In the beginning, the Light created the will to receive. Then it developed and removed it from itself in order to give it independence, an opportunity to govern itself and to be equivalent to the Light. In this process, the Light was primary; it was the cause, whereas the will to receive was secondary, the effect.

Every action occurs through the impact of the Light on the will to receive (the desire). The desire itself is unable to act. Only the presence of the Light in it gives the will to receive the opportunity to ask the Light for a certain kind of effect.

Once the Light has prepared the desire for independent correction, giving it the ability to become similar to itself, the Light is no longer primary with regard to the actions done by the desire. It remains solely a motivating force. It awakens the will to receive to action, creating all the necessary circumstances for its correction so as to enable its attainment of equivalence with the Light.

The process of the Light creating all the necessary conditions for the desire’s attainment of equivalence with itself is called the descent of the Light and the will to receive from above downward. The desire’s gradual maturity to equivalence with the Light is called ascent from below upwards. During the descent from above downward, the Light establishes the degrees of ascension from below upwards, leaving the desire with free will (freedom of choice and action). That free will amounts to forming the aspiration for similarity or closeness with the Light by turning to the Light.

The Light programmed the stages of ascension to lead the desire through the forms it must acquire in its gradual correction. All we must do is to be able to comply with the form of the specific spiritual degree at each stage and ask for the Light of Correction, which will make us similar to the Light.

In order to comprehend the Light’s work on us and its program of our correction and to desire this program’s implementation on us, we gather in the group, study Kabbalah, and inspire each other to give importance to gaining equivalence with the Light and to not resisting it. In this process, I must first annul myself by making a “restriction” (Tzim Tzum), as if I don’t exist. I have to just let the Light come and do the work. This passive participation allows me to “find the path to the Light.”

After that, I need to actively desire the impact of the Light since by doing so I increase the pressure of its flow with the agreement I received from the group. By agreeing to receive a powerful effect of the Light (by saying, “Let it be”), I gain the quality of bestowal, similarity to the Creator. I put in my minimal desire (agreement), but, thanks to the powerful stream of the Light, I receive an enormous property of bestowal (intention to bestow) at the output, and that is my new “self.”

The Light enters my initial “point in the heart” (Netzotz, the spark) and “blows” it up. By agreeing with its actions, I “grow" until I reach the 125^th spiritual degree, the Creator, and acquire the same might.

This is what the holiday of Sukkot symbolizes. In fact, all the holidays in our world are symbols of what happens to us in the spiritual world.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/24/10, “Waste of Barn and Winery”

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Everything seems so stable to us in this world, like a habitual cradle for a little child. However, we need to come out of it and check if it’s really so reliable.

Most importantly, we need to come out of the influence of society. If a person comes out into the so-called “temporary dwelling,” that is, he builds a new environment for himself in order to become independent and see this world from afar, like from space, then he draws even closer to the Light. It’s important to reveal the world “on the other side” (on the other side of egoism) without changing anything in “this life,” to rationally evaluate our world as temporary, and add the permanent one to it by uniting with the Creator.

This world is given to us only so that we could value the Creator’s world as the perfect one. In order to rejoice in this world and in the next one, we need to assimilate the Upper World while being in our current state. This is achieved by altering the importance of reception to bestowal, changing waste into essence, and the permanent into the temporary. We need to switch them around and discover harmony and perfection.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/22/10, Writhings of Baal HaSulam, Letter 17

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Question: What do the “four species” of Sukkot (Arba’at HaMinim) mean?

Answer: The four symbols of the celebration of Sukkot are: 1. Lulav (one closed frond from a date palm tree, Yesod), 2. Hadassim (three boughs with leaves from the myrtle tree, HGT), 3. Aravot (two branches with leaves from the willow tree, NHY), 4. Etrog (a fruit from a citron tree, similar to a lemon or grapefruit, Malchut).

All corrections of the souls that are uniting in Malchut of the World of Atzilut (Shechina) occur under the Light of correction that descends from Zeir Anpin (ZA) into her since he is a higher Partzuf (system) in relation to Malchut.

Zeir Anpin, in order to correct the souls in Malchut, groups in three lines, unifying their Sefirot Hesed-Gevurah-Tifferet, and sends the Light of correction from them into Malchut, the souls. In order to evoke such an act from ZA to Malchut, we, the souls who are willing to be corrected (to unite in Malchut), rouse in her its collective desire for correction. Malchut passes this desire to ZA. This desire evokes in Zeir Anpin a desire to merge with Malchut in spiritual coupling (Zivug) and pour the Light of correction into her.

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We are born with an egoistic desire to receive pleasure, but suddenly some new desire (for spirituality) awakens within it. We can grow this new desire with the help of our environment and books so that it carries us away into its world. And the old desire will diminish, vanish, or, on the contrary, grow, but we will rise above it in the desire to bestow.

In this manner, a battle occurs in us between these two desires: the concern for ourselves (the desire of this world) and the desire for bestowal, which pertains to the Upper World, the Creator. We need to increase the desire for the Upper One, the desire for bestowal, in relation to its opposite desire to enjoy in this world. This constitutes our whole work and the freedom of choice.

The choice consists only of assessing the importance. What do I wish to consider to be more important: the desire that is directed upward, from which I presently have only a small point, or the desire that is directed down, to this world.

The holiday of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) and all the work in connection with it (building of a special construction, Sukkah) actually show us how we can augment this small desire for the Upper One. This desire is called “waste” because we perceive it as completely unnecessary: some bestowal, love of neighbor, friends, unification… No one takes these good words seriously.

The Sukkah, a temporary structure, symbolizes our raising the importance of this “waste” above our “I” and this world, elevating bestowal above reception. Even if you feel perfection constantly, come out into a temporary dwelling and change yourself.
[21683]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/21/10, Shamati #96

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Introductory Lecture: “Sukkot” – 09.21.10

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Before the holiday of the New Year (Rosh Hashanah), during the period of repentance (Selichot), we clarify all of our egoistic desire determined as evil. Then we cut it off from the past year and wish to rise to the next year, to new changes (Rosh Hashanah).

We also realize that we are unable to do anything with ourselves; this state is called the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). We decide that there is one solution: to increase the importance of the quality of bestowal, which is despised by us within our egoism. We decide to raise the importance of spirituality, to not engage in our egoistic desires, and to increase the desire for bestowal. This symbolizes the holiday of Sukkot.

Take the desire for bestowal, which seems unimportant, as "waste" to you today, and elevate it according to your assessment of its importance. Do not engage in your egoistic, receptive desires, but come out into a "temporary dwelling," into the desire to bestow.

You need to come out of your familiar egoistic "home" and build a new structure so that its most important detail, the roof, will be the quality of bestowal. This shows to what extent you can equalize to the Light that is situated above the roof of the Sukkah. It will shine for you to the extent that you will be able to accept it. This is the meaning of the holiday of Sukkot.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/21/10, Shamati #96

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Question: Why does one have to be joyous on Sukkot?

Answer: Joy is a sign of agreeing with the Creator to acquire His properties. I (the soul) obtain the properties of bestowal, the Light of Hassadim (Mercy), under the influence of Ohr Makif (the Surrouding Light) that “comes to me through the roofing of a tabernacle” thanks to the screen which I built from the “threshing-floor and winepress.”

On a threshing-floor, grain (the Light of Hassadim) is procured, and the husk remains. Wine is made in a winepress, and oil cake is left. Yet, from the waste that has no value to my egoism, I build the most precious thing in my life: the screen. That is, I raise the importance of the property of bestowal over reception particularly in these two Lights or forces of nature: Hassadim (Mercy) and Hochma (Wisdom).

I change the intention on the desire of these two Lights (fillings) from receiving to bestowing. I see value in “waste from the threshing-floor and winepress,” rise above my egoism, my evil, and prefer to exist in filling the desires of others instead of mine. I do so to subsequently reveal the Creator.

Joy signifies that I’m in the state of bestowal. It is the outcome of my completely merging with the Creator and justifying all of His actions.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/21/10, Shamati #96

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On the Day of Atonement we read the story of Jonah, the prophet whom the Creator had instructed to travel to Nineveh in order to awaken the people there to do good deeds. However, Jonah decided to run away from the Creator. He boarded a ship and decided to sail far, far away. But the Creator made the sea stormy, and when the sailors on the ship learned that Jonah was the cause of the storm, they threw him into the sea. A whale swallowed Jonah and brought him to shore, to the city of Nineveh.

Jonah went into the city and after he spoke to the people, they turned away from evil and attained love for one another. That is how Jonah carried out the Creator’s decree against his own will.

Jonah, boarding the ship, is a soul descending into a human body because a person in this world is like a ship in a stormy sea. A soul comes into a body in order to reach its correction by connecting with other souls. It is exactly through the egoistic desire to receive pleasure that it can correct itself by using egoism and the inclination to reject others specifically to connect with others and love them. That is how the soul develops from the “point of bestowal” to the Creator’s level and greatness.

This “point of bestowal” gradually connects greater egoistic desires to itself. The desires that are not yet able to be used for the sake of bestowal are left unused (restricted). This happens gradually, 125 times, until the point transfers all the desires to receive pleasure to itself.

The Creator sends the “point of bestowal,” the root of the soul (the prophet Jonah) into this world and into the desires of a person (the ship). The sailors and the captain are angels, meaning the Creator’s agents that surround man.

Jonah needs to awaken his desires for correction, connect with all the souls (the city of Nineveh), and awaken them to correction. He must turn their evil inclination into goodness and love for one another. Otherwise, they will fall into egoism and hatred, which will bring them to death.

In order to do this, we need to attract the help of the Light. This is what we mean by asking or screaming for help. Depending on how "loud" we scream, the Light elevates a part of our desire to receive pleasure and connects it to the action of bestowal.

In this way, we transfer all our desires from our world, from the desires “for our own sake,” to the world to come, the desires “for the sake of others.” By doing this we enter the Creator’s world where we perceive ourselves and the world through the quality of bestowal, experienced as eternal and perfect existence.

The story of the prophet Jonah speaks of how the Creator will force us, either through the good path or the path of suffering, to disseminate Kabbalah around the world, the method of the world’s correction. That is why it is written, "Therefore choose life," which is what the Day of Atonement is about.

[21382]
From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/17/2010, Selected Excerpts for Yom Kippur

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It is written, "We will do and we will hear," which means that we have the opportunity to work on the connection between us as much as we can in the material world, acting "as if" we want to unite. That is why we are in this illusory, false world. It was given to help us, not to punish us!

We are in a group that moves toward the Creator, and we are lying to ourselves, "playing" the game of spirituality the way children play as if they were adults. We pretend to be drawn to one another and to love each other, while everything we do is a pretense. However, even these external efforts attract the Light that Reforms upon us and bring us closer to the Creator.

As a result, we attain the state of "mutual guarantee," where every person guarantees that his friend will have the necessary inspiration and the forces to awaken upon him the Light of Correction (the reception of the Torah – see Baal HaSulam’s article, “Matan Torah”).This does not mean that I am happy because I have been freed of my worries and am in a society that takes care of me. Rather, the mutual guarantee gives us protection from our evil inclination because it allows us to replace care for ourselves with care for society. To the degree I start to worry about others, I stop worrying about myself.

In the meantime, we are under the rule of the "Egyptians," which is how Kabbalah calls our global egoism. To the degree we attain the mutual guarantee, we will be able to come out of "Egyptian" rule and "come out of Egypt." Then we will stop worrying about ourselves and will replace concern for ourselves with concern for society.

When we come out of our small, inner, egoistic world to the outside, we will start to feel a new reality. Desire determines everything since it is the matter of creation. If we aim ourselves at the common desire through the mutual guarantee, then when we go from our personal desire to the common desire, we will reveal a new place, a new universe. That’s how we go from one world to another.
[21476]
From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/17/10, Selected Excerpts on Yom Kippur

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Question: Please tell us, how can we advance by the path and method of Baal HaSulam in order to attain the goal as quickly as possible?

Answer: Overall we have already studied Baal HaSulam’s method and everything he wrote. We just have to actualize it. We have merited to be acquainted with this person, this soul, and his life’s work. We live with his thoughts, inside the "building" he has built. The science of Kabbalah develops because the souls develop. More and more souls are reaching the final stage of correction and are coming closer to realizing themselves.

The final exile is over and we are now the first to go from the final exile to the full redemption, the revelation of the Creator. To do this, we really need support, help, a great Light, and the teaching that Baal HaSulam left to us. We see how much it helps us to use it, and when we follow his method to the letter, we achieve success and awaken the Light that Reforms.

For now the Light influences us in a concealed manner and the results are not very visible on the outside. However, day by day this force grows, becoming more noticeable and perceptible. I really hope that we will soon start to feel what we read and to feel the same forms, qualities, and images inside us.

All of the pictures we read about in The Book of Zohar and Talmud Eser Sefirot will enter us and we will see that it is all a movie! Right now our desires depict the picture of this world for us, and likewise, later on our desires (which will be desires of bestowal) will depict the picture of a second nature, the Upper World. Then we will understand what Baal HaSulam did for us!

He writes that in reality people begin studying the Torah only after they reveal spiritual attainment. When you reveal pictures of the world to come, you have to know what all of this is for! It’s like a baby who needs adults. Then you will feel that Baal HaSulam and Rabash take care of you, like a baby, by explaining this entire world to you.

With their help you start going deeper and deeper into it, understanding it better and making some independent actions. You are more inspired each time, while these great teachers are by your side, always taking care of you and supporting you at every moment through every step of the way.

We have yet to see how great the enterprise that Baal HaSulam created is and to realize how great the preparations he made are. He built the "kindergarten," the "school," and the whole "university" of spiritual life. He prepared all of this for us. If not for him, no Kabbalistic school could help us. Others can only add something to the revelation that we make by the method of Baal HaSulam as we attain the spiritual world.

I really hope that we will reach this revelation and then we will begin to attain how truly great he is and his love for us. After that, we will be able to communicate on another level and understand each other. I really hope to meet you in the world of truth, where we will be able to discuss everything taking place, look at things from a true perspective, and understand each other.

We are doing all of this together with Rabash and Baal HaSulam. They are helping us, and you will feel how they always support us, surrounding us with care. Let’s try to be worthy of them!

From the talk at the meal in honor of Baal HaSulam’s Passing Day 9/18/10

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In order to reach a new degree I need to acquire an additional desire, heaviness of the heart. I can then scrutinized it and make an appeal with a completed prayer by realizing that I cannot remain in this egoism, that what I’m missing is the quality of bestowal. I don’t tell the Creator that I’m feeling bad and ask Him to make things better for me. My prayer can only be this: “It is good that You have given me this evil so that I can understand how to desire bestowal and rise to love of others.”

I don’t ask for the evil to be taken away because it is the only foundation that I can use to build upon, or else I would remain a beast. Instead, I must examine this evil, this sensation of emptiness, so as to recognize it as help against my egoism, compelling me to connect to others.

I give thanks for the “evil” and hope that it stays because otherwise I would fall back into my egoism. But above the evil, I want to build an attitude of bestowal toward everybody else. And therefore, I view the evil as a helper which frees me from my egoistic desires since the feeling of unpleasantness allows me to disconnect from them.

If a person burned himself, then he would no longer want to touch the object that burned him. Similarly, I begin to no longer want these desires and, above them, I build an attitude of bestowal. This requires a new beginning, Rosh Hashanah (A New Year), a state when I no longer desire past fulfillments because I feel them as evil. On the contrary, above it, I now want to build an attitude of bestowal to others. This transformation, the transition from one to the other, is called the Beginning of a New Year.

And then, after verifying that I am unable to do it on my own, I arrive at Yom Kippur, having only the desire but feeling that I lack the strength. That is how I arrive at the prayer, and this is called the Day of Atonement. In this state I don’t judge the Creator, but rather myself because I lack the strength to bestow, and herein lies my sin.

This is what I scream about on Yom Kippur when I atone for all my “sins.” The true meaning of the Day of Atonement is the revelation of the Kli that is ready for correction. It is a turning point on Rosh Hashanah when I decide to reject the old desire, and approach and resolve to strive for bestowal. But in the 10 days from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur I have verified that I am incapable of bestowal. And now for the first time, I turn to the Creator with a genuine appeal and achieve contact with Him.

This appeal reaches Him at last because I do not request fulfillment, only the force of correction. And so I arrive at the gate of prayer.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/15/10, Excerpts on Yom Kippur

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