Question: Various events and all kinds of actions take place around you. How do you distinguish between what belongs to the material world and what belongs to the spiritual world?

Answer: Everything people do in our world beyond what is minimally necessary to sustain themselves ultimately works to their detriment. It all counts as a loss. Consequently, it returns to them in the form of all kinds of suffering. But they cannot do otherwise, because they are not yet capable of determining how they should relate to the world correctly.

Those in whom the point in the heart awakens are brought to Kabbalah. They hear all kinds of advice: “Stop wasting your time on empty pursuits in this world. Immerse yourself completely in the upper world, and deal with this world only to the extent that is necessary. Then everything will be comfortable and good.” But even this, a person does not hear.

For example, we have many students who consider themselves our friends and, supposedly Kabbalists, yet they are involved in high-level business, dealing in and earning many millions of dollars a year. They hear these things, and at the same time they do not hear them. Such is human nature.

Therefore, it takes a vast field of activity and many years before something begins to break through within a person. And even then, it depends not on the person himself, but on the surrounding society, the group, and the study, in other words, solely on the influence of the upper light upon him. Then he will hear.

Question: But how can the upper light influence a person if he is not in it?

Answer: But is he connected to it in some way, or not at all? That is the real question. Does he participate in our community through his actions, through his substantial financial support, through disseminating together with the group, or through some other form of assistance?

But if he disconnects from it and exists only nominally, merely bearing the name, then that is it, he has gone on to the next reincarnation. He will simply pass through this life to the end, live out the remainder of it, die, and then be born again. At some point, he will once more receive the “point in the heart.” It is unknown how it will pierce him, at what stage of life, or in what way.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. The Difference Between the Material and the Spiritual” 9/25/10

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During an ascent, a person is deliberately given a measure of illumination so that one may feel perfection. But this comes to a person from above, not as something the person has earned by oneself, and it is given precisely so that one will clearly sense the qualities of the Creator and grasp, at least to some small degree, the nature of spirituality. Based on that experience a person is meant to delve deeper into the Torah, the study, the articles, the letters, and all the material that was previously unclear to them.

Now they must work through this material, understand it, and truly internalize something from it. Depending on how quickly and effectively they use this and depending on their desire to derive the maximum benefit during the ascent, they will acquire knowledge, sensations, and discernments.

Later, when they are “lowered,” they must understand that they are now being given the state opposite to the ascent, remoteness from the Creator, so that they may feel who they are without the influence of the surrounding light. But in any case, the surrounding light illuminates them so that they can see that they do not understand or feel, and are in darkness, in remoteness, and in descent. This is the illumination of the surrounding light, but, as it is called, in “Achoraim.”

Then, in the state of descent, one is also obligated to work, that is, not to immerse oneself in this state, not to study one’s Kelim, because they can be studied only in their interaction with the light.

If, while trying to emerge from the state of descent, a person is unable to study or engage in internal work, one should instead perform physical actions in the group, in the kitchen, it doesn’t matter where. Although a person performs them mechanically, with hands and feet, and cannot engage one’s mind and heart, these efforts will be regarded as genuine spiritual actions in the spiritual Kelim, because this is the greatest spiritual self-expression of which one is capable.

But when, after a period of descent, a person receives an illumination from above, one must not think that it is the result of one’s own work, that he himself has overcome, acted, and attained. One is being given another state from above in which one must work, and perhaps this is called an ascent. It is still not known what an ascent and a descent really are.

We should evaluate these states not according to how close or far we are from the Creator because of an awakening from above, but according to the extent to which, through our own awakening from below, we strive to come closer to Him. It may be that during a descent a person’s yearning for the Creator is greater than it is during an ascent; then the descent is an ascent.
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From Daily Kabbalah Lesson on 7/7/26, Rabash, Article 28, 1991 “What Are Holiness and Purity, in the Work?”

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Preparation to the Lesson

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1st part of the Lesson — Writings of Rabash, Article 27 “The Creator and Israel Went into Exile” (1986) (6.24.2002)

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2nd part of the Lesson — Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah” (6.7.2001)

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Before every lesson, a person should think: What will I receive from this study? This inner preparation before the lesson should prepare him so that during the study he will be able to think correctly. This is possible. A person simply needs to accustom himself to it, and gradually it will become natural. There are many things we must do in a very simple, uncomplicated way, “like an ox to the burden and a donkey to the load.”

Why have we been given reason and thought? To search and discover the one thing that is truly worth holding on to: to study, to examine what is happening to us. This study should lead us to the conclusion called the recognition of evil. I should not resist anything, nor should I force myself to do anything. That is of no benefit.

I need only pay attention to what the Creator is doing to me! From this, I gradually begin to understand: who I am, who He is, what He wants, why He arranges these things for me, and with what subtlety He does so. Through this, I slowly come to know nature.

Kabbalah is the study of nature, but in a broader sense. It includes the world of causes, where everything is conceived and prepared, and from there extends to our nature, to ourselves, and to our environment.

Thus, by studying ourselves, as it is said, “From Your actions we shall know You,” and “From my flesh I shall see the Creator,” we come to study the whole of reality.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/7/26, Rabash, “What Are Holiness and Purity, in the Work?”

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Whether a person is in a state of descent or ascent depends on how he evaluates his condition, either according to the actual spiritual reality or according to his own attitude toward that state. For example, I forget where I am and begin recalling how yesterday I played cards with my friends, drank beer, and felt good and happy. At that moment, I considered that time to have been an ascent.

Then suddenly I “wake up” and ask myself: “What am I thinking about right now? Where am I? What am I immersed in?” At that point, I begin to realize that this is actually a descent. In reality, we can determine whether we are in an ascent or a descent only in relation to the surrounding light. If we truly want to evaluate where we are, this is the only criterion.

A person may be sitting here in a chair, yet inwardly be traveling around the world. As it is rightly said: “A person is where his thoughts are.”

But we are speaking about a situation in which, for example, a person is completely immersed in the study, yet torments himself inwardly, and that is not the right thought. Or he is thinking about matters connected with his activities in the group, and that is not it either. During the study, he should feel himself and the entire group connected to the Creator through the material they are studying. That is truly the state toward which one should aspire.
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From Daily Kabbalah Lesson on 7/7/26, Rabash, Article 28, 1991 “What Are Holiness and Purity, in the Work?”

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Question: In a state of descent, how can I find the strength to awaken from below?

Answer: In order to allow a person to make an effort, an independent movement, he is left alone. Instead of being pulled toward the goal by a force from above, he is blocked from reaching it. However, this does not start right away. Initially, a person is slightly guided in the right direction, which allows him to experience and distinguish certain things, albeit in a limited, beginner’s way.

Suddenly, this is halted, and the person is given the feeling of being completely disconnected, with a foul mood, he falls in both animal and spiritual lives. What is this done for? It gives him a sense of the desert when he does not know what to do or where to go. And his current state is not good either.

When a person does not have an inner state called “the present” or a surrounding light, which shines from afar and is called “the future,” it leads him to a state of despair, to a feeling of lack of fulfillment from both the present and the future. He feels unable to live either in the present or the future.

This is done to show a person what state he is really in when he is not cared for from above. Is it possible to do something in this state? Almost nothing. But still, it is possible to analyze a little and find out to what extent it is beneficial to advance with the help of the forces granted from above. At least this: to want them, to appreciate them.

Ultimately, these states teach a person about his true state when he is not “cared for” from above. That is why these states are good, because they build a person. Otherwise, when he is given all kinds of fillings and is lured in—this is not a great achievement, anyone could advance this way.
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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: Why is the connection of religious people with the Creator imperfect?

Answer: Baal HaSulam writes at the end of Introduction to The Book of Zohar that the people of Israel do not belong to this world, and the Germans once felt this. Jews are not a nationality, not a people, but something irrational.

In the Torah, it is said that the Creator wanted to give the Torah to the other nations, but they did not want to accept it. Then He gave the Torah to the people of Israel, scattered us throughout the world, and sent us into four exiles so that we would intermix with other nations.

In exile, we fell to the level of the “nations of the world.” Now, we must correct ourselves so that the Galgalta Eynaim (GE) are corrected, and only then can we elevate the AHP to GE.

Baal HaSulam says that the entire nation of Israel is guilty of not fulfilling its mission in the world, of not realizing itself as a spiritual guide. But there are those who are more guilty and those who are less guilty.

And it is those who study only the outer part of the Torah, neglecting the inner part, who cause the greatest harm to the entire nation of Israel and to the world as a whole.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/23/26, Rabash, “What Is the Importance of the Groom, that His Iniquities Are Forgiven?”

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Preparation to the Lesson

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1st part of the Lesson — Writings of Baal HaSulam, Letter 39

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2nd part of the Lesson — Conversations with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman with His Students

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3rd part of the Lesson — Writings of Baal HaSulam, “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”

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A person’s spiritual advancement is sustained by light; without it, there is nothing to talk about. But what causes the light to come? Either it is an awakening from above, and then a person experiences a positive, uplifted state, is ready to exert effort, and nothing else matters to them.

Or this light arrives as a result of their efforts to grasp the importance of the goal. In accordance with these efforts, the light of importance, or, in other words, the light of faith, shines on them.

Then darkness does not matter to them. Even if, after another attempt to draw near the inner chambers, a person finds themselves distanced from the Creator without having gained anything, they still thank the Creator. Even when they fall back into an animalistic state, as was the case in many of their previous falls, they remain grateful to the Creator for simply receiving these various different states from Him.

They do not evaluate these states based on what they possess or what occurs during each ascent and descent, because they understand that doing so would merely be using their receiving Kelim (vessels). Instead, they assess their states according to how much effort they can invest to receive the light of faith through their own efforts and work from below. This is the correct assessment.

When a person comes to a state where, in both ascents and descents, the only thing that matters is that one’s attitude toward the Creator does not change, then we say that one is filling one’s reflected light, the light of faith, from below up, instead of allowing the light to come from above to below.

This is called being ready to bestow upon the Creator by filling oneself with this light, rather than allowing the Creator to fill him. This is the person’s giving. And then, in this measure, the Creator clothes Himself in a person, and they unite, and this union of direct and reflected light, clothed in each other, is called the inner light.

Rabash describes these states for a reason. We can observe this in ourselves when we look at each other—gauging the states we are in: whether we are falling or rising, either as a group or individually.

We need to reach a point where none of these matters to us. No matter what state I am in—whether I am rising or falling, whether I am happy or anxious, whether there is illumination from above or not—none of it interferes, we must immediately fill this Hisaron (lack, need) with the light of faith.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/29/26, Rabash, “One’s Greatness Depends on the Measure of One’s Faith in the Future”

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Question: What should I do if I do not experience descents? After all, I am in the best group, and I have the sources and a teacher.

Answer: If everything is going well for you, if you study, and you feel fulfilled by the “holiness” that comes from observing the commandments, then it is a sign that you are not exerting yourself enough, or that perhaps you are making physical efforts, but not inner ones. You are not searching as deeply as you could. And most likely you are still not truly connected with the others. You can work physically alongside them all the time, but being connected with them means seeing something in them that you do not have yourself.

Apparently, you lack a sufficient measure of envy. You are satisfied with what you have: “Thank God, I have something. That is wonderful. Thank You, Creator. Everything is fine. Everything is for the best. I am joyful, and I am righteous.” Then you are operating only in the right line, and in the right line alone, a person cannot grow because he acquires no new vessels. Unfortunately, that is the problem.

Question: But shouldn’t we always remain in an elevated mood?

Answer: You should remain in an elevated mood despite the constant counterbalance of the left side. Every time additional Kelim are added to you, you draw toward the right. But without the left line, what is all this worth? You cannot grow that way.

We grow only when the flesh increases, and it comes from the Kelim that we seek to clarify. So what you are lacking is a sufficient measure of envy. “Counters envy increases wisdom.” You are not envious of how your friends study, take notes, and work. Envy is essential, but it must be the right kind. It is not wishing to bring your friend down and not wanting that he would study and act as you do, but rather aspiring to become like him.
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From Daily Kabbalah Lesson on 7/2/26, Rabash, Article 21, 1988 “What Does It Mean that the Torah Was Given Out of the Darkness in the Work? ”

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