Lesson Preparation
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Lesson on the Topic: “Attacking the Connection”
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Talmud Eser Sefirot, Part 6, Item 1
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Shamati #3, “The Matter of Spiritual Attainment”
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Lesson Preparation
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Lesson on the Topic: “Attacking the Connection”
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Talmud Eser Sefirot, Part 4, “Histaklut Pnimit,” Chapter 5, Item 84
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Writings of Baal HaSulam, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”
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Lesson Preparation
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Lesson on the Topic: “Attacking the Connection”
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Talmud Eser Sefirot, Part 4, “Histaklut Pnimit,” Chapter 4, Item 66
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Writings of Baal HaSulam, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”
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Lesson Preparation
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Lesson on the Topic: “Attacking the Connection”
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Talmud Eser Sefirot, Part 4, “Histaklut Pnimit,” Chapter 4, Item 61
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Writings of Baal HaSulam, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”
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When I see a flaw in something, I rejoice in it. After all, this is a sign that I have made a correction and therefore I discover a new flaw. That is, I am happy about my previous corrected state.
I am also happy in the present state because now I have an opportunity to make a correction and to enjoy this. It turns out that in the past, present, and future, at all times and in all states, I am joyful.
Perfection is built above knowledge, above sensation. Within the sensations, I feel troubles and problems, but above the sensations—scrutinizing why, from where, and for what reason they are coming—I rejoice. These are two different levels.
Everything comes from a great system that reveals problems and troubles to me according to my ability, and I have to correct my attitude toward them. This system exists in front of me. When corruptions are revealed to me, it is a sign that I need to make a correction because there is nothing to correct except my attitude.
From the moment I see the corruption, I begin to think about where it came from, who sent it, and for what purpose. Then I work on it and correct it. I am happy the entire time. I am under the constant care of the upper force that builds my soul. I just need to try and cling to the actions of the Creator regardless of whether they seem bad or good to me.
I have to remember where the problems come from, but not follow them in knowledge (that is, in the sensations that they awaken in me). Instead, I remain one level above them, understanding that everything is done for my benefit. I want to cling to the one who gave me the blow and kiss the hand that hit me. Thus, I want to cling to the Creator above the blows. If I succeed, I detach myself from the corporeal level and exist in adhesion with the spiritual level above the corporeal world.1
I rejoice at the revealed deficiencies, because they existed previously but were concealed, allowing me to think that I am perfect. Yet, when a deficiency is revealed, it is a salvation, because a person is given an opportunity to correct what he is capable of correcting. Therefore, I welcome all the problems and troubles that the Creator brings upon me. After all, the Creator sends them only for the sake of correction. He never punishes us.
The Creator Himself admits that He created the evil inclination. All our problems come only from that egoism. Therefore, there is no flaw that belongs to me personally. My only fault is that I did not fulfill what I could fulfill—this is my entire crime.
All problems exist only in order for me to correct my attitude toward them, declaring that they come from the Creator and being grateful to Him for them. Nothing else is needed. All corrections are made internally, by a change of attitude. It is necessary to come to a state where the whole world will show me where I have to correct my mindset a little, and everything will be fine.
Material actions are just child’s play. The true actions are our attitude to the actions of the Creator upon us. This is called the Creator’s work.2
Joy is expressed in the fact that according to the sensation in my desire to enjoy, I am in trouble, but according to the sensation in faith (in the acquired desire to bestow), I am in an ascent. The gap between one and the other gives me joy. Without the blow to the desire to enjoy, I would not acquire a new desire to bestow.3
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson on 5/17/18, Shamati, Article 40, “Faith in the Rav, What Is the Measure”
1 Minute 28:35
2 Minute 40:00
3 Minute 49:40
Related Material:
Correcting The Flaw In Your Sight
Naivety Is Not A Flaw
Envy Is Not A Flaw
In the entire general system of reality there are only two: the Creator and the created being, the upper Light and the desire created by the Light within Himself as a black point that He develops. This point has developed to the state where it feels itself existing independently, that is, as a human being who lives in this world and has his own authority. It stopped noticing that it exists inside the upper Light that rules over it, advances it, and constantly works on it.
This black point, a human of this world, is unaware that his or her entire existence—everything one does, says, thinks, feels, and decides—is determined by the Light, by the upper force. We are in such concealment. And all our work is to discover this upper force and to realize that it acts within us, leaving us no freedom in anything except for one thing: to wish it to come back and to govern us as it already really is but happens without our awareness.
Therefore, there are two worlds: the lower world where we are seemingly in our own authority and the upper world where we discover that everything comes only from above, from the Light, from the Creator. The main thing in this work is to find out the place of our freedom of choice where we can, through concealment and revelation, discover our freedom between them. Only in this place do we really exist as the created beings.
Outside of it we are under complete rule of the Creator, either unknowingly or with awareness. Yet, somewhere in the middle between one and the other there is a special point where we can determine our independence. We can find it only if we are searching for faith above reason. Then the importance of the Creator is gradually revealed, which is greater than the importance of a person.
This is revealed from above and a person begins to feel at least sometimes that the Creator is more important to him than himself, and he is willing to invest all 1his life and all his strength in Him. This sensation comes and goes and comes again. This work is called faith above reason, bestowal above reception. After all, previously everything was based on the desire to enjoy that was revealed in a person.
It is called “an old and foolish king,” but it always grows alongside the force of faith in opposition to it in order to create an opportunity for a person to proclaim his independence as a middle line between these two forces. There, in the middle line, the Creator and the created being meet.
Implementation of this work is possible only inside the group, in the ten. Therefore, achieving mutual guarantee, connection around Mount Sinai is a necessary precondition for receiving the force of faith from above.1
Friends and a group are means to reveal the Creator. The Creator broke the common soul for us to assemble it again and to become one man. Indeed, if we correct ourselves, we will begin to feel like a single structure. Like now we look at our body and perceive each part of it as ourselves, exactly in the same way we will see and feel that all of humanity is one man.
However, we assemble and correct this one man only for one goal—to reveal a spirit of life in him called the Creator. As we connect separate parts, the spirit of life begins to enter them and they come to life. The Creator enlivens everything. Thus, the work with the friends is the means for the revelation of the Creator and of the true reality.
We do not work directly with the Creator. To the extent that we work with the friends and connect organs of the common soul together, the Creator dresses into them.2
The right line and the left line do not cancel each other out. I can feel them both and also the middle line that reconciles between them. One desire is within reason and the other above it; these are two different sensations. They do not mix; I clearly distinguish between them and can shift from one to the other. I can measure one relative to the other; both desires exist, but I must decide with which of them I want to identify myself.3
First, we live only in this world where everything happens in the desire to enjoy and we do not ascend to the “second floor.” Then the second floor appears in addition to knowledge: faith above reason. Therefore, I have two opinions I can navigate between. I understand when the time comes to expand the first floor in order to englarge the second floor above it.
I live in two worlds. Two desires exist in me without cancelling each other: one is within reason, in Malchut, and the other one is in faith, in Bina.
We do not feel this division inside of us yet, but we move toward it. We need to discuss it and try to imagine it. Like we study events in our world that we first do not understand and feel. But gradually in the process of these exercises we get sensations and ideas.
Baal HaSulam writes that there is nothing in the world that a person cannot feel, including the Creator. After all, the upper force exists; we just need to develop increasing sensitivity to it. Everything comes with experience and habit becomes second nature.4
Two worlds exist simultaneously without cancelling each other. Reason and faith above reason are two programs that act in parallel. We can be in either of them and connect them together. Therefore, it is called faith above reason that we discover difference between the two worlds.
Each level has its own truth: truth within reason and truth above reason, the degree of Malchut and the degree of Bina, between which our existence is realized. We need to increase Malchut in order to increase Bina. They influence each other and everything is implemented between them.5
I move to a different level of perception, to the degree of Bina, faith, and decide that faith is above Malchut, above reason. According to the degree of faith, I decide that the Creator governs everything, determines my entire existence, and I want to be guided by the upper mind of faith, not by my animalistic mind and knowledge.
According to reason, I am the most important and according to faith, the Creator and the friends are more important than me. Reason, my desire to enjoy, will always remain as the left line against the right one, and exactly because of it I will be able to increase the right line, faith, and to advance. The angel of death exists until the final correction.6
The Light descended from above downward and on its way it already built every point, made a mark for each state. Rising from below upward, we need to reach the same point, meaning to rise from one of its marks to another. This is like shooting at a ready target. We just need to bring our prayer in line with the state that exists before it. The answer to the prayer already exists and as soon as we ask correctly, we will immediately receive it.7
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/3/18, “Work in Faith Above Reason”
1 Minute 0:20
2 Minute 16:50
3 Minute 20:20
4 Minute 24:00
5 Minute 28:20
6 Minute 34:00
7 Minute 53:35
Related Material:
“See Your World In This Life”
This Life Is A Dream
New Life #1005 – The Right Approach To Life, Part 2
Lesson Preparation
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Preparation for the Convention in Italy 2018
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Writings of Baal HaSulam, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”
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Lesson Preparation
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Lesson on the Topic: “Attacking the Connection”
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Writings of Baal HaSulam, “The Teaching of the Kabbalah and Its Essence”
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Faith above reason is a feeling that bestowal is above reception, the importance of the Creator is above the importance of the created being and the whole of reality. A person begins to feel that he has a new concern: to do something for the Creator’s sake and in such a way that the Creator will not even know about it, to bestow in concealment, humbly, without any intention to receive a reward.
We need to ask for this power so that it will govern us and give us guidance as to how to work between us for the Creator’s sake. This power awakens around the point in the heart, grows it, and allows it to act. Here we begin to discover that reality is not what it previously seemed to be. In fact, it is governed by a single force that fills and arranges everything. It always arranged everything, but now it is beginning to be revealed.
Through our desire and efforts to connect, we can invite the Creator to reveal Himself and correct us. In fact, this is the only thing we can do. After all, the first basic act of bestowal is revealed within the connection, and only within the connection does it begin to grow and strengthen. Therefore, we see in the Torah that immediately after the exodus from Egypt, the formation of the nation began by assembling people into tens, hundreds, and thousands.
The desirable state is the revelation of the upper force that gives us the desire to bestow above the desire to receive. We then truly aspire to bestow in order to bring joy and contentment to the Creator, which is our only reward.1
A person who does the right work is always happy, primarily because in any state he has a correct connection with the Creator. In any ascent or descent, he is under governance of the Creator and by being aware of it he already brings contentment to the Creator and thus rejoices.
He feels that he receives strength to always be concerned about the Creator and to bring Him contentment without any self-compensation, that is, to perform pure bestowal. This is an effect of the Light; this is how the Light of faith works.2
At the spiritual degree, a person receives Light that disconnects him from egoism and he begins to consider his desire to enjoy only as means for performing acts of bestowal. Therefore, he does not take himself into account, meaning what he has and what he does not have. On the contrary, he wants to have nothing, no reward at all! This is his primary concern. “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”3
I want all the results of my work to be only in the Creator, and I myself will receive nothing for it, except strength for the work, as if I am filled with fuel like a car. All hundred percent of my work will be for the Creator’s benefit to such an extent that He will not even know about my existence, as if I am an absolute zero.
A car does not know where it is going, it is under the complete control of its owner. I want to be under such control of the upper one. Let the owner fill me with fuel and use me completely. I want to be totally devoted to Him. This is called a loyal servant.4
The Creator likes when we prepare a vessel where He can be revealed. This is exactly what we want to do at the upcoming convention in Italy. We have to create a place for the revelation of the Creator. Even if we do not feel how we create this place, it will exist. Perhaps its intensity will not be enough for the revelation of the Creator toward us, because we are very crude, but nevertheless this place will be already founded.
Now we are beginning to create the structure of Adam HaRishon at the state of final correction. This is the very beginning, we are laying a foundation of this structure of the common soul of Adam in its completely corrected form. This is extremely important work.
Therefore, we need to do everything in our power, and the Creator will finish it for us. The most important thing is to do it and the result is determined from above.
I really hope that we will be able to build the place for revelation of the Creator and for bringing Him contentment.5
If I try to do my work correctly then at every moment I bring contentment to the Creator, even if this is not yet apparent to me. Therefore, I rejoice. After all, I know that the Creator is taking care of me: There is no doubt that I received life and development from Him, “There is none else besides Him.” Therefore, everything depends only on my attitude. I do not place conditions before the Creator that He will reveal Himself no matter what, but I just want to perform acts of bestowal.6
Construction starts from digging a pit and casting a foundation. Likewise, we lay a foundation for the common corrected soul of Adam HaRishon. For this we need to dig into the ground, and this is hard, dirty work. The one who does it sees nothing apart from excavation inside his egoism until he digs enough to lay a foundation for the building. Then perhaps he will gradually start to rise from the pit, above the foundation and erect the building itself.
To add levels is not a problem, someone can add them after us. What’s most important is to lay the first piles of the foundation, and we are very close to it.7
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/30/18, Lesson on the Topic: “The Work in Faith Above Reason”
1 Minute 0:20
2 Minute 14:20
3 Minute 19:25
4 Minute 27:49
5 Minute 42:30
6 Minute 45:40
7 Minute 47:50
Related Material:
Working With Faith Above Reason
Faith Above Reason Is Attainment
Faith Above Reason – Before and After the Machsom
Lesson Preparation
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Lesson on the Topic: “Attacking the Connection”
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Talmud Eser Sefirot, Part 4, “Histaklut Pnimit,” Chapter 2, Item 35
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Writings of Baal HaSulam, “The Teaching of the Kabbalah and Its Essence”
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