It is written in Shaar Hakavanot [Gate of Intentions], “This is the meaning of the Maror [bitter herb], which is ‘death,’ in Gematria. This is also why he must taste bitterness, and if he swallows it, he does not do his duty… (Rabash, “What Is, If He Swallows the Bitter Herb, He Will Not Come Out, in the Work?”)

There are three states in the universe. The first state is the stage of infinity (Ein Sof) that includes souls before they leave the direct control of the Creator. This stage is as He created it; He gives everything the qualities of perfection and eternity. As He is, so are they.

However, this is done on by Him. Therefore, souls that sense the Creator experience what is called “shame.”

They need to be freed from shame, and thereby be brought to a state in which they will no longer simply receive from Him, like a fetus in the womb, in perfection due to His efforts, but would acquire their own level, their own feeling, their own awareness, that they will really rise to the level of the Creator, become similar to Him in properties, and not be compelled by Him.

Then the second state arises, the state of work and effort, during which we go through the process of correcting and installing Kelim in order to experience the first state in its entirety. We ourselves desire it, and acquire it; it is ours. When this happens, the second state turns into the third.

Therefore, Maror (bitter herbs) should not be swallowed but chewed. According to our Passover laws, a certain amount of time, a certain measure, is allotted for this.

And then, if we “chewed” it well, if we went through all the attributes of the properties in the desire to receive relative to the Creator’s desire to give, understood what our nature is, and then achieved the use of the intention for the sake of giving, i.e., as they say, “swallowed” Maror, then we really come out through the work of acquiring new vessels, and we merit “getting out of Egypt.”

In the work itself, there are three special stages: faith, prayer, efforts (in Hebrew: “Emuna,” “Tefila,” “Igiya,” the acronym of the first letters of which is “Iti“, which means “with Me”).

The “place,” the state we have to reach, is called “with Me” (“Iti“): “Here is the place [next to] Me.” This is the place of the Creator, and you can come to this state “with Me” through faith, prayer, and effort.

These stages are present at every stage of our work, in every state. Accordingly, the overall process of our advancement is divided primarily into these three parts: faith, prayer, and effort.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/28/26, Rabash, “What Is, If He Swallows the Bitter Herb, He Will Not Come Out, in the Work?”

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Concerning the Maror, it is written in the Haggadah, “This Maror we are eating, what is it for? For the lives of our fathers in Egypt were made bitter by the Egyptians, as it was said, ‘And they made their lives bitter with hard work … which they made them do hard labor.’”

We should understand what “And they made their lives bitter with hard work” means. What is it in the work of the Creator? (Rabash, “The Connection between Passover, Matza, and Maror”)

On one hand, it is written in the Torah that the people of Israel are “stiff-necked,” stubborn, unwilling to listen to anyone; it is difficult to impose anything on them or obligate them.

On the other hand, it is said that this is done by the Creator. He places Israel in such conditions, gives them all kinds of obstacles, hardens their heart so that they cannot hear and fulfill what He demands, and so that they will feel the need for Him with the full depth of their desire to receive, and then within them arises the desire for redemption.

What is required from the people of Israel if the Creator so hardens their hearts?

In the article “Freedom of Will” we learn that nothing needs to be done. There is nothing new that must be built, everything has already been built. All the degrees are arranged, and if a person rises from degree to degree, it is, of course, because he receives the strength, the mind, and the desire from above. If he has an awakening from below, it means he has the desire and the sense of necessity for ascent, and he cannot help but move to the next degree.

So where, then, is the place for our work?

Our work is in the middle, in the constant “and they groaned…”, that is, in a quick, independent check: Can we turn to the Creator?

Our work is in the awareness of the state. As soon as a person becomes aware of his state, from above it is immediately changed to a more advanced one. He becomes aware of the next state, again it is replaced with an even more advanced one. And so, each time.

The entire ladder of states was already created in advance in the process of the expansion of the light from above downward. There is nothing new here, everything has already been prepared for us.

A person must understand that if he wishes to improve his state (and this is also true regarding society and our people in these difficult times), he has no possibility of doing so while remaining on the same degree, because the degree on which he stands determines his state.

If we wish to feel better, we must rise to a degree closer to the light; there we will feel better. And if we want to feel even better, we will be obliged to rise even higher.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/7/26, Rabash, “The Connection between Passover, Matza, and Maror”

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How can we rise along the rungs of spiritual elevation? Kabbalists answer that it is by means of the light that returns to the source.

During the study of Kabbalistic sources with the correct intention, we arouse the surrounding lights, and as it is written in the “Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot,” the surrounding light that comes awakens a person, gives him strength, and the person rises from their degree to a higher one and from that degree to an even higher one.

One must not expect that in my current state I will feel better; this will not happen! On the contrary, if a person does not advance toward the surrounding light and lags behind “the general time,” then he descends, and begins to feel worse and worse until the sufferings bring him to the understanding that he ought to begin to rise, since to change a state means to rise.

And one can rise by means of the light that returns to the source. This constitutes the entire principle of realizing “Jacob’s ladder.” It is immutable and we are all on it.

So it is necessary to become aware of the state we are in, understand the reason we feel bad and how we can be saved, and bring the means of deliverance into action: the study of Kabbalah with the intention to rise. And the closer a person is to the surrounding light in his intention during study, the more strongly this light influences him, and the faster, accordingly, the person rises.

We know that connection in the spiritual is determined by similarity of qualities. The closer a person’s intentions are to bestowal and the farther they are from his own ego, the stronger is the influence of the light on him. Therefore when beginning to study, it is necessary to arm oneself with such an intention, and then we will indeed be able to rise along the spiritual degrees and feel attain a sense of well-being.

This is precisely what the Creator desires: that each of us should find a degree on which he will feel good. Then a person will discover that this is not enough for him and that an even greater pleasure exists. And so on until the very end of correction when he will see that he is in absolute good.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/7/26, Rabash, “The Connection between Passover, Matza, and Maror”

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Question: What does humility above reason mean?

Answer: It is about the fact that when the Creator is revealed, a person feels like they are in a good state.

During this period, one must understand that he received this state not by his own efforts; it is not his achievement. It is simply that now he is pleasing to the Creator, so He wishes to bring him closer and does it at His own expense.

And afterward, the Creator will give a person the opportunity to approach spirituality at one’s own expense.

What does this mean? You must reach a state where you feel filled with light and the closeness of the Creator on your own, through your own efforts, the moment you are given the feeling of darkness. This can be compared to a situation where a mother leaves a child, takes a step back, and now the little one must take a step forward to fall into his mother’s arms. This is how she teaches him to walk.

In the same way, a person must once again connect with the Creator and try to restore the previous state of unity with spirituality, like a child returning to his mother’s arms. But the person must do this by their own efforts, that is, to fill their emptied Kelim with their own reflected light.

Previously, the mother filled his Kelim; this was the filling from above. Now he must fill himself through the light of Hassadim and come to the same state of joy, unity, and closeness as when the upper filled his Kelim.

This state is called filling with the light of faith during darkness, so that a person does not feel a lack (Hisaron), so that faith fills his whole Kli, as it is said: “And the darkness will shine as light.”

Similar processes are present also before the Machsom, but the light in these states is not real. Even before the Machsom, you feel confidence and joy from the closeness and feeling of the divine presence.

And after entering the spiritual world, all sensations are measured by light; you go through true, real states. This is like the birth of a new life.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/31/26, Rabash, “Show Me Your Glory”

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Question: What is the connection between a person’s advancement in spirituality and the length of the periods of darkness?

Answer: The periods of darkness (Achoraim) test us; they check how ready we are to make efforts in order to come to a good state in our sensations. But this does not mean that we disconnect from the work.

Let us say I was in a good state, I had an excellent mood, a good attitude toward the study, I felt some closeness to spirituality. Now I have run out of steam, I no longer feel my former enthusiasm, my mood has worsened, I again lose interest in spirituality.

If I stop studying now, go on a trip, go have fun in a bar, or simply go to sleep, I would not build new Kelim, I would not advance myself in spirituality. Of course, I will experience some sensations, and these Reshimot will be added to the general fund. In time, based on these Reshimot, a shift in the right direction will come.

But the most effective and powerful shift is achieved when we resist the state of darkness with all our might. We strive to return to the feeling of spirituality as much as possible.

From above, I was given the opportunity to return from the state of darkness to light by my own strength. I can attach myself to spirituality despite the fact that I am not being helped from above. My emptied Kli, which had previously been under the influence of the surrounding light, must be filled with my own impression of the importance of spirituality, and then I will feel myself as I felt before the state of darkness.

Previously, this feeling was given to me by the light that filled me. Now, I give myself this feeling of closeness of spirituality. However, for this, I need an environment, a teacher, books, and various actions that help me acquire the greatness of the Creator. That is, I must fill my empty Kli myself. And the ideal situation is when I succeed in doing this.

Then I instantly move to a new state. I succeeded, I did it, I rose one degree higher by myself. Now an even heavier feeling of darkness is added to me. That is, I took a step forward toward the mother, again fell into her tender arms, I rejoice, but suddenly the mother leaves me again. I have just embraced her, again united with her, and she takes a step back again. And this step back is now much greater than the previous one.

If it were the same small step, I would not worry. But now the situation seems to have worsened. That is, each time you fall even lower, the states of descent are heavier. A person thinks that they have become worse, have moved even further from the Creator. This is a sign of advancement. Because they will now be able to step forward even further by themself. This is the process.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/31/26, Rabash, “Show Me Your Glory”

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Question: The Creator suffers from the fact that He cannot bestow to the creation. But for what reason would the creation develop a need to bestow to the Creator?

Answer: The need to bestow comes to the creation from above without any preparation on its part. Just as the light that filled the first stage gave it its nature, so too the surrounding light that descends upon the one who studies Kabbalah, who wants to connect with the root, gives him its qualities.

Even if for now he simply wants to connect with the root without even yet realizing what it is; however, he studies not for the sake of knowledge, but for the sake of filling the point in the heart. And then the surrounding light, by influencing him, brings him the enchantment of holiness, and brings him precisely an affinity for the quality of bestowal.

The surrounding light gives a person the desire to bestow. A person does not know how this happens. We are not capable of expressing how, within the desire to receive, a desire to bestow is born; just as from the first stage of direct light, the second stage is formed. We have no words to express this transformation.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/24/26, Rabash, “What Is, ‘When Israel Are in Exile, the Shechina Is with Them,’ in the Work?”

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Question: What does bestowal to the Creator consist of? After all, the Creator, in essence, does not need any bestowal from our side.

Answer: Let’s take the example of the guest and the host, which Baal HaSulam chose probably because it describes all the nuances of the relationship. On one hand, it seems that the host needs nothing from the guest, but on the other hand, why does He nevertheless make the guest aware of His existence?

He could receive pleasure from the guest without revealing Himself. Does a mother in our world have an intention to reveal herself to the child when she gives anything to him? No, such is simply the nature of her desire to receive. She enjoys even though the child gives nothing back.

Thus, from the perspective of the desire to receive, the host is not obliged to reveal Himself to the guest; the desire to receive already contains fulfillment from the act of giving. Therefore, the desire to reveal Himself to the guest stems from the desire to bestow; through the revelation of the Host, the guest can reach a higher degree than that of a receiver.

We see that Bina does not need any return from Malchut other than receiving MAN, according to which she passes MAD from Aba to Malchut, and nothing more. Why? ZAT of Bina is the desire to receive, therefore she does not need any response from Malchut, which simply receives without any restriction.

But when Bina reveals herself to Malchut, she does not reveal her essence, but her GAR, the desire to bestow that she received from Keter, and wishes to resemble it because Keter is the giver.

Here there is a kind of paradox. If the desire to receive works for the sake of bestowal, then it does not need any response for its own benefit. The desire of the mother (Ima) to receive is fulfilled; she is satisfied by taking from the father (Aba) and passing it on. Her AHP is full, and she enjoys it—just ask from below, and that is enough.

From this we see that even if the Creator had a desire to receive, He still would have no need whatsoever to reveal Himself to the created being, only to give and to enjoy bestowing. Only the necessity to bring the created being to His level obligates the Creator to reveal Himself, not out of a desire to receive, but from a true desire to bestow, in order to build Kelim within the created being, desires to attain His level.

Therefore, when the created being begins to feel the host, it also senses His status. The host is not simply giving to it, for one who gives actually wants to receive pleasure from it, which seems justified to us. But when the host is revealed as perfect, revealing to the created being its own imperfection in comparison, then the created being truly acquires a deficiency (Hisaron).

Now we see that receiving pleasure from the host within the desire to receive is necessary only to maintain the connection, while everything else is based solely on the unfulfilled desire (Hisaron) of the created being to be like the host. Therefore, each time we deepen in the work, in its importance, in any relationship with the Creator, we must relate to Him not as the giver (“Go to the Master who made me”), but as a model for my Hisaron, as the one I must become like.

I must strive for the same qualities, the same properties, the same aspirations that He has. And this is called the “first nine Sefirot” (Tet Rishonot). The rest of the relationship is then built on the interaction between the receiver and the giver, between the Creator and the created being.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/28/26, Rabash, “What Is, If He Swallows the Bitter Herb, He Will Not Come Out, in the Work?”

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Question: It is said that a person exits their spiritual state, falls, and then is in an unconscious state. What does that mean?

Answer: First of all, even now we are in an unconscious state, devoid of awareness of the spiritual. Suppose a person is already on a spiritual degree. What does it mean that he “descends from that degree”? The lights, the Mochin, depart from them, and if the lights leave, it means they are without consciousness: the Light exits, and the understanding and feeling of where you are disappear.

Question: Why does a person realize this only after several hours or days, rather than being able to grasp it the moment the light departs?

Answer: In our current state, this happens because you are still under the rule of the Klipot. The lights withdraw because an additional measure of the desire to receive is added to you. In this, it is as if there is no fault of yours; you do not exit your state by yourself.

We never enter into a spiritual state or exit it on our own; rather, we are given additional desire to receive. You did something, achieved something, received some reward through effort, and now a state of awareness in your connection with the Creator comes.

In spirituality, as soon as you attain something, you must continue. In the corporeal world, you can remain in a good state, but here it is not so. Therefore, the Reshimot of the next degree immediately awakens in you with greater Aviut. This Aviut seemingly “spoils” your connection with the Creator, and then you begin to receive pleasure for your own sake within this Aviut.

You begin to enjoy: “How wonderful this world is!” and you already forget about the connection with the Creator, about the fact that precisely because you were striving toward Him, you received this pleasure. And so, you fall.

But what is a descent? It is the loss of connection with the upper one.

You remain within your desire to receive, enjoying it, and that’s it. This is defined as a fall. When does it happen? When there is a lack of attainment, of awareness. And so, it happens each time that the added desire is greater than what has been corrected. It disconnects you from the Creator, and you remain only with the pleasure.

So what can you do? Nothing can be done; now you must correct this desire. Did you have the ability not to fall? No. Could you have held yourself at the moment before the fall and remained in the higher state of connection with the Creator with the new Aviut? No. You are obliged to realize it in the descent, that is, to pass through its full depth and then connect it to the desire for connection with the Creator. There is no other way.

Therefore, it is said: “There is no righteous person who performs a commandment without first stumbling.”

Thus, first come failures, darkness, intentional and unintentional transgressions, and only afterward comes their correction.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/23/26, Rabash, “The Measure of Practicing Mitzvot [Commandments]”

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Question: Recently, I was in a state of darkness, and the thought that this was sent to me from above and that I must oppose it with my own efforts helped me. How can this approach be explained to people who are truly suffering?

Answer: You are touching on two different things here. Right now, we are going through a difficult period: the Creator is distancing Himself from us.

When the Creator hides from us, terrible troubles fall upon us, intense suffering that we constantly have to overcome. And to the extent that we fail to move forward, that we do not want it and do not seek a path that will lead us to the light, our suffering increases. This is because the purpose of suffering is to awaken us to search for its source.

If I receive a single blow, it is not so bad. But if I am struck again and again, I begin to reflect: Why is this happening, where is it coming from, who is causing me pain, and how can I resist it? All these blows somehow affect my desire to receive, which wants to enjoy. Through this, I become wiser, I gain understanding, and I come to recognize the evil of the egoism. The awareness of evil is the mind standing beside the heart.

I begin to learn, gain experience, and study what these blows are, why I received them, and what they change within me. I become like a patient studying his illness.

There are patients who know their illness better than their doctor. A doctor must specialize in thousands of diseases, most of which he has never experienced. But a patient has only one illness and may read thousands of books about it. Such a person can sometimes advise you better than any doctor.

What can be done? It is impossible to help a random person off the street. At the moment, he is under the fire of suffering. This fire must strike him more than once until it forms not only the desire to escape suffering, but also the desire to seek a way out of pain and blows.

At first, I am not capable of this; I only want to run away from suffering, to hide from the blows. But then I begin to see that I cannot escape them, that there is no way to retreat. And so, during periods of suffering, and especially during moments of relief, I begin to search for how to avoid these situations in the future.

Alongside the terrible feeling of suffering, I begin to grow wiser. It is as if I acquire a mind through which I search for ways to free myself from suffering so as not to experience such torment again. The blows intensify, and each one is heavier than the last. It is like the Ten Plagues of Egypt, where each plague was worse than the previous one.

This continues until I uncover the true cause behind the blows themselves. And in suffering, I begin to feel the one who sends them. This is a connection with the divine.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/31/26, Rabash, “Show Me Your Glory”

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Question: If I derive enjoyment from working for the friends in the group, is there any point in trying to suppress this enjoyment, as if to say, “I am enjoying myself, but I do not want to enjoy it”?

Answer: One must not suppress enjoyment, whatever it may be, especially the kind that comes to you along the path of spiritual work. Instead of simply enjoying what you have, you should examine where this enjoyment comes from and strive for enjoyment from the path itself, from the similarity of qualities to the one you wish to resemble, to whom you are drawing closer.

Enjoyment is the goal, but the question is what kind of enjoyment it is. The thought “to delight the created beings” is both the beginning and the end of creation.

If you want to attain the Creator, you must get to the feeling that the Torah is the science of life. Baal HaSulam explains this in The Study of the Ten Sefirot. It is not enough to merely perform acts of bestowal; you must enjoy them and receive fulfillment from the highest light. If a person suffers while walking this path, it means that he is under the control of the Klipot and not under the control of holiness.

Every moment a person suffers, they are disconnected from the Creator. After all, if the Creator is the source of pleasure, how can you suffer and still be connected to that source? It cannot be.

Any corrected state must be filled with enjoyment.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/21/26, Rabash, “We Should Always Discern between Torah and Work”

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