Question: How can I check myself in order to be sure that I am moving in accordance with the instructions of the original sources, and not submitting to my own egoism?

Answer: For this purpose, there is the month of Elul, the last month of the year. The world was created five days before the creation of man, and the day on which man was created is called the first day of the new year. Those previous five days represent the five levels before the level of human, the five phases. And you need to check your world, meaning your environment.

After all, you live and perceive yourself relative to your environment, you check yourself in relation to it. You live together, you and your environment. So, before you are are “born” as human, check the environment that will be surrounding you. Accordingly, you will be able to see what kind of person you will be.

What environment do you choose? In other words, what do you want from your life, the entire world, the group, and the books, and what do you hear from your teacher? Check how you relate to all of this and what you want to achieve.

This is not easy. A person is faced with a very difficult calculation here. The opinion of the outer society exerts a great influence on us, forcing us to keep asking: “Where am I, and where is everyone else? There are millions, billions of them, while I am only one person.” It is not easy to remain on the path if this is a personal path, and not a commonly accepted path among the masses.

You need to keep clear of confusion here. According to which criteria do you check this path? It is not evaluated according to the standards of regular people. And you don’t need to believe anyone, everything can be checked and analyzed. So perform this analysis and build your own relationship toward the environment, the teacher, the books, and the Creator. This is what is called the “repentance” of the month of Elul.

These are very delicate clarifications, and they become ever more delicate over time. It is as if they are hung up in emptiness, not supported by solid ground, but by faith above reason. This is because having checked everything in your ego, you need to separate completely from it and build your spiritual relationship above it.

Without egoism, without checking inside of it, you cannot check yourself. That is why you have to be grateful for all of the egoistic thoughts and desires such as jealousy, hate, lust, ambition, and arrogance relative to the world, enemies and friends, criticism of friends, the teacher, and the Creator. Everything can be checked, and based on this foundation, your new level can be built, which is called a new beginning.

After you check your entire world and your current condition, you will begin to see, above all of this, the image of the goal toward which you are aiming. After you have admitted to all of the possible transgressions of your egoism (the words of repentance from the prayer of Rosh Hashanah) and checked and understood your true essence, then you can imagine what its opposite means. Otherwise, there is no way.

That is why the Creator created the evil inclination and in addition, the Torah, the means for its correction because the Light that Reforms is contained in it. However, if you do not have the evil inclination, if you have not discovered and seen your egoism, you do not need any correction. If you do not intend to be corrected, the Torah is not for you.

First of all, you need to feel that there is nothing worse than you, that you want to swallow everyone else, prevail above them, you are jealous of everyone, and hate everyone. Do you see yourself as the worst person in the world? Can you justify your bad relationship to someone after you have thoroughly checked it?

If you see that every sinner is truly revealed inside of you, and you have no choice remaining, then you arrive at the repentance prayer of Rosh Hashanah. You exalt the quality of bestowal, love of the other, meaning the Creator, and you want it to start ruling inside of you.

“I created the evil inclination” means the repentance of the month of Elul, the five days before the beginning of the new year, the time period that it took to create man. During these days, the world of man is being created, his terrible world. He is the one who sees it as terrible, instead of seeing the world full of Light and goodness where only the Creator rules, only love and bestowal.

However, thanks to this, one arrives at the beginning of the new year, the new level. He has the Torah, the means for correction, the Light that Reforms. Now, he knows how to use the force contained in nature, how to extract it for the sake of his correction, and with the help of this upper force, to return to the good. For me, the upper force is the higher quality of bestowal, as compared to my egoistic forces.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/26/2011, Writings of Rabash

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Question: What are spiritual efforts?

Answer: 30 years ago I wrote in my very first book that our world rests upon a force field that controls it. The difference between our world and the spiritual world is: to whom do the kingdoms (Malchut) submit? In this world Malchut acts for the sake of egoism, while in the spiritual world it acts for the sake of bestowal.

We have to draw the connections we feel from this world to love for the neighbor, to common mutual bestowal, meaning to a state in which the upper world becomes revealed. And that can only be done in the group and under the proper guidance.

As we come closer to spirituality, we gradually begin to reveal this net of connections and to feel that our entire world is superimposed on this net of forces. A person imagines that he is constantly in this world, which is entirely permeated by a net of forces that controls him. This net is called the upper governance. And a person’s effort lies in how much he desires to become included in this net and awaken in it as an independently acting participant.

Only the forces of bestowal operate there: ZON and Aba ve Ima. Some ascend while others descend. There are also permanent states, as well as special days called the beginning of the month, the beginning of the new year, holidays, and weekdays. These are all parameters of changes occurring in this system.

If we wish to reveal this net through our world, through the connection between us, so it would openly be revealed above us and between us and we would see that we are inside of it and activate it with our desires, that means we make efforts.

At first a person reveals this net individually, as if seeing it in front of him. It’s similar to how in our world, every person thinks that he is the main protagonist while others are just secondary characters that depend on him. He does not think they have a big influence on him, either good or bad.

But the more included I become in this system, the more I feel the world and the more clearly I see how it influences me in either the good direction or the bad, and how I can influence it: where my influence is possible and where it is not. Just like our material capabilities of changing the system are limited, so I am limited in spirituality. I can influence others only by causing them to advance, by bringing more vital force and health to this entire system.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/1/11, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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It so happened that Baal HaSulam conveyed his entire method to his oldest son, Rabash (Rav Baruch Ashlag) by virtue of the son annulling himself before his father. But it wasn’t easy to carry out this self-nullification because the father did not make any concessions to his son.

Otherwise, Rabash would not have been able to make enough efforts, or to express firmness and decisiveness in attaining the goal. Baal HaSulam carried himself very harshly, but his son was nevertheless able to give up everything and annul himself. However, this was not easy, and that was precisely for the reason that he was Baal HaSulam’s son.

That is why Rabash was able to realize the hopes his father put upon him. There were only singular and outstanding examples of this in history: Abraham, Rashbi, and Baal HaSulam.

Today we are celebrating Rabash’s memorial day—the anniversary of his death, and let us hope that we will merit fulfilling the same conditions and cleaving to his teaching. It’s not an accident that our organization calls itself “Bnei Baruch,” which means the sons of Baruch.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/2/11, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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If we wish each other happy New Year and the “inscription in the book of life,” our words contain the upper force. After all, we are connected to each other by mutual preparation, by the correct recording, whereby we described all of our properties on the white background.

The white background we write on is that same mutual guarantee that we can picture as “whiteness” of the group against which I scrutinize my desires, attributes, and see how opposite they are to the group, how unfit they are for unity with it. Nevertheless, I complete this writing and I don’t surrender. I continue, more and more, to scrutinize the contradictions.

We write all of these “records” on our own hearts, each on his or her own. Man’s heart is a total of “613” desires that are uncorrected for the time being; it is the evil, corrupted, and broken heart. It is this heart that we long to correct. And its correction is made by connecting our hearts together.

In the future state, all of our hearts and all of our thoughts will be connected in such a way that the mind and heart will merge into one, and all of us will be as one. From within the hope to reach this state, each one of us writes his letter….

And if we write it that way, we don’t just write a letter. We write the book of Torah on our hearts. This is because essentially, the entire Torah tells us about the revelation of evil in us and the corrections that we then receive from Above, from the upper “whiteness.” This is why we differentiate the black from the white so that we could write with the former on the latter. But we also need to examine the properties of the the white itself, of the Surrounding Light. And for us, learning to “write” is only the preparation for the Surrounding Light to come and illuminate us within.

Thus, the black remains black and the white remains white. They are the foundations of our structure. But we already include both within us and delve deeper within, into the so-called “secrets of the Torah,” the place where both the black and the white merge into a single whole. But it is not possible to express this adhesion in writing.

In written language, we do not indicate Taamim (tastes), Nekudot (vowels, dots accompanying the letters), and Tagin (crowns above the letters), the exact form or writing. This is because a person must attain them by way of inner work and then add them to the letters.

We can thus summarize: We discover our blackness in relation to the group when we picture it being in the final, complete, “white” state. And when we finish this work, we feel that we really have reached a state when the Creator needs to complete it, “to sign” on it.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/25/2011, Writings of Rabash

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According to the Hebrew calendar, a new year is approaching. I think that it will be a special year. For the first time ever, the system of mutual guarantee is becoming revealed, and we have to bring it to the world and let them know that this is the system of interconnection that has to be established between people. This is the only way we can advance toward goodness.

For this reason, it will be a good year. After all, the word of goodness will spread around the world and, along with the escalating crisis, will shake people up and lead them to our materials. People will recognize that there’s only one method that can bring good to people on the corporeal level, and most importantly, an enormous, eternal, and absolute benefit in spirituality.

I’m certain that we’re entering a good state. Everything depends upon the balance between the forces of good and evil, and our advancement is wonderful and correct. All we need is to keep getting stronger.

We have to build a strong Internet system of dissemination in all languages so that it will reach all people with all sorts of mentalities. By doing this, we won’t allow any negative force to be revealed in the world. I have a good feeling about this. This is the happy new year that I wish to everyone!
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From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/28/2011, “The Nation”

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All our work is opposite to the correction since it is namely to discover the lack of our correction, our opposition to the world of Atzilut. The “inscription” in the book of life that we receive at the beginning of the new year symbolizes that we truly yearned for the world of Atzilut, tried to discover our opposition to it, and showed an earnest desire.

If we yearn to be in the world of Atzilut and discover the corruptions in us, it means that we examine ourselves and desire to get back there (“to repent”) during the period of repentance (Selichot).

Renewal means that we examine ourselves and see how opposite we are to a new beginning. If we yearn for it and, having revealed our opposition, still don’t renounce it or give up, but rather continue until we fully discover our egoistic form that is opposite to the first spiritual degree of Atzilut, then it means that we have completed our “inscription” in the book of life.

This inscription is opposite, it is black letters on a white background. But by this we have discerned our exact form and expressed our great desire to connect to and be absorbed in the white Light. This means that we have passed the period of repentance and reached the beginning of the new year. Then we ask the Creator to end our writing and to “seal” it.

Here we cannot do anything but to wish each other to be inscribed and sealed in the book of life. It is only by the connection between us that we can bring about a happy new year and be signed and sealed in the book of life. A person cannot wish that for himself and ask the Creator to do it for him. We can only wish it for one another and bring the Creator to seal the inscription for each of us.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/25/2011, Writings of Rabash

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Question: What does it mean to give up everything for the sake of the spiritual goal?

Answer: To give up everything for the sake of spirituality is to determine that my goal is to reach bestowal so that only this property will reign in me, to such an extent that my “self” will not be felt anymore. Just as you don’t feel the Creator now, you won’t feel yourself. No matter what happens, no matter if people scold you or what they say about you—nothing external will affect you.

Your ego will grow bigger and bigger, but you will constantly rise above it with your power of bestowal. And then you will resemble the Creator to a certain extent.

You see, we can anger Him as much as we want, and it won’t affect Him. How does He manage to do that? Does the upper force have no mind or feelings? No, it is simply the attribute of love and bestowal that is above everything. “Love will cover all sins!” And if we come to it, this means that we are ready for Rosh Hashanah (the New Year)….

These are very difficult situations, and the faster you advance, the more you fall. It is like in sports: The one who reaches the final is the one who is best prepared to reach the goal. The selection becomes more and more uncompromising, and so fewer and fewer reach the finish line. Therefore, it is no wonder that people fall along the way. It is a pity, but this is the nature of things.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/26/2011, Writings of Rabash

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The beginning of the year, “Rosh Hashanah,” is a special day when we are born as “humans.” A human is called “Ben Adam,” meaning the “son” of the level called Adam (similar to the Creator). This level begins with restriction, with the “loyalty of the soul” (Mesirut Nefesh).

Nefesh (soul) is the first and weakest Light that we attain. To do this, we have to place it above our material lives, meaning give up all the possible types of fulfillment for the sake of spiritual adhesion, connection with one another, mutual awakening and guarantee. “I am willing to give up all the material things to attain bestowal”; this is where man begins.

From this point on, he starts rising up the levels, working on perfecting the quality of bestowal inside of him and constantly trying to remain merged with it. To do this, a person builds the appropriate environment for himself, which influences him. This work is called the Creator’s work. It is work on one’s similarity to the Creator and adhesion with him.

This environment includes: the Kabbalistic group, the teacher or instructor, the books, and the study, meaning all of the boundaries that a person is in. Accordingly, one must always check himself: Are you acting correctly and doing enough to arrange your life the right way, and how should you divide your time, the forces of thought and intention in order to effectively discern your desires? This is how we judge ourselves before the beginning of the new year during the period called “repentance.”

One must cleave to the group in order to receive from it the force of real loyalty and, as it is written, “give one’s entire soul” (Mesirat Nefesh), like when blowing into the horn or during Isaac’s sacrifice. It is necessary to achieve this state at every level.

For now we aren’t required to make such a great sacrifice as Abraham, who sacrificed his beloved child. It’s enough for us to blow into the horn (Shofar). This is how our levels are differentiated: the forefathers belong to the level of HBD, and we to NHY. But in essence, this is the same sacrificial offering that every person must make on every new level of the will to enjoy that becomes revealed inside of him.

After that we continuously increase the importance (the beauty, Shufra) of the quality of bestowal by virtue of our willingness to attain total devotion of the soul. Everything begins with the first restriction (Tzimtzum Aleph) and after that, the ascent of our will to enjoy. This is where man begins, and this is the meaning of the New Year, the day when we begin to grow.

Even though it seems like there are many fictional stories devoted to the beginning of the year, we must try to penetrate inside them and there, see the plan of creation to delight the creatures, the desire to be fulfilled, and its work—to once again start with the initial point and, holding on to this fundamental thread, to understand the inner meaning of the text.

After all, there are different languages of narration, and even Kabbalists write in such a way that every person understands what is written to the extent of his own degree. But even when a person perceives these stories as a children’s fairytale, he nevertheless advances and grows, and that means he has to go through these levels.

Although they might seem like fairy-tales, they conceal infinite depth inside, as high as all the spiritual levels, and we must try to attain the deeper, innermost level and from there take examples for our own correction in order to become human and start the New Year this way.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/27/11, Writings of Rabash

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You have to check whether you hate your enemies and opponents, or you understand that they are controlled by the Creator, who is protecting you in this way by not letting your opinions coincide with regular people and the material world and helping you follow just the primary sources. That is how you have to purify yourself, checking everything that is happening to you. Don’t regret or be worried about anything besides the purity of the path, so the goal of your private life and the goal of creation come together in one focus.

It doesn’t matter if you see that until this moment, you were confused by various egoistic calculations. You should always know that everything you have gone through until now amounts to “There is none else besides Him.” However, from this moment on, “No one will help me but myself.” If you are between these two conditions, then you really can say that you have reached the beginning of the new year, a new beginning.

However, the final goal that is present as far back as the initial plan has to be the attainment of love for one’s neighbor. If you have personal problems with someone, then you are no longer moving in the right direction. If you wish to rise above others, to acquire knowledge and fulfillment, or even if you want to bestow, you should also check whether or not this bestowal is egoistic.

That way, your calculations will become purer and purer, until you finally reach the first day of the New Year, when man was created. Everything begins with creating yourself.

This will occur each and every time: There are four new years, each having its own calculation and a new beginning, until a person completes all of his corrections.

The verification is to check to what extent your inner judge is not bribed, how honest and sharp he is, like a brave warrior willing to rise above all of his personal calculations. And this is not easy. This requires one calculation after another, until reaching the entire depth that a person is allowed to delve into.

However, all of this is not intended for you to nag at yourself, but on the contrary, to aspire “to see the Light in the Light of the Creator.” One should try to see everything in the light of love for the neighbor, and check oneself in relation to this standard. And don’t pay attention to all of your collisions with others because this could be the Creator’s way of confusing you by making you see others in this way, or confusing them by setting them against you. It is written, “Don’t judge another person until you are in his shoes.” Maybe the other person is so much higher than you that you simply haven’t matured enough to understand him.

Just be loyal to the Creator at all times, and advance with this.

Therefore, if we have the teaching of the Rabash, his articles that explain how to unite into a group, as well as articles by Baal HaSulam and other Kabbalists, showing us the path and containing the Light that reforms, then the longer we check ourselves according to these primary sources, the more correctly we will advance. And the most important thing is not to be afraid of anything!

We shouldn’t be scared that the path is so difficult, burdened by so many doubts, which our ego awakens in us with its constant calculations. We shouldn’t look at this, but try to attain repentance as fast as possible, which is a spiritual calculation, and raise ourselves to the beginning of the new year, the new level. The goal is reached by one who gives up everything else for it.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/26/11, Writings of Rabash

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Holidays and special days described in Kabbalah are not dates on the regular calendar, but the attainment of one’s own, special, personal states where a person makes a fundamental inner calculation with himself. If a person reaches this calculation, it means he really has a new beginning, called the new year, Rosh Hashanah. And accordingly, he attains the holiday prayer.

Every holiday is a spiritual calculation and a prayer because there is nothing besides the correction of our desires. But the beginning of the new year is special because it comes after many discernments. It comes only once a person has checked himself completely, discerning all of the desires that become revealed to him, because every higher level includes all of the previous ones as a tiny part of it.

However, when a person makes a calculation with all of his actions and thoughts, he sees that he did not attain success, that he does not advance because he wasn’t created for spiritual ascension at all. He is then overcome by burdensome thoughts about spirituality and by doubt and envy toward others. He wants to be above them and thinks, “Why them and not me?”

After many calculations like this, having become completely lost in them, he finally feels that he needs a new beginning. There is no way out because all of these calculations, discernments, criticisms, envy, and hatred do not change for years. And the only thing left for him is prayer, a cry for help because only the upper force can help. This inner cry is called the prayer of Rosh Hashanah, the new beginning.

Before this happens, a person seems himself as completely lost. He sees that the whole world disagrees with what he is doing and he himself also does not understand what is happening to him or what this path is. All of this criticism comes from his egoism.

That is why the prayer talks about reminders, the need to analyze all of one’s desires and actions, and about blowing into the horn (Shofar) because we have to elevate our spiritual path regardless of anything (in Aramaic, Shufra means beauty). That is when one has to turn to the primary sources in order to advance.

There are many opinions and people in the world influencing a person, imbuing him with their thoughts, and pulling him in different directions. Yet one has to place a strict judge above himself and constantly verify himself with the primary sources to the extent one understands what is written there. In spite of one’s ego, one’s desire to rise, profit, and become higher than others, one should strive for the opposite, wishing to acquire only the force of bestowal and to dissolve in the nation within which the Creator dwells.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/26/11, Writings of Rabash

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