Chapter 9. Rav, Disciple and Group

What kind of rabbi is a genuine rabbi?..

Are there bad questions, or redundant ones? If the answer does not exist, is a question the expression of an egoistic desire?..

I feel my own nothingness compared to the exaltedness of the rabbi. But that is how I should feel toward the Creator; whereas I cannot feel Him at all. What should I do? Does disagreeing with the rabbi indicate a lack of respect?..

In one of your tapes, I heard that there are times when the student might hate his teacher. How can that be? Right now I feel your kindness and your desire to help. Why should that change? You write: “Soon you will begin to discover a growing egoism within you. You will begin to criticize your rabbi and see more and more shortcomings in him…” If that is the case, how should a student work on the ego in order to get through this phase as quickly as possible?..

Does a person who has become a Kabbalist have at least the freedom of choice? Since everything is determined Above, where is the freedom of choice?..

What does the disciple mean to the rabbi, and what does the rabbi mean to the disciple? If “rabbi” and “disciple” designate spiritual degrees, how are the Sefirot of the disciple linked with those of his teacher? And what happens once the student has become a disciple?..

When a disciple physically helps his rabbi and serves him, can he acquire spiritual attributes faster than through his studies? If so, how is that possible, if we learn that physical actions bear no spiritual results?!..

There is a notion of “work with a rabbi.” How can a group reach a state in which its relations with the rabbi would turn into “work” and what does this notion actually mean?..

While reading the materials on the site, I stumbled across something that aroused my interest. It concerns whether a disciple can surpass one’s teacher in one’s spiritual quest, and the answer was “yes.” But how can it be? A teacher is always at a higher level, and what the disciple “imagines“ comes from one’s egoism, like in a growing child who feels superior in achievement to its parents. But isn’t this just self-deception?..

Why do you spend so much time on people of my level, which is ZERO? Doesn’t it interfere with your spiritual mission? Why, then, didn’t all Kabbalists reveal themselves to the masses?..

What is the connection between the rabbi and his group of disciples?..

We speak a lot about the work in groups, about connections between the group members, and about the means for cohesion. Should there be some inner bond among the group members and, if possible, how can it be achieved before crossing the barrier? Can one rely on a teacher’s help to attain such an inner bond?..

How should I relate to various disturbances?..

How can I accept the disturbances in the group?..