Baal HaSulam, “A Speech for the Completion of The Zohar”: Had it not been for the engagement in Torah and Mitzvot Lishma (for Her Name), to bring contentment to the Creator with them, and not to benefit ourselves, there would have been no tactic in the world that could help us invert our nature.

If we try acting on our own, we won’t have the slightest chance. Only by engaging in the Torah, i.e., the Kabbalistic methodology with the intention Lishma can we invert our nature.

First of all, there is a problem with the terminology: I don’t know what the Torah and the commandments are or what the intention Lishma is. It’s clear only that it is about some remedy, some “working tool” by which we can convert our evil inclination into a good one. How can we possibly understand it?

From my current egoistic state (1), I have to transition to the next, altruistic step. For that, I have to cover a certain path that is called “The Torah and Commandments (Mitzvot) Lishma” (2.) Even though in the beginning I don’t understand a thing, I am facing a given “reality” that I cannot hide from. I am originally placed in this reality and I am on this path, which becomes extremely hard if I don’t have a desire to learn how to implement the Torah and commandments to obtain a correct intention.

Anyway, I will have to transition from the first state to the second. But, I can do it two ways:

1. through suffering;
2. by the path of Torah and commandments.

We are told that there are two options that we have to choose from. And don’t even think that the path of suffering also leads you forward. Simply each time when you are not ready, first you go by the path of suffering and then you go to the implementation of the Torah with the intention Lishma.

It’s impossible to advance under the blows because we have to become wiser and more experienced on our path; we have to understand more and assemble fragments of the system into one picture, etc. And it all depends on our readiness to reveal the Light that descends to us. The Light comes to us and we can immediately make a step forward without suffering on the benevolent way if we are prepared for this beforehand, but if we are not prepared correctly, we will plunge into sufferings.

Question: What kind of “benevolent Path” is it? Is it really so smooth that we go without a hitch?

Answer: “The good path” is that no matter what happens to us, we still find it pleasant, beautiful, and great. The difference is in the preparation. It is hard to understand, yet.

Imagine a mother brings home a book and gives it to her son. Her son thinks that it is an adventure story about pirates and treasures, but after unwrapping it he sees that it is a math book. That’s a pity! His mother is bad now and the whole day is awful.

However, if he is a smart boy, properly prepared and willing to become a “great man,” he will understand that he needs to learn more. In this case, he’ll get upset if his mother gives him a storybook with pictures. After all, he doesn’t need pirates; he needs knowledge.

Then, he will be overjoyed to receive the textbook; this is a gift! His mother is good, the day is perfect, and all of life is an adventure. Proper preparation turned mathematics into real delight.

Thus, the whole question is what does one consider a pleasure and what does one want to achieve? The same Light comes down to us; however, it can bring us suffering and darkness—dark instead of daylight. Without proper preparation the Light is too strong for our vessels, desires. The Light and vessels don’t “fit”: The Light is not absorbed because we cannot shield it with the Light of Hassadim. So, it turns into darkness for us.

In fact, there is no darkness. The sensation of darkness is caused only by the fact that we cannot accept the Light in the clothing of Hassadim.

Question: Still, does the good path allow us to avoid pain that comes from changing our own nature?

Answer: Ideally, you won’t feel any pain at all. However, as Baal HaSulam writes, we practically move ahead not through suffering, nor by the path of the Torah, but rather by our “corporeal”, “middle” path in which all the differences occur. And yet, at the same time, we can maintain connection without detaching from the spiritual process and we can understand why we get whatever we go through. Our readiness is variable, but we know we are on the path and it all depends on our preparedness.

Question: Why am I “knocked off” my feet while I am on my spiritual path? Why does it happen to me if I am already trying to hasten time?

Answer: You are not “knocked off” your feet! You are shown the broken Reshimot (spiritual genes) inherent in your soul.

The Light comes to all and shines for all equally. However, new Reshimot appear in us every moment and that’s why we see black or white “stripes” against the Light.

Once, a spiritual vessel existed that was corrected and perfect. The Light poured into it. Then, the vessel was corrupted, and now it’s as if we are watching a film about it, frame by frame.

There is a “light bulb” in a spiritual projector, and a film is running in front of it that shows various images: people, animals, houses, etc. The entire movie, all these shots, is, in essence, are just the Reshimot of a broken soul. This is how we see them while we are “on this side” of the projector. Our brain perceives these “pictures;” we “see” them with the part of our brain that works as a screen where images of the surrounding world are depicted to us.

In essence, all we see is an unchangeable white Light. There are no changes on the Creator’s side; He is the Good and He does Good to all. He does not change, only the Reshimot of the broken soul change. We see ourselves and watch our own “movies” that are created by our vices! That is why it is said: “Everyone condemn according to their own flaws.” The only things that are shown to us are our flaws. This entire world is nothing but the “shattered “I.”

Question: How does this “movie” become different if we accelerate our path?

Answer: The difference is whether we are prepared or not. It depends on us, on how we build our advancement: whether we are “on schedule” or we accelerate? How can we hasten the process? We can do it with the help of the group.

It turns out that we have everything we need. We are given very specific things that we require. How many years do we have to look at this mechanism to finally understand how its works?

If the group is properly prepared, we welcome the “film” like a boy who cherishes a textbook and not entertaining fiction. We accept the “frames” of our lives and learn how to enjoy them.

It’s no coincidence that the modern world is in crisis. Where did it come from if technically speaking we can correct all problems? Before, small crises pushed us ahead, whereas now, no matter what we do, we don’t improve things, any changes will be only for the worse.

Today all of humanity watches this “movie” and sees a series of new conditions that are caused by the lack of connection among us on a global scale. That is why we have to be concerned about our general correction.

Accordingly, without correct preparation, all subsequent “frames” will appear to us in very unpleasant forms; each time they will become worse and worse. After all, the spiral of Reshimot continues to unfold; they reveal in us one after another, thus depicting the picture of the world to us.

It means that there are no other remedies except the right preparation of an individual, a group, or all of humanity. Everything depends on the preparation. The Light can come or not to the screen (Masach) in the head of a Partzuf. If there is no screen, the Light will be go to the force of restriction (Tzimtzum) even though it wants to enter inside the desire. In this case, the Partzuf will completely fall into impurity.

If the Partzuf has a screen, it will accept the Light as something it aspires to; it adheres to the Light and produces an interaction with it (Zivug), connection with the Creator.
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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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In his article “The Peace,” Baal HaSulam writes: This is done by the law of development imprinted in Creation against humanity’s will, where the deeds of the wicked themselves necessarily instigate the good deeds, as we have shown above.

We are all under the influence of this law that drives us forward through suffering.

However, the Creator gave man the mind and power and let him control and guide the law. It is possible to accelerate and boost the process of development at will freely, independent of time.

How can we realize this opportunity that was given to us?

Our desires are irrelevant; they always remain absolutely the same and we cannot diminish, increase, or develop them in any way. We have to forget about them as if they do not exist, because we do not control them. Kabbalah says that it is only intentions that we can control. It’s not about limiting our desires, nor is it about what we should do with them. It is written so, but what’s implied in these words is the intention.

However, if we are able to somehow change our intention, how do we do it? For that, this world is given to us. We are in a very interesting state: As opposed to spirituality, we can kind of act altruistically, bestow, connect and love with the intention “for our own sake.” In other words, this world lets us deceive ourselves.

This interesting state is under all the spiritual worlds.

Five worlds descend from the world of Infinity to our world: Adam Kadmon (AK), Atzilut (A), Beria (B), Yetzira (E), Assiya (A), and the very last, our world.

Usually we think that it is a very primitive, worthless world. In fact, it’s not so. Here, we can act with intention. Intention and action exist in all other spiritual worlds, but there they are united and equal; there, they act only to the extent of their intention to bestow.

In this world, it is opposite: One can act both for the sake of receiving and bestowing simultaneously. At the same time, our intentions are directed solely at receiving for our own sake. In other words, in this world we can perform actions that are opposite to intentions and have intentions that contradict actions. It is a very interesting phenomenon.

When we watch a small child, we clearly see his simple actions and very plain intentions: He grabs everything only for himself. Animals act the same way. It’s obvious. That’s why we love them, since they don’t lie to anyone; their actions and intentions do not contradict. They totally lack guile.

A grown man acts externally with internal intentions. He can be very polite, respectful, and kind and at the same time pursue a goal that might hurt someone only for the sake of his own benefit.

However, this opportunity is given to us only in this world in which contradictory actions and intentions are possible, to completely objectively and independently start our ascent to the upper world. We are the ones who choose how to rise to spirituality because we are given the opportunity to act for the sake of bestowal, although our intentions remain evil—for our own sake.

How can we pull ourselves to the upper world? It’s very easy. We have to place ourselves in a community of people who are given the same opportunity to act and have intentions as other normal, egoistic and artful people in this world, i.e., those who understand their nature at least a little bit. They have a desire to change their intentions, although the only thing that we can actually change is actions, not intentions.

If we join this group of people and act supposedly for the sake of bringing pleasure and benevolence to each other, we would like to connect with one another in one unified whole and make mutual bestowal our goal; in this case, we act correctly, for the sake of bestowal, but our intentions are wrong. We cannot do anything about them.

However, if we study Kabbalah together, in a group, we learn how the unity of intentions and actions are implemented in the upper worlds. Then, a special illumination descends from the upper world to us and changes our intention.

Our actions are normal; we are oriented towards each other in order to connect, whereas our intentions remain “for our own sake” (Lo Lishma.)

Under the influence of the Surrounding Light called Ohr Makif (O’M), which is a special energy, an extraordinary force, we start changing; to the degree of our transformation, our surroundings also modify from “for the sake of ourselves” to “for the sake of others” or “for the sake of our friends” and later on for the sake of something greater and higher. This is how we approach a state of Lishma and begin sensing ourselves in the intention to bestow.

To be in the intention to bestow is to exist in the upper world because in this intention we start perceiving totally different, higher properties of matter. We start exiting ourselves, from our state that is limited by sensations of this world, and as a result, we rapidly move ahead to the same goal nature leads us to.

By voluntarily aspiring ahead, we avoid suffering. Our sufferings are now called “afflictions of love” since now we think of how to move ahead more effectively, how to better trigger the Surrounding Light to us, and how to faster change our intentions.

We perform minimally required actions in regards to the group and humanity, since humankind has to rise to the same goal: to change from the intention “for one’s own sake” to “for the sake of others.” Physical actions do not matter much. We need them only to show the place where we can implement the power of the Surrounding Light, the force of the Light of correction.

Therefore, the study of Kabbalah, which tells us about what is perceived with the help of correct intentions—the so-called Light of Bestowal (Ohr Hassadim) and the Returning Light (Ohr Hozer)—helps us change our intentions and start sensing and attaining the upper governance, the upper force.

It explains why we need our friends so much, because only among them, only between us, can we make internal work that corrects our intentions.

This is why our main goal is to reach a desire to attain a new state that is pre-destined by nature and to pursue it. Nature wants to take us out of the state named “this world” in which we are present today and raise us to the world of Infinity. This is our final goal.

If we clearly understood these things, we’d know that it is most urgent and essential for us to create groups that interact with each other in all their parts so that all our actions are directed to some kind of bestowal. By acting this way, we can evoke the correct Surrounding Light to us during our classes and it will correct our intentions.

Kabbalah tells us that all the Creator made was just one desire— Malchut of the world of Infinity. Then, in this desire emerges the intention that goes through shattering (shevira) in the world of Nekudim.

Further, in the worlds of Atzilut (A), Beria (B), Yetzira (Y), and Assiya (A), it gradually starts to resurrect, whereas in this world, desires and intentions remain broken into 613 parts.

Our work is in the correction of the intention “for our sake” to the intention “for the sake of bestowal,” “for others’ sake” in each of our desires. Then a desire will be considered corrected.

In other words, when we study the science of Kabbalah, the Surrounding Light descends to our intentions; in their turn, they attach to desires, and then corrected desires enter the upper world. This is where we start sensing the spiritual world. Thus, by gradually correcting ourselves, we rise to the level of 613 desires until we reach the final correction.
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From the Moscow Virtual Convention Day One 12/13/13, Lesson 1

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Preparation to the Lesson

Lesson on the Topic: “Preparation for the Convention”

Talmud Eser Sefirot, “Histaklut Pnimit,” Vol. 1, Part 2, Chapter 8, Item 93

Lesson on the Topic: “Preparation for the Convention”

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Question: What is the difference between the concept of mutual guarantee and the raspberry sphere?

Answer: You can define the first state of unity in a dozen ways. The idea of this analogy simply occurred to me at a certain point. I wanted to express the special feeling of warmth that everyone feels which is pleasant and illuminating in itself.

Mutual guarantee is the connection between the broken vessels that connect above the breaking as they understand that we must be connected. The strength of the connection, the need for it, its vitality and the responsibility we feel for one another is called mutual guarantee. This shows to what extent I am responsible for others and feel them inside me as myself.

Mutual guarantee is an inner state of connection that takes into account all the conditions: how we connect, with what vessels, on what level of Aviut (thickness). It refers to the vessel that is about to connect. It’s because of the separation between these parts and their connection, the growth of the left line and the right line, one in contrast to the other, that we put together the concept called mutual guarantee.

In the mutual guarantee, that is our spiritual vessel, we begin to receive the Light that Reforms and see that we are corrected. Then our mutual guarantee is corrupted again and we have to correct it once more. Everything is included in this concept. Baal HaSulam wrote two articles: “The Giving of the Torah,” since we have no way to correct ourselves without the upper force, and the article that followed it “Mutual Guarantee,” which explains how we operate and manage the upper force in order to ascend to the goal of creation.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/2/14, Lesson on the Topic: “9 Steps”

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Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,”: …reception in order to bestow is regarded as pure bestowal.

In Masechet Kidushin it is written that with an important man she gives and he says—by that you are sanctified. Because when his reception is in order to delight her, the giver, it is deemed absolute bestowal and giving. Thus, one buys complete adhesion with Him, for spiritual adhesion is but equivalence of form, as our sages said, “How is it possible to cleave unto Him? Rather, cleave on to His qualities.” And by that, one becomes worthy of receiving all the delight and pleasure and the gentleness in the thought of creation.

Comment: To begin with, a woman should be aware of a man’s importance and enjoy it. Only then she is dedicated to him.

Answer: The same thing happens between us and the Creator. We have to unite with each other because love for the created beings precedes love for Him.

We form a common force between us, the common spiritual vessel, which is called the “woman” or “Shechina” relative to the Creator. The Creator for us is like the “Bridegroom,” and we want to give Him all the pleasures, all the possibilities, our entire life, i.e., all the intention in order to bestow. Then, to the same extent, He “buys” us, in other words, accepts and fulfills us.

However at the beginning, there is a need for the awakening from below, our ascent to Him. The bride has to attract the Bridegroom, to encourage Him to unite with her. Therefore, first we have to prepare the altruistic intention. If it is big and strong, if we really want to give Him everything, to that extent we will oblige Him to act because He has the common desire to bring goodness.

Then the Creator will turn to the group, to us, and will want to unite, to desire to enter into adhesion with us, in spiritual “intercourse” (Zivug).

All this is manifested in the relations of those who are directed straight to the Creator (Yashar-El – Israel), to the upper force. The whole rite of passage, marriage indicates a connection between the Creator and the created beings. The bride has nothing to give, except her service to the Bridegroom. That’s all she can do.
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From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/1/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam 

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The created being must be between two systems in order to grow and to exist: the shell (Klipa) and holiness (Kedusha). This is why there are the worlds of ABYA of holiness and ABYA of impurity, as it it is said, “God has created them one opposite the other.” The souls are in the middle and as they go through the phases of development, they are alternately influenced by the system of purity and the system of impurity.

Accordingly, those who are nourished by the system of the Klipa are called dead and those who are nourished by holiness are called alive. Thus the influence of the worlds helps the souls develop continuously between life and death.

We gradually develop from the simple desire to live a material, corporeal life into a desire of a spiritual level. On this level there is no more life and death in the usual sense. In the spiritual life we are independent of the body; we rise above it and begin to feel a different level of life. Then life means that we are under the influence of the force of bestowal and death means that we are under the influence of the force of receiving.

This teaches us how to turn all the forces from the intention of in order to receive, from the evil inclination, to the good inclination. Thus we establish our spiritual life.

We must understand what the principle of “God created them one opposite the other” means here: If one desire is evoked in us, the other desire falls, and vice versa. The two systems cannot operate simultaneously. The effectiveness of one system is at the expense the ineffectiveness of the other system. Thus they operate alternately, according to the upper plan that is in the world of Atzilut.

The systems of BYA of holiness and BYA of impurity help us advance by pushing us forward. If we advance by the system of BYA of impurity, we develop “in its time,” and if we advance by the system of BYA of Holiness, we hasten our development, which is called “I shall hasten it.”
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From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 01/01/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Opinion (Francis Fukuyama, American political scientist, political economist and author): “Many political institutions in the United States are decaying. This is not the same thing as the broader phenomenon of societal or civilization decline, which has become a highly politicized topic in the discourse about America. This is the result of intellectual rigidity and the growing power of entrenched political actors that prevent reform and rebalancing. …

“Institutional reform is, however, an extremely difficult thing to bring about, and there is no guarantee that it can be accomplished without a major disruption of the political order. So while decay is not the same as decline, neither are the two discussions unrelated. …

“Ordinary people feel that their supposedly democratic government no longer reflects their interests but instead caters to those of a variety of shadowy elites….

“Ordinary Americans express widespread disdain for the impact of interest groups and money on Congress. The perception that the democratic process has been corrupted or hijacked is not an exclusive concern of either end of the political spectrum. Both Tea Party Republicans on the Right and liberal Democrats on the Left believe that interest groups whose views they happen not to like exercise undue political influence and feather their own nests. As it turns out, both are correct. As a result, trust in Congress has fallen to historically low levels, now barely above single digits.”

My Comment: There will be full integration of the elite and those in power that will maintain the state and control the people as they find necessary, as long as the people allow them. The lower classes will become interested in integral education for transformation of society. Perhaps, this will pass upward, similarly as religions seized the elite through slaves and the masses. Or there will be a threat of civil or world war. In any case, it is either the method of integral education or suffering.
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Our only problem is in establishing the right connection. At the moment, we are not connected at all, but when the connection becomes stronger and tighter, we will need to find out how to fulfill it. Suppose I have several millions of strings to tie and you have several millions of strings to tie and we need to find out how to connect them correctly: which string connects to another, in which frequency and when, in which sequence and order.

The main thing is to feel the importance of the goal. Mutual guarantee is an inner feeling that we should reach that determines the inner state of the new reality. It isn’t just a point of connection between us; it actually expands afterward and becomes a point of the new reality. This is why we need the feeling of importance that empowers us so much and which sustains and promotes the point of mutual guarantee, which later becomes the mutual guarantee between me, which includes the whole world and the Creator.

This is the importance of the goal, the importance of the group, and the importance of the friend. I have to constantly clarify things, find out what I need in order to increase the idea of mutual guarantee at any given moment: what is redundant, which means, what I don’t need. The importance of the work should be great and we have to evoke it in every friend.

Eventually, we return to the greatness of the group that must impress everyone in a different way, by igniting envy, passion, a desire for respect and control, in other words, by using every means to spur us on and to shake us. This is how everyone should work on everyone else. Mutual guarantee begins when I see that it’s my responsibility that my friend should simply be in a good mood by being among us, and then this mutual guarantee develops more and more.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/31/13, Lesson on the Topic: Preparation for the Convention

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