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Connection Convention Day 2, “The Next Step,” Lesson 3

Connection Convention Day 2, “The Next Step,” Workshop 3

Connection Convention Day 2, “The Next Step,” Lesson 4

Connection Convention Day 2, “The Next Step,” Workshop 4

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All our work is in making the right choice, as it is written: “Choose life!” We constantly have to ascend the ladder to a more qualitative choice. The Creator wants to be revealed to the created beings. He wants them to reveal Him and to feel that He is the only force in the world, good and benevolent. However, we have to discover this by ourselves, in our desires, that is, we have to change ourselves so that we will see that the Creator is good and that is nothing else in the world but His goodness.

Our first choice is by trying to see the revelation of the one upper force in everything that happens in the world. A person should picture himself standing in the middle: On his left side, there is this lively, active world, and on his right side the Creator. A person stands in-between the two and chooses which one will win and who will conduct this entire orchestra: the world itself or the Creator, or perhaps alternately, the two of them together, or perhaps it is the Creator that operates through this world?

It takes quite a while until a person clarifies this. His first choice is that “there is none else besides Him.” And after he determines that there is nothing but the upper force, he then will clarify that it is good and benevolent.

This means that it isn’t enough to see the world under the rule of the single Creator. It’s also necessary to justify His governance of the world and be sure that it is absolutely thanks self-correction.

A person faces this double choice. Later, he begins to clarify even higher levels by “faith above reason,” but the main thing is to make this first decision. This is what the phase of preparation is about, when a person must change himself since nothing changes but the person himself. Thus, he attains the spiritual world.
[105880]
From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/24/13

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Rabash, “We Shall Do and We Shall Hear (2)”: … And since a person must annul his reason and his thoughts before the Creator, he must accustom himself on the outside. This is called “doing,” which is called, “We shall do.” And all those annulments will enable him to annul his reason and thoughts before the Creator.

Thus, it turns out that one who has more knowledge has more work annulling himself before the Creator. But one who is a fool doesn’t need to annul his reason, since he has no reason. It follows that the only merit of reason is that one has something to annul, and this is the only reason why one should aspire for knowledge. And one who is not ready for that, it is better for him to have no knowledge.

This is called “His wisdom is more than his deeds.” This means that he has more knowledge than he can annul, since the annulment is considered doing and not hearing. “Hearing” means understanding, and doing is only by force, without reason. This is called, “We shall do and we shall hear.” Therefore, if he has the power of doing, he will be able to receive hearing because his basis is faith and not knowledge.

We should attain a state in which we can control at least some of our sensations and our mind. If my heart and mind will be under my authority, in my hands, I will be able to use only the part of my desires and intentions in which I can bestow and not receive for myself.

Of course, this is not easy, but we should try to achieve  this. This means that a man is riding on a donkey (Hamor), meaning that he controls and managers his material (Homer).  This means that he controls his matter and allows his thoughts and desires to work only on such a level of quality and quantity that builds the form of Adam (Man) from them, that is similar (Domeh) to the Creator. He does it so that they are all in bestowal and love of others, beyond his selfish interests.

He uses the thoughts and the desires that are aimed at his self-benefit only for basic needs and only if he intends to sanctify them eventually so they will be “in order to bestow” in the next state.

If a person doesn’t let go of this state, it is called “we shall do and we shall hear” and it means working by “faith above reason.” Of course, it is impossible to do this immediately after a person hears about it—if he hears about this type of work at all. It takes quite a while to be under the influence of the Light at the stage of preparation so that the Light will help a person sort out everything that happens in his mind and heart. Eventually, he begins to differentiate between the actions and the intentions, reception and bestowal.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/22/13, Writings of Rabash

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Question: What do I need to do with the thoughts that come to me?

Answer: I need to become an independent, objective judge about what happens to me, without any craftiness or emotion, like an external, unbiased observer. This means that I try to be within my point in the heart, outside my body, outside of my present “self.” Every desire or thought that is awakened in me I accept as coming from the Creator, from “there is none else besides Him,” as a game that He plays with me. On the other hand, I need to decide what to do with this and begin to work accordingly.

Everything that happens is given to me as obstacles. It simply cannot be otherwise since as a rule, before the Machsom there are no good sensations. So, first of all, I need to be thankful for all that comes and accept that all this is for my own good and given to me for the work. And then, I need to start working and to try to build something practical above this obstacle.

While the obstacle remains, I rise above it and build an opposite relationship with it. In this manner, through the group, I search for the source from which I received such thought or desire. I want to unite this thought or desire with its source so that “Israel, Torah, and the Creator will be one.” Israel is myself, acting with my thoughts and desires to transform everything that I receive from the Creator, both good and bad, into material, an area, for our adhesion, connection.

This is called acting according to the condition of “Israel, the Torah, and the Creator are one.” And then I wait, being ready to receive a new obstacle. Someone screams at me, or something happens, or even without an external event my soul feels bad—that’s the Creator is acting on me directly or indirectly. Again, I have to work on this. That is, I search for every opportunity to combine all that happens to me, all the states, with the Creator so as to ultimately accept any state with my heart and soul and to see in it only one thing: His desire to embrace me.

Success depends on whether I see it in this particular way, do I thank the Creator, and do I hurry to embrace Him? To embrace means to come to complete agreement, up to self-sacrifice.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/22/13, Writings of Rabash

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Question: How can we amplify the influence of the Light upon us during the study? What exactly depends on the students?

Answer: We only study about what depends on a person. What isn’t brought into effect by a person doesn’t relate to us, and we cannot understand it for the time being.

It depends on a person to come to the group, to be among his friends, to prepare for the lesson, and to connect to the lesson together with the friends so that everyone will realize that they need to feel what they study. This is the meaning of the lesson, and we can only feel it in the connection between us.

This means that the books tell us about the connection between the friends who desperately want to connect under the influence of the study, of the Light, so that in it, to attain the Creator or their general collective soul in which they will discover Him. This is the meaning of our existence, our development, the study, and of all our activities.

In order to do that, we have to study the articles of Rabash and Baal HaSulam about the connection of the friends in the group, about how the study should be conducted, and about how we should connect in our thoughts and intentions. It is actually very simple: a person, a group, and the Creator who is revealed in the group. And that’s all. Only the right general concentration can generate the desirable result.
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From the Virtual Lesson 4/21/13

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Connection Convention Day 1, “The Next Step,” Lesson 1 

Connection Convention Day 1, “The Next Step,” Workshop 1 

Connection Convention Day 1,  “The Next Step,”  Lesson 2

Connection Convention Day 1, “The Next Step,” Workshop 2 

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Question: Why does spiritual advancement always come through feeling a greater burden, although we work in the group and on fulfilling the method?

Answer: How can you advance if you don’t feel a greater burden, if you don’t have the ego, if you don’t feel that you must correct something? How will you ascend? Where is the mass that you must correct, the mass of which you must sculpt your form that is similar to the Creator?

This means that the ego that was given to us at birth and that grows on every level is the matter from which we form the soul. The soul is the same ego that is made in a form that resembles the Creator. If instead of swallowing everything into the ego, I try to pass the upper Light through me to everyone else, the ego becomes spiritual matter, a Masach (screen) and the Reflected Light. It is then that the soul is formed from it. We learn about this in the “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah” and in Talmud Eser Sefirot.

The Creator created desire so that we can work with it correctly. The desire falls into the egoistic intention. By changing the intention to the opposite, altruistic, intention with the help of the Light, we use this desire in order to bestow. It must constantly develop in us so we ascend all the time and become more similar to the Creator. So, without the constant “falls” into the ego and the corrections that follow them, we cannot ascend.

Just as we walk on two legs, stepping alternately on the left foot and on the right foot, there is also an action and an opposite action in our work. It cannot be any other way in our world. It is because the one force and the other force can only be opposite to Him. How can it be made similar to the Creator, meaning to bring the created being to a state to which it is on the same level, of the same status, as the Creator? This is why the created being was created from matter that acquires the Creator’s form, His image, from the form opposite to Him. A person’s descent is the same as an ascent; it is already the embryo of the next level.
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From the Virtual Lesson 4/21/13

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Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Item 45: And that Light of Nefesh is called “the Light of the holy still in the world Assiya.” This is because it corresponds to the purity of the still part of the will to receive in man’s body. It shines in spirituality like the still category in corporeality (see Item 35), whose particles have no individual motion, but only collective motion, common to all the items equally. So it is with the Light of Partzuf Nefesh of Assiya: Although there are six hundred and thirteen organs in it, …these changes are not apparent in it, but only a general Light, whose action enfolds them all equally, without distinction of details.

The still level is willing to give up its desire and to be under the Masach and restriction, in darkness, in concealment. It’s as if it doesn’t exist at all, holding on to one thing only: adhesion to the Creator, adhesion that it is capable of, meaning minimal one.

Above this state there are the levels of active self-annulment before the Creator that the still level cannot implement. However, it’s capable of passive adhesion within the limits of its abilities, and it’s not after self-benefit in any way.

As we all know, there is a wide variety of different forms on the still level: from the simplest forms to the most complex ones, like corals that are the link between the still and the vegetative levels. There is a difference between gold and diamonds, a diamond is different than copper…. Moreover, the vegetative level belongs to the soil, in which the plants grow. Where do all the differences between these forms of matter come from? The difference is in the levels of Aviut (thickness), in the “layers” of the desire, which one has to give up in order to stay in adhesion with the Creator.

This is how the pyramid of matter is built in our world: There is no shortage of “gravel,” but there are few “diamonds.” Coal burnt in power stations and diamonds are actually made of the same material, but they differ in quality. The difference is in the desire to receive of the still level, and when we relinquish it, we adhere to the Creator on a minimal level.

It’s not a simple level in any way, and it begins from self-restraint, self-annulment, restriction. This is the quality of the first spiritual level.

Question: The still level also develops and evolves in our world. How does that go along with absolute self-annulment?

Answer: Evolution occurs as a result of an external force and not from within. On the whole, the still level “lives” its life. The atoms, molecules, the crystals, and the special vibrations—the whole universe is in continuous motion. “Still” doesn’t mean “balanced.” The ultimate balance is achieved only at the end of correction.

In the meantime, the imbalance evokes movement in the still matter: It doesn’t grow, but it “holds on” to the stable state, according to the program of self-preservation. Thus, the movements and changes on the still level are meant to keep it on the still level.

Take the example of radioactive radiation, which certain matter needs in order to remain static. The wind blows, volcanoes erupt, and the still nature needs all that in order to be more balanced and preserve itself on a level that is as still as possible. The action in this case is not in accordance with its goal.

Question: Is there “recognition of evil” on the still level?

Answer: In the still level of the spiritual world there is everything. It’s a whole unique plan, part of Malchut of Infinity. Everything happens and develops from here. Without the still nature there would be nothing; it’s the basis for everything. Everything that happens on the next levels, the vegetative, animate, and speaking, happens thanks to the special connections of the still elements.

Life itself is built on the contact between still parts. They cannot connect independently, but a force comes from Above, and thanks to this addition, a collection of separate materials becomes a metabolism that we call “life.” Similarly, an addition of Light creates the animate level above the vegetative level and the speaking level above the animate level.

Question: What is the main condition for the ascent from the still to the vegetative level?

Answer: A person ends his development in all the 613 desires of the still level, covers them by restriction, by annulment, and remains in adhesion. It’s just like a drop of semen adheres to the mother’s womb while on the still level.

In this state you are ready for the Creator to join you and to perform a “surgery” on you, which we call “the transition to the vegetative level.” Additional Light is necessary for that, and it’s very hard to bear: “Do anything but not that…” In order to receive this additional Light and to enter spiritual life, you have to relinquish yourself, to rise above the concepts of life and death that we can imagine today, and to start a new life that is totally disconnected from you.

Question: So does the original matter that the Creator created remain the same, and what determines everything is the additional Light, an additional bestowal? Is the level of development higher if there is more bestowal? Do we have to summon the Light consciously and willingly on the speaking level?

Answer: This is called raising a request for correction (MAN). This is the only thing we lack. I am ready for the Creator to “operate” on me, I agree to that and I want it. He simply carries out my desire so that I will adhere to Him.

Question: Do we want to enter our first level, the still level during the convention this coming weekend?

Answer: You will not be able to enter the still level with regards to the Creator if you don’t do that with regards to the friend. No way. I repeat, the main thing here is self-annulment.

Then, on the vegetative level we will rise even higher and will learn to annul ourselves in motion. For example, on the still level I annul myself before the friends a “thousand dollars’ worth” and hold on to this standard, and on the vegetative level I gradually add to it.
[105654]
From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/21/13, “The Introduction to The Book of Zohar”

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