1. RABASH, Article No. 17 (1986), "The Agenda of the Assembly – 2"

According to what is written, “In the multitude of people is the King's glory,” it follows that the greater the number of the collective, the more effective is the power of the collective. In other words, they produce a stronger atmosphere of greatness and importance of the Creator. At that time, each person’s body feels that he regards anything that he wishes to do for holiness—meaning to bestow upon the Creator—as a great fortune, that he has been privileged with being among people who have been rewarded with serving the King. At that time, every little thing he does fills him with joy and pleasure that now he has something with which to serve the King.

2. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 225, "Raising Oneself"

One cannot raise oneself above one’s circle. Hence, one must nurse from one’s environment, and he has no other way except through Torah and much work. Therefore, if one chooses for oneself a good environment, he saves time and efforts since he is drawn according to his environment.

3. Baal HaSulam “The Freedom”

There is freedom for the will to initially choose such an environment, such books, and such guides that impart upon him good concepts. If one does not do this but is willing to enter any environment that appears before him and read any book that falls into his hands, he is bound to fall into a bad environment or waste his time on worthless books, which are abundant and more accessible. In consequence, he will be forced into foul concepts that make him sin and condemn. He will certainly be punished, not because of his evil thoughts or deeds, in which he has no choice, but because he did not choose to be in a good environment, for in this there is definitely a choice.

Therefore, he who strives to continually choose a better environment is worthy of praise and reward. But here, too, it is not because of his good thoughts or deeds, which come to him without his choice, but because of his effort to acquire a good environment, which brings him these good thoughts and actions. It is as Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Perachya said, “Make for yourself a rav and buy for yourself a friend.”

4. Likutey Halachot [Assorted Rules], “Synagogue Rules,” Rule One

The ascension of the soul and its completeness is mainly when all the souls merge and become one, for then they rise to the Kedusha [holiness], since the Kedusha is one. Therefore, the prayer, which is regarded as the soul, depends primarily on the unity of souls. [...] For this reason, the prayer is mainly in public and not alone, so that one will not be separated and alone, as this is the opposite of Kedusha. Rather, we must only unite the holy congregation together and become one. This is a prayer in public, when the souls assemble and unite, and this is the completeness of the prayer.

5. RABASH, Article No. 17, Part 2, 1984 “The Agenda of the Assembly”

In the beginning of the assembly, there should be an agenda. Everyone should speak of the importance of the society as much as he can, describing the profits that society will give him and the important things he hopes society will bring him, which he cannot obtain by himself, and how he appreciates the society accordingly.

6. Baal HaSulam, Letter No. 13

You should know that there are many sparks of holiness in each one in the group. When you assemble all the sparks of holiness to one place, as brothers, with love and friendship, you will certainly have a very high level of holiness for a while, from the light of life.

7. RABASH, Article No. 9 (1984), "One Should Always Sell the Beams of His House"

Each of them had a spark of love of others, but the spark could not ignite the light of love to shine in each, so they agreed that by uniting, the sparks would become a big flame.

8. Maor VaShemesh, VaYechi

The essence of the assembly is for everyone to be in one unity and for all to seek but one purpose: to find the Creator. In every ten there is the Shechina [Divinity]. Clearly, if there are more than ten then there is more revelation of the Shechina. Thus, each one should assemble with his friend and come to him to hear from him a word about the work of the Creator, and how to find the Creator. He should annul before his friend, and his friend should do the same toward him, and so should everyone do. Then, when the assembly is with this intention, then “More than the calf wants to suckle, the cow wants to nurse,” and the Creator approaches them and He is with them.

9. Rabash, Article N.17, 1986 “The Agenda of the Assembly”

First one must praise the importance of the gathering, and then see what to acquire from that activity. It is as our sages said, “One should always praise the Creator, and then pray.” In other words, the beginning of the assembly, meaning the beginning of the discussions, which is the beginning of the assembly, should be about praising the society. Each and every one must try to provide reasons and explanations for their merit and importance. They should speak of nothing but the praise of society.

Finally, its praise should be disclosed by all the friends. Then they should say, “Now we are through with Stage One of the assembly of friends, and Stage Two begins.” Then each will state his mind about the actions we can take so that each and every one will be able to acquire the love of friends, what each person can do to acquire love in his heart for each and every one in the society.

And once Stage Two is completed—suggestions regarding what can be done in favor of society—begins Stage Three. This concerns carrying out of the friends’ decisions about what should be done.

10. Baal HaSulam,"Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot", Letter 155.

When he engages in this wisdom, mentioning the names of the lights and the vessels related to his soul, they immediately illuminate upon him to a certain extent. However, they illuminate for him without clothing the interior of his soul, for lack of vessels able to receive them. Yet, the illumination one receives time after time during the engagement draws upon him grace from above, and imparts him with abundance of sanctity and purity, which bring him much closer to achieving his wholeness.

Baal HaSulam “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

​​14) To save the created beings from this titanic separation, the first restriction took place, separating phase four from the rest of the Partzufim [plural of Partzuf] of Kedusha [Holiness] so that that great measure of reception remained an empty space devoid of any light, since all the Partzufim of Kedusha emerged with a screen erected in their vessel of Malchut so they would not receive light in this phase four. Then, when the upper light was extended and expanded to the emanated being, this screen rejected it. This is regarded as a striking between the upper light and the screen, which raises reflected light from below upward, clothing the ten Sefirot of the upper light.

That part of the light that was rejected and pushed back is called reflected light. As it dresses the upper light, it becomes a vessel for reception of the upper light instead of phase four, since afterward the vessel of Malchut expanded by the measure of reflected light—the rejected light—which rose and dressed the upper light from below upward, and expanded from above downward, too. Thus, the lights were clothed in the vessels within that reflected light.

This is the meaning of the Rosh [head] and Guf [body] in each degree. The coupling by striking from the upper light in the screen raises reflected light from below upward and dresses the ten Sefirot of the upper light in the form of the ten Sefirot of the Rosh, meaning the roots of the vessels, since there cannot be actual clothing there.

Subsequently, when Malchut expands with that reflected light from above downward, the reflected light ends and becomes vessels for the upper light. At that time, there is clothing of the lights in the vessels, and this is called the Guf of that degree, that is, complete vessels.

15) Thus, new vessels were made in the Partzufim of Kedusha instead of phase four after the first restriction. They were made of the reflected light of the coupling by striking in the screen.

Indeed, we should understand this reflected light and how it became a vessel of reception, since initially it was but a light that was rejected from reception. Thus, it now serves in an opposite role from its own essence.

I shall explain that with an allegory from life. Man’s nature is to cherish and favor the quality of bestowal, and to despise and loathe reception from one’s friend. Hence, when one comes to one’s friend’s house and he [the host] invites him for a meal, he [the guest] will decline even if he is very hungry, since in his eyes it is humiliating to receive a gift from his friend.

Yet, when his friend sufficiently implores him until it is clear that he would do his friend a big favor by eating, he agrees to eat as he no longer feels that he is receiving a gift and that his friend is the giver. On the contrary, he [the guest] is the giver, doing his friend a favor by receiving this good from him.

Thus, you find that although hunger and appetite are vessels of reception designated for eating, and that person had sufficient hunger and appetite to receive his friend’s meal, he still could not taste a thing due to the shame. Yet, as his friend implored him and he rejected him, new vessels for eating began to form in him, since the power of his friend’s pleading and the power of his own rejection, as they accumulated, finally added up to a sufficient amount that turned the measure of reception into a measure of bestowal.

In the end, he saw that by eating, he would do a big favor and bring great contentment to his friend. In that state, new vessels of reception to receive his friend’s meal were born in him. Now it is considered that his power of rejection has become the essential vessel in which to receive the meal, and not the hunger and appetite, although they are actually the usual vessels of reception.

16) From the above allegory between two friends, we can understand the matter of coupling by striking and the reflected light that rises through it, which then becomes new vessels of reception for the upper light instead of phase four. We can compare the upper light, which strikes the screen and wants to expand into phase four, to the pleading to eat, because as he yearns for his friend to receive his meal, the upper light desires to expand to the receiver. And the screen, which strikes the light and repels it, can be likened to the friend’s rejection and refusal to receive the meal, since he rejects his favor.

Just as you find here that precisely the refusal and rejection have been inverted and become appropriate vessels to receive his friend’s meal, you can imagine that the reflected light that rises by the striking of the screen and its rejection of the upper light became new vessels of reception for the upper light instead of phase four, which served as a vessel of reception prior to the first restriction.

However, this was established only in the Partzufim of Kedusha of ABYA, not in the Partzufim of the shells, and in this world, where phase four itself is considered the vessel of reception. Hence, they are separated from the upper light, since the disparity of form in phase four separates them. For this reason, the shells are considered wicked and dead, as they are separated from the Life of Lives by the will to receive in them, as it is written in Item 13.