When I reach the state of “I am lovesick,” it means that I have prepared my Kli (vessel) as much as I could below the Machsom (barrier). This Kli lacks only one thing: the Masach (screen). I cannot produce the Masach myself because it is a product of the light.

If I possess a great desire to receive with the intention to receive, then I am given a Masach, and I become the smallest spiritual Kli. This is because my great desire, which drew the surrounding light below the Machsom, is the Achoraim (posterior side) of the first degree above the Machsom. The Achoraim of that degree descends into this world.

There is already a certain work there with the intention to bestow, above reason, as I have described. Nevertheless, this will become clearer later.

This does not mean that we are not allowed to see more. Rather, we can see only through the Kelim that we have already corrected. It seems to us that we are capable of seeing more than we actually do. But that is not so. There is no magic or illusion here like the tricks performed by magicians. They, of course, have techniques for creating illusions. But in reality, there is no magic at all. A person sees according to their corrections.

Suppose you say that you want to move from here to another star. It seems as though you desire it. But if you truly desired it, if that desire were genuine and fully prepared, you would receive the correction for it and accomplish it. In reality, however, you are merely talking about it, you do not truly desire it. They are only words.

Therefore, we must distinguish one thing from another. Spirituality is called a desire in the heart. In accordance with that desire, a person works and truly receives, not merely imagines that they have received something. That is why we always experience a certain disappointment: there is what we imagine to be the case and there is what actually exists.

All this is because we do not understand our own heart. If we truly felt our genuine desire, there would be no disappointment. We would know exactly where we are, what truly belongs to us, what we must do, and so on.

In truth, all of our study is a process of self-discovery. When I come to know myself and begin to feel my Kli and what is within it, it is revealed to me that there is only one thing in my Kli: the Creator. Only the Creator can be revealed within the Kli.

To the extent that I do not feel my Kli, instead of the Creator, I perceive entirely different phenomena, imaginary pictures. But when I enter spirituality, then, according to the degree of my corrections, those pictures are replaced by the sensation that the Creator fills my Kli, my soul. Only then do I begin to see that this entire world is merely an illusory, imaginary world.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/4/26, Rabash, “The Klipa [Shell/Peel] that Precedes the Fruit”

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Question: We say that in reality everything is within us. But wasn’t the world created first, and we were created only afterward?

Answer: Indeed, we say that everything a person feels, he perceives through his five sense organs. These sense organs present him with a picture of the world, although in reality there is no such thing as a picture of the world in itself. We can speak about form only in relation to the one who perceives it.

There are entire articles on this subject. Rabash writes that it is impossible to speak about the attained without the one who attains. Therefore, we cannot speak about the existence of anything outside a person. And we attain the person himself as existing because we base ourselves on our own sensations.

Let us suppose that we accept this as a fact: We do not know what exists around us, and we perceive the picture of the world through the internal reaction of our sense organs. We are so incapable of distinguishing between reality and its perception that what we perceive, what appears to us, seems to us to exist in reality: “If I perceive an object as existing through my sense organs, then it truly exists.”

It is very difficult for me; I cannot step outside my body and see that outside of it this object has no form and no existence. Well, then, let us take the sages at their word.

But, on the other hand, the sages say that in spirituality, the world was created first, and only afterward man was created. It is the same in this world: first the universe was created, then the Earth began to form and cool, and only afterward did man appear upon it. So how can we speak about the existence and gradual development of external nature even before the emergence of man, who perceives this nature through his sense organs?

So when we speak about nature that existed before the emergence of man, we mean precisely how we imagine it through our sense organs. Otherwise, we would not be able to speak about it.

Everything in the world is an expression of desires, but the one who can later tell us about it according to his attainment tells us about it using our words.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/28/26, Rabash, “What Is the Prohibition to Teach Torah to Idol-Worshippers in the Work?”

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Question: If I ask the Creator for what is good for me from His point of view, but at the same time I feel bad in my Kelim, what should I do? Should I ask for something else so that I, too, will feel good?

Answer: If a person asks the Creator to make him feel good while he is still not in adhesion with the Creator, that is, while his desires have not yet been corrected, then what he thinks is good for him is actually the opposite of what is truly good for him. So how can I simply ask for something good?

You can ask the question differently. At this moment I am in a certain state. In every moment, every second of this state, I am turned toward the Creator.

Why? My body, from the simplest cell to all the systems of the organism, the brain, desires, psychological and psychosomatic systems, hormones, and feelings, is constantly at work. The desire that sustains life exists in every cell of the body and, in general, throughout the whole body. All these desires are already directed toward the Creator even before I have “become clever” and imagine that I can control them or direct them in a certain way.

Just because I have read or heard somewhere that it would be better if I thought differently from what my body demands, does that change my body? Will my cells suddenly begin to function differently? No! Will my thoughts suddenly work differently? No. It changes nothing! Everything I read about how wonderful it would be to act “for the sake of bestowal” and so on, all of that is outside of me. I cannot control my desires!

When I read something and learn all kinds of wisdom, I am merely filling my mind with information. It does not touch my desires at all. My desires are the direct consequence of the light, which forms them. This is precisely what we study: The light, through the four phases of direct light, creates the desire, and when it enters the desire, it impels it to go through the entire process of development.

In other words, I have absolutely no ability to control my desires. The only way I can influence them is by turning to the Creator. Then, in response to my request, or His command, the Creator changes my desire. He sends a particular Light, and through its action and development it builds the desire that I seem to be asking for within me. Only through Him can I change my desires. This is why He is called the Creator (Maatzil).

It is not that He created me once and then finished His work, leaving me to govern myself. Nothing could be further from the truth! I never govern myself. Only if I can turn to Him and ask Him, only through Him can I bring about any change within myself. Only in this way! So what does it matter whether I have read something in a book or not? That, in itself, does not change me inwardly at all.

We must understand that all these things are completely artificial and external. There is nothing in them that can bring about change by itself. Their only purpose is to increase the intensity of the surrounding illumination so that, through study, dissemination, and work in the group, we attract the surrounding light, which alone brings about the changes.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/30/26, Rabash, “What Does It Mean that Oil Is Called ‘Good Deeds’ in the Work?”

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Question: Are there fundamental differences between material and spiritual pleasures?

Answer: There is only one center of pleasure. The difference lies solely in its magnitude. And it does not matter what one derives pleasure from.

Everything enters the same center, the same sensation of pleasure, provided we are speaking about pleasure with the intention to receive.

If, however, we are speaking about pleasure with the intention to bestow, then it is also felt in this center of pleasure, yet it is experienced in connection with the Giver of the pleasure.

This is called reflected light.
[359977]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/4/26, Rabash, “The Klipa [Shell/Peel] that Precedes the Fruit”

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Question: It is clear that I need a group that will increase the importance of the goal for me. But what if most of the work is in the recognition of evil?

Answer: If I were to shout at you and tell you that you are bad, you would not feel it. The recognition of evil must be the result of the influence of the surrounding light. The group only pushes and prompts you to become more sensitive to it, to attract it, and to reveal it more. And you must feel the result in your state in relation to the light.

Having people constantly shout at you that you are bad will not help. On a human level, this sometimes helps. But our advancement should not be from the negative, but only from the positive. When I reach out toward the goal, then according to the degree of its importance, the light influences me, and then I see the evil within me. And from the friends, I need to receive only the awareness of the importance of the Creator.

I must advance through the light, and not because people shout at me that I am bad. This will never lead to love of the friends and to the correct result.

If a person advances toward spirituality, then the awareness, measurement, and examination must be in spiritual Kelim (vessels), according to spiritual principles.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/24/26, Rabash, “What “Israel Do the Creator’s Will” Means in the Work”

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Talks about the Steps of the Ladder, Part 205

What Is the Difference Between the Various Vessels That Are Corrected?

A person has a soul. The soul exists in a place called the end of correction. There are 600,000 souls, which continually subdivide. A person’s individual soul is currently within their heart. The “heart” refers to all the animate or human desires in this world. The point in the heart is that desire that has been covered by the worlds in 125 coverings, and here a person feels it at the lowest level, as a yearning for spirituality. They do not know what spirituality is, because the final level (covering), called the “Machsom” (barrier), completely conceals everything above it.

What does it mean that a person ascends to the first spiritual degree? It means that we have removed one covering, shed one layer. Now we have only 124 coverings. Our desire becomes greater, and accordingly we receive a greater light. Below the barrier, we receive only a “thin candle” (Ner Dakik), whereas on the first spiritual degree we already receive the light of Nefesh. The difference between the degrees is immense. Then we ascend to an even higher degree, where we have only 123 coverings, we have removed another covering.

What does it mean to remove a covering? By means of the screen (Masach), the covering becomes a revelation. The force of resistance becomes transformed into a force of bestowal, and accordingly we receive the light of Ruach, and so on. This means that at each degree, we have a greater vessel, and accordingly a greater screen and a greater light.

And how do we ultimately achieve this? We do so by connecting more and more with the other souls until we reach the end of correction. We annul our self, our “I,” with respect to all the other souls, and become one with them without any separation. This is called uniting with the Creator.

Why with the Creator? It is because in the state where all individual souls are corrected and adhered into one soul, the inner light that fills this entire vessel is called “the Creator.”

Even when all are connected together, when the “I” becomes “Adam HaRishon,” we can never perceive what is outside. What is outside is Atzmuto (His Essence) and nothing is ever spoken about this. What is discussed is what fills the entire soul from within, and that is called “the Creator.”

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Preparation to the Lesson

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1st part of the Lesson — Writings of Rabash, Article 37 “What Is, ‘The Shechina Is a Testimony to Israel,’ in the Work?” (1990) (8.11.2002)

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2nd part of the Lesson — Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Vol. 1, Part 1, Chapter 2

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How can it be that the two polarities, these two opposite states—the force of evil and the force of good—grow in a person in parallel during the preparation period and also above the barrier and that this is how one’s progression along the spiritual degrees unfolds all the way until the end of correction?

How is it possible that the evil is revealed opposite the good, and one does not cancel out the other and will never cancel out the other? A person must correctly unite them and use the evil and the good to achieve the goal.

How can both forces exist within a person at the same time and in the same state? Can there be a state where one who is completely wicked is simultaneously a completely righteous person, where Pharaoh and the Creator coexist in the same person?

Such a state cannot arise on its own. It can exist only if the Masach (screen) connects the two forces through a striking union (Zivug de Hakaa). Without the screen they remain two opposites. The more Pharaoh and the Creator are present within a person, the more the person is in conflict with them, for they represent two opposing poles. Yet, if he acquires a screen, the angel of death becomes the angel of life, and both unite for a single purpose.

Can these two states coexist before we have received the first screen that can connect these two opposites together for us: the will to receive and the will to bestow, the light and the vessel? No, they cannot.

That is why we are being tossed from one extreme to the other: at times under the control of the Pharaoh, at others times under the dominion of the Creator. When Pharaoh manifests, we have no choice but to fall under his sway because the Creator Himself pushes us there; through His light He reveals the nature of Pharaoh and directs us toward him; otherwise, we would simply run away.

When Moses killed an Egyptian, he could not stay, and he fled Egypt, until the Creator told him, “Come to Pharaoh.” Otherwise, Moses would not have been able to return, because coping with the state of Egypt is very difficult.

Consequently, a person constantly fluctuates between in these extreme, polar opposing states: at times one is willing to give up everything for the sake of connection with the Creator because some light shines on them, and at other times, one is immersed in their own evil and realizes it, or else falls under the sway of the will to receive without feeling it as evil but good. One feels that it is something to be enjoyed, a way to snatch a little pleasure here and there for life. Until one crosses the barrier (Machsom), this cycle does not end.

After crossing the Machsom, once new Klipot (shells, impurities) and holiness emerge, new states arise. But before the Machsom, the rule “Do not believe in yourself until the day you die”applies. In other words, until the desire to receive is subdued by the Masach (screen), it controls you. A person is incapable of action and cannot expect anything.

What does “do not believe” mean? You have to continue with certainty and confidence that the Creator will help you, but it is not that you are doing it.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/15/26, Rabash, “What Is “Do Not Slight the Blessing of a Layperson” in the Work?”

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Question: Are the Kelim (vessels) of this world spiritual Kelim?

Answer: What does “spiritual” mean? I do not know what is spiritual and what is material. Is a Klipa (shell, impurity), for example, spiritual or material? It belongs to the spiritual world, but there are also Avhanot (distinctions) beneath it. Call them material, what difference does it make?

A Klipa differs from the material will to receive in that it exists with an awareness of the Creator’s presence, standing opposite Him, whereas the material desire in this world lacks awareness. Yet it remains a desire to receive!

Or do you think that creation exists on its own? Where did everything you see come from? It is the very same will to receive, but at a level where it is disconnected from the sensation of the Creator. However, just because you are disconnected from the Creator, does not mean that the Creator is disconnected from you! Do not worry, He is present within you, governing you and doing everything necessary.

Thus, everything depends on how you look at it. If you look from the perspective of your own sensations, then indeed you feel that nothing exists besides you and this small world.

But your perception is only one part of the entire Kli (vessel). If we speak about the Kli as a whole, using the terms we study, then the picture will differ somewhat from what you see with your own eyes. In that case, you must mentally attach the Klipa, holiness, and everything else into your view.

Let us say you do not feel them and sense only a small part of everything that is happening, so what? This is precisely why you are taught that everything is not quite as it appears to you and there is an entire world you do not feel. Take it into account.

You know what you have studied. If you study more, you will know more. I will give only one example: You studied that after passing through double and simple concealment, we then use the vessels acquired in spirituality. How does this happen? What vessels are these? I simply feel a certain concealment; something is unpleasant for me in some way.

In fact, this is about what belongs to spirituality. Imagine that these really are Kelim, and substantial ones at that. Later, in spirituality, you will become familiar with them and realize that they pertain to that very spiritual Kli we are currently discussing as a future prospect. You will come to understand this so deeply that you will not be able to attain anything in spirituality unless you turn to these Kelim carried over from your present states.

Therefore, one should not chop up the material like children at school, under the pretext: “We did not cover this, it was not assigned to us.”
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/28/26, Rabash, “What Is the Prohibition to Teach Torah to Idol-Worshippers in the Work?”

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