Entries in the 'Zohar' Category

Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 03.29.10

Preparation to the Lesson, Shamati #41 “What is Greatness and Smallness in Faith?“
The first revelation of the Light of faith is the essence of Passover. Our intention should be aimed at this Light because it is the only thing that can lift us above egoism into bestowal.
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The Book of Zohar – Selections for Passover, Chapter “Bo (Come Unto Pharaoh),” Item 119
Exodus from Egypt constitutes the exit from the end point of egoism, an escape to one’s friends, and a revelation of the spiritual world among friends.
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Shaar HaKavanot, Concerning Passover Exodus, Lesson 2
The events of the Passover Haggadah take place within a person, regardless of what processes are taking place in the material world.
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Writings of Rabash, Shlavey HaSulam, Vol. 1, Page 110
On the animal level, existence is measured by the degree of suffering, whereas on a human level it’s measured by the degree of truthfulness, which is a higher criterion.
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Revealing The Reality The Zohar Describes

Dr. Michael Laitman The Zohar, Chapter “VaYaera (And the Lord Appeared),” Item 126: …In the beginning, Rabbi Aha thought that there was Dever in the city, for which a prayer is required to bring the Nukva back to the quality of Rachamim. This is why he told them to pray. But when he heard that there were multiple deaths, when he was told that so and so have died and so and so were about to die, he saw that it was a plague, and a prayer does not help with a plague. This is because this does not require the mitigation in the quality of Rachamim. Rather, the incense is required, to reveal the middle line in it and to incorporate the lines in one another.

The inner sensations of a person who recognizes his numerous properties and acknowledges how far away he is from the state of correction are called “infection,” “epidemic,” “occurrences of multiple deaths” or “near-death conditions.”

The “plague” (Dever) is counteracted by a “sage” that lives within each of us; this unique quality is called “Rabbi Aha.” The authors of The Zohar are, in fact, the source of superior qualities, all of which are present in every soul – you have them too!

This is because we dwell in a holographic system where each of us is included in all of its other parts. Hence, Rabbi Aha is also present inside of my soul; he fights the “plague” and cures multiple “sick people” who sometimes die and at other times manage to survive.

My task is to imagine and sense exactly where they are positioned within me. Where are all those qualities? I strive to sense them. If I am “a small world” then I have to locate those qualities within myself. I am eager to reveal them.

As soon as I reveal the reality that is described in The Zohar, I begin to live in it. I want to identify myself with the righteous men and even with the sinners. I want to unite with everyone. Anything and everything in this world is mine and manifests itself within my soul, which is hidden from me. Unless I manage to reveal at least a little part of it, I won’t sense what is described in The Book of Zohar.

Even a partial revelation makes it possible for me to “read” and sense myself better; my self-awareness emerges and I become able to explain who I am. But so far, The Zohar is completely concealed from us. We are waiting for the Light to impact us and begin the process of revelation of a new reality within each of us.

Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 03.28.10

The Book of Zohar – Selections for Pesach, Chapter “Bo (Come Unto Pharaoh) ,” Item 93
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Writings of Rabash, Shlavey HaSulam, Vol. 2, page 977
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Finding The Wisdom “Hidden” In Kabbalah

Dr. Michael Laitman When we read The Zohar, we need to connect everything there is into one reality that already exists within our soul. The soul is what we call the Malchut of the World of Infinity (Atzilut), meaning all the worlds incorporated together, “I” or “the whole world and I.” All that belongs to my soul since my soul is a tool of perception.

Who is the Creator? It is the inner power that acts within my soul; it is the reason for my existence, the cause that forces me to pursue revelation of the universe and the Creator as the source of my life.

The Zohar tells us about the soul and its various parts as well as the states and processes it goes through. Because of my desire to learn more about the soul’s states and processes, the soul is revealed; I find the tools of perception with which I feel the actual world I live in, but which has, thus far, been concealed from me. Kabbalah is called a “hidden” wisdom since it is the study of the concealed world and the process to reveal it.

In addition to the study of Kabbalah, the group is given to us to help us disclose this world. The parts of reality which I call the “Kabbalah group” or my “fellow-group-mates” can help me with this task. They are the active parts of reality, the only active parts of reality. I can feel the group and want to connect them with me. Together with them, I can work to bring them closer to me.

I can’t work with the rest of reality this way because I don’t sense the same kind of feedback that I can get from the group. These active parts of reality are given to me by the Creator so that by working through them I can bring myself closer to the rest of reality as parts of my own soul.

Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 03.26.10

Shamati #159 “And It Came To Pass In The Course Of Those Many Days”
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“Preface To The Wisdom of Kabbalah,” Item 37
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The Book of Zohar – Selections, Chapter “Shmot,” Item 251
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Evening Zohar Lesson – 03.25.10

The Book of Zohar – Selections, Chapter “Shmot,” Item 246
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Everything Is Pictured In Our Qualities

Dr. Michael Laitman The Zohar, Chapter “VaYaera (And the Lord Appeared),” Item 94: Of course he [Abraham] saw them, since they came down to earth in the form of people. They were certainly holy spirits, but when they come down to the world, they clothe in air and in elements of cover and wrapping and seem to people precisely in their form.

There are different ways to interpret this. We perceive reality in the desire to receive pleasure. Everything that we perceive as existing is the desire to receive pleasure that is manifested in matter. What does it mean that it’s “manifested in matter”? It means that reality is perceived in those senses in which I exist on my level.

To perceive beyond this level requires changing one’s properties. I perceive the Light in my desire to the extent of my similarity to the Light. It depicts various images and forms for me. What does it mean that, now, I exist in this world? It means that the Light shines in my properties and what I observe in them is my reality.

If the Light shines for me more and my properties change, I will rise to a higher level which is higher in quality and closer to the Light. By shining in my more corrected and improved properties, the Light will give me the perception of the upper rung or the Upper World. Everything is pictured in a person’s properties.

Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 03.25.10

Preparation to the Lesson – Shamati #71 “My Soul Shall Weep in Secret”
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The Book of Zohar — Selections, Chapter “VaYaera (And The Lord Appeared),” Item 307
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“Beit Shaar HaKavanot,” Item 56, Lesson 18
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Article – “The Individual And The Nation,” Lesson 8
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The Force of Bina Dwells Among Us

Dr. Michael LaitmanA Question I received: What’s the connection between the merging of Malchut with Bina and our uniting through The Book of Zohar?

My answer: If we want to unite with each other, we have to believe that the force of Bina, the Creator, HaVaYaH, dwells among us. Everything is revealed among the souls. This is why our unification above everyone’s individual egoism is the power of unification between Malchut and Bina.

Bina is the Creator, the Upper Mother (Ima Ilaa), the Upper Force that dwells among us. Therefore we cannot unite together on our own. We will only discover emptiness, darkness among us, and see unity as unfeasible.

However, if we acknowledge the existence of Bina, the Upper Light or the Creator among us, we only have to reveal Him, to call for Him to unite us. Accordingly, the Creator can unite us only if we desire to become like Him – the force that dwells and fills all the empty spaces among us.

For us to reveal the Creator, He created us in such a way that we “float” in Him like bread crumbs in a broth. If I come out of myself (of egoism) and desire to connect to Him, to the attribute of bestowal, it signifies that Malchut begins to connect to Bina.

Once I’m ready to be outside of myself, Bina, the Creator or the force of the Light that Reforms, acts upon me, enabling me to do it. Then I can truly come out of myself and start connecting with the others. Yet by doing so, I don’t connect with them directly (it’s impossible), but do so through the Light, Bina.

How? I connect to Bina, and then the power of Bina “comes back” to me. It means that Malchut begins to receive into itself the property of Bina and can then work with the intention for the sake of bestowal. To the extent that Malchut has such a power, it starts feeling the powers of the others.

My coming into Bina and receiving the property of bestowal from it is called “repentance from fear.” Coming out of myself with my corrected Malchut and beginning to work with the others is called “repentance from love.”

Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 03.24.10

Preparation to the Lesson – Shamati #63 “I Was Borrowed On, And I Repay”
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The Book of Zohar — Selections, Chapter “VaYaera (And The Lord Appeared),” Item 270
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“Beit Shaar HaKavanot,” Item 53, Lesson 17
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Article – “The Individual And The Nation,” Lesson 7
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