A question I received: If The Zohar says that everything that happens takes place only within a person, then why do we suffer in the physical world?

My Answer: What is the material world? It is also within me and I divide it into the inner and outer types of perception.

It appears to me that earthquakes happen somewhere outside of me, like in Haiti, or planes crash, or fires start. However, this is due to a flaw in my perception of reality. In fact, everything takes place within me; I just don’t feel that this is so.

It is as if I hurt my leg, but I don’t feel the pain because my leg has been anesthetized.

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The Creator dwells inside the connection of all the souls that we refer to as the common soul of Adam HaRishon. We, the parts of the common soul, correct and revive the broken system of souls when we begin to connect with one another. In doing so, we create a multidimensional net where every piece is connected to others, just like the organs in the human body are connected through an infinite number of connections.

The connection between the souls once existed for the sake of bestowal to the Creator. In that state, all the souls were connected “as one man with one heart” for the sake of one Creator. This is the meaning of the verse, “He and His Name are one”; it refers to the state where the Creator and the creation were one single whole in the World of Infinity. However, this connection was broken because everyone lost their altruistic intention. As a result, the Creator disappeared, as did the sensation of Light.

This state, where the souls lost their connection with one another, is referred to as “the breaking” or “the exile” (from spirituality). This is our current state. Every person within this system is a separate individual and perceives only his own small world. He does not perceive the spiritual world because it can only be perceived in the connection between us. When there is no connection between us, we perceive just the material world.

The basic concepts to take away from this are:

• When the souls are connected with one another egoistically – for their own sake, they perceive this world.
• When the souls connect with one another for the sake of bestowal, then within that connection they reveal the spiritual world, the world to come.
• The life that we reveal within our egoistic connections with one another is referred to as our current material life.
• The life that we reveal within a proper connection with one another is referred to as the revelation of the Creator. We will feel the Upper Force, the Creator, the same way as we feel the air around us. He will connect us with all the other parts of the universe.

Therefore, everything depends on our connection with one another – whether it is egoistic or for the sake of bestowal.

In about a month we will be gathering at a large Congress in Israel, the exact place where the breaking occurred and the first place that needs correction. Therefore, this Congress can be so immensely powerful that it will affect all of us and the entire world because we will bring the quality of bestowal closer to the egoistic desires.

Let us hope that we will succeed in uniting with the help of The Zohar, which we are now studying. It is a means through which we can attract the Upper Light that reforms and connects us.

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A question I received: Why does it seem to us that there exists this whole material reality?

My Answer: Right now it seems as if this material world exists and that there is a city where people live. This is what I see right now. However, the science of Kabbalah explains to us that we are in a state of sleeping and we are only imagining all of this.

We don’t need to deny it; we simply need to reveal another, additional world, which is more internal and more authentic. We do not build it on our own; we only demand for it to be revealed to us by the Upper Force, the force of bestowal. This force operates in reality in addition to the force of reception, which controls this whole material world, including all of its molecules, atoms, and bodies, on all the levels – the inanimate, vegetative, animate, and human.

Right now everything is operated by this receiving, egoistic force. However, we are told: “There is also a force of bestowal.” This is not referring to egoistic bestowal, which we are familiar with in this world and which is a form of reception in disguise. Rather, there exists another quality – one of absolute bestowal, as well as an additional reality where everything is the other way around.

This whole reality is inside you, and you are inside it. You are acting and living in it, yet it is hidden from you.

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The whole world is parts of my desire, of myself. However, I don’t feel that others are part of me and therefore I’m not concerned about them whatsoever. Let the whole world burn, I don’t care!

The science of Kabbalah teaches us to reveal the truth – to see that everything “outside” of us is us, our desire. What we perceive as ourselves as well as the external world must all merge within us into one desire.

The Creator created only the desire, which is where we exist. We cannot see or sense anything beyond that desire. We reveal the Creator within our desire, which is why He is called “the Creator” – Bo-Reh, “come and see.” This world is what we feel right now, and the world to come is what we will feel a moment from now.

Everything takes place within the same desire, but we begin to perceive more and more things within it. We experience countless impressions, but in fact, this external reality doesn’t exist; it is merely the various phenomena that appear within our desire. This place we are in, this world, and this whole reality are imaginary. Once we discover the world of truth, we will exclaim: “We were in a dream!”

We must reveal the truth in order to awaken to the true reality, much like a person awakens from unconsciousness. This is the purpose of the science of Kabbalah – to return us to consciousness. Until then, it’s no use speaking to a person because if he currently exists in an unconscious state, he must first be reanimated back to life.

Therefore, when we open The Book of Zohar, we must imagine that nothing exists other than our desire. This world, myself, and everyone around me – none of these things exist. They are all my illusion.

There is only one desire to enjoy, and everything that can possibly happen takes place within that desire. This world and the world to come, life and death, the still, vegetative, animate and human levels of nature – there is no other place for any of them to be other than my inner desire to enjoy.

The Book of Zohar allows us to enter a state of feeling everything within our desire. That is what the Kabbalists call the spiritual world.

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The world we perceive was not given to us by accident. It follows from nature, which includes two opposite forms: the Creator and the creation. When we begin to ascend, we are given this world in order to help us become similar to the Creator and eliminate the difference between the point of creation, “existence from nothingness” and the Creator, or the difference between the Kli and the Light. This world is a state perceived by the point of creation, which is separated from the Creator and opposite to Him.

In order to lead us to “the other side of the screen,” to take us from one picture to another, we were given a means called The Book of Zohar. It is a means that takes us from a state of disunity to a state of unity. This is why we are given the state we now perceive and the state we have to reach, as well as all the levels and stages that we have to go through on this path, and the means – The Book of Zohar, which tells us about the connection between the two worlds, about how one world clothes into the other. None of these things are accidental.

We have to make efforts in order to use this means, The Book of Zohar, to change ourselves. The more this book will become revealed to us, the more it will change us. Thus, we will continuously move forward, advancing from our current sensation of a black point that reveals its own nature and attains its opposition to the Light.

All of reality exists inside this point of creation, or rather, reality exists relative to this point’s perception. This point contains all the worlds and all the changes; everything is inside it. In addition, this point does not change in relation to the Creator that created it; in relation to Him it is always in the corrected, best possible state. It is the only existing point of creation, which He created from nothing (Yesh Mi Ein).

When we read The Zohar, we have to realize that we are not looking at a book, but a special mechanism that bridges our two states – the current state where we are separated from the Creator, can only feel ourselves, and are locked in a black point, and the future, higher state where we are united with Him. Using a special language or program, The Zohar shows us what actions and inner changes we can make in order to restructure ourselves within and be able to receive the Light that is outside of us for now.

Then our inner structure will be similar to the Light, the Creator. At the same time, we will always remain comprised of the matter called “the will to receive,” or “existence from nothingness.”

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The Zohar: Every person who goes to that world without having attained the secrets of the Torah, even on account of many good deeds, is banished from the gates of the Upper World.

“This world” is what we feel right now, and “the world to come” (Olam HaBa) is our next state. Everything becomes revealed according to one’s desire. One’s desire can either be changed naturally, by means of Reshimot that make it more egoistic; or it can be corrected by one’s work with the group and the Surrounding Light.

If I don’t correct myself, then all the gates to the spiritual sensation will remain closed to me. I can’t feel the spiritual world without preparing my desires and Kelim for it, without correcting egoism to bestowal. That is how I can open the gates!

Every person who goes to that world without having attained the secrets of the Torah (which is possible only by studying Kabbalah in order to receive Light into one’s corrected desires), even on account of many good deeds (the way people think in this world), is banished from the gates of the Upper World (meaning, that person has no opportunity to feel and enter the eternal world).

On the spiritual path, this happens on every step of the way when we go from one state to another. You can only advance by revealing secrets – that which is concealed from you right now. Everything happens inside your desire. Your current desire and sensation are called “this world,” and a more corrected desire and sensation are called “the world to come.”

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A question I received: Prior to the Machsom, how should we relate to this world, which is an imagined reality?

My Answer: Your attitude to this world should be very simple: While I am in this dream, I have to be a part of it. It is written, “A judge has no more than what his eyes can see.” I need to work, provide for my family and do everything necessary in this life, but at the same time, I should realize that it is a dream.  The world is a game and I perform all the right actions in it like in a game.

I must, however, treat this game seriously, since the Creator prepared this whole reality for me so that I could exist in it according to its laws and develop my “point in the heart,” my attitude towards the Creator.

These two levels, the corporeal and the spiritual, are completely unrelated to each other. On the corporeal level, where I am in a state of “sleep,” I carry out everything that is necessary for this life. Meanwhile on the spiritual level, I wish to find the connection with the Creator, and I develop while giving all my attention to this. Otherwise, what am I living for, if not to reach the Creator through my efforts in this life?

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People often complain that time is slipping away, life is passing them by and they don’t feel that they’re advancing. We exist in an unconscious state without being aware of it, and we can’t help it.

And all of this is because we don’t make use of the means that are at our disposal. We are like a sick person who suffers but won’t seek medical help.

It has been brought to our attention that there is something above this earthly existence, and we have also been given the method to attain it. Yet, we are still trying to enter the Upper World with our usual approach and the means of our world. We are sitting around and waiting, thinking that somehow we’ll succeed.

We just don’t understand that the only way to enter the spiritual domain is to conform to the law of equivalence of form. We’ve been given the teacher, the books and the group in order to help us. All we have to do is let go of the old methods, approaches, and views, and follow the advice of Kabbalists in order to change our perception of reality.

The stumbling block is that we are trying to enter a new life with our old baggage – our desires for food, family, money, power and knowledge. But it’s impossible to advance spiritually without raising the priority of spirituality above all the material things and in everything we do.

You are already holding all the means for entering the next level of existence. Now, you just have to finally decide – where do you want to be!? Don’t just keep on standing there with one leg in the material world and one leg in the spiritual; that is how the years will go by wasted.

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A question I received: What changes between one spiritual world and another?

My Answer: The change happens in the desire or force that is in control, the value system relative to the Giver and how important He is. This determines everything.

The only thing that exists in the whole universe is the desire to enjoy, which can follow two principles: its personal benefit or the benefit of the Giver. It’s like in the example of the guest and the host, where the guest’s state is called Beria, Atzilut, Yetzira or Assiya depending on the guest’s reaction to the Host. For example:

• If he is in the World of Assiya, then he consumes the whole meal;
• If he is in the World of Yetzira, then he has doubts as to whether he should eat and how much should he eat;
• If he is in the World of Beria, then he makes a calculation and knows that he won’t make a mistake; he will be able to show the Host that he gives Him pleasure;
• If he is in the World of Atzilut, then he consumes everything like in the World of Assiya, but he is sure that he does this only for the sake of the Host! After all, they have united with one another until there are no differences between them.

And all of this is talking about a person’s inner state.

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A question I received: Why is it so hard to ascend from the material world particularly to the very first spiritual degree? After all, we’re rising to the smallest spiritual degree.

My Answer: Even though it is the smallest spiritual degree, we ascend to it under circumstances where we have absolutely no understanding of spirituality.

We have to be born into spirituality, and there is nothing harder in the world than birth. Scientists say that the energy, strength, and concentration of effort that one spermatozoon employs to enter an egg cannot be compared to any other effort. It’s because they are two complete opposites, but in spite of this, one of them succeeds in breaking through the barrier, through the screen, and fastens itself inside the other.

This is why the first degree of the ascent from the material world to the spiritual world is the most difficult.

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