In Kabbalistic books people see the upper system that controls the world. However, by using the wisdom of Kabbalah as well as religions, people  have “sculpted” all sorts of misconceptions according to their personal taste: mystical teachings, philosophies, and other theories studied in universities. Papers on demonology and wizardry are submitted in philosophy courses.

By borrowing Kabbalistic names and terms but not the essence, people only confused themselves, thinking that they understand what was being discussed. This includes anti-Semites who formed an entire structure using an unsound foundation. People from Hitler’s faction studied these questions closely, trying to prove that by destroying Jews they can destroy all evil in the world. This is why Baal HaSulam writes in his article “Messiah’s Horn” that premature disclosure of Kabbalah caused disasters for Israel.

Let’s look at the bigger picture. All culture in the world is based on religion. Some 200 years ago there were no “regular” books, music, or art; everything revolved around faith. If the wisdom of Kabbalah hadn’t revealed itself to the world in different forms, humanity would still be at that stage. And really, where else can development come from? Man can’t develop by himself.

But leaking Kabbalistic knowledge caused humanity to “flourish” and develop a rash of faulty beliefs. This brought a lot of disaster to Israel.

Question: But Baal HaSulam also writes that Kabbalah was revealed according to the Creator’s will. So how does one combine these things?

Answer: Certainly, everything happens according to His will. He established an absolute law to which you have to conform or else you are heading down a bad path. And the difference between these two paths is in you, not the Creator. There are no changes on His part whatsoever. You feel His attitude as bad only because you are bad.

The revelation of Kabbalah to the world did a lot of damage to the nation of Israel. But if they had acted differently, better, Kabbalah wouldn’t have been revealed to the nations of the world, and they wouldn’t be treating Israel this way. After all, the hearts of the rulers are in the hands of the Creator.

Everything in the world happens in relation to those who have a point of choice. But if a person doesn’t have this point, he cannot do anything, and he is pushed forward by collective suffering.
[46875]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/17/2011, “Messiah’s Horn”

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Israel, Kabbalah Dissemination, Q&A, Religion - 3 Comments →

Question: How should the nation of Israel living on the material level of this world participate in the general correction?

Answer: Together with correcting the spiritual Israel, we have to correct its material “hypostasis.” It is the result of the reincarnation of the souls of Israel, whereas the spiritual Israel is all those who have a point in the heart, a spiritual aspiration by which they join the process.

The difference between them lies in what they are drawn to: a person with a point in the heart is drawn to spirituality, whereas a person who does not have this point is not. Still, if a person without a point in the heart belongs to the nation of Israel (Yashar Kel, meaning those aimed straight to the Creator), then he is obligated to work on correction.

True, there is a principle stating that there is no coercion on the spiritual path. But nevertheless, this obligation is incumbent on Israel. The Torah says, “You will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation for Me.” And the time has come.

Of course, the responsibility of those members of Israel who have a point in the heart is different from the responsibility of those who do not have this point, who have not been awakened yet. However, this obligation is incumbent on everyone, and the external pressure of AHP, the nations of the world, is aimed precisely at making Galgalta ve Eynaim correct themselves. This pressure will only keep growing. The more we fall behind, the more AHP wants because egoism constantly grows and becomes more and more empty. That is why the pressure on Galgalta ve Eynaim will become stronger. That is how the nations indirectly incite Israel to accelerate its correction.

Therefore, people with a point in the heart, meaning the spiritual Israel, and just the Jews, the material Israel, have to actualize the correction upon themselves and attract the Light for AHP. You can’t do anything to change this fact because we are talking about a single vessel whose parts are interconnected in this way.

Question: Does this mean that two processes have to occur simultaneously?

Answer: I don’t see two processes occurring here. At the end of the “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Baal HaSulam writes about two parts of Israel: the internal and the external. The inner part are “the workers of the Creator,” those who desire to serve Him. They also divide into two parts: the inner part, those who wish to attain the intention for the sake of bestowal, and the external part, which makes material actions. Besides them, Israel also includes people who don’t know anything and aren’t interested in anything.

Similarly, the nations of the world also include two parts. The inner part wants to join us and belongs to Israel, even though it is called “Israel in the nations of the world.” And the external part is indifferent to this and feels only the troubles of this world. But we also have to awaken these people, so they will at least avoid making great mistakes in the future and will save themselves from annihilation and grave problems. That is how they join us.

In the end, correction is intended precisely for this external part—AHP. They are the goal of creation. The top priority is the will to enjoy, while Israel is not the goal of creation, but just its correction.

This is what our entire work has to be aimed at: correcting ourselves in order to bring correction to the world. This is the meaning of “a kingdom of priests.” We are servants, we serve the world.
From the lesson on 5/13/11, “A Discourse On Wisdom” by Ramchal

Filed under: Egoism, Israel, Kabbalah Dissemination, Prayer and Intention, Q&A, Spirituality, Suffering, Torah, World - 1 Comment →

Question: Is it possible to define in two sentences the concept of unity to which people can aspire?

Answer: Unity is an action that turns all of humanity into an integral part of nature. Thus, we reassure nature—inside and outside us—and all together abide in peace and balance with all the forces.

Everything becomes calm in a psychological sense, in mechanical, biological, zoological, and other interactions. At every level, all the forces come to equilibrium. There is nothing better than the state of equilibrium. It is a harmony between all the parts which finally feel a real life instead of a struggle between them.

There are plenty of such examples in nature. It is a fact accepted by nearly all natural scientists, as well as sociologists and psychologists. We do not need to try too hard because today, many people are already thinking in that direction.

However, because of everyone’s individual egoism, they cannot unite to make it public, to confirm their vision in front of everyone. Even if they tried, their words would be completely powerless due to the lack of spirit in them.

The public explanation is entrusted solely to us, and no one can intercept this prerogative. They do understand, but are not able to organize and reach people. This task is assigned to us.

Question: Exactly what allows us to explain what is happening to humanity?

Answer: It is the internal connection with the source of good, with the source that performs correction. This is what no one but us has.

We cannot pass this task to anybody else. We do not hold it to ourselves; it’s simply that no one else can realize it. The explanation has to come from the connection with the upper one.
[46647]
From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/26/2011, “Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah)”

Related Material:
Falling Asleep In The Enemy’s Grip
From Separation To Unity
Man Is The Only Thing In Reality That Needs Correcting

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Kabbalah Dissemination, Q&A - No Comments →

The Torah starts with the condition of loving another as yourself. Under this condition a person comes from love for the other to love for the Creator and reaches adhesion. And adhesion with the upper force is the purpose of creation that we have to reach.

Granted, we cannot talk about this when we’re disseminating to the masses. We hide this part in the same way that we do not tell children the entire truth about our world all at once. We gradually, as much as it is possible, disclose the truth to the parts of desire or the people who are not ready to hear it in full. We tell them what they can accept, what is close to them, and what will benefit them. And then, as they grow, we reveal to them more and more.

According to the principle of love for the other, I should come to a state when all desires of another become more important and greater to me than my own. I use my desires, my forces, to service the other, in order to fulfill his desires.

Indeed, we are built in such a way that we can fulfill the desires of the other by means of our own desires, but only through the Creator. I have nothing to give to others, but if I turn to the Creator in order to satisfy the desires of another, my vessel will suddenly appear to be designed precisely for this: to establish a connection with the Creator and receive from Him what I intend to give to the other.

Thus, the action starts from the other whose desires I want to accept as my own, above myself, to raise his desires along with my own to the Creator, to receive forces and fulfillment from Him, and give them to the other.

This reminds us about what we study during the lessons: Malchut ascends to Zeir Anpin and rises together with him to Bina. They are also called two brothers; one of them is the first born who takes twice as much in order to grow up and be ready to perform a Zivug (coupling) that will allow carrying the Light to the lower one. This is what happens in our relationships as well. All the souls act in this manner.

Thus, anyone who bestows to the other takes the form of Zeir Anpin. And everyone who receives takes the form of Malchut, Shechina, which connects to Zeir Anpin, to the upper one, the giving friend. Thus, we actualize the theory which we study during the lessons on The Study of the Ten Sefirot.
[46661]
From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/27/2011, “Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah)”

Related Material:
Authentic Altruism And Humanitarian Help
Why Love My Friend More Than Myself?
Kindling The Spark Of Light

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Inner Work, Kabbalah Dissemination - No Comments →

Question: How can people who don’t feel any aspiration for spirituality be able to reach it if this requires a latent memory about it, a forgotten taste? Why do they suffer uselessly?

Answer: People do suffer uselessly, and that is why we have to bring to them the method of development without the blows. Then even if a person does not have spiritual genes (information about previous states), he will receive them from others thanks to the mutual inclusion.

It’s like in our world when you are resting in an armchair in front of the TV with a cup of coffee, watching a soccer game, and you think that you don’t need anything more. But suddenly they show you some commercial that convinces you that you absolutely need some object. You immediately forget all about soccer and start thinking about how to buy that thing. The advertisement takes away your sense of tranquility and awakens your desires.

We do not understand just how dependent we are on the influence of the environment. If we did not have that influence, we would be like animals in a forest. After all, according to the desires of our bodies, we don’t need anything besides the vital necessities.

Everything that is beyond the boundaries of necessity are things we wish for only due to the influence of society, which pressures me and convinces me that I need one thing, and another, and a third, and then I feel like I have to obtain those things.

If from every direction, via all the means of mass information, society now starts telling me that I need spirituality, then besides the simple necessities of this animate body, all I will need is spirituality. This is all we have to do—place ourselves under the influence of the right environment. And I don’t need anything else! It’s not necessary for the spiritual gene to awaken in me because the external environment will perform all of that work.

Spiritual genes awaken in special people who suddenly receive that kind of infusion from above and dash forward. This is special care from above. But others have to develop only by virtue of the environment.

Therefore, if we don’t build the right environment around all of humanity, if we don’t disseminate this knowledge across the whole world, then the world will have to advance only by the price of enormous suffering.
From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/24/11, “General Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”

Related Material:
“Call Upon Him While He Is Near”
The Matrix Does Not Wait
Our Meeting Place With Humanity

Filed under: Body and Soul, Crisis, Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Education, Kabbalah Dissemination, Q&A, Society, Spirituality, Suffering, World - 1 Comment →

Question: Participating in Hebrew Book Week, I observed an interesting phenomenon: A person walks by the book stand, sees the book Unlocking The Zohar, and his reaction shows that he was waiting for this moment all his life. He looks at the book, not daring take it in his hands, then he walks by, and circles back to return to it. It is obvious that there is an internal struggle.

Many people hesitate to take this book, feeling some fear as they face it, although subconsciously something tells them that the truth is hidden in it. They even walk away with pain that they did not take the book with them. How do you explain this fear?

Answer: This is one of the problems which we have to cope with and to help people overcome this fear. This is correction. Nobody is to blame, as it is said: “Go to the Craftsman who made me.”

We exist in the egoistic nature which has to feel denial, fear, rejection of what is supposed to bring us correction. This becomes dressed in some kind of fear of the book and the results of reading it, as if it can harm us. In essence, this is preparation for correction.

This fear arises not because people were told about the prohibition to touch the book. Nothing happens without a reason. On the contrary, our ego, our will to enjoy, prepared us in such a way that we keep a certain distance from corrections.

There is no choice: We will have to work on it, explain it, and put effort into it. But in any case, do not blame anybody. No one did this on purpose. The very nature of our ego, of our will to enjoy, sets us against everything associated with correction, forcing us to stay as far as possible from it.

It is worthwhile to study this behavior. A modern young man who is not worried about anything suddenly feels an inexplicable fear before The Zohar. This is nature. Even if he did not hear anything about this book, he discovers in himself some primeval, medieval prejudices, as if he is not a modern person any more.
[46122]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/22/2011, The Zohar

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Kabbalah Dissemination, Q&A, Zohar - 1 Comment →

Question: Can we use the reading of The Book of Zohar to correct very difficult conditions in which many people in the world find themselves today? The wisdom of Kabbalah has been revealed, and everybody may read The Zohar. Would it help a person who does not feel the need for the group, studying, and understanding?

Answer: We have to realize that in reality, the use of the wisdom of Kabbalah is effective only if a person wants to advance towards correction. We see that time passes until people who come to study the wisdom of Kabbalah join the group and begin to understand and hear what is going on. These are very slow, internal, stage-by-stage changes in a person.

Hence, we need to understand that “Segula,” “a special effect of the Light,” starts much earlier than a person realizes that he or she is under its influence. The Light that Reforms works on him or her like on a baby who does not know yet how he is developing, for what,  or to where he should advance. He is attracted by an interesting game and plays with his toys; this is our environment.

We are in the group, and this is our environment. There are people who do not have a group, but it does not matter. The key is that in some way they use the means of attracting the Light that Reforms: The Book of Zohar, the works of Baal HaSulam, Rabash’s articles and letters, Kabbalistic music, songs.

Thus, reading The Book of Zohar in any condition, even if a person is not thinking yet about the group and unity, but wants to improve his life, still helps. If the entire world has already entered the stage of development whereby we must achieve unity among us, then any use of the sources that bring the correcting Light is beneficial.

Not everybody has to sit together with us and thousands of people around the world during our morning lessons. We also have to awaken people who have no connection with us, who have never heard that one should study for the sake of unity among people. Baal HaSulam says that we have entered the period of  the Messiah, and the entire humankind must advance in this direction.

Hence, it is desirable for a person to be connected with the primary sources even without any intentions.
[46130]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/22/2011, The Zohar

Related Material:
How To Enter The Book Of Zohar
The Zohar Is The Link To The Upper Force
The Secret Code Of The Zohar

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Inner Work, Kabbalah Dissemination, Kabbalah Study, Q&A, Zohar - No Comments →

Question: I feel as if we are sitting at the bedside of a dying person, discussing what painkiller we should give him. Our priority is to engage the Light through studying. And yet, where Israel is concerned, we seem to be stuck.

Answer: Here, we receive blows in another form; therefore, we should approach people in a different way. We need to make them aware of what is going on in Europe and other parts of the world, while explaining to them how threatening these processes will be when they reach our country.

In Israel, they will manifest not in the economy collapsing but in pressure from outside, in problems with security. It is not about food and jobs; the reckoning will be done not at this level but at the level of our mission, our duty before the world. This is what we have to make people aware of.

However, at present, the nation is not ready for it in the slightest degree. Therefore, they will simply cover their ears and won’t even look at you. For now, at least they do not resent you. But if you start pushing them to take action, they will simply turn away from you. It is one thing “to join the good,” and it’s completely another matter to hear about troubles that obligate us to do something about them. “Who are you to tell us that, anyway?”

Many circles will be happy to see such turn of events and will want to crush you. On the other hand, while you are still talking about love, they have something to worry about.

Hence, we have to use a very fine approach in this case. Today, I don’t feel an impulse to make any drastic moves toward disseminating in Israel. It will only turn people away from us. For the time being, they are not willing and will not hear more. Unfortunately, this is what we are working with so far. By adding some “heat” to it, from good Samaritans, we will turn into moralists and preachers in their eyes.

We must take the path of love and good instead of forcing them into the mutual guarantee: “Let’s take care of, love, and unite with one another.” No posters with slogans: “Did you sign the guarantee?!” No, we desire to be guarantors for you.

We can’t approach this nation in any other way—only with love. Only if people begin to feel that circumstances are pressing them down will we be able to explain from where and why this pressure is put upon us.
[46151]
From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/22/2011, “Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah)”

Related Material:
Pouring Out The Warmth Of Our Hearts
The Path To The Heart Of The World
Falling Asleep In The Enemy’s Grip

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Israel, Kabbalah Dissemination, Q&A - 1 Comment →

Question: If I buy two pieces of bread but eat only one, does it mean that I am stealing the other roll from somebody else?

Answer: Yes, it does. We don’t know yet how precisely pre-calculated everything is. However, we are set to go through 125 degrees of development, and right now, you are not expected to make any calculations, which you are unable to do anyway. And yet, you are able to comprehend the situation: We reside in an integral system, a global interdependent world. Whether we like it or not, Nature, or the Creator, is educating us about it by sending us blows if we are unwilling to acknowledge the obvious in advance.

We can’t gain any surplus for ourselves other than by depriving somebody else. For instance, Earth has a certain amount of fresh water left in its store, and if you consume more than the others, obviously it will be at their expense. This is how Nature teaches us how interconnected we are. But if we study this interconnection with our inner, spiritual consciousness, working cooperatively, we won’t need to be taught by famines and catastrophes on the path of suffering. What for?

Employing global education, we can explain to the whole humanity that we are all brothers since we are all tightly connected with and dependent on each other. In the words of Baal HaSulam, the entire world is one family. Hence, we cannot act at each other’s expense because you are not only stealing from them (which we can’t afford to do any longer), but in so doing, you also are depriving yourself of the spiritual world.

Look what you will achieve by learning to apply the law of society balanced by basic consumption. “What do billionaires have but the zeros in the bank?” Baal HaSulam asks. After all, when the economy collapses, you will have nothing left.

“Wait, but I own a 30 million dollar masterpiece!” That’s great, but the problem is that nobody needs it. You can eat it for dinner if you’d like. “But I have a few pounds of gold in my safe!” Good, but there is no one to purchase it, so what are you going to do? Previously, it had some value and you could buy a truck full of food with it, but today nobody needs your gold.

We will have to study very hard if we don’t educate humanity in advance. Educate them about what? We have to teach them about the simple things: to introduce them to the new reality governed by global interdependence, integration, and reciprocity, where everybody depends on one another.

Take a look at Europeans who are about to disband and split. They don’t understand that the general trend is pushing them back and tearing the ties is impossible. Even the “common wealth market,” which in reality is nothing more than an ego driven bazaar of thieves where everyone hates the other, was still facilitating at least external connections. Europe cancelled the borders and hammered its own coin embossed with their collective egoism on it. That was a certain degree of progress.

This is what we have to explain. The time has come; we are literally invited, “called out to the board.” We must put forth our best effort in educating the world, stop waiting for something else, and begin working in our full capacity.
[46154]
From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/22/2011, “Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah)”

Related Material:
Systematic Limitations
Education For The New World
Defining Vital Necessities

Filed under: Crisis, Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Kabbalah Dissemination, Society, World - 2 Comments →

Question: How can we explain to people the difference between the right kind of unity and the wrong kind?

Answer: We are simply saying, “Let’s get to know nature.” I do not want to divide humanity into those who unite correctly and those who do it incorrectly, and I don’t want to analyze anyone personally. That is why we are setting up contacts with scientists—in order to show everyone what nature is. And you can decide for yourselves what to do next. Just know that the degree of your similarity to nature determines how many disasters you will receive from it. The greater is the equivalence, the less troubles and the more pleasures are waiting for you.

Everyone has to have a clear understanding of what the source of their suffering is. Humanity is asking this question, and we will give it the answer. In our times it is already possible to explain things. Previously it was impossible to explain anything because we first had to reach the maximal, global, integral egoism. But today we have reached this level and therefore we can explain the general picture of what is happening to people.

From here on we will explain it in increasingly easier words, reformulating it again and again, and using this as a basis to explain the source of people’s problems in their family, with their children, with their health, at the bank, at work, on the roads, with one’s self, and so on.

After all, the general nature is essentially your entire life. Inside of this picture you will be able to find your attitude to everything, including football, work, and death….

However, you are still not expressing yourself in this picture. Newton revealed the law of gravity thanks to an apple that fell. However, the law operated before that as well. Similarly, it would be good if someone would “get it” and recognize the universal law of nature in order to tell the world about it. But if we wait for this to happen without giving a preliminary “presentation,” then we will pay too high a price.

By now I can already talk about this with anyone. The knowledge is in my hands, but let’s check it together. It belongs to everyone and if everyone learns it, we will all win. So let’s see whether or not I am right.

This is a very sound, scientific approach, pure of any personal biases. And I am willing to check myself as well. Most importantly, look at what is being revealed by a science that has reached us through many millennia. And it is especially relevant to the present moment, to whether or not we will have the means to live tomorrow, whether we will survive or fall in war.

In short, from the entire picture of nature, you cite the facts that confirm how everything aspires to unity. All of the still, vegetative, and animate nature is in balance, in homeostasis, in a fine interaction between different species. It seems to us that they simply eat each other, but in reality this is mutual existence. That is how the cells in our bodies exist as well.

Obviously, it is not simple to raise people slightly above their current level, but there is no other choice. You cannot leave them on the “animate” level and keep them on the infusion of the upper Light to change them from the inside. They have to come a bit closer to it themselves as well.

You come closer to them by trying to give them explanations that are as simple as possible, while the Creator will awaken their interest or even nudge them forward with blows so they would gain a greater awareness of the modern troubles and will be more willing to listen to the rationale. Then you will meet in some place: You with your maximally simplified explanations, and they with the attention span they are capable of having.
From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/26/11, “Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah)”

Related Material:
Nature Is Always Right. So What’s It Saying?
The Connecting Link
Falling Asleep In The Enemy’s Grip

Filed under: Crisis, Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Education, Egoism, Evolution, Kabbalah Dissemination, Q&A, Science, Suffering, Unity, World - 1 Comment →