Whether a person is in a state of descent or ascent depends on how he evaluates his condition, either according to the actual spiritual reality or according to his own attitude toward that state. For example, I forget where I am and begin recalling how yesterday I played cards with my friends, drank beer, and felt good and happy. At that moment, I considered that time to have been an ascent.

Then suddenly I “wake up” and ask myself: “What am I thinking about right now? Where am I? What am I immersed in?” At that point, I begin to realize that this is actually a descent. In reality, we can determine whether we are in an ascent or a descent only in relation to the surrounding light. If we truly want to evaluate where we are, this is the only criterion.

A person may be sitting here in a chair, yet inwardly be traveling around the world. As it is rightly said: “A person is where his thoughts are.”

But we are speaking about a situation in which, for example, a person is completely immersed in the study, yet torments himself inwardly, and that is not the right thought. Or he is thinking about matters connected with his activities in the group, and that is not it either. During the study, he should feel himself and the entire group connected to the Creator through the material they are studying. That is truly the state toward which one should aspire.
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From Daily Kabbalah Lesson on 7/7/26, Rabash, Article 28, 1991 “What Are Holiness and Purity, in the Work?”

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Question: In a state of descent, how can I find the strength to awaken from below?

Answer: In order to allow a person to make an effort, an independent movement, he is left alone. Instead of being pulled toward the goal by a force from above, he is blocked from reaching it. However, this does not start right away. Initially, a person is slightly guided in the right direction, which allows him to experience and distinguish certain things, albeit in a limited, beginner’s way.

Suddenly, this is halted, and the person is given the feeling of being completely disconnected, with a foul mood, he falls in both animal and spiritual lives. What is this done for? It gives him a sense of the desert when he does not know what to do or where to go. And his current state is not good either.

When a person does not have an inner state called “the present” or a surrounding light, which shines from afar and is called “the future,” it leads him to a state of despair, to a feeling of lack of fulfillment from both the present and the future. He feels unable to live either in the present or the future.

This is done to show a person what state he is really in when he is not cared for from above. Is it possible to do something in this state? Almost nothing. But still, it is possible to analyze a little and find out to what extent it is beneficial to advance with the help of the forces granted from above. At least this: to want them, to appreciate them.

Ultimately, these states teach a person about his true state when he is not “cared for” from above. That is why these states are good, because they build a person. Otherwise, when he is given all kinds of fillings and is lured in—this is not a great achievement, anyone could advance this way.
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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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A person’s spiritual advancement is sustained by light; without it, there is nothing to talk about. But what causes the light to come? Either it is an awakening from above, and then a person experiences a positive, uplifted state, is ready to exert effort, and nothing else matters to them.

Or this light arrives as a result of their efforts to grasp the importance of the goal. In accordance with these efforts, the light of importance, or, in other words, the light of faith, shines on them.

Then darkness does not matter to them. Even if, after another attempt to draw near the inner chambers, a person finds themselves distanced from the Creator without having gained anything, they still thank the Creator. Even when they fall back into an animalistic state, as was the case in many of their previous falls, they remain grateful to the Creator for simply receiving these various different states from Him.

They do not evaluate these states based on what they possess or what occurs during each ascent and descent, because they understand that doing so would merely be using their receiving Kelim (vessels). Instead, they assess their states according to how much effort they can invest to receive the light of faith through their own efforts and work from below. This is the correct assessment.

When a person comes to a state where, in both ascents and descents, the only thing that matters is that one’s attitude toward the Creator does not change, then we say that one is filling one’s reflected light, the light of faith, from below up, instead of allowing the light to come from above to below.

This is called being ready to bestow upon the Creator by filling oneself with this light, rather than allowing the Creator to fill him. This is the person’s giving. And then, in this measure, the Creator clothes Himself in a person, and they unite, and this union of direct and reflected light, clothed in each other, is called the inner light.

Rabash describes these states for a reason. We can observe this in ourselves when we look at each other—gauging the states we are in: whether we are falling or rising, either as a group or individually.

We need to reach a point where none of these matters to us. No matter what state I am in—whether I am rising or falling, whether I am happy or anxious, whether there is illumination from above or not—none of it interferes, we must immediately fill this Hisaron (lack, need) with the light of faith.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/29/26, Rabash, “One’s Greatness Depends on the Measure of One’s Faith in the Future”

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Question: What should I do if I do not experience descents? After all, I am in the best group, and I have the sources and a teacher.

Answer: If everything is going well for you, if you study, and you feel fulfilled by the “holiness” that comes from observing the commandments, then it is a sign that you are not exerting yourself enough, or that perhaps you are making physical efforts, but not inner ones. You are not searching as deeply as you could. And most likely you are still not truly connected with the others. You can work physically alongside them all the time, but being connected with them means seeing something in them that you do not have yourself.

Apparently, you lack a sufficient measure of envy. You are satisfied with what you have: “Thank God, I have something. That is wonderful. Thank You, Creator. Everything is fine. Everything is for the best. I am joyful, and I am righteous.” Then you are operating only in the right line, and in the right line alone, a person cannot grow because he acquires no new vessels. Unfortunately, that is the problem.

Question: But shouldn’t we always remain in an elevated mood?

Answer: You should remain in an elevated mood despite the constant counterbalance of the left side. Every time additional Kelim are added to you, you draw toward the right. But without the left line, what is all this worth? You cannot grow that way.

We grow only when the flesh increases, and it comes from the Kelim that we seek to clarify. So what you are lacking is a sufficient measure of envy. “Counters envy increases wisdom.” You are not envious of how your friends study, take notes, and work. Envy is essential, but it must be the right kind. It is not wishing to bring your friend down and not wanting that he would study and act as you do, but rather aspiring to become like him.
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From Daily Kabbalah Lesson on 7/2/26, Rabash, Article 21, 1988 “What Does It Mean that the Torah Was Given Out of the Darkness in the Work? ”

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There is work during an ascent and work during a descent, and a person must try to find what is relevant to him in each of these two states. But most importantly, a person is required to work during an ascent, because during a descent there is no one from whom to demand anything. He may be in such a state that he neither hears nor is able to move from his place, sometimes not only internally but even physically.

But during an ascent, when he experiences an influx of strength, he should not simply enjoy it, as though he feels good and is in a state of perfection. He must understand that this has been given to him from above, although he does not deserve it. Yet both the state of ascent and the state of descent are given to him solely for the sake of advancing.

There are no reward and punishment in this. It is not that because I suffered before, I am now being rewarded by feeling good. This is a completely mistaken thought and an incorrect approach to the process we are going through.

The state called a descent is given in order to feel our own qualities, while the state called an ascent is given in order to feel the qualities of the Creator. By sensing our own qualities during the descent and the qualities of the Creator during the ascent, we must work with these two states and derive the greatest possible benefit for our advancement from them.

If we go through these states without using them to advance toward the purpose of creation, they simply pass by. We will be given an ascent and a descent once or twice, and then they will stop. Or they will be sent once every six months or once a year. And so, the years will pass.

Everything depends on how purposefully a person relates to each state they find themself in, without thinking that it is given to them as a reward or a punishment, but accepting it simply as a state for work.
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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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Whatever a person does during the day in relation to the people around him through his body and human desire, simply as a person living in this world, has nothing to do with the Torah. It does not relate to spiritual advancement or to the Creator.

Ten thousand years ago, there were also people in our world who knew nothing about the Torah or Commandments. They had lives, a wife, children, a home, and food. Does this relate to spirituality or not? Similarly, our ordinary life, which is not related to Kabbalah, does not belong to spirituality. This is an animal-like existence in this world.

We cannot say that it is completely disconnected from the spiritual world, as everything here is a branch. However, we are talking about the desire to receive on the still, vegetative, animate, and human levels of this world, which gradually progresses toward the final correction at its own pace, in accordance with the general pace of reality.

Then, the general desire to receive of all people reached a state in which parts of the soul began to descend from above. A light began to descend, revealing the desire to receive, clothed in all people.

When light descends from above, a point in the heart appears. This point entered someone named Avram (after which he was given the name Abraham), who marked the beginning of the group. He was the first to reveal the Creator and initiate a chain of disciples. Had it not occurred, all of humanity would have continued living without spiritual revelation, according to the general clock of the universe and reality.

From Abraham onward, a person gains the freedom to choose. As the light descends upon a person, he has the opportunity to take further action on his own. However, this can only be done in connection with other souls.

Therefore, I need someone else by my side. It is not enough to have someone in America or Australia; after all, there were Native Americans at the time of Abraham. I have no connection with them; I need someone near me, a friend from whom I can gain insight and acquire something.

Free choice consists of receiving additional Hisaron (lack or desire) from an equal, both in the time of Abraham and in our time. The Creator told Abraham: “I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky,” that is, I gave you the conditions for free choice. Therefore, a close group was required so that one, while receiving perception from another, could acquire that person’s desire.

It does not work for one Kabbalist to be here and another someplace else, a group was required, a group that came to be called the Jews (Yehudim). They were ordinary Iraqis and Persians who began to be called Jews Yehudim and Ivrim (Hebrews from the root “Avru,” meaning those who transitioned to the desire of the Creator). We must distinguish between the soul that clothes itself in a person that requires correction, and the body.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/2/26, Rabash, “What Does It Mean that the Torah Was Given Out of the Darkness in the Work?”

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Question: If I descend to the level of the cause, but cannot discern whether it is positive or negative, what should I do?

Answer: There is no need to discern if the cause is negative or positive, because there are no negative or positive states. It is simply that I perceive “bad” or “good” in my feelings. But this is completely incorrect. Each state has only one purpose: to awaken me to seek a deeper inner state.

Why do we perceive some states as positive and others as negative? This is something that humans cannot understand. Since we are at the beginning of our path, most states are perceived as negative. We are affected by these so-called negative feelings because humans tend to seek a cause: “Why do I feel bad?” No one will ask, “Why do I feel good?”

The fact is that we are made of the desire to receive, so no one asks: “Why do I feel good?” If a person asks such a question, it means he is afraid that he feels too good. Life experience tells him that something this good does not just happen. He fears that he will have to pay for it.

You can awaken a person only through bad states, and only later through good feelings, but this is already a Klipa. This is even more difficult, because one is given many good things but no spirituality. However, this is for more advanced states, so that a person can ask the question “What is the meaning of my life?” from a good state.

I have everything except the Creator, but I need only Him, I need nothing except spirituality. It is like a curse: I have a lot of food before me, but no taste or appetite for it.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/23/26, Rabash, “What Is the Importance of the Groom, that His Iniquities Are Forgiven?”

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When a person feels a certain heaviness in the work, the Sitra Achra arrives and starts to toy with them, leading them astray so they do not know whether they should turn to the Creator or not. In truth, it is worthwhile to turn to Him in every state.

But if the request is not genuine, why do I need to turn to the Creator? Am I simply crying out for the Creator to do the work for me? If I do not feel a need for His help but I still cry and ask for it, then this appeal does not come from the bottom of my heart. What should I do?

Baal HaSulam says there is no better state in a person’s life than the moment that he feels despair of his own forces. He feels that he has tried everything, and that nothing can help him. Such a person is truly worthy to raise his prayer to the Creator, and only such a prayer will receive a response from above.

When does the despair of my own forces come? One can try all kinds of things, making efforts for 20 or 30 years, and who knows when it will end and if it ever ends or not?

Perhaps it is not a matter of quantity, but of quality. It does not matter how many years you spend, but rather how you spent them. What matters is your attitude toward your situation. A person might exert just a small amount of effort, but it is sufficient to turn to the Creator with a true appeal, without a doubt that only the Creator can help him and he cannot do it by himself.

How can one figure this out? At the end of the article “What Is the Importance of the Groom, that His Iniquities Are Forgiven?”, Rabash gives a simple answer that a person needs to see these states one stage deeper. Then he will recognize that the Creator gives them this state. After that, they will discover that they must turn to the Creator for help without delay.

This is very important. All the efforts a person makes by himself without turning to the Creator, are all empty. They lack spiritual significance regardless of how much effort was invested in them. Such actions simply do not count. A person does not even have to perform them as they are merely a waste of time and energy.

I only have to discover that every state that go through comes from the Creator in order for me to turn to Him. If there is some delay between my sensing my state and turning to the Creator as a result of that state, that is already the Sitra Achra (the other side or impure force). That is where confusion and bewilderment set in and where extraneous thoughts and calculations creep in when I try to resolve a difficult situation by myself.

This point is very important; it is like the foundation. It is very difficult to have a hold on that point without the pressure and influence of the group.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/23/26, Rabash, “What Is the Importance of the Groom, that His Iniquities Are Forgiven?”

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We view spiritual work as a means to achieve a goal. The goal is described as good, beautiful, and pleasant. The goal is eternal life and eternal rest.

Is everything written by the Kabbalists meant for lazy people? “Work now, and afterward, thank God, you will rest”? There is no end to the interpretations on this topic.

Do I really have to die in order to attain the goal? What exactly must I attain in order to rest? It is like in the joke: a man is lying under a tree, and he is told: “Go work.”

“What for?”

“You will earn a lot of money and you will rest, lying under the tree!”

And he answers: “But I am already lying under the tree!”

It is the same here: What does it mean that now I must work and afterward I will rest, rest will come later? After all, it is said that rest is the goal of creation.

We study that reality is unchanging. The upper light is in absolute rest within His Kli. This state is prepared from the outset, and we are already in it, although for now it is hidden from us.

Baal HaSulam brings many examples of this. For instance, the story about the son of a wealthy man who sits in the basement until he grows up and understands where he is, or about people running to the King’s palace to reach Him. Yet ultimately, as it is said: “And you shall eat that which has long been stored up”; meaning, we are already in this state, but we must prepare the Kelim (vessels) in order to feel it.

The preparation of the vessels is called applying effort or work. After a person has prepared his Kelim, he attains equivalence of form with the light: the light is in absolute rest, and the person also comes to this state. This is a partial explanation of why the goal is called rest.
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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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What is meant when we speak about rest? Perhaps it is not at all like what I now understand by this word. Relative to what is it rest or not rest? I remember when I was a child and constantly ran after a ball, everyone shouted at me: “Sit down, rest a little!”

But I did not feel that to sit down and stop was rest. On the contrary, for me that was a great effort. To run after the ball was both pleasant and comfortable.

So how can one measure and decide what is rest, repose, and what is exertion and work? This is measured relative to the Kelim. If the Kli feels tension and a mismatch between the desired and the actual, that is, between what ought to be and where the Kli in fact is, this means that the Kli is not in a state of rest. For the difference that it feels pushes it toward spiritual “movement,” and this automatically means that the Kli is not in rest.

And a Kli that has come to equivalence of qualities with the goal feels no difference from it and therefore can even while “in flight,” like a child running after a ball, feel rest.

The principle of relativity speaks of this as well. It is not important at what speed you are moving, but that you are neither accelerating or decelerating. That is, there is no lack “behind” and no lack “ahead” of you, you are balanced in the state you are in. And then this is felt as rest.

How does one reach this? By means of equivalence of form (qualities) with the environment, with the light in which we exist How can one come to equivalence of qualities with the light?

Baal HaSulam says that for this there are the written and the oral Torah. By means of one of them we acquire the intention to bestow, and by means of the other we know what to do with this intention. And when we acquire the ability to perform these two actions: to receive with the intention to bestow, to fulfill the commandments (spiritual actions for the sake of bestowal), then we attain the goal.
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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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