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

Daily Lesson (Morning) February 4, 2025.

Part 2: Baal HaSulam/A Sage’s Fruit - Talks

Reader: The lecture is based on articles from the book Kitvei Baal HaSulam. The book can be downloaded at the Kabbalah La'am website, kab.co.il. We will be reading from Sages Fruit Talks, the article Delving into Prayer by Baal HaSulam. You can find all of our texts on kabbalahmedia.info as well as through the Arvut platform.

Baal HaSulam, Sages Fruit, Pri HaCham, Sichot Talks, the article Delving into Prayer. 

Baal HaSulam/A Sage’s Fruit - Talks. Delving in Prayer

Reading: (00:31) Concerning the prayer “Deliver me from hash judgment,” since one does not move without an awakening in his mind, meaning that the place is narrow for him, etc. This is called “judgment” or “sentence.” That judgment is revealed in the movements of his organs. If a person moves his organs without judgment, but by imitating another person, this is an act of a monkey, and has no dignity. This is the meaning of private Providence in all its flavors, that he is given from above some judgment or sentence in his mind, by which to move from place to place in a sensible manner.

However, there is a person who is burned by [something] lukewarm, and there is a person who is burned only by the hottest. For this reason, the judgments and sentences are not the same for all, since it depends on a person’s character. This is the meaning of the prayer, “Deliver me from a harsh judgment,” meaning improve my character so as to be burned by lukewarm, or give me more knowledge and understanding, to easily understand and move where You want.

However, there is also one who is not burned even by the very hottest, and does not want to move himself from his place. This is by falling into the net of a malicious person, who is the force of impurity, who denies the household of above. Although according to the judgment in his mind, he must work, but the force of folly of the malicious person operates on him. There is no cure for this except through great observation in the Torah and prayer. This is the meaning of “who makes all the reasons and causes all the causes.” One is operated only in the reasons, and one is operated with great force in the Torah of above. This is the meaning of (Shabbat 127) “delving in prayer,” since he is fighting against a malicious person, and through great unification with the cause of all causes, he is saved from him. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (05:00) Now, what determines, when a person is so outraged, he doesn't awaken in the hot or the lukewarm water? When looking at the text, what turns him around, what allows him to see the cause of all causes? 

M. Laitman: We ascribe that to the upper force. To the upper force. It could be that a person really can help himself in anything as much as he does flip-flops about it. But from above, of course. Just like all the desires come to a person, all questions, so along with that, that will also come.

Student: Because specifically, when a person is very agitated, he doesn't turn to the texts. He can turn to many things, many directions, but not necessarily the texts. 

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Student: What will make sure that he turns to the writings? 

M. Laitman: Nothing will make sure. A force will come and direct him to turn to the writings. There's no other answer here.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (07:07) From what I gathered, it was written that a person prays to the Creator, saying: help me move to where You want me to go. 

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Student: What does it mean to move to the place You want me to move to? 

M. Laitman: To advance to that same desire that the Creator wants, through man, to shine in the world.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (07:46) The more a person studies and scrutinizes the purpose of creation deeper in his connection with the Creator and the environment, he feels owing, he feels lowly, as if he cannot repay even a small percentage of what he received. And this state of lowliness where you cannot repay, there's no solution for it other than a person leaving himself behind and starting to think as we, as a group, and then to think about the Creator. The path forces the person to move away from his thoughts about himself. In such a state, in such a feeling of lowliness, how not to choose the store that leads out of the battle, to say, this is not for me, it's too much, but instead to leave behind any thoughts of the self. 

M. Laitman: Yes. There's nothing to do. There's nothing you can do. Obviously, there are all kinds of excuses, but none of them are complete. 

Student: In the past, we had a congress, I think, in the Kfar Eirok, where you gave us the slogan “from me to we, and from we to the Creator,” to one, right? And if a person gets stuck in a place where he's constantly examining things with relation to himself, he has no chance. If he shifts over to the we, the group, I ask for the friends, and so on, forgets himself entirely, he has no chance of thinking he by himself will receive anything, right?

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: And also as a group, you need to start moving towards thinking about what the Creator wants from us and what we can do with the quality of bestowal, how to work with it. But something dramatic needs to happen for a person to let go of his self. He needs to be rattled a bit, to go through some extreme state to understand that his self is not taken into account. So I'm asking, with respect to the congress, towards that, how can we undergo that dramatic state to stop thinking about the me, the self? 

M. Laitman: Anybody have an answer?

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (11:16) We know and we learn that love releases a person from the self. So you need to feel, he needs to warm himself, to feel love from outside, and with that external force that he will demand to receive from outside as love, he'll be able to feel how it just leaves him in an easy way. You need to awaken the reception of love from the society not by demanding love from them, but by demanding that I will feel it. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (12:05) The thought of creation in its entirety is to do good to his creations. So, all the states we go through, these are states that the Kabbalists write about. So just read as much as possible, there's none else besides Him, the article tells us that the more we follow the path, we see how the Creator pushes us away, and that is done for us to reach a complete prayer, for Him to bring us closer. In Shamati there are many, many such excerpts, just read, read all the time, grow stronger reading the text, and we have the Ten to come closer to them. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (12:46) Now can I ask about, he says this, this judgment is revealed in the movement of his limbs, and if a person doesn't move his limbs without judgment, but by likening himself to another, this is the act of a monkey with no dignity. And this is the secret of private providence. You know, it's flavors. A person is given some sentence in his mind by which his limbs move around in a reasonable manner. So, likening himself to another, is that a good thing or a bad thing?

M. Laitman: No, he always resembles a monkey. But what you can do is to come out of the limitations that a person has and ascend to the degree of Adam, man, to that term.

Student: So when he says, deliver me from harsh judgment, does it means that in order to not be in that harsh judgment, a person must always liken himself to the higher degree, to the friends? 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: So, what is this prayer? Deliver me from harsh judgment.

M. Laitman: That's one of the prayers. 

Student: So, a person recognizes that he's forced, he's moved. If it's something difficult, he cannot move.

M. Laitman: Yes, he can't remain under the hand of the Creator.

Student: And to imitate another person, that's like a monkey. So that's also not possible.

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Student: So, what does he need to do as part of this action? To ask for what? What does he ask for? 

M. Laitman: He asks to be I, oh sorry, to be poor. That's it. More than that, I can't say.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (15:22) He writes that there's no counsel except for prayer and Torah. We know that all of our work is only in prayer. Here he writes that here there's also difficulty. It awakens impurity in the person, the prayer does. So, what is the advice there? 

M. Laitman: You still have a question without an answer and that's good.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (16:14) If the Creator sends an awakening to a person, how can it be that the person doesn't awaken? So, what kind of awakening is this?

M. Laitman: I don't know. It's a calculation between them, between the Creator and man. 

Student: So it's an awakening. How can it be that he awakens but the person doesn't awaken?

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Student: What yes?

M. Laitman: Yes, it could be that he doesn't awaken. 

Student: So, it's not an awakening? 

M. Laitman: On behalf of the Creator it is. On behalf of the person, it isn't. 

Student: The awakening that the Creator sends. What does he leave a person?

M. Laitman: He lets a person respond. To get an invitation. 

Student: So, the person knows that the Creator awakened him. And he refuses that. He actually refuses.

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: What turns the connection between man and the Creator into something that's alive, that gives pleasure to the Creator? And it's not in a way where the Creator is simply operating some kind of machine.

M. Laitman: It's when a person needs to be with a spark in the heart. Without that, he won't receive. He won't get in contact with the Creator.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (18:20) I don't understand from the text and from the questions and answers if the person needs to become accustomed to be burned by the lukewarm, or to go to the boiling water in any given situation, and for that prayer to truly develop in him as a result. 

M. Laitman: What do you think that's good for a person to do?

Student: Both are good. It's a question of which one is more purposeful, more goal-oriented. If he can't, if he can only do with the lukewarm and he needs to be careful in each and every state and to avoid some states, that's one way of doing it. But where here do you strive to reach contact with the Creator? Like Baal HaSulam's example regarding the meal, right? I can just not go in, not sit by the table to avoid that uncomfortable situation. 

M. Laitman: Yes. I once was with Rabash at a Mikva in Tveria, a little pool, and that was in the old building. That was about 2 AM. And I was surprised how many people, Christians came, actually, they weren't Jews for sure. And I saw how it sticks to people, to men especially, the matter of dipping yourself in water. That's why it's good for you specifically now, before the congress. It's not far from here. Right? There's a Mikva. It's good to go in there, to do a dipping before you come to study. Whoever knows about it, tell the others.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (22:02) By chance, today, actually, friends from the Israeli groups are arranging a meeting in Chamei Gash, Gash Hot Springs. Maybe they can tell us something about that. 

M. Laitman: I don't know. I know the place. But... If it's kosher as a Mikva? I don't know. He wants me to go home. Okay. There is another article from Rabash, The Power of Thought.