Question: When you are incorporated in a collective action, you sometimes feel united with the friends even in your thoughts, but at the last moment you feel that something is missing, an effort within an effort, the last drop. How can we achieve this last drop so we can come to the general cry, so that we will be able to open our hearts once and for all?

Answer: That last drop is exactly the point of birth, the point of the exodus from Egypt, and it’s the most difficult. A person is ready to go almost to the end, and then he sees a wall in front of him, something he can’t overcome, and suddenly he has endless excuses. His evil inclination tells him, “You still have to take care of this and that, you haven’t studied all of the Study of the Ten Sefirot yet, you don’t know all the Shamati articles yet, there is still so much you have to do,” and so on.

And it’s the same in relation to the friends, meaning that when you actually reach the point that you can now break your ego and connect, to make the welding point between you and the friends, you can’t do it. To create a point of soldering means that this drop of glue will now fall on the connection between you and the friends, and glue you together in a single adhesion. You can’t do that. At the last moment you suddenly pull back.

Only a general effort will help here. Therefore the prayer of an individual doesn’t help. A prayer should be the “prayer of the many,” when you pray for the friends and not for yourself, and when the entire group or most of the group prays together. But you are telling us about an individual effort. You can tell me about an individual effort for another thousand years, nothing will happen to you. The direction is familiar but it’s wrong because you don’t worry about the connection with the friends.
[71426]
From the Arava Arvut Convention Lesson #3, 2/24/12

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Question: What is the small effort that needs to be applied by each person in order to open his heart and finally reveal the opening into the spiritual world?

Answer: First and foremost I must include everyone in my heart. You can think it over or keep it in your sensations. It all depends on how you work in the heart and in the mind. You might not want to remain in your sensations; it depends on the person. For me, it helps to add reason because it strengthens my sensation. I absorb everything into my heart and remember that the entire universe is contained within a person, and that he embodies the entire world. I include all my friends in my heart because for the time being I’m unable to include the entire world. If I posses an aspiration toward my fellow friends, then undoubtedly they posses an aspiration toward me as well. We don’t even need to talk about it. I really begin to feel that they exist within me, like a mother that feels her children within.

Thereby I obtain a more accurate perception of reality, which exists within me. Baal HaSulam writes that the picture of the world occurs in the back of our brain and the sensation of the world occurs in our heart. There is no world outside of my sensation.

My heart is Malchut of the world of Infinity, but if I include everyone within me, then I become Adam ha Rishon (the First Man) and the picture of the Creator becomes revealed within me. My material will obtain the form of Adam and when the Creator’s form becomes enrobed in it, it’s called adhesion of the Creator with the creation, or unification of Zeir Anpin with Malchut.

I receive confirmation from every end that all I need to do is absorb all of reality within. I begin this by working with friends because we can influence and help one another. The first opening of the heart depends upon my understanding of the fact that I don’t have another option. I’ve raised my hands in despair, seeing that I haven’t achieved anything. I’ve become certain that there’s no other way to reach the source of life and to attain its purpose. Therefore, I’m ready to open up.

Although it may be that you might decide that you haven’t explored all your options. This is because a person’s egoism always tries to convince him that he can still try to obtain success on his own through different means. Only as a result of becoming totally disappointed one agrees to unite with friends. This is the last thing left for me to do. If I become disappointed with all of my pursuits, if all of my attempts to succeed end in failure, only then as a result of my hopelessness, despair, and extreme pressure do I agree to unite.

This is similar to an infant that would be glad to remain inside the mother, he doesn’t want to leave, but the pressure is pushing him out of her! Do you think that the sons of Israel wanted to exit Egypt? While they were in the desert they already regretted leaving Egypt where they had everything. No one wants to be born into the spiritual world because we’re all egoists. It’s a very difficult transition and that’s why it’s so narrow (Tzar) and it’s called the birthing pains (Tzirim).

It’s said that a pregnant doe goes high into the mountains and until a snake comes along and bites her, the doe will not be able to give birth. The snake represents the worst egoism, and until it becomes revealed in a person, he isn’t ready to be born.
[71428]
From the Arava Arvut Convention Lesson #3, 2/24/12

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Question: All the people who have gathered here and the whole world Kli are actually depicted inside me. They all want one thing only: that I will reach the Creator. So why don’t I want that?! It turns out that I draw this barrier, but does it really exist?

Answer: The barrier is in my heart; it is a psychological barrier. What kind of a Machsom (barrier) are we talking about? I have to change my vision from looking at myself to looking at the friends. This shift, this inversion, that I have to make is called the Machsom.

But if we make mutual efforts in order to start treating society this way, to see it as more important than myself and let it enter my heart, then this collective thought helps me. This is called “every man shall help his friend,” and this collective thought gives everyone the power to carry it out. It is as the Rabash says that in every one of us there is a very small spiritual power, this inversion has a very small power, but together, when everyone gets the power from everyone, we will be able to do it.

We will make collective efforts, everyone on his own and all of us together, in the world Kli, in all its parts, in all its kinds, all of us together. That’s how it’s done. And for sure, for sure we will succeed. Nothing will prevent us. It is our only free action. The Creator is expecting this from us; the world is expecting this from us, although it doesn’t realize that yet.

There is nothing here but the fact that everyone should incorporate himself in others or let everyone enter his heart. If we all think about that, you will see what the results will be. We have come to transcend the Machsom, so let’s make an effort. This is what we are doing here and now.
[71424]
From the Arava Arvut Convention Lesson #3, 2/24/12

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When a person approaches the revelation of the Creator, he feels that he is standing at Mount Sinai. On one hand there is all of his evil desire, but on the other hand, he understands that in order to attain the goal and reveal the Creator, he needs to prepare his desire to receive the quality of bestowal, which is copied from Him. After all, “man” (Adam) means: “similar” (Domeh) to the Creator.

And so, together we prepare our desire to receive for different forms of bestowal so it could accept the imprint. This is the state of the giving of the Torah, about which it is written: “You all appear today…” Not one, but all: Because it is in our common unity that we will reveal the upper force.

Essentially a very simple thing is required to prepare the material of desire. It is true that this action no longer pertains to our world, and this is why it is difficult for us. It is called: mutual inclusion. We all must become mutually included in one another, connect to one another through our desires, and nothing else. Then, just like before the breaking, we will reach the “place,” where the upper Light can enter, and make its imprint.

And for this reason, it does not matter what we do if we just keep the direction to unite, to reveal the Creator; as it is written: “Israel, the Torah, and the Creator are one.” “Israel” is man. “Torah” is the power of the Light that unites us to the point of loving our neighbor like ourselves. And the “Creator” is the Root, which gives us His imprint when we unite.

This way I stand on one side of the group, and the Creator stands on the other. And if He and I are able to meet in the group, then there the revelation takes place.

This is the way we advance. Essentially, all our work is preparing for it. This will happen to us if we all stand together.
[71356]
From the Arava Arvut Convention 2/23/12 Lesson #2

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In order for us to become similar to the upper Light, we have our well known way: We need to study with the intent for the Light to influence us and to create that desire, that inner aspiration, that inner tendency within us. Nothing else is necessary.

It seems very simple. Indeed, everything is already before us. Even according to corporeal criteria, it’s obvious that if someone loves something or someone, aspires to something or someone, he wants to give. It fills him like a mother’s love for her child. Look at how happy she is holding a small creature in her arms. That captures her all. She needs nothing: Her love for him is enough to fill her.

If we have such examples in our world, why is it so difficult for us to maintain that condition regarding the spiritual world? It’s because the condition of bestowal and love is spiritual, it needs to be directed from myself outward and not toward myself, not for myself. That is the problem.

Thus, in order to form within ourselves the forward movement, from ourselves outward, we need special exercises, unique skills we can acquire only if we try to unite between us. However, the attempts to unite lead us to despair because we try to do it alone. We have tried to do that more than once, with no success, of course.

Eventually, after many independent attempts to unite: “Where is our mutual responsibility, mutual bestowal, mutual consideration? Where is our spiritual vessel?” and so forth, we begin to realize that nothing can help us here, and we give up. Only one hope remains: that the Light from Above will come and correct us.

But the Light doesn’t come since we don’t request It. We actually ask for fulfillment. We can only draw near the Light if we try to unite between us. When we carry out acts of unity (which we must do as equals since love and mutual bestowal can only be among equals) then in our unity, within our circle, we’ll feel that we lack help from Above. It really is what we lack.

Currently, we simply recall that there is something else that could help us. I can tell that during the lessons my students suddenly begin to remember: “Oh, yes! We also need the Creator! We can’t do anything on our own. We need to bestow and not to receive, not to wait until something approaches us, but rather to aspire to bestowal and invest certain efforts in that.…” So, the correct attempts to attain bestowal can only be within the group.

The group may be virtual or physical, it doesn’t matter, but everything has to be founded on the connection between the friends. We shouldn’t miss this point. Now, all our private movements are directed into ourselves. It seems to us that they are moving from us to others, but all that isn’t true and is completely unrealistic since it is realized egoistically.

Only when I, together with the friends, begin to aspire toward mutual consideration, our common center, common goal, and try to arrange for us all to hold a single desire, a single aspiration, a single prayer, then within us, we’ll reveal that the upper force, the Creator “is sitting” there. When we look at Him, we should act as if we have a unified demand toward Him, and all of us together, as one, focus on Him with a serious demand.

The Creator is waiting, He wants that demand. It is specifically what obligates Him to give us help in the form of a unique force of bestowal and love, meaning to dwell within us. He doesn’t give anything or remain anywhere. He fills everything, hence He simply needs to be revealed within us. That revelation of His within us is what’s called revealing the upper Light: the force of bestowal, love, upper degree.

We all need to demand it together, to constantly demand and demand, but together, regarding our center, meaning our united desire within which we’ll reveal the Creator’s necessity. And then we’ll see that everything we did previously was only to attain the state in which we’re all united together in a demand to reveal the Creator within us, that only the revelation of the attribute of love and bestowal will save us.
[69629]
From the Lecture on Unity Day “To Acquire a Desire to Give” 1/29/2012

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We must keep the intention towards unity. This is because the whole benefit is concealed in this precise intention. What we hear at the lessons is not that important. What is important is that during the lessons we can continuously work on the unity of all our friends in the whole world. To the extent of our efforts to unite, we move forward, and this is where all of our benefit lies.

However, if we do not work during the lesson, it can give us a sort of an understanding, move us forward a little bit, but this will not be spiritual development.

This week we are watching the recordings of the lessons from the congress in the Arava. A question arises: During this, can we reach even stronger unity than what we attained there? If not, it would be better to return to the usual routine of the lesson. The answer remains up to you.

The most important thing here is to constantly work on unity. It is not about how much I understand (this is completely unimportant), but it is about how much effort I apply toward unity. Since it is precisely in unity that I will be able to feel what is being talked about.
[71201]
From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/28/12, “Questions and Answers”

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We had a special convention in the desert, which had a very strong impact on all of us and gave everyone a sensation of a certain new capacity of desire (Kli), and today it is very important for us to work with this vessel.

Every moment, every day, we will continue to see increasing consequences of this new desire. It will not be lost, forgotten, or disappear like everything else in this life, retreating under the pressure of a new day. On the contrary, what we experience today will help grow everything we have attained there. And we will see our present only from the focus and perspective of the convention, through the prism of the society and unity that we received there.

To realize this in practice, we need to return to the same material, and preferably study it together, with at least ten people. As we return to the same material, we will continue to rouse the memories (Reshimot) of it, and critically analyze them from the point of view of today.

And even though we will be present in the same conversation, it will not be like watching a Hollywood movie or a nostalgic memory. We do not return to the past state; now we want to attract the same deep impression from our past into the present, into our current desires, and experience it all over.

But I do not return into that old picture I had there. I am not concerned with when it happened, where it happened, and who was there: I do not look at any of it now, even though I cherish these memories as a wonderful part of my life. However, now I want to work with all of it and use it for my new state.

Some time has gone by, I have changed; I have left that place and seem to have returned to my old, regular routine. But I want to raise my regular life to that same level. And this is why I return to the same inspired feeling I experienced before, but to raise it to the height of the current burdening (Aviut) of harsher disturbances and concerns.
[71186]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/28/12, Shamati #25

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A person becomes filled with sacred spiritual sparks, and connection is always sanctity when it is for the sake of the mutual guarantee, adhesion with the Creator.

Now we have slightly moved away from this state because we have to do other things, and we no longer have the tight contact we managed to achieve at the convention through our efforts and help from Above.

And today once again, we need to look for this common thought, the feeling of community so we would maintain and strengthen our connection even though we have returned to various parts of the world.

All our friends around the world need to feel how we keep strengthening our connection from day to day. It should not be something accidental, which appears several times a year from one convention to another. Otherwise, we will not get the desired results.

Therefore, we need less empty talk and more work every single moment on preserving the attained connection. And moreover, we need to turn our aspiration for the past unity into a current, real state. The moment we remember something from the past, our memory should not be nostalgic sadness.

This sadness about the past needs to be felt in the present and lead to a new state of increasing connection between us. And even though my friends are not in a physical contact with me now, I feel our true, inner contact: the same feeling, the same nature, but with an even greater strength than before.

And the main thing that now needs to be added to the connection we had there is our mutual responsibility to keep and continue to increase this connection. This responsibility towards each other is called the mutual guarantee. This way we keep guaranteeing more and more for one another, as if we were signing guarantees for even greater amounts every single day.

We guarantee for one another that we will overcome all the obstacles of time, movement, and space, and of all forgetfulness, that special force that operates in us! We do not need anything else: just to maintain the attained unity in new difficult conditions. And we understand that for this we constantly need to keep increasing its protection and our mutual guarantee, our connection; only this will allow us to rise.

After all, the only difference between all the degrees of ascent is only a more detailed realization of details of every new degree. Every higher degree is greater than the previous one because I consider more elements of bestowal, connection, and mutual guarantee than before. Thus we need to evaluate what we have attained today in relation to yesterday.

It seems to be the same feeling, the same state, the same friends, but I recognize more details and better understand how much I need the mutual guarantee and support, for others to support me, and for me to support them. The increase in the number and significance of all the details is a good sign, which shows that we have really risen.

We need to very precisely distinguish a simple nostalgia from building new advanced states on the foundation of past state.
[71182]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/28/12, Shamati #25

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Question: We have achieved a certain power at the Arava convention. How can we use it to help every one of us to raise their inner bar? How do we keep this spirit so we can advance and for everyone to make an inner effort?

Answer: There are three conventions before us: in Lithuania, Brazil, and the US. We are speaking about adjacent events, which will take place within a two month period and will concentrate on one topic: our unity and mass dissemination, which comes from it. In other words: internal and external mutual guarantee.

From now on we must help with the right organization of these conventions, so they would not turn into “events of local significance” as we strengthen the connection with the degree we have achieved in the Arava. A regional approach is not enough; every convention must be universal: Everyone sits in front of the screen; everyone participates in the conventions and advances. Then these conventions will help us all rise to a new degree together.

This cannot be done in turns; we cannot allow ourselves to take turns playing with a toy, like children do. This will harm us. All the groups were connected to us during the Arava convention: we need to continue this way.

The program of any convention pertains to everyone without exception, and for this reason all our groups, all our friends from around the world, must do everything in their power to make every convention as powerful as possible. This pertains to external forms, and mainly the inner essence and preparation for the action. A person must enter the convention one hundred percent prepared, so full that adding a drop becomes impossible. This pertains to all the participants, no matter where they are.

Everyone must receive the content and schedule of the convention together with the preparation materials ahead of time before every convention. A person must strive and aspire towards it; we do not have other methods of advancement.

The program of the convention must be well planned to avoid listening to the same thing several lessons in a row. You must hear new things, and I still have things to tell you, but in reality the only way you will hear something new is if you will be ready for it. Only then will I be able to uncover more and more, due to your union and your new desire.

I really hope that you will become serious about it. This refers to common work; the responsibility is not limited to the organizers and physical participants. There were hundreds of thousands of people with us in the Arava; It is a great power.

So, this week we will repeat materials from the Arava Convention, and then we will move on to a very fast and intensive preparation for the convention in Lithuania. Moreover, we need to prepare a complete program from the beginning of the convention in Lithuanian through the end of the convention in New York, including my meetings with the Columbia and Chile groups, as well as the convention in Brazil.

There will be an enormous amount of hours, which are an incredible opportunity to break forward. Everything depends on the preparation.
[71105]
From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/27/12, “Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot”

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Question: After the Arava Convention, we are returning to our groups. What would you suggest in order to strengthen the connection we attained even further?

Answer: We need to carefully consider what took place at the convention, the feeling generated there. If we watch everything that happened over and over again, we might be able to feel those things once more, to relive them, in order to proceed forward with them. Most important is not to descend from that level, to realize that the obstacles are particularly designed for us to ascend. We can’t spend our whole life being at a convention, that doesn’t do us any good. It is no coincidence that everything is arranged so that now, after the convention, we can include in the degree that we attained all the rest of the masses who couldn’t participate in it, who couldn’t be inspired themselves.

We are situated at the fourth degree of sensitivity of matter (material desire), at the speaking degree. The animate, vegetative, and inanimate now need to join that same degree in order to build this degree in its complete form. This is called “obstacles,” coming from all of humanity, meaning from the animate, vegetative, and inanimate degrees. They have to bring us the complete comprehension of the progress we have attained and we must view these obstacles as “help against him.”

Overcoming these obstacles can be divided into two stages:

1. I try to constantly remain in the perception of reality that other than the group, nothing exists. There is a system, I observe it, and through it I view the world. This system is the group, and everything taking place in this world is only the result of the quality of connection among us. Hence, I want to try to constantly remain in this perception. That’s because it’s true, it’s correct. The more we try to feel it, we will see that truly, that is how the world is governed.

2. I can maintain that to the extent I ensure that everyone is a part of it, all the friends. Here, there should be mutual concern. If I am concerned for them, I receive the concern from them, and then I don’t exit the perception of the system.

That means, I should constantly maintain myself viewing the world and feeling the world through the prism of the group, accordingly regarding all my parts, all my friends, in order for that perception not to dissipate from them either: for us all to be together in such a perception of the world. If I want to maintain this form and if I am concerned for them, I receive the Arvut (Mutual Guarantee) from them. And this means that I sentence myself and the entire world to a scale of merit.

That’s actually a person’s point of scrutiny and the point of choice. For now, that’s how it’s becoming clear to us. If I can’t scrutinize anything with such an approach, I shouldn’t go out to the world. We should maintain it as much as possible. Going out to the world, other than through this system, eventually causes us problems, collapse, confusion, unpleasantness, until death. All the troubles come only from our suddenly ceasing to see the single, unified system, even minimally. Parting with it is death, that is, the lack of connection between its parts plunges us into spiritual oblivion.
[71008]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/26/12, “The Purpose of Society”

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