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

Daily Lesson (Morning) August 22, 2024.

Part 3: Questions and Answers on the Spiritual Path.

Reader: Hello, we are reading selected excerpts on the topic of Questions and Answers on the Spiritual Path. The study material is on Sviva Tova and Arvut. You can send questions there. Anyone asking a question in the study hall should stand up, hold the microphone close to his mouth, and speak loudly and clearly, and we will introduce the topic. Questions during the lesson should stem from inner exertion and not just the text. We need to learn how to work with questions and answers on the spiritual path. So we brought a few sources to go deeper into understanding what is a question, what is an answer, and how to ask correctly, and around this is this lesson. So, please? So, we're going to read excerpt number one. 

Reading: (00:57) Excerpt 1. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 48, "The Primary Basis" - Twice.

The whole structure is built on questions and answers, and this is walking on the path of the Creator and being rewarded with building the structure of the Shechina [Divinity]. And when one has no place for questions and answers, he is called “standing.”

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (02:02) If there are questions but there are no answers to some of the questions, can this be or must there always be answers?

M. Laitman: If a person doesn't know how to answer, it also, he's stuck on the path.

Student: So, there must be answers, nevertheless. 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Reader: Excerpt number two.

Reading: (02:39) Excerpt 2. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 48, "The Primary Basis" - Twice.

A law means a discernment of Malchut (and this is the meaning of the bride. When going to the bride it is called “law”1). It is built solely on obstacles, meaning on a time of questions. When one has no questions, one does not have the name “faith” or Shechina.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (03:44) There are times in learning, in the study, that you can go through many lessons without having any questions. What does it mean when a student sits and learns but has no questions? 

M. Laitman: It could be that he doesn't understand a lesson. Because one who understands a lesson and goes down to its depth, that it can’t be that he doesn't have any questions.

Student: We learned a question is a deficiency. 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: If I come to the lesson without questions, it means I don't have the right deficiency for the lesson? 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: Can we extract value from the lesson without having questions?

M. Laitman: Maybe a bit you can. It depends on a person, what state he's in, how he prays during the lesson, how he behaves.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (05:00) What's the difference between a question from the mind and a question from the heart? 

M. Laitman: You have to also know how to answer both. The main thing is the question in the heart. 

Student: And what is an answer to the mind rather than an answer to the heart? 

M. Laitman: The answer to the mind is systematic, and an answer to the heart is a spiritual answer. 

Student: If I got an answer to the heart, is there something that changed in me toward the whole path, toward the Creator? 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: You often relate to us as to one body. You relate to our questions, to how we behave as a vessel. So let's say I'm sitting in a lesson, and I want the friend's question. Right now, I don't know, I'm blocked. I don't have a question. But there are many questions here from friends. How do I connect from the heart to the question in the friend's heart?

M. Laitman: It's an emotional thing. Try and go into him, to incorporate in him, to adhere, to hug maybe, in a way that he won't know. And in that way, you can receive what he receives.

Student: And then his answer will be an answer to everyone. 

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Question (Kyiv 1): (07:00) How to connect to a question and to the answer from the heart and not from the mind? 

M. Laitman: How to connect with the question in an emotional way and not intellectual. It's something we need to try and incorporate in, in whoever is asking, and more friends together. And then we will receive the question and the answer in a systematic way. The way the answer opens the heavens and brings the upper light, and we're connected below in a way that the light can connect us into one vessel. And in this way, we receive the filling and understand the answer.

Student: We study complicated material about the structure of the world's, degrees. There's a desire to understand it intellectually and to create some sort of a system through it. What emotions stand behind it in the Ten, in relationships? 

M. Laitman: Behind that is an attitude of connection. Only connection. More than that, we don't need to correct anything or determine anything. 

Question (Turkiye 4): (09:15) Should we ask Rav any question that comes up in us? Is this correct? 

M. Laitman: Well, yes, if you see that this question is also in a few more friends, so yes, of course. If it's only in you, so it could be that you've missed out something. Maybe you weren't on some previous lessons. But still, we need to scrutinize. Everything has to be scrutinized.

Question (PT 22): (10:02) I heard now that the question from the heart is preferable because it's a spiritual question. You often warn us not to expose what is in our hearts. How do we, how can we be careful when the question comes from the heart, not to reveal what's in the heart but ask in a way that contributes to the whole Kli to the vessel. 

M. Laitman: It's still not that actual for us to discover something that we're not allowed to discover, no, for now let's keep going this way. 

Student: I'll tell you why I'm asking. Occasionally it happens to me, there are questions, because there are questions whose phrasing is not clear. And you once told me, because of it, don't say this to the microphone. And it really touched me. And I want to be careful, I mean I think we all want to be careful to ask the right question so it comes from the heart, but so it remains correct and contributes to everyone. 

M. Laitman: We'll learn. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (11:16) What's the difference between a question where you can find the answer with Rav, and a question where the answer is with a Ten? 

M. Laitman: What's the difference?

Student: Yes, what's the difference? 

M. Laitman: An answer you’ll find in the Ten, and a…

Student: A question where you look for the answer with Rav, and a question where you look for the answer in the Ten. 

M. Laitman: So, it's better to search for an answer in the Ten, and if after that, go to the Rav's answer. It will be more whole, because in the Ten you'll understand more.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (12:11) What does it mean to find an answer in the Ten? 

M. Laitman: That you had a question, he had a question, now he wants an answer. So, it's not that he answers himself, or does, but except for that, he gets the answer from the Ten. And what else? What was the other one? 

Student: He scrutinizes with Rav. 

M. Laitman: Well, with Rav, we'll say with Rav. 

Student: But regarding a question in the Ten, what, it's a question that I ask verbally, or it's just a deficiency in the heart that I turn toward the Ten? 

M. Laitman: No, you scrutinize.

Student: Scrutinize, okay. And when does a person turn to the Creator with a question?

M. Laitman: If it's a question that he doesn't know how to format, or how to answer it.

Student: I'm trying to understand when a person turns to the Ten with a question, works with it. You always say, speak in the Ten, you'll find answers to everything. And sometimes you say, speak to the Creator, you'll ask Him anything. So, I'm trying to understand when to... 

M. Laitman: When this or when that? 

Student: Yes. 

M. Laitman: You start with the Ten, then with the Ten together to the Creator. That should be the tendency. 

Student: And when does a person turn to the Rav with a question? 

M. Laitman: The Rav, like, stands on the side. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (14:14) For every question that arises, I know how to answer that it's a little more to connect and to pray. So that satisfies me already. The question is, can you give an example of another question to which the answer is not connect and pray? 

M. Laitman: Actually, no. To connect is always correct. 

Student: So, what does it mean to ask? I don't know. I've been asking for years, and I think if there were a competition I would take first place, but so what? There are only these two answers, what other answers can there be? 

M. Laitman: I don't know, we'll scrutinize it. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (15:20) From your perspective, what do you think is a good question? A question that you think is good? 

M. Laitman: It's a question that everyone feels that it's to the point, and you want to find an answer, each one separately, and we understand the answer we're getting from the teacher, or from the Creator, or from the outside, doesn't matter. And everyone understands it. We all understand the answer. 

Student: When I sometimes have a depiction in my mind of the things we learned, should I share it, tell you this depiction and see if it's correct or not, because there's this trend lately to do this.

M. Laitman: No, that never happened with Rabash, on the contrary. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (16:38) Does the answer necessarily come as an answer to the mind and to the heart, a complete answer? 

M. Laitman: Well, usually, at least intellectually. 

Student: How can I distinguish? Because sometimes there's a deficiency, and I get an answer. How can I distinguish between an intellectual and an emotional discernment? 

M. Laitman: No, when you hear an answer, you see if it satisfies you or not.

Student: Sometimes the intellect can satisfy me. It's an intellectual answer. 

M. Laitman: Okay, so it's satisfied.

Student: How do I distinguish between them? How do I even discern that there's a complete or a partial answer here? Is there a way? 

M. Laitman: No, try and scrutinize it. 

Student: Only according to the scrutiny? 

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (17:41) Technical question. Some people don't have questions. Some people have tons of questions, but they feel that it's very personal, and they don't need it. It's inappropriate for everyone. How to work with these questions? I'm sure many people have them. What do you do with these questions? 

M. Laitman: He still didn't reach the right system of questions. Otherwise, he would make it a lot more brief. So, it's worth thinking, dividing the questions into a few groups, about the Creator, about the books, about the wisdom of Kabbalah, about the group, about himself, and so on. And then, a person can start scrutinizing, and he'll see that some of these answers are already in the books, in all kinds of things. It's like in every science.

Student: So, it'll be clarified over time. A person doesn't have to get an answer in the same place where he feels the question.

M. Laitman: No. I recommend that a person should first think and divide all his questions into a few groups. And then we'll see, what group, what knowledge, what process, work in the group has to maybe come first. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (19:42) Previously, when I came, there were a few questions in the lesson, and the answers were long and comprehensive. Today there are many questions, and the answers are very short and kind of brief. What's changed? What should we understand from it? 

M. Laitman: People who understand each other well, so only a few words are enough, and they can put a lot of content into it. And those who don't understand things so much, so usually you can talk for hours. And what the benefit is, if you can put it into one sentence. That's why I have to see things in this way. And in the wisdom of Kabbalah, there always needs to be a place for the intellect and less in words. More in the mind and less in words.

Student: So the ideal situation, as I understand from what you're saying, is short answers and short questions, and as many as possible.

M. Laitman: It's not that the main thing is to shorten it, but the wisdom of Kabbalah likes it short. 

Student: Now concerning, there was a question in the beginning: what to do with this quantity of questions in the lesson, how to feel the question from the heart. And you instructed to adhere to the friend, to be incorporated in him, to enter him, to feel the question very deeply, internally, intimately. On the other hand, you direct us, lately, not to enter, and adhere, and be incorporated in this way with friends who are not in my permanent Ten, but only in my own Ten, yes? And in the general group, this is how you direct us toward the Congress, also. Not too much, don't overdo it, as you say. So what does it mean? How can I, on the one hand, be incorporated in any friend who's asking the question to the deepest level? On the other hand, he's not my friend from the Ten. So I don't understand the approach.

M. Laitman: There's no choice. Still, you have a ladder. And each and every one's Ten has to be in the upper place. And below it, the rest of the Tens and the connections between them till our state. 

Student: That's what I'm asking. Most of the questions asked in the lesson today are not from the heart of the friends in my Ten.

M. Laitman: Yes, but you can incorporate in them. Who said no? 

Student: What does it mean to be incorporated with questions of friends during the lesson in a way that is correct? 

M. Laitman: That I hear it from his place. It's as if I have the question, and I have to give the answer for it. And through my answer, according to what I think, maybe it could be different or similar to his question. And the answer, too. And it helps us to be in similar reception and bestowal between us.

Student: But what's the focus of the work in my permanent Ten during the lesson? I understand this approach generally. Now the focus you're taking us to is into my own Ten, as you just said. It's in the top place. So how during the lesson, because I'm incorporated with the questions from the friends in the whole Kli, I still continue my work within my permanent Ten.

M. Laitman: That you advance with the other groups, and you express yourself also in questions and answers, so you have, you receive the question from your Ten that usually you're sitting with them, and from the big group of Bnei Baruch and the world Bnei Baruch, you have like a few levels. And then how you incorporate in everyone? 

Student: How do I? Well, not only incorporate. I understand incorporation, but even if I don't make an effort there's some sort of incorporation that happens. So every person can be as active as possible in the lessons. There are questions to hear from the friends. The question is how to focus the general incorporation with all the questions from all the friends and not run away from my work in my own Ten, which should be my focus and the top one and the most important. 

M. Laitman: That really is the most important, no doubt. But also the bigger group, let's say the local Bnei Baruch and then the world Bnei Baruch. That's also important. That in this way, gradually you want to incorporate in everything. 

Student: During the lesson, there is hardly any concrete work with my own personal Ten. During the preparation for the lesson, we answer a workshop question. And then there are a few moments of very special moments of silence. And then the lesson begins. During the lesson, friends from the whole Kli ask questions. I understand I have to be incorporated in them as much as possible. How do I take this whole thing I'm doing and each of my friends is doing and put it into the work in my own personal Ten during the lesson? 

M. Laitman: But your Ten is also here during the lesson and also incorporating from him.

Student: Yes. 

M. Laitman: Then you start to connect your inspirations from the lesson from each and every one and all together. 

Student: We connect it internally? 

M. Laitman: Yes, yes. Where else? 

Student: Because this is also the summary of the lesson, which you say is very important. 

M. Laitman: Except for that. That's more mechanical.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (27:17) I wanted to ask, what a person should do if he has personal intimate questions, like a personal problem with life which he doesn't know how to solve, and from whom to get an answer, how to deal with it. Or beginners who have many questions and everything is confused, like jobs, health, and whatnot. 

M. Laitman: You don't know how to answer that? I'm asking. 

Student: We know how to answer.

M. Laitman: So why do you think you can't? Well, answer. 

Student: Maybe friends need some sort of guidance on whom to ask, when to ask. There are no such times besides the lesson when there is a connection or a place to bring such questions.

M. Laitman: You have to decide that. There are groups that there's one person in charge, in the family, someone in charge of children, education, one on health, and that already doesn't really belong to the way the group conducts itself. For us, it's a custom to be in connection with the Creator. Raise your pleas to Him, your prayers, and anything you want to say, and you'll try and hear from Him, then answer. That's it. That'll be the best. Okay, friends. I see that we've kind of deviated off our path here, but what's happening on the weekend?

Reader: (29:34) Announcements.