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(recent lecture)

I was talking to someone on the plane as we flew to Malawi. I wondered when in history that someone made connections in Malawi, or studied Zohar. Who knows if ever, but certainly, probably not in recent history. I was reminded of an important lesson from Noam Elimelech.

Everywhere we go, through our actions, we elevate sparks of Light. Noam Elimelech says the entire purpose of our life in this world is to elevate sparks of Light.

After the sin of Adam, even more sparks of Light became enclosed within shells. Our work is to break open those shells and elevate the sparks of Light. When enough of those sparks are elevated through our work, at that time is the end of the correction. At its essence, that is the purpose of all our work.

As the kabbalists explain, when you go to a place, certainly one that is out of our way, there is no coincidence you find yourself in that place. There are sparks of Light waiting for you to elevate them. If you find yourself there, there are sparks of Light related to your soul waiting for you to elevate them.

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(from a recent lecture)

As many of you know, we just came back, this past week, from our trip to Africa.

Those of you who have not been to that area in Malawi (which is the second poorest country in the world), you can watch video, see pictures, hear stories, but unless you are actually there and experience it, you cannot even being to imagine the level of poverty, the level of pain that there is in that part of the world.

I was thinking while we were there, and certainly after we left, both about what we are doing there, and about the problem in general. There is a very important lesson both for Africa and for our lives. Very often in life we find ourselves in difficult situations, with problems. Depending on the level of difficulty, we either think we can handle it or we are overwhelmed.

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We are back from Malawi. It was an amazing and overwhelming trip. I am so happy to have gone there. You can watch movies and videos and see pictures and hear people talk about what is happening in Africa, but until you are there, you cannot understand the magnitude of pain and need. All of us who went on this trip are now more than ever wanting to do everything we can to assist the children of Malawi. There is so much to share. I will be posting some pictures from Malawi. I hope these pictures and thoughts inspire you as much as they inspired us.

It was so powerful to witness the effect we are already having on the lives of the children of Malawi.

Thank you all for your support,

Love,

Michael

We are now in Malawi and we are all overwhelmed. The level of poverty and need is simply unfathomable. There is so much that can be done and needs to be done.

I will try to post a few pictures while I am here, although the internet connection is not very good.

I am humbled and so thankful that we can, and are, doing some good for the orphan children of Malawi.

I was also moved by my brother Yehuda’s weekly email for this week, in which he shared his support and love.

Thank you all for you prayers, thoughts, and support.

We can and must do what we can to help these children.

Love,

Michael

(recent lecture)

Chag Sameach

As most of us know, we are about to begin our connection to the Light of Shavuot. This connection, this Light, is very unique to any other connection that we make throughout the year. As the Kabbalists explain, it is the one time of the year we actually connect to gamar tikkun, the end of the correction.

There is a powerful section in the Zohar, called The Night of the Bride, in the introduction. I think this is the only place in the Zohar where Rav Ashlag, the greatest Kabbalist of our century, our generation, who wrote the translation of the entire Zohar, this is the one place where he actually gives two different corresponding explanations and understandings to one section of the Zohar. He does it here. We know we read from the Zohar to gain the wisdom and understanding, and to awaken this Light.

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(recent lecture)

Today is the death anniversary of The Bal Shem Tov. Rav Ashlag speaks about the great kabbalists that have lived. Although their source was the Zohar, they had different ways to pick people up. Rav Ashlag compares it to people drowning in the river. When they are drowning, you grab whatever you can get, the hair or the arm. For each kabbalist, they used the tool of the Zohar to grab people at the level they were at. In our generation, we have to use all the tools because everybody is at a different level of drowning.

This story is about the Bal Shem Tov, as he was about to leave this world. Of course, the students were upset and gathered around him. He told every student what their job would be and how to make their correction. When he came to his closest student, the person who literally took care of him, he said, your job is to travel the world and tell stories you have seen with me. This is how you will achieve your correction.

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(recent lecture)

We’ll begin with the Idra Raba, the Great Assembly. I hope for all of us it’s clear, the beauty of all of us here together, studying this section of the Zohar. (Portion Naso, The Idra Raba, section 1, The foreword to the Idra Raba.) We are awakening this Light for ourselves and for the world.

How long will we remain, as Rav Ashlag explains, in the world of pain and suffering? It is now time to do the work of God. Therefore, many of the rules that had stopped us before no longer apply. Rabbi Shimon is telling his friends, and this is 2000 years ago, he is saying we don’t have a lot of time to do this work. Every day the call comes out from the heavens. And those who are willing to do the work are referred to as the workers of the field, those working in Malchut. There are very few. Rabbi Shimon is saying, gather to this Great Assembly.

As we read this, it is happening.

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(from a recent lecture)

This is an important Shabbat for many reasons. One of them is it is the Shabbat that directly follows Shavuot. We know that every Shabbat that follows a holiday has residue of the holiday. What is different about this Shabbat is that this Shabbat is a direct extension of the holiday.

Not only is the holiday continued forward into this Shabbat, it is actually magnified in this Shabbat. All the Light that was revealed did not have a chance to dissipate.

If there is an intervening day, the Light has a chance to dissipate. The Light is stronger this year on this Shabbat because it did not have a chance to dissipate. We did not have a chance to do things to make it dissipate.

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We are leaving today to malawi.

I am very excited to see our work on the ground to help the orphaned children there.

I will try to keep the blog updated from there, depending on finding a working internet connection there.

Tonight and tomorrow are called by the kabbalists the day of Shavuot. It is a great opportunity to connect to great Light.

This is the link to my video on shavuot:
Getting Shavuot Web Video

Also we will be live streaming from the event tonight at the Los Angeles Kabbalah Centre. This is the link:
Shavuot 2006 Live Streaming Connection

This is a very powerful and exciting day.

Blessings and Light,

Michael