Question: During the process of spiritual work, I reach a state where I am not able to rise above my ego, and that causes tension in me, anger. Is it within a person’s power to rise above the ego, or can he only request it?

Answer: A person can never rise above his ego by himself. He can only request this from the Creator.

You can fight against all kinds of corporeal habits, for example, to stop smoking, to go on a diet, etc., thereby replacing one ego with another which is more beneficial for you.

But it is not in your power to rise above it, since the ego itself has no such means. For this, one needs to bring forth the upper Light, which is the ego’s opposite attribute, the attribute of bestowal, which will implement this action.

After rising to the new level, you will level off, establish yourself, see, learn what is done on this level by the new force, and then fall again, but this time even lower, to a darker space, to terrible confusion, in both feelings and in consciousness.

Sometimes you feel yourself as drunk, and sometimes as lost, without will power, completely helpless, and sometimes all of these together. It will seem to you that the problems pile up on you from all sides, that life is dark, and that there is no brightness in front of you.

All of this happens so that you will organize the correct connection with the group, the correct surroundings that will support you, and with each moment it says to you that you must turn to the Creator

You need to see it according to your friends who must show this to you. If any of the friends don’t show that he is turning to the Creator, yearning for Him, and that the most important thing for him is the importance of the goal, you must show him, since we are influenced by the group, from the group’s yearnings. You need to play, act for the friends, showing that you have a real yearning for going forward. Within you, you may be “dead”; that doesn’t matter, but on the outside, you need to play for the sake of saving the friends. If you do this, then you won’t have descents.
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From the Novosibirsk Convention 12/9/12, Lesson 6

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Question: What must the world groups do in order to constantly strengthen?

Answer: Personally, I feel that we must work together so that not only I, as a teacher, will nurture you with “drops of wisdom,” but also you, as students, will participate actively in our general learning process. Since without your exact and correct desire, forcing me to speak, I cannot say anything, I cannot do anything. We have now arrived at such a mutual, integral act.

For me, it is really a surprise. I didn’t think it would be revealed so suddenly and in such a sharp manner. I am very happy about this. But this mutual cooperation puts additional responsibilities on us, confirming once again the need for the relevant condition that I actually be at a level equal with you. There is the concept of a teacher-friend. Rabash also spoke about this. Thus, we need to participate together more frequently in all the events.

The friends must be equal. That is our mutual work, and here I constitute your senior friend and not your Rav. This is where the general integrality leads us.

Question: Does that mean that we need to be more self-reliant?

Answer: Of course! I constantly talk about that. After all, I am not eternal. And you will be left alone. But so that you won’t be left alone, you need to learn to act and advance forward independently. For this you have a method, a working system, tens of thousands of recorded hours in the archive, and books. There is everything! And I need now to slowly descend from the level of Rav to the level of friend, and then all of us together will discover the upper world.
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From the Novosibirsk Convention 12/9/12, Lesson 6

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Question: In each group, there are friends who are more motivated and some that are less motivated. Should the stronger friends initially organize by themselves so that others become attracted to them and do not fall under the influence of those who skip workshops, etc.?

Answer: Everyone in the group must be equal. Everyone has times when he is moving forward more purposefully and times when he is moving less so. Being in a permanent system, a person is equal to all others, even if it takes several years before he begins to understand where he is and begins to participate in the events, to understand the studied material a little. This happens in different people in different ways, but in any case, it should not affect the general movement forward.

On the contrary, you should spare a person. Does he come, participate, study? He could be rough, may not understand the need to participate in all the events because this feeling has not been yet been revealed in him. He is told, but he does not hear, he turns a deaf ear. You need to wait. The most important thing is that he does not cause harm, then everything is fine. If he is harmful, then you may think about dismissing him.
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From the Novosibirsk Convention 12/9/12, Lesson 6

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Question: What is a “union” (Brit) in spiritual work? What should it be, in the direction of what efforts?

Answer: Forging a union is connection and agreement between us, that we will constantly maintain the unity we have achieved and apply joint efforts so as not to disrupt the union.

From where can we take the strength to support it? Only from above, not from anywhere or from anyone else.

You can listen to Kabbalistic songs and read Kabbalah books; it will not help. The Creator, nonetheless, will burden your heart to such an extent that the lessons, meetings, and gatherings will help; nothing will help other than addressing the Creator through all of this.

The burdening of the heart happens due to the addition of egoism, and now you must bring the Light into it. Then, it will become your next degree.

The Light is neither in you nor in those who surround you. You will be able to draw it to yourself only through the environment and, thus, rise. The burdening of the heart is given for this. This is a condition of ascent.

From this moment on, you need to accept this as a law: The left line is a constant weight that affects the feelings, heart, emotions, memory, and various external circumstances, which begin to flash before your eyes, breaking into you.

You need to control yourself all the time because this is the Creator who presents everything to you so that you will ask Him to give you the force to rise above His tricks, as it is written, “Come unto Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart.” If we have a problem, this is Pharaoh (our mutual egoism), and to fight him, we need the Creator.
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From the Novosibirsk Convention 12/9/12, Lesson 6

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Question: We are now preparing for the upcoming congress in the desert, the place of our future spiritual unification. Is it possible that we will become so much more united during our preparation that there will be no need for a physical place, no need to go to the desert?

Answer: The place of spiritual unity is the state of the congress. Whether it is held in a desert or a backyard is irrelevant.

At every given moment, as we prepare for the congress, we need to expect to reach the unity that we want to achieve at the congress, and that will be our preparation for it.

Then, the extent to which we are able to reach it before the congress will determine our preparation for it. Let´s say that I intend to reach unity at the congress with an effort of 10 lbs. That means that I need to attune myself to this now. Possibly during the preparation for the congress we will achieve a unity that is worth 100,000 tons of effort, then let it be realized now. That is the correct preparation.

Action should not be postponed. Everything is now. In essence, the preparation is in fact the same action that we carry out practically, unlike preparation in our world where we only prepare all that is necessary and then begin to work. By preparing the desire (Kli), I work on the whole realization, and then it is formed.
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From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/24/12, The Zohar

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We are definitely approaching the home stretch before the end of the preparation period, and I say this with pride. It is not easy, and of course, it is not us but the upper force that affects us, doing all these “exercises” with us and leading us to the finish. He who is worthy, will pass it, and he who is not worthy… Only by all of us adhering together, will we be able to pass.

Everyone passes the Machsom: “babies,” “children,” “elderly,” “women,” as well as those who have the force to overcome (Gevurah), men (Gvarim). It all depends on adhesion: how much everyone is able to stay together with everyone. I hope very much that we will accomplish this.

A special year awaits us. I think that we are given it as “extra time.” In the past we did not have time to finish a few things, and we have to correct them now. It seems to me that we really can do this. We can try to make the last steps to convince ourselves finally that everything depends only on our unity. May it develop and become realized.

I urge everyone not to lose the moment; do not let the “wheel” continue spinning, catch it and realize what we are responsible for. This is truly a unique opportunity.

After all, we are cared for with unprecedented, unlimited, boundless mercy: “If you couldn’t do it once, then try again and again…” The upper management operates kindly; the current period is far from extreme: There is no deprivation, no war; everything seems not so serious. We sometimes teach small children in this way, enough to threaten them a little bit, to make them pay attention to what is required. Our modern attitude cannot be compared to the Holocaust, expulsions from various countries, murders, “pogroms,” etc. In front of us a “red carpet is rolled out,” do a little bit, and that will be enough.

I hope very much that you will understand this, and we do not cause the attitude from above to change, that we are considerate, receptive, and sensitive to what is happening, that we are “good children” and understand how the Creator treats us. Hence, we will understand what to do, and will do it.

We are going through a special transition period that covers the whole world. Today, everywhere there is a feeling of uncertainty, helplessness, and confusion. Just imagine what those who “have power” feel: impotence, fog, and confusion. No one understands what is happening; no one has any real plans or ideas.

We must become organized between us, just inside for the time being, not trying to shout to the world. The main thing now is to unite our inner strength, unite before The Flame in the Desert Convention. Then, our sparks will break out into a big fire and light the entire “desert” of this world.

We can do this. This is our mission; we are directed from above. We are required to do only a small effort, and then of course we can bring the Light to the desert. Good Luck!
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From a Talk During the Meal 12/21/12

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Question: By studying Kabbalah, we turn from the “nations of the world” to the “people of Israel.” If I understand correctly, in reaching spiritual attainment do we obtain greater suffering than the “nations of the world?” Or do we understand the cause and effect relationship?

Answer: I have many friends from school, university, with whom I sometimes keep in touch. They are developed, normal people, but they don’t understand me. In any case, I don’t neglect anyone of them; I appreciate and love them, but we are just different people.

So, we can’t evaluate ourselves relative to others. It’s easier for someone and more difficult for someone else; everyone has his own destiny. The only thing that a person should do is to realize himself as he is.

You shouldn’t envy anyone, saying, he is lucky, look how rich he is, and this one is a slacker, but everything is easier for him; the third one was born “with a silver spoon in his mouth.” It will not help. This suggests that you just don’t know how to realize yourself. One has to learn!

Take your truest, deepest desire, longing, and start being yourself. You will see that this is the best that can be. It’s unlikely that you will be happy if you change places with someone. Only by realizing yourself, by becoming similar to the Creator, will you be completely fulfilled.

As to moving forward, the more a person advances, the greater emptiness emerges in him. But these voids become filled with insight, a sense of eternity, perfection, eternal life, a sense of Infinity. A person sees the universe from end to end.

An average person in this world, for example, a shepherd walks with cows in the meadow, whistling, feeling good, alive and well, with no worries in his head. Can we envy him? Yes, of course. But envy what and up to what point? After all, there comes a state when he will have carried out his program.

So, don’t think about suffering. Realize yourself! Otherwise, it turns out that you curse the Creator for having created you. What could be worse than that? So, let’s be grateful!
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From the Novosibirsk Convention 12/9/12, Lesson 5

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Question: Let’s say the Creator draws a picture for us of someone incapable of coping with a disease or getting out of some bad state. Is it a manifestation of the group’s weakness? How do we react to these situations?

Answer: We cannot say that it is a consequence of a group’s work. We are tied to the whole world.

The group we are currently in is not a small number of people who used to study a thousand years ago when the world was “sealed” and developed egoistically. For example, the groups of ARI, Ramchal, Rabbi Shimon, or Rabbi Akiva were detached from the rest of the world.

The world, its so-called Babylonian part, has been developing egoistically, whereas Kabbalistic groups advanced independently. They used to discuss within the group only what really pertained to their group.

Today, the world advances in general; it has become global. Now, we move forward not because we deserve it or don’t deserve it, but rather, because we have to move ahead for the sake of correcting the entire world. So, we cannot say that somebody fell or was elevated as a result of the internal group work within one particular group or any other groups; we all are closely interconnected. Today, these problems cannot be resolved this way.
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From the Novosibirsk Convention 12/8/12, Lesson 4

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Question: What do we do if the importance of the goal is missing? It happens all the time: People come to class and fall asleep. What methods can a group use to elevate the greatness of the Creator and the importance of the goal?

Answer: It doesn’t matter if someone falls asleep. It happens sometimes! He came to class with his last strength and fell asleep. So what? What can you do about it? How can you awaken him if he is “dead”?

At this moment, he is not a human being, but rather a “plant.” You cannot inspire him at this time. People have the need for sleep, nutrition, and other natural necessities. You cannot do anything about it; you just have to take it into account. You cannot demand anything of your friends unless they sleep at least 5-6 hours and eat a couple of times a day.

Question: This is clear. Although it’s still not clear to me how the group should take care of increasing the importance of the goal.

Answer: The group should take care of this issue on regular basis, but not by promoting tedious slogans that people are bored of hearing. We need to see that people “feel it in their bones.”

How do you do that? Just try! Think of it all the time. If you keep thinking of it, it will make an impact.

This is our work, and we cannot escape it. We are driven by egoism. In this we are opposite to the Creator.

When we advance to the next level, we’ll be dealing with totally different and extremely severe conditions of spiritual work: hatred, difficulties, letdowns.

They all come from the Creator!  We have to agree with them, unless someone is “drilling a hole in the boat,” which may harm our spiritual work. In this case, we have the right to take this person off the boat and expel him from the group.

However, if he falls asleep, you should put a pillow under his head as you would do for your little son.
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From the Novosibirsk Convention 12/8/12, Lesson 4

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Question: What are the differences and similarities between the concepts of “faith above reason” and “humbleness”?

Answer: Faith above reason is bestowal, which “hangs” above egoism in spite of it. Humbleness is an agreement with the direction from above and the passage to faith above reason. It precedes faith above reason.

Faith is called a property of bestowal.
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From the Novosibirsk Convention 12/9/12, Lesson 5

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