Question: I am haunted by the question: what is going on, why can’t I connect with the others? I want to feel a common desire (Hissaron) but there is no connection, no feeling of the group. What is missing?

Answer: You are missing.

Question: Does this mean I am not ready yet?

Answer: Do not say that you are not ready. The fact that you were brought here is a sign that you are ready. Now it all depends on your efforts. Do not try to justify yourself that you are not ready. You are purposely given obstacles to prevent you from making the necessary efforts. You must make them, you should plea, persuade, demand to be united in one ten by any means. That’s what you must now do. Otherwise, you would not have ended up here.

Do not say: “Another congress has passed. I don’t know what lies ahead. Maybe next time …,” or any other excuses.

This is given to you from above! These are not your thoughts! Do not scold yourself for them, a man has no thoughts. Everything comes from above, and therefore, relate all the obstacles to the Creator. Do not comply with Him. This is called “help against you.” He is purposely pushing you away in order for you to develop the right desire for unity with Him in quantity and quality.

So, keep going!
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From the World Kabbalah Convention in Moldova 9/5/19, Lesson 0

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Three Limitations in the Study of Kabbalah

Comment: Baal HaSulam writes that in order to begin to study his commentary on The Book of Zohar or The Book of Zohar itself, you must first familiarize yourself with the four prefaces written by him: “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” “Preface to the Sulam Commentary,” “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” and “Preface to The Book of Zohar. ”

Answer: Yes. It is impossible to approach reading The Book of the Zohar without a serious study of these four prefaces.

Question: In addition, Baal HaSulam writes that before proceeding with the study of The Book of Zohar, three limitations must be clarified, which cannot be violated. In spiritual attainment, there are four categories that are called: matter, form dressed in matter, abstract form and essence. The Book of Zohar does not deal with such concepts as essence and abstract form. What is this limitation?

Answer: It is impossible to deal with the essence at all since it is above our nature.

We cannot deal with the abstract form because it is not a science.

We only deal with matter, which takes some form.

For example, we study egoism, which can acquire certain egoistic or anti-egoistic, altruistic forms. We can put on these forms and examine them because we ourselves are the matter that takes on these forms.

It is impossible to explore something outside yourself, in particular, such a substance as the Creator. Only if He appears as a person and manifests itself in the form of some property: love, bestowal.

Question: The second limitation—Baal HaSulam says that The Book of Zohar considers only the worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and Assiya, that is, the concealment of the upper force from creation. Why?

Answer: We can only investigate what manifests in matter, and what is above it, abstract forms, abstract forces unclothed in matter, we cannot discuss them because they are absolutely unprovable and unrealistic.

Question: So there are five worlds and Baal HaSulam speaks only about three worlds?

Answer: Yes. He speaks only of those worlds where we exist: Beria, Yetzira, and Assiya.

Question: The third limitation—in each of the worlds BYA, there are three categories: ten Sefirot, the souls of people, and the rest of reality. The Book of Zohar explains phenomena associated only with people. What does this mean?

Answer: We should be interested only in what concerns us and what is clothed in us, and we can explore this from our practical comprehension.

We must see the limitations very clearly. A step to the left, a step to the right beyond the limits of our desire, which takes on various forms, turns us into philosophers and psychologists, but not scientists. Kabbalah is a purely a practical science.
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From KabTV’s “Fundamentals of Kabbalah,” 12/18/18

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Lesson Preparation

Lesson on the Topic “Arvut – The Network of Connection Between Us” (Preparation for the Convention in Bulgaria)

Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” Item 89

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If today it is harder for us to concentrate and we do not have the same sharpness of mind and sensations as yesterday, we must be happy about it. It means that additional will to receive was revealed to us, which we need to attach and see it not as a descent but as an advancement in the left line. In our connection, we must overcome this additional egoism and reach a new sensation that is even stronger, deeper, and sharper than the one we had yesterday.

Yesterday we had an incredible sharpness of feeling and understanding and today I am in some dumb state, half asleep. And here we need action, a common effort of all of us together in order to connect even more. The Creator has pushed us away from each other, expanded our Kli, added one more drop of egoism to us, and we must perform contraction. Thus, we will gradually learn to control our expansions and contractions through prayer. We ourselves will want to add a desire  to us in order to later work on it, and so again and again.

Therefore, now we should try to think about everyone and connect everyone in order to quickly bring back at least the same sharpness of feelings and mind that we had yesterday. And it is better to think not about yesterday but about the new state.¹

What is the difference between the Reshimo de Hitlabshut and the Reshimo de Aviut? Reshimo de Hitlabshut is when I can only imagine how the Creator is clothing in me and Reshimo de Aviut is when I already can feel Him and work with Him. Reshimo de Hitlabshut is above my desire and Reshimo de Aviut is within my desire.²

I want to not simply reveal the Creator, I want Him to clothe in our connection. That is, I want to feel the Creator as a correction of the relationships between us: unity, love, connection, mutual help, and warmth, in order to reveal Him in our substance, in our connections.

I want to feel the deficiency for something I absolutely do not need. I have no need to bestow to others, and this is my problem. However, I want to feel the urgent need for bestowal as if I suffer from hunger or thirst. And for me to be filled with the very desire to bestow like the first love that overflows the heart with romantic dreams and does not require anything else.

I want to be sick with love for the Creator, but the problem is that I do not feel any need for Him. The deficiency is the fulfillment, and I want to be filled with yearning, desire, and longing for my beloved.³

Before receiving pleasure, it is necessary to develop a desire for it. Deficiency is an integral part of fulfillment; without deficiency, it is impossible to feel it. Therefore, we must take care of the deficiency. In the corporeal world if I feel the need for love, I connect with the one I love and love fades away. After all, I received what I wanted. Then we even begin to quarrel.

This does not happen in the spiritual world because I do not connect with my beloved. Our connection is determined by the similarity of our qualities: how much He loves me and I love Him. Therefore, our desires do not fade but only expand. The method of constantly increasing one’s love is called the wisdom of Kabbalah. It is a science! The science of receiving, when we receive and want more all the time.⁴
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/13/19, “Preparation to the Europe Convention”

¹ Minute 59:48
² Minute 1:08:00
³ Minute 1:14:40
⁴ Minute 1:24:10

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Joshua Goldstein, Chairman of the US Division of Herut North America, meets with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman to discuss the origins of anti-Semitism and the essence of being Jewish.

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Question: Do we need to achieve mutual unity, mutual connection between us, before we begin to solve any corporeal problem?

Answer: In ancient times there was an organization called the Sanhedrin where sages gathered together, united, and made all kinds of decisions, then these decisions were implemented by people.

Question: Did they discuss what taxes to collect, whether to begin a war or not, and so on?

Answer: Anything. Even minor problems.

The solution to a problem was found in the unity between them, that is, in the revelation of the Creator. This means that the solution was the right one. Then it was possible to transfer it to the people, who were not yet able to unite, for implementation. It took place just as decisions are usually made in some circles and implemented in other circles, at a different level.
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From KabTV’s “Fundamentals of Kabbalah,” 12/25/18

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Question: How should I grow my desire for spirituality? You are saying that it is possible to attach to myself the desires for spirituality of the others. Is there some kind of mechanism on how to do that?

Answer: Only in the form of self-annulment. You will not be able to acquire anything without annulling yourself. This is how you will suddenly begin to feel that this action allows you to absorb completely new qualities within yourself.

Question: How can one distinguish what desire it is?

Answer: Let’s say, you see a friend whose behavior you dislike. Annul yourself and begin to associate with his behavior, with his actions. Act as if you agree with and go along with him. Try to work on yourself in this way! Then you will begin to receive completely new, previously unknown sensations to you. This is what is called connecting with friends.

Look at the others—you dislike one thing about this one, another thing about that one. Try to annul yourself, to agree with the friend, to be together with him in his action, and you will see how this enriches you, how you are connecting with him. This is how the common Kli (vessel) in which the Creator appears is gradually revealed.
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From Lesson 0, World Kabbalah Convention in Moldova 9/5/19

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Question: Kabbalists say that we need to look for the solution to problems at the next degree, based on our unity. What does this mean?

Answer: The fact is that the uncorrected states that are revealed in us and around us do not have a solution at the same level they are at. Therefore, whatever we do in our world is unsuccessful.

In order to solve any problem, one must rise above it and correct it precisely in its root, from that initial point from which it arises. Otherwise, it will not work.
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From KabTV’s “Fundamentals of Kabbalah,” 12/25/18

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New Life 250 – My Internal World, Part 2
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Tal Mandelbaum ben Moshe

My individual happiness depends on balance with others, on Arvut (mutual guarantee). Nothing that goes through me is mine. I am not to blame for being as I am. My entire life is a flow of emotions and information from the environment to me, therefore, I primarily need to learn how to integrate into the general system. This is how we absorb the integral information existing in the universe and invite a positive influence from the system as bad moods disappear. In a circle, we learn how to construct an integral sense since each one wants to communicate with the others. Each one exits the limitations of one’s own small computer and into a large, powerful computer that is created in the center, having a common intelligence and emotion. Everyone works together like organs within a single body.
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From KabTV’s “New Life 250 – My Internal World, Part 2,” 11/12/13

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