The soul is the knowledge of the upper world; if the soul could grow without knowledge, it would bring harm to it. That is why the soul is given an opportunity to act only to the extent of the acquired knowledge.

In our world, I can press buttons on some device, use various engines, and at the same time, pose a threat to myself and other people, that is, pressing the activation button of an atomic bomb.

This is impossible in the spiritual world. There, I can press any “buttons” and launch the spiritual systems of interaction between people only to the extent that I understand what I am doing. I am totally connected to this action; I am in it and above it. Only to the extent that I comprehend all this, can I decide anything. But nothing else.

The spiritual world differs from our world in that in our world a person can perform ugly, unconscious actions, without understanding what he is doing. In practice, this is how we all act because the spiritual world is hidden and the consequences of what we do are hidden from us.

I do something and what comes out, comes out. Therefore, we are marking time and are very limited in our actions, which do not have any proper development because we do not see it, do not feel it.

But after crossing into the spiritual world, we feel completely different. We see the results of our actions, and if we fully agree with them, then we start implementing them.

A person starts to act according to the knowledge acquired and his soul grows. The soul is the knowledge of the upper world. Growing up, the soul gets the opportunity to act to the extent of the ever more acquired knowledge. The result is the development of the soul.

So the child’s strength increases gradually, according to the extent of the accumulated knowledge. After all, if he had received strength before knowledge, he would have harmed himself.

There is no such thing in the spiritual world. There, we get the opportunity to act only to the extent of the knowledge we acquire.

Therefore, today, no matter how hard we try, we will not get the opportunity to act in the spiritual world because we still do not have any knowledge about it. As soon as one receives some knowledge about the spiritual world, to the extent of this knowledge, he will be able to act. This knowledge will guarantee that we will not act badly.
[250341]
From the Kabbalah lesson in Russian 6/16/19

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Baal HaSulam in his letters and articles explains the states of ascents and descents in spirituality, which are expected.

While working in this world, we practically do not think that there should be an alternation between successful and not successful states. We always strive forward.

But in the spiritual world, it is not so. When we really seriously enter the spiritual process, we start to comprehend that we should take into account the ascents and descents. Moreover, these states alternate, and in fact, the descents are no less important than the ascents so we should relate to them with absolute seriousness and preferably the same way as to the ascents.

Baal HaSulam writes in “Letter 25” that a descent that is intended for the following ascent, is considered an ascent, not a descent. This is really so.

The fact is that on the way to the goal of creation, there is a growth of egoism (blue line on the drawing) above which we build the altruistic part (red line). Afterward, egoism is added and we cover it with altruism again. That is how we ascend: ascent – descent, ascent – descent. There is nowhere to run from this.

Therefore, we need to relate to descents equally as to ascents. In the beginning, the ego is growing in us, and then above it, we grow a spiritual ascent—anti-egoism and cover ego with the quality opposite to it.

So the descents – ascents happen according to phases: 1 – 2, then 3 – 4, etc. Therefore, the ascent is impossible without a descent.

It is also possible to depict this as a sine wave: ascent – descent, ascent – descent. The greater the descent, the greater the corresponding ascent. That is how they are tied together: 1 – 2, 1 – 2.

In spiritual work, everything starts from a descent, from the night, from the darkness. As it is said in the Bible: “And there was evening, and there was morning— one day.”
[248605]
From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 3/31/19

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Question: Baal HaSulam writes: “One who can wait for tomorrow will obtain his salvation after his years.” How can I develop the aspiration to the upper one at the current moment, and not wait until tomorrow?

Answer: It all depends on how jealous you are of your friends. You should feel jealous that they are moving much faster and more successfully than you. This is a problem.

This approach is recommended even to the teacher. For example, every day I sit in front of my students. Although I wish them to quickly attain everything, I must envy them too; otherwise, I will be unable to learn from them. And I need to learn from the Creator through them.

Good jealousy is the main property that moves us forward. I do not think about them moving more slowly, but about moving more quickly myself. In this way we help each other.

This jealousy must be developed. It is necessary to specifically show the other person how much more you understand, how much smarter you are, how much more effort you put in. Help them in this way!
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian, 4/21/19

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Question: Is it possible to accelerate the attainment of the upper world, not waiting 20 years, but instead getting out earlier in the Light?

Answer: Certainly; it can even happen today! It is only up to you, your ability to relate to the world, to the Creator correctly.

Question: How can I understand that I am on the path that is leading to the Creator?

Answer: It is only according to the degree of unity with your friends.

Question: Why do particular people who are involved with the wisdom of Kabbalah nonetheless suffer in the physical world like ordinary people? Could it be that they feel otherwise?

Answer: No. Why shouldn’t they suffer? If a person who began to study the wisdom of Kabbalah were to stop suffering immediately and some money was transferred into his bank account, he would happily be involved in spiritual work, but it would no longer be spiritual work.

Question: Is it possible to ask for additional materialistic egoism if one doesn’t have a desire to raise a family or work?

Answer: No. Why should you ask for additional materialistic egoism? It is possible to ask for additional spiritual characteristics. You must only strive to go forward.

Question: If all the possibilities in the world are found within me, does it follow that everything only depends on me?

Answer: Certainly; everything depends only on you. The Creator does everything, but only according to the instructions of a person so there cannot be any claims against the Creator. You will get what you ask for.

Question: What is the mechanism that helps you determine the amount of information that you give?

Answer: I generally feel what information is necessary for my students. Moreover, this is also a shared level, the general background. What I mean is, that if today you suddenly came to class and found yourself in this group, I would not refer to you, but to those people who are found here no less than two years. For me, they are the consumers.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian, 3/31/19

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Question: How do we pay for the quality of bestowal and the discovery of the Creator?

Answer: We pay for it with patience and with very great diligence, which is not easy. There is nothing in the whole world that is just given, freely, all the more so spiritual fulfillment, the discovery of the upper world.

The main thing is intention within a group. If you create a group and direct it to resonate correctly with the upper world, you will immediately begin to feel it.

Question: What is at the foundation of a request when a ten turns to the Creator? Is it a deficiency or is it still the greatness of the Creator?

Answer: It is the greatness of the Creator. It will draw you forward, directly toward the goal.
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From a Virtual Lesson, 04/07/19

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Question: How do we learn to live not in the present?

Answer: We never live in the present. Even if I say that now I want something, it means that I already want something that might be realized in a future moment. We always exist as if in the future.

How can we learn to live in the future? We should just create it.

The spiritual future is created by a greater connection between us. The stronger it is, the faster we reach the following spiritual states. We need to think about it.

If we mainly deal with this and with all earthly problems only to the extent it is necessary, then we will suddenly feel that from that spiritual state to which we wish to advance, we also provide ourselves with material things because the upper Light will shine upon us in corporeality too.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian, 04/28/19

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Feelings and Emotions

Question: Do the concepts of “feelings” and “emotions” exist in Kabbalah? In psychology, emotion is a subconscious reaction to a situation. Moreover, such emotions as, say, anger, aggression, irritation, and fear quickly arise and quickly disappear, and feelings (love, friendship, hatred) arise slowly, but also disappear slowly?

Answer: Feelings can be controlled, meaning developed or extinguished. The big difference is in what prevails: the brain (thoughts, mind) over feelings or feelings over thoughts.

If feelings prevail over thoughts, then these are emotions, and if the mind prevails over feelings, then this is already a serious calculation, this is desire with calculation, that is, with intention.

Then I can manage desires, calculating what can be done in order to change my opinion about something or someone, my perception and so on.

Question: Does the Kabbalist work with his feelings or does he work on them?

Answer: A Kabbalist works with feelings, intentions, and desires. He tries to control them through the environment because there is no other way to control them.

If he is locked within himself, he will not change anything. He will simply feel different fluctuations in himself, what happens to his desires, his intentions, but no more.

You can change something within yourself only under the influence of the environment, how much you exalt it in your view, how impressed you become with its opinion, wanting to unite with it, become like it, or be lower or higher than it.
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From KabTV’s “Basics of Kabbalah,” 12/03/18

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Question: Is there a difference between an unspoken intention and an intention that was spoken aloud?

Answer: There is no difference.

Question: According to you, ultimately people will be independent, meaning the Creator Himself. Isn’t this just a catch phrase?

Answer: No. The upper force exists; this is the Creator. There is a lower power that was created by Him. According to the parameters one acquires, one must become equal to the Creator.

Question: How is it possible to understand if a desire is a desire of the Creator or a desire of a person?

Answer: The desire of the Creator is in all of nature, and in fact, a person has no desire. Only the desire of the Creator exists. If you could absolutely renounce yourself, you would find that you only have the desire of the Creator.

Question: How must one understand the expression: “Don’t believe in yourself until the day you die” (Pirkei Avot 2:4)? What does “in yourself” mean? Is it your egoism?

Answer: Yes, in your egoism. Never believe in your own powers in any way.
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From a Virtual Lesson, 03/24/19

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Question: Are the shield and sword metaphors for the right and left lines? In that case, what is bestowal and what is receiving?

Answer: The shield is basically the restriction of working with your desires. The sword is when you turn these egoistic desires into altruistic ones, strike your enemies with it. That is, you defeat them, conquer them, so that instead of working for receiving, they work for bestowal.

Question: Does the ten also get a shield and sword?

Answer: Of course. It means that before getting them, people should gather in the ten. Before that, nothing is given to anyone separately.

Kabbalah speaks not about one person, but about ten, which comes together as one organism. Otherwise, they will not be able to annul themselves to each other and somehow start becoming like the Creator.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian, 4/7/19

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Conscious Reception of Light

Question: Is all that we people receive today uncontrollable processes? I have a desire to receive, which comes from the outside, I don’t even know where these thoughts and desires suddenly arise in me. Do I have no freedom of choice in this?

Answer: Naturally.

Question: Then what is next is that we come to the fact that a person must have a power that restricts reception, controls his desires, called a screen?

Answer: The ability to control oneself lies in a special action, when I can conceal myself from the Creator, cut off my direct connection with Him, and cut off His instructions that I instinctively followed. I believe that I cannot do it now. I make an action called restriction (Tzimtzum), ostensibly cutting myself off from the Creator.

Only to the extent that I can connect with His actions, accept and fulfill them, based on my desire to be like Him, can I receive.

That is, as He gives, I also receive. I cannot get away from it; I still continue to be a receiver, but my receiving already has a completely different form when I decide that I need it in order to be similar to the Creator.

If the Creator gives, emanates from Himself, then my action of bestowal to Him lies in the fact that I, after the restriction, open myself in a certain way, to a certain extent, and receive pleasure from Him with clear understanding that I do it to please Him. That is, in principle, against my will.

Question: So, I disguise the light of the Creator, meaning pleasure from my desire to receive. The light is constant, like the sun, it always acts and bestows and if I have a screen, meaning the ability to control the flow of light, then I conceal it from my desire to receive. Is this the conscious realization of the Creator?

Answer: Yes, and then, if I uncover myself, this is called the conscious reception of light or a special connection with the Creator.
[248163]
From the TV program “Basics of Kabbalah,” 11/27/18

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