Entries in the 'Group Work' Category

The Importance of the Ten

945And the man asked him, saying, ‘What are you seeking?’ And he said, ‘I seek my brothers… (Rabash, Article No. 3, (1984) “Love of Friends – 1”)

“I seek my brothers” is the beginning of working in a group. It is when a person tries to unite with his friends in the ten because there is no advancement without it. Therefore, first of all, we must work in a group: group study, mutual help, and mutual interconnection of every person with all the others.

The ten is the most important thing. A larger number is bad because we are made so that we cannot feel more than ten. And you do not need less than ten either. Ten is the optimal number.

Everyone needs to really understand the ten he is in, what he should do for it, what it should do for him, and how they interconnect. Depending on the common bond between a person and his ten, he will begin to attain the Creator. This is our main goal.

We have no other goal but to reveal the Creator. At the same time, we will begin to understand, attain, and feel everything. This is why the ten’s gatherings, the closeness we reach in it, the feeling of mutual belonging, and mutual assistance are very important.

Often people push themselves away from this considering it not so important. Therefore, I advise you to listen to my words, all Kabbalistic sources speak of it.

At first tens work on themselves, organize within themselves, and then form a larger group, and so on. Without this closeness, we will not achieve high spiritual goals. This is the law of the spiritual world.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/5/24, Writings of Rabash “Love of Friends – 1”

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A Kaleidoscope of States

232.06Question: On one hand when I am on the path of bestowal, I pray for myself to exit Egypt.

On the other hand, I should pray for my friends to feel their deficiency and be directed toward them. How can I combine these different approaches?

Answer: The point is that we must feel our state in different parameters. For example, one state is when I sit in my egoism and do not want to get out of it.

Another state is when I want to break free from my ego but cannot ask for it; I lack the strength. A third state is when I am ready for anything just to rise from egoism to the quality of bestowal and love.

Generally, there can be many such states.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/10/24, Writings of Rabash “Concerning the Beginning of the Month”

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Despite the Feelings

600.02Question: I often hear that not noticing flaws is faith above reason. Is that so?

Answer: No, faith above reason is a state where a person, despite what he feels, sees, and explores, goes above it.

First, we must scrutinize our attitude toward the Creator and our friends and understand whether we are in plus or in minus. Accordingly, we should treat them in a way that makes us the corrected group and always care about it.

Comment: But this scrutiny can stumble upon someone and tell you: “Sorry, this is just how you see it; it is your flaw.”

My Response: No one has the right to interfere in another’s work. A person acts according to the way he determines.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/21/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “There Is a Certain People”

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How Do We Get Out of Exile?

624.02Question: We are currently in exile. What does it mean to get out of it?

Answer: Try to think like the Creator, i.e., be connected with each other, help each other so that together you can rise above the egoism that pulls you down.

Question: But throughout the day, my mind is filled with various thoughts related to my egoistic desires. I constantly want something. What happens when we get out of Egypt? What is added?

Answer: A force that propels you upward is added, and you can do something with its help. It works in your mind and in your feelings. This is how it works.

Question: Rabash gives an example that one person desires bread, while another desires a beautiful house. Is this related to spiritual desires?

Answer: No, it does not matter what desires a person has. The Creator chooses what is necessary for him so that through them a person will come closer to his redemption from egoism.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/8/24, Writings of Rabash “The Time of Redemption”

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Parameters of Advancement

557Question: In Rabash’s article, “The Need for an Act from Below,” in some places it is said that when there is more hatred, more love is built above it. And sometimes it is said that there is less hatred and more love, like on a scale. How is that correct?

Answer: Both are true. You cannot tell from one step where you are going relative to a past or future state.

You must constantly ensure that your attitude toward selfishness becomes more and more negative and your attitude toward your friends becomes more and more positive. These basic parameters should always be in front of you.

Question: How can I understand that I have less hatred and more love for my friends and that I have not become more indifferent to them? Before I hated, suffered from it, and prayed, but now I feel less suffering and don’t quite understand whether I have more love or more indifference to them.

Answer: You must imagine a future in close unity with your friends. That is, every step means greater unity with them. And so, you go forward.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/9/24, Writings of Rabash “The Need for an Act from Below”

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Think Spiritually

237Question: How can we convey to the Creator the pleasures we receive in the material world?

Answer: The Creator does not need the pleasures you receive in our world that you wish to transfer to Him.

The Creator wants us first to unite as one person with one heart, and from this heart that we would ask Him to correct our common heart for bestowal.

Question: The fact that Israel could not bestow in Egypt and they had to go out to another land suggests that we need to separate ourselves from the desires of the society where we find ourselves and work only with spiritual desires, right?

Answer: In principle, yes. We must internally isolate ourselves from the whole world and constantly think about how to master the property of bestowal and love. In this way, we will gradually desire this, and the Creator will help us.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/9/24, Writings of Rabash “The Need for an Act from Below”

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The Priority of Internal Work

934Question: How do we come to the timely understanding of the wickedness of the evil inclination both in actions and intentions in order to ask the Creator for correction and to be worthy of His love?

Answer: Regarding this, you should agree within your ten to constantly think that you are in exile from the desire to bestow and you need to exit the desire to receive, which is called Egypt. Then you will see and receive everything there is, except exile.

Question: What should be done to show the Creator our desire to build a connection with Him and be rewarded with true love for Him?

Answer: To do this, first of all, it is necessary to unite with your friends in the ten. And then turn to the Creator and ask Him to raise you from this state to Him.

Question: Does it need to be done more internally or externally, at meetings and common events?

Answer: The most important is internally, but externally is also necessary.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/17/24, Writings of Rabash “Faith Within Reason”

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Questions about Spiritual Work—111

281.02Question: How are the small daily exits from exile connected to one big exit into spiritual space?

Answer: After many small exiles, if you succeed in overcoming them, long exiles come. You need to overcome them as well. Eventually, you will quickly come to a state of high ascent, which will give you a feeling of the spiritual world.

Question: What determines one person’s sensitivity to another? How can we help each other awaken this sensitivity?

Answer: Sensitivity surfaces in how important each person is to others. The feeling of importance lies in the fact that you cannot reach the purpose of creation without others. No matter how much effort you put in, you will not reach spirituality.

Question: We have already realized that we are in slavery in Egypt and are trying to break free. Where are we now?

Answer: Each of you must answer this question for yourselves.

Question: When a friend leaves the life of the ten and at the same time does not exit the chat, but also does not return, does this indicate that we are not praying enough for him, or is it the Creator’s plan?

Answer: It does not matter. You must continue your work, unite, ask the Creator, and ascend to Him so the friend feels his place among you.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/7/24, Writings of Rabash “The Meaning of Exile”

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Questions about Spiritual Work—110

571.04Question: How do I hold the intention to bestow when there is no way to determine where exactly I am, whether for the sake of receiving or in bestowal?

Answer: Connect with your friends, decide what to do, and you will not go wrong. An indicator of bestowal is your thoughts about how to raise others.

Question: To attract the light of faith into the ten, one must see everyone else as corrected except oneself. That feels like a trembling in the heart, right?

Answer: No, this is wrong. It is not a necessary condition. To come together in one unified heart, in one unified desire, and attract the upper light that will connect you correctly, you do not need to be corrected; you just need to desire that state.

It all depends on your collective desire that embraces and envelops all of you.

Question: It is said that to land on a table you need to jump higher than the table. In that context of moving from for the sake of receiving to for the sake of bestowal, what does higher mean, and what do we need to achieve?

Answer: To give everything to rise above your egoism.

Question: What should I do when there is a clear realization that I do not have complete faith and no strength to take action toward unity or prayer?

Answer: Try to get closer to your friends, and with them, you will be able to participate in the correction.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/6/24, Writings of Rabash Letter No. 66

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Learn to Forgive

556Question: Is it correct to say that in a conflict between two friends, they should try to see each other through the eyes of the Creator?

Answer: There is no point to even try. You will just get confused. But if you look at your friend like a loving mother looks at her child, this is good.

You must learn to forgive. The most important for the ten is forgiving and beginning immediately with renewed relationships.

Question: How can I express this correctly so my friend understands that I am approaching him with an open heart and not with other intentions?

Answer: If you study the same material and listen to the same teachers, you will naturally become similar to each other and begin to perceive the material in the same way. There cannot be anything else here.

Therefore, continue actively to build relationships within the ten that will tie you together in a strong bond.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/5/24, Writings of Rabash “Love of Friends – 1”

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