Morning Lesson January 03, 2024

Transcription is made from simultaneous translation, which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio.

Part 1:

Rabash. Article No. 45, 1991. What Does It Mean that a Judge Must Judge Absolutely Truthfully, in the Work?

Reading Article: (00:33) “Our sages said, any judge who judges…”

1. S. (37:54) It's written that every person who wants to judge himself and to see how his state in the work he needs to be a judge of truth, so what is a judge of truth?

R. A judge is someone who is able to judge himself. In a judgment of truth, a true judge is one who is able to see in all the actions and states he's going through that they are coming to him from the Creator, then he can see what is the benefit of all those states.

S. A judge of truth is only on the left line or also we can be on the right line?

R. It can be neither on the left line nor on the right line, the truth is its middle line.

2. S. (39:38) If I understand correctly that truth means that you need to add the intention and if so, what does it mean that the truth needs the intention? If truth is already the middle line, if it's truth why does it need an intention? What does it help? The truth also depends on the intention?

R. Truth depends on intention, yes because it needs to rise above all discernments only for the sake of truth.

S. It sounds like truth is above all discernments so where is the matter that it depends on intention if it's above everything? If it's truth, what does it matter if the intention for oneself or for others, that truth, if it came to truth then it's above these discernments? I understand from the article, why does it need to be put to death?

R. Otherwise he's not reaching the truth.

S. If he just said a judgment of truth without putting it to death and he already reached truth. What does the intention here help to add upon that?

R. The intention tells a person why he is keeping the truthful judgment.

S. There's the judgment itself and then there's a realization, so that a person could reach a certain judgment he'll see that there is a certain result, but he won't act because he has the wrong intention?

R. Yes. 

3. S. (41:54) How can a person be his own judge; he is corrupt?

R. It's true, that he is biased but if he's working on himself in order to reach the middle line then he can be beyond biased and he can demand to have that state.

S. How is he not corrupt? How does he become independent if he's in order to receive?

R. None are in order to receive.

S. In the beginning, he's in order to receive so he certainly judges himself correctly since he's born with the intention in order to receive. 

R. He's rising above his discernment.

S. How does he know that he's truly risen above and he's not lying to himself? So, what's the sign that he's a truthful judge?

R. That's because he constantly sees himself through the eyes of the middle line, the truth he sees if he's in it or not.

S. It reveals to him to the extent that he's in a constant lie all the time?

R. Yes, yes. 

4. S. (43:45) He's talking about partnership that the Creator created the will to receive and that the created being brings the intention to bestow but also here the intention in order to bestow isn't from the created being it's from the Creator?

R. Certainly where could the created being take it from?

S. At the end of the work There's None Else Besides Him, so why is that called partnership?

R. I would say that the created being when he sees how much he's in opposition to the truth then he is demanding the truth, and here it depends on how much he can convince the Creator that he needs it that he needs this partnership.

S. Also partnership is when the created being asked for the Creator to do his work?

R. Yes, eventually the created being only has to be in the deficiency, the request.

S. What remains there that is his own? Even partners they split the gain the profit?

R. When the person is holding the direction and the scrutiny.

S. He holds onto the demand that he asked for the request for the partnership, and he doesn't let go of it?

R. Yes.

S. They're still a question. How is it There's None Else Besides Him, if a person associates himself to some part of the work and he says that I'm a partner with you how can he at the same time say that There Is None Else Besides Him?

R. Because that's what he discovers. He discovers that only with the help of the Creator after he manages to connect the lines, he sees that only in this way the Creator is just a winner really.

S. But if you associated to himself, I corrected the vessel like he exited this it's like I here did something?

R. I am only the one who reveals the deficiencies.

S. That's his part in the partnership?

R. Yes.

5. S. (46:48) He's talking here about two aspects of for the Creator's sake, what's the first one? How can it be that a person works humbly with the Creator, but he still works in order to have goodness in this world and to have goodness in the next world and why is that considered for the Creator's sake?

R. Why is it called for the sake of the Creator, for heaven's sake because he wants to scrutinize the truth ultimately.

S. Is this first state that he describes here isn't that even called Lo Lishma that somehow, I'm not able to put these two things in the frameworks that we usually speak of?

R. Why what is the first state?

S. One that he works in order not to be respected by people or for money and so on, but he works humbly with the Creator, and he says that the end here that meaning that the Creator will give him this reward and everything that he does is only for the sake of the Creator.

R. Yes, seemingly he does everything for the sake of the Creator.

S. That's not what he's saying, he's saying that I want to have life and health and provision and to have reward also in the next world so a person at the end of the day is working for himself that's what he's saying that's what he wants.

R. Yes, and?

S. Then in two, he says he has the correct intention. If you read it again you can see that it's like the three types of fears that we discussed. He puts the first and second, the two incomplete fears he puts it into what he calls A. Then he adds the right intention so I'm asking you again, what's this phase of for the Creator's sake in the first step it’s called Lo Lishma, not for the Creator's sake. What is the stage?

R. This is preparation.

S. What does that mean?

R. It's preparation for demanding the truth so he'll be able to demand the truth.

S. Why does he call this for the Creator's sake and not like we usually say Lo Lishma, not for the Creator's sake?

R. For the sake of the Creator or Lo Lishma is the same thing.

S. It's Lo Lishma not for the Creator's sake because he works for himself, he says here explicitly that he wants to profit in this world and profit in the next world?

R. It's not for the sake of the Creator.

S. He calls it the first for the Creator's sake?

R. It's seemingly the preparation.

S. I get it, it's the first stage which is called already for the Creator's sake that the person does all the actions correctly even if he does it humbly but in truth if he checks his intention he still not with the right intention?

R. Yes.

S. Then how does he move on to the second phase? What gives the person the strength?

R. He sees that he didn't complete his conditions in order to see the truth, his true state.

6. S. (50:39) Is it true that the judge of the truth doesn't judge only himself but also the Creator? If he is a judge of truth, he needs to reach a conclusion that the Creator is good and that all of his laws are of bestowal?

R. You want to say that the judge is above the Creator and above the person?

S. No, the result in man is judge, he decides what's good and isn’t good both for himself and for the Providence of the Creator and the laws of the Creator he has that in himself. This is a judge of truth he needs to reach the fact that the Creator is good and that I myself need to be similar? If I fit his laws and constitution then it's good if not, it's not.

R. You can accept it like this for now.

7. S. (52:34) What actions in spirituality lead us to be partners with the Creator?

R. All of them. All of the actions in the group where we wish to approach the correct path, all the actions bring us closer to the Creator.

S. How to develop a flavor for Torah in Mitzvot if spiritual itself, is flavorless?

R. Even tastelessness and repulsion can be a sign that I'm advancing on the correct path.

S. The rejection could be a good sign, is that what you're saying?

R. Yes seemingly, yes.

8. S. (53:42) If the purpose of creation is in order to receive in order to bestow upon the Creator, why do we need to aspire to connect in our individual groups?

R. Because we have no way of working in greater and bigger groups, we simply don't have that capability and we'll see how the Creator is connecting but we are not able to do it in great quantities, we are not able to do it.

9. S. (54:27) Are descents actually a sense of pride?

R. Again.

S. Are descents actually a sense of pride?

R. Yes, and an increase in pride is really a descent.

10. S. (54:38) Could you say that faith above reason is the same as an intention?

R. Faith above reason is like an intention, yes.

11. S. (54:54) What does it mean, poor boy in the work?

R. Poor child means that he has no power.

12. S. (55:17) How could descents give strength to contain faith if during the descent the strength leaves a person?

R. Again?

S. How could descents give strength if during the descent the strength leaves a person?

R. A person demands, a person asks, and then he receives when he feels that he lacks strength.

13. S. (55:50) What reasons could it be that the Creator does not answer a prayer?

R. We don't know. Sometimes a person cannot choose correctly. Okay, we will continue. 

14. S. (56:45) Does seeing the Ten as a right line a source for fuel and the ability for making corrections in myself, as belonging to the left line. Is it correct to view this way?

R. Let it be like that, let him hold himself in this way and later he will see where he is wrong and where he is right.

S. He describes here the state of King Solomon and all of the states and all the multiplicity of the states he knew how to relate to the Creator.

R. Yes.

S. As soon as I'm in a state of descent it's to the contrary it's as if I'm searching for the opposite state, the exact opposite state. How to combine, it's really the same question, where to take the source the right line and how to turn the state of descent into a place of assent. King Solomon knew how to do that. He blessed all these states.

R. We need to bless every state both bad and good. You don't know which state will grow in the middle line for you. You don't. 

15. S. (58:56) How can we, in the Ten, check that we are more in the state of right or left in order to return to the middle line?

R. How can we tell in the Ten which line we are in in order to return to the middle line? When we rise above ourselves, we are in the middle line. We'll do it like that, simple. 

16. S. (01:00:05) What is the difference between the wholeness in the right line to the wholeness of the middle line?

R. In the right line, it is wholeness without criticism but in the middle line, it is wholeness with criticism that includes it.

17. S. (01:00:50) It is written in the middle line is the Creator, but the judgment of truth is in the middle. In our development, can we adhere to the middle line to judge ourselves in the judgments of truth? What is it speaking of here only of Kabbalists or also those that are in our stages?

R. Of course, it is written for special people, for Kabbalists who can correctly combine the right line and the left line and in this way, reach the middle line.

S. We will all probably be in this middle line?

R. Of course, that is our goal.      

S. How can we reach the middle line in the judgment of truth on ourselves does it mean we need to equalize with the Creator?

R. If I include in myself all the forces of nature and I will accept it as coming from the Creator, then ultimately, we can come to that.

18. S. (01:02:21) Why is it important to be precise in the path?

R. Not to forget that the middle line is wholeness.

S. How would I know that I am in contact with it?

R. Look at what he is writing.

S. I saw it but I still don't know. Is it something that I should know that I cling on to, maybe I'm thinking or imagining?

R. You're going to the one line then the second line, then you connect the two and then you move away from them. You do all kinds of actions that we have not learned yet. This way you begin to feel where is that middle line.

19. S. (01:03:31) What are the signs that a person does not work for the Creator?

R. That he lacks intention for the Creator in his actions he lacks the intention to come close to the Creator.

S. Then we need to increase faith as he says in the article?

R. Yes.

20. S. (01:05:42) It says in the article about the partnership between the created being and the Creator and it is written here that the foundation for the partnership is that there is the result Tzimtzum, restriction and the concealment done on the vessels of reception. The question is if something comes from the Creator how do I realize my partnership with him through the Tzimtzum, the restriction?

R. There are several opportunities here, several possibilities. I think we're going to learn such articles where he clarifies this.

S.  And say in the Ten?

R. In the Ten, through the restriction itself, without the restriction, you cannot connect with the others at all.

21. S. (01:05:55) Is there any point for a person to ask to remain in the right line or is it against the purpose of creation to be in the state of perfection?

R. No, a person asks only for greater closeness to the Creator.

S. In what state does it say sit down and do nothing is preferable?

R. It speaks of a truth when you do not know what to do, just sit and do not do, until you feel how the laws of your state are revealed in you.

S. If you don’t do anything, how do you come out of the states? Wait for the states to change?

R. Not to do anything means not to do anything, means to do no actions of connection because it is not clear what you will get in the end.

S. So if there is in thought that at least 1% will be able to be in bestowal?

R. I can't answer because you could start engaging in unnecessary things.

22. S. (01:07:28) He says that the Creator gives the desire to enjoy, He increases the desire to receive, and we don't want the will to receive, we don't want to enjoy it so we try to do everything in order to receive the will to bestow. Then this is actually that we try to get with our own strength the will to bestow and have faith that it will be able to achieve it and then we don't succeed, that’s the left line which is lowliness and then we come with a request to the Creator to be with him regardless of what state it is even if it is a lowly state and then the Creator gives the middle line?

R. Okay I'm not going to continue with you. You need to learn more and then we see.

23. S. (01:08:48) It says here that a person is in the state of descent, and he does not feel any taste from his actions so he says what do I care what I feel or not but I do my work and I believe that the Creator accepts my work so what is this work that I believe the Creator accepts?

R. He thinks that in this case he connects to the Creator and adheres to Him.

S. There is a very wide range of actions here, starting from the fact that I, for example, just remembered my friends during the day, thought something good, friends, and ending with some direct actions, preparing a meeting, organizing, for example, there is a meal, something like that. This whole action can be attributed to such work?

R. Yes, of course.

S. It is written here that when you associate the work with the Creator you need to believe that he receives our work so what does it mean to relate to work to Him?

R. That it all comes from Him.

S. If throughout the day when there is even a small grain of thought of the Ten or any thought of the Ten, any such thought any such action is this somehow maintains and brings contentment to the Creator?

R. Of course, you can but we will scrutinize it. We do not have enough material yet to in order to analyze it.

S. If I knew that the Creator is accepting the work then I would not have any problem in being joyful but to believe in it, there are always doubts. I can feel a little better but to reach actual joy? How's that possible if I have doubts?

R. The friends in the group should help you with that.