Entries in the 'Perception' Category

Creation’s Worst Nightmare

Dr. Michael LaitmanWe need to unify Israel, the Torah, and the Creator as one (the person striving straight to the Creator, the Light, and the Creator). Each part must strive to unify with the others so that in the end, it could bestow to the Light. It is just as in the beginning, the Light was the one to bestow, having endowed Malchut with the sensation of His love, prompting it to all of the actions that started with the First Restriction (Tzimtzum Aleph) and unfolded further downward.

But when after all these corrections Malchut returns to the same state of perfection, wholeness, and oneness, in its love and bestowal to the Light of Infinity, we get to see that all of it is just one created being which has gone through all kinds of “hardships.”

These “predicaments” are regarded as the “worlds,” from the word “concealments” in Hebrew. They are concealments on the perfect state of Infinity, in order to withdraw from that sensation of fulfillment and undergo all kinds of inner experiences, impressions, choices, and wars, to construct within an identical relationship with the Light while going through the states of separation from and then drawing closer back to the world of Infinity, and to finally arrive to an embrace, or complete adhesion.

In all of this process, there are infinite details, each of which is linked to the beginning and end of the process. After all, we also participate in this whole entanglement of feelings that Malchut experiences, caused by the collision of the Light and the vessel, pleasure and desire, the force of the Creator and that of the creature. We pass through the same states individually, as parts of Malchut, so that in the end we would experience ourselves as one soul.

After all, there is only one creature: Malchut of the world of Infinity. And every one of us must unify with all the others, having overcome this terrible nightmare and our illusory separation, this concealment of a perfect, eternal state. And then, everyone will see that he or she is included in all the others with their feelings, thoughts, love, and bestowal.

Therefore, we need to do all that we can to expedite our awakening from this dream. It is written that the Creator will bring us back “out of Zion,” meaning that there is a way out (Yetzia) from this reality, from this slumber. Then, we’ll see that we were in a dream-like state and will unify into one soul.

I hope that the upcoming convention will help us make a huge leap forward so that we’ll wake up and feel as one soul.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/24/11, Preparation for the WE! Convention

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Spiritual Polarity

Dr. Michael LaitmanWhen studying The Book of Zohar, we should approach it with the intention to find the truth. Indeed, we don’t see anything of the spiritual world and are totally blocked from the spiritual property.

The Light must come and illuminate to us, as if with a projector beam, where we actually are even now: the properties, the sensations, and the dimension in which we reside. In truth, we are in the only place that exists, in desire that is simultaneously egoistic and altruistic, all in one, as if layered atop of each other. But we don’t see it because it remains in the spiritual world, not in our properties.

We exist in the same space, but with our properties we perceive only the material part of reality. There must come a ray of Light, under a certain “angle,” similar to polarized light, and then, in its other vector, surface, we will suddenly reveal the entire world that exists here as well.

This is why we need the upper Light so much: It has to illuminate and reveal to us the world in which we reside here and now.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/25/2011, The Book of Zohar

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Help Me Wake Up From This Dream

Dr. Michael LaitmanIn the final state we have to return to where we came from at the very beginning, where we were united together, as one man with one heart. The Creator created only one creature, one desire.

When this desire divided into parts, the separation occurred only relative to us: This is how we feel it. But coming back to the state of unity, we feel as if we were in a dream. We perceive this separation and the entire world, the entire reality except for the world of Infinity as a dream.

By descending from the world of Infinity into this world though the five worlds or concealments (“world” or “Olam” comes from the word “concealment” or “Alama”), we gradually lose the sense of reality, similar to a person who gradually drifts into a dream, until falling asleep completely. And now, in the same gradual fashion we have to wake up from the dream.

However, the only, perfect state exists even now, and we live in it. We only need to clarify that our separation is just a dream and to shake it off from us. It only seems to us that by intending to bring joy and inspiration to everybody we care about others. In truth, it is an opportunity to work with myself. But it’s very hard to wake oneself up, and besides, in that case I will be driven by a small egoistic goal of this world and nothing more.

This is why, essentially, bestowal to friends, uplifting their mood, returns me to that same state of unity. I care about my own soul, aspiring to unite it with the rest of the parts, with all other souls. This in particular is each person’s mission, by fulfilling which he realizes his soul.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/22/11, Preparation to the WE! Convention

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Coming Out Of The Illusory Lie

Dr. Michael LaitmanBehind every word or phrase of The Zohar, we have to try to recognize forms of connection between man and his environment. In essence, this is exactly what The Zohar describes. There is nothing more in reality besides the forms of connection between a person and those around him.

Even now, when I see people and the walls of this room in front of me or hear the noises coming from outside, all of these are forms of connection between us. There is nothing besides these forces connecting us, which are forces of desire which appear this way to me in my earthly perception of reality.

In the same way, if we try, then we will begin to imagine other kinds of our connection, other forces which don’t operate inside reception, but inside bestowal among us. Then we will see that in reality, there have never been egoistic connections between us. We felt them like in a dream so that based on this illusory connection, which is opposite to the true one, we would recognize the true connection, the only one that exists in contrast from the illusory life—the desire to enjoy with all of its power.

After all, this desire existed only in order for us to transform it into the desire to bestow. The Creator supports it in this artificial form, but it does not have any real essence of its own. Only the force of bestowal exists in the world.

That is why The Zohar describes all the varieties of the force of bestowal to us, which we reveal in all the various forms, as well as the forces of reception standing opposite them, being the basis upon which the forces of bestowal are revealed in the process of man’s inner war.

This is the only thing we have to think about while reading The Book of Zohar, making efforts so the revelation of these spiritual levels will help us and will become revealed in us so we will include them inside of us.
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/23/11, The Zohar

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Where Is My True Self?

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How can one receive from the environment the importance of the intention to bestow?

Answer: Imagine that beside the environment there is nothing. There is no Creator, no property of bestowal, there is nothing but the environment.

We think that there is something else and it appeases us: There is the environment, but there is also the Creator, my own relationship with Him. In truth, there is nothing like that, but only the environment. Either you perceive yourself in yourself, or you can sense yourself inside the environment. It will also be you, but the perfect you that incorporates within of all of your lost pieces.

Beside these two components there is nothing. You are either submersed in your current self or you connect with the environment which you presently imagine as being outside of you: with the group, with the common desire. But that’s you!

In reality, my current perception of myself is conditioned by the fact that my egoism tears me away from my true “self,” and I think that I exist outside of it. It’s totally the opposite! My entire Kli (desire, vessel) of the soul is there, inside my true “self.” It’s just that the concealment acts upon me and I consider it foreign. Subsequently, it will become revealed to me whom I stole from, whom I deceived, or harmed. It was me myself, the people closest and dearest to me!

Question cont.: Under what condition can I receive the importance of bestowal from the environment?

Question: By faith above reason! You are looking for a rational confirmation, for a certain logic which would explain that you appeal to the group and receive support from it. Such logic does not exist. Indeed, if you were able to substantiate this logically, it would be advantageous for you to be in this team from the egoistic point of view, for instance, like in a football team. Here, however, you have no rational support!
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/21/2011, The Book of Zohar

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The Creator Does Not Exist Outside Of Us

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How is it possible to ask the Creator for help and to desire only to bestow, without receiving anything for ourselves?

Answer: This is exactly what we ask for. I ask the Creator to give me the opportunity to bestow, where “to bestow to the Creator” means to bestow to the group because it is written, “I dwell among My people.” This is the same thing.

There is no other Creator. “I dwell among My people” means that He becomes revealed in the group. The common force of the group is called “the Creator.” To bestow to the group as a whole means to bestow to the Creator.

We think about this in the earthly sense and that’s why it seems to us, “What’s so special about the group? What can I give to them? How silly!” But if you really would come out of yourself to bestowal to others, you would reveal the upper reality instead of this world. It’s just that we don’t achieve this.

A question arises: But many philosophic teachings also advocated bestowal to society and considered the voice of the people to be the voice of God? Yet, that is incorrect because they did not use the correcting Light, the inner force that is present in society.

At the end of the day, what does the science of Kabbalah say? You have nothing besides desire. Inside of this desire there is a special force called “the Creator,” which was concealed there from the beginning. You can awaken this force inside of the group if you really want to advance to it, to bestow to the group. There you come face to face with the end results —with yourself, with the group, and with the Creator. Everything is inside of the group, in the bestowal that you acquire outside of yourself.

And it makes no difference whether you bestow to the group or the Creator. Bestowal in the group means bestowal to the Kelim or desires of others, whereas bestowal to the Creator means that you become more included into the common force of bestowal that reigns inside of these desires.

We have to detach from the religious notions, from our inherent faith in some kind of Creator who rules somewhere up in the sky and influences us from there. Look at how much power this stereotype still has over us! But in fact, there is no upper force outside of us! This force is inside of the group, in the connection between us. And there is nothing besides this reality, which you reveal. There is nothing outside of reality.

By delving increasingly deeper into these notions, you start to understand that this is a very materialistic approach.
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/21/11, The Zohar

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A Lego Made Out Of The Creator’s Pieces

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: During the lesson we work with the Light that corrects us. But what do we work with at the Convention?

Answer: At the Convention this happens even more! We don’t have any other means to influence what is happening to us besides the Light that reforms. It is the only thing we can awaken!

We awaken our future states that haven’t been revealed in us yet and which are about to be revealed. They are states of bestowal to the outside, where every person bestows outward, to his neighbor. This is precisely the quality that we want to discover—each person inside of him and all of us as a whole.

When we reveal this quality of bestowal, it means that we have revealed the Creator. As Kabbalists tell us, this quality gave birth to us, formed us, and dispersed us far away from one another so that by uniting with each other we would reveal it once again.

In the meantime, the Creator is in exile. What does that mean? We can say that He also disintegrated into tiny pieces and is inside all of these broken parts that are far away from one another. As soon as you begin connecting them, you start to recreate or restore Him, the common force of bestowal.

We have to build an image for ourselves that is close to the truth. Otherwise we live in various religious fantasies, imagining an unreal, non-materialistic picture.

We have to understand that the difference between faiths or religions and the science of Kabbalah is that faiths or religions want to imagine spirituality in the material desires, which perceive everything “within” and therefore build their notions according to the earthly reality, with creation being below and the Creator being above, as if they are separated by distance rather than qualities. They do not talk about man’s correction.

In contrast, the science of Kabbalah says that everything is inside of man. Thus, the upper reality or dimension becomes revealed in a person’s inner corrections and changes. Therefore, the most important thing for us is to correct man. By correcting our qualities, a person feels that the Creator is revealed inside of him.
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/21/11, The Zohar

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The Luminous Holiday Of Purim

Dr. Michael LaitmanWe are inside of a screen on which our qualities are depicted. And if they are egoistic, then accordingly they are depicted before our desire to enjoy on the still, vegetative, animate, and human levels (in sizes 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4). Thus, we see them as the world around us. That means the reality I see, feel, and in which I live is an imprint or reflection of the desires and thoughts that are inside of me.

If in addition to my general nature, the qualities of reception, I also acquire a second nature, the quality of bestowal, then just like on a computer screen I reveal one more window on which I see the upper world—the force of my soul. Now I recognize that what I see in the first window is a projection of my receiving forces, while in the second window, I depict the form of my unification with other people for the sake of bestowal.

To the degree I am able to unite with others at least on the level of “don’t do to others what you hate,” to that extent I can recognize the spiritual world. And now everything depends on the calculation I make, on how I continuously awaken myself to transfer reality from the material world to the spiritual world.

The most perfect spiritual state is Purim, which comes from the word Pur—lot. In this state my desires are corrected and I am united with all of the souls, thus fulfilling my soul with the upper Light according to the law of equivalence of form.

Purim is the celebration of the final correction. When we celebrate this holiday, we attract the force from that corrected state which corrects and unites us.

The custom to wear masks and dress up in costumes on this day came to us because Haman (the egoistic desire) dresses into the clothing of Mordechai (the altruistic desire), which means that we can receive Light into the great desires of Haman through the qualities of Mordechai.

This is also why on the holiday of Purim there is a custom to eat cookies in the shape of a triangle called “Haman’s pockets.” A pocket symbolizes the desire to receive. We have to receive these desires from Haman and then, with the help of Mordechai, by means of the Light of Hassadim, the quality of bestowal, correct them by the intention for the sake of bestowal. Then we will be able to receive the Light of Hochma, the revelation of the Creator, meaning the state of the final correction.
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From the lecture on 3/15/11 on Purim

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The Path To Self-Attainment

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe Zohar, Chapter “Yitro (Jethro),” Item 199: His forehead is big but not so much, its lines are five—three across from one side of the forehead to the other, and two are not across. He is confrontational, especially in his home, all his actions are quick, he seems good but he is not so. He praises himself with what is not in him. … He is lenient in his speech, but nothing more, pushes himself where he does not belong, and one who collaborates with him should be careful of his greed, but will succeed with him.

The Zohar is telling us about how complicated we are inside. Every time we reveal new qualities inside of us, which may be good or bad and which constantly come to replace one another, we must use them to discern all of our opportunities to realize ourselves in the current state, to discover all of our weaknesses and limitations. That is how time after time, a person attains himself more, and that means he attains the Creator, as it is written, “I will know You from Your actions.”

When all is said and done, our entire path is the path of self-attainment, the attainment of ourselves. In essence, the entire science of Kabbalah explains to a person who he is—the Creator’s doing. Therefore, you don’t need anything more: To the extent you understand how the Creator created you, what He created in you, why, and in what form, that is how much you will attain Him.

Therefore, when reading the descriptions of these images of man, we have to understand that not one of them becomes erased. All of them complement one another through their qualities, which are similar or opposite to the Light, and in the end they attain the image of the Creator.

Besides, we have to understand that it is talking about a person who advances in spirituality and this is how he sees himself for now, with his positive and negative qualities compared to the Light, the Creator. But the person himself is judging himself, and he discerns these qualities himself. Another person would see them differently because “every person judges to the extent of his own flaws.”

If a certain picture appears before him now, it only seems to him, but does not exist by itself in reality. The only picture that exists by itself is the image of the Creator. But these images are depicted inside a person by his inner qualities.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/16/11, The Zohar

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The Conversation Between The Creator And His Beloved Creation

Dr. Michael LaitmanWhen I begin reforming my relationships with the entire world, with all other souls, and with the friends in the group that study with me, I suddenly discover that there is only the Creator and me, and nobody else. In other words, there are my friends, the world, the still, vegetative, and animate nature, people, and souls, and all of which are, essentially, the manifestations of the Creator as pertains to me.

After all, the Creator cannot show Himself to me as the Light without the vessel (Kli) since I will have nothing with which to perceive Him. Therefore, the Creator divides creation into two parts: the creation itself, its soul, and the other desires besides this creation which are properties of the Creator.

“The Creator” (Boreh) derives from the Hebrew words “come” and “see” (Bo and Reh). In other words, if the created being connects with the Kli that is seemingly outside of it, thereby it expresses its attitude toward the Creator, and in this vessel, the Light appears. All of this gives the creature an opportunity to perceive the upper (relative to itself) force.

Then, the creature begins to understand the Creator’s “language,” the conversation that the Creator is having with it. Sometimes, it seems to the creature that this “external” Kli is above it and at other times, that it is below it. At times, it views the world as an empty vacuum where there is nothing at all. However, if the creature realizes that it is the Creator who makes this empty space for the creature to fill with its desire to bestow on its own, it receives room for work.

In this void, there is a lack of the Light of faith, the Light of bestowal, Hassadim (Mercy). If the creature is able to fill this empty dimension with the Light of Hassadim, consequently, it joins the Creator and can find there the Light of Hochma (Wisdom) as well.

There are opposite states when the Creator allows the creature to feel itself fulfilled. First, you feel that you stand before an enormous Light that is outside of you for now. This sensation is given to us in the first nine Sefirot (Tet Reshinot). You have to make a restriction on it, lift your inner boundary so that you can receive the Light (in the Nikvey Eynaim), and work in the three lines in order to measure the fulfillment that stands before you with your screen, or to discern to what extent you can receive it in order to bestow.

Thus, we advance, undergoing various states, while not always being aware of them. However, they unfold only when we don’t forget that there is only a single Light and a single vessel that is divided into many parts for our sake, which we have to gradually incorporate into ourselves with the intention to bestow.

On this path, there are two stages for us. The first one is the rung of Bina (Hafetz Hesed) where a person cannot really connect with the others for now and only learns to resist his or her egoism, rise above one’s desires over one’s “evil inclination” that is being revealed to them, and obtains the Kelim of GE (Galgalta Eynaim).

Later on, a person starts working with the “unification of the property of mercy and the vessel” when even one’s desires to receive that are included in him are used solely to bestow.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/15/2011, Writings of Rabash

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