Question: Where is the center of the group found and how do we direct ourselves towards it? Is this a mental activity?

Answer: The center of the group is found in a place towards which all eyes and all hearts are directed, at the point where the friends expect to get a response for all of their efforts.

We have a common task and each one of us invests in the center of the group to the extent of his efforts and desires. In other words, the center of the group is the center of all the investments and hopes, the location of the prayers, and from there all of the requests rise upward. We invest all of our lives in the center of the group and we want the center to become the conclusion, the result of our lives.

We want to discover the guarantee there, for otherwise we cannot discover the Creator. The guarantee and the Creator, the Kli and the Light are discovered together as one thing. One cannot be without the other.

From the beginning of creation, there is no Light without a Kli and naturally, there is no Kli without the Light. This is what the Ari tells us in “The Tree of Life”: “Behold, that before the emanations were emanated and the creatures were created, the upper simple light had filled the whole existence.” This is to say, the reality and the Light already existed. One never existed without the other.

In the thought of creation, in the program of the Creator, the two components already existed as a single whole. There is no benefit to the Light if there is no Kli.

Therefore the center of the group is the place in which the Light and the desire need to be discovered together. This is the place in which the Creator is discovered within the creatures as a result of the correction of our properties.

The Kabbalists say that there must be at least ten people who invest effort in accord with the complete spiritual structure of the Ten Sefirot. If the group of ten (Minyan) invests effort in order to be a single whole, then in its center the Creator is discovered.

In order to be a single whole, they must maintain the general rules: “Don’t do to your friend what would be hateful to you, and you shall love your friend as yourself,” which means, to yearn for connection, unity, to be like one person, so that in a link between us, the characteristics that we attribute to the Creator will be discovered.

For we mold the Creator within the Kli, within our desire. And the moment that this desire will be somewhat like the Creator, to the smallest degree, then to that degree we can immediately discover Him. For this, a complete Kli is required, a HaVaYaH, the smallest Ten Sefirot, but it already exists.

To the extent that we kill our egoism, the image of the Creator begins to live in us. The attributes of the Creator live only in those people who kill their egoism for His sake, for the sake of His attributes of bestowal.

The center of the group is everything! There, in that center, all the worlds, Partzufim, Sefirot, the entire spiritual ladder, and the world of infinity are revealed. Everything takes place only at that center because when we begin to reveal the true concept of the group, it turns into the limitless vessel of the world of infinity for us. We learn all the systems—the entire world of Atzilut—from the center of the group.

So, when the creators of The Book of Zohar got closer to each other, to this center, they attained something new and told us about it. Thus they wrote The Book of Zohar, chapter by chapter, from attainment to attainment, defined by the measure of their unity.

Attainment comes from a new place every time: from Rabbi Yossi, Rabbi Abba, Rabbi Elezar, Rabbi Shimon himself, depending on what Sefira of the 10 was the most important in this attainment, and a new look, a new perspective, opened through its properties. Each Sefira is a different quality; that is why we see a complete structure through the prism of one quality or through the prism of another, which helps the understanding.
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From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/6/13, The Zohar

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Preparation to the Lesson

The Book of Zohar — Introduction

Talmud Eser Sefirot, Vol. 3, Part 9

Writings of Baal HaSulam, “600,000 Souls“

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The Book of Zohar was hidden for generations and it was prohibited to even look at. Kabbalists themselves promulgated this ban. The secret that is concealed within it is the Light that Reforms, but reaching this Light is possible only by breaking through the protective shield arranged by Rabbi Abba who re-wrote this text. When Kabbalists write books, they express the content so that it is concealed in a special garb, which we must penetrate through to reach what is inside. Their writing is a revelation, but while revealing one thing, they conceal two.

They help us with this concealment that brings us closer, by allowing us, to some small degree, to touch this secret. In fact, if there were no concealment, we would not be able to see anything at all. It is similar to an invisible man who cannot be seen until he dresses. But as soon as he puts clothes on, everybody can see him.

In other words, the concealment of Rabbi Shimon by Rabbi Abba helps us to approach this secret! But on the other hand, it leaves us room for work: If you break through this shield, you will find Rabbi Shimon. Rabbi Shimon brings revelation to us from above to below, so he must disguise himself. He wishes to pass it onto everyone but can’t since we are not ready to receive it. Hence, he cries (crying is symbolic of a small spiritual state, Katnut).

This entire enormous system regarded as Rashbi (Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai) is not a “person” but an upper system that is forced to reduce itself (which is regarded as “crying”) because the lower ones are unable to receive anything from it. And how must he adjust himself, make an “adapter” between himself and the lower ones, as if between a wide pipe and the eye of a needle? So, then another system is engaged, which is called Rabbi Abba, a unique soul that is capable of serving as an adapter that connects us to Rabbi Shimon.

Finally, Rashbi’s light becomes revealed through the special system of Rabbi Abba that descends to us in the form of the book called Zohar. It is titled by the name of the source from which its Light derives (Zohar means the upper radiance): the Light of Infinity or the Light emanating from the head of Arich Anpin.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/14/10, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Preparation to the Lesson

Writings of Rabash, “Article 19″

The Book of Zohar — Introduction

Talmud Eser Sefirot, Vol. 3, Part 9

Writings of Baal HaSulam, “600,000 Souls”

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Question: How can it be that Rabbi Shimon would cry at deciding whether he should or shouldn’t reveal the secret concealed in The Book of Zohar? Can a Kabbalist be trusted with such an enormous secret by which he would harm us?

Answer: Rabbi Shimon wasn’t some ordinary person made of flesh and blood who hid in a cave, but is an entire system, a part of the upper world that clothes in the Creator and receives everything He has according to the equivalence of their properties from Him. At the same time, he contemplates how to manage to pass this Light to the other souls that it is yet required to give birth to and develop.

And to accomplish this, he employs one more spiritual system, Rabbi Abba, which makes it possible to pass this Light downward. With Rabbi Abba and the other 9 disciples’ assistance, each of whom represents one of the 10 Sefirot and is comprised of 10 sub-Sefirot, meaning they contain a full set of 100 Sefirot, after the concealment and reduction of the Light in this specific mechanism, the Light can be adapted to the souls of our generation.

This Light is designated specifically for our time and not for their contemporaries or for the periods of exile. This is a unique correction, just like the one that the sages of the Talmud performed on our behalf so we wouldn’t have to torment our bodies to find spirituality as had been written in those times: “Eat bread with salt, drink water, sleep on bare ground, and study the Torah—then succeed!” But after the time of Talmud, such restrictions are not necessary and it is sufficient to simply study the inner Torah (Kabbalah) without any corporeal limitations.

It became possible because Kabbalists of that time inserted a necessary addition into the spiritual system, thereby adapting it to us. And besides, it corresponds with how close we ourselves approached it thanks to the evolution of our will to receive (desire, ego). They (Rabbi Shimon and the 9 disciples) brought the Light closer to us while we have also come closer to it (by evolving in the reverse direction thereby increasing our ego), and now we have become so close to each other that the effect of the Light alone is enough for our correction. No corporeal suffering is necessary any longer.

All of this occurred thanks to the corrections made in the upper system built by the previous Kabbalists. These sages are part of the upper worlds and the innermost part of it; they are related to the souls. When they perform corrections, they add to the collective system such reformed elements that revive it. Because of them, it comes alive and starts working passing the Light down to us!
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/14/10, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Rabbi Shimon “cries” (tears are a symbol of a small state, Katnut), as if being unable to understand how to pass to us this enormous Light that he and his 10 disciples unveiled, in order for the souls of our time, beginning with our generation, to use it.

And then, he discovers that it can be achieved with the help of his student, Rabbi Abba. He explains that Rabbi Abba was able to reveal secrets “discretely” because he possessed a unique soul from the Surrounding Light. Hence, through him, through the Surrounding Light, we can receive all corrections.

And generally speaking, all corrections that we receive come only through The Book of Zohar, or through Rabbi Shimon and Rabbi Abba, through the Surrounding Light. And the source of all Kabbalistic books is also The Zohar since all of them were written on its basis. Without The Zohar, no Kabbalist who lived after it had been written would have been able to uncover spirituality and write a book. He wouldn’t have been able to adhere to the Light; after all, The Zohar is its source.

And when Kabbalists have reached attainment through The Zohar, they finally start writing themselves, as it happened with the Kabbalists of all generations: Ari, Rambam, Rashi, Agrah, and others. But all of them had one source. Clearly, we are not talking about those who came before Rashbi, Abraham, or Moses, who are parts of the upper system.

But we have no source of revelation other than The Zohar. Therefore, Baal HaSulam writes about how grateful we should be to such a soul as Rashbi, because without him, the Light wouldn’t reach us and we would remain cut off from the entire upper system.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/14/10, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Preparation to the Lesson

Shamati #68 “Man’s Connection to the Sefirot“

The Book of Zohar — Introduction

Talmud Eser Sefirot, Vol. 3, Part 9

Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Inheritance of the Land”

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Preparation to the Lesson

Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Igrot,” Letter 26

The Book of Zohar — Introduction

Talmud Eser Sefirot, Vol. 3, Part 9

Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Inheritance of the Land”

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The Book of Zohar, Chapter “Bereshit – 2”, Item 101: “When everyone is included as one into a third chamber, and the desire and the prayer rises to take its place in the fourth chamber, then all become as one—one desire and one connection, and this is the place of the bowing to bring contentment to one’s Maker.”

We have to make efforts to see the entire creation as it still exists in its first and third states. The second state, which we currently observe, is only a play of our imagination, as it is said “We were as dreamers.”

We have to rise above the dream and wake up. Depending on how strong our aspiration to stay alert and sense the genuine reality is, to that degree we elicit the Light, accelerating time (Achishena) so that it influences us.

Probably, it is better not to delve into internal scrutiny, wanting to discover how much we are in hatred instead of love. Perhaps, it is still difficult for us. It is better to aspire to the authentic state because essentially, we are in the world of infinity, the world of unity, perfection, and integration. But now, we are experiencing a certain confusion, which is purposely given to us, because only by applying our efforts to attain perfection and interconnection do we reveal the original state and wake up from unconsciousness. Similarly, a person who wants to wake up from sleep, become round, needs to apply certain efforts. Although, we are awakened from outside, we still have to try to wake up internally.
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From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/28/12, The Zohar

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Preparation to the Lesson

Writings of Baal HaSulam “Letter 1“

The Book of Zohar — Introduction

Writings of Baal HaSulam “Inheritance of the Land”

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