A Congregation Is No Less than Ten

Article 28, 1986

It is written in The Zohar, Nasso (item 105): “Rabbi Elazar started, ‘Why have I come and there is no man?’ How beloved are Israel by the Creator, for wherever they are, the Creator is among them. ‘And let them make Me a Temple and I will dwell among them.’ Every synagogue in the world is called a ‘Temple.’ ‘And I will dwell among them,’ since the Shechina [Divinity] comes to the synagogue first. Happy is he who is among those first ones in the synagogue, since by them what is completed is completed, meaning the congregation, which is no less than ten. Also, the ten must be in the synagogue at once, and not come one at a time, since all ten are as organs of one body, in which the Shechina resides, for the Creator has made man at once, and established all his organs together, as it is written, ‘He has made you and established you.’”

We should discern in the above words:

1) Why does he say, “Wherever Israel are, the Creator is among them”? This implies that there is no need for a special place. Afterwards he says, “And let them make Me a Temple and I will dwell among them,” meaning specifically in the synagogue.

2) The words, “And let them make Me a Temple and I will dwell among them,” imply that first there must be some preparation, meaning “making the Temple,” and then “I will dwell,” and not just like that.

3) What is the question that he asks, “Why have I come and there is no man?” If you say that the Shechina comes to the synagogue first, of course there is still no one there.

4) It is difficult to understand what he says, “The ten must be in the synagogue at once, and not come one at a time.” Can it be said that all those who come to the synagogue should wait outside until ten men have gathered, and then they will all enter at once? We have never seen such a thing. So what does it mean that they must not come one at a time?

To understand the above we will explain in the work how to begin the order of the work in a manner of bestowal, called “not in order to receive reward.” First, we must remember two things, which are “giver” and “receiver.” This extends from His desire to do good to His creations, which is why He has created creatures—to receive the delight and pleasure that He wants to give them. This receiver, namely the Kli [vessel] that the Creator created in which to receive the delight and pleasure, is called “desire to receive delight and pleasure.” He can enjoy this to the extent of the craving for it. That is, the Kli in which we receive pleasure is called “craving.”

We attribute these Kelim [vessels] to the Creator. That is, the Kli that initially received from the Creator is called Malchut, or Behina Dalet [Fourth Phase (discernment)], which means that it is a craving to receive delight and pleasure. This is called a Kli of Ohr Yashar [Direct Light]. This is the Kli that was used prior to the Tzimtzum [restriction], and it is called Malchut de Ein Sof [infinity/no end].

Afterwards there was a correction to prevent the bread of shame, since there is a rule in the nature that the Creator has created, that the branch wants to resemble its root. Why is there such a nature? We are forbidden to ask because with respect to the Creator, says the holy Zohar, “There is no thought or perception in Him at all.” This means that the lower ones cannot attain the thoughts of the Creator.

Everything we say is only in the form of “By Your actions we know You,” meaning we speak only through the actions that appear to our eyes, from what we see and can explain, but not before the act that appears before us. For this reason we begin to speak of the first connection between the Creator and the creatures, called “His desire to do good to His creations.” Prior to this we cannot speak because we have no attainment in Him. Hence, we only see that in nature, the branch wants to resemble its root.

To correct this, meaning that because the receiver wants equivalence of form with the root, and if it were to receive it would feel unpleasantness, the Tzimtzum occurred, called “not wanting to receive in order to receive,” but to receive only if he can receive it in order to bestow. This caused us not to be able to receive abundance with the Kli called “desire to receive,” but rather with a new Kli, called “Ohr Hozer” [Reflected Light]. It means that the Ohr Yashar is regarded as the abundance that the Creator gives to the lower ones, and Ohr Hozer is the opposite—that which the lower ones wish to give the Creator.

For this reason, Ohr Yashar is called “from above downward,” meaning that the upper one, the Giver, namely the Creator, gives to the lower ones. Conversely, the Ohr Hozer is called “from below upward,” meaning the lower one, who is the receiver, wants to bestow upon the Creator. We attribute this Kli, called “in order to bestow,” to the lower one because the lower one did it in order to correct itself, since it wants to resemble its root. It is as we learn, that in the world of Ein Sof, the Kli of Malchut received the light in the Kli of Ohr Yashar, meaning in a Kli that came from the upper one. But the Kli of Ohr Hozer is a Kli that the lower one should make.

After the correction to receive only in Kelim of Ohr Hozer was made, all the worlds and many degrees extended from it. Because this Kli extends from the lower one, it cannot be completed at once, but bit by bit, according to the strength of the lower ones. Therefore, since many Kelim were made, the lights divide into many degrees. This was not so when what we attribute to the Creator, called “receiving in order to receive,” illuminated in the Kli. The Creator created this Kli at once, in full, so naturally, it was one simple light, without distinction of degrees.

It is as he writes in the book, Tree of Life (presented in The Study of the Ten Sefirot, p 1): “Know that before the emanations were emanated and the creatures created, the upper, simple light had filled the whole of reality. However, everything was one, simple light, completely equal, and it is called ‘the light of Ein Sof.’” The reason is that since we attribute this Kli to the Creator, it is completed in whole, hence they received one light, without distinction of degrees.

But the Kli that we attribute to the lower one cannot be completed at once. Rather, all the work we must exert in is only one—to make a Kli called Ohr Hozer. This means that the lower one wants to receive delight and pleasure from the Creator only because he wants to bestow upon the Creator, and this is called Ohr Hozer [Reflected Light]. When the lower one realizes that he has no desire to receive for himself, but that he wants to delight the Creator, he calculates what he can give to the Creator that the Creator will enjoy.

At that time he sees that he can give only one thing that will delight the Creator. Since the purpose of creation is to do good to His creations, and the Creator wants to give delight and pleasure to the creatures, he says, “I want to receive delight and pleasure because I want to please the Creator.” And the more abundance he can receive—meaning that he feels the greatest pleasure from the abundance that he receives—the Creator will certainly enjoy this more.

This is similar to a person who invited over an important person. The man and his household toiled all day and all night so that the important guest would enjoy the food. When the guest ate the meal, which cost him great efforts, and in which he did everything to delight the guest, at the end of the meal he asked the guest, “What do you say about our meal? Did you ever taste a meal like this?”

He replied to him: “To tell you the truth, I don’t care what I eat. I never regarded the pleasure I can derive from food, so I wouldn’t mind if you prepared a simpler meal, since I hear from you that you put great efforts into it.” When the landlord hears this, what pleasure does he have from giving him a big meal?

The lesson is that if a person receives delight and pleasure from the Creator because he wants to delight the Creator by helping Him carry out the purpose of creation—that the Creator wants to delight His creatures—but he says that he derives no joy from the delight and pleasure he receives from the Creator, then what contentment is he bringing to the Creator by saying that he doesn’t feel any taste in His delight and pleasure, and that to him it is all the same?

It therefore follows that if one can try to constantly increase what he is receiving from the Creator and appreciate the King’s gift, there is a reason for it: He can say to the Creator, “I am receiving great pleasure from You because I know that only with this I can delight You, and this is why I want to receive plentiful pleasures.”

However, we must remember that after the sin of the tree of knowledge that Adam HaRishon sinned, man became as dust, receiving in order to receive. This extends from the worlds ABYA de Tuma’a [impurity], as it is written in the “Introduction to the Book of Zohar” (item 25), “It is incumbent upon man to receive strength from above by the merit of Torah and Mitzvot [commandments], so he can bestow, and this is called ‘Israel,’ meaning Yashar-El [straight to the Creator]. This means that all his thoughts and desires are only to bring contentment to the Creator. But if he still does not have this desire, it is considered that the person is in exile among the nations of the world, who enslave him to work only for self-love, which is ‘receiving in order to receive.’ This pertains to the Klipot [shells/peels], and not to Kedusha [holiness/sanctity], as it is written, ‘You will be holy for I am holy.’ This means that as the Creator is only about bestowal, your intention will also be only to bestow.”

But the opposite of that, meaning when his intention is not to bestow, it is regarded as the opposite of Israel. Rather, it is called “straight to the nations of the world,” since they are opposite in form from the Creator, whose desire is only to bestow. But if in this place there is Yashar-El—where he is in equivalence of form with the Creator—meaning that there is no other authority there, in that place comes the instilling of the Shechina, as it is written, “Wherever I mention My name, I will come to you and bless you.” This means that the Creator says, “If I can say that only My name is in this place, and the creature’s authority is not upon it, since the lower one wants only to bestow upon the Creator, then “I will come to you and bless you,” meaning that on this place I instill My Shechina.

By this we will understand what we asked about the holy Zohar’s saying that wherever they are, the Creator is among them, which implies that there is no need for a special place. Afterwards it says as it is written, “And let them make Me a Temple and I will dwell among them,” meaning precisely in a Temple, and not just anywhere.

We should interpret his saying “wherever they are” to mean wherever “they,” meaning Yashar-El, are present, where the meaning of Yashar-El is straight to the Creator, who are in equivalence of form with the Creator. That is, as the Creator gives mercy, they, too, want only to bestow upon the Creator. And since there is equivalence of form, to that extent the Tzimtzum is removed. Hence in this place there is the Shechina.

This is called, “And let them make Me a Temple,” as it is written, “You will be holy for I the Lord am holy.” It follows that “Israel” and “Let them make Me a Temple” are one thing. That is, saying, “And let them make Me a Temple” is preparation and great work to make the place, which is the desire, as Baal HaSulam said, that in spirituality, “place” means desire, meaning a desire of Kedusha, which is in order to bestow contentment upon the Creator. This is called “Israel,” Yashar-El.

Now we will explain the second question, what is the question that he asks, “Why have I come and there is no man?” Certainly, if he says that the Shechina comes to the synagogue first, of course there is still no one there, so why does he say, “Why have I come and there is no man”?

However, first we need to understand what “man” means. We should interpret “man” to mean as it is written, “Happy is the man who did not walk in the counsel of the wicked.” That is, there is “man” and there is “beast.” “Beast” means one who is immersed in self-love and does what beasts do. It follows that the meaning of “Why have I come” means that I have come before you. However, that, too, needs explanation: How can we say that the Creator came to the synagogue first, if “The whole earth is full of His glory?” Thus, what does it mean that the Creator comes to the synagogue before the people who are praying?

We should interpret that it is as Baal HaSulam interpreted the verse, “Before they call, I will answer.” It means that when a person goes to pray, it happens because I have given him a thought and desire to come to the synagogue to be a man. In the end, I find him in the synagogue praying for self-love, like a beast. It follows that when he says, “Why have I come,” it means “Why have I given him a desire to go to the synagogue, so he will pray for matters of Kedusha, which is a Temple, and to be Israel, and in the end “there is no man.” Instead, I see that everyone is praying for beastly needs.

Now we will explain what we asked about his saying that there must be ten in the synagogue at once, and not come one at a time. We asked, “Should they all wait outside until ten men have gathered, and then they will all enter together? Have we ever seen such a thing?” He brings evidence from the Creator, “For man, the Creator has made him at once.” But we should also understand the evidence itself.

To interpret this we must first understand why we need specifically ten men present in the synagogue, or the Shechina will not be able to be there. He gives a reason, that “a congregation is no less than ten.” We should also understand this—why specifically ten and not more or less. That is, if there are nine men there, it is not regarded as a congregation, and if there are eleven, it does not add anything, as it is said about testimony: “two as one hundred and one hundred as two” (Shavuot, p 42). Rather, it is specifically ten, as our sages said (Sanhedrin, 39), “In every ten there is Shechina.”

It is known that Malchut is called “tenth.” It is also known that the receiving Kli is also called “the Sefira Malchut,” who is the tenth Sefira, receiving the upper abundance. She is called “will to receive,” and all the creatures extend only from her. For this reason, a congregation is no less than ten, since all the corporeal branches extend from the upper roots. Therefore, according to the rule, “There is no light that does not have ten Sefirot,” in corporeality, something is not considered a congregation that can be regarded as important unless there are ten men there, such as the upper degrees.

Now we can understand the meaning of ten, when the Creator asks, “Why have I come and there is no man?” It pertains to “man” and not to “beast,” referring to the kingdom of heaven, which is the tenth Sefira, meaning we must pray for the exile of the Shechina, which the holy Zohar calls, “Shechina in the dust.” Thus, the meaning will be that if the Creator does not find ten there, it means that “I have come first and have given you a desire and awakening to come to the synagogue, to ask for prayer for the exile of the Shechina, who is called ‘ten,’ which is the tenth Sefira, and I did not find anyone to pray for the tenth. Instead, I find everyone praying for things that pertain to beasts and not to people.”

Similarly, we should interpret what he says, “They must all be at once, and not one at a time.” We should interpret that we need the reception of the kingdom of heaven to be at once, and not to say, “Today I want to take upon myself a little bit of the burden of the kingdom of heaven, meaning only when I am at the synagogue. Afterwards, when I go home, I want to enjoy self-love.”

That is, he says that he agrees to work in order to bestow some of the time, but not to give all his time only for the glory of heaven. Rather, when one takes upon oneself the burden of the kingdom of heaven he must ask the Creator to make it forever, and not only when he is at the synagogue. We can interpret that having to have ten present at the synagogue at once and not come one at a time means that he should not say, “Now I am assuming a little bit of the kingdom of heaven, and later some more.” Rather, each acceptance of the burden of the kingdom of heaven should be at once, meaning at once over his entire life, and not today some and tomorrow some more.

Therefore, if assuming the burden of the kingdom of heaven is over a complete thing, then although he later descends from his degree, since his acceptance was complete, called “ten at once,” where “at once” means over his entire life, many pennies join into a great amount, until he is rewarded with faith, which is the permanent kingdom of heaven.

This was not so while assuming the kingdom of heaven was only partial, meaning that he received the kingdom of heaven only for the time being and not permanently. It follows that this is incomplete, so how can he join them into the great amount until he is rewarded with permanent faith? Therefore, when one takes upon oneself the burden of the kingdom of heaven, he should see that it is a complete thing. This is why he says that they should be in the synagogue at once, meaning once and for all. That is, he wants the reception of the kingdom of heaven to be forever.