The current crisis includes all of nature’s levels. Recently there was a TV show about natural phenomena that appear as total surprises to people. Among other things, they spoke about an island in the Pacific Ocean whose inhabitants livelihood is based on fishing.

Now when they go out to sea they are afraid to get further than a few kilometers from shore. The climate has changed so much that violent storms suddenly appear and it is impossible to forecast them. Very experienced fishermen who have lived their whole lives at sea relate these happenings; the ocean, which they knew so well, has suddenly become a stranger.

Such is the scale of the general human crisis. After all, man is the upper part of nature and so he has the most destructive power, much more than all the other creatures.

There are revealed and concealed forces in the world. It is hard not to notice the explosion of a bomb. On the other hand, radioactive radiation can only be felt by its effect. There are even finer radiations whose effects can be a total surprise for us. Their source is concealed from us; this is man’s mind power, the power of human desire.

We have reached the end of our egoistic development: The world population produces such powerful negativity that we are simply suffocating one another, and at the same time destroying the levels that are below us. They are great in quantity but weak in quality, and we by our qualitative potential can simply destroy them, which is actually what is happening. This is where the “ocean surprises” and many other phenomena stem from.

So if it is all about our thoughts, let’s correct them. Kabbalists speak about two ways of development: the good path and by suffering. Apparently at the moment we are advancing by suffering. How can we advance in the same direction in the good way? After all, we have one goal—adhesion with the Creator. This is the fate of all the people, of all the nations. This means that we have to explain to them how to follow the good path, and to adapt to the uniqueness of their development.

Man’s mind power is destroying the world. We are causing ourselves and the other parts of nature harm. Today it is possible to openly show people scientifically based examples of this. Therefore, we must treat each other well or we will all be destroyed. So let’s improve our lives with the help of the one force that can help us.

If people ask, “So what is that force?”, we will answer that it is the force of the good mutual connection among us, which is actually another definition for the term “Creator.” Today we must use this force worldwide. After all, there is no distance for thoughts, and they don’t weaken as they draw away from the source and reach even the most distant stars, which are thousands of light-years away.

How can we do that? The time has come in which we will not get anything without the right request. You won’t succeed in anything if you don’t ask for the Creator’s help. Just turn to Him “in the right way,” like a good boy and then you will get your “box of candy.”

What should you ask for? Bestowal.

–          I want to give out these candies to everyone.

–          Great. Take them!

At first it isn’t so attractive, but then you learn. At first you will also be allowed to taste from the general box, but gradually you will begin to enjoy bestowal by taking only what you need.

The danger of destruction threatens you by sufferings if you don’t reach the request for others: “I want to receive pleasure only by seeing that others feel good. Let me enjoy this; give me the power for that! Make it possible!”

This is how the correction is done.
[65309]
From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/4/12, “The Freedom”

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Question: It is said that before rising onto the highest level, Rabbi Shimon fell into the state of “Shimon from the market.” What “market” is this?

Answer: “Shimon from the market” lives like a Rothschild. He has everything he wishes in this world: power, money, honor, longevity, and so forth…it is just a dream. However, he feels that he is at the lowest level at that point.

Indeed, the market seller wishes to become a Rothschild, and this is exactly the state that Rabbi Shimon fell into. It is an ascent for you while, for him, it is a descent.

We are talking about a qualitative evaluation here. Rabbi Shimon had water and the carob tree, while Shimon from the market had a table overflowing with food. So, what is he suffering from? Why does he feel so low?

He is suffering from a loss of spiritual consciousness. He has everything except what is most important. Shimon from the market provided for himself for the rest of his life, yet he does not feel happy.

The point here is that Rabbi Shimon understands the abyss that lies between him and Shimon from the market, and he does not agree to it. He is feeling even more hurt by the fact that he feels this way himself.

Shimon from the market is always full. He sells his goods and in the evening he returns home satisfied, having everything he needs in life. The wife, the kids, and everything else are in order. Everyone is healthy. There is no shortage of anything.

However, when Rabbi Shimon falls into such a state, he feels that he has nothing behind all of this abundance. He cannot stand this life. Each moment of it is hell. For him, this is not life.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/30/11, “The Peace”

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We should understand the forces of Nature that are called “angels” are messengers of the Creator and work like His loyal assistants; their duty is to help us. If a person realizes that his life is too calm and quiet, that he doesn’t go through any resistance, hindrances, confusion or internal struggles, then he should be worried why he doesn’t have all this in his life.

He probably doesn’t apply any effort in the right direction and thus does not allow the angels to do their work. It happens if a person fails to join a group or disseminate, in other words; he doesn’t move toward the source that contains all major forces of development.

If a person develops the proper attitude towards the forces that help him grow by constantly creating obstacles on his path, he starts to realize that in order to advance further he has to raise his prayers to a level that is above the resistance he gets. This is everyone’s duty. If someone manages to act this way, he carves himself into the right shape.

One of the resisting forces clings to a person from behind and pulls him backwards like a woman who holds her husband back and doesn’t allow him to develop. The other force blocks the importance of the goal that is far ahead of him; it hides the greatness of the Creator.

It is essential to sense that the resistance comes from both sides and to work one against the other in the right way. This is like a train that carries a heavy load that has an engine in the front that pulls it forward and at the same time has another engine at the back that pushes it forward from behind. A combination of these two forces makes it possible to move the train: One pushes the train from behind and the other one is pulling it ahead.

This explains why the Pharaoh separates us from the goal and hides it from us by saying that the Creator is not important. Sinners who push us from behind are the forces that help us; they are loyal angels of the Creator.

If a person understands that everything that happens to him is sent by the Creator, he will see the Creator’s hand in all negative situations that happen. This is similar to obstacles that we put in front of small children so that they overcome them and learn.

It is pleasant to watch a child trying hard to achieve a small success. Even if a child doesn’t achieve any result, it doesn’t matter, since he still learns from the experience. We have to view ourselves the same way and realize that we move forward only because of the forces that create difficulties for us from behind and at the same time pull us forward.

So, the question is: Who strengthened the Pharaoh’s heart? The Creator did! He states it openly: “Come to Pharaoh, for I hardened his heart!” This is written plainly and directly.

It is crucial that this opinion dominates in the group and everybody who experiences difficulty accepts it without second thoughts. In this case, we won’t mind having stronger, more efficient and numerous hindrances; if we get them, we’ll be able to immediately overcome them through our prayers. We would know that at this time of our life the Creator has hardened Pharaoh’s heart and so should He give us strength to stand before Pharaoh.
[60916]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/16/11, Writings of Rabash

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Question: What does it mean to feel the suffering of the whole world? How does one join in it?

Answer: Let’s say, I am close to a person who works the land and does not know anything else in life except his cows, his field, and farm. On the other hand, there is the opportunity to get to know the big world, to multiply one’s knowledge and pleasure, to attain the eternity of nature.

The difference between what he has and what he could have reached is the shortage, the suffering. He does not feel it by himself. As if he is mentally sick and does not know about his ailment, but I know; I see it looking at him and I feel sorry about it.

It is not important that he is not sorry about it by himself. It is possible to make a pain-killing injection and people will not suffer from the pain. However, suffering exists in the world for a purpose, so that by the means of suffering, by the means of one’s simple actions, we can reach correction.

In order to feel the whole world on our shoulders, I need to feel how much everyone is missing—the difference between their current state and the end of correction. This is a perfect desire, which a person must reach.

The suffering from feeling this empty vessel is simply unimaginable. But we connect the beginning and the end, understanding that “the end of the action lies in the initial thought” and that everything is originally derived from the benevolent desire of the Creator to give pleasure to the creation, and we arrive at this good end, and a person feels the suffering only to the extent of how much he is connected to his desire to enjoy.

However, at the moment when he rises above this desire, he will no longer feel the suffering, but only inspiration and excitement. In this form, we can endure suffering from what is seen as another person suffering in his personal life as a result of being immersed in his self-interest. But when we see how much is prepared for him after he rises above his egoism, how the vessel is full of light—it helps us, suffering together with him, to endure this pain for everyone.

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It is written, “Choose life!” Of course we are not talking about the animal life, since a person already has questions that are higher than our regular existence—questions about real life, receiving the Light into corrected desires and becoming similar to the Creator. This is called human life, since all previous existence was imaginary, like preparation for the human degree.

However, life without achieving bestowal and true existence is harder than death. And this is not because it is difficult physically. Humanity is reaching a state where half of it is in depression and the other half is in fear. Consequently, life is becoming unbearable, not only due to natural cataclysms and disasters, but because of the intolerable inner pain.

We can have all the benefits in our material life, and yet feel horrible because it lacks meaning. A life devoid of inner correction and the inability to answer the question regarding the meaning of one’s life is becoming more horrid than death.

After all, a question emerges in a person, as well as new desires from the human level, and then a huge problem arises because every question from a higher degree cancels out everything one has. One does not understand why he needs all these fulfillments if he fails to find meaning on a higher degree. People are not committing suicide in countries that lack food, but particularly in the most well-off regions, such as the Scandinavian countries.

A life without the correction of desires is very difficult for a person who is asking this question. He begins to suffer not only because he does not receive pleasure from anything, but also from the fact that he brings suffering to others. He criticizes himself for his past, present, and future. He considers himself guilty in regard to his children, close ones, and strangers—in regard to everyone because he feels that he is the source of misfortunes for other people.

He is shown an overview of his whole life, and he sees how evil he was in regard to every person he encountered and how much he used everyone. In these circumstances, it’s difficult to remain without an understanding of the goal, which is the opposite: good and does good. He has no hope for the future, for the days to come, which will only be worse. A person feels that he will spend the rest of his life in the same useless manner, without receiving any fulfillment in the present or the future—no inner or surrounding Light.

However, one who lives for the sake of correction and rouses inner and surrounding Lights not only becomes worthy of receiving pleasure from life itself (when Light is clothed into desires), but he is happy to “bring sons into this world” (new states). That is, he advances further. He develops his desires and sees that he needs the whole world since it represents his own desires, which he joins to himself and fulfills. It turns out that they all are his sons.
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From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/19/11, “The Study of the Ten Sefirot”

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Question: According to the Kabbalists’ prophecies, when will the majority of the nation of Israel start studying the wisdom of Kabbalah?

Answer: This will happen when the whole world demands it. Israel cannot awaken if the world doesn’t demand it because Israel doesn’t have any need to awaken unless it is working for the whole world.

That is why we, the keepers of the method and those aware of what is happening, must disseminate the wisdom of Kabbalah as quickly as possible in the whole world in all forms, whether we’re mentioning the word “Kabbalah” or not.

We must explain our states, the correction, and what we can achieve through the corrections. This will awaken people and will give them the understanding of how to correct the crisis, and as a result of this, as it is said in the Prophets, “The Nations will come and carry Israel on their hands to build the Temple.”

Without such pressure there won’t be an advancement—the nation of Israel will not feel a need in this. Before the ten plagues of Egypt, one doesn’t flee from Egypt. But we’ve got an opportunity to convert this pressure from ordinary suffering into the suffering of Love, when you yourself long for something you don’t have.

But in any case, the pressure has to be there. The Gog and Magog war has to take place in order for us to be born on the next degree. But we can cause the birth pains and the birth due to our desire to exit this world instead of being due to real birth pains—wars and suffering for the whole world.

The Prophets tell us about blows that are in store for us on nature’s part. But at the same time, we have the wisdom of Kabbalah in order for us to accept these blows as purposeful and helping the birth.

The minute I connect myself to the goal, the blows become a remedy. I don’t feel them as blows anymore. But I have to go through all the forces and all the states. However, if I change my realization and attitude towards them, I go through them with joy.

I go through it all consciously, I see the goal and I desire these blows; it’s as if I’m giving birth to myself.
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From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/18/11, The Study of the Ten Sefirot

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According to the laws of interaction between the Light and the vessel, we have to go through the gravest misfortunes on the path toward the goal. And that’s where the science of Kabbalah comes to our rescue, helping us avoid having these blows come down on our animate flesh and instead transferring them to the human level, to the height we should be on.

Today I am receiving blows from three levels: still, vegetative, and animate. They are whipping me along on the human level. Stated differently, I am being pushed from behind by a bad force, evil, suffering. And I can only obtain one means to help me, a yearning, an attraction forward, coming from the wonderful goal that illuminates my path like the sun. In that case, I will still experience suffering, but it will be the sweet suffering of love.

It is easier to bear this kind of sorrow because it is caused by a longing for the good future. I feel disappointed and fall into despair, but I do not run away because I understand that these pains have to reach a specific, total measure (Σ), similar to how penny after penny eventually adds up to a big sum.

I accumulate great pressure within, a great desire to make a leap toward the goal. I need a gap between me today and the corrected me. And this gap has to be felt as suffering, caused by the difference between who I am and who I should be. This is unavoidable. This abyss has to open up inside of me, but there is absolutely no need for it to be created by wars, diseases, and other disasters.

The real correction is just starting now, when humanity is starting to come together, to merge as one man with one heart, either unwillingly, under a torrent of negative forces from behind, or with the help of the Light that flows ahead. It is impossible to describe how these two paths differ. After all, we have to open up Malchut of the world of Infinity, either in the darkness of inconceivable suffering which purifies our egoism, or in the Light that reforms.

Thus, everything comes down to how we will experience the abyss separating us from correction. We can overcome the path willingly, by agreeing with it, by building an environment that supports us; or we can ignore the solution as long as possible until the pressure from behind forces us to understand from where, why, and for what the disasters are happening, which we cannot escape no matter how much we try.

A person may need decades to get smarter and reveal the Light. And that is why the science of Kabbalah was given to us. But one way or another, this gap between the Creator and creation, between the receiver and the Giver, has to be felt inside of us to the fullest.
[60295]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/9/11, Writings of Baal HaSulam “Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah)”

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There are two ways by which nature advances us: without our knowing or consciously, meaning by the Light (the Torah) or by suffering. The way we advance without knowing is by pain. Because our nature is a desire to receive, we advance and develop gradually from one degree to another under the influence of a good sensation or a bad one. So what do we sense as good or bad?

We were created by the Light, which created us with a desire to be filled. Through our process of development, we gradually attain everything that is in the Light, in the Creator, as good and everything that is in contrast to it we perceive as bad.

This is a very long way, and for a long time, according to our nature, everything seems the opposite to us. But as the power of bestowal teaches us, we begin to understand that our egoism is bad and that it is responsible for all our failures, and how wonderful it could be if we were in the attribute of bestowal, which could raise us above all evil.

This awakening comes gradually to each of us and to all of humanity. It is through suffering that we learn from the blows that the force pushes us from behind.

At the same time, we are given the opportunity to hasten our development by ourselves and to advance towards attaining the good. The good is only bestowal, and we should do different exercises and use different tools in order to develop the sensation of the recognition of evil by ourselves, not as a result of the blows but rather through the environment.

In order to do that we have to be more sensitive to good and bad, to bestowal and receiving, to love of others and to hatred. I can prepare myself even before the blow comes, by working with the environment so that I can begin to understand that bestowal is good and receiving is bad.

After all, this is how nature is. The Creator determined the goal of Creation: adhesion to the Creator, to His qualities; that is,  “As He is merciful and you are merciful too.” So we have to resemble His attributes in all our attributes. This means that I have to transform myself and to understand that my nature is evil and that the Creator’s nature of bestowal is good.

The tricks and the means I use in order to see bestowal as good, are called “Mitzvot” (commandments), “God’s work.” Working with the environment enables us to see bestowal as good and egoism as bad.

This is why the soul was shattered into many private souls and we can, thanks to our mutual work, attain that connection and love of others, which is good. From the love of others we reach the love of the Creator. It is the particular and the general expression of the same phenomenon.

All the descent from the top down, meaning all the preparation that was made for us was necessary so that we will be able to use it and to develop independently and consciously, so that eventually we will reach the goal.
[59903]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/6/11, “What to Look for in the Assembly of Friends”

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Question: A few days ago we held a wonderful dissemination action of giving out newspapers. People immediately started reading them with great interest, which made us extremely happy. How can we retain that happiness and bring it to the December convention?

Answer: We are living in a big world which is rushing toward a new state. People are starting to understand that something has gone awry even though they’re not exactly sure what that is. Every person is yelling about his own concerns, and that is natural. That is how we are built: From the youngest age, we do not even suspect what we are really crying about. People are sounding calls for equality and social justice; the only problem is that everyone has their own idea of justice.

However, the pressure will continue growing and expanding. We will see how the relationships between nations and civilizations will add fuel to the fire and it will get even hotter.

For us, this is a completely clear sign that we have to start acting. With time, people won’t simply wait for new materials from us. They will feel that Light is flowing here, that this is where life lingers. Right now they are inspired by the lively, warm, smart words that are helping them figure out what is happening and to gain at least a slight understanding of what they want, what they are yelling about. By reading about it, they are making an order of things inside of them. A person felt bad, and now he understands exactly what the problem is, what he should aspire to, and what he should be watchful of.

In essence, we are “formatting” or building people from within. But this is only good for a start. Back in your day you were also brought to Kabbalah by a certain inexplicable desire. But then comes a period when the Light has to appear. It is what will bring the changes. We cannot drag this out for too long because otherwise the Light will become revealed in the opposite form, as disasters, epidemics, and other catastrophes on a global scale. A long time ago, the prophets wrote about how dangerous this path is.

Therefore, we have to take care of the Light that reforms. This Light only comes from unity, which does not exist in our world. After all, we are animals, but if we unite the points in our hearts, not our bodies, but precisely these particles of the Creator, our spiritual aspirations, if we try to weld them into one, then we evoke the Light that reforms. It is contained or concealed inside of this unity.

Once this Light appears, it will unite us. Then our dissemination will shift to a new level. It will no longer be newspapers and websites, but we will become revealed in people from within. Without understanding why, they will start asking questions about mutual guarantee and Kabbalah, and will start to look for us under the guiding influence of the Light. You came to the group accidentally, as it were, and likewise, they too will turn around, not exactly in our direction, but in the right direction nevertheless.

The world is moving forward more and more swiftly. And that is a huge mass of people. On one hand, they are feeling worse and worse, and on the other, a good solution is starting to take shape before them. Therefore, the upcoming convention will have to unite our points and reveal the Light which will pour out of us like a spring of living water and fill the whole world. That is exactly what we must achieve.

We have to prepare in such a way that the convention will become a flash of Light, a breakthrough of the spiritual force which will aim the world toward goodness with one blow. Then we will immediately feel how the world is changing, right during the days of the convention and onward.
[59314]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/31/11, “The Love for the Creator and Love for the Created Beings”

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In the article “Peace in the World” Baal HaSulam examines the essence of the forthcoming transition that will raise humanity to a new level:

At first glance, the plan seems imaginary… But when we delve deeply into it, we will find that the contradiction from reception for oneself to bestowal upon others is nothing but a psychological matter… although self-reception manifests itself in us in various ways…all those are defined by one name, “pleasure.”

This is already clear today. Our essence, mind, feeling, and every cell of our bodies aspires to fulfillment. It can be felt simply as a rush of energy, or it can take on other forms until it reaches the psychological level, where we define it as pleasure. If my hand rests on the table, then it’s not my hand that enjoys it, but me. One way or another, fulfillment for us is always pleasure. It is what we all desire.

A question arises: If my matter only wishes to fulfill itself in order to experience pleasure, then am I able to maintain a connection with others? Am I able to participate in the life of the common system as nature dictates and enjoy it at the same time? If this is possible, if Baal HaSulam says that this is a psychological aspect, then maybe I will be able to confuse or trick myself into doing this? After all, psychology is an everyday affair, so to say. As a result, by carrying out nature’s demand, I will enjoy myself and will make others happy on a new, global level of being.

…what does one receive during one’s life? If we assume that one obtains twenty percent of pleasure during his lifetime and eighty percent of pain, then if we put them one opposite the other, there would still remain sixty percent of suffering unrewarded.

If a person made the right calculation, he would not be able to bear this life. In the most natural manner, he would immediately decide to end his life. The math is simple: “pleasure minus suffering is equal to….” Which is followed by a decision and its instant realization. However, we do not make an accurate calculation and therefore, we continue to live.

But this is all a private calculation, as when one works for oneself. But in a global calculation, the individual produces more than he takes for his own pleasure and sustenance. Thus, if the direction were to change from self-reception to bestowal, the individual would enjoy the entire production of what he produces without much pain.

If we make a calculation—how much can we receive from the whole world in return for what we give to it—then it really is worthwhile to live.

Thus, everything depends on a clear, precise, and transparent calculation: What do I have from reception and bestowal? And Baal HaSulam talks only about the material calculation here, leaving the spiritual calculation between the lines. In our world, one way or another everyone suffers and accepts it. However, if we clearly show a person all of his “income” and “expenses,” he will understand that he is being robbed to the bone. On the other hand, in the spiritual sense, he can record eternal life in his account, which is incomparable to the petty animate existence.

Thus, we are facing a psychological problem, and we have to view the world’s correction in this vein. All of these calculations, as well as the opportunities that become revealed by virtue of the Kabbalistic method, come down to upbringing. That means we have to create a system of education and upbringing, and then the world, which is in a desperate situation, will understand that it is actually at the starting point, at the threshold of a new beginning.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/25/11, “Peace in the World”

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