Question: What do I do if I am feeling everything is great, if I don’t have a desire to rise to a more exalted state?

Answer: Let’s take a convention, for example, after which we felt a descent, it was an opportunity to reach an authentic plea, a cry, a prayer. It may be that we need more such actions. Think about it before going to bed and when you get up to attend a lesson, ask yourself: “What for? Why? How?”

Kabbalists suggest that we should take lesson preparation very seriously and take hours if necessary. Preparation is more than the lesson itself. The Light doesn’t require much time; a person doesn’t need to study all day long; one or two hours is enough. If during the day a person keeps building the intention and preparing himself for the encounter with the Light, then what matters occurs in mere minutes.
[36145]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/23/2011, Writings of Rabash

Related Material:
Bad News For Egoism
Keep Going And It Will Be Revealed
The Elevating Force Of Desire

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Inner Work, Kabbalah Study, Prayer and Intention, Q&A - No Comments →

We must change in order to attain the Creator since we attain Him in new vessels of perception, in new desires. Obviously, the desires themselves are not new, but they connect within us in a new way.

We have the desire to receive pleasure and the desire to bestow. In order to reveal the Creator, we must create such a connection between these desires within ourselves that would enable us to recognize Him. The Creator has 125 consecutive forms of revelation, when He reveals Himself to us closer and closer, sharper and sharper. It is 125 degrees, along which we ascend and become able to see and feel Him more and more.

How do we find the Creator? As soon as we create a connection between our desire to receive pleasure and the desire to bestow, where the will to bestow would rule over the will to receive at the first spiritual degree by giving it a form similar to the Creator, we instantly see the Creator through these desires and their unity.

In other words, I must create within me a common property between the desire to enjoy and the desire to bestow so that it becomes identical, equal, and adequate to the Creator at the first, the smallest degree of His revelation. In that case, I will see, understand, and feel Him.

In our world, there are various phenomena as well. To understand them, I have to become more intelligent, acquire additional sense, and study some more. Then, I will start sensing what is going on, in what way, and what these phenomena are.

The same happens in the wisdom of Kabbalah. In order to arouse a merger, a mutual permeation of the desire to receive and the desire to bestow in each of us at the first spiritual degree and further on, at all 125 degrees, I need the Light which would make this change in me. I, myself, am unable to perform it since while I am at the lowest degree; I do not have the slightest idea of what I must become at the next one, like a baby that doesn’t know how it will look when it is one year old.

This is why we are given the studies. We must sit and learn from the authentic sources, and the most powerful source from which to draw the Light is The Book of Zohar. When we study this book together, it is regarded as “faith above reason” if while doing so, everyone thinks about how he will unify with the others. This is because in the connection between us, we create the Creator’s form, the correct pairing between the will to receive and the will to bestow so that the desire to bestow rules over the desire to receive, thereby giving it the right form.

If I wish for it to occur during the studies, it is sufficient. There isn’t a greater commandment, and there is nothing more vital. In that case, I draw the Light so that it would align these desires for me.

It is the Light that performs it. I don’t need to know anything else. So does a small child wish to grow, and that’s why he runs, plays, and does whatever he may. So do I, like a child, do whatever it takes only to get the Light to come, reform me, and bring me back to the source, to the Creator.
[35681]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/18/2011, “Introduction of The Book of Zohar”

Related Material:
Behind The Words Of The Zohar
A Step Between The Worlds
Happy Are Those Who Study Kabbalah

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Inner Work, Kabbalah Study, Perception, Zohar - No Comments →

The study of Kabbalah holds a special quality. The Light, meaning the force of correction contained in Kabbalistic books, brings a person back to the source.

The Light is the inner essence of the method, and that is why the science of Kabbalah is called the inner part of the Torah. When we study it, we awaken the inner Light concealed in the study, in the group, and in our interconnection. This force really builds the connection between us, bringing desirable changes to every person. As a result, the intention of bestowal comes to replace the egoistic intention above all of one’s desires.

Together with the group, a person constantly thinks about the state he is in during the preparation to the study, and during the study itself he demands changes by means of the Light that Reforms. This is all he needs. Only this kind of preparation touches on his free choice, the only free action in his life in this world and on the entire ladder of the spiritual degrees.

Therefore, it is best to focus on this as much as possible, talk about this with yourself as much as possible, and thus discern all of the details so they become clearer and more heartfelt. That is how they will finally enable us to detach from words and shift to feelings and inner understanding. Then all of this will live inside of us as an extremely important foundation of being, the only thing we should care for. Everything else will come along of its own accord.

Then I will see that my entire life and the entire life of the world revolve around this axis in order to bring everyone to this decisive moment—each person in conformity with the root of his soul, more or less powerfully. The Creator’s goal is to bring every person to this point.

No matter what I received at birth or what I have attained thus far, this was given to me from Above. However, now, being in the group, I have to elevate the importance of the goal—bestowal and unity with the Creator. This is done by means of studying in the right environment where I demand the Light, the “miraculous quality.” If a person does not stop thinking about this, then he realizes his life as efficiently as possible.
[36261]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/24/11, Writings of Rabash

Related Material:
Light For The “Wise Of Heart”
Tuning To The Wave Of Bestowal
Only Free Will You Realize You Were A Slave

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Free Will, Kabbalah Study - No Comments →

The only thing we can take from our study is to turn it into a “miraculous quality” (Segula), to attract “the Light that Reforms” to us. That is why we choose to study the books recommended to us by Kabbalists, the people who have already realized their correction, have attained the revelation of the Creator, adhesion with Him, the upper attainment, and have returned to the root of their soul.

That is to say, they carried out their task, which is incumbent on every person in this world, and attained their finally corrected state, Gmar Tikkun, the world of Infinity, unity with the Creator. That is why we listen to their instructions, and what they advise us is to study only the Kabbalistic books because they contain the Light that Reforms.

The Light contained in other books that also speak about the spiritual world (such as Torah, Mishnah, and Talmud) is insufficiently powerful to return our souls to the source. That does not mean they do not have spirituality! They were all written by great Kabbalists who had spiritual attainment, but these books are not intended to give us the force of correction. That is why we use them only as a small addition, while the entire study is based on The Book of Zohar with Baal HaSulam’s commentaries, as well as Talmud Eser Sefirot.

These are precisely the books that bring us the surrounding Light that is most suitable for the souls of our generation and have the force to correct us. A person who studies these books is called a sage or “a student of a sage” (Talmid Hacham) because he learns from the Creator (a sage) about the quality of bestowal. That person is “wise of heart” because he wants to correct his “heart,” his will to enjoy in order to turn it into a vessel for the Light of Hochma.

That is how we regard our study, group, teacher, dissemination, and our entire lives, so all of it will turn into a means to acquire this “miraculous force” (Segula), the Light that Reforms. This is the only thing we should think about from morning to night and from night to morning! After all, a person’s entire success in life depends on this Light.
[36181]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/23/11, “Introduction to the book Panim Meirot uMasbirot”

Related Material:
Light Is Poison For Egoism
Not A Magic Trick, But Precise Spiritual Physics
A Miraculous Transformation Of The Zohar

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Kabbalah Study, Kabbalistic Sources, Zohar - No Comments →

On the spiritual path I ask myself what seems like an insolvable question about how to overcome my evil inclination, egoism. Kabbalists tell you, "You have to try." Understand this: The Creator really is opposite to your nature; the quality of bestowal is extremely hateful to you; you cannot even think about love for the neighbor, not to mention its implementation.

So what should you do? Move gradually. Make actions that will bring you to the prayer. Resort to all possible means and tricks in order to nevertheless feel the importance of the quality of bestowal and to place it above the quality of reception. Even if it’s repulsive to your nature, even if you feel that you don’t want to bestow because you find bestowal very bitter to the taste, then at least with your mind you will nevertheless begin to value this quality for its height and greatness for the fact that it is the quality of the Creator. It governs the world and it is respected by the environment which you have entered.

By using various tricks, you will evoke the Light that Reforms. In other words, by studying, working in the group, and disseminating, you will prepare your intention: “I want the influence of the Light. I want the Light, the force of bestowal that created my desire, meaning the force of reception, to influence me, to influence my desire, and to add the intention of bestowal to it.”

You do not know exactly what you are asking for, but try it anyway. After all, you want to reveal the Creator, meaning the quality of bestowal. You want to feel the upper world, to live in the quality of bestowal. You want to reveal the common Kli, the common soul, meaning to live with the care for all the other desires, which will become revealed to you in the form of the system of the single soul. Gradually, thanks to the intention before and during the study, together with the friends you will reach something called a “miracle” and will begin to feel that more and more, you really do respect and value the quality of bestowal.

Suddenly, it becomes very important to you. It reigns in the whole world because bestowal does not have to be expressed. It is primary; in fact, it is the entire life force in all of reality. This quality supports the still level, raises the vegetative level, gives vital forces to the animate level, and gives man unity and connection with the Creator.

When this “miracle” happens to a person, he suddenly feels love and connection with that quality. A special feeling emerges inside of him in relation to the quality of bestowal. He is ready to receive from it everything that it wants to give, to do anything just to become similar to it and to give it pleasure. A person feels that he is able to do this and that he thereby brings goodness to the quality of bestowal, the Creator.

All of this happens inside of me under the influence of the Light. However, it only happens to the extent of my efforts, in conformity with their quality and quantity. Before studying, I prepare myself by asking: What am I studying for? Why am I opening up the book? The answer is that it’s only in order to acquire the quality of bestowal, to reveal the force of bestowal, to reveal the Creator and merge with Him. In other words, it’s in order to unite with the force of bestowal so it will rule inside of me, so it would turn into my intention above the desire.

That is how a person advances until the entire egoistic desire becomes revealed in him, whereas the force of bestowal will become an intention to him, the bestowing desire above the receiving desire. Then the receiving desire and the intention for the sake of bestowal will be together and a person will reach adhesion with the Creator.

That is how we realize ourselves correctly. It is written about this that “Israel carries out the Creator’s will.”
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/23/11, Writings of Rabash

Related Material:
Revolution Invisible To All Others
“Woman” And “Man” Are Two Forces Leading To The Creator
In The Infinite Reaches Of Emptiness

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Egoism, Kabbalah Study, Love, Prayer and Intention - No Comments →

Question: If our spiritual advancement does not depend on theoretical knowledge of the structure of the worlds and Partzufim, why then do we discuss it in such detail and ask questions during the TES (Talmud Eser Sefirot) lessons?

Answer: If you understand something about the structure of the world incorrectly, it won’t prevent you from spiritual advancement. But it is necessary to study in order to draw the Light.

Due to your aspiration to understand what it is written in The Study of Ten Sefirot, you will want to reveal this state and experience the spiritual worlds yourself. You will eventually realize that without true revelation, you will not understand anything.

You should use all your eagerness to understand what is written in order to finally realize that understanding comes not in the mind but solely through the revelation. And when you start wishing for this revelation, you will receive correction. In truth, revelation implies authentic sensation and not some theoretical comprehension by way of reason. When you get to know the spiritual world, you will understand it based on your own experience, which is regarded as “the heart understands.”

But at present, you are trying to understand by way of reason where and what Sefira is located geometrically, where it goes up and down along the squares on the paper, instead of thinking how they are connected by their properties, their internal essence.

It is very important to be aware of this; otherwise, you will lose big time. You will lose not some few Sefirot drawn on the chart on the paper—you will lose the Light that Reforms.
[35606]
From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/17/2011, Talmud Eser Sefirot

Related Material:
Anticipating The Light That Reforms
Focusing On Quality
Yearning For The Light

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

When reading The Zohar we have to focus on the connection between the souls because that is exactly where the breaking occurred. We have to imagine the corrected state in which we attain unity among the souls.

The souls are the aspirations to reveal the Creator. Every person who has this aspiration has to desire to increase it by connecting with others. Then he receives the same aspiration from them, and that way he grows.

It is known that with the help of hatred, passion, and the lust for power, we can be impressed by the friends’ aspiration to unite with the Creator, to reveal Him. This is exactly what we want to “buy” from them.

Therefore, during the study each of us desires to attach to himself the group’s entire aspiration to reveal the Creator. This is possible only in the unity between us. After all, I cannot steal a friend’s aspiration. But if I connect with him, then each of us already has the common force. And then, once we combine enough forces, each of us can attain the revelation of the Creator.

However, a connection between us cannot emerge only because I want to unite with my friend’s aspiration. I do not have the strength to connect with him. I need the Light to perform this action.

We are in a broken state where there is no connection among us. I want this connection to emerge, and then with the common force, I attain revelation. This is what we have to think about while reading The Book of Zohar. Everything we study in The Zohar are just corrected forms of connection among us.
[36068]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/22/11, The Zohar

Related Material:
Soldering By The Upper Light
The Place Where The Creator Is Revealed
The Environment Is My Soul

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Inner Work, Kabbalah Study, Unity, Zohar - No Comments →

We read The Zohar and understand none of it. And it’s true, there is nothing for us to understand there. After all, it is for the people who already attained spirituality and feel the spiritual world.

They are already in the state where the force of bestowal, not the force of the will to receive, defines their internal life. In their case, the mind works differently; they have a different kind of sight; they see the spiritual world, and hence, understand what the Book is describing.

In fact, the Book is written for those who live in spirituality, and therefore, a person who enters it can understand it. And someone who lives only in the material world cannot since it describes a completely different world that I know nothing about, haven’t heard of or seen. And hence, these words don’t tell me anything.

What do I do? I can only desire to enter that world, not to understand it intellectually. If while reading The Zohar I constantly think about how to make it effect me and that is my sole desire, it is enough! It is regarded as “Segula” (a “miraculous remedy”). When after all these efforts I will suddenly receive the force of the Light and start sensing what is happening in the spiritual world, I will read or listen to the Book and understand what it is describing.

Then, I will engage my mind as well since at that point I will sense the spiritual world. Using my awareness, I will start working on the sensation. But if I don’t experience a certain phenomenon, how can I work on it mindfully? After all, awareness results from a feeling. In the mind, we only connect the phenomena that fall into the field of our vision and sensation.

Therefore, before anything else, we must start sensing the spiritual world and only afterward start studying it. As a matter of fact, until then we have nothing to feel. Do we have any idea what stands behind each word of The Zohar and what each of them points to: an “ox,” a “whole ox,” a “throne,” and so on? What ox and what throne? These are spiritual forces that carry such names. But it means nothing to me.

The entire spiritual world is the world of forces. The whole material world is a picture that these forces draw on my material screen. Therefore, we should think solely about how to experience what we are reading about. I must ask to feel rather than to understand. And that is possible only if we are together, create one desire between us, and strive for the Light to affect this desire and project a picture onto it.

The integral desire is like a computer screen, while the Light is like an electromagnetic force that draws an image on this screen. I want it to happen! And this is regarded as revealing the Creator to the created being.

[35678]

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/18/2011, “Introduction of The Book of Zohar”

Related Material:
Keep Going And It Will Be Revealed
Where Can You “Buy” Aspiration?
Don’t Add Too Much Spice!

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Inner Work, Kabbalah Study, Love, Perception, Zohar - No Comments →

When reading The Zohar we must always think about the connection between us, and based on this constant, powerful thought we should just slightly hear the text, as much as it is possible as an addition, a spice. The thought about unity has to be powerful and unceasing. Only to the extent we are able to do so should we add the text to it, meaning the thought about it and the sensation of it. It has to be done only on the condition that this foundation, the constant thought about unity, does not disappear or grow weaker.

We can easily be in the right intention if only we know that The Zohar, just as all of the Torah, speaks only about the types of connection between us. Therefore, everything we study and everything we now want to see as a result of our work – unification among us, types of our connection, its special characteristics, everything happening between us – this is what The Book of Zohar tells us about.

Therefore, we are talking about the same point – the point of unity between myself and others. This point contains all the possible kinds of connections between me and everyone. This is what the Torah talks about.

Therefore, if I direct myself correctly, then I understand that it is talking only about this: What kinds of connections exist among us? How can I connect? How can I attain this?

In that case we want to attain what we study, even though we do not know it. Out of the aspiration to attain it, to unite into an integral desire or Kli , and to discern all the kinds of connection that the Torah tells us about, the Light that Reforms comes and creates that connection, bringing it to light. Then we reveal it in actuality.
[35967]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/21/11, The Zohar

Related Material:
Soldering By The Upper Light
Attaining The Wisdom Of Creation
We Work With The Friends, But We Mean The Creator

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Kabbalah Study, Kabbalistic Sources, Prayer and Intention, Torah, Unity, Zohar - No Comments →

It is necessary to constantly remember that we are reading The Zohar only in order for our desires for unity to connect under the influence of the Light. All I can do is aspire toward unity, expecting that by reading The Zohar and Talmud Eser Sefirot, the Light will connect us together. I have to imagine that besides me, everyone is one. And I am the only one who has to become included in everyone.

I am unable to do this alone. This “click,” connecting me with everyone, can only happen as a result of the study. That is how when soldering two wires we place them together and influence the place of contact with high temperature, smelting them with a welding alloy that connects them.

That is why I bring myself to contact with the group and imagine that I connect with them. I expect that the study will solder us in the point of our connection.
[35971]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/21/11, The Zohar

Related Material:
Don’t Add Too Much Spice!
The Formula Of Infinity
What Is Light?

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Inner Work, Kabbalah Study, Prayer and Intention, Unity, Zohar - No Comments →