Entries in the 'Prayer and Intention' Category

Providing for the Creator

624.07“Israel provide for their Father in heaven.” What provision do they give Him by which He is sustained? (Rabash. Article 34, 1990, “What Are ‘A Layperson’s Vessels,’ in the Work?”).

Question: Usually the Creator sets the table, i.e., the host invites the person. But here, on the contrary, a person prepares a meal; he is like a host. Why is it the other way around? Does it mean something?

Answer: It all depends on what you are doing it for—either for the sake of receiving or for the sake of bestowing. If for the sake of bestowing, then you feed the King. But if it is for the sake of receiving, then you are being fed.

The actions are different, but everything determines the intention. It reverses the actions.

Question: How can we control the intention? Is it through a request, or in some other way?

Answer: Only through requesting.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/6/24, Writings of Rabash ‘What Are “A Layperson’s Vessels,” in the Work?’

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Not for Your Own Benefit

514.02Question: How does Kabbalah define the quality of humility?

Answer: Humility lies in that a person does not ask for anything for oneself, but only for the sake of everyone else and the Creator.

Question: If I ask to love my friends, isn’t it contrary to humility? I am not asking for myself. I do not get any benefit from it.

Answer: It is good. You can ask this way.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/2/24, Wrtings of Baal HaSulam “If I Am Not for Me, Who Is for Me?”

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Ask the Creator and He Will Answer

235Question: Are “righteous” and “clean” two degrees in our work?

Answer: Yes, these are two states. In the Shamati article 135, it is said: “The clean and righteous do not kill,” which means do not kill within yourself your correct sensations.

Question: If I cannot understand the article, but feel that there is something special in it, can I ask the Creator to reveal it to me?

Answer: You can always ask the Creator. As a rule, He has to answer, not exactly as you want, but He will answer. So ask as much as possible.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/7/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “Clean and Righteous Do Not Kill”

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Take Care of the Creator’s Benefit

239Question: What does it mean to constantly care about the Creator’s benefit?

Answer: Taking care of the Creator’s benefit means doing everything for His sake.

Question: How do we form such an intention?

Answer: As far as you understand, do everything for His contentment. Give Him your desires, your thoughts, your aspirations, and your dreams. Send everything you have to Him. And He will feel it and delight in you.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/30/24, Writings of Rabash “What Is, ‘As I Am for Nothing, so You Are for Nothing,’ in the Work?”

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Everything Is from the Creator

558Question: What should our thoughts be focused on to come to study the Torah, as it is said, day and night?

Answer: To do this you need to understand that everything that happens in us that arises in our thoughts and desires comes from the Creator, and we must only react correctly to this.

Question: If all thoughts and intentions are from the Creator, then the prayer given to me is also from Him. At all points I connect myself with Him. How can I outsmart and persuade Him to reveal Himself?

Answer: Beg, do not persuade or somehow deceive. Just ask, that is precisely where your freewill lies.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/19/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “A Thought Is a Result of the Desires”

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Don’t Let Desire Weaken

534Question: At the beginning of the journey, the desire was strong and pronounced, but over time it seemed to decrease and fade away. What is the problem?

Answer: The problem is that you do not feel the support of your friends, and therefore, your desire remains alone and weakens.

Question: What practical advice can you give to strengthen the consistency of the desire to see the greatness and perfection of the Creator?

Answer: Pray, ask that you have only this aspiration.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/19/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “A Thought Is a Result of the Desires”

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How Can We Protect Ourselves from Harmful Desires?

559Question: How can we work correctly with the desires that distract us from spirituality when even the force of overcoming and coming closer to the group does not help?

Answer: Pray to the Creator so that He will give you the ability to protect yourself from this desire that you consider harmful.

All our desires are from the Creator. Everything that is in us is from the Creator.

So let us find out from Him what is good and what is not good and what we need and what we do not need.

If some thought not directed at the purpose of creation distracts you, leave it, do not try to correct it somehow, and try to distract yourself from it.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/19/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “A Thought Is a Result of the Desires”

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Thank and Ask

232.1Question: The Creator gives both the desire and the thought. How can you agree with Him to go in the same direction along the path of hastening (Achishena) ahead of the blows and bring Him contentment?

Answer: You should ask the Creator. You do not need anything else, just ask and thank, thank and ask.

We must constantly make these two movements toward the Creator.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/19/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “A Thought Is a Result of the Desires”

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Life with the Creator

243.04Question: If we find the strength to pray while immersed in the quality of blackness, then there is a place of merging with the Creator and gratitude. What actions are required of us hereafter?

Answer: To ask, to pray, to speak, to turn to the Creator for any, even the most insignificant reason. All the time, as if to annoy Him. And then you will quickly see His attitude toward you.

We must, as much as we can, not break away from the Creator, feel that we have grasped Him, and are holding Him as close to us as possible. And so we go through life.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/29/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “Happy Is the Man Who Does Not Forget You and the Son of Man Who Exerts in You”

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Without a Doubt

239Question: Sometimes the thought comes to mind that we want to “receive” the Creator. But we know we belong to the Creator and He can do what is good for us. Then it turns out that the place for efforts disappears, and He does everything for us, as it were. How can this be correlated?

Answer: Everything is much simpler. By turning to the Creator, I know that only He can change my state, save me from any bad state, and raise me to a good one.

I should not doubt that the Creator will provide all this for me. I am in such an environment, a group, a ten, which is sure that the Creator has the possibility to change our states from negative to positive.

In principle, everything depends on Him, but I have to do everything that depends on me.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson1/23/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “Three Conditions in Prayer”

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