Question: In our group there is still no clear, transparent, understandable declaration. What should we care of in making a declaration because its scope could be more or less strict?

Answer: Write one statement: “Love thy neighbor as thyself” and then everything that Rabash recommends for achieving this condition: to lower yourself before the friends, feel them as great, high, and yourself as completely dependent upon them, to be all together in one desire, and to help each other in everything.

Feel that you benefit from the fact that you agree with it, that you annul yourself. The only exceptions are the questions in which you have to express your opinion as an expert because you are sure that something is a detriment and there is a better option, etc. This applies to dissemination, repairs, something that relates only to this world.

As for the relationships between friends, they are all described by Rabash, and it’s best to define them in one word, “love.”
[98146]
From the Novosibirsk Convention 12/9/12, Lesson 7

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Question: The conventions force us to connect and to unite, to act quickly and efficiently, to reach incredible results. What can help us do this everyday?

Answer: A feeling of responsibility. Imagine tired parents or even sick parents whose child is crying and asking for something; they still get up and do everything for him. It isn’t easy since no one wants to do that; there is only the obligation. It’s the same in the group where everyone must feel the obligation and the responsibility. I have to feel that I am in the same boat with them and I can’t drill a hole in it.

Of course I can say, “Friends, I don’t feel well today, please excuse me I am sick,” and sleep some more, but how can I do that if I know that they are waiting for me? If you think that no one will notice your absence since you are not that important and not outstanding, you are wrong.

I am telling you this from my own experience of feeling the upper world: Each of you is no less important than I am. So your inaction is a lack of investment in the general vessel. You should understand this, and not forget; remind one another of this responsibility so that it will always be your priority.

It’s the first condition since the Creator created one man, me and all the others, only so that I will be able to stabilize myself with their help. On the other hand, the Creator created my friend and me so that I will help him and only will serve as a means for his ascent to the Creator. It is indeed so!

Therefore, we must mutually complement one another and constantly hold on to that since by that we create mutual guarantee among us. We mustn’t forget that. I can’t allow myself any concessions; I can’t pretend that I am sick or make up any excuses for my inaction. On the contrary, despite the obstacles that the Creator places before me, I have to participate as much as I can in everything. On His part, He will add different excuses for my ego, of course, but the group must remind me that this is how the Creator plays with me.
[98143]
From the Novosibirsk Convention 12/9/12, Lesson 7

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Question: Whom should I aspire to bring contentment to: the group or the Creator?

Answer: You cannot bring contentment to the Creator without bringing contentment to the group. This is a necessary condition. Otherwise you will be deceiving yourself that you are aspiring to bestowal when in reality you care about your own pocket rather than about the benefit of others.

Imagine it so that you can please the Creator only on the condition that you bring contentment to His children, who in fact are the group. You cannot do anything for Him since all of His desires are focused only on the creature.
[98257]
From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/10/13, TES

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Question: What does the term “place” mean according the wisdom of Kabbalah, both on the part of the Light and on the part of the desire?

Answer: The Creator created a desire to receive in its initial raw form. Then the Light began to work within the desire to receive. It gave birth to the desire to receive and then began to appear in it more and more. Then the desire to receive began to change in quality, and went through the five phases of development and began to take on different forms, enriched with different attributes and facets.

Thus it reached a state called “place.” It means that it’s different from what fills it. The filling is not the first and not the Light, but the “place” it enters.

They should have separated because it is said: Unless the Light separates from the vessel one time, it’s impossible to determine anything. But when it separates one time, they are already two separate things, and now it’s possible to identify a “Light” and “vessel” separately and also to study the connection between them. This is how the “place” is created, but it’s not enough; it’s possible to pour some drink into a pitcher, for example, and fill it to the top. The Creator wants this “place” to feel Him and who He is.

Imagine that you have made a clay pitcher, and now you want this pitcher to feel who made it and for what purpose. What’s more, it wants to receive the exact filling: Suppose it doesn’t agree to receive water, milk, or wine, but rather needs oil. Then according to what it chooses, it’s filled and rejects all the other fillings. This means that the “place” should also differentiate between good and bad, or in other words, be a “wise egoist” who depends on his ego that was created by the Creator.

Next the Creator wants this desire to prefer the opposite nature by itself, and to choose it by its freewill. It has to “format” itself, to arrange itself so that it can operate for itself in an opposite manner as it builds itself anew. If the desire acquires this ability, it begins to act again and to fill itself and then it’s called Adam who resembles (Domeh) the Creator.

It’s as if the desire gives birth to itself anew by its own freewill, and chooses every step it takes, every filling, and every manner. On the one hand, everything comes from it and does not depend on anyone, and on the other hand, everything is whole and in bestowal. This is called a “place.” This is the deficiency we need. Until then we are not even aware of how many states we have to go through to reach these discernments…

Question: Is there a connection between the “place” and the environment?

Answer: In order for the desire to be independent, to act freely in its discernments, in its perception, it’s divided into two systems: me and outside myself. In the internal system, there is only a spark, and in the external system, there is the whole world. To the extent that a person uses the “world” correctly, he increases his spark. To the extent that he wants to use the world in an opposite manner, wrongly, he diminishes the spark. He checks himself and learns according to his attitude to the world, to the environment.

In addition to that, a person has the wisdom of Kabbalah (a teacher, books, and a group), and this is all to help him fulfill himself consciously and not only by feeling. After all, if we learn from our feelings, it will lead to a whole chain of failures, to a very slow and cruel way of the five phases of development. If a person develops by the environment, then for him the environment becomes the teacher, books, group, and the Creator. Then he develops by the “path of Torah,” by the path of the Light that Reforms.

The difference is that by the path of the Light, he brings his own component of development and by that develops the image of the Creator within him. He begins to relate to reality not like a created being but like the Creator: “How do I use the group, the teacher, the books, and the Creator, all the forces that influence me, in order to stabilize myself correctly?”

Thus we develop the human in us and advance correctly in the easy and shortest way for all. Then the deficiency to advance that we stabilize anew each time is called a real “place,” and it’s such a place that we should reach.
[98011]
From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/11/13, “The Peace”

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Question: I have arrived at the convention in the desert, and seeing such great friends around me, I am asking: why was I honored to be part of this great society because I myself have nothing special?

Answer: None of us chose this path by ourselves, but we were brought from Above. If we understand this, we have to give thanks for this. The Creator brings a person to the good fate and tells him, “Take this!” Everyone was brought here because the time had come for his soul to begin correction and become consciously included in the general mechanism, called Malchut or Divinity.

But if the Creator brings a person to this choice, it does not mean that everything will continue without our efforts. Our efforts have to become more and more conscious. Everyone has already been disappointed in his life, in his desires, and has gone through a lot: graduated from a university, worked in a few places, served in the army, got married and divorced.

But I did not do all that. When I look back, I do not believe that I have done all that and it all happened to me. I start to realize that I was led through all these events from Above. Although I empathized emotionally, my sensations were evoked in me from Above.

But from now on, I am given freedom of choice, which I can use. There are many that come and go. As a result, they will come back some time in the future. Before the convention, I received many letters from my former students who have long left the study, became disappointed, but now decided to return.

This is also fate; we should not think that it was their own decision; the upper management ordered them. Therefore we need to accept them back, and so we opened this convention for everyone.

Everything that has been done with you until today happened because you were allowed to strengthen yourself and take care of others, and we need to give thanks for it.
[98229]
From the Arava Convention 1/17/13, Lesson 1

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Question: Some people are in great inner tension during the convention; others are joyful and going along with the flow. What should be our correct state?

Answer: Both are correct, and it is necessary to join these two states so with all your strength and great tension to try to go with the flow, to stay as close as possible to the center, and move together with it. We need to be included in the flow of the convention like two liquids that are mixed together.

But for this, I need to apply efforts, of course, because every moment I must feel that I move. I cannot go towards the goal without this movement, I must keep the same direction all the time, like a rocket which constantly adjusts its trajectory: alternately, once the force of reception, then the force of bestowal, the force of reception, then force of bestowal.

I keep balance between the two, without erasing any of them; I do not lose the awareness of my desire (Aviut), but connect all this together and advance.

There are people who naturally integrate into the general flow because their desire is lighter in comparison to others. No one is to blame or to be praised; everyone has his own natural character. And there are people with more severe, internal tension who cannot go with the general flow, and it takes them great efforts.

The first ones, who easily merge with the environment, add inspiration to everyone. And the second, for whom it is difficult to be with others, add effort. It turns out that there is the Reshimo from the screen and from the desire (Reshimo de Hitlabshut and Reshimo de Aviut), and thus general connection occurs.
[98226]
From the Arava Convention 1/17/13, Lesson

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Question: What is special about The Book of Zohar?

Answer: First, it is special since Kabbalists wrote it.

Humanity climbed down from the trees and began to evolve until the first eruption of the ego during the time of ancient Babylon. Then the method of correction was revealed in this first egoistic wave. Because people couldn’t overcome the great ego by themselves, they began to look for means to do so and found the wisdom of Kabbalah that enables a person to overcome the evil inclination through connection.

Those who began to use this method in order to correct themselves are called “Israel” which means Yashar—El, “straight to the upper” (ISRA-EL).

In the meantime, the ego continued to grow even more and all the other nations went on as usual.

Then the ego grew in the Israeli nation and as a result they went down to Egypt. Some went a bit further down, and others received the Torah in order to overcome the separation. It is about the same Kabbalistic method, and the difference is that now it is adapted to the great ego that was revealed in Egypt, which is already specified and divided into different strange desires that have to be corrected under different conditions, in different events, connections, etc. In order to go through this process we need a method called “Torah.”

Abraham’s work in Babylon was easier if we may say: to rise above the ego to the Creator (Boreh) in love and connection and to do what is good for others, for strangers, since the ego wasn’t specified then.

Abraham gave the rest of the world religions (Dat).

By that he paved two paths, but the difference between them wasn’t so big yet. Yes, these are two opposite attributes, in order to receive and in order to bestow, but in a rather minor “thickness” of the desire.

On one hand, a great ego called “Pharaoh” was indeed revealed in Egypt, and on top of it everything that is in a person, everything he is made of internally: attributes, discernments, thoughts, and desires. This means that in the time of Moses (Moshe) the crisis of the shattered soul was revealed (Neshama), which was unknown before. This is already a totally different level and so accordingly the Torah was revealed.

Later as the ego grew, the children of Israel built the first Temple with the help of the Torah and by that attained their end of correction. After the destruction of the Temple they built the second Temple and then the long descent began.

Here, before the end of the descent, The Book of Zohar was written. On one hand, great discernments of the previous level were still kept here, but on the other hand, the last level of the ego began to appear. Therefore the authors of The Zohar relied on all the 125 degrees with regard to the destruction and with regard to the attainment.

This is why The Book of Zohar is very special: It includes all the Light that will be revealed in our times on the background of the biggest ego that will bring us to the complete end of correction. The Book of Zohar symbolizes this state and tells us about all the states of the end of correction. These are the states Rabbi Shimon’s son Rabbi Elazar especially speaks about.
[98164]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/16/13, Writings of Rabash

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Question: The connection between the women in the convention allowed us to see how great our men are and that they are ready to receive the Light in the desert. How can we hold on to this image inside us?

Answer: It is a wonder, but thanks to the fact that the women connected, they felt how special the work that the men do is. Before they didn’t feel that, this is called “From Your actions we shall know You,” by performing the same action, the women understand the men’s state. Now the women understand how the men connect, hug one another, and how they attain connection by collective actions.

Before the women didn’t feel that, since they were not together, they were not one vessel, one desire; they didn’t feel any advantage in that or any attraction or inclination to connect. But now they begin to feel this state. It is an example for all of us that we need “to do and to hear”; that’s how it works.

Thus the women could see how great the men are. Even if this image disappears right away, we shouldn’t be afraid of a descent, but rather accept it as an ascent. When the “hardening of the heart” comes, we will overcome it as fast as we can. The more ascents and descents there are, the more stubbornly we will hold on to one another, thanks to the mutual support.

We shouldn’t be scared; on the contrary, we should be happy: Let the descents come; we will accept them as ascents! We should only hold on to one another and reach the finish line quickly. However, those who stop and don’t want to descend get stuck in one place. We shouldn’t be afraid of the unpleasant feelings, but rather rise above these feelings.

Are we that dependent on our feelings? If the next day everything that happened during the convention disappears, this is the place to work, to try and keep yourself in this state, as if we haven’t left the convention hall.

The “hardening of the heart” that we feel now is given to us so that we will evoke this importance of the goal inside us by ourselves. But can I do that, of course not! This is why we were given a group, an environment that we have already built. According to the power of the environment that has already been built, I am now given a descent. A descent is a sign that I have to connect to the group even more strongly.

How can I connect if the connection has ended and this special opportunity is over? We have to try to keep the connection as hard as we can, even together with some other people, two or three other women by whom I can be impressed is enough. Indeed, if a person connects with someone outside himself, it doesn’t matter how many people there are: a million, a billion or just one. The main thing is that it is someone else, someone on the outside. So the main thing for me is to find a connection as quickly as possible and not to lose it.

A descent is a state in which I am detached from the environment; otherwise, it isn’t a descent, but simply an egoistic bad mood that has nothing to do with spirituality. A spiritual descent is only when one is detached and drawn away from the right environment.

If we understand that, we begin to see that all the ascents and descents are only with regard to the environment. A descent is when I am being drawn away from the environment, and the ego comes between the environment and me. I, on the other hand, have to overcome this ego and despite the ego, return in order to adhere to the environment again.

Then the ego is inserted between us again, and I am drawn further from the environment and constantly overcome this resistance and return, like a piston in an engine. I constantly return to adhesion above the new ego that is evoked each time, and so I end my work quickly, fill the measure of my exertion, the exertion needed to keep myself in adhesion with the group.

If a person completes this work by staying in adhesion, the adhesion with the Creator is revealed to him, the first spiritual level. So we shouldn’t be afraid of the descents, but we should be prepared for them, and on the contrary, we “should awaken the dawn” by ourselves and not wait for the dawn to awaken me.

Different states will come along: “Let there be evening and let there be morning.” The evening has already arrived while we can awaken the dawn by ourselves!
[98086]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/15/13, Writings of Rabash

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Rabash. “Shlavei HaSulam,” Article 13, “Maoz Tzur Yeshuati” (The Stronghold of My Redemption): But the main thing is that a person should first have the desire to sacrifice his desire to receive. And since the desire to receive is the essence of the created being, the created being loves it and it is very difficult for him to understand that it must be annulled, since otherwise it is impossible to attain anything spiritual. And in corporeality we see that a person has a desire and a deficiency as to what concerns him that comes from the internality of his body. There is a desire that a person acquires from his externality, which means on his part. This means, that if there weren’t people on the outside who generate this desire in him, then a person would never feel that he lacks anything. Only people on the outside generate this deficiency in him.

Question: In fact, in order to feel the friends’ desire I have to ask the Creator for help. Why can’t I adopt their desire by myself?

Answer: Every action is done by the Light. We live in a world with precise laws and the energy in them evokes different phenomena. This energy is in matter. Why do electrons, protons, neutrons, and other particles move? Where do they get the power to do so? After all, everything in nature aspires to be in a state of absolute rest, balance, equality, harmony, and mutuality. So why is the structure of matter in perpetual movement?

It is because there is energy that pushes matter towards the goal from the smallest detail about which we know nothing up to whole worlds. At the same time, some of the actions are absolute and are perpetually applied, like the movement of a train on the track, like physiological or astronomical processes that don’t need our approval.

But there is also a different level in which the actions must be conscious. Here the created being must understand, recognize, and know the Creator who sustains the force, the energy that moves the whole world. Above still, vegetative, and animate nature on the human level, there is a particle of desire, a point in the heart, in which the created being must ask to use the energy of the Light. Without this request the Light will not appear and will not operate.

There are times in which the energy of the Light operates without our recognition when no one is aware of the existence of the Creator. Billions of years of history passed in these “inexplicable” phases. But afterward there comes a moment in which the created being has to develop until it reaches the state in which it can get to know the Creator.

Here there is a problem as the created being feels that he is stuck on something on the way and life doesn’t flow onward. Now he has to activate the force of the Light by himself, to understand each time, to know it, and to get close to it. From now on the work is done together as “partners.” The Creator is ready to do everything‑like parents caring for a baby‑if He is asked correctly and it is to their advantage. They have everything you need; you need only to make the correct request, and mom and dad respond immediately to whatever it was.

We know in advance what the Creator has to do, we want it; we accept it, and ask Him to perform this action. Then He responds without any delay, since He is ready to help us in advance, like a father ready to help his beloved son. This means that our work is to reach a prayer: “Do such and such.”

So what is the right request? What is the request that we expect from a child? We want him to ask to grow a little, to get a bit wiser, to grow stronger, to succeed a bit more, to get closer to the state of a “whole person.” This is also what the Creator expects from us—only this request. We have to understand what it means to grow, to be kind, to be smart and healthy and to ask for that. This request is much more egoistic than our ego in this world, but because we work despite our animal ego, it is called bestowal.

What bestowal? To whom and what do you bestow? You simply ask to be like Him…

So why do we have to do this against our ego that constantly “holds us back?” It is because otherwise we wouldn’t arrive at the clarifications: “What does it mean to be like Him; to be great in bestowal?” If everything went smoothly, we would stay on the level of the still nature, we are constantly “stopped” and we have to resist that, to look for solutions, to discover, and then compare different attributes; this makes us wiser and helps us develop.

This means that the evil inclination was especially created to develop us. After all, I can be a small beetle, a mouse, a cat, a dog, a slave, a servant, a nobleman, a minister, and even the king in the King’s palace. Now, too, I am in the King’s palace, but how do I see it? How do I see myself? A small beetle that lives under the stairs.

So only thanks to the resistance of the desire to receive can we acquire more levels of understanding. Therefore, the ego is called “help against.” Without its resistance we wouldn’t be able to acquire anything. This means that we need to recognize the help and what is on the other side, and then we will reach what we desire.
[98022]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/15/13, Writings of Rabash

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