Lesson Series in NYC 2006, Lesson 1

Lesson by Rav Michael Laitman, PhD, New York, USA

May 19, 2006

Regular: Commentaries of Rav Laitman
Capitalized Italics: transliteration from Hebrew
lowercase italics: emphasized words
Bold: Questions and comments from the audience

Good evening! I welcome all of our American friends! Now as we are traveling through many countries and speaking to different people, we are suddenly discovering that many people are beginning to understand us and to aspire for something they previously did not aspire for. They understand that a spiritual component is necessary in our world and that life does not have any meaning without it. Of course, people have to earn money, live and somehow exist normally in this world, but generally something is still missing in the world. And these people are beginning to feel this.

Moreover, we are referring to people who are and always were very far away from the spiritual, such as bankers, businessmen and politicians. These people are very tough, very sober-minded and they think very sensibly. But they are suddenly seeing that the most important thing is somehow passing them by. It is not that they plan to leave their business, but they are simply beginning to feel this. They do not understand this yet, but in principle they are beginning to feel that what happens in this world has to somehow merge, coincide and connect with something slightly higher, some kind of spirit that’s above this world.

Why are they suddenly beginning to have this feeling or necessity? You and I know that everything depends on the Light. The Light created the Kli, the first four phases of the Kli. The Light produces and organizes all of this, and we work under It, under the Light’s influence. There is nothing that isn’t influenced and governed by the Light. Everything depends only on the degree to which the inner Reshimot manifest in us and the degree to which the Upper Light, Ohr Makif, influences us from the outside. Our state is determined only by these two Lights—the inner and the outer. We are like a divider between them that in principle entirely depends only on the influence of these two Lights. The Inner Light gives us the sensation of our life, our current existence. And the Ohr Makif, the External Light, gives us the sensation of the following, future state. It glows from afar, evoking the feeling of deficiency and emptiness in us, and we aspire for It. These two Lights are what determine everything in us: our Reshimot or our current state is determined by Ohr Pnimi, and our future state—by Ohr Makif. Anything that we can only imagine is determined only by this.

And now there is a question: how can we evoke a greater manifestation of Light on us so it will change us and make us similar to It quicker? It is because in principle, this is Its work from creation’s beginning to its end. Here we also see these states from the four phases of Direct Light. The Light influences the first phase or the place where it created reception, the will to receive, and as It continues to influence this phase it evokes the will to bestow—a desire opposite to the original desire. After that it evokes the desire in Malchut, the final phase, to become similar to Keter, the Creator.

And this is where the problem lies. Two completely different properties stand before Malchut—Hochma and Bina. When Malchut already begins asking, demanding and acting from below, then Hochma is called Abba, Ohr Hochma, the Light of Life, the Light of Enjoyment, the Light of Feeling, the Light of Fulfillment, and precisely the Light of Bestowal or Mercy—the completely opposite attribute. They exist in attributes completely opposite to each other and they have opposite attitudes towards each other. We say, Hochma and Bina are in the state of Panim be Achoraim (face to back) or Achoraim be Ahoraim (back to back). They cannot be together as they are completely opposite to each other. This is the same as knowledge and faith; real life and something completely abstract, unreal and opposite to it.

How can these two opposite parts connect? Precisely by a person who raises MAN; he desires to reach equivalence of form with Bina despite being a Kli, like Hochma. He raises his desire to Bina, to Ima. And then Ima turns to Aba and it becomes possible for them to come in contact with each other. Then happens Zivug Aba ve Ima Panim be Panim and Light Hochma dresses into Light Hassadim. And this common Light descends downwards. That is, a person can connect these two opposite attributes in him, and they do not connect in any way until he does this. This is our task.

And this is why we are now observing these rumblings or oppositions in the world. On one hand people seem logically and soberly to aspire for the Light of Hochma, the Light of Understanding, the Light of Power, Reception and Enrichment. On the other hand, they aspire for the light of Hassadim, the Light of Bina, the Light of Mercy, the Light of Bestowal, the Light of Ascent, of existing above egoistic desires.

This combination does not manifest in the world yet. In general, people do not yet feel that it is likely and possible. And we are encountering this today. First of all, I also feel how unclear this still is: the forthcoming connection of the two categories of Hochma and Bina, Behina Aleph and Bet, or these two phases: the first phase and the second phase. How will they connect and be clothed together on the level of our world? It is still inconceivable to understand this. However, we see that despite being in egoism, humanity suddenly begins to aspire somewhere higher.

And all of this depends on the degree that we evoke a greater influence of Surrounding Light upon us. Everything depends only on It. Everything we experience in our life and history happens under the influence of Ohr Makif which influences the Reshimot, constantly developing them. Therefore, our future depends only on how quickly we evoke this Ohr Makif upon us, the Surrounding Light that will pull us up to correction. Then we will come out of the absolute concealment that we are in.

But humanity is still in it, that is, in the state where we don’t understand where or why we exist, how we are being governed, and where from; we do not ask these questions. It is because this is what makes up the duality of the double concealment—it is multiplied by itself many times. After that a person begins to feel that something is missing, just as these bankers and businessmen are saying, “Something is missing in my life.” What’s missing is not more of the same thing, but some kind of a higher component. The people who are here have already felt and perceived this—a lack of something higher than this world, and opposite to it.

After this comes the double concealment, when a person feels that he is seemingly and probably connected to some kind of force, but he does not perceive it as good (even though it is absolutely good when fully revealed), or as the only one that completely governs him.

Baal HaSulam describes this in the article called Concealment and Revelation of the Face of the Creator. (We have it on the Internet translated to all languages.) In it he describes that in the beginning, when a person begins his spiritual path, it sometimes seems to him that a specific Upper Force influences him. This Upper Force governs him, surrounds him, and directs him, but it seems unkind to him. This is how he feels it. He sees himself and others around him, and cannot be happy about what he feels and sees. In addition, as a rule it seems to him that everything that happens to him depends only on his neighbors, his wife or husband, friends, supervisors, the government, the world, and in general everything depends on anything at all including himself, and most importantly himself—but not on the single force of the Creator. This is already something he does not feel. Perhaps he would like to feel this, but he does not.

When he admits to himself that he cannot connect everything to the One and Only Force, and in addition that he cannot connect it with absolute kindness that comes from It, this is called that he is in double concealment. That is to say, it is concealment of singularity and concealment of absolute goodness.

When a person begins to feel the concealment he is in, the state of concealment, he begins acting against this state, doing so also without being aware of it, such as through the group, by disseminating and somehow studying and learning. By doing this he evokes a greater illumination of Ohr Makif or Surrounding Light on him and this Light begins to gradually lead him through different states.

Baal HaSulam describes this very well. (I say “very well,” as if I am evaluating him as being good or bad). He writes that there is the state of double concealment. I repeat, double concealment is not simply a state gone through by a person who just lives here in Brooklyn and goes to work. Rather, double concealment already happens relative to a person who has a connection with the Creator, and this state he is in, his connection with the Creator, is called “double concealment.” That is to say, this state is already somehow focused on the Creator. A person already realizes his double concealment from the Creator. That is to say, it is like two curtains between us and the Creator: one curtain conceals the Creator and instead of Him places different sources around the person that influence him (including himself), and the second curtain defines these influences as bad.

And so, he writes the following, “Double concealment is where we begin our movement toward the spiritual” (he begins his article this way), it is also called “concealment inside of concealment.” That is to say, a person does not even see the opposite side of the Creator. That is, he says that the Creator has left him completely, meaning that there are many different forces governing the world.

As a rule, this is also what we, the beginners, feel most of the time. That is, everything influences me for some reason; I feel bad for some reason, and someone is doing something to me for some reason. This is double concealment, when someone is doing something to me from somewhere, and I perceive the thing being done to me as bad. This is double concealment. It is when a person does not even see the opposite side of the Creator, that is, he does not see that the Creator governs him completely and entirely, determining everything in him, and he does not attribute all of the suffering he feels to the Creator, but rather to all of these different, wandering, spontaneous, various sources including himself. He blames himself as well, thinking that he is also bad in some way like everyone else and he is doing something incorrectly, or that it is he who is doing something. Do you understand? That is, there are many different sources of governance determining different states, and they can all be either good or bad, although as a rule they seem bad to us.

A person cannot perceive anything correctly when he is in this state. Baal HaSulam writes this. I am reading this now, but you have probably read this in an even better translation than how I am translating it as a read. But in reality, this is a state that’s completely incomprehensible to us. Why? Because, look at what he writes: this is what a person feels in the state of double concealment. After that there is the state of single concealment, and after that—the state of revelation. And it seems to us that the changes that happen are inconceivable, but in reality all of these changes are inside of us and they depend only on a person’s consciousness and on nothing else. It seems to us that the whole world changes. But we studied what people’s perception of the world is, how we perceive the world; this is absolutely a subjective reality that seems to be reality to us, but in reality we do not know what it is.

And so, Baal HaSulam writes, “In this case a person asks and does different good deeds, but he receives the total opposite, receiving blows of fate in response. When he desires to believe and makes great efforts, he is instead forcefully repelled in a way that seems evil. And vice versa, when he leaves everything, he seems to succeed in his life.”

That is, if the Creator or this Single Force exists, then it seems that it should somehow pull him forward and clearly show him that it’s worthwhile to work on perfecting himself, to study Kabbalah, and advance toward the spiritual. And vice versa, if a person really goes along the true path forward, then Baal HaSulam writes that the double concealment influences him in the opposite way—it does not attract a person forward, but instead it confuses him.

This is just what is written, “when he prays and gives Tzedakah (charity), he receives even greater blows.” And when he leaves this path that is supposed to be good, leaving his studies, his work in the group and so on, then he is more successful at everything and everything around him becomes more peaceful and balanced. He is not even able to earn money by a normal effort, but he must necessarily work instead of studying or something else.

All the friends that work on spiritual advancement with him appear to be empty, unlucky, and as liars in his eyes; sometimes it is so repulsive for him to be with them that he cannot be next to them and he has to make efforts to get closer to them. He feels ashamed of being in their company before the whole world.

And vice versa, people who do not work on spiritual advancement appear to be lucky and respectable in the eyes of society. He can show that he is connected to them with pleasure, and everyone will understand and respect him more for this. And they are wiser, smarter, and more substantial than those who study Kabbalah and advance toward who-knows-what, giving their lives to who-knows-what.

In this case a person perceives a vision, but one has to go through this in order to understand it; it really has to be expressed on vivid grounds. For example, he feels a lack in his salary and his health, problems with relatives, friends and loved ones. As it was already said, “He prays and does not receive any response. And vice versa, when he leaves the good deeds, the prayer and the studies, then instead he immediately receives a good response.”

With regard to relatives and acquaintances, it seems to him that everyone who works on spiritual ascent does not succeed; they are stupid and not respected, he is ashamed to be with them, and they repel him. And vice versa, those who succeed in this world and who are outside of spiritual development attract him. That is, he admires them and cannot perceive this differently. That is, a person feels ashamed and does not understand where he is, where the Creator is and where the correct development in this whole movement is—this is all absolutely opposite to his feelings and his common sense. This state is called “the double concealment of the Creator.”

We never perceive any state by itself, but we perceive these states only in comparison. Therefore it’s natural that even when we are in double concealment, we cannot say, “Yes, right now we are in double concealment.” It is because to say this, one must also be at least in the following state, in single concealment, and one must clearly understand how one state differs from the other; then we can somehow understand at least something.

Let us continue reading about what single concealment means, which is the simple concealment rather than double concealment. It is when one of the two curtains concealing us from the Creator disappears. Let us see how differently a person perceives the world. The world becomes different. It is because we perceive the world inside of us. When Light comes to us form the Creator only through one curtain instead of two, our entire inner perception of the world changes. Our perception of reality becomes completely different. The world, which we perceive inside of us, seems different.

Baal HaSulam writes, “One, single Ester, when the face of the Creator is not revealed.” That is, a person cannot see that the Creator influences him with absolute kindness. The latter is called “the Creator’s face.” But instead, he mainly sees it through suffering, through different blows and unfulfilled, empty desires.

In this form a person does not see the Creator’s face, but he believes. He does not clearly see this, but he has a clear perception that everything happening to him is the Creator leading him a certain way around something and towards something. He does not lead him via a good path, but by blows, pressure, revelation of different deficiencies through himself, through others, through all kinds of things; through shame, lack of understanding, pressure, lack of love, various negative relationships with others, antagonism inside of him or in his relation to the world; but nevertheless he sees a governing… [lost sound]

Punishment for past sins—such a thing does not exist at all. If it is absolute kindness, it means that there is no punishment, no reward, and no sins; if the governance is absolute, it means that there are no good deeds. If the Creator is the Only One, it means that nothing depends on man—neither the good deeds nor the bad. That is, not Mitzvot nor Avirot. And if the Creator is absolutely kind, it means that there is no punishment or reward.

That is, if the Creator was absolutely revealed to us rather than concealed twice, then we would not have a question about whether we act correctly or incorrectly because the one and only force that governs everything would be revealed to us. In this case, where are we in this? Absolutely nowhere. This force would become revealed as absolute goodness; that is, any reward or punishment also does not exist.

This is during absolute revelation. But meanwhile, in single concealment, it seems to a person that the Creator governs him, but He governs him by leading him through different suffering, whether personal, social, by the influence of society on him, his influence on society, and so on. That is, he already feels a hand that governs and leads him somewhere from behind, and he is like a glove that’s clothed on that hand and cannot get away from it. The Creator nevertheless slips under him, bringing forth different circumstances, and he feels that there is nowhere to run and goes along with it. It is as if he understands that this is fate, but this fate nevertheless seems bad to him. Perhaps it does not seem evil, because he feels that this comes from the governing force. He understands that this movement has a Goal, and he justifies everything that happens to him precisely because there is a Goal, but he still can’t justify it with joy in his heart.

Naturally, absolutely all people go through this, no matter who they are. Great Kabbalists have already gone through this state, small people are beginning to go through it, and masses will have to go through it in the future. Everyone will have to go through these states of complete separation, then double concealment, single concealment, and then the revelation of the Creator.

What happens in this case? Baal HaSulam describes this as a picture. He writes that a person feels that he does not earn enough money, and there are people who make demands of him, generally bothering him with different complaints and blaming him. He feels that his life is full of problems and his health is generally not very good.

In principle, you see objective things. It’s clear what each person’s bank account is, as it’s a minus or a plus. Everyone’s health is clear according to medical data. Right? That is, it seems that we can change these things. But in reality it turns out that when a person goes through the state of double concealment, then single concealment, and then revelation, he begins to understand that this is absolutely relative, that it is a part of the picture of his perception of the world.

That is, we cannot understand this, but a Kabbalist who is sick… We saw this with our own eyes, how great Kabbalists were sick and died from horrible illnesses such as cancer. Baal HaSulam suffered from bad joints. He could not un-bend his joints and suffered from horrible pains and arthritis.

People from the side perceive this completely differently than a person who is in the state of absolute revelation of the Creator. We do not understand this. We have not gone through these states yet and we cannot compare them.

But nevertheless, look at the picture he gives of what a person feels. He feels bad in this world due to others, himself and his health. He feels reproached by everyone else. He fails at everything he tries to do. His whole life takes place in absolute inner dissatisfaction. This is the state of single concealment. He understands and feels that this comes from the one and only governing force. This is called “single concealment.” That is, in some way a person feels that this comes from the Creator; that a single force leads him, spins him around everywhere, and governs him, although by a bad path.

A good path is when everything is revealed—we will examine what a good path is in a little while. This is not what happens here. But nevertheless one curtain or one concealment, the perception of a variety of different forces of nature, of society and everything that influences you, the feeling that they determine everything—all of this declines. That is, prior to this you felt that only one force governs everyone and stands behind everyone including you, leading everyone and you, but you felt that this force and your states were unpleasant and not full of attainment, ascent and inspiration.

After this already follows the revelation of the Creator. This is the next phase. Baal HaSulam does not describe the states of double and single concealment in this article. He writes simply “Revelation,” although there are states of double and single concealment as well. We study this in the Introduction to the Talmud Eser HaSefirot. So, regarding revelation, he writes, “A person’s demand to become stronger in his faith that the Creator governs the world, along with his plea to reveal that this governance is absolutely good and goal-oriented, interconnecting all elements of the universe together, brings a person to become strengthened in his work.”

That is, inside all of this a person wants to find a point of support, a way to latch on and completely reveal the governance and connection with the Creator. By doing this a person evokes the Upper Light on him called “Light that Returns to the Source” called Torah. Torah is Light that Returns to the Source, that is, that created the same attributes in a person as the attributes of the Source. And by this, by gradually attracting greater and greater Upper Light to him that works on him, he creates the attribute called “faith” in him. What does faith mean? This is the sensation of the Creator.

And so, the subsequent work is done by the Surrounding Light, but it happens under a person’s influence or desire. That is to say, the desire must first come from the person. We will also have to clarify this in the future: where does a person get his own, personal desire to attract the Upper Light? He strengthens in the work, in different actions that help him attract the Upper Light. What depends on a person? Does this mean that there is someone else who governs all of this besides the Creator?

But we are talking about what we perceive and not about what happens in the absolute form. And so, Baal HaSulam writes that when a person strengthens himself in studying, working, and doing everything possible to increase the glow of the Upper Light on him, as a result this strengthens him in his faith. Faith refers to the sensation of the Creator, the Creator’s appearance to man.

The attribute of the Creator, when it appears to man, is bestowal. It also manifests in man in the form of bestowal, in the form of him taking on this attribute. This is why it is called Emuna. When a person acquires this attribute under the influence of the Upper Light, it reveals the Creator to him, that is, it reveals the attribute of bestowal in a person, the attribute of the Creator. Inside of himself, inside of his past egoism that has been corrected, he feels the attribute of bestowal called “the Creator.”

These influences of the Surrounding Light happen under the influence of studying, working on himself, working in the group and disseminating—everything that helps him attract the Upper Light on him. This leads to the fact that these influences of the Upper Light connect together into one blow that reveals the Upper World to a person.

After that, Baal HaSulam writes that the full influence of the Upper Light and revelation happen only when a person has the full desire. And this happens instantaneously! It happens in one instant. But this process is cumulative; it gradually, gradually accumulates until a person develops the sufficient force of desire in him. Baal HaSulam writes about this in his letters on page 70. He writes that there must be a very strong desire to attain or reveal the Creator, as romantic passion. And only then, when a person accumulates such a strong passion, such a huge desire to reveal—it comes true instantaneously. This instantaneous revelation of the Light or the Creator to man happens after double concealment and single concealment.

That is, a person perceives this revelation as attainment of the above governance’s absolute goodness. That is, in principle, it is as if the Creator became revealed prior to that as well, but He did not truly become revealed. It is because when we felt evil or suffering, even if we attributed it to the Creator and thought that He leads us; nevertheless since we did not attribute governance to Him by feeling good, our feeling of suffering concealed and separated us from Him. But now, when this governance becomes revealed as absolutely good, a person suddenly begins to see and feel absolute goodness. Where did the previous sensation go? I was sick before. Did I stop being sick? I used to receive insufficient salary. Did they suddenly give me a raise so I make ten times more? A great number of people hated me before. But now, did everyone suddenly become my loved ones, as if my relatives? What changed in the world? Can something change objectively or not?

It turns out that there is no objective world. It is only our inner picture that begins to change so much that we imagine a different world. That is, we see the manifestation of the absolutely good Upper Force so that all of the things that appeared as suffering, all kinds of discomforts, cruelties, injustices, and confusions—all of this completely disappears and acquires a different form. Instead of the opposite side, we see the front side. In addition, Baal HaSulam writes that this naturally becomes revealed to each person in a different form, in the form that’s comfortable for him, however it’s pleasant for him to feel it. That is to say, this revelation is different for every person.

How does one feel it? He receives absolute goodness from the single Upper Force. He is absolutely filled and feels total peace. He earns in every regard, both in the spiritual and in the material, down to total fulfillment and satisfaction. He does not feel any problems, whether his own or in the world. He does not feel any problems with his health. This is what he feels inside of him. Everyone respects him. At the same time, everything was opposite when he was in the state of concealment. Now he easily does everything he decides to do, and he succeeds at everything he does.

This is what the person feels, and not what people around him feel. Because if we saw how Baal HaSulam ended his life, it appears horrible when we look at it from the side—he had terrifying illnesses, lived in poverty and had great problems. What kind of problems? I can tell you that there were people who came and spat on his grave.

That is to say, there is a difference between how a person to whom the Creator becomes revealed feels this inside of him and how others, who are in the state of double concealment or completely cut off even from concealment (such as people who are still total “passers-by on the street”) perceive this world. That is, one’s picture of reality (that we study in the section entitled “Perception of Reality”) is absolutely subjective and comes only from the degree that a person’s Kelim are corrected.

After this, he describes and further develops this entire picture. He writes that when something seems to be lacking to the person, his instantaneous feeling that something is lacking immediately makes him receive what is necessary. Well, in general he describes a great deal of things here; there are two pages here. Everything that was considered opposite in the previous state of double concealment (such as his feeling that his friends were not sufficiently developed and were stupid so that he was even ashamed to admit that he meets with them, studies Kabbalah, or that he is in their circle generally and, and that he is working on something for some reason, on some kind of bestowal or altruistic actions; that he is living somehow unrealistically, and so on) is now perceived conversely—he sees the whole world as absolutely opposite.

I recommend that you simply read this. We have it in Hebrew and also in Russian. I remember that I translated this article with you a long time ago. Why did I bring this up? I began by saying that the world today is changing a great deal. We have just traveled through several countries and we've already had meetings here in New York. We see the degree to which people begin to change under the influence of the Upper Light (naturally, not on their own). And they already look at the world and themselves differently; they are reevaluating their value system and how they relate to the spiritual and to altruistic actions. This seemed foolish in the past, “Why? What for? What’s so good about it? The world works very simply, "Just take anything you can within the boundaries of the law, and that’s it,” and not more than that. But now this is no longer the case.

We hope that our actions are evoking immense Ohr Makif in the world, the common Light of Correction, especially when we are doing this for the sake of the masses, disseminating for the masses. It is as if we bring our desires to the masses and evoke the Surrounding Light on them, and this way we see the world change for the better faster.

I repeat, we had meetings with people whom, naturally, even ten years ago you could not think that they would generally speak about altruism as a necessary action. These are not simply beautiful words they say to impress someone, but these are people who are concerned that this quality is not present in the world. They want to develop it, and they are willing to contribute millions and billions of dollars out of their pocket to do so. We are not just speaking about this theoretically, such as when people have long discussions to no end; but it is rather that very big and powerful changes are happening, and I am being convinced of this with my own eyes.

This is especially relevant to this article by Baal HaSulam (which is not even an article since he wrote it for himself as a beginning for a future article and probably did not have time to finish it). In this case it is always in front of my eyes. From my point of view, I see a person on the street who is still very far away from this; all of these types of people are in front of us today in their whole palette or variety. Today a whole spectrum of people is already emerging in humanity: from those who have revealed the Creator, and naturally they see the world as opposite from how everyone else sees it; to those who already feel that some kind of revelation is necessary. The Light already influences them, pulling them forward. And so it turns out that the results of the Light’s influence are already appearing in them as a desire for revelation.

Therefore, let us hope that this will happen quickly. Meanwhile, you and I have to do our own work, that is, to do everything that will cause an even greater illumination of the Surrounding Light on us so that our Reshimot will come out faster and we will go through the states of double and single concealment on to revelation, or at least to single concealment and then to revelation.

I will tell you that even single concealment already places a person in the state when he feels that everything around him is in the corrected state, except him. That is, for example he sees that everyone in the group is governed by the Creator, they are not corrected on their own, but they are governed by the Creator and they act absolutely correctly, and he is the only one who has the freedom to make decisions, and all of his decisions are incorrect. This is the state of single concealment. It already gives a person a very strong push to get out of it, because he sees himself as the only harmful element in the Universe that is opposite to the whole Universe.

We have to reach at least this state quicker. After that it will be easier to talk and to be governed.

Well, this is what I wanted to tell you about. Are there any questions on this topic?

Question: Is there any connection between double concealment, single concealment, revelation, and the Machsom?

The Machsom is when a person goes from single concealment to revelation. The Machsom is the boundary where the condition of “Igati ve Matzati” is fulfilled. When a person continuously makes many efforts, he passes from an absolutely unconscious state to double concealment, and through double concealment to single concealment. All of these states are correct. Sometimes he is thrown out of single concealment back into double, or sometimes from double concealment he is thrown completely to the outside, as if he returns to perceiving reality as before. After that he again perceives reality as double concealment, when he does not see or feel the Creator, the Creator does not influence him, and there are good and bad attributes coming from different directions. His system of governance becomes confused.

That is, in principle we are like Malchut relative to the Light, or as a Kli relative to the Light. To the degree the Light influences us, we react to it. We are talking only about this.

And so, our reaction to the Upper Light is determined by the intensity of the Upper Light’s glow on us. The more It glows, the more we naturally react. You know, it’s like a flower that goes towards the sun. We cannot do anything else as we are a result of the Light.

And so, the absolutely unconscious states that we go through and have been going through during all of our other life cycles, during our entire 50,000 year long history of development until today, as well as what we went through in this life, were all in the state of greater or smaller concealment. When a person enters single concealment, he gets thrown out of it into double concealment or completely to the beginning. But it is in single concealment that he must make the greatest efforts, which are already directed at evoking the Upper Light of Correction on him to the necessary degree or power, both in quantity and quality.

Baal HaSulam also writes about this in the Introduction to the Talmud Eser Sefirot. He writes that a person’s efforts also have quality and quantity that correspond to the power of the Upper Light. That is, quality times quantity produces the power of our efforts, and accordingly, the power of the Light’s influence on us. When the power of the Light’s influence on us reaches a specific critical level, it breaks the final, small curtain separating us from Him called “the Machsom,” and everything becomes revealed. An instantaneous revelation happens. Therefore, the Machsom is what separates single concealment from revelation.

Question: When the group works on dissemination, it often goes through phases of successful connection and afterwards it becomes unsuccessful, stops working, and so on. That is, a process sometimes happens when the group comes up with something new, and so on. Do Kabbalists know a specific matrix by which it’s possible to make specific, accurate actions to influence the masses?

This is unknown. Just as other people, Kabbalists never know in advance what must happen with them and with the mass—never. It is because whatever has not become revealed yet and has only its beginning state exists in the form of Reshimot or a gene. Its form does not exist yet as it is still a formless and merely informational recording of the future state. Therefore we cannot say what form it should take. We cannot determine this in any way.

We can see this in the compositions of Baal HaSulam and Rabash by how mistaken they were in their visions of the future. It is because it is impossible for anyone not to be mistaken. Only a prophet can say, “Such and such was revealed to me and it will come true at such and such time.” And even so, this does not mean anything. It is because the influence of free will is nevertheless included here.

We are again being included in a notion that seemingly shatters everything we said before about “the One and Only Creator” and “Absolute Goodness,” because suddenly, we are saying that freedom of will depends on a person. And you are also asking me about dissemination, study, and the group.

That is, again, as we study on page 25 in Baal HaSulam’s letters, at every moment before doing anything, we have to say, “Everything depends on us.” And after it happens, we have to say, “Everything depends on the Creator.” These two mutually exclusive events merge into one only when the Kli is corrected, merging as an absolutely corrected man in complete adhesion with the absolutely good and single Creator who governs everything. Only then do all of the possible oppositions, disagreements, and contradictions disappear in every regard, such as regarding who governs, how he governs, whether the governance is good or bad, whether I exist and He exists, and which of us do I perceive and how. All the problems disappear only when our perception completely merges into one point; they are unsolvable before that happens.

Therefore we should never explain anything to anyone. And if explanations are necessary, as I am explaining this now, it is only to give a person some kind of a stimulus, a hope, or a force to push him to make his own efforts, to evoke a greater Light of Correction on him. But nevertheless, nothing will work until the Light influences and changes a person’s picture of perception inside of him. Everything else is useless; it is pure philosophy.

But from what we have, we must nevertheless act as Kabbalists advise us. This is the study, dissemination, and work in the group—three sources of advancement, or three sources of evoking Ohr Makif on oneself. You evoke Ohr Makif by placing yourself in similarity to the common Kli in which this Ohr Makif exists as Ohr Pnimi.

This means that connecting together, studying in the group and disseminating in order to connect more strongly and in a greater quantity, all of this leads to the fact that you aspire to make the system of Adam ha Rishon out of yourself, and to this degree you evoke the illumination of the Upper Light upon you. There is nothing more here. If you have other opportunities, please tell us. But nothing else is possible.

This is a system of souls that are interconnected; each soul is connected with all other souls in order to become filled by a common life, the Light of the Creator, and in order to bring forth enjoyment in Him just as He desires to delight us. This is why we have to disseminate knowledge; it is to attract all the other cells of this body or organism to us, those separate souls that have to be interconnected. This is why we have to work to interconnect with them, with the people who are getting closer, as well as those who are not getting closer yet; we should work on dissemination.

Working on dissemination in the group is called “love for friends.” Working relative to people who are not in the group is called “dissemination.” In principle these are the same thing. It is connecting everyone together into one system of Adam, creating an interrelation between them that is similar to the spiritual. Accordingly, this evokes the Surrounding Light. That is all; there is nothing else here.

The idea itself is very simple, and it is impossible to invent anything new here. Therefore our entire action comes down to these three things: studying in a circle of friends that are pursuing this Goal; the Kli—creating the common soul; and disseminating to the outside for people who are still outside of the group, so that all of humanity would be as one group, one organism that attracts the Upper Light to it, becoming corrected and ascending to the level of the Creator, and that’s all.

Question: What should one do when feeling self-satisfied during dissemination work, when feeling that this interferes with advancement?

You should not be afraid of good feelings. You should not torture yourself or say, “I am suffering, and that means I deserve to suffer. I only want the Creator to record everything, how much I suffer, how much I have tortured myself, and for Him to prepare everything that I deserve, all that I have earned.” This is the greatest egoism, when a person does not want to be happy, but instead to suffer. By this he wants to compel the Creator to pay him for his suffering.

You are supposedly a psychologist; you’re supposed to be a doctor. So figure it out, give yourself a diagnosis [laughter in audience].

In any case, joy is always preferable to sorrow. In any case, always! Let it be foolish joy, it does not matter. As if a smart person is already pained and worried about all humanity. There is no justification for this. This is only egoism raising itself this way; an empty Kli.

Question: How similar is the feeling a person acquires, the subjective perception of universal kindness, to the feeling of another person? And if they perceive the same thing, can this be called subjective?

One person can never compare his feelings with another—never. And it’s not even worthwhile to do this. How can I assert that I see a blue sky and that you see the same blue sky? Our Kelim will never be able to come to any comparison. There is no possibility to compare.

We can call the same picture blue. I can draw what seems blue to me and you will feel it and say, “This is blue.” But what kind of influence does this cause in you? You feel it inside of your Kli, and I inside of me, inside of my Kli; we can never compare it. We will never be able to compare it, not in Gmar Tikkun, never.

We can be completely inter-included in each other, but you will still remain “you” and I “I,” even while we are included in each other, complementing each other, and connected to each other. One Kli will never be able to feel another Kli because it is a different desire, a different form.

Especially we, who are in our states here, do not have a possibility to understand, justify or criticize anyone. We can do this only individually, relative to every person’s freedom of will in the group; only there, where this freedom somehow manifests more or less before our eyes. As Baal HaSulam writes, when a person drills a hole in the boat, nothing can be done and we have to throw him out of the boat. But with regard to everything else, we do not have the right to make any calculations about it.

There is only one single calculation: whether the Goal is clearly placed before him. In that case you say to him, “Look, we are falling together, we are not reaching the Goal, we are moving in the opposite direction, we are drowning in the ocean of our egoism. We have to follow the advice left to us by people who have swum across this ocean.” And if he says, “I don’t care about anyone, I am doing this,” in this case you have to throw him out. According to what? According to the fact that he opposes the group’s decision, that he is drilling a hole, and so on. Only in this regard. In everything else, regarding what actions he is going through, whether they are good or bad, whether he is sleeping at the lesson, he is unable to do anything; maybe he can’t wake up, he is a living corpse—this does not matter. You cannot judge a person in any regard.

You are allowed only one thing together with the group—to decide to remove him if he clearly and consciously interferes. As in the example when a person drills a hole; you come up to him and ask, “Do you understand what you’re doing?” And he says, “Yes, and I don’t care.” If he doesn’t care, then that’s it, and he is asked to leave. But his lack of care is the only time when this can happen. With regard to everything else, we do not understand each other and we always judge one another.

We still have not gone through much of what we will have to go through. You will see that problems will befall every person and he will appear negatively in everyone’s eyes, depending on what level each one is on.

I was with such a great Kabbalist. I know how he looked at me, with what love (and especially who I was), and how I looked at him and was not able to value it. Every person does this from his Kli. What can you do? You can simultaneously understand that you cannot do anything else. This is already the state of single concealment. I remember that there were times when I simply sat and understood that that’s it, I cannot relate to him differently. I see who, what and how, and am simultaneously not capable of doing anything about it.

This is single concealment, which clearly shows both sides to a person. Do you understand? What does single concealment mean? It is when one thing is concealed and another is revealed. Do you understand? And precisely here, when you are simultaneously between concealment and revelation, here you have an opportunity to gain a good understanding of how the Creator plays with us. Because afterwards, when double revelation happens, there is absolute justification and absolute goodness. What was present earlier no longer exists there.

Question: When a person is in concealment and feels joy in life, how does this correspond to what Baal HaSulam writes? And generally, what is this: being in an unconscious state or a manifestation of revelation before the Machsom?

A person can feel joy in the state of concealment for several reasons. If he is in single concealment, he feels his belonging to the Creator and justifies the Creator because this is a goal-oriented influence on him. He understands that all of this has a reason, a meaning and a good result. It does not matter that now he feels bad, because he is still going towards the correct Goal. Why “correct”? Because the Creator governs him. This means that he is definitely going to the correct Goal. And right now he feels bad, but what can you do? He says, “I’ll tolerate it.” Do you understand? He does not understand or sufficiently realize that “tolerating it” is not good, that he can change things now so his attitude will not be, “I’ll tolerate it.” If you are tolerating it, this means that you are still blaming the Creator and you are still in opposition to Him.

There is a lot to say here. Joy also comes from realizing that you are nevertheless in the process together with everyone else, with the group, and that you are fulfilling Kabbalists’ advice. And this way, you have an indication or at least some kind of justification that you have done something of what they tell you, and therefore you’ve advanced yourself forward in dissemination; you’ve performed a successful action such as a lecture or something else. All of this brings satisfaction. You should never run away from this. You shouldn’t think that, “If I feel good, this means that I have stolen from some kind of a future state.” No.

Question: How can we demand a good action in dissemination, the correct action of dissemination?

First of all, the correct action of dissemination is when we understand that by doing this we are building one common soul that is in its corrected state. We only have to bring whatever seems to exist to us to this state.

What does it mean, “We have to bring the un-corrected souls to the corrected state?” We have to change our perception of the world so it will seem to us that all of the separated souls are becoming connected with each other. After all, this is inside of us; this is our perception. We have to correct ourselves. We do not have to gather them together.

So why do I influence the world? In order to correct my perception of the world, and then I will see that the whole world, prior to me and generally always, was completely and absolutely connected, integral, absolutely perfect and fulfilled. So why did I gather them together? Why did I disseminate and do all this? It was in order to correct myself, my vision, or my perception of reality.

But nevertheless, time is working well. It is because today people are literally grasping these phrases; well, not immediately, but after a year or two. But this is called “immediately,” and this is nevertheless quick. In the past it was impossible to even open your mouth about this because people could think, “You have to get some rest, buddy. You know, Kabbalah, people say it causes problems,” and so on. Today it is already possible to talk about this since people have matured for this.

Question: The process you described to us at the beginning of today’s meeting, about the interest of bankers, leaders, political leaders…

What does “interest” mean? They are feeling a necessity for something besides money. The emptiness remains. Another billion dollars will not help. Something must be done. A person feels bad! Do you understand? It eats at him inside, and that’s it. Something must be done and this emptiness has to be somehow fulfilled.

And so they begin to subconsciously feel that they may possibly be fulfilled in these actions. This Kli did not exist in the past; there was no one to speak with. They looked at you like, “What’s wrong with you, buddy? What are you lacking? Here’s life, here’s reality, here are the numbers, the percentages, the dividends, and so on. Everything is clear. You earn money and you go out to have fun. This is what enjoyment, the future, security and so on depend on.”

Now this no longer exists. A new empty Kli has appeared. You can no longer fulfill them with all of this. They are trying to do it with something else. In addition, I am saying that this is felt precisely by the people who have everything. They feel this. But a small person on the street does not. He thinks, “Yes, if I were a sultan, then that’s it, nothing more would be necessary.” But a sultan understands that all of this is also no longer necessary.

Question: I have an impression that this is happening in the whole world except the State of Israel. Is this a correct feeling?

Well, the State of Israel is special.

Question: That is, this state?

About Israel—yes. There it won’t happen so simply. But we hope that we will influence this, the worst point in the world, through the rest of the world.

Of course, as Baal HaSulam writes, Jerusalem was the center of holiness, and it became the place of the greatest impurity. It happens the same way during descent; the highest point falls to the very bottom and becomes worse than everyone else. “Makom ha Klipa ve Tuma,” instead of “Makom ha Kdusha.”

Therefore in Israel, naturally, this process will happen in a worse way than in all other places. But the prophet writes the same thing. How does the prophet put this? Baal HaSulam also indicated this, that the nations of the world will take the sons of Israel on their shoulders and bring them to the Land of Israel to build the Third Temple.

Therefore, they won’t come on their own. You know, it’s like a small child who tumbles and you pick him up in your arms so he has nowhere to go and... well, speaking gently. But in principle, it will happen in this way. It is indicated in a very interesting way. This is precisely why it is said, “They will reforge these swords into ploughs,” and so on. All of this is said in connection to this.

This is why we are disseminating in the whole world. It is because we are finding a huge number of people in the whole world who are listening. But we have to say that this is true in Israel as well. Society is changing very much. But I think that this is interconnected. And if we succeed in the surrounding world, then naturally we will have something with which to turn to Israel. Because the Israeli nation depends, or feels that it is completely dependant, on or a part of the greater world. They do not feel that they are God-chosen in any way. This is why we have to disseminate everywhere.

Besides this, Baal HaSulam and especially Rav Kook as well… Right now we published the book “Shnei Meorot ha Gdolim” about Rav Kook and Baal HaSulam. Benzion Gertz compiled it. They all say that this movement must be mutual, meaning that dissemination has to happen everywhere. People received Kabbalah from Abraham, held on to it for five thousand years, and now they must give it away, that’s it.

As it is said, in principle the Creator created this methodology for the nations of the world, but since it was impossible to pass it to them as there was no desire, there was no ready Kli, therefore He passed it only to a small group of people. Just as today it still exists among a small group of people. Back then it was in Ancient Babylon, among those Babylonians, Abraham and his students who came to be called “the Nation of Israel.” This group, the Kabbalistic group, did not differ from other people in any way by its structure or in any way. Afterwards they fell from their level and became like the others.

But now, when the nations of the world have risen to the level when they are beginning to grasp this idea, the individuals who existed in that Kabbalistic group, the Kabbalists who exist, now have to pass this on to everyone. What does it mean, to everyone? To anyone at all in whom the desire for the Goal of creation is beginning to arise and to be conceived. The time has arrived. They did this throughout all of history anyway. There were Kabbalists who taught the nations of the world. Ramhal and Abulafia did this in the Middle Ages, centuries ago. Other Kabbalists had taught the ancient Greeks, and philosophy came from this.

That is, in principle, Kabbalah was not concealed to a great extent. It was concealed only because people were not sufficiently developed to grasp it. But today you see that all of this is falling apart, it’s broken. And the Zohar stated long in advance that this had to happen.

Therefore, we have to bring everyone to a common denominator through an absolutely general dissemination to anyone at all.

Question: You once said that passing the Machsom in Israel is more difficult but quicker than in other countries. What can we do in the US so here it will also be more difficult, but at the same time faster?

Well, about “more difficult,” this is correct, but you should absolutely not aspire for it to be more difficult. If it unwillingly becomes more difficult, then it happens. But it can happen quicker only by disseminating, and nothing else. To the degree that we disseminate, groups will gather and American or Latin-American groups will meet and study through the Internet. Only by disseminating, and nothing else. And the quality will be reflected in quantity, and vice versa, the quantity in quality. Everything is necessary, both things. You have to look for forms of dissemination. You have to search. I do not know how else to explain this and how else to convince you of this.

I think that the most important thing in dissemination is books. Today, no matter how much we try to do this through the Internet, through films, or through anything, the book is still the most... I mean the text, not even on the screen, but more so in the book. Precisely this text carries a greater spiritual force than everything else. The book has a spiritual root.

Nothing is happening yet with your book dissemination in America. Today we were at Barnes and Noble with Jenya Fridkin and we asked about it. They told us that these books are in their catalog but no one has asked about them for months at all in that whole area, in Manhattan. So, what? What dissemination can we be talking about, and you ask, “How can we disseminate?” We already discussed this topic. And this is what is resulting.

Enter the store once a month, spend 20 dollars and buy a book. The fact that it is in demand will be recorded. They may not order it immediately, so there may be one or two, or ten new books ordered, but gradually this will happen. For example, there are 100 of you. If 100 people bought one book every month, spending 15 or 20 dollars a month, nothing more is necessary. Just imagine what you would be doing! And give these books to people you know. By doing this you will cause all of these books to pass through the store. This will be registered on their computers. You will give these 100 books to others. You will think about what you have to do with this book and how you will give it to someone as a gift. This will be your dissemination.

This does not interest us. From the point of view of material gain, there is no profit here. It is because it costs us 20-25 thousand dollars to publish one book. After all, a great number of people work on this. And when we receive the income from selling the book in the store, this is perhaps 10% of what we had spent on it. Therefore, this is not important for us. Naturally, this is all at our loss.

None of our media produces a profit, none. But we are doing this in order to work with texts, in order to disseminate, and in order for people to sit in our center and prepare themselves for writing and working with the material correctly. We have over 50 full time salaried workers, outside of the people around the world who help us and work no less than them.

We'll stop it if we don’t need books in English. What will we do then? We will never be able to produce a normal product. In order to reach the production level of a normal product, we will have to develop, write a lot and publish a lot. This is the only way we can learn to do this correctly, in a way that is closer to the reader. You will not be able to do it in any other way, as it is impossible to jump up to a very high level immediately. Do you understand?

As a result, when all of this is done and reaches the final moment, when you have already put all of your efforts and everything you have into it, produced it, and it has been published somewhere here in America or in Canada, after that it lays in the warehouse. And you are asking me, “How should we disseminate?” I do not know what kind of question this is. Honestly, I think that this is mockery after we perform such great work.

Question: You mentioned that a book about Rav Kook is being published…

It is already out.

Question (cont.): Can you please say a little about this book and whether it is…

No, this book is in Hebrew, not in Russian or English. I don’t know, maybe it will be worthwhile to translate it to English. We must first study the market for this book. It is because it is intended only for religious people, and only for a specific portion of these religious people. Maybe there are enough of them in America to translate it into English, I don’t know. But if we translate it, then I do not know how we should publish and whether that will be necessary; perhaps it should only be used for the Internet. If it will be only for the Internet, then we do not need special language; we do not have to polish it to the last degree. In that case perhaps this will be done by volunteers, somehow here and there, and placed on the Internet.

This book talks about these two Kabbalists of the 20^th century. They are the only two great Kabbalists of the 20^th century. Rav Kook died in 1935, and Baal HaSulam, in 1955, but they determined the last phases of Kabbalah’s development. After that Rabash, my Rav, already compiled them together, completed them and published five volumes of articles that prepare a person for inner work. And in principle everything ended with this.

What remains for us is to study and further adapt what they did for a small person in this world who awakens toward the spiritual. They wrote all of this intending it for a person who is traditionally religious, who knows the Hebrew and Aramaic languages, as well as how to read The Zohar and other sources such as The Torah, The Prophets, the Holy Scriptures, The Mishna, the Babylonian Talmud, The Jerusalem Talmud, and Midrash Raba, that is, the books that were written from Abraham’s times to our day. Do you understand?

Naturally, even a modern person, and even a modern person in Israel who knows Hebrew, does not understand or know these books and cannot read them. People such as young Israelis who graduated from tertiary educational institutions, or at least high school, open these books and cannot read them. They do not understand the language, their native language, or why it is written this way; they do not see the inner meaning of the sentences, they cannot connect the words, and the sentence turns out to be unconnected for them.

This means that in order to make the ides accessible… After all, I cannot sit in front of every person and explain it to him, directing and redirecting him the way I do this for example with the 200-250 people who study with us, or several thousand others who study through the Internet. For this we have to create intermediary literature that will explain, firstly, the idea to everyone, to people who are farthest away from this, and for those who are only at the beginning of their spiritual development.

This means that we must first explain the idea. After that, from that idea, we should teach them some of the general notions and definitions that are absolutely opposite to the generally accepted, worldly definitions. We have to teach them to read in the language of the roots (Sfat ha Anafim), spiritual roots and branches, and somehow bring them closer to the primary sources, because the real Upper Light is only in the primary sources. They do not have to be primary sources in Hebrew or Aramaic; let them be in Russian, or English, but nevertheless, the text must convey the flow of these ideas, presenting them as closely as possible to the words of the great Kabbalists. It is because the syntax (word order) there clearly takes you inside of your Kli from one state to the next, from one to the next and to the next. They build different states inside of you. It is like when you play an instrument, when you can press any... And if you press it correctly and in the correct order, in the correct sound frequency and so on, and hold it for the correct duration, then a melody comes out, a harmony, the correct perception, filling of the Kli and so on. This is what they do to us when we read their sentences.

But making their sentences correct in translation requires a great number of people who will study how to translate this correctly into different languages. And after that we have to teach a person nevertheless to read these words correctly. It is because in English and other languages, they will not seem fluent; they will seem incorrect, or something will not seem right. He needs to read it and tune it inside of himself as a musical instrument, in unison with the Upper Light.

This is delicate work. This is Tikkun—the correction. In principle, everything is there, but it is only tuned incorrectly. Therefore, there is still a lot of work to be done here. But this is what we have to do. That is, practically, we have to take the Kabbalistic sources in all languages (this does not matter) and translate them into the main languages of the world.

At first people grasp the idea, and after that they begin to understand the language in which this idea is written and how it is laid out. After that they begin to tune into it and go through an adaptation process so that they will begin unifying with it in their inner perceptions, desires, attainment and fulfillment, until they fully adapt to this different perception of the Universe. Do you understand? That is, you lead him into a completely different world. We have to do all of this. They left this to us.

The women can also ask something. Please.

Question: What book would you recommend to a person who only wants to become acquainted with Kabbalah, but for someone who is very intellectual, a man?

My dear, I already see you at our lessons for several years. Questions such as, “What book would you recommend?” are not for me. You yourself have to know all of our books in all languages, the short summaries of every book, and understand what book to offer someone. Otherwise what are you doing, if you don’t know what to offer your friend? I do not know him. You know him. This means that you’re saying that you don’t know our material.

Go on the Internet and look at what is written there about every book; there are short summaries there. If this is not enough for you, ask for more and you will find everything out. Otherwise, why do we publish the description of all the books? Precisely for you to see what is in front of you and what source is most suitable for him in your opinion.

I do not deal with such questions. Even if I could offer something, I do not know if this person is developed, not developed, and developed or not in which regard, and what and how. You yourself have to do this; this is your action in this world.

I can tell you only one thing: if I did not disseminate, I would have remained on the same minimal level I had when I came to Rabash. It is because I came to him in 1981, when I already began teaching Kabbalah in Tel Aviv in different institutions. In 1985 (even earlier, in 1983) I brought Berg’s entire crew to him—40 people, all of them lecturers with all their best students, young guys. In 1984 I published my first three books. All of this happened next to him. After that I did not publish until 1991. But I still constantly worked on dissemination. I worked on educating the group that I brought to him. After that I slightly separated from them in order to be closer to Rabash, but I still never stopped disseminating. If I did not work on this, I would not have been able to understand or attain anything. This was only thanks to dissemination.

There is absolutely no other method to develop your Kli besides attaching others to it. Your point in the heart will remain a point until you attach other Kelim to it. They have to be attached precisely by your efforts to connect with them. In our world, on our level, this is dissemination or attraction.

If you are asking me about what to give your friend (and I already see you here for several years), then this is not good. This is a bad state. Your only opportunity to develop is not being realized.

I am saying this to you very seriously, because no other place can compare to the US. We do not have other places liks this; for example, we cannot point to Germany where we have two and a half people studying with us.

Dissemination is happening in Vienna to the degree that they are able to do this. But it is a very specific situation there, a Viennese group of Bokharan Jews among Germans. And even so, they are doing very big things. They have recently opened a center, people are coming to them, and they are giving lectures at universities and different places.

But in the big cities of Russia such as Moscow and St. Petersburg, work is going on there in full force. Take an example from the St. Petersburg group; they are more advanced than you. Excuse me for saying so, but they have been on the map for two-three years and the things they have managed to do in those two years have advanced them. They have such understanding, impressions, perceptions, Avhanot, analysis, and such fine definitions that I don’t know who would have them in America. It is because they are working on this. These are very serious groups.

I regret saying such unpleasant things to you, but I pity you.

Understand that there is a different state in Europe; there are all kinds of conventionalities there: what’s allowed, what’s not, different religions and prejudices. But America is a free country; therefore there are no such justifications here. This is not even Russia, where today there are many problems with Kabbalah and generally with everything that’s “unpatriotic,” so to say.

Therefore, I do not know why, but a lot can be added here.

Question: How do inner preparation and dissemination combine with and complement each other?

They are the same thing. Do you not understand this one single thought: that a person grows to the degree that he is integrated into the Kli of Adam ha Rishon. That is, I cannot feel anything inside of me. My perception of the Universe happens in other souls to the degree that they manifest before me, together with me. The picture of the world manifests through other souls, not through myself.

Therefore dissemination is my creation of my own Kli. What am I concretely doing by this? I attach to myself that which I clearly lack, which is clearly missing, which is clearly not connected. That is, I am, of course, connected with all the souls, but this is not evident to me. This is why it seems to me that I am cut off from them, and this is why I perceive such a small world—this world. The Upper Worlds will manifest to the degree that I will clarify my connection with other souls in an increasingly greater integral Kli that I reveal, as one connected between myself and them.

My inclusion into this common integral Kli happens in five phases called “five worlds.” When I completely include myself in this integral Kli, it is called “Gmar Tikkun” or “the World of Infinity.” That is all. This is why my dissemination is my creation of my own personal, individual Kli. This is why dissemination is inseparable from spiritual attainment. Therefore take an example from the people with whom I studied with Rabash and what is happening there, unfortunately. It is because they are not working on dissemination.

Look at what Baal HaSulam writes about dissemination. Do you think he is writing this so you will serve the whole world? Do you really need this? If you are thinking about whether you need this or not, this means…

I understand that you do not perceive the whole Kli that is before you correctly, that this is you, that this is yours. “A person is a small world” (Adam Hu Zeh Olam Katan). This speaks of the fact that everything you perceive is what you perceive inside of you. And the more you compress all of this in you as one whole, the higher you will ascend spiritually. There are no ascents or descents. Integrate this Kli; maximally connect it inside. We perceive everything according to “Love your neighbor as yourself,” (Ve Ahavta le Recha Kamocha)—do good for your neighbor. We do not perceive that this is a part of me that is separated from me right now in the state of the Creator’s concealment.

Well, all of these are problems, what can we say? Did I come here to read moral teachings to you? But what’s interesting is that really a great number of people today are becoming more ready for this. Let us hope that this mass will pass from quantity to quality, and this way it will nevertheless reflect on all of us.

The Creator is giving us astounishing opportunities. No matter where we meet with people and where we encounter people, doors are opening for us everywhere; people understand and people want. Do we encounter these kinds of people coincidentally? Naturally, this is not everyone, but…

Understand that 20-30 years ago it was really an absurdity to speak about disseminating Kabbalah. But Baal HaSulam wrote and shouted about this 80 years ago. This seems as something childish and naïve to us, that he traveled to Poland, to that anti-Semitic country, in the 30’s to participate in different May 1^st and workers’ movement demonstrations there. He wanted to somehow connect the workers’ movement with the idea about universal equality, brotherhood and so on, with union with the Creator. Even today when we look at this, we think, “What a child he was. In that time people did not understand that this is not socialism but that it is some kind of deformity. And he also did not understand, just like the others. Well, it happens." This is our reasoning about him.

Well, let’s talk about something else, or should we go to sleep? Give me a topic. We have finished this one.

Question: Can I ask a question about single and double concealment?

Go ahead.

Question: He said that all of these things are different states a person goes through and perceives. At the same, we seem to study them with our mind, when we study…

No, we do not study the states of single and double concealment, or generally these revelations. “We study all states in the mind.” Our mind only realizes that which we attain in feelings.

Question (cont.):When we read about them, we read…

We read about them, but we cannot understand anything about them unless we have gone through these states. I think that there are already people here who have already gone through something more or less, and therefore from what they went through they understand that you will not understand anything unless you go through it. It is because the mind does not build anything on its own, but it only analyzes what you went through or what you felt, building a more or less general, speculative picture from it.

Question: How does this picture help a person come closer to what he hasn’t gone through yet?

How does this picture help? It doesn’t. This is why I say that we never know what the following state will be, as it happens absolutely unexpectedly. You cannot imagine it in any way. The mind will not help you in any way until you have a sensitive Kli. Not in any way! You need the mind only to check Kabbalists’ advice and carry out what they say in order to feel it faster.

Whatever a person does not feel does not exist. The mind does not create any basis for this. Read the articles of Shamati again, Baal HaSulam explains it there. We perceive only what passes through our feelings as reality. And we can obligate ourselves to fulfill it, carry it out, move and do anything else only to this degree. But our mind cannot obligate us to do anything, nothing at all. You can persuade me for 20 years straight that it’s harmful to smoke. And I will tell you, “Yes, it’s harmful. So what? But it’s pleasant.” And it is this way with everything.

Therefore the most important thing is to reach faith, “Emuna.” Faith refers to a sensation of the Creator. A person has very many different sensations. One sensation is called “faith;” this is the sensation of the Creator. And all of the other sensations are also sensations. But when you begin to feel the Creator in all of your sensations, this will be called “total faith,” that is, when your whole Kli is filled by the Creator.

Question: How can I hold myself in the highest state, in order not to slide down afterwards?

How can one hold himself in his highest state in order to avoid sliding down, so God-forbid, he will not feel bad, or painful? I will feel bad again, I will separate again. So it’s better to remain in this state, in this easy, carefree state where I understand everything.

A person should never try to hold himself in any state. Naturally, this happens unwillingly due to our egoism. But one should never consciously be inside of his state. A person must always be above his state. This is why it is called “Emuna le Mala mi ha Daat.” That is, one must ascend to such a level of consciousness that in principle I don’t care what state I now feel, good or bad; I care only that this state will be connected to the Creator. And then I will feel it as positive. And it does not matter what it will really be like now or in the future.

Being above your state is called “Emuna le Mala mi ha Daat,” that is, seeing and feeling the Creator, a connection with the Creator, when I don’t care about what happens to my flesh. This has to be what holds you. If a person constantly tries to hold himself this way, as if hanging above his body, above his sensation, then he advances correctly. He quickly works through all of his sensations and comes to the state where his sensations and his faith come together. Ohr Hochma clothes into Ohr Hassadim. This is what we said at the beginning of our discussion, that Aba ve Ima perform Zivug de Hakaa due to a person’s plea, his work, his MAN. Although Hochma and Hassadim, faith and knowledge, understanding and sensation are absolutely opposite, they connect together into one general picture, where from above a person is brought to the state when Ohr Hochma enters Ohr Hassadim in a person. This is called “total knowledge” or “total faith.”

Question: What can or what should the North American groups bring to the South American Congress in Chile?

South America is advancing well. By the way, groups in Africa are appearing, and they are big groups of almost a hundred people. There are surprises waiting for you.

About the group in Chile and generally the Latin American group, they are developing swiftly and they are good groups, strong groups that can maintain and support themselves, who have great influence and connections. This is gradually, gradually developing and being worked out.

About the congress, I do not know. You have to request and receive the appropriate permission. You will speak to Avihu today or tomorrow. He will tell you what should be done about this and how you can sign up or do something. Perhaps the number of spaces is limited, or maybe it’s the opposite—everyone who wants to can come. I do not know anything about this as I am not the organizer.

But of course, it should be arranged so that everyone who wants to can be there. What should you bring there? Simply your good mood, cheerfulness and faith in the Goal, and you should participate with them in the same work. It is because I do not know how you can help them there, but you can help them with your advice and experience because you have more of it than them, although they are developing very quickly, on one hand. On the other hand, they can help you because probably a third of the people in the US are Latin Americans whose native language is Spanish. Therefore, it’s natural that you can think of some kind of dissemination among them.

Besides that, right now a book is being published in Spanish (I think by “Penguin,” I do not remember exactly) called “The Planet” which you will be able to disseminate.

Besides that, there are very many interesting activities, including a big international congress in Mexico next year. Maybe you can organize something around it as well. I do not know. All of this depends on…

Find out about this from our people who are working on this. We have a whole department that works with Latin America, working together with the groups in Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Argentina. And please, participate in some way.

I do not know, you are asking me about such fine details that I do not know exactly. “How is the congress organized, what should we bring there exactly?” Naturally, bring your aspiration for the Goal.

Question: Besides preparing, is there any other way to lie to one’s egoism when it seemingly objectively wants to rest or do something else, to liberate itself from working and studying?

I will tell you that this depends only on the group and nothing more, only on the group. You can stretch the time of preparation to reveal the Creator and pass the Machsom for many many years, or you can compress is so that it will take just one or two years, not more. I simply don’t imagine that it is possible in less time. But I think that it is possible in that time. Baal HaSulam writes that this takes from three to five years, but I think that this can be accelerated even more.

How can it be accelerated? Only through the group. Do I have to repeat the same thing? There is nothing else besides what you know. All of this comes from the system itself, when we understand the system or the fact that we are all one integral soul in the correct state, filled by one Light, interconnected among itself, equivalent to the Light or the Creator in its Kli. The Kli is similar to the Light and therefore the soul is filled by it. Coming from this state, you have to think, “What state am I in right now? How can I come to the corrected state?” There’s the whole methodology for you; there is nothing to it. Everything is natural and revealed to you. There are no secrets.

A secret is that which is concealed from you by double or single concealment. This is called “a secret” and this is why Kabbalah is called “a secret teaching.” Why is it “secret”? Because it gradually reveals to you something that is concealed, and how to reveal that concealed thing.

Baal HaSulam explains what a secret means. It is anything that I do not know today but I will know tomorrow. Today something can be either non-existent for me or secret. For a scientist it is a secret. He researches it and does not know what it is and how it works. But this is not a secret to a person who does not research it, as it does not exist at all. This is why we have to make many, many efforts to realize that we exist in secrecy or in concealment. And from this, to continue on to revelation.

But the methodology itself comes from the reality of the picture. You cannot add anything artificial to it. You cannot say to a person, “Dance on the table and you will attain, accelerating your advancement.” Why? Explain this to me in the system of the Universe that consists of Adam ha Rishon, the common Kli, the common creation filled by the Light. Or the same thing in our state, when this creation is broken into the smallest pieces and therefore there is no Light.

How can we bring one state to the next? With the help of influencing the corrected state in us. This is what hangs over us, this corrected state where we are all together, interconnected in one system, filled by the Light, as Adam ha Rishon in the World of Infinity. How can we bring ourselves to this? We have to aspire towards this state. Then you imagine your Kli, your Hisaron, your desire, or your MAN, and you aspire towards it. To the degree you aspire, the Surrounding Light will influence you. That is, your corrected state (that’s connected together with everyone and is filled) glows on you. And that’s all. And this glow pulls you up to the corrected state. [lost sound]

What did the Light create? The will to enjoy. This means that we are the will to enjoy. We perceive fulfillment as enjoyment. We perceive absence of fulfillment as suffering. There is nothing more. Of course, we perceive the Creator as something that fulfills us.

Question: In this case, it turns out that you become someone who automatically receives?

So what that I receive? I am filled by the Creator. Yes. Everything depends on intention. Why do I do this? In order to give Him enjoyment just as He desires to do this for me. This dual interrelation creates adhesion.

Question: Does this happen simultaneously?

Yes, it has to be simultaneous because the Light fills the Kli to the degree of their equivalence.

Question: Is a person capable of doing this, of simultaneously unifying his perception, meaning that he enjoys…

This is the same thing, because we perceive it this way inside of us. Who is the Creator? This is what I perceive in my inner Kli. I do not perceive anything on the outside; nothing exists around me.

Question: But who… but where…

It is my perception showing me that something exists around me. This is not outside of me, but inside of me. And I also perceive the Creator in myself, as my personal attribute of bestowal that I have acquired.

Question: But there is something else there, the One who…

This is all an inner perception. “The One who,” inside, outside, it does not matter what. These are all my inner perceptions that are gradated into things that are closer and farther away. But this is inside of me.

Question: And is there any kind of disconnection there?

There is disconnection, but it is my inner Kli that’s gradated into many different degrees of similarity to the attribute of bestowal or the Creator’s attribute. And therefore I perceive Him in such different forms and metamorphoses.

We slowly adapt. They began working well in that film, “What the Bleep.” They tried somewhat to understand and find a method of explanation, naturally, a general one.

We had many lessons where we studied the methodology of attainment, as much as it is possible to explain it.

In Kabbalah we study that there is only one single Kli that consists of five parts: Keter, Hochma, Bina, Zeir Anpin and Malchut; and that this one single Kli in the broken form separates or divides into two parts, GE (Galgalta Eynaim) and AHP. We can correct GE; this is what seems as our inner attributes to us, and the AHP seems to be our outer attributes because we cannot correct it until Gmar Tikkun. And this is why the whole world divides into “I” and “what surrounds me;” because my perception is divided into these two parts. That is, my perception divides my perceptions into two parts: supposedly me, and supposedly that which surrounds me. That is all.

So this is a problem. When we change our inner perception, correcting the Kli, we begin seeing the whole Universe differently. We see a different picture. But we have to feel this. The time will come when we will not have to say anything with words.

This is the same as right now. Can you explain to me what it means that “I see”? What does “I see” mean? Something stimulates my retina, something penetrates inside, some kind of electric or biochemical signals, and then everything turns into some kind of a picture. Does this picture have any relation to what supposedly exists before me? What if I had… It seems to me that I see with my eyes and that I interact with the external world. But this is my illusion. This interaction with the outside world does not exist; there is no outside world. This is only how my biochemical reactions depict it for me.

Question: It is still unclear, if a person goes through… does he immediately begin feeling pleasure from connecting with the Creator? Does he immediately fall? How does this happen?

No; other questions. I think that all of you are tired.

Question: Rav, the last question. You said that a person begins perceiving everyone in the group as corrected, and himself as a cancerous cell. In principle this perception does not give a person pleasure. How…

No, why doesn’t it give him pleasure? This is incorrect. I will tell you why. I perceive myself as uncorrected relative to everyone else, whom I see in the corrected state. I see that they love each other, I see that they treat each other correctly and they aspire to connect with each other with all their strength. And I see myself relative to them as the only one who is uncorrected, the only harmful element, as a cancerous cell, right?

The very perception of my state causes me suffering. Together with it, it brings forth pleasure in me. What kind? Due to the fact that I saw the truth. I saw the truth. Right now I saw myself in reality, in opposition to all the others. I saw the true picture. I am happy due to the revelation of the truth. I have two feelings, but I am nevertheless happy that I advanced in my attainment, that I felt something new and correct.

And a person does not want to leave this. He aspires again, again, and again not to exit this state and remain in it because it is true. And the truth gives him enjoyment. It does not matter that I am an egoist and that I am the worst one. This allows me to begin feeling how much I want to get out of this state because I begin to hate it. Hate means that I separate from it and aspire for a different state. That is, this sensation is valuable for me; it is like getting away from something bad, from a bad habit.

Question: Can I ask more? Does this means that a person sees himself as drilling a hole in the boat?

No, why “drilling a hole in the boat”? The truth has become revealed to me, the degree that I really drill a hole in the boat. This truth became revealed to me. It is not that the guys from the group come to me and say, “What are you doing?” It is that I now saw myself drilling a hole. Correct. And now with all of my might I aspire not to do this. But none of them tells me this; rather I say this to myself. Of course, I reveal that I am an egoist. What did you think?

But they do not kick me out. It is because I achieve this with my own efforts. And now, in this moment, when this revelation of evil happened, I aspire to… This revelation of evil happens parallel to or at the same time as I realize this state as evil and attract the Light of Correction upon me. And I go together with this. This Kli emerges in me together with its correction, and then again, the Kli together with its correction.

Question: Which states are more effective: when everything comes together in unity, or vice-versa, when there is a lot of contrast? Which is more effective?

We cannot tell. Sometimes it seems to a person that there are dead states, that at least weeks, months or years pass by and nothing changes. He simply does not feel that this is a cumulative process.

Well, what else?

Question: I would like to continue an earlier question. It turns out that you said that the states of drilling a hole in the boat are absolutely relative states, and that in general, everything is harmless. That it is not really it. In principle, it will force me to pay attention to it. But is it worthwhile to…

There are no dangerous states except one—when you do not carry out the directions of the group and the Kabbalists. This state can be dangerous because you will simply not be on the path, you will harm others, and accordingly, this will also return to you many times greater. That is all. What does it mean, dangerous or not dangerous?

Question: That is, for me, the hole in boat can ruin me because I will change, change the picture…

Yes.

Question (cont.):This can ruin me personally.

Yes.

Question (cont.): And in that case, moving in this direction, I practically study new states, build a chain and look at my state from the side, that I was drilling a hole in the past. It already seems different to me—positive. And in principle, this leads me forward. Isn’t this good for me?

Who says that you are drilling a hole in the boat? You say this about yourself or others tell you this?

Question (cont.): I reason this way about myself…

You about yourself. Very good. This means that you have reached the state when you see that you drill a hole in the boat and that you alone hate everyone. They are all studying intensively and want to achieve “love you neighbor as yourself” with all their might inside of their group, because this is the condition for receiving the Creator inside of oneself, for connecting with Him and merging with Him. You are the only one in your group who hates everyone and pushes them away, but at the same time you see how much they aspire for this. So what are you asking? You yourself have reached the realization of evil this way. You reached it yourself; others did not bring you to this.

If someone comes to you and says, “Look, what are you doing!” you do not understand this as you did not reach it yourself. They give you an ultimatum and say, “Listen, you cannot continue this way.” This does not mean that you have reached the realization of evil. They reveal this evil for you and give you an ultimatum, “Either you will act this way, or goodbye.” Then you have only one opportunity: to comply or to leave. But this does not mean that you have realized it. You accept this as a necessary condition for further development to the point or the moment when you will see and realize this yourself.

Why do you need this state? Is this not coercion? There is no coercion in the spiritual. This is necessary to elevate you above the usual state in which you exist, as an animal that exists in its desires and that’s all. But you must have two levels in order to advance toward the spiritual: my current state and that to which I aspire and try to realize in myself. When these two states are present in you, the difference between them is MAN, the aspiration for the Upper Level.

This is why the group always sets a higher state for you and tells you, “You are obligated!” You are obligated. No one is interested in whether you desire this or not. You have to; if you want to be in the group, you are obligated to accept this higher state as a standard about which you dream. That’s it.

This means that there is a difference in who indicates your evil to you: either you do it yourself, or the group does it. If it’s the group then you have to comply even though you don’t want to. When you see this evil yourself, you do not need to comply or refrain from complying. This perception of evil itself pushes you out of it.

Question: How can I see the evil myself? How do I know it?

It will come, don’t worry. And you will suddenly see that you are not such a righteous man.

Question: If a person is joyful because he sees evil in himself, then when will he come to the state of Mi Busha, if he has to be joyful due to being this way?

He is simultaneously ashamed.

Question: But how can these two combine?

It is because he perceives his state as evil and at the same time he is happy because he feels that this state advances him toward the Goal. It’s unclear? God-forbid that this example is about us: a person went through a medical examination and it was discovered that he had a horrible illness. When he heard this—that was it. And at the same time the doctor tells him, “Here is a prescription and a 100% effective medicine.” Is he in two feelings or not? Yes. So that’s it.

Ok, until tomorrow. [applause]

Кабала Медіа

Кабала Медіа

My LibrarySign in to like, save and subscribe to videos

Смерть эго

Смерть эго

Смерть эго

Кабала МедіаCopyright © 2003-2026 Бней Барух – Асоціація Кабала Ла-Ам, Всі права захищені

My Library
Sign in to like, save and subscribe to videos

Кабала Медіа
Copyright © 2003-2026 Бней Барух – Асоціація Кабала Ла-Ам, Всі права захищені