The Zohar, Chapter “BeShalach (And Pharaoh Sent)” Item 37:  Because of the mixed multitude, they were not called “the children of Israel,” or “Israel,” or “My people,” but simply, “the people.” When they rose from Egypt and the mixed multitude had not bonded with them, He called them “the children of Israel.” When the mixed multitude bonded with them, He called them “the people.”

Speaking of what occurs in a person, the “mixed multitude” (Erev Rav) are the desires that seem to be walking a spiritual path and choose it, thinking that it is the way to advance. However, every time they decide to advance, they intend to use the Creator, the Upper Light, for themselves, for reception.

This is the most treacherous, impure force (Klipa, shell). They wish to use the Torah to satisfy various demands of egoism in their corporeal life. All the problems of the nation occur because of this Klipa regarded as the “mixed multitude.”

It is easy to discern them on the spiritual path if you recognize that it is an egoistic form that has no relation to spirituality. If I desire any pleasures of this world (food, sex, family, money, fame, power, or knowledge), such desires are regarded as the “nations of the world” in me. They want only this kind of fulfillment.

But when I start studying the Torah and want to receive earthly, egoistic fulfillment (the very same money, fame, power, and so forth) with its help, this is called the “mixed multitude.” I engage the Torah, the force of advancement and Light, in order to use it for my egoism.

All this must take place in every person on the spiritual path. After all, everybody consists of everybody else as it is written, “There is no righteous man on earth who has done good and did not sin first.” Everyone will have periods (if they haven’t occurred yet) when, amidst his spiritual advancement, there will arise a desire to make money, have power, and so on. The only question is how quickly and how correctly he will exit this state.

Similar divisions exists in the corporeal world as well. There are “nations of the world,” those who desire to receive all that there is in this world. Their desires are simple, without any yearning for spirituality, for the wisdom of Kabbalah.

There are also people who strive for spirituality and yearn to attain it to the best of their capacity. And there are those who engage in spirituality as well, but not to uncover their “evil inclination,” correct it, and thereby get closer to the Creator, meaning to use the Torah as it was intended. Rather, they study the Torah in order to get all possible wealth, fame, and power from it. Hence, it is written that all problems after the exodus from Egypt took place because they brought with them the “mixed multitude.”

So it is in our generation: There are those in the nation who study the Torah in order to gain from it the Light that Reforms and correct themselves, and there are those who engage in the Torah in order to obtain power and wealth for their earthly life.
[24317]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/20/10, The Zohar

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: A Dual Action With A Single Purpose
Laitman.com Post: The Mixed Multitude Is The Reason For The Exile
Laitman.com Post: The Final Condition

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Inner Work, Torah, Zohar - No Comments →

The Zohar, Chapter “BeShalach (When Pharaoh Sent),” Item 181: Then everything shone together because even though the light of Atik is covered in Hassadim, it contains Hochma, as well, since the Hochma in AA is necessarily received from him. Hence, the Hassadim of Atik are more important than the Hochma de AA and are regarded as containing it, and that Hochma and Hassadim shine in him together. This is why the sea made the upper laws, to drown the Egyptians and to save Israel, since the upper and lower were given into his hands. …since the crossing of the Red Sea depends on Atik.

The Upper Light comes and severs the coarse desires in us called “Egyptians” from the desires called “Isra-El” (straight to the Creator), which are ready to be corrected. This happens by the conditions of the Second Restriction (Tzimtzum Bet).

“The nations of the world” in us are all the desires that cannot be corrected until the very End of Correction (Gmar Tikkun). This includes the Klipot and all the desires that are directly connected with the Light of Hochma.

The desires of “Israel” (Yashar-Kel) include all the qualities of Bina and by their nature they belong to Galgalta Einaym. Therefore, the Light of Hochma that comes makes a split in the entire depth of the desire or vessel, separating the desires that can be corrected (the ones belonging to Galgalta Einaym that are able to become AHP de Aliya) from the desires that are completely incapable of correction. That is why the “splitting of the Red Sea” took place: to separate “Israel” from the “Egyptians.”

From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/27/10, The Zohar

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Who Leads Us Across The Machsom?
Laitman.com Post: The Miracle Of “Coming Out Of Egypt”
Laitman.com Post: Sorting Out Our Desires

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Spirituality, Torah, Zohar - No Comments →

The Zohar, Chapter “VeYechi (And Jacob Lived),” Item 694: “Happy is one who engages in the Torah properly, happy is he in this world and happy is he in the next world. Thus far, the government of Judah, a seed that was included in everything. The three lines, by the force of all the sides—south, north, east—meaning the three ties in the arm, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun together, are as banners. Judah is the illumination of the right line; Issachar is the left line, and Zebulun is the middle line, so Judah will prevail over the entire Sitra Achra.”

While reading The Zohar, we want to see through these words what particular connection between us they describe. The 12 tribes are the common structure of the connection between all souls. All souls who enter the connection with one another ascend to the connection between the 12 tribes or parts of Malchut, the collective soul. More and more uncorrected souls from the “nations of the world” or “the wicked” join this connection, become corrected in their intention, and join the system of the 12 tribes.

Therefore, while reading The Zohar, we need to see how we also “plug into” this communication network. We desire to be in this connection and to reveal in it how the Creator interacts with us. We wish to receive an impression from this, the vital energy and force of bestowal, and to reveal all these actions “face to face.”

This is called that we want to uncover everything that we are reading about in The Zohar.
[23074]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/10/10, The Zohar

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Raise The Banners And Advance Forward
Laitman.com Post: The Collective Soul: Is It Me Or Am I A Part Of It?
Laitman.com Post: What Lies Beyond The Horizon?

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Zohar - No Comments →

By acting upon us, the Light divides within us the receiving and bestowing desires, and we start feeling rejection between them. It becomes clear that the bestowing desires gravitate to a different perception and fulfillment from those of the receiving desires.

Each of us possesses desires of both kinds, and the question is which of them prevail. In the souls regarded as “Israel,” the bestowing desires, GE (Galgalta Eynaim), rule over AHP (Awzen, Hotem, Peh), whereas in the souls of the “nations of the world,” the receiving desires, AHP, rule over GE.

The first type of souls is closer to the Light which illuminates them with Ohr Makif (OM) and causes them to undergo corrections first. Until “Israel” corrects itself, it is impossible to begin correction of the “nations of the world.” First, “Israel” corrects itself in GE (the right line), then adjoins AHP (the left line) to it, and finally builds the middle line from them, thus correcting the “nations of the world” within itself. As a result, “Israel” is able to continue the correction of the collective group, the “nations of the world,” since its corrected Kelim (vessels) are connected with the uncorrected Kelim of the rest of the souls waiting in line.

Work in the two lines with the receiving and bestowing Kelim, in their correct combination creates the middle line. Such are the steps of our correction in both parts of the collective soul. Furthermore, major corrections take place in AHP or the receiving Kelim of the “nations of the world” whereas GE that initially descended from Bina exist in AHP solely in order to correct it.

Hence, all our corrections that precede the correction of the “nations of the world” in the collective soul are merely a preparation.
[22107]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/28/10, “What is Silver, Gold, Israel, the Nations in Work”

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Correction Begins With “Babylon”
Laitman.com Post: The Union Of Hearts Is The Union Of Bina And Malchut
Laitman.com Post: Inseparable Opposites

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Inner Work, Israel - No Comments →

The world is developing and entering a new era called “The Time of The Messiah,” a time when the science of Kabbalah is being revealed to the masses. Many are beginning to understand the plan for their and the world’s development. No longer is there one Kabbalist developing the desires without the consent of the masses. Now people are demanding conscious development on their own, like grown children. The Light of Hochma (the revelation of the Creator to the creatures) is beginning to be revealed in the world.

Before there was just one Kabbalist and many other individuals, but now they are beginning to come closer together. In the past, a Kabbalist would correct the desires of the masses on his level, but now in order to work together with them, he needs to descend to their level. Due to the Kabbalist’s preliminary correction of their desires, people ascend, and the Kabbalist descends toward them so that they can understand him.

For example, in his prophecy, Baal HaSulam asked the Creator to descend so that he could talk in a language that the people would understand. And although the masses and the Kabbalist are now connected by common work, the Upper Light still comes only through him due to a conscious desire from the masses. As a result, positive changes occur in the world. Without the Upper Light the world could not exist at all. Therefore, from generation to generation, Kabbalists (Yechidei Segula) worked discreetly.

However, now everything is different. Due to the preparations that were made over the course of all the generations until today, we need to begin the common conscious actions so that “All will know Me, the small and the great alike.” Humanity needs to learn that the nation of Israel has the science of Kabbalah. We need to help reveal this all together so that “the nations of the world will bring the sons of Israel on their shoulders to build the Third Temple,” the common broken soul.

We need to attain the method of correction (unification) of our souls together so that the Creator will fill us with His revelation. Mutual work is required for this, and therefore, we need to turn to all the nations of the world to explain our common task. We need to reveal the science of Kabbalah from concealment according to their demand, and all together – they due to us, and we due to them – we realize this method.

Therefore, today there is a worldwide community of people who study Kabbalah. In fact, they will bring us to this correct relationship in the whole system of the world. Everyone studying with us today is referred to as “Israel” (“Yashar El” – directly to the Creator) since everyone has a point in the heart. However, through them, we will come out to the true nations of the world, to those who are unable to awaken to spirituality on their own. As Baal HaSulam says, “The wisdom of Kabbalah will spill out of the boundaries of Israel and fill the whole world.”

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/22/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: The Importance Of Disseminating The Wisdom Of Kabbalah, Part 1
Baal HaSulam Article : “Time to Act” – Lesson
ARIfilms: “Kabbalah for the Masses”

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Kabbalah Dissemination, Unity - 2 Comments →

It is believed that a collective prayer occurs when a person raises his or her prayer among others who are praying at the same time. Yet, those who are more spiritually aware believe that a collective prayer is a plea for society. Such a prayer is immediately accepted by the Creator, whereas an egoistic prayer (when a person prays for himself ) is not heard.

Nevertheless, even a request to the Creator for society is not perfect. In fact, if the Creator “is good that does good,” my request implies that society is suffering because of the Creator, doesn’t it? It seems like I think that the Creator is mistreating society, and that I should pray for them. However, if the Creator is always benevolent to everybody, for whom am I asking?

It follows that I cannot ask the Creator to change His attitude toward me (a personal prayer) or toward society (a collective prayer). Since the Creator is absolutely and invariably good, I can ask Him only to correct me and all the others in such a way that we will feel that He is only good.

If all who desire to be connected to the Creator in the property of love and bestowal are willing to unite with others in the same property, then through their aspiration, they create a place where the Creator is revealed. That place is our mutual love.

However, such a state can be achieved only through the correction of each individual’s 613 desires, which is called the “fulfillment of 613 commandments.” In the degree of our correction, we draw closer to each other since the correction of desires lies in their unification.

This is why the sages said that “love of others is the greatest law of the Torah,” and all the commandments are necessary only in order to attain the last one, the universal commandment: love. As a result, in these individual and collective corrections, we will feel the power of love and bestowal filling us.

But if we are not corrected and united, and everyone wants to receive for himself, our prayer is solely for material things. (Material is what is received egoistically, whereas spiritual is what is received in order to bestow). In this case, receiving for ourselves, we become “the nations of the world,” and not “Israel” (straight to the Creator).

These terms are not related to some nation or nationality. They describe the states of a person on the spiritual path. According to this, our prayer is either to improve our personal state of existence or to correct our attitude toward the others and the Creator.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/12/10, Article “The Importance of the Prayer of the Many”

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: What Is A True Prayer Of The Society?
Laitman.com Post: The Speaking Heart
Shamati #209: “Three Conditions in Prayer”

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Inner Work, Prayer and Intention, Torah - 1 Comment →

The nation of Israel originated in Babylon, where Abraham revealed nature’s Upper Force and then started to disseminate this knowledge about the Creator, the goal of creation, and the purpose of man and society. It was all done to enable us to ascend above our world, rather than be like all the animals that merely live and die, over and over again.

Abraham discovered how to ascend above this world and the life cycles of the mortal animate body. He attained the Upper, spiritual dimension, which is above this entire animate life. Abraham then began to disseminate this knowledge to all the inhabitants of Babylon, gathering thousands of people around himself. The group that he gathered came to be called “the house of Abraham.”

This group went through a lengthy path and grew until it came to be called “the nation of Israel.” This is not a regular nation like the other nations of the world that unite in a natural manner. “The nation of Israel” can be joined by every person who aspires to unity in order to reveal the Creator – the force of bestowal and love.

Therefore, this group (or nation) can be in one of two states: exile, which is when they want to unite, but they haven’t yet attained it; and redemption, which is when they attain unity. They then attain the state of being as one man with one heart through a mutual guarantee (Arvut). Thus, they reveal the Creator within themselves (in Hebrew the Creator is called Boreh, which comes from the words Bo – come and Reh – reveal). They proceed to ascend up the ladder, reaching greater and greater unity and attaining greater bestowal until reaching the Final Correction of the ego, transforming it to love for the neighbor. This is the state of adhesion, Dvekut.

Eventually, all of humanity will have to join this group and join the Creator together with them. Today we have already gone through four exiles and three redemptions. We are now standing before the final redemption, meaning the final, full revelation of the Creator to every single person in the world.

From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/11/10, “Exile and Redemption”

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: On The Threshold Of Final Redemption
Laitman.com Post: Inheritance Of The Land Of Israel
Rambam (Maimonides): "Abraham’s Revelation of the Creator"

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson - No Comments →

The division of people into the nation of Israel and the nations of the world, which Baal HaSulam describes in his articles, can be interpreted in two senses: inner and outer. When understood in the inner sense, it describes how qualities are divided within every person, with “Israel” designating one’s aspiration “straight toward the Creator” or the point in the heart that has awakened in a person, whereas the “nations of the world” are the desires of reception.

Any person whose point in the heart (aspiration to reveal the Creator) has awakened can be called “Israel,” which means “straight toward the Creator.” If one’s point in the heart has not awakened yet, then he belongs to the nations of the world, meaning to all other goals in life.

All the people can be categorized in this fashion and divided into Israel and the other nations. This is the same as what once occurred in Ancient Babylon.

When considering those whose point in the heart has not awakened yet, the science of Kabbalah must first and foremost be disseminated among the nation of Israel in the material sense. After that it should reach the other nations. In addition, the nations of the world include the ten tribes of Israel that fell to the level of “the nations of the world” from the height of the First Temple (Mochin de Haya).

From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/8/10, “Exile and Redemption”

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Inheritance Of The Land Of Israel
Laitman.com Post: Unity For The Wrong Purpose Brings Harm To The World
Video: Who Are All The Other People Around Me? (1:58)

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Israel - No Comments →

A question I received: In the article, “The Revelation of Godliness (Matan Torah)” Baal HaSulam quotes the sages, “The Creator offered the Torah to all the nations and in all the languages, but they didn’t accept it.” What does this verse mean?

My Answer: Usually a person only feels and is controlled by his natural egoism. In this case he is called “the nations of the world.”

If the point in the heart surfaces in him (the embryo of his soul, the future quality of bestowal and love for the neighbor), then because of his goal, he is called, “Straight to the Creator” (IsraEl, in Hebrew).

So what the sages meant is that if a person does not feel the point in the heart (if he still belongs to the nations of the world), then he does not need the Torah, the Light of Correction, since he does not feel a need for correction.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Israel Are Those Who Aspire Straight to the Creator
Laitman.com Post: Only People With the Point In the Heart Can Feel that Kabbalah Is the Salvation
Interview with the Future: “Two Parts to the Soul – Israel and the Nations of the World”
Talk: “The Birth of the Soul”

Filed under: Torah - No Comments →

In the News (from World News): “Divorces are down because of economy” The recession and economic turmoil are creating a new class of casualties: married couples who can’t afford to get divorced. In these tough times, many people are finding it’s cheaper to stay together, even when they can’t stand each other.

My Comment: Similarly, the nations of the world will also realize that it’s necessary to stay connected. And then they will realize that any connection yields such benefits that even if they have the option of separating, they never will!

In the News (from Pew Research Center): “Internet Overtakes Newspapers as News Outlet” The Internet, which emerged this year as a leading source for campaign news, has now surpassed all other media except television as an outlet for national and international news. For the first time, more people say they rely mostly on the Internet for news than cite newspapers (35%). For young people, the Internet now rivals television as a main source of national and international news.

My Comment: People want a multi-faceted, interactive connection rather than one-sided information. The Internet makes it easier to uncover the lies that pervade all the mass media, because the users create a multi-polar source of information and commentary. When technology will enable television to be broadcast on the Internet, all other news outlets will disappear.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Let’s Start Seeing the Crisis for What It Really Is
Laitman.com Post: Why More People Trust Online News
Kabbalah Today Article: Floating In A Sea of Information
Kabbalah Today Article: Are You Connected?

Filed under: Crisis - 1 Comment →