Restriction means that Malchut of Ein Sof diminished the will to receive in her. Then the light disappeared because there is no light without a vessel.

This is the meaning of the restriction, that the will to receive that is contained in the light of Ein Sof, called Malchut of Ein Sof, which is the thought of creation in Ein Sof, which contains the whole of reality, embellished herself to ascend and equalize her form with His self. Hence, she diminished her will to receive His abundance in phase four in the desire. Her intention was that by so doing, the worlds would be emanated and created down to this world.

In this manner, the form of the will to receive would be corrected and return to the form of bestowal, and that would bring her to equivalence of form with the Emanator (Baal HaSulam, The Study of the Ten Sefirot – Inner Observation).

After the restriction, Malchut of Ein Sof begins to transform itself from reception for its own sake to reception for the sake of bestowal, and in accordance with this, it gradually fills itself with light in its five parts. These measured receptions of the light for the sake of bestowal are called worlds.

In other words, the worlds are portions of light received by Malchut with the intention to delight the Creator.

Question: Is our world also a portion of some light?

Answer: Our world has nothing at all. It is imaginary, illusory, since it exists purely in an egoistic form. A restriction was made on it, and it exists only on the basis of a fictitious egoistic desire that appears to us in order to provide us with a point of departure.

Yet in our world, there still is a tiny spark of light called Ner Dakik (a thin candle) so that we are able to exist within this imagined reality.

Question: And this tiny spark has set in motion the whole world, all human concepts, and the entire history of humanity?

Answer: No, everything stems only from the light. The upper light is the only Creator.

Everything that we feel happens only relative to us. When we ascend above this state and enter the quality of bestowal, we will discover that our world does not exist.

Question: Does it mean there is a world and there is the one who perceives it?

Answer: No, the world exists only for the one who perceives it. It is nothing more than a subjective impression. We cannot determine anything outside of ourselves. Even a Kabbalist feels everything only in his own vessels, either of reception or of bestowal, but they are still his vessels. Outside of them, nothing can be perceived. One may assume anything, but that is no longer science.
[234891]
From Kabbalah Lesson in Russian, 6/10/2018

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Question: Is it possible to remain in the constant thought that we, as a ten, are already in the end of correction, and that the Creator is already revealed as good that does good?

Answer: At present, we cannot draw near this state since it is too great, too exalted.

Yet in the end, if we use both the connection between us and what we study in the book correctly, these two conditions will lead us to the state in which we will be in absolute revelation of the Creator’s actions within ourselves.
[347443]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/23/25, “The Study of the Ten Sefirot“

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Question: How does the Creator compensate the quality of our efforts with the quality of the reward? Can we say that each of us must come to correction, and then in the final correction (Gmar Tikkun) our efforts will unite and become equal to the reward?

Answer: Let’s say I do not know what will be in the final correction. At the very least, for someone studying this for the first time, such questions may arise, but there are no answers.

We must simply study the text and try that it enters us and is imprinted in our feelings and mind in some wat. And gradually we will sense that it becomes our thought, our spirit, our desire. In this way the light will influence us and fill us.
[347446]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/23/25, “The Study of the Ten Sefirot”

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Spiritual entities become separated from one another only by disparity of form. In other words, if one spiritual entity acquires two forms, it is no longer one, but two. …

You now see that as a corporeal matter is divided, cut, and becomes separated by an ax and motion that increase the distance between each part, a spiritual matter is divided, cut, and separated by the disparity of form between each part (Baal HaSulam, The Study of the Ten Sefirot – Inner Observation).

The Creator created one general desire to receive, which was broken into 600,000 main parts, which in turn split into billions of parts (desires). The distance between various desires (the red and green circles in the diagram) is determined by the difference in their qualities.

If the difference in qualities diminishes due to one or the other, then accordingly, either the first desire moves toward the second, or the second toward the first.

When the difference becomes zero, they connect and become as one.

The program of creation lies in the fact that all 600,000 parts, which make up one general desire, must connect together.

At first, they organize into groups of tens (small green circles in the diagram). And then these tens gather together until they form one common Kli (vessel) called Adam. In this way, the system reaches its correction.

Question: Is there any correspondence in this to the human microcosm in which there is an enormous number of different microbes, atoms, and molecules? It is the same in the macrocosm,  there are a multitude of stars, planets, and celestial bodies.

Answer: There is absolute correspondence. Everything consists of the same small desires, each of which is in the same state: approaching, dissolving, and distancing from one another. All this is for the purpose of reaching one common denominator. All of nature is moving toward this.

Isn’t this evident from all of history, from what we study in the sciences? Today we say: the world is becoming integral, revealing itself more and more as one integral system. Previously, this was not revealed, but now we already see it.

Question: So both the macrocosm and the microcosm have a spiritual root?

Answer: Everything does! It is all one system that exists within one desire created by the Creator.

All the particular desires, as they are corrected, bring themselves to altruistic connection with the other parts and merge into one unified whole.

In the unified desire, they become similar to each other and differ from one another in no way at all. This is the very point of correction of all creation.
[231743]
From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian, 4/15/2018

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Question: When a spiritual descent comes, can I immediately understand that
I need to go through it and immerse myself in it?

Answer: You strive for a corrected state, and only then you fall.

Otherwise, if you have not tried your best to achieve a good state, you would not be able to reveal your egoistic fall.

After all, a descent is not a mistake along the way, but a revelation of additional new egoism in you.
You took a barbell, pushed it up with all your might, lifted 100 kg, and suddenly the barbell fell! What happened? You suddenly discover there two more discs of 10 kg each were added.

This is why you broke and fell, you felt their weight, but now you know to ask for the force of correction! After all, you fell with these desires, with the extra 20 kg.

Now you have these desires (Kelim, spiritual vessels, tools), they were revealed against your will, you have felt all this heaviness.

If you ask for extra strength for them now, you can lift 120 kg.

That is, you cannot get the heaviness of the heart until you succeed! And only when you succeed do they add the weight of egoistic desire to you, and you fall!

This is a sign of your success! You managed to gain additional strength to use for correction now.

You can ask: how am I ever successful if every time I rise, I am immediately thrown back down again?

Let me stay at the top for a while, enjoy my achievements, get my medal! Then you can continue.

But no, that is impossible. This is done on purpose so you could learn to enjoy the work
itself, and your reward is the opportunity to give a little more.
[14779]
From Kabbalah Lesson 5/26/10, The Book of Zohar

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Preparation to the Lesson

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1st part of the Lesson — Writings of Baal HaSulam, Shamati #57 “Will Bring Him Closer to His Will” (11.11.2021)

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2nd part of the Lesson — Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” Item 112-115 (10.16.2006)

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3rd part of the Lesson — Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Vol. 1, Part 1, “Inner Observation,” Chapter 6, Item 24

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4th part of the Lesson — Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Introduction of The Book of Zohar,” “Heaven and Earth”

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Selected Highlights

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The common soul, which was one and connected, was divided into many parts after the shattering. We need to gather and unite these parts, and through them reveal the Creator.

The difference between the original vessel and the one restored after the shattering is that the shattering reveals new qualities that were not clear before. It is precisely because of these qualities that the soul shatters. When they are corrected, additional qualities of light are revealed against those broken desires.

In this way, we clarify the inner qualities of the Creator who created this soul and corrects it with His light.

If there were no shattering and correction, we would feel no more than the first man Adam before the sin, only the small state of Nefesh of Ruach deRuach. Whereas after the shattering and the correction, we reveal the entire light of NRNHY, meaning we adhere to the Creator Himself, attain equivalence of form with Him, and understand His ways and the wisdom embedded in creation.

Therefore, it is impossible to do without shattering and correction. The end of correction is the point initially placed into the program of creation.

The soul must correct itself so as to correspond to the entire system of creation, which includes all the worlds of AK (Adam Kadmon) and ABYA (Atzilut, Beria,Yetzira, and Assiya). The soul is the innermost part of the entire system of creation. Therefore, in our correction, it must take on the same form as all the upper worlds and consist of three parts: head, body, and extremities; and then of three lines; and of many complex forms.

When they connect with one another, the differences do not disappear, because “love will cover all crimes.” The corrected soul preserves within itself all the great egoism, all the immense desires and contradictions.

Everything that was before remains; nothing is erased. On the contrary, the negative manifestations help us in the revelation of the light, whose advantage is discerned from within the darkness.

We have great work ahead, because Adam had no head, body, and extremities; he only had a body, and existed on one level filled with the light of Hassadim. He was born “circumcised,” like an angel, in a small state. An infant has no mind and cannot stand, but only lies down, meaning his head is on the same level as his body.

But we must raise this shattered soul to its feet, to its full height as befits a human. That is why in our work we select the parts of the soul that belong to the head and the body, and clarify the function of each.

All the parts of the soul after the shattering are already prepared for correction, but we must draw the upper light, clarify the places of the shattering, and correct them.

Those who are drawn to spiritual work will be called the head of Adam, the common soul. And the rest are the parts of his body. That is why Israel, that is, “straight to the Creator”, is called “Li-Rosh, a head for me.”
[226520]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/9/18, Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Arvut [Mutual Guarantee]”

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When I restrict myself in order to care for my neighbor, I am not secretly worried about my own well-being. I simply do not think about myself. This correction is performed within me by the light. This is what it means to rise above the desire, to carry out the first restriction, and to acquire the quality of bestowal. All of this is the result of the action of the light alone.

My care for my neighbor is in no way connected with material needs. I continue to eat, drink, sleep, and provide for all my necessities. The matter lies in the desire, in my inner attitude toward the act.

For example, I may greatly wish to help a sick person, to feed and give him a drink, but the doctors allow him nothing more than a piece of bread and a glass of tea. Thus, even though I would like to give him a plentiful meal and I have the ability to do so, I am limited.

So it turns out that it is all a matter of intentions. We build our relationships, the mutual guarantee between us, not on an artificial basis. That is why it seems impossible to achieve bestowal and unity, impossible to detach from concern for ourselves and to think only of the neighbor without worrying even about the essentials. But those essentials are supplied to me by others so that I may simply sustain myself. In our mutual guarantee, they care for my material needs and 100% for my spiritual success.

All of this must be properly arranged. Who are the friends? They are receiving desires that are corrected by the light that returns to the source. Nothing here is produced by our own efforts. Efforts must be invested only in order to draw the light, which will come and correct us. It is simply ridiculous to think that we will act in bestowal by ourselves. Can a person jump higher than his own head?

Our problem is that in all our actions, we do not aim toward the light. We think that the action itself will bring the result, that if we embrace one another, we will come to love our neighbor. But no, one must embrace with the intention that through this, the light will come and bind us in an inner embrace.

Everything is accomplished by the light that returns to the source. We forget about the most important element—the only force that acts in reality.

It seems very difficult and impossible to connect into one whole mutual guarantee, adhesion, unity, the neighbor, bestowal, and the urgent need so that they become a single vessel for the revelation of absolute bestowal, i.e., the revelation of the Creator to the creation. And the reason is only that we do not summon the force that will build this state for us. We mistakenly believe we can create it on our own.
[50124]
From Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/11/11, Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Matan Torah [The Giving of the Torah]”

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Comment: Empathy is the ability to feel emotions that correspond to the emotions of another person and compassion is the sympathy for someone else’s suffering.

My Response: It is as if you relocate into another person and feel their experiences.

Question: How can one develop this within oneself? As I understand it, if this feeling were cultivated, we would live differently.

Answer: Yes, then we would educate people accordingly. I believe this is possible. We simply do not engage in this. In general, from the age of 13 to 14, people are already capable of deeply sensing another person’s suffering. And they need to be educated for this.

Comment: This would absolutely, completely change the world.

My Response: Of course, without a doubt.

Question: So compassion can be cultivated in a person?

Answer: One can cultivate the understanding of compassion for another person and give a person the ability to comprehend how to perceive it to the point where in their compassion, a person will be able to share in another’s suffering, partially take it upon themselves, and thereby neutralize the suffering of the other.

Question: And will you not burn out from doing that?

Answer: No, because by neutralizing their suffering through your participation, through your empathy, and through your compassion, you gradually divide their suffering into many smaller parts, and in this way, the person calms down. And in doing so, you can lead the entire world to balance, to an inner state that can already be called bliss.

Question: So if compassion were shared equally among all the inhabitants of Earth, would it bring bliss to the world?

Answer: Yes, this is precisely what we must achieve in our unity. Because, in principle, we are certainly facing very serious problems ahead. After all, egoism is growing, and the upper light is being revealed more and more in relation to our egoism. That is, related to our egoism, we will feel increasing pressures to such an extent that if we cannot unite and share it all among ourselves, we will not be able to endure it.

Question: Now I understand the essence of what you always say: “Unity, connection, good thoughts, and good relationships.” The foundation of all this is compassion, is it not?

Answer: Yes, but it is practically not even compassion. It is the sharing of the enormous suffering: the opposition between the enormous desire and the enormous light that is meant to fill that desire, and the lack of intention “not for oneself,” which would allow the light to fill the desire.

Question: So fulfillment is only possible if it is for the sake of others?

Answer: Yes, that is why we need balance here. This can only happen through understanding how to learn compassion, how to share the opposition between absolute fulfillment and absolute emptiness among everyone.

Naturally, it will turn out neither less nor worse. But if we want it to be shared in this way, then the contradiction itself disappears. This is the special property of unity.

Question: And then, this bliss comes?

Answer: Yes, at that point, the sensation of opposition, impossibility, and inner cry transforms into satiation, into something higher, into pleasure. There is no longer any difference between enormous pain and enormous pleasure. They merge into one.

Question: And what, then, does pain become in this case?

Answer: It turns into pleasure because you have balanced them with one another.

Comment: That is something truly elevated.

My Response: That is how it happens, on a higher level.

Question: So pain is given to us in order to turn it into pleasure?

Answer: Yes, of course.

Question: And the greatest pain ultimately becomes the greatest pleasure?

Answer: Yes, if you know how to reconcile these opposites, you receive pleasure.
[347365]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman,” 8/15/25

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Question: We made a great effort to gather together. We received strong impressions from one another. But nevertheless, we want to add something more in order to be closer to the text and to what is happening. What else can we add besides the great effort we already made to come together physically?

Answer: Open your common heart, enter into it, and direct this shared point toward the center of all reality, the center of all creation.
[347236]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/16/25, “The Study of the Ten Sefirot“

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