A Basement For A Beloved Son

What is required in order to discover the good? Why does someone who is born into great abundance not appreciate it? You tell children: “See how much you have! How much I have given to you! When I was a child I didn’t have this.” Yet they wave you off and don’t want to hear this.

They cannot appreciate your goodness since they have nothing with which to compare it. So they don’t understand what kind of gratitude you require from them. They want to go to the movies, they can go; they want a computer, they get it; a new mobile phone, to go on vacation, whatever they want. They have everything, and so they also have no desire for anything.

You tell them that when you were their age, you built a car for yourself from a shoebox and played with this car for two years, and they laugh at you. They are right, because everything is measured according to desire.

They feel themselves on a particular level of satiation and will not move from it in any direction. First one must descend to minus infinity to be able to feel plus infinity afterward.

About this it was said in “Leviticus” 26:10: When I break for you the staff of bread, and ten women will bake your bread in one oven, and they will bring back your bread by weight, and you will eat, yet not be satisfied, meaning that nothing in the world changes except our consciousness. Even now you are found in Olam Ein Sof (the world of infinity), yet instead of that you feel this world because you don’t have the Kelimto perceive Ein Sof.

On one side there is a sack of gold coins, and on the other side there is a mountain of diamonds. In front of you is a table set with a bounty of delicacies, yet you are dying of starvation and suffer from the stench.

Everything depends upon your perceptive Kli. You are in Olam Ein Sof, which never changes. Everything depends only on desire, and desire is built above an abyss that is constantly revealed to a greater degree.

Therefore, it is difficult for our children to feel a reason for living, specifically because they have everything. Baal HaSulam tells a parable about a king who put his son in a basement for 20 years and caused him mental anguish by showing him how everyone else was successful. Others are sitting in a bar or watching the World Cup, whereas you are sitting in a dark cellar full of mice, cursing your father.

This continued until the son discovered that his father was acting from the goodness of his heart and with great love. His father was suffering himself because he had given his son grief. Whereas if you give your children everything that they want from the goodness of your heart, this means that you hate them.

Question: Does it follow that I must intentionally hurt a child in order to educate him?

Answer: You limit him because you want things to be good for him, and you are willing to suffer in order to do this. You do this for his sake so that it will benefit him in the future. It will not be good for him now, as his ego desires, but will benefit him throughout his life.

Or, you want to feel good from the thought of how much you have given him. You think to yourself: “I couldn’t afford any of this in my childhood, so my son should enjoy it.” Is this what you call love?

Tomorrow you will have to give him many times more because otherwise he will not feel that he is alive. You must build a “basement” with great wisdom and put your beloved son in there, and you will suffer many times more than he will. In this manner, you will be preparing him for a good life.

So we have a method by which it is possible to advance towards fulfillment, towards goodness, not by feeling bad, but by being aware of it. This is a very special patent. It is necessary only to understand the principle and that is enough. Then there will no longer be a need to suffer. We are not ready to go through the way of difficult suffering.

The Creator made a special system in which it is enough for us to be aware of the evil that exists in contrast to the good, in order to accept it as a tool and sense fulfillment through it. After all, we are not ready to descend to minus infinity.
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From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/12/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

Theory And Practical Work

When studying the wisdom of Kabbalah it is necessary to be very careful so that theory does not obscure the practical work. Yet there is a problem here…

The problem is that many people delve deeply into studying Kabbalah, detached from life, and they begin to juggle and manipulate the words: Here it is written this way, there in that way.

This gives nothing to a person. This is because with this he is not changed but only enjoys the mental manipulation of all kinds of facts, but he doesn’t get what each one of them represents.

He is simply playing with empty “boxes,” on which are written: “Atzilut,” “Malchut,” “Bina,” “Zeir Anpin,” the worlds of “ABYA” and the like. In this way he is not in their inner feeling, he doesn’t work with them with his emotions and characteristics.

So it is very dangerous to present Kabbalah to a person in this way because he will begin to be involved with it only artificially, without having a connection with the friends, without being involved with dissemination, without which he will simply “rot.” It is impossible to grow on your level without developing the lower level. All of spiritual development is latent in this because the chain must pass from above to below and from below to above.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 5/14/14

Painless Childbirth?

The Midrash “BeShalach”: “The Egyptians were defeated by the ten plagues on the sea just as they were defeated by the ten plagues in Egypt. The ten plagues on the Red Sea are not described in details in the Midrash (“The Great Commentary”).

All the attributes and the revelations that are described in the oral Torah are necessary for one’s birth in the spiritual world just as the labor pains and the preparation process for childbirth are. Without what we call such Gevurot (rigid forces) and constraint, the connection between the mother and the newborn wouldn’t be revealed.

During this process different hormones and forces are extracted that later help a child grow. Therefore, children who are born in a natural process are more complete than children who come into the world by a cesarean section.

In other words, the exodus from Egypt cannot take place any other way since it symbolizes a person’s birth into the new spiritual world, into the attribute of bestowal, in which he doesn’t feel himself inside a body anymore, although it still exists.

Therefore, there cannot be a smooth birth, and as a result childbirth in our world isn’t smooth either. But if we didn’t intervene in the birth process by different surgical devices and catalysts, which seemingly ease the delivery process, children would be born much healthier. All these devices are unnecessary. We will gradually understand how inefficient they are and will begin to limit their use.

Question: But is the labor pain really necessary?

Answer: Yes, but it depends on the mother. If she has proper spiritual preparation for childbirth, she will not feel pain. There will be pressures but pressures like doubts and like clarifications. She will go “through the water like on land.”

On every level all the spiritual transitions are a kind of birth.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 4/30/14

Forefather Of All Cohens In The World

“Aaron is the forefather of all Cohens in the world” because the Creator chose him to establish peace in the world and because Aaron built it to this.

Each day of his life, Aaron exerted to multiply peace in the world. The Creator ordained him to lead consecrations so he brings peace to the upper congregation. By ministering consecrations, Aaron instigated mating (Zivug) between the Creator and His Shechina; thus, bringing peace to all worlds.” [“Let There Be Light,” the book “VaYikra,” (Emor)]

Aaron is the highest step in human actions, which connects the Light with the matter of creation. It is the root, the basis, the reason, the final goal of creation.

It is not about a human being. We do not deal with notions such as “protein entities” or “discrete desires.” “Aaron” is a structure that gradually establishes the closest possible connection between the properties of bestowal and receiving.

Bestowal is a quality of the Creator, whereas the will to receive is the property of creation. So, both properties are always involved in some kind of relationship with each other since one cannot be manifested without the other and can be seen only on the background of its opposite.

Thus, Aaron personifies the system that balances both forces and completely connects them. The result is something in common so that the property of bestowal and the quality of receiving can no longer be distinguished because they complement each other. Attainment of this level is the goal of creation.

Question: How can black merge with white to the extent that it is impossible to distinguish between them?

Answer: When black acquires the properties of white or vice versa, they can reciprocally connect and complement each other.

Aaron’s work is to connect the opposite properties. It is said that he was the forefather of all Cohens (priests) in the world because he didn’t personify one single action associated with one concrete state; rather, Aaron exemplifies constant, meticulous work in all types of enormous matter that consist of two forces (bestowal and receiving), in each “knot” where both forces are correctly connected.

It is said in the Torah that the Creator chose Aaron to establish peace in the world. “Peace in the world” is a state inside a huge, complete desire. In this context, “peace” has at least two meanings:

• Connection of everybody and everything
• Correct interaction among opposite properties

The world is an association of absolutely different properties. “Coming to peace,” means entering into a benevolent unity with the upper. This is the purpose all Cohens work for.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 5/14/14

When The Desire Agrees To Connect

Baal HaSulam, “The Peace”: Rabbi Akiva depicts two kinds of people: the first are the “open store” type, which regard this world as an open store without a shopkeeper. He says about them, “The book is open and the hand writes.” Meaning, although they do not see that there is an account, all their actions are nonetheless written in the book, as explained above. This is done by the law of development imprinted in Creation against humanity’s will, where the deeds of the wicked themselves necessarily instigate the good deeds, as we have shown above.

The second type of people is called “those who want to borrow.” They take the shopkeeper into consideration, and when they take something from the store, they only take it as a loan. They promise to pay the shopkeeper the desired price, meaning attain the goal by it. And he says about them, “All who wish to borrow may come and borrow.”

And if you say, “What is the difference between the first type, whose goal comes to them from the law of development, and the other type, whose goal comes to them by self-enslavement to His work? Are they not equal in attaining the goal?” In that regard, he continues, “and the collectors return regularly, day-by-day, and collect from a person knowingly and unknowingly.” Thus, in truth, both pay their daily portion of the debt.”

It says that the righteous inherits double and the wicked lose double. After all you work and acquire vessels. You cannot remain the same way you are since the press of evolution is getting nearer whether you want it or not. If you are ready to run ahead in order to acquire the right vessel and discover the next world in it, go ahead. If not, then you are using an egoistic vessel that is very small. It seems that it is a great desire that can oppose the vessel of bestowal but in fact the size of our ego is not suitable for bestowal because it is isn’t deep enough. The Kilpot (shells) are merely a replica of Holiness.

Question: Can we say that paying the debt is the attainment of the ultimate goal?

Answer: Paying the debt is the ascent up the spiritual ladder. When a person ascends the ladder it makes no difference where he is exactly because he doesn’t take himself into account but rather takes into account how to delight the Creator. If, for example, the Creator prefers that he should remain in smallness now and serve others, that he should go through different states, then a person gladly looks for such an opportunity.

Spirituality is bestowal in which there is no egoistic account. Therefore, it makes no difference what state I am in. I value and measure everything according to the opportunity to delight the Creator, the group, or the friends. On the one side of my inner scale there is the group, the friend, and on the other side I measure my ability to do something for them. My self is actually to what extent I can bestow unto others. I only have a point in the heart and I weigh how I can delight the group, humanity, the general soul, or the Creator. The ego is erased and I disregard it, although my point is in it. This is the reason it is called the point in the heart, since my heart is an egoistic heart.

Question: I understand the idea of delighting the friends, but how do I take the Creator into account if I don’t perceive Him yet?

Answer: I begin to see my friends as one whole. When I get closer to the idea of one, I distinguish the force of unity in it.

We are all units (1). There are seven billion units living in this world (7 X 10⁹), but I am drawn to unity, and if I reach it at least in a minimal level (1/125), I become equal to one, to the Creator. In other words, my vessel becomes similar to the Light.

It is because the vessel and the Light are the same. I don’t perceive anything on the outside. I always discover the reactions of my vessel, its impressions and its experiences. Therefore when the desire agrees to connect, it is the Creator for me.

Question: So why is it so important to delight the Creator and not the friends? Why is the emphasis on the Creator?

Answer: Because you have to discover His basis in the vessel, the force that operates in the created being, the one who operates your vessel. You have to adhere to it, to theKeter. We don’t attain Him and therefore we discover the commandment of love through actions. You attain something that is above you. When the human level adheres to the Creator it attains a much higher state. It isn’t just adhesion, but it is the internality of the idea of the Creator is revealed here.

We don’t know what comes after that, but apparently this is only the beginning of our evolution…
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From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/28/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam

The Future Is A Homogeneous Society

First of all, we must get a general idea about the state of our world today to understand where it is sliding to, to what precipice it is heading. Secondly, we must realize that we, humanity, have no way of overcoming any problem.

The only solution is to become like nature. Nature is entirely global and integral. We are all mutually linked around the world. So, we need to have the same form as nature. Only then will we reach wholeness.

All of nature is drawn and attracted toward wholeness, reciprocity, and equivalence of form. Similar to the atmosphere where masses of cold and warm air are balanced, the wind arises between pressure and lack of pressure, bringing everything into balance. So, we also must connect amongst us so that society will become homogeneous, absolutely united.

We must reach this state. Otherwise, we will enter into a collision with nature, something that will lead to an inevitable explosion.
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From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/4/15, Talmud Eser Sefirot

Everyone Wants Things To Be Good For Them

Everyone wants things to be good for them in this world. But we need to understand that in this world things will not be better. They will only get worse.

Why do all of these bad forces come into the world? They force us to search for a solution, and there is only one solution. All of these forces press on us so that we would rise to another level of existence.

Until now, we have developed on the level of the still, vegetative, and animate. Nothing else exists in our world. Our entire existence is like the animate level, as it is written, “They all seem like beasts” (Baal HaSulam, Letter 8; Psalms 49:13). All our existence is like an animal, we are almost on the same level.

If we want to rise to the level of Adam (Man), then we must become similar to the Creator, for it is specifically this that indicates being Adam, from the word “Domeh” (similar). This is a new level of existence.

At the present time we are compelled to rise to a new level. For that, all of the forces of nature are concentrating on this. They are pushing us and force us to rise, and the wisdom of Kabbalah is revealed and helps us to rise and exit to the next level.

In our current form we are never going to have a better life. I’ve warned about this for the past ten years.Before when I started talking about the crisis, everyone laughed and no one would believe me. I had the opportunity to talk about this with expert economists and scientists, and they just  laughed when they heard me speak about the crisis. They all argued that there was no crisis. But today no one disputes that there is a crisis, and that is has no solution.

In fact, nothing special is required of a person. We just need to engage in our method of integral education, and through the unique bond that it forms between all of us and through this connection, we attain the Light that Reforms, and our lives will be miraculously changed.
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From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/4/15, Talmud Eser Sefirot

Bringing Benefit To Society Until One’s Last Breath

Question: If a man became famous in the world thanks to his exceptional achievements, does it release him from the fear of death?

Answer: I don’t think that there is a man who is not afraid of death if he understands that death is the end. Only beasts don’t have a fear of death. They have only an instinctive fear of what can harm them, and they live according to the instinct of self-preservation.

However, people are afraid of death because they have an imagination, feelings, and they can learn from their experiences and events that occur.

After all, the man who was my friend is dead now and there was nothing left except a lifeless body; the breath of life left him. There is nothing more to do but to bury him, and I understand that this will also happen to me.

The feeling of losing life is a unique experience. On the one hand, we must, if necessary,  go to battle, and one might be killed. However, in this case, we have the opportunity to overcome the fear of death.

We fly into space and risk our lives in all kinds of dangerous situations, and it is not because we are forced to, but simply because of the internal pull. There is a special attraction to feeling yourself on the brink of life and death. This is a known psychological phenomenon.

Man is built in such a way that the opinion of society obliges him to heroism and guides him in all kinds of situations. However, in old age, death scares a man and invites a feeling of despair, uselessness, and brings out the concealed fear within him. Man tries to suppress this fear and does not let it break through; what helps is being among people in their midst of their lives.

The worst thing that we can do to an old person is to put him in a nursing home, in the company of old people like himself. We think it is good and more comfortable for him. But it is not good for anyone. An old person needs to be in a normal society among young and old that are full of life.

By gathering all the old people in one place we harm them, no matter what medical treatment they are provided.

Question: What do you think is the ideal life for an old person?

Answer: I think that as long as he has the strength, a person should work and bring benefit to society until his last days. Perhaps he cannot walk and can only sit, but if he is able to do work that matches his ability. And everyone will thank him for that; he will know that he is valued, and will continue like that almost until his last day.

Question: How can a person overcome the psychological fear of impending death?

Answer: I think that man needs to be engaged in work and be occupied in it in such a way that, until the last minute of his life, he will bring benefit to society. I’m not talking about very weak people that can’t see, hear, or perceive anything, but as long as a person has even limited power, he can bring great benefit in the dissemination of integral education. If he integrates in a group of young people, he will bring them great benefit, and they will also bring him benefit.

When we teach the method of connection, we mix people from all ages in groups and try to give each age group the opportunity to express themselves in relation to other age groups. By that, we bring benefit to the old and young. Old people can teach the young, support them, and thus provide and strengthen the spirit of life.
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From KabTV’s “A New Life” 4/22/14