The Book of Zohar, Chapter “VaYakhel (And He Assembled),” Item 180: What is Saturday (Shabbat)? Why is it called Saturday? It is because when a point of desire rose and its light manifested, it was crowned with the forefathers, HGT of Zeir Anpin, in order to unite with them together….

Malchut with the forefathers together are called Shabbat (שבת). This word can be written as ש-בת (She–Bat). The three letters Vav (ו) that together comprise the letter Shin (ש) point to the three forefathers, HGT. And Malchut called “Bat” (daughter) is crowned with them.

“Shabbat” (The Sabbath) is the highest degree which corresponds to the end of the entire correction, the seventh millennium. Six millennia correspond to the six Sefirot of Zeir Anpin, the properties of which we have to receive in Malchut.

Malchut, by incorporating into herself the influence of these six properties of Zeir Anpin: Hesed, Gevurah, Tifferet, Netzah, Hod, Yesod become ready to receive the Light in uniting with Zeir Anpin. This is the unity of the Creator (Light) and the creature (Shechina, Malchut, desire).

Malchut collects all the souls, the desires undergoing correction, which exist in the broken, egoistic states in the worlds of BYA. Of course, until Malchut assumes all the properties of Zeir Anpin, she is not worthy of uniting with him. In all the properties that appear in her, she is obliged to take upon herself correspondence to Zeir Anpin.

Then, Malchut receives for the sake of bestowal, in correspondence to Zeir Anpin, in order to become similar to him. In so doing, she rises, clothes in him, and reaches the degree of She-Bat. Being a daughter (Bat), she nevertheless reaches the three upper lines: She, meaning the forefathers, HGT.

Similarly, we do not feel any benefit in correction until we come to its completion. Then all the corrections which we performed on ourselves in the course of six “days” or “millennia” get manifested, and “Saturday” or the “seventh millennium” becomes revealed.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/6/2011, Writings of Rabash

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When the question about the purpose of life (the point in the heart) arises in a person, Kabbalah turns to him or her and says: “If you change your attitude to the Light, you will reveal the system of 125 degrees of the Light, of the property of bestowal.” The transformations you will have to undergo relative to the Light are regarded as “Mishpatim” (laws). The states you are passing through are called life cycles (Gilgulim). The property you reside in at each of the states is called a soul. In other words, we are talking about the incarnation of the soul.

The weekly chapter “Mishpatim” (laws, judicial rulings) was written in a very comprehensive manner. It demonstrates to us all of the cycles that we have to go through over the course of 125 spiritual degrees to the end of correction, by advancing from the states the most distant from the Creator to the most exalted degrees that are closest to Him. Therefore, it is titled “Mishpatim (Laws),” where you must be your own prosecutor and judge, and no one else!

The Torah appeals to you: “Appoint judges and officers in all your gates.” At each gate leading to the Creator, you have to conduct a trial and rule upon a verdict to know who and what you are, how you sort your desires, with which of them you advance, and which you put aside for now.

We don’t work with “Ha Lev ha Even,” our “stony heart”; neither do we work with the “slave.” A slave must only assist, must only be present during the evolution but make no decisions; there is a master over him, the “Rosh” (head), and the former cancels himself before the master and advances thereby.

Everything is within a person who is a small world. That is why there have to be a maid and a mistress, a slave and a master, a widow, a wealthy, and a poor, all of whom are desires of our souls, and all of which unfold simultaneously. You don’t move on from one level to another, transferring from the state called “slave” to the state “master,” “Cohen (priest),” and so on. At each new step, you are comprised of all desires at once, each of which is in a certain condition. “A person is a small world” means that in each state, you contain everything there is.

I do not evaluate and verify my desires with the book: “This desire isn’t quite good; I have to fix it. But this one needs enhancing, so let me ‘tune it up.’” Rather, I analyze each desire relative to the Light.

I have to draw the Light on the right so that it would affect my desires. It is written: “In Your Light we will see the Light.” Under the influence of the Light, I examine myself and demand for the Light to return and reform me. And when I see that all corrections are complete, meaning the trial is over and I merit fulfillment, then the Light returns for the third time.

With the first coming of Light, I get to know my evil.
With the second coming of the Light, I get reformed.
With the third coming of the Light, I become fulfilled.

Thus, when we transition from one state to the next, we undergo three sub-states after which we complete correction of one degree and move on to the next. It means that I completed my Gilgul (incarnation, life cycle), my work with a set of desires that get revealed to me at a certain spiritual degree.
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From the Lesson on Weekly Torah Portion 1/26/2011

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When studying spiritual properties and structures, we discover very peculiar groupings, combinations, and characteristics of these forces. They group among themselves. Each force and property groups with others by Sefirot and Partzufim.

A Partzuf is a system that spreads its influence downward on our corresponding projection here, in this world. And the Partzufim link together into complete, more global mergers called the worlds. Thus, in the upper world, there are worlds, Partzufim, and Sefirot.

Sefirot are the smallest enterprises, associations. A Partzuf is a more global one. And a world is a bigger, global merger. The worlds comprise a single upper world. And all of this in order to channel the unique Upper Light, the Light of the Creator, to us, those who reside here at the bottom, in our world.

Hence, while studying Kabbalah, we can envision what is the best way for us to get organized in order to build our society, our family, home, education, relationships between husband and wife, men and women in general, the nations and the world correctly.

What can we do to correspond and to be adequate to our roots? In the degree that we are equivalent to them, we will feel more comfortable in our world. And if we achieve some general correspondence to the upper world, the upper Partzuf (albeit not with entire humanity, but a certain group or association, for now), then we will start sensing the upper world and ourselves as one whole. It is regarded as our ascent to the upper world.

Since there is only one force that influences us, it impacts practically the entire world at the same time. Therefore, the closer all the components of our world are and the more harmoniously they interact with each other, the closer are we going to be to this integral force. This is the general rule.
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From Lesson 5 Berlin Convention 1/29/2011

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Question: We know from experience that there are ascents and descents on the spiritual path. What can help me avoid running away from the “battlefield”?

Answer: “Running away” does not mean falling off the face of the earth. Instead, you continue to sit at the lessons, you are friendly and good-natured toward your friends, you carry out all the rules of the group, take part in the duties, and pay Maaser, but in essence you have escaped to another place a long time ago with your thoughts and feelings. Or maybe the habit of being in the group has become second nature for you. This is running away.

You are in the right place physically, yet we don’t assess things by bodies, but by desires and intentions, which may have withdrawn far, far away a long time ago. And that means you are not here. In other words, you do not apply your mind and feeling, desires and thoughts during the study in order to merit the Light that Reforms. So it turns out that you have escaped.

You sit here for several years wearing out your pants, and later you ask, “So where’s my reward?” That means your egoistic notions about reward have not changed one bit.

Therefore, a person has to check: Is he escaping or not? This work has to be done ceaselessly, every moment. As Baal HaSulam writes in Item 18 of the “Introduction to Talmud Eser Sefirot,” it’s important not to get distracted from the most important thing: the Light that Reforms, which is concealed in the Torah.

First and foremost, this has to be done during the study. Even if a person has prepared, he might be running away from the goal in his thoughts at the lesson. If you kept the intention for five minutes and then lost it, then all three hours were wasted.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/7/11, Writings of Rabash

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“Introduction of The Book of Zohar,” Article “Rejoicing in Holidays and Not Giving to the Poor,” Item 176: Then the angels of the upper one said before Him, “Lord of the world, Here is so and so, who ate and was full and could do mercy to the poor, but gave them nothing.” In other words, even the high angels, Hesed and Tzedakah, and all those who agreed to creation, began to slander it….

The Zohar speaks of the reality which we do not perceive. And if a person does perceive it, it is forbidden for him to pull into it the familiar images, pictures, details of perception, interpretations, and clarifications of this world.

Right now I’m reading the text of The Zohar. The correct interpretation of it is unclear, incomprehensible for me; hence, I don’t understand a thing. I am not at all present in that world. If you can sense what The Zohar talks about, in its reality, it means that you understand it, otherwise not.

I don’t know what the words “do mercy,” “alms,” “the poor,” or “angels” mean. I don’t know anything! There are a multitude of notions here, and I’m not familiar with any of them.

So what do I want? I want the Light that Reforms! And nothing else! First and foremost I desire correction! When my vision and hearing will be corrected, I will find out what is being described. And then The Zohar will turn into an instructions manual for me, like the entire Torah (in Hebrew, it means “Oraa,” instruction). For the time being, we read The Zohar only as a Segula (miraculous property).

And if instead of the words “do mercy” written here I think of charity, it’s forgery. There is no greater mistake than pulling the upper world down to the level of the lower world.

Does The Zohar talk about any charitable actions in this world? Surely not! It describes the intentions, actions in the intention for the sake of bestowal that for now we are incapable of. Unless the Light comes and endows me with this ability, I won’t find out what The Zohar talks about.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/6/2011, “Introduction of the Book of Zohar”

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“Introduction of The Book of Zohar,” Article “Rejoicing in Holidays and Not Giving to the Poor,” Item 175: It was said that on holidays, the Creator comes to see His broken Kelim. This is because on good days, when one keeps the Mitzvot of the joy of a good day, due to all the abundance that the Creator gives him, the Creator goes to see His broken Kelim, by which man is given an opportunity to engage in Mitzvot in Lo Lishma [not only for the sake of bestowal, but also for personal profit so as to reach complete bestowal].

In this article The Zohar talks about us having to use our properties in any situation in order to elevate it to adhesion. You have to assemble a correct structure out of everything at your disposal and to identify your broken Kelim (vessels) as well as your corrected state, to the extent that you can imagine them correctly inside the group. Whether a state is corrected or corrupted depends on your attitude toward the group: the current one and the desired one.

My current attitude toward the group is as follows: I’m an egoist and want everyone to be exclusively at my service. This is a current state. And the desired one is when I see myself as serving the group, friends, reaching adhesion with them, and incorporating myself into them.

The discrepancy between these degrees is the place of my work. When, after all my efforts, I realize that I am unable to accomplish anything, I cry out, scream, ask the Creator, the Upper Force, the Upper Light that created all this reality, to correct its act. He did it, whereas I revealed what He has created. And now I demand correction.

Then the correction occurs. In what? It is in that I sense myself in adhesion with the environment, the group. Then, in this adhesion I also reveal my connection with the Creator, with the force that has corrupted and then, due to my plea, corrected the state and for this reason dwells with me in it.

And if on the contrary, I do not utilize my faculties, properties, conditions, and everything that becomes disclosed to me correctly, it means that I am negligent of everything that the Creator has prepared for me. And then there comes the time described as: “The Creator comes to see His broken Kelim,” which He has broken purposefully, in order to give us the opportunity to discover our independence.

If I do not perform these corrections in what becomes revealed to me, I as though come into a “fight” with Him, and He teaches me what I have to do in an undesirable way. This is how we educate a child who does not want to listen.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/6/2011, “Introduction of the Book of Zohar”

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Question: What does it mean to engage, insert myself in the group?

Answer: On one hand, the friends and I feel equal in reference to the Creator since we equally desire to reach Him. But we ourselves are divided by hatred. In this case, the way everyone treats all the others is the way a person treats the group. And in order to engage in the group, one has to transform hate into love.

The group is defined by two parameters:

1. It is comprised of the friends who yearn to know the Creator as I do; however,
2. I hate them.

If both these conditions are met, then the path to spirituality is before me. After all, how can this triangle exist: They seek spirituality, but I hate them, and if so, how is it possible for me to also yearn for the Creator? And if I do strive for Him, how can I hate them in the first place?
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/6/2011, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

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Question: Any scientific research includes three stages: 1) a hypothesis which has to be proven, 2) materials to experiment with, and 3) the procedure itself, the process by which the hypothesis is tested. How can this be applied in Kabbalah?

Answer: It is also a scientific experiment. You start it with a question about the purpose of life. Kabbalists make a suggestion for you: “Taste and see for yourself how good the Creator is.” Perform this act and you will get the result.

We exist in a very simple system. Beside me, there is my higher spiritual degree regarded as the “group.” I need to incorporate myself into it, and if I do connect to the group, I start feeling the Light within myself. There is nothing unreal or fictional in this.

In order to ascend to the degree of the group, I have to realize my informational gene, Reshimo 0/1 (Shoresh de Aviut and Aleph de Hitlabshut). I myself am this Reshimo “0/1” that I wish to insert into the group, in which case the Light influences me from my more advanced, corrected state by lifting me up to it.

All of these states of mine are already present, up to the very last one, and I strive toward my future. In this future, I am unified with all those who are in the group in one heart, by the mutual guarantee. If I wish to reach this state, the Light affects me from there since I am already present there. The Light alters my properties and pulls me in, like on a string, so that I connect exactly at my spot where the Light is coming from to me.

And when I engage in the group at my upper degree, I suddenly see that the group is there with me: It is all I, only the new one, “the 2nd I.” As to the group, it is above, at the next degree, and that is where my next state exists.

In other words, I am shown even a greater difference, a greater force of desire, the greater hatred between us, and I must work in the same manner again, in order to insert myself in the group completely. All the ten Sefirot of the lower one must enter the Malchut of the upper Partzuf because there is nothing besides the ten Sefirot.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/6/2011, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

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Question: It is said that it takes three to five years to exit into the spiritual world. How do I maintain myself on this path if it has been longer than that?

Answer: You can maintain yourself on the path solely by way of the Kabbalistic group. Without it, you have no chance to advance and stay on this path not only for years, but even until the next day.

If you can maintain the desire and keep studying without receiving support from the group, you are on the wrong path and are deceiving yourself. You are probably studying to gain knowledge or to reach some other egoistic goal, but you are not moving in the right direction.

Think what you are counting: the calendar years or the effort you have exerted? You may have made the right effort worth a couple of weeks instead of 35 years. How many hundreds of years will you have to live in this world to accumulate effort worth three to five years?

But you can really finish this work in three to five years and reveal the spiritual world on the condition that you are working with the group, with the environment. Cultivate your desire to enjoy in the right atmosphere, on the right ground. Otherwise, it won’t evolve, and you will sit and study without the support of the environment, counting the hours by the clock. But this is the wrong clock: It doesn’t count your work with the environment and, hence, has no value.

You must spend these years under the influence of the environment, and it isn’t necessary to wait five calendar years for that; it isn’t the question of time. But if you are not under such influence, then you haven’t even started to advance yet. So what result do you expect in five years?

It’s really simple to verify whether you are receiving the strength from the environment. Without the environment’s force, you would have no strength at all and it would be as if you were dead. And only when you receive the strength from the group do you have the capacity to rise, come to study, read the Kabbalistic texts, and think. It is similar to an electrical system: If it receives a little electricity, it starts working, while without electricity, it stops. And this electricity can come solely from the environment.

The spiritual Kli (vessel) is namely the connection with the environment which is precisely the place where I reveal the spiritual world. And if such connection is missing, there is no place to discover spirituality.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/6/2011, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

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We are desires, actions, and there is a force that created and is affecting us (“the Acting One”). We are its consequence, much like our properties and the feelings we experience in the properties created and filled by this force.

We aren’t even the product that would feel the force and its influence directly, in all the four stages of attainment. We are still very far from such full revelation. But we are never able to step beyond the boundary of sensation since we are desire that can know only that which unfolds within it.

This is why we can’t know the essence of things, not only in the spiritual, but even in the corporeal world, be it electricity, bread, water, the upper Partzuf, or the spiritual Light. All of them are merely the sensations I experience within my desire. It is a derivative of some impact that evokes and fulfills my desire: I feel the result of a certain act performed by some force in some properties.

That means that I, too, am a certain consequence, a certain combination of forces I know nothing about. All that has existed before and created me is unknown to me. I only know that I already exist and somehow experience myself as some mineral body that occupies space in the universe.

Nonetheless, all of them are merely my experience of myself, according to the properties assigned to me by the Creator. But whom am I truly? Could it be that I have some other form except the one that I am seeing right now? I don’t know and will never know that. I am the desire to enjoy, which perceives itself in this manner, and I attain only the matter and the form that this matter acquires by experiencing it as pleasure or pain.

As to the abstract form and essence, we do not attain them and don’t suffer in this regard since it doesn’t manifest in the matter. We don’t know the essence of the most familiar things around us. What is bread or sugar? We know only how they taste. I swallow the force that looks as a piece of bread to me and occupies a certain volume presented to me as such in my sensations. This force fills some empty area within me, and I think it is real matter since matter is a desire which receives fulfillment.

In a similar way, later on, we reveal the spiritual reality, its specific “tastes” by giving them names. We attain the Creator by His actions and start tasting the flavors of the Sefirot and Partzufim: Zeir Anpin has one flavor while Malchut another. And so, gradually, we attain all of the flavors, until we get to know the taste of how wonderful the Creator is. To know the taste of the Infinite Light means to receive it for the sake of bestowal, enjoy the adhesion with it, fulfillment, and love.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/6/2011, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

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