Question: Do I have to be actively incorporated in the sufferings of others and to suffer too as a result?

Answer: Of course, you have to identify with the sufferings of others as if you actually suffer, which means to be incorporated in others. We shouldn’t fear that we will remain in these corporeal sufferings like society itself. Indeed there is such a risk when we begin to help others that we will drown in their sufferings and become like them. But because we have a rope that connects us to the group, there is nothing to fear.

We must only tighten the connection to the group, and then the lower you descend into the public and penetrate their desires, the higher you will be able to ascend. It says “I dwell among my people,” because when we raise these lowest desires to the Creator through us, we give them the right form for correction.

Then you begin to see that the whole world is one desire, the whole world is you, the lowest corporeal desires that scream in people are your personal desires. It is a very good thing that you perceive them as foreign now as long as you are not corrected, don’t love everyone as you love yourself, and cannot tie all of reality to one thing.

If you felt these needs as your own, then you wouldn’t be able to worry about them, you wouldn’t be able to relate to them objectively, you would feel too interested in them and wouldn’t be able to rise above these desires, and wouldn’t be able to ask for their correction instead of for the feeling of pleasure.

If you put yourself in the shoes of these people and feel their sufferings just as they feel them, then you would focus on the pain like everyone else, or cry out to the Creator so He will save you; you wouldn’t be able to relate to these desires purposefully in order to use them only to bring the Creator contentment, but would only think about yourself.

The division of the general soul into so many parts allows us to work with these desires, as if externally and independently. We can gradually become incorporated in these desires and feel them as if they were our own, but it is only to the extent that we are protected enough by a Masach (screen),  we can be impressed by them as if they are our own but we can ask for the right correction for them.

This means that we shouldn’t ask to get rid of the troubles, but should use them as help in getting closer to the Creator, to bring Him joy. Then we will be able to thank Him for the bad feelings since it is thanks to them that our desire to receive pleasure is spurred towards bestowal.
[114794]
From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/14/13

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Question: What does it mean to be the Creator’s partner?

Answer: It says that the Creator begins creation and the righteous end it. Our job is to take everything that He has prepared for us, these Lego blocks, this whole puzzle, and reconstruct the initial picture that He created. Thus we become the Creator’s partners.

We gather His creation but in the opposite form. By collecting and putting together all the parts of creation we discover where each part was created, why it was created that way, how it is connected to the other parts, and what should be done in order to connect it with the others.

It’s as if we have a pile of parts of a machine that was taken apart and are all mixed together in total disarray. We don’t know where to start and how to connect these parts, but this pile contains everything that we need and there is nothing missing except for the craftsmanship of knowing why it was created this way, for what purpose, and what should be done so that this mechanism will start working.

What kind of work should this machine do? How am I connected to it as I become an integral part of this machine? This machine has the elements of the still, vegetative, and animate nature with which it is easier to manage and which I find easier to organize. But there is the speaking part that I don’t know what to do with, I don’t understand and it cannot be connected. It’s only possible with the Creator’s help.

It’s only by putting this machine together, this puzzle, that we attain the essence of the Creator’s attitude towards us. We never attain the Eminent Himself, but only His attitude towards us, our vessels, His plan, the thought of creation, as it says: “From Your actions we will know You.” Thus we learn how the Light of Hassadim fills the vessels and then the Light of Hochma, and then we attain Keter by Bina and Hochma, which means the thought of creation.

But this is the thought of creation with regard to us, and not Him. We have no vessels to actually attain Him. At least this is what Kabbalists say. We don’t know what happens afterwards on the upper levels after the end of correction.
[112374]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/25/13, Shamati #54 “The Purpose of the Work”

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Question: Why is the collective soul divided into so many different and extremely disparate parts? Why is the world filled with unsolvable contradictions? And how can all these parts be connected in unity and equality?

Answer: Indeed, the soul is divided into countless pieces, private Sefirot. And therefore, through every action, even the smallest, we immediately activate many components, all the characteristics, as simple as it sounds, but every time in a different combination.

In general, the desire of the “soul of Adam HaRishon” that shattered is unfathomable. This is the true Behina Dalet (fourth stage)  with its “stony heart” and it is no longer on the level of the still, vegetative, or animate level, and is at the level of man (Adam). In other words, it is an absolutely different, deeper stratum of the soul. We see that the nature of the still, vegetative, and animate is found under the direct control of the Creator, while man after the split is His opposite.

So, after the Upper Light enters the shattered soul of Adam, it divides humans into groups that are very distant from each other. And from then on, the process of correction takes place from easy to difficult. A small “mess” began in ancient Babylon, and this was enough for people to be scattered. And then the desire grew and the imperial wars of ancient Greece and Rome began.

In the beginning people lived in a very simple and primitive form, but when the desire grew in particular parts, the condition was changed. For example, when Cortés conquered South America, he stood against a civilization that just didn’t know about war. The Indians of the American continent, in general, solved problems without bringing them to military confrontation.

However, Cortés, who didn’t have enough soldiers, caused trouble among the Native American tribes, like the Biblical snake, by squirting “poison” at them, meaning the addition of the evil inclination. And they began to kill each other to the benefit of Cortés. In this way several hundred people conquered the continent.

The moral is that the gap formed in contact between the various civilizations created great opportunities, and in particular for correction.

We are simply unconscious of the processes that are taking place in the modern world. For example, not long ago, China was a closed nation, but the Americans began to “flirt” with it, and the condition was dramatically changed. Japan was also isolated from the world for a long time, and Asia “slept” until the last century. Today, in contrast, contact between cultures activates more meaningful mechanisms than the wars of Cortés. But now these are internal wars. A living example is Europe, which has changed its face as a result of mass immigration.

And therefore we need to explain the situation to people and the method of the correct connection. That they will understand our explanation in another ten or twenty years is not important. We must help and they will gradually understand what is happening.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/25/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Baal HaSulam writes that there is only one soul, only one desire that was created. Spirituality is not divided into parts, therefore it is found completely in each one of us and all together.

“In each one of us” means that if I can include myself in everyone, then I discover the collective soul, which is to say not only those billions who are living now, but also those who have not yet been born and will be born in the future. This is not the picture we imagine.

In other words, this is one volume, one soul, one substance. It’s revealed to us only to that extent that we can properly exist and on the level of intensity that we can interact.

In accordance with that the properties of each person are determined,  and every particle in each one of us. There are people who are characterized by dissemination, meaning contact with large numbers of people, and there are those who are the opposite, they are characterized by connection with a narrow circle of people but with a high level of intensity of connection with them. That is, it’s according to quality or according to quantity; in each of us there is both this and that according to the characteristics of his soul.

For instance, the heart, while it’s clearly involved in its narrowly focused work, connects to a multitude of organs. Whereas, other systems, like the blood vessels, the lymph system, the nervous system, and others, on the other hand, extend everywhere, reaching every part of the body. Our connections are also like this. It’s possible to see this in regard to that for which the person yearns. I see this in regard to my students, for example, how much they are more or less able to find themselves (as far as I can see).

But generally there is no significance to this, because the Light apparently puts us where we are. There is nothing new, we only hasten our development by attracting the Surrounding Light. On the other hand, it will advance us anyway according to the plan of Nature. But this program is found only on the level of the Light of Nefesh (from the word “Nefesha”), which means the inanimate state.

That is, the Light pushes us all the time and we flee from it because this pressure is perceived as negative; we are always developing in this way. But this kind of development is not good because it can lead to great natural disasters, wars, and the like. And if we don’t do anything, then this is all ahead of us.

Conversely, if we invite the hastening of the Upper Light, its increased illumination upon ourselves, then we will advance more rapidly.

Baal HaSulam in “Letter 13,” writes about work in a group: You should know that there are many sparks of holiness in each one in the group [among our friends], when you assemble all the sparks of holiness into one place [into one desire], as brothers, with love and friendship, you will certainly have [that is, attain] a very high level of holiness for a while, from the light of life [the level of bestowal].
[112771]
From the St. Petersburg Convention “Day Two” 7/13/13, Lesson 3

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Baal HaSulam, “A Sage’s Fruit:” It is forbidden for the individual to leave the public and ask for himself, not even to bring contentment for his Maker other than for the public, for he who leaves the public and asks for his own soul individually is not constructing, but rather is bringing destruction to his soul, and one needs to gather all his might, the general of Israel, in all his turnings to the Creator, in prayer and work, and integrate himself in the root of the entire Israel.

It turns out that I do not want to do anything good, even for the Creator, if it is not for the benefit of community, through the benefit of community, and in connection with community. If there is something sacred, then first of all, it is community, all of humanity, and if I understand the importance of community, then based on this, I can reach the importance of the Creator.

Our common soul is already broken in our perception. However, praying for oneself, a person turns into impurity; that is, he descends in the negative state that is much worse than the original one.

Why would it seem so? After all, a person who “leaves the public to ask for himself individually” does not do it at the expense of others. He just says to the Creator, “I want to be corrected, settled. I want to reach bestowal. So, please give me strength to bestow and bring You contentment!” Does he really cause the “destruction of his soul?” How could this be? He is praying from his heart. It is his sincere feeling for which he cannot be responsible. The heart is crying; What can you do?

However, no, I must make all kinds of external actions to make my heart want something else, and this is within my ability. Our work is carried out from the heart, above the heart, so that it does not call for evil and wrong things, so that it does not ask for itself even if the person wants to be corrected and bring contentment to the Creator. This request is already impurity, the destruction of the soul.

That is why I need the actions that will set before me the only task: unity. I am not able to turn with the correct request on behalf of my own heart, which is broken and disconnected from the collective. I cannot bring contentment to the Creator unless I unite with others because I will not have the true desire to bestow, and from what place will I turn to Him? From my own “self?” It is impossible because it is cut off from the whole and lies beneath all the spiritual degrees, below the spiritual ladder. I am not standing even on the lower edge of the ladder that goes to heaven, to Malchut of the world of Infinity.

So, the main thing for us is to unite. If I constantly care about unity then everything that comes from this will be correct. Conversely, if I do not think about unity, then even the best intentions, the most correct words and complete devotion is the essence of impurity, the destruction of the soul.

This is the most important thing for us during the days before the convention in St. Petersburg. Preparation should direct us at the only action, to unity, and everything, no matter what, will be good in it.

“In all turnings to the Creator, in prayer and work,” we, first of all, ask for unity for the collective, oneness all the time and nothing else. Thus, we “integrate ourselves in the root of the entire Israel,” that is, the center of the group, aimed directly at the Creator (Yashar El). All our efforts are directed to its unity and interconnection.
[111575]
From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/5/13, “Love Your Neighbor as Yourself”

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Baal HaSulam, “600,000 Souls”: It is said that there are 600,000 souls, and each soul divides into several sparks. We must understand how it is possible for the spiritual to divide, since initially, only one soul was created, the soul of Adam HaRishon.

In my opinion, there is indeed only one soul in the world, as it is written (Genesis, 2:7), “and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” The same soul exists in all the children of Israel, complete in each and every one, as in Adam HaRishon, since the spiritual is indivisible and cannot be cut—which is rather a trait of corporeal things.

Yet, saying that there are 600,000 souls and sparks of souls appears as though it is divided by the force of the body of each person. In other words, first, the body divides and completely denies him of the radiance of the soul, and by the force of the Torah and the Mitzva, the body is cleansed, and to the extent of its cleansing, the common soul shines upon him.

There is only one desire in reality. The Light has created a desire, and it operates on it. It restricts it, puts Masachim (screens) on it, and makes Partzufim and worlds of it. However, the desire remains the same desire. The word “worlds” (“Olamot” stems from the word “concealment” in Hebrew), and refers to the concealment of the Light in our perception and feelings. It is just like looking at the world without glasses and seeing a blurry world. The spiritual worlds are increasingly more accurate and clearer pictures that are revealed by “spiritual glasses” that I change each time as I correct myself, until I reach the world of Ein Sof (Infinity), which means the whole correction.

So, it is all about an individual perception and not about an external reality that actually exists. The picture of the world depends on the person who attains it.

On the whole, there is one soul, but each one perceives it according to his level of preparation. We are always in the same place, in the same system, but each one is connected to it emotionally and mentally to a different extent, according to his attainment and his understanding. It is like a newborn baby who hardly perceives anything. It is only after a couple of months that he begins to perceive some details of the whole picture. It is as if he is also in a state of concealment in some part and in a state of in revelation in another, and at first the concealment is much greater than the revelation.

A person gradually perceives more clearly where he is according to his advancement and his development. We are not talking about anything new, but about the revelation that is part of our perception. So, all our development is in order to awaken, to build, and to prepare such a vessel of perception that will be sensitive to the revelation of the eternal unchanging eternal reality.

Our basic assumption is that there is only one soul in the world, a desire of Malchut of Ein Sof, and we attain this state to a certain extent as if looking at it through different types of glasses that determine the level of our closeness to it.
[111582]
From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/05/13, “Love Your Neighbor as Yourself”

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Question: If there are fights in a group and differences of opinion are created that are not understood, do we not cause harm to the 99% of humanity through this?

Answer: Certainly! We are becoming the first part and the corrector of the collective soul. If the still level part, the level of the 99%, doesn’t participate in unity, this is considered to be normal, if they don’t constitute a disturbance for us.

The 99% of humanity doesn’t become the harmful part of humanity. However, to the degree that we don’t carry out our task and our mission, we do harm. This relates specifically to us. Therefore we need to hasten this as quickly as possible and be included in their correction. Through this we will correct ourselves.

As long as a person is not connected to the collective correction, it’s not considered that he is harming the collective system. You might dispute this and say: “What about the ecology and all the rest?” All that is ridiculous, all of this happens of, by, and for us.

Question: When we go out to the public we only think about them and not about unity in the group…

Answer: Unity in the group is necessary so that we can work with the masses in the right way. So in this case, preference is given to them and not to us.
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From the Conventions in Krasnoyarsk 6/16/13, Lesson 5

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Question: What is the easiest way to explain to people who are far from Kabbalah that the soul is eternal and unchangeable despite the fact that the world’s population is growing?

Answer: The world’s population increases as a result of further fragmentation of the common soul. Since we are falling all the time, increasingly losing spiritual support, then egoism becomes greater. In order for us to correct it in an easier way, the particles of the soul are becoming smaller and smaller. Otherwise, we will not be able to cope with such huge egoism.

The soul is one for everyone, and we are all its particles. To the extent that we can fit together, we discover this property, this vessel, that is called the “soul.”
[110164]
From the Convention in Krasnoyarsk 6/14/13, Lesson 2

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