7 Billion Citizens Of The Spiritual Worlds

Question: How do I check whether I really did ascend on the spiritual ladder and am not deceiving myself in order to please my egoism?

Dr. Laitman's Answer: From the World of Infinity to our world and back up to the World of Infinity, there extends a ladder of spiritual steps, differing in the thickness or coarseness of desire (will to receive) and its screen, which transforms the desire to bestowing. All differences are only in the screens.

As I ascend the steps, the measure of my bestowal increases, becoming equivalent with the ones existing on the next higher level; yet my character, the original attributes, remains the same. Therefore each of us ascending to the same step, bestows in a different way, in one's personal style.

In our world-which appears as only one step in the spiritual world-there are 7 billion people, all of whom are different. Similarly, at any one of the 125 steps of the spiritual worlds, there are 7 billion, and all of them are different, but they exist in one common form. In the spiritual world all exist for the sake of bestowal, but each step differs in the type of bestowal.

It seems to us that the only difference is in the quantity: greater or lesser bestowal. However, the 125 steps do not differ in the quantity of bestowal, but rather each of them is an absolutely different relationship with the Creator, another type of connection. This is why they are separated from each other.

-from the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/25/10

Upbringing In The Spiritual World

Question: How does the Upper bring the lower one up the steps of the spiritual ladder?

Dr. Laitman's Answer: The Upper degree switches into his lesser state (Katnut) and descends to the lower, presenting himself to the lower as smaller. We do the same thing when playing with children. We want the children to have success, so we lower ourselves and let them win the game. We lower ourselves to establish a connection with them.

This is like a mentor who acts among children as if he is just like them; gradually he begins to change, to model more desirable behavior, so that the children see him as an example of a corrected child. First, the mentor displays an example of a corrected child, but not as an adult, so the children can relate to him. We know that children learn more readily from other children than from adults.

This is because the environment impacts people only if the people in it are equal. Friends must be on equal terms; then they can serve as an example to each other. If I feel that a friend is greater than I am, he is not my friend anymore. I learn from the level I am on.

It is the same way in the spiritual world. The Upper descends to the lower and becomes identical to the lower in everything, and by doing so, he unites with the lower. The lower doesn't annul himself before the higher one since they are seemingly equal; hence, they unite on equal terms. After this, the Upper one can ascend and bring the lower one up with him.

In order to ascend with the Upper one, the lower one must annul his receiving desires (AHAP), but remain united with the Upper one as an equal, in the bestowing desires (Galgalta ve Eynaim). Thus when the Upper one descends to me, I will not perceive him as higher because he has become the same as me. If a seven-foot tall adult plays with a child while matching the child's emotions and behaviors, the child won't perceive him as a seven-foot tall adult. The child thinks that the adult is just like him. Without this similarity from the child's perspective, there wouldn't be any contact between them!

The truth is that I cannot unite with anyone who isn't on the same step with me, at the same level, in the same qualities, no more, no less. Then there can be a connection between us, but not before!

This is like high frequency waves: If you step slightly beyond the limits of the frequency, the connection disappears. It is the same for the spiritual connection: We have to attain absolutely precise congruence, not more, not less, at the same level. Otherwise, there will be no contact; one will not penetrate the other.

 -from the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/25/10