Question: When I was informed that there was a convention, I didn’t have a shadow of a doubt that I would come to it. But as the time for the convention approached, more and more external and internal obstacles appeared. One moment I was enthusiastic that I was traveling to a congress, and in the next moment, the opposite, I had no urge to travel at all; this occurred innumerable times. Why are we given obstacles like these?

Answer: The obstacles depend on how much you feel them as such. But if you were to feel that for every obstacle, for every small disturbance, whether some thought or confusion, that you had received a great reward in all kinds of ways, then would this seem like an obstacle to you? This would be a means for attaining a good, eternal, and perfect state. Therefore it depends on how we look at it.

You lack the sensation that “There is none else besides Him.” And He set up the obstacles for you; He simply wanted to give you more possibilities for fulfillment. Difficulties, despair, overcoming them, these are all your efforts that you invest so that afterward, when at the convention, you can feel and get more. Therefore you need to thank the Creator for the so-called “sufferings,” for now, specifically thanks to them, you feel a greater fulfillment.
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From the Moscow Virtual Convention “Unity Without Boundaries” Day Two 12/14/13, Lesson 4

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Opinion (Sir Christopher Pissarides, School Professor of Economics & Political Science and Regius Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics, Nobel Prize winner for economics in 2010): “One of the world’s leading economists will today admit he was wrong to back the creation of the euro – and call for it to be dismantled.

“Sir Christopher Pissarides, who won the Nobel Prize for economics in 2010, was once a passionate believer in the benefits of the single currency.

“But in an extraordinary change of heart, today he will warn the euro is creating a ‘lost generation’ of unemployed youngsters and is ‘dividing Europe.’

“The Cypriot-British economist will call for action to ‘restore the euro’s credibility in international markets’ and to ‘restore the trust that Europe’s nations once had in each other.’

But, in a lecture at the London School of Economics, where he teaches, he will add: ‘Regretfully, I do not see either materializing.’ …

“Experts believe Europe will never be able to implement the policies required to boost growth and create jobs because of the huge differences between economies across the region. …

“He will say that unless there is a dramatic change of policy the euro should be broken up.

“‘The euro should either be dismantled in an orderly way or the leading members should do the necessary as fast as possible to make it growth and employment-friendly,’ he will say.

“‘We will get nowhere plodding along with the current line of ad hoc decision-making and inconsistent debt-relief policies.”

My Comment: Such views are increasingly heard among specialists. But how can this project be rolled out without destroying all of Europe and plunging it into a deadly conflict? Isn’t it better to accept the program of the integral education and transformation of the EU that should have been done before forming the EU?
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If we don’t implement the wisdom of Kabbalah in practice in the group, in our relations with other people, then I float in the air misinterpreting it and not even feeling that I am wrong. Together with the friends, we must decide that it is time to correct the mutual relations between us.

We are standing around the mutual hatred, unable to cope with it, or simply disrespect one another and cannot correct it. I don’t care about the friends; I don’t want to think about them, and even if I want to think about them, then it usually leads to repulsion and disgust and not to positive feelings. In short, we have a basis to work on, and only in the general circle can we reach unity.

This is the only reason we turn to the Creator, and this is the only thing that we demand from Him, even if it is daring and tough: “You have promised us, You have to keep what You have promised!” No problem, He will be glad to do so as long as you demand that He corrects the mutual relationships between the friends.

So the question is what do I need all this for? Theoretically, in order to delight Him, but who is He? I don’t know Him. I don’t understand what it is all about. What does it mean to delight Him?

It means that when working in the group and really expecting connection, we discover that what is missing is the help of some force, a force that will glue us together and connect us. We are powerless by ourselves. So where is the force that can connect us?

Then we can demand and raise “the prayer of many,” since it is actually the Creator who has created this problem for us. Why? So that we will establish and consolidate our attitude towards Him, so we will delight Him in everything that we do.

Why? Because then we will achieve equivalence of form with Him, we will reach connection and adhesion.

We have to fulfill this not just during the lesson but when we connect together  and focus correctly on the goal during the lesson. Then our collective desire works.

Studying alone doesn’t lead to anything.
[123507]
From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/18/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Question: Can we say that by delighting the teacher I am delighting the Creator?

Answer: It depends on how you calculate things. Just like the group that reflects your inner structure and serves as an imaging instrument so that you can practice and fulfill the correction, so is the teacher for you in this world so that in the mutual relationship with him you will be able to clarify your inner correction. Instead of the Creator, there are the friends in the group, the teacher, and the books before you.

How can you delight the teacher?

Let me put it simply: In order to delight someone, you have to know what he desires, what his deficiency is, and then you can fill his desire. I delight someone if I give him what he wants.

So what does the teacher what to receive from you? He wants to see how you connect with the friends. So you can practice working on the connection with the friends and show the teacher, like showing a kindergarten teacher what a “good boy” you are in the group, and thus delight him.

The teacher doesn’t need any presents, rewards, or favors from you, this is enough.
[123504]
From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/18/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Question: How do we correct the wicked when they are discovered? What is there to do if they persist like permanent problems without solutions?

Answer: Static states do not exist because at every moment new Reshimot are discovered, but a person doesn’t see them, doesn’t notice the changes taking place. These changes of Reshimot occur with infinite speed, but we with our limited feelings only discover every tenth Reshimo, every thousandth Reshimo, or ten thousandth.

We are not prepared to grasp the changes of a state with such a high frequency or to distinguish the tiny changes that take place in them. This is like an infant who hardly perceives anything of all that is happening around him, but the more he grows, he begins to discern and discover more, to be stimulated and enjoy more.

Writings of Baal HaSulam, Letter 5: I rejoice in those revealed corruptions and the ones that are being revealed…. This is why I’m happy when they come out of their holes because when you cast your eye on them, they become a pile of bones…. But I do not settle for it even for a moment…. that when the buried wicked appear, although they haven’t been fully conquered, their very appearance is regarded as a great salvation.

This essentially is our work, there is no more. Concentrating on it can greatly reduce the time. And the main thing is to not lose our enthusiasm and good mood. But if we don’t prepare ourselves for revelation, then we get a descent. But this is not necessary. It is possible never to descend but to go from strength to strength if we prepare ourselves correctly. And then we won’t feel the blow. In prepared Kelim (desires), it will not be perceived as a blow but as an honorable achievement, attainment, and good discovery. Everything depends only on preparation.

This is what the world is missing because the world was not ready for this discovery; now we are beginning to teach about it, but it must still pass through many ascents and descents. And we must understand that as long as we have not advanced them, we have not advanced ourselves. Baal HaSulam writes that he asked that his spiritual degree be lowered so he would be able to educate people.

Every Kabbalist who is a conduit for others, depends upon them. This is because he can’t advance more than he can take care of others. Certainly there is a huge difference between their levels, but in spite of this, if he takes upon himself the mission to be concerned about others and to take care of them, he cannot rise as high as would be fitting regarding his effort, rather he is left below in order to take care of the lower ones.

We relate to the world exactly as the teacher relates to his students. And if we want to advance, we have no choice but to advance the world. And even though there is a very great gap between the levels, in any case, we must rise together in parallel. If we don’t rise and don’t lead and pull the world after us, we cannot give satisfaction to the Creator.

We see even from the example of our world, that people who give birth to children begin to be more concerned about and involved with the children and are less immersed in their own advancement. They turn themselves in the direction of the children, “small states,” and don’t yearn to develop themselves and be great people. We must learn from nature, that specifically in this form we advance. After I passed the stage of embryo and the small state (Ibur and Yenika) and attained maturity (Mochin), I can achieve great abundance only through taking care of the small.

That is how the spiritual ladder of levels is built. If I don’t raise a prayer, MAN, from the lower ones, I cannot myself receive Light from above, that is, to clothe in the Light of Hassidim, which I pass to the lower ones. Attainment and discovery are possible only when you don’t look for greatness for yourself, but want to develop those who come after you. That is how it is arranged in our world as a copy of the spiritual, and that is how advancement in the spiritual levels is done. Therefore, the time has arrived for doing acts of widespread dissemination, whether we want it or not, because without this we don’t advance.

We must understand these things, agree with them, and realize them. And then we will see that it is specifically this work with the people that helps us to understand, feel more, and advance.
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From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/18/13

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The Kabbalists who left writings, books, and textbooks for us are teaching within them some general rules about the right way for people to connect in a Kabbalistic group.

The first condition is nullification of the self. We must nullify ourselves and show this to all the others as if we are proclaiming: “I am ready for everything in order to make a complete zero of myself. Do anything you want with me. In no way do I want to command anyone, to be the leader, to pressure anyone. I want to be a complete zero in a group and am ready to do everything necessary for your benefit.”

The second condition is greatness of the goal. Our advancement depends on the greatness of the goal in our eyes, on the importance of the characteristic of bestowal, love, and unity between us. This must be the most important thing for me and I must show this to everyone. I must speak about this, even if this is not that important to me personally because the friends will return that stimulus to me and we will impress each other. Our obligation is to elevate the group, for it has a lofty goal. I must speak about this with the friends, all the time elevating the importance that the group is everything. This will help me to nullify myself.

The third condition is bestowal to the friends. I must try to give them some gifts. By the word “gifts” I mean bestowal to the friends. I go to the kitchen and wash the dishes, clean, do something for them. I try to serve them, like an adult serves the children, helping them in whatever way possible, to give, to add to every situation in the group. On the other hand, I must feel myself as small, wanting to receive influence, education, and bestowal upon myself.

That is, on the one hand, I am great, I bestow to the friends all the time, exalt the goal in their eyes, and care about them. On the other hand, I am small, ready to receive everything from them that can fulfill only me.

A dual relationship like this regarding the group is very important. The larger the gap between these two polar relationships: I am below – the group above and I am above – the group below, the closer I will be to the goal.

We also need to include some of our particular problems that we need to raise to solve them.

All of this is realized in that I am always concerned for my friends that it will be good, happy, and pleasant so they will have complete confidence of attaining the goal and they  remain with great energy through the connection between us. And this energy must be pumped through the group so that all of us are “cooked” in it, in the good sense of the word. It will warm and throw us around so that we will shake all of the ego out of us and accumulate a completely different force, the power of bestowal and love. That is what we need.
[123424]
From the Moscow Virtual Convention “Unity Without Boundaries” Day Two 12/14/13, Lesson 4

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Preparation to the Lesson

Shamati #36, “What Are the Three Bodies in a Man”

The Book of Zohar — Selected Excerpts, Parashat, “VaYikahel,” “The Intention of the Prayer,” Item 107 

Talmud Eser Sefirot, Vol. 1, Part 2, Chapter 6, Item 70

Writings of Baal HaSulam, “A Speech for the Completion of The Zohar“

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Question: The Israeli nation waited for the Messiah during the time of exile. How should we work with the same deficiencies that are revealed in people today?

Answer: We live in a generation that is waiting for everything but the Messiah. We live in a generation that only wants materialism, and matter covers us over our heads.

Our generation is starting to reveal the domination of corporeality and it is in this generation that the desire that is aimed at the worst and lowest basic existence, that which is totally meaningless, is revealed.

It is from this lowest point in this world that we can actually discover and start the way back to the goal of creation.

Even if we descend along the way, these descents are already additions of the Light that show us how opposite we are from it…

Baal HaSulam says in the “Introduction to The Book of Zohar“, item 63: Thus, in our generation, although the essence of the souls is the worst, which is why they could not be selected for Kedusha thus far, they are the ones that complete the Partzuf of the world and the Partzuf of the souls with respect to the Kelim, and the work is completed only through them.

This is because now, when the Kelim of NHY are being completed, and all the Kelim, Rosh, Toch, and Sof are in the Partzuf, full measures of Light, in Rosh, Toch, Sof, are now being extended to all those who are worthy, meaning complete NRN. Hence, only after the completion of these lowly souls can the highest Lights manifest, and not before.

The vessel has to be as deep as the height of the Light that is dressed in it.
[123553]
From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/19/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Baal HaSulam, “A Speech for the Completion of The Zohar“: Throughout the generations those who ascended and were rewarded with Dvekut were few, but in the generation of the Messiah, everyone can reach Dvekut and attainment.

The restrictive conditions throughout history in every generation, in every state and circumstances where Kabbalists lived, didn’t allow them to reach the end of correction, and so their attainment and revelations were not complete.

The one exception in history is the case of Rabbi Shimon and his students. This small group was especially allowed to reveal all of reality, the process, and the goal so that they would pass these basics from the beginning of the exile, from the state before the destruction of the second Temple, from the corrected Israel to the nation of Israel that is totally corrupt and dispersed. Thus we will be able to get back on the path that will lead us to the good state.

So in every generation, there were only certain individuals who attained the spiritual world, while in our generation anyone can. There are no limitations from above and everything depends on a person’s ability to connect to the friends. The individual is powerless and incapable of anything, but he can connect with the friends in the group and thus reach the goal.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/19/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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