Question: What are “reflected light” and “direct light” in spiritual work?

Answer: Reflected light is the reciprocal relationship of creation to the Creator when it desires to become similar to Him. It is the action performed by the creation with the intention to resemble the actions of the Creator. Reflected light is the measure to which the creation becomes similar to the Creator, equal to Him. It is the clothing on the direct light, the vessel in which they merge with one another.

Reflected light is bestowal. It is what reveals the higher reality to the creation. To the extent a person develops their reflected light, they begin to see what else exists in the world besides their own egoism, that is, besides our imagined reality.

We perceive all of this in reflected light, as if in a unified sensory organ. Reflected light gives us the ability to see what lies outside of us. All our qualities become arranged according to their integral connection, according to bestowal to others. We begin assembling all our internal qualities into an image of bestowal and examining how best to connect them in order to attain it.

Reflected light expresses the result of my inner work. It is my attitude expressing love, bestowal, the desire to unite, yearning, and striving. And within that, I reveal the direct light, the attitude of the Creator toward me, and the reflected light is my attitude toward Him.

There is nothing but relationships. Do you think you will receive something material from the Creator? You will be filled with the very attitude you wish to bestow upon Him. Love becomes your fulfillment. What is revealed to us is only the sensation of the greatness of the Creator, and it gives complete fulfillment to the desire to receive. The light of NRNHY, the light of infinity, all of it is your own attitude toward the Creator.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/11/12, Baal HaSulam, The Study of the Ten Sefirot

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Preparation to the Lesson

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1st part of the Lesson — Lesson on the Topic “Work with Faith Above Reason” (11.29.2020)

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2nd part of the Lesson — Recording of Rabash, Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Vol. 1, Part 1, “Table of Answers for the Meaning of the Words,” Item 20

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3rd part of the Lesson — The Book of Zohar, “Beresheet -1, ‘Let There Be Light – 1′”

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The desire for spirituality given to us originally is a point in a person’s heart. Therefore, a person in whom it awakens has to begin to work with this desire and shape it so that it becomes similar to the desire for the light.

Light descends to us through 125 degrees of the worlds: 5 worlds with 5 Partzufim (large steps), each of which has 5 Sefirot, a total of 125.

In our world, we receive it in the form of a very small light Nefesh. “Nefesh” comes from the word “Nefesha,” which means inactive, passively existing, enlivening at the most minimal level and nothing more.

Before beginning to work on ourselves, to reveal our desire, to form it (like, say, we make pastries out of dough) and give desire a specific form and direction, it is necessary to understand what we should strive for. It is said: “Make your desire like that of the upper degree (the Creator), so that it can remake you in its likeness.”

The problem is that we do not know how to achieve this. For this purpose, we have been given our world, in which we can correctly shape ourselves with the help of working with our friends in united prayer, in the united, correctly-tuned, mutual desire.

In striving to unite among ourselves, we talk about coming closer, mutual balance, mutual fulfillment of each other, and mutual support in order to come together to one common desire, a common intention, a common goal.

By this, we form one single correct desire out of everyone, which fully corresponds to the aspirations of each of us, and which is accepted by all at the degree on which we are. Only then will it receive a response from above.

And if the Creator does not answer our prayers, that is, if the upper light does not begin to be felt in our desire, this means that it is not yet unified. The light reacts only to the common desire and the request of ten people united together. Then their desire is directed not at themselves, but at mutual bestowal for one another, for everyone together, and from everyone together to the Creator.

Such a desire is immediately followed by a response from the upper light, which is immediately felt in the group that begins to discover for itself the correct prayer.
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From the 3^rd Lesson of the Moscow Kabbalah Congress, 5/2/16

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And what is that purpose for which He has invented this entire reality before us in the upper worlds and in the lower worlds?…

However, we should understand this question of our sages, who asked about it: “If the purpose of the creation of the worlds was to delight His created beings, why did He create this corporeal, turbid, and tormented world?

Without it, He could certainly delight the souls as much as He wanted, so why did He bring the soul into such a murky and filthy body? (Baal HaSulam, The Study of the Ten Sefirot, Vol. 1, Part 1, “Inner Observation“).

There are 125 degrees of attainment of the Creator. Five Sefirot form one Partzuf, five Partzufim form one world, and there are five worlds in total. It turns out that five Sefirot multiplied by five Partzufim and five worlds equals 125 degrees.

In order to attain them from zero to final correction (infinity), I need, as a person in whom there is nothing spiritual yet, to ascend this ladder from the outside.

By ascending to the first degree, I begin to acquire a spiritual vessel, a soul (Neshama).

Before entering the spiritual ladder, I represent a material (animalistic) desire to receive, and after entering, a desire to receive with intention.

Having attained a certain degree, I again fall back into an animalistic state in order to climb to the next degree. It is only in this way! I have no other choice than to make such a “loop” at each step.

Question: Why, besides the animalistic state, the desire to receive, does the protein state, our body, exist?

Answer: It seems to you that it exists because as long as you do not have spiritual attainment, you must feel your desire to receive. Matter has to exist somehow on an inanimate, vegetative, and animate level. And what relates to you as a human being is only your desires. If they have any relation to matter, it is only because they clothed in it. But in principle, this does not matter.

Question: For what purpose are we in the illusion that we have bodies?

Answer: This is a necessary condition for your constant presence in desire.

Question: What does it mean to “bring the soul into the body”?

Answer: The soul is the desire to receive with the correct intention. But sometimes the soul implies the light that enters the desire. And then it turns out that the soul enters and exits.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian, 4/15/18

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By way of suffering, by moving only by means of blows, we cannot get anywhere. We will still have to develop ourselves on the path of light, while the blows only prolong the time. We only prolong our suffering and slow down our awareness of its source. Ultimately, one way or another, we will have to discover it and begin to work with it.

Whereas, if we heed the advice of Kabbalists, we can immediately use the upper system and demand from the source of the light that it influence us.

If we begin to organize ourselves into circles in the likeness of the corrected soul, if we build correct connections and strive to rise above our egoism, the upper light will respond to our efforts, realize our connection, and shine within it. This is called the revelation of the Creator to the created beings in this world.

This is exactly what the science of Kabbalah deals with; it is a method of revealing the Creator to creatures in this world. By doing so, we greatly reduce our time and suffering because we immediately go to the source of the light that created our egoism and demand that the light remedy everything. Therefore, we need to awaken ourselves rather than suffer.

On the path of suffering, we are gradually moving toward the path of light, but extremely slowly. The prophets describe the path of suffering because it is clearly defined; it is an existing program. The prophets, who were Kabbalists, saw the upper system and the opposition of right and left forces in it, and therefore they understood what suffering our desires must go through in order to achieve the final correction.

They write that merciful mothers would cook and eat their own children. These would be horrific times. We are shown what will happen if we do not go by the path of light, by the acceleration of time, what terrible physical suffering would be required to move us toward building a vessel at the level of the natural course of evolution.

The prophets can describe this scenario because it follows from a general formula: the amount of suffering multiplied by its quality. This is the natural way because it is entirely in the hands of heaven. But the prophets do not know how much of our own efforts we will add to this process. No one can know this in advance because we are given freewill in this.
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From Daily Kabbalah Lesson, 7/15/16, Rabash, Article 16, “But the More They Afflicted Them”

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Question: How can you trust the feelings and desires that live in an egoistic world, in an egoistic body? How can you find out the truthfulness of emerging desires and feelings?

Answer: There is no truth in our desires. All feelings and thoughts are selfish.

Therefore, we must only engage in attracting the upper light, which will gradually reveal the depravity of every feeling and every thought, and to this extent, we will be able to correct them. A person cannot, even according to his egoistic nature, keep within himself what is harmful to him.

Question: What is the connection between desire, thought, and reason?

Answer: The basis of our nature is desire (the heart). Thought (mind) exists only to sort and correctly direct our desires. That is why we are made up of a heart and a mind. Intelligence is necessary to deal with desires properly.

There is a desire to enjoy, and a thought of how to realize this desire.

Desire (heart) is primary, thought (mind) is secondary. Reason serves the desire.
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From Kabbalah Lesson in Russian, 5/13/18

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Preparation to the Lesson

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1st part of the Lesson — Lesson on the Topic “Work with Faith Above Reason” (11.27.2020)

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2nd part of the Lesson — Recording of Rabash, Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Vol. 1, Part 1, “Table of Answers for the Meaning of the Words,” Item 19

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3rd part of the Lesson — The Book of Zohar, “Beresheet -1, ‘Let There Be Light – 1′”

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Question: Does suffering really contribute to the development of the soul?

Answer: Naturally suffering distances a person from egoism, purifies, and elevates. But they should not be elevated to the rank of something holy or desirable, because the purpose of creation from the side of the Creator is to delight the created beings.

He created us in order to give us pleasure, not to punish us. Therefore, we must avoid suffering. It is undesirable both from our side and from His. Suffering comes only because we misuse what the Creator sends us.

Question: If I relate to suffering correctly, do I stop feeling it?

Answer: No. It stops being felt only if you correctly realize it. But this does not mean that you sit and suffer and engage in self-torment.

In principle, ideal spiritual work says that suffering should be the “suffering of love,” not because I am not receiving, but because I am not giving, not loving enough.
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From Kabbalah Lesson in Russian, 5/21/17

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