The Book of Zohar – Selections, Chapter “Hakdama, BeLaila De Kala (The Night of the Bride),” Item 149 and Article “Among All the Sages of the Nations of the World, There Are None Like You,” Item 161, Lesson 1
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The Book of Zohar — Selections, Chapter “Tzav (Command),” Item 98
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Baal HaSulam, “Beit Shaar HaKavanot,” Lesson 51
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Rav Yehuda Ashlag, “Body and Soul,” Lesson 2
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I see how many people who felt great excitement at the Convention are experiencing fatigue and depression now that it’s over. Why did everyone feel such an elevated mood? It was because we were under a powerful influence from the environment. So what is it that now prevents us from feeling the same way?

Now we have to work on our own to create a powerful environment for ourselves. At the Convention this happened by itself thanks to the enormous force of influence from the great mass of people who spent so much time preparing for these special moments, the three days of the Convention. Our preparation worked, together with the great help that we received from Above (Itaruta de Leila).

Now each of us personally as well as all of us together must make the same efforts. Then we will feel that we are advancing just as powerfully as we did at the Convention! We will be able to make great leaps along the path; otherwise we will stretch out over a year or even years what we can achieve within a week.

If a person feels a descent, it’s a sign that he is not connected to the environment and does not sufficiently awaken its influence upon himself! In addition, the environment as a whole does not sufficiently worry about the general inspiration to ensure that it’s never any less than it was at the Convention.

Why should we suddenly fall? We should always remain on an ascent, and we are able to do that! We should not agree with the fact that we have lost this general mood.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/23/10, “Body and Soul”

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Man has always clung to religion and all sorts of beliefs because he had to somehow catch hold of spirituality, like a child that calms down by hugging a favorite toy or a familiar blanket. A person needs such "props" his or her entire life. Today, however, when our ego has reached such proportions that it won’t be satisfied with a toy, a person loses it and doesn’t know what to hold on to.

Then, everything becomes acceptable, and nobody cares about anything; notions of good and evil, religion and morality, no longer bind. That turns into a huge problem for society.

That’s when we need to circulate the wisdom of Kabbalah as quickly as possible to replace the disappearing bridle, a function primarily filled by religion which used to keep humanity at bay.

Kabbalah does so by giving humanity a purpose and revealing the Upper Governance to it. A person shouldn’t think that there is no higher authority; there is! However, instead of a system of morality that intimidates people with punishment in the afterlife, we need to actually discover the true Governor. Without it, it’s impossible to get along in the tumultuous transition period when mankind is freed from everything that binds it.

Once, everything used to fit into a clear pattern. Everyone knew how to dress based on his or her social standing strictly instilled by society. Now is the time of complete freedom when everything is allowed. And it’s just a beginning. Soon, all shame and morality will go out of the window.

Instead of being controlled by religion, faith, fear of punishment in this and the future worlds, the promise of Heaven and Hell, and the opinion of society, which puts everyone (be it a slave, a peon, or a lord) in his place by dictating the norms of life, even clothing, instead of all that, we will suddenly find ourselves completely unbridled. That has been done intentionally to replace this control with conscious, willing self-subordination to the Upper Governance.

The transition itself, however, is very problematic. Only when a certain part of humanity finds the connection with the Upper Governance, with the Creator’s "whip and bridle," and allies itself with it, serving as an example to others, then it will be easier for the rest to accept it.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/22/10, "The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose"

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Question: People often ask me what is Kabbalah and I try to explain its essence and purpose. In response many people admit, “Yeah, I also feel that way. Yeah, I know what you’re talking about.” So does this mean they have a point in the heart? How do the people who have this point differ from other people who are also looking for something?

Answer: The point in the heart is a part of the Creator. When it becomes revealed in you, you hear a “call sign” calling you to Him.

We recognize the point in the heart when it brings a person to the science of Kabbalah, to the place or the net where all our points come from. Kabbalah is not the books, but the wisdom and the program of the common system. Kabbalah books bring you the force of this program and you use it to enact the first spiritual impulse.

In reality you have never left this “system of governance.” You are always inside it, connected to others, and your common body is alive. It is Malchut of the World of Infinity, which really exists, although you do not feel how you belong to it.

Instead of feeling its main window, you feel yourself as being in a completely different “window.” You are in the same place, but you perceive a different world, devoid of the common interconnection. There are two windows: one is the natural, correct, true, and deep one, and the other is virtual. Right now my screen is occupied by our illusory world, but alongside it there is also an inner screen where we are all in the state of Infinity. This is what the Kabbalists talk about.

I aspire to it with my point in the heart, wanting to go from the virtual screen to the real one, to the place where I am connected to everyone. If my point really has awakened, I find myself in the group. I open up books that talk about this inner screen, and while reading them I evoke Light from there that begins to advance me.

However, if a person does not care about Kabbalistic books and unity in the group, if he does not feel the inner need for this, then he does not have a point in the heart. He imagines all sorts of things and looks for spirituality in India, or in different religions and faiths, in meditation, in New Age, and so on. In contrast to this, a person with a point in the heart is unable to leave the path any longer. He can “take a break” due to various problems, but he will never exchange his point for anything else.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/22/10, “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose”

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Question: After the Convention, I felt blocked; I couldn’t unify with the others and advance. Is this how the Creator’s revelation gets manifested, and is this evil His reverse side?

Answer: Yes, Pharaoh is the reverse side of the Creator, which is regarded as a “help against him.” This is His way to help you, and we mustn’t forget that.

When you feel drowsy, depressed, and immovable, you have to remember that all unfolding problems are purposeful and are designed to propel you toward the goal. You only need to grit your teeth and go against them. It is the Creator who trips you. It is written, “Come unto Pharaoh for I have hardened his heart.”

He, Himself, hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and, with each plague, the Creator will make him more resentful. You come to Pharaoh like Moses holding onto the Creator’s hand and watch from aside how they argue. What can you do when these two giants clash, the good and the evil, while you are in the middle between the two forces of nature, the left and the right lines?

Yet, at the end of each plague, Pharaoh yields and agrees to release you from bondage (exile) to freedom. That is, the path into the spiritual world is now open for you. You wish to leave and witness how Pharaoh claims power over you again, with ever greater resistance to let you go, and loads you with heavier work and difficulties.

At this point, we forget how this process develops. It isn’t worth fighting with our Pharaoh and arguing with the friends. Turn to the Creator. After all, He admits that it was He who hardened Pharaoh’s heart. He initially created egoism and the Torah as a spice, a means for its correction. If you wish to have it corrected, turn to the Creator, and He will give you a weapon to fight this battle.

Until you defeat your Pharaoh, you won’t exit your Egypt, and this is exactly what many groups forget when they start arguing and bargaining among themselves. This Pharaoh cuts in between us so that we rise above the egoism unfolding in our relationships with each other.

In the beginning, when a group is being formed, everything is so wonderful in it that you simply marvel at it as when we watch a newborn. However, then the baby starts growing and shows willfulness.

Yet, we have to understand that it is all correct. This is how our nature gets revealed, and huge problems will come along with hard hits. This is precisely what is regarded as revealing the Pharaoh.

However, the stronger we unify to stand against it, against our collective egoism, the greater our success will be. In this, we must call in all the means that we have: the Creator, the other groups, and the studies. This is the only way for us to advance.

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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/19/10, “The Freedom”

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The world of restriction is Malchut which restricts herself and claims: “I don’t wish to receive any more; I wish only to bestow. I will still receive, but on condition that I am able to do so in order to bestow and become similar to the Creator, the Light.” This is Malchut’s ultimatum, and we can’t but agree with it if we wish to be together with the Creator, with the Upper Light.

I am currently in the state where I am willing to receive whatever the Creator is offering: Give it to me, and the more, the better! So dictates my egoism, the desire to receive pleasure. But I don’t see the Creator since Malchut of the World of Infinity, the entire enormous restricted will to receive, stands between us. This is why I receive nothing, although I greatly desire everything.

Only if I agree to restrict myself and put a wall before me so that I don’t bother to know how much Light is coming to me from the Creator and receive nothing for my own sake, to this measure, will I start feeling that someone is standing before me.

If I reach the state where besides the First Restriction (Tzimtzum Aleph, TA), I possess an anti-egoistic screen as well, 10 ounces worth, then the Creator will reveal 10 ounces of Himself and illuminate me with “10 ounces” of the Light called Nefesh. If my screen (desire to bestow) increases to 1 pound, then the Creator will become revealed with “1 pound” of the Light called Ruach.

This is how the spiritual degrees are measured. I must always remain under restriction and the screen since it makes me similar to the Host.
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/19/10, “Explanation of the Article, ‘Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah’”

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Question: If I read The Book of Zohar together with you over the Internet, not being present in the group physically, does it influence me?

Answer: Do you really think that you will extract greater benefit by sitting next to me in an embrace? Everything depends on the unity of hearts and not on distance. A person who is far away may be more anxious and worried, and that means he should stay exactly where he is.

The important thing is how responsible a person feels toward others when making his actions. We still have to improve many things, adding new depth and dimension to our intention every day. I don’t want to just restore a connection with others, but to be responsible for them. If I don’t think about and aspire to the goal, then they will also lose spiritual aspiration. This is bad even in the egoistic sense: When I am idle, this affects them and comes back to me as a negative response.

Besides, I am doing this for the sake of our mutual guarantee. Why do we need it? It’s in order to give pleasure to the Creator. By restoring our interconnection, we reveal the general quality of bestowal, the Creator inside it, and by so doing we give Him pleasure.

The quality of bestowal is not just love of friends; it is not limited by the relationships between us. It also contains the One who gave us that quality or desire. Inside our unity we discover one more layer – the basis or cause of the unity. This is the Creator, the primary cause of everything we think and perceive. That is why our intentions have to become more and more complex as they transform into a single aggregate that incorporates Israel, the Torah, and the Creator.

The first step toward this is to imagine the path toward the friends through five worlds. Once I reach them, I will attain Infinity. This is the picture we will gradually complete and color with new shades and strokes.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/23/10, The Zohar

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Question: I feel that we managed to create a new Kli (vessel) at the convention. But soon I will return to my usual egoistic world and will once again be in contact with people who are not on the spiritual path…

Answer: A person cannot advance without creating his own circle. Everyone needs a group – whether virtual or physical – but it has to be an environment that has a stronger influence on him than the external, egoistic society.

He should form an environment that will determine his thoughts, desires, and values. Otherwise he will be lost because he will follow the general egoistic environment. This is our only choice, and if we do not make it, we will be unable to advance.

So now I am coming back home after the convention. Where are my thoughts now? What’s troubling me? I’m afraid of the moment I run away from a connection with the spiritual environment and delve into the material one.

Will I prevent this “click,” after which all my thoughts and desires will be on the other side, in the common swamp? How can I not miss the quick moment of transition?

This is what I should worry about. This has been our mistake that cost us so many years and efforts. The rest is not a problem; the only problem is that I come home and calm down: “Great, the convention is over, now I can get back to normal life.” And then that’s it: Everything you had became Klipot (impure shells).

The only action that depends on me is to attach myself to a spiritual environment, stick to the group so that it is always close and influences me stronger than the material environment. Just like a child, when scared, stays close to his parent hoping that this will save him from all the trouble. Holding on to his parent, he’s sure that now everything will be okay. This is how we should cling to a spiritual environment.

When you leave, don’t avert your eyes from the group, listen to it as if you’ve still got the headphones on, and remind yourself of spirituality with our songs. It doesn’t matter where we are and what we do: There always has to be something dear in the background, something you received from the group. A faint sound of the lesson coming from a minimized window still gets into the unconscious.

And please be sure to visit my blog. I say the most important things there. Even the photos that are posted there I choose with great care. Make sure to read it daily because the following day the materials lose their strength. We’re all uniting around the blog and the morning lesson.

We’re not asked to produce more than the effort. This is what choosing a better environment is. And the Light does its job. Everyone should take care to connect to a strong spiritual environment in order to keep the spirit that you’re taking with you when leaving the convention.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/12/10, Shamati #26

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Baal HaSulam, “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose”: The attribute of goodness is not at all apparent before Creation arrives at its completion, its final ripeness. On the contrary, it rather always takes a form of corruption in the eyes of the beholders. Thus you see that the Creator bestows upon His creatures only goodness, but that goodness comes by way of purposeful Guidance.

The system is designed in such way that in order to reach the goal, the property of bestowal, we must keep uncovering opposite attributes within ourselves. Moreover, as we advance toward the goal, we will be discovering ever greater inadequacies in ourselves. The discrepancy between the positive and the negative constantly increases. I am shown much more of the negative compared to the positive.

The truth is that my matter (desire to enjoy) isn’t neutral. I am not neutral. I don’t wish to be in a zero state; I want pleasure, and that is why even a zero makes me feel bad. I feel good only when I am filled, when I am on the plus side. But what if I didn’t make it to the plus side even a little? It doesn’t matter; I am still unhappy.

The difference between what I desire and what I have immediately stirs up a “why?” in me. It is because my egoism is scorned: “Why am I not filled? I am entitled to everything!”

It is necessary to understand that we cannot be objective judges of the states we are going through since we don’t remain neutral to them. Evil is always greater in our eyes than good. Even without a spoonful of tar in a barrel of honey, if the barrel isn’t filled with the honey completely, something is already wrong.

Moreover, before I am done experiencing something truly great, it dissolves. I am already thinking about what new pleasure I am going to feel the next moment. In the middle of ecstasy, the sign of its loss is already emerging on its face, and I start worrying about what to do next.

This is the way our egoistic desire works. Naturally, with such nature, we are unable to attain satisfaction. It keeps consistently ruining us. Desire for pleasures can never remain filled and satisfied. Every second that lacks enjoyment poisons its life.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/16/10, “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose”

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