The transcript has been transcribed and edited from English simultaneous interpretation, thus there may be potential semantic inaccuracies within it.
Daily Lesson (Morning) December 2, 2024.
Part 1: Baal HaSulam. A Speech for the Completion of The Zohar
Reader: Hello, we will be reading from the writings of Baal HaSulam, “A Speech for the Completion of the Zohar”. We will continue where we left off, starting with, “Thus we have thoroughly explained” You can find all of our texts on kabbalahmedia.info as well as through the Arvut platform, where you can send us questions. So, let's begin.
“...Thus, we have thoroughly explained…”
Reading: (00:28) Thus, we have thoroughly explained our sages’ replied to the question, “How is it possible to adhere to Him?” which they said means adhere to His qualities. This is true for two reasons: 1) Spiritual Dvekut is not in proximity of place, but in equivalence of form. 2) Since the soul was separated from His self only because of the will to receive, which the Creator had imprinted in it, once He separated the will to receive from it, it naturally returned to the previous Dvekut with His self.
However, all this is in theory. In fact, they have not answered anything with the explanation of adhering to His qualities, which means to separate the will to receive, imprinted in the nature of creation, and arriving at the desire to bestow—the opposite of its nature.
What we explained, that one who is drowning in the river should grip the rope firmly, and before he engages in Torah and Mitzvot Lishma in a way that he will not return to folly, it is not considered gripping the rope firmly, the question returns: Where will one find motivation to wholeheartedly exert solely to bring contentment to one’s Maker? After all, one cannot make a single movement without any benefit for himself, like a machine cannot work without fuel. If there is no self-benefit, but only contentment to his Maker, he will have no fuel for work.
The answer is that anyone who sufficiently attains His greatness, the bestowal he bestows upon Him is inverted into reception, as it is written in Masechet Kidushin (p 7a): With an important person, when the woman gives him money, it is regarded for her as reception, and she is sanctified.
So it is with the Creator: If one achieves His greatness, there is no greater reception than contentment to one’s Maker. This is sufficient fuel to toil and wholeheartedly exert to bring contentment to Him.
M. Laitman: I don't think there is anything to add here, but if there are questions, go ahead.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (04:23) We always talk about attaining the Creator's greatness. And he writes here properly, what does it mean to properly attain it because each one can perceive it differently.
M. Laitman: The way it should be.
Student: So, what does it mean, as it should be? We try to work on connection, we try to elevate the connection between us higher and higher. What does it mean to attain the Creator's greatness properly? How do we get to that proper thing?
M. Laitman: Properly means for a person to have the power to bestow as much as he can to the Creator.
Student: We should tell ourselves that we're doing everything within our power? That will be proper?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: Another question?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: He says here that until we reach Lishma, we're not holding the rope tightly enough. How do we hold on to the rope right now when we're not yet in Lishma? What does it mean for us to hold the rope?
M. Laitman: To grip the rope means that we do certain actions in order to sustain the society, the study, inclination toward the Creator as much as possible. Of course, it's not what we need but along the way.
Student: What is the danger? I'm not sure if it's the right question. Since we're not yet in Lishma right now, how important is the Ten and the environment for us to give that power, the fuel as he says, to hold on to the rope and not let go?
M. Laitman: According to the importance of cleaving to the Creator so we can make efforts and receive in exchange for our labor, change from the Creator, change in approaching Him.
Student: This change you're talking about, the more we bestow upon the Creator, it becomes reception for us. Is that the change that we have to get on the way?
M. Laitman: For us to receive the power from the Creator to be able to Cling to Him.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (07:36) What is this fuel?
M. Laitman: The fuel, when we're able to be in the tendency toward the Creator – adhesion – that's the greatness he speaks of.
Student: This fuel will give me power to work, the power to know that I'm working?
M. Laitman: To work.
Student: All right, and from where do I get the fuel?
M. Laitman: From the Creator.
Student: What do I pay to fuel up?
M. Laitman: I get the fuel, the greatness of the Creator as He's the fuel that's pulling me forward toward Him, is something that exists in nature.
Student: Okay, so that's at His expense, right? He gives me fuel for the work.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: And what's on me?
M. Laitman: On me, is to want to get to it, that only receiving the fuel to approach the Creator will be for me a reward.
Student: A desire from my side. And if I see that the desire is over, I don't have any?
M. Laitman: To pray to have because that's something you receive from the Creator directly.
Student: And if that runs out also?
M. Laitman: Through the environment, the study, we need to try and reach this desire.
Student: What's the role of the Ten, here, in generating the fuel?
M. Laitman: The Ten relative to each one who comes is as a source, the source of the desire to reach adhesion with the Creator.
Student: Alright, and if after many years working with the group you see that there are very veteran students, long time students, who just quit?
M. Laitman: Do you always have that?
Student: What was the reason? The Creator doesn't want to give them fuel anymore?
M. Laitman: No, they didn't make room for the correct exertion.
Student: What is this room for proper exertion?
M. Laitman: The place for the correct exertion is to have the strength, the power, to reveal the Creator.
Student: Right but that power gradually runs out, the person doesn't have that power anymore, and then he leaves.
M. Laitman: If he doesn't care for it, he won't have it.
Student: Okay, so that's the question, what should I do now to make sure that I always have fuel for the work, if that's even possible?
M. Laitman: This is possible, it's possible to add, constantly, to the desire to reach adhesion with the Creator, and it depends on the environment.
Student: I don't understand what depends on me, what depends on the environment, and what depends on the Creator.
M. Laitman: The Creator is the source, the environment is the awakening each one who comes to reach adhesion. And to extract the forces from the adhesion in the society to reach the Creator.
Student: If I don't wake up?
M. Laitman: I don't wake up, it means that you're being lazy.
Student: Where's my point here, not the environment and the Creator who are doing their work just fine. What am I not good?
M. Laitman: You're not good because although you have an environment and study, and everything that a person actually needs, you're not using it, correctly.
Student: What's the correct form of usage?
M. Laitman: To take out from the work in the group? Extract, rather, the power that will pull you forward.
Student: Right, and when a friend is in that state of being lazy, didn't make the right effort but he was here for many years, what can the environment do with him, if anything?
M. Laitman: You can remind him, you can remind him what's the purpose of our work, the connection, the adhesion in the friends.
Student: The environment can awaken a desire in him the same as he had in the beginning?
M. Laitman: Even more.
Student: How?
M. Laitman: It says, envy, lust, and honor take a person out of this world. So, we have to care about that.
Student: But if the person is no longer absorbing from the environment, he's not inspiring. I suppose, otherwise, he would receive force and fuel. So, in that state, how can the environment work on him to awaken this envy in him?
M. Laitman: The society has to care about this, show each and everyone in this society. That there is room for exertion and for receiving a reward in exchange.
Student: Why should a person be envy about something that he has no desire for anymore?
M. Laitman: The Creator gives each one a desire in the beginning so he would enter. So he would enter the society and adhere to the friends but after the first few steps, a person has to continue on their own. That's it.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (15:59) What we just talked about, is that also related to a person's character, a person's nature?
M. Laitman: Not that much. There are some external signs in each one for how he's behaving. But in reality it only depends on the extent to which the upper light shines on him.
Student: We see that sometimes there are people who are very, very critical, and it's difficult for them to agree with the environment in all things. There are others who flow along more; it's not that they care less but they're more amenable. They accept the spirit of the group more easily.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: Is the work equal between them? It seems that people who are more critical by nature have much more effort to make in agreeing.
M. Laitman: This has to do with each one's root of their soul, so we can't say why one has more ability to agree, and to adhere, and defend, and the other one has less.
Student: Let's return to this: What is adhesion?
M. Laitman: Adhesion is when one receives from the other everything he has together. And he can work on it with his own qualities.
Student: But for that, one has to see the other as greater than himself. The fuel has to be the greatness of another. But equality, it seems they have to be equal to adhere. How can you hold the friend to be great, but also be equal with him?
M. Laitman: You have to put in labor, to exert, there's in no other way. Through the adhesion of friends, each one needs to receive from the other the greatness of the Creator.
Student: What does it mean to adhere to his qualities?
M. Laitman: It's written. He's merciful, you're merciful, he's compassionate, you're compassionate.
Student: He has different qualities than I do, and by seeing him as great and the Creator as great, I acquire these qualities from him?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (19:21) What's the difference between attaining the greatness of the Creator and giving contentment to his maker?
M. Laitman: Well, first of all, it's two different directions.
Student: Attaining His greatness?
M. Laitman: Yes. That one you receive from the Creator and one you seemingly give to the Creator.
Student: So, one depends upon the other.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: So, the attainment, first of all, is that of the greatness of the Creator.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: And then bestowing contentment is like a bonus he gets after attaining the greatness of the Creator?
M. Laitman: You can bring contentment to the Creator and that is felt in you, is a great reward.
Student: That's the goal?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Turkey 8): (20:37) It's written that when a woman gives money to an important person, it's considered to be reception and she's sanctified. What does that mean?
M. Laitman: A woman?
Student: Meaning, when she gives to a person who is important, then it's considered reception. How does that work?
M. Laitman: She feels that she is receiving from giving.
Question (Moscow 8): (21:19) How is the state of the knower of all mysteries testify that he will not return to his folly? How is that expressed in a person?
M. Laitman: It's expressed in that he requires change in his nature, where he knows that he's rising from his will to receive to his will to bestow, and that's what's keeping him.
Question (KabU 9): (22:00) How will we convince the one who will receive that bestowing upon the Creator is reward?
M. Laitman: Through the influence of the environment.
Question (Multiple Sources): (22:12) There are a few questions here about how to attain the Creator's greatness.
M. Laitman: Baal HaSulam writes, if he's in an environment where everyone recognizes it and everyone aims in that direction, then he requires a desire and the power to believe in it.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (22:48) Can a person who receives some role in the society that he really wanted, and he gets fuel from that, that his fuel is for the will to receive, how can it be turned into the correct fuel?
M. Laitman: By changing his intention.
Student: So, he constantly needs to work with the intention to bestow upon the Creator, to always remind himself that he received this role to give contentment to the Creator?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: And then it becomes fuel more and more so?
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (23:39) We see from the text and also from life, that without the greatness of the Creator, a person can't hold on. And we see that as a phenomenon also, when a friend's importance begins to descend, and every little problem becomes a big high mountain, and when there is a lot of importance, the feeling of importance, then it's all as nothing. And we see that in the text as well as seeing it, here. So, we all have an environment enveloping us. What's the difference between a friend who absorbs this greatness from the society and one who doesn't?
M. Laitman: We can't tell but each and every one has its own foundation, his own character. We need to agree with it, and only encourage each one of his friends to invest more.
Student: And should the person think that it depends on him, also, the extent to which he receives this? Or is it luck?
M. Laitman: No, it depends on many factors. You can call them whatever you want, but each one has his own conditions. But what we need in the group, in the society, is to set an example from each one to everyone.
Student: Does it depend on me, the extent to which I absorb the greatness of the Creator from my Ten?
M. Laitman: Both, you and the environment.
Student: I have to incorporate with them, to take it from them, and they have to give me this example.
M. Laitman: Yes, yes!.
Student: As a person advances, should he feel that he is giving his fuel, or his source of fuel more and more to the Ten? I mean, that he feels that the fuel he lives on comes from the Ten?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (26:44) I have two questions: The matter of the greatness of the Creator doesn't necessarily say that there is also the greatness of the society in a person. Maybe when a person has the greatness of the Creator, he actually starts feeling that the environment is not good enough, it's not giving him what he needs in order to bestow contentment upon the Creator. And then he doesn't receive any power from the environment, and he leaves. Or at least he feels outside, as an outsider in his heart. So, why does that greatness, why does it make a person belittle the society? Is that the greatness of the Creator? What is that?
M. Laitman: That's negative exaltedness. He thinks he understands more, he is higher, he deserves more. That's why he disconnects from the society until he leaves, completely.
Student: You see it often where a person is like, I'm willing to give my soul, my hardened soul and the others around me aren't. So, this isn't the right place. What's right, here, what's the cure for this? Or is he right, that person?
M. Laitman: What we need to do is to unite the society you're in.
Student: I remember you saying you received this advice from Rabash: he told you, go check other places so you're sure that this is the place for you. So, from your experience, how to be certain, when a person is in such a state of descent, and in that state of descent he doesn't regard the society very highly, what should he hold on to?
M. Laitman: He needs to try to, nevertheless, be connected with his friends to such an extent that no external force can separate them.
Student: And it depends on something he did before? Because in the moment he feels negative sensations towards them. He can't accept the society, he feels that they're taking him back. That they're preventing him, delaying him from reaching attainment.
M. Laitman: Complaint, it's just seemingly, but a person has to try to subdue himself before the society.
Student: These things happen a lot, all the time. What should be done so that when a state like that arrives, the person will come to the right decision?
M. Laitman: It's to subjugate oneself; simply fall down before the group, before the friends, before the Creator. And try from then that, try to adhere to them.
Student: A little more, please? Here, we talk about the greatness of the Creator as giving the person fuel. But here it's a kind of, he looks at the Creator and he feels that it's throwing him out. But he needs fuel, he needs power to overcome, and he doesn't have the greatness of the Creator, which is required, or the greatness of the society. It's like a triangle, where a person needs to know how to arrange it properly so as to advance. There seems to be no clear guidance on how a person should use the greatness of the Creator in order to strengthen his tie to the society.
M. Laitman: He needs to shut his eyes and work, as it says, they have eyes but they cannot see. When he follows the Creator under any and all conditions, there's nothing that can be stronger than him and to throw him out.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (32:03) In our Ten, one friend made a conscious decision to lower his head, to annul himself, to come closer to a friend, to another friend. From that moment, it's been three weeks now that the Ten has been revitalized. It received a kind of energy it never had before and it's felt by the entire Ten, and we feel that this force comes from that action the friend took. So, my question is, like with a barbecue, with the coals, how do we keep reigniting the power of that action again and again? What should we do?
M. Laitman: You should talk about it, feel it and grow it.
Student: We know what the action is, we can define it, everything that was done there. How do we perform more such actions? It was an act of coming closer, where a friend said that despite everything, I want to come closer to that friend. I jump into the fire and get closer to that friend. How do we keep doing these things? How can we perform such actions?
M. Laitman: Talk about it, investigate it, research it, and see how much is it possible to repeat it.
Student: Seemingly, it was a very simple, small action but it brought us life, vitality to the Ten – the whole Ten, really lifted us up. What was special about the friend's action that gave it so much power?
M. Laitman: I don't know.
Student: Is it annulment? Just jumping in?
M. Laitman: That's also possible but you don't know, you can't look from the outside and decide what he did.
Student: Yes, but we want to repeat such actions again and again, so what should we pay attention to? How can we make sure the actions aren't empty but have this vitality in them?
M. Laitman: Talk about it.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (35:09) Many times when a person leaves, quits, he makes this claim. Look, I'm suffering and you don't understand how much damage I'm doing to you. You don't understand that I'm damaging the society. So, it's better you let go of me, I'll let go of you, and it'll be better for everyone. He's thinking he's doing more damage, more harm than good to the society. What should a person do if such thoughts come to him?
M. Laitman: It's true that each and every one in his will to receive, he's bringing the society down. And each and every one overcoming the will to receive raises the society. In general, we can't be a society that includes everyone and everyone is in adhesion with the upper degree, no. Rather, there are those who go down, there are those who ascend, there are all kinds. And generally speaking, the Creator is the one who arranges everyone according to what he sees as good.
Student: What should a person tell himself in that state, and it can last for years or months or years?
M. Laitman: I don't know, there are indeed states that can last even years. And we see it from history and many other stories and sources. I think that we simply need to keep going. To try as much as possible in connection, simply in connection.
Student: Yes, as a society.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: But when a person is in such a state and it keeps going on. And you look at him and you say, certainly he lacks the greatness of the Creator, the greatness of the friends, that's if you look at him from the side. But he himself feels like, he says, I'm doing harm to the society, it's better that I won't be here. That's how he relates to it.
M. Laitman: No, the greatest damage is when a person leaves the society. This is the greatest damage.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (38:41) I don't understand. When a friend leaves the society, is it good for the society or bad for the society?
M. Laitman: Bad for the society.
Student: Should I be sorry if a friend leaves?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: We previously understood that this is down to the root of the soul?
M. Laitman: No, no.
Student: You said it relates to the root of the soul, people come, people go, it's a natural process maybe?
M. Laitman: No, not like that. We need to disagree with any instance where someone leaves the society.
Student: What's my duty, what's our duty to that friend?
M. Laitman: To pray that the Creator will hold him.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (39:55) Other than prayer, are there other things we can do to help a friend who is on his way out?
M. Laitman: Try, also, in corporeality to work around him, to attach ourselves to him, but that's it really.
Student: If a person doesn't come to the society's activities, he feels himself to be a part of the society, but he's not here. Is there anything the society can do?
M. Laitman: How, if he's not here?
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (40:44) Which is more important, the greatness of the Creator or the greatness of the society? Let's put it this way: I receive fuel and I can't combine, I can't do both. So, which direction is more important for me to? I'm on the spiritual path, so which one is more important for me on this path?
M. Laitman: Certainly, the exaltedness of the Creator is the highest of all. And we need to work in order for the society to be adhered to the Creator.
Student: So, I have to bestow with the forces from the greatness of the Creator. I have to bestow to the society, right, and to pull it towards the Creator.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (42:12) To continue the discussion about the friends, so an analogy to the business world. Here we have a spiritual business. In the corporeal world, we have a mundane business, it's meant to make money. And in an organization like that, you want to keep your people, your employees so they won't leave because each one of them does work that makes money. So, here, if it's a friend who adds a lot of value to the society, you see that the society guards him more. If he moves a little bit, shifts a little bit, everyone pays attention, everyone sees. But a friend who, again, as we sense it, as we see it, adds less value, we don't see it so much, we don't notice. So, the question is in corporeality, if there's a customer that doesn't bring money, it doesn't matter, you can let him go. But here, do we lose something if a person who doesn't seem to us to be adding value, if he leaves us, do we lose a lot as a society?
I'll repeat: In an external kind of business, if a customer doesn't bring me a lot of money and he leaves, I don't care. But here, if there's a friend who, as we see it, as we sense it, we don't see him as adding a lot and then he leaves, we don't notice, really. He doesn't pop up. So, the question is, on our path, do we need to see, in spirituality, do we need to see each and every friend as a very highly valued customer that we should guard, or not so much?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: So, even if we see that a friend isn't really so much with us still you have to relate him to treat him as a customer that brings in a lot of money?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Turkiye 2): (44:56) A person should make efforts to discover the Creator's greatness. From where can a person take the fuel from the Creator in order to make efforts to discover the Creator's greatness before he has the Creator's greatness?
M. Laitman: From the society, the society, where else can he take it from? Only the society.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (45:42) The greatness of the Creator that we receive from the group and the greatness of the Creator that we receive from the Creator, are those different kinds of greatness for the Creator?
M. Laitman: Yes, it's possible.
Student: If I want to bestow upon the friends the greatness of the Creator, what do I actually concretely bestow upon them?
M. Laitman: You will help them recognize the greatness of the Creator.
Student: How to give them that strength, that hidden power? How to give them the greatness of this power?
M. Laitman: Try. As much as you can. Okay. What are we doing next today?
Reader: Should we continue reading?
M. Laitman: Yes.
“... But clearly, as long as one has not sufficiently …”
Reading: (47:06) But clearly, as long as one has not sufficiently attained His greatness, he will not regard giving contentment to the Creator as reception enough for him to give one’s heart and soul to the Creator.
Therefore, each time he truly aims only to bring contentment to his Maker and not to himself, he will immediately lose the strength to work, as he will be like a machine without fuel, since one cannot move a limb without drawing some benefit to oneself. It is even more so with such great labor as giving one’s heart and soul, as dictated in the Torah. Undoubtedly, he will not be able to do so without drawing some reception of pleasure for himself.
Indeed, obtaining His greatness in a measure that bestowal becomes reception, as mentioned concerning an important person, is not at all difficult. Everyone knows the greatness of the Creator, who created everything and consumes everything, without a beginning and without an end, and whose sublimity is endless.
Yet, the difficulty in that is that the measure of the greatness does not depend on the individual, but on the environment. For example, even if one is filled with virtues but the environment does not appreciate him as such, he will always be low-spirited and will not be able to take pride in his virtues, although he has no doubt that they are true. And conversely, a person with no merit at all, but the environment respects him as though he is virtuous, that person will be filled with pride, since the measure of importance and greatness is given entirely to the environment.
When a person sees that the environment slights His work and does not properly appreciate His greatness, he cannot overcome the environment. Thus, he cannot obtain His greatness, and becomes negligent during his work, like them.
Since he does not have the basis for obtaining His greatness, he will obviously not be able to work in order to bring contentment to his Maker and not to himself, for he will have no motivation to exert, and “if you did not labor and find, do not believe.” The only advice for this is either to work for oneself or not to work at all, since bestowing contentment upon his Maker will not be for him tantamount to reception.
Now you can understand the verse, “In the multitude of people is the king’s glory,” since the measure of the greatness comes from the environment under two conditions:
The extent of the appreciation of the environment.
The size of the environment. Thus, “In the multitude of people is the king’s glory.”
Because of the great difficulty in the matter, our sages advised us: “Make for yourself a Rav [teacher/great person] and buy yourself a friend.” This means that one should choose for oneself an important and renowned person to be his Rav, and from him he will be able to come to engaging in Torah and Mitzvot in order to bring contentment to his Maker. This is so because there are two extenuations concerning one’s Rav:
Since he is an important person, the student can bestow contentment upon him, based on the sublimity of his Rav, since bestowal becomes as reception for him. This is a natural fuel, so one can always increase his acts of bestowal. Once a person grows accustomed to engaging in bestowal upon the Rav, he can transfer it to engaging in Torah and Mitzvot Lishma toward the Creator, too, since habit becomes a second nature.
Equivalence of form with the Creator does not help if it is not forever, “Until He who knows the mysteries will testify that he will not return to folly.” This is not so with equivalence of form with his Rav. Since the Rav is in this world, within time, equivalence of form with him helps even if it is only temporary and he later turns sour again.
Thus, every time one equalizes one’s form with one’s Rav, he adheres to him for a time. As a result, he obtains the knowledge and thoughts of the Rav, according to his measure of Dvekut, as we explained in the allegory about the organ that has been cut off from the body and was reunited with it.
For this reason, the student can use his Rav’s attainment of the Creator’s greatness, which inverts bestowal into reception and sufficient fuel to give one’s heart and soul. At that time, the student, too, will be able to engage in Torah and Mitzvot Lishma with his very heart and soul, which is the remedy that yields eternal Dvekut with the Creator.
Now you can understand what our sages said (Berachot 7b): “Serving in the Torah is greater than learning it, as it is said, ‘Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on Elijah’s hands.’ It did not say ‘learned,’ but ‘poured.’” This is perplexing; how can simple acts be greater than studying the wisdom and the knowledge?
But according to the above, we thoroughly understand that serving the Rav with one’s body and soul in order to bring contentment to his Rav brings him to Dvekut with his Rav, meaning to equivalence of form. By this he receives the thoughts and knowledge of the Rav by way of “mouth-to-mouth,” which is Dvekut of spirit with spirit. In this way, he is rewarded with obtaining His greatness sufficiently to turn bestowal into reception, to become sufficient fuel for devotion, until he is rewarded with Dvekut with the Creator.
This is not so concerning learning Torah with his Rav, as this must be for his own benefit and does not yield Dvekut. It is considered “from mouth to ear.” Thus, serving brings the student the Rav’s thoughts, and the learning—only the Rav’s words. Thus, the merit of serving is greater than the merit of learning as the importance of the Rav’s thoughts compared to the Rav’s words, and as the importance of “mouth-to-mouth” compared to “from mouth to ear.”
However, all this is true if the service is in order to bestow contentment upon his Rav. Yet, if the service is to benefit himself, such service cannot bring him to Dvekut with his Rav, so learning with the Rav is certainly more important than serving him.
Yet, as we have said concerning obtaining His greatness, an environment that does not properly appreciate Him weakens the individual and prevents him from obtaining His greatness. This is certainly true concerning one’s Rav, as well. An environment that does not properly appreciate the Rav prevents the student from being able to properly obtain the greatness of his Rav.
For this reason, our sages said, “Make for yourself a Rav and buy yourself a friend.” This means that one can make a new environment for oneself. This environment will help him obtain the greatness of his Rav through love of friends who appreciate his Rav. Through the friends’ discussing the greatness of the Rav, each of them receives the sensation of his greatness. Thus, bestowal upon his Rav becomes reception and sufficient motivation to an extent that will bring one to engage in Torah and Mitzvot Lishma.
It was said about this, “The Torah is acquired by forty-eight virtues, by serving of sages, and by meticulousness of friends.” This is so because besides serving the Rav, one needs the meticulousness of friends, as well, meaning the friends’ influence, so they will influence him so he obtains the greatness of his Rav. This is so because obtaining the greatness depends entirely on the environment, and a single person cannot do a thing about it whatsoever.
Yet, there are two conditions to obtaining the greatness:
Always listen and accept the appreciation of the environment to the extent of their greatness.
The environment should be great, as it is written, “In the multitude of people is the king's glory.”
To receive the first condition, each student must feel that he is the smallest among all the friends. In that state, he will be able to receive the appreciation of the greatness from everyone, since the great cannot receive from a smaller one, much less be impressed by his words. Rather, only the small is impressed by the appreciation of the great.
For the second condition, each student must extol the virtues of each friend and cherish him as though he were the greatest in the generation. Then the environment will influence him as though it were a great environment, as it should be, since quality is more important than quantity.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:02:05) What is the environment's role in giving a person this greatness and what is the role of praying to the Creator in receiving this greatness?
M. Laitman: That all depends on the environment. An environment that radiates to a person the importance of the Creator that it has can change desires in a person. By feeling the influence of the environment, he begins to have a new order of importance. What is and what isn’t?
Student: I notice that the environment can motivate me to perform actions which may be against my desire even, and when I check how much of the greatness of the Creator I have, I find it lacking. Love for him, connection to him, many such values I find lacking.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: At that point, where does a person go, where does he turn? Because he sees that everything depends on the environment. The environment gives the person that greatness. He doesn't say, pray to the Creator for greatness. Everything depends on the environment. So, where does a person go when he sees that he lacks this greatness?
M. Laitman: Well, the greatness, exaltedness, that belongs to the society when he's working among them. He's within the framework of the environment and they work on him and he absorbs from them.
Student: What does it mean to internally look for greatness in the environment? I can tell the Creator, give me Your greatness, Your importance, I don't know, I can turn to Him. I can turn to Him to give me his greatness. What does it mean that a person turns to the environment to receive that greatness?
M. Laitman: He works within the environment, he's in the environment, he's a result of the environment.
Student: How is that expressed in his inner work?
M. Laitman: That's how he works.
Student: It's difficult for me to scrutinize, right? Well, thank you.
M. Laitman: We are inside an environment that influences us. Like it or not, for better, for worse, all kinds of directions, the environment influences us. The question is what should I be asking of the environment? And what do I need to enliven myself, revive myself, that's it. I have to arrange myself relative to the environment, I have to change myself, to approach the environment. Expect that I will receive certain influences from it and so on, and so forth. It's like we're on a boat somewhere in the middle of the sea and everything depends on how well we can get along with the environment. Clear?
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:06:55) Let's say someone is sleeping now, he listened to the lesson recorded. But he wants to get up, he wants to attain the purpose of life, and so on, but he's asleep. What would be the right first action for him to take to get back on track?
M. Laitman: To cleave to the friends.
Student: And when there's no energy, he feels alone, completely alone, there are no friends, no group.
M. Laitman: Each and every one feels this way. Cleave to the friends. Demand from the Creator to let you feel how much you and the friends are becoming as one.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:08:16) We talked about friends and all that. We have this complaint to them about leaving, they don't feel any vitality, they leave. Is there even room to come to friends with these complaints? I think, for example, that we could have done things completely differently to cover the group differently. But there are those who you crown here, I don't see anything new coming from them, I would never allow them to manage anything on this level.
M. Laitman: I got it, I'm sorry that you are sitting here, feeling sorry for this teacher who doesn't understand how to run this society.
Student: No, I think that the generation that's coming now, each generation will have different demands, deeper, stronger, more intense, more serious demands. And these people can't supply the goods anymore on that level. Well, he's not the manager here because he does the work. I mean, I understand you need to work with the people you trust. How can you come with complaints to the friends? Only North Korea that fat guy can come to people and tell them now you dance, now you be happy, and so on. How can you do that if there's nothing new in the work? Novelty amuses us, it's written, I didn't invent it. You need to create an environment which is warm and inviting. Here, the governance, the management wants us to stay little, paying the tithe, Maaser, hold a Congress once in a while, building here stands empty. Talking about the management, here and, but so many things are happening here. You have the Jewish people within the Jewish people, and we're not utilizing any of it. We're not doing anything with it. I hear their words, it's just people my age, they’ll make them puke, they'll never come close to here. So, what to do with that, it’s a true demand. I don't want to disregard. They're not bad, I know them for over 15 years I know them, and no innovation is on the way, no invention is coming. We expect it, we want it.
M. Laitman: So, what do you do? What do we do?
Student: I have many ideas, I'm just afraid, I'm afraid to share.
M. Laitman: Who are you afraid of?
Student: Because I know they won't be accepted. One of those people you crowned didn't want me to even read the text, be reader. Maybe we should do something new, something fresh, but nothing's happening. It's all the same faces, the same everything, that square you never emerge from and always we justify it as this is how it should be, those are the orders, the suggestions. Nothing new happens, I see that from the side, I guess, I'm more in the external world.
M. Laitman: What would you do?
Student: Teacher, I would create an environment that's much warmer that’s much more inviting, and in the future also. You know, there are people who are listening, who are here with us, right now, who are a billion times more internally rich than the people you crown right now that sit with you right now. With many more ideas, fresh, lively, they want to bring this this to the society. But everything in the end falls upon the same people. So, you understand why all these people feel low spirited, right? He writes it here, where people are not allowed to express themselves, to use their qualities, the virtues, that they remain low-spirited. I think to complain to friends and say you're wrong, you're no good, you are at fault, we need greatness. There are people who can't go for just that, I respect that. Ultimately, the goal is to do good to the creations. That's the Creator's goal and that should be ours, but it won't come from these people. The engine I want, it won't come from the people
M. Laitman: In summary, what do you recommend?
Student: Innovation.
M. Laitman: In What?
Student: In our structure, the formation of the society and how it conducts itself. It can't be that you have Assembly of friends on Sunday, for example, for example, it can't be 30% of the group arrive, and you sit here with a smile. Either you're blind or you're lying. You can't look at these numbers and say differently, it's impossible. But people sit with a smile, a smattering Gathering of criers, people sit and cry. I come here just to be present and you expect people to hold on that way? There are things you could do that are so great. There are brilliant minds here brilliant hearts. Brilliant! I assure you, and we don't utilize any of their talents, anything. We're just, the box is locked, closed, shut until the mechanism is rattled a bit, gets hit. Nothing will change, and then we come with complaints to the friends. I can't hear it because I know the stories. I live here too, right? I also know the stories, I hear them here. So you go and blame friends. Why? They try, they make their best efforts. All right. Anyway, I wanted to bring it up.
M. Laitman: So, do you have a plan?
Student: Yes.
M. Laitman: That you would be happy to share?
Student: Yes, I do. This isn't the forum for it but I do.
M. Laitman: What kind of forum do you need?
Student: Of people who are in adhesion.
M. Laitman: People who are already in adhesion?
Student: You are less demanding?
M. Laitman: Yes. I hear you.
Student: I have so many ideas. The sack is about to burst, you know? What can I do? Just maybe drop by drop.
M. Laitman: Okay. Okay. What are we doing next?
Reader: Shall we go to the next part? We are starting new excerpts about prayer for Lishma. So, let's go to the next part but sing a song first.
Song: (01:16:26)