Morning Lesson May 16, Transcription
Baal HaSulam. "Study of the 10 Sefirot" (TES). Vol. 1. Part 1. Chapter 1, item #3 (“Ein Sof then restricted Himself ")
46. R. We are not forgetting the intentions. All the learning is only two first of all achieve the connection between us through the connection between us to bestow contentment upon the Creator and then in the connection between us we will be able to come closer to a state where He is revealed in the connection between us and we will discover the Creator inside the connection. Meaning within the 10 Sefirot in the connection between us we will connect, we will discover Him in the study of the 10 Sefirot in the upper light that is revealed within them when we will achieve this in practice, but for the time being we are learning hoping that it will be revealed.
Item 3 “Ein Sof restricted himself in his middle point...”
47. R. The light of Ein Sof is the desire of the Creator to bestow upon the created things, infinitely when he begins to arrange His revelation to the created being more and more so that's a created being will be made, created, so he says that this was done through these actions through the light of Ein Sof that fills all of reality. All of the desire that the Creator created, afterwards what happened? Inside of this desire a restriction and the light departed from that desire, from that middle point where there was probably the place, the source of the restriction so the light departed, leaving an empty place, a hollow as we will learn later. We can depict to ourselves these things emotionally, in the feelings that first of all the Creator created the will to receive and filled it through His relation, this is called the upper light. Then it caused the upper light to be restricted, meaning so that he would not want to feel, to receive within it the upper light so the light departed from the desire, moving away, drifting to the side of the circular will to receive that is revealed again to see what is below.
Item 3 again.
48. R. (04:04) We will first learn what it tells us, why it is circular, why he restricts himself, how it works drifting from the center of the circle to the sides, what in spirituality where there is no place, or imaginary place, circle, line, area so why do we still need to picture spirituality in this way? Let us see, let us read.
Excerpt 40 “You already know the meaning of He is One and his name is One...”
49. R. (06:36) In other words the Creator created the will to receive and filled it with His light infinitely without any boundaries, then He performed an operation where the will to receive was empty from the upper light, from the presence of the Creator. By this it gave the will to receive the possibility to receive the upper light. The filling again, but only on the condition that it is similar to the filling, to the desire to bestow. This is where we are in order to return, to restore to ourselves the vessel of Ein Sof.
50. S. (07:32) It says here about his names and appellations of the Creator, in which way do we discover these names of the Creator?
R. We draw into that space, which is filled with our egoistic desires, will you pull in there the desires, the lights that correct our desires and to that extent we also feel these corrected vessels according to the equivalence to form with the upper lights and then the light returns into the vessel. We want to come to a state as it was prior to the restriction before the vessel was emptied from the light and then that state will be called the end of correction.
S. Is this clearly the Partzuf that we built together?
R. Yes, it is that same vessel of Adam HaRishon, that we want to correct and improve and make into even a greater filling than we had before, previously this was done by the Creator, now it will be done by both of us, this is us and the Creator this is why the vessel will be 620 times greater according to the power and 620 times greater according to the filling.
51. S (09:29) What does it mean that the Creator created an empty place so we can keep Torah and commandments?
R. The Creator emptied that place and became an empty place and then we through the Torah, which is the reforming light, we can correct our will to receive to work in order to bestow. This is all done by the upper light which is called Torah, because this comes from the word light, Ohr, so we correct our desires, where we are correcting the world to receive in order to bestow which is called a Mitzvah, a commandment from the Creator for us to do this and to the extent of this correction that we do in each vessel that acquires the intention to bestow fills it with light and then it is regarded that through the Torah and commandments the correction from the upper light of the vessel with the intention to bestow, that we bring that vessel back to a state where it works completely in order to bestow, like the Creator, like the upper light. This is called reforming ourselves.
52. S. (11:22) Is there a connection between the middle point and the center of the 10?
R. For the time being you can imagine this as being the center of the 10, and the center point of all the world, yes.
53. S. (11:51) Who is the one who restricts, is this the Creator or Ein Sof?
R. We will learn this soon but the vessel restricts itself and this is done with the influence of the light upon it, but the decision is a decision within this vessel.
Reader continues: “This is the equivalence of form with the Emanator call adhesion.”
54. R. The will to receive that the Creator created was filled with the upper light unboundedly, this is what is called the light of Ein Sof and the vessel of Ein Sof also. Then it began to feel through the influence of the light within it, it began to feel that it was not similar to the lights, that the light gives and it receives, that the light is complete and the vessel is incomplete. It turns out that it caused it to begin to feel how different it is from the light. Although the difference still didn't cause it any lessening, or sensation of lessening but that the difference between them is still felt. Therefore, it began to work toward restriction, the desire changed and the light according to the desire also moved itself to the boundaries of that place leaving an empty place, a hollow in the empty space inside the circle which was previously filled with the light of Ein Sof.
55. S. (16:23) In our case when we feel love between us, equivalence and within it we try to see all the Creator’s attitude we also have to make a restriction upon this his attitude towards us?
R. No, we don't need to make any restrictions if we don't feel anything, what we need to do is only a result, just like in the world of Ein Sof, only a result of the Creator influencing us according to this we have to perform our operations, that is it. The Creator presses us, performing the operations and accordingly we have to check ourselves whether we can work toward Him as He summons within us, that we will do this if we can, if not we will try not to do it. We have two elements within us, two reasons, either our ego or the Creator who presses us and we have to locate from where we are getting our pressure, our initiation, our treatments.
56. S. (17:50) The question is when he rose upon his simple desire, it means that he increases refinement and adhesion. What is a refinement in this adhesion?
R. We are in the inner light and he is still not speaking about the restriction, he's speaking only about how the vessel responds to the upper light which causes the upper light to drift to the side of the middle point.
S. So how does it respond?
R. This is how it responds.
S. How?
R. By drifting away, we are in the middle, we are in the middle of the text, you see the decoration, or the adornment as it wants to resemble the upper light more it decorated itself and drifted from the greatness of the will to receive to adhere more to the upper light. Meaning that it diminishes and accordingly the upper light moves away from the will to receive and fills it according to the desire that now becomes smaller. Accordingly, the light shines in the will to receive to a lesser extent.
S. What is the essence that the light departed?
R. The light depends upon the desire, if the light the part that grows smaller, same with us if we have a bigger desire we will be able to feel the lights, if we have a desire under the influence of the intention then we will feel the desire, we will learn it as this is the whole of the wisdom of Kabbalah how to receive the revelation of the Creator to the created being, from our level onward is what we need to learn and upon this depends on our whole existence in this world, in the upper world forever. We are all dependent upon how we received the upper light according to the upper law and in what conditions.
57. S. (20:43) It is written, the creature shifts to the middle point so the disparity is reduced between the creature and the Creator so does the creature try to bestow within itself more reducing the feeling of the will to receive?
R. The created being can't do anything with the will to receive, we say it this way but in truth, the intention of the created being with all of its nature, with the will to receive is to resemble the Creator is much as possible, so in the beginning it works on intention for it to be in order to bestow as the Creator works in order to bestow and then accordingly it opens up its desires more and more which have been restricted. Here he is still telling us about the restriction so it opens itself more and more to reveal the upper lights, to reveal the Creator and the Creator becomes revealed out of the almost zero revelation that it had in the initial desire when there was no yearning on the part of the created being. The Creator is revealed according to the yearning of the created being more and more, several times over.
58. S. (22:35) What is the difference between the Ohr Yashar, direct light and Ohr Elyon, the upper light?
R. We will learn this, of course there is a difference as there are many types of lights according to the vessel, according to the general will to receive that is divided into all kinds of ways and accordingly it feels the influence of the Creator in many ways and these influences are called the upper light and there are many different types among them.
59. S. (23:15) Regarding the fact that the place remained to work in the Torah and commandments in order to bring back the missing part can we understand this simply that our desires lost connection with the Creator, yet the Kabbalah remained, is this give us the ability to regain connection, Torah and Mitzvot is the wisdom of Kabbalah?
R. Yes of course, only in this way can we draw the reforming light so that it will correct us and teach us how to receive the upper light correctly, meaning the revelation of Godliness to its created beings.
S. What is the special place called the wisdom of Kabbalah that is seemingly restricted, except not?
R. This I don't understand, the wisdom of Kabbalah restricted or not? The wisdom of Kabbalah is a science of how we perform at correction upon the will to receive although the will to receive was completely restricted and the Creator moved away from it and not revealed, so how do we through making the corrections on the will to receive draw again, bringing the Creator back to it is revealed in the created beings, all of the created beings exist in the will to receive.
Inner Light Item 40 “The proximity of the form makes for adhesion....”
60. R. (25:46) He is telling us about all kinds of operations which we still haven't heard about very much but we will learn them and study them.
Reader continues: This is the Meaning of the words of the Ari.”
61. R. (26:20) Only the created being is entirely the will to receive and only in the size or power of the will to receive, or the style that it is in, this determines the quality of the light and the quality of the lights. That will fill it.
Reader “since the Ein Sof restricted itself....”
62. S. (27:15) Why here specifically when the will to receive wanted to get closer to itself the light restricted itself?
R. The light created the will to receive and filled the will to receive as we read in the Preface according to the four phases of direct light, so this is what we learned that the upper light fills all of the degrees in the will to receive and the will to receive feels how opposite it is from the light, it begins to enjoy and at the same time reveals how the nature of the upper light is opposite from its own and comes to a state where it cannot stand it. This is like a person who receives pleasure from another person and it satisfies him increasingly more but that afterwards he begins to see how different it is and that person only gives and gives while he himself, the recipient only receives. This is different from him according to the point where he feels that he cannot stand himself being a receiver, while the other one is the giver. Then he has no choice but to restrict himself because of the suffering he feels in the will to receive that is developed within him, that he is a receiver, his suffering is so great that it is greater than the pleasure of receiving from before. It turns out that he restricted himself and remained empty because in such a case, staying empty is at least not suffering from being satisfied, from being filled by something that you hate, that you begin to hate yourself, that you can't stand yourself.
S. He wants to resemble him.
R. That is before the restriction, by this you drive out and reject and repeal the light because you cannot stand it, you restrict your will to receive within you because you feel that you are opposite, you feel the shame, your own will to receive hurts.
S. So it is only by rejection?
R. There are more calculations, the other intentions are different.
63. S. (30:29) The desire as a vessel, we hear now that the desire is greater as the light is, accordingly before we learned about the opposite relation of the lights and vessel.
R. One is before the corrections and one is after the corrections, you're saying everything correctly but it depends upon what we learn if we learn prior to the correction with the screen and the reforming light or after it.
Item 15 Inner Light 5 “Because there is neither Rosh nor Sof there....”
64. R. (33:21) The light changes and fills the will to receive and the will to receive through the light, starts to change, the Creator created a simple will to receive, before the created beings were created there was a simple upper light filling all the whole of reality, the whole of reality was just a simple will to receive, however this started to influence the world to receive as it fills it up and it already changes it. The will to receive that starts to change it feels that is opposite of the light, that it has within it also an influence that not only does the will to receive enjoy from the light but also as it enjoys the light it also begins to feel that the light is different, the light is delighting, while the will to receive even though it feels the pleasure, enjoying, it is the opposite of the quality that is in the light, of delighting it. It begins to have within the will to receive a different attitude towards fulfillment, that these fulfillments come from bestowal where the will to receive comes in the opposite way, from the same bestower and it begins to see to what extent it is different to the lights.
65. S. (35:12) There are three elements, there is the light, the vessel, and the desire. If there is no desire it is as if the vessel is canceled because the light departs is this correct?
R. Vessel and desire are the same thing.
S. So is the desire to parts there is no vessel?
R. Correct.
66. S. (35:59) The created being discovered as from the operations of the light the difference of the light, what do we discover as a 0, a vessel after contact with the light?
R. We don't yet have contact with a light, first of all, after we have such contact, you will see what it is.
S. From what we are learning now we should take something for our work?
R. What we need now is to take everything that we need for our work, yes, we are learning all of these things practically, how can we use them, but that we are learning, we still have great confusions because we are beginning to study things, we don't feel we're not certain what they are about exactly, however eventually this is how we will detect these things soon.
S. We are saying it in any case the intention, the light influences us but for now we don't feel it yet this obligates us?
R. The fact that we are reading, that we exist in the upper light, this obligates us to start searching for it, this obligates us to start searching for it, for its influence over us and how we need to respond to it. We exist now in the upper light, in the Ein Sof, yet we are not capable of detecting these things, but as much as we want to, through our connection between us, to detect these things then we will.
S. This is why I'm asking because to feel this light that we have to perform a restriction in order to resemble it?
R. You must restrict your will to receive and use it only for things that are necessary for life, this is allowed as it is not considered a transgression and your whole will to receive beyond the necessity for life, you then need to use it only in order to connect to the 10 in order so by this cause the contentment to the Creator. Then in your vessels with which you are giving Him contentment you will begin to receive a response from Him. His response and then you will begin to discover Him, His attitude towards you.
67. S. (39:53) When we read what Ari writes in items 2 and 3 it feels like we're talking about the Creator, the emanator, the upper light and when we read what Baal HaSulam writes in item 40 + 50 it is as if we are talking about Malchut?
R. There are two things here, the upper light, which is the Creator and the created being, which is the will to receive, the upper light created the will to receive, existence from absence which filled the will to receive in a way that is responding all the way and then the will to receive is called Ein Sof, literally, no end, no limit. Following that the upper light departs from the will to receive and then the will to receive feels itself, that it is empty. This state is called the world of Ein Sof because the fulfillment was infinite, unlimited in the stage where the will to receive was emptied of the light it is called the world of restriction, not the world of Ein Sof but the world of restriction as it is restricted. This is what we are learning about right now.
68. S. (41:51) Concerning the restriction and the reason for the restriction, the correct reason that we have to come to is this because it goes separate or because we want to bestow upon the Creator, which is more correct?
R. Shame is the reason for the correction.
69. S. (42:23) He writes to us that Malchut is adorned with an in intention?
R. Yes, Malchut wants to be similar to the Creator and this is why she even though she was restricted, however, now she wants to take upon herself a new condition, that she will be filled not for herself but in order to delight the Creator and this on her side will be a form of bestowal to the Creator, that she is giving Him the possibility to feel her.
S. A person who is incorporated in this adornment where can you use this desire in the 10?
R. If he uses his desires to fill them and by this to bestow contentment to the Creator only then of course, he could use all of these desires and lights because he is not using them, he is doing it only in order to bestow. Such a form if he is doing it that he feels himself like the Creator, in the same form, with the same understanding, with the same attainment and state truly as the Creator. This is the state that we all need to reach, to receive the upper light in order to bestow. When we are ready to receive all of the upper light, however it is not for ourselves but only in order to bestow to the Creator. Then our reception is not felt as reception but as bestowal
S. How do we use the restriction?
R. That will be explained later.
70. S. (44:49) The only thing that is not clear here is if you wanted to create the worlds and emanate the emanated beings, what is the connection between the desire and the light?
R. By the Creator creating the will to receive He will have the ability to reveal Himself to the emanated things, they created things that emerged, developer from the will to receive, His desire is to be revealed to the created beings.
Inner Light “In spirituality that is because the difference is ....”
71. R. (46:37) The will to receive that the Creator created and filled with the upper light unboundedly as much as the will to receive wanted to fill itself and the will to receive later on makes a restriction because it feels it's the opposite of the fulfillment, the fulfillment then departs, the will to receive remains empty and then it decides that it is going to receive the upper light, however specifically in such a way that the reception will be as bestowal, that I am receiving for you, not for me, but rather for you. Then it begins to receive the upper light in order to bestow contentment to the source of the upper light, to the Creator. By that it turns out that even though it is receiving all of its reception is considered bestowal. This way they reach a stage where the Creator and the created being remain in adhesion.
72. S. (47:56) What is the disparity of form?
R. Disparity of form is that as one performs some action with the same intention, with the same attitude as the other one performs the action, then it is considered that they are in equivalence of form. However, if one performs with a different intention than the other one, then they lack equivalence of form, or in disparity of form. To resemble the Creator, we can be to this degree, we can feel like Him only if we perform the same action as Him, meaning in equivalence to form with Him. As He is merciful so you should be merciful, as He gives you should give, as much as He is doing this you should also do this and then you will feel like Him. By this you will attain Him as this is called from your actions, we know you, if I perform the same actions as the Creator than from those actions, I attain the Creator because inside of me I am creating the image of the Creator and out of that I attain Him.
73. S. (49:39) He says the emanated being needs to yearn for the reception of the abundance but afterwards he says only one doesn't have the abundance. How do I yearn for something I don't know what it is?
R. You cannot yearn for something that you have in you, but something that you don't have in you, however you do know what that thing is, then you yearn as you know what it is, and you feel that you don't have it and that you need it. Then you have the yearning as the upper light first fills the entire vessel and then it departed from the vessel and now the vessel yearns for it, wanting to bring it back and here there is already a condition, the upper light can get into the vessel only on the condition that they have equivalence form between them.
S. Why does he write that only afterward in the effort it is revealed by itself, by his own strength?
R. Do?
S. What is the condition to come to the point?
R. Equivalence of form between the light and the vessel, just as a light comes from above at once to bestow to the vessel. The vessel comes from below and it wants to bestow to the light by that, the two of them equalize. They embrace as each one wants to bestow to the other making room for each one of them and even more than that as much as one bestows to the other and the second bestows to the first accordingly, they have between them and eruption of love, of mutual bestowal.
S. Can I get this yearning from above or does it come with work in the friends?
R. The yearning comes only out of the 10.
74. S. (52:22) Does disparity of form happen when we can't maintain the intention until the end of correction?
R. We need to constantly care only for the intention because our desire does not change, we can discover It, reveal it more or less but it is already given to us and only about the intention over the desire cannot change as we acquire it from the Emanator, from the Creator and then it turns out to the extent that I get an impression from the Creator that I can use it as an intention upon my desire, that I can use my desire to receive, however it will be in order to bestow. If the Creator wants to give me I have no problem with it I am willing to receive, however it has to be with the intention of in order to bestow, do you understand what is going on here, that I use my entire desire as much as I can fill myself up truly all the way and even more than that, however it has to be so that by that I am giving him contentment as this is the entire addition that I need and only to the extent that I am capable of preparing such an in intention can I enjoy only to bestow contentment upon him to that extent I activate my will to receive. I begin to enjoy the Creator and in the middle as I enjoy it suddenly, I discover that I am enjoying it. This is considered shattering, that my intention to bestow to Him was broken.
S. A new coarseness is revealed in each degree and neutralizes the intention?
R. We will see, I see that today everyone is in their confusion, a fogginess, we didn't really sleep at night because of these sirens here, but you should be alert and you should take this awakening upon yourself that each shall help his friend.