Talmud Eser Sefirot, Volume 3, Part 8, Question 36: "Place." Time, motion, and place are practically the same notion, which determines the relative change and renewal of form (desires). However, when we are speaking of the order of the descent of the levels, this is called the change of "place," whereas when we are speaking of cause and effect, it is called "the order of time."

Why are time, motion, and place practically the same notion? It’s because they are changes taking place in our desires, Kelim. The will to enjoy undergoes changes. But why do I think and feel one change as the flow of time, and another as a change of place, motion? Why do I perceive everything that happens as changes in time, motion, and place?

Isn’t motion a place? After all, if I change my place, it means I am in motion. Yet I am told, "No, this is a completely different category." However, all the categories are changes taking place in the will to enjoy. In relation to what? Only in relation to the quality of bestowal that it has, meaning the degree of its inclusion into Bina.

Malchut can become included in Bina in three forms, which are called time, motion, and place." They give Malchut different sensations. What kind? When we are speaking of the order of the descent of the levels, meaning the successive changes of states, this is called the change of "place," which is when one’s level or inner state changes. Whereas when we are speaking of the cause and effect, of what happens first and what happens next, meaning that it is not the places that change, but their order, it is called "the order of time." And if we speak about what kind of state was present in every place, this is called "place."
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/16/10, Talmud Eser Sefirot

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Why did the Light create us opposite to it, like a shadow on its background? This is because it is impossible to attain the Light itself; we can only attain it from its oppositeness, as it is written, “The advantage of the Light is revealed from within darkness.”

As creation, we do not feel the phenomenon itself, but are able to perceive something against its opposite, such as sour and sweet, cold and hot, etc. It’s precisely the polarity of experiences that creates a sensation in us.

This is why the Light had to create us in the form of darkness, opposite to it, and then help us to get to know it from this darkness. This way, it becomes clear how the Light acts upon us.

Its action is expressed in two ways. On one side, it increases my desire, and on the other, it creates a sensation of the One who affects it. In the first case, the Light acts through pleasure, and in the second, it is like it introduces itself.

This is the way my desire develops. It grows to a certain degree and begins to recognize Who develops it. Then, it grows even more, and I already begin thinking about what will happen with me further, how I can become similar to Him and acquire His properties.

In other words, my desire not only becomes bigger, but it also grows in quality. In the end, it turns into a very big desire. Its magnitude becomes equal to the pleasure that acts on it, while the quality which I desire is what the Light wants.
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From Kabbalah for Beginners, “Light” 12/8/10

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When turning to a Kabbalistic text, especially The Book of Zohar, we must realize the importance of spiritual attainment. After all, at the end of the day this is the only thing we want: not knowledge or scholastics, and not general knowledge of the material, but only pure attainment, which signifies that a person has revealed the Creator. This is the criterion by which we value things.

On the path to attainment the operating law is the law of equivalence of form, which does not make any compromises. On one hand, a person fully and entirely depends on the influence of the Upper Force. Nothing else can help him; he needs only help from Above. Whoever understands this builds the right attitude.

The Torah talks about this when describing the Egyptian exile: “The sons of Israel cried out from the work and their cry rose to the Creator.” In other words, they firmly knew that they will never attain anything by themselves.

On the other hand, spiritual progress is always built on the combination of opposites. Therefore, we also have to participate in the process ourselves. As a result, we make great efforts while at the same time being sure that only a “miracle from the heavens” will lead us out of the land of Egypt into the land of Israel.

It is necessary to reach despair from one’s own ability, and a person should not run away from this feeling. In addition, one must be confident that there will be help from Above and ceaselessly demand it with all of one’s strength.

A person must find himself in the state of the sons of Israel who cried out from the work. That’s when everything inside him along with the external environment fuses into one whole and creates these conditions, bringing him significantly closer to the exit from Egypt.

Therefore, we must try to correctly imagine ourselves in this point. This is where we perform all the necessary actions and later we don’t run away from the despair, but on the contrary, we transfer the entire force of our despair to a cry, a demand for correction.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/14/10, The Zohar

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Question: Ever since I started studying Kabbalah I feel so small, as if I’m a tiny embryo, and I feel less and less confident as time goes by. Where will I suddenly get real confidence in this single force that controls the entire universe, sets up all the problems for me, and is my only source of support?

Answer: Usually a person finds confidence in religion when he believes that there is a Creator who is good, who will take care of him, and whom he can trust. This worldview sets in deep inside a person and supports him, which is why Kabbalists do not speak out against religion.

However, there comes a time when a new desire awakens in a person and he can no longer be calmed by the blind faith of the past. He develops and outgrows it. Traditional actions are no longer enough for him; he wants to know the Creator!

Ideally, we should have ascended from religion (Dat) to knowledge (Daat) and realized what is written, “Know the Creator.” However, in actuality this is not happening.

In actuality it is only possible to achieve this by connecting with a Kabbalistic group. There is no other means. The group must be the place where you can attain the Creator, the quality of bestowal.

The sensation of insecurity comes only from a lack of the quality of bestowal. As soon as you are ready to bestow, you will feel total confidence and will acquire freedom from yourself! That’s because bestowal is Bina.

Then you will live without any fear and your only worry will be, “When will I attain the deeds of the forefathers through my deeds? When will I be able to bestow to the Creator?” Or in other words, when will I ascend even higher than Bina?
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/13/10, “A Handmaid that is Heir to Her Mistress”

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Question: Why didn’t the Creator arrange it so we would already now feel everyone as organs of our own body?

Answer: It’s because you have to reveal the form of bestowal from its opposite. From hatred, reception, and exploitation of your neighbor, you have to attain love and unity.

Imagine that you suddenly found out that your greatest enemy, whom you desired to crush and obliterate using every possible execution technique, is actually your own son who you did not know anything about, just like in a movie.

You don’t understand this now, but try to enter the group and imagine that you are tuning into the common desire. Don’t look at the faces, but look at the desire that everyone shares and delve inside it. Then through that desire, you will feel that you are surrounded by special souls and only you are looking at them from aside. Try to enter inside them and to cancel yourself completely.

Through this self-nullification you will begin to live! Stay in this thought at all times so it won’t leave your mind. Make the decision that from now on this is how you want to look at the world.

Try to stay in this sensation until tomorrow, constantly renewing it and bringing this picture back. Then at the next lesson you will be ready to bring it to life! You will imagine what takes place inside these desires, which are connected with each other: How Partzufim AB and SAG operate and what Rabbi Shimon is telling his friends. It all speaks only about this desire and the connection among its parts.

Desires that are pure or impure, corrected or not yet corrected; everything is inside one system that you are now revealing. You want to reveal life, the vital force in this system and yourself inside of it, as well as to understand how everything works. This is exactly what all the Kabbalistic books talk about and you want this to become revealed.

When the connection between all parts of the desire and the harmony in which they operate becomes revealed, this practical revelation of the correct, operating connection is called the revelation of the Creator. After that the Creator or this connection will continue being revealed more and more, which signifies ascent along the degrees of the worlds toward ever greater revelation of the Creator.

The Creator is called Bo-Reh, meaning "come and see" how the system works in mutual bestowal, how the Light operates inside the desires or Kelim.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/13/10, “A Handmaid that is Heir to Her Mistress"

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It is particularly the lowest, most external souls, the “wicked” that possess the strongest desire. Once they awaken and aspire to goodness, the entire pyramid will turn from the bottom up.

They can perform some simple, supportive actions, but if these acts are performed selflessly and wholeheartedly, they will no longer be mechanical acts. Such a person may not understand what needs to be done, but he is willing to cleave to you. The minute he does, he begins to receive everything that you have and grows! Suddenly, inside of this small desire the immense spiritual desires, the soul, become revealed.

In the spiritual world, each tiny cell, by connecting to the body, receives everything that the body has; it acquires all of its desires and is aware of everything that happens there.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/12/10, “A Handmaid that is Heir to Her Mistress”

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It is idolatry to think that the Creator can change. It is written: “I did not change my HaVaYaH.”

The Creator constructed a strict system of laws, and “the Upper Light remains at absolute rest.” Desire is also already made as it is; it only gets developed by the Light and keeps feeling (discovering) itself, comparing itself to the Light.

The Light affects the desire, enters it, and passes through all its layers: 0-1-2-3. And when it reaches the 4th level (Behina Dalet), only there free will emerges in us. But it lies solely in our ability to change our attitude. However, by changing our attitude, we change our perception.

If you wish to understand the Creator and become like Him, you begin to feel His goodness. Baal HaSulam writes in his “Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot” that our only problem is that we don’t comprehend His Providence.

We stand against Nature (the Creator), so to whom can we make claims? During our entire history, we were developing by the steps of 0-1-2-3, as the still, vegetative, and animate levels of nature. We were forced to evolve unconsciously, led either by the pressure of pain or attraction of pleasure. But when we reach the 4th level, we must familiarize ourselves with this process and learn from it about the Performer of all actions.

In other words, we need to learn about His work, understand what He does, and transform ourselves in order to bestow, that is, become like Him. Then, “from His actions we will know Him.” When we get to know Him, we start justifying Him and become similar to Him, meaning that we ascend to His level.

And all of this is based on intention. It isn’t just an attitude; thanks to intention, we start getting to know the Creator and feel His actions within us, in their authentic form.

When I rise above my egoism and make a restriction, the screen and the Reflected Light, I become equivalent to the Light! Conversely, I begin to comprehend His true attitude toward me.

In the Light that dresses me, I experience “tastes” (Ta’amim) or the Creator’s attitude toward me: what He expects from me and how He feels about me. I get to know the Source from where everything comes to me and thereby cleave onto Him. I begin living not by my own desires but by His.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/7/10, “A Handmaid that is Heir to Her Mistress”

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Question: How can we understand Reshimot in spiritual work? Can we perceive or understand them?

Answer: I do not hear how they are “clicking,” but I feel how I change from one moment to the next. These changes are the result of Reshimot that awaken along the chain that was built during my soul’s descent along all the degrees from Infinity down to this world. Now I ascend back along the same degrees, but only on the condition that the Light comes and the Reshimot change.

In reality, everyone ascends up this ladder, but every person does it differently: either by way of suffering or by way of Torah. The Light pours upon everyone, but each person uses it to the degree he is able. Inside this integral, single system, we all influence one another, and therefore the personal corrections on the path interweave with the group and universal corrections.

If we could take a bird’s eye view of the whole system and discern all the phases of its development, we would see the connection between the events in our world and would understand how inside the complex they advance certain parts toward correction. And this also happens either by way of suffering or by way of Torah.

In addition, we would see how by working with each other, we awaken the world more and more from the inside, and thereby help everyone take the right steps. Thus, the world advances toward the goal quickly and easily, instead of by the lengthy and painful way.
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/12/10, The Zohar

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Every morning before the lesson we get up on our feet again and start with a clean slate. The same thing can happen over the course of the day as well. It is written, “Let the old things you have already heard become new for you every day.” A person must constantly feel that he is a new creation, again and again establishing contact, starting the spiritual work, and coming closer to the Creator.

Every time he makes this renewal, he realizes Reshimot, until he acquires a sufficient amount of them. This number is not known in advance, but the timer is ticking and the wheels are turning, changing the numbers after the point, and at some point in time the main wheel on the left will jump from one number to the next.

The same thing happens to us. That is why at every moment in time we must renew the contact, the intention, and the aspiration to the goal. It is written, “The end of the action lies in the initial thought.” I must already keep the goal in mind now, which I hope to reach at the end. Where am I going? What do I want exactly? Each time I must imagine this anew, but more precisely, clearly, tangibly, and perceptibly.

In the final goal, all of my hopes, efforts, desires, and disappointments come together, fuse into one, and are fulfilled. My work is completed in the point of the final contact, the point that is called “the drop of unity.” In it, I, my entire perceivable reality, and the Creator (the quality of bestowal, the Upper Force) all become one whole. This is the state I must already imagine now.

Baal HaSulam puts it this way: A person must aspire to the unity of Israel, the Torah, and the Creator. Say it however you like. The most important thing is for us to think about the final point of unity. The more distinctly I imagine it in my feeling and mind, the more joy this should give me. Then I will unquestionably realize the current Reshimo and will successively advance toward the end of the action.
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/12/10, The Zohar

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We are all outcomes of the Light, and therefore, we have to attain it. All of our strongest desires, prayers, and yearnings are aimed toward the Light.

We subconsciously desire this alone, and, in truth, throughout our entire lives we are after nothing but it. All of the other fulfillments and sources of pleasure, such as food, clothes, new cars, and whatever else all come from the Light! We only perceive them in a certain form, as some type of pleasure, such as a car, a child, family, warmth, rest, a beautiful landscape, and so on. However, in fact, there is only Light, which depicts all of these objects for me, and I feel only it.

Therefore, people will gradually cease being interested in of all these things and will instead try to find their source: the Light itself and not its derivatives. I won’t desire to have a certain car anymore because what does it actually give me? It gives me pleasure. Yet, in truth I wish to get this pleasure in its “pure form,” without the actual car. Why do I need this chunk of metal? After all, it pleases me only when I drive it, and when I don’t, there is no pleasure. So, when I get tired of driving, it just stands by the house. But I still seek pleasure!

While we were undergoing our historical evolution, we constantly aspired to find things and "waves" that were more subtle and elusive. That is why everything in the world today is becoming smaller in size; quantity is becoming quality. We are the same: Instead of investigating the corporeal world, we are starting to yearn for spiritual attainment.

People don’t yet understand it yet, but the number of suicides and terrorist acts, the rise in drug abuse and the divorce rate are all indicators of man’s enormous lack of fulfillment. It is so great that, in fact, man is unable to fill this lack in his life. And that is a sign of man’s need for the Light itself, rather than all the other substitutes that the Light can depict in us.
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From the program "Kabbalah for Beginners" on 12/08/10

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