We had a very powerful and high quality convention in Kharkov, making a big step forward. This has advanced all our groups around the world. We have felt universal participation: Everyone was with us from all around the world, all connected. Let us hope that this will raise us to a higher, stronger, and more internal level of connection in comparison to the previous level.

It is clear that this success would have been impossible without all the preliminary work and self-sacrifice that everyone expressed to attain the goal of creation. I think that we have managed to feel it and realize it better. I am very grateful to all the participants and am proud of you. I am referring to all the organizers and all the participants of the convention who felt how significant this step forward was for us. I am glad that everything happened the way it did.

Let us hope that from now on we will continue to delve deeper into our connection and that inside it we will reveal how everything is determined by our appeal to the Creator. Even though right now I am referring to you, we must still thank the Creator for directing us, accompanying and advancing us towards Him, for having an upper force that guides us, and for having merited to advance towards it.

The main thing I wanted to convey to you at this convention is the feeling that when you are in a group that discusses, listens, and dances inside the notion of a “group,” then it holds you up. But the moment you leave this notion, even if physically you are still in the group, you immediately fall into your thoughts.

You had to feel this ascent every time when you are with our friends who influence you and possess your mind and heart, and a descent when for some reason you break your connection with them.

We needed to get a feel for how necessary it is to constantly be under the influence of the environment. Otherwise you immediately return to an animalistic state. I am only human when the group rules over me.

These two levels needed to become very clear to every person, and this goal is what the entire convention schedule was directed towards. If somehow we managed to reach this realization, now we need to strengthen it: to understand the extreme importance of the influence of the environment, which Baal HaSulam speaks of. This is my entire freedom of choice: to keep strengthening this environment in any way I can by increasing my susceptibility.

The environment must keep getting stronger and have a more powerful influence over me. Our mutual guarantee must manifest here: mine according to my attitude towards them and theirs according to their attitude towards me, to always keep me above my corporeal calculations. And this will lead us to modesty and devotion of the soul—the states which lead to the attainment of the goal.
[86207]
Excerpt from a Conversation During a Meal After the Kharkov Convention 8/20/12

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First of all, we need to determine exactly how we actually move on the spiritual path.

Trying to figure out where we are, where we should go, and how to find meaning in existence, we see that everything is closely connected, intertwined, and confused. Turning to human society, we see that everything is messy, unclear; everyone does what he wants, everyone has his own theory, his own philosophy of life. Overall, this is the mess in which we live. On the other hand, studying nature, we see that everything is logical, everything happens according to laws.

The question is why?

Because human society is not subject to the laws of nature. Our body obeys nature. In life, we also carry out the instructions of nature, but partially. And all that is human in us—not animal but namely human—we are absolutely on our own and do whatever we want.

How are we to organize this human in all of us? If humankind were capable of it, if it understood how to do it, then everything would be clear and correct.

Maybe too clear? Boring? Perhaps, in this case the illusion of freewill would disappear? Maybe we would have felt less flavor in the search, in life, in daring? Or not? Here is the problem that is hidden in humanity.

When I come to Kabbalah, when I finally try to use it to discover the meaning of life, when I, not only in theory but in practice, seek to understand the depth, the foundations of the world, to understand what drives it, how to participate in this and become as the whole world in my mind: perfect, eternal, infinite, then I find that I am confused.

This confusion happens because we need to constantly connect the two opposite ends of the universe: us who are at the bottom and just start asking questions and the most perfect, highest point: the Creator, that is, the fundamental force of this world that has created everything.

Between these two points there is a space that we know nothing about. If we find this link, if we fill it with the correct understanding of what is happening in this space, we will know everything.
[86065]
From the Kharkov Convention “Uniting to Ascend” 8/17/12, Workshop 3

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Opinion (Vasily Klucharev, a neuroeconomics researcher at the University of Basel, Switzerland): “By studying the activity of neurons, neuroeconomists come to the conclusion that a human being is not free in making decisions: They are predetermined. If some information is given at the entrance (the brain), the output will turn out a quite predictable result. There is a certain predetermined decision-making mechanism.

“From the neurobiological point of view, a decision is a pattern of neuronal activity. Our brain receives very “noisy” information at the entrance; it makes sense to save it in time, integrate it, and only after a certain threshold to opt for the best solution. If we follow this neural model, which accumulates information, compares alternatives, and based on that decision makes our decision, the notion of “freedom” disappears. In this regard, every human being is a sort of puppet.

“In my opinion, the idea of freedom is a kind of social illusion. This is not a new idea. If we turn to the works of Spinoza, Kant, we find the same views, only presented from a philosophical position. I like Spinoza’s expression: ‘A man deceives himself, talking about freedom. He just does not know the real causes of his behavior.’”

My Comment: Kabbalah speaks of the illusion of freedom on the first pages of the textbook for beginners because its first task is to bring people to the condition in which a person develops freedom of decision and action. However, such conditions arise during the study of Kabbalah as a method of correcting our egoistic nature to the opposite, altruistic nature through awaking in oneself the force of bestowal—the Light.

Only to the extent of the manifestation in a person of the property of bestowal along with the property of reception, the two opposite properties, strengths, and qualities, does a person get an opportunity to act freely in their right combination, in the middle line.
[84940]

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Question: Where is the point from which my freewill begins? What does it include? How do I see the world through it? How do I divide things into important and unimportant, major or trivial, how do I arrange my priorities?

Answer: Freewill begins from a point called the “root of the soul.” This is where the soul begins. So the search for this point is the main thing and we go through it and learn during the preparation period.

The clarification of the point of freewill is possible only when we reach the first level of bestowal, the lowest one. Then we begin to understand what we have to choose and from what. After all, we always choose between two options. If we had to choose between two identical things we wouldn’t be able to choose. It would be hard to make a choice so we won’t decide. We have to find a defect or an advantage in one compared to the other.

So freewill is only possible if I choose the attribute of bestowal instead of the attribute of receiving. If I can tell the difference between these two attributes and decide that I definitely prefer the attribute of bestowal rather than the attribute of receiving, then according to this scale I will already be able to start clarifying what is better and what is worse in every aspect.

This means that first, in order to choose freely, I have to be free of my desire to enjoy and to know what to choose: the attribute of bestowal, and to know that I should choose it at every moment. This determines my level. So every time I choose the attribute of bestowal instead of the attribute of receiving, I advance. This is the only thing I should do.

But the first point of freewill in which we exit exile and become “a free nation in our country,” which means in our desire, free of our ego, appears at the moment a person transcends the Machsom, the barrier to the spiritual world. Until then it’s the time of preparation.

After we transcend the Machsom, we also advance in an “unsown path” that goes through the desert and then we choose the Land of Israel, which means that we want to reach the desire that is aimed straight to the Creator (Yashar El), and is totally in order to bestow. But we still don’t feel benefit and advancement. These are the “forty years of wandering in the desert,” although it seems that it’s possible to cross it on foot in a week, like the Sinai desert. Why should we wander in it for forty years?

This time is essential until a person attains all the discernments inside him and can choose the desire to bestow called “the Land of Israel,” instead of the egoistic desire called “Egypt,” in a state that is called a “desert” for him. In the meantime nothing attracts him to bestowal. After he enters the Land of Israel, he encounters greater problems. After all, the desire to enjoy begins to receive spiritual pleasures there and he has to overcome them so that he can receive in order to bestow.

To sum up, the meaning of freewill is to what extent a person always prefers “faith above reason,” which means the attribute of bestowal over the attribute of receiving.

In corporeality it’s expressed in constantly seeing the revelation of the Creator in every state I go through. After all, He gave me these feelings and He presents to me the world around me. He plays with me from both directions, both from within and from the outside, and leaves me only one point of freewill in order that I correctly stabilize my attitude in the internal world He has imprinted in me towards the external world, so that He can be revealed. Eventually I have to connect myself and the external world in order to reach the one and unique form called “There is none else besides Him.”
[84360]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/27/12, Shamati #113 

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In order to bring a person to the attainment of the true reality that is outside the limits of his perception, understanding, and ordinary feelings, the Creator puts us through a gradual process of development. So we have the opportunity, while living in this world, to prepare ourselves for the perception of the true reality. If we prepare ourselves, then according to the plan of creation that operates on us, which brings us closer and closer to this true reality, we eventually discover it, which means that we attain the revelation of the Creator to His created beings.

But if we don’t prepare ourselves correctly and don’t use our life in order to correct our perception, but try to enjoy it directly in our ego, we feel pain as the Creator gets closer to us. Wherever we operate by using our ego, we feel the general global crisis and different problems in all the areas in life.

Wherever we use our ego, which is not ready for correction and for a change, we feel a crisis: in education, in culture, in the economy, in finance, in ecology, in the break up of the family, in terrorism, and in drug abuse. If we examine the painful points in the imaginary picture of our world and try to find out where the feeling of crisis and pain stems from, meaning the bitter taste of the refreshments on the King’s table, we see that all the bitterness stems from our growing ego.

Anywhere our ego (which was supposed to be corrected but was not prepared for this) is involved, we encounter a crisis and all the problems that are being revealed in the world now. So the conclusion is that we have to prepare ourselves with the help of all the opportunities we have.

If we work in the group, in the study and in dissemination seriously, using all the means that were given to us by the Creator, we will feel a good sweet taste by getting closer to the revelation of the Creator, and not bitterness. It all depends solely on our preparation, on the work that is seemingly our free will.

You were brought to the study, to the group and were given all the explanations as to what you should do; now decide! You are free to do whatever you see fit in the King’s palace, but if you forget that you came there in order to prepare yourself for the festive meal, you will feel an awful taste when it arrives, since you are not prepared for it. So everything is in your hands and it all depends on the preparation.
[83692]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/13/12, Writings of Baal HaSulam 

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Everything depends on the preparation and there is the issue of the group here, since the connection is the expression of the acquisition of the attribute of bestowal, the closeness, the adhesion between those who work together and follow one path; it is an expression of the attribute of love that they acquire.

The unity among them is similar to the uniqueness of the Creator, since if they want to be “as one man in one heart,” which means to be mutually incorporated in thought and desires, without any differences between them, as one integral system, they yearn to resemble the Creator who is One.

Thus they prepare themselves, all of them together and each one on his own, to feel the true taste of the meal that was prepared by the Creator.

This is why we were given freewill in our world, in order to enable us to reach the meal of the wicked or the meal of the righteous. You decide whether you prepare yourself seriously, or whether you play with toys!

We speak about those who have reached the wisdom of Kabbalah. We cannot demand anything from those who have not reached it yet. They simply continue to suffer from the general crisis that pushes them to correct themselves from below. These poor people don’t understand what is going on. They expect salvation, but salvation can only come from those who have prepared themselves correctly for the King’s meal. Then through them, the meal will reach all the others who have not started preparing yet.

So all our work is in the group, in mutuality, “as one man in one heart,” as it says: “Each man shall help his brother,” “Don’t do unto your friends what you hate,” “Love thy friend as thyself,” and “From the love of the created beings to the love of the Creator.”

All these principles can only be fulfilled through connection, since this is the preparation for the revelation of our relationship with the Creator, so that He will be revealed within our preparation, within the connection. This means that the attribute of bestowal and love is revealed in the vessels that we have prepared and corrected, in order to reveal this attribute according to the law of the equivalence of form.
[83686]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/13/12, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Question: If I become confused, how can I check whether I advance correctly?

Answer: It is impossible to become confused in actions: It is obvious if I do something to benefit others or myself. All the clarifications are in intention and are realized with the help of the group.

If you are in the group and perform actions in it as it is said: “Make yourself a teacher, buy a friend and try to justify every person” and all this with the intention to reach the Creator, then you cannot go wrong. If you separate yourself from the group, then certainly you are no longer on the correct path.

That is why all our freedom of will is only to choose the best and strongest environment. Otherwise, all our actions will be carried out at the subconscious animal level, and there will be no freedom in them, as if you don’t exist as an independent person, but completely obey your inner impulses and instincts.

Only if you give yourself to the group and agree with its influence on you, can you advance in this form.
[81348]
From the Miami Convention 6/23/12, Lesson 3

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Question: Does the world have a chance to reach correction in the 228 years we have left until the end of the 6,000 years we were given for that, and how will we feel it?

Answer: No one can say how much time we have left until Gmar Tikkun (the end of correction). This was spoken of much by the prophets who spoke about it in hidden allusions. This means that they also didn’t know when it would happen because it relates to our free will. Baal HaSulam thought that Gmar Tikkun would come tomorrow if not today since everything is ready for it from Above!

We also think that it will happen soon. We can base our belief on what is happening in the world today, although no one knows anything for sure. It says that the correction will take 6,000 years, which means that there are 228 years left. But is it really during this length of time that we have to reach Gmar Tikkun, in a good way or in a bad way?

In a good way we can reach correction tomorrow, or even today. There are no limits here. If we want to be corrected, our desire will immediately summon upon us the influence of the upper field. No special arrangement on the Creator’s part is necessary. Our desire is enough in order to evoke it. We are the masters of the states we find ourselves in.

We cannot know when it will happen, but as we near Gmar Tikkun, after the revelation of the upper world, which is called a spiritual birth, we still feel this world in all the 125 degrees of the spiritual ascent. The moment we reach the general correction and everyone is corrected, there is a connection of all the vessels, of all the individual spiritual desires, then our world disappears, since there is one general vessel for all the desires to receive.

When its last particle moves on to bestowal, there isn’t one desire left that is not corrected and in order to bestow. Therefore, the feeling of this world that exists only within the egoistic desire without a Masach (screen) disappears! And only the upper world remains!

Since all the desires are connected, all the worlds unite and become one general upper world, in the level of Ein Sof (Infinity). So by attaining Gmar Tikkun together with the whole world, you cease to feel this world. You will not need it! And besides, you will have no vessels to perceive it, since you have corrected your last egoistic desire. Then this reality will disappear from your feeling.
[81250]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/21/12, Shamati #30

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It is written, “There is no coercion in spirituality,” which means that progress happens only through our free choice. And we have a choice only in this regard and in nothing else. Therefore, we shouldn’t relate things to free choice that we are completely not free in.

Freedom was given to us only in uniting with the group or humanity, with the whole world, with parts of my own soul, which only in my imagination appear external and alien, hateful, and distant spiritually and physically. And actions through which I try to bring them closer to myself is where I have been given freedom of choice. That’s because essentially, this is the only thing I have to do. There is nothing besides correcting the vessel of my own soul, whose parts I must all bring closer so as to perceive them as my own.

I have to feel the whole world, everything that seems to be on the outside, as my closest parts, even closer than my own body. After all, the body is merely an animal that lives and dies. But the parts that I now feel outside of me are the still, vegetative, animate and human degrees of my soul.

The entire world surrounding me now are four levels of the vessel of my soul, and therefore I see them outside for now. My body is a product of my imagination. It only seems to me that I exist in it. Therefore, while I am in this imaginary body, I have to try to bring all parts of my soul on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th degrees closer to me. I have to relate to them lovingly since this is all I have, my entire treasure.

As for this body, it is an illusion; it lives and dies in my imagination. It does not belong to the spiritual world. Everyone I now see around me – they are my spirituality. If I bring them closer to myself, then these corrected desires and my corrected attitude to them turns into my spiritual body. In them I reveal the Creator.

That is why it is written, “The Creator is concealed in the world.”
[80763]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/17/12, Shamati

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We are under the control of concealment, which means that we don’t feel the One operating and managing us, the One awakening our thoughts and desires. Thus we feel as if we ourselves are operating from within our thoughts and desires.

This means that if I did something and succeeded, then that’s my success. If I didn’t succeed, then it’s my fault or from within my ego, I begin to blame my destiny, or my surroundings.

The concealment is given to us to overcome it and to discover the One who is operating us and not just operating us, but operating us kindly. This means the concealment has several shades, and we need to discover the force that operates us. Thus if we want freedom of choice in our efforts, exertion, and actions being ours, it is possible only if we act towards the disclosure of the Creator.

And we perform the rest of the actions because that’s the way the Creator directs us. And it is only in relation to His disclosure that He leaves us some open space since He awaits this from us and wants to be disclosed as the one and only force that is good and does good.

Thus everything that takes place in life, both bad and good, all kinds of situations that occur, the person receives as correct and helpful towards the disclosure of the Creator. And then he sees that he has the ability to act at every moment.

And even more than that, while he feels that he is detached from the Creator, actually he is the closest to Him. It is then that he feels a need to reveal the Creator.

Why is a person given the feeling that he is lacking adhesion to the Creator? This is since he is weak and can’t awaken by himself but needs awakening. And when the Creator awakens him, it is called that the person becomes close to Him.

It needs to be understood and clear to a person when he receives some kind of situation and responds to it that there is none else besides Him, and all that is in a person and his world was sent to him from above. And his role is only to find the deficiency for the disclosure of the root of everything that happens, the reasons for everything. This means to discover the upper force, the Creator, the Keter (Crown).

This kind of prayer and demand must always be in a person so that he will discover the reason for each state that comes to him
[79903]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/05/12, Shamati #25

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