A question I received: What is bestowal for the sake of bestowal?

My answer: Bestowal for the sake of bestowal is when I don’t feel pleasure as fulfillment of my personal desires but when I use it solely as fuel to fulfill the act of bestowal.

Question continued: How then does this fuel differ from pleasure if the only thing that exists is the will to receive (Kli) and its fulfillment (Light)?

Answer: If I am using the fuel solely to accomplish my work in fulfilling the other, then my own fulfillment is just fuel for me. If, however, I am going to use the fulfillment to please myself, it means that I am receiving pleasure. Ask yourself: “What is my vehicle working for? What underlies my actions? Who is the benefactor of my efforts?”

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/24/10, Article “The Matter of Bestowal”

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A question I received: Can I receive an awareness of the necessity to love others from the group without a prayer and an inner crisis?

My Answer: You have to work in the group; you must oblige it to influence you. How can you oblige them? Buy them! As it is written: “Buy yourself a friend.”

You must invest yourself in the group in order to persuade the friends to have an impact on you. You need to annul your ego in regard to them because only the lower one receives from the greater.

Work in the group:

1. Influence your friends. Where you are greater than them, give them everything they want, as if you are bigger and able to bestow (like the greater bestows to the lower one) .

2. In the measure that you are lower, you must receive an awareness of the importance of the purpose of creation from them. You must annul yourself and receive from them.

You should say to the friends: “Whatever and in whatever quantity of it you desire, I bestow it to you, so that I can receive the awareness of the importance of bestowal and love from you. Only this I need from you. I have everything else, but this I cannot get anywhere else except from the group.”

Yet, I do not receive love and bestowal from them; from them I feel the sensation of a lack of it and the desire for it. Later, the Light arrives and brings me love and the quality of bestowal. I receive the desire for the quality of love and bestowal from the group; the Light that Reforms brings correction and replaces the sensation of lack.

From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/23/10, Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot

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A question I received: How do I combine inner work with studying The Zohar?

My answer: Don’t think that The Zohar was written to serve as an ordinary book to tell or explain something to us. This isn’t the case. Baal HaSulam wrote his commentary for a different reason as well. We don’t study using our earthly mind to comprehend what is written and to learn in detail how to work in the three lines by memorizing all the terms. We must understand the necessity for correction and not the structure of it all.

The additional commentaries on the authentic sources provided by the Kabbalists (on the Kabbalistic works of the Torah, the Prophets, and other sacred texts) are impossible to comprehend through the ordinary, external mind. They can only be comprehended through correction of the soul. Therefore, all Kabbalistic commentaries are primarily designed to draw the Upper Light onto the student. Then, the reader can use the sources correctly, enjoy the light contained in them, and, along the way, discover what is written in the books. This is what is called commentary.

Every commentary is an additional instrument that helps us to connect to the authentic source, not to just understand it. When we are reading Baal HaSulam’s so-called “technical” explanations about the three lines, Sefirot and Partzufim, ascent and descent, and Reshimot and screens, we think that he is trying to teach us some regular science for us to learn with our brain and to be able to draft all this schematically. But, this is not the case.

Baal HaSulam’s addition, “The Sulam Commentary to The Book of Zohar,” helps us to draw the Light that Reforms. Its purpose is not to give us abstract knowledge of the structure of some higher world. It is impossible to know the Upper World until we are able to perceive it within our souls. Essentially, we are studying our own construction.

A person begins to sense that the entire reality, all of creation, is enclosed within him, not outside of him even though it appears to be external. Therefore, we must tune ourselves into studying correctly with an understanding that we will gain nothing but the Light that Reforms. After this, attainment will follow, and “the soul of a person will begin to teach him.” First, we must receive this soul, the spiritual substance, in which we will discover all the phenomena about which The Zohar speaks.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/23/10, The Zohar

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The spiritual path is not simple, and it consists of many ascents and descents. It is not a smooth, paved road; it has one pothole after another. Until you move forward, you will be jumping in place for a long time as you deal with various problems and obstacles. At every step along the way some complications and mishaps occur:  first a flat tire, next a dead engine, then you’re out of gas, next you fall asleep behind the wheel, and so on. But what can we do? Such is our path.

Suddenly your donkey (the Hebrew word “donkey,” "Hamor," is from the word "Homer," matter, egoistic material) stands in the middle of the road and blocks the path. You will need to move it out of the way. But how do you move a donkey? You smack it, but it doesn’t move. You lure it with a carrot, but it still doesn’t follow; it needs stronger bait. Until you hoist your donkey onto your back and carry it out of the way, or punch it in its teeth as Kabbalists advise, you will not move ahead.

In this manner, new problems constantly arise until the tree of life falls across your path. Then you will need to pull over and go around it, at which point, a cloud will descend onto the road, creating a thick fog, making you unable to see where you’re going or whether or not there is even a path in front of you.

This type of work is special. It is very difficult and chosen only for the person who wants to attain the level of a human being, for one who truly wants to be human. It is the path selected for chosen people.

From the Evening Zohar Lesson 6/14/10

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The Upper One is in a constant state of perfection, it needs nothing but bestowal. It is not something that senses or changes its mood. Rather, it is a system, an unchanging law that has been set in place. To the extent that you align yourself with this law, it influences you positively.

But if you don’t abide by it, if you are not similar to it, it acts upon you negatively. Our initial and ultimate states in creation are predetermined, and they have to become completely realized regardless of whether you are going along with or resist it, understand it or not.

The lower one (you) has only one good opportunity: to participate in this process consciously and pass the desire for it to the Upper One. This desire is what we need to reach; we need nothing but the desire! We also need to know how to “raise” this desire in order to pass it to the Upper One. The Upper One is in a state of perfection; it is always ready to give everything required to the lower one.

The lower one is a collection of all the souls, while the Upper One is one: one Light, one Thought of Creation, or one Force. If the lower one wishes to resemble the Upper One (meaning it is willing to unite and become as one), it is able to raise its desire to the Upper One. The Upper One hears no other requests but this one. This is what is called a prayer, MAN, that is, a desire to become a single whole.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/23/10, “Preface to the Sulam Commentary”

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Let us remind each other of and get inspired by the greatness of the spiritual goal and the environment that aspires to it; let us appreciate the unique opportunity for free choice that we have been presented with. How many people in the world can act freely? If everybody is blindly following the commands of their nature, then nobody truly “acts.” If I’m completely governed from Above, then “I” don’t exist, as it is said, “I came and there is no one.”

There are billions of people in the world, but they don’t exist, as it were, since none of them are free in their actions. Without a person with free will there are no worlds; there is nothing but the World of Infinity. With regards to the Creator, nothing else exists. Only a person who carries out a free action does. Imagine this picture of the world: total emptiness. Only a few desires that arose and are capable of performing free actions protrude into it.

You, too, have an opportunity to acquire freedom and become Human. May we recognize the greatness of this unique opportunity.

From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/23/10, Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot

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From the articles of Rabash: Malchut’s guidance is called “Chukat” (corpus juris/code of laws). But it is only the law of the Torah, not the Torah itself. This means that in order to attain the Torah, we have to accept the laws it bestows on us. Otherwise, it is impossible to receive the Torah. When a person accepts Malchut’s governance over him, he is called Israel.

We all are the desire to receive pleasure. This desire is similar to a mountain, hill, or a pile of sand that has no form. From this “sand,” with the help of water (Hassadim), we must build a shape in the likeness of the Creator much like we are able to shape the sand on the seashore.

This is our work, the process in which we build the correct form from shapeless “sand” as we study the qualities of the Creator, copy them, and mold ourselves from it – called “chukat” (the code of laws). The forms that we acquire ourselves are called “chukat.”

Ultimately, the cause, effect, and the forms of bestowal that we are building, one by one on the foundation of the will to receive, will all join together. Nothing disappears in spirituality; the foundation remains, and ultimately this construction will transform into an image of the Creator that we create by ourselves.

It follows that the creatures create the Creator. This is written in The Zohar. Therefore, all the great laws that we receive from the Light, along with the revelation of the Creator, exist for us to realize them on our own.

From the Evening Zohar Lesson 6/14/10

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A question I received: You spoke repeatedly about our tendency to run away from spirituality long before actually nearing it. In other words, our egoism pulls us away from the spiritual state by taking certain steps back. How can we avoid erring and go against the ego?

My Answer: You need to prepare yourself ahead of time. When it is already happening, nothing helps. The ego tricks and entices you anyway. You need to secure yourself beforehand, constantly. It is similar to a mountain climber that is tied onto one person and that person is linked to another person, and so on. This mutual interconnection is essential.

On our path, a person can lose his grip at any second. Without this link to the others, he falls into a chasm and then needs to climb back up. A whole life can be wasted on this. This is why one may fail to reach spirituality or advance through the spiritual 125 degrees within his lifetime.

Everything is arranged in a very precise, logical, and proper manner. It is nature’s law. There is no pampering from the Creator’s side, where He says "Oh, you are so small, I love you, I will do everything for you…" No, this doesn’t exist. The force of bestowal and the force of reception are in opposition to each other. One needs to find the right interconnection between them and act precisely. This is a law.

It is not like our world, where we adjust somehow and create unnatural conditions for ourselves. There is no mercifulness in nature according to our understanding of this term. Our understanding of mercifulness is receiving what we don’t deserve. However, this is inaccurate. Why should it be so? Is it because you’re so beautiful?

Therefore, if we understood nature’s essence and how we should behave with regard to it, we would truly succeed. We would justify the Creator’s actions instead of expecting mercy. We should study nature’s laws and carry them out precisely within ourselves. Then there will be no problems. We will see how perfect and eternal it is and that we will become like it.

Question (continued): So what is the solution? How can one prepare himself ahead of time?

My Answer: Only by being connected to others. This condition has been assigned to us. Only the state of a mutual guarantee can help. It is just like mountain climbers. Only you and I together can reach the goal. In other words, I need to think about you and myself equally. I need to worry about each of your actions just like I do about my own.

Question (continued): With mountain climbers, it is obvious: if someone falls, it’s possible to actually see it. But here, it is different. You return to the tastefulness of this world all the time, and it makes you happy.

My Answer: This also falls under the same program of a mutual guarantee, a mutual realization that we advance in this state and need to hold each other. We need to realize this.

A person should be concerned with what happens to others because otherwise he will not reach the goal. Then, under the influence of the Upper Light, you acquire such a sensation with regard to them that they become more important than you. Just like in our world, when you begin to care for someone else’s child, this child becomes important to you and you begin to love him. This is the influence of the Upper Light.

Try it, and you’ll see.

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We need to work with Rabash’s articles, dividing them into sections and examining them. Every article is built according to a specific scenario, like a movie or a novel. It has a setting, a conflict (a problem), the development, the investigation of certain conflicts and discrepancies, and a resolution at the end. Along the way we usually encounter several difficulties, which help clarify the initial question and formulate conclusions. The entire course of the article corresponds to one’s inner (psychological and spiritual) structure so he could understand and internalize it.

You should read an article (or two short articles) a day, in the morning and in the evening. It does not matter if you become confused as long as you remain in this material all the time. The effort alone will attract the Light that Reforms. That same Light will clarify all the questions, including the proper order and system, as well as the stages that one needs to go through. All of this will become clear, and if it remains unclear, then you’ll understand why it is so. But it is the Light that illuminates everything we want to find out.

I do not conduct theoretical research; rather, I wait for the Light to illuminate for me the author’s mind in one thought. What does he want to say here, what is his plan? Just one single thought! What was Rabash thinking at that moment? The entire article is one single thought, and I want to understand it. This can only be done with the help from Above, once I am visited by a “muse.” Kabbalists call her “Light.”

From the Talk on Working on Rabash’s Articles 6/15/10

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During our entire spiritual journey, we must continually progress through applying faith above reason. We wish to attain spiritual perception, to enter the area of the Creator, and to draw His forces, which is precisely how we practice using faith above reason. This is when we are not walking blindfolded, but are guided by the force of bestowal.

It is not by using my own mind and perception, but rather, being guided by a higher spiritual step. I am walking along with it in a manner whereby I accept the mind and perception of the Upper One, exalting them above and despite my own. Thereby, I acquire new, more logical, and higher, qualities. But to me, they don’t necessarily seem logical.

This is what is happening with us right now. We constantly face the very same problem. I must treat my friends and the world according to the principle: “Love others as you love yourself.” I have to love and unite with them and do something with myself, don’t I? How can I accomplish that? I don’t like it, and I am incapable of it.

This is where I have to accept this condition, the law of “faith above reason,” and decide that I am going to do it. I have an opportunity to meet this condition through action, even if I resent it. It is written about this: “We shall do, and we shall hear!” This is why, according to the Torah, Moses’ staff bloomed. All this occurs through the blessing from Above when we accept the mind of the Upper One, which means to follow the Creator.

In fact, the Creator is a higher spiritual step and not something nebulous. A child learns from a grown-up in the same manner: He opens his mouth and literally catches every word, gesture, and behavior of the adult. No matter what an adult shows, he will copy everything. This is how he grows.

We have to do the same with the help of a tremendous force against our nature; we obligate ourselves to learn from the higher spiritual step. We call this faith above reason. That very force that I acquire from the Upper One gives me perceptions, mind, and a great deal of knowledge and information. Due to the fact that I have to go against my present state, it is called faith above reason. Yet it is clearly not so because at a higher spiritual level there is a greater desire to receive pleasure; hence, it is also greater in the intention to bestow. Obviously, the higher spiritual step is opposite to me and never looks logical.

The Upper One always seems strange, confusing, and incorrect to the lower because the Upper One is contrary and obscure to me; therefore, I am certain that the Upper One is wrong. And only from experience, can we see that the Upper One doesn’t err. Even if His behavior looks odd and illogical, you simply don’t understand His calculations. And yet, He never errs on the path.

From the Weekly Torah Portion 6/11/10

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