A Sting From The Light

We are inside a Force called the Creator (Boreh). Since we don’t attain it yet according to the principle of “come and see” (Bo-reh), we give it different names according to the current measure of its revelation to a person.

I am in this Force’s field along with everyone else. The question is how can I induce its influence? Indeed, this is man’s entire work: How can I awaken this force so that it can raise me?

We descended from the spiritual height to the “zero level” on purpose, and now it is up to me to ascend back to the same height. In order to do that, I have to awaken the Light that Reforms upon me. There is no other force that can raise me to spirituality. I only have the means that exist on my level. The Creator wakes me from the dream by the first “sting,” and then I have to process what awakened me internally by special means: thegroup, the study, and the teacher.

So I turn to the Light that awakened me initially. I ask that it will influence me, and I do it consciously and knowingly. The Light only stings me time after time and by that I have to establish my attitude to it: What do I ask from it, what kind of influence do I expect, what do I want to attain, and so on. On the whole I picture to myself how to be in accordance with the One who “stings” me. I have to look for His form, His image and to ask from Him:

- “I want to bestow!”
- “How do you want to become the one who bestows? Is it really the one who bestows? What will your bestowal be like?”
- “Don’t you see? I study, I work in a group and in dissemination, I do all sorts of actions, and based on that I ask.”

If a person doesn’t perform actions directed at unification, there is no basis for his request. These actions make up the infrastructure that he can use to raise MAN, a prayer. I build this infrastructure between me and the friends from which the MAN, “a prayer of the many,” rises. I will never be able to ask for connection by myself. A prayer for connection can only be collective, at least between two people.
[89508]From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/4/12, Writings of Baal HaSulam

Nullifying Yourself In Order To Be Born

Question: In March you said that by the end of summer we would definitely make a breakthrough into spirituality. The summer is over. You say that you have a problem with coordinates. What is your next prognosis?

Answer: I think that the point we’ve reached today will give us a strong push toward nullifying ourselves. After all, therein lies the problem. If I am able to do something, then I’m above the Machsom. I think that the sensation we received at the congress gives us that foundation. Now it seems to me that all we have to do is give it a few more pushes. As far as when it will happen, I hope that such states will come at any time, even during the morning lesson. But they must come in a critical form; there must be birthing pains. This is what we’re lacking. The birth is stalling.
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From “A Virtual Lesson on Fundamentals of Kabbalah “9/23/12

Overcoming Self-Deception

Question: We are talking about a person who is connected with the group. And what is the same person on the street who sees, feels, reacts, and chooses? Is this a superposition of all the desires, the collective result of the whole person, the whole world desire?

Answer: It depends on where the observer is located.

If the observer is me, then I can say that everything that I see around me now is a manifestation of the Creator. It is He who plays with me in this way, on the one hand. On the other hand, all that I feel outside of me is parts of my soul. What I feel in myself is my Galgalta ve Eynaim, and everything that I feel outside of myself is my parts that I cannot connect to myself yet because between me personally, my inner part, and those parts outside of me there is egoism that does not let me perceive them correctly.

That is, my general soul was broken in two parts, and one of the parts I perceive as my own, and the other part I do not. I do not feel that it is mine. On the contrary, I feel it as the opposite of me, I hate it, I do not like it, I do not want to feel it like my own.

This sight was created in me artificially. However, I need to find the way to feel it as my own. It is actually mine, but I perceive it as so foreign that I cause harm to those who are around me, all sorts of still, vegetative, animate, and human objects, and enjoy that I harm them. How can it be? The higher I am, the more I submit and use them (my external part for my inner part), the more comfortable, better, and happier I feel; I enjoy this.

This is a terrible self-deception. Then, a person begins to reveal that by causing everyone harm and thus disturbing the balance in the world, he hurts the elements closest to him, those who are much closer to him more than his children, than he himself. In reality, these are the Kelim (vessels) that are dearest to us. It is a horrible condition called torments of hell. But its redemption then gives a person new opportunities.

So, it all depends on how to I look at what is outside of myself, either according to the principle “There is none else besides Him,” or like parts of my soul, which in principle is the same thing.

When a person connects to the Kabbalistic method, when he comes to the Creator and unites with everyone else, that is, with the entire universe and the Creator, then naturally, everything becomes one: It was the Creator in front of me and He me showed that all that were my parts.
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From “A Virtual Lesson on Fundamentals of Kabbalah” 09/23/12

The Source Of Infinite Resources

Question: We always talk about nature using terms such as “nature, balanced relationships, harmony with nature” and so on.

But if we look at human progress, it is considered to have resulted from man’s opposition to nature, from man’s trying to resist nature’s forces, from trying to exit nature and thereby develop. Given this, what harmony with nature are we talking about?

Answer: We are not talking about egoistic development but about altruistic development in accordance with the governing force of nature. Here we have no opposition.

First, we begin working not against nature, but “for” it. So here entirely new mechanisms can come about that operate on totally different energy. They don’t require the old energy sources but instead run on what they generate themselves. That is, we can discover such properties and opportunities in nature where everything occurs without a loss because we don’t have to be in constant opposition with something.

After all, our egoistic development occurred against nature and therefore we constantly advanced in opposition. We conquered nature, we forcefully changed it, and considered ourselves to be great and mighty.

And here, on the contrary, we begin to use nature’s integrality, and in accordance with it, in harmony with it, in similarity to it, we feed of this integrality. As a result we receive the natural source of infinite resources from nature and our life completely changes. We we won’t be producing everything from the sweat of our brow as in the current processes, they will be entirely different.

People will start to reveal the force of life, filled with energy not through what he consumes, flour, meat, etc., but through a completely different field. A person will begin to reveal within himself opportunities to be fulfilled by life We will suddenly find fulfillment on the next level, not on the level of the animalistic body, but on the “Human” level.

Because in nature there is the next level in nature, which is called “wise person.” And where is this wise person? We by nature, physiology, and behavior are an extension of the animal world. There is innate, vegetative, and animal nature, but we haven’t reached the “Human” level yet.

The human is one who will be completely adapted to the integral picture of nature, who will exist in a state of unity and harmony with nature because he will possess an understanding, feeling, knowledge, attainment, and control of this connection.
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From KabTV’s  “Integral World: Formula of an Integral Society” 7/1/12

The Machsom Is A Psychological Barrier

The Machsom is a psychological point, until which I work only for my own pleasure, after it, for the pleasure of the Creator or neighbor, someone outside of me. This is what I have to achieve.

This boundary, this degree, is called the Machsom. This boundary between our world and spiritual world is simply psychological. If I take care of myself, even if at the same time I am aspiring to the Creator, to spirituality, but still acting for myself, this, my state, is currently below the Machsom and is called “Lo Lishma.” And if I achieve that I think only about the Creator‘s pleasure, so that all pleasure would be not for myself, then I, my desires and intentions, are already beyond the Machsom and this, my state, is called “Lishma.”

The Machsom is a psychological point that I have to cross, and then I will be in spirituality, in the intention to bestow. Afterwards, when I am beyond the Machsom, I have to raise more and more of my desires and intentions over the Machsom.

Or you can also put it this way: Along with the growing ego in me, along with all the growing pleasures, I raise the point of my Machsom higher; while, on the basis of the desire to feel pleasure, it is revealed as the evil inclination, step by step, I raise the point of Machsom up to Ein Sof until all my desires will really be for bestowal.

It is not important how you put it: to raise intentions over the Machsom or to raise the condition of the Machsom until Ein Sof; what matters is that I am working on correcting the intention to use the growing desires, not for myself, but for others/the Creator.
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A Life Jacket To Those Drowning In The Sea Of Egoism

Question: Lately I have lost all interest in and desire for the spiritual. I have become distant from the group, but the group did not forget about me and continued to care for me with constant love. This is why, despite everything, I decided to come to the convention in Rome, and made enormous effort to do it. And now here, I feelshame before my friends who once again have taken me in their arms, and I have experienced the love of my friends with new strength over these two days. But what do I need to do to make sure I do not become distanced again after the congress? I am very afraid of it.

Answer: I’m sorry about all you had to experience. But there is no other way but accepting that everything comes from one source, and we need to be grateful for both bad things and good things. I am very grateful to your friends who worked so hard that they were able to bring you back. I hope that from this day forward, all of you will only see goodness and mercy, love and warmth, which await you.

But still, no matter what happens, you need to hold on to the group with all your strength because it is the life jacket thrown out into the sea for those who are drowning. We have nothing else to grab on to.

And believe me, you will still see the entire country hold on to your group as if it were a life jacket. So become stronger, help each other, and continue. I wish you success!
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From the 5^th meal at the Italian Convention  9/30/12

The Wonderful Attribute Of Balance

Each congress is a certain milestone, a certain level in our ascending to spirituality; we gradually begin to feel what is meant by unity, adhesion, and connection and what our development requires of us.

During workshops, lessons, and especially during congresses, each time, we push forward and break through to another level that advances us towards the great force, the altruistic force of nature.

From within it, in turn, we begin to perceive our ego. We begin to understand the meaning of our nature by our control of the new force of altruism and by beginning to attain it and reveal its contradictory meaning, the inner depth of the altruistic force. We see how great and wonderful these two forces are, if used correctly. Through studying both of these forces at the same time, with their help, we begin to see the depth of nature: its inanimate, vegetative, and animate components, and also the next levels of nature.

How can we grow further by continuing to develop both these forces in balance? The forces of egoism and altruism will continue to grow in us. But what is there beyond the horizon, that is, beyond the level of “Adam (man/human)”?

Let’s suppose, that we balanced all of this within us and on our animate level we arrived at a state where we completely control ourselves, that all of our actions are completely balanced, rational, and are found in the so-called middle line. Is there a continuation of the growth?

And here we really reveal the wonderful attribute of balance of these two lines. If you have attained balance, then both lines begin to lead you, like legs, alternately, this time the force of minus (egoism) grows, and next time the positive force (altruism) grows, and thus alternately, like two legs, you advance one step after the other forward. Together with this, your growth is not limited. Everything depends only on you.
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From “A Virtual Lesson on Fundamentals of Kabbalah” 9/23/12

An Intensive Inquiry

Question: How do I manage my states? Do they develop automatically or can I evoke them?

Answer: I manage my states when I am with the friends sitting in a circle with them and discussing different problems and options regarding the connections between us: When does the ego help us and when does it distract us? How can we attract the attributes of bestowal and love, connection, mutual guarantee, and so on?

When we discuss these issues, I am involuntarily in different contrasting states, such as “I don’t want to listen to a friend, but I have to listen to him, “he is higher or lower than me,” “I agree with his answer or disagree,” and so on. Why do I agree with him? It may be because I simply like him, but someone else not, so I don’t want to listen to him and I didn’t even hear what he had to say.

So, it isn’t just the process, but the issue itself, the words, and the interactions, everywhere at every level, when I overcome the egoism and the altruism. Eventually there is a revelation, an intensive clarification of these two opposing attributes inside me.

What is more, when I am in a discussion with all the friends, I first intensify my attributes and, second, I expand myself by absorbing them. Thus, a person develops in many aspects by the integration of and communication between the two opposing forces.
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From “A Virtual Lesson on Fundamentals of Kabbalah” 9/23/12