Rabbi Shimon Or The Invisible Man

The Book of Zohar was hidden for generations and it was prohibited to even look at. Kabbalists themselves promulgated this ban. The secret that is concealed within it is the Light that Reforms, but reaching this Light is possible only by breaking through the protective shield arranged by Rabbi Abba who re-wrote this text. When Kabbalists write books, they express the content so that it is concealed in a special garb, which we must penetrate through to reach what is inside. Their writing is a revelation, but while revealing one thing, they conceal two.

They help us with this concealment that brings us closer, by allowing us, to some small degree, to touch this secret. In fact, if there were no concealment, we would not be able to see anything at all. It is similar to an invisible man who cannot be seen until he dresses. But as soon as he puts clothes on, everybody can see him.

In other words, the concealment of Rabbi Shimon by Rabbi Abba helps us to approach this secret! But on the other hand, it leaves us room for work: If you break through this shield, you will find Rabbi Shimon. Rabbi Shimon brings revelation to us from above to below, so he must disguise himself. He wishes to pass it onto everyone but can’t since we are not ready to receive it. Hence, he cries (crying is symbolic of a small spiritual state, Katnut).

This entire enormous system regarded as Rashbi (Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai) is not a “person” but an upper system that is forced to reduce itself (which is regarded as “crying”) because the lower ones are unable to receive anything from it. And how must he adjust himself, make an “adapter” between himself and the lower ones, as if between a wide pipe and the eye of a needle? So, then another system is engaged, which is called Rabbi Abba, a unique soul that is capable of serving as an adapter that connects us to Rabbi Shimon.

Finally, Rashbi’s light becomes revealed through the special system of Rabbi Abba that descends to us in the form of the book called Zohar. It is titled by the name of the source from which its Light derives (Zohar means the upper radiance): the Light of Infinity or the Light emanating from the head of Arich Anpin.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/14/10, Writings of Baal HaSulam

The Two Truths

The unique nature of spiritual work lies in the fact that a person has to get accustomed to being in opposite states. And, despite their polarity, he has to be able to live in both, discerning one from the other as a “benefit of the Light coming from darkness,” and thereby advancing.

This is very difficult for the beginner to understand. After all, in the corporeal world, we act based only on our egoistic desire to feel pleasure; there is no desire to bestow here, and so there is only one truth. And everything that opposes it we consider false.

In spirituality, it is the other way around. Since we assemble the Creator based on the created being, then both ends of the spiritual ladder are the truth. And the greater the evil inclination is, man’s ego, the higher he can ascend; once he will be wicked and another time he will be righteous. And every time these states, so distant from one another, arise in one person.

Therefore, we must view these two states correctly, both ascents and descents: We must rise above them. In other words, there is me and there is my state of being. It can be a descent or ascent but it has nothing to do with my “I” because “I” is the point where I wish to achieve adhesion with the Creator. And I must perceive all the successive states as necessary.

I “don’t pay attention to” my feelings or delve into them, but rather, I assess how effective a given state is, if I rise above it, in achieving the final goal.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/10/10, Writings of Rabash

How Do We Look From The Other Side Of The Screen?

Question: How do we look to you in your inner sight from the other side of the internal screen?

Answer: You look like internal organs of the soul; it’s a spiritual, anatomical picture where only desires are visible. There is nothing else in spirituality. There is one desire and everything is included in it as its parts. Nothing is seen separately and it feels like one common field.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/10/10, Writings of Rabash

Worldview Or Hobby

Question: Can people’s professions or hobbies become formal designations for integral education platforms?

Answer: This depends upon with what we want to approach people. As a rule, people normally converge on some kind of factor or personal characteristic, for example, bicyclists, ice skaters, those who love to dance, and so forth. This , of course, is no longer a “roundtable.”

The characteristic of a roundtable is that during the course of a discussion about all kinds of subjects (let’s say, the education of children, cooperation among married couples, interaction in society), common knowledge is created between people, a shared global view about the world, about life. The may be people who work in the same company company and want to find a common language, which is difficult to do these days. In other words, an integral connection is created when people approach each other on the basis of a worldview and not according to areas of interest or hobbies.
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From Kab TV’s “Through Time” 9/15/13

Enveloped In A Cloud

Question: What is our ego, is it a feeling or a mental perception?

Answer: We can compare the brain to a movie screen since it is actually blank. Today, for example, you seem to be ugly and disgusting, and tomorrow after a change of state, I may look at you and see before me a fine guy that radiates vitality. Does my brain depict these pictures, is it the screen? Or do I project them? My ego, my interest, depicts all these figures, but we don’t understand this until the end.

We believe that we are objective when it comes to the still, vegetative, and animate nature, but on the level of the speaking, in the relations between us, there are different variables. Generally speaking, we don’t actually understand that we are the ones depicting our own world on every level of the desire to receive.

This is why our world is called imaginary since it doesn’t actually exist. The moment you clean your ego from the perception of this world, it will disappear. And what will be left? Nothing?

So what will we be left with? Start establishing this “something” now. Start building a new world. It all depends on what you draw on the screen of your perception.

Question: But how do we draw these pictures if they immediately seem real to me?

Answer: I imagine a force that controls me, that surrounds me, that manages me and confuses me, sending me positive and negative things. This whole situation, the bubble I am in, operates on me; it is like a science fiction movie since we have to imagine something and work on something in our imagination. So I imagine a certain space in which a certain force or a force field operates. In the meantime, I cannot manage without this three dimensional illusion with the different phenomena of time and space. I am connected to it whether I want to be or not.

I imagine a force that surrounds me as if I am in a cloud. This force operates on me in every direction and in every possible aspect. Even now when I think about it, it actually operates me; I am relaxed, let it operate me. But what do I have besides this operation?

Because without any additions of my own, I can only constantly yearn for a good feeling and how to thank this force for its good care. It has created a deficiency in my feeling, a desire to receive, and I feel good in this world under its domination.

It turns out that we don’t need anything but that. The whole philosophy of the epicurean school is based on this approach. Other Eastern methods also believe in nirvana and peacefulness. This attitude is in fact the deepest since it is based both on the fear of disrupting something in creation and on the fear of cursing the Creator. So I have to constantly feel good. I constantly try to be calm and relaxed and to be happy with what I have, not because the ego drives me to do so but because of a more sublime intention. In short Abraham worked well with this approach in Babylon.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/02/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam

Tears And Joy

Baal HaSulam “Inheritance of the Land”: It is said, “according to my sorrow is my reward.” This means that the reward is measured by the amount of sorrow. Sorrows and exertions are needed only to find the vessel that will receive a good reward. And the more human one’s sorrow in spiritual work is, the greater his vessel is, which is ready to finally get the maximum reward. We measure everything according to the vessel, desire.  The Light is in absolute rest, and it all depends on the vessels, on how we develop them. And the vessels are the essence of suffering.

However, in spirituality this suffering becomes sweet and is called “pangs of love.” There, the pain of lack can be combined with pleasure, and they do not neutralize each other as in our world. Here, after a few sips, I am no longer thirsty, and every time, having received something, I become satiated. It is different in spirituality since both the need and pleasure are aimed at bestowal, they support and increase each other.

It turns out that I constantly feel lack and pleasure, but not as opposites, and I constantly flourish, develop in them. Together, they become a sense of eternal life for me. That’s where we are going. You see yourself that this knowledge can only come from above. The person himself has no opportunity to grasp at least its “edge.” No matter how much philosophers and thinkers have tried to figure out the age-old questions, it is impossible. After all, the answers are not inherent in our current egoistic nature.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/10/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam

An Anti-World Founded On An Unknown Formula

It is so difficult to reveal and explain Kabbalah to the masses of the common man because it is a reality that he doesn’t feel.Besides, it is opposing him, an “anti-world.” And it is not just the opposite reality where “plus” can be replaced with “minus,” but the very fact of it being opposite is incomprehensible to a regular person since this formula doesn’t operate in our world. Therefore, it is only natural that this wisdom is practiced by few.

Even though great many people agree that Kabbalah is probably talking about something quite exalted, good, and correct, they, however, are unable to grasp it. Hence, we witness how mankind sinks itself deeper into deception seeking solace in all kinds of substitutes of the truth: theology, mysticism, and various “new age” trends. Well, what can one do? We have to wait till humanity grows up. The more teachings that claim to reveal spirituality continue to circulate, the sooner mankind will see what is good and what is evil.

It is a well known fact that the more popular a person becomes, the sooner his real worth becomes clear. If a doctor advertises himself, everybody will rush to be treated by him. And if he is not a very good doctor, with so many patients it will quickly be found out and they will leave.

Prior to that, he still could have treated patients, but after the advertising effort, in general none will come to him. In other words, advertisement promotes revelation of truth.

This is why Kabbalists do not oppose any teachings; let everything have its place since all of them exist due to the uncorrected nature of desire. As long as people find some fulfillment in these methods, nothing can be done in that regard. Let a person make his own discernments in his egoism and later come to the truth. There are many obstacles and false teachings that stand in our way, but they serve as certain filters that help us filter our ego through them.

And when a person has finally passed through all these filters and stops believing in various forces (“multiple gods”) and his own powers, as well as all sorts of fetishes such as red bands, talismans, and blessings, he realizes that nothing can help him but theUpper Light that reforms and returns us to the source of love!

Besides, now he is certain he knows what “good” means. And then, he comes to it.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/16/10, Writings of Baal HaSulam

Why Haven’t You Asked Yet?…

As soon as your are led to the group from above, immediately it starts increasing the value of the goal in order to enhance what is given to you as your first spark. In fact, only by way of this value do you outweigh lies and purchase the truth. And if you don’t receive this value from the group, you will either return to the lies or you will sit idle unable to leave eating yourself up.

But advancing on the path of the truth is possible only when receiving an inspiration from the importance of the goal and the environment. To the degree of this importance, you will be willing to suffer, your ego suffers and the truth grows.. After all, it is very painful.

Besides, the group helps me understand that to achieve something is possible only through prayer. A prayer is a plea to transform the desire from receiving to bestowal, from separation and hate to unity and love. I remember how when I was taking a walk withRabash in the grove near Beit Shemen and I was telling him about all my problems, complaining and screaming for about ten minutes and he quietly listened till he suddenly said: “But why didn’t you ask (Him)?”

We do not have enough of the request: “Why didn’t you ask?” Frankly, our nature doesn’t allow us to come to it, to just ask. Neither our mind nor our heart comprehends that we just need to arrange a plea for correction. And people suffer months and years unable to ask, to raise MAN.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/16/10, Writings of Baal HaSulam