Question: The Kli constantly feels some kind of resistance. Does that mean resistance is an essential part of the process of correction?

Answer: It is not that resistance itself is a necessary component. You do not eliminate the body’s resistance by telling yourself that it is for the best. You only want to put it in order, as though by doing so you are making a restriction. At the same time, together with the resistance, you want to acquire the qualities of the Creator as the opposite of it, so that I and He, and the ways of attaining Him, will merge into one. Only then is there the greatest benefit from this state.

If I enter only into the resistance, into the bad qualities, and there is nothing opposite them, I will attain nothing from it. It seems to us that by feeling suffering we attain something, but this is not true. There is no commandment to suffer, not even for a single moment. Suffering is a problem of the body, of the Klipot, which constantly confuses us and tries to convince us that something can be achieved through suffering. Nothing of the sort!

A great Mitzvah is to be in joy. And this is truly so. The moment a person is able to come to joy, he should not think that he has not yet experienced enough suffering. You will attain nothing from the evil inclination.

If, having risen above suffering, you immediately pass into joy, do not think that this is frivolity. In another moment you will again be brought back to suffering, and once again you will come out of it. “From Zion,” when you come out of suffering, “the Torah will come.”
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/7/26, Rabash, “What Are Holiness and Purity, in the Work?”

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Question: How can we constantly remember that, aside from the connection with the Creator, all sensations (good or bad) , all occurrences (fortunate or unfortunate), and everything that happens serves only to increase our connection with Him?

Answer: Even on the highest degree, in both your mind and heart, you must constantly seek connection with Him, and continuously hold on to that point. Everything that happens is necessary only in order to add more and more to your connection with Him. How can this be done? How can you hold on to it? Build a system, both internal and external.

It seems to you that through suffering you at least remember the Creator. Understand that the suffering you now feel, through which it seems to you that you remembered the Creator, was sent to you by Him, and within that suffering you felt Him. Of course, this came with a certain purpose, but that is not the purpose itself. The purpose is not to feel Him in suffering, but to feel Him in adhesion, in closeness.

Through the path of suffering, He reminds you of Himself to the point where you begin to feel a need Him. But what happens after you feel a need for Him? Then you say: “Fine, I will sit and suffer. It is worth enduring the suffering just so I do not forget Him.”

No? Would you prefer to be in a state of joy? Then move toward joy.

Suppose you experience suffering. That is how the Creator reminds you of Himself; it is His tool. He plants a thorn in you, you remember Him, but you remain in your suffering. Is this really the kind of connection with Him that you want? At that moment you are in the system of the impure forces that drains spiritual abundance through this connection because you agree to remain in that state, and the Klipa (shell, impurity) only grows stronger.

What is a Klipa? It is the evil that you perceive as coming from the Creator. This is the exact opposite of what should be. You must convince yourself that you are under the control of the Klipot, forces that must be overcome so that you may feel that the Creator is goodness and delight.

Do not think that because you receive evil from Him, you are reminded of Him and thus form a connection with Him. On the contrary, you must bring yourself to a state of adhesion, of connection with Him because you share a common joy. Pain cannot be shared.
[358829]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/7/26, Rabash, “What Are Holiness and Purity, in the Work?”

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In the article “When Should One Use Pride in the Work?” Rabash explains the multitude of desires, properties, impulses, and laws that exist within our soul. He describes how we can acquire and master them in order to begin governing the soul, which is the Kli (vessel) in which a person perceives the spiritual world, the Creator.

One can master all the forces of the soul only by exerting personal effort during descent. This is known as MAN (an awakening from below); it is precisely then that a person acquires something and gains mastery.

Falls (states in which a person feels removed from spirituality and holiness) are deliberately induced. Suddenly a person sees that they have no interest in spirituality; they feel they can live without it, that it no longer holds any special attraction for them; there is nothing special about it.

But if in such states one goes above one’s feelings; meaning that, despite lacking interest, one understands this sensation was given intentionally and despite lacking interest, proceeds regardless, gritting one’s teeth to acquire the spiritual—then on advances.

Advancement happens precisely in such states. To the extent one can advance during these descents constitutes their true progress. All the other states given to a person are awakening from above originating from the Creator, and thus involve not contribution from the person, and leaves no lasting impression  within them.
[358731]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/6/26, Rabash, “When Should One Use Pride in the Work? ”

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Talks about the Steps of the Ladder, Part 187

How Can We Reach the Creator Through Our Attitude to a Friend?

In the society of those who wish to become Kabbalists, people behave according to the rule that from the love of friends we come to love of the Creator, as RABASH writes in his articles about what the love of friends should give us. Therefore, we should understand that in our attitude to the friends we ultimately determine our attitude to the Creator. Even if we are incapable of relating to them kindly, but we are aware of it and wish to check whether we are improving, we must examine whether something in our attitude toward them has changed. If something has changed substantially, or even slightly, it is a sign that we have made a great step forward in spirituality.

We cannot measure spirituality, but we can assess from the perspective of the heart how we look at others: whether we are less envious of them, whether perhaps we are already capable of caring about them a little, and whether there is already some preparation within us for this. This is the test. We can never imagine a higher spiritual degree. When something suddenly becomes revealed to us, if we suddenly understand something, for us it is a true revelation.

So how can we long for a higher state? What we should do is remember the last good state we had, when we longed for the Creator, thought about Him, enjoyed feeling Him, and were connected to Him. We should try to hold on to that state even when it has already passed. In some way, we need to continually build the position of the relationship between ourselves and the Creator, because an example was given to us for that purpose.

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