A question I received: For a long time now I’ve been connected to you through the website. I’ve stopped reading books and watching television. I rarely see my friends, and I don’t work since I recently gave birth. To my regret, I read an article in the book Shamati and realized that I’m presently on the level of a sinner. What should I do now?

My Answer: You shouldn’t regret reading Shamati. I think that you still have a long way to go before you’ll become a sinner. This is something you have to sense within you, even without a book. It’s something one feels in relation to the Upper Light.

When we study correctly, the Light shines, and we see our true selves relative to the Upper Light. We then have feelings of shame and sin, and these feelings push us forward toward correction.

Listening to lessons on Baal HaSulam’s original texts with commentary is the best thing you can do, because they are a very powerful medicine.

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In today’s morning lesson I talked a lot about perception of reality. I recommend watching it, especially the first part [the articles of Shamati].

Shamati article #89 (Feb 4, 2008): wmv video | mp3 audio

It’s hard for us to believe the Kabbalists, when they say that our world is an illusion, because we have never disconnected from it or seen it from outside. We have nothing left to do but either disagree with them, “because it can’t be true,” or to check it on ourselves. However, I see from my teaching experience that a person gradually starts understanding our illusion and the fact that the world can exist only within us.

We know from experience that only by equipping ourselves with certain senses can we perceive something new that we haven’t felt before.

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