Rules of the Group
One: The Statement of Commitment
Make a record book in which members= names and the group=s activities are recorded.
Whoever wishes to join the group must sign the statement that appears below. This statement should be written (in Hebrew) in the same script used for Torah scrolls. By signing, a person agrees to all the statements and abide by all the conditions of the group.
Statement of Commitment
With a willing heart and the desire of all my soul, I make a commitment to join the members of this holy society, the ASociety for Positive Thought,@ my intent being that with its help I will wash and purify my body and spirit, sanctify them with the sanctity of the holy God, and connect them to the service of God with willing and unwavering thought, speech and action.
The Torah gives every Jew the ability to consecrate even an animal to God, and certainly the holiness of his body. And so with this ability, I stand before God and consecrate myselfBmy body, my spirit and my soulBto Him. May the blessed God, Who does not reject a Jew=s dedication, not reject me. May He rest His holiness upon me. Wherever I may be and whatever world I may find myself in, may the holiness of God embrace me and the seven clouds of glory surround me, from now and forever more.
With all my heart and spirit, I plead to God that even if (heaven forbid) my inclination ever overwhelms me and causes me to stumble and fall for even a moment with any desire, thought, word or action that contravenes God=s will, may He in His great compassion not reject me. May He not cast me beyond the curtain of the Holy of HoliesBjust as a animal consecrated to God can no longer return to normal use (even though it is an animal). God=s holy and open hand receives those who return to Him. And so may He bring me back to Him with complete repentance, in accordance with my spirit at this moment. From this moment on, with a simple heart and a straight mind, I leave behind the gate of separation and the realm of the Other Side and all its host, which I reject and spurn as the dust of the earth. And I enter with my body and spirit=s 248 limbs and 365 sinews the camp of God=s Presence.
I resolve that from this moment on, I will be aware of every detail of my actions, thoughts and speech, as is fitting for a person who has been consecrated from on high, so that I shall not (heaven forbid) be unfettered. May the blessed God support me with the right hand of His justice. May He teach me and guide me upon His path, the path of holiness, in the midst of total spiritual and physical goodness. And may I, my entire family, all my friends and the entire house of Israel attain length of days and years that are good, joyous, satisfied and illumined by the light from above. Amen.
Two: You are an Elevated Person
From this moment on, do not regard yourself as a lowly person, an animalistic person for whom any actions and any behaviors, even degraded ones, are appropriate. Instead, as our sages hinted, Aa person should always view himself as though holiness rests within his belly@ (source). You are elevated, and things that are fit for others are forbidden to you. Regarding your every thought, word and act, do not only look to see whether it is generally acceptable. Such things may be fine for some other person, but not for you. Instead, look to see whether they are right for you at your high level.
This is not to say that you should consider yourself an superior personality and grow proud, heaven forbid. To the contrary, make yourself as nothing before every Jew. Break your heart by telling yourself, AConsidering my level and the state of being to which I have dedicated myself, my actions are not correct. Who knows how much damage I am causing with my behaviorBmy thought, speech and actionBsince the time that I have consecrated myself to heaven?@
Encourage yourself and strengthen yourself to improve from this moment on.
Three: How Often to Meet
The group must meet no less than three times a week. And if it meets more often, that is so much the better.
Four: Torah Learning
At your meetings, do not engage in trivial chatter. Everyone present should learn whatever he desires: Talmud, mishnah and so forth. But once a week (or more often, as te majority decides) hold a joint learning session. Choose a text that offers guidance, and learn it together.
Five: Insights and Inspiration
When the group learns a such text that offers guidance, do not go through the material as though you are reading some narrative. Instead, learn it calmly and in depth, and apply the words to yourselves: how to implement their guidance and make it a permanent part of yourselves. Then various topics will reveal themselves to you.
In general, if a group member has an insightBwhether it occurred to him at a meeting, at home, on the street, or so forthChe should tell it to the others. They in turn should listen attentively. Even if nine times out of ten there is nothing substantial to what he has to say, the tenth time it may be something worthwhile. As the Zohar states, at times one can find a pearl even in a pauper=s knapsack.
In general, every good thought about serving God that manifests itself in a Jew=s mind and heart is a species of an echo of the voice of his spirit: the echo of an outcry lamenting its downfall, or a sound of joy when it is ascending.
And the group member who is expressing his ideas should not merely wish be interested in speaking at length and displaying his wisdom.
Six: Drinking L=chaim!
From time to time, it is good to have a drink togetherBnot to grow drunk and rowdy, heaven forbid, but in the Hasidic manner: in order to bond more closely and also to awaken your spiritBeven your animal spiritBfrom its sloth. Even if a group member does not usually drink alcohol because of poor health (heaven forbid), he should dilute some alcohol with water and drink along with everyone else.
Seven: Song and Dance
After having a drink, sing an inspiring tune such as Yedid Nefesh, Adon Olam, Mizmor L=Dovid (AHashem is my Shepherd, I will not lack@), and so forth. If your spirits are aflame and you want to dance together, then do soBas long as you do not spend the entire time drinking, singing and dancing.
Eight: The Camp of God=s Presence
View your meeting place as a sanctified space, the center of the world. It is a bath house where souls are washed and purified. You are entering the camp of God=s Presence, here in this space. On your way, imagine that you are leaving the realm of this world and going to a branch of the lower Garden of Eden, which God has brought down to your meeting place. Your heart should be glad and you should rejoice with a holy trembling in your great happiness that even in this world you can take refuge under the wings of God=s Presence.
When you arrive at your meeting place, you should certainly rejoice and bear in mind that God=s Holy Presence is in your midst. AMy spirit is sick with love for You; please, God, heal it by showing it the delight of Your radiance@ (Yedid Nefesh). Awaken a yearning that God reveal in your heart a spark of the delight of His radiance and the beauty of His might that is found here.
Nine: One-on-One Camaraderie
This holy society stands upon three principles: (a) the bonding of its members, (b) their love for each other and (c) their closeness to each other.
You have all joined together in loving camaraderie, and you all love each other a great deal.
In addition, every member should choose one other person to whom he will reveal all the secrets of his heart, in both spiritual and physical matters: his worries and joys, his failures and successes. The person who is listening should console him, advise him and cheer him as much as he can. And he should advise and guide him in all matters, including the spiritual, in accordance with that person=s state of mind and situation.
Then they should switch roles.
If there is any person whom no one has chosen as a partner, the group must assign him a partner.
Ten: Keep a Low Profile
Group members should neither speak about nor publicize this holy group, its ways and activities. They should not boast about it before others. God said of the second set of the Ten CommandmentsBthe set which lastedB that Athere is nothing finer than concealment@ (source). The holy Zohar was revealed in the cave of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and in the wilderness, secretively. The entire Kabbalah is called a Asecret.@ So also, any service of God that involves a revelation of your spirit stands in opposition to tumult and publicity, and finds concealment congenial. AHashem is not in the uproar@ (Melachim I 19:11).
But if someone wants to join, accept him warmly, and tell him about the groupBas long as it is clear to you that his intent is for the sake of heaven. Also, you may propose to someone that he join the group if you see that his inclusion would benefit both him and the group. (Just be sure that you yourself have no ulterior motive.)
Eleven: On the Job
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If a group member works throughout the day to earn a living, he must say during his labors, several times a day, AMaster of the world, at the moment I find myself in places that are dangerous to my spirit and holiness. Do not abandon me; support and guard me, Guardian of Israel.@ You do not have to use these exact words, but something to this effect, in whatever words work for you.
Twelve: Respect Group Members
View every member of the group as an elevated person. Respect and honor him, for he is one of the sons of the prophets. In addition, he has dedicated himself to holiness, so that the Presence of God might rest upon him.
Thirteen: Group Members from Out of Town
Someone from out of town may also join the group.
If you find members in your own area, act in the manner described above.
But even if not, you can still form a group. Do as much as you can on your own. And all the members of the group must meet no less than once a year for a few daysBnot in order to hold a convention with hoopla and commotion, but in order to spend those days in service and separation from this world. Discuss your practices in serving God throughout the year, how you sanctify all your actions for the sake of God=s glory, and how you resolve to increase your self-encouragement and immerse yourself in the holiness of God from this day forth.
Conclusion: You Will Succeed
If you have read this far and you see that you have erred, that you have come to an area in which you have no interestBbecause you think us deluded or non-productiveBthen for your own sake and our sake, leave our group at once, go back to your miasma, and we will go forward for the sake of Hashem our God.
However, if you see that our path is your path, and that which we seek you also seek, then join us.
Perhaps your heart is heavy within you because, after having read through this work once, twice or three times, you still do not have the sense of having come to where God=s Presence rests, you still do not see anything or feel anything, you still have no elevated thought or inspirationByou have in fact experienced nothing that we have discussed. Do not let your spirit fall. Realize that the distance from the earth to the heavens is a journey of five hundred years. And so, not having reached the heavens in a single leap, why should you be discouraged?
I am certain that after you spend a period of time engaged in constant work of this type, God will help you sense the rays of supernal light and divine holiness that have entered your soul, body and essence. At the very least, you will begin to act in a more refined and improved manner in all areas affecting your body and soul. Your thoughts will start becoming qualitatively different.
Then you will be inspired and experience greater feeling in your prayers. You will know how to make use of all the experiences of your soulBits joy and broken-heartednessBto bring it forth to meet its Beloved, and to purify it on the highest plane. You will learn how to look at every commandment from the viewpoint of the soul. You will merit at least some measure of preparation for self-sacrifice with your entire body and soul when reciting the Sh=ma.
In this alone, you will have risen somewhat to be a spiritual person. And then a supernal sight will begin to spark within you, so that you will see in everything the holiness of the Afine, beautiful One, the radiance of the world@ (Yedid Nefesh). At first these sights will be minor. But with every experience, they will grow to become more clear and frequent. Ultimately, you will not remain a spiritually uncultivated person. You will be someone centered in the world-to-come even as you still live in this world.
Let us be strong, let us strengthen ourselves, for God is with us!
