Vicissitudes on the Spiritual Path

231.02Comment: Sometimes a person’s perception becomes so sharpened that it seems to them that they have adhered to the upper one and truly feel it. But they do not know whether they have actually adhered to the upper one or simply has “closed their eyes.”

My Response: Until the Creator is revealed, we will always have doubts. And if someone else resolves these doubts for you, you will only lose from it. Therefore, let everyone remain with their own disturbances, while we should give each person the opportunity to resolve their problems more effectively and more quickly, so that they will have more strength and energy.

But in truth, everyone must resolve their own problems. This is precisely the reason why we are in darkness.

I understand that you want me to answer all your questions. Do you know how many years I came to Rabash and asked him questions, and he answered: “I am sorry, but I cannot help you”? I would feel like tearing him to pieces! I thought: “What is this?! Don’t you see how I am suffering?! Is this what it means that I am your student, that you love me?!”

But as it is said: “Salvation comes from the Creator in the blink of an eye.” I heard this phrase for years. Wait for it every single moment, and it will come.

I remember that once, when I had some first illumination, I came to M., who lived not far from our old location, and I asked him: “Well? What do I do now?” He answered me: “Just wait, everything will be fine, now everything is open before you.” But after some time, everything closed again, disappeared, and for a long time nothing happened.

I came to him again. He said: “Well what did you expect? That is exactly how it happens.” It was so difficult to speak with those elders. Nothing helped. There was no choice! Alongside Rabash there were two others who, of course, could not be compared to him in greatness, but they also had spiritual attainment. None of them gave any answers.

Simply, nothing can be done. A student must personally go through all the vicissitudes and receive their own impressions from them. Otherwise, if you were to tell them everything, they would perceive it only with the intellect, through knowledge. But with knowledge it is here today and tomorrow it is gone. That is not spirituality. The intellect is merely a machine.

Everything must pass through a person’s feelings, in which, according to their desires, there will be attainments, failures, disappointments, and discoveries. But all this must happen specifically within their desires. It is forbidden to replace feelings and sensations with intellect and knowledge.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/11/26, Rabash, “The Meaning of the Strict Prohibition to Teach Idol Worshippers the Torah

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Practical Scrutinizing

528.04Question: What metamorphoses occur between descents and ascents? What the does the transition from one state to another change?

Answer: Such transitions are possible only within a group.

You cannot possibly analyze, perceive, or measure this process, unless it is in relation to a group in which you, together with your friends, strive to unite as one and nullify yourselves relative to your common connection. Within this connection, you reveal the source, the upper force, that can transform you all and bring you to this connection.

In this way you truly are striving to reveal the picture, the state that actually exists. It is the only thing that exists.

All other notions, which are disconnected from this reality, such as: tell me, show me, explain it to me, are all mere philosophy detached from matter, and will invariably be misunderstood. Moreover, such thinking will lead you to believe that you can achieve this by yourself. Therefore, it is impossible to study Kabbalah without realizing the group connection with those who share this aspiration.

A person must traverse a vast number of stages, undergoing countess realizations, definitions, and analyses before becoming ready for this specific kind of uniting and transformation in order to simply stop perceiving oneself and to perceive the collective instead. At that point one will reveal that this collective is, in fact, one’s soul.

Question: How can we use our ascents and descents in a collective manner? How can we tune to that specific wavelength where everyone is striving in the same direction?

Answer: I have spoken about this at length, and now I do not want to repeat myself.

Question: Perhaps there is some subtle nuance that we are still missing?

Answer: Nothing is missing. Everything has been said thousands of times. You have it all. If you use it, you will find the correct model and yourself in it. If not, then no.

Comment: In essence, you have explained this system in great detail many times, but your students still constantly ask about the same thing. You give some explanations and uncover finer gradations.

My Response: It depends on their advancement. I cannot scrutinize it now with you. You do not understand that a Kabbalist can scrutinize only those things that he really senses in the course of a conversation.
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From KabTV’s “I Got A Call. Practical Kabbalah” 9/28/10

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 5/26/26

Preparation to the Lesson

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1st part of the Lesson — Writings of Rabash, Article 9 “Jacob Went Out” (1985) (1.30.2002)

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2nd part of the Lesson — Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

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Audio Version Of The Blog – 5/25/26

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The Difference Between Knowledge of the Landlords and the Teaching of the Torah

256Comment: Difficult events happen to us, but we come here, begin to work with faith above reason, and say that what happened is not so bad, and that over time everything will work out.

My Response: This is incorrect. Baal HaSulam writes that If everything that happens to you is perceived as good, even though you feel it as bad, it is simply a lie. This is called Hasidism.

Herein lies the difference between the knowledge of the landlords and the teaching of the Torah, between religion and the wisdom of Kabbalah. You are simply deceiving yourself: “Whatever the Creator does is for the good, and the blows that come are good. In fact, they are not blows at all, but positive things, I just don’t feel them that way.” All of this is false.

Do you feel bad? Yes! So why deceive yourself? Whom are you lying to? Your heart is in the upper Partzuf. As we study, Ima Elyia (the upper mother) has now turned her back to Aba (father) and does not accept your prayer because it is not genuine. If you continue deceiving yourself, you distance yourself even more from the truth.

If I receive blows and claim that it is good, and even thank and pray for them, what greater deception can there be? How will I reach the recognition of evil and faith above reason? This is exactly what Baal HaSulam speaks about. It means that you are perceiving reality incorrectly.

“A judge has nothing more than what his eyes see.” After you feel bad, you must relate to it according to the principle: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?”

Your problem is that you do not want to feel the clash of opposing concepts. You do not want to exist in inner tension. Of course, it is easier to say: “Thank God, everything is in the hands of Heaven, all is good,” or “There is none else besides Him, I live by this, and nothing else concerns me.” Or to be like the religious population that supposedly relies on the Creator. I emphasize “supposedly” because they do not analyze the states they go through. They relate to life this way not because they truly feel it differently, but because they erase reality and cling to a single idea: There is a Creator, and therefore one can remain calm.

They do not live within the real reality through which they must rise, from the level of this world to the level of the final correction (Gmar Tikun) by their own effort, because they do not connect these two points. They seemingly cling to the upper force and think that by this, they have completed the correction.

There is also a completely different life lived by secular people. They believe there is nothing above, we live on this earth, and that is all there is. Between these two poles all of humanity exists. If you are at one of these extremes, you can arrange your life quite comfortably by closing your eyes either to one side or the other, like a non-believer or like a religious person, and have no inner conflict. It becomes a kind of life philosophy.

This is precisely how you want to relate to your friends: “My friend is an angel, the Creator, and I must treat him accordingly.”

But one must see everything at once and examine reality from both perspectives simultaneously.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/4/26, Rabash, “What Is Heaviness of the Head in the Work?”

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How Can You Align with the Plan of the Creator?

423.02Everything that happens around us on this vast scale of society or the universe as a whole, happens according to a specific immense plan, and we exist within this plan. Our task is to align ourselves correctly with this plan. However, under no circumstances should we attempt to alter what comes from the outside; rather, we must correct ourselves so that we adapt to this external movement.

Question: In that case will I perceive whatever happens as having arrived at the right time?

Answer: It arrives at the right time, normally and correctly. And suddenly I understand the inherent correctness of everything taking place and realize just how perfectly suited it is for me.

Question: And I do not regret anything?

Answer: There is nothing to regret because all of this is unfolding outside of me, before my eyes. It serves only to show me the steps that I must take within myself in order to perceive it correctly, agree with it, unite with it, and move further in resonance with it.

Question: In balance with it?

Answer: Yes, in harmony.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman,” 4/29/26

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Armed with the Quality of Mercy

253Aaron is Israel’s right arm… We need to know that the right arm is regarded as Hesed [mercy], which is the vessel of bestowal. That is, he wants only to do mercy and bestow. By his power, Aaron drew this power to the people of Israel (Rabash, Article 1 “Moses Went”).

The spiritual degrees of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are Sefirot Hesed, Gevura, and Tiferet. Moses, Aaron, Joseph, and David are Netzach, Hod, Yesod, and Malchut. This article discusses a state in which it is impossible to advance in accordance with the guidance provided by Aaron (the quality of Hesed, the altruistic desire in a person).

It is written that Aaron is Hesed, mercy. But why? He is the left line, the domain to which the concept of Cohen (priest) pertains.

Consequently, it is believed that the Kohanim (priests) have a difficult, irritable temperament. But here, for some reason, it talks about the property of Hesed?

Rabash wanted to explain the path that Moses must traverse. Indeed, the article is called precisely that: “And Moses Went.” Where and how should he go? It is about advancing by faith above reason, because it is impossible to go by faith below reason.

What does faith above reason mean? It means that I accept knowledge, rise above it, and based on this, build my connection with the Creator in such a way that I treat all obstacles that come my way as if sent by the Creator. I make the correction of Hesed (mercy) on them and ask the Creator to help me use them, be above them, and stay connected to Him. In other words, I seek to build my connection with Him upon the foundation of these obstacles.

It turns out that all these hindrances are exactly the material with which I connect myself to the Creator. It says, “Bind the sacrifice with ropes until [it is brought to] the corners of the altar.

The altar represents the correction of the desire to receive at a high spiritual level. The cords (ropes) signify Aviut, spiritual coarseness or intensity of desire. This Aviut manifests specifically through the disturbances that arise from the desire to receive, from the side of reason.

Therefore, anyone who does not suppress their reason, but rather, while remaining above it, establishes a connection and demands correction from the Creator, ultimately achieves adhesion with Him.

Naturally, true spiritual work cannot take place in a state where a person merely experiences pleasure, for that is not work and does not require any exertion. It is only when a person reaches the level of Hesed (mercy) that we can say one rejoices from their work, because one has made the correction of Hafetz Hesed, the correction associated with Aaron.

This is why Moses always told Aaron, “Let us go to Pharaoh together.” This refers, of course, to approaching the Creator, but primarily, it signifies going together with his brother.

He performed the correction through the property of Hasadim and reached the degree of Hesed (mercy) through correcting the disturbances; he united with the Creator by faith above reason and reached the degree of Pharaoh, the capacity to wage war against his own desire to receive.

In this manner, you can advance forward time and again; it is by using and conquering Pharaoh, returning to him repeatedly until you pass through all ten plagues and merit to break free from Pharaoh’s dominion.

If a person does not become resilient in the face of obstacles, armed in advance with the quality of mercy, one will not need the Creator’s help to cope with Pharaoh. When one has no need for the Creator’s help, one has no means of getting closer to the Creator.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/19/26, Rabash, “Moses Went”

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Who Is a Friend and Who Is an Enemy?

198The most important thing for a person is to correct oneself along the path of life. Anyone who points out your shortcomings is doing a tremendous amount of work on your behalf.

In order to discover these shortcomings (let alone correct them, but at least simply to discover them) you will run into a vast number of serious obstacles, bang your head against the wall, and get yourself into all sorts of troubles.

People suddenly end up in prison, come out years later, start over again, and so on. But someone who can truly point out your shortcomings and you are able to feel them, understand them, become aware of them, saves you an enormous amount of suffering.

Comment: We consider such a person an enemy: he pointed out my flaws, he humiliated me.

My Response: Humiliation is a different matter. I can recognize my shortcomings and at the same time be grateful that he is showing them to me. But the one who says nothing or even praises me, perhaps he praises me maliciously so that I would not pay attention to my own correction.

Question: No wonder you always say that the one who criticizes you is closer to you than the one who praises you?

Answer: Yes. Of course.

Question: Do you truly feel that way?

Answer: Yes, I do.

Question: Do you actually listen when someone suddenly tells you something critical?

Answer: I very much would like to.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman,” 4/28/26

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Work in Lo Lishma and in Lishma

238.01Question: Why is our work called work in Lo Lishma if the goal of this work is the Creator?

Answer: A person who is in Lo Lishma, whether they want to or not, works for themselves. This means that both their work, their goal, and their effort is all only for themselves. When they attain Lishma, both their work and their goal change, and no longer the goal, but the work itself becomes the reward for them. Then everything changes.

I have exerted various efforts in order to bestow upon myself as well as upon you because I see benefit in it. Even if that benefit is of the highest order, so what? After all, I do all this because I feel it, me, myself. All this is connected with my “I.”

If, as a result of these efforts, correction comes from above, then everything within me changes. Bestowal for the sake of my own fulfillment disappears completely. What remains are “bestowal for the sake of bestowal” and “reception for the sake of bestowal,” and that is what I do.

Now the effort itself gives me satisfaction; I want to have the opportunity to exert it; I want this work, rather than having some other goal apart from the exertion of effort.

Question: What does a person who works for themselves in Lo Lishma think about? What must they reach?

Answer: A person working in Lo Lishma has many possibilities. There are many degrees within the state of Lo Lishma. We studied what it means “to mock,” and what it means “to hate.” There are different degrees here: working solely for oneself, working only so that another will not receive, and so on.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/2/26, Rabash, “What Are Banners in the Work?”

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The Meaning of “Atzmuto”

222Question: What does “Atzmuto” mean?

Answer: We do not talk about Atzmuto. Atzmuto is something above the desire relative to us, above any relation to us. Whatever exists before His connection with creations is called Atzmuto.

Whatever begins from the point of connection with creations is called the Creator (Boreh). What does “Boreh” mean? Bo Re—come and see. This is already attainment, something that can be reached, seen, attained.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/17/26, Rabash, “What Is the Difference between Law and Judgment in the Work?”

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