Question: Suppose I see the group as either thriving or in some kind of dire state. Can I assess my progress by the way I perceive the group in one state or another? For example, if they are all striving toward the goal, does that relate to me or not?

Answer: What does “the group in a dire state” mean? There are ascents and descents, disagreements, confusion, objections, and moments when the yearning to move forward suddenly seems to pull backward. But these are essential elements of growth. How else can one advance?

I hear from our groups in different countries about all kinds of conflicts, and I receive seemingly unpleasant news. But I do not feel it as unpleasant; I simply understand that these are growing pains.

Growth cannot happen without difficulties or without mistakes. Every step forward is built on mistakes, on trying, on doing something incorrectly, and on recognizing where you went wrong. That is how you correct and move forward.

Why does it have to be this way? Because from the start, we are not making mistakes,, but are uncovering the evil within us, the flaws we were born with. These are not mistakes that we create ourselves but our egoism revealing this evil, our flaws.

So when a person does something for the first time and fails, these are not mistakes but the uncovering of their inherently flawed nature.
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From KabTV’s “I Got A Call. Signs of Advancement 2” 3/11/10

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Question: Every friend who is in the same boat has been chosen by the Creator. I must share in his troubles and obstacles. What should I do if it seems to me that he is drilling a hole in the boat?

Perhaps, as you said, it is time to leave this little boat and board the large ship called Bnei Baruch?

Answer: I think the most important thing is to simply hold onto each other. Otherwise we will get lost in this raging sea and our little boat will not save us.

Therefore, let’s put aside what we once thought was important and focus on what really matters: with my behavior in the group, I must create a positive force around me that will bind us together.

Let’s try to do this at least until the congress. We can test it and then talk about it.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/21/25, Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Arvut [Mutual Guarantee]”

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Question: What is the relevant form of demand toward a friend who, for example, does not attend the lesson?

Answer: I think there’s no need to single yourself out before the friends. It is necessary to cultivate such an attitude within the group that the one who violates feels they are excluding himself from the group.

Question: How can such an atmosphere be created?

Answer: This should simply be recorded in the group’s annals and accepted by everyone.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/21/25, Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Arvut [Mutual Guarantee]”

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Question: What should I do if I want to include a friend’s deficiency within myself, if I want to help him, but I see his resistance?

Answer: Continue. Not for too long, but continue. The most important thing you can do is embrace him and, together, move to a new place.

Question: How can I open myself to the outer circle in order to bestow to them, without judging them, but instead lift them toward the Creator?

Answer: For this, you must first prepare vessels that will allow you to elevate others, and only then begin this work.

Question: You said that if we see that a friend does not strive for mutual responsibility, we should distance ourselves from him. What does it mean to distance yourself from a friend?

Answer: On the journey must take with us only those who will join us in performing all actions together: ascents, descents, and so on.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/20/25, Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Arvut [Mutual Guarantee]”

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Question: The egoism of each person paints pictures that distance us from mutual responsibility. How can we grab our friends’ hands in time and hold them tightly to enter the implementation of true mutual responsibility?

Answer: You need to desire to be in one heart with your friend, and then you will quickly feel his hands supporting you.

The Creator never acts directly on a person but only through others. Therefore, you must hold on to your friends, and through them, you will feel the direction in which the Creator is guiding you.

Question: What preliminary actions can break the chains of a friend’s egoism, apart from prayer? How else can I help them?

Answer: I don’t think there is anything else.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/20/25, Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Arvut [Mutual Guarantee]”

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Question: Usually we ask the Creator, “Connect us with the ten, give us love for our friends,” which means we ask about the future while living in the present. How can we ask about the present?

Answer: Ask for everything, from the greatest requests to the smallest ones. The Creator will arrange them in order and give you what you need.

Question: You said that the connection with a friend should feel the same as the connection with the Creator. How can we feel the connection with the Creator within the connection with friends in the ten?

Answer: You also need to ask for this and try to penetrate deeper into your request to the Creator, and you will see that He will make it happen.

Question: How can we deeply penetrate this request to the Creator?

Answer: You will feel what you are lacking. That is already a matter of feeling.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/17/25, Writings of Baal HaSulam “Matan Torah [The Giving of the Torah]”

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Question: Typically, the light creates a desire and then departs. Therefore, when we try to enjoy a second time in the same place, it causes a “short circuit.” How can we form a desire that anticipates the descent of the light?

Answer: I think this is not such a big problem. The point is, if we desire to be connected with each other and at the same time establish a connection with the Creator to bestow to the Creator, then everything will work out.

Try to unite in a way that your common desire aligns with the Creator’s desire toward you, and you will achieve what is called “I am for the Creator, and the Creator is for me.”

Try and you will see that it is not difficult.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/11/25, “Obtaining Contact with the Creator”

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Baal HaSulam writes in the article “The Mutual Guarantee” that all those striving toward the Creator constitute a single nation responsible for one another, which is called mutual guarantee (Arvut).

The Torah (the light of correction) was given to this nation only after each individual was asked whether they agreed to accept upon themselves the fulfillment of the commandment to love their neighbor as themselves, as it is written: “Love your neighbor as yourself,” meaning care for others no less than our nature compels us to care for ourselves.

This is the condition under which we can draw the light of correction. Only when we reveal a genuine desire to unite in this way will the light come and correct our spiritual vessel.

Mutual guarantee is when we already form a single body, a single organism, in which everyone depends on one another, after rising above their personal desires. For this, each person must possess an anti-egoistic screen and be on the spiritual degree of bestowal (Hafetz Hesed), and treat their corporeal life as merely a necessary foundation for spiritual ascent.

Each individual fills others and understands that he must be connected with them, after all his entire life is devoted to this purpose, just like the cells of one body. Every cell and organ of the body lives to fulfill its function for the benefit of the whole organism.

The meaning of his life is love and bestowal. When we feel such a connection between us, it is called spiritual life. If we desire to connect in this way, we will receive the strength to accomplish it!
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/18/10, Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Arvut [Mutual Guarantee]”

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Question: You say that when a person opens his heart to a friend, he can harm himself. It turns out that envy propels a person forward, but on the other hand it can lead to the evil eye. What should one do?

Answer: It’s very simple! When I envy others, it’s good because I envy them positively. A friend is moving forward, and I envy them: “Look how they work! Look how much they invest! Look how they’re running somewhere, doing something, participating in something! Why don’t I have that?”

However, if the person who sets a good example opens up their soul to me, meaning they start sharing their personal feelings, this is where my envy can play a cruel trick on them. My envy could harm them.

And I’m not to blame for this, it’s just how I am. What can I do? From my level, this is how I perceive them. Therefore they should not reveal themselves in this way.

They should only open up in a way that inspires positive progress in me without sharing their inner, private feelings. But speaking about the importance of the group and unity among friends, envy that as much as you like. Nothing bad will come of it.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Envy in Studies” 5/7/10

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Question: Does annulment before a friend mean following any request from a friend in my environment?

Answer: If this environment is clearly moving with you toward the goal and you have agreed on this, you must completely annul yourself before your friends, meaning you must be internally connected with them. It doesn’t matter what external states you go through: ascents, descents, arguments, tensions, all are part of moving forward.

It’s as if you are on a sailboat heading toward the goal with the wind constantly shifting, and you climb the rigging and adjust the sails to keep moving forward. After all, everything happening within you, once you’ve seriously committed to the goal, whether it’s a breeze, a storm, or a hurricane, is intentionally stirred up by the Creator to ensure that, despite all this, you stick together and aim your sails in one direction.

Comment: You always emphasize the internal focus of the environment I am in. But there are situations, for instance, where I approach someone and say, “Let’s try to do a certain project.” They agree without even asking what it is, and it leads to a good result.

My Response: What does that have to do with spiritual advancement? Perhaps it’s related to some joint work in dissemination. Are you primarily aiming to connect souls to achieve adhesion with the Creator? Or are you preparing an action just for dissemination? You need to understand the nature of your actions.

Comment: But in any case, for now, we inevitably feel physical interactions.

My Response: Of course! Therefore, you must interact and do everything possible. But annulment before a friend primarily means that I fully move together with them, knowing that I cannot reach the goal without them, and they cannot without me.

Question: Can we still advance in this way, even without direct communication with someone?

Answer: Yes, of course. In this way, we essentially include one another in our common world group.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Internal Compound” 6/4/10

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