We originate from the state of total perfection, called “the world of Infinity.” The only thing missing in it is the realization of this perfection. And it can only be revealed as “the advantage of the Light from the darkness,” meaning by first revealing the lack of perfection, and inside of it—the perfection.

In order to create the sensation of imperfection, many details of concealment unfold in the world of Infinity as a preparation for us. The greatest concealment is the one we are in now, in this world, at the last level of concealment after 125 levels of it. Therefore, these levels are called “worlds,” “Olamot,” originating from the word “Olama,” concealment.

All that we have to do is reveal the world of Infinity, the perfection we are in according to the plan of creation “to delight the creatures,” in order to understand that this state really is the most perfect, wonderful, and good out of every possible state.

At first it seems to us that our dark state of concealment is completely tolerable. We even enjoy it and do not want to move from it to any other place. But then, more and more, we reveal things in this life that do not satisfy us, and start discerning what is imperfect in our state and what can become perfect in the future.

That is how we find many things that we lack (meaning, imperfection): food, sex, family, money, honor, knowledge. And that’s how we reveal that inside of these sources of fulfillment, there definitely cannot be any perfection. Fulfillment is possible only if I come out of myself and fulfill others, thereby becoming equal to the Creator. That is, I have to reveal the Maker, my Creator, and become similar to Him.

After all, he is not present in my material state, in my current desires and needs. In order to find Him, I need a completely different aspiration—a need for bestowal. And as a result of my bestowal to Him, I will reveal Him inside of me and will attain adhesion. That is, I will acquire the same form, the same quality as He has. This will be my true, new desire—the only thing I lack, the thing that defines my imperfection. And there’s nothing more! There’s only the desire to reveal the quality of the Creator inside of me until I reach total adhesion.

When a person makes efforts to attain this desire, along the way he sees that he needs the means for it: the group, the whole world, the teacher, books, the study, and work above knowledge. But in the end he reaches the sensation of imperfection and understands that perfection means adhesion with the Creator, with the quality of bestowal that becomes revealed in a person. But now he does not have it!

This realization is called “I made efforts and found” because now he finds the right desire. And if he experiences his state as imperfect and lacks only the quality of bestowal (bestowal for the sake of bestowal, or even reception for the sake of bestowal), then a change occurs inside of him and he goes from a lack of perfection to perfection. And in this regard, everything is determined by his efforts.

However, the efforts shouldn’t be the ones he wanted to make from within his egoism, but according to what he hears from the teacher and carries out in the group. And on the way he sees many states like that, where he has to lower himself and carry out the instructions of our teachers, the guides on the path. That is how he tips the scale with his efforts, by lowering himself before the advice of the Kabbalists.

And then, from the “613 recommendations” (Eitin) he reaches the “613 instructions of the Torah” (Pkudin), meaning he corrects his desires and merits a “finding” – the revelation of the Creator inside of creation.
[49084]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/24/11, Shamati

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We have never been in the situation that we are in today. We have never experienced a discrepancy between two systems. Today all of us together constitute a common, integral system (“We”), but it is egoistic. And at the same time we are inside of the natural system, which is permeated by bestowal and love. The difference or gap between these two systems is what creates the sensation of a crisis.

This difference keeps growing because we are developing in our egoism, while the upper system is coming closer to us. In particular, the crisis is being expressed precisely due to the revelation of nature.

In the past we expanded our system over the course of history, until we reached today—integrality and interconnection. However, every person continues to operate within his narrow interests, even though he can no longer shed the global bonds and is entirely dependent on others.

As a result, we end up with interdependence and mutual hatred, which stand in extreme contrast to the force of bestowal that influences us. Moreover, on the inside we are bound together with one another and at the same time, disunited to the maximum. And in addition, we are opposite to the Creator.

This opposition and difference in qualities brings us troubles. They are only starting, but at the same time they are inciting man to discover the reason for what is happening. After all, if something bothers or harms us, we pay attention to it.

Therefore, today, for the first time in history, the science of Kabbalah is being revealed to us. The time has come for us to consolidate so the Creator and creation would unite by a single force, a single connection. In other words, the time has come to correct the crisis, to get rid of the troubles, and to achieve discovering the system we are in, which is impossible without attaining the upper force.

We do not see the integrality of the natural system because we are not integral on the inside. We are discrete, disunited, and singular—each of us is by himself. I don’t have an integral mind, an integral way of thinking, and I cannot take the whole world into consideration.

But on the other hand, we constitute one whole, and by the law of a single body, I cannot make a single action unless I am sure that it will have a favorable affect on all of my systems. That is why we cannot attain success in anything.

In the modern world, no matter what system you look at, everything is falling apart: education, culture, the economy, relationships between people, families, children’s upbringing, and so on. Everything that we have created in the process of our development is crumbling. And this process will keep growing worse, becoming expressed more and more.

The problem here is not that we “screwed up” somewhere, because everything was initially programmed. It’s just that today all of our systems are opposite to the integral, correct system. Now I have to take the whole world into consideration, but by my nature, I am not accommodated to that. So what should I do?

I care only about myself, or at most—about my family, environment city, or even country…. But caring about the whole world? Even if I wanted to, how can I make this happen? I don’t have any preliminary base for that. For that I would have to be different on the inside. I must have an integral system inside of me so I would naturally think about the world as a whole just as I think about myself. That is the only way I will attain success in the economy, industry, and trade—in everything.

Otherwise, there will be no success. Today this is still weakly expressed, but soon the picture will begin becoming clearer.

Thus, nature or the Creator is obligating man to feel that he is part of the whole, a particular soul that belongs to the common soul. We suffer because we are not parts of the whole yet, and by this suffering each of us is being pushed to unite with others. However, the path of suffering is very difficult. As we know, it can bring us to death, and we’ll still have to suffer a lot until we get there.

That is why the science of Kabbalah is being revealed, wishing to explain the current state of affairs to us, to show us the system we are in, and to teach us to change ourselves, transforming from discrete fragments into integral parts, each of which contains all of the others.

For the first time in the history of human development, man no longer changes nature on the outside, does not make external egoistic actions, and does not use all of his knowledge to change something outside of him. The external changes have ended. Everything has become finally formed on the outside, has frozen, and won’t change any longer. From now on, I am the one who has to change.
[48934]
From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/22/11, “The Teaching of Kabbalah and Its Essence”

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All Kabbalistic texts are intended for Kabbalists in order to convey inspiration and impression among them, as well as knowledge of the connecting network between the souls in which they exist. The aim of this is to reveal the upper force, the Creator faster, and to move other souls closer to correction.

We can also use these books without even knowing or understanding what Kabbalists write to one another because each of them writes on his own level. But when we read them like little children, aspiring to find out what they write there, what they want to convey to one another, and what they want to describe to us, when we open up these books by great Kabbalists, wishing to become similar to them in unity and mutual bestowal, meaning to join them, to join the system of souls where they exist in a connection with one another, to take our place among them, to gather in the same circle, then, with the help of these manuscripts, we merit coming closer to them.

That’s because the texts written by Kabbalists contain their force, their thoughts. And if we desire to cleave to them, then by trying to unite with one another and by reading their texts together, we are asking to enter this system and to join the state they are in.

Therefore, while reading The Zohar, we should try not to forget that with the help of this text, we want to become corrected and included in the same system that already contains the souls, and we are the only ones still missing there in our unity. We come there once we connect with one another and desire to enter the same system where all the great Kabbalists already reside. In essence, this state already exists there and we are only searching for it. After all, The Zohar talks about our future state, which we reach and join.

So let’s imagine ourselves in the common system of souls, among these great Kabbalsits—and let’s ask for it!
[49097]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/24/11, The Zohar

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Question: What is the reason for the fact that when we read The Book of Zohar and keep a very tangible intention, it suddenly disappears, and we understand that it has disappeared only once we remember about it?

Answer: That’s obvious! This is given to us so we would demand the sensation. We are unable to keep two thoughts in our mind. What can be better than attuning myself correctly before reading The Book of Zohar, together with the friends, in a circle, and inside of it desiring to reveal what we are reading?

However, what happens is that I attune myself and start reading, and suddenly I become immersed in the text slightly more deeply. Then I no longer use it as “Segula” – the special quality of the Light, wishing to reveal it in the connection between us. Instead, I switch my attention to the text itself, aspiring to understand it and to attain it, the way I read regular books, wishing to find out what they’re talking about. I don’t perceive what is written there as something that happens inside of me, between us, inside of us, but as something that exists outside of me. I immediately shift to the external picture.

After that, all kinds of alien thoughts come to me and I start “traveling” in these fantasies and calculations.

This happens until a person sees that he is unable to come out of this and it deprives him of the right approach where he would literally be able to “latch on by the teeth” in order to hold on to the right attitude to the reading.

What should he do? Eventually he reaches a demand that he needs the sensation—not to get to know the text or hear it, but to enter this picture, to attain it. He wants this to happen, for this picture to become clear to him. Just as he is in this earthly reality now, so he has to find himself inside of that spiritual reality.

Therefore, this entire confusion, all of these states have to bring us to such despair that we will desire only the sensation, while clearly realizing that we are incapable of anything on our own, even of keeping the intention. But nevertheless, we will clearly discern exactly what we do need.

Then, on one hand you understand that there is nothing you could do and there’s no point even in opening up the book. You reach total despair. But on the other hand, you know that you are unable to leave this path because your entire life is in it. And then, you receive it….

This point is truly critical because from it, you can enter the spiritual world. And that is what really happens.
[49094]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/24/11, The Zohar

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Why do we need the science of Kabbalah? What’s the need for it?

We perceive the world through the five senses. We see the “picture” of this world, live in it, and arrange our lives in it. We develop the sciences in order to attain it. We have enough mind and feeling for that. We study the world and accommodate ourselves to it in joyful and troubled times. Then why do we need the science of Kabbalah, even if it’s not fantasies or lies? Is it to know how many angels there are in the sky? Or to become acquainted with the upper force, the upper world?…. Maybe it’s time to go visit a doctor?

We don’t understand why we need this. Even the people who admit that Kabbalah speaks about the spiritual world still don’t feel a need for it. Some people are a little afraid of it, some feel repulsed by it and are negatively disposed to it. There are plenty of hindrances. And no one puts them there deliberately. It’s just that this is how we are built, this is our nature. We erect the obstacles on the path ourselves: We neglect it, don’t desire it, and reject it. After all, we are driven by the egoistic desire, which is far from the spiritual world and opposite to it.

As a result, the science of Kabbalah appears unrealistic to us. When we come to it, we don’t understand how this happened and what keeps us here. We often leave it and return to our regular lives, to the place where we have strength, money, and power in our hands, instead of a “fog.”

When Kabbalists attained the spiritual world, they understood how important and great it is. After all, it opens up the true life to a person, instead of the perishable existence on the animate level. We act on the level of the animate nature and depend on the body: I am alive as long as it is alive, and I die together with it. My “I” is inside of it. On the other hand, Kabbalists master the human level—the level of being similar to the upper force, of existing in attainment, in the sensation and power that is equal to the upper force, and of being equal to it to some extent.

Thus, the science of Kabbalah is a great asset that gives us eternal existence instead of our current miserable, short lives. But there’s no one you can tell this to. That is why the science of Kabbalah was concealed for a long time, until humanity starting feeling a need for it instead of neglect, fear, and dislike. That is what happened to us as well: We did not think or plan on it, but suddenly we felt a need for it. It turned out that without this, our life is base, animalistic, and empty. We lack fulfillment.

In reality, Kabbalists did not care what people were saying about the science of Kabbalah and how they viewed it. The world was always confused about it and believed in all sorts of fables. Kabbalists knew about this and did not pay any attention to it because their primary concern was to guard people from the “unripe fruit.” And the unripe fruit is not the science of Kabbalah, but man’s desire. Man is the unripe fruit. He is still unable to “digest” his ego and transform it into something good, so it would benefit him.

When unripe egoism that isn’t able to correct itself yet encounters the science of Kabbalah, it rehashes it into mystical teaching, philosophy, religion, New Age, and so on. Baal HaSulam writes that the revelation of The Book of Zohar by Rabbi Moshe de-Leon’s widow caused great damage, all sorts of obstacles and problems. That’s because people took the wrong path to spirituality, following their egoism instead of the desire to correct themselves.

However, today we have entered a new era. Kabbalists assert this and we see this in our world as well. The world already realizes that it has found itself in a foul situation. The universal crisis is enveloping the worldwide village in which everyone is interconnected by egoistic bonds. We are discovering that our egoistic network has become global, that we are inseparably and incorrectly interconnected.

We cannot come out of this situation and we don’t have any possibility of being saved from egoism’s clutches, which are pressing on us more and more strongly.
In these conditions, we are revealing the need for the science of Kabbalah, which is the only method that offers the real solution to the problem.
[48943]
From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/22/11, “The Teaching of Kabbalah and Its Essence”

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We don’t have any freedom of will in this world. It is a world of results, and this is what makes it so different from the spiritual world because when a person rises there, having achieved a spiritual level, he gains freedom of will in thought, decision, and action. That’s because it contains all the forces, while our world contains only their results.

Here we already receive the ready-made pictures and cannot change anything about them. If we want to act on our own, we have to rise to the spiritual level, the level of free choice, the level of forces. When we reveal these forces inside of us and feel them (considering that everything becomes revealed only inside a person), then we gain the ability to act by our own free choice and decide for ourselves which forces to activate—these or others.

This work is called the Creator’s work. After all, by gaining the ability to make the right choice in all of his actions, he gradually replaces the Creator in controlling the forces of nature. That is how he gradually reaches a point when all of reality comes under his power.

He constantly reveals new forces, as if it’s happening in a free form. After all, there are only two authorities: that of bestowal and that of reception. Both of these forces come from the Creator, but where is man here?

Man stands between these two forces, which act upon him in perfect balance. He finds himself in the neutral zone, which does not depend on the force of bestowal or the force of reception. The force of bestowal is called “holiness” and the force of reception, “impurity,” because it is egoistic. And the neutral part does not belong to either and is called Klipat Noga.

In this state, where a person does not know exactly “whose side” the truth is on: On the side of the egoistic force (Klipa) or on the side of holiness (bestowal), he finds himself exactly in the middle between them, and gains freedom of choice.

But a question arises: How is it possible to choose if you are exactly at the middle of the scale and you have absolutely equal chances on both sides: 50/50, and this is an exact, correct calculation? After all, a person does not feel that he is being bribed in some way or that he is lying to himself. So how can he choose which path to take, by virtue of what to advance in life: to try to receive more and more for himself or to nevertheless attain some spiritual form, bestowal?

This choice is what we discern by working on our environment. After all, a person does not know what to choose and he is left with this question. But if he really wants to make the right choice, then he has to place himself in the right environment. And then the environment helps him to see where the truth is.
[48980]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/22/11, Writings of Rabash

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In Malchut of the world of Infinity, in the creature created by the Creator, different desires are distributed over five levels of coarseness (Aviut). Further, these levels manifest into five worlds. Each world consists of five Partzufim, and each Partzuf consists of five Sefirot.

Therefore, in the integrated Partzuf of Malchut of Infinity, there are ten Sefirot of HBD-HGT-NHY (Hochma, Bina, Daat; Hesed, Gevurah, Tifferet; Netzah, Hod, Yesod). They are divided according to their proximity to or distance from either Keter or Malchut.

In other words, they are sequenced along that line. In terms of achieving the quality of bestowal, the Sefirot of Malchut of Infinity are in a linear relationship. They are closer either to Keter’s desire to give or Malchut’s desire to receive.

Consequently, Malchut’s desires stand in different places in a general sequence of correction. After all, correction is always done from the easiest to the hardest. First, we correct the lighter elements. Then, those elements help us fix the heavier elements.

Those parts of Malchut of Infinity that come to correction first are regarded as Israel, “straight to the Creator” (Yashar El). They have the necessary inclination or tendency. They are transparent, so to speak, while other desires are coarser. In other words, in Malchut of Infinity, the elements related to HBD emerge first, followed by the elements related to HGT, and after that, the elements related to NHY.

As we know, the elements of HBD and HGT are regarded as “forefathers” and “sons,” respectively. They refer to the area from the Galgalta ve Eynaim (GE) down to Chazeh. HBD is the Rosh (head) of the Partzuf, and HGT is the “head of the body.” However, the body itself relates to the area TNHY (Tifferet, Netzah, Hod, and Yesod).

Certain souls awaken to correction at certain times. The first souls corrected are regarded as the “forefathers”: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The souls corrected during the periods of entering and exiting Egypt are regarded as the “sons.” Over the course of the Egyptian exile, Jacob died. In other words, the phase regarded as “Jacob” had ended, which resulted in the transition between the phases.

The phase of the “sons” was completed during the destruction of the First and the Second Temples, when the forefathers’ descendants fell to the level “of the nations of the world” and joined them. This fusion was taking place over the course of four exiles, but mainly during the last one. Now, upon its completion, NHY (the ending part of the common Partzuf of Malchut of Infinity) can begin its correction since by now, the integration of the HBD-HGT parts into it, which was accomplished via the breaking, has finished.

Today, we are standing at the end of this integration and at the beginning of the correction of NHY, the ending part of all the levels. Our corrections move slowly, according to the coarseness of the degree at which we are. We need many devices to have ourselves corrected.

Our forefathers had a different approach. They could correct themselves even without working in “the Torah and the commandments” because they were at the root level of desire. All they had to do was cancel themselves, while “the Torah and the commandments” implies working with the desire to receive and drawing the Light that Reforms.

Later on, their sons received the method of “the Torah and the commandments,” but it was still based on the level of our forefathers. We, however, are disconnected from it today, and we are beginning the realization of the enormous, authentic egoistic desire.

However, at our TNHY degree, in the final stage of completion of the integral Partzuf which is divided into three parts, each 2000 years long, as Baal HaSulam explains in “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” even here, there is a local division into HBD-HGT-NHY. NHY, in turn, also divides into three parts that retain the same correction sequence from easy to difficult.

Therefore, when the vessels (desires) come out of the breaking and begin the correction process, it starts with souls that are drawn to spirituality. They are the ones regarded as “Israel.” After all, in exile, everyone is separated from the Light. Therefore, those of the community who first awaken to the discovery of the Creator are called “Israel.” They constitute a group designated to guide all of humanity.

This group, in the current stage, is a group of “forefathers” in the NHY who act for the benefit of the community. Abraham wanted to correct all of ancient Babylon. We, too, have to act this way and acknowledge the responsibility that rests upon us.
[48612]
From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/19/2011, “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”

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Question: Coming back to the topic of Israelis protesting rent prices: Are we allowed to add a certain “surplus value” to it?

Answer: If we gather together to solve the housing problem and achieve mutual guarantee between us, our power is increased manifold. It isn’t a simple unification of soldiers on the battlefield or athletes on a sports team. Rather, we unite to solve a problem not for ourselves personally, but for the entire country.

As concerns housing, we’re dealing with a cartel that’s in cahoots with the government. They’re working together and making lots of money thereby. We see that the former head of government as well as mayors of several major cities are under investigation. Any way you slice it, the authorities are connected to real estate.

A private house in America costs $150,000, and that’s with people making a lot more money on average. But our prices are twice as high. Does anybody really think we’re dealing with some special, unsolvable problems here? No, it’s nothing but corruption. Usually there are limits to this sort of thing, but not in our country.

We need to set a goal to put a stop to this and solve this problem, which has truly become national. Then we will act in the interest of everybody and won’t rest even if everyone will be given their own private house. We must do this for the sake of the people.

If our protesters arm themselves with this intention, they will achieve a great deal. They may even form a public movement which will not stop until it reaches success.
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From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/20/2011, “The Arvut (Mutual Gurantee)”

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After the Tzimtzum (Restriction), when Malchut (the 4th phase, Behina Dalet) decides that it must reach similarity with the Creator, it starts checking itself to see which parts and levels it consists of. That’s how it divides itself into the worlds, Partzufim, and Sefirot, until it fully realizes itself as a vessel that descends into this world.

Every time it gets to know itself more, it hides itself by the same amount. That’s how we get to this world, the lowest and the darkest of the worlds, meaning the most hidden from us. And from here, from this darkness, we start to reveal desires and the Light in order to ascend back.

Malchut has two desires: to become similar and adhere to the root, but at the same time to stay independent and self-reliant. And independence is only possible when there is resistance. That’s why this action is called “mating while striking” (Zivug de Haka’a).

The desire to reach the root means mating (Zivug). And the strike (Haka’a) results from the desire to preserve one’s independence, not to fill oneself with the Light for one’s own sake, but only in order to bestow. Then, it is considered to be bestowal rather than reception.

We need to identify ourselves with Malchut of Infinity as we are its parts. This means that we need to want to act just like it, to give pleasure to the Host just like He wants to bestow pleasure upon us. We should never forget about Malchut of Infinity because we are included in this point and exist in it permanently.

No matter where I am (alone, in the group, or during dissemination), I’m always in the point of Malchut of Infinity, which has decided to be a giver, like the guest in relation to the Host. That’s why no matter what we do, we have to adhere to this point. And all of our actions are in order to please Him, just like He pleases us.

But how do I know that He’s giving me pleasure? There, in this point, Malchut has revealed this. And as I aspire towards it, I will include myself in it and reveal this too.
[48596]
From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/19/2011, Talmud Eser Sefirot

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Shamati #187 “Choosing Labor″
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The Book of Zohar – Selected, Chapter “Truma (Donation) 2,” Item 738, Lesson 31
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Talmud Eser Sefirot Part 1 “Table of Questions and Answers for Topics,” Item 97, Lesson 45
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Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah, Item 37, Lesson 24
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“The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee),” Item 24, Lesson 8
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