Everything in spirituality is initially built on the equivalence of two forces: the force of bestowal, love, fulfillment, and creation, which is called the Creator, and the opposite desire upon which this force works: the desire to receive, accumulate, and absorb everything inside.

The influence of the force of the Creator generates all states that the creation goes through until it reaches its full similarity to the Creator. In this metamorphosis, the creation constantly feels it is under the influence of the upper light. It is forced to go through these states: the best, the worst, and all kinds of descents and ascents in order to imprint within itself various impressions of the influence of the light.

As a result, these impressions evoke various forms of desire. The desire itself, created by the Creator, is like formless clay from which all sorts of forms, states, and impressions must be created: close-far, low-high, wide-narrow, light-dark, red-green, musical sounds, etc. That is, all categories that distinguish a place, time, space, and movement.

Therefore, the light acts on this amorphous desire, this piece of clay, this shapeless piece of earth, dust, and makes something similar to the Creator out of it.

Imagine to what level you need to elevate this creation! And it must be aware of its ascent, be impressed by it so that it achieves independence in the likeness to the Creator.

The Creator is working on this initial desire, which is not even an embryo and has not yet been born. This is what we study in the science of Kabbalah and what we practically go through ourselves.
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From KabTV’s “The Power of The Book of Zohar” #19

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Question: It is said in the book of the Prophets that after Joshua entered the city of Ai with his army, all the citizens of the city were destroyed, as well as those soldiers who were lured out of the city. In total, 12,000 people were killed: husbands and wives.

Why is it said: “husbands and wives”? What does this mean?

Answer: We are talking about two lines. There are cities where you can destroy only the male population, and leave the female population, or destroy women and leave only virgins, and so on.

This means that in each case you can attach different quantities of egoism aimed at acting for the sake of bestowal to yourself and absorb them into yourself to use them correctly.

In this case, it is necessary to destroy both lines because the nation has only entered the land of Israel. It has not conquered anything yet; it has not subjugated anything to the quality of bestowal; it does not yet have a common screen. Therefore, for the time being, they must destroy the desire called the city of Ai and not use it at all.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 7/19/21

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And these are the cities which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance to them.

By lot was their inheritance, as the Lord commanded through Moses, for the nine tribes and for the half tribe. …

Then the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal; and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know the thing that the Lord spoke to Moses the man of God concerning me and concerning you in Kadesh- barnea.

I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord, sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land; and I brought him back word as it was in my heart.

And my brothers that went up with me, made the heart of the people melt; but I fulfilled the will of the Lord my God.
And Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land upon which your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance, and your children’s forever, because you have fulfilled the will of the Lord my God.’

And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, as He spoke, these forty-five years, from the time the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness; and now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old.

I am still as strong this day as I was on the day that Moses sent me; as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.

And now, give me this mountain, of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the ‘Anakim were there, and that the cities were big and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out, as the Lord spoke.”

And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance.
Hebron, therefore, became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he fulfilled the will of the Lord God of Israel.

And the name of Hebron before was Kirjath-arba (the city of Arba); Arba was the greatest man among the ‘Anakim. And the land had rest from war. (Prophets, Joshua, 14)

Caleb asks to give him land for a plot, which is not so easy to win. Moreover he does not ask for fertile land, but for work for himself: “I am 85 years old, but I am still strong and I can still be useful.”

He can do this precisely at the age that speaks of the height of spiritual attainment. And it is against anakim—great, big, strong desires that frighten everyone with their very appearance.

Caleb is not afraid of anything and he knows that he can overcome these desires because he has a connection with the Creator and with the people and with a goal that he must reveal to everyone.

He says: “I want to fight,” because the confrontation between positive and negative forces reveals and the Creator who created these opposing forces is attained through this.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 8/9/21

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Prophets, 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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Prophets, 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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Israel 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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Prophets, 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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Prophets, 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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Prophets, 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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Having 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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