Audio Version Of The Blog – 12/25/25
Posted on December 25th, 2025
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Indeed, you should know that the reason for our great distance from the Creator, and that we are so prone to transgress His will, is for but one reason which became the source of all the torment and suffering we suffer, and for all the sins and the mistakes that we fail in. Clearly, by removing that reason, we will instantly be rid of any sorrow or pain. We will immediately be granted adhesion with Him in heart, soul, and might. And I tell you that preliminary reason is none other than “our lack of understanding of His guidance over His creations,” that we do not understand Him properly (Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot“).
We have a big problem with correct definitions. The style of Kabbalistic texts sometimes seems so religious that it pulls us far from reality and from the proper perspective from which we should relate to ourselves and the world as a certain order of forces and systems with their characteristic interrelations, vectors, numerical indicators, and measurement data.
We are used to such a specific approach; therefore, centuries-old terms need modern, clear definitions so we do not make mistakes or get confused by our assumptions.
That is why Baal HaSulam writes that the reason for our distance from the Creator is that we do not understand Him. This misunderstanding primarily relates to the definition of terms.
“The Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot” is the most important of all introductions by Baal HaSulam. It precedes his main work, showing us what kind of system of interrelation we are in, what happens between us, and how we connect with each other and with the whole of reality. We step out of ourselves into the space between us, where a force pushes people apart. By beginning to overcome this force, we form a different field, not a field of rejection, but a field of convergence – distance.
Now there is negativity, rejection (“–”) between us; it is a field in which we all reject each other. Everyone is ready to feel only themselves, and this state is called “this world.” If we step outside ourselves and begin to feel what is between us, this state is called the “upper world.”
Rejection between us is a “crime”: as Baal HaSulam writes, we transgress the Creator’s will. The desire for unity between us is called a “commandment” (+). The transition from transgression to commandment is a “correction.” The effort that I make to move from crime to commandment, from my egoism, from receiving to giving, is called an “effort.”
I can measure all these forces: how much I wanted to receive, how much I overcame, how much I turned myself from receiving to giving, how much strength I exerted, how much effort I invested, to what extent I previously felt my egoistic desire and in it this world, to what extent I now come out of myself and begin to feel the upper, spiritual world in the outer direction, and with what strength, at what level. All this can be measured.
This is what the science of Kabbalah deals with, the physics of human desires. Of course, you and I cannot yet conduct such measurements in practice, as we have not yet mastered the relevant forces. But in general, you can work with all these parameters in a real way, actually verifying our relationship: how much I give you and how much I receive from you. To do this, we need to rise above our nature and take an objective position outside it (beyond receiving, beyond bestowing, beyond everything), check from the outside, and observe and measure what is happening.
The ability to do so is called “restriction,” which lets us simply disconnect from our nature. We may not be able to fully break out of it, but we can ensure it does not rule over us. This is called “breaking free” from it. After that, we can truly measure all the parameters.
[54851]
From Kabbalah Lesson before the Toronto Congress, 9/16/11
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Defining The Terms Is Key To The Study Of Kabbalah
Question: If there is no one but the Creator, it follows that I am a part of Him. Is it normal that I do not feel Him? Is this how it should be according to the plan of creation, or is it a glitch in my perception?
Answer: If you are still saying “I,” it means you must reach a state where you feel Him. Then you will not have a sense of “I,” and the question will go away.
The transition from “I” to “us” prepares us to feel other people as themselves, but in relation to the Creator.
[238617]
From Kabbalah Lesson in Russian, 9/2/18
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Question: Suppose a person has endured a serious illness, suffered greatly, and then recovered. Does this mean that he has drawn closer to the Creator?
Answer: In principle, by experiencing such suffering, a person begins to take his state and his capabilities more seriously.
But no one draws closer to the Creator through suffering, this is an incorrect method. He has absolutely no need for our suffering. On the contrary, the Creator wants a person to be in joy from the fact that He created the world, created man within it, and gave him the possibility to draw closer to Him.
Therefore, under no circumstances should one submit to suffering. This is an incorrect attitude both toward the Creator and toward life. We must try at all times to feel ourselves within the benevolent field of the Creator. The sufferings we have endured should teach us not to enter such situations again.
Question: But if, as a result of suffering, a person comes to the question, “What am I living for?” Is that getting closer to the Creator?
Answer: This is simply a question that should bring him into a special state in which he clearly clarifies what he lives for.
But under no circumstances should one sink into self-torment, because it distances us from the Creator. It may seem to a person that through suffering he becomes purer. This is incorrect. In Kabbalah there is no such view. It is quite possible that many religions welcome this, but under no circumstances does Kabbalah.
Suffering has never purified a person from egoism, nor has it given one the ability to rise above the ego. On the contrary, it pushes him away from using egoism only because he fears suffering. But this is not a correction.
Suffering merely pushes us toward a more correct decision. We must draw the correct conclusion and act as required.
[260725]
From Kabbalah Lesson in Russian, 1/26/20
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Preparation to the Lesson
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1st part of the Lesson — Lesson on the Topic “Work with Faith Above Reason”
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2nd part of the Lesson — Recording of Rabash, Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Vol. 1, Part 4, “Inner Observation”
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3rd part of the Lesson — The Book of Zohar, “Beresheet -1, ‘Let the Earth Put Forth Grass'”
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