Morning Lesson October 10, 2021, Transcription
Part 1:
Baal HaSulam - What Does It Mean that the Sitra Achra Is Called “Malchut without a Keter”?
Reading Shamati 17.
1. R. (08:00) Let's go over the article again and then we will ask questions because if there are no questions, there is no access to the material. We are learning together. We already spoke about it all the time that there is only one force, the upper force, the Creator and this force influences us in a dual manner both from right and from left, from the seemingly good and from seemingly bad. In order to correctly guide us, to aim us on the path. The Creator cannot be made of one force, it can be but then it is still, vegetative and animate. The speaking degree is not like the rest of creation. It is different from all other degrees in creation because it has two forces, it has the animalistic force like in everybody as in the still, vegetative and animate but inside it, in the internality we also have the force of the soul. The soul already is included from two forces, both from the bad and the good forces that are existing in the soul in such a way that it does not exist in all the other degrees and also in regular the person.
Only inside the soul there is a condition for the development through the two opposing forces. Although there is a single upper force, the Creator but relative to us it appears and teaches us and educates us through the two opposing forces. Just like we do with our kids behaving both in a good and seemingly bad way only in order to educate them and bring them to an understanding, a full awareness so they can feel reality in order to behave correctly with everything around them. The system of these two forces that come to us from the Creator, it works on people who want to progress and according to how much these people understand that the Creator relates to them with this duality seemingly with good and bad forces in order to teach us how to correctly deal with everything that is before us.
Then thanks to both the correct attitude to both forces when we do not erase anything but we use both correctly not leaving only the good for but we use both the good and evil and relate to bad as to the good. The main thing is to reach between them the justification of the Creator and to come closer to him, meaning we approach him through the middle line. Therefore, anybody who is taken into account only by his egoistic will to receive cannot progress but remains on the same level, same degree, specifically the elevation on the spiritual degrees happens when we use the ego and our desire constantly grows and we progress this way alongside with it, this is what we have to learn here.
So, let's read the article and what Baal HaSulam writes, crown means Keter, Tag is Keter which is on top of the letters and Keter is the Emanator and the root of everything. Holiness is connected to this root, everything that exists below the Creator, below this root is called holiness because it comes to the Creator’s desire to bestow. This is called holiness is considered in being in equivalence of form with its root, everything that is below the Creator and connected to the Creator is called holiness. This means our root, namely the Creator wants only to bestow, as it is written his desire to do good to his creatures, so the holiness is only to bestow upon the Creator and the Sitra Achra, which is the other side however, which is other than the Creator it is surely also managed by the Creator she aims only to receive for herself. For this reason, she is not attached to the root which is the Keter but it is entirely in bestowal so this is why the other side does not have a Keter. She doesn't have it, does not have a Keter because he is separated from Keter, meaning the Creator is managing it and all the other side is in his hands but it is connected to it in such a way that his nature is in the system of the Sitra Achra.
Now we can understand what our Sages said, that all who add, subtract, meaning if we add to the count it subtracts. Meaning that he thinks that there is the force of the Creator in the Sitra Achra, this is the meaning of adding. It is written it is the same here relating to what is inside it writes, that the moreover it should take the tabernacle with 10 curtains relating what is outside it says 11 curtains, adding letters, adding the Hebrew letter Ayin to the 12 and subtracting from the account this subtracts 1 from the number at 12 because the addition of the Ayin is the addition to the number 12. It is written in the language of the wisdom of Kabbalah and in other books this part it is known that the calculation implemented only in the Malchut which is called calculation the Malchut calculates the height of the degree and it is known that the Malchut is called the desire to receive for himself and when she nullifies this desire to receive towards the Creator and does not want to receive but only to give back to the root to become like the root, she wants to resemble the Creator, the desire to bestow then the Malchut is called Ani, Ayin and it becomes nothing. So, then she changes the Ayin with Aleph then she extends the light of Keter to build the Partzuf and then it becomes 12 Partzufim of holiness. Meaning that the moment it nullifies itself all the way to the root then instead of the “I” it is called the Ayin because she nullified herself from Malchut to Keter.
However, event she wants to receive for herself she becomes the evil eye the Ayin, in other words where there was a combination of nullification before the root, which is Keter, it becomes Ayin seeing and knowing within reason, meaning above reason means to be attached to the root and the that is the Ayin and within reason is within, inside Malchut within reason. This is called adding one wants to add knowing to faith and work within reason, she says it is more worthwhile to work within reason and then the will to receive will not object to the work and even help. It stopped being Holiness, the Malchut won't disconnect from itself and will not attach to the root to the Creator. Then this is called subtraction, this is a flaw that it is separated from the Keter that is a desire to bestow which is the root. There is no longer the matter of equivalence of form with the root which is called Keter for this reason the other side is called Malchut without a Keter it means that the Sitra Achra, the other side is called Malchut without a crown. Malchut of the Sitra Achra does not have adhesion with the Keter and for this reason it only has 11 Partzufim without Partzuf Keter.
This is the meaning of what our Sages said that 99 died of the evil eye, meaning that because they have no quality of Keter it means that the Malchut in them meaning the desire to receive does not want to nullify before the root called Keter. Meaning they do not want to make of the Ani, the “I” the desire to receive the quality of Ayin which is the nullification of the desire to receive instead they want to add and this is called the evil eye. This is where there should be Ayin, nothing meaning zero with the Aleph, they insert the evil eye so they fall from their degree due to the lack of attachment to the root and this is the meaning of our Sages said anybody who is proud the Creator said he and I cannot live in the same living place as he makes it two authorities and this is the reason. If he, is one meaning he is in the state of Ayin, nothing and nullifies itself towards the root meaning his sole intention is only to bestow towards the root then we find there is only a single authority which is the Creator. Then all that one receives in the world is only there to bestow back to the Creator. This is the meaning of the saying: the whole world was created for me and me, only to serve my maker, for this reason I must receive all the degrees in the world so I can give everything even on the left line which is against the Creator. I want to go through it to give back everything to the Creator, which is called to serve my maker, let's start with the questions.
2. S. (22:10) Can you explain the 12 Partzufim of Holiness?
R. We will learn this, that number is not important here, we cannot get into all those things, we have in the second restriction in the world of Atzilut, we learn about it.
3. S. (22:40) How can I see the difference between Malchut without a crown and Malchut with a crown?
R. The Malchut without a crown is Malchut without a Keter. When the Malchut is not connected to the Creator. The will to receive is Malchut and Keter is the will to bestow. Between the will to receive and the will to bestow, between Keter and Malchut you have all the other Sephirot. All the incorporations between the bestower and the receiver. These incorporate the various forms above them are called Sefirot which besides the Keter is the will to receive that requires different modes of bestowal, it wants to resemble in different ways to the Keter. This is why all the HBHGTNHY Keter down to Malchut. All these different Sephirot they wish to resemble the Keter to some extent.
Meaning all their desires, our desires to receive are various modes they resemble the Keter.
This is why they are called Sephirot. Although they are the discernment of the creature nevertheless, they shine Sephira from the word Sapir. They shine because they are similar to the Keter to some extent except for Malchut that only has the will to receive. Then through the correction it makes restriction, screen and reflected light, she likens herself to the other Sefirot before her to reach the Keter. Then Sefirot between Keter and Malchut are the examples for the Malchut how it needs to improve and to be adhered to in the Keter. We will learn about those things. Our entire work is in the 10 Sefirot.
4. S. (25:11) To give everything to the Creator I must receive all the degrees in the world. Could you explain this last sentence?
R. Yes of course, it is this way because the Creator is the uppermost degree relative to us and we are the lowest degree relative to him. In order to reach the Creator, we have to resemble the Creator gradually in my will to receive and resemble more and more the desire to bestow. This is the meaning of climbing up the degrees seemingly from Malchut to Keter.
5. S. (26:13) It says here that all who add subtract, what does it mean?
R. Generally speaking anyone who thinks that all those disturbances are coming to us not from the Creator but from some from some other side he subtracts, he is wrong because everything depends on and belongs to none else besides him.
6. S. (26:55) You want to nullify and dissolve and become nothing towards the friends and the Creator still forces you to add your own thoughts, desires, so how not to add all of the time?
R. We can’t not add, we constantly have doubts, to add or not, to be with the Sitra Achra, the other side or what to do with the will to receive which constantly wakes up. But without this without the waking of will to receive we cannot grow up. Imagine to yourself a baby that is not growing up because he does not have an addition, he doesn't want this, he doesn't want that, he doesn't want to grab or demand things, it is just a poor baby. How much we suffer to have such children and they need special treatment and we are the same. Although we do have an impulse to progress, we stop along the way and we are rewarded with special treatment from the Creator and we advance nevertheless because the purpose of creation has to be revealed.
You have to understand that all these seemingly negative evil forces, the Sitra Achra, the other side come from the Creator, the same Creator, the same intention to progress us. What does it mean that she lacks a crown, Keter and she does not come directly to the Creator but she is help against. He rejects us, when he rejects us by this we progress as he gives us forces of disruption, brings us a criticism we are not agreeing to what is happening and he wakes up in a positive criticism and agreement above the disagreement. Then we are not happy with the Creator. We don’t want to progress and we hate the friends again like the students of Rabbi Shimon who wanted to kill each other. All that only so would learn to distinguish good and bad and bad from good, the correct combination of the two because we are in both. From the bad side we can see the coarseness from the good side we receive that strength, the forces of restriction and screen and by using both, meaning love covers all transgressions. The sandwich here is the ego and above it is the corrections. Then we use it in order to bestow and this is how we can progress and we also see it in our world, if the ego is that the bigger strong egoist who takes a directed goal then he can succeed and if he has a great force of the left but he can cover it with the right, progressing towards the goal, he can reach very high levels. Meaning it is good to have the evil inclination it is good to have the egoistic desires, this cruelty if we could only conquer it and learn how to use the evil system to learn to manage to aim at the attainment of the Creator.
S. But ultimately how do I add in the right way?
R. When you nullify yourself, you nullify the negative use of it, try as much as possible to turn it into a good use. According to he who is greater than his friend his evil inclination is also greater, you cannot have good without the evil force. You understand you have to have an aim to reach the goal to reach the Creator, to explore to understand everything but all of that has to be covered with the desire to bestow to the others and through them to the Creator, we'll talk about it.
7. S. (32:01) The number 99 what is it here?
R. That other than Keter there are no changes between bestowal and reception instead what is not existing in the force of a reception, that is the connection with the Creator that is what is missing, the force of reception is not connected to the Creator, this is why it is at 99 instead of 100.
8. S. (32:48) Is the Sitra Achra an illusion we want the Malchut without a Keter?
R. No it is not an illusion it is here in this world but it is not the other side but it is just a desire to receive, like in animals they do not have evil or good in them, it is simply nature that is around them managing them. In man, that human being, it is already written about the intention to enjoy harming others because this corresponds, what has to be in the person which is to delight the others. This way we have opposite forces in us, this is our ego and in the animals in still and vegetative they have no ego, it is simply the will to receive, the egoistic will to receive is when he wants to enjoy feeling pleasure at the expense of others and corresponding to that he has to install these new relationships whereby it he wants to give pleasure to others and delight them. Then using these systems, where each time he wants to enjoy the world more and enjoy the Creator, he installs an opposite system which man has to do, to build the right line so we would be able to do good outside of ourselves to the others. So, between the two systems we start to connect to the root, to the Creator, because the Creator is the root both for the right side and for the left side and this is how we attain the Creator, the upper one the uppermost one which is managing both the right and the left. I am happy that you all got your answers
9. S. (35:20) What is the difference between the desire to receive and desire to bestow?
R. What is the difference between the desire to receive and desire to bestow, this is not a simple question, actually the desire to receive and the desire to bestow. The desire to receive is the created being, their nature and the desire to bestow is the Creator and those things do not change they never change not at the desire to receive not the desire to bestow, they do not change. What changes is only the intention of how we use the desire, the Creator in his desire is completely the intention to use his desire to bestow for the good of the created beings and the Creator behaves this way all the time. He simply changes his clothing all the time in order to educate us his changing his clothing in order to educate us just like we act in different forms before our children we clothe in two different forms of behavior so the children know that we relate to them this way and that way and according to they change their attitude, their behavior.
While the created beings, he is in the will to receive and this is it, the desire to enjoy, this is it and he cannot change his nature forever. We need to learn how to acquire new forms on top of our desire to receive, on top of the desire to enjoy, when we seemingly dress like a wolf clothing into the sheepskin, it is not simple, we need help from above, the upper light to help us. On one hand to stand on the ground with both feet with the desire to receive on the ego and on the other hand we are not disconnecting from the ego, we are not entering some illusions or convoluted states, some clouds or imaginations, no. With the will to receive will start to acquire the intention to bestow, the desire to receive will acquire and dress into various forms of bestowal and this is what we wish to learn to demonstrate inside the group. This is the most convenient, the best possible and safest environment when in the group I can gradually see my attitude, how I improve to the friends although I remain my desire to receive, I don't get into some form of Illusion but together with that to attain the goal to reach attainment to the Creator so I am willing to work for the others in order to give in order to help, in order to contribute to do everything that is good for them. Then if everybody is like this in the 10, we try, then we begin to feel that behind our attitude to the friends we find the Creator, as it is written that the Creator stands behind every friend. This is possible to do only when we truly change and we give each other positive examples then it turns out that from the attitude to the friends we wish to give, to help, to support, they becomes closer emotionally to each from the 10-feeling connection between us and the connection brings us the image of the Creator. This is how we attain the Creator according to the rule from love of the created beings to the love of the Creator.
10. S. (40:38) In what state Malchut annuls before Keter?
R. When I appreciate some form of bestowal above my reception because I realize that this is the form of the Creator and only this way we can understand the Creator, if I do the same actions as him then I understand him. This is called from your actions we know you by me doing these actions that I hear what the Creator is doing as this is his nature, even when I do this externally when I try to do such actions of bestowal from this, I can understand what the Creator is, how he operates, how he is influencing us. Then from the love of the created beings which I do with the friends in practice, by this I understand a certain flavor, color, shape of the nature of the Creator. Again, from love of the created beings to the love of the Creator, there are not that many words here but there are many aspects of emotions in terms of the relationship between the friends and the Creator.
11. S. (42:11) So I could serve my maker, what does it mean to give everything to the Creator?
R. To serve in everything, everything refers to the Yesod, that all our nature that we can aim in order to bestow, this is called the Yesod, the Sefira Yesod which is the complete Sefira.
12. S. (42:45) Can we define our intention to bestow is to act towards the creation of a single soul?
R. Of course, to attain it is already existing this single soul, we already exist in the root but when we all want to reach that form then we add our exertion to this and when we come to the revelation of this single soul we attain it 620 times more, this is such a number, it means nothing to us. It is an intensity 620 times more compared to what it was at the beginning of creation because we come to the connection between us after the shattering and with the forces of separation which are added to the connection and we come to the connection this way. The intensity of the final correction is great and in that we attain the whole concept of what we call the Creator and attain adhesion with him, we attain him in full, face to face.
13. S. (44:50) What feeds the Sitra Achra?
R. The Sitra Achra is nourished when we give up spiritual progress and we add are own strength to it, we are as if standing in the middle between Kedusha and the Klipot between the desire to receive and decided to bestow and if we preferred the desire to receive then we nourish her, we increase her. Even though it grows when we are weak and we cannot defend ourselves, we cannot resist against it, still there is such a condition called he swallowed down riches and he will vomit them up. Meaning from all our descents to the Sitra Achra, if we have the patience, perseverance, we keep going then we make it so that all the forces and thoughts that we could not correct and they fell into the other side, they then can emerge from it and thereby we progress.
S. How do we attach all the descents to the coarseness?
R. We do not do that, it happens by the upper light on the condition that the person keeps going even though as it says the thousand times the righteous falls and rises up, again we keep going, we do not let go of the path even just mechanically participating in the 10, in the study, at least in physical framework. I am simply there, in the lessons and in the Gathering of Friends, in different actions, internally I feel dead but that's what is inside and I am not responsible for who I am, but I keep going. So, as we keep going even though we are not capable, specifically by this we come to the best possible spiritual state because to begin with we do not have any strength to overcome anything. We have to understand that we do not have any strength, that only perseverance, only patience and persistence as much as possible, it is well-known that anybody who wants to be successful has to be stubborn.
S. If the Sitra Achra is disconnected from Holiness, what does it mean to cancel it towards the root?
R. The Sitra Achra is not too tied to Holiness, there is one single root which is the upper force and from those two systems emerge, the system of the other side and the system of Holiness. We are in the wisdom of Kabbalah, we do not study too much the other side system, I did learn a bit with Rabash, there are very vast systems in there, some of it is discussed in the book of Zohar and other books of Kabbalah. I even wrote about it in Russian language about the river of Dinur and all other terms, it does not matter, we do not need it. Why don't the Kabbalists want to talk about it too much because the system of Kedusha and the system of the Sitra Achra exist parallel to each other but we do not want to be interested in the system of the other side, because that will put us under its power and it will influence us. Like we tell kids, go play with the good kids, don't play with the bad kids, so same with us in Kabbalah it is not customary to teach beginners about the systems of the Klipa. Don't worry, the time will come and we begin to understand and even learn them to some extent, it will come bit by bit. This is really just like little children we have to open the world to them to the extent they can manage and we do not talk to children about the evil things happening in the world because they cannot the perceived it and they cannot cope with it, so bit by bit, so do not worry everything will come in its time.
14. S. (50:49) The evil inclination or evil eye or the true coarseness it appears in those people who study the wisdom of Kabbalah?
R. Only. Only in Kabbalah students the evil inclination appears. In the others it is just a beastly desire. The evil inclination means that the one who prevents me from progressing towards the Creator.
S. So only those who study can reach equilibrium between these two forces connecting the friends and the Creator?
R. Yes, if I am in evil forces then I can cope with them and achieve the good forces. This is how it works.
15. S. (52:10) You answered part of the question but I would like to continue. Should we relate to the Sitra Achra as something that comes from the Creator and then accept it as part of me or we need to reject it, how to treat it practically?
R. This depends on the person, I would not determine that. Of course, it all comes from the upper force. There is an upper force, under that there is the Creator that is the force that is good and does good to everyone, and then there is another force called Sitra Achra, the other side. One time we look at it as part of the Creator, another time we look at it as going against the Creator, but one way or another it always works in a way that brings us to criticize The Creator so we can study the Creator and then transcend the criticism. After we criticize, after these examinations, by this we actually come to attain the Creator. So, we receive from the Sitra Achra a system, meaning all the hurdles and disturbances and weaknesses that we have. If we overcome that, if we cover that then we discover the Creator in various facets and ways and this means that we attain the Creator.
16. S. (54:10) What is the most efficient way to awaken the friends because it seems like without even being able to see this or feel it, we won’t see it coming, or the candle is not annulled to the torch. What is the most efficient way to awaken the candle in order to annul towards the torch?
R. In any situation if you want to influence something outside of you there is only a single way to do that, an example. Whether it is kids or adults or even animals it does not matter, try to set a good example. What is a good example? An example from which anyone who looks at it can learn what you want to tell them. By that you do not speak, you just set an example with your own behavior that this is what you’d like, that this is what you want, this is what you want to get closer to, or far away from, this is what you are afraid of, and so on. Give these examples, it works especially well on kids. All education should be through examples, and the same in regard to the friends. Without words, the less words the better, more examples. Try, and you will see how that is really what works
17. S. (56:19) The evil eye, in what instances does it work and in what instances does it not work?
R. This is not related to the wisdom of Kabbalah, it is related to psychological forces of human beings, that they can indeed affect each other this way, but this is on the corporeal level. On the spiritual level there is what is called the spiritual evil eye. It doesn't have to do with people on the level of this world. This is something we can look into from the sources, this is the spiritual concept of evil eye. So, there is a corporeal evil eye which is the effect of people on other people. There are some people who project some good forces or negative influences over other people because we influence each other this way, because we all exist within a single force field, and through this force field we influence each other. But in spirituality what is good eye and evil eye we will learn that. There is such an article in Shamati.
18. S. (57:48) There is a certain part of the friends that are in the state of overcoming various corporeal states and there are people who progress in a relatively stable manner. What does it say that we learn that the Creator advances the one He hits?
R. We cannot look at these indications and say that the more the person suffers the more he advances. This has to do with the root of the soul and a thousand other conditions; what is he connected to, where he was connected before the shattering, why did he come to us to be part of our 10, where we think that we are doing some actions on him and he does some actions to us. We do not understand all these layers of existence, this will unfold only when we achieve the truth, so we cannot answer these questions. It is better for us to follow what the books are saying without raising all these questions because in this case we are really like little children who don’t understand the world they are in. So let us not get confused with all of this.
19. S. (59:23) How to transform the bad to good?
R. How to turn the evil to good? It all depends on how much through the 10 you try to achieve this state, where you want to see only good in everything and you accept everything only through the good that does good. Try, and according to your efforts you will bless the Creator and be grateful. If you don't succeed you will ask for correction to succeed in seeing in all His actions only good actions. Then you will feel that you are immersed in goodness and then you will be closer to Him.
20. S. (01:00:41) The Sitra Achra, is this more than just the darkness so that it is there for me to see the light? Is it more than the good that does only good?
R. No, the system of the Sitra Achra, the other side is a replica of the Creator’s good will, but we don't feel it as a bad replica because we are all results of it. And that is why in our work we want to see ourselves as disconnecting from the other side and moving ourselves to be under the system of holiness. We’re going to have to still work on this and learn that.
21. S. (01:01:54) How do we develop sensitivity to determine for whom am I making the action, for me or for Him?
R. If it is for the sake of the 10 you already have a scrutiny to make, and if it is with the 10 toward the Creator you also have a scrutiny to make. Other than that, you don't have any clear discernments, you can always confuse yourself. Try to determine it like that, either in the direction of the 10 or with the 10 towards the Creator. It should be as one alignment: Israel the light and the Creator are one, that is how it is called.
S. Can it be that I overdo it like the one who adds and subtracts, how to be careful not to add too much?
R. All you add or subtract means that you relate to the forces of the ego the higher route as well, that is how you add and subtract.
22. S. (01:03:10) If I suffer from terrible internal states and I can't justify the Creator, why did he let those terrible states of evil happen to me, how can I go above reason in this condition?
R. You can't, so let it be, and in the meantime, you rise above such things that you can justify, where you can be bonded with the Creator. Until you realize that all of the things that happened to you that are felt in you in a negative way don't come from the Creator but rather are caused by the evil inclination. We will later on learn how it works, but the Creator is clean from that.
S. How can I stop myself from digging into the past conditions or states?
R. Nothing was dependent on you, that is why there is no reason to delve into whatever happened. Whatever happened, happened, you don't belong to that. Just erase whatever happened and start a clean slate.
23. S. (01:04:51) How come the will to receive sometimes does not resist the work, should this concern me?
R. The will to receive sometimes does not resist the work because it wants to receive from the connection with Godliness, so of course it is interested in that because where will it get fulfillment if not through participating in actions of bestowing. The actions of bestowal that we try to do, it wants to steal something from there, to rob it, and that is basically the style of how it works. It is like a cat that wants to steal something off your table at home. That is kind of the nature of the Sitra Achra.
24. S. (01:06:10) Why can't we avoid falling into the Sitra Achra and what action makes us fall?
R. Only if we are together and we want to help each other reciprocally to understand that only together can we come closer to the goal, and if we don't hold on to each other we don't get closer to the goal, we might even go further away from the goal. This will be the correct progress if we are together, then we will always come closer. If we are separate then we will always go further away and it doesn't matter how much we know, it doesn't matter how successful we might be in some other things, rather the sign of progress is the good deeds that bring joy, happiness.
25. S. (01:07:17) How to make others in the 10 accept what we are doing as an example, because not everyone is interested in that. Maybe simply let the light do the work?
R. You have to sometimes set such meanings between the 10s, but to do this gently, and discuss and share Impressions about how much in the 10 you can support and help the friends, men and women, it is very important. If we are looking at other Tens it makes us envious and that is a very powerful force of progress, it is not a bad force.
26. S. (01:08:18) It says the whole world was created to serve me. How should I understand this and does it mean that the world depends only on my correction?
R. Yes, the whole world depends only on my correction and the whole world was built for me, but you should add and I was made to serve my maker. I was made to shift all of my efforts and impressions to the Creator, and if each one does that, each one achieves the awareness and the attainment and complete adhesion with the Creator.
S.
How
to
use
the
criticism
that
is
in
Malchut
to
rise
above
the
ego
and
not
to
fall
into
criticism
of
the
Creator?
R.
These
questions
again
are
only
solved
in
the
group.
Discuss
this
between
you
and
see
how
only
within
the
10
can
you
feel
it
and
realize
it.