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

Daily Lesson (Morning) June 18, 2024.

Part 2: Rabash. Letter 36.

Reader: We are reading in The Writings of Rabash, Letter number 36. Letter number 36 in The Writings of Rabash and in the Arvut system.

Reading Letter 36: (00:33)

Eve of Sukkot, October 9, 1957, Manchester

To the friends in the Holy Land, may they live forever,

This week, I received two letters from… and regarding his question… I will answer privately.

In general, our sages said, “Anyone who is idle with the eulogy of a sage should be buried in his life” (Shabbat 105). We should ask, “Why does he deserve such a harsh punishment?” We should know that idleness always stems from absence of deficiency. Only there is there idleness. But where there is a deficiency, there are always movements in order to seek advice how to satisfy the lack. This is why specifically one who does not feel any lack in the departure of the sage, it is apparent in the eulogy of the sage—when he is idle in the eulogy of the sage.

The question is, “Why does he not feel the lack in the departure of the sage?” It must be said that during the sage’s life he also did not receive anything from the sage, so he does not feel any lack upon the sage’s departure.

This is why he should be buried in his life, meaning during the sage’s life. It is not necessarily now that he is not alright, as he is idle in his eulogy. Rather, back then he was already not alright. This is why “buried in his life” means during the life of the sage.

However, there is a cure to all this. Conversely, “One who degrades a wise disciple, there is no cure to his plight” (Shabbat 119). In other words, if he does not settle for being idle with the eulogy of a sage, but says that he is standing on the same degree with the sage, in connection, there is no greater degradation to a wise disciple than this, and our sages said, “There is no cure to his plight.” Instead, he keeps falling lower and lower until he shows to everyone his true form, meaning that his Torah becomes to him a potion of death.

My general answer is that the festival of Sukkot explains all the questions, even the hardest and worst, for it is known that Sukkah is the “shadow of faith,” and with respect to the judgment, its shade must be bigger than its sun.

It is also known that the sun implies knowing, and the moon implies faith. It is as our sages said, “Israel count by the moon, and the nations of the world count by the sun.” That is, each time we see the sun, and that it is more than the shade, we must cover more so that the shade will be more than the sun.

And if one is rewarded and does not add shade on his own, there is mercy on him from above and the sun is covered for him. But then a person becomes angry because he understands otherwise. According to the person’s reason, if he has sun, he wishes to have more sun, but “My thoughts are not your thoughts,” and he is given more shade.

And if a person overcomes the shade, he is given “a sun,” and then he must add shade. If he does not add, he is given shade from above, and so forth until he is rewarded with eternal Dvekut (adhesion).

However, we must exert excessively to receive the shade and say it is a holy shade, that all this shade came from above and not from the Sitra Achra, that it was given so he would be able to assume faith. At that time it is called “shadow of faith” and it is holy, as in, “The ways of the Lord are straight, the righteous walk in them and the wicked,” etc.

This is the meaning of making the thatch from the waste of barn and winery. Baal HaSulam explained that Goren (barn) comes from the words Ger Anochi (I am a foreigner), and Yekev (winery) from the words, Nokev Shem Hashem (mentioning the name of the Lord). To interpret the words of Baal HaSulam, the thatch is the shadow of faith, called “faith above reason.” This is opposite to reason, for reason brings him into waste, to barn, and to winery.

That is, from the perspective of reason, the way the corporeal eyes see it, there is room for waste of barn and winery. From this in itself he makes a shadow and sits under it. That is, he makes for himself a seat out of all those lowest and worst things, and through the waste observes the Mitzva (commandment) of Sukkah.

Most importantly, he derives joy from this Mitzva because faith above reason is called “joy of Mitzva.” It follows that all the quandaries and questions that exist in reality are corrected in the Sukkah, for without them it is impossible to make a thatch.

And one must be a good guest in this regard and say, “All that the landlord has done, he has done only for me.” That is, one must say with the mouth that everything that is happening in the world—that there are people who suffer and are mistreated—is only so that I can receive the good, meaning to keep faith. Even though I see the bad in people, it is in order to be able to assume the burden of the kingdom of heaven.

Moreover, it is to say that others will suffer pain only so I can receive. In truth, it is hard to say this. But if a person works specifically in order to bestow contentment upon his maker, then he himself is completely inconsequential. Instead, everything is only for the Creator. At that time, if the person does not stand in the middle, then everyone can say that when he says, “The landlord has troubled himself only for me,” meaning so that I could continue with the work of faith, is only for the Creator and not for himself.

When a person is concerned with pleasures, it is difficult to deceive oneself and say that the whole world was created only for him. But when a person is concerned with the sake of the Creator, it is not so difficult to believe, since the self is completely inconsequential.

It follows from all the above that the thatch, called “shade,” is made specifically from the waste of barn and winery. This is the meaning of what we say in the prayer inside the Sukkah, “And to take refuge from rain and torrent.” It means that faith saves a person from all the harm doers, since harm doers are alien thoughts and alien views, and faith is built specifically on waste. Only in this way is there refuge from rain and torrent; otherwise, one follows the trends of the world.

The torrent is something that sustains the earth, since people who are still are nourished only by reason, and only reason sustains them. Where reason does not reach, they cannot hold out, and this reason keeps these people still.

But one who wishes to be as the vegetative must not accept this reason as support, since that torrent is unsuitable for one who wishes to walk on the path of truth. And if a person fails and takes support from that reason, he will immediately suffer a descent and a fall to the bottom of hell.

However, the still can keep them and do not suffer any falls. This is why they always seek reason, to support their work. In order not to fail in this reason, which is called “torrent,” there is power in the above-mentioned thatch, as we say, “to take refuge from rain and torrent.” This settles the questions, and may we be rewarded with the shadow of faith.

In order to understand the matter more clearly, I will copy for you an article from a letter of Baal HaSulam for you to delve in and nourish your souls. These are his words: “And by the way, I will clarify for you the meaning of the charity for the poor, which is so praised in The Zohar, the Tikkunim, and by our sages: There is an organ in man with which it is forbidden to work. Even if the smallest of the small desires to work with it still exists in man, that organ remains afflicted and stricken by the Creator. It is called ‘poor,’ for its entire sustenance and provision are by others working for it and pitying it.

“This is the meaning of the words, ‘Anyone who sustains a single soul from Israel, it is as though he sustains an entire world.’ Since the organ depends on others, it has no more than its own sustenance. And still, the Creator regards it as though he sustained an entire world, that this itself is the entire blessing of the world and everything in it, multiplied and completed solely by the force of that poor soul, which is sustained by the work of other organs.

“This is the meaning of ‘And He took him outside and said, ‘Now look toward the heavens ...’ and he believed in the Lord and reckoned it to him as righteousness.’ That is, by taking it outside, there was some desire to work with this organ; this is why He forbade him the work. This is why it was said, ‘Now look toward the heavens.’ At the same time, he was given the promise of the blessing of the seed.

“These are tantamount to two opposites in the same subjects, since all his seed, which is to be blessed, necessarily comes from this organ. Thus, when he is not working, how will he find a seed?

“This is the meaning of ‘And he believed in the Lord,’ meaning that he accepted those two receptions as they were, both the complete prohibition on the work, and the promise of the blessing of the seed. And how did he receive them? This is why he concludes, ‘And [he] reckoned it to him as righteousness,’ meaning as the form of charity [Tzedakah means both “charity” and “righteousness”] for a poor [person] who is sustained by the work of others.

“This is the meaning of the two sayings of our sages: One [person] thought that the Creator would treat him with righteousness, meaning keep and sustain him without work, and one thought that Abraham would act with righteousness toward the Creator. Both are the words of the loving God, for prior to the correction, that organ is in heaven, and the charity is counted for the lower one. At the end of his correction it is achievable, and then the Tzedakah is counted for the upper one. Know and sanctify for it is true.” Thus far his words.

I ask that each of you will write to me the meaning of the above words of Baal HaSulam, for it is a wonderful article.

And now let us arrange the work of the winter, which is the time of working during the long nights. Thus far I have been speaking from the perspective of the left, called “the left rejects.” This requires a lot of work and toil to overcome all the obstacles and all the alien views and thoughts. However, we should also engage in the right, as our sages said, “Make your Torah (teaching) permanent and your work temporary.” Torah is regarded as right, which is wholeness. A person should regard himself perfect with virtues and noble qualities. He should adapt the works in Torah and Mitzva as is suitable for a whole person as much as one can.

However, one must not regret it if one is unable to complete one’s will. That is, if a person wishes to do plentiful good deeds and study of Torah, but cannot, he should not regret it but be happy while working in the right. He should be content with whatever he can do, and praise and thank His name for being able to do a small service to the King. Even a minute a day or a minute in two days should be to him like finding a great treasure.

And even if it is a simple deed, meaning without vitality, he should still try to be happy and derive vitality from being allowed to serve the King. This is how he should be during the study, meaning whole. This is regarded as Torah, which is right, as it is written, “On His right was a fiery law.” For every opportunity, one must praise the Creator.

I heard from Baal HaSulam that with the praise and gratitude one gives to the Creator for nearing the Creator, one draws the light of His holiness below. A person should feel whole, and then he is regarded as blessed, and the blessed clings to the blessed. But when a person regards himself as cursed, the cursed does not cling to the cursed, as our sages said.

Therefore, you must regard yourselves as whole while performing Torah and Mitzvot (commandments). At that time you must not find any flaw in you, as it is written, “Anyone in whom there is a flaw shall not approach.” This is called “Torah,” meaning wholeness.

But only Torah is also not good, as our sages said, “He who engages only in Torah, it is as though he has no God,” as it is said, “And many days to Israel without a true God” (Avoda Zara 17).

“Days” is regarded as wholeness, meaning Torah. “Many” means that he engages only in Torah, and then he is “without a true God.” It is so because in the left, specifically this work guides on the path of truth. This is the meaning of “It is good to study Torah together with conducts, for toiling in both mitigates iniquity,” and “Any Torah without work is eventually annulled and induces iniquity.”

You might ask, “Why does Torah alone not only not mitigate, but also induce iniquity?” The reason is that if we do not walk on the path of truth, we remain as, “If they are not rewarded, a potion of death.” And that work, discerned as the kingdom of heaven, only this discernment is regarded as work and labor. This is why our sages said that specifically toiling in both mitigates iniquity. But “Do little work and plentiful study; make your Torah permanent and your work temporary,” because most of the day, a person must walk on the right, and a little bit of the day in the work of purity in mind and heart.

I will end my letter with hope that we will be rewarded with eternal Dvekut with His name.

Baruch Shalom

Son of Baal HaSulam

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (28:10) It’s a wonderful feeling. I have two questions. If a person is rewarded and does not add from himself a shade, and he is pitied from above, and the sun is covered for him, what does it mean that he is rewarded? 

M. Laitman: That, I guess, before it, he did something good.

Student: Can a person create a shade for himself? 

M. Laitman: I guess this is why he made the efforts. 

Student: When he relates, in the end, that studying Torah with good conducts, can you explain what is good conducts or the way of the land? Because I understood that only Abraham had it.

M. Laitman: No, there are a lot of definitions, and not only Abraham.

Student: How should we look at it? 

M. Laitman: When we'll get there, we'll understand what he's talking about.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (29:41) He writes that we have to both labor in Torah and also do some work so it doesn't become an iniquity. What is the work that he means we have to do? 

M. Laitman: All in all, the work that the Torah means. 

Student: Which is work in connection? 

M. Laitman: That's part of it. Some yes, some no. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (30:30) What is the difference between taking support from reason and taking cover in the shade of reason? 

M. Laitman: Again? 

Student: What does it mean to take support from reason?

M. Laitman: Reason. 

Student: Yes, and to take cover in the shade of reason.

M. Laitman: Let's ask everybody. Say exactly where you see it in the source and what we're asking. 

Student: He says to take cover in the waste of barn and winery, which is the person's shade. So he describes, he explains that difference, that we have to come to it. He writes that a person works on it. Well, okay. Well, that's a question.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (31:47) He explains that taking support from reason means to remain still. And the other option is to turn it into a thatch and work above reason. And that's the difference between still and vegetative.

M. Laitman: Nice, more?

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (32:14) It's also written afterwards, we have to make great efforts to accept the shade and say that it is a holy shade. So that's also something worthy.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (32:55) He writes here: I will explain to you the charity for men, that there's an organ forbidden to work and others nourish it. What does that mean? 

M. Laitman: I don't know. There's such an organ that you can't work with. What?

Student: I don't know.

M. Laitman: I don't know. There are many organs in a person's body. If you're speaking about a spiritual organ, so... I don't know. 

Student: He writes a lot about it, that others should nourish it, sustain it, and there's a contradiction. You have to maintain two things at once, and so on.

M. Laitman: Everything's nice. The question is, what we're talking about? If not anatomy, so what is he speaking about? 

Student: That's what I'm asking. There's the example of the tying of Isaac, that with him you'll have a seed, and then you have to slaughter him, and then offer him, sacrifice, sacrifice him. So what is this about? 

M. Laitman: We have to locate that organ, that specifically... How does he write that..? 

Student: He writes that the organ will only find nourishment if the others work for it. 

M. Laitman: So what he means, that this organ itself can't bring a person to the correction, but only when others accept his work, and in this way finish the correction.

Student: Is it a special, specific desire? What does it relate to? 

M. Laitman: Why is that important? Let's say, like you have organs in your body, in your hand, in your leg. Doesn't mean anything. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (35:50) How can we pray and at the same time be in wholeness? 

M. Laitman: Specifically because the prayer is big, and deep, and broad, and exalted, by that a person can be in wholeness. He has a connection with the Creator, and he understands that without the Creator he's worthless, and he can't reach anything. That all of the solutions are in the upper force, and from that comes the wholeness. 

Student: So there are no two opposites here? 

M. Laitman: Why opposites? One holds the other. 

Student: He wrote here in the beginning of the letter, why does he not feel the deficiency in the departure of the sage? But we have to say that during the life of the sages he also didn't receive anything from the sage. So, how does the disciple know if he's receiving or not receiving from the sage? 

M. Laitman: According to the feeling of the student. That's all the writing we see here in this letter. It's all according to what a person understands, how a person puts these things together.

Student: That's according to his feeling, if he's receiving or not, but is he really receiving?

M. Laitman: I don't know. If he reveals his deficiency, if he reveals adhesion and fills the deficiency, what he does it for, for what? 

Student: He brings here a verse from our sages, he who despises a wise disciple, there's no cure to his plight. What does it mean to the Creator to despise, have contempt for a wise disciple? 

M. Laitman: That he disregards his connection with the Creator, I guess.

Student: Whose connection? 

M. Laitman: Of the student of the wise, that they say about him that he's a student of the wise. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (38:42) He says here that to be in the right is Torah in its wholeness. And then he explains that if he engages only in Torah without work, it can be the potion of death for him. He writes that any Torah that does not work with it is cancelled and causes iniquity. What is it in our work, a situation where there is Torah but no work? That can bring us to the, that it may become a potion of death for us.

M. Laitman: That we don't see a result that we're building the Torah inside us. We don't see that from it comes a state which is a place to work.

Student: In the previous part you said that our work is work in connection. It means that if someone takes all his strength from the learning, from the study, and appreciates less the work in connection, can this study lead him to the opposite of where he should go? A complete disconnection from spirituality? 

M. Laitman: That's a potion of life and a potion of death, yes.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (40:21) By nature, a person wants the light of the sun, the warmth, the pleasantness. But he writes that when he receives the light of the sun, he should look for the holy shade. And also, when he is not in wholeness, he should look for the wholeness. It's like he's directing us to constantly search for the place of connection with the Creator. If He gives me the sun, I have to hide it and look for the connection with Him in the form of bestowal. And if He gives me shade, I have to look for the connection with Him in the manner of wholeness.

There's a matter of kind of completing what He gives me, responding correctly to what He gives me, connecting to the friends and through the connection, to perform the opposite action of my natural self, the original will to receive. How, in every state, if I get a sun or a shadow, how do I always return to the friends? How do we remind ourselves? It's like reformatting ourselves all the time, reminding ourselves to return to the friends, to the connection, in order to be in connection with Him. How do we create this formatting at every state and not miss out?

M. Laitman: That's a different part of the work. When I come to the Creator with my plea, and want to be with Him, by this I bring the Creator closer to me or myself closer to Him. Ask it again.

Student: I'm asking this: If Judaism works according to the light of the moon, we yearn to receive the indirect connection with the Creator, but rather through the reflected light. 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: And we want to increase that yearning. And sometimes there are situations where you find yourself after a state, where you receive the chance for yearning, but you weren't there at all, you forgot and you yearned for the light of the sun, for the state of Gadlut or greatness. How do we not miss out on states? How do we help each other constantly be in yearning and deficiency for the Creator and increasing that yearning? 

M. Laitman: When we reach that longing to the Creator, then we already come close to Him. We already understand that this is our purpose. And if we... I guess I didn't understand the question.

Student: How do we help each other increase the yearning, intensify the yearning? 

M. Laitman: That's by man will help his friend. Show the friends that increasing the yearning to the Creator, the desire, the tendency, the passion towards Him, that's the most important. That is the most important. There's nothing else. The rest is something the Creator does. 

Student: Recently, we've been studying about being humble. Is that something important so we don't give a grip to the external ones? How do we work with two things, setting an example and walking humbly? Because on the one hand, I want to set an example to the friends. On the other hand..? 

M. Laitman: Each one must show the other as much as, as much as he is in a state, a special state. 

Student: How, by setting an example to each other, do we not give a hold to the external ones? So I'm working for the public, because it's this kind of... How do we do this? 

M. Laitman: If we work together and want to help each other, then we don't fall to the external ones. That's what I'd say.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (46:30) He writes that if he only engages in Torah, and he's without a true God, the question is: What is the place of the work? 

M. Laitman: The work. 

Student: The work is, it is good to study Torah with the way of the land, with the right conduct.

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: So it means that the work is connected to the way of the land, or to conduct.

M. Laitman: You have to make efforts in trying to implement the Torah, to realize it. 

Student: How do we approach that yearning? It's not only yearning for the light in the Torah, but..?

M. Laitman: We need to be, first of all, connected between us in love your friend as yourself as much as possible. And by that connection, each one can supply the others with an approach to the light of the Torah, access to it. And from this, we will be rewarded in this common connection between us, where we discover joy. That's called the joy in the Torah.

Student: And in this, we will find the way of the land, it's there already? 

M. Laitman: Again? 

Student: The way of the land is in that part of Torah? 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (48:20) I feel like I have to ask something about Rabash. I read the article and he writes about every iota in the feeling. He can open it into a complete article. It stuns me. Who is Rabash? From where does he write to us? What is this for us? 

M. Laitman: Rabash, the eldest son of Baal HaSulam, which was constantly adhered to him. Not physically. He was just constantly adhered to him. And he was, would protect him. And I have no words. As much as he worked in it, in complete devotion of the soul. 

Student: Another question about Rabash, how do we come closer to him and adhere to him more? 

M. Laitman: How to adhere to him more? Only by his writings. Even though that is also in a lot of concealments, but only in this way.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (50:37) Rabash writes, I ask that each of you will write to me an interpretation of this article by Baal HaSulam, because it is a wonderful article. How often did Rabash give such assignments?

M. Laitman: Never did. He never gave it to us. We never wrote such things. 

Student: Can it be good for us to try to write such an article? 

M. Laitman: Write. Yes, write.

Student: Thank you. 

M. Laitman: That's it. We will end the lesson here.

Reader: (51:30) Announcements.