It seems to us that a person of strong faith should always find the strength to withstand any state and never lose connection with the Creator whether in sadness or in joy, as if nothing can shake or knock the person off eternal adhesion. But in reality, this is not so: a person striving for the Creator experiences constant changes. One must feel growing weakness within oneself, but at the same time know how to achieve increased confidence and adhesion with the Creator. Therefore, one advances and adds all the time.

However, if one feels no such changes within oneself, powerlessness and uncertainty, descents and fear, straying from the right path toward the Creator and the purpose of life, if one is not concerned about that, then it is actually an important reason for concern. A person needs to engage in the group as quickly as possible with all one’s might in order to begin receiving the surrounding light through it, which changes a person.

If we think that everything is fine and there is nothing to worry about, then this is the time to get concerned.¹

In our world, we consider a person as strong if he advances without feeling heavily burdened. They put an additional ten kilograms on his back, and he keeps on going; another twenty kilograms, he keeps on going as if nothing happened. We consider such a person to be heroic and strong.

In spirituality, however, it is the opposite. A hero is the one who is sensitive to each gram that is added to one’s load and instantly turns to the Creator with a request to correct the lack of confidence and for the force of bestowal. Spiritual advancement is measured differently, in increased sensitivity. The Creator keeps adding difficulties to us in quality and quantity, and we always have the opportunity to ask Him for new strength through the environment and to thus advance.

Advancement on the path depends solely on the changes felt by a person, which the Creator awakens in each person. Each time, I have to realize where my weakness lies and how to be strengthened in order to advance. Clearly, I lack faith, the force of bestowal, therefore, I need the environment and the Creator more and more so that I can contribute to the environment, turn to the Creator though it, and thus continue on the path.²

Everyone needs to check what changes the congress has made in them. One might feel detached, another being pulled in, the third one may have a blurry mind and feelings. Some might be unable to find themselves in the ten, to look at the friends, to feel them, to find them in one’s heart like before. Participation in a bigger ten had such an effect on him that he stopped feeling the previous connection with his friends.

There are a lot of post-congress phenomena, which cannot be ignored while waiting for you to return to your usual track. I need to check what is happening to me and why, what kind of an effect the congress had on me. It is very important.

Everyone in the ten feels differently and we must examine whether we can return to the previous state or if this new state is much brighter, loftier, and more intense. We began to better appreciate the connection between us and understand why we are returning to our ten to be together. We do not just follow the advice of the Kabbalists, we begin to realize that without it we will have no confidence or strength to advance, we will have no place to draw strength from or to turn to the Creator.

The ten becomes a spiritual source, a spring. We feel how we can stabilize ourselves within it and resume our corrections. Each of us carries a special quality, like ten Sefirot, and that is why we are very different. But we are connected by the common work, the common goal; thus, out of ten people and no less, we can form a perfect way to relate to the Creator.

The ten turns into a Kli, an instrument, we can use to change things with, to influence or become connected to a wider or higher level.³

The center of the ten is the tiny eye of a needle through which I enter the spiritual world. To do so, I must restrict all my thoughts and desires, compressing them into a single point so that they would take me into the upper world through the center of the ten.⁴
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/16/19, Hardening of the Heart

¹ Minute 4:20
² Minute 8:05
³ Minute 10:35
⁴ Minute 12:15

Related Material:
The Center Of The Ten Is The Spiritual Vessel
See Through The Ten
Find The Center Of The Group

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