Comment:

My Response: Relax and do not try to change anything. Drift calmly with the flow of life. Accept what is. Everything that happens is done by the Creator. So, do not contradict Him, but feel connected to Him at every moment.

Question: What can we do with the fears that constantly spur a person?

Answer: There will be no fears! Because fear stems from wanting to secure a specific future for yourself. But that doesn’t exist here.

Question: So fear arises when you do not agree with Him?

Answer: Yes. But here that isn’t the case. The future vanishes; it simply isn’t there. In other words, every moment is like passing away and leaving nothing behind. There is peace. What has been, will be. You know, like the inscription on Solomon’s ring?

Question: Yes. So you think that if a person gets used to this formula, if he lives it, exists with it, then it will free him from fears and even from pain?

Answer: It is not just about being free from fear and pain, but also about being properly connected with nature, with the Creator.

Question: What is the result of it?

Answer: This will give you a connection with the Creator, peace, closeness, and simply connection.
[358326]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman,” 6/23/26

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They say that the light of faith must be like the light that has departed.

With this light they can live. This is already the second phase, the quality of Binah. If he is capable of this, then what remains for him further is only complete, perfect faith.

These are the states we go through in one way or another. We still do not understand how we are doing this. And although all these states are also within the will to receive, this is a real preparation for the true degrees.

It is necessary to value that we are given the sensation of darkness. This is a sign that we have already received the possibility to develop our Kelim (vessels) from above. Therefore, the time of the departure of the light is a blessed time, the time of building the Kelim.

The fact that we get frightened, fall, fear these states, and sometimes feel that they are worse than death for us  is the feeling of our animate part. But in the spiritual Kli this state must lead to the possibility of ascent.

A person must distinguish two parts within oneself: their animal part suffers, but it is precisely at this moment that their soul must rise. It receives the possibility to awaken toward faith and to receive the light of faith. To rise means to feel how great the Creator is.

At what moment can I feel that He is great in my eyes? If I receive much from Him. But can I say that the Creator is great when I do not receive from Him, and moreover, when I receive darkness? Then I will not depend on my will to receive. To be great in the soul or great in the body (in the will to receive) are two different things.
[358490]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/29/26, Rabash, “One’s Greatness Depends on the Measure of One’s Faith in the Future”

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Question:

Answer: No, if I think that everything comes from above, such an approach will not solve my problems or free me from my work.

All states are sent to us by the Creator; I must relate to this as a cause. But afterward, the Creator requires me to work both internally and externally. Just as I relate to my inner enemies and those who hate me, so too should be my attitude toward them in the external world.

The external must correspond completely to the internal. If you were to deal with the enemies within your soul, you would immediately see changes in the external world.

Gradually, people discover that there is no external solution to this problem. If you are unable to descend to a lower degree, to dig deeper, and see the true cause, then only crazy ideas come to your head and nothing more. There is no solution.

A person who does not descend to the level where the causes are revealed simply burns through life; he remains an animal. And no matter how much suffering he experiences, he will not achieve anything. He will live or be killed, but he truly lives only when he begins to connect all his states with the Creator, but only in a purposeful way. This is what all our work consists of.

Through these states, we gradually come to understand the necessity of revealing the divine. This is already a lower degree, when you do not want the Creator to reveal Himself as the one who brings evil, and then you establish connection with Him. A demand develops to perceive the Creator as a good cause rather than an evil one, and not because you feel bad. You simply do not want to relate to the upper force in such a way.
[358444]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/23/26, Rabash, “What Is the Importance of the Groom, that His Iniquities Are Forgiven?”

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Question:

Answer: Joy is the result of the revelation of the Creator. The fact that He reveals Himself in such an obvious and clear form is a sign that the Creator is giving us the opportunity to correct this state.

If you do not connect this situation with the Creator, then of course you cannot be happy. You have no reason for it. But as soon as you connect this state with Him, two kinds of happiness arise.

You can be happy knowing that you are being cared for, you are not forgotten: “That means it is not happening by chance, and I can relax a little and rest. It is as if I have applied something life-giving to my wounds, and I feel better. The Creator exists, and I am not working in vain.”

But this is a false joy. By rejoicing in this way, you have simply sweetened (bribed) your desire to receive. By doing so, you have not done any useful work, and you have not advanced spiritually.

The second kind of joy is when you can reveal the Creator, establish contact with Him, and make corrections through these states. I will explain this in greater detail: The state that we receive, whether it is external or internal, descends from above. In fact, it is not the state that descends from above, but the light that shines into my Kli.

My Kli, my desire to receive, is completely covered with sores and festering wounds, and the light shines on them. But I see these sores only in their external form, only their external manifestation: the hostility of the Arabs, wars, diseases, injustice. I do not feel these wounds within my own soul. But the upper light that shines upon it reveals to me that I am completely rotten from within.

You can associate all these external manifestations (diseases, suffering, enemies) with the Creator, but you must see that all of this is a reflection of your soul. All of this is happening inside you, within your soul.
[358318]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/23/26, Rabash, “What Is the Importance of the Groom, that His Iniquities Are Forgiven?”

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What Does It Mean to Prepare the Sensation?

According to the correction of the vessels, the Creator fills a person, dresses within them, and that is what the person feels. The preparation for this is the preparation of the sensations, the vessels.

A person who is hard of hearing buys a hearing aid. A nearsighted person buys glasses. Someone whose sense of taste is dull eats strongly flavored foods. A tired person drinks a cup of coffee to wake up a bit. If someone wants to heighten their sensitivity or stir their emotions, they might listen to special music. Various preparations are made in order to sharpen the senses.

Sometimes we see someone crying and it makes us laugh. At other times, someone tells us something ordinary and it brings us to tears. Everything depends on the person’s preparation.

We are in the most exalted state, that of final correction. However, due to our dull senses, we feel only a tiny fraction of it, and even in that tiny portion, we feel everything as the opposite of the final correction and curse our lives. The entire work of correction is the correction of our senses. This is “recognition of evil.” However, again the question arises: How can we know this if “the good” is concealed?

Baal HaSulam gives a parable about a wealthy man who locked his son in a dark basement with nothing but the food that was lowered down to him. The son cursed his father and saw him as a cruel torturer.. When he was finally taken outside and shown that there is another life beyond, his mental state worsened. He did not understand what was happening. He felt like the most miserable person in the world. These are exactly the kinds of states we go through.

Over time, we gradually learn from our state. What does “learn” mean? After his heart has been broken for twenty years, they bring light into the basement, and then he discovers all the treasures his father left there for him. He begins to understand that everything was done for his sake. And why was he in sorrow for twenty years? It was because he could not have digested all his wealth, in less time than that. Now he can. The vessel must be suited to the light, to the revelation.

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Comment:

My Response: I can only direct you to the path that leads to enlightenment.

Enlightenment is a ray of the upper light that comes to you, illuminates all your inner desires and thoughts, gathers them together, and enables you to evaluate and feel the world you exist in, to see it and enter into it. Then you truly begin to perceive the world, the universe, and its perfection.

Question: Does a person that they are not actually in this world?

Answer: Each of us exists in our own world. Since at present our perceptions are more or less similar, we call them “our world.” But one must go beyond its boundaries and discover that there are other states as well.

Question: What will a person see?

Answer: Governance. The governance over him. And the world that is depicted within him, he will see as an illusion. That is enlightenment.
[230422]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman,” 6/28/25

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Question:

Answer: The states the Creator sends to a person are not different from each other. They are all very simple and create a simple light that fills the entire reality. The states only seem different to you because the light has created a Kli containing many different properties.

And then, under the pressure of the simple light, as you move toward a simple goal, you feel as if you are experiencing different states: good and bad, coming in various forms, contradicting each other, opposite in essence and meaning. However, this is not true. All states come with only one purpose and according to the Creator’s plan—to delight the creation, and with only one intention—to push you toward the source.

The fact that you perceive it in various forms and cannot draw a connecting thread between separate situations while under the pressure of simple light, means that you have not yet reached a certain threshold. A specific trigger has not yet been activated in you; the right button has not yet been pressed that would allow you will see only one thing in each state.

On the contrary, if you start to delve into each state, dissecting it and questioning how it arrives and what it does, you only move further away from the correct action. The correct action is to see the Creator in each state, and remind you that here, in this place, as it is written: “In every place where I mention My Name, I will come to you and bless you.”

You should not overanalyze the state, it suffices to reveal that it was sent by the Creator. Once you have attained this realization—that is it, do not dig into the small details because this will only plunge you into the swamp of egoism. It is enough that you are in contact with the Creator, regardless of how you perceive this contact at the moment, whether in a positive or negative form.

To resolve this state, you need to connect it to the Creator. If you start complicating things, all your other actions will be mere speculation, devoid of spiritual value. The next state may be more profound in its essence, quality, and depth of scrutiny. But as soon as the right trigger mechanism activates in you, and you connect the new state to the Creator and ask to unite with Him—it will be on a higher degree.

That is, you can delve into the state only based on how the Creator illuminates and presents it to you. You cannot make decisions yourself. You cannot say: “Now I will delve deep into the state, into the left line.” You would lose the correct contact with the Creator that way. This is a Klipa (an evil force) that says, “No, you have to suffer to get into the depths of your egoism, and to see how bad you are.”

By no means. You only need this evil to turn to the Creator. You can do it now, immediately.
[358230]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/23/26, Rabash, “What Is the Importance of the Groom, that His Iniquities Are Forgiven?”

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What are ascents and descents?

At the moment I exert this effort, I am filled with self-confidence, pride, drive to move forward, and certainty that I will surely succeed. But at the very peak of my inspiration and enthusiasm, a descent suddenly befalls me.

This descent is meant to reveal to me that even at the utmost limit of my effort and inspiration, I am still very far from the goal. Each time, the more strength I exert and the harder I try to break through and move forward, seemingly succeeding and achieving something, the more I discover that I am actually drifting further and further from the goal. Each time, my state is shown to me in a truer light, and the truth is revealed to me more and more.

It turns out that, in this way, I develop two things within myself. First, the awareness that I am farther and farther from the goal. Second, the goal itself is becoming increasingly important to me. Therefore, I have no choice since it is absolutely necessary for me to attain this goal, and I understand that I am completely incapable of achieving it by my own strength. Then disappointment and despair come to me.

But I am not disappointed either in the goal itself, or in my desire to attain it. I am disappointed only in my own strength. I am fully determined to reach it, I am ready to invest all my energy for that purpose, but I simply do not know by what means it can be achieved.

Then I come to a state where I understand that I must go above reason, against human logic; that there must be some “unnatural” solution here, something above our nature. Only then is this solution, which does not belong to our nature, revealed to me.

It must come from the combination of two opposites: the importance of the goal and the lack of my own strength to attain it. Both of these poles must be present here. I see that my strength is at zero, and that there is nothing that can help me. And from above, no new possibilities are revealed to me that I could still try, do, or add.

I have completely exhausted my potential, exhausted myself, tried everything, and failed in all my attempts. There is nothing left for me. And this is a sign that I have reached a state in which I have examined all my strengths and seen that they are utterly insignificant and worth nothing. Yet with every new disappointment in myself, I received a greater desire to attain the goal. This is the meaning of ascents and descents.

Every impulse upward or downward produces two results: disappointment in one’s own strength and the importance of the goal. One versus the other. With every new descent or ascent, with every such impulse, this contradiction grows sharper and sharper and these two poles move farther and farther apart, until a person reaches a certain critical point.

Each person has their own measure they must traverse. But, as Rabash says, the hero here is only the one who has patience, who tries again and again, and does not ease the pressure. He always says: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?” There is no other method here. One must always speak to oneself in this way. And when one sees an unsuccessful result and feels that they have not succeeded, one should say: “There is none else besides Him,” and understand that in this way He is revealing one’s true state.
[357873]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/13/26, Rabash, “And the Lord Appeared to Him at the Oaks of Mamre”

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We cannot initiate a single action, even now, in the preparatory period and our most egoistic state (Lo Lishma), unless we intend to attain faith, bestowal, and an altruistic intention through that action.

To come out of oneself and connect with a friend means to separate from one’s ego, to raise oneself above it; only then will I be able to come into contact with others. Otherwise, nothing will work out, and I will remain walled up inside myself like in a shell.

All our actions must be directed toward coming out of our ego and connecting with a friend outside of it. As it is written: “The righteous will live by his faith.”

If for now only a small egoism is revealed to me, then it is relatively easy to come out of myself and begin to draw closer to others. But as soon as I achieve the first successes, the ego begins to grow more and more. And again, I must apply efforts in order to tear myself away from it.

This is how it is on all 125 degrees until the desire to enjoy expands to its full volume and I nevertheless remain above it. This will mean that I have risen to the degree of Lishma, the degree of Bina.

And then I will already be able to return to my ego and begin to receive within that sphere for the sake of bestowal, first in the thinnest “peel,” and then expanding it more and more, and so on until the very end, until I have engaged the entire desire.
[64791]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/28/11, Baal HaSulam “Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot”

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If Everything Comes from the Creator and the Person Does Not Truly Exist Independently, How Can We Understand Punishment?

That everything comes from the Creator does not erase a person’s existence. A person is the one who feels.

Who is the vessel? The vessel is the desire to enjoy from the Creator. The Creator fills the vessel with His presence. Aside from basic necessity, which is phase one of the four phases of direct light, all other fulfillments stem from the sensation of the Creator, from sensing the host, and not from what He has prepared for us. Therefore, the vessel is essentially what senses the reality of the Creator. The extent of concealment or revelation is the extent of emptiness or fullness in the vessel.

When we come to clarify the essence of actions from the side of the vessels, through screens and discernments, we see that the essence of these actions is awareness: “What is happening to me? Who is doing this to me? Why is He doing this? And what does He want from me?” After we clarify these matters, the states change, improve, and transform into the next states in line, and so on. In other words, we are not the doers. The Creator is the doer. But we are those who feel and who must, through our sensation, clarify what is truly happening to us.

The moment we clarify a state, it changes.

The entirety of these clarified sensations is called the work of discernment and the correction of sensation. Since we already exist in Ein Sof (infinity), we need nothing but the correction of our sensations. We need to correct our dullness of perception. Moreover, even the senses themselves are not truly corrected. Clarity comes from becoming aware that we find ourselves in dullness each time anew.

When we recognize the evil in a state, we reveal the posterior (Achoraim) of the Creator, which then turns into His anterior or “face” (Panim). This is how it is carried out each time anew. This means that our actions are only inner effort: exerting in finding that I, He, and the method are one, as Baal HaSulam writes in one of his letters. We must constantly sharpen this single point, again and again without pause, until the fog disperses more and more, until we discover that we are indeed where we have always been: in the final correction.

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It is very difficult for us to understand for what purpose we must perform spiritual work, and why the Creator created the world in such a way that we have to exert effort.

Why must we open our eyes and develop the organ of perception of the spiritual, called the screen (Masach) and the reflected light (Ohr Hozer) since it is only then that will we feel where we truly are and perceive true reality?

We are told that all this is because of shame. We ask: Why did He create shame? And we are told that shame is a correction, and that if we do not correct ourselves, we will not feel the goodness that has been prepared for us.

We must acquire the greatness and importance of the Creator, the giver. Our attitude toward Him must be with the intention for the sake of bestowal. A Kli (vessel) with an altruistic intention is an eternal Kli that never disappears and is never emptied. On the contrary, it becomes increasingly filled.

There are many more explanations used to “justify” our present state, and a person may live by them for a long time until one acquires a second nature, the nature of the Creator.

But before that, a person is incapable of understanding or agreeing with the states they have to go through, because the definitions they hold now are opposite to the definitions they will have afterward.
[358219]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/23/26, Rabash, “What Is the Importance of the Groom, that His Iniquities Are Forgiven?”

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Question:

Answer: Making a proper discernment means seeing that every state is sent to us by the Creator, and that the upper force wants you to turn to it and, at the very least, attribute that state to the Creator.

If you are able to continue further, think about the fact that this state was sent so that you could unite with Him and understand the reasons for what is happening. Think about why the Creator is sending you this situation as a path toward adhesion with the Creator.
[358234]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/23/26, Rabash, “What Is the Importance of the Groom, that His Iniquities Are Forgiven?”

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States of descent or ascent are not defined by whether I feel good or bad at the moment.

Maintaining connection with the Creator, holding a thought of Him even during an unbearably difficult state, is preferable to losing that connection in the most favorable state. Here we must make tremendous efforts to correctly distinguish between what constitutes a descent and what constitutes a spiritual ascent.

At any moment when the Creator reminds us of His presence, no matter how He does it, we must thank the Creator for it. The reminder may come in the form of a blow or through extremely difficult situations.

Conversely, as soon as we lose our connection with the divine, animalistic pleasures or everyday concerns distract us from thoughts of spirituality. We become confused and forget that it is precisely the Creator who sends us all these situations and problems; this is what we call a descent. Thus, a state of spiritual descent or ascent is not determined by our animate senses as a feeling of bitter or sweet, but by whether it is truth or falsehood.

Therefore, it is very difficult for us to become accustomed to this kind of discernment. But when a person examines his states in this way, he begins to analyze them in a new light.

By evaluating them according to the principle of “truth or falsehood,” one assesses their state according to only one criterion: Is it beneficial for my spiritual advancement? This discernment is made independently from sensory perception. Then, as a person becomes truly ready for it, doubts arise once again: should I turn to the Creator or attempt to do something myself?

If I turn to the Creator when I am capable of doing something myself, then it will be an artificial request. Rabash gives the following example: a little boy is crying in the street, and hardly anyone pays attention to him. After all, he is still a child and cries over trifles. But when a grown man is weeping, it is taken seriously.

Similarly, a person carrying a heavy load that is about to fall and asks for help is helped immediately. But if he cries out, “Help!” for no particular reason, and everyone sees that there is nothing serious happening, no one will even pay attention to him.
[358222]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/23/26, Rabash, “What Is the Importance of the Groom, that His Iniquities Are Forgiven?”

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Comment:

“I am a sort of vampire, taking the blood of other people” (The Observer Magazine).

“Vanity is the healthiest thing in life” (The Guardian).

“I hate intellectual conversations with intellectuals because I care only about my own opinion” (The World According to Karl).

People marvel at the way he speaks.

My Response: He speaks very well, straight to the point. He truly expresses what comes from his own nature.

He stated his credo very succinctly, like an ordinary person albeit one who understands his nature. He is peaking the truth!

Question: What is it in his statements that fascinates people?

Answer: What captivates them is that he says things they are afraid to say.

Question: So this exists inside a person?

Answer: Naturally, because each of us is like that.

Question: Does a person have a feeling that vanity is the healthiest thing in life?

Answer: Of course, because vanity elevates us. What else in our world can raise a person above everyone else? What is considered victory, achievement, success? nothing but the fulfillment of vanity.

Question: But you are engaged in a science that does the exact opposite aren’t you?

Answer: I am, yes. But “real” people, people like him, they glorify this nature. But it is nature! Therefore, it cannot be denied.

I think he is right in expressing himself so beautifully. He opens people’s eyes to what they actually are.

Question: Should we somehow fight this or not?

Answer: Why should we? On the contrary, we must open people’s eyes to the fact that they are like this, and perhaps this will lead them to the recognition of evil.

Question: Is this precisely what you call upbringing? Revealing that is is who they really are to a person?

Answer: Of course, absolutely. Only the revelation of evil in a person will compel one to correct oneself, to see “This is my nature, and it is evil.”

I like talking with people who are opposite to me yet are open and frank. That is the truth. Truth stands above everything else. If we gloss over the truth, what will come of it? We will never be able to accomplish anything in our world. We will always limit ourselves to half-statements,  vague hints, and evasions. And then what?

Without the revelation of evil, you will not even know or understand what good is and what it ought to be, or how to build it as the opposite of evil.

For example, imagine looking at an article of clothing and seeing something bad, baffling, incorrect, crude, or repulsive about it. Then you realize: it is turned inside out! You simply need to reveal the right side. And so you reveal it. Evil and good are two sides of the same upper force.

Question: What is the ultimate formula for you?

Answer: It is written in Kabbalah that “Love covers all transgressions.” It means that there is no other way to attain love; it is impossible to achieve that “covering” or the transformation of all the evil within oneself.

Only after all transgressions are revealed do you realize that love must necessarily take their place! It must cover them all—not destroy them! They must exist together. Only together, when they help and nourish each other in this way, will they truly exist.
[246745]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman,” 3/3/25

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Does Separation from the Creator Also Come from Him?

Certainly separation also comes from the Creator. Everything comes from Him. However, separation is punishment.

How should we respond to this state? We need to bless the good as we bless the bad and the bad as we bless the good. Yet separation from Godliness, or more precisely, the cessation of the ability to advance, meaning the ability to equalize our form with the Creator, is indeed the only punishment in reality.

In the corporeal world, this separation manifests as troubles that befall us, as negative events in our lives, and even as effects on the physical body. All the good comes from Him, and all the bad comes from the posterior (Achoraim) of the Creator, from concealment. The issue is not the concealment itself, but how we receive it and relate to it.

Punishment is punishment. Nothing can be done against it. The more we feel the concealment, the more we resist it. Concealment can be corrected through Hassadim (mercies). To the extent that we detach from our personal sensation and rise above it, we become those who delight in mercy (Hafetz Hesed), and then we perform corrections. In any case, anything less than final correction is considered punishment. However, we who are in this process view everything that happens to us as reward.

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During the period of preparation, a person ascends the degrees in order to cross the Machsom, and enter the king’s palace.

Then the person falls, and instead of an even greater light, they receive darkness. In the state of darkness, a person is “tested” because no matter how high one has risen, if they haven’t crossed the Machsom yet, as soon as the light stops shining upon them, they immediately fall into an animalistic state. They know nothing, and nothing is important to them except simple animate existence.

They feel they have made no progress. The animalistic nature present during the descents they experienced one or two years ago remain unchanged. Indeed, when the divine spirit departs from him, only the animal soul remains.

In such states, it is possible to measure whether a person is advancing spiritually in the direction of bestowal or not. If they are capable of reading even a few lines, or simply reflect on them without necessarily penetrating deeply, and if they realize the extent to which the state of darkness is becoming increasingly deeper, then it can be said that the rudiments of vessels of bestowal have appeared in them.

They see that they have nothing, no sense of fulfillment. But despite this, they live by the conviction that this state is somehow connected with the spiritual path. Then they are not confused by the pleasures that shine upon them, nor are they confused by the pleasant sensation of receiving fulfillment that might otherwise cause them to “swell.” On the contrary, in such a state they have no calculations for themselves. They cannot justify the Creator since they receives nothing from Him and live only by faith.

What is faith in this case? Faith after crossing the Machsom is the light of Hasadim, and complete faith is the light of Hasadim with the illumination of Hochma. But during the period of preparation, when there is neither one nor the other, faith is the illumination that comes to a person from above, the light that sustains them.

Alternatively, in a state of descent, specifically when this illumination disappears, what remains is only the importance of the goal in its pure form, which is something a person receives from the group, not from above.

That is, they hear or heard in the past from the friends about the importance of the goal, and now this sustains and serves them. Now in a state of darkness, one is sustained by the importance of the goal that they acquired in the past when they were able to hear and were working in the group.

They drew inspiration from what they read, what they were told, and by what they heard from the teacher, that is, by the three sources: the group, the books, and the teacher.

In other words, the greatness of the goal now comes to them not from above, but from the environment. The importance that they feel in the state of darkness, they perceive as an illumination coming from the outside, and this is called the faith that sustains a person.
[358452]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/29/26, Rabash, “One’s Greatness Depends on the Measure of One’s Faith in the Future”

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Question:

Answer: The highest point in recognizing the importance of the goal, and the lowest point in evaluating one’s own strength, are revealed through two processes: ascent and descent.

It cannot be said that only an ascent increases the importance of the goal for me, and a descent brings only disappointment in my own abilities. In reality, the difference between these states generates both. In other words, it is the direction in which you are moving that gives rise both to the importance of the goal and to disappointment in your own strength.

Of course, the feeling of the goal’s importance comes during an ascent. But it never happens that something is born without its opposite appearing alongside it. There is always a contrast between black and white; otherwise, no definition would be possible. Every definition is based on two opposites, just as black letters are perceived only against a white background.
[357883]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/13/26, Rabash, “And the Lord Appeared to Him at the Oaks of Mamre”

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A person acts out of habit, and feels and accepts only what they are accustomed to.

We unconsciously disregard everything new before we sense or, become aware of it. That is why it is so difficult for us to encounter spirituality!

We live in a world we select from the world of infinity; we choose the familiar and habitual.

To expand our world with the world of bestowal, we must not push it away, but accept the states of bestowal through “faith above reason,” accept the properties, desires, thoughts, and actions of the “anti-world.”

To do this, you need to combine two opposing levels within yourself: realize your current egoistic state, the lower degree, and from the perspective of the property of bestowal, the highest degree.

One must exist between these levels, rejoice in the sensation of the lower level’s emptiness of the lower and in the opportunity to find the strength to rise above it.

This strength comes to me from the upper light through the group; it holds me above the “earth” as if by a magnet.

Truth and faith (bestowal) should pull me upward more strongly than the sensation of animalistic egoism pulls me down toward the “earth.”

The true state lies in sensing both degrees simultaneously while each one in isolation is a lie. Even if I am entirely in spirituality, that alone is a lie.

The true state is always found between two degrees that simultaneously bring a sense of both perfection and lack, gratitude and prayer.

I must rejoice that I experience both sensations at once and constantly remain in a transitional state sensing obstacles yet holding myself above them by force of will, like a climber scaling a mountain who feels that if they were to relax their tension for even a moment they would immediately fall.

This is the only true state; we need to train ourselves to remain in it all the time, and to find joy in it.

This is how we can test ourselves. Are we capable, despite all our discontent, eternal struggle, and constantly vacillation between inspiration and utter despair, of remaining in joyful nevertheless?
[18432]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/2/10, Rabash, “The Meaning of Truth and Faith”

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Comment:

Until now, humanity was always tied to an electrical outlet and lived from the outlet. And here they have created a line of such batteries with which a person can move freely around the world.

My Response: In our time, of course, it means a lot if a person becomes freer from the outlet. But what comes next?

I do not think this discovery will free humanity. It will simply enslave it in another way. Everything is moving toward showing a person that happiness is not in the battery.

We see that humanity is not becoming happier. On the contrary, the more toys, technology, and all sorts of things it has, the more it becomes confused in its life.

Question: You often emphasize that no invention on our earthly level means anything to you?

Answer: It will give nothing. Absolutely nothing! But these inventions will lead humanity to the recognition of evil. Everything we invent, supposedly for the benefit of our egoism, ultimately leads us to evil and to the recognition of this evil.

Comment: So if humanity were to stop and invent nothing at all..

My Response: We cannot stop, because the same egoism drives us toward progress so that we will understand that we have no choice but to correct the ego itself.

Question: Why does humanity constantly invent more and more things?

Answer: It wants to achieve a calm, good life. But the result is the opposite.

Comment: Indeed: nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, and immediately nuclear energy that wipes everything out.

My Response: Yes, and it is the same with everything. People cannot invent anything good or benevolent. Nothing at all!

Question: What invention would you call eternal, beneficial to humanity, and capable of leading it to happiness?

Answer: The correction of man’s evil nature—that alone. There is nothing else.

Comment: But first people must realize that they live with an evil nature.

My Response: That is precisely what drives them toward that realization. The world is in a state where it no longer knows what to do with itself.

At one time we thought that socialism, communism, or capitalism would save us, or something else, some form of freedom, liberalism, and so on. But everything very quickly leads to the realization of evil.

Comment: You used to say that humanity’s development was once a linear progression of egoism with the thinking things would get better and then communism would eventually arrive. But now egoism seems to have closed in on itself.

In other words, we have become interconnected, like a single village, yet the same old pursuits continue, and humanity still fails to grasp the evil nature within itself.

My Response: I think we will reach a point where humanity will say: “It would have been better if we had not invented this!” As for the atom, it can already say this today. And they will say the same about everything else.

And what was wrong with living in caves? What exactly?! Absolutely nothing. When people know what they have, they realize that it is enough for them.

Question: So huddled together around a fire, people were happier than those who today run around with electric batteries?

Answer: Of course! Without a doubt. There were more opportunities to be happy there.

Well, what can you do? It is written about this: “One who increases knowledge increases sorrow,” or “One who increases wealth increases suffering.”

Question: Do you think these sayings are still relevant today?

Answer: More than ever!

Question: We cannot help but increase our knowledge, can we? Egoism drives us.

Answer: We cannot. We cannot help but increase both wealth and knowledge. Egoism will constantly push us to do so.

The goal is to bring us to the recognition of evil, specifically that the evil lies in our very nature and evil lies in the fact that we believe the world we live in is what needs improving. But it cannot be improved; we must rise above it.

Question: In other words, we must change ourselves. Will we reach that point within our lifetime? I would love to see the truth of your words come to pass.

Answer: I do not believe that this will happen that quickly. But personally, that does not concern me. What difference does it make when it happens? Regardless of the state we are, it will happen to all of us eventually.
[256885]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman,” 10/15/19

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What Should We Do in the Next Moment?

In the next moment, we must unite more deeply with our sensations, further sharpen our senses, and develop greater inner acuity in our contact with the Creator. This search, this connection, this discovery of contact, is given to us by increasing the illumination upon us. That is the reward.

We need to understand that advancement toward the final correction, even though it includes various states of alternating light and darkness, is itself the reward. When we are given a deficiency and the ability to realize that deficiency, that is our reward. How could it be anything other than reward?

Punishment is when we feel abandoned, when we feel as though we are not being attended to, as if we are in suspension. There is no greater punishment. “Why have You forsaken me?” That feeling itself is the punishment.

Kabbalists are people who yearn for Godliness, and who are indeed, as it is written, “Jews,” meaning from the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. How was Abraham different from the other nations? It is that he was a Kabbalist. In that he recognized his Creator and wished to unite with Him, he differed from his Persian neighbors.

To clarify, the Israeli nation is not unique by biological genes, but because it is a group of Kabbalists that separated from the Persian people. Therefore they called themselves “Jews” (Yehudim) or “Hebrews” (Ivrim). “Jews” because they seek unification (Yichud), and “Hebrews” because they cross over (Laavor) the barrier (Machsom) between our world and the spiritual world. That is our nation. When we fall from the degree of Kabbalists, we become called “gentiles.”

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2nd part of the Lesson — Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah” (5.17.2001)

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