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

Daily Morning Lesson: August 6, 2025 

Part 1: Recorded lesson – October 30, 2021

Baal HaSulam. Shamati 40. What Is the Measure of Faith in the Rav?

Reader: Hello friends, in the first part of the lesson we will learn the lesson from Rav Laitman from the 30th of October 2021 from Shamati, Article 40, What is the Measure of Faith in the Rav? You will find the study material on the Arvut system and on Siva Tova. Again, Shamati, article 40, What is the Measure of Faith in the Rav? 

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Reader: We are going to open our lesson with the writings of Baal HaSulam, page 559 in Hebrew, Shamati, article number 40, What is the Measure of Faith in the Rav?

Reading: (01:25) Shamati 40. What Is the Measure of Faith in the Rav?

I heard in 1943

It is known that there is a right path and a left path. Right comes from the words “to the right,” referring to the verse, “And he believed in the Lord.” The Targum says, “To the right, when the Rav says to the disciple to take the right path.”

Right is normally called “wholeness,” and left, “incompleteness,” that corrections are missing there. In that state the disciple must believe the words of his Rav, who tells him to walk in the right line, called “wholeness.”

And what is the “wholeness” by which the disciple should walk? It is that one should depict to oneself as if he has already been rewarded with whole faith in the Creator, and already feels in his organs that the Creator leads the whole world in the form of “The Good Who Does Good,” meaning that the whole world receives only good from Him.

Yet, when one looks at oneself, he sees that he is poor and indigent. In addition, when he observes the world, he sees that the entire world is tormented, each according to his degree.

One should say about that, “They have eyes but they see not.” “They” means that as long as one is in multiple authorities, called “they,” they do not see the truth. What are the multiple authorities? As long as one has two desires, even though he believes that the entire world belongs to the Creator, but something belongs to man, too.

But in truth, one must annul one’s authority before the authority of the Creator and say that one does not want to live for oneself, and the only reason that he wants to exist is in order to bring contentment to the Creator. Thus, by this one annuls his own authority completely, and then he is in the singular authority, the authority of the Creator. Only then can he see the truth, how the Creator leads the world by the quality of good and doing good.

As long as he is in multiple authorities, meaning when he still has two desires in both mind and heart, he is unable to see the truth. Instead, he must go above reason and say, “they have eyes,” but they do not see the truth.

It follows that when one regards oneself and wants to know if he is now in a time of descent or a time of ascent, he cannot know that, too. That is, he thinks that he is in a state of descent, and that, too, is incorrect, since he might be in a state of ascent now, meaning seeing his true state, how far he is from the holy work. Thus, he has now come closer to the truth.

And it might be to the contrary, that now he feels that one is in a state of elation, when in fact he is now controlled by receiving for himself, called “a descent.”

Only one who is already in the singular authority can discern and know the truth. Hence, one must trust the opinion of his Rav and believe what his Rav tells him. It means that one should go as his Rav told him to do.

And although he sees many arguments and many teachings that do not go hand in hand with the opinion of his Rav, he should nevertheless trust the opinion of his Rav and say that what he understands and what he sees in other books that do not coincide with his Rav’s opinion, he should say that as long as he is in multiple authorities, he cannot understand the truth, and he cannot see what is written in other books, the truth that they say.

It is known that when one is still not rewarded, his Torah becomes to him a potion of death. And why does it say, “Not rewarded, his Torah becomes to him a potion of death”? This is because all the teachings that one learns or hears will not bring him any benefit to make one able to be imparted with life, which is Dvekut [adhesion] with the Life of Lives. On the contrary, one is constantly drawn farther from the Life of Lives, since all that he does is only for the needs of the body, called “receiving for oneself,” and this is considered separation.

This means that through his actions he becomes more separated from the Life of Lives, and this is called “the potion of death,” since it brings him death and not life. It means that one becomes ever farther from bestowal, called “equivalence of form with the Creator,” by way of “As He is merciful, so are you merciful.”

We must also know that when one is engaged in the right, the time is right to extend upper abundance, because “the blessed adheres to the Blessed.” In other words, since one is in a state of completeness, called “blessed,” in that respect one presently has equivalence of form, since the sign of completeness is if one is in gladness. Otherwise, there is no completeness.

It is as our sages said, “The Shechina [Divinity] is present only out of gladness of a Mitzva [commandment].” The meaning is that the reason that brings him joy is the Mitzva, meaning the fact that the Rav had commanded him to take the right line.

It follows that he keeps the commandment of the Rav, that he was allotted a special time to walk on the right and a special time to walk on the left. Left contradicts the right, since left means when one calculates for oneself and begins to examine what he has already acquired in the work of the Creator, and he sees that he is poor and indigent. Thus, how can he be in wholeness?

Still, one goes above reason because of the commandment of the Rav. It follows that all his wholeness was built on above reason, and this is called “faith.” This is the meaning of “In every place where I mention My Name, I will come to you and bless you.” “In every place” means although he is still not worthy of a blessing, nonetheless, I gave My blessing because you make a place, meaning a place of gladness, in which the upper light can be. 

M. Laitman (Source Text/Commentary): (12:29) Okay, I'll read it and add a little bit more, and then later we'll see if you understood and you can ask anything. Because I think that this question you have now is without full understanding of what Baal HaSulam is trying to say. Let's take down those questions—it's only Be'er Sheva and Tbilisi, it's not serious—and listen. 

Rav reads: Shamati, article 40, What is the Measure of Faith in the Rav? 

He wants to say that a person's spiritual climb depends on the faith he has for his teacher and he's doing exactly what his teacher is saying. He relates to the world, to the Providence, to the Creator, the way the Creator teaches him. Even though, according to his senses, he sees that everything is black, the teacher says everything is white, then he doesn't need to erase the black; no, he needs to place the white above the black. In this way, gradually, he'll come to a state of faith above reason and he will begin to see the world in a new way. 

So, I'm reading: What is the Measure of Faith in the Rav? It is known that there is a path; there is a right path and a left path, two paths. Right, comes from the words, “to the right,” referring to the verse, “and he believed,” which sounds in Hebrew like right, in the Lord. The translation says, to the right, when the Rav says to walk on the right line, when the Rav says to the disciple to take the right path. Right is normally called wholeness and left incompleteness—that corrections are missing there. In that state, the disciple must believe the words of his Rav—whatever he tells him—to walk on the right line called wholeness, 

Even when it does not appear whole. It's like with children, we tell them, “this is what you have to do” but it's clear to them that it's not like that but it's the other way around. And, in the end, we obligate them to walk the way we think and, then, gradually they understand that we were right. This is in this world and in spirituality there's also something of that. If the Rav says that you have to walk in faith above reason, in bestowal, above reception, we have to do it. 

And what is the wholeness which is right, by which a disciple should walk? It is that one should depict to himself as if he has already been rewarded with complete faith in the Creator, 

Meaning he has a feeling that this is how it is 

And he already feels in his organs that the Creator leads the whole world in the form of the good who does good, 

Meaning the whole world receives only good from the Creator, that's it. That's how a person sees himself and the whole world. Yet, when one looks at oneself, he sees that he is poor and indigent. He's got nothing of which to say it is good, of what he desires—he has none. 

In addition, when he observes the world, he sees that the entire world is tormented, each according to his degree, his state. One should say that, “They have eyes but they see not.” They don't see it. “They” means that as long as one is in multiple authorities meaning his egoistic desire called “they,”—these egoistic forces of his—he does not see the truth. What are the multiple authorities when one is under the authority of the many, meaning as long as one has two desires—even though he believes that the entire world belongs to the Creator but, something together with that, something belongs to man as well

Not that the Creator has complete control over all of reality. 

In truth, one must annul one's authority before the authority of the Creator and say that one does not want to live for oneself. 

That's the meaning of annulling oneself, that my existence, my being, are only there in order to bring contentment to the Creator. 

The only reason that he wants to exist is in order to bring contentment to the Creator. 

M. Laitman (Source Text/Commentary): (19:46) Thus, by this one annuls his own authority completely and then he is in the singular authority. 

If he can do that, if he can persist in it—demand of the Creator to help him with that. Then it turns out, he suddenly discovers that he is under the control or the authority of the Creator, and that's his spiritual beginning. Like a baby in his mother's womb, it is completely annulled by nature and that's how we started our life. Here, a person has to annul himself toward the Creator like an embryo in the womb. 

Then, he is in the singular authority, the authority of the Creator and he is under the authority of the Creator. 

Only then can he see the truth, to the extent that he develops more and more, not immediately when he annuls himself. But after a few more actions, he will begin to feel that he is under the authority of the upper force, the whole upper force. 

Only then he can see how the Creator leads the world by the quality of The Good That Does Good. As long as he is in multiple authorities, 

Meaning that there are many forces that tug on him, that confuse him in his heart, in his mind, in his brain. Meaning when he still has two desires in both mind and heart, both in the thought and the understanding and in the desire 

Mind or brain and heart, he is unable to see the truth. Instead, he must go above reason and say, 

Even as much as he gives himself to the Creator—still he says

They have eyes like Him, they don't see anything but they do not see the truth, 

Meaning he has to deliver himself to the authority of the Creator above all the opinions and doubts, simply do it with his eyes shut. 

It follows that when one regards oneself and wants to know if he is now in a time of descent or a time of ascent, he cannot know that too, the state he is in. That is, he thinks that he is in a state of descent, and that too is incorrect since he might be in a state of ascent now, meaning seeing his true state, how far he is from the holy work. 

This is the truth, that he is far from the work of the Creator; thus, because he sees the truth, it means he is in the state of ascent. Although it is not according to how he feels, and also not according to his degree, his state in and of itself. But he can determine that it is a state of ascent; because I see the truth, I see who I am, and I have come closer to the truth. Even if it is not grand and exalted, my truth, and I don't have spiritual forces. Nevertheless I am in the truth. 

Thus, he has now come closer to the truth, and it might be to the contrary.

M. Laitman (Source Text/Commentary): (24:19) Now he feels that one is in a state of elation When in fact he is now controlled by receiving for himself called, a descent. 

The main thing is for us to determine the truth through discernment, meaning, the lowest state, but it’s the truth. And only one who is already in the singular authority – meaning that can annul himself completely toward the Creator – he can discern and know the truth. Hence, one must trust the opinion of his Rav because he doesn't know what state he's in, what state he has to get into, 

And he has to believe what his Rav tells him. Meaning, one should go as his Rav told him to. 

Meaning, to say that this is good, and this is bad according to what the teacher is telling him. 

And although He sees many arguments and many teachings that do not go hand in hand with the opinion of his Rav, 

The Creator arranges such things on all sides in order to confuse a person, 

He should nevertheless trust the opinion of his Rav and say that what he understands and what he sees in other books that do not coincide with his Rav's opinion, he should say that as long as he's in multiple authorities, 

He has all kinds of discernments, and arguments, and faiths, and beliefs, and calculations, 

He cannot understand the truth, and he cannot see what is written in other books, the truth that they say. 

Meaning, it seems to him that there we may find more wisdom more righteousness, things are explained logically, beautifully, because it is known that when one is still not rewarded in order to bestow above reason, his Torah becomes to him a portion of death, the opposite effect. 

And why does it say not rewarded his Torah becomes to him a portion of death? This is because all the teachings that one learns or hears will not bring him any benefit to make one able to be imparted with life, which is the good adhesion with the life of lives. 

On the contrary, one is constantly drawn farther, is going to make a big detour, and at the end of his life, will have no more strength and no more time to go back to the path of truth. He will then see the error of his ways.

On the contrary, meaning one is constantly drawn farther from the life of lives, since all that he does is only for the needs of the body called receiving for oneself. This is considered separation. This means that through his actions he becomes more separated from the life of lives and this is called the potion of death since it brings him death and not life.  It means that one becomes ever farther from bestowal, called “equivalence of form with the Creator,” by way of “As He is merciful, so are you merciful.”  We must also know that when one is engaged in the right, the time is right to extend upper abundance because the blessed adheres to the blessed. 

The person is close to the Creator. You know, he engages in bestowal, on the right. 

In other words, since one is in a state of completeness called blessed in that respect, one presently has equivalence of form. Since the sign of completeness is if one is in gladness, otherwise there is no completeness.

Meaning, if he performs an act of bestowal, it's a sign that he's in bestowal, if he's in joy.  

M. Laitman (Source Text/Commentary): (29:30) It is as our sages said, “The Shechina is present only out of gladness of a Mitzva”, [commandment].” 

And you see that he truly does this from his heart. 

The meaning is that the reason that brings him joy is the Mitzva, the commandment, meaning the fact that the Rav had commanded him to take the right line.

It follows that he keeps the commandment of the Rav, that he was allotted a special time to walk on the right and a special time to walk on the left,

In criticism. 

And since left contradicts the right, since the left means when one calculates for oneself and begins to examine what he has already acquired in the work of the Creator, and he sees that he is poor and indigent. Thus, how can he be in wholeness? Still, because of the commandment of the Rav, 

One goes above reason, and he's happy, because he has the possibility, even though he sees that nothing works out for him. But above it he is connected to the commandment of the Rav. And this is a great, significant, correct step forward.

It was written that Divinity is present only out of the gladness of Mitzva, 

Because if he's glad, if he's happy, he begins to gradually discover the upper force in the Creator that dwells in all of reality. 

And the reason is that what gives him gladness is the commandment, and the commandment of the Creator, meaning when the Rav, he keeps the commandment of the Rav, that he was allotted a special time to walk on the right and a special time to walk on the left, and the left contradicts the right, because the left means when one calculates for oneself and begins to examine what he has already acquired in the work of the Creator, and he sees that he is poor and indigent. Thus, how can he be in wholeness, 

In wholeness, in gladness, wholeness? 

The reason that brings him joy is Mitzva, meaning the fact that the Rav has commanded him to take the right line. Further, he keeps the commandment of the Rav, that he was allotted a special time to walk on the right, a special time to walk on the left, and since the left contradicts the right, since left means when one calculates for oneself and begins to examine what he has already acquired in the work of the Creator, and he sees that he is poor and indigent, thus how can he be in wholeness? Still, one goes above reason because of the commandment of the Rav. 

That's the main thing, it doesn't matter what he sees, he has to go above that, because by that, he constantly rises up, and up, and up, with the force of Bina, 

It follows that all his wholeness was built on above reason, and this is called “faith”, and this is the meaning of “in every place” where I mention my name, the Creator says, I will come to you and bless you. “In every place” means, although he is still not worthy of a blessing, nonetheless, I gave My blessing because you make a place, deficiency, meaning a place of gladness, in which the upper light can be. 

M. Laitman: You can repeat the article and read it again; you'll see that it's something else, something new, even less understood and less organized, it's very beautiful. So what are we doing now? Well, let's take a few questions, nonetheless.

Question (W Poland): (35:30) It is written that only the one who is in the authority of the single can know the truth, when he's in descent and when he's in ascent, only then he can. But how to define it? In our Ten, our relationship between us is better and better every day, and we keep growing, that's the feeling. Is that correct to think like that, or is that the measure of pride to think like that? 

M. Laitman: What you get as a result of the connection between you is the truth –ery simple. I'm happy to hear that you feel that you are closer and closer to one another! 

Question (Tbilisi): (36:24) It says in the article that we need to listen to the Rav and what he explains. So, how do you adhere to the Rav and not deviate from the path? 

M. Laitman: It's simple: Anyone who wants to go to equivalence with the Creator, he has no choice but to take upon himself a Rav. Rav means, a great one, when you translate it from Hebrew to Hebrew. A great one, he's simply greater than you. He understands more than you. He must have the intellect, the feeling, the experience that's greater than yours, and that's why you have to listen to him. Or take someone else, it doesn't matter, nevertheless, whoever you're going to come to learn from, you have to take upon yourself what he's saying. So, that's what we learn from Baal HaSulam – not from me. I'm simply explaining to you what he's saying, we're learning from him. He's our Rav and we'll try to do what he says. 

Question (PT 27): (38:28) If I heard you properly, it says there that there is time dedicated for the right and time dedicated for the left, what is that? 

M. Laitman: As Rabash writes in the letter, I forget the number, maybe you can say: You need to have 23 and a half hours a day on the right line, and half an hour out of the 24 hours in criticism on the left.

Student: Is it an allegory or literally?

M. Laitman: Well, let's try to follow the clock, not what do you feel like doing from within?

Question (PT 5): (39:32) It says there that the Rav, he gives a student an example of mostly being in the right line. Now, my impression from our work and from what I see from you is that the left line is much more developed, evolved, than the right line approach. Why don't you ask, why don't you do? I know in dissemination that it's all wrong, and we have to fix it. And when I'm stuck in the right line, I feel like it's unrelated to us. That you have to get up in the morning, and give thanks, and be satisfied with what you have. How is it really possible to develop and work with the right line according to what we hear from Rav and what we learn? 

M. Laitman: Here it's talking about your attitude toward the Creator, you have to accept where you are in the world and accept that the entire world is under the authority of the Creator. And in this way, you can advance, and then you accept the advices of the teacher who's your guide, that is guiding you to coming closer, approaching the Creator. That's it. There's nothing special here, only one thing is special, that you have to imagine that you're in the whole complete world, in the Creator's world. And even when it does not appear this way, try with all your might, as much as possible, to imagine that you are in a world that's entirely good. There's None Else Besides Him, and He's the Good Who Does Good. And the more you persist in it, you'll begin to feel that it opens up a new world for you.