Question: Is Aviut the maximum degree of pleasure that I can receive?

Answer: Aviut is the degree of sensation of pleasure within the desire to receive. If I am sitting next to food but do not want it, then my Aviut is zero. But if I suddenly desire it, then I have a certain measure of Aviut according to how hungry I am.

How can this be measured? You can either measure it by the amount of food you are capable of consuming or, if possible, by the magnitude of the pleasure you receive. But all of this pertains to desires. We are not speaking about the physical size of the stomach.

Question: Why does Aviut change? Why can it decrease?

Answer: Aviut, meaning the measure of the sensation of pleasure, can change constantly, and indeed it changes all the time according to the types of connection with the host that I am able to reveal through this Aviut. Everything is arranged in order to bring me to a connection with the host.

Therefore, I should not pay attention to what is being revealed to me at any given moment: whether I want to eat more or less or whether I wish to enjoy this or that in one way or another. I should not concern myself with these things; they are not my problem.

They are revealed to me according to a higher calculation, while my task is to continuously orient myself in the correct direction. But why am I now given a descent, then a brief ascent, or some other state through one desire or another? That I, of course, cannot know. As long as I remain on a given degree, I can never know its causes, because those causes can only be revealed from a higher degree.
[357641]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/6/26, Rabash, “Why Is the Torah Called ‘Middle Line’ in the Work? – 1”

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As a person develops, he gradually begins to feel emptiness within the animalistic vessels because the point in the heart shows him the absence of fulfillment. He may fill himself with food, bodily pleasures, money, honor, or knowledge, yet beside all of these there is a higher vessel that shows him that he is empty.

A person feels that whatever he has filled himself with is not enough. This happens even before he begins studying Kabbalah.

When he does begin to study, however, different difficulties arise. New conditions are arranged for him internally. Suddenly he once again starts receiving pleasure from food, relationships, work, and other worldly pursuits. This comes as “help against him.” Before he began studying Kabbalah, the process was natural and came from Above. But according to the amount of effort he invests in study, an inner imbalance begins to awaken within him, each time in a different form.

Suddenly, instead of a longing for spirituality, a person receives a longing for corporeal things, usually sexual desire, because according to its spiritual root, it is the foundation of all pleasures. Or a desire for money, honor, or knowledge may reappear, although this happens less often, since those pleasures are connected to society.

A person advancing spiritually is gradually detached from society and becomes preoccupied with his inner work. Therefore, he generally does not struggle as much with money, honor, or knowledge; rather, animalistic desires arise within him. But this is already a completely different process. These disturbances are awakened in him from Above according to the effort he invests in his studies.

How does one cope with such disturbances? A person decides intellectually that he must “erase” his own reasoning and harness himself like “an ox to the burden.” He says: “I do what I am told. Why? Because they apparently know, while I am confused and know nothing.” Or: “I must not listen to my own thoughts.”

If only I had listened to what Rabash told me! Only now can I understand how many months and years I would have saved. But it was impossible. It is easy to say, “If only I had listened!” But I could not hear it at the time.

Additional disturbances bring additional Aviut (thickness of desire) if a person accepts them and truly works with them. By using them correctly, he increases his Aviut and eventually rises to the next degree: He falls deeper, and then ascends even higher.

But if you do not want these disturbances and try from the outset to shield yourself from them, you descend to a lower degree and become more “subtle” or weaker. This is called being left aside. They may return to you from Above at some later time, but no one knows when.

Therefore, when difficult states come to a person, it is preferable to use them as opportunities for advancement.
[357411]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/1/26, Rabash, “These Are the Generations of Noah”

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A person must use all the forces that exist within him, especially fear, to attain the desired state. We do not possess a single inclination, even the worst one, that was not created for the purpose of reaching the goal, not even those tendencies that we are ashamed to admit to ourselves. Inclinations, may be misused but nothing was created without a purpose.

We tend to think that the problem lies with the Creator, who seemingly created everything in such an imperfect form: the mentally ill, autistic people, homosexuals, people with a multitude of problems, not to mention ordinary illnesses. We think there is some sort of “distortion” here.

It is not a distortion, but a form of governance that operates with immense wisdom and comprehensiveness. Only later will it become clear why correction is specifically contained in the fact that you have a cold or that someone was born with psychological disorders.

One must not look at a person and evaluate whether he “suits us” or not.” Rather, one should evaluate only the degree of his willingness to be with us.

The group should not behave like an overly indulgent mother who pities her child excessively and thereby harms him. In the end, the child only suffers more. The group should make use of the means of influence at its disposal.

You should not relate to all the friends as though they were equal in every respect. Greater appreciation and respect should be shown to those who invest themselves wholeheartedly in the group. As for someone who is not striving to invest himself, on one hand, he should be helped, but on the other hand, he should be made to understand that there is no necessity for close connection under such conditions.

One should not abandon him, yet neither should one be overly warm or sentimental toward him. On the contrary, one should demonstrate that he is regarded as distant.

The group must utilize all available forces. Exclusion from the group is the strongest influence of all. Use shame and envy; they are among the most effective means of influence. You will see how a friend begins to feel what the group truly is and what he stands to lose. Use these means, but with care.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/1/26, Rabash, “These Are the Generations of Noah”

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Preparation to the Lesson

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1st part of the Lesson — Writings of Rabash, Article 18 “There Is No Blessing in That Which Is Counted, in the Work” (1989) (5.22.2002)

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2nd part of the Lesson — Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah)”

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

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Initially, our soul is “wrapped” in an animalistic desire to receive, a craving for animalistic pleasures: money, honor, and knowledge. This is how we reincarnate over the course of many cycles of life until this outer shell, the husk of this world and of this desire, becomes pure and refined through the suffering a person undergoes from generation to generation, driven by the development of humanity as a whole.

This desire grows and becomes immense: for animalistic pleasures, money, honor, and knowledge. Just look at the variety in our world! Five thousand years ago, there weren’t so many people striving for power. People were content to remain slaves as long as they were fed.

How many people craved money back then? If you just let him live in peace, sitting under a tree, and that is enough for him. Throughout the generations, how many people thirsted for knowledge and wisdom? The situation improved from generation to generation, but it cannot be said that in our generation the desire for animalistic pleasures, food, and sex is fading. These desires increase along with a growing desire for power and knowledge.

Humanity is coming to a state where it wants everything! Yet amidst all these desires, a “point” is revealed in a person’s heart, and the poor soul suddenly realizes that he cannot fill this vast desire for all these pleasures! The point in the heart nullifies the sense of fulfillment, no matter how much he receives.

A person can have a huge desire and every possible advantage, wealth like Rothschild’s, power like a president’s, and knowledge like Einstein’s. But if the point in the heart is present, no amount of worldly fulfillment will prevent a feeling of profound emptiness.  The point in the heart gives a person the sensation that they possess nothing spiritual. They do not yet know what spirituality is, but suddenly they feel a sense of total lack. They feel deficient in every respect; this is the conclusion people gradually reach.

Never in thousands of years have people been as desperate as they are than in our generation. Consider the sheer number of psychological and emotional issues that exist now! The whole world is depressed. A mere century ago, people were content with what they had, but today contentment has become a problem.

Did drugs exist a thousand years ago? They did, yet almost no one needed them. Even a hundred years ago, there use was rare. It was only in the 60s that this trend began, triggered by the emergence of the point in the heart alongside all other desires, even those desires that were already being fulfilled!

Typically such phenomena originate in developed countries. Where is drug use most prevalent? In Europe, America, and Russia, places where people have the opportunity to more or less fulfill themselves with something, but are unable to. Learn, do whatever you want! But a person does not want anything, he does not feel fulfilled.

In other countries that are at a preliminary stage of development where the point in the heart is not yet shining enough for them to see their emptiness, they produce drugs and sell them. They find fulfillment in money, food, and everything that precedes European development. They do not need drugs themselves. They sell them to get food. In the developed world, they do not want food, they want drugs.

This situation arose for a reason: the point in the heart was revealed, exposing emptiness in all other desires. The rest of the desires are strong but hollow; they offer no tangible sense of fulfillment.
[357373]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/1/26, Rabash, “These Are the Generations of Noah”

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On the spiritual path, I am constantly clarifying, not with my intellect, but through an inner sense, where I am: on the battlefield facing danger where my life is hanging by a thread or am I free to drift through life, waste my time, and think: “It’s no big deal; I’m not the only one; everything will work itself out”?

But time and again, it all comes down to a single point: the importance of the goal. Only by increasing its significance can save ourselves from the obstacles that entangle us, and that bring us feelings of weariness. In reality, there is no fatigue; everything depends on necessity.

Ultimately, all our feelings are determined by the desire to receive. We are not speaking about physical matters, but spiritual ones. We know from our own experience that if the body, even a very tired one, felt that there was a worthwhile goal that justified the effort, it would immediately set itself to the task.

Therefore everything depends on how much we increase the importance of what we can attain in our own eyes. Our work consists solely of strengthening the importance of the goal. The awareness of its importance stands against every disturbance on the path, and nullifies them.

No obstacle can withstand the pressure of the importance of the goal. They simply disappear; we no longer feel them. Then we see that they stood in our way only in order to confuse us. We increase the importance of the goal, and things that once seemed significant—“Oh, this is not working, and that is not working out!”—vanish instantly.

This happens because all these disturbances are artificial, not real. They exist only as a counterweight to the importance of the goal. But as soon as I acquire an awareness of the importance of spirituality, the need for these disturbances disappears. They simply vanish and are cancelled.

This is the only thing we must work on: constantly increasing our awareness of the importance of the Creator, and the importance of attaining Him. In this lies the solution to every problem that arises on our path.
[357007]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/20/26, Rabash, “The Difference between Charity and Gift”

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At present, the point in the heart within the more developed nations reveals a sense of emptiness to them, the inability to fulfill their lives through the five senses. In their despair and confusion, they turn to drugs and other escapes, seeking only to flee from reality.

We will see how Europe gradually descends into a state where even development itself comes to a halt, because there will no longer be any stimulus, any desire driving it forward. The same will become evident among Americans who speak so passionately about progress, work, and money. Gradually, we will see an entire society that no longer wishes to do anything, and this, too, is part of the process of development.

Why, then, do they not come to Kabbalah? Because their time has not yet arrived. For now, they are only beginning to discover the futility of seeking fulfillment within this world. The signs are everywhere: culture is no longer important, literature is no longer important, and even progress itself no longer seems important.

Were it not for the fear of physical survival, the world would long ago have ceased to develop altogether. Such is the path of both the individual and humanity as a whole. A person begins to feel that he cannot fulfill himself. He has no strength and no desire to do anything. He does not know what he is working for. He is confused, unable to find a direction, unable to understand what is worth striving for or searching for. He abandons everything and, naturally, loses all desire to work.

Gradually, this process will encompass the entire world until humanity discovers the pointlessness of all its development. Are we truly happier today than those who once lived in caves? In what way? Because we have a hundred television channels? Who even watches them? A person will come to feel, in every aspect of life, that nothing truly fulfills him.

All of this takes place before the point in the heart is revealed in an open and tangible form. Yet even these states are beneficial; they are stages of advancement. They are very distinct stages. Just look at how humanity has progressed over the past hundred years in its understanding of the reality it lives in.
[357417]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/1/26, Rabash, “These Are the Generations of Noah”

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Comment: We talked about the idea of striving to work for the sake of bestowal, and to focus on this only in relation to the group.

My Response: I am not saying that you should strive to work for the sake of bestowal outside the group. No, you should do this within the framework of the group. However, the structure of your soul encompasses a much broader spectrum. You must not forget that the mission entrusted to you is not merely to “bestow to the group,” but to lead to universal correction.

It is not a matter of working for the sake of bestowal for all humanity, you have nothing to give them! Nevertheless, you must realize that you bear responsibility for what is happening to humanity and to your people.

You are looking for something to ask for, something to think about. Read the end of the “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” and you will see that all troubles stem from you, and then you will have something to ask for. I hear that you do not know what request to turn to the Creator with! If things are so good for you, look at what is happening outside.

By yourself, you may be righteous and be in a state of Hafetz Hesed (desiring nothing for yourself), but know that you bear guilt for any misfortune that happens in the world! It is your fault because you received the key to solving problems, and other people do not know anything about it, they did not receive anything like that.

Therefore instead of thinking that you are righteous, and that you are entitled to a reward, you can come to a truer realization: that you are wicked, and that you deserve the same suffering that all humanity experiences. For in the end, since you have received this knowledge, the responsibility rests upon you. As Baal HaSulam writes that we cannot save ourselves from judgment.”
[357606]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/7/26, Rabash, “What Are the Times of Prayer and Gratitude in the Work? ”

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In the wisdom of Kabbalah, we speak about two types of nature: the nature of the Creator and the nature of the created being. We cannot change our nature, but through the intention to bestow, we can make it similar to the Creator’s nature.

In the Creator, there is no separation between action and intention. There is only action with the intention for the sake of bestowal. Yet, if there were nothing opposite to it, it would be impossible even to say that it is for the sake of bestowal. It is simply an action directed toward the created being without any intention of receiving something in return.

We cannot truly imagine such a state. However, if the created being uses its desire to receive in order to become similar to the Creator—to resemble Him in action, or more precisely, in the final result of the action—then within the created being there will be both action and intention.

Initially, no intention was created in the created being. It possesses only the action of receiving, of enjoying, which is called an animate action. The still, vegetative, and animate levels of nature perform this action without any awareness of intention.

The speaking level (the human being) begins to feel the foreignness of this action. Therefore, envy, lust, and honor develop within him, along with all the other forms of development of the desire to receive.

Most importantly, he develops a sensation of the giver. To the extent that a person feels the giver, intention develops within him. If we did not feel the giver, our intention would simply be to enjoy ourselves, like everyone else in this world. There would only be the desire to enjoy, nothing more.

We call this receiving for the sake of receiving. But in truth, it is not even a genuine intention to receive. Rather, it belongs to the realm of the Klipot, forces that know what bestowal is, yet still desire only to receive.

An intention to bestow or an intention to receive can exist only when there is a sensation of the giver, a sensation of the host. Then it becomes clear to a person what he truly wants: to receive or to bestow. Only then does he have the possibility of using his desire to receive in one way or the other.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/6/26, Rabash, “Why Is the Torah Called “Middle Line” in the Work? – 1”

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Question: What is the difference between faith and attainment?

Answer: The difference between faith and attainment is that faith is the light of Hassadim (Mercy) and attainment is the light of Hochma (Wisdom). We do not attain through faith.

We can only attain the Creator, the light. Don’t lose sight of these two things: light and Kli. You might not advance far this way, but you will certainly form a correct conception and avoid confusion.

What are you attaining? To the extent that you are like Him, you see your corrected qualities and call this the Creator. You will never feel more than your corrected properties; according to this, you will form an image of the Creator. As it is said, “Yud-hey-vav-hey” (HaVaYaH), filled with light, is called “The name of the Creator.”

Who is the Creator? This is my soul, Yud-hey-vav-hey, filled with the upper light due to its corrections. The lights, along with the corrected Kelim, which give me the whole set of sensations I call the Creator, are me.

In other words, your soul is the Creator, because in the corrected state, you merge: “He and His Name are One,” “Israel, the Torah, the Creator are One.”
[357729]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/9/26, Rabash, “Man Is Rewarded with Righteousness and Peace through the Torah”

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