Entries in the 'Spiritual Work' Category

Parameters of Advancement

557Question: In Rabash’s article, “The Need for an Act from Below,” in some places it is said that when there is more hatred, more love is built above it. And sometimes it is said that there is less hatred and more love, like on a scale. How is that correct?

Answer: Both are true. You cannot tell from one step where you are going relative to a past or future state.

You must constantly ensure that your attitude toward selfishness becomes more and more negative and your attitude toward your friends becomes more and more positive. These basic parameters should always be in front of you.

Question: How can I understand that I have less hatred and more love for my friends and that I have not become more indifferent to them? Before I hated, suffered from it, and prayed, but now I feel less suffering and don’t quite understand whether I have more love or more indifference to them.

Answer: You must imagine a future in close unity with your friends. That is, every step means greater unity with them. And so, you go forward.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/9/24, Writings of Rabash “The Need for an Act from Below”

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Think Spiritually

237Question: How can we convey to the Creator the pleasures we receive in the material world?

Answer: The Creator does not need the pleasures you receive in our world that you wish to transfer to Him.

The Creator wants us first to unite as one person with one heart, and from this heart that we would ask Him to correct our common heart for bestowal.

Question: The fact that Israel could not bestow in Egypt and they had to go out to another land suggests that we need to separate ourselves from the desires of the society where we find ourselves and work only with spiritual desires, right?

Answer: In principle, yes. We must internally isolate ourselves from the whole world and constantly think about how to master the property of bestowal and love. In this way, we will gradually desire this, and the Creator will help us.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/9/24, Writings of Rabash “The Need for an Act from Below”

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The Priority of Internal Work

934Question: How do we come to the timely understanding of the wickedness of the evil inclination both in actions and intentions in order to ask the Creator for correction and to be worthy of His love?

Answer: Regarding this, you should agree within your ten to constantly think that you are in exile from the desire to bestow and you need to exit the desire to receive, which is called Egypt. Then you will see and receive everything there is, except exile.

Question: What should be done to show the Creator our desire to build a connection with Him and be rewarded with true love for Him?

Answer: To do this, first of all, it is necessary to unite with your friends in the ten. And then turn to the Creator and ask Him to raise you from this state to Him.

Question: Does it need to be done more internally or externally, at meetings and common events?

Answer: The most important is internally, but externally is also necessary.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/17/24, Writings of Rabash “Faith Within Reason”

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“Egyptians” and “Israel” in Spiritual Work

610.2Question: We always feel like there is a struggle within us between the Egyptians and Israel. The “Egyptian” point within us is very active and wants to receive light for itself; the “Israel” point is passive and lacks a strong desire to break free from this.

Does Israel receive any part of this energy from the Egyptians as an impulse, or is it given to them only by the Creator?

Answer: Why does Israel seem passive compared to others? Because all the others work from egoistic desire, but it is their desire. Israel does not work from its own desire; therefore, they are so small and weak compared to other nations. Each nation stands on its own and has its roots and its convictions, but Israel has neither.

Only its future destiny gives it the strength to break free from where it is. But, fundamentally, Israel has no strength of its own, nothing to hope for in this world, and nothing to be sure of. Before other nations, it is weak and cannot show that this is its world, its land, like it is tethered to heaven by a thread.

Question: Where does this thread come from? How do we not lose and keep it before us all the time?

Answer: The thread by which the people of Israel are tied to heaven is very strong and is held by the Creator. It is based solely on the desire to bestow and love and leads directly to the Creator.

But in the eyes of our world, it is nothing. Therefore, the nations of the world think about how to destroy Israel. After all, what does it have in this world? Nothing. In every generation, someone among the ill-wishers wakes up and calls for the eradication of the people of Israel from the world. That is how they act.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/5/24, Writings of Rabash “Love of Friends – 1”

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Questions about Spiritual Work—111

281.02Question: How are the small daily exits from exile connected to one big exit into spiritual space?

Answer: After many small exiles, if you succeed in overcoming them, long exiles come. You need to overcome them as well. Eventually, you will quickly come to a state of high ascent, which will give you a feeling of the spiritual world.

Question: What determines one person’s sensitivity to another? How can we help each other awaken this sensitivity?

Answer: Sensitivity surfaces in how important each person is to others. The feeling of importance lies in the fact that you cannot reach the purpose of creation without others. No matter how much effort you put in, you will not reach spirituality.

Question: We have already realized that we are in slavery in Egypt and are trying to break free. Where are we now?

Answer: Each of you must answer this question for yourselves.

Question: When a friend leaves the life of the ten and at the same time does not exit the chat, but also does not return, does this indicate that we are not praying enough for him, or is it the Creator’s plan?

Answer: It does not matter. You must continue your work, unite, ask the Creator, and ascend to Him so the friend feels his place among you.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/7/24, Writings of Rabash “The Meaning of Exile”

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Pure Service to the Creator

534There are four types of service to the Creator. The most important of them is what the Torah requires of us: And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. In all other types of service, there is an addition of the desire to receive; it is when a person agrees to work for the Creator but not in every state. That is, his actions, like in our world, depend on how much he receives.

Question: What does it mean that I am move from the intention to receive to the intention for selfless service? What kind of state is this for the sake of bestowal?

Answer: You begin to feel to whom you are giving, why you are giving, and for what. This gives you the strength to continue your spiritual work.

Question: How can I get out of the constant intention to receive for myself and join the Creator in order to give to Him?

Answer: As the Creator gives you thoughts “for one’s own sake,” you must ask Him to save you from them.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/5/24, Writings of Rabash “Love of Friends – 1”

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Get Closer to the Upper Purpose

214Question: Is it possible to reveal the Creator in the desire to reach perfection?

Answer: No, we cannot aspire to see that perfection already exists. We must ourselves reveal what is lacking in us to reach it. Then we need to ask the Creator to correct this imperfection so that it is added to perfection. That is when we will see the final correction (Gmar Tikun).

Question: To reach final correction, we need to bring the whole world to the Creator and raise a request for correction of the entire creation. We see that the whole world is constantly pulling us back. How do we correctly engage in prayer?

Answer: First of all, we need to understand that the correction of the world depends on us. Therefore, the fact that the whole world is against us is the case when we are responsible for the entire world.

Question: What is your opinion about how we are progressing toward the exalted purpose?

Answer: I believe that we are approaching it and will be able to achieve it, perhaps even this year, from this Purim to the next Purim. It is quite possible the upper Kli and upper fulfillment, that is, the upper world, will at least begin to open up for us.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/24/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “Haman Pockets”

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The Wisdom of Omar Khayyam

202.0We are the source of joy and sorrow mine.
We are a repository of filth, and pure spring.
People, as in a mirror, the world is multifaceted.
He is insignificant and he is infinitely great! (Omar Khayyam)

Question: We are a repository of what? Are we a repository of filth or purity? Or both?

Answer: Both.

Question: What do you mean by that? What is it within us?

Answer: We were cast away from the Creator to the opposite side. We do not feel the Creator; we do not feel close to Him; we do not feel the need to get closer to Him. We simply absorbed within ourselves the very worst, the most egoistic things.

Question: Is this what you call filth?

Answer: Filth is the fact that we deny the world with the Creator altogether. What is important to us is not a connection with the Creator, but rather, a weapon in our hands.

Question: But you said there is also purity within us. What is that?

Answer: It is because we cannot understand our state. This is what saves us. Even the fact that we are so far from the Creator and do not accept His decisions, is all still forgiven and strengthens us because we truly are a lost generation.

Question: So where is the purity in all this?

Answer: The purity lies in the fact that nothing sticks to us. We do not become soiled by being in filth because we also do not feel it, it is also not with us.

Question: Do we not feel that we are filthy, that we are so bad? Do you call this a drop of purity within us?

Answer: Yes, this is purity. It will help us, and it does help.

Question: But should we feel that we are in filth in order to rise out of it, to want to cleanse ourselves?

Answer: We do not need that to such an extent. The extent we are in it is enough. We need to work on this. It will manifest in us to the extent it should manifest.

Comment: You have become more benevolent toward people.

My Response: I just belong to the generation I live in, and I see how they react to everything, to the extent that the Creator allows them to feel who they are and what they are.

Question: Is this enough? Should we not strive for more?

Answer: I believe it is. Everything else will come.

Comment: To be honest, I am surprised!

My Response: But how to do it?

Comment: To somehow make it so that a person feels that, as you said, he has a weapon in his hands, not the Creator and that this is bad, that he should somehow strive for connection with Him.

My Response: But that has no positive solution. We must necessarily understand that we are alone with the Creator.

Question: There is us and the Creator. Is this what we should come to?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Will this be enough?

Answer: Yes! This will be enough.

Question: What conclusion will come from this? Let’s say, God willing, we come to the state of “there is us and the Creator.” What next? You say, “This is high.” What is it? “There is us and the Creator,” we have reached that. What are my actions next? Is it always to be in accordance with Him?

Answer: Yes. Next, my actions are only with the Creator!

Question: Do I then feel the filth, do I already understand how to get out of it, and so on?

Answer: Yes.

Question: So do we just need this little first contact?

Answer: Yes, do not rely on anyone else, only on the Creator.

Question: I see. Does it come from the Creator or still from my efforts?

Answer: It comes from the Creator, but to the extent of our efforts.

Question: So do we still have to make efforts?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Further, from this quatrain of Omar Khayyam: What does it mean that a person is multifaceted?

Answer: Yes, it means that we are always trying to turn and look for something better, something closer, and so on.

Question: Are these our many faces?

Answer: Yes, but we do not find ourselves anywhere. Yet, we need only one direction and one solution.

Question: It is also said here that we are insignificant and at the same time great. In what way are we great after all?

Answer: We are great in that the Creator is with us and insignificant in that we do not pay attention to Him.

Question: So do we have both in us?

Answer: Yes, something needs to be done!

Question: Do we need to somehow come to one of these two?

Answer: To what?! How do you propose to bring that about?! It does not depend on just one person. It depends on a collective decision, on the spirit within the people!

Comment: But you have been involved in this your whole life.

My Response: So what? I see that in the end nothing really works.

Gradually, of course, we will still come to it, we cannot escape from that. But it is impossible, absolutely impossible, to reach a state where the entire nation rises up as one and says, “This is mine, this is ours, and we are together.”

Question: I see. But still, the whole nation as one I understand, but a group leads the people, they stand up and speak. And the people sort of join them willingly. It is still like that, right?

Answer: Yes.

Comment: You once told a story about going to some store to make a duplicate key a long time ago. And you had the book Tree of Life with you. You put it on the counter, and the religious shopkeeper suddenly said, “Take it away, take it away. Get rid of it!” No one even wanted to come close to Kabbalah, even to the great Ari.

Today it is simple, just go on the Internet. And we have accomplished so much more. You say you are feeling like giving up. Why? It happened! Look how many students we have now!

My Response: But on the other hand, it does not resonate with the people, with the masses. Not yet.

Nevertheless, we have broken through some barrier between Kabbalah and the people, which collapsed and opened Kabbalah to everyone.

Question: Do you think people are still driven by suffering to move forward?

Answer: I do not know. It depends on the path we have to take. Constantly proving to the people that salvation lies in unity between us and the Creator is our task.

Question: Is it our constant, specific task?

Answer: Yes. There cannot be any other way here!

Question: Do you reduce everything to one formula: unity among us is unity with the Creator?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Is this the main formula?

Answer: It encompasses everything.

Question: Is all the wisdom directed toward this, everything toward this?

Answer: Yes.

Question: As Baal HaSulam said, the unity of humanity and connection with the Creator. Is this what it means for the Creator to be revealed to the entire world?

Answer: Yes. Exactly!
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 2/26/24

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Questions about Spiritual Work—110

571.04Question: How do I hold the intention to bestow when there is no way to determine where exactly I am, whether for the sake of receiving or in bestowal?

Answer: Connect with your friends, decide what to do, and you will not go wrong. An indicator of bestowal is your thoughts about how to raise others.

Question: To attract the light of faith into the ten, one must see everyone else as corrected except oneself. That feels like a trembling in the heart, right?

Answer: No, this is wrong. It is not a necessary condition. To come together in one unified heart, in one unified desire, and attract the upper light that will connect you correctly, you do not need to be corrected; you just need to desire that state.

It all depends on your collective desire that embraces and envelops all of you.

Question: It is said that to land on a table you need to jump higher than the table. In that context of moving from for the sake of receiving to for the sake of bestowal, what does higher mean, and what do we need to achieve?

Answer: To give everything to rise above your egoism.

Question: What should I do when there is a clear realization that I do not have complete faith and no strength to take action toward unity or prayer?

Answer: Try to get closer to your friends, and with them, you will be able to participate in the correction.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/6/24, Writings of Rabash Letter No. 66

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Inheritance of Spiritual Desires

200.02Question: What is the “inheritance of the land of Israel”?

Answer: Israel, from the words “Isra-El,” means directly to the Creator: Isra—directly, El—the Creator.

To inherit the land of Israel means to unite with desires directed toward the Creator. These desires are passed through inheritance. Therefore, all the sons of Israel are heirs to the land of Israel. This refers to spiritual substance, not corporeal land.

Question: Does it mean there are heirs and those who will not inherit these desires?

Answer: Yes, it depends only on whether a person yearns to unite with the Creator. Being born a Jew is not enough; it means absolutely nothing. Any person can develop the desire to connect with the Creator.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/4/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “Three Lines”

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