How can we achieve eternity and perfection? It’s achieved according to the law of equivalence of form. If the Light and the desire are opposite to one another, then the Light annuls the desire. However, if they’re equal, they support one another, and we feel that they both exist. That’s what we call eternal life. Achieving it is precisely the purpose of the science of Kabbalah.

In order to bring us to the state similar to that of the Creator, to the ability to live forever and perceive our true reality, we must undergo a process of corrections. All these corrections come down to making the desire to receive pleasure similar to the Light and to begin observing the law of equivalence of form.

Herein lies the entire correction. Either we are opposite to the Creator as we were originally created, or we gradually achieve equivalence with Him. We correct ourselves until the Light and the desire join together. At that moment, we are born into the spiritual world.

This method of correction is called the science of Kabbalah (in Hebrew, the word “Kabbalah” means reception). It’s the science of receiving the Light into the desire so that it won’t disappear and we would feel true, everlasting reality. Indeed, this wisdom is great and not at all simple. We really don’t understand how this can be achieved. Yet, although we don’t realize it, this is our innermost desire and the purpose of our existence. Subconsciously, we’re always searching for it.

There’s a phase when we first make contact with the Light and perceive it in our desire. The Light remains within us, and we begin to feel life as eternal, and don’t part with the Light within us. This phase or spiritual birth is called the exodus from Egypt.

Before then, we must remain in Egyptian exile, in the preparatory phase to the spiritual birth or redemption. That’s why we devote so much attention to studying the phases which we must undergo while in the Egyptian exile. We want to realize our exodus as soon as possible using all the means prepared for us by Kabbalists throughout history.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Building An Instrument To Tune Into The Light
Laitman.com Post: The Miracle Of Exiting Egypt
The Law of Equivalence of Form [04:09]

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We can’t come into contact with the Light unless we utilize the corrected souls of the Kabbalists and the authentic books that they wrote. The Kabbalists of the past are the owners of the system which delivers the Light to us.

How can a person achieve this contact with the Light considering that it is the most important thing? The Kabbalistic group and books create the contact for him. The books connect one with the system of the corrected souls.Through the group, when one tunes himself correctly to the spiritual goal, he can annul himself and ask for the Light of Correction.

The group serves as a filter for us. If we can put our desire, our appeal through this filter, it means that our appeal is correct. It then corresponds to the Upper system of the corrected souls and it will deserve the answer from Above.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Be Your Own Creator
Laitman.com Post: Entering The System Rashbi Created
Talk: “Perceiving the Desires”

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Today humanity has reached such extreme growth of egoism that we can’t even dream about kind and altruistic human beings anymore. Some time ago, we still had hope of our capability of educating and cultivating such caring people. The 20th century has put an end to these dreams. Now, we understand that the human being is simply incapable of altruism. This is a great realization, since it is already recognition of our evil.

However, now we are facing the question: Can people continue to exist in this world if we don’t become more altruistic? Today, we are realizing that we are in a common, global system – a global “village” where everyone is interconnected. With such a recognized interconnection, will we be able to survive if we don’t become altruists?

It is clear that we will not be able to exist this way much longer. We are becoming torn apart. For humanity to survive, we must bestow to each other and become like one man with one heart. Yet as we have seen historically, we have no chance to achieve this with our own strength; it is simply impossible!

But we can reveal that there exists a third force – the Creator, who can do this. We can reach the point of making this revelation and clarification by way of horrible suffering, wars, and epidemics, which would force us to reveal the need for the Creator who will “establish peace between us.” However, this path of natural development is very lengthy and difficult.

There is an alternative. If we study the science of Kabbalah, if we understand the states that we need to go through and the decision that we need to reveal, if we disseminate this knowledge all over the world and draw the Upper Light, then the Light will correct us. It will give us the quality of bestowal, which we are unable to achieve on our own through our nature. This alternative allows us to reach correction through a short and pleasant path by “accelerating time.”

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A question I received: How does a person feel the transition from the state of the Second restriction (Tzimtzum Bet) to the First Restriction (Tzimtzum Aleph)?

My answer: We tend to think that the Second Restriction with its work in the three lines is more complicated. However, in the state of the Second Restriction, it’s crystal clear to what extent one can or cannot use a desire, and how much one needs to annul himself.

In contrast, the First Restriction seems deceivingly simplistic. It seemingly involves only the desire, the Light, and a screen, that is, me and the Creator, where I am a guest and He is the host. But this holds only if one comes from above downward and has the strength. It’s similar to a situation when you have plenty of money (strength), come to a restaurant, and order without checking the price. This is called the First Restriction.

However, we are not in such a corrected state yet. Our desires are not corrected to the extent where everything is laid open in front of us. Being under the conditions set forth by the Second Restriction, we weigh constantly how much to take, what to take, and why. It’s similar to a situation when you come to a supermarket with 20 dollars in your pocket and you have to get groceries to feed the family. So you go around checking the prices and evaluating what you need most.

This is how we act while, on our path of correction from below upward. We don’t have the strength, and we welcome any opportunity to move toward bestowal. In this way, we gradually expand the forces of bestowal.

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The science of Kabbalah is the order of descent of the Upper Forces directed to the revelation of the Upper Governing Force (the Creator) to a person.

The law of the particular: Even before the common revelation of the Upper Force to the whole of humanity, there are a few chosen individuals who are able to reach this state.

The law of the general: At the end of its development, the whole of humanity must come to the revelation of the Upper Governing Force, and completely attain it. Studying a path of attaining the Creator, Kabbalah explores “the order of descent of the worlds” from above downwards, that is, from the World of Infinity to this world, as well as “attainment of the Upper Force” from below upwards, by climbing the steps that were formed by the descent of the worlds.

Attainment of the Governing Force is gradual and sensed in our feelings, depending on correction of egoism. The Upper Force has to be gradually attained according to the laws established by its descent from above downward.

Kabbalah studies the world we can’t feel. A Kabbalist first senses this world, and then takes on the cognition of it. Those who don’t feel the Upper World think that Kabbalah studies something abstract and detached from reality. But it’s the opposite: Kabbalah describes only a real, attainable reality.

Everything is revealed from above downwards in the parallel worlds, and these worlds differ only in their material, a quality of desire. However, the objects and forms are the same as an imprint of a seal. All the details of the Upper World (roots) are reflected in our world (branches). A root controls its branch in everything.

The language of branches: The language of branches was created by Kabbalists based on the connection of each branch in our world with its root in the Upper World. However, this language can be understood only by those who feel the root. Aspiration to attain the Upper Force causes the Light to shine from the root to the branch, thus correcting the branch to the degree of the root.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: “You Can’t “Jump” Through Spiritual States”
Laitman.com Post: “Attaining The Names Of The Creator”
Laitman.com Post: “A Language Created By Nature”
Talks: “Perception of Reality” Michel Laitman’s Talk with Michael Sanilevich and Eugene Litvar
Baal HaSulam Article: “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

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The process of correction happens in ups and downs. First, Malchut rises to Bina and gets included into it, in this way Bina gets to know what Malchut wants. After it attains Bina, Malchut takes Bina’s strength and then descends. At this point, Bina already carries part of Malchut.

Altogether, there are four parts: pure Bina, pure Malchut, Malchut’s insertion into Bina, and Bina’s insertion into Malchut. Their inclusion into each other creates something that is called “love.” Now, since Malchut and Bina acquire each other’s qualities and start to understand one another, the process of correction becomes possible. Not only does Malchut join Bina and learn from it, thereby correcting Galgalta ve Eynaim’s bestowing desires, but also it is enabled to use the power that it acquired from Bina to descend back to its original place and correct its AHP (Awzen, Hotem, and Peh). These repetitive swings up and down complete the correction process step by step, each time proceeding to a new level.

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A question I received: Why is it that in spirituality men need to go through circumcision (Brit Mila) even though men embody the quality of bestowal in the spiritual world and not women who correspond to the quality of reception?

My Answer: Indeed, if we’re talking about Malchut’s correction, it follows that it is the female (receiving) part that should be corrected. So, why is it that the correction (circumcision of three impure desires or Klipot) is done in Zeir Anpin which is the symbol of male qualities?

Before the End of Correction, my intention to bestow only applies to the desires above Tzimzum Bet (Second Restriction). These are the desires connected to the qualities of Bina while all the other desires still can’t be corrected. For this reason, they are cut off from use and become usable again only at the End of Correction.

The intention to bestow within me is called “man” and desire is called “woman.” This intention to bestow is called Zeir Anpin, man, or “overcoming.” I see how I need to arrange and cut off this intention and I see which form of bestowal to apply to make it suitable for the Creator. Malchut, the receiving part within me, is without form. However, the “bestowing” part in me must be given form, specifically to the extent of and depending on what I am willing to bestow. Then, I realize that I’m unable to work with my intentions and that my screen doesn’t cover the full depths of Malchut. It follows that I must reduce my intentions to some degree.

The part within my soul called “man” is the intention to bestow in my soul. It is this part that the circumcision applies to. We’re not talking about anything external; this is my inner “bestower” whose form must correspond to the Creator. That’s why I perform this correction of Brit Mila, meaning I restrict myself in the usage of certain parts of Malchut, and thereby advance in the spiritual world. Accordingly, this is why this commandment doesn’t pertain to “women.”

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A question I received: What happened during the breaking of the common soul that enabled correction to be possible thereafter?

My Answer: The breaking brought about an inter-inclusion, mutual penetration, and true unity between different qualities. Prior to the breaking there were two incompatible qualities that did not overlap and even repelled each other: reception and bestowal. Later they came closer to one another and started to be expressed within one object – Nekudot de SAG. However, this closeness was similar to oil that’s poured over water, or two pieces of metal that are glued together; they still don’t have anything in common.

In these cases, it’s possible to apply an external force in order to overcome the mutual repulsion. This will force one quality to enter inside the other. Yet, even then, both qualities will still continue to exist. For example, we can mix liquids together by way of vibration, or cause metals to merge together by way of fusion. This produces different types of metal alloys that are soft or hard, malleable or rigid, as well as the type that can be made into thin sheets. However, this is not true unification.

In spirituality we have to attain true unity between opposite qualities. We don’t yet understand what this means. This isn’t just simply taking a little bit of Malchut and a little bit of Bina and mixing them so they would exist side by side. Spiritual unity is when each one helps the other and each enters inside the other. The qualities of Bina penetrate the qualities of Malchut, and the qualities of Malchut enter Bina. Thus, they exist together, complementing each other for the sake of attaining a mutual goal.

First their qualities grow closer, until reaching a common boundary during Tzimtzum Bet. Only then can they intermix with each other and penetrate one inside the other. However, they still don’t unite, as the Zivug takes place over Tzimtzum Bet, in Nikvey Eynaim Rosh SAG. But then, under the influence of the most powerful Light, which comes from Zivug AB-SAG, they receive a blow and break. That is when their qualities “melt” and a new, mutual quality is born.

This is how the unification of Bina and Malchut takes place as a result of their striking unity and breaking (Shevirat HaKelim). New spiritual Patzufim of the Worlds ABYA come out, in which Bina and Malchut work together, jointly. This is why it is called “unity” of the qualities of reception and bestowal, where you are “instead of me in every way, and I am instead of you in every way, and both of us are together.” This unity is possible only when the Upper Light maintains it and does not let it disappear.

Thus, the Worlds of ABYA, which conduct Light through the quality of Malchut and Bina as one whole, are able to correct the broken soul of Adam – his parts, our souls.

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The spiritual goal is unity – the unification of a person who aspires to the Creator, the Light of Correction, and the Creator into one whole. A person has to remain inside this goal in every state and at every moment. Then he will advance toward it.

But how can he advance if he is already inside the goal? Where can he keep advancing if he has already “caught” the goal right now, at this very moment? The answer is that a moment later he will receive a greater desire to enjoy, and then he will have to “catch” the goal once again. That is how we advance, step by step.

Don’t think that the goal is shining for you from somewhere far ahead and you will reach it one day. You have to attain it right here and now, and not a moment later.

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There is a universal connection, a hierarchy, or chain in the common system of the souls. The development of the different types of souls happens according to this connection. In their development, the souls always depend on the preceding souls. They are connected like a father and son, cause and consequence, or teacher and student. However, there is one, special, exalted system above all the types of connections. It penetrates the system like a live organism and operates in different directions. This system is called the system of Rashbi.

It is the transition between the part of the system that is corrected and the part that is uncorrected. The corrected part is filled with Light and contains the corrected desires which are all ready for the common, final correction of the entire system. This part includes those that have already revealed the entire 125 degrees of the proper development of the common system of creation. The uncorrected part still needs to realize the state it is in and begin its correction. The uncorrected part is us, all the souls on the level of this world.

All of us will have to go through the step-by-step correction with the help of the system of Rashbi which is absolutely at the height of the 125th degree. The revelation and the influence of these corrected souls happens to us through those connections and preparations that they have built in the form of a system called The Zohar (the Light that descends from Arich Anpin of the world of Atzilut).They have created this kind of system for us so that we will find ourselves in a proper environment as we connect to it. After all, our entire development depends on the environment.

When we try to connect to The Zohar, we can receive everything we need for our correction from this system that represents the group of Rashbi and his students. These souls have made special corrections in the Upper Light in which we can clothe ourselves through The Zohar. Through them, we also can connect with the Light or with the Creator.

Rashbi uses The Zohar to reveal to us the gates that lead upward. He reveals them to the extent of the value that we give to the greatness of this system and our ability to connect to it with the purpose of using it to attain the spiritual goal.

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