Question: If I don’t know who to appeal to before a prayer, then why do I experience a sense of trepidation before the Creator, a fear of appealing to the Creator?

Answer: I envy you. This means that you know Who you’re addressing.

It is a very exalted state when a person addresses the quality of bestowal, the Light, or something higher and feels a sense of trepidation. This means that he feels the extent to which his state, his life, each cell and each moment, all of his relationships and encounters, all depend only on the Light. That is, he feels that he is not the one in control of himself, that he isn’t in charge of the next moment, and that everything exist outside of him. He doesn’t yet sense whose hands he is in and because of that he feels a sense of trepidation. For the time being this is an animal trepidation, but it propels us forward.

Then at some point, an opposite sensation of confidence will come, making me feel good, as if I don’t depend on myself. Nothing could be worse than actually being in charge of myself and my destiny!

I’m glad that there is Light that determines everything, forms everything, and guides me. The only thing that remains for me to do is to feel and work in unison with the Light, which is the only way for me to realize all of this.
[86430]
From the Kharkov Convention “Uniting to Ascend” 8/18/12, Lesson 5

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In the News (from The Christian Science Monitor): “Atheism is on the rise in the United States and elsewhere while religiosity is declining, according to a new worldwide poll. “The Global Index of Religiosity and Atheism,” conducted by WIN-Gallup International headquartered in Switzerland, found that the number of Americans who say they are “religious” dropped from 73 percent in 2005 – when the poll was last conducted – to 60 percent. Those who said they were ‘convinced’ atheists rose from 1 to 5 percent. And 33 percent of the people polled said that they don’t consider themselves as a ‘religious person.’ …

“America remains way down the list of countries for self-reported atheism. China tops that list with 47 percent “convinced atheists,” followed by Japan (31 percent), the Czech Republic (30 percent), France (29 percent), and South Korea (15 percent).

“According to the poll, the following are the top ten religious countries: Ghana (96 percent of the participants that they are religious), Nigeria (93 percent), Armenia (92 percent), Fiji (92 percent), Macedonia (90 percent), Romania (89 percent), Iraq (88 percent), Kenya (88 percent), Peru (86 percent), and Brazil (85 percent).”

My Comment: This is a stage of the transition from mysticism to the true religion, Kabbalah, as Baal Sulam writes in his article “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose” that brings a person to the revelation of the Creator, the single highest force of nature.
[86404]

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We love the Creator as the source from which we derive pleasure. Clearly, this is egoistic and conditional love. If the Creator sent us affliction instead, we would certainly reply to Him with hatred.

But when a person, called “a worker of the Creator,” doing spiritual work suffers, he associates the affliction with his egoism and tries to relate to the Creator with love. It means that he divides himself into two parts, the part that receives and the one that bestows. In the receiving part, he feels suffering, but he desires to transcend above it. And then, he relates to his sufferings as a “check” that his love does indeed cover all of transgressions and that he can rise above all the states that give him pain.

Then, he understands, sees, and knows for sure that his attitude to the Creator is independent of his ego. Otherwise, he has no means or criteria for testing.

Therefore, the relationship with the Creator is based on the fact that he annuls himself for the sake of bestowal, that he perceives his original egoism as worse than death. But only under this condition can he be sure that his love for the Creator is unconditional and perfect.
[85309]
From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/12/12  

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Baal HaSulam, “The Last Generation”: The adoption of laws altruism, based on love of neighbor, in a literal sense. Equal distribution of profits so that each works according to their abilities and receives according to their needs.

We must realize that Baal HaSulam does not take these principles from Marx. In general, he does not build his approach on the concepts of scientists, such as Marx, Einstein, and Freud. Just looking at the corrected, perfect form of the vessels, souls, he sees what stages we should pass in our world, advancing towards the goal to the end of correction and perfection.

We are not talking about bodies, not about the social formation, not about the relationship between people, nations, parties and political movements. No, we are talking about souls, how they will unite into one soul and come to the goal, to the end of correction in the world of Infinity.

How can we bring about spiritual correction with the help of consecutive material actions in our world? It is said: “From Your actions we will know You.” First, we perform an action and then understand it. So it is in real life. For example, at a new workplace, first I blindly carry out the instructions of the supervisor, learning my duties.

Similarly, a kid copies grownups and due to this instinct later begins to understand what is happening; why it is necessary to act in one way rather than otherwise. A child always begins studying by practice: He repeats a few times the example he saw and only after that we can explain to him the logic of the situation. And then, perhaps he will add something from his understanding and will perform the task even better than we do.

So, everything new begins with the imitation of the old. That is why when studying the works of Baal HaSulam, we must understand what he sees our situation through. His gaze penetrates all the worlds from extremely external forms appearing before us today to the picture he sees at the end of correction. He sees the overall process through which everyone must pass on the way to the goal. And the goal is that we reveal ourselves in the final form, without bodies, without this world, in the world of Infinity.

So, the point is not in Marx, not in someone’s famous quotes and socialistic views. Baal HaSulam simply uses Marx’s theory and other theories, definitions, symbols, and names to explain what states we have to go through and how we should act. He could find other words to describe all that we have to take on the way to the final correction. You should not consider him a socialist or ascribe any political sympathies to him. It is convenient for him to use the existing concepts to show us the right steps of correction.

So, he begins with the love for the other: Initially, we must educate ourselves in this way, knowing that we are talking about the correction of vessels-desires after the breaking. Unification is the only tool that allows us to return to the corrected state. So, at this level, in the context of our understanding, this unification is defined by the principle: “Love your neighbor as yourself” and even more.
[86537]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/26/12, Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Last Generation”

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Question: Is my work only to ask the Creator to change my attitude when I feel bad? What if I don’t feel that everything comes from the Creator?

Answer: Indeed while a person is only starting and does not perceive, see, or any inner feeling, then it is difficult. He has just started on the path and is far from his goal, from the city, and he does not see it.

But in order to take the right direction towards this city, he must imagine that he goes in the direction of the city. In any condition, from the start, he should try to imagine the city lights ahead. We are given a group, books, and all kinds of tools for that until the work becomes clearer, and he will see more and more signs of his progress.

He will begin to distinguish between them because his desire will become more clarified, precise. He will accumulate experience: various impressions, signs from which the picture will begin to emerge.

But while he does not have that, he needs to work with what he has, and most importantly the work in the group. If I don’t see the Creator, the city, or the light in front of me, and I am in total darkness, in the middle of a dark field, not knowing where to go, then I imagine the group, its center. This center becomes the Creator for me, the goal on which I focus.

If I give myself to the group, this means that I give myself to the Creator, from the center of the group directly to him. I use all the forces available in the group to be together with them in adhesion, in unity, in bestowal to the group, and thus direct myself at the Creator. He has not been revealed yet, and I have to work with the group in this form.
[86450]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/24/12, Writings of Rabash 

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Question: In The Study of the Ten Sefirot it says that a person who corrects himself begins to “illuminate,” what is this action?

Answer: A person begins to “illuminate” when his vessels begin to bestow. This illumination is already a self-movement that only a human being can perform. No other creature on the levels of the still, vegetative, and animate nature can illuminate, since it doesn’t connect with the Creator in any way; it doesn’t perform independent actions of bestowal like the Light.

The simple Light fills all of creation and thus illuminates. A “human being,” however, is a person who spurs himself towards the Light, and the Light illuminates because it has more intensity than the natural intensity it has when it arrives. A person becomes an amplifier for the Light: He illuminates by himself thanks to the Light that fills him.

There is an addition to the Light created by the person! It is because he has overcome his desire to receive by turning all his desire to receive into fuel, into a combustible material. When the Light comes, this material begins to burn like a candle! So it says that a person illuminates.

He is called “a man of the Light.” Can he radiate the Light? He has prepared his desire to receive in such a way that it is equivalent to the Light. Now when the Light goes through his desire it is illuminated by it like a fluorescent lamp that is filled with a special gas or with phosphorus that begins to shine under the influence of the Light.

When the Light comes, the desire is impressed and begins to illuminate from inside. This is what happens to a person who identifies with the Light. It is because he doesn’t swallow the Light inside him egoistically, but wants to carry on its action. You should know that in order for you desire to begin to illuminate, you have to restrict it and to place it under the Masach (screen) so that you will not want to swallow the Light for itself, but rather will want to connect with the actions of the Light in bestowal and to draw this Light for everyone else. Then you will illuminate and be called “a man of Light”!

How intensely you illuminate is determined by your spiritual level.
[86386]
From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/23/12, The Study of the Ten Sefirot

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Question: Before coming to the convention, we had many negative obstacles on our path. How should we accept and overcome them?

Answer: All the problems that arise along the way are not accidental; it is necessary to feel help in them. Under no circumstances should this postpone or annul your goal.

You need to re-evaluate the goal itself again and aim yourself even more sharply towards it. And then you pass and see that the last time, your intentions were imprecisely coordinated towards the goal: You forgot something, somehow weren’t yet focused on it, while now, thanks to the disturbances, you determined it accurately, compressed a little more compactly in your intention, and therefore you dive towards the goal.

So all the disturbances are to your advantage: They either stop you because you aren’t yet worthy to attain the goal, or conversely, they force you to compress so that you are able and worthy, and you proceed towards the goal.

We are inside a force field where there are no accidents, no exceptions, and no special treatments. This is how it works.
[86284]
From the Kharkov Convention “Uniting to Ascend” 8/18/12, Lesson 4

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We know that when we get inspiration by the study, the group, or by certain actions that we perform, meaning when we are influenced by the environment, we immediately change our values and according to this awakening are ready to advance in “faith above reason” and to work in bestowal and love.

When this awakening fades, we return to our ordinary values. The question is what can you do when you descend to the ordinary corporeal values? After all, you still remember how you were impressed previously by the upper values since you were under the influence of the environment and you were several levels higher than you are now. Why were you given this state?

You were not lowered so that you would simply try to return to the state you were in previously, but so that in the current lower state you can appreciate the upper values that impressed you before. You should want to live according to the values that were attained under the influence of the group even when the upper state disappears and does not illuminate on you anymore.

Although the illumination disappears from our corporeal recognition, you can renew it and keep the same upper values by your exertion, by spurring yourself. This is all our work.

This is called keeping the covenant. Although a person is not in the state of ascent he was before, he is still adhered to the same upper values.

It is as if you were raised to a certain level and then brought down again, and now you have to return to the same level by yourself. Then you are brought up again to an even higher level and brought down again and rise by yourself. Although the Light doesn’t illuminate on you anymore, you want to keep all the conditions of that level in “faith above reason.” You want to keep the same dedication for the group and the Creator, although you don’t get any support from them now. This is how you can advance.

This means that you are keeping the conditions of the covenant. Even if you signed this covenant when you were overflowing with evident feelings of love and were greatly impressed, now this attitude is not revealed, but you find the powers inside you to keep the covenant in the current conditions, just like it was before.

Thus a person advances. First he is given an example and the next time he has to perform by himself the same action he was shown. This is what happens time after time. The state a person attains by making efforts to find the powers to rise to the same values in “faith above reason” is called “a day” for him.
[86201]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/21/12, Writings of Rabash

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Our awakening to the Creator usually starts when a certain grievance towards Him arises in us. Only rarely do we turn to the Creator with gratitude, and more often we do so with complaints and grievances.

Such grievances awaken in a person repeatedly. But if he nevertheless remains in a group and continues to study, drawing the Light to himself, then he begins to realize that all the problems, suffering, hardening of the heart, shame—all are situations that the Creator arranges for him in life, and the most unpleasant ones especially are designed to show him that everything comes from the Creator.

And secondly, he needs to understand that he shouldn’t ask for all these problems to be fixed since then he would be turning to the Creator from his egoism. But a person must turn to the Creator above all of these problems, agreeing with Him, rejoicing, and seeing in all of these actions, which evoke in him various unpleasant reactions, the Creator’s kindness and mercy that accompany him throughout his entire life. He needs to ask for correction of his attitude to the Creator.

He needs to try to correct himself above all of these unpleasant sensations, perceiving them as obstacles above which he can rise if he desires to perceive them as kind help in attaining the property of bestowal. And then, all of these unpleasant situations, pain, shame, and confusions will appear to him as the opposite, as help and mercy from the Creator who sends them so that a person would accept them as good, and above them will ask for his correction.

And in completing this stage, a person asks for the possibility to be ready for anything that comes from the Creator, blessing in advance for all the bad as for the good. This means to accept the Creator’s direct and indirect governance, as it is written: “Thou hast hemmed me in behind and before.”

So our work consists not in asking the unpleasant sensations, situations, influences, and disturbances to be removed and solved. Instead, we need to be prepared to see the Creator’s hand in all of these actions, especially sent so that above them, we would build our correct attitude and form vessels of bestowal. And do it to such an extent that these problems and disturbances will not only stop bothering us, but we will see in them a special mercy and benevolence.

Then we will not ask the Creator to solve our problems, and instead we will correct our properties ourselves, because we will see the benefit of these problems. And instead of all kinds of evil, we will see only good in the same places.
[86297]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/23/12, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Question: Do we receive the forces that advance us through our exertion, and then through them, rise above the ego?

Answer: It is through our exertion that we allow the Creator to affect us. It is only according to the measure of our correct efforts—and it’s even more correct to say attempts and not efforts—that through them we invite on ourselves the influence of the Creator. It is only by that.

Furthermore, the Creator is the field of bestowal. Just as there exists a field of gravity, a field of reception, there also exists a field of bestowal. It fills everything by itself and is permanent; its tension and intensity is identical in each point.

This means that the Creator relates to everyone, both small and great, in a completely identical way with love, with the attribute of bestowal. However, each one according to the measure of his efforts, yearnings, and exertions, invites upon himself greater impact from this field.

Question: Do the forces that throw us from the goal determine in which place and in which attribute we need to be located within this general system?

Answer: No one throws you. Besides that, this field is constant and permanent. It is revealed to us more and more in its increasing strength, its intensity, its illumination, its emanation, and its bestowal.

To the extent that its influence on us grows, we begin to feel worse and worse about ourselves since we exist in attributes that are opposite to it. The field affects even more a person who makes efforts and really becomes closer in similarity to the attribute of bestowal. He feels even worse with himself than do others.

Here the strength of the group is required in order to hold on and understand that it is the Creator who bestows on him in a special way, rejects him in a special way, so that in the end, he will attain the maximum desire through which he can be born, which means to come into initial contact with the field. At the time of the first contact with the field, it will, in any case, continue to operate and affect him. In any event, it will continue to reject him, but it already will be on the next level.

There, the rejections are of a different nature. They are more qualitative. It is not that the forces grow, but that the field operates in a wiser way, in a more meticulous way in order to invite and awaken in you a more qualitative development, the realization of this entire system, the same way as in school you go from grade to grade.

Question: Is the demand for the Creator like huge greed, hunger, or thirst?

Answer: The demand for the Creator is a necessity.

Question: The great need is not clear, for what?

Answer: No, that doesn’t exist: “It’s not clear why.” Gradually becoming closer to the Creator, you begin to understand what the attribute of bestowal is, and you begin to desire it. Otherwise, what do you need?

Advancement is progressive. It must be realized before you are born. You need to reach the point of your birth through two states:

• I am not able to do anything by myself;
• Only the Creator can help me attain the attribute of bestowal.

You must know, more or less, what you want: how much you want that world before you are born in it.
[86043]
From the Kharkov Convention “Uniting to Ascend” 8/17/12, Lesson 3

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