Writings of Rabash, “The First Innovation”: All the innovations begin only after a person comes out of self-love. Therefore, the Torah cannot be taught to idolaters. When a person is in Egypt, he cannot be Jewish because he is enslaved to Pharaoh, the Egyptian king. And as long as he is a slave to Pharaoh, he cannot be a slave to the Creator.

It is written concerning this, “The sons of Israel are for Me,” they are My slaves and not slaves of slaves. When a person serves himself, he cannot be the Creator’s slave because it is impossible to serve two kings at the same time. Only after a person comes out of Egypt, meaning egoism, can he be the Creator’s servant. And then he can receive the Torah. It follows that the first innovation is the exit from Egypt.

A person who is inside of his egoistic desire is called a “non-Jew.” A person who rises above his egoistic desire, meaning who comes out of Egypt, is called a “Jew” (Yehudi) because he attains unity (Ihud) with the Light, the Creator.

It is possible to study the Torah, meaning the ways of bestowal, only by ascending, by coming out of Egypt. That is why it is written that the Torah cannot be taught to idolaters, where “cannot” means “it is impossible.” That’s because as long as you remain in the egoistic desire, you do not understand anything about spirituality and you don’t have the smallest chance of reaching it. In your desires and thoughts you cannot grab hold of the end of any thread that extends from the spiritual world.

You need auxiliary means, and only by correctly using them will you attain what you desire. Therefore, all the innovations and spiritual changes are possible only after coming out of Egypt, meaning egoism. Until then, it is impossible to understand anything. Until then, we are in total darkness and can only advance with our eyes closed according to the Kabbalists’ advice.

This is all that remains for us—to understand how opposite our world is to the spiritual world. In order to climb out of the darkness to the Light, it won’t help us to turn 180 degrees around. That’s because our darkness is the darkness of Egypt, which does not have a direction toward the Light. Only gradually, by means of making the right actions do we reach the right desire. Even though it is also egoistic, yet by virtue of the Light’s influence we can then come out of Egypt into the altruistic intention of Lishma.

This is talking about states that are absolutely divided from one another. A person who is in the lower world, meaning in the egoistic state, in the intention “for the sake of reception” is unable to understand the plans and actions of those who are moved by bestowal. One does not have any contact with the other. They are completely different programs that do not intersect with one another in any way.

In relation to the spiritual world, our world does not exist. It is expressed only in a person’s imagination as a preliminary, imaginary reality that is necessary for entering the spiritual reality, which is the only one that exists. Everything we see and imagine here is similar to the visions of a person who lies unconscious.

Therefore, all the innovations, attainments, and true calculations begin with the exit from Egypt.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/12/11, Writings of Rabash

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People view Passover as the holiday of the historical exodus from Egypt. “We used to be slaves and we built several cities and pyramids for Pharaoh, and then we came out to freedom.” However, in realty we are not celebrating a date in the historical calendar. After all, the situation today is much worse than back then. It’s enough to compare the situation of the nation of Israel in Ancient Egypt with the current situation and you would be running back to kiss Pharaoh’s hands, begging him to let you back.

The Jews lived in the land of Goshen, which was the most favorable part of Egypt with the most fertile soil and abundant herds. You could do whatever you want because Pharaoh doesn’t just rule there but he protects you as well. No one can touch a hair on your head, your vats are full of meat, your nets—full of fish, and your storehouses are full of produce. You are a slave only because you have to listen to Pharaoh. This means: Act by the orders of your egoism, and nothing more than that.

The Jews had a wonderful life, so it wasn’t incidental that they complained to Moses in the desert, “Where are the meat and fish, where is the onion and garlic that we ate in Egypt!? Our lives were great, and where have you brought us now?”

So what do we remind ourselves of on this holiday? Were we surrounded by enemies back then the way we are today? On the contrary, we had all the favors at our disposal and Pharaoh’s power protected us from enemies. In his country he allowed us to live however we wanted, even on separate territory and by our own laws. So what’s so bad about that compared to the current situation?

As Baal HaSulam writes, if the Jews today could disperse all over the countries of the Diaspora, then almost no one would be left in Israel. We have to understand: Egypt becomes a dungeon only when you start to think about spiritual exile, when you lack the Creator. If not for the need for spiritual redemption, Egypt by itself is a land flowing with milk and honey. Here you have everything besides the Creator, besides the answer to the question about the meaning of life. You have everything else in abundance. You are living the life of a king and you lack just one thing, “I want bestowal and love for the neighbor.”

When you desire precisely this, then Egypt will seem like exile to you. This is the only thing missing here—love for the neighbor. Thus, it turns out that we celebrate Passover to commemorate the good life in Egypt and not the redemption, which no one really needs. After all, coming out of Egypt means throwing away everything we have besides love.

Do we feel that we are in exile? On the contrary, people do not understand what this is talking about. But love for the neighbor has to become your only desire. Moses demands from Pharaoh, “Let my people go! I want to leave!” To which Pharaoh replies, “What do you lack, Moses? You grew up in my arms. Stay the Egyptian prince. Be a prince! Why are you making a revolution here? For the sake of love for the neighbor? You’ve gone crazy!”

Only at the end of the path does Egypt become a land of exile for us. But until that happens, we are satiated with everything besides bestowal.

It turns out that we celebrate this holiday to honor the fact that we once lacked love for the neighbor. If only it were possible to really explain this to the people and to show them the true situation today. Today are we willing to forgo anything in our rich lives for the sake of love for the Creator, for the neighbor, for friends, for the sake of mutual bestowal and mutual empathy? Are we close to this? Do we deserve to celebrate the holiday of redemption?

This is talking about freedom from egoism, when egoism has everything, yet I want to run away from this. I hate this abundance and I don’t desire it. I don’t need the filling food, nor the safety, nor the comfort, nor the health—nothing. I am ready to drown in the waters of the Marginal Sea or to dry up from thirst in the desert—anything to break out of the bonds.

So do we really want to get out to freedom?
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/13/11, Writings of Rabash

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Question: What is the meaning of the command, “Remember the day when we came out of Egypt” in the sense of a person’s inner work?

Answer: It says in The Zohar, in Item 121 of Chapter "Bo" that the Torah will mention the exodus from Egypt 50 times. Besides that it is written that every day a person must see himself as coming out of Egypt, and that is because all of our work happens only in relation to Egypt.

A person’s spiritual work on correcting his egoistic nature begins from the state of “Abraham”—the rudiment of the quality of bestowal. But how can we develop this quality?

This is why “Abraham’s” question to the Creator emerges in a person: “How will my descendants inherit a great land?” (Chapter "Lech-Lecha"). This means: How can I develop inside of me (because my descendants are my future states) a huge desire of bestowal and love in order to receive Your entire Light from You?

This receives the following answer (from the Creator to Abraham), “Know that your descendants will be in exile for 400 years,” where 400 years are all four levels of egoism. That is, the Creator tells a person that he will become entirely immersed in egoism and will thereby acquire a desire equal to the Light of Infinity.

First you will be permeated by this desire to absorb everything and then you will discover that it is flawed and will desire to come out of it. Once you come out of it, you will begin correcting it from an egoistic desire to bestowal. This means leaving Egypt and entering the holy land.

This way, by gradually correcting the egoism we acquire, we ascend up 125 degrees until the full correction (Gmar Tikkun). Thus, our entire spiritual path divides into three phases:

1. From the initial point (Abraham, the aspiration to reveal the Creator) until entering Egypt.
2. Inside Egypt, where we develop the aspiration to the Creator, which brings about the development of egoism, the realization that it is evil, and the exit from it.
3. The correction of our egoistic desire until its total correction.

Everything revolves around “Egypt”: Part of our path is “before it” and part is “after it.” But Egypt is the central point. That is why a person must feel that he is coming out of Egypt every day, meaning that every day he takes a part of the egoistic desire and corrects it, and receives a new Light inside of it. This is called “a new day.” And this continues on all the levels.
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/13/11, The Zohar

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We are egoists and are only able to do whatever is important to our ego. How, then, can we get rid of it?

This is why we carry out Kabbalists’ advice. We have two possibilities:

1. To move under blows from our nature, meaning to develop due to having no other choice until we will nevertheless desire to get rid of the suffering. However, the path of constantly running away from evil is very lengthy and diffcult.

2. To use the magnifying glass of the mind without waiting for the blows to come. In the article “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose” Baal HaSulam explains that we can raise our perceptivity and keenly recognize the signs on the path, similar to being able to understand a word before it’s finished. A wise person sees things that others don’t even notice.

Some people write down wise advice but don’t let it pass through their heart. There are all kinds of cases. Every person has his “fate.” To the extent that a person hears what he is being told, that is how much he will advance if he is ready to draw a distinction between his ego and the spiritual path, if he properly interprets the meaning of "exile" and "redemption" and is willing to be relentless and stubborn even though it’s unpleasant to his egoism.

A person works in order to raise the importance of ascending above egoism, even though this causes him pain and seems like a loss. He discerns new things again and again, and with every new stroke the loss of egoism no longer seems sorrowful compared to the spiritual attainment that becomes revealed. And then he receives another addition of coal into the furnace of self-love, and that is in order to achieve the following ascent.
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/13/11, Writings of Rabash

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Question: Even though our world is an imaginary reality, Kabbalists treat it very seriously. Why is that?

Answer: It’s because we grow and act while being inside of it. Even though this reality is definitely imaginary, you have to take it seriously and arrange things in it as if it really exists.

Imagine that you joined a group of children and are playing with them as seriously as possible, making the game real the way they do. The little ones are running around, trying to put something together and arguing over toys, but to them—this is life. And you participate in their life, helping them put its parts together so they would grow quickly and correctly in this “sand-box.”

This requires a serious attitude. It takes great efforts to raise a child in this world, and a person must treat himself in exactly the same way. This is how he should treat the spiritual child that is growing inside of him. You cannot make any compromises in this regard: I take care of myself, my family, children, and parents, and all the material needs. And even though all of this is obviously an illusion, that doesn’t matter.

The pictures of the material world are depicted in my brain by the egoistic desire and I cannot correct that desire because it is on the still level. Even the great Kabbalist Rabbi Shimon had to eat, drink, make a living, and take care of his students. Do you really think they were floating up in the clouds, not worrying about their families and about putting bread on the table?

This world is part of my growth, “including toothaches,” as Rabash used to say. The only difference is that I must aspire upwards over and over again, toward bestowal, toward the spiritual world. Kabbalists have a different problem: How to remain serious inside of this children’s sand-box. And they are obligated to do that. That is why they have such a responsible attitude to upbringing and other areas in the material world. A person has to provide for all of his vital needs.

Corporeality disappears from our sensations only at the end of correction when there is no more need for this game of the imagination.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/12/11, Writings of Rabash

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Our egoism is “help from the opposite,” which we have to use in order to ascend to the Creator’s level. And it works in two areas. The first is a person’s connection with the group where his egoism works against “Israel” (the intention “straight to the Creator”). The second is when our ego comes forth against the only force that controls the world, meaning against the Creator. Our ego rises up against these two forces and resists them by every means possible and at every moment. That is why all of our work is aimed only at this.

The more we aspire to attain a connection among us in bestowal, love, and mutual guarantee, the faster we will reveal that we are incapable of this! And then we will have to turn to the Creator and deal with Pharaoh who stands against Him. We know from the story of Egyptian slavery that Moses, the leader of the nation of Israel who spoke with the Creator, did not appear right away. All of this occurs after many years of exile in Egypt when the nation of Israel already cried out from the difficult work and screamed out to the Creator. Only then did one Jewish woman give birth to a boy Moses, and then this entire story begins to unfold. This new force called Moses rises up in a person.

That is where the work against Pharaoh begins. We discern whether it is worth it for us to attract the upper force in order to create a connection in the group that will fuse us together as one nation with one heart, so much that we will reveal the Creator inside of that unity. That is to say, the work takes places in two areas. First of all, this is difficult work that made “the sons of Israel cry out,” which is when we want to build our spiritual vessel (desire) and are unable to. And then we scream, not knowing what to do.

That is when the second phase begins, where we discern: Whom do we yell at and how? We have to reveal the upper force. We want it to be present inside of our union, and not just in order to make our connection with each other come true. Our entire connection has to happen in order to reveal the force fo the Creator, the force of bestowal and love.

We work through these two phases, and as long as we don’t complete them fully, uniting all of Israel and attracting the Creator instead of Pharaoh inside of us, we will not be able to come out of Egypt. This exodus occurs as an escape in darkness, extremely rushed.

There are several steps that we have to make in the direction of this exodus. The Light that illuminates these steps leads us to realize that there is just one upper force, “There is none else besides Him.” Only He influences us and leads us through all of these steps and all of the states. All of our sensations, thoughts, and desires comes to us from above. What depends on us is only one single point of freedom: To relate everything that is happening to the Creator.

We realize this free choice in the group by uniting as one man in order to reveal Him, and He is present inside of the group. That is how we prepare for the exodus from Egypt in order to ascend above our ego and to shift to being ruled by the force of bestowal.

This is the greatest event in a person’s life. It’s not an accident that the whole Torah starts with the Exodus, and the month when it happens is called the beginning of all the months. The beginning is enumerated from the exodus from Egypt because all of the Torah and all spiritual life is built only on this foundation. This is the beginning of a “human being” who starts to grow up from the animate existence, the growing force of faith called the force of the Creator, which rises above the earthly, animate knowledge. All of this begins with the exodus from the egoistic Egypt.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/10/11, Writings of Rabash

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Writings of Rabash, “Until The Ruler Of Egypt Fell”: One must work for the sake of the heavens, meaning for the sake of bestowal. In exile this assessment was made under the power of Pharaoh, the King of Egypt.

I do not know what real bestowal is or how it is possible to give anything to a person who is completely detached from me, when there are no “common foundations” for kindness, such as commonly accepted morals, the respect of others around me, or anything else.

Some people throw money around and squander entire fortunes, and they feel pleasure from this. They receive sufficient compensation for their “bestowal.” One person is satisfied by a kind word, another by being remembered well by the future generations, and a third by self-respect.

In the West there is a new trend called “a dollar a day.” A person contributes a dollar a day to feed a hungry African child who will never find out who he is. Yet, contributions like this also bring satisfaction because I am giving someone life. What is a dollar compared to the feelings this elicits in me?

However, we are talking about total separation from self-gratification. We cannot imagine or feel such a thing in our life. We do not understand how it is possible to give to someone without any response in thought or sensation. This is concealed from us.

This is the meaning of exile when we first encounter it: It turns out that I do not know what pure bestowal is. I am separated from spirituality precisely in this regard.
Egypt (Mitzraim) means a notch (Metzer), and a notch means a scantity of mercy when a person only knows how to receive, without bestowing anything.

We are yet to discover that we are devoid of any premises of bestowal and only know how to receive. If I receive, then I give. But in general, this is not bestowal. I just call it that way because in our world we judge a person by his actions instead of his intentions. Intentions belong to the science of Kabbalah, while actions belong to the opinion of this world.

“Width” is generosity, great bestowal. A “notch” is the opposite, a lack of bestowal. Thus, the power of Egypt was that every person could make actions only in return for payment.

This is us. But we don’t really realize this and that is why our state is still not considered exile. Our lives our OK. True, we’re Egyptians, but so what?
He does not let them carry out even one action without payment, only for the sake of bestowal.
This is our Pharaoh. And we don’t even realize that he controls us. The power of Pharaoh becomes revealed only when you want to do something for the sake of bestowal and discover that you are unable to. That is when Pharaoh, the Egyptian King, is revealed. But until then, you are sitting on the throne yourself and doing whatever you want.
This means that Egypt was a notch for Israel.
In other words, it obstructed the direction of straight to the Creator (Yashar El).
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/11/11, Preparation to Going Out From Egypt

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In our world the only thing we know to do is to receive. Therefore, without the science of Kabbalah the world would slide down to total self-destruction. If not for the notions of the Creator and creation drawn from Kabbalah, if not for the opportunity to attract the upper Light, the force that corrects us, if there was only this world in front of us, only the earth rotating in cosmic space and us on its surface driven by our nature, then we would exterminate life here over the next few decades. This is confirmed by scientific research, which can definitely be trusted. The earth’s resources are limited, and after eating them all up, we would die of starvation.

In our world there is no solution to this process. We are deliberately being led to an irreversible state in which we will have no means of salvation left. The purpose is for us to reveal our Pharaoh, our egoism, which destroys us and does not allow us to do anything. As a result of this process, all of humanity has to feel a need for the Creator.

Research shows that over the next few years the world will face an extremely cruel lack of fresh water and other necessary resources. Theoretically, by the end of this century we will finish off the remains and will have many chances to die. And there is no solution. The world’s best minds cannot find it. But they are so smart that they can see a dead-end that has no way out.

And indeed, how can we come out of it? We do not have a chance of restricting our evil inclinations. You cannot advise people to consume less due to lack of any other choice. If everyone starts receiving the minimum wage and no more than that, then starting tomorrow no one will be able to make a move. And what would be the point of that? That is exactly what happened in Russia after the revolution. If motivation were to disappear, then the world would freeze. Even if you gave out medals for selfless work, it wouldn’t help.

I have to feel that another person is lower than me in some way, that I have earned more or have attained something greater. If I don’t have this, then what compensation can you offer me? If my neighbor receives 5000 dollars, then I need at least 5001. But if everything is equal, then a person just can’t live that way.

That is why today we are facing a problem that does not have a solution in our world. We are unable to achieve balance with nature. Eventually everyone will understand what is a global, integral world and what is homeostasis. There are many movies and research on this topic which all talk about how we have to practice moderation. The only problem is that we are unable to hold ourselves back.

Pharaoh comes forth from the shadows inside of us, obstructing all attempts to tame our appetite. Soon this will come to the surface: People will look at themselves, seeing how they are powerless, walking toward death and not being able to stop. Baal HaSulam describes this through an allegory: The angel of death brings you a drop of poison on the tip of a sword and you open up your mouth to swallow it and die. You are unable to overcome yourself and are waiting for this final drop.

That is why the dissemination of the science of Kabbalah is necessary. An exemplary group is needed, capable of demonstrating the true solution to the world. This group has to become “a Light for the nations” and from above to pour upon them the spiritual mind and feeling. Otherwise the world has no chance.

Similarly, in our particular case there are also no chances. The difference is that we ourselves want to feel this dead-end state because we know that after that the upper Light will become revealed to us, being a new force, the force of bestowal that will pull us onto a different level. And we must do the same thing for the world even though people are unable to aspire to this ahead of time.
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/11/11, Preparation to Going Out From Egypt

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Writings of Rabash, “Purpose of the Group”: In order to attain bestowal to the Creator, it is first necessary to bestow to man, which is called love for the neighbor.

Our nature is completely opposite to love for the neighbor. I only love myself. All of my calculations, whether conscious or unconscious, are built exclusively on personal benefit.

The way I sit, the way I look, the way I think, and what I see—all of this is funneled through the filter of my egoism, leaving me only with the things that can benefit me or pose a threat. Everything has to serve my personal well-being. That is my nature.

However, I have to achieve universal bestowal, universal love, the Creator’s eternal force, eternal life. And to do that, I need to do preliminary exercises in the group. That is why Rabash continues:

Love for the neighbor is possible only when you reject yourself.

One comes instead of the other. Bestowal and reception cannot live together with each other.

I have 613 desires and as a whole my desire acts only for its own sake. This is the situation at the beginning. Then I begin to cut away from it “piece by piece,” starting with the easiest desires and progressing to the most difficult ones.

That is how I correct myself, step by step, and instead of a part of the egoistic desire, I acquire the desire to bestow. In the meantime, in the rest of my desires I still remain in the intention "for my own sake." That is how I correct parts of me.

However, there is a condition: If I have corrected at least one of my desires for the sake of bestowal, then the rest can no longer remain in the egoistic intention. That is why they have to undergo restriction.

I have a large vessel and at first it is entirely aimed at self-benefit. First of all I make a restriction and only then am I able to transform the first, smallest desire to bestowal to others.

Thus, I have a great desire. I make a restriction on it and then I cut off the thinnest layer of myself. From that piece, I am able to perform bestowal. In the meantime, restriction reigns over all the other desires. Then I cut off the second layer, then the third, and that is how I correct them one after another.

Two desires cannot exist in one person: one aimed at himself and one aimed at bestowal. After all, they are opposite to one another. In order to be able to acquire even the smallest desire of bestowal, all the other desires have to be restricted.
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From the 5th lesson at the WE! Convention on 4/1/11

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Every person has an obligation and there can be no excuses or indulgences about carrying it out: One has to take care of the feeling of joy, confidence, and the force that is contained in our environment. One should not express the weakness indecisiveness inherent in him, even though no one has “surfaced from the fog” yet.

One should not express disregard, which comes to us again and again as our egoism grows. I have to work above my ego, constantly radiating confidence, decisiveness on the path, and joy as a sign of the fact that I am in a perfect state.

It might seem like I don’t have anything, but I don’t need anything. I only want to be in the state of pure bestowal. After all, no matter what I acquire, it will belong to my egoism. Only when I detach from it, when I am happy that it is empty and don’t demand any fulfillment for it, then I begin to acquire the spiritual world. This transition is called “spiritual birth.” I very much hope that we won’t forget about this.

Rabash writes the following in the article “A person will help his neighbor”:
Every person has to pay attention and think about how he can help his friend by evoking an uplifted mood in him. With regard to mood, every person can find a place of lack in his friend, which he is able to fulfill.

And in the article “The Purpose of the Group” he writes:
In the society people have to pay extra attention to ensure that carelessness will not enter their environment because it destroys everything.

Whoever disregards anything on the path, at the studies, or in realizing the greatness of the friends and the teacher, that person makes us weaker. Therefore, you should immediately throw him out of the group. He is your greatest enemy. Don’t leave him alone. Let him think about what he is doing, let him apologize, let him understand his problem, and then it will be possible to take him back.

A person who weakens us on the path should not be kept in the group even for a second. By observing this rule, we will definitely reach the goal quickly.
From the 5th lesson at the WE! Convention on 4/1/11

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