Question: What is the small effort that needs to be applied by each person in order to open his heart and finally reveal the opening into the spiritual world?

Answer: First and foremost I must include everyone in my heart. You can think it over or keep it in your sensations. It all depends on how you work in the heart and in the mind. You might not want to remain in your sensations; it depends on the person. For me, it helps to add reason because it strengthens my sensation. I absorb everything into my heart and remember that the entire universe is contained within a person, and that he embodies the entire world. I include all my friends in my heart because for the time being I’m unable to include the entire world. If I posses an aspiration toward my fellow friends, then undoubtedly they posses an aspiration toward me as well. We don’t even need to talk about it. I really begin to feel that they exist within me, like a mother that feels her children within.

Thereby I obtain a more accurate perception of reality, which exists within me. Baal HaSulam writes that the picture of the world occurs in the back of our brain and the sensation of the world occurs in our heart. There is no world outside of my sensation.

My heart is Malchut of the world of Infinity, but if I include everyone within me, then I become Adam ha Rishon (the First Man) and the picture of the Creator becomes revealed within me. My material will obtain the form of Adam and when the Creator’s form becomes enrobed in it, it’s called adhesion of the Creator with the creation, or unification of Zeir Anpin with Malchut.

I receive confirmation from every end that all I need to do is absorb all of reality within. I begin this by working with friends because we can influence and help one another. The first opening of the heart depends upon my understanding of the fact that I don’t have another option. I’ve raised my hands in despair, seeing that I haven’t achieved anything. I’ve become certain that there’s no other way to reach the source of life and to attain its purpose. Therefore, I’m ready to open up.

Although it may be that you might decide that you haven’t explored all your options. This is because a person’s egoism always tries to convince him that he can still try to obtain success on his own through different means. Only as a result of becoming totally disappointed one agrees to unite with friends. This is the last thing left for me to do. If I become disappointed with all of my pursuits, if all of my attempts to succeed end in failure, only then as a result of my hopelessness, despair, and extreme pressure do I agree to unite.

This is similar to an infant that would be glad to remain inside the mother, he doesn’t want to leave, but the pressure is pushing him out of her! Do you think that the sons of Israel wanted to exit Egypt? While they were in the desert they already regretted leaving Egypt where they had everything. No one wants to be born into the spiritual world because we’re all egoists. It’s a very difficult transition and that’s why it’s so narrow (Tzar) and it’s called the birthing pains (Tzirim).

It’s said that a pregnant doe goes high into the mountains and until a snake comes along and bites her, the doe will not be able to give birth. The snake represents the worst egoism, and until it becomes revealed in a person, he isn’t ready to be born.
[71428]
From the Arava Arvut Convention Lesson #3, 2/24/12

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The prayer of the many means the praying for others. You will come out of the dark, only if you worry about others. This is our only work. But see what we have to go through in this world throughout history in our evolution by different blows and preparations, until we attain this. And what is all this for, meaning science, technology, all these crises, the economic problems, everything? From the negativity of everything around us we’ll reach the understanding that there is no other choice but to connect.

We cannot reach connection directly. Only when a person examines his dealings and sees that they’re futile is he ready to exert himself in the spiritual work. Even then he is not ready, but he comes to the group and is empowered there. He is empowered positively and negatively and then he is ready for connection.

Of course, it is done by blows. The plagues of Egypt are all for connection. We experience disappointments as a group and individually, and this is in order for us to realize our own helplessness and to understand that there is no other way to advance but by connection. Only then will we be ready to exit Egypt. Through all the sufferings, all the plagues of Egypt we read about, all the hard work, and when they wanted to build beautiful cities, through hard, thankless labor, they suddenly discover that they don’t get anything from all that. All the years of hunger they experience, all the plagues are on their ego which doesn’t let them connect.

How many plagues do they have to experience until they understand that there’s no choice but to escape—into the darkness, no matter where or how—only to escape? But this work can be done easily. We are on a different level of development than the level of which the Torah speaks. We don’t have to experience all this physically. They have been through all that already. Every spiritual action must have a copy in corporeality, and this action already took place in history, so now it can take place only in spirituality.

So our path is really much shorter. There is only the spiritual effort left without suffering in material bondage, wandering in the desert, and without going through all those phases. It remains only to make spiritual effort and to connect!
[71435]
From the Arava Arvut Convention Lesson #3, 2/24/12

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Question: All the people who have gathered here and the whole world Kli are actually depicted inside me. They all want one thing only: that I will reach the Creator. So why don’t I want that?! It turns out that I draw this barrier, but does it really exist?

Answer: The barrier is in my heart; it is a psychological barrier. What kind of a Machsom (barrier) are we talking about? I have to change my vision from looking at myself to looking at the friends. This shift, this inversion, that I have to make is called the Machsom.

But if we make mutual efforts in order to start treating society this way, to see it as more important than myself and let it enter my heart, then this collective thought helps me. This is called “every man shall help his friend,” and this collective thought gives everyone the power to carry it out. It is as the Rabash says that in every one of us there is a very small spiritual power, this inversion has a very small power, but together, when everyone gets the power from everyone, we will be able to do it.

We will make collective efforts, everyone on his own and all of us together, in the world Kli, in all its parts, in all its kinds, all of us together. That’s how it’s done. And for sure, for sure we will succeed. Nothing will prevent us. It is our only free action. The Creator is expecting this from us; the world is expecting this from us, although it doesn’t realize that yet.

There is nothing here but the fact that everyone should incorporate himself in others or let everyone enter his heart. If we all think about that, you will see what the results will be. We have come to transcend the Machsom, so let’s make an effort. This is what we are doing here and now.
[71424]
From the Arava Arvut Convention Lesson #3, 2/24/12

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In reality, spiritual work is very short and easy if we rise above egoistic intention and want to check to what extent we exist inside of it. We need only to look from the outside because it’s impossible to explore and experience this while you are inside your ego, as it rules over you and bribes you, depriving you of the ability to study critically.

In order to be an objective researcher and impartial judge, you have to be completely independent of what you examine. And this is a very high degree. But you need to try and begin from small things, to evaluate yourself as critically as possible. This is called the realization of evil. You must constantly check what your intention is to any action, look, or movement. At this point, you can immediately proceed to request to change your nature because our nature is egoistic, but there is another form nature: bestowal.

We see in our history how many billions of years were required to develop the still level of nature, hundreds of thousand years each to develop the vegetative and animate levels. Then we see how fast human evolution was as the last stage of development of the animate level that goes beyond the normal animal. It took only 20-30 thousand years. But each degree has its set stages, called the Sefirot, and we see how much the 20th century has added to our final development in comparison with all the previous millennia.

The same will happen in our spiritual development, only much faster. Everything that unfolded in history for thousands, millions, and billions of years can happen to us in a few hours. There is no time in spirituality! These changes can be instant. And especially because we live in such a time when all of humanity (that is, the whole universe) begins to approach the realization of evil of its egoistic intention, its ego, it’s not a miracle that it will be revealed completely. Many people in the world already need this and more or less understand, but just don’t see the opportunity to do something. They all say nice words, but don’t go beyond them.

This means that our changes can be very fast, and everything depends on us. And that is why “we have gathered here to ascend to the degree of man,” who is the master of his intention whether it will be for its own sake or for the sake of bestowal. We just need to catch this intention “by its tail” and constantly analyze in what intention we are, doing only this all the time. No matter what actions we perform, the most important thing is intention.

The world that operates on the basis of action is called this world because there is only one intention. And the world that operates on the basis of intention is called the upper world. If a person reveals that his intention is egoistic, this is already called the spiritual or upper world, however only from the “left side,” from the side of the impure force, shell (Klipa). But this is already a spiritual level, so we should be interested even in discovering evil and rejoice that we have revealed it.

The main thing is that I approach studying in terms of intention. And whether it’s good or bad, for its own sake or for the sake of bestowal is not important; my task is to get deeper into it and live only in it. Thus, I move into a totally different dimension of my life, meaning I discover the relation to it only according to intention. And I worry about nothing else. If we fully concentrate on this, we will find a tiny, narrow opening into the spiritual world! It’s only in this.

The difficulty is to catch one’s intention each time and to stay in it constantly. Then, we begin to evolve at the speed of light! It will hardly take any time at all; this is already labor pains through which we are born into the world of intentions.
[71249]
From the Arava Arvut Convention 2/23/12 Lesson #1 

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Question: It was said that it is impossible to attain the revelation of the Creator without joy. But I do not understand how can you feel joy when working against your desire, against egoism?

Answer: Maybe some feel joyful when dancing in a club. But here we are joyful about working for the spiritual goal. It is written: “Our heart will rejoice at Them.”

Maybe you would like to be joyful, but you do not feel this joy in your heart. There is one advice for this: Try to be joyful! You will see how this will affect the others who will look at you and then they will also start dancing and singing. And you will also feel joy by looking at them.

It does not matter if at first your joy is simulated. If you do not play and remain “sincere,” according to your egoism, you will remain as the rest of the world. The entire world behaves absolutely sincerely:They act as their egoism commands them to act.

But you want to come out of your egoism, and this can only be done by playing. We play as if we really want bestowal, as if we need the group, as if we need the Creator. All this we do “as if,” because what do I really need: to consume the world!

Play is a very serious thing. You see how seriously little children play, and their play helps them grow. No matter what you study, your understanding comes through the exercises. Exercise is also play; you are being instructed to do certain actions, which have no other purpose but to make you learn.

Spiritual work is also play. It is like in the case of a child who was given building blocks to build something. Does anyone really need whatever he will build? But he thinks that he is really building, that he is doing something important. And this is really important because this makes him grow.

And we must do the same now; we must play with the higher degree like children. As if we were already connected and happy, revealing the Creator. We need to play with it! And you will really achieve it by playing because you attract the Reforming Light by playing.

You have no connection with the upper Light, but you awaken it from afar by playing. When a child plays, he also awakens the same Reforming Light, only he plays corporeal games, and this is why the Light influences him on the same level. The same principle applies here.

This is very serious. You think I am just lecturing you, but this is the foundation of creation. We experiment with this world and learn that this is the way things work. Kabbalists do not give us any strange, illogical advice: We only need to make a little effort to try to understand it.

These are unchanging laws, like the laws of physics. And spiritual laws are even more strict and precise that the laws of our world, the laws of physics and chemistry. The conditions for awakening the force that will change and grow you are being explained to you. This refers to the actions which you do to awaken the forces of nature. And you have nothing to object here: The only thing left for you to do is to approach it as seriously as you can and play.
[71338]
From the Arava Arvut Convention 2/23/12 Lesson #2

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When a person approaches the revelation of the Creator, he feels that he is standing at Mount Sinai. On one hand there is all of his evil desire, but on the other hand, he understands that in order to attain the goal and reveal the Creator, he needs to prepare his desire to receive the quality of bestowal, which is copied from Him. After all, “man” (Adam) means: “similar” (Domeh) to the Creator.

And so, together we prepare our desire to receive for different forms of bestowal so it could accept the imprint. This is the state of the giving of the Torah, about which it is written: “You all appear today…” Not one, but all: Because it is in our common unity that we will reveal the upper force.

Essentially a very simple thing is required to prepare the material of desire. It is true that this action no longer pertains to our world, and this is why it is difficult for us. It is called: mutual inclusion. We all must become mutually included in one another, connect to one another through our desires, and nothing else. Then, just like before the breaking, we will reach the “place,” where the upper Light can enter, and make its imprint.

And for this reason, it does not matter what we do if we just keep the direction to unite, to reveal the Creator; as it is written: “Israel, the Torah, and the Creator are one.” “Israel” is man. “Torah” is the power of the Light that unites us to the point of loving our neighbor like ourselves. And the “Creator” is the Root, which gives us His imprint when we unite.

This way I stand on one side of the group, and the Creator stands on the other. And if He and I are able to meet in the group, then there the revelation takes place.

This is the way we advance. Essentially, all our work is preparing for it. This will happen to us if we all stand together.
[71356]
From the Arava Arvut Convention 2/23/12 Lesson #2

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Question: My daughter is several months old, and in order to teach her to turn over, I place her on her belly and give her time to try to turn onto her back. But if she cannot manage to do it and keeps crying I turn her over on my own. Why doesn’t the Creator help us turn over when He sees how much we try and that we are failing?

Answer: The Creator is wiser than you. You or some smart doctor decides that a child needs to turn over at a certain age. And then everyone repents their mistakes and decides on something completely opposite: they themselves must turn over….

The problem is that we do not believe that there is something watching us with a lot of dedication from above. The upper Light is right across from the vessel, beginning with the actual world of Infinity. In Infinity, the Light and the vessel merge into one. But when the Light fills the vessel this way there is no creature, because nothing separates it from the Light.

This is the way the still, vegetative, and animate nature exists, the desire to enjoy, which automatically carries out the orders of the Light, which fulfills it, without question, like a car that obeys the driver without questioning him.

But to create a person, something independent needs to be built. And how can he be independent when “There is none else beside the Creator?” And this is why the Creator must disappear and leave an empty space. It is empty because there the creature does not reveal the Creator.

Everything remains as it was; we are in the World of Infinity. But we have lost the feeling of this state: The Light has left our desire and left it empty. And now this desire must take the form of the Light. And the Light will keep returning and entering the desire as the desire works on taking the form of the Light.

And then the creature will take the exact form as the Light. At the same time it will remain opposite to the Light in its matter, but it will become like it in its qualities. And this desire will be called creature, man: This will be us.

This entire circle, beginning with the world of Infinity until our world and back to the world of Infinity is only needed in order to reveal the Creator to the desire, which will be called man. We are in this process only to reveal the Creator in relation to us.
[71344]
From the Arava Arvut Convention 2/23/12 Lesson #2

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Question: You are saying that we lack joy. How can we reveal it together with the broken heart, which we need to build the spiritual vessel?

Answer: Joy is revealed from the perception of the importance of the goal, the comprehension of the connection with the upper One. Even if I have not yet received what I desire, I am advancing towards it, I am in this process, I am working on the realization of the goal that is important to me. All of this must evoke joy in me.

Moreover, a person is the product of his environment, and when he does not feel joy, it means that the environment is not influencing him the right way. You need to take care of it.

It comes to me as a shock every time, is it really that difficult to be joyful? After all, we are given all the conditions for revealing the Creator. And we keep being unhappy about something, but what else do we have to demand? We do not realize that revelation can happen any moment.

Only our readiness is lacking. And joy is one of its conditions. It demonstrates our value of the importance of spirituality, and this is lacking. We think that we are more important than the Creator—and this is why He is not revealing Himself.

Stop setting your own conditions and demanding things, and you will see that revelation will happen immediately. But when you have certain demands of your own, how can you then be in the state of bestowal?

You are saying that you want to reveal the Creator? But He bestows, and you wish to reveal His bestowal, which means that you yourself wish to bestow. Then what is there for you to demand? One completely does not correspond to the other.
[71341]
From the Arava Arvut Convention 2/23/12 Lesson #2

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Question: What does a person have to clarify in order to reach a deficiency?

Answer: A person shouldn’t think about a deficiency. A deficiency should be revealed by the clarification and not that the clarification is revealed by the deficiency. First, I clarify what the greatness of the Creator is. This is what I am attracted to. I follow the right line all the time, I don’t torture myself, I don’t criticize for no reason, I don’t look for descents and falls and empty clarifications. If I do look for that, it is as if I do it without the Light and without the Light I cannot clarify anything.

I am always drawn to the right and to the Light, to adhesion, as much as I can express it. By being drawn to it in the study, in dissemination, and in participation in the group, I begin to discover to what extent I am not part of it. It is already the revelation of evil, as the Light reveals the evil and it isn’t me who looks for it and discovers whatever I feel like.

The advancement and the clarification are done by the good, by the Light. Only with the help of the Light can I clarify things. I don’t fight evil by myself! I am not a hero like different warriors in this world. My overcoming is in turning to the Creator instead of fighting evil directly, so that He will fight my evil and clarify it. The Creator will fight for us and we only have to raise our hands to Him. This how the Creator’s war with Amalek takes place, and in general the whole struggle with the ego.

The Creator says: “Come to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart!” the Creator always goes to war Himself, “the Lord is a man of war,” and not a person. A person should be the opposite, and constantly clarify the right point to approach in order to stand between the good and the evil and to direct them correctly in this war, and not that he himself fights.

It is a very big mistake students make, and it is hard to convince them that being a hero is not in overcoming evil by themselves but in bringing the Light to fight and overcome evil. A lot of experience is needed here.
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/29/12, Writings of Rabash

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In order for us to become similar to the upper Light, we have our well known way: We need to study with the intent for the Light to influence us and to create that desire, that inner aspiration, that inner tendency within us. Nothing else is necessary.

It seems very simple. Indeed, everything is already before us. Even according to corporeal criteria, it’s obvious that if someone loves something or someone, aspires to something or someone, he wants to give. It fills him like a mother’s love for her child. Look at how happy she is holding a small creature in her arms. That captures her all. She needs nothing: Her love for him is enough to fill her.

If we have such examples in our world, why is it so difficult for us to maintain that condition regarding the spiritual world? It’s because the condition of bestowal and love is spiritual, it needs to be directed from myself outward and not toward myself, not for myself. That is the problem.

Thus, in order to form within ourselves the forward movement, from ourselves outward, we need special exercises, unique skills we can acquire only if we try to unite between us. However, the attempts to unite lead us to despair because we try to do it alone. We have tried to do that more than once, with no success, of course.

Eventually, after many independent attempts to unite: “Where is our mutual responsibility, mutual bestowal, mutual consideration? Where is our spiritual vessel?” and so forth, we begin to realize that nothing can help us here, and we give up. Only one hope remains: that the Light from Above will come and correct us.

But the Light doesn’t come since we don’t request It. We actually ask for fulfillment. We can only draw near the Light if we try to unite between us. When we carry out acts of unity (which we must do as equals since love and mutual bestowal can only be among equals) then in our unity, within our circle, we’ll feel that we lack help from Above. It really is what we lack.

Currently, we simply recall that there is something else that could help us. I can tell that during the lessons my students suddenly begin to remember: “Oh, yes! We also need the Creator! We can’t do anything on our own. We need to bestow and not to receive, not to wait until something approaches us, but rather to aspire to bestowal and invest certain efforts in that.…” So, the correct attempts to attain bestowal can only be within the group.

The group may be virtual or physical, it doesn’t matter, but everything has to be founded on the connection between the friends. We shouldn’t miss this point. Now, all our private movements are directed into ourselves. It seems to us that they are moving from us to others, but all that isn’t true and is completely unrealistic since it is realized egoistically.

Only when I, together with the friends, begin to aspire toward mutual consideration, our common center, common goal, and try to arrange for us all to hold a single desire, a single aspiration, a single prayer, then within us, we’ll reveal that the upper force, the Creator “is sitting” there. When we look at Him, we should act as if we have a unified demand toward Him, and all of us together, as one, focus on Him with a serious demand.

The Creator is waiting, He wants that demand. It is specifically what obligates Him to give us help in the form of a unique force of bestowal and love, meaning to dwell within us. He doesn’t give anything or remain anywhere. He fills everything, hence He simply needs to be revealed within us. That revelation of His within us is what’s called revealing the upper Light: the force of bestowal, love, upper degree.

We all need to demand it together, to constantly demand and demand, but together, regarding our center, meaning our united desire within which we’ll reveal the Creator’s necessity. And then we’ll see that everything we did previously was only to attain the state in which we’re all united together in a demand to reveal the Creator within us, that only the revelation of the attribute of love and bestowal will save us.
[69629]
From the Lecture on Unity Day “To Acquire a Desire to Give” 1/29/2012

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