Bold and in quotes: Original text of Baal HaSulam
Regular: Commentaries of Rav Laitman
lowercase italics: emphasized words
Capitalized italics: transliteration from Hebrew
We have been talking a lot about group, about the necessity of unification. We have been talking about phases a person undergoes in our world, about emergence of the Universe which took place 15 million years ago, and then about emergence of our Earth and of a human being on it; about the path of a human being – how he evolved on the Earth, what is the purpose of his existence, whether people are temporary on the Earth and in the Universe.
Some time ago, people considered that the Universe was infinite and eternal. Today they don’t consider it to be so. Today they already say that the Universe has been in existence for 15 million years. Thus, this isn’t an eternity, but a definite period. Moreover, they say that its dimension is finite. Everything is being reconsidered. And according to the present notions, it’s already obvious that our Earth, the solar system and the Universe are terminable.
During the time we are given we are expected to come out of our world to the Upper World. We have already been talking about how a person comes out to the Upper World: he receives a desire, a point in the heart, a correct excitement, and it moves him forward. A person is also given an environment and by working with it correctly he may rise spiritually.
How should a person work out everything that emerges in him? Baal HaSulam writes about it in the first article of the book Shamati, which my teacher wrote from the words of his father. The article is called There is None Else Beside Him. You have read it and most of you have read it many times, but since each Congress is a new unifying Kli (vessel) in an absolutely new state, which never existed before (today we have such a combination of people for the first time), let’s read it together and try to explain it on the basis of your inner requests.
You don’t have to say anything. I’ll comment the article according to what emerges inside you.
Shamati, the article There is None Else Beside Him.
It is written [says Baal HaSulam] that “there is none else beside Him.”
What does this phrase mean? It is a cornerstone of everything a person attains when the Upper System of Governance is revealed to him.
We exist in our tiny world and this is what we sense: our cosmos, our attainment and our sensations. When we enter a wider attainment, from where signals of governance descend to our Universe and to us at all the levels: physical, moral, in mind and in sensations, in everything, then we receive signals from above, which means from outside. We don’t sense from where they come to us. All this simply emerges in us.
Kabbalists, who pass through this barrier, Machsom, to the Upper spheres of governance, discover that though plenty of forces act upon our world, all of them originate from a Single Force, which disintegrates into numerous various forces, and they act upon us. Thus they pointed out the principle “there is none else beside Him” as to the highest source of their attainment.
…“there is none else beside Him,” [which means there is only one power] meaning that there is no other power in the world with the ability to do anything against Him. [This unique power is called the Creator.] And what man sees, namely, that there are things in the world, which deny the household of above, is because He [this Upper Force] wills it so.
This means that this Upper Force acts upon a person via various forces: various by character, influence, content, which seem to contradict each other. Suddenly a person feels good, then suddenly bad; it seems to him that good and bad forces exist. In all the states, at all levels, he senses opposite forces – there isn’t any force that wouldn’t be opposed by another one. All these mutually exclusive, seemingly opposite forces come from this single, unique Force.
And it is deemed a correction, called “the left rejects and the right adducts.” [This means that there appear to be negative and positive forces. ] This means that there are things in the world, which from the beginning aim to divert a person from the right way, and they reject him from holiness [Throw, push him away, hinder him in many ways so that he cannot approach the Goal directly] .
Here we are, and various forces act upon us. All these forces mislead and perplex us, so that we can’t perceive unity of governance. On the contrary, they tell us that the world consists of plenty of different forces. At that, we are influenced by our life, society, family, people around us, by various accidents. Various positive or negative events, no matter which ones, suddenly act upon us.
This means that this unique Force, from which all this variety of forces originates, purposefully acts upon us this way. Why, what for? How do we benefit from the chaos we feel as a result?
And the benefit from these rejections [or from impeding a person to aspire directly to the Goal and disorienting him] is that through them a person receives a need [he realizes a need] and a complete desire for God to help him [to move to the Goal],since he sees that otherwise he is lost.
That is, without the help of the Creator he won’t achieve anything.
A person is in some initial state. He starts moving to the spiritual, orienting himself as if correctly: a group, books and all possible things. He adjusts himself to move as correctly and directly as possible. He tries to be good, dutiful, to follow the advice of Kabbalists. He understands nothing and knows it, but he’s ready to listen to what they tell him.
No matter how much of a good guy he is, this won’t help him. These two forces – from the right and from the left – will constantly mislead him to such an extent that he will be completely disoriented. He’ll receive all kinds of blows: the society will suddenly impose its opinion on him; he’ll fall into various coarse desires, lose memory and understanding of what he studies and won’t be able to adjust himself to right relations with his friends despite all his wishes to do so.
From above, everything is organized this way on purpose, in order to shake a person so that he feels miserable and doesn’t find himself in anything. What’s the purpose of doing this? To make a person feel a need for the Creator. For if a person carries out everything and realizes himself correctly, what will he attain? What is he advancing toward? In his advancement a person has to approach, to merge, to unite gradually with this Upper Force, to adhere with it. But he will lack this need. This means he will correctly observe the statute, the goal of which is to enable a person to attain adhesion with the Creator, but this need doesn’t emerge in him. It emerges on two conditions.
The first condition is the following: he performs everything correctly, wants to be in a group, to be an ideal performer of all the advice of Kabbalists. The second condition is that when he does this (participates in everything he can to advance correctly toward the Goal), then he starts feeling inner confusion, void and absolute incomprehension. He is given various states, which one can’t even imagine, to evoke in him a demand or a need for the Creator out of these states.
The need emerges gradually, out of necessity, as otherwise he won’t survive and advance, as otherwise he will be squashed by all these forces and events aimed at making him search for the Creator. Why? Because he sees that even if he carried out everything ideally and tried to do everything he can, he wouldn’t be able to survive, couldn’t make even the slightest movement forward correctly.
The Creator won’t enable a person to do this just because he makes efforts. That’s because a person’s efforts are a mere condition that now the Creator can help him by misleading him, and by doing this He calls a person to approach Him.
Not only does he not progress in his work [in his spiritual work] , but he sees that he regresses.
He becomes a greater egoist. Suddenly he fails to fulfill any of the conditions that Kabbalists make for us. This is what is called “confusion.” He can neither be in a group, nor study, he falls asleep during classes. It seems to him that all this is unnecessary and he won’t benefit from it. Overall, a question emerges in him, “Who managed to succeed in this business, on this path?” and so on. Lots of obstacles emerge in him.
That only by genuinely overcoming all the obstacles [he can attain adhesion with the Creator].
What does “genuinely” mean? This is difficult. This means that one shouldn’t struggle against obstacles – it’s useless, it’s quixotic. At this moment, a person should understand that they come from the Creator, and this way the Creator makes him address, turn to Him.
Sometimes adults perform such exercises with small children. They purposely give them tasks that they can’t solve by themselves, but they are eager to do so. And then they come and ask them, the adults.
The Creator does the same with us. Why? Because the Goal of Creation doesn’t mean that a person fulfills correctly all the conditions that are offered to him. If he fulfills them correctly, he will never feel a need for the Creator, will never adhere with the Upper Force, with this Upper manner, level of existence. Only the obstacles will force him to search for this rescue. Such a method of searching for the Creator through numerous obstacles is called “acquiring faith above reason.” Everything a person has done before is called reason; the attribute of the Creator or the attribute of bestowal is called faith.
But what if a person doesn’t have a possibility, if he doesn’t discover in himself knowledge, understanding, comprehension that all these obstacles come from above? He starts feeling such a confusion that even the fact that all is given to him by the Creator becomes concealed from him. Usually this is concealed, one doesn’t sense this. Moreover, a person senses that it isn’t a mere game of the Creator – the fall lasts too long, and any desire for the spiritual disappears in him. He starts feeling doubts about the group, Rav and books. There appear various obstacles: problems in the family, lack of money, all kinds of problems with a boss at his work. And it seems to him that all these disasters are caused by his study of Kabbalah.
These obstacles escalate; they become so miscellaneous, that a person isn’t able to keep in mind, that they come from the Creator, that there is none else besides Him. He falls out from this sensation or understanding of singularity of the Creator’s management: that everything comes from the Creator, that none else can exists, only He and a human being. He starts imagining that he depends on various people and circumstances in his life, that it is important to be engaged in earning his living, securing himself in this world and establishing good relations with bosses at work and at home; that now he must work a bit more, eliminate money problems and so on.
This means that this confusion in him, this concealment of the singularity of the Creator’s management may lead him out from his path for a long time. Suddenly a person’s wife causes him lots of problems, something happens to his children. And at the same time it seems to a person that if he stops studying Kabbalah, he will start solving these problems. He will solve them and then, perhaps, come back.
It would be one thing if this lasted for several minutes, and after that a person could recall, but the Creator triggers these concealments via special filters, such that he forgets. Suddenly something seems to him to be threatening, and so on. In this case a person has practically no chance to keep in mind this initial thought about a single origin of obstacles and he falls. And here several options are possible: he either still believes that he should study, and this leads him somewhere, but he then forgets about singularity of management or he even falls out of this.
Eventually, the Creator brings him back and again pushes him away, there and back, there and back. Here the group may help. It may prompt a person all the time that all this comes from Above, that this is connected with the Goal. If a person has right connections with the group, as a result he reveals his only problem – he lacks the Creator, a connection with Him.
Then he reaches the decision that no one can help him, but God Himself.
This means that he starts discovering this single Force subconsciously. Then he understands it more clearly, first only in his head, and after that, gradually delving into this thought, he starts entering this sensation following his thoughts and reason. And then he sees that apparently everything originates from one centre.
This causes him to make a heartfelt demand of the Creator to open his eyes and heart.
This means that all this is done to make a person clearly see and sense the purpose of these obstacles, to make him clearly see and sense that he may overcome the obstacles only by adhering with the One who acts upon him, by coming closer to the Creator, because this way the Creator calls him to approach Himself, shows him that this is the only thing he needs.
And all the obstacles, all the sufferings at the path of a person, who goes from a point in his heart to the Goal, who has a group, books and everything he needs.
It follows than, that all the rejections he had experienced [all this chaos, all these various obstacles, failures of memory, illusions had the only purpose – to lead him to the Creator] had come from the Creator.
That means that the rejections he had experienced were not because he [a person] was at fault [and thus it was as if a punishment for him (there are no punishments)].
He discovers that all this was done on purpose. It was not done because he was weak, because if he was, the Creator wouldn’t send him various concealments, obstacles, various perplexing, confusing thoughts and sensations.
And in order for such a person not to be satisfied with only a little, namely, not to remain as a little child without knowledge, he receives help from above… [so that he feels a greater need in coming closer to the Creator].
This is given only to a person with a strong desire, and to the extent that a person has prepared himself for these forthcoming challenges, which means he has created a group around him, stays connected with it, and studies systematically. He has organized an environment around himself that will enable him to progress, will support him and explain to him the chaos and confusion he feels in his heart and mind. This means that such obstacles are sent only to excellent students who have strength to progress correctly.
On the contrary, if a person doesn’t get any obstacles and everything with him is all right, this means that he isn’t ready yet to move forward, that he hasn’t yet created around him a right environment in the form of constant studies, systematic connection with the group, with the world group, which means that he didn’t provide himself with all possible, necessary support. In this case, how can the Creator give such a person any additional load? It will throw him out.
That’s why these opposite forces wait until a person recovers himself upon the right path with the definite Goal, till he has a backup, and then they start fighting against him. “Against him” means to shake him to make him understand that here he can’t cope with anything, and the only thing he has to do is to find a contact with the Creator.
In this case the following occurs: he starts uniting, adapting these opposite forces in himself. He creates a system inside himself and realizes that all these circumstances in his heart and in his mind – any logical, mental, sensorial circumstances, including lapses of the memory, physical obstacles, pains, obstacles at all the levels, including problems with money and so on – he suddenly starts uniting all this and sees how the Creator prepared everything for him correctly, in order to shake him and make him feel a need in Himself.
Without support of the group, books and systematic studies a person won’t receive from above any obstacles. They will be too small, and he won’t be able to carry them out correctly.
Thus a strong person with a strong desire, with the right preparation “receives help from above.” What kind of help?
And he is constantly shown how his faults in his present state [how weak, foolish, corrupted he is; he understands nothing, and so on; in other words, he is shown his worst attributes]; that is, he is sent thoughts and views, which work against his efforts. This is in order for him to see that he is not one with the Lord.
As a result, by adapting and analyzing correctly everything which acts upon him – the system itself is organized this way, it is a closed system, which triggers forces acting upon a human being – a person starts seeing that only connection with the Creator will save him. So he rushes forward, he wants to rush forward just like a small child who wants to fling himself into the arms of an adult, to be saved. The Upper Governance leads us to such a state, as otherwise it is impossible to draw us, egoists, to the Upper World.
And as much as he overcomes [all these states, if he performs all necessary things correctly, making his maximal efforts, in both good and bad states, with a group, books and systematic studies], he always sees how he is found in a position farther from holiness than others, who feel one with the Lord.
Don’t they overcome such states? Don’t they experience this? They overcome the same states, but a person who doesn’t see their inner states considers that they stay relatively calm: their affairs get arranged by themselves, nobody bothers them, they don’t undergo inner shakeups, doubts, concealments and all this confusion. He perceives them as it seems to him proceeding from his own state, and he sees himself in relation to them.
But he, on the other hand, always has his complaints and demands [to the Upper Governance: why it acts like this, why the world is organized this way; he doesn’t like his past, in present he is scornful of himself, puts no trust in the future and is ready to put an end to all this – not only to Kabbalah, but also to himself. He can’t justify the Upper Governance, its concealment. This means that the Creator is unjust to him].
A person comes to such a state in his analysis, that if he continues to act correctly, it starts paining him. This happens not because the Creator treats him this way, but because he is unable to justify the Creator, is unable to see the right picture, that only good descends upon him from Above and he is influenced only positively. And it is this pain and fear – “Why can’t he justify influence of the Creator?” – that evokes in him a need for the correction, for the right correction. This is already a step after which revelation occurs. But this doesn’t come at once.
Baal HaSulam writes the following:
But he, on the other hand, always has his complaints and demands, and he cannot justify the behavior of the Creator, and how he behaves toward him. And it pains him that he is not one with the Lord [this means that he doesn’t justify Him, doesn’t love Him in his bad states, which are so bad that if any other person undergoes such a state, he simply commits suicide] , until he comes [as a result of analysis, as a result of his efforts] to feel that he has no part in holiness whatsoever.
What should he do next?
And although he is occasionally awakened from above, which momentarily revives him, but soon he falls into an abyss. However, this is what causes him to come to realize that only God can help and really draw him closer.
If a person reveals in everything that happens to him (the Creator sends him unthinkable, unimaginable problems)… If a person feels that he can solve his problems himself, then he still doesn’t completely realize the influence of the Creator, and he isn’t confused enough.
However, this is what causes him to come to realize that only God can help and really draw him closer.
This realization of one’s absolute powerlessness, the realization of the necessity of the Goal, which means desire for the Goal, is what one needs 100% and nothing else. And 0% is who and where one is: the inability to attain the Goal from his state by himself. That is, it is a 100% weakness. In relation to a person it is the 100% confidence that the Creator is able to do this if a person asks Him by 100%, which means that he made sure that he is unable to solve anything by himself and that everything depends on the Creator. All these components (it’s possible to continue describing and disintegrating them) move a person forward. In fact, they bring him closer to the Creator.
This means that the 100% confidence in the Creator, 100% confidence in one’s own weakness, 100% desire for the Goal, 100% confidence that the Creator will carry out what a person needs for correction – all this brings him closer to the Creator, makes him rush into this force. Thus a person attains a certain adhesion, which is called Dvekut. This means that finally he moved forward correctly.
If not for all components of this step, he would never perform it; he would hang around the point of 0% for all his life – nothing would help him. Thus, these components: one’s own weakness, defenselessness, pettiness, lack of understanding of what happens to him, an absolute desire for the Goal – to attain it, and confidence that the Creator is able to do this – these components have to be present all at once.
Thus all these components give birth to what is called MAN, which is an entreaty evoked by realization of one’s own evil, of one’s own nature, by impossibility to solve anything and realization of greatness of the Goal and of the Creator. All these things create a differential between what is happening with one and the Creator relative to him today, now, and what he wishes at the next moment. It is called MAN. This way we advance.
Now we advance as well, though this theme may be new for some people and still not comprehended, but this is a method of advancing exactly toward adhesion. A good deal of time passes before a person starts sensing himself how the Creator plays with him this way. It is interesting how the Creator participates in this. He doesn’t have to conceal Himself much from a person. He reveals Himself to a person, and he senses and understands everything that happens to him and then again forgets about it.
This occurs every second. A person’s state changes in a second, in a moment: he believes and then he doesn’t; he is able to do something by himself and then he is unable to do anything; he can perform some actions as he’s worth something – then he feels that he’s worth nothing, he’s an absolute egoist and so on. This means that new Reshimot are evoked every second under the influence of new forces, and a person rushes about according to this.
Can one act another way? Can one act so that this path would be predicted in advance, created by him independently, as if knowing beforehand what should exist for him to carry it out? Yes, he can. This seems improbable, but, basically, it is possible. This means that one doesn’t change anything by this. The only thing he changes is the time. A person speeds it up if in advance, when he is in this initial point (0%), he imagines his last, final state, which is called raising MAN, which means that he imagines what kind of desires he should have, what should he desire, how his desires should be adapted, directed.
Look at yourselves at the present moment, at the way you exist, and try to create the following states by yourselves:
– realization of your 100% weakness, which, however, doesn’t mean simply saying, “I’m weak. What am I? Who am I? Everything in me isn’t mine” and so on; this won’t help;
– 100% confidence in the Creator, which means, “100% confidence; where did I check Him and how can I do this?”
– 100% desire for the Goal – to what extent does one have the wish for it? And so on.
How can a person organize, put all this together in himself now to avoid these various confusions, which may last for many hours, days, perhaps, months and years, till he determines himself in the right state? Here the group helps.
A person can’t desire the Goal for 100% and sense his 100% weakness, corruptness, and his 100% confidence in the Creator. Under which influence are all these things, all these determinations formed in him? There is a person and his environment. These things are formed if he adjusts himself with the environment correctly, if he asks it to put him in the right state.
If one desires the Goal for 5%, then in return his desire becomes increased up to 100%. A person understands his weak points, but if he lowers himself before the environment, his group, then his weak points return to him as understanding of nullity and weakness by 100%. The Creator helps in this.
Where can one get 100% confidence in the Creator? Even in our world, under the influence of advertising a person becomes convinced of something and this becomes absolute truth for him. None of a person’s friends know who the Creator is, none of them ever senses or is sure that this Force governs us to such an extent. It’s unimportant, absolutely. If they influence a person this way, then he’ll be absolutely sure of this.
Here we have nothing but brainwashing. But, as a result, one receives via the group. At first a person has a certain understanding and certain rudiments of desires, realization of definitions. If he flows this through the group, then very quickly he receives and can receive all these components that are necessary for MAN, for a demand to the Creator in adhesion with Him. Otherwise he doesn’t handle the time: he enters the confusion that the Creator causes him, and this state may last for days, months and years. It isn’t an exaggeration. In some cases this lasts for twenty years as well.
That’s why, if a person doesn’t give himself to the group with his eyes open, then his correction will take many lives. On the contrary, if he gives himself to the group, doesn’t try to place himself above it, apart from it, then he shortens, compresses this time.
A person has to undergo the same states through which his soul descended from its absolutely corrected state to an absolutely uncorrected one. He’ll have to undergo all these states, he can’t escape it. Because a person corrects what was corrupted before – during the descent from above, and now he has to elevate this from below upwards, which means to correct it. But the time of correction is in his hands.
This time of correction is the factor for which we struggle. The more one extends the time of correction, the more sufferings enter it. If one compresses time, brings spiritual events together, then these sufferings disappear. It happens because he brings them closer. How? He starts longing for the Creator, for the corrections, for the state of adhesion with Him more than for everything else in the world. In this case he doesn’t need these sufferings – he aspires to the right thing, to what they would lead him.
That’s why it turns out that by compressing time, by speeding it up, a person gets rid of sufferings. Time tends to zero, and sufferings tend to zero. This is what we do by using the means we are given correctly: a group, books and an instructor.
If we realize this scheme correctly, let’s practice it via work: a group, books, Rav. And then, adapting it in ourselves, having become accustomed to it, which means having received necessary practical skills, we’ll already come to the next practical stage. Perhaps this will happen during the next Congress, this does not matter. If now we learn to understand our state correctly and transform it into MAN according to this scheme, then we are already making practical steps towards Dvekut (adhesion).
Question: When a person calls to the Creator in a state of a descent, how should he imagine Him?
The question is put incorrectly. What does it mean, “When a person is in a descent, how should he imagine the Creator”? He imagines the Creator as he can. In a fall a person can’t imagine the Creator as good, if he can imagine Him at all. The point is the following: what is called “a descent” and what is called “an ascent”?
A “descent” is such a state when a person falls out of the sensation of the Creator. There is the state of adhesion – it is the World of Infinity, absolute adhesion, when the Light fills the Kli (vessel) completely. Next come the following stages: the World Adam Kadmon, Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, Assiya. The Introduction to Talmud Eser Sefirot says that Adam Kadmon is practically the same as the World of Infinity; the World of Assiya is double concealment; the World of Yetzira is single concealment; the World of Beria is the first revelation; and the World of Atzilut is love or the practical beginning of adhesion. Next come stages of adhesion.
This means that if in his state, one is in the World of Assiya, in the World of Yetzira, then, regardless of whether he wants it or not, he’s in the state of double or single concealment. According to this he senses the Creator and the governance. Or it is completely concealed from me (World of Assiya), that this governance is good and that it comes from the Creator – this is called the double concealment. This means that governance is bad, and the Creator doesn’t exist.
In the World of Yetzira governance is bad, but one tries to justify it. A person sees that the Governor, the Creator, exists, but He is hidden from him, thus he perceives Him as bad, which isn’t true.
In the World of Beria the good governance is interchanged with the bad governance. The Creator exists. Such revelation in the World of Beria is called “reward and punishment.” Good means reward, bad means punishment. It seems to a person, that the Creator treats him doubly.
Next comes the World of Atzilut, where both the attitude of the Creator and His presence are perceived absolutely as “good”, “love” and, of course, “the Creator does exist.” It’s a complete revelation (there are inner stages of revelations).
In the state of concealment and in the state of revelation a person can’t command how he will sense the Creator, as our friend asks here: “How should I imagine Him – good, love, truth and so on?” But one doesn’t know how. This means that a person’s step, where he is, will present this to him respectively. It will present this to him in a way, so that in the World of Assiya he’ll imagine Him as bad and in the World of Beria he will imagine Him as good.
This means that objective reality never exists – the only existing thing is one’s perception.
Question: How can I advertise the Creator for my friend? How should I present Him to my friend?
A person should present the Creator in such a way that, looking at him, his friend would get inspired. He doesn’t have to say anything. Looking at him, his friend should sense the Greatness of the Creator.
Question: What does it mean: “that only God can help [him] ,” if the Creator is an impersonal law of bestowal?
What does “law” mean? It’s a force. The force of bestowal, which acts upon the whole Universe in order to lead it to the most perfect state, is the Creator. This single force acts upon all of us. And step-by-step it leads us to this state – to the most perfect state. It is the Single Force; nothing else exists and nothing else is needed. It acts upon us and gradually pushes us to this.
If we rearrange ourselves according to this force, then we sense its influence on us as comfortable, right, and opportune. If we don’t rearrange ourselves according to it all the time, then we sense its influence as forcing in all possible kinds, styles of its negative revelation to us.
Question: Where can I find and read The IntroductiontoTES?
All our materials are posted at our Internet site, translated, adapted, with pictures, drawings, audio and video files. Everything is available on the Internet for free.
Question: If a person realizes obstacles and reveals his egoism to a greater extent, understanding his own weakness and at the same time rejoicing with his revelations, then can this be called “indulging” or a “long-lasting descent”? If so, then how is it possible to cope with this?
Two absolutely opposite sensations emerge in a person: on the one hand, he suffers; on the other, he rejoices at revelation of his egoism, because he understands that this is the advancement. This double sensation isn’t masochism; it’s a consequence of his being in the World of Yetzira. The Creator’s attitude to a person is bad. Why is it bad? The Creator reveals to a person his egoism. But he feels bad, this means that he’s in the World of Yetzira. But this time he knows, believes and senses, that the Creator exists, thus he behaves himself accordingly. This means that in this state, a person is in the World of Yetzira. So, it isn’t bad.
Question: Does the Creator carry out a policy of rejection and attraction with all people, or is it an exclusive method for men?
No, it isn’t an exclusive method for men. It’s for women as well. Women face the same problems, they undergo the same stages of spiritual development. The only thing is that they advance not by means of a group, but by means of dissemination and support of the male part. Men or the male part – it doesn’t matter whether they are next to women or not – create for them the same thing that each group creates for its members.
Question: If the influence of the Creator is revealed to us as negative and positive, does it have to be compensated in a sum and amount to zero?
If a person strikes another one from his left and tomorrow gives him a candy, then does this mean that as a result he didn’t treat him in any way? Not in one and not in another way? This occurs in different time. It isn’t reciprocal. Does the person who asks this question think they are canceling out vectors, which compensate each other? This occurs in different time: today one feels good, comfortable; let’s see what will happen to him the day after tomorrow, and so on.
Question: Where is Machsom in the scheme you drew?
In this case Machsom is located in the middle of the World of Yetzira.Chazeh of the World Yetzira, here is Machsom.
Question: If there is no alternative to a group and a Rav, is there an alternative to books. I mean the other authors. Some refer to Baal HaSulam and Ari.
On no account can my books replace the books of Baal HaSulam, because it is a peak and depth of attainment of the entire system of governance at large. In comparison with him, I’m worth nothing.
It is an unexplainable difference in understanding, comprehension and knowledge. That’s why the only thing I do is simply read his works together with you. All our lessons are structured this way. I read his works together with my students and use their aspiration, which is so unconscious, childlike and small, and using it I tell them what emerges in me while reading Baal HaSulam’s works. And together we try to clarify this – questions and answers and so on.
On no account do my sources, my books replace or eliminate his works. It’s really incomparable.
Today one may say: “Yes, this Rav Laitman” and so on. It is said in the Book of Zohar that at the end of generations the time will come when people will ask the Creator but there will be no one whom they can ask about Him. Unfortunately, our time is like this. Today even a person like me is worth something.
But we are talking about the greatest Kabbalist of all times – about Baal HaSulam. Thus we can study Kabbalah by his sources only. This is what always lies before us during our classes. We read these sources, study them. I emphasize this once more. It’s the reason why I don’t want to call myself Rav – actually, I’m an instructor (Madrich in Hebrew) for my students. I help them to tune themselves with the Creator with the aid of the right sources, and that’s it. If one sees a teacher who behaves differently in this regard, then he shouldn’t study with him. A teacher shouldn’t be distinguished at all in any case.
The right thing is when a teacher creates such conditions that a person evolves independently without noticing him, like in a puppet theatre. He creates certain conditions for a person, makes him carry out something in a certain way, perform certain movements, exercises. A person performs this and doesn’t even know whether a teacher makes this for him or not, because he needs connection with the Creator, adhesion with the Creator, but not with Rav.
For this reason one shouldn’t make a god of a Rav or anybody else he encounters in his life. One should respect Rav to listen to pieces of advice he gives. That’s why in a group, students should talk about how clever their Rav is, how he knows everything. Why is this necessary? I’m saying this without concealing something or being shy. You should respect a Rav. It is necessary for you, not for me. I’ll see me in situations of disrespect, and in these situations you’ll have to respect me, because otherwise you won’t follow my advice and, hence, won’t be able to advance.
This is done on purpose; the Creator conceals and reveals Himself, and, actually, everything is done on purpose – all these things are elements of the general circle of obstacles.
Question: Can a person overcome a fall without the help of the group?
He can do that in two cases: he either has a special role in this world, which he has to carry out, a mission. This is one thing. Or he received lots of blows, suffered and underwent what he would undergo quickly and without sufferings if he was in a group.
Question: How can a desperate, disappointed person create relations with a group correctly? What does it mean “to lower oneself” in such a state?
The question is put correctly, but its content is incorrect. Because we say that various mutually exclusive forces act upon a person. On the one hand, a person receives a blow and at this moment he thinks: “Somebody struck me. Where did this come from?” And on the other hand, after this blow he starts recalling that, perhaps, it is the Creator.
This means that acting upon a person by mutual forces the Creator doesn’t simply beat senses and reason out of him, but the purpose of shaking a person is to direct him correctly, to lead him to a certain right sensation and realization. This means that all these obstacles aren’t aimed at simply beating a person, rather they are carried out in large amounts on purpose. It is a purposeful influence of various forces in different time.
That’s why the question is put correctly: “How can a desperate, disappointed person create relations with a group correctly?” He can. All these miscellaneous, diverse obstacles lead him to this. A person isn’t simply killed.
Question: What do you mean by sufferings?
Sufferings are absence of fulfillment in desires. We perceive this as sufferings. According to the kind of desires, we feel sufferings or absence of fulfillment. If desires change, then, naturally, sufferings change as well. By making us suffer in our world, the Creator forces us to pass to other states where these sufferings are not sensed at the moment.
For example, a person is eager to have a cup of coffee but was given tea. He knows that he won’t be given coffee now. This means that as a result, he’ll suffer all the time and eat his heart out. Or already out of despair he persuades himself that tea is better than coffee. A defense reaction of an organism – egoism, which doesn’t want to suffer, makes a person think so. Suddenly some high ranker with a whip starts supervising a person, and he can’t run away from him. Instead of hating he starts loving him. This occurs in our life all the time.
Egoism makes us avoid sufferings, and that’s why selective sufferings push a person to new states. Hence, if one wants to progress independently, but not as a poor animal that is being beaten, how can he perform this independently, not under sufferings? It’s very simple: if he prefers spiritual sufferings to sufferings of this world. He needs nothing from this world. He doesn’t have this, this and this and he doesn’t need it. He has to reevaluate his values so that he would suffer from the fact that he lacks adhesion with the Creator, connection with Him, from the fact that he isn’t in the spiritual state.
If one really suffers without this adhesion, then he’ll stop sensing sufferings of this world, they’ll alter, disappear, they will be replaced with spiritual sufferings from the lack of adhesion with the Creator. This way the process of progression is accelerated.
Question: How should we ask the Creator for help? What should we do and say?
The Creator isn’t stupid. He understands what is in the heart of a person. For Him, it isn’t necessary that one speak with his tongue, lips and throat. This means that one should make his heart speak. This isn’t easy. He has to change his desire, but not to say something with his lips. This won’t help.
How can one change the desire? It is possible only under the outer influence, under the influence of the environment, a group and books. Actually, no other way out exists. If a person is like that, how can he change anything in himself? He can’t. It can be done only by an exterior force, by a lever, which will reverse the Earth.
Question: Is it possible to consider this world as a non-random disturbance of an information field and return to balance, equilibrium?
Yes, it is. This world is a non-random disturbance of the information field.
Question: Can you explain with an example how to find strength to act when it is said that “everything depends on me” in a situation when you see the world as “there is none else besides Him”? How to carry out the freedom of will correctly here? What is counted? What practical steps are recommended?
We’ve already talked about this. In every moment of his existence, a person stays in the initial position – at the present moment, and has to come to his next state – to the future corrected state.
The future state is preset. All these states are preset from above downwards by a chain of a person’s Reshimot (reminiscences), which are instilled in him. Because there is a person’s highest state where he exists or used to exist, and then it descended downwards to the lowest state. And now he rises back via it. The difference is that transition from one state to the other is carried out under the influence of his aspirations, desires, appeals and prayers to receive power and realize it.
First there should be a desire. Then, with the help of the desire, a person moves upwards, while the movement from above downwards was completely under the influence of the Creator, of the Upper Force. He moves from below upwards only under his own influence, under the influence of the lower force. Thus he corrects what the Creator corrupted. As a result they become equal with each other, connect two points – the Upper and the lower points of the whole creature.
This means that a person can advance only if he decides that in his current state everything depends only on him. And here our friend asks a question: “But it is said that there is none else beside Him, not besides a person. How should I act then? Does everything depend on the Creator or not?”
Everything depends on the Creator regarding the fact that He acts upon a person. There is none else besides him and the Creator. He alone exists opposite a person. All the rest are toys, puppets, whoever they are, whatever force or image or creature. Only He and a person. But now a person is opposite Him, and his advancement to the Creator depends on him. Besides, this advancement is his and it is directed only towards Him. Here freedom of will exists: a group, books, Rav.
For this reason, these two definitions don’t exclude each other. “There is none else besides Him,” Who acts upon a person from outside and Who created all the conditions, attributes inside him – all this comes from Him, all this is the Creator. But now movement from a person upwards depends on him alone. This doesn’t exclude “there is None else beside Him” regarding the fact that it comes from the One Who is opposite a person; a person’s movement can’t by performed even by the Creator, but only by himself.
This means that “There Is None Else Beside Him” in the influence on him; and there is none besides him, who can change his state in relation to the Creator.
These are very important issues. They immediately clarify this action of a person: what he needs at all, how to find his place in the world, how to perceive everything, which happens around him. Suddenly some obstacles and problems appear, these issues show how to adjust ourselves correctly inside them, but not escape them.
When one feels calm, he can intellectualize, philosophize lying on a sofa: “Yes, there is none else beside Him.” But this isn’t the case. The point is how to catch this moment in a desperate situation, to find His connection with a person: “You do this, but this depends on me.” One should correctly define this state, that “everything comes from You so that I move towards You.”
Question: Is the speed of progress towards spirituality or in spirituality a measure of a person’s participation in the Creator’s action upon him?
Yes, it is. To the extent that a person, via these mutual actions, “me” and the Creator, attains a state when he and the Creator are partners. It’s like in a dance. A partner stands in front of a person opposite him. A person embraces him with one hand and holds his other hand: he embraces a person with one hand and holds his other hand. This mutual but opposite movement of both of them produces movement. It is something like this. It’s called a dance. It’s not a mere example. This is called a dance.
Such a dance with the Creator, like with a partner, when a person reaches the state “He – me, and I – Him,” determines the measure of mutual understanding, approach and moving together.
Here it is always necessary to look for a basis, support and help, in order not to fall, to have reminders all the time; so that something will disappear all the time and help a person to stand up, because he provided himself with support in advance. Here I strongly recommend studying the article The Bond(Arvut). That’s because only a group, where one influences it and it has to influence him in return, will act. If one invested in it, even if it consists of absolute lazybones, he’ll receive from it.
That’s because a group isn’t what it seems to a person. It’s a spiritual construction. If a person invested in it, it will give back to him. He doesn’t deal with these people – he deals with the spiritual potential that stands behind them. If he prepares himself for serious descents beforehand, then it is as if he simply jumps over them and doesn’t notice them. That’s because he’s already filled these future descents with my efforts.
Question: How can we use the time that we have to be together till the end of the Congress, in the most effective way?
Perhaps we should also talk about the bond, how a person influences the group and receives support from the group in response. This support is the major, the most important thing. Its volume, its power determines to what extent we’ll be able to advance, to what extent the Creator will be able to influence us negatively.
If a person accumulated good reserves in a group, which is as if he invested a significant sum into a bank, an insurance company, medical service or into the social insurance office, then he provided himself with everything. Now the Creator may shake him, because he has support; now he will receive help immediately, because he invested in advance, and thus he won’t sense this blow. In our world he will sense this anyway: he may fall ill, or the same problems may occur to him. But in the spiritual, he won’t sense this. In the spiritual everything he invested beforehand comes back to him immediately, supports him and he comes to the next state without any sufferings.
And the most important thing – try to sense and see in people, in men and women, their collective aspiration to the Goal, how important it is for them.
Today our friends from Lithuania and Germany arrived here. Think how they arrived here and how many hours they’ll stay here. It isn’t important if they stay here only for a few hours. They’ll take back with them everything we received here during fifty hours or more. Look from where they arrived, what they underwent only to stay with us for a few hours. What an aspiration to the Goal!
Here we have other people as well who arrived from more distant places, and so on. Try to sense their power, which motivates them. This influence on you doesn’t remain useless. This will shake you even for a moment, move your heart and will stay within you. Later on this helps a lot.
You should value in your friends the Creator’s attitude to them, that they are chosen by the Creator. Moreover, look, where they heard about it, how they understood, realized and got inspired. The Creator intentionally chose them out of millions, billions of people. You should think more about this and then you’ll be attracted to them, envy them and be proud of your connection with them.
Unification. I was speaking about separate people, and now about unification.
Each of us, if he understands that our souls are in absolute adhesion with each other… It doesn’t matter how a person sees his friend from the exterior or that he doesn’t like something about him. But if his friend aspires towards the Goal even unconsciously, even if he understands nothing, knows nothing, talks nonsense, it isn’t important. It’s an exterior, but the Creator lit an aspiration to the Goal inside him, so a person is obliged to love this sparkle in him as his own one. That’s because they are already completely united by this in their route. If one imagines this state correctly, then to the extent he imagines it, he aspires towards it.
There are lots of such inner exercises, but you have to look for them independently, select them from articles of Rabash and Baal HaSulam about group. This is done on purpose, so that a person searches everything with difficulties, because these efforts are his advancement.
What we have to do next is to strengthen our connections somehow, because the group that is here today is really a group. At the moment, dozens or hundreds of people in various parts of the world are together with us. Imagine this entire big system, which is the best, the strongest part of the entire collective soul, of the creature.
This means that you should be proud of what we have done and understand that this spiritual Kli is a rudiment of the future corrected humanity, which soon will start elevating and occupying its spiritual, genuine state. We are pioneers, and in this regard we are chosen. The fact that we are chosen obliges us, first of all, to do our best to enable a person, if he wants to know about the meaning of his life and how to achieve it and to realize it, to do that.
We should end the Congress with such actions, such intentions, and we should live in this after we part. This means that what you feel and sense now should be your minimal level after the Congress, and then you should rise further and further. Then this already depends on you.
Question: What else can we do so that something of what we have here remains with us besides the pleasant sensations and recollections?
This is what we’ve just studied. We lack correct estimation of this state and sufferings that this state may disappear at any moment. And we see this by many people who come and go away, pass by, as if getting involved a bit. We should fear that the same might happen to us. We lack this.
We have to evoke these sufferings in ourselves simultaneously (we’ll learn to do this later): not artificial suffering, but evident sufferings for greater revelation of the Creator. And we’ll receive them from Above as well.