A question I received: When we work on uniting with others, do we reveal the common ego or our personal egos?

My Answer: We all work on uniting in order to achieve a common desire to reveal the Creator, the quality of bestowal. There is no separation between the personal ego and the collective one. I depend on you, you depend on me, and everyone depends on everyone. If one person drills a hole in our collective boat, everyone will drown.

Therefore, the individual and the group are united as one (Echad). If we are marching into battle together to reach a goal, then does it really matter if it’s an individual or a group? It is like a team: either we win together or we die together. A society has all that an individual has and vice-versa. Therefore, the concept of “the individual” disappears and it becomes irrelevant whether I succeed or someone else does. It is everyone’s success or failure that matters. The group and I are the same thing.

This is called a mutual guarantee. The fact is that we are unable to achieve it on our own, but it’s what the Light of Correction (Ohr Makif) wants for us. We are given a condition: to unite as one man with one heart. However, we are unable to do this. We reveal our inability to bond, which is known as “the broken Tablets.” We understand that we are incapable of this since we are opposite to the Torah.

Unity is not what I imagined spirituality to be. I imagined it as something I can acquire using my ego. However, when it comes down to it, I don’t want spirituality because it is opposite to everything I ever imagined it to be. This is true evil being revealed in me: the fact that I don’t want unity and I am unable to achieve it. This is called the “Golden Calf,” where the Upper Force makes a calf for me. It is done by Aaron, the quality of kindness (Chesed), and this revelation occurs inside a person as a result of tremendous effort.

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The Zohar, Chapter “Miketz (At the End),” Item 34: “Joseph was sad,” sad in spirit and sad at heart, since he was imprisoned there. Since Pharaoh sent after him, it is written, “And they brought him out hastily,” meaning that he appeased him and replied to him with words of joy, words that delight the heart, since he was saddened by his being in the dungeon. First, he fell in the dungeon, but from the dungeon, he later rose to greatness.

It appears to us that the story about Joseph talks about material things and the changes they undergo. Joseph falls into a pit and then rises to greatness. We see a desert, a Pharaoh, the Pharaoh’s ministers, a prison, and so on.

However, in fact, it is Joseph, himself, who decides how to see reality. Joseph decides whether it is a pit he falls into or a king’s palace. He decides whether it is night or day. He perceives each of his conditions according to his level of revelation of the Creator, as well as what he thinks about his connection with the Creator and about the situation he is in.

In reality we are always in the state of infinite fulfillment. However, our uncorrected perception depicts pictures that are uncorrected as of yet. The scenes we see are a reflection of our attitude and judgment in regards to the Creator and His role in governing us. The situation in which we find ourselves is, in fact, our evaluation of the Creator’s attitude toward us. Therefore, we are the ones who create our own state.

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We have to reveal the Creator’s desire precisely while we are in darkness. We have to realize that, for Him, it is the most desirable and dignified state since there is no time in spirituality nor do any changes in states occur.

It is the person, himself, who changes his attitude and as a result, sees Paradise instead of Hell. He can see a rise instead of a downfall and Light instead of darkness. A person’s attitude is the only thing that is subject to change.

There are no changes in the state that the Creator prepared for us; it is permanent. We simply have to agree with it more and become more ready for it until we are able to accept it with love and gratitude, to see it as the most desirable state. Then we won’t want any other states. As a result, our consent, love, understanding, and devotion to the Creator’s plan widen and grow.

The Creator wants us to discover that everything depends only on our attitude toward the unchangeable condition in which we are already present. In this reality, nothing changes except our attitude.

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The Zohar, Chapter “Miketz (At the End),” Item 101: “And all her paths are peace.” Her paths are the trails that emerge from Above, from Aba Ve Ima (AVI), the lock that serves in AVI, of which the writing says, “And Your path in the great waters.” They are called so because they are not open to every person but only to a few. And all are held by the covenant alone, meaning Yesod, who is called, “peace”—peace at home. And he brings them into the great sea, when he is in power, and then he gives him peace. This is the meaning of, “And all her paths are peace.” Joseph was the covenant of peace, he was rewarded with those paths, and he was a king in Egypt and the ruler of the land.

The goal is for all the qualities to unite with the help of Yesod and by virtue of the work of Malchut. There is no need Above for the correction and the unification of Sefirot. All of this is the work of Malchut, which tries to understand and do the same way a child does when he plays and learns. If he succeeds in putting together the Lego pieces, he thereby learns how to do it correctly. However, this does not mean that the game itself is broken. It is purposely made this way for a child so that he would learn how to put it together.

In the same way, there are no limitations or small states in the Upper Partzufim. Only Malchut, which is called a “photograph of the Creator,” feels all these phenomena and decides that Zeir Anpin treats it this way, judging it according to its own limitations.

Yesod is called “everything” because it includes all the qualities, states, and forces that exist above it. According to the law of equivalence of form, we need to become similar to it. This is possible only if we all desire to unite into one point that will be similar to Yesod – one against the other.

When the souls unite within Malchut and are willing to cancel themselves in order to merge into one point in relation to Yesod, which is also one point – one against another, then we can receive the Light of Correction and the Light of Fulfillment from Yesod. Therefore, the only thing we need to do in order to receive the Light from Yesod is to unite into one point, as one man with one heart. This is the condition for becoming similar to it.

That is when the first contact with the Light will occur, and this contact is called the reception of the Torah.

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The Zohar, Chapter “Miketz (At the End),” Item 61: Nukva is called, “night,” and she is a mirror, which means illumination of Hochma. And since there is no illumination of Hochma in any Partzuf besides her, Nukva is called, “mirror” or “vision.” Accordingly, the name “night” is vision.

Nukva is the desire to be filled that is capable of becoming similar to the Creator, the desire to bestow, because it sees Him before it. All our desires rise to Nukva, to Malchut of the World of Atzilut.

If these desires are directed at bestowal and willing to unite with the other souls, they enter Malchut of the World of Atzilut and unite with each other. In this manner, they become similar to Zeir Anpin of the World of Atzilut and a connection emerges whereby Zeir Anpin and Malchut are in adhesion.

Nukva becomes similar to Zeir Anpin, or stated differently, the creature becomes similar to the Creator. When the creature prepares itself properly, the Creator is imprinted in it, and thus, creation becomes His “mirror.” For this reason, it is called a “photograph of the Creator.”

When our desire to receive pleasure takes on the same exact form as that of the Creator (in other words, when it becomes bestowing), it is called a “photograph of the Creator.”

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A question I received: How do I go along with the flow of The Zohar while searching for those qualities inside myself and at the same time thinking about my connection with others?

My Answer: So far we don’t feel how all of these processes are interconnected and that we are all included in one picture – the Creator and me. We are all connected in one very small and simple form to the extent of our similarity to Him. What we call “self” is actually the rest of the world – the inanimate, vegetative, animate and human levels within me. And the Creator is a multitude of forces and reasons.

Therefore, we have to practice using The Book of Zohar to see the unity and the point of our connection. “I” am one; “the Creator” is one; and together “We” are united as one whole. Until this happens, we will feel alienated, separated and confused, but gradually we will begin to change. Just like it happens with a growing child, only the effort we make will help us.

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The desire to enjoy in and of itself is no obstacle for the union of the Creator and the creature. The only thing standing in the way is the desire’s egoistic form, which is opposite to the Creator. However, the desire itself is the perfect material for the reception of Light.

If I want to catch a radio wave, I don’t need to be the wave myself; I simply need my matter to attain the same quality as the wave. The matter itself is no hindrance; on the contrary, it is the foundation in which I reveal the wave. I only have to make this matter similar to the radio wave’s quality, and then within my matter I will catch its influence. In other words, I will perceive the form of the wave that I am capable of.

If it weren’t for my desire to enjoy, I would never be able to know and feel the Creator. How could I perceive Him if He’s the Creator, an entity that exists outside of me? For that I would need to accept Him within and feel Him within me, and that’s only possible inside my matter, by receiving His form.

I would never be able to feel Him outside of my matter because I am the creature and as such I only feel what is inside of me. However, my matter doesn’t hinder me; quite the opposite, I perceive the Light within my matter. I am like a radio receiver – although it’s made of metal, plastic, and silicone, it is able to catch the radio wave because it can reconstruct that wave’s form within itself. Therefore, I should focus on my matter, but only my intention, because the intention is the form.

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When we read The Book of Zohar, we not only try to imagine our inner desires and qualities behind all the words, we also try to see that one Upper Force whose presence permeates all these inner definitions. This Upper Force desires that we reveal it in this manner.

There are three dimensions here:

1.    Me – the one who feels, reads, and understands these words in a simple way;
2.    The words which I wish to imagine in the form of my inner forces and qualities;
3.    The Upper Force which conceals itself behind these forces, and which I attempt to penetrate trying to interpret them correctly.

As Baal HaSulam says in the article, “Thou Hast Hemmed Me In Behind and Before,” regardless of whether a person is in the state of revelation or concealment and throughout everything he feels and imagines, all of his efforts are aimed at revealing one single force – the Creator. This is the force that is constantly governing us.

However, He desires to be revealed by me through my efforts to become similar to Him, meaning according to the similarity of qualities. This is why He acts in this manner.

Therefore, The Book of Zohar is a collection of exercises which, starting from the very first word, we need to carry out continuously. We then begin to perceive all these words on the sensory level rather than with the mind, making it not as difficult to penetrate. The text begins to become clearer for us through the forms and combinations of letters, and we do not need to “think” about this.

This is the same way that a little child learns. He does not think about why things are called this or that in particular or why he imagines and recognizes them in such a manner. This is clear to him. We are the same in this regard. However, in addition to the fact that we try to recognize some inner quality of ours behind every word, we also need to see the goal behind it – that same force which supports us, thereby giving us an opportunity to reveal it.

This is much like an adult playing with a child. The Creator plays with us this way as well. He gives us certain exercises and how successfully we perform them depends upon us. The system exists. The law is established and cannot be violated.

Therefore, we need to try to see that single force – the Creator, through all the words that we read in The Book of Zohar. And although we are reading about different forces which are foreign, opposite to one another, good and evil, we need to recognize the only force that exists behind them: a force that is good and does good, which controls everything only to our benefit, in order to draw us closer to the goal.

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The Creator dwells inside the connection of all the souls that we refer to as the common soul of Adam HaRishon. We, the parts of the common soul, correct and revive the broken system of souls when we begin to connect with one another. In doing so, we create a multidimensional net where every piece is connected to others, just like the organs in the human body are connected through an infinite number of connections.

The connection between the souls once existed for the sake of bestowal to the Creator. In that state, all the souls were connected “as one man with one heart” for the sake of one Creator. This is the meaning of the verse, “He and His Name are one”; it refers to the state where the Creator and the creation were one single whole in the World of Infinity. However, this connection was broken because everyone lost their altruistic intention. As a result, the Creator disappeared, as did the sensation of Light.

This state, where the souls lost their connection with one another, is referred to as “the breaking” or “the exile” (from spirituality). This is our current state. Every person within this system is a separate individual and perceives only his own small world. He does not perceive the spiritual world because it can only be perceived in the connection between us. When there is no connection between us, we perceive just the material world.

The basic concepts to take away from this are:

• When the souls are connected with one another egoistically – for their own sake, they perceive this world.
• When the souls connect with one another for the sake of bestowal, then within that connection they reveal the spiritual world, the world to come.
• The life that we reveal within our egoistic connections with one another is referred to as our current material life.
• The life that we reveal within a proper connection with one another is referred to as the revelation of the Creator. We will feel the Upper Force, the Creator, the same way as we feel the air around us. He will connect us with all the other parts of the universe.

Therefore, everything depends on our connection with one another – whether it is egoistic or for the sake of bestowal.

In about a month we will be gathering at a large Congress in Israel, the exact place where the breaking occurred and the first place that needs correction. Therefore, this Congress can be so immensely powerful that it will affect all of us and the entire world because we will bring the quality of bestowal closer to the egoistic desires.

Let us hope that we will succeed in uniting with the help of The Zohar, which we are now studying. It is a means through which we can attract the Upper Light that reforms and connects us.

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A question I received: What does “avoid using a desire” mean?

My Answer: To avoid using a desire means that I do not want to use it, as opposed to just restraining myself or “shutting my mouth.” For example, assuming that doctors forbid me to eat sweets, then I have to restrict myself, even though I really want them.

To “avoid using a desire” in spirituality means that I find the strength inside myself to prevail over this desire by focusing on something else that matters more to me. I choose not to use this desire; otherwise this decision is worthless.

This means that even if the doctors would suddenly allow me to eat sweets, I would not take advantage of it. This doesn’t mean that I don’t want to eat sweets, but simply that I am not using this desire.

This is difficult to explain because we don’t have these kinds of calculations in the material world where all our calculations are done on a single plane – choosing which pleasure is more important. But in the spiritual world the calculations are done on two planes, me or the Creator, and deciding who is more important. I must acquire the importance of the Creator over every desire that I don’t want to use, and that is the reason that I don’t want to use the desire.

How do I do this? I demand the revelation of the Creator, I ask Him for the strength to avoid using the desire. Then I will be able to keep myself above the desire and in the Light of the Creator that has been revealed to me. The desire remains, but I rise above it and I do not want to use it. However, if the Light was to cease, then I would immediately fall into my desire once again and I would want to use it, and there would be nothing that could stop me then. When the Light that Reforms comes to me, then like a magnet it keeps me suspended in the air. I remain in the spiritual only due to the Light that Reforms. It shines and attracts me, enabling me to overcome my desire to receive pleasure and to rise above it.

This means “to avoid using the desire.” The desire is there, but I do not use it.

In our world, we do calculations according to their practicality. If I need to lose weight, then I do not eat, or I restrain myself and do not use a certain desire because I am afraid of punishment. In the spiritual there is only one reason for me to not use a desire – the greatness of the Creator. And this is why I invert my desire from receiving to bestowal.

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