By acting against our ego and connecting more strongly, we go through 125 degrees of ascent that are divided into Sefirot, Partzufim, and worlds. The stronger we connect the more we feel the inner power that connects us, called the Creator. Thus we go through five worlds: Assiya, Yetzira, Beria, Atzilut, and Adam Kadmon and rise to the world of Infinity. We learn about all these states in the wisdom of Kabbalah and embody them in practice internally.

In order to fulfill this more efficiently, we have conventions. It’s very good that there are people from all over the world who don’t know one another in the convention hall: men, women, veteran students that have been studying for years, and those who have just heard about the wisdom of Kabbalah and as if “by chance” have come to this convention. The connection among everyone is possible and doesn’t require any early preparation.

If we try to connect practically, we begin to feel that something is happening inside: A special force is being revealed between us, which as if didn’t exist before and which we haven’t felt. This force is only revealed in our world when we begin to work, by actually carrying out the advice of Kabbalists, and then we discover the force of connection between us.

Therefore, Kabbalists were happy about every opportunity to connect. They understood that thanks to this action we can attain correction and see the spiritual reality that is above us, to discover the force that manages us and leads us to a certain goal.

It’s the only way that we can look at ourselves from above, as at those who exist in the corporeal bodies, and to discover the upper worlds, the states that are above this world. It’s the only way we can see that this world isn’t real and to receive new attributes, new senses, that enable us to see the upper spiritual dimension that rises above the corporeal world, and to live in the two worlds at the same time. We feel this to such an extent that a person begins to feel eternity and perfection and isn’t afraid of death at all.

He will not feel when his body dies, just as he doesn’t feel when he has his hair or nails cut. This is because the corporeal body belongs to the animate level, while the hair and nails belong to the vegetative level, meaning a lower level. So if we rise to an upper level, called the human level, which is symbolized by the connection among us, we cease to worry about losing the beastly body, the body can live or die, while we exist on a higher level of existence, which we have attained.

This is what we should reach and this is the goal of the wisdom of Kabbalah: to raise a person to the next level, to eternal existence so that we will not live in a beastly body but the life of the soul. The soul is the feeling that is created within our connection. So the purpose of all these explanations is to attain the only goal—connection.

We perform the act of connection in the conventions so that through this connection, as a small part of the general correction, we will feel spiritual life. Thus, we create one system of Adam HaRishon (the First Man), by bringing his parts together and discovering the spiritual life in which the upper system, the general soul, lives.
[77265]
From the Brazil Convention 5/04/12, Lesson 1

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One Convention in New Jersey, “Essence of Kabbalah,” Lesson 1

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Question: During seminars in the group, some people talk more and some less, some are more expressive and others less. What is the right way to relate to this?

Answer: When I sit in a circle together with other people, I must see every one of them as a puppet through which the Creator speaks. This is not a person, but the way in which the Creator presents Himself to me in various forms. No matter how silly the things they say are, that doesn’t matter to me; I bow down before them. No matter how unpleasant they may suddenly seem to me, how repulsive and unattractive, I must counterbalance this by understanding that He is awakening this outlook, this antipathy in me. And this is the place of work.

It is written about the great sage Rabbi Yossi Ben Kisma that he had a group of students who were total beginners, stupid and with no merits, but he placed himself even lower in relation to them, and then they suddenly became great in his eyes and he was able to receive all attainment through them from the Creator.

No one is higher or lower; all of that exists according to our evaluation. Therefore, I can sit with a group that came “from the street” – that doesn’t matter. Everything depends on how I position myself in relation to them.
[77448]
From the lesson in America on 5/10/12, Shamati

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Question: Is there a difference between watching the convention at home, on the computer monitor, or coming there in person? Does a person get anything additional by being there in person?

Answer: You probably know that in the 18th century it was popular among the wealthy class to buy their own seat or box in the opera or theater. If a person wanted to hear his favorite aria in an opera, he could come for just those 15 minutes, enjoy it, and then go back home. Back then there were no tape recorders or recordings so people had to come there in person to hear a symphony or opera.

Later tape recorders and televisions were invented, so why haven’t theaters closed down to this day? For example, a ticket to an Italian opera performed by a famous singer costs a lot of money. I once went to an opera in London and the cheapest seat at the top of the gallery cost 40 pounds. But people still go there because it is impossible to transfer an impression through the screen.

To get a full impression, you have to be at that place in person. “A place” is a spiritual notion, which also exists in our world.

And this is even truer for a Kabbalistic convention because we get together to unite! And for that it is not enough to see it on the screen or hear it through the microphone. If even a recorded opera does not give you the same impression as a live performance, then it is even more so with the feeling of unity.

The entire purpose of the convention is unity. All the events, seminars and discussions are devoted to this. This is one, single, living process, which cannot be conveyed in any form. For this I am willing to travel to any group, to any point in the world, even though this is quite burdensome for me. But there is no choice; I cannot carry out my mission in any other form and you cannot attain the goal in any other way.

Only if someone lives in a very remote location and has no opportunity to attend, and really cannot (and he will have to prove that to the Creator, not to us), then apparently there is a personal, special calculation with him. But I would not let the opportunity to take part in a convention pass me by for anything.

There is a famous example of a person who lived thousands of years ago in the Negev desert and worked in agriculture, and once a year he travelled by foot to study in Jerusalem. He was only able to stay and study there for one day because the road there was so long that he had to immediately set out to go back so he could return in time to start working in the field. But to this day there is still a special day during the year that was named in his honor (“a student for one day”) when everyone sit and study.

It is impossible to pass energy from one person to another without personal, physical contact, when we are all together. That is why we exist in this world! This world is special because we are all egoists and are therefore able to begin our connection only in this way.

After all, we are not connected with a spiritual connection yet. And therefore, another, lower level has been given to us, called “this world” – an imaginary reality in which our connection is born. And after that it already begins to grow in spirituality.

It is like a flower that does not grow until the grain rots in the earth and a sprout grows out of it, which then grows to become a flower. That is how we must plant the beginning of our connection. And even though we are in the egoistic world, our grain must rot in this egoistic soil and a new sprout will shoot out of it.

However, this preliminary phase, this physical connection between us is necessary, and that is why this entire world exists.

I think that after these words, an explosion should occur and everyone who hasn’t registered yet will rush to register to the convention. If I was a person living in America, I would not stay home.

You can place a television with the biggest screen in front of you, and set up the ideal, most comfortable conditions, take a vacation from work so no one will bother you from watching, but this still won’t give you real contact. You will miss out on the most important thing: the inner sensation, and will see just the external picture.
[77416]
From the lesson on 5/9/12 in America, Shamati

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When I am included in society, I want to bestow upon all the other souls, all the desires that are outside me. But what can I bestow upon them? Then I (I) receive a very great Light from the Creator, the Light of Ein Sof (Infinity) (∞) that passes through me to others.

Eventually, each of us becomes similar to the Creator in his relation to others—the One who bestows, who feels everyone and fills them.

At the same time, we are all different and no one can take the place of another. Everyone has his own special abilities that allow him to join others and to give them something that only he can give them. It is this ability that makes a person similar to the Creator in his attitude to others.

The wisdom of Kabbalah tells us that a person shouldn’t be pressured or oppressed. The education should be free: We teach people about mutual guarantee, mutual connections, mutual help, and mutual fulfillment, but without coercion. If we dictate anything besides this to a person, we will deprive him of the ability to connect with others correctly and to bring his unique contribution for the benefit of all. He will not be able to be like the Creator in is attitude to the world and will not be able to raise himself to the Creator’s level, to the level of the One who bestows.

“Bestowal” is when I receive from the Creator and pass the Light that is meant for others through me. In order to enable a person to do that we have to give him the right education, without any pressure or oppression, according to the principle of: “educate the child in his own way.” In other words, develop his attributes, but don’t pressure, don’t oblige, and don’t break.

This is a special method and we have to learn how to use it. If we educate our children this way, they will become whole and successful people. This is because we will teach them to easily connect with others and thus provide them with the means to come closer to the Light. Thanks to this it will be easier for them to identify the general force that is concealed in nature. This is the uniqueness of our education.

A person in this world actually lacks only one thing, to know how to connect with other people. By learning how to connect, he will undoubtedly succeed in everything. This is the correction of the world. All our other dealings are only lies. We confuse ourselves by imaginary successes after which there are always disappointments, and crises and our troubles only keep on growing.
[77173]
From the Brazil Convention 5/05/12, Lesson 4

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Initially in the world of Infinity we united as one, like one body all of whose parts are necessary to one another and totally interdependent. After descending from Infinity into our world, we became completely disconnected because all of the space between us was filled by egoism, which pushes us away from one another.

This egoism is constantly growing, and therefore, as history progresses we feel more and more flawed. But there comes a moment when egoism stops growing and reaches satiation. That is why people today are overcome by disillusionment and despair, and depression is becoming the most widespread illness in the world.

Man is losing the meaning of life. Previously he did not ask those kinds of questions since the egoistic desire constantly grew within him and pushed him forward. It deceitfully told him , “You want this, and this and that! You definitely have to get that and become bigger than everyone else!”

But today a time comes when we no longer want anything. And in addition, the general world crisis is unfolding, leaving us with no choice but to search for a way to change the situation and achieve correction, where correction lies in ascending back to the world of Infinity and becoming one man again. Yet this unity is already attained by our own efforts, meaning through work against our egoism, for the sake of unity.

This is the most hateful work to us, and we do not want it. I am willing to do anything but this – anything but to unite with the friends! I feel good by myself, this is comfortable! After all, my entire nature is the will to enjoy, and all I need is to fulfill it. I only want fulfillment.

Every person thinks only about how to make things better for himself at every moment. Our organism and brain works only to keep itself in the most comfortable state. And that is how our entire life goes by. Every person thinks only about how to make things better for himself now and in the future. All of our calculations revolve around this and we are incapable of thinking about anything else. All I care about is my own body. It turns out that I am doomed to a life of a poor, miserable animal that tries to support its body in every possible way so it would live for several decades and then die. But if all of life really comes down to just this, then what’s the point in it?

That is why it is so difficult for us to work against our egoism. There is a great psychological problem here, preventing us from reuniting with others in circumstances where our ego has reached the maximum mark. That is why the science of Kabbalah comes and explains to us how to do this by uniting into a small group.

Through the group we begin to attract this special force to us, which is concealed in nature and is called the Light that reforms. And if we try to extract this concealed force from within, it will surface and do wonders to us. It will correct us completely, will change us so we will be able to connect with others. And then a group will begin to come together among several friends, which will become a mini-model of the corrected humanity in which our unity is realized.

Instead of the previous, negative force of egoism, which separates us in a broken state and has various names (Pharaoh, Haman, Bilam, Balak, and all the “sinners,” meaning forces of disunity), inside of our connection we will begin to reveal the enormous positive force. This is the force of connection which comes to replace the negative force of disunity and is called the Creator. This is the force of bestowal, the force that gave birth to us and unites us. In it we reveal the program of creation and its goal.

That is why we have to unite into a group, since by virtue of that we will feel a higher state – the presence of a higher, concealed force, the Creator who is between us. We just have to reveal Him! Let us hope that we will feel this awakening inside of us during seminars, as a result of our efforts to unite with one another. This can even happen to a person who is at a convention like this for the first time.
[77268]
From the 1st lesson at the Brazil Convention, 5/3/12

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The group exists only in order to reveal the Creator, the force that bestows and operates on us. By adhering to It, we rise above our corporeal existence and feel the eternal life flowing in their infinite flow. The bodies change from one generation to another, but we regulate the connection with the soul and exist in it unified forever.

We can attain that only by connection and unity. Although it isn’t in our power to unite, the upper Light, the Creator is the one who unites us, but with the help of the group we can discover the need, the necessity for that. We need a great desire, a great need for the Light to unite us. So under what circumstances will we want that? It is in the state of separation.

This is why the negativity is revealed in the group: conflicts, separation, and alienation among the friends. We have to be ready, we have to know that all these things are revealed so that we will regulate the connection among us and unite above them.

Eventually the following picture is depicted: Below there is the ego (Ego) that separates the friends, and we connect above it by our mutual love (Amor). At the same time, no one disturbs the others. Even if I don’t get along with the friends, even if there are conflicts for different reasons, it all happens on the level of the human ego that separates us. Above it we build the connections of love.

The ego constantly grows, and we have to make greater efforts in order to be connected above it, above the jealousy ,hatred, passion, pride, and domination. I hug the friend internally despite everything that I feel against him.

The main thing is that the love doesn’t annul the ego, so that they will both grow stronger in their resistance. The ego is Malchut (M), and love is Keter (K). We don’t know in advance what tension, what gap will be between them (Δ), but eventually (℧) it has to make up the first ten whole Sefirot. Then I get a vessel in which I feel the spiritual world, the Creator, the Light.

This will happen only if Keter already grows inside me, which means the desire to love the friend above the great hatred is enough to create the first ten Sefirot.

All the problems in our relationships should be examined as urges that push us forward. Every “malfunction” indicates that we are worthy of intensifying the love and the connection among us. If a person cannot do that, if he doesn’t know about the tool that enables him to build the connection above the repulsion, his ego isn’t increased, and he lives an ordinary life. It is only from us that the growing ego constantly demands to be in mutual connections.

We did a great work in connecting during the convention. We felt what it means to be together in the warmth of mutual cooperation. Later we will feel how our desire grows weaker, how the tension diminishes, and how the indifference takes over. Thus our ego has grown, by asking a “logical question”: “What do you need all this for? We’ve celebrated enough…”

It is a perfectly natural feeling for a person, and he doesn’t feel that he is being played upon from above and that his ego is being increased intentionally by summoning rejection, indifference, and fatigue. It is all done on purpose, so that a person will overcome the obstacles. Try not to forget this, make a sign for yourself, try to see how the only force that exists Above is lying to you and confuses you so that you will begin to understand above your mood, “in which direction the wind is blowing,” and you will reach Him.

By rejecting us, this force wants us to want Him. It is like a woman who is courting a man, and seems to be keeping him away, rejecting him, only to ignite his desire. The wisdom of Kabbalah calls this a “dance”: We are getting closer and then getting further away, again and again, until the desire grows strong to be ten whole Sefirot. Then the Creator will be revealed to us and we will adhere to Him in a true connection.
[77203]
From the Brazil Convention 5/06/12, Lesson 5

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Question: The Creator gives us everything; He provides translators, study rooms, learning centers, etc. Why can’t He grant us correction?

Answer:  The Creator can give us everything, but He cannot make creation attain Him and become similar to Him.

What does that mean that the Creator grants us assemblies and provides us with land? Why did He create our congresses and countries we live in? What do we need them for? We could have stayed in the World of Infinity and that would be it. Why have we descended through five worlds to this realm? To sense the problems and experience the states we all go through? Who needs them? If you ask anybody in the world, you’ll see that no one wants them.

The Creator made only one thing—a point!—nothing more. Light entered the point and started to interact with it. The property of the Light is bestowal; the quality of the point is receiving. They constitute two opposing states: plus and minus, a microscopic power of the Light (bestowal) and a tiny force of receiving contrary to it. These two forces constantly continue to evolve.

The Creator didn’t do anything but this. The Creator is something intermediate, external, that is called Atzmuto (By Himself.) In order to attain the properties of Atzmuto and be able to perceive Him, we have to combine both properties together so that they become equal, similar to each other; the property of receiving should become identical to the property of bestowal. In other words, the property of receiving should learn to bestow the way the giving power does.

When we become equal to the property of bestowal (the Light) we start balancing between these two forces, thus experiencing the force called Atzmuto, which created both Light and desire. The Light originates directly from Atzmuto and is in fact His property called “something out of something,” whereas egoistic desire represents “something out of nothing.” Still, both of them stem from the Creator.

Therefore, as soon as we achieve similarity between desire and Light by making them parallel to each other, we start sensing a third force.

In Kabbalah, this notion is expressed by the idea of three lines. The left line stands for the power of desire (egoism); the right line signifies the power of the Light (bestowal), whereas the middle line is the third force that emerges out of comparison between the first two.

When we receive a part that belongs to desire and at the same time get another part from the Light, we compare them within ourselves in a way that they become balanced and equal; that’s how we reveal the Creator by utilizing the middle line.

We are talking about physical laws here; there is nothing beyond them. It is the same way in any science; we use the method of comparison in order to find a third parameter, the initial value. How else we can define it?

In order to be known, we need to demonstrate at least two of our opposing properties so that by comparing them another person can recognize and understand who we are. Only by contrasting various qualities is it possible to comprehend, measure, and weigh something.

This is the reason why the Creator gave us the possibility of existing between a “plus and a minus.” By receiving from Him and comparing what we have received, we attain Him. This applies to all spheres of our life. In technology, we determine what the source of energy is by knowing who the consumer is. Without egoism or the Light that flows through our ego, we cannot realize or sense who we deal with.

After the Creator generated a black point that is opposite to the Light, two qualities (plus and minus) continue to evolve on their own. There is nothing else going on. The act of creation stopped at that point; furthermore, we see that advancement happens by itself and originates from the two opposites. There is no interference on His behalf any more from Atzmuto (He, Himself.)

Our nature constantly evolves. That means that we can pronounce: “The Creator doesn’t exist!” We see that everything around us complies with certain norms; life is defined by rigid laws that exist universally.

However, if we strive to find Him (achieve the upper level) we have to start equating. How?—Only by positioning ourselves between “a plus” and “a minus.” How do we place ourselves in such a condition?—Only if we associate our “minus” with our ego and manage to link the “plus” with the group.

Under “our ego” we do not mean the desire to party, drink, eat, entertain, or have lots of leisure time. No. We mean our resistance to becoming connected with our fellow group members. This is the only factor that makes a difference. If we continue trying to unite with our friends beyond our ego, we will eventually get such a dipole, such strength of magnetic field that we’ll be able to reveal the Creator within it. At this level of merging with the group, the property of Atzmuto emerges.

I am talking about elementary physical conditions and laws. We cannot ignore them. The problem is that we have to be situated inside this scheme. We’ll try!
[74143]
From the Vilnius Convention 3/23/12, Lesson 1

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Brazil Convention, Workshop 4

Brazil Convention, Lesson 5

Brazil Convention, Workshop 5

Brazil Convention, Workshop 6

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Question: Our task is to transform common people’s routine desires into a plea to the Creator. How do we do that?

Answer: A mother clearly understands why her baby is crying, although the baby does not realize why he cries. The same principle applies here: We have to transform people’s desires, otherwise they won’t match the Light. People cry about troubles in their material lives, but the Light won’t respond to their complaints since He was the one who created them.

It is said: “Come to Pharaoh since I hardened his heart.” It’s the Creator who arranges our troubles and I cannot ask Him to release us from hardships, why then would He have sent them? We have to refer to Him with a different request—our appeal to help us rise above our woes and allow us to choose going through anguishes because only by doing so can we perceive Him. This is how we rise to bestowal beyond receiving.

But we are incapable of achieving this state! We are deeply sunk in egoism; we suffer; we strive to at least rid ourselves of pain as we are unable to sense enjoyment.

We should demand from Him: “Give me the power that allows me to stay above my pain.” We particularly need to be aware of our unwillingness to experience pain and our desire to stay above it: Let my body suffer, but I still can be a step higher than my body; affliction will help me escape my egoistic desires. If suffering vanishes, I will return to the Pharaoh; however, if affliction persists, I will do anything in my power to try to avoid pain.

So, suffering is a necessary prerequisite to make me run away from the Pharaoh, from my egoism. But where do I run? I beg the Creator for deliverance: “Give me a chance to escape and rise above the Pharaoh.” Even though I deal with a tiny part of the common evil, this is the kind of work that I have to do consciously. My job is not to stay a miserable animal, but rather to rise to the level of a human being. I have to realize that the human is higher than the animate level. We should draw a rigid and obvious line of separation between these two states.

• The animal in me suffers. Let it suffer! It’s just my egoism, it’s Pharaoh, with all its pain and darkness that thickens to the degree of the “Egyptian darkness.”
• I am above suffering striving for bestowal.

But where do I get energy to accomplish this? I am so weak that I run away from the slightest pain. The more I advance spiritually, the more sensitive I become, and things that were quite easy for me previously turn out to be unbearable. I cannot tolerate anything at all, even physical trouble.

This is what we work diligently with: We strive to rise above our desires through which we tend to suffer more and more. We find Egyptian darkness in the place where there previously was the Light, but in fact nothing changes except our assessment of events.

This is how “good” Pharaoh becomes “bad”; a bright sunny day turns into unbearable darkness.

Such a state seems exceedingly dreary and gloomy to us; we have to rise above the growing pain and regard suffering as help.

It is said that “Pharaoh brings the sons of Israel to deliverance,” but only on the condition that they really strive to get elevated above their egoism.

They understand that affliction helps them rise above their troubles and separate themselves from egoism since nobody is able to voluntarily approach suffering; instinctively, people retreat from trouble as far away as possible.

So, the Pharaoh helps me by pushing me away, whereas the Creator helps me by hardening the heart of the Pharaoh. My task is to ask the Creator to grant me power to stay above and to regard bestowal more important than receiving.

Otherwise, I will simply be crying out in pain like a person who is not focused on growing and instead sobs about the multiple problems in his life. This is what we see today while the humanity is going through a crisis. People have nowhere to go; they are helpless, and therefore, they don’t want to know anything, “Give us an anti-depressant, alcohol, painkillers, sedatives, drugs” – whatever helps them disconnect from their pain.

We ask the Creator to keep us above our pain so it doesn’t deafen us, but rather, gives us another shape. Our work is to plead: “Give me a chance to bestow and enjoy it.” We shouldn’t bestow for the sake of receiving; we have to learn how to enjoy bestowal. If we do, we’ll go beyond knowledge, and attain bestowal for the sake of bestowal, thus acquiring contentment through a great sense of belonging rather than through fulfilling our egoism. It doesn’t matter if we suffer within our egoistic desires; we enjoy in our sense of belonging to Him. Those are two different kinds of vessels. Similarly, people in this world are proud and enjoy serving those who they consider worthy and great.

This is how we prepare ourselves; others will follow. In fact, an enormous desire to be pleased hides behind the “façade” of our civilization. Our goal is to correct this desire; otherwise, people will continue to suffer uselessly.
[74888]
From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/9/12, “Questions and Answers Regarding the Brazil Congress”

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