Question: What kind of work do the people attending the upcoming Convention have to do? What is our role in the unification of the global world so that we may become the people through whom the wisdom will pour onto the nations of the world?

Answer: This work is exemplified by the law that governs the existence of any living organism. Suppose that receptors of the nervous system are placed throughout the body. In the same manner, the vascular, lymphatic, and other systems spread through the entire organism. Likewise, people from all over the world are arriving to the Convention. On one hand, they all belong to one system, the system of Israel. On the other, they all live in different countries located in various corners of the globe and seem to belong to diverse, alien nations.

Each place where they reside is affected by various spiritual forces. The entire globe and each of its parts is affected by a certain Upper Force “responsible” for the continent, country, or nation. Therefore, a person who is part of the system of Israel and is arriving from some other country or place in the world is, in a way, our representative in the collective system.

Let’s take, for instance, the nervous system whose receptors exist in the leg, arm, chest, and stomach areas. And now, these parts of ours (as it were) that are located in different countries are arriving, and we unite together. It turns out that, together, we awaken our collective system, for instance, the nervous system of the collective soul called Adam. And then, through our friends living in various places in the world, we, together, awaken the whole world.

We see that after our conventions, awakenings occur in previously unheard of places, and people whom we have never heard about start joining us. Each of them is a force able to awaken billions of people. After all, in spirituality, if the contact is made, the Light immediately reaches the organ wherein this soul belongs.

Thus, we observe that our collective soul expands throughout the entire world and exists in all humanity. And the response of this collective soul clothed in all humanity is amazing. We begin to feel that this is, indeed, the integral global mankind, for the first time beginning to understand that we all depend on each other.

Thus, by means of such gatherings, when we unify together with our friends (the integrated system of Israel in the whole world), we thereby revive the entire system of individual souls that are mutually connected not by the egoistic principle, but by the principle of Isra-El (aspiring directly for the Creator).

This is what is called the correct, internal circulation of the wisdom of Kabbalah in the whole world. Uniting, we thereby fulfill our role as Israel in relation to all nations of the world. Thanks to that, we will be finally graced with unity and the Creator will dwell in the assembly of our souls.
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From Kabbalah for the Nation Introductory Lecture Series, “Israel and the Nations of the World” 10/26/10

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Question: What should we beware of during these final days we have left before the Convention?

Answer: We have to beware of foreign thoughts and think only about the system of connections we want to reveal between us, so every person will feel connected with others at the bottom of his heart.

Those of us who will reveal this inner connection will immediately feel the true Light there, the Creator! The Light and desire will immediately become equal. The moment you feel even the slightest spiritual desire, it immediately acquires a form because a vessel cannot exist without form.

In spirituality it is impossible to discover a dysfunctional mechanism that needs to be wound up and made to work. Baal HaSulam writes that in the spiritual world “the entrance and the door” are always revealed together. The door can only be seen once it is open, meaning that we always reveal the vessel (desire) and the Light (Creator) inside it at the same moment.
[25805]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/3/10, “Exile and Redemption”

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Question: Leading up to the Convention it appears that some people that were aspiring toward the goal a moment ago suddenly fall back just as we reach the decisive point. How can we use this state in order to grow, and not to run away?

Answer: This is correct. The entrance into the spiritual world is preceded by labor pains. On the hand there is an internal pressure, on the other, an external barrier. And so it is until these forces bring you to the moment of truth.

At the last moment nobody wants to leave Egypt. This is why the escape transpires in haste, darkness, and fear, under pressure of negative forces. This state is depicted by an ancient metaphor, where a serpent sneaks up to a doe, bites her, and then it gives birth.[25530]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/1/10, “And the Children Racketed Within Her”

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Question: Will the Convention be our exodus from the egoistic Egypt?

Answer: We must be certain that we will, undoubtedly! We are gathering at the Convention, connect together, and realize how paramount it is despite the fact that we may not be attracted to bestowal to the friend and to the Creator.

The condition of exodus is feeding on Matzot (unleavened bread, bread of affliction) specifically in the rich, successful, prosperous Egypt, dripping fat. Exile starts at the moment when you feel it. Return from exile is not a change of residence, but the exit to the revelation of the Creator, discovering the property of bestowal that starts illuminating…in you, in the same very Egypt where you used to be.

Therefore, right now, before breaking free, we must get to feel how we lack spiritual freedom. Then, we will come to the revelation of the Creator and the Upper world, the property of bestowal, in our desire.

Everything takes place within one and the same desire, not by way of moving from one place to another. The very same Eretz Goshen (Land of Goshen), which used to be the most prosperous in Egypt, turns into the Sinai Desert for us.

In the spiritual world, there is no space; everything occurs within the will to receive that undergoes all these states: Eretz Canaan, the descent into Egypt, the good and the bad Egypt (seven years of plenty and seven years of famine), the fleeing from Egypt to the Sinai Desert and, through it, to the promised land. All of this occurs in one place, the will to receive, depending solely on our experiences in it.

When in 40 years we reach the rung of Bina in this desire, then in this desert we find the land of Israel (“flowing with milk and honey”) and the completely corrected state. It all occurs in one place called the central point of Malchut of the World of Infinity. The only thing that changes is how we relate to the desire and evaluate it.

To the extent that we will be willing to include into Malchut the properties of the first nine Sefirot, accordingly, Malchut will receive all kinds of attributes, from the worst to the very best. Everything depends solely on Malchut, our desire to absorb the properties of the Upper One and become identical to Him. Everything takes place solely within the desire of a person.
[25445]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/31/10, “This is for Judah”

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Question: Should I perceive the Convention as a reflection of the corrected system of souls?

Answer: Of course! If I plan to come to the Convention, then I am about to become part of a system that is completely corrected compared to me.

It doesn’t matter that some of the people attending will be total beginners who just started studying the science of Kabbalah, or even people who just want to start getting familiar with it, who are confused and don’t understand anything yet. The Creator has brought them here and therefore I have to perceive them in relation to me as being just as corrected as the Creator.

If I see them as uncorrected, stupid, and not understanding anything, then I have to see all of this reflected inside myself. This applies to everyone with the exception of people who are clearly opposed to the goal; they must be distanced and they’ll be dealt with at the End of Correction (Gmar Tikkun).
[25681]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/2/10, The Zohar

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The spark called “Isra-El” becomes revealed in a person through the fact that he comes to Kabbalah. Otherwise, what force would bring him there? Every person who studies has this spark; otherwise he wouldn’t study.

We are all swimming in the field of the Upper Force, the force of the desire to receive or the desire to bestow, from one end to the other end, finding a suitable point of balance at every moment. It’s as if every person is inside an electromagnetic field as a charged particle that reacts to the field’s influence. If the field changes, it transfers a person from one place to another, like a particle.

That is how you came to Kabbalah. A desire awakened inside you that belongs to this sum of people, and you joined them. That is why you are called “Isra-El” (straight to the Creator) according to this spark. This desire for bestowal cannot rest until you realize it. You won’t be able to keep living in your inner exile anymore!

7,000 people are about to gather at the Convention; some of them live in Israel and some are from all over the world. However, every one of them is in exile from the spiritual world! Like one spiritual nation of “Isra-El,” they are all united by the spark that does not belong to the material world. For now it exists in spirituality only as a point, but according to its goal these people are already called “the Creator’s nation” by virtue of their future state.

When all these people come together and connect their spark together, each of them contributes his small force and then every person receives the force from everyone, helping him to enter the spiritual world.
[25702]
From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/2/10, “Exile and Redemption”

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We all are outside of the spiritual world, in the same Egyptian bondage that the Passover Haggadah describes. Therefore, we need to sort through and realize how well we are prepared for the opportunity to escape which may be presented to us at any moment. Will we be able to flee?

For the time being, the spiritual work tastes like dry and bland Matzot (unleavened bread) for us. Moreover, the love of friends tastes bitter, and we don’t want it. All this means that we are in exile from spirituality. We feel that the spiritual world is much more exalted, but I am exiled from it because I am unable to appreciate and comprehend how good it is. In my sensory organs, I experience it as bad, which means that I am in the dark.

It isn’t Egypt itself which is dark; Egypt, as such, is an enormous and rich empire, dazzling and abundant. Darkness results from my seeking spirituality while I am in Egypt. I feel exiled in relation to spirituality, and for me it is the “bread of affliction.”

I experience this state only if I desire to exit Egypt, and I must agree to eat such simple bread in order to prepare myself to escape. I will agree to flee if I feel that Egypt threatens me with the Egyptian plagues, and I can’t bear such a state any longer. I will feel that I truly desire to unite with the others, but the Pharaoh won’t let me.

I wish to advance at least a little bit and from this egoistic bondage reach some form of bestowal. I feel that there is life only in bestowal, but for now, I am in Lo Lishma (not for Her Name), in egoism, and wish to use it to win, to escape from the Pharaoh who brings me misfortunes.

Such an attitude must be formed in the group so that we would start crying from such hard labor, Moshe (Moses) would pull us forth, and the Pharaoh would show himself in full force, letting me know that the use of egoism no longer promises us anything good in the future. After all, the point in the heart has reached such opposition to egoism that we cannot bear it anymore.

We connected with each other and raised the importance of the spiritual goal to such a height that we cannot stay in our ego. We wish to break free from it. Let me eat the bread of affliction in the future; it doesn’t matter. I must be in bestowal. All fulfillments that Egypt grants are at the animate level, but I don’t wish to live solely for my stomach and feed my animal. I wish to live a human life for the Human in me.

All these calculations lead me to escape, but the escape itself is a miracle from Above.
[25455]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/31/10, “This Is for Judah”

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Coming out of exile is exiting our egoistic desire, ascending from it by way of faith above reason, from Lo Lishma (for oneself) to Lishma (for the Creator), from love of myself to love of others. What do we undergo while preparing for this exodus and fleeing from our “will to receive” to the “will to bestow”? It is paramount for us to know it since we are approaching this state right now.

“Here is the bread of affliction eaten by our forefathers in the land of Egypt” (Passover Haggadah). When we reside in our ego, we eat the “bread of affliction of the pauper” because we are beggars in relation to spirituality and receive only a tiny bit of Light, a minimal spark of life (Kista de Hayuta) or so-called “faint illumination” (Ner Dakik) that brings to life all of our world.

It is not the “bread” eaten in Egypt. In Egypt, there is lots of food. Our ego gives us everything: Please, do enjoy! However, as soon as we start desiring the spiritual world, long before exiting egoistic “Egypt,” we start tasting the “bread of affliction” since we don’t understand how one can reach bestowal and what good is in it.

I don’t taste any flavor in it. Everything is dry and insipid as this simple cracker made of only flour and water. That is how the spiritual world that I am walking to looks to me. Do I have to flee the prosperous Egypt, all the pleasure-pots filled with fish and meat, rich and delicious, in order to live on the bread of affliction in the desert? Is that what I yearn for?

However, it is indeed so. This is why it is written that “the commandment to eat unleavened bread (Matzot, the bread of affliction) was given to the sons of Israel long before their exodus from Egypt as a symbol of liberation that will come to pass in haste.”

“In haste” means that otherwise it is impossible to exit egoism. Spirituality looks so unattractive and repulsive that exiting into it must be rushed due to the aggressive, external force pulling from egoism. I, myself, am unable to step out of this marvelous world as it seems to me in my egoistic desire.

As for the spiritual world, it seems pitch black darkness to my ego. There is nothing attractive for my egoism there, and I don’t want to see it. Hence, the escape can be made only “in haste”; I am thrown out of there abruptly. Let’s hope the same will be done with us.
[25458]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/31/10, “This Is for Judah”

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Our state right now is like the state preceding the exodus from Egypt. The closer we come to the exit, the more densely time becomes compressed as it becomes filled with actions, events, and happenings. Therefore a person experiences doubts and everything becomes mixed up inside him: myself, Pharaoh, Moses, the Egyptians, the nation of Israel, inside of Egypt, and outside of it. All of these are my inner states.

• If I am inside my ego, it is called Egypt.
• If I want to ascend above the ego, it means I want to run away from the Egyptian slavery.
• If my egoistic desire rules over me and I have doubts, this means Pharaoh rules over me.
• If I want to run away from the ego and look at it from afar, this means I am Moses.

All of these states whirl through a person and if he realizes that he is under these influences, it’s wonderful. He performs very fast and significant discernments at great speed.

During the Convention we will fall under the influence of a great common inspiration that has great power. Therefore, we must only continue and not let the state calm down. The most important thing is to be joyful even if it seems like the things that are happening are unpleasant and worrisome.

Even if bad thoughts and doubts greatly outnumber good thoughts and clarity, this is our inner work and we have to advance. We shouldn’t forget that the deepest darkness is felt before the actual breakthrough, before the exit from Egypt.

We shouldn’t wait for that darkness, but should constantly think about the Light and the escape. However, together with our aspiration for the Light, understanding, and greater sensation, it’s possible to experience a completely opposite tendency and to be immersed in darkness, fog, and confusion. That is how things should be and we will go through these states together!

Let’s help each other by expressing how we accept all the states with joy. Joy is the most powerful force because despite everything, you are happy because you are carrying out the Creator’s work and are advancing spiritually.

It is necessary to go through difficult states in order to break out of one’s ego and ascend above it. Good luck to you!

[25574]

From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/1/10, “Ve Zot Le Yehuda”

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Here are some pictures of new “road signs” placed on all major highways in Israel. Now all roads lead to the World Kabbalah Convention 2010! 

[Show slideshow]

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