It is said about the embryo: “The mother gives him the red part, the father the white part, and the Creator the soul.”

A frequent problem in the work is that we forget about the third component, about the Creator, who must finish all the work for us.

A person makes tremendous efforts and then wonders: where is the desired result?

They fail to realize that they are not bringing this action to completion, because they forget that all their actions must begin and end with the Creator, with the upper force. The person stands in the middle.

In the same way, we ascend from the initial state (one) to the final state (three); we emerge from infinity and return to infinity.

Along the way we develop and correct ourselves, either by the path of suffering or by the path of light. In any case, it is the light that works, and we only add our desire. We do not correct ourselves; we only accelerate our development.

Yet, a person usually forgets that he is only one of the components of his development, one that slightly intensifies it, and because of this feeling how the action changes from bad to good.

But the action itself takes place by virtue of forces that already exist in nature. The main thing here is the force of the Creator.

If a person does not draw the Creator to his aid so that He will complete the action, this third component, absent from his picture of nature, then not a single action is brought to completion, and therefore the person remains as he was!

This is a well-known mistake that often remains unnoticed. And there is only one solution: to turn to the group for help.

If there is a common opinion in the group that the Creator is the main force that determines the outcome of the action, then each one included in the group will not forget about this. Then he will not have to experience the bitter disappointment of having worked so much and having achieved nothing.

Seek the Creator (as it is said: “By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loves,” Song of Songs) and remember that a person is not able to win this battle by himself, there is also a partner.

And without Him, a person has only an empty desire, which gradually dies out like a small flame.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/19/10, Rabash, 1985 “On My Bed at Night”

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Comment: When you suggest something new (for example, a “spiritual stimulant,” people say: “Here goes Laitman with another new scheme. Later, there will be something different.”

My Response: Of course there will be!

We are looking for a way to create something that constantly unites us, helps us adjust to each other, keeps us together, and compels us to return to the same fundamental question. This is a pressing issue for us, and it is not going away. It can be in this form, or in a different form, or in a third. We shall see!

Comment: There are people who take a passive, waiting stance, andothers who are active. As a rule, newcomers tend to be more active.

My Response: Those who wait around lose! Spirituality is not like our world where you can dodge responsibility and do nothing. Here, you work for yourself and not for a boss! So, if people want to pass us by, let them. I am not driving anyone with a stick.

Question: What is the importance of a “spiritual stimulant?” Is it dictated by forces from above?

Answer: No, we have advanced to a state where we have to work on unity. The “stimulant” is a means for uniting. Come up with something different, more productive, and we will be happy to switch to it. Why not, if there is something more effective?
[358086]
From KabTV’s “I Got A Call. Laitman’s bullying” 10/13/10

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Question: What role does the group play when we go through different states?

Answer: We need the group for several reasons. Actually, there is only one reason, but since the Creator is still hidden from us, this reason is divided into several sub-reasons in relation to me. At first, I feel the group reminds me of the importance of spiritual work. Its influence helps me get back on track with my work. Without a group, I lose the correct direction.

All this is just at the beginning of the path. As I progress, I begin to see the group as a part of my soul. The spiritual construction is designed in such a way that there is a part of my soul in each person, and ultimately, I must unite with each of them. I do not know how yet, but I will have to do it somehow.

We are taught that all this is arranged as a pyramid. I have to unite with everyone, but not in the same measure. I connect with some souls on the inanimate level (Domem), with others on the vegetative level (Tzmeach), and with others on the living level (Chai). In other words, I unite with all the parts of Adam HaRishon‘s common soul, but with each on a different level of unity.

Ultimately, I need friends around me who I can work with as one Kli (vessel). They and I will function as organs of one body, one Kli. That is how we must work. Indeed, we see the most advanced and effective designs in our world are based on this method.

A person alone simply cannot advance. All he can do is somehow come to realize, over millennia, that he cannot break into spirituality alone. Anyone who flees from society is completely hopeless.
[358262]
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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Aside from obtaining the full measure of the will to receive, giving one all the material one needs for one’s work, this is the degree that brings one to Lishma [for Her sake]. It is as our sages said (Pesachim 50b): “One should always engage in Torah and Mitzvot Lo Lishma [not for Her sake], as from Lo Lishma, one comes to Lishma.”

One should take every measure suited to come to Lishma, for if one does not strain for this and does not achieve Lishma, he will fall into the trap of the impure maid (Baal HaSulam, Introduction to the Book of Zohar).

If a person wishes to move from his current state (1) to the next state (2), he must understand what he is striving for. In the first state, he must be able to feel the second state and desire it above all other possible states that may present themselves to him. If he truly desires the second state more than anything else, he evokes a force called the light that reforms, which transfers him from the first state to the second.

This transition does not mean that the fulfillment within me changes: “Previously, I knew one thing, and now I know another. Previously, I felt one way, and now I feel differently.” No. The action of the light produces a different result: previously, I thought according to one system, and now my system of thinking has changed. Previously, I felt according to one system, and now my system of feeling has changed. Through the light that reforms, it is not the content of the mind and feeling that changes, but the mind and feeling themselves. That is how I pass into the next state.

Therefore, already in the first state, a person does not really want to change the fulfillment. That is not what matters. What matters is that the feeling and the mind themselves change. He wants them to become bestowing rather than receiving.

Question: How can one imagine this new pattern?

Answer: It comes through effort and contemplation. Time also plays its role. But if you do not want the process to take a long time, hasten it!

There are two states: the current first state and the next second state. In each state I have both feeling and mind. In both states there is fulfillment, but in the first state the fulfillment is bad, while in the second it is good. I rise above both of them and ask for a new vessel, a new feeling, and a new mind. I ask not for a different fulfillment, but for a different heart and brain.

This is how we advance by faith above reason, from separation to adhesion. What matters to me is not whether the fulfillment within the vessel is good or bad, but what I do above it by raising Ohr Hozer (reflected light).

Question: What is the difference between asking for fulfillment and asking for a new feeling and mind?

Answer: The intention. I change my intentions.

Question: But by nature, the desire wants fulfillment. How can it switch to a different request?

Answer: Through the Ohr Makif (surrounding light), which returns to the source. Through the Torah.

Question: Do I know what I am striving for, or do I simply want something new?

Answer: I know. After all, I am working with my desire. I must at least have some understanding of what bestowal is.

Question: What is the actual process of moving from the first state to the second?

Answer: A change in attitude from oneself to the Creator.

Question: What exactly happens to my mind and feeling during this transition?

Answer: It all depends on what is more important to me. The mind and the feeling are me. The light acts upon me and changes my priorities.

I cannot change myself on my own because I will truly know myself only at the end of correction. For now, I am only somewhat familiar with the “animal” in which I live but not with my true self. I must come out of that “animal,” separate myself from it so that it stands beside me, and only then begin to work on myself. Only then will I begin to know who I really am.

Question: According to what Baal HaSulam writes here, does that mean not everyone will attain the intention of Lishma?

Answer: Anyone who has a genuine attraction to the wisdom of Kabbalah already wants, at least inwardly, to change himself. He may not yet realize it or understand it, but he is already prepared for it. Such a person possesses an inner demand and is not willing to remain as he is. He seeks a true transformation.
[103334]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/21/13, Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to the Book of Zohar”

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Our work is to rise above evaluation according to the principle of “sweet–bitter” to evaluation according to the principle of “true–false.” After all, the Creator is called Truth.

The word “truth” (Emet) consists of the letters “Alef–Mem–Tav.” “Alef” and “Tav” (the first and the last letters of the alphabet) are the desires at the two extreme poles.

And “Mem” in the middle is the quality of Bina, by which one can connect these poles and come to correction, that is, to truth.

Determining where truth lies and where falsehood lies is possible only in relation to a group of Kabbalists, the environment. By myself, within myself, I lack the necessary conditions for this; I possess only one parameter: my ego. To measure I absolutely need one more parameter outside of myself.

After long study and many clarifications in the group, a beginning Kabbalist starts to feel himself in the general (global) system of desires, among other “points in the heart.” Relative to this particular environment, I am given the opportunity to acquire new sensory concepts: drawing closer to it and distancing from it, sensing its global system, my inclusion in it, the necessity of its support, the realization of it as the place in which I will reveal for myself the upper world and the Creator.

Meanwhile, within me, an interaction of two forces —myself and the environment—takes shape within me. The environment gains weight and acts as a counter force to my “I,” my ego. Another authority emerges, one outside of me, which I will begin to take into account and view as a source of salvation, a lever that can pull me out of my current state, out of this world.

I measure the “self – environment” dynamic, and as a result of my measurements I obtain quantitative and qualitative measures for measuring spiritual relations, forces. I build a measuring ruler: on one end is me and on the other is the group. With this ruler I can already research, measure, and depict the upper world.

From the “I – group” relationships a spiritual cell is formed within me with which I can measure all of reality above myself. In this way I build a soul within myself.
[5643]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/15/9, Baal HaSulam, Letters 41 & 42

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If you see that something in the group does not align with the goal, or does not lead to adhesion with the Creator, you should carefully analyze this situation point by point, find quotes, talk to your friends, and bring the matter before the group. If the group sees that this can lead to improvement, it will accept the suggestion.

We must clearly and logically show everyone what needs to be improved and why, and invariably link it to the need to achieve adhesion to the Creator, but in a plain, practical way.

What does practical mean? Rabash writes that abstractions can destroy the whole world. Abstraction is a form not clothed in matter. You cannot say, “You must be altruistic; whoever is not altruistic should be kicked out of the group! There is no place here for the biggest egoist!”

We must follow the path of form clothed in matter and act only in accordance with a reality that can be realized and embodied, and which defines everything for us.

It is written that just as a donkey is blindfolded and walks forward, so must you close your eyes and walk. How can you close your eyes and go? Only if the group pulls you along. Clearly, you cannot walk that way on your own. You still do not know what spiritual forces influence a person.

I know this from my own experience. There were times when I would sit at home, and Rabash would call and shout: “Come over!” But I sat there and sobbed into the phone: “I cannot come! I feel a force stopping me.”

Therefore we must determine in advance how to proceed. A person does not join a group on the condition that he accepts some of the group’s laws but not others, and signs under this condition. He enters the group and signs everything; among the points is one that authorizes him to act according to the group’s rules regarding modifying any points.
[357400]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/1/26, Rabash, “These Are the Generations of Noah”

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The rules of the group change according to the group’s advancement. If a group establishes artificial laws and rules for itself, then either it delays its development for some time, or sooner or later it discovers that it cannot keep them. The rule may remain written somewhere, but who actually follows it?

Suppose we define something, write it down, and everything looks wonderful, but no one really needs it. I constantly say that examining our internal laws is the most important thing, because through this a person examines himself. He must relate to the group’s rules as to his own inner rules, be in harmony with them, and advance together with them.

This does not determine my relationship to the members of the group; rather, it determines the relationship among all my inner forces, feelings, and desires. Therefore, first of all, I must see it as a model of how I want to see myself internally. We are not talking about my relationships with the friends; we naturally adjust to one another in any case. The charter must first and foremost be internal. There should be no difference between the external charter and the internal one.

In our world, after a country establishes its laws, it also establishes penalties for violating them. What is the purpose of these penalties? To compel a person to obey the laws.

In our case, it is what happens to a person if he fails to fulfill something in his personal account with the Creator. We cannot even imagine to what extent the rules that we establish within the group are accepted “Above.”

Baal HaSulam writes about this in “The Giving of the Torah”: The governance established by the people and the governance of the Creator naturally correspond to one another. What a large group of people determines becomes, in a certain sense, a law of the upper governance for them.

Do not take this too literally, we will speak about it more. I only want to say that by trying to fulfill some of your rules, even if they may seem foolish or unimportant, you will clarify the charter more quickly. You will discover what is relevant to us and what is not, what is more important and what is less important.

Ultimately, whether working with the internal or the external charter, your goal is to analyze it and thereby advance. How does a person advance? He examines the degree on which he stands: whether it is good or bad, useful or harmful, whether it is for his own sake or for the sake of bestowal. Through this examination, he acquires a clearer understanding of his state and of the direction in which he must move forward.
[357404]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/1/26, Rabash, “These Are the Generations of Noah”

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A person must use all the forces that exist within him, especially fear, to attain the desired state. We do not possess a single inclination, even the worst one, that was not created for the purpose of reaching the goal, not even those tendencies that we are ashamed to admit to ourselves. Inclinations, may be misused but nothing was created without a purpose.

We tend to think that the problem lies with the Creator, who seemingly created everything in such an imperfect form: the mentally ill, autistic people, homosexuals, people with a multitude of problems, not to mention ordinary illnesses. We think there is some sort of “distortion” here.

It is not a distortion, but a form of governance that operates with immense wisdom and comprehensiveness. Only later will it become clear why correction is specifically contained in the fact that you have a cold or that someone was born with psychological disorders.

One must not look at a person and evaluate whether he “suits us” or not.” Rather, one should evaluate only the degree of his willingness to be with us.

The group should not behave like an overly indulgent mother who pities her child excessively and thereby harms him. In the end, the child only suffers more. The group should make use of the means of influence at its disposal.

You should not relate to all the friends as though they were equal in every respect. Greater appreciation and respect should be shown to those who invest themselves wholeheartedly in the group. As for someone who is not striving to invest himself, on one hand, he should be helped, but on the other hand, he should be made to understand that there is no necessity for close connection under such conditions.

One should not abandon him, yet neither should one be overly warm or sentimental toward him. On the contrary, one should demonstrate that he is regarded as distant.

The group must utilize all available forces. Exclusion from the group is the strongest influence of all. Use shame and envy; they are among the most effective means of influence. You will see how a friend begins to feel what the group truly is and what he stands to lose. Use these means, but with care.
[357443]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/1/26, Rabash, “These Are the Generations of Noah”

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Question: What does it mean to choose the best environment when a person is already in spiritual attainment?

Answer: The environment is not the people around you but rather an abstract expression of your friends’ attitude toward the Creator. The environment does not sit at a table like you do; it is not in any particular place.

It is the sum of your intentions, aspirations, inclinations, expectations, all your efforts toward the goal. It is in your interest for these to be as broad and strong as possible, so that you have the strongest possible connection with these intentions.

It is a spiritual force both now and when you are already beyond the Machsom. It is just that now it is relatively hidden from you. You imagine it in some form, and every time you have different doubts and new definitions arise; sometimes you know what a group is and how you are connected to it and at other times you do not. After the Machsom, it takes on a more distinct, conscious, and clear form. Yet the work remains the same.

Therefore, even now, we must imagine as accurately as possible the sense of the environment. It is not one, two, three, twenty, fifty, or a hundred friends I study with, whose names are so-and-so, who look like this or that.

The environment is what stands behind all these people, a kind of spiritual force: an aspiration, a desire for the Creator, and persistence with which friends hold on with their teeth so as not to waste a single moment in their movement toward the goal. If they also want to unite these forces to benefit everyone; this is called a group.

It is about the spirit: that each person supports the other, and that we all drink directly from this common source of the spirit. Otherwise, there may be a billion of us, like the Chinese, but… The main thing is the spirit within the group. This is what we must care about, and evaluate everyone according to their contribution specifically to this.
[357023]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/22/26, Rabash, Letter 59, 1962

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Question: How does the environment provide a person with an aspiration toward the goal, toward the quality of bestowal?

Answer: The environment provides a person with such deficiencies (Hisronot) without any words because that is exactly what it is engaged in. A person is connected to the environment, and if it is the right one, he is bound to receive a sense of concern from it, a feeling that he has lost the most important thing.

After all, the disappearance of the light does not yet bring him a Hisaron. He must feel that he has lost equivalence of form with the environment.

If the Creator disappears, if the light disappears, then with respect to the group a person should feel a Hisaron. The group serves as a substitute for the Creator in order to compensate for His concealment.

Choosing the best environment means that a person must constantly care that his group has the strongest, most correct, and most consistent direction toward the goal, and also that he himself maintains the greatest possible connection with the group.

Then one can be certain that even if the light departs from him—and the light must disappear in order to reveal a new Hisaron, a new Reshimo, the reverse side of a new degree—his support, the group, will immediately help him become aware of his state.
[357019]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/22/26, Rabash, Letter 59

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