There is no time. A change in states gives us the sensation of time. I would not feel time if the state were not changing. Time is the number of changes that we notice.

Time can drag on, or it can fly—it all depends on a person’s inner sensation of the changes happening inside him. As soon as there are no changes, time disappears.

There is a mechanism unraveling inside of us that constantly awakens new qualities within. In them, I feel as if the world around me is changing. But really the world does not change—I am the one who changes. Stars explode, people run around, everything around me is bubbling with life, but these are all qualities changing inside of me according to which I perceive reality.

People believed that time does not depend on us. But then Einstein came and stated that time is relative. If I move at a speed that approaches the speed of light, then time can speed up or slow down. It can even stop because time is not fixed from above; it depends on the observer.

Kabbalah says that time is the number of actions taking place in my will to enjoy. I can accelerate time or decelerate it. Everything depends on me, on my subjective perception. A Kabbalist exists simultaneously in two degrees of perception of reality: the corporeal degree, through the five physical senses, and the spiritual degree. Therefore, he exists in two realities until he reaches his final correction.

Time is a change from a corrupted state to a corrected one. Therefore, if we try to attain unity in every state, it means we accelerate time. Time is not measured by the number of seconds, but by the change from one state to the next. Therefore, a unit of time can be a minute, an hour, or a year, but it is the same unit: from descent to ascent.

By changing the connections between us, we influence the upper world and mold it into a certain form. The external form is the projection of our changes, and reflects the state of our ten. The more we connect inside the ten, the closer, kinder, and friendlier to us the external world becomes. And when we quarrel with each other, the external world grows distant and menacing to us.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/14/18, Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Item 13

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Inanimate, vegetative, animate, and human degrees in spirituality mean the measure of our participation in the system of reality. At the inanimate level, I reveal this system only passively, being under the total control of the upper force.

I am like an embryo in the mother’s womb whose entire work consists of complete self-annulment. This is work on the inanimate level: to the extent that I annul myself, I reveal the upper one.

At the vegetative degree, I maintain the inanimate level because everything comes out of it, but I already perform special actions that allow me to more deeply reveal the upper one. It means that I become a plant.

However, my growth happens in accordance with the upper one: whatever changes I discover in Him, I also change in the same way. I always maintain similarity with Him, that is, adhesion, like a plant that constantly reaches out to the light, to the sun.

Later we will see that the whole world: inanimate nature, plants, animals, and humans, everyone apart from Kabbalists, obediently repeat all the movements of the Creator, meaning that they exist in adhesion with the upper force. However, a Kabbalist must consciously reach adhesion with the Creator.

At the inanimate level of spirituality, we can connect only through our annulment. By annulling myself, I can enter the other and not be felt in him, but then communication between us is also impossible. A connection arises between us, which does not yet lead to any consequences. However, it merely provides the basis for subsequent forms of communication.

When we mutually connect in such an inanimate way, annulling ourselves to each other, we reach contact with the Creator, only we do not feel it yet.

There is a common feeling that we are under the control of some kind of power, governance, but no more than that. Although this already is a spiritual state, the general Light of Nefesh, there is a very limited perception and understanding in it—just a feeling that you are in the spiritual environment. However, there is already contact with the upper force.

The annulment of a person before the Creator is called “holy still,” an inanimate state of holiness. He becomes absolutely speechless, accepting everything that the upper one does. Therefore, he feels that he exists inside the upper one like an embryo in the mother’s womb who “sees from one end of the world to the other, a candle burns above his head and he is taught the entire Torah .” All of it is because he has completely annulled himself at his degree.
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From the 3^d part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/11/18, Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar”

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The wisdom of Kabbalah defines the order of actions that happen in our desire to enjoy with the intention to receive or to give. The desire to enjoy is our nature, and the intention depends on a person. The change of the desire and the change of the intention together are called spiritual movement.

The wisdom of Kabbalah speaks only about this movement. One should not confuse it with the movements that we see in this world; this world is illusory, with imaginary movements and images. This is the whole difficulty: to separate from external actions, including our entire psychology, and start distinguishing the changes taking place within us as a result of inner spiritual movements.

To enter the first spiritual state (embryo) does not mean moving there as you are now, but undergoing a required number of changes. The question is, “What will remain of the former us during the transition from one state to another?” This is not a movement, as if I were sitting in a car and driving somewhere. In spiritual movement, I myself am changing and thus, gradually reach the state of spiritual embryo.

Therefore, we need to check ourselves: What changes do we get and due to what? Do they lead us to the entrance of the spiritual world? Am I becoming a new person every day? What remains of yesterday’s me? Can I say that I took a step forward? What other steps are required to become a spiritual embryo?

A Kabbalist must be very sensitive to the changes taking place in him. Everything that I felt and thought yesterday does not just disappear as in an ordinary person, but I completely change my foundation to a new desire and thought. It is possible to say that I am a new person every day.

Like a snake sheds its skin, so we need to change our desires, intentions, and habits in order to increasingly match the first spiritual state—to desire it, to make efforts to approach it, and to anticipate that it will be revealed in the next instant.

And if it is not revealed, then at least I took another step toward it, made one more change in myself, and I am immediately getting ready for new changes. In this way, I will go through the necessary number of changes until I acquire the form of a spiritual embryo.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 01/15/18, Lesson on the Topic: “Entering the Ibur,” (Prep For World Convention 2018)

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The world is the Creator clothed in everything that we see in front of us: inanimate, vegetative, animate, and people. In fact, there is no world; there are these four levels: inanimate, vegetative, animate, and human that are within a person. A person sees himself and nothing else, his inner qualities on the background of the upper world.

If a person is working to avoid being opposite to the upper Light, he stops seeing himself against the background of the Light and attains equivalence of qualities with it. Then the upper Light, the force of bestowal and love, clothes onto the person who turns into Shechina (Divinity).

The Creator wants to reveal Himself, wants to help. He always supports a person, but He cannot agree to reduce a person’s efforts. It is through efforts that a person must discover all the differences between himself and the Creator, develop his sensations, and reveal the upper reality. A person builds himself between concealment and revelation. Therefore, the Creator can yield and help him in everything, except where one needs to make efforts.

The world seems dark and menacing to us because for the time being we see our own egoistic nature against the background of the white Light. If we make efforts to reach similarity with this Light, unity, and love, then we will see not ourselves, but the Light itself.

Therefore, we need to relate to the world as to the Creator’s desire to reveal Himself. He just demands efforts from us to turn the disturbances into support and help. The disturbances show these places where we are still unequal with the upper force, until we turn all the enemies into beloved friends.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/14/18, Lesson on the Topic: “The Creator Desires to be Revealed,” (Prep For World Convention 2018)

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Question: The point in the heart and egoism can be conjugated only if we restrict the egoism and develop the point in the heart to the state of a screen (Masach). Does it mean that we have egoism that we must perform certain actions on called restriction?

Answer: No, we should not do anything with egoism. We should always try to get closer to each other, and egoism will only hinder us in this. But this is what is called “help against you.” The fact that egoism hinders us is a good thing. It means that with its help we develop forces that are opposite to it. But there is nothing to expect in the egoism itself—no special manifestations.

Question: What is the development of the point in the heart up to the state of a screen (Masach)?

Answer: The concept of a screen (Masach) is revealed when, through my efforts, I suddenly begin to feel the existence of the Creator: the upper, all-determining, and governing force. From this moment, I already act differently.

My actions that take into account the upper force, the upper governance, the upper goal, bestowal, and love—i.e., the states outside the boundaries of my egoism—are called spiritual.

Involuntarily there is a restriction—the work with egoism determining with what force I strive to bestow, to connect with others. It depends on the degree of the revelation of the upper force in me that gives me an opportunity to act altruistically.

Question: But for a person of this world, the upper force is something unknown?

Answer: There is nothing unknown here. A person cannot feel it because he does not do anything for it. We need to act in the framework that we are given: to unite with others, to study the sources, to try to achieve adhesion, caring for each other and for the mutual guarantee, and then we form one common whole. In this commonality we will begin to feel the upper force.

Question: Will it suddenly manifest itself?  Is it impossible to predict when this will happen?

Answer: When it manifests, then we will know.
[219134]
From KabTV’s “The Last Generation” 8/16/17

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Question: If we see around us and in others our own characteristics, how is it possible to understand the saying: “…the Lord is high but He sees the lowly” (Psalms 138:6)?

Answer: The Creator is truly great relative to the characteristic of bestowal, and only a person who feels lowly because he has discovered his own great egoism will feel the Creator.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 9/3/17

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Prayer is my last action in relation to the Creator. In response to the prayer, He will make a correction. That is why everything ends with prayer. Before it, we need to prepare, to find out exactly what I am asking for, in what way, and for whose sake.

Prayer includes all the requests that the creature raises to the Creator. Of course, this does not happen all at once. It is not expressed in any words or sentences, but is based on clarifications, one after another, and requests for help until we come to the perfect prayer.

The Creator is the full HaVaYaH that exists in the world of infinity and contains absolutely everything. Therefore, if we want to get something from there, we must make a precise request, just as in a computer: exactly what address to go to, what password and command to use, etc.

This request then passes through all the stages and enters Malchut of the world of infinity where there are endless possibilities. All the Kelim and all the Lights are there from the beginning, as it is written, “the end of the action lies in the initial thought.” That is, the completely corrected state exists there in all its splendor.

If we work correctly, we join this system. Based on our request, we find the right place in it and extract what we need from this general “memory” where desires and Light already exist in unity. This influences us and promotes us to the state we requested in our prayer.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/25/18, Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Letter 56”

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Question: The Kabbalists say that a person must feel the desires of others and start fulfilling them. Are these elements of bestowal?

Answer: It’s not a problem to feel the desires of another person because we share a common goal. Moreover, this goal doesn’t relate to our earthly desires. We have one spiritual goal. I understand his aspiration because it is the same as mine. We must combine our aspirations and progress.

I try with everything possible to help us all connect in the group because by drawing a new common connecting force, we start feeling the force of the upper governance in our connection.

Naturally, I must take care of the friend if he lacks something material. But this is not the grounds to establish harmonious relations. Therefore, in today’s world, we need not overthink food. Today, nobody dies from hunger. What’s most important is to take care of the next level.

Question: When Kabbalists say that I must feel my neighbor’s needs, does this mean I must feel his desire, start filling it, and then my egoism will also get filled? What should I feel in others?

Answer: Nothing. I cannot feel others; I remain a self-absorbed egoist. Only if I try to unite with others and we aspire together to connect with the upper force do we receive the opportunity to connect with each other under its influence.

It builds a common desire from us that we create above ourselves: it’s me, it’s them, and above us is something in common that has nothing to do with the classical pyramid of desires.

We rise above our egoism, connect with the help of the upper force, and in this connection we begin to feel its action. This is the revelation of the upper force in us.

But we will never feel anything in our egoism.
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From KabTV’s “The Last Generation” 8/16/17

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In the material world, we are used to working with our intellect. The teacher explains and I listen to what is said. Then I try to understand with my mind and agree with my heart. In Kabbalah, we study differently because we learn about something that is impossible for us to understand or perceive. Our intellect is not adapted to the level being studied.

On the higher level, there are forces that are inconsistent with my logic and principles, which are based on what I currently understand and perceive. I have to accept them as laws belonging to a higher level while I, myself, exist on a lower level. I need to try—in a group, through study, and through the reforming Light—to rid myself of my current perceptions and reason. Once I have made modifications to my inner programming in order to raise it to the next level, I receive new perceptions and new reasoning abilities.

It is impossible for me to enter the information I am currently studying into my old program. The old program cannot process this new information—I do not understand it, I do not experience it, and it does not register within me. But when I change the program, the material being studied becomes clear and understandable to me. This is called spiritual study.

We need to receive that portion of the Light from above that raises us to a higher level—to a level of faith above reason, to a new reason instead of the old. New knowledge is called “faith” because faith is bestowal. In other words, I rise to a level of greater bestowal and then begin to understand and feel the material being studied.

All we need is greater unity among us and more Light that reforms, which will bring us to knowledge on a higher level, to faith above reason.
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From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/11/18, Writings of Baal HaSulam,“Introduction to The Book of Zohar”

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It is an art to be able to handle the revelation of darkness as it gets stronger and stronger. From experience, a person understands that darkness comes only in order to point him in the correct direction.

He loves the darkness, appreciates it, and tries to experience it in perfection. The darkness is only felt in his egoism, while he is above it and can build the force of bestowal above the darkness, revealing the Light in it.

It is a multi-layered state, like a sandwich. The darkness is revealed at the bottom. Then comes the right attitude to it—understanding that it is here to help you, that it is the revelation of a new degree—and then you have to rise above it.

At first, I get scared (“You hid Your face, and I got frightened”) and try to flee the danger and evil that is revealed in the darkness. But then I stop myself, realizing that the darkness is here to help me and that I should not curse it. Just the opposite, it draws me closer to the Creator, like a frightened child who clings to his mother more tightly. The same is true for me! Therefore, I see that the darkness is help from above.

I love this darkness and even want to intensify it, to draw it closer. I begin to work with it intentionally, actively, with full understanding. My life becomes constructive: Light and darkness become the two forces, the two lines, which let me progress. That is how I turn darkness into help. I await the darkness, searching for more ways to cling to the Creator.

At first, I still fear darkness because it brings unpleasant feelings with it: fears, disturbances, uncertainty. But gradually, I begin to understand how helpful the darkness is because the advantage of the Light is known only from darkness. So, Light and darkness become my building blocks.

The darkness becomes even more important than the Light because specifically out of the darkness I can reveal just how much I want to give pleasure to the Creator. My desire for pleasure is not inspired by darkness, while the desire to bestow is very much inspired by it. Therefore, the Adam (human) inside me rejoices in the darkness and turns it into Light.

Light does not come to a person. The person changes inside and therefore transforms his opinion on what Light and darkness are. That is how he gradually reveals that creation always existed in a perfect state and that he is the one who is always changing, understanding more and more that there is no evil in the king’s palace and no darkness.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/18/18, Lesson on the Topic: “From Obstructions to Ascents”

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