Write down and learn what the intention has to be during the lesson: to merge with one another as one man with one heart, inside the system of our interconnection called “mutual guarantee.” On one hand, every person feels himself, and on the other hand, above this sensation he feels such a strong connection with others that he is unable to perform even one free motion. That is how devoted a person has to be to the group.

It’s as if I am weaved into a spider web through which all of my incoming and outgoing signals pass. I don’t have anything of my own in the mind or the heart. There is just one point remaining, which constantly yearns toward this net with all its strength, wishing to give itself to it.

This is self-rejection. To the degree I give myself to others, the Upper Light influences me and makes me a part of the common net. Then I feel how on one hand I am devoted to it, and on the other hand, it is all mine.

It’s the same as how a mother gives all of herself to the child and they both feel that the child is hers. One does not exist without the other. It says about this in the Song of Songs, “I am for my beloved and my beloved is for me.” That is how we must work.
[29231]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/9/10, The Zohar

Related Material:
Place Of Residence: The Group
A Clear Criterion
My Contribution

Filed under: Collective Soul, Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Inner Work, Prayer and Intention, Unity, Zohar - No Comments →

Question: How can I attach the desires of others to myself in order to attain a common prayer?

Answer: You have to understand that all the corrections happen inside our common sphere, which is called a “place.”

If my thoughts are anywhere outside of this common place, it means I am outside of Malchut of the World of Atzilut, outside of Malchut of the World of Infinity, outside of the group, the “place” where the Creator is revealed (the Creator is called a “place”). This means I am outside of reality.

The place where He is revealed is called reality. This world, where the Creator is concealed, is not considered to be actually existent. All of the spiritual reality is revealed inside of our common Kli, vessel, or desire.
[29159]
From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/8/10, Beit Shaar HaKavanot

Related Material:
Give Yourself To The Friends Without Leaving Out Anything
Place Of Residence: The Group

Filed under: Collective Soul, Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Prayer and Intention, Q&A - No Comments →

Question: How can I think about the correction that The Book of Zohar brings us if I feel negative emotions such as hatred?

Answer: Prayer is whatever the heart feels. If there is hatred in my heart now, then this is my prayer, “I want to hurt my enemy.”

In order to correctly use the force that’s hidden in The Book of Zohar while reading it together in a group, I must first prepare my heart so it will desire the same thing the Creator desires. In reality, the Creator responds to every prayer, meaning the desires in our heart. That is why our world is so bad!

However, on the other hand, it is written that He responds only to the prayer that has gone through “the gate of tears.” So does He really respond to every desire, even the whim of a baby or the machinations of a villain?

Yes, say the Kabbalists who have revealed the system of our relationships with Him. A thief who has set his sights on some object, or a criminal who goes out “on the prowl” and is ready to kill someone, also desire to succeed and their prayer is also accepted. After all, we are talking about the desire of Malchut of the World of Atzilut, and everything beneath it, including our world, belongs to it.

Why, then, do we say that the desire can ascend into Malchut, or it can not ascend? The matter is that we draw a division into two types of desires:

– Some aspire in the same direction as the Creator’s will. Then they unite with the upper desire and are perceived as abundance from Above.

– Some do not match the Creator’s will. They also evoke the same response from Above as the positive desires, but are perceived by the negative desires negatively, as a negative reaction. This corrects a person, leading him down a lengthy, difficult path of suffering instead of the short, easy path where his desires coincide with the Creator’s desires.

That is why it is best for us to prepare for the right prayer and to use it when turning to The Book of Zohar. A person cannot sit at the lesson without any desires. One way or another, he desires something, and if his desire has been prepared ahead of time and aspires in the right direction, then he advances easily and quickly while reading The Zohar.

Besides, we have to remember that we are in the group, which helps us to strengthen our prayer. Thus, if a person’s thoughts are not aimed at the goal, then he takes an adversarial position in relation to the group and feels what seems like a negative reaction from Above even more.

Therefore, our entire work amounts to preparing for the lesson, that is, for reading The Zohar and other Kabbalistic books. Once we are at the lesson, it is difficult to change anything because a person’s heart is already tuned to a specific desire.

That’s why it is so important what thoughts I have when going to sleep and how I prepare for the lesson in the morning. These minutes play the decisive role. And we shouldn’t forget about the physical preparation so the body won’t fall into slumber.

Rabash writes the following in Article 36 in Writings of Rabash:
It is written, “He who hears the prayer.” Why does it say “the prayer” in the singular tense? Doesn’t the Creator hear all prayers? The matter is that we have to raise just one prayer: to restore the Shechina from the dust.

To pray for the restoration of the Shechina from the dust means to desire the revelation of the Creator, the quality of bestowal and love for the neighbor inside me in order to become similar to the Creator in this regard. If we all aim our efforts in one direction, then we are knocking on the gate that will definitely open.
[29034]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/7/10, The Zohar

Related Material:
What Is In Our Power To Do?
My Contribution
Appealing To The Creator Together

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Inner Work, Kabbalah Study, Prayer and Intention, Q&A, Zohar - No Comments →

Question: If the entire responsibility for the whole world rests on those who have a point in the heart, why then did the fires start in the north of Israel where other people live, and not in my house?

Answer: We are now in the preparatory stage for doing practical spiritual work, which begins with our entrance into the perception of the Upper World, our presence in it. Therefore, there is no sense in distracting you from the studies by making you lose your home and health in the fire. For the time being, you must quickly and easily move forth toward the practical work.

However, later on, you will find out that the people who are now suffering on the material plane, such as those who lost their homes, including children, the elderly, and women, are parts of yourself. In fact, they are closer to you than your biological children.

Your lack of sensitivity blocks this perception in you, but your are yet to see all of this and include it in your correction. For now, it is similar to two parts of the body: In order for one of them to be healed, the other suffers at its level. Afterwards, however, they become one, included in one another.

We are expected to understand this and experience it on the level of spiritual awareness instead of the level of matter so you will feel that it is you who burnt there in the north of Israel! Moreover, your inner work determines whether this predicament will be resolved or not.
[28889]
From the lesson on Rabash’s article on 12.03.2010

Related Material:
The General Reason For All The Suffering
I’m Asking For Everyone’s Sake, Including Ourselves

Filed under: Crisis, Prayer and Intention, Q&A, Suffering - No Comments →

Question: Is it correct to build an intention while studying The Book of Zohar and to think about those who have been hurt by the fires in the north of Israel and those who are fighting the fire?

Answer: This is not a matter of the obvious and latent problems people are facing. By bringing the Light closer to Malchut de Atzilut, we enable Malchut to shine in her nine lower Sefirot, meaning in all of reality that lies beneath her, including our world.

We raise MAN, a plea for correction, to Malchut, which is then transferred higher, all the way until Arich Anpin, the source of abundance. By virtue of this, the abundance starts descending to Malchut and she provides this Light to the lower ones: the Worlds of BYA, our world, all the souls, and the still, vegetative, and animate levels of nature.

Of course, we thereby bring life to all the creatures below. This includes the inhabitants of the north of Israel, who are the same as all the people and all the creatures that continue to suffer.

We understand that they are suffering due to a lack of connection with the Upper Force. When we add the right intention to their suffering, we raise their desire upwards together with our intention. Then we receive additional abundance in response, which becomes transferred to the whole world.
[28754]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/5/10, The Zohar

Related Material:
I’m Asking For Everyone’s Sake, Including Ourselves
A Guide To The Book Of Zohar: From Darkness To The Light

Filed under: Crisis, Daily Kabbalah Lesson, News, Prayer and Intention, Q&A, Suffering, World - No Comments →

Question: What should we actually do to counter nature’s blows, such as the fire in the north of Israel that’s happening now?

Answer: The only thing we need is the common intention, the unity of our thoughts. We need our friends all over the world to think about how our unity with one another will help eliminate all the disasters in the world, including the horrible fire that has broken out in Israel.

You have to include your personal plea into the common plea for the whole world and unite with all of the world’s suffering. That is the only way it works: If you think about everyone, then at the end you can also add “us” – but not yourself! This is the only thing that can help.

It is impossible to fight catastrophes or a crisis using the old methods if you find yourself facing the Upper Light that acts against you. We are yet to see how the financial crisis will come back, even though people have tried to extinguish it using all the possible means. In fact, it will explode much more powerfully than before. And the same thing will happen with everything else. We cannot cope with these problems using the usual methods. We can only suppress them temporarily, but later they will break out even stronger.

Correction is possible only through bringing hearts closer, only through unity. The world has to become global. The force operating on us from Above surrounds us, shutting us in from all sides and becoming revealed as one global force. Therefore, we feel how humanity is becoming as one organism where everyone is connected with each other.

We are yet to see that these very catastrophes will force humanity to unite. Now fire-fighters from all over the world will come to Israel to help fight the fire, and tomorrow something else will happen in another place and the whole world will come rushing there, and later it will be a new place. In this way, through disasters, nature will force us to unite and understand that we need each others’ help.

Nature will become so hostile that we won’t have time to think about how to fight with each other. If we don’t agree to it the good way, the Creator will force us to it. The situation will become so serious that not one nation will be able to single-handedly fight the natural catastrophes. Everyone will have to help each other. And suddenly, everyone will understand that they have to be together; otherwise we simply won’t survive,

Everyone will unite in the face of a deadly threat. But why should we wait for it if we can advance by the good path?
[28605]
From the lesson on Baal HaSulam’s article “Freedom of Will” on 12/3/10

Related Material:
The General Reason For All The Suffering
Appealing To The Creator Together
Connecting To Good

Filed under: Collective Soul, Crisis, Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Economy, News, Prayer and Intention, Q&A, Suffering, Unity, World - 1 Comment →

A person thinks that he has to independently overcome his ego, advance toward spirituality, and aim himself toward “Israel, the Torah, and the Creator are one.” This, however, isn’t so!

In our world, we are always waiting for a small child to complete an action independently by either following our example or thinking of something on his own, such as building something out of blocks.

In spirituality, we are developing on a degree that is above the physical world. There, we must obtain a second nature, while in the physical world all we have to do is advance, learn about what is already within us, and realize what is ahead. This is because everything already exists in its final state; the entire reality is disclosed.

We have to somehow “grab on” to spirituality, begin sensing, seeing, and revealing it. For now the spiritual world is unclear to us.

We have to understand one very simple notion which happens to be extremely difficult to implement: When we speak about overcoming, aspiration, attaining the goal, revealing the Creator, and our efforts, all of these things must be in our plea to the Creator in order for them to be heard. We can’t do anything except correctly ask the Creator.

For now we haven’t reached the point of realizing that “there is none else besides Him,” that He is in charge of all actions, and that we are simply the objects of these actions. We can only raise MAN (Mayin Nukvin – “female waters”) so that the Creator will carry out these actions.

We’re still relating to spirituality in the same way that we relate to this world, where we feel we can do things with “our own hands.” We scatter our efforts in different directions instead of appealing to the Creator.

If we aren’t formulating an inner plea to the Creator, then we aren’t aspiring toward bestowal. After all, it’s quite evident that we aren’t capable of bestowing on our own. This is why we have to appeal to the Creator. The group can’t correctly realize and explain to each person what action we must all make together.

It is said: “The sons of Israel cried from this work.” They wanted to build the beautiful cities of Pithom and Ramses themselves. After building them, they saw that everything was consumed by their egoistic desire to receive pleasure. That’s when they called out to the Creator so that He would make changes.

In other words, we’re only expecting it to happen. But the executing force that will change us will come only if we ask it to come. We can hear these things hundreds, even thousands of times, but only the Upper Light can give us the ability to perceive them.

However, the group’s opinion can bring us closer to this. If each person will constantly try to remind himself and even force himself to think that we have to unite in our plea to the Creator, then this is considered to be everyone’s effort. It is the prayer of the many (Tefilat Rabim) that will open the path to spirituality.
[27533]
From Preparation to the Lesson, 11/19/10

Related Material:
A Cry In The Desert
“The Place” Where The Creator And I Meet

Filed under: Collective Soul, Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Prayer and Intention - No Comments →

Question: What does raising MAN mean?

Answer: MAN is a plea to become like the Creator. It occurs when a person feels helpless, as though he’s in a middle of a desert. He is stripped of all things, he’s withered, and others can’t help him. He understands that he has no chance of reaching love and bestowal. He feels weak and “surrounded by lions,” desires that are “devouring” him. His life is in danger and he is unable to get out of this state and enter bestowal.

The whole world is at a person’s feet except for bestowal and love for his friend or the Creator. It doesn’t matter what pleasures the ego fills itself with; if the quality of love and bestowal doesn’t stand behind all of these things, the person is lost in the desert. In this desert, this empty ego, a person’s spiritual desire becomes so powerful that it makes him cry out, and this cry reaches the goal.
[27907]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/28/10, The Zohar, Introduction, Article “The Rose”

Related Material:
If You Don’t Wake Up, Tomorrow Everyone Will Be Asleep
Living In The Creator’s Environment

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Inner Work, Prayer and Intention, Q&A, Zohar - No Comments →

A person who listens to the lesson and does not understand it has to think about the intention even more than others. Everything is clear in the intention and there is nothing to explain about it; it is the thing that a person has to discern for himself! Clarify exactly what you want. Even if your desires do not suit spirituality, the Upper Light will influence you during the study, gradually attuning you correctly. The most important thing is that you are trying to analyze your intentions.

Our efforts are not made in the study or in understanding, but in the intention: Why am I studying, what for, and what do I want from it? Even if all of your inner calculations are incorrect, it doesn’t matter. If you activate the intention, the Light influences it. The Light does not affect the desire, but only the intention (which is egoistic in order to turn it into being altruistic) because it comes from Above through the worlds, already clothed in intention, in the Reflected Light.

Therefore you cannot receive the Upper Light unless you also create Reflected Light. Reflected Light is the intention.

Therefore we have no choice; everything depends only on how we activate the intentions. Even if they are incorrect, like the intentions of a baby who doesn’t understand anything yet, it doesn’t matter. The most important thing is for the Upper Light to have something to correct!
From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/2/10, Beit Shaar HaKavanot

Related Material:
The Ship Of Our Intentions
Upwards Along The Degrees Of Intentions
Purifying The Intention

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Prayer and Intention - 1 Comment →

Question: What should I do if the intention you give us before the lesson is gone the next instant?

Answer: There is nothing you can do; we have to keep renewing intentions! I lay the direction, and you have to stick to it. If you do, it means you are following me.

This is the reason you come to the lesson. It’s not to exercise your mind digging through the text! The essence of your work is not in using your brain but in making an effort to hold the intention.

You have to keep yourself on the course and follow me. I cannot keep reminding you about it each second, which would mean dragging you by force. Write it down for yourself and later try to cling to this thought. And it doesn’t matter how much of the text you will hear; the key is to work on keeping the intention. Intention is that very “magic force” (Segula) that reveals to you what The Zohar is describing.

If your intention reaches the required degree, you can understand The Zohar even in a language you are unfamiliar with; you can reveal it and start living in the Upper World, receive new organs of perception, that is, enter spirituality yourself. And it has nothing to do with intellectual guesses. A new sense has to emerge in you. Therefore, you have to exert your own effort aimed specifically at this and wait for the Light to descend and reform you with a specific action.

I can’t do it for you. I can only help and remind you, but not more. Therefore, it is written in “A Speech for the Completion of The Zohar” and other texts that one needs to cleave to the teacher. This is exactly what we are talking about.

Hence, you must keep holding on to the guideline I provide in the beginning of the lesson and build it up. This constitutes our common work.

Every day for three hours of the lesson, you must remain in the same intention but make it more precise, sharpening it up bit by bit, day by day. You have to do it so that it won’t disappear but will get more and more clear, brief, and articulate, that is, more discerned.

Write it down; I am giving you a hint that will always bring you back on track. If you got lost, ask yourself: “What will become of me?!” That’s it: If you have an ache, you don’t need anything else.
[27664]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/25/10, The Zohar

Related Material:
How Much Do Your Eyes See?
Cling To The Source

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Inner Work, Kabbalah Study, Prayer and Intention, Q&A, Spiritual Teacher - No Comments →