The Creator weighs each moment of our lives. At this time we are willing to unite and keep talking about this desire like little children, and in a couple of hours everything changes and this desire of ours disappears. It’s not as vital as it may seem since it’s a cumulative process that sums up our good states and brings them to a state called “Seah” (measure.) Seah signifies a final stage of our efforts when the upper world reveals Itself to us. We should have many more minutes like these! All of them gather together above making the Path that leads us to the Upper Light divulge itself to us.

At this convention, we did a great job. For the first time ever in Europe it became clear why we need Kabbalah and what our mission is in the world.

A time for rigid changes has come; it requires our interference. We cannot afford losing even a minute. When we feel just a hint of inspiration, we should enhance it and transfer it to our friends. This is what Rabash writes about in his articles about the group.

We should constantly keep in mind that the Creator reveals Himself among us: in the family, between husbands and wives, in a group (of at least two friends). The larger the number of people, the higher the probability of His revelation is and the faster this process goes. “More people” means more problems, so our advancement gets more intense.

We see that the entire world gradually joins this process. Our direct obligation is to participate in it, since we are the only ones who possess a methodology of attracting the Light that has to illuminate this world.

The phrase “ascending the next step” means that it’s the Light that descends to us and illuminates us. The Light comes down from Ein Sof  (world of infinity) through all the worlds until it reaches our realm. On its way, it illuminates all other worlds. After it reaches the last step, all of them “curl” into one world: Ein Sof.

The entire creation can be presented as one big circle with our world placed in the center of it; the Light gradually descends into this world by a thin line (Kav) through the five worlds of Adam Kadmon, Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, and Assiya. We are at the very bottom of them, in the very central point. The Light is right in front of us. It’s our obligation to allow the Light to penetrate this material world after it travels through the upper worlds. As soon as the Light descends along the line and enters the central point, the line of its descent immediately transfers into a circle that is completely full of the Light.

Generally speaking, the Light is always present in this reality, although we don’t feel it. This world is full of the Light of Infinity, the Creator Himself, Bore, the property of absolute and complete bestowal and love; this is why this level is hidden from us. When we fill our world with the Light and the entire creation transitions into absolute bestowal, then the whole volume of the world of infinity is revealed to us. It’s a steady cumulative process; that’s why at every given moment we have to apply as much effort as we can, as it is said: “Many coins accumulate into a big account.”

At this time, we are facing another problem: the Surrounding Light (Ohr Makif) starts pressing this world, thus causing a sensation of a crisis in us. The difference between our world and the spiritual world (the Delta – ∆) instigates the crisis that happens because of an incongruity of the properties associated with this world and the qualities of the upper worlds. We can feel it.

When the entire world becomes at least slightly similar to us, even though they won’t know or understand that it happens to them under the influence of the Upper Light, they will still start moving in the direction of unity. Then, an approximate resemblance between this reality and the upper worlds will manifest itself; it will lead humanity to diminish stress and obtain harmony. Everyday problems, crises, bankruptcies, fears of ecologic turmoil, uncertainties about the future, all will come to balance. So, everything depends on us. It’s our direct duty to work on it.

This is why our next step is “we,” meaning a European group that acts as one team and disseminates integral education. We have to study Kabbalah in order to attract the Upper Light. We have to spread integral education to the entire world so that humanity receives the Light.

The world won’t even understand what kind of Light they get; people will continue uniting, since they will realize that it’s much better for them to stay connected. However, since the process of their linking together will be happening under our supervision, the Upper Light will descend to them as well and they will feel that they are united. This feeling will allow them to succeed and overcome the consequences of the crisis.

The fact that it all became possible because of our methodology might not even cross their minds. As a matter of fact, it’s even better if they don’t realize this fact. Does it really matter if a child understands who is in charge of his or her upbringing? The main thing is that he grows. It’s about the natural property of bestowal. We have to learn from the relationships with our children. If we transfer the same pattern to the rest of the world, it will be wonderful! So, our primary duty is to unite and help each other to disseminate integral education and upbringing in the countries of our origin, in our native tongues to various types of mentalities.

I understand that you aspire to study Kabbalah and that you really want to know what original sources say about your personal experiences and sensations. However, there won’t be any personal experiences whatsoever until we start intermingling with the external world.

Have no doubts that at some point in my life I was not very preoccupied with externality. All I wanted was to sit alone and study the materials; I was sure that I would reveal the upper world to myself this way, by detaching from external reality.

It won’t work this way. We deal with a condition that we have to observe, otherwise nothing will work. At some point, it was quite enough to have a group that we belonged to in which we worked and that allowed us to connect with others. Today, we won’t be able to unite in the group if we don’t share our knowledge with the rest of the world. It’s very important for you to understand.

Personally, I don’t need all of this. My task is to present the methodology of correction to you, to teach you the ways to resurrect the general soul that is called Adam, and to give you a technique of fulfilling it with the Upper Light so that all of you (as it is said in Kabbalah sources) during this lifetime, from this realm, will feel other worlds and enter the state of infinity and eternity, meaning you would sense the balance of nature, rise above death, and elevate beyond all feasible problems.

This is the most important thing that you should understand and always bear in mind.

So, if we manage to unite, in the nearest future we will achieve success since Europe is created particularly to serve this purpose. If our meeting happened in South America, or Asia, or Russia, I would not be saying this. Europe needs this process very much! Partially, it applies to North America, since the crisis will hit these areas before any others and will spread further on.

If we disseminate this methodology in Europe and in North America, the crisis will stop and all of humankind will not experience it any longer. Otherwise, the waves of European and North American crisis will spread throughout the entire world destroying everything on its way. So, we are the ones who are responsible for what is going on in the world now.
[104363]
From the Germany Convention 3/24/13, Lesson 6

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Question: Could you please tell us about your first encounter with the Light and your experience of exiting from yourself. Please tell us what clarifications and thoughts you had on this day.

Answer: It happened when I was driving to a lesson with my teacher. It was in the pouring raining, a solid sheet of rain. Half way there, my car stalled.

It was two o’clock in the morning in a desolate place with no one around. Who would go out in this kind of weather? I stopped. There was nothing at all I could do. I got out of the car, opened the hood, but it made it even worse, the rain flooded the engine. As it turned out, my carburetor had cracked. Cursing myself and the entire world, I got back into the car and all of a sudden out of all this desperation I sensed the Creator.

Seriously! I am not kidding. It’s a true story. Of course, before and after that situation I experienced various sensations as all of you do. Why do I bring up this example? It’s because this kind of encounter usually happens at a totally unsuitable time and place and it looks like it’s not related to our internal condition.

We go through a process of accumulation that lasts for quite a long time depending on our inspiration, previous state, and numerous other conditions; then it transpires in us. As a rule, it happens without any external commotion. For that, we don’t have to meditate nor do we have to have any specific sensations.

When it’s supposed to happen, it will come. However, you should continue working systematically.

[112350]
From the St. Petersburg Convention 7.12.13, Lesson 1

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In our world, words like “bestowal” and “love” are utterly overused. Gradually, they will trigger correct sensations, the right aspirations and essential feelings in us, but at first they confuse us.

In fact, love is an internal mutual fulfillment. It can be presented as elements of a puzzle that have opposite forms, but when they are put next to each other they complement one another and match.

In other words, the desires of one (shown as a red minus) are fulfilled with the actions of the other (a black plus), thus they enter each other and constitute a common picture.

We sense the distances between them (i.e. the states of deficiency, no filling) as affliction (a big minus). And only the appropriate content from the other can fill it.

Basically, we exist in nature already pre-matched to each other, but we differ only in our protrusions and hollows, and now we need to make them fit each other. That’s why “love thy neighbor as thyself” is about filling the desires of the other. For that, we have to realize and sense what exactly the other one wants.

How can we figure that out? If we work together in the same direction and study the materials on one methodology, we begin understanding what exactly each of us needs. Then, we don’t even need to realize what forms exist in the others; we just start aspiring to the same forms and the rest of the work is done by the Light that descends to us from above. That’s why we should take into consideration one more component— the Light that comes to us impacts us and in the end completes our connection. The spiritual methodology makes it feasible to match and complement possibilities of one with possibilities of one’s neighbor by eliciting the Surrounding Light.

This mutual complement is called love or reciprocal bestowal; it’s when one opens his heart and the other fills it. Our common desires are called the heart.

Generally speaking, in nature everything is complete. We don’t have to change the desire, nor should we alter our positive properties. In other words, we naturally possess an opportunity to bestow and chances to receive.

The only thing we need is to match them together in the correct manner, then the Surrounding Light will help us. After we connect, we start demonstrating a mutual quality of receiving and bestowal that in fact is the Creator. As it is said, we make the Creator out of ourselves and our intentions. Thus, we create a Kli, vessel, a place, a correct desire through which this quality will be revealed.
[112287]
From the St Petersburg Convention 7/12/13, Lesson 1

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The law of equivalence of form is the main law of the worlds, including “our world.” This equivalence can be direct and opposite, attracting or rejecting, that is, they interact and work at the same frequency. This may result in some pulse, a seemingly negative or positive interaction, but the law of equivalence is the most important law in creation! Therefore, if we aspire to the characteristic of the space that surrounds us, to the characteristic of the Light, we awaken its influence on us.

This influence is called the the Returning Light or the Surrounding Light (Ohr Makif), which surrounds us implicitly. But the moment we move as it does, according to its nature, we immediately begin to feel its influence on us. However, “immediately” is conditional because first of all the influence of the Light is gradually gathered in us, then we begin to feel it.

We need to know exactly what the means are for attaining the first level of discovering the Light when it transforms from Surrounding Light to Inner Light (Ohr Pnimi). All this is explained simply, there is nothing unique here beyond simple physics.

The person wants to know where he is because his point in the heart draws him to its source. The source is found in the world of Ein Sof, but he doesn’t know this. However, there is a link between the point in the heart and the world of Ein Sof.

Afterward, the person enters into some kind of group, which has a teacher, friends, and books. All this is done through the Surrounding Light. It creates the environment for the person; this is its function and this is under its control.

All conditions were created from the start and one doesn’t even have to be concerned about this. But if we make efforts and are concerned about building the group, then ultimately these means increase the influence of the Surrounding Light and it attracts people. Suddenly, seemingly by chance, more people arrive. Each one of us knows how that happens from his own fate, from his own story.

When I told my teacher how I found him, he immediately explained to me that there is nothing accidental; the point in the heart simply reaches a particular stage in its development. Throughout a person’s life, it awakens him all the time, it doesn’t let him rest, and gradually devours him from within. He suffers; he is concerned about his life being so uncertain, superficial, and lacking value. Sometimes he suffers from depression, sometimes he searches, even tries to emulate others, but it does not work…

We are all familiar with this and we have played in this life. The rest lived it as if it were real, and for us there was no point to it. And yet we tried to live it. So gradually the “point in the heart” grew and developed within us until it finally broke out and demanded serious, true realization. Suddenly we found ourselves with some books and with a person who explained everything to us, in brief, somehow we found an environment. It’s clear that this is the most important thing, yet we don’t pay particular attention to it.

The main thing is that we found a teacher, or some Internet site, or something else, but we don’t value the group, because this is already the next stage of development. This is quite a different property that doesn’t exist in us: to be in a group, in an environment, in a community, which I must lower and nullify myself in front of. I must imitate everything about them and just serve them.

Yet when we come to any other environment, for instance, when we get a job, we are very nice to everyone; we egoistically want to be part of the team and want them to relate to us nicely. We are nice to everyone and expect the same treatment in return. In time this passes and we become like everyone else.

And with us it is different. It doesn’t matter what you are and how you relate to everyone, you must begin to work on yourself. And we don’t understand or more precisely don’t even hear what must happen in a group. And this goes on for many years. Even though this is a latent period, it’s really very important.

It must be organized very precisely. Because we don’t understand what we are doing, there must be some people in the group who guide it, they must be “police” and “guards”; there must be a precise and strict system about all requirements like in the army. And then we will gradually begin to understand.

However, in order to attract the maximum amount of Light, we need to carry out simple mechanical actions. In this case it’s impossible to demand anything else from someone. At this stage, we are in a state that we must obey. They tell me today that it’s my turn to wash the dishes in the kitchen, so I go and wash. It’s my turn to do something else, and I do it. And if not, they will throw me out because it’s impossible to convince me any other way. It’s impossible to explain to a person that this is how we connect and approach love of the other and with this we will begin to feel the upper world. What is the connection to the upper world? It’s all so far away from those sweet words…

Therefore in the first stage of its development, the group needs to stubbornly maintain all the conditions that don’t depend on us but that are contingent upon the physical parameters for attracting even greater Surrounding Light onto us, more precisely onto our point in the heart, on this “fetus” of our spiritual strength that aspires to advancement. Indeed this fetus is running forward egoistically, and we need to attract the influence of the Light onto it.

Then comes the next, more difficult period, when people who enter into a group already begin to feel ascents and descents, all kinds of inner changes, simultaneously both pleasant and unpleasant. We need to gradually explain to them from where everything comes, that this arrives from the influence of the same source. And this is not just a psychological factor, let’s say, today he is depressed, and tomorrow he is happy for no reason. Here we begin to clearly feel the expression of some new characteristics and powers that hadn’t previously existed.

We must explain to them that the Surrounding Light influences us through two lines. Its influence in the “right line” elevates us, expands our emotions, our understanding. The Light illuminates us already, even if it’s not in an apparent way, and we still can’t feel or define it, but we already feel something: The limits of intellect, emotion, and consciousness are expanded.

We see greater connection between one thing and another and then suddenly everything will be clear to us within those same limits in which we are found. Everything is as if illuminated by Light. And so we enter into another state where, on the contrary, there is detachment, darkness, confusion,  and such, so that you don’t understand where you are found at all, you are bewildered.

States of the “right line,” and likewise states of the “left line” become even more extreme. When in an extreme right state you are found in such euphoria that you are afraid of doing something wrong. And in the extreme left state you feel darkness, nothing is clear, there is no yearning for anything, you are ready to abandon everything, you have absolute confusion in your head.

All of us know this from experience. But we must pay attention to the new people who pass through this. We need to help them; we need to soften their state.

I remember the first time I was in a state of euphoria when I asked one of the elders who studied with Baal HaSulam, “What is this?” He answered: “That’s it; another two weeks!…Wait for a change.” I relaxed and waited. After two weeks, I received such a blow that I got up with difficulty! That is how I understood what “That’s it” means.

With this they let me understand that all this was okay; this was something normal. You sit in a lesson like a dummy, as if you don’t exist, and it seems as if someone is playing a joke on you. They specifically showed me that they understood my state, and in fact the same thing is happening to them only at different levels. In them this is not so visible. Just as now, for example, my students don’t see what kind of states I pass through. Many of you haven’t seen this yet as we are used to it, we already live with it.

But we must support the new ones. We must get them to understand that this is the normal effect of the Surrounding Light (Ohr Makif) which affects the point in the heart and the heart itself (desire).

When it influences the point in the heart (right line), then we feel the increase of inspiration, a push forward; immediately a reaction that attracts the Light is awakened in us, we are ready for the noblest possible deeds. And when it influences the heart itself, the result is the opposite, there is an increase of egoistic desires in us and we are pulled down.

Basically, from both of these states we receive an increase in the Light and an increase in the desire opposite to it. And our goal is to shape the “middle line” for ourselves so that both the egoistic desire and the altruistic aspiration for bestowal, for connection, for revelation, and so on will connect in us.

The central point is the desired condition in which we control ourselves. We connect the right line and the left line in us through emotional and intellectual effort. Where is this realized? Only in a group. If the person tries to carry this out alone, nothing will come of it. Where can an egoistic desire acquire an altruistic characteristic? How can you aspire to the Light? You see, you don’t know how to do this. How can you, through using the characteristics of the Light, correct the additional ego that you received?

What is the result here? You need to make a Kli from your egoistic desire and correct it into the characteristic of bestowal through a Masach (screen) and Reflected Light (Ohr Hozer). Where will you realize this?

All this can be realized in a group and only in a group; only in it can you realize your characteristic of bestowal with which you can clearly construct yourself together with them, with those with whom you want to connect. Therefore the Ohr Hozer needs to pass through the group and be realized in it.

It’s difficult to explain to a person how this is done, this takes many years. Perhaps now this period is contracted and truly passes more rapidly. I see how many people are beginning to understand this rapidly and comprehend this, more naturally understanding the method. But still it’s very difficult for us. This is so contrary to our nature, because at every stage, on every side, the person seemingly passes through the entire way again.

You see, every level is composed of ten Sefirot and really begins from that state called an “embryo.” And then there is the feeding state (Yenika), the small state (Katnut), and then the big state (Gadlut). And every time we need to begin from nothing. This is truly amazing because every time you are born at the next level.

In our world, we don’t see, we don’t feel these incarnations, but on a spiritual level, we gradually pass through these periods of development. And all this takes place solely and only within the group. In no place, in no way, with nobody, not with anything, can you check if you are doing this correctly or not, if you are acquiring the Light, if you are gradually transforming into a man (Adam) of the world.

To the degree that any kind of motivations are awakened in you, you realize them in connection with the group, you seemingly adjust, direct yourself to the group, to connection with it. This is me. I direct myself to the group, to a link with it, and in the end receive a rejection from it. I go to a plus, and in the end I get minus (rejection). We call this rejection the “evil inclination,” which is to say, this is what I need to correct.

This requires prior action: first my inclusion in a group, second, the discovery of the evil inclination. This is my true ego. Everything linked to our world is not called ego. All these are our normal beastly characteristics and we can relate to them absolutely quietly. This rejection, the serious addition that I begin to receive, this is my first egoistic level. And I need to begin to work with it.

The next stage (the third) is my participation in a group against my ego. And when I do this, when I invest as much effort as I can, I begin to attract the Surrounding Light (the fourth stage) onto myself. That is how this works.

To the degree that I am included in a group, the upper Light comes to me through the collective soul, through the entire empty void. Everything is realized only by getting closer within the group.
[112699]
From the St. Petersburg Convention “Day Two” 7/13/13, Lesson 3

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Question: Should small groups focus their efforts on disseminating the wisdom of Kabbalah and integral education in order to bring more people to the group?

Answer: You can try that, but sometimes people live in such remote areas or isolated places where there are very few people and they can waste their energy in vain. Perhaps it’s better to make efforts disseminating the wisdom of Kabbalah and integral education virtually.

I believe that we should focus more on integral education since this is what will bring people into the inner group, to study the wisdom of Kabbalah. This is what will happen.

When we go out to the world with integral education, no one is stopping us; we have a method by which we can make the world a better place and we tell people about it. By using the right lexicon we can do whatever we want and no one will stand in our way.

When it comes to the wisdom of Kabbalah, however, there are problems: No one needs it, except for a very few. Can you imagine that you are these few people! You are indeed like diamonds, very rare. All the others will gather by the dissemination of virtual education. I believe that this is how we should operate.

If we started our dissemination today I wouldn’t mention the wisdom of Kabbalah at all. Unfortunately or fortunately that isn’t the case. We had to start from it, to learn the basics of the wisdom until we have grown to our current level. Today we are starting to develop only the method of the correction of humanity and not the points in the heart.
[114108]
From the St. Petersburg Convention “Day Two” 7/13/13, Lesson 4

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Question: During the last workshop there was a very strong feeling of absolute confidence and joy among the friends. Is this the essence of the male mutual guarantee? Do all my actions regarding the friends have to make them feel this way?

Answer: The right awakening of the friends to the upper spiritual goal is when you show that you are in it and it fills you with great joy, pleasure, and enthusiasm; it gives them a huge charge of energy when you are serious and happily value the group you are in; when you fill the friends with great attentiveness, and all this comes back to you. What is more, it comes back to you in a much greater form.

You shouldn’t make any other calculations here. Try to feel this all the time. If you feel that they treat you disrespectfully, what difference does it make? The Creator arranges things that way for you on purpose. You should work and that’s it. Be smart and outwit the Creator.

Question: Still, I want to understand the concept of mutual guarantee more deeply. What is it?

Answer: Mutual guarantee is when you feel that you are responsible for the fact that all the friends should reach the goal. You feel that you can do that and that it depends only on you.
[114106]
From the St. Petersburg Convention “Day Two” 7/13/13, Lesson 4

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Attaining the Creator depends on the tightness or density of our connection. What does the density refer to? To how compactly and tightly together we are connected. We have to enter one another so that there will be nothing left in me and I will be in the others. This is what everyone should do, each of us in everyone else. There is nothing that is left behind except for the body. Everything that we call the soul, the point in the heart, our yearnings are all in the group.

The environment that absorbs me helps me dissolve in it. Does the group have to think about how to do this? Frankly, we have never spoken about this issue.

For the first time in this convention I feel that I can already start talking about how to establish such an environment, when by artificially drawing away from one another we expand the distance between us in order to fill it with the Light of Hassadim. Then we do the opposite as we contract by tightening the connections between us, this time in order to fill it with the Light of Hochma. We have to gradually reach this type of breathing by the actions we perform together, but it will be fulfilled after we connect. Then we will be able to perform it.

Can you imagine the work that is done in the group? We should all work together, to understand one another, to feel one another internally. Words cannot express this in any way. This is how Kabbalists work, by creating a space inside them for the revelation of the Creator as they expand and contract each time.
[113926]
From the St. Petersburg Convention “Day Two” 7/13/13, Lesson 4

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Specifically when I am found within the group, very close to the friends, we need to awaken the “Surrounding Light” on ourselves, which appears to the degree of density between us, the degree that the power of connection appears between us despite weaknesses, lack of desire, and even our laziness when we are swimming within some kind of indifference.

Even so, it is up to us to attract the Upper Light upon ourselves, and it is attracted only through unity, not through anything else!

Have you already felt this? So, continue to realize the unity even in states where you don’t want anything, for specifically when you don’t want to come close, your efforts will be most useful for prayer is created here.

You will not be successful at all, but you must reach the same state as in a convention, but already with today’s Aviut (thickness), with the newly discovered denseness of ego, when you seem to yearn for this but with a new deficiency, then the new level appears in you.

How does this happen? We know that when the Partzufim begin to be extended from above to below, then first Partzuf Galgalta goes out, and it is clothed Partzuf AB and after it, Partzuf SAG.

In Galgalta was Reshimot Dalet-Dalet (4/4). After that, when it is refined, clarified, then the Reshimot Dalet-Gimel (4/3) is left, and, within the SAG, the Reshimot Bet-Gimel (3/2) is received.

What does the gap between Reshimot de Hitlabashut and Aviut of Dalet-Gimel (4/3) give us? Dalet is a Reshimo of the Light because it is clothed on the Partzuf, and Gimel (3) is a Reshimo of the Kli, the desire (Aviut).

If we advance from above to below, then there is a Tzimtzum of the levels or Partzufim, the states.

What happens if we advance from below to above? Suppose I was at the Saint Petersburg convention and arrived there in state “1.” Let’s symbolically call it “Saint Petersburg Convention 2013.”

At the time of the convention, I received good fulfillment, and now it is up to me to rise to the next state which must be more intense.

In the previous state, I had Reshimot 1/0, where 1, is something illuminated from my future state depending on my Aviut, and now I need to rise to a level in which I will receive 2/1 fulfillment.

For this, I must transform the previous Light (1) that filled me into a Kli, this is to say, the previous Keter (the Light) transforms into the next Malchut (Kli, desire).

How do we do this? We don’t need to think about it. The Light will do this instead of us, but it is up to us to understand that it transforms previous fulfillment into a new deficiency, into a deficiency of the new level. Therefore, it is up to us to advance with “faith above reason,” specifically to yearn for connection just as at the convention.

“2” is the attraction of the Creator because this is a greater Light than before. It is forbidden to confuse this Light with the Light of the Torah, the correction, because this is specifically the light of fulfillment, the discovery of the Creator in us according to equivalence of form with bestowal.

Therefore, every friend included in a group discovers the Creator within connection. In this kind of form, we advance. This is called advancement with “faith above reason.”
[113118]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/21/13, “Faith Above Reason”

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Question: What does it mean when you say that the Reflected Light (Ohr Hozer) is realized in the group?

Answer: The Reflected Light is realized in the group since we are unable to imagine spirituality, the soul, or the Upper Light, as of yet.

If we take seven billion people, and ask each them very seriously and carefully what they think spiritual work is, it will become clear that each one of them has a different opinion, and no one has a clue what they are talking about, yet, all of them have some idea about it. That’s why we never want to act theoretically, only practically.

In other words, we are not interested in fantasizing. Kabbalah is a purely, practical science, a science of understanding the true system of the universe through the tools that are in my hands. Anything that is spoken theoretically, I don’t care about, because anyone can say anything they want.

Today, we agree with some things, “Yes, that guy is surely right!” Tomorrow, we realize that it was nonsense. That’s why we don’t “buy” any words, hypotheses, or theories. We refuse to take them into account. It is a prerogative of philosophy that, nowadays, already has turned into a household name.

I remember my meeting with physicists in San Francisco, the authors of the movie What the Bleep Do We Know? I brought a friend of mine, a professor and doctor of philosophy, to this meeting. At that time, I planned to write a book together with him. These physicists did not even look in his direction. They could not hide their contempt. Physicists research reality and we respect them for that and look forward to further contact with them.

It is exactly the same practical approach that we should have. With it, we need to approach the world. Only then would we be able to persuade others that this methodology has practical value. Baal HaSulam writes that we should make a space where we would show the entire world how this methodology works, what happens to people who are involved in it, and what kind of future they can anticipate. The only way to achieve this state of affairs is to show it to them as a model! That’s why there is no place for theoretical speculation.

You can object to my words by saying, “You only sit for three hours a day with your students, and all you do is read, and read, and read.” I do it only to attract the Upper Light. It is outlined in Item 155 in the Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot. We do it solely to attract the Surrounding Light (Ohr Makif), and there is no other meaning behind it. That’s why, in my eyes, those who are very knowledgeable and those who know nothing are absolutely equal.

There are people who remember many quotes by heart and know how to use them. They help me in my group work and assist me in preparation for the lessons. However, in spirituality, it doesn’t matter if a person is hardworking or very able. One’s realization is possible only within a group!

It is said that studying is available not only to wise men since one’s advancement doesn’t depend on their aptitude. Only one factor, a strong group, defines everyone’s success! It is the only criteria of attainment.

When one grinds one’s teeth and forces oneself to join the group against one’s egoism, one eventually begins rejecting his group-mates, “I don’t want to be with them! It’s disgusting! I am ready to do anything, but I don’t want to go to friends’ meetings, and I don’t want to do anything together with them.”

Why do we need to disseminate? Do you think that we do it in order to tell the world about us? No! We do it because it is our joint work, our common mission. While working together, we attract others and, thus trigger even greater Surrounding Light onto us. However, the real Surrounding Light that connects us with each other and organizes us descends to us only when we disseminate.

If, in the process of dissemination, someone experiences multiple predicaments but continues one’s work, one attracts an even bigger surrounding Light.

Consequently, first of all, people reveal their egoism; that is, they clearly realize that they don’t want to be a part of a group. In the beginning, our resistance is quite small. Then, it gradually grows. Contrary to our ego, we begin searching for various methods to join the group. Our inclusion into a group that happens against our egoism is, in fact, reasonable. We already understand why and for what purpose we do it; that is, we go by “faith above reason.” One should find strength to act contrary to what is on one’s mind and in one’s heart.

Only then will the Surrounding Light descend.
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Question: How can I include the friends in me so I will always feel what they lack in order to be able to constantly fill them?

Answer: I should simply think about what else I can give the friend. Have you seen how a mother treats her small child? She constantly looks at him and thinks only about him and about what else she can do for him. She can talk to you and at the same time not let him out of her sight.

This is how we should see the group, since it is the only valuable thing we have in order to attain something in this life.
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From the St. Petersburg Convention “Day Two” 7/13/13, Lesson 4

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