Morning Lesson February 13, 2022 Transcription
Transcription is made from simultaneous translation which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio
Everything is Obtained By the Power of Prayer - Selected Excerpts from the Sources. #2
1. R. (00:22) Yes. So even though we are studying a lot of things and we can go deeper into the wisdom of Kabbalah, Partzufim, Sefirot and so on, but all of this won’t bring any benefit if we won’t know how to turn to the Creator and ask, and even demand for our advancement. That’s why we have no choice but we have to keep renewing more and more, the necessity to turn to Him and how to turn, and how to ask, and what we need to expect for us to happen from it. So let's keep going with these excerpts that everything is obtained by the power of prayer, please.
Excerpt #2 (01:16)
2. R. (02:43) Let's think. Will we be able with this excerpt which we read, can we live in this the whole day and think from this point to think about our life the whole day? Read it again.
Excerpt # 2 (03:03)
3. S. (04:28) How can we check the intention, that is really for the purpose of unity?
R. Only according to the results that we're asking for, and then we get a result, an answer, a response. Only according to that we can understand whether our intention was good or not. Because I can cry and scream and ask and demand and I don't know what to do. But what exactly is my heart, as much as it is able to awaken a higher degree from me that wants to give me but He needs a deficiency. To spill everything it has for me it needs a deficiency from me, that there will be a place to spill it into. So only according to the result I can scrutinize whether I’ve prepared myself correctly or not. If I haven’t so I don’t feel I got anything, if I did prepare it correctly so I feel that response. That’s it.
4. S. (05:54) What we do if we, the more we advance in the work we feel the friends as closer, we care for them but the Creator feels farther and further. What do we do with this gap?
R. It is a sign that you need to come closer to the friends even more with hope that between them you will come closer to the Creator.
S. The friends really feel we're going through stuff in the ten and on the day-to-day feeling the friends live in you, during the meetings, between the meetings. But somehow when I check if I'm doing something for the Creator to please Him he feels further and further away all the time.
R. I guess there are still barriers in your heart and the friends still aren’t so connected in your heart. That if they would connect between them in your heart, if you would connect them all together in your heart then in that you would reveal the Creator.
S. What should I add in the work?
R. To think that the Creator is the including that’s how He's called. That the moment you include all these friends together the Creator will be revealed in them. There is nothing additional or unique in what is revealed here, only the essence of the connection. The Creator is the essence of connection between you.
5. S. (07:54) You said that we will be in this prayer during the day. What does it mean that the Creator will help us? That all our actions will be for His sake? How can we imagine this?
R. It's written that prayer should be as the opening for the ones knocking on the opening of repentance. That when we knock on the gate and demand that the Creator will answer us that He will give us a sign that He is hearing us and is willing to help. At least that is what we demand and we understand that this gate before us is our heart, the skin around the heart, the layer that He won't let us get in there and in this way we need to try and break it.
S. That sign you're talking about, what sign do we get so we feel it?
R. That all depends on our sensitivity one towards the other. As much as we will discover this sensitivity towards the friends in that we build an instrument to hear the Creator.
6. S. (10:00) What does it mean a complete prayer? That we all feel the same thing or each one feels his own deficiency and we unite in the center of the group with that deficiency and then we raise the prayer?
R. A complete prayer is that each one prays for the others and wants all of us to succeed, all of us together. Not me and not him or him but all of us together in the ten. That we will connect to one deficiency, to one heart, as one man with one heart, and that heart we present it to the Creator that He will correct it and fill it because it is our desire, our mutual desire. There we disappear, we want to stop feeling each one himself but only all of us together, one heart. And then the Creator fills that one heart. To the extent that we feel that we have one desire to one Creator and we do not want anything except to incorporate together, then the Creator already has a place to start filling it. That is called one receives one. One is all our hearts that connect into one heart and then the Creator against them is one, and then the Creator can fill that mutual one heart we have.
7. S. (12:00) We learned that we don’t cancel the desire we only build the intention to bestow. If a desire that is not directed toward connection awakens in me and I can’t fight it, should I wait for this desire to disappear or should I make an effort to cancel this desire?
R. We don't have to cancel any desire because they come from the Creator and you can’t cancel it, even though you think you can. But we need to overcome with a bigger desire on a smaller desire. So we have to develop right away other desires that will be bigger and ripe for connection, for spiritual attainment and to try and cover with those stronger desires the previous desire. Try and do it. Even if you will not succeed, this effort is worth a lot, it really helps you advance.
8. S. (13:33) Sometimes it seems like some of us are confused with the actions we do in our day-to-day life but here our actions relate more to the attempt to connect among us?
R. Yes, of course. The main thing is to constantly try and connect between us more and more in one heart. That for now we forget about it and we only remember if we remind each other that we need to be connected. So then we gradually go from words, from these words that for now are empty to actions. That we think that yes, we can be connected and yes, maybe feel what one heart means. For now none feel it yet, but can we already think about it, at least to think about it. What does it mean one heart? How can such a thing even be?
So think of our desire for the Creator. How we connect our desires to the Creator and to one desire. And that big desire that we get eventually even though it is very still and complete and there is no adhesion between the personal desires because we don't even know how to reach it. Let's say you have ten desires, but each and every one feels himself separate and how can we reach one desire? So here we need to distinguish between a desire and an intention. With our intention it does not matter what desires it comes upon. We connect in one intention and to think that the intention needs to connect us together. And that above our desires we connect in the tendency towards the Creator as one man, as one heart. As much as we think about it more and aim it towards the Creator more, so by that we truly raise the right prayer to Him, and He responds. He responds to it and soon we will feel it and practice as actions.
9. S. (16:54) Part of the prayer we just read talks about some negative ramifications if the Creator does not answer a prayer. We say that a person is where his thoughts are. How can we change this prayer to a more positive direction?
R. You do whatever you want, we’re reading what the Rabash wrote us and we want to be adhered to his text. That's what he felt, that's what he wrote and for me this is the pattern that I want to be in.
10. S. (17:48) Sometimes you feel in the ten when we try to create a common prayer that it’s something that is very repetitive. So practically speaking, which is better, more effective, for each one to pray out of his own deficiency or to direct the whole ten to the prayer so we feel all the deficiencies?
R. I do not understand, repeat it again please.
S. We understand that raising a prayer all of us together in the ten would be ideal if we had one deficiency but practically it sometimes feels a little mechanical, repetitive. And each friend says his prayer individually. So which is recommended, to work and exert and try to come to a uniform prayer? Or to put together a prayer where each friend separately requests toward connection in the ten. Practically which is more effective?
R. Practically each one has to pray. But in his prayer in his request to the Creator first of all it has to be clear to him that only the Creator that upper force organizes man and the ten, and also all the corrections come from Him. We ourselves cannot do anything except for a request. That is why all of our work is in scrutinizing our plea. When we raise that plea, that request now the question is can we ask for the same thing? Because in our heart we are not sure it’s the same desire, it’s even certain it’s not the same desire, because we are all as created beings and all different, right? We are individuals so it can’t be the same desire. But what does it mean to be as one?
That we pray for that one Creator as much as we can depict Him as the upper force. That we pray with that one question as much as we can scrutinize it between us when we speak. We ask from it that the Creator will accept us as one desire and then into that one desire as a ten, the summary of a ten, the Malchut of the ten He can spill His light into it, His bestowal. Then that organizes us. All of our work is as much as possible is to adapt ourselves to that bestowal of the Creator. That is called one receives one.
It will happen. Just invest more and more into our plea, our request. Perform actions before our request, before the prayer and that it will be expressed in our prayer in the simple way. That we want to connect, that we want the Creator to connect us, that we will have one mutual desire to bestow back to Him, to thank Him, to give Him contentment by it. And we're asking Him to help us with this action. Except for that small question, that small plea from us, we can’t do anything. Also we ask to format our request, to organize it correctly, to connect ourselves to it, everything. He has to do it all and that’s why we are turning to him. So our prayer is like a baby's cry. It doesn't know exactly what to ask or who he's asking from but instinctively nature gave him that certain attitude towards someone that he can turn to and cry. That’s how it grows. We will also grow in that way and understand who we’re connected to.
11. S. (23:25) I heard that to the extent we show sensitivity to the friends we develop. This is how we calibrate our instrument to feel the Creator. What is the boundary between the sensitivity?
R. This will be revealed later. We have to try to be incorporated in every excerpt we read and try that it will happen in us as it is written. And according to this we increase our sensitivity and the upper light that influences us arranges us according to the sensitivity it builds in us, and this is how we advance.
12. S. (24:21) According to this excerpt and also the previous one where it says if everything was created for man we find that when we work for the sake of the Creator, He to benefit us and the best investments we need to do are to invest in the prayer. But we're not in this state. Why?
R. It is written I wish you prayed all day. That’s what is written. But to pray all day you have to be in such an effort, in such work, in such preparation of the ten. Gradually during the spiritual development we come to a state where we connect more and more and more between us and connect to the Creator. It happens mutually, reciprocally and this is how we rise, this is how we advance. Meaning the whole ladder that we need to rise on is to attach ourselves to one another more and more and also attach ourselves to the Creator more and more, and constantly raise MAN from us and from the Creator MAD will constantly descend on us. This is the ideal state.
13. S. (26:00) He says we ask the Creator to give us the strength to be able to do everything for you. My question is this, what is the ideal condition for the Creator to hear us? Because today we don't feel like anyone is listening, so how do we know that anyone hears us?
R. From as it's written, make your desire as his desire.
S. Meaning what?
R. That you need to try and ask for the Creator for something that he wants to give you. That it’s not enough that you cry out but you also need to know what you're asking for and what you're crying for. And then you will feel that the Creator whether He's giving it or not. Maybe he’ll explain to you that your plea isn’t right, isn’t precise. That you're asking for things like that needle to clean your eye with.
S. What is the difference between this period and previous periods because everyone prayed, the whole world is praying. What is the difference between us and someone else’ prayer?
R. The question is what they were praying for.
S. Praying like everyone else.
R. I don't want to talk about the whole world.
S. What is the difference between our time and previous times when Kabbalists prayed but not everything they prayed for happened.
R. I do not want to talk about others. Do you hear me or not?
S. No, I'm talking about the Kabbalists in the past who prayed.
R. I don’t know about them either. I know about Rabash’s writing and this is what I have to know and do.
S. What does he write? What new do you see in our period?
R. I am not going to start comparing between our period and other periods. I don’t want to, I don’t care. I want to know what I need to do in order to get to my desired state. Period.
S. How do I make the prayers happen in our time?
R. Think about exactly what they're writing about for you and not other times or other Kabbalists or other philosophies. You will stay a philosopher.
S. Let me ask you something more difficult. In the prayer shouldn't I first of be in equivalence of form so He will hear me?
R. You can be in the equivalence of form with Him until you don’t ask for it. And in order to ask for it you have to raise a prayer. That’s what we’re talking about.
14. S. (29:02) In excerpt number two it says this is called “do for your sake.” Meaning give us the power of the desire to bestow. Yesterday we read everything that you can do, do. Can you explain how we can integrate these works in the ten?
R. Everything we're able to do we need to do it, we must do it. Whatever we can we must do in the connection between us and in aiming our connection towards the Creator, presented to Him like a plate. That is what we want. We want you to take this from us. What does that mean? Take our deficiency and also correct it, this plate, this dish. Make it correct, make it the right deficiency. So correct the deficiency and fill it. In what? In what you think is right. The main thing is we want to be connected to you and to raise this request and receive the response from you. That is what we need.
15. S. (30:25) How much should we knock and exert in prayer until we get an answer? How do we not give up?
R. As much as it will take and as many forces as it will take. It all depends on us. That’s it.
16. S. (30:47) We just read in excerpt two, prayer that contains everything. Is it possible to use it all the time instead of writing our own prayer every morning?
R. We should write our own prayer, it’s desired. There are a lot of prayers by Kabbalists that are really known. There is a whole book, a thick book about it. And there are more prayers. What we have of the book of songs by King David. Those are also prayers. Please, you can read from there. You’ll get a few sentences from there and you can read them everyday, that’s great. But that is what he wrote. What are we writing that is important? Not only our participation but also our words, that we will find the words and turn them to the Creator. That’s what he wants of us. By that we are connecting to Him, we are establishing a connection and in that connection He can start fixing us and filling us.
17. S. (32:29) Why do we come to prayer after we completely despair? What is complete despair in spirituality?
R. We must reach complete despair because it symbolizes a new state. How do we say it also? There is no happier state in a person's life that he is despaired of his own forces because then he can raise his plea and the Creator answers.
18. S. (33:13) We imagine that we unite into one for the Creator to fill this vessel. How do we not fantasize but do real spiritual work?
R. It can't be fantasies here because we need as he says, knocking after knocking. We have to keep knocking and knocking until the Creator opens. There are no fantasies here. We have to reach a state that it is clear to us that the Creator is coming into connection with us.
19. S. (33:52) Beyond the right prayer and turning to the Creator is it still important to have a depiction of worlds and Partzufim in order to obtain spirituality?
R. No, we don’t need it. There is no need to study all the Partzufim and these degrees but sometimes we speak about it like we did now. He also explained it to us in the introduction to the book of Zohar, so he explains it. What are the ladder of degrees, the five worlds, the Partzufim, but actually it is not important. The main thing for us is to open our heart through the friends to the Creator and then according to that the Creator fills our heart. That’s what we have.