At the still, vegetative, and animate levels, nature is an integral system whose parts have no free will in observing its laws. Man, however, is given free will: He can either act in harmony with nature or against it.

Today, as the egoistic development of civilization is running its course, we’re beginning to recognize the deficiency of the egoistic approach which brings us to self-destruction. Our ego has grown so much that we are destroying the system of equilibrium on Earth while, in fact, it is we, the highest degree of development, who must establish this equilibrium.

By restoring balance with nature, we will create the conditions for the correct behavior of all its other parts. For that we will need to become like one man, to achieve a state of mutual love and care. This is why the notion of “love thy neighbor as thyself” lies at the very foundation of humanity’s systems of values. We realize that in order to co-exist in a global world, this condition is necessary, today all the more so.

This is the reason the science of Kabbalah is being revealed today. For thousands of years it has been awaiting its hour so as to present our generation with the opportunity to rise to the degree of bestowal.
[24168]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/19/10, “He Who Strengthens His Heart”

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The Zohar, Chapter “BeShalach (When Pharaoh Sent),” Items 28-29: Pharaoh rose in the land of Egypt and killed and avenged his rulers, ministers, officers, and every kind of minister…

Afterwards he called unto Moses and Aaron at night, “Since everything was through you, and bless me, too,” meaning do not kill me. Afterwards, he himself escorted them out of the land…

We don’t understand the extent to which this horrible, evil force called Pharaoh is mighty and opposite to the Creator. It is the imprint of the Creator and acts as His loyal messenger. As Pharaoh becomes revealed more and more, this revelation of evil pushes a person to come out of his ego.

This is what we are now observing in the world: On one hand we are becoming greater egoists, acting only for the sake of our own benefit without taking anyone into consideration, and on the other hand the growing egoism increasingly reveals to us that we are obligated to part with it, that this form of existence is impossible and we are approaching universal destruction.

This is the meaning of the phrase, “Pharaoh brought the sons of Israel closer to the Creator.” In this way the negative force is carrying out its function in order to push us closer to spirituality.
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From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/19/10, The Zohar

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There are two sequential corrections: 1. Return through fear and 2. Return through love. On the first phase I work against my egoism, building my attitude to the neighbor above it. No matter how great my egoism is and what pleasures are revealed in it, I am always above it.

My attitude to the neighbor is measured by my ability to ascend over a certain degree of egoism. That is why this correction is called “return through fear.” I ascend up the ladder by which my soul descended and thus I return to the World of Infinity. It happens through fear or awe because my egoistic desire rages inside me and knocks me off the path, while I build up my ascent in fear, worry, and opposition to it.

On the second phase, the return through love, my egoism no longer resists it. I don’t fight fears of falling into it, but on the contrary, I acquire the desires of my neighbor as if they were my own. This work also takes place above the desires, but they are the desires of others which I perceive as my own.

For example, you used to hate others, but now you discover that they are even closer to you than your very self, like your children for whose sake you would be willing to give up your entire life. You once again discern that it is your egoism speaking inside you, although it is now aimed at others. That’s because they are you, and even more than that.

Thus, the process of correction always takes place above the desire for pleasure. The discernment happens only with regard to the types of the desire: yours or “others.” We always work by way of faith (bestowal) above knowledge (reception).
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/7/10, “The Righteous Feels Good and the Righteous Feels Bad”

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All of our work is aimed at preparation. Our task isn’t to erase the egoism that becomes revealed in us, but to be ready to always perceive it as being revealed in us by the Upper Light, the Creator. We should immediately discern it in the Light as bitter, yet joyous signs of our development.

Our souls (desire and Light) underwent a gradual descent, and now we have to reveal the same degrees or states from below upwards. We have to experience them and all their details since otherwise there will be a flaw in the general Kli, in the Final Correction.

We are unable to change fate as it descends from above downwards. However, we can prepare for seeing and perceiving it differently. Unpleasant sensations in egoism, the will to enjoy, are caused by the fact that I identify with my ego.

If, however, I ascend above it and prepare to see just good changes in everything that comes from the Creator, then the same states of egoism’s unpleasant revelation will be perceived as good, positive, and useful. I will be grateful for them.

When I begin perceiving the Creator’s attitude to me differently, then all my intentional and unintentional transgressions become my opportunities for becoming corrected and reaching bestowal, and then these transgressions turn into my merits. Therefore, everything depends on me and my preparation.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/7/10, “The Righteous Feels Good and the Righteous Feels Bad”

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Question: When you work with kids, how can you tell that the approach you have chosen is correct?

Answer: First of all, you have to make sure that the group of kids goes through all the states together. If common difficulties affect the group and envelop all the kids in the class, then the kids need some kind of an outlet such as sports. They need help to go through the difficult states easier.

However, obviously it is inevitable that every new level will entail a jump of egoism and lack of understanding, followed by clarifications and achievement of greater understanding than before. Children should be taught to overcome states of obscurity in their feelings and mind.

One’s soul never grows old, and a person as well as a child (who is also a person) never receives states where he doesn’t have “the end of the rope” he can grab onto in order to climb out of any mess, descent, weakness, and fog. Together with all the things that seem like “objective reasons” for feeling bad, we always have the opportunity to ascend from this state. Children must be taught this technique. That is how we give them the instruments that enable them to make it through life.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/4/10, “The Love for the Creator and Love for the Created Beings”

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As a person climbs the spiritual ladder, he simultaneously descends into his ego. Suppose I have discerned and corrected only the thinnest, surface layer of my desire. At this level, I have connected with the group, realized the importance of the goal, and drew the Light that Reforms onto myself. However, in order to ascend to the first spiritual degree (one of 125), I need to undergo two more stages.

The second layer of desire is revealed to me finally, and here, I am much worse or “coarser.” Here, I condemn, ignore, deny, and despise. Compared to this state, I was previously as a little child; now, I am being rejected more strongly. What for? It is done to provide me with an opportunity to attain greater unity and draw stronger Upper Light.

This is how I advance time after time, disclosing greater and greater egoism. No matter how high a person may rise, the evil inclination always precedes him. He is prepared for it, of course. Yet, during the descent, nothing helps, and he falls into “minus Infinity.”

In truth, descent is not really a descent, but a state of ascent that you are not yet ready for. It is as if you are transferred into the championship team because your coach knows that you have the capacity to join the top players. The necessary conditions are provided for you. Now, you just have to exert your best effort and take your position next to them as an equal.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/22/10, “The Agenda of the Assembly”

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A person needs the force of the Torah in order to reveal himself and reality in relation to the Creator. Being close to the Creator means being similar to Him, to the quality of bestowal and love. This quality becomes revealed to a person through his attitude to the neighbor, meaning to someone who is close to him by having the same goal in life. This is the right criterion for self-analysis and measuring your attitude to the Creator.

The goal (closeness to the Creator, revelation of the Creator, and unity with Him) is attained in two stages:

1. A person’s qualities become revealed as evil because they don’t allow him to attain the goal.
2. The force of correction, the Light, is revealed inside the unity between people who aspire to the goal. Then the evil inclination, man’s nature, helps him to unite with the Creator.

At first the flaws of egoism (Klipot) seem like great obstacles. However, as we advance we discover the ability to transform them into goodness. They all become our point of independence (Klipat Noga), which enables us to grow.

On the right side we have the Creator, and on the left side Klipa. We form ourselves out of both of them, creating our independent form of similarity to the Creator. When the force of the Light and the force of the darkness connect to each other correctly, they give rise to the form of Adam, a human being, in us. The human being in us is the degree of our similarity to the Creator.

Everything is done by the Light. It reveals the force of the evil inclination in us, as well as its own force in order to develop egoism. As a result, we reveal their single Source, the Creator, and the distinction between good and evil or Light and darkness disappears. All forces and qualities form the image of the only reality, the Source.

This constitutes all of the science of Kabbalah: the revelation of the Creator to the creatures, or rather, inside the creatures.

From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/14/10, Writings of Rabash

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Question: Why do all pleasures immediately fade? I am so happy when I buy a new car, but a week later I get used to it and no longer care about it. What causes the pleasure to go away? If the Light and the vessel are all that exists, then shouldn’t the pleasure be eternal? Why does it fade?

Answer: It is because the Kli (vessel) changes. The car doesn’t disappear, but my desire becomes greater and the pleasure received from owning the car no longer fills it. The change in the desire is qualitative, not quantitative. In spirituality growth is qualitative rather than quantitative.

The car parked by my house is still beautiful and new, but it doesn’t excite me as before even though just a week has gone by. This occurs because an additional desire (the “tongue of the primordial snake“) has formed inside you, causing the human being in you to ask the question, “What did this purchase give me?” You don’t even realize that you have this question, but nonetheless it awakes in you and spoils all of your pleasure.

After the breaking or the fall of the Tree of Knowledge, a point of connection with the Creator emerged in every kind of pleasure When your desire is filled, that point asks whether you have achieved eternal pleasure. It forces you to immediately search for another way to fill yourself. We have been advancing in this manner throughout all of history, and we would not have developed if not for this. This is what distinguishes a person from an animal: the birth of new desires.

A subconscious need to become similar to the Creator has continuously driven us forward from the time we came out of caves to this very day, and this is a result of the primordial sin. Our desires (Adam and Eve) would have remained as animals if the human being in us did not constantly grow. We start to feel shame regarding the Creator because we realize how different we are from Him. Shame is what causes us to ask the question, “What did I gain from this?” Subconsciously we think to ourselves, “Why do I need a car if I’m trying to reach the Creator?” Even though we aren’t aware of our connection to the Creator, this emptiness gnawing inside of us comes from Him.

From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/2/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”

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The modern person has all the comforts of this world, but we are still unsatisfied – in fact, more so than before. In the past, if a person had a loaf of bread a day, he could not dream of anything more. Compared to that, look at all the things a modern person needs. Yet, is he satisfied? No! And everyone is asking: Why?

Satisfaction is not to be found on the regular, human level, and none of the new toys we get will help. We want to dope ourselves with “stuff,” but the emptiness that surfaces in us comes from a completely different place: our lack of similarity to the Creator. That is why we cannot fulfill it with anything other than the sensation of the Creator!

This emptiness gradually forms inside us and accumulates to a specific measure in order to “explode.” That is when a person comes to understand that he can no longer suppress that emptiness. He has to fulfill it since otherwise his life will seem worse than death. It is impossible to find fulfillment for this desire in this world because it is a need to reveal the Upper World, the Creator!

Yet the body’s protective forces compel us to search for ways to confuse ourselves. People take drugs, alcohol, or fill their lives with empty, fashionable things or trips. Thus, like ostriches, we hide our heads in the sand to escape the problems.

That is how the protective force of our ego operates, wishing to prove to itself that it is fulfilled and to conceal the emptiness that never can be filled. Why think about the things we could never attain anyway and spoil our lives?

But this cannot go on for long! For now we still manage to confuse ourselves on the “animate” level in order to avoid feeling the unfulfilled need on the “human” level. But the cover up will unavoidably blow up.

In different periods throughout history similar states brought about revolutions, wars, and dramatic, tragic solutions. Let us hope that in our case the solution will not be so cruel. In our case, we have to rise from the level of our world, the “animate” degree, to the level of the Upper World, the level of Adam or the Creator. This is not in our power and humanity is starting to go crazy from its own futility.

On our egoistic level it was possible to ascend from one degree to the next by way of revolutions, wars, new regimes or religions, and new technologies such as book printing, the steam engine, the Internet, and so on. All of this provided fulfillment for a certain segment of time, but now egoism has exhausted itself and the need to reveal the Creator demands precisely the spiritual fulfillment. We are revealing a new inner desire: to reveal the One who controls us.

From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/2/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”

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The egoistic desire constantly chases delight and knows no boundaries, thus leading itself to death. There is no way for it to survive. Even within the complete righteous, the still, vegetative, and animate degrees strive towards and approach death.

This is our whole life: From the very moment of birth we begin to move towards death. The egoistic desire is unable to exist in any other form since it nourishes itself from death rather than life.

However, we can acquire the desire to bestow. It is completely separated from our egoistic desire to receive and represents the soul that exists apart from the body, regardless of whether the body is dead, alive, or born again. All of these states occur solely at the level of this world, while the soul lives in the spiritual, Upper World.

In other words, we are now transitioning  to an entirely new type of existence, which is not associated whatsoever with our previous ways of life. We will not be able to continue based on previous education, culture, or values unless they are directly necessary for our essential bodily needs. So-called “human” values will simply cease to exist because we will no longer find fulfillment in them. And on the animate level we will exist as all animals do, consuming no more than is necessary for life.

Thus, the whole life of humanity will change radically, and no one will force us to it. Rather, all these fulfillments – be it fashion, movies, or mass media – won’t give us the sensation of life. It will be reduced to the necessary existence of the body, and for everything else people will search only on the truly human level. It is a qualitative change that has never previously taken place.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/30/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”

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