The Power of Faith above Reason

115.06Question: What does it mean that the power of faith above reason cancels out all the forces that exist in the world?

Answer: Faith above reason is a special force that raises a person above his reason. It can only be increased with the help of actions above reason.

If a person is in such faith, then it indeed cancels out all forces that exist in the world that could influence him and turn differently.

By rising with the help of this force, we reach the level of Bina.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/12/24, Writings of Rabash “He who Hardens His Heart”

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Don’t Do Things that Don’t Advance Us

508.2Question: If the effort is to not do something, how can we increase that?

Answer: There are efforts that must be made to not do something bad, even if you really want to.

Therefore, it is necessary to avoid such thoughts and actions.

We must constantly draw closer to each other and strive toward the Creator. But there are intentions and desires that are against it and pull us aside.

We must act against them, meaning not do something that does not benefit us and does not advance us toward the goal of creation.

So just close your eyes and advance toward each other, help your friends, open your hearts to them.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/27/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “His Divorce and His Hand Come as One”

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Open Your Eyes

945Question: How do you prepare the hearts in the ten to feel the need for the Creator’s help if you feel that hearts are closed, that they are asleep?

It seems like you need help, but you cannot even ask.

Answer: Pray that all of you unite and ask.

Comment: I am praying, but it feels like it is getting worse.

Answer: No, it is not getting worse. It is just that you actually begin to see that the Creator is hidden from you.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/29/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “Looking in the Book Again”

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Descents and Exile

276.02Question: What is the difference between a descent and exile?

Answer: It may be that a person does not feel the descent as an exile.

A descent is moving away from the Creator, and exile is the feeling that he had something, and now he has been expelled from it. Usually one can get out of exile only with the help of prayer.

Question: When we are in exile, we have a strong desire for the Creator. The need comes from the Creator. What else can I add besides gratitude?

Answer: Nothing, real gratitude replaces everything.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/7/24, Writings of Rabash “The Meaning of Exile”

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 5/2/24

Preparation to the Lesson

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1st part of the Lesson — Writings of Rabash, “And Jacob Went Out”

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2nd part of the Lesson — Writings of Baal HaSulam, “The Love of God and the Love of Man”

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Selected Highlights

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Audio Version Of The Blog – 5/1/24

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The Passover Holiday from Different Perspectives

232.01Question: How does the Kabbalistic explanation of our world and the Passover holiday differ from the usual comments?

Answer: There are several levels of explanation of existence, its creation, development, goals, and tasks of a person in it. For example, you can talk about the Passover holiday about:

1. The historical period of slavery of the nation in Egypt,

2. The “slavery” of man in his egoism—Egypt—Pharaoh,

3. The development of creation—desire under the influence of the Creator’s light and its absence under the influence of darkness—Egypt—Pharaoh.

You can also speak at different levels about:

1. The mechanical performance of rituals, which are commonly called commandments,

2. The psychological fulfillment of the instruction “love thy neighbor as thyself,” as a general (Klal) instruction of the Creator, which includes all other instructions, as it is said in the Torah: “Love thy neighbor is the general law of the Torah,”

3. The Kabbalistic influence of the upper light on the worlds and through them about souls that go through the stages of their spiritual development—correction.
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The Passover Prohibition to Eat Leavened Bread

200.01Question:Pesach” (from the word “Pasach) means to step over or jump over from egoistic qualities to altruistic ones, to the qualities of the Creator.

Kabbalists described the procedure for emerging from egoism allegorically in the order of the Passover meal. One of the symbols of Passover is the prohibition of eating leavened bread. What does leavened bread symbolize in our inner work?

Answer: The prohibition of eating leavened bread means that if you wish to leave Egypt, you cannot apply any intentions for yourself. If you want to exit from egoistic desire, you must rid yourself of all actions that keep you in this intention.

Question: What does Matzah, called the bread of poverty, symbolize?

Answer: Bread is what sustains a person. Exiting from the egoistic state means that one starts consuming food that does not feed the egoism, but only provides spiritual strength, the quality of bestowal. The custom of eating Matzah signifies that a person should receive just what is necessary to sustain the body and with everything else, work for the sake of bestowal.

Question: Another symbol of Passover is the pre-Passover cleaning. What is the significance of this?

Answer: It means that we must completely renounce egoistic desires. Thus, we leave Egypt, i.e., our collective egoistic intentions for “oneself.” Therefore, we must cleanse ourselves of leavened bread (Hametz), which symbolize these intentions and various actions on all levels: inanimate, vegetative, animate, human, from everything around us and within us. It is written: “You shall remove leaven from your houses.”
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 3/28/21

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Cultivate the Quality of Giving

938.01Question: What are the actions where there is no pleasure for the desire to receive and only for the desire to give through friends to the Creator?

Answer: These are acts of giving—actions opposite to egoism.

To translate this action into ever closer unity with our friends, we need to accept the obligation that instead of hatred between us, at least in the ten, we want to become close friends who help each other.

Question: What is a genuine spiritual action? How can we, by working in the ten and making efforts, invoke mutual pleasure in each other so that together we can enjoy mutual giving and thereby give to the Creator?

Answer: We cannot do this because we are born and raised in the quality of egoism. But gradually, by working on ourselves, we attain a negative attitude toward egoism and eventually acquire opposite qualities: love for others, love for the Creator, and altruism.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/9/24, Writings of Rabash “The Need for an Act from Below”

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The Mindset that Gives Strength

259.01Question: When it is necessary to say “no” to the desire to receive where does one get an understanding of how to act correctly?

Answer: If a person is properly inclined to fulfill some kind of prohibition, then he receives knowledge and strength and implements the action.

Question: How can we constantly approach the Creator, the upper world, and not give in to what the desire to receive establishes?

Answer: Remember that the Creator gives us this. Such understanding will give us strength.

We should strive to maintain a constant connection with the group and with the Creator, the confidence that it is He who sets all the obstacles before us, and yet we must move toward Him.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/11/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Purpose of the Work – 2”

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