The environment and the teacher are the only factors that determine a person’s future. At every moment, he must see his state as one in which he has received everything necessary from above, and all that remains for him is to connect himself with the right environment.

And such an environment is always near us; we only need to be able to choose it. This is our only free choice because everything else already follows from it.

That is why I don’t have to worry about anything except where I get my nourishment from, with whom I am connected, who influences me! That is, to always think not about myself, but about what external environment I am connected to. If a person wants to manage his development, his life and destiny, then he should think only about whom he is in contact with.

But it is completely unnatural for a person to think about this! After all, we constantly think about ourselves: who am I, why, what will happen to me? What is the meaning of my life?

All these questions of yours are directed inward, and they are correct! But how are you going to resolve them? With what do you connect their resolution?

Kabbalists explain that the solution depends only on the environment. And that is why I need to immediately turn my attention to the external forces that act upon me because their influence on me determines all my future.

And in essence, this is not external, but a single system of souls, an integral part of my spiritual body, there, where the shattering occurred and what needs to be corrected. And only there can I change something, because with all the other desires I can’t do anything.

It is as if to bury oneself into an archive and read the protocol of long predetermined events. I can only influence the environment somehow. And it is a pity to waste my attention on something other than that.
[13212]
From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/18/10, Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Freedom”

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How can I forgive this to you while the ladder that is placed on the ground is empty? No one climbs it, and instead of today you say “tomorrow.”…

Therefore, let me remind you of the validity of love of friends in spite of everything at this time, for it is upon this that our right to exist depends, and upon this our near-to-come success is measured.

Hence, turn away from all the imaginary engagements and set your hearts on thinking thoughts and devising proper tactics to truly connect your hearts as one, so the words “Love your friend as yourself” will literally come true in you, for a verse does not reach beyond the literal, and you will be cleaned by the thought of love that will cover all crimes. Test me in that, and begin to truly connect in love, and then you will see, “the palate will taste…” (Baal HaSulam, Letter 47).

It is so difficult for us to work on the connection between us because it is precisely in this place that the spiritual shattering occurred. A person resists this action with all his might and by every means, thanks to one’s nature, their egoistic inclination.

One must pass through a vast number of states before they see that nothing helps them and ultimately return to the simple and closest principle that has been right next to them all along. Then, if there is still time left for the person in this cycle of life, he or she may yet succeed in properly connecting with one’s friends and understand that only through unity with them does one attain the spiritual world, correction, and everything in general.

Therefore, what is required here is a collective decision, a pressing need, and great joint work to constantly awaken the feeling of the importance of connection. Each one must show everyone, and all must show each one, that correction lies precisely in connection—it is within connection that the spiritual world is revealed.

All other occupations that we invent for ourselves instead of this are called artificial work and exile, exile from connection, from readiness for unity, exile from approaching contact with a friend, from love of one’s neighbor, which no longer stands as the goal behind every step and every deed in a person’s life.

The goal is precisely in connection, by which the measure of our success is determined—until it turns into a ladder of spiritual degrees, and the measures of connection become Partzufim, Sefirot, and worlds. In the end, we compress and unite to such an extent that we become as one man with one heart, which is already the degree of the world of infinity, for such connection is absolutely perfect and boundless.

And if we make this our primary, sole, and central aim, the only task we must engage in and nothing else, then we will succeed. Otherwise, our ego will gladly cast us far away from the true work, enticing us with all sorts of imaginary occupations.

As Baal HaSulam writes: Begin to truly connect in love, and the palate will taste, that is, it will taste the flavor of the inner light that is revealed to us.
[90682]
From the preparation for the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/19/12

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Question: When my friends and I discuss TES (The Study of the Ten Sefirot) lessons, it becomes clear that there are two approaches. The first approach is when a person tries to grasp each concept and apply it to himself. The second approach is when friends say that this is what smart people do, and my job is to be on duty, my task is to think about my friend, to follow RABASH’s recommendations, and everything else will come.

What does it mean to study The Study of Ten Sefirot in the spirit of Bnei Baruch?

Answer: We have to understand that mastering the upper world from our world is not an easy task. But we are able to do it.

Therefore, let’s just study. Whatever we don’t understand today, we will understand tomorrow. And perhaps over the next several lessons, everything will be more or less clear to us, and we will move forward in this way.

I know many students who are shy to ask questions and they stay back, but it will come.

Once we complete the first volume of The Study of Ten Sefirot it will become clear to us where we are, at what level we are, and how we can receive some force of the upper light.

Question: What is the correct intention when we study TES?

Answer: The correct intention is our aspiration to have a Kli at the same level and for it to be able to model the various possibilities that we read about in TES within itself.
[349430]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/25/25, “The Study of the Ten Sefirot“

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On Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), we mark the anniversary of Baal HaSulam’s death.

We must try to use every opportunity to unite between us more and more and to become worthy of the unity in which the heavens open. I deeply hope that we will succeed in this soon. I see very clear signs of advancement. Let us hope it will happen at any moment.

Wherever we gather, whether drawing closer to our source during the lesson or at any event, even if it is only an external hint of contact with the righteous one, we must ask that the connection between us be revealed, that his teaching open within us, that we may understand the inner meaning of his words, that his message does not remain concealed, that both he and his teaching live within us until we become the support for the entire world, for unity among us, among all humanity, and for the revelation of the Creator.

This is a time for an intimate, heartfelt plea. No special external actions are needed; what matters most is the work in the heart. Let us hope that we will perform it together and make every effort so that it brings us to unity.

The entire desire, the entire aspiration of Baal HaSulam is in great measure directed toward us. We are not yet able to feel it, but he is undoubtedly among us acting in a very practical and powerful way. We will reveal him, because he is truly our spiritual father.
[89106]
From the meal dedicated to Baal HaSulam Memorial Day, 9/26/2012

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All the light of the Sefirot of the circles is given to them through the line (Baal HaSulam “Study of the Ten Sefirot”).

Each time the line diminishes the intensity of the upper light that existed in the world of infinity, to the extent that the Partzuf is capable of receiving it. This light remains within the line, and by it the spheres are filled.

I work in the form of a line, meaning, I act only to the extent that I am presently able to work for the sake of bestowal, having carefully weighed and measured it. The boundaries of my line are defined by this measure.

The Creator stands before me with His infinite desire and readiness to bestow upon me, but I look to see how much I am able to fulfill His desire. He wants to bring me to adhesion (Dvekut) with Him, to fill me with all His lights, to delight me infinitely. Yet I can fulfill His desire only within the limits of my line, therefore it is said that the line fills the sphere with light.

Each time, new lines and new spheres appear. For every time I perform an act for the sake of bestowal, I begin to understand and feel the Creator more deeply. Thus, each time the spheres are filled from a new line (Galgalta, AB, SAG…), as though I am giving birth to these spheres within myself. For through the success that I have achieved in my “direct” desires, working with the Masach (screen), I now perceive the Creator, His attitude anew, and am prepared for a different kind of connection with Him.

The Igulim and Yosher (circular and straight vessels, desires) that I now receive are not simply given to me from above; rather, they are born as a result of my own efforts. I reveal the Creator in a circular, perfect, and unlimited form, while I myself am like a straight line, and we begin to bestow upon one another.

I receive connection with the upper sphere (Igul Elyon), which is my Keter. It was created by the straight line of the upper one. But I perceive the upper not as a line or within any boundaries, but as round. For He is so great compared to me that to me He seems boundless, like a circle! Thus, I depict Him for myself and work accordingly.

In this way, Malchut of the upper connects with Keter of the lower through the circular sphere. It is like an embryo within a round womb, the closed letter “Mem” or the circular letter “Samech”.

All of this shows that we unite and connect through the circular spheres. Therefore, I must regard my friends in the group as the greatest people of the generation, of infinite height. The upper one is always round perfection for me.
[50152]
From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/28/11, “The Study of the Ten Sefirot“

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Question: We say that Akudim means connected. That is, when the properties are connected correctly, they form the correct Kli. Can we also say that we need to connect properly in our ascent from the bottom up?

Answer: Naturally.

Question: And then will a person in the unity of the ten reveal all these properties in the likeness of the Creator?

Answer: Yes, in the connection between us, we will reveal the correct form of the Kli.

Question: Why is the order of ten within a single Kli determined relative to Behina Dalet, rather than Behina Aleph, Bet, or Gimel, as a local criterion? That is, why is the determining axis tied to the root of the recipient, and not to the intermediate states?

Answer: What else can it be tied to? The most important thing is Malchut. If there is no Malchut, there is no Kli. Malchut is the desire to receive in the Kli, and it is the only one that determines what kind of Kli it is, the type and power of the Kli. All this is determined only by Malchut.

Question: Why did the breakage of the Kelim take place in the world of Nekudim, and not in Akudim?

Answer: In Akudim, all the Sefirot are, as it were, united into a single Kli, a single Zivug, a single dissemination of light. Therefore there is no reason for division. In the world of Nekudim, however, there is already a difference between the light and the Kli that receives it. That is why there is division in the world of Nekudim.
[349359]
From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/23/25, “The Study of the Ten Sefirot“

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Question: What actions can help one be freed from thoughts about oneself?

Answer: The only action that can truly separate me from thoughts of myself is incorporation into the group. I must do everything in my power until I reveal the inner force of the environment that I have attached myself to; until then, nothing else will help.

At first I perceive the environment as if I were a seed that has fallen into dry sand. But then I begin to see that this is soil that contains certain minerals and moisture that can nourish my growth. This “moisture” is the quality that can soften my egoism so that I begin to desire the attribute of bestowal. And the “minerals” are the light of Hochma, which can provide nourishment for my development. In this way, I begin to receive the lights of Hassadim and Hochma from the environment and grow to the extent that I annul myself before it.

Then I already understand that annulling myself before the environment is a beneficial and correct decision egoistically. For now, it comes from my egoism. I have no intention yet to bestow selflessly. I want to annul myself before them in order to be nourished by their environment and grow. If growth is possible only through bestowal, then I am ready to think about bestowal. But for the time being, it is still a calculation for my own benefit.

I want to acquire the quality of bestowal and become a giver. This is a special kind of egoism; one that leads toward the spiritual world. We will have to change such vestments many times on the way until we reach true bestowal without any calculation for ourselves. In the meantime, we do not know what that is. Only the light that reforms can give us this shape. And along the way we will change many more forms, which are each more cunning and egoistic than the last and which are all opposite to the final form.

At first it seems that we are advancing well, that we have already come close to bestowal and are almost entering the spiritual world. And then suddenly it is revealed that all this was still concealed reception. In this way we continue to develop. The main thing is to constantly receive support from the environment, to annul ourselves before it, and not to fear any states because you are on the path.

What is needed is a collective prayer, that is, for my thoughts and desires become the same as the inner thoughts and desires of the group, that I delve ever deeper into the group and want to flow together with everyone in one current to such an extent that wherever they go, I go, without any criticism from myself. This is called collective prayer. What everyone wants, I want too.

For me society is not something external, but the inner desire of the group, although later I will discover that the same force acts within all external people as well.

In summary, if I wish to advance correctly, I have to do everything possible to join the group and not look at external faces, but at the inner thoughts and desires, and strive to unite with them. This is what collective prayer means. Whatever this society desires, whatever it strives for, I join them and I yearn for the same.
[39190]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/27/11, “Preparing for the New Jersey Convention”

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Question: How or in what way is the quality of bestowal manifested and revealed in the group? Is it in thoughts, actions, joint work, or sensations? Could you describe the feeling of a person who is in a corrected group where the quality of bestowal has been revealed?

Answer: A group is in the right state if, at every moment, it finds the strength within itself to straighten itself toward the direction of the quality of bestowal. That is, there are always descents and ascents occurring in it, in different people at different times, but there is always an opportunity to grab onto one of the friends, to pull oneself up, and in this way two or three of them pull up the rest.

Your boat was wrecked? But even in this half-broken boat if one person remains, he saves all the others. That is called the right group.

If you act in this way, you are clearly moving toward the goal, and then everything will be fine with you.
[86054]
From the Kharkov Convention “Uniting To Ascend” 8/17/12, Lesson 3

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Question: How can you check whether you are applying your 100% effort toward the group’s common center so that a proper circle is formed?

Answer: One hundred percent effort in the group can be checked by whether you are left without a single thought about yourself because you understand that all your attainments, even egoistic (Lo Lishma) ones exist only in its center.

There is no other place where you could reveal anything greater than earthly, material life except in the group’s central point. And now, all together, like children in a kindergarten, try to make a circle!

But where is that center? How do you find it? There is no center; it is an imaginary point. First you must make the circle, and then you will find its center. This approach is accepted in the spiritual realm.

In the material world, you first choose the center and then draw a circle around it with a compass. In the spiritual world, we reveal the central point in which the Creator is found precisely by building the circle. And then we reveal Him. We proceed from below upward in our revelation.

Within a single person, there is nothing to be done; he will remain at the degree of animal desire. But if he builds a circle with other people, a human form, Adam, is formed, that is, one similar to the Creator. If everyone is in balance, in harmony, all connected, that form that resembles the Creator, is called Adam, a man.

How then do we by our common efforts build the circle among us? All the writings of RABASH about the group explain that. Each must annul himself relative to the others in order to receive from them the greatness of the goal. And the goal is the attainment of mutual bestowal.

We all together apply a single common effort toward one another, and all together toward the Creator. This is called: “Israel, the Torah, and the Creator are one.” After all, we all wish to build among us a network of mutual connections that covers and fills the entire circle we construct. And when we complete it, we reveal the Creator in the center of that constructed circle.

We sense Him throughout the whole network that covers this circle and stretches between us, but His root is in the very center.
[48229]
From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/27/11, “The Study of the Ten Sefirot“

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We all understand how important prayer is, which emanates from our connection with each other, from a common heart. It has the power to rise directly to the Creator and enter into Him so that He will feel that we are all directed in only one direction: toward the connection between us and Him. Let’s hope that we will be able to do this. May the Creator help us!

The main thing is to achieve the right prayer, the right desire, by uniting all hearts into one heart, and from it raise our request to the Creator. We will try to create this common force, which is all directed at the Creator, and it will help us rise to the Creator and embrace each other. And then we will surely receive the same answer from Him. The Creator will embrace us all together and unite us into one body with this embrace.

Proper prayer is a request that comes from our common heart and reaches the “heart” of the highest level. Each of us joins this common heart, which aspires directly to the Creator and is included in Him. We have no other desire, and there is no other place for us but to feel ourselves at this central point of connection between all of us and in union with the Creator.

The task of every person at the congress is to find a way to unite with his ten and all the other tens into one big spiritual Kli, and to unite this common Kli with the Creator. That is, to unite into “one man with one heart” and thereby reveal the Creator.

We all cancel ourselves out and want to unite together into one desire in order to feel and reveal the Creator in this desire. Even if we are still far from each other, our desire to unite will bring us closer and raise our bond to the height of “one man with one heart.” And from this point, we will feel fused with the Creator into one whole.
[349101]
From the International Kabbalah Convention 10/9/25, “In One Prayer,” Lesson 1

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