Entries in the 'Spiritual Work' Category

Devotion to the Goal

961.2Question: The Creator has let me feel that if I have the correct envy for my teacher I can use his example and hold onto connection with my ten and through it with the Creator. How can I properly help my friends envy you in order to strengthen our mutual guarantee?

Answer: I think you should only envy my consistency in aspiring to the goal.

I was about 30 years old when I began to study with Rabash and since then I have not turned in any other direction. I have gone through many various states: descents, ascents, being further and closer, but every day I have prayed to not get further from my goal in any way. This is the main thing.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/3/23, Writing of Baal HaSulam “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”

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Chosen Ones

943Question: Rabash often writes in his articles that while a person works for his own benefit, the body does not really resist.

We say that we are Israel; the Creator chose us with tweezers and brought us to the group. The realization that we are the chosen ones gives us a very powerful energy. How can I reveal that I am not working for my body?

Answer: Stick to your friends and do everything for their benefit. That is all.

The chosen ones are those who want to rise above their nature and become like the Creator. The chosen ones are those who strive for the quality of bestowal.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/17/23, Writing of Rabash “What Is an Optional War, in the Work? – 2”

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A Gift from the Creator

625.02It follows, that one’s work is needed to receive Lishma from the Creator only in the form of a lack and a Kli (Vessel). Yet, one can never attain the fulfillment alone; it is rather a gift from God (Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 5, “Lishma Is an Awakening from Above, and Why Do We Need an Awakening from Below?”).

Question: Why is my inability to reach fulfillment called a gift from the Creator?

Answer: Because you received it from Him and you do not need anything else except the desire to work for the Creator. If you have it, you can advance right up to the end of creation.

Therefore, what you have received from the Creator is priceless. This is the gift.
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah lesson 10/26/23, “Everything is Obtained By the Power of Prayer”

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A War against What Opposes the Creator

530 Question: What does opposing a good inclination against an evil inclination mean?

Answer: Opposing a good inclination against an evil inclination means that a person disagrees with the emergence of some good or, conversely, evil inclination in him. Therefore, he wants to juxtapose one to the other. To practically do this while working in a ten, imagine that you are in an egoistic state, slightly rising above it, and want to be in a better, altruistic state. Identify what resistance or opposition you encounter in this process. This is the work that we must do. This state is referred to as a war.

Question: So, are we at war with what opposes us?

Answer: We are at war with what opposes the Creator. If a person strives to get closer to his friends and, together with them, closer to the Creator, in this way, they can start to subdue all their negative qualities and transform them into good, positive ones. The Creator will give you strength, and from your negative qualities, you will begin to acquire corrected, good ones. Who else will do this if not the Creator?
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/15/23, Writings of Rabash “What Is, “Calamity that Comes upon the Wicked Begins with the Righteous,” in the Work?”

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Problems of Women’s Unification

549.02Question: Usually in women’s unification the evil spirit clearly manifests itself when emotions, especially negative ones, begin to simmer between us. How can we properly process these emotions so that they serve the good inclination?

Answer: Think only good about your friends, and everything will be fine. And let all the negative emotions be directed against your enemies. This is how it should be.

Comment: We feel the separate desires of our friends not at the same time, but as if in turn, and we do not succeed in coming to a single heart.

My Response: This is a real problem. Think about how you can come to one common desire, intention, and goal so that you have it all as one. And then you will win.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/13/23, “Fighting the evil inclination”

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The Screen and Coupling with Striking

608.02Question: What is the screen (Masach)?

Answer: The screen is what creates the Partzuf that wants to reflect all the light of pleasure that comes to it from the Creator in order to become like Him and receive only for His pleasure.

In other words, the screen is an anti–egoistic property, a force, that does not let you receive for yourself.

Comment: There is also such a thing as coupling with striking.

My Response: Coupling with striking is a state when both the Creator and the creation (Partzuf) do not want to receive for themselves, but are ready to connect in order to please each other. That is, I am for you and you are for me, not for the sake of enjoying yourself, but to please another.

Baal HaSulam gives an example of this in the interaction of a guest and a host.

That is, the screen is a force of resistance. On one hand pleasure is forcing him, and on the other hand, he has the power of resistance. This is called coupling with striking.
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From KabTV’s “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah” 9/26/23

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Pray Every Day

591Question: What is the importance of writing a prayer every day?

Answer: We need to pray every day and even several times a day in order to understand where we are and what our attitude to the creation, to the Creator, to our friends, and to ourselves is.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/25/23, Writings of Baal HaSulam “What Is the Reason for the Heaviness One Feels when Annulling before the Creator in the Work?“

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The First Step in the Spiritual Work

938.02Question: Is holding on to friends in spiritual work like using a baby walker?

Answer: Yes, of course, this is how the Creator supports us and teaches us to walk. It is in the group that we learn to walk correctly.

Question: What does the first step of a child in spiritual work mean?

Answer: A person must draw the right conclusion from what he has because his first step depends on where he steps: toward the Creator or not; a path opens up for him through the group or somewhere to the side. This is the choice.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/25/23, Writings of Rabash “What Is the Measure of Repentance?“

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War and Choice

294.1“Waging war and keeping the Mitzva of choice should be made in a place of permission, since the act is only a matter of permission. Hence, even if one fails, the sin will not be so great. This is why it is considered near to the reward, since if he wins the war, he will bring a new authority under the Kedusha [holiness]” (Baal HaSulam, Shamati 142, “The Essence of the War”).

First of all, we need to consider whether we should fight against our evil inclination, which pushes us to war, or against the conditions of war, or not to fight at all. Therefore, here a war is by choice.

It is said that if a person wins the war with the evil inclination, he will make a new choice in holiness, i.e., by this, he will strengthen the force of bestowal, of love, and the connection between the parts of the common Kli, and therefore this is the right choice.

Question: Starting to fight with your egoism is essentially the same as fighting with the Creator. How can a person do such a thing, knowing that the Creator is behind everything and will be able to win only if He wants to?

Answer: Yes, but the main thing for us is to show where we are. If this is a war, i.e., all kinds of contradictions, then we choose the part closer to the Creator to support Him. Working with the Creator should be such that we do everything that depends on us and then ask Him to give us the strength to win this war.

We must firmly understand what the evil inclination is so as not to make mistakes and try to demand support from the Creator so that He directs us correctly to realize what egoism is and how we can conquer it.

We are obliged to seriously weigh what is in front of us, make a decision, and when we find out the answer and the right decision is, we will make a correction.

Question: And what is our most important weapon with an evil inclination?

Answer: Connection. Only connection.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/16/23, Writings of Baal HaSulam, Shamati 142 “The Essence of the War“

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The Greatness of the Creator

591Question: Is the greatness of the Creator a force or a quality?

Answer: It is the force that gives birth to us, controls us, and connects us. What we have is just the force that can allow us to feel what He is doing to us. This is our force, and everything else is the Creator.

From feeling His actions on us, we move on to being in solidarity with Him.

Question: By what means can a person advance if he does not receive the greatness of the Creator?

Answer: He joins his friends and through them begins to feel the force that pulls them forward. It is called the greatness of the Creator.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/18/23, Writings of Rabash “What Is, “The Saboteur Was in the Flood, and Was Putting to Death,” in the Work?”

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