From the book, Likkutei Halachot: The essence of love and oneness is in the desire where each one wants what his friend wants, and there is no difference in their desires, all are included in one desire, and through this they are included in the higher desire—unity.

I don’t know what this higher is. It has no form; it is not found. There is no higher by itself. Where is the spiritual ladder found? Was it in Jacob’s dream as the Torah tells us?

The ladder doesn’t exist without us. I create and build the higher the moment that I connect with the friends; with them I reach a complete degree of unity, and then a higher level that didn’t exist before is presented to me. So the Creator is called, “Come and See” because we build and create Him ourselves; we give Him His form.

Therefore it is written, “The essence of love and oneness is in our desire, where each one wants what his friend wants, and there is no difference in their desires so they are connected with each other, and included in one desire; through this they are included in the higher desire, and by reaching one collective desire we discover the higher—our unity.” Then we understand that we have reached the higher level.
[126784]
From a Preparation Lesson for the Arava Convention, 1/30/14

Related Material:
Intensive Progress In The “Aquarium”
Live Channel Of Connection
Ten Delicious Sefirot

Filed under: Conventions, Group Work, Spiritual Work, Unity - No Comments →

Question: How can we unite if we don’t feel the pain of our shattering?

Answer: Connection is only possible with a united effort. Alone you can scream for even a thousand years, but this won’t help. Here there must be a group effort where everyone is attracted to each other and ready for mutual guarantee (Arvut). Everyone must be ready to be responsible for the others: one for all and all for one.

These are the necessary conditions; it is impossible to replace them with anything else. And you want to finish the work yourselves, but this is impossible. You forget the formula and don’t take it into account. The formula is that we are making efforts to try to connect among us, to carry out all kinds of activities within the group in order to resemble the Light that Reforms. It must influence us and change us.

We are not changed by our connection. Through our inclination to connect, we awaken the intensity of the Light, the influence of the energy field in which we are found. The more that we try to connect between us in all kinds of forms, with this we awaken the action of bestowal, meaning the Creator who fills the world. And He illuminates us according to our efforts, and it is not important that they might be incorrect and confused. The main thing is the effort that attracts the Light that Reforms. And then this Light changes me.

You ask: What form must we attain? This doesn’t concern me and doesn’t matter to me; I never reach that form myself. It is the Light that influences me and connects me with the friends in this form that is suitable to its revelation. Then instead of Ohr Makif (Surrounding Light) that arranges and corrects our connections, it transforms into Ohr Pnimi (Inner Light).

This is the same Light; no changes are made in the Light itself. But it sometimes appears as Ohr Makif and sometimes as Ohr Pnimi, sometimes as NRNHY and more. There exist a multitude of types of Light: Ohr Yashar, Ohr Hozer. But it is precisely the Light that makes the form for me.

You say: “We want to reach connection!” Where is the Creator within this sentence? And what do we want this connection for? Also for His sake! The Creator realizes this connection and He is also discovered within it. And from our side, we are only attracted to this connection, but certainly we don’t succeed in doing anything if the Light does not connect between us. All that is required of us is to attain the right intention.
[126778]
From a Preparation Lesson for the Arava Convention, 1/30/14

Related Material:
The Power Of The Intention Is In Its Constancy
I – We – One
I Live In A World That Lives In Me

Filed under: Conventions, Group Work, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

Question: This convention is a convention of our connection with the Creator. What does this mean?

Answer: There cannot be connection without feeling the Creator. Otherwise, how do we know that we have reached connection? We test it only by discovering the Creator within the connection. Only in this way can we be sure that we have connected.

Therefore unity between us cannot exist without that one force that is discovered within us as a characteristic that fills and connects us, that stabilizes us. This is what we call having reached connection. Without the Creator, the connection will not happen: He must stabilize our connection and testify that we have attained Him.
[126491]
From the Talk at a meal 1/26/14

Related Material:
A Convention Of Connection With The Creator
The Creator’s Triple Attack
In Preparation For The Arrival Of The Long-Awaited Guest

Filed under: Conventions, Group Work, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

World Zohar Convention, Day Three, Lesson 7

World Zohar Convention, Day Three, Workshop 4

World Zohar Convention, Day Three, “The Closing Ceremony”

Filed under: Conventions, Workshops, Zohar - No Comments →

It isn’t by chance that our big global group is divided into two parts which are necessary in order to express our prayer, our deficiency for correction correctly. Because of different reasons, the first part is given the chance to connect physically during the convention, while the other part cannot come to the convention and connect physically.

This is why there is another important element in our prayer where we must ask for the friends who are not physically with us so we will feel as if they are here with us. We shouldn’t feel any distance between us, but rather that the distance between us is meaningless since there is nothing but the connection with the friends.

We ask the Creator to bring the friends who had to stay at home closer to us and to convey all our feelings to them and their impressions to us. There shouldn’t be virtual communication lines between us, but heart to heart communication lines which are so strong that we will feel that the friends are not just beside us, but inside our hearts!
[126725]
From the Preparation for the World Zohar Week 2014 1/29/14

Related Material:
What If I Remain At Home?
Safe Like In A Mother’s Arms
Endless Worldwide Convention

Filed under: Conventions, Group Work, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

World Zohar Convention, Day Two, “There Is None Else Beside Him,” Lesson 4

World Zohar Convention, Day Two, Workshop 3

World Zohar Convention, Day Two, Lesson 5

World Zohar Convention, Day Two, Lesson 6

Filed under: Conventions, Workshops, Zohar - No Comments →

Right now we need to clarify which problems must actually be solved before and during the convention. Otherwise this will not be called a “convention,” a convening, a connection.

Question: It is understandable that we need to feel happy about connection. But must we also be afraid of not attaining a connection?

Answer: There is a particular age below which the child is exempt from commandments (Mitzvot) because he is small. After that we begin to educate him and say to him what he is allowed to eat and what he is forbidden to eat, or that one can do something this way and is not allowed to do it that way.

The first commandment is called “fear” in the presence of the Creator. I am afraid of whether or not I will be able to give Him contentment, will this action make Him happier, what will make Him less happy? For this, I must reach an age of maturity, “Bar Mitzvah,” meaning a level when a person is aware that he is responsible for his thoughts, intentions, and deeds of correction. A “Mitzvah” is correction. The question is, have we reached this age?

If we were already like this today, we will feel the fear, the apprehension: “Friends, the goal before us is to give contentment to the Creator! If we don’t do this, it will be very bad.” This will be very bad not for ourselves, but bad for another, for others; otherwise, this is not called a “Mitzvah” if I am thinking about myself. But if we succeed in giving contentment to the Creator, this will be good for the entire world! What will be with us doesn’t matter to us.

This means that we must make many preliminary corrections before we reach realization of this first commandment of fear, of apprehension, of the thought, “Am I giving contentment to the Creator or not?” It’s forbidden for you to get some kind of benefit from this in return for this will no longer be a commandment, this will not be bestowal, this will not be giving contentment to the Creator. It’s possible to bring contentment to the Creator only if there is no self-interest, if one is making Him happy without considering personal loss or gain. We must still rise to this level by making a restriction on our ego so that the result will not be considered in relation to ourselves.
[126431]
From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/27/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

Related Material:
A Convention Of Connection With The Creator
In Preparation For The Arrival Of The Long-Awaited Guest
Everyone Is Traveling To The Convention

Filed under: Commandments, Conventions, Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

We should feel that we are in the desert and that we will remain in the desert, in desolation, in emptiness, if we don’t reach the state in which we can delight the Creator. We will only have the idea that we did it, that we are trying to do it, and that we are getting close to it. Then, there is a higher level, and we don’t want to know it since the exertion itself, delighting the Creator, is our reward.

The emptiness that is created between us always will be the place that the Creator must fill according to our state. The higher we ascend the spiritual ladder, this emptiness will take on a new form, a new essence, a new identity, until finally we will reach a state in which we will ask for nothing except for the opportunity to make an effort in total darkness. This darkness becomes a place full of Light for us.

It is said:.”Darkness will illuminate as Light.” But how can that be? After all, it remains darkness! For us, it isn’t darkness anymore. If we bring the Light of Hassadim (Mercy) into it, our impulse to bestow, the darkness turns into Light and night turns into day.

If we turn ourselves into a vessel that can work only in order to serve all of creation, this vessel becomes a conductor of the Light. We actually are ready for this transition which is a totally new phenomenon that never existed before. Therefore, we can reach the right action by our mutual effort. Our action isn’t in feeling and understanding the Creator but rather in discovering the right deficiency. This is the only thing that is required of us.

When we have the right deficiency, we immediately will discover that we are already on a certain spiritual level. Even now, we are already in the world of Ein Sof (Infinity), but we discover only part of it according to our deficiency and one day, we discover all of it.
[126722]
From the Preparation for the World Zohar Week 2014 1/29/14

Related Material:
The Convention Awakens Life Within Us
A Convention Of Connection With The Creator
Let Us Awaken Ourselves By The Light

Filed under: Conventions, Group Work, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

World Zohar Convention, Day One, Lesson 1

World Zohar Convention, Day One, Workshop 1

World Zohar Convention, Day One, Lesson 2

World Zohar Convention, Day One, Workshop 2

World Zohar Convention, Day One, Lesson 3

Filed under: Conventions, Workshops, Zohar - No Comments →

I am very glad that we have such an extended convention, long meetings between all the friends around the world. This allows us to be integrated with each other, to connect, and unite. First of all, it says that from Above we are allowed to do that. All the forces of the Creator are intended to help us, to give us a chance to unite. The rest is up to us. 

Somewhere between two and three weeks before our convention, a new attitude came to us from Above: focused, aimed at us, the desire of the Creator, Who waits for us to rise to Him. Therefore, we have to take this challenge and begin to work with it. We are in a state when everything has been already transferred to our hands and depends on us. 

I very much hope that we will not miss this chance. You noticed that shortly before our convention, we suddenly had an opportunity and readiness to explain the direction to the goal more clearly and openly. The lessons have risen to a new level and have become more accurately directed at it. So, I am very glad that we are on the threshold of correct connection. We have the power for it. I am very proud of you, of our chance to get together and bring great joy to the upper force that cares about us. 

We just have to thank the Creator for the opportunities presented and quickly realize the chance provided. We received it and not accidentally. Why have we all of a sudden received such a connection with the upper force that we have the opportunity to reveal it as managing everything, enveloping, and filling everything? Why does It want to raise us and make us its partners? This is huge luck. We are just the lucky ones! 

Therefore, we must accept every friend as a great special person in his generation, chosen by the Creator from many millions of people and brought here where our friends from around the world gathered. This is a great state that has a huge impact on all of humanity. 

Neil Armstrong once said, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Indeed, this is what is happening to us only in a spiritual sense, and it strongly advances the world. Therefore, we need to honor every friend and collectively thank the Creator.
[126734]
From a Talk During the Meal 1/29/14

Related Material:
Everyone Is Traveling To The Convention
The Convention Is Starting
The Convention By Our Own Efforts

Filed under: Conventions, Group Work, Spiritual Work - 1 Comment →