People who study Kabbalah have two vessels: the heart and the point in the heart, and also two lights: the spark of this world (Ner Dakik) and the surrounding light of the upper world. Consequently we find ourselves in a rather complex inner state: the heart is constantly “expanding,” but only to the extent necessary for the development of the point in the heart.

Therefore, sometimes we feel that we have absolutely no interest in this world, that we want nothing from it. This is not because the heart is vanishing, but because the point in the heart is striving toward its own goal and suppresses all the desires of the heart. At other times, the opposite happens: the point in the heart seems to fade, while the heart reveals an intense, almost maddening craving for the pleasures of this world.

Furthermore, there are stages of development that do not depend on us, but on the structure of each person’s soul and on the overall structure of souls, which is determined by their proximity to the Machsom [barrier].

A person must go through a state known as recognition of evil. Are the desires in my heart good or bad? If they are bad, why? I feel pleasure in them, so why are they bad? They are bad because they are opposite to the desire of the point in the heart, and I strive toward it because there, perhaps, I will feel that I can experience greater pleasure.

We go through different states, rising, falling, and so on. Therefore, on the one hand, it seems to us that we should advance toward greater attainment of the Creator, toward the Machsom. On the other hand, we enter even greater darkness.

We should strive more earnestly toward spirituality, but at the same time we have many periods when we are drawn only toward corporeality. A person goes through these states over a long period of time until one eventually reaches the point where spirituality becomes the most important thing for them, and they see everything corporeal through spirituality.

This means that a person acts in this world only in order to attain spirituality. One lives, works, and does everything that is necessary, but only for this purpose. This goal draws them so strongly that it transforms their entire existence, but it does not annul their ordinary life.

Rav Baruch Ashlag (Rabash) writes that if a person uses everything that comes to him in order to connect with spirituality, with everything that comes to him through the actions of this world—then, eventually, this brings him to a state in which he strives toward spirituality with all his strength.

And since this world has already served him to build a strong desire for spirituality, he no longer needs it. Then he is granted entry into the spiritual world. At the same time, he remains in our world, but that fact no longer matters.
[359673]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/17/26, Rabash, “Who Needs to Know that a Person Withstood the Test?”

Related Material:
Spirituality is the Unity of Three Factors
The Separation Between Body and Soul
Observe the Point in the Heart

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

Question: Is a state when a person receives something while in a state of descent called “punishment”? It is a state in which nothing changes. How is this to be understood?

Answer: You are asking about a state where a person does not experience an alternation between states of ascents and falls for a long time.

That fact that he does not receive descents is the punishment. “Does not sin” means that he does not receive additional parts of Adam HaRishon after the transgression.

In other words, he is not brought to a point where he can correct something. This is punishment, for he is not given bad states.

Punishment is not that he is brought into bad states, but that he is not given bad states.
[360975]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/25/26, Rabash, “When a Person Knows What Is Fear of the Creator”

Related Material:
Punishment
Spiritual Punishment
If You Leave Me For A Day…

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

Comment: Everything we read every day sounds like the same text.

My Response: It is written, “Israel’s prayers have been exhausted,” “David’s prayers have come to an end.” There is no more strength! This stems either from great despair or from a desire for greater adhesion.

Comment: To one degree or another, it all seems the same. We talk about the same thing all the time.

My Response: You see, I have been listening to this for 25 years. I have been talking about it for 20 years, and every time I find something new. You are also being renewed. Nothing changes from the outside. You change; you discern something new. That is what we are talking about.

Otherwise, what else can we talk about when everything can be summed up in one line: “Taste and see that the Creator is good.” There is nothing more to add!
[359771]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/30/26, Rabash, “What Does It Mean that Oil Is Called ‘Good Deeds’ in the Work?”

Related Material:
Renewal In The Work
I Never Repeat Myself!
The Renewal Of Feelings

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Kabbalah Study, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

What are the categories of above knowledge, within knowledge, and below knowledge? We are implanted with the desire to receive, into which we receive for ourselves. In accordance with this, as it is said, “a judge has nothing but what his eyes see.” I act according to my nature, my reason, and my knowledge.

This is called acting in accordance with knowledge. Knowledge and reason are the light of Hochma (wisdom) or some of its illumination, which spreads in the Kelim (vessels) of reception. As the light spreads into these Kelim, I receive knowledge about my state.

Moreover, from this I derive the pleasure itself and the awareness of this enjoyment. This is what is called “in the mind and in the heart.” Simple reception within the mind and in the heart is known as a person’s knowledge (Daat).

Why do they say “his knowledge”? Because this is the highest form of reception. This is man’s awareness, “the person within the person,”  where I operate according to my own Kelim and what I receive is what I have. I feel it, see it, understand it, and rely on it. This is the nature of the “stony heart,” the nature of our matter, the desire to receive.

I can be in connection with the Creator and rise above my “I,” only if I acquire the Kelim of Bina. As we study, the worlds of BYA (Beria, Yetzira, and Assiya) are parts of GE(Galgalta and Enaim) that fell into AHP (Awzen, Hotem, Peh) after the transgression. Within these broken parts of GE that fell into AHP, light can spread, but not in AHP itself, inside which they are located.

Imagine dough containing chocolate chips. Suppose the chocolate chips are the parts of GE inside the dough itself, which is called AHP. Light can spread only inside these fragments of GE, and if they are correctly organized among themselves, they collectively form the system of the worlds of BYA is built.

The worlds of BYA are GE  situated inside the mass of AHP. But these GE are connected among themselves, and not connected to the mass of AHP itself. They have protection from AHP so that it does not hinder them.

Adam HaRishon, according to his nature, is AHP; unless he receives GE within himself, he has no connection with the Creator. The Creator is perceived and light spreads only in GE. Light cannot spread in the vessels of reception.

Therefore, a person who works not that “lump of dough” known as AHP, but rather within the GE embedded within it as a result of the transgression of Adam HaRishon, is said to be working in faith above knowledge (above his own knowledge, understanding, and desire). This is because his knowledge, reason, and desires are the “dough” and not the chocolate chips within it.

Why “in faith”? Because these are parts of Bina, GE, vessels of bestowal. “Above knowledge” means that he suppresses and steps over AHP, makes a restriction upon it, and effectively transfers himself, his sensation and heart, into these GE, where he dwells. This is what is meant by working in faith above knowledge.

What can help a person in such work? Love and awe. They help him hold on to the vessels of bestowal rather than succumbing to the vessels of reception, for AHP exerts a powerful pull on him.
[360970]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/25/26, Rabash, “When a Person Knows What Is Fear of the Creator”

Related Material:
Feeling The Creator Is Called Faith
Feel The Creator
Faith Above Reason Is a Spiritual Kli

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

Question: Why should the group supply me with a good mood?

Answer: Parallel to the greatness of the Creator, you must receive an uplifted spirit from the group. Without an uplifted mood, greatness is not greatness.

One could say that where the Creator is hidden, the group must perform His function. In other words, the Creator has hidden Himself, but in His place, He has given you the group. Why? Because you cannot connect with Him except for the sake of bestowal. But with the group you can play however you wish. Yet true play can also be only for the sake of bestowal. That is, in this world, in your egoistic state, you have the opportunity to perform spiritual work.

The problem with our group is that we do not concern ourselves with building the group. One must begin with this.

If I want the group to influence me and build me, then I must ensure that it is strong, that it possess the correct intention, that it operates on the right “frequency,” that it maintains an uplifted mood, and that it embodies everything that I wish to receive from it.

For it to possess these qualities, I must provide them to it. Where can I get what I give to it? Anyone can provide this! Anyone can do it, provided it is not for oneself, but for someone else.

It is just like during a lecture. You arrive, and your students think: “What a righteous one! How corrected he is!” Why? Because you pour out upon them everything that you have read and even what you haven’t. You work on their desire to receive, and give them a level of upliftment that you do not possess yourself.

Sometimes you come depressed, but you begin to speak, and you ignite yourself. You see that when you want to give to the group, your own state does not matter.

You can uplift people, truly inspire them, with your words, even those that might not seem to come straight from the heart. A person listening to you will think that this came to him from above, directly from the prophet Elijah. You must do the same thing deliberately and intentionally with your group, so that it becomes mutual.

You cannot imagine what forces you will be able to receive! You will not be able to sleep! It will be like those first days when you encountered the idea of Kabbalah. There are such days of ascent on the holidays of Sukkot or Passover when that uplifted spirit stays with you around the clock. You will see that this is how you will live.

Whether you want it to or not, your friends will act upon you in this way. However, the problem is that they do not yet wish to influence you. They do not yet understand that this is the crucial point.

You will feel that you are living and “burning” every moment. Where does come from within you and in what form? A whole group is sitting there and working, and you are with them for hours. When you are outside looking in, you often hear that this is important, that this is something special, and you yourself “catch fire.” What else is there to stir such excitement? This is what spirituality is about.
[360966]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/24/26, Rabash, “Who Testifies to a Person”

Related Material:
Involving the Group in the Play
How To Maintain A Positive Mood
The Best Healer

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

Question: Why do created beings remain distinct even after they have been corrected?

Answer: Every person perceives themselves, even after merging with everyone else, because each individual has a unique point of their own  that was created as “something from nothing” (Yesh Mi-Ain). Each of us exists within the Creator, within the very thought of creation, and each must attain the purpose of that thought of creation: “to delight His creations.”

The thought of creation exists within the Creator. It is His thought, not mine. I must become included in this thought once again, and each person becomes included in it in their own way. Of course, all of us are united as one. We are all one Kli (vessel), yet each person’s identity, uniqueness, and individuality stay in place.
[359822]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/22/26, Rabash, “What Are ‘A Layperson’s Vessels,’ in the Work?”

Related Material:
Preserve Individuality
Highest Attainment Is Always Individual
New Perception—Collective Consciousness

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Spiritual Work, Structure of the Universe - No Comments →

Comment: We say that the surrounding lights cause all kinds of clarifications in us.

My Response: The light awakens the Kli (vessel). The light corrects the Kli. We only have to give it a reason to do so.

Comment: We say that only the light can correct me because on one hand, it will not do anything until I want it to, and on the other hand, only it can awaken this desire in me.

My Response: You can continue further, and it will be the same. These are precisely our states: ascents, descents, and all kinds of relationships. This is exactly what happens! Either the Kli or the light is revealed, either this or that. That is all! There is nothing else.

The only question is whether we need to be so clever as to know the details of the process we are going through, and if I suddenly do not know some detail of this process, then, God forbid, will I not be able to go through it? That is the question!

Does our knowledge push us to go through this process, while our lack of knowledge stops us? No! Suppose some psychologist or philosopher sits here. They might quickly grasp what we are talking about, and after just a few lessons they could explain it and juggle the terminology so skillfully, like a veritable Elijah the Prophet, that you would be spellbound.

Meanwhile, next to him might be someone who has difficulty understanding what we are talking about, and is himself so internally crude and emotionally undeveloped that he simply cannot feel what is being said in the lesson. So what?! This is completely unimportant!

Two such people can sit next to each other. One is literally Shimon from the marketplace, not Rabbi Shimon as he was. And this poor Shimon from the market can barely grasp what is written in the article, and is in some kind of fog. And the second, let us say, is a finely sensitive intellectual, who understands everything, and who easily plays with words on any subject.

There is absolutely no connection between this and their advancement because everything depends on the effort! If this crude, uneducated person gives his all, and completely devotes himself to the work, then only his efforts are counted! While that clever, refined person who grasps everything on the fly may not put in enough effort, and he does not need to. It is difficult for him to invest himself because he does not feel that there is anything here to invest in.

It is not that he is uninterested or that he feels disdain. He simply does not see the challenges or the scope for action. But in fact, everything proceeds according to the calculation of effort and nothing else.

It turns out that a philosopher with a sensitive nature is actually unhappy because he was not given sufficient Aviut (desire, need) from above, and a lot of time will pass until he begins to receive it.

If he remains steadfast in his studies, he will, of course, come to the state of Shimon from the marketplace, and begin from there. We often see this among us. This is why Kabbalah is in demand in our very materialistic, crude, egoistic generation, and not in previous generations, who felt the divine presence in everything. For them, this was clear and natural. It was very easy for them to establish a correspondence between the material and spiritual worlds.

They performed all the commandments. Do you know how to perform the commandments connected with the land? It is something frightening: some 300 to 400 commandments. And the commandments connected with the Temple? They had pure inner sensations, and therefore they did not need Kabbalah; they did not make efforts. But with us, it is the opposite.
[359833]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/30/26, Rabash, “What Does It Mean that Oil Is Called “Good Deeds’ in the Work?”

Related Material:
An Amplifier of Spiritual Power
Develop Yourself
The Correct Attitude Toward The Sources

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

Until the final correction, we do not touch the “stony heart.” We only build a readiness for its correction in the form of negation.

Let’s imagine that the same process occurs even before the Machsom (barrier). We build a readiness to correct the Masach (screen) over our desire to receive through a form of negation. What qualities do we need to examine so that later we will be able to receive the light of Messiah from above, the light that will pull us out of this world into the spiritual world?

Later at the final correction, we receive the light of Messiah, which pulls us from the second restriction to the first restriction. That is it! Go figure it out! What do you need? What conditions are required? It takes many years of effort to bring you to this. It is as though you are “chewing over” the same articles and letters again and again.

In my time, none of this existed. When Rabash began writing his articles, it was already 1983 – 1984. His first articles were published in 1984. Before that, there was only the book Sefer HaHakdamot (The Book of Introductions), and that was it, nothing else. Moreover, we did not study it. We studied only The Study of the Ten Sefirot. If you wanted to, you could read the introductions on your own!

The fact that we “chew over” all these texts is very beneficial for making clarifications. However, we must try to bring them into the heart, that is, to read in such a way that they touch our revealed, exposed desires. As Rabash said: “They give you medicine, a bottle of medicine. But instead of drinking it, you rub it on your leg. You did not understand what the doctor told you, and you get the corresponding result.”

We need to perceive all these things as closely as possible in relation to our desires. While we are reading and listening, we should try to connect what we are reading with what is happening inside us. Then, gradually, it penetrates the heart.
[359830]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/30/26, Rabash, “What Does It Mean that Oil Is Called ‘Good Deeds’ in the Work?”

Related Material:
Different Perception of the Sources
Reading A Kabbalistic Text
A Kabbalist’s Function

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

Question: Our task is to increase the awareness of the importance of the Creator in others. I am obliged to do this toward the friends. But what about myself?

Answer: You are obliged to increase the awareness of the importance of the Creator in others. But you cannot do this for yourself, only in relation to others.

And the friends, in turn, will do the same for you. You are not the master of your desire. We are not speaking about whether you want to, but about your performing such actions in relation to the friends, even if feigned or reluctantly, since in relation to them you are able to do this.

You might ask sharp questions concerning us and our path here, and while conducting lessons in your external group be full of enthusiasm. These are two poles, but this is possible. This is how each of us must act. I too sometimes have states that are not noticeable from the outside.

Comment: When you are in front of a group, it is easier.

My Response: Of course, in relation to others you can do anything, for here your pride and honor come into play. Your ego works; the desire to receive helps you. And so, you are told: use the desire to receive in such a form; give society your “lie” and society will give you its own, and then you react to the falsehood of society as though it were true. You will accept it as the truth.

Question: And still, is it possible to establish some laws?

Answer: It is possible. Do what you want. The main thing is—do. Let us introduce the position of a duty head of the group, and let them change every day. Throughout today’s day, you take care to determine for us the importance of the Creator, how we must think and act. Begin; today you are responsible. Try it.

In fact, this is how everyone must act, and every day.
[360954]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/16/26, Rabash, “What Is, ‘Return, O Israel, Unto the Lord Your God,’ in the Work?”

Related Material:
The Importance Of The Creator
Be The Creator’s Friend
A Check For Selfless Devotion

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

Each one believes that it is impossible to be a perfect human being, so in general, he thinks that he is complete, and when he looks at his friends he sees their faults, that they are not all right.

He, on the other hand, is fine (Rabash, “What Is, ‘Return, O Israel, Unto the Lord Your God,’ in the Work?”).

Whatever we do here is still part of the corporeal world, and there is only one path by which a person rises into spirituality: love of friends. Many articles have been written and many words have been spoken about the love of friends. What, in the current state of our group, should a person focus on now as something that will actually be beneficial?

I need only one thing. Not now and not later, but always, because even a month from now nothing will have changed compared with today. The work will be the same: recognizing the greatness of the goal, the greatness of connection with the Creator, the only thing worth living for and worth paying any price for.

On Saturday, when you made a toast at the meal, you said: “There is nothing left to give to the Creator, only my soul. I have already given everything and have seen that none of it is worth anything, that it has not even reached its destination. The only thing I have left is my soul. It is mine, and I give it.”

This is the awareness that the group must instill in me. Everything begins and ends with awareness of the importance of the Creator, because our entire path is directed toward Him. If He is not important to me, I will begin to turn in every direction—through 359 of the 360 degrees, excluding that one true direction.

Only one direction leads to Him. All the other directions are my “domain of the many,” where I turn toward fulfilling my own desires, cravings, passions, and deficiencies. Therefore, if I want to leave the central point, the “stony heart,” my point in the heart, and move toward Him and attain Him, then from the very beginning I must set the goal in my sights. And I will be able to keep it in my awareness, my attention, and my focus only if it is important to me.

How can it become important to me? It can become important only if the group tells me that it is important, tells me a thousand times over, because I do not see its importance. I will never start looking for it, because how can I search for something that I do not see, do not feel, and cannot perceive?

The group must give this to me. Here are both the beginning and the end of the work. Nothing changes: one must constantly raise the importance of the Creator through all the degrees, in this world and in the future. There is nothing besides this.
[360714]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/16/26, Rabash, “What Is, ‘Return, O Israel, Unto the Lord Your God,’ in the Work?”

Related Material:
Give Everything to the Creator
Raise the Importance of the Creator
The Importance Of The Creator

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Spiritual Work - No Comments →