Rabbi Hizkiya began: “It is written, ‘As a rose among the thorns.’” What is a rose? It is the Assembly of Israel, meaning Malchut. There is a rose, and there is a rose. Just as a rose among the thorns is tinged with red and white, the Assembly of Israel contains Din [judgment] and Rachamim [mercy].

Just as a rose has thirteen petals, the Assembly of Israel consists of thirteen qualities of Rachamim, surrounding it on all sides (Introduction to The Book of Zohar, “The Rose”).

Comment: The article “The Rose” is the first article in the Introduction to The Book of Zohar. When reading these lines, it is clear that something is encoded here. It probably says something important here if these are the first words in such a great book.

My Response: The fact is that the rose means an assembly of souls that receive some kind of fulfillment from above from the Creator and then distribute it among the lower layers of souls. In this way, it descends into our world.

Question: But why rose? We know that there is a root and a branch. That is, a Kabbalist sees some kind of root (spiritual state) and its consequence in our world. Why rose?

Answer: This is what the authors of The Book of Zohar saw. They felt, learned, and revealed that the entire spiritual system descending from above from the Creator to humanity is such a structure.

As a rose among the thorns, the mercy of the Creator, His influence on us, consists of two opposite forces, white and red. White is the quality of bestowal and love. Red, on the contrary, is the quality of rigidity and judgment.

Both qualities are being looked at relative to the upper system that governs souls sometimes by mercy, sometimes by judgment. This already depends on people. That is why they are told about this.

The authors of The Book of Zohar saw the assembly of all souls in our world in the form of a rose, how it blooms, how it is controlled by two forces, and how the descent of the upper forces on it, on the entire society, and on all of humanity depends on its internal state.
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From KabTV’s “Introduction to The Book of Zohar” 6/4/23

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Question: Why is my group suffering like I am?

Answer: No, you just see it this way in your distorted perception.

If your thoughts (from morning to evening in your free time from work where you are free to think and feel, or even at work) were about spirituality, and if you also helped the group think about it and advertise this lifestyle to you, you would soon be able to feel all this.

Question: Why is it not only me but also my friend from the group who are shown that we cannot come to this feeling for quite a while?

Answer: In order for him, too, to mobilize all his strength for this.

Question: If the problem is in my perception, why does a friend suffer from this?

Answer: It is in your perception that he suffers; there is nothing other than you. This group and everything else is in your perception.

Comment: But you are constantly under some pressure.

My Response: I feel no pressure. I am in a state as if I am throwing myself into cool water that engulfs me on all sides and feeling myself dissolving in it. It is such a wonderful feeling!

Question: Even if you don’t look at it on the outside?

Answer: Externally, this is my animal body. It can suffer. It feels heaviness, age, and so on.

Also on the inside, I don’t feel the way I described, i.e., in a state of perfection and joy because I am included in everyone else; I depend on them and they depend on me. There are some other factors that force me to do various things.

What’s the difference?! Neither you nor anyone else will be able to understand it until everything is revealed to them.

It is impossible to reconcile the perception of the world in each of us that we all exist: me, the group, and everyone and that I depend on them and they depend on me, and at the same time say: “No, they exist only in my imagination. And all these are my properties that I see before myself.”

A person cannot reconcile these two concepts within himself, nor in general all contradictions pertaining to the perception of the spiritual universe and ours, because he does not yet consist of the spiritual quality. Once he acquires both properties—ours (the property of receiving) and the spiritual (the property of giving)—he will be able to perceive everything correctly.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. The Root of Success” 3/6/11

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Just as a rose among the thorns is tinged with red and white, the Assembly of Israel contains Din [judgment] and Rachamim [mercy] (Zohar for All “The Rose,” Item 1).

When we talk about the gathering of souls, we mean people who are internally connected to each other, although they are not aware of it. And the realization of their common connection is called a “rose.”

Question: Are souls the common connection of all people in the world?

Answer: The common connection of all people in the world is “like a rose among thorns.” And this is called the soul.

And the thorns symbolize judgment, tough management. If you don’t want to be like a rose, to bloom and spread, then you will feel the control from above with the help of judgment and tough management.

Question: Speaking in Kabbalistic language, souls are our inner desires that are always subject to some kind of restrictions. Why are these restrictions necessary?

Answer: To guide us toward better development. After all, it is up to a person to determine how to use harmful egoistic qualities that are hard as thorns in him.

It is precisely because the rose grows between the thorns that we have the opportunity to correctly use the painful management that is directed as if against us, but only in order for us to be corrected and constantly correct ourselves in a good connection between us.
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From KabTV’s “Introduction of The Book of Zohar” 6/4/23

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Question: You say that egoism forms a certain body. Then what does altruism form?

Answer: Altruism forms the soul, meaning a completely different body, a spiritual one.

Altruism is based on the fact that I perceive the feelings and thoughts of others as my own. I operate not with my own desires, but with someone else’s. I use my own desires only in order to fulfill the desires of others.

To do this, I need completely different qualities. My egoism can only fill itself. Here, however, I begin to connect, for example, to you. But you have other desires, other needs, and therefore I develop my egoism by including your desires, qualities, and all of you into myself, and become twice the size, consisting of myself and you. My part serves you, and your part consumes this service, like Bina and Malchut, like mother and child.

In this way, I attain your desire and fill it with the upper light that comes to me to a greater extent. In doing so, I feel that I am fulfilling you; that is, I feel like a Creator regarding you. By this, I attain one-seven billionth part of the Creator.

Such fulfillment, feeling, understanding, and action, all this is called “the Creator in me.” Here, I have revealed Him. Therefore, “love your neighbor as yourself” is the main rule of the Torah, that is, the entire instruction for correction. There is no escaping this! If you want to feel more than your animalistic body and live above it, you must include the other in yourself!

Question: In principle, is it also a benefit to attach the other to yourself?

Answer: Start thinking that it is beneficial, that through this you achieve everything! Think as your egoism thinks; do not resist! The main thing is to love your neighbor, even if this is uncomfortable for you. Then you will see the light will begin to work on you and will transfer this into a completely different direction.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. The Structure of Altruism” 5/7/11

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Just as a rose has thirteen petals, the Assembly of Israel consists of thirteen qualities of Rachamim, surrounding it on all sides (Introduction of The Book of Zohar, “The Rose”).

An assembly of people who want to rise to the Creator in connection with each other reveals such possibilities of connection between them that raise them to the Creator. There are only 13 such opportunities.

This is a special number that indicates that people use all their opportunities to become similar to the Creator in good connection with each other.

By the way, in Judaism, the number 13 is considered lucky. This is the largest number of egoistic properties of a person that he can change from a negative use to a positive one.
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From KabTV’s “Introduction of The Book of Zohar” 6/4/23
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Question: Does the Creator have favorites?

Answer: Yes, despite the fact that He is great, omnipotent, and objective, the sources say that in different centuries, at different times, He had favorites.

Question: How can one become a favorite of the Creator?

Answer: Try to be closer to Him. Do what He wants from you, and then He will pay attention to you. That is, you will begin to awaken a connection between you and Him. Gradually, with your constant positive influence, you will be able to create such a system of connection that you will influence Him, and He will influence you.
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From KabTV’s “Blitz Of Kabbalah Tips” 5/18/23

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Question: What is the structure of light like? What is its effect, even if we do not make an analogy of our world?

Answer: This is the light of thought, comprehension, illumination, disclosure, and wisdom. New capacities in the senses and in the mind open up in you, and you suddenly begin to expand. It is as if you have awakened and are still half–asleep, drooping, drinking a cup of coffee, and suddenly you begin to open up from the inside in feelings and mind; everything begins to awaken—this is the feeling of the impact of light.

You feel new layers of the world, the depths of people, and you feel how everything is moving.

Question: Why is this sensation called light?

Answer: The light of comprehension, insight, sensation, and reason is the way of the world.

Light is the foundation of the world, foundation of life, and the foundation of nature. It is not necessarily visible light. These are the waves that carry information and fill us.

Question: Does this spiritual light still affect the material world?

Answer: Yes, it also acts on the material world, and it forms and holds it. But this is its very small and backward part that is necessary only for us to exist in the illusion of our world and gradually come out of it.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. How Does Light Affect?” 5/7/11

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A person should try to see that the Creator addresses him every moment through different forces and different events. In fact, the Creator is always close to a person and working on him.

Therefore, if a person does not stop searching and always remembers that everything he feels comes from the Creator and he yearns to connect with Him, he will never stray from the right path and will always be aimed at the Creator.

At any time, behind any phenomenon, the Creator’s address to him is hidden, and here everything depends only on the person as to what extent he is able to constantly aim for the Creator.

Sometimes the Creator causes a person to cool down by sending him disturbances, but this is not in order to lead him astray; on the contrary, it is to awaken a person and to teach him. This is how parents teach a child to walk; they step back so that the child makes an effort and takes a step toward them.

No matter what happens, every time we are certainly dealing only with the Creator who does not leave us for a moment, and all we need is to not leave Him. No matter how we feel the Creator’s attitude toward us, the main thing is not to interrupt direct communication with Him. That is, we must try to react to every impression received from the Creator by responding to it from our hearts in the same way in which the Creator addressed us.

It does not matter that a person still lacks knowledge, he just wants to be in connection with the Creator and therefore tries to be constantly ready to respond to the Creator’s address to him.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/17/23, Writing of Rabash “What It Means that the Name of the Creator is ‘Truth’”

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Question: There is a story of a watchmaker. His work requires a lot of attention, precise actions. But sometimes, while working, the index finger of his left hand begins to twitch and it is impossible to work in this state. What does he do? He does not massage his finger, does not take pills to relieve cramps. He calls his mother, who lives thousands of kilometers away, and tells her: “Mom, you’re worried about me again. Stop worrying, I can’t work because of you.”

Tell me, how do you feel about this? It does not smack of mysticism that, suddenly, there is such a contact?

Answer: There are such contacts, of course. Especially between a mother and child. The child understands that at this moment his mother is thinking about him.

Question: In general, how is it that by our actions or thoughts we can unconsciously harm a loved one, a close one? Why were we not given this understanding?

Answer: We must develop in order to come to this with our own good will, to want it to be so.

Question: Can I control my thoughts by realizing that they are harmful? Let us say if I understand this, can I control them?

Answer: This requires training. This is big psychological training.

Question: Can I understand that any of my actions affects my neighbor?

Answer: Yes, absolutely.

Question: Then, in principle, can the world change?

Answer: In principle, the world was created in order for us to change it.

Question: If I develop joy, if I constantly develop good relationships, if I only do this, realizing that it helps my loved ones, is this really the way to move, like this?

Answer: About loved ones, close ones, it is another question. Any person, even any villain, can have such thoughts about helping loved ones.

Question: But in general is the development of a thought in the direction of joy, of helping, possible or not? Is this state possible or will egoism not allow us to do it?

Answer: It is only if you exist in a very special environment. Otherwise egoism is still in us. And there is nothing we can do about it.

Question: If I just live in the world and do not live in the special environment, as you say of those who want to develop it, then do you think anything will work?

Answer: No.

Comment: This is not so good.

My Response: Do you want to artificially remake what nature has done?

Question: If a person is introduced to the understanding that he is harming, for example, people close to him, will it not change him?

Answer: If he is harming people close to him, then yes, but in general, no. That is, for some narrow circle of people around a person this may be effective.

Question: And why have we been blocked from understanding that we are harmful with our thoughts? I understand that the Creator, the upper force, blocked this thought from us. Meaning, I can think badly about something else without thinking that I am thereby upsetting the whole balance, for example.

Answer: Of course.

Comment: The balance of the whole world!

My Response: Worldwide.

Comment: A person does not have such a thought.

My Response: Because it is far from him. Where does he see it next to him?

Comment: Yes, he does not make such a bunch, dependence.

My Response: This is impossible for a person. If he could clearly see that by doing this he was harming his little child or some relatives, then of course he would not do it. But then the whole world would have lost 90% of its spiritual resources. What would we do then if we were such servile well-wishers?

Question: So are you not for this?

Answer: No, of course not! That we can just be good kittens?

Question: Then how do we get out of this hatred?

Answer: Only by rising above it, to be opposite to it. Then it makes sense to live, to exist. Otherwise it is just an amoeba.

Question: Rise above hatred, what does it mean?

Answer: To rise above hatred is to reveal in yourself more and more hatred for others and to rise even higher above it. Left-right, left-right, and so on. Where the left is evil and the right is good. To climb this way. This is the Sulam, ladder.

Evil is necessary. That is why the Creator says: “I have created the evil inclination, and you people, with the help of what I have given you, conquer this evil and balance it with good.”

Question: And will I add evil to you again?

Answer: Yes, this is already a process.

Question: This is the ladder: evil – good, evil – good? That is how we move. What is there at the end, after all this climbing?

Answer: At the end, all evil turns into the same good. We receive, so to say, a double good. Meaning the future of evil is one way or another to turn into good. Only thanks to our work.

Question: What if I want to destroy evil? I am a plain, normal person.

Answer: There is no way you can do that. Evil cannot be destroyed. You can only rise above it.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 5/29/23

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In the beginning, God created. “In the beginning” is the key, in which everything is hidden, and this is what closes and opens. (Introduction of The Book of Zohar, Chapter “Lock and Key”)

Question: In the article “Lock and Key” the word “In the beginning” (Beresheet) is constantly used. Why is it so important?

Answer: Beresheet includes the entire secret of concealment, and that is why it is so important. If we study the concealment and revelation of the Creator, then we examine everything around the word “Beresheet.” It is like a code with the help of which we enter into nature and reveal all its parts up to complete attainment.

Question: In principle, is the very word “Beresheet” (in the beginning) from which the Torah begins the key by which we reveal everything?

Answer: Yes, it is written so, “In the beginning, there was the word.”

Question: The article explains that Beresheet is Barah Sheet, that is, “created six.” What is the secret in this?

Answer: From the head part of this structure, which includes Keter, Hochma, and Bina, six parts are emanated: Hessed, Gevurah, Tifferet, Netzach, Hod, and Yesod. The last part, Malchut, is absolutely closed. Only if the previous six parts are correctly assembled, is Malchut revealed, from which a person can understand everything that exists before it, that is, the entire system of governance of the universe.
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From KabTV’s “Introduction of The Book of Zohar” 5/21/23

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