We need to imagine the future that is our next degree, which relative to us is perfect bestowal that we can only think of—that is not half, not a quarter, but complete bestowal—the only way the lower degree imagines the higher one, as the standard of its final corrected state. After all, In order to rise to the next degree, it really needs to reach its end of correction.

All the qualities, all the obstacles and disappointments that exist in a person need to be corrected and completed to perfection. Nothing disappears without a trace, but everything is corrected, adding to the form of complete bestowal that a person can only imagine. He must see that the whole world, all the people, are in bestowal and he is included and absorbed there, dissolves in there.

This is his next degree, and having ascended to it, he discovers an additional desire and depth there, a whole new range of work. He will need to apply efforts again to reveal all the desires of this degree, the depth of its vessels and properties, and strive again to correct this degree fully. When he reaches this, it will be the completion of the ten Sefirot of the next degree. Thus, he will rise from state to state, from degree to degree.
[111163]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/30/13, Writings of Rabash

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Question: How can we acquire additional deficiencies that we need in our preparation for the convention?

Answer: We shouldn’t ask for deficiencies but for their correction and for the completion of those that we already have. You are asking how you should prepare and enlarge your vessel, but what we have is enough and we don’t need additional deficiencies. We only need to connect what we have now in one integral manner.

We don’t need anything else but that, and this is the only thing we should think about. Then different thoughts, disappointments, confusions, rejections, and other interruptions will come along that will help us grow stronger and complete the general connection into one whole on the first level.

We only have to connect, to unite Israel, the Torah, and the Creator; that’s all. The deficiencies that we already have are enough and we don’t need any more. We don’t need to look for new troubles and confusions or unpleasantness, leave this work for the Light. Our work is to yearn to unite everything into one concept.

Then we will suddenly encounter new interruptions, which is a sign what they were missing in order to complete the Aviut (thickness) for the first level. Then we will work with them too as we acknowledge and are grateful for the help we have received. This is called “being grateful for the evil as well as for the good,” to thank and to bless both the Light and the new deficiencies.

Question: How should we prepare for that?

Answer: I want everything in me to unite in one direction, I prepare myself for that and don’t sit and wait for the beginning of the convention. The right preparation wants it to happen now and not leave it for tomorrow. I expect the Messiah to come at any moment and bring us to the end of correction. This is called preparation.
[111233]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/30/13, Writings of Rabash

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Israel is a point in the heart that yearns to know what the taste of life is, to discover the secret of life, the source of life. It determines a person’s inner connection with the upper force. A person cannot imagine this connection, but it already exists. Because of it, he is called Israel, Yashar-El (straight to the Creator), since he has this inclination towards the Creator. But this force doesn’t belong to him; rather, it stems from the point in the heart, which is the Godly part from Above that is in him. He has nothing of the upper other than that and will never have anything but what he develops of this point.

As we ascend the 125 levels, we discover our 613 vessels. This is on a person’s part. On the Creator’s part, we are given the point in the heart and the Light that Reforms. We can use these two means in order to correct our shattered vessels.

It turns out that I have an inclination towards spirituality and I have 613 egoistic desires. There is also the Light that Reforms if I want to draw it. So what do I lack? I lack a group towards which I fulfill my 613 desires. This is why I am brought to the group.

So I have a point in the heart, 613 shattered desires, a group, and the Light that Reforms, everything that I need. Now I only have to connect them correctly. If I integrate all these components correctly, the Light operates and influences my 613 desires; my point in the heart is strengthened by them and then the Light can be revealed in these 613 desires, which is called the revelation of the Creator to the created being.

Thus we end one state and everything happens over again from the beginning. The point in the heart is also renewed since it has become stronger by the corrected 613 desires on the previous level. It begins to illuminate and to burn more strongly since against it are the 613 new egoistic desires that are crueler than the previous ones. In contrast to them, there is a stronger Light that Reforms if I want to use it. I also have a group in contrast to them, which according to the new ego is depicted to me as much worse than it was before. So once more I work in order to connect all these components correctly. On the whole this is all I have to do: establish the right relations between these four components.
[111214]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/30/13, Writings of Rabash

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Preparation to the Lesson

Writings of Rabash “Shlavei HaSulam,” “The Importance of a Prayer of Many“

The Book of Zohar — Introduction, “Two Points,” Item 120, Lesson 41

Preparation to St. Petersburg Convention, “From Hatred to Love by the Light that Reforms,” Lesson 2

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Question: How can we picture the next state in the group so that we can get closer to it?

Answer: The next state is wholeness. Picture it as you can. Each one has his one idea of the spiritual level and pictures it differently.

You may think that when you attain the spiritual level you will sit like a king on a throne and have all the angels serve you: One will bring you a cigarette, another will light it, a third one will bring you a glass of beer, and they will fix the pillows you sit on. I do hope you don’t imagine the upper world this way.

It is important that you have the right idea of the upper world by constantly holding on to the right intention since without it you are like a sail boat in a stormy sea that is thrown from side to side by rough waves. It isn’t that you just lose the way, but you are actually in a dangerous situation.

You must constantly see the goal before you. If you see it, then you immediately identify different interruptions that come along in contrast to it. Then you have the time to catch them and to overcome them, thus using them to support you.

But if you don’t see the goal, you lose direction and there is nothing you can examine and compare the interruptions to. Therefore, you don’t understand that these interruptions draw you away from the goal: different desires, thoughts, and pictures in which you disappear. They swallow you instead of you swallowing them.

It is very important to picture a clear goal before us, and this is why the preparation is so important. The preparation is picturing the corrected state that we want to attain, only that and nothing less, and without any doubts! Otherwise, I would rather die if I don’t attain what I want!
[111208]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/30/13, Writings of Rabash

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Rabash, “What is the Order of Wiping out Amalek”: And what is more, we see that a person needs to prepare himself in order to enjoy the pleasure that is dressed in the vessel. This means that he can enjoy the Light of the pleasure that is dressed in the vessel to the extent that he prepares himself, which is considered external. This means that we cannot compare a person who drinks water when he is thirsty to a person who drinks water when he is not thirsty. This is because the vessel of receiving pleasure is measured by the yearning for the pleasure.

We know that the difference between “I shall hasten it” and “in its time” is only in the preparation. Eventually a person has to perform the action by himself and say: “I want!” and when he wants to, things will open up for him!

There are two ways of attaining the demand of “I want!” Either by blows that don’t leave a person any other choice and which obligate him to recover after each blow or problem and wake up from his reluctance to do anything. It’s because he is confused and can’t find the powers in him to connect with the friends in order to build a vessel, and it’s only the blows that force him to take a step forward.

But it isn’t just taking a step. He sees that this step is beneficial in both a spiritual and a corporeal sense. The corporeal benefit is that he gets rid of the blows and the spiritual benefit is that he recovers and begins to feel that he has a goal, a process, and a chance to feel something of the path of “I shall hasten it.”

Thus he gains twice: He gains new abilities and a new taste corporeally and perhaps also spiritually. It’s all given to him after the blow since there are two opposites in the blow that he receives from the Creator, in the blow of the Light that operates on a person in different ways and towards the goal. We study that in every state, even in the lowest one, there are ten Sefirot, the Light of NRNHY, Reshimo (spiritual gene) of dressing, and Reshimo of Aviut (thickness).

So we must try to understand that everything depends on our preparation that brings us to the demand of “I want!” We have to reach a state in which we have no desire left but one and that this desire should be the greatest. There are two ways of reaching that: “In its time” (through the path of suffering), or “I shall hasten it” (through the path of the Light). But it’s impossible to come out of Egypt without the desire of “I want!”

On the other hand, a person feels great despair and helplessness in his own powers and at the same time confidence and faith that the Creator can save him, which means that everything is in God’s hands. This versatility has to strengthen a person and not break him the moment he exits.
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From the Preparation for the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/28/13

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The day of the Ninth of Av is the worst and most tragic day of the year since it is the day of the destruction of both the First and the Second Temples. On one hand, we know that Rabbi Akiva rejoiced and laughed when he saw the destruction of the Temple. On the other hand, we experience terrible sufferings, but on the other hand, if you are connected to the goal, you can rejoice in them.

This is especially true when we refer to our times when we have received the chance to return to the land of Israel and now everything depends on us. However, during the exile, these sufferings were absolutely necessary. It’s the same secret that Jacob wanted to reveal to his sons before his death, but eventually didn’t.

If you know exactly what will happen in the future and how it’s connected to the goal, you will not be able to actually suffer and to reach despair, to request, to cry out, or to pray and raise MAN. This is the reason that the wisdom of Kabbalah was concealed for such a long time so that the people will not know why they suffer. The whole world doesn’t understand why the “chosen people” experience such afflictions and they think that it may not be the chosen people any more but rather the persecuted people.

They had to go through all these afflictions corporeally in the most humiliating, primitive, and genuine form, without any mitigation of the Dinim (sentence). The reason is that the mitigation of the Dinim requires the prolonging of the exile and even greater afflictions.

So for ages it was forbidden to reveal that the destruction of the Temple and the afflictions of exile were necessary. If people had known that they had to go through them, they would have felt the connection between the suffering and the goal and wouldn’t have suffered so much. They wouldn’t have felt such sorrow, confusion, and helplessness, and they wouldn’t have felt the gravity and the acute pain of the exile.

Therefore, Kabbalists have forbidden the revelation of the wisdom of Kabbalah since it explains why things happen. They were forced to do so despite their sorrow in order to shorten the exile.

But having returned to the land of Israel where we can build a state according to spiritual laws and set an example for everyone and draw the whole world to the same form of life, we now have to reveal the wisdom of Kabbalah to its fullest and explain it to the whole Israeli nation and to the whole world. It’s because we are on the verge of the complete redemption! Of course, the correction will be through the Israeli nation to the whole world. But there is no reason to prolong our sufferings since it’s time for the end of correction!

Today, the wisdom of Kabbalah has to be totally revealed. We have suffered throughout the exile and we had to suffer, but now there is no reason to go on suffering. The previous sufferings were enough in order to start the correction from now on. This is the reason that the wisdom of Kabbalah was concealed for so long.

During the 17^th and the 18^th centuries, Hassidim had the custom of going into “exile,” besides the fact that they were already living in exile in different remote places where they suffered afflictions and pogroms. In order to shorten the exile, Kabbalists used to leave their villages and towns and roam around. Thus they hastened the end of the exile. We have to learn the laws of the general development of the vessels and thus understand our whole history and the reason for all the events we went through.
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From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/27/13, Talmud Eser Sefirot

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Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot” Item 7: Now you will understand their words that Divinity in the lower ones is a high need…It is like a great king who had a son when he was already old, and he was very fond of him. Hence, from the day of his birth he thought favorable thoughts about him, collected all the books and the finest scholars in the land, and built schools for him.

He gathered the finest builders in the land and built palaces of pleasure for him, collected all the musicians and the singers and built him concert halls. He assembled the best chefs and bakers in the land and served him every delicacy in the world, and so on and so forth.

Alas, the boy grew up to be a fool with no wish for knowledge. He was also blind and could not see or feel the beauty of the buildings, and he was deaf and could not hear the singers. Sadly, he was diabetic, and was permitted to eat only coarse-flour bread, arising contempt and wrath.

Now you can understand their words about the verse, “I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time.” The Sanhedrin (98) interpreted, “Not rewarded—in its time; rewarded—I will hasten it.”

Thus, there are two ways to attain the above-mentioned goal: through their own attention, which is called a “Path of Repentance.” If they are awarded that, then “I will hasten it” will be applied to them. This means that there is no set time for it, but when they are awarded, the correction ends, of course.

If they are not awarded the attention, there is another way, called “Path of Suffering.” As the Sanhedrin said (97), “I place upon them a king such as Haman, and they will repent against their will,” meaning in its time, for in that there is a set time.

In our case the King controls every state. The son is born with certain attributes and abilities in certain internal and external conditions, according to the initial thought of the upper that is meant to bring him to the ultimate goal. He has to attain the right vessel according to his emotional and mental development and to get to know his Father in order to be like Him according to the plan that the King has prepared with absolute love and care for his beloved only son.

There is no doubt that we will attain this goal but in order to attain it we have to develop our vessels and it has to be voluntary. We will surely want it since the goal obligates us to acquire a desire and a yearning for it. The only question is how we attain the desire and whether it will be by blows, having no choice and being driven by pleasures or pain, or by trying to establish an environment and to attain the right deficiency by ourselves despite the fact that we feel pleasures or sufferings.

It’s a deficiency without a deficiency and so our work is done “above reason,” above the mind and the emotions that control us now. We have to constantly yearn for this supernatural state which is above our nature. We can do that only with the support of the environment and the group that should impress us with more sublime values that are closer to the spiritual goal. Thus we approach the goal step by step.

Everything depends only on the right environment, and so a person who chooses a better environment each time is praised, which means that he advances by the path of “I will hasten it,” by himself, of his own will, and thus hastens time and spares himself the blows, and this is good in his eyes and in the eyes of the Creator. If he doesn’t, then the opposite happens and his whole development is only by hastening the blows. We have to advance in either case but it will be without a feeling of delight not on part of the Creator and not on the part of the created being, but by prolonging time.
[111006]
From the Preparation for the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/25/13

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Question: How do we connect the worlds and the souls?

Answer: The entire creation is like a cabinet designed for books. And we put books into it. This cabinet is called a “book shelf.” This structure must be composed of ten Sefirot. And every still, vegetative, animate and “speaking” must fill these “shelves,” these ten Sefirot. The levels of the still, the vegetative, and the animate fill these “shelves” according to their structure and are called a “world” with regard to the person.

Does the person identify with this structure, the “bookshelf” itself? No. He only feels the levels of the still, vegetative, and animate. He doesn’t see the inner structure of the world that must be arranged according to the HaVaYaH, he only sees what fills it. I see the books but not the shelves. The shelves are a structure that come and are extended from above. If I begin to fill these shelves in the right way, then I discover that there is a particular order here. And before then I didn’t discover this.

The same thing happens with us in our world. We evolve and discover all kinds of phenomena. Suddenly, it is discovered that musical notes must be arranged in a particular order, that even colors are arranged in a unique order, also sound waves are arranged with particular wavelengths, and so with everything. For every unknown phenomenon that I investigate, I begin to discover in it a particular, unique order, unique laws. I discover how this phenomenon fills the original HaVaYaH, the shelves. But I don’t discover these shelves from the start.

Imagine a person who doesn’t understand anything about music even thousands of years before the development of listening to music and the creation of musical instruments and musical compositions. He begins to compose a tune. He doesn’t know what this is, he simply begins to play it in a natural way.

It is the same thing with languages. From where could I know that the Hebrew language is composed of 22 letters and another five final letters and that its structures need to be arranged in a form like this? I don’t know this. However, I exist within nature so I develop the language from it, I fill the shelves. Then the shelves are themselves called a “world.” The HaVaYaH was prepared for us; it extends from above to below. And with our efforts, we need to fill these “shelves” from below to above with books that we write. This is called our need to write the book of Torah on the board of our hearts, on the desire.

Question: Are the “worlds” something alive and changing?

Answer: No. This is a permanent structure, 125 levels.

Question: And the souls?

Answer: The souls also don’t exist; we need to cause the formation of the souls. There are 125 empty shelves and there are shattered sparks, vessels, Kelim. You need to organize and fill all of this.

You need to divide your desire into “Mocha,” “Atzamot,” “Gidin,” “Bassar,” and “Or” (marrow, bones, tendons, flesh and skin). You need to “slaughter” yourself, to remove the “Or” (skin) from yourself, to separate its inner layer (parchment) from the outside and begin to write on the parchment, the inside of the outer “Or” (skin) being the inner part of our “Or” (skin). And to write the Torah there, but not on the external part itself, rather on the inner part of the external part. And by writing this, you begin to fill all these shelves from the first words, “In the beginning God created…” to “Israel” at the end. With this you fill all 125 levels.
[110740]
From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/24/13, The Zohar

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Preparation to the Lesson

Writings of Rabash “Shlavei HaSulam,” “Article 12”

The Book of Zohar — Introduction, “The Donkey Driver,” Item 116, Lesson 40

Preparation to St. Petersburg Convention, “There Is None Else Besides Him,” Lesson 1

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