Question: What does the “Thirteen Parts of the Correction of the Hair” mean in relation to the ego?

Answer: This is an external manifestation of desires that are given to be corrected. We correct them like all of the usual desires, but they reveal themselves as outward and external.

This means that according to the stimulation that is revealed on the skin, which is in contact with the hair, the head, and also the chin, it is understood what must be done with this person and in what manner he must be isolated from society. This is because he is currently not useful to the society because he is in a pathological state and becomes a source of cancer. Through his egoistic desire, he only infects society.

Isolating this person from society means not just physically keeping him at a distance, but isolating him from contact with others. He doesn’t need to be associated with anyone else in society in any way until he corrects himself separately. Time will usually do this when he is alone with the Creator.

Problems like these appear on higher levels and correct a person, as in the case of Moses when he hid his hand inside, took it out, and there was leprosy on it. He put his hand in again, took it out, and it was clean. This is a manifestation of a very deep, egoistic pathology.

Question: Suppose that in a group there are people who are in descent, they are sleeping in the lessons, and they don’t want to participate in events. Their time has not yet come; it is not allowed to touch them.

But there are people who are harmful and they begin to convey their philosophy. These people must be suspended for a time, which may even be permanent. Is this a state of leprosy that begins to gnaw at everyone and can even bring down the whole group?

Answer: Certainly, for the leper is a very strong person, very advanced, but he discovers problems like these within his ego that he must somehow conquer by himself so as not to influence the group. He does this by himself, since he is on the level of a priest and can isolate himself, but cannot heal.

Moreover, he doesn’t isolate himself physically. Rather, he is working on himself all the time so that he will not affect the group. This is called “expelling him from the camp” where he is warned not to influence the group detrimentally, and so he gradually heals himself of the leprosy.
[141133]
From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 2/20/14

Related Material:
Process Of Self-Scrutiny
Opening Pandora’s Box
Correcting The Last Level

Filed under: Body and Soul, Egoism, Group Work, Inner Work, Spiritual Work, Torah - No Comments →

M. Weisman, “Midrash Sefer,” “Acharei Mot,” “Holy Work on Yom Kippur”: May it be Your will, oh Lord, that this year will be blessed with lots of rain, sun, shade and dew; that this will be a year of mercy from Heaven, a blessed year, a year of abundance, of success in what we do, a year in which Your people, the nation of Israel will not be dependent on one another and will not dominate one another.

At first glance this prayer seems like a common prayer: Give me everything that I need, that my corporeal body needs, that the whole nation needs; let there be peace and abundance. But prayers that ask for our ego to feel comfortable don’t reach the Creator. Only prayers in which we raise our request for correction rise to Him, and this is what we mean in receiving all the benefits that are specified in this prayer. After all, the Light is spread over us and is ready to fill us completely. The cow wants to feed more than the calf wants to suckle and bursts with an abundance of milk.

But the point is that we are not ready to receive the abundant Light. So when we ask for one thing or another in the spiritual world, in the internal attribute, we refer to correction: “Give us the opportunity to build a Masach (screen) so that we will be able to receive the filling that comes by the Upper Lights for Your sake.”

Yom Kippur is not the revelation of to bestow in order to bestow, but of to receive in order to bestow.  The fulfillment of to bestow in order to bestow is symbolized by Chanukah and to receive in order to bestow is symbolized by Purim. In order to approach the state of Yom Kippur we have to keep all the conditions that we were given during the giving of the Torah, which means to clarify all of our 613 desires and to ascend to the level of the great priest.

This means to reveal inside us the lowest desires and to receive the highest Light on them and raise them to the level of the great priest when Malchut of Atzilut raises her desires to GAR of Atzilut, to Arich Anpin. This state is called Yom Kippur and it symbolizes the revelation of all the desires that will later be revealed and will receive their filling in Purim (Kippurim is the same as Purim).

This is an immense level; the great Upper Light begins to illuminate all our desires and shines in each one’s soul. We begin to understand what we have to do with it.

Such serious work is done under the influence of the Upper Light in a group, during the study that is focused properly by the teacher. This is the preparation for the spiritual level.

On the whole, we mustn’t picture a certain day, a Temple, a mountain, or Jerusalem. These are all a person’s internal attributes, which he should attain internally this way, reveal and dominate them, and ascend to the level of the great priest.

The main thing is that all these corrections lead to the point of unity. Therefore it is said: “… a year in which Your people, the nation of Israel, will not be dependent on one another and will not dominate one another.” It is in this point of unity that the connection with the Creator is felt. It is only by the attainment of unity that we will begin to feel “one reveals One.”
[144299]
From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 3/12/14

Related Material:
Complex Work
Yom Kippur: Sorrow Or Joy?
Repentance

Filed under: Spiritual Work, Torah - No Comments →

The Midrash Says: Chapter “Acharei Mot,” The Sanhedrin sent sages to the High Priest so that they instructed him about  the Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) service. They read passages from the Acharei Mot (After Death) to him that described Yom Kippur rituals and laws… 

What problem do we encounter when reading these lines? We imagine pictures that belong to this material world: We visualize the “Great Priest ” sitting on a throne, there are servants around him, and they wave fans and read about Yom Kippur laws and services to him.

The fact is that the very last level of the spiritual world was transformed into the imprint we experience as this material world. That’s why the explanation of the spiritual states is always done through the images of this realm.

Let’s interpret this story in a spiritual picture. It is not about people, but rather about the properties that are built in the core of the soul, in the center of the group. Later, they raise the value of the group to the extent that its heart becomes able to contact with the Creator.

Sages who came to the high priest represent the parts of the soul, the desires (Cohanim) that are corrected and then elevated from the central point in the heart called the Great Cohen to the Creator.
[143791]
From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 3/12/14

Related Material:
A Power That Flows From The Center Of The Group
A Search For The Center Of The Group
Through The Screen Of Our World

Filed under: Spiritual Work, Torah - No Comments →

We have to follow one rule in order to advance through life in a good and wonderful way: There is only one force in nature and this is the force of goodness. We have to discover this force. We don’t call this force the one and the good but rather refer to it as “there is none else besides Him.”

Why do we say that there is “none else besides Him” that manages us instead of “there is one force that manages us?”

Because it seems that there are many factors, good and bad, that operate on us and mange us at any given moment. First it seems that I do something to determine something for myself, as does my environment, the world, world leaders, and nature—everything affects me.

This is actually why it says that “there is none else besides Him.” This means that we should pay attention and focus on one thing only despite what seems to be many factors that cause the condition we are in, including our feelings and thoughts in the corporeal world, and also in everything at home, in the family, in our environment, in society, at work, and in our world view. You suddenly think about history, about what is happening today and then you suddenly want certain pleasures, or you have certain thoughts and someone confuses you; you have to see that behind all these effects that come from the outside and what is invoked in you internally, there is none else besides Him. You must also see that there is only one reason, one source, from which the orders are issued to all the parts of creation that have no freewill and are managed by the same upper force that then affect you.

It can be your friends, your boss, your wife, your children, your health, the political situation, different events in the world, the weather, and your inner feelings. It all stems from the same one force that operates on you through all these factors and effects you.

If you focus your heart and your mind and constantly try to see that only He does it and not a thousand other different sources that influence you—like your wife, your kids, your boss, the weather, your inner feeling and everything that affects you on the outside—and that it is He behind all that and that you constantly want to be locked on Him, and connected to Him; you will gradually begin to feel the system that surrounds you that exists between Him and you. This system is called “the world,” and the upper force surrounds the world.

Then you will begin to feel and to understand Him because it is actually all the different factors in the world and the way they affect you which help you understand why He treats you this way. It is because you have to relate to Him as the good that does good no matter what and above doubt in the ideal way.

If a person tries to see only the one positive force through everything that appears in his mind and heart and everything that happens to him, these interferences actually reveal to him the one upper force, the good that does good. Thus he reaches the revelation of the Creator.

On the whole, this is our work. There is nothing but that. The wisdom of Kabbalah tells us about the phases we go through as we reveal this upper force and how we have to organize ourselves so that it will be easier to see Him in every state that is revealed to us and how we can support others and be aware of external support so as not to forget this principle.

I may find myself in a state in which I focus my will and my power on the Creator, but suddenly a stronger influence may come along, which is stronger than my power to be focused on Him, and then I forget that I have to reveal Him, that it comes from Him, that He is only good that does good.

I suddenly begin to relate to all the situations in life as if they are independent and that they come to me by themselves and not according to the general plan that is operated by one upper force and that there is none else besides Him.

On the whole, this is the main principle of our work.
[141028]
From the Convention In Colombia “Day Two” 7/26/14, Lesson 1

Related Material:
Until The Shadow Clears Away
The World Where “There Is None Else Besides Him”
Connection With God: Don’t Hang Up!

Filed under: Conventions, Spiritual Work, The Creator - No Comments →

Question: How should I correctly pass through the states of work on my ego so that I will not harm the group? An immense feeling of shame appears that, through my states, I am “drilling a hole in the boat” because it is impossible to overcome them constantly during an ascent.

Answer: The most important thing in life is not to berate yourself, don’t assume that you are to blame.

I am as I am: harmful, callous, lacking understanding, not hearing, an egoist who is insensitive to others. The others can be so thoughtful, so sensitive. When found among a hundred people, they always are paying attention to something about their friends. They respond sharply to everything, and this is all alive in them. As for me, it is as if I am found in the middle of an empty field: closed off, unaffected by people. That is how I was created.

I must understand that this is my role in the general Kli (the spiritual Kli), and I don’t have to have complaints. I don’t need to be like someone else, and the most important thing is that I must not forget to thank the Creator at every moment even though, along with this, I am in very deplorable situations.

He makes me go through these situations. If I am ashamed in them, this is a sign that I have not corrected myself yet. I have not brought myself into adhesion with Him; I have not risen to this level. However, I already am moving toward Him and understand what I must do. The next state will be a little better, more corrected, and that is how it is until I reach the possibility that, with all my soul, I will bless the Creator for what He is doing with me.

But it is necessary to very quickly leave a state of eating oneself. We often blame ourselves, “I am such a nothing! They are so great! So, what about me?” To me, all the friends seem to be perfect and caring. They understand each other, whereas I don’t understand anything. I never think about anyone. Why should I be concerned about someone all of sudden? None of that is me. I am an egoist! I pay attention only to what they have more and I have less.

These are very good states. From them, we learn about our nature, and from our oppositeness, we attain the Creator. However, it is necessary to realize this nature correctly. We learn gradually.

Sometimes physical distance from the group helps, being involved in some kind of unique work that will take all of the previous states from me. It is necessary to do something, for sometimes we fight fire with fire that is exactly the same but its opposite, as the fire extinguishes the fire.
[141058]
From the Convention In Sochi “Day Two” 7/14/14, Lesson 4

Related Material:
Beyond The Negativity
If You Are Eating Your Own Flesh…
Why Doesn’t The Creator Hear Me?

Filed under: Conventions, Group Work, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

Question: If I see something negative in a friend, is it better not to pay attention to it, to focus on the positive only, so this will be considered as a spiritual ascent?

Answer: Rabash explains in his articles that we don’t need to pay attention to the negative characteristics in a person just like a mother doesn’t pay attention to the negative characteristics in her child as for her he is ideal. I look at this child and don’t find anything special about him, but for her, everything in him is good, pleasant, and beautiful. This is the foundation for our worldview. That is how you should look at your friends.

When rising above the ego, there are conditions that we must carry out to change negative characteristics into positive ones. As a result of these actions, we can distinguish two types: a “hero” and a “hero among heroes,” which is the next level when you change your hater not into a neutral person, but into a friend, someone loved. This is the highest level.

In other words, when we rise above the ego, we are called heroes, and when we change the ego into bestowal and love, we become heroes among heroes, and here we don’t have to be clever. The Light does everything. If we try to carry out the simplest actions of connection and unity among us, then everything else will be Light.
[141065]
From the Convention In Sochi “Day Two” 7/14/14, Lesson 4

Related Material:
It Is A Great Honor To Be In The Company Of Such Great People
The Group Makes You A Hero
Nothing Can Be Solved Without The Light

Filed under: Conventions, Group Work, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

Question: What does it mean to annul yourself with regard to another?

Answer: Annulling yourselves to each other and mutually entering one another according to the principle of love thy neighbor as thyself should bring us to a connection with the Creator. Thus, I not only annul myself and become no one, a zero, but actually perform actions that help me connect to the friend so that he will be able to come in contact with me easily. I do what is good for him by annulling my ego and allowing him to establish contact with me naturally.

It makes no difference whether he is an egoist or not. I don’t judge him and don’t try to understand anything about him, but I simply annul myself so that he will be able to contact me. If he reaches the same state, I am glad that my actions of self-annulment relative to him have brought us close together, and it is the same with the other people.

But when the friend comes in contact with me, I feel a need to mutually cooperate with him, I feel how he nears me, and how he is incorporated, comes in contact with me, and even somehow dresses in me. Now I can begin to cooperate with him more actively. Here I have to switch on my anti-ego, not suppress the ego, but rather operate it in the opposite direction: What would my friend want of me? It isn’t that I simply become easy to contact, but rather easy and convenient to be used, so that he should use me. Then I begin to grow.

In other words, I don’t just operate according to the principle of don’t do unto your friend what is hateful to you anymore, but I work for the other as he would want me to, which means that I use my ego in order to bestow. I come in contact with the friend, work for his desires, and do my very best to fulfill them. These are high acrobatics.
[141052]
From the Convention In Sochi “Day Two” 7/14/14, Lesson 4

Related Material:
Let’s Melt Into One Another
Do You Want To Be Dressed In Bestowal? Try It On!
Playing Down The Ego

Filed under: Conventions, Group Work, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

Every future convention becomes the next level after the previous convention. But the present convention in Saint Petersburg is unique.

People are arriving and gathering here who prepared for it intensively during the summer, this is the Sochi group. All the rest joined them, all of those who study with us. Generally, our strongest representatives from all the groups gather here.

So in thinking about the work that was done, I hope that we can gather and attain such a state that our connection will be equal to the first phase of the Light, and then we discover it within us. For essentially there is no Light. What we call Light is a mutual characteristic of bestowal and love that we discover between us on the first most minimal level.

Baal HaSulam uses the example of an electric current. We don’t know what it is, but we see its manifestation in the warmth of the wire in a lamp, or the working of some system, working apparatus, motors and so forth. This means that we are always talking about the result, about the discovery of some force that is working, but that we don’t understand.

That is also how it is here. When we very much want to discover the unique force of nature, then it is discovered. It exists, but it is intangible to us. And in order to feel it, we must make it possible for it to act somewhere, to be discovered in something. This is exactly like an electric current; as long as we don’t apply it to something, we don’t know if it exists or not.

According to the same principle, work is done also with the higher general energy, which includes within it all the rest of the types of energy that we call “Light.” We must make ourselves such a device, which reveals this Light that causes it, summons its movement, and we become a Kli, a means, a mechanism, a basis through which it will be discovered.

To do this we must try to connect among us, to adapt ourselves constantly to the characteristic of the Light. The moment that our state, our efforts, the unity between us, reaches a minimal resemblance to the Light, it will then begin to be discovered.
[144221]
From the Convention In St. Petersburg 9/18/14, Preparatory Lesson 2

Related Material:
Toward The Desired Goal
Develop The Spirit Of Unity
The Entire Universe Is In The Drop Of Our Unity

Filed under: Conventions, Group Work, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

Question: In a workshop we aspire to a state of unity so much that we begin to feel everyone’s agreement to attain this. But if there is no feeling like this, is it worthwhile to continue until we get it?

Answer: It gradually appears in a group of friends who are connected with each other by a great many external conditions. And if they work on themselves regularly, with a shared connection, obligating themselves to speak about and discuss everything, then a measure (indication) appears with them that shows if they have coordinated between them enough that they already feel this unity and how to hold onto it.

And if someone leaves this state even a little, he immediately feels it; an inner feeling appears within him that he has “fallen outside” somewhere, and he must re-enter and communicate with the friends constantly.

The spirit of unity depends upon each one of us. So discuss these states, hold onto the more vulnerable friends among you; try to develop them in some way, to “inject” this spirit in everyone else through your thoughts and behavior. You must do this!

We see that not all of the people during the exodus from Egypt were capable of anything, only the priests (Cohanim) and the Levites, one small part of the people, a group. What does a “people” mean? It is a group in which there are not many who are ready to go forward after the teacher and to show itself as an example of the realization of this idea.

So we work together on all the rest and on the whole world.
[144218]
From the Convention In St. Petersburg 9/18/14, Preparatory Lesson 1

Related Material:
Toward The Desired Goal
Become A Kli That Reveals The Upper Light
The Entire Universe Is In The Drop Of Our Unity

Filed under: Conventions, Group Work, Spiritual Work, Unity - No Comments →

Question: I have friends whose influences I feel; I have a connection with them. And if I want to include everyone within me, I need help. I don’t understand where it will come from; whom should I ask?

Answer: Within our unity there truly exists a force that unites and holds us together, but in the meantime we don’t feel it. This is called the Light that Reforms. This is the uniting and connecting force that we want to feel between us.

Question: How is it possible to hold onto this point and not flee from it?

Answer: You will flee from anything that there is except for what your body wants at a given moment. And it wants to eat, to sleep, to rest, and to play.

This means that, in any case, you always act against your body. For this there exists an environment that forces you to yearn for spirituality. There is nothing to do! But if you understand your goal, it becomes desirable to you.
[144215]
From the Convention In St. Petersburg 9/18/14, Preparatory Lesson 1

Related Material:
The Force That Performs Miracles
The Entire Universe Is In The Drop Of Our Unity
Growing Stronger Through Our Unity

Filed under: Conventions, Group Work, Spiritual Work - No Comments →