Question: Does a person who has crossed the Machsom cease to perceive themselves?

Answer: What does it mean to perceive or not perceive oneself, one’s “self”?

The “self” is the measure of my adhesion with the Creator. But does my “I” get lost there, or on the contrary, does another “I” appear within me? And does the egoistic “I,” which now asserts that “I exist” in relation to others, disappear?

The egoistic “I,” which separates me from others gradually disappears throughout all the degrees up to Gmar Tikkun (final correction). But the very first degrees beyond the Machsom really do suppress my “I.” That is why these states are called Ubar (embryo).

Just as an embryo develops inside its mother without acting independently at all, and everything it receives, everything that develops it, is not at its own expense but at the expense of the higher organism, so we too, upon entering the upper world, are initially in the state of Ubar (embryo).

Our “I” is lost, we become included in the common light and simply wish to remain in this state. The “I” is not actually lost, although my former egoistic “I” gradually dissolves, it is only at the zero degree of egoism.

Naturally, it begins to disappear, but the person does not become annulled. On the contrary, a spiritual body appears within him; that is, above the Machsom, a soul (Kli) begins to form from the point.

A person feels himself to be in a sea of upper light, in a sea of thought, of the plan of goodness and love called the Creator. He sees how everything else in our world exists in a corrected state, how all creations unconsciously, automatically carry out everything that exists within this field—the entire plan of the Creator.

Moreover, to the extent that a person adapts and enters this field, he sees that everyone begins to carry out those thoughts and desires of his that coincide with the Creator. And to the extent that they do not yet coincide with the Creator, he sees that no one carries out his desires, but everyone carries out the desires of the Creator.

In general, this is an interesting discovery, and I hope that we will enter this state. At least, all the prerequisites for that exist.
[362346]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson for the holiday of Sukkot 9/24/26

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The wisdom of Kabbalah explains how a Kli (vessel) equal to the Creator is formed and what we must do in the process. In general, we must tune ourselves to perceive the upper world before we enter it.

We do this in various ways: through study, work in the group, and all kinds of actions in our world. If we add the intention to draw closer to the sensation of spirituality, we evoke that state upon us from there, as if drawing ourselves toward it through our desire.

This process is known as attracting the surrounding light, which purifies us and pulls us toward the higher state. These actions are performed unconsciously; a person carries them out simply because they trust the recommendations of the Kabbalists and do what they advise.

If I am supposed to study, I study even though I do not want to, even though I do not understand or see any connection. But during the study, I begin to think about Kabbalah and imagine it as a science separate from me, one that does not require me to perform any internal actions.

In addition, there are actions in the group, with the friends. For example, I am told to do something I do not want to do at all, but I know it is necessary. So, I try to do something mechanically together with the others even though it is clear to us that each of us is an individualist.

Yet, here I have to gather together with the others and create a pleasant atmosphere; after all, there isn’t much interest in everyday life. But why are we gathering in the first place? Is it to enjoy ourselves or to perform actions that elevate us?

In short, there are many issues here: how to relate to everything and how precisely to tune oneself to attract the upper one, that is, the surrounding light. But ultimately, all these actions draw the surrounding light upon us.

There is also another kind of work where a person begins, as it were, to raise oneself from within to a higher degree. Rather than drawing the upper light from above, he himself is drawn toward the higher degree. This work is called attempts to resemble the higher degree, to resemble the spiritual state.

Where can we obtain examples of this? From what the Kabbalists write to us. They say that spirituality entails a complete exit from one’s self, much like a person, upon death, leaves his body, which has nothing to do with the soul. The body turns into earthly dust, while the soul continues to exist.

Likewise, we must completely leave our “self,” transfer ourselves into everyone else, and exist only within them—in their desires, aspirations, and thoughts—without thinking about ourselves at all. Baal HaSulam writes in the article “A Speech for the Completion of The Zohar”: “Just as the Creator does not think about Himself or whether He exists, so should our intention be.”
[362174]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson for the holiday of Sukkot 9/29/26

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Talks about the Steps of the Ladder, Part 257

How Can We Intend Lishma Before the Barrier?

It is impossible to truly intend Lishma before the barrier, but there is “the grace of Kedusha (holiness),” which means that we would like it. Why? Just because. It has grace. “Grace” cannot be explained. Why? This is because it is surrounding light. It does not enter the vessels and does not give knowledge. “Knowledge” is light that is in the vessels. It shines from outside, and therefore it is called “grace,” something that cannot be explained. We want it. It attracts us, but why? What is happening? What will we get from it? Why do we want something that is against this world? We do not know. The surrounding light provides all of this to us.

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Preparation to the Lesson

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1st part of the Lesson — Writings of Rabash, Article 1, “What Is, ‘We Have No Other King But You,’ in the Work?” (1991) (11.24.2002)

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2nd part of the Lesson — Studying with Friends

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All our work is internal. How can we manifest it? Only outwardly. Naturally, organizing our inner work requires certain external actions. After all, gathering a large group demands effort in this world.

We deliberately seek opportunities to spend more time together, unite further, to discover shared activities, and express what each of us has inside outwardly. We need some form, some foundation, some material for communication with one another.

That is why we need this tent (the Sukkah) with all its symbolic features: a roof symbolizing the screen (Masach), above which is the upper light entering through the gaps. All this symbolism corresponds to the upper world. But in principle, the same thing would exist without a Sukkah.

We use various external attributes in order to connect with one another. Since we do this together, investing joint efforts, we thereby create the foundation upon which we build the common Kli. We do this solely to create unity, adhesion, and connection among us, beginning at the lowest, animal level, and continuing upward.

If there is anything holy or sublime here, anything directed toward the Creator, it is because we have invested our desires in it. We do this not in order to build a beautiful Sukkah, but in order to generate the necessary collective effort and infuse it with our own desires and aspirations.

We want our aspiration toward the upper one to become revealed ultimately and to evoke a powerful surrounding light. Otherwise, there is no holiness in it.

Even the Temple in Jerusalem was immediately destroyed as soon as the disciples of Rabbi Akiva began to hate one another. Rabbi Akiva said, “Love your neighbor as yourself”; this is a fundamental law. But suddenly, egoism flared up within them.

The fact is that they had reached a specific historical stage where egoism was supposed to rise. It rose so sharply in all twenty-four thousand of Rabbi Akiva’s disciples that, instead of love, they immediately began relating to one another egoistically, which meant that they came to hate each other.

And the Temple was immediately destroyed. Otherwise, what would have remained of those bricks? Some kind of palace? Would people have taken paid tours there? What else would there have been? Nothing.

In other words, without an inner attitude, all this externality has no meaning. Therefore, it disappears from our world, is destroyed, and vanishes, because its spiritual root disappears. For this reason, there is nothing holy in this little hut (Sukkah) if your thoughts are not directed toward the spiritual.

The law is the law. No one asks about your intentions. A person may say, “I would like to; I would desire to; I have such intentions.” The world is judged not by our intentions, but by the degree of our inner correction.
[361986]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson on 9/24/26, Sitrin Convention, Sukkot 2003

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The middle line, as such, does not exist. There is no such thing as a third entity. There are Creator’s properties, the right line, which manifests in relation to the creation, and there are properties of creation that are revealed to the creation itself, the left line.

The middle line, however, is a correction. It is the extent to which creation can correlate to the Creator. The Creator facilitates this by sending the light that returns to the source, the reforming light. Thus, a person who correctly balances both lines without adding or subtracting them merits the middle line. This middle line is called “man.”

The properties of the Creator and the properties of creation are not called “man”! Neither set of properties is us; they are two angels. Our bad qualities are not us, and the good qualities of the Creator that we perceive are not ours either. We are the preparation for the middle line, and we acquire the middle line later through our efforts.

We need to consider everything carefully: reward, punishment, effort, everything we go through. We should not work on changing our properties but on separating ourselves from the properties of the Creator and creation as if we were on the outside and working on both types of manifested properties called “do not add or take away.”

If a person is under the control of either the properties of the Creator or the properties of creation, he cannot create the conditions for the formation of a middle line. Conversely, he should see both properties—right and left—as two angels, two forces given to him equally from above. Man’s nature is also not his true nature. The right line is the Creator’s nature.

A person should not depend on or be attached to any line. So, the point in the heart is absolutely neutral between them. This is where it all begins. It is important not to become dependent on any of the lines because it will no longer be called a “man” but will simply be the nature of giving or receiving.

Work should always be only in the middle line even if I am just a point, the beginning of a point in the heart. But it is always between two lines—the right and left.

Neither line has anything to do with man. As it is written, “Go to the Master who made me” is the left line, and “There is none else besides Him” is the right line.
[360335]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/13/26, Rabash, “What Is Do Not Add and Do Not Take Away in the Work?”

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What does personal freedom mean? Freedom from whom? Freedom from the Creator! Whether it is egoism or altruism does not matter; it is freedom from the Creator. He alone governs everything. So, this means freedom from Him.

What distinguishes a small spiritual level from a greater one, or an even higher one, and so on? It is the degree of independence from the Creator—from the Creator! It is when a person becomes equivalent to Him, autonomous, on par with Him.

When the Creator pulls us back and forth, up and down, gives us good and bad states, and drains all our life force from us, He is showing us how dependent we are on Him, suspended like a ball on a string that children play with.

In this way, He shows us the boundaries between our higher and lower states within which we should already be able to exist freely and independently of Him. In other words, He can drain all my energy, yet I can still rise independently to the highest level already allotted to me, that specific delta, those parameters. At the next level will be even higher, and so on.

In fact, there cannot be a state in which a person is completely under the Creator’s control. This is possible only as an example on the Creator’s side or as an uncorrected state on the person’s side. Therefore, there should be no room for gloom or any kind of defeatist attitude. The group must demand that each of its members deal with these states more quickly, because by remaining in them, he pulls the entire group backward.

The group must always kindle such a fire within itself that none of its members can calmly remain somewhere below and sink into spiritual depression.
[362261]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson for the holiday of Sukkot 10/1/26

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From the perspective of the desire to receive, all commandments seem unimportant to us because a commandment is defined as an action for the sake of bestowal, where the entire intention is directed toward the benefit of the Creator or the benefit of another, someone external to what exists or will exist within the desire to receive.

Therefore, it does not matter whether it is directed for the sake of the Creator or for the sake of the group, a friend, or anyone else outside me. I do not sense any of this, and therefore, it is called unimportant. What is not felt within the desire to receive cannot be performed by a person, because a person is the desire to receive.

Therefore, naturally, a person is incapable of performing a commandment, an act directed toward bestowal. But if they acquire the power of Bina, the force of bestowal, the light of Hassadim, faith, the ability to act above reason, then to the extent of their correction, they can perform a commandment.

All 620 commandments are found on all 620 degrees. The difference between them is which part of the common desire to receive a person can perform an action upon for the sake of bestowal. In order to come to the performance of any commandment, one must first make a restriction upon themself so that they have no calculation connected with themself.

Rabash writes that if we gather all the pleasures that exist in this world, throughout all times, in all souls, in everything, they would amount to a mere dim illumination compared with the smallest spiritual pleasure. From this, we can understand the magnitude of the protective power against the desire to receive a person must acquire from above in order to perform an action not for the sake of the desire to receive, after having made a restriction upon it.

Of course, they have no such capabilities on their own, and they are not even capable of asking for this. It is simply that a calculation similar to the one that exists between parents and a child operates here. When the child cries, they give it everything it needs because they are inherently obligated to care for him.

Therefore, a small overcoming in the right direction is enough for us to receive help in response: the strength and the opportunity to advance toward the goal.
[360486]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/17/26, Rabash, “What Are Commandments that a Person Tramples with His Feet”

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Our greatest problem is failing to work when we have energy, when we are filled with inspiration and the upper light, and when the Creator gives us a good feeling. We wake up in the morning, everything around us is shining, we are in a good mood, and ready for anything.

It is not me doing this; rather, it is how I have been elevated and how my inner conditions have been shaped. If I act with the help of these conditions, the effort does not come by my own expense, but stems from an awakening from above, when the light descends and raises a person. The state is good, easy, and pleasant, but it is not the processing of Reshimot.

When you are in such states, you can quickly open books, find the most difficult passages, delve into them, and reveal new, deeper knowledge and connections between the elements of creation, between the inanimate, vegetative, animate, and human levels. You may finally understand something Baal HaSulam, or I say in the most complicated passages of certain books.

If you have such inspiration, you can understand how to relate to the friends. Just try not to merely float within these states; instead, inject your mind, your critical analysis, and your mental, rather than remaining only with a sensory experience, and make sure to write down these states.

Then observe what happens to you when this is taken away from you from above, and everything becomes gray, dull, and there is no energy. Sometimes there is so little energy that you simply lie there and cannot move. When the spiritual light moves away, a person is left completely lifeless, unable to move a finger. Therefore, it is useful to record these states from time to time and observe and monitor yourself: Who am I?

Why can they play with me in this way from above? Because from above I am being shown how I must independently manage my inner states, from the lowest parameter to the highest, with the help of the environment surrounding me.

Alone, I will never be able to do this. But with the environment, I can manage my inner states regardless of how the Creator deals with me. He will continually pull me out of good states, deliberately adding egoism, while I, in turn, must attain a state of independence.
[362257]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson for the holiday of Sukkot 10/1/26

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