The Zohar, Chapter “Ki Tissa (When You Take),” Item 56: The sinners that have created that nation on the outside – the mixed multitude (Erev Rav), and the holy nation attached to it; they have sinned in the mother –  Malchut, as it is written: “Rise, make for us gods.”

The mixed multitude (Erev Rav) are those who use bestowal in order to receive. On the one hand, they carry out the Creator’s will – they bestow, which is why they are called “fearful of the Creator.” However, they bestow for their own benefit, which is why they are also called “the Pharaoh’s agents.” Erev Rav are people that observe the commandments and fulfill all of the Creator’s demands, but only for their own well being in this world and in the world to come.

Surely a god, to make them another god (that is understood by egoism) instead of Malchut, who is called “God” (Elokim). Instead of this glory of Israel, meaning Malchut, who was over them like a mother over the sons.

“Israel” are people who have an intention that is “straight to the Creator” (Yashar Kel). The whole purpose of their work is for the Creator, and not for themselves. The Erev Rav are those who want to and are prepared to work; they have the strength to complete what is required of them with complete devotion, but in return they want money, respect and power. They are unable to work without these things, and they are the reason for all the exiles. The problem with the Erev Rav is that they do the same actions as Israel, talk about the same things, use the same Upper Force, share the same desire to enjoy, but for their own benefit. They say, “We are prepared to fulfill all of the Torah’s commandments, but only if it benefits us.”

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The Zohar. Chapter: “Let me go, for the day is breaking.”

When the Creator revives the sons of Israel and delivers them from the exile, a very narrow, small door to the Light opens for them. And then another door opens for them, slightly bigger than the first. This continues until the Creator throws open the upper gates, which face all four corners of the earth.

Therefore, deliverance does not come to them all at once, but like a morning dawn that blossoms gradually, until the day sets in.

We are guaranteed this deliverance – the acquisition of the quality of love and bestowal that exists in the Creator, leading to adhesion with Him.

And this is what the Creator does to the sons of Israel… Israel refers to anyone who wants to draw nearer to the Creator, because “Isra-el” stands for “aspiring to the Creator,” regardless of one’s corporeal ancestry. After all, The Zohar speaks to all the “Babylonians” – all of us …and the righteous among them. This refers to those who desire to reveal the Upper Level in order to justify the Creator rather than accuse Him.

He delivers them gradually, not all at once. It is like a man who has lived in darkness all his life; if you want to give him Light, you must first reveal a tiny ray, like a needle’s eye, and then a bit more, and so on, gradually increasing it until he is illuminated with all of the Light.

This is talking about the Light of love and bestowal toward others, which can only be revealed when we collectively agree to desire, demand, and request it. This is why it is revealed to us gradually, to the degree we come to understand our nature and how opposite it is to the giving nature of the Creator.

That is how we reveal our soul – from the tiniest ray of Light until the revelation of the complete spiritual Partzuf, the whole HaVaYaH and the three lines, called the “12 tribes of Israel” – the 12 qualities of the soul.

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A question I received: I am a student of Kabbalah and am ever in awe at the inter-twining of the wisdom revealed through the teachers and what has already been revealed to me personally. This is the only hallmark I can trust to indicate the “correctness” of this system and I do.

So, I’m asking, what’s the deal with Israel? I mean, I’m your usual American wastrel and I cannot imagine uprooting myself to live in a foreign land, let alone one which is constantly at war. (And while we’re at it, what’s with all the war over there in Zion? You’d think they get the Kabbalah newsletter wouldn’t you?)

I’m not trying to be sarcastic here, in truth, I’m heartily confused. I want to contribute to this altruistic connection you speak of, but I wonder where I can find a home for such a place in this current day. That’s not to say I don’t find myself feeling quite alone and outcast where I sit, here in New York, mind you.

So, some clarification on geographical circumstances and the personal role each can fill to bring about the glorious uprising of the “true” nation of Israel would be appreciated. I hope one day to reach a place of altruism, and when I do, I want to know where I should be standing.

My Answer: You can take part at our New York Center and attend our Congresses!

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Two questions I received about humanity’s previous correction and survival of the Jews:

Question: If I understand you correctly, humanity has previously existed in the corrected, ideal state several thousand years ago. What was the reason for the appearance of egoism that led to the downfall and “destruction of the Second Temple?” Could egoism and imbalance again appear when humanity reaches a new balance by correcting itself?

My Answer: Only part of humanity, the people of Israel, went through correction and breakage so that correction can take place again in our times. This time, however, the correction will include the entire world.

Question: Did the Jews survive as a single nation because of Judaism? If they didn’t survive as a nation, then would Kabbalah not have been revealed in our time?

My Answer: Everything goes according to Nature’s plan. Therefore, the Jews, who were part of the Babylonian civilization, survived in order that today, they can bring a method for everyone to change themselves in order to achieve the level of the Creator. Yes, we do have to change that much according to Nature’s plan!

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In the News: (from The Post): “Days are numbered for young politicians calling Rupiah names, warns Chiluba” Addressing church leaders during an interdenominational service at Living Water Global Ministries on Sunday afternoon in Kitwe, [former president] Chiluba has said Zambia needs to strengthen its ties with Israel for it to prosper.

Chiluba asked for God’s forgiveness for having been part of a Zambian delegation to the United Nations in 1973, which voted for the isolation of Israel and that from then on Zambia began experiencing problems to the extent of having food shortages. He said Zambia started to prosper after restoring ties with Israel when he assumed office in 1991.

My Comment: Chiluba is actually right, but is there anyone who will listen to him? Israel’s entire mission (which Chiluba has no idea about) is to pass the science of Kabbalah on to the world, which is the method of revealing the Creator to humankind. Because of this, those who help Israel will eventually win, and those who harm it will eventually lose.

The issue here is not God’s choice of the people, but God’s choice of their mission.

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In the News (from The Local: Sweden’s News In English): When Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet published an article accusing Israeli soldiers of plundering the organs of Palestinian teenagers on the West Bank, it caused a storm in Israel, where many sniffed Swedish anti-Semitism. The Israeli insistence that Swedish ministers condemn the article has caused relations between the two countries to sink to a new low.

My Comment: With the crisis, Anti-Semitism will only keep growing. People will genuinely believe that the Jews are to blame for all their earthy troubles.

However, the true cause of the crisis and all the world’s problems is man’s egoistic nature, which can only be corrected using Kabbalah. But the fact that this science has not been revealed to the world by the Jews yet, is their fault!

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In the News (from Japan Today): “Jewish human rights group protests ‘anti-Semitic’ ad in Nihon Keizai Shimbun” In a press release also posted on its website, the Wiesenthal Center’s associate dean Abraham Cooper blasted the Nihon Keizai Shimbun for having “broken a longstanding commitment to desist from running advertisements that promote anti-Jewish stereotypes, by running an advertisement for two books that promote the canard of Jewish control over the global economy.”

The advertisement for “Why did the Jewish financial system collapse?” (author: Kotaro Nada) asks rhetorically, “Is it true that the Rothschild family controls the global economy?” and purports to explain what was behind the failures of Lehman Brothers, AIG, Citibank and Bear Stearns. The ad also touts a second work by Nada titled “Jewish Money: Why are they able to continue to move the global economy?” The Nihon Keizai Shimbun boasts a claimed daily circulation of over 3 million copies. It is often compared to The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times.

My Answer: Of course the Jews are to blame for it all, because they don’t disseminate the method of the world’s correction to the world. This is how they cause all the miseries in the world, and not only the global financial crisis. See Items 70-71 of Baal HaSulam’s “Preface to the Book of Zohar.”

Even though the nations of the world don’t know this, they subconsciously feel that “it’s all the Jews’ fault.” After all, the “light” in their lives depends on the nation of Israel, which holds the wisdom of Kabbalah. Moreover, from now on, if the nations of the world won’t receive the method of correction in time, they will “join together against Jerusalem,” as stated in The Book of Zohar and in the books of the prophets.

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In the News (from Matzav): “Fischer: Israel One of World’s Safest Places for Investors” “Israel was barely scratched by the global banking and credit crisis” … In an exclusive interview at the Bank of Israel headquarters in Jerusalem, the Governor of the Bank of Israel said foresight and “some luck” not only helped the tiny nation in the Middle East avoid the credit crisis, but stabilized and subsequently strengthened its own currency in the process.

My Comment: He may be right, but as the saying goes: the night is still young.

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A question I received: Changes are taking place at the White House, a new President has come to power, and the pressure on Israel has increased. This can lead to the intensification of conflicting views in our nation. Maybe we should concentrate our thoughts on this particularly?

My Answer: Politics is unstable and nonlinear; the public’s expectations of political figures very rarely match politicians’ plans; instead, they are aimed at particular goals. It is a complicated matter, which we shouldn’t try to penetrate.

However, it is necessary to understand that, to the extent that the nation of Israel delays carrying out its mission, the pressure on it will increase. We must lead people to understand and feel the need for correction. They must agree to play their role in the spiritual development of all of humanity. The nation of Israel should understand and accept this duty and realize its fault for what is happening.

The pressure on us will grow in order to wake up the nation of Israel. This is precisely what has happened to us over the course of history – starting with the Egyptian pharaoh and on present time. Prophets wrote about this; they said that if we don’t come to realize what responsibility is placed on us, we will need to go through very difficult trials.

The pressure that we experience is nothing more than the states that we have not yet corrected, and although we need to, we have not taken advantage of the opportunities that have been presented to us. To the extent that the pressure increases, we can judge our uncorrected states. However, the states themselves are revealed only to the extent of a person’s development.

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Baal HaSulam writes in the articles, “The Revelation of Godliness (Matan Torah)” and “The Arvut,” that the overarching purpose of creation is for the whole of humanity to reach its correction, known as equivalence of form with the Creator. All the souls have a part in reaching this purpose, because there is just one creation, but it is divided into many parts in order to make the common correction happen more easily.

But besides creation’s division into many parts or souls, all of creation is also divided into the following two parts:

• The part that received the method of correction and implemented it, but later fell back into egoism. This part of creation is called “the people of Israel.”
• The part of creation that did not receive the method of correction. However, when the first part fell, it came closer to the second part of creation, and now both can reach the general, complete correction of egoism in all of creation.

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