The Zohar influences one’s soul more than anything else in the world. This doesn’t mean that we should discard all other books and study only it, but its effect is more powerful than anything else.

Talmud Eser Sefirot and Tree of Life are good for forming oneself. In addition, later on, when a person is already on the spiritual levels, they can serve as instructions for making inner actions.

When you feel ascents and descents, entrances and exits of Lights the way you might feel it physically, since your desire or spiritual vessel is ready for reception and bestowal, for the entrance and exit of the Light, then you can work with Talmud Eser Sefirot and Tree of Life by actually making the actions they describe.

On the other hand, when you work with The Zohar, you do so through an intermediary – the Surrounding Light. This composition develops the vessel of the soul in general, rather than according to the verse, “A person’s soul teaches him.” The latter is when you can take Talmud Eser Sefirot and carry out the actions in practice.

There is a time of preparation for the future level, and that is what The Zohar is mostly intended for. Besides this, there is a time for actualizing the levels, which is done with the help of Talmud Eser Sefirot.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/29/10, The Zohar

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Excerpts from my upcoming book, A Guide to The Book of Zohar

Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Item 58: And I have named that commentary The Sulam (Ladder) to show that the purpose of my commentary is as the role of any ladder: If you have an attic filled abundantly, then all you need is a ladder to reach it. And then, all the bounty in the world will be in your hands.

There is no use to open The Book of Zohar without The Sulam commentary. There are quite a few commentaries written on The Book of Zohar, but The Sulam is the only one that raises us to the level of the Creator’s perfection. It is so because Baal HaSulam ascended all 125 degrees that the authors of The Zohar “stood on” at the time when they wrote it, and disclosed The Zohar for us from their height.

The Sulam commentary adapts The Zohar to modern-day souls that emerge nowadays in this world. The Light of The Book of Zohar corrects our souls and enables them “to face” The Zohar (the Upper Radiance or the Upper Light) in a way that it can return us back to the unity through which the Creator will reveal Himself to us.

The Sulam helps us to position ourselves in the middle line so that we correspond to the form through which the Upper Light descends onto us (a combination of measures of mercy and judgment) and thus can receive it. The middle line is a formula by which we have to correctly combine two forces that exist in nature: the force of the Creator (bestowal, abundance, and Light) and the force of the creature (the desire to receive pleasure). Our entire work consists of building the middle line and is the only freedom of choice that we have.

The Sulam commentary allows us to build the middle line, and hence, ever after it was written, there exists no other way to realize The Book of Zohar but in accordance with it. Truly, Baal HaSulam directs our vision, approach, and sensations in a way that all that is written in The Book of Zohar penetrates in us through the “middle line” (middle ground).

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Rabash, Shlavei HaSulam, “The Purpose of the Association-1”
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The Book of Zohar – Selections, Chapter “VaYechi (And Jacob Lived in the Land of Egypt,” Item 91
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Rav Yehuda Ashlag, Talmud Eser Sefirot, Vol. 1, Part 4, Item 58
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Rav Yehuda Ashlag, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot,” Item 18, Lesson 17
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The Zohar, Chapter “Lech Lecha” (Go Forth), Items 158-159: Nefesh is a low awakening that clings to the body (Guf), like candlelight, whose bottom light is black, clings to the wick, …it becomes a throne to the white light atop it, for it hovers over the black light. And that white light corresponds to the light of Ruach.

The white light becomes a throne to a hidden light, and it is not seen or known that it hovers over the white light. It corresponds to the light of Neshama, and then it is a complete light. Thus, there are three lights one atop the other in a candlelight: 1) The black light that clings to the wick, below all the others; 2) the white light over the black light; and 3) the hidden, unknown light over the white light.

Similarly, a man who is complete in everything has three lights one atop the other, NRN, as with the candlelight.

The Zohar teaches us how we can develop and enhance the connections between us after we attain the first spiritual contact. If we cling to the point of union, it awakens new properties and sensations in us by expanding and revealing itself even more. When this happens, it means we’re ascending spiritual steps. Nothing else changes. We simply go deeper into the connection between us and begin to sense that all organs and elements of the system are unified, that all souls are tied into one.

Everything is aimed at one goal which is bestowal to the Upper Force. Within this aspiration we sense that we receive from Him. This begins with the sensation of the connection between souls and is called Malchut of the World of Atzilut, which is one point. Later this point is unveiled through bestowal to the Upper Force (to the Creator, Zeir Anpin). However, without bestowal it remains just a point.

We have to reach this very first contact by connecting together in one black point (Malchut) and start to bestow to the Creator from there. Then Malchut receives the property of bestowal from the Creator and nine Sefirot are unveiled within it. The Creator (the spiritual reality) can be sensed only to the degree that we bestow to Him.

The revelation of Malchut (the system of our souls) to Zeir Anpin (the Creator) is all that The Zohar tells us about. The Zohar teaches us how to develop connections by adding new, emerging forces to the very first spiritual point called Abraham. This is how a person uncovers spiritual organs and reveals the forces of the Upper World within himself. Instead of dry narration, The Zohar becomes an entire world and its power is unmatched by our limited reality.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/27/10, The Zohar

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We reside in the only existing reality, the World of Infinity, but we are “unconscious” within it and don’t realize where we are. In order to bring ourselves to perceive this singular reality instead of remaining unaware of it, we must exert effort like a maturing child does or a person who is coming back to consciousness.

What are the conditions required in order to feel this reality? They are: stepping out of self into oneness, mutual guarantee, and love. In spite of our egoism that doesn’t allow us to meet these conditions individually, we must fulfill them all together. As a result, we will find ourselves in the corrected system, the World of Infinity.

Understandably, we hate working against egoism, but we must make an effort to complete this job as if we are children playing a game. “Playing” means I imitate the Upper One as if I already possess His quality. Making efforts to obtain it is called playing. It brings the hidden forces to light and that is how I progress. I aspire to a higher degree and my effort draws the Light which reforms me so that I become equivalent to the degree of its source.

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From the Weekly Torah Portion 8/13/10, “Shoftim“

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Question: What’s the middle line? Is it a screen?

Answer: The middle line is the correct combination of the receiving desires (Kelim) and the forces of bestowal. I first prepare these desires and only then request from Above the power of the screen specifically for these desires. When I receive this force, I acquire a spiritual vessel (Kli) which is called the middle line where I’m able to perform the deed of bestowal.

Before the middle line emerges, I clarify what the left and the right lines are, what drawing the Light from Above downward means, and how I halt it completely through restriction. I have to discern what it means to push the Light away from below upward, and to what degree I can manifest my desire in order to create the Reflected Light that part of the Direct Light will clothe in, and not just simply push the incoming pleasure away as I did during restriction (Tzimtzum).

After all these clarifications are completed and I arrange myself to the best of my ability, I ask the force from Above to create an authentic desire, a spiritual vessel (Kli) from all that I have prepared. If I have prepared myself correctly, I receive the Upper force which does answer my request and unifies the desire to bestow and the desire to receive pleasure from both directions, left and right. It tests and sorts the Kli. I ask the Creator to participate in this for I don’t know how to work with it.

As soon as the Kli is ready, it gets “stamped” by the “seal” from Above which is a warranty that it won’t break once I begin using it. Further on, I continue to work in the middle line and receive in order to bestow, in faith above reason, while my forces of bestowal are working from below upward, and I’m certain that it will continue to be so.

To be in the middle line is a complete sequence of actions. There is a middle line in the states of Katnut (smallness), Ibur (conception), Yenika (nurturing), and Mochin (maturity). In each phase and without exception, in order to attain the middle line, I need assistance from Above in assessing, aligning, and merging with the Creator.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/15/10, The Zohar

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The Zohar, Chapter “Lech Lecha (Go Forth),” Item 4: People should observe the work of the Creator. After all, all the people do not know and do not consider what the world stands on and what they themselves stand on.

What does the world rest on? It rests on desire. What are people grounded in? They are grounded in desire. The Zohar is speaking of the types of desires the world and we rest on and how we can change these desires. After all, everything that happens within our desire makes up the reality that we experience.

Our perception of the world hinges on how we change our desires. In his article, "The Creator’s Concealment and Revelation," Baal HaSulam writes that nothing changes outside of us. And it is solely our responsibility to replace our perception of this world with the perception of the World of Infinity.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/12/10, The Zohar

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The Zohar, Chapter “Lech Lecha (Go Forth),” Item 104: When the Ruach comes out of this world and enters the cave of Adam HaRishon and the patriarchs, they give him there a letter as a sign, and he goes to the Garden of Eden. When he approaches, he meets the Cherubim there and that flaming sword which turns every way. If he is rewarded, they see the letter that is the sign, open the gate for him, and he enters. If not, they repel him outside.

When we read The Zohar, we should imagine a greater or a smaller desire to bestow or only the desire to receive, that is, we should envision changes in bestowal. That is the entire spiritual world. However, these variations contain all color shades and all gradations of qualities. Everything we read in The Zohar is about changes in the quality of bestowal which manifests as such in our perception.

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The Zohar tells us about the Upper World, which we reveal inside of us. Everything described in this book occurs inside us. In fact, we perceive our world in the same way. The difference between the worlds or perceptions is that we perceive this world individually, within our egoism, while the Upper World is perceived collectively within our relationships and the connection between us.

Connection through mutual bestowal and love is called the soul, and what we perceive in this soul is called the spiritual world. By making corrections in ourselves we correct the initially broken connection (Kli) and thus reveal different qualities of the connection that The Zohar talks about. The common connection of all parts of the soul or creation is called the Creator. The entire spiritual world is comprised of different types of connections, which are called Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, different angels, as well as still, vegetative, animate, and spiritual objects. These are all revealed in the connections.

Today we perceive our world and think that it exists on its own. However, this is an illusion. The truth is that we perceive a type of connection between us that we call by this name. The last or lowest level of connection among the parts of the soul (the particular souls) provides a sensation of a bad connection that is called “this world.” When we attain the absolute connection of all parts of the universe, this connection is called the World of Infinity because it is an unrestricted connection without any finite limits. It is, indeed, beyond space and time.

Between the full connection in the World of Infinity and the complete absence of connection in this world, there are five levels of connection or five worlds called Adam Kadmon, Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, and Assiya. We actually exist in only one reality which is the World of Infinity, but our perception of it depends on our attitude toward the connection. This involves 1) egoism or reception, and 2) bestowal or love. Our life is a sensation of the quality of connection between the parts of reality.

If we want to reveal the true world and understand, attain, and enjoy it, we have to try to see ourselves as more connected when reading The Book of Zohar. Then we will begin revealing a greater connection and the Upper World. This method to reveal the Upper World is called “We shall do and we shall hear” (Naase ve Nishma).
From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/18/10, The Zohar

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Question: The Zohar causes so much darkness and evil to be revealed. How can a person ask for love while seeing all the evil? How can I ask for good in spite of the evil?

Answer: We think that there is a great distance between hate and love, but this is not the case. First of all, they are the same thing because everything occurs in the same desire. When you go from one to the other, you do not move through space. Rather, the Light performs a change inside you causing you to move from one extreme to the other in one instant

When you look at things without the Light, you do not see anything and all is presented to you as darkness, negative feelings, and hate. However, as soon as there is Light, you reveal goodness, love, and sweetness. There are no prolonged actions here. You “turn on” the Light, and it immediately changes everything. The whole picture of reality instantly changes.

Right now we are in darkness, and that is why we cannot believe that the Light can emerge in one instant. However, when it emerges, it always happens very suddenly, like during the exodus from Egypt.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/19/10, The Zohar

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