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

Daily Morning Lesson: October 8, 2026

Part 1: Rabash. What Is Making a Covenant in the Work? Article No. 31, 1987.

Reader: Hello, in the first part we're going to learn a lesson with Rav from May 5th, 2002, around the article, "What Is Making a Covenant in the Work?" We're going to read the article together, in the Ten. We have 22 minutes.

Reading: (00:33) What Is Making a Covenant in the Work?

Article No. 31, 1987

It is written, “that you may enter into the covenant with the Lord your God, which the Lord your God is making with you today.” RASHI interprets “that you may enter into the covenant” as “in passing.” “Thus would the makers of a covenant do: a partition from here and a partition from here, and they pass in between.” The writing also says there, “And not with you alone am I making this covenant, but with those who stand here with us today before the Lord our God and with those who are not with us here today.”

We should understand the following: 1) What is the meaning of making a covenant in the work? That is, what does making a covenant give us, by which we will have correction in the work? 2) Why RASHI interpreted that makers of a covenant would make a partition from here? What does this mean to us in the work? 3) What does “those who stand here with us today … and those who are not with us here today” mean to us in the work? What are the two times in the work?

Baal HaSulam said, “What is the merit of making a covenant”? It seems redundant, for why are they making a covenant between them? If they think that they should love one another, then because they love one another, what does making a covenant add to us? He said that sometimes, they might come to a state where each one sees that the other is not behaving properly with him, and he should therefore hate the other.

When he makes the covenant with him, the intention is that even if he sees that he is not treating him properly, he will go above reason and say, “Since I made a covenant with him, I will not break my covenant.”

It follows that the covenant is not for the present but for the future. It might be that the love between them will cool off; therefore, they make a covenant so that the future will be as it is now in the present.

The work in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments] is primarily when beginning to walk on the path that leads to Lishma [for Her sake]. That is, when a person begins the work, he begins in Lo Lishma [not for Her sake], as our sages said, “One should always engage in Torah Lo Lishma, and from Lo Lishma we come to Lishma.”

For this reason, the beginning of his work was with enthusiasm because he saw that by observing Torah and Mitzvot he would achieve happiness in life. Otherwise, he would not begin. Therefore, in the beginning of his work, when he is still working Lo Lishma, meaning that when he works, he constantly looks at the reward he will receive after his work, he has the strength to work.

As in corporeality, a person is used to working in a place where he knows he will be rewarded for his work. Otherwise, a person cannot work for free, if not for his own benefit. Only when he sees that self-benefit will come from this work does he have the strength to work enthusiastically and willingly, since he is looking at the reward and not at the work.

The work does not matter if a person understands that here he will receive from this employer twice as much as he would receive from working for the previous employer, before he came to the job where they pay twice as much. This means that according to the salary, so the work becomes easier and smaller.

Accordingly, we should interpret in the work that making a covenant means that when a person takes upon himself the work, even if in Lo Lishma, he must make a covenant with the Creator to serve Him whether he wants to or not.

Yet, we should understand on what the enthusiasm depends. It depends only on the reward. That is, when there is a big reward, the desire for the work does not stop. But when the reward is doubtful, the desire for the work vanishes and he shifts to rest. That is, at that time he feels more pleasantness in rest.

It is so much so that he says, “I relinquish the work, and anyone who wants can do this work because it is not for me.” But making a covenant is when he begins to work even in Lo Lishma. And since now he wants the work, for who would force him to come into the work of the Creator, now he must make the covenant and say, “Even if there comes a time of descent,” meaning that he will have no desire for the work, “I still take upon myself not to consider my desire but work as though I have a desire.” This is called “making a covenant.”

However, we should understand the reason that he comes to a state of descent. In corporeality, we see that when a person works in order to receive reward, are there ascents and descents there? So, why do we see that in the work of the Creator there are ascents and descents?

We should understand this matter in two ways:

1) Even in a state of Lo Lishma, when he works in order to receive reward, we can understand the reward only by way of faith, since “The reward for a Mitzva [commandment] is not in this world.” This means that the reward for the Mitzvot is not given in this world, but he will receive the reward in the next world, as it is written, “To do them today and to receive the reward for them tomorrow,” meaning in the next world.

Since the basis of the reward depends on the faith, as it is written (Avot, Chapter 2), “You can trust your landlord to pay for your work, and know that the reward for the righteous is given in the future.” It is known that concerning faith, there are ascents and descents, since the whole matter of faith is to believe above reason.

This means that sometimes a person can go above reason, where faith contradicts the reason. For example, twenty percent of the faith are against reason, and he can overcome twenty percent. But sometimes he sees that there has been a change, since now he sees that faith contradicts by thirty percent, and to such an extent he is not immune and has the power to overcome and go with faith. Hence, at that time he must descend from his state, where faith illuminated for him.

This causes him descents and ascents, when it does not coincide with his power to overcome. This is not so with a corporeal reward. Faith does not apply to the reward; therefore, in corporeality, it cannot be said that he has a descent in corporeal work, since the reward is in this world and he does not need faith.

2) In a state of Lishma, he does not need anything in return for his work. The cause of the descents is also the reason that he bases his entire work on faith. But there is a difference: It is not about the reward but about the landlord. That is, to the extent that he believes in his landlord, that he is so important that it is worthwhile to serve Him, meaning that it is a great privilege to serve the King of Kings, who will pay for his work.

This means that the reward for the work coincides with the measure of faith in the greatness of the Creator. Since by the nature of creation, man derives great pleasure from serving an important person, as in the famous allegory that if an important rabbi comes and wants to let someone carry his suitcase to the taxi, a porter will certainly take money for it. But if the rabbi were to give it to a student, the student would certainly take no charge for the work, since the service he is giving to the rabbi is his reward and he would need nothing more.

Accordingly, “You can trust your landlord” means that to the extent of the faith, that he believes in the greatness of the Creator, to that extent is the measure of the reward, which is measured by the amount of faith he has in the greatness of the Creator.

It turns out that when he believes that the Creator is great indeed, his reward is great indeed. If his faith in the Creator is not so great, his reward will not be so great either. It therefore follows that whether he works Lishma or Lo Lishma, the whole basis is only faith.

But the difference is this: In Lo Lishma, the faith relates to the reward; in Lishma, the faith relates to whom we serve. In other words, the amount of pleasure depends on the greatness of the Creator, as our sages said (Avot, Chapter 2), “Rabbi Elazar says, ‘Know before whom you toil, and who is the owner of your work, who will pay you the reward for your work.’”

As said above, we must believe in the greatness of the owner of the work, for upon this depends His paying the reward for the work. That is, the measure of the reward depends on the greatness of the owner of the work, who is the Creator. In other words, there is a difference in the pleasure between serving the greatest in the city, the greatest in the country, or the greatest in the world. Upon this depends the reward, meaning according to the greatness of the King.

Since the basis is faith, there are ascents and descents here because as long as one has not been awarded permanent faith, there must be ascents and descents. It follows that there could be a time when the love between them cools. For this reason, now, in the beginning of his work, he takes upon himself the burden of the kingdom of heaven, to make a covenant, so that whether or not the body agrees to be a servant of the Creator, he takes upon himself not to change a thing. Instead, he will say, “I spoke once and I will not change.” Instead, I will go above reason as I have taken upon myself when making the covenant in the beginning of the work.

By this we will understand what RASHI interpreted, “that you may enter into the covenant” in passing. Thus would the makers of a covenant do: a partition from here and a partition from here, and they pass in between.” Accordingly, we should interpret that through the making of the covenant they would imply that sometimes there will come a time when there is a partition from here, meaning a partition that separates this one, and a partition from here, meaning that the other one would also have a separating partition.

In other words, even if both of them have a partition that stops the love that was between them, still, now they are taking it upon themselves not to part from one another. Instead, they will remind themselves the covenant that they had made, and this will make it possible not to break the covenant. They will pass in between, meaning that they pass over the separation that was made between them, and it is all by the power of the covenant that they had made.

In this work, this means that a person must make a covenant with the Creator. As he began the work now, and now he certainly has love for the Creator, otherwise who would make him take upon himself the burden of the kingdom of heaven? So now he must make a covenant with the Creator forever. That is, even if there is a time when he feels that the love of the Creator has cooled in him, he will remember the covenant that he had made with the Creator.

But in the work, we must remember that in the matter of making a covenant between the Creator and a person, it might be that the love will cool only between man and the Creator. But how can it be said that the love will grow cold in the Creator? That is, since the covenant applies to both, it means that there could be a descent between the two of them concerning the making of the covenant, but how can we speak of changes or a descent in the Creator?

Baal HaSulam said that in both man and the Creator there is the matter of “As in water, face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects man.” He interpreted about what is written (Exodus 33:13), “And now, if I have found favor in Your eyes, let me know Your way that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your eyes.” He asked, How did Moses know, when he said, “If I have found favor in Your eyes”? He replied that it is because beforehand, it is written, “You have said, ‘I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My eyes.’” By this Moses knew that the Creator favored him, since Moses favored the Creator, following the rule, “As in water, face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects man” (Proverbs 27).

According to the above, we should interpret that when we say that the love cools within a person and he feels that he is in a state of descent, meaning that now he does not have such love for the Creator as he had in the beginning of his work, this causes him to feel that the Creator, too, does not love him and does not listen to his prayer, to what the person asks of the Creator. This causes the person an even greater descent because he begins to doubt what is written, “For You hear the prayer of every mouth.” At that time, he thinks that the Creator has no connection with the creatures, which causes him great descents as his faith grows weaker every time.

It follows that although there are no changes in the Creator, a person feels this way because “As in water, face reflects face,” he feels this way. This follows the rule that all the changes we learn in spirituality are according to the receivers.

Now we can understand what we asked, What does it mean in the work, “those who stand here with us today before the Lord”? The making of the covenant is whether he is standing today before the Creator, when he is at a time of ascent. However, he is taking it upon himself that even should a time of descent come, called “and those who are not with us here today” before the Lord our God, when he does not feel that he is standing before the Lord our God, he still takes upon himself, above reason, not to mind anything, but to remember the making of the covenant, and this will be unwavering.

Reader: Let's go to a lesson from November 5, 2002.

M. Laitman: (22:33) We heard the article, "What Is the Making of a Covenant in the Work?" Volume 3, the Rungs of the Ladder. It's from the book of Devarim, the portion of Nitzavim, page 227. What is the making of a covenant? When should we make a covenant? A covenant means that from here on, we have a connection, a good connection, under certain conditions. If not for the conditions, what do we need a covenant for? Why do we need this contract, right? This means that from the very beginning of the stairs, when we already step on the spiritual ladder until the end of the degrees, when we reach the end of correction, where there are no limitations, all the time, on each and every degree, there is an agreement between us and the Creator. The agreement exists, however, each time in a different form, in a different measure, under different conditions.

From the side of the Creator, He is good and does good, there are no limitations. And He agrees to each and everything that the person will want in this connection with Him. And the conditions, under what conditions do we make this contract? The person places those to the Creator, and he says, I want that the connection between us will be so-and-so and not more. He already realizes that he can keep it, and it will be not less than whatever he determines. 

This means that the conditions for this agreement depends on the person. The desire for this agreement depends on the person. Everything depends on the person. From the side of the Creator, He is willing to do anything. Why do we need this agreement? Why do I have to sign on something? If I'm strong, then I should say, I will determine it. Now I think it's going to be good. Later on, I want it to be bad. Why do I care? I want it. That's it. Why do I need you? Why do I have to sign this agreement with you? And if someone is weak, I'll say, I don't want an agreement. I'll always do whatever I feel like, whatever I think. That's it. But rather, we make this agreement where I depend on Him. And there are already some things where he depends on me and things where I depend on Him, and then we make an agreement. This means that each one makes concessions for the other. Each one gives to the other. That is, we make the agreement because of weakness.

When does it take place between us and the Creator? From the side of the Creator, He shows us He's very weak. Why? He shows us that He needs our love, our relation, our attention, 100%. The Shechina is in exile. She cries that we don't pay attention to her, that we're disconnected from her, like a mother, ready for any connection with the child, good child, bad child, it doesn't matter. She naturally needs him. And this nature, the Creator determines it. He determines that in advance, good and doing good to the bad and to the good. He loves them. That's it. So on His side, He's weak. He needs the agreement.

Now the question is, how much do I need the agreement, right? My agreement could be that on the other side, that the Creator makes a condition. The agreement could be only in that we're connected to each other. That is, I can't come and say, You will help me in whatever I want without any relation to You. That is, the help from Him must be dependent on the fact that I am dependent on Him and connected to Him, right? It has to be mutual. That's how it is. That is, I can't come and say, You will help me steal, You will help me murder if it is against His will, right? If it is against His nature, against what He has established as the connection between us. That is, I can ask of Him only for the things that are equal in Him and in me. It turns out that a person is always asking, he can ask.

M. Laitman: (27:32) The agreement can be kept only in keeping a certain spiritual degree, where we are already in order to bestow. When I have reached a certain connection of in order to bestow, I to Him and Him to me, and we love each other to a certain extent, we're afraid of each other to a certain extent, we're distant from each other in some extent, there are certain limitations, limits. But I want to keep this degree. I realize it could be worse than that, less than that. Then for those times when our relationships could be spoiled for whatever reasons, I write this agreement. Right now, I don't disagree seemingly. We've reached a certain mutual understanding, we're aware of this understanding, we have a certain connection between us. And now we realize that it's worthwhile for us to keep this connection. But I realize that there could be such a time where because of all kinds of confusions, unjustified reasons, unjustified, the time will come when I will want to break the agreement. If these are justified reasons, then necessarily the agreement will be cancelled. That's it. It could be on a different degree, a different state, who knows what.

But if I know if I recognize if I reach the awareness that breaking or violating this agreement will lead to something which is worse in the relationship between us, it's the worst possible thing out of whatever conditions may come, it doesn't matter which ones. It's worse than death. Nevertheless, I do not want to break the agreement. Then I make a covenant. And then I say that I'm asking, let us keep it such that our relationship, no matter what happens, whatever disruptions might come from the side for both of us, the state as we have it now will be kept. It will be as we call it a permanent state, right? It won't be less than that. This means I'm saying it again it could be under the conditions that I recognize that a state which is less than now, is worse than any other possible state, and there is never any justified reason that could really indicate to me that it is worthwhile for me to break this agreement.

That is, when I'm on a certain spiritual degree then I check it all the way to its end, and I say that a degree which is less than that is the worst possible thing. And then on the degree where I am, I want besides the agreement to make a covenant. An agreement is what I write for now. A covenant means forever. That we promise each other that we will hold on to each other on the same level as now. And then we truly go and check ourselves, and we check ourselves in all kinds of different states that might come according to our degree, of course. Not according to something higher, but according to our degree. And we see that this agreement is sustainable, it's implementable, that will hold on. What do you call it? Sustainable. Sustainable, right. That we checked it, we did it, and everything is fine, and it is kept to the full depth of this degree.

Then we can advance a little bit ahead in the relationships between us. And the next degree comes, and in it are also all kinds of new conditions that we acquire. First of all, we feel that we hate each other. We have both the left line and the right line inside the created being. Then we start to connect with each other. That means that the left line takes on the qualities of the created being, and it becomes a middle line. And on the middle line we reach already an understanding- coupling by striking the recognition, the connection between us. This means that we sign an agreement. After signing an agreement we want this degree to remain for eternity, at least that. That would be the permanent state, that it won't be any less than that. That state will be nonstop. And so, besides the agreement, we also sign a covenant, and so on.

M. Laitman: (32:42) This means that these states exist each time, in each and every degree, and they certainly… As he says, "What is the making of the covenant in the work?" This is certainly the action in which we have to seemingly… we have to stumble on in every… every time that we determine our relation to the Creator. The friends asked us, what does it mean to make a covenant with the Creator? So that is the answer.

Question (Internet): (33:42) How to tie this article with someone who is engaging in Kabbalah before the barrier. It's also someone from Laud.

M. Laitman: Even before the barrier we say that even before the barrier and beyond the barrier, we actually have the same states. We don't yet feel them. Some of us don't yet feel it. Some of us already feel that they're undergoing all kinds of changes, and according to the articles that we read, we can somehow find within us, inside of us, those discernments, but not yet in a clear manner, where the way it truly exists beyond the barrier. We don't know that. We don't know it clearly. It's still unclear. We can't compare. But nevertheless, believe me, that even before the barrier, we have all of these discernments within us. Just in a form that is called an ordinary concealment. Meaning it's not in a real and concrete manner so that I can work with it, but nevertheless it does exist. All of these discernments exist even before the barrier, and we can somehow depict them within, feel them certainly as a simulation, it's not the real thing, but it's like little children playing with toys, with dolls, with cars, waging war, doing all kinds of things. This is also what happens to us in an ordinary grown-up life. So it's the same thing. Just as above the barrier it's the true life, for us it's kindergarten, but we have to relate to it. There is a saying that says that a game is a serious thing, that it is truly a serious thing because it builds the person. Therefore, what he's asking about, how do we tie it to us when we're still before the barrier. So tying it is very simple, we have to find these things also within us. They exist, and certainly we should search within us for these discernments that I have certain conditions now towards the Creator.

My state right now is let's say, in a good state. To a certain extent it can be 100% that it's good in this and in that, and in all the different manners in my connection with the Creator. That He's great in my eyes, and I'm also afraid of Him, and I'm also grateful to Him, and I'm also willing to give Him, and I also need Him to give me, and so on. It can be all of them, but even if in a certain thing, in one single channel out of many channels of the 620 channels in which I'm connected to Him in every organ of my soul, only one channel that I now feel, but I feel good, it's a good connection with Him, then with respect to this connection I can say that I now want to make a covenant with Him now. That this thing will remain for eternity, no less than that, and ask of Him that He will help me keep it. That He will keep it for me, and even if I'll be in the worst possible state He'll remind me about this present connection, and He'll renew it for me all the time, and I'm doing it right now for the future.

Now the question is how can I keep it for the future? Can I guarantee myself for the future? Of course not. However, my desire to guarantee myself for the future already gives me the next vessel that I seemingly insert this vessel as MAN into the Creator, into the higher degree, and it keeps it for me, this vessel. It keeps it, and it prepares for me the filling for this vessel, and it is kept there already.

Now, what nevertheless are the conditions? What nevertheless are the conditions that the covenant between us should have? That is, under what conditions do I sign the covenant that I truly agree with it? What, should I just say it with my mouth, blah, blah, blah, keep it for me so it will be okay, so it won't be worse? How is my signing done, right? What should I now do in order to obligate the Creator to keep for me this relationship between us? From His side, He's keeping it. He's always relating well to me. How can I keep myself so that I will always relate to Him in a good way, just like now in one channel out of all of the channels in our connection? How can I do that?

M. Laitman: (38:32) So again, we say the only thing that we can do is only one thing, raising MAN, a deficiency towards the future that I'm very much afraid. I'm very much afraid that in the future I could be spoiled. From where could this fear come? As usual, we're going backwards. So, what vessel should we have for this fear? This means that I fell many times, and I saw how much I was suffering, how much I felt bad because I became disconnected from Him. I got disconnected from Him. So now, already this fear and these sufferings have built in me a preparation for the MAN to raise such a request that just don't do it to me such a thing, that I will become separated from me. Right? "Do not cast me away from You, and do not take away from me the spirit of Your holiness." Right? If I truly have this preparation from the previous suffering then my MAN is the correct MAN. It could be that I'm just suffering from blah, blah, and it could be that I'm crying like a little child, but this has to be truly and necessarily a mature request. By this, I signed a covenant. In signing there are many conditions. We'll talk about it. It's not simple.

You know that even for us in our world when we reach an agreement it's after we strike each other and we enter all kinds of states where we try to destroy the other one and erase him, and then out of some lack of choice. Maybe through some third side we begin to get closer until we begin to reach something. First we do it secretly so all of these side disruptions won't interfere, that maybe they have some interest in that we will not have an agreement between us. So we do it secretly, what we call under concealment. That a person doesn't even know that he's already ready for this agreement and he's walking in darkness until truly that determination is formed within him, the determination that I have to sign it I have no choice, and then he comes and asks of the other side. In short, it's truly a long way. But that is, he must take all the previous suffering to gather it, not to lose it, and we know that always the previous degrees they disappear, they're lost from us if we haven't yet reached their final discernments.

Only the final discernment which is registered in the Malchut of each and every state, only it exists and remains and is kept. All the other discernments are erased because they're not final yet, they're not complete. And therefore, we have to add more and more in the work until we will complete all the discernments. Once we've completed them we have that final discernment that I can’t do anything, but rather this agreement is the best possible thing, right? And for us in our world we reach the agreement out of lack of choice. With the Creator, we have to reach a state, I signed the agreement not because of lack of choice, but rather I have no better state than that, whatever may come. Give me whatever you want otherwise which is different, I do not agree to accept any other state instead of this agreement. Then we reach the agreement. That's it. So these states, again, as he's asking, these states, they… they exist in us also.

Question (Moscow ): (42:33) How do we tie the making of the covenant with the group? 

M. Laitman: So, how to tie it to the making of a covenant with the group? In the group we have in general, very good conditions for that, right? Because in the group, first of all, we can be careful with each other and help each other keep the covenant. We exist in a group in order to reach a connection with the Creator. This is good? Does that not disconnect me from the Creator when I engage with the group, with the friends, and the covenant between us? If it is a covenant that comes in a way that it's connected to our covenant with the Creator, then it will exist in the group also, and it will exist with the Creator, and one will support the other. But if our covenant in the group is not about the connection with the Creator, as he says that what Russia did, and it ended up being a great crime that they wanted to make a covenant between them to be good towards each other with love and everything, but without any connection to the Creator. So they ended up destroying themselves. That covenant could not exist because of it. So we have to take that into consideration. But if we do it in such a way that we do good to each other we want the covenant between us to strengthen us towards the Creator, that He is the goal, is the reason for the covenant between us then it can exist, and then it is a tremendous force. There is nothing like that in advancing. That's a nice question.

We learn that a person lives in the present, and being afraid of the future means we have less faith in the Creator than, it's less than having faith in the Creator. What is faith in the Creator? This covenant that I ask Him, He will look after me during all the worst possible moments because I checked otherwise it will not be the correct request. After I checked that this state is the best of all states I've had thus far, and I would like to remain at least on that level, that means that I sign for the future. We don't sign the covenant for today we sign it for the future when worst times come. And faith in the Creator is specifically that He will keep this covenant, that I believe Him that He is capable of keeping the covenant. Meaning in this covenant I have my recognition and His ability and His goodwill, His faith in me, His loyalty to me. This generally is called faith. Faith is feeling of the Creator, meaning how great I can feel Him, as loyal, as loving, as a good who does good. To that extent I'm going to connect with Him in a covenant for the future and I deliver myself to Him, not only now but in the future. I'm saying that You will look after us and I am delivering myself into Your hands and this is called true faith and it's a result of regular faith where I feel Him as great, as eternal and as Good who Does Good.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (46:39) How do we know the Creator accepted our obligation and how do we know the Creator is willing to obligate towards us? So I'm asking when we do it in this world between two people, we bring a lawyer and we see who signed and everything. So when we make a covenant, how do we know the Creator will commit to us and also that He accepted our commitment? 

M. Laitman: Because we can't determine our state in the spiritual world that the Creator is good who does good and He wants us and He's waiting for us.

In short, before we can come to a state where we feel Him as a partner there's nothing with which to sign a covenant, that's clear. Meaning "know the Lord your God and serve Him" is the first condition. It cannot be anything less than that. And again, what is the difference between all those relationships toward a covenant where a covenant is something I sign for the future not for now, and the degree of now with all its depth inside my vessel and inside His desire in the current state is clear to me. Both the vessels and the lights and all the circumstances for it, all those things I checked, I saw, I attained, I understood, and it exists in me as the foundation to determine something for the future. Without it, there are no conditions for the covenant. I'm not serious when I come to Him and say, hey, you know, look after me. How can I say it? I need, with respect to everything that I have going on right now to be certain that this is so. It can't be in our world. So you see how you know our agreements aren't worth much.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (48:43) What is the state you are talking about that this is the best possible state that can be in that degree and under any circumstances, we don't want less than that? 

M. Laitman: The best possible state and the degree I'm in has to be that the state where I reached whatever state I reach with the Creator. I don't want to go lower than that, a permanent state. What does it mean less than that, lower than that? Lower meaning that I demand Katnut- small, at least that. Gadlut- adulthood will come, but I always care about Katnut- infancy, to at least remain in this degree. That should be the permanent state. It's like in Atzilut, for example, right? We learn the qualities from it. That's the permanent state. It ascends, descends, but ascends and descends up until his permanent state, not less.

Student: But there's a feeling as though even in every spiritual degree we keep making more and more covenants. It's not like.. 

M. Laitman: In each and every degree there's a covenant and there are other many other covenants in different channels. I said it. I felt you as great. I checked it. I saw it. I absorbed it. I want this to remain. I want this discernment to remain with me forever, for eternity, at least like that. Don't take it away from me. Don't take it away. Don't take away from me the recognition of not the great but the terrible. Right? And so on and so forth. Hesed, Gevurot, Tifferet. It doesn't matter how we call it or we use different words to describe our feelings. But I want this to remain, meaning the establishment, determining each and every discernment that I attain in the Creator, I sign. But after I'm checking, again, this is work inside this discernment. But after I made that discernment and I checked all the reasons and all the ability and the connection between me and Him inside this discernment, then I'm asking Him to at least remain in that. That's the outcome.

What does it mean to sign a covenant? Do I know what it means to sign or not to sign? I remember that soon we're going to sign a covenant and they bring me over with both hands to this. Rather, I check those things and naturally everything works out in this way, that I come to a state called signing a covenant. It's not that I remember about it according to the books or thanks to my mind that once I heard in a lesson that I have to do it. Rather in spirituality, everything works in the form of cause and consequence. And then I come to a state between the states called one among the states called signing a covenant. After I checked everything I saw, after I saw that it can't be any better and I'm afraid that it could be any worse then I come to a state where I ask Him to protect this for me and for the future. This will be signing a covenant.

Student: Isn't it possible, like you said before, a person signs a covenant, don't take it away from me that I revealed You as terrible. Then a week or two weeks later, he discovers a greater depth.

M. Laitman: When the Creator reveals greater depth after a couple of weeks I would say after a second, not even two seconds. You're in a different state and in spirituality there's no difference between the next second or the next 100 years. If that's the next state, it's the next state and in it everything happens from zero to 100%, compared to what happened in the previous degree. And may it happen in a minute from now and not in 100 years from now because the corporeal difference between them in spirituality and years is zero, you understand? So why simply live here, exist here 100 years in order to reach the next spiritual state? You can reach it the next moment, the coming moment, the moment that is next to the previous state. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (52:59) For us to keep the agreement and the covenant in the terminology of the Sefirot, so an agreement could mean the screen and the covenant could mean this partition that is separating between one degree and the next?

M. Laitman: You're asking, tell us please about the covenant using Sefirot, couplings, lights entering, exiting, what's happening here? I would say that the covenant is the final condition in each and every degree after which only after this, after which you enter into a connection with the Creator and coupling with striking.

It's not as I say, maybe not nice to say, but Rabash said, it's a very, it's a clear example, where in your world, in our world, you say to your wife, "I love you till the end of my life. But maybe five minutes at a time, sometimes I'll stop loving you." That's not a covenant. It erases the entire connection. If you say, five minutes for a hundred years if you say that in advance that something like that can be on your behalf, then not a hundred years and not eternity. It's not worth it. Meaning, coupling with striking, connection with the Creator before, even in this world all the more so with the Creator has to be eternal. I'm sorry, it has to be spiritual. Spiritual means eternal, and it exists forever, and it cannot be any less than that, forever. In other words, to sign a covenant is a condition without which there will be no coupling with striking, without which you do not enter a connection with the Creator to a coupling, a unification, understand? Only after that you can perform a coupling with striking. 

Student: This is the condition for the intention, the condition for an internal intention? 

M. Laitman: This is your internal condition where if you are ready for it then you approach the coupling with striking, and it takes place. Not before. Very simply. Each and every degree in spirituality is a degree that exists all the way to Ein Sof, in its tiny degree. Later, all those degrees at the end of the correction accumulate together, and we get the general Ein Sof. But each and every degree is infinite. It's a part of Ein Sof, to some extent. To some extent, that's it. That's why the covenant is something you sign in each and every degree, and without a covenant, there's no connection. Meaning there's no coupling with striking, there's no attainment of the degree. This is the last correction in the degree before the coupling with striking, the final, the last correction on the Kli, on the vessel. 

Student: This is what we call, "He who knows all mysteries testifies." Is that the same? 

M. Laitman: "Until He who knows all mysteries will testify that he will not return to his folly." Right. That's true. That's exactly called signing a covenant.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (56:45) When does the breed exist? Absolutely. For example, if with the Rav and the group, when you say, if we do this and that, then I will always be with you.

M. Laitman: A covenant, look at the covenants in this world, in our world. You have covenants between great people, and where does the covenant start from? From a baby. If you will be like a baby who delivers himself to the hands of the upper one, to Abba ve Ima-Mom and Dad, and they can do whatever they want with you consciously with your awareness, with complete attainment really in delivering your soul. Because being devoted or devoting your soul is the same, because what are you devoting to them? Your soul, right? So with your soul devotion your vessel to them that they will make any correction that has to take place in order for you to advance, it doesn't matter. You're ready for it. So in this condition they begin to make this covenant, the covenant of the circumcision. [Hebrew] That's the beginning. Then there's the development where you come to it and you sign a covenant with the Creator by yourself. And later, when you're a grown up, an adult, and you may sign a covenant for a smaller degree. Why get confused? 

Student: Between Rav and the group. Today you say, if you'll be like that, then I, Rav, will be with you. But if you won't be this way, then I don't need you, I'm going to go away. I mean, we're here is the basis for the covenant? 

M. Laitman: In the connection between us, because Rav and group is two degrees, Rav is a higher degree and a group is below him. Covenant can be made on conditions where they understand that these are mutual conditions. It's possible that we are not yet making any corrections with one another, but wherever we are, we wish to maintain this state so we don't go below it. 

Student: Is the covenant between us absolute? 

M. Laitman: We cannot have an absolute covenant between us. Our qualities are uncorrected, neither you nor me. Although I'm a Rav and you're a student, or I'm a Rav and you're a group, I also change constantly. And what am I saying, that we should say it? Because I want you to turn to the Creator ultimately with this covenant and not to me. So it turns out that I change constantly, you change constantly, and according to how we wish to be connected to the Creator, both you and me connected to Him. He is the upper standard. What I have that resembles Him, or what you have that resembles Him, that's where we want the connection between us to be.

It's like the nations in Russia that didn't do it toward the Creator. They had to choose that we need to have all the states that exist only if the Creator exists between us, only if it brings us to the connection to Him. And if He disappears from the connection between us, from the covenant between us, then this covenant ceases to exist. That's the one and only condition for the covenant not to exist. There are no more conditions.

And it's the same between us. The connection between us can be only in the connection that we have a goal of reaching a connection with Him. That's it. If He disappears from the connection between us, we are very distant, and there's nothing between us. And we want this to be this way. There will be no connection between us for any other reason that has nothing to do with the goal, that's not connected to it. Meaning the presence of the Creator in the covenant between us is the first and last condition, no more, no less. We don't need anything else. And if you have other conditions in the connection between a student and a Rav, then it's not a pure connection. And we have to be on our toes, both from the side of Rav and the side of the students. Otherwise, it's a waste of exertion if it's not in that.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:01:46) How come we need to make a covenant with the Creator? What, can the Creator love less or change or something like that? And I didn't understand how he answered that.

M. Laitman: That doesn't matter. Go over it at home. You'll understand. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:02:08) After the adhesion comes separation? 

M. Laitman: After adhesion on the current degree, comes a new state. This new state arrives on top of the previous state. All the forces change, the raw conditions. Meaning previously it's not that we didn't take them into consideration. We didn't know. We did know, but this is an entirely new state. And what is this new state? It's I'm not me, and you are not you, and both of us are something completely different. The next degree is I am something new, and you are something totally different. The Creator is a different Creator. The created being is a different created being, and the conditions are certainly different, and everything is new.

What remains from the previous state? Only the reason for the next state. Only the reason for the next state to happen. And in the next state, everything is new, from zero to 100%. The degree is entirely new. And then I'm not going to break the previous covenant. Rather, we simply start from zero. That what we had before simply enters as a condition for the next state to come. But the next state could be very bad, and certainly worse in his negation compared to other states, but it doesn't come in as a breaking of the previous covenant, previous agreement, no. I'm simply, how shall I put it? I can't explain it further. On top of the previous agreement you enter even the shells, and you feel terrible desires in you relative to the Creator, toward the Creator. You want to rule Him, and erase, and rebel, and that's precisely because you acquired the previous agreement, and because of the gap between them, you feel you don't give me enough discernment to speak. No, I cannot say it. Maybe six months from now, a year. It's up to you. I won't have the scrutiny. It's just, I don't want to just bring out words. You see, we broadly speak, we scrutinize something about the covenant, and on this I cannot explain how the small degree works with the greater degree in the form of negation. There's no words.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:05:43) What connects all of the degrees?

M. Laitman: Is coupling by striking, a state where you stand against the Creator? Coupling by striking, God forbid to say it's against the Creator. Coupling by striking as I said, is after we keep the covenant, and it's not against the Creator; it's against my own nature. Who am I striking? I'm striking my will to receive, then I enter a connection with Him, with the Creator. Why am I striking the upper light? I'm striking the upper light because it wants to break into my boundary. It wants to seemingly enter me, inside of me, unconditionally, even in order to receive. This is in the striking. Meaning, striking against my intention in order to receive that's inside, and then I make a coupling with the help of my intention in order to bestow. I don't strike the upper light, I can't strike the light. I can only strike myself, my own will to receive.

Question (Internet): (01:07:35) If we say that the covenant comes only at the end of the degree, but a person doesn't know where the end of the degree is?

M. Laitman: So as I said, of course a person doesn't know where is the end of the degree, but it doesn't matter whether he knows or not. All of this, the cause and consequence ultimately will bring him to a state called signing of a covenant, signing an agreement. He doesn't need to know in advance that in two minutes I got to sign the covenant. This he doesn't know, and we don't advance in spirituality by knowing all the degrees up ahead. Rather, one state begets the next state.

Question (Internet): (01:08:29) Where do we need to, how can we tell which places we can unify with the Creator, and what places, and what qualities can we unite with the Creator?

M. Laitman: As I said, if I determined now that He's great, and I checked that my recognition of His greatness is very good recognition, I don't want ever to be less than that, then by that, it's called in this place I wish to be in connection with Him. Later, in a different place, I wish to be in covenant then in another place a place of intention, qualities, until all of my area enters into His area, and we are in adhesion.

Question (Internet): (01:09:16) What do we have in that case that resembles, that's similar to the Creator? Sso we can sign a covenant with Him? 

M. Laitman: It could be something mutual with the Creator, which is mutual bestowal. That's it. From His perspective, it's only bestowal. It's also from us. What we will have bestowed to Him is good.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:09:56) Can we say that in every state of making a covenant, there is a state of a desire to break that covenant?

M. Laitman: After signing a covenant, there cannot be a desire to break the covenant. That state is preserved for eternity, because if it's truly signing of a covenant in spirituality anything that exists, exists from that point on. The Creator protects it, maintains it. Meaning, the upper light is already in that degree, and it sustains it. It cannot ever be below that. He is always raised in sanctity and never demote or bring down, meaning it cannot be. Rather, breaking it can be… Probably a breaking is when you fall deeper into your next degree that you are rising to. You're on the left, you fall deeper than before. But it's not called breaking of the covenant again. I can't… From here on I have no more words. You're not ready for it. I don't feel… I feel that the words disappear. We lack a vessel of reception, a receiver, because I'm speaking according to the deficiency that I feel.

Reader: We'll share now in a workshop what we received from the lesson we've been through and what from it we can take to implement in our preparation towards the regional congress. 

Reader: We're going to move to the next part of the lesson, but first sing a song together.

Song: (01:17:42)