Question: The upcoming Saturday is traditionally called Great Saturday (Shabbat HaGadol) as it leads into the holiday of liberation, Passover. What makes the spiritual work that is carried out on this Saturday special?

Answer: This Saturday is called “great” because additional Light is present in it. In spiritual work, this Great Saturday doesn’t come to a person according to a calendar on a wall, but can happen any time of the year.

Nevertheless, there is a connection between the material branch and its spiritual root, and the upcoming Saturday is in some ways unique. Additional Light acts during Great Saturday, and it is capable of awakening a person to exit the exile to which the holiday of Passover is dedicated. This entire time is special and extremely favorable for inner work.

This influence appears on the still level, but we nevertheless respond to that kind of influence too. It is felt in all aspects of life. Even nature is waking up; it is springtime!
[74057]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/30/2012, Shamati #190

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If you perform actions directed toward the goal of creation, you advance with the help of two forces: your own desire and the Light. But if you perform actions that aren’t directed toward the goal of creation, you advance only with the help of one force: your desire. Developing naturally, we fulfill our own needs.

All of reality is essentially desire and the Light. Desire exists within the Light and is constantly changing, more and more. This is the way our natural development is carried out: from a point of energy to matter that becomes increasingly complex, until the present form of life. There are basic elements that create the cyclical system, and there exist connections between them that produce complex materials and even living cells that absorb and discharge all kinds of substances. The cells consist of a new, qualitative connection with the environment because at the still level, the absorption and discharge don’t produce the sensation of life or pain.

Thus, if we want to advance forward, we face a special condition: either to advance under the influence of nature’s force, like a machine, or to create a connection with friends in the group and to build a model that is essentially similar to the Light, the upper force, love and bestowal. You overcome the heaviness and the problems, and accordingly you receive help from Above. In principle, you don’t activate anything new, but in your wanting to advance to the goal, you add your efforts, and in response to it, you receive extra Light from the state you long for.

In the end, you use the same system that responds to “the addition” from our side. If you want it, go ahead, and if you don’t, then you don’t. The changes don’t come from the Light, but from you: If you invested efforts, showed more desire, then you discover an addition of deficiency on your side, and then you receive a greater illumination. No one Above makes decisions about allocating you a portion of the Light. The Light is at absolute rest, and everything depends only on your need for it. Take advantage of the conditions given to you—and you will receive it.
[74449]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/4/2012, Writings of Rabash

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All the forces and details of perception come to us from Above, from the Light that acts on us. But it acts according to our efforts, when we nevertheless want to do something, even though we are not able to. From one hand, we are not able to, but on the other, we try anyway.

And this is the true effort: I have no chance, but I want it anyway. Yes, I am an egoist. That is clear to me. And nevertheless, without forgetting this, I perform certain actions as if they were actions of bestowal.

This is a game, but a serious one, and I want to play by its rules. I have been given this opportunity, and I want to take advantage of it. Even though I have plastic toys, what can I do, I work with what I have. Of course, it is not enough for me, but it doesn’t weaken me. I want to at least somehow be similar to the Creator, like a monkey that imitates man.

And then I invite upon myself the Surrounding Light. It is called “Surrounding” since it illuminates from afar on the desires the Light has absolutely no connection with due to their opposition. However, they do try, and then the Light illuminates on them from afar. Thanks to this, they begin to understand and feel a little more, receive more heaviness of the heart, and continue the work until they fill the needed measure of effort.

It is impossible to realize any spiritual act until the upper Light grants us spiritual attributes. And until then, we need to continue to be involved with “simulation” and to be thankful that we received access at least to this. Even if the Creator wants me to do this until the end of my life, although I am neither lazy nor resigned, I agree.
[74452] 
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/4/2012, Writings of Rabash

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Question: How do I begin feeling the upper force?

Answer: We begin to feel the upper force only to the extent we can attune ourselves to it in our unity. A person cannot feel this force alone.

Tuning into this force should be in accordance with it. If I do it on my own, it will be an egoistic tuning. The ego will rule over me. How do I exit this state?

I need more than a desire to exit and rise above myself—this is an individual and egoistic desire present in millions of people in our world. How do I feel this very force, precisely this force? To do that, I must become equivalent to it.

There is a very simple law in nature: You can sense some phenomenon only to the extent you consist of it. That is, if I feel, hear, see, taste, or smell something, it is because I possess certain qualities that are also present in what I feel. There must be a  law of equivalence of form. I have to build in myself a device that will detect waves existing on the outside.

Let’s assume that we have a radio set. What do I do when I turn its handles? I tune it in; I generate a certain wave in it. If there is a similar wave on the outside, the antenna will detect it according to the principle of resonance, equivalence, and I will hear some sounds; my ear will detect them.

It means I have to build within myself a receiver that will contain qualities similar to those of this force. If I simply desire to come out of myself and sense it, I will achieve nothing. That is the reason we gather in a group where I do not only desire to rise above myself, but rather want to rise above myself in the quality of bestowal, in the quality of love, which is the quality of this force.

There are millions of those wanting to exit and rise above themselves. However, it takes time for them to hear that besides rising above themselves, they can achieve it by building the quality of bestowal within.… It is only possible in the group, between us, when you begin to unite with others according to the principle of “love thy neighbor.” Then you begin to become equivalent to this force and are able to sense it.
[73907] 
From the Vilnius Convention 3/24/12, Lesson 3 

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From a lesson of Rabash: We study that we should be in equivalence of form. What is equivalence of form? Just like the Creator bestows, so do we have to bestow. This is equivalence of form. When we have to bestow, we have no self-love, we cry. It hurts that we must do so. The Creator bestows, and the question is does He have pleasure in it or isn’t there pleasure for the one who bestows? So there is no equivalence of form! So there must be pleasure when we bestow, otherwise there is no equivalence of form. You can bestow without pain; bestow, I don’t need your pain, just bestow.

Enjoy the bestowal, who gives it to you? He should work, the body doesn’t want to! It isn’t that I need to suffer, there is no choice; the body doesn’t want to work. Why should I suffer; I don’t want to suffer. I need the exertion! And this isn’t a condition! A person who doesn’t feel the exertion, it is a sign that his intention is in order to receive, not in order to bestow. The body doesn’t agree to bestow.

You should never yearn for bad things. If it’s necessary to feel different changes, they will come by themselves. A person shouldn’t think about a descent, but always yearn for an ascent, both in his feelings and his thoughts: for goodness, adhesion, connection, and wholeness. But at the same time, a person should assess himself critically, understanding that if there is nothing inside him that objects to bestowal, it’s a sign that there is an egoistic matter here. If a person manages to advance happily and without exertion, it’s a clear sign that he does it egoistically, in order to receive. Only when he receives above the power of bestowal, will he be able to bestow and at the same time be happy.
[74131]
From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/1/12

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It is very hard to explain what spirituality is because it is a matter of feeling. If a person shares such feelings, he will understand what is being described. But if he is not on the same level and doesn’t feel what the author speaks about, he won’t understand anything at all.

All our work takes place in “Egypt,” in exile, when we don’t yet feel the Creator, the upper force that can help us rise above our desire to receive. This is a time of choice and it is the best time because this is when we learn how to work against our desire.

I have to constantly imagine that I am already in bestowal, in the spiritual world, in sanctity, and I do not create any partition, barrier, in the way of the upper Light that fills all of reality. I annul my personality, my egoistic “self,” and although I feel different states that go through me and summon different reactions in my ego, I have to try being only in pure bestowal.

It is as if I am already in the spiritual world, I’m immersed in a sea of Light by being totally equivalent to it. This is because everything that actually separates me from the Light is my desire to receive, my ego, which resembles a box that doesn’t let the light through. I put obstacles for myself, I’m the only one who stands out with his ego in the Light. Except for me everything is corrected and ready.

Only I see that this reality is distorted, that I’m corrupt, and that the Creator is evil and treats me badly. In addition, it seems to me that there is another authority besides the Creator.

All our work is to imagine our state correctly, the way it actually is, and not what is depicted in our ego. There is nothing except the Creator, but my ego tells me that there are many different forces that make decisions and there is also me.

It seems to me that I feel and decide something myself, but even this isn’t true. The Creator is the one who sends me all these feelings so that based on the impressions I receive from Him every instant, I will be able to do the work and to annul myself, my thoughts that I seemingly think and feel independently, that I receive something from the environment, the group, and the whole external world. Instead, I have to imagine that I am totally under the control of the upper Light that fills all of reality.
[74221]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/2/2012, Shamati #59

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Question: The holiday of Passover is coming soon. What should we focus on now? How can we use this time for unity?

Answer: Passover is a very special time when I discover that I am in exile. This is the beginning of the Egyptian slavery. Unless I feel that I am in exile, I am still not in Egypt, I am not Pharaoh’s slave yet. To put it differently, if don’t strive for unity, I haven’t started the process yet. But when I am drawn to unity and I feel that I cannot unite because my ego stops me and blocks the way, the ego is revealed to me as Pharaoh. It controls me and doesn’t let me reach unity and discover the Creator.

The exile is not feeling the Creator. I feel that I miss Him, then I continue to head towards unity, and the ego, Pharaoh, appears as tougher and tougher. Eventually I don’t know what to do, I see no way out, and then the point called “Moses” is revealed in me. It begins to draw me out, to the unknown, while I am confused and don’t know in what way this point is different from Pharaoh. Thus Moses grows in Pharaoh’s palace, in the ego, either separating himself from Pharaoh or merging with him in my eyes. He aspires straight to the Creator, but is nourished on self-love.

And so I advance: I want to build a vessel, but instead I build “poor cities,” Pithom and Ramses. Every time I want to get close to others, to unite, new problems come up: disputes and separation, detachment and indifference. The ego holds power and doesn’t let me free, doesn’t let me do anything. No matter how hard I try to draw the connection, it doesn’t exist. My efforts are for the good of “Pharaoh” and they harm “Israel.”

And so I arrive to the ten plagues of Egypt, I suffer because my egoistic desire doesn’t let me unite with the friends. In answer to all my attempts, it summons great suffering in me and pulls in different directions. It gives my “beast” everything it wants, but blocks the way to unity because otherwise I will escape from Egypt.

Then Moses goes to Pharaoh demanding: “Let my people go.” We try to unite even more and want to escape Pharaoh’s control. This is already a true revelation. So what can we do? After all, the Creator constantly hardens my heart.

Thus I go through the ten plagues, until I manage to totally break loose from my ego. In the dark I escape to unity, to the mountain of hatred (Sina) that is revealed to me and to mutual guarantee as the essential means against the ego. I don’t suppress hatred, I don’t annul it, but rather build mutual guarantee around it. After all, this hate is a priceless acquisition: Thanks to mutual guarantee, I will be able to turn this mountain of hatred to the summit of Holiness, the mountain of the Lord.

Today it isn’t only about us. The whole world is starting this process by discovering that the destructive ego that controls it threatens to erase all of humanity from the face of the earth.
[74225]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/2/2012, “Introduction to TES”

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Question: How should we prepare for the convention in Brazil in the best possible way?

Answer: First, I would like to say that in the beginning I will be having short meetings with the groups in Columbia and Chile. But this doesn’t replace the convention in any way. Therefore, I am inviting all our friends from South America and, in general, from the whole world to this convention. I strongly recommend that you come to Brazil. I think that we will have a wonderful “carnival” there.

It is very important to attend a convention at least once. I don’t know when I will visit South America again, and so let’s meet. It isn’t just any meeting, but another kind of contact, not like via the Internet. If it doesn’t work out, we will meet in Columbia and in Chile, but if you can, come to Brazil.

This convention will be multi-lingual. Perhaps it will be easier for those living in Australia or in the Far East to come to Brazil than to our other conventions, and it is worth it. It is a problem if a person has never attended a convention “physically.” After all, in our world we exist in a body and need this kind of interaction. We can’t form a virtual connection that leaves such a strong impression yet.

It isn’t by chance that business people fly to meetings all over the world, although they could call each other or use Skype. We may wonder why would a person waste so much time flying. It would be better if he sat in an office; he could get much more work done. But people still need direct communication, even if it lacks any feeling and warmth. Dry, cunning, and far from being honest, these contacts still require personal face-to-face meetings.

So trust me that for us it is very important. By creating such contact we will be able to carry it through, and without it, it is very hard to advance.

The collective preparation is just as important. This is a collective convention, and so we should feel it. Disregard will cause great harm to all of us. We mustn’t sit and wait for someone else to organize things. If this happens you will not benefit from the convention in any way. Without preparation it is even worthless to connect via the Internet because it would be stealing, actual stealing. You have to make efforts and you will benefit accordingly. If no one thinks about it, no one worries about it, no one cares, the convention will only bring harm.

Everyone has to take an active part, at least in some way according to one’s abilities. One should be concerned at least in the heart: “What did I do for it?” Without participating, you will have no vessel. So what will you be able receive? In what will you receive it? Clearly, it is only by our joint work that we are creating this vessel.
[74230]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/2/2012, “Introduction to TES”

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An embryo annuls itself and that’s its only job. It gratefully accepts everything that happens to it and always perceives the upper one as good and benevolent.

My work is only to annul myself no matter what happens, whatever changes take place from one end of the world to the other. I keep myself in a state of bestowal, Hafetz Hesed, no matter what. This means that I exist in the upper one, annul my personality, my independence, and I don’t disturb the upper one as He influences me—let Him do with me whatever He wants. I’m like a baby in the arms of his mother, who doesn’t think about anything.

If you were carried in someone’s arms, how would you feel? Imagine that ten people are holding you now and lifting you up in the air. Although they will undoubtedly be strong enough to hold you, you will tremble and feel afraid to find yourself in the arms of others. You will be afraid that you might fall and will doubt whether they have enough strength to hold you.

A baby has no such doubts. Have you seen how peacefully a baby sleeps in his mother’s arms? This is the attribute of self-annulment in relation to the upper one. A baby does it naturally. But thanks to these forces an embryo grows in its mother’s womb. This means that being in the AHP of the upper one, it annuls itself no matter what happens: for better or worse, no matter what state it is in. An embryo only increases its loyalty and annulment.

This is called the the root level of the desire (Aviut Shoresh), and this work isn’t simple at all; it’s actually very hard. By that you sculpt your first form. No matter which Light comes, you only annul yourself, no matter what you feel: pain or pleasure, shortage or abundance. Thus you form yourself and become similar to the Creator in your first form called “an embryo.”

An embryo is in its mother’s waters and shapes itself into the spiritual Partzuf: the 10 Sefirot that are filled by the Light of Nefesh. When it ends its self-annulment and there is nothing else it can do on that level, on the root level of desire, it has to move forward, and this is called birth.

The difference between these states is immense since by being born, a spiritual embryo begins to work with the vessels of reception. He feels that he is detached from the upper one. The birth is the most significant change of all the changes on our way.

An embryo is each of us who annuls himself before the others, who become a mother’s womb for him. Our collective embryo is the field that connects us, which we want to create between us. If we all connect, the mother’s womb becomes the general revelation of the upper force where we all exist.
[74085]
From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/29/2012, TES

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Question: How can it be that we shouldn’t ask to revoke the concealment, but at the same time, only the revelation can correct and connect us?

Answer: The question is what revelation am I asking for? I need to ask for the revelation of the attribute of bestowal, which I want to acquire. The Creator lets me feel that He exists but is as if hiding behind a curtain. All this is so that I will reveal Him. I can reveal Him only by developing the attribute of bestowal within me.

But what would I ask for now, in my egoistic desire? I ask that He becomes revealed in order to fill me, and this is why I am in concealment. The concealment protects my ego like a circuit breaker in a short circuit.

The concealment puts me at a certain distance, keeps me at a certain range, and lets me understand that if I correct myself, I will be able to get closer. And if not, I will stay at a distance.

Now the question is what I will ask for when being at such a distance: Do I ask that the Creator reveals Himself and fills me for my own personal pleasure, as if I want to enjoy myself, or do I first want to acquire the desire to bestow and in it, receive the filling, that is, do I want to be filled by the actions of bestowal and not by the actions of reception?

The concealment is meant to allow me to decide what I want.
[74088]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/30/2012, “Preface to The Book of Zohar”

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