Part 2
Morning Lesson December 27, 2021, Transcription
Transcription is made from simultaneous translation which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio
Baal HaSulam - Shamati 211. As Though Standing before a King
1. R. (01:54) Rav reads Shamati 211: As Though Standing before a King
One who is sitting at one’s home is not as one who is standing before a King. This means that faith should be that he will feel all day as though he is standing before the King. Then his love and fear will certainly be complete. As long as he has not achieved this kind of faith, he should not rest, “for this is our lives and the length of our days,” and we will accept no recompense.
And the lack of faith should be woven in his limbs until the habit becomes a second nature, to the extent that “When I remember Him, He does not let me sleep.” But all the corporeal matters quench this lack, since he sees that anything that gives him pleasure, the pleasure cancels the deficiency and the pain.
2. S. (04:15) There are states where we succeed to be scrutinized before we receive and there are states that we received without paying attention. How do we understand these states?
R. If you're talking about hastening time, then that's all only by us meeting in ten’s and separating again and meeting again as much as we are in such shapes of coming nearing between us in mutual bestowal, not physically specifically or something, mutual bestowal as much as we are in by that we get different bestowals. Not out of ourselves but out of the friends in the ten and mainly by that we advance. We have to understand that a person can't develop on his own. That is the law that is the rule. But if we tried to bestow on each other one another one another we advance and it depends on that's why I as much as the group contain themselves but practical connections speaking to the point not things that we learn and just repeat and go over them again, and certainly not talking about things that are irrelevant to our advancement at all. But really caring, each one caring to bring to the society a few words, a few sentences, that awakened the society that bring them closer and then it can be that it's not really heard maybe but if people care about it, it works.
S. What are the states that the Creator allows you to receive without paying attention or scrutiny? How does it help?
R. You accept them so you start thinking about them. They're incorporated in you, they are renewed in you, that's work already.
S. I pay attention to them after I receive them and it causes me a type of sorrow that I received without control?
R. Your envy that your friends have done this so that they brought it ready to you. Well so what? That's also good.
S. How to enjoy the corporeality next the example that Rabash said buy the best cheese and still advance in spirituality?
R. No, this is an example that I saw that you didn't understand even from back then. If he sent me to the store and I didn't know what to buy and I'm looking, let's see he needs 100r grams of cheese. So which cheese does he like? I don't know so we choose according to what? According to price, the best cheese and maybe he doesn't like it. I mean wherever I am at the moment I can't decide. I don't have information but what do I do? I buy for my teacher the most expensive thing, the best thing. Because that's it, I have nothing else to measure by that's what I wanted to say but I saw that a few times I've been asked about this example of the cheese and I see that people didn't understand it. What are we choosing? In a place or action that adds exertion. That I that adds yearning in this that I am buying the most expensive thing I am adding yearning adding exertion but if I knew that he wanted a specific cheese, even something middle place or maybe even the cheapest then I would buy that I didn't have any other measure at the time you understand but here I am choosing in what adds exertion by respecting and respect of the teacher and I had nothing else to go by.
3. S. (09:50) Is it true that as we advance on the path that corporeal pleasures grow?
R. Yes, but in our times it's a bit confusing. maybe at one time it was more today less because today for each person there is something in his hands he can reach, attainable. At one time it used to be quite rare they had a few things but today almost everyone has the ability to get this.
4. S. (10:28) The article is telling us that if the material desire fulfills us, we can lose the desire for Kedusha and the sufferings keep us awake to reach Kedusha. But in those moments of suffering my thoughts are completely opposite, how can I bring in my heart that it is the Creator that is bringing me the strength to reach Kedusha ?
R. You should try to depict the Creator in each and every state above all. That whatever happens comes to you from there is None Else Besides Him, the Good That Does Good, in order to advance towards correction. There is no state or action in the world that does not bring you to correction. It's only that the path to correction may be through light or through darkness. Here we have to try as much as we can to bring our state and each and every moment through the light. Meaning as much as we can more and more to see in each and every state of ours the goal. If you can connect yourself to the goal and the goal can turn off the exertion for you and the sorrow on the path, then you are successful, you are content and you are connected to the place of the goal. If you're not capable of that yet, it's also good. You can see where you are. It's not a problem on the path, it's a problem of importance, the problem is the importance. Suppose you run if you go to some meeting and they say it's like with the bride. The Shechina, divinity is called the bride. You are running to her, you are jumping on your horse and you are running towards her and you don't care about anything. You're willing to break whatever barrier you find on the path. Every disturbance or maybe you don't run really and it all depends on your advancement. People as they go through this path the more, they go through it, the more they appreciate the disturbances. Because specifically the disturbances they add the flavor to us it's like a spice for food pepper, salt all kinds of additions. Without this the food is tasteless. We have to appreciate all these things we go through because they scrutinize our vessels. There is no state in our life which is not for the scrutiny of the vessels.
5. S. (14:24) Forbidden for corporeal pleasure appears in a few articles and it's very confusing. I want to ask you if it's also tied to pleasure for necessity and also for spirituality, like spirituality and superfluous things are also the same thing?
R. It depends on a person how he sorts out these things. If he can pass them through the group, it's a sign these are the right disturbances already.
6. S. (15:01) What corporeal things are consolation does a person receive that quenches his spiritual desire?
R. If they belong to something personal and they go against connection in the group but if they are essential things, then he must keep them. Then they don't belong to the degree of Adam. They belong to the degree of animate usually so it doesn't hurt it.
7. S. (15:51 ) What is the significance that the faith needs to be a second nature to be a habit until it becomes second nature?
R. We have to reach a state that by the upper light that bestows upon us, on our efforts, we will get second nature. A nature of bestowal and it will be in us and ride over the nature of the reception. This nature of reception will certainly not flee from us. It will grow more and more and upon the covering of the nature of bestowal, the intention of bestowal we grow all the time. like in a sandwich. This is our work and this is our state and spirituality. That's called and you will be for God the ones who know good and bad.
8. S. (17:14 ) What prayer should we rise from the center of the ten in order to get the deficiency of the faith?
R. A prayer to connect us together in the center of the ten in annulment of our ego or better said rising above our ego and connecting above the common ego. When we discover true hatred to each other, very big and above that by the upper force we can connect along with that. We understand the hatred it occurs between us and above that we feel how much we, despite that connect with the love in a connection between us. These two layers are on fire. They don't let us live peacefully. Between them, specifically between the two when we organize them correctly, we feel a sigh, tranquility, calmness. How should I put it? World quietness, only this way the whole world as well. Only this way will come to this place of rest. Because it has to be a big ego and the fire in it is like hell but above that there has to be a big cloud in which we are above the ego. That's the quality of bestowal, the quality of Bina. Below these are the qualities of reception, the qualities of Malchut and specifically that fills this. One feels the other, without hatred you cannot have annulment and love and vice versa. We have to depict it now as well. Let's start to do it from now on.
9. S. (20:20) What are vessels of sanctity, private or general?
R. The vessels of Kedusha are to the extent that I resemble the Creator. The Creator is Kedusha holiness and He bestows to everyone this way.
10. S (20:48) It is written that we need to be careful in every corporeal thing that he receives so it does not quench his desire. It says about needing to be in sorrow if we want to restrict such corporeal things. Do we need to restrict corporeal desires in order to advance spiritually?
R. We don't need to restrict or to break the corporeal desires, we simply need to sort out what is important and what's not important for the attainment of the goal.
11. S.(21:29) I am the will to receive. What is actually the will to receive?
R. To enjoy. Where each and every moment, I'm looking in the subconscious or consciously how I can enjoy optimally. Meaning minimum investment and maximum return receiving.
12. S. (22:00) It's written that the lack of faith needs to be felt in his limbs. Is this not supposed to be in a place like with the faith in his limbs?
R. Faith can never develop or become a habit. I have to hold this faith forcefully. My nature will stay the will to receive and it won't purify. That's why there cannot be any change here. The Creator does not change the act of creation. He's the one that bestows and we receive whatever we can upon ourselves, above ourselves, organize intention in order to bestow to the extent that
He gives us strength towards how it's going to be. We can somehow aide that, ask, but all in all as much as we get the forces from Him that is how we will be able to organize them in us upon the vessels of reception.
13. S. (23:19) Is there time devoted to corporeal work, for rest, friends, time for kids? It leads to sorrow that so much of this time is wasted. How do we best use this time for spiritual progress?
R. It's not wasted. The Creator organized everything in a way that if we think about corrections all the time and all these things that we perform outside of that, also incorporate in the corrections.
14. S. ( 27:40) This article talks about if I give myself pleasure from this world it will quench my lack immediately. We know that a person doesn't live like a mortise so what is the right relation to these writings?
R. We need to scrutinize this through connection with the friends. If you want to advance to the Creator, you have no other opportunity to scrutinize what is the path to the Creator because it is all scrutinized in the connection in the ten. There’s simply no other chance to advance correctly, even one step. It's written that sitting and don't do is better. If you don't know exactly how to advance, don't do anything. If you understand that first you need to be connected with the society then together with them make a step forward.
15. S. (28:44) What are Shechina and dweller in the Ten.
R. The place for the revelation of the Creator. The general desire of a few people who are willing to let go and relinquish all their private desires and connect them all together in order to resemble the Creator. If we, a few people if one is willing to let go of the will to receive to himself, and in order to bestow to others we build such a state that all of us are above. Each one is above himself in bestowal to the others. Then this general force of bestowal is similar to the Creator and then we reveal in him and feel in him the revelation of the Creator. What we form between us is called Shechina, divinity. That each one doesn't want for himself rather to bestow to others and in this mutual bestowal between us, we reach a state of Shechina, divinity and then the Creator is revealed in equivalence of form within this Shechina and then thus He is called Shochen, the dweller.
16. S. (30:40) How to reach a state of calmness and tranquility in spiritual work?
R. Tranquility, calmness, this is from this each one reaches a state that yes, we want to bestow to the friends and then the upper light of bestowal it fills us. This is called that we are in the light of mercy in general bestowal.
S. Is there a way to measure that this really brings pleasure or like a ruler?
R. I don't know why you're asking about pleasure. I don't understand.
S. In corporeality we waste almost our whole life trying to enjoy?
R. Continue in corporeality. Why are you asking me?
S. But in spirituality we want to reach some kind of adhesion in the Creator and not to do it with this suffering but rather with joy
R. Our goal is to enjoy or to bestow?
S. Our goal is to enjoy and bestow. Meaning how to bestow with enjoyment.
R. In short, you still need to scrutinize more. I'm sorry but it's entirely not clear. It's not clear to you. We need to make the effort to be closer to the goal. The goal needs to be above our vessels of reception above His revelation. We need to request of the Creator to give us the opportunity to rise above this and to connect with the friends only in order to bestow to them. Not that I'm bestowing in order to receive pleasure then it won't be on the intention to bestow it will be only on the intention to receive. This we need to scrutinize. Truly this is still very confusing for you. this stare. You need to read more and more from the sources. Especially the articles of Rabash.
17. S. (33:39 ) We live inside the Creator you tell us in the first article we had a feeling that he's doing everything that he is activating the friends in order to give us feelings. What is the mechanism by which he activates us ,the software so we can rise to the control room after the lesson as well, not only during the lesson?
R. This mechanism is called the ten. That’s what is given to us and we don't understand that the Creator arranges it and holds it, maintains it and we need to receive it and accept it and arrange it and then it will be arranged in the space between the group and the group to Him.
S. What happens if some of the friends don't have the possibility to come to the meeting? Can we reach the same mechanism without them? Thinking about them or must we wait for the Creator to give us this complete opportunity for the ten to connect when everyone takes part?
R. Even when part of the friends are missing, you need to continue. You need to continue in connection in gathering and in study.