Torah, “Exodus,” 19:12-13: And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying: Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it; whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death;

No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live; when the ram’s horn soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.

Question: Why are there all these conditions for coming near Mt. Sinai?

Answer: A “Mount” stands for 125 degrees of ascent to the Creator, and it includes a person’s entire ego. Five worlds x five Partzufim x five Sefirot = 125 degrees. These are the stages according to which a person has to change internally as he climbs the levels to the very top, merging with the Creator.

In the meantime, the nation is standing at the foot of the mountain. It has not yet received the Torah, the instructions for the correction of the ego, and so it cannot “touch” the spiritual ascent without being ready for it.

When a person works with his ego and wants to start the spiritual ascent with it, in his current form, he will only be confused and destroy himself. It’s like a child who cries “I want to” and enters a place that he shouldn’t, and we have to protect him from endangering himself. It’s the same thing here, when a person who doesn’t know the instructions, cannot even approach the spiritual ascent unless he knows them.

After all, the instructions tell him how he should gradually correct himself, according to which stages and in what way, and it’s the only way a person can ascend. What’s more, he will face problems on every level: He will be pushed down from the mountain; he will fall and climb again, trying to climb from one level to another like a child who is not strong enough yet to lift a leg.

A person is thrown back, he falls, rolls a few levels downwards, and then has to climb again; however, as he climbs to the previous levels, he already understands them better. He thinks to himself: “Wow! Now I get it!” He tries to climb a bit higher, and he falls off two levels lower. Then, when he ascends from the lower level to the middle level and then to the higher one, he begins to understand the middle level better since he discovers in it not the Light of Nefesh but the Light of Ruach.

He begins to understand this level better, and then he falls three levels downwards. Otherwise, how can he understand that? In order to understand all the reasons, he has to descend. It’s from this state, when he is created as existence from absence, even before the creation of our world and before his current understanding of how he is and what he is, it’s precisely from this point that he has to understand his current self and how to go on.

So, from the current point of our life, we remember the years that have passed and understand them better than when we were just living them. Therefore we say: “Was it so or was I dreaming?”

That is, our life was like a dream. Now, if we attain the upper levels and look back from our current level, we begin to understand that all this was predetermined precisely so that now I, in my current form, will be able to see my whole past and agree with the one who has prepared all this for me: the Creator.

Question: Does this mean that I justify the whole way, no matter what I have been through, all the suffering?

Answer: The point is that now I don’t see all the suffering anymore. I see the necessary changes that I had to go through in order to be in contact with the Creator today. This is why there are always greater descents than the previous ones.

The Book of Zohar tells us about Rabbi Shimon who has been through all the levels of the spiritual attainment, and when he was just one level away from the end of correction, he descended all the way to the bottom; only then did he feel that he was facing the last 125th level.

Question: Does this mean that he had the spark of the last level left in him?

Answer: Otherwise he wouldn’t be at the bottom, since it’s possible to measure one’s self only compared to the top. So a person cannot advance spiritually if he doesn’t receive the method of correction and has not been through three days of alienation from his ego.

The three levels are necessary in order to totally detach one’s self from one attribute and to move on to the next one. It’s because the two levels that are close to one another have something in common, and a person has to be not between two levels but between three levels, which means that he has to move from the lower level to a higher one and then to an even higher one. Then through the middle level he detaches himself from the lower level.

Afterwards it’s possible to correct oneself in order to “wash one’s garments,” which means to correct a certain level of the ego, the fourth part.

Then you can come close to Mt. Sinai—to a certain circle. You have to see this circle and to understand yourself, your egoistic attributes compared to the altruistic ones. The more a person corrects himself, the higher he can climb the mountain, which symbolizes the ego and rising above it. After all, all of Pharaoh’s ego, everything that Egypt stands for, the universal ego, has turned into Mt. Sinai.

You could only escape from Egypt, but here you have to rise above your ego and to start working with it. The difference between these two states is that in the middle you receive that method of correction, the Torah. After all, without the method of correction you cannot even begin to correct yourself. Now you have a chance to climb the mountain.

Question: What does it mean “no hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned,” and “when the ram’s horn soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount?”

Answer: A stone stands for the ego, “the stony heart.” The ram’s horn is the descent of the upper Light of the attainment, of the revelation. I receive it by hearing (the attribute of Bina). When I begin to hear the sound of the ram’s horn, it corrects me and I begin to see, which means that the sight, the understanding is revealed in me. Sight is a higher level.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 2/18/13

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Baal HaSulam, “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”: Only when they came out of Egypt and became a complete nation, only then was there a possibility to guarantee everyone’s needs without any care and concern. … as long as the individual is troubled with concerns for himself, he is unfit to even begin to keep the commandment, “Love thy friend as thyself.”

Thus, we begin to understand the meaning of the “Egyptian exile.” After all, the fulfillment of the conditions of mutual guarantee starts from the receiving of the Torah, according to the amount of the Light that Reforms that we draw. Until then, the children of Israel were not able to accept these conditions but were in the of system of establishing mutual guarantee.

On the whole, having come out of Babylon and set off on this path, we are constantly establishing the mutual guarantee relationship between us. First, our egoistic desire is still weak and we really feel that we are one family. But later, different conflicts begin; then, the hate builds up between us and we find ourselves in Egypt, that is, in different egoistic accounts. Here, “Pharaoh” becomes revealed to us and we gradually discover that there is no mutual guarantee between us.

Eventually, we reach the exact polar opposite of bestowal of the level of Bina. Instead of mutual guarantee, the force of bestowal, we acquire the force of receiving. This is the last phase before the exodus from Egypt. We discover all the evil among us in the group—and there is nothing else for us to do in Egypt.

Now, we need the Torah, the method of correction. Eventually, after the parting of the Red Sea, we receive it before the mountain of our hatred, Mt. Sinai (“Sinah” means “hatred” in Hebrew).
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/25/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Mutual Guarantee”

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Torah, Exodus, “BeShalach,” 17:14 – 17:16: The Lord said to Moses, Inscribe this [as] a memorial in the book, and recite it into Joshua’s ears, that I will surely obliterate the remembrance of Amalek from beneath the heavens. Then Moses built an altar, and he named it The Lord is my miracle. And he said, For there is a hand on the throne of the Eternal, (that there shall be) a war for the Lord against Amalek from generation to generation.

In general, a human being cannot conquer the quality of Amalek. But he has to create a situation when he places himself between the Creator and Amalek and really wants for the Creator to eliminate the property of Amalek within him.

A person needs Amalek. Otherwise, he won’t have a  connection with the Creator. In other words, the egoism (Pharaoh and so on) deliberately pushes us to the Creator. Without this pressure, we wouldn’t feel a need for Him.

In the end, corrections are made thanks to Amalek. But because he manifests in various forms, they are given different names.

Comment: Interestingly, when we read the Torah, we understand that all movie scenarios are extremely trivial and insignificant compared to it. They don’t even come close to the unbelievable height of the Torah.

Answer: There is no doubt about it since the Torah describes the inner world. It depicts completely different pictures of internal connections among everything there is. We recognize the system that unites us, see the properties and energies of the Universe, and become aware of everything that exists and happens between us. Undoubtedly, it’s a great action! A person rises to the level where his body no longer exists and there is only him inside these great forces.
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From KabTV’s “The Mysteries of the Eternal Book” 2/11/13

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The Torah, Exodus, 19: 3-5: And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying: ‘Thus, shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto Myself.

Now therefore, if ye will hearken unto My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be Mine own treasure from among all peoples; for all the earth is Mine…

Question: What does “And Moses went up unto God” mean?

Answer: Moses is the point in the heart. When I begin to feel that I ascend toward the attribute of bestowal, toward the attribute that separates me from the ego, and I don’t identify with it anymore, but rather place myself against it, then I rise a little bit above it, above the earth, to Mt. Sinai, to a mountain of hate.

I experience such mutual hate toward everyone that I am ready to enslave and subjugate everyone to me. However, I ascend above everything that the ego wants at any given moment of my existence and, depending on my ascent, get closer to the attribute of bestowal. The absolute attribute of bestowal and love is the Creator.

The Creator is not a materialized image, but rather what a person feels as an attribute. So, I leave everything that entices me to see the world in a different way, which means that I leave the people at the foot of the mountain and ascend to these new, qualitative attributes.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 2/18/13

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The Torah, Exodus, “Jethro’s Advice,” 18:21 – 18:23: …Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And let them judge the people at all times.

Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all these people also will go to their place in peace.

We are talking about human properties. A person starts recognizing what qualities in him get corrected under the influence of the upper Light (the property of bestowal). Some desires become closer to the property of bestowal, some become even more distanced. One studies their progression, systematizes them into a pyramid. There are only a few special properties that are “adjacent” to bestowal, whereas the number of more distant, more egoistic qualities is enormous.

Since the property that is called “Jethro” derives from egoism, it’s interlaced with the desires per se and their hierarchy. After all, the ego consists of five (5) levels of desires. When the desire named “Moshe” makes an attempt to correct a human ego, the property called “Jethro” helps him.

This mass is similar to the entire human mass, only that it’s inside a person. Using the language of Kabbalah, it is AHP of Galgalta ve Eynaim. Galgalta ve Eynaim is the property of “Moshe,” whereas AHP is the people of Israel that yet has to be corrected. It stands for egoism, and for that reason Jethro knows how to work with it.

According to the property named Hassadim, Moshe with his “generous hand and open heart” is not suitable for the process of correction. Egoism has to be corrected gradually, step by step. Thus, the property of Jethro shows up and puts everything in order.
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From KabTV’s “The Mysteries of the Eternal Book,” 2/18/13

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How do we examine our relationship at the beginning and at the end of the work? Where do we begin and what must we reach in the end? A person has to remember always that “There is none else besides Him” and strive not to leave the authority of the one, higher power.

You have to check as to what exactly influences you, in which states there are foreign thoughts and emotions that awaken in you, weakening your feeling of the uniqueness of the upper governance, and you have to work with these states. This is to say that it is forbidden for you to “accidentally” depart from the state of “There is none else besides Him.”

Even if you go to a marketplace or a doctor, it is up to you to know in which part of your grasp of reality you now intend to correct your lack of adherence with the Creator Who “Thou hast hemmed me in behind and before,” Who  controls  you directly and indirectly. The Creator prepared this entire state from the start, but you need to complete it with your attitude.

When your desires are corrected, then the past, present, and future will be connected for you into a single whole. This means that you make an effort physically and mentally in order to connect the behavior of the Creator with yourself, with your mind and heart, so that at all times, in all places, and in all deeds these will be joined together.

This doesn’t mean that you have to ignore the control  of the Creator as if He were not looking out for you. Rather, you have to clarify within yourself, in your private world, the place where you feel an opportunity to add something of yourself and do it yourself. You feel that not all of your actions are done according to the desire of the guiding hand of the Creator. Instead, you feel that this is not the Creator Who acts in you, but you yourself. This is what you need to correct. It is up to you to address cases like this, a desire like this, an area like this.

The work is to invest maximal effort and ultimately reach the decision that “There is none else besides Him.” If you are doing the right action through your connection with the group and self-annulment, by connecting yourself (Israel), the Light that Reforms (the Torah), and the Creator, then you also are connecting all of these states to the Creator and become convinced that “There is none else besides Him.” This means that you are bringing all these states back to holiness.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/14/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Spiritual advancement is according to the formula of “Israel, the Torah, and the Creator are one.” “Israel” is he who exerts himself in order to build a deficiency inside himself and to fulfill the Creator’s desire and allow Him to be revealed. In order to do that, the created beings’ vessel has to be whole. Whoever yearns to discover the whole vessel is called “Israel.” After all, the Creator, the upper Light, is in absolute rest and needs only the vessels.

The Torah is actually what we need to exert ourselves for to discover the love for the created beings and from the love of the created to reach the love of the Creator. We exert ourselves by yearning to love the created beings, to rise above ourselves, and to be incorporated in the environment by organizing it according to all the necessary conditions so that it will impress us and will evoke us correctly. It is impossible to reach the right awakening without an environment; it is only possible by external influence.

When we exert ourselves enough, we discover that we cannot do anything. Time and time again we discover that we cannot reach the love of the created beings and eventually we understand that we need the Creator’s help. Then a prayer bursts out by itself and it brings us to the love of the Creator.

It turns out that the three conditions: Israel, then the Torah, and then the Creator bring us to the goal; as it is said: “I have labored and I have found, believe.” It is impossible to immediately jump ahead without first exerting one’s self, that is, without the Torah, without a prayer, without a request, it is impossible to attain the Creator. It would be an egoistic request for which you will not get an answer. You will not have the letters of the prayer since they are created only by a person’s exertion. Only when their measure is filled will you know how to turn to the Creator with a request.

Before, you don’t even have a deficiency for what the Creator wants to give you, so you don’t turn to the Creator with the same request, and this is clearly why you don’t get anything!

If you want to save time and energy and to reach the goal quickly, you should act in the direction of “Israel the Torah and the Creator are one” so that eventually they will unite into one whole. It turns out that the right direction is the exertion on connection in the group in order to discover the Creator and to bring Him contentment. As it is written: “From the love of the created beings to the love of the Creator.” All the sages’ sayings refer only to these three stages: Israel, the Torah, and the Creator.
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From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/10/13

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