The greatest and most important Mitzva for building a person is love, as it is said in the Torah (Leviticus 19:18): “…You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” and “from love of the creatures to love of the Creator.” But this is the second Mitzva; not because it is less important, but in order, it comes after the Mitzva of fear. You see we build love on top of our ego, over our nature. Therefore, first of all, we must build fear within us toward the characteristic of love and bestowal. And only after this can we build the characteristic of love within us.

From “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Item 202: Rabbi Shimon took him and kissed him. This is to say he created a spiritual connection with him called a “kiss,” one of the three levels of connection: “embrace,” “kiss,” “Zivug.” Rabbi Pinchas came and blessed and kissed him. “Blessing” is an additional level of connection. And he said, “It must be that the Creator has sent me here. This is the fine Light that I was told was integrated in my house, and which afterwards will illuminate the entire world.” Rabbi Elazar replied, “Certainly, this fear must not be forgotten in all the Mitzvot, much less in the Mitzva of love—fear should be attached to it. And how is it attached? Love is good on one side, when He gives him wealth and bounty, long life, sons, and nourishments and then fear should be evoked—to fear lest he will cause the sin and his fortune would turn on him. It is written about that, ‘Happy is he who is always fearful,’ for fear is included in love.”

There cannot be love without fear. Fear is imperative, for based specifically upon fear, exactly to that degree, love can be maintained. Fear is the foundation of love.

The question is must I entirely finish with the level of fear to be able to go on to love? Or can I get a little fear and build love above it that will require me to develop a new fear above it? Do the states of fear and love alternate one after the other on the levels of the 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, with fear and love consecutively alternating? Or is it that only fear is felt first and only after that love begins?

Sometimes it happens this way and sometimes the other way. We reach the level of Bina and after that the level of Hochma and along with this we build our relationship to the level of Keter. After we build the level of Bina, we build the level of “love,” Hochma. We must also develop Hassadim to pass from simple faith to complete faith. “Complete faith” means that Ohr Hochma is clothed within Ohr Hassadim. So existence on the level of Hassadim can be like the life of “a person living in the forest.” He doesn’t have a shirt, but he is happy with his lot because he has Hassadim, complete Hassadim. But he doesn’t have love, a connection with what is higher. He has only risen above his desire, but he still cannot reach connection with the Divine.

After this he builds a link with the Creator, from the middle of the level of Bina and above. But for this, within himself he must develop Ohr Hassadim within which can be clothed Ohr Hochma.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/11/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Question: If we are the ones who correct the shortcomings of the wider public, including them in our desires and elevating them, then what is left for the rest of humanity to do?

Answer: Obviously we don’t resolve the work for them.

Question: Is this saying that they will also pass through the same states on the way to connection?

Answer: They must pass through those same states through which we pass, but on the smallest scale.

Suppose that for fifty years I developed and built a computer. Eventually I brought it home and turned it on. But the moment that I turned around, my grandson immediately sat in front of the screen and began to press the keys of the keyboard. I am fundamentally a person who is used to the right approach, carefully learning the instruction manuals, and he throws them up in the air: “Grandpa, everything is very simple here! I will just try a few things and then I will explain everything to you.”

He learns instinctively, interactively, feels within himself, and easily guesses how we get the result. Apparently the computer is built for the way he thinks and not the way I do. For me this computer was produced from suffering and effort and my grandson doesn’t need to make the effort; instead he grasps everything naturally. In other words, I made a great correction so that my grandson would get everything ready-made. And now he can work more efficiently than I can on the device that I built.

Lurking here are two opposites, two levels. We carry out greater and more difficult work, and apparently others only reap the fruit and rise more easily to the level of their generation.

For them everything will be much simpler, natural. We invest years in order to attain some kind of result, in order to find the form of the workshops that will raise new questions, and they will immediately get it and understand that certainly this is what should be done. Following the trouble that we take now, sweating and being in doubt, with them the complete picture will be immediately managed in their heads.

Question: If this is the case, is it necessary for the whole world to participate in at least one workshop and then everything will begin to be arranged by itself, or must we direct people again and again?

Answer: They will get feelings and intelligence “automatically”, regardless of the forms that this process will take.

In general, in the way of spiritual advancement, every level is the opposite of its predecessor; therefore, it is impossible to speculate, to assess a particular state based on another state. In my estimation people feeling that connection in the form of the workshops makes it possible for them to solve all problems in life. And so they will themselves seek and adopt the method through the Internet, television, and so forth without much talk, like children who don’t need instructions to operate a computer. And the current fashion is transient.

Question: So it could be that it is up to us to bring into public awareness an expansion of the information touching upon the new method as quickly as possible?

Answer: No. If we ourselves don’t make more of an effort, other people will also remain “outside of the business.” The grandson is smart because his grandfather and father took the trouble throughout their lives, they “gained” his new mind, new understanding.

It is up to us to make an effort to a particular level and then suddenly there will be a breakthrough, and a buyer will be found for our “merchandise.”
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/18/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Question: During the congress, we learned to feel each other better, to sense the desires of the friends. At the same time, our sensitivity to all other people that we come across in everyday life became sharper too.

Answer: It is simply becoming clear who they are. After all, when we look at small children, we understand them. Likewise, right now, when we look at the masses, we understand what they actually are: nothing—essentially children.

Question: What should be happening inside of us at the moment we go among them to disseminate?

Answer: Nothing. Love, forgive, and understand them. They are ordinary people with all their weaknesses, thoughts, and desires—everything that is instilled into them through the program of nature. How else could you relate to them? Nature is operating in them and they, like wind-up dolls, are executing their program.

Thus, your work is to treat them calmly and steadfastly, the same way that they treat each other, except in a benevolent way.

Question: All the while maintaining a connection with the group and the Creator?

Answer: The group and the Creator, this is something completely different. It pertains to the upper world, whereas 99% of the population belong to the animal world. So, interact with them on that level.

Question: However, when you see that the majority of the people are suffering, it creates a feeling of guilt and responsibility for them.

Answer: The feeling of responsibility arises because we, through our spiritual degree, can improve their condition, and if there is a feeling of guilt, it means that we are blaming the Creator.
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A workshop is a Partzuf that we build in a connection between us, and, specifically in it, we feel the spiritual world. If we don’t build it then we don’t feel anything. This is our common Partzuf about which the wisdom of Kabbalah speaks: Rosh, Toch, Sof, ten Sefirot, and so on.

When ten people are nullified toward each other and begin to discuss some subject, they create a connection between them. When they insert the problem into this connection, they are lifted above it, and in this form, they find the solution but on a spiritual level. Specifically, the connection and not the attempt to be clever should give the correct decision.

In fact, we haven’t reached this yet because in the groups, the communication between people is still not right. I ask some question and you begin to go into it deeply instead of connecting above it. You see the connection is more important than the question itself.

You want to find the answer by way of your intellect. Yet, in fact, it is necessary to find it from the connection. Therefore, don’t pay attention to the question itself. If you connect correctly, you will receive an answer without lengthy searches and philosophy.
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Question: What are the limitations we should impose on required needs in order to proceed correctly towards spirituality?

Answer: There are no limitations. Eat, drink, have fun and do what you want, but from within that maintain a permanent connection with the Creator: “There is none else besides Him.”

To the same extent that you are not able to be with this thought, you must reduce exaggerated living. In other words, doing all that you want, begin to reduce the threshold of material excesses so that the “There is none else besides Him “ will constantly be the main thing for you. And at Gmar Tikkun (the end of correction), you will consume without limits and will ask from the Creator all that there is in life.

Kabbalah is the science of receiving eternal and infinite pleasure. With time you will begin to understand which pleasures to exchange with which, and you will see how few of them are exchanged with others or clothe upon others.

Thus, there is no need to limit yourself, but only if you execute all the conditions of adherence with the group, with the teacher, and with the Creator.

The vessel that was entirely received from the Creator makes a restriction. This restriction does not apply to our world. From within it, you can use everything. If the corporeal pleasures don’t interfere with rising towards the Creator, don’t distract your opinion of Him, then use them.

Would it be that from sitting down to a meal with friends and crying or eating vegetables, you would turn into a saint? The opposite, enjoy the tasty food, but it should be that all of this will complement the happiness of the meal and will in no way detract. When you feel that there weren’t even anything on the table and you would have stayed with the same uplifted spirit with the friends, then you can add all that.
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From a lesson in Russian 2/10/14

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Question: How does love change from stage to stage? What are the types of love?

Answer: What is considered to be love in our world is not considered to be love in Kabbalah.

Earthly love is narcissism. All of our emotions enter into it, and the love spoken of in the wisdom of Kabbalah is already love in itself, for regardless of whatever negativity that we feel within our ego toward the source of love, we love it in spite of this feeling.

This is not masochism. Rather, it is suppression of the ego in opposition to which it is possible to love, and if not “in opposition,” then this says that we love ourselves, our ego.

Therefore, all the types of earthly love—toward a child, toward a husband, toward a wife, no matter toward whom or what—all this is narcissism.

In this manner, detachment from earthly love takes place throughout the length of all 125 levels, and only to the degree that we reject our ego is it possible in this degree to reach a neutral characteristic, after that to the characteristic of bestowal, and after that, to the characteristic of love, which is to receive in order to bestow, and that is how it is on every level.

In other words, we first make a restriction (Tzimtzum) on each level by closing our ego, and after that, we reach the stages of impregnation (Ibur), breastfeeding (Yenika) and a large state (Mochin).
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Question: How do I nullify myself toward the group?

Answer: It is very difficult to do this, it is just about impossible. It is necessary to close your eyes and put yourself under the influence of the group and try physically, morally, psychologically, and spiritually to be nullified within the environment. It is only like this! Submit and lower yourself and accept them as they are. If this is the group to which they brought me and I nullify myself toward it, then I attain my restriction.

Therefore, it is most important at every given moment to organize yourself internally, and clarify: “Toward where are my thoughts, powers, and desires directed—everything that is in a person?”

Constantly carrying out a scan of the internal self-image, I describe to myself who I am at this moment, a beast or something close to the image of man. Unfortunately, I always discover that I am a beast. However, after that, movement happens, even a small one, in the direction of the human in me.
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Question: How does our work remove the shame of receiving?

Answer: Our work removes and eliminates the shame since I exert myself by trying to establish my relationship with the Creator, with the good and benevolent, above it. I am grateful for the shame that allows me to establish and to attain adhesion with the Creator on top of it. So I justify the feeling of shame, respect it, and am grateful for the fact that it emerged in me.

This is actually the way the human attributes are revealed in me. Although it is still a corrupt human being, it’s not an animal any more but the posterior of the next level, of the right upper Partzuf, with which I can work. Therefore I kiss the stick that hit me and I welcome shame and the frictions that arise between me and the Creator.

All the conflicts and the disagreements between the good and the benevolent and there is none else besides Him and myself, and the attainment and the understanding of the gap between us is called shame. So I am happy that I feel shame!

There are states in which a person tries to eliminate his feeling of the gap and his inadaptability to the Creator and simply tries to erase it. But I want to establish my attitude towards the host above this shame and so I thank Him for showing me where I am not like Him, different from Him, far from His attributes.
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From Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/17/14

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Question: How can a person be sure that he has really attained the first spiritual level of Nefesh De Kedusha (non-living saint) and that his mind is not deceiving him?

Answer: When you reach this state you will immediately understand it. You won’t confuse it with anything.

This means that you will see how detached you are from all the thoughts about yourself. It’s an amazing attribute when your “I,” which in the past has been so troublesome and sticky, suddenly disappears and ceases to exist.

You ascend above the field of gravity like a rocket or a missile and that’s it, quiet. There is no up or down, nothing. There is no force of gravity. But this is only at this stage and then you have to move on.
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From the Writings of Rabash, “The New Moon”: Malchut is called the moon, and it is called the new moon, the concept of the kingdom of heaven being that, we need to accept the yoke anew every day. Yesterday’s acceptance is not enough, because the holy Ari says that we need to raise the sparks that fell to BYA all the time, lifting them to holiness.

It is found that a person takes on the yoke anew all the time, this being the name for his taking a portion of the separation and attaching it to spiritual unification. And this is the idea that Malchut returns to a point every day, this point being called a black point, which has no whiteness in the holy Zohar; that is, it doesn’t shine, for illumination is called whiteness, meaning that we must renew it all the time.

If a person really nullifies himself to the group, respecting it and satisfying its desire by wanting to place the characteristic of bestowal and love into the connection between the friends, then to the degree of his effort, he sees how far he is from this condition. And if he strengthens his feeling that the greatness of this feeling is desirable, the distance brings him to despair due to his inability to reach this goal. But along with this, he understands how important the goal is and he gets the power to attain it.

Eventually he completely realizes the nothingness of his powers. And here no person is as wise as someone with experience; it’s impossible to skip over this clarification. Only through the multitude of deeds, activities, and work that the Kabbalists recommend for us do we reach a state of despair.

A state of despair also brings happiness. As Baal HaSulam writes, there is no happier moment in a person’s life than when he finds himself in despair of his own powers. For now he is ready to scream from the depths of his heart for a true prayer. He asks for the power to be nullified towards the group, for his entry into spiritual work depends on this.

And then he receives this power, making it possible for him to nullify himself and adhere to the group. This is called the transformation of his black point into white. That is how he advances, and immediately he gets a new black point. And so from these points, one after another, he builds himself, transforming darkness into light all the time. That is how the moon is renewed.

Until eventually, all of the entries and exits that constantly alternate one after the other build in him a state of smallness (Katnut). The spiritual fetus is finally formed and born, turning into a newborn. The fetus nullifies itself completely. All of its 613 desires pass through correction through nullification, and thanks to this he becomes “white,” reaching the level of Nefesh and is born into the new world.

After birth, he continues to grow. His desire to receive grows more and more on the level of Ruach. There the person already must know how he joins with the actions of the Creator in that he takes part in the work of the Creator himself in order to start managing himself. This happens precisely with the same stages as the fetus develops in the physical world.
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From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/16/14

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