The Zohar, Chapter “Pekudei (Accounts),” Item 763: The ark of the covenant in the seventh palace receives everything from the righteous, Yesod de ZA de Atzilut. Afterwards the souls come out from the ark of the covenant and enter the righteous below, in the first palace, Yesod. Subsequently, they come out from the righteous below and clothe in people. After their demise, they enter the ark of the covenant in the seventh palace so all the souls will be included from above, from Bina, the seventh palace, and from below, from the Yesod of the palaces, to be complete on all sides.

We must try to ascribe forms of unity, types of the connection between us to each word, action, and concept that we read about in The Book of Zohar. After all, there is nothing except that. It’s all about the extent and form of the connection between parts of the single soul, which for now The Zohar designates with all kinds of names, actions, and types of the relationship between us.

But essentially, all of this is designed to direct us to the only state where there are no parts, but only one desire in the unified Light. Thus we need to imagine everything that we read about in The Zohar as one system.
[60240]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/9/2011, The Zohar

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Our problem is that we don’t know how to imagine the Creator: Are we supposed to just imagine something to ourselves? And here we forget the principle of “I dwell among My people” and that “from love of the created beings” one comes “to the love of the Creator.”

Thus, if I want to bring pleasure to my Maker, I have no other choice to come closer to and imagine it correctly but to build a group, to connect with it, and to increase its importance so that it turns into the most important and appreciated thing in my eyes, something above all this reality, like godliness.

And then the connection between the friends will manifest within me like the upper force, by which I am impressed, to which I pray to, and from which I ask. And all my work will be only for this purpose.

Otherwise, only pretty words will remain: “To bring contentment to the Creator,” “with selfless intentions,” “not for the sake of receiving a reward,” “adhesion with the Creator,” and so on. With whom will I be in adhesion, to whom will I bestow?  All these concepts will remain completely unclear and vague for me, they will be something I can’t realize and will disappear from my sensation.

Thus, when we speak about the Creator and are constantly confused about how to relate to such an elusive concept that our senses can’t perceive, we need to remember that it is the general force that manifests within the group. This upper force is actually the Creator.

So why is it said that there is no one but man and the Creator and the relations between them? Where is the group here? And here one needs to remember that it is not a group of different people. Only one general soul exists, and man needs to make efforts in order to return to the correct perception of reality. And then he will see that all of this is his individual soul, and the general force that fills his soul is the Creator.

One needs to go slightly above corporeal vision that shows us physical bodies in our corporeal world, which are seemingly before us and have been given to us only for the purpose of the work. Try to imagine to yourself a higher dimension, all of reality as your one Kli (vessel), one desire, which is separated into multiple parts in your imagination called “evil inclination.” But thanks to your efforts to connect these parts together, you will discover the general force within that connection, and it will be called your Creator.
[60224]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/9/2011, Writings of Rabash

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Baal HaSulam, “Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah)” (an abbreviated version): The newborn is in a state of complete self-reception without a hint of bestowal.

This was done on purpose so that by self-correction a person will learn to move from the incorrect actions to good deeds. This is how he becomes aware of the gap between the vessels and the Lights, between his state and the Creator’s, and between parts of creation. This is how he sees creation to its full depth.

With the revelation of the spiritual world, we gradually begin to discover how the air becomes “thick,” and the forces, relationships, and actions filled with the details of perception from the higher level, higher dimension, begin to show through it. We don’t feel them now, we don’t grasp them, but we are actually in them. In order to reveal the actions of the upper forces upon us, we have to make great efforts.

If a person wants to know his nature, it is revealed to him as the evil inclination. But if a person isn’t ready to correct himself yet, he doesn’t see his evil nature. Out of billions of people only a few millions can say that their nature is evil. All the others don’t understand what we are talking about: “Yes, of course, we should be kind to each other,” and that’s all.

Therefore, many will not agree with Baal HaSulam who says that that self-love is imprinted in us from the moment we are born. This is why people who observe the Torah and commandments the popular way have complaints to Kabbalists. They don’t feel that they sin at all. They don’t see that all their actions are for their own good. On the contrary, their actions lack any self-criticism or recognition of evil.

We must not awaken this evil. Until a person reaches it on his own as he develops, he should stay at the the still, vegetative, or animate level. The internal shattering reveals the human level, and then he begins to correct himself.

So if we merit the birth of the human within us, then signs of self-love appear from the moment of birth. It turns out that we do everything for ourselves alone and are ready to do everything at the expense of others.

Thereby man distances from the Creator, meaning from the power that controls the world with bestowal. The more he grows, the more he receives from his environment portions of “bestowal upon others”… That is, a person receives a feeling of the importance of bestowal. Although it is contrary to his nature, the environment can influence him. The structure of the spiritual world gives the group, the environment, great powers, even greater than one’s natural strength. At first we were connected as one vessel and the Light dominated us from Above. Therefore, when I discover the separation here below, but I don’t want to connect with others even a little, the environment can show me how it respects the connections and thinks highly of bestowal so I also want the same thing.

The environment influences me more strongly than my egoism. It will win. It can oblige me not to eat, not to drink, to behave in a certain way, and to wear certain clothes. If I could look at myself from the side, I would think: “What an idiot! What is he doing?” But a person simply carries out society’s orders and for him it isn’t nonsense, but very important and respectable things.

Ultimately, a person does everything only because society obliges him to. He even does the essential things in the acceptable way. No one has anything inside but society’s influence.

… he receives from his environment portions of “bestowal upon others” … for reward in this world and in the next world. In the first stage it will already give a person the power to advance.

The environment educates a person and teaches him the accepted norms and ideas. It is enough for an environment to use them, for them to become the truth for a person. After the right treatment, he is ready to obey unquestionably the principles it decided upon. If society wishes, it can do whatever it wants with each of us, and even send us to death. The connections which empower it belong to a higher spiritual level.

As one grows, he will be told how to come to the altruistic intention so as to bring contentment to his Maker. An environment is also needed for that. A person will not want that by himself. You can read endless numbers of books and articles and know all the wisdom of Kabbalah in depth, but without the influence of the environment nothing will change in a person. Nice words? Please, but there won’t be any real internal change behind them.

It’s necessary to work in a group, make efforts, study, build the intention while studying, and participate in common activities, and then a person attracts upon himself the Light. In other words, instead of the bad life, instead of the evil inclination, he receives the good inclination and moves from evil to good.

Then he loses all remnants of self-love and performs all his actions only to bestow, so even the necessity that he receives flows in the direction of bestowal…

This intention permeates one’s entire life.
[60156]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/8/2011, “Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah)”

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Question: How can we practically unite our sparks at the December convention?

Answer: You should arrive at the convention with the sparks already united. This is what is meant by preparation.

Why am I going to the convention? I am going there to evoke inner unity with others through various external actions, to be included in that spiritual vessel where we are all waiting for the revelation of the Creator. All our preparation is aimed at the unification of those sparks.

All my desires and thoughts are directed at the goal, at the revelation of the spiritual world, the upper degree, eternity and perfection, something great and boundless. I have to select all my hopes and bring them towards unity with others. Only by having united our yearning for the higher degree all together, will we feel the common vessel that is created from these individual impulses and the Light that fills it.

This is the preparation: to arrive at the convention with the desire that is already formed, clarified, and burning inside.
[60326]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/10/2011, “Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah)”

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Baal HaSulam, “Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah)”: There are two types of relationships: with the Creator and man. And both are destined to lead to the goal: adhesion. A person acting altruistically does not feel any difference in his action between love for his neighbor and love for the Creator since everything outside of his body seems to be unreal in his perception.

So, I exist in an imaginary reality surrounded by other people on planet Earth, in the Universe. Why do I imagine reality to be this specific way? Why am I made to perceive it in this specific form? This is because the falsehood of this “image” absolutely corresponds to the way I deform actual reality. The greater the lie, the further I am from the truth.

And then, being in the current state, I acquire a desire to reveal the essence of life, to understand the reason for living and the meaning of my existence. I want to rise above falsehood and see the truth behind it. If so, one day, my reality will need to change.

How do we achieve it? We want to imagine the true state with the desire that has awakened in us. One cannot manage without the advice of Kabbalists here. We are not able to do anything on our own without their help in evaluating our direction. After all, we are submerged in darkness and confusion, and we do not have even a bit of truth, but a spark of newborn desire. However, this new urge represents only a point, not a vector that could have showed us the path. For this reason, we must turn to the corresponding means in order to head in the right direction.

If I imagine the entire world as myself, as a unified whole, it is a proper image. However, I am not able to form this attitude within me on my own. I am not able to imagine that other people, forces, and phenomena of the still, vegetative, and animate nature are parts of my desire because in my perception, they are depicted as something isolated, separate, and sometimes distanced, opposite, and hateful to me.

For this reason, the method that leads to the truth is the group where I must work. Even though I see my friends as absolutely different and opposite, together, we strive toward a corrected, true state. Together, we must work to make the correction and truth into one.

This is where the need comes from for a proper attitude toward the ultimate, true state called the “Creator” or the group. I will attain the truth only on condition that instead of interacting with the so far imaginary Creator, I interact with a real group, and together, we imagine ourselves to be on the highest degree.

We can handle this work. We advance toward a common, true state through becoming closer to the desires of our friends where we can unite. Then our external actions of becoming closer will bring us to an inner closeness of a single desire.

Our world is a projection of spiritual forces. We perceive them as physical images and create conditions for the unification of our desires, which merge into one by uniting with common efforts on our common path into a single system. We can really begin with nothing, with corporeal, physical actions, even false ones, but productive. One can manage initially without the intention on a low degree. The first chord may be off-key, but it still counts. This is why no one can say that he was not given the reins to take himself to correction.

This way, the relationship between people is more important than the relationship with the Creator. On one hand, I have a small group that wishes to reveal the message, the method of correction. On the other, I have the vast humanity, subconsciously waiting for unity.

In the end, humanity must receive this method from us in a prepared form with strictly described relationship parameters. However, before the crisis and helplessness manifests the real need for unity between people, there is no reason to reveal the method. This is why Kabbalah is concealed.
[60247]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/9/2011, “Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah)”

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Question: What is the best way to connect to the technical study of Kabbalah? What is more important, the intention or the effort to understand?

Answer: The technical study of Kabbalah without its practical application does nothing. You will never be able to memorize anything. Even if you memorize some details, it will not help you in any way, it will not fill you, nor will it elevate you. Only spiritual work can elevate one upward.

We study the entire system of the Universe only so that we can attempt to understand it in some way and determine what is important for us. For us it is important to draw the upper Light, to become filled with the Light of Hassadim (Wisdom), and to rise from the worlds of BYA to the world of Atzilut. This can be done if we unite. As we unite, we rise to ZON of the world of Atzilut where we find ourselves under the influence of the reforming Light.

We need this system only for the purpose of convincing ourselves to do the necessary actions together. Then the correction will take place, and as a result, every one of us will see and sense himself inside of this whole system. He will see it for real and will be able to freely navigate within it. This system is the connection between us. However, if we don’t try to connect with one another, we will not reveal it because the worlds are something that exists between us.

In other words, when we aspire to one another in similarity of properties, in mutual guarantee, we reveal the worlds and the Light within the worlds. The general Light which becomes revealed is the Creator.
[59889]
From the Sunday Virtual Lesson Series 10/30/2011

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We need to receive from Above the power of faith called “art.” Naturally, we ourselves do not have it. And on this path a person sees how weak he is. It is written that inner work “weakens a person” because he begins to feel that he does not have anything but egoistic desire.

And if he supposedly manages to overcome his egoism, it simply means that a larger egoistic desire has defeated a smaller one. This way, instead of advancing in the direction of spirituality, he is moving in the opposite direction, using an even greater egoism.

Sometimes people are very successful in their studies, they work and study a lot, and you would think that a great force of bestowal is driving them. But this is not the case. This simply is the great force of egoism because they see a greater benefit before them.

We always advance from “Lo Lishma” (for oneself) towards “Lishma” (for the sake of bestowal) and naturally act with the help of our ego. But still, our responsibility is to evaluate our true position and the intentions that drive us.

Gradually, as a person exerts effort in studying, dissemination, and mainly in group work, he reveals how incapable of anything he is. Man realizes his true state when he sees that no matter how much he tries to overcome his ego, putting all his effort into it, he is still incapable of doing anything with himself.

A person spent all his time working for the importance of the goal, but at the end, he lost his strength and realized his evil. He understood that he has nothing but the ego and that his every movement is driven by an egoistic purpose. As a result, he reaches a deep state of despair, described in the following way: “There is no happier moment in a person’s life than the moment when he becomes completely disappointed in his powers and feels absolute helplessness, and thus he becomes ready for a complete prayer.”

And a complete prayer is a request to acquire the power of faith. And then the power of greatness of faith, greatness of the Creator clothes him, and thus a person continues to work, but with another kind of “fuel.”
[60139]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/8/2011, Writings of Rabash

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Question: How can we connect the scheme of the universe that we have been studying in our lesson with making a decision about going to the convention in December?

Answer: Essentially, the structure of the universe holds the answer to all our questions.

When we unite our broken souls, we rise to the world of Atzilut. Our attempts to unite draw the upper Light of correction to shine upon us. It exists above the Parsa. It is impossible to receive the Light below the Parsa. Our only salvation is to rise to the world of Atzilut through common unity. Therefore, participation in the convention is an occasion to rise above the Parsa and sense the upper world.

You can invite all people to the convention, those who are distant or close to Kabbalah and mutual guarantee. The material at the convention will not be hard. We will study and realize the system of uniting. We will try to come closer to one another in order to reach such a potential, to reach such compression between us that will allow us reveal the upper Light. This is our task.

Therefore, any person who thinks that this is good for him has the opportunity and the right to come. I hope that we will succeed at this convention and will sense the beginning of the revelation of the upper Light within the mutual guarantee between us.
[60132]
From the Sunday Virtual Lesson Series 10/30/2011

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Question: To what extent can the convention awaken the dormant informational genes (Reshimot) in a person?

Answer: We can only awaken our informational genes (Reshimot) due to the influence of the environment. Without the influence of the environment, the Reshimot awaken according to the driving force of natural development, which pushes us from behind through suffering, according to nature’s evolution. Everything arrives, as they say, “in its time (Beito).”

However, if instead of evolving at a natural pace we want to accelerate time (Achishena) and hasten our development through our efforts, then we need to draw the Light upon us. The stronger the Light, the faster our Reshimot awaken. And thus we advance faster.

The Light illuminates us from Above, and the Reshimot react to it and awaken from below. We can influence the Light by arousing it, and then it also awakens our Reshimot faster. This is our entire work; we are unable to do anything else.

From this we can understand that the convention can be a very effective means to awaken the Surrounding Light that reforms. If all of us want to reach our future state, the state of mutual guarantee and bestowal, then the great Light that is attracted by this desire will awaken the Reshimot in us. In this way we will accelerate our development.
[59996]
From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/6/2011, TES

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If you find yourself feeling bad, first of all, you have to understand why. The cause of all evil is the shattering that happened in our desire to receive pleasure, after which that desire began working for its own sake.

I have to learn all of that. If I work in the group and do so in the right way, I reveal that there is no other hostile force in reality besides my own ego that gets in the way of everything I do and doesn’t let me enjoy life.

This is what humanity is gradually revealing now. There is no other evil besides the ego. It is the cause of suffering in the world.

I reveal all of this only under condition that I try to connect with others and see that I don’t wish to. And then I discover that “the Creator created the evil inclination” and I realize: “Aha, it’s the Creator who did all of this”….

In other words, I have to connect everything to Him, and that’s not easy. I have to realize He deliberately arranged all evil for me and did it so cruelly and cunningly in order for me to reveal that I depend on Him completely. He as if tells me: “You should come and bow before me, and if you ask nicely, I’ll correct that evil for you. But if you don’t, you’ll receive it, portion after portion, more and more each time, until you have no other choice but to bow.”

We have to realize that our egoistic desire is greater than our ego, greater than our pride. Were it the other way around, we would beat ourselves to death but wouldn’t be able to bow. The salvation is in our egoistic desire that grows out of the still, vegetative, and animate levels. Under the blows, it constantly becomes lower in terms of its quality.

I ascend in my desires to the very top and suddenly receive a blow. After that I no longer aim so high and become more modest. Then I receive another blow and bow a little bit more. Thus, blow after blow, I become smarter and start looking around: Who is hitting me all the time, who is above me?

As a result, I reduce my desires to the extent of feeling myself as a dependent, miserable, and intimidated animal. The desire to receive pleasure is the substance of creation. Everything else is just an addition to it that derives from equivalence of form with the Creator or the lack thereof.

Thus, our pride disappears under the blows and only the animate desire remains. When I reach such a state, I’m ready to bow my head; I am ready to ask. My foolish pride is gone.

The question now is only whether I happen to be clever enough to realize that I’m really an animal and all of my prideful self-conceit is a deceit. I have to forgo it in advance, lower myself, and ask the Creator for correction. Correction is in Him taking power over me by my request. If I come to such a request, that’s my prayer. There is no other prayer.

That requires a lot of strength and support from the friends. After all, if you can lower yourself before them, they will give you strength to lower yourself before the Creator, multiplied many times. By that, you accelerate time, reduce blows, and instead of them bring the mind to advance with.

If you lower yourself a little bit before the group, or as Rabash writes, make a zero (0) out of yourself and make one (1) out of the group and put it in front of you, you’ll turn into “10.” If you make two zeros out of yourself, you’ll turn into “100,” meaning you’ll receive 100 times more strength.

This is how great the strength you receive from the environment is if you lower yourself before it even a little bit. The smaller you make yourself, the more strength you get from the environment in terms of advancing towards the Creator. It’s an inverse relationship.

By that, you save a lot of time and spare yourself life cycles full of suffering, wars, and grave problems. This is what all the work is about.
[60048]
From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/7/2011, TES

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