Convention Preparation
The goal of creation – to delight the creatures, lies in bringing creation, which exists in the quality that is opposite to the Creator, to equivalence or identity with Him because this is the best, perfect state. Therefore, the law of equivalence of form lies at the foundation of the whole process. On one hand, by our nature we are the will to receive, the will to enjoy, and we only analyze what we have inside of us – am I sufficiently fulfilled, do I desire anything more, can I enjoy something else and receive it inside of me? Essentially, this is my entire nature: at every moment I check how else I can improve my state. That is how I was created. I cannot free myself of this and I cannot come out of it since otherwise I won’t be creation.

On the other hand, we have to attain the state that is equal to the Creator. And the state that is similar to Him is opposite to us, meaning when I constantly check how I can benefit my neighbor, what I can take out of myself and give to him. The neighbor is everything that is outside of me. Essentially, only the Creator is outside of me. How can I get to the point where I will always think only about Him? I am incapable of that. My nature is initially such that I don’t feel this at all. Each of us understands that we are incapable of thinking about the good of someone else. In order to perform this revolution inside of us, meaning to make us similar to the Creator, He prepared two means.

First of all, the Creator placed the rudiment of the quality of bestowal inside of us, the “point in the heart,” the spiritual spark that is inside of us even though we do not feel it. We feel an unconscious desire, but we do not feel a real desire to bestow to the neighbor, to the friends, to the Creator, to become similar to Him. Yet this spark does exist.

In truth, it exists in all people in the world. But there are some in whom it is already awakening, and there are others in whom it is not awakening yet. People in whom this spark awakens are called “Isra-El” – “Straight to the Creator,” according to this spark which directs them to spirituality.

But this spark, which is inside of our will to enjoy, is not enough yet. Outside of us there is the upper force, which created us in the will to enjoy with a spiritual spark inside of it. This upper force is in the state of expectation: it is waiting for us to demand for it to influence us. This force is not one tiny spark, but one enormous Light, like billions of sparks.

But since we are in a dual state, like a dipole, combining both the will to enjoy and a spark of bestowal inside of us, we have to prepare to attract the Light to us, to obligate it to influence the spark, to increase it so the tiny spark would ignite into one enormous Light. This is our work.

In order to urge the Light to influence this spark, we have to become similar to the Light according to the same law of equivalence of form and attract it to us. How do I attract it? To the extent of our equivalence of form. How can I become similar to it? That is why besides me, there are many others like me, the group. If on one hand, I try to unite our sparks with them, and on the other – to cancel our desires as much as possible, then it turns out that we become more and more similar by that. We lower our egoistic desires down, while wishing to unite and elevate these sparks. Then, according to the law of equivalence of form, the upper Light becomes closer to us and illuminates more. And when it illuminates more, it raises these sparks, uniting them into one big spark. That is how we start growing closer to the Light, until we begin to reveal it. What does it mean to reveal it? It’s when it influences our sparks and we begin to feel it. Our sparks unite with one another and inside of them we begin to feel the Light, the common, mutual bestowal, the quality of Light, the Creator.

Then we begin to feel how besides our will to enjoy and our tiny spark inside of it, above it there is a quality of common, all-enveloping bestowal, the Creator. And in this sensation, we begin to feel the second force that exists in creation. In reality, this is the primary force that created us.

Each one of us and all of us together become included in this force, which becomes revealed to us. And in it, we already exist, or it exists inside of us, which is the same thing. Then we feel it, and that means we feel the upper world, the spiritual world, our life in the spiritual dimension. And our body exists on the side. It is not even connected to the same desire, like some animal existing next to it. That is how we exist.

Therefore, in all of our actions, it is very important for us to understand that “the Shechina dwells only in a perfect place.” That is, we have to unite, to become similar to the Light by our nature, and to that extent the Light influences us, comes closer to us, and becomes revealed inside of us.

That is why we get together, in as big as quantity and quality as possible, and prepare. It’s all to unite our sparks and inside of them to feel that we really do have a place for the Shechina, for the revelation of Light inside of us. The first revelation means that we pass the Machsom and already exist in the revelation of Light. Let us hope that we will have to actualize this and we really will reach this.
[62504]
From the lesson on 11/11/11 on “Joy”

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Convention Preparation
The only thing that will help us is unity. You depend on others and you know it. You know that the mind and the feeling won’t get you anywhere. They will keep changing, inclining in one direction or another, but with no result. You are like a dead body in a society of friends.

This society buries your egoism in the ground and raises your soul upward. So let it do that. Believe us, you really are dead. So give us the chance to take care of you, to bring you back to life.

Here is what Chaim Vital writes in the book, The Gates of Reincarnation: My teacher (the Ari) warned me and all the friends that were with us in the group that we should take upon us the commandment of love for the neighbor as oneself, and to aspire to love for every person from Israel as to oneself. By virtue of this, one’s prayer is accepted, which is gathered from all of Israel and able to perform a correction above. In our love of friends, every person can become included in the friends like an organ in a body. Our teacher warned us about this very much.

If a person understood that he has no other way to go, that he just has to give himself over to society, he would join the friends and would benefit from it. There is no Kabbalist who did not write about this or pass this on to his students. This is the foundation of our Kli.

We are beginning the practical preparation to the Convention. This is an unusual convention. Everyone sees how special it is, what inner and outer preparatory work we have already done. So let us try to spend the last days and hours before the opening in connection, in unity, in understanding that it’s impossible without this.

I advise you to print out all of the excerpts that we used at the Convention in the Arava desert. Let the friends read them and translate them for one another, let them discuss it in their free time so we won’t have a minute free of unity. These words of Kabbalists are wondrous messages of unity and they have great power. So let them be a basis, a foundation of everything we are doing.

I summon you to understand that no one here is exempt from mutual guarantee. Every person is responsible for everyone. Whether he wants it or not, he was brought to the group, he was appointed a messenger and a responsible person. Even if he is out there, in the external world physically, instead of here, this doesn’t matter, he is responsible for everyone.

Therefore, let’s constantly hold on to the unity, in which we attain the Creator. Let’s not leave this goal for a moment. Let’s wait every moment for the upper Light to come, to illuminate our small, flawed desires and unite us. Then it will enter and fill this unity it created, and we will attain the revelation of the Creator to the creation. I am sure that this is exactly where we are headed.

And once I have acquired this above-mentioned clothing, sparks of love promptly begin to shine within me. The heart begins to long to unite with my friends, and it seems to me that my eyes see my friends, my ears hear their voices, my mouth speaks to them, the hands embrace, the feet dance in a circle, in love and joy together with them, and I transcend my corporeal boundaries. I forget the vast distance between my friends and me, and the outstretched land for many miles will not stand between us.

It is as though my friends are standing right within my heart and see all that is happening there, and I become ashamed of my petty acts against my friends. Then, I simply exit the corporeal vessels and it seems to me that there is no reality in the world except my friends and I. After that, even the “I” is cancelled and is immersed, mingled in my friends, until I stand and declare that there is no reality in the world—only the friends. (Rabash, Letter #8)
[62519]
From the lesson on 12/2/11, Shamati

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Preparatory Lesson 1
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It is not accidental that we are spread across the Earth and separated by great distances. We are created so purposefully. This comes from the fall of the Tower of Babel.

We need to use these elements of separation correctly so that regardless of them, we increase the connection between us. Therefore, those who are located far away from us should not feel that they are distant from us.

Unity is above the framework of our world. A person who is located somewhere far away may experience unity with everyone else even more sharply than someone who is here physically. His urge, his bitterness about the fact that he is far away from everyone, his acute desire to feel everything that we are doing, intensifies his emotions to such an extent that he is with us completely.

He can absorb absolutely everything that is happening at the convention. The most important thing is tuning our hearts to the same frequency: unity.
[61698]
From Sunday Virtual Lesson Series 11/20/2011

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Unity does not imply difference and separation, nor the numerous opinions and forces, but the action of one force: the force of unity, one opinion, one idea. If a person suddenly jumps out of unity into his own egoistic calculations, recollections, or thoughts (let’s say thoughts about household worries), the force of unity quickly brings him back.

People feel the common force of unity. It slowly draws them in, corrects, and engulfs them in such a way that later, on the basis of this, they begin to build their lives differently.

We need to understand that the force of unity holds us. It makes us and all of nature alive, up to the egoistic nature of our world, which only feeds off of the quality of bestowal. Otherwise, it could not exist.

By connecting to this force, we basically make ourselves healthy. I know of a lot of cases where a person really received a strengthening force, restoring his health.
[61704]
From Sunday Virtual Lesson Series 11/20/2011

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We are in a very special place, a desert. In fact, this is the same landscape, the same place where people who were willing to exit their ego (their Egypt) and reach a desire directed “straight to the Creator,” to the upper one, passed through.

This desert seems lifeless, but that’s not accurate as we find a land full of life. There is everything here, and people can live in a desert. There are underground waters, special air, animals, and plants here. It only seems to a person that there is nothing here because he is not used to living in a state when he has risen above himself. When he reveals this state, he sees that he doesn’t need anything else, only to rise.

Thus, there is a desert in an egoistic desire, but when we rise above it with our own efforts, we feel that it’s actually a land flowing with milk and honey, which has everything needed. Thereby, the desert turns into the land of Israel where we reveal the upper world.

Because this place is extremely special according to its root and branch, it has to help us. There are no foreign thoughts here, no foreign desires. Let’s try to do that! Everyone has to try to rise above himself internally in the common desire, the same way drops of water join together to become one drop, one whole, and not a set of a few drops. That is the nature of the quality of bestowal. In the same way, we have to feel that here exists just one desire, one thought, one intention.
[61425]
From Lesson 1, Arvut Convention in the Arava Desert 11/18/2011

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Question: After two years of studying, I realize that intention is the main thing on the spiritual path. How do I overcome my unwillingness to become included into the group? It has suddenly pounced on me and won’t let me keep the intention.

Answer: Pay somebody to bring you to the lesson every day. Sign a commitment where you will lose something if you don’t perform certain tasks in the group. If you are capable of building your life only inside the corporeal framework, bind yourself to the group in the same way you are bound to your family or job so that a failure to fulfill obligations will lead to a real loss.

“Marry” the group and provide for it the same way you provide for your wife and children. A person must work on himself. You are waiting until you have a desire to take the spiritual path. Well, you may take your time. Such desire will never appear. On the contrary, it will become even easier to justify your idleness with a sober and realistic approach.

You probably will be sent more sufferings and spite toward this world. One way or another, something will happen. If your desire doesn’t burn now, then wait and see.

The world is going through such stages now that it is much easier for people to rise above everyday life. This is being done on purpose in order to help the spiritually weak layers of society come closer to the upper world. The current crises are required exactly for that purpose, but strong people are being given opportunities to fight their matter during times of material bloom and prosperity.

The spiritual world is built on freedom of choice. If a person doesn’t commit to the group and the group doesn’t commit to him, then he must not be pressured because he is not in the family. He hasn’t taken the burden. Thus, nothing can be done. He is free to make his choice.

What kind of requests can a person who has not bound himself physically to the group make? How can he ask the group to become an elevator raising him to a higher degree? It is silly to complain about a lack of desire. It is better to act physically. Catch a brief moment of bursting desire and sign an agreement with the group, which will obligate you later when desire ceases.

Put yourself into a hopeless position, trick yourself just like a bitter enemy, so as to continue with the path even when you don’t want to. Do you like your boss? Nevertheless, you go to work since you have no choice.

If we don’t work on binding ourselves hard to the group, we won’t be able to build a vessel of mutual guarantee. At the Arava Convention, we achieved an important preparatory step toward the December convention; we gained a common feeling. Now, we must sustain it. We must commit to holding onto this feeling with all our might, bring it to the convention, and with it, light up thousands of participants and the millions of people around the world who are connected to us.

To the degree that each person invests physically into this preparation, he binds himself to the group. It is not accidental that Kabbalists from the groups of Ramchal and the Ari signed customary agreements among themselves. After signing, you cannot escape. You must fulfill the obligation. The same happens in life: You sign an employment contract to receive salary. However, here, instead of money, you will receive a different kind of reward, a higher and more valuable one.

Let us hope to meet at the convention prepared and united. Then, we will be able to actually rise and become a Light for the entire world.
[61773]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/20/2011, “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”

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Question: When we try to realize the force that the upper degree sends to us, we discover that it’s impossible…

Answer: That’s absolutely correct. We are endeavoring the impossible, something that is beyond our ability.

Can we ask a donkey to sing us an aria from an opera? It is incapable of that both by its development and physical ability. But we are in a much more dire situation. A donkey at least has auditory and vocal faculties, while we don’t have anything from the spiritual world. We are absolutely cut off from it.

That’s because the spiritual world is the quality of bestowal. So how can we feel it in the egoistic desire? Can bestowal dress into reception? Can fire dress into water? Of course not.

Therefore, our enormous desire is not just aimed at an abstract idea, but at having the upper Light correct us. Three components must be welded in this desire: Israel, Torah, and the Creator. Stated differently: me, the group, and the upper Light. The Light is what corrects me; I will never achieve anything alone.

Therefore, at the Mutual Guarantee Convention, we raise MAN—a desire, a plea, a need for the upper force to correct us. This is the entire essence and objective of the convention.
[62266]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/1/11, “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose”

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