By Calling Of The Heart

Question: All of our thoughts come from the Creator. How can we be sure that we truly engage in spiritual work, and not in unattainable fantasy?

Answer: At the beginning, when a person is born and raised, he has no free choice. He is born into some family, he is being taught and given certain education that shapes his attitude towards the world and life. This initial program that a person adopts during the first 15 years of his life determines the development of his personality, and he can’t move beyond that.

One may ask: “How can it be? We don’t choose after all.” Indeed, we don’t choose where to be born, when, and in what family—we don’t choose anything. So what can we do with our spiritual development? You have to be at the place where your heart leads you to. But if you came to us, you have to strictly follow everything that you are being told.

How can you be sure that you are on the spiritual path? You can’t. Until the Creator becomes revealed to us, and clearly, not in a mystical way, as some vague inner sensation (which you are still unable to comprehend), until that you can’t be sure in any way. That’s why I can’t appease or support you, but on the contrary, I stir up even more doubts within you. It is said: “Come and see how wonderful the Creator is.”
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From the World Zohar Week “Integral Education Convention,” Day Three, 2/4/2014, Lesson 1

Unrestrained Growth Of The Ego

Question: How is it possible to arrive at a collective decision so that our ego will not grow and go out of bounds?

Answer: It’s impossible to stop the growth of the ego. In any case it will grow and be discovered more and more. If you don’t correct it, then it will be revealed incorrectly, and if you correct it, it will be revealed correctly, meaning as its opposite, with the characteristic of bestowal.

This is our entire evolution: From above the Light operates all the time, and from below the Reshimot are revealed more and more. And so every year, every day, every minute, we experience more and more powerful new desires and thoughts, greater and greater possibilities; only we don’t feel it.

Therefore the ego will grow constantly. We only need to equip ourselves with tools for its correction.
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From a lesson in Russian, 2/2/2014

I Am The Only One Who Is Ill

Question: What is the correct way to pray when I see that a friendhas a problem and I want to ask on his behalf?

Answer: It says: “He who prays for his friend is rewarded first.” Indeed I don’t need to pray for the friend because he only seems ill to me.

Yet I cannot perceive this corruption as my own, and I am not close enough to the friend to feel his pain and his illness as my own. So I pray for him as if he is external to me.

Therefore, “He who prays for his friend is rewarded first,” because I am actually the one who is ill if I see a sick friend. And that’s why I need to be healed, and not the friend who only seems ill.

Correcting myself means, seeing all of creation the way it is in the eyes of the Creator: seeing the whole world from the perspective of a person who is fully corrected in his desire to receive, which means that all his vessels are in order to bestow.
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From the preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/16/14

Direct And Indirect Manners Of Correction

If I see negative things outside myself, it means that I have to correct myself and then I will not see anything that is bad or negative. A friend who has troubles will seem very successful to me.

In the article “Concealment and Disclosure of the Face of the Creator,” Baal HaSulam says that we see the friends as losers, ill, unsuccessful, etc. But the moment we correct ourselves, we will see that they are healthy, rich, and successful. This means that I actually have to correct myself.

But there is another way to help them become healthy, rich, and successful. I correct things by approaching the friends and correcting myself directly in them, and then I see that they are successful.

The right correction is actually my inner correction. By correcting the friends and thus seeing that they are successful is an indirect, alternative correction, not a direct correction.

A direct correction is correcting my relationship with the Creator and seeing that the whole world is repaired and corrected. The whole world is my vessel, and if I identify any deficiencies in it, then this means that the problem is in me because everything is already in a corrected state.

The world didn’t undergo the shattering. I am the only one who is shattered; the part that identifies the corruptions is the one who has undergone the shattering. Everything else is whole. I only need to correct myself, and then I will see that the whole world is in the Garden of Eden, in the world of Ein Sof (Infinity).

But we have been given an easy way to correct ourselves by mutual inclusion: I come to the world and help correct it by taking the shattered parts in the world and raising them asMAN, as a prayer. The world is the lower level, I am the intermediate level, and the Creator is the upper level, which means that I perform the priests’ work. This, however, isn’t a direct correction, but an indirect one by mutual inclusion and consistent actions.

Question: It turns out that I will see the outcome of the correction only after I correct myself internally?

Answer: Of course! Otherwise how can you say: “I see”? You cannot see the correction if you don’t correct yourself. The only question is whether you operate directly towards the Creator or in an alternative, indirect way.
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From the preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/16/14

There Are No Enemies, Only Partners

Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to the Book The Tree of Life,” Item 3: When the generations have lessened and their sages themselves had started to crave both tables, meaning a good life for their corporeality, too, their views drew near to the masses.

The desire to enjoy was constantly growing, a meter was continuously turning inside, increasing its temperature more and more, until the desire to enjoy flamed up completely. Greater and greater Reshimot were becoming revealed. And that’s why scientists, who used to be idealists and only wanted pure science, as it was until the end of the Middle Ages, suddenly reached out for wealth and praise; they wanted Nobel prizes. This is how they started to sell their science.

And besides, research demanded so much material resources, such great investment, that scientists didn’t have so much money and were forced to sell themselves to the ruling circles, the mighty of this world. It became possible to approach a chemist and order a new drug, stronger than any existing ones.

And the scientists had no choice but to fulfill the orders–this is something that didn’t happen before. First of all, a scientist didn’t need money and was drawn to pure science. Secondly, the clients weren’t that corrupt, ready to destroy the entire world for their profit. That’s how the world has changed and the generations have lessened.

We see today that people need science to get control over others and earn money. Science is not used for the sake of pure science; no one takes interest in this any longer. Nobody would give a penny for pure science, and no one is engaged in it any more.

Scientists are engaged in applied disciplines that can bring real financial profit and as soon as possible. Therefore, thanks to science we reveal that we are slaves of the evil inclination. But for now, only Kabbalists realize this, while those who control scientists pay those whom it’s worthwhile to pay and utilize science only for the sake of profit.

Egoistic desire develops not only quantitatively, but also qualitatively. And now we starting to realize that the entire problem is our egoism that rules over us. Some 50 years ago we didn’t think so. We conquered space, dreamed of trips to other planets and stars, and were proud of humanity’s great achievements.

Then disappointment came, and in our days all the programs in general fell to the ground. The example of today’s conflict in Ukraine, that Russia and Europe found themselves involved into, shows how everyone is dependent on each other. It’s unclear what to do, how to influence each other, since all systems begin to stall.

How can one apply any sanctions if everyone is connected to each other? One state would like to cut itself down from the other, but cannot. Everyone is tied by mutual responsibility, bad connections, and can’t do anything about it. Ultimately, complete chaos and mess begin. They start to realize that it’s impossible to do anything against each other.

If Europe refuses to receive oil and gas from Russia, how will it subsist? And if Ukraine ceases to supply foodstuffs to Russia, who will lose more? The connection is so strong that it’s impossible to cut it off. One depends on the other because it receives from it, and vice versa. Is it possible to fight under such conditions? Only wag a finger and go home?

That’s the result of the development of science thanks to which we acquired dreadful weapons and tied ourselves through international trade.

Question: So it follows that we have rolled back to the cold war?

Answer: This is not the cold war—it’s no longer possible. The cold war means applying all sanctions but firing at each other. But now it’s also impossible. Even sending a spy and exposing an enemy is pointless because if we are so interconnected, we won’t be able to do anything anyway. It’s the same as to install a video camera and spy and listen to yourself.

We we are tied together, you are not an enemy any more, but a partner. I receive foodstuffs from you, while you oil and gas from me, and we can’t make it without each other. What difference it will make if we denounce one another? If I depend on you, then on the contrary, it’s in my own interest that you strengthen your weak spots. Say, Russia will reveal some weak spots in European industry, but it’s not interested at all in harming, rather in fixing these shortcomings.

Indeed, if European industry stops, to whom will Russia sell its oil and gas? And without these sales, it won’t have money itself. Do you see where our mutual dependency leads us to? This is why so many different alliances are made, for everybody depends on each other. Only the exploding egoism prevents them from understanding this entire dependency till the end. And all of it is the consequence of modern science.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/9/2014, “Introduction to the Book The Tree of Life”

What Is A Name?

Question: What is a name?

Answer: A name is what we call a certain phenomenon in the most appropriate way. There is the Light and a vessel, two factors that are revealed by each other, and their common appearance leads to the expression called “name.” We don’t know what the Light is; we don’t understand or feel it. We only feel the action of the vessel which is opposite to its nature: The vessel, the desire to receive is suddenly revealed in the form of a desire to bestow, and thus we see bestowal on top of receiving.

These two opposite forces create a certain form by connecting in a certain manner, which is called a name. The form itself is the name, although in our world, in my mind, in my computer, the name is already written in a different form according to my software, according to my codes. The form itself is actually the name of the state that is created by the mutual cooperation between the Light and the vessel.

The name is with regard to those who receive, which means that I have to adapt to a certain phenomenon in a certain way and then according to the form that is adapted to the phenomenon I call the phenomenon by name. I don’t know the name of the general phenomenon, but I can thus call part of it according to my vessel, according to my name. So when I say something about someone, it is not talking about me or him but about the extent of my attainment of it.

We should take this into account. We never learn the actual phenomenon itself but only with regard to the person who attains it. So when I attain something, I don’t say that it is something specific but that I attain the phenomenon because my attainment is always according to my vessels, according to the equivalence of form with some part of the general phenomenon that isn’t familiar to me.

We exist in a universe, but now we begin to attain that there are infinite other universes. We, however, attain only part of it and we call it a universe. So the name is never the actual phenomenon but only the part which I attain.
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From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/11/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

Material Abundance At Expense Of Complete Inner Emptiness

Question: If a higher management operates within everything, why is it said that the wisdom of Kabbalah was revealed before its time?

Answer: The Kabbalists of the past let the nations of the world learn the wisdom of Kabbalah and get all of the knowledge that they wanted from there so they could develop the science and wisdom of this world.

Through this, the world could develop in an egoistic way and could reach recognition of evil. But the wisdom of Kabbalah was concealed from the people of Israel; otherwise, it would not have felt that it was in exile. A little involvement with the wisdom of Kabbalah already gave them some illumination.

So on one hand, the Kabbalists revealed external wisdom to all of the nations of the world, and on the other hand, they concealed the internal wisdom. So it follows that the external wisdom was revealed more and more, and the internal wisdom was concealed more and more.

These processes approached each other: Spirituality descended and subsided, and materiality grew all the time. Eventually, we came to such a state that today we have an abundance of materiality; you can do what you want! But there is no satisfaction from this life.
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From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/10/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

Adaptation Of Inner Images

Question: Sometimes we feel bored, fall asleep during the lesson, or are carried away by foreign thoughts. Why does the Creator prepare things this way? What does He want to show us? How is it possible to keep the same level of intention all the time?

Answer: When you listen to my lessons you should try to feel every word I say to its full depth. Everything is built on your identification with me.

I don’t say anything before I create some images inside me that I then convey verbally to others, hoping that they can hear them and accordingly build that same image inside them. When our images correlate, we start a dialog of inner clarifications of that image: what attributes, merits, and movements are in it.

If you don’t form an inner sensory image inside yourself from what you hear from me, you probably are sitting without your incorporation in me and my incorporation in you. This is the problem. So, after a while, you surely fall asleep, lose contact, and the meaning and feeling of the necessity of this lesson.

There are people who cannot operate this way because they think they know a lot. What’s important for them is to hear me in order to dispute me. I am not offended by them since this attitude is naturally imprinted in them and it is very hard for them to perceive the material correctly. I identify with them, but they should overcome these states because if a student doesn’t form the image that the teacher conveys inside him, he doesn’t learn.

On the other hand, when you have a dialog with your friends, it is certainly easier, simpler, and better for you. Everything between you is built especially on sympathy and empathy. It is much easier for you to communicate with the friends because their language is much simpler than mine.

We try to convey the lessons in the form of workshops. This method helps people feel and connect to the text and the one who wrote it much more deeply.
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