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There are no coincidences in life because we operate in a system of forces. There was a shattering and now we discover its results, which have to be revealed. It is only by our work that we can determine the pace of their revelation and how ready we will feel when we receive all this data, the shattered Reshimot (reminiscences).
If we are ready for the revelation, then we accept it gladly since the revelation allows us to rise above it each time. But if we are not ready for it, then we feel the revelation of the Reshimot as a descent, as bad and unpleasant states. It can be in the form of troubles with friends, the world, or even disasters and wars. The way the Reshimot are revealed depends on us, but they must be revealed since the shattering already happened and now everything is revealed according to this.
For the time being, a person should understand that everything is according to plan, but a person is given a chance to prepare himself for it and to sanctify the new states, which means to accept them in the form of “I shall hasten it” (Achishena), as good states. His preparation determines whether he understands that everything that happens is for his own good, and whether he will immediately overcome the obstacles, rise above them, and continue his ascent. Then he will be happy about what is happening in each and every moment, no matter what is revealed.
He is not afraid of the future since he has prepared himself for it; he has a group, a connection to the Creator. He has prepared the vessel, and now he only needs to reveal the deficiencies, the shattered Reshimot. He asks: “Where are they?” which means: “I awaken the dawn.” This means that he waits for the shattered Reshimot in order to cope with them and climb the mountain of the Lord.
So he doesn’t complain about any event in the present, he is ready to accept everything and understands that it has to be revealed since parts of his shattered soul are being revealed. He shouldn’t regret the past either, although many regret their past, feeling despair, suffering, feeling disappointed, and torturing themselves: “Why did we do this, why did we fail?” They look back and regret the mistakes they made in life.
A person doesn’t understand that this was a predetermined revelation of the Reshimot and whatever happened, happened. He should accept it as coming from “There is none else besides Him,” from the uniqueness of the upper Providence. A person goes out to work in the morning and should work hard all day long, as “if I am not for myself, who is for me?” but in the evening when he comes back home he should say, “There is none else besides Him,” whether he worked or not. The Creator has arranged everything, which means that no matter what he finds himself in the same state in the evening.
So we cannot regret the past. That’s the way it had to be and everything is predetermined. No matter if I made any efforts or not, the outcome is not up to me.
It turns out that we have to worry about the future and have to prepare ourselves. But then again, everything that has to be revealed will certainly be revealed since I have to reveal all the parts of my soul. But everything depends on me: on how I accept the revelation and whether I am ready or not. I need to bless everything that is revealed, as it says: “I am happy about the wicked that are revealed!”
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From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/18/13
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Strengthen yourselves, and He will give your heart courage, all who hope to the Lord. (Psalms 31:25)
The further we advance towards the spiritual world and gain experience, the weaker we feel. We discover that we are not capable of anything. Why is it said that you need to “Strengthen yourselves, and He will give your heart, all who hope to the Lord?”
How is it possible if, on the contrary, a person reveals his utter helplessness? He sees he is not capable in any action to cope with himself, he cannot overcome any disturbance. If he really advances, then as a result he reveals that he is completely made of egoism, and makes his calculations only on this basis, each moment choosing something more profitable. But he never makes calculations “outside,” relying on the Creator, for the sake of bestowal. He is just incapable of this.
In the end, we begin to realize that if it is possible to make any changes, it is only through the environment. We have freedom of choice only in choosing an increasingly stronger environment every time, one that will affect us more powerfully, more precisely, will influence us in a more focused way, and will push, pull, and organize us more correctly, orienting us towards the goal. The power with which the environment pushes us forward is also increasing as well as is the accuracy of direction. That is, the environment is improving both quantitatively and qualitatively.
Baal HaSulam, Shamati #225 “Raising Oneself”: One cannot raise oneself above one’s circle. Hence, one must suck from one’s environment. And one has no other counsel, except through much work, and Torah—that is, to draw the Light that Reforms, which will correct the evil inclination. This is possible to realize only through the environment.
Therefore, the condition for receiving the Torah is a person’s readiness for unity. That is, he has already realized this evil and understood that he will not be able to do anything without connection. All his hope, his future, his life, are in this circle that he builds around himself.
That is why we need to understand that due to dissemination, we connect a huge, strong, massive circle to ourselves. You can be a hero in quality and in quantity. The strength of our group is in its quality, and that is why we can establish connection with the Creator through it, through the top of the pyramid. We specialize in this, different from everyone else for whom this connection is obscure and will never become clear.
But if we connect ourselves to the Creator, “relying on Him” from our little circle, then “He will give your heart courage,” due to the large circles. This requires also a “hero in quantity,” that is wide dissemination that will push us forward.
We are not able to advance by ourselves but only due to the large circle surrounding us which will expand more and more. Similarly, as a person has to be inside this circle, the environment, the group, the group is inside a wider circle. This is the environment that we need to build for ourselves: circle after circle.
To the extent that we take care of the public, they will push us as children who oblige their parents to advance in life, to arrange it. Thus, the circles that we form due to our wide dissemination of integral education will push us forward.
Thus, the hero in quality and the hero in quantity unite. We are directed towards the Creator, “All ye that hope in the Lord.” And “He shall strengthen your heart” with the help of the wide external circle. Let’s hope that we will be able to realize both of these conditions—both “heroes.”
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From the Preparation for the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/17/13
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Question: Today, in the beginning period of correction, people have stopped reading books. In what form will they receive the source writings?
Answer: Today, the writings from the primary sources can be conveyed to the world only in visual form.
People truly have stopped reading because they cannot and don’t understand what is written. This is not by chance. I am not saying this in any way to the disparage the generation today, this generation was born specifically to receive visual information. It is difficult for it to transform letters into something understandable and something “digesable” for themselves, and in general, it is not prepared to “swallow” the old-fashioned education.
It’s too bad about the time that a child passes at school. They simply destroy him there, as if they are trying to install an old program in a computer of the new generation that is not accommodated to it. He will not accept and absorb it; he cannot do this “gathering work” for himself. For children, it is left as a net “mechanical” comprehension and not even of the material itself but of the attempts to insert it into them. The approach to the information is itself incorrect. It is not adapted to the new laws of “information entry.” It is not given for absorption and understanding and processing.
Today, the visual display holds the first and only place. The era of books has ended. This is not because people don’t want to read; they cannot read. Today, what is appropriate for people is a format of headlines. They are ready to comprehend only a few lines before their eyes and more than this, they simply don’t see. So, what can we demand of the younger generation?
The advantage of the visual approach is in this: It makes it possible for a person to comprehend the information on several levels. This is not only a “picture.” Rather, it is also speech, writing, and reading to a small degree, also music, and so forth. Therefore, basically, this is not talking about just a visual form. Rather, together with the picture through the main channel of comprehension, a person also receives additional sources, and for this he is ready.
On the other hand, the materials of the wisdom of Kabbalah are specifically the opposite. People will read it in such a form as it is written and in particular, by Baal HaSulam who rewrote and adapted it for our generation. Primary sources will be required, as before. Someone who will want to penetrate inside and dig there independently in spite of it all will have to turn to the books of the Kabbalists.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/17/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam
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Question: Do I have to hug the friends as is customary here?
Answer: There was a time when I also very much rejected hugging men. In general I don’t relate to people who express their feelings outwardly. This was very difficult for me. For a long time I didn’t know what to do.
But after that, I pulled myself together and began to think: “Why is this necessary? Where is this leading? Why is there such a huge inner struggle appearing inside me? What if I were really to feel that these were my children or very close relatives?”
If you want to hug a girl, then this is understandable, innate; natural desires attract you to her. But with the friends, you don’t have desires like this because you don’t feel them as being close to you.
But if you were to find a man who is truly very close to you from an internal aspect, then you would be drawn to him in an absolutely natural way without overcoming any rejections. Therefore everything depends on this: how much is this person close to you.
With a girl, relationships like this come and go; this is our nature. But with a friend, this is different. When you begin to feel that without him you cannot attain the greatest goal in life for which we have descended into this world and that only he can help you, like with a team who is climbing a mountain, he holds you and pulls you upward, then you relate to him in another way.
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From the Moscow Virtual Convention “Unity Without Boundaries” Day One12/13/13, Lesson1
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