From Rabash’s article “Faith”: “Rabbi Tarfon used to say: “The day is short, the labor vast, the toilers are idle, but the reward is great, and the Master of the house is insistent.” (Pirkey Avot 2:20) If one believes that there is no capital without a Ruler and is confident that the Master exists, one feels constrained.

We are unable to wake up on our own unless the Creator awakens us because we are made of material that has no spirit of life spirit. Therefore, we are called creations; that is, we are ruled from above. Only after the Creator awakens us, we see that the labor is vast, the toilers are idle, but the reward is great, and the Master is insistent. Then, we start working.

At this point, our freedom of will turns on. The Creator places one’s hand on the good fate and says: “Take it!” In other words, the Creator’s action comes first; then it is our turn to continue the work, meaning that we take what the Creator gives us. We have to organize our environment and study so that everyday is structured to allow us to make efforts both on one and the other.

Regardless of our usual workload and dissemination responsibilities, we should never break our connection with the original sources. Only if we manage to constantly maintain connection with the sources, will we arrive at the desired and anticipated result. The labor is vast, but the reward is great, so we have to prepare our vessels to receive it.

All this requires us to distribute our time into several segments: a normal life, study, and dissemination. We should consistently attend to all three and never avoid or overlook any of them. If we neglect even one of them, we won’t keep to the middle line. Even if we don’t allot time in equal shares between them, we still have to take care of all three parts.

We should pay particular attention to these issues. Even when one has a very important dissemination assignment, one shouldn’t forget about studying. There is no excuse for missing classes just because one is busy with dissemination. It’s really bad, since it is said: “If you abandon Me for one day, I’ll leave you for two.” It’s dangerous. If you discontinue studying because of dissemination, our gains will eventually turn into losses.
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From the preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/10/13

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Question: Why does the Creator need a “middleman,” Israel, between Him and His creation?

Answer: The material (matter) by itself is Malchut, a desire to receive, nothing more, which can only respond to pleasant and unpleasant effects in a straightforward, predetermined manner. It cannot bring any updates in nature.

If I build some kind of mechanical, electrical system that responds to my influence, it cannot be considered a “new creation.” After all,  it’s based on our thoughts, sensations, intellect, and attitude. If it’s built correctly and if we are its creators and if it’s completely under our control, then it’s just a part of us and there is nothing new or different about it. We made it the way we wanted it to be.

This explains why still, vegetative, and animate nature, as well as those people who lead a purely material life cannot be called “creation,” since they are governed directly from above. When pricked, they scream “Ow!” and when patted, they enjoy, “Ah!” Except for “Ow!” and “Ah!” there is nothing more they can do—either suffer or enjoy. Their reaction to pain or delight is obvious and predictable. Where is the creation in this picture?

Creation is one in whom there is a part of the Creator, and because it is already there, there is a certain opposition,conflict, a gap, a delta between the properties of the Creator and creation. If we can work with these two parts correctly, then between them a zone of “freewill” emerges, a special place where we do not depend on the Creator nor do we hinge on the material He created; we are positioned at the borderline between them.

This neutral zone is called “the middle third of Tifferet.” It’s a point that is considered to be true creation. We still have to work to attain this state, but at least we already know where to look for it and how to tune to it. Somewhere in the middle between the Creator and creation (not true creation but a material creation) there is a state that embraces both opposites and at the same time is not dependent on either of them.

We cannot yet comprehend what it is, but eventually we reach this state. When working with the general public, we are working with the material creation. The Creator is the force with which we want to perform the action. By that, we transform ourselves into “creation.” This has never happened before in the history of humanity; this process did not begin until today. Only after we achieve it will we be able to call ourselves “people,” “sons of Adam,” “similar” (Domeh) to the Creator.
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From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/26/13

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Baal HaSulam, “The Peace”: Because the purpose is undoubtedly built over all the laws of nature, none excluded, just as the clever worker would not add or subtract even a hairsbreadth of the necessary actions to attain the goal, he who alters even a single law harms and damages the purposeful aim that the Creator has set, and will therefore be punished by nature. Hence, we, too, creatures of the Creator must not pity him because he is desecrating the laws of nature and defiles the purpose of the Creator.

We live within a complex of forces of the laws of nature. From the world of infinity each being smaller than the previous one, they close the spiritual space in order to construct this world in its center, the place in which a person has free choice and from which he can begin the way toward his correction.

If we don’t abide by these laws that are active within the “spiritual worlds,” the Sefirot,  Partzufim—then, how can we rise to the level of the Creator? The ascent is possible only through keeping the Mitzvot or, in other words, through keeping the laws of nature. These are the same thing.

This is not talking about the physical laws of nature here: cutting down trees and drying up rivers, pollution, and destruction of the nature of the still, vegetative, and animate. Rather, the main thing is that we need to begin to be in balance with the spiritual nature, with the bestowal and love coming toward us.

In the past, until we reached a stage of correction of the self, we had no ability to destroy nature. Until the nineteenth century and even until the twentieth century, we used it without causing damage, without violating the ecology. However, after that, the Creator approached the world in order to show us that the world is global, that everything among all the levels of nature is linked with the level of Adam (man), and now, first of all, it is up to the person to correct himself.

The solution is not in limiting or reducing the utilization of the nature of the still, vegetative, and animate. Rather, this is speaking about the correction of the person on his level. By means of this, he corrects the relationship with all the rest and even between everything and the Creator. That is how we rise “from love for thy neighbor to love for the Creator.”

Certainly, there exist many laws linked to the nature of the still, vegetative, and animate, yet our service to the Creator is to resemble the Creator, for otherwise, if we don’t correct our speaking level and our relationship toward the Creator, we will not know how we need to relate to nature. Here, we must correct our ego. We cannot dictate for people the laws of conduct for every given state and arrange clear guidelines for all events. It is impossible to dictate to every person how it is up to him to behave from morning to night in order to build the right relationships with the nature of the still, vegetative and animate, with the environment.

It is only if the person will correct himself with the characteristic of bestowal, with “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” To this degree, he also will correct his link with the nature around him. Then, all the levels in nature will be included with him and will be corrected through him.

By themselves, they are not prepared to be corrected. There are a multitude of malfunctions, and as of today, we don’t know what the forms of their correct functioning are. However, then we will see that they are functioning differently. Even on the level of the still, we will see natural characteristics that we haven’t seen until now.

So, first of all, the person needs to correct himself and not the stones, the plants, and the animals. The goal of creation is to resemble the Creator, and we have something with which to practice: the relationships between us. Specifically for this, there was the shattering, the Babylonian exile, and population growth to seven billion human beings. Precisely in this way, we will correct the damage.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/2/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Question: Why do I feel that I need to be corrected, but it doesn’t happen?

Answer: That cannot be. If you demand correction, then it must immediately happen. It seems that you demand, but is not for correction as long as you are just saying this with words but aren’t feeling it in your heart. You need to check yourself. There cannot be such a thing that someone is refused correction.

If you truly want to correct something in you, if you have clarified that this is a corrupted characteristic, see it before you, and you act in order to bestow without regard for any benefit for yourself, then it will be corrected. The system already exists and it cannot be otherwise. It acts like a sound car and it cannot be that it doesn’t work.

Besides you, no one in the world has free choice, including the Creator! It is said: (Psalms 148:6) “He gave a law and it will not be transgressed.” The Creator cannot suddenly want something or not want something, as if a higher power could change His decision.

We don’t understand how this system is built. It is found in the state of the final correction (Gmar Tikkun). And you are found in a completely corrupted state, and you need to reach from one extreme to the other. To do this, you are given Partzufim and “spiritual worlds,” a staircase of steps, and on every level there exists a unique Light that works on you.

Besides you, no one else can do anything! So how about the rest of creation, all seven billion? Okay, let’s suppose that those who don’t have a point in the heart don’t have free choice. But what about those who have a point in the heart, because  they have free choice can’t they intervene  No, they cannot, everything depends only on you.

Everyone needs to say this about himself, and this is truly so. Only I–in my section in regard to my soul, in regard to my part of the work—possess free choice. And no still, vegetative, animate, or speaking, including the Creator can intervene. Everything else other than me is the system.

Therefore you can scream, cry, beg, but you are facing a system, a machine. If you have already learned how to run it, then you can make it work. And if not, then it is necessary to learn more about how to do this. That is all; there are no excuses.
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From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/18/13, Introduction to The Book of Zohar

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Question: What is our free choice? It seems to me that you are explaining it differently now.

Answer: Free choice changes according to every state, every level, on condition that we advance. However, it is necessary to understand that only we have free choice and not the Creator, for (Psalms 148:6) “He has made a law which shall not pass.” The Light is found at absolute rest. However, on the other hand, for all of the substance of creation, for all the nations of the world, there is no free choice.

Therefore, when we look at seven billion human beings, at their relationship toward us, it is possible to understand that the Creator organizes all of the substance of desire according to how it is revealed: all of the reactions that we encounter and all the difficulties and the hatred that is aroused. This is the Aviut (thickness) of the desire with which we need to work from the easiest to more and more difficult.

It is not necessary to expect any changes from them. All that will happen to them is the result of our work, the reaction to what we do with them, and through work with people and the expectation of their reaction, we begin to converse with the Creator, to see nature. The Creator is found within people, as it is written, (Kings II 4:13) “I dwell within my people,” and He responds to our actions. In this form, He wants to teach us what our substance is, the Aviut of the desire.

All the levels of our desire are not found in us but rather in the masses of people and in all levels of nature: the still, the vegetative, and the animate. If you begin to work with them, then you will feel that all this is yours! The Creator is found within all of this desire and wants you to learn what He is giving you, and you are that point that needs to link, to connect to itself the whole Aviut of desire, all nine of His lower Sefirot.

The Nukva is left with one point of Keter in the world of Atzilut, and all her nine lower Sefirot are found below. All of her work is to gradually raise her nine lower Sefirot that are found in the worlds of BYA and world of Atzilut and become the same as Zeir Anpin, like the Creator, so that they will be face to face (Panim be Panim) with one Keter. That is how she reaches her completion of correction.

Therefore, as a result of this work, we begin to discover the force that stands behind the entire world, all seven billion people. Within each one of them is concealed an infinite desire to receive that was created by the Creator, Malchut of the world of infinity. Now, it seems to us that they are activated by simple, mundane human desires for money, power, and knowledge and what concerns them is only food, sex, family, and various pleasures in order to live as much as possible in a more calm way and to suffer less. However, after this, we discover a much deeper, profound desire in them, and this level of desire will open and unfold the era of the “Days of the Messiah” from easiest to the more difficult. However, we will also be prepared for a greater correction already.

If you look at the world in the right form from your point of view, you will see everything as your field of work that you must bring to adherence with the Creator, and every person is the substance of the desire from which the Creator turns to you. Repeatedly try to imagine yourself in a state like this and you will see how simple the world becomes. Nothing exists besides the Creator and the creature. The creature is you, and the Creator is everything that is concealed behind all of this substance, and outside of this, there is nothing.

Apparently, you always are speaking with the Creator and conversing with Him, and all of this substance is the adapter with whose help you can be in connection with the Creator. Without this substance, you would not feel and understand the Creator. You would not be prepared to maintain a mutual connection with Him.
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From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/15/13

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Question: If we all form one system, then how can the human, being its inseparable part, make mistakes and violate its laws?

Answer: The fact is that a person is now connected to it like a baby. Adults take care of him and give him a slightly higher degree so that he would begin to integrate into it, to evolve, to connect, and to see how much he can match it, how much benefit or harm he brings it.

Only in our time are these mechanisms finally manifested: We are harming the world and it responds so much so that our very existence is threatened. Environmental hazards today are such that humanity with all its history can disappear from the face of the Earth that can no longer bear it. We ourselves cause the extinction of plant and animal species and suddenly we find ourselves on the same list. Moreover, one global war is sufficient to end civilization even before ecology would do this.

The conclusion is that if we do not learn from nature, meaning from the general system, the correct integration into it, we come into conflict with it and to an unpleasant end.

Question: The problem is that if a person comes face to face with a steadfast system that is stronger than he, then at some point he raises his arms: “Come what may…”

Answer: That’s right; today a person feels helpless and doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t know because he is incapable of understanding the world, feeling it correctly, making the right decision, and most importantly, realizing it correctly.

That’s why Kabbalists, sages, come to our world. They are also part of the general system. And apparently, no matter how many of them appear, the world does not need more. After all, people still need to be given freedom of will to ensure the realization of evil; they have to be brought to their own decision whether to join those sages or not.

It turns out that the world has a chance, provided by the system as well. And this opportunity is us the world organization Bnei Baruch. In the framework that we were given, we are obliged to act, sparing no efforts, so that everyone in the world would know upon what his good future depends.

A “good future “is the correct inclusion in the system of nature. If we do not violate its laws, the conditions set by it, we will be fine. If I judge wellbeing on the basis of my egoism, then I behave like a small child who doesn’t want to listen to adults.

Anyway, being in the general system, I cannot choose their laws according to my taste. Either I am against nature and in helplessness follow the path of suffering, or I study the laws of nature in order to associate myself with it and move forward by the good path, drawing from nature forces which are useful for my advancement.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/28/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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All of reality except for us is found in a state of rest and waits for our work. Everything is seemingly evolving and changing at every moment, yet without any free choice. The result of the cooperation between the Light and the Kli that is found opposite to it, is projected, extended, and evolved downward, and influences the world more and more.

 The link between the Light and the Kli in the meantime is created without our participation, without an attempt to establish a proper link between them. And if we don’t link them correctly, then these two lines of force will evolve further and further downward, in parallel to each other, and will influence us who are found between them.

The entire world is found in a field between these two forces, plus and minus: still, vegetative, animate, and speaking (humanity) and within it also Israel. The positive and negative forces evolve further and further from above to below, meaning they are revealed one against the other with greater and greater intensity, where the minus and the plus are made more opposed to each other.

And if we, with our free choice, cannot link and complete them in the right way, then they will descend to an even lower level and cause more and more trouble. As if there was a -10 tension opposite a +10 tension, and this becomes -100 opposite +100; that is, the opposition between them is made much greater. Therefore the troubles grow and become greater, and then we have no choice, and they oblige us to make some kind of link between the plus and the minus.

If we create a link like this, then the entire nature of the still, vegetative, animate, and all the nations of the world, also merit a more balanced supervision, which is to say a quiet life. There is no longer such strong opposition between the minus and the plus, rather the opposite; there is something that links them together. The positive force supplies intention and the negative force supplies desire, and if we combine intention and desire correctly, then all of of creation will enjoy the fruit of this covenant. That is how it works.

All of the negative egoistic forces, all the wicked (Nebuchadnezzar, Amalek, Hitler), which collectively are called “Pharaoh,” have no free choice. Therefore, there is nothing to curse or blame them for; rather, it is necessary only to understand that nobody can correct the situation except those who have free choice, that have a natural inclination towards correction of the world.
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From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/20/13, The Zohar — Introduction

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Evil forces have no free will. It seems to us that some people or nations intentionally cause us suffering, having committed crimes in history. But all of this is a direct consequence of the system’s work, which in addition to the Creator has only one element able to influence the system—us, the ones who have the opportunity for independent work, free actions, thoughts, and intentions.

So, don’t blame anyone. The Creator is good and brings good, and the laws that He has established work in the world and cannot be transgressed. It turns out that in the whole system of worlds, in the entire universe, just we alone have the power to change something in reality.

We are in the vast ocean of Light, reason, wisdom, and the program of creation, like on a tiny raft. And we can influence this ocean so that we would feel confident in it, safe, and calm, but we can also cause a violent storm in this ocean. Everything depends on us!

All the other parts of creation, except us, do not change. The Light is in a state of absolute rest, and the vessel, desire, is completely dependent on the Light. And only we in the middle between them have freedom of choice. Therefore, apart from us, no one can change anything because they fully obey the higher management. It is the system through which the Creator influences us in order to straighten our paths and bring us closer to Himself.

It is said that “Pharaoh brought the children of Israel closer to the Creator.” Each sacrifice (Kurban) brings closer (Karov) to Him, and it depends only on how we use our own free choice.

So, we cannot wait and waste a moment; we are obliged to do our work as much as possible. In reality nothing will change, except what we change by our own efforts.
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From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/20/13, Introduction to The Book of Zohar

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The Creator has created the desire to enjoy and prepares it for adhesion with Himself, meaning for the final state that this desire has to reach, to want to become similar to the Light. Inside, it remains the same desire to enjoy, but externally it takes the form of the Light, the property of bestowal.

In order for the desire to enjoy wanting to become like the Creator, that is, wishing for adhesion, it needs to have the properties of the Light in addition to its property of reception. And it also has to explore its property, to understand, feel, and become aware of its attachment to it and want to get rid of it, that is, to comprehend it in the direct and opposite form. Besides that, it also needs to understand and feel the desire of bestowal, and compare them with each other.

It turns out that the Creator created this desire to be versatile and combine many shades of these two properties: the desire to enjoy and the desire to bestow. On the basis of inclusion of one property into another, it begins to understand every property, and after all the scrutiny, it obtains the mind, the head, that is, intention, the ability to make conscious actions.

But with all this complexity of the desire to enjoy, consisting of a clever weave of properties of reception and bestowal in the mind and heart, that is, in intention and action, in the thought and feeling, in essence, there is only one important point—the point of freewill. And the rest is managed by this point.

If the created being attains this point, then it is called “Yashar-El” (straight to the Creator), Israel. And everything else that the created being has inside of his understanding, attainment, mutual inclusion of desires, intentions, and thoughts, except for this point, does not belong to Israel, but belongs to its consequence, this point of freedom of choice, and everything else flows from it.

The Creator is the property of bestowal and treats both sinners and righteous kindly. No change ever occurs in Him. The desire to enjoy, except this one point Israel, is completely in the power of its nature. It can change, but solely due to the only free change that is possible in this system, which is called the point of Israel.

Therefore, we must understand that the upper force and the desire to enjoy are at absolute rest. The only element of creation that can change and decide something is Israel. Consequently, there is no need to look at those who have no point in the heart since they have no freedom of choice. Although they look like people, they are not those people, the sons of Adam, who are similar (Domeh) to the Creator, like the point in the heart.

So, no matter what happens in this world, regardless of how they attack and mock us or if they are for or against us, all this is the demonstration of the desire to enjoy in relation to us. It only shows us the need to make our free choice in order to bring it to adhesion with the Creator. That is our job.
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From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/15/13

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The environment is designed to pull us out of the grasping hands of the impure forces (Klipot). After all, we cannot escape them by our own forces and will always remain in their sweet captivity. Only to the extent of my connection with the group that evokes me, inspires, and pushes me, can I choose to move forward with the group instead of relaxing in the warm company of my Klipot.

From where does the group take force to influence me more than the force of Klipa? The fact is that the group acts on the same egoism of mine that the Klipa does. If the group persuades me that the goal is great, that this is the dream of our life, then it’s not even important to my egoism whether the goal is spiritual or material. If everyone around me insists that it’s important, then I will have forces to fight against my laziness.

We get this great help as a result of the breaking of desires. Thanks to this, I can play with my egoism, with my stony heart, with the help of the environment. Friends can pull me anywhere, even lead me to death, and I will gladly go with them.

If the environment knows how to affect me, I will be ready for anything. But the challenge is to ensure that our environment affects us only to the extent to which I allow it, giving myself to it! I pay the group for this special influence; I become integrated with the friends. Otherwise, the group will have no effect on me.

This is no ordinary society because I can be in the group and not feel any of its effects. We see these examples when a person studies with us for 15 years and doesn’t fall under the influence of the society because he doesn’t want to bow his head before others.

But here I have freedom of choice: If I bow to the group and join it, then to that extent it will begin to affect me. Thus, in this group I get the opportunity for free development. All this ultimately happens because of me! I have cancelled myself and thus the environment influences me, and I enter the spiritual world. I myself reach the spiritual world, having used the environment of my own accord.

At the same time, entering normal society, a person falls entirely under its influence, and nothing depends on him; the environment affects him and directs everything. In a Kabbalistic group, I have to cancel myself before the environment every second.
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From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/12/13, The Book of Zohar – Introduction

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