Entries in the 'Spiritual Work' Category

Don’t Rely on Your Sensations

294.2Before one can attain the property of bestowal, they need to acquire various properties, internal definitions, and exert effort, which all take time.

It is impossible to acquire all this at once, because it must still pass through our matter so that a person develops sensitivity and starts to feel the need to acquire a desire to bestow within their own desire to receive.

The challenge is that during a state of concealment, we do not have the opportunity to speed up this process and shorten the preparation time in a clear, controlled manner. We cannot know exactly what we are doing and act in a way that is understandable to us, clearly realizing that through certain actions we can advance in one way or another. This is impossible.

Therefore, it is said: “Do everything in your power.” And it is absolutely impossible to predict the result in advance, because everything we are going through now is not some small, insignificant thing we will finally move on from to something big and real. No, until the final correction, a person will work with the same Kelim he reveals during the preparation period.

Therefore, we should not underestimate or downplay the importance of work during the preparatory stages we go through, even though it seems to us that another month, two, or a year has passed and absolutely nothing has changed. This process takes time.

Some stages move very quickly, and then there are periods when nothing seems to happen. In fact, we cannot properly evaluate or measure this to understand when we are truly advancing.

Maybe we are making great, rapid progress, but it happens so deeply that we do not feel it; that is, progress in our properties that are still so distant from us, unknown to us, that we cannot discern anything in them.

Perhaps I go through thousands of such properties every day and do not feel it. But some properties I already feel a little, and so it seems to me that everything is changing, and I am moving fast. We should not rely on our feelings here; we cannot measure this.

Rabash writes that this happens because the desire to receive should not be rewarded and shown that, in this way, it will supposedly win more, while in others it will win less. After all, by doing this, you associate yourself with phenomena that occur in the desire to receive and are not related to the Kli of faith.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/12/26, Rabash, “His Law He Contemplates”

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The Reason for the Concealment of Kabbalah

963.5The wisdom of Kabbalah in itself is not some kind of secret wisdom. It always pertains to the human being, rather than something that exists independently of them. We cannot judge anything that exists outside a person; those are either an abstract form or an essence which we cannot approach. Everything we say relates to the human being.

Therefore, we do not define what the science is in the abstract, but rather we examine how it is revealed in relation to the individual. If a person is prepared, something can be revealed to them. If they are not, it is better not to reveal it, because doing so would cause harm.

You cannot reveal these things until the person has developed to a certain level. You can reveal this wisdom to a person only when he is able to grasp the true nature of reward and punishment, moving beyond animalistic definitions, and become ready to perceive new concepts. Then they will come to see that what appears to us to be true in this world is not entirely correct from the perspective of eternity.

A person who is not ready may understand all of this completely incorrectly. For example, he might think: “Oh, so everything has been prepared in advance, everything is guaranteed, everything is already signed and settled. That means there is actually neither reward nor punishment, no coincidences, and no free choice at all. In that case, I might as well close my eyes and wait for the end.”

People who are unable to understand this correctly will misunderstand what you reveal to them. It is not that they are forbidden to know too much because they might abandon their spiritual work or fail to do what is required of them. No!

They will fail to do what is necessary because they do not yet possess the appropriate understanding. And more importantly, their souls are not yet ready to digest the true definitions of reality. After all, it is precisely these true definitions that lead to the conclusion that you must work, invest yourself, and move forward through faith above reason.

But if an undeveloped person, who exists at the inanimate level, hears from the outside what we are discussing now, he might say: “So nothing has any meaning at all. The Creator knows everything from beginning to end, while I am simply being deceived somehow. So, what do they want from me?” He will shut everything out and leave.

That is precisely why there was an instruction not to reveal this wisdom to everyone, and why everything remained concealed until our time. Today, however, people have developed enough to hear it without being harmed. Therefore, there is no need to conceal Kabbalah any longer.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/25/26, Rabash, “When a Person Knows What Is Fear of the Creator”

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The Difference Between Spiritual Concepts and Corporeal Concepts

281.02Working above reason and below reason, following the path of faith and the path of reason, these things are not very easy to understand. This is because a person who is still preparing to cross the Machsom and begin the true work, the work of the Creator, does not yet perceive these concepts clearly enough.

A person does not yet have a sense of the bestower, the higher degree, and therefore, does not clearly distinguish between the concepts of faith and reason. He does not understand that reason means receiving in the mind and heart, receiving into one’s Kelim (vessels), whereas faith means the presence of the upper one in the vessel. Moreover, faith can exist only above reason, and only when it stems from love and awe.

However, during the period of preparation, there are sometimes cases when this distinction—above, within, and below reason—manifests itself as branch and root. Then we begin to understand that spiritual definitions are somewhat different from corporeal concepts.

For example, we do not understand why the action performed by Adam HaRishon (the first man) is called a “sin.” Before learning about this, we thought that he had the opportunity to avoid it and act differently. We assumed that it had been committed intentionally, and only because of that it was called a sin.

But as we study the sources, we understand that everything had been prepared in advance, and that if he had not done it, there would have been no possibility of achieving the necessary correction.

In other words, the action itself had been predetermined in the thought of creation even before Adam HaRishon was born. If so, how can we say that he sinned? When we say that Adam HaRishon sinned, we do not quite understand what we are talking about.

Baal HaSulam and Rabash explained that a “sin,” when a person supposedly sins, is not actually a sin, and the person is not to blame for having performed that action. Rather, things are arranged for him from above in such a way because he is meant to be brought down to a certain degree from which he must begin his correction.

Thus, what appears to us to be a sin is not a sin but a punishment, not because the person has previously done something wrong. When you are brought down to a certain degree, we call it a punishment, whereas in spirituality it is called a sin.

We learn that every time a person ascends, acquires a higher degree, and reaches the completion of his current degree, he receives the next degree in darkness. “The day is Yours, and Yours also the night.” In other words, he begins to fall once again, receives an additional measure of the desire to receive, and begins to overcome it and work from within the darkness.

We do not understand that a bad state—when I am distant from holiness, do not want spirituality, feel despair and weakness, and no longer sense a connection with spirituality—is not a sin or a punishment. On the contrary, it is a reward. This is because a person is being given new Kelim, new desires that he can withstand and thereby attain a new degree.

Sin, punishment, and reward are very unstable concepts that do not correspond to the meanings we are accustomed to in this world.
Because Adam HaRishon fell into self-love, a “sin” occurred, which in Kabbalah is called a punishment. And the punishment itself is his going through various difficult states in which he suffers and makes tremendous efforts.

But this is no longer a punishment; it is his correction. In other words, we evaluate these states according to how they feel to us rather than in relation to the goal. That is why it seems to us that the terrible state a person finds himself in comes as a punishment. But in reality, these are corrections.

Therefore, when we begin to experience these states, we must approach them from a spiritual perspective, in terms of the goal. If we transfer all these concepts from the realm of our animalistic perceptions into the realm of spiritual concepts connected with the goal, considering how things appear in relation to the Creator, we will see that they take on an entirely different picture and look completely different from how they appear in our world.

Each definition shifts from its place and exchanges places with another concept. Then, instead of punishment, we see reward; instead of reward, we see preliminary preparation that does not depend on the person at all; instead of sin, we see the beginning of a new, predetermined state, and so on.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/25/26, Rabash, “When a Person Knows What Is Fear of the Creator”

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Every State in the Spiritual Realm Is Completely Unique

258Question: I don’t understand: If something is impossible to achieve, then why is it forbidden?

Answer: The impossibility of something does not yet guarantee that I won’t want to achieve it. A prohibition implies that you must bring yourself into line with it. “It is forbidden” is a condition under which my corrected attitude toward these Kelim or toward this state corresponds to the prohibition.

That is, I must acquire such corrections that, even if it were permitted, I would myself establish a prohibition, taking the place of the Creator in relation to this subject. And then it would mean that I have corrected myself and risen to the appropriate attitude toward these vessels.

Question: So does this mean that all these restrictions, in essence, are given from above down as an example?

Answer: All restrictions are imposed from above downward as an example of the fact that we, for our part, must comply with these restrictions even in the absence of a prohibition. And this means that I am truly corrected. The Creator, who has no limits, imposes a restriction on Himself and contracts Himself. Despite the fact that this is very, very difficult for holiness, He still does it in order to allow me to achieve the same state.

And if I want to establish a relationship with the level on which He stands, I must also reduce my desire to receive, just as He reduces His holiness and light.

That is, I must reduce the Kli so that, relative to this stage, I act in the same way as the Creator, even if He does not exist. I came to the conclusion that this state is the most perfect. Thus, it is determined that at this stage I am in the stage of infinity; after all, every stage is perfection.

According to my Kelim, this refers to the revelation of Infinity to me, a part of the final state. However, how can I know which part it is? For me, this is perfection. And therefore, every stage, every state in the spiritual realm is perfect.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/16/26, Rabash, “What Is, ‘Return, O Israel, Unto the Lord Your God,’ in the Work?”

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Two Polar Concepts: The Heart and the Point in the Heart

213Question: Where does the clarification of the concept of bestowal take place? Is it within the ego itself?

Answer: Of course. Within egoism we begin to sense that there is some other part in our heart, a point in the heart, that gradually expands and seeks to understand how it differs from the heart itself.

It wants to separate from the heart and see itself as something that does not belong to the heart. This gives rise to our our aspiration to clarify the concept of bestowal.

If this aspiration did not exist, that is, if the point in the heart had not slightly expanded, turning from a point into a small sphere, we would not feel any property in it, and therefore would not receive the corresponding illumination of the surrounding light, would not feel the difference between it and the heart, and we would have no urge to investigate it. It is precisely because we begin to investigate it that this question arises.

Moreover, to investigate it, or the Creator, or one’s neighbor is one and the same thing. For outside this point there is neither the Creator nor one’s neighbor. It is simply that two polar concepts are now forming within me: the heart and the point in the heart. Between them, I am, in essence, clarifying my “I,” which is located in the middle, as the future middle line. And if so, then I should already call my point in the heart by the name “bestowal.” Later, it will gradually become my right line.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/11/26, Rabash, Note 884 “The Rosh Hashanah Prayer”

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Preparation for Intention

231.02Question: Intention exists beyond the Machsom. Do we have any branch of intention here?

Answer: The intention for bestowal begins beyond the Machsom. Here, we undergo preparation. Therefore, the entire period, which may last many years, is called the time of preparation, a preparation for intention.

The fact that you begin to think about how you relate to the Creator is the beginning of a correct intention. Whether it is correct or incorrect does not matter. An incorrect intention is called Lo Lishma, for oneself, while a correct intention is Lishma, for the Creator.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/8/26, Rabash, “What Is, ‘Every Day They Will Be as New in Your Eyes,’ in the Work?”

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Work on Your Attitude Toward the Group

938.07We see the extent to which a person is dependent on society in everything that society defines. Therefore, our choice lies in finding a suitable environment. I must not be satisfied with just any environment.

In one of his letters, Rabash gives the example of a tailor who finds himself among tailors who are not particularly skilled. If you want to become a true professional, you must be among the best craftsmen.

Suppose you have sewn some item of clothing. If you have done it well, they will tell you so; if you have done it poorly, they will explain in the finest detail what is wrong. In other words, they respect work done perfectly. Among such people, you too will become a specialist and will not tolerate any shortcomings. Everything depends on the environment.

Therefore, if you want to become a skilled craftsman, you need a society that demands precisely this in every respect, and then it will not be difficult for you. All our difficulties, all the problems that arise when we are incapable, lose our way, fight with one another and with our own desire to receive, are caused by the fact that we do not build the environment.

We should not feel any effort in our work if our environment is corrected accordingly, because, by my nature, I will want to do what is accepted in the group. Therefore, being concerned with one’s own spiritual advancement is nonsense, real foolishness. A person must be concerned with establishing the concept of advancement in the group to the degree he needs, and then he will realize it.

We are the direct result of all the desires, thoughts, goals, and the importance that prevail in the group. Therefore, if we are already speaking about correcting the Reshimo, this is accomplished only through working with the environment.

Here we see how correctly all these things are connected within a single topic that you are working on. You work on your attitude toward the group, which is, in essence, your attitude toward the Creator. In response, the environment influences you and awakens you once again to the same work.

In other words, you see that all the beginnings, all the forces, all the prerequisites, and everything that must be revealed at the end are contained in a single topic, and you do not need to scatter your efforts across numerous factors. You have only one factor in which you begin and complete all the work, all the efforts, all the corrections and the fulfillment of the Kelim.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/12/26, Rabash, Notes 882 “Rosh Hashanah”

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How to Come to a Common Denominator with the Group?

963.8Question: In what form can I give to the group when I feel that I am becoming detached from it and that I have no common denominator with it? How can I annul myself before the group?

Answer: If you feel that you have no common denominator with the group, examine yourself. Perhaps the group’s goal does not coincide with your goal, and you are in a position to make some correction. Perhaps you should turn to the group and say, “Friends, I think you are getting it wrong.”

You must shape the group: “Buy yourself a friend.” You are obligated to invest effort and build them up so that they influence you. You yourself must awaken this in the group.

Perhaps your friends are not doing the right things; perhaps everyone acts quietly rather than openly, and this does not awaken you. You do not receive a sufficient impression from it. Or perhaps you do not want to be impressed by these things at all but need to be impressed by something else.

If I want to lose weight, I join a weight-loss group. There, they motivate me through all kinds of means of influence: lectures, discussions, films, anything to ensure that I retain a sense of the importance of the idea. And we must do the same thing. For any society outside our framework, this principle is clear. At any company, in any private business, the main question is: How do we inform the whole world that our product is the most necessary and the most important?

If I produce crackers, I want the whole world to eat only my crackers, not meat or fish, only these crackers. And I want everyone to think that they need nothing else. That is, essentially, what occupies the thoughts of a factory manager. And it should be the same for us. This is called external dissemination, as well as internal dissemination within the group.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/18/26, Rabash, “What Are “Blessing” and “Curse” in the Work?”

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The Group Is a Spiritual Concept

963.7Question: How can we build a group that will obligate us to advance in the right direction?

Answer: We see that everything depends on the effort a person invests, not in the people he has artificially surrounded himself with, but in that with which he truly integrates.

Sometimes it helps him to choose a few people with whom it is somewhat easier for him to speak and establish a closer connection. However, as we advance and pass through various states, we begin to understand that it is wrong to close ourselves off in some small circle.

The group has no clear boundaries separating what is within it. The group is a spiritual concept, and perhaps I am not even able to see and outline for myself precisely what it consists of.

Ultimately, all the aspirations, desires, understandings, connections with the higher force, and all the joint efforts we make together constitute the concept of the group. Only one thing is missing: for the greatness of the Creator and the greatness of the goal to burn within it so strongly that they obligate everyone, and no one would have any difficulty thinking about this and living by it constantly.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/12/26, Rabash, “Rosh Hashana”

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Cultivate Higher Values

938.04Question: Should we be, in a sense, completely open with one another in the group?

Answer: No, we should not reveal ourselves to one another. Everything depends on how a person internally attunes himself in relation to the group. Externally, the group should only take the qualities we want to attain and cultivate them as something most important.

Then a person who has not acquired them will feel ashamed and afraid of harming the group. He will see that he is lower than the other friends and will want to attain these qualities.

The greatness of the Creator, the greatness of the goal, aspiration toward the goal, contribution to the group, love for one’s neighbor, interest in others—if we cultivate these as the highest values, it will turn out that I will be afraid that these qualities are absent in me, because then the group will despise me.

Everything depends on how the group organizes itself and how a person attunes himself in relation to it. Moreover, he should not do this openly. The group, on the contrary, should speak about the fact that we have such a standard: the greatness of the Creator, the greatness of the group, the greatness of bestowal, the greatness of love.

A person is not obligated to reveal himself to the group: “I am bad, I am uncorrected.” He must feel this within himself, and against this background immediately give the group what it demands of him: the greatness of the goal, and so on.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/9/26, Rabash, “Go Forth from Your Land”

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