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CENTRUL GRUPULUI
5.01 Baal HaSulam,
Letter No. 13
You should know that there are many sparks of holiness in each one in the group. When you assem- ble all the sparks of holiness to one place, as brothers, with love and friendship, you will certainly have a very high level of holiness for a while, from the light of life.
5.02 Baal HaSulam,
“600,000 Souls”
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, as in “He who breathed, breathed from within Him.”
This is the meaning of the three times of a person:
- A spark of a soul, the act by way of sparkling, as in prohibiting and permitting.
- A particular soul, one part out of 600,000. It is permanently completed, but its flaw is with it. This means that his body cannot receive the whole of the soul, and feels himself as being distinct, which causes him a lot of pains of love.
Subsequently, he approaches wholeness, the common soul, since the body has been cleansed and is entirely dedicated to the Creator and does not pose any measures or screens and is completely included in the whole of Israel.
5.03 Baal HaSulam,
“Not the Time for the Livestock to Be Gathered”
One must not exclude oneself from the public and ask for oneself, not even to bring contentment to one’s maker, but only for the entire public. It is so because one who departs from the public to ask specifically for one’s own soul does not build. On the contrary, he inflicts ruin upon his soul, as it is written, “All who is proud, he and I cannot dwell in the same abode,” 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.
Even during work, when one prays alone, against his will he departs from the public and ruins his soul. That is, there was not even an awakening of anyone from the children of Israel to demand anything personal for no one needed anything because they did not feel as separate selves, and this was their power to come out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Thus, every one must gather with all of one’s strength into the whole of Israel with every plea to the Creator in the prayer and include himself in the only one, the root of all of Israel.
5.04 Baal HaSulam,
“The Arvut [Mutual Guarantee],” Item 23
It is written, “And Israel camped there before the mountain,” which our sages interpret as “as one man with one heart.”
This is because each and every person from the nation completely detached himself from self-love, and wanted only to benefit his friend. It turns out that all the individuals in the nation had come together and became one heart and one man, for only then were they qualified to receive the Torah.
5.05 Baal HaSulam,
Letter No. 8
There is a sublime purpose for all that happens in this world, and it is called “the drop of unifica- tion.” When those dwellers of clay houses go through all those terrors, through all that totality, in His pride, which is removed from them, a door opens in the walls of their hearts, which are tightly sealed by the nature of creation itself, and by this they become fit for instilling that drop of unifi- cation in their hearts. Then they are inverted like an imprinted substance, and they will evidently see that it is to the contrary—that it was precisely in those dreadful terrors that they perceive the totality, which is removed by foreign pride. There, and only there, is the Creator Himself adhered, and there He can instill them with the drop of unification.
5.06 RABASH,
Letter No. 42
It is written, “And the people encamped, as one man with one heart.” This means that they all had one goal, which is to benefit the Creator. It follows…
We should understand how they could be as one man with one heart, since we know what our sages said, “As their faces are not similar to one another, their views are not similar to one another,” so how could they be as one man with one heart?
Answer: If we are saying that each one cares for himself, it is impossible to be as one man, since they are not similar to one another. However, if they all annul their selves and worry only about the benefit of the Creator, they have no individual views, since the individuals have all been canceled and have entered the single authority.
5.07 RABASH,
Letter No. 40
What can one do if he feels that he has a heart of stone toward his friend? The advice is very simple: The nature of fire is that when rubbing stones against each other, a fire starts. This is a great rule, since “From Lo Lishma [not for Her sake] one comes to Lishma [for Her sake].” And this is so partic- ularly when the act is Lishma, meaning imparting a gift to one’s friend, and the aim is Lo Lishma. This is so because one gives a gift only to one that we know and recognize as someone we love. It follows that the aim of the gift is like gratitude for the love that his friend gives him. However, if one gives a gift to a stranger, meaning he doesn’t feel that his friend is close to his heart, then he has noth- ing to be grateful for. It follows that the aim is Lo Lishma, meaning … the intention that should be. Ostensibly, it could be said that this is called “charity,” since he pities his friend when he sees that there is no one who is speaking to him and greets him, and this is why he does that to him. Indeed, there is a prayer for it—that the Creator will help him by making him feel the love of his friend and make his friend close to his heart. Thus, through the deeds, he is rewarded with the aim, as well.
But while at the time of doing the giver of the gift intended that the gift to his friends would only be as charity (even if he is giving his time for his friend, since it is sometimes more important to a person than his money, as it is said, “One cares for his lack of money but not for his lack of time.” However, regarding time, each has his own value, since there are people who make one pound an hour, and there is more or less. And likewise with their spirituality—how much spirituality they make in an hour, etc.), then one is testifying about himself that he isn’t aiming for love of friends, meaning that through the action, the love between them will increase.
And only when both of them intend for a gift and not for charity, through the wearing out of the hearts, even of the strongest ones, each will bring out warmth from the walls of his heart, and the warmth will ignite the sparks of love until a clothing of love will form. Then, both of them will be covered under one blanket, meaning a single love will surround and envelop the two of them, as it is known that Dvekut [adhesion] unites two into one.
And when one begins to feel the love of his friend, joy and pleasure immediately begin to awaken in him, for the rule is that a novelty entertains. His friend’s love for him is a new thing for him because he always knew that he was the only one who cared for his own well-being. But the minute he discovers that his friend cares for him, it evokes within him immeasurable joy, and he can no longer care for himself, since man can toil only where he feels pleasure. And since he is beginning to feel pleasure in caring for his friend, he naturally cannot think of himself.
5.08 RABASH,
Article No. 63, “You Stand Here Today – 1”
“You stand here today all of you.” This means that he gathered them… to admit them into the covenant (RASHI). “All of you” means that everyone entered into the Arvut [mutual responsibility] (Ohr HaChaim).
There is a question why he begins with plural form, “all of you,” then shifts to singular form, “every man from Israel.” It means that “all of you” permeates everyone in Israel, meaning that every person from Israel will be included with “all of you,” as it is written, “And the people camped at the bottom of the mountain,” as one man with one heart. In other words, when there is love of Israel, they can succeed, as it is written, “Ephraim is joined to idols; let him be.”
Man is a small world and comprises the entire world. He should achieve the degree of being singular, as it is written, “Rewarded, he sentences himself and the entire world to the side of merit” (Kidushin 40b).
Therefore, when a person admits all the individuals, “your heads and your tribes,” for everyone must join in the covenant, meaning to come to be a worker of the Creator “with all your heart— with both your inclinations.” In other words, even the lowly attributes in man should undergo correction.
“So that He may establish you today as His people and He will be a God unto you.” That is, a person will achieve this attainment, that he is in the singular authority.
5.09 RABASH,
Letter No. 8
Once I have acquired this above-mentioned clothing, sparks of love promptly begin to shine within me. The heart begins to long to unite with my friends, and it seems to me that my eyes see my friends, my ears hear their voices, my mouth speaks to them, the hands embrace, the feet dance in a circle, in love and joy together with them, and I transcend my corporeal boundaries. I forget the vast distance between my friends and me, and the outstretched land for many miles will not stand between us.
It is as though my friends are standing right within my heart and see all that is happening there, and I become ashamed of my petty acts against my friends. Then, I simply exit the corporeal vessels and it seems to me that there is no reality in the world except my friends and I. After that, even the “I” is cancelled and is immersed, mingled in my friends, until I stand and declare that there is no reality in the world—only the friends.
5.10 RABASH,
Article No. 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.
5.11 RABASH,
Article No. 28 (1986), “A Congregation Is No Less than Ten”
Our sages said (Sanhedrin, 39), “In every ten there is Shechina.”
It is known that Malchut is called “tenth.” It is also known that the receiving Kli is also called “the Sefira Malchut,” who is the tenth Sefira, receiving the upper abundance. She is called “will to receive,” and all the creatures extend only from her. For this reason, a congregation is no less than ten, since all the corporeal branches extend from the upper roots. Therefore, according to the rule, “There is no light that does not have ten Sefirot,” in corporeality, something is not considered a congregation that can be regarded as important unless there are ten men there, such as the upper degrees.
5.12 RABASH, Article No. 9 (1984),
“One Should Always Sell the Beams of His House”
Each of them had a spark of love of others, but the spark could not ignite the light of love to shine in each, so they agreed that by uniting, the sparks would become a big flame.
5.13 Zohar for All, Nasso,
“Why Have I Come and There Is No Man,” Items 105-108
It is written, “Why have I come and there is no man.” How beloved are Israel by the Creator, for wher- ever they are, the Creator is among them since He does not remove His love from them, as it is written, “And let them make Me a Temple and I will dwell among them.” “Let them make Me a Temple” is any Temple, for any synagogue in the world is called “a Temple.” “And I will dwell among them” since the Shechina [Divinity] is the first to come to the synagogue. Happy is the man who is among the first ten in the synagogue since they complete the congregation, which is no less than ten, and they are the first to be sanctified in the Shechina. There must be ten in the synagogue at once, and not come bit by bit so as not to delay the wholeness of the organs. All ten are as organs of one body in which the Shechina is present, for the Creator made man at once, and established all his organs together.
When all of one’s organs are completed at that time, each organ is completed in itself properly. Likewise, when the Shechina comes to the synagogue first, there must be ten together there, and then it is completed since a congregation is no less than ten, corresponding to the ten Sefirot of Malchut. As long as there aren’t ten there together, none of them is completed. Afterwards, the correction of the whole congregation is done, as it is written, “The king is glorified in the multitude of people.” Hence, the people, who come after the first ten, are all a correction of that body, the correction of the congregation, since the increase of people increases the glory of the king.
When the Shechina comes first and people have not come ten together properly, the Creator calls out, “Why have I come and there is no man?” “There is no man” since the organs have not been corrected and the body, called “congregation,” has not been completed. This is so because when the body is incomplete, there is no man, for the individual organs that have already come are incomplete.
When the body is completed below, when there are ten together, upper Kedusha [holiness] comes and enters that body, and the lower one becomes truly as the ten Sefirot of above. At that time, everyone must not open their mouths to speak of worldly matters since Israel are now in the wholeness of the upper one and are sanctified in the upper Kedusha.
5.14 Rabbi Nachman of Breslov,
Likutey Halachot
The work of the Creator is mainly in the desire. Each one, to the extent that he accustoms himself to strengthen his will and yearning and longing for the Creator, with a very strong desire, to that extent he is rewarded with nearing the Creator, His law, His commandments. Each one from Israel must rise in all the ascents from degree to degree, and it is all to the extent of the strengthening of the desire, for the heart of the purpose is to be willingly incorporated in the desire, for the beginning of nearing the Creator and the final purpose are all regarded as desire, and it is impossible to be incorporated in the desire unless through unity, and love, and peace, when all of Israel are included together in love and great unity.
5.15 Maor VaShemesh,
Portion Ekev
It is a very great thing when the children of Israel assemble, but the most important is for each and every one to annul himself completely and not think of himself as righteous or that he counts at all among the friends. It is known that in every ten there is Shechina [Divinity], and this is a complete level. In a complete level, there are head, hands, legs, and heels. It follows that when every person regards himself as nothing in society, then he regards himself as a heel compared to the society, while they are the head, the body, and the higher organs. When each one thinks of himself in this way, they make the gates of abundance and every lushness in the world open up to them, and the most important is that righteous who can best grasp a discernment that is more “null” than all of them. Through him, all the abundance flows.
5.15 Likutey Halachot [Assorted Rules],
“Synagogue Rules,” Rule One
The ascent of the soul and its completeness is mainly when all the souls merge and become one, for then they rise to the Kedusha [holiness], since the Kedusha is one. Therefore, the prayer, which is regarded as the soul, depends primarily on the unity of souls. For this reason, prior to the prayer, he must take upon himself the to-do Mitzva [commandment] “Love your neighbor as yourself,” for it is impossible to say the words of the prayer unless through peace, when we unite with all the souls of Israel. For this reason, the prayer is mainly in public and not alone, so that one will not be separated and alone, as this is the opposite of Kedusha. Rather, we must only unite the holy congre- gation together and become one. This is a prayer in public, when the souls assemble and unite, and this is the completeness of the prayer.
5.16 Ramchal,
Adir BaMarom, Part 1
The Nukva [female], who leads all the worlds, is called “heart.” Also, the Nukva feels the actions of all the worlds because she is the one who is impressed by the lower ones. It follows that the hearts in all the people are but parts of that heart. That is, all the souls are rooted in the Nukva and are therefore regarded as parts of her. Also, they are her MAN because she is not considered whole unless she is integrated with all her branches.
This matter of the heart also spreads through all the souls that are rooted in her. It follows that this heart is incomplete until it contains all the discernments of the heart that emerge from it in all the souls. Then, when it is inclusive, so he will understand, as in “the heart understands” all the guidance as a whole, as this is the order of bestowal, when the branches are included in the root, and then the root is comprised of all of them, receives what it needs for all of them, and returns and dispenses to everyone their rightful share.
5.17 Maor VaShemesh,
Portion Re’eh
The main rule by which to come to the path of the Creator is through adhesion of friends, as it is written in Pirkei Avot [Ethics of the Fathers], “Acquiring the Torah, one of forty-eight things by which the Torah is acquired is adhesion of friends.” And how is it adhesion of friends? By gath- ering together, where each one annuls before his friend when he sees his friend’s merit, and he becomes lowly in his own eyes and his friend is greater than him. And he loves each and every one, and his desire is to truly permeate each one because of joy and love.
5.18 Raaiah Kook,
Lights
A person from Israel who wants to be rewarded with the light of life in truth must agree to plant him- self in the assembly of Israel with all his heart, with all his senses and corporeal and spiritual powers.
5.19 Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Halevi Epstein,
Maor VaShemesh
The advice and counsel for serving the Creator and the correct path of repentance is to unite our hearts in love of friends and look at the advantage of the other in serving the Creator and in knowing his Creator, and not to see his flaw. Repentance is mainly in uniting with each and every one in love and in one heart, to serve the Creator shoulder to shoulder. By this, the world of repentance and the world of mercy and the world of good will awaken. This is an intimation, as was said, “And all are reviewed in one review.” This means that we should adhere and connect to one another and close into one another in the heart of each one. This is implied in the word “one,” to become one bundle to serve the Creator wholeheartedly.
5.20 Rabbi Nachman of Breslov,
Likutey Halachot [Assorted Rules], Hoshen Mishpat, “Rules of the Guarantor”
The essence of observance of the Torah, which is the desire, is through unity, anyone who wishes to take upon himself the burden of Torah and Mitzvot, which is primarily by overcoming the desire, must be included in the whole of Israel in great unity. For this reason, at the time of the reception of the Torah, they immediately became responsible for one another because they were regarded as one. Precisely by each being responsible for his friend, which is the quality of unity, specifically by this can they observe the Torah. Without it, it would not be possible to observe the Torah whatsoever, since the heart of observing the Torah, which is the desire, is through unity, when all are regarded as one. It follows that specifically through Arvut, which is when everyone are regarded as one, is the heart of observing 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.
5.21 Degel Machaneh Ephraim,
VaEtchanan
“The Lord is one and Israel are one”; hence, they are adhered to the Creator, since it befits the One to cling to the one. And when is this? It is when Israel are bundled and attached together in complete unity. At that time, they are regarded as one, and the Creator is upon them, for He is one.
But when their hearts divide and they are apart from one another, they cannot be adhered to the One and the Creator is not on them. Rather, another God is on them. This is implied in the verse, “And you who are adhered,” meaning when you are adhered and united with each other, “You are alive every one of you.” When they are in one unity. Then it befits the One to cling to the one, and the one Creator is upon them.
5.22 Ohev Ysrael,
Likutei Masachtot
One should intend to love; the Creator is destined to pardon the righteous, and He sits among them. Machol [pardon/dancing in a circle] is in a circle, meaning that everyone will stand in a circle and the Creator is as the middle point of the circle. And each one points with his finger, “This is our God,” meaning that each one will have great attainment equally from the upper Hesed [mercy].
5.23 The Holy Shlah,
Proofreading on Shaar HaOtiot
Come let me show you that the love of your friend is interlaced with the love of the Creator, for the immenseness of the obligation to love the friend is for the sake of loving the Creator—to remember that he is made in the image and semblance of the upper one, and the part of the soul in him is a part of God above. This is why we are called the “assembly of Israel,” for we are all assembled and unite in His uniqueness.
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