Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Item 67: When a person from Israel enhances and dignifies one’s internality, which is the Israel in that person, over the externality, which are the nations of the world in him, that is, when one dedicates the majority of one’s efforts to enhance and exalt one’s internality, to benefit one’s soul, and gives minor efforts, the mere necessity, to sustain the nations of the world in him, meaning the bodily needs, as it is written (Avot, 1), “Make your Torah permanent and your labor temporary,” by so doing, one makes the children of Israel soar upwards in the internality and externality of the world as well, and the nations of the world, which are the externality, to recognize and acknowledge the value of the children of Israel.

Question: There is internality and there is externality. It’s clear to me. Yet, I don’t understand what to prefer one over another means.

Answer: There is a soul and there is a body. Here “body” is not used in the physical sense of the word. At the speaking level, a body is a will to receive. What is a human being in the first place?

It’s not a physical body. Even a monkey has hands and a rooster has legs. Human beings stay above the animate level because they have the ability to attain the Creator. Even though human beings belong to the animate level, they still have an additional potential: a desire to search for the Creator.

We are “strange monkeys” who have unlimited developmental horizons.

“What are you looking for in our forest?” monkeys ask; “Have you lost something?”

“I am looking for my brothers. I want to find father.”

“Here is your father, don’t you see?”

“No. I am looking for the source of life. There is something missing in my life. I want to know why I live. Is there anything besides bananas out there? It’s hard for me to abide without searching.”

“Without what…?”

“I don’t know myself yet, but I have to find a sense in life. My existence is insipid and flavorless.”

“Try these wonderful bananas!”

“That won’t do! I still have a desire that is beyond just having daily bread.”

This additional desire is called “a Man” (Adam). Our internal quest addresses an aspiration to become similar (Domeh) to the Creator, to His properties and nature.

A monkey begins searching without having any clue about anything at all. So far, the search is cloaked in egoistic development.

The development is rigidly oriented to earn more money, have more success, and to build more. This process has been going on for hundreds of thousands of years: There was agriculture, then industry emerge, complicated social interactions, countless human achievements, and still the monkey is never completely happy or satisfied.

In the tangle of monkeys’ desires, inside lurks a rush to sense the Creator. But this aspiration is unarticulated, implicit, as if hidden under several layers of clothes, other desires. New unexplored lands and continents seem so attractive to monkeys! Monkeys strive to explore the world and its laws: “What’s there in the skies? What’s in the depth of the Earth? What is on our friends’ minds and in their hearts?” Monkeys develop sciences and technologies that represent evolutional milestones in the language that monkeys understand.

In essence, in the very depth of their minds, behind all feasible efforts in science, philosophy, and the latest technologies, monkeys aspire to the revelation of the source of reality.

With time, monkeys become much stranger and begin calling themselves “human beings.” This situation continues until a once hidden desire begins manifesting itself more vividly. Then, monkeys start searching for certain natural powers; they engage in mysticism and astrology, start looking for sacraments, noticing “signs” that are around and inside them. They ascribe mysterious properties to various things and phenomena and create innumerable theories. As a result, they still find nothing.

Yet, the monkeys’ deepest desire gradually emerges and emerges even more. Suddenly, among thousands of highly developed monkeys shows up one by the name “Adam.” It’s not an accident that his parents gave him this particular name. This newly established enormous desire finally divulges the upper force that launched the entire reality with everything that ever existed.

This man is called “the first man” (Adam Ha-Rishon) since he is the one who acquired a human appearance: similarity with the upper force. Thus, he revealed the Creator.

He was followed by many others throughout twenty generations before Abraham. Some of them managed to attain a human level.

Consequently, a thirst to reveal the upper force is built into this type of monkey. So far, their egoism was only accompanying them towards this force. They are trying to build a better life and they try various remedies since their internal appeal is still hidden.

Similarly, we “trick” our children to engage them in beneficial activities by placing things that are good for them in attractive wrappings so that they gradually move in the desired direction. The same applies to monkeys, they slowly approach the question about the purpose of their lives driven by numerous challenges, disappointments, and goadings. This is how any advancement happens.

In ancient Babylon, there were huge arguments among people. They had no idea how to resolve them. The situation became so acute that they began screaming: “We want to know our King!” These were very advanced thinking, progressive monkeys. It took them hundreds of thousands of years before they proclaimed their desire to get “acquainted” with the upper force. They were no mere primitive idolaters, they built  ziggurat. With their tower reaching for the heavens, in essence, they were engaged in spiritual actions working with the forces of nature, although egoistically.

In short, this is the time when monkeys’ desire to reveal the upper force began. However, they didn’t know how to reach it. They had a multi-millennia long tendency of technical and social progress behind them so they decided to continue on this path but encountered a crisis since it is impossible to attain the Creator this way.

We have to understand they lived pretty modestly, they had enough to eat, and all their efforts were directed to attainment of the upper force.

At the time of Babylon, monkeys approached the human state to a certain degree. Something changed in them. They started to aspire to the source, to the upper force.

Since then, a development of a new methodology of attainment was launched. This methodology discloses the truth to us. It doesn’t matter whether the truth is pleasant or comfortable. I am not looking for comfort; rather, I want to know.

We can continue this path of attainment only by acquiring an even bigger degree of egoism. It means that we have to move on to the next step.

Babylonian “additional” egoism allowed a small part (approximately five thousand people out of three million) to prevail, rise above their selfishness, become Galgalta ve Eynaim and join Abraham’s group. The majority was not able to cope with their egoism and they forgot about the purpose of their lives, the “tower to the heavens,” i.e., about the search for the upper force. They fell under the burden of self-love and were spread around the world and continued establishing their material existence.

Amplified egoism divided them into two parts: internal and external. This process continues until now: a small part, the house of Abraham, Israel, develops and corrects itself, whereas the bigger part (AHP) should only gain the willingness to correct, but it is unable to do so on its own and is corrected solely through Galgalta ve Eynaim. This explains why the entire world also has to go through a big crisis and many disappointments so that in the end they connect with Galgalta ve Eynaim and support it.

As prophet Yeshayahu (Isaiah) said, “nations of the world” will carry “the sons of Israel” on their shoulders to the Temple. They are capable of doing it although they are unable to correct themselves on their own. Galgalta ve Eynaim is a transitional point between AHP, the “nations of the world,” and the upper force.

Hence, together both parts will attain complete correction.

Why do monkeys prefer internality to externality? They ask themselves a question about the purpose of life: “Why do I do anything at all? What do I live for? Why do I develop industry, sciences, culture, education, and political systems? Why do I discover new lands? Why do I conquer the cosmos?”

Nowadays, at least half of the world goes through various stages of disparity. A huge number of people are taking anti-depressants, light drugs or alcohol. These are signs of weakness and helplessness. Nobody has an answer to the deepest question ever: “Why am I here?”

People do not realize it, but they feel emptiness and devastation. If they will be deprived of television or other types of mass media that confuse them even more, if they are freed of everything they are forcefully “fed” by from dawn till night, what will they be left with?

People are forced to work hard, but it is unnecessary. By working hard, they are purposely distracted from the major question evoked by nature. Today, this question becomes very dangerous. It’s like a match that can ignite  a worldwide fire.

Nobody wants to listen to this question. People are afraid of the pain that they carry inside. When one asks oneself this question, one’s entire life turns into a big painful spasm. Who wants it? People are trying to find some joy; they don’t want to be submerged in a total despair.

People are ready to kill when questions about the meaning of their life bring up pain that cannot be cured by any known medication.

Humankind does everything it can to avoid aching: tourism, fashion, cinema, TV, entertainment; there is no end to the “alternatives.” Do whatever you want, but do not wake up anguish that has no solution.

Nevertheless, a question about the sense of life wakes up irrespective of politicians or other professionals who know how to turn this question upside down. Their efforts are not successful since they contradict the purpose of creation.

However, people need to “cook” and “ripen” internally. By all means this process depends on the opportunity to have wide access to the methodology of correction that carries a ready-made remedy, a beautiful life saturated with a sense of eternity and perfection as well as an endless ascent for everybody instead of diseases or the absurdity of our current existence.

On one hand, the methodology of correction presents a clear explanation of the situation we are in at this time. It explains why this situation happened to us and how to correct it. On the other hand, it provides a strong practical technique of correction that shows immediate positive results.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/3/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Question: If a higher management operates within everything, why is it said that the wisdom of Kabbalah was revealed before its time?

Answer: The Kabbalists of the past let the nations of the world learn the wisdom of Kabbalah and get all of the knowledge that they wanted from there so they could develop the science and wisdom of this world.

Through this, the world could develop in an egoistic way and could reach recognition of evil. But the wisdom of Kabbalah was concealed from the people of Israel; otherwise, it would not have felt that it was in exile. A little involvement with the wisdom of Kabbalah already gave them some illumination.

So on one hand, the Kabbalists revealed external wisdom to all of the nations of the world, and on the other hand, they concealed the internal wisdom. So it follows that the external wisdom was revealed more and more, and the internal wisdom was concealed more and more.

These processes approached each other: Spirituality descended and subsided, and materiality grew all the time. Eventually, we came to such a state that today we have an abundance of materiality; you can do what you want! But there is no satisfaction from this life.
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From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/10/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to the Book Panim Meirot uMasbirot,” Item 3: It is known that the beneficial force and the detrimental force go hand in hand. In other words, as much as something can benefit, so it can harm. Hence, since the force of one person is greater than all the beasts and the animals of all times, one’s harmful force supersedes them all, as well.

Thus, as long as one does not merit one’s degree in a way that one uses one’s force only to do good, one needs a careful watch so he will not acquire great amounts of the human level, which is wisdom and science.

For this reason, the first sages hid the wisdom from the masses for fear of taking indecent disciples who would use the force of the wisdom to harm and damage. These would break and destroy the entire population with their lust and beastly savageness, using man’s great powers.

If humanity were given too much power that compared to its mind, it becomes dangerous. It’s like a child who grows to be two meters tall and weighs 200 kilos but remains mentally undeveloped and therefore he could perform dangerous actions.

It’s the same with humanity who has received nuclear bombs and is armed with immense quantities of the most modern weaponry. Weapons are the most common, most popular, and profitable commodity today.

However, unfortunately, the human brain lags behind technological advancement. Our leaders are becoming shallower and hardly know anything about this world and where it’s headed. The problem is that we have used advanced technology to develop tools that only empower our ego, the egoistic desire to receive, instead of weakening it. So we have brought ourselves to a position that we have armed our ego to such an extent that we don’t know how to get rid of it now, and this is a real problem.

This is why our sages warned that the wisdom mustn’t be revealed to just anyone because people can use it to harm others. Therefore, they concealed the wisdom from the masses. However, today things have changed and anyone can go to a university and study anything and then use it according to his egoistic desire. Today you can surf the Internet and find instructions for building a nuclear bomb by yourself. You can learn how to do anything.

But it was different when it came to the wisdom of Kabbalah. Kabbalists didn’t allow themselves to open the wisdom of Kabbalah and waited until people began to despair from the egoistic progress in this world. Only then, did it become possible to convey this wisdom to them and only so it could help them fulfill correction. Otherwise it’s impossible to use it.

It’s impossible to use it to harm yourself and to harm others. There is a condition to the wisdom according to which you cannot use its powers unless you acquire a Masach (screen) and the Returning Light, vessels of bestowal, love of others, and connection to others. You don’t have these features, but if you have them and use them wrongly, these powers will immediately disappear.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/9/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Question: When does the Light that Reforms influence a person and bring him to the love of others?

Answer: The Light constantly influences us: It either influences us according to the natural pace of evolution that is called Beito (in its time), or according to a program called Achishena (I shall hasten it), which is hastening time. But it’s always the Light that acts.

On one hand, it is said that “the Light is in a state of absolute rest.” On the other hand, we call it the Light that Reforms, which means that it can influence us in a different ways, either more or less. Of course, the Light is in a state of absolute rest, but I spur myself by the environment: the books, group, and teacher, thus increasing my sensitivity to the Light.

Lets say we are going out to disseminate. Before we go out we really think that we want to attain the love of others in order to attain the love of the Creator, and thus delight Him. We would like to perform this action out of real love, but unfortunately we don’t feel it yet.

So we act even out of self-interest (Lo Lishma): We want to attain spirituality, to know about it, to feel it; we expect that the heavens will get revealed to us. When we operate this way, even with the intention of “not for its sake”—as it is said: Mitzvot (commandments) don’t require the right intention—it still works. The Light illuminates on me from a distance (this is why it is called the Surrounding Light), and thus advances me.

So all my work is to check which of my actions are the most beneficial in order to spur and to draw the Surrounding Light. The most beneficial action, according to the law of the equivalence of form, is the one closest to the properties of the Light, namely: bestowal, love, involvement, closeness, embrace, kiss, and coupling.

We should yearn for that, and I am ready to yearn for that, but only on the condition that I get something from it, i.e., I will be rewarded with new feelings, understanding, and by opening my eyes to reveal the secrets of the Torah so that the heavens will open up for me. I want this and cannot do anything with my desire!

Never mind, I need to work with the desire that I have. It is not up to me, but is arranged that way by the Creator. I work with whatever I have, even if it is clear to me that I do everything for my own sake, and the Surrounding Light will gradually impart right intentions to me. This is how we advance.

If we reach the love of the Creator from the love of the created beings, then the most beneficial thing we can is to take care of the created beings! So dissemination—or as it is said, the role of the Israeli nation, obliges us to bring all of humanity to the Creator—is the most beneficial action for anyone who participates in it. We only need to understand this, to interpret it correctly, and to tell each other about it. Then we will understand that we are in an excellent state. We have received unique opportunities.
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From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/4/14

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How does the whole and an individual part relate to one another? How could a small group gathered by Abraham in ancient Babylon influence the development of all of humanity? Why does everything revolve around this group? Why does this group continue its “rotation”?

The problem of this world is that we “count” humanity as if it’s livestock. We evaluate humans by millions and billions; this kind of calculation seems sufficient to us. We just are unable to make qualitative calculations.

It results in a constant conflict between quality and quantity in this world. We proclaim that we are equal. However, how can it be true if one’s possessions are comparable with the assets of a billion others or if one’s health is worth the wellbeing of thousands of others? Are we really equal just because each of us has a body? Is it a criterion that should be used when evaluating human beings?

We are unable to “appraise” others because we lack true measurement tools. What are we comparing: feelings, intellect? How can we equate one person to another?

There is no equality whatsoever! Everybody is born with a specific set of qualities, thus each of us is unique. Even though we would like to be equal, we still are not. Baal HaSulam explains this issue in his article “Peace in the World”: “…we need to work very hard in order to attain true equality among us.”

It also is applicable on the spiritual path. Our spiritual goals are also quite different. Each of us has personal qualities, individual “destiny,” way of advancement, and a unique purpose in the whole system that serves as a common body where each cell is important but all cells and organs are still extremely different.

This explains why the role of Abraham’s group is so important: This entity of people attained a new purpose that was totally opposite to other nations’. Babylon was driven by an egoistic desire that increasingly expanded and enhanced, whereas Abraham’s group, on the contrary, focused on the will to bestow. Egoism can continue growing under the condition and to the extent of advancement of the altruistic desire, by faith above reason.

Abraham students’ advancement dramatically differs from the progression of other nations: The latter have developed intelligence, whereas the first group concentrated on faith. This explains why at the time when Abraham’s group faithfully followed its predestination, they were not developing sciences or culture such as music or dancing. They paid almost no attention to these things; rather, their major exertions were made towards spirituality. It was their only focus.

Later, other nations took advantage of the “fruits” of their work and on this basis they developed sciences, culture, and arts. For example, ancient Greeks borrowed the first “sprouts” of their philosophy from the wisdom of Kabbalah. Later, they admitted this fact.

As we see, the specifics of the relationships between the whole and a part, between small nations and the entire humanity, stayed intact throughout all of history and will be preserved in the future. As Abraham did, we collect friends from all over the world and entreat them to choose a common path to the Creator. Still, we remain a tiny minority. It’s supposed to be like that because there has to be a balance between the quantitative powers of all of humanity and our qualitative energy.

Both parts have to be harmonized. For example, if a small child receives a huge power, he might gravely hurt others, but if he acquires deep understanding of what he is doing without being given extra powers, then he won’t be able to implement his understanding in life. That’s why everything has to be balanced so that our body, intellect, and feelings are correctly proportioned while they grow.

It means that we can even become smaller to the extent of the development of the rest of the world. It is said: “They shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them.” They will know Him through us, but they won’t join us by the millions. It will happen only at the very last stage of correction.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/4/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Question: Today, many of our friends are going out to meet the public who will be hearing about the wisdom of Kabbalah for the first time. How can we acquire faith through the public?

Answer: Faith comes from the Creator and the deficiency for it comes from the public. We, on the other hand, must be in the middle as the coordinators, as a link. We reach the public with our intentions to delight the Creator since they are the general vessel of the soul that is before us, and we want to make it one so that the Creator will be revealed in it so that we will delight Him.

By going out to the public, we should feel that we are the Creator’s representatives who have received a wonderful opportunity to delight Him. We show the public that we have such good will and an open heart, without any self-benefit or any demands, but only the inclination to do them good.

If we reach the public with this intention, we will succeed. We are in a state of Hafetz Hesed with regard to the public and with regard to the Creator, which means that we receive the ten Sefirot of Hassadim, the level of the priests (Cohanim). The main thing is to prepare properly, just like musicians who tune their instruments. This is actually the way we should calibrate ourselves, as if we draw the bow over the strings of a violin back and forth, thus checking the inner inclinations with which we go out to the public and the inner inclination with which we turn to the Creator. This way, the abundance, the Light, will flow through us to the public without any interruption on our part. The deficiencies of the public rise from the bottom and the Light descends from Above, the desires from below and the Light from Above.

Try to tune yourselves this way, and you suddenly will feel that you are managed totally on the one hand by the public and on the other hand by the Creator.
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From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/5/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Item 69: When one increases one’s toil in the internality of the Torah and its secrets, to that extent, one makes a virtue of the internality of the world—which are Israel —soar high above the externality of the world, which are the nations of the world. And all the nations will acknowledge and recognize Israel’s merit over them.

In the end, if we explain our message to the world together with the developmental process, then everything will proceed softly, nicely, and smoothly.

But if we don’t become a “conduit” for the influence of the Light that Reforms, then this Light will influence and awaken the desires to receive in the usual way. Then the nations of the world will not feel the power of good, bestowal, and understanding; they will not feel the goal from us. Instead, to the degree that the desire to receive increases in them, rioting and clashes will begin between them, after that it will be directed at the people of Israel in particular.

In this manner, we stand at a crossroads: Either we succeed in conveying to the world the line of connection with the Light, or as usual, the Light will act on the ego of each and every person, and then everyone will really begin to go crazy, will want to kill, “eat” each other, until it happens actively…
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/2/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Question: What is the order of actions in acquiring new deficiencies?

Answer: First we have to organize a group and to see that we have created a certain system in it. Then we begin to learn how to come out of the group to the public. In the group we are connected according to an internal idea, by our desire to discover the Creator. We learn this system from Kabbalah books and discover what deficiencies we should have, what exactly we will feel when we discover the Creator, the upper force, and what we will see and understand.

We learn what the revelation of the Creator means; what the Light of NRNHY and the vessels of Keter, Hochma, Bina, Zeir Anpin, and Malchut are; what the levels of the upper and lower are; and the phases of Ibur (conception), Yenika (suckling) and Mochin (mind) are. Thus we prepare ourselves for the revelation, receive the knowledge of how to draw the Light that Reforms, and also develop our feelings in order to yearn for the Light that Reforms, for correction. This is how we work in the group.

But if we want to expand our deficiency because we see that it’s not enough, we can’t remain inside the group only. We can study and “stew” this way among us for another ten or twenty years and nothing will change. This is the reason that the Creator opens up the external vessels for us and so we go out to them. We begin to study the method of integral education, workshops, games, roundtables, etc., and then we go out to the public.

By working with the public, we actually fulfill the spiritual system that connects the three levels: the lower, the upper and the upper upper, and then we understand better what we do. We incorporate in the desires of the public and want to succeed. Thus, we feel additional sorrow because we want to bestow upon people and to make them feel better. We feel we are interested in them since we invest our powers in them.

In addition to that, the Creator has arranged different reasons for us to go out to the public. No matter if it’s for corporeal or spiritual reasons, He somehow shows us that we need the public and that it’s our shield and our path to the future. Kabbalists advise us and life also shows us that we have to engage in dissemination. So we should constantly yearn for the expansion of our deficiencies, both in the group and with the public, to deepen them and to clarify what form they should have, and thus we can advance.
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From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/25/14

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Baal HaSulam, “A Speech for the Completion of The Zohar”: Now you can understand what our sages said (Berachot 7): “Serving in the Torah is greater than studying it, as it is said, ‘Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.’ It did not say studied, but poured.” This is perplexing; how can simple acts be greater than studying the wisdom and the knowledge?

But according to the above, we thoroughly understand that serving one’s Rav with one’s body and soul in order to bring contentment to one’s Rav bring one to Dvekut with one’s Rav, that is, to equivalence of form. Thus, one receives the thoughts and knowledge of the Rav by way of “mouth-to-mouth,” which is Dvekut of spirit with spirit. By that, one is rewarded with obtaining His greatness sufficiently to turn bestowal into reception, to become sufficient fuel for devotion, until one is rewarded with Dvekut with the Creator.

If there is a corrected intention, then certainly the study will be more important than everything. However, since the intention is not corrected, then necessarily the study will be for oneself. Therefore, the student must do everything possible to give contentment to the Elyon (upper) to the degree that he cannot make him happy by studying with the intention of giving contentment to the Creator. So, the maximum that remains for him is material actions.

Even though the action is also with an intention to receive, but the doing itself remains and therefore attracts the Light to it. In spite of this, in some way, the lower transmits to the higher what is in his power to transmit. As it is written, “Whatever your hand attains to do [as long as you are] with your strength, do” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). So, a connection is created between them in which each gives to the other. Therefore, Elisha did the right thing by pouring water on the hands of Elijah.

Serving the teacher in body and soul means acting according to the teacher’s desire. In particular, this relates to dissemination because this is the main thing that the Kabbalists recommended for us since they are our spiritual ancestors. Therefore, by involvement with dissemination, it is as if we are giving to them, are serving them, and to this degree, we attract the Light that Reforms to us through them. There is no greater bestowal to the higher than the continuation of his activities, his Torah, and his teaching, and bringing a greater and greater amount of souls to him in order to unite them and bring them to the Creator who will fill them; it is specifically with this that we give Him contentment.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/27/14, Topic of Lesson: “Teacher”

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Question: Is the inner concern we feel regarding the public’s suffering the right indicator for building the spiritual Kli?

Answer: When we invest our forces in working with the public, we want to succeed for egoistic reasons. Therefore it’s easy for us to continue this work. We invest so much in these people that we already feel them as if they are relatives and we want their success. Therefore dissemination expands our vessels. If we are “cooked” only within the group, ultimately it will degenerate and remain in a static state. We will find it more and more difficult to take steps toward one another and to come closer to each other. This is really what happens.

But if we take care of people, we begin to be concerned for their advancement and success. It’s reasonable that we will advance together with our students, even though each one of them advances according to his level. And when you come from your students to friends, then you already relate to them differently, not like before.

It’s very difficult to reach an immediate and strong connection directly with people who are on the same level with you so as to be like one man with one heart. But only after you are concerned about the people who are on a lower level than you, do you soften and get the feeling of bestowal within your desire to receive, and as a result of this, you will pass to that inclination a desire to bestow toward the friends.
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From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/25/14

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