Part 4
Morning Lesson December 24, 2021, Transcription
Transcription is made from simultaneous translation which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio
Baal HaSulam - Shamati 134. Wine that Causes Drunkenness
Reading Shamati 134. Wine that Causes Drunkenness
1. R. (00:32) Something is confusing from the beginning to the end and from the end to the beginning.
Reading (00:41) Shamati 134. Wine that Causes Drunkenness - again
2. R. Does anyone understand this, I do not understand it so much. How if you have no wholeness, you still feel in wholeness, does anyone have a solution here? Where are the smart ones? I would not think about you that way.
3. S. (01:37) I do not think I'm wise but I tried to slice the sentence up a bit and it turns out that by the intoxication of the wine of Torah you can have such a feeling.
R. Nice, very nice, anymore?
4. S. (02:00) The quality of bestowal is perfect, is whole, so the wholeness is infinite so we do not know anything about it, this infinite wholeness. You said that the 7000, 8000, meaning there's something beyond that is my conclusion.
R. To begin with he tells you it is impossible to be awarded Torah in its entirety, it is impossible but how do we attain some of it maybe all of it indirectly, maybe in an inverted way so what do we do? So he says that through the intoxication of the wine of Torah, meaning that we become intoxicated, when the drunk person comes out of his vessel, he thinks that everything is his, that he can take it all, no problem. He's coming out of his limited vessels, so if one feels that the whole world is his even though he doesn’t have the whole of the wisdom but he's like a drunk person. He's willing to take it all in, he will think and feel that he has everything in perfection, what is the addition here, what kind of vessels we have that we seemingly become intoxicated by the Torah bring ourself to the state of perception and sensation, integration with upper light higher than what comes to our vessels.
S. That there are no limits, no borders?
R. How do you rise above the border?
S. By connecting, there is nothing else, the light that reforms it will solve the problems.
R. All right you'll learn something.
5. S. (04:10) I think we are talking about above reason here.
R. Yes, that is something in faith of a reason, we can rise above each and every degree to the one above it, a higher degree and that is called being intoxicated. Intoxication what does it mean that we receive the upper light a bit more than what our vessels have the Masach for, the ability a little bit more but that little bit more is not in order to receive. Even though we still don’t have the Masach for it in order to bestow, we would still like to have that screen in order to bestow even though we can’t and that gives us a certain illumination from above, an addition and that is called intoxication. By that we come to perfection of the Torah where we see that there is nothing higher for us to attain but we really would like to rise to a higher level of bestowal and then we feel that I truly want to receive everything in order to bestow, above my actual ability and even though I do not have greater ability I receive an illumination even from a higher degree that intoxicates me, that fills me, makes me drunk, intoxicates. That is what it means to come to intoxication.
Rav reading (06:28) “It is impossible to be awarded the Torah in its entirety through intoxication in the wine of the Torah when one feels that the whole world is his even though he still does not have the whole of the wisdom, he will think and feel that he has everything in perfection.” [From his yearning, even though I don't have the vessels for it, it brings me that surplus, that addition of Illumination from a high degree except that it doesn't dress into my vessel, it illuminates to me from above and it intoxicates me.]
6. S. (7:25) What is this perfection that David was awarded with?
R. David is called the ‘King of Israel.’ Melech [king] comes from the word, Malchut and he attained all the qualities of Malchut when she rises all the way to the Keter so he is truly the aspect of the corrective Malchut, the most corrected Malchut and that is why he was able to write “Psalms”, which is respected by the whole world because in those Psalms he expressed the whole relationship of Malchut to the Keter all of the relationships emotions that exist in the attainment of the Creator by the created being so just understand how great a kabbalist he was and that is something we see in his book “Psalms.”
7. S (09:20) I think it is something problematic in our world, so what is “the wine of the Torah?”
R. In our world where do we have “the wine of the Torah?” It's not there. Wine in our world is a means to get drunk, wine in the spiritual world is that you receive a bit more higher than what you can receive in order to bestow and then as a result of that you add vessels to yourself and illumination from above which gives you a bit more addition that comes from a higher degree so you can advance. We will learn that these are actions that we will also have to do in the ten.
S. (10:29) What would you ask the world Kli to do before the congress so we can get greater changes?
R. I think the convention is a very important point in our development because it can focus, organize and connect us to such a power that without a convention we cannot have and that is what makes it important, and we need to use it so that our connection will bring us such an intensity of revelation of the Creator that will raise us to the first spiritual degree so that we will already feel the Creator.
8. S (11:38) You said that the yearning over the vessels is bringing us towards intoxication but yearning is a vessel itself, do we have some hidden vessels? This is kind of a riddle for me.
R. We want to be not just in vessels of bestowal but a bit higher than that meaning that in greater vessels of bestowal. In order to have greater vessels we have to detach from our will to receive and rise to a higher degree. The hint towards that is intoxication, when I leave my current mind and emotion and I want to rise higher than that, and that is why in our world there's wine and other such drinks that, or even drugs, take us to the state of intoxication that by rising above our reason in a corporeal way we come to two states that like every person knows that when a person starts drinking a little bit he feels that his head goes beyond his ordinary mind and feeling and he loses his own control so that is a hint that we need to be connected to a higher degree in order to bestow and then as result of that we come to a greater revelation of the Creator. To be intoxicated in the ten, means that with all my mind and heart I nullify my mind and heart and I become included in the friends, I lose myself in the ten, and even if they don’t come to a higher degree when I make such actions, through them I reach a higher degree. This is like Rabbi Yossi Ben Kisma, like he explained.
9. S (14:40) We were speaking about wings and the screen, so let's say the restriction I can maybe feel in my ego and reflected light as my attitude toward the Creator, but what is a screen and how to feel it?
R. How can I feel the Masach [screen]? The Masach is the force of resistance to my ego and that I really want something and still I resist what I want, let’s put it like that. That is the power of the Masach.
S. This is when we restrict our ego, so that is not enough that it will resist ego, we need a screen?
R. Not wanting to use my ego is called restriction. Wanting to use beyond my ego in order to bestow that is called the Masach that I transform my ego to a means to bestow and also the reflected life which means that I want to bestow to others. What can I bestow? I'm not a provider, I'm not a force, or even have the mind or anything towards the others, I cannot fulfill the others, the desires of others I cannot fulfill them as I'm not the Creator and I do not have this possibility. How can I be a part of the Creator so that I can fulfill the friends? There is a matter here of me connecting to the Creator and asking him to do it through me that I'm willing to pass everything to pass through me whatever you want friends. I connect to them and I become like a conduit here and just pour through me whatever You want for them, I don’t want anything for that but just to know that I can serve you and them in doing so. This is the work called Israel, straight to the Creator. The work that we need to do between the Creator and all nations of the world, all the people and we learn how to do it first in the ten.
10. S (17:42) Can we say about intoxication when the root is for him to know?
R. I did not understand.
S. Can we say that just like there is beer, and it comes from the Hebrew root ‘to lie’ maybe…
R. Of course in being drunk there's nothing of truth except for the person's desire to rise a little higher than his own degree meaning I do not have the desire or the vessels or the understanding but I want, I want to go a little bit higher and that is what he tries to do and the Creator likes that. This state called intoxication is very respected in the wisdom of Kabbalah unlike in our world where it is not that we get drunk with alcohol we rise above my reason to higher and greater degree, not in “faith above reason” but even higher, literally all the way to the Keter [crown].
11. S (19:18) Is the intoxication of the wine of the Torah given to us to show the point of view to take the next step and is it an advancement towards future efforts?
R. Look at what a smart question one of the women is asking. It is not simple but yes that is correct what you said, what you asked. By rising to a degree called the “wine of the Torah'' we want to become incorporated with the upper light at a higher degree even though we have no Masach [screen] but we are trying to become included in that and the Creator will provide the Masach [screen] and we will learn how, so let us be a little drunk. You see what the women want, to get drunk, that is appreciated, meaning to go above reason as much as possible more and more without boundaries.
12. S (20:51) Is wine the light of Mercy?
R. No, wine is the light of Hochma [wisdom] but there is an intoxicating wine when the light of Hochma [wisdom] appears without sufficient clothing of Hassidim [mercy] where there's no clothing of the light of Hassidim [mercy] that covers the light of Hochma [wisdom] and that is intoxicating and there are still some scrutinies here to make but just to make it clear.
S. It cannot because, if there is more of Hochma…
R. No, no, no, that is not the shattering. That is why I am saying to just look at what he writes, just focus on how he writes it, simple. Do not go according to other rules you know, there is a situation of becoming drunk too but what we have in the Torah where there are some stories about those in the Torah about the characters who got drunk and fell and things happen to them, we will learn about these things but there's nothing special here, the principles are the same principles we cannot use the vessels of receiving in order to received, we can use bestowing in order to bestow where there is no light of Hochma, only light of Hassidim and receiving in order to bestow meaning receiving light of Hochma in order to bestow and that we can do in a very limited way which is first in participating in the vessels of the upper one and this is called AHP de Aliyah (AHP of ascent) and all kinds of other small illuminations that come to us from above from vessels of bestowal through vessels a bestowal to vessels of reception. Altogether what we have until the final correction is a light that shines to us through a very thin line through all the limitations called concealments and that is what we have. Only in the final correction there is the action called Rav Paalim uMekabtziel. Where all the work we did all the efforts we put in, all the vessels we made it all becomes corrected together connected and through that connection we receive all the upper light in order to bestow that is where everything becomes revealed, and that is called the reflected light that reveals within it the direct light, and it is also called “The Coming of the Messiah'' and that is how we discover the Creator to the fullest.
13. S (24:18) Are we going to reach this drunkenness in the Gmar Tikkun ( the end of correction)
R. In the final correction we obtain everything in our true vessels all the states we've been through even what we've been through with malicious intention or mistakenly, or whatever incorrect and bad ways where we could not work in order to bestow, all of that becomes corrected and we accept it like the example of the person who takes from the treasures but just a few coins because he doesn't have more than a few for a small box than he has to a little bit more and pour it and take it and pursuing the final correction as much as we are told we're not going to be leave and in the final correction everything becomes transformed and so today we cannot even understand cannot believe that we are advancing towards the final correction that we can discover ourselves in the whole world in a complete and beautiful way filled with a light of infinity at this highest state, and how could it be that we will reach the highest of all the degrees where we feel that everything is becoming lower and worse and we are deteriorating and becoming more shattered this is what is called that “light excels from darkness.” That is the only way we can understand all of that we have to advance and believe that like Baal HaSulam says that we are in the last generation, and this can be revealed out of the most lowly and basic states that seem to have no connection with the final corrections. Baal HaSulam writes that on the one hand it is written that this generation should have been at the highest level and how could it be that it is in the state where everyone is eating each other, and such hatred erupts. We will have that quote sent over. All of that is because the light becomes revealed out of the darkness. It is said that the messiah comes when no one waits, no one expects and no one needs and wants the messiah and no one can understand how he can become revealed from that state so he will be review it will be revealed and you will see how it all of a sudden happens, how the upper light appears and we receive mind and heart and power to connect and that fulfills us.
14. S (28:17) Is that quote about “the nerve will take you higher?”
R. Yes, that is exactly that.
15. S (28:33) To reach these feelings, we are speaking about in the morning lesson, we have to acquire the right vessels for it so how do we obtain the right vessels?
R. By connection. We must come closer to the structure of Adam Ha Rishon before the shattering and bring ourselves back there as much as we can and of course we can't but we need to learn from it, yearn for it and draw near to that as much as possible, that is what we need to do. What is hidden from us is that all of our effort of billions of people throughout all time it is a cumulative process that is how penny by penny it all joins into a great sum total until it all appears at once like with the allegory about the poor person who takes from the king's treasure a box full of coins and then he pours it and he takes it again he pours it again and then he thinks everything is lost so now he is being told that he can take it all.
S. When are we going to learn about all kinds of types of direct light, and names and vessels, screens, direct light?
R. It is not a problem to learn that but will this give you?
S. Suitable vessels to reach those feelings.
R. So if I tell you AHP you already know where it is?
S. No. Speaking of all kinds of reflector lights, names of them and the names of the vessels…
R. Yes, and what? I am asking what will that give you? Not that we will not learn that but we are now where we want to quickly go through all the articles that explains to us our inner work but after that when from your inner work you will be able to read the text and you will discover these vessels within yourself within yourself then it is worthwhile and you are able to learn that but if you will say there's reflected light, direct light, surrounding light, inner light, and in all those lights there perhaps twenty or more discernments so what are you going to learn from it if you do not feel the issue here that is to feel it. I do not understand what you are longing for, take the book and read. How do you understand the word ‘to learn’? ‘To learn’ means to attain so if you just read a book, it is like what Kabbalists say that the person who is just reading does not get anything from it. He wants to yearn for it like Baal HaSulam says, and he wants to discover these things but it is a very minimal approach. You want to discover it in order to know it and that is why I'm afraid that if you did you might find yourself in science, there's this light and that light and it goes there and that goes through there, like it is physics. In physics there's a world in front of you where you can observe certain phenomena and feel it, but what will you do about these terms if you have no feelings opposite them?
S. I was speaking about the feeling that we all want to reach the attainments you are speaking about.
R. Okay studying is good and also Baal HaSulam explains this in item 155, in the introduction to TES, that we need to learn because while you learn when a person's yearns to know and feel these terms then they begin to gradually shine on him and bring him closer to attaining them but these are not so easy to hold onto, but we will learn that. I hope that within a month or two we will complete The Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah and start The Introduction to the Ten Sephirot [TES]. Other than that you can go to the archive if you have more time and desire and take from the archive all of the lessons that are there, from all the parts of The Introduction to the Ten Sephirot [TES] or with the preface that we did many times and study it, go ahead. Do you think that what I'm teaching you now is everything? I taught this for many years. Let's say maybe 20 series of lessons covering the preface and also The Introduction to the Ten Sephirot [TES] a few times, we covered it all so go there and study it, but I can't right now. We have a limited time for the lesson and I can just put everything everyone wants into it. If you ask me, I would say study part 16 of The Introduction to the Ten Sephirot. I used to go into specific excerpts from the Zohar even though we already did it with the students, but it is all there in the archive so go study it.
S. I meant to study it with the whole world Kli.
R. Alright, so organize a lesson together with the whole world Kli and study it in addition to our lesson and that is it, I don’t object, on the contrary I bless you. I give a general lesson for the whole world and in this lesson which we never did before we are plowing through the article of Shamati first, and that is the main thing. After we finish Shamati we will go forward and still try to divide our lessons into a state where we have more Pticha and The Introduction to the Ten Sephirot. Do you want to study more, maybe another hour, I am willing. I am willing.
16. S (37:15) What does it mean that until the Gmar Tikkun [final correction] we can use the vessels of the Aliyah [ascension], are those the vessels from the friends?
R. Yes, until the final correction we correct the vessels through integration, the incorporation, bringing together all the broken vessels back to a single structure of Adam HaRishon and after that we then work with a complete whole Kli.
17. S (38:16) How can we know that we ended the state of intoxication?
R. No, the intoxication, we go in there with intention and calculation to get intoxicated in spirituality, it requires a clear mind and that is how it is.
18. S (38:48) How can we intoxicate the world?
R. We will be able to pass on everything through the whole world that is all for their benefit and a little bit more to get them intoxicated. Intoxication is a person's tendency to be in a bit higher degree even though he cannot really be there.
19. S (39:40) To learn is to build Sefirot?
R. When we say to learn we mean to perceive within us qualities of bestowal and learn how to use them. It is simple, I want to know what it means to use vessels of bestowal. What does it mean to bestow and how do I attain that? How do I come to that? How do I work on that? This is called studying the wisdom of Kabbalah. What are we missing in order to receive the force of restriction, Masach [screen], Ohr Hozer [returning light], and then I will learn how to work with the direct light and then I will learn on my own what is the wisdom of Kabbalah. For that we need to build a ten and begin to work on it in connection between us until we begin to discover where that connection between us is, where we based on the equivalence between us begin to have equivalence with the upper light. From within our desires that are far and broken and opposite we can forcefully bring them together to a state where that connection of those desires this assembly will be suitable and compatible like the upper light. The upper light is one and we are six or seven, doesn’t matter, when we connect like that the essence of our connections, the nature of our connection is similar to the upper light because our whole connection is built on concessions of bestowal, so in that way we come closer to the upper light and it begins to shine in us and that is what we need to achieve from this moment on we then begin to improve our connections between everyone as much as possible and by that we begin to see to discover to feel how the upper light affects us and in what way, what we can do with that, to connect even more to bring them closer or farther in what aspects and to what extent in combining the different Sephirot meaning the different forces of the friends and so then we begin to work from the Kli on the connections between us, by changing the relationships between us, changing where we are we can thus discover changes in the lights. The connection between the Sephirot and the lights, the vessels and the screens, everything there is, newer Reshimot will then appear and so on. That is how we study through ourselves, on ourselves, how we achieve connection and correction and reception of the lights and adhesion with the light, ultimately adhesion with the Creator. It is all in the practical actions between us. We just have to approach it in a more pragmatic way.