Baal HaSulam, Letter No. 13: You should believe that there are plenty of sparks of bestowal in each friend, and if we gather them all in one place, in brotherly unity, love, and friendship, of course, it would be enough to reach a significant spiritual level now and for life.

Nothing was created in the world but one soul. The parts, sparks, of that one soul wake up from generation to generation and achieve correction. All the generations, which have completed their correction, unite in the last generation, which begins with us.

Our generation is special. It should connect within itself all the previous generations: from Adam HaRishon, through Abraham and Rabbi Shimon, the Ari, and Baal HaSulam who have performed big corrections in one soul and have prepared its significant, special, and lightest part for us. But besides that, we must connect to ourselves all the future vessels or desires (Kelim) that complete correction.

We connect within ourselves those who are behind us, our forefathers, and those who are ahead of us, our sons, all of them together. We have reached the condition when the world begins to demand correction; souls begin to awaken. And although people do not understand this, it is not necessary because they belong to the part of the collective soul that reaches correction unconsciously, thanks to the connection with us.

Our duty is to unite, to connect within ourselves all the holy sparks of bestowal, which corrected this system before us—and to complete correction.

This is an extraordinary time; we feel that this is a special state. And we see how the Creator helps us, that is, makes it possible for us to unite and purify ourselves so that what we desire so much becomes realized.
[61183]
From Lesson 1, Arvut Convention at the Arava Desert 11/18/2011

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Question: How can we explain to the friends that it is impossible to attain correction by oneself and that we need a group?

Answer: This is what our sources say. I only have a shattered vessel, so what should I do with it? I have to absorb my friends’ desires in order to draw the Light that Reforms.

Together with the friends we raise a common prayer, and as a result we receive the force of correction. I will not be able to receive this force if I am alone. At least ten people are required in order to attain it. Only then will we begin to connect to each other and to build the common vessel between us.

It seems that we are together now, but actually it isn’t so. So how can we unite? We activate the force of the mutual prayer for that. No one operates on his own. The common desire to correct ourselves connects us, and in it we want to reveal the special force that will dwell between us, to reveal the Light, the Creator. When He is revealed, we each will disappear as an isolated entity, and one desire filled with one Light will arise.

Can I reveal the force of bestowal by myself? What or to whom will I be able to bestow? I must simply have someone else there too. My point in the heart (•) is my first urge for correction, in other words, for connecting with someone. This means that I have to absorb his desire. Then I have two desires: a desire to draw away from egoism and a desire to draw closer to bestowal.

So I have to receive my friend’s spiritual desire and to attach it to mine. Without this I will not really want to bestow. This is the only way I can raise MAN, a request for correction.

“The minimal multitude is two,” but actually, two is not enough. The more friends there are around me, the more chances I will have to be impressed, to attach their powers to me, and to demand correction. By that, I demand namely the connection with them. I supply the “territory” in which the connection will be realized, my wishes about what needs to take place here, and our common force. In short, I have to prepare the most possibly correct “mold.” It can be done only together. All our work takes place in the group.

Besides, women also support this group, and human society surrounds it on the outside. These factors also have either a positive or negative effect in pushing us towards connection.

Question: What does one feel when the Light fills our desire?

Answer: One of the points is me. All of us together is we. The yellow part in the drawing symbolizes our connection, and the red color symbolizes the upper force, the Creator. We have to unite Israel, the Torah, and the Creator into one, and this has to be revealed in our feeling. The Creator is the upper force, the source. The Torah is unity, the vessel. And we are the parts moving toward unity.

Let’s hope we will succeed in this.
[60797]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/15/2011, “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”

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It is known from the wisdom of Kabbalah that the only means that can change anything is the Light that Reforms. It sustains our lives, it gives livelihood to everything, and it executes all the changes. In accordance with the qualities of the Light, desire and the entire path of creation from the beginning to the end is instilled in the nature of the Light—how to change the matter, the desire to receive, in order to bring it to equivalence of form with the Light itself.

We constitute this matter in the hands of the Creator, the Light, and we can awaken and intensify its influence on ourselves and in doing so, accelerate our development. Since we accelerate our development ourselves, by wanting it and revealing our desire more, the Light influences our evolution more and executes a more meaningful act on it. Thus we feel our advancement as something good and desirable. Indeed, we add to the process of evolution that flows “in its time” (Beito) our own part, the addition called “hastening time” (Achishena) since we yearn for that same place and form that the Light wants to bring us to.

From where do we know this? It is thanks to the efforts we make in trying to see ourselves as connected together, as one man with one heart, so that our desires merge into one. And then, to the extent that we try to awaken our hearts to connect, to perform various actions so that they connect into one heart, with no differences between them, to that extent we awaken the Light that will bestow on this connection, on our efforts to connect with an even greater intensity than when it works according to its usual evolutionary plan called “in its time.” In this way we accelerate time.

In order to awaken the influence of the Light on the desire, we ourselves need to imagine that we are trying to connect the hearts and adopt the form of the Light, the attribute of mutual bestowal. We have to envision this to the extent that each one of us loses his own feeling of existence, and all of us together acquire oneness that includes everyone within it: the group, the soul, composed of the individual hearts. And then the Light bestows on us and completes the act.
[60664]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/14/2011, The Zohar

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To develop our spiritual sensation, we unite and connect. We have to attain the kind of unity that is called, “mutual guarantee.” Essentially, this is the vessel for feeling the spiritual, eternal and perfect life that is outside the body.

For that we have to do what Kabbalists, who are people that have already gone through this path, advise us to. They are our teachers and are therefore called “Rabbanim” in Hebrew, which is the plural of Rav, meaning a “great” person before whom I bend down my head like before an experienced instructor that is worthwhile to listen to.

He accomplished the transition from the sensation of just this world to the sensation of the upper world, and moreover, he went through many states and levels there. Therefore he can help me with advice throughout the whole path, until I complete my development in the true world. By virtue of Kabbalists, I reveal the gates to the world, enter it, and advance.

Kabbalits advise us to unite, and in that unity, by making great efforts in spite of our egoism and natural disregard, to look precisely for the feelings we disregard. I reject the neighbor and hate him, I am unable to even think about how we can be truly close to one another. But Kabbalists tell us that we have to be as one man with one heart, uniting in the mind and feeling to such an extent that no boundaries will remain between us in thoughts or desires.

This is all painfully opposite to our nature. We are being offered such conditions that we would be willing to trade them for anything else. We are nauseous from this and are thrown away from it at every moment in different directions—anything but unity. We just want to cover ourselves up with half-hearted advice and actions, lie to ourselves and others that everything is normal…But we can’t.

What can help us here are demands imposed by physical unity: We act all together and no one can evade his responsibilities. That is exactly why we are in this world of actions that are not defined by intention. In spirituality, the thought is the action, but in corporeality they are divided: I can think about one thing, desire another, and do a third.

This is the wonderful quality of our world: Here we can start the path to spirituality without even yet thinking about it for real or wishing for it sincerely. We are able to make actions that pride, passion, ambition, envy, and shame incite us to do—everything that is inherent to our egoism.

Therefore, being in the group, at the end of the day, I must carry out what it obligates each of its members to do. After that, by virtue of that, I advance involuntarily. I must only push myself into the group, take on obligations, and sign a “unified agreement” with the friends that under any circumstances, they have obliged me and I have obliged them to need one another. That is how we advance, using our egoism.

Thus, in our world we have the opportunity to start the spiritual path from zero, from pure ambition. We activate its negative qualities, connecting with one another by the unity of mutual help, and use all the negative qualities just to observe this unity. In this case, you obligate the friend and he obligates you, and you both advance, having no other choice.

This is exactly what we saw when we went to the convention in the Arava desert. We found ourselves together without external influences and discovered that the group can obligate every person to rise and come closer to the sensation outside the body, where a person begins to discern details hitherto unknown, a different existence “outside of the skin of his body.” It turns out that “outside of us” is really possible. That is how we advance.

Today we can unite with one another in this world by means of the right egoistic actions. However, now every one of us has to “jump out of his skin,” rise above his personal egoism, above his entire being, and unite with friends into a single whole. Stated differently, every person must rise above himself and go from the material group to the spiritual one.

Then the common vessel will form, the common soul, the holy Shechina where we will reveal the Creator on the first spiritual level. We made a big step toward this and acquired a common sensation, and now we must strengthen ourselves.

Thus, we build the vessel of mutual guarantee: We pledge not to forget one another and all together we take care of our spiritual life. After all, this is the purpose of our current existence in the material world, the goal of all people and this whole reality. Only by virtue of mutual care will we rise to the level of spiritual unity.
[61241]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson on 11/20/11, “Mutual Guarantee”

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Question: If it is impossible to go against one’s desire on the inside, then what actions can we make against the desire, only physical ones?

Answer: Physical actions also count. After all, before we are able to do spiritual actions, we can only act physically.

For now a person studies, disseminates materials, and connects with the friends in a physical group by working together. This is the way he acts, even though he is not yet capable of inner actions. And this really helps.

Even the strongest and best inner actions still do not replace physical ones, which we do in the corporeal world in a large mass of people. We see how dissemination in this world, and especially being in touch with people in different countries who went out to the streets to protest, advances students in their inner understanding.

A person goes out to give out leaflets, and he spends time between people who know nothing about the inner structure of the universe and scream demanding bread and other necessary material things. And then he returns to his books and his inner development, and he suddenly sees that he feels more, understands more, and advances.

All this is because I have received an impression from them; I absorbed their desire. And even though these are corporeal desires, it does not matter. They still advance me because this external desire impresses me.

This external desire rises to a higher degree in me, the degree I am on. It is written that the “Creator dwells among His people.” Thus it turns out that I reveal the Shechina inside the people on the exact height that I am able to reveal it.

This pertains to the greatest Kabbalist: If he comes with his desires with the purpose of connecting to the desires of the people, then through their desires, he receives an impression inside his own, at the height accessible to him. This is why it is written that one must not distance himself from the people.
[60996]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/17/2011, Writings of Rabash

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Question: Could you briefly formulate the purpose of the convention at the Arava desert?

Answer: We have one goal: having united, to reveal adhesion with the Creator. We have to reveal a close interconnection, a strong bond in reaching the goal, in ascending above our corporeal desires, above everything that appears to us in this world.

In our mind and feelings, we have to rise above the reality that we feel here and unite all our hearts and thoughts. Our goal is not to simply assemble the common “We” out of individual “I’s,” but to rise to an even higher degree and become one whole. It’s similar to drops of water merging into one big drop without leaving any boundaries between them.

The influence of the upper Light helps us achieve this state. We can’t imagine this state, but the Light can lead us to it. This ascent to the first degree of unity will be the crossing of the Machsom (the barrier separating us from spirituality). Further, we’ll find ourselves on steps of the spiritual ladder, and we’ll be able to climb to the very end of correction.

In addition to it, in our first spiritual state we want to reveal forces to correct the world and to help it on its path toward the purpose of creation where we all unite in order to merge with the Creator. We want the world to reach it peacefully rather than through sufferings, which also can push us forward.

Thus, all our work is in finding the spiritual world, that is, in degrees of merging with the Creator. Then, we will help humanity to reach a predestined state of perfection in a good way where we’ll all give pleasure to the Creator together.

Question: What kind of thought should each friend arrive at the convention with?

Answer: I want to lose my personal self-awareness. I want to rise in my mind and thoughts above the body and unite with the mind and feelings of all the friends who will form the collective head and the collective heart, as it is said: “Like one man with one heart.”

We should imagine this picture at the time of the convention by trying to live it, to live inside of it. I’m no longer an owner of myself; I “sold” myself to the group; I’m loyal to it, and it takes care of me like the upper Partzuf takes care of the lower one, like the whole takes care of the individual, like the mind takes care of the body. From now on, I’m driven and governed by the group.
[60930]
From the 4th pat of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/16/2011, “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”

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Our current state is imaginary. Kabbalists compare the perception of this world with a person who has lost consciousness and is experiencing certain vibrations in the brain, certain random impulses that beget an illusionary and misleading image within him. And this makes him feel like he is alive and exists in a real world, perceiving it much like as it sometimes happens in a dream. But in reality, there is nothing from true reality in it.

There are a number of actions we can do to help us in this state, to make us wake up, or make an effort towards awakening. The idea is to try to imagine the true state, completely unrelated to our world, while being in our imaginary state.

We exist in this true state connected with one desire. No one perceives himself individually, but every one perceives this oneness. It’s neither “I” nor “we” because “we” is still a multiple sum of “I.”

But there is no sum; there is just that oneness where we exist with no differences between us! We need to try to rise from the image we now perceive to a “there is none else beside Him” state, where there is only One, and nothing else. And everything that is outside of Him is a consequence of the loss of consciousness. We need to try to imagine this situation.

“Everything that exists is one soul.” This is the formula of reality, and it determines the place of our work and the form of our life that we must attain. From it we begin to draw all the directions of our behavior, understanding of the method, and the true state. We will only be able to learn and understand what the upper world is from there. We will not learn about it in our world.

And regarding the economy of the future, it also must come from there. Otherwise it’s unclear how it’s possible for only one to exist. The laws of connection and behavior that exist in this oneness, the relationships and actions, all these things are only learned in a state where we exist as one. There are no physical bodies, this whole world does not exist; our heart and mind rise to this level of oneness.

As a result of everyone’s efforts, we will begin to perceive this reality and what’s happening in it. We will establish the relationships between us in accordance with it and understand the material we are studying and our attitude towards the world and dissemination.

Our head must be inside this One, while our body must be separated from Him and only follow instructions. Then we’ll see how uncomplicated this path really is. The main thing is the first contact with the reality of this one force called: “There is none else beside Him.”
[60760]
From Lesson 1, Israel Arvut Convention, 11/11/2011

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Question: During the lessons, we attract the Light together. In dissemination, we work within the framework of managers  and subordinate relationships. How do I lower my head before the friends throughout the day?

Answer: I lower my head not before an external image of a friend, his name, qualities, or character. I lower my head before the concept of the group, which consists of the whole reality: worlds, vessels, and the Lights. I want to be there, included, in self-denial, without any feeling of myself.

It is not just a friend in his physical appearance. I only look for a spiritual form, I want to rise above my thoughts and desires. If I renounce myself, then my body, my origins, everything that I have is directed toward fulfilling the desires of the common heart and thoughts of the common head. That’s what self-denial is.

For example, before the convention I’m prepared to do anything in order for it to be successful. I reject any criticism; I don’t have any calculations regardless of where I’m asked to go or how much time and effort it will take. As soon as I see, hear, or feel that I can help, I immediately do that. If I linger even for a moment, that’s not right; that means I didn’t lower my head before my friends.
[60767]
From Lesson 3, Israel Arvut Convention, 11/11/2011

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Question: While reading The Book of Zohar, I constantly get distracted in my thoughts. I understand that it’s good because “from Zion (exit) will go forth the Torah.” But still, how do I hold on to the internal concentration?

Answer: We have to try. Let’s assume that I’m called in for a trial to investigate how much I care about the group. According to the outcome, I will receive either reward or punishment. Then, while reading the text, I will worry about attracting various good forces and alienating or sweetening the evil ones. I read The Zohar for that purpose.

First of all, the trial is evaluating me only in one direction: connection to or disconnection from the group, how much I’m bonded with or separated from it. Thus I have to awaken the influence of good forces that help me to connect to the group, and conversely, remove the obstructing forces.

Besides that, I have to see that all the actions that pass through me are meant to show me clarifications that I have to perform and various factors that strengthen my connection with the group in a direct or indirect way. It’s because in the end, both good and evil are meant to force me to strengthen my connection with the environment. Only on that principle is the trial being held.
[60771]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/15/2011, The Zohar

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