A person can only learn from the experience of their past states, from what they have personally lived through. They cannot learn from their current state, because they are held in its grip.

In the current state, one cannot determine anything within oneself, because one’s current thoughts and desires completely occupy the person and one acts based on them. What can a person do? They must raise a prayer, cleave to the upper, and surrender themselves to the upper one’s dominion, so that He will decide what a person will do now. So how does one do it?

A person cannot summon the strength to view their state from the outside and resist it because we are not able to split ourselves in two. However, I can know what my Reshimot (spiritual records) are from the past and how my current state compares to them; I can receive illumination from the upper, raise a prayer to Him, and ask Him to rule over me.

That is, I have only two options: either my current state controls me or the upper governance controls me, and I have to choose. If I take the feeling of the upper’s greatness from the group—which I can only obtain from the group since I cannot find the strength within myself—then I can use the desire obtained from the group, turn to Him from my current state, and surrender myself to His authority.

But if it were not for the group, I would not be able to turn to the upper. I would have no way of realizing that the upper is greater and more important than I am. After all, my current state determines what I want, think, see, and understand.

Of course, one might argue that a person still learns and feels something. This is true, but it only helps a person realize that they need to turn to the group, but it does not give them the strength to turn to the upper. In any case, a person first turns to the group, draws strength from it, and then turns to the Creator.
[358879]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/5/26, Rabash, “What Does, ‘Everything that Comes to Be a Burnt Offering Is Male,’ Mean in the Work? ”

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When a person begins to study [Kabbalah], he suddenly discovers every time that they see new things in what we study. And this will always be the case.

Suppose you are sitting and reading an article right now, and I am sitting and reading the article, and then you ask me: “Well, can you tell me something?”

Why do I tell you more than you know? Because I read and see a bit more deeply than you. At the same time, I cannot transmit to you what I feel, and so I tell you in other words what I see.

For you it is open to a certain depth; for me it is open much deeper, and there are those for whom nothing at all is revealed. They may read the same article, but feel no reaction in the heart because they have no spiritual Kli, while yours is already beginning to form.

So what is the difference? The difference is that when I speak to you, I give you a bit of light from the depth where I am, and this helps you. In addition to the surrounding light that you awaken during the study, I also add from myself.

But the group can also add to you. Each one understands according to a certain depth because no one here is a random person off the street. There are those who are truly in a good, sensory understanding.

Therefore, when we study together with the intention of passing the incoming light to one another, these surrounding lights from each of us unite and act upon everyone. Do you understand what kind of amplifier of spiritual power there is here?

And it does not matter if each one knows very little, some more, some less. Even if I am here, and you know less than I do, each of you has his own root of the soul. So I enjoy this. From the inclusion of one in another, I receive an addition because there are things that, without you, I will not understand, and without this one, and without that one even though you might be a “0.001 compared to my 1 followed by some zeros.” It does not matter. Every person is unique.
[358793]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/7/26, Rabash, “What Are Holiness and Purity in the Work?”

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Question: What can I take from a friend—thoughts, desires, or efforts?

Answer: You cannot take anything directly from him. You can only perceive the external side of his work, the way he thinks and acts. For example, you see that he is constantly writing—so why aren’t you writing? He is always taking notes, and then, apparently, he continues working on something at home. Perhaps that is not even all he does. So, find out what he is engaged in, but do it without his knowing.

Look only at what is good, and close your eyes to what is bad. Why spoil everything for yourself? You should be taking something good from your friend so that you will have fuel. Therefore, look at him from his good side.

Let’s say you weigh 50 kilograms. If you weighed as much as he does, you would probably sleep twice as much. Yet somehow, he finds the strength to sleep less. So give him credit for that. Look at how heavy he is, and yet he still makes the effort, like a diligent little bear.

When you look at your friend, pay attention to all sorts of small details and draw benefit from them. This is what it means to judge your friend favorably. The Torah presents, not prohibitions, but advice for your personal advancement, for your own benefit. No one needs what you do or do not do. It is entirely about you, about your own personal correction. All the prohibitions and all the advice are directed solely toward making things better for you.

Judge your friend favorably. In any case, you will not harm him. Otherwise, you simply will not receive from him the help and the additional strength that you could have gained. The entire loss will be yours.
[358596]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/2/26, Rabash, “What Does It Mean that the Torah Was Given Out of the Darkness in the Work?”

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Question: Why is the connection of religious people with the Creator imperfect?

Answer: Baal HaSulam writes at the end of Introduction to The Book of Zohar that the people of Israel do not belong to this world, and the Germans once felt this. Jews are not a nationality, not a people, but something irrational.

In the Torah, it is said that the Creator wanted to give the Torah to the other nations, but they did not want to accept it. Then He gave the Torah to the people of Israel, scattered us throughout the world, and sent us into four exiles so that we would intermix with other nations.

In exile, we fell to the level of the “nations of the world.” Now, we must correct ourselves so that the Galgalta Eynaim (GE) are corrected, and only then can we elevate the AHP to GE.

Baal HaSulam says that the entire nation of Israel is guilty of not fulfilling its mission in the world, of not realizing itself as a spiritual guide. But there are those who are more guilty and those who are less guilty.

And it is those who study only the outer part of the Torah, neglecting the inner part, who cause the greatest harm to the entire nation of Israel and to the world as a whole.
[358449]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/23/26, Rabash, “What Is the Importance of the Groom, that His Iniquities Are Forgiven?”

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Question: What should I do if I do not experience descents? After all, I am in the best group, and I have the sources and a teacher.

Answer: If everything is going well for you, if you study, and you feel fulfilled by the “holiness” that comes from observing the commandments, then it is a sign that you are not exerting yourself enough, or that perhaps you are making physical efforts, but not inner ones. You are not searching as deeply as you could. And most likely you are still not truly connected with the others. You can work physically alongside them all the time, but being connected with them means seeing something in them that you do not have yourself.

Apparently, you lack a sufficient measure of envy. You are satisfied with what you have: “Thank God, I have something. That is wonderful. Thank You, Creator. Everything is fine. Everything is for the best. I am joyful, and I am righteous.” Then you are operating only in the right line, and in the right line alone, a person cannot grow because he acquires no new vessels. Unfortunately, that is the problem.

Question: But shouldn’t we always remain in an elevated mood?

Answer: You should remain in an elevated mood despite the constant counterbalance of the left side. Every time additional Kelim are added to you, you draw toward the right. But without the left line, what is all this worth? You cannot grow that way.

We grow only when the flesh increases, and it comes from the Kelim that we seek to clarify. So what you are lacking is a sufficient measure of envy. “Counters envy increases wisdom.” You are not envious of how your friends study, take notes, and work. Envy is essential, but it must be the right kind. It is not wishing to bring your friend down and not wanting that he would study and act as you do, but rather aspiring to become like him.
[358625]
From Daily Kabbalah Lesson on 7/2/26, Rabash, Article 21, 1988 “What Does It Mean that the Torah Was Given Out of the Darkness in the Work? ”

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“And a certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, ‘What are you seeking?’ And he said, ‘I seek my brothers. Tell me, I pray you, where they are feeding the flock?’

A man “wandering in the field” refers to a place from which the crop of the field to sustain the world should spring (Rabash, “Love of Friends – 1“).

The Torah is the teaching, the method, that explains the entire process we must go through, from here until the end of correction. So where do we begin building the spiritual vessel and entering the spiritual world?

Here it speaks about Joseph, who gathers (Osef) all the previous qualities of his brothers, and through this discovers that he is in Egypt, that is, within the evil inclination.

I feel that I am opposite to the spiritual world and unworthy of it. Moreover, I have no desire whatsoever to enter it, this is what my inner qualities “tell” me. This realization must come. But on the other hand, we already know that if we break down the barriers between us and unite, then within our unity we will immediately begin to feel the spiritual world.

Thus, the Torah explains to us the process of developing our common vessel, which at this stage is called Joseph. He is “wandering in the field,” not knowing how to reach spirituality. Before him lies an empty expanse, and he does not know which way to go.

And the works of the field are plowing, sowing, and reaping. It is said about that: “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy,” and this is called “a field which the Lord has blessed.”

A person must be ready for the plowing, the sowing, and the reaping, that is, for working with his desire. For desire (Ratzon) is the land (Eretz), or that very field, which must be plowed and sown with the seeds of bestowal, Bina, so that Bina may enter Malchut. There it begins to grow by means of Malchut’s desire, producing sprouts, the harvest that we will later reap.

Thus, the person called Israel, one who is directed straight to the Creator, enters Egypt and discovers a great egoistic desire within himself. It is precisely then, when he sees that this desire rules over him, that he exerts himself toward unity and, through prayer and a cry for help, escapes from Pharaoh.

Why is this descent into egoism necessary? It is o that we may come out of it. Just as we place seeds into the earth so that, through the earth, they may sprout and blossom. It is thanks to the earth, meaning the egoistic desire, that the tiny seed of bestowal, the altruistic desire, begins to grow. It emerges precisely from the earth.

When the spark of bestowal, the point in the heart, awakens within us, it brings us to the wisdom of Kabbalah. We begin to study, we join a group, and suddenly discover how bad everything is, how many obstacles arise along the way. The evil grows stronger and stronger until we are completely submerged in it. Then, with our last ounce of strength, we struggle to overcome it and escape. And we flee, taking with us the great desire to receive that we acquired in Egypt.

This is how the seed of bestowal sprouts: We rise above the earth, taking the corrupted desires with us, and then begin to correct them.

This process is accompanied by joy and sorrow, by the hardening of the heart, failures, and difficulties. Yet it is precisely through despair that we draw near to the exodus. And that exodus is found in unity. No one comes out alone, only together.
[71452]
From the International Kabbalah Congress 2/24/12, “Arava,” Lesson 3

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Each one should try to bring into the society a spirit of life and hopefulness, and infuse energy into the society.

…before he came to the society, he was disappointed with the progress in the work of the Creator… because of his own weakness and lack of aspiration.

But upon entering the group, he must feel there a “raging fire” burning within him and drawing him into the group, which influences him without asking his permission, because he is unable to withstand the influence of the friends.

…but now the society has filled him with life and hopefulness. Thus, through the society, he obtained the confidence and strength to overcome because now he feels that he can achieve wholeness (Rabash, “What to Look for in the Assembly of Friends“).

If such a spirit does not exist within the group, there is no hope of attaining anything. In Article 225, “Raising Oneself,” from the book Shamati, it is written: One cannot raise oneself above one’s circle, from his environment. Everyone advances only together with the group. If I do not pass a good mood on to the group, I will not have it either. If I do not want the group to advance, neither will I advance, because we will not create a common desire, a Kli.

The more we speak about this, compelling ourselves to understand it ever more deeply, the more clearly we begin to discern the spiritual reality, one that is hateful to us, opposite to our nature, and undesirable; yet, it is the true reality. Then we will begin to see it as truly important and exalted.

But the main thing is, despite how unpleasant it may seem, to give every spiritual action and every spiritual state its true definition—it is bestowal and love of the neighbor within the group, unity for the attainment of the Creator, the force of our common bestowal and love.
[41828]
From the World Kabbalah Congress, “We,” New Jersey 3/7-8/11, Lesson 8

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A created being is something that exists in the spiritual world, because our corporeal world exists only in our imagination.

The created being is born from the middle line, from the point where two opposite forces are present: reception and bestowal.

It knows how to combine these two forces in such a way as to use the force of reception, which is opposite to the Creator. It was deliberately created this way in order to give the created being independence and the ability to stand freely opposite the Creator. In this way, we can build our own independent identity that incorporates both of these forces together.

At every step, the created being must combine these two forces correctly, and verify the process stage by stage for each new portion of egoistic desire that is revealed within it. Thus, the created being grows itself, builds itself from its own material with the help of the force of bestowal, which it draws from the right line.

In essence, all the work is performed by the force of bestowal, the force of the light, the Creator. But the created being must prepare everything necessary for this. Just as in our world we use all the means available to us on the still, vegetative, animate, and human levels, together with all the powers of our feelings and mind. Yet we still say that we ourselves did the work, because it is we who perform these actions using the materials of this world and our own abilities.

Corporeal and spiritual construction proceeds in the same way: first there is a plan, and then, using the materials available to us, we begin to build different forms. So it is in the spiritual world. Through our desire and understanding, we ourselves build the “forms of the Creator,” our attitude toward Him, which resembles His attitude toward us.

On the one hand, this is our own work, as it is written: “I labored and found.” But on the other hand, it is the Creator’s work, because we learn from Him, from His examples, and ask Him to carry it out. We are true partners with Him, because we ourselves know exactly what we want and must prepare everything necessary!

In other words, we pursue the middle line in our intention, by uniting desire and intention, and by deciding for ourselves how to correctly unite the forces of holiness and impurity, the left and right lines.

We also build the middle line by connecting with the group through the light. We want to become included in the group and find our desire to bestow within it, yet that desire can be created only by the light, by the Creator, who is concealed within it. Thus, we incorporate these two forces: the force of the group and the force of the Creator within ourselves, while we remain in the middle line.

In many other examples as well, we see that we operate in the middle line, because we must combine these two forces—reception and bestowal—in order to acquire freedom of choice and independently build ourselves from them.
[39280]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/28/11, “Preparing for the New Jersey Convention”

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We cannot initiate a single action, even now, in the preparatory period and our most egoistic state (Lo Lishma), unless we intend to attain faith, bestowal, and an altruistic intention through that action. It all begins with rising above our desire in order to connect with another person. Otherwise, I will never establish contact with them and will remain locked inside myself.

To come out of oneself and connect with a friend means to separate from one’s ego, to raise oneself above it; only then will I be able to come into contact with others. Otherwise, nothing will work out, and I will remain walled up inside myself like in a shell.

All our actions must be directed toward coming out of our ego and connecting with a friend outside of it. As it is written: “The righteous will live by his faith.”

If for now only a small egoism is revealed to me, then it is relatively easy to come out of myself and begin to draw closer to others. But as soon as I achieve the first successes, the ego begins to grow more and more. And again, I must apply efforts in order to tear myself away from it.

This is how it is on all 125 degrees until the desire to enjoy expands to its full volume and I nevertheless remain above it. This will mean that I have risen to the degree of Lishma, the degree of Bina.

And then I will already be able to return to my ego and begin to receive within that sphere for the sake of bestowal, first in the thinnest “peel,” and then expanding it more and more, and so on until the very end, until I have engaged the entire desire.
[64791]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/28/11, Baal HaSulam “Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot”

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A person acts out of habit, and feels and accepts only what they are accustomed to. Everything unfamiliar passes by us and remains elusive.

We unconsciously disregard everything new before we sense or, become aware of it. That is why it is so difficult for us to encounter spirituality!

We live in a world we select from the world of infinity; we choose the familiar and habitual.

To expand our world with the world of bestowal, we must not push it away, but accept the states of bestowal through “faith above reason,” accept the properties, desires, thoughts, and actions of the “anti-world.”

To do this, you need to combine two opposing levels within yourself: realize your current egoistic state, the lower degree, and from the perspective of the property of bestowal, the highest degree.

One must exist between these levels, rejoice in the sensation of the lower level’s emptiness of the lower and in the opportunity to find the strength to rise above it.

This strength comes to me from the upper light through the group; it holds me above the “earth” as if by a magnet.

Truth and faith (bestowal) should pull me upward more strongly than the sensation of animalistic egoism pulls me down toward the “earth.”

The true state lies in sensing both degrees simultaneously while each one in isolation is a lie. Even if I am entirely in spirituality, that alone is a lie.

The true state is always found between two degrees that simultaneously bring a sense of both perfection and lack, gratitude and prayer.

I must rejoice that I experience both sensations at once and constantly remain in a transitional state sensing obstacles yet holding myself above them by force of will, like a climber scaling a mountain who feels that if they were to relax their tension for even a moment they would immediately fall.

This is the only true state; we need to train ourselves to remain in it all the time, and to find joy in it.

This is how we can test ourselves. Are we capable, despite all our discontent, eternal struggle, and constantly vacillation between inspiration and utter despair, of remaining in joyful nevertheless?
[18432]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/2/10, Rabash, “The Meaning of Truth and Faith”

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