Question: When does faith turn into attainment?

Answer: If it is faith above reason, then it becomes a vessel or Kli for attainment. After all, faith is a name for the Light of Hassadim.

Faith above reason is the quality of bestowal that rules over the desire to enjoy. The desire to enjoy with the intention of bestowal becomes a vessel or Kli for the Light of Hochma.

Then the Light of Hochma, clothed into the Light of Hassadim, starts to rule inside the desire to enjoy, and that is attainment.

The fulfillment of the Light of Hassadim by the Light of Hochma is called “total or complete faith” (Emuna Shlema).
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/25/10, The Zohar

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The Zohar, “Introduction of The Zohar,” Chapter “BeLaila De Kala (The Night of the Bride),” Item 138: …and the iniquity became as a mistake to him, as it is written, “If the Lord had not been my help, my soul had almost dwelt with Dumah.” But the rest of the people should fear that they will not be able to say before the angel that it was a mistake, and will fall into the hands of Dumah, to Hell.

When we manage to correct some parts of Malchut, a thin thread still remains that connects the parts that are impossible to correct to us. We have to “nourish” them and allow them to stay alive so that we can correct them later.

There is always a “catch” that holds us “tied up” to egoism. It is similar to the “gates of hell” through which we can suddenly submerge into egoistic intention. This is where a problem hides.

Are we capable of retaining the screen that prevents us from getting pleased for our own sake? If we cannot retain it, the Lights will disappear, and we will stay in the darkness of “hell.” Do we have a chance to preserve a little portion of egoism without opening the gates and ensure minimum illumination that is vitally necessary for its existence?

The Book of Zohar speaks about the ways of achieving this. We are correcting our mistakes, whereas intentional evil will be corrected only at the last stage of our work.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/21/10, “Hakdama, BeLaila De Kala (The Night of the Bride)”

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Question: How do we acquire the ability to advance “above reason”?

Answer: “Above reason” is above our “matter,” the will to enjoy; in other words, “above reason” is inside the quality of bestowal. We are unable to rise above our egoism ourselves. This is possible only with the help of the Upper Light, Ohr Makif.

“Reason” means my desire. Inside of my desire I am able to feel, see, and make calculations depending on the probable benefit or harm, or on whether it’s worthwhile for me to use a certain desire or not. As a result of these calculations I reach certain conclusions and then realize my desires. I do not have any problem in this regard. That is how I live in this world.

I am certain about part of these calculations and I have doubts about another part of them. In our earthly sciences we also use the theory of probability whenever we do not have reliable information. However, in any case we have something we can rely on.

On the other hand, “faith above reason” or “above knowledge” is when I don’t have any instruments or means of perceiving. In addition, I don’t even know what “higher” is. If it were simply opposite to reason, then I might be able to calculate how I should act according to my reason and then I would act exactly in the opposite manner. Yet, this would also be a rational calculation.

However, I don’t have the slightest idea of what “faith above reason” is; I don’t know what reason it follows, what sensation and calculation it entails, and in relation to what. It is a certain approach, tendency, or paradigm that does not exist inside me.

Therefore, only the Light can come and give us this approach because “above reason” means “for the sake of bestowal,” meaning not according to the calculation inside the Kli, the desire to enjoy. But if it’s not inside the desire, then I don’t know what it is. How can I find out? I don’t know. And inside what desire?

Kabbalists say: If you start to perceive the desire of your neighbor as your own, if you can make a calculation in relation to his desire, one that is for his good, then that will be above your current knowledge. However, to do that I have to receive super powers that I don’t have. If I receive them, I will be able to go “above reason.” However, for now you cannot jump higher than yourself.

Only the Light that created us can change us. Therefore we have to use the “miraculous means” (Segulot) and perform various actions that awaken the Light so it will influence us. That is how our success will be measured. The mind and the sensations that you accumulate inside your desire to enjoy for now are unable to help you. They can only help you in the opposite form. If you make a daily assessment of what you have attained in spirituality, you will see that in reality you haven’t attained anything even though you put in many efforts.

And the same thing will happen tomorrow. On the day after that, you will get confused in addition. Another day later you will suddenly feel confident that you have become smart. And so on. Every day you add more negative phenomena due to the fact that you reside inside the desire to enjoy for your own sake and you think that only the Light can help you, but it does not come and does not help you.

So what should you do? Start waging war against reason, as it is written about the Egyptian exile.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/25/10, The Zohar

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The Book of Zohar, Weekly Torah Portion “VaYeshev,” Selected Excerpts
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The Zohar, Chapter “Tzav (Command),” Item 56: There is remission of work on Sabbath and on good days for each according to its Behina [discernment/essence]—like the ox, on which there is the yoke, and the donkey, on which there is the load—between those who have the burden of the kingdom of heaven, like Tefillin, who are exempted on Sabbath and good days, and the burden of the kingdom of idol worship.

The Zohar speaks of states: weekdays, holidays, Sabbaths, and beginnings of the month (Rosh Hodesh). These are special Lights that come from GAR of the World of Atzilut to the souls in Malchut.

The broken souls ascend from the worlds BYA (Beria, Yetzira, Assiya) to Malchut of the World of Atzilut (Malchut de Atzilut) to the extent that they can connect to her, that is, desire to unify. Malchut de Atzilut turns to Zeir Anpin (ZA) de Atzilut, ZA to Abba ve Ima (AVI), AVI to Arich Anpin (AA), and, from AA de Atzilut, the Light returns to the same souls that have ascended to Malchut.

This Light that descends from Above varies in power and potency. There are Lights with the potency of Aleph (1st day of the week), Bet (2nd day), Gimel (3rd day), Dalet (4th day), Hey (5th day), Vav (6th day), and the Sabbath (7th day, Saturday). This is what we call them.

We can also describe them as the Lights that bring the desire to enjoy various qualities: Hessed, Gevura, Tifferet, Netzah, Hod, Yessod, and Malchut (the last quality, Sabbath). That is why there are Lights which vary in qualities which we call weekdays.

When we conclude a degree, a special Light comes called Sabbath, and that’s when working is forbidden for we are incapable of working with Malchut, the desire to enjoy. We can only work with the part that can be attributed to the desire to bestow, the six qualities preceding Malchut.

That is why the seventh day of the week is a day of rest, a day off. What does that mean? There is no work, but all the preceding work is accumulated and revealed in Malchut.

Then, there are 30-day periods that are based on the moon, that is, ZA‘s attitude toward Malchut. There are the holidays of the New Year (Rosh Hashanah), Sukkot, Shavuot, and others. These are all the various Lights that come from the Rosh (head) of AA.

Therein lies the entire program by which we work. All these Lights are called “awakening from Above” (Itaruta de Leila) because this luminescence does not depend on us. These Lights are constantly changing and influencing us, evoking various states.

Although we say that the Upper Light is in absolute rest, by that we imply that it does not alter its program, course, or direction. It does its function whether we want it to or not. If we are able to draw additional luminescence from it, that is to our benefit. If not, it will take care of everything itself.

That is why it is called absolute rest and not inactivity, for every moment the Light does an infinite multitude of actions on which we have no impact. However, we can evoke from it additional influence onto ourselves.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/21/10, The Zohar

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The Book of Zohar – Selections, Introduction “Among All the Sages of the Nations of the World, There Are None Like You,” Item 164
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The Book of Zohar — Selections, Chapter “Tzav (Command),” Item 115
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Baal HaSulam, “Beit Shaar HaKavanot,” Lesson 55
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Rav Yehuda Ashlag, “Body and Soul,” Lesson 3
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The Light builds our connection and we will reveal the Creator only inside it. We have to aspire to this not for our own good, but only in order to give Him pleasure. Once we attain love for the Creator, we will reveal His love for us. All of our study is intended to reveal or awaken our love for the Creator.

Obviously, right now we do not feel the slightest need for this. We remember about the Upper Force’s existence only when we feel bad. It is our nature to act only when we lack something, desiring to complete and fill ourselves.

We don’t feel any need for the Creator and moreover for loving Him. But if we try to artificially aspire to the Creator by means of working in the group, we gradually elicit the influence of the Light upon us that brings us special qualities, ones of love and bestowal.

This quality can be directed only toward the Creator because He is the only one in existence besides us. However, in order to reach Him we have been placed in a special state called “this world.” Here, with the help of our family and friends, we can make efforts and practice to acquire love for the appropriate environment. Then we will go from love for the creatures to the degree of love for the Creator.

That is how we come out of egoism, shifting from self love to love for the neighbor, and through our family and friends, we acquire love for the Creator.

Then we reveal the true nature of the “means” we have used. It turns out that the Creator Himself divided our reality in this way so we would have the opportunity to come to Him by means of these “exercises.” In reality there is nothing besides myself, incorporating all of reality and the Creator who is above it.

So let us build the intention to receive the Light that Reforms from our mutual study in order to reveal love between us and our love to the Creator.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/24/10, The Zohar

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Baal HaSulam, “Messiah’s Horn”: …the children of Israel are redeemed only after the wisdom of the hidden is revealed to a great extent, as it is written in The Zohar, “With this composition, the children of Israel are redeemed from exile.”

Until the wisdom of Kabbalah has spread all over the world, Israel (“Isra” – “directly,” “El” – Creator), meaning those who aspire for the Creator, will not be able to reveal the Light that Reforms, which must pass through them to all humanity. The world has to be ready to receive the wisdom; otherwise Israel will remain enslaved to their egoistic nature.

The Zohar was revealed in order to accelerate the development of the entire world. But what is so special about this Book? Why does it affect the world so much?

The truth is that we do not live in this corporeal world, it just appears this way to us on our internal “screens.” The world is one; reality is one.

Thus, when The Book of Zohar, a spiritual source, is revealed on the corporeal level, it influences and affects us. Existing among all the souls, this source accelerates our progress and spreads like a virus. It penetrates every desire, every reaction, and begins to change them.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/19/10, “Messiah’s Horn”

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The Book of Zohar speaks of how Zeir Anpin and Malchut unite, how everything becomes one. This makes it clear that we all have to aim at the final action: bestowal to the Creator.

It is hard to imagine something outside of our current desires. However, the Light gradually impregnates us with this necessity. Suddenly I feel that I am drawn to the Creator. I don’t know why, but all of a sudden I want to think about Him and bestowal to Him.

It is like an unknown neighbor shows up, one that I never cared about before, and now occupies all my thoughts. A relation toward him is awakening within me, and we are becoming connected. Again and again I am reminded of him.

Where did it come from? It came as a result of my studies and the influence of the environment. Either on its own or artificially, a thought about the final, even if distant state visits us. This is how the intention to bestow to the Creator is born, an intention that we try to realize on the spiritual degrees.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/22/10, “Hakdama, BeLaila De Kala (The Night of the Bride)”

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Question: When do we reach the maximum capacity of our intention to be one?

Answer: Right now, I am sitting at the lesson and trying to think about our unity so that the Light hidden in The Book of Zohar would come and unify us, allowing me to feel that we are all bound together. As soon as I feel connected with all the others and sense the network holding us all in it, I immediately reveal the spiritual world.

Once I feel the bond between us, I experience spirituality in this oneness. This is called “the exodus from Egypt.” We don’t need anything else! And it is so close.

However, I am unable to remain in this intention and inspiration longer than an instant. Why? It is because the others are not thinking about it. I need the support of my environment. But the environment thinks about whatever they want: one about his grandmother he will be seeing soon, another about problems at work, a third wants to sleep, and so on. Each is with their problems and nobody thinks about the connection.

Therefore, I can only decide at this very moment to think about our oneness, care for it, and demand the “miraculous remedy” (Segula) so that I will be able to see that we are all bound together and reside in the property of bestowal. I wish that the common quality of bestowal would rule over me. However, beyond making this decision, there is nothing I can do since I don’t receive support from the environment. What else can I do?

What is missing here is the common effort and responsibility of the friends before each other, with each person trying their best to stay in this intention. This mutual obligation is regarded as “the guarantee.” And if we think solely about how to find oneness between us, the Light will descend and do it.

We are unable to unite on our own. But we can think in order to make it happen. Yet, if we are unable to think about it, then we do not influence one another with the greatness and importance of the goal.

This point is all we need to be working on and nothing else. We don’t have anything except it. Everything is right here before us, so very close… And then we will discover eternity, perfection, and the entire spiritual world, but only on the condition that we decide to care for each other and not forget about this intention.

We only need to unite! Let the Light connect us, and the Creator will be revealed in our oneness! We will bestow to Him, and He to us.

Everything takes place in our connection. There we will experience the spiritual world, the Creator, and Infinity.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/19/10, The Zohar

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