A question I received: Why is it written that ascension from one spiritual step onto the next one takes place through the thickening (Aviut) of the screen since Aviut is a characteristic of the vessel (Kli) and not the screen?

My Answer: The screen is the spiritual vessel. After the First Restriction (Tzimtzum Aleph), the will to receive cannot serve as a vessel. The spiritual vessel, the Kli, is that which I can pay with.

If I come into a restaurant and say I am hungry, they won’t look at my desire to eat; they will be looking at how much money I have, in other words, at my screen. This means I will be measured by what the thickness (Aviut) of my screen is, or what my ability to receive in order to bestow is, what my power of intention is, and what amount of my former egoistic desire I am able to attach to my anti-egoistic screen and to the intention to bestow.

With a screen that doesn’t have any thickness, nothing can be received; it is merely a restriction. A restriction is a screen with a zero thickness which means that I don’t wish to receive anything for myself and I don’t know how to receive in order to bestow.

How much can I receive to bestow? I can receive the amount that equals the thickness of my screen. If the power of my screen is 20 grams, I will be allowed to receive exactly this amount in order to bestow. Both actions must unite in the screen, as the reception and so the bestowal. When they are united, it will be for the sake of bestowal.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/23/10, Article “Preface to the Sulam Commentary”

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The Zohar, Chapter “VaYetze (And Jacob Went Out),” Item 88: It is written, “A Psalm of David, when he fled.” He said the psalm while fleeing because previously he thought that the Creator would punish him for his sins in the next world. And when he saw that He wished to avenge him here in this world, he was happy and said a psalm.

“This world” and “the next world” are two spiritual degrees because we exist in the Upper Light and see our qualities around us against this Light. This determines the reality we perceive.

Consequently, any state we experience is a state of concealment of the Upper Light which hides from us behind our egoistic qualities. It is revealed only to the extent that our qualities become similar to it. It follows that each of our states is called a “world,” (Hebrew “Olam” from the word “Olama” or concealment), that is a measure of concealment that we attain.

Therefore, “this world” and “the next world” are two degrees. One is what I feel and observe at this moment or what I can verify, investigate, and study. The other is a state to which I aspire, a measure of concealment that I want to reveal and attain. That is what the Kabbalists refer to as my next world.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/23/10, The Zohar

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We are still unable to appreciate what Rabash had done for us. He was the first Kabbalist in history to have described man’s spiritual work in a specific and structured way. As a guide to one’s inner work in attaining the Creator, the works of Rabash have no equal.

There are various books that speak about this at various lengths, but none of them describe the entire path of one’s inner transformation in a systematic way. Rabash, however, gives concise and comprehensible explanations with clear examples. He supplements the method of Baal HaSulam with all that is missing for the practical realization of correction so that all humanity could accomplish it. We take the works of Baal HaSulam and the articles of Rabash and adapt them to the modern man by stripping away all that could confuse him.

These great Kabbalists created the two parts of the method of correction. Everyone needs them today in order to reach the purpose of creation. Baal HaSulam connects us to the source of the Surrounding Light, and Rabash teaches us how to prepare ourselves to connect to this source. He explains how I should organize myself step by step, and how to focus my thoughts and intentions. When I am ready, I then open the books of Baal HaSulam.

Baal HaSulam is like the Light that comes to me from Above, and Rabash prepares me through the work below upward, toward the source. If I make use of both these forces, I am guaranteed success.

From the Talk on Working on Rabash’s Articles 6/15/10

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We need to work with Rabash’s articles, dividing them into sections and examining them. Every article is built according to a specific scenario, like a movie or a novel. It has a setting, a conflict (a problem), the development, the investigation of certain conflicts and discrepancies, and a resolution at the end. Along the way we usually encounter several difficulties, which help clarify the initial question and formulate conclusions. The entire course of the article corresponds to one’s inner (psychological and spiritual) structure so he could understand and internalize it.

You should read an article (or two short articles) a day, in the morning and in the evening. It does not matter if you become confused as long as you remain in this material all the time. The effort alone will attract the Light that Reforms. That same Light will clarify all the questions, including the proper order and system, as well as the stages that one needs to go through. All of this will become clear, and if it remains unclear, then you’ll understand why it is so. But it is the Light that illuminates everything we want to find out.

I do not conduct theoretical research; rather, I wait for the Light to illuminate for me the author’s mind in one thought. What does he want to say here, what is his plan? Just one single thought! What was Rabash thinking at that moment? The entire article is one single thought, and I want to understand it. This can only be done with the help from Above, once I am visited by a “muse.” Kabbalists call her “Light.”

From the Talk on Working on Rabash’s Articles 6/15/10

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A question I received: Why is it so difficult to carry out the condition of “buy yourself a friend”? Shouldn’t our egoism derive pleasure from this?

My Answer: You “buy” friends by lowering yourself before them and doing what they want. This is called “paying.” Rather than proudly walking into a store with a pile of money and choosing who to buy, you buy a friend by doing what is necessary for him; you serve him. You don’t buy him “from above”; you buy him “from below.” You are willing to do everything for him as though he does not need you.

In other words, you bend down before him and ask, “What can I do for you so that you will become my friend? I am ready for anything, just give my spiritual desire, my soul back to me!”

You cannot forcefully demand that he return your soul to you since it is in his possession. If now you want to receive your soul, you need to approach him from different sides, trying to find the approach which will make him free your soul. Your success depends only on his positive attitude towards you. If he does not wish to treat you well, then you are lost.

Did you ever take care of someone, trying to gain their positive disposition to you?  Imagine that you are standing before a judge who needs to announce your sentence now. He is disposed strictly against you and is just seething with anger. How would you try to change his anger to mercy?

“A person and a group” is a whole Kabbalistic drama.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/14/10, Article, “Make Yourself a Rav and Buy Yourself a Friend – 2”

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A question I received: Why is man given too much intelligence from Above? As a result, his reasoning outweighs and rejects his actions, stripping him of an opportunity to advance?

My Answer: People receive so much intelligence in order not to be animals. An animal has just enough intelligence as it needs for life and it doesn’t make mistakes. We are given excess intelligence so that we would make mistakes, build plans for the future, have egoistic intentions and along with them, the intelligence to aspire to a higher degree, to develop, and to suffer. After all, suffering pushes us ahead.

An additional desire, a point in the heart, awakens in a person and rouses dissatisfaction in him: “Who am I? What am I living for? What is life? What is death?” An animal doesn’t ask about these things. You don’t complain about being given all these questions instead of just living peacefully as does an animal, do you?

Too much intelligence isn’t a problem. The problem occurs if a person allows his corporeal mind to control him and stop him from acting. If an action isn’t coordinated with the mind, the mind wins and stops the action.

We need to tune into the group, to build good relationships there, and to “buy ourselves a friend.” This is called action, as it is written, “We shall do and [then] we shall hear.” This means that we’ll reach the degree of Bina. After all, through the action, we draw the Light of correction from Bina. It influences us and gives us its quality of bestowal. However, if the mind stops a person from acting, then the person can’t change.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/14/10, Article, “Make Yourself a Rav and Buy Yourself a Friend – 2”

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People always aspire to reason and don’t understand that attainment comes only from above reason, that is, in the spiritual vessel of faith above reason. Only there will true knowledge be revealed. As we now study RABASH’s articles about the group and try to build our Internet community in accordance to the principles they describe, we want people to occupy themselves with it as much as possible. How much they understand these articles is not so important. What counts is that people work on them throughout the day as well.

One may get confused, not understand anything, curse all this, and want it all at the same time. It is most important for one to constantly occupy oneself with it. Thereby we will draw the Light that Reforms which will change our desires, and then we will understand.

However, understanding is not the goal in itself. The goal is to carry out correct actions which will bring us closer to bestowal. We don’t study in order to receive knowledge; we study in order to change. Otherwise it would be too easy, just as our egoism desires: to grab the Upper, spiritual world for itself also.

The whole Torah (Kabbalah) is given to us for a single purpose: to correct our egoistic nature. That is, the Torah works in the opposite direction, meaning against our ego. You do not climb into spirituality by yourself; rather, the spiritual Force of correction enters you. And you should desire and anticipate this force of correction. It is called your Mashiach (Messiah).

Of course we need to work on these articles about the group: make a plan, write a brief summary, take certain definitions, laws, and principles from them and use them to build our statute. Yet what matters most is being engaged in it all the time. The results will come as a consequence of this work and not from understanding. Everything will depend on how much we wish for this to happen. This is called the prayer (MAN).

Therefore, working with the articles is essential. However, it should not be work to acquire knowledge, but rather work to realize them.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/14/10, Article, “Make Yourself a Rav and Buy Yourself a Friend – 2”

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"Preface to the Sulam Commentary," “Three Come Out of One, One Exists in Three,” Item 52: Thus, it has been explained that the second discernment in raising MAN de Zeir Anpin to YESHSUT is to unite the two lines of YESHSUT, right and left. They can only shine through the Masach de Hirik in Zeir Anpin (Item 39), which completes the middle line in them and determines the two lines of Bina….

There are two lines in Bina: the right line, which is Hassadim (Mercy) and the left line, which is Hochma (Wisdom). They are not able to unite. In fact, each is ready to completely occupy the desire 100% by itself. They remain in opposition to each other.

However, they cannot emanate without each other! They both come from Above, but the right line, as if, says: “How is it possible without bestowal? Isn’t bestowal the purpose of creation?” While the left line, as if, contends: “I am the foundation of creation! I am the Light of Hochma that must be revealed in it! How can it be without me?”

And so they argue with each other without the possibility of compromise or reconciliation. Yet, in their agreement lies the solution: reception for the sake of bestowal.

To facilitate agreement, a third factor is necessary. This third factor allows each one to budge from his strongly held stance and to understand the other. The solution lies in the middle. The solution is not a compromise! Rather, it is a unique and remarkable opportunity to understand one another, to clothe in one another, and to arrive at the golden agreement.

Before the middle line, everything that existed was the qualities of the Creator. Creation begins with the middle line which allows the union of bestowal and reception. This is the form in which the creature can fully participate in bestowal and can become similar to the Creator. It is like a child who unites his parents (the two opposite lines of the Creator), and makes them one family.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/8/10, "Preface to the Sulam Commentary"

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A question I received: How can we demand correction at present when we are entirely in egoistic desires?

My Answer: Of course, we can’t demand correction at present. If I’m an absolute egoist, how can I ask for correction? However, what’s demanded from me is to ask for a bit of bestowal to the extent that I’m able to ask while still in egoism. This means that while you’re in Lo Lishma, (that is, in a lie, in the ego, in your desire for pleasure, and in thoughts about yourself), you are making a weak cry that you want to be giving.

Of course, it’s a lie, and you don’t want to love others, to give to them, and become similar to the Creator. You simply don’t know what bestowal is, and because of this, you are able to say these words. If you knew what it was, you’d run away immediately. The truth is concealed from you so that you don’t know what you are asking for. Bestowal is so opposite to your nature that it’s really death for your present desires and qualities.

In the science of Kabbalah, we study the relationship between Lights and desires. There is a vessel or desire with the Light opposite to it. Beside this, there is another state in which desire is not true but false, and the Light which is opposite to it is not Direct but Surrounding. This is exactly the state that we’re in now. However, for now, we ask that this Light come and bring us this desire to give as if we want to become giving, and it works because of this.

The system is designed such that, from our current state in which we do not want the next state, but nonetheless are asking for it, we can come to this next state, we can start wanting it, receive it, and be in it. This is caused by Reshimot, the spiritual genes, which remain in us from the corrected state that later shattered. These Reshimot awaken Lights in the World of Atzilut that are far from us. We can attract them to influence us, and then they are called Surrounding Lights.

Certainly, we’re in a lie and don’t want bestowal or to love our neighbor. It is true. The Torah does not hide this fact from us. On the contrary, it tells us that the Creator is concealed and the spiritual world is concealed because if you saw it, you would never want it.

Thus, spirituality is concealed so that you can imagine that it’s good for you even in your egoistic desires. When you imagine some egoistic reward for yourself, as if you want the spiritual world, the Light still influences you and changes your desires and thoughts from receiving to giving. This is how it works. The system was designed exactly for this process.

It works in this way not only in our state when we ascend from this receiving level to the first degree of giving; after crossing the Machsom (the barrier to spirituality), we ascend from state to state according to the same principle: by desiring the undesirable. Although, at those stages “a person’s soul teaches him,” and we have some support because we are already in the spiritual world.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/2/10, The Zohar

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A question I received: Does the Creator hear my prayer? Can He change for me?

My answer: No! He is unchangeable, but still you ask Him to change. In essence, you tell Him: “You know, yesterday You weren’t very nice to me. Today, I beg You, please be good!” But how is He going to change?

If you don’t understand, then why do you pray? If you pray, ask Him to change you, then you will receive a different attitude from Him.

Look at the example of parents and young children. Do parents change their attitude to the child? They always treat him with love, but sometimes the child says: “Mom is bad!” What makes the mother change in the child’s perception from being “bad” to “good”? How does the child make it so that the mother is good? The child changes.

The example clarifies what needs to change: Change yourself!

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/4/10, Shamati #8

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