Question: Under what conditions can we see that a group exists and that is headed towards the goal?

Answer: A group that is headed towards the goal is a collection of people for whom there is only one goal. They know what it is, they perceive it among them, and feel it. They study together from Kabbalistic sources; they check themselves according to these sources, and work on the connection of their points in the heart, which means that the main thing for them is the connection as they ignore all the other attributes. If a person yearns for unity in order to reveal the Creator, it is enough for him to be my friend even if he can be an unpleasant person in every other aspect; it makes no difference. Gradually we all understand how to adjust ourselves to one another and to get closer.

A group is a collection of people who understand that in order to attain the Creator they have to work on themselves, to study, and to lead a certain lifestyle. They have to meet on a regular basis and to be so strongly connected that it will constantly lead to connection and unity.

If they just rent a place and gather there, it doesn’t mean that they are a group yet, they meet physically, read together, and then go their own way, does that make them a group? According to the wisdom of Kabbalah everything is determined by the internal awakening and not by the physical bodies.

A group refers to the yearning of the points in the heart to become one whole. Only then it is called a “group.” So we still need to work a lot on this.

But when all the people yearn together for one goal, understanding that only by that will they connect above all the differences, they bring out the Creator’s attribute and by that, overcome the shattering—then they become a group.

So it turns out that all our contrasting attributes are in one egoistic desire. It is as if all the egoistic desires that are opposite from ours, that are in contrast to one another, are now in one sack. We restrict our desires, place a Masach (screen) above these attributes and focus our points at the Creator, at equivalence and bestowal.

It turns out that our connected egoistic desires are left below while our intentions to connect and the yearning for the Creator, to resemble Him and to become equal to Him are above them. This is how the soul, which means the one collective Partzuf is created.

The soul is one. There aren’t many souls. There is only one vessel for everyone. If we create it, we suddenly discover that is has already been created! We only try to discover it and by our attempts we suddenly discover that we already exist in it. This is because that one whole creation already exists while the shattering occurred only with regard to our consciousness. When we yearn to advance we ascend above our current feeling.
[92445]
From the Georgia Convention 11/06/12, Lesson 2

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Question: When new people join our group, we have a problem of communicating and connecting with them because we already feel different …

Answer: I understand. There is nothing to be done. Newcomers will gradually get closer to you. Do some work together, invite them to various events; it will gradually pass. Only if the group reaches a critical mass, will there not be much difference and newcomers will enter it easily. The group will not feel that it has been joined by additional new people. To do this, it should create a serious critical mass, for example, twenty permanent members of the group. And when it gradually includes newcomers, it won’t be felt much: the new ones can easily hide and the old ones can easily overlook them.
[92512]
From the Georgia Convention 11/06/12, Lesson 2

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What is love of friends? I don’t love any of them. Naturally, I want to dominate all of them so that they will serve me and do what I want. What do I need them for? It would be better if they didn’t exist.

This is the “normal” attitude to others. Love of friends means that it doesn’t matter what their attributes, mental, and physical problems or their successes are; what’s important is only their points in the heart. It is these points that I love, and I don’t have to love all the rest.

On the whole even a person’s gender doesn’t matter; we must abandon and draw away from external appearances as much as possible. Then all the other factors suddenly begin to complement one another.

Because we don’t complement one another in the points in the heart, we connect them and there we agree. The moment we connect the points in the heart, suddenly all our typical attributes, which are totally different, begin to connect like gears. This is how two discs in the car’s clutch system cling to one another and the whole mechanism begins to spin in synchronization. If we connect the points in the heart and ascend above all the other attributes, ignoring them, we can connect. How does this happen? I love and respect the friend’s yearning for unity and his yearning for the Creator. I think that he is better than me in that and that he is higher than me and yearns for that more than I do. Thus I see my friends as the “greatest in our generation.” If I raise the friend’s value according to the main thing, ignoring his corporeal attributes, I get closer to him and “place” myself below him. This is how we connect.

“Love of friends” is the connection into one whole, in their points of connection. “Each one shall help his friend” in that. I can provide different services for my friends in the group and help them solve corporeal problems, but only if we are truly parts of one group trying to connect our points. The wisdom of Kabbalah is very strict about simple mutual help. Why? Since it demands a person’s intention! Here I have to clarify things deeply and accurately to myself; what am I doing this for? It isn’t because I feel sorry or uneasy about something, etc. I bring myself to another state—that I do something because by that we reach unity and only for that reason.
[92454]
From the Georgia Convention 11/06/12, Lesson 2

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Question: We know that we are all egoists. We were led to the group by the awareness that we cannot live like this. However, we still do not have an understanding of the goal; there is no course; we are like the blind. How can blind people show the road to each other?

Answer: A person advances according to his desires. When I really want, I move forward. If I feel good in the current moment, I do not move, but remain there. If it is good there, then I will sit there, thinking about nothing else: I will have no thoughts, no movement—nothing. As soon as I feel bad, then there is movement from bad to better. This is the only way I advance.

If we are in a group, learn, and make some actions, we think that this is enough; we have no inclination to move forward; every day is the same routine, everything is the same. How can we force ourselves to move forward?

Of course, if, God forbid, misfortunes fall on us or the world, it shakes us. And what if they do not? Then, I need to create them on purpose, artificially, otherwise I will not move forward.

Creating problems artificially? Yes!

It is better to create them yourself then if they come from somewhere above. There is nowhere to escape, we need to move forward; only if I bring about this discomfort, these desires in myself, then it will be better for me. I will do this with others purposefully. I gather people and tell them: “Why do we wait for the next hurricane, crisis, or tsunami? Why do they come? To move us from point A to point B. Let’s do something ourselves that will force us to move from point A to point B.”

We have to invent something so that point B pulls us from point A and do something in point A so that it pushes us towards point B, that is, so that we feel bad now and good in the future, so it seems to us. Let’s figure out how to do this, then we will move forward, and we will not need various negative forces that push us.

How can we do this? It is said that “a friend should help a friend.” They help each other by constantly telling how wonderful the next state is and how unbearable the current state is. If so, I convince myself, and if my friends say that all the time and I become convinced of this, then I do not need any negative forces; I will rush forward myself instead of waiting for something to happen or not happen to me.

Envy is the most powerful tool; it is good for moving forward. We need to use properties such as envy, jealousy, and so on.
[92507]
From the Georgia Convention 11/06/12, Lesson 2

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Question: Our group has existed for three years. Before, people would enter and leave the group until the group finally formed. Now we are at a point where there’s no longer an inflow of new strength. Can the reason for this be that we are so used to each other, we sense and feel each other like members of one family and we feel so good together that we don’t want to let anyone else in?

Answer: This can happen. I’m not entirely familiar with the situation to give you an answer. But everything has its time, so don’t worry. You should use this time to study more and to strengthen yourselves. I don’t think that now is the time to conduct wide dissemination. As far as I feel, the situation here is still quite lethargic. It’s best to wait. For the time being you should work on improving your connection with us, try to work more on the materials, translate books, and adapt the material for the local population. Maybe you’ll be able to write articles on the Internet or in small newspapers. Maybe you’ll be able to adapt them for your local population. I don’t think that many people will be joining you right now. After all, a point in the heart becomes revealed only when a person has reached a certain level of egoistic development, and it hasn’t happened here yet. Therefore, you should work more on yourselves.
[92458]
From the Georgia Convention 11/06/12, Lesson 2

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Question: Does Lurianic Kabbalah reject occult hermetic sciences? Can a materialistically oriented person consider hermetic sciences real? Do they actually exist, or not?

Answer: All hermetic sciences are not real; they have no basis for them whatsoever, they’re just a figment of somebody’s imagination, a fantasy. Having my doctorate in Philosophy (the subject of my thesis is “Philosophy, Religion and Kabbalah”) gives me the right to state with confidence that Kabbalah is a pure science.

Because philosophy and any other of our attempts to understand reality are based not on research but solely on reason, which is really based on what is not known, as a rule, they are based on our egoism, but we do not realize it.

As a result, philosophy died a long time ago. All so-called spiritual teachings are gradually vanishing, since people rise above them and see that they are invalid. There are no substantiations or verifications concerning the seriousness of multiple spiritual teachings. They’re exclusively based upon our sensations, but as we all know, feelings can be very diverse; that’s why presently there are about 2800 religions and belief systems, and we see them gradually disappearing.

Kabbalah is not for or against them. It stands aside them; it explores nature as physics or any other regular science does. The major principle of Kabbalah is investigating nature, becoming similar to it, and winning. Kabbalah is a very concrete science; it doesn’t talk about the soul in the way religions do. A soul in Kabbalah signifies an extremely serious and profound attainment and understanding of the world in which we currently live. The purpose of this kind of realization is staying afloat and protecting ourselves from a huge storm that approaches us in response to our ignorance and unwillingness to follow the laws of nature.
[92241]
From the Georgia Convention, 11/5/12, Lesson 1

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Question: If we are ready to meet several times a week, to read and discuss things, what prevents us from connecting with the friends?

Answer: Your egoism. It will grow every day, and it will find increasingly greater flaws in your friends so that everyday you will look at them with greater aversion.

Question: Won’t I know the reason for this?

Answer: There can be many reasons. Don’t you believe me? In a year from now we will ask you and you will tell us how you are doing.

There are times when people are simply indifferent: You come, study, you seem to be needed, helpful, and then after getting used to this, you simply stop noticing the fiends for a while.

Then as you work with them, you feel criticism towards them; you find bad points in everyone, until it comes to actual repulsion and alienation.

But the real hatred appears when people are seriously working on connection. Then the true ego appears and is revealed very strongly. This is where the actual serious work begins.
[92398]
From the Georgia Convention 11/06/12, Lesson 2

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Question: In our world there are laws that we must abide by. How can I check my intention practically to see whether it is egoistic or whether it is the right intention?

Answer: How can I practically check my intention and advance? You are right, the most important thing is the intention, but you won’t be able to advance by yourself, I don’t know of any person who could study the wisdom of Kabbalah by himself. You will have to connect to us. Without a group, a teacher, friends, and assistance, you will simply waste a lot of time. So for a start, read the material for beginners. But if you are really interested and if you are about how I can change my intention, that is a high level and it already quite serious.

It is simply a waste of efforts and you are confusing yourself by that and will need much more time in order to come out of this confusion. You should connect to us. We are prepared for any situation, in any language, English Georgian, Russian, Hebrew, whichever language you want. Our books are published in 27 languages.
[92297]
From the Georgia Convention 11/5/12, Lesson 1

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All the Kabbalistic primary sources describe the system of higher management, meaning the forces that act upon us, but we do not feel.

We do not see the forces, but only feel the result of their impact, just as we do not see electric current flowing through wires. Only when a light bulb is lit or we are shocked by touching a live wire do we realize that there is current. Similarly, we do not know what happens to us, meaning what forces affect us.

We move, grow, think of something, and experience some events, something is happening around us all the time. And where do all these events come from? Who governs us? In principle, we do not know. We think that everything happens by chance or that I think about something. But where did my thoughts come from, I don’t know why I think they are mine.

That is, a person in our world sees only a small fragment of the whole world, the whole system, and thus he is in a state of detachment from the real world.

The real world is much bigger. Where did we come from? Why were we born in such conditions, with these features, in this family? What is the origin of our universe?

We once thought that the universe existed infinitely. When I was at school, we were told that everything exists eternally.

Then, we suddenly discovered that the universe has existed only 14 billion years, starting with the Big Bang and spreading further, that is already a limited time. And what had happened before that? It is unknown. But we know that this date is the birth of our world.

Moreover, modern science shows that if we penetrate into matter, atoms, and then beyond atoms, beyond elementary particles, then everything disappears there: There is no matter, there are forces in the form of clouds. Electrons, protons, and neutrons are not elementary particles, but some cloud effects. It turns out that all that we ever considered unshakable: matter, energy, information, all of it is something that dissolves in some volume that we do not understand.

Today, science comes to this. And that is why it is difficult for us to communicate with it because we are not designed to communicate with such concepts. That is why, science is coming to a crisis, and against the background of the crisis, the science of Kabbalah is revealed.
[92389]
From the Georgia Convention 11/05/12, Lesson 1 

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Kabbalists determined the laws of the group from their own experience. The purpose of creating a group is to connect and to become like the Creator. The group is formed when people who want to attain this state assemble, and of course, the group should understand why it exists. It includes new members who do not understand or perceive this yet, but in a very short time, we explain why there is a group, and non-coercively we gradually lead them to this state.

The group should be unified, and there should be no distortions in it. It isn’t a factory with managers and workers who are subordinate to them. There is no such thing in a group that studies Kabbalah; everything is collective.

We create different committees that serve and help, sustain and organize the group, the study, the holidays, the meals, etc. All this should be accurately adapted to the basic unity of every individual and of the collective. Although we are different, we have to be totally equally, one is wise another is foolish, it makes no difference at all. Everyone is natural as they are and essential in that specific form.

Imagine a mechanism with some of its parts moving fast and others moving slowly, some are moving to the right or to the left and others are revolving around an axis. Everyone has his own role and the main thing is that everyone should do his best for the general unity. The other conditions in the group are created as a result.

The main condition is mutual help and this is what leads us to the connection between us, since a single person doesn’t have to correct anything. Each of us is an absolute whole and there is nothing corrupt except for one thing, the connection with others. This is why I don’t pay attention to a person’s character, to his external form, to his disgusting habits, to anything. All this doesn’t concern me, I use a “filter” and don’t see all this; someone is a redhead, another is boring and someone annoys me and draws me any way they want to, but I don’t care. Behind my “filter” I have to see one thing only: a person’s attitude towards connection and unity, since this is the only thing we have to correct in him. If he works on that, he is my friend and if he doesn’t, he is a stranger to me.

We shouldn’t try to change anything in us except for the connection with others, this is very important. We waste much time and power on this. We should stop dealing with what is unnecessary, since we only break and corrupt ourselves this way. You have to stay the way you are, you shouldn’t waste even one gram of energy on that, just invest in the connection.

When this is clear, the work becomes soft and mutual; it becomes a meal, a yearning for mutuality and for love. We shouldn’t pay attention to anything else. There is only one condition: the connection between us, and the group should constantly focus its attention on it.

We have a long way to go and at the beginning many distortions, misunderstandings, irritations, outbursts, etc. may occur. But there is only one important thing and it’s whether a person truly yearns for unity. If he tries to increase this urge in him, then I take upon myself all his other problems and help him.
[92319]
From the Georgia Convention 11/06/12, Lesson 2

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