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All assignments and homework for the Young Group with Dave and Danny
Homework #Lesson 5:
Each friend leaves in the forum a short message:
What did I take from the lesson?Read the quote by Dr. Laitman:
“What I do in this work is demand the Reforming Light. And when the Reforming Light comes to me it brings me closer to the friend, I begin to feel him close to me, and I begin to care for him, that I have a certain warmth to him, still far from the actual flame, but I can somehow say that I am beginning to get close to the matter of love. And then, when I feel such a sensation, this sensation makes us equal, equal by me not being able to think of myself, only of two, and first of him and then of myself. And so on, these are the degrees, but this is all from the Reforming Light. That’s it, so you have an exercise, be above, be below, and demand the Light that brings you the feeling of love, and then you are equal”.Discuss on the forum:
How do we make sure that we draw the reforming light with every action of ours?Leave in the forum a message that will help build between us a demand so that none of us will be able to differentiate themselves from the others, and we will feel as one.
Last but not least:
Remind each other of the connection throughout the week without overwhelming the friends in the GE Forum. If you’re naturally active on the GE Forum, make efforts to leave room for others. If you’re naturally inactive, make efforts to inspire the friends.
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The Way of Kabbalah (from the Book: “Attaining the Worlds Beyond” chapter 13, page 139)
by Rav Dr. Michael Laitman
The way of Kabbalah is a long, difficult period of re-evaluating one’s goals in life, of reassessing the self, clearly defining the direction of one’s desires, truthfully assessing the motivating forces of one’s actions, attempting to overcome the desires of the body and the demands of reason, as well as completely grasping the power of one’s egoism. The way of Kabbalah is, at the same time, a hard, prolonged period of suffering to search to satisfy one’s desires; it is a period of disappointment that one is unable to find genuine “focus” of one’s aspirations; it is the time of realizing that the only escape from the ultimate source of suffering (egoism) is the shift to altruistic thoughts, which will exclude any thoughts about the self, and will gradually lead to thoughts about the Creator. The latter will, in turn, bring about such pleasant feelings of serenity that one will not want to think about anything else.
Only after we have passed through all the stages of initial spiritual development—the way of Kabbalah—do we begin to perceive the Upper Light—the Light of Kabbalah—which shines more and more strongly upon us as we ascend the steps of the spiritual ladder that lead to our ultimate merging with the Creator.
*I chose this passage because it reminds me of where we all started, where we are at, and where we are headed. I feel it is a great summary for achieving the ultimate goal.
(John)
1. Mishna, Berachot, 9:5
One must welcome the bad as much as one welcome’s the good, as was said, “And you will love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” “With all your heart,” with your two inclinations, with the good inclination and with the evil inclination. “And with all your soul,” even if He takes your soul. “And with all your might,” with all your money.
I chose this reading because it taught me more about what loving God really means. Many people have a “transactional” relationship with the Creator. “Creator, give me this and i will love you.” This reading helped open my eyes to how love of the Creator has to be complete, unconditional, and with total faith and trust.
Excerpt:
“For this reason, the society must consist of individuals who unanimously agree that they must achieve it. Then, all the individuals become one great force, where one can fight against oneself, since each one is incorporated 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.”
I chose this excerpt because of the encouragement I feel that we’re all working towards the same goal and with the same method. Each of us is making an effort and for this reason we all have some space to share and learn from one another. The paradox is that each friend feels valued and an important component towards reconnecting with the creator.
“All the gates are locked and closed, and the gates of tears do not close.”
(From “Let there be light”, page 295)
This sentence speaks to the depth of my soul. Unchartered territory, dark continents that needs a guiding light. The tears and the longing for the creator makes a trail to follow. Observing my friends through those tears, observing myself through those tears. The tears of a child reuniting with a loving parent. The tears of lovers reuniting after harsh words. Hope and grace.
The Paradox of Choice – Kabbalah Explained Simply
January 1st, 2023 – Lio Spiegler“It’s (kabbalistic attainment) reminiscent of the experience with a baby. I’m not certain if you have children, but if you are fortunate enough to spend time with them, raise them, and witness their growth, it’s a deeply profound process. Sadly, many of us are denied these moments in our modern world. One of the most magical aspects of being with a baby isn’t just when you feed them and they relish their meal. It’s that incredible moment when they lock eyes with you, recognizing and acknowledging your existence. They might not even be aware that you played a role in bringing them into this world – in my case, it was primarily my wife’s doing, though I did have a part in it.”
“This acknowledgment of your existence by another being is unparalleled. It’s a sentiment that can’t be artificially recreated. While we might project emotions onto inanimate objects or even robots, often out of desperation, it’s incomparable to the genuine recognition from a baby. The process of such acknowledgment, when shifted from us to the Creator, is simply transcendent. This Creator, or nature with a capital “N”, seeks our genuine recognition. To achieve this understanding and acknowledgment, one must invest immense effort, much like feeding a child countless meals, changing numerous diapers, and assisting them in countless ways. Over time, this profound understanding grows, bringing us closer to being on par with the Creator. Kabbalists who have reached this level of enlightenment confirm this journey.”
Reason for choosing: Because of what I felt.
What I felt: When Lio described the analogy of making eye contact with the creator, I felt a sensation as if I were a fetus in a womb. Encompassed, warm, and completely at rest. The key word being REST. It felt as if the creator is carrying me around like I am a child. In this last class, Danny and David described the light that reforms and how it works on us. Their point being that the light that works on us is doing all the work, not us! That evokes a feeling of rest within me.
This is also described in the picture below in the red box. I have heard Kabbalists from this source often describe the early stages of spiritual development as similar to a fetus in a womb. The creator is like a loving parent and wants only good for creation. Danny described the creator babbling to the creation. The point he was making was that until we grow spiritually, we hear the creator as a baby hears the parent. Danny described that a baby does not understand anything the parent is saying but the baby knows it is good, so good.
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