Entries in the 'Torah' Category

Monuments And Images

559Prophets, Joshua, 8:29: And the king of Ai he hanged on a gallows until evening, and as the sun set, Joshua commanded, and they took his carcass down from the gallows, and they threw it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raised upon it a great heap of stones to this day.

Hanging, strangling, this is not the biggest correction of egoism. The complete destruction of egoistic desires in a person is through burning. Hanging is only depriving egoism of its animalistic existence, i.e., one of the execution methods when a person is deprived of any opportunity for spiritual rebirth.

Question: It is written: “They threw it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raised upon it a great heap of stones.” What are these monuments?

Answer: Indeed, why erect monuments to egoism? The fact is that this is not done for the sake of egoism, but for a person in whom a beaten, mortified, hanged egoism exists, and he must remember it so that this will never happen again.

All this is done for future generations and not for the person himself, because the desire called “the owner of the city” has already been killed in him.

Question: It is very popular in the world today to erect monuments to the departed and living people, monuments to victory, and so on. Is it possible that this tradition comes from here?

Answer: No, this was customary in humanity even before the Torah was written. People like to eternalize themselves because egoism wants this even though in the end there will be nothing left of it. That is why it has a desire to somehow glorify itself.

Question: Why is Judaism against monuments?

Answer: We must remember not the person but his actions. And not his actions in the past but those that he conveys to us in the present.

It is customary in our generation that we keep photos, paintings, and portraits. Yet in general, there is absolutely no need for all that. I did not see any images in my teacher’s house: neither of his father, nor of other people, none. These are all just modern habits.

Question: Can we say that this is serving idols?

Answer: Of course. In some ways, it is. What does it give you if you look at a face? By doing this, you replace the correct state of coming closer internally with something external. The connection of the hearts is an absolutely internal action.

Question: What is the difference between a heap of stones and an image?

Answer: A heap of stones reminds us that here we have done away with egoism. The image, on the contrary, says that egoism is still among us, and by this we seemingly exalt it.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 7/19/21

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Altar Of Whole Stones

571.03Prophets, Joshua, 8:31: As Moses commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, upon which no (man) has lifted up any iron.

Question: What does it mean to build an altar of whole stones?

Answer: Whole stones represent the stony heart (Lev ha even). Stones are egoistic properties that the children of Israel took, and without changing anything in them, they built altars, thus raising to the property of bestowal, love. That is, they corrected their hearts of stone.

Question: Does it mean that exactly what is not processed is taken?

Answer: No, but the simplest, the primitive egoistic desire is taken in order to build holiness over it.

A processed stone means that you are already trying to apply and adjust the ego in a way that suits you.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 7/19/21

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Execution Of Evil Within You

508.2Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them; and they have also taken of the consecrated thing, and have also stolen, and also dissembled, and they have also put into their vessels (Joshua 7:11).

And it shall be, he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has; because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, because he has wrought an infamous deed in Israel (Joshua 7:15).

And they raised over him a great heap of stones to this day. … (Joshua 7:26)

Question: According to the Torah, there are four types of execution of egoism: beheading, stoning, burning and strangulation. What does it mean?

Answer: It means that a person has to perform some actions upon his ego, after which it will no longer tempt or conquer a person. In fact, this is an advancement. After all, you must realize your egoism. Otherwise, you will not enter Jericho, which stands on the border of the Land of Israel.

Therefore, everyone should make such a correction upon himself. This is the Creator’s covenant.

Question: Why is this called an execution?

Answer: You are not executing yourself but the evil within you. You have to feel it and separate it from yourself.

In no case does the Torah talk about people killing each other, as it may seem to us. It is talking about one’s path toward the lLand of Israel and its settlement, that is, about our correction.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 7/19/21

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Division By The Tribes Of Israel

749.02Prophets, Joshua, 11:23: And Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.

The intention for the sake of the Creator, for the sake of bestowal and love covered all the desires, the whole land (Eretz, land is from the word “Ratzon,” desire). And everything calmed down for a while because the whole land had not yet been conquered. And then there was a war again because everything is revealed gradually, at certain egoistic levels.

Question: It is said that the land was distributed “according to their divisions by their tribes.” What is the origin of the division of the land, the egoistic desire, to the tribes of Israel? What is the principle of division?

Answer: The fact is that egoism consists of four levels of Aviut (depth of desire). In spiritual work a desire works on three lines. Therefore, 4 levels multiplied by 3 lines gives the number 12. Accordingly, people were divided into 12 tribes.

Each tribe has a more or less egoistic part according to that tribe.

Question: What kind of tribe should it be so that it settles on the most egoistic land?

Answer: It is the royal tribe. The strongest tribe represents the greatest egoism. This means that you have the ego in front of you divided according to its levels into 12 parts. Each of these levels is assigned a certain property. Therefore, each tribe takes its place on the ground and develops it. It was clear to the masses that entered the borders of Israel how they should divide the land.

Question: It is said: “And the land rested from war.” What does it mean?

Answer: This means that each desire realized what kind of inner work would help so that it can be directed to the Creator.

There were no problems in dividing these desires since in such a state a person clearly understands what desires, inclinations, and intentions he has.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 8/2/21

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Deceiving Egoism

962.3Prophets, the Book of Joshua, 8:1: And the Lord said to Joshua, Fear not, and be not dismayed; take all the people of war with you and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land.

Question: In fact, the city was taken by deception. Why is it necessary to work with egoism by deception? Why can’t you take it directly?

Answer: Because egoism is right: it wants to enjoy, to receive. It does not deceive anyone. It leads a person to pleasure, fulfills him. That is why it is so difficult for us to give it up.

We must act by deception, by thievish actions: to lure out the warriors of the city of Ai who are inside us. And it turns out that we are always acting in a bad, indirect way. Otherwise, egoism cannot be defeated.

Question: How can we figure out what is true and what is false?

Answer: Truth is something that comes from the Creator and should prevail in the end. And a lie is anything that works against it. However, everything is relative. Who said that receiving is bad and giving is good? There are completely different philosophies and methods where the opposite is true. And they speak absolutely from the heart.

Question: That is, the truth is understood only if there is a connection with the Creator?

Answer: If the Creator stands above this and says that it is true, then we must accept it, we will discover that this is really the truth and at the end of our actions.

Question: How can I hear what the Creator says? How can I get closer to this truth?

Answer: You must begin to act as He says, that is, to act anti-egoistically, and gradually you will see a deep inner, higher meaning in this.

Question: Is this a correct postulate: If my egoism feels bad, it is good?

Answer: In general, yes. But we are not talking about self-torture or any kind of torment.

It is necessary to work with egoism very nicely, pleasantly, directly. And the deception should be based on the fact that I deceive it the same way I deceive a child when I give him sweet medicine. Only in this way. And that is why I do not feel that I am deceiving, that I am transgressing something.

Question: When we say that we should hate our egoism, what do we mean?

Answer: Egoism should be hated only because it is directed against the Creator and stands in the way between me and Him.

And at the same time, we must respect it. Egoism is considered an angel, the force of the Creator, so there is no way to go anywhere. As a result, respect and hatred are combined. You just need to learn how to work with the ego correctly.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 7/19/21

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“And Joshua Did Not Draw Back His Hand”

186Prophets, Joshua, 8:26-28: And Joshua did not draw back his hand that he had stretched out with the spear, until he had completely destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it a heap forever, a desolation to this day.

Question: What does it mean that while the battle is going on Joshua’s hand hasn’t been drawn back?

Answer: The raised hand symbolizes the direction of a person, his intention: to destroy these desires so that there is not a single one left that could ever be used in some way.

It is written: And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it a heap forever, a desolation to this day. To this day means never to use egoism again. That is, we are talking about a part of egoism that is corrected precisely by its destruction.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 7/19/21

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Emptiness That Yields Great Fruits

746.01Having entered together with the people of Israel into the land of Canaan, which was practically deserted, Joshua Ben Nun turns it into the land of Israel so that there would live a nation who would completely strive to the Creator.

This means that he turns the empty desire “Canaan” into the desire “Israel,” “straight to the Creator,” so that people who were under his command and under command of Moses, by uniting with each other and striving for the Creator, create conditions for the revelation of the Creator that they want to establish.

Question: You say that this land was empty despite the fact that seven nations lived there. What is this emptiness?

Answer: If people living on earth are not connected with the upper force, do not work for it, do not strive to connect with it, i.e., to rise from their desire, called “earth,” to its degree, then there is no sense in their existence.

Therefore, the intention of Joshua, which he wants to convey to the children of Israel, is to raise them from the knees, not to bow before their egoistic essence, but to wish to unite with the Creator.

This is the task that Joshua is facing now.

Question: Even if the earth is inhabited by people and it gives great fruits, it is still considered empty?

Answer: Yes, but this should not frighten anyone. If a person aspires to the Creator, then the emptiness along the way just are just “scarecrows,” all sorts of obstacles to his spiritual development.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 8/9/21

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Role Of The Levi Tribe

560And now, divide this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes, and the half tribe of Manasseh.

Only to the tribe of Levi he gave no inheritance; the sacrifices of the Lord God of Israel made by fire are his inheritance, as He said to him. (Prophets, Joshua, 13:7, 13:14)

The tribe of Levi symbolizes the quality of Bina. Therefore, they must be priests, Levites, and rely on nothing, not on any land.
Levites are absolutely pure bestowal without land, without any allotment. They do not have anything of their own.

On the one hand, it seems to be easier this way because you do not have any desires to work on. On the other hand, you exist only in this, and all the tribes, all the people, are under you. You have to serve them, carry out the quality of bestowal on them.

The Levites have no concept of living for themselves. And to this Cohens add work for bestowal.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 8/2/21

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Ruach – A Spiritual Movement Of A Person

49.04Ruach provides Nefesh in this world (The Book of Zohar).

Ruach” in Hebrew means wind and spirit. That is, Ruach is a movement.

The spirit, breathing, the breath—all are associated with what is moving. On the Ruach step a person’s spiritual movement takes place. He feels such a connection with the upper that he begins to make some conscious movements, and thus enters into communication with him.

He already knows which of his actions will cause the reactions of the supreme. A dialogue arises between them. This baby begins to understand what is possible and what is not and how to react. He learns from an adult to be aware, to absorb everything into himself. And this absorption of signals, the sense of an adult, makes him like an adult.

Therefore, these movements are called”spirit—Ruach.

Question: It is written: “Ruach provides Nefesh in this world.” What does it mean when it says “in this world”?

Answer: In this world is the state we are in. Each level I am on is called “this world,” my world, my state.

In our world a king, a monarch, a rich man, or a famous person can say: “This is my world.” And the same thing can be said by a poor man or an unhappy prisoner. But for everyone, these are different worlds, i.e., the state in which he is.
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From KabTV’s “The Power of The Book of Zohar” #18

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The Devoted Is Among Us

547.06Question: It is written in the book of Prophets, Joshua: I have given into your hand Jericho and its king, the mighty warriors… And only you keep (yourselves) from the devoted thing, lest you make yourselves condemned when you take of the devoted thing. What does it mean to “keep from the devoted thing”?

Answer: The devoted thing is an egoistic desire that cannot be corrected. If you take it, in no way you will be able to overcome it. It will stick to you like a leprosy, like something that you cannot get rid of. You will start thinking that it is yours, and this is the worst thing.

The fact is that you did not have this desire before, but as soon as you stick to it, it becomes yours.

Question: Further, the book of Prophets tells us that a person called Achan sinned and took of the consecrated thing…, a goodly Babylonish garment, meaning clothing, …and two hundred shekels of silver, meaning money, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, meaning wealth. What does it mean?

Answer: Clothing is a covering (Levush) with which you can dress anything, and it will look like an external garment, not an internal one. That is, you put it on and immediately become a complete egoist without even realizing it.

Money (Kesef) from the word “Kisufa, Kisui” (covering). In principle, this is the same as the garment, only more insidious. It buys you and you start working for it. That is, you find money, get it, win it, take it away, and it seems to you that it is yours. Yet in fact, you belong to them.

But gold (Zahav) is above everything – “Ze Hav,” which swallows everything. This is the representation of absolute blindness before wealth. If a person falls for gold, he is irrevocably lost.

Comment: It would seem that the people of Israel have already passed the stage of building the golden calf.

My Response: It does not matter since the final correction has not happened yet. The building of the golden calf will be finally corrected only in the last generation. In total, all this is the devoted thing.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 7/19/21

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