Question: If everything that exists in this world is an imprint of the spiritual world based on love, then how can there be murder in our world?

Answer: Everything comes to us from the world of Infinity, from the constant and perfect state, the complete adhesion with the Creator. But in the creature, all these perfect roots manifest in accord with its imperfection, exposing the degree of disparity between us and the upper perfection.

In the upper world, there acts a program which helps you discover yourself and realize what you need to complete so as to rise to the root. There, everything occurs in the most pure, corrected, and perfect form. But in our world, due to the difference between the degrees, the worlds, everything manifests in the opposite form.

We reveal the spiritual action, but see how non-spiritual it is according to our own dissimilarity to the upper degree. This is called: "Everyone judges according to his flaws." I see or perform certain unseemly actions because I myself am corrupted. If I correct myself, I will see that these actions are good.

But didn’t I see yesterday that people were killing each other? Today I observe how they are giving each other presents! At the root, the action remained the same, but I completed myself to the root and, hence, changed my vision. I could see how the egoistic intention got killed in the spiritual world, but instead I see how in our world, real murders occur.

The upper and the lower worlds consist of the same elements, but in the upper world, there is love between them, whereas in the lower one hatred. In the lower world, everything is inverted! Only the details remain, while all the types of connections between them change because in our world, these connections are totally broken, and we are separated by hate, rejection, and neglect. Meanwhile, in the spiritual world, we are all connected and totally committed to each other.

As you and I exist in this world, so do the spiritual you and I exist in the spiritual dimension, only in spirituality we are connected and love each other, while here we are separated and hateful. The difference between the worlds turns into the difference between the way you and I treat each other.

The upper roots establish that something has to happen between us. However, by our correction or lack thereof, we determine what will occur and how: Will we hate and kill or love and embrace each other.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbbalah Lesson 2/9/2011, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

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By descending to our world, the spiritual roots turn into their opposite forms, and egoism of our world carries out the upper commandment of love according to its understanding—it goes to kill. But decide what do you prefer: to remain in the corporeal branches or to ascend to the spiritual root?

If you want to rise, work in the group and participate in its game of mutual, brotherly love. Then you will discover that you are unable to love this way, that it is all a lie, and you will ask for correction. The force will come from Above and grant you love and the connection with others.

This connection does not exist at the level of our world, but only at the higher degree. Look at the souls, not the bodies! It is as though there is a computer screen before me on which I can see the corporeal or spiritual actions. If I see with the spiritual eyes, I see love, and if I use my material eyes, murder.

But if someone attacks and wants to kill me, it does not mean that he does it with love: He acts driven by his egoism. That’s why it is said that if someone comes to kill you, you should preempt him and kill him first. By this you correct him since he came to kill you, which means that his egoism is greater than yours. For this reason, by killing him you perform a correction, acting with a smaller egoism than the person who attacked you.

Here everything is logical and not based on blind faith. After all, I did not want to kill him; he attacked me first in order to murder me. And when it is totally evident, killing a bigger egoism with a smaller one will be a correction. This is my duty, an upper commandment: "Kill the one who comes to kill you."

There are nothing but corrections. Either they occur at the still, vegetative, and animate level while we are neither aware of nor understand them, or they are true corrections while we work with the group at the speaking level.

All murders in our world occur because egoism demands such sacrifices for its correction. But if we want, we can elevate this correction to the spiritual level. We can raise all these actions to a higher level, and then we won’t feel or see any evil in this world.

But this can occur only under the condition that we elevate the entire egoistic desire, which performs these heinous crimes, to a higher level. There, all of its actions will be beautiful, opposite to what we see today. People will suddenly begin to unite, embrace each other, and feel close.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbbalah Lesson 2/9/2011, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

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When we are faced with something opposite, we perceive such events in the coarsest sensation: The Light is affecting the greatest desire. But when we start pondering what happened and why, we work in the most illuminated desire. Hence, there is a difference between the situation when the Light affects desire (the more opposite they are, the greater the impact is) and how it is perceived, which is based on the law of similarity, the ability to understand each other.

Let’s say somebody yelled at you. You felt insulted to the core; your ego is scorned, and in your lowest desire, you felt how opposite you and your offender are. Then, you engage your mind and start analyzing the situation while somewhat associating, understanding, agreeing, and even assimilating with him.

The place where I can understand something opposite to me is considered to be more enlightened, exalted. A reverse order of the Lights and Kelim (vessels) will confuse us until we start sensing how the Light enters and exits us, how it works pertaining to the changes in Aviut (coarseness of desire). But until then, we must treat this phenomenon as a unique property (Segula) for drawing the Light, which is more important than knowledge.

It doesn’t imply that there is no need to exert in understanding what we study and consider intention to be the key. No, intention has to be tied to the mental effort and manifest in its particular way during the studies.

In fact, everything we discuss (such as Aviut, Partzuf, and Light) takes place solely in the intention. Nothing changes except the intention, while everything that takes place below derives from its influence. The structure of the soul, the Kli that we create, and the Light we receive into it, all of this is merely an intention; hence, it has to be connected with all parts of the wisdom as the wisdom of intention.

It doesn’t matter how much you will learn; it is the effort that counts. Therefore, it is not important what topic we are studying. Effort consists of connecting with the content and finding our inner states in it.

Do you contain the Malchut of Infinity? Are you in the final correction? Are you receiving NRNHY (Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Haya, Yechida)? Yes you are! Where is it? It is hidden within your inner Partzuf. And that’s what is being discussed.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/10/2010, Talmud Eser Sefirot

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Question: What can we do to avoid being satisfied with our external effort?

Answer: If a person knows that only the intention to reach the goal, which he constantly discerns, brings him closer to spirituality, then he doesn’t view action as the key. Intention is the Kli (vessel) where he receives the reward, and therefore, all discernments take place in it. Actions without intention are not taken into account at all.

Perhaps a person pleases the Creator, but with an intention to gratify himself. It is the greatest impure force, a Klipa (shell). The most exalted degree of bestowal is balanced with the biggest Klipa: The action is the same while the intention differs.

On the outside, it doesn’t show, and a person seems to be yearning to bestow. Pharaoh, the desire to feel pleased, obeys the Creator’s orders precisely. A person acts according to his desire and mobilizes all his strength, if only to feel good for one’s own sake. He constantly thinks about the Creator (since it is the source of pleasure) and strives to do his best for this source, but for his own good. This is regarded as Pharaoh, the angel of death.

To avoid this, as in any other case, only a clear vision of the goal and mutual support can help. Without interaction, there is no chance to remain on the path without falling. The current generation is the generation of correction, and its success depends on mutual support: Correction occurs based on mutual guarantee and caring. There is no other source to draw the right energy and direction from.

And it is good because there is always work to do in demanding a closer connection. And if we feel it isn’t authentic but superficial, that is fine too. This course is easier than an individual one despite the fact that everyone depends on all the others. Only the collective yearning toward unity and annulment by each of us in regard to the upper degree (the teacher, the group, and the books) will help guard against complacency.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/31/2011, Writings of Rabash

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There are four stages by which the direct Light expands to us from Above downward: the “world-year-soul” and the existence of reality. And everything we have artificially built as an addition to it is needed to attain a higher degree.

We are building this addition to the upper one in the still, vegetative, and animate forms. At the still level, we create various objects; at the vegetative and animate ones, we alter nature; and at the speaking degree, we perform corrections in ourselves. It is all done so that later on, we will connect all this with the correct intention and reach a higher degree.

At that degree, we will feel less numerous than we do at present, meaning more unified and bonded. Today, we experience the world filled with infinite details, the enormous universe, billions of people, and countless products and trash. But when we ascend to the next degree, we will begin to see how the world is contracting, decreasing in the number of details since we are all linking into one man with one heart.

At each degree, we need to add our effort at the still, vegetative, animate, and speaking levels. Look how much we have already done, even in our world: How many plants we had to grow to survive, how much we had to alter in the animate world, and how many cities and what surroundings we built for ourselves at the speaking level.

All of these are corrections, regardless of how these alterations look to us: bad or good. We add them at our degree below. We need all this metal and trash because we lack internal correction. As long as we are internally unreformed, we have to perform external corrections until we reach the state when they will no longer be necessary.

Starting with our generation and forward, we will see that as we evolve, we will be contracting. All our immense activities and enormous enterprises will start to decrease, acquire a more “subtle” forms, and disappear. It’s getting simpler, more compact, yet more powerful, meaning more “spiritual” and less based on matter and more on energy.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/7/2011, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

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Rabash, Dargot HaSulam (Steps of the Ladder), “The Matter of Tu Bishvat”: The Creator wishes for a person who observes a commandment, which is a fruit, to have both the tree and the fruit taste the same, in other words, for his intention to also be “Lishma,” for the sake of bestowal.

We must go through several stages in our work. First of all, we need to descend to the degree described as “I created the evil inclination.” Here, a person becomes acquainted with his nature, and he sees how bad, opposite to goodness, he is.

Goodness is Light, the property of bestowal. Where can I see the property of bestowal so as to measure myself in comparison to it and determine the evil wherein I exist? Where is this evil and the Creator who created the evil inclination? I must attain the Creator who created the evil inclination in me, and opposite to it, I must have the Torah as a spice.

After all, there can be no darkness without light, and no light without darkness. We do not attain anything on its own, but only in comparison to its opposite. This is why man attains the bad nature in him only to the extent of his good deeds. This is the only way we can comprehend evil.

So, the sinners that the Torah speaks of are special and great people. The degree of the sinner is a very high degree. One works in relation to goodness, trying to overcome the evil in him and attain goodness. Then, he comes to understand evil, reveals the sin of Adam (Man or Human), and begins the process of correction. In this way, the revelation of evil is a part of this process.

Only after having understood evil, one begins to test whether the “tree” and the “fruit” are the same and whether they are in one direction, toward bestowal. After all, “fruit” is bestowal, not self-fulfillment.

One tries to be above his egoism. He determines it to be evil which he needs to rise above. Over and over, he discovers that he wants and is able to enjoy and determines this to be a “plague of Egypt.” He is ready for anything but self-fulfillment.

Then, he rises above all the possibilities to receive pleasure and comes to the real fruit: bestowal. Pleasure from bestowal is the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. This is faith above reason, the faith grown on the Tree of Knowledge. The only way one grows is by rising above evil, above the property of reception that is being revealed in him, and refusing to use it in any way. Then, fruit grows within him.

This symbolizes Tu Bishvat, the “New Year of the Trees.” Why is it trees instead of fruit? It’s because for now, one is still acquiring the property of bestowal and he is still to learn to receive for the sake of bestowal.

On the spiritual path, we constantly keep discovering incorrect forms in us. As Baal HaSulam writes in the “Introduction of Talmud Eser Sefirot,” only those whose degree of patience has withstood merit to enter the King’s palace, the “garden” with the Tree of Knowledge in the middle.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/20/2011, Writings of Rabash

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The entire universe divides into three parts:

1. The root of the Light to which everything pertains beginning with the world of Infinity, the four stages of the Direct Light, and the initial point of creation all the way until Atik and Arich Anpin of the world of Atzilut. All of this is called the root or the source of the Light of Mochin (Hochma, Wisdom).

2. The actual Light of Mochin (Hochma) intended for the created beings, for which we dearly yearn, exists in Aba ve Ima (father and mother) of the world of Atzilut.

3. All of the following pertains to the created beings which receive the Light of Mochin: ZON (Zeir Anpin and Nukva) of the world of Atzilut as well as everything located beneath it. Essentially, all the worlds of BYA (Beria, Yetzira, Assiya) and all the Klipot (shells) are also parts of ZON.

We need to understand in all its detail the differences between the source of Light (Atik and Arich Anpin, and Aba ve Ima) in order to really be able to connect to Aba ve Ima. After all, the root of the created beings is contained within them, and we have to attain them. They are called the upper “Father and Mother” in the state of never-ending mating (Zivug de Lo Pasik).

For their creation, Atik and Arich Anpin take the parts of desire after the breaking, which did not have any connection with it. This is why they turned out to be so infinitely high for us, and they serve as the source of the Light of Mochin.

Atik takes GE (Galgalta ve Eynaim) from Keter of the world of Nekudim. Regarding Arich Anpin, besides taking the lower part, AHP (Awzen, Hotem, Peh) of Keter of the world of Nekudim, Arich Anpin also “steals” for himself the upper, the best, parts of all the remaining Partzufim which contain the entire Light (GAR de Aba, DAR de Ima, seven Keters). He takes everything for himself and remains independent from whatever happens below with us, the created beings.

It turns out that Aba ve Ima of the world of Atzilut only receive the lower part (ZAT) from Aba ve Ima of the world of Nekudim, the parts that led to the breaking. This means that they have been damaged by the breaking; they are to blame for it. They had to cancel themselves, and even though they themselves did not break, they still suffered.

Now, it is precisely these Aba ve Ima gathering new Partzufim from the broken vessels, desires of the world of Nekudim, that really help us with correction. This is because they attain the “never-ending mating” (Zivug de Lo Pasik) and the “Holy of Holies” (GAR of the Light of Hochma), but all of this they attain in the desires that suffered and led to the breaking.

Now, as they attain the “Holy of Holies,” they are able to take care of us because they have gone through all the defects and corrected them. They are ready to take care of us and save us from making mistakes. They can be a real upper “Father and Mother” to us. We are very lucky that such high desires are now heading up our entire process of correction.
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/10/2011, Talmud Eser Sefirot

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Question: How do we pass an additional view of reality to a person so that he would notice that there is something else out there, beyond his usual perspective?

Answer: Until a person has evolved to a certain degree and tried all types of philosophy and methodology that derive from his innate egoism, there is nothing you can do. To clarify, he must first arrive at a deep disappointment and dissatisfaction with the world he lives in.

1. First, I discover that I feel bad. This is a mandatory stage.
2. Moreover, I must clearly feel that it won’t get better.
3. Most importantly, I should realize that the cause of all evil is my own egoism.
4. Therefore, all my actions only make it worse for me, as it is written: “Sit and do nothing—better.” It’s better if you keep your mouth shut and don’t move since any move you make is rooted in your egoism and leads to more evil in the world.
5. Then, a person starts looking for a solution and how to continue living. Such discernments have to include all of the previously walked paths and experiences such as religion, philosophy, and science. After all, even science was developed egoistically, and it won’t help us step out of physical reality. Thus, we examine this all and conclude that nothing can solve it.
6. At last, we might finally be willing to heed the Kabbalists’ advice.

This is how long the path is, which definitely requires the existence of the Kabbalah circulation system. Otherwise, we will never see humanity undergo this evolutionary path and reach some positive result. One may wonder:

• How many times a person needs to feel pain before he decides not to take it anymore?
• How many times is one supposed to say that he or she doesn’t want to suffer any more until they finally admit that they have to change something?
• How many times does one need to understand that something needs to be done in that direction?

Thus, to achieve some result, we have to go through multiple actions that all bring us problems, pain, and suffering.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/10/2011, “The Wisdom of Kabbalah and Philosophy”

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The only thing that can help us is self-annulment before the group, the teacher, and the Creator. This involves connecting to the environment and absorbing from it as much as humanly possible.

History presents us with many such examples. For instance, one of them is Joshua Bin Nun who merited becoming Moses’ successor. It is our internal force that leads a person to the final stage of correction, by lovingly bringing him or her closer to the final correction (Gmar Tikkun), after the force of Moses has done its part.

It is the most exalted rung of receiving in order to bestow! And how did Joshua merit it? He merited it by helping Moses while the latter was teaching the people: He cleaned the room and “straightened the benches.”

In other words, he cleaved to his teacher’s actions and wanted to be his inseparable part, thereby receiving Moses’ wisdom. It was he who merited and not the students who were studying. He didn’t even study, but rather received spirituality “Peh El Peh” (“from mouth to mouth,” through the common screen), by having adhered to his teacher.

And those who did study also received it, each at their own degree (they were great Kabbalists as well), but not as exalted as that of Joshua Bin Nun. Were they not aware of such principle? They were, but could not apply it.

It all depended on how strongly a person is trying to annul himself before the teacher and the group. I would also add that “good fortune” plays a part in this too. That is, additional settings provided a helping hand which we are not aware of that descend from Above, “dripping” downward (“luck” or “Mazal,” from the Hebrew word “Nozel” or “a trickle, drip”). It is strongly determined by the root of the soul from its predestination.

But there is no point in discussing what is not up to us. We have to do what is up to us, which is self-annulment.

It is described everywhere and isn’t news to anyone. What do we do if we are not succeeding? I know from my own experience how hard it is to achieve. Usually, a person stumbles over the simplest obstacles: They seem so easy to overcome, and yet he can’t. He even understands that it is beneficial in every respect, even the corporeal one, but something inside him prevents him from doing so.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/3/2011, “The Wisdom of Kabbalah and Philosophy”

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We are experiencing a very unusual period in human history. Beginning now and onward, all generations will live guided by the attempt to go from perceiving reality within to perceiving reality outside of us.

This is why we feel such a great emptiness inside us, in our family lives, in our relationships with children and others, in everything that we do. This is not only observed in separate individual countries, but throughout the entire world as well.

The changes happening in the ecology and climate of the planet become a bigger threat with every year. But all of this happens in order to change the perception of reality within us, which evokes a very unpleasant sensation, to the ability to go out of our egoistic world and discover that we have now gone from perceiving evil to perceiving goodness.

And if we were to come to the desire to bestow, then, naturally, we would be happy because we would not be destroying ourselves in a global world where we are all integrally connected. On the contrary, we would succeed in furthering our advancement because it is the only possible way to live and exist instead of destroying one another.

But until we change our attitude towards us, other people, the world, and general reality, nature will not stop pressuring us because we have already crossed the designated line. Essentially, what does Kabbalah say about this? It says that if we want to continue to develop without suffering, we should come into agreement with the higher state of nature (we do not have a choice) and understand that our current state is very bad.

This perspective gives us an opportunity to develop beautifully, and rewards us with an existence in an eternal and perfect world which becomes revealed here, through the changes in our perception. For this reason, in everything that happens to us, we must see it as a great help from Above, from the entirety of common nature, which helps and directs us this way towards the proper advancement, even though sometimes it manifests through unpleasant influences.

But if we are sensitive to all the little signs of this sort, like a smart, obedient child who understands how to find a common language with the grownups, we will advance well. We really have a wonderful adventure ahead of us instead of a hard life.
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From the Introductory Lecture Series 12/28/2010 "Opportunities for Development"

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