The transcript has been transcribed and edited from English simultaneous interpretation, thus there may be potential semantic inaccuracies within it.
Daily Lesson (Morning) October 3, 2024.
Part 1: Baal HaSulam. Shamati 42. What Is the Acronym Elul in the Work?
Reader: Hello, we are reading from the book of Kitveh, Baal HaSulam, page 561. We are reading from the writings of Baal HaSulam, Shamati 42. What is the acronym Elul in the work? You can find the material in the study materials tab in the Arvut system.
You can also send questions live. If you ask a question in the study hall, stand up, have the microphone close to your mouth, and ask loud and clearly. Shamati 42, “What is the Acronym Elul in the Work?”
Reading: (00:43) In order to understand this, we must understand several other things.
The matter of the Malchuyot [pl. of Malchut], memories, and Shofarot [pl. of Shofar, a ram’s horn], and what is the meaning of what our sages said, “Annul your will before His will, so that He will annul His will before your will.”
The words of our sages, “Evil—at once to death, and righteous—at once to life.”
The verse, “The sons of Gershon, Libni and Shimei.”
The words of The Zohar: “Yod is a black dot that has no white in it.”
Malchut of the upper becomes a Keter to the lower.
What is joy testifies if the work is in wholeness?
All these things apply in the preparation of the month of Elul.
To understand all the above, we must understand the purpose of creation, which is said to be because He wishes to do good to His creations. And because of the Tikkun [correction], so there will not be a matter of the “bread of shame,” a Tzimtzum [restriction] was made. And from the Tzimtzum extended the Masach [screen] by which the vessels of reception are turned into bestowal.
When the vessels are prepared to be in order to bestow, we immediately receive the light that is hidden and treasured for His creatures. It means that one receives the delight and pleasure that was in the thought of creation, to do good to His creations.
With that we can interpret what is written, “Annul your will before His will,” meaning annul the will to receive in you before the desire to bestow, which is the will of the Creator. This means that one will revoke self-love before the love of the Creator. This is called “annulling oneself before the Creator,” and it is called Dvekut [adhesion]. Subsequently, the Creator can shine inside your will to receive because it is now corrected in the form of receiving in order to bestow.
This is the meaning of “so that He will annul His will before your will.” It means that the Creator annuls His will, meaning the Tzimtzum that was because of the disparity of form. Now, however, when there is already equivalence of form; hence, now there is expansion of the light into the desire of the lower one, which has been corrected in order to bestow, for this is the purpose of creation, to do good to His creations, and now it can be carried out.
Now we can interpret the verse, “I am my beloved’s.” It means that by the “I” annulling my will to receive before the Creator in the form of entirely to bestow, it obtains “and my beloved is mine.” It means that My beloved, who is the Creator, “is mine,” He imparts to me the delight and pleasure found in the thought of creation. Thus, what was hidden and restricted before has now become disclosure of the face, since now the purpose of creation has been revealed—to do good to His creations.
We must know that the vessels of bestowal are called YH [Yod-Hey] of the name HaVaYaH [Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey], which are pure Kelim [vessels]. This is the meaning of “All who receive, receive in the purer Kli [vessel].” In that state, one is awarded, “and my beloved is mine,” and He imparts abundance upon him, meaning he is rewarded with the revelation of the Face.
Yet, there is a condition to this: It is impossible to obtain disclosure before one receives the discernment of Achoraim [posterior], discerned as concealment of the Face, and to say that it is as important to him as the disclosure of the Face. It means that one should be as glad as though he has already acquired the disclosure of the Face.
However, one cannot persist and appreciate the concealment like the disclosure, except when one works in bestowal. At that time, one can say, “I do not care what I feel during the work because what is important to me is that I want to bestow upon the Creator. If the Creator understands that He will have more contentment if I work in a form of Achoraim, I agree.”
However, if one still has sparks of reception, he comes to thoughts, and it is then hard for him to believe that the Creator leads the world in a manner of “good and doing good.” This is the meaning of the letter Yod in the name HaVaYaH, which is the first letter, called “a black dot that has no white in it,” meaning it is all darkness and concealment of the Face.
It means that when one comes to a state where one has no support, one’s state becomes black, which is the lowest quality in the upper world, and that becomes the Keter to the lower one, as the Kli of Keter is a vessel of bestowal.
The lowest quality in the upper one is Malchut, which has nothing of its own, meaning that she does not have anything. Only in this manner is it called Malchut. It means that if one takes upon himself the kingdom of heaven—which is in a state of not having anything—gladly, afterward, it becomes Keter, which is a vessel of bestowal and the purest Kli. In other words, the reception of Malchut in a state of darkness subsequently becomes a Kli of Keter, which is a vessel of bestowal.
It is like the verse, “For the ways of the Lord are right; the righteous will walk in it, and transgressors will stumble in it.” This means that transgressors, those who are controlled by the vessels of reception, must fall and crouch under their load when they come to that state.
The righteous, however, those who are in the state of bestowal, are elevated by this, meaning by this they are imparted vessels of bestowal. (“Wicked” should be interpreted as those whose heart is still not set on obtaining vessels of bestowal, and “righteous” means those whose heart is already set on obtaining vessels of bestowal but are as yet unable.)
It is as The “Zohar” writes, that the Shechina [Divinity] said to Rabbi Shimon Bar-Yochai, “There is no place to hide from you,” and this is why she appears to him. This is the meaning of what Rabbi Shimon Bar-Yochai said, “Because of this, and His desire is upon me.” This is, “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine,” and then he bestows upon the VH [Vav-Hey].
This is the meaning of “The Name is incomplete, and the throne is incomplete until the Hey bonds with the Vav.” The Hey is called “the will to receive,” which is the last and final Kli in which the Vav will bestow into the Hey, and then it will be the end of correction.
This is the meaning of “Righteous—at once to life.” It means that the person himself should say in which book he wants his name to be written—whether in the book of the righteous, meaning that he wants to be given the desire to bestow, or not. Since one has many discernments regarding the desire to bestow, meaning that sometimes one says, “Yes, I want to be given the desire to bestow, but not to completely revoke the will to receive.” He rather wants both worlds for himself, meaning he wants the desire to bestow for his own delight, as well.
However, only those who wish to turn their vessels of reception to work only in bestowal and not receive anything for themselves are written in the book of the righteous. It is so that there will not be room for one to say, “Had I known that the will to receive must be revoked, I would not have prayed for it” (so that he will not say afterward, “This is not what I had sworn to”).
Hence, one must unreservedly say what he means by being registered in the book of the righteous, so he will not complain later.
We must know that in the work, the book of the righteous and the book of the wicked are in the same person. It means that one must make a choice and clearly know what he wants because wicked and righteous relate to the same person. Hence, one must say if he wants to be written in the book of the righteous, to be immediately for life, meaning adhere to the Life of Lives, that he wants to do everything for the Creator. In addition, when he comes to be written in the book of the wicked, where all those who wish to be receivers for themselves are written, he says that they should be written there to death at once, meaning that the will to receive for himself will be revoked in him, as if it had died.
Yet, sometimes one is doubtful. In other words, one does not want his will to receive to be revoked in him at once. It is hard for him to decide at once that all his sparks of reception will be put to death at once, meaning he does not agree that all his desires for reception will be annulled in him at once.
Instead, he wants the sparks of reception to be annulled in him gradually and slowly, not all at once, meaning that the vessels of reception will operate some, and some the vessels of bestowal. It follows that this person has no firm and clear view.
A firm view is that on one hand, he claims “It is all mine,” meaning all for the purpose of the will to receive. On the other hand, he claims that it is all for the Creator. This is called a “firm view.” Yet, what can one do if the body disagrees with his view of wanting to be entirely for the Creator?
In that state, you can say that this person does everything he can to be entirely for the Creator, meaning he prays to the Creator to help him be able to execute all his desires only for the sake of the Creator. It is for that that we pray, “Remember us for life and write us in the book of life.”
This is the meaning of the word “Malchut,” meaning that one will take upon himself the quality of the black dot that has no white in it. This is the meaning of “Annul your will” so that the memory of you will come up before Me, and then He will annul His will before your will. With what? With a Shofar [ram’s horn], meaning with the Shofar of the mother, meaning the matter depends on repentance.
In other words, if one accepts the blackness, one should also try that it will be in an honorable manner, and not in a disgraceful manner. This is called “the Shofar of the Mother,” meaning that one will regard it as beauty and honor.
Accordingly, we should interpret what is written, “The sons of Gershon, Libni and Shimei.” If one sees that he has been expelled from the work, one should know that this is due to Libni,2 meaning because he wants specifically whiteness. In other words, if he is given the whiteness, meaning that everything one does will shine, which means that he will feel a good taste in the Torah and in prayer, he will be willing to listen and engage in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments].
This is the meaning of “Shimei.” It means that it is precisely through a form of “whiteness” that one can hear. However, during the work one sees a shape of black and cannot agree to hear of taking upon himself this work. Hence, he must be expelled from the King’s hall, for reception of the kingdom of heaven must be unconditional surrender.
However, when one says that he is willing to take upon himself the work on condition that there will be a shape of white, meaning that the day will shine for him, and he does not agree if the work appears to him in a black form, this person has no place in the King’s hall. This is because those who wish to work in order to bestow are admitted into the King’s hall, and when one works in order to bestow, he does not mind what he feels during the work.
Rather, even in a state where he sees a shape of black, he is not impressed by it, but he only wants the Creator to give him strength to be able to overcome all the obstacles. It means that he does not ask the Creator to give him a shape of white, but to give him the strength to overcome all the concealments.
Hence, those people who want to work in order to bestow, if there is always a state of whiteness, the whiteness does not allow one to continue in the work. This is because, while it shines, one is able to work even in the form of reception for oneself.
Hence, one will never be able to know if his work is in purity or not, and this causes him never to be able to be awarded Dvekut [adhesion] with the Creator. For this reason, he is given from above a form of blackness, and then he sees if his work is in purity.
This means that if one can be in gladness in a state of blackness, too, it is a sign that his work is in purity, since one must be glad and believe that from above he was given an opportunity to be able to work in order to bestow.
This is as our sages said, “All who are greedy are angry.” It means that one who is immersed in self-reception is angry, since he is always lacking. He forever needs to satisfy his vessels of reception.
However, those who want to walk in the path of bestowal should always be in gladness. This means that in any shape that comes upon him he should be in gladness since he has no intention to receive for himself. This is why he says that either way, if he is really working in order to bestow, he should certainly be glad that he has been granted bringing contentment to his Maker. And if he feels that his work is still not to bestow, he should also be glad because for himself, he says that he does not want anything for himself. He is happy that the will to receive cannot enjoy this work, and that should give him joy. However, if he thinks that he will also have something for himself from this work, he permits the Sitra Achra [other side] to cling to his work, and this causes him sadness, anger, and so forth.
M. Laitman: Do you have any questions? No. No. Ask.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (25:27) Rav, how to be always in gladness?
M. Laitman: He writes, you have to try to be in adhesion with the Creator, meaning constantly be in joy and gladness.
Student: If you're in adhesion with the Creator, you're always happy in spirituality, right?
M. Laitman: Right.
Student: But before that, when you try and you're not really in adhesion…
M. Laitman: So, you have to try to reach adhesion.
Student: What does it mean to try to reach adhesion?
M. Laitman: To try to reach adhesion with the Creator in all of His actions.
Student: How to do that?
M. Laitman: I don't know. It's written. Try to scrutinize that.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (26:37) Why reaching the revelation of the Creator, the revelation of His face requires going through concealment? Why is there this condition that is said to be necessary to discover Him?
M. Laitman: As the advantage of light out of darkness. If you do not feel that you are in the dark, you do not yearn for the light. Therefore, this is the condition.
Student: This condition, what attitude does it build in me towards the Creator? What attitude do I need to feel to see that I receive more and more from the Creator?
M. Laitman: I don't quite understand, but I need to have a demand to bestow to the Creator as much as possible in each and every state that I believe that He is giving to me. That's it.
Student: Can I ask another question?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: It says that this joy that you are in bestowal, that you really want to bestow to the Creator, and to receive for yourself is suffering that you feel that you receive for yourself. But to enjoy both worlds, you need to receive in order to bestow. What does it mean to enjoy both worlds that you receive in order to bestow to the Creator?
M. Laitman: You are using all of the vessels that the Creator created in order to belong to Him as much as possible. And that's the meaning of receiving in order to bestow.
Student: I want to boil it down to our work in the Ten. If friends have certain deficiencies, and I ask for strength for them that it will pass through me, I don't want it for myself. I want to give them the strength. Is this called receiving in order to bestow to the Creator, to bring Him contentment?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (29:11) It says here that a person himself wants to write himself in the Book of the Righteous or the Book of the Wicked. What does that mean?
M. Laitman: A person must, before Rosh Hashanah, before the New Year, he must discover what he wants to relate himself to, he wants to belong to.
Student: So, what does it mean to write himself in the book of the wicked ones?
M. Laitman: So he would have the power and the direction to ask for repentance. Because in Rosh Hashanah both the righteous, and the wicked, and the medium, everyone, the intermediary, I'm sorry, everyone can merit repentance from above in order to reach the purpose.
Student: So, a person identifies his state and says, I still only want to receive, therefore there's no other choice, I have to be written in the book of the wicked, and from that I'll ask?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: So, what does it mean to write himself in the book of the righteous?
M. Laitman: I guess this is how he recognizes that he has no supporting evidence to see himself as wicked.
Student: Then what is he asking from this registration in the book of the righteous?
M. Laitman: He nevertheless asks for correction, because who knows how much he sees or does not see. Rather, he wants to be righteous, he wants to justify the Creator. Yes. Yes.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (31:51) Wanting to be righteous, to justify the Creator, and also to help friends. I once asked you, we read that the Shechina only dwells in a place of joy, so I asked you if I can fake joy because I'm all in pain. And you told me that if it's in order to radiate joy to the friends, then it's permitted to fake it. And so I started to move a little bit when we hear the songs, and it became second nature that I have a leg that I wanted to be replaced, taken, and it became joyful to, I don't know, it's uncontrollable already every time there's a song. So, we shouldn't wait, we have to make an act of joy, then joy will dwell in us. Thank you.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (33:09) He writes. He writes about the Malchut, that she doesn't have anything, that only in this form she's called Malchut. And before that, he writes about the Yud, that it's a black dot with no whiteness, and he says that only if one accepts the Malchut, which has nothing, with joy, then it is inverted to become the Kli of Keter. So the question is, what is this inversion point that once there's gladness, the Malchut that has nothing, with joy becomes a vessel of bestowal, Keter.
M. Laitman: Malchut is the will to receive of all the Sefirot, and if we want to see it as concluding all the Sefirot and filling itself with everything it receives from all the Sefirot, then it becomes a Keter.
Student: But here he says she has nothing, not that she fulfilled herself up. She's completely empty.
M. Laitman: From the beginning, yes, absolutely.
Student: I don’t really understand because he says completely empty.
M. Laitman: That’s according to her nature, yes.
Student: He writes here that she has nothing, that she accepts it with joy and then she becomes Keter. So I’m trying to ask about that point which is completely empty, he describes that state of completely empty and accept that state with joy. So precisely the emptiness, accepting it with joy, he explains this becomes bestowal. I don’t understand the transformation, how from nothing and accepting he has nothing with joy, how does that become a vessel of bestowal?
M. Laitman: Because by that he is adhered to the Giver and he demands nothing from Him except the form of adhesion.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (35:50) At what point the state inverts and the Creator starts helping a person and his prayer begins to be accepted?
M. Laitman: I would say that the Creator starts helping a person when a person starts helping everyone else and then the Creator approaches the person and He does all kinds of exercises with him where a person can scrutinize when does he truly receive and when does he truly bestow and to whom.
Student: This desire to help others, how does it grow in him? Does it happen naturally?
M. Laitman: It comes to a person, the desire to help others, when he discovers his help to others glues him to the Creator.
Student: How does the help for others manifest?
M. Laitman: In everything, in help.
Student: When a person himself feels that he needs help how can he give to others?
M. Laitman: No, he’s thinking of himself, he can’t help others because one cancels the other. He needs to ask the Creator for the power to help others.
Student: So as long as a person is not clean from intention for self he wants to help himself, can he give something to others?
M. Laitman: No, no.
Student: Should he try to exercise, practice it, try it, or…?
M. Laitman: Where will he take it from?
Student: So until a person is corrected what does he do towards the others?
M. Laitman: He can’t do anything with them. He wants to disconnect himself from the qualities of reception and pass himself to the quality of bestowal.
Student: He writes that a person should say, I receive thee what is his intention. How does a person get to a point to where he doesn’t cover up the truth he says? Openly what is his real intention?
M. Laitman: When he sees that’s what’s before him is only one path to be similar to the Creator. That becomes his only direction in life.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (39:42) He writes that he disagrees that all of his desires to receive will be revoked at once, but he wants the sparks of reception to be revoked gradually. Meaning that sparks of reception will work a little bit and sparks of bestowal will work a little bit. Many times we try to be in bestowal and we discover that the will to receive depicts a certain necessity they need to receive. He says, stop, this is necessity, and then you see later that it was not a real necessity. The question is, how do we come to a state where, as he writes here, that we can give everything, and not that he will stop you at some point and say, oh, now it's a necessity and you need to receive.
M. Laitman: I don't know. We have to decide.
Student: How can a person decide about it?
M. Laitman: We have to try one thing opposite the other, who wants to bestow, who demands it from him.
Student: In the end, it's zero or one. A person has to be total. If he wants to receive a little bit, he won't be able to attain. If he has even a tiny bit left in reception, he won't be able to attain.
M. Laitman: That you have to scrutinize on your own.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (41:40) If a person doesn't think of himself, doesn't he need to bestow so he will not think of himself?
M. Laitman: Again.
Student: Doesn't a person need to bestow so he would stop thinking of himself? How does a person make this transition from thinking of himself to bestowing?
M. Laitman: It comes to him bit by bit through the exercises that the Creator sends.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (42:45) To everyone, every year I ask you, I think the same question. I'm on a reading excerpt where I never understood where it comes from, where can I find it? He says, to understand everything, you have to understand the purpose of creation, which is to set to be, because he wishes to do good to his creation. So far so good. And because of the correction so there will not be a matter of the bread of shame, a restriction was made. From the restriction extended the screen by which the vessels of reception are turned into bestowal. And when the vessels are prepared to be in order to bestow, we immediately receive the light that is hidden and treasured for his creatures. Well, first question, what is the bread of shame in our work? What is that?
M. Laitman: When I feel that I want to receive for myself in order to enjoy. This is a very strong deficiency.
Student: How do I remove the bread of shame? Understand, as you once said that you know, you go to a friend, and you sit in his place, and he feeds you, feeds you, and they say, let me do something. No, no, no, no, sit down, just sit down and keep quiet and receive all the light. And you said then, no, it's unpleasant. You sit at someone's, and it's not pleasant. You keep receiving, receiving, receiving, and you don't give anything in return. So how should he, what should he do? If the friend says, don't do anything, sit quietly and receive everything. I mean, the Creator says, I'm good, who does good, wants to give you. Why should I do anything? What am I attaining by that?
M. Laitman: You have a will to receive?
Student: Certainly, of course.
M. Laitman: That's it, you want to fulfill it?
Student: Yes, naturally we all want to fulfill it. Question is how and in what? What desire do you want?
M. Laitman: So, how will you work against it?
Student: That's the question. How to work against that desire, which is telling me the bread of shame. How do you do it?
M. Laitman: I don't know, I look at the whole world around me and I almost don't see people who think how they can enjoy giving others. I can't, it's impossible.
Student: Let me understand. The Creator, he says here, the Creator is Good who does Good. I need to understand this. He says He's Good who does Good. He wants to give to you. Where did the bread of shame enter suddenly? Why have the bread of shame suddenly? What's up with that? Where does it come from?
M. Laitman: The Creator did that deliberately.
Student: Why?
M. Laitman: Why? Because He wants to limit you so that if you steal, you're ashamed.
Student: He's saying you have to work for it so you pay something, you go work, get a salary, and then receive. You can't go to a place of work, do nothing and then at the end say, I need a paycheck. Is that what it's about?
M. Laitman: Let's say.
Student: Okay, that's our difficulty, you understand?
M. Laitman: It's not the difficulty. The difficulty is that we want it to be that with the case.
Student: What do you mean?
M. Laitman: We want to receive without giving anything.
Student: Without working?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: So our job is to go work and earn it. That's a difficulty.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: Oh yes, I got it.
M. Laitman: Okay. All right.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (47:06) You told a friend that there's no point in trying to work with others as long as you're not annulled before the Creator. So what is our work? What is our work in the Ten?
M. Laitman: Our work in the Ten is to reach adhesion between us and from that adhesion with the Creator.
Student: How do we reach adhesion between us if we, as long as we are a walking will to receive?
M. Laitman: That's true. However, it's not preventing us from bestowing to each other.
Student: How can I even speak of bestowal if I'm only the will to receive? What bestowal am I talking about here?
M. Laitman: I can do anything to bestow to the Creator. If the Creator wants me to receive from Him, I receive, and then I bestow to Him. But that's on the condition that I see that the Creator wants me to receive from Him.
Student: Meaning, there are those moments sometimes where He does let you bestow momentarily?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (49:09) It says here, he has to say fully what is his intention to be registered in the book of the righteous and to not complain later. I've decided and I'm saying fully that I want to be in the book of the righteous. In order to help others and with the intention of reaching the Creator. How, what other ways I can show the Creator that I made a decision?
M. Laitman: Try to do that in practice.
Student: How?
M. Laitman: I don't know. What the Creator wants, try to do that. Then you can say that you wish to be as righteous in His eyes.
Student: I have to look for this action?
M. Laitman: Yes. All the things that you do good to others, you say that you can do that because you want to bring contentment to the Creator.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (50:37) He writes, I am to my Beloved, my Beloved to me, that's the meaning for the Creator, the person that is willing to annul himself, and the Beloved to me is a revelation. But you cannot reach revelation before you have concealment. The question is, how can we treat concealment like a revelation? But he writes that it can only be when a person works in the quality of bestowal. How can the quality of bestowal help us survive the concealment?
M. Laitman: If I know that the concealment was created for me to be able to use it to bestow, then that's how I use it.
Student: This means that in the concealment itself, there's already some revelation of the quality of bestowal that everything depends on. And then the whole work is to make sure to reach a state where all of my desire is to bestow to the Creator, yes?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: This is still concealment?
M. Laitman: I don't demand concealment. I only demand the action to be able to bestow.
Student: That the joy is only from this action?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (52:17) Rav, what work is there except for receiving from the Creator?
M. Laitman: Nothing.
Student: When the Creator doesn't shine to a person, what does that mean? That he doesn't want to fill that person, or the person has to correct his intention?
M. Laitman: That a person has to correct himself.
Student: He has to reach reception? A person has to reach...
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (53:08) We're always in an inner calculation between a state of the wicked and the righteous. I know I'm still not in the state of the righteous, but I also don't want to write myself down in the book of the wicked. So what state is that? What calculation do I need to do?
M. Laitman: You're still scrutinizing what you belong to.
Student: If I discover that I still have many things to correct also in my relation to the friends, I have a lot of calculations, a lot. So I'm automatically written down in... What's that book of the wicked? What calculation do I need to do?
M. Laitman: How do you seem in the eyes of the Creator? This is the book of the righteous versus the book of the wicked.
Student: Let's say I saw that I still have a very long way to do.
M. Laitman: So you have a possibility to connect to the righteous, to incorporate with them, and immerse yourself in them.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (54:54) Continuing a friend, he says that sometimes a person doesn't want his will to receive to annul at once, meaning that it's hard for him to decide at once that all his sparks of reception will be gone. So he doesn't define himself not as wicked, not as righteous, but he says gradually, don't take all my will to receive away at once. So, it's not clear what the solution is for this. He recognizes that this is his state, but how does he solve this?
M. Laitman: He has to follow the righteous ones.
Student: But he has a resistance, he doesn't want at once to lose his will to receive.
M. Laitman: In portions, time and again and again.
Student: So what's his request? It's like a point of determination. Either the book of the righteous or the wicked, and he's not, he's doubting, he doesn't know where exactly.
M. Laitman: What to do? Only adhesion in the environment. Only adhesion in the environment.
Student: How does adhesion in the environment bring a solution to that?
M. Laitman: Adhesion in the environment, it glues the person to the environment, and thus a person is already under the rule of the environment.
Student: Then the environment will bring him to want the book of the righteous?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (57:09) I'll continue the friend. What does it mean to receive the kingdom of heaven?
M. Laitman: It is to accept the rule of the upper one, the force of bestowal upon us on top of everything.
Student: When a person starts reading and there's a bit of a deficiency, how can that help in choosing the environment? To continue the friend, how can that help adhere to the environment and the Creator?
M. Laitman: I didn't understand.
Student: When a person starts reading about the reception of Malchut, of the kingdom of heaven, and he starts having a deficiency for it but he's not ready for surrendering with no conditions, how can he work to reach that environment? How can you start working on it?
M. Laitman: Well, that requires making actions of Dvekut, adhesion, to ask, to pray, to do all kinds of actions with the environment.
Student: There are many things, whether in the environment, the society, maybe on the outside, many things to choose. So how do you choose to adhere?
M. Laitman: He has to choose what is more precious to him.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (59:09) Me, also like the other friends, that point where a person sometimes doubts, so he gives advice that a person does everything he can in order to reach the state that he will be all for the Creator. And he also advises us to pray for help. When we come to prayer, we say it's what's in a person's heart. It's not what he says in his mouth. So how do we come to a state that if you doubt… So, what do you want from the Creator? If you come with the will to receive, okay, give me happiness, health, success, to win whatever's in his heart, is in his mouth, whatever's in his prayer. That's one on behalf of the will to receive, it's okay. But we come, let me bestow, also let me receive, let's do it gradually. I don't know how to approach prayer when it's not complete, when a person didn't determine what he wants from the Creator yet?
M. Laitman: You have to approach prayer that will be as light in that group you wish to adhere to and then it will happen.
Student: All our work is to strengthen ourselves to choose correctly. That the heart of the friends will choose correctly, choose bestowal?
M. Laitman: Yes
Student: Each one has a responsibility on the collective here. The example he gives, let's say that he determines all of society to the scale of merit. That's our work day-to-day to strengthen society.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: Is it okay to pray to have the forces to behave like that towards society if I feel that I don't have enough forces for it?
M. Laitman: If you don't have enough force, then basically what you have left is only to pray.
Student: It's like you need overcoming to study for the means to bring you to the goal that you're not 100% sure about. It's only a feeling that this is the truth, this is the path. There's like something small that tells you even though you don't 100% want it, you feel it's the truth, and you're going for it with whatever you can.
M. Laitman: That's not gonna bring you success.
Student: How to determine that to say, okay, we've been through enough, life taught you, how do you decide you had enough and this is what I want. And that's it. How do you accumulate the courage to say, I want to bestow, period, without any…
M. Laitman: When you'll see that you have no choice and this thing is higher than everything, and that it's the Creator Himself demands it from you. Then you will be able to to merge with that, to want that. More? What is up with you?
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:03:48) He speaks about two states here. One the state of Shuimei and one of Libni. The blackness and the whiteness. And he says that when a person receives the whiteness, he can never reach adhesion with the Creator. Then from above they give him the darkness and then he can. So, what's that state of whiteness, when a person can't know whether he's pure or not?
M. Laitman: He has insufficient fuel. He has insufficient will to to receive to be able to progress in whiteness.
Student: So I guess it’s from the environment and adhesion with the friends?
M. Laitman: Yes
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:04:54) When a person is in a state of darkness and he can be happy that he can't receive anything, but he also can't bestow. So, what does he tell himself in order to be in happiness in a state that he has nothing to give or he can't help?
M. Laitman: That he progresses in any case in such a form.
Student: He needs to believe that this is a true state and he got it from the Creator?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:05:33) The desire of me for my Beloved and my Beloved for me, so that's receiving vessels of bestowal from the Creator, is that the same state?
M. Laitman: That's the same direction.
Student: So, we always discover the potential of the darkness and the light?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: Complete adhesion with the Creator, how to implement it?
M. Laitman: Only through the group of friends who completely support you and then it's considered that the person elevates himself on wings.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:06:48) A friend asked you how to determine, and you told him when you feel that there's no choice, and I pay attention that all kinds of events are happening around man, especially in Israel. I felt a lot of fear in other states and asked myself how to reach a state that we can determine that there's no choice because all these external events that are very scary are happening and that no choice isn't showing up. So what else needs to happen to me? I'm talking about me. Where's that limit that the will to receive will break? That until the Creator doesn't break it, nothing will happen. I don't know what to do.
M. Laitman: That's right, we need to do this exercise sometimes where we exit the exercise and enter the exercise. We need to make a calculation of what we receive, what we received from the exercise that we did, and what are we able to receive in the upcoming exercise. That is all. From that, we need to see what we can take with us from the previous state and what we can... That's enough.
Student: Can I ask another?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: Rabash wrote that we need to have a strong opinion to take upon himself. So in that exercise you're saying, is there a place to do like an action of restricting myself, restricting my will to receive?
M. Laitman: The act of restriction is a necessity. It's the first action.
Student: A person alone in his inner work, or is there a common exercise we can do?
M. Laitman: Both. Both. In all, the act of restriction starts from that in which the person tries not to think about himself.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:10:13) Everything we read in this wonderful article by Baal HaSulam, he is describing states that a person starts feeling them when he works towards annulment and greatness of the friends. Then he gradually starts feeling like a dark cloud come down on him and brings the darkness of Egypt to him. That's what he writes that Malchut of the upper one comes closer to the Keter of the lower one. So, a person sees those first signs of hatred. Not the hatred he had before of the face of the friend, or if the friend said something. He feels it's coming from the outside, from the source he didn't know before. Now, in such a state, according to the advice of the Kabbalists, they say we should go above reason. But above reason, you need the force of bestowal. And right now, in this stage, he still doesn't have the force of bestowal because he didn't perform the restriction yet. He's only revealing his intentions gradually and the light has to restrict him. So, what's the solution? Just ask for forces from the Creator to go through this whole process? Even though the darkness is only getting stronger until he reaches his lowest point. Except for that, there's nothing.
M. Laitman: Okay, but if he reaches that, then he has no strength to remain in that, and he needs to rise.
Student: So, except for the plea to the Creator and agreeing that I'm going to agree, you do it. I'm just asking to feel the greatness of the friends even more and annul even more. Except for that, there's nothing.
M. Laitman: That's really enough.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:12:22) Another small thing. Whoever doubts, I asked you once that if I feel that the Creator is conducting me or I don't feel it, he's still conducting me. And you said yes. And that's how it ends. Thank you, dear Rav.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:12:55) I heard that you said that the restriction is the first action. And also on Shabbat I asked you about it, and I tried to work with it a bit. To distance myself from pleasures. And I saw that it's impossible for me. And even more than that, I've even lost more control of my will to receive. It became even more powerful. That there were things I used to control and now it even blurred everything up.
M. Laitman: Nice.
Student: You're a Kabbalist. Give us advice how to distance ourselves from pleasure. How to take a step to that restriction.
M. Laitman: How do you think it needs to be?
Student: I thought in the lesson that if I'd go to a different planet where everybody is bestowing and it was up in the air, I'd change in a moment. But here I'm constantly absorbing this air from the world of the will to receive.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: How do you go to that different planet?
M. Laitman: You hold each other in your arms, each and every one, and you leap.
Student: What is that leap?
M. Laitman: A leap is a common desire that we need to rise above the will to receive.
Student: Also when I hug a friend, when I meet a friend, when we have a workshop, I'm constantly searching for the point of pleasure.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: How to jump out of it? How to take a step everybody together? Even everyone together has to have that intention that now we take the step and then we jump. How does it happen?
M. Laitman: Why is that impossible?
Student: Because I'm not in control of my thoughts and desires. How do we all synchronize to the same state in the same moment?
M. Laitman: When there is a big desire, a great thought, and no choice, so then we can do that.
Student: Our big desire or the Creator's?
M. Laitman: Ours.
Student: How do we cause that to happen in this incarnation?
M. Laitman: Certainly in this incarnation and in this year. We simply need to connect. Connect. I need to feel the friends that through them I receive life. And if the connection with the friends disappears, I go to die. That's the extent to which we should feel that, either contact or death.
Student: How does that work of connection connect to restricting the pleasure? It's like two parallel lines.
M. Laitman: How could it be two parallel lines?
Student: Because there's constantly pleasures that I have to resist. And there's a work with the friends that it feels like a different field. There I have to love, I have to open up, I have to feel, I have to make room inside me. How do those two lines of work meet?
M. Laitman: There's no problem. There's no problem. Try it and you'll see.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:17:44) Happy holiday. I'm with the feeling here that I'm coming here to incorporate with you all. And it's first of all for the sake of my Ten. And I'm coming out of myself in a way that I think, how can I bestow to them? How can I pass on to them everything I'm hearing here from you? And that's every lesson, even when I watch from home. Everything I hear or feel, I try to pass to the Ten. Does that mean that it's all for the Creator and that should bring happiness that I don't have intention for myself?
M. Laitman: How does the person check that he is directed completely at the Creator? That is indeed a big question. And it's unclear how he can be certain. But that is a question. Does anyone have an answer? No. Okay, what else do we have? Here we have many things. Let's start from…
Question (CzechoSlovak 4): (01:19:30) If I feel that I'm part of my friends, and I'm bestowing without feeling happiness for myself but I feel that I'm filling my friends' desires so I can feel happiness. Is that the happiness of the Creator?
M. Laitman: That's your happiness, that you're happy, but the Creator, we’ll discuss that later.
Question (Women Moscow 4): (01:20:27) Our help for the others brings us closer to the Creator. What is the main help we can give the others?
M. Laitman: Our help for others is in giving each friend the opportunity to bestow.
Question (Women KabU 13): (01:21:02) In the article, Baal HaSulam talks about my Beloved, and my understanding is that the Creator is our Beloved. And obviously, I am far from knowing that and being able to do that. So, do I achieve that by making the friends in my Ten my beloveds, and then reaching out even farther to make other friends, friends in the classes my beloved and treating them as if they are the most important to me?
M. Laitman: I didn't hear the last sentence.
Student: By relating to my friends in love, do I reach the connection of love to the Creator?
M. Laitman: Yes, that's what's written, from the love of the created beings to the love of the Creator.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:22:33) For the sake of bestowal so I can work also during the darkness?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Women Turkiye 7): (01:23:03) It's written in the article, that's why he said, he's asking if he can really work in order to bestow so he has to be in happiness, because he was rewarded to bestow contentment to his Maker. What does it mean to give contentment to the Creator upon every state that comes to a person?
M. Laitman: That a person is happy from all states, no matter what. That through them he comes closer to equivalence of form with the Creator, to his correction.
Question (Turkiye 8): (01:23:51) It seems that all the actions we do are for the sake of the Creator, but we don't understand that. So, is recognizing that the condition to reach adhesion with the Creator?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:24:13) From Sochi, it's written that the fact that he got Malchut and the darkness, he got from that the vessel of Keter. What is the true state of darkness? How can you define it?
M. Laitman: Darkness, darkness.
M. Laitman: Okay. Guys that you're used to asking questions, I understand that each one has this urgency to ask questions and you can't be quiet about it. That's what I see.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:25:07) You said the Creator starts helping a person when he wants to help everybody.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: So is it right that my friends in the Ten will be my compass? That my task is to fill their desires in every opportunity. Is that the way to fight my will to receive?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: And another question, how do I give every friend the opportunity to bestow?
M. Laitman: By participating. Through participation in solving the questions, in creating the collective vessel.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:26:40) For the sake of bestowal, he also works in darkness and doesn't ask for the whiteness, but asks for forces to overcome all the concealments. And he can also work in that state of self-reception. So then, there's supposedly some limit that till there I can overcome and remain in concealment, and that limit is my anger? What is anger?
M. Laitman: No, we still need to learn about that. Calm down for the time being.
Song: (01:28:23)