Question: How should I live my life in order to raise a true prayer that will be answered?

Answer: You must try to take your heart and open it up. You will see what prayer is inside it and how it comes out. But it really must be done this way; otherwise, it is not a prayer.

Question: When you say “heart,” of course you do not mean the physical organ. What do you mean by it?

Answer: I mean all your deepest desires and dreams, but more precisely, your complaints about life.

Question: That is what the “heart” is?

Answer: Yes.

Question: All these unfulfilled desires, what are they?

Answer: They are what you want to come to the Creator with and ask for Him to explain to you why He did not fulfill them.

Question: Which of my unfulfilled desires will receive a response?

Answer: Only one. If you ever desired something, did you wait for that desire to be fulfilled by the Creator? It is not about what you desired, but whether you desired that it would be the Creator who would fulfill them. That is where the fulfillment lies.

That is, you did not desire money, happiness, fame, success—no matter what or how—but you waited for it to come from the Creator because you wanted Him to fill your desires and only that would satisfy you. Nothing else is needed! Only that He would do it! And even if He fills it with just a drop, that would be enough because He did it!
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman,” 7/19/25

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Comment: Researcher Jerry Burger replicated Stanley Milgram’s controversial and infamous experiment of testing people’s willingness to inflict pain in the form of electric shocks on others in increasing increments at the prodding of an “authority figure.” After the experiment started Burger offered subjects full payment for participating in the study even if they chose not to continue inflicting increasingly stronger electric shocks on their counterparts. His study yielded nearly the same results as Milgram’s that was conducted some 50 years earlier. Compliance rates of subjects inflicting suffering at the behest of the studies’ authority figure were only slightly lower in Burger’s study and he too found no difference in the rates of obedience between men and women.

My Response: If the experiment had been conducted under more natural, real-life conditions, the researcher would have found a 100% willingness to exploit others in any form just for the smallest personal benefit or even without any benefit at all. Because the worse it is for the other, the better it feels for me. This is how a person measures his state, it is measured relative to others.

Events will inevitably lead us to reveal our evil nature and to recognize the evil force that rules over us to such an extent that we would agree to change it toward good and love.

In essence, whether we receive or give does not really matter. The main thing is to feel fulfilled!

If we were born with the quality of bestowal instead of reception, we would not understand how it is even possible to receive instead of give.

This transition is nothing more than a psychological shift. After all, the main thing is to be fulfilled!
For now, a person sees fulfillment only in himself, and measures it relative to the downfall of another.
[2732]
Entries in the section ‘Development of Egoism’

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The ARI is a great soul who descended to our world in order to open the gates of wisdom to us. And therefore, as Baal HaSulam writes, from the time of the ARI onward everything depends on man, who must correct himself and then be able to reveal the Creator, become one with Him, and reach the goal of creation.

Before, prior to the ARI, this was simply closed to ordinary people since the souls were not yet ready and needed to go through a certain path of development and mix with each other.

The ARI symbolizes the period of Messiah (Mashiach); therefore, he is called Mashiach ben Yosef, and from his period onward the wisdom of Kabbalah began to take the form of a method of correction. And before it was intended only for selected individuals in a special form.

We must respect the Kabbalists who were in Safed at that time next to the ARI and recognized his greatness. They appreciated him. RAMAK was already old, famous, and respected, but he came to ARI’s lessons and sat like a student. Although he was twice as old as the ARI, he was known and revered as a great Kabbalist.

Thanks to him and several other Kabbalists who appreciated the ARI, he was protected from opponents of Kabbalah. After all, he had only a few young (26-year-old!) students. In those days, the attitude toward Kabbalah was not at all friendly. It only seems to us that everything was allowed, as they like to write about that now.

This is somewhat similar to the fate of RaMCHaL: he was persecuted for studying Kabbalah, expelled from the ghetto of Padua, the city where he lived. Until the Vilna Gaon declared to everyone about his greatness, and he was left alone.
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From Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/8/10, Writings of Baal HaSulam Preface “Introduction to the Book Panim Meirot uMasbirot”

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Preparation to the Lesson

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1st part of the Lesson — Writings of Baal HaSulam, Shamati #40 “What Is the Measure of Faith in the Rav?”

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2nd part of the Lesson — Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” Item 78-80, (7.18.2006)

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3rd part of the Lesson — Lesson on the Topic “Subjugating the Heart”

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4th part of the Lesson — Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Introduction of The Book of Zohar,” “The Donkey Driver”

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It is written, “The Lord is high and the low will see,” that only the low can see the exaltedness (Baal HaSulam, Shamati 26, “One’s Future Depends and Is Tied to Gratitude for the Past”).

Why specifically the lowly? After all, we usually say the opposite, that attainment of the Creator comes according to the equivalence of form between a person’s qualities and the Creator’s qualities. If I feel the Creator, see Him, it means I have become similar to Him. Does it mean that if I become lowly, then the Creator is also lowly?

So what does the phrase mean: “The Lord is high and the low will see”?

Baal HaSulam explains that The letters “Yakar” [precious] are the letters of “Yakir” [will know]. This means that one knows the exaltedness of a thing to the extent that it is precious to one.

One is impressed according to the importance of the thing. The impression brings one to a sensation in the heart, and according to the measure of one’s recognition of the importance, to that extent, joy is born in him.

Thus, joy is a result of the importance of something—an object, a state, or an event.

Thus, if one knows his lowliness, that he is not more privileged than his contemporaries, meaning he sees that there are many people in the world… who have not attained understanding of where they are, what they live for, who created them, for what purpose, and how. Meaning, they exist on a lower level than he does.

Even from an egoistic perspective, without any intention to have a special connection with the Creator, these people are not in connection with Him, not only a direct connection, but not even an inverse one. The Creator has not yet made a single move toward them.

While he was imparted the desire and thought to at least occasionally to remember Him, to aspire toward Him, to be with Him in one system, to feel that he is approaching or even moving away, but is still in some kind of coordination, some kind of connection with Him, even the simplest.

And if a person can appreciate such an attitude of the Creator toward him, regardless of whether it seems good or bad, if he assigns importance to this connection, then he must thank and praise the Creator, and one is elated by every single point in the holy work, he knows Whose servant he is, and thus soars ever higher.

Even if it is just to be in some kind of mutual reciprocal contact, some movement toward one another even without any special intention to become like Him

Still, if I simply remember that I have a connection with Him, one that exists right now, then I already come to some feeling of joy in the heart.

Even if I would like more, the very fact that there is a contact, and that the Creator reaches out to connect with me should fill me with joy.

As soon as we begin to realize that we are in contact with Him, the next opportunity arises: I can now expand this connection by constantly praising Him according to how great this connection appears to me.

In truth, we are unable to measure a person’s connection with the Creator, and to the extent it seems great to us, so it indeed will be. I become permeated with this sensation of connection and rise to ever-higher levels of gratitude, awareness, and importance.

I begin to feel all the details of the spiritual work, all the mutual connections between us, I attain with Whom I have a connection, and in this way, I reveal more and more nuances and summits of our bond.

It is precisely through this effort that a person—even from the most initial, lowly, and minor connection—reaches the greatest possible state of adhesion with the Creator.

Baal HaSulam briefly mentions this in the article “The Future of a Person Depends on His Gratitude for the Past.” That is, a person’s future depends on the extent to which he cherishes his connection with the Creator even in the smallest doses of interaction.

This is the meaning of what is written, “I thank You for the grace that You have made with me,” meaning for the past, and by this one can confidently say, and he does say, “and that You are destined to do with me.”

Therefore, it is necessary to restore full connection with the Creator and to express gratitude for the past, present, and future, relying on the fact that we have reached such a lofty evaluation of this connection.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/28/2019, “What does the future depend on?”

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Everything was created by a single thought, and this one thought encompasses and includes everything from the beginning of creation to its end. Everything that comes from there is contained there, which due to our lack of correction appears to us as fragmented and contradictory to the extreme.

But all this division and separation, all the “antagonism” and opposition between these parts, exists only in us, in our perception. We simply lack the unity to see them as a single whole where each detail complements the other.

If we correct our desire by equipping it with an intention for the sake of bestowal, then these two poles (the left and the right) will merge together and unite in the middle line. Then for us, everything will unite into one, both the force of the Creator and the force of creation. We will come to understand that all these separating forces, which tore us apart, were only necessary in order to reveal our unity. Without them, we would not have been able to attain it! The advantage of the light is attained from within the darkness.

The advantage of the light, unity, bestowal, love, is attained only through darkness, through its opposite states. Otherwise, we would not be able to attain it, to understand and feel the taste of adhesion. A person understands everything only through the contrast of two opposites.

Therefore, in the thought of creation there is only one quality. But in creation itself two opposite qualities were embedded so that it could correct itself and unify them into one. In doing so, it becomes similar to the Creator.

The perfection of the Creator lies in His singular quality—bestowal. Creation is perfected when it includes two qualities: the desire to receive, but with the intention to bestow. Its intention is bestowal, and in contrast, it possesses a desire to receive fulfillment. It is precisely from the difference between these two that it perceives unity.

That is why it is said, “The greater the person, the greater his ego.” The greatest separation and opposition are revealed just before attaining the world of infinity. There a person feels an infinite gap between reception and bestowal, the utter impossibility of uniting them and making them complement each other. This is what one feels right before making the final correction.
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From Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/15/2011, Writings of Baal HaSulam “Study of the Ten Sefirot”

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Question: You said that through the changing of states of separation and connection, we can come to understand the nature of the Creator. How can this be done?

Answer: I don’t know! We will advance toward it, and eventually from within the qualities that divide us, we will gradually learn how to connect above those qualities. In this way, we will understand what the Creator is, and what is prepared for us.

Question: Baal HaSulam writes: “First, the body divides and completely denies him of the radiance of the soul, and by the force of the Torah and the Mitzva [commandment], the body is cleansed, and to the extent of its cleansing, the common soul shines on him.” What is this shining of the common soul?

Answer: When we attain it, then you will feel it and understand.
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From Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/26/2025, “The Ruin as an Opportunity for Correction”

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In order to resemble the structure of the infinite vessel (desire), in which we exist as one soul in the world of Infinity, each of us must annul our ego, the egoistic “I,” through 125 degrees. As we descended from the world of Infinity, our “I” grew and grew until it reached this world, where each one became a tiny point. But as we begin to ascend back upward, our ego continues to grow until it becomes immense, and each time we must turn it into bestowal.

Therefore, the work against the evil inclination is ongoing, and it can only be done through mutual effort. Each rung of the ladder is a specific form of connection between the parts of the shattered soul that desire to unite despite their egoism.

It is impossible to advance without a yearning for mutual connection, in which each one invests the maximum of their capabilities and even more. Each must carry out their own inner calculation and do everything within their power.

Everything should be gathered together: their desire, effort, the importance they attribute to their state, to the environment, to the greatness of bestowal, and of the Creator. Along with the feeling of one’s lowliness and opposition to all of this, the sense of emptiness and, simultaneously, the expectation of fulfillment within the collective desire, if connection is attained.

This is the essence of the work: to unite all of this within oneself and, internally, without any words, to desire to pass it to another to strengthen him so that all of this would also take place in him, and he would feel that he must inspire others with the greatness of the goal.

On the other hand, we are friends, and I am not greater than others; on the contrary, I am smaller, and I want to receive support and help from them. For without the support of a friend, I cannot make even the tiniest step.

In these endless, ongoing clarifications, internal work, and analysis, a person discerns all the details of their connection with the group, above all rejection, separation, and disturbances that they receive. All actions must stem from the person themselves, from their yearning and inspiration, and of course, with the support of the group. But they must understand that all the disturbances come from above, from that perfect, infinite Kli that we are all destined to reach.

This infinite vessel is our goal, where the principle is realized: “Israel, the Torah, and the Creator are one.” This is how one should always picture their advancement.

Only if one constantly envisions this boundless, perfect state where Israel (one who aspires straight to the Creator), the Torah (the light that reforms), and the Creator merge into a single whole, then one is on the correct path.

The light that created the desire and fills it, also shattered this desire, and it is the light that corrects it. And from the person’s side, there is only one action: to request correction. In doing so, one expresses all of their ability, their entire act, their whole desire to delight the host, the Creator. After all, the ultimate goal is to bring contentment to the Creator, as it is said: “From the love of friends to the love of the Creator.”

Therefore, all the clarifications at every degree eventually merge into one conclusion: the person, the group, and the light that reforms all unite together in order to bring contentment to the Creator and to reach the same form as Malchut of the world of Infinity.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/20/11, Writings of Rabash “According to What Is Explained Concerning ‘Love Thy Friend as Thyself’”

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Question: In order for a new plant to grow, a seed is needed, one that contains the full potential. But then the seed must completely rot, and only then can a sprout break through. Can we take this example for spiritual development? Is some kind of gap necessary before rising to the next degree?

Answer: There is a gap between the degrees, and the desire must make a leap to reach the next one. I perform 99% of the work on my current degree in order to reach such an acute desire to ascend from it that remaining on it becomes “worse than death.”

I act above reason, annul all my intellect and feeling, and want nothing except greater bestowal, the quality that the upper degree possesses. I cling with all my strength to the teacher, the environment, and the books just to complete this one remaining percent. But I am certain and know that only the light can help me make this leap.

A gap remains, like between two electrodes, which must be bridged by a spark. I’ve brought my “electrode,” my current degree, as close as possible to the next one. But now, what must connect them is a fiery, electric arc, and that is no longer within my power. What depends on me is only the effort, my desire to eliminate this gap, to short-circuit it!

This is the very percent that the Creator completes for you, when you’ve done all that depends on you and approached so closely that what remains between the degrees is only the stony heart (Lev haEven), which you cannot short-circuit, and then the Creator breaks through it for you and carries out this leap.

Because between degrees there exists an infinite gap. You cannot pass from one to the other, you can only jump. The difference between degrees is as between Yesh (existence) and Ein (non-existence), between the Creator and creation. After all, on the next degree, you become in some aspect similar to the Creator. You transition from the degree of creation to the degree of the Creator.

And the same occurs on the next degree, once you’ve realized it completely on the level of creation, you must once again leap to the degree of the Creator that is higher than you.
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From Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/11/11, Writing of Rabash

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