People come to Kabbalah with many illusions and incorrect ideas about this science, imagining it in whatever way their egoistic desire depicts it to them based on all kinds of rumors. People present it as mysticism and think that it is related to astrology, healing, blessings, miracles, holy water and red strings, and that it can be used to reveal the past and the future. After all, our ego is looking for some special kind of fulfillment for itself.

Therefore, at first everyone has a difficult time grasping the Kabbalistic principle, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Even if they agree with it, they approach it egoistically. This is the basis of all kinds of “spiritual” methods.

However, it takes special people to come closer to the true realization of the method of Kabbalah. This requires great endurance, many efforts, and mutual support from a group of people who are ready for this and who understand that otherwise they don’t have any chance of realizing themselves. Only through this mutual desire, the “common vessel,” can they receive the opportunity to become people and do something with themselves in order to rise above the material, animate existence to the “human” level.

The spiritual action that we have to do is expressed in the execution of the “613 commandments,” meaning actions of unity among people who have decided that they have to unite.

This is what happened during the times of Abraham and during the times of Moses as well. And it’s the same in our day. The principle is still the same. If fragments of the broken soul that was created by the Creator are ready to unite together in order to restore the common vessel, then it becomes a great summary of the Torah – the vessel for the Light. The Light becomes revealed inside of that common desire, the common efforts, the mutual support and guarantee.

Therefore, it’s pointless for a person to think about spiritual attainment and his self-realization unless he perceives all of this through unification with others, with “neighbors,” meaning with the same kind of people as himself, who also desire to unite and who understand that only by uniting will they acquire a second nature.
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/20/11, Writings of Rabash

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Question: We are talking about loving the neighbor as yourself. But how is it possible to see the friends as being above you when you are sure and you clearly see that you are better than them?

Answer: Every person is sure that he is better than others. Even if he does not realize it, this is so in any case. There’s no doubt that every person considers himself better than others, thinking that he understands more and is more corrected.

This is how the force of the breaking is revealed between us, forcing every person to consider himself higher than others. A person forgets that he is in the hands of the Creator as formless, inanimate material, like a piece of clay, and that everything in him, in his desires and thoughts, comes to him from the Creator.

The only thing that can be expressed in this material as its personal action is the aspiration to connect with the “neighbor.” In that case, this formless mass takes on the “Human” form—a form that is similar to the Creator.

Only that kind of aspiration to be similar to the Creator can exist inside of the “clay” as its own aspiration. When does it become personal, on what condition? On the condition that this “clump of clay” acts in order to unite with all the other “clumps” into a special form, called “Human”—into the form of mutual bestowal, where all of them, wishing to sculpt a Human out of themselves, take on its form—a certain part of the common sculpture.

And besides this, everything that awakens in them and between them was given to them from above, according to the conditions and problems that they have to resolve. Therefore, everything that happens in the present and that will happen in the future is given from above. And only one small influence is possible on the part of the material—gradually, by uniting with others like it, to take on the form of the Creator, to become “Human.”
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/20/11, The Zohar

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Question: What is the real sensation of the Light?

Answer: I don’t have anything to give to another person, but when I really want to give him something, then inside of me, in my attitude to him, in the aspiration to bestow and love, a special “current” becomes revealed which is called “Light.”

In order to perceive any external phenomenon, it is necessary to reach equivalence with it. Like a radio that is tuned to a specific wave, I generate the wave, the quality that is outside of me. Inside of me I create an example or model of the quality of bestowal that is outside. And then I catch and perceive this quality.

If I truly want to relate to another person by the law of bestowal, then suddenly, in my attitude to him, I develop a certain fulfillment that seems to come from outside, although in reality it floats to the surface from within. This response that I felt in my aspiration to bestowal is the Light.
From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/20/11, “Arvut”

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Starting from the first restriction on, Malchut starts to receive for the sake of bestowal to the extent she is able to return goodness to the Host. Naturally, she is unable to receive everything, all 100%.

But since she made the restriction on her own, by her free choice, she has the force to withstand the entire Light of the world of Infinity and to start gradually accepting it for the sake of bestowal.

But this is not easy at all because I reveal the pleasure of adhesion, the greatness of the Giving One, of my equivalence to him, from the fact that I become the same as Him. This adhesion contains “620 times” more pleasure.

Malchut can tolerate only a small part of this pleasure, and therefore it is called “a very thin line” (Kav Dak Meod), a thin ray from the whole Light. But this little ray is not from the Light that Malchut of Infinity felt before the restriction, because only the Light of Nefesh was present there.

Now in this line she reveals NaRanHY (Nefesh-Ruach-Neshama- Haya-Yehida) – very significant actions. They are “620 times” bigger – meaning all of the “commandments,” all of her corrections. When instead of receiving inside of her, she performs actions of reception for the sake of bestowal in each of her corrected desires, this is called carrying out 620 commandments which are filled by the Light of adhesion.

But where can she get a screen for such a great Light – for pleasure from adhesion? After all, I receive, thinking that I do it for the sake of the Host, but now I reveal what it means to be the same as Him – what an unusual pleasure this is, what height, and how good it is to be in adhesion with Him!

This is what becomes revealed inside of the spiritual Partzuf. And therefore, it’s clear that Malchut is unable to receive the entire Light of Infinity in this form.

If the task were simply to receive without thinking about the Host, then there’d be no problem, or even to receive in order to give pleasure to the Host – this is also possible. But the problem is that by giving pleasure to Him, I myself receive a very enormous, additional pleasure – one that’s “620 times” more than the previous. It’sNaRaNHY instead of the Light of Nefesh! And I don’t have the strength to withstand it.

So where will I get that kind of force? For that I descend lower and lower with all the worlds, increasingly feeling just how unable I am to accept the pleasure from adhesion, from the greatness of the Creator, and to stay in bestowal. Therefore, this leads to the downward descent of the Partzufim and worlds.

This is not because I cannot accept the pleasure that filled Malchut of the world of Infinity. But one more great pleasure was included there, which did not become revealed to her there – pleasure from adhesion, from unity. And if she had also responded, then an enormous force of mutual love would have become revealed between them.

But she is incapable of feeling that kind of pleasure while remaining in bestowal. Therefore, now she descends and continually checks the extent to which she is incapable of that kind of bestowal. Therein lies the essence of the descent of the worlds and Partzufim which were born during the descent of Malchut of the world of Infinity down to this world. That is, this is the realization of how enormous is the greatness of the Creator, the greatness of adhesion with Him – it is “620 times” greater than what I am able to bear.

I am able to perceive for the sake of bestowal my own pleasure from being filled by Light. But I cannot accept for the sake of bestowal the pleasure that becomes revealed as a result of the fact that I returned pleasure to the Host – this is adhesion, love, and Light that is born, that breaks through between us as the heat of love, the result of my response.

For this kind of pleasure, I am unable to create a screen and to reflect the Light in full, but only small parts of it, only as much as I can in order to cling to Him….

This means that the pleasure from bestowal also returns to the Creator.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/19/11, Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah

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It is said that the general and the particular are equal, and that is why each group and each individual should ask themselves: Whether they have the highest goal in life, which is to rise from the level of an animal to the level of a human, Adam, “similar” to the Creator, that is, to acquire the property of bestowal in which they will feel life in bestowal, a higher life?

In the beginning, a person aspires to it because he does not want to die. He imagines a spiritual life as a material one, just a bit better and, most importantly, without death. This is the maximum at which we can imagine a spiritual life.

In other words, I study and think that I am receiving some medicine that will bring me an eternal life, fulfilled and perfect, without any of the problems that I experience now. This is why a person continues. Indeed, this is the only way that we can now imagine a life that is higher than our world.

But even if a person begins to advance in this form, he decides that he has to use the means at his disposal. That is, he turns to the teacher who explains how to implement his recommendations in the group and with the help of books.

The teacher just shows him what to do, and a person should carry it out because he has nothing else to rely on. The entire realization takes place through the group and studying. Thus, a person gradually discovers the aspiration for the property of bestowal, which becomes his goal expressed as unity, connection, and mutual guarantee, as being one man with one heart.

This means to reach faith, as it is written: “The righteous live by faith,” meaning the revelation of the property of bestowal in the human heart, in all his desires.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/18/2011, Shamati #122

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Question: You said that if a person comes to the lesson without a request, he is neglecting the Torah. Usually, I come to the lesson without much desire, and I want to sleep—unless I get a very strong impression from the friends. What should I do?

Answer: Try to avoid such states at the lesson. First of all, it weakens the others. You are among them, but you do not contribute either to the external, material action, or to the internal, the spiritual force. Not only do you not participate with everybody else, but you rob everybody because in spirituality, a thief is one who does not contribute from himself. Friends should be evaluated according to this principle.

Of course, we are ready to accept you in any condition. Rather than staying at home, it’s better to come to the lesson and sleep. You know that I do not wake up anybody, even if I see that a person is sleeping. In any case, you should persevere. This is the effort. Have another cup of coffee or do something else to wake up.

I, too, experienced such states while studying with Rabash in the group. Then, I decided that I would record everything that Rabash said since from my days as a student, I was used to taking lecture notes at the university. Thus, I was always writing and organizing texts at the lessons. Besides that, I prepared coffee or tea for Rabash and recorded all his lessons on a tape recorder.

In short, I took care to stay alert all the time with the help of different actions. Otherwise, I too would have fallen asleep. And although I love science, one is not connected to the other. Therefore, you have to invent various tricks.

However, you should understand that your internal participation influences the group and that to the extent of your connection with it, you reveal what is written in The Zohar. After all, it tells what happens between us, only on different levels.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/18/2011, The Zohar

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Question: When will the Light unite us? How can we advance together while we exist in evil?

Answer: We work to overcome. We understand our state and examine it, and we must support one another in mutual guarantee. Then the Light will settle between us.

It also helps us now. If the Light did not fulfill us to the smallest degree, we would not feel the desires that are nevertheless being revealed in us.

After all, we, all the people, and the entire reality exist in a perfect system. Now, a little Light is appearing in some people, and they are beginning to feel where they are, why, and for what purpose. They are beginning to receive the Light in the form of a connection with the environment, in the form of a mentor. They are beginning to feel the Light in their vessels as if they were studying books in the group. All this is happening “as if” because the corporeality does not exist.

In reality, all of this is the revelation of the Light. There are no people, no group, no mentor, and no books. These are the forms in which you reveal the Light that presents itself to you as the means of spiritual advancement.
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/17/2011, “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”

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Baal HaSulam, “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”: If a part of the nation does not want to keep the Arvut, but rather chooses to wallow in self-love, they cause the rest of the nation to remain immersed in their filth and lowliness without ever finding a way out of their filth.

Question: How can I correct my craving for filth and lowliness?

Answer: I act in relation to the friends, and the friends act in relation to me. Does this mean that they correct me? Yes, they do. And do I correct them? Yes, I do. How do I correct myself? I correct myself by means of correcting them.

This is what the mutual guarantee is. No one does this without others, and he depends on others in all his actions in the positive and negative sense, in joy and sorrow. He depends on their good and bad actions, and they depend on his good and bad actions.

Today, this is becoming a reality that will manifest itself in our world in a very unpleasant way. If something bad happens in one country, other countries will feel this right away. On the other hand, if something good takes place somewhere, others will change for the better as well.

This is a real breakdown for my egoism. I want others to feel bad and myself to feel good, to be a winner compared to them. I want what is worse for them rather than for me, and this warms my heart. But now, we see how the integrity of nature compels us to think differently. It teaches us that no one can benefit alone. If it is good for some, it will be also good for others. There is no such situation that it is good for some and bad for others.

Gradually, we are approaching this picture of the world. Look at what is happening in the developed countries. If there is a landslide in one, the rest do not know what to do, and they fall after it. We have reached such an economic order, meaning such egoism, that everyone depends on everyone else. This is mutual guarantee, and this is how it manifests.

I did not think that I would depend, let’s say, on France. What do I have to do with France? However, now I must take care that no default occurs there. If France goes bankrupt, then undoubtedly, it will affect my pocket two days later. Besides, it will affect it negatively. If I reaped benefits from it, I would let them go bankrupt. But it doesn’t work this way: It harms me as well.

Moreover, previously, the troubles of others brought benefits. Before the world connected into an integral system, everybody had acted in his own interests, not considering others. Each country cared only about its own gain. Every time, we made healthy, egoistic calculations to win at the expense of others. Even if this required starting a war against them and destroying the other side down to the ground, it was better for me.

Today, we would like to continue along the same lines, but we cannot. Soon, we will discover that a war cannot be started. We depend on each other to such an extent that I cannot provide anything for myself alone. I will lack everything that I destroy for others.

That is what we have come to. Wishing good for ourselves, our nation, our country with its structure and institutions, I must take care of everybody. Only then will it be good for me.

This mechanism works in bestowal between Partzufim, between people, and between a person and the Creator. I have to take the desire of my fellow human being with the goal of filling it and putting my desire to his service. Only under the condition that I fill and take care of it, will all the abundance flow through me and be revealed in me 620 times greater.

The world doesn’t yet understand what system we are entering. To make it do so, we need to tell people about this as soon as possible. Otherwise, their despair will bring them to war. They simply will have no choice.
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/17/2011, “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”

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Question: What kind of calculation is it to receive for the sake of bestowal?

Answer: It is not easy. At first, you need to attach yourself to the upper one and restrict yourself. Reception for the sake of bestowal is a big state.

When I connect with another person, the first thing I need to do is to cancel my desires so as to prevent them from getting in the way of uniting with him. I turn into pure bestowal, Bina (Hafetz Hesed, delighting in mercy), which means that I am ready to feel all of his desires, and I possess a protective force that enables me to avoid using them for the fulfillment of my own desires since I have already restricted the latter. It is as if you have allowed me to enter you and remain there. This is how I penetrate the desires of another person.

I receive this permission under the condition of being able to restrict myself. Now, I begin to feel you completely, all of your thoughts and desires, as if I were you. I accept them as they are, and I make a calculation of my ability to fulfill your desires, taking into consideration my strength and abilities.

However, this calculation is incorrect because I make my calculation in relation to my abilities, but I should now be making a calculation in relation to your desires. I take your thoughts and desires, understand what you want, and carry out the actions you wanted to carry out in your desires in my own. I work with my desires in order to fulfill yours.

This action whereby we create our common desires is called the “head (Rosh) of the Partzuf.” The head of the Partzuf is a state where I exist within you, within your desires, with my entire heart and mind, and I make a calculation there. Where is the screen? The screen is always standing between you and me, as if it were on guard.

“The inner body of the Partzuf” (Toch) is the part where we unite with our common desires and thoughts, and the “end of the Partzuf” (Sof) is where we are unable to unite, and I restrict my desires. Your restricted desires are there together with my restricted desires. I have restricted your desires because I was unable to satisfy them.

In other words, a spiritual Partzuf is the degree of adhesion of the two with one another, together with all the calculations of what is and is not possible. For this reason, when there is no adhesion of one with another, there is no spiritual existence, no Partzuf.
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/17/2011, Talmud Eser Sefirot

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Kabbalah For The Student “According to What Is Explained about Love Thy Friend as Thyself″
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The Book of Zohar – Selected, Chapter “Truma (Donation) 2,” “With All Your Heart, and With All Your Soul, and With All Your Might,” Item 671, Lesson 28
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Talmud Eser Sefirot Part 1 “Table of Answers for Topics,” Item 90, Lesson 43
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Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah, Item 33, Lesson 22
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“The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee),” Item 22, Lesson 6
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