Rabash’s articles start gradually becoming clear to a person to the degree he actualizes them. At first it seems like they are written gracelessly and incorrectly, that their separate parts are unconnected, and they lack order. In these articles we do not see the precise movement of the forces of the soul which develops precisely this way, and that’s because we do not know our soul.

If a person carries out his actions on his own and at the same time studies these articles, then he sees that they are written absolutely precisely and could not be written otherwise. That is because Kabbalists wrote their texts based on what they felt, and all of the souls go through the same path and the same states. Therefore, these articles become closer and clearer to a person with time; they are the “manuscript” of his soul.

At first a person who studies tries to memorize the material. He remembers separate phrases, understands some of them, while some of them still remain unclear. He repeats them like a child repeating the words of adults without understanding their meaning. Gradually, to the degree he realizes these articles, he begins to see that these lines express his states with absolute accuracy and it is impossible to write them differently. That is exactly why Kabbalists use quotes from the Psalms, Talmud, Prophets, and other sources.

These articles are absolutely special. I grew up with them; they were written by my side. Later on, as I read them over the course of many years, I saw that they become closer and more real for a person so that eventually you no longer read them in a book, but from inside, from your soul, which becomes revealed to you together with these words. This will happen to everyone precisely for the reason that these articles were written based on the full attainment of the soul.

Rabash was great no matter how much he concealed himself. Yet he did succeed in concealing himself from everyone! However, a person who attains Rabash’s articles sees that this was a great person. In the entire lineage of Kabbalists preceding him, starting from Adam, there was no one who laid out the system of spiritual work so sequentially and in such detail while keeping the connection with the root, using the language of branches, and with the entire Pentateuch (Tanach). Moreover, he explained the system of spiritual work openly, making it accessible to all.

Rabash takes you by the hand and leads you through all the phases of the articles in such a way that you cannot make a mistake. He underlines every detail that you should pay attention to. In fact, we don’t have a teacher who’s closer for developing the soul. Baal HaSulam is very high, academic, and universal. He comes down to us from a high mountain, while Rabash is a close and tender mentor who gently gives us the method of correction with love and care.
From the lesson on 1/7/11, Writings of Rabash

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Dear Friends, please ask questions about these passages from the great Kabbalists. The commentaries in brackets are mine.

The Torah Develops the Recognition of Evil in a Person

What is the essence of that development, which is attained through Torah [correction by the way of Light, as it is said: “I created the evil inclination, and I gave the Torah for its correction so that its Light will return us to good”] and Mitzvot [man’s egoism consists of 613 egoistic desires which have to be corrected into the opposite ones, which is called performing 613 commandments]?

Bear in mind that it is the recognition of the evil within us. That engagement in Mitzvot can slowly and gradually refine those who delve in them. And the scale by which we measure the degrees of refinement is the measurement of the recognition of the evil within us.
– Baal HaSulam, “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose”

Through the subtle pleasantness we feel when working sincerely to Him, to please Him, there develops within us a relative recognition of the lowliness of these sparks of self-love—that they are obstacles on our way to receiving that subtle taste of bestowal upon the Creator.
– Baal HaSulam, “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose”
[31978]

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There is a very big problem in Kabbalah: this science is described using an allegoric language. It is written in a very difficult manner. Using strange examples, expressions, Kabbalists address us, people in this world, trying to tell us about how to make attempts to enter the Upper World. They are trying to tell us something about the upper world, about the qualities we should aspire to.

This language is extremely not simple. We must always try to translate it to the language of feelings until every word comes to resonate with the right feeling in a person. Every word must “pull” on some string inside of me, giving rise to an inner response.

Until that happens, the text is unclear to us. It is absolutely external, does not touch us, and we do not perceive it or adapt it inside of us, and do not act in accordance with it. We have to find how to feel what the author wants to convey to us. This is the most important thing. Reading a Kabbalistic text is like tuning a musical instrument. If we attune ourselves correctly, then this instrument will begin to play by itself.

It is written that King David had a harp hanging on the wall, and at midnight, when the north wind swept through the room, the harp played. We are the same. If we attune ourselves correctly to the external force, we will begin to feel its influence and desire, and will match it by qualities, reaching a resonance with it and “vibrating” like it. That is what we have to attain.
[33012]
From the lesson in Moscow on 1/16/11, Writings of Rabash

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Dear Friends, please ask questions about these passages from the great Kabbalists. The commentaries in brackets are mine.

The Torah Develops the Recognition of Evil in a Person

The beginning of one’s work ["Avodat HaShem" – "the work of the Creator" in order to become similar to Him] is the recognition of evil. This means that a person asks of the Creator to feel how bad he is, meaning the will to receive. Knowing it—that the will to receive is called “evil”—is something that only the Creator can make him feel. This is considered that through the Torah, one can achieve recognition of evil, meaning to know how evil the will to receive is. Afterwards, he can ask for the will to receive to be replaced and to be given the desire to bestow in return for it.
— Rabash, The Rungs of the Ladder, “Holiness and Purity in the Work”
[31857]

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Dear Friends, please ask questions about these passages from the great Kabbalists. The commentaries in brackets are mine.

The Torah Develops the Recognition of Evil in a Person

Accordingly, what should one do in order to come to love the Creator? For that purpose we are granted the remedy [Segula] of engaging in Torah and Mitzvot [Kabbalah] for the Light in it reforms. There is Light there, which lets one feel the severity of the state of separation. And slowly, as one intends to acquire the Light of Torah, hatred for separation is created in him. He begins to feel the reason that causes him and his soul to be separated and far from the Creator. [Only the inner part of Torah, Kabbalah, is capable of attracting the Light that Reforms. Then a person will sense that he is an egoist and will desire correction.]

– Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article #34, “The Profit of a Land”

[31272]

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Dear Friends, please ask questions about these passages from the great Kabbalists. The commentaries in brackets are mine.

The Torah Develops the Recognition of Evil in a Person

The Torah and the Mitzvot [correction of oneself through the study of Kabbalah] were given only to refine Israel [to unite into a single desire], to develop in us the sense of recognition of evil [egoism], imprinted in us at birth, which is generally defined as our self-love, and to come to the pure good defined as the “love of others,” which is the one and only passage to the love of God.
– Baal HaSulam, “The Freedom”

When one engages in the Torah [the method of correction of one’s innate egoism, and if he indeed studies the true Torah], he sees the truth, meaning one’s measure of remoteness from spirituality, and one sees that he is such a low creature, that there is not a worse person on earth than him.
– Baal HaSulam, Shamati #56 “Torah is Called Indication”
[31141]

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Dear Friends, please ask questions about these passages from the great Kabbalists. The commentaries in brackets are mine.

The Torah Develops the Recognition of Evil in a Person

When one engages in the Torah [draws upon himself the Light of correction of egoism], one feels one’s remoteness [from spirituality] to the extent of one’s exertion.
– Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article #56 “Torah is Called Indication”

For engaging in Mitzvot [work on one’s egoism which consists of 613 egoistic desires] and the work to bring contentment to our Maker rapidly develops that sense of recognition of evil [uncovers the egoism concealed in our 613 desires].
– Baal HaSulam, “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose”
[31037]

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Dear Friends, please ask questions about these passages from the great Kabbalists. The commentaries in brackets are mine.

613 Suggestions and 613 Deposits

The language of The Zohar calls the Mitzvot [commandments] in the Torah 613 deposits. However, it is also called 613 suggestions. The difference between them is that everything has an anterior and posterior. The preparation [correction of desire] for something is called “posterior,” and the attainment [in the corrected desire] of something is called “anterior.”

Accordingly, Torah and Mitzvot have the aspect of doing and the aspect of hearing, as our sages wrote (Shabbat 88), “Who carry out His word, hearing the voice of His word,” doing [correcting their desires] first and hearing [what they will receive in the property of bestowal, Bina] afterward. The Mitzvot are called 613 suggestions, and they are considered “posterior,” and when rewarded with hearing the voice of His word [because they have acquired the ability to hear, the property of bestowal, Bina], the 613 Mitzvot become deposits, from the term “deposit [the spreading of the Light of Hochma in the Light of Hassadim],” since there are 613 Mitzvot, and in each Mitzva, Light is deposited from a specific degree, corresponding to a specific organ of the 613 organs and tendons of the soul and of the body.
– Rabash, The Rungs of the Ladder, “What Is a Half of a Shekel, in the Work (1)”
[30893]

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Dear Friends, please ask questions about these passages from the great Kabbalists. The commentaries in brackets are mine.

613 Suggestions and 613 Deposits

We should keep the Torah and Mitzvot so [particularly so that, because] it will bring us into purity [and not so as to receive reward in this or the other world, or because the Creator has instructed us to do so]. Purity means purification of the Kelim [vessels] from the will to receive for oneself, which is called “dirt,” [impurity] for it is in disparity of form from the Creator, who is all about [the property of] bestowal. Hence prior to refining the Kelim, it is impossible to place anything good [exalted] in them [feel eternity and perfection] because anything that is placed in a dirty Kli [vessel] will be spoiled [according to the law of equivalence of form].

Therefore, we must seek good advice [of Kabbalists who have already undergone the path of correction] for things that will purify our Kelim [egoistic desires]. This is called “qualification and preparation to be able to receive the delight and pleasure [prepared for us in the revelation of the Creator].” And because of that, we were given 613 Mitzvot [instructions], which The Zohar calls, “613 counsels.” These are suggestions on how to refine ourselves [our desires since man is namely a vessel of desires] from the filth of our vessels of reception.

It is written in the “Introduction of The Book of Zohar” (p 242), “The Zohar calls the Mitzvot in the Torah, ‘deposits.’ However, they’re also called ‘counsels.’ The difference between them is that there are front and back in everything. The preparation for something is called ‘back,” and the attainment [receiving] of that thing is called ‘front.’ Similarly, in Torah and Mitzvot there is ‘We shall do,’ and ‘We shall hear.’

When keeping the Torah and Mitzvot by way of ‘Who do His words [corrects his egoism],’ before they are rewarded with hearing, the Mitzvot are called ‘613 counsels,’ and they are considered ‘back.’ And when rewarded with hearing the voice of His word [the property of bestowal within], the Mitzvot become deposits, from the word “deposited [felt the Light within].”
– Rabash, The Rungs of the Ladder, “Holiness and Purity in the Work”
[30799]

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The key to reading The Book of Zohar is intention since while reading it we draw the greatest Light, if we know how to do it. Of all Kabbalistic writings, none contains a greater Light than The Book of Zohar. That is why this book gained such great fame and popularity over the course of history, and why it was hidden and underwent many fateful events.

It is becoming revealed only today because it is the source of the Light that Reforms. Therefore, it doesn’t matter what exactly we read in The Book of Zohar at the moment because we do not understand a word of it correctly anyway. Yet, we aspire to penetrate through the image that is being described, to feel it rather than to understand it since we cannot comprehend it in our corporeal mind.

We strive to step into it, to unveil it. It is written by Kabbalists who attained the spiritual world and are sharing with us what they found there, just like an adventure novel that tells a story about travelers exploring new islands and continents. In a similar manner, Kabbalists tell us about the spiritual world. They describe what internal instruments they use to reveal spirituality, while also letting us know what they see and feel. In other words, they tell us about the actions they perform and what they find as a result.

On our part, we look, read, and listen to it although we do not understand any of it. Nevertheless, we are motivated to experience these states and live in them. As children, when we felt excited while reading adventure books, we experienced what the protagonists did in our imagination. On the other hand, in our case we actually enter the spiritual world and are able to feel it even more than how we perceive ourselves in this world. As a matter of fact, our present perception of this world is extremely distorted and blurred compared to what else is out there.

In spirituality, there is incredible clarity and transparency, which is impossible to imagine now, along with the deepest understanding of all the events and forces that stand behind us, including the causes, effects, and the source of all that occurs. This is what we should aspire to while reading The Book of Zohar. We should stop feeling like “old men” and instead feel like children who are absorbed in a book of exciting adventures.
[32110]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/7/11, The Zohar

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