A question I received: If this world is imaginary, does that mean that all our actions in this world have no connection to the goal of creation?

My Answer: No, because you have to function, support yourself, and build your life in our world in order to exist. In order to reach the spiritual world, you must first become disappointed with your corporeal existence. This will make you think about how to perform a spiritual action, and you will then begin to connect your life in this world with spirituality. Your whole existence here will then be directed at developing the soul.

Everything you do in this imaginary world will become spiritual. Consequently this world will disappear, since you will have retrieved everything you need from it for your eternal state. It disappears because it dissolves completely and wholly in the process of assisting the point in the heart.

This constitutes this world’s correction. However, it does not change in and of itself, since it is incapable of acquiring the quality of bestowal directly. Our protein body and physical matter cannot exist for the sake of bestowal. Although all of its components on the inanimate, vegetative, and animate levels give to each other for the sake of leading a common existence, they don’t do this consciously.

However, if I use this whole world in order to exist so I can develop my soul, I will thereby utilize this world in the correct manner and will fully deplete it. The other levels of nature (inanimate, vegetative, and animate) are unconsciously connected to each other with a global and harmonious connection. Meanwhile, human beings use these levels, including their animate selves, in order to perform an action of bestowal in the soul on a higher level. A human being thereby elevates the whole corporeal creation along with himself.

One does not need to correct the inanimate objects, plants, or animals  in nature; they are already corrected. Rather, while existing in the animal body, a human has to use only what is essential for him to live, and to direct everything else to correcting the point in the heart. Then everything on the inanimate, vegetative, animate, and human levels of this world will be in balance with the spiritual level.

It turns out that the inanimate, vegetative, and animate levels are mutually included in each other and are controlled by the Creator, without their personal intention. We humans must also provide our animate bodies with everything necessary for them to exist for the sake of spiritual development. Our animate bodies are already prepared for us to use them in a spiritual form.

We cannot make our bodies bestow, and we cannot change its laws. However, while it exists on the inanimate, vegetative, and animate levels, we can add an intention of using it the right way – for the existence of the body and the development of the soul. That way, it participates in the whole correction. With this kind of attitude on our part, the whole of creation will reach perfection and correction. Consequently, there isn’t a single part of the desire, even in this imaginary world, that does not undergo correction.

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A question I received: Baal HaSulam wrote that the spiritual worlds differ only with respect to their material. What does that mean? Is it because the same exact forms are imprinted into different material?

My Answer: Yes! We think that desires differ in size, that they can be big or small, but in reality, the desire only changes with respect to its essence or quality. Looking at the four phases of creation (the four phases of Direct Light), we see that desire develops not in size, but in quality.

We do not assess the size of desire according to its volume. We’re always looking at its quality, the extent to which it is similar to the Creator; this is why differentiates the level of Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Chaya, and Yechida. The size and quality of a desire are actually inversely proportional. The higher a desire’s quality, the smaller its size, much like the shape of a pyramid.

There is a great quantity of ordinary materials, qualities and people in nature, while their premium counterparts are rare. In spirituality we focus on the quality of the object rather than its size, and on acceleration rather than speed. The size of a desire is determined by its quality, not its quantity. This raises the question: If a desire does not change quantitatively, then what makes it change qualitatively? The answer is that it’s because of the Upper Light that influences it from within!

What is the difference between a great desire and a small one? The only difference is the extent to which the desire is similar to the quality of bestowal. If I’ve grown over the course of a month, it means that I’ve become more bestowing, not larger in size. But we can also say the opposite: The more a person grows in spirituality, the less he “puffs up,” as it is written: “Wisdom is for the humble.”

Spiritual changes are exclusively qualitative, both with respect to objects and time categories. Qualities are determined exclusively by intention – “reception” or “bestowal.”

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A lesson is therapy for my desire, a means that allows my present desire to be changed and made equivalent to spirituality. The more therapy I receive through my attendance at Kabbalah lessons, the higher my chances of recovering and changing my nature.

However, simple visits aren’t enough. I have to understand why I make the visits and what their results will be. Thus, the main thing at the lesson is that I must have the intention to change my nature.

If I come to the lesson just to listen, with no intention to change, then nothing will help me to attain the Upper World, neither an excellent teacher, nor a strong environment. A lesson for me must be a conscious participation in the recovery of the broken soul.

The teacher gives me the correct direction and the environment supports me on my path to the goal. However, I must absorb the importance of the goal provided by the environment.

It is absolutely unimportant if I understand the studied material, the same as I don’t need to understand how the drugs prescribed to me work in order for them to work.  Doctors label illnesses and drugs with obscure names that don’t tell me anything. I just know that I feel bad and need something to help me feel better.

The same situation exists in the healing of a soul. It is enough for me to feel sick and to know that during the lesson, I will receive the remedy. There is a spiritual healing mechanism that works on my request, and I need to correctly prepare myself for the healing.

I expect the healing of the soul to occur during the lesson and therefore I prepare myself beforehand in order to be able to accept the cure.

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Desire (Homer) is like a donkey (Hamor) that is controlled by its rider (the intention). In the past donkeys were used for turning millstones to grind grain. A feedsack of grain would be placed on the donkey’s snout, and the donkey would eat the grain while walking around in a circle and turning the wheels.

If it wouldn’t get food, it would not take a single step. Similarly, our egoistic matter is like a donkey: it cannot work unless it receives a reward!

The intention that controls our “donkey” is called “man.” This is the donkey rider that determines where the animal will go.

Desire does not understand intentions, and this enables us to control it. Let your desire enjoy, just add an intention to it. This is why it is written that the higher a person is, the greater is his egoistic desire. However, he knows how to let the egoistic desire enjoy in order to tame it and ride it towards the correct goal.

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There is a stage in the revelation of the Upper Force when one encounters two opposites and needs to make a special discernment.

On one hand, he exists in the world with the understanding that he is that entire world. On the other hand, he is incapable of relating to this world as an integral part of himself and to connect it to himself.

It is the Upper Force, the Creator, that is preventing him from doing just that. Until one attains Him (the complete quality of bestowal), he cannot connect all the different parts of the world within himself.

An additional force is revealed, one that governs over his nature. At this point he wants to connect and change the world for the better, but is unable to do so, since he is unable to change himself!

In order to change, one needs to ascend to a higher degree. By connecting with these external parts, which he now sees as parts of himself, he can no longer remain egoistic.

It’s not the same as finding out that your long-time enemy is actually your close relative. When this happens, all that’s left is regret for the bad relationship you had prior to the discovery.

However, this kind of correction is not enough, since the hatred in him vanishes and is replaced by love. In reality this isn’t so. Instead, the hatred remains and love is built on top of it!

A person comes to this new degree with all of his prior egoism, which doesn’t vanish, and there is nothing to be done with it.

Sometimes a situation comes up when a person must have a good attitude towards someone, but cannot force himself to do so. No matter how hard he tries, he will still only feel hatred and repulsion toward another person.

So what can one do? The only option is to exert an additional effort so as to build a new relationship over the existing dislike and hatred.

This attitude is called a new intention for the sake of bestowal over the previous state of egoistic desire.

Related Material:
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A question I received: Where does the Upper Light reside?

My Answer: The Kli is filled with the Light of Hassadim (love and mercy), the force of bestowal, which contains the Light of Hochma (wisdom). The Upper Light is the Light of Hochma clothed in the Light of Hassadim. This is the Light that is always working.

We are always turning to Malchut of the World of Infinity, for that is the only existing state. The substance of Malchut of Infinity is the will to receive. The creature imparts to this desire an intention “for the sake of bestowal.” At that point the Creator’s Upper Light clothes in the creature’s intention to bestow.

That is how the Creator’s love and the creature’s love are revealed together, inside of our desire. This state is called the World of Infinity. This state already exists, and we only have to apply our efforts to reveal it! This cannot be done individually, but only through our collective efforts, by uniting all the spiritual sparks (points in the heart).

Our collective effort awakens the Light that fills the World of Infinity, and draws It to us in the form of the Surrounding Light, which shines on us from afar. The Surrounding Light, in turn, makes us similar to Malchut of the World of Infinity.

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Preparation to the Lesson
The science of Kabbalah begins from the point when a person understands that he is ruled by egoism and wants to be ruled by something else.
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Writings of Rabash
All of one’s actions should be focused on the intention one has when reading a Kabbalah book. One should expect it to give him the force that will correct him.
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“Preface to the Sulam Commentary”
The spiritual “me” is the unification with other souls. It is impossible to be alone in the spiritual world, because it is governed by bestowal.
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Thou Hast Hemmed Me In Behind And Before
New movies and books create new standards for a person, opening up the possibility of a different reality for him.
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A question I received: There’s a problem with studying Kabbalah: it’s not obvious what you should be doing. Other methods give you different exercises for the body or the mind, but in Kabbalah, it’s completely unclear what you should be doing from a practical standpoint. Should you just study and that’s it?

My Answer: You’re right. In this method, a student cannot clearly see what he should be doing. The reason for this is that he is learning the art of bestowal, which is an intention that is unseen to the eye. Your physical body does not participate in this at all, only your heart does.

But what is the heart? It is a collection of all your desires. In Kabbalah, you have to penetrate inside your heart and learn its qualities. You have to see what attitude is coming from your heart towards yourself, other people, and the Creator. You have to expand your heart and work inside it as if it were a laboratory where you direct, connect and intermix different forces, desires, and thoughts in various ways. This is something a person gradually learns to do, and that is how his heart expands with the help of the Upper Light’s influence.

In other methods, everything is obvious. You have physical cues that you can clearly see. But when starting out in Kabbalah, you cannot see anything! This is why it is called “a hidden wisdom,” and the initial period of studying is called “the period of concealment,” because we do not see how we advance, what enables us to advance, and we are unable to tell if we are simply standing still.

But there is a way to check whether you are advancing correctly.  You must ask yourself if you are demanding anything for yourself other than unity with other souls. One’s entire spiritual work is in no way connected to one’s physical actions, but rather, it hides in the internality of things. In other words, we are working with forces that control matter from within, and this is why we don’t yet feel them. We do affect our matter, but only through forces that are concealed from us.

This is why people are right when they demand, “Tell me what to do! Give me work that I can see, and for which I will be rewarded in proportion to my efforts! I need some kind of milestones on the way, so where are they?” Yet, a person has to search for new criteria of advancement, based on ones that aren’t physical, but spiritual. He has to find some kind of indication of bestowal.

For example, even though I do not receive anything, I still come to the lessons and participate in the work. I accept the advice of Kabbalists in a manner called “above reason,” and I study according to this advice. I open up a book, which I was told contains the Light of Correction. I don’t even know what this Light is, but I want It to influence me! I want to place myself beneath this waterfall of Light! Let this Light change me and cleanse me of all the external peel or covering (Klipa).

If you are looking for spiritual changes inside yourself, then the presence of this desire is the way to tell whether you are advancing or not.
(From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson)

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A question I received: What must a person do if he wants to save himself in this world? Until now he only had to think of himself, but now he finds that he has to unite with others in action. Is it enough that his sole intention is his own salvation?

My Answer: Yes, it’s enough. A person’s starting point is the question: “What is the meaning of my life?” But when one asks this question, it is important to understand precisely what it means. Either he is doing bad from a material point of view: he was fired from work and he has all sorts of problems, illnesses and troubles. Or, he is feeling bad because despite having everything, he feels empty and nothing in life fulfills him; everything is meaningless and empty.

There are people who are just doing bad materially speaking, and this is the part of humanity that’s located at the lower part of the pyramid. They are only able to hear about how they can fill themselves in the material world. And then, there are people who feel bad not just because they are missing material pleasures. Even if they have everything, they feel as though they have nothing. The reason for this is that a new, non-material desire has awakened in them – the point in the heart.

When the point in the heart awakens in a person, it means that a new desire or quality arises inside him. This desire is what Kabbalah speaks of, explaining why you can no longer find happiness in this world. So, go ahead and reveal the Upper World. Come and see for yourself just how wondrous the Creator is. After all, you no longer have any other choice.

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