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

Daily Lesson (Morning) December 28, 2024.

Part 1: Baal HaSlam. The Love of God and the Love of Man.

Reader: Hello, we are reading in the writings of Baal HaSulam in Hebrew page 485, the article, “The Love of God and the Love of Man”. You can find the study materials on Sviva Tova and in the Arvut Galaxy system you can also ask questions there. Again Baal HaSulam, “The Love of God and the Love of Man”, titled” “All of Israel are Responsible for One Another”.

All of Israel Are Responsible for One Another

Reading: (00:41) In light of the above, we can understand a perplexing saying by our sages who said, “All of Israel are responsible for one another.” Furthermore, Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, adds, “The world is judged by its majority.”

It follows, that we are also responsible for all the nations of the world. I wonder; this seems inconceivable, for how can one be responsible for the sins of a person whom he does not know? It is said specifically, “The fathers will not be put to death for the children, and the children will not be put to death for the fathers; every man will be put to death for his own sin.”

Now we can understand the meaning of the words in utter simplicity, for it has been explained that it is utterly impossible to observe Torah and Mitzvot unless the entire nation participates.

It follows that each one becomes responsible for his friend. This means that the reckless make the observers of the Torah remain in their filth, for they cannot be completed in bestowal upon others and love of others without their help. Thus, if some in the nation sin, they make the rest of the nation suffer because of them.

This is the meaning of what is written in the Midrash, “Israel, one of them sins and all of them feel.” Rabbi Shimon said about this: “It is like people who were seated in a boat. One of them took a drill and began to drill under him. His friends told him, ‘What are you doing?’ He replied, ‘Why do you care? Am I not drilling under me?’ They replied, ‘The water is rising and flooding the boat.’” As we have said above, because the reckless are immersed in self-love, their actions create an iron fence that prevents the observers of Torah from even beginning to observe the Torah and Mitzvot properly.

Now we will clarify the words of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, who says, “Since the world is judged by its majority, and the individual is judged by its majority, if one performs one Mitzva, happy is he, for he has sentenced himself and the entire world to the side of merit. If he commits one sin, woe unto him for he has sentenced himself and the entire world to the side of sin, as it is said, ‘And one sinner destroys much good.’”

We see that Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, takes the matter of the Arvut [mutual responsibility] even further, for he says, “The world is judged by its majority.” This is because in his opinion, it is not enough for one nation to receive the Torah and Mitzvot. He came to this opinion either by observing the reality before us, for we see that the end has not yet come, or he received it from his teachers.

The text also supports him, as it promises us that at the time of redemption, “The earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord,” and also, “All nations will flow onto Him,” and many more verses. This is the reason he conditioned the Arvut on the entire world, to tell you that an individual, too, cannot come to the desired goal by observing Torah and Mitzvot, if not through the assistance of all the people in the world.

Thus, each and every Mitzva that an individual performs affects the whole world. It is like a person who weighs beans on a scale, and each and every bean he puts on the scale induces the desired final decision. Likewise, each Mitzva that the individual performs before the whole earth is full of knowledge develops the world so it will come to this.

It is said, “And one sinner destroys much good,” since through the sin he commits, he reduces the weight on the scale, as though that person took back the bean he had put on the scale. By this, he turns the world backward.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (07:38) About Israel, he writes - all of Israel. About the individual and about the world, he writes - the majority. If all of Israel - if one sins, everyone sins, with the majority - if one performs a Mitzvah, everyone is innocent and worthy. What is this difference between Israel, between Rav Shimon and Rav Elazar? What did Rav Elazar do here that suddenly, if it's just half, plus one, and then the whole world is innocent, and it doesn't have to be all the people, all 100%?

M. Laitman: Say it again clearly.

Student: He says about Israel, all of Israel, that they all must be in the Arvut. If one sins, they all sin. About the world, Rav Elazar says, the majority. If one performs a Mitzva, the whole world is innocent. What did Rav Elazar do here, so that from the all, he made it into, it's enough, if it's one half plus one. Just one person is enough to make everyone innocent.

M. Laitman: I don't know. I don't know what to answer you.

Student: Until Rav Shimon, with Israel, they were strict. They said that because of the recklessness, no one could enter Arvut. If one is reckless, no one from the whole nation can enter Arvut. Rabbi Elazar comes, suddenly, and says, about Israel, he says, all of Israel are guarantors, responsible; if one sins - everyone sins. About the world, he says - the majority. If one performs a Mitzva, the whole world is innocent. What did Rabbi Elazar do, so that he took the fact that everyone must participate; if one sins, they all sin. And he turned it into a half. We always say half innocent, half guilty. If one performs a Mitzvah, it makes everyone innocent. He took it both about the individual and the whole world. He emphasizes it. So what is this difference? It's a huge difference. So what is this difference between Rav Shimon and Rav Elazar? That Rav Elazar suddenly made it into a half plus one.

M. Laitman: That's what he sees.

Student: But in the first part, he emphasizes that because of the reckless, if one is reckless, no one in the world can enter the Arvut. Suddenly, Rabbi Elazar says, if one performs a Mitzvah, the whole world enters the Arvut.

M. Laitman: No. What do you think? Well, what do you think?

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (11:40) First of all, I wanted to ask also, but maybe it's related. He writes here that there is some group called the people of Israel who took it upon themselves to observe the Torah and the Mitzvah. The others did not take it upon themselves. Those who did take it upon themselves, they entered the Arvut. And so then if one of them drills a hole, they all fall. And the other way around. But on the other hand, if they perform a Mitzvah, they influence the whole world, because eventually the whole world must reach it and take upon themselves this sublime work. So the question is, the natural question here is, if a person did not take it upon himself, if he did not commit to it, he doesn't enter this definition of Arvut. Seemingly, he's still in a waiting state. He's not considered Israel yet. Is it correct to say that?

M. Laitman: Yes. It is said all of Israel are responsible for one another. That's by definition. Okay, we'll continue.

Why was the Torah Given to Israel

Reader: (12:57) Now we can answer the question why the Torah was given to the Israeli nation without the participation of all the nations of the world. The truth is that the purpose of creation applies to the entire human race, none excluded. However, because of the lowliness of the nature of creation and its power over people, it was impossible for people to be able to understand, determine, and agree to rise above it. They did not demonstrate the desire to relinquish self-love and come to equivalence of form, which is Dvekut with His attributes, as our sages said, “As he is merciful, so you are merciful.”

Thus, because of their ancestral merit, Israel succeeded, and over 400 years they developed and became qualified, and sentenced themselves to the side of merit. Each and every member of the nation agreed to love his fellow man.

Being a small and single nation among seventy great nations, when there are a hundred gentiles or more for every one of Israel, when they had taken upon themselves to love their fellow person, the Torah was then given specifically to qualify the Israeli nation, to qualify itself.

However, by this the Israeli nation was to be a “passage.” This means that to the extent that Israel cleanse themselves by observing the Torah, so they pass their power on to the rest of the nations. And when the rest of the nations also sentence themselves to the side of merit, the Messiah will be revealed, whose role is not only to qualify Israel to the ultimate goal of Dvekut with Him, but to teach the ways of the Creator to all the nations, as it is written, “And all nations will flow unto Him.”

M. Laitman: Questions?

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (16:09) He speaks here about the matter of taking upon yourself the matter of love of others. Can we actually get control over this, over love? Is there a stage where we can truly get control over love of friends?

M. Laitman: If this is given as a Mitzvah, then we have to do actions to achieve that.

Student: Because sometimes it's something that is opened up or not, opens up or not the heart. Sometimes you suddenly feel love of friends, or you don't. So what does it depend on that we will receive this control?

M. Laitman: It depends on agreement between us. All of Israel is responsible for one another, meaning that we have to see the extent to which there is spreading of love of others in the whole nation.

Student: Now, sometimes we work on connection and on love, and we reach a certain connection between us, and I feel that it's as if I at least put in some effort, and then we reach a certain connection, I stop. Is it correct to stop or?

M. Laitman: I can't tell you. Now, as you're asking what to say yes to, what to say no to, and are you doing the complete action or not, I can't say.

Student: The question is whether when we get closer to, let's say, some stage when we aspire to be in one heart, should the exertion be constant, or if we reach a certain connection, we can maybe pause, be in gratitude, and stop the effort, or should the effort always be there? A person should always look for exertion?

M. Laitman: One probably needs to look for it all the time.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (18:38) All of these articles, including the Arvut, it's not clear how much the spiritual attainment of an individual depends on the whole world, on the Israeli nation, or on the Ten. Seemingly there are views that are this way, or that way. It's also written that the Creator ultimately needs to be the guarantor?

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: So from this I understand that if the whole world won't be your guarantor, as an individual also can't reach the desired end goal. So to what extent the attainment of an individual depends, let's say, on the Ten even or on the whole world, or maybe it's not related?

M. Laitman: Probably it's related, but to what extent? The Ten probably is the complete measure.

Student: So an individual in the Ten cannot reach attainment?

M. Laitman: No, no.

Student: Before the whole Ten reaches it?

M. Laitman: Look, it's not true for all generations, for all times. But essentially, he has to be within a small group that we're all in agreement.

Student: The fact that a person has to be in an environment, in a Ten, that's clear. The question is, how critical is it that if they don't give him Arvut 100%, he cannot reach it? Or maybe this is just an environment, a field that they create for him and give him the importance of the goal?

M. Laitman: I think that the agreement is sufficient. Even if they can't carry it out 100%, the whole Ten, but if there's some agreement between them, in potential, meaning they can do it, but not in practice, that is sufficient for each one of them to achieve the attainment of Arvut.

Student: It turns out that we can't, in our generation, even take an example from the way it was thousands of years ago. It was a complete nation, as one man in one heart. Later there were also Kabbalists, individual Kabbalists. So for us it's different?

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: That's why it's not clear?

M. Laitman: That's what we have.

Student: What do you mean in potential?

M. Laitman: In potential, meaning not in practice. Meaning that they agree that it is correctly written, but we can't actualize it.

Student: For example, I'm asking very concretely about it. We said that if we have a Ten and some don't come, I'm not even talking about the Arvut that they require me to think about them 24/7, so a person can't also reach it if some of the Ten don't even come to the lesson, which is trivial.

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: Is this considered in potential or actually?

M. Laitman: That's in actuality. That's in potential everyone agrees that we need to come.

Student: So it means that potentially they agree. So is it potentially or actually in these processes we're going through?

M. Laitman: If we all have to achieve connection and actions of connection, then we'll be worthy of entering Arvut.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (22:40) What does it mean, agreement in potential?

M. Laitman: Agreement in potential means that everyone agrees with what's written. And even though not everyone can carry it out, what is written in practice, there's a difference between the action that a person does and what he agrees to in words.

Student: Who opposes what is written?

M. Laitman: So this is the question. What does it mean that one resists, that he can't carry it out or he doesn't want to? That's the difference.

Student: Okay, because the idea is nice, beautiful, I don't think that anyone in whom the point in the heart awakens opposes this idea. He probably came with a good will.

M. Laitman: Correct.

Student: So now we want to implement what is written. So how do we actually reach actual Arvut in practice?

M. Laitman: Like what he writes. Like what he wrote so far, if we carry it out, then we will feel ourselves in Arvut, and that above us there is one upper force that dwells on us and holds us.

Student: Okay, what does it mean that one cannot keep it?

M. Laitman: That we can't be in mutual guarantee?

Student: What does it mean that one doesn't want to keep it?

M. Laitman: He doesn't want to keep it, meaning that he, to begin with, he doesn't want to be among such people.

Student: Who are those reckless people he talks about here?

M. Laitman: He speaks about whatever he's thinking about, but we can say according to what we see, what we hear, that those among us are those who prevent the Ten from being whole.

Student: As it's expressed, he says that the reckless are immersed in Self-love, and in their actions they create an iron fence that prevents those who observe the Torah to even begin observing the Torah and Mitzvot. So who are those reckless people, and who are those who observe the Torah?

M. Laitman: The reckless ones are those that don't allow Ten men to connect in a group.

Student: By what? By what are they stopping them, not allowing them?

M. Laitman: They don't give the common desire, and they're not building the common intention of wanting to become as one man with one heart.

Student: Where will they bring this desire? It's already a matter of desire, goodwill, but a desire, an actual desire, from where?

M. Laitman: Yes, well, each and every one agrees in practice, agrees in potential, that's how it should be. But in practice, they don't have the strength.

Student: So what do they do in such a state?

M. Laitman: What to do, I don't know. Probably, to come together and pray.

Student: Why?

M. Laitman: Because there's nowhere else to get force.

Student: Okay, he wrote earlier, one paragraph before, why was the Torah not given to our holy Patriarchs? Because with a small number of people, the Torah cannot be kept at all, because you can't start the work of Lishma. This is why they were not given the Torah. So it's impossible to keep the Torah or start the work of Lishma with a small number of people?

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: What is this condition?

M. Laitman: This condition means that there has to be mutual support across everyone, and at some number it comes to wholeness. Right, so that's what he says.

Student: This condition of the Arvut, what does it speak about here, actually?

M. Laitman: It's about all the friends who are connected between them, and each one is guarding everyone else, so that all of us won't leave the boundary of Arvut.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (28:21) I want to ask about this law that the particular and the general are equal. He wrote that actually the Israeli nation was established only as a passageway.

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: It doesn't need to attain for itself. It needs to attain in order to pass it on and bring about the correction of the whole world. Now, this surely exists also inside a person and with respect to everything, that there is a part that can connect and pass it on and help everyone attain. And this part, it actually is under the obligation, the demand from it is much stronger, because apparently by nature it has a greater ability. Like you said, there are people who agree, but can't those who agree and are more capable of it. So according to this rule, maybe indeed those who are more capable should connect between them, but with the purpose of actually bestowing to everyone, so that everyone will attain. Is it correct to see it this way?

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: So then what connection should be between those people who can, who are capable of connecting and passing it on as a passageway to the entire Kli, and those who at the moment can't? The Creator didn't allow them, didn't give it to them for whatever reasons, but they are willing, they agree, just that you don't have the possibility now. Each one of these parts, what's their role in the system?

M. Laitman: To complete.

Student: Those who right now maybe cannot meet all of these conditions, in what way do they complete?

M. Laitman: In whatever they're capable.

Student: And this is enough?

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: It's like in a family.

M. Laitman: Yes

Student: Those who can, they bring money, bestow, others agree, they support, and they're willing to do whatever they can.

M. Laitman: Yes

Student: Should this be in the framework of the Ten, or in the framework of the whole group?

M. Laitman: Both.

Student: So this whole matter of creating a Ten in which there are all the parts, or should it be not in the framework of the Ten, but in the whole society? So you have some who care for others, and they're together in Tens, and they bestow to each other, what's the more correct way to build it?

M. Laitman: I don't know. We haven't reached this action yet.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (31:18) Who is considered Israel today? I'm talking about us not a long time ago, but who do we now consider as Israel?

M. Laitman: According to what he says, Israel means those who are in a group where there's a connection of friends all the way up to love.

Student: For us, in our society, I'm not talking outside of our society, anyone who is here, let's say, now, in this room, we consider them Israel, or should a person do something internally or externally to, I don't know, commit, sign something in order to be Israel? How does one become Israel?

M. Laitman: It's not something you need to sign. Rather, each one who wants to reach that aspect of Israel should receive from these articles power and direction.

Student: Why am I asking? I'm asking because it seems to me it's critical to understand who do we enter Arvut with, actually? Who is with me in this game? Who is not in the game? Because otherwise, how can we talk about it, that we're going together, you know, like a group of soldiers attacking some target, if I don't even know who are my friends who are fighting together with me? So I'm asking, how do I know? All of these friends here who are around me, around our table, let's even forget the whole room, they are considered Israel?

M. Laitman: I don't know. You are given a clear definition from the book. So look at that and see.

Student: In the book, it's not a clear definition. In the book, it says Israel, all those who stood under Mount Sinai and committed, they said, we shall do and we shall hear. I don't remember anyone asking me a question and I said, okay, I will do and I will hear. That's why I'm asking. Today, I'm talking about us here, practically, not stories that we hear. How do I know who is with me and who is not with me?

M. Laitman: How do you know that you're on the right track?

Student: That's right, I don't even know that. I don't know. I came here. I started studying. I was told, look, you have to come every day to the morning lesson. I started coming every day to the morning lesson. Then they told me, you know, you also have to pay Maaser. I started paying Maaser. They told me you have to do a kitchen duty. I go to the kitchen. They told me you have to disseminate, so I disseminate. But in truth, I can't tell you now if I, I'm not even talking about anybody else, if I am doing everything that I need. I don't know. Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. That's all. What I'm trying to scrutinize, how do we know?

M. Laitman: We continue to keep studying and connecting, as best as we understand the conditions. And we constantly ask, is it correct or incorrect? Do we need to connect more? Do we need to take some burden together, more than now, and so forth?

Student: I ask this way, does it even matter for a student? For me, not for anyone, but for me, is it even important for me to know what is happening with the friends around me? Or is it enough that I know about myself, or I try with myself to do whatever Rav Laitman explained that needs to be done?

M. Laitman: No, it's written that you also have to be responsible for them.

Student: How can I be responsible for them if I don't even know what I need to demand from them? I don't get that. So I'm going back to the beginning of my question. I want to know who is Israel. I want to know with whom I should be working.

M. Laitman: That is something we all need to get, not from the reading itself, but also from actions. Do we connect in such a way that questions awaken? And these questions, we are able to solve them from the connection between us.

Student: Why is it so foggy? Why is it not clear?

M. Laitman: Because we don't feel what is Arvut.

Student: What can help me understand a little better what Arvut means?

M. Laitman: To get there, to use it, to try and realize it.

Student: And then what will happen?

M. Laitman: Then according to your effort in attaining Arvut, in realizing it, you'll begin to understand what he writes. Perhaps we're not understanding what's written in front of us.

Student: I'm quite sure that I don't understand what is written. That's why I'm asking.

M. Laitman: Okay. That's about everyone.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (37:35) Probably we need to achieve such a state where, like Nachshon, jumped into the sea. So they knew where they were going. They saw the sea in front of them, which seemed like a death to the body, so to speak. But he went for it, and everyone else after him. How can we scrutinize and reach a state where there is no other choice?

M. Laitman: This is still far away. We are very weak, even in order to depict this state to ourselves. That's it.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (38:29) Well, in this effort of carrying out the conditions of our root in the Ten, let's say I discover that I can't. Do I come to the Ten with that? Do I ask for help? How do you work with that?

M. Laitman: Actually, the Ten is the source from which you get forces.

Student: So to be sufficiently open to each other, to ask for help.

M. Laitman: Yes.

Question (Africa): (39:09) Is there a number or a certain ratio that will sentence the world to the scale of Israel, to bring the whole world to correction?

M. Laitman: There's no guarantee.

Question (Woman MAK 17): (39:30) If a person feels that he's drilling a hole in the boat. What actions should he do once he realizes it, in order to correct it?

M. Laitman: We will learn about that. The most important is to achieve Arvut.

Question (Novosibirsk): (39:57) Does a Ten need to define in advance what it means to come out of the condition of Arvut?

M. Laitman: To exit the Arvut. That I am not concerned about the connection among everyone. And that this connection will be adapted, suitable for the Creators bestow upon us.

Question (Woman Rehovot 1): (40:37) Every friend understands Arvut differently. What is the true Arvut in the Ten?

M. Laitman: When we truly reach the opening of the Arvut, then we no longer have questions. Everything becomes clear. Are we capable of keeping it, or not? This is considered jumping into the water, like Nachshon.

Student: She continues, what differentiates the law of Arvut as the primary condition to enter spirituality?

M. Laitman: Because it unites everyone into one. And then, either we do keep it as one, or we don't even belong to this matter.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (41:47) I think all the questions, as I hear it, is about the connection between internality and externality. Say, in the introduction to TES, which we just studied, he explains that everything is inside the person. Israel, and the world, and everything. And he also brings in the same articles, the same quotes we just read in this article. Then he explains you have to reach the degree of fear, then the degree of love, and there is intermediate, and sentencing the world. And here, he seems to be speaking about the world. I don't know what he actually talks about, but it seems like he says first Israel, then the world, and so on. And also for us, I see that all of our debates now, all of our scrutinies, are about the connection between internality and externality. We work in the lessons, we try to do the inner work, and so forth. But in our eyes, we see different things. In your eyes, you see if a friend is coming, or he's not coming. You can't say, he's with me in Arvut, but he's not coming for the week. It doesn't work. But on the other hand, we say, I have to believe that he's with me, because he's on the path, and he has a point in the heart, and so on. So all of this scrutiny between the internality and externality influences. How does the externality affect the internality, clearly, and the other way around, we don't know. Like, for instance, tomorrow there's a Unity Day, and many people will be there, and many people probably will come who didn't even register. And there are people in Turkey, I see, who prepared themselves for three days now for this Unity Day. We're going for something really big. What is this? Is this an inner thing, or an outer thing? Many bodies came together, and that impresses me, or is it really a result of the inner work? There's many questions about the attitude of one towards reality, and what he sees in his eyes. So how do we arrange these two worlds?

M. Laitman: It's how reality relates to the person, not how the person relates to reality. We're still in a state where reality is coming down to us from above. That is the correct way.

Student: And what reality should we aspire to? That we determine it?

M. Laitman: No, that we meet it, that we clothe in it, just like these in those, and those in these, in all of them. The connections between us we also clothe in reality.

Student: So how does a person justify when, let's say, in his Ten, in his group, suddenly people don't meet external conditions?

M. Laitman: They will keep them, they will keep them. The time will come when everyone will keep it.

Student: So he needs to justify that state?

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: And also when something big, powerful happens, like say this Unity Day we're going to enter, what inner attitude should we establish so that we produce our spiritual benefit from it? Not just externally, it'll be happy, people will come, there will be lessons, and so on. But what kind of influence do we need to create on this Unity Day so that we can match ourselves to it, like you said?

M. Laitman: Only connection, only connection among everyone. Among everyone.

Student: So to put on such glasses to only see connection?

M. Laitman: Yes, we don't lack anything beyond that.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (45:53) I wanted to ask about the condition of Arvut. Does it work on you, even if you're unaware of it?

M. Laitman: Yes. The condition of Arvut works on each and every one.

Student: But how does it work? Because perhaps you don't have the ability to carry out the condition of Arvut, and it already works on you. So how does this work in the system?

M. Laitman: As usual, just like gravity, does it work on you or not? It works on you, whether you know about it or not, you understand it or not, but it works.

Student: Right, but gravity, yes, I understand the principle, but the condition of Arvut is very total.

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: It turns out that in every action you influence everyone else, and you're constantly influenced by them, there's no control whatsoever here, due to this law.

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: So how do you begin to be a part that can realize the condition of Arvut?

M. Laitman: You must. You must constantly aspire for it and try to keep it.

Student: Is there a way to examine yourself, to see whether you act in Arvut?

M. Laitman: Only inside the group. Only inside the group?

Student: Yes, but how do you check that I was an effective part in Arvut today?

M. Laitman: To what extent? I help everyone keep the law of Arvut.

Student: And in helping them, this means you're an effective part?

M. Laitman: Yes.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (47:57) I didn't understand the answer to the friend. You said it's not one's attitude to reality, but how the reality relates to man. You said we're still in a state where reality descends on us from above. What does it mean?

M. Laitman: Yes, because this is how it happens. We do not determine what will happen to us the next moment, or tomorrow, or when.

Student: Nothing. We determine nothing.

M. Laitman: Nothing. The way it comes to us we just accept it, out of lack of choice.

Student: Okay, so?

M. Laitman: This is considered that reality is coming down to us in such a way.

Student: So there's nothing we can do. It paralyzes us. We just have to look at how the Creator works on us from above.

M. Laitman: No, actually, according to the article, you could say that according to the connection between us, we can rise to a state where we will determine reality.

Student: But we are the result of a higher reality working on us.

M. Laitman: Fine.

Student: So where do we even have room from below to do some action?

M. Laitman: In the connection between us.

Student: Which is a result of previous action from above.

M. Laitman: That too, but also according to our agreement.

Student: From above, when the reality unfolds downwards, where is the room that we have to act, and in what?

M. Laitman: Until we agree. We, who receive the influence from the bestowal from above, we won't feel that it is coming down to us,

Student: What is this agreement between us?

M. Laitman: To be in Arvut.

Student: What is this law of Arvut? It's unclear?

M. Laitman: We are guarantors for each other, that you gather everyone, and you unite everyone, assemble everyone, in short, until we all cook and truly become as one.

Student: What is my force of being a guarantor for the friends?

M. Laitman: To make them also be in this way.

Student: What's in my power to do? How can I bring them together, unite them? What force do I have?

M. Laitman: You should behave this way to everyone. And show them an example of how we connect correctly.

Student: An example of what? What example can I give? I can give an example that I come here, that I read from the source, and so on. What example can I set to awaken another friend to act in Arvut, to connect us?

M. Laitman: You catch the friend, and you turn to the Creator, and you ask to be connected with Him, with a friend. And in this way, everyone.

Student: So that's an inner action I do within me.

M. Laitman: No. Not necessarily, internally only.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (51:37) It says that we have to, that we need a desire to come out of self-love and come to equivalence of form, to have adhesion with Him, as our sages said, as He is merciful, so you be merciful. What does it mean to be merciful as He is merciful?

M. Laitman: To be merciful as He is merciful. This is the result of love, when we reach such a connection between us, so that you don't see yourself, you only see the friend within you.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (52:44) One of the most difficult things I've heard, and we learned with you, is that the Creator says I made a rule that can't be changed, and that's with regards to the Arvut that we talk about. Simple. The Creator makes no concessions. So what does it mean about our Arvut? What does it mean? How do we bow to this law? What does it mean, and why does He say it's a hard and fast rule, so there's nothing that can be changed about it? What is it?

M. Laitman: It's the connection between everyone and everyone.

Student: Is it possible to bend it, to make it more flexible?

M. Laitman: No.

Student: So what else to do?

M. Laitman: This law precedes creation.

Student: What does it mean?

M. Laitman: That you can't change it any way that you want as a result of creation, rather it was set before creation.

Student: So what is this that we learn about the gate of tears, and begging, and praying, and reaching despair, and all that?

M. Laitman: It's in order for a person to get to know his Creator.

Student: So we can't change this law according to…?

M. Laitman: Of course we can attain it, but we have to awaken them first.

Student: So we can't change this law generally in terms of mercy?

M. Laitman: Whichever way you want to say it.

Student: No, it's a different question. Is it possible to do something so the Creator has mercy on us and give us already that? Or is it like an iron gate?

M. Laitman: The Creator has mercy on nothing. He set a law which cannot be breached. This is regarding everything. If you know how to use this law correctly, then it's not that you are able to manipulate it somehow, but rather... But rather, you should try.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (55:16) As far as I can see, the law of Arvut seems to be in contradiction with a few principles we have, like that I need to love the friends and not they need to love me, that I need to judge the friend to the scale of merit, and also that the whole perception is in me. That seems to contradict, let's say, if I'm in a society where not everyone does everything needed, even externally, because I don't see internally. So, on the one hand, you say, we do depend on even one person who's drilling a hole, I already can't advance, and you've said it many times that way. On the other hand, there's judging the friend to the scale of merit. So, there's a few principles that are in contradiction, so people are confused. I don't feel that if I'm in a Ten and not everyone is doing everything, I don't feel like they're harming. On the contrary, I have a place to nullify, to judge to the scale of merit, but if the teacher says, no, that's how it is, then I relate to it. So, what to do? You understand the contradiction? So, how to stabilize that?

M. Laitman: Simply, we are not in a world which is entirely corrected, but each time we advance the world towards this form in ourselves. We also become corrected. This is why it works in such a way, this is how we see it.

Student: I'm asking with regards to the Ten, not the world.

M. Laitman: So?

Student: When there is a contradiction in the Ten with regards to the principles I mentioned, and the law of Arvut?.

M. Laitman: In the Ten, it's a bit difficult to see it, it's too small, but in truth, yes. Also in the Ten, you can see that these keep it, and these not so much, and others like this, and others like that.

Student: Right, in every Ten there is such a pyramid.

M. Laitman: Yes

Student: So, again, if I judge everyone to the scale of merit, and I have to love them, I have no complaint at all. What's most important, we say in Kabbalah, that I have no complaint to anyone besides me. That's on the one hand. On the other hand, you say that the people around you, if they don't care for you, that's it. If they don't all meet the conditions, it prevents you from advancing. So I'm already looking at them, and I'm inspecting what are they doing, not doing, why, and then I have a complaint towards them. So, I'm saying it's a contradiction between different principles.

M. Laitman: We will advance, and we will see.

Student: So, in the meantime, it's not preventing us.

M. Laitman: In the meantime, like you say, it's not hindering us, but we will advance, we will see what is hindering us, and how we can wreck these hindrances.

Student: I'll tell you, I don't feel that if a friend doesn't come to the lesson, I do justify him. I at least try, I understand he might have necessities, and if you check, really, if you check, then you see it's not... I just don't feel like it. People have their reasons. I don't feel like he is harming my progress.

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: The question is whether that's true or not?

M. Laitman: We will understand that as well.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (58:55) It's a very clear line. We will allow the study and the light to work on us, and let us see what's our next step, not make any sharp and hasty move. But my question is, how to know that we're not missing an opportunity to advance?

M. Laitman: You should ask yourself that each and every moment.

Student: How to not look back at our states as a society and say, there's an opportunity here to make a change.

M. Laitman: Check from here on.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (59:43) It says here, following what the friend said, that thanks to the ancestral merit, over 400 years they developed and became qualified and sentenced themselves to the side of merit. And afterwards they entered the love of others. You said many years ago, I think four years ago, that the Bnei Baruch are like this trail from before the exodus until maybe even the entrance to Israel. And I want to ask, because you said the reality comes to us from above. The corporeal reality, in that sense, we're still in exile of 2,000 years. The example we have from the sources is actually that the exile qualified them and they then sentenced themselves to the side of merit. What is it about the exile? Perhaps a person is in exile without even knowing. So what is it about exile? You also told Sasha that even the Nachshon jump, we're not there yet.

M. Laitman: In exile means that we are under the governance of the nations of the world. That is, we want to achieve the same things that the nations of the world want to achieve. Power and whatever there is. That's it.

Student: It's like Joseph enters first to exile with his brothers selling him and then they come out together.

M. Laitman: Yes

Student: This person who went through this inner transformation, what did he acquire in this whole period of exile?

M. Laitman: He acquired a feeling that there is a way. There is a way that exists ahead of them and they must find it.

Student: And this whole move, essentially, ultimately brings them to the recognition and understanding that they have to have Arvut.

M. Laitman: Yes, imagine to yourself that whatever you're in right now, you're in just in order to search by what you can come out of the exile.

Student: Because what did Joseph understand first? That the brothers didn't and then he went for it first. What did they not understand in the scrutiny?

M. Laitman: This doesn't matter what excellence he had so that he was able to reach it first, but rather he reached it.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:03:35) So you said that we're weak and how do we really take the ancestral merit that we come here every day to every lesson? How do we take this ancestral merit and strengthen? He says that only by that you can be qualified. And like you told the friend, my love of others to serve the Creator. How do we really take this merit and not allow just the upper reality to come down on us, but that we will take it? It's basically using the privilege we have here every morning. Rav, how do we do it? How do we take this honor?

M. Laitman: I come to the lesson in order to connect with my friends and rise and that way each and every day.

Student: What does it mean to rise?

M. Laitman: To rise all the way up to the Creator.

Student: Tomorrow we have a unity day, Rav. It's a very important day on the way to our big congress that we really want to take into our heart, embrace it with our hands. And you say we're weak. How do we take this unity day together, make another effort to get stronger tomorrow? Or how do we make sure that this unity day strengthens us? How do I enter it tomorrow? With what kind of expectation or perspective do I enter it?

M. Laitman: You come with the anticipation to connect with everyone and determine together with them and support a place, a place for revelation in that day that it will open up for you the gates of heaven.

Student: That He'll open the gates of heaven. Now, the unity day tomorrow starts at 9. Usually we have the noon lesson on Shabbat and we scrutinized it in the Ten and we said to ourselves from noon until the morning is a long time because usually we start our preparation at 2.15, 2.30 a.m. What would you recommend us do from the noon lesson so we can strengthen more and not allow reality to just work on us, that we will make actions in the Ten, not to just sit on our laurels but continue to work?

M. Laitman: So, those who are capable and can have free time, free, I mean, from all kinds of side engagements, they can get into the study and continue also for the friends that for the time being are engaging in coming here or preparing this whole day. That's it.

Student: We said that we want to collect ourselves and really prepare ourselves and study and prepare ourselves. Is that a correct thing to do?

M. Laitman: Yes.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:07:31) What does a person do when he feels that all he does is external actions and internally he has no strength for a while? He still wants to carry out the laws of Arvut and realize the habits and listen to Rav's instructions over the years, but for a long time he feels like his internality is inactive or like the friend said before about the scrutiny of internal and external. So, what do you do with such a state?

M. Laitman: Try to bring yourself into physical contact with this group and try there to lose himself.

Student: He does that. But from that point, how do you keep going? He feels it's not enough that he's just doing things externally. He's committed to the framework and the friends and the actions?

M. Laitman: So, if he sees a more internal action, he should do it. But I have nothing more to say. I have nothing more to say.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:09:26) Is Israel a concept that's changing with respect to the person?

M. Laitman: No.

Student: I'm asking because, let's say, there are a few friends in front of me now, and they determined for themselves that the bestowal is more important than everything. They carry out these laws. Now, among them, I can at least try to lose myself. They, to me, are Israel. In a year, a few others will join, but for now, only this small group is Israel to me, or everyone.

M. Laitman: You determined that. You determined that it's not written about anyone, but rather, it's according to the definition.

Student: He writes, they will come to carry out Torah and Mitzvot only if everyone participates.

M. Laitman: Yes

Student: What does it mean, everyone?

M. Laitman: Everyone, those that you see that they're interested in Torah and Mitzvot, and mutual help, sustaining each other. So, in that way, you do see them as Israel.

Student: Besides the physical participation in actions, what else can we define as a participation?

M. Laitman: Each and everything that is connected with that.

Question (Haifa 3): (01:11:11) Does Arvut depend first on desire and intention and then action?

M. Laitman: Yes.

Question (Women Petah Tikva 5): (01:11:18) How is it possible to help the friends carry out the law of Arvut?

M. Laitman: Give them an example.

Question (Women Petah Tikva 6): (01:11:30) In what do we as a society need to improve?

M. Laitman: In the connection between us.

Question (Women Petah Tikva 2): (01:11:39) What does it mean to judge a friend to the scale of merit? How does it manifest in the Ten?

M. Laitman: As much as I, in all the incidents that we go through, I judge my friend to the side of merit. This is correct and good.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:12:08) You just told the friend that those who are available and are free from all kinds of bothers of this chores of this world, then he can sit and pray and study and do the work. Why am I asking? Because I feel like we are missing connection between Tens. Let's say if I'm in a Ten and it turned out that I want to do this with someone, but I don't have someone at the moment. I can connect to other people in the group, but at the moment we don't have such a framework, such a platform that enables this connection. I'll give an example for myself. Throughout the whole path I participated. I used to participate in all kinds of social committees, and I still participate today. It gives me a lot of strength. And other than the Ten, I connect with more friends to prepare things for the society, do things for the friends. The question is if we need to establish this kind of framework, because after we've become moved to be with only our Tens, this connection doesn't really exist?

M. Laitman: You're correct, and we will take care of that after the Congress.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:13:40) You just said that giving Arvut to a friend is giving an example. Now, human nature is such that man's heart, it can ignite within, right? He's drawn to something from within, and then it starts, the fire quenches, and the person looks for external things to compensate. Is that right?

M. Laitman: Yes and no.

Student: I wanted to ask, I wanted to place our focus, our attention on each one here on the path is drawn to the teacher because he felt something within him. He felt that the teacher has something sublime, and again very inner, to give, to offer. So a person is drawn to the teacher by his heart, right? And then what happens is that you begin to forget, and you begin to look at external things, things outside of you. And I'd like to ask, how can I awaken this inner look towards a friend, not external, I want to see each friend here, tomorrow is the Unity Day, Unity Evening, I want to see each friend with my inner eye, with my heart, I don't want to see the externalities. So what is the advice? How to magnify that inner attention towards the friend?

M. Laitman: You connect with several friends who are close to you, and together with them you scrutinize what about the friends in the whole group? That they are united among themselves, and in this way you scrutinize.

Student: Is there any advice for how to practice my inner sight?

M. Laitman: No. No. Not in the meantime.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:16:12) I wanted to ask, as a principle, the society's ability to realize, to take its next step, well, when the society hears about a certain direction from the Rav, does it have the power to apply that advice, or does it always have to go above reason in terms of implementing?

M. Laitman: Either this or that.

Student: What do you mean?

M. Laitman: Either within reason or above reason.

Student: The question is what the right way to do it is. When we hear something, do we need to try to logically analyze it to feel that getting there will be comfortable, or should we just go for it?

M. Laitman: I cannot promise them that it will be easy, or that it will be difficult, and this will be above reason, that will be below reason. I can't answer this way to everyone.

Student: Okay, because as I feel it, it seems that as a society, we can never have the eyes to look in the direction we're going if the Rav doesn't open this to you, where you need to head in terms of your development. How can you go in the direction Rav wants if, well, you're not there, it's your next step, it's you plus one, right? What I'm trying to ask is, where do we get the strength, from where do we get the strength to realize the degree that the Rav opens?

M. Laitman: From within.

Student: What do you mean from within?

M. Laitman: Among yourselves, there is a lot of free air there and power that you will be able to receive.

Student: How do you enter that place? How do you take energy, power from there?

M. Laitman: When everyone wants to be in this, very simple, everyone wants to be together. You come closer, and from that place of togetherness, you breathe fresh air, full of power.

Student: Is there such a reality where Rav opens to the group something which the group cannot realize, or does Rav always open something that is possible to implement?

M. Laitman: Yes, what can be implemented, but perhaps not by the whole group.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:19:38) I have this question. We're talking about Arvut, mutual guarantee, and we're talking about the framework?

M. Laitman: Yes

Student: In connection to that Arvut. But can there be such a situation where a person fully keeps the framework, but he doesn't give any inner support to the friends, or maybe he doesn't pay attention to it? This is also a condition for Arvut.

M. Laitman: Do you think it's on the basis?

Student: It's at the basis, yes. But how to define it? Can you tell if you're doing it or not? Or is it something that a person can tell himself alone?

M. Laitman: He should understand it, a person should understand it from his heart.

Student: How to help?

M. Laitman: It may take several years before he understands it, but it is all corrections.

Question (Turkiye): (01:21:25) What is the divine, the godly condition for maintaining the Arvut?

M. Laitman: The condition for maintaining the Arvut, the mutual responsibility, is that you have a number of people that is ideally not less than Ten, and who want to come to such a connection between them that they are Ten as one.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:22:18) In my surroundings consist of people who are directed towards the Creator, their desires affect me, I understand that. But I also have desires, and I also affect them, so how does it work? Is it a kind of cycle where they affect me, I affect them?

M. Laitman: It's like a cycle, like a sphere, where everyone affects everyone, and you can't say that you're dependent on one person, and that one person is dependent on you or on someone else. In the end, it's everyone on everyone, because to begin with, we all belong to one group. This is what was given to us. But what we need to do is that we ourselves choose the environment and build it according to the law of Arvut, of mutual responsibility, and then we elevate the connection between us to the spiritual level.

Question (ITA 3): (01:24:23) From what I understand, each friend must feel responsibility towards all the others. Even if they don't do the work, my nature leads me to blame the friends who don't do the work. So how to reach a state where it's like a father concerned about his children, caring for his children?

M. Laitman: I didn't understand the question.

Student: From what I understand, he's saying that well, the friend has a tendency to blame others for not working, not doing the work. How can he reach a state where he cares for them like a father cares for his children?

M. Laitman: No, I didn't understand. Did someone understand from the Italians?

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:25:47) He says that there are friends who don't keep all the necessary conditions coming to lessons, dissemination, and so forth, and that he has this tendency to be angry at them. So how, instead of being angry with them, he can be concerned about them, caring for them like a father.

M. Laitman: To be concerned?

Student: Yes, caring for them like a father instead of accusing them of not working correctly.

M. Laitman: Oh, well, on this you need to work. You really need to change your desire for this.

Question (Kyiv 1): (01:26:36) You said that on the one hand, we reach such a connection between us where I can't feel myself, but rather I feel only the friends. But on the other hand, you also said that we become Ten, Ten become one in the Ten. What is that state where on the one hand, I don't feel myself, but rather the friends, and also we are a Ten which is as one?

M. Laitman: These are different things. They are two sides of one stick. To the extent that we are connected to each other, to that extent, we should also be separated from each other so that no ties or imagination between us is possible. And on the other hand, we understand each other so well, we are so similar as if we are absolutely together, not close, but absolutely together as one complete whole.

Student: Me not feeling myself, but feeling the friends, that's the first degree towards that state of the Ten being as one?

M. Laitman: Yes, yes.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:28:41) In this article, Baal HaSulam speaks of two conditions which we are obligated to. One is the condition of the exile, which the whole world is in exile by default. And what's special for us is the right of the fathers. And he also talks about that in the Ahud, the privilege we get from the Patriarchs, from the fathers. What is that?

M. Laitman: Ancestral merit is when the fathers reach the spiritual degree, and as a result, we also can reach it.

Student: You said it several times, that up to recent times, there were people of attainment around. Is there a situation? I don't know what the person of attainment is. I don't know what this Lishma, this Lishma that we can reach. Can it happen here in our group? Do you see that it's possible for us to attain spirituality, to reach that? Or can we, like, well, like Baal HaSulam, I don't understand anything much, but to be like Baal HaSulam, just wanting the light to spread to the whole world, not wanting attainment for ourselves. What do you think? Is our world ready for people of attainment, this groundbreaking group, or maybe just the light spreads, the Creator spreads?

M. Laitman: No. We need to do what we have to do, what is upon us to do, and wait for the Creator to do what is upon him to do. That's it. Commandments between man and man, and the commandments between man and the Creator.

Student: What do you think? If this was your group, if you were one of us, like you were in Rabash's group, one of the groups, what would you think we're lacking? Like, what do you think we lack? Other than connection, is there room to make a sort of breakthrough here?

M. Laitman: Other than connection, we have nowhere to break through to. No. We need only feel ourselves more and more united, belonging to one idea, to one Creator, among us as brothers, and to feel that state in all our hearts that will be connected. This is what is left for us, and I hope we will attain it soon.

Student: How is it different to what we feel now? You described the same feeling, which we feel to a small extent, and in the lesson, in the meals, as we meet tomorrow, in tomorrow's congress, we feel that a little bit.

M. Laitman: Yes, and we need more.

Student: What more?

M. Laitman: More coarseness, heaviness, so we will feel that it's harder than it is now, but it will come.

Student: And another question, if you were the Creator, what would you prefer? To spread throughout the entire world, or to have someone, a Moses or a Ten, connected to you?

M. Laitman: It's according to the laws of creation. It's not like I decide, or that someone decides. It is the laws of creation. This is how they are presented to us, so that, first, it comes in individuals, then in Tens, then in thousands, then in many thousands, etc. And therefore, I have no preference here, except only to uphold, to observe what nature reveals.

Student: But two days ago, you said that it's better for us to have a few who are of attainment, because it's sad for you to be like this alone, so it's better.

M. Laitman: Yes. Well, it's best for everyone to have attainment. What do you mean? But what can I do?

Student: Would you give up dissemination in favor of a group that breaks through? It'll spread, right? Anyway, the light will spread from me.

M. Laitman: I would cancel everything, except for adhesion with the Creator. Everything else, we can complement, compensate for each other. Okay? All right, friends.

Reader: We'll continue to the next part.

M. Laitman: Yes.

Reader: We'll continue to the next part of the lesson. Before that, we'll sing a song.

Song: (01:34:36)

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