Our whole work is meant to prepare the desire for the next degree. I exert effort in order to check myself: What exactly do I aspire to? Maybe I still think I can rise to a higher degree with my own strength, or maybe I’m not so foolish anymore and already realize that I’m unable to do this on my own and only the upper force can help me. And then I begin searching for a way to reach out to the Creator, to force Him to help me.

Kabbalists say that we can turn to the upper force only through the society, the group. So how many years will I need to work in order to explain to myself that the society is the only means to attract the Creator to help me, and my participation in the group is equal to attracting the Creator’s force for my correction? After all, if I unite with the society precisely for this and ask for only this, then He will do it, and we—I, the group, and He—will all meet there together, as it is written: "Isra-El (one who aspires straight to the Creator), the Torah (the upper Light) and the Creator are one."

This is called trying to "gain favor" from the Creator. The Creator will like you when you have the same desires as He has. You need to understand that you depend on Him and must lower your ego. Kabbalists explain this to us using the most precise words, and the second you reach the end of this work, you will begin to speak in their words; the language of the branches will be realized in you.

You will have no other words! You will begin to speak verses from the Psalms or prayer books. This is because Kabbalists took these words from their attainment: the whole order of words and letters. You will begin to speak in the same exact manner since everything that is said is undoubtedly determined by the next degree, and it is impossible to say it differently.

This is the most scientific approach from all approaches. Regular science is very minute; it works only within the bounds of this world, in these limited conditions, and thus everything is relative. However, Kabbalah is an absolutely scientific method where everything obeys one law. Only one formula is in place in the whole universe: Bestowal and reception need to unite into one whole.

This doesn’t even need to be proven to anyone. We search for some scientific proof and examples just to bring people closer to Kabbalah. However, the wisdom of Kabbalah itself does not demand any proof; it is revealed within a person.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/14/2011, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

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Where do the words of this world come from? Why did some peasant who once lived near Jerusalem look at the Mount of Olives and name it this way? It’s because he thought that this name suits it. This desire arose in him from nature, and nature comes from Above.

That is, there is nothing accidental in the words of our world; they all came from Above. This is why Kabbalists can use them for describing the spiritual roots, which is called “the language of branches.” And when we take the names of this world and explain what hides behind them according to their spiritual roots, we see the difference between the worlds. This is how we discover what stands between us and the spiritual world.

A stone of this world and a stone of the spiritual world, a tree of this world and a tree of the spiritual world, a man, a woman, a child, fire, water, this is how I study the difference between the worlds and the form I have to reach.

However, the language of branches is not intended for an ordinary person, but for those who sense the spiritual world. Only they can comprehend what is taking place between the branch and the root, and they pass to each other knowledge using this language. When one Kabbalist describes a certain connection between the roots in the spiritual world and wants to pass this knowledge to another, he relates it in the language of branches.

For the time being, we do not speak this language, but rather use a spoken one. When you will sense spirituality, then by listening to the words of your teacher who is telling you about the spiritual world, you will understand what he means. Or, he will teach you like a little child who is being taught words.

Imagine that you are at the spiritual level together with your teacher, and he points at a certain phenomenon and tells how it is called. Seeing the spiritual phenomenon and hearing its name, you can connect them together, attach the word of this world to the spiritual object. This is called learning the language of branches. A newborn in the spiritual world learns the language of branches much like a newborn in this world learns to speak an earthly language.

And later you will be able to converse with the teacher; you will have an active vocabulary.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/14/2011, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

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We are using the Kabbalistic method to correct the part of “Israel” as well as the part of the “nations of the worlds” in us. They help one another through disturbances as well as support, and thus, they work together.

People have to understand that everything that happens is for their good. Everything that becomes revealed along the path must be revealed in that exact manner and a person should only arrange himself the right way in relation to all the elements: the teacher, the books, the group, and the Creator. That is how one should advance.

We have to understand that the realization of the goal happens when all the components come together. People must not deviate from this unification by increasing the importance of one component over another.

Some people prefer to only strive towards the Creator, which is where religion comes from. For religious people, the Creator is on top. All their prayers and hopes are directed towards Him, while love for the neighbor is secondary.

Others concentrate on the teacher and fall into Hassidut, worship. For them, the teacher is more important than the friends and the Creator. Others yet concentrate only on the friends—a good society is the most important thing for them. As a rule, this is impossible in our groups because we study the Force that awakens hatred between us so we would strive toward the true correction. And this is why we cannot just be good friends the way other communities do.

Only an equal attitude towards the teacher, the study, the friends, and the Creator enables us to attain the goal.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/15/11, Writings of Rabash

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Question: It is one thing to play something with someone, but it is another thing to play on the inside, artificially. How do you do this?

Answer: You understand that you must go from one state to another. You are experiencing one of the states right now, but the state that you want to attain is still in your imagination. You paint it in your mind and imagine what it can be like.

If I were to ask you, “What exactly are you imagining? What do you want to attain?” You would say, “Love and bestowal.” Well, aren’t you lying? Of course you are! But you are told that you have to bestow, and you seem to agree with this.

Very well. You have friends, so start building this relationship of love and bestowal among all of you. Go ahead.

But now you’re no longer in the mood for it…. Well, that’s natural. You are not supposed to want to do this. Just carry out simple mechanical actions. Sit together with the friends, think about it a little, or as much as you are able. The key is that the Light comes when you study and then suddenly you feel that you gradually agree with this aspiration and this development.

Now it is important for you to advance in this direction. You do not want it very much on the inside yet, but you already understand that this is important. The states keep changing and that is how you advance. You move under the influence of the Light, but you are also able to do the things that are meant for you to do.

This is why the breaking of the Kelim took place. It was to prepare the necessary condition for us: We are able to begin to attract the Light that Reforms through mere physical actions, without any desire. I exist among everyone and I hate them all. I cannot concentrate; in fact, I am unable to even think of love and bestowal. I do not care about the friends. I want to be alone with the Creator in the entire world.

Yet I still make some slight actions externally, even if I do not like it and even if I am only able to do what I am told. This is the beginning.

And then hatred becomes even more apparent. Yet, together with it, the importance of the goal also becomes more apparent. I see how important it is to attain bestowal and how far I am from it.

And finally, the importance reaches a limit. Bestowal is the only thing you want, but on the other hand you hate it and are incapable of it, being completely cut off from it. That’s when you cry out – when these two poles assume their final forms in your perception and reach their final power.

This is what is referred to as the “gates of tears for the poor in spirit.” You feel that you do not have anything and you can no longer tolerate that.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/15/11, Writings of Rabash

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Question: I made a choice and entered the group, but sometimes disagreements arise. What should we do to stop them?

Answer: First of all, we must be aware of problems in the group. We mustn’t cover them up or pretend they don’t exist. For example, a group has thirty or forty members, and everyone is pulling to their side, or they are creating factions.

It is essential to understand that we are under the upper governance which arranges these factions and disagreements for us. Why? This is so that we rise above our problems to the One who brought them to life. It is He who gives the start to all problems between us. He even admits, “I created the evil inclination.”

But why? It is so that you may use the Torah as a spice, meaning that you would start desiring the Light that Reforms hidden in it. When you demand the Light, you rise above problems to the one Source from whence all evil and good derives.

Question cont.: Yes, but there are more problems after that.

Answer: You need to accumulate the necessary power of desire and the Light that Reforms in order to ascend to the first spiritual degree. Hence, problems grow and will not stop growing.

Leave it to the Creator; He knows what to do. This is why He speaks of having created the evil inclination for you to understand that everything comes from one Source. You just need to make it the basis of your work. We have nothing else.

The key is to adhere to this. Some friends may become rivals, while others don’t take anybody’s side. Let there be a mess in the group, but take it all as a package prepared by the Creator. He set it up, and my job is to always row toward unity, either with friends or despite them, in all sorts of states.

This is what we call being “as one man with one heart.” Otherwise, over what ground will we unify? The foundation of our unity is not the “nice kids,” but bullies and roosters. We fight and hate, but above all that, we unite as one whole. Love for one’s neighbor arises precisely above this, and that is when you come to receive the Torah.

Whether you agree or not, this principle won’t change. While in the group, we have to decide that there is no way out, that we are agreeing with it already, albeit artificially. We stop arguing and start pretending to love one another. We study in hopes that the Light that Reforms will influence us and establish a connection among us. During the lesson, everybody thinks: “I wish He had helped just a little.”

Otherwise, we will bite each other’s head off, unable to complete the exercise the Creator assigned us to do. It is He who “lured” us into this, as if He placed us into a computer game, a polygon restricted by the sides of the screen. We are inside of it. What do we do now?

This is the place where we must establish new relations that we wish to achieve. What do we lack on this playing field where we all hate each other, scattered like dots on the screen? What do we do?

We must reveal the Light that Reforms. Let us learn to demand for it to occur. It is easier said than done. The problem is that we have to wait until the new degree unfolds in all its might, which takes time. After all, the first spiritual degree is especially high; you can’t just jump onto it. Compared to the first, the other degrees are already easier.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/11/2011, Writings of Rabash

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One should not think about the correction of egoistic desires separately or compare them to the altruistic ones. It says at the end of the "Introduction to the Book of Zohar" that “the nations of the world” within us receive the correction from “Israel.” In other words, AHP receives its correction from Galgalta ve Eynaim.

Therefore, if we aspire to correct the connection between us, the rest will join it. The entire world will join us. We do not have to worry about this.

We only need support from the “nations.” We need a stream of those who can already become part of the category of “Israel,” whereas everyone else will be corrected through our work and then they too will receive an awakening. The power of correction will flow from us to them similar to the Light that comes from Galgalta ve Eynaim and then corrects and fills AHP.

It says in the Torah, “This is your wisdom and your mind before the eyes of the nations.” In other words, “Israel” must perform the corrections and as a result, the “nations of the world” within us will also become corrected.

When we read the authentic sources, it is important not to mix up these things with anything that surrounds us. At first we have to reveal and explore these things within ourselves. Only after that will it be possible to draw some conclusions about the external, imaginary world.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/15/11, Writings of Rabash

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Question: Why am I unable to clearly comprehend the importance of the environment?

Answer: You feel that you do not fully comprehend its importance because you are not finding the corresponding desire within you. You understand the words, but your heart is not responding yet. Sometimes you even get sick and tired of hearing about it.

This is natural. You just need to continue working on the common desire. Everyone has to begin thinking that this is important and that this is exactly what we need. We artificially strive to care for one another: I care for others so they would direct their thoughts towards the goal together with me. I constantly worry about it and then a real fear ripens inside me: Will they be able to keep their thoughts on the goal?

And then the heart of the group appears before me, not their names or faces, but the deep desire that reigns among the friends. Is everyone’s desire ready to unite with others so all of them would aim at the goal? This is what concerns me. If this comes true, then we will attract a little bit of Light to this common desire over a brief period of study, and then we will attain the goal.

The problem is not the Light that influences us. The problem is for all of us to connect our desires to be together on the path to the goal. Primarily, this is the concern that has to settle in everyone’s heart. This is mutual guarantee.

When we have a common desire, it “flows” from one part of the friends to another, and therefore it is always working. When we strive to study in order to realize this desire and we don’t get distracted by any other goals, then we evoke the Light with this common desire that’s aimed at mutual bestowal, the Creator. Then we will be full of desire as we prepare to study and during the study.

There can be nothing beyond this. It is written: “Habakkuk came and reduced everything to one thing: a righteous man will live by his faith.” The greatest effect comes from an action by which you want to attain bestowal. Bestowal is also referred to as “faith.”

At the end, this is a very simple thing. Overall, Kabbalah keeps being revealed in an increasingly simplified manner. And even though the path is difficult and it takes years, we have the opportunity to greatly accelerate our development.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/15/11, Writings of Rabash

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Question: For thousands of years, the method of Kabbalah has been drafted by special people, Kabbalists. Today, we spread it among the masses. Aren’t we thereby losing the depth of this wisdom?

Answer: We definitely are. But we have to do it anyway. We are the ones through whom it flows to the others.

Your parents, for instance (with all due respect), were regular people, not holy saints. They brought you into this world and gave you an education at their level. We do the same.

Obviously, by spreading Kabbalah among the masses, we “corrupt” it. It is what we call lowering the spiritual degrees which descend from the world of Infinity. Nevertheless, we have no choice. Can a child receive an entire science all at once? No, we have to give him a simplified version, well adjusted to his level. No matter what I may explain, show, or feed him, everything has to fit his present state.

The model for it is the text of The Zohar for All. We took Baal HaSulam’s commentary on The Book of Zohar and removed all supplementary materials from it which are not related to the main idea. However, in fact, they are necessary as well. Baal HaSulam didn’t do anything in vain. Yet, at the present stage, it prevents us and, even more so, our vast audience from approaching The Zohar.

When I opened the first book in my life, I saw the words written in huge letters, “MOTHER, HOME, SUN.” So, we have to provide people with information they are able to digest. Later on, as they learn, they will ascend to the higher degrees.

The spiritual ladder does “corrupt” the upper Light which gets greatly reduced as it descends to the lower degrees. This is its nature since; otherwise, the lower ones wouldn’t be able to absorb even a drop of Light.
[35063]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/11/2011, Writings of Rabash

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Question: My spiritual desire emerged and I came to the group. I study and understand that a single law accompanies me during the entire course of the path. However, on the other hand, the Creator wants me to be autonomous. What does my independence entail?

Answer: The Creator lets you be independent in the point of choice and nothing besides that. In the “Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Baal HaSulam says that the Creator Himself “places one’s hand on the good fate and says to him, ‘Choose this for yourself.’” In other words, you can choose what will influence you: the education you have received, your internal qualities, or the environment.

How do you choose, then? Try to take everything that occurs in the group, all its values, with the minimal inner obstacles coming from you, as you are in the present state. Currently, you view life based on past experiences. Until now, nothing was up to you, but now you are told: Try to neutralize everything you have absorbed and built yourself from and instead, receive the influence of the new environment.

Imagine you are a child who looks at the world with wide open eyes and wants to know everything, learn everything, and re-create everything he sees. Try to look at the new environment exactly like that, if you indeed made up your mind to walk with them to the goal. In that case, you don’t have any other choice but to become a child who is hungry for the influence the environment provides.

Until now, you evolved at the animate level and now, you wish to evolve spiritually, which is a totally new degree. Therefore, try to be the least in the group. After all, a younger child automatically learns from the older ones. This kind of attitude toward the group is what your choice entails. Now, choose!
[35067]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/11/2011, Writings of Rabash

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Question: If the world is integral and global and is governed by the Creator through the plan of creation that permeates it, then why can’t we be in direct correspondence and harmony with it?

Answer: We exist “in concealment,” meaning that we don’t sense the actual connections between us. The fictitious picture which we currently sense, with the distorted connections between people, is called “this world.” As soon as we discover the real picture of the connection between us, we will feel as though we exist in a new world. It will be a global, spiritual world which doesn’t depend on our physical bodies, in which birth and death do not exist since we are not tied to the body.

Instead of sensing one’s tiny part in the enormous system, each of us will feel this huge system in full. And for this reason, everyone will feel eternal.

We will feel the force that connects us with each other. It is called “the Creator,” “Boreh” in Hebrew, which comes from the words “come and see” (Bo–Reh). That is, one simply needs to come and see!

Above the animate level in which a person exists in his or her physical, animalistic body, he has an additional, upper level of consciousness, thought, desire, understanding, and knowledge. This is the degree we have to reach.

Beside this system, we also reveal the general life force that drives it. It’s similar to how in addition to a biological body, a person also has a human personality. This is exactly what we reveal in the general system: An additional force that enlivens it, which we call “the Creator.” When we reveal Him, we become like Him.
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From my lecture in Paris 2/1/2011

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