Entries in the 'Conventions' Category

Revelation of Corruptions Is a Great Salvation from Above

275I rejoice in those revealed corruptions and the ones that are being revealed.

I do, however, regret and complain about the corruptions that have still not appeared, but which are destined to appear, for a hidden corruption is hopeless, and its surfacing is a great salvation from heaven. The rule is that one does not give what he does not have. Hence, if it has appeared now, there is no doubt that it was here to begin with but was hidden. This is why I am happy when they come out of their holes because when you cast your eye on them, they become a pile of bones (Baal HaSulam, Letter 5).

In other words, all corruptions will immediately turn from seemingly living disturbances into dead ones.

Baal HaSulam writes that he is very pleased with all the corruption, all the problems, and all the terrible traits that are revealed within him. Every day, they are uncovered in an increasingly unpleasant way. This signifies that a person is progressing.

He does not lament the emergence of new, terrible traits. On the contrary, he rejoices in them because their revelation means he is growing, rising higher, and becoming greater.

All these traits exist within a person from the very beginning; they originate from the shattering of the soul. They are revealed because the time has come, because one has earned the right for them to be revealed. This means one is already capable of correcting them.

This is why it is said that if you just look at them, that is, draw the upper light, they will immediately turn into a heap of bones, lose their power, and become a lifeless body.

Although at first, we are always horrified by the corruptions that are revealed, in the end, it is good. Ultimately, this is how we progress. It is only important to approach what arises within us with a sound mind and to remember that all of it comes from the Creator.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/4/19, Preparation for convention in Moldova “The Work in Concealment”

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The Ten Is an Atom of the Spiritual World

939.02Question: Many friends from all over the world are going to the big congress or to the mirror congresses. What should our intention be on the way to the congress?

Answer: It does not matter where the friends are: on the road, already at the congress, or staying in their places at home. The main thing is that they are all together in the same state.

Most important is for a person to be in a ten, where he can, together with his friends, implement a system of the common Kli. Therefore under no circumstances do I divide people into those who are far away, on the road, or even somewhere else in the world. The only difference is how much a person wants to be included in this common Kli.

When he comes here and participates in the congress, he works in tens, takes part in workshops, and unites with friends. We can also study at home. We see that people who come, both men and women  (women even to a greater extent) absorb the material correctly, ask excellent questions, and are aware of what we are studying.

We meet these people everywhere. Many, even without knowing about the congress, listen to us and understand us. Suddenly it becomes clear that a huge number of people in the world nourish themselves from us.

Why am I saying this? To emphasize that the most important reason we gather is not to acquire knowledge, but to get the impression that it is precisely in the ten that we can see the structure of the world, the ten Sefirot.

And when we perceive these ten Sefirot in the ten and their division into the upper, middle, and lower parts (Rosh, Toch, Sof), when we feel the right and left lines and the light of NRNHY that is clothed in them, we will begin to work practically with this construction. And there is nothing else beside it. It is an atom of the spiritual world.

We cannot talk about any quality, about anything, if it is less than ten. We can say, “This is a hydrogen atom; this is an oxygen atom, something else or something else,” but we cannot speak of anything smaller than that, because there are no qualities there.

There must be a collection of some elements—pluses, minuses, electrons, protons, neutrons, and so on—that make up this object, which can be called by a certain name based on the combination of pluses and minuses. All substances are made of them. And then interesting relationships occur between them, all kinds of dynamic connections. Then this substance is called either vegetative, animate, or human.

In other words, we must gather in such a combination that would start such a life among us! That is why we come to the congress, and not to see the faces of our friends there. No! The main thing is to feel the gathering of people who can reveal the Creator and manifest the world.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/5/19, Preparation for convention in Moldova “Turning to the Creator”

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Feel the Movement of the Creator

938.03Question: How can one grasp the Creator at a convention?

Answer: To do this, you need to feel the collective mass present at the convention and try to feel how the Creator is present within everyone, filling them. Then, you will develop the correct attitude toward Him to the point where you begin to feel Him.

You will start to feel Him in the movement of those present; something is happening within them; they are moving in some way, flowing and shifting.

For example, if a small raft floats on the surface of the water, you can see the movement of the water through the movement of the raft. Similarly, in the movement of the crowd, you will gradually feel the movement of the Creator through them.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/5/19, Preparation for convention in Moldova “Turning to the Creator”

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In What State Should I Be at a Congress?

943Question: On one hand I have to imagine my friends as perfect, that the Creator resides in them, and that I have to absorb everything in them. On the other hand we must pray for them. What request can I have for them if I imagine they are in a state of perfection, and the Creator fills them?

Answer: On one hand I have to imagine my friends as perfect, be included in them, and remain in them, in their perfection. On the other hand I have to ask and pray for them. How can these two states be reconciled?

Indeed, it is impossible to reconcile them at the same time. Both states happen, and I need to exist in both alternately.

At the congress, I also must see which state I find myself in. But, in general, a congress carries more states of praising the group, the Creator, and the path of our rapprochement.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/5/19, Preparation for convention in Moldova “Turning to the Creator”

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Immerse in Common Desires

947The Torah, derived from the word “Or” (Light), is a method of correction. It is written: “Better they abandoned Me but kept My Torah” ( Jerusalem Talmud, Chagigah 1.7). That means stop praying and asking as the entire world does for egoistic benefit and instead try to request a directed influence from Me so that I may draw you closer to Myself and make you participants in My actions.

That is what the Creator desires from us. To achieve this, we must change ourselves, become similar to Him, and then we will participate in His actions. Not merely participate but actually carry them out as His proxies and instruments. To the extent that our desires align with His, we will perform this work.

At this stage, our work will be called “the work of the Creator.” We will not merely recognize that everything is done by the Creator; we will begin to adopt His actions and perform them. It is not that we will become independent in this state, but we will appear to be so.

This feeling of autonomy is marvelous; it elevates us to a state where the Creator gradually, step by step, entrusts us with the governance of all creation. We will, as it were, govern it in His stead. That is the state of “receiving for the sake of bestowal.”

I believe these states are more or less clear to us theoretically, but practically they can only be realized in a group. This is why the convention is so essential to us. Learning at home and listening to these teachings is not the issue; the challenge lies in attempting to integrate with others and come under their influence despite our egoism.

When I come to a convention, my focus is on whether I can absorb, like a sponge, everything that others possess. That is precisely what I want, not egoistically, but to absorb everything so that I can become like them and reflect back everything I have received. These two actions are what we must strive to perform.

To achieve this, we need to open ourselves. Everything else should be set aside for the duration of the convention. I must include within myself everything that the convention can influence me with, include everyone within me, and strive to fully absorb their aspirations, desires, and everything else.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/5/19, Preparation for convention in Moldova “Turning to the Creator”

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The Meaning of a Convention

938.04We are coming to the convention so that this common gathering of people will influence me, an egoist, and I will begin to understand that it is precisely this influence of society that will bring me out of my stupid egoistic, individualistic state, and convince me that I need to rise above my egoism. This is the meaning of a convention.

Otherwise, what is the point? To hear? I can hear it on the Internet too. In fact, it is all just for the sake of feeling the enormous power of your friends. Therefore, let’s try to get together so that this force affects us.

Frankly speaking, this is exactly why I come to a convention. You may say: “Is this a purely selfish, egoistic thought?” Yes, it is an egoistic thought! I hope to get more from you than you get from me. That is why it is said: “I learned from all my students.” This is what the great Kabbalist said two and a half thousand years ago. Such is the impact of the group!

We often return to the example of Rabbi Yossi Ben Kisma, a great Kabbalist! I am nowhere near him! Also, each of his students was many, many times greater than us. It does not matter, he learned from them.

So all the work is just about unification. Therefore, at the convention, try to prove yourself to be as immersed in what is happening as possible. Maximum dissolution! Forget about yourself! Feel others as if they exist within you, in your mind and in your heart. This is already the beginning of the spiritual degree.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/5/19, Preparation for convention in Moldova “Turning to the Creator”

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Pray for the Entire Society

947We need to try to feel the collective that will be present at the congress and pray for everyone, including even ourselves. Rabash writes that a person must pray for the entire society, for the entire world Kli, and include oneself within it.

The essence is that when I imagine the souls, I must also imagine that the Creator is present precisely within them. And within me? Within me, He exists in a form that prompts me to relate to Him and to this collective in a special way.

In principle, He distinguishes me negatively, as if I am not like this collective: He is within them, but not within me. The Creator desires for me to awaken His revelation within myself in a specific manner.

The most important thing is to pray for others as if they were your own child. It is very simple. If you pray for them in this way, it means you are integrating into the correct relationship with the Creator because He also relates to everyone as to His children, whom He wishes to nurture and elevate.

Then you will form a connection with Him, similarity to Him, and an understanding of Him. Suddenly you will begin to feel His attitude toward everyone, through which you will come to understand yourself and your mission. This is the most reliable path.

You become the Creator’s partner. After all, each of us must become His conduit and similar to Him, which means that you act as you believe the Creator acts in the world.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/5/19, Preparation for convention in Moldova “Turning to the Creator”

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Everyone Includes Everything

577Question: What is the difference between asking for the group of people physically present at a congress and asking for all the friends who are in the state of the congress?

Answer: Do not confuse these states. Each time we are in different states. And even being in the same state, I can feel myself either as a small child among the friends, as equal to them, or above them. From these three states called embryo, small state, and great state, I can turn to them and to the Creator.

Question: And what is the difference between asking for the friends with whom I am physically at the congress and for the friends who are not physically near me?

Answer: What difference does it make where I am with them? I ask that the Creator raise and correct us. What do distances have to do with it?

I turn to the Creator with a request, with my impression of the friends I am with right now. Wherever a person comes from, he includes everything in himself. That is, I ask for the entire Kli; otherwise, I do not appeal to the Creator fully.

For the Creator, all of us and in general everything that exists across all times, all events, everything that can possibly be imagined is just one single desire created by Him. There is nothing else here, and therefore, there is no need to complicate things.

What difference does it make to me how many of my friends stayed at home and how many of them are here with whom I feel physically closer now and with whom I am further away. It does not matter. It is enough to ask the Creator to help them, and He will help them.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/5/19, Preparation for convention in Moldova “Turning to the Creator”

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Prayer—The Inner Impulse of the Hearts

582.01Question: If prayer is not words but letters from the heart, why do we always compose a prayer at congresses?

What gives us a set of correct words? Does it mean that words are a consequence of our efforts?

Answer: At congresses we have exercises where we compose a prayer. What is this done for? We want the people in the tens to connect among themselves, to express their yearning for spirituality, relationships, and aspirations in two or three phrases.

That is, the words themselves do not matter. If people unite in these phrases and want to turn to the Creator and achieve something, then it does not matter what the words themselves say. This is where the inner urge of their hearts to unite with each other is at work.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/5/19, Preparation for convention in Moldova “Turning to the Creator”

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Combine All Appeals to the Creator

937An appeal to the Creator must include an understanding of who we are today, what we represent, how we should ask, and what we should ask for. This is because our request is part of the realization of what we must do and what we must achieve.

The nature of the appeal depends on the level we are currently on. The higher the level we are on or aspire to reach, the greater our desire must be. This desire should be clearer, more conscious, and accordingly, we will receive a response.

It is said: “The Creator is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.” This means that it is not enough to call upon the Creator in any manner; our request must include an understanding of our current state and the next one, the present and the future.

These states may be separated by only a short span of time. We simply refer to them as “today” and “tomorrow” because each state is described as a day. The difference lies in the fact that the desire to exit the current state and enter the next one must become an urgent plea from a person—a yearning to rise above oneself, above one’s current state, and reach the next, greater equivalence to the Creator. This means a greater degree of selflessness, a greater distancing from one’s ego, from one’s initial nature.

Each subsequent state represents greater separation from oneself, an acceptance of a different form of life—in thoughts and desires, in mind and heart.

Ultimately, all this manifests in an appeal to the Creator, which is called “prayer.” It is not simply a request to “make things better for me,” but a plea from the heart, even without words or proper phrases, formed in the heart as a necessary and true appeal.

This is how we must prepare for the congress, as, being together, our appeals to the Creator combine into one, whether we realize it or not. All the requests of all the people in the world ultimately reside within the Creator and merge into an appeal to Him.

However, if people remain at the degree of animal, they do not evoke any special reaction in the Creator, nor do they unite among themselves.

Our efforts combine only to the extent of purposeful action when we desire to influence the Creator.

This means uniting in our intentions, actions, thoughts, and desires, rising above our current state—each one above their own—and as if drawing within ourselves the image of the next state.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/5/19, Preparation for convention in Moldova “Turning to the Creator”

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