Question: In the book A Vision of Goodness, it is written: “And know that man has to study the four levels of PARDES: Pshat, Remez, Drush, Sod, and reincarnate until he fulfills them.” Do we really need to go through so many reincarnations until we learn the entire PARDES (the simple explanation, the allegory, the hint, and the secret), in order to reach the end of correction?

Answer: We need to reach “Pshat,” the simple explanation of the Torah. So far we have been studying “Sod,” the hidden, secret meaning. “Sod” means that I am studying, but I understand nothing; it is a secret to me.

When the secret becomes slightly clearer, it turns into “Remez” (a hint), then into “Drush” (the allegorical explanation, an allegory), and then into “Pshat” (a simple explanation). There are four worlds: Assiya, Yetzira, Beria, and Atzilut. Right now I am studying the entrance into the World of Assiya; I still do not understand anything, and this means that I am studying the secret, “Sod.”

Once I transition from the World of Assiya into a higher world, the World of Yetzira, I will study “Drush.” In the World of Beria I will study “Remez,” and in the World of Atzilut “Pshat.”

“Pshat” is the greatest attainment, when there is no concealment at all, and everything is clear, open, simple, and obvious. All the Lights fill all the Kelim (vessels), I know and understand everything!

Every person needs to attain this in his or her soul, but on his own level, until his complete correction.
[26779]
From Lesson 3, World Kabbalah Convention 2010, 11/9/10

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Everything Begins With A Secret

Filed under: Conventions, Inner Work, Q&A, Torah - No Comments →

The Book of Zohar, Introduction, Chapter “BeLaila DeKala (On the Night of the Bride)“: …the Sitra Achra has only a thin light of the illumination of Malchut. This is regarded as Shoresh [root], and it is sufficient for the persistence of the Klipot… This Shoresh is also called “a fine thread,” meaning a thin root for the sins. It is written about it, “At first, it is akin to spider-web, and later it becomes as cart-ropes.”

Klipa is Kelim that we are unable to correct yet by the intention of bestowal. We are talking about very powerful and important desires in which the greatest Lights will be revealed later on at the final correction. In principle we do not have the possibility of doing anything with the desire for pleasure. We can only sort out its parts and decide which of them we are now able to work with on various conditions.

As for the rest of the desires, we have to “can” them and constantly keep guarding them so they won’t break out and attack us. All the enemies of Israel, meaning those who hate the aspiration “straight to the Creator,” are exactly the great egoistic desires which we cannot correct yet. The Torah calls them the nations that never let Israel be.

Of course, we understand that their wars are the awakening of egoism, which is for a person’s benefit. They enable him to discern his uncorrected desires and “to kill” them, meaning to always find new parts in them that can be corrected and attached to him in order to be used for the sake of bestowal.

Thus, we need to worry about the egoistic parts of the desire which are not yet subject to correction. We have to support their existence and perform special spiritual work for their sake.

After all, I feel them inside me. It’s not enough to simply cut them off and not use them. On the current phase I correct them by giving them a small illumination, designated by the letter Kuf (ק), whose lower part descends beneath the line, bringing a thin glow to the worlds of BYA and to the Klipot that are there.

It’s the same as how a sick person is connected to a life support machine in the emergency room. It’s not that I pretend that these desires don’t exist in me, but on the contrary, I admit that they exist and I rule over them. It turns out that they depend on me because I support a small spark of life in them.

We need the Klipa because, like a peel, it protects the fruit during the period of its ripening. Without these actions we are unable to start correcting Malchut.
[26921]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/18/10, The Zohar

Related Material:
The Start Of A New Spiritual Degree

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Egoism, Torah, Zohar - 1 Comment →

Question: How does the story of David and Bat-Sheva become expressed in group work?

Answer: The question is correct. We don’t work just on a person’s individual desire, but on the desire that is between us. That is precisely what was broken and it is what has to be corrected.

In the general desire for correction every person is present with his own particular egoism, which is not taken into account at all. Inside of me there are desires of the animate, vegetative, and still levels, which are not subject to correction directly. They will be corrected to the degree I work on the human level.

What needs to be corrected is the relationships between us, the threads of connection between us. This general desire is evil in relation to you – the intention for the sake of bestowal.

Leave everything else alone and work only on the human being in you, Adam, the one who has to be similar (Dommeh) to the Creator. All the other desires will automatically follow him.

That is why all of our work is done in the group. Malchut, Bat-Sheva, is the common broken Kli for which we have to find correction, unity. The discerning Upper Light AB-SAG comes and takes a part of the Light from us. That is how Uriah passes away, the Light Yod-Hey. Only Vav-Hey remain with which we can work.

Then David takes a part of Zeir Anpin, which is intended for correcting Malchut, and starts to work. Being a screen (Masach) with the intention “for the sake of bestowal,” he corrects Bat-Sheva and reaches the right Zivug, unity with her, in order to give pleasure to the Creator.

Related Material:
All The Answers Are In The Group

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Q&A, Torah, Zohar - 2 Comments →

The Book of Zohar, Weekly Torah Portion “VaYishlach,” Selected Excerpts
Download: WMV Video|MP3 Audio

Filed under: Torah, Zohar - No Comments →

Question: What greater evil should we disclose within in order for the Light to illuminate us?

Answer: We must come to see that our innate nature is Pharaoh (ego) who does not allow us to rise above ourselves. We ought to hate it, but we still love it; we keep enjoying living in it. When, similar to our present predicament, we start receiving blows, we become disappointed in our nature and understand that we cannot reach spirituality.

So, for the first time, we got to see our nature as the evil inclination, as our rival who is the opposite to the Creator, spirituality. This is regarded as the first plague of our Pharaoh.

As to the other nine plagues, I don’t think we will need another nine such conventions. We will be able to undergo them in our mutual connection on daily basis during our lessons. We will pass through them quickly because the key at each spiritual stage is its first degree.

Later on, it will all be just a routine until a certain stage is completed. For example, right now, we are to become aware of our own evil, and we have started this process. Next time, it will be the escape from Pharaoh, exodus from Egypt, and this is what is called spiritual birth.
[26429]
From the Lesson on the Weekly Torah Portion 11/12/10

Related Material:
Ascending to The First Level

Filed under: Conventions, Group Work, Inner Work, Q&A, Torah - No Comments →

In spirituality, if you aren’t going all the way, then you aren’t working with your entire desire. Then it bears no relation to your spiritual progress. However, you don’t even know where “all the way” ends, what is the maximum. You can only imagine it in some way.

Thus, we have reached a state where we wished to reveal the spiritual world completely – everything we could only imagine. With this maximal intention we arrived at the Convention. We wanted this and nothing less, so the “heavens would be revealed.”

But what became revealed to us instead? How much we are internally unable to come even one inch closer to it! We cannot accept the need to unite, to cancel ourselves.

As soon as we started talking about the connection between us and the inner work we have to do, our desire immediately cooled down. We are not ready to attain the spiritual world with that price tag!

This means we had misunderstood the Upper World and did not realize that it was the quality of bestowal, above our egoism. Yet we felt this necessity. After three days filled with many inner actions, we came out disappointed. And this disappointment comes from the fact that we are unable and do not desire to attain true spirituality. We desire to remain in our definition of spirituality as something that is simply good, eternal, and pleasant in our current, egoistic desires.

What did we reveal? It was the left line, our own evil inclination, the fact that we desire to receive spirituality inside our egoistic desires just like in the material world. Why didn’t we receive it? It’s because it’s not necessary to receive anything in spirituality. It is open. If you want to bestow, then go ahead. Everything’s permitted and anything is possible. No one can steal that from you.

In other words, inside our ego we revealed that our definition of spirituality was incorrect. And this will become revealed to us on all 125 levels! Now we still don’t see that our nature is opposite to the spiritual nature, that we are unable to attain it, and that we have one single opportunity left: only to cry to the Creator, to ask Him. This is already the right line. We have to rise above ourselves and the middle line will emerge from that.

Nevertheless, we have accomplished great work. The despair that took over us, the pain and futility that became revealed in us showed us the inability to attain the spiritual world inside our egoistic desires. In essence we were asking for spirituality to become revealed precisely inside these desires, rather than in the bestowing desires. Now, after this realization of evil, we will enter the right line, will correct ourselves, and attain the middle line.

Therefore, what we accomplished at the Convention is a great attainment. It really is the beginning of the spiritual path already. This has never happened on such a big scale and in the great egoism of the last generation. Baal HaSulam writes, “I am happy about the sinners that become revealed because the reason for it is the ‘holiness of the day.”’

A great Light had to pour from Above in order to show us how much we don’t desire and aren’t capable, how opposite we are to spirituality, the degree to which we do not want to think about unity and love between us. All of that is “holiness of day” because we united together and nevertheless desired to ascend spiritually in some respect.

We revealed the degree or desire above which we have to ascend. However, for now we are unable to do so, yet we have to do it in order to ascend to the first degree of the spiritual ladder.

That is why I am very happy with the results of the Convention and I very much hope that in the near future we will already reveal all three lines as the middle line.
[26442]
From the Weekly Torah Portion on 11/12/10

Related Material:
This Is My Pharaoh Suffering

Filed under: Conventions, Egoism, Inner Work, Torah - 2 Comments →

We are disappointed from being unable to break through our egoistic shell (Klipa) and unite into one Kli. We have revealed that there is something lying between us that does not allow our hearts to merge into one desire and leave aside the bodies and this world.

In the end, this shell must show us that we are powerless before it. The huge desire to attain the goal, together with the inability to attain it ourselves, leaves us no other choice but to turn to the Creator.

Until we become totally disillusioned in our own powers and passionately wish to attain the goal, we forget about Him. Even if we would post notices all around us saying that it is necessary to ask the Creator for help, we still wouldn’t have a need for Him. This need comes when: 1. We desire it with everything we have, and 2. We are unable to enter the spiritual world. That is when we begin to attain and realize the fact that only the Creator can help us.

We received the first, wonderful disappointment at the Convention, and that is a great possession. Now we must only understand what we received, and while constantly thinking about it, strengthen our sensation.

Thought increases the desire, bringing out all of its components, and this enables us to keep advancing without new troubles by simply trying to clarify the state we were in more and more. This is enough. That is how we will form our demand to the Creator since there is none else besides Him and only He can help us oppose Pharaoh.

Besides, we will understand that the Creator acts in both directions. Pharaoh is also the Creator, but from the other side. It says in the Torah, “Let us go to Pharaoh for I have hardened his heart.” The Creator warns us about this ahead of time, “I am standing on your path. Do you want to break through? Then turn to Me with a request because I am the one who arranged this obstacle for you, and with My help you will break through.”

It is written concerning this, “My sons have defeated Me.” There is none else besides the Creator, but in order to realize this and demand His help, we need joint efforts, aimed at one goal: How to repel Pharaoh and be born to the Light.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: After The Convention: The First Conclusions
Laitman.com Post: Birth: The First Contraction

Filed under: Conventions, Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Inner Work, Torah - 1 Comment →

The Book of Zohar, Weekly Torah Portion “VaYetze,” Selected Excerpts
Download: WMV Video|MP3 Audio

Filed under: Torah, Zohar - No Comments →

Question: How should we work with the quality of Esau (the egoistic desire) so it won’t awaken during the Convention?

Answer: It won’t awaken, you can be sure about that. We are coming to the Convention prepared, “warmed up,” having the understanding that we are gathering in order to unite.

We are leaving all problems, doubts, and opposition at home because we know that we are unable to overcome our egoism, Esau, directly. The only way we should act is by going around, according to the method of Jacob, which comes from the word Akev – to go around.

This means that it is useless to fight your nature head on. We have to come out of it, ascend above it, and acquire a new nature of bestowal. Then, with its help, gradually and in parts, we must gradually use egoism for the sake of bestowal. Our egoism is a special force existing inside us that we have to take into account. However, we shouldn’t fight against it, but only worry about unity and mutual guarantee, constantly increasing the right line, the force of Jacob, the force of bestowal.

Then we will reveal the Creator and will be able to oppose Esau. However, this doesn’t mean that we will be fighting him. For now we are correcting ourselves by strengthening the line called Jacob inside us – bestowal and mutual unity. The Esau that is in us receives blows from the whole process and starts to understand that he should also unite with Jacob.

Therefore, there won’t be any threats or wars. He will desire to interact with the right line himself since he will see that the opportunities at his disposal do not enable him to be fulfilled. He lacks Jacob, bestowal, in order to advance in life.

That is why we should think only about attaining unity and consolidation. All the other problems will be corrected by becoming attached to the right line and strengthening it even more.
[26221]
From the “Weekly Torah Portion” show on 11/5/10

Filed under: Conventions, Egoism, Q&A, Torah, Unity - 2 Comments →

Question: Why do we start spiritual work in the Torah and commandments with the egoistic intention of Lo Lishma (not for Her Name)?

Answer: Our matter is the evil inclination. It is described as “I created the evil inclination, and I created the Torah as a spice.” It turns out that the evil inclination is coated in some kind of seasoning, as if in some cream. The Torah carries the Surrounding Light (Ohr Makif) that “tiles” our matter and returns it to the Source. In other words, the Torah is the Light that corrects the intention and re-directs it from aiming at the personal benefit to the benefit of others.

The “evil inclination” is the desire aimed at evil, meaning personal benefit. The Light arrives and turns in into the “good inclination” or desire aimed at the good, the benefit of others.

Thus, the Torah becomes a “spice” since it adds just a “dab” and spices the will to receive with the correct intention. Previously, you were employing it to harm, and now you are using it to do good. As to the commandments, they are actions through which you realize the goal so as to make your desire similar to the Creator.

There is a chain of actions that follow one after the other in small doses, unfolding within you. You carry them out so that in the end, all your desires were aimed at bestowal. Thereby you do, indeed, perform the “commandments” or the Creator’s orders (your internal corrections).
[25876]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/4/10, ““What is the Foundation that Sanctity is Built Upon”

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Inner Work, Q&A, Torah - No Comments →