Asia Convention - 07.12.

2019: “An Awakening from Below”_Excerpts for the lessons in

English.

Lesson 1: The Purpose of Creation

Purpose of Creation
The Need (Necessity) for the Breaking
The Path of Correction

1. Baal Hasulam. TES, Part 1. Inner Reflection. Chapter 1 Item 8

The entire reality, Elyonim (upper) and Tachtonim (lower) as one in the final state of the end of
correction, was emanated and created by a single thought. That single thought performs all the
operations, and is the essence of all the operations, and the purpose and essence of the labor.
It is in itself the entire perfection and the sought-after reward.

2. Baal HaSulam. “Introduction to the Book of Zohar”, 39

The Creator’s desired goal for the Creation He had created is to bestow upon His creatures, so
they would know His truthfulness and greatness, and receive all the delight and pleasure He
had prepared for them.

3. Baal Hasulam. Introduction to the Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah, item 9

All the worlds, upper and lower and everything within them, were created only for man. This is
so because all these degrees and worlds came only to complement the souls in the measure of
Dvekut they lacked with respect to the thought of creation. In the beginning, they were restricted
and hung down degree by degree and world after world, down to our material world, to bring the
soul into a body of this world, which is entirely to receive and not to bestow... Afterward, through
the soul that clothes within one, he engages in Torah and Mitzvot. Gradually and slowly, from
below upward, he obtains the same form of bestowal as his Maker, through all those qualities
that hung down from above downward, which are but degrees and measures in the form of the
desire to bestow.... In the end, one is awarded being entirely to bestow and not to receive
anything for himself. At that time, one is completed with true Dvekut with Him, for man was
created only for this.

4. Rabash. Article 10 (1984) What Degree Should One Reach Not to Reincarnate
One should know that all the souls come from the soul of Adam HaRishon, since after he sinned
with the sin of the tree of knowledge his soul was divided into 600,00 souls, meaning what was
a single light for Adam HaRishon, referred in the Zohar to the “upper light”, which he had
together in the Garden of Eden, has divided into many parts.

5. Baal Hasulam. “600,000 Souls”

Saying that there are 600,000 souls and sparks of souls appears as though it is divided by the
force of the body of each person. In other words, first, the body divides and completely denies
him of the radiance of the soul… For this reason, two discernments were made in the corporeal
body: In the first discernment, one feels one’s soul as a unique organ and does not understand
that this is the whole of Israel. In the second discernment, the true light of the soul of Israel does
not shine on him in all its power of illumination, but only partially, by the measure he has purified
himself by returning to the collective. The sign for the body’s complete correction is when one
feels that one’s soul exists in the whole of Israel, in each and every one of them, for which he
does not feel himself as an individual, for one depends on the other. At that time, he is
complete, flawless, and the soul truly shines on him in its fullest power, as it appeared in Adam
HaRishon

6. Rabash. Notes. Article 34. TANTA [Taamim, Nekudot, Tagin, Otiot]

One who wants to taste a good taste in life should pay attention to his point in the heart. Every
person has a point in the heart, except it does not shine. Rather, it is like a black dot. The point
in the heart is a discernment of the Nefesh [soul] of Kedusha [holiness], whose nature is a
vessel of bestowal. However, she is in a state of Shechina [Divinity] in the dust, meaning that a
person regards her as nothing. Instead, to him she is as important as dust.

7. Rabash. Notes. Article 940. The Point in the Heart

It is written, “And let them make Me a Temple and I will dwell within them.” This pertains to the
point in the heart, which should be a Temple where the light of the Creator dwells. Hence, one
should try to build his structure of Kedusha [holiness], and the structure should be able to
contain the upper abundance called “abundance poured from the Giver to the receiver.”
However, according to the rule, there must be equivalence of form between the Giver and the
receiver so the receiver, too, must have the aim to bestow like the Giver. This is called “action,”
as it is written, “Let them make Me a Temple,” where the acting applies to the Kli [vessel] and
not the light, since the light pertains to the Creator and only the action pertains to the creatures.

8. Baal Hasulam. A Speech for the Completion of The Zohar

Our sages said, “Let all your actions be for the sake of the Creator,” that is, Dvekut with the
Creator. Do not do anything that does not yield this goal of Dvekut. This means that all your
actions will be to bestow and to benefit your fellow person. At that time, you will achieve
equivalence of form with the Creator—as all His actions are to bestow and to benefit others, so
you, all your actions will be only to bestow and to benefit others. This is the complete Dvekut.
9. Rabash. Article 1, part 1 (1984) “Article Purpose Society - 1”
And this is why we gather here—to establish a society where each of us follows the spirit of
bestowing upon the Creator. And to achieve bestowal upon the Creator, we must begin with
bestowal upon man, which is called “love of others.” And love of others can only be through
revoking of one’s self. Thus, on the one hand, each person should feel lowly, and on the other
hand, be proud that the Creator has given us the chance to be in a society where each of us
has but a single goal: for The Shechina [Divinity] to be among us.

10. Rabash. Article 6 (1984) Love of Friends - 2

Several individuals must come together with the desire to abandon self-love, but without the
sufficient force and appreciation for bestowal to become independent, without help from the
outside. Now, if these individuals annul before one another, since each of them has at least
potential love of the Creator, though they cannot actually keep it, then by each joining the
society and annulling oneself before it, they become one body. For example, if there are ten
people in that body, it has ten times more power than a single person does. However, there is a
condition: When they gather, each of them should think that he has now come for the purpose
of annulling self-love. It means that he will not consider how to satisfy his will to receive now, but
will think as much as possible only of the love of others. This is the only way to acquire the
desire and the need to acquire a new quality, called “the will to bestow.” And from love of
friends one can reach love of the Creator, meaning wanting to give contentment to the Creator.

11. Zohar for All. Beresheet Bet, item 103

The world was created only in bestowal, to engage in Torah and good deeds in order to bestow
contentment to one’s Maker, and not for one’s own pleasure. It is written, “All the works of the
Creator are for Him,” so that people would bestow contentment upon Him. But in the beginning,
it is written, “A man is born a wild ass’ colt,” whose sole interest is his own delight and who has
none of the desire to bestow. He argues, “All the works of the Creator are for me, for my own
delight,” since he wishes to devour the entire world for his own good and benefit. Hence, the
Creator has imprinted bitter and harsh afflictions in self-reception, instilled in man from the
moment of his birth—bodily pains and pains of the soul—so that if he engages in Torah and
Mitzvot even for his own pleasure, through the light in it he will still feel the lowliness and the
terrible corruptness in the nature of receiving for oneself. At that time he will resolve to retire
from that nature of reception and completely devote himself to working only in order to bestow
contentment upon his Maker, as it is written, “All the works of the Creator are for Him.” Then the
Creator will open his eyes to see before him a world filled with utter perfection, without any
deficiencies whatsoever. Then he partakes in the joy as at the time of the creation of the world.

LESSON 2: Connecting to the System of Adam HaRishon Through Work in the Ten.
1. Baal HaSulam, TES, Part 8, Ohr Pnimi, Item 88
All our work in prayers and practical mitzvot is to go back and scrutinize and ascend to all the
souls who came from Adam HaRishon and fell to the klipot, until they reach their original root
from where they came prior to the sin of the Tree of Knowledge.

2. Baal Hasulam. Letter 4

You lack nothing but to go out to a field that the Lord has blessed, and collect all those flaccid
organs that have drooped from your soul, and join them into a single body.

3. Rabash. Article 3. 1984 Love of Friends - 1

“And the man asked him, saying, ‘What are you seeking?’” meaning, “How can I help you?”
“And he said: ‘I seek my brethren.’” By being together with my brothers, that is, by being in a
group where there is love of friends, I will be able to mount the trail that leads to the house of
God. This trail is called “a path of bestowal,” and this way is against our nature. To be able to
achieve it, there is no other way but love of friends, by which everyone can help his friend.

4. Rabash. Article 1, Part 2 (1984) “Purpose of Society - 2”

Without annulling self-love, it is impossible to achieve Dvekut [adhesion)] with the Creator,
meaning equivalence of form. And since it is against our nature, we need a society that will form
a great force so we can work together on annulling the will to receive, called “evil,” as it hinders
the achievement of the goal for which man was created. For this reason, society must consist of
individuals who unanimously agree that they must achieve it. Then, all the individuals become
one great force that can fight against itself, since everyone is integrated in everyone else. Thus,
each person is founded on a great desire to achieve the goal. To be integrated in one another,
each person should annul himself before the others. This is done by each seeing the friends’
merits and not their faults. But one who thinks that he is a little higher than his friends can no
longer unite with them.

5. Rabash. Article 8 (1985) Make for Yourself a Rav and Buy Yourself a Friend - 2
Those people agreed to unite into a single group that engages in love of friends is that each of
them feels that they have one desire that can unite all their views, so as to receive the strength
of love of others. There is a famous maxim by our sages, “As their faces differ, their views
differ.” Thus, those who agreed among them to unite into a group understood that there isn’t
such a great distance between them in the sense that they recognize the necessity to work in
love of others. Therefore, each of them will be able to make concessions in favor of the others,
and they can unite around that.
6. Baal Hasulam. Pri Chacham. Not the Time for the Livestock to Be Gathered
It is forbidden for one to exclude himself from the collective and to ask for himself, not even to
bring contentment to one’s maker, but only for the entire collective. One who departs from the
collective to ask for one’s own soul does not build. To the contrary, he brings ruin upon his soul.
As it is written, “All who is proud,” for there cannot be one who retires from the public unless with
an attire of pride. Woe unto him, for he inflicts ruin on his soul. Therefore, every person must
make the utmost effort to join the assembly of Israel with every plea to the Creator in prayer and
in the work, and include himself in the root of all of Israel.

7. Maor VaShemesh. Parashat VaYechi

The essence of the assembly is for everyone to be in one unity and for all to seek but one
purpose: to find the Creator. In every ten there is the Shechina [Divinity]. Clearly, if there are
more than ten then there is more revelation of the Shechina. Thus, each one should assemble
with his friend and come to him to hear from him a word about the work of the Creator, and how
to find the Creator. He should annul before his friend, and his friend should do the same toward
him, and so should everyone do. Then, when the assembly is with this intention, then “More
than the calf wants to suckle, the cow wants to nurse,” and the Creator approaches them and
He is with them, and great mercies and good and revealed kindness will be extended over the
assembly of Israel.

8. Maor VaShemesh, Portion Yitro

One should depict his friend as serving the Creator more than him, and “authors’ [also
counters’] envy will increase wisdom.” By this, he will grow increasingly stronger in the work of
the Creator. This is the meaning of “Each one is burned by his friend’s canopy,” from the word
“fervor.” By seeing that his friend’s canopy is bigger than his, a fire will burn in him and his soul
will further ignite toward the work of the Creator, and he will attain more attainments of
Godliness.

9. Rabash. Article 30 (1988) What to Look For in the Assembly of Friends

Each one should try to bring into the society a spirit of life and hopefulness, and infuse energy
into the society. Thus, each of the friends will be able to tell himself, “Now I am starting a clean
slate in the work.” In other words, before he came to the society, he was disappointed with the
progress in the work of the Creator, but now the society has filled him with life and hopefulness.
Thus, through society he obtained the confidence and strength to overcome because now he
feels that he can achieve wholeness. And all his thoughts—that he was facing a high mountain
that could not be conquered, and that these were truly formidable obstructions—now he feels
that they are nothing. And he received it all from the power of the society because each and
every one tried to instill a spirit of encouragement and the presence of a new atmosphere in the
society.
10. Noam Elimelech, Likutei Shoshana
One must always pray for his friend, as one cannot do much for himself, for “One does not
deliver oneself from imprisonment.” But when asking for his friend, he is answered quickly.
Therefore, each one should pray for his friend, and thus each works on the other’s desire until
all of them are answered.

11. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, Likutey Halachot [Assorted Rules], Hoshen Mishpat, “Rules of
the Guarantor”
It is impossible to observe the Torah and Mitzvot unless through Arvut [mutual responsibility],
when each one becomes responsible for his friend. Since the essence of observance of the
Torah, which is the desire, is through unity. Therefore each one must be included in the whole
of Israel in great unity. Precisely by each being responsible for his friend, which is the quality of
unity, specifically by this can they observe the Torah, since the essence of love and unity is in
the desire, when each one is pleased with his friend and there is no disparity of desire among
them, and all are included in one desire, by which they are included in the upper desire, which is
the purpose of the unity.

12. Likutey Torah, Nitzavim 44b

By making the covenant, their love will be eternal love and will never fail. No prevention will part
them, since they make between them a strong and steadfast tie, to unite and connect through
their heart with a wondrous knot and above mind and reason. Although the mind and reason
should have stopped the love or cause some hate, still, because of the making of the covenant,
their love will exist forever. This love and this steadfast ties will cover all crimes since they have
made the covenant of connection as though they have become one flesh. And as one cannot
stop being loved himself, so he will not stop loving his friend.

LESSON 3: PRAYER

1. Likutey Moharan, First Edition, Mark 5

Every person should say, “The whole world was created only for me” (Sanhedrin 37). It follows
that if the whole world has been created for me, I have to look and delve into the correction of
the world at all times, satisfy the needs of the world, and pray for them.

2. Baal Hasulam. Anyone Who Is Sorry for the Public

Therefore, a servant of the Creator who is not sorry for the public but feels only his own
personal lack, his receptacle for abundance is also not greater. As a result, he will not be able to
receive the collective revelation of Godliness in the form of the comfort of the public, since he
did not prepare a Kli to receive this collective discernment, but only his individual discernment.
Conversely, one who is sorry for the public and feels the troubles of the public as his own
trouble is rewarded with seeing the complete revelation of the Shechina, meaning the comfort of
the whole of Israel. Because his lack is a collective lack, the abundance of Kedusha [holiness] is
also collective.

3. Rabash 217. Run My Beloved

It is impossible to receive anything without equivalence. Rather, there must always be
equivalence. Hence, when he evokes mercy on himself, it follows that he is engaged in
reception for himself. And the more he prays, not only is he not preparing the Kli [vessel] of
equivalence, but on the contrary, sparks of reception form within him. It turns out that he is
going the opposite way: While he should prepare vessels of bestowal, he is preparing vessels of
reception. “Cleave unto His attributes” is specifically “As He is merciful, so you are merciful.”
Hence, when he prays for the public, through this prayer he engages in bestowal. And the more
he prays, to that extent he forms vessels of bestowal, by which the light of bestowal, called
“merciful,” can be revealed.

4. Rabash. Article 15 (1986) A Prayer of Many

The advice is to ask for the whole collective. In other words, everything that one feels that he is
lacking and asks fulfillment for, he should not say that he is an exception or deserves more than
what the collective has. Rather, “I dwell among my own people,” meaning I am asking for the
entire collective because I wish to come to a state where I will have no care for myself
whatsoever, but only for the Creator to have contentment. Therefore, it makes no difference to
me if the Creator takes pleasure in me or can receive the pleasure from others. In other words,
he asks the Creator to give us such an understanding, which is called, “entirely for the Creator.”
It means that he will be certain that he is not deceiving himself that he wants to bestow upon the
Creator, that perhaps he is really thinking only of his own self-love, meaning that he will feel the
delight and pleasure. Therefore, he prays for the collective.

5. Baal Hasulam. Shamati 5, Lishma Is an Awakening from Above, and Why Do We Need an
Awakening from Below
Why one should seek advice and counsels regarding how to achieve Lishma. After all, no
counsels will help him, and if God does not give him the other nature, called “the Will to
Bestow,” no labor will help one to attain the matter of Lishma. The answer is, as our sages said,
“It is not for you to complete the work, and you are not free to idle away from it.” This means that
one must give the awakening from below, since this is discerned as a prayer. A prayer is
considered a deficiency, and without deficiency there is no fulfillment. Hence, when one has a
need for Lishma, the fulfillment comes from Above, and the answer to the prayer comes from
Above, meaning one receives fulfillment for one’s need. It follows, that one’s work is needed to
receive the Lishma from the Creator only in the form of a lack and a Kli (Vessel). Yet, one can
never attain the fulfillment alone; it is rather a gift from God.

6. Baal Hasulam. Shamati 5, Lishma Is an Awakening from Above, and Why Do We Need an
Awakening from Below
One must know, when exerting to attain the Lishma, to take upon himself to want to work
entirely to bestow, completely, meaning only to bestow and not to receive anything. Only then
does one begin to see that the organs do not agree to this view. From this one can come to
clear awareness that he has no other choice but to pour out his heart to the Creator to help him
so the body will agree to enslave itself to the Creator unconditionally, as he sees that he cannot
persuade his body to annul itself completely. It turns out that precisely when one sees that there
is no hope that his body will agree to work for the Creator by itself, one’s prayer can be from the
bottom of the heart, and then his prayer is accepted.

7. Baal Hasulam. Shamati 19. What Is “The Creator Hates the Bodies,” in the Work
One should believe that the obstructions of the will to receive in the work come to him from
above. One is given the force to discover the will to receive from above because there is room
for work precisely when the will to receive awakens. Then one has close contact with the
Creator to help him turn the will to receive to work in order to bestow. One must believe that
from this extends contentment to the Creator, from his praying to Him to draw him near in the
manner of Dvekut [adhesion], called “equivalence of form,” discerned as the annulment of the
will to receive, so it is in order to bestow. The Creator says about this, “My sons defeated Me.”
That is, I gave you the will to receive, and you ask Me to give you a desire to bestow instead.

8. Rabash. Article 21 (1988) What Does It Mean that the Torah Was Given Out of the Darkness
in the Work
The Torah is given specifically to the deficient, and that deficiency is called “darkness.” This is
the meaning of the words, “The Torah was given out of the darkness.” That is, one who feels
darkness in his life because he has no vessels of bestowal is fit to receive the Torah, so that
through the Torah, the light in it will reform him and he will obtain the vessels of bestowal.
Through them, he will be fit to receive the delight and pleasure… It follows that the Torah was
given specifically to those who feel that their will to receive controls them. They cry out from the
darkness that they need the Torah in order to deliver them from the darkness that is the control
of the vessels of reception, on which there was a Tzimtzum [restriction] and concealment so that
no light will shine in that place. But that place is the cause for the need to receive the Torah.

9. Baal Hasulam. Letter 57

There is no happier state in man’s world than when he finds himself despaired with his own
strength. That is, he has already labored and done all that he could possibly imagine he could
do, but found no remedy. It is then that he is fit for a wholehearted prayer for His help because
he knows for certain that his own work will not help him.As long as he feels some strength of his
own, his prayer will not be whole because the evil inclination rushes first and tells him, “First you
must do what you can, and then you will be worthy of the Creator.”It was said about this, “The
Lord is high and the low will see.” For once a person has labored in all kinds of work, and has
become disillusioned, he comes into real lowliness, knowing that he is the lowest of all the
people, as there is nothing good in the structure of his body. At that time, his prayer is complete
and he is granted by His generous hand.

10. Rabash. Article 5 (1991) “What Is, “The Good Deeds of the Righteous Are the Generations,”
in the Work?
We ask the Creator to give us the strength so we can perform all our actions for You, meaning
for the sake of the Creator. Otherwise, meaning if You do not help us, all our actions will be only
for our own benefit. That is, “If not,” meaning “If You do not help us, all our actions will be only
for ourselves, for our own benefit, for we are powerless to overcome our will to receive.
Therefore, help us be able to work for You. Hence, You must help us.” This is called “Do for
Your sake,” meaning do this, give us the power of the desire to bestow. Otherwise, we are
doomed; we will remain in the will to receive for our own sake.

11. Rabash. Letter 18

When we hear the voice of the Creator speaking to the heart, as in “He who comes to purify is
aided,” and it was interpreted in the holy Zohar that he is aided by a holy soul, meaning that the
heart hears the voice of the Creator and then specifically the voice of holiness receives the
governance over all the desires, meaning the desire to bestow. And naturally, they will not turn
back to folly, meaning he will not sin again because all the desires of reception have
surrendered under the desire to bestow. At that time all the good pleasantness appears on the
heart, for then there is room in the heart for the instilling of the Shechina (Divinity), and the
gentleness and pleasantness, and flavor and friendship spread, and fill up all of man’s organs.
This applies specifically when hearing the voice of the Creator. At that time the whole body
surrenders and enslaves itself to holiness.