A question I received: What are the signs of our advancement in reading The Book of Zohar and generally in our spiritual work?

My Answer: The clearest and strongest sign of advancement in reading The Book of Zohar is the feeling of a greater need for connection with others.

Another sign is that I feel that The Zohar attracts me for some reason. Sometimes it draws me more and sometimes less, but no matter what, I feel good being near this book, whether reading or listening to it. I feel that there is power in this book that connects me with life. It has this effect.

Even if a person does not understand or attain what The Book of Zohar describes, he still feels that this book is like a rope or a life-line that the Creator has thrown to his creatures here in this world, as Baal HaSulam writes in his article “A Speech in Celebration of the Conclusion ofThe Zohar.”

By gripping the end of this rope, we can ascend to Him.

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All this external buildup with its output to the “computer” monitor is made only for myself, since I can only discern the externality. However, in reality all events are happening on the hard drive. It is from there that some form is reflected onto the screen. I am capable of understanding this form and accordingly I send an order back to the hard drive.

That external form reflected on the screen is what our world is. The Zohar wants to take us inside the system, that being the Creator (the hard drive), to the place where all events are unfolding and all forces are acting.

I am unable to change anything by interfering with the actions on the screen itself. It’s like trying to erase from it or to draw additional details onto to the screen’s picture. The screen is required only for the purpose of conveying that which is happening inside.

Therefore, the most important thing is to try to enter inside, to penetrate beyond all these outer pictures. In doing so, we will reveal the form of forces, information, and reminisces (Reshimot) in the spiritual world that are on this “hard drive.” Then we will be able to work with all parameters and change everything in order to receive fulfillment. However, this will happen under one condition: that we go deeper inside.

Therefore, it doesn’t matter what pictures The Zohar depicts for us. What matters most is we want to reveal that inner picture where everything is happening. Our desires act inside of this as there is nothing else in the universe besides the desire and the Light.

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The Zohar, Chapter “BeHaalotcha (When You Mount the Candles),” Item 13: How pleasant are the words of Torah, for in each and every word are sublime secrets, and the whole Torah is called “superior.” We learned that the thirteen qualities in the Torah, meaning everything that was a part and then stopped being a part, did not stop so as to point to itself. Rather, it parted so as to teach about the whole….

In our world, we can utilize analysis and synthesis to divide the whole into separate parts and study each part separately. However, the spiritual world is like a holographic picture where each part contains the entire universe, acting as a single part only with respect to the individual. Therefore, we must always strive for the general.

Even when we attain a small part, we must understand that it contains everything. Spiritual attainment always alludes to the general, to the place of the quality studied in the general system. Without studying the general, it is impossible to study the particular.

In his article, “The Future Generation,” Baal HaSulam writes that we must create first a virtual state of Kabbalah and then a material one, which would contain all the parts of the future structure of the world – a miniature whole. Accordingly, even our internet site must be structured like a complete, whole state of Kabbalah, including everything necessary for the generation of the era of correction to communicate with one another.

This will be a small part of a new reality, but it will be absolutely whole, without a single detail forgotten. Indeed, it will only be a part of reality with respect to us while we remain uncorrected. But as we correct ourselves, this part will swallow up the entire world and all of reality, and the whole universe will come inside of it. We will have nothing left to add to it. After all, in the spiritual world every part includes the general, and only our incorrect view regards it as a part, for we are incapable of grasping the whole. But we must always understand that before us lies infinity.

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Zohar Convention 2010, Lesson 1
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Zohar Convention 2010, Lesson 2
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Zohar Convention 2010, Lesson 3
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By simply reading The Zohar, we gradually begin to understand it. This book is not built upon explanations, but rather upon the reading itself, meaning the process where we begin to feel a clearer sensation of the Upper World.

“Ima Ilaa” (the Upper Mother for all of us) is called Bina. She radiates the Surrounding Light to us. Similar to infants with wide open eyes and mouths, we should try to appeal to Her with the right intention: to become as one man with the wish to reach the quality of bestowal by revealing it within us.

This is enough. Everything else written in the book will be gradually revealed to us. What does it mean “gradually?” It means in the same way that infants learn. They don’t know any words, don’t understand what’s going on, and due to their desire to know, it happens that “this” or “that” is revealed to them and thus, they begin to understand something. This is the way that they discover the world.

This is a normal, natural approach. The Upper World is revealed to us in the same way. If we remember how we grew up and discovered this world, we will understand how to advance in spirituality.Then we will have no complaints. We will be developing in exactly the same way; nothing has changed.

Subsequently, it is easier to understand that we are not required to be “smart.” All we have to do is reveal a desire to attain the Upper World, and conform to it just a little bit.

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The merit of contemplating the words in The Book of Zohar and the words of the wisdom of truth (Kabbalah) is immeasurable and priceless. And even if one has not yet come to understand the heart of the matter…the gates of Light and doors of wisdom will appear to all who walk on the path…whose soul craves nearing the King’s Hall. Hence, blessed will be all who volunteer to engage in the wisdom for even an hour or two a day. The Creator adds an act to a good thought, and it will be regarded as standing, always and everyday, in the Lord’s Court and His Abode.
The Rav Raiah Kook, Who Love Israel with Holiness, 232

I write only to evoke the hearts of disciples of sages to engage in the study of the internality of the Torah and to study the Holy Zohar as diligently as the Mishnah and the Gemarah. Yet, not all are ready for it by the nature of their souls. Hence, one who is not capable, and whose heart is keen, should certainly prolong the quip in Mishnah and Gemarah. But one who is capable of delving in the wisdom of Kabbalah, should dedicate the greater part of his study to know his Maker.
The Rav Raiah Kook, Letters, Vol. 1, 41-42

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The Zohar, Chapter “Tazria (When A Woman Delivers),” Item 95: This is when the sinner gives strength to the Sitra Achra (evil inclination) to extend from the left, from above downwards [meaning egoistically], as did Cain. Then the serpent, called “sin,” which crouches at the door of Malchut, discloses the first point, which is hidden in Malchut, and all the lights depart from the root of the soul of the sinful person…

A person starts his correction from the lowest critical point when the serpent and Malchut, which is unable to receive any Light, are revealed. This serpent has a very important mission. This is why “the sin crouches at our door” is written in a good rather than in a bad sense.

The Creator prepared a serpent to help us enter the spiritual world. The serpent causes us to make the most basic revelation: that we are unable to receive the Light inside our egoistic desires. Don’t even try; you will be beating your head against a brick wall and will never succeed. Leave your egoistic desires because you won’t be able to do anything with them. You have to rise above them in order to “leap” above this world. This is what the serpent is explaining to a person.

The serpent comes like an angel sent to us by the Creator in order to push us towards correction. Yet, we should be grateful to the serpent for its help.

This snake comes as medication; indeed, it is not a coincidence that the snake is a symbol of medicine and poison is the basis of all medications. The Creator guides us using bites from the two serpents until we suddenly feel the nature which is above our own. We then understand that we have to rise above both of these serpents, thereby finding the One who governs them.

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A question I received: What does it mean to annul oneself at the Zohar Convention so the Upper Light will become revealed to us?

My Answer: It means that I annul my egoism in relation to the common desire to be together, and I do this with the purpose of revealing the Upper Force – the force of bestowal and mutual love within us. It is the common force of nature, the Creator (Bore), meaning, “come and see.” More precisely, it means, come to the annulment of your ego at the inanimate level of holiness, and then you will see and feel the Light which fulfills you. This is possible to do!

It is enough to simply want to connect, even with no true intention to bestow yet. One should want to rise above his ego in order to connect with others and reveal the Creator. This requires a connection according to the method of Kabbalah, rather than simply an egoistic unity among people.

Then the Upper Light will connect us and fulfill us. That is the meaning of the verse, “Israel, Torah, and the Creator unite as one.” “Israel” means everyone who wants to annul his ego for the sake of connecting with others. This is possible to do with the force of the Light which is called “Torah” for the sake of revealing the Upper Force, which is called “the Creator.” We have all the conditions for that!

It is impossible to do it alone, but it’s easy to do it together.

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A question I received: What advice can you give us now before such a meaningful event as the Zohar Convention so that all of our thoughts and intentions will be as one thin ray of Light, concentrated on the same thing?

My Answer: We should be scared to death that one person will lose the intention and drill a hole in the collective boat.

Everyone should be concerned about this – we need a mutual guarantee.

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A spiritual embryo completely cancels itself before the Upper One and depends on Him in every aspect. In fact, canceling oneself is what constitutes one’s independence. This is the inanimate level of sanctity – bestowal and love for one’s neighbor above one’s egoism.

This should constitute our inner work at the Zohar Convention 2010. If each person cancels himself in relationship to the others, then certainly we will be able to reveal the degree of a spiritual embryo. Nobody can resist the influence of such a large group of people. If you enter the environment that has such a great power, then it’s very easy for you to cancel yourself – you only need a small desire and readiness. And accordingly, we’ll be able to reach a state, a spiritual reality where the Upper Force fills the world.

This is not fantasy, mysticism, or meditation; it is a true sensation, a certain level of unity that is reached when each person rejects his egoism in relationship to others. Each person will rise to the inanimate level of sanctity and feel what this state, filled with the Light of Nefesh of the World of Assiya, means.

A person is capable of putting in the effort to reach this state, but it is possible that he will fall again. Maybe he is already able to remain in the spiritual world, but this depends on whether or not he continues to exert himself after the Congress. If a person is motivated to remain in a state of rejecting his egoism in relationship to the others, then he can keep this level and begin to ascend from it regardless of what is happening with the others. It is unrealistic for a person to do this alone, but it’s easy to do it together!

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