Audio Version Of The Blog – 1/9/26
Posted on January 9th, 2026
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We have no other means of advancement, no other lever by which I can move forward, except the influence of the environment. If all of me, completely and entirely, is concentrated within myself, what force can direct me the other way, from inside outward? I have no such forces within me.
All my forces act “for me,” “for my own sake.” How can I create the opposite action “for the sake of others (the neighbor)”? Where can such a force of nature be obtained?
For this purpose, the soul has been created in a divided state, in two parts: myself and the surrounding world. We are given a single freedom—to choose what is more important. If you want to attain spirituality, organize your environment so that it becomes more important to you than yourself.
In truth, this is not an external environment, but my own soul, my AHP, the “garments” and “palaces” of my soul’s Kli. It only appears to me as being outside.
Envy and the desire for honor draw you to the environment, to the parts of your soul. Organize them artificially so that they influence you.
From our level, we are given a psychological approach that is inwardly spiritual. By connecting with these desires (Kelim) that supposedly surround me, and by seemingly using my envy and desire for honor, I am essentially drawing these desires back to myself, so that they are connected with me and define my system of values.
So where do envy and the desire for honor come from? From the breaking of the soul into two parts—myself and the world.
Wishing to use the “help against him” (against my ego,) I activate these external desires of mine so that they, in turn, influence me. Later we will reveal that we are working only with ourselves, with our desires, with our qualities, and that everything was arranged this way from the beginning.
But without organizing the environment, there is no (and never will be) another force capable of “taking me by the ear” and directing me toward my true desires, toward the soul. There is no other force in the world.
Suffering can only make me more sensitive so that I will want to seek a solution. But the solution will be the same—to place myself under the influence of the environment.
[12059]
From Preparation for the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/1/10
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Question: Why are so many worlds needed?
Answer: The spiritual worlds are needed in order to rise to the level of the Creator. The fact is that the light of the Creator began to influence the desire that He created, and this desire developed continuously under its influence until it reached the 125th degree called our world. At that point, the general desire shattered and broke.
Now, by gradually gathering and reassembling it, we must ascend from our world back through 125 degrees to the level of the Creator.
Question: In our corporeal world, everything is divided into many small objects, like a honeycomb. We see the world divided into inanimate, vegetative, animate, and human nature. But in spirituality, all phenomena take place within one body. How should we understand this?
Answer: In spirituality, everything takes place within a single common desire. There, many opposite inclinations, directions, and qualities are united by one common screen. I collect all the pluses and minuses as if into one bag, tie it up, and want to use it to bring contentment to the Creator. As a result, in bringing contentment to Him, I receive contentment for myself.
[229601]
From Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 2/25/18
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Question: Why do you constantly speak about faith when Kabbalah is a science and attainment, and faith is a philosophical, religious concept?
Answer: Faith is the property of bestowal. In our world, this quality does not exist, because even if I give something, I do it with the aim of subsequent receiving. I cannot give simply for the sake of giving.
The property of the spiritual world, however, is the quality of bestowal. It is called faith. Do not confuse it with what we understand by faith in our world.
In our world, a believing person closes his eyes and does something completely thoughtlessly. This is a completely unrealistic, illogical, and baseless action.
In Kabbalah, faith is the force of bestowal that we receive from the upper light.
[193775]
From Kabbalah Lesson in Russian, 5/15/16
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Question: There is a concept of karma that promotes that there is some kind of burden that prevents me from being happy, but that if I do positive actions or have suffered innocently, then I reduce my karma.
Answer: This is how religious consciousness is structured, as if suffering somehow improves us. Absolutely not!
I welcome any influences on myself, both negative and positive. My problem lies in only preparing myself to perceive both of them as a motivation from above to advance toward unification. And it turns out that, in principle, it does not matter to me what kind of influences these are, negative or positive.
I look at myself objectively. If my egoism is more affected by negative influences, then it is beneficial. This effect is negative relative to my egoism, not relative to me, because I want to elevate my “I,” I therefore have no problems with this.
I do not call for sufferings; I do not pray for them so that I can get some kind of reward for it later, no! They simply serve as the positive reason for me to move forward. But, in principle, I do not welcome them in themselves, and I do not strive for them; that is impossible. Only a masochist could believe that suffering supposedly purifies, that he will be rewarded with paradise or some kind of reward for suffering: suffer here and receive there. This is all wrong!
After all, in principle, nature itself provides for our good progress. And therefore, everything depends on how much we place ourselves above sensations, i.e., view them solely as the cause by means of which we advance.
[83603]
From a Conversation about Integral Education 5/30/12
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Preparation to the Lesson
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1st part of the Lesson — Writings of Rabash, Article 18, “Who Causes the Prayer,” (1986) (12.31.2002)
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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, “Table of Answers for Topics” Item 87
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3rd part of the Lesson — Studying with Friends
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