Question: The Creator speaks to me as if in a foreign language. How do I learn to translate His words.

Answer: At least we can hear what is said in another language. But we do not even hear the Creator. It does not seem to us that the entire world is the language of the Creator.

We think that the world revolves on its own, according to its own laws. Someone offended us, shouted at us, and someone else did something good for us. We do not perceive all of this as the influence of the upper force, beside which there is nothing else.

The whole world is busy with squabbles and politics, like little children in a sandbox, constantly fighting with each other. But if I want to understand what the Creator is saying, I need to imagine that everything that happens in my life comes from the Creator. There are only two of us, me and the Creator.

This will be the beginning of my correct perception of reality. I do not yet grasp it, but this is precisely how I can hold on to the end of the thread that leads to the truth. Apart from this point of the oneness of the Creator that I am now holding on to, there truly is nothing else; there is none else besides Him.

This is the very first point from which I begin to understand Him. Outside of me there is only the Creator, one force, one authority, one desire. And inside me too, everything has been created by the Creator except for the desire to know Him.

And even this desire to know the Creator has also been created by Him. But within it, He has left me freedom of choice that I must develop. And then I will become a free human being, a creation called Adam, which means “similar” (Domeh) to the Creator.

Question: And what about all these people around me?

Answer: There are no people. There is only the Creator. This is the starting point of the correct perception of reality through which I can see the path. And then I will have to overcome various obstacles and problems, focus my gaze more and more on the Creator, and build an ever deeper relationship with Him in order to understand how He speaks to me.

He deliberately confuses me so that I will penetrate more deeply into Him, and understand His qualities and method. I absorb all of this from Him, and by this build myself in His likeness.
[154031]
From KabTV’s “New Life 516 – The Wisdom Of Kabbalah: God And I, Part 2” 2/7/15

Related Material:
See the Creator through the Prism of Our World
Connection With God: Don’t Hang Up!
Secret Language Of The Creator

Filed under: Perception, Spiritual Work, The Creator - No Comments →

If a person exerts and sees that he is slipping backward, it is a sign that one is in the process of revealing a new Kli. What does “backward” mean? A vessel without fulfillment is being revealed to him. This means that he has entered the left line, the revelation of a new Kli, a new Achoraim (back side), and he continues to advance but in a negative form, with an even greater sense of emptiness.

Later, he will fill this emptiness with corrections and lights. This simply means that, for the time being, he is in the left line. Then he will enter the right line, and from the alternation between the right and left lines we experience what we call descents and ascents. In reality, these are neither descents nor ascents; they are simply the two stages of correction. Left, right, left, right; that is how we advance.

Naturally, when a person is in the left line, he feels empty, and it seems to him that he is moving backward. In fact, he has gone backward, descended even farther from spirituality in order to take Kelim (vessels) from an even lower level.

More precisely, he hasn’t even descended; he was lowered. This is a sign that he is ultimately worthy of correcting these Kelim. Therefore, a person who already has experience in the work rejoices when he feels despair, confusion, and a lack of clarity in his perceptions. He is glad to experience states that he cannot fully understand, glad even to feel lost.

This is a sign that new vessels are being added to him. With experience, we come to see that this is indeed the case.
[358600]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/2/26, Rabash, “What Does It Mean that the Torah Was Given Out of the Darkness in the Work? ”

Related Material:
A Sign of Advancement
Falling For The Sake Of Rising
See the Light from Within the Darkness

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

Question: If a person knows that all actions are performed by the Creator, then why does this not weaken him? After all, a person expects a reward for his actions.

Answer: A person who exists in a state of spiritual perception understands that this itself is the reward and needs no other reward.

In the very next moment, he needs to unite even more with the divine, to sharpen his sensations in search for contact with the Creator. The desire for connection with Him is given to a person by intensifying the influence of the surrounding light upon him; that is the reward.

We must understand that advancement toward the state of the final correction (Gmar Tikun), which includes a sequence of alternating states of light and darkness, is itself the reward. It is in the fact that a person is brought to this state, given a desire for spirituality, and the possibility to realize his desire (Hisaron). What is this if not a reward?

Punishment is when a person is as if left alone and feels that he is in a stagnant (suspended) state. A greater punishment is impossible to imagine.

We are speaking about people who passionately strive for spirituality, about whom it is written that they are Jews, that is, the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. How does Abraham differ from the other nations? In that he became a Kabbalist, attained the Creator, and desired to connect with Him. In this lies the difference between Abraham and the people among whom he originated (the city of Ur of the Chaldeans, Mesopotamia).

That is, our people are special not thanks to their genetic makeup, but because there existed a group of Kabbalists that separated itself from the rest of the masses. This group came to be called Jews or Hebrews. “Jews” (from the word “Yichud,” unification) are those who seek unification with the Creator, and “Hebrew” (from the word “Laavor,” to cross, to pass) are those who pass through the Machsom.

This is our people. But as soon as it falls from the degree of Mekubalim (Kabbalists), it is called Goyim (non‑Jews).

Therefore, one who is in the process of spiritual ascent accepts everything sent to him from above as reward.
[358965]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/3/26, Rabash, “What Is, “There Is None as Holy as the Lord, for There Is None Besides You,” in the Work?”

Related Material:
Reward and Punishment from the Kabbalah Point of View
Love Is the Reward
Effort Is the Reward

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

Talks about the Steps of the Ladder, Part 176

Is There Slander Toward a Friend?

Slander is when a friend repeatedly says things such as, “One must dedicate one’s whole life to this. Maybe twenty years will pass before I begin to feel or attain something. Who can do this? Who would choose such a difficult path?” That friend is dripping poison into you. He discourages you. When you hear his words, that question will keep echoing in your ears throughout the entire path, and you will no longer be able to get rid of it. You will have to constantly deal with it. Therefore, we must not listen to such words.

When a friend speaks slander it weakens us, diverts us from the path and from the goal, and introduces unnecessary and destructive thoughts. Slander works against us. Perhaps the path will take twenty years, but in the end I will arrive. If I become discouraged in advance, I will only waste a few more lifetimes and will eventually return to the same point. Therefore, we must not listen to such speech. Moreover, if there is such a spirit within the society, it must be removed immediately, without hesitation about whether or not it is worthwhile. We should simply “vomit out” that person from the society. A person who tends to speak such things in a society could bring about its complete destruction.

One person can cause great harm because he takes advantage of the nature of the listeners, which makes the work of destruction easier for him. That is the essence of slander.

If he were acting against the corporeal nature, he could not cause such great destruction. We have already seen how much effort is required to balance the good and evil forces within us. This means that we need to develop a discernment regarding what we see or hear, and what we allow into ourselves. We need to know when to open our eyes and ears and when to close them. If we hear something bad or weakening about us, it is very important to leave that place immediately.

We do not know how deep the influence might be. We think, “I will overcome it. I will strengthen myself even more.” Such thoughts are useless. These bad words will remain within us and return to us in various situations when we will not be so strong. There are situations in which, when necessary, we are given slander from within, but that is something else. Listening to slander that comes from outside is our own choice, and we must distance ourselves from it. Therefore, it is established that we need to constantly speak about the greatness of the goal and continually express love and all the good actions that people supposedly do for one another within the group.

Related Material:
Talks about the Steps of the Ladder, Part 175
Talks about the Steps of the Ladder, Part 174
Talks about the Steps of the Ladder, Part 173

Filed under: Talks about the Steps of the Ladder - No Comments →

Preparation to the Lesson

Video: Play Now | Download

Audio: Play Now | Download

1st part of the Lesson — Writings of Rabash, Article 39 “What Does It Mean that the Right Must Be Greater than the Left, in the Work?” (1991) (7.9.2002)

Video: Play Now | Download

Audio: Play Now | Download

2nd part of the Lesson — Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

Video: Play Now | Download

Audio: Play Now | Download

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson - No Comments →

Listen to an Audio Version of the Blog
Download:MP3Audio

Filed under: Audio Version of the Blog - No Comments →

Question: What happens when a person begins to study Kabbalah and embarks on the path of drawing closer to the Creator?

Answer: The initial years, roughly after the first six months of exposure to the wisdom, are years of confusion. A person remains confused until various clarifications and definitions begin to emerge that help one cope with what is happening and bring to order and put things in their proper place. This requires time and may continue for years (the first three to five years). There is no way to skip this stage.

Acquiring a spiritual Kli is not easy. It is an entirely different nature. Look at how much people suffer and how much effort they invest just to obtain something in this world through their direct Kelim, that is, through the desire to receive. Consider how developed their perceptions, qualities, and desires must become, and how hard they must work. And you want to acquire a Kli that does not belong to this world!
[358494]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/29/26, Rabash, “One’s Greatness Depends on the Measure of One’s Faith in the Future”

Related Material:
How Do We Come Closer to the Creator?
Getting Closer To The Creator
Inner Work—Drawing Closer to the Creator

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

I perceive every state that comes to me as it is, and I want to examine it regardless of whether I feel good or bad. As it is said: “Everything that the Creator does is for the best.”

I regard these states as having the right to exist and as arriving in order to correct me to such an extent that “Even if a sharp sword is pressed against one’s throat, to not despair of mercy.” In other words, every single thing is a correction.

It is clear that this is easy to say, but we are not able to do it consistently. At first, you are ready to resist and destroy everything.

Upon second thought, you begin to relate to the situation, let’s say, in the right way.

If you remember that this has come to you for your correction, then you must turn to the third perspective: that there is none else besides the Creator. And then in that state, through suffering and pain, you will begin to reveal Him, and immediately come to a feeling of sweetness.
[358797]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/7/26, Rabash, “What Are Holiness and Purity, in the Work?”

Related Material:
Any States Are Forward Movement
Don’t Neglect any States
Agreeing With All States

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

Question: Various events and all kinds of actions take place around you. How do you distinguish between what belongs to the material world and what belongs to the spiritual world?

Answer: Everything people do in our world beyond what is minimally necessary to sustain themselves ultimately works to their detriment. It all counts as a loss. Consequently, it returns to them in the form of all kinds of suffering. But they cannot do otherwise, because they are not yet capable of determining how they should relate to the world correctly.

Those in whom the point in the heart awakens are brought to Kabbalah. They hear all kinds of advice: “Stop wasting your time on empty pursuits in this world. Immerse yourself completely in the upper world, and deal with this world only to the extent that is necessary. Then everything will be comfortable and good.” But even this, a person does not hear.

For example, we have many students who consider themselves our friends and, supposedly Kabbalists, yet they are involved in high-level business, dealing in and earning many millions of dollars a year. They hear these things, and at the same time they do not hear them. Such is human nature.

Therefore, it takes a vast field of activity and many years before something begins to break through within a person. And even then, it depends not on the person himself, but on the surrounding society, the group, and the study, in other words, solely on the influence of the upper light upon him. Then he will hear.

Question: But how can the upper light influence a person if he is not in it?

Answer: But is he connected to it in some way, or not at all? That is the real question. Does he participate in our community through his actions, through his substantial financial support, through disseminating together with the group, or through some other form of assistance?

But if he disconnects from it and exists only nominally, merely bearing the name, then that is it, he has gone on to the next reincarnation. He will simply pass through this life to the end, live out the remainder of it, die, and then be born again. At some point, he will once more receive the “point in the heart.” It is unknown how it will pierce him, at what stage of life, or in what way.
[358604]
From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. The Difference Between the Material and the Spiritual” 9/25/10

Related Material:
Material Success Is No Guarantee Of Spiritual Success
A School For Unique People
Life Under a Spiritual Umbrella

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Q&A - No Comments →

During an ascent, a person is deliberately given a measure of illumination so that one may feel perfection. But this comes to a person from above, not as something the person has earned by oneself, and it is given precisely so that one will clearly sense the qualities of the Creator and grasp, at least to some small degree, the nature of spirituality. Based on that experience a person is meant to delve deeper into the Torah, the study, the articles, the letters, and all the material that was previously unclear to them.

Now they must work through this material, understand it, and truly internalize something from it. Depending on how quickly and effectively they use this and depending on their desire to derive the maximum benefit during the ascent, they will acquire knowledge, sensations, and discernments.

Later, when they are “lowered,” they must understand that they are now being given the state opposite to the ascent, remoteness from the Creator, so that they may feel who they are without the influence of the surrounding light. But in any case, the surrounding light illuminates them so that they can see that they do not understand or feel, and are in darkness, in remoteness, and in descent. This is the illumination of the surrounding light, but, as it is called, in “Achoraim.”

Then, in the state of descent, one is also obligated to work, that is, not to immerse oneself in this state, not to study one’s Kelim, because they can be studied only in their interaction with the light.

If, while trying to emerge from the state of descent, a person is unable to study or engage in internal work, one should instead perform physical actions in the group, in the kitchen, it doesn’t matter where. Although a person performs them mechanically, with hands and feet, and cannot engage one’s mind and heart, these efforts will be regarded as genuine spiritual actions in the spiritual Kelim, because this is the greatest spiritual self-expression of which one is capable.

But when, after a period of descent, a person receives an illumination from above, one must not think that it is the result of one’s own work, that he himself has overcome, acted, and attained. One is being given another state from above in which one must work, and perhaps this is called an ascent. It is still not known what an ascent and a descent really are.

We should evaluate these states not according to how close or far we are from the Creator because of an awakening from above, but according to the extent to which, through our own awakening from below, we strive to come closer to Him. It may be that during a descent a person’s yearning for the Creator is greater than it is during an ascent; then the descent is an ascent.
[358782]
From Daily Kabbalah Lesson on 7/7/26, Rabash, Article 28, 1991 “What Are Holiness and Purity, in the Work?”

Related Material:
The Meaning of Ascents and Descents
The Measure of Ascents and Descents
Practical Advice From Personal Experience

Filed under: Arts, Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Spiritual Work - No Comments →