Rabash, “What is the Order of Wiping out Amalek”: And what is more, we see that a person needs to prepare himself in order to enjoy the pleasure that is dressed in the vessel. This means that he can enjoy the Light of the pleasure that is dressed in the vessel to the extent that he prepares himself, which is considered external. This means that we cannot compare a person who drinks water when he is thirsty to a person who drinks water when he is not thirsty. This is because the vessel of receiving pleasure is measured by the yearning for the pleasure.

We know that the difference between “I shall hasten it” and “in its time” is only in the preparation. Eventually a person has to perform the action by himself and say: “I want!” and when he wants to, things will open up for him!

There are two ways of attaining the demand of “I want!” Either by blows that don’t leave a person any other choice and which obligate him to recover after each blow or problem and wake up from his reluctance to do anything. It’s because he is confused and can’t find the powers in him to connect with the friends in order to build a vessel, and it’s only the blows that force him to take a step forward.

But it isn’t just taking a step. He sees that this step is beneficial in both a spiritual and a corporeal sense. The corporeal benefit is that he gets rid of the blows and the spiritual benefit is that he recovers and begins to feel that he has a goal, a process, and a chance to feel something of the path of “I shall hasten it.”

Thus he gains twice: He gains new abilities and a new taste corporeally and perhaps also spiritually. It’s all given to him after the blow since there are two opposites in the blow that he receives from the Creator, in the blow of the Light that operates on a person in different ways and towards the goal. We study that in every state, even in the lowest one, there are ten Sefirot, the Light of NRNHY, Reshimo (spiritual gene) of dressing, and Reshimo of Aviut (thickness).

So we must try to understand that everything depends on our preparation that brings us to the demand of “I want!” We have to reach a state in which we have no desire left but one and that this desire should be the greatest. There are two ways of reaching that: “In its time” (through the path of suffering), or “I shall hasten it” (through the path of the Light). But it’s impossible to come out of Egypt without the desire of “I want!”

On the other hand, a person feels great despair and helplessness in his own powers and at the same time confidence and faith that the Creator can save him, which means that everything is in God’s hands. This versatility has to strengthen a person and not break him the moment he exits.
[111057]
From the Preparation for the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/28/13

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Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot” Item 7: Now you will understand their words that Divinity in the lower ones is a high need…It is like a great king who had a son when he was already old, and he was very fond of him. Hence, from the day of his birth he thought favorable thoughts about him, collected all the books and the finest scholars in the land, and built schools for him.

He gathered the finest builders in the land and built palaces of pleasure for him, collected all the musicians and the singers and built him concert halls. He assembled the best chefs and bakers in the land and served him every delicacy in the world, and so on and so forth.

Alas, the boy grew up to be a fool with no wish for knowledge. He was also blind and could not see or feel the beauty of the buildings, and he was deaf and could not hear the singers. Sadly, he was diabetic, and was permitted to eat only coarse-flour bread, arising contempt and wrath.

Now you can understand their words about the verse, “I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time.” The Sanhedrin (98) interpreted, “Not rewarded—in its time; rewarded—I will hasten it.”

Thus, there are two ways to attain the above-mentioned goal: through their own attention, which is called a “Path of Repentance.” If they are awarded that, then “I will hasten it” will be applied to them. This means that there is no set time for it, but when they are awarded, the correction ends, of course.

If they are not awarded the attention, there is another way, called “Path of Suffering.” As the Sanhedrin said (97), “I place upon them a king such as Haman, and they will repent against their will,” meaning in its time, for in that there is a set time.

In our case the King controls every state. The son is born with certain attributes and abilities in certain internal and external conditions, according to the initial thought of the upper that is meant to bring him to the ultimate goal. He has to attain the right vessel according to his emotional and mental development and to get to know his Father in order to be like Him according to the plan that the King has prepared with absolute love and care for his beloved only son.

There is no doubt that we will attain this goal but in order to attain it we have to develop our vessels and it has to be voluntary. We will surely want it since the goal obligates us to acquire a desire and a yearning for it. The only question is how we attain the desire and whether it will be by blows, having no choice and being driven by pleasures or pain, or by trying to establish an environment and to attain the right deficiency by ourselves despite the fact that we feel pleasures or sufferings.

It’s a deficiency without a deficiency and so our work is done “above reason,” above the mind and the emotions that control us now. We have to constantly yearn for this supernatural state which is above our nature. We can do that only with the support of the environment and the group that should impress us with more sublime values that are closer to the spiritual goal. Thus we approach the goal step by step.

Everything depends only on the right environment, and so a person who chooses a better environment each time is praised, which means that he advances by the path of “I will hasten it,” by himself, of his own will, and thus hastens time and spares himself the blows, and this is good in his eyes and in the eyes of the Creator. If he doesn’t, then the opposite happens and his whole development is only by hastening the blows. We have to advance in either case but it will be without a feeling of delight not on part of the Creator and not on the part of the created being, but by prolonging time.
[111006]
From the Preparation for the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/25/13

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Question: Are there degrees during the period of preparation or is it one degree in total, and only by entering the spiritual world, will we begin to ascend the 125 degrees?

Answer: Even on the zero degree from which we start, we go through different stages. Every degree consists of ten Sefirot, no more and no less. And each Sefira has its own ten Sefirot and so on to infinity.

There is no such condition which is completely solid and does not include all the elements, the entire reality. There is only one picture of the universe but it is seen in a different resolution as if on the map with a different scale.

For example, we are going to the convention in St. Petersburg. If you look at the map of Russia, the city is just a point. But if you get closer and increase the scale, then this point turns into a big city. You get closer and see all the streets, even every building, etc.

Thus, our current state seems to us just a point. But in reality it includes the entire universe. Everything depends on the scale in which we view it and see all the details in it. The revelation of all the details is the ascent of the 125 degrees.
[111211]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/30/13, Writings of Rabash 

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We must not forget that a person alone cannot reach the feeling of greatness of the Creator and this means the greatness of the goal, because the goal is to adhere to the Creator by which we bring Him contentment. Our final correction is in this adherence, the final destination station, the entire goal of creation.

The Creator created the desire to enjoy, but we are in illusion now thinking that we are created to enjoy receiving. We are in this deception and that is why every time we get some pleasure, it immediately disappears. We need to understand this contradiction that we need precisely the desire to bestow because the goal of creation is to enjoy bestowal.

“To bring pleasure to the created being” means to bring them to the state in which they will receive pleasure from bestowal and not egoistical giving for the sake of receiving, and not even giving for the sake of giving, but receiving for the sake of bestowal. That is, we have to use our desires, all our abilities in order to bestow.

It turns out that any change in our nature is possible only under the condition that we nourish ourselves from some external source of inspiration, importance, desire, attraction, and push towards a spiritual goal from which we derive all the power advancing us to correction. All this energy comes from the environment. A person is able to do something only if he is influenced by the environment. And if there is no such influence, he will not succeed.

There are moments when a person is given an awakening from above and then he is able to turn to the environment. But in most cases, he himself cannot turn, and the environment must take care of conveying the importance of the goal and inspiration to everyone. Only then will we be able to advance in the right direction.

Therefore, there is no more important task than building the right environment. It is written, “Would that they left me and kept my Torah, for the radiance within it would return them to good.” The Light comes only when we are connected between each other. That is why the building of the environment is the main condition.

There is no point in waiting for a true spiritual revelation from above if it does not come out of our own efforts to unite with humans such as us. We need to understand and remember the fact that everything that happens in our relations with the external world, from us to it and from it to us, to everyone, and to us together, comes only through our connection.
[111157]
From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/30/13

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It all depends on our efforts. We have reached such a level that we are able to prepare ourselves by the path of Light with accelerating time and by helping each other, as is said, “Help a fellow man.” But this requires unity, inner mutual demonstration, total inspiration, and passion.

Everyone should try to be impressed by others, even artificially. You are watching a lesson and it does not touch you today. But make even artificial attempts to cling to what is said there and this will happen. Thus, we achieve a common desire.

The path of Light means that I received the ready desire from friends because my soul is in them, and I, myself, have only the point in the heart of my soul, everything else is egoism. I do not have to use it all but to be constantly above it. This is called faith above reason when I am in the group instead of my mind and egoism, and I absorb all their desires and fulfill them.

Today, we can talk about these deep things because you have been in good preparation for a week. There is the desire to reach the spiritual vessel, even if it’s not very clarified, but I feel that your efforts give me the opportunity to reveal some details of preparation, connection. Thus, we will advance, we still have time before the convention.

These remaining days are the most important, not the convention itself. You will later understand what it means “to eat what has been saved for a long time,” that is, to be nourished by what you have revealed during the preparation. As egoists, we think now we’ll reach the spiritual world and get everything there. But we will come to the revelation of the feeling to what extent we were in the perfect state before, although it seemed flawed to us. Exactly as The Book of Zohar describes this, “The holy Zohar also spoke about it, saying that one who is rewarded with repentance, the holy Divinity appears to him like a soft-hearted mother who hasn’t seen her son for many days, while they made great efforts and experienced ordeals in order to see each other, because of which they both were in great dangers.” (Baal HaSulam, Letter 25). Then, time disappears and all the states come into one because what we reveal is that we initially were in the most perfect state.

So, do not forget that your desire is in the other, in the collective vessel. Now, everyone is getting ready for the convention and if you are integrated with them and want to receive a desire, hopes, and inspiration  from them, then it’s in this way that you discover your true spiritual vessel. You need to look inside yourself less, if possible do not look there at all, and take your emptiness as salty appetizers or spicy seasoning and become included in the friend right away. He contains all the main courses, fulfillment, both the vessels and the Light. And I have only additions that incite my appetite from my inner emptiness.
[111141]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/28/13, Shamati #117

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Question: You said that you can talk for ten hours and not get tired. How can we make sure that we do not get tired and do not fall asleep during the lesson?

Answer: It depends on importance! If this is important to me, then I will not fall asleep. So, you constantly need to excite yourself. Importance is taken on purpose from above, or rather egoism is raised, and that is why it is “jammed.” And we need to raise it again in our eyes. This depends on the environment.

It is not a problem to stay awake in class after a good rest. The problem is to raise oneself in spite of fatigue. This is very important! One needs to work on this.

The friends around you also have to charge the atmosphere. Now, I am saying familiar words that you have heard many times before. Do you see anything new in them? If not, then it is a problem. A person should not remain indifferent to the fact that he does not feel novelty. It depends only on him. And the words are all the same. We must be angry with ourselves!
[111117]
From the Preparation to the Convention in Krasnoyarsk 6/13/13

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Baal HaSulam, “Peace in the World”: We must know that the above-mentioned law of development, which is spread over the whole of reality, is guaranteed to return all evil to good and useful acts through the power of the Government of Heaven Above, meaning without asking permission from the people who inhabit the earth. However, the Creator placed knowledge and authority in the hands of man and permitted him to accept the above-mentioned law of development under his own authority and government, and handed him the ability to hasten the process of development as he wishes, freely and completely independent of the boundaries of time.

Representatives of the still, vegetative, and animate nature are unable to change the law of development, but we can do this, we can “take it into our own hands,” i.e., use it for acceleration. We have the ability to slightly change its action, to get out from under the total control of nature with its indispensable imperatives to get involved with the management through our efforts. Due to this, our development will continue, firstly, faster and secondly, in a more pleasant way.

As a rule, the force that develops us is cruel. It is called the “press” or “roller” of development and it leads us forward only by suffering. Our desire is drawn to pleasure and ideally strives for bliss which requires no actions. Fulfilling the desire, pleasure “paralyzes” it, immobilizes it; we see this sometimes in young children. Filled to the top, I become still, freeze, feeling no need for any movement. That is why we need troubles and suffering that will spur us to move us from the spot and develop us further, to force us to move faster.

As a consequence, the force of development appears to us as bad, negative, and we run from it to where we can see the positive, the good. Moreover, we always run in the direction opposite from where we got the blow. Thus, we “automatically” pass the still, vegetative, and animate stages of development, as well as their equivalents on the human degree, not knowing and not feeling that we are driven by the law that can be used.

But in the end, we find the “human in ourselves” who wants and can effect what is happening. He looks for means of self-development, the advancement of self. He finds out what his purpose is, what he lives for; he asks questions about the meaning of life with the purpose to find the force of development, to learn the law of development and use it for his benefit, i.e., for the realization of the goal.

As for our relations with other people, as well as the still, vegetative, and animate nature, we must bring them benefit as well based on our development, meaning to include them in the good development that we will reach.

Not everyone is able to accelerate the process. The majority simply follow their nature. We are talking about development and development is always contrary to our nature, always goes with efforts, through force, under pressure, with pain. It is always opposed to the egoistic desire, which only wants to enjoy the current state.

Thus, if Israel are rewarded and take the law of development that their bad attributes must go through in order to invert them into good ones, they will bring it under their own government. In other words, they will set their minds and hearts to correct all the bad attributes in them and turn them into good ones by themselves. Then, “I will hasten it,” meaning they will be completely freed from the chains of time.

There is a point on the path from which the person receives an impulse, the realized need for development. He wants to know why and for what he lives on the Earth and then he comes to the means that is called the “wisdom of Kabbalah.” This means allows him to develop himself without being dependent on the limitations of time by the path of acceleration.

If a person, for whatever reason is lazy, shies away from this opportunity, then his path lies somewhere in the middle between time and acceleration.

That is why we must strengthen the group and always make calculations between them: to what extent is acceleration in our hands? Ideally, we should fully control it.
[110308]
From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/19/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam “Peace in the World”

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Question: If we do not know the next state, how can we prepare for it?

Answer: We will never know the next state even when we are already on spiritual degrees. Let’s say you are on the 80^th rung of the ladder. This is a wonderful degree, believe me. But before you get up to this degree with the previous one, you are in a state a million times worse than it is now.

You have no desire, no interest, you do not hear a single word of what we are talking about now during the lesson, you are sitting just like a piece of wood, even worse, like an impenetrable rock. You cannot think at all about spirituality, you cannot even remember when it happened to you, where and how. What is the spiritual world anyway? You cannot recall a single feeling, any word from there.

Instead of this, you are overcome by the most primitive thoughts: What is in my belly, in my bank account, in the fridge. You are turning into a real animal. How can you get out of this state to rise to the 81^st degree? Only through very gradual and difficult movements.

No one from above will give you energy, the importance of the goal, so your eyes will open wide and sparkle. On the contrary, you are totally deprived of the spirit of life. You will fall into egoism, will hate the friends. Now, you start getting out of this inner state if you even remember what it is about. They talk and you do not even hear. It is not that you are “for” or “against,” you just do not react, it’s as if you are made of stone.

It is written about this, “Everything in your power, that do.” The greater a person is, the more egoism he has. Therefore, he experiences a terrible burdening of the heart that leaves him no opportunity to do anything. Now, you do not depend on anyone: You have neither a good nor bad connection with the friends. And then you will fall together because of your connection and the fall will also be global, of the group.

What can you do? Take advantage of the mind? But there is no mind; you have turned into a stone. Playing artificially does not work either. Bow to the environment? But you have nowhere to bow; you have already fallen so low and you cannot fall from the floor. Turning to the group? But you do not see it in front of you. What can help you? Only a prior preparation! If you have approached a spiritual state without the necessary preparation, you have no chance to advance.

And if you still were not able to prepare, the only thing that helps you in this situation is a daily schedule. If you are accustomed to a particular routine, a habit becomes a second nature. You need to use it and make it a habit as much as possible because a habit enters your nature, and if you feel that you are even dead, habits revive you. You must get up for the lesson because your body is used to waking up at this hour. You must perform certain habitual actions. It does not refer to the soul, the body got used to the physical activities that you do at the same time and under the same conditions.

Therefore, it is very important for a person to accustom himself to a daily schedule. Nothing will help but habits. Since I have included in my nature habits related to spirituality, then now, when I am doing these physical habitual actions, they remind me of spirituality. I developed them in myself because of the spiritual goal, and now when I have to abide by them in the physical form, they bring me back to a spiritual state.
[111030]
From the Talk About the Preparation for the Convention in St. Petersburg 6/26/13

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Question: Why do we need a timetable that we are accustomed to? After all, it isn’t so good when the work becomes a habit and doesn’t require any efforts.

Answer: Of course a habit frees us of making an effort, but it saves us when we fall and puts us back on track. Then we continue to make efforts in order to acquire the next level.

I move in a form of a minus and during a descent I reach the lowest point in which I lose everything, it’s the zero point, zero life. I cannot exit it by my own powers. In mechanics the movement continues thanks to the force of acceleration and in electronics we use capacitors, conduction coils, by which we accumulate energy that we can use later.

When I descend during the work, I charge a certain capacitor, and when it’s charged I can use it and ascend. There are such cars today that operate on both fuel and electricity. When I drive on fuel, I fill a battery, and then I can use it and drive without fuel.

So when I descend, I have to make sure in advance that I will be able to exit the lowest point. If I don’t prepare myself, I will be stuck there and that’s it. I will have no power to continue my advancement. We prepare ourselves in different ways in order to exit this state, we prepare in the group, but eventually we don’t see that anything helps since I am totally dead and don’t respond to anything and don’t see or hear anything.

In that case only the habit that has become a second nature helps me. I have prepared it in advance, like a capacitor that was charged. This habit is already imprinted in me and is part of my nature and by it I can rise from the descent and carry on.
[111025]
From the Talk About the Preparation for the Convention in St. Petersburg 6/26/13

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Therefore the student is committed to strengthen his faith in the Creator before the study, which means that he is headed towards bestowal. He must be sure that he has done everything possible to prepare corporeally since he has the environment that the Creator has arranged for him.

The Creator has brought a person to the environment and now he has to strengthen himself in it and to establish the right relations with the friends. Accordingly, he will at least have the powers to perform corporeal actions and this is already enough to evoke the influence of the Surrounding Lights. Thus, he begins to fulfill himself correctly.

If a person has doubts about the reason that he studies and why he comes to the lessons and gets up in the morning, then by setting for himself the goal to acquire the Light of faith during the day, which means the force of bestowal, there is no greater Mitzvah (commandment) he can perform. It already includes everything and there is nothing else we can acquire during our whole lifetime. This is the purpose we were created for, this is why we exist in this world, and our whole life revolves only around it.

Everything is ready and waiting for us and so the preparation for the study is an essential precondition in order to receive everything that has been prepared for us. We have reached a stage in which we have to pay attention and to focus all our powers, our thoughts, and our persistence on this one thing; we have to see that we are united around this one goal understanding that the preparation for the study and the preparation of every action we make is actually what determines its quality and its height, which means whether it will have a positive or negative impact, whether it will be good or bad for us.

We may perform an action that seems good from a corporeal point of view, but if it’s accompanied with the wrong intention, the quality of the actions will be the opposite. We know that before the destruction of the Temple, the position of the great priest was sold for money. Did the great priest do something wrong in the corporeal sense during the Yom Kippur ritual? He did everything correctly but his intention was to receive respect, fame, and wealth in return and so he entered the Holy of Holies and died.

This means that everything stems only from the intention. We are ready and can work on it consciously together in a special united manner so that it will be the main issue and goal every moment in our life. We should use every moment correctly!

We have already reached this point and especially now when we are before the convention in St. Petersburg, all our actions to get there should be with the right intention. It’s very important, it’s the guarantee for our success.

So like Baal HaSulam says: The student is committed to strengthen his fate in the Creator before the study. This means that we are committed to strengthen our yearning only for the force of mutual bestowal in every action in our life. And it makes no difference if during the day we have to do our basic daily chores that are not directly related to attaining the goal, to attaining the spiritual force, since that’s the way our life is arranged. These actions, which are very far from the goal must also be done with the right intention, since after all, we do them in order to reach the desired state. Every action should be done only in order to attain the force of bestowal, in order to exit the current desire and to acquire a new desire.
[110678]
From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/23/13, Talmud Eser Sefirot

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