thoughts and feelings overwhelm you… so how do we rise from this terrible darkness to the next level? We do this only with the help of the group, as did the students of Rabbi Shimon. And you again discover that all the relationships between the friends are precisely adjusted for shaping this new level.

Question: So what can the group do to submit itself and to rise to the next level?

Answer: The group doesn’t need to submit itself; rather every member needs to submit himself to the concept of connection and unity. And then all of us together build a backing for revealing the Creator, a place for His residence, the Shechinah.

Question: But doesn’t there have to be a shared surrender when we pass through different states?

Answer: You feel what it is to be together, in one “sheaf” (omer). The main thing is to nullify, in other words, to submit yourself, with all your strength to build a connection between the friends. You humble your pride about the connection and are concerned only that everyone in the group, including the women and children, will be connected; that they will relate to each other with love, with understanding, without a single complaint against another. The Creator gives us a place for efforts, and we simply must build a connection among us. And if not, then there will be no continuation for this…
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From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/5/13, Writings of Rabash  

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As Baal HaSulam and other great Kabbalists write, the most important thing is that every day be as new. The “day” means a moment, not daytime. That is why your every moment should be new! And this is the main thing.

Wake up, get up, and shake yourself at any time of the day and night as if you are reborn. Cross out all that was before: all our old problems and relationships. No past problems! No emotional baggage!

Forget all the bad things that were in each group and between the groups, between all the groups and me as well. Reset, restart!
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From the European Convention in Germany 3/24/13, Lesson 6

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Question: What is the difference between special people (composers, scientists, architects, artists, inventors, writers, etc.) and the masses? Why are some born talented and others not?

Answer: All of humanity is divided into levels, by the power of the “point in the heart,” the aspiration for the Light, Creator. Those in whom this tendency is clear become Kabbalists, and those in whom this tendency is less “become” talented because they subconsciously and intuitively sense the internal laws of Higher Nature and strive to present them in their creations or inventions. And the masses are called to carry out their instructions, learn from them, and adore them. In our time, “talented” people have disappeared and only Kabbalists are left…
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Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Item 14: I once interpreted the saying of our sages, “He whose Torah is his trade.” The measure of his faith is apparent in his practice of Torah because the letters of the word, Umanuto (his trade), are the same (in Hebrew) as the letters of the word, Emunato (his faith).

It is like a person who trusts his friend and lends him money. He may trust him with a pound, and if he asks for two pounds he will refuse to lend to him. He might also trust him with one hundred pounds, but not more. Also, he might trust him enough to lend him half his property, but not all his property. Finally, he may trust him with all his property without a hint of fear. This last faith is considered “whole faith,” and the previous forms are considered “incomplete faith.” Rather it is partial faith, whether more or less.”

Question: If I trust someone with all my property, it must be someone I know very well who is reliable and someone I trust. Here, on the contrary, we are talking about the Creator who is completely concealed from me. How can I trust Him?

Answer: What is more, according to the example, it is the person who sees the Creator as the greatest deceiver. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be any problems.

Question: Where does a person find the power to rise above his reason when the Creator is depicted to him as a great deceiver?

Answer: It is only from the Light that Reforms. It is because we have nothing, but a point of self-discernment that also was created by the Light. We still don’t understand that we have nothing. All our discernments are corporeal and it is impossible to clarify anything spiritual with them.

So, what’s left? It is a point in the heart, a small inclination to rise above the ego, and the external society, a picture of the external group that reflects the Creator’s image and with which I must cooperate, just like with the Creator. This is all that I have: a point in the heart and the group.

Additionally, there is some upper force to which I can turn if I try to be incorporated with the friends. By annulling myself, I want the force of bestowal that resides in them to reside in me too, but not because I want to be saved from the blows and the troubles. No, it is because, by these blows, I have something to give to the friends. Even if I suffer, I can add something; I can give them my devotion.

Question: How can I keep, and not annul, my inner resistance to the upper’s desire?

Answer: I cannot advise you here. The Light guides you, and its guidance focuses you on your inner development. On the way, a person begins to see and feel how the system is built and how its parts are connected. He discovers it internally.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/2/13, Writings of Rabash

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Question: What are the perfect relationships between men and women in the group?

Answer: The perfect relationship is the mutual yearning to unite only our desires for the Creator and not any other desires. It is best if we don’t pay attention to the bodies. It doesn’t matter who I am dealing with, whether it is a man or a woman, but if it disturbs me, I should make it so that it doesn’t disturb me. In fact, in the spiritual world the male and the female desires exist in each of us.

There is a desire to receive, AHP and a desire to bestow, GE. This means that in the spiritual world things don’t take place the way they do in our world in the corporeal bodies. There only the desires connect, the desires for the Creator and no other desires; all the other desires are egoistic, and therefore they don’t exist in spirituality.

If a person wants to eat two meals for lunch, he should go ahead, since it doesn’t stand in the way of his spiritual advancement. If he likes a certain girl, then it doesn’t interrupt his spiritual advancement either. What’s important is what his main desire is focused on. If it is focused on the Creator everything else becomes part of that.

The relationships between men and women in the group should be regulated and organized so that they don’t interrupt the spiritual advancement in any way.

Question: Suppose that I can hug my friend as a man, but I cannot picture myself doing it correctly with women.

Answer: Your relationships with women should be established so that they don’t interfere with spiritual advancement, so that the spiritual and the physical are not confused. Spiritual is spiritual and physical is physical.
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From the European Convention in Germany 3/23/13, Lesson 5

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Question: In the workshops we speak a lot about love. But you often give an example of how great Kabbalists hated each other. I am afraid. Do all of us need to go through this?

Answer: In order to feel hatred, you need to love very strongly, you need to yearn for love. We talk about this a lot in our lessons. All that happens to us, including even the worst things, is all for the good. All is given to us just so that we will rise above all that happens.

If we want to advance, we must advance towards love.

Let’s suppose that now I try to approach someone with love and as a result I feel mutual hatred from him towards me. But my love is only a formal one, and his hatred is, as if, real.

I begin to ask from the upper Light to build real love within me above this hatred. It is said, “Love covers all sins,” all the hatred.

The huge inner hatred is called “Mount Sinai” (sina – hatred in Hebrew). And the love that I acquire is already real love. In this way we advance forward.

Question: How is it possible to acquire real love all at once, bypassing hatred?

Answer: My yearning is only for love and whatever happens on the way is not important. The hatred will appear only so that you will rise above it and love others even more. But due to that, your love will increase and grow, thanks to the hatred that is constantly growing underneath it. It can’t be any other way, because the upper world was created by two contradictory and opposite attributes that connect to one complete whole.
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From the European Convention in Germany 3/23/13, Lesson 5

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“…His religious feeling takes the form of a rapturous amazement at the harmony of natural Law, which reveals an intelligence of such superiority that, compared with it, all the systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection.

Albert Einstein, “The World as I See It”

Question: Often times physicists are required to frame the results of their research in the language of formulas. However, the perfection and harmony of the phenomena they research cannot be confined to formulas. They manifest in sensations that come from Nature and are much more important than any dry numbers.

Answer: There is a physical law that can be defined as follows: “The tension of the field is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the objects.” This law covers various phenomena irrespective of what kinds of power fields to which they belong. Those who happen to understand this law also can feel it. Using our terminology, we would say that with each step we receive two times more Light.

Everything depends on the observer. Knowing (perceiving) is not a part of the formula, but rather, the formula unveils inside our sensations. We live through it and feel its impact on us. If we really know what this formula means, we sense the powers that act in accordance with it.

This also applies in spirituality. Thus, by adding the language of Kabbalah to the texts of The Book of Zohar, Baal HaSulam enhanced our sensations. We cannot see yet how this combination influences us exactly, but at the same time, we know that it allows the Light to impact us effectively and therefore lead us forward.
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From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/29/13, The Zohar

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Preparation to the Lesson

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Writings of Rabash, “Igrot,” Letter 56

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The Book of Zohar – Selected Excerpt, “Ki Tetze,” Item 1, Lesson 1 

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Talmud Eser Sefirot, Vol. 3, Part 10, “Ohr Pnimi,” Item 54, Lesson 27

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Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Lesson 19

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