Rather than existing in this tiny part of reality, when a person wishes to break through to its second part, the eternal and perfect part, then he has several means to do it: teacher, group, and books. The teacher explains that such an opportunity exists. He explains that it can be realized with the help of a group where everyone strives toward the perception of the true, perfect reality, and with the books that speak of the same perfect reality.

When we try to be together, it’s as though every person comes out of himself, out of his ego, because he must feel that he exists in the others. Then, when he tries to be above himself, in the others, connected with them, and he reads about the perception of reality in bestowal, this is the way he makes himself similar to the future state, as if he were already there.

To the extent of his aspiration, he evokes the second force from there that exists in reality, the force of bestowal, besides the small force of reception given to him from nature. Then, the force of bestowal comes and makes the changes in him.

A person can perceive these changes as an additional force of reception that comes to him, instead of the force of bestowal that changes him, and this type of perception is also correct. However, besides that, he attains the same force of bestowal. In this way, man advances, sometimes to the right and sometimes to the left, but driven by the same force of bestowal.

He must attain this force of bestowal together with the force of reception. These two forces begin to be revealed to man as two lines, the right and the left. Then, man advances, sometimes in a state of descent and sometimes in a state of ascent. He does not know yet what descent and ascent are exactly, and so far, he identifies them by his current sensations.

However, as time goes by, he begins to feel that he needs to use these two lines by being between them. In this way, he takes control of them and begins to combine them in the middle line.

Essentially, our entire work consists of studying together, wishing to connect with one another in our hearts, and aspiring toward unity above all the disagreements and differences because all of these things only concern our animate existence, which stays here in this world. We want to connect together in our desires, our points in the heart, above these things.

When we read The Zohar with this intention, the book speaks of our corrected states, about the way we reveal the quality of bestowal in the connection between us which is the same as the Creator, the Light, the spiritual world, the upper world. For this reason, every person must imagine this state when reading The Zohar.
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From the lesson on 8/12/11, The Zohar

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Only when trying to get closer to one’s neighbor and connect with him does a person reveal his 613 uncorrected desires. Only then does he start to open up his broken soul and understand what he has to correct.

When correcting my desires with the intention of “not doing what I hate to the other,” I correct myself to the level of Bina (Hafetz Hesed, delighting in mercy) and am filled with the Light of Hassadim (mercy). This means that I’m completely free from my ego. Then, I gradually turn this ego toward serving my neighbor, called “love thy neighbor as thyself,” by correcting the AHP, the 365 desires.

Both of these stages of correction are only relevant to those desires that are revealed in our connection with each other. If I don’t have a desire to connect with the others, this means that I haven’t yet revealed what I need to correct. Our usual desires toward food, sex, family, money, power, and knowledge don’t need to be corrected. Use them as you please.

If I seek knowledge or power, this is not the desire that is revealed in connection to others. The work begins when I try to advance in this connection by revealing the will to bestow instead of the will to receive. Then, I reveal how much I don’t want it. This lack of desire is called “evil,” and it’s revealed to me as the creation.

It is exactly this desire, felt as a rejection of connection with another person when trying to reveal the quality of bestowal, that is called the evil of egoism. It has to be corrected and transformed into good. This means that I act according to a strict order that is expressed by the phrase, “I created the evil inclination and I created the Torah as a spice” because the Light in the Torah reforms, and I realize this formula step by step.
[51364]
From the lesson on 8/15/11, Selected excerpts on the Day of Love

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Question: What is “practical Kabbalah”?

Answer: “Practical Kabbalah” is when you act in practice and not just inside of yourself. However, inner work is also called practical Kabbalah, when you create an intention, adhesion (Zivug), and reception of Light for the sake of bestowal. It’s when you don’t just read about it in a book, but attain the instrument of bestowal called “a screen” and can use it to perform practical actions.

You have matter which you have to work on. And this work is only possible with the help of a screen. You receive a screen by virtue of the Light that reforms. All of this is called practical Kabbalah. There are no other practical actions besides giving matter the form of bestowal. The will to enjoy has to acquire the intention for the sake of bestowal. This is the only action operating in the world.

Besides the science of Kabbalah, nothing can bring this about because this science talks about how the general system operates and how we have to operate inside of it. If I take this entire science and start realizing it, this is called “practical Kabbalah.”

It’s similar to how there is theoretical physics and practical, applied physics. In the theoretical part of it, you can think about things and you may understand them or not, but then you come to the practical realization where you stage all kinds of experiments, study and measure things, and check whether they’re one way or another. It’s similar to children who play in order to grow, and once they become adults, they perform these actions correctly in real life. This is what the scientific experiment is intended for.

The actual practice is already the realization of the scientific achievements in life. And the same thing is true in the science of Kabbalah. If you study in order to realize it in practice, that means you are already at the threshold of practical Kabbalah, even though it might take you a lot more time to acquire a screen and start carrying out these actions. Still, according to your direction and goal, you are already considered to be dealing with practical Kabbalah.

The only practical action that exists in reality is adhesion with the Light (Zivug de Hakaa), the degree of equivalence of form that we attain.
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From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/16/11, “The Nation”

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Question: Is it possible for one to strengthen oneself and the environment in order to stop falling into the trap of constantly judging and comparing others, whom I still see as separate from myself? Or is this part of the Creator’s plans for us to realize the error of our egoism and take the opportunity to correct ourselves?

Answer: You have to rise above all of the negative feelings and try to see everyone as righteous men, justifying them by the fact that you are seeing everything inside of your egoism. All of this judging is happening precisely to enable your ascent.
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Inner work begins with our aspiration to come out of ourselves, to unity. And one’s exit from unity is measured by how much it contradicts our desire, according to the forces that obstruct and fight unity. But these forces of resistance are actually “help from the opposite” because they show a person where he still has to make efforts in order to correct himself.

That is how he gradually advances further and further. He tries to connect with the neighbor and bestow, and he continuosly receives repulsion, difficulties, burdening of the heart, and the realization of his error which enables him to correct his direction. As this repeats again and again, it gradually accumulates “penny by penny into one big sum” until finally, the “pay-off” arrives, meaning he really reveals the force of bestowal, the force of faith.

The most important part of this work is not to give up! After all, we start out on this path completely egoistically (Lo Lishma) and think only about how to win, and how to win big at that. We don’t connect it to other people at all and don’t feel who the “neighbor” is.

For now our actions are similar to a baby who has just been born and does not have the slightest idea of what he is doing. He does not even feel what others are doing to him. But with time, he gradually starts to feel, hear, and see some things, and to react in some way. That is how he grows! And we grow in spirituality in exactly the same way! We have to make efforts at every moment of our lives, like a child, with the difference being that a child is pushed to grow instinctively by nature.

In reality, a person is not required to do any more than he is able to. The most important is to try! And to desire bestowal at least slightly, in whatever way he is able. It’s clear that this aspiration is not for real bestowal, but that doesn’t matter! The most important is to desire, and the true desire will be born from these efforts. It’s similar to a child who wishes to become an adult, and by virtue of his efforts to become big, to understand and to feel, to do something, he grows.
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/14/11, Shamati

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Question: Baal HaSulam writes in the newspaper “The Nation” that it is inadmissible to miss the right time. What does this mean in the context of the current protest movement in Israel?

Answer: This means that we have to disseminate the message of unity, but first of all, to unite among one another. We cannot forget about this since otherwise our appearances will turn into a regular concert.

When speaking to people and making appearances before them, you have to understand that you are together with us and you want to transmit the inner, spiritual charge of our interconnection to them. Only this will allow them to feel that unity is the salvation.
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From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/14/11, “The Nation”

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They key in this entire picture is to understand that we exist in one state. When the point in the heart awakens in us, it pushes us to reveal the true reality which fully depends on the efforts of the actual person and nothing else.

The entire reality already exists in its complete perfection and magnificence. But we are unable to attain the perception of the true reality without the revelation of evil, suffering, and sorrow.

Then, the person naturally justifies all the stages of his path during the process of the development of his desires. He understands that all the suffering that every part of his soul experienced was necessary to reveal the true state which was perfect from the very beginning. He saw these desires as separate, broken, distant, and suffering because this was the only way for him to understand this enormous anguish. He could attain this suffering only due to the fact that it got divided into numerous pieces which he perceived as foreign.

Gradually, with the help of the Light which corrects his attitude towards them, man reveals that these are his own parts, and to this extent, he acquires the ability to justify everything the world has gone through over the course of its history.

This is how he accumulates within himself all the suffering of this enormous vessel, desire, and can bear it. This is a huge combined suffering of all souls throughout time, collected into one vessel with love towards and in unity with them. And then he reaches the state of “grieving for Jerusalem,” which is the collective broken Malchut. And when he reveals it, he also discovers its joy.

From this it becomes clear that the breaking was necessary to help us reveal the suffering of this entire enormous soul while being opposite to its perfection. This is why a person justifies all of these actions: the breaking and the entire process of correction, seeing this great mercy and the Creator’s absolute love for him.

If not for the breaking, he would not be able to bear such an enormous empty Kli (desire)—opposite to its great bestowal! For this reason, the breaking we are in today is a joyous opportunity to attain absolute desire, absolute trepidation, and grieve for Jerusalem to finally feel its joy.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/9/2011, Writings of Rabash

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Higher degrees in the spiritual world differ in their quality, not quantity. It is how well a person feels the difference between his egoistic intention and bestowal in relation to other people and the Creator. He gradually begins to understand that his suffering must be built on his realization of evil, the depth of his egoism.

It is written: “Everyone who mourns for Jerusalem is rewarded with seeing its joy.” What is this suffering and grief about? Is it about my lack of fulfillment? And this refers to the preliminary, egoistic stages of development “Lo Lishma.” But at the same time, sometimes one already understands that he should not make calculations for himself.

Possibly a person is ready to reveal that he suffers because he does not receive the desired—so that he can rise above it. He does not want to be fulfilled in this desire; he wants to be fulfilled above it, to acquire the possibility to bestow instead of receiving. In other words, he makes a calculation above his ego.

There are many “heroes” who supposedly overcome themselves and suppress their desires by fasting or making other such efforts. But all of it is done according to an egoistic calculation. One desire simply becomes replaced with another, stronger desire, and hence the person feels like there is much to gain from it since everything depends on the importance.

But it is impossible to justify the importance of spirituality in our previous perception—I am simply unable to feel or convince myself that I should attain spirituality. There is no justification for this.

I can imagine that I will have both this world and the future world, eternity, and perfection. But there comes a time when I understand that I do not have anything. So what do I do then, how do I move on? The energy to move comes from the Light, from an additional source of energy being revealed to me, which allows me to rise above myself.

This is why there are different degrees of states that a person who wishes to attain the spiritual world undergoes. It is “supposed” spirituality as he doesn’t know what it is and only somehow imagines it on the zero level of his egoism. Then I descend to the first degree of my ego, build the first degree of my advancement into spirituality according to it, and I begin to value it a little.

And this continues until I complete all the breakings, all the falls of the temples of sanctity that I have built, seen, and attained within me. I come to a state when I reveal that all these broken desires of mine, in reality, are absolute sanctity.

And all the past states, the entire “destruction of Jerusalem,” of the so called “perfect city” or “absolute fear” (Ira Shlema), become included in me on all 1-2-3 degrees of egoistic desire, until I reach the 4th degree, the complete end of correction, which is not even my private correction, but the general correction. All these previous degrees already become included in me as degrees of sanctity, being in the state of bestowal— although it’s not yet in absolute bestowal, a perfect desire (vessel). It goes on until I see a “rebuilt Jerusalem” in its joy, feeling it in my desire, the corrected perception of reality.

And then I see that all the past states were necessary for me to comprehend this perfect state, where I was from the very beginning. There are no different times or states—everything only happens in my perception to the extent of my desire created by the Creator. But through my own efforts I reveal what He has created, and for this reason I acquire a perfect vessel, State 3 of the End of Correction.

Essentially, all the downfalls and corrections happen inside our realization on the path of the revelation of perfection. It follows that those who did not “mourn for Jerusalem” will not merit to see its joy.
[50751]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/9/2011, Writings of Rabash

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We can exercise our free will only in the group, in the environment, by choosing a good environment in which we want to build the model of corrected humanity. And for this, we have to use the power that comes from the studying of the science of Kabbalah—the strongest power of all. Kabbalah describes spiritual states directly, and it is easier to keep the correct intention with it.

To help us reach the correct intention, we received books written in the language of Kabbalah instead of the language of the Mishnah (the legends) or the Talmud. And therefore, we get together in a group and want to build between us a relationship in which everyone is connected with one another. The external situation calls upon us to bond; it puts pressure on us and forces us to unite to help the method of correction spread around the world.

It turns out that we are in the period when the Torah is embodied in the practical inner work. And this Torah is blessed and erases all our sins. Thus, our only sin, which is our ego, the egoistic intention, will be corrected.

There is nothing more important than imagining our corrected state with respect to the connection between us, as well as the revelation of the Creator and adhesion with Him so that eventually we come to the intention of pure bestowal.

We must realize this goal practically in the group and in the entire humanity, and we study Kabbalah only for the sake of this.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/11/2011, Writings of Rabash

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Work with the Light and the screen (Zivug de Hakaa) is a kind of action where a person carefully calculates all of his or her impressions, feelings, love and hate, and decides how to use it all, reducing and, at the same time, developing his or her feelings. It is said: “The greater a person is, the greater his egoism is,” meaning the stronger his feelings are.

He is great by his level at which he can balance the left and the right lines, mind and senses, and put them together in the middle line, unifying them in bestowal.

Therefore, there are two states in the spiritual work: love and fear, which are joined together in it. Love means that a person discovers an opportunity to cleave to the upper one and as a result, to understand and feel the Creator’s ways, all of them. The key is to understand!

And before that, a person works, rising above his feelings and working with the mind, all the while attaining the mind of the upper one. This way he keeps moving along two lines, as if walking on two legs.

In our world, mind and feelings are always in conflict and compel us to make mistakes. However, in the spiritual world, they assist us and join together for one goal, and thus one becomes perfect.
[50654]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/8/2011, Shamati #45

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