Question: Baal HaSulam writes that a person will reveal the Creator only out of despair. Does it mean that at a certain point we have to yield, to refuse to continue fighting?

Answer: No, we do not yield. We fight to enter the spiritual world by our own forces. And then we despair of our power and understand that we cannot break through the Machsom (the barrier separating us from spirituality) on our own. But it is only then that we truly feel the need for the Creator, evoke His force, and break free from the imprisonment.

It is impossible to feel the need for the Creator until we despair of our own efforts. Now we want to unite, change, and straighten up our relationships by ourselves, by our own power. We try to act by ourselves, as if the Creator does not exist.

However, when we truly desire to draw closer to each other, we will understand what we felt slightly during the Convention: We are incapable of it. Everyone is separated from the others by a partition, and he cannot break through it. Each is sitting in its own cell, like bees in a honeycomb, isolated from the others.

When I want to break free from this cell, when I exert all the effort and understand that I am helpless, then it will become clear to me that there is the Creator who can give me strength and save me. I read about and heard of Him before, but He was not in the field of my desires and aspirations. He was not my partner yet. Now I felt for the first time that I’m helpless without Him.

This is how the Creator awakens the Pharaoh within me. After having experienced a few such actions, I realize that I cannot break free without Him. As soon as I will feel it, I will cry out to Him, and He will immediately “un-bolt the door” for me.

My entire work is to desire the Creator, to want Him to manifest within me and change my nature, to want His force of bestowal to clothe me.
[26452]
From the lesson on Rabash’s article 11/12/10

Filed under: Inner Work, Prayer and Intention, Q&A - No Comments →

The Zohar, “Introduction of The Zohar,” Chapter “BeLaila De Kala (Night of the Bride)”: … the members of the bridal chamber must be with her on that night and rejoice with her in the corrections that she is corrected….

Question: What is the criterion of our advancement? Is it hatred that becomes revealed to us in the beginning or the opposite, joy?

Answer: First of all, I advance if I do not cease to mentally gaze at the place which I want to reveal. It is called the “bride,” and it is precisely there that the “groom” (the Light that will fill the “bride,” our unification) will descend to. (In Hebrew, a groom is “Hatan” which comes from the word “Nochet,” a descending one.)

If a persistent demand to reveal that place lives in me, then I’m glad for the effort that I can exert constantly. And it’s not important how often I stray, forget, or get distracted by a rational analysis.

It is said about this, “From Zion shall go forth the Torah.” In other words, advancement is comprised of these exits (Yetziot) from the attempts to re-define the place of our unification.

Each time I have to lose my concentration. After all, any state consists of 10 complete Sefirot. In spirituality, an action is performed only if all the 10 Sefirot are present (Ein Mi Ksat Be Ruchaniut). If I correct something, I have to correct a full measure. Each part of the desire demands separation from the previous state and a new approach to unity, to a new 10 Sefirot.

This is why we disconnect from the goal again and again, even if it just for a split second. Time after time we lose the target and catch it again at the crossroads.

Due to these efforts at night we “adorn the bride” (clothe her in the Light of Hassadim [Mercy]). That is, we build the Kli (vessel) until it becomes fully disclosed and ready to accept the groom, the Light of Hochma (Wisdom), the Creator.
[26461]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/14/10, “Hakdama, Laila de Kale (The Night of the Bride)”

Related Material:
The Work At Night

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

Question: Many years ago at a convention in Sitrin (Israel), you said that in order to break the Machsom, we must be in one thought at the same moment and have a very big, single desire. During that entire time we tried many times, we did a lot of actions, but we were not ready.

I feel that at this moment now everyone is ready. I spend the entire lesson trying to break this membrane in me, the egoistic Klipa, I want to make “an opening in my heart.” I lack everyone’s synchronization. I do not want this tomorrow; I want it right now, at this very instant! Please help us become synchronized right now so that we would be able to break this barrier!

Answer: Once I turned to Rabash with almost identical words, and he responded that he is not standing between the Creator and me. One must find this connection himself. He himself must demand it. And mainly, he needs to understand that he does not break his own membrane, the Creator does it.

If you are trying to break it and find yourself unable to do it, then it is a good thing, but you need to stop trying to do it on your own. Which forces are you using to do this? The same force of egoism? How are you breaking it – are you using a big ego to break a small one or vice versa?

Only the Creator can do this, and no one beside Him! A teacher is a guide on the way. He only brings you to this state, but he cannot do anything for you. And the Creator cannot do it unless you demand it from Him. This is because your desire for an inner change must precede His action.

From this follows:

1. Stop attempting to break the membrane, the egoistic Klipa of the heart, on your own.

2. Stop awaiting anyone’s help but the Creator’s in responding to your request.

We have been studying this for many years in all the Kabbalists’ articles: Everything is only done by the Upper Light. It created the desire, it changes it, it prepares it for changing the intention, and just like it broke the desire, only the Light is capable of correcting the intention over it, if the desire were to demand it.

There is no one in between; everything depends only on the desire itself: the request, the raising of the MAN. And the action from this is only realized by the Upper Light. Begin to only concentrate on two actions: I ask, and the Creator executes.
From Lesson 4, World Kabbalah Convention 2010, 11/10/10

Related Material:
How Do You Put A Call Through To The “Heavens”?

Filed under: Conventions, Inner Work, Prayer and Intention, Q&A - 1 Comment →

Question: I came to the Convention with an enormous desire to break my egoistic shell. I keep having thoughts that I am able to do something right now, yet I am not doing it. I am afraid that this Convention will go by, but nothing will change in me; only impressions will remain. What do I need to do right now, right this minute, right this second, at this precise moment?

Answer: First of all, all of us ask ourselves this question. Right now you are connected with everyone, you have the same aspiration, anticipation, and this is what will remain from your entire life. Nobody knows how your life will be spent, but this moment is inscribed on your “spiritual account” for good.

It is written that when a human soul lands in the divine court, two questions are asked of it: “Did you study the Torah (did you want to attract the Light that Reforms?)” and “Did you await salvation (to rise above your ego and ascend to your second nature)?” This is exactly what we are trying to realize here. And it is good if every one of us feels that there is something that he must do, but he is incapable of doing it.

This is very unpleasant and reminiscent of birthing contractions because we want to birth our next state, but we are unable to do it. But a new degree is born within us from Above precisely thanks to these efforts.

So what should we do? Open our hearts a little bit more, connect with others a little more, feel that the Creator must be revealed between us and manifest in us slightly stronger, thereby bringing us closer together and lifting us to the second nature.

This is exactly what the Kabbalists write about. Today we are in a state when all Kabbalah material has been revealed to us, everything has been explained dozens of times. We need to do a little more, but not in studying or circulation, but specifically in unity like the one we have now, at this Convention.

Try to feel everyone in your heart, and let the Creator do this job! Pull Him where you feel that you are incapable of doing it! The Creator tells Moses: “Come to Pharaoh!” same way we take a small child by his hand. This is because Moses in us, the point in the heart, is afraid of Pharaoh. Naturally!

We are incapable of doing anything against this monster, our ego. I feel that I want to conquer it, but I am unable to. But a moment after I do not want to conquer it at all for he rules over me. And this goes on over and over.

This tiny spark that remains in me from the previous spiritual state is unable to do anything. I must grab on to the Creator with the help of this spark, and then I will be able to resist my ego. Our ego is such a monster that we are unable to do anything against it.

I just hold on to the Creator’s hand and want to be with Him like a child who pulls the adult by his hand and asks him to get him what he wants. This is how we should advance: “I want to connect with others! I want to achieve our unity! I want to achieve the desire where the Creator will be revealed!”

I grab on to the Creator through this tiny spark, but it is merely a spark, while I must catch Him entirely, unite with Him. And then suddenly the ego, Pharaoh, begins to gradually vanish and disappears… Yet I stay with the Creator united with other points in my friends’ hearts, and this is how the spiritual degree becomes revealed.
[26363]
From Lesson 4, World Kabbalah Convention 2010, 11/10/10

Related Material:
Transforming Through Spiritual States

Filed under: Conventions, Group Work, Inner Work, Q&A - No Comments →

We exist in the system of precise laws. Everything we discover we build independently. In the descent from above downward, everything exists in the form of Reshimot (reminiscences), the primordial foundation, and while ascending from below upward, we uncover all the characteristics of these Reshimot, and through our desire, attainment, and aspiration, we create the picture of the world from these parameters and form spiritual rungs.

This is why we cannot leap through the stages of development and jump onto a complete rung. There is nothing complete. The rungs are not ready; they exist in concept, in the form of Reshimot, and are not filled with life.

When all the necessary data are entered into our system, when all of us mutually connect and desire to revive Malchut (Kingdom), the Reshimot come alive and reveal the picture of the world to us. Malchut is the world.

Question: What does “to revive Malchut” mean?

Answer: I reach Malchut, the place where the Reshimot are stored, and revive these Reshimot with my effort, desire, and life force. In Malchut, all Reshimot mutually link and the spirit of life flows in them, all because of me.

I raise my spiritual desire and in accordance with this desire, Malchut attracts the Light from Above, and I see the picture of the world in it. I always see my own picture of the world, all the 125 rungs, in Malchut of the world of Atzilut (Nobility).

If I demand, beseech, and desire to revive the entire system that is contained within Malchut in its primordial, broken condition, I will see this picture filled with life. This is what is called my spiritual life.
[26006]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah lesson 10/31/10, Rabash “The Need for Love of Friends”

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Inner Work, Q&A - No Comments →

An e-mail I received: Dear Dr. Laitman, I think I speak for many when I say that I am overcome by great disappointment. What should I do with it?

Answer: On the last day of the Convention I often heard that many people had hoped to make the breakthrough into the spiritual world at this Convention and now they are overcome by total despair!

I will say it up front: Personally I am astounded by the result of the Convention that just passed. And it’s not because of the record amount of participants or the positive reaction in the press, but because of the inner changes and maturation of every participant and the whole world group. For the first time ever people went through states that they would not be able to go through individually. Extremely important inner discernments took place inside them.

And now about your expectations: If your desire was for true spirituality, for bestowal and love to your neighbor, then you would not experience any despair because you always have the opportunity to bestow and love. No one gives it to you or takes it away.

The first spiritual quality, Bina, is an aspiration to Hafetz Hesed (being above your egoism), the sensation outside of your desire. If you aspired to this, then you wouldn’t care what state you are in at all because everything comes from the Creator and only He decides, according to His plan, what will happen to all of you and to every one of you. Your only reaction to everything should be joy and the desire to be under the power of the Creator, the quality of bestowal. The Machsom is overcome by those who run away from their egoism and agree to any conditions in order to be freed from it, agreeing to take on the condition of “everyone as one” (as one man with one heart or desire) and the mutual guarantee, “one for all and all for one.”

None of us has the power to tear away from one’s egoism. Until now we have talked about it, but were unable to precisely discern it inside us because this is precisely the quality that does not let us get through to spirituality, the quality of bestowal. We are unable to distinguish what it is and where it is inside us. It hides inside us like a snake and we cannot identify it exactly, always confusing it with other qualities.

Just like pain during an illness, only the pain of disappointment helps us to recognize our egoism and to find out that it is not good, but is our evil ruler, Pharaoh. We have to grow so disappointed that we will hate it inside us and desire just one thing – to detach from it. However, in order to come to this state of despair, we must first aspire to it with our entire egoism (Lo Lishma). This is what I talked about before the Convention, that “we are coming out of Egypt.” And everyone was sure that this has to happen. If we did not have this confidence, then we would not be able to become disappointed and discern precisely this evil (Pharaoh) inside us, which does not allow us to ascend to the quality of bestowal.

In order to awaken this evil immediately, I declared at the very beginning of the Convention that we are obliged to attain unity, that all of our work at the Convention must be done by way of deep research of ourselves and our attitude to all of the friends. However, instead of the “revelation of the heavens” that we expected, it immediately brought about a descent, cooling us down. With my entreaty to search for unity and to ascend above us, above one’s “self,” I wanted to show the participants of the Convention that we are not ready for it yet, and as a result of this feeling, the participants entered a trance.

On one hand I was very happy about this state of the “realization of evil.” But on the other hand I started to fear that the group would not be able to come out of this state in such a short time. It’s similar to how a sick person discovers pain and has to understand that it indicates an illness, and then starts treating it with the help of a doctor, the Creator. Besides, 30 to 40% of the Convention participants were people new to Kabbalah and did not understand what is happening to them at all. Therefore, it was decided to stop with one blow to Pharaoh, your egoistic hopes to ascend above them.

However, precisely these processes that we experienced are what prepared us for the passage, one that isn’t egoistic, aspiring to reveal fulfillment, but that desires to reveal the opportunity to bestow, to unite “as one man with one heart,” agreeing to the mutual guarantee. The result of the Convention is the first blow to Pharaoh, our self-love, our egoistic hopes to “break through the Machsom” and receive the Upper World as well as this world inside of us, inside our desires, inside our fulfillment.

Baal HaSulam writes that when a person attains the spiritual boundary, he is convinced that the spiritual world does not belong to him and only then does he break through the Klipa, the boundary, and acquire the quality of bestowal.

The revelation of our unwillingness took place immediately, at my very first lecture, when I said in the beginning that instead of external actions we have to delve inside ourselves, into the connection among us, into the mutual guarantee. Immediately, everything turned to ice! Our egoism came through, but this revelation of evil inside us is also a great attainment that was brought about by none other than our unity (the holiness of day).

Over the course of our Convention we discovered that Pharaoh is inside us and not outside. He received his first blow through the fact that we are disappointed in the results of the Convention. We thought (we being Pharaoh) that we will receive something inside us, but we did not receive anything. This is the first blow to Pharaoh, our egoism. We have discovered that we won’t receive anything inside our egoistic desire.

Now we have a greater ability to tell in which qualities spirituality has to become revealed inside us. We have a better understanding that it won’t happen inside Pharaoh, and about what it means to think about the Upper One. This means not to think about yourself. For now each of us simply shook from impatience: When will the miracle happen so that we will receive everything in this world along with the spiritual world – inside of us?! Now we have a new feeling of the need to separate from the thing that brings us such disappointment, and this is the beginning of rejecting egoism.

We paid a high price for this lesson, but it cost a lot more than that. Precisely the disappointment, the blow to our self-love, our egoism, our hopes to receive, is the greatest acquisition that we could possibly wish for, and I am overcome with joy at seeing egoists who are disappointed.

Now you must only realize what has happened to you. Depending on each person’s preparation, a part of you realizes it mentally, and a part will still experience several more disappointments in your sensations, and then you will realize it. In any case there will be one conclusion: A person will no longer tie himself inseparably to his egoism. Precisely this blow to our unjustified, egoistic hopes will help us to start moving away from it (the Pharaoh)!

It is possible that we will still need to experience more blows, but they will already be going in the same direction that we acquired at this Convention. Perhaps we will be able to go through them not only at Conventions, but inside our daily virtual connection, in the sensation that we have just acquired together. For now let us truly desire just one thing: to reject our egoism, which is the only evil there is, and to ascend from our “selves” into the quality of bestowal.

The Creator has presented this great gift to us! There is none else besides Him! Write to me and ask questions at the lessons. I did not lie to you, but to your egoism.

With love to you,
Dr. Laitman
[26346]

Filed under: Conventions, Egoism, Q&A, Spirituality - 11 Comments →

Question: Is living during the last generation an enormous and serious responsibility?

Answer: On the contrary, living during the last generation is not a serious responsibility; life is very good and easy! Everyone cares for me, everything is well, I am surrounded with the love of my friends, and the Creator bestows good upon me through them.

The revelation of the face of the Creator means that life begins to work out, I become healthy, problems disappear, and I feel good and comfortable. And I see the rest of the world around me the same way: I see that everyone has a good life! I see the entire Upper World revealed before me and it is eternal.

I no longer count the moments of my life that were given to me until the day I die without knowing what will happen to me tomorrow; rather, I dissolve in the World of Infinity. So why should I expect this to bring me problems? There is no evil in the world; I “connect for good!” And this is exactly what we want to achieve during our convention, so it will have a constant good influence over us.

All the worries and expectations of difficulties need to be erased and discarded, because none of this exists! At the moment when you connect with friends and wish to reveal the Creator in this connection, you fall under the best possible influence of the Source of all the good. There is no other force beside it that could influence us.

Through the group you connect to the strongest and kindest source of energy. You just need to keep strengthening this connection over all the obstacles, and that is it! We will try to do this over the three days of the convention, and we will see that all of life can be organized and arranged this way. You acquire a fantastic force through this connection, which enables you to achieve success in anything you do in life. But this can only happen on one condition: that you want to be connected with this force because it determines all the actions and events in our world.

And you will absolutely, clearly reveal it. You will feel like a child, grabbing on to the hand of an adult and taking the adult anywhere he wants. Like a little child, who takes his mother or father by the hand and pulls them so they would do for him what he himself cannot do. And you will do the same with the Creator: He wants you to!

Let us hope that we will be able to achieve Him taking us in His arms and helping us do everything we need to do!

From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/7/10, Baal HaSulam  “The Last Generation”

Filed under: Conventions, Q&A, Unity - No Comments →

Question: Why do we need hatred?

Answer: While I am not familiar with you, there is no mutual inclusion between us, the connection between us is not revealed, and I don’t feel hatred toward you. You may live somewhere in Alaska, and you are not my concern. However, the closer you are to me, the more you enter my field of vision.

If you are my neighbor, I watch you carefully: You left garbage somewhere; yesterday there was a lot of noise coming from your apartment, and so on. In this manner, we reveal how connected we are to each other. However, we are all egoists. Therefore, our ego, plus the connection between us gives birth to hatred.

Question: But when will this hatred go away?

Answer: It won’t go away! We have nowhere to go and nowhere to run from each other. This is the problem! We need to reach peace and agreement between us above our hatred without destroying it, but by rising above it. This constitutes the achievement of perfection, as it is written: “All sins will be covered by love!” The word “Shalom” in Hebrew means perfection (Shlemut).

From the show “Kabbalah For Beginners” of 10.27.2010

Filed under: Egoism, Q&A - 1 Comment →

Question: We have managed to organize a really great Convention. Does that prove that we are advancing by way of the Light (the Torah) and not by way of suffering?

Answer: Certainly! After all, we have been allowed to reveal the wisdom of Kabbalah among wide audiences and in the place where the most powerful force of resistance (Klipa) resides, in Israel, the place of the destruction of the Temple, the spiritual breaking.

The rest of the world doesn’t resist Kabbalah as much since it doesn’t know much about it. But in Israel, there is great resistance to it because long ago these people resided on the spiritual plane, living with the intention of love and bestowal to others. However, then they fell from that level to unfounded hatred, the impure forces, Klipa, the egoistic intention. This is why here, the territory of Israel, is the place where the forces of evil and the greatest impurity become revealed. However, this is also the place of their correction.

It is even worse in Jerusalem, the place of the destruction of the Temple. But the worst place of all is the “Holy of Holies”, the most sacred place in the Temple, which became the place of the greatest impurity.

Hence, the fact that we are able to arrange such an enormous and well-known Convention in Israel, which has been announced on television, in the newspapers, and even on the commercial billboards on the streets, and we have been able to attract thousands of people to participate in it, indicates that the Creator is employing us as the medium of His revelation to the created beings! The Creator is performing these actions, which are aimed at achieving correction because the time for it has come!

However, it isn’t just a smooth journey lying ahead of us. The path to the rose, Malchut, lies through its thorns (see the “Preface to the Book of Zohar,” chapter “The Rose”). Therefore, we are yet to struggle for Malchut’s redemption in order to reach its corrected sate, the rose. And we are yet to discover resistance to our aspirations toward the integration of the entire world and “Love thy neighbor as you love thyself”!
[26188]
From the lesson on Baal HaSulam’s article “The Last Generation” on 11/07/10

Filed under: Conventions, Israel, Kabbalah Dissemination, Q&A, World - No Comments →

Question: I won’t be attending the Convention, but I feel as if I am already there. How can I strengthen this feeling?

Answer: Be together with us. Before the Convention, we will organize broadcasts from there, will show how we are preparing to welcome the participants, and how friends from the whole world are taking part in the work.

Besides, in your local group or center, try to prepare everything necessary to be together with us. If possible, free yourself up from work, prepare food, and so on, so your program and actions will exactly correspond to the live broadcast.

In addition, send us letters. We won’t be meeting at a live broadcast any longer until our first lecture at the Convention, so send your questions and I will try to answer them right away through my blog. Write to me – I’m available!
[26150]
From the lesson on Rabash’s letter on 11/7/10

Filed under: Conventions, Q&A, World - No Comments →