Question: I understand that even if the Creator addresses someone and tells him, “Act,” he still has free choice whether to do it or not?

Answer: What does it mean that the Creator speaks to a person? Has anyone heard this?

The Creator speaking to a person means that the person feels an inner impulse; he wants to do something, to carry something out. If this is an impulse toward spirituality, then one can say that it is as though the Creator is speaking to him. It is as if someone else were speaking all the other things. But is there anyone else? He plans and pushes you toward everything—both the bad and the good.

If this general force called the Creator pushes all of reality in this way without giving any part of that reality free choice or the ability to feel it, then His attitude toward reality is as toward the still, vegetative, and animate. But His attitude toward the speaking level is such that a person feels what he wants. In addition to sensing what he wants like an animal, he can also evaluate and analyze this desire, and begin to change it.

In order to make a human being out of the created being (Adam, from Edameh le-Elyon, “similar to the Creator”), He must give him all the states opposite to Himself, so that the person will choose from among them, and prefer to be similar to the Creator.

This is the whole of free choice, the entire right of choice that we have. If a person simply carried out every command from above, he would be a puppet. It is the same as the still, vegetative, and animate levels, which carry out the commands of nature. There is nothing special or unique in that.

Of course, this does not mean that the still, vegetative, and animate are separate from the Creator; they are connected with Him one hundred percent. They carry out whatever nature (Teva) determines, the Creator (Elokim, whose Gematria is equal to HaTeva) without any problem, without any questions, without any choice. This is not a degree; it is the zero level.

A person is called a human being because, in accordance with his own choice and awareness, he understands that this is how he should act; he justifies the Creator, and from all the qualities opposite to the Creator, chooses to be like Him. By doing so, he builds himself into a human being.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/6/26, Rabash, “When Should One Use Pride in the Work? ”

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Question: Does disconnection from godliness also come from the Creator?

Answer: Yes, any state comes from the Creator, but disconnection from godliness is received as punishment. How should a person respond to such a state? A person should bless the good as he blesses the bad, and the bad just as he blesses the good.

Disconnection from the ability to progress, from the ability to attain equivalence of form with the Creator, is truly the only punishment that exists in spiritual reality.

For us it becomes expressed even at the corporeal level through greater troubles, more negative experiences, diseases, and wars; it affects our physical bodies. Every good comes from the Creator, and every evil comes from His “Achoraim” (backside), from concealment. The problem is not with concealment itself, but how a person should accept it and relate to it.

Punishment is punishment, and there is no way around that. However, to the extent that a person feels the concealment, to that extent he does not agree with it. It is possible to correct the concealment through the quality of Hassadim to the extent that a person detaches from his personal sensations, rises above them, comes to the state of Hafetz Chesed, and thereby makes correction.

However, any rung less than the final correction is ultimately a punishment.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/3/26, Rabash, “What Is, ‘There Is None as Holy as the Lord, for There Is None besides You,’ in the Work?”

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Question: Is my wanting the light, and my needing it for correction the same thing?

Answer: The desire to enjoy the light, and the aspiration for the light for the sake of correction itself are not exactly the same, but they are stages of one path. At first, I simply want to enjoy.

Then I begin to discern more and more clearly what kind of pleasure it is that I am striving for until I reach a state where the correction itself becomes a pleasure for me. Ultimately, the result of the correction becomes my pleasure. And the result of the correction is already bestowal to the Creator.

The fact is that we have only one means by which to draw upon ourselves the surrounding light that will change us. That means are the books. We must build an intention during the study.

An intention is a deficiency, a need (Hisaron) in my heart. This Hisaron is artificial. That is, during the study I think as though I desire the light to come and correct me. If I truly had such a desire, then I would not need to exert effort and labor.

I am told: “You must make an effort.” What does that mean? If I already want something, then I must exert effort in order to bring myself to such a state that during the study the desire to absorb the surrounding light, to be corrected and changed by it, determines everything.

The fact that I study and reflect on the material being studied is only a means. The fact that I will know how, where, and what is written, the numbers, how everything takes place, Galgalta, AB, SAG—all of this is only to familiarize me with the subject, to connect me to it, so that I may find myself inside this film, and while at the center of the events, choose for myself what is most essential, what I want from this film.

I open the book, and I begin to study. I am told about various things that supposedly take place in the spiritual world, supposedly within me. But in the end, what do I need from all this? What do I want to derive from it? One must be prepared for such demands, and in the most correct form possible.

Thus, effort and persistent labor must take place both before the lesson, and during the lesson.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/14/26, Rabash, “What It Means that ‘Law and Ordinance’ Is the Name of the Creator in the Work”

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In spiritual work, there are two kinds of activity: the work in the mind (Mocha) and work in the heart (Liba), that is, the intention to bestow, and the action itself. It is very difficult to explain this until a person begins to experience it personally. Whenever Baal HaSulam writes about “the mind and the heart,” read it, but be aware that it is very easy to become confused.

Gradually a person begins to feel from where and what comes to him. In truth, both the work of the mind and the work of the heart originate in the heart. It is said, “The heart understands.” The heart has, as it were, two parts: one that simply feels, without analysis (Avchanot), and another that both feels and analyzes. Through this analysis, a person is to some extent able to detach himself from the feeling. Yet both of these aspects are contained within the heart.

The same principle can be seen in a spiritual Partzuf. The Creator created the desire, which then, after feeling both itself and the host, as well as shame and the purpose of creation, builds a Rosh (head), as though above the heart, above the feeling. Yet it builds this Rosh according to the feeling.

It is written that in the world of infinity, “Before the emanations were emanated, and the creatures were created, the simple upper light filled the whole of reality.” At that stage, there was neither Rosh (head) nor Sof (end); there was only the Toch, the inner part of the Kli, filled with the light.

“When it arose in His simple will to create the worlds, and emanate the emanated beings,” then, after the Tzimtzum (restriction) and the establishment of the Masach (screen), the Rosh came into being. The Rosh calculates how much can be received into the Toch. As a result, a portion of the desire remains that receives nothing. This part is called the Sof (end).

In other words, the feeling, or more precisely, the desire to receive that was created by the Creator, builds a Rosh for itself based on all the existing conditions. By means of this Rosh, the desire plans how to make its actions similar to those of the Creator. This is why we say, “The heart understands” and “the heart decides.”

There can be a state in which the heart contains only feeling, without a Masach and without Tzimtzum. But at a certain point, a person acquires an understanding heart. This means that the qualities of Bina appear within the desire to receive. Bina imparts understanding (Havana).

Then the desire to receive, Malchut, together with Bina, that is, together with the quality of bestowal, builds what is called the Rosh of the Partzuf. Only then can we truly speak about the work of the mind and the work of the heart, about how to acquire these two forms of work and unite them into one.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/5/26, Rabash, “What Does, ‘Everything that Comes to Be a Burnt Offering Is Male,’ Mean in the Work? ”

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Preparation to the Lesson

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1st part of the Lesson — Lesson on the Topic “Tu BeAv (Day of Love)” (7.24.2021)

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2nd part of the Lesson — Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Vol. 1, Part 1, Chapter 1

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3rd part of the Lesson — Conversations With Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman with His Students

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A person can only learn from the experience of their past states, from what they have personally lived through. They cannot learn from their current state, because they are held in its grip.

In the current state, one cannot determine anything within oneself, because one’s current thoughts and desires completely occupy the person and one acts based on them. What can a person do? They must raise a prayer, cleave to the upper, and surrender themselves to the upper one’s dominion, so that He will decide what a person will do now. So how does one do it?

A person cannot summon the strength to view their state from the outside and resist it because we are not able to split ourselves in two. However, I can know what my Reshimot (spiritual records) are from the past and how my current state compares to them; I can receive illumination from the upper, raise a prayer to Him, and ask Him to rule over me.

That is, I have only two options: either my current state controls me or the upper governance controls me, and I have to choose. If I take the feeling of the upper’s greatness from the group—which I can only obtain from the group since I cannot find the strength within myself—then I can use the desire obtained from the group, turn to Him from my current state, and surrender myself to His authority.

But if it were not for the group, I would not be able to turn to the upper. I would have no way of realizing that the upper is greater and more important than I am. After all, my current state determines what I want, think, see, and understand.

Of course, one might argue that a person still learns and feels something. This is true, but it only helps a person realize that they need to turn to the group, but it does not give them the strength to turn to the upper. In any case, a person first turns to the group, draws strength from it, and then turns to the Creator.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/5/26, Rabash, “What Does, ‘Everything that Comes to Be a Burnt Offering Is Male,’ Mean in the Work? ”

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Question: Why is our goal called adhesion with the Creator, rather than the correction of the soul?

Answer: Because the goal must be the attainment of a specific state, whereas the correction of the vessels is not the state, it is the means. You must certainly concern yourself with correcting this, but why you are correcting the Kli (vessel) is the essential question.

If you do not know why you should correct your Kli, then you become like those who observe the commandments simply because they have been told to do so. And if you were told something else, you would behave differently.

If you perform corrections without understanding their purpose, then they are merely pseudo-corrections. If, simply because you have nothing better to do, you want to become a good person, that is your personal choice. The Torah does not demand that. The Torah requires a person to attain adhesion, equivalence of form, to become Adam, similar to the upper one (Edameh leElyon). If you simply want to be good, that is fine; there are many people who say they are good.

So why should you correct yourself? What is the reason for correction? What will it give you? Some kind of personal satisfaction? You reason as follows: “I am told that my goal is to attain similarity to the Creator, to adhere to Him. As He is merciful, so I should be merciful; as He is compassionate, so I should be compassionate. But I do not know who He is, so how can I know what I am supposed to become?”

So you return to the same question: if I do not know who He is, how can I know what I am supposed to correct? You say you are willing to engage only in correction, but how can you correct yourself if you do not know the standard by which you are to measure yourself? On the one hand, it is said: “From Your actions we shall know You.” On the other hand, which actions? How am I to know what I am supposed to be?

“Why do I need the revelation of the Creator?” This is the question you are really asking. I need His revelation in order to become like Him, in order to know what I am supposed to be. If you demand His revelation for this purpose, then He will reveal Himself to you. This is what it means that one comes from Lo Lishma (not for His sake) to Lishma (for His sake).

Of course, you desire His revelation because you want to feel good. Yet at the same time there is already a certain attitude toward Him. You value Him, you want Him. Then the Creator reveals Himself to you, but only to the extent that this revelation will correct you, rather than merely fill you. What does it mean to correct you? It means that you receive His qualities, not the pleasure that comes from Him.

The light of correction means that the Creator imparts His greatness to you: “See how merciful I am, and how good this quality is.” As you perceive this, you begin to recognize that this quality is good, that it is higher than your own.

Thus, His revelation comes in two forms: either as the one who corrects you, or as the one who fills you.

Accordingly, this is what you should ask of Him. Prayer is correct when you first ask Him for correction, and only afterward for fulfillment.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/2/26, Rabash, “What Does It Mean that the Torah Was Given out of the Darkness in the Work? ”

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We need to change our attitude to what is happening to us and redefine it according to true spiritual concepts rather than our own perception. Our world is not a world of action, but a world of consequences.

This means that everything you see in yourself and around you are the results, the consequences, of what is happening above. The roots are above; the branches are below. And if that is how you look at it, then at least you see the true picture. How to react to it is another question.

But if what we see is a consequence, then your attitude toward yourself and what is happening changes. The situation has been determined from above, and nothing can be done about it. The question is, what do I need to do to bring about correction so that something different will descend from above?

What becomes important is proper planning. What must I do for a different picture to descend from above? This is a completely different approach to life! Then the entire connection is directed upward, so to speak. You look at this world as a laboratory in which various experiments are being conducted.

So here we see only the consequences, and it is necessary to ask questions about what needs to be done to get a different result. Then in everything: in action, in intention, and in the heart there is an upward orientation toward the Creator, for that is the only place where we can truly exert influence.

But if we simply bustle about in this world without connecting what is happening with the upper world, then it is a waste of time. After all, our world is called: an illusory world.

You see consequences, like images on a television screen, and nothing more. You might think that if you shout at the television, something in it will change. In order for something to change on television, you need to reach out to real people, and then maybe something might change. So, it is with us; it is just a picture on a television screen.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/5/26, Rabash, “What Does, ‘Everything that Comes to Be a Burnt Offering Is Male,’ Mean in the Work?”

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Question: It is written that the one who feels darkness is worthy of revealing the Torah. In one of his articles, Rabash writes that those who feel themselves to be in evil, without sensing the Creator, distance themselves from Him. On the other hand, a person who aspires to perfection feels no need for it, and they have nothing to hold on to. How can we connect one with the other?

Answer: Anything can be connected. Give me two statements, and I will connect them just like that. It is not a problem. The question is, what does this actually mean? The feeling of darkness is advancement; it is an ascent but in the left line.

Question: How can you feel perfection along with the feeling of darkness?

Answer: While in darkness, a person cannot feel perfection, otherwise, they would not feel the darkness. This state is not bad; we must experience darkness. The question is, why does one descend into darkness and what does one do while in it?

In Part 12 of  The Study of the Ten Sefirot (Talmud Eser Sefirot [TES]), we studied the nature of evening and nighttime corrections. When evening falls, we take all the Kelim of the previous day and perform evening corrections while we are still able to recite the “Shema” and “Arvit” prayers, then we perform corrections by reciting the “Shema” before going to sleep, and starting at midnight we begin to raise the Kelim de Aba ve Ima (vessels of father and mother), etc.

This is how you must descend into darkness and work in it, including performing corrections during your sleep. You do not simply come to a state where you want to shed the old soul and take on a new degree, a new soul. Tomorrow will bring you a new degree, and you must be ready starting at night.

Question: How can you feel elated and in darkness at the same time?

Answer: If you perceive darkness as something useful, you will be glad of it. You will bless the Creator and remain in adhesion with Him in the darkness as well. At the same time, I am not talking about our level, but about others where there are corrections, for example, “60 breaths of a horse,” etc. There are various night corrections a person makes intentionally to move from one degree to another. We are talking about very significant things.

Out of the darkness, we reveal all the “Avchanot” (internal definitions of properties), and then simply correct them by adding intent. New desires are revealed from darkness.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/2/26, Rabash, “What Does It Mean that the Torah Was Given Out of the Darkness in the Work?”

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Preparation to the Lesson

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1st part of the Lesson — Writings of Rabash, Article 10 “What Is the Substance of Slander and Against Whom Is It?” (1987) (6.13.2002)

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2nd part of the Lesson — Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Vol. 1, Part 1, Chapter 1 (8.8.2007)

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