At some point we come to realize that our entire life can be divided into two periods according to how the Upper Governance, the Creator, treats us. The first “half” is our childhood, when nature (everyone around us) protects us in every way, and the second “half” is when this protection ends. I become an adult and nature starts pressuring, demanding, and loading me with responsibilities.

It is difficult to understand why things are this way as well as why a human being is born absolutely helpless, falling into the arms of his mother and father and becoming a burden on society. And why in the second part of his life, as soon as he becomes self-sufficient, he has to work hard and worry about how to protect others and provide a happy childhood for them just like it was provided for him.

This is a reflection of a spiritual law where the lower part (AHP) of the Upper Partzuf descends to the upper part (Galgalta Eynaim) of the lower one in order to push him forward. This happens because our qualities and the Creator’s qualities must penetrate one another, and this occurs in the reverse form, by way of the breaking, known as “Adam HaRishon’s original sin.” With the help of the original Evil (the snake), we acquire a special hollow area within ourselves, the place for the future soul. It is the place where we will find ourselves merged with the Creator and attain His height, having known good and evil.

This is the path we will have to walk. For now we still don’t possess this point of independence and we are governed with the help of “angels” from Above (Upper Forces). In other words, everything we have comes from Him. The Light acts first in everything and we are just derivatives of it.

How, then, do we make the creature primary and the revelation of the Creator, the construction of the Creator within the creature, secondary? If I existed in this world without any support and there weren’t any Kabbalists before me, where would I gain an opportunity for free will, this profound point?

The Creator can give me everything else, but this freedom mustn’t come from my will to receive pleasure because even though this desire is completely opposite to Light, it is still fully governed by the Light, only in the reverse form. The Light acts, and my will to receive jumps to the opposite side, like on a swing. So where does my independence come from, without which all creation would have no purpose?

We receive it precisely from the primordial Evil. We have nowhere else to get it from.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/15/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”

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Question: You said that in order to comprehend The Zohar we have to make an “an opening in the heart.” Who makes this “opening?”

Answer: The Light! I myself am unable to do this. Only the Light can. As if through a magnifying glass, the beams of Light concentrate and become so powerful that they “burn through” your desire to feel pleasure thereby creating an “opening.”

Question cont.: Why can’t we make this “opening?”

Answer: It is not our job to make this happen. When two hearts unite through their desires, it is called the “openings” in the walls of their hearts. A wall in the heart means a whole heart, but we need the broken hearts. If our hearts, yours and mine, are “breached” and we connect these “breaches,” the job is done. I want what you want, and you wish what I wish. We are bonded already. If two have united and are connected in the quality of bestowal, that’s where the revelation takes place.

How powerful this revelation will be is based on everything you and I have in our hearts, besides the breaking and these “breaches” connected together. There are thousands of obstacles in your heart, all sorts of thoughts and worries; I have them too.

To the extent we are able to overcome these obstacles and stay connected, grounded in them all and constantly holding ourselves above them in order to remain in the common sensation of the quality of bestowal (since only through partnership can we stay in it), to that degree are we able to attain the property of the Creator in the connection between us. Thereby, we try and discern the taste of bestowal.

Question cont.: How do we connect the “breaches” in our hearts?

Answer: It is done by the Light. Our job is only to wish for it to happen. No other action is necessary! While reading The Book of Zohar, you wish for its words to “drill” and open a “porthole” in you.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/11/10, The Zohar

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Light comes to us from Above and awakens specific parts of the common soul in order to advance them according to its program. This program is very complex and assumes that the souls will awaken in a specific order and combination among them like parts of one body. This is invisible to the eye, but according to the inner structure of the soul they are all connected with each other. The Light connects them together so they will perform the mutual work of searching for the quality of bestowal.

These are people who are complete strangers, very different from one another, and have completely contrasting material qualities. Yet, we have to believe that this is all arranged from Above. We have to leave behind everything that prevents us from uniting and search for a means that can help us accomplish this. The search will enable us to understand that the only basis for unification is bestowal, which is above reception. Nothing but this can unite people.

This path is very inconsistent, as if we are traveling across a very uneven road and our car is constantly thrown up and down by all the potholes and bumps. Yet, despite everything it has to keep going and advancing forward. The more we advance, the greater is the frequency of bumps and the more sensitive we are to them. In other words, the changes taking place in us are more drastic and significant. The truth is that they were the same before, but we did not notice or feel them very much.

It is impossible to advance down this road unless you even it out. Then our car will roll along quickly and easily! The only way we can smooth out every pit and bump on this path is to have a common opinion in the group and unity among us. This is the only thing that will fill in all the pits and unite us together, making our path smooth and even.

There is no possibility to advance spirituality without evening out the road. The disturbances and problems that arise before a person who desires to advance individually, or worse yet, a group of individualists, are so great that it is impossible to overcome them. The car will inevitably get stuck and it will be impossible to get it out. A person will remain in the same place; his life will be over, and he still won’t complete the path or attain the goal.

Therefore, our work must be aimed at unity. Then we will reveal that we can attain all the results precisely through unity! Our spiritual advancement on this path depends only on this. All the efforts and revelations happen only in one direction inside this connection that unites us all.

Everything depends on how much a person values the connection among the friends above all the problems that become revealed, and he understands just one thing: “There is none else besides Him.” All the disturbances come from the Creator. He gives rise to these inner pits and bumps inside us, confusing us in a thousand different ways. We have to imagine that all the problems come from Him and their only purpose is for us to unite.

Therein lies the secret to success! This is the basis upon which everything begins and all the rest is built.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/15/10, “Concerning the Importance of Friends”

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Why don’t we gather only those around the world who belong to the most active part called “600,000 souls” and work on their spiritual correction? Why worry about the rest? It is because today we must be in the general, integral flow from the very beginning.

We see that global cataclysms are affecting the whole world and there is a general awakening. All the phenomena are starting to be so connected and related to everyone that it forces us to worry about the general organism.

The general, full, spiritual redemption (Geula) is the dissemination of the wisdom of Kabbalah among all the nations, and for this reason all parts of the common soul must help the other. Some of them do it by attaining mutual guarantee, another part supports them, and there are many other circles.

The active part called “Israel” must be the first to complete its correction in order for this wisdom to then spill over to the whole world. However, the rest of the world must also help this part accomplish this because we thereby accelerate our path. The choice between the path of Light and the path of suffering does not depend only on those who have a point in the heart. We see in practice how mutual help influences everyone and strengthens all of us.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/11/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”

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Baal HaSulam’s article “Preface to Panim Meirot uMasbirot,” Item 7: Now you can understand their words about the verse, “I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time.” The Sanhedrin (98) interpreted, “Not rewarded – in its time; rewarded – I will hasten it.”

Thus, there are two ways to attain the above-mentioned goal. Through their own attention is called a “Path of Repentance.” If they are awarded that, then “I will hasten it” will be applied to them. This means that there is no set time for it, but when they are awarded, the correction ends, of course.

If they are not awarded the attention, there is another way, called “Path of Suffering.” As the Sanhedrin said (97), “I place upon them a king such as Haman, and they will repent against their will,” meaning in its time, for in that there is a set time.

There are two paths before us that lead to the same goal, and we are at their intersection. At every given moment we should feel that we are at the crossroads that determines our freedom of will, and the choice here is very simple: to take the path of the Light or the path of suffering.

A third path does not exist. We must advance by one of these two paths and decide at every given moment what our next step will be. Your foot is already up in the air, and now you have to choose where to land it: on the path of Light or on the path of suffering.

The moment will pass, and you will once again have to make a choice. Your foot has been lifted from Above to force you to make a step, and it is up to you where to place it, on which of the two paths. In accordance with our choice, you will receive the strength and the means to advance since you have to keep moving ahead, one way or the other.

If you advance by the path of “Beito” (natural development, in due time), the forces of nature are pushing you onward against our egoism since you wish to advance led by your ego. Hence, you are impacted by the forces that oppose your egoism, trying to keep you in bestowal. But on the path of “Ahishena” (hastening time), you start to consciously convince yourself through the environment that being in bestowal is worthwhile. Thereby you draw the Surrounding Light, and it returns you to goodness.

On the path of “Beito,” you receive blows and learn through them. Sooner or later it will result in your request or prayer for correction and advancement like you would have by the path of “Ahishena.” Conversely, if you initially take the path of the Light, you will save time on the first segment of the path, where you would have otherwise wasted time through your lack of desire to listen and exert your own effort.

There is no time to think about where to land our foot! Everything depends on the preparation of the spiritual environment.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/4/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”

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If we fail to awaken the world to spiritual evolution, to the Light that shines ahead, it will be pushed from behind by suffering and thereby forced to advance. This path is very long, till torment forces man to contemplate why he suffers and what to do. Imagine how long it will take and how much pain it will bring!

However, if we somewhat assist mankind’s development by disseminating the science of Kabbalah, we quickly instill advancement and avoid all these blows. We know that everything that occurs at the inanimate (still) degree equates to a single act at the vegetative one. Everything that happens on the vegetative level is equal to a single act at the animate one. Just think about the difference between these states.

There have to be wars, torment, and horrific disasters in order to move us one step up, onto the higher degree. Instead, we can draw the Upper Light and avoid all these problems at the level of this world. We can replace a decade of suffering with our one minuscule individual effort toward spiritual advancement with the help of the Light.

This is how great the difference is between the still, vegetative, animate, and speaking levels of nature. Hence, we must take serious responsibility for the opportunities handed down to us.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/4/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”

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It is written: “I created the evil inclination and the Torah as a remedy for its correction for the Light in it Reforms.” On one hand, I collect my egoism, my evil; on the other, from the Creator, I take the force of bestowal, the Light. From these two components, I construct my new form called “man,” Adam, who is “similar” (from the Hebrew word “Domeh”) to the Creator. Inside this form resides my egoism; however, on the outside, it is equivalent to bestowal. In other words, I am reception on the inside and bestowal on the outside.

Therefore, my action is called “reception for the sake of bestowal,” and my work is in the three lines: right, left, and middle. The right and the left lines descend from Above, from the Creator, whereas the middle line ascends from below upward, from man to the Creator. The left line is represented by “I created the evil inclination,” the right line by “I have created the Torah as the remedy for its correction,” and the middle line by “for the Light in it Reforms.” Then, one becomes as good as the Creator. “I am good and do good, and so do you. Hence, you will be called ‘man,’ meaning ‘similar’ to the Creator.”

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/30/10, The Zohar

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The Zohar, Chapter “Lech Lecha (Go Forth),” Item 211: Seven firmaments did the Creator make above, which are the ZAT (seven Sefirot) de Atzilut, HGT NHYM. All of them are in order to know the glory of the Creator and all of them are poised to announce the meaning of the high faith.

Why are the Sefirot called firmaments? A firmament is a screen, and there are many types of screens. A screen that partitions spiritual levels is called a firmament.

We are talking only about desire, and above it there is a screen and Reflected Light. The desire is under restriction. It has Aviut (thickness or size of desire) and to the degree it overcomes it, a screen.

These are all technical terms. However, when we work with desires and the opposition to them, we reveal feelings and impressions. There is a will to enjoy, and inside it various phenomena become revealed. We are talking precisely about the phenomenon and not the actual desire that evokes the phenomenon.

Suppose I am able to give a detailed explanation about a violin, its structure and material, and exactly how I slide the bow across the strings, with what pressure, speed, and so on. Alternatively, I can verbally convey my feelings and impressions of a melody. In both cases I am describing a phenomenon, but I do it in different languages. One is a technical language that is understood by the mind, whereas the second is a language of feelings, understood by the heart.

The Book of Zohar speaks in a language of feelings, and therefore it is clear to those who feel these phenomena. Baal HaSulam added the language of Kabbalah to The Zohar‘s text, which is a description of The Zohar using technical terms (Sefirot, Partzufim, Aviut, and screen). Thus, we have a parallel description in two languages, which helps us to connect these two languages and come closer to revealing and uniting with the actual phenomena.

In order to reveal the text, I must unite with the environment, the group. That is exactly how the authors of this book, the group of Rabbi Shimon, revealed it. It was precisely through the connection between them that they attained all 125 levels of Upper Light and called it “Radiance” (Zohar).

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/29/10, The Zohar

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We can only change how fast we advance and how quickly we pass through the various states in our development. An animal doesn’t experience change, while a person does since the egoistic desire grows in a person day by day. From the dawn of humanity and during multiple lifetimes, our egoistic desire grew on its own. We were not aware of it and could not do anything about it. Now, however, we have to participate in the process of creating our new desires for bestowal. This is in our hands. We can change the speed of our progress through our own efforts.

Depending on the speed, we will know what goal we are advancing toward and how we feel about it. Do we desire it or not? If we do not desire change, we walk the path of suffering. If we do, we walk the path of Light. Other than the speed of our advancement, we can change nothing. What helps us in this process is the Surrounding Light that we draw during our studies and self-analysis that we perform through the group. How quickly we clarify our desire depends solely on how fast we unite.

This is why it is written: “We shall do and we shall hear.” We can perform actions without understanding all the fine details. But by first going above our reason like children, we gain knowledge and perception in the end. In some few months, a person begins to discern certain changes and states within. This is the result of the path he has walked, although what exactly he had gone through was unknown to him beforehand. All we need to do is follow the recommendations of the Kabbalists in order to expedite all the necessary changes.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/21/10, Article, “And There Was Evening And There Was Morning”

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Question: During the Congress, how can we keep from forgetting that the Light influences us if we work correctly, that darkness is an integral part of the work, and the group is what holds us up during a period of darkness?

Answer: Before such a big Congress as we are to experience in a few days, as well as during and after it, a person goes through various states: ascents and descents. One should be happy that changes are occurring in him. And the more rapid and intense these changes are, the better it is.

Our only concern should be uniting with others instead of searching within ourselves and analyzing our feelings. We should constantly try to merge with the common field, and place ourselves under the influence of the group without any extra reasoning.

Set aside all the clever discernments for now. The Congress is not the time to sit alone in a corner and check what this or that state means. Otherwise there will be “more talk than action.” At a time like this, actions are of the greatest importance, as it is written, “We shall do and we shall hear!”

Everything at the Congress will depend on how much you include yourself in the group like a little child who is among adults. He doesn’t think with his head; he just wants to imitate them. As they laugh, I laugh. As they cry, I cry. As they listen, I listen. And I do this because I want to receive inspiration from them! Then it will not matter who is a beginner and who is knowledgeable and experienced; who is small and who is big. Just try to tune into the environment and you will feel how you receive the power of bestowal above your reason.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/21/10, “And There Was Evening And There Was Morning”

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