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

Daily Morning Lesson: February 6, 2026

Part 1: A lesson based on the articles of Rabash

Rabash. Article No. 21, 1986. Concerning Above Reason

Original lesson date: 02/02/2003

Reader: Friends, we'll continue to study the article, “Above Reason”; we'll read the second part of the article starting from, “Similarly, We Can Interpret the Verse” until the end of the article. Again, we're starting from, “Similarly, We Can Interpret the Verse” all the way to the end. Following that, we'll join a lesson from October 10th, 2003, and Tens that finish reading before the time is up are invited to discuss the main ideas from the article. 

Reading: (01:17) Concerning Above Reason

Similarly, we can interpret the verse (Samuel, 16:7), “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for it is not as man sees, for man looks to the eyes, but the Lord looks to the heart.’”

We therefore see that when the Creator sent Samuel to anoint one of the sons of Yishai [Jesse], Samuel understood by what he saw in his eyes that Eliav, son of Yishai, was fit to be the king of Israel instead of King Saul, but the Creator disagreed with his perception. In the end, they brought David, who was herding the cattle, and David was red-headed with fair eyes and good appearance, “And the Lord said, ‘Arise, anoint him; for this is he.’”

What does that teach us? There are two things that we see here:

1) From the perspective of Samuel, he understands Eliav’s virtues—according to his mind—as being fit to be king over Israel. But the Creator told him, “No, do not follow your own reason,” since when concerning the Creator, reason is worthless. Rather, since the Creator wanted to enthrone a king, this is called “between an individual and the Creator,” where there is no room for reason, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are My ways your ways.” Rather, what did the Creator tell him? “For it is not as man sees, for man looks to the eyes, and the Lord looks to the heart.”

According to the above, we can interpret that “For man looks to the eyes” is good between a person and his friend. In that case, it is good if one can go within reason, that it is in accord with what one sees.

This is not so with, “And the Lord looks to the heart.” In other words, concerning matters of the Creator, it is above reason and one must not look according to his own eyes, but above reason. Thus, two discernments must be made here: 1) Between a person and the Creator, above reason is better; 2) between a person and his friend, within reason is better.

This is why the Creator told him, “Do not look at his appearance,” since following his eyes is good between a man and his friend. If you can see the friend’s merits within reason, it is all the better. But this is not so here, when I want to anoint him as king. This operation belongs to Me. I want him as king. This is called “between a person and the Creator.” Here, the proper work is above reason, since precisely in this way it is possible to achieve reception in order to bestow. Otherwise, he will fall into receiving in order to receive, which causes separation and remoteness from Kedusha [holiness/sanctity].

However, here arises a question, after one has decided to go above reason and not look at all the questions that the body begins to ask. When he begins to work on the path of bestowal and faith above reason, and overcomes the obstacles—the questions that the body brings him from the world over—and closes his eyes and doesn’t wish to look at anything that contradicts the mind and heart, but has decided to go only above reason, after this decision, sometimes he suddenly brings great excuses that the body must agree with.

Thus, he sees that now he is going within reason. But what can he do when now he sees, through the excuses he received from above, that he tells himself, “What can I do now that I have no place where I can work above reason? I see now that everything I do in order to bestow is how it should be.”

Thus, he no longer has any questions about serving the Creator, which force him to work above reason. But since the work is primarily above reason, what can he do when he is in such a state?

Baal HaSulam said that when a person is rewarded with some disclosure from above and now he feels that it is worthwhile being a servant of the Creator, it follows that thus far he had work in the form of above reason: the body disagreed with this work and he always had to overcome, and needed the Creator to give him strength above reason. But now he no longer needs the help of the Creator, since now he feels that he has a basis on which to build his structure. In other words, he already has support on which to rely.

Thus, now he is blemishing the faith that he was using before, since now he can already say, “Thank God I am rid of the burden of faith, which was a burden and load to me.” But now I already have a basis within reason because now I have received some awakening from above so that the body agrees that it is worthwhile to keep Torah and Mitzvot. It turns out that by that he is blemishing the faith.

And Baal HaSulam said that at that time, one must say, “Now I see that the real way is actually to go above reason. And the evidence of that is the fact that now I have been rewarded with some illumination from above, only because I have taken it upon myself to go above reason. This is why I was rewarded with the Creator bringing me a little closer to Him and giving me some awakening from above.”

And this illumination that he has now received gives him an answer to all the questions. It turns out that this testifies to the above reason. Thus, what should I do now so I will continue with above reason? There is only to reinforce and to start looking for ways to dress his work in above reason.

It turns out that by that, he did not blemish his faith at all, since he was walking in it before he was rewarded with any illumination from above, since even now he is not receiving the illumination as a foundation on which to build the structure of his work. Rather, he is taking the illumination as a testimony that he is on the right track, that he is in faith above reason. Only in this form of work does the Creator bring a person closer to Him and gives him room to draw nearer to Him, since this nearing will not let him fall into the vessels of reception, which are called “within reason,” since the Creator sees that he is trying to go only above reason.

It follows from all the above that concerning above reason, there is a difference between a person-and-the-Creator and a person-and-his-friend. Between a person and his friend, if he can see the friends’ merits within reason it is better. But if within reason he sees only the friends’ faults, he has no choice but to go above reason and say, “What I see, hear, and feel is all wrong and untrue. It is impossible that I was mistaken about the friends I have chosen to bond with, meaning that I miscalculated.

“That is, I thought that I would grow richer in spirituality through them, since they had possessions that I did not. Hence, if I were to bond with them, I could rise to a higher degree than I thought. But now I see that in fact, I am discerning otherwise. And I heard that Baal HaSulam said that the only thing that can help a person emerge from self-love and be rewarded with the love of the Creator is the love of friends. Hence, I have no choice but to bond with those friends, although in my view, it would be better for me to stay away from them and not bond with them.

However, I have no choice and I must believe above reason that indeed, all the friends are at a high degree, but I cannot see their virtue with my eyes. This is why he must believe above reason. But when he sees the merit of the friends within reason, he can certainly derive great benefits from the friends. But what can he do? He has no choice.

However, it is a different order between a person and the Creator. In a place where one can go above reason, it is better. Therefore, where one can be assisted from within reason, being rewarded with some illumination from above, then he can say, “Now I see that it is worthwhile being a servant of the Creator because I feel a good taste in the work.”

It follows that he took this feeling—that he finds meaning in the work—as a basis and foundation upon which to build his Judaism. And now that he understands with his reason that it is worthwhile to keep Torah and Mitzvot, his whole foundation is built on this condition. This means that when he finds meaning in the work, he should obey the voice of the Creator. Thus, if he does not find meaning in the work, he cannot keep the Mitzvot of the Creator.

It is known that assuming the kingdom of heaven must be done “With all your heart and with all your soul.” In other words, even if He takes one’s soul from him, meaning even if he has no livelihood, not even Nefesh, he is still committed to being a servant of the Creator and to not present any conditions before the Creator, telling Him, “If you do as I wish, according to what I understand that I need—meaning that I feel a lack in this, and if You satisfy my need—I promise to be a servant of the Creator. But if You do not satisfy all my wishes—those I understand that I need—I cannot take upon myself everything that You command me through Moses.”

However, one should assume the burden of the kingdom of heaven without any conditions, meaning even above reason. Moreover, one must say, “Our having to work above reason is not because the Creator cannot give us reason.” Rather, we must believe that it is all to our benefit. It turns out that between a person and the Creator we should try to keep it above reason, and if he receives some reason, he should do as mentioned above.

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Reader: We will now enter a lesson with Rav from the date February 2, 2003. 

M. Laitman: (17:40) The matter of above reason, concerning above reason, the second half of the article—there are indeed a few points here. It starts with, 

Rav reads: It turns out that he never blemished his faith because he wasn't rewarded with illumination from above because, now, he receives this illumination as a foundation. Working above reason means he has nothing to rely on for his work. Rather, he takes this illumination as a testimony that he is walking on the right path. 

It's a problem, how will I take the knowledge that I have studied, the discernments from the previous states that I went through. I have experience on the path – does this experience help? This experience can help only as a testimony, not as the foundation, that I take in order to continue this work which is faith above reason. Only in this form of work does the Creator bring a person closer to Him, meaning, no record, no knowledge from the past can become a foundation for a person to continue the work. It can only help him on the condition that he goes above everything that he acquired thus far. It's highlighted in bold:

The only advice that can help a person come out from self-love and be rewarded with love of a friend, love of the Creator, is love of friends. 

He says it again and you can't hear such a thing:

 Thus, I have no choice but to connect with those friends even though according to my eyes it will be better for me if I will distance myself from them and not connect with them. 

Why? Because when a person approaches the goal, they give him all kinds of strange predictions. They see him as the friends in the society and according to his mind, his intellect, he thinks that it will be better if he would isolate himself. He would take his Rav, his teacher somewhere and then goes elsewhere to study. Then, he would be rewarded with everything. All the friends are just asleep around him, they don't give him any fuel for work, they only interfere with his progress. Even when they do give him a certain awakening and uplifting, this is also not exactly according to his character. There's all kinds of excuses here but there's no choice, I must believe above reason, indeed, a lot of the friends are at a higher degree. That's above reason, we have to believe it but I cannot see their virtue with my eyes. What does it mean? Well, a person comes yesterday, I'm here for five years or, maybe, how can he—or I'm smarter than him. I'm more sharper, I understand more, I know more, I invested physically more, right? It somehow worked, right? I labored and according to the labor, to the sorrow, is the reward, I suffered a lot, I deserve more – although I may not be feeling it. How can someone new who comes here, has done nothing, he just walks in—he's here six months and I'm here five years, let's say he's already higher than me in the degrees? According to what, which actions of his, his knowledge? His attitude to the friends, maybe, is better than mine. I see that I demand more than the friends, I give more to the friends compared to someone who doesn't show it at all. 

So how? The thing is that it doesn't matter what I see, the result depends on how I relate because there's a system around me. The benefit from it is only in how I relate to this system called, group, called, cohesion of friends; it's possible there's no cohesion and they're not really friends. And then this form is such that my attitude for them, if it is above reason, that they are truly an exalted group, a special group, the most spiritual group there can be. Then my attitude determines how much I will receive through them, how much impression and help and recognition of the greatness of the goal, the greatness of the Creator. Let's say, this is the beginning of the solution, then we'll talk some more.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (24:12) He writes here that the love of friends should specifically be within reason. Perhaps at least there's a distinction. He writes in the article that love of friends is preferable within reason while love between a person and the Creator is above reason. The question is, how is it possible to find all kinds of tactics to bring love of friends specifically into reason and not bring it above reason? How can we do this?

M. Laitman: Love of friends within reason, meaning that I have to do actions within reason and relate to them truly in the field, right? According to how I understand that I have to love them and how I discover the attitude that has to be toward the Creator. I now relate in this way to the friends – it's within reason. Whereas to accept them as great, I have to accept them above reason because I do not see that they are like that.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (25:11) So, it turns out that love is not simply a feeling that I love. It turns out to be a certain action that I perform, not that I love. I still haven't seen what that is. I don't see that I love them, I force myself. Is that how it turns out? 

M. Laitman: Of course you force yourself to love others, who told you it's not like—the case? What's the question? 

Student: Love, I don't feel love there. 

M. Laitman: No, love of friends does not mean that you love them but that's the goal. You want, at any cost, to reach such a thing since, on that depends your attitude toward the Creator, acquiring the goal. You wish to reach a connection with the Creator, adhesion with Him? Let's say, I don't know what is the Creator—something exalted, great, spiritual. Spiritual, I also don't know what it is, if I will interpret what is spiritual I will run away from it. I'm not going to be attracted to it, right? In order to bestow, in short, it doesn't matter, for me, how do I depict the Creator. I also don't want to imagine Him too much: Who is He, what is He? Because then I will never start the work. I can interpret Him as a force of bestowal without any reward for myself, without any—in short, disconnected from caring for himself and so on and so forth. If I will interpret it, I will not be able to move. 

So I still interpret it as something great, worthwhile. It will be good. I will feel good. We'll call it Lo Lishma, right?—an egoistically. I want Him. It still doesn't sound like the true Lishma but it's the beginning because I'm cheating myself. I do it on purpose by imagining it as something great and worthwhile and all my life is worth nothing. What's the purpose in life?—and so on and so forth. And then, Taste and see the Lord is good, there are tastes there, there are great things there. Then, I decided there's no choice, the Creator gave me the possibility to reach the good thing. Taste and see the Lord is good on the condition that I pay for it, right? We pay in everything, what can you do? I have to pay by loving the friend, I have to invest as much as I can, as much as possible. Somehow, I need to invest in love of friends, that's it so I go and I do it. Now, in order to invest in love of friends, I look at them – they're all zeros, right? – then, I have to relate to them as great, accept them, not the way they appear in my eyes. But, truly, seemingly, the Creator considers them, values them greatly, to such an extent that He says, if you love them, I will allow you to approach me and be with me. Look at that, how can such a thing be? 

He values them to such an extent that, you know – sometimes people come to me to get married. A woman came and she has a child from a previous relationship and a man who wants to marry her. They come to me, all three of them and they ask me, should we get married, no, yes? The woman says, I'm very, I'm afraid, I feel that he loves me. He wants to marry me, live with me, right?—but, I have a problem with the child, will he love the child, hate the child? If he loves the child I wanted to do everything for him but if he hates the child, I cannot be with him, what to do? That same condition, we create a place before us, that condition and I have no choice, what can I do? These are cases that I see every day, what can I do? Of course, it would have been better if there would have been no child but if there is a child, what do you do? Certainly, without a group, with anything, I'm with him and I'm done. What do I need all of that, all those no-bodies, right?—but that's how it is.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (30:23) I see that my mind disturbs me, yes? I need to look from the side, how do I do that? Both in relation to friends, in relation to my inner self? How do I do this, how do I look from the side? 

M. Laitman: There's nothing—the brain, there's nothing in you that was created for nothing, nothing interferes. We use such words, right?—that it interferes but it helps, but except indirectly, that's it, there are no disturbances, really. The brain that interferes, it's a sign that you have to go above, in spite of the brain, above the brain, so you will rise above this obstruction, so you will rise above it, that's it.

Student: How do I put it aside? 

M. Laitman: Not aside, you have to walk together with him except to rise higher than him. It's not off to the side, it's on it, on top of it so keep it; check it all the time, see this brain: What are your thoughts, what are your desires? Then, when you keep them but in spite of them, you walk, you walk above them.

Student: I can't keep track of it because it works so fast that I can't follow it. 

M. Laitman: Slowly, you will see such qualities later that you won't need to work like a computer with such frequency. Where after all those thoughts each time you rise, you'll have slower thoughts. The discernments will be—you won't have to be preoccupied all the time with a thousand and one thoughts. It's only the beginning because you cannot connect them, they're still dispersed, they're not concentrated around a single goal, single exertion, single condition. They're still dispersed, you cannot focus this picture, to build it so it will be whole. Gradually, it will become somehow—you will establish it and then it will be easier. In truth, our problem is only to focus on one thought, that's it. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (32:58) They tell me to go above reason, I cannot. They tell me to connect with friends, I cannot. They tell me to marry a woman without feeling anything, I cannot. They tell me to rise above every discernment, I cannot. You, as my Rav, as the guide I chose tell me, everything is ready for you, just do it. I just can't do it. What I'm asking for is one means, one thing that I'll be able to work with, something—one. 

M. Laitman: Meaning, nothing that I'm told to do, I can do. Rather, I can't do anything I'm told to do. I cannot connect with friends. I cannot go above reason, I also cannot think of the Creator, I need all those things. What is the problem? It is above reason, what? A thousand-and-one problems are above reason because they give us intellect. They give us all kinds of obstacles in our state, in this world. That within reason, they go against all the spiritual matters. What's new about it?

 Student: I'm asking what can be done?

M. Laitman: What can you do? Nothing, you just obey what you're told, there's no other choice. The problem is that we're waiting. You know? It's not going to fight forever, as Baal HaSulam writes, there's a thousand-and-one beautiful quips. The Creator can make concessions, and that's not too bad. An individual who will also turn to me, and He will think about me, and somehow He will come and reincarnate. Whatever you can do for the time being, right, what can a human do – it simply doesn't work. Baal HaSulam writes, the Creator never conceded the total amount of exertion from any one of the nations of the world. Why would He make any concessions, or not make any concessions? The Creator is the general law of reality, the general law says that according to the equivalence of form, a person occupies space in the spiritual realm. You have equivalence of form with the vessels of bestowal, with this degree, with this ladder? Welcome, you're there, you don't need permission from the Creator to say, oh, he did the work, let him into the degree. There's no such thing, what is that will of the Creator, all those things. We speak this way, there's a general law that works here, we're not asking you yes or no, that's how it is, these are absolute laws. What does he say in the definition of the wisdom of Kabbalah. These roots that cascade down from above, down in absolute laws, and in those laws, those degrees, you have to rise from below up. So, what can you do, you don't want it? You don't need to, if you do want it, please do it, but why are you coming to me for?

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (36:18) I can't obey anything, it wouldn't matter if it's worth if I can't obey anything. It's like telling me the law is to oppose gravity but gravity acts on me, I can't, so what's it worth? And even if I know that I keep it, I'll start flying, and then I'll be in that state, but I can't fly. So I can't, what's it worth?

M. Laitman: He gave you one thing that you're capable of doing: You are capable of exerting in Him. I'll tell you, if you will focus on your attitude toward the friends in order to reach the Creator, you will reach the final point of despair, and reach Him. Then you'll reach Him with a cry but you won't reach the cry before you're despaired, and you won't be able to despair unless you try it on the friends. The solution is simple, start working. Your problem is that you tie the end of the road, the connection with the Creator, directly with the connection in the friends. It's not going to come to you, directly, there's in the middle a cry, the separation of the Red Sea. It's something that you have to go through, not using your own forces. You have to prepare a vessel for it, the deficiency, not that you acquire forces, and you come to the Creator full of forces. You come to the Creator like a tiny button, you know, so to come to this little button, now you're so inflated, you have to come, become so small, with a huge deficiency. And with the forces of almost zero, and then when you prepare yourself in this way, you'll be ready to go through the tearing of the Red Sea and enter spirituality, that's it. And that's it, And the sons of Israel sighed from the work. You have to come to that state, that's it, I'm done with the work, there's no more. But you haven't even started, why are you crying before? 

Student: But I cried out a million times?

M. Laitman: No, this cry is like the Rav says, it's like a child who's crying.

Student: I feel that I can't, and I have no more cry, so what's the difference between that? 

M. Laitman: But your cries are not even in that, in the right direction because you haven't even started. Why did you work with a group, with the friends? Look what he's writing, what he's writing, what can I do? You haven't even started to work with the friends, you haven't done anything for them. You haven't done any action in order to reach the goal. Maybe you did something with them – let's have a little celebration, a picnic, a meal. But I believe you did it not to reach the goal, not in that direction. 

Student: For what purpose? Will that be nice bits for them? Why should I care if it's nice for them?

M. Laitman: No, you don't care about them, that they feel like it's nice; rather you care that they feel nice, so they will enjoy for me to reach the Creator. And that in return, they will bestow to you the greatness of the goal so you'll have the fuel to exert even more. Without additional fuel, you won't have, you know, now that you're in such a state. I'm coming from abroad, I don't have so much fuel, I enter here. I enter the groups, there. I come here into the groups, I receive fuel, I'm telling you seriously. Without that, well, I have other sources, it doesn't matter but nevertheless, the fuel is from the environment, there's no choice. Say what you will, it will not help. You would have done something differently, I understand, but that's what the Creator did. He gave a law, and that's it.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (40:32) I suppose you are. I mean, suppose I'm not capable, I don't know, I'm too small.

M. Laitman: No, it's not that you, you, each one of you is neither less nor more than you, each one of you. Don't think that you are special, or better, or worse, each and every one is exactly like that, no one else. When you reach the end of correction, you'll see that everyone is exactly the same. You have a sharper mind, he has more feelings, and that's it, but there's no difference. I can yell at the friend, I can say something about him, those are human things only. Spirituality, in spirituality, in spiritual qualities, not human qualities, but it's easier for me to connect with him. And I don't understand this guy, and this guy pisses me off, those are human qualities. But in spiritual qualities, everyone is equal. Equal. So don't tell me that you can't, I can't, but others also can't. There is no question, no one. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (41:43) You can't understand the system or the mechanism that's created in such a way in order to reach the truth. You have to deceive yourself all the time. 

M. Laitman: If I'm a thief, I have, you know, I can't do without it – what do you call this disease? 

Student: Kleptomania.

M. Laitman: Kleptomania, that's it. I have a remedy for it, there is a remedy. There is a problem: A respected woman comes from a distinguished family. They caught her stealing a beautiful little teaspoon from a store. They came to see me with her husband but they need to do something. It's inconceivable, what should she do? She wants to get rid of this problem, it might even get worse, it's a shame, you know. Although people know that they understand how she is, and it's a disease. So, they're looking for ways to lie to the body so it would not want to do this. So it would not want to seek pleasure in such a way. It's truly a problem, naturally – like that, she enters a place, and she cannot control herself. It's like a will to receive, we don't control it. Except with her, it's a bit more in her consciousness, that's why it's called, a deviation. What is a deviation? Besides our will to receive that we have, that we want to just take stuff, you see that she wants to take special things in a special way, and it's called a disease. But what kind of disease is it? We're all in that, except we're on a different level, more concealed, maybe, less than that. So, you look for advice. How to lie to the body to not do it, to not want it, to not see those pleasant things that will acquire pleasure differently in a way that is beneficial to its progress, to its existence, and so on and so forth. Baal HaSulam said that the Creator placed a stick that you have to jump over but He placed it above the wall, and He says, jump. But you can't jump because it's right next to the wall, you understand? But you have to try, there's no choice, it's simple. The problem is that you cannot lie to your body, he says, whatever you're going to do now, it will be without any success. But you must think that you are succeeding and you are reaching the Creator, and ultimately I am incapable, I can't succeed, it contradicts.

Student: So, why is it preferable to do it? Maybe I won't do it, why is it preferably preferable to do it?

M. Laitman: If you don't do it, you will not create the vessel, And the children of Israel, sighed from the work. What does it mean? It's a very big, empty vessel against the Creator, the importance of the Creator that they also grew by themselves, they grew this vessel from below. Above them, seemingly, this great light, the image of the Creator, but His importance, they stand one facing the other, and in the middle, a barrier. They're not able to connect these two things, and this is called, And they sighed

Student: This is the prayer

M. Laitman: And you don't want to create such a state, so what can you do? It's smart, he says, it's impossible, he tried a few times, it's done, you know, he's right, according to his intellect, he's right.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (46:24) How do I measure this equivalence of form with the friends?

M. Laitman: That's already a different technique. To work with the friends, we'll speak about that later. Yes, you're already asking about details, if I'm okay, so I go with that, and then how do I start, what do I do? 

Student: Because he writes here the entire Torah, the entire method, with a few lines, it doesn't say anything about the friends, he doesn't open it, he wants me to do it,

M. Laitman: So, I'm going to turn to you and say, listen, do this, and in another few minutes this, and in another few minutes that.

Student: No, we can say, do like this, but do it, and we'll see each other in two months, we can say.

M. Laitman: No, he doesn't speak about two months, he gives you all the advice, and you throughout your work, you see what sorrow to use. I don't feel difficulty in the person that he lacks advice – the Torah is full of advice.

Student: But it looks like one vessel?

M. Laitman: Guys, you still don't really grasp what you came to fight against. What kind of terrible creature you came to fight. It's the will to receive, it's something like a terrible, enormous mountain, and you cannot, it's like some kind of cyclops – I don't know how to say it, is there such a term in Hebrew as well?

Student: Yes, a monster, yes.

M. Laitman: A monster, yes. You know, there's nothing you can do with it, you simply, if it sees you, it just steps on you without feeling it, and you're gone, you understand? You don't understand, you think spirituality is like, with some little cry, I'll pinch myself, and that's it, I'll jump there, you understand? And with its intellect as well, it thinks it has insights, and arguments, and everything is justified. All of it is correct, but still, a little – you don't understand what it is at all beyond this little animalistic level that you have.

Student: So, how to get it, slowly?

M. Laitman: Even in this world, even in this world, you don't know what that is. Even animalistic qualities, you don't know how immense they are; and just talking about spirituality? You don't understand what that even is. So I understand that you're like a baby screaming, ah, I want this.

Student: So, you have to work on it slowly. How to work on it slowly? 

M. Laitman: Start! Sit like this, nice, just as you are now, quietly, and think: What does it mean for me now to start? So, as a Creator, my life is worth nothing, I have no choice, I need to reach Him. Reaching Him, I also don't know what that means, I lack flavors, I need to get importance. They come with the question, what is the meaning of our lives? They recommend, Taste and see that the Lord is good. How can there be such a thing, what kind of answer is that, to what question? Just look at what they're doing, what kind of… why are sages giving me such an answer, what kind of sages are they to give such an answer? So, you feel bad, you know, there's something there that you'll taste, it'll really fill you, your whole life will be full. These lives, those are not important, but spirituality, wholeness, where is it found? Is that really advice, it's worse than saying, you feel bad, if you become a millionaire, then you'll feel good. You say this to a person who doesn't have a penny, no profession, no means, nothing, and like this nobility in their hands, in their mind, in anything, how? That's their claim. 

And there's only one thing, just as he says here: 

The single advice that can help the person to exit self-love and to be rewarded with the love of the Creator is the love of friends. 

Now I say it seriously, and truly, I have no choice. So what is love of friends? And how do I even understand what that is? Touch it, open it, acquire it, belong to it. So, I need to put my head only into this – not how many Galgalta, AB, SAG, not how many angels in the heavens, and not all kinds of other things – bread, salt, and water are enough for me, I need love of friends. The only advice that can help a person. Look at what he writes, so what can you do? He's not deceiving you, he's not giving you a thousand and one pieces of advice, like you say, that you get confused. He gives you only one thing, love of friends. In other words, before me, if I want to enter good things, a good life, there is one door called, love of friends. Now, I need to enter there, decide to enter, let's enter it. After that door, there are all kinds of other really, how do you call them, antechambers, it's one room after another. A corridor, yes, and that's it, and we'll pass through, we'll pass through these rooms, there's probably no such word in Hebrew, 

Student: Cascade.

M. Laitman: Yes, well. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (53:58) I see I need to serve a friend like he wants, like he needs.

M. Laitman: It's already technique, I don't want to talk about that – leave me with those questions inside the room, I'm saying that one needs to enter it, and that's it. If you want to go according to the advice of the sages, and do not say anything afterward, no calculations. You want to… please, if not, not, that's it, don't bring me all kinds of… you know, all kinds of intellectual things, that doesn't get taken into account. Because the path is an abnormal, irrational path, I need to prepare the vessel. Meaning that I work on the deficiency – what kind of a madman works on the deficiency, right, what kind of a madman works on the deficiency? Everyone wants fulfillment, and I, after every good action that I do, I get a greater deficiency, greater despair. And then after greater despair, time after time, I need to gather strength, fuel, once again nevertheless to enter the same thicket, and receive even greater despair. Meaning all these things, all the conditions, and the society needs to supply those to me. On condition that I also relate to it; I need to enter it on condition that I relate to it correctly. I need to enter into a kind of tandem, into a dialogue, into a special kind of feedback.

It doesn't work according to our intellect not because it's a society, there are very successful societies in the world as well, in love and in ritual health, where one is really ready to give their life for a friend. There is no problem with that, we have also read such articles about the submarine and various things like that, how they train them to be in one unit. These are things that on the level of this world are possible because you have a vessel in one place and payment, fulfillment in one place, no problem. Here, it's something completely different; here, when you begin to work with a society, you already begin to work on a spiritual vessel, which will always be empty of spirituality. And until it truly becomes empty, you will need to oppose the intellect, you'll need to go above reason; each time you'll have greater difficulties and greater disappointments. And if you do not work correctly with a society, and the society does not work toward you in the correct way – no hope. In other words, we'll just be a factory for creating media – I'm not saying that's bad, we're working for the next incarnation, we'll come back next time and continue with our spiritual part – in the meantime, we work in the corporeal part. I'm saying this seriously, that's the situation. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (56:31) He says in the article, the person has to work above reason, but each time he needs to receive a testimony within reason for the fact that he's working on the right path. What is relative to the relationship with the society, the testimony that a person is working on the correct path? 

M. Laitman: What does he write? No, I know where it's written, what does he say about it? 

Student: It's about the Creator wrote this testimony, but if you talk about above reason in society, you also need some testimony for that within reason. So, what's the testimony in that case?

M. Laitman: What is a testimony?

Student: That within reason I see this is the right thing to do?

M. Laitman: If I am in a bad state but this bad state is a beneficial state, so is it considered bad or good for me? If I look from the sensation, it's bad; if I look from the side of the intellect that grasps this whole perspective, so then it's good. So, what do I gain strength from, from what future? The future, the society needs to supply it to me, I need to get the feeling of the future from the society.

Student: It's not clear, it's clear when I speak about, I don't know, salary, but when I speak about now reaching love of friends?

M. Laitman: Sir, you need strengthening on the path. The Creator places your hand on the good fate. This is good. In Yiddish we say, that's how we call it, good, if it's good. The Creator places your hand on the good fate, on the good path, and He says, take it, from here on, you need to walk. Yes, that's it. What does it mean to walk? To strengthen. What do you strengthen yourself with? Only, as he tells you now, only through the friends.

Student: What is the testimony for succeeding on the correct path in the direction of love of friends? That I love them more, or that I see that I hate them more? What is the testimony for doing it?

M. Laitman: The testimony of the correct action, alright? If at the end of the action you are more, you have more despair, and you want the goal more. These two things grow in you, the point of Malchut and the point of Keter. A larger vessel, and as it were, a larger surrounding light, a larger Ohr Makif, yes.

Student: If I am going toward love of friends and I do what Baal HaSulam writes, that the only thing I can do is to bestow to the friend a good mood. But if I feel more that the more I come closer I feel more despair, how can I bring the friend high spirits?

M. Laitman: You, who are in despair, cannot provide the friends with a good mood. Try to lie – not to do it from the whole heart, but to play with it, try, that's it. Is that impossible? If you are an honest, direct person, what do you have in your heart, you can’t have it be other than that. 

Student: No, I understand how the greatness, how the yearning for truth, that this is something that motivates you, will make you all the time to cheat yourself and deceive yourself in the environment. How can a person live this way?

M. Laitman: The importance of the goal, it will give it to you, the importance of the goal, it needs to be there. At first they give you the importance of the goal, and afterward they take it away. Initially, they give it to you, and you are running around going, whoa, in another five minutes, I am already there among the angels, right? They give that importance at the beginning. But afterward, you need to use that importance correctly to transfer the supply of importance from the Creator to the society – that's what we are not doing. The Creator gradually takes away His importance, that is, He slightly withdraws and restricts Himself in order for you to start getting the importance through your exertion in the society. And you don't do this, so then you remain with no air in the tires, you cannot move. He gave you the importance, He placed a person's hand on the good fate. He says, take this, giving you everything, but afterwards that's it. Begin, begin, you just don't begin, so what will He do to you? You need to move, and that's important, I say, it's a law, and it shall not be broken. He's not playing with you on purpose in one way or another, these are absolute laws that operate on you in this manner. They will not change, don't wait for them to change. Look at all the laws in our nature. It's not going to help you if you jump off the roof, that's it, there's nothing, there's no miracles. You are forbidden to rely on miracles – there are no miracles.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:02:22) When you go deeper into it, what is love of friends? What does it mean to work with it, to receive importance? You can break it down into a million things. They tried a million things here and you have nothing, no idea what it is. You have nothing in your hands, you're left with, you know, what is exertion now? What is to work with a friend to receive the importance of the goal? It means to go to a bar with a friend, I go to work in the kitchen?

M. Laitman: You're asking me like your friend here is asking me: How do I begin to work within the society in order to receive importance of the Creator? How do I work on these friends so that in return for my labor, they will supply me with importance of the Creator? They will supply me with importance of the Creator only on condition that I think about the importance of the Creator, and that I work on my love toward them. 

Student: I don't know, I'm here a little over a year.

M. Laitman: You've already been here a year and a bit?

Student: Yes.

M. Laitman: Honestly, you haven't advanced at all?  More than that already, it seems to me, three, four, half a year, you've advanced really well. That was with Gilad, that doesn't count. I'm telling you seriously, listen, maybe you have more disturbances in the intellect and they have more disturbances in the emotion and so on. Everyone has the same disturbances, and it's the same for everyone, and nothing will help. He says the only advice, and that's it: If you want to advance now in a truly correct way, then you need to discard all the other advice that you think exists, whatever the body supplies you with, yes, and he tells you, love of friends, let's now only discuss this.

Student: What is this? 

M. Laitman: Oh, what is it? That's a topic in and of itself, tomorrow.

Student: But you come with, you see that you have nothing in your hand. 

M. Laitman: That's already you beginning to be inside, I have nothing, right, so, but enter this door, there is nothing besides that. Imagine that what you come and do, you study, you create a lot of media here. You put on classes, and whatever else you do. All of this, you still have not reached any spiritual exertion. It's a factory, let it be clear to everyone, that's a factory. Now, let us begin to think what is above it, that's it; above it, you enter only through a door called, the love of friends.

Student: I don't know what that is. The name is disgusting.

M. Laitman: I agree with you, and it's not at all in the direction that I want, and I never thought that it's one related to the other. I want Him, the Creator, I want myself to fly upward, this whole world with all these people, let them stay here and remain in the garbage, that's it. I understand that, that's what they say, enter this door and deal only with what is behind it.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:05:40) What does it mean to Him?

M. Laitman: I don't know. We'll talk about that, we'll talk about that later. But detach yourself from all the other things. Meaning don't deceive yourself that they belong to spirituality. To spirituality belong only what is found behind the door that writes love of friends. Enter inside, there's no going back and we deal only with this. Everything else is completely marginal for us. We do them, you know, like even like all things in this world, including our media, our Internet, all these things. We simply do them with the body, the heart, we enter inside through this door. If we make that decision, then let's enter, and we'll discuss what is over there.

Student: What's the first step? What does it mean to enter the door?

M. Laitman: To enter the door means that from now on, from this moment onward, we admit to placing in our mind that only this will be important, and everything else, whatever happens in life, we measure it in relation to that. We take everything into account and make calculations only in relation to that. Only for its sake, that's all – this is called the only advice: That I work only for this. 

Okay, they're also asking about this: How do I battle the hatred toward a friend? How do we walk together? Do I need to accept all the friends in the group, and so on, who I see are completely unrelated? Okay, Part 8. 

Reader: Let's share our impressions from the lesson, what do we take from it to apply in the Ten?

Song: (01:14:37)