The transcript has been transcribed and edited from English simultaneous interpretation, thus there may be potential semantic inaccuracies within it.
Daily Morning Lesson: November 25, 2025
Part 2: LESSONS OF THE RABASH ON TES
Reader: Hello friends, in a moment we will start studying TES with Rabash. Before we enter the study with Rabash, let's make a preparation. I'll read a part from a Rabash article called “What are Torah and Work in the Way of the Creator.” I'll read it twice, then we will have a warm-up workshop between us in the Ten in order to receive light from Rabash. Rabash writes as follows in “What are Torah and Work in the Way of the Creator.”
Reading: RABASH. Article No. 12 (1988), “What Are Torah and Work in the Way of the Creator” – Twice
It is beneficial to elicit the light from the Torah—if he aims while engaging in the Torah, to learn in order to receive the reward of the Torah, called “light.” At that time, the learning of Torah is good for him. But when he is distracted from the purpose of studying Torah, the Torah does not help complete the work of making the vessels of bestowal and not using the vessels of reception for one’s own sake. Otherwise, his Torah vanishes from him. That is, the force of Torah and that should have subdued the evil inclination is cancelled. This is the meaning of the words, “Any Torah with which there is no work,” meaning when he does not aim for the Torah to do the work of turning the vessels of reception to work in order to bestow, “is finally cancelled,” meaning that that force is cancelled.
Reader: Let's read it again.
Reader: In order for it not to be cancelled, let's help each other to prepare for studying with Rabash, a preparation workshop. How do we enter the study of TES with Rabash? Please, six minutes. How do we enter the study of TES with Rabash?
Workshop (not included)
Reader: Okay, friends, we should open our books now. The Study of Ten Sefirot, Volume 1, Part 4, in Hebrew, it's page 284. Again, the Study of the Ten Sefirot, in Hebrew, it's page 244, chapter 6, Item 1. We will read Item 1, then we will start hearing the voice of Rabash. He writes,
Reading: Baal HaSulam. "Study of the Ten Sefirot" (TES). Vol. 1. Part 4. Chapter 6. #1 In the first expansion of Akudim the lights did not emerge complete. Hence, they returned to their root to be completed and thus a vessel was made
Reader: Now, let's hear Rabash.
RABASH (Source Text/Commentary): (00:04) Only after the light departs the vessel, then it is evident that the vessel is lacking. Evidence of this is that the light departed from her. She has coarseness. But he adds a rule. First, a degree must have all its lights. Then you can say that the lights departed from her. But before it reached each and every discernment, it cannot yet be said that they departed. He still doesn't have what he needs to have. And this is what he says here. Look again down here, item one. What's written here in item one?
Know that when they emerged, they did not emerge complete.
So he explains, what does it mean, they did not emerge complete? What is missing? He explains in Inner Light.
This is because only Malchut received the complete five Parzufim NRNHY of Nefesh, holy. But the other first nine Sefirot, which are above Malchut were deficient. What is their deficiency? ZA had only Haya of Ruach, lacking Keter of Ruach. And Bina was Neshama of Neshama. So it follows she lacked Hochma of Neshama also. And in Hochma, there were only two vessels, only Ruach of Hochma. It follows she also lacked Neshama of Hochma. And Keter, the light of Yechida was there. How many lights were there? One light she had, Nefesh of Yechida. It follows, Ruach of Yechida, he also didn't have. In the Keter, the Ruach of Yechida was missing as well.
The other vessels for the surrounding lights were absent there altogether,
even Malchut. This we'll scrutinize later. We learn here, for the first degree, the first level, when the first Partzuf emerged after the restriction called Galgalta of AK, which had coarseness of the fourth discernment. It had the level of Keter. It had that form. Malchut, which does not receive more than Nefesh with respect to direct light, we should remember. With respect to her, there was Yechida. And ZA had only Haya de Ruach. And Neshama had Neshama of Neshama, and Hochma had Ruach of Hochma. And Yechica had Nefesh of Yechida. It is said, what was revealed in the worlds, when the light of Yechida was revealed in the worlds, at first, it was only in Partzuf Galgalta, and nothing of it was revealed except the Nefesh. Later, Yechida will appear in more. When I say the level of Keter, I mean Nefesh of Yechida, whereas Partzuf AK did not have the light of Yechida. Secondly, he says, seeing as the light cannot be revealed without a vessel, there's no light without a vessel, and the vessel in which the light is revealed is called reflected light, it then follows that the light of Yechida found in the vessel of Keter cannot illuminate but only through reflected light.
RABASH: (04:45) And the reflected light that comes from below upwards, we learn that Malchut is called Keter of reflected light. And the reflected light of Keter, of direct light, receiving, that's called Malchut of Ohr Hozer. And since there is a rule, the lower one from which is received is smaller, it follows Hochma of direct light, who receives from Keter, which is called the second degree of Keter, second to Keter, the reflected light in the vessel of Keter of direct light, from where is it received? From Hochma of direct light. It follows that if Keter is inferior to Hochma, well, we find that by this, the entire degree is called the degree of Keter. Due to who? It is by the reflected light that the entire degree was one degree even though there is a difference in the details, but the degree is one degree. To understand this, what is this? I once said, A person has hands, and feet, and a head. If the person has a good mood, if he's in good spirits, he has a level. So, I say that there will be a different level. Moses, Moshe Rabbeinu, Moses, the Sages talked about the verse, Jacob raised his feet after the Creator promised him, I will save you, safeguard you wherever you go, so Rashi interprets, since the Creator, through the promise of the Creator, his feet became light. So, the feet heard what the Creator promised, then it's the same level. It follows, on the same level, I can't discern that my feet are inferior or lesser to my hands; they're more important. But in action, Malchut has only the light of Nefesh, and Zeir Anpin has no more than the light of Ruach, and Bina has no more than the light of Neshama, and Hochma has no more than the light of Haya, and Keter has the light of Yechida, but it's one level. We don't make these distinctions, who's above, who's below; each one serves his own role. That's the interpretation. They're all called the level of Keter, there are differences of course, but if you say that they're all the level of Keter, why is there a difference between Nefesh, and Ruach, and Neshama? In exactly the same way as when I say that in a person there's a difference between the legs, and the hands, arms is one more important than the other. It's a big level.
The total level, the entire person, hands and feet. If a person is in a bad state, he drags his feet. What's the difference? It's a different level. The roles each one serves, well, they're important roles. And we said that you need to go, if you need to go somewhere, you don't use your hands. When you want to receive something, you don't use your feet. But it's not above and below. It's a matter of futility. So, what determines the level? That's what he says here. What is the greatness of the Partzuf Galgalta of AK that he's called the level of Keter? Because the light of Yechida shines there. What is there of the light of Yechida? Nefesh. But it's Yechida. So, when they're all the light of Yechida, this is called the degree of. Keter.
RABASH (Source Text/Commentary): (09:10) Item two.
What does it say in item two?
Thus, look above. Since they emerged incomplete and unfinished, they returned to their root above to be corrected and completed. And thus, a vessel was made.
Down below. What does it say here? Returned to rise, to ascend. So, he explains to us how did they ascend? So, he says,
item two. The surrounding lights and inner lights were clashing with each other. And thus has been explained above. And thus became refined and rose to their root, to the Peh where they received their completeness, as it explains above.
So, what does it say here? He wants to explain to us. We say that above, there is no place, no time. So what does it mean
they returned to ascend?
So, he says two things here. The reason that they returned to ascend. What does it mean they ascended if there are no places? So, the reason is the following. There was a clash of inner light with surrounding light. What is inner light? What is surrounding light? Why was there a clash? Why were they refined? Why did they ascend? He will now explain these four things. Inner light is what shines in the internality of the vessel. Surrounding light means that the vessel is outside of the light. The light stands on the outside and surrounds it until the light can be received in the internality. It's like in corporeality when we speak about a siege with some army surrounds the city. Then the people in the city surrender and accept all the conditions that they demand. This is the same with the surrounding light. It is considered that in the end, this surrounding light will enter, will come into the internality. But how are they divided? This one is internal light, the other one is surrounding light. This begins immediately in the Rosh of the degree. Meaning, Malchut, that drew the degree, we're talking immediately after the restriction. Since the light comes to Malchut, which is called receiving in order to receive, Malchut, and since there was a restriction that we want equivalence of form, so this Malchut makes a calculation. How much it is able to, what percentages it can receive in order to bestow that she will receive, and the rest of it, which she cannot aim in order to bestow, that, she will not receive. This is called Malchut of the Rosh. It was in potential, but not yet actualized. Later on, what was in potential, it's actualized. The part that she can aim in order to bestow, she receives it. This is called inner light. It's called the Sephirot, from the Peh of the Rosh, from the Malchut of the Rosh and to the Tabur, to the Malchut of the Guf. And the part that if she will receive and that she is not able to aim for it, what does she say? She will not receive it. This is called Tabur. It's also called Malchut of the Guf that says, I do not want to receive. It turns out that in the Guf, what she receives is called inner light. What she doesn't want to receive is called surrounding light, on the outside.
RABASH: (14:09) By way of depiction, we can learn that it's as if the surrounding light comes and tells the screen that gives the reflected light the intensity to bestow by which the light can shine. And it says, but to benefit His creations, the intention was that they'll receive all of the light, but you receive only a part of it. So I'm telling you that you have to say that the way that you are following is incorrect. Let's say that you remain in your state. Can the purpose of creation be revealed in its completeness? Never. So, it turns out that there is a clash, a striking. He explains that in spirituality, two things that contradict each other, it is called a striking. A person becomes conspicuous by making a clash. So to do this, I mean, above, there is inner light that he can receive in order to bestow. If he'll stay the way he is, the purpose of creation will never reach its completeness. So he tells the surrounding light, You're right. It turns out that the force of detaining that he doesn't want to receive, he loses it. So, to receive, therefore, what will happen? He doesn't want to receive in order to receive. He doesn't want that. And so he remains without anything. When he stops receiving, he returns to his root as in the beginning when it was in the Malchut of the Rosh. He started to receive. Reception is considered that he descended to the Guf now that he agrees to receive. It is considered once again that he rose to the Malchut of Rosh, where he came from. However, we give it a name, Ta’amim, tastes, Nekudot, Dots, since there is a rule that in every screen there are four phases, as it was in the well-known four phases. And so, when the screen is refined from phase four, phase three still remains. So, he says, over that smaller degree, which is called three, through three we also have two, so long as there is some force of detaining so that he can aim something in order to bestow, he receives that until he loses the entire force of detaining. It follows that Malchut, which is called Malchut of Guf, that was receiving in order to bestow, now that she can no longer aim, she doesn't receive anything. It is considered that once again she rose to Malchut of Rosh, and once again she asks to be given the force of detaining, the force of the screen, so that she'll be able to receive. But what we have to remember, when the light departs, it leaves a record of the light that was shining before. This record has two roles. One role is that the record, the Reshimo, remains in the vessels in order to revive the vessels so they'll have a little bit of livelihood. It's not actual light; it's considered a part of light, a part of the direct light. That's one. And we also learn that the screen, which is refined from one degree to the next degree, records also remain in the screen of what was shining in it, and now this light departed from it. After this screen was refined and ascended to the Malchut of Rosh, so it becomes incorporated with all the records that he has.
So seemingly, it now knows what to ask for so that it will be given another screen. This is why we learn that the last phase is lost, meaning that when Malchut ascends to the Rosh, she seemingly says, over the degree that I had before, I already see that I will not be able to overcome it, so give me the force of overcoming over a smaller degree, over phase three. This is why we learn that the second degree that emerged over the coupling by striking, over the Malchut of Rosh for the second Partzuf, it already has a coarseness of three. OK, so now we will move down. What does it say below? What does it say below?
RABASH (Source Text/Commentary): (19:41) Item two. Thus, because they emerged incomplete and unfinished, they returned to the root above to be corrected and completed, and thus, a vessel was made.
Now down below. What does it mean they ascended if there are no places? So, he explains also what is the reason why they ascended.
So he says,
item two, the surrounding lights and inner lights were clashing with each other for the screen.
The inner lights wanted the screen to remain, so there would be reflected light, so then he can receive in order to bestow, and then it can remain in the vessels, inside the vessels. But the surrounding lights were claiming that then the purpose of creation will never reach its completeness, which is considered were clashing with each other, and thus became refined.
Meaning they stopped receiving because they don't have a screen. This is considered that
they rose to the root, to the Peh from where they emerged, like before. Before they emerged, when they were receiving, it's considered they were both in the Peh. Now, when they stopped receiving, it is once again considered equivalence of form. This is what it means that they rose to the Peh of Rosh. Item three, down below, what does it mean surrounding? Look up.
The thing is that the phase of vessels was certainly in potential, though it was not actually inside the light.
Three, when he says that
the phase of vessels was certainly in potential,
item three, relates to the ten Sefirot of the Rosh, where the reflected light clothes the direct light from below upwards. This is only potential clothing, but not actual clothing. It says in the Inner Light.
What does it say afterwards?
Since it was in the phase of light, it was coarser and cruder.
What is difficult here? He tells us that the vessels should become discernible. Where? In the Rosh or in the Guf? In the Guf. What does he tell us?
The phase of vessels was certainly in potential,
in the Rosh, though it was not actually inside the light. Because it was in the phase of light, it was coarse and crude. Coarser and cruder. What is Rosh, Guf? Let's see what he explains.
Item four. It means that the phase of reflected light, that clothes and receives for the Ten Sefirot of the Rosh from below upward is regarded as the phase of potential vessels, there. With respect to the Ten Sefirot, it's considered direct light, there.
Who? The reflected light.
It's considered, or called coarse and crude light, since it is regarded as light of departure, meaning light that is not received in Malchut because of the power of the detaining screen. This reflected light expands the vessel of Malchut of the Rosh into Ten Sefirot from her and within her, and expands with her from the Peh down for actual clothing, called Guf. After the departure of this expansion from within the reflected light that clothes her, this reflected light remains below as actual coarse light.
RABASH (Source Text/Commentary): (24:35) He wants to explain to us the words of The ARI, who says,
certainly, look up, up. The thing is that the phase of vessels was certainly in potential. This is called the screen of the Rosh.
Though, it was not actually inside the light, since it was in the phase of light that was coarser and cruder.
This means that he's referring to the Rosh of the degree, and the vessel, what we are talking about, is specifically in the Guf. So, how does The ARI explain the matter of the Guf? This is why he later explains to us what was in potential. The vessel was in potential, reflected light, which in the Rosh is called the coarser and cruder light. Why is it called the coarser and cruder light? How can we say about the light that it's a coarse, a crude light? With the vessels, we can understand it, but about the light? So, he comes and explains it below.
Since it is regarded as the light of departure,
why was there a departure? Reflected light, this means that he doesn't want to receive it. If he will receive it, it would be receiving in order to receive. This is why he rejects it. It's not that the light is coarse. He is coarse, he cannot tolerate such a great light. This is why the reflected light is called coarse light. Meaning, if he'll receive it, the lower one, it will make him coarse. Another point, here we need to divide this reflected light into two discernments. That is, it's correct that the light departed, but how come it's also a clothing light? We say that through the reflected light, he receives the abundance, which is called direct light. Which is why we learned that a few times already, that this reflected light that he rejects, we make two discernments in it. One, the direct light, when it comes, Malchut of the Rosh makes a calculation of how much it is she is able to aim in order to bestow, that she will receive. And the rest of it is such great light, that if she'll receive it, it would be difficult to aim with it in order to bestow, so she doesn't want to receive it. And so she rejects it. Turns out, what is reflected light? It is truly direct light, even greater than the part of the direct light that the lower one receives. So, why is it called reflected light? It's a different name. He rejects it. He doesn't want to receive it.
RABASH (Source Text/Commentary): (28:35) Another point. What do we learn? Because he wants equivalence of form to receive in order to bestow, so we call the second reflected light, as what it says, that he wants to receive in order to bestow, this is called reflected light. What does it mean, this word, reflected light? So, he says the following. The clothing reflected light is an outcome of, or a consequence of, two discernments. That the force of departing from it, of abstaining from it, he doesn't want to receive it. If there will be an obligation from this light that he rejects, he receives it. That's actual light. By both of them, there's a consequence. It's born, which is called reflected light. Which is clothing, that by it, he can receive the light. To understand it, we need to say the following. He receives a great light, a great pleasure. Now, by wanting to bestow to the upper one, this is called direct light. Direct light is considered from above downwards, that the upper one wants to bestow to the lower one. And reflected light is the opposite. The lower one wants to bestow to the upper one. By him not wanting to receive the light, since he wants equivalence of form, so he receives illumination from the light that was rejected, which is direct light. That he doesn't receive it. This is called a consequence, that he has a great pleasure from bestowing to the upper one. So he sees, what does the upper one lack so that he can receive, give it something? Since the purpose of the upper one was to benefit his creations, so then he says, I want to receive. Why? Because he wants to bestow. It therefore follows that the reflected light that he received in the Rosh, that he gets pleasure by wanting to bestow to the upper one. And since the pleasure of the upper one is only in that the lower ones receive from him, this is why we say that Malchut of the Rosh made a calculation of how much he can receive in order to bestow, and then she goes and receives. This is considered that Malchut herself is expanded into
Ten Sefirot from her and within her.
This means that she's going to receive these Ten Sefirot in order to bestow. It turns out that from Malchut of the Rosh and below, in the Guf, it's only Malchut. The Ten Sefirot are in the Rosh. And what do we have down below in the Guf? Malchut, when she goes and receives, it is considered that Malchut is expanded into
Ten Sefirot from her and within her.
Is this clear? Now we will go down below once again. What does it say in 3?
The thing is that the phase of vessels was certainly in potential.
Item 3 below
relates to the Ten Sefirot of the Rosh where the reflected light flows from below upward.
What does it mean from below upward? The one who bestows is called up, the lower one who receives is called down, and the upper one gives to the lower one, but he doesn't want to receive it.
This is only potential clothing.
In the Rosh, he only made a calculation of how much he can receive, but in the meantime, in what situation does he stand in? From below upward, he didn't receive anything yet. This is considered
potential but not actual clothing.
RABASH (Source Text/Commentary): (33:45) Here we need to know what is the word clothing. If we speak intellectually, my mind receives what is said, but we don't speak in this way. But we say that my mind clothes what he says; therefore, when we speak about the mind, the reception that the mind receives is called clothing. So, when we speak in a subtle way about the lights, we also say clothing in potential. What does it mean? He doesn't attain yet. He doesn't yet want to attain. After he will know clearly what he can receive in order to bestow, then he begins to clothe. He begins to attain. This is what it says in four. What is four?
Though it was not actually inside the light, since it was in the phase of light, it was coarser and cruder.
Now item four below.
It means that the phase of reflected light that clothes and receives the Ten Sefirot of the Rosh from below upward, that he doesn't receive yet, is regarded as the phase of potential vessels there.
He doesn't yet receive with these vessels, but only in potential. Later on, he can overcome in actuality.
With respect to the Ten Sefirot of direct light there, it is called, with respect to the abundance, this reflected light
is called coarse and crude light. How can we call it coarse and crude? He explains.
Since it is regarded as light of departure, meaning light that is not received in Malchut, because of the power of the detaining screen.
This phase, if he'll receive it, he won't be able to aim in order to bestow. This is why he returns it, reflects it. This is why the reflected light comes. How is it born? What does it come from? Because he doesn't want to receive. This is why it's called coarse light. It's not the light that is called coarse, but what he feels from the light is called coarse. This is why we call it coarse light. After he has this reflected light in potential, what does he do in actuality now?
Now this reflected light expands the vessel of Malchut of the Rosh into Ten Sefirot from her and within her, and expands with her from the head down to actual clothing called Guf. After the departure of this expansion from within the reflected light that clothes her, which is called Guf,
this reflected light remains below in the Guf as actual coarse light.
So, he starts to explain with the Rosh, and he ends the explanation with the Guf. Here we need to distinguish that the screen is called the force of overcoming, so I cannot call the screen the force that receives. He says that with each one, the force of overcoming that is now weaker, so he goes up and he asks for what? For the force to receive, or the force to overcome? It is considered that he goes up and asks, give me the force to overcome. How much? According to what I recorded, the force that I had before, I can no longer do that. Give me a smaller force to overcome. This is considered that the last phase is lost, and he wanted a smaller degree, phase three. Over that emerged Partzuf AB, that can no longer overcome what's called the great light, but only with a smaller degree, which is called the level of Hochma. Now, in Inner Light, item 5.
RABASH (Source Text/Commentary): (38:16) So what does it say, item 5, it says the following. It says
the thing is that the phase of vessels was certainly in potential above, though it was not actually inside the light, since it was in the phase of light that was coarser and cruder
through the direct light, though it was well connected with the essence. Consequently, its phase remained concealed.
Five, he explains it. Item five.
Because the reflected light in the Rosh is connected to the essence of the direct light and is not as refined as it, without any difference whatsoever, even though it is a light of departure, which is judgment.
Why doesn't he want to receive? Because he knows that if he will receive it, this is considered judgment.
It is nevertheless manifested only to the vessels of reception. However, in the Rosh, there was no clothing whatsoever,
so no reception. It is not at all regarded as judgment. Moreover, it is regarded as the very source of mercy for it,
that reflected light extends and connects the ten Sefirot of direct light until it brings them from above downwards into the Guf. And for this reason, it is connected to the essence of the direct light, and there is nothing to distinguish between them.
If so, what do we learn from here? Where is it connected? In the Rosh specifically, but in the Guf, it is not connected already. Then what's written?
Consequently, above:its phase remained concealed. It is so because when the light emerged through the Peh outwards, where? Below. Below Peh and Guf. It all emerged mixed together.
6. It means, if so, then when was it connected? In the Rosh, but in the Guf, no? No? For this, he adds here, six, it means that even afterwards, when the reflected light exited the Rosh and expanded with the direct light from above downward for clothing inside the Guf,
this is according to what was mentioned before. When there's clothing, the vessel of reception called the discernment of judgment is discerned.
There is still no apparent difference. There is a difference, but it's not apparent.
Between the direct light and the reflected light that clothes it, which is the vessel, rather, they are seemingly mixed together.
Why? They're receiving already. In reception, there's a difference in terms of the quality of judgment, which is reflected light, which comes from judgment. So he says,
the reason for it is that the coarseness that appears in the reflected light as it expands from above downwards has no lowliness and demerits at all. It is not at all darker than the direct light that is clothed in it.
Why? Because the coarseness is the vessel of reception, the will to receive in which he makes a screen. Its entire merits and the height of its level of the degree, meaning
had it lacked some of its coarseness. There wasn't the fourth phase of the degree of Keter, only the third phase.
Its level of light would have been deficient, hence they are of equal importance and regarded as mixed together.
RABASH: (43:28) If so, what does he say here? In the Rosh, there is no difference, seeing as, whenever I say reflected light, what is reflected light? Since he wants to receive, lights emerge in equivalence of form, because there was judgment in the vessel of reception, it's forbidden to receive. That's why he doesn't receive it, and by abstaining, like that, the reflected light is revealed, which is called an offspring of this power of abstinence. He doesn't want to receive with the eternal direct light, as we learned. So it follows that its foundation, from where does it come? From the coarseness. That is, it's forbidden to receive against judgment, but when receiving, I can say that forbidden is allowed, but when we say Rosh, it means that it's still in the discernment of clothing. In effect, it did not receive anything, and if so, there's no difference there, where we can say reflected light, direct light, but only afterwards, when he begins to receive, then there's a difference. Meaning that he receives with that reflected light, that is, the second discernment of the reflected light, and here he comes and says that the second discernment of the reflected light, it's not apparent yet that it's the discernment of judgment, the inferiority of the reflected light compared to the direct light, it's not apparent yet. Why? They're considered to be mixed. What does it mean, mixed? I don't know which one is more important, and in corporeality, when you want to go to a meal…