Before the invention of road-signs as a means to put order in traffic, police officers would stand and streamline traffic. At that time, many people were angry and had grievances against the officers for not doing their job right, and that they were not noticing the line of cars.

But today, the streamliner of traffic has become inanimate, mindless. So, now each one accepts the verdict of the road-sign (traffic light), and no one gets angry with it or asks it for favors (RABASH, Article 28, “What Is, His Guidance Is Concealed and Revealed?“).

On the one hand, the Creator places a traffic light before us, and these laws of nature are absolute. You can curse the traffic light, but it will not help, except perhaps only in the case that you turn to the cause, to the one who operates it. In our days, sometimes when traffic is heavy, you can see a police officer directing traffic. Then you have someone you can shout at.

But if this cause is unknown, you do not see the police officer, the traffic light works according to an internal mechanism, and you do not yell. You have no one to turn to because the governance is concealed. Nature! From this example it is clear how much understanding the cause raises you to a different level in relation to the situation.

If I know that it is the Creator who arranges everything for me, then I immediately turn to Him. I do not look at the traffic light; I look at the police officer. If I see both the police officer and the traffic light, I look at the one who directs the traffic because salvation will come from there. Then all the laws of nature lose their importance.

That is why the Creator does not reveal Himself. Because if He were revealed, I would cling to Him because of my will to receive, and I would never be able to come out from under its control. This is what originally happened with Malchut of the world of infinity. In order to free oneself from this, there must be a restriction, a distancing, and the desire to receive must be corrected into a desire to bestow.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/25/26, Rabash, Article 28, “What Is, His Guidance Is Concealed and Revealed?”

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Baal HaSulam’s “There Is None Else Besides Him” is a special article that addresses our relationship with the higher force, that is, with our lives, with what happens to us, how we can understand this life, and how we can form a more correct perception of it.

It is said that there is no other force besides the Creator, and that only He governs everything. If a person feels that there are many different, contradictory forces, this is done deliberately in order to knock us off the correct intention that only one force exists, and thereby, on the contrary, to strengthen our orientation exclusively toward it.

Precisely through being directed toward the Creator and being pushed away from Him through rejection by all kinds of means, a person begins to understand that everything comes from the Creator and in this way completely binds himself to Him.

This is not achieved easily; it takes many years. After all, our entire life is structured in such a way as to reveal the oneness of the Creator. Therefore we must constantly remember that “there is none else besides Him.” This is the main commandment for a person in our world, where everything is arranged solely to divert him from the direction toward this single force that governs him.

The benefit of these rejections is that a person begins to understand that he cannot be connected to the Creator by himself, he cannot hold onto the thought that all disturbances come from the Creator, and that everything happening to him directs him toward the Creator.

In the end, he becomes despairing, does not know what to do, and precisely through the Creator’s “negative help” (which exhausts him and tosses him from side to side as if there were other qualities, forces, problems, or illnesses in a person, anything at all except the Creator), he reaches such a state that, despite all these actions, he nevertheless rises above them and clings to the Creator.

Only through correct overcoming of all obstacles can a person cope with these disturbances. Yet one sees that there are always more obstacles. Rarely in our lives do we feel that everything comes from the Creator and that we are directed toward Him.

Usually such thoughts occupy only a few minutes a day, and only if we think about it at all. If we do not, days, weeks, perhaps even years, or an entire lifetime can pass in such a state.

But if a person constantly tries to create a community, conditions, and an environment around himself that will inevitably push him toward the Creator, then he can truly grasp Him, not let go, and beg that the Creator holds him, so that through all the events of life he may be directed toward the Creator.

Everything depends on the extent to which one can implore the Creator to open one’s eyes and heart, so that he may feel in his heart and see clearly that he has a connection only with the Creator, and that only the Creator directs him, turns him, and guides him.

In general, everything that happens to us is done by only one force. It is neither good nor bad. First and foremost, it is simply one force. And when a person begins to understand the plan of creation, he already evaluates this force as positive.

It becomes clear to him that all the rejections were necessary only so that he would not be satisfied with a small connection to the Creator, but would truly reach states in which nothing else remains for him in the world; it is either death or adhesion with the Creator.

Then one develops a very clear appeal to the Creator, and asks Him to truly help and give him the strength that would unite him with the Creator forever.

Now he understands that all the obstacles that seemed insurmountable to him and that he hated were sent by the Creator Himself, and that arose within him only in order to push him away, and at the same time to truly draw him closer to the Creator. For precisely through the obstacles was he obliged to go against them and thus connect with the Creator more and more until complete adhesion.

And the Creator very precisely measured the obstacles given to a person. Knowing human nature, He sent absolutely correct, exact obstacles to each person individually, so that by pushing off from them, the person would again draw closer to the Creator.

This was done so that a person would realize that everything is carried out by only one positive force, and that there is no other force in the world besides the Creator. In other words, there are no negative forces in the world.

The negative force is the person himself, his egoism, and around him there is only the Creator, who directs only positive force toward us. And if we evaluate this correctly, then no problems arise, and we move forward solely along the path of drawing closer to the Creator.

In Kabbalah, unlike all other philosophies, methods, and sciences, there is another special aspect: a person begins to understand that he has no freewill at all. Various thoughts arise in his mind and desires in his heart, and he has no control over them since this is all governed by the Creator. That is, the Creator is within a person, and governs his mind and heart, his thoughts and desires.

And we can do nothing about this. From all the events that happen to us, we must only establish that there is a single source: one unique, unified, higher force.

And no matter how we act, correctly or incorrectly, we must understand that it is the Creator who leads us through all kinds of actions. Therefore there are neither crimes nor punishments in the world. There is only one thing: everything was created in order to reveal the oneness of the Creator. We must reach this state.

And all our worries that “if everything comes from the Creator, then what depends on us?” are mistaken. We must be careful not to worry about ourselves, be detached from our “I,” and feel ourselves above it. Only then, by correctly distancing ourselves from ourselves, can we recognize the oneness of the Creator’s governance.
[257570]
From a Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 12/1/19

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Question: What does awe before the Creator mean? How can one attune oneself to this sensation?

Answer: It is said in The Book of Zohar that awe before the Creator consists of three parts. If we seriously move forward, we begin to feel our egoism, how it leads us forward and pushes us toward certain attainments and achievements. It forces us to worry constantly: Will it be better for us in this life, will we become smarter, stronger, more knowledgeable, more understanding, more advanced; will we receive something in this world or in the future world?

Gradually, we begin to attain that the spiritual world is not beyond the boundary of death, and the death of our body has no influence on anything whatsoever. Spiritual death means that we simply remain in our Reshimo. And everything that happens to us depends only on how much we realize our Reshimot and create a spiritual Partzuf from them, that is, a corrected part of our soul, and try to develop it to a complete level where the soul includes all the rest of creation: the still, vegetative, animate, and human parts of the soul.

Therefore, awe speaks of what I fear. It is a natural protective function of egoism, which constantly trembles: Will I be able to receive or not, now or later, am I sure of this or not, have I lost what I acquired, did I earn more today than yesterday, and so on? The state of awe is the most essential thing in egoism: It constantly trembles lest it lack fulfillment. This is its fundamental property.

Our task is to transfer material awe into spiritual awe: Will I be able to bestow? Will I come to such a state where I think less about myself and more about the external Kli (vessel)? Do I include myself in this way, do I awaken to the quality of bestowal? Do I cross the psychological barrier where I am not within myself, but outside, where my soul actually is? Within me there is only my egoism, and my soul is outside of me. I must make a Tzimtzum (restriction) on my egoism, impose a prohibition on it, and develop my attitude toward others. Can I do this?

It is precisely here that a new awe appears: Will I be able to bestow, will I be able to be independent of my egoism, will I be able to create the Rosh (head) of the Partzuf?

Suppose we have a desire over which we build a screen (Masach) and work with the light above it.

What we create above is called Rosh (head), and below is the Guf (body).

We strive to reduce the awe, the anxiety for ourselves, that we feel in our desire. This is what we perform the first restriction, Tzimtzum Aleph (TA), upon, then we build a screen and work above it.

As is known, the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection; therefore, to the extent that we correctly perceive the upper light, to that same extent we can work with it.

By transferring awe from “concern for myself” to awe as “concern for others,” I include myself in their desires, which is called “love your neighbor.” Thus, I build the Rosh of the Partzuf, and this becomes the connecting link between me and the others. In the Rosh I define my soul, which is built above the body, above the screen. In it, I can include the entire world and the Creator. This is how it works.

Therefore, as we study in the “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” concern can be within oneself and outside oneself.

Concern for oneself usually turns into anxiety about what will happen to me in this world and in the future world. This concern is absolutely incorrect, because there is neither “this world” nor “the next world”—such a concept does not exist at all.

There is a world, a spiritual state, that I can enter even today. It is called Olam Haba, that is, the coming world, the world that is coming. The next minute, my next state, is called the “future world.”

Therefore, we must rise to concern for others, including the Creator, which is realized above the screen. It is this concern that determines the power of the soul.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/20/13, on the topic “Group and Dissemination”

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Preparation to the Lesson

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1st part of the Lesson — Writings of Rabash, Article 36, “And There Was Evening and There Was Morning,” (1985) (10.20.2003)

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2nd part of the Lesson — Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Vol. 2, Part 5, Item 26

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The Torah is called “613 counsels,” meaning 613 tips by which one is rewarded with vessels of bestowal.

Afterward, once he is rewarded with vessels of bestowal through the Torah, he must receive the delight and pleasure that is found in the thought of the Creator. That delight and pleasure is also called “Torah,” meaning that at that time, the 613 counsels become 613 deposits (RABASH, “What It Means that the World Was Created for the Torah”).

The Creator created the desire to enjoy, but He wants this desire to enjoy bestowal rather than reception. Therefore, it must undergo changes, and must do so independently, according to the principle: “We shall do and we shall hear.”

Where is this desire found? It is in the human species, at the human level of development. As Baal HaSulam writes, after all examinations, we find only one advantage of man over the animal: the impulse to work for the Creator and to adhere to Him. One in whom this impulse exists is called “human” (Adam). If this urge, this ascent, has not yet been born within him, then he is called an “animal.”

And yet it is said in Psalms: “Man and beast You save.” All gradually draw closer to awakening toward adhesion with the Creator. And having awakened, they begin to act according to the principle “We shall do and we shall hear.”

“We shall do” means the correction of the Kelim, when we carry out the 613 counsels. And “we shall hear” means the filling of the Kelim through the 613 commandments, that is, deposits, investments, when the corrected Kelim enters a contribution, a pledge, meaning the light.

Through correction and filling, by means of counsels and deposits, we come to realization: all our 613 desires are corrected from reception to bestowal and are filled with the upper light, or the Creator. In the end, we find ourselves filled with Him, or in adhesion with Him, when He fills us.

Therefore, the Torah (the method of correction) was created only for those who wish to correct their egoistic desire with an intention to bestow. Only they truly engage in the Torah. After all, “Torah” is the light that returns to the source (the reforming light). One who does not exist for this purpose is not called a “human” who carries out correction.

If we were to look at our world through spiritual lenses, we might see here perhaps only a few humans. All the rest would belong to still, vegetative, and animate nature, including many animals in the form of people, though this is only an external resemblance.

If a person has not awakened to correct himself and to attain the height of the Creator, it means that he is still at the animate degree of development. The method of correction was not created for him, whatever he may be engaged in. He may be a great erudite, he may consider himself righteous, but if he does not care about correcting his evil inclination every second, he is still called an “animal.” And therefore, it is said that all are like animals.

Thus, we must respect the desire that has awakened within us that is directed toward adhesion with the Creator and respect the friends in whom this fire also burns. We can unite among ourselves so that the common desire of all will dwell in each one. Then, upon this great desire that encompasses everyone, we will draw the light that returns to the source, and it will indeed unite all our desires into one great, already corrected Kli. It will be filled with the upper light, the Creator, and thus we will become similar to Malchut of the world of infinity, as it is said: “He is one and the Creator is one.” He is the light, and the Creator is the vessel, the Kli, HaVaYaH.

Thus, it turns out that the entire world was created for correction. In the end, all will have to correct themselves and come to adhesion, of which it is said: “All shall know Me, from the smallest to the greatest.”
[35945]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/21/11, Rabash ,“What It Means that the World Was Created for the Torah”

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Question: Why is achieving the purpose of creation such a complex, multi-stage process that includes descent, ascent, and shattering?

Answer: Because from the very beginning it consists of two components that are opposite to each other: the light and the desire (the vessel, Kli), which build a connection between each other based on their opposite nature.

The process of development proceeds from two conditions and dictates a single law of development: what are initially two opposites ultimately must come to complete similarity.

The entire process inevitably follows from these initial and final conditions. We cannot replace anything in it or act according to a different logic. The conditions are rigid: the initial condition and the final condition.

Condition 1: There is an infinite distance between them.

Condition 2: There is their complete union to the end the very end.

Initially, one is entirely giving and the other is entirely receiving. On one hand, there is an infinite abyss between them, and on the other hand, there is a final point where they merge into one whole.
Now try to write a formula by which, from the first condition of complete opposition one can reach the second condition of complete similarity.

In the world of infinity, both the separation of these two components and their union already exist. Although there is light and desire there, they are fused and complement each other. This fusion is maintained by the power of the upper light.

That is, the final condition is initially ensured by the power of the light, the Creator. This enables us to reveal the formula for how to carry out this transition from one state to another.

The potential conditions have been created, now the realization must begin. And the whole reality is now sequentially unfolding, scene by scene, before our eyes; they are those very creations that exist in the world of infinity. We never leave it.

In this single place (the desire) created by the Creator, the light and the desire and the condition of their union exist; and all of this is now being implemented. Therefore, we ourselves are called the actions of the Creator, the results of His work: creations, works, beings.

It is impossible to change anything here: the conditions themselves, the initial and the final ones (“the end of the action is contained in the initial thought”), already determine everything that will happen, including the shattering.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/18/10, Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to the Book Panim Meirot uMasbirot”

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Comment: Many people find it very difficult to accept the external form of Kabbalah that we express in songs and dances. Why do we adhere to it? Why don’t we try some other form? You say that Kabbalah is a science, and if you gave lectures as is customary in universities, how much more could that help spread Kabbalah?

My Response: I do not think that this would help its dissemination. Ninety-nine percent of the people on earth do not need our science at all. They need to feel good and safe, and this is expressed in pleasant communication with each other, in pleasant unity.

By nature, I am a completely unsociable person. Moreover, I am ready to sit within four walls all my life and would not feel it as a prison at all. I have my computer, my books, and what is inside me. That is enough for me! What can the world add to me?

But in order to advance spiritually, we need this earthly world. Therefore, I go out into the outer circles; otherwise, I would not teach.

I understand that positioning ourselves as an open university would be much more respectful than this kind of blurred picture of a kindergarten for overgrown kids where they dance in circles and sing. It is not clear at all what it even looks like.

But joint meals, songs, and dances were accepted among the ancient Kabbalists since the times of Baal Shem Tov. I think that it was so both with The ARI and with Rabbi Shimon. This is a natural expression of people’s inner feelings, their longings, and their desire to be together.

We understand that when people sit in a circle around a fire and sing together, it unites them. We see nothing strange in this. These can be indigenous peoples in South America, Africans with spears around a fire, Europeans who sit at their tables, Japanese or Chinese squatting; it does not matter who and how. This is accepted everywhere because this is a method of unification, an expression of feelings.

Naturally, in Europe, such an external expression as in Israel is considered very strange and, I would say, repulsive. But since we must first of all correct Israel and then the rest of the world, we are forced to act in this way. I see that this is being accepted in the rest of the world as well. I myself am not a fan of large circle dances, but people begin to behave this way spontaneously.

I prefer to sit by a fire, sing, and talk. From this I receive greater excitement than from dances, when people jump around and embrace their sweaty companions.

There are people who are drawn to this, and there are those who are inspired more from an inner sensation that comes from attainment, from understanding.

Either through the heart or through the mind are two completely different methods of correction that have come to us. One came from the ARI (through the mind), and the other from the Baal Shem Tov (through the heart). And they are both equal.

In our time, it is still difficult to say which way we are going. Although I thought and Baal HaSulam wrote that our time is the time of The ARI when one must prove, demonstrate, and explain with the mind; nevertheless, I see that what influences people more is precisely “let us drink and dance.” Because this goes from heart to heart through a common desire.

That is, songs and dances are needed, but they require greater inner deepening.

Question: How did Rabash relate to this? After all, he had some principles of his own. Since he lived in an Orthodox environment, he must have had both an external and an internal form.

Answer: His external form was very simple; he looked similar to everyone else. But inwardly, he was completely different from others but did not show it.
[352091]
From KabTV’s “I Got A Call. Mind or Heart” 10/1/10

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The world stands on the word, on God’s word. In the beginning was the word, and the word was God’s, and God was eternity, and so on.

Question: Can you explain this?

Answer: This means that the world stands on the quality of goodness, on the quality of love. All of this comes from the upper one and not from us.

If it came from us, it would not exist for a single second. After all, we are a negative energy in the world.

The Creator holds us, and He holds the world. If this were not so, nothing would exist. And meanwhile, we are a parasite on this world.

Question: What does the Creator rely on? What does He want by holding us?

Answer: He does not rely on anything. He governs us in such a way that a person eventually grows to understand how the world should be governed and takes the place of the Creator.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman,” 1/16/2026

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