Question: In his article “The Matter of the Slanders,” Rabash writes that the state of Lo Lishma (not for Her Sake) leads to death. However, we also know that Lo Lishma is a necessary and very important degree from which we transition to altruistic intention. What is going on here?

Answer: In the state of Lo Lishma, my intentions are still aimed at personal gain, material or spiritual. This, as such, is death indeed. I am not moving toward death; I am in it, in the will to receive for myself. Below this state, I reside at the animate level and don’t exist in the spiritual sense. On the other hand, Lo Lishma is a new state which is my relation to spirituality: I want to take advantage of it.

We are talking about the stages of development: this world, preparation (Lo Lishma), altruistic intention (Lishma) in the category of Hafetz Hesed (not wanting anything for oneself), and finally, the level of love.

The intention of Lishma during the stage of preparation is already good. We acquire it starting from zero and end at 100% where we have fully prepared ourselves. At this point, I have to understand that to the extent that I make myself depend upon the group determines how well I progress toward Lishma.

A person by himself will receive nothing that might lead him directly to the correct request, not from the books, nor from Above. After all, Lishma is a request for unity. And only in unity, from the equivalence of properties, a person asks for the contact with the Light, the bestowal, the Giver.

Herein lies an opportunity for precise and specific examination: If we view things through the prism of the group, unity, and Arvut (mutual guarantee), we find in them the Torah, the Light that Reforms. That is the exact place where everyone receives the gift of the Torah, and then a person penetrates deeper and deeper, becoming closer in his properties to the Creator.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/20/10, “The Matter of Slanders”

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Question: While forming a group we have to pay a lot of attention to external things, as if we’re taking care of a baby. How can we keep from losing the inner essence during this process?

Answer: Every group encounters this problem and every member of the group asks this question.

We live in a world of material actions. How many hours a day do I spend on satisfying my natural needs, such as sleeping, eating, and washing? How many hours a day do I have to work, carry out responsibilities around the house, and so on? And how much time do I have left for myself and my spiritual advancement? I have maybe one or two hours a day left if I manage to separate from everything else in some way.

That is how our life is arranged. Who arranged it this way? Could it really be the Creator? Why does He make us drown in this material, animate existence? Why didn’t he make us like angels, unburdened by worries about our bodies, home, and children, so the only thing we had to do is build connections with each other?

Yet, in reality everything is very different. Any work we do, even work unrelated to the group, is pure spiritual work. We just don’t know about it or understand it. By carrying out the responsibilities of an employee, a family man, a citizen, and so on, I correct myself. I may not see exactly how I do it, but it is nevertheless so.

I am allowed to devote just a small part of my life to spiritual correction. As I perform this correction, if instead of studying, I work on organizing the life of the group, I thereby support and strengthen the connection in our common system.

Obviously we also can’t forget about having a fair distribution of the burden among all of us. And more generally speaking, this is a vast topic that we will definitely come back to.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/29/10, Writings of Rabash

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Question: How is a congress related to the idea of a form clothed in matter? Isn’t it an illusion of this world?

Answer: A congress is the means with the help of which we wish to create an enormous, powerful desire (Kli, vessel). All who are part of this Kli will take pleasure in the Light that will be revealed in it. To take pleasure means to use this Light for correction.

What is a congress? A congress is the creation of the system where all parts are connected with each other. We hope that we will create such a connection between us, and in it, there, we will discover equivalence to the Light, the Creator. Every person will feel it to the extent of their being connected to this Kli, and that will become his spiritual revelation.

Creation of this collective Kli depends on everybody. It also depends on how well everyone is incorporated into the collective Kli because later, every person receives the sensation of the revealed Light depending on his measure of personal participation.

Everyone benefits from the collective desire inasmuch as they participate in it. This is the law of interaction between an individual and the group, and it is a real action.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/20/10, “The Teaching of the Kabbalah and Its Essence”

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Question: When I enter spirituality, will I be able to visualize my more advanced states?

Answer: The problem primarily lies in the current states. In proportion to my acquiring the screen, the Light paints pictures for me. The spiritual world is an image of my equivalence to the Creator.

At present, I don’t perceive the spiritual world because I don’t possess an adequate degree of equivalence with the Creator. Between me and Him there is a screen. And on this screen, instead of my equivalence to the Creator, I see this world, my projection, an imprint of my uncorrected properties, and my inadequacy with the Creator.

As I get corrected, a new picture unfolds for me, which is called “the corrected me,” “the Creator illuminating me,” or “the world where the Creator and I are together.” They all are one and the same picture, depending on how we view it.

Spirituality is an image of the form of my equivalence to the Creator.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/20/10, “The Teaching of the Kabbalah and Its Essence”

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Question: How should a group, which strives to achieve the mutual guarantee, relate to its teacher? After all, the teacher is the one who connects us with the general system of the souls.

Answer: A teacher is a mentor, a guide; he is called Rav, which means “great.” Generally, I should relate to each of the friends as a Rav, and the Creator is also Rav, of course, since He is great.

The same is true with a mentor. In what sense are they great? If a person does not elevate the importance of the Creator, a friend, and a mentor in his eyes, then he cannot connect to them, receive something from them. He is unable to bow down before them, and only a small one can learn from a great one.

Certainly, we have to perceive the teacher as “great”. If he is greater than me, it means that whatever he says is more important than what I am currently thinking. It is important that the method of correction is taught by a mentor who has come to the end of that path and speaks from experience. Who else can I learn from if I want to follow the same path?

That is why I bow my head and accept the method from the teacher; I take his advice above my reason. Otherwise, I would be stuck wandering, unable to find the road. The spiritual path can’t be seen, and therefore one should rely on the teacher more than the books, which everyone understands differently, based on one’s own logic.

Actually, everyone hears the teacher differently too, but common work in the group increases the chances that the teacher’s words will seep inside. There is no guarantee either, but it is possible. Therefore, I have to fully annul my ego before the teacher, otherwise I won’t hear anything, and there is no other real source. The measurement of which is its implementation.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/26/10, “All of Israel Have a Part in the Next World”

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Question: Why do you compare rising to the mutual guarantee with a narrow opening that we still need to find? Doesn’t investing in the friends mean breaking down all the barriers and boundaries and giving everything, rather than trying to find a single point?

Answer: The passage between two worlds is always narrow. It is like a birth, like coming out of a mother’s womb into the world. It is as though we go through a gorge of misfortunes under the pressure of “labor contractions.” This is in fact that small point which we widen, making it a narrow passage.

In addition, the mutual guarantee is an extremely powerful concentration of thoughts, desires, passions, intentions, and goals of a person, when one suddenly sees that they all unite, revealing his dependence on a neighbor. It is precisely a neighbor, and not neighbors. Everything compresses and contracts into one whole. This point reveals an opening into the World of Infinity to us, but we need to go through it all together.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/17/10, “The Arvut”

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Question: How can a person make sure that the Creator calls him to the Pharaoh?

Answer: This realization occurs gradually. First of all, a person senses detachment from spirituality, but doesn’t associate it with himself: “No, it’s not me who is deviating from the goal. I am simply going through a difficult time; it’s not my fault.” Then, a person applies more effort, envisions himself “a hero,” and, thus, advances.

Next time he feels even more heaviness of the heart. A black cloud hides his horizons, but he still doesn’t consider it to be “his fault.” However, this time, he connects the situation he is in with the Upper Governance and gets angry with the Creator: “Why is it so unfair? I don’t deserve it.” He applies effort again and waits until the new heaviness disappears. Once again, it does. Yet, a person doesn’t attribute this new change to the Creator: “Sooner or later, everything in life ends.”

The next descent brings him even stronger impressions. A person starts to better understand that this recurs once in a while. Now, his attitude is based on his prior experience since he knows that a descent always brings a certain change of states.

A person is helpless; he understands that he is not in control of his own descents and ascents. He screams and demands from the Creator not to keep him in the descent any longer. His helplessness gives birth to a certain mindset.

Eventually, a person begins to realize that he is “taken through” some sort of “therapy.” If he saw that everything that happens to him is done by the Creator from the beginning, it would have kept him calm: “Obviously, the Creator has a plan; even if today I am feeling very bad, tomorrow I will feel much better. I’ll wait.” This type of “acquaintance” with the Source of the Upper Governance can really promote our weaknesses and nullify our personal responsibility.

Therefore, it is worthless to plead with the Creator, the Law of Nature. We only have one option: to expose ourselves to the influence of the environment that is oriented toward the goal. Everything else is “rigid laws,” and only one formula in the system of these laws allows us to modify the coefficient: the influence of our environment upon us.

Consequently, we can achieve certain results by simple actions that we decide to do involuntary, out of despair. In the depth of my soul, I disagree with this situation, but I still demand from my friends to “wake me up” and prompt them to do it. This is how on this material level, we start modifying the whole system of laws.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/18/10, “Come to Pharaoh”

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The Zohar, Chapter “BeShalach (When Pharaoh Sent),” Item 36: When that deed [the sin of the golden calf] was done, it caused death; it caused the enslavement of the Malchuts; it caused the shattering of the first tablets, and caused several thousand [people] of Israel to die. All of it was because of the bonding with the mixed multitude that bonded with them.

Question: Who are these “thousands” that died in me?

Answer: These thousands are spiritual degrees. The ones are Malchut (Kingdom); the tens are Zeir Anpin (Small Face); the hundreds are Bina (Intelligence); the thousands (are Hochma (Wisdom); and the ten thousands are Arich Anpin (Long Face). Hence, when Zeir Anpin (6 x 10 individual Sefirot = 60) ascends to Arich Anpin, it multiplies in its power by 10,000 (Ribo). Therefore, it is written: “60 Ribo” (60 x 10,000) or “600,000 souls.” If it is written “100,000,” it means that the complete spiritual rung 100 ascended to the level of Hochma (1000 is Hochma). If it is written “500,” it is also a complete rung 5 which ascended to Bina (100 is Bina).

In other words, ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, and ten thousands are the spiritual steps, their might. Every time you ascend, your rung is multiplied by 10.
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From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/20/10, The Zohar

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Question: If The Zohar talks only about the types of connection between the souls, then what is the Light that we reveal?

Answer: The Light is the sensation of connection between us. Nothing else becomes revealed.

If there are no changes in the connection between us, who are the parts of the common soul, then there is no Light, no sensation of life. Everything is dead. On the other hand, if the parts of the Kli feel unceasing changes in the connections between them, this means that there is life flowing through the Kli, there is Light in the soul. Since different interinclusions and unifications take place between the parts, these changes provide the sensation of life or Light inside the Kli.

If they stop for a moment, everything will be silent and dead, but if everything changes, it creates a sensation of Light, the sensation of life inside the body of the soul. Therefore, it’s wrong to think that the Light is external and foreign, or that it comes to the Kli from outside. Nevertheless, we do depict it this way on charts in order to schematically explain the phenomena happening inside the Kli, reception and bestowal, the inner and the outer. We are talking about the Light in relation to the Kli.

Therefore, to feel life means to continuously reveal new facets of our unity and constant changes in the connections between different parts of our common Kli (desire, vessel, or soul).
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/28/10, The Zohar

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Question: By what is our covenant held? After all, we don’t notarize it.

Answer: The covenant works very simply. Those who don’t comply with it are bounced from it at the speed of light since it is the Light that gives strength to our union when we have aspiration, agreement, and unity between us.

The union, the covenant of mutual guarantee, doesn’t need to be announced in words; it’s a certain level of interconnection. But, if a person has reached this level and is not establishing a connection, he is bounced off. To sign the “union contract” means for a person to complete the deal on his part. It’s OK if he is not quite ripe yet, but is already willing to restrict his egoism.

Let’s see, now, at the threshold of the upcoming World Kabbalah Convention to what extent everyone is willing to give themselves to this cause and think about only one thing: How do I become part of the collective desire and “lose myself” in it? Is a person participating in the preparation using all his potential? If not, he is deceiving himself and isn’t advancing.

Besides, we will certainly see it in him. The Light will expose everything like an X-ray. That’s when we will check everyone and see, if now, during the final run, he is prepared to enter the union. Everyone must answer for himself and examine himself. Can he do anything else for the common effort?

The time has come to engage the innermost forces of the soul. After all, it is right now when I have to decide whether I will pass through or not. There must not be any more delays; we are already lagging behind.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/22/10, “The Matter of the Will to Receive”

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