In “Introduction to TES,” Baal HaSulam explains that everything depends on the efforts. But it’s not simply efforts. When a person starts to study the wisdom of Kabbalah, he does not yet have any notion of what the spiritual world is. He reckons that spiritual pleasures will open up in his egoistic desires.

That is why in the beginning he exerts effort in the usual way, and he cannot really act otherwise. He is ready to invest his strength, the accumulated knowledge, intellect, and feelings, without realizing that on this path his personal “baggage” will not help. In order to come out into the spiritual world, we need the force which comes from Above.

But gradually, the studying and the group do their job, and the person begins to understand that the usual scheme does not work here. He heard this before, but now he realizes in practice that he needs to reveal all features of a new picture within himself.

He gets disappointed in the “logical” approach and in the game with the feelings. He discovers that everything he has does not suit spiritual development at all. New Kelim (vessels, desires) are needed here, which cannot be found in oneself, but must be received from Above.

In this way, the Light which arrives during the studies changes the person. But he sees it only by the results, by the internal changes, by the new way he relates to bestowal. Kabbalists have explained everything to us, only we do not really want to implement it: You do not need to be very smart to understand that our intellect is absolutely not suited for the spiritual world.

For thousands of years we have been developing from generation to generation, and each one was smarter than the previous one. We, ourselves, see how our children easily grasp everything that came to us with much difficulty.

We should understand that this whole process of egoistic growth is intended to bring a person to despair, when he will no longer have anything to take from the world. I come to the conclusion that everything the world can offer is not enough for me, thus reaching the “ceiling,” the end of the road.

This way, I strive for something higher, I want something that exists above the “ceiling.” It is then that the point in the heart starts to speak within me. So how can I ascend toward the place where it is calling me to? This, I do not know.

A new desire awaits me there, completely new instruments of perception, a new feeling, and a new intellect. But they need yet to be acquired. That is why I arrive at the wisdom of Kabbalah, the group, and the teacher. By using them correctly, I attract the Light that Reforms, and only this Light leads me to the goal.

The new feeling and the new intellect are being formed, born, are emerging within me, and I begin to look at the world in a new way. The old picture recedes to the side and a new picture takes its place. This, in fact, is a new world.

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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/10/10, Writings of Rabash, Dargot Hasulam, Article 545

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The Upper One is only waiting for a reaction from us. Portions of Light come from the Upper One to the lower one (to every one of us), demanding the right reaction from us in response. The Upper One knows exactly what is happening to the lower one and what state the lower one is in because He forms this state for the lower one.

Of course, the Upper One knows what the lower one is ready to do. He arranged all of the external and inner conditions for the lower one to ensure him free choice, leaving the lower one just one thing that is unclear and unknown to the lower one – the middle third of Tifferet (Klipat Noga). Precisely in this state the lower one has to form the middle line on his own.

If in response to the Upper One’s influence, the lower one correctly builds the middle line, this means he becomes worthy. Then he really shifts himself and the whole world (all of the environment that the Upper One has formed for him at this moment) toward good.

Therefore, the only thing required of the lower one when he feels a lack (Hissaron) is to turn to the Upper One in order to receive the component he lacks in order to shift himself and the whole world to good. The lower one lacks knowledge, sensation, and later the ability to make a decision. He must receive all of this from the Upper One.

The Upper One leaves the lower one Klipat Noga in order for him to desire to turn to Him and receive what he lacks. If the lower one is ready to receive this supplement for Klipat Noga, then he receives it. This is the additional force of bestowal that he acquires on the current degree, which enables him to rise to the next level.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/13/10, The Zohar

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“No pain, no gain,” as the saying goes. Whatever goal I choose to pursue, good or bad, it requires effort. Workers labor at a job, as do thieves, scientists, athletes, and so on. Any achieved desire demands work.

After all, the creature is made of the desire for pleasure, and, like any matter, it strives for rest. Therefore, any movement (action) requires energy (motivation) from us. This rule governs all levels of nature, from still to speaking.

In our world, parallel to the growth of egoism, we exert more and more effort in order to achieve the desired result and gain pleasure.

Describing the spiritual world, Kabbalists also emphasize the rule: “The measure of suffering determines the measure of reward,” “I labored and found.” The formula remains the same, but it includes a provision: Spiritual actions are performed outside of the desire for pleasure.

After the desire of human degree, the yearning for equivalence to the Creator, His revelation, emerges in a person and he finds the group, his development continues according to the following order:

1. I study the wisdom of Kabbalah in the group in order to unite.
2. My egoism grows solely by way of the studies. It is now a totally different ego, unlike ordinary egoism of the corporeal world. As it grows, I begin to understand how inadequate I am to the goal, bestowal. I discover my hate towards the friends and for unification.
3. I need awareness of the importance of the goal, and this awareness comes from the studies and the group as well.
4. I fall into crisis and don’t know what to do when I realize I need the help of the Surrounding Light (Ohr Makif).
5. I begin studying differently, in order to draw the Surrounding Light (Ohr Makif) in the group.
6. And then I find!

It is not as easy to realize egoism on the spiritual path as it is in the corporeal world. In this world, I simply make an effort and achieve a result. In contrast, spiritual growth requires the growth of egoism that resist unification. Parallel to it, the importance of bestowal has to increase as well; otherwise, what for should I labor?

I study in order to draw the Surrounding Light (Ohr Makif), and only then do I find what I desire. What is this finding? It is bestowal.

Thus, we acquire a second nature. We started with a will to receive, but in the end our nature becomes bestowal. And while we are seeking, we must exert our own efforts along with the influence of the Surrounding Light.

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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/10/10, Writings of Rabash, Dargot Hasulam, Article 545

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It is enough if we desire to unite, and the Light will unify us. Each of us has a desire that has been evolving for thousands of years and a point that has emerged just now and is pulling us toward something unknown.

But it isn’t enough! We are dealing with a bipolar effect, a split desire: One part is pulling it to one side, this world, and the other, the “point in the heart,” pulls it in the opposite direction, to the spiritual world. What do I do with this bipolarity?

All you can do is override one desire with the other. This is why I enter the group and receive from it additional desire into the point in the heart. I obtain it thanks to the efforts I put into the group and due to the fact that I am not trying to break into the spiritual world, but rather act according to the rule of “from the love of friends to love for the Creator.” In other words, I put my efforts into our unified desire.

And then from the group, I receive the strength that includes the initial force of my point in the heart and what the group has added to it. This additional power that I receive is called “spiritual yearning” (Ishtotekut). And my initial desire is called Ratzon. Therefore, Kabbalists point out that in order to reach the upper world, it is necessary to have “Ratzon ve Ishtotekut” (see Part 1, Talmud Eser Sefirot).

The Upper Light acts upon this specific yearning built above my own natural desire and performs a correction within me: It unites me with the others into one collective desire, the place where the Creator will be revealed.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/10/10, "The Freedom"

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Question: What is the difference between “Zivug” (coupling while striking) and “Bitush” (collision)?

Answer: Zivug is merging of two spiritual objects that are not opposite to each other and are able to unite according to their equivalence of form, intention, and purpose, similar to how two people unite in partnership or marriage.

Suppose there are two people who have a common spiritual goal. They are in constant opposition and confrontation with each other due to the force of breaking that rules between them. But they discover that they are unable to achieve this goal individually. If I advance on my own, I face an immovable obstacle. If the other advances on his own, he also faces a barrier.

What do we do then? In that case, I nullify my ego, and he nullifies his. In the degree that we succeed in doing so, we are able to unify as one. In this measure, we reach the goal.

This is the Creator’s condition since the goal is achieved only in mutual connection of all; after all, the goal itself is bestowal. Do you wish to reach it? Go ahead! Cancel your ego, and by doing so, you will build a Kli (a vessel) for bestowal. To the measure you do it, you will become filled with the Light of bestowal.

But it happens on one condition: if I nullify my ego and the other does the same with his. Hence, I strike my ego (Hakaa) and the other strikes his, and as a result, we perform mutual unification (Zivug de Hakaa). I perform a strike within me, at my ego, but I perform a Zivug with the other, outside of me.

Now, a question arises: Why then does a Zivug take place despite the fact that even after striking my own ego, I do not wish to unify with the other? It happens because by rejecting my ego with a strike, I draw the reforming Light, which pushes me toward unification, Zivug.
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/10/10, Explanation of the Article, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

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The Book of Zohar — Introduction: “The Letters by Rabbi Amnon Saba,” Item 24, Lesson 2
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Talmud Eser Sefirot 3, Part 8, Item 20, Lesson 10
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Baal HaSulam, “Beit Shaar HaKavanot,” Item 78
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Rav Yehuda Ashlag “A Handmaid that is Heir to Her Mistress,” Lesson 5
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A person instinctively feels that this world cannot satisfy him. Some are more idle, others less, but everyone has a desire, a wish for something that he is ready to enjoy, and the only question is how much effort one is prepared to invest in order to get what he wants.

In truth, the problem lies in whether or not I arrange the order of priorities, the scale of values. Suppose I wish to become as wealthy as Rothschild. I then begin thinking: "Even if I achieve success, it will take an entire lifetime. Is it worth it? It probably is not." Everyone makes their own calculation, depending on the circumstances. We weigh and compare the profitability of certain goals in life.

What should I do if I find many goals I would like to achieve? Spirituality also appears on this list, perhaps as first, second, or tenth. But additionally there are more profitable things: wealth, recognition, health, and so on. It turns out that our challenge is in elevating the importance of spirituality in our eyes, raising it from the bottom of the list to the very first priority.

This can be accomplished only with the help of the group. The environment has the capacity to obligate me to think in a certain way, even if it is totally unjustified from the point of view of egoism. The spiritual world for me is something blurry; I don’t see anything useful in it, and yet, I begin wishing to enter it.

If the group gives such importance to and talks about it, and if from every direction I hear about the exalted nature of a spiritual goal, then I, too, start yearning for it, even if unaware of what it is. I wish for it more than anything else.

Thus, the problem is not in my individual desire. Do not be distressed if it is weak and overpowered by desires of the heart, the intellect, and even the stomach. I should only worry over the fact that I don’t wish to enter the group that will elevate the spiritual goal for me. And that is the problem.

We have repeatedly heard about Rabbi Yossi Ben Kisma who refused to leave his disciples for the sake of an honorable and well-paid position in another city. After all, they were the ones who gave him the importance of bestowal. They may have been beginners, knowing nothing yet, but their hearts were burning and that was more than enough. They again and again awakened him.

Similarly, someone at a higher spiritual degree, surrounded by the lower degrees, becomes inspired by them. We “plant” our children in the same way, like a seed planted in soil, which begins sprouting. The earth, the still level, supplies the seedling with mineral, salts, and other nourishment. The sun, air, and water are also elements belonging to the inanimate level, but these specific forces cause them to bloom in to the next spiritual degree.

If you lower your head before the group, despite the fact that you think they are beneath you, then their influence and desire elevates you to bestowal, and you bloom.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/10/10, Writings of Rabash, Dargot Hasulam, Article 545

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It is idolatry to think that the Creator can change. It is written: “I did not change my HaVaYaH.”

The Creator constructed a strict system of laws, and “the Upper Light remains at absolute rest.” Desire is also already made as it is; it only gets developed by the Light and keeps feeling (discovering) itself, comparing itself to the Light.

The Light affects the desire, enters it, and passes through all its layers: 0-1-2-3. And when it reaches the 4th level (Behina Dalet), only there free will emerges in us. But it lies solely in our ability to change our attitude. However, by changing our attitude, we change our perception.

If you wish to understand the Creator and become like Him, you begin to feel His goodness. Baal HaSulam writes in his “Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot” that our only problem is that we don’t comprehend His Providence.

We stand against Nature (the Creator), so to whom can we make claims? During our entire history, we were developing by the steps of 0-1-2-3, as the still, vegetative, and animate levels of nature. We were forced to evolve unconsciously, led either by the pressure of pain or attraction of pleasure. But when we reach the 4th level, we must familiarize ourselves with this process and learn from it about the Performer of all actions.

In other words, we need to learn about His work, understand what He does, and transform ourselves in order to bestow, that is, become like Him. Then, “from His actions we will know Him.” When we get to know Him, we start justifying Him and become similar to Him, meaning that we ascend to His level.

And all of this is based on intention. It isn’t just an attitude; thanks to intention, we start getting to know the Creator and feel His actions within us, in their authentic form.

When I rise above my egoism and make a restriction, the screen and the Reflected Light, I become equivalent to the Light! Conversely, I begin to comprehend His true attitude toward me.

In the Light that dresses me, I experience “tastes” (Ta’amim) or the Creator’s attitude toward me: what He expects from me and how He feels about me. I get to know the Source from where everything comes to me and thereby cleave onto Him. I begin living not by my own desires but by His.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/7/10, “A Handmaid that is Heir to Her Mistress”

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Question: If the Creator’s plan is to bring man to the purpose of creation, what did He gain from the events that took place in Israel at the beginning of the month? What is their outcome?

Answer: I am not going to check how the people changed. We act along the axis of time: There was a state before the fire, then there was a fire that took people’s lives and destroyed vegetation, and when it was over, the rain fell.

What changed in this period of time? You started asking questions: “Why did the rain start the day after the fire had been put out? Was it some kind of joke? During the fire we needed rain so much and begged for it so passionately, but there was no response. And when we didn’t need it any longer, it started raining cats and dogs bringing so much damage. We were struck twice.”

Indeed, it is exactly as the Torah describes: If Israel is unworthy, the rain falls at the wrong time in the wrong place. It is the law of nature. Above there is the Light, and below there is the will to receive (desire) that must reach equivalence with the Creator. The Light constantly works on desire, and the latter keeps changing.

The Creator does only this calculation: two states, the initial and the final one, must be the same. Based on this, He acts. Just as the Light created four phases of expansion of the Direct Light, it continues to develop everything within them.

The Creator doesn’t react; it is the law or Nature. What do you want from Him? Would you be willing to approach an erupting volcano and beg: “Do me a favor, stop erupting for a few minutes, I need to pass through?”

Why then do you think the Creator will respond to your prayers? In this case, you are worshiping an idol. You view Him as wishing stars that bring luck, as if with their help you may change your fate. It’s true that you can learn something about the future, but changing it is beyond your power.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/12/10, “A Handmaid that is Heir to Her Mistress”

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