Entries in the 'Spiritual Work' Category

Questions about Faith Above Reason

281.02Question: Is knowledge different from sensation?

Answer: Knowledge is defined as clear attainment in the vessels of reception. Faith above reason means that I am not going to attain in my vessels of reception; that is not my goal. The goal is to attain equivalence of form, adherence to faith above reason, above the vessels of reception.

Question: Is egoism a part of the process of correction?

Answer: The ego is not a part of the process and not the process itself; it is the force by which I build my process of correction. I can remain on the level of desiring to be in the Creator’s place, to rule instead of Him, or I can come to the understanding that I must be similar to the Creator, acquire His qualities, and then rule instead of Him. But “instead of Him” does not mean “against Him.”

Question: What should be the measure of faith above reason?

Answer: The measure of faith above reason must apply to the entirety of a person’s reason. All the vessels of reception must be covered by the vessels of bestowal, by the quality of bestowal, by Bina.

Question: What does “love the Lord your God” mean?

Answer: Attaining the state of “love the Lord your God” means that I have carried out the correction of all my knowledge and all my vessels of reception to the point where I have attained complete equivalence with the Creator. That is, by faith above reason, I have acquired vessels and am now in the state of “love the Lord your God.”

Question: What is complete faith and how can one attain it?

Answer: There is faith, and there is complete faith. What does this mean? Faith is called the quality of bestowal, which a person acquires from Bina. If one attains the small state of GE (Galgalta veEnaiym, bestowal for the sake of bestowal, this means that he has acquired the force of faith. If he can add AHP to GE, to receive for the sake of bestowal, this is called complete faith, when inside the light of Hassadim there is the light of Hochma.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/10/26, Rabash, “What Is Above Reason in the Work?”

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Almsgiving in the Spiritual Sense

628.4Question: What is almsgiving (Tzedakah) in the spiritual sense? Is it the same as in the material world?

Answer: I don’t know what charity is in the material world. Twenty times a day someone knocks on my door asking for charity. Should I give? It is unpleasant and embarrassing not to give since everyone gives.

There are various calculations. A person thinks: perhaps it is worthwhile, because I will receive satisfaction from the fact that I gave. And sometimes it is done without any such calculation, simply because I received an upbringing that obligates me to act this way, and so I give. This too is a kind of calculation: If I do not act as I was educated to act, I will feel bad. In other words, it is a habit. That is what almsgiving in the material world.

In spirituality, charity is when you are able to give something that belongs to you without any payment whatsoever. That is, if you make all the possible calculations and it is clear to you that you will receive absolutely nothing from it, will you still have the strength to give? Where would that strength come from? We know that any action performed by the desire to receive requires “fuel.” And this “fuel” makes it possible to perform the action. Such is the nature of our desire to receive.

Imagine a machine that will not budge unless you insert a token. Here we are talking about a scenario where I give it absolutely nothing, and yet it can move. This is a completely imaginary thing, impossible to realize.

Yet we are told that it can be done. And the fact that you cannot receive anything in return means that the desire that performs this action truly receives nothing; otherwise, it would not be charity, but buying and selling.

I give a beggar five shekels in charity so that I will be healthy, so that I will attain the future world, so that things will go well for me, and so that I will feel satisfaction from having made a donation today. People get onto a bus and put a shekel into a charity box so that the bus will not explode.

Is that called charity? It is simply payment to the upper force so that it will protect me, as though I were saying to the Creator: “Look, I made a donation, and now, while I am riding this bus, make sure that nothing happens.” That is a contract, not a donation.

Of course, the vessels of reception receive nothing; only the vessels of bestowal receive. In other words, I must acquire a special correction called the “desire to bestow” within which I receive a return, compensation, for having given charity. And this must serve as the “fuel,” because without it I would not be able to give charity.

That is, in reality there is no action that I can perform without receiving some form of return or reward. Only compensation that enters the desire to receive is called animalistic, material, for the sake of reception, and not spiritual.

But if I am able to give and receive compensation within the desire to bestow, then it is considered that I am performing an act for the sake of bestowal, giving charity, that is, receiving nothing in return.

Nevertheless, I do receive strength a form of strength, a return, within the desire to bestow. But the “fuel” that I receive there serves the very same purpose for which I gave the charity. This “fuel” provided me with the strength to give charity.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/9/26, Rabash, “Man Is Rewarded with Righteousness and Peace through the Torah”

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Why One Must Fear God

222Question: At the very end of Ecclesiastes, it is written: “The end of the matter, everything having been heard, fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the entire man.”

Could you explain these two principles? “Fear God.” What does that mean? For a person, fear is usually perceived as something negative.

Answer: “Fear God” means: do not let your egoism dominate and push you into all kinds of unnecessary actions. And “keep His commandments” means: follow His instructions.

Question: Which instructions?

Answer: Those instructions that apply in our world, what we see in our world. Build a normal path for yourself that you can proceed along calmly. There is no need to constantly stir everything up. Do not think that you are about to create something entirely new.

Question: Please explain that a little more. I understand not taking what belongs to others and following my own path. But what does it mean to follow my own path? How do I know what it is?

Answer: It means following what appears to you as common sense. Develop it, and with its help, you will walk correctly on the path of life.

Question: Does common sense mean normal, warm relationships with other people? That there should be love, not something excessive, but something sufficient and genuine?

Answer: Yes.

Question: So, creating such a warm circle around us, is that common sense?

Answer: That is common sense.

Question: If a person follows this approach, is that what is meant by “Fear God and keep His commandments”?

Answer: Yes.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman,” 5/27/26

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If There Is a Connection with the Creator

249.03When the upper governance influences us in a form that is unpleasant for us, bad from the perspective of our feelings, we do not feel spirituality and do not remember that the Creator exists. We think that this happens because pain clouds the mind, and we therefore forget that everything comes from the Creator. But this understanding is incorrect.

The fact that the Creator conceals Himself, when He seemingly does bad things to us, is not so that we will curse Him, forget about Him, and simply suffer. Why does He act this way?

He does it so that you will correct your Kelim and bring them to a state where it no longer matters whether you feel good or bad. The main thing is that He does not leave you. You will no longer be concerned with whether you feel something as sweet or bitter but only with truth and false, whether He is concealed from you or revealed, whether you feel His presence within you or not.

Then you begin to judge your state according to the presence of the Creator within you. If you feel a connection with Him, then sweet and bitter no longer matter.

Therefore, we say that the Creator never appears as one who does evil, because when He is revealed, it is impossible for you to feel bad. Even if you experience pain, it is perceived as something purposeful.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/9/26, Rabash, “Man Is Rewarded with Righteousness and Peace through the Torah”

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Toward the Goal Through Descents

599.02A human being is built of the will to receive and is essentially nothing more than a sensing cell; all intellect, knowledge, and decisions stem from what he feels.

Therefore, one can bring oneself closer to the goal only by means of ascents and descents. That is, drawing closer to the Creator happens through descents, through distancing oneself from Him.

A person is distanced from spirituality, pushed back, and shown how opposite he is to the goal; his own evil is revealed to him. We call this the recognition of evil. A person sees that he cannot do anything on his own, and is unfit for holiness. From all these sensations, a state eventually matures within him where he realizes that he has no choice, he must go above his own reason.

How does he reach such a state? Only after numerous falls, one following another, similar to the example in the Study of the Ten Sefirot of the man who strives to reach the King’s palace with all his strength while guards and sentries push him back, bar his way, and he tumbles down the mountain on which the Creator’s palace stands.

But each time that he is thrown down, he nevertheless rises and returns. He is pushed back even more forcefully, and he rises again and moves forward with patience and persistence. Ultimately through all these clashes and periods of distancing from spirituality, he builds a real desire to attain the goal within himself.

His passionate striving toward the goal is what subsequently triggers a sense of rejection. It always works this way—through opposites. From being rejected, he develops an understanding of the importance of the goal. Each thing gives birth to its opposite.

Therefore, if he does not have deep, sharp, crushing falls that bring disappointment and despair, he would not be able to truly value the goal. On the other hand, if he does not apply enough effort to come to it, even when it seems to him that just a bit more and he will attain the goal, only to fall again and again, he will not find out how far in fact he is from it.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/13/26, Rabash, “And the Lord Appeared to Him at the Oaks of Mamre”

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Acting According to Group Rules

938.03If you see that something in the group does not align with the goal, or does not lead to adhesion with the Creator, you should carefully analyze this situation point by point, find quotes, talk to your friends, and bring the matter before the group. If the group sees that this can lead to improvement, it will accept the suggestion.

We must clearly and logically show everyone what needs to be improved and why, and invariably link it to the need to achieve adhesion to the Creator, but in a plain, practical way.

What does practical mean? Rabash writes that abstractions can destroy the whole world. Abstraction is a form not clothed in matter. You cannot say, “You must be altruistic; whoever is not altruistic should be kicked out of the group! There is no place here for the biggest egoist!”

We must follow the path of form clothed in matter and act only in accordance with a reality that can be realized and embodied, and which defines everything for us.

It is written that just as a donkey is blindfolded and walks forward, so must you close your eyes and walk. How can you close your eyes and go? Only if the group pulls you along. Clearly, you cannot walk that way on your own. You still do not know what spiritual forces influence a person.

I know this from my own experience. There were times when I would sit at home, and Rabash would call and shout: “Come over!” But I sat there and sobbed into the phone: “I cannot come! I feel a force stopping me.”

Therefore we must determine in advance how to proceed. A person does not join a group on the condition that he accepts some of the group’s laws but not others, and signs under this condition. He enters the group and signs everything; among the points is one that authorizes him to act according to the group’s rules regarding modifying any points.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/1/26, Rabash, “These Are the Generations of Noah”

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Listen Only to Yourself

202.0Don’t look at others! Not at all. You have a different soul; you cannot be Like them and they cannot be like you. So pay less attention to everyone else. Would Einstein have achieved anything if he had kept looking at others? It is impossible! You should only listen to yourself. Even if I make a mistake, this is me.

Question: What if we apply it to an ordinary, everyday person?

Answer: What does ordinary mean? Everyone can be extraordinary. Let them listen to themselves, heed their own inner voice. This is what I can do, this is what I want, and this is what I believe. It is not contrary to others, but it is coming from inside of me.

I have to pull my “me” out of myself. Then you will feel very comfortable with it, even in mistakes.

Comment: I am trying to apply this to myself now, but this is not so easy!

My Response: Just close your eyes, and you are alone! But you are with yourself; you are still not running away from yourself. This is all.

Question: And should I live this way?

Answer: Yes

Question: Is this your advice?

Answer: This is my advice. Then in order to realize it you will have to create a special environment for yourself, and so on. But this is still you alone.

Comment: I am thinking about my own experience. If I feel that “this is mine,” you say I have to grasp it and that is all. Now I have felt once: “this is mine,” for sure I have felt…

My Response: This is what I am realizing.

Comment: And do I go this way? That is it! And on the way there will be squalls and waves…

My Response: It does not matter; it will make me even closer to myself.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman,” 4/24/26

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A Personal Account with the Creator

231.04The rules of the group change according to the group’s advancement. If a group establishes artificial laws and rules for itself, then either it delays its development for some time, or sooner or later it discovers that it cannot keep them. The rule may remain written somewhere, but who actually follows it?

Suppose we define something, write it down, and everything looks wonderful, but no one really needs it. I constantly say that examining our internal laws is the most important thing, because through this a person examines himself. He must relate to the group’s rules as to his own inner rules, be in harmony with them, and advance together with them.

This does not determine my relationship to the members of the group; rather, it determines the relationship among all my inner forces, feelings, and desires. Therefore, first of all, I must see it as a model of how I want to see myself internally. We are not talking about my relationships with the friends; we naturally adjust to one another in any case. The charter must first and foremost be internal. There should be no difference between the external charter and the internal one.

In our world, after a country establishes its laws, it also establishes penalties for violating them. What is the purpose of these penalties? To compel a person to obey the laws.

In our case, it is what happens to a person if he fails to fulfill something in his personal account with the Creator. We cannot even imagine to what extent the rules that we establish within the group are accepted “Above.”

Baal HaSulam writes about this in “The Giving of the Torah”: The governance established by the people and the governance of the Creator naturally correspond to one another. What a large group of people determines becomes, in a certain sense, a law of the upper governance for them.

Do not take this too literally, we will speak about it more. I only want to say that by trying to fulfill some of your rules, even if they may seem foolish or unimportant, you will clarify the charter more quickly. You will discover what is relevant to us and what is not, what is more important and what is less important.

Ultimately, whether working with the internal or the external charter, your goal is to analyze it and thereby advance. How does a person advance? He examines the degree on which he stands: whether it is good or bad, useful or harmful, whether it is for his own sake or for the sake of bestowal. Through this examination, he acquires a clearer understanding of his state and of the direction in which he must move forward.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/1/26, Rabash, “These Are the Generations of Noah”

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According to the Higher Calculation

533.01Question: Is Aviut the maximum degree of pleasure that I can receive?

Answer: Aviut is the degree of sensation of pleasure within the desire to receive. If I am sitting next to food but do not want it, then my Aviut is zero. But if I suddenly desire it, then I have a certain measure of Aviut according to how hungry I am.

How can this be measured? You can either measure it by the amount of food you are capable of consuming or, if possible, by the magnitude of the pleasure you receive. But all of this pertains to desires. We are not speaking about the physical size of the stomach.

Question: Why does Aviut change? Why can it decrease?

Answer: Aviut, meaning the measure of the sensation of pleasure, can change constantly, and indeed it changes all the time according to the types of connection with the host that I am able to reveal through this Aviut. Everything is arranged in order to bring me to a connection with the host.

Therefore, I should not pay attention to what is being revealed to me at any given moment: whether I want to eat more or less or whether I wish to enjoy this or that in one way or another. I should not concern myself with these things; they are not my problem.

They are revealed to me according to a higher calculation, while my task is to continuously orient myself in the correct direction. But why am I now given a descent, then a brief ascent, or some other state through one desire or another? That I, of course, cannot know. As long as I remain on a given degree, I can never know its causes, because those causes can only be revealed from a higher degree.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/6/26, Rabash, “Why Is the Torah Called ‘Middle Line’ in the Work? – 1”

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We Are Looking for Happiness in the Wrong Place

200.01Question: You say: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But I do not hear you, for example. How do I come to the conclusion that these are exactly the gates that I must enter?

Answer: You will bump your nose against these gates and understand that there cannot be any other gates! And besides these gates there is nothing, just emptiness.

Question: Is this what is written by the great Kabbalists, that you walk along the wall and there are no gates? And suddenly at some point, when you are already walking exhausted, you suddenly see—gates. And it turns out they were always there.

Answer: Yes.

Question: And I did not see them?

Answer: No.

Question: And what did I need to see them? They were always there, they were!

Answer: You lack disappointment.

Question: So I must be disappointed in everything?

Answer: Absolutely. In everything! So that only one thing remains: Dvekut (spiritual adhesion) and brotherhood! We do not know what that is. We keep using substitutes and surrogates. But then we will feel it.

Question: Can you at least give a hint? It is clear that if we do not feel, then we might not be able to hear you. But what do you mean by “brotherhood”?

Answer: Brotherhood is when we all find ourselves in one desire, one intention, in complete fusion, in the connection of everyone with everyone. And we return again to the system that is called “Adam,” like a single person in one body, in one heart. This is the correct future.

This must stand before us! This is how this future must stand before me as an obvious, achievable, necessary state.

Question: You just painted what we must come to after all our wanderings and disappointments?

Answer: Precisely why they are needed—to arrive at this state.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman,” 4/15/26

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