Question: What does it mean to feel that you are already at the convention right now, while reading The Book of Zohar, so the convention would happen in the best possible way?

Answer: Prepare yourself. If you are about to attend a wonderful, pleasant, and joyful event, then you prepare for it in advance. You anticipate it and enjoy this beckoning illumination of the future. And you receive great inspiration from that.

Therefore, as we get closer to the worldwide convention that will be held in New Jersey, we have to prepare ourselves already now. Everything depends on preparing the desire, “What do I plan on correcting? What do I want? What will I get out of it? How do I want to appear there?” I have to imagine all of this in detail, as if I am already there. Therefore, we have to make all the songs available on the website, as well as everything that will happen at the cultural programs and the other events so people can become familiar with it, understand it, and already be able to imagine how it will happen.

A child grows by imagining the future, and then it comes true. If a person does not experience this reverent desire at all times, if he does not increase his desires, and even his worries and fears, then he does not gain anything. He must already now wait impatiently, wondering, “How will this happen? When? In what way? How will I be inspired? How will I participate?”

This is necessary in order to grow up. If children did not receive the aspiration toward the future from nature, then they would not be able to grow. But for us, this aspiration is given as freedom of choice. Do you want to grow up? Then find a way to receive the greatness of the goal from the environment, and then you will grow. There is no other method! If we don’t learn on the example of small children, if we don’t implement these actions in practice, then it would be a shame to let our lives go by wasted.
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/24/11, The Zohar

Filed under: Children, Conventions, Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Evolution, Free Will, Inner Work, Q&A, Spirituality - No Comments →

Question: A part of me really wants to go to the Convention, but another part of me opposes it so strongly that I don’t want to see anyone. What should I do?

Answer: You have to make your free choice. You should understand that both parts of you, like all of the thoughts and desires that awaken in us at every moment, come to us from the Creator. These are conditions which are set for us; it is not the actual me.

What makes the decision is not my body, which gets sick and does not want to go to the Convention, and not my mood either. We act like a mechanism where all of the internal electrical signals are controlled by the upper force according to the program leading us to a certain state.

Life, death, and all of the states in between are determined from above and there is nothing accidental about any of it. Therefore, in every state I have to detach myself and look at this “mechanism,” meaning my body, its mood, and everything in it, from aside. The purpose of this is to see that this is the Creator’s work and to understand what He wants to give me right now, and to what state does He want to bring my “donkey” (Hamor, donkey means Homer, matter). Then I will understand how to work with it and will not identify myself with this “donkey.”

The more times a day a person is able to detach from himself in this way and look at himself from aside, like at a body in which some kind of forces are being awakened, without identifying himself with it, but rather using it as a means to attain the goal, the faster he will reach success. That is also how we should treat the friends in every regard. Don’t look at their faces or personalities, but at their inner desire in the pure form, which does not depend on anything external. This is the friend of my point in the heart.
[38805]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/22/11, Preparation to the WE! Convention

Related Material:
The Irreconcible Quarrel Between The Creator And The Pharaoh In Me
A Person Ridding A Donkey
Destined (Doomed) To Be Together

Filed under: Body and Soul, Conventions, Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Free Will, Group Work, Inner Work, Q&A - No Comments →

Question: How can we ascend above all the quarrels in the group before the convention?

Answer: When preparing for the convention, you have to see how all of these conflicts are given to you as “help against Him,” how Pharaoh rises up and asks, “Who is this Creator for me to listen to His voice?”

The Creator tells you to unite with the friends, while the Pharaoh tells you to disunite! The Creator says, “Give in!” While the Pharaoh says, “No, you have to rule over them with an iron hand!” The Creator says, “Work joyfully,” while the Pharaoh says, “No, you will work dejectedly and enslaved to me.”

These two forces argue within a person when he reaches the “ten Egyptian plagues” as he discerns which of them is right. I have to understand that I determine which of them will take the upper hand and rule—the Creator or Pharaoh! Everything depends on me.

This is the most decisive point, and I am standing in the middle between these two parts of reality: the positive and the seemingly negative, which were prepared for me in this form in order to give me the freedom of choice. I have to decide that I want for the force of bestowal, love, freedom from egoism and ascent above it to assume power.

I am ready to accept the blows falling on Pharaoh and egoistic Egypt, and I am happy about them. Let the blow fall upon me because it is hitting my egoism, helping me to be freed from it, to ascend above it and no longer be inside of it. After these blows, I already come out of Egypt and am no longer enslaved to it!

Yet, a person shouldn’t work on himself, but in relation to the environment, the group. He shouldn’t correct some kind of qualities inside of him, but his attitude to others. The most important thing here is not to get confused and not to change the direction of one’s efforts.
[38784]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/22/11, Preparation to the WE! Convention

Filed under: Conventions, Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Egoism, Free Will, Group Work, Q&A - No Comments →

A spiritual action depends entirely on the preparation. That is because the action itself is already predetermined in advance and has to take place. Nothing can change in the entire program from the beginning until the end of creation. All of these phases are already definitely determined.

Man can intervene in a certain part of this program, but only in order to change its speed. However, there is also a part where he can change the character of the program that unravels within him, meaning to determine how he will experience his development.

Through this part of the program he establishes his independence and has the opportunity to express himself. That is how he ascends as an independent individual who has power, who is integral, and who understands and attains the entire program of creation which was intended only for this purpose.

Therefore, the preparation for a forthcoming action changes its character from the beginning and until the very end. Everything depends on the preparation, which is why we attribute so much significance to it.

Now, in anticipation of the convention that will be held in New Jersey at a time that is so special for the whole world, it is extremely important for our preparation to be correct and later to bring good results from our unification at the convention.
Let powerful waves expand outward from this place near New York, the center of America, like a good tsunami wave that will wash the world with love and the force of bestowal. This will enable people to understand how they should start relating to one another in anticipation of the new world and the changes we will have to go through according to nature’s program.

This will help the world go through these changes gently, quickly, and in a good way, by preparing for them and realizing what is happening, instead of like animals that are being beaten and spurred forward by the whip of history and who don’t understand what to do.

Therefore, everything depends on our preparation for the convention so that by virtue of it we will prepare the world for the changes it will have to go through in any case. By preparing for them well, the world will be able to accept them correctly and to see that they are for the better.

During the next 10 days, in the last hours we have left before the convention, we have to perform great work. We have to see every moment as preparation for an extremely important event and discern how we want to go through these moments in order to obtain the expected result for ourselves and for the whole world.
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/22/11, Preparation to the WE! Convention

Filed under: Conventions, Crisis, Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Free Will, World - No Comments →

During the expansion of the Light from above downwards from Keter, to Hochma, and to Bina, a stop should have happened because Bina is already the quality of bestowal that does not need anything for itself. So how is it possible to develop any further?

That is when Bina feels the desire of the Creator that is in Keter, the desire to unite. Thus, Bina divides into GAR and ZAT, which feels a connection with Keter and therefore develops reception within itself in order to bestow to the lower ones. Otherwise further development would not take place.

In the same way, when we ascend upwards and attain Bina, first we acquire Galgalta Eynaim, the quality of bestowal for the sake of bestowal, Hafetz Hesed, which is called Mordechai. That is when we have to decide how to use our desire to enjoy. For us, this is ZAT de Bina, connected to our Malchut of the Reflected Light, the highest Sefira that attains Keter of the Direct Light.

This is the point where a decision has to be made. This makes the difference of how the desires of Haman are to be used—egoistically or for the sake of bestowal. If we begin to bestow egoistically, then we return back down. And if we choose bestowal, then we use the desires of Haman with the intention of Mordechai, meaning we receive for the sake of bestowal.

This is the “fatal point” of Purim. Pur means “lot” or “fate,” when we decide: What to do next? That is, we have to decide: In which direction will we incline? But this is impossible to understand for now. We do not see all of our qualities from aside, besides Mordechai. In all other directions besides him, only total darkness awaits us. This is the true point of a person’s choice and it is very thin. After all, how can I understand that bestowal for my own sake was not part of the Creator’s program?

That is why we have to reach the very end until we see that Haman buries all of the bestowal we have attained. Otherwise we won’t feel that this quality disappears. We have to feel that if we give power to Haman, then nothing will remain of our bestowal!

The same thing happens to us now as well. Sometimes we become so confused that we think that by making some sort of actions we will be able to reach the goal. We still don’t feel that this completely separates us from our foundation, from bestowal, and nothing remains here besides egoism, and all of our bestowal is also done for our own sake. Only if we verify this until the very end will we be able to decide that we have to annihilate Haman and come out of his power.

At first it seems that this was useful for our progress toward the goal, but now you reveal that everything is completely opposite and it can bury your entire advancement, goal, and your entire path. But you only discover this at the very end, when you are walking along together with egoism, Haman, and it slightly steals little portions from you, taking away everything you have, until you are left with nothing. That’s when you see that there is no choice: You have to run away from his rule.

We are yet to go through such suffering on this path where Haman can clothe into real people or just ideas….
[38646]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/20/11, Shamati

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Egoism, Free Will, Holidays, Suffering - 1 Comment →

Question: Most people are appalled by the thought of having no free will in our world. How should we approach them?

Answer: That’s true since if there is no free will, there is no person either. He is not a person but a mechanical toy, a puppet controlled by strings. And it doesn’t matter that it includes you as well: A person sees in it your attitude toward him. You, sort of, discuss your own non-existence. After all, I only exist if I have free will, a personal opinion, and perform autonomous actions.

But we are talking about the omnipotent system of nature where everything is governed by absolute laws. Even if we don’t bring the wisdom of Kabbalah into it and just think logically, from where can freedom appear in this world? From a global perspective, what is freedom? Is it seemingly spontaneous actions, even though it’s not the case? Or is it some sudden desires that in fact are conditioned by the life giving force?

Where do my actions begin? As to me, I don’t see what triggers the events of my life, my thoughts and desires. What inner depths give rise to different urges in me? Out of the blue, I crave something. Where did this impulse come from?

If I found its source, it would be clear to me that it isn’t I who chooses, but that these kind of impulses are triggered in me by nature. But man has no access to what lies below the level at which nature makes decisions. He receives ready-made thoughts, desires, and actions deriving from nature’s acts.

At this level, we assign a certain degree of independence to man since it is he who had a desire or a thought. Based on this shaky premise, we view a person as an autonomous being.

Obviously, it is totally wrong. If we saw the integral picture, we wouldn’t find the slightest reason to judge a person or, on the contrary, to show him mercy. We would all feel as cogwheels controlled by the general force. The same is described in the wisdom of Kabbalah.

Where then is free will? It lies in my ability to take over the management from the upper force that sets the entire system in motion. I can govern in its place, in alliance with it. In the degree of my agreement with it, I overtake management functions and begin to activate the system myself.

What’s in it for me? By doing so, I obtain freedom and autonomy. I take example from the upper force, demand assistance from it, and thereby take part in the plea. This opportunity is available to me due to the breaking: It presented me with free will in the middle third of Tifferet, in the middle point, a very delicate intermediate state. It is from that point in particular that I can ask to take the Creator’s place.

Thus I acquire autonomy. And there is nothing else that I can call my own.
[38358]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/17/2011 on The Principles of Global Education

Related Material:
Thought Of Freedom Are Lies Over Lies
Between The Creator And Pharaoh
Spiritual Freedom For An Individual

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Free Will, Inner Work, Q&A - No Comments →

From “The Principles of Global Education”: Even when we begin independent, adult life, our perception of the world is a finished product composed of three components: our “matter”(individual genetic traits and inclinations) and two factors that form this matter in their own way: the upbringing we received and the influence of the environment. None of us has free will, neither in decision making nor in evaluating anything in life.

The question is to what extent we are aware of it. Do we realize that we are trapped in the net of forces? We are not free in thought or intention. We have no freedom even in understanding of this very fact.

We begin to acknowledge the lack of free will out of hopelessness. It is neither good nor bad since we are talking about nature. But what exactly can we discover outside of it?

First of all, why are we brought to the realization of our entrapment? It is most likely so that we would still want to get out of it. Perhaps, we do have such a chance.

Here the main factor is how strongly a person reacts to freedom, how well he understands that he is controlled by various impulses, and how eager he is to break free from them, gain a certain new power, objectively look at himself from aside, and rise above his nature. But again, to rise to what? To another nature that will control him?

These questions are not for everybody. Not so many people in the world ask and seek answers to them, are receptive to them. That is why we can use this criterion to cut a clear line between a “human” and an “animal.” “Animal” isn’t a label but a level of development: A person lives as the society dictates for him or her to do, which in its turn, isn’t free either. A kindergarten and school teachers, parents, and media, who mold our opinion, do not possess free will just as well. All the systems, be it internal or external, don’t act autonomously but are triggered. Hence, it’s not worth talking about them.

If I am looking for my individual mission that is above this enforced flow of life, it is pointless to seek logic in its loops and whirls. They are meaningless, and I won’t find anything in it but nature’s forces which govern the entire humanity and the whole of creation, including all of its parts, over the course of the entire human history. It doesn’t offer any free will to anyone.

It’s a waste to spend time on studying something that is totally useless. In general, this is how the wisdom of Kabbalah views our world. It isn’t arrogance. Indeed, we think that we activate some forces and laws, enforce rules of behavior so that life could be more comforting. We assume that making new laws or building new machines will make the world a better place.

We do it unaware of being controlled. The desire to be free and better our life is not an expression of freedom, but rather mere internal urges that are caused by the process conducted Above. Thus, lies are built over lies. Even admitting to our own entrapment, we are forced to perform certain actions that seem to be autonomous but are, actually, not.
[38361]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/17/2011 on The Principles of Global Education

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Free Will - No Comments →

Question: The holiday of Purim symbolizes the opposition of two forces: Mordechai and Haman. Then why are we commanded to get so drunk on this day that we can’t tell the difference between Haman and Mordechai?

Answer: This happens after the analysis where you use all of the Kelim, when everything is already clear to the utmost. You have hung Haman and his ten sons on a tree, or in other words, on the tail of the letter Kuf (ק). No more illumination comes beneath the Tabur in order to give life to the impure forces (Klipot). There are no Klipot since you have destroyed all the egoistic intentions.

Previously intentions for the sake of reception, Klipa were below. Klipa lives by virtue of the illumination from above. Above the Tabur are the letters or qualities of Kuf (ק), Reish (ר) , Shin (ש), and Tav (ת). Previously the tip of Tav also descended down, but its “leg was cut off” and now only Kuf descends beneath the Tabur. This means that the Lights descend down, giving life to the Klipa.

This is necessary because the Klipa helps us. It has to exist in order to give us the opportunity of free choice, to place us between good and evil.

Here, below, are Haman and his “family”—all of the egoistic qualities that have joined him. It is important to remember that this is talking precisely about intentions for the sake of reception, rather than about desires. After all, desire is just matter.

After that, from Yesod of Zeir Anpin to Nukva comes the illumination of Mordechai. It comes as a result of the ascent of a plea (MAN) from the souls of Israel, which are below, under the rule of Haman. Then they are all able to ascend upwards with the help of the illumination called Purim—the illumination of Mordechai.

In that case only Haman with his family remain below. After that the leg of the letter Kuf is annulled so the Klipot would no longer receive an illumination, or in other words, Haman is hung on the tree. Then the Klipot inside each of us die because they no longer realize or feel the opportunity to steal or to attain anything.

That is where it all ends. All the egoistic intentions disappear due to not having a footing and everything shifts above the Parsa, into the intention for the sake of bestowal, into the approaching end of correction. Now all of your Kelim are covered by the altruistic intention and you fill them with the Light of Hochma without any restrictions. That is because you have created great, perfect screens which free you from the necessity to make calculations.

The entire matter of Haman, who is under the power of the egoistic desire, has shifted to the altruistic intention. Stated differently, all the desires that were below have ascended upwards. They divided into two groups of 248 and 365 desires, and now even the lowers ones are above because you have cut off the egoistic intentions from them. Thus, nothing remains below.

And since there is nothing below, holiness (Kedusha) expands from Raglin until Sium, until the Mount of Olives.
From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/20/11, Talmud Eser Sefirot

Related Material:
The Contours Of Spiritual Combinations
Instructions On Canning Egoism
The Hidden Meaning Of The Scroll Of Esther

Filed under: Egoism, Free Will, Holidays, Prayer and Intention, Q&A - No Comments →

In nature there is no freedom that has appeared from nothing. Nature is a system of laws and nothing in it can stand beyond the law.

We are being controlled by two forces: reception and bestowal. Freedom is when we are able to supplement the action of one force with that of the other and, standing between them, comprehend the reality that has unified them both within.

I always have to choose which influence to put myself under, under control of which force to be. It has to be one or the other: the force of bestowal or that of reception.

Moreover, in order to gain autonomy, I don’t want to be dominated by either of them. On one hand, Pharaoh tells me: “Who is the Creator to me that I must listen to Him?” But on the other, I have to preserve Pharaoh in tact, even if keeping myself at a distance. I flee from him so I may obtain the second force as well. Before, I was the Pharaoh’s slave, and now I become the slave of the Creator.

All of this is done so that in the end, we can reach the middle point between them. It is regarded as the middle third of Tifferet, Klipat Noga (Noga shell). This is the place where the scales which hold good and evil come into balance. I stand in the middle and neither the Creator nor Pharaoh controls me: I rule over both of them. This state is described as “My sons have defeated Me.”

This is a subtle balance that a person must build at every spiritual degree. We align two forces, two lines, the right and the left, judgment and mercy, and thereby advance in the middle line.

Thus, my work lies in finding both Pharaoh’s force, the evil inclination, and the Creator’s force, the good inclination, in the present “animate,” “blind” state. I place them before each other since the Creator says: “Come onto Pharaoh for I have hardened his heart.” When the evil force increases, the Creator can also grow in my eyes and show Himself behind Pharaoh. Then they will both unfold equally in my point in the heart, and this point will receive freedom, the power over both forces.

That’s what I need to accomplish. In this point of mine, between the good and evil inclinations, in the middle third of Tifferet, I find my freedom at last. And this is my real Self. From the points that emerge at each spiritual degree, I construct the middle line, the line of the human within, until I reach Infinity.

In the world of Infinity, we create our autonomous state which is 620 times more powerful thanks to the fact that we use both these forces in full. This is the correct method for utilizing the forces of the Creator and Pharaoh that rule in nature. And man is able to accomplish this.
[38355]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/17/2011 on The Principles of Global Education

Related Material:
Man Can Attain The Creator’s Mind
One With The Creator
The Upper Thought Is Bestowal

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Free Will, Inner Work - 2 Comments →

Filed under: Free Will - No Comments →