The Zohar, Chapter “VaYechi (And Jacob Lived),” Item136: “One bird comes out to the south, right—the one that comes from a spark of Hochma. Also, one bird comes out to the north, left—the one that comes from the spark of Bina. One comes out when the day rises, from Hochma, and one when the day sets, at evening time, after midday, from Bina. Each calls and declares what it heard from that herald… from the illumination of the midnight Zivug, called ‘a herald’.”

This is speaking of a person’s inner states when he analyzes the self and undergoes various processes of discerning the three lines within himself. He examines to what extent is he positioned in equilibrium in the right, left, or middle line.

“Day” and “night” don’t come from outside. We always remain in the Light and our Kelim are divided into multiple types in which we perceive the right, left, and middle lines, as well as upward and downward, as well as all directions and times. The division into internal and external Kelim gives us the sensation of distance and space, close and far, and the classification of desires into “root, soul, body, coverings, and abode.”

All these peculiarities, as well as day, night, morning, evening, and various hours, are processes taking place in our desire. In fact, desire is the only thing we possess. Through dividing into numerous types and constantly unfolding them for us, the desire gives us the sensation of the occurring changes in time and space in the emerging states.

We classify them as four types of perception, “World, year, soul, and existence of reality.” All these modifications take place within us as a result of our correction since everything except us remains in absolute rest. Only the Reshimot keep unwinding and unfolding either “in its time” (Beito) or “Ahishena,” which is when we start accelerating this process and hastening the time.

Therefore, the “birds” that flew in “night,” “day,” “morning,” “evening,” all the planes such as “root, soul, body, coverings, abode,” and the existence of reality are perceived within a person in his desire. However, I think that I am surrounded by a world full of people, that everything is spinning and life goes on. Yet, only one thing is within my reach: What steps will I take toward the correct perception of reality?

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/31/10, The Zohar

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Peaceful Unification Of Opposing Forces In The Middle Line
Laitman.com Post: We Can Change The Whole Universe!
Laitman.com Post: Draw The Upper World For Yourself
5 Minutes Of Light From The Daily Lesson: Find Balance Through The Middle Line

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Zohar - No Comments →

The work that we do with our spiritual commonality is very similar to the “Tamagotchi” effect (a Japanese toy that obligates one to care for something virtual and nonexistent). The player becomes so consumed and fixated on the toy that for him it becomes more than real! He simply must stop everything he is doing and take care of the toy, “feed it.”

Interestingly enough, egoism doesn’t prevent him from caring for it. After all, this isn’t another person who he needs to compete with; rather, it’s an abstract “easy-to-care” for being, although it subtly imposes its own will on the person.

The same happens in our spiritual stimulator: On one hand, we separate ourselves from people and create something abstract where I depersonalize absolutely everyone, separate them from their bodies, appearance, and personality. But I leave their points in the heart, their aspirations towards unity for the sake of revealing the common force of love: the Creator.

On the other hand, it is nevertheless our desire, our yearning that is abstracted from the body and everything that separates us from each other. On the contrary, we are united by our common dream, our common need to reach the goal and do it only together.

This system is already becoming a supranational, multilingual world community. It will become the common spiritual root of all humanity because the idea is to unite all the people in the world. At first, we put all our strength into creating a system of connection, love, and bestowal between us. And afterwards, “the Ark carries those who carry it”: It will take the lead and begin to shape us with the Upper Light which will manifest within it to the extent that we create the vessel of bestowal.

In this system, we give the opportunity to the Upper Force of nature which exists in the unity among people to "enter" us and manifest between us. And it will begin to operate within us, nurture us, and lead us ahead towards the purpose of creation.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: From A Virtual Reality To A Spiritual One
Laitman.com Post: The "Stimulator" Is Spirituality
Laitman.com Post: My Spiritual Stimulator – 08.29.10

Filed under: Group Work, Inner Work, Internet - No Comments →

The Zohar, Chapter “Lech Lecha (Go Forth),” Item 4: People should observe the work of the Creator. After all, all the people do not know and do not consider what the world stands on and what they themselves stand on.

What does the world rest on? It rests on desire. What are people grounded in? They are grounded in desire. The Zohar is speaking of the types of desires the world and we rest on and how we can change these desires. After all, everything that happens within our desire makes up the reality that we experience.

Our perception of the world hinges on how we change our desires. In his article, "The Creator’s Concealment and Revelation," Baal HaSulam writes that nothing changes outside of us. And it is solely our responsibility to replace our perception of this world with the perception of the World of Infinity.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/12/10, The Zohar

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: How To Receive The Upper Abundance
Laitman.com Post: The Speaking Heart
Kabbalah Moments: “Change The Frequency”

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Perception, Zohar - No Comments →

When a person comes to study Kabbalah with the question, “What am I living for and why?” it is necessary to explain to him the following:
1. What this desire is that has emerged in him and what kind of fulfillment it demands;
2. What is human nature (the ego, the source of evil), how to correct it, and that this is our only free action (freedom of will).

To accomplish this it is necessary to study Baal HaSulam’s articles with him, especially “The Freedom” and “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” which explain that the revelation of the Creator to the created beings is the means to attain the goal of creation. Other articles by Baal HaSulam help a beginning student form an integral picture of existence: the worlds, the beginning, the development, the goal of every element of creation, evil and suffering as the force of movement, and so on.

When a person has the general picture, he goes on to discern: How does advancement and correction take place? He learns that the soul is the main creation which was broken by the Creator and then becomes corrected by us. To accomplish this one already needs the articles of Rabash. Their purpose is to put a person into his place inside the society in order to discern the breaking and what needs to be corrected. How do you correct the breaking of the souls?

That is why we are studying together using Kabbalah books, in particular, the books of Baal HaSulam because they are able to give our generation the force, the Light that Reforms and corrects us until we reach the level of the Source.

It is not necessary to go through this material in order because a person goes through different states. A beginner finds himself in the middle of the study process, but that doesn’t matter. What counts is that he is working together with everyone because we are all inter-included and intertwined in our souls and desires.

Therefore, it is not so important which article you begin studying, but it is best to have a clear order of study which is directly aimed at the goal.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/9/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Between The Two Great Lights
Laitman.com Post: Which Books Contain The Most Light?
Laitman.com Post: Correction Comes Only From Studying In Order To Evoke the Light

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson - No Comments →

People think that prayer relates to religion and religious people, and that it is removed from regular, secular people. But that is not true! All of our external garments, physical bodies, and objects surrounding us in this world are expressions of desire. There is nothing but desire, which creates all these clothings for itself.

Therefore, without being aware of it, we determine our entire lives with our desires, including what state we will enter in the next moment and how we will experience this reality! Whether we want it or not, we are all always praying, or asking for some kind of fulfillment for our desire. We do it completely unconsciously. I don’t have to pray for someone or something intentionally. Desire comprises our entire inner essence, and my sensation that I lack something is called prayer.

We want something at every moment. That is how we influence reality, which contains nothing but desire and the force of desire. This means that at every moment I want something and I pray for it. Our desires connect with one another and control the entire universe, continually producing new pictures and new states for us.

We build this world with our prayers! Therefore, the only thing we need is to change our requests, despite the desire of our heart. Then we will reveal a new world because the whole world is the sensation inside my desire.

The science of Kabbalah is named after the word “Kabbalah,” reception, because it talks about what you will receive the next moment. Only you determine what the next moment will be, what you will receive and feel in it. Will you be able to change your vision of the world, directing your desire in the necessary direction (which is called prayer)? If you change your prayer so that instead of desiring what you desire now, you desire the right thing, then you will change the entire picture of the world and all of reality.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/12/10, “The Importance of the Prayer of the Many”

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: You Need Only to Desire
Rabash Article: Shlavey HaSulam (Steps of the Ladder). “The prayer”
Kabbalah Moments: “What To Ask For”

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Perception - 2 Comments →

The Upper One is in a constant state of perfection, it needs nothing but bestowal. It is not something that senses or changes its mood. Rather, it is a system, an unchanging law that has been set in place. To the extent that you align yourself with this law, it influences you positively.

But if you don’t abide by it, if you are not similar to it, it acts upon you negatively. Our initial and ultimate states in creation are predetermined, and they have to become completely realized regardless of whether you are going along with or resist it, understand it or not.

The lower one (you) has only one good opportunity: to participate in this process consciously and pass the desire for it to the Upper One. This desire is what we need to reach; we need nothing but the desire! We also need to know how to “raise” this desire in order to pass it to the Upper One. The Upper One is in a state of perfection; it is always ready to give everything required to the lower one.

The lower one is a collection of all the souls, while the Upper One is one: one Light, one Thought of Creation, or one Force. If the lower one wishes to resemble the Upper One (meaning it is willing to unite and become as one), it is able to raise its desire to the Upper One. The Upper One hears no other requests but this one. This is what is called a prayer, MAN, that is, a desire to become a single whole.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/23/10, “Preface to the Sulam Commentary”

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: MAN: The Prayer That Contains Everything
5 Minutes Of Light: "Prayer, The Desire I Wish To Correct"
Kabbalah Moments: "Does The Creator Hear My Prayer"

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Inner Work, Prayer, Intention - No Comments →

A question I received: What is the creature that Kabbalah talks about all the time? Are we creatures or not? What makes someone a creature; is it a special desire or state? For example, are a cow, cat, or dog creatures or not? They seem to exist, yet they have no freedom of will so can someone without free will be called a creature? If so, then it seems metal could also be called a creature. If a creature is something that has free will, then can we be called creatures? Maybe a creature is only one who knows the Creator, communicates with Him, and mutually bestows to Him? In other words, is a creature a measure of being similar to the Creator?

My Answer: The Creator and the creature exist together, in one desire. The creature bestows to the Creator, and the Creator to the creature. The Creator and the creature both make decisions. The creature exists if it perceives the Creator; it is a creature to a smaller or a larger degree according to the measure to which it feels the Creator, that is, is similar to Him. A creature is not simply a controllable robot under the complete rule of the Creator.

For this reason, the creature begins with the union of Malchut with Bina, that is, when Malchut rises to Bina and forces her to either open or close herself. This indicates that someone else beside the Creator is performing actions.

Hence an independent creature standing opposite to the Creator is born following an entire sequence of events. It isn’t that simple to accept the forces of love of bestowal from Bina or to gain the strength to renounce one’s egoism. And it’s equally hard to rise to Bina, restrict her, and say: “Don’t give me anything, I’m unable to receive unselfishly.”

I want to receive; yet I can’t because that will bring me spiritual death. If I do receive, I will stop being independent; that is, I will die as a creature. The Upper One has everything that I want, but I ask Him not to reveal Himself, not to give me anything. I restrict Him by myself so that He won’t give me anything.

Only after I restrict the Upper One do I start to gradually reveal myself to Him. I regulate the Light coming from Above by myself and determine the way, the amount, and the conditions of receiving it. And by acquiring  multi-sided fulfillment, I acquire the form of the creature, which is my similarity to the Creator.

I cannot do it alone. I have to accumulate the desire, which comes from the group, and the strength, which comes from the Light that Reforms, and the Light enables us to become similar to the Creator.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/9/10, “Preface to the Sulam Commentary”

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: An Independent Point Above The Created Matter
Laitman.com Post: The Revelation Of The Creator Is An “Upgrade” Of Creation’s Program
Laitman.com Post: Rising To Infinity

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson - No Comments →

There is no Light without a vessel, and no fulfillment without a desire. The Upper Light is in a state of complete rest; it fills and surrounds creation entirely. Everything depends solely on our desire, our vessels of perception. If we yearn for this particular fulfillment, we will perceive it. However, if our desire does not correspond precisely to the frequency or quality of the fulfillment (meaning there is no equivalence of properties between the desire and what fills it), then we don’t feel fulfillment. Multiple examples of the corporeal world attest to this.

We have to bring our desire to the Upper Light to be filled. To do this correctly, the desire has to correspond to the Light, that is, to be in bestowal. How are we going to acquire this force of bestowal? Kabbalists say that the power of bestowal exists in every person, but is very small and remains this way in the person alone.

It can grow only if a person unites with the others. If he wishes to attain bestowal and is willing to do whatever it takes in order to receive from the group and the friends their desires to bestow, then he acquires from them many such desires. He does so in the degree in which he annuls himself and exalts the friends in his own eyes. In this way he is able to receive from them a greater desire to bestow, in both quality and quantity. And if a person possesses the desire to bestow, then the Light during the reading of The Zohar will work on him; it will begin to organize his desire and fill it.

Therefore, preparation to reading The Zohar should take place in the group, in the mutual “incorporation” into each other, in order to form a strong desire. In this case, we will succeed. We can accelerate time and shorten it, without the need to submerge ourselves in prolonged corporeal suffering. We can transform earthly suffering into the torments of love, which means suffering from not having the qualities of bestowal, from not having the desire to give that we must attain. We can work with the group and friends, and in doing so acquire such a will.

As we see, everything is in our hands. We can actually condense time to zero. The Creator created only the point “existence from absence.” The rest He handed to us, so that we increase our desire from the size of the point in the heart to the expanse of Malchut of Infinity. This is only possible if we unite. Therefore we only have a single opportunity to attain the desire for the Light: to strive to be together within our small desires to bestow.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/6/10, The Zohar

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Discontent Is A Catalyst For Development
Kabbalah Moments: “No Chance Alone”
Unlocking The Zohar: “How To Evolve”

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Inner Work, Zohar - No Comments →

The Zohar, Chapter “VaYikra (The Lord Called),” Item 87: Since the Torah came out of Bina, the first tables were written from Bina, when it writes, “Harut [Engraved] on the tables,” do not read it, Harut [engraved], with a Kamatz, but rather Herut [freedom], with a Tzereh. It is actual freedom since it is the place upon which all the freedom depends, for there is no freedom from all the Klipot unless through the lights of Bina. Also, there is nothing in the Torah that is divided or that does not go into one place, Malchut, or does not gather into one wellspring, which is Yesod.

We are the matter of creation, the will to enjoy, the will to fulfill ourselves. This desire is only able to receive. If the intention over this desire is “to receive for one’s own sake,” then we call this intention (but not the desire) “evil.”

Desire is matter which does not change. It cannot be deemed good or bad. Only the intention determines whether the desire is good or bad. And therein lies our freedom of choice.

We don’t have freedom of choice about our desires on the still, vegetative, and animate levels. We cannot change anything about those desires. This fact is also confirmed by all the scientific research. The only change we can possibly make is on the human level; we can change the intention above the desire.

The desire itself was created by the Creator and was given to us in an unchanging form. The intention above the desire that we were initially given is egoistic, “for our own sake.” We have to realize that this intention is evil because it is aimed against unity, against bestowal to one’s neighbor, and against bestowal to the Creator.

However, our intention can be made opposite, “for the sake of others,” for the sake of bestowal. Then it is called, “the good inclination.” Thus, the good inclination and the evil inclination, or good and evil, are defined according to one’s intention. However, the “inclination” itself, the desire, is unchangeable. Everything is defined by the intention on the human level. The intention to become similar to the Creator is called good, and the opposite intention is called evil. The expression of the intention takes place through unity or through separation from others.

Therefore, out of all my intentions, I have to choose only the ones that give me freedom of choice: the freedom to unite with others through a shared intention for mutual bestowal. And we thereby become equal to the Creator.

This is our only chance to choose good or evil, whether in relation to our egoism or in relation to what the Creator places before us. Therefore, if we wish to correct ourselves, it can only be done by Bina, the upper quality of bestowal. When Bina comes to the will to enjoy, it transforms its evil quality into a good quality. That is to say, it changes the intention of reception to the intention of bestowal.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/17/10, The Zohar

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: The Soul Is Between Darkness And Light
Laitman.com Post: The Field Of Intentions
Kabbalah Moments: Spiritual Measurements (00:59)

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Zohar - No Comments →

A question I received: What game is the Creator playing with us and what is its purpose?

My Answer: As it is written, all of creation is a game. The Creator made the universe and man in it so that through the correct connection with the surrounding universe we would develop and reach similarity with the One (Creator) who created them both. This is called a game because in developing we grow and rise to a higher level of development rather than just simply accumulating knowledge.

We all have to rise to the first spiritual degree. We don’t see it. It’s like in a game: We play and we don’t know what is happening. The outcome of the game is unknown.

The same process is occurring in the development of plants and animals. Everything develops in the form of a game. A game means that one exists on a certain degree, but he cannot discern the next one. However, one makes all possible efforts in order to attain it.

Children, too, play all the time, and through their games they suddenly become smarter and begin to talk and understand. They don’t study a language or science the way we do. They absorb the surrounding world with their desire to understand it.

This is the same for us in relation to the spiritual world. We only need the desire to sense it, and after feeling it, we have to understand and perceive it within ourselves. Suddenly, the spiritual world manifests within us – and we feel it. After all, we are a vessel of sensation, a desire. The understanding and intellect follow the desire.

From the Evening Zohar Lesson 4/21/10

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Feeling Light’s “Breath”
Laitman.com Post: Sorry, I Didn’t Mean To Wake You!
Shamati #16: “What Is the Day of the Lord and the Night of the Lord in the Work”

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Zohar - 2 Comments →