A question I received: You said that the material is the desire to enjoy, while the spiritual is the connection between the desires. If so, what is the Creator?

My Answer: The Creator is what you reveal within your actions. You reveal the general force of love and bestowal to the extent that you perform acts of love and bestowal yourself. Then, in your actions, you reveal the inner force which is called the Creator (Bore in Hebrew) which means Come and See (Bo – Come, Re – See).

Our attainment happens solely through the principle of “From Your actions, I shall know You.” When through all my actions from below upward, I attain the force that fulfills me, which is love and bestowal, I attain the Creator.

When does a small baby begin to recognize his mother? He receives a certain impression from her actions. Yet, he reveals nothing from this impression, but merely feels that somebody cares for him. By starting to react to her and repeat the actions that she wants him to rather than doing what he wants to do, he begins to attain her. In essence, his entire upbringing comes down to this.

In this same way, we attain the Upper One, the Creator. I perform actions in accordance with the Reshimot (spiritual genes) that arise within me. This is called “From Your actions,” and thus, “I shall know You.”

Why is it “Your actions?” After all, they are my actions, aren’t they? No, the Creator has given me the Reshimot. He has given me the desire, the group, and the environment as well as the strength to perform these actions. That is why, after every action, I say, “These are Your actions.” However, through these actions that have passed through me, albeit with my participation and desire, I come to know You (the Creator).

Who is it that comes to know You? There is a certain point of my free will called my own “I.” I have triggered these actions from You, and thus, I come to know You. From Your actions, I come to know You. Within me, there is an “I” that comes to know You. The actions are His, but the attainment is mine.

From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/2/10, The Study of the Ten Sefirot

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The Zohar, Chapter “Lech Lecha (Go Forth),” Item 22: Therefore, when Abraham… came and received the illumination of the left line, …he immediately fell under Nimrod’s rule. He, in turn, threw him into the furnace, which extends from the power of the illumination of Shuruk.This is when the Creator helped him extend the illumination of the middle line over the Masach de Hirik, which decides and makes peace between the two lines—right and left.

Salvation always lies in the middle line, the screen of Hirik (Masach de Hirik). Two forces – the left and right lines, the force of bestowal and the force of reception – must surface within us; with their help, we are being governed from Above. Similar to how these two forces descend from one upper root, so must we unify them in the middle line.

For this purpose, we are given the Wisdom of Kabbalah, a method that allows us to understand how to unify the two lines and remain in the middle one. However, in order to attain this wisdom, this knowledge, we need a group, studying, and dissemination. All these means help us visualize the correct state, desire it, and ask the Creator to grant it.

Obviously, this wisdom and understanding how to arrange these two forces in order to reconcile them in the middle line also come from Above. It is written: “Who makes peace in His heaven, makes peace within us.” “Who makes peace in His heaven” means the place from where the two lines derive. There too, the Creator extracts them from the middle line – Himself, Zeir Anpin in relation to us. Thus, the two lines descend down to us, to Malchut and all the souls residing within her.

“Makes peace within us” means that from Above, we are given the knowledge of how we have to arrange ourselves. And once we do, the middle line descends and enters us. This is our salvation that was given to Abraham as well.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/15/10, The Zohar

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From Baal HaSulam’s Pri Hacham, Igrot (Letters), Letter No. 26, pg. 85: “The golden bell and the pomegranate are at the hem of the mantle, and a sound is heard when the High Priest enters the sanctuary.”The word “Ephod” (garment of the High Priest) originates from the words “Where is the door?” since where there is a door, there is an entrance, even if it is locked. In the material world, we can see a closed door, a closed entrance, but in spirituality, only an open entrance is visible. One can see it only through complete faith; only under this condition does the door become visible, and at the same moment it turns into an entrance.

The moment that a person attains perfect faith, complete measure of bestowal, the entrance and the door are revealed to him as one. A second before this, he didn’t see anything, neither the door nor the entrance. And all of a sudden the door opens up. Did the door previously exist or not? No, it did not; the property that a person acquired turned into an entrance and a door, thus allowing him to enter.

In our world doors exist before we are ready to walk through them, but in spirituality, we first have to build our Kelim (spiritual vessels) in order to sense a new reality through them. Before we do so, spirituality does not exist. We have to give it its form. This is why both the door and the entrance are built by a person who attains perfect faith: bestowal.

During his upbringing, a person sways from side to side, like those looking for a door. At the final moments of his advancement, he is next to the entrance, but it is then in particular that he suddenly gets tired and takes a step back. He has no strength left to open the door, and spends his life wandering from place to place, searching for an exit but never reaching it.

Our path consists of multiple steps forward and back, and that continues until a real need to enter spirituality is formed within us. We have to prepare our desires because spirituality has no form of its own until we give it one. A person lacks the right perception, reaction, and clarification until he goes through all four levels of each desire. Gradually, he accumulates all the discernments and combines them into one structure which he reveals in the Light. One can only hasten the time of his development; he still must go through all the states.

From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/9/10, Pri Hacham, Igrot (Letters), Letter 26, pg. 85

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A person grows in such a way that at first he receives new desires and fulfillments, which are necessary for his development and which work for his benefit. This is the direction given to him by nature, which desires to raise him and make him self-sufficient, the way children in our world grow.

This is not considered forbidden pleasure, since I have to go through this natural path of development until I become an “adult.” Indeed, we see how children are usually full of different desires and take pleasure in this life.

However, the moment I become an adult, I have to start growing and developing consciously, rather than by the power of nature. Suddenly, all the pleasures I receive start being detrimental to me because I do not aim them for the sake of bestowal.

Previously all the responsibility rested on nature. The Creator determined my path and led me along until the age of 15-20 years. Everything I took from this life was beneficial for my development. But as soon as I completed this period of “childhood,” I have to start determining my own direction. I now have to add the intention of bestowal of my own accord. Otherwise any pleasure I receive will no longer raise me and advance me forward, but will kill me! It will lead me backwards in order to make me feel that it is impossible to keep going this way and that instead of developing by way of my egoism and pleasures, I have to develop through the intention to bestow.

Therefore, all the pleasures that a person receives after the age of adulthood are detrimental to him, like a person who is picking at his wound. How deeply do we have to become immersed in this evil in order to understand that we cannot continue this way, like children who have grown up and whom nature no longer permits to enjoy life recklessly, but instead demands bestowal from them?

How deeply will we have to “pick at our wound” is something that depends on us. We are given all the means and explanations, and we are brought to the study, the books, and the group, which is the place where we have to get serious and think about what we need to add to our lives in order to develop correctly.

What we are adding is the “true vs. false” discernment, in addition to “sweet vs. bitter,” unlike children who only understand “bitter and sweet.” In order not to remain children for the rest of our lives, as it says, “What to do with children who have grown old?”, we have to start acting according to the principle of “true vs. false.” Yet, we should not erase “sweet vs. bitter,” but rather build a new attitude to life above it. This is possible only be evoking the Upper Light upon ourselves through the study of Kabbalah.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/18/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”

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Part 7 of The Study of the Ten Sefirot by Baal HaSulam talks about the descent of the worlds from Above downwards and their breaking. We have to know this in order to comprehend the nature of things and thereby understand how to ascend by preparing ourselves for this elevation with small corrections and indirect, additional actions.

Each of our small actions is the foundation for a greater one in the future. During the descent of the worlds, an immense breaking gave birth to countless minor actions. And now, while ascending from below upwards, we are performing numerous little actions, which give raise to one great act of correction. In this way, the small corrections merge into one final completely corrected state: Gmar Tikkun.

Undoubtedly, we study mainly to draw the Light that Reforms. Still, we have to be somewhat aware of the processes that occur in spirituality. We study the breaking of the worlds in such detail in order to justify it and understand why it was necessary.

Thanks to the breaking, we are “down” in this world, but we have all the needed information (Reshimot) to ascend and attain our complete correction. We only lack the Upper Light that would gather together all of this data and connect it with our matter (desire) and realize one upon the other.

Reshimot are something similar to a computer program. If I were to install some software on my computer, it would arrange the content in a way that the program dictates, taking on the form of the program itself. Reshimot work exactly like that. I have to “sew” (actualize) each new Reshimo on my matter so that the matter would “formatted,”  “organized,” “systematized,” and “sculpted” into a specific form by it.

I have an informational gene (Reshimo); matter (desire) is also being revealed. My task is to lay one over the other and arrange them correctly, which is done by the Surrounding Light. In other words, we have two necessary elements, only the third one is missing: the force of the Creator.

This 7th part of TES (Talmud Eser Sefiort – The Study of the Ten Sefirot) talks about the breaking of the worlds, explains where the informational genes came from, and helps us to sense our essence.

From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/15/10, TES

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How did the breaking of the worlds occur? The lower one, Malchut (which cannot fill itself, but without which the final correction is impossible) asks the Upper One (the mother, Ima) for the Light in order to receive it for the sake of bestowal. The whole system of the Upper worlds is ready to give the lower one this Light.

Now, everything depends on the lower one who understands that everything is ready for the feast. He can receive it without any shame, but only for the sake of bestowal. He truly desires bestowal! He is told from Above, “Take it; you can do it.” There is no way to predict the imminent downfall….

Somewhere in the First Restriction (Tzimtzum Aleph) hides the serpent’s tongue, but it is impossible to see it from here as it has never revealed itself before. This is a concealed point of the creature’s independence which has never manifested before. The creature completely obeyed the Creator, the Light that created it, and it was impossible to tell that something would interfere with it being in complete bestowal.

However, on the other hand, this point had to exist. Otherwise, the creature would not be independent. If I do everything that the Creator tells me, then it is as though I, myself, do not exist. My individuality does not exist. My “I” comes out particularly in in the fact that I want to become like the Creator, but something in me doesn’t allow me to do this. This quality that doesn’t let me become similar to the Creator in spite of my great desire is what makes me independent.

The root of the breaking is that it reveals the independence of the creature which stands opposite to the Creator. If the creature received all the desires now – the Light from Above, the awakening from below, and performed the action for bestowal – he would be a machine. Meanwhile, the breaking retrieves and develops the point from him which allows him to tear away from the Upper One, the Creator.

Before the breaking, the creature is just a machine. During the breaking, his independence is revealed. After the breaking, the system of correction of this point is created, and it provides the opportunity to act independently. The correction of the creature is that after the breaking, it makes all the decisions based on this point of one’s independence. Thus, one gradually ascends from below upward, toward the Creator, while building himself at the same time.

From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/14/10, Talmud Eser Sefirot

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The Zohar, Chapter “Lech Lecha (Go Forth),” Item 7: The two are crowned and illuminate, meaning they became three—HGT—through the middle line that decided between them. Hence, three enter into one because the middle line, Tifferet, receives and spreads into three other lines by itself—NHY. This is so because the lower one is rewarded with the full measure that it causes in the illumination of the upper one, since it is its cause.

If you cannot awaken the Upper One, to cause the Upper one to bestow upon you, it means that you yourself haven’t accumulated the necessary desire to receive spiritual fulfillment. To the extent that the lower one is able to awaken the Upper One, he is corrected, ready to receive from the Upper One, and therefore receives. In fact, there is no action on the part of the Upper One; it is the lower one who opens the door and receives.

Nonetheless, in the entire process of bringing all of creation to perfection, there is a program called “Beito” (in its time), and accordingly, we must reach the purpose of creation in a certain period of time by uniting in one desire filled with Light as it was in the World of Infinity before the Tzimtzum (restriction). Therefore, there is a sequence of actions we must perform, either willingly or unwillingly.

Moment by moment, there arise our uncorrected Reshimot (informational data) and the force that corrects them. This process of correction leads us from the beginning of creation to the final correction, meaning to total equivalence with the Creator’s properties. For that reason, everything starts when the creature and the Creator are detached and set apart as two opposing poles. The impact of the force on the uncorrected desire (Reshimo) causes them to draw closer through similar properties.

The lower one doesn’t wish for and is unaware of drawing closer to the Creator, and by moving toward something undesirable, the lower one senses it as suffering. Thus, our whole life feels like suffering. We are advancing closer to the Creator, yet we feel that we are approaching evil. In this way, the path Beito (in its time) is a process that leads all of creation to correction automatically, without asking what the lower one wants.

On the other hand, today by studying the wisdom of Kabbalah, we learn the program of our automatic correction called Beito, plug into it, and then correct ourselves willingly. In this way we engage in a process called “Achishena” (hastening our correction time), first out of desperation and then willingly.

The law of equivalence of form between us and the Creator, which is the state of the World of Infinity that we must attain, affects us and draws us into this state with or without our participation. Therefore, it is desirable to learn how to carry out this law. Otherwise, all of the phases we are entering with the lack of our similarity with the Creator, will cause us great suffering.

Now you can understand how much suffering is caused in the world by those who oppose Kabbalah.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/13/10, The Zohar

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It is believed that a collective prayer occurs when a person raises his or her prayer among others who are praying at the same time. Yet, those who are more spiritually aware believe that a collective prayer is a plea for society. Such a prayer is immediately accepted by the Creator, whereas an egoistic prayer (when a person prays for himself ) is not heard.

Nevertheless, even a request to the Creator for society is not perfect. In fact, if the Creator “is good that does good,” my request implies that society is suffering because of the Creator, doesn’t it? It seems like I think that the Creator is mistreating society, and that I should pray for them. However, if the Creator is always benevolent to everybody, for whom am I asking?

It follows that I cannot ask the Creator to change His attitude toward me (a personal prayer) or toward society (a collective prayer). Since the Creator is absolutely and invariably good, I can ask Him only to correct me and all the others in such a way that we will feel that He is only good.

If all who desire to be connected to the Creator in the property of love and bestowal are willing to unite with others in the same property, then through their aspiration, they create a place where the Creator is revealed. That place is our mutual love.

However, such a state can be achieved only through the correction of each individual’s 613 desires, which is called the “fulfillment of 613 commandments.” In the degree of our correction, we draw closer to each other since the correction of desires lies in their unification.

This is why the sages said that “love of others is the greatest law of the Torah,” and all the commandments are necessary only in order to attain the last one, the universal commandment: love. As a result, in these individual and collective corrections, we will feel the power of love and bestowal filling us.

But if we are not corrected and united, and everyone wants to receive for himself, our prayer is solely for material things. (Material is what is received egoistically, whereas spiritual is what is received in order to bestow). In this case, receiving for ourselves, we become “the nations of the world,” and not “Israel” (straight to the Creator).

These terms are not related to some nation or nationality. They describe the states of a person on the spiritual path. According to this, our prayer is either to improve our personal state of existence or to correct our attitude toward the others and the Creator.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/12/10, Article “The Importance of the Prayer of the Many”

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Every person is the Creator’s worker although he doesn’t know or feel this. Suppose your “car” has an engine which causes it to move forward. Actually, it is the Creator who moves it by propelling you with suffering from behind and luring you with pleasure ahead. Therefore, your “car” rolls on whether you want it to or not, as it runs away from suffering and in the direction of pleasure.

However, there comes a time when you get a “Jeep” which the Creator does not move. You need to ask Him yourself to start your engine. And when you receive a force from Him, you can move from your spot only to the extent that you ask Him. In other words, you and He work like partners.

Initially you did not know where you were going, why, or for what purpose. You simply rolled forward without thinking about it. You lived many lives in this unconscious manner. You moved forward, but only like an animal that runs away from blows. It is written that such a life is an animal-like existence, meaning that you don’t know where your desires come from and why you act the way you do. All people live this way, for now.

However, then you receive the point in the heart and a connection emerges with the Leader. You begin to consciously ask Him to advance you. You now wish to learn the path and reach the goal instead of just getting rid of suffering and receiving pleasure. It is truth that interests you now. This goal is not connected to pleasure; what matters is that it is the truth. For the time being, you are set into motion by a lie. Therefore, you ask to be given the force of the Light so that you could advance to the truth in spite of your sensations.

A person comes to study, thereby leaving the advancement from “bitter to sweet” and enters the movement from “falsehood to truth.” In spite of his sensations, he moves from the considerations of feelings to considerations of the mind.

However, time is required until he “starts the car and it begins to move.” He also needs to pass the “test” and get a “driver’s license.” This is called “the period of preparation” which lasts until you are finally able to sit in the car and go.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/13/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”

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A question I received: Our actions are unrewarded and the prayer of the society is beyond human ability. You need energy just to ask for this. So where do we start? Where will we get the energy to carry out these actions, which are beyond our nature?

My Answer: We can understand this through the example of man’s development. He emerges as a result of mutual actions of the father and mother, then goes through lengthy development in the mother’s womb, and is born. His own forces start to surface in him, but of course this happens unconsciously. Even though we see that he reacts, it is clear that he is not doing it himself, but on account of the forces that are accumulating in him. They are causing the reaction.

But at some point in time, we start to see a personality in this being. Of course, we can say that the forces of nature are evoking his reactions, as well as his personality, behavior, likes and dislikes. However, these qualities have accumulated in him in a specific combination and have taken on a personal form.

Where does one’s independence start to come through? Is it in the prayer or plea for oneself or for others? The Upper Light is the only force that acts upon us. It influences us without our awareness just like nature influences an embryo or a child. On our part, we try to evoke a greater influence from the Light, and thus accelerate our development. Therefore, we should simply make efforts. This is the only thing required of us.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/14/10, “A Prayer of Many”

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