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

Daily Morning Lesson: April 8, 2026

Part 1: A lesson based on the articles of Rabash

Rabash. Article No. 13, (1986). Come unto Pharaoh – 2

Original lesson date: 03/20/2002

Reader: Shalom, dear friends! Today, in the lesson we will study a lesson from 2002 based on the article Come Unto Pharaoh II. We can find it in the writings of Rabash, we will read it together in the Ten. Please note the article is pretty long, close to an hour. Let's connect around it and draw the lights of Passover. Tens that finish before the time is up are welcome to do a workshop on the main points from the article, please. 

Reading: Come unto Pharaoh – 2

Article No. 13, 1986

The Zohar asks, “It is written, ‘Come unto Pharaoh,’ but it should have said, ‘Go unto Pharaoh,’ etc. Since the Creator saw that Moses was afraid and other appointed emissaries could not approach him, the Creator said, ‘Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, the great monster that lies in the midst of his Niles.’ The Creator had to wage war against him, and none other, as it is written, ‘I am the Lord,’ which they explained, ‘I and not a messenger.’” Thus far its words (in the beginning of the portion, Bo [Come]).

The difference between “come” and “go” is that “come” means that we should walk together, like a person who tells his friend, “Come.”

We should understand it because The Zohar asks why the Creator needed to go with Moses. It is because Moses alone could not fight him, but the Creator Himself and none other. Thus, why did he need Moses to go with the Creator? After all, it says, “I and not a messenger.” Thus, what is the point of the Creator going to Pharaoh, who is called “great monster,” with Moses? He could have gone to Pharaoh without Moses.

We should also understand what our sages said (Kidushin [Matrimony] 30b), “Rish Lakish said, ‘Man’s inclination overcomes him every day and seeks to kill him, as it is said, ‘The wicked watches the righteous,’ and if the Creator did not help him, he would not overcome it, as it is said, ‘The Lord will not leave him in his hand.’’”

Here, too, arises the question, “If a person cannot prevail by himself and needs the Creator’s help, why this doubling?” In other words, either the Creator gives a person the strength to overcome alone, or the Creator will do everything. Why is it that two forces seem to be required here, one of man and subsequently the force of the Creator? It is as though only the two of them can conquer evil, and one force is insufficient.

It is known that man’s perfection is that he must reach the purpose of creation to obtain the purpose for which the world was created, which is called “to do good to His creations.” In other words, the creatures should come to receive the delight and pleasure that He contemplated to delight them.

Prior to that, creation is still not considered a creation that befits the Creator, since it is known that from the perfect Operator, perfect operations should emerge. This means that everyone should feel the beauty of creation and will be able to praise and glorify creation, that everyone will be able to glorify and thank the Creator for the creation He has created, and that everyone will be able to say, “Blessed is He who said, ‘Let there be the world.’” In other words, everyone should bless the Creator for having created a good world filled with pleasures, where everyone is joyful and happy from the contentment they feel from all the pleasures they are experiencing in the world.

However, when a person begins to examine if he is truly satisfied with his life and how much contentment he is really deriving from himself and from his environment, he sees the opposite—everyone is suffering, in torment, and each person suffers differently. But one should say, “Blessed is He who said, ‘Let there be the world,’” so he sees that he is only saying it superficially.

However, it is known that the delight and pleasure cannot appear in the world before the world has Kelim [vessels] of bestowal, since our vessels of reception are still contaminated by self-reception, which is heavily restricted in its measure and separates us from the Creator (meaning that there was the first restriction on the vessels of reception so the abundance would not shine there, see in the “Introduction of the Book of Zohar,” p 138).

Obtaining the vessels of bestowal is where disputes and wars begin, since it is against our nature. And this is why we were given Torah and Mitzvot, to achieve the degree of bestowal, as our sages said, “I have created the evil inclination; I have created the spice of Torah” (Kidushin 30).

Also, we were given the Mitzva [commandment/good deed] of “love thy friend as thyself,” and Rabbi Akiva said, “This is the great rule of the Torah” (Beresheet Rabbah, Parasha 24). In other words, by working in love of friends, a person accustoms himself to exit self-love and achieve love of others.

However, we should understand what we see before us, that there are people who exert in love of friends and still do not come an inch closer to love of the Creator so they can work in Torah and Mitzvot, due to the love of the Creator. This means that they say they are in fact advancing a little in love of friends, but they see no progress in love of the Creator. However, we should know that in love of friends, too, there are degrees, meaning we must contemplate the obligation of love of friends.

We can compare it to a two-story building with a ground floor, as well. The King is on the second floor, and one who wishes to come to the King—whose only goal is to converse with the King face-to-face—is told that he must first climb to the first floor, since it is impossible to climb to the second floor without first climbing to the first floor.

Certainly, everyone understands that this is so. However, there is a reason why they must first climb to the first floor—it is called “corrections.” In other words, by climbing to the first floor, one can learn how to address the King face-to-face, and will be able to ask the King for his wish.

That person, who hears that he must first climb to the first floor and subsequently to the second floor, understands it very well. But since his only wish is to see the King’s face and he cares for nothing else, this makes what he is told—that he must climb to the first floor—a burden and a toil for him.

However, he has no choice, so he climbs to the first floor. He is not interested in seeing what is there, although he heard that the first floor is where one learns how to speak with the King. But he pays no attention to that, for this is not his goal. His goal is the King, not what he can learn on the first floor. His goal is not the study, but to see the King’s face. Why should he waste time on trifles, since everything is naught compared to the King? Thus, why should he take interest in what is taught on the first floor?

Hence, when he climbs to the first floor, he has no desire to stay there. Instead, he wishes to quickly climb to the second, to the King Himself, for this is all he wants. However, he is told, “Without knowing the rules that abide on the first floor, you will certainly blemish the King’s honor. For this reason, you cannot hope to be able to climb to the second floor before you learn all that there is to learn on the first floor.”

Similarly, with love of friends, we heard that it was impossible to be rewarded with love of the Creator before one was rewarded with love of friends, as Rabbi Akiva said, “love thy friend as thyself is the great rule of the Torah.” Therefore, while engaging in love of friends, he is not considering love of friends as being valuable, but as redundant.

He keeps it because he has no choice, but he is constantly looking for the time when “I will be rewarded with the love of the Creator, and I’ll be able to rid myself of the love of friends. This work is burdensome to me because I can hardly stand my friends, for I see that they all have different traits than mine and I have nothing in common with them. But I have no choice, since I was told that without love of friends I won’t be able to achieve love of the Creator. So against my will, I sit with them.

“However, I can ask myself, ‘What am I getting from the friends?’ Only one thing: I am correcting myself through self-torment by sitting with them and tolerating their talks, which I dislike and which are against my nature. But what can I do? I am told that I must suffer in this world, so I do: I sit and wait for the time when I can run from them and avoid seeing the lowliness that I see in them.”

It turns out that he is not taking from the love of friends the remedy called, “love of others,” but only because he was told that he has no choice, for otherwise he will not achieve love of the Creator. This is the reason why he engages in love of friends and keeps all the obligations to which the friends commit him. But what he should learn from them is miles away from him.

This means that he is not exiting self-love and he is not reaching love of others. He is observing the love of friends not out of love, but out of fear, since he is not allowed into love of the Creator before he enters the love of friends. As a result, he fears not observing love of friends because he will not be allowed into love of the Creator.

This is similar to the allegory about not being allowed onto the second floor where the King sits, until he climbs to the first floor. The idea is that he will learn the rules of how to keep the King’s honor, so it would seem reasonable that he would be happy to go onto the first floor, since now he is learning how to be watchful of the King’s honor.

It would benefit him because afterwards, when he enters the King’s palace, he will not blemish the King’s honor. And therefore, while he is on the first floor, he pays attention to all the rules that apply there and to becoming accustomed to them, since he wants to come into the King, to bestow upon the King, and not at all to be contemptuous of the King’s honor.

This relates only to one who wishes to come before the King to give contentment to Him. But one who wishes to come in before the King for self-reception considers what is found on the first floor as redundant. It is of no interest to him. He goes up to the first floor only because he is afraid, since he knows that he will not be allowed to climb to the second floor before he climbs to the first floor. He feels no need to study the laws that are taught there—how to avoid blemishing the King’s honor—since the only reason he wants to come before the King is for purposes of self-love.

Therefore, we should know that we were given love of friends to learn how to avoid blemishing the King’s honor. In other words, unless he has no other desire except to give contentment to the King, he will certainly blemish the King’s honor, which is called “Passing on Kedusha [holiness/sanctity] to the external ones.” For this reason, we mustn’t underestimate the importance of the work in love of friends, for by that he will learn how to exit self-love and enter the path of love of others. And when he completes the work of love of friends, he will be able to be rewarded with love of the Creator.

We should know that there is a virtue to love of friends. One cannot deceive himself and say that he loves the friends, if in fact he doesn’t love them. Here he can examine whether he truly has love of friends or not. But with love of the Creator, one cannot examine oneself as to whether his intention is the love of the Creator, meaning that he wants to bestow upon the Creator, or his desire is to receive in order to receive.

But we should know that after all the corrections that man is given to do without the Creator’s help, he will not be granted any progress in the work of bestowal. And we asked, “Why, then, should one do things in order to later be rewarded with the help of the Creator? After all, the Creator can help even without the work of the lower ones, and man’s work on progress in the work will not help in any case.”

However, if one does not begin to work, he doesn’t know that he cannot triumph over the inclination. But when a person begins to walk in the work of the Creator and does what he can do, then he can offer a true prayer for the Creator to help him.

But why would the Creator want him to offer a true prayer? With a flesh and blood, you can say that he wants him to make a genuine plea because when a person makes a genuine plea of his friend, his friend gives him true gratitude. The flesh and blood, who chase honors, the gratitude that he gives him is as though he is belittling himself before him and he enjoys it.

But as for the Creator, does He need to be given people’s respect? Therefore, why would the Creator want a person to make a heartfelt prayer?

The thing is that it is known that there is no light without a Kli. It is impossible for one to give something that is very important, and if one has no desire for something, he will slight it and discard it. It will be lost because the need for something matches what he needs; this gives the importance. To the extent of the importance, he keeps the gift from being lost, for otherwise everything will go to the Klipot.

This is called “nursing the Klipot,” meaning that everything goes to the vessels of reception, which take into their authority everything that a person slights in matters of Kedusha. From this we know why one should begin the work. But why doesn’t the Creator give one the strength to complete the work alone, without His help?

It is known what The Zohar interprets concerning what our sages said, “He who comes to be purified is aided.” It asks, “With what?” And it says, “With a holy soul,” meaning he receives illumination from above, which is called Neshama [a soul], called “attaining Godliness,” which means that he is included in the thought of creation to do good to His creations.

It follows that by having a Kli and a desire for vessels of bestowal, he receives the light, called Neshama. Thus, both are required. In other words, a person should begin, and by that he receives a Kli. And by being unable to finish, he cries out to the Creator for help, and then he receives the light.

Now we can understand what is written, “Come unto Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I might show these signs of Mine within him.”

A question arises, “Why did the Creator harden Pharaoh’s heart?” The text answers, “That I might show these My signs in the midst of them.” And the interpretation is, “Why has the Creator hardened man’s heart and he cannot win the war against the inclination by himself?”

The answer is, so man will cry out to the Creator, and by that will have the Kli. And then the Creator will be able to place the letters of Torah within him, inside the Kli. This is the soul that the Creator gives him as help.

This is considered, “The Torah and the Creator are one.” “My signs” refers to the letters of the Torah, as in the names of the Creator. This is the “doing good to His creations,” which is the thought of creation to do good to His creations. This comes to a person specifically when he has a Kli, and this Kli comes through the hardening of the heart, for then there is a place where he can cry out to the Creator for help, and He helps him with a holy soul.

Now we can see the matter of “Come unto Pharaoh,” meaning both of us, together. In other words, a person should begin and then see that he cannot defeat it, and this is implied in Moses being afraid to approach him. And then the Creator said, “Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh,” meaning that then comes the help from the Creator. And with what? With a holy soul, as written in The Zohar.

It follows that the hardening of the heart, in the words, “For I have hardened his heart,” was to make a place for a prayer. And this prayer is not like one of flesh and blood, who wants respect, to be asked so he will be respected. Rather, the purpose of the prayer is for him to have a Kli, a need for the help of the Creator, for there is no light without a Kli. And when a person sees that he cannot help himself in any way, then he has a need for the Creator’s help.

This is the meaning of what our sages said, “The Creator craves the prayer of the righteous.” Here, too, there arises the question, “But does the Creator need man’s surrender, that he will ask of Him?” However, since His wish is to benefit His creations, but there is no light without a Kli, He craves the prayer of the righteous, for by that they disclose the Kelim [vessels] into which He can impart. It follows that when a person sees that he cannot overcome the evil in him, this is really the time for asking for the help of the Creator.

Now we can understand what the Creator said (Exodus 6), “And I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”

In Masechet Berachot (38a), our sages wrote about it as follows, “‘Who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.’ The sages... Thus said the Creator unto Israel: ‘When I bring you out, I will do for you something to show you that it is I who brought you out from Egypt, as it is written, ‘That I am the Lord your God, who brought you out.’’”

This means that it is not enough that the Creator brings the people of Israel out of Egypt, that they were liberated from the torment that they suffered there. When speaking of the work of the Creator, there arises the question, “Was this not enough?” Now they have been liberated from the enslavement of the exile after not being able to serve the Creator due to Pharaoh’s rule, and all that they built for themselves, whatever position in the work, was all swallowed in the earth, as our sages said (Sotah p 11), “Pithom and Ramses. Rav and Shmuel, one said her name was Pithom. And why was her name Ramses? For his head Mitroses [splinters] first.” RASHI interprets, “When they built some, it would splinter and fall. They would rebuild, and it would fall. And one said, ‘Her name is Ramses, and why was her name Pithom? It is because first is first, it was swallowed by the Pi Tehom [mouth of the abyss].’”

We therefore see that there is no dispute between Rav and Shmuel regarding the facts, only regarding the interpretation. The fact was that everything that they built would fall. This means that every time they built for themselves some structure in the work, the Egyptians came, meaning the alien thoughts of the Egyptians, and ruined all their work. In other words, all the work that they did with all their efforts to overcome and to serve in the work of holiness was swallowed in the ground.

Thus, each day they had to start over, and it seemed to them as though they were never engaged in the work of holiness. Moreover, each time they contemplated moving forward, they saw that not only did they not progress, they even regressed, since new “who” and “what” questions would always surface in their minds.

Accordingly, we should understand this exodus from Egypt as their finally having the ability to serve the Creator without the alien thoughts of the Egyptians. Thus, what does this knowing in the words, “And you shall know,” come to tell us? That we must know that it is the Creator who delivered them from the land of Egypt. And there is more we should wonder about, since we began the examination at the enslavement in Egypt, when they were being worked in hard labor, and they were liberated from that, so what else did they miss?

But what is hard labor? Our sages explained the verse, “All their labors which they rigorously imposed on them” (Sutah 11b). “Rabbi Shmuel Bar Nahmany said, ‘Rabbi Yonatan said, ‘They replaced men’s work with women’s work, and women’s work with men’s work. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve Ba-Parech [with rigor].’’ Rabbi Elazar says, Be Peh Rach [with a soft mouth].’”

We should also understand the matter of hard labor in the work of holiness. We should make two discernments:

1. The act called “the revealed part,” which a person can see and where one cannot say that he is erring or deceiving himself, since it cannot be said that there is a mistake about something that is visibly apparent. This is so because with the act of Mitzvot and the study of Torah, he sees, and others can also see if he is carrying out actions of Torah and Mitzvot or not.

2. The intention. This is called “the hidden part,” since others cannot see the intention behind one’s acts. And he, too, cannot see the intention in the act, since with intentions, it is possible to mislead himself and deceive himself, for only in apparent things, called “the revealed part,” everyone can see the truth. But when it comes to intentions in the heart or thoughts in the mind, one cannot trust himself. It follows that this is hidden from himself and from others.

Now we can interpret the meaning of hard labor, which was said to be “Replacing men’s work with women’s work.” “Men’s work” means that he is already a Gever [man], that he can Lehitgaber [overcome] his evil and engage in Torah and Mitzvot in action. Thus, what should he do when he is already called “a man,” meaning a man of war, who can fight with his evil in action? Now it is time for him to begin his work in the second discernment, meaning in the concealed, which is the intention. In other words, henceforth, he should try to aim all his actions to be in order to bestow contentment upon the Creator and not for his own benefit.

And what did the Egyptians do when they saw that he was a man who could exit their rule and enter holiness? They swapped their work and gave them women’s work. This means that all their work was in women’s work, that is, the Egyptians made them think, “Who needs intentions? The actions are what count, and here, in actions, you will succeed, as you can see—you are a man, you can prevail over the evil in you and engage in Torah and Mitzvot in every detail and precision, and you must put all your efforts into being more meticulous in Torah and Mitzvot.

“However, you should not engage in intentions! This work is not for you, but only for a chosen few. If you begin with the work of bestowing, meaning noticing that you must aim everything to be in order to bestow, you will not have the energy to be so meticulous in the revealed action, where you will not deceive yourself because you see what you are doing. Therefore, there is where you can expand in every detail and precision in your actions.

“But with regard to intentions, you have no real test. Thus, we advise you for your own good, and do not think, God forbid, that we want to divert you from the work of holiness. On the contrary, we want you to rise in the degrees of holiness.”

This is called, “Replacing men’s work with women’s work.” Where they should have done work that belongs to men, they explained to the people of Israel that it would be best for them to do women’s work, meaning what belongs to women.

“And women’s work with men’s work” means that those people do not have the power to overcome. Rather, “They are as feeble as a female,” meaning that they were weak in keeping Torah and Mitzvot and didn’t have the strength to keep and observe the Mitzvot, even in the revealed form, which is called “only in action.” And all the work of overcoming was only in the action, not in the intention.

The Egyptians came to them and made them think, “We don’t want to interrupt your holy work. On the contrary, we want you to be true servants of the Creator. In other words, we see that you wish to serve in the work of holiness, so we are advising you that the most important thing is not the action; it is the intention. Therefore, instead of exerting to overcome in action, accustoming yourselves to overcome your body, to study for another hour or to pray for another half hour trying to answer, ‘Blessed be He,’ and ‘Blessed be His name,’ and ‘Amen,’ not to mention in the middle of the repetition of the cantor. Who needs it?

“The main aim is for the Creator. That is where you need to focus all your efforts. Why waste your strength on trifling things? Indeed, the Halacha [religious law] says that you must keep all those little things, but this work is not for you; it’s work for women. You need to engage in men’s work. The fact that you want to engage only in action is unbecoming to you. You should focus primarily on the intent, meaning use every bit of energy you have to aim that everything will be for the Creator. However, don’t think for a minute that we are trying, God forbid, to interrupt your work of the Creator. We want the contrary—for you to rise up the ladder of holiness and achieve perfection, meaning that all your actions will be only in order to bestow contentment upon your Maker.”

And since they were at the degree called “women” and still did not have the strength to overcome, not even in the part of the action—considered that they are as feeble as females—the Egyptians made them see that the important thing was the aim Lishma [for Her name]. By that, the Egyptians made certain that they would not have the strength to continue and overcome in the work of holiness.

It is as Maimonides says when he wrote (Hilchot Teshuva [Laws of Repentance], Parasha no. 10), “The sages said, ‘One should always engage in Torah, even in Lo Lishma [not for Her name], since from Lo Lishma he will come to Lishma [for Her name].’ Therefore, when teaching the little ones, the women, and the illiterate in general, they must be taught to work out of fear and to receive reward. When they gain knowledge and acquire much wisdom, they are to be shown that secret bit by bit, and must be accustomed to it with ease, until they attain it, and know Him and serve Him out of love.”

The Egyptians advised those who were under the discernment of women not to follow the words of Maimonides. On the contrary, even though they were at the degree of women and little ones, they made them understand that they should immediately begin the work on aiming Lishma. By that, the Egyptians made certain that they would remain in their domain, outside of Kedusha [holiness/sanctity].

Thus, this is called “hard labor,” as Rabbi Shmuel Bar Nahmany interpreted, “Ba-Parech [with toil] means BePricha [fragile/crumbling].” And RASHI interpreted, “In crumbling and breaking of the body and the waist.” The reason is that when replacing men’s work with women’s work, and women’s work with men’s work, it will be as we explained, since men’s work was to overcome and advance and aim for the intention Lishma, but they weakened them in this work because the Egyptians resisted this work. Hence, besides having to toil in overcoming so they could aim in order to bestow, they had more work in that the Egyptians made them think that all of this work was redundant, that the work of bestowal did not relate to them, but only to a chosen few.

This is called “twofold work”: 1) straining to aim in order to bestow, and 2) fighting them and saying that it is not true, that they will be able to achieve Lishma, and not as the Egyptians said, that they should do women’s work. And this was the Egyptians’ whole intention, to prevent them from approaching the work of bestowal.

Also, they replaced the work of men with that of women, which, as we said, is worthless because it is keeping Torah and Mitzvot only in action. This means that their entire war against the inclination is only over the action, and not, as Maimonides says, that women’s work should be only about doing things and not teaching them that they must intend Lishma.

Therefore, when the Egyptians came and told them that they had to do men’s work, meaning aim to bestow, it was hard work for them: 1) Concerning Lishma, you are totally incapable of it. 2) Overcoming the body and keeping practical Mitzvot was harder for them before the Egyptians’ alien thoughts came and made them think that the act of Mitzvot without intention was completely worthless and degraded the importance of Torah and Mitzvot in Lo Lishma. Thus, now, through the Egyptians, the work in the form of women was degraded, and this caused them hard labor, as it was said that it is the breaking of the body and the waist.

It follows from all the above that there are three meanings to the word Perech [toil/hard labor], yet there is no contradiction between one interpretation and the other. Rather, all three things were there, and each interpreted according to his own issue:

1. In the first interpretation of Parech, Rabbi Elazar says it is “in Peh Rach [soft mouth].”

2. Rabbi Shmuel Bar Nahmany said “In Pericha,” which means breaking.

3. Rabbi Shmuel Bar Nahmany, “Rabbi Yonatan said, ‘They replaced men’s work with women’s work, and women’s work with men’s work.’”

However, they all interpret hard labor as Pericha [shattering], meaning the breaking of the body. And the reason why it was hard work to the point that they called this work, “Labor that breaks the body and the waist,” is that they replaced men’s work with women’s work, and women’s work with men’s work. This caused them the hard labor.

And yet, why did they listen to the views of the Egyptians? It is because they spoke to Israel with Peh Rach [a soft mouth], meaning that the thoughts of the Egyptians came to Israel with a soft mouth. That is, everything they told them to do was not to turn them away from serving the Creator, God forbid. On the contrary, they wished to guide them to walk in the ways of the Creator successfully, so they would not waste time in vain, meaning that they would see no progress in the work of holiness. And since they were spoken to with a soft mouth, it was hard for them to overcome these thoughts.

This implies that when he says that they replaced men’s work with that of women, he explains why they listened to the Egyptians. The answer is, because of the Perech—that they spoke to Israel with Peh Rach [a soft mouth]. Thus, it is for the two above reasons that they came to work in hard labor, as Rabbi Shmuel Bar Nahmany says, Perech means work of Pericha [breaking], which is work that breaks the body.

Accordingly, we should understand why it is not enough for the people of Israel that the Creator brought them out of Egypt, out of their enslavement so they could engage in Torah and Mitzvot, each according to his attainment, and the Klipa of Egypt didn’t have the strength to resist their work.

Indeed, how great is the miracle and who can appreciate the importance of the matter? When a person considers the amount of suffering and torment that he feels while being in exile under the enslavement of Pharaoh King of Egypt, and to the extent of the darkness of Pithom and Ramses that he assumes in his heart, which they were building. And now, the gates of the Klipa of Egypt were opened before them all at once and they came under their own authority. This means that now they were free to engage in Torah and Mitzvot as they wished, without any interruptions. What joy and elation it brings to a person when he compares the time of darkness to the time when it illuminates. It is as it is said, “He who separates between darkness and light.”

According to the above, we should understand the necessity to know that only the Creator delivers them from the burdens of the Egyptians, as our sages said, “When I bring you out, I will do for you something to show you that it is I who brought you out from Egypt, as it is written, ‘That I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.’”

The thing is that we must always remember the goal that we must reach. And since the purpose of creation is to do good to His creations, our goal is to receive the delight and pleasure that He has contemplated on our behalf. But for the purpose of correction, called Dvekut [adhesion], which is about equivalence of form, we have to work to obtain the vessels of bestowal.

Yet, this is only the correction of creation; it is not wholeness. Wholeness means knowing the Creator, knowing and attaining the Torah, which is called “the names of the Creator.”

Accordingly, it is not enough that we already have the strength to keep Torah and Mitzvot without any interruptions, for this is only a correction, not the complete goal. The complete goal is to obtain the knowledge of the Torah, as in, “The Torah, Israel, and the Creator are one.” This is why our sages said, “This is what the Creator said to Israel, ‘And you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out,’ I and not a messenger.” This means that every single one should come to know the Creator, and this is called “Torah,” the names of the Creator. 

Reader: (00:00) We're going to enter the lesson with the Rav.

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M. Laitman: Pesach means that Pasah is skipped because with all the great work that a person goes through in ascents and descents — one time he craves spirituality, another time he craves the pleasures of this world. One time he has calculations only for himself, another time maybe he takes someone else into consideration. Although this consideration with others is also still egoistic, he's still on the plane of this world. As Baal HaSulam writes in Letter 70 in A Sage's Fruit: Letters, the Creator counts all the times that a person rises to Him. And from all of these times He gathers a sufficient amount in order to give a person light that brings him out of Egypt. So that the person will enter the unity, the connection with the Creator, and he will discover godliness and the next world. Therefore, the deed, itself, that those many times that a person goes through day after day, morning after morning, during the study, during the preparation, in the time that he invests in the society. They gradually accumulate to a state called, Pesach. This means that we collect all of the, seemingly, positive things and the negative things, the falls are not counted. Falls means that a person was immersed under the rule of the Egyptians. This is considered that the Creator makes one calculation with the houses of the Egyptians and with the houses of Israel, He makes another calculation. When it reaches a state where, with each and every soul, it's a different calculation, a different measure. So when the Creator, with respect to a certain soul, reaches a sufficient amount of the houses of Israel versus the houses of the Egyptians—houses means vessels—then He accumulates them and He makes a Pesach. Meaning He accumulates them out of that; He makes the Exodus from Egypt. The good vessels, after accumulating them, He gives them the light of correction and a person feels in these vessels that he's coming out of Egypt. The Egyptians, in the meantime, remain in Egypt, the vessels of reception. He cannot save them for the time being, he’s still only with Galgalta ve Eynaim. The people of Israel come out and, later on, they're rewarded with the reception of the Torah. Afterwards, at the end of correction, the Egyptians will also be corrected, and the vessels they took from the Egyptians, they correct them bit by bit. There is a shattering of all kinds: the ruin of the first Temple and the second Temple. And we who are here now at the end of correction, we're making the final stage. This is actually what it is all about. We need to accept both the ascents and descents together. That we have to go through both these and those. We have to go through them as quickly as possible. It depends on a person's exertion; how much he invests.

Here, there are many forces in the group and one who joins and truly wants to be rewarded with using the force of the group. So we need, as much as possible, to connect through the work, through the study, through the intention. And then the recognition of the greatness of the Creator, the recognition of the greatness of the Exodus from Egypt, the importance of the entrance to spirituality. Whatever is in the group will pass on to him and he will also be rewarded with coming out with everyone. Although we see that Moses comes to Pharaoh, he fights with Pharaoh, he connects with the Creator. It’s just one point in the heart that, in the meantime, is connected with the Creator; the rest of the people don't even know what is going on and they're in the darkness, in haste. Moses tells them, come, go, take the vessels, and at midnight, we will run away, and that's it. They simply listen to that, they hear it;  surrender before Moses and, by that, they're rewarded with the Exodus from Egypt. 

(05:01) We should understand that we don't need to be so that, all my bones shall tell, right, to reach that state —  not the end of correction, yet it’s only the beginning of the way. It is only one point within me that will speak in favor of the Exodus from Egypt and the other points in me that are called, the people of Israel with respect to Moses, they'll surrender before it. A person who comes to the group should also surrender before the group so it will pull him, take him, absorb him. And together with it, he will come out of his state to a better state. Those who come even from overseas and they also ask me on the internet about it: how should a person come here? With which intentions, with which desires? How should he prepare himself when he comes to Bnei Baruch for a week? Which is what it is about, each one who is here with us should also do the same. And the guests, if they want to be with us, they also need to do so and also not guests. Those who don't come and there are, you know, kinds of different places scattered in various countries all over the world or in Israel, far away. They also need to unite with this whole task, with this whole message together — it’s without any boundaries. Again, the point is only, there's only one point: Pharaoh standing opposite the point of the Creator and Moses is in between —  is our point in the heart — which is the one that decides between Pharaoh and the Creator. And the rest of our desires should simply surrender, this is how a person is in the group. 

Therefore, Today you have become a people, it says on the Exodus from Egypt. Before that, it wasn't a nation, a people; this Exodus, acquiring the screen, and it's also inside of the person that he receives through the upper light that comes to him. It’s GAR of Hochma that comes on the Exodus from Egypt. The vessels cannot be qualified except for GAR of Hochma, so this is called, the parting of the Red Sea, it is through the Hochma. And this can be done only through connection, many people, many friends who join together and become a people, one vessel from above, light will come that will be able to deliver us from Egypt. This is why love, connection, love, concession, are necessary things in this holiday. This is actually the condition wherefore the desire of each and every one to connect with the other. And so these will truly be desires of Pesach, this means that we will subjugate, we will bring down our corporeal desires, our egoistic desires. The calculations that each one has with the others of all kinds and only connect the yearnings, the points in the heart. We’ll connect all of them together so that all the points in the heart will connect into a single vessel that will truly be sufficient to draw, to be rewarded with the light that will come from above. Here in the Exodus from Egypt, in Pesach, there is a connection of all of the articles of all of man's work. It's a summation of all of the process that he went through over years during the time of preparation. Here, it should all connect and reach the correct measure. If we will do that, then the lights of Pesach in corporeality and also in spirituality will influence us such that we will truly be rewarded with spiritual nearness.

Student: (09:17) What turns them to a nation is the annulment against that force called Moses?

M. Laitman: Well, a nation, it's not done by the fact that a young girl connects with some Shloime. A nation is formed by the fact that they all connect to Moses, Moses is what we call the loyal shepherd, the representative of the Creator. Inside the nation of the people of Israel, it means that they connect to Moses. Moses is the quality of Israel, Yashar El, straight to the Creator. He's the direction, the one who gives the direction and the others are like a flock. It doesn't matter, they just connect to him and he brings them.

Student: If the connection that measures against Moses is the remedy, why do we need anything else? 

M. Laitman: You're asking the following: If each and every one of the three million people who are in Egypt will connect to Moses, everything would be fine. Why should they connect between them in order to connect with Moses and then connect to the Creator? They can just connect to Moses and the Creator, just like that. Why this condition that they have to connect between them, why should that be a necessary condition? The necessary condition to connect to Moses is to expel self-love and expelling self-love, the result of that is love of others. Therefore, first of all, they connect between them. This is considered that they cancel self-love. And then they can receive the message of Moses, the love of the Creator. And through Moses, they connect with the Creator. No, we don't have to reach the degree of Moses but we need to accept the work of love of others on the degree where the people of Israel are, not where Moses is. Moses is on the spiritual degree — what does it mean that he can pull them, that he can bring them? He is on the spiritual degree and the people are on the corporeal degree, right? That's it, the condition for them to follow Moses, what does it mean to follow Moses? First of all, you make a restriction on your vessels of reception. And the result of that, you connect with everyone on your level, with the other three million who are like you. After making this concession over your ego, you can connect to Moses — before that, you can't. Now, the Exodus of Egypt itself is when you connect with Moses, not on the degree of Moses, you come out of Egypt. When you connect with Moses, also on the degree of your annulment, this is called, a birth, the exodus from Egypt is called, a birth,. That is enough for you to simply follow him with your eyes shut. Moses walks with his eyes wide open with his staff, right? He goes forward, he knows how to bring the people; also, when he walks on the path, there are all kinds of other leaders besides him. There is Nachshon — we will talk about these things on Pesach — but your annulment before your Moses should be like a baby before the grown-up, that’s enough. You understand, a baby doesn't know where daddy is taking him. He holds him by the hand and that's enough for him. He knows that this is daddy, that he's certain, safe, and he's going to a good place each time. We reach the degree of Moses only after we cross the barrier and we enter the land of Israel and the degree of Moses, that's a great, very great degree. Moses is the greatest of the prophets; also when he was with them in Egypt, his degree is no longer Egypt. His degree is Israel. It's the land of Israel. This is why he doesn't enter the land of Israel because he is beyond that.

Student: (13:53) No translation

M. Laitman: The children of Israel went through the Exodus from Egypt historically about 4,000 years ago. And because of it, we don't have to go through the Exodus from Egypt in corporeality — don't need to go like Abraham to Ur of the Chaldeans, to Saddam Hussein. And then go to the land of Israel, and from the land of Israel to go down to Egypt, and from Egypt to return again to the land of Israel and build the first and second Temple, and that whole process. What our bodies did in previous incarnations, we don't need to go through anymore.

Student: Also on a spiritual aspect?

M. Laitman: Those incarnations were, and the bodies did what the spiritual root needs to do, they did it in corporeality. In spirituality, they didn't do anything by that. In spirituality, the soul did not reach these things; in spirituality, they were at a degree that they were regular people. They went out of Egypt, they went out of Egypt and to the land of Israel, to the land of Israel. All those things happened only in corporeality. What they had of it in corporeality is only illumination of Nefesh. In other words, they had a feeling that they were close to godliness. That they were doing things like a person who has some sort of an inspiration from godliness. But what is written in the Torah, these spiritual degrees, a person has to go through. Now we need to go through at our time in spirituality, internally. Then our souls at that time did not go through it. 

There was a correspondence, a congruence between corporeality and spirituality, and then only on the level of Nefesh. And if there is some spiritual root, it has to reach the corporeal branch and happen in it. This is why we did this whole path in corporeality, except for the end of correction. We were in Egypt, we went out of Egypt, we conquered the land of Israel, we built the first Temple, it was ruined — Mochin de Haya. We built the second Temple and it was ruined — Mochin de Neshama. We went out to the last exile, we went to the four exiles, now we came out of the last exile, now we have to build the third Temple, where Mochin de Haya and Mochin de Neshama will be together as Mochin de Yechida, that’s it. The third one will be like the previous two, together. It matches the world of Nekudim, where there was the expansion of AVI, the first four kings corresponding to the first Temple, on light of Hochma. Then, the expansion of YESHSUT, the second four kings corresponding to YESHSUT. It's called the first expansion, the first Temple, and the second expansion, the second Temple. 

So, in corporeality, we did the whole way until the end of correction; in spirituality, though, we did nothing. We only did what we did to bring us to our present state, to the time of preparation. Now we have to do the Exodus from Egypt and enter spirituality, and this whole way in spirituality. In other words, our time is a time when it should end soon for all the souls. The preparation period and the day we'll go out to spirituality, and in spirituality we'll create that ladder of degrees, 125 degrees, and we'll reach the end of correction, that’s it. In the end, in corporeality, hardly anything needs to happen, except for — no, even before the third Temple — besides things that are dependent on us, on our actions, to an extent suffering or good things are revealed so that they will accompany our last correction, that’s it.

Student: (18:17): So, what's the matter of Passover, and the ten plagues, the ten blows, that He skipped over the Jewish homes?

M. Laitman: Passing over the houses of the Jews — we read about it and talked about it. When a person is in bad states or good states, closer to the Creator or farther from the Creator. And as I said in the letters of Baal HaSulam, there's this letter where he explains that in the connection between man and the Creator, when a person rises to connection with love to the Creator, the connection with the Creator, the connection with the Creator, with love to the Creator, and then he does and doesn't. The Creator counts only the good things and accumulates them to a quota, to a measure that then He can connect the person to Him, and this is called, passing over. Meaning in His calculation, the Creator counts, takes this and passes over, He takes only the good things and not the bad things. Why doesn't He take the bad things? Because it's the Creator's, the person's fault, purportedly. So, a person is not at fault, he’s not at fault, but the Creator deliberately gives him the burdening of the heart and all kinds of things that a person fails in, so that from the darkness he'll reveal the light. 

So, there's no calculation here of how a person is strong or not, successful or not successful. But the calculation is to what extent a person went through enough in order to feel love and adhesion, and connection with the Creator or not. If he went through enough, and that frequency depends on a person, on how much he exerts. And then a person does it for him, we only shorten time. So if I put in a lot of tension, labor, efforts, and came every morning, and did all I could, a lot of work in the society. So now, especially during Passover, then I shorten the time. So, I go more quickly with higher frequency through the ascents and descents internally, and then my calculation is in my pocket. And then the calculation is done very quickly, and this is called, passing over, yes. You see, when is the calculation done? After seven years of hunger, and then seven years of satiation, and then ten blows, after many things. And then the calculation suddenly reaches the right amount. What? In the middle of the night, a person doesn't know; it suddenly happens, and then it breaks through. 

Student: (20:59) Where did Moses ask for the people of Israel love of friends? He only said that they should follow him. Where is the matter of love of friends? 

M. Laitman: In relation to love of friends, it's written that he killed the Egyptians; that he saw that the people were squabbling with each other, there are all these things there. We may not see it so conspicuously, so openly, but all those things, the more they are, I'll tell you. All the things, the more they belong to a higher spiritual degree, they are more concealed in the Torah as well. Why did they choose Moses, who is Moses? He's just a baby that was thrown into a river, and Batya took him into Pharaoh's house, she was Pharaoh's daughter. He grew up in Pharaoh's house, he was a prince, it’s not just somebody that we suddenly see fled from Pharaoh's house. What happened there, I don't know. He seemingly became something regular, ordinary person. Suddenly, he comes to Pharaoh and says, send my people away. What is my people, who are you — you’re from my house. We don't see the story, t are many relations missing, some connection. Suddenly, he's like this, suddenly, he's like that, hardly anything is told about him. In other words, the point in the heart is actually concealed in a person. As much as we are told about it, we are told about a little bit of its operations with respect to the Creator, with respect to Pharaoh, with respect to the people, very little. Because a person doesn't feel that point. What they write, they write what a person feels, you see? So, much is missing about Moses, we don't know anything; in other words, about that point itself, in that point, where he seemingly — what does he demand from the people of Israel to unite, to create love of friends? Also, there are very small insinuations that he himself killed the Egyptians. The Egyptians, and then the children of Israel told him, what are you doing? We're going to tell on you, and then he fled to that place of Midian where he met Jethro and Zipporah and all those things. We don't know anything, you see? So what am I trying to tell you? These operations are quite concealed from a person. 

Student: And the point in the heart? 

M. Laitman: The point in the heart, love of friends, I'm telling you simply, the Kabbalists are telling us. If we want to follow Moses, connect to Moses. We need to get rid of our ego, and we can get rid of our ego only by uniting with each other. You see, in this work, in practice, where you are, you see where you are. Because each one can say he's devoted to the whole world, and to the country, and in general, you see. 

Student: So, when He skipped over the homes of the Egyptians, what's the matter of killing the firstborn? 

M. Laitman: We will talk about the ten plagues separately. You're asking about the firstborn — the firstborn is actually the smallest problem! Explain to me, what is the frogs, lice all of a sudden? Quack, quack, quack, mice, I don't know what kind of plagues, what is this? Blood instead of water — in short, there's a lot missing. We'll talk about it during the holiday, during the picnic we'll have talks as well. 

Student: (25:22) Why did everything first happen in corporeality and now we're speaking about them spiritually? What's about building the third Temple? Is that supposed to take place in spirituality, or only corporeality?

M. Laitman: All the things that pertain to the preparation period until the entry into spirituality materialize first and then come into the internal execution. In other words, a person undergoes two stages from being born as a beast. And a point in the heart enters him, by a point in the heart entering him, then we begin to count the beginning of man. Adam, man is being similar to the upper one from the point in the heart. If in all the incarnations before that he was just walking around in this world without a point in the heart and acquired desires for money, honor, knowledge, that's fine. But it's not taken into consideration; there is a calculation, but it's a calculation that does not pertain to personal advancement. Personal progress begins when the point in the heart begins. When he begins to feel a point in the heart, his work is called, the preparation period for spirituality, to enter spirituality. That preparation period may take 10, 15, 20 years, 5 years, maybe even 3, he writes in the Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot, depending on man's labor. He may advance a little bit and die until the next life, and another life, who knows how many, depending on his labor. If he succeeds, he'll go into a group and accelerate; if not, he doesn't. It's written, it's a matter of luck, what is luck? Luck means it's dripping, drip, drip. So, the more you have these drops dripping, tick, tick, tick, more and more, they fill up your vessel. If less, then until it drips, wait a few lifetimes. 

So, in the first stage, we count from the beginning of the point in the heart until the entry to spirituality. In the second stage is work in spirituality. Correspondingly, corresponding to that process in corporeality, we have the execution in this world, in matter. All the execution, corresponding to the spiritual roots of the preparation period, have already happened. Have already happened, we don't need to do anything. The corporeal execution precedes the spiritual execution. Now that we're talking about spiritual stages, which is corrections of the vessel and building the Temple, meaning the second stage, from crossing the barrier, onwards. There, the first has to be spiritual work and execution, and as a result, a person builds his life here, corporeal life accordingly, including the land of Israel, which he builds according to the extent that he is in the land of Israel internally. His people become a people according to the spirituality that the people attains. And the Temple, the third one, is finally built after a person has reached that state called, the Temple. In other words, corresponding to the preparation period from the point in the heart until it crosses the barrier, things happen in spirituality… in corporeality first, and then inside a person internally. In the second stage, from the barrier to the end of correction, spiritual stages happen in the person first, and in the nation, and then in corporeality, that’s it.  

Student: (29:43) So, why did the actions of Purim and Chanukah take place? It's dangerous things after Chanukah and Purim?

M. Laitman: The holidays of festivals of Chanukah and Purim, you can say all the holidays that we celebrate, not just Chanukah and Purim, all the holidays. Those special days that we celebrate, we celebrate them corresponding to upper roots. But they don't happen here, they don't take place here. When I do, for example, the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, so I'm not the high priest, I don't enter spirituality in that degree, I'm not in it. Also, I'm not in Chanukah, I'm not in it during Purim —I celebrate in this world in a simple action. It's an action, but it's not an action, it's a sign, it is only a sign, right? 

Student: So, first it happened in material, and then it has to happen in spiritual. And you said that what happens beyond the barrier is first in spirituality, then in material. But here it's the opposite. It already happened.

M. Laitman: No, but their materialization were signs, it was signs. What does it mean that it was materialized? Let's say there was Chanukah or Purim, for example. In Purim, we were there with Ahasuerus, and there were all those problems, and then we went out of there, and in short, everything was fine. Did the people know what they were doing? Was the people at a spiritual degree? Was Mordechai at the spiritual degree just as Mordechai is at the end of correction — because all of Purim is opposite the end of correction? No, not at all, the whole process they went through was like a sign for us in this world, still corresponding things that will have to take place at the end of correction. So now you're asking: so at the end of correction, will it be like that? Will we have to go down to Ahasuerus and all those things? No, we don't need the execution, again I'm telling you, the corporeal execution, all we have left in terms of the corporeal execution is the Temple. Nothing pertains to corrections in this world anymore. The people of Israel that went out from Egypt, they built the first and second Temples, right? So they went through the path, in corporeality, they reached the end of correction. Now they have to build the third Temple in the land of Israel, and this is called, the end of correction in corporeality. 

Student: And we can do that before the end of correction? 

M. Laitman: No, you cannot because now you're after the breaking of the vessels. You're after the world of Nekudim only; maybe still can't express it simply. It'll come, the fact that we talked about it, started talking about it, and in a few days, it'll be clearer. I'll find words, they will come, because you will think about it a little bit, and then I'll get words, it depends on you. I feel that I'm missing to give a more comprehensive picture. Okay? 

Reader: (33:39) Let's think about it together, speak about it together, and share impressions from that. Then we’ll go to the next part, but first, we'll sing a song!