Question: During the three conventions that have passed, and in particular after them, there is a hatred of the Creator, the friends, and the “point in the heart” that is revealed. How should one work with this hatred?

Answer: If possible, don’t work with the hatred itself in any form. The more that you “chew” on all the negative characteristics and emotions that appear within you, the more you will be linked to them. You will exist more within them, and you will be nourished by the impure forces (Klipot). Therefore you shouldn’t remain in these states.

I understand that they are like leeches; they cling onto a person from all directions and suck his blood. But in every way possible you must rise above states like these with an inner yearning for the friends, for the Creator. It’s forbidden in any circumstance to remain with the Klipot. This will begin to fill you with a completely different fulfillment, the opposite of the Creator, from which it will be very difficult to depart afterwards, because you will begin to get used to it.

We are compelled to do something! The moment feelings like these appear, we must struggle with them. Begin to play, to sing, to read something from our materials, to become involved with spiritual work in any form, only don’t remain in a state that is the opposite of the approach, don’t become distant from Him.

In no way should you begin to dig into whatever hatred appears, where it comes from, and for what. Even in the end, this will bring you to something good; in spite of it all, there is no need for these thoughts. They are given to you as disturbances, so begin to work against them, meaning leave them at rest. If you are in some kind of connection with the forces of impurity, with these thoughts, even if inside yourself you begin to curse them and seemingly don’t love them, but you are with them all the time, you are feeding them, and they live from this action.

Question: How is it possible to help a friend leave a state like this?

Answer: Drag him to a group, arrange a feast for him, but don’t sit and complain about his fate—sing, learn, do something together. Help the friend, in other words, don’t leave him with negative thoughts, rather with all your power pull him out of them. This is the only way.

But if he is against this, you are not obliged to remain together with him; rather, it’s necessary to show him prominently that if he doesn’t want your help, you will abandon him. You don’t have to “die” together with him.
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After the beginning stages of the right connection with the group, it’s necessary to continue through studying of The Book of Zohar with the same method that the students learned with Rabbi Shimon. They wrote this book themselves, revealed the levels, the spiritual states, and expressed them in writing. Rabbi Shimon taught, Rabbi Abba and Rabbi Elazar explained what he said.

The Ramchal described this in the book, Adir BaMarom: And Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai revealed the secrets of the Torah, and the friends listened to his voice, and they joined with him in this connection, each one answering for his part. That is what Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai wanted, that a book would be written that would include the sayings of all the members of his Yeshiva, and the book would be written about the Torah, for other writings speak about particular ideas, yet The Zohar that is made about the Torah is called the great opening of the entire Torah. And Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai commanded Rabbi Abba to be the writer and arrange all the things that the sages of the Yeshiva said, whenever and wherever they were, everything arranged according to the order in the Torah.

That is also how we must get along in groups in order to study The Book of Zohar, and then its Light will influence us. If we make an effort to be like the students of Rabbi Shimon in order to connect together so that all of us will be like one man with one heart and with love of friends, then the Light will influence us and will give us a greater sense of connection. And within this, we will begin to discover the network of connections between us called a Partzuf of ten Sefirot.

First within these ten Sefirot, the smallest Light will appear, Ohr Nefesh de Nefesh de Nefesh. But this is already a breath, some kind of feeling of the spiritual world. Although I still cannot act independently, I am found and exist in the spiritual world. So we develop the relationships between us more and more; we discover Ruach de Nefesh de Nefesh, and so on.

We begin to understand more and to feel the connection between us. The quality of our Partzuf gradually grows, and the general Light will begin to be clearer and clearer within it, in that it reveals its relationship to the Kli. This is how we reach a feeling for the general program that operates between us and we understand what is happening between us, what is happening in all of reality, in the entire world, and in all the worlds.

All this will be revealed within the ten Sefirot of the connection between us, exactly as the ten students of Rabbi Shimon discovered it when they were connected only within their group. They weren’t connected with the rest of the world at all nevertheless they discovered all of the infinite reality.

In other words, all of the means are in our hands. And in the meantime, the world deteriorates becoming darker and more sinister. It is written about these times that insolence will be multiplied beyond measure and all the problems and all kinds of misfortunes will befall the world. But we must understand that all of this is happening specifically because the Light is approaching our world, and the world must be more and more adapted to the Light. And if it doesn’t accommodate itself to the Light, then instead of Light, it will see Darkness, because it is in properties opposite to the Light. And therefore our obligation is immediately to begin to explain to the world what our best future depends upon. That it’s only through connection between us and thanks to The Book of Zohar that all of us can go out from the exile, from this Darkness.

Therefore, I am happy that we have begun to translate The Book of Zohar into several languages. We hope that this convention will be a good beginning for the acceptance of this gift that we have received: The Book of Zohar, and from here on we will continue with the correction with a much greater power than we have had until now.
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From the World Zohar Week “World Zohar Convention,” Day One 2/5/14, Lesson 2

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Question: Our world is a world of consequences. Do we need, by ourselves, to build the same whip that will force and commit us to correction? Is that the way of hastening (Achishena) time?

Answer: The way of Achishena is not the whip, but a way that attracts us to the purpose of creation due to its elevation in our eyes. We need to raise and elevate the goal so much so it will be so special, so desired, for us that we are prepared to do anything for it. And it won’t be difficult for us to go to it. Then we feel no pain, only inspiration.

For the sake of a higher purpose, people are capable of much: conquering mountain peaks, performing spacewalks, diving to the ocean floor instead of sitting comfortably on the sofa and watching football. People who are involved with creativity or with science burn themselves out, literally. They are willing to experiment with new drugs on themselves and conduct experiments that endanger their lives.

Everything depends on the importance of the goal! After all, our goal is not so difficult. If you arrange yourself in a group and the group begins to support each of its friends, then that will be the easy and wonderful way of inspiration, and you won’t feel even one drop of suffering.

What is that whip that you intend to use on yourself? Self-torment? A thing like that shouldn’t happen. All kinds of religious movements are arranged according to restrictions, while Kabbalah speaks about our path needing to be joyful.

In one of the Shamati articles, it says that the ego runs in front of everyone and shouts, “Catch the thief.” If you feel it is difficult for you, it says that you are progressing in an incorrect way. Make a clarification!
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From the World Zohar Week “Integral Education Convention” Day Three 2/04/14, Workshop 5

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Question: In our movement there are two ways: the good way and the way of suffering. My ego doesn’t want to submit to others. How is it possible to oblige it to go in the good way? I understand that suffering is not good.

Answer: You cannot oblige it as long as the group doesn’t convince you of it. You are stubbornly opposed like a donkey, holding on to the ego with all your strength, and you cannot change your mind for the better by yourself.

In the beginning stage we nullify our opinion under the influence of all kinds of blows. And after that we can nullify it, soften it, and change it only under the influence of the group. The group must teach you how to relate to your problem.

Question: But the group is made up of people like me.

Answer: This is what you think: “Who are they after all? What do they understand or know? They, know nothing!” That’s why you sit within your problems.

You must elevate and magnify every friend as the greatest of the generation. And then you will see how it’s possible to hear them. Another ear will appear to you, not beastly, rather spiritual. You will begin to comprehend and understand their words and thoughts in a completely differently; you will feel them differently within yourself if you begin to elevate and magnify them as great. This is the whole problem.

I keep getting answers from my students to questions that I myself cannot answer. I am not ashamed to admit it. It’s said: “I have learned much from my teachers, more from my friends, and from my students most of all.” You must lower yourself before them, and then you will be able to hear them.
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From the World Zohar Week “Integral Education Convention” Day Three 2/4/14, Workshop 5

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Question: What is the right intention we should have when we open The Book of Zohar?

Answer: The Book of Zohar was written as a result of the connection between souls and so it operates and influences us in the right way if we connect. Even if I read it by myself, it will affect me by pushing me to connect. But it is impossible to understand this book unless you are connected with other people.

It isn’t just an intellectual understanding, but a revelation.  I feel how I overcome my ego and begin to feel the others in my connection with others. I feel new powers and new attributes in the connection with others, and so I discover the upper world.

The Book of Zohar gives me the feeling of the others by revealing a force field of love and bestowal between us which is the spiritual world. This is the right outcome that we should expect from studying The Book of Zohar.
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From the World Zohar Week “World Zohar Convention,” Day One 2/5/14, Lesson 1

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Question: I feel that everyone is already united and connected; whereas, I have not succeeded in attaining this in any way. How is it possible from that emptiness that I can ask for the friends and what exactly do I need to request?

Answer: Without your active participation we don’t attain anything. You need to ask in all kinds of words, to be included together with us in the collective system. And we need to show that without you we don’t attain that harmony that is imperative for us to discover the Creator. If the Creator chooses a particular amount of people to participate in the collective vessel within which He wants to be discovered, then we need to do this.

The spiritual system is built according to the principle of mutual acceptance and balance flowing to the end of correction. There are all kinds of components in it that complete the system. But in spite of it all, if the person is linked to us in some form, then we must show him that without active participation on his part we cannot attain anything, we need him.
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From the World Zohar Week “Integral Education Convention” Day Three 2/4/14, Workshop 5

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The entire system of creation is experiencing negative shocks because its parts are not functioning together in harmony. There is a part that is called Aba (father) and a part called Ima (mother).

Ima is the characteristic of complete bestowal, Hafetz Hesed (absolute mercy). The characteristic of Aba is the higher intelligence, Ohr Hochma, the source of life. These two parts must exist in harmony between them.

There is also Keter or the Creator, the thought, idea, program, prior to some kind of realization below.

Ima must make the infrastructure, a place for receiving the Light of the Creator. But this is only possible to the degree that we, the souls, ask her for this since she is found in a state of absolute Hafetz Hesed and doesn’t want anything for herself.

Both Aba and Ima suffer with overflowing love for the children, but they are unable to do anything because the children are not asking for this. Instead they ask for something else entirely opposite to the parents, something against them.

Just as in our world, if children asked to taste alcoholic beverages, drugs, and cigarettes, a mother and father, by not allowing them to do this, would suffer both because they cannot give a child something good and also because he is asking for something bad.

In order not to cause such double suffering to  AVI (Aba ve Ima) in our spiritual advancement, we must specifically ask for what we really need: love and bestowal.
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From the World Zohar Week “Integral Education Convention” Day Three 2/4/14, Workshop 5

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Question: Many friends returning from the convention feel some kind of descent.

Answer: If they don’t search for continuation of the ascent, they will descend. This is natural and understandable.

There is nothing to do about it. We are found in a kind of forward movement like this. I suppose that descent is useful and always moves us forward, but you can avoid it and already use it from the start as some kind of new ascent. It depends upon you.
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Question: What is maintaining a link with the Creator? What should one imagine in one’s mind?

Answer: Maintaining a link with the Creator means trying all the time to see Him in everything, everything within you and around you.

Question: How can I maintain a link with the Creator throughout the workday if my work is mentally taxing?

Answer: This is a problem. Try to clean out and empty a small area in the mind where you still think about the Creator all the time even though you are involved with work, and try all the time to live on this background.
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Question: I was at a convention in Israel for the first time, and I cannot be freed from the feeling of fear of losing something great. I felt a very great difference between being in my group and being here, in the Bnei Baruch group. The thought haunts me all the time. Isn’t this ego, or is this a normal fear of losing that intensity that is felt in a congress?

Answer: This intensity doesn’t disappear anywhere. It exists on the spiritual plane. If you are connected to it, then you are in it. If you are detached, then you lose it, and after that, you can connect again. This is eternal.

That you feel fear is very good. What is the first Mitzva? It is the Mitzva of fear. I could be detached from the spiritual level, could lose it, I won’t be able to bestow, and so forth. This is the main thing. Therefore, you have a very good basis for staying in a good connection with us.
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