It is difficult to feel and understand what a soul is, yet Kabbalists tell us that a soul is a part of the Creator, who is the quality of bestowal. When the desire to receive pleasure assumes the form of bestowal, it begins to work as a bestowing desire. As a result, it feels similarity with the Creator, as though it is a part of Him.

Every time we feel a change within, we have a new and different soul. During each of our actions of merging with the Light, twenty-five new spiritual Partzufim, or souls, are born. So how is it possible to identify ourselves in the spiritual world? In this material world we identify ourselves by everything we currently perceive as our own, such as by our body parts (the arms, legs, head, and so on). As long as we’re alive, the same body will remain with us now and tomorrow, and the next day, and so forth.

However, what is “ours” in the spiritual world? What remains with us from the previous state if we constantly receive ten new Sefirot and a new depth (Aviut) of desire, with new qualities, a new screen, and new Light? Is there something that remains in order to feel that it’s “us” who advance instead of the birth of some other soul?

The truth is that in spirituality, every day and every instant, you are a new person. Nothing ever remains with you from the past. It is contrary to our material life. In spirituality, everything is constantly renewed, except the initial point in the heart.

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson - No Comments →

A question I received: What does it mean to annul oneself at the Zohar Convention so the Upper Light will become revealed to us?

My Answer: It means that I annul my egoism in relation to the common desire to be together, and I do this with the purpose of revealing the Upper Force – the force of bestowal and mutual love within us. It is the common force of nature, the Creator (Bore), meaning, “come and see.” More precisely, it means, come to the annulment of your ego at the inanimate level of holiness, and then you will see and feel the Light which fulfills you. This is possible to do!

It is enough to simply want to connect, even with no true intention to bestow yet. One should want to rise above his ego in order to connect with others and reveal the Creator. This requires a connection according to the method of Kabbalah, rather than simply an egoistic unity among people.

Then the Upper Light will connect us and fulfill us. That is the meaning of the verse, “Israel, Torah, and the Creator unite as one.” “Israel” means everyone who wants to annul his ego for the sake of connecting with others. This is possible to do with the force of the Light which is called “Torah” for the sake of revealing the Upper Force, which is called “the Creator.” We have all the conditions for that!

It is impossible to do it alone, but it’s easy to do it together.

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Zohar - No Comments →

Three questions I received about spiritual correction:

Question: As a student of Kabbalah, I naturally want to experience the sensation of the Creator, but it seems that the more important thing is being changed or corrected so that my desire is to bestow to others. I am uncertain about something. Is feeling the desire to bestow to others experiencing the sensation of the Creator, or is there more? Is experiencing the sensation of the Creator like a kind of “high” or euphoria?

My Answer: Even before acquiring the quality of bestowal you will sense the Creator slightly, from a distance.

Question: I understand that you need to have the need for correction deep in your heart and pray for it to happen. However, the more I look at the people surrounding me and their actions, the more I hate them. For example, I feel this way every time they play loud music at 4 a.m. or drop all kind of things on the ground, or are violent with each other. How can I love this society? I hate it completely, but on the other hand there’s the need for correction.

My Answer: It’s not them tormenting you. The Creator does this so you will turn your attention to Him!

Question: What should one do if he has no desire to function in his day to day life, such as at work?

My Answer:You should earn what is necessary for your sustenance, and leave it to the Light to perform the spiritual correction.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: When It Is No Longer Me
Laitman.com Post: Disturbances And Alien Desires Are The Material We Can Turn Into Love
Laitman.com Post: Strive for the Goal, and Leave the Rest Up to the Creator
Laitman.com Post: Mankind’s Material Development Is Like Slave Labor With Clay And Bricks
Interview with the Future: “The Barrier Before Spirituality”
Shamati #82: “The Prayer One Should Always Pray”

Filed under: Q&A - No Comments →

The Zohar, Chapter “Tazria (When A Woman Delivers),” Item 150: When one begins to build a house, he should mention in his mouth that he is building it for the work of God.

The Zohar speaks about our spiritual work. Not a single word of it pertains to the realm of this world with its material objects, such as houses, rocks, animals, or plants. The Zohar explains the inner work of a person needed to reach the revelation of the Creator in the part of the soul called “human,” the “point in the heart.”

It is a new sense that we need to reveal and build, replacing senses of reception with a bestowing sense, called a “soul,” “home,” or “collection of the souls of Israel” (Malchut). This sense has many names depending on what property we want to discern and highlight.

The Zohar explains this through the example of building a house, that very sense in which we reveal spiritually. A spiritual sense (a vessel, Kli) that we need to build should be flawless. If there is a flaw inside this Kli, meaning, there is an intention for the sake of reception rather than for the sake of bestowal, the Light vanishes immediately.

Such a state is called an “afflicted house” (Nega). Then we need to correct this Kli by burning, destroying, or, in case it is possible to cleanse it and make it fit for use, by correcting it. As a result, Nega (curse) turns into Oneg (delight).

A person that built his Kli improperly, by mistake or negligence, needs to understand where it comes from. In this manner, one advances through corrections.

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Zohar - No Comments →

The Zohar, Chapter “BeHaalotcha (When You Mount the Candles),” Item 43: There are seven ties to the seventy-two names, by which they are tied in each and every connection: the tree patriarchs, HGT, and four others, NHYM. The Rosh [head] of the AB [Gematria: 72] names is the three Sefirot HBD, which are called Rosh. They are in one connection with their middle, the Malchut, since these Hochma and Bina are the ones who dug the well of water, Malchut, as it is written, “The well, which the princes dug,” meaning Hochma and Bina. Hence, the Hochma, Bina, Daat, are in one connection with the Malchut. The second tie is to each other, meaning the two lines Hesed and Gevura, of whom it was said, “The one did not come near the other.” These are in one connection, which begins with three Yods.

When a person begins building his soul’s connection with other souls it means that he starts forming his own image. It’s because our structure is not present in any of us. The structure of each person, his soul is built around his “point in the heart” by connecting to it the desires of others as his own. That is to say, by connecting with other points in the hearts that aspire toward the same goal.

Every person remains a point; that’s his personality, like a drop of semen. Everything else that he acquired appears out of connection with other souls. As a result, a system of connections between the souls is formed in which every soul is comprised of itself and others. This system that a person reveals is called “Merkava” (Creation).

This is the very same “Act of Creation” (Maase Merkava) that is considered to be a great secret. But it is a secret only for those who haven’t attained, haven’t revealed it yet. Namely, it is a very high spiritual level; when one reaches it, one becomes the Creator. Then one knows how to create a connection with other souls, for one attains the structure of the common soul of Adam HaRishon (The First Man) and acts within it constructively, in three lines and the 72 names of the Creator.

The letters are the properties in which we reveal the connection among us and different parts of the system of Adam, the groups of souls or individual souls. As in our body, the cells connect into organs and organs – into a common system, with many parallel systems being connected with each other.

Filed under: Collective Soul, Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Zohar - 1 Comment →

A question I received: The Zohar Convention 2010 is getting closer and it feels like a holiday or festival is approaching. In what state should we strive to be during this period?

My Answer: The most important thing now is to focus on the intention. It’s wonderful to feel like you are going to a holiday or a festival, but in truth, we are coming together to do serious inner work. Therefore, our primary concern should be our intention; this is more important than anything else.

There is only one thing that’s of importance: During these three days, will I be able to have the right intention together with thousands of other people who are together with me in one hall, and with millions more people around the whole world who are also joining us internally.  Only the right intention will deliver us to the goal because it draws the force that corrects and unites us, establishing the connection that broke.

This connection was broken only in our perception. We are therefore correcting the “original sin,” and it can only be done through our intention, the raising of MAN, a plea, the “gate of tears.”

I feel that we are at an historic point and I am really concerned about its success. We have to be fearful regarding whether we will be able to attain what we have planned, because it is written that everything depends on the heavens besides fear of the Creator. If we are being given the opportunity to carry out this event, and we have been sent this idea, it means we really have reached the state of being able to study The Zohar and to reveal it to the nation. We can see how it opens people up and draws them toward the spiritual goal.

We want to give people The Zohar with care and love, the way we would treat our friends, loved ones, or outstanding individuals. This is an historic event because The Book of Zohar itself says that it is intended for the time of the End of Correction, the days of the Messiah, in order to lead Israel (meaning those who aspire “straight to the Creator”) from exile to freedom.

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Zohar - No Comments →

The most important thing at the upcoming Zohar Convention 2010 is our inner work. We must have the right intention, which will give everyone who attends the Convention and the whole nation of Israel the feeling that if the quality of Israel (Directly to the Creator) that exists in every person, dispersed among the Klipot, will unite as one, this will cause the correction of the world.

Because this opportunity is being revealed to us, it is a sign that we don’t need greater numbers in order to attain spiritual revelation. Since we are given the opportunity to assemble this many forces in the whole world and in Israel, on such a scale, it’s a sign that all we lack is a connection among everyone, rather than lacking more people.

The current amount of people is already sufficient; unity is all we lack. If we unite, then the “candle” will light up. By connecting, we build a common screen, and then the Light will immediately ignite it.

We have the oil — the desire to enjoy, and the filter — the screen, and the Upper Light that is above the filter. When we have a screen that connects our desire to enjoy with the Light, then our desire becomes similar to the Light, since the screen is the force of overcoming, where a person desires to unite with everyone in spite of his egoism that separates him from them. Then, it happens — a connection emerges.

Our entire work, the concentration of all our efforts lies only in this point of unity between the screen and the “wick.” The oil is below, the Light is above, and in the middle there is the point inside of which we must all unite together. Then the candle will light up and begin to burn.

In the past we thought that our dissemination in the whole world and in Israel would bring us Light and revelation. But if we are given the chance to carry out such a great event — the upcoming Convention, the only thing that’s missing is our inner connection. We already have the critical mass.

Right now we must think together with all our friends around the whole world, about how much we desire to ignite this point of contact, this “candle.” We have all the conditions for doing this. We have the chance, and now everything depends on us. We have the oil, and the Light is also present; we have an assembly of souls and a certain degree of connection.

It doesn’t matter how much we know or understand. Every person must only add his own desire for unity between the Light and the oil, as much as he is capable. In other words, each person must overcome his ego to create a wick (bestowal) above the oil (egoism). Then it will happen. But we are the ones who have to create this wick — the screen and the Reflected Light.

It’s impossible to do it alone, but together, it’s easy.

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson - No Comments →

Just imagine how every cell and organ in a body feels being dedicated to its individual work. Its entire life depends completely on other organs, from which it receives everything it needs to live. At the same time, the purpose of its own work is to provide life to them. Without this reciprocity, it wouldn’t receive the vital force it needs from them and they all wouldn’t be able to participate in the common life of the body. This is what connects them to the common force of the Creator. The Light and life come to them from Him.

I feel that I exist in a system. The whole world and the entire universe are one common system in which I can see its internal connections. Within this system, I feel that everyone is connected with one another, depends on each other, and is obliged to fulfill their own function. This is why it’s clear to me that there is no division between myself and others.

If this were a closed, self-sufficient system, then everything would end there. However, new shortages, corrections, and breakages appear in the system all the time. Something becomes activated in one place, egoism is growing in another place, and I constantly find myself in fear. On the other hand, I can stay ahead of my fear if I advance of my own accord, accumulating strength and gaining new properties. Then, I won’t fear anything that becomes revealed to me. On the contrary, I will be happy about the opportunity to immediately make corrections and pour even more life into the common system. By doing this, I will feel that I give more pleasure to the Creator.

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson - No Comments →

A question I received: Why do you insist that there is a need to reveal Kabbalah?

My Answer: Apparently,you are religious, and you have probably heard that the most important thing is “Avodat HaShem,” the work of the Creator.

The meaning of this phrase is not just to study, but to correct man, where correction is achieved by the Light of the Torah. And this Light can be attracted only by studying Kabbalah.

Kabbalah is called the inner part of the Torah because it contains the Light of Correction. As we can see from those who study the external part of the Torah, their study does not yield the same result.

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson - No Comments →

The Zohar, Chapter “Tazria (When A Woman Delivers),” Item 70: “…pangs of love are hidden from people.” Pangs of love is the state also known as “I am lovesick.” It means that I don’t need anything; I only want to give, to bestow. My only wish is to fulfill your desire.

This is an intermediate state where I very much want to give but I am unable. Since I haven’t yet acquired a screen, I am unable to receive the Light in order to fulfill your desire. Love is a state where I feel the desire of the other more than my own.

The Zohar, Chapter “Tazria (When A Woman Delivers),” Item 72: It is written, “Better is open rebuke than love that is hidden,” which means that open rebuke is better. And if the rebuke is out of love, it is hidden from people. Similarly, one who rebukes one’s friend with love must hide his words from people so his friend will not be shamed by them. And if his words are open before people, they are not with love.”

In our world we naturally desire to hide our relationships and the love between us because love requires discretion. We want to protect it from everything that might potentially hurt it. But what does it mean “to be ashamed” or “to reveal love in front of others” in spirituality? Who are those others? They are my desires.

If I attain connection with the Creator in one desire, then the other desires in which I cannot connect with Him are called “the others.” Therefore, I need to pay attention to them so that they don’t hurt my love, as well as keep in mind that everything is happening internally.

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Zohar - No Comments →