A question I received: In my daily life I try to imagine that everything I come across is a part of my desire. Is this outlook correct, or will it just confuse me?

My Answer: Everything depends on the results of this outlook. The world behaves according to invariable laws. Until you come out of this world into the spiritual world and begin to feel it in a clear and sensory manner, it is forbidden for you to comprehend the spiritual world as though it already exists in a ready-made form for you.

I can only exist in the spiritual world if I am on a spiritual degree, whereas in this world I always exist on the corporeal level. Both of these levels exist until I reach the end of correction, at which point this world will vanish from my imagination. However, until this state of my complete correction, I will always live and exist in this world according to its laws, without fantasizing that I supposedly need to follow the laws of the spiritual nature in this world.

I do not need to pull the spiritual world into this world, and I shouldn’t raise this world into the spiritual world. This corporeal level obliges me to follow all the existing laws in it, as evidenced by the rules, “A doctor has the right to treat,” “A judge has no more than what his eyes can see,” and “If not I for me, then who will be for me?”

Meanwhile, the rule, “There is none else besides Him” pertains to the spiritual world. And there is no connection between the laws of this world and the laws of the spiritual world. This connection is hidden from us and hence “it doesn’t exist.” We have to live in a realistic manner, only within the boundaries of what we really perceive.

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A question I received: Why do we have to understand every word in The Book of Zohar according to its spiritual meaning and not according to its simple corporeal meaning?

My Answer: We should never interpret the words of The Book of Zohar according to their corporeal meaning, since by so doing we will be lowering the Torah to the level of this world. We have to rise from the branches to the roots, from this world upward, to the spiritual world. And you are asking: Why don’t we take the spiritual world and lower it down to our world?

First of all, our world does not have the same laws as the spiritual world. The whole confusion in our reality comes from the fact that people imagine the spiritual world without existing in it, and then they clothe the spiritual into the material by force, as though they have the force of bestowal in their right hand, and the force of reception in the left, or some parts of their body are more sacred than others, and so on. All of this is false, and therefore, we are forbidden to connect the spiritual with what we understand, feel, and do in this world. There shouldn’t be any connection between the two.

There is nothing sacred in our world, including on the inanimate, vegetative, animate, and human levels. There is also no sanctity in anything that human beings do in this world. The Book of Zohar is called a sacred book because it can help us to rise from this world, from egoism, to sanctity, bestowal, and love for the neighbor.

I am a point in the heart, which belongs to the spiritual world – the world of sanctity. This is the only point in me that is different from my whole nature, and by using a means called “the sacred book,” I can rise to the world of sanctity – to bestowal. However, it is not the paper with the typographical print in it that is called sacred, and the letters in the book are also not sacred. Sanctity is the connection between the Light and the vessel (Kli), which is symbolized by the letters. But there is nothing sacred in our world.

Our whole problem lies in the fact that we begin to attribute sanctity to a person or his actions. However, all of this is merely symbols. All the attributes for following the commandments – the Talit, Tefillin, the book of Torah, Aron Kodesh (the cabinet for storing the Torah scroll) – are just symbols of the interaction of the Lights and Kelim, the relationships between them, and the states of the soul. Thus, it is the states of the soul that are, in fact, sacred, because they hold the quality of bestowal.

A book of Torah standing in an “Aron Kodesh” is just a symbol of a spiritual essence called Zeir Anpin, and which affects the desire – Malchut (the commonality of all the souls) with the Light of sanctity, making it bestowing. Thus it corrects our souls and raises us. There is nothing in our world except symbols. We are all “like mortal animals.”

A person who subdivides the objects and actions of this world into those that are more sacred and less sacred, causes himself to leave the path of correction. These kinds of actions are called “Erev Rav,” because they halt one’s advancement to the spiritual world and the correction of one’s soul.

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Hebrew is a special language, created by the union of the Lights and Kelim. Malchut unites with Bina, and this causes the emergence of the inclined border (Parsa) in the letter Alef.

The Light of Hochma comes down to Malchut from Sefira Hochma above, and is depicted by the letter Yud. The part that expands below forms the lower Yud. And if there is no Light below, the place of Yud will be occupied by Dalet. That is how the letter Alef is formed.

The letter Dalet is the combination of two axes (Delet means “door”) – the doors that close and open the Rechem (the womb of the spiritual Partzuf). The horizontal axis is the spreading of the Light of Hassadim, and the vertical one is the Light of Hochma.

The letter Shin reflects the three lines. The Ari explains the number and shapes of the crowns that are needed over each letter. The whole TANTA (Taamim, Nekudot, Tagin, Otiyot) – Lights, letters, dots, and crowns over the letters – are the reflection of the direct connection between the Lights and the Kelim.

That is why it is so important to know how this connection is expressed. After all, it isn’t merely language, but the connection between the Light and the Kli upon which the whole universe stands. Therefore, these letters and the language itself are called holy, for they show how the Kli wants to become similar to the Light.

When Malchut ascends to Zeir Anpin and Bina, she joins with them and thus the 22 letters are produced, reflecting Malchut’s likeness to the Upper Sefirot, up to ZAT de-Bina, where Malchut receives the qualities of Bina.

Ascending from Malchut de-Malchut (the black dot), she begins to deflect, thus creating a line to the right or to the length, lengthwise and widthwise, as well as all kinds of shapes or circumferences when she reaches perfection.

On every degree of the ascent Malchut connects to Bina and draws the forms of their unification. This is how letters are formed.

A kinescope works by the same principle. It contains a deflection system: a plus and a minus along the vertical axis, a plus and a minus along the horizontal axis, and in the middle an electrical beam which moves wherever all these pluses and minuses draw it to. As it moves, it draws all sorts of forms. With time these sequential forms overlay and clothe one another.

Similarly, via the joint work of two pairs of forces (potentials), Hassadim (left and right) and Hochma (above and below), the point is drawn from left to right and from above to below, thereby forming all the different letters. These forms clothe one another, and the letters form a sequence that we call the alphabet.

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A question I received: How will The Zohar affect our unification in anticipation of the worldwide virtual Congress and other such meetings?

My Answer: The Zohar will do everything. We just need to add our intention and desire to see ourselves in a more advanced state. The Zohar will perform this work, but only according to our desire.

You can’t just sit there and read this book, even though the fact is that it will affect you by just reading it as well. If you come to a lesson and see that you have no desire – that your heart and mind are deaf, then you will still receive this influence, since you are sitting among everyone else and are connected to them. Even if you are unable to connect to the friends now, you still have a connection with them from past days, like a sick person in an unconscious state who is cared for by other people since he is human.

However, in any case, we have to try our hardest to place ourselves under the influence of The Zohar.

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A question I received: Yesterday we held a worldwide women’s conference which was devoted to women’s spiritual development and questions of upbringing and education of the younger generation. What would you say to a woman studying Kabbalah to help her implement Kabbalah in the world?

My Answer: I am very happy that this gathering took place. I was also happy to have the opportunity to speak to women there. I have always said, and I continue to reiterate, that spiritual advancement is impossible without women. Whenever the Torah tells a story about a man, it always mentions the word “Et,” which refers to his female desire, Nukvah. That’s because without a woman, Nukvah, the Shechina, the desire, there is nothing we can accomplish.

We always talk about the Light, but it has to have a place to come and clothe into. This is why women’s desires, their connection with the science of Kabbalah, and their participation are so important. I really hope that even more women will come to Kabbalah and take part in the process of the world’s correction. Then we can be sure that the correction will really happen, and happen quickly.

It is written that the nation of Israel came out of Egypt by virtue of the righteous women. The same is true for all the corrections, and the same was written about the reception of the Torah at the foot of Mount Sinai. Whenever men accomplish great deeds in the world, they do it because women obligate them to do it.

Therefore, I hope that this will happen to all of us together and that we will hold many more such meetings and many more women will attend in order to help all of us and to fulfill this holy work together of revealing the Creator to all the people in the world.

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Nukvah (the female desire) receives everything from Zeir Anpin (her husband), including the Light of Correction that turns her into a vessel (Kli) at night, and the Light of Fulfillment that fills her when she attains the state of adulthood and receives Light for the sake of bestowal, a state called day. The daylight hours are different states when she receives Light for the sake of bestowal to varying degrees.

Time is a change of illumination inside Nukvah, depending on her ability to unite with Zeir Anpin and the amount of Light of Correction that she receives from him. Time is the stages of Nukvah’s correction, which she must gradually go through. Nukvah does not determine what stage she is going through, but only the rate at which the changes take place.

Morning is always followed by afternoon, and afternoon is followed by evening, and then by night. This order is impossible to change. However, the rate of how quickly these states will come to replace one another depends only on her request (Hitaruta de-Letata – “awakening from below). Nothing will come from Above unless she desires it.

This is the law operating in the spiritual world, governing the relationships of the Upper Level with the lower level, the Creator and the creation. And we observe the same thing in our world. It seems to us that the male desire rules the world, but in reality, everything is determined by the woman’s desire. It is her desire that causes all the changes in the world.

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The Zohar: “Who is that rising from the desert like pillars of smoke?” (Song of Songs), at the time when Israel walked across the desert.

A person on the spiritual path goes through states of darkness, emptiness and various problems, and he must constantly rise above all of this by acquiring the quality of bestowal.

The Shechina walked ahead of them, and they followed it.

If a person asks for help so he will have something to follow, and if he chooses to follow the Creator instead of his egoistic nature, then he sees a “pillar of fire” and “clouds of greatness” – signs that help him ascend up the spiritual ladder.

“The Shechina walked ahead of them” means that their only thought was about how to unite together into one gathering of souls, called Schechina.

The Shechina walked accompanied by all the clouds of greatness. And when the Shechina ascended, so did Israel, as it is written, “When the cloud rose above Sinai.”

When the Shechina ascended, the cloud rose to the highest peak. And all those inhabiting the world saw and wondered, “Who is that rising from the desert, like pillars of smoke?”

The desires that are able to follow the Shechina do so. And those that aren’t yet able to follow her are called “the nations of the world.” However, they also receive a revelation, and when everyone ascends, these desires also advance with them.

This is how a person advances by clarifying which desires within him are called “Israel” (straight to the Creator), “the nations of the world” (the desires that he is unable to correct for now), “Klipot” (desires that are completely unfit for correction until the end of all corrections). A person continuously sorts his desires and sacrifices them, causing the sacrificial smoke to rise, which means that he changes their use from “for my own sake” to “for the Creator’s sake.” Smoke (“Ashan” in Hebrew, also translates as “world, year, soul”) is the Reflected Light.

If a person works on himself in this manner, sorting his desires and attaching them to the Creator, then He attains similarity to Him. Thus, he raises the Reflected Light and opens the way to his next degree. In other words, he constantly reveals a new world, a new year, and a new soul.

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A question I received: Does reading The Zohar affect me even if I don’t feel it?

My Answer: You will soon feel that The Zohar is working on you, because this influence is very powerful. Let’s take a look at you after ten lessons; you will already feel very great changes happening in you.

First of all, your view of life and your entire life focus will change. What you do and do not pay attention to will shift; your inner sensation will become more self-absorbed and you will be more concerned with your attitude to others. Suddenly, you will begin to think and dream about various actions which you read in The Zohar and to imagine how they are connected to our world in a more internal manner. And there will be a multitude of other changes.

It is clear that The Zohar changes a person very much. It calms him down, making him more internal, serious, and goal-oriented. In this regard The Zohar affects a person in a very powerful manner. And it happens irrespective of how much a person understands; it depends on one’s efforts – how much he tries to comprehend what is written in The Book of Zohar.

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A question I received: Can we be reading too much Zohar in one day?

My Answer: Right now we are reading and rereading The Zohar again and again. There is no sense talking about the inner definitions since we don’t feel them yet. After many hours of study (say, 100 hours) we will begin to feel and sense what The Zohar is talking about. It will be hazy and unclear at first, like seeing through a fog. We will feel something that draws us to an unknown place. This is called a “wonderful means” (Segula), which influences us.

After many hours of study, we receive impressions from various words, and each word starts to awaken a unique sensation in me. For example, cold, warm, up, down, bestowal, reception, GAR, VAK, Esau, Jacob, Leah, Rachel, village, animals, and so on are all words through which we accumulate specific impressions. Once we do, we will be able to talk about them with others.

Then we will be able to participate in a shared discussion. This is not particularly necessary, but nonetheless, it will give us a common language with our friends, since they will also feel and realize a new reality.

This special sensation is not easy to achieve. It is a true revelation, and it occurs after many hours of study.

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We don’t understand how we can ask for something if we are already happy and don’t want anything. However, the greatest source of joy is when we have attained the right request – the request to be given the force of bestowal. We don’t ask for a change of our state or for fulfillment of our desire to enjoy; we are happy with everything and don’t need anything.

You cannot come crying to the Host of all reality because this would mean that you are dissatisfied with Him and are pushing away everything He has done. That is what you do when you feel bad in His world. So what should you ask for? You should only ask Him to make you similar to Him. This prayer is called “the gate of tears.” It is when you want to give even more to Him in return, and all of this occurs joyfully. The Creator and you are like two loving friends who understand the connection that binds you. The “Host” of this world and His “guest” reach a union and look for ways to unite even more in order to fulfill each other.

Joy is a very good sign. Remember this when you see people who cry and despair about prayer because they think that they should receive a reward for it. We should desire to be joyful because then we justify the Creator and can turn to Him with a request for correction.

We have to be happy when we come to this request – to “the gate of tears” which is full of joy. It is a state where we are overfilled with joy and the realization of how great this state is, because we are finally situated against the Creator with a request that is now being accepted. It brings us the Light that Reforms, which allows us to perform actions of bestowal.

This state is called “the gate of tears,” which is contrary to what people normally believe it to mean. In spirituality, all the names are given in terms of bestowal and that is why they are different from the words and notions that we are accustomed to. We are not talking about cries and laughter in our world, but about spiritual states.

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