The clarification of truth and lies is the work of the mind, and for this we need to work from the aspect of “faith,” with the “faith of the sages.” After all, one cannot clarify the concept of truth and falsehood for himself. We must convince ourselves to accept the higher standard that bestowal is truth. We will never be prepared to know it ourselves.

 

 

We are found on a lower level and are linked with our higher part (Galgalta ve Eynaim) to the higher level by way of its lower part (AHP). It follows that we can attract the Light to us only by way of the AHP of the higher. It is impossible to know what the higher level is, as long as we haven’t ascended to it.

And in the beginning we are found entirely on an even lower level completely below the upper; this is my first state. After that we rise to a second state and are already clothed in the AHP of the upper. But we can never truly know what this is and what the sweetness is in the upper one. We always need to search how to find and acquire new observations and feelings in order to rise to the next level.

It follows that I have no other choice but only to accept this with the “faith of the sages,” with faith in the upper, which is found above me. According to me he is considered to be a sage, for he has wisdom that I don’t have. I must only supply myself with Hassadim and then I will be able to accept the conditions from the upper, his advice.
[113456]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/30/13, Shamati #148 “The Scrutiny of Bitter and Sweet, True and False”

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A person may have a special soul that awakens him all the time and forces him to continue working despite the hardening of the heart and the confusions. But if he doesn’t have that, the only option he has to remain on the right track is the right environment that doesn’t let him escape and forces him to be equipped with the tools that will help him return to the right kind of life.

A person has no chance of advancing and has no power to respond correctly every moment to the interruptions that come along, if he doesn’t have the proper preparation, the habit of working internally, and the connection with the environment that guards the connection between a person and the sources, the teacher, and the group. And then it turns out that a person doesn’t pay attention to the interruptions at all or that he is drawn into them.

In the first case, he is not sensitive enough, so he lowers his sensitivity threshold in order to avoid the strong influence of the interruptions. In this case he doesn’t advance. His life becomes more peaceful and quiet and instead of encountering interruptions ten times an hour, for example, he feels interruptions several times a day and that’s all. His pace of advancement is determined accordingly, which means that he holds himself back on purpose. But if he feels the interruptions and tries to fight them, blaming himself and his environment, the teacher and the spiritual path in general, he might divert from it and leave everything; it is that serious.

It’s very hard to keep and to accept all the awakening conditions as desirable and as sent by the Creator as “there is none else but Him.” These are the best conditions for our advancement and the only question is how to respond to them correctly, to accept them correctly, and to be grateful for them in order to advance towards the goal.

We need to study intensively and patiently, and to prepare for constant transitions from one state to another. The main thing is our submission, the ability to understand that all the hardships that come along are the right interruptions along the way. Every person in the world receives such interruptions and clarifies whether he should advance by these interruptions or not and in which direction.

Some people determine a certain attitude at the beginning of the way, which is either right or wrong with regard to the group, the teacher, and the books. Others have to clarify this anew each time and can change. This is how they advance.
[111849]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/07/13, Writings of Rabash

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Question: Why did you leave us before the convention and go on vacation for three days?

Answer:  1. Because I have lost my voice, and I’m unable to speak.

2.  Because I felt that this was necessary, and you do not argue with the Teacher, but accept what he says as the truth.

3. Because everywhere before an exam, a student is given time for his own homework and preparation.

4. Because the entire success depends not on me, but only on you, your preparation and solidarity.
[111830]

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The topic of the first lesson of the convention in St. Petersburg is “There is None Else Besides Him.” This is the main topic that we always study.

In principle, we are in a special reality called the “Creator” and have to reveal Him. The “Creator” (Boreh) means to “come and see” (Bo-reh in Hebrew). If we already dwell in Him, in the upper white Light, then only He acts and there is none else besides Him. Only He “outlines,” forms us; He is the first and He is the last. All our thoughts and deeds stem from the actions of this upper Light. Nothing exists but Him.

We observe still, vegetative, and animate forms in which the Creator acts wholly, obliging them to make any movement. They have no freedom of will at all; they are entirely under His direct influence.

On the other hand, we ourselves have a certain point, created by Him, existing seemingly outside of Him. This point gives us the opportunity to know the Creator—the only one who affects us. In fact, in this way we do not go somewhere outside, do not become distant from Him, and do not violate any of His actions. The reality remains the same: There is no one else besides the Creator. However, due to this point that seems to be abstracted from Him, I can analyze myself and Him, I can deliberately and consciously lead myself to the only existing state in which there is none else besides Him.

I attain the Creator due to this work. I attribute every fragment of reality to His oneness, and thus I attain all His deeds, all the steps, direct and opposite Him, that He undertakes. So, returning to the state of unity and oneness of the Creator, I stand in all the power that He has given me and realize that really there is none else besides Him.

Thus, I bring Him pleasure, and this is the greatest pleasure that I can bring Him, and this means myself. After all, there is none else besides Him.

So now we need, against our desire, to reasonably and deliberately become included in the concept: “There is none else besides Him.”
[111373]
From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/3/13, Preparation the St. Petersburg Convention, Lesson 1

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Question: What does it mean to use the teacher in order to connect with the upper level?

Answer: To use the teacher means to follow the teacher’s recommendations and commandments. The teacher recommends that the student should work on his connection with the friends and engage in the dissemination of this method, of integral education—this includes working on preparing the material and disseminating it—and a person’s incorporation in the group. But he should do all that thinking that by this he brings his teacher contentment.

It’s a very simple system. There is my group of ten and we have to be impressed by one another in order to connect together to a higher level, which is called a teacher, Rav (Rav stands for one who is greater, which means an upper level). We want to overcome and to fulfill the gap between our level and his, which means to ascend.

But how can I ascend if I am repulsed by the upper level? I have to see it as grace, as extremely attractive, and so I have to be impressed by the friends as for the greatness of the upper level. If I can imagine by myself that this level is great and that it contains everything that is good, then I probably don’t think about it correctly, but quite the opposite.

This is called using the teacher’s body, which provides external help which you are sure is his desire. The teacher says what and how we should do it: how to study, how to connect, how to disseminate the method, and according to which criteria we should exist.

Question: How can we check that we are already in contact with the teacher?

Answer: You can only check this when you have the recognition on the level of the teacher.
[109270]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/05/13,  Writings of  Baal HaSulam, “A Speech for the Completion of The  Zohar”

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Baal HaSulam, “A Speech for the Completion of The Zohar”: Our sages said, “Make for yourself a rav and buy yourself a friend.” This means that one can make a new environment for oneself. This environment will help him obtain the greatness of his rav through love of friends who appreciate the rav. Through the friends’ discussing the greatness of the rav, each of them receives the sensation of his greatness. Thus, bestowal upon one’s rav will become reception and sufficient motivation to an extent that will bring one to engage in Torah and Mitzvot Lishma.

They said that, “The Torah is acquired by forty-eight virtues, by serving friends and by meticulousness of sages.” This is so because besides serving the rav, one needs the meticulousness of friends, as well as the friends’ influence, meaning that they will affect him by elevating the greatness of his rav. This is so because obtaining the greatness depends entirely on the environment, and a single person cannot do a thing about it whatsoever.

Without the pressure of the group, without feeling that the environment highly values the spiritual mentor, a person cannot esteem him. Egoism does not allow him to do so. It’s clear that here we need the help of society; only it can oblige us to have the correct attitude towards the teacher, through which we will get help from Above.

A teacher is a higher degree, and the group must instill the importance of this higher degree in a person. The difference between the material and spiritual world is that it is enough for the student to follow the teacher’s instructions, performing some material work together with him, and this will already connect him to the teacher even though he has not attained the same spiritual properties. Simple help is sufficient to make a connection with the higher degree and to begin to receive the Light that Reforms.

However, all of this is possible only under the condition that the person venerates the teacher. And this is at odds with human nature, and that is why this can be achieved only due to the influence of the environment. The more the environment venerates the teacher, the easier it is for the person to bow his head before him and thus get help from above according to the order of spiritual degrees.

The ten Sefirot of the person’s spiritual vessel are his friends, and the upper source from which they get the Light, is the Teacher. Thus, the person ascends the rungs of the ladder.

Being in this imaginary world gives us a unique opportunity, through the use of our egoistic desire, to come into contact with the upper spiritual degree and also to build our spiritual union by means of the material connection with friends. Otherwise, there would be no chance to connect to the desire of bestowal from the depth of our egoism.

It’s this material, imaginary form that allows us to use our egoistic desire to rise to spiritual degrees with the help of physical actions. So it happens up to the very top of the spiritual ladder: the same attitude towards the group and the teacher remains. The higher a person ascends, the higher or lower he feels himself, depending on his state. He appreciates the group more and loves the friends or vice versa, hates them more. Also, the teacher seems to him more insignificant, or more exalted.

This connection is never lost. It’s not important in what worlds the friends and teacher exist, in this world or if part of them have already entered the other world, that is, have lost their material form. In general, their connection with each other is forever preserved in the structure of the soul as if they belong to the same spiritual organ.
[109185]
From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/5/13

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We receive all the spiritual information from Above through a chain of Kabbalists’ souls. The order of these levels does not change. It begins from Adam HaRishon (the First Man), who was the first to discover the upper force. This chain begins from him and descends from the top down like a cone until all of humanity joins it and reveals the Creator.

This is the way the upper Light, the upper wisdom, the Light that Reforms, the raising of prayer, MAN, and the response for them, MAD, come from. Everything is transmitted and descends only through this chain since we are connected to one system.

So, we must cleave to the spiritual legacy that the great Kabbalists have left us and to respect them as we respect the Creator—to the same extent and even more. Most important is to reach adhesion with the writers and the books (the writers are the sources of the Light of Hochma, and the books are the means of communication that they have left us).

If a person tries to develop in himself a sensation of the importance and the value of these sources then, naturally, he will become attracted to them and will get closer to them. He will begin to respect these great Kabbalists and will connect to their writings and, with their help he will reach adhesion with the Creator.
[106176]
From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/28/13, Shamati #25

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Question: In one of the lessons, you said that a student, according to his spiritual progress, starts to disregard the teacher more and more. You also gave an example of your relationship with your teacher. To what spiritual level do we have to rise so that this disregard for the teacher will disappear?

Answer: As in our world, when do we begin to appreciate our parents and understand them?  When we become parents ourselves! But this does not justify disregard. One who wants to grow up must understand his nature and grow in spite of it.
[102941]

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