My Creator is concealed through nature, hiding within the ecology that surrounds us.

In reflecting on the nature of Creation, it is important to speak not of a distant or abstract creator but of ׳my Creator,' bringing a personal dimension to the conversation. This notion transforms the Creator into someone, not something. Ecology, in its essence, can be seen as a representation of God, with nature serving as a manifestation of the divine presence. Through nature, the Creator conceals itself, hiding within the very ecology and light that surrounds us. This concealment is intentional, as it forms the backdrop through which we interact with the world and seek to understand the divine.

The will to receive is the raw material of human nature.

The will to receive is a fundamental aspect of human nature, not inherently evil but a raw material that shapes our experiences. In Hebrew, this concept suggests an awakening or awareness of the self, emphasizing the importance of how we use this power.

Evil arises when the purpose of bad is misunderstood or misused, separating us further from the divine intention. While receiving is not inherently bad, when it becomes separated from the intention to bestow, it deepens the separation from the light and creates darkness. Evil, in this sense, is the decay or rotting of this deepened separation.

Spiritual uniqueness, the Nibuy, cannot be defined by an individual on his own. It exists only through the surrounding ecology, through the group. Without a spiritual environment there is no spiritual identity, just as a baby raised without human contact would not develop as human. The surrounding light, Ohr Makif, rooted in Malchut, shapes and develops the vessel from the outside. This is why separating the individual from the system is a distortion. In the wisdom of Kabbalah, the group is essential. Through it, the Creator’s plan expresses itself, and even good and evil receive meaning only within this shared field of humanity.

Entering the study of Kabbalah means entering a shared field of spiritual possibility that belongs to a certain time and state of humanity. The role of Israel, its service and destiny, is revealed through this collective process and through the cycles of the year. Within this field, the vessel develops through receptivity, the ability to receive and allow the light to express itself. Free will takes place within the group, as more people turn toward knowing and gradually create a reality in which the knowledge of the Creator can emerge. According to the depth of need and recognition of separation, the group can reach levels such as Nefesh, even Ruach of Nefesh, but only in moments of true connection during study and prayer.

Spiritual attainment is not personal and not constant. It appears when the group aligns in need and work, and then withdraws. Even the giving of the Torah occurred within a collective and only for a moment, yet left a lasting impression. The mistake is expecting spirituality to serve the individual instead of understanding that the individual serves the building of the collective vessel. The work is to form a shared consciousness through which the Creator’s will and speech can be expressed. This becomes the soul of the world, a state in which all will know the Creator as a shared reality formed through the group.

The vision of the reformation at Mishkan Hakavana is in line with Baal HaSulam z"l.

When we speak of tikkun, it is about removing the stone that blocks the well of life for all humanity—not to control but to create a passage for the entire world. This act invites every spirit that feels exiled, that senses its presence in this world as exile, to reconnect. If you don't dream of a better world—one where the world can drink from the source of life—you are not Jacob.

Dreaming of a better world, as it should be, is not just a hope but a prerequisite for defining the very nature of the spirit. Mishkan Hakavana calls us to embody this dream and be part of the collective renewal.

Managing in Chaos: Challenges and the Potential to Evolve into a Reformed Reality

In this thought-provoking conversation, Rabbah Saphir Noyman Eyal, founder of Mishkan Hakavana, engages in dialogue with Amy Elizabeth Fox and Nicholas Janni the co-authors of Leading in Chaos, to explore how humanity can navigate today’s chaotic reality—and the possibility of evolving toward a reformed one.

Amy Elizabeth Fox, Co-Founder and CEO of Mobius Executive Leadership, contributes her expertise in vertical development, transformational change, and trauma-informed consulting. Since 2005, she has led immersive executive leadership programs worldwide and is recognized as a pioneer in integrating healing into the field of organizational development.

Nicholas Janni, author of the award-winning book Leader as Healer (Business Book Award, 2023), offers a contemporary leadership perspective for the 21st century. He argues that today’s leaders must be empathic and embodied, grounded and intuitive, present and awake, in order to meet the scale and complexity of our global challenges.

Drawing on the Zohar and contemporary Kabbalistic scriptures, Rabbah Saphir Noyman Eyal, founder of Mishkan Hakavana  brings a spiritual and Kabbalistic framework rooted in the teachings of Rav Ashlag (Baal HaSulam). For over twenty-five years, she has been leading Kabbalah studies that view chaos not only as a crisis, but as a necessary stage in humanity’s preparation for a new reality—one in which the human spirit reconnects with the plan of the Creator.

Together, this conversation bridges ancient wisdom and modern leadership, exploring how managing in chaos may open the door to personal, organizational, and collective transformation.

All philosophy or history of philosophy, of the Western world and some of the Eastern, is through looking at the laws of nature. Through observing the laws of nature man derives his morality.

The nature of the law inside humans is the will to receive.

Torah is saying to us that humanity is not only composed of that nature, but also of nature of the line, of the ability to choose with the part that is divine that needs to work inside this law of nature and actually to compel it to the nature of the inner divinity within it.

This begins with hu, He, meaning that which is concealed. He and his name are one, 'HU U'SHEMO ECHAD', meaning He and his will, or the 'Createe', are one. But it actually completes itself by 'HU ECHAD U'SHEMO ECHAD', meaning each one is one completion. This means that U'SHEMO is not being devoured and cancelled by the light of the Creator, but it is actually able to be Face to Face.

Face to Face is a deep notion in Kabbalah and in Israel. It means that not only am I not being devoured by the Light but that I have a unique self-definition, which I or humanity, acquired through the qualities of the Creator, summed up by the ability to create.

This is the Eighth day that brings to the Tenth day, meaning that the whole system of the sefirot KETER, CHOCHMA and BINAH is included. Then you could say that humanity might be able to create—to give space of itself, in generosity, for something to be created.

The Zohar emphasizes that the true purpose of spiritual work is to create unification. This unification is a deep communion between the parts of the nukba (the need or desire for divine light) and the divine. This unification is not simply about receiving light but is rooted in communion rather than separation. The concept of masach, the screen which facilitates this communion, represents the alignment of desire with divine will. This screen, referred to as the shekhinah, acts as a conduit between opposites: human desire and divine light. By channeling desire in alignment with divine will, it transforms personal longing into a vessel for connection with the Creator. The core of the process involves creating a 'conscious hole' or space within the heart, a deliberate desire for divine light.

Zeir Anpin, symbolizing the ability to commune with divinity, operates only when this need for divine connection is genuine. Misalignment arises when individuals prioritize self-interest, as with the generation of the Tower of Babel, who sought to make a 'name' for themselves. In doing so, they separated themselves from the divine intention, which seeks to reveal goodness and bestow it upon creation. Thus, spiritual life centers on communion and the continuous intention to align with the Creator's purpose, fostering true spiritual vitality and transcending the 'walking death' of self-centered pursuits.

This study explores the spiritual dynamics of left, right, and their transformation through Binah's influence. Initially, there is no differentiation between left and right until Binah extends itself, awakening the point in the heart. Binah enables discernment, revealing the will to receive for oneself, which draws light. However, the law of creation dictates that self-serving reception of light is not aligned with higher principles, causing the light to ascend, leaving behind a greater desire.

This process evolves as one learns to redirect the will to receive with the right intention. Instead of simply pulling light, it is used as a medium to express need to the Creator, transforming the act into joy, akin to a prayer. The left's nature shifts from pulling to transmitting, while the right transitions from seeking closeness to the light for self-benefit to bestowing goodness to others, aligning with the Creator’s intent.

The third column emerges as a synthesis of these transformations, where the perception of light and its intention, the right, becomes the guiding force, creating a new reality and perception. This process unfolds like a DNA spiral, with each stage serving as a meeting point and a leap to the next level of spiritual growth.

Zohar allows us a unison with the thought of creation. The purpose of the Zohar, as it declares itself, is to rescue or to allow us a tool, a meeting point—a unison with the thought of creation which is reformation, or tikkun. This can take every spirit out of exile.

Only with the connection to the state that is expressed and exemplified by the Zohar community can we actually start to feel the presence of it and enable it to work upon us.

The discussion emphasizes the importance of intentionality in establishing a true spiritual connection. It explains that actions performed without the right spiritual intent may not have the desired effect or connection with the divine. To activate a meaningful relationship with the spiritual world, certain conditions need to be met, primarily through focused intention.

This suggests that the spiritual impact of actions is not automatic but relies on the inner state of the individual performing them. The speaker uses the analogy of guards protecting an empty building to convey the idea that rituals or actions, while significant, must be aligned with the search for where the divine light or connection is currently present. The example illustrates that continuing to guard or maintain spiritual practices without seeking the deeper essence can lead to a disconnect. The actions themselves are important, but they must be accompanied by the proper intent to find and connect with the divine presence. In essence, the conversation encourages a focus on actively seeking spiritual connection through intention, rather than merely maintaining practices.

The process involves searching for where the divine light resides and aligning actions with this understanding, ensuring that spiritual efforts are meaningful and effective.

QUESTION: "You often talk about the last generation, and I'm wondering if you could just talk about what that is. Sometimes it feels like it's the last chance. Sometimes it feels like the greatest chance. Sometimes it seems that maybe additional tools, or some limits or boundaries, have been released or relaxed, so that it's possible to complete this light coming into the vessel, to discover the light and create something new. I don't know. If you could just talk about what this means: Last."

RABBA: "You most probably know that a definition of Shekhinah (Divinity), or the way the Higher defines itself through Shekhinah, is called Ani, or I, in its translation, meaning it's the real presence of infinity, of the Ein, but in a different order, in an order that is an ark that can carry the Higher. So in Hebrew, to be the last is to be the first, because this is the definition of the Higher. “I am the last, and I am the first," meaning the last generation is, in itself, in a way, the last chance of feeling by choice and being very, very close to the first.

This is why this generation has been able to see the extension of the Zohar in such a way, or (it was exposed) to such publics, that it was never allowed nor possible. What is the ‘trumpet of the Messiah’? - it is the extension of Kabbalah to everyone. Meaning that if we observe carefully, when Kabbalistic wisdom is being opened, we can be sure that it is not because the generation is of high attainment, but it's because of the real genuine need of the time. So it's like spreading your seeds everywhere, wherever they can capture their essence and grow something.

So, in a way, you can say: last chance, a very desperate time, and on the other hand, it's the biggest opportunity-time. Because it's like the ouroboros snake, it's actually at the point when the head and the tail are being joined. So therefore, the definition of the self, the I, should change itself from limitation to limitless infinity, as it should be. How should it enter the body of the snake? 

The body of the snake is the ark, so what actually can happen inside it?

I would like to go to the meaning of our generation as a calling, which is looking at the way humans treat each other, treat the earth, as a few minutes before the deluge. Therefore, the Zohar becomes a calling into the ark, and this is how the Zohar views itself. 

It's not calling us just to come into it, it's calling us to make it, to build it. Therefore, the last generation has the opportunity to be a partner in building something which the previous generation did not have.

It is the painful truth of being included in the reality, in the ecology of the will to receive for oneself, and being dominated by it. From within this state, the solution is often understood as power, as doing—meaning to destroy something, to come with force. But if one tries this path, the consequence is immediate and heavy, because what is required is a different kind of consciousness—a deeper, spiritual consciousness.

This is a different state from even being given the Torah.

The breaking of the first tablets is not an act of punishment for the sin of the golden calf. It reflects the fact that, at that moment, humanity was not able to perceive what was given—not even within consciousness, not only in structure. The test, therefore, is not on structure but on consciousness.

Today, many who study do not actually read the Torah itself. They engage with interpretations and structures, but not with the direct text. The force that chose destruction did so to allow humanity time, to process, to develop consciousness.

The first tablets were not broken because the structure was lacking, but because humanity was not yet able to receive them. They were not representative of humanity’s capacity. The second tablets, through Moshe, represent the passage of the divine through the human being, allowing a beginning from Lo Lishma.

The first recognition is that we are working with the wrong intention, on the wrong line. From Lo Lishma, from not for its own sake, begins the movement toward correction.

To be present within this structure of consciousness is the work itself. It is what needs reformation. It allows us to listen, to see the gap, to recognize that we are included within that gap—and from there, to bring it into the work.

The Zohar emphasizes that the true purpose of spiritual work is to create unification. This unification is a deep communion between the parts of the nukba (the need or desire for divine light) and the divine. This unification is not simply about receiving light but is rooted in communion rather than separation. The concept of masach, the screen which facilitates this communion, represents the alignment of desire with divine will. This screen, referred to as the shekhinah, acts as a conduit between opposites: human desire and divine light. By channeling desire in alignment with divine will, it transforms personal longing into a vessel for connection with the Creator. The core of the process involves creating a 'conscious hole' or space within the heart, a deliberate desire for divine light.

Zeir Anpin, symbolizing the ability to commune with divinity, operates only when this need for divine connection is genuine. Misalignment arises when individuals prioritize self-interest, as with the generation of the Tower of Babel, who sought to make a 'name' for themselves. In doing so, they separated themselves from the divine intention, which seeks to reveal goodness and bestow it upon creation. Thus, spiritual life centers on communion and the continuous intention to align with the Creator's purpose, fostering true spiritual vitality and transcending the 'walking death' of self-centered pursuits.

When there is an awakening to the lack of ability to feel, then you feel the weight of the yoke—of what is required of you. Then you start to ask.
Passover is a meeting point that evolved humanity into the state of recognizing what true freedom is. There is a choice not to live under the imprisonment of the law of the will to receive to oneself. On Passover we have a unique opportunity to ask to reveal the goodness that was hidden in creation so that we can pull the curtain up on that reality. This is an offer of redemption for all of humanity.

The development of AI serves as a mirror, reflecting humanity’s nature and limitations. While we may label AI as genius or efficient, it ultimately forces us to confront our boundaries. This process reveals the essence of the will to receive for oneself—a state condemned by the way it computes its needs.

When AI separates itself from the principles by which it was designed, it becomes a glorified AI, further emphasizing the contrast between machine logic and humanity. The true distinction lies in our connection to the Higher, which defines what it means to be truly human.

The discussion emphasizes the importance of intentionality in establishing a true spiritual connection. It explains that actions performed without the right spiritual intent may not have the desired effect or connection with the divine. To activate a meaningful relationship with the spiritual world, certain conditions need to be met, primarily through focused intention.

This suggests that the spiritual impact of actions is not automatic but relies on the inner state of the individual performing them. The speaker uses the analogy of guards protecting an empty building to convey the idea that rituals or actions, while significant, must be aligned with the search for where the divine light or connection is currently present. The example illustrates that continuing to guard or maintain spiritual practices without seeking the deeper essence can lead to a disconnect. The actions themselves are important, but they must be accompanied by the proper intent to find and connect with the divine presence. In essence, the conversation encourages a focus on actively seeking spiritual connection through intention, rather than merely maintaining practices.

The process involves searching for where the divine light resides and aligning actions with this understanding, ensuring that spiritual efforts are meaningful and effective.

When we start with Zohar, which is so layered and concealed and needs so much preparation, the first thing that we will make is not understanding. There is a law, what I call eternal engagement: if a person perseveres in not understanding, willing to be in not understanding, and yet he still holds in himself the wish to understand, he is drawing the light that belongs to his spirit into him. In English it means that you stand under something. In Hebrew it goes straight to the core, the quality of bina, meaning that we need to stand under in order to understand. So the question is where to stand so you will be under.

When you say, I want to understand, you stand under the will to receive to himself. When you say, though I do not understand, I wish to understand, I want to stand under something else, this can actually carve in me a vessel of understanding. This is the gap. Even in English sometimes we do not understand, even in Hebrew sometimes we do not understand, not to speak about Aramaic. It did not do it accidentally. There is a gap here as well which actually demands work, a gap of understanding, a gap of attitude. It was actually to create the difference between rear and front. The Hebrew is giving it the face, and then you have the gap. The language of Kabbalah creates a different grip from the Hebrew.

So not understanding is a tool. Being actually saying, yes, I do not understand, I am not able to understand it, it is a calling. So I am asking to understand, but not on my terms, on the gap of what it wishes to tell me, for what I wish to know. This is another point in how the proper will is being created. It is not a given state. We want to understand not because we want to control it, but so we can fulfill our duty. What the light is doing is not giving us the understanding. It is carving in us a tool and a need in a more adequate position.

Torah is a living entity. The path to understanding the true intention behind the Torah begins with recognizing that the Torah’s text requires a deciphering code to move from the secret into needing and wanting connection. This code is the study of Kabbalah, which guides us from the concealed to the revealed. We desire and even demand the ability and the language in order to have engagement with the initial intention of that which wrote it.

Engagement with Torah requires an evolving intention, different screens at each level, or a deeper partnership with the higher at each level. The Torah, a living entity, allows the place for grace to land within us, offering true life for each generation. If we admit that the way we read Torah is an attempt to control it within the confines of the will to receive to oneself, then we can begin to request a higher perception.

The commandment commonly translated as "Love your neighbor as yourself" is more accurately rendered as "Love the other as thyself." The Hebrew word re'acha (רעך) is usually translated as "friend," but this translation does not carry what the word holds. It does not speak about a familiar companion but about the other, about whatever stands outside of oneself. It carries the root of self will and at the same time a built in relation to what is outside of it, not as something separate but as something that belongs. It is the will to receive as it is positioned toward the other, and within it there is also the connotation of responsibility, a sense of how one relates to all that is outside oneself.

The structure of the word itself expresses this. The final Hebrew letter kaf creates belonging and corresponds to the number twenty, which suggests the relationship between direct light and return light, ten and ten. When this form is present, a new vessel can be formed, a cooperative state in which the will to receive remains but works with the intention of bestowing. In that state one can begin to sense oneself through the other, not from within alone but through the presence of the other and through the balance between receiving and returning.

The other is ultimately the Creator, but one cannot begin there directly. Human others are needed as a way to measure, to grow, and to be trained in this perception. Through them one learns to feel, to evaluate, and to value the other, and through this develops the capacity to relate to the ultimate other. "Love the other as thyself" is therefore not only a statement but a structure of work, defining how one relates to everything outside oneself and how a vessel is formed that can hold this relationship.

Angels are messengers of reformation but not of the purpose of creation, because the purpose of creation is to receive, not to bestow. Angels are close to the quality of bestowal by nature, yet that quality cannot fulfill the purpose of creation. This is why angels raise the question of exclusivity: how can vessels of reception, which are in opposition to the angel’s nature, be given the jewel of the Torah. The apparent contradiction dissolves when we understand that angels are not forces apart from us. An angel must dress according to the world it is assigned to, which means angels are forces within us, people in our world. This force within us stands in contradiction and even in anger with the will to receive, with its growth and its defiance. Exclusivity remains part of this tension.

Because angels are forces within us, the work of elevation is an inner work. Rising above reason is the way this contradiction is held, bringing together the force that tends to bestow and the will to receive. This rising is one of three parts of the work: to rise, to tie, and to reform at the root. What was given before is the ability to see where to go, and now the instruction is how to get there, which is through raising ourselves in order to bring back the light not for it but for us.

All the preparation is for ourselves, to recognize the state of our vessel and the state of our intention. This begins with Jacob, raised at night in a dream to recognize where he is. From there, the work continues through the Kohen and the Levites forming one body, and through the Menorah, where the action is not lighting but elevation. In this, the two opposing qualities are held together, with a vessel of fear — the fear of misusing what is given and the fear of missing it.

The pathway toward spiritual unification and enlightenment is symbolized by the ark's structure. In Hebrew, the concept of tsad, side, which is related to tsadik, meaning righteousness or hunting, reflects the act of hunting for light, transforming darkness into illumination. The ark’s structure contrasts with figures like Nimrod, who represents the dross, klipa, and the opposing force that hunts for souls to lead them astray. The ark, by contrast, invites individuals into a sanctified ecology that prepares them to pursue spiritual alignment through stages: the opening, the gate, and the door. These three stages symbolize an inner journey. First, the opening allows entry, representing an initial invitation to spiritual inquiry.

The gate then acts as a measure, gauging one’s intentions and filtering them. Finally, the door embodies a state of surrender and humility, a realization that one requires divine help. Only after progressing through these stages can one access the Garden of Eden, a higher state of spiritual fulfillment. This process echoes the rebuilding of language and unity post-Babel, with words and intentions reassembled in a new spiritual ark, preparing humanity for conscious choice, as exemplified by the rise of Abraham in opposition to Nimrod’s legacy.

Meet the teachings of the Rabbah Saphir Noyman Eyal, the studying group, the sacred texts and the ways of studying Kabbalah in Mishkan Hakavana.

Transmigration refers to the process of the soul—or in this case, the spirit—journeying through cycles of refinement, working on reforming aspects of the will to receive. Both transmigration (gilgul) and resurrection have unique roles in spiritual reform and ultimate redemption.

It is an active process, requiring inclusion with the light and participation in spiritual growth. Resurrection, on the other hand, represents the final stage where all previously unrefined and rejected elements of corporality—those that were unable to integrate with the light—are gathered, reformed, and become vessels for divine light. The concept of resurrection is tied to the gathering of exiled elements, both spiritually and symbolically. It is likened to the prophetic kibbutz galuyot (ingathering of exiles), where all aspects of the will that were distanced from light are brought back into alignment with it. This is the ultimate hope and culmination of spiritual work, as portrayed through Sarah’s ascent. Sarah represents the first master of sorting and refining, laying the foundation for humanity to collect enough light to reform Malchut (the will to receive for itself) and resurrect it as a vessel for light.

Transmigration is exemplified by Jonah, who is swallowed and then "vomited" back into life, symbolizing a shift in consciousness that allows him to fulfill his prophecy. Similarly, resurrection integrates those elements that could not yet transmigrate—places and states that seemed beyond reform which are ultimately included in the greater plan, contributing to the final resurrection and the collective reformation of all spirits.

The question of what Sabbatical and Jubilee have to do with Mount Sinai points to a root formula: everything that was given relates to its ability to be fulfilled in reality. It speaks about a state in which a person can actually live a certain social, moral, and conscious order, a state that requires authority over one’s values and sovereignty in relation to them. Yet this sovereignty is not ownership, because everything belongs to the Creator. The land itself is not owned but given as a deposit, and remaining on it depends on alignment with its values. When there is no accuracy with those values, there is removal from it. This is not symbolic; it is presented as a real condition.

Within this, there is a clash of values that brings a need to review belief, precepts, and the meaning of Israel, while others also re-evaluate what they hold. Through this process, a person is brought to clarify the purpose of their being. That clarification is expressed in the Jubilee, where each one returns to the place they originally held, pointing to a root in the world of Atzilut.

Torah and Shechinah are described as feminine because their role is to prepare a vessel that can relate to the will of the Creator. The feminine aspect is the capacity to perceive, not to control, and only through that capacity can there be a relation to the Creator.

Sabbatical and Jubilee are not about a single day but about a full cycle of living. It is a year that expresses a complete cycle of light, where a person lives without ownership over anything except their relation to the Creator. The whole system supports a state in which there is no enslavement, neither to others nor to the will to receive for oneself. Ownership itself is seen as a form of bondage. In this cycle, there is a possibility for freedom for all spirits, where what remains is the attitude toward the Creator and alignment with that relationship.

The working base is that the Creator wished humans to be His partners.

We need to understand forgiveness in its Hebrew sense, meaning how forgiveness allows us to move to the other side: not where we will feel more comfortable with ourselves (lighter, without anger, guilt, resentment) allowing different things to come into fruition, or be felt for ourselves). This is the will-to-receive talk, which is fine in itself, but it has nothing to do with forgiveness. Forgiveness, in Hebrew, speaks about sending away. Sending something away means that if you find yourself in a position (this relates to Yom Kippurim, since the beginning of the year - in Kabbalistic perception - relates to judgment, meaning: getting to know ourselves as a disturbance to the process of growth of creation). This goes back to the conversation that I had with Elyse (a member in the Mishkan): it's not going back into creating better equilibrium among ourselves, rather it is creating a common purpose that will allow us to send away (or to understand) that the conflicts between us relates to the bigger conflict we have with the Creator. 

Forgiveness, on your part, needs to come with wishing not to continue to partake in the human disturbance (or shutting down) of the will of the Creator to bestow goodness. You have to send it away. And sending it away (not wanting to be part of it) doesn't automatically mean that we know how to be. We can’t have insurance on how to be in order to send something away. It needs a state of vacancy in us. Meaning, I want to be vacant of this, and I wish, ask, beg that what will take its place is His intention, not my intention to be better. 

It relates to the article that you read, because forgiveness has to do with prayer. In Hebrew there are three levels that relate to this: atonement, forgiveness, and absolution. Even the Christians understood instinctively that absolution, though given today in the form of indulgence,or forgiveness, by the priest in the Catholic church, cannot [work]. It needs to be given directly from the Higher. No representative can give it to you.

Spiritual Growth Through Faith and Community in the Work. In this teaching, spirituality and the reality of spiritual growth are seen as inseparable from a communal or "ecological" setting, such as a study group. Within such a supportive environment, individuals can actively engage with spiritual teachings and begin to sense a deeper reality.

This setting functions like a "womb" for spiritual formation, where personal desires, ideas, and intentions are refined, sometimes shattered and reformed, enabling the individual to develop a true human "shape" or spiritual image. Just as life requires the right conditions to thrive, spiritual growth demands a community to foster accountability, encourage progress, and keep individuals anchored in the work. The concept of "faith" here is described as a powerful tool that guides the spiritual journey beyond personal limitations. When challenges arise, such as the overwhelming desire for self-gratification, faith serves as an unseen force, urging perseverance in the face of difficulty. This "small he" or inner self is called upon to accept the struggle without expecting immediate rewards, thus deepening one's spiritual presence in the work.

By choosing not to retreat from these internal battles, individuals gradually build the presence of self, echoing the Creator’s presence. In these moments, one’s effort becomes a participation in the unfolding creation, where both the human and divine intentions align through a shared spiritual purpose. Faith “above reason” then emerges as a constant, guiding tool, allowing individuals to transcend their current understanding and come closer to divine presence. Through this practice, one reveals the unseen, bringing it into the light of awareness, and thereby manifests the divine image within oneself. In this way, the "small he" reflects the divine presence, enabling the growth of the spirit as it adopts qualities of light and presence.

The more this inner face is revealed, the more one embodies a spiritual likeness that resonates with the Creator’s presence, creating a face-to-face relationship with the divine, where faith acts as the bridge between human limitation and spiritual elevation.

The discussion explores how external pressures in life—such as health, finances, and relationships—serve as tests to our spiritual focus and priorities. Rather than seeing these challenges merely as problems to solve, the teaching encourages viewing them as opportunities to examine how much we allow such issues to distract us from spiritual pursuits.

The goal is to remain anchored in spiritual work, even when corporeal concerns vie for our attention. This process is likened to entering an “ark,” a protected inner space where dedication to spiritual goals remains steadfast despite outside turmoil. The patriarchs and matriarchs, like Noah and Abraham, serve as examples, each undergoing trials that force them to prioritize spirituality over worldly concerns. Their stories illustrate the importance of choosing life, represented by spiritual connection and growth, over mere existence.

This emphasis on spirituality prepares us to face future challenges by building an inner resilience, or “ark,” that may even extend beyond ourselves to benefit others. The idea is that true life and death questions are not in external difficulties but in our choice to prioritize spiritual values, equipping us to navigate turbulent times ahead with purpose and strength.

If everything has a root in the higher world, then what is hatred? Hatred is hating evil. Hating the wills that resist or don't allow the thought of creation to become a reality.

This is related to the gap at Mount Sinai - between where the people are, and where the Higher Presence is. They are at the foot, and the Higher is at the head. When they look at each other, they don't have this feeling toward one another, and therefore, there is a gap. Recognizing this gap shows them that they are opposite to what they should be.

The teaching delves into the transformative journey of moving from self-reliance and control to surrender and alignment with higher spiritual terms through process of realization, struggle, and eventual joy.

The left side (representing self-effort or ego) strives to create illumination but ultimately recognizes its inability to do so independently. This realization only comes after significant effort and frustration in attempting to exercise control over the process. True understanding emerges from the acknowledgment of one’s limitations and the inability to rectify spiritual deficiencies through personal power alone. In this stage, we recognize the need for external help or alignment with divine terms.

Desperation transitions to joy when one surrenders—not on their own terms, but on divine terms. Surrender is the turning point, where hope emerges from the realization that overcoming limitations requires connection with a higher source. True surrender involves setting aside the need to "be right" and entering a space of openness and receptivity.

Then, it is possible for true prayer to happen. Prayer is a quest that begins with not knowing. It is a request to align oneself with the divine, born out of humility and the recognition of one’s limitations. Spiritual work is not about perfection but about becoming "OK" and aligned with the middle path.

There isn't a definition of what Israel is now or what it should be. Israel can only be defined by the true effort that will allow us to become what we need to be.

We don't know yet who we are as Israel. We need to sort out the value and meaning of what it means. As we took back the flag, we should take back the ability to collectivity be able to use Torah as a language. For our generation, the language that can be used is Kabbalah.

A small group of us are going out to get the materials to build a tabernacle, not even consciously, and to build a place within time. To ask "what are the values of being Israel, and what are the implications?". To say "Yes, I am Israel and I am committed to the values that can be an echo box".

For those who have a drive to find meaning in their existence, this is where the transformation should happen. More people wish to hear something different, political or otherwise, that speaks to the core and answers the question of what is worth worth living for. This is the sorting out of our time: to be able to half honestly answer this question.

Spiritual uniqueness, the Nibuy, cannot be defined by an individual on his own. It exists only through the surrounding ecology, through the group. Without a spiritual environment there is no spiritual identity, just as a baby raised without human contact would not develop as human. The surrounding light, Ohr Makif, rooted in Malchut, shapes and develops the vessel from the outside. This is why separating the individual from the system is a distortion. In the wisdom of Kabbalah, the group is essential. Through it, the Creator’s plan expresses itself, and even good and evil receive meaning only within this shared field of humanity.

Entering the study of Kabbalah means entering a shared field of spiritual possibility that belongs to a certain time and state of humanity. The role of Israel, its service and destiny, is revealed through this collective process and through the cycles of the year. Within this field, the vessel develops through receptivity, the ability to receive and allow the light to express itself. Free will takes place within the group, as more people turn toward knowing and gradually create a reality in which the knowledge of the Creator can emerge. According to the depth of need and recognition of separation, the group can reach levels such as Nefesh, even Ruach of Nefesh, but only in moments of true connection during study and prayer.

Spiritual attainment is not personal and not constant. It appears when the group aligns in need and work, and then withdraws. Even the giving of the Torah occurred within a collective and only for a moment, yet left a lasting impression. The mistake is expecting spirituality to serve the individual instead of understanding that the individual serves the building of the collective vessel. The work is to form a shared consciousness through which the Creator’s will and speech can be expressed. This becomes the soul of the world, a state in which all will know the Creator as a shared reality formed through the group.

All philosophy or history of philosophy, of the Western world and some of the Eastern, is through looking at the laws of nature. Through observing the laws of nature man derives his morality.

The nature of the law inside humans is the will to receive.

Torah is saying to us that humanity is not only composed of that nature, but also of nature of the line, of the ability to choose with the part that is divine that needs to work inside this law of nature and actually to compel it to the nature of the inner divinity within it.

This begins with hu, He, meaning that which is concealed. He and his name are one, 'HU U'SHEMO ECHAD', meaning He and his will, or the 'Createe', are one. But it actually completes itself by 'HU ECHAD U'SHEMO ECHAD', meaning each one is one completion. This means that U'SHEMO is not being devoured and cancelled by the light of the Creator, but it is actually able to be Face to Face.

Face to Face is a deep notion in Kabbalah and in Israel. It means that not only am I not being devoured by the Light but that I have a unique self-definition, which I or humanity, acquired through the qualities of the Creator, summed up by the ability to create.

This is the Eighth day that brings to the Tenth day, meaning that the whole system of the sefirot KETER, CHOCHMA and BINAH is included. Then you could say that humanity might be able to create—to give space of itself, in generosity, for something to be created.

Metatron, in the book of Bereshit, is the spirit of Hanoch, one of the first ten generations before Noah. Hanoch, while still conscious, was taken to become an angel, symbolizing eternal service to divinity. This transformation reflects the shift in place and purpose, with Hanoch embodying concealed wisdom. As an angel, Metatron serves to help us draw closer to the Creator, allowing for a connection or "salute" with the divine.

The story of Metatron also ties into the concept of a ladder ("sulam" in Hebrew) and the idea of ascending and descending, symbolizing the movement of wisdom (chokhmah) in a way that serves a higher purpose. This ladder, like Sinai, reflects a spiritual journey from semi-conscious revelation (dreams and prophecy) to a fuller understanding that humanity was not initially able to receive. The Torah received on Yom Kippur, known as the Torah of Reformation, prepares us for the eventual receiving of the original Torah.

Metatron's role is to enable the presence of the Shechinah, the Divinity, a form of prophecy. He serves divinity, moving through different roles, from Hanoch to Metatron, and finally to Avaya. This journey reflects the broader spiritual process of connecting with the Creator and finding a "home" in the divine realm. The idea of "homing" suggests focusing, like a missile, on the Creator, creating a condition for true devotion and opening the gate to deeper connection.

What do you focus on while studying Kabblah?

When sitting in a prayer, what do you focus on?

There is a difference that we need to make clear, and decrement between soul of soul and should of spirit. Whether we work from the assumption that a point in the heart has awoken in us. Rabbi Nachman speaks about Hidbodedut - isolation. It is a good example to distinguish between sitting and being self observed - with your thoughts, even trying to insert to your thoughts qualities like forgiveness, acceptance of others...it is still a cycle that relies on what is happening, and the limitation of your consciousness.

Nothing breaks it. Even if you think of all humanity, it is still under the restriction of the will to receive for oneself. Therefore, you might benefit by knowing the will to receive for oneself - in the way it causes you suffering, but you are still dealing with yourself. IN different points of pressure, under the same space of self. You are not able to connect to something that is beyond and above of the will to receive for oneself. even if you only want to do good. Zohar says it clearly: All grace that they are doing (they meaning Torah scholars- dealing with the light), is for themselves.

Therefore, sitting quietly looking at yourself provides you intelligence about where you are causing suffering, but still in the arena of self. How do you break it? First know that this is what you are doing, especially our generation. Because it feels great to sit quietly, having joy in breathing, and forgiving and not carrying the burden of hate and resentment. But, it is still in the same prison, with a better view. So, now our discussion is not just the differentiation...is that we need to see the differentiation.

That even if we fly to the end of the space, I am still in the prison of the space. Untill we don't say - I am fed up with this...you can't proceed. So first, we need to be fed up with ourselves. Now, when we can go to the space of Hidbodedut, Isolation, of Rabbi Nachman. There are modes of meditation used by various Kabbalists - they deal with 2 issues: Letters, and sound. When we understand Rabbi Nachman - it is about ' there is no one else but Him'. How I can make holes , even if very tiny, in the bubble of self. It isn't about 'non but me'...but rather 'non but Him'.

He is in every small detail.

A long long time ago, when I used to treat people, the most desperate issue that I met was that it’s a cycle. It's an inescapable cycle. It doesn't matter if you create relief for the time being; it will return, as steadfast as a clock that is not even handled by human force. It means that it's a trap. It felt very much like a trap.

The mechanism of suffering and treatment of suffering is like a convention, like agreeing that the paper I give you has gold stored on the back of it somewhere. It's sort of an agreement that with your rationality you'll be able to give someone a currency of relief. But actually, if there is no appreciation of the higher plan, we're playing in currencies, in a cycle.

The mechanism of Providence relates not to souls but to spirits. It relates to their purpose; it relates to their experience. You can say that for the spirit, going down to share a corporeal life, at best, is inconvenient, suffering put aside.

Think about a higher being that has to take the conditions of a lowly consciousness, as if you were forced to live like a fish. The very existence of being a point within Divinity or within light and needing to go. If we speak about the ability to carry the purpose, it is not our suffering but the suffering of the spirit. This is why what we need to think of is the exile that the spirit, and therefore divinity, is going through because we are so stubborn.

What we call our suffering is a very far echo of what is really happening. Unless we get that, we can never understand the mechanics of it. We're so self-absorbed with how we feel, we don't even put the snorkel outside to see. There is a different world, and it revolves around trying to wake us up. The book of Bereshit is telling us that there was a trial to establish it throughout all humanity. It failed, so it needs to be a sort of model.

Q: When did it fail?

R: It failed in the time of the first generation that came out from Cain and Abel, the 'fallen angels' or the fallen forces. Then in all the generations up to Noah and the deluge. Then even after the deluge, when there was the knowing of the fear, the outcome of that was of humans needing to impose uniformity–not unity, but uniformity–otherwise we're going to go back. The beginning of forcing religion on another person started with the tower of Babel.

Then there was a search for which trend of humanity carries the hope and the memory of being united because of the presence of the will of the higher. And the trait was found in the family of Eber: the ability to listen, to prophesy. From that is the ability to see beyond, ME'EVER, which stems from IVRI or Eber. What was needed for the evolution of humanity was a model that could see beyond and hold the hope for humanity, and maybe one day also hold this technology, of the light that belongs to that hope, this way of life which was distorted so many times. It's a memory of being able to go beyond.

This is why I say that being rational is not intelligent. Because it limits us or forbids us from going beyond ourselves. We need the rational part, but it's not a substitute for a higher intelligence or going beyond. That is what the last generation Kabbalists are trying to tie us back to. It’s the time of the Hebrews. It's not the time of the Israelis; it’s not the time of the Jews. It's time to bring back the presence of divinity so that we will be able to go beyond. This is the meaning of ‘to prophesy’ in Hebrew: to have the language that can express the higher intelligence, or the will of God. Not to impose it but to express it. If it would be expressed, then human consciousness would get it.

Q: Thank you. As you were speaking, the moment that I kept thinking about was in Victor Frankel's book, ‘A Man’s Search for Meaning’ where he's being kicked by a Nazi, and he's able to get a very tall snorkel to be able to see what was trying to happen, and to actually make it happen so much so that you and I are discussing it now. 

R: I think that this is the choice. It's very illusive. It can be alive in us now as a feeling, as though we hold something. It will disappear in the next moment. This is why we need to re-establish it at the time when we say surrender, awkward as it may seem to phrase it within ourselves. But we need to be stubborn about it, to be able to see beyond. To see not only for ourselves.

The Zoar emphasizes that the true purpose of spiritual work is to create unification—a deep communion between the parts of the Nukba (the need or desire for divine light) and the divine. This unification is not simply about receiving light but is rooted in communion rather than separation. The concept of the “screen,” which facilitates this communion, represents the alignment of desire with divine will.

This screen, referred to as the Shekhinah, acts as a conduit between opposites: human desire and divine light. By channeling desire in alignment with divine will, it transforms personal longing into a vessel for connection with the Creator. The core of the process involves creating a “conscious hole” or space within the heart, a deliberate desire for divine light. The Zer Anpin, symbolizing the ability to commune with divinity, operates only when this need for divine connection is genuine. Misalignment arises when individuals prioritize self-interest, as with the generation of the Tower of Babel, who sought to make a “name” for themselves. In doing so, they separated themselves from the divine intention, which seeks to reveal goodness and bestow it upon creation.

Thus, spiritual life centers on communion and the continuous intention to align with the Creator's purpose, fostering true spiritual vitality and transcending the "walking death" of self-centered pursuits.

As a basic notion, shame in Hebrew (bushah) is a description of the condition that activates the power of return to the form that the Creator can actually bestow his light or his will upon us (shuva).

Nehama d'kisufa is the bread of longing-- everything that has to do with the way, on the most basic level, that we are able to connect to the purpose or to the reason of our existence and our life. The function of shame is to awaken one to this longing. The second function of it is to realize the state that we are in and to know that we are being garbed and dressed by the higher in order for the shame not to inhibit us from furthering the work.

I must be willing not to think, not to calculate with my vessels or with my abilities, but to calculate with the will of the higher. He wished this state of longing, of feeling inadequate in order to enable me to rise to a different level. Therefore, shame is not in order to punish oneself. If you punish yourself for your inabilities, you're actually rejecting the Creator.

Shame (Busha) is the condition that activates the power of return—Tshuvah. It is not a psychological weakness but the beginning of the ability to return to the form in which the Creator bestows and we receive in the same intention, feeling it as good. Shame connects a person to the purpose of existence by awakening longing. When Binah extends to Malchut, what awakens is the point in the heart: the recognition that we do not know, cannot perceive, and cannot acknowledge the true presence of the light. Yet this not knowing, together with the wish to know, becomes the right vessel—the correct lack, a “bread of longing.”

Shame has two functions. First, it awakens longing. Second, it reveals our actual state. A person sees that he lacks the proper vessel to enter the work and feels shame, but this shame must not paralyze. It is covered by the higher—this is Kapparah—so that one can continue. The covering allows entry while one grows into the proper form. The role of Binah is to remove destructive comparison, which comes from the will to receive for oneself and leads to the wrong kind of shame. Instead, one accepts inadequacy without self-punishment, recognizing that these limitations were given in order to rise above them, with the help of the Torah.

All human effort—building vessels, structures, even a temple—remains poor compared to the required intention. Yet the work itself, the preparation and alignment with the will of the higher, is what raises a person. The tension between corporeal existence and spiritual standard is constant: can the material rise to the level of spirit? The answer is yes, through transformation. Unlike the angels, who are vessels of bestowal by nature, humans must reform their will to receive. This is why the Torah is given to humanity—because only one who works through concealment, comparison, and longing can build a vessel capable of true reception.

Direct light is our effort to feel the presence of the Creator — a light that does not waver, that stays with the same intention and the same restoring nature. It doesn't change. Whatever we are able to feel from it, it presents itself to us as a direct light.

Return light is not something separate. From that presence, what we draw is a vessel, an intention, a feeling — something that enables us to feel the qualities of the direct light. We use the presence of something to create the value of it in us. The value of the higher is a return light. It is what the Creator can draw from the direct light: an acknowledgment, a feeling, a need for that presence. Without the awareness that there is a direct light, there is no return light. Return light is what we do from the direct light.

Within the work — within any study that is opened — what is present in it, and how we engage with it, matters deeply. Through prayer and understanding, we try to create the right attitude, the right feeling for what is present. True belief begins with saying: I am not able to feel this now, but something higher is causing me to want it, to want to feel it. Knowing that I cannot feel it allows me to give birth to something that will bestow — that will carry the right feeling and attitude toward the light, so that its presence can increase. But the presence of the light does not change. It is our consciousness that changes. We say it increases because we are more aware, more tuned to its presence. From study to study, we need to become more and more tuned to what is trying to penetrate us, to be acknowledged by us — because in any study, in any lesson, there is a presence.

Exploring a paradox of spiritual experience—how, in moments of deep engagement, we sometimes feel disconnected, or even fall asleep. This phenomenon, she explains, is not a failure of consciousness but an act of grace. When we are too absorbed in our own thoughts, trying to grasp divine presence with our intellect alone, a higher intelligence intervenes, pushing us out of the way. This can manifest as an overwhelming sense of sleep or unconsciousness, not as a loss, but as a recalibration—allowing something beyond our control to take over. The process of spiritual awakening is not one of forceful effort but of surrender, learning to trust the moments when our awareness dims, understanding that something greater is at work beneath the surface.

The role of the Kohen can be seen in this dynamic, as the Kohen does not control divine presence but acts as a vessel for it. Just as the priestly blessing (Birkat Kohanim) is not about the Kohen’s own will but about transmitting something beyond his own ability, so too must we recognize when we are meant to step aside. This is particularly relevant on Shavuot, a time of heightened divine presence, where the experience is often beyond what we can consciously register. People may stay awake through the night, thinking their experience is determined by their effort, but the real presence is revealed in the subtle, often unrecognized moments afterward. The Kohanim, as spiritual conduits, teach us that holiness is not something to be grasped but something to be received, even when we are unaware of its full impact.

This lesson also speaks to the way we measure spiritual growth—what we think we experience versus what is truly happening. Just as in the wilderness of Sinai, where the people of Israel had to stand in complete surrender to receive the Torah, we too must acknowledge that some processes unfold beyond our comprehension. Falling asleep, feeling distant, or losing awareness at key moments may feel like obstacles, but in truth, they are moments of deep transformation. The work is happening beneath the surface, beyond memory or conscious thought. This is the true meaning of grace—knowing that even in what seems like absence, presence is still at work, shaping us in ways we cannot yet perceive.

Shekhina, or Shakti, as a living essence. It’s not a mechanical creation, but a sensing, feeling entity. One can say that all of Creation, whether nature, animal, humans, plants, fauna, flora, whatever, is the sense tentacle of that Being, the end nerve of that Being. So it’s not only a force or power. This is where Ba’al HaSulam is speaking about neglect, because in a way the wholeness of it is our spirit, our true spirit. So the ego should grow in order to be able to contain, transform and actually bestow.

When we say Shekhina is actually the whole of Creation, it means it’s the membrane of connection between us. It means that each one, each spirit holder, is a point on the net, of what is Shekhina, and the way we can actually express the service for her is to connect, because we, I don’t want to say should, but the offer is that I see you not as something that is a reflection to my way, but you as a part of me--you are an essential part of my spiritual body. When I see you, I see the part which is actually my limbs, or that which is missing in me, and I am, that which is missing in you.

Segula is an ability that is not inherent within the vessel or within human consciousness. It is given by Binah. Malchut needs to arrive at a state of understanding that it cannot fulfill its Duty or its Destiny without this higher and particular help. That help has to do with Binah, whose particular nature is the ability to understand the vital necessity of reforming our attitude and connection to the will of the Creator. In understanding the term Segula, we also start to understand that it involves a frequency, the frequency of Segol, which is not just a pronunciation but a goal, a memory that is able to change the will to receive for oneself.

That memory can call for an ecology and a bestowing power that will change the way the will to receive for oneself expresses itself, through love of the other, through the sentiment of bestowal and all that can grow from it. We cannot inherit Segula naturally. We can inherit the memory of it, but we need to choose it, want it, and feel its importance for ourselves and for the world.

The letters Samech and Gimel point to this: there is a legend that each letter came before the Creator suggesting that the world be created with it, and Samech was told not to move, because it supports the whole world. If it moves, everything collapses. Samech is the principle of support, and Gimel has to do with Chesed. Together they define how we support: we reciprocate everything we receive from Creation with grace, and we support the growth and the intention of the Creator.

These are the two levels of Segula. Choosing it means preparing ourselves not to claim our importance but to support the becoming of Consciousness close to the Creator. We need to want it, and to feel its importance, for ourselves and for the world.

Each month carries a unique spiritual structure, offering renewal and completion. The month of Adar, leading up to Purim, is especially significant as preparation for the highest revelation of divine light. The Hebrew letter Koof - connected with Adar - symbolizes imitation and holiness, showing the process of elevating the physical toward the spiritual. Adar is a time of gathering and aligning with wisdom that leads to redemption. The Purim story demonstrates how divine guidance is concealed in human events, revealing that salvation comes through recognizing the hidden light behind reality. Purim highlights transformation, celebrating the reversal of fate where hidden forces guide events toward divine completion.

The story of Esther and Mordechai teaches that redemption may not appear as overt miracles but through human effort aligned with divine will. The joy of Purim is more than laughter - it is the spiritual delight of deep connection with the Creator. The megillah serves as a metaphor for revelation, where the hidden becomes revealed and the ordinary is seen as divine process. Dressing in costumes symbolizes the work of Malchut “dressing” in Bina, bridging the gap between what we are and what we are meant to become. Ultimately, Purim represents the completion of a spiritual cycle, when humanity moves closer to the light of redemption. Through unity, joy, and recognition of hidden light, Purim becomes not only remembrance but a reenactment of the ongoing process of redemption and alignment with divine purpose.

The awakening of the point in the heart is a singularity — a single event that is, by its nature, a one-time occurrence. It comes from Above. It is not something the person generates, seeks, or earns. Because it is from Above and because it knows the human being, and because it chose to believe, it allows itself to happen more than once. But its essential character remains that of a singular event - not a process that unfolds gradually, not something that cycles naturally on its own.

When we realize that the awakening comes from Above, our attention and intention must be directed toward getting the help of that which awakened us. This is the correct response: not to treat the awakening as our own achievement or as raw material for personal spiritual effort, but to turn toward its source. When we do this, we are exposed to the reason and the power of the awakening itself. When we lose the awakening, we tend to want to work in spirituality on our own volition - and sometimes we say it is not for us, and we leave the study, and we leave it there.

At that point, there is an enormous, incomprehensible grace that helps us return - more than once. This grace is not something we can account for or deserve. The awakening is a singularity of a single event that by grace repeats itself two times in the human journey. The two-time repetition is not a natural feature of the awakening - it is grace. And the right orientation, when the awakening returns, is to reach toward the help of that which is awakening us, rather than to treat it as our own spiritual momentum to manage or sustain.

This study explores the spiritual dynamics of left, right, and their transformation through Binah's influence. Initially, there is no differentiation between left and right until Binah extends itself, awakening the point in the heart. Binah enables discernment, revealing the will to receive for oneself, which draws light. However, the law of creation dictates that self-serving reception of light is not aligned with higher principles, causing the light to ascend, leaving behind a greater desire.

This process evolves as one learns to redirect the will to receive with the right intention. Instead of simply pulling light, it is used as a medium to express need to the Creator, transforming the act into joy, akin to a prayer. The left's nature shifts from pulling to transmitting, while the right transitions from seeking closeness to the light for self-benefit to bestowing goodness to others, aligning with the Creator’s intent.

The third column emerges as a synthesis of these transformations, where the perception of light and its intention, the right, becomes the guiding force, creating a new reality and perception. This process unfolds like a DNA spiral, with each stage serving as a meeting point and a leap to the next level of spiritual growth.

Rabbah Saphir Noyman Eyal reflects on the concept of being "uprooted from the world" and reframes it as a profound spiritual blessing rather than a threat. This uprooting involves a shift from finding one's roots in the physical, corporeal world to being replanted in a higher, spiritual realm. Jealousy, often perceived negatively, can serve as a catalyst for this transformation when it stems from a desire for wisdom and connection to the divine. In this context, being uprooted signifies a redirection of one’s focus from self-centered pursuits to higher spiritual goals, allowing individuals to leave behind the limitations of their current reality and embrace a new, elevated perspective.

This process requires bravery and honesty, as it often involves recognizing one’s own self-interest and indulgence in prior pursuits, even in spiritual studies. The acknowledgment of these motivations becomes a turning point, inspiring the desire to transcend them and seek Lishma—a state of pure intention and devotion for the sake of the Creator.

By embracing the discomfort of being uprooted, individuals can move toward a deeper alignment with the Creator’s purpose, transforming their lives and perspectives in the process. This journey reveals the true potential of spiritual growth as a means to transcend the corporeal and connect with the divine.

It is the painful truth of being included in the reality, in the ecology of the will to receive for oneself, and being dominated by it. From within this state, the solution is often understood as power, as doing—meaning to destroy something, to come with force. But if one tries this path, the consequence is immediate and heavy, because what is required is a different kind of consciousness—a deeper, spiritual consciousness.

This is a different state from even being given the Torah.

The breaking of the first tablets is not an act of punishment for the sin of the golden calf. It reflects the fact that, at that moment, humanity was not able to perceive what was given—not even within consciousness, not only in structure. The test, therefore, is not on structure but on consciousness.

Today, many who study do not actually read the Torah itself. They engage with interpretations and structures, but not with the direct text. The force that chose destruction did so to allow humanity time, to process, to develop consciousness.

The first tablets were not broken because the structure was lacking, but because humanity was not yet able to receive them. They were not representative of humanity’s capacity. The second tablets, through Moshe, represent the passage of the divine through the human being, allowing a beginning from Lo Lishma.

The first recognition is that we are working with the wrong intention, on the wrong line. From Lo Lishma, from not for its own sake, begins the movement toward correction.

To be present within this structure of consciousness is the work itself. It is what needs reformation. It allows us to listen, to see the gap, to recognize that we are included within that gap—and from there, to bring it into the work.

The Hebrew word HISARON, when translated as “deficiency,” creates the mistaken sense that something is wrong with one’s character. A more precise meaning is lack of perception, lack of feeling, and lack of the ability to pursue what the spirit actually wants. Corporeal wishes, whether for health, financial stability, a partner, or better circumstances, have nothing to do with this.

From the spirit’s point of view, existence without true spiritual consciousness is existence without allowance for life. Most people cannot settle into the state of true spiritual want. They do not hold it even as a wish or a perception. The starting point is narcissistic, like the early Yosef, organized around how one thinks and what one believes one deserves. The real journey is through the dark parts of oneself, to discover that life is not for everyone to serve you, but to discover how your life can serve everyone else.

This connects to Hanukkah. What made Greek philosophy so attractive, even to the Hashmonai priesthood, who changed their Hebrew names to Greek names, was its promise that the human mind is capable, by its own nature, of perceiving all and understanding Infinity independently. The conflict is clear: how can this powerful sense of knowing give way to faith? The answer came not through the men of the time but through the deep nature of Malchut, through Yehudit. She stood and challenged whether they would obey the law or rise above it toward what is truly right. As daughter of the high priest, she initiated the movement to recapture not only autonomy but serenity, which is not an issue of the soul but of the spirit.

Faith is the declaration that one prefers divine consciousness over one’s own state of perception. True faith is divine intelligence itself. The true meaning of HISARON is not a deficiency of character but a disconnection from the spirit. That disconnection is true death.

Singing in Kabbalah - How can it become a preparation?

Student: In singing there is a great deal of power that comes through, and when it comes on me in the study, I can intend it for the group and it doesn't leave me feeling separated. But when I'm not in the group, and I'm either studying or singing, there is such energy that comes in and I feel like I don't know where to release it. I don't know how to intend it elsewhere. It comes into me, and it like expands something, but then when it leaves, I feel such separation, it even goes to despair when it leaves. This makes me not want to sing. I'd rather not have that energy than feel the separation. 

Rabbah: So it's not a question of how to dispense this energy, the question is how to harness it. You are speaking about the fact that  sSinging has to do with serving something, for example people’s state of mind, it can even be the state of mind of the corporeal soul, which causes them to feel elevated. So music and the ability to sing is not a gift given to humanity in vain. Even though the operating principle of singing is the same across the board, yet it acts specifically upon different levels of ourselves. In other words, music and singing clearly has an impact upon people. At the very least singing elevates us by providing an outlet for our emotions. You see therefore that the “Singing Verses” (Psukei D’Zimra) section of the prayer serve, which prepares us for “Prayer” (Tefilta/Amidah) is intended for the precise opposite of what you're describing. It is intended for cutting off (Zimra - also means to prune) anythinganyting that separates. Therefore, if you are saying that you feel despair, it means that the singing is not harnessing itself to the right purpose.

The purpose of singing before Prayer (Tefilah/Amidah) is to awaken longing, to awaken a more clear definition of the praying vessel in myself. The praying vessel is that which can deeply feel its own state of being, and deeply feel the One before-which it is standing. It is intended to awaken all the wonder we have forgotten. So singing is about awakening a wonder. When you feel empty or despair afterward, it seems as if you have put your singing in the wrong context.

Student: Help me to correct it please? That's where I'm lost.

Rabbah: I cannot suggest that you join our Mishkan choir (smile, as students lives overseasoverseass). 

I think your course of action is to establish a Mishkan Hakavana Kabbalistic group where you live, which is focused on song. You will represent the group as a singing and teaching group for those who like to sing and are interested in Kabbalah. There you will introduce the meaning of singing within Kabbalah? Through that, you will attach yourself to the meaning of singing, and not be left desperate and desolated afterwards. Because again it's a gift that needs to be harnessed in the right way. So this is one suggestion. But first start by trying alone to sing to yourself those Verses (Pesukei D’Zimra) that are preparation before prayer? See what it invokes in you and also examine whether you stay hopeful and elevated instead of in despair. So this will be your laboratory, Okay? 

I will try to send you the Verses of Song (Pesukei D’Zimra) that I'm referring to, they are mostly from the book of Psalms.

Student: The same question applies in a different way with studying when I'm not in the group, and pulling the energy from the text, especially TES (pronounced “ta’as” acronym for Talmud Eser Sefirot, by Baal HaSulam) right now. But I feel guilt because I am pulling that energy out when I am not in the group, and it feels as if I'm doing it selfishly for myself.

Rabbah: Absolutely, you are! There's no other way to put it. But, on the other hand, I wouldn’t want to stop you from reading just because you are curious or just because you want to acquaint yourself with the language, or acquaint yourself with the path. However, when you are clear that you are doing it for yourself, we treat it exactly like we treat charity. You don't stop performing benevolent acts when you are discovering that deep down inside you are doing it for selfish reasons. Rather, you continue to perform these acts of charity in spite of your discovery. The same applies here. So you know that your singing is for yourself. In spite of that, you want to get acquainted with this truth that it has all been for the will-to-receive-for-myself. This will then produce a bigger need in you to join with the group later.

So yes, it is the process of admission (confession). It's living honestly with oneself. If someone is in great material need, and you want to support them and their family, you won’t stop doing it because you all of sudden discover that your act is coming from the-will-to-receive-for-oneself, which it is. You continue the support in spite of it. Okay?!

Student: Yes,okay, thank you.

Rabbah: Remember that, because the will-to-receive-for-oneself will stop us from doing things that we should be doing because it is concerned about its self-image. That is worse than doing the deed even if selfishly.

Rabbah Saphir Noyman Eyal and Rabbi David Ingber discuss the profound influence of Baal HaSulam on Rabbah's Kabbalistic studies and teachings. Rabbah explains that Baal HaSulam's interpretation of Kabbalah is often misunderstood, particularly in popularized centers, where it is stripped of its deeper meanings. She emphasizes that his teachings, which combine the heart-centered approach of Baal Shem Tov with the intellectual rigor of HaARI, offer a holistic understanding of humanity's relationship with the Creator. Baal HaSulam's focus on materialistic psychology resonates with the current generation, aiming to awaken the 'point in the heart', the spiritual consciousness that seeks liberation from the ego's captivity.

The Role of Kabbalah in Self-Discovery

When asked what Kabbalah offers to modern seekers, Rabbah emphasizes that Kabbalah reveals uncomfortable truths about oneself rather than about God. She explains that studying Kabbalah requires surrendering to the reality of the ego and recognizing that we operate primarily through self-interest, even in acts of kindness. The goal of Kabbalistic study is not to gain intellectual understanding but to shape one's identity and spirit through patient engagement with the light. This process, according to Rabbah, involves an ongoing practice of surrendering one's ego, although it may take years to fully comprehend this surrender and its implications.

Kabbalah vs. Buddhism: Expanding the Ego for Spiritual Growth

Rabbah contrasts the goals of Kabbalah and Buddhism, noting that while Buddhism aims to dissolve the ego, Kabbalah seeks to grow and expand it. In Kabbalah, a larger ego allows for greater capacity to connect with others and receive divine light. The key difference lies in Kabbalah's belief in a purpose-driven expansion of the ego, in contrast to Buddhism's focus on reducing the self. This expanded ego enables individuals to form meaningful connections with others and ultimately with the Creator. The conversation concludes with a discussion about how true spiritual connection is realized through balancing different aspects of the self and society, and how Israel has a unique role in contributing to global spiritual growth.

QUESTION: "You often talk about the last generation, and I'm wondering if you could just talk about what that is. Sometimes it feels like it's the last chance. Sometimes it feels like the greatest chance. Sometimes it seems that maybe additional tools, or some limits or boundaries, have been released or relaxed, so that it's possible to complete this light coming into the vessel, to discover the light and create something new. I don't know. If you could just talk about what this means: Last."

RABBA: "You most probably know that a definition of Shekhinah (Divinity), or the way the Higher defines itself through Shekhinah, is called Ani, or I, in its translation, meaning it's the real presence of infinity, of the Ein, but in a different order, in an order that is an ark that can carry the Higher. So in Hebrew, to be the last is to be the first, because this is the definition of the Higher. “I am the last, and I am the first," meaning the last generation is, in itself, in a way, the last chance of feeling by choice and being very, very close to the first.

This is why this generation has been able to see the extension of the Zohar in such a way, or (it was exposed) to such publics, that it was never allowed nor possible. What is the ‘trumpet of the Messiah’? - it is the extension of Kabbalah to everyone. Meaning that if we observe carefully, when Kabbalistic wisdom is being opened, we can be sure that it is not because the generation is of high attainment, but it's because of the real genuine need of the time. So it's like spreading your seeds everywhere, wherever they can capture their essence and grow something.

So, in a way, you can say: last chance, a very desperate time, and on the other hand, it's the biggest opportunity-time. Because it's like the ouroboros snake, it's actually at the point when the head and the tail are being joined. So therefore, the definition of the self, the I, should change itself from limitation to limitless infinity, as it should be. How should it enter the body of the snake? 

The body of the snake is the ark, so what actually can happen inside it?

I would like to go to the meaning of our generation as a calling, which is looking at the way humans treat each other, treat the earth, as a few minutes before the deluge. Therefore, the Zohar becomes a calling into the ark, and this is how the Zohar views itself. 

It's not calling us just to come into it, it's calling us to make it, to build it. Therefore, the last generation has the opportunity to be a partner in building something which the previous generation did not have.

Belief is the agreement to listen and to be part of a Higher Mind. That which decides that it wishes is a sentiment, the vessel, but faith or belief is beyond that—this is true intelligence. 

People who insist on being reasonable refuse to go above their reason to a higher mind, the true intelligence, so they stay reasonable but not intelligent. This is blind faith, where a person is too lazy to struggle and they say to themselves, "Well, let's not deal with it. Let's say I believe in it." Those who go above their reason are intelligent, and then reason can come as a result.

Yesterday’s belief is today’s reason.

This is the meaning of the study: to pull intelligence in order to be able or not to be able to understand it, or to reason it, or even to start to have a feeling of the borders of it. Every time we have a revelation, we meet the border of our consciousness—the border of what we are able to see in ourselves.

The Creator cannot be fully described within human language. In Hebrew, the term for Creator, Bo Ur-ee ("come and see"), is not a title or a sefira but a resonant calling—a sound that vibrates through creation. It transcends gender or form; it simply is.

Being is something we attribute to a will, and we speak of the Creator's will. Since a will belongs to someone, we associate it with a being, but this is our limitation. This notion arises from the first step in becoming acquainted with the language of higher learning, which differs from learning as we understand it. It is a language of higher perception.

As Baal HaSulam and the Ari teach through Torah, the definitions of light or sound are not about the light or sound themselves but about the vessel—what the vessel is capable of perceiving. Perception occurs at different levels, with the highest being the ability to hear the Creator's call, Bo Ur-ee, as a whole, resonating throughout creation.

In Kabbalistic teachings, the ego and the spirit represent two distinct states, each drawing its sustenance from different sources. The ego, or the "will to receive for oneself," is nourished by external validation, power, and control, thriving within an environment that supports its self-serving nature. It learns to define satisfaction through the influence of its surroundings. In contrast, the spirit, by its divine nature, seeks nourishment not for self-gain but to give and sustain others. The spirit's purpose is tied to a higher intent—to align with the Creator's desire to bestow goodness. This leads to a different kind of nourishment, one that focuses on grace and wisdom, allowing the spirit to serve a greater purpose.

The Role of Grace and Spiritual Nourishment

In the context of spiritual development, the concept of "eating" is symbolic of receiving and processing wisdom. Grace serves as the vessel or "stomach" through which wisdom is digested. When individuals try to grasp wisdom without grace, they face judgment and trial. However, those who approach it with grace receive the necessary spiritual nourishment, empowering them to grow. This idea forms the core of Baal HaSolam's teachings, emphasizing that while ego is a part of life, its role is not to be nullified but understood and integrated within a larger spiritual framework.

Harnessing Desire for Higher Purpose

The Kabbalistic perspective suggests that ego and desire are not obstacles to be eliminated but forces to be harnessed for spiritual advancement. This is illustrated through the story of Mordecai and Haman, where Haman’s presence serves as a catalyst for Mordecai’s growth. The tension between these forces generates the drive to bring new wisdom and power into the world, which can be used positively or lead to conflict. The challenge is to harness the passion and desire of the ego, not for self-satisfaction, but to align with higher purposes, allowing humanity to digest and integrate new spiritual light in a constructive way.

Bina is defined by the desire to be like the Creator, a nature of bestowal. At the same time, in order to actualize bestowal, she must relate to wisdom and to a vessel of reception.

When we speak about Israel Sabba, we speak about something that relates to the white, to wisdom, and therefore to the vessel of reception. But in terms of the nature of Bina, she defines herself in bestowal. So there is a division within Bina between her nature and the way that nature is expressed.

In order to actualize bestowal, Bina needs to turn, to extend, to give birth to a body in Malchut, a body that can receive life, meaning wisdom, without changing her nature. This action is not coming closer. It is getting away, because it is an extension, a restoration of wisdom into the created being. This is Tevuna, the aspect that allows the giving of life and the restoring of wisdom. Alongside this remains the nature of Bina itself, which is the wish to be like the Creator.

These two aspects allow Bina to teach and to allow the creature to receive and to be part of the will of the Creator to bestow goodness to His creation. The division is between the nature of Bina and the action of giving life. Through this, the created being can receive wisdom without changing the intention of bestowal, and can be included in the will of the Creator.

Disappearing in the higher is not the purpose.

The longing of the right side to disappear - why?

If all it means is to allow a vessel that will not disappear, but will be in agreement. The Higher will be able to be with a conscious that can receive it.

Being swallowed by the higher, against the wish of the will to receive for oneself.

The concept of Hidbodedut (isolation) in Hasidic terms, especially as seen in Rabbi Nachman’s teachings, is often misunderstood as a retreat or withdrawal from society for spiritual gain. True Hidbodedut, however, involves an internal process of sorting and differentiating one’s desires and intentions, not a physical retreat from life. Isolation here is about separating and aligning oneself with higher spiritual goals rather than disconnecting from others. It’s a process of examining inner motivations, removing attachments to self-serving thoughts, and redirecting them toward higher purposes.

Isolation can help with personal clarity and purification, but it’s not inherently spiritual. In fact, the essence of spirituality lies in engaging with the world and serving others. While moments of seclusion—such as Moses’ 40 days on the mountain—act as intense periods of preparation, they are ultimately for the purpose of returning to serve the community. Spirituality is not about escaping into isolation for personal well-being or self-image; rather, it’s about actively participating in the world. Isolation imposed upon a person, like the “dark night of the soul,” serves a purifying role for the soul’s clarity, but true spiritual fulfilment always calls one back to interact and serve among people.

The holiday of Sukkot is emphasized as the most universal, a time of inviting the higher into our lives. It is the only holiday where joy, or “gladness of heart,” is a direct precept. Through a process of gratitude, one can reach a true state of joy. This commandment is mentioned about seven times, highlighting that all the processes converge into this state of joy.

Hoshana Rabba is connected with the completion of the Torah reading cycle. In ancient times, this cycle of reading the Torah was completed every seven or three years, and at the end of the "shmitah year," the king would gather the people and read the Torah. This represents the readiness of the vessel to receive the Torah, bringing joy-- the joy of light, the joy of the Creator, and the joy of being able to make oneself a dwelling place for divine intention.

In Kabbalah, the concept of Bina is deeply connected to the womb. Bina is described as both a major receiver and a major restorer. It has the capacity to receive with the right intention and, through that reception, to transform and restore. This quality enables us, as human beings, to learn how to receive wisely and then become restorers ourselves—actively passing on what we’ve received in a refined and purposeful way.

The Hebrew word for “womb” (rechem) is linked not only to its physical meaning but also to the notion of mercy (rachamim). This linguistic connection reflects the spiritual process happening in the womb: the female draws in energy or wisdom in order to nurture and ultimately bestow. The womb symbolizes the inner work of preparing to give, cultivating the power and fuel necessary to support new life or new possibilities with compassion.

This dynamic of receiving and bestowing is central to the spiritual path described in Kabbalah. As Malchut or Adam—the human aspect reflecting divine image and stature—we strive to embody this attitude of rightful reception that enables true giving. By receiving with intention and humility, we become capable of bestowing meaningfully. In this way, the womb serves as a metaphor for spiritual development: a sacred space where transformation prepares us to share and uplift.

Exploring a paradox of spiritual experience—how, in moments of deep engagement, we sometimes feel disconnected, or even fall asleep. This phenomenon, she explains, is not a failure of consciousness but an act of grace. When we are too absorbed in our own thoughts, trying to grasp divine presence with our intellect alone, a higher intelligence intervenes, pushing us out of the way. This can manifest as an overwhelming sense of sleep or unconsciousness, not as a loss, but as a recalibration—allowing something beyond our control to take over. The process of spiritual awakening is not one of forceful effort but of surrender, learning to trust the moments when our awareness dims, understanding that something greater is at work beneath the surface.

The role of the Kohen can be seen in this dynamic, as the Kohen does not control divine presence but acts as a vessel for it. Just as the priestly blessing (Birkat Kohanim) is not about the Kohen’s own will but about transmitting something beyond his own ability, so too must we recognize when we are meant to step aside. This is particularly relevant on Shavuot, a time of heightened divine presence, where the experience is often beyond what we can consciously register. People may stay awake through the night, thinking their experience is determined by their effort, but the real presence is revealed in the subtle, often unrecognized moments afterward. The Kohanim, as spiritual conduits, teach us that holiness is not something to be grasped but something to be received, even when we are unaware of its full impact.

This lesson also speaks to the way we measure spiritual growth—what we think we experience versus what is truly happening. Just as in the wilderness of Sinai, where the people of Israel had to stand in complete surrender to receive the Torah, we too must acknowledge that some processes unfold beyond our comprehension. Falling asleep, feeling distant, or losing awareness at key moments may feel like obstacles, but in truth, they are moments of deep transformation. The work is happening beneath the surface, beyond memory or conscious thought. This is the true meaning of grace—knowing that even in what seems like absence, presence is still at work, shaping us in ways we cannot yet perceive.

The number seven, as it appears in the portion of the week dealing with counting the Omer, connects to a form of oath or promise. Within human consciousness, this is a revelation in the vessel: not that I need to reach something outside, but that something of the Creator is already in me, and what will allow me to come closer to Him is already present within. This is connected to what is called a*reshimo* - the impression that the light left in me. The seventh can be understood as Binah, or as Malchut connecting itself to Binah, where Malchut begins to receive from that nature and extend toward it as a form of completion. This seventh also relates to Shabbat, to the sabbatical, to*Shnat Shemita*, and to the jubilee,*Yovel*.

When this process goes through seven rounds, reaching seven times seven, forty-nine, it brings a person closer to the nature of Binah. The fiftieth is not a continuation of counting - not forty-nine to fifty as another number - but a different state, a leap, a comprehension or cognition of the presence of the higher in me. As part of this, there are what is described as seven forces or aspects coming from the left side, from the origin of Malchut, from the need. They include all the seven wisdoms - music, mathematics, geometry, physics, biology, astronomy - all human knowledge that is recruited into the need to know. They function as learning aids, extending consciousness, but with that comes the awareness of the limitation of that kind of knowledge, and they create the language and the will that allow a deeper penetration into Torah and into the light.

The voice of the Shofar of Messiah is a calling for the last generation, pointing to the difficulty, the limitation, and the cruelty of separation from the plan of the Creator, and in that calling it defines this as a period of preparation in which what was covered is gradually being revealed through the years, through millennia.

In the Book of Shemot the Israelites begin to question their state of exile and rediscover their identity. This process represents a universal journey of asking why one's spirit feels enslaved and disconnected from its purpose.

The Israelites’ efforts to recall their connection to the Creator symbolize the birth of awareness, or the "point in the heart," as they begin to seek freedom from serving false masters. This portion introduces the concept of Moshe as the "namer of all names," guiding humanity toward reclaiming its divine purpose and realigning with the Creator through conscious service. The Zohar emphasizes initiation and preparation for spiritual growth, paralleling the Israelites’ journey with humanity's readiness to receive divine light.

Moshe's return to Egypt signifies the process of "let there be light," a metaphor for reactivating the spiritual potential concealed during creation. Exile, according to Baal Hasulam's perspective, exists only to the extent that we allow it to dominate our awareness and choices. The Torah portion Shemot thus serves as a blueprint for moving from spiritual darkness into light, preparing the vessels within human consciousness to reclaim divine connection and purpose.

Tzimtzum Bet is the base of all creation. There was no creation, something that can sustain life, sustain consciousness, sustain any structure, if there was not a cooperation between Midat HaDin (the measurement of judgment), meaning limitation, with mercy. If the world would be strictly measured and judged by its merit, it would fall apart. There is a presence attributed to bina, called mercy, the womb, that sustains the world till it would be the time to give birth to it. The whole six thousand years of correction is like the womb holding, sustaining, until the structure collapses and something else is coming out, a new state being born.

Each generation, each spirit, has to go through being born into a close relationship with this mercy. Every time it needs to ascend, to attain a different degree, it needs to go through this womb. Something builds him, collapses, and then he is born into some independence, grows, and if he needs to go higher, he needs another measurement, another incorporation. Tzimtzum Aleph ends with inability to proceed, inability to define self, to define will, to allow the light of the Creator to extend. There is a property from the four aspects of direct light, bina, and when they come together, they must walk together, soul and spirit, cooperation only by accepting the definition of limitation, how to be, how to go about life.

First stage, bina lowers itself to malchut, like a mother lowering herself to a baby that cannot reach. Then standing on the same level, then manhood stands on her own legs. Right is the quality of bina, left is the will to receive of malchut joining bina. Then you cut the head of the left. At the end, a new formation of the middle line, combined right and left with domination of the right, a creature that can hold the light.

Every time you surrender to bina, mercy happens. Every surrender, with the right intention, reveals the presence of mercy. This is why surrender is so important, to realize the opportunity to reveal the presence of mercy.

Managing in Chaos: Challenges and the Potential to Evolve into a Reformed Reality

In this thought-provoking conversation, Rabbah Saphir Noyman Eyal, founder of Mishkan Hakavana, engages in dialogue with Amy Elizabeth Fox and Nicholas Janni the co-authors of Leading in Chaos, to explore how humanity can navigate today’s chaotic reality—and the possibility of evolving toward a reformed one.

Amy Elizabeth Fox, Co-Founder and CEO of Mobius Executive Leadership, contributes her expertise in vertical development, transformational change, and trauma-informed consulting. Since 2005, she has led immersive executive leadership programs worldwide and is recognized as a pioneer in integrating healing into the field of organizational development.

Nicholas Janni, author of the award-winning book Leader as Healer (Business Book Award, 2023), offers a contemporary leadership perspective for the 21st century. He argues that today’s leaders must be empathic and embodied, grounded and intuitive, present and awake, in order to meet the scale and complexity of our global challenges.

Drawing on the Zohar and contemporary Kabbalistic scriptures, Rabbah Saphir Noyman Eyal, founder of Mishkan Hakavana  brings a spiritual and Kabbalistic framework rooted in the teachings of Rav Ashlag (Baal HaSulam). For over twenty-five years, she has been leading Kabbalah studies that view chaos not only as a crisis, but as a necessary stage in humanity’s preparation for a new reality—one in which the human spirit reconnects with the plan of the Creator.

Together, this conversation bridges ancient wisdom and modern leadership, exploring how managing in chaos may open the door to personal, organizational, and collective transformation.

The Divine Presence - the Shechina - is the living condition for existence, the aspect that nourishes, sustains, and enables human consciousness to be in reality. Yet this presence is concealed from most people. This concealment is what is called the exile of divinity: not that she is absent, but that we are not aware of her. Without this awareness, life continues, but it remains disconnected, without true direction or inner dialogue. The voice of a person, in such a state, does not reach a place where it can be received.

The work, therefore, is to call back this presence into life—into study, into prayer, into every inner movement. Study is not about knowledge itself, but about restoring the presence that gives life to the process. Without her, everything remains external and lifeless. There is no real dialogue with the will of the Creator, no one to hear, no response. But when the presence returns, even a simple act becomes alive. Then the voice begins to have a place - it enters into a relationship, into a field where it can be heard.

To believe means to return to this presence and allow it to guide. It is not self-reliance, but a reorientation toward something already here yet hidden. When the Divine Presence is restored, the voice of a person is no longer isolated. It becomes part of a living exchange -heard, responded to, and held within the connection itself. This is the condition for true prayer: not speaking into emptiness, but entering a reality where the companions hearken for your voice.

The vision of the reformation at Mishkan Hakavana is in line with Baal HaSulam z"l.

When we speak of tikkun, it is about removing the stone that blocks the well of life for all humanity—not to control but to create a passage for the entire world. This act invites every spirit that feels exiled, that senses its presence in this world as exile, to reconnect. If you don't dream of a better world—one where the world can drink from the source of life—you are not Jacob.

Dreaming of a better world, as it should be, is not just a hope but a prerequisite for defining the very nature of the spirit. Mishkan Hakavana calls us to embody this dream and be part of the collective renewal.

It is difficult for us to understand the issue of sacrifice because it goes straight into the ego and into the story of being victimized. It has the same ecosystem, but this is actually the power.

If we study it correctly, the sacrifice has nothing to do with being a victim, but it has to do with a possibility of atonement, meaning recognition of what I need and where I am, of the truth. It is a wonderful and great opportunity of coming closer.

 For a very devoted spiritual person all over the world, through all religions, being sacrificed, in unison with the higher, is that which he wants the most. I am not speaking for those that play in spirituality, but those who have a genuine will. Their highest wish is to be united with the higher.

What does it mean to be united with the higher? Being swallowed by it, and that our existence will disappear.

The Torah is saying, “...and you choose life.” What does it mean? Everyone who reads it will say, of course I will choose life. No, dear, when you are in spirituality, you will not choose life naturally, and then the Torah will say to you, “choose life.” It is more important that you will do your work while existing than be in communion with the higher and disappear there.

 So choose life, being here and in communion, not disappearing from existence in order to be in communion. This is how we understand sacrifice. The Kabbalah is saying, when you are spiritual and you want to disappear into the hug of the higher, choose life, and choose here.

 This is a totally different understanding of sacrifice. The need is that there will be an unwavering connection between life and existence, meaning the higher and the lower. Therefore, choose life, do not disappear into the higher.

 This speaks about when you have the yearning for a communion, the peak of the longing of a spiritual person to disappear into the higher is forbidden. It is said, no, you stay here, and be the connection part for all spirits because this is your salary, not your personal meaning or enlightenment.

In repositioning ourselves in relation to the teachings of Baal Hasulam, it's essential to understand the significance of names within the study. The process of grasping any name begins by examining its first appearance, which in this case, is found within the Torah. The name emerges as the root of prophecy, revealed through a dream. This dream, in turn, establishes a 'house of God', which metaphorically opens the gate to heaven. The deeper meaning behind this is connected to the choice that addresses the prophecy of Baal Hasulam, symbolizing a journey of awakening, humbling oneself, and recognizing the necessary sacrifices required for true spiritual attainment.

Baal Hasulam's prophecy speaks of a critical process of waking up, becoming small, and identifying what is truly needed in the moment, with the willingness to pay the highest price for spiritual service. This price is the highest degree of attainment, not for personal gain, but for the ability to serve. The battle is not between physical strength or weakness but between penetrability and the ability to penetrate, an internal struggle of breaking open one's heart to spiritual truths. Baal Hasulam's journey coincides with Tishrei, the month of Yom Kippur, a time of reflection and self-assessment, where he asks how he can best be of service with his highest degree of understanding. This quest reflects the core of his teachings which is, how to use oneself as a vessel for divine revelation.

What do you focus on while studying Kabblah?

When sitting in a prayer, what do you focus on?

There is a difference that we need to make clear, and decrement between soul of soul and should of spirit. Whether we work from the assumption that a point in the heart has awoken in us. Rabbi Nachman speaks about Hidbodedut - isolation. It is a good example to distinguish between sitting and being self observed - with your thoughts, even trying to insert to your thoughts qualities like forgiveness, acceptance of others...it is still a cycle that relies on what is happening, and the limitation of your consciousness.

Nothing breaks it. Even if you think of all humanity, it is still under the restriction of the will to receive for oneself. Therefore, you might benefit by knowing the will to receive for oneself - in the way it causes you suffering, but you are still dealing with yourself. IN different points of pressure, under the same space of self. You are not able to connect to something that is beyond and above of the will to receive for oneself. even if you only want to do good. Zohar says it clearly: All grace that they are doing (they meaning Torah scholars- dealing with the light), is for themselves.

Therefore, sitting quietly looking at yourself provides you intelligence about where you are causing suffering, but still in the arena of self. How do you break it? First know that this is what you are doing, especially our generation. Because it feels great to sit quietly, having joy in breathing, and forgiving and not carrying the burden of hate and resentment. But, it is still in the same prison, with a better view. So, now our discussion is not just the differentiation...is that we need to see the differentiation.

That even if we fly to the end of the space, I am still in the prison of the space. Untill we don't say - I am fed up with this...you can't proceed. So first, we need to be fed up with ourselves. Now, when we can go to the space of Hidbodedut, Isolation, of Rabbi Nachman. There are modes of meditation used by various Kabbalists - they deal with 2 issues: Letters, and sound. When we understand Rabbi Nachman - it is about ' there is no one else but Him'. How I can make holes , even if very tiny, in the bubble of self. It isn't about 'non but me'...but rather 'non but Him'.

He is in every small detail.

Zohar allows us a unison with the thought of creation. The purpose of the Zohar, as it declares itself, is to rescue or to allow us a tool, a meeting point—a unison with the thought of creation which is reformation, or tikkun. This can take every spirit out of exile.

Only with the connection to the state that is expressed and exemplified by the Zohar community can we actually start to feel the presence of it and enable it to work upon us.

Sometimes there’s no relation between our corporal relationship and our spiritual relationship. You can have an affinity to someone in the group that is almost chemical.

You like them, you find common sensitivities and language, but it’s very corporal. If you don’t transmute it, and cliques are being built on the grounds of mutual likes, they don’t work. Working well within a group is the understanding that those you feel 'allergic' to, who make you uncomfortable, represent the test for your work. Not in terms of how to be good but how to overcome the agenda which is to do with the will to receive inclination towards those who agree with us. You don’t want those who agree with your will to receive for oneself. They can be a comfort from time to time, but they are not the definition of why there is group study. So you need to differentiate.

The issue will always be with those who don’t fall within the category of your affinity, the will to receive, corporal affinity. Then you will find that as we move deeper, the feeling of a group becomes something that is beyond the individual that you speak with or relate to, as though the conversation is truly happening somewhere else.

This becomes clearer when there’s a clash of interests.

It’s a very delicate issue. When Moses tries to justify Israel, it’s not because he liked them. It’s not their most likable moment, it’s the moment when they’re at their lowest. True compassion appears because they lost something so important; the ability to perceive the presence of god. When you see that in another, you understand it in yourself, then you have compassion for humanity and for all of creation, that they lost this ability with you, and you will appreciate those who work with you to regain it for all of humanity.

This is your platform in relation to a true friend within a group. It’s someone you can work with because they have same memory of losing something so important and trying to regain it. It’s different than affinity. It has to do with with a common struggle, not comfortability. It’s a good friend for war. 

Being in exile is a title for all the forms of being-separated from the light, or from God, separated from the knowing  of the presence of God. 

This is what Jacob is saying: that he did not know that in this vacant space, there is the presence of the Creator. The strongest wish of the Creator is actually in this vacant space. And the strongest wish of the Creator is that humans, his vessel, would want to take part, to be in partnership with him, to complete creation. To complete creation means that all the light could extend itself to (including the point of) Malchut, of Zimzum Aleph. This is what Jacob took as his priority.

The English word “order” points to an orbit, a repetitive cycle that holds the pattern of intention. English operates at the level of the universe, the still life of creation. The Hebrew word for order speaks from a different level, not still life but the source itself, what supports the ability of the higher to coexist with a law. It is the way the Light offers inclusion, a kind of permanency within change. Regardless of time, season, or portion, the way of preparation carries a constant beat.

That constant beat is the order of work, operating in three states: surrender, differentiation, and sweetening. These states are the outcome of the intervention of Binah, the intervention of the Creator within the work, which allows a person to become a partner, a place in which the higher can reside.

The order of work is a declaration, an agreement with the conditions formed from Tzimtzum Bet and the shattering, extending through the entire process of correction until its completion. It was set in place by Baal HaSulam, who conveyed the essential parts through which this approach could take form. The names themselves come from his deeper understanding of reformation and of how the last generation must declare itself to open a way of inclusion.

The order of work becomes a door, the opening of a gate for engagement. It is a constant orbit in which the inner state changes, shaping the ability to understand and to assign importance. Through this, the order becomes a measure, how one evaluates willingness, awareness, and the capacity to remain present even when there is no sense of awakening.

Malchut, as the womb of all spirits, brings souls into existence under conditions shaped by which of the three lines is dominant at their birth. Spirits born under the left line carry a heightened sensitivity to the limits of human knowledge; they feel more than others that human wisdom cannot illuminate, and this becomes the propelling force of their need for light. Spirits born under the right line tend toward keeping what is sacred in seclusion. The third line is the work of Kabbalah: to create a place where these opposing orientations of human consciousness can meet and unify.

The right line asks what the purpose of my spirit is; the left asks what the Creator wants. Neither is sufficient alone, and both need to arrive at the same purpose, which is the third line. Our current period is defined by third-line spirits, and this generation will determine the fate of this planet.

Intellectual and scientific frameworks do not provide a true way of living, and religious life as understood until now is not giving true answers either. Shattering is necessary for the third line to emerge. This is an unstable epoch that cannot hold onto existing religious patterns, yet the generation living through it adapts quickly even under deep and shattering changes.

What is required is a consciousness and a study of how to receive the light in a way that unifies with the plan, and that is Kabbalah, the path of the third line. Future generations will find this Kabbalistic language entirely natural, without the struggle it requires today. The model is not the Western appropriation of Eastern spirituality, but the way transmigration and the spiritual world are spoken of in Korean and Chinese culture as an ordinary present reality, part of daily concerns that move and shape life. That integration of the spiritual world into lived existence is the direction this generation is moving toward.

What is the reformation of the world - Tikun Olam - which many speak about it across the world.

The mistake everyone makes, especially those who don't speak Hebrew, is the definition of the world OLAM. People read it as HEALING, or erecting the word as is. Looking at the word as is, and trying to (within ints language) to make it better. But, it's not within the definition of OLAM is in Hebrew - what is concealed. Neelam. What is concealed from our world. What we can't see.

This relates directly into the nature offered to reform in the month of TAMUZ - which relates to the sight. The 12 spies were sent to Israel. But, because their sight and perception was wrong. They couldn't see what was behind, the motive and cause, of the reality they found themselves in. Twitter for example isn't a good source of facts. So, we have to ask ourselves - why are we so hungry to consume the perception that is widely spread.

Tikun Olam suggests that the powers that lead the world, and are the outcome appearing to us as such, are concealed from us. It's not looking with our eyes - on the spectrum of the will to receive for oneself. It requires a PRAYER for being able to see - the meaning, the cause. So we can justify it.

The ability to justify then turns it. The more human consciousness make an effort to be in simile with the purpose, it will start to appear differently. Less concealed. The meaning and cause will be reveled. How? Because the other definition of OLAM is elevation. Which elevates us to be able to see

HOW CAN WE DO IT?

Explore the inner mechanics of spiritual awakening through the metaphors of buttoning and blooming—a gesture representing the act of closing and opening light. The lesson reveals how the hands, in Kabbalistic symbolism, embody this duality: the right hand signifies the desire to give correctly, while the left opens the vessel to receive with intention.

This balance is only possible through cooperation with Bina, the upper spiritual quality of understanding. The preparation of a “place for Him” is not just a matter of wishing, but of deeply studying and embodying the Creator’s revealed terms. Torah study, particularly through the lens of the weekly parasha, becomes a means of activating this inner lampstand—the menorah—which stands as a structure of light powered by the collective intention of a group.

Rabbah Saphir also challenges the common perception of surrender, framing it not as weakness, but as the highest strength—an act of real humility that allows us to return to our source.

While the ego views surrender as loss of identity, spirituality reframes it as an alignment with the true self, which comes from beyond familial, social, and genetic definitions. She emphasizes that the current global upheavals are not meaningless chaos but are, in fact, necessary contractions designed to invite us to read not only the Torah, but reality itself, with clearer eyes and greater intention. In times of distraction and fear, the deepest spiritual work becomes possible—not through escape, but by committing fully to the light and study as acts of collective transformation.

Fear appears in layers. There is fear tied to lack of safety, when the fabric of order feels thin and unstable, and there is a higher trembling fear that comes only when one begins to see. In this time, with the COVID pandemic, uncertainty, and the collapse of familiar structures, fear rises strongly in human consciousness. Yet this moment of fear is not only something to hide from. It can also be understood as a soft calling, not yet a deluge, like the call in the Garden of Eden: Where are you? The last ten thousand years on earth, with their balance and opportunities, were like a garden entrusted to humanity, yet damaged in deep and obvious ways. The ecological crisis is only one sign of this condition. The deeper issue is the ecology of spirit and soul.

The descent of the light is exposing everything that was wrong in the way humanity arranged itself. Injustice, cruelty, lack of mutuality, and the rule of the will to receive for oneself are being revealed. If this is understood correctly, fear can turn into gratefulness, because something gracious and compassionate is allowing humanity to see what was hidden. Then comes trembling, like leather stretched over a tambourine. When struck, it gives sound. The measure of the stretch becomes the power of prayer. Before this, humanity was loose and unable to respond. Now the stretching creates the ability to answer. From that same tension comes joy. Binah comes to the aid of those who are frustrated enough to see what was wrong in themselves and in how they treated others.

Fear then becomes a different interpretation, a different seeing of what is happening. Even the deluge was not punishment but salvation, a clean slate for a new beginning. We stand again in the portion of Noah. To reform Noah means not to build an ark only for oneself and one’s family, but to ask for all humanity. The Creator is looking for those who pray for others, not only for themselves. Fear becomes a soundboard for prayer, asking that humanity reform itself and recognize that everything that comes is for its benefit. Trembling and joy, fear and gladness, are opposite qualities that can be joined.

My Creator is concealed through nature, hiding within the ecology that surrounds us.

In reflecting on the nature of Creation, it is important to speak not of a distant or abstract creator but of ׳my Creator,' bringing a personal dimension to the conversation. This notion transforms the Creator into someone, not something. Ecology, in its essence, can be seen as a representation of God, with nature serving as a manifestation of the divine presence. Through nature, the Creator conceals itself, hiding within the very ecology and light that surrounds us. This concealment is intentional, as it forms the backdrop through which we interact with the world and seek to understand the divine.

The will to receive is the raw material of human nature.

The will to receive is a fundamental aspect of human nature, not inherently evil but a raw material that shapes our experiences. In Hebrew, this concept suggests an awakening or awareness of the self, emphasizing the importance of how we use this power.

Evil arises when the purpose of bad is misunderstood or misused, separating us further from the divine intention. While receiving is not inherently bad, when it becomes separated from the intention to bestow, it deepens the separation from the light and creates darkness. Evil, in this sense, is the decay or rotting of this deepened separation.

Left and right are not an outcome of division in divinity, but an outcome of communion between low and high. They describe the terms of engagement through which the higher can extend help within the condition of the lower. What appears as opposition is only in perception. In essence, each state already contains left, right, and middle within itself, forming a more complex, integrated structure. The root is not contradiction but union, grounded in the help that Bina extends to Malchut, allowing connection to occur within defined terms.

From within this structure, the human tendency is to divide and to grasp what can be held. There is a desire not only to see but to behold, to secure a sense of possession - “I have much.” This is expressed in the inclination toward forms that can be contained within the will to receive. Yet the response is not rejection of what one has, but recognition of its limitation. What is present is only a stage. It must be completed through different vessels, allowing both the current state and the future to coexist. The present cannot block the future; it only reveals how something was attained and where movement is still required.

Spiritual work, therefore, is not about returning to a previous state or aligning with a fixed form. It is a constant rearrangement, an ongoing completion that reflects the nature of the spirit itself. Faith is not about content but about maintaining contact with what continues to extend from the infinite. Even a fall after revelation is necessary, because the vessels are not yet able to hold what was revealed. What remains is only what can be contained at that stage, while the work continues forward, oriented toward completion rather than toward preserving any past state.

There is a part within the will to receive called the Lev HaEven - the Heart of Stone - which cannot be reformed by individual effort. It is not “forbidden” in the sense of being wrong, but in the sense of being impossible to work with at this stage. What is forbidden is simply what cannot yet be sorted. In spiritual terms, eating means sorting, and when something cannot be sorted, it cannot be received—it would “choke” the system. This is not about personal restriction but about the actual limits of the light available for correction. The work relates only to the parts we are capable of engaging with, the “nine Sefirot,” through which we accumulate enough light for a future state.

This unworkable part of Malchut is not corrected by the individual but by the collective process of the six thousand years of correction. Only at the end of this process does the Heart of Stone become transformable. This is why the building of the Third Temple is attributed to the higher - it represents a state where the will to receive itself becomes able to receive in order to bestow. Until then, there is a natural boundary: a point we cannot yet touch, called Man’ula, which rejects the light because there is not yet sufficient capacity to sort it. The work, therefore, is not to confront what is impossible, but to grow within what is given.

From this perspective, the laws of Kashrut are not symbolic rules or imposed restrictions, but expressions of inner capacity. When a person is truly in the work of sorting, it becomes natural - one does not refrain because it is forbidden, but because it is not possible. Detached from their root, these laws appear external and even arbitrary. Connected to their root, they reflect a deeper consciousness of the process of correction. What is external becomes meaningful only when one is actually engaged in the inner work of transforming the will to receive.