The transcript has been transcribed and edited from English simultaneous interpretation, thus there may be potential semantic inaccuracies within it.

Daily Lesson (Morning), August 19, 2024. 

Part 1: Baal HaSulam. Letter 57.

Reader: Hello, we shall be reading from the writings of Baal HaSulam, letter 57. You can find all of our texts on kabbalahmedia.info and on the Arvut system, where you can also send questions. Letter 57, the writings of Baal HaSulam.

Reading: (00:34) To the famous and pious student, may his candle burn, I received your letter, and while you are sorry for what is not missing, you should be sorry for what is missing. This is the rule, anything that depends on the Creator exists in abundance, but the vessels of reception can be activated only by the lower ones, since it is their labor in holiness and purity for which he stands and waits. This is what we are concerned with, how to be rewarded with adding labor.

One who adds to that and worries needlessly is only subtracting, not only is it needless, it is also harmful. Regarding the friend's question that you ask, at the moment I have no objection, and quote; “anyone who is shrewd acts with knowledge”, end quote. Regarding the rest of the questions to which you seek my answers, I will give you my one answer to all of them.

There is no happier state in man's world than when he finds himself despaired with his own strength, that is, he has already labored and done all that he could possibly imagine he could do, but found no remedy. It is then that he is fit for a wholehearted prayer for the Creator's help, because he knows for certain that his own work will not help him, and as long as he feels some strength of his own, his prayer will not be whole, because the evil inclination rushes first and tells him, first you must do what you can, and then you will be worthy of the Creator. Of this it was said, quote, “the Lord is high and the low will see, end quote.”

For once a person has labored in all kinds of work and has become disillusioned, he comes into real lowliness, knowing that he is the lowest of all the people, as there is nothing good in the structure of his body. At that time his prayer is complete, and he is granted by the Creator's generous hand. The writings say about this quote; “and the children of Israel sighed from the work, and their cry went up,” end quote.

It is so because at that time they came into a state of despair from that work, God forbid. It is as one who pumps into a punctured bucket, he pumps all day, but does not have a drop of water to quench his thirst. So were the children of Israel in Egypt.

Everything they built was promptly swallowed in its place. Similarly, one who has not been rewarded with the Creator's love, all that he has done in his work on purifying the soul the day before, is as though completely burned the next day. And each day, and each moment, he must start anew, as though he has not done a thing in his entire life. Then, quote; “the children of Israel sighed from the work” end quote. For they clearly saw that they were unfit to ever produce something by their own work.

This is why their sigh and prayer were complete, as it should be. And this is why, quote; “their cry went up” end quote. Since the Creator hears the prayer and He only awaits a wholehearted prayer. It follows from the above that everything, small or great, is obtained only by the power of prayer.

All the labor and work to which we are obliged are only to discover our lack of strength at our lowliness, that we are unfit for anything by our own strength. For then, we can pour out a wholehearted prayer before him. We could argue about this, so I can decide that I am unfit for anything, and why all the labor and exertion? However, there is a natural law that “there is none so wise as the experienced”, and before one tries to actually do all he can do, he is utterly incapable of arriving at true lowliness, to the real extent as said above.

This is why we must toil in holiness and purity, as it is written, quote; “whatever you find that your hand can do, by your strength that do” ,end quote, and understand this, for it is true and deep. I revealed this truth to you only so you would not weaken or give up on mercy, God forbid. And although you do not see anything, for even when the measure of labor is complete, it is the time for prayer, but until then, believe in our sages, quote; “I did not labor and found” do not believe, end quote.

When the measure is full, your prayer will be complete and the Creator will grant you generously. As our sages instructed us, quote;  “I labored and found” believe, end quote. For one is unfit for a prayer prior to this, and the Creator hears a prayer.

Yehuda.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (08:39) What is the essential difference between work and exertion? 

M. Laitman: It depends on how much we intend or exert in the work. Exertion or labor, it's before we do something, and work is something more general. That's how I understand it. 

Student: Most of Rabash's articles are titled this and that in the work, this or that in the work. 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: On the other hand you have exertion. Does exertion come from within the work? Because he writes from the work, not from the exertion. 

M. Laitman: I think you won't be able to understand from that what this is about, because there is no great difference here. Sometimes they mean the work and they speak of labor or exertion. Sometimes it's the other way around. 

Student: I always thought that our work is to reach a state where everything we do in our work will be for the sake of the heavens, Lishma, as we say.

M. Laitman: The labor or the exertion is not like that? 

Student: Exertion is more in the work between us, maybe. 

M. Laitman: Well, maybe you can divide it that way. 

Student: All right. And now, how do we come to such a state where we truly feel in despair with our own abilities, our own strength? Because we're always told you can try something more, find more tricks, tactics. We can always find something more to do to bestow to each other. 

M. Laitman: Well, yes and no. Eventually, a person understands that he did everything possible, everything that was within his hand to do. Of course, he receives from the Creator this feeling, but he feels that he has nothing more to do. Simply, there is nothing.

Student: Baal HaSulam recommends to continue to persist in exerting yourself. You mean, don't wait for the Creator to give you the feeling of despair from your own strength? 

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Student: Thank You.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (11:44) Why does he say that the evil inclination comes first and tells the person that he must do everything within his power and only then he'll be desired by the Creator? Throughout the letter, he explains that this needs to be the work. So, why does he say that it's the evil inclination telling the person that? 

M. Laitman: It is the evil inclination because the way we understand it, he needs to pray. He needs to ask from the Creator that He will help him to reach his goal. Here seemingly he can depict to himself all the time that the evil inclination is there and he performs all of the actions to overcome the evil inclination.

Student: So, why does he say that it's the evil inclination that rushes first and tells the person that he must exert? 

M. Laitman: Yes, instead of the person thinking of his work in other forms, it turns out that he should see what he needs to expel from his body. 

Student: So, there's proper exertion by which we reach prayer, and there's the kind of exertion which the evil inclination suggests, which is incorrect? 

M. Laitman: Yes, because the exertion for the evil inclination is that certainly a person should work on all kinds of things that exist in his body as necessary things. Besides that, no. The rest of it is all in the hands of the Creator. Well, of course, everything is in the hands of the Creator, but there are things that a person cannot reach, he cannot touch. 

Student: Now, for us, on our path there are situations where we say, let's do something more, above and beyond our normal schedule and everything we usually do. How to tell if this is good or not good, this addition, because it's in the direction of the goal. It's not just some act?

M. Laitman: If it is towards the goal, there has to be a prayer here, a general prayer, a prayer in connection by incorporating in each other and to advance in such a way. That's the only thing we have left.

Student: Yesterday, at night, some of the friends were in Carmiel where all the friends from the north come. Many friends who are evicted from their homes right now, and many great friends and there was this request they wanted to do, to act. Why don't we go and do discussion, circles and dissemination activities, and so on? It's a question. Because on the one hand, we want to act, we want to do, but on the other hand, is doing more the right thing? Or maybe we should actually focus more on the Ten, and on the connection between us. 

M. Laitman: If a person is in a Ten, and he actually has everything that we have here in our center, then I don't think that he has more to hope for in the corporeal form. In the corporeal form we have nothing more that we need to have. But rather, all the rest is only in the internal connection among everyone.

Student: So, the exertion should be with respect to the quality of our connection?

M. Laitman: Yes, exactly. 

Student: Thank You.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (16:06) About the sentence, there is no happier state in a man's world than when he finds himself despaired with his own strength because he toiled and worked and did everything that he can do by his own strength, and it does not avail him. So, if we talk about opportunities to act, as the friends now asked, we have different fields we can work in, different things we can do, dissemination, things we haven't done thus far, haven't been doing. So, if I understand correctly, are we talking about performing only the actions that add inner strength to the Ten, not things which are outside of that? 

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Student: Okay, thank You.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (17:09) Continuing the friend’s question, at the end of the article, the letter, he writes that a person can't just say, I'm in despair. He has to act, I'll be it. He can't argue, he can't say, so I can decide that I'm unfit for anything, and why should I do all the labor and exertion, because there is a natural law that there is none so wise as the experienced. So, before he actually tries to do all he can, he is utterly incapable of arriving at true lowliness. He can't pray. So, regarding that point, which he mentions before where the evil inclination comes and rushes in first and tells him that he must do everything within his power, and only then he'll be desired by the Creator. So, what is the difference here between these two things? 

M. Laitman: A person should see whether he needs to pray, so you say, or to continue his work, or seemingly already now the Creator needs to do something. So, we should always see how much more we can connect and for that, there is no limit. This is what I can say. 

Student: That explains what he says in the end there, that we have to make efforts to connect, and only then we can, but what is that evil inclination which comes and says that he must first do everything within his power? Isn't it the same thing? What is that incorrect effort that we should say no to, that we should reject? 

M. Laitman: We seemingly say, that enough, we've done enough in our advancement towards the Creator, within, with our forces, and the rest of it we expect the Creator to do it towards us. So, that's not how it is, but rather we must always yearn for the Creator and only expect that the Creator will perform some action towards us. We need to be in that also, always in such anticipation.

Student: So, I've heard that the Creator's answer is clothed in the person's effort, right? 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: I still don't understand the sentence where he goes so long as he feels he has the power to work by his own strength, his prayer is not complete because the evil inclination rushes in first and tells him that he must first do everything within his power and only then he'll be welcomed by the Creator. So, if a person says I must do everything within my power, why is that bad? 

M. Laitman: It is good if he hasn't yet reached a state where instead of saying, I need to do something with my own strength, but he would feel that he did everything. 

Student: So before he's given that feeling, it's not the evil inclination, right? He still needs to act.

M. Laitman: Oh, he has to labor, but when will be the limit? 

Student: Right, so here he speaks about the limit? 

M. Laitman: Yes, so the limit of the labor, of the exertion is when a person feels that I have done everything, that's it. Beyond here I expect an answer from the Creator. 

Student: It's a qualitative kind of scrutiny, right? 

M. Laitman: Yes, there's no quantity here. It's not about quantity. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (22:00) You said that we need to discover the evil inclination each time anew and to drive it out of ourselves, out of the body. What does it mean to drive out that inclination? Ultimately, the inclination is as an aid against myself. It comes to help me, but I need to know how to work with it. So, how to work correctly with the evil inclination if I'm asking the Creator to drive that thing out of me?

M. Laitman: You nevertheless want to rise above the evil inclination and reach actions that are in order to bestow what we call the good inclination and advance in such a way. 

Student: How can I be confident? How can I tell if my work is not beneficial? How can I come to the understanding that nothing I do is beneficial but it's only the Creator that can help me? 

M. Laitman: Well, you can see that according to the results. That still the evil inclination is alive and strong within you and nothing happens to it. So what to do? It is written that Torah exhausts a person's strength, etc., but I don't feel any weakness in the evil inclination. From one day to the next, it's actually the opposite. I feel that it is growing stronger and stronger. So what to do? This is why they say that you need to pray that you have already reached. Check if you've already reached the point where you have exhausted your own forces and then we need to continue onwards to the next stage. 

Student: That's what I'm asking about. That inclination keeps tricking you. You come to a certain point where suddenly you feel that the friends are closer to you and you feel that there is a common vessel that the Creator is closer, answering your prayers, and suddenly one morning you get up everything is upside down. You feel distant, suddenly you feel you don't even want to come to the lesson and you need to collect yourself with all your strength. So we say the inclination keeps growing stronger. You just said it now. So each time that inclination makes us understand that we're not done, it's not over. But each time you have this illusion of, oh, I've reached a certain good place, so good, so nice, and you ask yourself, is this within your will to receive, or is it truly the Creator showing you that the friends are closer. What is that illusion? 

M. Laitman: This is a very simple illusion because all in all, the Creator must bring a person to a bottom line that there is no force in the world for which he can achieve the goal, to connect to a higher world. There are no forces, but only if you will ask the Creator, then he will receive it. 

Student: But we ask for that every day. Every day you come and you ask for that strength for the friends. I'm not talking about wanting it for myself. I want it for the friends. And suddenly you see a friend getting unstable, right? You see a friend telling you one day before, I'm with you, tomorrow I will do this and that, and you say, oh great, the Creator gave him powers, energy, and you see that it's the opposite the next day. 

M. Laitman: Yes, this is how the Creator shows us how we need to advance further, to be more connected so that in the connection between us we will be able to establish a society where everyone in it will be confident of the support he's getting from the other friends.

Student: I have another question. What does it mean to be awarded with the Creator's love? He says that one who hasn't been awarded with the Creator's love, everything he did the day before is as burned completely the next day. What does it mean? 

M. Laitman: It means that one has to start his work anew, to continue.

Student: So every day anew. Is that how we are awarded with the Creator's love? If every day I come here and you make an effort? 

M. Laitman: You want in each and every action you do to be rewarded with the Creator's love. 

Student: Thank You. 

M. Laitman: We just need to hasten the times more, okay? 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (27:48) I want to ask about the matter of exerting in prayer. So, yesterday we read a letter where he concluded the letter saying, that exerting oneself through prayer, when that's revealed in the person's heart, it's very beneficial. Now he describes a state where a person has done everything he can, he's in utter despair, and the prayer emerges from the depths of the heart. Is there no exertion there, or do you still need to exert? 

M. Laitman: One needs to check. Can he offer such a prayer from his whole desire? 

Student: Before that state, is exertion also through prayer? 

M. Laitman: Also in prayer, but also possibly with actions? 

Question (PT 38): (28:52) If I plead to the Creator and I receive some answer, and then I continue because the Creator is certainly with me, and I act from that power I received from Him, how can I then renew the lack for the exertion? 

M. Laitman: If you receive an answer from the Creator, you don't continue with the same work. You continue according to what you received from your connection with Him. So, it's already different. 

Student: So, I need to expect a different kind of lack in exertion? 

M. Laitman: Possibly. What is important is the collective effort. How much the society is in unity and how much they're yearning towards the same goal and raising their yearning upward in a prayer. 

Question (Turikye 9):(30:00) The ego makes me feel that I've done everything. How can I see that the Creator has done everything? 

M. Laitman: We need to try to feel that. This effort comes out of the fact that we believe in our teachers, in what they said. And this is why we do it this way. 

Question (PT 33): (30:37) It's not clear what the answer should be to the argument of the evil inclination that I haven't worked enough to be worthy of praying wholeheartedly. 

M. Laitman: What were the first words? 

Student: It's not clear how to answer the evil inclination when it says that I haven't done sufficient work to offer a complete prayer. What do I answer? 

M. Laitman: If it says that I didn't do enough work, then I need to check. Did I do it or not? And if not, then I have to complete it. 

Question (UK 1): (31:22) What is the difference between performing more actions and adding in exertion? 

M. Laitman: The addition in exertion is a necessary addition, whereas an additional action is not necessarily a necessary action.

Question (Turikye 7): (31:52) The Torah can exhaust a person's strength. A person who feels that, how can he replenish his strength? 

M. Laitman: He connects with the friends and with the Creator. That's the source.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (32:19) Regarding despairing with one's own strength, is it correct to separate a person's corporeal despair from a person's spiritual despair? 

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Student: What's the difference between them? 

M. Laitman: The corporeal despair depends on the environment, it depends on many corporeal factors, whereas spiritual despair, this is what we are actually reading about now. When a person is despaired of his own forces to reach adhesion with the Creator. 

Student: We feel that there is a difference between corporeal and spiritual despair, which begs the question, why are we all involved in this corporeal world? What is the point of it with respect to spirituality? 

M. Laitman: So that we will have existence without spirituality. That's all of the taste, the reason for this world. That we can exist like animals, and then emerge above the animate level and start a speaking degree. 

Student: How do we reach a prayer? Sometimes a person can be confused, can confuse corporeal prayer and spiritual prayer. 

M. Laitman: He should check.

Student: How can he check? 

M. Laitman: What does he want? What is it that he wants? If he starts something, then certainly he has a desire, so he should check. What is his desire aimed towards? 

Student: So ultimately what is a spiritual prayer? 

M. Laitman: A spiritual prayer is for spiritual achievement. Meaning those that are above the person's desire.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (34:39) One who despairs with his own strength is willing to receive strength from external sources. So here we skip ahead from me despairing with my own strength to me being able to turn to the Creator but I understand that covertly here, or maybe even in a clear way, there is some reference to the people of Israel. If I try to receive some powers, some energy from my environment, how does this contribute? Does it contribute? Is it the part which helps us reach that prayer quickly to that state where we're in despair? Does it help the individual to be in a group in that respect? 

M. Laitman: Yes. If he's in a group then he becomes incorporated of many desires, intentions, thoughts, exertions and he doesn't know in which form and how they become connected within him and how he advances by that. But even though he doesn't know, he's there, just like a baby that grows in some environment. So, what will come out of him is the result of the environment. 

Student: I'll ask more precisely. A person without an environment, can he reach a state where he is in despair with his own strength? 

M. Laitman: If he's not in an environment? 

Student: Yes.

M. Laitman: Yes. But what will he be able to do? 

Student: That's the whole point, because the question arises, when he's in despair with his own strength, what is his prayer? What is he asking for?

M. Laitman: He should ask only for connection. 

Student: With whom?

M. Laitman: Connection with others. 

Student: If there are no others around him, he will never ask. So he must have an environment which will direct him towards that correct request.

M. Laitman: Correct. 

Student: Okay. So, I feel that we need to scrutinize to find how working in the Ten, in the group, is what ultimately brings us to the correct exertion and the right outcome.

M. Laitman: Yes, this is what we learn. We learn together. Each one absorbs what we read, what we talk about, and then each one wants to be more than before, according to his impression from the study, and this is how we become incorporated in each other, and in such a way, we elevate ourselves.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (37:49) He writes that the Creator is high and the lowly will see because after a person exerts himself with all sorts of labors, he grows, he becomes disappointed, and starts doing the correct work, and is then answered by his generous hand. What is the role of lowliness? 

M. Laitman: To awaken a person to a request that the Creator will advance him. 

Student: Can't that be disruptive, actually, to work in such lowliness? 

M. Laitman: But he has to go through this point. This is his zero point.

Student: That point has to remain all the while? A person has to build it? 

M. Laitman: No, not to build it, but this point must exist, and it, in a certain sense, needs to actually grow stronger. So that each time a person begins at that point, and he continues more and more until he truly rises on the degrees of holiness. 

Student: How does this not paralyze him? He enters a state where he's the worst, but this actually carries him in a certain direction? 

M. Laitman: No, he only takes it as a high assumption for now so that he can rise. 

Student: In what sense? 

M. Laitman: Just as a condition.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (39:38) He writes, I labored and I found, believe. So, finding, does that mean to find one's own point of lowliness? 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: So that's the grand prize. 

M. Laitman: Let's say so. 

Student: On the current level?

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Student: And exertion is in what? 

M. Laitman: The exertion is from this point to rise higher. 

Student: I heard you say previously what's important is the effort and effort to have a quality society. So the exertion to consider the friends of high quality. Does it make a person feel that he can't raise them up in importance anymore? 

M. Laitman: By himself he will not succeed.

Student: By himself he won't succeed. So, the exertion is in the inner connection in our hearts? 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: Why is it that the evil inclination always wants to run away from that? 

M. Laitman: Because this is true exertion. Now it will need to work. It will have to go against itself.

Student: Like the friend asked previously, I identify with that very much. There are times when I'm willing to go and do everything possible around the world. Anything except to connect to this friend. Sometimes you feel it. 

M. Laitman: Nice. 

Student: Even willing to go clean the toilets instead of thinking a bit more positively about the friend.

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: Why do we have this inclination to always run away from the central point in our lives? 

M. Laitman: The Creator created these inclinations, these desires and we only understand it when we attain something from the goal. And then we understand how much our desires  begin with, we come from the minus to the plus, and the Creator does the opposite. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (42:20) I didn't quite understand the sentence where he says only about the vessels of reception that can... that I expect their exertion in purity and sanctity that He, the Creator, stands and waits and we are not concerned about that, how to be rewarded with more work. And he also says that one who is concerned without a need is just doing it in vain. What is he concerned about for no need? 

M. Laitman: Anything outside of the goal. 

Student: Meaning, besides exerting in sanctity and holiness there's no point in engaging in other things?

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: He talks about adding exertions, many worries, many exertions. 

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Student: On the other hand, he writes a sentence that says that all of our work is to discover love within us each and every day. 

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Student: Here he says you should focus on only one thing, to reveal love. 

M. Laitman: Correct.

Student: So, what is multiple kinds of exertion? 

M. Laitman: Increasing the exertions. 

Student: You say that we do need to labor. 

M. Laitman: You need to labor to exert yourself, but do the correct kind of labor, only with respect to what's required.

Student: Revealing love within us. So what are all the things that they tell us here to engage in Torah and Mitzvot, in sanctity and purity? This is what the Creator is expecting. 

M. Laitman: All this is meant to direct us towards the purpose of creation.

Student: All kinds of actions that eventually bring us to love between us. 

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (44:22) So, I still didn't understand what is the advice for one who discovers that he's running away from exertion in inner work. He's willing to do everything for the society, for the group. So long as he doesn't need to cope with this inner work that is required. 

M. Laitman: Well, then he is performing some small portion of his work, a small part of his, of the exertion he needs to give, and that won't advance him. 

Student: That's clear, but what is the, what's the advice? That's a given state. So how from here to advance? How to shift from quantitative labor or exertion to qualitative exertion? 

M. Laitman: I don't think he offers qualitative exertion either. Now what to do? To simply understand where he needs to invest himself. 

Student: If he sees that he's running away from this work, from the place where he needs to invest?

M. Laitman: Then he needs some kind of environment to pressure him and to guide him towards the proper goal. 

Student: Because the environment also gives him many options. You can hide behind all kinds of roles. You can do a lot and feel as if you're doing, but it's not in the right place.

M. Laitman: That's why we study. Otherwise we wouldn't be studying. We're studying so that every day we may perform corrections with respect to how we respond to everything that happens to us. Today I respond a bit differently than I did yesterday. 

Student: Okay, but what does the person have the strength to add other than the study? The study, the way it will advance me, it will advance me. But how not to run away? I have a whole day ahead of me. How can I focus on the place, the right place of exertion, not to run away from it? 

M. Laitman: Study during the day and teach. Be connected to the group. Listen to them, hear from them, and speak to them.

Question (Baltia 3): (46:53) Why is it impossible to pray a complete prayer when I didn't yet exert enough? 

M. Laitman: How could it be then that you'll have a complete prayer? You don't have a complete desire. You didn't invest all your energy yet. So how can you pray from the entirety of the heart? 

Student: He continues and asks, it is said that one should pray all day long. So when should I pray? Most of my time the prayer is incomplete because of lack of efforts. 

M. Laitman: You need to do some introspection, some act by which a person examines what is his goal, where is he today? Is he advancing? By what means can he advance more and more every day towards that goal? And then it will become more clear to him what to demand every day.

Student: It is permitted to demand when it's incomplete, when I'm midway, is it okay to pray? 

M. Laitman: Yes, at any place, in any state. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (48:12) Latin 26 is asking, when there's a state of loneliness, the prayer comes from the bottom of the heart. But how to, with power, but how to pray in the same intensity in a state of joy? 

M. Laitman: The state of joy isn't a weakened state where a person has no energy. It may seem to him a bit less serious, but that also depends only on how he appreciates it, values it. So I don't know, I don't think it's correct.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (48:52) from Asia, it seems like the feeling of loneliness is a part of the path of the way. What helps us not to freeze at that point of loneliness and shame and actually want to come out of it? 

M. Laitman: To come out of it is possible only by proving the greatness of the goal closer to me so that I can reach it in a way that it's close.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (49:32) No matter what I feel, should I believe that my friend always lifts me and moves me in the direction of the goal? 

M. Laitman: Well, then what? You need to be grateful for that, to make an effort to connect. All right, that's it. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (49:59) Earlier the friend asked, if there are additional actions beyond our routine, our schedule, how do we operate correctly? Rav said, if it's towards the goal, there has to be a general prayer here, a prayer of connection. I'd like to ask, many times these things that are beyond our routine are things related to dissemination, where we, until today I heard, just do everything, everything possible. If it's purposeful, if the organization supports it, do it. Now I hear some guideline towards prayer, actually. 

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Student: For me, these are two different directions. Maybe I'm wrong about it, maybe it's the same thing, but I don't see how prayer and dissemination are the same thing. 

M. Laitman: Prayer is the revelation of the lack, which is directed at the Creator from within the person or from within that person's connection to the environment, to the society. So, what do you want to hear from me? 

Student: Until today, I heard the following guideline from Rav. We received from Rabash this guideline, and we continue it. We continue dissemination, full force, that's our whole essence, that's our whole purpose, in a certain sense. 

M. Laitman: Full force into dissemination, then from where will we get strength to care for ourselves? I understand that dissemination is also in whole to our benefit, but we also need to do the spiritual work, the connection between us, to prepare the Creator a place in which to be revealed.

Student: So here, Rav, maybe if we can say, you're explaining what should be my inner preparation for dissemination. Before I do that, there's no point in going out. Is that what it is? 

M. Laitman: Yes. All right.  

Question (Karmiel): (52:34) What is lowliness? 

M. Laitman: Lowliness is where I feel myself to be lower, lesser than my friends.

Student: Lesser in what Respect?

M. Laitman: Many different respects could be, in terms of how much I know, preparation for the lessons, connection, and so forth.

Question (Turkiye 2): (53:13) It says, I labored and I found, believe it, I did not labor and I found, do not believe it. It's not clear. On the other hand, I should also believe in the friend or the friends. So how can I reconcile these two things? The friend is asking, how to connect between them? 

M. Laitman: You labored and found, believe. You didn't labor and didn't find, also believe. It's to say that exertion, the exertion needs to be above anything that you can imagine to yourself. That's more important for us, this interpretation. That only through exertion do we attain the goal. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (54:25) Through exertion, in every given moment when we invest physical effort or intention and it's always an exertion. So, every moment, this point that only the Creator can complete our labor, it has to be actualized every time, meaning, in every effort that I invest? 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: Let's say that I try to be in a prayer for the friends and to focus during the lessons. So I shouldn't wait that I… 

M. Laitman: No, no. 

Student: How each time to reach this point where in a given moment I did everything and there's room for the Creator to do… 

M. Laitman: Think that you're doing this for the sake of the friend. Like a mother for her little child. She does everything around him. He doesn't feel that it's for his benefit, for him. That's how the world is built it seems to him. And… Yes, that's how we should act. 

Student: If I operate like a mother it means that I operate with my own forces. So how each time do I leave room for the Creator? 

M. Laitman: Of course, you work with the Creator in front of the friends. 

Question (Moscow 7): (56:19) We learn that a complete prayer is when we ask for the whole society, for others, meaning anything besides asking for myself. And there's another point that was added here, that I have to reach despair with my own forces, and then the Creator hears my prayer. 

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Student: Is there another point also that I saw in the article There is None Else Besides Him, that we reach a state where there is no lowlier… the state cannot be any lower, and I am better off dead than alive. 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: Is this a different point than the one that we talk about in this article? 

M. Laitman: Not exactly. 

Student: Meaning, that same point that we now read about, about despair from one's own forces brings us closer to the feeling that I am better off dead than alive? 

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Student: Okay, I understand.

Question (MAK 16): (57:23) It says in the article about the prayer at the point of despair, it sounds as though it's about an individual prayer, my prayer. Should we reach this point also in the group? 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Reader: Should all of us together enter this state, or not necessarily? 

M. Laitman: You will necessarily enter that point, and together. 

Question (KabU 14): (57:56) Is loneliness of the friend something we should actively pray for and cultivate, and that we should feel lower than them? Or is it something that just happens over time? 

M. Laitman: No. This comes to us from above, the feeling of loneliness, according to our exertion. 

Student: How do I ask for the Ten, with the Ten's desires and not include myself in that? How do I do that? 

M. Laitman: Ask. Pray. Think in that direction. And you will see that it is possible. 

Question (Turkey 5): (59:11) Is the exertion what completes between the screen and the vessel of reception? 

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Question (Poland): (59:30) But constantly in a very strong environment of raising the greatness of the friends, and upliftments, and high spirits, and help each other to do the work. So, how can we reach let's say a feeling of being the lowest in that state in such an environment? 

M. Laitman: We will continue and we'll reach a state where it's all clear, all sorted. Africa.

Question (Africa): (01:00:28) Does this state come, I mean, there's a feeling that this state comes through smaller stages? Sorry, on the lower stages. Does this happen on the lower stages also, but only also on higher stages? 

M. Laitman: Can someone clarify his question? 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): He's asking whether reaching the feeling that you're the spirit of your own forces is only in a very advanced stage in the work, or does it happen to a person throughout the whole process? 

M. Laitman: It happens at some point on the path. 

Student: In one point? 

M. Laitman: No, no, it's a process. It's a good question. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:01:30) I saw many friends who reached such a state where they want the Ten to connect but they're not asking for it. They're not asking, they want to tend to connect, but they're not asking for it. Should I then try to ask for the friend or tell him to ask? 

M. Laitman: Can someone clarify? 

Student: He saw many friends reach a state of despair. Then they ask the Ten to connect. They don't ask from the Creator, but they ask that the Ten will connect. How do we have correctly in such states? 

M. Laitman: So is the question here about if it's one person or the Ten? 

Student: They don't turn to the Creator, they turn to the Ten and ask that the Ten will connect. 

M. Laitman: Yes, of course. He writes about this, that a person should face his prayer from within the Ten, and he himself also wants to participate in that. All right? 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:02:59) Nearing or distancing from the Creator are given by the Creator. So, how do we overcome it? 

M. Laitman: I don't understand the question. 

Reader: Can you repeat, please? Can you repeat the question? Please repeat the question, Latin 13.

Student: The distancing from the friends, the Creator gives us this distance from the friend, so how can we defeat Him? 

M. Laitman: We ask for closeness. That's how we win. Or utilize, or exploit that feeling of distance that the Creator awakens in us. That's it. Let's see, what do we have next? 

Reader: We'll move on to the next part of the lesson.

Song: (01:04:17)