A question I received: Prior to the reception of the Torah, the people of Israel performed a special preparation for three days. How can we prepare in the best possible way during the three days preceding the Zohar Convention 2010?

My Answer: These three days are called “days of restriction”; it is when you completely detach from everything you had before.

We know from the science of Kabbalah that the screen, which rises with the Reshimot when the Light exits the Partzuf, ascending from Tabur to Peh, needs to go through three stages. Once it reaches the third stage, it loses all connection with the first stage.

In the same way, a person who is in the first stage raises to the next degree, where there is an emanation of Reflected Light, which descends to the previous degree – the first stage. When the person rises one degree higher, he also emanates these Lights onto the two previous levels.

After going through these three stages or three days (limitations), one reaches a state where he has no connection to the “transgression” of the past. Therefore, we need to detach from everything we had or knew before and prepare for the correction of our desires. This is how we’ll be able to reveal the Upper Force inside us.

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Times are listed in Israel time (GMT+2)

Monday, 22 February 2010
08:30 – Gathering
10:00 – Zohar Lesson: Intention Reveals the Upper World
11:45 – Stands and activities
12:30 – Lunch
13:30 – Stands and activities
14:00 – Opening Ceremony
14:15 – Yeshivat Haverim (Friends’ Gathering)
15:00 – Stands and activities
16:00 – Zohar Lesson: Unity is the Kli for the Revelation of the Creator
17:30 – Stands and activities
18:15 – Dinner
19:00 – Stands and activities
19:30 – Cultural Evening
20:30 – Stands and activities
21:00 – Zohar Lesson: Freedom – Only by Uniting with Others
22:00 – End

Tuesday, 23 February 2010
09:00 – Gathering, stands and activities
10:00 – Zohar Lesson: Advancement in Three Lines
11:30 – Presentation of media distribution activities of Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute
11:45 – Stands and activities
12:30 – Lunch (with authentic songs)
13:30 – Stands and activities
14:00 – Yeshivat Haverim (Friends’ Gathering)
14:45 – Presentation of the Kabbalah TV Channel in Israel
15:15 – Stands and activities
16:00 – Zohar Lesson: Israel’s Role in the World – Being a Light of the Nations
17:30 – Stands and activities
18:15 – Dinner with a Moti Mor concert
19:00 – Stands and activities
19:30 – Cultural Evening
20:30 – Stands and activities
21:00 – Zohar Lesson: The Last Generation
22:00 – End

Wednesday, 24 February 2010
09:00 – Gathering, stands and activities
10:00 – Zohar Lesson: Perception of Reality
11:45 – Stands and activities
12:30 – Lunch
13:30 – Stands and activities
14:00 – Presentation of groups in Israel, All Together gatherings, and Kabbalah Campus
14:30 – Yeshivat Haverim (Friends’ Gathering)
15:15 – Stands and activities
16:00 – Zohar Lesson: Educating the New Generation (not just the young of age)
17:30 – Stands and activities
18:15 – Dinner with a Moti Mor concert
19:00 – Stands and activities
19:30 – Zohar Lesson: The Day After the Congress
20:30 – Stands and activities
21:00 – Performance by the band, Dor Acharon (The Last Generation)
22:00 – End

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The Zohar, Chapter “Ki Tissa (When You Take),” Item 81: …for a thing that requires disclosure, to be revealed later, needs a place for hiding and covering, first. First, it must be concealed from the eye, and then the craftsman lets his craft be shown. Thus, what needs covering later needs to be revealed first. This is so because “God has made them one opposite the other.” All that exists in the degrees of holiness has its opposite in the Sitra Achra (impurity).

Everything will be disclosed through its opposite; the advantage of the Light is revealed from within darkness. The Creator cannot disclose Himself to the creature until the creature reveals His opposite form and learns through that opposite form about what the direct form is.

We can perceive only darkness. We read black letters on a white background, meaning that we feel what is missing. What we reveal is not the Creator, but His absence. We are unable to reveal His properties. Our entire work amounts to revealing Him from His opposite side, as it was said to Moses: “You shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”

That is why a person who truly wants to attain the revelation has to go by faith above reason and acquire the power of bestowal, Bina. However, he is unable to reveal this force of bestowal, since he does not feel it. He can reveal it only under the condition that he feels a lack within him, within his darkness, his egoistic desire. This lack is a need for bestowal. We have to reveal it from the opposition, because we always come from the side of the darkness, from the side of egoism and see the opposite of everything. Upon revealing the spiritual world, we will say: “I saw a reverse world.” We don’t even realize how opposite to us spirituality is.

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The most important thing at the upcoming Zohar Convention 2010 is our inner work. We must have the right intention, which will give everyone who attends the Convention and the whole nation of Israel the feeling that if the quality of Israel (Directly to the Creator) that exists in every person, dispersed among the Klipot, will unite as one, this will cause the correction of the world.

Because this opportunity is being revealed to us, it is a sign that we don’t need greater numbers in order to attain spiritual revelation. Since we are given the opportunity to assemble this many forces in the whole world and in Israel, on such a scale, it’s a sign that all we lack is a connection among everyone, rather than lacking more people.

The current amount of people is already sufficient; unity is all we lack. If we unite, then the “candle” will light up. By connecting, we build a common screen, and then the Light will immediately ignite it.

We have the oil — the desire to enjoy, and the filter — the screen, and the Upper Light that is above the filter. When we have a screen that connects our desire to enjoy with the Light, then our desire becomes similar to the Light, since the screen is the force of overcoming, where a person desires to unite with everyone in spite of his egoism that separates him from them. Then, it happens — a connection emerges.

Our entire work, the concentration of all our efforts lies only in this point of unity between the screen and the “wick.” The oil is below, the Light is above, and in the middle there is the point inside of which we must all unite together. Then the candle will light up and begin to burn.

In the past we thought that our dissemination in the whole world and in Israel would bring us Light and revelation. But if we are given the chance to carry out such a great event — the upcoming Convention, the only thing that’s missing is our inner connection. We already have the critical mass.

Right now we must think together with all our friends around the whole world, about how much we desire to ignite this point of contact, this “candle.” We have all the conditions for doing this. We have the chance, and now everything depends on us. We have the oil, and the Light is also present; we have an assembly of souls and a certain degree of connection.

It doesn’t matter how much we know or understand. Every person must only add his own desire for unity between the Light and the oil, as much as he is capable. In other words, each person must overcome his ego to create a wick (bestowal) above the oil (egoism). Then it will happen. But we are the ones who have to create this wick — the screen and the Reflected Light.

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

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A question I received: At the upcoming Zohar Convention 2010, how is it possible to carry out so much work and attain the spiritual level in such a short time, just three days?

My Answer: It does not depend on time at all. It will happen the moment we carry out an action of unity together.

When I was in Rabash’s group, we once went through a similar state. I asked him, “What do we need to do in order to realize this state?” He replied, “You need an attack!”

You have to do this yourselves; everything depends on each and every one of you. You have to go into this attack, aspiring to create a connection among you. Then it will happen.

Even people who attend the Convention just in order to take part in the general inspiration, to simply tune in to the common flow, by desiring to become part of it, they will perceive holiness on the first level. It is called the still level, Domem de Kedusha, because it doesn’t require any special abilities on your part. All you have to do is come there and “go with the flow.” Just by doing this, you can merit to come out of Egypt. A person who joins others will also run away from Pharaoh together with everyone.

When we hold a Convention such as this one, a special state emerges because even though we don’t feel spirituality yet, we greatly influence one another when we get together physically. It wasn’t an accident that the Creator made this world, where we are connected physically and can influence one another.

While we sit somewhere far away by a computer monitor or TV screen, we can’t feel each other so well because we don’t yet have the sixth sense. Therefore, coming together physically in one hall greatly influences us and awakens our inner aspiration to unite our desires.

This is why our world exists, because it is precisely the place where we can begin our spiritual work from scratch. In it, we don’t depend on spirituality and can discern and acquire every spiritual quality, making a free decision of wanting it or not.

We have freedom because we are outside of spirituality, and are able to connect with each other in the material world. From here we can begin our spiritual ascent if we desire to do so. If we don’t desire it, then we can keep living merely in our physical bodies.

It’s unrealistic for one person to do it alone, but together it’s easy.

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The Zohar, Chapter “Tazria (When A Woman Delivers),” Item 86: “Who keeps his mouth and his tongue, keeps his soul from troubles.” His soul, which used to speak, is now silent because of the evil words that she spoke. Then comes the serpent, for everything has reverted back to the beginning, as before he was rewarded with a soul. And when the evil speech rises by certain ways to being before the harsh serpent, several spirits awaken in the world, and an impure spirit descends from that side, of the serpent, and finds that the man evoked it with the evil speech. It finds that the holy speaking Ruach is removed from him, at which time the impure Ruach is upon him and defiles him, and then he is a leper.

Where do evil forces come from and what power do they have? They exist only if a person reveals them within himself and decides that they are evil. They are his own uncorrected properties or evil desires. However, if he wants to correct them, they become revealed for the purpose of correction and they aren’t considered transgressions. On the contrary, it is written, “One who comes to be corrected is aided.” That person receives help and doesn’t feel the burden.

However, the evil can also become revealed without a person’s participation, when he is least prepared for it. These are the evil forces he did not correct in the past and is not planning to correct now either. That is when the serpent and other frightening images appear, which are our evil inclination coming to destroy us.

These are all our uncorrected properties which don’t appear according to our desire to reveal and correct them, but in a natural way. They become revealed as evil and harmful forces that act against us.

The Zohar describes it as an outer, alien force which is opposite to holiness. However, it exists within the uncorrected desires of the person himself. Therefore, one shouldn’t think that some unexpected event takes place sent to us by the Creator, but that these events are unfolding only within us. We should always be ready to use any discovery for our correction. Then, it will be for our good.

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The Zohar, Chapter “Tazria (When A Woman Delivers),” Item 70: “…pangs of love are hidden from people.” Pangs of love is the state also known as “I am lovesick.” It means that I don’t need anything; I only want to give, to bestow. My only wish is to fulfill your desire.

This is an intermediate state where I very much want to give but I am unable. Since I haven’t yet acquired a screen, I am unable to receive the Light in order to fulfill your desire. Love is a state where I feel the desire of the other more than my own.

The Zohar, Chapter “Tazria (When A Woman Delivers),” Item 72: It is written, “Better is open rebuke than love that is hidden,” which means that open rebuke is better. And if the rebuke is out of love, it is hidden from people. Similarly, one who rebukes one’s friend with love must hide his words from people so his friend will not be shamed by them. And if his words are open before people, they are not with love.”

In our world we naturally desire to hide our relationships and the love between us because love requires discretion. We want to protect it from everything that might potentially hurt it. But what does it mean “to be ashamed” or “to reveal love in front of others” in spirituality? Who are those others? They are my desires.

If I attain connection with the Creator in one desire, then the other desires in which I cannot connect with Him are called “the others.” Therefore, I need to pay attention to them so that they don’t hurt my love, as well as keep in mind that everything is happening internally.

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We must try to reveal everything that’s written in The Book of Zohar within ourselves. A person sits in front of a book and doesn’t understand a single word written in it. This is because every word points to a spiritual desire, along with its type and quality such as reception or bestowal, large or small, and all its various forms. We must search for all of this inside ourselves.

A person has to unite with others and desire to merge into a single desire with them. With this common desire a person aspires within himself and concentrates on the searches, trying to find, “Where is it all hidden in me?” The fact is that all of reality exists inside us. There is nothing outside; all of what we picture is formed within. Some things only seem to be external, yet there is no real life outside of us. While we see various imaginary pictures, The Zohar does not write about them. Rather, it writes about the forces which create that picture. It is like a computer screen where we see various pictures and forms, but in reality they are all electrical forces.

We need to switch from the external display or demonstration of forces to an inner perception and the understanding that everything happens inside our “computer.” This is important to distinguish in order to perform various spiritual calculations and actions.

Actually, we don’t even need a monitor. We can work with the computer directly from its hard drive, without transferring everything to an external picture.

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“I heard from my teacher that The Book of Zohar has a new interpretation every day” (Degel Machane Efraim). This means that while a person changes every day, the book remains the same.

The Book of Zohar is the system of the spiritual worlds. It is a global system of governance encompassing all 125 degrees of the soul’s ascent from our world to the World of Infinity. Not only does The Zohar provide an explanation of this system, it brings us the Light capable of raising us along the entire spiritual ladder from beginning to end. We only need to strive to come to the demands of this system while reading this book.

Therefore, if we bring ourselves into correspondence with the system governing us, we will receive the Reforming Light that it is filled with. This constitutes our work. Thus, while reading The Zohar we should aspire to unite into one desire and await the Light that corrects us.

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The Zohar, Chapter “Tazria (When A Woman Delivers),” Item 20: When the soul descends to the entrance to this world, she first descends to the Garden of Eden of the earth, and sees the glory of the spirits of righteous standing column by column. Afterwards, she goes to hell and sees the wicked crying “Alas! Alas!” and no one pities them. She is given testimony of everything: the wicked testify how they are punished for each sin, and the righteous testify to the good reward that they receive for each Mitzva [good deed, commandment]. And that holy image stands over her until she leaves toward this world.

The Zohar always speaks about one soul, one man. Whether it speaks of the Garden of Eden and hell, or the righteous and the wicked – all of them are included in one man.

When we enter the system of our soul, we become submerged in our inner reality and in examining all of the possibilities there. This is what is meant by travel between the Garden of Eden and hell, and to observe what is happening there. In other words we create a map containing the route of our spiritual advancement.

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