Baal HaSulam, “Exile and Redemption”: By these words, I only mean to show that the Torah and the natural law of development go hand in hand in wondrous unity even with blind fate.

Although it seems that my life is managed by blind fate, it is in fact managed by the natural law of evolution. It seems that my fate depends on many accidental incidents, but in fact all the events and occurrences in my life are predetermined by creation.

Only one thing depends on me and that is how I accept these events. If I prepare myself correctly, then I can accept and feel them in an opposite way than I feel them today. Today I have a special “receiver,” a mechanism with a sensor, that can totally change the receiving, the feeling, from minus one hundred percent to plus one hundred percent.

But the whole chain of events doesn’t change and I will go through all of them. The Creator initiates this process and manages creation, but on the way He gives you a chance to accept His actions if you want to. If you don’t want to, then He will make you want to.

It is because there is none else besides Him. Everything is already predetermined and even if He changes the “letters” in this “story,” which means if one letter doesn’t match and He replaces it by another letter, it is only with regard to my feeling, so that I will work on it better.

In fact, I am in an eternal process and can only ask myself about my perception: “Are there actually any changes? And if so, are they inside or outside of me?”

But if it is about my impressions, then I can certainly change them. If I don’t change them, they will become so unpleasant that eventually I will try to change them and correct my “receiver.”
[113964]
From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/04/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Question: Why can’t we correct the stony heart?

Answer: It is impossible to correct the stony heart since it is the gap between existence from existence and existence from absence. I can only resemble the Creator. To resemble means to form above me all the forms of the Creator that I see. Then the desire to receive takes on different forms of bestowal. This means that I can resemble Him like an actor, but I cannot resemble Him in all of my internality.

Only by all my corrections when all the Lights that I draw come together, will they operate the system and it will influence me by the Light that corrects the stony heart. I generate this process indirectly.
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From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/04/13,The Book of Zohar — Introduction

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The main thing is the group. I heard much about Baal HaSulam dreaming of creating a Kabbalistic community. He brought tannery machines with him from Poland, thinking that he would open a small factory where he would work with his students and this would be enough for them to survive. And in a small and compact circle like this they would learn the wisdom of Kabbalah. He had many similar programs. From his articles one can feel how much he dreamt about this. He was an immense spiritual romantic.

But this was still impossible in those times. Even in our times we see that in the meantime we are only on the way towards it. I could put it that this will be possible, but in what way we still don’t know. It’s not necessary to override time.

Anyway, we see that in all times, all the Kabbalists learned specifically in groups and related within it very fundamentally to its constitution, laws, and general rules of conduct.

All the laws that are described in the Torah and in the rest of the sources are laws of behavior within a group. They are not meant for a nation, nor for the masses, but only for Kabbalistic groups. Even though the impression is apparently created that this is how the masses should behave, all this is very conditional. Basically this effects only those who want to “go outside of themselves,” from their ego.
[113807]
From the St. Petersburg Convention “Day Two” 7/13/13, Lesson 4

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Baal HaSulam: “The Secret of Conception and Birth”: The exodus from Egypt is called birth but the embryo is born dead, since after the pregnancy, which is the iron furnace and the enslavement in Egypt, there is the birth and they were not ready to breathe the spirit of life in the enlightened world yet, to which they were promised to arrive—until the count has begun and the war with Amalek and the water trials, etc. and they arrive at the Sinai desert. Sinai means hate, which means the sufferings that is part of every illness.

We should understand that everything is determined by the final point, by the goal of creation. It says: “first think, then act.” This final point determines the flaws that must be revealed in every stage in order to reach the ultimate goal.

The ultimate goal is revealed in every stage as flawed according to the number of levels that separate it from that level. If I am on level five, for example, and there are a total of 125 levels, I have to reveal the need for the 120 missing levels on the fifth level. But I cannot reveal them and so they are in the state I am in, in their concealed form, preparing the future flaws that I have to correct and which are gradually starting to be revealed starting from this level onwards.

Every level includes all the flawed future states until the end of correction. So even at the time of the exodus from Egypt it was determined that the correction has to come to an end after 6,000 years. All this was already known; Abraham also knew about this process and Jacob wanted to reveal the future secret to his sons but didn’t manage to do so.

It all stems from the fact that the ultimate goal, the final state, is incorporated in every level since it has a beginning, the actual state, and its conclusion. So the fetus that is born during the exodus from Egypt already conceals in it the future corruption. Just like the participation of the points of SAG with NHY of Galgalta, when it was clear that the heart of stone is concealed in NHY. Therefore, it was possible to predict the future shattering, since the unrevealed evil was left in Bina and in Malchut. They thought that they could correct everything and reach the end of correction but it only got worse.

Evil has to be concealed on the way and revealed in the future and be corrected. The same thing happens here too, with the fetus is still born. The children of Israel came out of Egypt when they were totally detached from one another. They built the first Temple, but it was destroyed and they had to be exiled to Babylon, where the whole story of Ahasuerus, Mordecai and Haman took place. Then they returned to the Land of Israel again and built the second Temple, but it was also destroyed.

All these states are a result of the wrong birth, but it also had to occur that way, since the heart of stone that was supposed to be revealed and die is concealed in the fetus. All this stems for the ultimate goal and determines all these states.

It was impossible to change anything we have passed through along the way until today. Only now do we reach the state of the beginning of the correction and we have freewill. We had no freewill in any of the previous states since they were all just a preparation for today.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/28/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Truth and lies can change places in a moment. We hear a certain opinion and think that it’s the truth. Then suddenly we hear another opinion and hold on to it and think that it’s the truth and what we thought before already seems like a lie. Truth and a lie change very quickly and even the feeling of sweetness and bitterness change, but not as fast.

It turns out that nothing is absolute in reality. I can never say that something is sweet since it may be bitter tomorrow because of my bad mood. I may discover that sugar is bad for me, that it simply kills me, and I will not even be able to look at it. It will not seem so sweet to me anymore, but rather bitter, since I will be so afraid to eat something that is harmful. This fear will change all the flavors that I taste.

So how can we absolutely determine what is sweet or bitter, what is the truth or a lie? The clarification of truth and a lie is in our brain, and the clarification of bitter and sweet is in the heart, in the desire. So we have to pay attention while working with our heart that it will be for the sake of bestowal and not receiving.

This is already a certain standard, a certain parameter, according to which I can measure myself. Now the truth means to benefit as much as possible, and wherever we lose, we call it a lie. This is how a person usually sees life, in a biased perspective. The ego, the bribe covers a person’s eyes and doesn’t let him see the truth or the lie. Whatever is beneficial is called truth and what is not is called a lie.

We need an objective standard that is external to us, which means the measure of bestowal compared to which I can measure my truth and my lie and to calibrate my brain correctly. The environment gives us this chance. This is the reason for the shattering of the vessels that left each of us detached from all the rest, locked inside his ego. But if I connect to society according to Kabbalistic rules, it will be the truth for me.

The more I can annul myself and connect with the friends, the more I will see this standard in them, the truth. I will see myself compared to the truth as living in a lie. This is actually the main goal of our work in the group: to calibrate ourselves with regards to the truth, so that the truth and bestowal will become one for us.

Bestowal is my connection to the group: The more I give myself to the group, the closer I get to the truth, which means to bestowal. This is the first state I have to arrange for myself. Then we can be sure we are accurately calibrated, in the right direction with regard to the brain.
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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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Question: Our friends study for about 25 hours a week, three hours are dedicated to friends’ meetings and there are about 5 hours left for dissemination. How relevant is this time division? Perhaps we should devote more time to friends’ meetings, to unity, and to dissemination?

Answer: The main thing is dissemination! By disseminating you begin to understand better and to perceive with what you are dealing.

A person who engages in dissemination and is absent from some of the lessons still advances very fast! In fact he perceives the wisdom of Kabbalah faster than others, since dissemination is the Creator’s actual instruction of what He wants from us.

He wants to be revealed to all the people in the world, which means to bring goodness to His created beings. How does He bring them goodness? It’s by His revelation among them. The revelation of the Creator to the created beings in this world is actually the pleasure with which He wants to fill us.

In Saint Isaac Cathedral in St. Petersburg it says: “My home shall be called a house of prayer.” This is just the beginning of the verse and the second part says: “for all the nations,” as it says in Psalms. For all the nations!

He wants to create a vessel, but we should do it. So we have to yearn for Him and our yearning should include absolutely everyone. This is His goal.

When you do this kind of work, it’s the most efficient action for ascending. I say it since I have experienced it myself. So any kind of work in dissemination, even just talking to passers-by about integral education is preferable to studying. It will help you more!

We have to see how we value our actions in this world and not be wise guys. It has nothing to do with a person’s skills or abilities, but only with how close his actions are to the Creator’s will. It’s nothing more than that.

Unfortunately there are groups which were founded a long time ago who stubbornly refuse to devote themselves to this and don’t look for a way to implement the Creator’s main desire, to be revealed to the created beings. We don’t completely fulfill the one condition that determines everything and which is the basis for everything, and then we have complaints, what for and for whom?!
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From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/21/13, Shamati #59 “About the Rod and the Serpent”

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The yearning of the person for spiritual attainment depends upon a group because it can lower or raise him. In accordance with this, Rabash writes that there is nothing more terrible than neglect, carelessness at work, when a person thinks to himself, “Not bad. It’s okay, anything goes.”

Control of a person over himself is established only through his choice of an environment, how much the group influences him is the degree he can control himself. Therefore the group needs to direct, to motivate, and to encourage him so that he will feel that he cannot go any lower than this level but can only rise, always continuing upwards. If the group is directed correctly, then this is easy.

The relationship regarding the friends must be gentle; we need to understand that each has his characteristics. We are not teachers and not critics of the character of one another in any way. For each there are characteristics that must remain in him, but in a corrected form. That is to say, one is stingy, another is a fool, and a third is lazy, jealous, and irritable and so on. It’s forbidden in any way to suppress these characteristics! It’s necessary only to help transform them. That is all!

It’s necessary to direct anger against my bad characteristics; jealousy is a wonderful characteristic if it’s aimed in the right direction. We always tell a child: “See how he is, learn from him.” That’s how we ignite jealousy in him. This is to say, we need to look at each other as a mother looks at her child, and see that there is only good in everything that leads to connection between people. And the opposite, all kinds of seemingly good characteristics can destroy humanity if they are not directed towards connection and unity.

Enter into all kinds of sources of psychology and philosophy, whatever you want, and you will see what kind of nonsense was invented around the characteristics of a person. For with them everything is considered relative to the characteristic itself, and not its usage. But if we direct this characteristic correctly towards connection and unity between people, then it’s possible to be convinced that there is nothing bad in us. Everything depends only on intention!

Certainly this should be reflected in our relationships regarding each other. There are no bad people, they are not corrected. For this sake we are together. Therefore we love each other.

If I discover some seemingly unbearable characteristic in someone and feel that I cannot get along with this, I immediately stop and begin to develop another side in me (in myself and not him), and then from this I receive spiritual powers. I recommend that you remember this! I am telling you this from my own experience. Try it!

Suddenly new powers appear within you. You begin to feel how the Creator gives you sources for forward advancement. Specifically instead of “turning it,” open yourself. Relax, behind it stands the Creator. Agree and that is all! You create within yourself an open new space full of spiritual energy because you have changed yourself.
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From the St. Petersburg Convention “Day Two” 7/13/13, Lesson 4

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We have been preparing for this for ages and today practical Kabbalah is being fulfilled, which means that the actual correction is starting. Kabbalah is the method of revealing the Creator to the created beings in this world. This world refers to the corrupt relations between us, and the next world is the corrected relations.

If we see the world this, way we don’t see people’s bodies in it but rather the connections between them, the connections of one desire in which the Creator is revealed. So dissemination is 100% spiritual work. You are not doing anyone a favor but are actually working on your soul.

A person should understand that everything depends on him and he shouldn’t expect mercy or charity from anyone. He will find the source of his life in the relationships with others when he begins to arrange his mutual relationships with people on the street in his neighborhood. He will discover that he doesn’t depend on anyone, since he acquires a force that is greater than the government. Now we see it everywhere and so we shouldn’t turn to the authorities but actually to ourselves. We shouldn’t expect them to make any changes. No matter what they do it will only be against our interests.

When we speak to people we see the despair they feel. They don’t believe that things can change for the better in any way. Previously they had hopes that certain movements or leaders would be able to change something, but today no one pins his hopes on that since this lie has already been revealed. There is no one to blame here since it is a result of human nature. We shouldn’t blame anyone but we should simply decide how we should change our lives here and now, each one in his own place, in his family, in his town, or on the street he lives.

We turn to ordinary people and if we guide them correctly, we correct parts of our soul by that. Today we have opportunities that we never had before. The demand for this is felt everywhere. There are no other means to correct things. All the external sources have been exhausted, the global crisis has cleared the area and has washed it like a tsunami wave. There is only one source of life left, the source of power and change that is in the connection among people. No one can reconstruct this connection without integral education.

Even if someone hears about this and wants to reconstruct it, he will not succeed. It will succeed only if it comes from us. We were chosen by the Creator for this mission, like “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation,” and it is our obligation to pour this information into the whole world. Only a person who knows this method can teach the world and bring it to correction.
[113742]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/26/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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A good environment is the only means of attaining the goal. When we gather together with an intention like this, with intensity like this, with a desire like this and see how all of our friends throughout the world are following us, are found together with us, and we feel their pressure on us; then certainly this subject is heard and invites a completely new and strong influence.

I have told the story not just once that when I asked Rabash: “What is bothering me? Why don’t I advance?” he immediately answered that I required friends. Frankly, I didn’t completely understand for what, but what was said. I began to search, to give lectures and ultimately brought people to him. From them groups were formed.

And then Rabash began to write articles for them because I didn’t know what to say to them. First he wrote short articles on silver cigarette pack papers. In general that is how it was when we walked and talked in the park and we had no other paper, I would take out the silver paper from a pack of cigarettes and he wrote.

That is how the first articles appeared. And after this I would take sheets of paper folded in half with me. After that we bought a typewriter for him and he began to type texts with one finger. Much later we got an electric typewriter and so it went. Therefore, as of today, we have many articles by Rabash.

These articles set out all of the basics of human interaction in the group as the most important environment for spiritual growth. We learn them again and again methodically and according to our growth we see how in those sentences, in those words, new meaning is discovered all the time.
[113729]
From the St. Petersburg Convention “Day Two” 7/13/13, Lesson 4

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The spiritual growth of the person begins with the fact that he completely forgets about himself and finds himself with his entire mind, intellect, and emotion, with the desire to think only about the group as a unified whole. Moreover, this doesn’t depend on the group itself, as in the example of Rabbi Yossi ben Kisma.

The person “dissolves” in it and begins to see it in its true form. Apparently this is not a group and not his friends with whom he spent so much time together, no. He simply sees a gathering of great Kabbalists, one soul. It could be that they don’t even suspect this; whereas he already discovers this in them because everything depends upon our personal characteristics through which we see the world.

Today it is like this when we look at the physical world; we suppose that it is as we see it. The moment that we change our characteristics, we see instead a completely different society and environment, and those friends of ours will be seen on another level, in a different form.

Therefore, such a person has no claims against the environment; he always gives his friends the benefit of the doubt without criticism: They are absolutely right, they absolutely believe in the goal; and he justifies all that they do. The main thing for him is simply to nullify himself, and to give them all that is possible, all of his energy, all of his vitality. To this degree he enters the group and sees them spiritually. And so certainly according to his efforts the “Surrounding Light” influences him, corrects the quality of a person, helps him, and he begins to see an absolutely different world instead of the former environment to the completion of correction. This is how it all happens.

Therefore this work, and especially the intention towards it, becomes a foundation for the spiritual ladder. And after that descents and ascents take place.

The descents and ascents of normal life do not interest the person—family, work, and whatever else—he needs certainly to arrange all this to the degree that this is required for his physical existence, since this won’t end when his spirituality begins. This remains because all of our ascents begin from this, we again fall to the level of this world, we rise to the next spiritual level, and again fall into the egoistic state of this world. And that is how it is 125 times. This is most complicated and difficult.

Therefore I always emphasize that the most difficult thing is the first level when the person is able to be detached from himself for the first time and enters into a group such that he loses himself, he doesn’t exist. He is not afraid; he is happy about this; he discovers himself in a different form, in the form of the entire group. Within it he discovers the right reciprocal link between all the friends, which is called the “Creator,” that is found between them, and he is mixed with this network of reciprocal linkage. This is called his adherence with the Creator.

To the degree of a person’s spiritual growth, more and more opposition, contradictions, descents, and doubts appear. And again he is elevated above them to states like those through which great souls, the students of Rabbi Shimon, have passed, who were ready to burn each other to ash with the fire of hatred. And this was the first condition of that high level upon which they were found. That is to say, before they could begin with spiritual work, they had a beginning state like this.

Therefore the ascents and descents are compulsory. Thanks to them we rise, changing the ego to bestowal and love. And all the time, the greater our ego becomes, we can attain greater adherence between us above that hatred that is to be discovered on higher levels, and we go forward.
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From the St. Petersburg Convention “Day Two” 7/13/13, Lesson 4

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