It isn’t by chance that our big global group is divided into two parts which are necessary in order to express our prayer, our deficiency for correction correctly. Because of different reasons, the first part is given the chance to connect physically during the convention, while the other part cannot come to the convention and connect physically.

This is why there is another important element in our prayer where we must ask for the friends who are not physically with us so we will feel as if they are here with us. We shouldn’t feel any distance between us, but rather that the distance between us is meaningless since there is nothing but the connection with the friends.

We ask the Creator to bring the friends who had to stay at home closer to us and to convey all our feelings to them and their impressions to us. There shouldn’t be virtual communication lines between us, but heart to heart communication lines which are so strong that we will feel that the friends are not just beside us, but inside our hearts!
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From the Preparation for the World Zohar Week 2014 1/29/14

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World Zohar Convention, Day Two, “There Is None Else Beside Him,” Lesson 4

World Zohar Convention, Day Two, Workshop 3

World Zohar Convention, Day Two, Lesson 5

World Zohar Convention, Day Two, Lesson 6

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The Torah, “Exodus (Ki Tissa),” 32:9-32:10: And the Lord said to Moses: “I have seen this people and behold! They are a stiff necked people. Now leave Me alone, and my anger will be kindled against them so I will annihilate them, and I will you into a great nation.”

It refers to the fact that Moses actually ascended to the height of the Creator, but in order to place him on a level of full equivalence of form with Him, the Creator wants to make him into a nation, which means to add such desires to him that will form in him the image of Adam (a human being) that resembles the Creator, is in adhesion with Him.

At the same time, the rest of creation is preserved, which means that it remains on the level of the still, vegetative, and animate nature, while the speaking level of nature that is fulfilled on the level of Moses ascends upward.

Why does Moses object to the Creator and plead that He will not destroy the people? Doesn’t he cherish his own attributes that are similar to the Creator’s? Doesn’t he prefer the state of adhesion with Him? He is about to undergo corrections, the changing of new values, to descend into Egypt, into impurity, into the ego that is totally opposite to his own attributes. What is he attracted to there? He discovers eternity.

The fact that his love of the Creator can only be through the love of others is revealed here. It is impossible to express it any other way. The Creator tests Moses by telling him, “If I make you into a nation, you will receive everything in the state of your smallness. You can discover your great potential only if you agree to take on this hard labor. Take all the egoistic desires, correct them, purify them, and raise them to me. Make a choice!”
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 9/9/13

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Right now we need to clarify which problems must actually be solved before and during the convention. Otherwise this will not be called a “convention,” a convening, a connection.

Question: It is understandable that we need to feel happy about connection. But must we also be afraid of not attaining a connection?

Answer: There is a particular age below which the child is exempt from commandments (Mitzvot) because he is small. After that we begin to educate him and say to him what he is allowed to eat and what he is forbidden to eat, or that one can do something this way and is not allowed to do it that way.

The first commandment is called “fear” in the presence of the Creator. I am afraid of whether or not I will be able to give Him contentment, will this action make Him happier, what will make Him less happy? For this, I must reach an age of maturity, “Bar Mitzvah,” meaning a level when a person is aware that he is responsible for his thoughts, intentions, and deeds of correction. A “Mitzvah” is correction. The question is, have we reached this age?

If we were already like this today, we will feel the fear, the apprehension: “Friends, the goal before us is to give contentment to the Creator! If we don’t do this, it will be very bad.” This will be very bad not for ourselves, but bad for another, for others; otherwise, this is not called a “Mitzvah” if I am thinking about myself. But if we succeed in giving contentment to the Creator, this will be good for the entire world! What will be with us doesn’t matter to us.

This means that we must make many preliminary corrections before we reach realization of this first commandment of fear, of apprehension, of the thought, “Am I giving contentment to the Creator or not?” It’s forbidden for you to get some kind of benefit from this in return for this will no longer be a commandment, this will not be bestowal, this will not be giving contentment to the Creator. It’s possible to bring contentment to the Creator only if there is no self-interest, if one is making Him happy without considering personal loss or gain. We must still rise to this level by making a restriction on our ego so that the result will not be considered in relation to ourselves.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/27/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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We should feel that we are in the desert and that we will remain in the desert, in desolation, in emptiness, if we don’t reach the state in which we can delight the Creator. We will only have the idea that we did it, that we are trying to do it, and that we are getting close to it. Then, there is a higher level, and we don’t want to know it since the exertion itself, delighting the Creator, is our reward.

The emptiness that is created between us always will be the place that the Creator must fill according to our state. The higher we ascend the spiritual ladder, this emptiness will take on a new form, a new essence, a new identity, until finally we will reach a state in which we will ask for nothing except for the opportunity to make an effort in total darkness. This darkness becomes a place full of Light for us.

It is said:.”Darkness will illuminate as Light.” But how can that be? After all, it remains darkness! For us, it isn’t darkness anymore. If we bring the Light of Hassadim (Mercy) into it, our impulse to bestow, the darkness turns into Light and night turns into day.

If we turn ourselves into a vessel that can work only in order to serve all of creation, this vessel becomes a conductor of the Light. We actually are ready for this transition which is a totally new phenomenon that never existed before. Therefore, we can reach the right action by our mutual effort. Our action isn’t in feeling and understanding the Creator but rather in discovering the right deficiency. This is the only thing that is required of us.

When we have the right deficiency, we immediately will discover that we are already on a certain spiritual level. Even now, we are already in the world of Ein Sof (Infinity), but we discover only part of it according to our deficiency and one day, we discover all of it.
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From the Preparation for the World Zohar Week 2014 1/29/14

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World Zohar Convention, Day One, Lesson 1

World Zohar Convention, Day One, Workshop 1

World Zohar Convention, Day One, Lesson 2

World Zohar Convention, Day One, Workshop 2

World Zohar Convention, Day One, Lesson 3

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I am very glad that we have such an extended convention, long meetings between all the friends around the world. This allows us to be integrated with each other, to connect, and unite. First of all, it says that from Above we are allowed to do that. All the forces of the Creator are intended to help us, to give us a chance to unite. The rest is up to us. 

Somewhere between two and three weeks before our convention, a new attitude came to us from Above: focused, aimed at us, the desire of the Creator, Who waits for us to rise to Him. Therefore, we have to take this challenge and begin to work with it. We are in a state when everything has been already transferred to our hands and depends on us. 

I very much hope that we will not miss this chance. You noticed that shortly before our convention, we suddenly had an opportunity and readiness to explain the direction to the goal more clearly and openly. The lessons have risen to a new level and have become more accurately directed at it. So, I am very glad that we are on the threshold of correct connection. We have the power for it. I am very proud of you, of our chance to get together and bring great joy to the upper force that cares about us. 

We just have to thank the Creator for the opportunities presented and quickly realize the chance provided. We received it and not accidentally. Why have we all of a sudden received such a connection with the upper force that we have the opportunity to reveal it as managing everything, enveloping, and filling everything? Why does It want to raise us and make us its partners? This is huge luck. We are just the lucky ones! 

Therefore, we must accept every friend as a great special person in his generation, chosen by the Creator from many millions of people and brought here where our friends from around the world gathered. This is a great state that has a huge impact on all of humanity. 

Neil Armstrong once said, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Indeed, this is what is happening to us only in a spiritual sense, and it strongly advances the world. Therefore, we need to honor every friend and collectively thank the Creator.
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From a Talk During the Meal 1/29/14

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We have already experienced the first feeling of connection, but the question is how do we continue using our experience? If we simply enjoy the pleasant feeling and the tranquility, then we are clearly using the illumination that comes to us. As a result of the loss of the illumination, we feel a descent. As Baal HaSulam said: “Shame on he who does not constantly step up his efforts, but makes a complaint, separating himself from the Creator.”

Therefore, we must constantly work on increasing our desire and efforts on this inclination in different forms among the men and the women, in different circles. We know that Ramchal’s students took turns in studying continuously from The Book of Zohar. There was always a small group that was responsible for keeping the general state every hour of the 24 hours in a day. We may also have to do something similar in the future. We have an opportunity to organize this duty around the clock all over the globe, in all our groups on every continent. It makes no difference whether it’s a big group or a small one, any small effort that one small individual makes is like a great effort that a grownup makes.

Now we should fear the descent back to the domination of the ego. We feel good and pleasant; we have experienced some unusual feelings and we are starting to enjoy and to analyze them, but no matter what I feel, what is important is to constantly remain above my feelings and my calculations and to yearn only for bestowal. When I am in bestowal, I don’t feel myself and I don’t even think about it. I only ask for bestowal: For whom am I doing all this?

I live thanks to the intention to bestow and not in the state itself. In the spiritual world, the state itself is not included, only what you add to it, the acceleration, and the derivative.
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From the Talk at a Meal 1/27/14

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