In order to describe my state to myself, I need to see that I am within a sphere. It is the Creator who shows us everything that goes on within it. There is no event in the entire world that is initiated by another force.

All, from the cruelest enemies to the closest friends, including the Creator, are actors in a play shown to us. Everything is within a person’s perception, within his awareness.

Since he is already in single concealment, he now needs to see the world, respond, and relate to everything in a mature way, that in everything, he sees the relationship between himself and the Creator, through all of these messengers: all the inanimate, vegetative, animate and human levels of nature that are within his perception.

He feels all of his impressions in the natural way as they come; however, they actually come to him from the Creator. This is the way you need to relate to this. First of all, you need to make a calculation, and if you are able to from the result of these or those surrounding relationships, attain a connection, assimilation, adhesion and closeness to the Creator who is positioned behind them. Since they serve as signs of what he needs to correct, these imaginary images will disappear, and, in the end, you will discover the Light that will shine on you.

All of this is obtained thanks to a game called, “Come to Pharaoh.” In this game, we ask for the force of bestowal so that it will begin to rule inside us thanks to the reforming Light. Thus, we exit Egypt and enter the desert. Then, we begin to increase this force, to acquire it, to work with it, and to advance to the entrance of the spiritual world, to the land of Israel.
[69173]
From the 4^th  part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/7/12, “Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot”

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When we speak about the Light we refer to the phenomenon that takes place in the desire. This means that I want to do good to someone without any personal accounts of self-profit. The more I check myself, the more I see that I really have no urge for personal benefit. This is the Light: It is as if some spirit is dressed in me and I want to bestow, to love others, and to want only the wellbeing of others, because by that I please the Creator.

When I work in a group, I summon the Reforming Light that builds in my “body”, in my desire, the phenomenon called the Light. Thus the surrounding Light (Ohr Makif) influences the desire so that it can feel the phenomenon of the Light internally.

Question: Where does the Ohr Makif come from?

Answer: It comes from a higher level. I can’t receive it inside me and so it “surrounds” me and prepares my desire, my vessel, in order to enter it later on. This Light is also inside me, but I don’t feel it yet. It is as if it is operating from a distance: Something ripens in me, but I feel it indirectly, according to the results.

One way or another, everything is inside a person: all the lights and all the worlds, including the world of Ein Sof (Infinity).

Question: In order to feel that, do I have to work in a group?

Answer: You have to follow the advice of Kabbalists, which we call the “faith of the sages,” and carry out their recommendations. You are brought to the group from Above, and you begin to work in it, even without asking any questions. Only later does the issue of freewill come up when you understand what is happening and can find your way around and realize: “So this is what I should do! I should love the friends…”

You approach the mutual work and from a “study circle” you become one whole, acquire one heart and one thought, make great collective efforts, and act in front of one another in order to evoke a deficiency in the friends and to raise the Creator’s greatness in their eyes.

Then people discover “the field that the Creator has blessed.” They don’t wander in the field like the sons of Jacob, but rather acquire the force of Joseph, which brings them together and takes them through the land of Egypt to the Land of Israel. This is all our work, and this is where our freewill begins.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/12/12, “Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot”

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Our work is perpetual. The upper Light is in a state of absolute rest, and its rest is constantly pushing us towards the goal. It is the same with us: If we constantly “press the gas pedal” yearning for the goal, we are in a state of rest because there is nothing else but this and I only operate in one direction.

Here we might argue, but I am acting against my egotistic desire, which constantly confuses me.

Still, if you try to keep the right direction with the help of the group and the books, you are at least close to resting.

Actually, it is only a psychological problem. If we decide, if we determine for ourselves what is most important for us and we don’t divert our attention to something else, if we go straight towards the goal, towards adhesion with the Creator, and add everything we can glean from the study, the teacher, the books, the group, and dissemination to it, we lock ourselves on the target and we only have to keep the right course.

In order to do that, everyone must be connected. Only then can you choose the goal, because you don’t actually know it, and it is attained from within the center of the group. Where is that center? You are the one who draws the crosshairs on the sight. You pass through the circles as their diameter gets smaller and smaller, and in every circle, you better get to know the Creator and His actions, and eventually you find the center: and meet Him.

Today we have to work on several planes:

1. All the friends are equal; there are no great ones or small ones.
2. Everyone must do his best and act in front of the others and show them how much he wants to love them. The friends should see only this yearning in him. We must constantly set an example for everyone so that no one will be able to avoid an equal attitude towards others. This is our obligation.
3. We do all this on purpose, so that we will be able to connect, and in the connection among us, discover love: first conditional love and then absolute love, until we reach the end of correction, Gmar Tikkun.

The whole process takes place in the group. There is nowhere to run to: You have a place for fulfillment, you have friends who yearn for the same thing, and you have the evil inclination, which actually constantly helps us look for the center of the circle. We have all that we need and we should support one another and constantly rise above the interruptions, as it says, “Love will cover all the sins.”

Let’s hope that we will advance this way, from success to success.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/12/12, “Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot”

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There is nothing but the soul, the one “round” desire to receive, that is full of Light. The Light begins to operate inside; it spurs the desire and “warms it up,” puts it out of balance, and is revealed to it gradually. Throughout the process, the Lights and the vessels influence one another and descend from Ein Sof (Infinity).

Let’s take a system, any system, mechanical, electrical, or hydraulic. If it receives an electric shock, it is put out of balance in “one blow,” and begins to gradually quiet down until it returns to the previous balanced state.

This is what happened with Malchut of Ein Sof: the system received a “blow” when it discovered the contrast between the Light and the vessel, the horrible gap between the infinite minus (vessel) and the infinite plus (Light). This nightmare is terrible for the desire, and it cannot bear and digest this. Therefore it restricted itself and moved on to the next chain of actions. The desire won’t calm down until it performs them. After the decision that has been taken in Ein Sof, all the other decisions come automatically, all the way from top down, until our world.

Now our work begins; the work of ascending back to Ein Sof. The way back totally matches the descent that preceded it: We go through the same stages, but in an opposite order and according to our will, as we request the correction (MAN) first. This is the whole difference.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/12/12, “Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot”

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When the group attains spirituality, revealing the Creator and having a certain connection with Him, its actions become opposite to what they used to be: It begins to show a disregard for the goal and show levity to give the friends light disturbances in the work even before the Creator puts obstacles before us. When a person has a connection with the Creator, these disturbances will help him strengthen it.

Rabash writes that out of modesty it was a custom among friends to not show their strong aspiration towards spirituality externally, but in reality, there was a burning flame inside their hearts.

But this happens after crossing the Machsom (the barrier to spirituality) when the group achieves a spiritual connection, and its growth needs to be accelerated every moment. Then I need the disturbances to come as quickly as possible, and the group sets them up for me, helping me advance faster.

But before we enter the spiritual world, before people attain the revelation of and connection with the Creator, showing any levity is unacceptable because it will destroy everything. A person needs to try to see his friends as high and great. And on its part, the group needs to appear great, special, and strong to “pull the person out of this world” by awakening “envy, lust, and ambition” in him.

If the group will present itself this way in relation to every person, then he will see that he needs to attach himself to it, connect with it, be with his friends whom he sees as great people: This is how the group will help him so we quickly achieve a connection between us and the revelation of the Creator to the creatures.

There is no need to speak about it much. But you need to understand that your work is to awaken the desire of your friend. You work on him, presenting him with a spiritual image as if you and the entire group were high up in spirituality, displaying your devotion to and enormous desire for the goal, a greater than you actually have.

You must hold yourself this way before your friend so that you awaken him like we do in playing with a small child pretending and even deliberately making faces to take him through different states and help him grow.

If everyone needs to arm himself with a desire for attaining spirituality, we need to create the conditions for him to form a great desire. Naturally this is a game, but this is why we create the environment, which inspires everyone with the greatness of the goal.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/12/12, Writings of Rabash

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Question: What is frivolity when it comes to inner work?

Answer: Frivolity is a very wide notion: It ranges from my stopping my work completely to a state when I change from a more beneficial activity to a less beneficial one, but one that is more pleasant, convenient, and easier.

Frivolity may be manifested in doing things that completely contradict the path, to the extent of minor transgressions or even allowing myself a little “freedom” in thought, analysis, and desires.

Where does the expression “frivolity” come from? A “heavy head” means that a person is constantly judging himself, analyzing, and is full of thoughts. And easiness of mind means that he frees his head of proper activity, and then it becomes filled with different worthless foreign thoughts.

It can even be something that does not contradict the Creator in any way, when a person simply allows his head to be filled with thoughts of this corporeal world.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/12/12, Writings of Rabash

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Preparation to the Lesson
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Writings of Baal HaSulam “Letter #2”
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The Book of Zohar – Selected Chapter “Beresheet (Genesis),” “The Sling-Stone,” Item 206, Lesson 61
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Talmud Eser Sefirot, Part 6, Item 29, Lesson 22
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“Introduction to the Study of Ten Sefirot,” Item 94, Lesson 41
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Question: What do I have to do if I realize that when I am praying for my friends I am in fact praying for myself?

Answer: This is called “Lo Lishma.” You think of others because without them you can achieve nothing. It is an egoistic intention since you pray for everybody else only because you can’t manage without them. So, this means that you are really praying for yourself, “Lo Lishma.”

We pray to get closer to the Creator and to “bestowal.” But do we clearly realize what bestowal is? For us, bestowal is a pleasant sensation, some kind of positive acquisition, a present!

Does it have anything in common with actual bestowal? No, it doesn’t. It’s a lie, but with good intention. So far, we sense that concealment is given to us from Above to make us think of various spiritual concepts as if we were little children. A child looks at each garbage truck with delight thinking that it’s God’s chariot that descended from the skies; he regards its driver as an angel and envies him.

The deceit is organized by nature so that a child learns to respect anything that is higher than him and thus learns to strive and achieve an upper level, otherwise he won’t grow. The same scenario works with all of us: We have to worship the group because only with its help can we achieve the spiritual world and attain bestowal.

We regard bestowal as a process of giving to us, rather than our giving to others! This is how we view bestowal; if not for that, we would have run away a long time ago. However, the force Above overturns the deceit completely and presents it to us in a totally opposite way, thus making us wait for a present. Sweet treats stimulate our growth.

Therefore, our current concepts are wrong; they are the reverse side of reality. That’s why our world is called “opposite” and deceitful. When we advance towards spirituality, we become opposite to it. But those who lead regular lives are not considered opposite to spirituality whatsoever; they are simply cut from it.

We are aware of our oppositeness to spirituality since we educate ourselves. We try to be in control of our divergence as much as possible by restricting ourselves. If we can understand where actual truth is and where deception is and if we manage to expand the boundaries of sanctity by giving up on something we like, then to the extent of our efforts we will advance.

Everything depends on the degree to which we are able to give correct sensory definitions to spiritual concepts in order to start sensing bestowal, in other words to start realizing that for us it is similar to death and that there is nothing worse than that.

It’s even worse than death, since death is a complete discontinuation after which there is nothing at all, whereas here our lives are taken away from us and we become the Creator’s slaves; we can only torture ourselves from morning till night by working hard against our own will; we can neither compliment our egoism nor die.

It is opposite to such an extent that one cannot even imagine it. Oppositeness unfolds only when we acquire the property of Bina, the readiness to suffer until that suffering turns into the opposite of its opposite state: into love.
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From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/26/12, The Zohar

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In the “Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Baal HaSulam raises the question: How is it possible to reach love without the revelation of the Creator? This question baffles us, because if the Host is before me and treats me with love, then I can also show the same feelings towards Him. But what can I do if He is concealed? How and who, can I love in this case?

I must have some kind of revelation, some perception, some understanding, an image and a direction in order to develop the love in me. Otherwise, how can we reach the vessels of bestowal in our world? Is it possible? After all, they are so different from my nature, from my character. It is like transcending from a protein form of life to a silicon form of life that is based on totally different elements. Actually it is simply impossible.

We count on the upper Light, but it operates only when we want it. So how can we want it, and to want it even more strongly than we want to exist in our present state? How can we yearn for something without seeing, feeling, or understanding anything?

I start from my ego, from my desire to receive. How can I kill it? I am ready to do so only in return for a greater ego. Otherwise I don’t have the power to do it. So where can I get the third force? After all, without it I can’t reach a decision and I can’t fulfill it.

To answer that Baal HaSulam gives us that we have a “precious gem” that enables us to transform ourselves so that we will be like the Creator.

But first we have to understand the question itself. It is depicted by the example of the rich man and the poor man: If the rich man loves the poor man, the poor man begins to take advantage of the situation and to “manipulate” the rich man; “If he already loves me, then I can receive from him.”

But where can I find this love, so that I can start to act? Where can I feel that the Creator loves and bestows so that I can start manipulating if not Him then myself? One way or the other, I need the connection. How is the Creator revealed to me? How does He enable me to perceive the precious gem and to succeed? We should ask ourselves this question.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/2/12, “Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot”

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When a person despairs from his life, he begins to search for a way to justify his existence, for a reason life is worth living. Actually, what motivates him is the ego, the pride that hides within, which demands an explanation: How do I exist if it’s not worthwhile living?

I must find something to exist for. Everyone, constantly, searches for this justification for himself. It doesn’t matter who he is. The pride from the feeling that he is a person, derives from the point of creation itself, “Something from nothing,” from the contradiction of the “something” and this “nothing.”

This brings him to search for the meaning to which accordingly he chooses the way of life, the profession, and the style of behavior at each moment. This point motivates him during each moment of his life. And when this question becomes real, then the person finds the wisdom of Kabbalah, and enters the influence of the Light that reforms and begins to develops.

This first question: “What am I living for,” “Is life worthwhile living,” “How can I justify my existence,” matures into a very clear question about the meaning of life. And then a person begins to study, is included in a group, and receives the books and the teacher.

And gradually he begins to feel that he is in concealment. It is as if something is hidden from him, even though he doesn’t understand what concealment and disclosure are. He simply feels changes in his mood in relation to others, in measures of patience and annoyance, as much as he understands or not until he finds himself in a fog and is confused. In this way these states change within him.

And of course, the relation to life is constantly changing. Sometimes he feels that it is worthwhile to exist, that life is shining on him to the point that he is ready to sing from happiness, and sometimes he feels the opposite. All of this is the work of the Light that awakens and moves the person and in this way builds in him the spiritual Kelim (vessels, desires).

And the Kli is measured according to the size of the gap between the highest and lowest points in relation to the feeling, the understanding, recognition, and values from how the person examines the closeness or distance of the desired goal.

Thus he progressively advances. In the beginning he evaluates his state only according to his mood, if it is good or bad. And later, he already begins to examine it according to more accurate criterion: how much he succeeded in understanding and feeling, more or less. The mood doesn’t worry him so much, but the most important thing is to understand, to feel and to advance. The truth becomes for us more important than the pleasure.

In this way he advances, until he feels himself in double concealment.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/7/12, “Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot”

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