Question: What discernment should I demand from the group?

Answer: I must discern what bestowal is since I don’t have any idea about it yet and it is hidden within my connection with the friends. We must make efforts together to find bestowal between us. It isn’t somewhere out there in the clouds, but right here on earth (Aretz), in our desire (Ratzon).

We must turn this land or desire into “the land of Israel” (Eretz Isra-El, Yashar-Kel) so the desire revealed in our connection will be so correct, strong, and discerned that in it we will reveal the first “holy name,” the first revelation of the Creator. This should be our aspiration.

These discernments have to be made collectively and collaboratively, not individually. This type of discernment is made by the group depending on how much everyone desires to see it happen. Out of all these desires we build one universal, powerful desire to identify what is bestowal, which we wish to attain, and in what form it should be revealed. This happens inside the connection between us. The only question left is: How willing are we to unite as one man with one heart to reach this goal, to attain this desire?

All of our work is in order to form the inner need to receive the Torah, assistance from Above, the Light that Reforms. This is what the people received at Mount Sinai – the capacity to use the Upper Light’s assistance. As a result they experienced various obstacles and transgressions, the revelation of evil which is the vessel for revealing the names of the Creator.

Broken desires that need correction are constantly revealed in us, and inside them we reveal the holy name of the Creator, the quality of bestowal. Until we reveal this quality, however, we reveal its opposite, the egoistic quality of reception. In other words, we have to go from hatred to unity and oneness.

From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 08/11/10, “You Should Always Discern Between Torah and Work”

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Question: Fear for our lives in this world arises in us instinctively; it’s beyond our control. How do I obtain the same dreadful fear that I may not attain bestowal?

Answer: We are not helpless in the face of fear of this world. When a person embarks on the spiritual journey, he receives such odd fears that he starts to realize that fear isn’t real; it’s a game.

A person feels that this fear is projected on him from Above as if with a beam, and his only choice is to rise above it by “faith above reason” in bestowal. If he exists in bestowal, there is nothing to fear. He can simply close his eyes to all fears that come solely to force him to rise above caring only for the self and to teach us to live in aspiration for bestowal.

As opposed to some instinctive animate fear, a person perceives this state consciously. He sees that it’s coming to him from the Light that Reforms, and he is aware that his sensations are projected to him from the Source whose purpose is to advance him. Then, he understands that nothing happens without a reason and these fears have a purpose.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/17/10, “The Matter of Fear and Happiness”

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At each Kabbalah Convention we accumulate a “covering” (screen), the force of mutual bestowal that we are ready to work with. A convention is like a large group. We gather people and unite them, and this makes us ready to carry out a mutual goal like a combat squad. However, if we get together just to sing and dance and then go our separate ways, then what’s the point? A convention has to be the place where we do mutual work!

Depending on the states we go through, we will decide how often we should hold these conventions. As we become more sensitive, we will understand when and where we should hold every subsequent convention, how big it should be, and whether it should be regional or worldwide.

Our entire life will be built upon these mutual ascents and descents and they will also determine all of the work done by our factory. Otherwise what are we living for if not for spiritual advancement? The faster we do all of this work, the faster we will reach the entrance to the spiritual world and start ascending up 125 spiritual levels.

For now we are only learning about how to make this ascent, but it is already very close. Once we go through several more exercises like this, we will be ready to work with the Lights and Kelim. It’s not because we are getting smarter and learning the theory, but because we are building a collective force that is a spiritual vessel.

Through these actions we reveal the common force of the group, its soul. With each convention we build it more and more and start to feel how the Light acts within it. That is how we pass the Machsom.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/19/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”

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Question: What is the working principle of the spiritual “stimulator,” the system of questions that we now want to use in our work?

Answer: There is a spiritual law that states, “Any unity contains the Upper Force.” The sages said: “It is impossible to conquer a city defended by a unity of sinners as a defensive wall.” In other words, the city is occupied by sinners, but if they are together they are protected by the Upper Force. This force is present in them in the reverse form, as an “impure force,” yet it is impossible to defeat since it is the force of the Creator, used in its opposite guise.

We also wish to use this principle. If we think about something together and combine our desires, then this common thought produces a virtual space and an external manifestation such as questions, answers, video clips, music, and a social network I can enter in order to receive an impact.

Besides, we place our expectations in it, all our hope and faith for the future, and all our heartfelt aspirations. This draws the Upper Force, which is able to sustain this system thanks to our unity. Now imagine that 100,000 people entered it! How strongly would it impact you? It isn’t just a force that’s 100,000 times greater, but a force of unity and connection that contains the Upper Force within. We must not forget this.

As a result, from Above the Creator will start influencing us and revealing Himself to us. In truth, there is no “up” or “down” in spirituality because everything is within us! All of our spiritual future is inside the “Tamagotchi” or “stimulator” and each of us can benefit from it. I entered it and felt an impact. If you will be more sensitive and treat it with respect instead of neglect, you will feel its impact.

This stimulator functions according to the principle observed in our egoistic world, such as in a troop, a brigade, a mafia net, or any solid union of men. According to Kabbalistic principles, unity draws the Upper Force since we desire to be together as one man in order to attain the quality of bestowal.

Moreover, when I enter the stimulator, I wish to receive a response from this system so it will impact me. I don’t just fill in the answers;  I do it with the intention of being impacted. I value this virtual space as the power of the group under whose influence I wish to change. Then, it will influence me for sure!

Otherwise, what else do we have to represent our society and express our attitude toward others? In this system we can give these feelings form: We can see, respond, and get in touch with what we call our society and our environment.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/15/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”

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Question: Who are people with a broken heart?

Answer: The heart is all of a person’s desires. When a person discovers that all these desires are for the sake of self-gratification, he sees that they are broken.

What is the breaking? Once upon a time, initially, they were connected by the force of bestowal, the force of connection among them. This happened naturally due to the Light or awakening from Above since that is what the Creator created.

Then the Creator concealed Himself and the Light disappeared. For this reason the connection among them disappeared. The revelation of a lack of connection among us is called breaking. All of this is talking about the creatures.

The absence of the revelation of the Creator or the quality of bestowal caused disunity. This disunity may be felt the way we now feel: “It’s not so bad. Everything’s OK. I just wish others would stop bothering me, and I also won’t harm anyone.” This is called the revelation of the breaking.

Besides this, there is a state where we feel that we are in the state of breaking and there is no connection or unity among us. This can also involve varying degrees of the realization of evil: Without a connection among us, I will not attain a good material life; or through the absence of connection among us, I bring about natural disasters; or due to the absence of this connection, I do not attain the Creator, spirituality.

In other words, it is possible for a revelation to happen above the exile (meaning the lack of connection among us), or it is possible for a revelation to happen from below, which is what humanity is now gradually attaining.

From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/15/10, The Zohar

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Light comes to us from Above and awakens specific parts of the common soul in order to advance them according to its program. This program is very complex and assumes that the souls will awaken in a specific order and combination among them like parts of one body. This is invisible to the eye, but according to the inner structure of the soul they are all connected with each other. The Light connects them together so they will perform the mutual work of searching for the quality of bestowal.

These are people who are complete strangers, very different from one another, and have completely contrasting material qualities. Yet, we have to believe that this is all arranged from Above. We have to leave behind everything that prevents us from uniting and search for a means that can help us accomplish this. The search will enable us to understand that the only basis for unification is bestowal, which is above reception. Nothing but this can unite people.

This path is very inconsistent, as if we are traveling across a very uneven road and our car is constantly thrown up and down by all the potholes and bumps. Yet, despite everything it has to keep going and advancing forward. The more we advance, the greater is the frequency of bumps and the more sensitive we are to them. In other words, the changes taking place in us are more drastic and significant. The truth is that they were the same before, but we did not notice or feel them very much.

It is impossible to advance down this road unless you even it out. Then our car will roll along quickly and easily! The only way we can smooth out every pit and bump on this path is to have a common opinion in the group and unity among us. This is the only thing that will fill in all the pits and unite us together, making our path smooth and even.

There is no possibility to advance spirituality without evening out the road. The disturbances and problems that arise before a person who desires to advance individually, or worse yet, a group of individualists, are so great that it is impossible to overcome them. The car will inevitably get stuck and it will be impossible to get it out. A person will remain in the same place; his life will be over, and he still won’t complete the path or attain the goal.

Therefore, our work must be aimed at unity. Then we will reveal that we can attain all the results precisely through unity! Our spiritual advancement on this path depends only on this. All the efforts and revelations happen only in one direction inside this connection that unites us all.

Everything depends on how much a person values the connection among the friends above all the problems that become revealed, and he understands just one thing: “There is none else besides Him.” All the disturbances come from the Creator. He gives rise to these inner pits and bumps inside us, confusing us in a thousand different ways. We have to imagine that all the problems come from Him and their only purpose is for us to unite.

Therein lies the secret to success! This is the basis upon which everything begins and all the rest is built.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/15/10, “Concerning the Importance of Friends”

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What is “faith above reason?” “Faith” is bestowal, and "above reason" means that it is more important than reception. In our state, this property only manifests through my attitude toward the group because only in a group can I clearly see that I prefer the group’s well-being to my own, both in my actions and thoughts.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/8/10, “The Importance of Faith that Always Takes Place”

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Question: Kabbalah says that the reason for all the problems in the world is man’s egoistic desire. But what is the connection between me being an egoist who’s opposite to the Creator and the extreme heat in Moscow or the ecological crisis?

Answer: We are all inside a closed system or sphere called “the Creator” where all the parts are connected through mutual bestowal. That is the law of existence of the entire system as well as each of its parts. We can see this on the example of the human body, the ecosystem, and so on. I exist inside this system like an embryo inside a mother’s womb, and I feel good to the degree I am connected and equivalent to the system and bestowing like it. And vice versa: To the degree I am disparate from it and have different qualities, I feel bad.

Proximity and separation are not defined by distance, but by equivalence of form. If I have a small egoistic desire, then even if I am different from the system, I feel small problems. But if my desire increases, then so does my sensation of discomfort.

Since man’s egoistic desire constantly develops, his opposition to Nature’s system, the Creator, also increases, and thus it is inevitable that man will feel worse. This will continue until he begins to understand what the reason for his suffering and problems is.

I will receive blows of fate from all sides until I understand that it is systematic and not accidental. The problems with the ecology are not accidental! I can no longer keep ignoring them. Similar problems will take place all over the world and in all forms. They will shake people up and make them stop and think, “Apparently, there must be a reason for this?”

As the desire grows, it feels suffering and creates a mind by its side in order to avoid the suffering. A person becomes smarter and shrewder. He learns to connect the causes and consequences and inevitably begins asking, “Why is this happening? Where are all of our problems coming from?” Usually people ask, “What did I do to deserve all of this?” And that is already a subconscious question about the Source of what is happening (Nature, the Creator).

People will reveal that what is operating here is the general law of the universe. Call it “Nature” instead of the Creator; either way it requires us to constantly and consciously maintain balance with Nature, which means we have to have the same quality of bestowal as the whole universe since all parts of the universe exist in universal connection and integral unity.

That is why there is no choice about the matter. Humanity is a cancerous tumor inside all of nature, and it is obligated to cure itself. Eventually, under pressure from all the problems, we will reach this realization. It’s already very close.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/10/10, A Lesson On Current Events

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Baal HaSulam’s article “Preface to Panim Meirot uMasbirot,” Item 7: Now you can understand their words about the verse, “I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time.” The Sanhedrin (98) interpreted, “Not rewarded – in its time; rewarded – I will hasten it.”

Thus, there are two ways to attain the above-mentioned goal. Through their own attention is called a “Path of Repentance.” If they are awarded that, then “I will hasten it” will be applied to them. This means that there is no set time for it, but when they are awarded, the correction ends, of course.

If they are not awarded the attention, there is another way, called “Path of Suffering.” As the Sanhedrin said (97), “I place upon them a king such as Haman, and they will repent against their will,” meaning in its time, for in that there is a set time.

There are two paths before us that lead to the same goal, and we are at their intersection. At every given moment we should feel that we are at the crossroads that determines our freedom of will, and the choice here is very simple: to take the path of the Light or the path of suffering.

A third path does not exist. We must advance by one of these two paths and decide at every given moment what our next step will be. Your foot is already up in the air, and now you have to choose where to land it: on the path of Light or on the path of suffering.

The moment will pass, and you will once again have to make a choice. Your foot has been lifted from Above to force you to make a step, and it is up to you where to place it, on which of the two paths. In accordance with our choice, you will receive the strength and the means to advance since you have to keep moving ahead, one way or the other.

If you advance by the path of “Beito” (natural development, in due time), the forces of nature are pushing you onward against our egoism since you wish to advance led by your ego. Hence, you are impacted by the forces that oppose your egoism, trying to keep you in bestowal. But on the path of “Ahishena” (hastening time), you start to consciously convince yourself through the environment that being in bestowal is worthwhile. Thereby you draw the Surrounding Light, and it returns you to goodness.

On the path of “Beito,” you receive blows and learn through them. Sooner or later it will result in your request or prayer for correction and advancement like you would have by the path of “Ahishena.” Conversely, if you initially take the path of the Light, you will save time on the first segment of the path, where you would have otherwise wasted time through your lack of desire to listen and exert your own effort.

There is no time to think about where to land our foot! Everything depends on the preparation of the spiritual environment.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/4/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”

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From Baal HaSulam’s article, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”: Now you can understand their words (Sanhedrin 98a): “The Son of David comes either in a generation that is all worthy, or all unworthy.”…

Indeed, we should thoroughly understand that this matter of redemption and the coming of the Messiah that we hope will be soon in our days, Amen, is the uppermost wholeness of attainment and knowledge, as it is written, “and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, saying: ‘Know the Lord’; for they shall all know Me, from the greatest of them unto the least of them.”

When the Children of Israel are complemented with the complete knowledge, the fountains of intelligence and knowledge shall flow beyond the boundaries of Israel and water all the nations of the world, as it is written (Isaiah 11), “for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord,” and as it is written, “and shall come unto the Lord and to His goodness.”

Every person has to attain the degree called “Messiah.” This degree can only be attained by disseminating the knowledge of the Creator, meaning circulating Kabbalah in the world and to the nations. This has nothing to do with the power of the nation of Israel, but with circulating the idea of the correction of human nature, the idea which will be understood by humanity and will capture its heart.

This is referred to as the “king Messiah,” the kingdom of Isra-El, the intention to achieve the Creator by the way of equivalence of form, when everybody unites as equals in mutual bestowal, thereby revealing the Upper Force and eternal life. This work must be done by every person.

However, there is an added responsibility to complete it for the group of people that received this method of correction in Ancient Babylon. This group called the nation of Israel has already gone through correction in the past, then fell to the state of the rest of the “Babylonians,” mixed with them, and now must undergo correction first because this group contains the record of its past corrected states.

Circulating the method of correction in the world is called the time of the Messiah.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/1/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”

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