Morning Lesson September 24, 2021, Transcription
Part 1: Baal HaSulam. Shamati 5 “Lishma Is an Awakening from Above, and Why Do We Need an Awakening from Below?”
1. Rav’s Introduction: Because the Creator is a will to bestow to give, to love, to be with a positive emanation, He created the created being in the opposite desire, in the desire to receive so he would want to receive and he will only want to care for himself. In such a way he gave the created being the possibility to invert himself. Of course, the Creator helps the created being in that but this disposition the desire, the effort in order to change himself and make out of himself the desire to receive to become something similar to desire to bestow, that person has to demonstrate and this demonstration on behalf of the person that he does want to reach resembling the Creator is manifested in that. A man who was created inside in a system called Adam HaRishon after the sin, is broken, meaning he hates everyone, he rejects everyone, he feels himself as he is the center of the world. To begin with he wants to manage everything, that is how his ego is operating within him, so that this person starts to understand that in this he is totally opposite to the Creator and what he needs to do is to actually use these qualities that are opposite to the Creator in order to resemble the Creator. He is not going to break his selfish nature and he needs to understand that this is not possible to do that but instead even surrenders before his nature and he is asking the Creator to give him on top of that nature, that the Creator created, the desire to connect an intention to connect. In this way, even though he is entirely an egoist however, when he gets help from the Creator, he yearns to connect with others on top of his ego.
It is a wonder and he discovers he has both the egoistic desire that grows more and more and next to it in parallel grows the desire for connection, the altruistic desire more and more. And if he constantly yearns to care for the altruistic desire, the desire for bestowal, for connection then he begins to see that also his egoistic desire, the left line, also grows and thus they grow in parallel. And between them by using both of them, he begins to discover the Creator, the middle line and this is how he becomes similar to the Creator. All of this work certainly it is all done by an awakening from above, discernments that come from above, actions that come from above, the establishment from above of each and every step along the way on our ascent on the three lines. Nevertheless, want to be in that and would want to advance in that, it is something we have to establish this approach on our own. Even though this is against nature however when we are together, then each helps his friend and then we are able to learn and teach and stimulate each other, so that through envy, lust and honor we will be able to rise on the three lines toward the correct balanced connection.
We always get from above intensification of the desire to receive, we get this each and every day forgetting about spiritual work, suddenly it becomes not important, maybe even rejects us. Later on, then again, we come back to feeling that it is important, usually by incorporating into society and getting from there some spirit and influence, bestowal and then we have such ups and downs. The descents are when we don’t have the influence of the environment and the ascents are when we have the influence of the environment and we want to be connected between us and with the Creator and through such states we assemble our path. On this path there are two partners, we and the Creator and it is worthwhile to understand when we say, “we” it means us it means the group and when we see in these articles that they do not mention the group all the time but they are writing about the person, they are writing about the person who is already in a certain connection with the ten, aimed to the Creator because otherwise he is not Adam, he is not in the right direction of identifying with the Creator. Let us now learn our next Shamati article in this way.
Reading Shamati 5. (07:16 - 08:18)
2. R. This means that we do not understand anything, we do not feel anything, we get a certain awakening and that awakening we feel inside of us is some kind of disposition to discover the source of our life, what to do more with our life. We see that all of these things are somehow not within our hands but in something, that maybe it depends on us maybe we can influence our destiny our fate and so we want to know. We want to discover the secret of life who is managing us, what for and for what purpose, what states we are going through and how can we influence things and where will we reach. The most important is the summary the bottom line and about that it says, simply, that if you want to know these things then you need to be in, ‘Taste and see that the Lord is good.’ Taste means to actually taste, to receive inside, in your internal vessels and you will discover that this upper force who is managing you in everything, He is truly a good force.
Continuing reading (10:02 - 10:35)
3. R. We get everything from above but we need to divide everything into two, either I ask and then I get something that I asked for and even following my request I get something I did not ask for, then I have to realize that this is what I need therefore this is what was given to me. Or I do not ask for anything and then I am still taken care of from above because the force that operates creation is the upper one. Here there is a question, should I give what is called an awakening from below or I should just wait and be there and flow along with whatever I am given. These are the two approaches to our development. If we want to develop a quicker and so we can be in some active form, knowing what is happening with what we should do and how to enter a certain connection, interaction with the force that is developing us, then it is a very important for me to know how to awaken it, how to shake it, like little children shaking the adults to get what they want or just passive as though nothing matters to me and what happens to me, happens. These two approaches exist in reality and they don't quite depend on the person because there are people who have an inclination to be active in their development and if they use it correctly, then they truly awaken their own development, they can hasten it. There are people who do not feel this, whatever happens, happens, let it be just like yesterday it will be like that tomorrow and even those people who do not have the feeling, that they do not feel the need to accelerate their development, they have short periods where they do want it and also to the opposite, those who do want to change and accelerate, suddenly they stop and they do not want to progress. We need to scrutinize these things, but the most important is that our goal should be that if everything depends on the development on the awakening from below, then how we can activate this engine of our development in the most optimal way.
4. S (13:31) Please what do we need for the selfish desires before we can begin to enter spirituality because we have different cultures and different desires for example one in Europe and one in Africa.
R. This pertains on the degree of the Beast, on the animal degree. We are in a desire to receive in which there are the layers of still, vegetative, animate and then the speaking. What you are saying is that all of our cultures and all kinds of habits in this world all exist on the level of the still vegetative and animate and none of it relates to spirituality. Towards spirituality that is relevant is only the desire in the heart for spirituality, only that, the desire. And when you look at the desire you do not see the general character of the person you do not see whatever culture or education, he has nothing physical, earthly in spirituality all these details do not exist.
Reading on. (15:14 - 16:04)
5. R. This means that there is a part in men in the part of creation an active part which has to activate himself to the Creator. This is called “The Awakening from Below.” From the person that he does want to some extent to bestow to the Creator, and it is possible to bestow to him only in one thing. The Creator wants us to receive from him a fulfillment, an elimination, and we need to bring him a vessel which he can fill and this way we work together with the Creator. We give the awakening from below in a form of the vessel in which we want to receive, just like me towards the host, and the host fulfills the vessel whatever he prepared for it. This is how it happens in order for me to get equivalence of a form with the host not to be ashamed to receive from him, I have to rise to his degree, to the degree of the giver just like him so our nature was formed the desire to receive and the nature of the host is the desire to bestow, and to the extent that I can through small pieces and small portions I can transform my desire to receive seemingly to a desire to bestow, to use it for bestowal then I reach equivalence of form with the host. He fulfills my desire and I by that fulfill his desire. He wanted to fulfill me and I wanted to receive it in order to bestow to him contentment turning my desire to receive desire to give and this way we are in mutual bestowal with him. And to the extent we are in adhesion according to equivalence of form. I am no longer considered a receiver, I am also considered a bestower, and in that we connect with the host accordingly I also understand his actions and his attitude to me and this is how the progress more and more we become similar to each other.
6. S. (18:41) What is the most powerful prayer that the Creator has to answer??
R. It is not measured according to the magnitude of the outcry, it is according to the depth of the desire from which we are asking. It depends not on you but on the connection with your friends. The more the outcry is closer to a single outcry, as much as the participation, the sharing between the friends is true, the Creator hears it because then in such a way the vessel and the light will be more similar to each other, even equal to each other. Because the vessel rises above the ego in order to cry out as one in a single prayer and then it resembles the light which is also as one. It turns out that one receives one.
7. S. (20:13) How to internally invert our thoughts with all intention not to be for ourselves?
R. It is by all of us asking with the right intention and then the higher light influences us and corrects us that we try to incorporate into each other and by us wanting to be incorporated into the group, into each other by that we establish the right conditions. That in this way they also returned to the Creator that we want to give to him we want to incorporate in him so by this preparation between us in the 10, without this we are not ready to the right relation to the Creator. Therefore, whoever turns to the Creator by himself it is like a voice crying in the desert, he has no possibility to reach truthful connection to the Creator, he cannot reach to the Creator because he's not turning still the same wavelength that the Creator receives and hears.
S. How do we test our scrutiny on this?
R. You should check this in the group, how much you are connecting into one heart and out of the one heart how much are you reaching in the direction of the Creator.
Reader continues (22:23)
8. R. (22:46) We don't care about the fulfilment, the whole upper light is above us we, according to us being ready it enters and fills. The host is always read, we say the upper light is in complete rest, but everything depends on the preparation of the vessels on the behalf of people.
Reader continues: (23:14) “The prayer must be a complete prayer….”
9. R. (23:54) In that we are falling we are trying and falling and trying but from this despair, despair towards the correct state, trying to connect, to attach to the Creator, trying to bestow to him, to give him the possibility to fulfill us not in our favor but only in order to bestow to him contentment. By that as much as in these things we are in them we try as much as we can like little children but all of these efforts that we make, those specifically that are called exertion and ultimately through that we learn like a little child from whatever they do they gradually, the Creator teaches them how to do it correctly and then they become wise and they can grow
Reader continues: (25:04) “It is upon a person to do all the….”
10. R. (25:16) To bestow to the Creator as much as possible from the whole group as much as we can.
Reading (25:24) “then one can pray front he bottom of his heart….”
11. R. (25:38) Because he doesn’t succeed. Then we realize that the only thing that can help is the truthful prayer after he has tried many things and failed this is called reaching this truthful prayer and success.
Reader continues: (25:54) Then the Creator hears his prayer….”
12. R. (26:39) Do we truly want to connect between us in the ten, also it appears as no. We have to ask for corrections from above, the Creator can do this. I don't know how, but I understand it's impossible. It can be a friend as is customary in this world, in the 10 to connect as the wisdom of Kabbalah demands from heart to heart, I don't see that this is possible. I also don't see how I can desire to the Creator in one heart with the friends, what does this mean? I don't know if I feel my own heart, the other is heart, the desires of the other I can also say that they are aimed at the Creator perhaps but the desire is to be connected between them and to be as one desire. I don't understand how it is possible or what it even is. What is up to us is to scrutinize how incapable we are as we don't need to carry out the act of connection, we need to perform our inability to be in connection and this is the only thing that is demanded of us. Then according to the correct scrutiny will you become needy of the help of the Creator, so he will do this, because in truth only he can do this but according to the correct deficiency that we offer him. We ask, cry and demand that this is what we need, specifically this. To the extent that we ask correctly from the connection between us, the Creator makes the connection and, in the connection, we feel him, we have our first meeting with him.
13. S. (29:12) Is it correct to ask for necessities to be arranged in such a way that it won't bother but only to advance a person into spirituality?
R. You need to check.
14. S. (29:29) It is not clear I understood that it's not on us to connect as it's not in our power but that we do have to ask, you always tell us why you didn’t ask. The thing of asking is on us.
R. Yes.
S. Meaning that this is something that is in our power to do.
R. Yes.
S. Can you explain this
R. There's nothing to explain, you have to do all kinds of actions to connection and mutual bestowal and find that we cannot do it and ask the Creator to help us.
15. S. (30:24) Contrary to what we do with our kids when they ask from us, we are satisfied when they with their strength go and do something, why does the Creator put this border before us so that we will never be able to advance with our nature?
R. We can't because we don't have the power of bestowing, how can we advance? To advance means to equip ourselves each and every moment with additional powers of bestowing and we don't have this but when we make efforts, we see that we are incapable, we detect that it is only possible to do this with the upper force to give us the bestowing because ascending the ladder degrees by degree by receiving more of the force of bestowing is not in our hands. Therefore, each time we need to turn to the Creator and ask for it and by asking for it, not that we need the force of bestowal itself but by this we attain adhesion with the Creator more and more, we discover him and attain adhesion with him until we become truly together.
16. S. (32:01) It's not the first time that I hear that we need to notice that we're not capable, how in the 10 can we discover that we are not capable?
R. You are incapable of connecting in one desire in one goal but you don't want to discover that you can't do this, you wish to perform an action where you are capable of connection where you do reach a stage where you are similar to the Creator in the connection between you. That you are similar to him and when you make such efforts, specifically out of the efforts to be connected to be in bestowal you discover how much you are not connected and you're not bestowing. Out of the hope to be connected and reveal the Creator and disappointment that you can't be connected or discover the force of bestowal, you feel greater shattering between you and from that you cry out to the Creator and ask for correction.
S. This discovery that we're not capable, is this an individual personal thing or as a group?
R. Both personally and on the group level, you cannot be connected and this is called the revelation of the true vessel, the higher vessel over which you then begin to work on how to connect and fulfill it with the light that unifies all of the parts. This is how you reveal the Creator and the Creator is called Boreh, come and see, you discover the vessels that are in separation between you and then you discover how through our own efforts from above comes to light that connects the vessel together and then it feels them.
S. Do we have an instrument to scrutinize, how do we practically realize this inability to us?
R. To talk amongst yourselves and to turn to the Creator because you will see all of the discernment and receive guidance from above.
17. S. (35:06) When you say that the 10 is working, how can we try to work in an integral way?
R. I don't understand the philosophizing, can you go back to a normal question?
S. I see we need to take responsibility and work integrally, how do we do this from the work in the 10?
R. From within the work in the 10 you are asking for connection which brings you to certain closeness between you to the extent that you come close to each other you feel a bit more what it means to be one. By attaining this one you feel how much you are not able to come to one fulfillment, that your connection does not attain the one force that organizes this unity. Therefore, you are again working on attaining the shattering, you desire unity and you fall, your desire unity and fall. From such disappointments like little kids, we learn how to build something. From that you come to connection with the Creator because you constantly discover yourself more and more as dependent on him. If you don't let go of the path then you constantly turn to him, there is no choice and you will attain the connection to him, the dependence on him, then you will discover more and more how he is working and this is how you advance. You should not let go of a tendency for connection, the process for connection try as much as possible to feel the mind and heart with the concern of connection. The tens that engage in this more will advance more.
18. S. (38:16) How does true scrutiny bring a person to need the Creator?
R. Because after all what are we scrutinizing? We are scrutinizing what might help us be in connection between us to build the vessel and why do we need to build that vessel, so we can give the Creator a place to be revealed by that we're giving him contentment and then in building the vessel, we engage in that when you graduate turn ourselves from a desire to enjoy into a desire to delight the Creator. This happens when you see it even in this world, in our lives when you need to care for something or someone and out of caring for them you begin to connect with him to such an extent that you begin to love them. Like it is with animals or with adopted kids and in this way, we gradually turn our vessel from reception into bestowal.
19. S. (40:15) What does it mean that we are together from one vessel asking for correction?
R. We first need to understand that connection is in fact our goal, our practical and tangible goal and by that we correct the vessel that the creator has shattered. He gave it to us shattered so that we will put it back together correctly. He is willing to help as the grown-up relative to the young ones to the extent that we try to connect those pieces, the kids, the babies who try and try but it doesn't work and then we help them out. We help them because they put in the effort and then we join them and they understand from the effort that they have put in with our help they understand what needs to be done and the next time they will do it themselves. We discovered new mistakes and we all wait until they are unable to do it and we come and we help them out. We help them put the vessel together and just goes all in like this each time and this is exactly according to the same stages this is why we were given this world to learn all kinds of things to do with spirituality and this is what we have to do. In the Congress we come in order to connect between us, we don't need anything, the upper light is in absolute rest, it all depends on the connection between us and therefore we need to carry out the connection, it doesn't matter on what level whether it is the smallest. If we, do it, we are already in spirituality, there is no difference between a good example, a big or small example we already enter the connection between us according to the vessel, the receiving of the upper light. Later on, it's only the differences in the upper light that we distinguish more or less things. The important thing is to reach the states where we resemble the upper light even to a small extent, to the first contact between us and the Creator.
20. S. (43:30) Our friends stumble upon problems to come to the convention, is this a problem of the correct request from the Creator?
R. They need to buy a ticket to Israel that costs $1,500?
S. No.
R. They have to leave their family and travel far at all or just to sit at home? What is so hard for them, are they in shackles in prison by the police that won't let them connect to the Congress?
S. For example there's a friend who is in the mountains in Colombia because of his work
R. He works those days, Friday and Saturday?
S. Yes and it is very physical work that he is about to do.
R. If there is no choice there is no choice. Maybe otherwise he won't have a job and he has to workdays from morning tonight and he can't see or hear anything of the Congress during his work because he works physically. Maybe he can here's something with his ear bud in his ear and be connected with us. It all depends on the desire as much as a person wants to put in 100% desire to be connected even to a small extent, if he gives his own desire the Creator will complete it.
21. S. (46:19) What is the difference between the connection we are trying to attain on our own and the true connection?
R. We asked to be connected in one heart because the concept of one heart means that we cancel our ego, we annul the ego, we effectively let the upper light dwell in our hearts. We ask to revoke the boundary of our heart not corporeally, as in corporeality each one has different tastes and habits. It depends on where he was born and how he was educated. This is not important at all as it belongs to this corporeal world but in the spiritual world the tendency to the Creator, we wish to be connected together so each one is aimed directly at the Creator, wanting to attain him and we have to combine these directions, these vectors and then we will succeed. We don't need any more than that just to connect ourselves together and offer the Creator our common desires. This is the whole work.
S. The fact that we're not able to reach the common prayer?
R. I don't know if you can pray in one prayer, you have the Creator and you have any egoistic desires it doesn't matter which kind each is to themselves in the tiny corporeal desires. You just need to point in the heart, not the heart, not your desires but the point in the heart you need to connect to the Creator. Rav drawing: You have here the hearts of each other you don't need these desires you need the points in the heart to connect between you. Try to form this connection into one point and this point you wish to aim at the Creator and all the rest of the egoistic desires, leave them. All of the habits that your mother gave you, all of these tastes, don't belong to it, we just need these points called the Divine point from above, it is the part of the Creator, a desire for bestowing, a record, it's not even a desire but a record that exists in each one. This is why you desire godliness, the connection with the Creator because this point is pulling you and this is why you came to the wisdom of Kabbalah. This is why we just need to strengthen this point and return to the source, what else is there to do? All of these things that we discover in the heart are not important to us, let go of the heart, it doesn't bother us, make it into something where you raise the importance of the point in the heart relative to the heart. The importance of the spiritual world, the Creator, would be more important than what we have in the heart, in the corporeal business. This is the entire scrutiny.
22. S. (51:21) What tricks are there to work with the friends this way?
R. You need to read a little bit in the articles where he talks about the most important thing to think about and talk about with the friends because this is a problem that is common to everyone, talk about it with everyone. I have learned more from all of my students as he says, I have learned a great deal from my teachers and even more from my friend. We learned everything from the friends and look how the kids grow up. Whatever you give them at home, however you educate them, nothing will help. He goes out into the yard or to school and he meets other kids and there he learns, he doesn't look at the parents, he learns from the people who are around him of the same age group. This is how we are, we need to learn most importantly from friends to give to them and receive from them.
23. S. (52:57) How not to receive anything when we come to the convention, we all the time receive Impressions from it?
R. This all depends on the examples you get from the friends. They need to give you such examples so that you will be ashamed to think of yourself. Again, the friends need to give you such samples in which they think only of the connection between them and with the Creator as then you will be ashamed for having those types of thoughts.
24. S. (54:08) These states that we seemingly stand, it's not clear where to turn to. How? What’s connection? It’s truly to remain and hold your hand in fire, you heard it’s very unpleasant. Are those the right efforts?
R. I don't know if this is how you feel, it is a good sign but there is no choice. I am telling you, it took me many years and a great deal of effort to understand that connection is the necessary thing, it’s very tricky. The heavier the soul, the more difficult it is for it to understand that connection is the means at our disposal. The rest depends on the upper light.
S. Do I need to love that feeling, that unpleasant feeling?
R. Yes, I need to love the connection. For me this is a sign that I am closer to the Creator.
25. S. (55:30) When he asks for corrections from the Creator, he’s afraid the corrections will come in the form of problems or a great disease, or something. How do you ask for corrections without that?
R. He should ask for corrections and for them to come in a pleasant and nice way. That too, is a prayer. I'm afraid to receive them harshly, I'm weak and I'm asking for corrections through mercy. You can also ask for that, you can receive anything you want from the Creator, anything you want, you just have to ask.
26. S. (56:28) How to awaken friends so it won't be like a cry in the desert?
R. Try to scrutinize in what do you wish to awaken them, try to scrutinize the extent to which you want all the good for them, explain to them how much you want to benefit them, how it is coming out of your heart pleasantly, I would say naively, directly. By that you will see how they react to it as well, they respond to it.
27. S. (57:22) How can you help friends that have corporeal problems? How do we, like you drew in that picture of doing the work and concentrating us on those red points?
R. First of all, to pray. Pray for the wellbeing of the friends, their health. Pray that all of us together will connect, and in our connection, we will then heal ourselves and overcome all of the problems. That’s clear that the upper light can heal anything and all depends on the extent to which we bring Him closer to us, and we’ll have the voice of the prayer of many. Meaning, together we pray for the same things that we agree on, then we need to hope that it will influence.
S. We constantly unite and raise prayers to the Creator, we connect three times a day with the ten, we’re in the lesson all the time. Not too long ago, one of our friends passed away. Yesterday, the father of a friend passed away, and we have friends that are sick. Is that normal what’s happening to us? Is that an answer to our prayers?
R. First of all, I don't think you are raising prayers. To connect your prayer to what's happening, specifically with those disasters in the group, I wouldn't do it, you’re doing it just like that. I think we need to learn how to connect and then you will be connected to the Creator, then you will be able to understand what is happening from this point of connection between you and with the Creator, you will be able to understand what’s happening in the ten. For the time being, it's very very early to start interpreting what is happening corporeally from the seemingly spiritual degree where you're not in yet.
28. S. (01:00:26) Every lesson is like a convention. How can we remain concentrated in our virtual connection and meetings, and become with an attitude of being as one? How to be able to make it so every word you say will be a blow to our hearts?
R. Go over it again, try to adhere to that throughout the day, don't let opposite thoughts and desires enter into us.
29. S. (01:01:18) I feel more connection towards you than connection towards friends. Is this a wrong approach?
R. No. It has to be like that because you receive spiritual guidance from me. But later you need to realize it in the connection with the friends. There are two things here: there is me before you and also your group before you. You need to receive the guidance from me and realize this guidance with them, implement it. Try and succeed.
S. You are the channel between the Creator and us, you are the upper degree. According to our nullification and devotion towards your guidance, you attract us to the upper degree. Am I right about this concept?
R. Yes, that is correct. My goal, in this guidance that I am giving you, is to get you to the connection with the Creator, for you to be able to enter that connection and advance even before me on your own and be able to teach others.
30. S. (01:03:11) Each of us has that same similar red point that you drew, otherwise we wouldn’t be here. We just need to connect them but I can't manage to do this during the day, that’s not okay. How do I manage to connect them?
R. Imagine this drawing and that’s it. You wish to connect to that part from the heart, those desires, the heart’s desires, all those desires are in the heart. We need to aim desires to the Creator, what exists in each and every one, with all the desires of the friends. You should have one great common desire in the direction of the Creator and all the rest of the desires that are not aimed at the Creator we don't want to connect in them. Rather, we leave them as waste, as the AHP of the degree. That’s what we need to constantly try and depict our state, connect it together with the inclination for the Creator until we discover Him in this connection. The rest of the desires are of course, will resist and confuse us. But these desires, that are confusing or resisting our connection between us and with the Creator, are ‘’help against’’ because by pulling us seemingly backwards they also help us. Just how much we wish to be connected, and then every time we will add from this desire other than the point in the heart, we add them to the point in the heart more and more, discernment, desires, cravings, till the entire heart will be able to connect to the point in the heart. Then, you say it's from the bottom of your heart, ‘’with all your heart and all your soul’’.
Reader continues: “And from this one can come to clear awareness…’’
31. R. (01:06:23) The body means desires that don't want to be connected to the Creator because all of man is a desire that divides into a part that has an inclination towards the Creator and a part that does not have one.
Reader continues: “That he sees that he cannot persuade his body….”
32. R. (01:07:09) As much as we try to add our different desires to our request, to the prayer, we come to a state where our prayer is received, meaning the Creator helps with the prayer.
Reader continues: “we must know that by attaining Lishma,”
33. R. (01:08:16) Each and every desire in use is called ‘’alive.’’ When we don't use it, that moment is called ‘’dead.’’
Reader continues: “and when one contemplates what he has in his work….”
34. R. (01:08:57) What does a person have, he just lives in this world, he serves his beast as long as it’s alive, then it dies and nothing happened. He lived as someone who eventually dies, meaning from the very beginning he can see that all of life is pointless, nothing good ever comes out of them.
Reader continues: “However if a person works Lishma….”
35. R. (01:09:37) Not only in the end we have the attainment of creation, the attainment of the Creator, Ein Sof (infinity). We rise above from all of the worlds, but also doing the work when we go from in order to bestow. To the extent that we are in intention to bestow to the Creator, we receive pleasure from that.
Reader continues: “according to the proverb of the ….”
36. R. (01:12:12) If we truly work in order to bestow for the Creator, you receive a light from Him, such an illumination that stops us from feeling any difficulty. On the contrary, we feel uplifted, we receive a spiritual force so the corporeal force is not felt as work, as effort. Accordingly, we can check and see, are we in a state of spiritual upliftment or corporeal burdening.
37. S. (01:13:12) The fact that we connect the points that you drew and we’re connecting together, that’s not yet called ‘’Lishma?’’ Is there another addition here that’s needed?
R. (Rav is drawing) According to the drawing here, we want to connect all of our dots together and aim them at the Creator. But those are still efforts on our behalf, of course. The upper light works on us, it works on us all the time, it’s in absolute rest. We have nothing, only with our efforts. Then, the upper light when we try to connect together. From this connection we pray, it’s called prayer in the public, our prayer of many, where although there are many of us but we wish to be as one, we pray to the Creator, and this is our work. We only raise our request up to the upper force.
S. He writes here, where we read, so that the package won't be felt as heavy for us in our work. How to do it so it will be for the sake of the Creator?
R. (Rav is drawing) The upper light, that's the upper light, that we want to influence us, we can awaken it only through the labor between us. To the extent to which we connect, we wish to connect, we want it to influence us, so we pray to it, we ask of it to bestow to us the upper light. This is called the reforming light, and we in it, influences us and connects us into one desire, one vessel. From this one desire, when we connect as one, and the Creator is also as one. It’s called ‘’one receives one’’ and this way we are willing to bestow to the Creator and He is willing to bestow to us.
S. If I depict such an exercise, like you explained, that we connect in such a point, how should we build it? How to aim ourselves together to that point?
R. Try to connect the hearts. If we can't, ask the Creator and then expect that by our efforts and the Creator’s help, we will be able to connect our inner desires of our hearts, each and every one, and then certainly we will necessitate the Creator to work upon us, and help us, fulfill us with His light. It all depends on this work between us.
Reader continues “Whoever works for the Creator doesn’t have any exertion….”
38. R. (01:18:54) Meaning, we don't know, we can't say that now I aim for the Creator and immediately, I feel an awakening, an inspiration, it attracts me, it fulfills me, it opens my mind, it opens my heart, I feel confidence, there's no such thing. It is not an indication that if we are connected to the Creator correctly between us and with the Creator that by this, we immediately get a feeling, a special spiritual feeling.
Reader continues: “And the reason is he takes upon himself the burden….”
R. (01:419:49) Meaning, I have no choice. I have to continue to accept the actions of bestowal which don't explain to me or show me or give me the feeling that I'm on the right path, that I am inspired. No, the Creator doesn't do that to me.
Reader continues: “In other words he doesn't by way of coercive overcoming….”
40. R. (01:20:53) Why don't we immediately feel that we’ve entered the right path, we’ve aimed ourselves at the right connection, we’ve done something toward the Creator, why don't we immediately get the correct feedback to aim ourselves correctly, the Creator doesn't do that, why?
Reader continues: “the answer is that we must know….”
41. R. (01:21:23) It's not by chance that the Creator hides from us, whether we are on the right track or not, whether we did some correct action or not, we don't get an immediate response.
Reader continues: “were it not for this meaning if the light and vitality….”
42. R. (01:22:12) Meaning, we would immediately say, ‘’here, I did a spiritual action and I feel pleasure. Here, I didn’t do the correct spiritual action, I feel suffering’’. Then, the problem is to be where there is pleasure instead of suffering, then how do I rise above my ego with faith above reason? That’s why there is no other choice but to take a few steps in the darkness which means without a clear response of whether we are going in the right track or not.
Reader continues: “Had that been the case it would have never been….”
43. S. (01:26:56) How do we get feedback that we are advancing correctly?
R. We don't receive any feedback, we go in order to bestow. In order to bestow means I don't mind what I get in return, I don't look at it as proof for whether what I'm doing is right or not, I am going for bestowal. I have a group and if I arrange myself towards the group and from the group towards the Creator, then I don't go wrong.
44. S. (01:27:51) How do we reach a state, in a constant state, that we feel that bestowing will be as receiving, that we felt that we got something by bestowing?
R. Say it again.
S. How do we reach a state, a constant state, to feel that bestowing to the Creator will be as reception for us?
R. You understand that if you have a child, a baby of yours, and as much as you give to him and he receives, you enjoy. You give him or you use what you give to him to enjoy. Sometimes we see this on a mother who is trying to push more and more to her kids, more than they need, she enjoys it, right. Perhaps she doesn't even take into account that they don’t really want it. She gives and she enjoys, there are such dynamics as well. We need to understand that bestowal leads to pleasure, if you love the one that you bestow to, to the point that you implore Him and beg Him to receive. Like with little children or babies, we want them to receive, let's say something we want to give to them. Why do we ask, because by that we raise ourselves. It's not the matter of giving or receiving, it is the matter of intention, to whom do I give pleasure, myself or the friend, or the Creator. The intention determines everything, not the action. Our world is a world of actions, different actions, but the desire is always egoistic. There's nothing to take into account here, in terms of the desire, it's always for the benefit of the person. Otherwise, he can't make any action. If we move to the spiritual world, it is the opposite. The actions are only in order to bestow to others. Any other things, any other way, and we don't exist in the spiritual world.
45. S. (01:30:51) When we're going to work during the day, where even when I think of the friends, I should do something for them, does the intensity of these intentions change anything? Does it change this desire in any kind of way, does it influence the group?
R. The actions in the group, all the more so the intentions in the group, they always make a step that pushes us forward.
46. S. (01:31:46) What action in our eyes turns prayer into practical actions?
R. I don't know exactly what you mean. The actions that we do, trying to connect between us, and see how much we are unsuccessful. I see that it happens with people who would like to connect in the group but they are not successful and they leave, they stop. But if we do not manage to connect then we need to turn to the Creator and that is what we do not do. Then we stop halfway and we do not receive the assistance from above, the force that will connect us. Then as a result of a connection between us, if we would then turn to the Creator again, then we would succeed for sure, right away. Our whole problem is that we are trying to be closer to each other as much as possible but where is the test to see that we are actually not connected. We do not feel as a single heart and then we need to turn to the Creator to do it. We did our part, we came as close as we could and we did not succeed and from that point of lack of success we turn to You, the Creator, help us, do it. He needs to do it. We can't. But discovering that we cannot, that is impossible without making an effort. When we made an effort and we haven't succeeded and we turn to Him and according to our request He makes the connection between us.
S. How to turn to Him correctly?
R. How to turn to Him correctly? With all of your heart, from the common heart. Don't try to revolve around the Creator this way or the other. It will not help. You just need to reach a state where you reach Him with an open heart. That is us. We tried, we've done. He knows it. What is important is that you yourself, you tell yourself, so the prayer means to pray, means to the extent to which you examine yourself, judge yourself, to Lehitpale, this word is such a verb that the person does towards himself. It is when one examines himself and presents that to the Creator. That is what it means. We present ourselves to the Creator and ask Him to correct us. To do something. We have nothing more to do. That is what we must do.