The Zohar, Chapter “Bo (Come Unto Pharoah),” Item 57:”And He planted that seed in one righteous, which is Yesod de Zeir Anpin, the garden’s gardener.”

I have to imagine that I have a property within me called “Yesod de Zeir Anpin,” also known as the “righteous man.” This is where my seed is, a point from which I will eventually grow.

“And He planted that seed in one righteous, which is Yesod de Zeir Anpin, the garden’s gardener. And the seed in the garden, which is Malchut, is the concealment and hiding of that light. This means that the concealment is not absence, but on the contrary, it is a seed of blessing, that the concealment itself will become light once more, like a plant that buds from the seed.”

Baal HaSulam mentions this example in his article “Freedom of Will.” We need to “implant” ourselves into a Kabbalistic group like a seed is sewed into the earth in such a way that we “reject” (diminish) ourselves before the group. If we do that we become a seed that decomposes, “rots” in the ground in order to let the tree grow.

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A question I received: In light of the fact that The Zohar talks about true states, how are we to understand the earthquake that just took place in Chile?

My Answer: The Zohar talks about two opposite forces that descend into our world and whose expression we witness upon people and places. However, for now we don’t see the true order of development because we still haven’t achieved the implementation of the method of Kabbalah, the middle line.

When we do, we will see that everything taking place is for our own good. It comes as the correct combination of opposite forces in order to facilitate their proper realization. It is leading us to prosperity, perfection, health, safety, and universal harmony, and as a result – unity with the Creator.

However, as long as we don’t begin the correction and spread the wisdom of Kabbalah around the world, the nations won’t feel their common predestination, which is to find the middle line by virtue of the right combination with one another. Therefore, we won’t be able to justify the suffering and see why it is necessary, including the suffering that befell the nation of Israel throughout the course of its entire history and the suffering that now befell Chile, as well as other countries before that.

We also don’t know what else nature has in store for us for the future. Things will only deteriorate if we don’t hasten to use the Upper Light in order to advance toward the Creator on our own, rather than waiting for the forces of nature to compel us to this through suffering and disasters. This is why it is necessary to disseminate the science of Kabbalah as widely as possible and to see it as the only means of advancing along the middle line. The middle line is the salvation, whereas both the right and left forces are extremely destructive. The right force acts in a concealed manner where we don’t feel its effects immediately, but it is able to bring unfortunate consequences as much as the left force.

Therefore, we have to help each other and disseminate the science of Kabbalah as widely as possible. Our fate is up to us; the dissemination of Kabbalah can salvage us from all the misfortunes. Without it, we will face disaster after disaster. The prophets wrote about horrible events that will take place in the world in our times unless we intervene in what is taking place.

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Do not be surprised by the fact that even an individual person, through his or her deeds, can cause an elevation or degradation of the whole world. This is an unalterable law; the whole and its parts are as identical as two drops of water. Everything that occurs in the whole occurs in its parts as well. Furthermore, whatever happens in the parts happens in the whole, because the whole is only revealed through the manifestation of its individual parts, according to both their measure and quality.

This is how we can understand what is written in The Zohar that through the study of this book and the practice of the true wisdom, we can put an end to our state of exile and achieve a complete redemption.
— Rav Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam), “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Item 68

Studying The Zohar is above everything else, because the Torah has four levels of understanding of the Pardes (direct, hinting, allegorical, and secret). Those studying a simple commentary do not even imagine that there is a hidden meaning. But those studying The Zohar know that there is a secret in it, and this really helps with the correction of his soul.
— Rav Chaim Ben Yitzchok (Chaim Volozhin), Nefesh Chaim, Chapter 7

There is no other method to remove the external apparel from the Torah and reveal it, but through the works of Rashbi (author of The Zohar).
— Rav Moshe Cordovero (Ramak), Da et Elokey Avicha, Item 16

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The Book of Zohar – Selections, Chapter “Ve’Eleh Toldot Itzhak (These Are the Generations of Isaac),” Item 77
A spiritual charge and an aspiration toward bestowal has to be passed on, otherwise one can become sick as though from an overdose.
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“Beit Shaar HaKavanot,” Item 1, Lesson 1
Our prayer has to be mutual and all encompassing. This type of appeal is worthy of an answer.
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“Introduction to the Book of Zohar,” Item 58
Masses that consciously follow a true spiritual leader obtain the same importance as him.
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The Zohar is structured in a way that requires a great deal of reading. A person should read it for one or two hours, go through various inner states, concentrate on each state he encounters, realize how distracted and unable he is to listen, and then once again come back to The Zohar noting its influence.

Gradually a person begins to feel that something becomes clearer. This clarity comes through seemingly dry material, different states, and by making efforts. This is how it works.

The main thing is not to forget about the intention. A person should look within for all those desires and properties that The Zohar speaks of, yet at the same time, want to be together with everyone and feel that together they are him.

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A question I received: What kind of spiritual advancement did we gain at The Zohar Convention 2010 that was held last week?

My Answer: We went through enormous changes. I felt that the nation of Israel did not simply receive The Book of Zohar, but returned to it. It wasn’t the reception of something new, but the joy of people who found what they once lost.

Maybe they can’t even give themselves an explanation of what happened to them, but I saw that this is exactly what their souls experienced. They felt that they found what they lost two thousand years ago. They aren’t studying The Book of Zohar now, but are remembering it.

Indeed, this is the case: They aren’t finding out something new, but are rejoicing about the return of something that was once lost. Therefore, I think that the nation of Israel went through a great, wonderful spiritual ascent. Moreover, this doesn’t apply just to the people who were with us at the Convention. It was a step forward for the entire dissemination of the science of Kabbalah among the nation of Israel, which will later be joined by all humanity. Thus, all of Babylon (all of humanity) is returning to its spiritual source.

There is reason to hope that all the souls will unite into one soul of Adam in our lifetime and we will attain the state of the Final Correction, the World of Infinity, the corrected common soul. I believed in this and waited for it, but our success exceeded all my expectations. I think that we are being given great opportunities from Above to correct our nature.

There is still a lot of work ahead of us, which is special and yet difficult. At the same time, it is extremely important and exalted, and we have to be grateful that the Creator has chosen to fulfill His great plan through us.

Now all we have to do is continue to disseminate Kabbalah among the nation of Israel with the help of all the people who took part in the Convention together with us. By virtue of the wisdom of Kabbalah and the force of the Light of The Book of Zohar, Israel will unite into a single nation, as Baal HaSulam writes in the newspaper “The Nation” and Item 70 of “Introduction to The Book of Zohar.” This is possible only by uniting the hearts, and that can only happen by the force of the Light that Reforms, which raises us above our egoism.

I would like to thank all the people who came to the Convention from many different countries all around the world. Together we will be able to carry out this great correction, and judging by the speed of its current dissemination, it is bound to happen very fast.

The time has not yet arrived to reveal the true depth and greatness of what is unfolding, but I can say that we carried out exalted and mighty inner corrections. And this will soon be expressed inside us and in the world.

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The Book of Zohar – Selections, Chapter “Ve’Eleh Toldot Itzhak (These Are the Generations of Isaac),” Item 51
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A question I received: What does it mean that we have to desire to study The Zohar together? How should we do this or feel it?

My Answer: Correction means that all desires are united together. When our desires are separated from one another, we feel this reality or this world within them. When we unite our desires together, then inside them we feel a reality called “the spiritual world.” Everything is very simple and it does not involve space or time. Everything depends on the unity of desires into one whole or their separation from one another.

Right now we feel this reality because our desires are disconnected and each one stands on his own. Inside your own small desire, which is aimed only at your own good, you feel what you are able to feel inside it. You feel Light, but when the Light appears inside this desire it seems to you as what you see now. Do you want to see something different? Well, you won’t be able to do anything with these earthly desires all the way until the End of Correction.

When this earthly desire is revealed and grows within us, we feel that we live. Afterward it dwindles and we feel that we die. Then it comes to life again and dies as if it is revived in order to be used and then goes back into concealment. However, besides it, there is another desire called “the point in the heart,” which comes from another, spiritual level. This is a desire we can connect to others. We cannot connect the desires of this world, which are desires of the still, vegetative, and animate levels. They exist in their regular form, where every person is connected with others to the degree that nature obliges him to, and not more than this.

However, we can unite our desires called “the points in the heart,” and then we will feel the spiritual world within them. This is why I have to imagine this common desire (Kli or vessel). It is very tangible and it really is in our hands. If we could unite our desires for spirituality, our points in the heart, together through mutual help and mutual connection, then we would feel the spiritual world. However, the sensation within them has to be mutual. It cannot take place in each separate individual because it is revealed through the unity of desires.

What is it that becomes revealed? It’s the connection among the desires. This connection is called fulfillment, the Creator, or the Light that fulfills the desire. We don’t reveal the Light by itself. We only reveal our impression of the Light, the quality of bestowal that clothes into us. It clothes precisely into our relationships of love and bestowal to one another.

There is a force that enables us to unite together and treat each other with mutual bestowal. My bestowal to another person is called “Light,” and the mutual bestowal that I reveal among everyone is called “the Creator.” This is the meaning of the verse, “From love for the created beings to love for the Creator.”

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When engaging in this composition [The Zohar], one evokes the power of the souls and the power of those righteous with the force of Moses. This is so because while engaging in it, they renew the generated Light, which was created during its composition. And Divinity shines and illuminates from that Light as when it was first created. And all who engage in it reawaken that same benefit and that first Light which Rashbi and his friends had revealed while composing it.
– Ohr Yakar (Precious Light), Gate 1, Item 5

Studying the Holy Zohar purifies the body and the soul and is capable of bringing redemption soon in our days.
– Rabbi Efraim Ben Avraham Ardot, Mateh Efraim (Efraim’s Wand), The Tip of the Mateh (wand), Item 23

When a student of The Zohar overcomes the temptation to give up the study under the rough and brute influence of those around him, his soul is fortified by the aspiration to come closer to the Creator despite everything….
– Damesek Eliezer, Introduction to Derech Kedusha, Chapter 12

And you shall return and distinguish between a righteous…a servant of God, and one who serves Him not: A servant of God is one who engages in the Talmud and The Zohar. One who does not serve Him engages only in Talmud, and does not engage in The Zohar.
– Maayan Ganim (Fountain of Gardens), Chapter 1, Item 2

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The Zohar, Chapter “Tazria (When A Woman Delivers),” Item 117: We learned that there are upper spirits, from among those who were made of the spirit of the left of Adam HaRishon. Those do not cling below in this world, but hang in the air and hear what they hear from above. Some of them know other spirits below in this world, and appear to people in their dreams and alert them.

Obviously, this is not talking about people who are seeing this in their dreams. The Zohar does not say a word about our mundane reality or our world. Gradually, as we read it more and more, we begin to feel that we are inside a system that is operated by forces and desires.

When a person sees that he is connected to these forces and acts through them, he feels that he is clothed in a specific image, force, or character that is being referred to by the name of an animal, bird, or plant. These words do not refer to animals, birds, or plants that we see in our world, but to the way a person senses parts of the spiritual reality, or the spiritual forces that enliven him.

That is why The Zohar uses descriptions in this manner. In reality, this is the form closest to what we will soon begin to recognize when we start to feel the spiritual world.

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