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Writings of Rabash, “Shlavei HaSulam,” “Purpose of Society – 1“
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The Book of Zohar — Selected Excerpts, “VaYikahel” (And Moses Assembled)
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Writings of Baal HaSulam “Introduction to The Book of Zohar“
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The commandment that “you shall not have other gods in the work” means that it is forbidden to think that there are other forces that operate on you. There is only one force that man is standing against, the Creator. The difference between a person, which is a special level of the desire to receive, and all the other previous levels of development is that a person calculates things and can see himself from the side: Who am I, what am I, why did I act in a certain way and why do others act in another way, who is influencing me, how am I operated? A person has a point of observation from which he can appreciate things as if from the outside.
It is as if he is divided into two parts and can look at himself either from inside his ego, when he operates in agreement with his nature, or from the side. Then he sees that all his work is to attribute everything to one force. This force operates on him internally and externally and determines everything that he does and thinks at the moment. There is only one point of clarification, and if he sees things through it, he can assess himself correctly if he understands that both the internal and the external reality: he, his perspective, and feelings are all arranged by the Creator.
This point of clarification is centered on one thing only, on whether he really attributes everything to one cause. At this point there is nothing but this discernment, this condition, attributing everything to one force that created the desire that manages it and fills it. This means that what the desire to receive feels and understands also come from the same force. The point that examines everything and focuses a person on attributing everything to the upper providence is also managed by that one force.
All of what is happening to a person and his feelings that he cannot attribute to one cause is called “other gods.”
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/19/13, Shamati #15 “What Is Other Gods in the Work”
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Science is the revelation of the Creator, the sole force that acts on us. There is nothing else to discover. A scientific approach is to measure revealed phenomenon and describe it in formulas.
That is to find out the cause and effect, to describe patterns in the parameters of time, motion, space: either spiritual or material, to determine the correlation of forces, actions and results. We reveal how everything is connected with each other.
In addition, we have to figure out the elements themselves, between which this connection exists: what the actual force is, what the material on which it acts is, the object of influence, and what happens as a result of this interaction with the force and the material: what is the reaction and its result. In essence, this is a scientific study; it doesn’t matter at what level it occurs, the usual Newtonian or quantum physics, or the microcosm of the macrocosm.
But the science of Kabbalah brings everything under one base and speaks about the two forces acting on each other: the desire to receive and the desire to bestow. It explains that with the correct perception of reality, everything that happens inside and around us in fact is our inner feelings inside a single material. Only this material is divided relative to my feelings into external and internal parts.
The science that studies our internality we call psychology. Those sciences that study the material that we feel supposedly outside of us, as if it does not belong to us, is not called psychology, but physics, chemistry, and biology, depending on the level of material and its proximity to us.
Kabbalah is called an inner science and conventional sciences are called external because we do not feel that they belong to what lies within us. All their actions, instruments, seemingly belong to what we consider as the external world. But the problem is only in us.
We study the desires of this world, which we do not perceive as our own, on the still level and call this physics. The studies of the desires of the vegetative world, we call botany and biology, of the animate world, zoology, etc. In fact, we divide our perception into several levels: still, vegetative, and animate, and considering them external, we develop sciences with respect to them. Thus, we can study only the material of this world only on this primitive, lower level, provided that we feel it as external.
But if I start to correct my perception, I will see that the entire reality is inside me, and only one force acts in it. I feel that all this reality in which “There is none else besides Him,” I comprehend in one single desire. Then all the sciences are absorbed by the science of Kabbalah. Why should I study physics, biology, zoology, botany, etc., including psychology, education, culture? All these are partial knowledge, fragments of knowledge, developed by humanity. They create a very limited and shaky picture, unstable, and often changing.
There is no firm basis under all this. As we are approaching the unity of our perception, all the sciences are going through crisis and are absorbed into the science of Kabbalah, which provides a universal, single foundation for all the phenomena, occurring in the material of the desire to enjoy under the influence of the Light.
Today, humanity has thousands of different formulas in different sciences. But all this ultimately boils down to a desire, pleasure, and the restricting screen between them; the confrontation of two forces reconciled through the middle line. That’s all!
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/19/13, Shamati #15 “What Is Other Gods in the Work”
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If we don’t implement the wisdom of Kabbalah in practice in the group, in our relations with other people, then I float in the air misinterpreting it and not even feeling that I am wrong. Together with the friends, we must decide that it is time to correct the mutual relations between us.
We are standing around the mutual hatred, unable to cope with it, or simply disrespect one another and cannot correct it. I don’t care about the friends; I don’t want to think about them, and even if I want to think about them, then it usually leads to repulsion and disgust and not to positive feelings. In short, we have a basis to work on, and only in the general circle can we reach unity.
This is the only reason we turn to the Creator, and this is the only thing that we demand from Him, even if it is daring and tough: “You have promised us, You have to keep what You have promised!” No problem, He will be glad to do so as long as you demand that He corrects the mutual relationships between the friends.
So the question is what do I need all this for? Theoretically, in order to delight Him, but who is He? I don’t know Him. I don’t understand what it is all about. What does it mean to delight Him?
It means that when working in the group and really expecting connection, we discover that what is missing is the help of some force, a force that will glue us together and connect us. We are powerless by ourselves. So where is the force that can connect us?
Then we can demand and raise “the prayer of many,” since it is actually the Creator who has created this problem for us. Why? So that we will establish and consolidate our attitude towards Him, so we will delight Him in everything that we do.
Why? Because then we will achieve equivalence of form with Him, we will reach connection and adhesion.
We have to fulfill this not just during the lesson but when we connect together and focus correctly on the goal during the lesson. Then our collective desire works.
Studying alone doesn’t lead to anything.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/18/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam
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Question: Can we say that by delighting the teacher I am delighting the Creator?
Answer: It depends on how you calculate things. Just like the group that reflects your inner structure and serves as an imaging instrument so that you can practice and fulfill the correction, so is the teacher for you in this world so that in the mutual relationship with him you will be able to clarify your inner correction. Instead of the Creator, there are the friends in the group, the teacher, and the books before you.
How can you delight the teacher?
Let me put it simply: In order to delight someone, you have to know what he desires, what his deficiency is, and then you can fill his desire. I delight someone if I give him what he wants.
So what does the teacher what to receive from you? He wants to see how you connect with the friends. So you can practice working on the connection with the friends and show the teacher, like showing a kindergarten teacher what a “good boy” you are in the group, and thus delight him.
The teacher doesn’t need any presents, rewards, or favors from you, this is enough.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/18/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam
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Question: How do we correct the wicked when they are discovered? What is there to do if they persist like permanent problems without solutions?
Answer: Static states do not exist because at every moment new Reshimot are discovered, but a person doesn’t see them, doesn’t notice the changes taking place. These changes of Reshimot occur with infinite speed, but we with our limited feelings only discover every tenth Reshimo, every thousandth Reshimo, or ten thousandth.
We are not prepared to grasp the changes of a state with such a high frequency or to distinguish the tiny changes that take place in them. This is like an infant who hardly perceives anything of all that is happening around him, but the more he grows, he begins to discern and discover more, to be stimulated and enjoy more.
Writings of Baal HaSulam, Letter 5: I rejoice in those revealed corruptions and the ones that are being revealed…. This is why I’m happy when they come out of their holes because when you cast your eye on them, they become a pile of bones…. But I do not settle for it even for a moment…. that when the buried wicked appear, although they haven’t been fully conquered, their very appearance is regarded as a great salvation.
This essentially is our work, there is no more. Concentrating on it can greatly reduce the time. And the main thing is to not lose our enthusiasm and good mood. But if we don’t prepare ourselves for revelation, then we get a descent. But this is not necessary. It is possible never to descend but to go from strength to strength if we prepare ourselves correctly. And then we won’t feel the blow. In prepared Kelim (desires), it will not be perceived as a blow but as an honorable achievement, attainment, and good discovery. Everything depends only on preparation.
This is what the world is missing because the world was not ready for this discovery; now we are beginning to teach about it, but it must still pass through many ascents and descents. And we must understand that as long as we have not advanced them, we have not advanced ourselves. Baal HaSulam writes that he asked that his spiritual degree be lowered so he would be able to educate people.
Every Kabbalist who is a conduit for others, depends upon them. This is because he can’t advance more than he can take care of others. Certainly there is a huge difference between their levels, but in spite of this, if he takes upon himself the mission to be concerned about others and to take care of them, he cannot rise as high as would be fitting regarding his effort, rather he is left below in order to take care of the lower ones.
We relate to the world exactly as the teacher relates to his students. And if we want to advance, we have no choice but to advance the world. And even though there is a very great gap between the levels, in any case, we must rise together in parallel. If we don’t rise and don’t lead and pull the world after us, we cannot give satisfaction to the Creator.
We see even from the example of our world, that people who give birth to children begin to be more concerned about and involved with the children and are less immersed in their own advancement. They turn themselves in the direction of the children, “small states,” and don’t yearn to develop themselves and be great people. We must learn from nature, that specifically in this form we advance. After I passed the stage of embryo and the small state (Ibur and Yenika) and attained maturity (Mochin), I can achieve great abundance only through taking care of the small.
That is how the spiritual ladder of levels is built. If I don’t raise a prayer, MAN, from the lower ones, I cannot myself receive Light from above, that is, to clothe in the Light of Hassidim, which I pass to the lower ones. Attainment and discovery are possible only when you don’t look for greatness for yourself, but want to develop those who come after you. That is how it is arranged in our world as a copy of the spiritual, and that is how advancement in the spiritual levels is done. Therefore, the time has arrived for doing acts of widespread dissemination, whether we want it or not, because without this we don’t advance.
We must understand these things, agree with them, and realize them. And then we will see that it is specifically this work with the people that helps us to understand, feel more, and advance.
[123441]
From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/18/13
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Shamati #36, “What Are the Three Bodies in a Man”
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Question: The Israeli nation waited for the Messiah during the time of exile. How should we work with the same deficiencies that are revealed in people today?
Answer: We live in a generation that is waiting for everything but the Messiah. We live in a generation that only wants materialism, and matter covers us over our heads.
Our generation is starting to reveal the domination of corporeality and it is in this generation that the desire that is aimed at the worst and lowest basic existence, that which is totally meaningless, is revealed.
It is from this lowest point in this world that we can actually discover and start the way back to the goal of creation.
Even if we descend along the way, these descents are already additions of the Light that show us how opposite we are from it…
Baal HaSulam says in the “Introduction to The Book of Zohar“, item 63: Thus, in our generation, although the essence of the souls is the worst, which is why they could not be selected for Kedusha thus far, they are the ones that complete the Partzuf of the world and the Partzuf of the souls with respect to the Kelim, and the work is completed only through them.
This is because now, when the Kelim of NHY are being completed, and all the Kelim, Rosh, Toch, and Sof are in the Partzuf, full measures of Light, in Rosh, Toch, Sof, are now being extended to all those who are worthy, meaning complete NRN. Hence, only after the completion of these lowly souls can the highest Lights manifest, and not before.
The vessel has to be as deep as the height of the Light that is dressed in it.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/19/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam
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Baal HaSulam, “A Speech for the Completion of The Zohar“: Throughout the generations those who ascended and were rewarded with Dvekut were few, but in the generation of the Messiah, everyone can reach Dvekut and attainment.
The restrictive conditions throughout history in every generation, in every state and circumstances where Kabbalists lived, didn’t allow them to reach the end of correction, and so their attainment and revelations were not complete.
The one exception in history is the case of Rabbi Shimon and his students. This small group was especially allowed to reveal all of reality, the process, and the goal so that they would pass these basics from the beginning of the exile, from the state before the destruction of the second Temple, from the corrected Israel to the nation of Israel that is totally corrupt and dispersed. Thus we will be able to get back on the path that will lead us to the good state.
So in every generation, there were only certain individuals who attained the spiritual world, while in our generation anyone can. There are no limitations from above and everything depends on a person’s ability to connect to the friends. The individual is powerless and incapable of anything, but he can connect with the friends in the group and thus reach the goal.
[123517]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/19/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam
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Question: Why is the Surrounding Light attracted when I give friends gifts?
Answer: Because I give a present to a friend not because I want to deceive him, entice him, and obtain some simple earthly benefit from him, but only for the sake of the spiritual goal.
The point in the heart is important to me, and I work from that point on his desire to receive to fulfill his desire to receive; that is, I give him a gift. But I do it because it is important for me to attain the Creator; He is the root cause of everything (No. 1). For this, I operate my ego (No. 2) and give a present to my friend’s ego (No. 3).
I can influence his ego with a gift, but I influence his point in the heart by the Light that Reforms (No. 4). I cannot influence his point in the heart; it is a spark from above, a part of divinity from above. But the Surrounding Light does influence it because starting with my first action I made this calculation that attaining the Creator is more important to me than pleasing my egoism. That’s why I do all these steps even though I would gladly remain lying on the couch and doing nothing.
My friend begins to wonder: Why am I doing this for him? If we study together, I could tell him directly that the intention of the gift is for our spiritual advancement, that I bring him the gift to buy a friend, and with his help to reveal the Creator. And when the friend is awakened by my words, my gifts, and the Surrounding Light, he will also make the calculation that it is most important to attain the Creator (No. 5).
After many such gifts (one is not enough), I “buy” the friend. In ordinary life, without the addition of the importance of the Creator, we just “bribe” a person and his egoism through giving him presents. As a result, he begins to show me favor too, to help me, as usual: “You give to me, I’ll give to you.” Or we have common interests and we help each other realize our egoistic desires: go fishing or play soccer together.
However, this scheme is very special because I, through the Creator, begin to start influencing the friend, his point in the heart. From this, his point in the heart is awakened and he is compelled to do the same actions toward me. He must do so! From his point in the heart, his egoism is influenced (No. 6), and, with it, he gives me gifts (No. 7). It turns out that he performs the same cycle of actions toward me.
Since we both work in such “cycles,” we bring our points in the heart closer together. They begin to work on the same wavelength so closely that they are as if under one blanket (No. 8). And then, due to the Surrounding Light, the “blanket” turns into a screen (Masach) (No. 9).
It is an inexorable law. A man can cry for a thousand years, but until he has fulfilled the laws, it will not work. If the requirements of the law are fulfilled, then success is guaranteed. It is called: “The law is fixed and cannot be violated.”
We need to understand that we exist within nature in its system of laws. We only need to learn these laws thoroughly and find out where we have made omissions until we obtain the desired result.
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From the Preparation for the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/11/13
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