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

Daily Morning Lesson: April 7, 2026

Part 1: Rabash. The Connection between Passover, Matza, and Maror, 14. (1987)

Original lesson date: 03/11/2002

Reader: Dear friends, in the first part of the lesson we will study a lesson of Rav, from March 11, 2002, based on the article, "The Connection Between Passover, Matza, and Maror." You can find it in the Rabash writings. We will begin from the beginning of the article until a part of the article ending with, "so that they will all see His greatness, and that He is Almighty." Those will be the final words. We will read the article together in the Ten. We have 30 minutes for this. Tens that finish before the time is up are welcome to do a workshop on the main points from the article.

Reading: (00:55) The Connection between Passover, Matza, and Maror

Article No. 14, 1987

It is written in the Haggadah [Passover story]: “Thus did Hillel in the time of the Temple: He would bind together Passover [lamb], Matza, and Maror [bitter herb] and eat them together, to observe what was said, ‘They shall eat it with Matza and bitter herbs.’”

We should understand this in the work. What does the connection between those three things that he would eat together imply?

To understand the meaning of the Passover offering at the time of the exodus from Egypt, when they came out from the enslavement they were under in Egypt, we should first understand the meaning of the exile in Egypt—from what did they suffer there.

Concerning the Maror, it is written in the Haggadah, “This Maror we are eating, what is it for? For the lives of our fathers in Egypt were made bitter by the Egyptians, as it was said, ‘And they made their lives bitter with hard work … which they made them do hard labor.’”

We should understand what “And they made their lives bitter with hard work” means. What is it in the work of the Creator? It is known that the work of the Creator is when we work for the sake of the Creator, when we are rewarded with adhering to the Life of Lives. Precisely when we work in order to bestow, this is the time to receive the delight and pleasure that the Creator created in order to do good to His creations. This means that the salvation of the Lord comes into the vessels of bestowal.

We should make two discernments concerning the entrance of the abundance into the vessels of bestowal: 1) The abundance comes in order to create vessels of bestowal. 2) The light that comes once he has vessels of bestowal.

This means that when one wants to walk on the path of bestowing contentment upon one’s Maker and not for one’s own sake, the body resists with all its might and does not let him make any movement. It takes away from him all the motivation and strength that he had in order to do things for the Creator.

When a person sees the truth as it really is, when he sees how immersed he is in self-love and there is not a spark in his body that will let him do anything in order to bestow, in that state a person has already achieved the truth, meaning he has come to the recognition of evil. At that time he has no way to help himself, and there is only one advice: to cry out to the Creator to help him, as it is written, “And the children of Israel sighed from the work, and they cried out, and their cry rose up to God from the work.”

This is the meaning of what was said, “He who comes to purify is aided.” The Zohar asks, “With what?” It replies, “With a holy soul.”

It follows that the meaning of “And they made their lives bitter” means that they did not let them work in order to bestow, which yields Dvekut [adhesion] with the Life of Lives. Instead, the Klipa [shell/peel] of Egypt and Pharaoh governed the children of Israel with their governance of self-love so they could not do anything against the Egyptians’ will. This was the exile—that they wanted to come out of this exile but could not.

Accordingly, the meaning of what is written, “And the children of Israel sighed from the work,” which work are we speaking of? It means that it is from the work of the Creator, that this is called “hard work,” since it was difficult for them to work in order to bestow because the Egyptians and Pharaoh, King of Egypt, installed in them their thoughts and desires.

In other words, since the Klipa of Egypt is primarily self-love, the Egyptians ruled over the people of Israel so that the people of Israel, too, would walk in their way, called “self-love.” It was difficult for Israel to overcome these thoughts. This is the meaning of what is written, “And the children of Israel sighed from the work.”

That is, while they were walking on the path of the Egyptians, which is in order to receive, the body gave them fuel and it was not hard for them to do the work of the Creator. It is known that the Egyptians were servants of the Creator, as our sages wrote about what is written (Tanchuma, Beshalach), “And he took six hundred carriages”: “(And should you ask) From where did Egypt have livestock, for it was said, ‘And all the livestock of Egypt died,’ it was from those who fear the word of the Lord, as it is written, ‘The one among the servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord made his servants and his livestock flee into the houses.’” From here they said, “He who fears the word of the Lord will cause Israel’s failure.”

RASHI concludes from this: “Rabbi Shimon would say, ‘The purest among the Egyptians, kill; the best among the snakes, smash its brains.’” It therefore follows that the hard work that they had was work in the field, for a field is the holy Shechina [Divinity], as it is known that Malchut is called a “field.”

It was difficult for them to take upon themselves the burden of the kingdom of heaven in order to bestow, but the Egyptians wanted them to do the holy work in order to receive. They let them think that this is called “He who fears the word of the Lord.”

However, from here, from this discernment, came Israel’s failure, meaning to those who are Yashar-El [straight to the Creator]. They wanted all their work to be only for their own sake, and from this emerged the failure.

That is, the failure was primarily when the Egyptians spoke to Israel in the language of fearing the Creator. From this language emerge all of Israel’s failures. Had the Egyptians spoke the language of the secular, the people of Israel would have fled from their influence for sure if they had come to them with their thoughts and wishes.

Now we can interpret what is written (Exodus), “And the Egyptians enslaved Israel BaPerech [with hard work].” Our sages said, bePeh Rach [with a soft mouth]. We should understand the meaning of “soft mouth” in the work of the Creator.

As was said above, the Egyptians spoke with thoughts and desires that we must serve the Creator, but in order to receive. This is called a “soft mouth.” That is, the body agrees more to do the holy work with the intention to receive, and there is no need to aim to bestow.

It follows that with these words they caused Israel to have hard work while assuming the burden of the kingdom of heaven, and for this reason, everyone in Israel said that the holy work, in order to bestow, is very difficult.

For this reason, the Egyptians imparted upon them thoughts that it is better to work in order to receive, that in this way they would see that each day they are progressing in good deeds. But in the work in the form of Israel, they see for themselves that it is difficult. And the evidence of this is that they see no progress in the work.

It follows that a “soft mouth” means that they make Israel think that if they follow their way it is easier work. This is called “soft,” meaning that it is easier to advance in the holy work.

With these complaints, the Egyptians made their lives bitter with hard work, for they would always explain to Israel that the work of Israel is called “hard work” and it is not for them.

“With Homer [mortar]” means that the Egyptians explained to Israel the Humra [severity] of bestowal, whereas the work of Egypt will always be white, meaning they will feel no darkness in the work and the body will agree to this work. This is called “Levenim [bricks],” meaning that the work of Egypt is always regarded as Levanim [white], without any stains or dirt, but they will always be perfect. By this they made it really difficult for Israel to work for the Creator.

In other words, the hard work extended from the Egyptians always telling them about the Homer [severity] in the work of bestowal, and the Levenim [bricks] that there are in this work, and the fear of the Egyptians.

It was said that from the one who feared the Lord extended Israel’s failure. This means that from this extended to them the hard work in the field, meaning in the kingdom of heaven that they wanted to take upon themselves but could not.

It is from here that Rabbi Shimon says of “He who fears the word of the Lord”: “The purest among the Egyptians, kill; the best among the snakes, smash its brains.” We should interpret the words of Rabbi Shimon, “The purest among the Egyptians, kill.”

That is, what the Egyptians say is pure, kill, since our sages said, “He who comes to kill you, kill him first.” In other words, that which the Egyptians tell you is pure, that this path is fit to walk in, know that he wishes to kill you from spiritual life. Therefore, kill these thoughts.

“The best among the snakes, smash its brains” means that if the snake, which is the evil in man, advises you that this path is good for you, and makes you clearly see in the way that the serpent came to Eve, do not argue with it, but smash its brains. That is, all the intellect that it explains, smash that intellect. In other words, we must go above reason.

Now we will explain the meaning of the Matza [Passover’s unleavened bread]. In the work, we should interpret the word Matza from the word Meriva [strife], for the “Massah and Meriva, and for the quarrel of the children of Israel, and for their trying the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us, or not’” (Exodus 17:7).

The translation [into Aramaic] says about Meriva, “The Matza [strife] is because the children of Israel strove.” It follows that Matza comes from the word “strife,” meaning that the people of Israel had a quarrel with the Creator over why He made it so difficult to work in order to bestow, and why, even though they try to come out of Egypt’s governance, not only are they not advancing, they see that they are even regressing.

In other words, they were tasting bitterness in the work, which caused them to quarrel with the Creator, and a strife is called Matza. We see that over such a complaint, the people of Israel quarreled with Moses, meaning when they saw that when they began to work for the sake of the Creator they had become worse, as it is written (Exodus 5:21), “And they said to them, ‘May the Lord look upon you and judge, for you have made our scent odious in Pharaoh’s eyes.’”

These complaints that they said to Moses, Moses said to the Creator, as it is written, “And Moses returned to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord, why have You brought harm to this people? Why did You send me? Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all.’”

We should interpret their complaints to Moses. When they said, “Will see and judge,” it means that they quarreled with Moses, since Moses told them to believe in the Creator, so they went out of the body’s control. Pharaoh King of Egypt controls the body, and he afflicts the Kedusha [sanctity/holiness]. They began to work in mind and heart and saw that the body, which is Pharaoh, began to govern them. That is, everything they wanted to do in the work of the Creator, the body resists it vigorously.

Before they began to walk in Moses’ way, they had strength in the work. But now, everything they do, the body loathes. This is the meaning of what is written about Moses, “for you have made our scent odious in Pharaoh’s eyes.” In other words, our body loathes our spirit in the work of the Creator once we begin the path of bestowal.

Afterward, Moses went to the Creator with the complaints of Israel, who quarreled with Moses over bringing them the message from the Creator. It is written about it, “And Moses returned to the Lord and said, ‘Why have You brought harm to this people? Why did You send me’” (meaning what are the complaints)? He said, “Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all.”

“Ever since I came to the children of Israel” means to their bodies, which are called “Pharaoh.” “To speak in Your name” means that everyone will begin to work for the sake of the Creator. This is the meaning of “in Your name.” It stands to reason that since everyone wants only the truth, for is there anyone who is a fool and wants to walk on the path of falsehood? Rather, indeed everyone wants the truth, as always when knowing that someone is lying, no one wants to listen to him.

But here they said, “Why is it that when Moses came and told them to walk on the path of truth, the body, which is called ‘Pharaoh,’ makes our scent odious when we begin this work?”

For this reason, they had grievances against the Creator over becoming worse now than before Moses came to them as the Creator’s messenger. He wanted to deliver them from exile, so why are they seeing now that they are going deeper into exile, that Pharaoh controls the body more forcefully and with more intellect, making them understand each time with a different argument? It follows that Israel’s situation prior to Moses’ coming to them as a messenger of the Creator was better in the work. Now, however, they see that their bodies, which are regarded as “Pharaoh,” have complete control over the children of Israel.

That is, where there should have been high spirits from knowing that they are walking on the path of truth, the opposite occurred. In the eyes of the body, which is called “Pharaoh,” what spirit did they have? It is written about it, “for you have made our scent odious in Pharaoh’s eyes.” The body was telling them, “What spirit is there in the work of bestowal?”

Making the scent odious means a bad smell that is impossible to tolerate. This means that they could not stand this mindset and wanted to escape the way one runs from stench. That is, instead of the work on the path of truth bringing high spirits so that a person will want to stay forever in that mindset, the opposite occurred here. From the work of bestowal, they received a mindset of stench, meaning that they wanted to escape that mindset and could not stand it for even a minute. It is as was said to Moses, “for you have made our scent odious.”

Moses brought Israel’s grievances to the Creator and asked Him, “Why have You sent me?” The Creator replied to Moses, as it is written, “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Now you will see that which I will do to Pharaoh, for with a mighty hand he will send them.’” The answer to why He has made the work of bestowal so hard was that He wanted the mighty hand to be revealed, as it is written, “for with a mighty hand he will send them, and with a mighty hand he will drive them out of his land.”

In which way is a mighty hand necessary? It is precisely when the other party resists with all its might. Then it can be said that we must use a mighty hand. But if the other party is weak, it cannot be said that it requires a mighty hand to deal with it. It is as the allegory that Baal HaSulam said, that normally, when two people are disputed, sometimes they move into a fist fight. The one who sees that he cannot overcome the other takes a knife against him. When the other one sees that he has a knife, he takes a pistol, and when that one sees he has a pistol, he takes a rifle, and so forth, until the other one takes a machine gun, and if he has a machine gun, the other one takes a tank. However, we have never heard that if someone takes a stick and wants to hit with it, the other one takes a tank to fight the one who took the stick.

It is likewise in the work. It cannot be said that we must go against Pharaoh with a mighty hand if Pharaoh does not resist very strongly. And since the Creator wanted to show him a mighty hand here, the Creator had to harden Pharaoh’s heart, as it is written, “for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I may set these tokens of Mine within him.”

However, we should understand why it is written that the Creator hardened Pharaoh’s heart because the Creator wanted to set those tokens so that the name of the Creator would become known. Is the Creator deficient? Does he need others to know that He can set tokens and signs? Also, what does it imply to us in the work that we should know this for generations?

According to what Baal HaSulam said about the question that Abraham asked after the Creator promised him (Genesis 15:7), “And He said to him, ‘to give you the land to inherit it.’” He asked, “How will I know that I will inherit it?” “And He said to Abram: ‘Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and they will be enslaved and afflicted four hundred years. …And afterward they will come out with many possessions.’”

He asked, What is the answer to Abram’s question, “How will I know that I will inherit it,” meaning what is the meaning of what the Creator replied to him?

Answer: “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers … and they will be afflicted. …And afterward they will come out with many possessions.” He asked, “The text implies that the answer was satisfactory, since Abram did not ask further, and we see that Abram’s way was to argue with the Creator, as in the case of the people of Sodom when the Creator said to Abram, ‘The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great.’”

But here, when He told him, “Know for certain,” he was pleased with the reply.

He said that since Abraham saw the magnitude of the inheritance that He had promised to his sons, Abraham thought according to the rule that there is no light without a Kli [vessel], meaning there is no lack without a filling. He did not see that the children of Israel would need such high degrees and attainments in the upper worlds, which is why he asked the Creator, “How will I know that I will inherit it,” since they haven’t the Kelim [vessels] or the need for the great inheritance that You are showing me that You will give to my sons; they haven’t the need.

To this, the Creator replied to him, “I will give them a need for the lights, just as I will give them the lights.” In other words, the Creator will give them both the lights and the Kelim. Do not think that I bestow only the abundance. Rather, I bestow upon them both the need, which is called Kli, and the abundance. This is called “lack and filling.”

By the people of Israel being in exile in Egypt four hundred years, which is a complete degree of four Behinot [discernments], by being in exile in a land that is not theirs, meaning that the Egyptians will impart Israel with a desire for self-reception, a desire that does not belong to Kedusha, which is called Eretz [land], from the word Ratzon [desire], and their wanting to escape that desire, when I make them unable to come out of that governance by themselves and see that only the Creator can help them, and they will have no other choice but to ask Me for help, it is as our sages said, “He who comes to purify is aided.” And The Zohar says that the help is that they are given a holy soul. By the many prayers when they seek the Creator’s assistance, they will receive a higher degree each time, and by this they will have a need to ask of the Creator. This will cause them to ask of the Creator and receive a higher degree, after which I will be able to give them the inheritance.

Thus, the Creator deliberately made them unable to overcome, so they would have Kelim.

It follows that the hardening of the heart was done to Pharaoh in order to make room for a need for the upper lights. If they did not have hard work, they would not have the need for the great lights.

One who is going to fight against someone, with the hand or with a stick, the other has no need to use a tank or a cannon against him. For this reason, in order for the lower ones to have a need to receive great lights, they must be faced with strong Klipot [shells/peels], which a person must draw great lights in order to break. Otherwise, he would be content with little. It follows that Pharaoh’s hardening of the heart causes them to draw great lights.

By this we will understand what we asked, “Did He set the tokens in order for the nations to know that the Creator can do miracles and wonders? That is, did He make the hardening of the heart in order to be respected? Does the Creator have grievances against His creations, meaning does something against the will of the creatures? After all, the whole purpose of creation is to do good to His creations, and here it turns out the opposite, that He made the hardening of the heart to the creatures so everyone would see His greatness, that He is almighty.

Reader: Let's enter a lesson now from March 11, 2002. 

M. Laitman: (36:16) The Connection Between Passover, Matza, and Maror from the “Rungs of the Ladder” about the holidays, about Passover. On the one hand, it is written in the Torah that Israel are stubborn people, fully stubborn. They don't want to hear anything. It's very difficult to bring anything into them, to obligate them in any way. On the other hand, it is also written that the Creator does that, right? He gives them all of these conditions, these failures, the burdening of the heart, so that they will not be able to listen.  They will not be able to carry out what He demands so that they will need Him. They will truly want the whole depth of the will to receive. 

Opposite that, they will have a desire for redemption. So what is expected of Israel if the Creator gives them such a burdening of their heart that they cannot do anything by themselves? What is demanded, as we learn from the article "Free Choice," the freedom not to do anything. There is nothing to do. There is nothing new that needs to be built. Everything is built, all the degrees are built. When a person moves from one degree to the next, clearly he moves only by being given a force from above, an understanding from above, a desire from above- everything comes from above. 

If he moves from one degree to another degree, it's only because he has a push from below. He has a desire for it, he has a feeling of necessity. Without that, he truly can't be. So, where here comes our work? Our work is in the middle all the time it says, and they sighed. 

This means that we can check very quickly about ourselves. Can we do it or not? Can we turn to the Creator more- yes? No? Should we turn? In short, our work is in recognizing our state. If we recognize a state, immediately it is replaced from above. We get to know the next state and again it is replaced from above to a more advanced state, and so on. 

In all of the states, the entire ladder of states was already made in the expansion from above downward earlier, and in that there is nothing new, but rather, this has been prepared for us.

M. Laitman: (39:32) Also, a person should remember that if he wants to improve his state, then it's likewise with a society and also with a nation, and also with respect to our own nation.  In today's state, if we want to improve our place we can't do it on the degree where we are, because the degree where we are determines our state. 

If we want to feel better we need to rise to a higher degree, which is closer to the light. There, we will feel better. If you want to feel even better, go ahead, please rise to a higher degree. If you descend from a higher degree to one that's a little bit lower, you feel a little bit worse. In each and every degree it's like on a ladder where you go up or you go down, and the state is fixed in each and every degree. 

So, how can we rise on the degrees? The Kabbalists say that it is through the Reforming Light. When we study the writings of Kabbalah with the right intention, we awaken the surrounding lights. According to what it says in item 155 in the Introduction to TES, the surrounding light comes, it awakens the person, it gives him power, and then the person rises from one degree to the second degree, from the second to the third. It's very simple.

We shouldn't expect that in a state as I am in now, it will be better for me. It will not be better for me. But to the contrary, if I do not advance towards the surrounding lights, there is what we call the general notion of time. So, if I am behind this general time then I descend, and I feel myself as worse, and worse, and worse until I begin to understand through suffering that it is worthwhile for me to ascend. That changing my situation means to ascend, and ascend through the reforming light. This is the entire principle, to grasp that the ladder of the degrees, or Jacob's ladder, does not change, and we are all on this ladder.  

So, we need to understand, to recognize the state where we are, and understand the reason why we feel bad, what makes us feel bad, how can we be saved and then operate the means- the study of Kabbalah with the intention to ascend. 

And as much as a person, in his intention during the studies, is closer to the surrounding light, this light influences him more, and accordingly, the person rises higher, faster. We know that the connection in spirituality is according to equivalence of form. The more the intentions of a person are closer to bestow, to distancing from corporeality and his ego, then the lights will influence him more. Therefore, when we approach the study, we must equip ourselves with these intentions. As he writes there in item 17, in the “Introduction to TES,” and then we can truly rise to degrees where we will feel good. 

All in all, this is what the Creator wants, that each and every one will find each time, a degree where they feel good. Later on, one will discover it's not good enough and there is even better. So, it continues until the end of correction, and there one will see that indeed he exists inside the absolute Good.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (44:05) But we say that to recognize a state or which degree we're in, we can only do it from the degree plus one, meaning from the higher up degree. What does it mean in our state to recognize a state?

M. Laitman: The fact that I feel bad, so, I just feel bad. I feel bad like common people feel bad. This bad still does not awaken one to think that there is some kind of a special solution. Where does this evil, this bad come to us? For what purpose does the bad come to us? How can we escape from it? What can we reach? We don't yet have this recognition, this awareness. Why? Because the surrounding light that shines from a higher degree to our degree, it still shines to the inverted vessels. Vessels that want only to receive. That they will feel good in being far away from bestowal, being far away from the Creator. That state does not change. If these vessels, even though we all exist in egoism, in intentions that are only to receive, if they would take the books of Kabbalah, as Baal HaSulam says, and they would study, then according to that same item 155, in “Introduction to TES,” they would draw only by the desire to know, not to be purified. He writes there- look where he starts from far away. He says, by studying and not understanding what they study, but they want to know, which is a human trait. 

On that, by that, they already awaken the surrounding lights that draw upon them grace from above. Then, bit by bit, a person begins to think that there is such a thing called bestowal, and maybe it is good. When he begins to think that maybe it is good, the surrounding light does that to him. But once he already has this correction, that he thinks that bestowal could be a good thing, he is already closer to the surrounding light. He already is with it together to a certain extent, they are already in the same direction. 

So a person can receive from the surrounding light forces that truly develop in him this quality of the grace from above, the quality of bestowal. And according to that, he continues with his effort, and he rises. This means that we don't need any excellence, any previous knowledge, any special qualities. Even common people if they open the book and want to come out of their troubles by that without understanding anything, they will just read it. That is all. You can truly start from zero. And bit by bit, according to how a person advances, his intention becomes more perfected, and he begins to understand better where exactly is this tip that he needs to think about more and more sharply.  Then more and more sharply, and each time he becomes more experienced in that. But there is only one means, the surrounding light- which reforms through the study with an intention that is as close as possible to the light. That's it. 

And what does that do to you? It raises you from degree to degree, and every higher degree is better. It's very simple. In each degree, its climate, its conditions are better. It's like when you truly rise. You have a ladder, let's say, from here to some high mountain. Each time you rise to a certain level, you feel a different state, a different wind, the sun. It's all different. That's all. So, don't expect that on the degree that you're in, if you stay in it and you don't try to rise, something will change. It cannot change. This is the nature of the current degree. And in it, nothing will ever change. But rather, the souls that go up and down, the person who goes up and down in his internality, emotionally, he can feel these changes. And then from the inner degree that he perceives, to also project to his body, because the spiritual desires are much stronger and greater than the bodily desires, and they suppress certainly all of the physical things. 

As he writes about the feeling of hunger, we're not talking about your intestines, how much empty space you have there. But rather we speak about the hunger, about the feeling, about the deficiency which does not depend at all about how much empty space you have in your belly. 

It is a spiritual thing that cannot be measured, and it doesn't depend on the physical empty space. Therefore, when we acquire some spiritual phenomenon, some spiritual feeling, then certainly all of the lower sensations already receive some inspiration, and they are postponed- suppressed.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (50:37) How to connect hunger with emptiness? How not to connect hunger with the emptiness in the stomach that I have? Meaning when you say that to go from a good state to a better state, and by this, along the way, you need to reach a state of awareness, awareness of your state. How not to go down to the hunger?

M. Laitman: Each time that I'm in some state, not to descend at least to a lower degree. To descend to a lower degree, means to be drawn after the thoughts of the body. Each one of us wants to run away to some warm, peaceful, quiet corner, especially if we have troubles. I don't want anything. I want to limit myself and have less, and less, and less, and less, just not to feel anything, right? That's it. The moment that there is a possibility to receive and feel good, then no, then we want more, and more, and more. We want to swallow up the whole world. The moment that I feel bad, I don't want anything from this world other than give me some quiet, peaceful corner. Just let me breathe a little bit. That's it, right? So everything depends on the external conditions that a person achieves. And we don't need to think about our desires. The moment that it's necessary, you will feel them. We need to think about the external conditions that they will shine to us more. What is felt on each and every degree, in each and every state we have, from the lowest degree to the highest degree, what we feel is the Creator. Besides Him, there is no one else to feel. The feeling of the Creator in our current form is called "our world," as you see it, because our sensations, our vessels, our senses are the opposite of Him. This is why we feel this world the way we feel it, in a bad way. As much as we will be in equivalence of form, according or compatible with His qualities, we will feel better. That is all. So we don't need to speak about the size of the vessels. We need to speak about the quality of the vessels.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (53:44) I don't understand the difference between, let's put it this way- a person is in a certain state and he wants to feel better. That's one. And two, he is in a certain state and he understands that it will be better only if he rises to the next degree. What is the difference?

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Student: What do I care about, by what do I... 

M. Laitman: What is the difference between whether I want to have it good now in the state that I'm in, or that I think that it will be good for me only under the condition that I will rise to a higher degree, to a higher degree than I am? 

Student: Not only that, but from where does he have this discernment that seemingly there are two degrees? 

M. Laitman: This discernment is what we need to acquire. That's precisely what we need to acquire. This is an essential distinguishment. Where only by coming closer to the Creator it will be good for me. If a person were to depict to oneself this ladder from this world to the final correction and understand that all the degrees are in a permanent state, and in each and every degree there are its own conditions, and these conditions in the degree are bad now because the nature of this degree. And you cannot have anything good right now. Then ascending is actually to be saved from the evil. Then he will already know, oh- to rise from degree to degree I need surrounding light, and for that I need to study and have intentions before the study, so it will help me, and so on. 

I need the support of the society. This is why we need to learn this trick, if you will. You could say, oh, the ladder is internal, it's like placed on the ground, and its head is up into the heavens. It's not that kind of a ladder. It's my inner states. You're right, but if I imagine it in such a way, then I lose this picture of me needing to draw the reforming light, the surrounding light, I need to ascend, I need to be closer to the Creator. It becomes blurry. It's true that you're correct, this whole ladder is inside of me, within me. 

My current state, my current degree is external, and then there are states like onion layers, states that are internal more and more and more, just like each sphere is the world, a state, a degree that is more superior and these spheres, from the most external sphere that I'm in now, and what is revealed to me to the inner state that is more spiritual, inwards and inwards to the most internal point, which is the final correction. 

You can depict this state this way, it doesn't matter, but only it has to help you find the reason for this state, and the solution of how to come out of it. It's all an imaginary thing that you're imagining here, depicting here, but bottom line here is - what will help you exit it? 

Hence, they don't just say, the ladder of Jacob, and it's in this way, and they wrote a ladder, and they didn't talk about it in the form of spheres, Sefirot, and they wrote about it in some other way, in other terms, but they could have done it this way, they simply did it the simplest way, as root and branch, and the state. Look, little Jacob is laying on the ground, enters into sleep, disconnects from his reality, and sees from the lowest possible degree, the ladder that rises and ascends to the heavens. Who's Jacob? Abraham, who received the coarseness of Isaac, and now can work with him in the middle line. Jacob. Yaakov. 

M. Laitman: (57:55) I think this is a simple picture that can be explained to everyone and show that emerging from our state is only possible if you rise to a higher degree. You'll have it better, both for you and for the whole nation. And by what- like this, like he says in the end of the “Introduction to the Book of Zohar.” The same means, like for the world, like for a person, like for a nation, it's the same means. And not cry out that the Creator is giving us terrible conditions today, screaming in the television: “40 killed people a week.” Well, and what? Does that move anyone? No. You could say, yes. But how do we know these poor people that there is such a solution, and who will explain it to them? 

First of all, we need to accept that the vessels, these states come from above, and the Creator makes them. And then, gradually we begin through this knowledge to discover the solution, that probably the solution is also in Him. Just like the cause is with Him, also the solution is with Him.

When king David was in battle, you know what kind of battles he had? It was like contact. What was there? A stick, a spear. What was there? Bow and arrow, what? So, also 100,000 would die in a day. Wars are wars. It depends on how you look at it. It's not that you count it like this, like, like chickens, no. But we need to understand that from above, why am I saying it kind of like in disregard? 

From above the consideration is not of bodies like we do. From above, what's taken into consideration is how sorry you are through one's body. And if we lost 40 people in a week and it doesn't move us, then it's as if we didn't lose anyone. Do you understand? Because it's the sorrow that is measured that you have. 

The consequence of the sorrow, as much as it awakens you. But if it doesn't awaken you then it's as if you didn't lose a thing. You didn't feel a thing - nothing was lost. The true measuring scales are very, very difficult here. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:01:08) There is a possibility to advance by the fact that I feel bad and I want to feel better and jump to the next degree. And I have the possibility to advance maybe by seeking to take an example. So, this advancement between whether I feel bad and I want to improve my state, it's actually through suffering.

M. Laitman: Who told you that the Exodus from Egypt was not the path of suffering? You're asking, why am I advancing through suffering? If you are in the desire to receive in order to receive, and you don't know about it, but rather you gradually need to get to know it, who it is. And it's not bad, this desire to receive. It's only bad in relation to the Creator. So, in this world, it's not bad. We see people that have a big desire to receive, they earn well, they're successful, they spin everyone who have smaller desires to receive, they spin them all in a way that they will work for them. Yes, whoever has a good desire to receive becomes a manager, a big landlord. And all those small ones, who are just, it's enough, just let me earn a little bit, let me go - they work for him, and he earns above them. Only in our world, that's a good thing. Rather only if the Creator is revealed. When the Creator only wants to advance humanity, He discovers what's bad about this state. That's all. Otherwise, if it weren't towards the Creator, the desire to receive is not bad. What's bad about it?

Student: But what in this state is called the path of Torah? 

M. Laitman: In this state, the path of Torah is considered that you're being given an opportunity in each and every state to advance towards the recognition of evil faster, through all means like the society, the books, and everything. What is this? It's like through the study, you are drawing grace from above. You start to feel that there's such a thing that's kind of like bestowal. And from this, you start to feel that you're more in Egypt. This is considered that as much as they were in Egypt, they felt more that they are in Egypt. And then you come to a state where the gap, the strain between the grace you receive from above and your state, your current qualities, is such that you feel, I must leave, I must run away. I just don't know how. And what for did the Creator arrange this feeling of a gap? So that you will connect to Him for the first time. The people of Israel did not want to connect to the Creator. Also in the giving of the Torah, they told Moses: “You talk to Him and then you can mediate between us.” It's not, it's kind of like not opportune in the nature of a person to connect to godliness. It obligates- it's a burden, but everything comes only from the light that illuminates during the study. It determines your next state. It determines the strain of what you will feel that you're in recognition of evil. It gives you the forces not to exit it, certainly if not to exit you don't do it on your own, but the forces to turn to the Creator. There's no other means here.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:05:12) Can there be a recognition of evil in a group? 

M. Laitman: A so-called group recognition of evil, also when we speak of this, when we are together we study together, then certainly we reach such a recognition of evil that each without speaking, without even speaking. because you're not allowed to speak about any bad things to one another. Only about good things. It's not allowed to talk about my recognition of evil, “oh my life is like this, and the Creator is like this, and we're this way, and we're not okay.” We shouldn't ever talk about this. 

We must only talk about positive things. Don't share with the friend the bad, only the good. And it doesn't matter what bad state you're in, you must radiate good things to him. Otherwise, nothing good will ever return to you. And only in such a way you're also for him, and also for him you're working. So, the general recognition of evil is because it's not according to words, but rather it moves from one to another, kind of without words, in spirit. 

Student: How is it possible to ask for help if you can't mention your situation? 

M. Laitman: Help? Help from a friend if you can ask, only in him telling you good things. What else? 

Student: Well, let's say, someone is in distress. 

M. Laitman: If someone's in distress, well, but you don't know about it. 

Student: If he doesn't tell me about it, I can't help him.

M. Laitman: Yes, if someone is truly in distress and he can't come out of it, he can turn to the other. Rabash writes about it like that, that he can turn to the other, but not that he should turn to the other and start telling him- you know what, how it's not okay, everything. No, in that he lowers the other. Like it or not, evil influence, it's a bad influence to the other, and that's prohibited. That's called slander. 

If someone tells something bad to the other, it doesn't matter what form he's telling him about the evil, if it's not for the sake of the immediate correction that we're talking about, that is called slander. What is this slander? Every rumor or knowledge that lowers and weakens a person is called slander, each and everything. Being lightheaded, just being a little silly, even a little jokingness, weakens you suddenly, and all your thoughts, your intentions disappear at that time that you're hearing about something. 

That is also called slander, or evil tongue in Hebrew. Especially this slander that is aimed directly and in a disclosed manner towards the Creator, that's the slander. "Who's the Lord that I should hear His voice?” That's slander- the foundation of the evil. Of the slander because it truly cuts off every possibility to turn to the Creator, which is actually your salvation. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:08:46) Can we say it in the following way, that not only in the group, but in every common action, what is shared in the group is only the right line? 

M. Laitman: In the group each time we need to try to connect on the right. Each awakens in the other the measure of greatness of godliness, and the importance of the goal, and the uniqueness in the society. While going and investing true forces the gap between them is revealed, and between them, and between the surrounding light. 

Student: The gap that is, let's say, revealed to me, I... 

M. Laitman: If we truly invest our forces correctly, then we are in a sensation of a great deficiency from Godliness, and in the sensation of joy that is revealed. That's it. And then such a person knows how good it is for him to bestow good to the other from the goa,l and how much he's lacking to hear the good from the other so that he will be when he's in a state of being distanced from him. These edges must always... These poles must always be before his eyes: how small I am and how great He is. But this feeling must be a creative feeling from which I will altogether connect a beneficial action now, a good one.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:10:52) Let's say a deficiency is awakened in me. Can I disclose it in the society now that I see…?

M. Laitman: In a society, we only reveal good. If you feel good from the deficiency, it means that you are sitting and tormenting yourself. You can't feel good from a deficiency.

Student: Yes, if a person wants to... Not allowed to stay in the place and he has to move forward. 

M. Laitman: No, no, that's not considered disclosing a deficiency. It means that the light in the vessel comes as one. If in the society they awaken something that we need to now correct, then certainly we do it. But not in such a way to awaken things like, where are we? What's our situation? We don't know the way. We don't know how to come out of this. 

Meaning don't trip, don't burden ever. Only awaken. They give both the vessels and the lights from above. From above they need to give you questions and hardness, right? From above. Inside of you, you shouldn't look for more sediments, more lows worse things than what they give you from above. They shouldn't give it to me. Why do I need to even go so low? Maybe I'll go up by rising and rising. Understand? 

If a person is attracted down below it's a Klipa- a shell. The Klipa is working on him and it's a very special shell. A person loves to suffer, to show everyone that he suffers. Poor guy, look at me. I'm a hero. Right, Judah? Everybody loves to suffer.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:13:14) We talked a lot about the people, the nation. Probably more important, what is the recognition of our state? Us. Those who already have been shown the books, the means, as if everything has been open to them. So what's missing? Where's the recognition of our state? 

M. Laitman:  Recognition of our own state, or of the group?

Student: Ours, not the public. 

M. Laitman: No, a person cannot know it. Even when you come out into spirituality, you don't know the state. Not immediately. When you come out to spirituality, it's like a baby. If I am now before the Creator in the first degrees, then annulment means that I'm not working with my vessels. I see something, but I don't know what it is. I'm impressed by it, like a baby in our world. Gradually, as much as a person advances and acquires vessels of reception in order to bestow, accordingly he begins to get to know the spiritual world because he absorbs from it, he receives from it, he works with it in receiving and bestowal.

If he doesn't absorb anything, if he doesn't receive into his vessels the spirituality around him, he lacks discernments. I think it's clear, right? Because our reception, our understanding is a result of how we absorb something from the outside. Outside, it's unknown, it's Atzmuto, His essence. The more we can pass it through our vessels, vessels of bestowal, vessels of reception, the more we can pass this light. 

Accordingly we build inside of us a picture of reality, of the world, the Creator. So not only us, but even those who enter spirituality in the smallest degrees, in the first degrees of the ladder. They're like babies. Of course, it's the Creator, and He's present, and He surrounds me, and He fills me, and everything. But recognition, Awareness, as you say, awareness means to work to a small extent with vessels of reception.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:15:52) How to hasten this recognition, meaning how to speed up the change of state? You're saying everything we have to add to it, like we've learned in the "Freedom" article, is the recognition of the state, because everything is given. How do we hasten?

M. Laitman: To hasten? Our work is to accelerate the time. And Israel hastens the times by exerting more during the study, in equality.

Student: So, we are seemingly doing that?

M. Laitman: Well, I don't know if you're doing it or not. It's a thing, it's something a person. I don't know if they can measure so easily. Do you feel the pain of that little inner sting in your soul with each and every word that you're searching for salvation, and that's what you demand from this word? With each and every word do you really want, that it's true spiritual, do you truly demand its true spiritual meaning in order to connect with the source of life? Otherwise, you're dead. If the next moment you're not connected, and you're certainly not connected now. But if another moment, you're staying not connected, you're dead. 

Student: Where will a person take such urgency from?

M. Laitman: We need such necessity a person can take, to reach such necessity- that's the exertion.

Student: So, how to not do this slowly, bit by bit. How to do it faster?

M. Laitman: That everyone needs to rise, like that, everyone, everyone needs to rise to that. I hope that now we're approaching Passover, and during the Passover, we'll certainly have such a general state where if we unite during this festivity and think really in general what should we do and use the surrounding lights of Passover, we can gain quite a lot.

Student: So, what are we missing now? What, unity? What?

M. Laitman: We are missing the quality of the intention. I don't want to say it anymore. Search more, search, go more inside, go deeper, look for it, because this is the work. Otherwise, I'm stealing from you. I'll give you a definition now, three, four words. This definition is not going to give you any foundation, put any meat on the bones, but you'll know about it. And it will pass. It will disappear, because that's to sit in vessels, then it's imprinted in these vessels like a seal, like a print stamp.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:19:00) If I see in my group, say, a problem like lack of unity or bad functioning, then not to point at it? I want to fix it; not to point at it?

M. Laitman: I said one thing: a person should not utter words that can bring down the society, or the friend, or himself. He shouldn't awaken inside himself also such thoughts or speak with your mouth such words that can bring himself down or the friends or the group or the world down from the degree they're in. 

In each state you're in, "I shall come to you and bless you." You need only to yearn higher upwards. So, if you think that by uttering a few words of criticism, let's say truly you did it in within 23 and a half hours you were in a good state. What does it mean good? You worked with an upliftment, you never came down from the degree, your intention, the pressure to move forward, you didn't let yourself let go of the work, right? 

And then for half an hour you enter into criticism, and from this criticism you can also tell others because this criticism, it comes, it sits on the foundation of exaltedness. You're looking for this criticism in order to rise even more. So, in this way you can turn to others, and say it in the group. It's not criticism. It's disclosure of the deficiency together with the light, seemingly, together with the vessel. From the right line you turn to the left, to the left line. But in order to return again to the right; but returning to the right, by returning to the right, I'll be the middle line. But, if you turn to the left without the right, then you enter, and you stay in the left.

Student: How can I discern within me, when I'm doing this thing or that thing?

M. Laitman: According to the feeling of gladness you can diagnose your position. The feeling of joy has to be there all the time. It's a great commandment to be in joy.

Student: Also in revealing the deficiency?

M. Laitman: Also in revealing the deficiency, yes. That's the way to check it.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:21:54) What is the fear that we need to be in? We talked about it on Shabbat. You said that in the beginning, when groups connected, there was such a fear, what will happen with me? That was, and that was, that did a great work. And you said that now it's missing in our groups. What do we do to aim this thing? Is this the left line also, is this a deficiency that we cannot reveal?

M. Laitman: A person has to look for the deficiency by himself. But again, to advance, the end of the action, and the initial thought. I need to first see the end of the action. The end of the action should be the end of correction, adhesion with the Creator. That should be the initial, initial thought in me. What now, for the time being, do I have to do? If I walk in this way then my approach, my attitude is correct. If I will start searching for the deficiency now, why am I wrong? What's wrong? But I'm already looking for that distant point of the end of correction to me. What can I reveal in me now that will pull me a bit more toward that goal? I can speak another two or three hours. It's not gonna do any good. What works, what helps is to work inside. Words they enter, they come out. You need to hear them, but the important thing is to do something, a little something.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:23:55) About what you said that you feel bad in the current degree, but there's a kind of a promise that you feel more in the next degree, in the bodies?

M. Laitman: Is there any assurance that in the next degree I'll feel better? Maybe emotionally, yes, but physically also?

There are many matters tied to a person's state and his advancement. First of all, a person is not a soul animal in the world. Souls are connected to one another. There's connections, the conception of the souls. I may not be functioning at all according to my soul, but only according to how much I need to serve the other souls. 

We all belong to a collection of souls from the sum total of Adam HaRishon, and accordingly we have a common fate, and each one of us, or in how he's connecting with others has his own individual fate. I can't say that every degree, a higher degree, I'll feel better there in all aspects. 

The simplest example for my words is how much Baal HaSulam suffered physically before he passed away. Arthritis, terrible arthritis. Each and every joint was twisted with pain, cancer. He suffered greatly. He had a heart attack. 

In general he had a life of poverty, and he was lacking food and necessities, peace in the household; meaning, he had barely any rest.

Where does it stem from? We learned that it stems from the fact that a person is only a part of all the other souls, and you have Rabbi Akiva with his death. There are many examples, but we can't determine each and every person's destiny or unique fate. We need to rise in the ladder of spiritual degrees. That's it. 

What happens physically or even spiritually with each and every one is according to the functioning of the system called Adam HaRishon. And there are so many things here that are connected. And so many ties that can appear to us truly as the opposite of a righteous man who feels- who suffers and all kinds of things like that. 

So, there's no question about it, because no, first of all, it's not in my control. It's also not revealed to me, let's say, the way I understand it. I don't know exactly where and what. It belongs to much higher degrees. Where the person understands why and how, what's the reason he's connected in such a way. These are very high things. It has to be in general. You have to generally rise to the total state of Adam HaRishon. But it's not important where you are, this reality. It doesn't change. What changes is only how we accept it. That's it.

So, how can we say to the people? I can tell the people the way I'm telling it to you. What's the problem? Well, what is the problem? But there's no other choice. We advance as a result of necessity. Necessity, right? Reluctantly. So, what will you get by knowing now that in the higher degree, it's possible that I'm also going to suffer. So what? 

He who is greater suffers more. He suffers more; nevertheless, most certainly emotionally. If you go now, we went there back then to different Kibbutzim, collective settlements. With a view, you enter there you see cows, next to a cow, next to the person. He has nothing besides cows in his mind. He knows that 1 p.m comes; he goes to eat, he goes back to the cows at 7 p.m., he goes home, watches TV, a series, right? 

Something, 500 movies. That's how it is. He goes to bed, and it repeats itself. You see that just like his cow goes to be milked and comes back. That's how it is. It's time for feeding, and that's it. So, what's so bad about it? It's good. Huh? No. But he's not suffering. He feels nothing. He feels nothing. He is stuck in time like a beast. He can't think about it. He can't plan anything. You know, this already belongs to more advanced people, even this matter. The one who's more advanced begins to suffer for the rest of the nation, the rest of the world until divinity- Shechina, is in exile. That's his sorrow. 

Student: So, what about all the nation? I don't understand.

Reader: If you can see it, let's share our impressions from the lesson. What have we taken to realize and implement in the group?

Song: (01:39:35)