Baal HaSulam, “Concealment and Disclosure of the Face of the Creator”: In this manner, of course one does not see the good face of the Creator; that is, if he believes that the Creator is the one who does these things to him, either as punishment for transgressions or to reward him in the end. This follows the verse, “whom the Lord loves, He corrects,” and also, “the righteous begin with suffering, since the Creator wishes to eventually impart them great peace.”

Yet, one does not fail in saying that all this came to him by blind fate and by nature without any reason and consideration. Rather, one strengthens in believing that the Creator, with His Guidance, caused him all that. This is nonetheless considered seeing the Creator’s back.

This is the single concealment, the state a person who is in the process of spiritual advancement is found. He has not reached revelation yet, but he feels a certain process and attributes his problems to the Creator.

The problem is that he cannot justify the Creator and the feeling of suffering is the indication for that. On the one hand, if a person could justify the Creator, he wouldn’t feel suffering. On the other hand, it is impossible to feel suffering and to be grateful for it. If you suffer, it means that you feel bad. In our world it is possible to feel one thing and to say something else, but in spirituality there is no such thing: What you feel is what you “say.” If you suffer internally then no theatrical gestures and external smiles will help you.

This is why I feel bad and this state is called single concealment. So what ties me to the Creator? An unclear feeling that it is Him operating behind all this. It isn’t clear, because that would negate the bad feeling. If the Creator is revealed, I receive pleasure, and if he is concealed, I receive suffering. But in this case, the suffering isn’t so great that it can detach me from the Creator and I can justify it.

Our vessel is divided into two parts: GE and AHP. As a consequence, we are affected by two types of Lights: Hassadim and Hochma. So it turns out that I can still justify the Creator although I feel that He doesn’t treat me well. I attribute this feeling to the account of previous sins or to the account of the future reward, and so for the time being I accept the suffering.

There is a whole set of mutual relations concealed here. The good seems bad and I suppose that I deserve it because of my previous sins, or that I will receive a future reward for these sufferings. In my mind I justify the Creator as much as I can, and although I feel suffering, I still acknowledge that they come from Him and not from some external factors. No matter who trips me, I depict the Creator behind it.

This is quite a high level and if a person holds on to it, it becomes a springboard to something much greater. I wish we could permanently be in this state by perceiving that everything, both the good and the evil, come from the Creator, and that there is none else besides Him; that no foreign force controls us and neither does blind faith. His Providence may seem bad, but I justify it by my previous sins or the future reward. The Creator is like a good father who teaches and raises me correctly.

On the other hand, the concealment here is also since I expect some reward for my suffering: that they will either detach me from my previous sins or that they will help me acquire the future pleasure. The Creator doesn’t actually need these sufferings, not as a way to atone for my sins and not as a reward for my good deeds.

Still, in this state a person wants to reach bestowal, appreciates it, and holds on to the right direction towards it. At the same time two forces operate on him: The concealment that stems from his uncorrected desires and some illumination from adhering to the back side of the Light.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/2/12, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Rabash, “Association of Mercy with Judgment”: … when there is open Providence, there is no room for choice. For this reason, the Upper One raised Malchut, which is Midat Ha Din (the Quality of Judgment) to the Eynaim (eyes). This created a concealment, meaning it became apparent to the lower one that there is a deficiency in the Upper One.

On one hand, the Upper One is elevated, and on the other hand, the lower one doesn’t find Him appealing; there is something repulsive. On one hand, a spark in the desire (a point in the heart) is anxious to attain spirituality. Moreover, the external world presses on us and concocts numerous negative circumstances; it does not promise any pleasures except the ones that we might receive in the future. On the other hand, we have to compromise, since we clearly see a deficiency in the upper.

What kind of deficiency is that? The upper one is not as bright, attractive, or beautiful as we thought.

In that state, the qualities of the Upper One are placed with the lower one; that is, they are deficient. It follows that these Kelim (vessels) are equal to the lower one: as there is no sustenance to the lower one, there is no sustenance to the Higher qualities.

Here are the sensations that the lower one goes through: At first, I really aspired to the next stage, I rushed to it more and more, and then I discovered what the meaning of my next step is. It turned out to be unity with and love for my friends. It turns out that I have to feel them all as one heart; I also have to give up a lot of things; moreover I should be applying lots of exertions and be happy with what I do. And, I don’t feel happy at all…

A place between the two gaps is in fact a point of choice. Every day, each of us senses an endless number of these points. If we happen to clasp them and select the right one, or at least try to do so, then we would discover the upper one within the shortest time possible. We should never miss them! Although, when these moments happen, we don’t feel any need in anything at all; we simply surrender to our sensations and continue to live our miserable lives.

While analyzing our next, higher, and more advanced state, we discover that it is full of concerns and that it brings lots of problems to our current egoism. One has to love one’s friends, serve them, think of them, and take good care of them, treat them better than oneself.

“Who needs it? Are we capable of this kind of behavior?” Doesn’t it mean that we sense a deficiency in the upper one or that we don’t find enough energy or life sustenance in Him? Sometimes, for a couple of minutes we feel a nice sensation, an inspiration; however, as a rule it is the other way around.

It is called a descent: One neither feels life in the upper one, nor does one find it in the state of bestowal, love, or unity. One has no desire to correct oneself.

In that state, there is room for choice.

This is exactly a state that offers us a choice. It’s a very important moment of self-acknowledgment: I don’t want anything, I have no needs, I am getting weak, and am ready to surrender unless the state I am in modifies itself without my participation. There is nothing that attracts me, neither in material nor spiritual life: I feel hopeless in both worlds.

… the lower one must say that all this concealment that one feels is because the Upper One restricted Himself in favor of the lower one. This is called, “when Israel is in exile, Divinity is with them.”

In such cases, we should come to an understanding that the upper one deliberately “plays” this game with us. He cannot do otherwise; He cannot embrace and elevate me as if I were a balloon. If He did so, I would never attain anything and would remain a baby in the adult’s hands forever. Of course, a baby feels good and safe; he can even play at the height he is elevated to, but he doesn’t grow.

The lower one grows only if he strives to reach the upper. One cannot abide without personal exertions. The upper one should not raise the lower one if the latter doesn’t partake in the process. Otherwise, the upper one simply would “destroy” the lower one by not letting him grow and advance. It’s similar to a situation when parents do their child’s homework for the child.

So, we have to realize that the upper one helps us absolutely every given moment. There shouldn’t be even one second of waiting for something to happen on His behalf as if He ever hesitates. From the point of view of the upper one, we are always in the optimum state for our further advancement. We should keep paying attention to various signs through which He addresses us by His intentionally descending to our current state.

…whatever flavor one tastes, one says that it is not his fault for not tasting liveliness, but that in his view there really is no life in the Upper One.

Although, one has to clearly understand what is going on.

And if one becomes stronger and says that the bitter taste he finds in these nourishments is only because he does not have the proper vessels to receive the abundance, because his vessels are for reception and not for bestowal, and regrets the Upper One having to hide Himself…

So, our vessels, desires, are corrupt. In fact, if the upper one would descend to us, we would sense Infinity since each of our next steps is the world of Infinity for us. That is why it has not been disclosed to us yet: We don’t recognize it in our vessels. We perceive it only within a very narrow range; whereas, there is something enormous and multi-faceted in front of us. We simply don’t see the higher level; it covers up everything around from one horizon to another; there are no boundaries that define the space for us.

As a result, the upper one descends to us in the form of a depressed, unsafe, and corrupt world. Moreover, we approach states and sensations that will be even more devastating for us. The upper one lowers to us in order to let us sense Him. The lower He is, the worse we and the world around us will look in our eyes, since our properties are opposite to His.

That’s the reason we are currently experiencing a crisis; the upper one approaches us, thus making us unconsciously sense the difference between Him and us. The “crisis” is a gap between our current state and the state of the upper one. We have to come to balance and stay in harmony with Him, and that requires integral education that will help us understand Him better.

In general, this is a point of freewill. We have to realize that each thing that we sense as being less than Infinity is a state that was specifically formed for us by the upper one in order to give us a chance to choose.

It means that we should feel sorry not about the fact that the world we live in is bad and that we are miserable here, but rather about the point that the upper one had to lower to us, to diminish Himself and present Himself as being smaller than He really is, and that He even had to look unappealing and evil in our eyes.

…this allows the lower one to slander; this is considered MAN that the lower one raises.

On one hand, we notice that the upper one is low; besides, the higher level doesn’t look attractive to us yet. On the other hand, we recognize that it only seems so to us in our sensations. If we perceived the world through real vessels, we would regard the upper one as the Infinity within us. This discrepancy is the core difference between this realm and the world of Infinity.

So, at this point we raise MAN: our request to be corrected. We look for possibilities to justify Him, nothing but validation of Him. Let our states stay the same; let them not bring us any pleasant sensations anymore: All we need is to justify His actions and thank Him for acting so. Consequently, we don’t ask for our own sake, but rather for the sake of the upper one. We request power and understanding, but we don’t ask for sensations; all we should care about is the justification of Him no matter that we continue feeling bad. If our sensations improve, we will egoistically praise Him. No, that’s not what we need. On the contrary, we want our sensations to remain the same, but rather that our understanding and perception be altered. Thus, we grow.

We consist of two parts: intellect and emotions, aspirations and desires. We go forward using both of them as we use both legs while walking. Let’s say, I want to stay in my current sensations, and by “leaning” on this “leg” I make a step ahead with the other “leg”; that is, I stop being blind, see my current state, and justify it, or let’s say I want to expand my brain, then if my sensations remain intact, I really advance since I justify my emotional state although I continue to suffer, but I realize that I grow due to my affliction. I am not sold out to or bribed by a good sensation.

Later on, when our minds expand, we will lean on our new intellect, and if it stays the same, we will ascend to the next level of sensations. Besides, our emotions will not overshadow the intellect, as it happens when pleasures force us to lose our mind.

It’s the other way around; we make one step with one “leg,” while at the same time leaning on the other “leg”: When we fix our emotions, our intellect rises; when we fix the mind, our sensations rise. Consequently, we go through endless changes in both our minds and sensations.
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From the North Convention of Unity 9/20/12, Lesson 2 

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Question: How should we realize the obstacles correctly in order to strengthen our connection and hold on to this state in spite of them?

Answer: We need to overcome the obstacles. Undoubtedly, there will be problems and also obstacles, but it depends on how one looks at them. If you are ready for them beforehand and understand that by transcending them, you actually rise, then you don’t create them on purpose, but accept them prepared and prepare the group, the environment, for it in advance.

I remember how I prepared for an operation. They didn’t promise positive results, but I went into the operation with inner peace as if I studied myself from the side. It’s very interesting. It all depends on how you prepare yourself for the obstacles. After all, they give you an ascent, and without them we wouldn’t be able to rise.

What is an obstacle? It’s that same egoistic force that constantly pushes me forward. And here the Creator decides to help you. He takes back this ego and you are left completely without energy. There is nothing to do now, nowhere to turn, nothing is attractive; there is no motivation for anything. It would be good if it were possible to go to sleep and not wake up. But no, that isn’t an option either.

It is a feeling of complete helplessness, and not just helplessness, but a complete lack of desire, inner emptiness, and it is given to you only to fill the emptiness with the force of altruism and not egoism. The strength that motivates you forward is taken from you on purpose—thereby you are given a gift.

Now the group needs to give you some kind of push forward, at least a little, and then you will go forward. This means that you need to work with the group in advance, to help, to invest in it like in a bank, and then when you have no strength, you can take from it and advance.
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From a Virtual Lesson on Fundamentals of Kabbalah 9/23/12

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The Machsom is a psychological point, until which I work only for my own pleasure, after it, for the pleasure of the Creator or neighbor, someone outside of me. This is what I have to achieve.

This boundary, this degree, is called the Machsom. This boundary between our world and spiritual world is simply psychological. If I take care of myself, even if at the same time I am aspiring to the Creator, to spirituality, but still acting for myself, this, my state, is currently below the Machsom and is called “Lo Lishma.” And if I achieve that I think only about the Creator‘s pleasure, so that all pleasure would be not for myself, then I, my desires and intentions, are already beyond the Machsom and this, my state, is called “Lishma.”

The Machsom is a psychological point that I have to cross, and then I will be in spirituality, in the intention to bestow. Afterwards, when I am beyond the Machsom, I have to raise more and more of my desires and intentions over the Machsom.

Or you can also put it this way: Along with the growing ego in me, along with all the growing pleasures, I raise the point of my Machsom higher; while, on the basis of the desire to feel pleasure, it is revealed as the evil inclination, step by step, I raise the point of Machsom up to Ein Sof until all my desires will really be for bestowal.

It is not important how you put it: to raise intentions over the Machsom or to raise the condition of the Machsom until Ein Sof; what matters is that I am working on correcting the intention to use the growing desires, not for myself, but for others/the Creator.
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Question: In March you said that by the end of summer we would definitely make a breakthrough into spirituality. The summer is over. You say that you have a problem with coordinates. What is your next prognosis?

Answer: I think that the point we’ve reached today will give us a strong push toward nullifying ourselves. After all, therein lies the problem. If I am able to do something, then I’m above the Machsom. I think that the sensation we received at the congress gives us that foundation. Now it seems to me that all we have to do is give it a few more pushes. As far as when it will happen, I hope that such states will come at any time, even during the morning lesson. But they must come in a critical form; there must be birthing pains. This is what we’re lacking. The birth is stalling.
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From “A Virtual Lesson on Fundamentals of Kabbalah “9/23/12

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In certain states, the upper shows its reverse side in such a way so that I join it. Like a father to a son, he shows me how to play. Lowering himself to the level of a child, a father looks a little smarter and shows the son a small difference between what he is and what he should be. This is the reverse side of the upper one, not a father at his full height, but the difference between the child’s current state and the state when he has ascended one small step higher.

We can say that the Creator shows the current picture of the world to a person so like a child, he overcomes obstacles, taking this game seriously. However, this depends on the person. If he feels that he is in single concealment, that everything comes from the Creator, as a result of the past or as a precondition for the future, when time after time he sees that he cannot succeed, then the question arises: How can one rise above this?

First of all, should we ask for success? Of course not, because then a person would just use his normal egoistic desire and would distance himself from the Creator.

Perhaps, I should pray to the Creator so He does not send suffering for the past deeds or for the future reward? No, because this prayer would be attributed to self-interest. It is not designed for correction.

In both cases, a person seems to say to the Creator, “You have brought me closer to You. You shine the strongest Light on me now, and in it, I feel weaker, flawed, and corrupt. So, take Your Light back, so I can feel better!”

In reality, we need to ask for correction, “I agree with everything You teach me. It’s not the point. Let me experience troubles and problems if it is in favor of correction. But it hurts me and I curse You in my feelings, willingly or not: the overdrawn notice from the bank, a call from the police‑all my troubles. On the one hand, You shine a bit of Light on me, and I feel that You exist, but on the other hand, it makes me curse You in my uncorrected desires. I do not ask you to move away, depriving me of Your presence and the suffering associated with it. I ask something else: Correct me! Move closer in the feeling like the one who carries only good. Let me feel that You are the Good Who Does Good.”

Here, a very big problem arises: How can one judge oneself impartially? After all, I should ask this not to feel good, but only in order to justify Him. Just because of this, my heart aches. And if it does not ache, make it ache. I do not care about suffering, and in general about anything else except one thing: I do not want to condemn You. The issue is not about my feeling good I just want to raise You to the highest level, so that the property of bestowal and love that You represent become of the highest value to me.

If a person strives for this, he already begins to advance correctly. That is how single concealment should be felt, and how one should come out of it.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/2/12, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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There is an increasingly growing need for connection in the world today. On the one hand, the integral connection in the world is revealed, and on the other hand, the lack of our adaptability to it is expressed in the form of a crisis.

In order to help people who have the urge for spiritual development, which means for connection and unity, in this unity, in resembling nature, we will be able to reveal the upper force that manages it, to feel, see, and learn to master the system that controls us, the so-called upper world—for this we gather and want to gradually adapt ourselves to the state of balance with this system, with nature. Such a gradual, step-by-step approach is called the levels of the spiritual ascent, a spiritual equivalence.

These are serious, complex levels since we must overcome them and resist our ego. It is by resisting it that we get to know and attain this system.

Just as every system in our world operates on two counteracting forces (plus and minus, contraction and expansion, and so on), in between them there is a mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, or other mechanism, and these two forces are the forces of the development and motion of this mechanism, and in our bodies there are two constantly opposing forces. On the whole, they can be reduced to forces of absorption, absorption and secretion. We exist on the basis of these two forces. They more or less counterbalance or alternately act on levels of nature except for one interesting object: man.

A human being is under the influence of one force only: the egoistic force that controls, manages and rules him, and does whatever it wishes with him. There is no other force that is opposite to our ego, and this is our problem. So, we cannot be balanced, wise, and do what we want, but constantly do what the egoistic force compels us to do, even though it may harm us.

Look at what is happening in the world now! We are sawing off the branch that we are sitting on. We are polluting the air we breathe, cutting down forests, turning large areas into dry deserts, causing icebergs to melt, and bringing about disastrous changes in the climate so that soon it will be impossible to exist on this planet. The pace of this crisis is accelerating threateningly, and we cannot do anything about it.

Why is nature doing this? It is to show us the extent to which we are managed by this one egoistic force and how much we lack the other force that is opposite to it to at least reach a balance. Even if we were totally opposite to the egoistic force, even if we were absolute altruists, we couldn’t exist either. After all, there must be a balancing force between these two forces, the law of equilibrium, the law of the correct switching.

So, we need the other force, and we don’t have it. However, it is found on the levels of the still, vegetative, and animate natures. It is instinct!

Instinct causes animals to perform certain actions and not others. It restrains them and doesn’t push them to perform misguided actions. If a lion sees a stronger lion, he will retreat. There is a clear chain of command, check the strength and instant retreat. That is, there are restraining forces with regard to nature and to different phenomena, no matter what. Animals operate according to the simple principle of the ordinary animal ego that is balanced by a protective instinct.

We don’t have that. We are deprived of it, but we need to acquire it since otherwise we will find ourselves in a condition that threatens our existence!

The wisdom of Kabbalah is revealed in our times so that, somehow, we will be able to acquire this second force that restrains and balances our ego. It is opposite to the ego. It is called altruism, the force of bestowal, the force of love.

If we can discover this force in nature and, in some way, perceive it inside us and begin to mutually balance the two forces, we can be sure that that our existence will be secure, comfortable, good, and desirable. Otherwise, our future development will be simply disastrous. We see how we are lost in the ego from day to day and that it will begin to consume us while we are still alive and eventually leave us no hope of survival.

This is why we hold conventions. We do this in order to acquire the force that is opposite to the ego, to try to balance the two opposing forces inside us, and to attain the middle point in which we can be free—with freewill, freedom of choice—so that we can manage ourselves and advance. This is what we want to achieve.
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From “A Virtual Lesson on Fundamentals of Kabbalah” 9/23/12

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Question: How can I hold on to the spiritual work as strongly as possible in my daily life (on the street, the public transportation, etc)?

Answer: I try to look at everything through the system of connection, through the system of mutual completion. I wonder if through everything that appears before me I will see the mutual cooperation between the two opposing forces that depict different images to me.

If I am in a circle at a workshop and there are nine friends before me, partners but also competitors in a way, as to who will give the best answer and who will answer less accurately, how we can complete one another, how we can play together in order to find the right answers? There is much closeness and oppositeness here.

If I am on the street, why can’t I see an identical partner in everyone that evokes certain feeling in me? It makes no difference whether it is for or against, what’s important is how I respond to him. Can I respond to him as to someone who is very close to me? My ego doesn’t let me. If I could look at him differently, I would see a very close and dear person and I would immediately change my attitude toward him.

We have to play with that by turning on the start-stop button of receiving and bestowal and constantly clarifying our relations with others. Then you will become more flexible and acquire a softer attitude to life and to the world.

But on the whole, of course you want to see the managing force through this attitude, which presents this whole picture to you and projects it before you so that you will see the revelation of the Creator, so that behind this picture you will see the managing force.
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From “A Virtual Lesson on Fundamentals of Kabbalah” 09/23/12

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I am very pleased that we have begun to understand the greatness of the altruistic force through the connection between us, because in general this is the only opportunity to master it. This happens when we get together in the group and begin to try in some way to recreate and cultivate the state of bestowal, love, and mutual connection between us. When we are in mutual guarantee, mutual union, then we gradually start feeling what this adhesion can give us and how unusual it is.

On the basis of my practice, I think that the most important thing is to feel something unearthly, special, what emerges in a person. Inside it, the feeling, the property that was not familiar to him before, begins to be formed. He knows that it can be only inside the connection with others.

Then this property can gradually vanish, disappear like in a fog, cool down, dissolve, but a person still retains the information record of this state, so-called Reshimo. And he will still strive to it, will know, understand, and remember it. However, this is not enough; we must stir this property constantly and nurture it, as any bodily organ grows, any property, if we take care of it all the time. If we stir it repeatedly, it shows its new properties, new connections; it is not the same as it used to be. When we make it appear from obscurity where it was lost, we discover its new dimensions.

That is why unexplored paths, degrees, and states are before us. And on this path, we will certainly see many victories, ascents, disappointments, and what seem like losses. From all this with our constant effort, with a certain number of workshops and conventions, we will reach a point when this force that will manifest itself in us becomes so clearly felt and attained by us, so much in our power that we will control it. We will begin to interact with it and feel it as two partners feel each other in the dance.

This mutual action between a person, the force of bestowal and the force of reception (the man is the middle line), is the state that I hope we will be able to reach by the next convention, and perhaps even earlier. It all depends on how intensively we will be able to develop in ourselves those states that we have experienced and did not forget. So, everything is before us.
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From a Virtual Lesson 9/23/12

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The only way to survive a descent is to prepare in advance. If the descent already has occurred, there is nothing that can be demanded of us since what can you demand of the dead? As it is written, the “dead are free.”

You are asked only why you haven’t prepared yourself for this situation. You must fill all the reservoirs and charge all the batteries. When a descent occurs, there is nothing we can do.

It is like the phases in alternating current that change like waves, one time up and one time down, and one part is filled on the account of the other part. One time, the vessels are revealed, and one time the Lights are revealed.

It is an excellent situation as the Creator has taken our ego and has helped us. It is written that the Creator created the evil inclination, but you have complained that it is evil, so He takes it away from you.

So, go ahead; act now! However, you can’t take even the smallest step without it, not even lift a finger. If your ego were to be taken away from you, you would lie like a corpse unable to move.

So, where can you find the power? Why aren’t you asking for it, and why doesn’t it come? It is because you haven’t prepared yourself for such days in advance.

If the newspapers write that there may be a food shortage, everyone stocks up with three months of food supplies at home. So, why don’t we think about storing energy in advance in case of a descent? This is exactly how we must act in accordance with reasonable, sensible logic, but it is difficult for us to do that because it is following the path of correction.

There are people who enjoy the fact that they have fallen so low and think that by their suffering they will achieve something, but this is a total lie. We only advance by exertion, by labor, and not when I have been thrown into a swamp and peacefully sink into it.

So, any moment that a person delays his ascent it is a sin. How can one ascend? Suppose you begin to sing a cheerful song in front of everyone. While you are singing, everyone wakes up, and then they must constantly try to store the energy, everyone’s power, the power of our unity, but not from the fact that I woke up by myself.

If you think, “How good it is that I have woken up now and how good I feel,” you will fall immediately. However, if you think about how we all have woken up now toward bestowal, toward the Creator, it will remain. Then, you will begin the new level, the next state.

The power that later can lead us to redemption is accumulative, and it is stored in the general desire. None of us has the vessel to store energy.

Now, when you have managed to feel an awakening, at least a physical one, think about how to worry about the friends and not let them descend. Everyone should worry about others. That way, there is no need to think about oneself.

The shame must burn in me for not worrying about my group. This means that I am betraying it. This is where the feeling of responsibility comes from and where the mutual guarantee stems from. I only need to think about how to provide the group with everything that it needs, as if it were my baby and I only worry about its wellbeing, so that it will keep on rising and growing.
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From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/24/12, The Study of the Ten Sefirot

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