Question: Can a person identify any internal discernments before crossing the Machsom?

Answer: A person who has not yet crossed the Machsom receives illuminations from above that provide a certain sensation and understanding that enable them to identify various states within themselves and to advance.

We see that this path may take, for example, ten years. As one traverses through it, a person realizes that they are becoming wiser and begins to understand various states better, becomes familiar with them, and comes to know them.

These definitions, these revealed differences between all kinds of states, will be necessary in the future, and the years spent on this are not an empty pastime, they don’t pass in vain. This period, which indeed spans several years, is necessary, because a person will have to work with all the variations of these states later when revealing the face of the Creator.

By gathering all these Hisaronot, called transgressions and mistakes, he will continue to work with them afterward, and then he will see what state he was in previously. In the meantime, he does not see any difference between them. Only after crossing the Machsom will he be able to distinguish them, because now he is like a child whose degree of awareness is too small.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/20/26, Rabash, “The Creator and Israel Went into Exile”

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Question: How can I clarify what a particular state is sent to me for?

Answer: You see there are many people in the world who turn to the upper force. I remember a visit to San Francisco where statues of Christian saints, the Madonna and child, etc., stand right on the streets. People worship these statues, they come up right on the street and kiss them. We see pure idolatry in a modern American city. This is a clear example for you.

Or consider Baal HaSulam’s example about the kibbutz members in the Negev desert that suffer from drought and, without realizing it, turn to the Creator with a request for rain. This request comes from the heart. Whether they want it or not, they ask the upper force for help, because it is precisely the Creator who arranges this situation for them, although they do not know it.

That is, people all over the world turn to the Creator for help. Even a little flea that suffers because it has nothing to eat  does; its suffering is also an appeal to the source of its suffering, to the Creator.

The question is how to correctly turn to the Creator, starting from the little flea up to the big animals, up to the person worshipping statues, up to the kibbutzniks of the Negev, up to religious Jews on the inanimate level of holiness, and up to those who already truly wish to turn to the source and to know to whom they are turning. Yet the appeal of the latter has a completely different goal.

The request of a flea or of a person who asks for his own good in this world and in the world to come remains within the framework of the material world. But when a person begins to ask not that he should feel good in the future world, because in his request there is already some feeling toward the Creator (meaning it is simultaneously a mix of Lo Lishma and Lishma), then becomes a targeted request.

This is the essential difference between our request and the request of a flea or an idol‑worshipper, because it is truly an appeal to the Creator. After all, we do not ask like the kibbutzniks, who pray because there is no rain and suffer from drought, and we do not cry out to the Creator that we feel bad so that it will become good. We speak of an appeal that is difficult to express in words.

If I ask the Creator for correction so as to become like Him, this too is a request “on my own account,” it is also Lo Lishma. Lishma is a feeling that we are not even able to put into words. How can I turn with such a request that will be as if disconnected from myself and directed exclusively toward the Creator?

Therefore, our entire work passes through various relations with the upper force, in order to finally come to “Israel, the Creator, and the Torah are one.” That is, the steps I take in the process of my clarifications in relation to the Creator are called “Torah”; it is about how I relate to Him so that these steps, instead of being directed toward myself, will be more and more directed toward Him.

Making a reversal in the direction of my actions is the work.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/3/26, Rabash, “What Is, ‘There Is None as Holy as the Lord, for There Is None Besides You,’ in the Work?”

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There are many actions one must perform as he prepares for spirituality. After crossing the Machsom, there are also various spiritual actions: “Ibur” (the embryo state), “Leida” (spiritual birth), “Enika” (feeding), “Mochin” (big state)—that is, big (Gadlut) and small (Katnut) states.

When a person is already in spirituality and senses the Divine, he also goes through various stages. They are called the “24 hours of the spiritual day,” the days of the spiritual week, Shabbat, the months, Rosh Chodesh (the beginning of the month), and various holidays—all these are special spiritual states in which a person must work.

In the 12th part of the TES, we study how prayer is continuously divided into 24 spiritual hours, and there is even a state of sleep in it. Spiritual sleep is a special preparation for the next stage of spiritual ascent, which also constitutes a lot of work.

There is work in all spiritual states, experiencing which a person must exert to make corrections at a given degree. But Rabash’s article, which we are currently studying, says otherwise: “There Is None as Holy as the Lord, for There Is None Besides You” in spiritual work. That is, we are told that it is the Creator who does all the work for us, this is His work, and the person has nothing to do.

What can a person do if the Creator does all the work for him? He must come to the feeling and realization that there really is “None as holy as the Creator,” and “There is none else besides Him” who performs all actions, does everything, and plans everything. The beginning of an action, the process of its execution, and its results are all the work of the Creator.

But we also have a job to do and an effort to make us feel what is really happening to us, and to sense what is happening in the most correct way, to perceive it the right way.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/3/26, Rabash, “What Is, ‘There Is None as Holy as the Lord, for There Is None Besides You,’ in the Work?”

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Our Kabbalistic upbringing and education are completely different from the upbringing of the public. Religion teaches a person simply to be well behaved, to get up and do, do, do.

Kabbalah, on the contrary, develops a person’s ability to analyze. A person begins to disagree with the Creator, to scold and curse the Creator, and wants to rebel against Him. Then he begins to understand where these qualities come from, compares his own qualities with the opposite qualities of the Creator, and gradually realizes what is preferable.

Then, first, he justifies the Creator; afterward, he wishes to be like Him, and finally, through opposite states, he himself becomes similar to Him. This is how a person develops. Therefore, “The view of the Torah is opposite to the view of the masses.” The populace is taught and educated in a way that is opposite to the Torah.

A person who comes here begins to receive an upbringing through which he becomes completely free of any frameworks, of all initial conditions, of everything. You must examine, analyze, and think through every possible state, fear nothing, and from all this choose the truth. Otherwise, you will remain an animal.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/6/26, Rabash, “When Should One Use Pride in the Work?”

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Question: The Kli constantly feels some kind of resistance. Does that mean resistance is an essential part of the process of correction?

Answer: It is not that resistance itself is a necessary component. You do not eliminate the body’s resistance by telling yourself that it is for the best. You only want to put it in order, as though by doing so you are making a restriction. At the same time, together with the resistance, you want to acquire the qualities of the Creator as the opposite of it, so that I and He, and the ways of attaining Him, will merge into one. Only then is there the greatest benefit from this state.

If I enter only into the resistance, into the bad qualities, and there is nothing opposite them, I will attain nothing from it. It seems to us that by feeling suffering we attain something, but this is not true. There is no commandment to suffer, not even for a single moment. Suffering is a problem of the body, of the Klipot, which constantly confuses us and tries to convince us that something can be achieved through suffering. Nothing of the sort!

A great Mitzvah is to be in joy. And this is truly so. The moment a person is able to come to joy, he should not think that he has not yet experienced enough suffering. You will attain nothing from the evil inclination.

If, having risen above suffering, you immediately pass into joy, do not think that this is frivolity. In another moment you will again be brought back to suffering, and once again you will come out of it. “From Zion,” when you come out of suffering, “the Torah will come.”
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/7/26, Rabash, “What Are Holiness and Purity, in the Work?”

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Question: How can we constantly remember that, aside from the connection with the Creator, all sensations (good or bad) , all occurrences (fortunate or unfortunate), and everything that happens serves only to increase our connection with Him?

Answer: Even on the highest degree, in both your mind and heart, you must constantly seek connection with Him, and continuously hold on to that point. Everything that happens is necessary only in order to add more and more to your connection with Him. How can this be done? How can you hold on to it? Build a system, both internal and external.

It seems to you that through suffering you at least remember the Creator. Understand that the suffering you now feel, through which it seems to you that you remembered the Creator, was sent to you by Him, and within that suffering you felt Him. Of course, this came with a certain purpose, but that is not the purpose itself. The purpose is not to feel Him in suffering, but to feel Him in adhesion, in closeness.

Through the path of suffering, He reminds you of Himself to the point where you begin to feel a need Him. But what happens after you feel a need for Him? Then you say: “Fine, I will sit and suffer. It is worth enduring the suffering just so I do not forget Him.”

No? Would you prefer to be in a state of joy? Then move toward joy.

Suppose you experience suffering. That is how the Creator reminds you of Himself; it is His tool. He plants a thorn in you, you remember Him, but you remain in your suffering. Is this really the kind of connection with Him that you want? At that moment you are in the system of the impure forces that drains spiritual abundance through this connection because you agree to remain in that state, and the Klipa (shell, impurity) only grows stronger.

What is a Klipa? It is the evil that you perceive as coming from the Creator. This is the exact opposite of what should be. You must convince yourself that you are under the control of the Klipot, forces that must be overcome so that you may feel that the Creator is goodness and delight.

Do not think that because you receive evil from Him, you are reminded of Him and thus form a connection with Him. On the contrary, you must bring yourself to a state of adhesion, of connection with Him because you share a common joy. Pain cannot be shared.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/7/26, Rabash, “What Are Holiness and Purity, in the Work?”

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In the article “When Should One Use Pride in the Work?” Rabash explains the multitude of desires, properties, impulses, and laws that exist within our soul. He describes how we can acquire and master them in order to begin governing the soul, which is the Kli (vessel) in which a person perceives the spiritual world, the Creator.

One can master all the forces of the soul only by exerting personal effort during descent. This is known as MAN (an awakening from below); it is precisely then that a person acquires something and gains mastery.

Falls (states in which a person feels removed from spirituality and holiness) are deliberately induced. Suddenly a person sees that they have no interest in spirituality; they feel they can live without it, that it no longer holds any special attraction for them; there is nothing special about it.

But if in such states one goes above one’s feelings; meaning that, despite lacking interest, one understands this sensation was given intentionally and despite lacking interest, proceeds regardless, gritting one’s teeth to acquire the spiritual—then on advances.

Advancement happens precisely in such states. To the extent one can advance during these descents constitutes their true progress. All the other states given to a person are awakening from above originating from the Creator, and thus involve not contribution from the person, and leaves no lasting impression  within them.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/6/26, Rabash, “When Should One Use Pride in the Work? ”

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Question: Can it be said that a person ascends to the Creator from a state of darkness?

Answer: It all depends on what darkness is for me. I can be full of life while in that state.

For example, the World Cup has just started, and people are engrossed with it from morning until night. If I could interest them in the purpose of creation as intensely as they follow the ball, it would be simply wonderful! In other words, it all depends on what I see as darkness.

Suppose I am deeply drawn to this World Cup, yet I realize that all my thoughts and desires connected with it are darkness! But there is nothing I can do about it! And indeed, what is the purpose of creation matter compared to this? This championship contains the entire taste of life for me. But I define it as darkness. In fact, it is light for me, but my state, my attitude toward it is darkness! And then I begin to search.

Of course, my search is artificial, but I hope that someone will eventually change my state. So I force myself, willingly or not, to join a group that will help me, that will “brainwash” me, so that I will acquire different thoughts. Thus, everything depends on what we define as darkness.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/5/26, Rabash, “What Does, “Everything that Comes to Be a Burnt Offering Is Male,” Mean in the Work? ”

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In spiritual work, a person must constantly choose the right line and turn toward the right. According to many Jewish laws, we are required to give preference to the right over the left: in putting on shoes, clothing, and so on. All of these are hints to spirituality. But how can we choose the right line over the left in our actions?

A person must perform such actions that will lead him to choose the right. He never performs the action itself, for he is the result of a combination of forces descending from above. Therefore, one must try to ensure that, under the influence of these forces, he becomes more connected with the right line.

Rabash gives various pieces of advice on how to achieve this: study more, and during the study ask that this happens; be with the friends and listen to their advice on what the right line is and what the left line is; try to clarify for yourself what this is and exalt the right line within yourself.

So start thinking about it and try to clarify this concept. This is precisely what we study: how to make the right decision. Many things operate according to the same principle: choosing a goal, selecting the means to attain it, making an accurate analysis of the situation, and then trying to connect all these things together.

For example, we want to gather together and decide how to publish books in Hebrew, specifically in what external form. We still do not know the details: what the cover should be, what illustration it should have, and everything else. I must clarify what the issue is, by what means I can solve it, and what questions I need to answer, in other words, how I arrive at the certainty that a particular format is the best possible one.

In this simple way, without unnecessary philosophizing, we choose only what is essential. We do not feel that this relates to our spiritual work, but in fact it does, and it is very closely connected to it. If we know how to present our work in the group correctly, and indeed everything we do in life, then we will never make a mistake.

This is the process of clarification and decision-making. We do not know on what basis to make decisions or how to make them, but the decision is the result of the process of our work, and it will be correct if the process itself is correct. This aligns perfectly with our spiritual laws.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/15/26, Rabash, “What Is “Do Not Slight the Blessing of a Layperson” in the Work?”

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We should understand for what purpose a person should know that he fears God (Rabash, “Who Needs to Know that a Person Withstood the Test?”).

What does it mean that a person must pass a test? Who is testing him, and for what purpose? And why, at the very beginning, should a person say about everything he encounters: “If I am not for myself, who will help me?” That is, he must begin the action as though he has the ability to accomplish it by his own strength without the intervention of any other force, as though he himself is acting, and not the Creator or His messenger.

Then, after he has completed the work, whether he succeeded or not, but has done everything he intended to do, he must say: “There is none else besides Him.”

What does saying this before the work and after it mean? How does merely saying these words help? Here we are speaking about a person’s spiritual state before performing the action and after completing it.

We know that the light builds the Kli and performs every action within it. The Kli is the result of the light. It is entirely under the influence of the light and is incapable of making any independent decisions. It has no other option than either to agree or disagree with what is happening, according to the depth of its awareness of what the light  is doing with it.

Without a doubt, the Creator performs everything. Yet a person must come to the perception that everything he does, everything that happens to him, is the Creator’s action. This is the essence of our correction: to heal the blindness of our senses, of our perception.

Therefore, when a person utters a blessing or offers a prayer, it does not mean that something will happen afterward because of it. On the contrary, both the blessing and prayer are felt only in relation to the result that the person has already attained through the light’s influence upon him.

The light influences the Kli, and the Kli begins to feel what the light is doing to it. From Aviut Aleph to Aviut Dalet, it receives impressions from the lights of NRNHY, according to the order of Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Haya, and Yechida.

This continues until the person attains the full depth of the Creator’s intention toward him and understands everything that the Creator wishes to accomplish. Accordingly, the Kli truly reaches a state in which it shares the same action and the same awareness as the Creator. Then either a genuine prayer or genuine gratitude arises within him.

What does this mean? It means that the person has truly reached a state in which he understands what the Creator is doing with him, as it is written: “From Your actions we know You.” He then knows precisely which actions have passed over him, who brought them about, for what purpose, and what they accomplished within him. To the extent permitted by his spiritual structure, he has completed his work: he has examined and felt the Creator’s influence.

As a result of fully feeling and understanding the Creator’s action upon him, he becomes similar to the Creator in that very action and accepts it completely. This means that he justifies the action and brings himself into equivalence with it, that is, he becomes similar to the Creator through His actions. And through this awareness, correction comes. Thus, he completes that stage.

Then the Creator acts upon him once again, and again he must say: “If I am not for myself, who is for me?” This means that he must personally examine everything and carry it through. In this way, he comes to know the Creator’s action upon him. Then after reaching a state where he has understood everything, he says: “There is none else besides Him.”

He truly sees and knows that only the Creator acts. And now, having understood each of His actions completely, that is, having reached the state in which he feels within that action that the Creator is “Good and does good,” he himself acquires the intention to be good and to do good.

This is what is meant by: “From Your actions we know You.” Through the actions that reveal what the Creator does, a person comes to know Him with his own senses. Based on this knowledge, he transforms his own feelings so that they become like the Creator’s. This is called adhesion, equivalence of qualities and intentions. The fact that, at the end of his work, he gives thanks means that he has completed that degree, examined it, corrected himself, become similar to the Creator, and is ready for the next action.

Therefore, everything begins with: “If I am not for myself, who is for me?” This is the entire work of the “spies,” the work of examination and scrutiny. A person regrets, agrees, struggles, and continues searching until he understands the essence of the Creator’s action. When he finally accepts it as good, he justifies it, brings himself into equivalence with it, and ultimately becomes like the action itself.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/17/26, Rabash, “Who Needs to Know that a Person Withstood the Test?”

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