Question: There are people who study Kabbalah who have previously tried many paths, including drugs. But when they come to study Kabbalah, most of them automatically stop using them. Does it turn out that this is a side effect of Kabbalah? In theory, does it cure drug addiction?

Answer: Yes, Kabbalah works precisely as a side effect. After all, it affects only the person who wants to study it, who finds a purpose in life, but at the same time his body pulls him toward drug-related fulfillment. And then an internal struggle arises in him as a result of which he leaves drugs. But there are those who are unable to overcome it.

I do not keep track of my students. I am completely indifferent to what a student is like, what he comes to me with. These can be people with any inclinations, with any distortions. Today, all of this is generally considered the norm. So I do not look and do not delve into it. I am not interested in it.

It is said in Kabbalah that it is a remedy for all the problems of humanity caused by our egoism. And since it cures egoism, it should cure almost everything—from common illnesses to all kinds of distortions that exist in our time and are already accepted as the norm.

I teach Kabbalah, and to the extent that people adapt to it and are able to apply it, it affects them.

I had a severe ulcer and other problems. I suffered a clinical death, with great losses of internal organs, and saw how all this gets restored; how the more a person advances in Kabbalah, the younger, more vigorous, stronger, and more resilient one becomes, because the person is supported by the fact that one is dealing with the upper force, with the light.

This is not just some kind of personal faith, but a real upper energy. I feel it in myself. It does not let you do foolish things or strive for unnecessary achievements in this life in order to become, for example, a great athlete or someone else. But this energy gives you the opportunity to function day after day for many years, to lead people toward something exalted.

That is, Kabbalah is indeed a source of great power. I think that by studying it, humanity will see how it is cured of all problems.

Baal HaSulam writes at the end of the “Introduction to the Book of Zohar” that all the problems in the world: murder, theft, drugs, terror, diseases, mutual hatred, betrayal, family discord, problems with children, basically everything that separates us from perfection by even a single gram,—all of this is born out of our egoism. Only Kabbalah is capable of correcting it and bringing us to absolute perfection, eternity, and peace.
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From KabTV’s “I Got A Call. Kabbalah and drugs” 8/27/10

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Our sages have already said, “You have not a generation without such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Indeed, that Godly man, Rav [teacher, great one] Isaac Luria [the ARI], troubled and provided us the fullest measure.

He did wondrously more than his predecessors, and if I had a tongue that praises, I would praise that day when his wisdom appeared almost as the day when the Torah was given to Israel (Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to the Book Panim Meirot uMasbirot”).

Indeed, the whole method of correction came to us from the ARI. He realized everything that had been laid down by all prior Kabbalists.

The soul of the ARI occupies such a place in the general system of souls that from it onward, the light begins to influence all souls, leading them to the final correction (Gmar Tikkun).

Before the ARI, all development took place at stages 0, 1, 2, 3, and only the ARI with his corrections in the system of souls entered into the 4th stage and began to build the authentic Malchut in its final form.

He is Sefira Yesod (the last one before Malchut), and he is therefore called Moshiach ben Yosef (Yosef means Sefira Yesod) after which Malchut begins to correct itself.

All prior souls were part of the souls of the preparation period of correction. And only starting with the ARI does the general awakening of all souls begin.

Of course, this process takes hundreds of years, but the ARI opened the way to the light from the previous three stages to the last, the fourth, and the correction has begun!

Moshiach is the revelation of the light in the general system of souls. This light enters Malchut through Yesod. The ARI opens the gates for the light and is therefore called Moshiach ben Yosef.

The Messiah is the force of correction. The ARI portrays this force running through his soul. Being in the general system, he makes corrections in his soul, and now light flows through it into Malchut and affects the souls.

But now, it is on us to prepare our souls for the ascent from Malchut to Bina. This process already relates to the correction of Malchut—Moshiach ben David.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/5/10, Writings of Baal HaSulam Preface “Introduction to the Book Panim Meirot uMasbirot”

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Question: What is special about our implementation of the method of the ARI?

Answer: What is special is that within the connection between us, we strive to reveal the force called the ARI, the force that connects us and forms us into a single unified whole.

In doing so, we receive from the Creator what we are able to receive—a new, corrected state, a new desire.

The light that we draw reveals our souls in a single movement toward the Creator, and we feel the Creator as one single bright whole above us.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/29/25, “Memorial Day for the ARI”

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It is customary to give presents to a person you love. And it is also customary not to love one who is deficient. Hence, at a “time of Torah,” there is no room for thoughts of correction. Thus, when leaving the assembly, it should be as in the last three of the “Eighteen Prayer.” And for this reason, everyone will feel wholeness (Rabash, “The Agenda of the Assembly“).

One has received everything he has. He has no deficiency, nothing to fill, nothing to correct. With this, he leaves the gathering of friends.

Comment: We very often get this state after a lesson, but during the day, we begin to lose it.

My Response: That is bad. You need to resist that; look for a way to do so. This is your job.
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From KabTV’s “The Last Generation,” 6/13/18

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Question: In the corporeal world, we observe well-defined laws of development. The spiritual world also operates according to clear laws. So why during the period of preparation do we not find even a single law, not a single foothold? Even the concept of time becomes vague and undefined.

Answer: It is understandable that you do not yet understand where you are, like a newborn who has just come into the world. Your complaints about this lack of understanding are also understandable. The only thing that is not clear is: why don’t you understand that this is precisely the order of ascending spiritual degrees?

A child, from not knowing, will eventually come to understanding. The intermediate states in which we are unable to discern what is happening and are passing through blurry and vague sensations, these are exactly what indicate progress. Some things are unclear to us while others become more or less clear. There is no other way to grow. Even the clearest things in our world are far from being truly clear. And it is the same later in the spiritual world.

But there, we are talking about development. In our world, at the still, vegetative, and animate levels, there is no true development. We are merely scraping off layers from the nature of this world, revealing slightly more of the state we are already in. And even then, we are not really aware of it; we are just trying to fulfill ourselves a bit and end up even more empty. That is not called development.

Clarity and obviousness are an illusion. If it were truly clear to us what needs to be done, we would not have committed so many foolish actions up to now. On the contrary, it is foolish to think that we live in a world we understand. Not at all.

Rather, like infants and small children, we too are ruled by confused sensations; we do not understand what is happening, and are entangled in it. However, gradually, we begin to reveal the situation by making efforts and demanding understanding from a higher degree, from the upper force, so that It comes, fills us, and shines light for us.

This is the only possible form of advancement, the true process of spiritual growth. There is no other way.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/6/11, Writings of Rabash “Why Is Shabbat Called Shin-Bat in the Work?”

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Preparation to the Lesson

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1st part of the Lesson — Writings of Baal HaSulam, Shamati #39 “And They Sewed Fig Leaves” (10.30.2021)

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2nd part of the Lesson — Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” Item 73, 74 (7.16.2006)

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3rd part of the Lesson — Writings of Rabash, Article 7 “According to What Is Explained Concerning ‘Love Thy Friend as Thyself'” 1984

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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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The measure of effort is determined by the number of entries and exits (ascents and descents), as it is written: “for out of Zion shall the Torah come forth” (from the descents–Yetsiot). The Creator throws a person off the path, and yet he stubbornly returns to his work and continues it. His advancement is built precisely from these descents, these exits.

A descent means that the Creator has added the desire to receive pleasure to a person and knocked him off the path. Nevertheless, the person returns to the path with this new egoistic desire, having no choice and shutting his eyes, “As an ox to the burden and as a donkey to the load.” In this way, he eventually accumulates a sufficient measure of desire and effort in studies and connection with the group in order to begin to feel where he is, whom he is dealing with, and how he can become included in this process.

He begins to realize how egoism is being added to him and pushes him off the path, and how despite everything, he holds on to the studies and the group. Although these states of complete numbness and lack of understanding are not easy, he gradually brings himself back to consciousness and experiences a renewed inspiration. And then, once again comes a hardening of the heart.

Thus, out of all these exits the Torah emerges. A person begins to understand that this is how the process must be, and that the main thing is to remain in adhesion with the Creator; and for this, he must adhere to the group.

This entire process is described in detail in the story of Passover, the Egyptian exile. The Torah does not speak of history or geography, but only about a person’s journey through the key stages of spiritual development: the transition from being under the rule of the desire to receive, his original egoistic nature, to a different nature, the desire to bestow. This marks a true birth into a new quality, into the spiritual world.

After that, the path no longer has such critical turning points. The greatest transformation is the exit from the egoistic intention to the intention to bestow.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/18/18, Writings of Rabash “Come unto Pharaoh – 1”

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Question: What is happiness from the perspective of Kabbalah?

Answer: Happiness from the perspective of Kabbalah is making the Creator happy.

To make the Creator happy means to feel that you bring Him pleasure, that you make Him happy because when He looks at you, He rejoices. You feel how He rejoices in you; this is the greatest possible state! I do not even know how to convey it.

Maybe it is comparable to the feeling when parents are happy for their children. I have felt it myself, experienced it through my children and grandchildren, and I can say it is a great joy when your parents are happy for you.

But with the Creator, it is on a completely different level!

In Kabbalah, there is a dual, reciprocal connection: the Creator rejoices in the fact that we rejoice in making Him happy, and we are happy because of it.

We unite with Him, and therefore the feelings are doubled; they merge into one. It turns out that both I and He together feel the same thing. That is, the feeling of His happiness and mine are inseparable.

Question: How can one make the Creator happy?

Answer: The Creator is all of us together in full measure, in harmony, fusion, inner emotional and conscious connection. We, who are united with all hearts and minds, are the Creator. When everything comes together into a single whole, we perceive that as the Creator. Therefore, the Creator is attained precisely in this way—through our connection with one another.

Question: How can one be happy without having any idea who or what the Creator is? How can one strive toward Him?

Answer: The Creator must be revealed! The lack of understanding, the uncertainty is given to us precisely so that we can reveal the Creator. If it were already known, a person would exist in a spiritual-animalistic state, just like we live in an animal state in this world. That is, we must reach this new state ourselves, create it within ourselves, using the tools we have been given! But a person sculpts and shapes himself.

It turns out that a person as if takes matter and begins to work with it. And gradually, from the inanimate matter within, a living matter begins to form: vegetative, then animate, then human. All kinds of variations and metamorphoses arise.

It follows that the person himself builds within him this entire structure, connection, infinite combinations! All this is Sefirot, Sefirot, Sefirot. Eventually, it becomes DNA, all these proteins, spirals, the things we observe in biology.

But this is all on a higher level: the level of purpose where a person not only shapes and builds according to natural laws, but also reveals these laws himself, and implements them himself! In essence, it is a huge creative work. And that is why man enters into this work, and it is called the work of the Creator.

There is no greater pleasure than when a person creates all this within himself! And this awaits every one of us!

Question: What is the difference in happiness in receiving from the Creator or giving to Him?

Answer: It does not matter. Even receiving from the Creator means more than giving to Him if it is for the sake of unification and merging in similarity to Him.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/19/16, “Kabbalistic formula of happiness – what is the secret?”

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Kabbalists write that our task is to unite and once again gather together into a single system called “Adam.” For now, we are called “Bnei Adam” – “Sons of Adam,” meaning his parts, his consequences.

In order to gather into one connected system, we must carry out all possible actions so that, on the one hand, we realize that we are incapable of uniting by ourselves and become disillusioned with all actions we might undertake. On the other hand, we must not lose sight of the goal.

It turns out that we move toward the goal in two directions. One direction is the so-called “left line”: complete disappointment in our own strength, the inability to succeed on our own. And the other direction is the understanding that it is still possible with the help of the Creator, but we must ask Him correctly.

To ask correctly means to unite among ourselves in our request. This is achieved through mutual efforts to unite and mutual efforts to ask the Creator. As a result, if we truly reveal the Creator and become connected with Him, we will ascend to His level, the next level of reality. To come to this, we strive to reach that very system of Adam from which we fell, broke apart, scattered, and now are trying to reassemble.

The Creator preliminarily connects us by bringing us into groups. We don’t feel it; we don’t see His influence on us. Later we will discover that this is how it actually works, everything comes from above, “There is none else besides Him.” But what is required of us is prayer, a request for Him to do it.

It is impossible to come to this request without having tried everything, without having done everything in our power, even beyond our power. We must keep trying to unite again and again, even though each time we will discover ourselves in even greater shattering, separation, and disregard toward one another.

Such a revelation of our true egoistic qualities should sadden us on one hand, but also gladden us on the other. Sadden because I am far from the goal; gladden because I am revealing how far I am from the goal.

That is, in this, I am actually beginning to attain light from within darkness, to reveal what the true goal is. The greater the state of connection from which I fall, the more I begin to value that state and understand that I am outside of it.

And so, it continues until the full measure (Se’a) of my aspiration toward the goal is gathered  in which there truly will be connection. But in the beginning, I didn’t have this measure: I was told to act, and I did so. I repeated phrases mechanically, I sang, I read, I studied together with everyone, I gathered in the tens, but it was all not from the heart.

Perhaps it seemed to me that I was actually doing something. But in reality, with each step I more and more become convinced that all this is insincere, not coming from my true desire. My mouth and my heart are not aligned: the heart feels egoistic desires, and the mouth speaks beautiful words about connection, about unity.

This must continue until we begin to truly try to unite. Even if we speak incorrectly, feel incorrectly, still it must be together. And then the moment will come when the Creator sees that we are insignificant, small, but have done all that is in our power: We tried to unite, we tried to gather, and thereby have come to a state that He must already respond to.

Then we will discover that He is assembling us together in tens and is revealed between us as the quality of bestowal, the quality of connection. This is the initial quality that we attain, the light of the level of Nefesh, the smallest light, the smallest altruistic connection. In this measure we begin to feel the Creator, His invisible, hidden presence within us, between us. Not in each of us individually, but between us.

This illumination that arises between us is called Zohar, the upper light, the upper radiance. Naturally, this is still incomplete, a very small illumination, but nonetheless, it already shines within us.
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From the Convention in Moldova 9/6/2019, “Dissolving in the Friends,” Lesson 1

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