The Creator created desire with the help of the Light. Light impacts the desire and delivers His qualities to it in a way that everything that is good in the Light becomes negative in desire. Good portrays itself as lack, need, demand, and emptiness; whereas inside the Light, the same things manifest themselves as a desire to bestow.

In other words, things that in the Light are as abundance and salience turn into the opposite, a concavity, in the  desire.

Both parts are similar to each other and at the same time they have a contrary nature: Everything there is in the Creator’s desire to bestow exists in the creation in the shape of the desire to receive.

The goal of the creation is to transform the sensation of emptiness (the desire to receive) into similarity with the Creator.

How can this be achieved? If we simply fill desire it won’t become similar to the Creator (the Light); rather, fulfillment will downgrade desire since it becomes even more opposite to the Light because it actively receives. The Light is perfect; it constantly bestows, therefore, a plain fulfillment of the creation won’t solve the problem.

How can we make the desire to receive similar to the desire to bestow if we don’t employ the Creator’s mode of action, bestowal? All the Creator does is bestow and fulfill the creation; the creation is incapable of interacting with the Light in any other way except receiving from It.

The problem is to establish the right connection between them—not between the two actions but rather between the essence of the Creator and the essence of the creation.

This means that we have to compare them with each other, not from the point of view of their actions, but rather, from the angle of their attitude towards each other; it doesn’t matter that one is constantly receiving from the other, whereas the other is permanently bestowing. They complete each other, and as a result of this fulfillment, they sense internal connection between themselves; it is irrelevant who is the giving party and who is on the receiving end. This is similar to a mother and child: she gives him everything she can, but in return she gets back even more since she is connected with the child through love.

This is where a sensation of love happens and comes from. If we choose to consider these two compelling actions that happen between the Creator and the creation as indispensable, we have to build a superstructure above them.

How do we make them connect through these two actions and become similar with each other? How can we unite the goal, the essence of the Creator, with the essence of the creation?

Originally, the Creator desires to fulfill his creation and provide it with everything. He is filled with the property of love. That’s the reason why changes do not apply to the Creator whatsoever.

The Creator originated the creation, the universe, the worlds, and all conditions for our existence and activities. On His behalf there is only one thing—constant emanation of Light, positive energy, love, and absolute kindness.

The creation needs to change its attitude towards the world, towards itself, and at the end—towards the Creator because everything there is in this world, in me and around me—comes from the Creator. I have to change myself in a way that I start loving everything that is done by Him in this world and in all of nature. If I switch my attitude from hatred, greediness, and taking advantage of others, to bestowal and love, then through my new attitude towards the Creator’s actions, I will come to love Him.

At this point, I will be able to get for His sake everything that He emanates. So, it turns out to work this way: He fulfills me and gives me a chance to get pleased, whereas I receive from Him and give Him an opportunity to get delighted because I am “using” His love.

When we are close with our loved ones we receive from them, at the same time we do them a favor by allowing them to love us. The same pattern repeats: By receiving from the Creator, we express our love to Him because we are so close. At this point, it doesn’t matter who is the giver and who is a recipient as in the example with the mother and her child.

The main thing is that with the help of these actions they complete each other and bring each other delight.
From the Fundamentals of Kabbalah Lesson 11/6/11

Related Material:
From Opposites To Perfection
The Tastiest Creator!
Attaining The Wisdom Of Creation

Filed under: Kabbalah Study, Lectures, Love - No Comments →

Question: If we can advance in spirituality only by constant acceleration, how can we achieve that?

Answer: We have to “accelerate” our exertion and constantly increase it. Every next level includes the entire previous level in its lowest Sefira, Malchut. Thus the effort multiplies constantly.
[64303]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/26/2011, Writings of Rabash

Related Material:
Acceleration Above Reason
For Spiritual Progress, You Need Constant Acceleration, Not Constant Speed
In Search Of Spiritual Hunger

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

In the News (from The Russian Bazaar): “The number of parents who neglect their young children increased significantly with the onset of the economic crisis. Negligence does not mean child abuse, which the US human rights organizations have been fighting against for years.

“For the most part, parents began to love their children less. People are too focused on finding employment, paying utility bills and debts on loans. One out of five parents is depressed; one in ten abuses alcohol or marijuana.

“The rise of parental neglect happens against the background of the Child-Free movement, whose activists consider children a burden and believe that everyone should live only for oneself. Fathers and mothers cannot understand that education is a very complicated and lengthy process.

“Currently, almost all the states in the country are waiting for the laws and amendments that toughen penalties for parental neglect. Would these innovations actually protect children?”

My Comment: To deal with growing egoism is possible only by means of integral education for everyone, from young to old. Our organization has developed the methods of integral upbringing, and we hope to bring its principles to the general public.
[62932]

Related Material:
Everybody Needs The Correct Upbringing
Will We Go Extinct Like The Dinosaurs?
Learning To Be In Balance With Nature

Filed under: Children, Education, Love, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

Today we come to the question of “what is the meaning of my life?” and suddenly discover the wisdom of Kabbalah. We find it not because we wish to bestow or reach connection, love, and a common concern.

No. We come to it precisely through the question: “What is the meaning of my life? Why do I feel bad?! I want to have power over my life! I want to rise above it, grasp eternity and perfection of nature.” I want, want, want… We come to the wisdom of Kabbalah precisely through egoistic questions, and not by means of a delicate, sensitive soul. On the contrary, we are led by the desire to receive, to take control over our lives.

Thus, when we come to the wisdom of Kabbalah and begin listening to what it talks about, many don’t understand: “Why do we talk about love and unity? Where are we? Is this a kindergarten where we are taught to be good? Is this a society of idealists? What do they want? What are they talking about?!”

Or a person comes to Kabbalah through religion and also doesn’t understand what’s going on: “Who talks about love in religion? It’s true that there are a few similar nice phrases there, but in reality, it’s all about doing actions known to us from childhood.” Today, where is the basis of religions, which once spoke of love, connection among people, mutual help, and equality among everyone? For a long time, each of them talks about what is good for people who use religion for fulfilling their own egoistic needs.

It turns out that through thousands of years we completely forgot about and moved away from the opinion of people who felt the presence of the force of bestowal. We moved away from the basis of religions set thousands years ago, which also talked about the force of bestowal.

In addition to that, our ego got so developed that we don’t even think about that, and all our systems are directed toward earning more to be independent from others and moving away from them like they don’t exist. Everyone is ready to fill the house with servants and household appliances and stay independent from everyone instead of being with his family and close, loving, and supportive people.

Thus, when we come to the wisdom of Kabbalah, it’s extremely difficult to start listening to the words of love and connection. After all, we’re used to the fact that that’s how little kids are taught. We egoistically want them to be better protected and unharmed, and hence teach them not to harm others. We tell them: “You have to love the other, be his friend.” We see that while a person is still young and dependent on others, it’s worthwhile for him to be good and loving, and then everyone loves him as well.

But as children grow, we tell them: “You have to win, be higher than everyone else! Show your strength and your power and you’ll be big!” We begin encouraging the ego inside of him instead of love. Our education is opposite to love.

So it turns out that we are led to Kabbalah by over-satiated and hence suffering egoism.
[63057]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/13/2011, Writings of Rabash

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Egoism, Inner Work, Love, Religion - No Comments →

There are many paths for one to arrive at the question of love and unity. As a rule, the word “love” means something entirely different to us: fulfilling our egoistic desires with food, sex, family, wealth, fame, knowledge, and so on.

“I love” essentially means “I want.” When I want to receive something, it means that I love it, that I want for it to be mine, to bring it closer to me, and fill myself with it. This is what my “love” is all about. To sum up, the inner definition of the word “love” is “I want to receive it.”

This is because we exist in our world that formed after the breaking, as the wisdom of Kabbalah explains. Our entire world is completely egoistic, which is why we decode the notion of “love” as something aimed exclusively at oneself. If I love something, it means that I wish to bring it closer to myself, to feel it, and to fill myself with it. When I fulfill my desire, when I delight in something pleasant, I call it “love.”

By the same token, we have no regard for the other half, the other force existing in reality: the force of bestowal that also contains the same notion of “love.” However, there to love someone means to fulfill them, to bring to them what they want, rather than what I want. This is completely opposite to our understanding of love.

In the past, humans were close to nature and naturally felt that there exists another force in nature, the force of bestowal in which love meant that I consider others and bestow to them. Kabbalists, as do many other people endowed with high sensitivity to nature, have revealed these forces.

And there were many people besides Kabbalists who have felt and discovered for themselves in all kinds of forms that the force of bestowal is no less than the force of reception. They realized that in this other half of reality (in bestowal) the same actions exist as in the force of reception, only their interpretations are different, opposite to those we use here in our world.

We, however, exist only in one half of reality: in reception, the desire to fulfill oneself, as we are a consequence of the breaking of the desires (Kelim). And man remains largely broken, whereas the still, vegetative, and animate levels of nature, as Baal HaSulam writes in “Preface to the Science of Kabbalah (Pticha),” rise and fall together with man, without any calculation concerning themselves, but only to the degree in which they have to facilitate the changes that man must undergo.

Religions and beliefs, from the moment of their inception, have also arisen from the fact that they revealed the other force existing in nature: the force of bestowal. At their core they speak of love and unity. So it was while they remained the lot of a few people. But after they’ve spread in the egoistic masses that are not as sensitive, they have become a set of ceremonies, rituals, and various other actions. At that point they started to be used egoistically: to fulfill oneself, rather than to bring people to unity, love, bestowal, and balance between the two systems.

As time went on and humanity developed throughout history, fueled by the constant growth of egoism in every person and in humanity in general, we have distanced greatly even from that natural understanding that humanity once possessed—from the understanding of bestowal and love inherent to the other half of nature.
[63064]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/13/2011, Writings of Rabash

Related Material:
Love that Egoists Are Not Familiar With
The Force That Shines Within You
Kabbalah Is The Science Of Love

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

The love that the science of Kabbalah reveals to us is a principle of nature. We have to view it as the fundamental force, without which no form of life would ever have emerged.

Two objects can exist only by virtue of mutual bestowal, mutual compassion, balance between them according to equivalence of form, attraction toward one another. Even on the still level of nature, opposite parts—protons and electrons—exist together in one system called an atom, a molecule, and so on.

When uniting more, they begin to work together on the vegetative level, with photosynthesis and other mechanisms inherent to it. There is an exchange of substances and systems accompanying it, and between them—mutual consideration of each other’s interests. After all, they also can’t exist without two forces: attraction and repulsion, reception and bestowal.

Next, on the animate level, these systems of reception and bestowal no longer co-exist within one object, but between different bodies, which have to unite to produce offspring. They depend on one another, help one another, and by virtue of that, life goes on.

Even if this happens instinctively, by nature’s orders for now, we already see how two opposite forces interact in balance with one another. As a whole, the entire complex of the still, vegetative, and animate levels of nature is entirely balanced, and all its parts depend on one another.

However, man differs from these systems greatly: the force of attraction, of reception, stands out in him drastically, being an evil force that he does not balance with the good force. This separates man from the animate world. We stand out in it precisely by means of the evil force instilled in us, which wishes to consume more and more, to acquire and rule. As a result, we become stronger than nature, even though in reality this is a petty advantage.

After all, nature is wise and the two opposite forces in it are balanced. To cause general progress, it activates these forces one after another to develop them while preserving the general balance. On the other hand, man, with his sole, excessive egoism, towers above the animate level, above balance, like a steeple, rising exponentially higher and higher.
[63052]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/13/11, Writings of Rabash

Related Material:
How Do We Protect Ourselves  From Nature?
Hole-Ridden Love
Our Uniqueness

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Egoism, Evolution, Love - No Comments →

Opinion: (French President Nicolas Sarkozy): “He [Sarkozy] said France and every other euro zone country needed to enshrine a budget-balancing ‘golden rule’ in their constitutions, to force stricter fiscal discipline as the bloc strives to reform itself or get left behind.

“‘Europe is no longer a choice. It is a necessity. But the crisis has revealed its weaknesses and its contradictions. Europe must be rethought,’ Sarkozy said.

“‘Let us not hide it, Europe may be swept away by the crisis if it doesn’t get a grip, if it doesn’t change,’ he said, warning that a collapse of the euro would make France’s debt unmanageable and wipe out people’s savings.

“Sarkozy promised that reforming Europe would mean closer inter-governmental cooperation, not handing control to a supra-national body.” (Source: Reuters)

“‘The reform of Europe is not a march towards supra-nationality.’ …’The integration of Europe will go the inter-govermental way because Europe needs to make strategic political choices.'” (Source: Reuters)

My Comment: Of course, it is necessary to pursue a greater integration, as the times demand. The world is getting closer, while countries and people are not, and the lack of balance of society in relation to nature is manifested as a crisis—the crisis of society, not financial and so on. As soon as the EU will decide to unite fully and begin this long process, we will feel how the crisis eases and see new opportunities.
[62600]

Related Material:
Unity Only Among Equals
We Need Unity, And It Is Not There
The Solution To The Crisis Is In Similarity To Nature

Filed under: Children, Crisis, Economy, Education, Egoism, Love - No Comments →

Question: How should the group look at a friend who has the opportunity to go to the convention, but let his egoism stop him from going?

Answer: It’s unfortunate that a person would waste such an opportunity. He simply doesn’t understand what he is losing.

We must understand that for each one of us, the Creator provides certain circumstances. Within these circumstances, we must perform to the utmost of our ability.

Of course, one must weigh out the situation and make sure that he’s not going to lose his job, spend all of his savings to buy a ticket, or get into a conflict with his family. However, after sorting things out, if a person sees the opportunity to go to the convention but does not go, he is not applying the necessary effort for entering the upper world.

Such a person shouldn’t complain to us, to the Creator, or to anyone else. Most of the time, people like this leave us. They try to justify themselves by blaming us and our method, and ultimately, they leave.
[62365]
From Sunday Virtual Lesson Series 11/27/2011

Related Material:
I Am Going To The Convention!
Kabbalah Convention Is The Most Powerful Accelerator Of Growth
The Unique Force Of Kabbalah Conventions

Filed under: Conventions, Group Work, Inner Work, Love, Q&A - No Comments →

Convention Preparation
The only thing that will help us is unity. You depend on others and you know it. You know that the mind and the feeling won’t get you anywhere. They will keep changing, inclining in one direction or another, but with no result. You are like a dead body in a society of friends.

This society buries your egoism in the ground and raises your soul upward. So let it do that. Believe us, you really are dead. So give us the chance to take care of you, to bring you back to life.

Here is what Chaim Vital writes in the book, The Gates of Reincarnation: My teacher (the Ari) warned me and all the friends that were with us in the group that we should take upon us the commandment of love for the neighbor as oneself, and to aspire to love for every person from Israel as to oneself. By virtue of this, one’s prayer is accepted, which is gathered from all of Israel and able to perform a correction above. In our love of friends, every person can become included in the friends like an organ in a body. Our teacher warned us about this very much.

If a person understood that he has no other way to go, that he just has to give himself over to society, he would join the friends and would benefit from it. There is no Kabbalist who did not write about this or pass this on to his students. This is the foundation of our Kli.

We are beginning the practical preparation to the Convention. This is an unusual convention. Everyone sees how special it is, what inner and outer preparatory work we have already done. So let us try to spend the last days and hours before the opening in connection, in unity, in understanding that it’s impossible without this.

I advise you to print out all of the excerpts that we used at the Convention in the Arava desert. Let the friends read them and translate them for one another, let them discuss it in their free time so we won’t have a minute free of unity. These words of Kabbalists are wondrous messages of unity and they have great power. So let them be a basis, a foundation of everything we are doing.

I summon you to understand that no one here is exempt from mutual guarantee. Every person is responsible for everyone. Whether he wants it or not, he was brought to the group, he was appointed a messenger and a responsible person. Even if he is out there, in the external world physically, instead of here, this doesn’t matter, he is responsible for everyone.

Therefore, let’s constantly hold on to the unity, in which we attain the Creator. Let’s not leave this goal for a moment. Let’s wait every moment for the upper Light to come, to illuminate our small, flawed desires and unite us. Then it will enter and fill this unity it created, and we will attain the revelation of the Creator to the creation. I am sure that this is exactly where we are headed.

And once I have acquired this above-mentioned clothing, sparks of love promptly begin to shine within me. The heart begins to long to unite with my friends, and it seems to me that my eyes see my friends, my ears hear their voices, my mouth speaks to them, the hands embrace, the feet dance in a circle, in love and joy together with them, and I transcend my corporeal boundaries. I forget the vast distance between my friends and me, and the outstretched land for many miles will not stand between us.

It is as though my friends are standing right within my heart and see all that is happening there, and I become ashamed of my petty acts against my friends. Then, I simply exit the corporeal vessels and it seems to me that there is no reality in the world except my friends and I. After that, even the “I” is cancelled and is immersed, mingled in my friends, until I stand and declare that there is no reality in the world—only the friends. (Rabash, Letter #8)
[62519]
From the lesson on 12/2/11, Shamati

Related Material:
The Spirit Of Unity Is Knocking At Our Hearts
A Gold Mine Of Feelings
The Force Of Mutual Guarantee For The Convention!

Filed under: Conventions, Group Work, Love, Mutual Guarantee, Unity - No Comments →

In order to imagine what is love of friends and the Creator, we have to detach from this entire world and from ourselves, as if nothing exists besides one force. It’s as if there is no one observing it, seeing it, or feeling it. And this force has a goal: to create something equal to itself.

We do not know why this thought suddenly emerged. This occurred even before the first action occurred, aimed at our creation. We do not attain what preceded this. This is a boundary in our attainment because it takes place in our vessels—desires that did not exist before. We begin from the plan to delight the creatures—the program and thought contained in this single upper force, which decided, “I want to create creatures that are equal to me in order to delight them.”

That is how the upper force begins to implement the program, to create creatures and promote them to bring them to its own height. That is, the form of creation was set initially and must be the same as the form of the Creator. There is no creation without the Creator or Creator without creation. One exists opposite the other.

This condition of equality to one another determines the entire process. It’s like a mathematical equation where the unknown that is being sought out exists by itself, but it has to be equal to the upper force, its eternity, perfection, understanding, sensation, and qualities—to everything that is present in the Creator.

We do not know the Creator’s qualities exactly. We only know that creation must replicate them while remaining a separate creation. That is, in the end there is the Creator – #1, and the creation – #2. This is the difference between them: The Creator is first, and creation is second, but this does not get in the way of their equality.

According to this condition, the universe begins to develop like by a mathematical formula. We have to observe the condition that creation exists independently, having its own understanding, attainment, and sensation of itself, its freedom of choice—everything that belongs to the notion of “I.” And at the same time, this “I” must be completely equal to the Creator.

After that, this condition begins to come to life, like a person who planned to build a house and imagines its future form, and then begins to implement it: to build a detailed plan, to create the specifications, to determine the number of necessary materials and people who will work on it. But all of this results from the final form, which already exists in the Creator. And a lower form exists only in the creation for the time being, which is why it has to go through various changes.

These changes do not take place in creation itself, but in its consciousness, understanding, and perception of itself: who it is in relation to the Creator.
[62167]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/30/11, Writings of Rabash

Related Material:
From Opposition To Perfection
Creation Starts Here And Now
From Opposites To Perfection

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Love, Perception - No Comments →