Transcription is made from simultaneous translation which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio
Part 2:
Baal HaSulam. The Gatehouse of Intentions
1.R. (00:11) This is a book or you could say a composition that Baal HaSulam put together because he wanted later on to write a siddur, prayer book but I guess he decided that it wasn't worth doing it in the end for all kinds of reasons. It could cause some disputes, so that's why introduction to that prayer book became a Gatehouse of limitations. It’s written in a new kind of style, different from TES and from The Preface, so let's read it, it’s pleasant and also the way he writes here.
Reading (01:14 - 03:14) “There is an Emanator and there is an emanated being….”
2. S. (03:20) What are the four foundations of man, he says here the inner man, the garment, are they all within man?
R. It it's not a man you think of as flesh and blood that you see in our world, it is all speaking about spirituality so this is what he says there is an Emanator and an emanated being, for now, about the Emanator, the Creator, he’s not speaking about. The emanated being contains four elements, he calls them fire, wind, water, and dust. So which emanated being is it, we don't know, we also don't know anything about fire, wind, water and dust, what he means with those names, what it’s something that we know from our world? No, these are the four layers of HAVAYA, so he marks them with letters, signs, symbols and they are HBTM: Hochma, Bina, Tifferet and Malchut. That already speaks about the structure and they are TANTA: Taamim, Nekudot, Tagin, Otiot which is already all those phases connected together in a system. And they are ABYA, which that already symbolizes the four worlds: Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, Assiya
which are the four phases in man.
Meaning man includes inside him all those phases, all those discernments, worlds, phases, Sefirot, letters, fire, wind, water, and dust, it's all in a person called the emanator being. They are the four phases in man: “one is the inner man which is the spirituality, it is called NRHY, the five lights that fill the internality of man; two, is the body, three is the garments on the body, and four, is the house in which man and his body and garment dwell”. That is how he sees this general structure, now let's see, let’s go onward and see. I don’t want to hear any questions or answer anything now, not H10 , not Tel Aviv3. It is not from your brain that now you are going to start showing me the right question, take your question marks down.
Reading (06:43 - 07:53) #2 “All of these phases incorporate four phases, and these are they:...”
Reading (07:57 - 10:08) #3 “The third phase is the garments. It is known that they are mandatory garments for a regular priest..” twice
3. R. (10:09) Okay we are in item four, before that we have a little asterisk there, so we will stop here and read the Inner Light or Simple Light that is called now.
Reading (10:25 - 17:56) #1 “Simple light. - There is an Emanator and there is an emanated being….”
4. R. (18:04) What do you think, what is your impression from this text? What's good about this book is that it’s very inclusive it gives you a general picture of all of creation, our role in the structure of reality and it brings the person closer into this topic without going into little details that TES has. What, you don't want to tell me anything?
5. S. (18:45) Still there were many concepts and terms here, and you said the beginning that this was written as a book of intentions for prayers, so the question is whether the person needs to know all these terms and names in order to pray properly?
R. No, it's not to pray like regular people are used to pray as usual, no. We gradually will come to state where these terms will be incorporated inside us and according to them, we will be able to connect more and more to a spiritual discernment, and then it will be as our prayer.
6. S. (19:42) How to approach the study of the Gatehouse of Intentions, like TES to look for discernments and so on, or more like The Zohar, to flow with the text, what is the right approach?
R. I think that this book, we can just flow with it, just dive in it. It’s like a bit Zohar and a bit of TES supposedly according to style of writing but the main part is that we need to try and just be close to the text as much as possible, flow with the text. And then we will see as much as the text takes us through page to page from the beginning to the end.
S. Should we activate the mind or flow with the emotion?
R. I think it comes from the emotion to the mind.
7. S. (20:59) It’s a question from the depth of the soul, please don't get angry. Why when you love four phases of direct light, still, vegetative, animate, and speaking, you are actually loving they Creator, the Good that does good that created such a wondrous creation, please why?
R. I don't know.
8. S. (21:30) It is really beautiful and it gives a full feeling, so you asked about an impression, so I can share but I'll ask. It says here “there's no tiny element in all reality that does not have these five phases, KHBTM”. If I look at a table or chair how do I begin to see all of reality that the ten, I don't know, everything?
R. He is speaking about spiritual discernments and not a table or a chair, this is the answer.
9. S. (22:31) He writes in a way that these ten Sephirot are no more and no less than five phases, so when we read these things, first what can we even understand, and what should be the way to work when we read such things, what should we do?
R. We learned that all in all, reality is divided into five phases: root, one, two, three, four. And then phase four does what it does, restriction, the screen, the reflected light, division of reality into Sefirot and Partzufim and worlds, and so on. That's what we are learning about and where we exist in all this division. We are humans, how do we perceive reality, how do we feel reality? That's it, that's what we are learning about.
S. When we read these things like that, what do we need to think of, there are things that I do not understand, what should we think about?
R. We need to think about reality we exist in and how can we see this reality and organize our brain in a way that this reality will just enter our mind and our feelings, and we’ll be able to absorb it and work with it.
S. You always told us before this, reading this: “friends, always think about the light that reforms before we read such text”. That's what we need to do to draw the light that reforms here?
R. That's our constant intention, what we want to receive by reading, hearing, learning. the light that reforms.
10. S. (24:42) When we learn these texts, how do we ask questions?
R. About what you see in the text and you try to understand the connections, cause and effect, according to that you ask that you will have as much understanding about the system, how everything is connected, all these words, what do they want to tell us and so on.
S. But you always say ‘not to mix in the brain’, there are many questions that come from the text but it’s all in the head?
R. For now it's in the head but what can you do if you still can't perceive it in spiritual vessels but only corporeal ones, it’s all in your head.
S. So how to move?
R. You don’t for now, for now what you read and what you understand in your corporeal brain, you want to organize these things and ask.
11. S. (25:57) He said we need to take it like some explanation about reality, what reality do you mean here, what's reality?
R. Reality is ten Sefirot, no more no less, all in all, what the Creator created. From the reality called Keter and below Keter how it all comes out until Malchut. These are the ten Sefirot that we are speaking about, this is all reality.
12. (26:30) In the text, why actually is Zeir Anpin six Sefirot and why doesn’t he have KHB and Malchut does?
R. Because in Zeir Anpin, you have to learn how it came out and why it doesn’t have GAR. You have time, open the books when you’re at home, it is additions to every part in TES, there for sure there's a question and an answer.
13. S. (27:22) Why in Zeir Anpin the KHB became HGT?
R. Because it doesn't have the light of Hochma.
14. S. (27:54) In items, one, two three, he describes the structure of the spiritual Partzuf, in terms of feeling is there some parallel between the spiritual Partzuf and the corporeal body?
R. No, names yes, some kind of imagination that we read these parts: flesh, bones, Rosh,Toch Sof. But actually there's nothing about it, you can say in the closing that the GAR clothes in Rosh and the Toch, VAK and so on. It’s God forbid, there's no such things in the body and in our world there's no spiritual matter, none, and you don't need to imagine it either.
S. So until we come to actual bestowal we don't have a way to feel what is happening in the spiritual Partzuf?
R. Before you get the qualities of the spiritual Partzuf you can't feel what happens there either.
17. R. (29:23) Oh, we are already at the end of the lesson, so we are in item number four above? OK, the asterisk, okay let’s stay here. Let's try and read this texts again tomorrow and tomorrow, we’ll keep going.
16. S. (29:56) You should we get to know this text?
R. We need to read it a few times because here in an essence you have everything that you have in TES. Maybe distance for women's question?
17. S. (30:24) What kind of inner work do we need to do if this text is very high and it's unclear how to relate to these words?
R. Read it a few times and you’ll see how it becomes clear, for sure, it’s not difficult.
18. S. (30:47) How does the Kabbalist use all of these details in his spiritual work?
R. He just knows them, he starts recognizing in himself all these details in names and in discernments.
19. S. (31:05) What are those four foundations of the general structure of creation?
R. Fire, water, wind, and dust, we’ll know about it later.
20. S. (31:20) What does it mean that ten Sefirot shrink to five?
R. They shrink to five because we can speak about ten just as five because Zeir Anpin includes six parts in her, six discernments.
21. S. (31:43) Why does Tiferet include six lights of Hassadim?
R. We will learn that later on, we don’t have time now.
22. S. (31:56) Should we try and feel these texts and the correct types of connections in the ten?
R. Try, the main thing is to be connected to the text as much as possible. So, all the best and I'll see you tomorrow and continue Sukkot and this book, The Gate House of Intentions as well.