A question I received: How can a person check how much he has advanced from lesson to lesson?

My Answer: I must actively work on making clarifications about my advancement, in fact advancement depends on these inner scrutinies. What do I want? Is it for my sake or for the sake of bestowal? Do I have connection with the friends in this regard? Do I need them or not? Do I work from an egoistic desire or an intention to bestow, from the side of the Creator or the creature, above my egoism or within it? The whole advancement is based on such self-analysis.

It’s possible that after a good lesson, these clarifications will reveal my bad state to me, but they will be more precise, and this means that I am advancing! Every day should give me a simple result: I should come to the next lesson tomorrow with a more clarified desire. Whether or not I have a desire is irrelevant, because it is given from Above. However, does this state become better defined?

Possibly, this analysis will lead me to a dead end where everything becomes unclear and foggy. But this too indicates greater clarity and clarification. The Light that comes to me during the lesson provides me with definitions; whether they are positive or negative is irrelevant. These definitions allow me to perform a more refined and precise analysis in order to evaluate myself, my state, in regard to the Creator or the goal – in all the directions.

In this manner, the Light affects the desire: When it illuminates it, I see more in it. Even if I stop discerning anything, and suddenly I  become completely confused and foggy, this too is called seeing “more.” These situations also offer degrees of understanding.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/2/10, The Zohar

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A question I received: When evil prevails and everything looks gloomy, where do we find strength to ask the Creator for help?

My Answer: Even if a person finds strength within himself to surmount a “downfall,” it will be an egoistic achievement. It won’t help his correction. Overcoming and advancement are possible only through the power that comes from the group.

You fell because the Creator gave you an additional desire which triggered a bigger connection with other souls. A bigger desire is not added into your “point in the heart,” but rather through its revelation as the wrong connection with other souls. You sense that you made one more step forward, but at the same time you know that it’s false and you have to correct it.

Correction is only possible under the condition that you are willing to be inspired by the group, acknowledge the benevolence brought about by unity, and ask the Upper Force to connect you with others. Only under these conditions will your correction be in the right place.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/1/10, Writings of Rabash

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A question I received: What are the three lines?

My Answer: The left line is the uncorrected desire that must first be restricted (Tzimtzum Aleph). The right line is the force of bestowal, the force of Light. And the middle line is the result of the work of combining them, connecting the two lines.

Our entire work lies in the middle line, and all of Kabbalah’s materials speak of this. The right and left lines are given to us from Above, from nature or the Creator. If we don’t work in the middle line, we remain as animals, acting by compulsion of these two reins: the right and the left lines. However, when we receive the first spark from the middle line, called the point in the heart, it is an opportunity, an invitation, to gain control over our lives, and to stop moving like a horse, maneuvered by two reins from above.

We need to assume these reins and to become “human.” The point in the heart is the beginning of the human within us that will rein his animal, and move toward similarity to the Creator. The spiritual work consists solely of driving oneself, from within the point in the heart, toward merging with everybody else.

Then we relate to all our qualities as conditions given us from Above. We no longer identify ourselves either with our body and its inherent qualities, or with the Light, given to us to correct this body. That is, we relate to these two lines, the right and the left, as perfection created by the Creator, as an invitation extended from Him to begin to build ourselves.

I no longer worry, rejoice, or get distressed over the left or the right lines, instead I relate to the states given to me as an opportunity to properly combine these two lines and move forward, driving my animal and aiming it straight to the goal.

At every moment my animal throws itself this way or that, in a direction unknown to me. And I have to imagine the goal to myself: the Creator, merging with Him, and being equal to Him in properties as much as I can imagine it to myself. I have to try see my environment as a perfect, balanced system, linked and interconnected with all parts equal and in mutual guarantee, so as to be filled by the Upper Light.

Having clarified the goal, I have to correct my animal, so as to guide it in the proper direction via the two reins. This work does not stop for even a second. Every time I imagine the spiritual goal more clearly and in greater detail, and, accordingly, in greater confusion, for light is known only from darkness. I have to always strive toward this goal, that is, to plant myself in the general system as its inseparable component.

Therefore, when I read The Zohar I need to act like a car driver, pushing the gas pedal, watching the road, steering the wheel, and feeling the brakes, all at the same time.
Similarly, when I listen to what The Zohar speaks of, I want to imagine all of it before me. As though being on a tour, I try to move along with The Zohar and participate in it.

In other words, I want to know what it is that I study, to connect to this material, to be in this process. To know is to merge, as it is written: “And Adam knew Eve (his corrected desire).”

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

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A question I received: How is it possible that someone could use Kabbalah and the Torah egoistically? Can someone who doesn’t possess a spiritual screen and the force of bestowal draw the force of the Upper Light for his own sake? Isn’t there is a whole system of worlds and restrictions to prevent us from receiving the Light egoistically?

My Answer: If you pick up the Torah and wish to receive power from it, you will get it since you are reading the primary source related to the spiritual world. It was written by a person who was in the process of attaining the Upper World. If you use it individually, in order to fill your egoism, for the sake of your own purposes, then you are using only a miniscule amount of the force it contains.

Even still, we do see how much more egoistical it makes people when the place of the “mistress” is taken by the “handmaid.” A person not only doesn’t receive correction from it, he becomes even worse! He thinks that now he owns this world and the future one, and that he deserves a reward; he feels proud before others and considers himself a chosen one, who is above them.

It is the Torah who is doing this to him; it becomes a deadly narcotic for such person. If, however, he wishes to use the Torah correctly, he does so in the group that builds itself as a common soul, as it is written about when receiving the Torah: as one man with one heart. This is the kind of engagement the Torah is given for; otherwise, as we are warned: in it there will be the place of your (spiritual) death!

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/3/10, “Preface to the Sulam Commentary”

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Baal HaSulam writes in the Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot that if a person is engaged in the Torah (and Kabbalah) for the sake of some reward for his egoism, then it is like “a maid who inherits the mistress.” What does this mean?

There is an opportunity to draw the Surrounding Light upon oneself through engaging in the Torah. But its impact could be two-fold, depending on my intention. Instead of correction, it can make me even worse—“a handmaid who inherits her mistress.” Instead of ascending and becoming similar to the Creator, the quality of bestowal, I submerge myself deeper and deeper in egoism and love for myself.

Why are we given these opportunities? Isn’t it enough to simply study Kabbalah or the Torah? It isn’t enough to simply study; the intention defines what will become of a person. And it is the most important. It is here where the freedom of choice lies—where to switch myself under the influence of the Upper Force: downward, to the reception, toward my egoism, or upward, toward bestowal, toward the Creator?

The Torah itself (the Upper Light) is neutral—it can be either the elixir of life or the potion of death (a person doesn’t perceive that he is spiritually dead). As you decide and choose—so it will be!

It all depends on my attitude to the Upper Force—as with, for instance, the force of electricity: It can heat, and it can cool. The choice is mine. You can study Kabbalah (the Torah in general) only if from the very beginning you establish an objective to attain bestowal (Lishma). Otherwise, you should not even open the book. Naturally, everybody starts this studying egoistically (Lo Lishma), but we don’t have another choice; we were born in this egoism. Yet, we must be clear that we desire to attain bestowal. The Torah is given to us solely for this purpose: “I created the evil inclination and handed down the Torah for its correction.”

This is what we must teach first of all. This is the prime directive in the upbringing of a person: in kindergarten, school, and society. He has to understand that he is growing up in order to unite with all the others as equals, in absolutely mutual bestowal. And when, gradually, his desires become disclosed, he has to start learning Kabbalah in order for him to learn how to correct his egoistical intentions into altruistic ones. This is called to come from Lo Lishma to Lishma.

This concerns adults and children alike. Primarily, we must explain to a person that Kabbalah and the Torah are handed to us solely to change our nature. There isn’t any other purpose! Otherwise, a person will only increase his egoism with its help, wishing to receive this world and the future one for himself.

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

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A question I received: The chapter we’re reading in The Zohar is called "Command" (Tetzaveh). What does "command" mean in spirituality?

My Answer: This refers to the command that has been assigned to us. To join the work of the Creator, we first have to try to recognize our desire and the reason for our creation. We need to feel our state as being opposite to the Creator in order to become "creatures."

However, this isn’t enough. This is just the first recognition of one’s nature. After that, a person has to try to become similar to the Creator. Then, he’ll discover he’s incapable of doing so. When he nevertheless presses forward and strives to reach the next level of recognizing himself, he discovers that he has no desire to become similar to the Creator. Besides being opposite to the Creator and unable to become similar to Him, he doesn’t even want it.

Yet, while undergoing this process, each time a person raises the significance of the Creator, the importance of the goal, and sees his own state as low and insignificant, he continues to search until he finally realizes that there is a system of connection between the souls, and from it, he can receive additional strength. Then, he indeed will desire and be able to reveal all his opposition to the Creator, his lack of the desire, and the opportunity to become similar to Him. Along with it, he will feel a pressing need for correction, for attainment of bestowal for the Creator, which will exceed many times the one he could have reached by himself.

Then, equipped with this "heavy ammunition" which he obtained through the power of the group with the property of the mutual guarantee (within which the Creator exists as a guarantor and supports all this system), a person comes and appeals to Him. He now has something to appeal with. Before this, he couldn’t make a correct appeal.

This is the way a person reaches the influence of the Light that Reforms. He has realized his free choice and has come to the state in which the Creator grants him the strength. Then, within that Light, he begins to see what he needs to correct, as it is written, "In Your Light we will see the Light." A person begins to see the Creator’s command: to correct all his 613 uncorrected properties, one by one.

Now one understands how each property, force, and desire is corrupted, how it can be corrected, what he gains by this correction,and how he influences the entire common system.  Through the common system, the Creator is revealed. Thus, he gradually goes through the entire process of the Torah and commandments. He corrects all his desires by the intention to bestow for the sake of bestowal and even by the intention to receive for the sake of bestowal, which is not for the sake of pleasure, but rather, for the sake of the Upper One.

From the Evening Zohar Lesson 5/31/10

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There is a goal before us. It may seem attractive to us or not. Our perspective is somewhat like a child who desires what is pleasant in his eyes (sweets) and not necessarily what is good for him (spinach). Despite our reluctance, we have to find and assume the correct form of behavior in order to ascend to the new desire for bestowal, instead of remaining in our current desire for only receiving.

This means that we must accept, above our will and nature, that the goal and Upper Governance is good and necessary because it belongs to a different level, the level of bestowal. And Kabbalists tell us the best way to move toward this goal, the level of bestowal.

The way is simple, they tell us: We must accept facts that are unpleasant to us. We would like to bend the world to fit us, while we ourselves wish to remain unchanged. Yet, the Kabbalists advise us to accept the world as it is, (it is good and perfect; it is just that I don’t see it as such) and annul ourselves.

So, a person walks using faith above reason, meaning above his egoistic heart and understanding, and wants to see the world in the Light of bestowal as it is described in Kabbalah. If we try to see the corrected world, group, and ourselves, we will begin to demand the Light that Reforms. This is why we must examine ourselves and the world each moment, criticize, and walk above this criticism!

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People don’t know what the state of Lishma is, and often use this name to label completely non-spiritual states. They don’t understand that to attain Lishma is a great work, which is impossible without studying Kabbalah, the group, and obeying the rules of ascension explained by the Kabbalists.

In fact, Lishma means that you rise above your egoism and are entirely in bestowal. In the quality of bestowal, you see the spiritual world, and in this world, you exist only for the sake of spirituality. You identify yourself entirely with your soul, but your body still needs to be healthy in order to exist in both worlds. The soul can’t really advance if its other half, the body, doesn’t exist in this world. The soul needs the body until the very last step.

People don’t understand that to attain the quality of bestowal, Lishma, one has to draw the Light that returns us to the source of bestowal, to equivalence to the Creator. Afterward, a person is called “angel”, meaning he is openly receiving the Creator’s orders and following them through. He either “hears” or “sees” the Creator. He uncovers the Upper System, his relationship with the Creator in the Light Hassadim or maybe even Hochma. This attainment doesn’t have anything to do with the quantity and quality of knowledge, but only the measure of attainment of the quality of bestowal and love.
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/1/10, Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot, Item 122

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A question I received: How can I direct myself correctly toward the goal?

My Answer: The Creator gave me binoculars through which I can see my destination in the distance and walk toward it. These binoculars are a handful of souls, which I join and through them recognize the goal. I start moving toward the goal with their help.

From all the souls, the Creator selected a group of souls for me. This group of souls is an organ of the collective soul, the organ to which I belong. The Creator not only selected the group of souls, He also led me to connecting with them so that the group of souls could become the unity of the souls that are intended for me. This unity of souls helps me advance. I attain it by connecting into it, and through it, I attain the general system of the single soul.

I am not yet connected with these souls and don’t recognize them. The entire connection is as if under water. Above the water, I see physical bodies like my own since the Creator brought me to a physical group. The Creator gave me an opportunity to begin entering the inner network of souls through my organizing the physical connection with friends, assuming various responsibilities, chores, duties, and the group statute.

In my intrinsic unity with them, “submerging under the water,” I discover that this group is already fully corrected while I am not. I see that through the group, I am given an opportunity to join the corrected system. Through this group, I am given the opportunity to enter a part of the entire system of Adam, of Malchut of Infinity.

I have to reach the attitude of “love thy neighbor as thyself” regarding my friends, while my attitude regarding all the other people in the world should be to “condone every man.” “To love the other” means to unite with the opinion and the will of this group the Creator has led me to.

I can either choose to accept the group that the Creator has brought me to or remain seemingly “free” (but which in reality is precisely following His orders). Herein lies my free will: to move consciously with the group or by force (seemingly free) like all others.

From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/28/10, Baal HaSulam, Letter 1 – 1920

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The only effort we are able to make in our spiritual work is “to plug” ourselves into the group and allow it to influence us. The environment possesess such strength that its size isn’t significant. What is important is the extent to which I consider it as my own.

We already see that those who are close to us influence us more than strangers. There are seven billion people on earth, but I don’t feel their influence as much as the impact of my immediate family which may be limited to as few as seven people.

Hence, if a person organizes his life so that his environment inspires him, it influences him, and thereby annuls the “authority” of the rest of humanity over him. The rest of the world as if ceases to exist. As a result, a person acquires strength, spiritual discernments, and big desires. By this he has the means for advancement.

From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/28/10, Baal HaSulam, Letter 1 – 1920

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