Question: How do we work during a seminar, how do we listen to one another?

Answer: A friend can say things that I might or might not understand. He can say things that I think are great or maybe something foolish. In any case, I now perceive him as a manifestation of a representative of the Creator: The Creator is influencing me through him.

If I am repulsed by my friend’s appearance, expression, the actual meaning of his words, or everything else, I might not perceive him or want him. And this is a wonderful exercise! I need to rise above this! If he is a representative of the Creator, since “There is none else beside Him,” especially at an event like this that we are participating in, then I need to elevate my friend and try to penetrate the spiritual essence through him, which is presenting all of this to me and also presents itself this way. I must rise above myself to a state, where I will perceive everything in it as absolute goodness, absolute bestowal, an absolute spiritual quality—despite anything that I am feeling on the inside, despite the fact that I do not have it.

And it is a very good thing that these two qualities are manifesting in me: my egoistic attitude towards my friend, when everything that I see in him does not take any criticism at all, and on the other hand, on the contrary, when I treat him through faith above reason, as a representative of the Creator, because nothing should come from anyone in the world that might be evil, bad, imperfect. And if it exists in me, then it is mine; I am looking at him with my own eyes.

This is why, if I am able to note these two states in me, then I have already done certain spiritual work. We must put together all the highest and lowest critical states in relation to one another, and we will have a common vessel—Malchut, which is on the bottom and consists only of unpleasant things—and it will keep getting brighter and worse in us, and we will be able to keep rising towards Keter over it. Then we will reach such distance between them, such tension, which will equal the state when the Surrounding Light will turn into Inner Light and shine there. And then we will acquire the first spiritual degree.

What does this do? We raise MAN towards Malchut of the world of Atzilut, which connects us together, and there we establish ourselves for the first time as newborns. And a person cannot be born alone, but only a minimum of ten people.
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Question: Baal HaSulam says in the “Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Item 155, that even if we don’t understand Kabbalistic texts, we draw the power of correction, the Surrounding Light, by reading it. So why don’t people who know these texts by heart ever reach attainment?

Answer: They don’t draw the power of correction because the Surrounding Light should turn into the Inner Light when you acquire a Masach (screen), which means the intention to bestow. The question is do you yearn to attain a Masach? Are you drawn to correction? Do you want to reveal the evil inclination? Are you ready to go through this although it is unpleasant? Do you see this as an obligation and a necessity? Do you invest all your energy in the society in order to be under the influence of the friends? Only then will they lift you from your desires and pull you out of this swamp.

When you hate someone you have to make an effort so that you will love him. It is as if he did you wrong and you rise above that although the feeling of hate remains, and you work only for love by wanting to give him more than you give to your own baby.

Do you do that and hold on to this inclination regarding these corrections? If so, you are drawing the Surrounding Light that operates on you and provides you with necessary attribute.

At the same time you are diverted from the path, and you are thwarted by more interruptions, but you still have to advance by subduing yourself before the friends and asking for their help. Thus you evoke the Surrounding Light upon you, yearning for that attribute—for bestowal and love—above hate and rejection. Even if you are absolutely right in all your claims regarding the friends, you still try to advance “above reason.”

As for those you are asking about, they deal with the wisdom and not with the Torah, not with the method of correction in which the Reforming Light is concealed. They read the texts without any connection with the evil inclination that will be revealed or that is already revealed. They don’t come to the lesson in order to correct themselves, and they don’t study the Torah, but wisdom. Therefore it says: “wisdom among the nations, believe.” The “nations” refers to those who don’t want to correct themselves. However, those who want to reach unity are called “Jews,” and this is the whole difference.

Abraham gave “gifts” to the children of the concubines, meaning intermediate methods. They studied for pleasure, received a slight illumination, but didn’t fulfill the correction and didn’t ascend the ladder of the spiritual degrees. Such people study the material by heart, discuss it, argue….

We don’t argue and don’t discuss anything, for us only the Reforming Light is important. It doesn’t matter how much a person knows, what’s important is to keep in contact with the text that brings him the power of correction.

Eventually, however, the correction is everyone’s share, and I don’t underestimate anyone. If a person opens Kabbalah books, even if he walks in the dark, he is still moving forward.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/23/12, “Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot”

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Question: While educating tens of thousands of people according to the integral method, it is necessary to have many organizers to watch over discipline, to make sure people do not play cards, drink, and do other things in the back rows.

How do you do this on a factory that is being closed down, after all, strict discipline and pressure do not complement the integral method?

Answer: We are dealing with a necessary process of educating masses that will suffer a lot in the worst case scenario. We must understand that we must not educate through hard pressure and through serious organization of their discipline. They must see this, understand it consciously, and try to support our efforts in this.

Question: We must prepare organizers?

Answer: Absolutely! First of all we need to prepare organizers.

They must feel this new spirit that is being born here; after all, we are going towards the integration of the population, their interconnection, mutual support, and complementing each other.

In this case, there can be no question about hierarchy here. Hierarchy is good for the process of organization. But once the study space is organized, inside there must be friendship instead of discipline.
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From KabTV’s “Experimental City: Education” 3/3/12

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Question: How can we make integral learning, introduced by businesses, a creative and constructive process?

Answer: First of all, it’s simply necessary to occupy all the employees of the firm with integral upbringing and education. With time, they can gradually be prepared to participate in an event such as a voluntary “work day” to clean up, to make nature ecologically clean, to fix and tidy up the entire town where we live.

In other words, integral upbringing and education must bring us to common constructive work, to ensure we are receiving inner fulfillment from it, and the realization of the ideas. The city must breathe it, and it will be contagious.
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From KabTV’s “Experimental City: Education” 3/3/12

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Question: What is the difference between a lesson and a workshop?

Answer: The workshop serves as preparation for the lesson. And so, each lesson should also be similar to a workshop since we must prepare the common intention, the desire to become one, the one corresponding to the unified desire of one force. Without any preceding preparation like this, it would not be the learning of the Torah, but the study of wisdom.

The study of the Torah symbolizes the disclosure of the evil inclination that needs to be corrected. The correction of the evil inclination is the connection with others and the attainment of love, the correction of the breaking. Thus, each lesson needs to become an addition to the workshop and bring us to a higher level.

In the workshops, we learn how to prepare quickly for each lesson. Then, all of our lives will transform into one incessant workshop. This is so that we never lose the feeling of unity and constantly connect more and more.

In this way, we examine all the details in the common Kli and solve all the problems in life as a whole, both corporeal and spiritual. By our acting from within the center of the group, from within our shared feeling, we can perform real miracles.

The workshop is a clarification of our intention, the connection, our necessity to connect between us, mutual guarantee, responsibility, the commitment of each one for the other in the general group, and the obligation in regard to our teachers, the sources, and the entire world. Everything together determines our responsibility and the only obligation to the Creator.

Through our uniting in a circle, we create a place in this central point through which it is possible to break out of the material borders. Everything is in the hands of the group.

Thus, the subject of the discussion is not so important, but the main thing is how we try to connect via the subject. This means that it is just a means of searching after a greater connection.

All the worlds, Partzufim, Sefirot, and Reshimot are clarified only in the center of the group where the steps of the spiritual ladder are revealed. Nevertheless, only now are we starting the work from the beginning.

All of these workshops will go into the archive so that every person in the world can use them to emotionally participate in this work and advance. In the end, the entire world will become one group around one round table, one family.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/20/12, ”Talk About Past Conventions”

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Question: Social protest is being reborn today in Israel. As people find that prices are excessively inflated, people feel “used,” and this unites them.

Answer: That is right. There is an external impression that a protest is able to lead to real changes. Once well organized, it is possible to, for example, lower the prices twofold on products.

However, the Creator intentionally shows us this deceiving picture: as if in this way we were able to correct something He has ruined, and live happily. In reality, in the end we will not achieve anything this way, even if all calculations point to an enhancement of welfare.

It seems like before I barely lasted until payday and now I can even spend my money on other things. But the problem is that this will not happen.

After all, the Creator wants us to rise above our lives through these “exercises.” Just like at a certain point, a father begins to appear before his son in different images: forced formidableness, false coldness, etc. This is not just different facial expressions and changes of tone; this helps the son learn his father’s behavior. A small child is simply frightened by severity, but a bigger child thinks: “Why does he do this? What does he want?” Once he matures a bit more, the son already understands his father’s intentions, he already sees what his father wishes to teach him—and he joins the father, his love and his training program: “What does he want to show to my ruined desire with his unsatisfied expression? How do I change this desire to see a smile on his face?”

After all, the Creator wants us to associate ourselves with Him, perceive His mind and feeling and rise to a new degree, instead of dealing with the “faces” that this world is making. And this is why a social protest will not bear success and will not make our lives easier.

The question here is: Are we using the awakening of the people to bring them to the objectives they need to reach today? The time has come to explain the situation to the people: No matter how low the prices drop, we will not see any real benefit. A person lives through sensations, and even shopping with the money saved will not help him, he will be “set up” so that instead of feeling pleasure, he will become more depressed. On the background of wellbeing, we will see a wave of suicides or an increase in drug abuse.

Stop making short-term plans, nearsightedly expecting to take it out on those who rob us. Robbery is not limited to tycoons; however, we are not speaking about human egoism, but the one who is playing with us through these examples. So, we need to find a clear explanation to make people gradually understand what is happening.

One way or another, if the protest is not directed towards unity, when its purpose is to get even with someone, this will only harm people. Talk about crazy prices only blinds a person and shuts his mouth instead of bringing fulfillment to his heart and the mind.

If all of humanity is not raised to the point of the realization of the upper Force, the suffering will only keep increasing. The Creator wants to bring you closer, but you play with price tags and chant populist slogans. This will only turn into greater suffering. Even if you were to take all the money from tycoons, you will still have nothing left tomorrow. Because you will waste these billions, lose work places, and will leave people with no earnings, instead of what they have now even if it is insufficient.

We need to begin with the cause and not the consequence: The Creator creates this situation so we will come to Him. Do social protests lead to Him? They do if they push us towards unity. But if they are about breaking and bringing someone down, then no.

Rise a little and see what is driving everything. There is nothing that can be done without changing human nature, which determines the current system. Change it, raise people: This is the solution. Otherwise, for the happiness of the haters, you will bring things to the point of a revolution, like those which already have been so numerous in history.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/18/12, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

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Question: Let’s say that a group of integral learning specialists, including economists, arrives in a small town. What should they be like in order to properly organize the economic process?

Answer: The entire group has already completed a course of integral education; they understand it and know what they need to do. Naturally, different corrections will arise along the way because every year is a new year, the situation and people are new, and the specialists are gaining experience. But in general, everyone in the group knows the common plan of action well. They operate as a completely separate team who only do social-educational work with the population.

Question: Do the economists also need to feel the essence of the integral method or is superficial knowledge enough for them?

Answer: No. I think that the main group needs to be deeply in this method, understanding that there is no other solution to the crisis, and they need to start learning it and gaining experience. Of course, initially there will be some mistakes and discrepancies regarding the plan, the timetable, etc. Naturally, there will be problems with the local management and other yet unknown problems.

But despite this, it’s necessary to gradually create the form of a common team, which would be capable of quickly adapting to any place and would be able to take on the work regardless of the kind of management or local conditions. Therefore, an integral approach towards creating this needs to be developed. I think that this is possible.

It’s best to depend as little as possible on the local management. Never try to argue with them, but simply explain how this will benefit them, and that we have really come to help them.
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From Kab TV’s “Experimental City: Education” 3/3/12

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Question: Typically economists do not delve into the essence of various methodologies because primarily they are interested in efficiency and speed of implementation. But the method of integral education is something different: unhurried, the family and home. How is this conflict resolved? Do leaders need to delve into the integral approach?

Answer: No. They want to see good results from introducing this methodology including economic. There will be fewer robberies, theft on the streets, fewer illnesses, and various other public complaints. There will be a calmer atmosphere, more rational consumption, and people settling for much less. And that will adjust the whole situation in the city to the extent that there will be less pressure on public services and everything else.

Moreover, we can calculate what economic effect the integral education will bring. Despite the fact that definitely a cost is associated with it, there will certainly be an economic impact. We can calculate and prove that even without a difficult situation, such as closing the only company giving life to an entire city; it is still worth carrying out educational activities throughout the city. As a result a total budget of the nation would suddenly gain tens of billions of dollars, and this is in addition to improvements in the general well-being of the population and a reduction in mortality, divorces, and everything else!
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From a “Talk on Integral Upbringing” #23, 3/2/12

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Question: In what form should the structure of integral upbringing be introduced in a smaller town? Should a prepared team of specialists be invited there?

Answer: It is impossible to provide a town with a population of 50,000 with an army of visiting specialists. It is impossible to fathom the unfathomable.

At the maximum, a team of twenty should be invited, and all the rest would be through the virtual delivery of knowledge. Then, people should be gathered in big groups to lectures and to events such as festivals and public parties under the auspices of integrality.

It is necessary to simultaneously train local specialists. In the same manner as there are municipal workers everywhere, the city also should have specialists on integral upbringing who will be continuing to educate children, elders, and the entire population. It is necessary to provide them with media materials, and overall to lay a foundation for this process to continue infinitely.

Question: When such action takes place, at first, people feel enthusiastic as they join the common action. Then the guests from the capital leave and this wave of enthusiasm recedes. What is to be done next so that it does not dwindle to nothing?

Answer: I think that integral upbringing should be accepted as a law without which society can no longer exist. That is, it must be the most important, principal law of the city or society, founded upon compatibility, integrality, and on mutual complements and voluntary participation.

Everything that is done today by various agencies and decided in courts, police and other authorities will be decided on a completely different level. However, a serious education department is needed for this. Thus, it is crucial to create a budget, material incentives, and the content for the entire system that will be engaged in education.

Question: Is the education department a separate agency?

Answer: I think that it should not report to anyone, only to the country’s common upbringing center.

Question: What about economists?

Answer: They cannot do anything because local ideological departments do not report to anyone but the main ideological center. I cannot imagine that it could be any other way.

Economists cannot direct education. They cannot meddle with the process of upbringing and education in schools. If any problems arise, they either should be solved together or at a higher level, but one does not loom over another.
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From a “Talk on Integral Upbringing” #23, 3/2/12

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Question: How can I check that I have returned to the center of the group during the workshop?

Answer: The center of the group is our only upper point, the upper desire, the place, where all our desires unite and wherever we look we see Divinity, the revelation of the Creator.

We will learn to check this in more “professional” ways in the future, according to the three parts of the existence of reality “world-year-soul,” according to the three lines. But as long as we cannot hold on to all these spiritual discernments, I check that I have reached the center of the group when I begin to discover that there is something outside my “I.”

It is as if I am under the influence of the force that is above me, which controls me, but only according to my desire, only if I let it control me! It doesn’t enslave me as often happens in other methods when a person is hypnotized like a “zombie” under their influence and cannot escape.

Here I am constantly conscious and fully understand: I understand that I can disconnect myself from this influence. Yet, I constantly choose to stay under its control. Every time I choose a greater connection, I add finer discernments to this state, both in feeling and in the mind. This means that I am at the most central point.

This central point begins to grow in relation to me and to clarify different discernments that are in it: my attitude to the friends, to myself, to the study, to the teacher, and to the whole world. I feel that all my relationships and my connections with everyone are centered in this one point. This means that I begin to work on it in every situation in my life.

In order not to detach myself from this center, I have to invest emotional and mental efforts in the mind and heart. According to these efforts I will discover what the true mind and heart are, because these are not ordinary corporeal attributes, but rather special spiritual attributes.

All my work is to clarify to what extent I can adhere to the center, to the upper, in every situation. I am like an organ that is returned to its place that feels that it isn’t simply stitched on to the body, but begins to live in it, to use its powers, and to bestow something on my part by taking part in the collective actions. This is already the feeling of life!
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/22/12, “Talk About the Workshop”

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