Connecting Through Our Differences

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Success depends on one’s connection to the group, since the environment provides us with many inner discernments that we no longer need to experience on our own. This is because we each include everyone within us, and if I am connected to ten other friends, I absorb all the personal states of each friend. Thus, I advance.

Our connection not only saves us time, without it I will never achieve spiritual birth. Starting with a single drop of semen, the growth of the body occurs through the multiplying of cells and their connection with each other. We call this development or growth. Everything depends on the connections between us.

It is good that we all are different, perceiving, understanding, and reacting differently. This gives us an opportunity to be included in one another above all the differences, thereby forming an integral vessel—the common desire, which is organized in a very complex, multilayered way, ready to receive the upper Light. After all, the revelation of the Creator cannot occur in one individual desire: it is too primitive, one-dimensional, and flat.

Therefore, we connect many different, opposite qualities together. From this diversity of connections and interconnected qualities (which wish to preserve their uniqueness while also being connected regardless of their differences), we create a complex spiritual vessel worthy of revealing the Creator.

This is why our connection to each other is so important; this connection is what builds the spiritual vessel (Kli). The Creator, the upper Light, fills all space. The problem is only in how to come to similarity to the Light from our egoistic desire, and how to accept it according to the similarity of our qualities.

This is achieved precisely through the multitude of contradicting qualities that, despite all differences, are connected to each other with one common goal: to reveal the Creator within our connection. Our connection to each other is called “the Creator” (Bore), which means “come and see” (Bo-Re).

Therefore, we should value the preparation that nature created, that is, the breaking of the common soul and the possibility of uniting different desires for the sake of one goal: the revelation of the Creator. Our unity allows us to create the form of connection that will be called the Creator.

 

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From the 1st Part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/18/18, Writings of Rabash—Essays, Vol. 2, Article 19, “Come Unto Pharaoh”

Becoming A Single Whole

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The spiritual vessel (Kli) is not ten people, but a ten, which has become a single whole. To the extent that they can be included in the concept of “one,” they become a spiritual vessel. All our work is directed at this unity, and only by working on it do we begin to feel the obstacles that Pharaoh and his ministers put in front of us. The Creator purposely hardened their hearts to bring us to the understanding of what separation and unity are, as well as to help us achieve the qualitative unity in which the new state is revealed.

Everything is evaluated not by the group of ten people, but by its ability to unite into one whole. And the group becomes like one only if it has the connection with the upper force, besides which there is nothing else, and can concentrate all problems into one.

Therefore, we are always need a guarantee. Everyone receives his hardening of the heart at different times, in different ways, and everyone else helps him overcome it, as it’s written: “And he should help his friend.” There is never a situation when one is unable to help another, because one always has something that another lacks. Therefore, even if I am in a decline that I cannot come out of, I am still able to help another rise. After all, his heart is hardened in different ways.*

At first, a person works only for the reward that is customary in this world, meaning egoistic success, higher understanding, knowledge, to rule. Gradually, he acquires a different understanding of success, seeing its signs in how devoted he is to the group, and through the group how dedicated he is to the upper force. He considers his reward for all his efforts to be the ability he acquires to annul himself to the group and the upper force. This means that he is already working toward gaining desires for bestowal in order to move on to Lishma.

This is what the process of going through the Egyptian exile is all about from beginning to end. We enter Egypt with the desire to earn and succeed in our regular egoistic parameters. In reality, it corresponds to what Joseph is talking about. This is why we coexist so well with the Egyptians; all our desires to bestow work inside the desires of the Egyptians to receive. Egypt is prospering, the desire to receive is enjoying, and everything is fine!

Gradually, as a result of our work and the Creator’s influence on us, we start feeling our separation, the oppositeness. Our system of rewards changes and so does our understanding of work. Egyptian exile is a very special period, and that is why we remember Egypt on all the stages of our correction, up to the very end. **

At first we imagine spiritual success in ordinary egoistic terms and we feel a connection with Egypt. The previous stage called “the land of Canaan” already exhausted itself and was followed by a famine. And the next stage, “Egypt,” promises an ocean of pleasures. And therefore we descend into Egypt.

But gradually, through the hardening of the heart, the increased desire to receive, we understand that our work has to be different and that this is not unity. The main thing is that the Light that reforms is working on us, which changes us. We would never achieve success without it, because no matter how much we connect in egoistic desires, the only thing that comes out is pure egoism.

Therefore, all we need to do is carry out actions of unity, diligently following the advice of the Kabbalists. This is what is called the work in Egypt. Pharaoh organizes our work precisely to lead us to spirituality. We will feel that our egoism does not agree and it receives blows; we are unable to unite despite all our efforts.***

Try to work for the benefit of others, and you will see how easy it is. You will work to the extent that you can without worrying about anything. This instantly frees a person from numerous concerns, giving a sense of freedom. After all, you do what is needed, and not worry about the outcome, because it goes outside of yourself. In this case, the desire to receive does not limit the person. In this way you can outwit your egoism, which made us worry about ourselves.****

 

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/12/18, Writings of Rabash, Article 15, 1990, “What Does It Mean that Before the Egyptian Minister Fell, Their Outcry Was Not Answered in the Work?”
* (Minutes 34:00 – 36:44)
**(Minutes 36:44 – 39:36)
*** (Minutes 40:08 – 43:07)
**** (Minutes 45:00 – 46:26)

Disagreement With The Opinion Of The Circle

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Question: Is it possible to express your disagreement with the opinion of the circle or should you only say something that does not go against it?

Answer: It depends on how you imagine your connection. It is possible that you could awaken some disagreement and then an interesting polemic and clarification would flare up. The main thing is that what you are doing should serve the purpose of rapprochement.

This can happen in very serious, hard, mutual clarifications. But if in the end we come to a greater rapprochement than at the beginning of the workshop, then this is already useful.

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From the Kabbalah lesson in Russian 10/22/17

Ecology Of Human Relations

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Six months ago in Mexico there was a devastating earthquake and another one recently. In times of such disasters, people become very sensitive and seek unity. A good connection between people can create a better atmosphere in society and thus affect nature.

Nature in general consists of four levels: inanimate, vegetative, animate, and people who are on the top of this pyramid. If people achieve even a small amount of positive connection, it has a very powerful effect on all of nature’s lower layers, especially on the inanimate level where earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and typhoons occur.

We just need to correct ourselves a little—our attitude toward each other to bring peace and harmony to human society, and this will have a huge impact on inanimate nature, the environment and the Earth we live on. We can soothe all the lower layers of nature under humanity.

Human society has a very strong influence on nature in general. Presently we speak a lot about the fact that we have destroyed the ecology so much that the changes are irreversible and that life on Earth will soon become impossible. Indeed, we will be unable to live on Earth and this will force us to change the relationships between us. Then, nature will return to the corrected state.

Nothing disappears without a trace; it is possible to bring nature back to life from almost zero: disappearing species of animals and plants, melting glaciers. Nature in its entirety will return to equilibrium as soon as we balance our relationships.

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From the Kabbalah Lesson “Questions And Answers”, 2/18/18

Equality In Spirituality

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Question: One of the important rules of the workshop is equality: “In the circle, there are no more or less important participants.” How is everybody equal?

Answer: Everybody is equal in relation to unity. The higher and the lower cannot unite. They must be on the same level.

In spirituality, connection is possible only according to the extent of similarity: you to me and I to you. One time—me to you, therefore I am higher and you are lower. Another time—you to me, therefore you are higher and I am lower. As a result, we are equal.

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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 10/22/17

International Women’s Day 2018

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In light of International Women’s Day, I was asked to give my take on gender equality from the perspective of the wisdom of Kabbalah.

To begin with, the idea of comparing men and women is just as wrong as comparing apples and oranges. Nature designed men and women as different creatures, both biologically and psychologically. Just as our bodies work in very different ways, we also think, feel and perceive the world differently.

Therefore, the attempt to make men and women one and the same is completely unnatural. By trying to judge men and women by the same standards, and equalize them as much as possible, it’s as if we are trying to “fix” nature. And nature doesn’t need any fixing.

Rather than trying to level the differences between men and women, we need to learn how to embrace them. We should aim for harmony – not equality. That is, we have to upgrade our view on gender equality to a more holistic approach, to see how it is precisely our differences that make us capable of complementing each other to create harmony.

The whole of nature works that way – unique and opposite qualities are woven together to create life – plus and minus, contraction and expansion, heat and cold, ebb and flow, male and female. In fact, I believe this is something that women understand a lot better than men, since they are generally more sensitive to nature than men.

On the practical level, I’m not saying that men and women can’t serve in the same roles in society. Examples such as Margaret Thatcher and Angela Merkel prove that a capable woman can find herself in a position that was typically occupied by a man. However, placing a woman in a certain position just because it makes things look more “equal” is foolish and won’t do any good to society.

For instance, when a steering committee is asked to have an equal amount of men and women for the sake of “equality,” it is a childish perception of equality that aims for political correctness rather than optimal results. A steering committee could have a majority of men or a majority of women, depending on what the committee needs to achieve, and what each person brings to the table – not how we can make a poster of equality.

Western society needs more education about how various systems of nature achieve harmony when differences come together. Then, we will see that what we should strive for in society is mutual complementation, which means highlighting the unique qualities of men and women, and weaving them together to achieve the best of both worlds.

 

 

Fight For Freedom

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The most dangerous state is neither ascent nor descent, but indifference. We do not have the strength to get out of it: neither upward nor downward. It is considered death. In a descent, a person experiences various problems, negative influences, and alien thoughts, but he is alive and not dead. Death is indifference.

The Creator says, “Come to Pharaoh!” That is, He invites us to find out how opposite we are to the upper force, to the spiritual world, bestowal, and love. We will then have tools for work: the Light will be revealed on the background of darkness.

Otherwise, we cannot discern nor feel it. Therefore, the Egyptian exile was necessary because it revealed our complete opposition to the Creator, since Pharaoh is the reverse side of the Creator. When a person discovers the full extent of such opposition, he is ready to exit Egypt.

Our problem is neither light nor darkness, but grey twilight, indifference. Nothing can be done there. If I am in prison and feel imprisoned, then I make every effort to escape. Yet, if I do not feel that I am in chains, in prison, cut off from real life, then I am ready to remain in this cell forever. There is no worse state. This is a real prison and only the environment can help a person.

Bad or good states both lead to advancement, but the state of indifference is absolutely static and takes up 90% of our time. It swallows our life, leaving us without any hope of reaching the purpose of creation. Therefore, we must fight against it. This is our area of freewill, the middle third of Tifferet, where neither forces from above nor forces from below act on us—we are in the middle between them and we cannot escape anywhere. This is the real prison.

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From 1(sup>st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/18/18,Lesson on the Topic: “From Obstructions to Ascents,” (Prep For World Convention 2018)

The Creator Chose You

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It is said about the people of Israel: “The Creator chose you.” He chose them by giving them a bigger and more developed desire to enjoy. This would make them feel the need to engage in the purpose of creation and correction and find an answer to the question about the meaning of life.

Such questions were revealed in a small group of people whom Abraham took from all the Babylonians and formed as the group of “Israel” (Yashar-Kel – directly to the Creator). This is how their inner desire, received from above, was directed.

After the breaking of Adam’s soul from the tree of knowledge, all pieces fell and mixed. But under the influence of the reforming Light, the lightest and less broken parts of the soul begin to rise first. The people of Israel seem the most egoistic, but this is because egoism reveals itself in them. In fact, the greatest egoism lies in those souls that ascend later.

First, there was a shattering and mixing of all parts, and then it filtered from this sediment, from all its layers, and was distributed according to the degrees of egoism. The same order applies to our world. There are very intelligent people, scientists and inventors, and there are technical specialists and engineers who implement these inventions in practice. And then these innovations are transferred to people to use.

It is the same way, in the wisdom of Kabbalah, there are scholars who are Kabbalists. Then there is the “technical staff,” the students who take these ideas and bring them to the people. And when people receive it, then everyone uses it to the best of their ability.

For example, when one buys a car, he does not care what is inside the car, the main thing is to learn how to drive it. But there are specialists who built this car and understand how it works. The wisdom of Kabbalah is organized in the same way as other sciences.

Our generation is in crisis because it is time for us to know how nature works and to get to know all of its systems. We have already fully realized ourselves in the material form: What else can we do, add a few more buttons? A person will still remain the same inside.

Throughout the history of development, man has tried to build external systems that will give him happiness, joy, and tranquility. And we built a material paradise around ourselves, but we see that it has not brought happiness.

On the contrary, we hit a dead end. Material well-being does not free us from problems and does not fulfill us. It is now that we reveal that we are completely empty, although we are in the midst of complete abundance. This is called the realization of evil in which we understand that we need to correct ourselves within ourselves, because this is where the problem lies. Therefore, the time has come for this correction.

As once we were engaged in the correction of the external world, so now we need to turn to the correction of man’s inner world. And in this, too, there are “scientists,” “engineers,” and “users.”

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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/7/18, Lesson on Topic: “The Israeli Nation’s Day of Unity”

Truth And Falsehood From The Perspective Of Kabbalah

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Question: People rely on particular models of the world that they have formulated in their minds when making decisions. All models, to some degree, are false because they reflect only limited properties of reality.

It would be interesting to know in what way a model of the world is false and in what way it may be true, maybe by assigning percentages to each aspect. What does truth and falsehood mean with respect to nature, or rather with respect to the model of nature that we build to reflect it?

Answer: Kabbalah examines two systems: the upper (spiritual) and the lower (material).

In the upper system we are all integrally interconnected, which is why there cannot be any independent states. It is an ideal level, called the world of Ein Sof (infinity), perfection, in which all objects of our world exist on the spiritual level. Everything experiences its complete interdependence and destiny, comprehends it, and therefore each part is able to interact correctly with all the others. This is an ideal system described in Kabbalah where all parts are inherently and clearly interconnected.

The wisdom of Kabbalah explains that we are approaching this ideal system by way of our material evolution. This is exactly what is waiting for us in the future. We may choose to accelerate the process to its revelation within our experience and understanding. Or we may allow the natural process to teach it to us through the blows of destiny, which is what we see happening today. That is how humanity advances.

Our world exists below this complete and ideal upper system because it came into existence as a result of a gradual degradation of this system and its descent along the 125 levels to the lowest level—the one where we live today.

In this world we feel ourselves completely disconnected from each other and if something does connect us, it is only our egoism. All our experiences are geared only toward using everything and everyone according to our personal interests.

Naturally, that which we call “truth” is only that which exists on a higher level. And that which exists on our level is absolute falsehood because the only thing that motivates us today is the personal egoism of each creature, egoism that blinds us, distances us from each other, and drives us to use each other as much as possible.

That is truth and falsehood from the perspective of Kabbalah.

There is no truth in our world. It can exist only in those individuals who attain the complete mutual interdependence of nature, in other words, the upper system, which they are trying to discover within themselves. Then they relate to all those around them with completely different intentions: friendship, love, cooperation, and unity.

This principle was initially described in the Torah, even though, unfortunately, no one really takes it seriously. In this lies the difference between truth and falsehood. Truth and falsehood are not the subjective proclamations of an individual who thinks something is true and something is false.

When a completely coherent, unified system of all forms of creation—inanimate, vegetative, animate, and human levels of nature—exist in a harmonious interconnected state, it is called truth. And a state that is a complete opposite to this is falsehood. And between them there is a multitude of possible levels—some with a little more truth, some with a little more falsehood.

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From KabTV’s “Together About the Main,” 12/8/17