Question: Our task today is to think how we can help a person understand what he needs to change to feel better. How can we do this?

Answer: People should be treated by means of education. Their brain is affected, their system of perception, the system of analysis, conclusions, the system of realization—all this is affected by the terrible malignancy called “egoism” that eats on them from the inside.

First of all, we need to identify what kind of  terrible new growth this is, which we didn’t observe within ourselves before, or if we did, it wasn’t to such an extent it could be defined as fatal.

We need to understand the depth and breadth of the problem. After all, this is not a private issue of a certain country: Doctors are bad, patients are bad, or medical services are poor. This is a problem with a general health care system that follows the same principle as the rest of the world.

The same thing is within the economy, trade, and industry. For example, in a supermarket we are sold what spoils quickly because it’s advantageous for producers that we shop as often as possible and they want us to stay attached to the system. We are trained to use certain products. The same thing occurs at work, on vacation; everything is managed.
[105635]
From KabTV’s “The Medicine of the Future” 4/7/13

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There are many “waves” of desires within us. Where does this separation into many parts, levels, sides, forms, and so forth come from? The fact is that the Light, which is pure bestowal, enters into desire, whose nature is reception.

The Light and darkness were connected together through opposing characteristics at the time of the shattering. As a result, all the Lights are incorporated into all the individual desires and form countless combinations. The differences and facets in understanding, perception, and analysis, the wide spectrum of colors, sounds, tastes, and smells are derived from this. Everything comes from the various combinations formed through the conjugation between the Lights and desires.

It is precisely thanks to this multiplicity that we discover the Creator. We would otherwise feel ourselves at the bottom of the still level in Malchut of the world of Infinity.

This variety makes it possible for us to peel away layer after layer, to clarify the essence, and to distinguish differences between possible combinations of the Lights and the vessels. So, we begin to discover the Creator in contrast to the creature: We transition from “existence from absence” to “existence from existence,” “format” the vessel and the Light, light and darkness. This is our work. So, in spirituality in every moment we carry out billions of corrections, reaching the smallest details.

This is similar to the classification and clarification of matter in our universe. It seemed an impossible task to perform at the time, but it wasn’t  Mutual integration enables us to work in all directions simultaneously so that even one small action produces billions of results in the entire Malchut.

Today, this picture is still concealed from us, yet as we continue, we will clarify and identify more subtle and deeper components. This will be possible for us when we begin to distinguish between bestowal and reception in every part.

I am able to comprehend in its spiritual form only a corrected desire, as one of the 613 desires, into which the Kli is divided. Until correction I face only an “egoistic monster,” Pharaoh, which can’t be separated into parts, in which nothing can be clarified. As long as the Light has not arrived, I will not be able to feel any desire and see how to activate it for the sake of bestowal above my ego, I will not be able to discern its separate facets. The only thing that I feel in Egypt is the ten plagues.…
[105460]
From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/18/13, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar”

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Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Items 29 – 30: …This is regarded as being under the Sitra Achra and the Klipot, whose role is to expand and enhance his will to receive and make it exaggerated and unrestrained in any way, to provide one with all the material he needs to work with and correct.

In our evolution, we go through four stages of the desires that belong to this world: still, vegetative, animate, and speaking. Each next step is “steeper” than the previous one.

Later, a totally new developmental level begins whereby the desire to receive aspires to correction. The more efforts we apply, the more our aspiration to unity and love is, the more wickedness we reveal in ourselves.

It’s more of a qualitative process during which we acquire the entire “thickness” of desires in the four worlds of ABYA, according to the exertions we apply. Thus, we reach the highest point at which the entire evil inclination is already manifested within us.

Although it is dressed in his will to receive at birth, it only begins to awaken after thirteen years, and then one begins to enter the system of the pure worlds…

One already has a huge, exorbitant egoistic desire within which there is a point in the heart. It is connected to the Light and that’s why it starts acting. Thus, after “thirteen years” of acquiring the entire desire to receive for the sake of receiving, the point in the heart (*) and its connection with the Surrounding Light awakens. It’s as if we inflate the balloon of our desire, reaching our point through the impure worlds of ABYA—and then it awakens.

Until then, it doesn’t surface from the depth. Naturally, we only can correct the defects that have already manifested in us. And vice versa, until they are exposed, why would our points in the heart appear?

When one obtains the excessive spiritual will to receive, one wishes to devour, for one’s own delight, all the wealth and delights in the next, eternal world, which is an eternal possession.

Only if we aspire to unity can we reveal how wicked we in fact are. We try to be friendly and nice, but each time we feel that we are truly indifferent, forgetful, careless, and unresponsive. Sometimes we even admit to ourselves that we enjoy other people’s suffering. Isn’t that so?

This is our nature, our regular egoistic desire with which we were born and live. Previously, it was hiding in the “shade.” At this time, when we strive to unite with others and be kind to them, it started manifesting in us. However, it’s not spirituality as of yet, nor is it genuine bestowal; we are still only attempting to reach it.

Then, the next stage takes place. Before we reached “thirteen years of age,” all we did was try to exit our egoism and reveal the evil inclination inside us, meaning our unwillingness to change and the constant downfalls into an even bigger egoism. However at this time, we stop attempting and start to act in order to reach bestowal. These actions demonstrate the greatness of the Creator to us: eternity, perfection of the universe, and the Light itself.

This is the point at which an egoistic desire to “snatch” everything for one’s own sake wakes up: “Can I steal eternity? Can I reign?” Our actions that are oriented to bestowal absorb lots of the Light. This is the moment when we stumble.

It’s a very special, “juicy” condition. The desire that we acquire in it strives for the upper Light, and it’s a billion times bigger than everything that was revealed to us before.
[103432]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/20/13, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar”

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Question: Can an evil thought be equated to slander?

Answer: Humanity is like a malignant tumor inside nature’s healthy body. The body consists of the still, vegetative, and animate levels of this world, which are in complete harmony with general nature, and under its control that leaves no room for freedom of choice. That’s why these levels cannot be held liable for anything at all since they fully obey natural instincts.

Egoistic nature acts within human beings and motivates them. This makes us different from other beings since we have a tendency to harm others. There is no other creature in this world (a stone, a plant, or an animal) that harms others except humans. People enjoy when others feel bad. This is what is called the human evil.

We don’t kill each other for the sake of food or to avoid dying of hunger. If that were the case, we wouldn’t touch others after satisfying our appetite, as animals do. Human beings want to “swallow” the entire world even after they receive everything they need, and that’s only because they don’t want others to have it.

A desire to harm our neighbors, take advantage of them, and enjoy somebody else’s troubles is called the evil of egoism, which we have to correct. Because of this quality, we act as a foreign body and “infiltrate” the general picture of all of nature, including the higher worlds.

Being a cancerous tumor that strives to ingest everything around pertains solely to this material world and exquisitely to humans. As a result, humanity kills itself because it destroys the environment that becomes unable to feed it any longer. This is how a cancerous tumor behaves in a human body: It devours everything around it. When there is nothing left, the body dies and the tumor dies together with it. Nowadays, we see that humanity behaves the same way and approaches a lethal finale at a tremendous speed.

In order to cure the disease, we have to understand how to approach this phenomenon. We can perform mechanical and physical actions, or we can act at the level of desires and thoughts. We can perform mechanical actions with our bodies even without the desire or much thought. Corporeal bodies are capable of moving either because of persuasion or under outside pressure.

Besides, we have an ability to correct the connection between us by following our desire, meaning from the heart that embodies our feelings. Moreover, we can add our thought, plan, and intention, that is, our reason.

One has only three opportunities to correct one’s attitude to the environment: an action, a desire, and a thought. Out of these three ways, the most effective and powerful is a thought. Thoughts influence our desires that in their turn impact our bodies.

However, there is a different way to activate ourselves, as it is said: “Hearts (desires) follow the actions.” Desires change thoughts. This flexible remedy can be used in various ways.

Connection among people defines the shape of the universe. Corrupt connection is called slander. It stands for a bad attitude to others and an unwillingness to maintain healthy connections and mutual communication, in similarity to organs of a single body, which help each other and make the body healthy. All parameters, such as blood pressure, temperature, fluids, and so on, everything should be in balance. If some bodily organs do not maintain correct interaction with others, it is immediately seen in medical tests.

Everything is built accordingly: ecology, politics, finances, and human relationships. Divorces, depressions, and drugs are the consequences of the imbalance in the system of our connection. It’s not terrible if one person is spoiled—the major thing is a corrupt connection between us. It is the real reason for all our problems. And an incorrect connection is called slander.
[103168]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/19/13, Writings of Rabash

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In the News (from the United Nations): “On 20 March, the first ever International Day of Happiness will be celebrated worldwide. The day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly to promote happiness as a universal goal and aspiration in the lives of people around the globe.

“The initiative to declare a day of happiness came from the Kingdom of Bhutan – a country whose Gross National Happiness Index takes the view that sustainable development should take a holistic approach towards progress and give equal importance to non-economic aspects of well-being.

“The International Day of Happiness recognizes the efforts of other nations and groups who work to measure prosperity that go beyond material wealth. By designating a special day for happiness, the UN aims to focus world attention on the idea that economic growth must be inclusive, equitable, and balanced, such that it promotes sustainable development and alleviates poverty. …

“In addition, a special event arranged at UN Headquarters on 19 March at 6 pm, will also mark this occasion. There will be a launch of the audio book by Sri Chinmoy, Founder of the Peace Meditation at the United Nations. …

“Ban Ki-moon affirms that, ‘On this first International Day of Happiness, let us reinforce our commitment to inclusive and sustainable human development and renew our pledge to help others. When we contribute to the common good, we ourselves are enriched. Compassion promotes happiness and will help build the future we want.’”

My Comment: Like everything that humanity creates, the UN is a representation of our egoism…
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Question: A person who begins to study the integral method goes through difficult states since his ego receives blows. If these states are necessary, why does it happen this way?

Answer: You cannot leave the ego or leave Pharaoh if you don’t feel the blows. This is why we say that Pharaoh brings the children of Israel closer to the exodus from Egypt, as it is written: “Pharaoh has brought the sons of Israel closer to our Father in Heaven.” They feel the blows on their ego and understand that they cannot stay in it and cannot leave it, and, so they feel helpless, saying, “So, what can we do?” Then, I feel another blow and another, and I realize that I need the Creator since only He can take me out of there by holding my hand.

Then, they connect to the Creator and advance, if they don’t leave the integral education and understand that it is all done, first of all, for them and not in order to educate anyone.

When I receive blows and shake inside not knowing where to run, only the group can help me. If it wraps me and warms me, I will not fear the blows. I immediately begin to understand that I need to adhere to the group. I need mutual guarantee. I need the Creator, and, then I discover everything automatically. One little “ouch,” a little prick, and I already understand everything. However, this is only if you are around friends, including the women.

The men begin to understand that they need the women’s support, and, especially stability. Women contribute to softening things.
[104724]
From the Virtual Lesson 4/7/13

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Rabash, Shlavey HaSulam, “What Is If They Swallowed the Bitter Herbs and It Didn’t Come Out, in the Work”:

So a person who begins to follow this path and who wants his actions to be for the sake of Heaven, discovers the truth that the more he performs actions with the intention of in order to bestow, and also that he is distant from it, which means that there is a special merit in this work, that the truth is being revealed to him from Above, and that a person is far from any actions of bestowal.

Our advancement is based only on the different revelations that are unpleasant for our ego, for our desire to receive. Every time it turns out that if we are immersed in our ego, we cannot advance spiritually.

I am immersed in my ego, and the Light comes from Above and emphasizes the level of ego I am on. As a result I feel a big minus (-) that reflects the depth (H) of my desire. To the extent that I feel bad, I have to discern what I have to do in that very bad feeling. I can be grateful for the evil since by that I discover to what extent I am opposite from spirituality and bestowal. The evil is revealed in my ego, in my desire to receive in order to receive, and if this desire disappears, I will not even know that I am immersed in evil. The depth of the bad feeling is the index of truth for me; it is the right sign.

So from this state I ask for adhesion; I want to be above this, above the border of Egypt, above my ego, above the Machsom (barrier). Here I begin to build the Returning Light (RL) and implement the first restriction on the whole lower part (Tzimtzum Aleph – TA).

This is how the spiritual Partzuf is built of two parts; “a head’ and “a body.” Because I have implemented the first restriction, I already have a “body.” Later I may be able to raise part of it and to connect it to the “head” and this will already be a real Partzuf above the Machsom.

Thus, through the stages of Ibur (gestation), Yenika (suckling), and Mochin (mind), I transfer all the “shattered vessels” from the bottom upward.

We already begin to feel that this is practical work that can be performed. But we shouldn’t forget that it is done by the Light that Reforms (the Surrounding Light – Ohr Makif – OM), and that we can summon it only by the connection between us.

Actually, everything that we have learned and read about can be put together into one simple feasible picture of Ten Sefirot, and we can see that the whole world, all our states, are only meant to provide the right spiritual pattern for that at any given moment.

Let’s hope that the state we are creating will remain in each one as a clear pattern. The perception of the world, my attitude to everyone, my feelings, everything that I want to understand and to feel has to go through this pattern. Then we will be able to solve all the problems that come from the Creator, from the Light, correctly by responding correctly and supporting Him, and allowing Him to reveal the right actions.

Question: How can we actually thank the Creator for all the bad states?

Answer: It is true that lying won’t help us here; you cannot cry and honestly kiss the stick that beats you. But if you feel that the stick is beating your evil inclination, if you don’t want to identify with it but with the good inclination, then you already see the differences in a certain inclination to the Creator.

It is only thanks to the Surrounding Light that we feel that we are bad. Fifty years ago everyone still thought that a bright future and prosperity lie ahead. Then the global trend of decline became apparent and we began to sink into the dark. A person with a point in the heart (•) also begins to enter evil, the darkness that comes to him by the Light that Reforms. But at the same time the Light illuminates the point in the heart so that the evil pulls a person downward while the point rises higher and higher upward.

So we need the following inner division:

1. A point in the heart,

2. The evil in us.

Only then will I discover whom I identify with.

Question: How do you get rid of disturbing thoughts about a reward, about a gift that the Creator will give me for my work?

Answer: You will have to constantly cope with these thoughts in order to ascend without asking for anything and only identifying with the point in the heart time and time again. This “ping pong” game continues until the Light that Reforms comes through the connection in the group and takes you to the next level.

There, a stronger Light will come and will again reveal the outcomes of the shattering in you. It is because we used to be connected once and then the Creator who created the connection between us shattered it. Now we have to participate in the correction, to wake up and to summon Him. Then the Light comes and does all the work.
[104549]
From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/4/13, Writings of Rabash

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In the News (from Stanford): “Engineering researchers at Stanford University have devised a mathematical model that helps demonstrate what’s behind the growing rift in American society. They have used the knowledge to create Internet-based social systems that counteract polarization. …

“The prevailing sociological theory, known as homophily, is that like seeks like. Those who have similar opinions tend to aggregate together and reinforce opinions that grow more divergent from the center over time. This is the echo chamber model that would seem to gain validation in the era of talk radio, cable news and the Internet.

“According to this theory, we are polarized precisely because we have greater ability to choose our social networks and news sources. We narrowly tailor our information sources by selecting them based on how closely they mirror our own tastes.

“Mathematical models that try to use homophily to explain polarization have come up short, however. Most are based on something known as De Groot’s model that assumes that people form opinions in a way that minimizes overall disagreement within their network of friends and relations. As a result, an individual’s opinion gradually converges to an average of those in his or her network, or so the theory goes. The flaw in these models is that they predict that opinions in society as a whole can only become more uniform over time, resulting in depolarization rather than polarization.

“’We show that repeated averaging of opinions always results in less divergent opinions, even in networks where the people are like-minded,’ said Pranav Dandekar, a doctoral candidate in MS&E and a co-author on the paper. ‘You can’t create outliers by averaging.’…

“The Stanford team instead took a different approach based on a phenomenon well known in the social sciences called biased assimilation. In biased assimilation people more easily accept evidence that supports their opinion and, likewise, are prone to discredit evidence that does not fit. More specifically, people look at inconclusive evidence in a way that is most favorable to their existing point of view.

“’It seems counter-intuitive that two individuals would arrive at a more divergent opinion when presented with identical information that is inconclusive, but that’s what happens,’ said David Lee, a doctoral candidate in electrical engineering and a co-author of the paper. ‘You might think that seeing identical evidence would produce greater moderation and agreement, but it doesn’t.’

“’It seems we look at the world with rose-colored blinders. We see what we want and ignore what doesn’t fit,’ Dandekar said.”

My Comment: Not a single person is like another and that is why everyone’s opinion is different in one thing. Egoism is not ready to accept a different point of view. Thus, as a result of communication, opinions distance from each other. The more we develop, the greater egoism becomes. The more we develop, the more diverse egoism is. Envy, jealousy, rivalry, authoritativeness, and other egoistic qualities increase.

And when in our time, total cultural, economic, and other dependencies of everyone on everyone else are manifested, then negative opinions appear greater up to the point of hatred. The solution to this problem is only in integral education, up to mutual love because Nature will increasingly manifest itself as a single entity.
[104519]

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Question: What forces a person to come out of the state of Bina, of Hafetz Hesed?

Answer: We never leave the state of Bina, or Hafetz Hesed, but only add to it. In spirituality we never lose a state, but always rise higher up the ladder. If I remain in the state of Hafetz Hesed, “to bestow in order to bestow,” I will fall into the intention of “in order to receive” for myself. “To bestow in order to bestow” is the minimal level I have to be on.

I build higher states of “Hafetz Hesed” above it with increasingly greater thickness (Aviut) of desire up to the infinite state of to bestow in order to bestow. I begin to dress additional bestowal on this state of Hafetz Hesed in which I don’t need anything and I am happy to be living in the forest not to worrying about anything without even a shirt.

In the state of Hafetz Hesed I don’t bestow in any way. This is called “to bestow in order to bestow” but I have nothing to bestow. It is as if I bestow that way, by giving up my ego, which makes me one who bestows. It is like a mother who asks a child “do me a favor, stop making so much noise.” He doesn’t produce anything beneficial, he doesn’t give anything to others; he only calms down. This means that he is doing his mother a favor.

This is the state of Hafetz Hesed, which means that I stop playing with my egoism; I don’t want it, I want to remain totally naked and to totally devote myself to my mother by listening to everything she says. I don’t do anything good yet, as she may expect of me, but I have already stopped doing bad things, as she asked. This is called “to bestow in order to bestow.”

On the whole, I don’t give her anything except for “virtual” pleasure. I have stopped making noise, breaking things, shouting and going wild, and that’s it. This means that I have reached the state of Hafetz Hesed, which is only possible on top of the minimal thickness of the desire until Ein Sof (Infinity).

But above this I already begin to receive in order to bestow, to do something that mother desires: to help her with the housework. This is already above to bestow in order to bestow; this is real bestowal.
[104666]
From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/8/13, The Study of the Ten Sefirot

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“One Should Always Sell the Beams of His House and Put Shoes on His Feet” (Shabbat, 129).

Question: What does it mean to “sell the beams of his house” in the spiritual sense?

Answer: “The beams of his house” are all the thoughts, the desires, and my whole attitude to life, that obligate me to worry about myself instead of uniting with the friends. In order to build one general image, one system, I have to sell this “house” that is so dear to me.

But this is not enough either. I have to buy shoes to put on my feet, which means that I need a defensive force that would hold me in its field. It isn’t enough to just annul my opinion and lower my head before the group, which called to “sell the beams of his house.” I also need to receive powers that allow me to remain adhered to the friends above all the thoughts that are evoked in me.

This means that it isn’t enough to annul myself, but that I need an additional force that binds me to the group. This is called a “covenant” or “shoes on his feet (raglan),” so as not to “spy” (meragel, which has the same root as feet in Hebrew) for the benefit of my ego.
[104554]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/7/13, Writings of Rabash 

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