Afternoon Lesson October 19, 2023, Transcription

Transcription is made from simultaneous translation which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio.

Part One:

1. Baal HaSulam. Shamati 113. The Eighteen Prayer

1. Rav’s Introduction: Throughout many years Rabash heard from Baal HaSulam his eldest son these were conversations, and I received an exercise book a collection of these talks that are called Shamati, I heard, and this is the way it was entitled, and from these conversations written down by Rabash we made a book called Shamati, I heard. I have talked about this many times. It's a collection of these lessons, talks that Baal HaSulam spoke and Rabash wrote down, and these are very deep very internal discussions about the heart of the wisdom of Kabbalah. Most of these lessons we bring from our desire to receive to our desire to bestow, and this is called Faith Above Reason, so let's see what he said, what Baal HaSulam said about them.

Reading Article. (02:37) “In the Shmone Esrei...”

2. R. (03:42) Yes, your nation of Israel, this means any person, it doesn't matter what nation he is a part of if he strives for connection with the Creator, he is called Israel, a person directed at the Creator. Then according to his yearning that's what he's called. If he prays and he wants to come close to the Creator, the Creator accepts this with mercy. When it's exactly in this way his request, his prayer is accepted. And the thing is…

Continuing Reading. (04:38) “The thing is that we must know...”

3. R. (05:47) Yes, this means that way can't walk behind the whole world because in the whole world, there are thoughts and opinions that are completely opposite to what the wisdom of Kabbalah tries to teach us. When we don't come to perfection in this way, which is the purpose of a human's development.

Continuing reading. (06:13) “and if we go by the other end...”   

4. R. (06:33) So it's not good to follow any of the extremes when I disagree with everyone when I agree with everyone and disagree with everyone.

Continue Reading. (06:48) “and we can also see oppositeness...”  

5. R. (07:24) This is clear that everything comes from the Creator, and if he sends us suffering then seemingly, we should understand them, treat them, and understand them with the right feeling that it is all for the good, for our good, and if suffering comes it can't be that we would stand up against them and would try to cancel them.

Continuing Reading. (07:56) “And concerning suffering, we should know...”

  

6. R. (08:13) So even suffering it doesn't matter what we are getting everything that comes from the Creator comes and that's why how can we pray for the Creator to cancel the suffering because of course all the suffering is in order to correct a person to bring him closer to the goal of creation. And the function of the suffering is to purify as the sages said as salt sweetens meat suffering cleanses the body.

Continue Reading. (08:59) “... in the matter of prayer, they constituted...”

  

7. R. (09:12) Thus prayer too cleanses the body. So also, the prayer and the suffering aid the goal of both of them in order to correct or cleanse the body. It means the desire to receive for oneself.

Continuing Reading. (09:27) “However a Prayer is called...”  

8. R. (09:54) So it's desirable for us to pray to remove the suffering because this request is not to remove the suffering, but that we want to cancel them because this brings us closer to the Creator.

Continuing Reading. 10:18) “For this reason the oppositeness...” 

9. R. (11:55) The Creator hears all the prayers at any time anyone directs him, addresses him. Here we have no question because this is the way it is, yes? Now the question is: with what do we address Him, request, pray? This is the question.

10. S. (12:22) So what do we turn with and ask? How do we ask over the suffering for it not to be a request for oneself?

R. Well, this depends on what you are asking. If you are connected with the world and you ask for people on earth to feel that they are in suffering because they, that's the way they are according to their nature then ask the Creator to change you. Then because the suffering comes for you as well.

11. S. (13:12) What does it mean that the suffering comes from you as well?

R. This means that you cause them with your behavior, with your inner state.

12. S. (13:23) And how do I need to ask for him to change me?

R. In accordance with this, you have to ask the Creator so that he removes the ego from you and then you will be able to treat the others right like the Creator then you will get closer to the Creator, and you will help him in his work, you will add your Force to his Force.

13. S. (14:00) In the text it is written for this reason there is a commandment to pray for the suffering. How do we pray for the suffering correctly?   

R. The right way to pray about suffering is that I don't ask the Creator to remove the suffering in me, that he won't cause the suffering in me, but that he reminds me that I am corrected with the suffering. So I ask him to correct me and then to the extent that I correct myself I will feel the world differently.

14. S. (14:52) What kind of sufferings? Is it the lack of connection with the Creator?

R. With the Creator, with the friends. with humanity at large, how I treat life, and so on.

15. S. (15:11) I understood that the Creator corrects everything that's not for the sake of us, ourselves but that thing that is not for our own sake also needs to be inside of us. We receive all of our feelings, we are adhered to them, we cannot separate them, let's say it's not our feelings or desires. How do we make this separation from ourselves so as not to receive it on one's own account?   

R. For this you need to feel that you are connected to the world and ask not for yourself but for the whole world.

16. S. (16:04) For that we have the group I understand. I know for this we have the group, and we unite for that so that my desires, there won't be a difference between them with how the friends feel. But how do we really come to this feeling for these prayers not to relate to us but to the whole world?

R. At least from your connection with the group and you ask for the group. To some extent, this is disconnection from yourself, from your personal ego.

17. S. (16:52) The direction is basically correct, right?

R. Yes.

18. S. (16:58) How can we correctly read the sufferings so that we can see what we can improve? How can we resolve suffering? 

R. The cause of suffering is in our ego, that we think about ourselves and not about the neighbor, nor others. Furthermore, when we think for our good and for the bad of the other to their detriment. So that's why we are asking the Creator to cancel our ego to annul our ego.

19. S. (17:50) What prayers are effective with the Creator, are desirable?

R. The prayer decided by the Creator is when we are asking for others and not for ourselves.

20. S. (18:13) Can we have a prayer without suffering, meaning is the suffering necessary to make a complete prayer? 

R. Without suffering we cannot pray. We must feel suffering but depending on to what extent and for what reason. That's the question in essence. So if we feel that we think only about ourselves this is enough for us to ask the Creator to give us a different state so that we would care about others. And then we will advance in this way.

21. S. (19:20) When the work happens inside it’s clear that a prayer without suffering does not appear, because when sufferings appear it's this place of this lack. And we start to ask and this request that comes out it's over every suffering I feel. I thank the Creator because I understand that it is a lesson for me, it’s help, and this gratitude to the Creator I express inside of myself for help and for the lessons, and I ask to pass all my joy from the Creator to the ten.

R. That's correct, that's right.

  

22. S. (20:30) It's written that a person hears the prayer of every mouth, but on the other hand, we know that a lot of people pray to him, and he is as if he does not hear. And King David as if he was asking for himself, so what does he hear when I'm asking for everyone and not myself?

R. He hears everything you want to say. It doesn't matter in what language, or with what words, He hears from inside what you want to say from the heart.

S. But he still doesn't hear all the prayers?

R. You listen a little bit, maybe. You don't understand what he hears, how he accepts this, and in what way he responds. So you have to know how precisely to express your inner state to the Creator.

23. S. (21:46) At first, we ask the Creator for Him to cancel the sufferings. What do we pray for then when he has already canceled the sufferings? 

R. So that we would correct ourselves and treat each other with love, and then the suffering will disappear by itself.

 

24. S. (22:20) What difference is there in the work when we receive the suffering from the Creator, and so we thank him because he's purifying us, or ask him, pray to him for purification in the world?

R. There is a difference, yes. We either ask to become better, more pure, or the Creator does this, and we, in any case, raise our gratitude to him, and both are good.

 

25. S. (23:39) How should our development be as we progress on the path towards the Creator and how should we behave now in the current time? 

R. We have to now in every place where we see hatred, we have to change it for love for everyone. This is called love towards the world.

S. I heard in the morning lesson that after our friends if there's a society, we can attain the connection with the Creator. So what can you add to that?

R. There's nothing I can add if there is a group, and I am connected to the group. We have to connect more between us and address the Creator. This is the power of the group, and then the Creator will hear our prayer.

26. S. (25:26) We say that we need the suffering so that the Creator awakens us through the sufferings to the prayer, and in the previous lessons we talked about it such that if the sufferings would bring me to the prayer, then the reason is as if incorrect. And you say that there is no example of reaching connection from the sufferings, so what is the gap here? How do we use the sufferings for the prayer to be whole?  

R. To continue to continue the prayer all the time that it would come from all of our states, bad and good.

  

27. S. (26:18) In that same point that without sufferings we cannot pray but we must feel suffering, and it depends on what measure and reason. So how can we awaken each other so that we don't need to wait for these big things to awaken us? The ego is so cunning it is hard to identify when we are thinking just about ourselves. We as if need to receive something to motivate us to reach that appeal out of the suffering. Question: do we need to have some kind of tactics so that we don't let the ego to do that to us and we will be able to advance? 

R. What can I tell you? We have to be more friends, we have to be friends more, all of us together, and to try to be in mutuality, in partnership, and from this raise a prayer to the Creator. It doesn't matter, men, and women, we have to ask from him to help us, to take us out of our ego, and raise us to the heights in the intention of bestowal to each other. 

28. S. (28:16) If in the world I see some suffering I need to pray out of myself, or from the center of my group?  

R. The best is from the center of your group.

29. S. (28:40) When I see people suffering, I suffer and I think what I could have done better. Why is it that other people must suffer for my mistake?

R. We are connected together and depend on each other. We depend on each other. There’s nothing we can do until we all get correct care from the Creator, and until we get correction the suffering in the world won't stop.

 

30. S. (29:36) If I see my evil inclination and I feel this separation from the friends and the Creator and I ask and I thank for his support and the prayer together with the ten, and then a situation comes where there's a certain warmth that is created in love on the inside is this the support?

R. Yes, this is the beginning of the support.

31. S. (30:13) When we are in connection with our ten and we also feel the pain of the friends, is then the Creator using us?  

R. The Creator uses us all the time. What we feel, it doesn't matter, we are always in connection with him, the question is how much we understand this and feel this and we raise from ourselves a request to him.

32. S. (31:09) Instead of praying for the correction because of the suffering, if a person is angry with the Creator because of the suffering is this still considered a prayer that is like the beginning of correction?  

R. Yes, this too is called the prayer although it is not a request. But rather whatever a person feels in the heart the Creator feels it; our heart is always in his hands. 

33. S. (32:03) As far as I understand when we are in faith above reason this is actually a spiritual attainment, a spiritual degree. What does it mean to be in faith above reason in our current degree, in our current state?

R. In the current state, we are not in faith above reason. We need to ask the Creator to raise us to this degree, which is called faith above reason, that the force of bestowal the force of love the force of Bina, which is called faith, it will be above all the rest of the thoughts, desires and our calculations.

S. So this request to the Creator to give us faith follows the prayer, it pains us that the suffering is separating us from Bore?

R. Yes, through the prayer we start to come closer to Him.

34. S. (33:38) What does it mean to come to knowledge in the ten? How do we develop this knowledge or reason in the ten? 

R. If we connect between us and connect with the Creator then we reach a state that we receive reason from Him.

  

35. S. (34:21) The world is split into two. One side is ego and blackness, the other world is full of joy because there's confidence that such a great Rav is here, the Creator will correct, my friends will bring light into this world, and this joy is immeasurable. What next, where do we go? 

R. Nothing, just to continue, just to continue.

36. S. (35:04) Suffering and joy on the path. What is the right way when they go one after another, or we should try to connect them in one state where we cover suffering with joy? 

R. That's correct, suffering needs to be covered by joy.

  

37. S. (35:33) It's painful for me to be in a state where I cannot give to the Creator and the friends. I serve only myself. Is the prayer that comes from this state correct?  

R. Yes, if you want to bestow to the Creator and the friends you can do it even in that state you are in.

38. S. (36:16) You said that the prayer has to be not for oneself. When we ask in the ten it seems like it's a prayer for the ten, or we should ask sometimes from for the whole of Bnei Baruch, and sometimes for the whole world. How do Kabbalists define is that any measurement of when to ask for the ten, for the whole world Kli, or the whole soul of Adam HaRishon? 

R. The ten is the very first step in it. You can determine what state you are in relative to the Creator. So try to continue and you will see that everything is moving correctly.

S. You said now that we have to cover any evil with love, to deal with this inner work. How to do this, how this other person does this, how we do this in the ten, how do we cover any evil with love? 

R. You need to learn this between you in the ten.

S. So this is the work in the ten?

R. Yes, yes of course.

39. S. (38:02) We need to relate to the opinion of the ten as the opinion of the Torah? 

R. No, no. This is the opinion of the ten today, it could be one way tomorrow, a different way.

40. S. (38:31) How can we use suffering? Should we try to ignore it or rather raise them bravely to the Creator? 

R. To use it for the request to be more clear, more founded upon something. Is that clear?

 

41. S. (39:01) To what extent the unity in our ten can spread? 

R. Until the whole world, the whole universe, to cover everything.

 

42. S. (39:33) If we all fell from a unified place down to a place of basement, how is it that some have more suffering to carry than others? 

R. Either way whoever learns this, what's called the shattering of the vessels, and also in the shattering that everyone falls into the same place, but rather there is a depth and in-depth is a lot more places, and therefore each one of us needs to rise from his place where he fell to the final correction. Is that clear?

S. If our ten can attain this unity and connection, do we lend our strength to defeat the evil in the world by holding back the evil from attaining complete victory? Do we lend our hand to the connection and unity to that thing that we all desperately want inside for everybody?

R. Yes, yes. 

43. S. (41:46) The light of Hassadim, mercy we can only receive through suffering?  

R. Yes.

44. S. (42:04) If a friend talks about her corporeal suffering in the ten, is she opening her heart or filling up the ten with negative suffering?

R. In the ten we need to talk about only how to reach a common love.

S. We shouldn't talk about suffering, right?

R. No.

45. S. (42:46) When does a Kabbalist suffer? 

R. A Kabbalist suffers when he wants to love even more but, in the meantime, he cannot.

S. But why is it so that he cannot?

R. There is a certain limit to what his heart has already found in bestowal, he wants to do more, but in the meantime, it doesn't have the strength.

S. No translation.

R. Yes, it's the ego that is stopping us.

46. S. (43:31) How is a blessing felt in a prayer? What is a blessing of a person's prayer towards the Creator?

R. A person feels that any answer from the Creator is basically a blessing.

S. So the prayer is a reaction to what is happening?

R. Yes.

47. S. (44:04) From the state where there is a misunderstanding in the ten, different perceptions of how we understand the behavior of the friends, there are different thoughts that come, we can be hurting in the ego and in such a state we have to pray to come to love more? 

R. Yes, yes.

S. It's important to talk on these topics when we, so there is no misunderstanding?

R. Yes, that's important.

S. How to talk in this way? Just in between us, or should we bring an instructor? How to do this?

R. Well, between you is enough, you don't need any guide.

48. S. (45:20) How does our prayer help in the correction of others? Does it change the heart, thoughts, desires? Do we have such power to do this with the prayer?

R. Yes, yes, specifically from the request for the other we correct all of one's sins as it is called, and it becomes better and easier for him, and the whole world gets corrected. So we need to pray for others.

49. S. (46:15) A prayer of mercy is when I am asking for the force of life for the ten and each friend separately? Or can I ask for the force for myself so I can serve the ten?  

R. If you want to relate better to the ten then you can ask for yourself.

50. S. (46:48) What is love?

R. We didn't learn this in school. Love is when I want to give to another all the goodness that there is.

51. S. (47:20) Since the Congress I have been feeling that the friends have a different perspective. People that express themselves in interconnection can understand the essence of Israel. I'm asking to open up the heart so that the world becomes more sensitive.

R. I am with you together in that prayer. Thank you.

52. S. (48:24) Can we use the obstacles as a sign of strengthening the connection between us?

R. Yes, we will use it. It's still a little early now, but we will learn how to use the screen and it will work out between us.

S. It is said in this article that a person asks to always be in the connection with the Creator so that this connection doesn't stop?

R. This will be further we still haven't gone through all the article.

53. S. (49:15) I have a question about the internal and external Israel about Arvut. I saw a video that a friend recorded with you today about what's happening right now, and it seems like inner Israel is the group, and external Israel, the Creator gives them a serious bill. I want you to ask about how.

R. We are still going to learn this and we can get confused about it. It is talking about the division of the world's internal and external parts. We will reach it.

54. Rav Reading. (50:29) This is the meaning for you hear the prayer of every mouth. When does he hear every mouth? When your people Israel pray with mercy. That’s how it’s written. Meaning simple mercy. When one prays to raise divinity, the Shechina, from the dust to receive faith he wants to receive the force of faith from above from the Creator, and this is similar to one who has not eaten in three days, he hasn't eaten in three days. Then when he asks of another to be given something to eat he's not asking for any luxuries or extras. He’s simply asking to be given something to revive his soul, it doesn't matter what. Similarly in the work of the Creator when one finds himself standing between heaven and earth, he is not asking the Creator for something redundant but only for the light of faith, for the Creator to open his eyes so he can take upon himself the quality of faith. This is called raising the Shechina from the dust. Meaning that the Creator will grow in his eyes from the height of the earth to the height of the heavens. This prayer is accepted from every mouth, whatever state. That is whatever state a person is in if he asks to revive his soul with faith his prayer will be answered, then his prayer will be answered. This is called with mercy when one's prayer is only to be pitied from above the heavens so he can sustain his vitality. This is the meaning of what is written in “The Zohar” that a prayer for the poor is immediately accepted. That is, when it is for the Shechina, it is immediately accepted. Meaning if he asks in mercy he wants just one thing: to rise from the state he's in a little bit higher towards the Creator. Then his prayer is accepted with mercy. 

55. S. (53:48) I heard before that a person should ask the Creator to see His greatness from the earth to the heavens?

R. Yes, because he would value the Creator like everyone, and then generally he would have forgotten that there is a Creator, and sometimes he would take into consideration that there is this force, the Creator, and now he starts to value Him higher than everyone, higher than everyone. And this is what we understand that this is the state, the right one for an appeal and a request. And then our prayers, our prayers are accepted.

56. S. (54:58) What does it mean to ask for oneself, to ask the Creator for yourself?

R. Yes, you are right.

57. S. (55:15) What does it mean to ask for too much in our prayer? 

R. These extra parts are just what is personally for me. I need to ask for everyone, for the whole world.

58. S. (55:41) Everyone receives suffering differently, sometimes certain sufferings are not felt, and when we must place ourselves in the sufferings of others to feel them as our own, how to bring them up in prayer where we have to sort out certain priorities?

R. Well, our prayer is enough for us, and according to the prayer, from prayer to prayer, that's how we advance. And we will start to feel him closer, and we will start to connect to him more and more.

59. S. (56:33) Is it the right, the prayer of many for the Creator hear?

R. It's exactly that. A certain common feeling comes, and from the common feeling it says if they turn into one and then they ask the Creator. This is called one who receives one-in-one desire. The group receives the revelation of the Creator.

60. S. (57:29) I may be a small person and feel that I am far away from the work for the Creator, but I will never forget the moment when before coming to the house of prayer to learn with you, what my state was. My state was this feeling of hunger, this horrible feeling, and there was this force of the prayer that the question was solved fast, and I came here, and I am studying. But it seems like the power of the prayer when you gave, when you were given a piece of bread it becomes smaller and you don't value it so much, the value is diminished. How to not lose the power of the prayer, to always hold the power of the prayer that reaches the Creator?

R. You need to ask the Creator about that, for him to help you to hold on, to hold onto it in a desire to him, and to ask the friends for you to all unite together in one desire and from that desire to turn to the Creator. Otherwise, this will all just dissipate like steam.

61. S. (59:24) In what should the Upper Force have mercy on us? 

R. In that, each one wants, that you are stubborn and each one wants for oneself. We ask Him, we pray so he makes it so that we as egoists will be praying for others.

62. S. (1:00:05) How to organize a prayer? Each one has his prayer and then we share this in the ten. From this interaction there is another prayer for mutual connection and interconnection, and then we have this resulting request in gratitude. How do we turn this into one desire, one request?

R. Speak between you and try to connect from all the requests and the prayer is one prayer. 

S. We have been working for years and it doesn't seem to me that we have succeeded.

R. And so there is still time, there is still time. You must try.