The transcript has been transcribed and edited from English simultaneous interpretation, thus there may be potential semantic inaccuracies within it.
Daily Morning Lesson: July 27, 2026
Part 1: Rabash. What Is the Substance of Slander and Against Whom Is It? Article No. 10 (1987)
Reader: Hello, in the first part of the lesson, we will watch a recorded lesson from the 13th of June, 2002, the second lesson from a series of two lessons on the article, "What Is the Substance of Slander and Against Whom Is It?" "What Is the Substance of Slander and Against Whom Is It?" — which today we will start reading from the words, "It turns out that while the immensity of the pleasure in Torah and Mitzvot," and so forth.
Reading: (00:41) What Is the Substance of Slander and Against Whom Is It?
Article No. 10, 1987
It turns out that while the immensity of the pleasure in Torah and Mitzvot is revealed, a person cannot say, “I am doing this Mitzva [commandment] because it is the Creator’s will,” meaning that he wants to give pleasure to the Creator by keeping His Mitzvot [commandments]. After all, without the Creator’s commandment, he would still keep Torah and Mitzvot because of self-love, and not because he wants to give to the Creator.
This is the reason for the placement of the restriction and the concealment on Torah and Mitzvot. And this is why the whole world chases corporeal pleasures, while having no energy for the pleasures in Torah and Mitzvot because the pleasure is not revealed for the above-mentioned reason.
It therefore follows that regarding faith, we must assume the importance there is in Torah and Mitzvot, and, in general, believe in the Creator—that He watches over the creatures. This means that one cannot say that he is not keeping Torah and Mitzvot because he does not feel the Creator’s guidance, how He gives abundance to the creatures, since here, too, he must believe, even though he does not feel it.
This is so because if he felt that His guidance is benevolent, there would be no question of faith there anymore. But why did the Creator make it so we would serve Him with faith? Would it not be better if we could serve in a state of knowing?
The answer is—as Baal HaSulam said it—that one shouldn’t think that the fact that the Creator wants us to serve Him with faith is because He cannot shine to us in the form of knowing. Rather, the Creator knows that faith is a more successful way for us to reach the goal, called “Dvekut [adhesion] with the Creator,” which is equivalence of form. By that, we will have the power to receive the good while being without the “bread of shame,” meaning without shame. This is so because the only reason we will want to receive delight and pleasure from the Creator is that we will know that the Creator will derive pleasure from it. And since we wish to bestow upon the Creator, we wish to receive delight and pleasure from Him.
Thus, we see that the main work we must do, to achieve the purpose for which the world was created—to do good to His creations—is to qualify ourselves to acquire vessels of bestowal. This is the correction for making the King’s gift complete, so they will feel no shame upon reception of the pleasures. And all the evil in us removes us from the good that we are destined to receive.
We were given the remedy of Torah and Mitzvot so as to achieve those Kelim. This is the meaning of what our sages said (Kidushin 30), “The Creator says, ‘I have created the evil inclination; I have created for it the spice of Torah,’ by which he will lose all the sparks of self-love within him and will be rewarded with his desire being only to bestow contentment upon his Maker.”
In the essay “The Giving of the Torah” (Item 13), he says, “There are two parts in the Torah: 1) Mitzvot [commandments] between man and God, 2) Mitzvot between man and man. And both aim for the same thing—to bring the creature to the final goal of Dvekut with Him.
“Furthermore, even the practical side in both of them is really one and the same. ... Toward those who keep Torah and Mitzvot Lishma, there is no difference between the two parts of the Torah, even on the practical side. This is because before one accomplishes it, one is compelled to feel any act of bestowal—either toward another person or toward the Creator—as emptiness beyond conception...
“Since this is the case, it is reasonable to think that the part of the Torah that deals with man’s relationship with his friend is better capable of bringing one to the desired goal. This is because the work in Mitzvot between man and God is fixed and specific and is not demanding, one becomes easily accustomed to it, and everything that is done out of habit is no longer useful. But the Mitzvot between man and man are changing and irregular, and demands surround him wherever he may turn. Hence, their cure is much more certain and their aim is closer.”
Now we understand why Rabbi Akiva said about the verse, “Love thy friend as thyself,” that it is “the great rule of the Torah.” It is because the important thing is to be rewarded with Dvekut with the Creator, which is called “a vessel of bestowal,” meaning equivalence of form. This is why the remedy of Torah and Mitzvot was given, so that through it we would be able to exit self-love and reach love of others, as stage one is the love between a person and his friend, and then we can achieve the love of the Creator.
Now we can understand what we asked above, why when the convert came to Hillel and told him, “Teach me the whole of the Torah while I am standing on one leg,” Hillel did not reply to him in the holy tongue, as he asked, “Teach me the whole of the Torah while I am standing on one leg,” but replied to him in the language of translation [Aramaic], “That which you hate, do not do unto your friend” (the translation of “Love thy friend as thyself”). And there is more to understand, since in the Torah, it is written, “Love thy friend as thyself,” which is a positive Mitzva [commandment to perform some action], while he replied to the convert in a negative tongue, “Do not do,” since he told him, “That which you hate, do not do unto your friend.”
According to what he explains about the importance of the Mitzva, “Love thy friend as thyself,” in his explanation of the words of Rabbi Akiva, who said that “Love thy friend as thyself” is the great rule of the Torah, that specifically this Mitzva has the power to bring one the remedy for reaching the love of the Creator, for this reason, when the convert came to Hillel and told him, “Teach me the whole of the Torah while I’m standing on one leg,” he wished to tell him the rule, “Love thy friend as thyself,” as it is written in the Torah. However, he wished to explain to him the grave iniquity called “slander,” which is even graver than the Mitzva, “Love thy friend as thyself.”
The Mitzva, “Love thy friend as thyself” gives one the power to overcome and exit self-love. By exiting self-love, he can achieve the love of the Creator.
It follows that if he does not engage in the Mitzva, “Love thy friend as thyself,” he is in a state of “sit and do nothing.” He did not progress in coming out of the domination of self-love, but did not regress, either. In other words, although he did not give love to others, he also did not relapse and did nothing to evoke hatred of others.
Yet, if he slanders his friend, by that, he relapses. Not only does he not engage in love of others, he does the opposite—engages in actions that cause hatred of others by slandering his friend. Naturally, one does not slander one he loves, for it separates the hearts. Therefore, we do not wish to slander one that we love so as not to spoil the love between us, since slander inflicts hatred.
It therefore follows that the severity of the iniquity of slander is that love of others yields love of the Creator, and hatred of others yields hatred of the Creator, and there is nothing worse in the world than that which yields hatred of the Creator. But when a person sins with other transgressions and cannot overcome his will to receive because he is immersed in self-love, it still does not make him hate the Creator. This is why it is written about the rest of the transgressions, “I am the Lord, who dwells with them in the midst of their impurity.” But in regards to slander, by this action he becomes hateful of the Creator, as it is the very opposite act of love of others.
Now we can understand the words of Rabbi Yohanan in the name of Rabbi Yosi Ben Zimra: “Anyone who slanders, it is as though he denies the tenet.” Can it be that slander would make one deny the tenet? However, since it causes him to hate the Creator, he denies the very purpose of creation—to do good. And we see that one who does good to another and gives him more delight and pleasure each time, certainly loves him. But when a person slanders, it makes him hate the Creator. Thus, this person denies the very purpose of creation—to do good.
Now we can also understand what we asked about what Rav Hasda said in the name of Mr. Ukva: “Anyone who slanders, the Creator says, ‘He and I cannot dwell in the world.’” Is it possible that slander could cause the Creator not to dwell in the world with him?
As we said above, one who slanders becomes hateful of the Creator. As in corporeality, a person can be in a house with many people and yet be indifferent to whether they are good people or not. But when he sees his hater there, he immediately runs away from there, for he cannot be in a single room with a hater. Similarly, we say that one who becomes hateful of the Creator, the Creator cannot be with him in the world.
We could ask, “But one who steals something from his friend also causes his friend to hate, since when the one from whom it was stolen finds out that he stole, he will see that he is his hater?” Or, we could say that even if he never knows who stole from him, the thief himself—instead of engaging in love of others—engages in an opposite act, in hatred of others, by which he becomes more immersed in self-love. And yet, they do not say that stealing is as bad as slander. Also, it means that robbing is not as grave as slander, too.
The answer should be that one who engages in stealing or robbing does not rob or steal because of hatred. The reason is that he has love for money or for important artifacts, and this is why he steals or robs, not because of hate. But with slander, it is not because of some fancy, but only out of hatred.
It is as Rish Lakish said (Arachin 15), “Rish Lakish said, ‘Why is it written, ‘If the serpent bites without whispering, there is no advantage to the one with the tongue?’ In the future, all the animals will come to the serpent and tell him, ‘The lion preys and eats; a wolf preys and eats. But you, what pleasure have you?’ He tells them, ‘And what is the advantage of the one with the tongue?’’”
RASHI interprets, “‘A lion preys and eats,’ all who harm people derive pleasure. The lion preys and eats. He eats of what is alive. And if a wolf preys, it kills first and then eats. It has pleasure. But you, what is your pleasure in biting people? The serpent replied, ‘And what is the advantage of the one with the tongue? One who slanders, what joy does he have? Similarly, when I bite, I get no pleasure.’”
With the above said, we can see that there is a difference between harming people because one derives pleasure, such as the lion and the wolf, who have no desire to harm because they hate people, but because of desire, since they take pleasure in people. Thus, the reason why they harm others is only out of desire.
This is not so with slander. One does not receive any reward for it, but it is an act that causes hatred of people. And according to the rule, “Love thy friend as thyself,” where from love of man one comes to love of the Creator, it follows that from hatred of people one can come to hatred of the Creator.
Similarly, we find these words (Berachot 17a): “‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all they that do them.’ It did not say, ‘That do,’ but ‘That do them,’ they who do Lishma [for Her sake] and not they who do Lo Lishma [not for Her sake]. And anyone who does Lo Lishma, it is better for him to not be born. In the Tosfot, he asks, ‘And if the sayer should say, ‘Rav Yehuda said, ‘Rav said, ‘One should always engage in Torah and Mitzvot, even in Lo Lishma, for out of Lo Lishma he will come to Lishma.’’’’ We should say, ‘Here we are dealing with one who is learning only in order to annoy his friends, and there it was about one who is learning in order to be respected.’”
We should understand the answer of the Tosfot, when he says that we should distinguish between Lo Lishma in order to annoy and Lo Lishma in order to be respected, meaning to call him “a rabbi” and so on. We should understand it according to the rule that Rabbi Akiva said, “Love thy friend as thyself is the great rule of the Torah.” By what he explains in the essay “The Giving of the Torah,” it is because through this Mitzva [commandment] he will acquire love of others, and from this he will later come to love of the Creator.
It therefore follows that one should try to exit self-love, and then he will be able to engage in Torah and Mitzvot Lishma, meaning in order to bestow and not for his own benefit. This is done by keeping Torah and Mitzvot. Thus, as long as he does not exit self-love, he cannot engage in Lishma. And although he engages in self-love, there is power in keeping Torah and Mitzvot in order to exit self-love and from that to subsequently come to love of the Creator, at which time he will do everything in order to bestow.
Achieving Lishma is possible only when he engages in Torah and Mitzvot in order to be respected. That is, he is learning but he still cannot work for the sake of others, since he hasn’t acquired the quality of love of others. Hence, engagement in Torah and Mitzvot will help him achieve the quality of love of others.
But when he learns in order to annoy, which is an opposite act from love of others, keeping Torah and Mitzvot for the hatred of others, in order to annoy, how can two opposites be in the same carrier? Meaning, it is said that the Torah assists in achieving love of others when one performs an act of bestowal—although the intention is to receive a prerogative, the Torah assists him toward the intention of obtaining the desire to bestow, as well. But here he engages in the very opposite, in hatred of others. How can this cause love of others?
It is as we said about the distinction between a thief or a robber, and a slanderer. Thieves and robbers love money, gold, and other important things. They have no personal dealings with the individual himself. In other words, thieves and robbers have no thought or consideration of the person himself, but their thoughts are focused on where they can get more money more easily, and with greater difficulty for the police to expose them as the thieves or robbers. But they never think of the person himself.
With slander, however, one has no consideration of the act itself when he slanders. Rather, his only thought is to humiliate his friend in the eyes of people. Thus, the only thought is one of hatred. It is a rule that one does not slander one he loves. Hence, it is specifically slander that causes hatred of others, which subsequently leads to hatred of the Creator. For this reason, slander is a very grave iniquity, which actually brings destruction of the world.
Now we will explain the measure of slander—how and how much is considered slander, whether a word or a sentence that is said about one’s friend is already considered slander. We find this measure in Hillel’s answer to the convert, “That which you hate, do not do unto your friend.” This means that with any word that you want to say about your friends, observe and consider if you would hate it if this was said about you. In other words, if you would derive no pleasure from these words, “Do not do unto your friend.”
Thus, when one wishes to say something about one’s friend, he should immediately think, “If this were said about me, would I hate that word?” “Do not do unto your friend,” as Hillel said to the convert. From here we should learn the measure of slander that is forbidden to say.
And with the above said, we can understand why Hillel spoke to the convert in the language of translation and not in the holy tongue [Hebrew], just as to the convert, who told him [in Hebrew], “Teach me the whole of the Torah while I am standing on one leg.” Instead, he spoke in the language of translation, meaning that what he told him was, “That which you hate, do not do unto your friend” [in Aramaic], the translation of “Love thy friend as thyself.”
First, we should understand what the language of translation implies to us. The Ari said (The Study of the Ten Sefirot, Part 15, p 1765), “‘And the Lord God caused a deep sleep’ is translation in Gematria [Tardema (sleep) = Targum (translation)], and it is considered Achoraim [posterior].” This means that the holy tongue [Hebrew] is called Panim [anterior] and the translation [Aramaic] is called Achoraim [posterior].
Panim means something that illuminates or something whole. Achor [back] means something that is not illuminating or is incomplete. In the holy tongue, which is called Panim, it writes, “Love thy friend as thyself,” which is wholeness, since through love of man one achieves the love of the Creator, which is the completion of the goal, for one should achieve Dvekut [adhesion], as it is written, “And to cleave unto Him.”
But the translation of “Love thy friend as thyself” that Hillel told him, “That which you hate, do not do unto your friend,” we should say that it relates to slander, which is about negation, that slander is forbidden because it brings hatred, and from this, one might come to hatred of the Creator. However, this is still not considered wholeness because by not slandering, one still does not achieve love of others, and from love of others he will reach wholeness, called Dvekut with the Creator.
However, this is why slander is worse, since not only does he not engage in love of others, he does the opposite—engages in hatred of others. For this reason, when teaching the general public to begin the work, they are first taught how to not spoil and harm the public. This is called “avoiding.” Otherwise, you are harming the public by doing things to harm.
This is why Hillel said to the convert who came to him only the translation of “Love thy friend as thyself”: 1) Because it is more harmful when slandering, for it causes hatred, which is the opposite of love of others. 2) Because it is easier to keep, for this is only in “sit and do not do.” But “Love thy friend” is “Rise up and do,” when one should take action to sustain the love of friends.
However, afterwards there are exceptions: people who each wish to be a servant of the Creator personally. A person is told that the matter of “Love thy friend,” which is the rule that Rabbi Akiva said—as above-mentioned, that love of others can bring him to achieve love of the Creator—is the main goal: that one will have vessels of bestowal and that in these vessels he will be able to receive delight and pleasure, which is the purpose of creation, to do good to His creation.
Two methods in education extend from this:
Focusing the learning on not slandering because this is the worst iniquity.
Focusing the education on “Love thy friend,” since this will bring man to love others, and from love of others he will come to love of the Creator, and from love of the Creator he can then receive the purpose of creation—to do good to His creations. This is because he will already have the suitable vessels for receiving the upper abundance, as he will have vessels of bestowal, which he has obtained by love of others. And then there will be no room for slander.
Concerning slander, The Zohar says that the serpent’s slandering to the woman caused death to the world. It says there that the sword that consumes everything is ready for anyone with a sword in his tongue, meaning who slanders. And The Zohar concludes, “As it is written, ‘This will be the law of the leper,’ as for afflictions come for slander.” It follows that he began with death and ended with afflictions, which means that only afflictions come and not death.
Certainly, there are explanations for the literal meaning. But in the work, we should interpret that afflictions and death are one and the same. In other words, the purpose of the work is to achieve Dvekut with the Creator, to adhere to the Life of Lives. By this we will have suitable vessels for reception of the delight and pleasure that is found in the purpose of creation, to do good to His creations. Through slander, he becomes a hater of the Creator, and there is no greater separation than this. Certainly, by that he becomes separated from the Life of Lives.
It follows that where he should have received delight and pleasure from the Creator, he receives the opposite. In other words, instead of pleasure, it becomes affliction [in Hebrew “pleasure” and “affliction” contain the same letters]. This is the meaning that through slander, afflictions come instead of pleasures. This is the meaning of “The wicked, in their lives, are called ‘dead,’” since they are separated from the Life of Lives. It follows that in the work, death and afflictions are the same.
In other words, if one adheres to the Life of Lives, he receives abundance from Him. And if it is to the contrary and he becomes separated from Him, then he is full of afflictions where he should have been filled with pleasures.
With the above-said, we can interpret what they said (Arachin 15), “In the West they say: The talk of a third kills three: It kills the one who tells, the one who receives, and the one about whom it is said.” We know the words of our sages, “The Torah, Israel, and the Creator are one.” It means, as explained in the book A Sage’s Fruit (Part One, p 65), that Israel is one who wishes to adhere to the Creator. He achieves this through the 613 Mitzvot [commandments] of the Torah, at which time he is rewarded with the Torah, which is the names of the Creator. And then everything becomes one. It turns out that one who slanders causes the killing of three: 1) the one who tells, 2) the one who receives, 3) the one about whom it is said.
The three discernments are to be made between man and man.
However, between man and the Creator there is also the matter of slander, as mentioned concerning “The Torah, Israel, and the Creator are one.” When a person comes and looks in the Torah, he sees all those good things that the Creator has promised us in keeping the Torah. For example, it is written, “For this is your life,” and it is also written, “They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb,” and other such verses. If a person is not rewarded and does not feel it, this is called “slandering the Creator.”
It follows that three discernments should be made here: 1) the slanderer, 2) the Torah, 3) the Creator.
When a person looks in the Torah, if he is not rewarded, he does not see the delight and pleasure clothed in the holy Torah, and stops learning the Torah because he says he found no meaning in it. Thus, in speaking of the Torah, he is slandering the Creator.
It follows that he blemishes three things: the Torah, Israel, and the Creator. Where one should exert to make the unification of “Are one”—that they will all shine, meaning that the discernment of Israel will obtain the unification that the whole Torah is the names of the Creator—he causes separation in that, through slander.
A person must believe above reason that what the Torah promises us is true, and the only fault is in us—that we are still unfit to receive the delight and pleasure, called “the hidden light” or “the flavors of Torah and Mitzvot,” as it is written in The Zohar that the whole Torah is the names of the Creator.
To achieve this, we need vessels of bestowal—to have equivalence of form between the light and the Kli [vessel]. Achieving vessels of bestowal is done by love of friends. It is as Rabbi Akiva said, “Love thy friend as thyself is the great rule of the Torah,” for through it we achieve love of others, and through love of others we arrive at love of the Creator and the love of Torah. The Torah is called “a gift,” and gifts are given to loved ones. The opposite of this is slander, which causes hatred of people and hatred of the Creator, as we said above.
Now we can understand what our sages said about slander, “The talk of a third kills three: It kills the one who tells, the one who receives, and the one about whom it is said.” RASHI interprets that out of hatred they provoke one another and kill each other. We can understand that this applies between man and man; but how does this apply between man and the Creator?
When a person looks in the Torah and tells the Torah that he does not see or feel the delight and pleasure that the Creator said that He is giving to the people of Israel, he is slandering the Creator. There are three things here: the telling person, the receiver, meaning the Torah, and the one of whom it is said, meaning the Creator. Since when a person engages in love of others, he obtains the love of the Creator and the love of Torah, in that state, the Creator imparts upon him life, as it is written, “For with You is the source of life.” This is from the side of Dvekut [adhesion], as it is written, “And you who cleave.”
In that state, one is rewarded with the law of life. But through slander, the life from the Creator, which he should have received, is withheld from him. Thus, 1) the life from the Torah—where he should have sensed the Torah of life—is withheld from him, 2) he himself becomes lifeless, which is considered that he is killed, and 3) life stops in three places. And through the love of others, life flows from two places and he is the receiver of the life.
Reader: Let's now continue to the lesson from the 13th of June, 2002.
M. Laitman: (42:34) We read an article from “The Rungs of the Ladder,” "What Is the Substance of Slander and Against Whom Is It?" The fact that we think, and this is how it's customary in this world, that slander means that one doesn't speak negatively about another, and people will kind of be so, you know, pretty people towards each other, that each one will check before he opens his mouth. Today there are entire encyclopedias, you know — if a person, before he needs to turn to someone, he needs to look at the book of laws of slander, and in what way should I hide, what I want to say, and whatever. In short, you don't check your heart. You look into the book, and what it says you can say, and what it says you can't say, you can't. Meaning, what's important is what you put out of your mouth. What's in your heart is not discussed, that's hidden, the hidden Torah, but only focusing on the revealed. And for the common people, for the sacred still, this is acceptable and customary. However, slander in truth is not what a person expresses with his mouth, and not even what he feels in his heart towards the environment, but only towards the Creator. This is called a tongue, and it could be either good or bad. That's where we advance, since our entire goal is to reach adhesion with Him, and our whole path is to improve our qualities, to be in equivalence of form with Him. Then all that we do is always just compare ourselves with where I am, where is the Creator, how much I understand who He is, what He is, how much I can make this correction, this skip, the gap between us, and how much I appreciate my state as effective for progress, that it kind of builds within me and around me, how much I understand His state. This whole situation that exists, how a person feels it before he even begins to check, to scrutinize it, this is basically called his relation to the world the Creator has shaped for him. And if, God forbid, he's not happy with that, then his relation to it is called slander. We know that the structure of our soul is that the soul is comprised of two parts: Galgalta ve Eynaim and AHP — vessels of bestowal, called Israel, vessels of reception, called nations of the world. And the general correction is, that until the end of correction, vessels of reception cannot be used, but only AHP of ascent, as they incorporate with the vessels of bestowal. The vessels of reception themselves are called gentiles, and with their incorporation in the vessels of bestowal, they are called proselytes. And the vessels of bestowal themselves are called Israel. And that's where the correction comes from for these two kinds of vessels. Israel is given the correction of Galgalta ve Eynaim, "love thy friend as thyself," because they can achieve adhesion with the Creator. “Thy friend” is the Creator. And the vessels of reception, that cannot be corrected until the end of correction, the way they are themselves. There is a correction of restriction over them, and this is called "what is not good for you, don't do to others," and thus restrict your evil. It's exactly the difference between Rabbi Akiva and Hillel, and the difference in the attitude towards these two corrections. From here we have the commandments of "you shall do" in Galgalta ve Eynaim, and the commandments of "you shall not do," meaning that we cannot use the vessels of reception from AHP.
M. Laitman: (47:10) That's basically the beginning of the article, and afterwards he goes into very deep things, the Rabash. We'll interpret it some other time. It's also, I don't think really it's really doable to interpret this. It could ruin all education. What else? From here we understand what is the tongue of holiness, which is the tongue spoken in vessels of bestowal, Hebrew, the face; and what is translation, which is still not the tongue of holiness, but the tongue with which AHP prepares themselves to later reach the correction to be like Galgalta ve Eynaim. So Galgalta ve Eynaim is where the tongue of holiness is spoken, and in AHP the language of translation is spoken. Therefore, the Zohar was also written in translation, which indicates that it's a book that talks about the corrections.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (48:32) If there's no connection between the behavior between the friends in the society and the evil tongue that he talks about in the book, because it's not…
M. Laitman: No, in our society it's something else, because in our society we want to make the same laws like the spiritual laws. The whole benefit of our society is that we, in our root, in the soul of Adam HaRishon, where we exist on the uppermost spiritual degree, there we're all connected together, all the souls. And to draw strength from their surrounding light, I can do that to the extent that I try here, not in this upper spiritual state, but in a state that I'm lower than that, I can shape the same status as though I'm there. That means that I long to be there. This is called labor. What's labor? It's the labor of resembling the higher state. So if I treat my friends as though we're already at the end of correction, I try to shape our relationship that way, that means I am making an effort, doing labor. It's very simple. What are you looking at me? When the words become simpler, you start being afraid, right? That's why the concealment in the meantime helps the person, it guards the fruit. But this is basically the matter - the more we yearn to have this state of correction between us, the end of correction, whatever we can imagine for now, to that extent, we will invite from that complete perfect state surrounding light to us, and it will treat us and correct us and truly attract us to that state of the end of correction. So in our environment, we should behave according to the state of "love thy friend as thyself," as much as we possibly can.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (50:56) If I already love half the group that way, so there's nothing to do with it, let's say, I behave good with this and that one.
M. Laitman: If you already love half the group and you're still not at the end of correction, it's a sign that you're deluding yourself, you're lying to yourself. Meaning, at some place, not intentionally, but at some point, you think you love the others, but you're actually evading it in some way, and you think that's love. So invest a bit more effort and labor, and you'll be shown from above that you're still not in this state of the end of correction with them. You still haven't corrected your relation to them completely, which is called the end of correction. When we start to give simple interpretations, it becomes very difficult.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (51:57) Where is the root of hatred?
M. Laitman: The root of hatred is the shattering of the screen. The screen was broken, and there was no unity. Everyone only feels their own will to receive, and the will to receive that is different from the person feels as foreign, and that's the root of hatred. What does it mean? Well, there are many degrees to that. I love myself, and I only care about myself, because that's my necessity. Very good. That's something customary across nature. Like the Rabash writes here, when the wolf catches or hunts the deer, it doesn't mean it causes evil to it. It's just nature, it has to fulfill itself; and the Creator created it in such a way that it's a correction for him and a correction for her. As much as we might look at it as horrible, but it's not horrible, it's just nature. That's it. Nature. What about how we kill animals and eat them? Now, he writes that there are some animals that cause harm to the other, not because they need it, but because they have some ancient habit that used to be necessary for life, and now it isn't. So that too, even though we don't see for what purpose he does it, but this ancient habit basically exempts them from punishment. They're not to blame, they got used to it by nature itself. So all of this is with regards to a completely beastly level. That's why they're still, vegetative, and animate, they have no commandments, no transgressions, there's nothing to ask of them. How they behave, it's neither good nor bad, it's just nature. In the human, there is a relation to another that what he needs for his necessity, we don't ask about that. On the contrary, typically, the country cares about each one having some sort of a basic quota. Someone has a thousand shekels a month or something, I don't know, a thousand calories a day - it doesn't matter, but they do some kind of calculation to somehow be in concern. They try to. The more society is corrected, the more it has real concern. Okay, but beyond that begins a calculation of what a person needs beyond necessities, and there he should observe, he should examine that. Baal HaSulam writes in the article "The Last Generation" that the religion that will be in the end of correction, in the last generation, is a kind of general religion for all nations. And what is that religion? It's not to take from society more than the last straggler. That's what he calls religion, and he says all the rest - all the people can stay in their own religion, their own habits, their own tradition, it's not a problem. So he's just talking about the attitude to all of this beastliness. So what does it mean? It means, you make a calculation of what's necessary according to the last straggler, meaning the one who receives less than everyone. If you receive more than him, that means you're already receiving luxuries. This is the ideal or the religion of the last generation.
M. Laitman: (56:22) But for us, there are many degrees here. Like he said, if I only relate to myself, what I need for myself, or if I begin to calculate with the others, what does it mean? Like we say, there are beastly desires that animals also have. That's food, sex, home, family, home. These are necessary things in some form. Meaning, if a person did it only for his own body, this is called necessity. But if he's looking at others, what do others have? Meaning, he's not just taking into account what his body needs, but how to be seen by others. Then I need a five-story house, and it's not a calculation of what I need for my body. Like the Rabash said, at the time when they lived in Jerusalem, he says, we had one room. There was kind of a small table, and we ate on it. Just 30 centimeters. And everyone would just sit on the floor. That's how it used to be in Jerusalem at the beginning of the 20th century. And there were mattresses, like our mattresses here. They would put them aside in the corner, and at night, everyone would just put out the mattress and sleep on it. That's it. And he says, the parents of my bride, they were rich. They had two rooms. So, everyone lived in one room in the family, and they rented, they put the other room for rent. Very simple, he says, because it's normal. People didn't think about it differently. Today, basically, he says, they took the same room, they divided it into five rooms, and everyone has their own private corner. So, it means something. But this is necessity. Meaning, a person begins to take into account what he needs to receive from society, and then, for things that are even necessary things, just food, for example - go into the supermarket, look what's happening there; and look at a house, look at what people build - meaning, all of those things become not for the sake of my body, but for the sake of my neighbor. Meaning, it's not necessity, it's about the attitude, the relationship to the environment. So, all those things that take on the shape in relation to the environment, they're no longer considered necessities. Food, home, family, those things become redundant things. Meaning, things that belong to the human desires of money, honor, power, knowledge, even though they seem they basically belong to the body, but it's beyond the body. The body doesn't need all that. And there, in human desires, it's only your attitude to the society. There, there you already have your relation to society, what you want to contribute, or all the way to what you want to receive. And what you want to receive, do you want that others won't have what you have, or that they'll have what you have, and everyone has it good? So, accordingly, there's a spectrum from a good relation to others, all the way to hatred of others. And all of the shades are there in between.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:00:23) When we talk about "love thy friend as thyself," or the evil tongue, we're talking about, as you said, what's within the heart. But here, we also engage in external things. So how…?
M. Laitman: We behave here according to the rule, “from the love of the friend to the love of the Creator,” like Rabash writes in his articles. What should love of friends give to us? So here, in the relation to the friends, I should recognize that this is ultimately how I determine how I relate to the Creator. And even though I cannot relate to them well, and I see that — but at least, if you wish to examine whether you're getting better, check whether your attitude to them has changed. If it has truly changed, fundamentally, even a little bit, it means you've made a big step in spirituality, because you can't measure spirituality, but here you can somehow, somewhat measure, from your heart, how you look at others. Does it sting your eyes less? Or are you perhaps a bit concerned about them, or you have some preparation for it? That's a test, because in spirituality we don't know. We also can never depict a higher spiritual degree. When something suddenly appears, when you suddenly understand something, it's a revelation for you, it's a true revelation. So how could you long for that higher state in advance? So what we do, usually, what we need to do, is to, well, at least as a technique, to remember the last good state I had. What's good? When I had longing for the Creator, when I thought about it, when I enjoyed feeling Him, feeling connected to Him. And to that state, I’m trying to hold on to it, even now when that state is no longer there. To somehow always build the same status, the same status of relationship between us. That's why you were given that example. It's like Shabbat. A simulation of the next world is given to a person. It gives him inspiration for the whole week. So the whole week he tries to live like on Shabbat. This is the meaning of "the righteous always is in Shabbat."
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:03:23) Seemingly you're saying that it's the opposite, that from love of the Creator, I reach love of friends. Isn't it the love of friends before?
M. Laitman: Who says?
Student: Reason, logic dictates. First of all, I get to know the Creator, I know a lot, and then I can…
M. Laitman: From logic, you say that from love of the Creator we come to love of the created beings? Love of the Creator, according to what we learn, is the last degree of the development of desire, the correction of desire. The desire exists in double concealment, single concealment, reward and punishment, and love. Love divides into several parts, eternal love being the greatest, last degree of love, meaning reaching the complete end of correction. And there I have to understand how I need to relate well to my friend who's studying with me here. So why did the Creator create this entire world and set us up in a group of friends if not for that. The whole reason for this world is that it burdens the soul, it levies burdening on the soul. So that despite the disruptions I am given, I'm trying to be at the end of correction. This is the whole matter of ascent through the degrees. I'm already at the end of correction right now. I just don't feel it, because my heart is covered by a hundred and twenty-five covers. So I have to neutralize these covers, and then I once again feel at the end of correction. How do I neutralize them? By all kinds of means at my disposal. That's it. Even the great righteous who exist at the end of correction, they have to help us, souls in this world. They receive a descent, they descend into this world, they begin the path anew, they attain the end of correction in their lives, and they write books for us. And they help, and they take care of, and teach us, but from the degree of this world. And they are already connected to the end of correction within themselves, but they're also with us here. Meaning, all of the covers that we were given so that we don't feel the end of correction, is in order to overcome these covers, these disturbances. Meaning, to relate to them, to use them, to the extent that I get a greater disruption, it then becomes a greater illumination. And we also see this according to all of the laws of this world. The laws of electricity, how resistance works, the laws of relationship between cells - many things. The resistance force is a positive force, if it's being used purposely, because by it, only by it, we feel something. Only by that we can get some use out of it. For example, there’s electricity. If the electricity passes through a wire with no resistance, we're not going to feel anything. We place some resistance, and then by that resistance, we get throughput out of the electricity. We get something: cooling, or heating, or other devices we can plug into it. So, it's the same thing with us and this burdening of the will to receive. Without it, we would feel no light. If there's zero coarseness, then what can be felt? To the extent that there is coarseness, in an ocean of light, if there is coarseness, then according to that coarseness, we can feel the light that passes through that coarseness, if we allow it to pass. That's why the force of the screen is called a force of resistance, like electric resistance in a resistor that is activated, it's just like that. But this is a very profound article. We'll talk about it more. It touches on many things.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:08:41) On page 95, he writes about the aspects of faith and knowledge. After that, he writes that the Creator knows that the aspect of faith is the more effective way by which a person can reach the goal, which is called adhesion to the Creator, which is the matter of equivalence of form. Can you explain about faith and knowledge?
M. Laitman: We can't go on the path of knowledge, because the way of knowledge means receiving some kind of reward in corrected vessels already. What is knowledge? The light enters the vessel and gives the vessel a feeling. Together with this feeling, I also have a mind in which I critique this feeling and know all the circumstances by which I received this feeling. What actions I did, how corrected they are, with which desire is this, what degree of coarseness, how I built all together this feeling. So the structure of this feeling, my approach to it, how much I worked on it, how I enjoy this now, all those things give me knowledge. So to reach that in spirituality, we can only through faith, meaning through the correction of delighted in mercy, desiring mercy. Faith and knowledge are two degrees. Faith is called the light of Hassadim. Complete faith, which comes already with faith, with knowledge in it, is called the light of Hassadim with the illumination of Hochma.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:10:24) Also faith and also knowing, it's beyond the barrier?
M. Laitman: Faith is called the light of Hassadim, which I attain by the Masach upon coarseness root one, two, and actually also three and four. And it has to come first with the light of Hassadim, with a certain intensity that's suitable, and the light of Hochma. Faith is the first correction. Everything is attained by faith. That's how everyone speaks. You don't understand what they're speaking about? So what is faith? Restriction and vessels of bestowal, meaning the degree of Bina. Bina is called faith. GAR of Bina, the upper three of Bina, is called complete faith. When we come from below upwards, the Malchut, which comes to the degree of Bina, first attains Bina, which is only called Hafetz Hesed, delighted in mercy. Then when she corrects her vessels of reception inside Bina, it's considered that it also receives GAR of Bina, and that's considered the illumination of Hochma that it receives. And don't think like the general folk in our world think that faith is called that I close my eyes, I become a fanatic person. Whatever I'm told, I do without activating my mind. That's called faith. In spiritual vessels, it is certainly that way - not activating the mind, means working with light of Hochma, but we need the head in order to work with the light of Hassadim. This is also a lot of sophistication and a lot of exertion. It's not erasing the desires, it's knowing them, and upon them building a relationship in which I go above them. That's called faith above reason. There's no such thing as faith, just like that. Because we are vessels of reception, even in coarseness root one, two, three. Even if we're in coarseness root level, and we're in vessels of reception, then everything I do actually rides upon the desire to receive. I don't have a desire to bestow in me. The desire to bestow is the Creator. In me, the desire to receive that can be corrected in the form of, or for the sake of bestowal. Hence, if I even do the work in coarseness root level, it's upon the desire to receive of coarseness root. It's already different from the pure bestowal of the Creator. And if I come to the work in bestowing altogether, only just in bestowing, I work above this desire to receive. And in me also there's reason, it's coarseness, even of root coarseness, and I work above that, and I neutralize myself. And that's called Ubar, like an embryo, the coarseness of root. Where I correct myself, being called an Ubar, an embryo, I annul myself completely, completely annul. What do I know that I'm giving up? I cancel everything, I annul, and I'm in Him. It's like in complete control of the Creator. It's being like an embryo in a mother's womb, giving one's soul completely to the upper one, and it's above reason - as much as reason we have, and above that. And in every degree of a degree called embryo or Ubar, meaning that in all 125 degrees, in each degree more and more than the previous one, you have more coarseness that you have to give up on and give one's soul. To be an Ubar, an embryo, on the degree of, let's say 100, is a lot more than being great in the degree of 99.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:14:30) How can a person check that he didn’t change his goal to his means? Meaning that we say love of friends is the means to reach the Creator. So how can I check that I didn't swap out the goal for a means? Because love of friends is the way I check things.
M. Laitman: It's not important. Even when a person forgets and does it, he does the love of friends in order to come closer to the Creator. But nevertheless the general thought, the general thinking here takes on a certain, let's say, message on your cell phone from a friend there or something else, you're reminded of it from time to time - altogether the general thought is there, aimed at the goal. Even if we just scream "to the goal, to the goal," at our degree it works that way. So certainly, look, this is a result of the concealment. Of course, each time we have to be aided by one another, and whoever remembers needs to tell everyone, but altogether you can't remember about spirituality if spirituality doesn't illuminate for you. That's the bottom line. You can write it down on all your walls, you won't see what's written. If your desire to receive is not aimed to it now, you won't see. That's how we're made. How do I not see spirituality? My desire to receive now can't feel it. It's not aimed to it. It's the same in relation to every feeling or anything.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:16:21) So what's society in such a state?
M. Laitman: Even in a state in which I don't remember the purpose of creation, if I perform all these actions, they later join into thoughts and intentions that I will do at another time. That's why we are in this world, which is such a degree in which there's the reality of time. What's the thing in spirituality? The moment you do it, if you're in adhesion at that moment and you operate accordingly, then it's an action. If you're not in adhesion at that moment, first of all it's not called spirituality, but let's say that it wouldn't be called an action. In us it's not like that. Every labor we do can be added and connected to every thought and operate together. That's the wonder, the special wonder in this lower degree, called this world. He also says this in the article, in the speech for the completion of the Zohar, where he tells his Rav that he's not adhered to his Rav permanently, but now he brought him a cup of tea, and later he thought that by that he wanted to connect to spirituality, and not during the time of the action. Nevertheless, these two things work together, as if that was the reason why he brought the cup of tea. Understand? Meaning, time acts for our benefit. It connects all the labors that we cannot connect, and he writes there about it. That's why he says, even in the big things towards the upper one or towards the Rav, as he explains there, it operates in such a way that by this we ascend, we ascend the degrees. I remember myself how many moments and what moments that I don't want, and don't feel like it, and I'm fed up, and oh wow. You don't know this because you're not close to Rav, let's say. Yes? And there's no Rav here. I don't exactly behave like a Rav. But when you're next to a great man, and he is really close and constant, then it's very difficult to sustain oneself correctly. It's very difficult. Certain disregard starts, because it's natural. You see a body, a body, what is there in a body? Internally we don't see, it's hard. So he says that even when we do it due to necessity, where I must do it, it's not pleasant, it's not nice. Just like for human reasons, you know, you connect to it later spiritual reasons for which you want to come to spirituality. And even later, when you're not next to him, it's easier for you to think about it, and then they connect together, this thought and action. That's how it is with a friend. That's how we are too. The main thing is to do — the thought somehow will come when it has what to clothe.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:20:01) You said that time is on our side. So maybe I do some action towards a friend, and at that moment the connection won't be good, but a few minutes later I can do the same thing, and it will be good. So what determines that?
M. Laitman: You will never know why you do it this way or another way. See, here he brought me a cup of tea. We don't know why we're thrown from thought to thought, from state to state. We don't know, because it's dependent on the inner structure of the soul. Now you need to scrutinize this desire, later - that, this according to this, that according to that. Why in accordance to this and that — because you don't know with what souls and what things you're connected in the structure of Adam HaRishon. You don't know. You don't know yourself. You don't know yourself, also the souls that you're with and in what connection — that you don't know. And according to the bodies you can't accordingly know what's going on inside. So you're brought all kinds of incidents that appear to you, since it is cases or incidents. If you could see the whole structure of Adam HaRishon, from it you would know: oh, now I will need to do this, soon they'll give me this, and sometime that.
Student: But he keeps changing, I keep changing.
M. Laitman: Everyone's changing. We're all changing, in all kinds of corrections. It's like a certain system that is constantly in this, in this livelihood. It's called the holy Shechina.
Student: So why can something be right at some point, and then it can be right? Can you give me an example of a good action to do?
M. Laitman: That's why they give us simple advice, that in every single state that you're in, don't make the calculations with the rest of the souls, what I need to do? You, in your body — that's now thinking, now, how do all the cells in the body operate, now, each according to its planning, each according to its functioning — and I accordingly need to also operate this way. And, you know, it really operates in such a way eventually, but not on a degree that we can know it. Of course, it works that way. It's a closed system in all of its parts, all the way to the end, but we're not capable of digesting it at all. It's later revealed to us in the final correction, with all the structure and the functioning that is included in it, without any disturbances. So you're given not a means, but a general, a most general advice, which is most correct and simple. You, and your action, and your goal, and where you want to go to, they have to be as one. I came down from the Shoresh, from the root, where I was adhered to with the Creator. Who's the Creator? The Creator is all the rest of the souls which I'm included with, and together we receive within us the upper light. That feeling in me is called Boreh, Creator. I don't know what's outside of me. Outside of me is Atzmuto, His essence. But what I receive in the connection to all the rest of the souls and their corrected state in the final correction, in my root, that's called the Creator. "From Your actions we know You," from my feeling I get to know You. So this is something I should yearn for now, that by my current action that I'm doing, I yearn for Him. I do this — if I constantly kind of stimulate that point and pressure that point, I come to a state where it's truly the state, that's truly it. To give you now this big program, this big software, and for you to be able to start doing something right now, you need to bring it, to understand it from one end to the other, to be able to perform the smallest action, in understanding, knowledge and complete control. You need to know the whole system in advance. How are you capable to adhere to all the souls with all the parts of the system in one structure? It's impossible. That is why you're told a solution. If you want to incorporate yourself inside this system as a good, active part, this — you will have to aim my action and my state of adhesion with the Creator as one, where I already now want to be in the final correction. What's the final correction, the way I depict it to myself? That's the state that I want to now realize or manufacture, create.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:25:30) So this law is about all souls without connection to the group?
M. Laitman: This law operates upon all the souls without any connection to the group, but with your group, as we spoke, from there you invite from the final correction surrounding light, because you're connected with them the way you're connected to them there. According to the effort that you want to connect with them here, you're inviting, it's like you're drawing upon yourself, you're truly drawing kind of physically that state to you, because you want to observe it here now. This is considered that the upper world descends to this world, and this will actually happen in the final correction. There are beautiful words here, but I don't think that I'm adding something here.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:26:34) Why are there actions that come against the final correction that we're trying to do now, like love of friends, or looking at the positive like Baal HaSulam writes, but we can't do anything like that now?
M. Laitman: Why do we engage in the action of love of friends and think that it's the most important action? Well, besides that, there's dissemination and study, yes? And actions like being sufficed with little and all these other corrections we leave, because we know that we on our own cannot correct ourselves. And what can correct us is the upper light, if it will come upon me from a more corrected state and shines for me, accordingly it will correct my vessels. So I need to perform actions not in which I myself have to go to the vessels and correct them with some, I don't know, special tool or plier or vice grip or something that I open and close and correct something. Rather, I need to care for this handyman that will come and fix this and correct this. That's why I don't do correction actions directly, like where's the screen, I'm bringing it, I put it on my desire to receive, put a few nails in there so it doesn't run away - below desire to receive, above the screen like we draw it, and then the desire to receive already is covered with a screen. Rather, I seek the means that will bring me this screen, that will bring me correction. This means is not precisely the approach for the correction itself. It's an approach to the corrector, and this is truly a big obstacle for people until they start to understand that we need to seek the One who corrects, not the corrections themselves. Without Him coming, I will simply not have correction. This is like a woman who sits at home and screams that her, let's say, her washing machine broke, and you say, all right, I'll do something now. You enter. Let's say, some professional needs to come in with some part and put it on there and fix it. So we need to look for this person, the person who knows how to do that. That's the upper light. So I perform actions where I don't look at the vessel itself, I need to look at the actions through which I can draw lights that are most beneficial for correction. And then we are told that the surrounding light that is most beneficial for correction comes while I'm with the book during the study, with the intention to reach my root, to there where I, and my action, and my study, and the Creator are in adhesion in one point. Wonderful. I was told so after that — I'm sorry, before that. So what do I need? To sit correctly, meaning with the right intention. I have a book, thank God, I study how to read Hebrew. Even if I didn't learn it, it's not important, but the main thing, he says, is the intention. How do I reach the intention? And here too it's explained how many means we have to build the right intention. First of all, it's in the article "The Freedom." He writes it's the society. Without the society you won't be able to collect or intensify your desire for the goal, and your intention will be small — less than what is needed in order to draw the light, the surrounding light. That's it.
M. Laitman: (01:31:23) And if you don't look at that, but rather you look at "oh, I'm not all right, I'm too stingy, and I'm lustful, and I'm ambitious, and I'm this, and I have badness in me" — so you're inside your bad desires to receive. It's true that they're not good, but where the person's thoughts are is where he is. He doesn't know what to do. He maybe should get drunk or take drugs because he does not want to feel this pain. This thing is like he's not doing anything. It's like a fool who sits, folds his arms over, and devours his own flesh. This is a fool, because it's foolishness, if you're not turning to the right direction, but you're looking into your own hole, and you think that you're not good. But by you looking and seeing that it's not good you'll then be able to correct — you won't correct it. You see, it's like a broken part of the car - that won't help, you need to seek the professional that will bring you the part and know how to install it. And this is the thing, that we many times are looking into the vessels, and you see that we're looking at them, and you see, poor guy, his internality is before his eyes, and he doesn't know how to disconnect from it, and actually sits there and is in sorrow. The society here needs to be concerned and to bestow upon each and every one to exit this as fast as possible, because from this you have the slander of the spies upon the Creator and all kinds of things where he starts to do these things. That's not good. Well, let's read something, let's study.