Question: How should I correctly pass through the states of work on my ego so that I will not harm the group? An immense feeling of shame appears that, through my states, I am “drilling a hole in the boat” because it is impossible to overcome them constantly during an ascent.

Answer: The most important thing in life is not to berate yourself, don’t assume that you are to blame.

I am as I am: harmful, callous, lacking understanding, not hearing, an egoist who is insensitive to others. The others can be so thoughtful, so sensitive. When found among a hundred people, they always are paying attention to something about their friends. They respond sharply to everything, and this is all alive in them. As for me, it is as if I am found in the middle of an empty field: closed off, unaffected by people. That is how I was created.

I must understand that this is my role in the general Kli (the spiritual Kli), and I don’t have to have complaints. I don’t need to be like someone else, and the most important thing is that I must not forget to thank the Creator at every moment even though, along with this, I am in very deplorable situations.

He makes me go through these situations. If I am ashamed in them, this is a sign that I have not corrected myself yet. I have not brought myself into adhesion with Him; I have not risen to this level. However, I already am moving toward Him and understand what I must do. The next state will be a little better, more corrected, and that is how it is until I reach the possibility that, with all my soul, I will bless the Creator for what He is doing with me.

But it is necessary to very quickly leave a state of eating oneself. We often blame ourselves, “I am such a nothing! They are so great! So, what about me?” To me, all the friends seem to be perfect and caring. They understand each other, whereas I don’t understand anything. I never think about anyone. Why should I be concerned about someone all of sudden? None of that is me. I am an egoist! I pay attention only to what they have more and I have less.

These are very good states. From them, we learn about our nature, and from our oppositeness, we attain the Creator. However, it is necessary to realize this nature correctly. We learn gradually.

Sometimes physical distance from the group helps, being involved in some kind of unique work that will take all of the previous states from me. It is necessary to do something, for sometimes we fight fire with fire that is exactly the same but its opposite, as the fire extinguishes the fire.
[141058]
From the Convention In Sochi “Day Two” 7/14/14, Lesson 4

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Question: If I see something negative in a friend, is it better not to pay attention to it, to focus on the positive only, so this will be considered as a spiritual ascent?

Answer: Rabash explains in his articles that we don’t need to pay attention to the negative characteristics in a person just like a mother doesn’t pay attention to the negative characteristics in her child as for her he is ideal. I look at this child and don’t find anything special about him, but for her, everything in him is good, pleasant, and beautiful. This is the foundation for our worldview. That is how you should look at your friends.

When rising above the ego, there are conditions that we must carry out to change negative characteristics into positive ones. As a result of these actions, we can distinguish two types: a “hero” and a “hero among heroes,” which is the next level when you change your hater not into a neutral person, but into a friend, someone loved. This is the highest level.

In other words, when we rise above the ego, we are called heroes, and when we change the ego into bestowal and love, we become heroes among heroes, and here we don’t have to be clever. The Light does everything. If we try to carry out the simplest actions of connection and unity among us, then everything else will be Light.
[141065]
From the Convention In Sochi “Day Two” 7/14/14, Lesson 4

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Question: What does it mean to annul yourself with regard to another?

Answer: Annulling yourselves to each other and mutually entering one another according to the principle of love thy neighbor as thyself should bring us to a connection with the Creator. Thus, I not only annul myself and become no one, a zero, but actually perform actions that help me connect to the friend so that he will be able to come in contact with me easily. I do what is good for him by annulling my ego and allowing him to establish contact with me naturally.

It makes no difference whether he is an egoist or not. I don’t judge him and don’t try to understand anything about him, but I simply annul myself so that he will be able to contact me. If he reaches the same state, I am glad that my actions of self-annulment relative to him have brought us close together, and it is the same with the other people.

But when the friend comes in contact with me, I feel a need to mutually cooperate with him, I feel how he nears me, and how he is incorporated, comes in contact with me, and even somehow dresses in me. Now I can begin to cooperate with him more actively. Here I have to switch on my anti-ego, not suppress the ego, but rather operate it in the opposite direction: What would my friend want of me? It isn’t that I simply become easy to contact, but rather easy and convenient to be used, so that he should use me. Then I begin to grow.

In other words, I don’t just operate according to the principle of don’t do unto your friend what is hateful to you anymore, but I work for the other as he would want me to, which means that I use my ego in order to bestow. I come in contact with the friend, work for his desires, and do my very best to fulfill them. These are high acrobatics.
[141052]
From the Convention In Sochi “Day Two” 7/14/14, Lesson 4

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Every future convention becomes the next level after the previous convention. But the present convention in Saint Petersburg is unique.

People are arriving and gathering here who prepared for it intensively during the summer, this is the Sochi group. All the rest joined them, all of those who study with us. Generally, our strongest representatives from all the groups gather here.

So in thinking about the work that was done, I hope that we can gather and attain such a state that our connection will be equal to the first phase of the Light, and then we discover it within us. For essentially there is no Light. What we call Light is a mutual characteristic of bestowal and love that we discover between us on the first most minimal level.

Baal HaSulam uses the example of an electric current. We don’t know what it is, but we see its manifestation in the warmth of the wire in a lamp, or the working of some system, working apparatus, motors and so forth. This means that we are always talking about the result, about the discovery of some force that is working, but that we don’t understand.

That is also how it is here. When we very much want to discover the unique force of nature, then it is discovered. It exists, but it is intangible to us. And in order to feel it, we must make it possible for it to act somewhere, to be discovered in something. This is exactly like an electric current; as long as we don’t apply it to something, we don’t know if it exists or not.

According to the same principle, work is done also with the higher general energy, which includes within it all the rest of the types of energy that we call “Light.” We must make ourselves such a device, which reveals this Light that causes it, summons its movement, and we become a Kli, a means, a mechanism, a basis through which it will be discovered.

To do this we must try to connect among us, to adapt ourselves constantly to the characteristic of the Light. The moment that our state, our efforts, the unity between us, reaches a minimal resemblance to the Light, it will then begin to be discovered.
[144221]
From the Convention In St. Petersburg 9/18/14, Preparatory Lesson 2

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Question: In a workshop we aspire to a state of unity so much that we begin to feel everyone’s agreement to attain this. But if there is no feeling like this, is it worthwhile to continue until we get it?

Answer: It gradually appears in a group of friends who are connected with each other by a great many external conditions. And if they work on themselves regularly, with a shared connection, obligating themselves to speak about and discuss everything, then a measure (indication) appears with them that shows if they have coordinated between them enough that they already feel this unity and how to hold onto it.

And if someone leaves this state even a little, he immediately feels it; an inner feeling appears within him that he has “fallen outside” somewhere, and he must re-enter and communicate with the friends constantly.

The spirit of unity depends upon each one of us. So discuss these states, hold onto the more vulnerable friends among you; try to develop them in some way, to “inject” this spirit in everyone else through your thoughts and behavior. You must do this!

We see that not all of the people during the exodus from Egypt were capable of anything, only the priests (Cohanim) and the Levites, one small part of the people, a group. What does a “people” mean? It is a group in which there are not many who are ready to go forward after the teacher and to show itself as an example of the realization of this idea.

So we work together on all the rest and on the whole world.
[144218]
From the Convention In St. Petersburg 9/18/14, Preparatory Lesson 1

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Question: I have friends whose influences I feel; I have a connection with them. And if I want to include everyone within me, I need help. I don’t understand where it will come from; whom should I ask?

Answer: Within our unity there truly exists a force that unites and holds us together, but in the meantime we don’t feel it. This is called the Light that Reforms. This is the uniting and connecting force that we want to feel between us.

Question: How is it possible to hold onto this point and not flee from it?

Answer: You will flee from anything that there is except for what your body wants at a given moment. And it wants to eat, to sleep, to rest, and to play.

This means that, in any case, you always act against your body. For this there exists an environment that forces you to yearn for spirituality. There is nothing to do! But if you understand your goal, it becomes desirable to you.
[144215]
From the Convention In St. Petersburg 9/18/14, Preparatory Lesson 1

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Question: Can we really discover the Creator among us now?

Answer: We understand the concept “Creator” as a sensation of fellowship, connection and love. This is not something limited in space and volume. Rather, this is the general force of nature by which we live. We develop it; that’s what we do.

If we can be organized so that we discover this force, then it will exist. Likewise, it also will influence us, and we also will be connected to it. This means that the person develops the Creator.

We must constantly try to find this current through which all of us advance and exist. We must avoid extraneous thoughts and activities. This means that everything will be directed only toward connection. It will live in us, and we automatically will feel it.

As is understood, from each one of us, there will be a particular effort in this regard. Yet, this effort will become desirable. It will be like a person who plays basketball and invests effort in this, but enjoys it. After all, in this world, we get pleasure from many activities in which we seem to invest great efforts.

So, we must understand that our efforts will create pleasurable sensation in us. Specifically, it will create an urge to come closer, intending to satisfy the Creator. This will make us happy and give us vitality.

MAN is what nourished us in the wilderness. MAN is the ascent of desire. In the physical world, we work and then get paid, whereas spiritual work itself becomes the payoff. The efforts become our nourishment. A sensation of lack, hunger, and yearning fulfills us.

So, we suddenly will begin to understand that we were even in this perfected state before. We just didn’t feel it, and, now that we have cleansed all of our intentions, have prepared the sensory Kli, we see that we exist within this. Nothing changes except the fact that we have begun to understand correctly the state we are in. It appears before us as a universe that has changed, as a humanity that has changed, as another world. However, all of this is in relation to us because we are the ones who have changed.

MAN (prayer) is mutual yearning, mutual help, being concerned that my friends will discover the higher force! This becomes the only goal of my efforts, and, if I ask myself, “What am I thinking about?” this means that I am concerned that all of the friends throughout the world, our entire immense group, will receive the discovery of the characteristic of bestowal and love between us. If all of us will think this way, as having responsibility for everyone else, then this will succeed.

It is up to us to reach this. Don’t expect any external changes, only internal changes that must be such that we feel the higher world within our regular state.

So, we must have only one singular request as the goal. The yearning must be shared. The intentions and the thoughts of each must be not about himself, about his attainments, but only about our attainments. In the first stage, it is “we,” instead of “me.” In the next stage, it is a single whole, instead of “we.” All of us merge with the Creator. That is how the sole higher force of nature begins to be discovered within the connection between us.
[144079]
From the Convention In St. Petersburg 9/18/14, Preparatory Lesson 1

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Question: How do you understand what the Creator is?

Answer: It is impossible to understand the Creator.

We are a desire to receive, so whatever we feel, we can understand to the extent that we feel and understand our desires. Our desire comes first. Then the mind perceives, thinks, and assesses what it feels. Thus, it is impossible to know and attain the Creator without feeling Him. Feeling the Creator is nothing but feeling the connection between us. We perceive Him as the right connection between us since He is “come and see,” Bore (in Hebrew).

The Creator doesn’t exist inside me. The connection that is properly established among us allows me to understand that the Creator is inside me and this is what He is called. I don’t feel, don’t understand, and don’t know this. This is something, in and of itself, and is my first and basic source. I can feel Him inside me to the extent that I resemble Him. I don’t feel Him, but rather the corrected attributes that resemble Him and that I call the Creator.

Baal HaSulam gives us the example of an electric current. We don’t know what it is, but we can only see and feel its manifestation: a needle moving in a measuring device, a light shining, it heats, cools, etc. But, what is this actually?  It is some kind of energy that is not understood, because everything we wish to feel, see, or measure is its revelation in matter and not the actual source. This means that it is already matter that has been transformed.

Therefore the Creator is called come and see, and it is what’s inside us.

Question: So how can we personalize His control?

Answer: We shouldn’t personalize Him personally and must not give it any form! That is a terrible mistake. If you do that, you descend to paganism and don’t work on correcting yourself, but rather, depict a kind of figure whom you ask for mercy.
[141358]
From the Convention In Toronto “Day One” 8/04/14, Meal 1

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A group in itself is one single whole, and everyone gets only what exists in the whole group, nobody feels himself as a unique unit.

In a group there don’t need to be any differences between men and women, veterans and newcomers, any differences of opinion, misunderstandings, or distortions.

The concept of an “individual” torn off from the others doesn’t exist in it because one is the hand, a second is the foot, a third is the body, and so forth. Everyone constitutes a single whole, one body that is found in absolute mutual cooperation, in absolute agreement among all of its limbs.

This must be the main thing for everyone and we shouldn’t have any complaints from anyone about this. The opportunity was given to me to participate in a group, to dissolve in it, and nobody takes that from me because the Creator is the one who granted it to me. He brought me here, gave me friends as His representatives through whom I must work on my unification with Him. I am found in this.

The main thing is that in every moment I can dissolve in the group further and further, “losing myself” among them such that they manage all of my thoughts, feelings, and desires, they determine all of my behavior, my attitude. The moment that I attain this state, I immediately begin to feel the next spiritual level, because it is felt in our unity. If I attain it, become dissolved in all of them, then I move to the next level.
[141067]
From the Convention In Sochi “Day Two” 7/14/14, Lesson 4

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How can we discover the Creator? Essentially, this is the purpose of the creation of the worlds and all of humanity, and all of our long history in which we don’t understand where we have come from and where we are going and what is happening to us every minute.

That is how we develop: without understanding and knowing the reason for any event. However, at some time, we will reach a point of development when we can begin to discover the reason and the essence of everything that is happening with us. Through the reality that is revealed before us, we can discover who activates it.

In other words, I exist in a world. This means that I feel myself as existing in a body. I have feelings and intelligence, and, with them, I feel my existence. Likewise with them I perceive the reality in which I am found. This reality exists and changes. It follows that I and the environment exist. The environment includes within it only everything that I can perceive with my senses.

The Kabbalists say that there is a comprehensive general force that stands behind all of this reality inside and out, a force that penetrates everywhere and carries out activities both outside of me and within me.

If so, then, first of all, I must detect some kind of basic point from which I will determine what changes on the outside and what changes on the inside, and, from this point, I will begin to identify these changes. This inner point is my “self,” and within it there is only one characteristic of perception: “I am the one who is feeling.”

Now, I have been given a permanent, endless exercise for the duration of my entire life: how through all that changes within me—in my sensations and in my intellect, how within my internal changes—I perceive external changes, how through all that happens within me and outside of me do I discover the hidden force, the hidden and imperceptible desire that carries out all of these actions, all of these changes.

This force constantly holds me in some kind of state, changes these states, and constantly replaces the surrounding conditions. If I am sensitive and aware—trying to maintain my ability to examine and scrutinize, discern and locate this force—then, gradually, I will be able to identify it through everything that happens inside and outside of me. From this, I will begin to understand and feel Him so much that I will not relate to my inner and outer changes, but will see the cause, the force that carries out, and realizes these actions.

I will know why He does this, the purpose, what He wants from this, how He teaches me all the time to feel, to understand, and to discover more, to such a degree that I will discard all of the externals, meaning myself and the environment, and I will see that I (this inner point from which I constantly have tried to discover this force) and this force adhere together.

There is no external reality, not my body, my emotions, nor intellect. There is no environment with its whole mess. There is no world filled with human beings. All of this disappears, and only the link between me and this force remains. All that happened between us was only to develop a direct connection between us, such a connection that is called “adhesion.”

This is our work, and to carry it out we must go out to the wider public, connect with the group, study, and participate in all kinds of events. All of this is ultimately to bring myself to such spiritual work in which we constantly try to discover this inner force that surrounds and determines everything.
[141454]
From the Convention In New Jersey “Day Two” 8/9/14, Lesson 4

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