The Torah, “Exodus” (Ki Tissa),” 33: 11: Then the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man would speak to his companion, and he would return to the camp, but his attendant, Joshua, the son of Nun, a lad, would not depart from the tent.

Those who have already obtained the property of bestowal speak with the Creator as equals because the quality of Bina in its highest point is similar to the Creator (the property of Keter). At that level, they merge with each other.

Joshua doesn’t possess the same powers as Moses to descend to the lowest desires (Malchut), to people, and interact with them there. Joshua remains in the point of merging and that’s why he is called “Moses’s servant.”

Later, Joshua ben Nun enters the land of Israel (“land” derives from the word “Eretz” meaning a “desire,” Malchut) since Malchut is ready to accept the quality of bestowal, whereas Moses is unable to enter the land of Israel because he remains in the pure property of Bina, thus being detached from Malchut. He can correct it, but he is unable to enter it. It will become possible only when the entire land of Israel will be conquered, meaning when Malchut will accept all properties of bestowal and love. Then, the property of Moses will reveal itself.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 9/16/13

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How does the whole and an individual part relate to one another? How could a small group gathered by Abraham in ancient Babylon influence the development of all of humanity? Why does everything revolve around this group? Why does this group continue its “rotation”?

The problem of this world is that we “count” humanity as if it’s livestock. We evaluate humans by millions and billions; this kind of calculation seems sufficient to us. We just are unable to make qualitative calculations.

It results in a constant conflict between quality and quantity in this world. We proclaim that we are equal. However, how can it be true if one’s possessions are comparable with the assets of a billion others or if one’s health is worth the wellbeing of thousands of others? Are we really equal just because each of us has a body? Is it a criterion that should be used when evaluating human beings?

We are unable to “appraise” others because we lack true measurement tools. What are we comparing: feelings, intellect? How can we equate one person to another?

There is no equality whatsoever! Everybody is born with a specific set of qualities, thus each of us is unique. Even though we would like to be equal, we still are not. Baal HaSulam explains this issue in his article “Peace in the World”: “…we need to work very hard in order to attain true equality among us.”

It also is applicable on the spiritual path. Our spiritual goals are also quite different. Each of us has personal qualities, individual “destiny,” way of advancement, and a unique purpose in the whole system that serves as a common body where each cell is important but all cells and organs are still extremely different.

This explains why the role of Abraham’s group is so important: This entity of people attained a new purpose that was totally opposite to other nations’. Babylon was driven by an egoistic desire that increasingly expanded and enhanced, whereas Abraham’s group, on the contrary, focused on the will to bestow. Egoism can continue growing under the condition and to the extent of advancement of the altruistic desire, by faith above reason.

Abraham students’ advancement dramatically differs from the progression of other nations: The latter have developed intelligence, whereas the first group concentrated on faith. This explains why at the time when Abraham’s group faithfully followed its predestination, they were not developing sciences or culture such as music or dancing. They paid almost no attention to these things; rather, their major exertions were made towards spirituality. It was their only focus.

Later, other nations took advantage of the “fruits” of their work and on this basis they developed sciences, culture, and arts. For example, ancient Greeks borrowed the first “sprouts” of their philosophy from the wisdom of Kabbalah. Later, they admitted this fact.

As we see, the specifics of the relationships between the whole and a part, between small nations and the entire humanity, stayed intact throughout all of history and will be preserved in the future. As Abraham did, we collect friends from all over the world and entreat them to choose a common path to the Creator. Still, we remain a tiny minority. It’s supposed to be like that because there has to be a balance between the quantitative powers of all of humanity and our qualitative energy.

Both parts have to be harmonized. For example, if a small child receives a huge power, he might gravely hurt others, but if he acquires deep understanding of what he is doing without being given extra powers, then he won’t be able to implement his understanding in life. That’s why everything has to be balanced so that our body, intellect, and feelings are correctly proportioned while they grow.

It means that we can even become smaller to the extent of the development of the rest of the world. It is said: “They shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them.” They will know Him through us, but they won’t join us by the millions. It will happen only at the very last stage of correction.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/4/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Baal HaSulam, Shamati #53, “The Matter of Limitation”: …This is the meaning of, “Serve the Lord with gladness.” This is so because during the Gadlut it is irrelevant to say that He gives them work to be in gladness, since during the Gadlut gladness comes by itself. Instead, the work of gladness is given to them for the time of Katnut, so that they will have joy although they feel Katnut. And this is a great work.

This is called the main part of the degree, which is a discernment of Katnut. This discernment must be permanent, and the Gadlut is only an addition. Also, one should yearn for the main part, not for the additions.

In our work, we reach an intersection a crossroads, a fork in the road, after which we already have to measure our states along the spiritual road, either inside our desire to receive pleasure or outside it. Everything depends on where we measure our state, our success, our continuous progress.

If we measure it inside the desire, we are happy about the greatness: the height and the filling. It is the left line that pulls us to the side of the ego, according to which we aspire to see and to measure everything. On the right line we measure everything in relation to the group and to the Creator.

On the right line, we don’t notice the state we are in and accept every state as the perfect state. This means that we don’t take our feelings into account, no matter what the Creator sends us. We always measure everything according to bestowal, which means outside ourselves. On the left line it’s the opposite: I have no other thoughts but thoughts about myself and about what happens to me, and this is the only thing I worry about all day long.

Accordingly, the work along the two lines is different and it depends on what I demand in each state. If it is the right line, I demand to remain the way I am or worry only about how not to lose the direction to bestowal upon the Creator through the environment and through all of creation.

Here I work on my smallness in order to make myself as small as possible. I only want to bestow upon the Creator as much as possible and not to feel that I bestow or that He enjoys my bestowal. This means that I diminish the response in every possible way, cut off all the wires and all the ways by which I can get a response for my action of bestowal, which I try to increase as much as I can.

This kind of work is in maximum bestowal and zero reward. To the extent that I can perform clean calculations with regard to absolute bestowal without a reward, my spiritual level is measured accordingly (like Rosh-Toh-Sof). Thus I already stabilize myself and begin to mutually work with the Creator, as the Creator opens up more and more opportunities for me.

When I am stabilized on the previous level, I ask for more and more powers in order to increase my bestowal. Of course, I have to overcome my ego more and more in order to attain this and in order not to receive any reward in return. And what I do receive from the Creator I have the opportunity to turn into bestowal, and this is extra work in addition to this work. This is how we advance.

The problem is at the actual crossroads, the split that is created. This work is repeated on every level. As we ascend to the next spiritual degree, the shattered Reshimot (reminiscences) are revealed and I have to stand at this crossroads in order to be sure where the left line is and where the right line is. I cannot simply turn to the right and not look to the left at all.

This is impossible because one line is based on the other line. If I follow the right line correctly and reach a certain point, the left line also grows to the same extent, but I cut one line from the other, and so the “trunk” (Toch) and “end” (Sof) of my spiritual Partzuf are created. The place in which I calculate things is called “head” (Rosh). Thus I begin to build my spiritual Partzuf. This is practical spiritual work. This is all based on the picture of the world that the Creator depicts for me as a result of my attitude to reality.

Question: Where is the point of our independence in the drawing?

Answer: We are independent only at the crossroads, but it always exists. We have to constantly feel that we are at a crossroads, as it says: “They should seem new to you every day.” All the time we have to decide and always choose the right line, and instead of erasing the left line, we should advance me on top of it.
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From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/2/14

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We need to feel that we are totally within the Light, like a body that is immersed in water. From all sides, my body is surrounded by water that is closely connected with all of my movements.

In this state, I need to feel that I am within the Upper Light so that through each of my tiny movements, in thought or in desire, in each tendency of my heart and brain, I immediately invite the Light to come to me. This happens immediately without any transition. I need to reach this sensation in my life.

All of us are drowning in these waters and receive oxygen only at the instant when we move towards each other. If our hearts are drawn to unite between each other, then we have something from which to breathe. If the heart does not want to unite, then we cannot breathe without air. We need to feel this state in our spiritual work: We are submerged within a sea of Light, like water, and the oxygen only depends on the connection between us. Thus we need to somehow force our hearts to strive towards unity.

The presence of oxygen depends on our closeness to each other. And then we begin to connect, not in order to receive oxygen, but in order to give joy to the Creator! How can we raise the longing to receive oxygen to longing to give joy to the Creator, even though I am suffocating without air?

In the end, we reach the state where we suddenly cease to need oxygen and feel like fish in water! We don’t even think about it, but only on how we can bring Him joy.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/21/14, Workshop

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Preparation for the Lesson

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Workshop

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The Book of Zohar — Selected Excerpts 

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Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah”   

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Opinion (Karen Shahinian, journalist Slon): “We accept the opinion of majority as the truth, believe public opinion more than our own eyes because it is uncomfortable to be at odds with the majority. No matter what the majority tells us, it is important not to differ.

“Let’s say, there are only 10,000 people on a small square, and a huge silent country is around – the revolutionary minority has its own influence; it is not overwhelmed by the majority; it is important what the minority says.

“We have to comply with the opinion of majority, but not with the opinion of minority, but we listen to it attentively, trying to understand why they think differently, and this is the hidden power and influence of minority. Since we are not afraid of them, they are not dangerous, we begin to listen to them and think about the content.

“At the beginning, the influence of the minority does not appear, but time passes, and a serious question arises: perhaps, it is really necessary to stand up to the end and not to leave the square? Of course, if the opinion of minority was correct, and it was worthwhile to stay. It all depends on the unity of minority and its perseverance to articulate their ideas.

“At this moment, propaganda begins to divert from the content and to criticize the quality of the representatives of minority, to discredit them. This works because when a person thinks, he becomes nervous – and he is happy to hear the simple explanation of propaganda. The main and only weapon of the minority is persistence, not to stop to broadcast their ideas.

“From the point of view of biology, to differ from the majority is a mistake; if everyone behaves in a certain way, it means that it is the only correct way, and those who acted differently were eaten.

“The term “the wisdom of the crowd” means that the average response of the crowd is the most accurate and correct because everyone makes a mistake around the truth, and the average opinion is as close as possible to the truth. But this rule works only if the crowd is not biased, in a stable environment, when the circumstances are clear. But when everything is changing and insecure, the majority becomes confused, and the minority have a chance to influence by their idea.

“If the opinion of minority is not fiction, but the truth, it will be viable and gradually spread to the majority and become the norm. As soon as the economy falls and stability is disturbed, the majority will be disoriented and ready to accept new ideas.”

My Comment: In our case, it is necessary to add the influence of Ohr Makif, which, to the extent of our preparedness to re-educate the masses, will organize the conditions necessary for the correction of society.
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Question: What is the connection between confidence and joy?

Answer: Confidence brings us joy. The feeling of confidence is a result of the special illumination that comes from Above and sustains a person as if on a pillow of air, thus filling him with joy.

There are two forms of confidence: confidence because of what I have in my pocket, to what extent I am stronger than the environment, or confidence in the environment, of how strong the environment is and the fact that I am incorporated in it, which means that my confidence depends on the environment. It is one of the two.

Confidence is the connection with the environment when I am either stronger than the environment or when the environment is stronger than me, but I am connected to it. The best feeling of confidence is when I am satisfied with a state of smallness. Then, I am surely in arms of the environment, feeling confident like a baby in the arms of its mother.

When a baby grows, he doesn’t feel the same sense of confidence he felt before. He already has doubts and is afraid of everything, while a baby in his mother’s arms doesn’t worry about anything, and that is the best time.
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From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/5/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Question: Today, many of our friends are going out to meet the public who will be hearing about the wisdom of Kabbalah for the first time. How can we acquire faith through the public?

Answer: Faith comes from the Creator and the deficiency for it comes from the public. We, on the other hand, must be in the middle as the coordinators, as a link. We reach the public with our intentions to delight the Creator since they are the general vessel of the soul that is before us, and we want to make it one so that the Creator will be revealed in it so that we will delight Him.

By going out to the public, we should feel that we are the Creator’s representatives who have received a wonderful opportunity to delight Him. We show the public that we have such good will and an open heart, without any self-benefit or any demands, but only the inclination to do them good.

If we reach the public with this intention, we will succeed. We are in a state of Hafetz Hesed with regard to the public and with regard to the Creator, which means that we receive the ten Sefirot of Hassadim, the level of the priests (Cohanim). The main thing is to prepare properly, just like musicians who tune their instruments. This is actually the way we should calibrate ourselves, as if we draw the bow over the strings of a violin back and forth, thus checking the inner inclinations with which we go out to the public and the inner inclination with which we turn to the Creator. This way, the abundance, the Light, will flow through us to the public without any interruption on our part. The deficiencies of the public rise from the bottom and the Light descends from Above, the desires from below and the Light from Above.

Try to tune yourselves this way, and you suddenly will feel that you are managed totally on the one hand by the public and on the other hand by the Creator.
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From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/5/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Question: What are thoughts and how do they influence the general system?

Answer: Thoughts appear where there are some desires that are found in opposition and in conflict with each other, and a need is created to balance them in some form.

If, due to a lack of difference in desires, no thought appears, then only instinct operates.
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