In reality, there is no difference between the Creator and the group; it exists solely in our ego. Only one element is concealed from me: the source of pleasure. That is why I see the group instead of seeing the Creator.

It is, however, done for my own salvation, so that I may develop a selfless relationship with them and not be corrupted by the pleasure they may provide! Hence, pleasure and fulfillment that exist in the group are hidden from me, and I am able to build relationships with them through my free and independent action.

If the Creator revealed Himself and His love to me at once, it would oblige me in everything and annihilate a possibility of my using free will. But in the Creator’s concealment, I remain totally independent: If I feel like being close to the group, I move closer; if I don’t, I move away; I can think whatever I want about them as well. Concealment is a great favor on the Creator’s part; He is doing this for our own good, in order to allow us to construct ourselves.

Concealment lets me remain neutral and assemble my individual character and values. It only seems that I am surrounded by a group of strangers. In fact, it is my own soul, my spiritual Kli!

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/1/10, “What is Day and Night in Work?”

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Nothing disappears in spirituality. On the contrary, the differences between the souls become even more vivid. Every particular soul possesses special qualities that create the entire wealth of perceiving the Creator. This happens precisely by virtue of connecting with the opposite qualities of other souls. That is how the mutual perception of the Creator becomes 620 times greater than the perception of a separate soul.

The size of our spiritual vessel (Kli) is not defined by its quality, but quantity. That is why every soul is revealed more powerfully and uniquely. This is similar to stem cells which are universal and can be used like building blocks to build everything else. The heart, liver, kidneys, and lungs can all be built out of this basis called the stem cell.

The same thing is true in spirituality. For now each of us lives inside the “stem cell” of his own soul. Later we will begin connecting to the general system, the group, or the system of souls that we reveal in the group, and by attaching them to us, we will then connect to the Creator who becomes revealed in the system of souls. That is when we will also begin to attain ourselves: Who we are, what we belong to, what our soul is, what my mission is, and what my main quality is out of the entire sum of qualities accompanying it.

Therefore, when we advance in spirituality, every person becomes more and more connected with everything, but at the same time he stands out more and more, becomes more unique because by connecting with others, he increases his own “stem cell.” That is why Baal HaSulam writes in the article “The Freedom” that every person must develop, rather than suppress, his unique qualities. By virtue of every person’s uniqueness, we will attain a huge, perfect vessel of the soul in which we will be able to perceive the entire spiritual world and the Creator 620 times greater than at the beginning of creation.

From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/1/10, The Zohar

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State 1 (our present state) is “bestowal” to oneself, which is comprised of our pleasure and the desired fulfillment. State 2 (the state we wish to achieve) is bestowal to the Creator, which will constitute pleasure for us. And herein lies the contradiction.

In “bestowal” to oneself, the action itself, the work, and the reward are all in one direction, in one line. Therefore, it is called the Direct Light, and everything is clear to us here. The beginning, the end, and the achievement of this final goal are directed in one direction: toward me.

But if I wish to delight in bestowal to the Creator, then the problem of opposite intention and result emerges. I need to correct the intention, and it’s against my desire! Bestowal to the Creator should turn into reception of pleasure for me. And I must enjoy since that is the plan of creation. Yet the enjoyment should come from bestowal, and this is completely opposite to me!

The purpose of creation is pleasure, and the correction of creation is bestowal. However, these two conditions contradict each other. This is the main obstacle and difficulty of our perception, which constantly blocks our path, depriving us of an opportunity to realize what was planned.

We have to exert great effort and perform enormous work on the one hand, and yet on the other, its outcome does not depend on us; it is given from Above. Meanwhile we only reveal our desire through our work. We don’t acquire the goal, but rather, obtain the Kli, the vessel that can hold it.

Therefore, these two opposites (bestowal to the Creator and the pleasure derived from it) will unite only from adhesion with Him. And only the Upper Light, which changes our nature, can bring us to this adhesion.

We need to change from the state in which the heart controls the person (and for this reason Kabbalah considers such a person “wicked”) to a state where a human being in us governs over the heart and thus a person is called “righteous.” And there is only one solution for achieving this: the Kabbalistic group, which is a model, an example, and the framework in which we can check ourselves and see to what extent we correspond to this goal or not.

The group is capable of convincing me that I don’t have anything more valuable than bestowal to the Creator! On the other hand, however, I reach the conclusion that I am incapable of anything, and only the Creator can help me. In this manner I reach the needed desire, a prayer.

However, right now we lack these two polar opposites: Keter and Malchut, the Direct Light and the Reflected Light, the reverse correspondence to the Light and the desire. All of this is contained only in the corrected Kli that has an intention against the desire.

We need to build this model of the first 10 Sefirot within ourselves for the first time. Then we will have the inner structure, like a first cell of a new organism, from which the embryo of the soul will develop.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/31/10, “What Are the Two Actions During the Time of Descent?”

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Question: Is it possible to proceed by “faith above reason” all the time?

Answer: Of course not. However, Kabbalists do not discuss whether we can or cannot proceed in that manner; we simply must! And when we can’t, we ask for help, and the Creator does this work for us. The entire work is done by the Creator, not a person. But we need to ask Him to perform it.

A person has to come to an end in trying to perform the work himself. Even if he knows from the start that he is doomed to fail in trying to achieve the goal using his own strength, he should still do it. Thereby he discovers that the work will be done by the Creator, and he knows how to ask Him.

I always exist in a process where I move along a straight line from the initial (current) point to the final goal, which I must reach by any means. The final point is bestowal, love for the Creator and for the created beings, faith above reason, and bestowal above/over reception. I need to leave the initial point and come to the final point, and on the path we have the following:

1st part: Doing everything that is in your power! This is first and foremost.
2nd part: Reaching complete disappointment in my own strength.
3rd part: Understanding that only the Creator can save me.
4th part: Beginning to work together with Him in bestowal (Hafetz Hesed) and love.

But while I am still at the very beginning, I should rely on my own strength and know that I will undoubtedly reach the end. I cannot fold my arms across my chest and wait for action from Above. If I do not exert as much as I can during the first stage, if I don’t do everything that is possible, then I will never reach despair and understanding of my powerlessness. This means that I will never realize that I require the Creator’s help. If so, how can I rouse the Light that Reforms?

Stages unfold one after the other, and the current state determines and builds the next one. A person doesn’t know exactly where he is and what awaits him at the next stage during the next moment. However, the whole advancement is carried out due to his pressure.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/30/10, “When A Person Knows What the Fear of God Is”

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The same question arises over and over again: Why couldn’t the Light create a perfect being similar to the Creator from the start? But it can’t be done! It is impossible to pass the property of bestowal from the Creator to the creature directly.

This is why we have to experience the breaking of the worlds (in the World of Nekudim) and the collective soul (the fall into sin with the Tree of Knowledge). There is no other way to connect and bring the qualities of bestowal and reception (Bina and Malchut) into one another except through the sin (the breaking) of Adam and the destruction of the Temple.

But what forced man to taste the fruit (apple) of the Tree of Knowledge? It’s similar to the predicament when you see a pleasure and clearly recognize that it brings harm; you feel shame, yet you are willing to override it because the temptation is too strong. You can’t resist it, even if it’s deadly. Moreover, the pleasure doesn’t cancel shame but forces you to continue!

This is when it’s necessary to arrive at conclusions and learn, since at this exact point you experience Adam’s sin founded on the collective egoism (the Tree of Knowledge), which is described as: “I ate and will eat again!” He can’t resist; this pleasure is greater than him although he knows it is forbidden.

This is the point where the difference between the Light and desire is revealed. And if you are able to sense and wish to correct it, you will realize that you need the Light that Reforms. There is no option; this is the only way to feel that you are doomed and can be saved solely by the miracle from Above. That is when you ask for the Light and receive salvation.

Salvation comes only from this point in a human. As for the “animals,” the Creator doesn’t call on them to come out of Egypt. It is the “human” who exits Egypt and leads the “cattle” out as well.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/29/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”

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It’s very easy to determine whether the path is a spiritual one: Everything that we agree with does not relate to spirituality! It is specifically the contradictions that our mind and senses do not accept, that are undesirable and repulsive to us, that relate to spirituality. We should work on these in particular.

If I sense that a certain state won’t bring me any benefit either in my senses or mind, then by rising above this particular state, I can start building spirituality. Most likely, in this state it will be impossible to “buy” me, and I won’t look for a selfish profit; rather, I will need the Creator’s help in order to rise above it. In other words, I constantly check myself: How much does my body resist my work? And for me this is the sign of my correct spiritual advancement.

Further on, I need to examine what I’m doing it for. Perhaps I want to overcome myself and pursue some personal goals. Or maybe I want to find love of the Creator which is repulsive to my “body,” my egoistic sensation and mind. And I’m searching for love that is built on hatred toward egoistic thoughts and desires about oneself.

Often, however, we are not trying to transcend our bodies and regret that we are unable to work according to our mind and feelings contained in the body. Instead of looking for a state that is beyond our sensations and mind, we wish to be in it.

First and foremost we need to push the body “down,” along with its feelings and mind, and be above them, not to take them into account. That is, I take them into consideration, but only in order to rise above them. Then it’s called faith above reason. But instead, I regret: Why is everything not revealed within my reason so that I can act as a sensible person and know that I have intellect and personal strength to advance correctly…

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/30/10, “When A Person Knows What the Fear of God Is”

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The Zohar, Chapter “Lech Lecha” (Go Forth), Items 158-159: Nefesh is a low awakening that clings to the body (Guf), like candlelight, whose bottom light is black, clings to the wick, …it becomes a throne to the white light atop it, for it hovers over the black light. And that white light corresponds to the light of Ruach.

The white light becomes a throne to a hidden light, and it is not seen or known that it hovers over the white light. It corresponds to the light of Neshama, and then it is a complete light. Thus, there are three lights one atop the other in a candlelight: 1) The black light that clings to the wick, below all the others; 2) the white light over the black light; and 3) the hidden, unknown light over the white light.

Similarly, a man who is complete in everything has three lights one atop the other, NRN, as with the candlelight.

The Zohar teaches us how we can develop and enhance the connections between us after we attain the first spiritual contact. If we cling to the point of union, it awakens new properties and sensations in us by expanding and revealing itself even more. When this happens, it means we’re ascending spiritual steps. Nothing else changes. We simply go deeper into the connection between us and begin to sense that all organs and elements of the system are unified, that all souls are tied into one.

Everything is aimed at one goal which is bestowal to the Upper Force. Within this aspiration we sense that we receive from Him. This begins with the sensation of the connection between souls and is called Malchut of the World of Atzilut, which is one point. Later this point is unveiled through bestowal to the Upper Force (to the Creator, Zeir Anpin). However, without bestowal it remains just a point.

We have to reach this very first contact by connecting together in one black point (Malchut) and start to bestow to the Creator from there. Then Malchut receives the property of bestowal from the Creator and nine Sefirot are unveiled within it. The Creator (the spiritual reality) can be sensed only to the degree that we bestow to Him.

The revelation of Malchut (the system of our souls) to Zeir Anpin (the Creator) is all that The Zohar tells us about. The Zohar teaches us how to develop connections by adding new, emerging forces to the very first spiritual point called Abraham. This is how a person uncovers spiritual organs and reveals the forces of the Upper World within himself. Instead of dry narration, The Zohar becomes an entire world and its power is unmatched by our limited reality.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/27/10, The Zohar

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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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The Zohar, Chapter “Lech Lecha (Go Forth),” Item 4: People should observe the work of the Creator. After all, all the people do not know and do not consider what the world stands on and what they themselves stand on.

What does the world rest on? It rests on desire. What are people grounded in? They are grounded in desire. The Zohar is speaking of the types of desires the world and we rest on and how we can change these desires. After all, everything that happens within our desire makes up the reality that we experience.

Our perception of the world hinges on how we change our desires. In his article, "The Creator’s Concealment and Revelation," Baal HaSulam writes that nothing changes outside of us. And it is solely our responsibility to replace our perception of this world with the perception of the World of Infinity.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/12/10, The Zohar

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The Zohar tells us about the Upper World, which we reveal inside of us. Everything described in this book occurs inside us. In fact, we perceive our world in the same way. The difference between the worlds or perceptions is that we perceive this world individually, within our egoism, while the Upper World is perceived collectively within our relationships and the connection between us.

Connection through mutual bestowal and love is called the soul, and what we perceive in this soul is called the spiritual world. By making corrections in ourselves we correct the initially broken connection (Kli) and thus reveal different qualities of the connection that The Zohar talks about. The common connection of all parts of the soul or creation is called the Creator. The entire spiritual world is comprised of different types of connections, which are called Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, different angels, as well as still, vegetative, animate, and spiritual objects. These are all revealed in the connections.

Today we perceive our world and think that it exists on its own. However, this is an illusion. The truth is that we perceive a type of connection between us that we call by this name. The last or lowest level of connection among the parts of the soul (the particular souls) provides a sensation of a bad connection that is called “this world.” When we attain the absolute connection of all parts of the universe, this connection is called the World of Infinity because it is an unrestricted connection without any finite limits. It is, indeed, beyond space and time.

Between the full connection in the World of Infinity and the complete absence of connection in this world, there are five levels of connection or five worlds called Adam Kadmon, Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, and Assiya. We actually exist in only one reality which is the World of Infinity, but our perception of it depends on our attitude toward the connection. This involves 1) egoism or reception, and 2) bestowal or love. Our life is a sensation of the quality of connection between the parts of reality.

If we want to reveal the true world and understand, attain, and enjoy it, we have to try to see ourselves as more connected when reading The Book of Zohar. Then we will begin revealing a greater connection and the Upper World. This method to reveal the Upper World is called “We shall do and we shall hear” (Naase ve Nishma).
From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/18/10, The Zohar

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