Part 2
Morning Lesson December 08, 2021, Transcription
Transcription is made from simultaneous translation which leaves a possibility for differences from audio
Baal HaSulam - Shamati 74. World, Year, Soul
Shamati 74: The Matter of World, Year, Soul
1. R. (02:27) Of course we are lacking in this scrutiny that a world in the scrutiny of Year World and Soul, from these few lines but will read it again and we will see. Rav reads and explains: It is known that there is no reality without someone who senses that reality, meaning the reality that we feel we have to specify relative to what is this reality, to whom is this reality revealed. Since there is no reality objectively in and of itself but only relative to the one who attains it. That is a law, we're not going to talk about the world. Any phenomenon in this world we can only speak relative to the one that attains that phenomenon because someone else who attains it will feel a different phenomenon. Hence, it's very important for us to specify that always, that's what he writes. It is known that there is no reality without someone who senses that reality, hence when we say Nefesh of Atzilut it means that we are sensing a certain measure of attainment in the upper abundance, we attain the upper abundance to a certain measure and we call this measure of attainment the upper abundance, we call it Nefesh. In this way Kabbalists measured all the attainments that man could reach, the broken vessels could reach and they divided them into five parts according to the desires, according to the restrictions and screens. That's how they named these attainments, Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Chaya, Yechida or according to the corrected desires Shoresh, Alef, Bet, Gimel, Dalet, Root 1 2 3 4 so forth. In general what we attain is the first base attainment is Nefesh and world refers to the collective within that attainment meaning it's not Nefesh where you attain individually rather the world is something inclusive, more general. Meaning that all the souls have the same form so anyone who attains that degree attains that name Nefesh meaning there's something common. Attaining the Nefesh I attain something individual, let's say I feel myself existing and I can talk about myself. But when I say the world in which I exist I speak of something that is outside of me in more advanced vessels. That's why he says the world means the general collective within that attainment, meaning all the souls have the same form so anyone who attains that degree, that degree that’s common to everyone out of that same degree he attains that name called Nefesh. This means it's not necessarily that one person but a specific individual attains that name and, in that form, but that anyone who achieves that degree, which is certainly through the preparation of Kedusha, Holiness as much as he is suitable in purity and then his vessel becomes more expanded. The abundance appears to him in that form called Nefesh. Meaning what's the difference between Nefesh and Olam world, it's a difference of the expansion of the vessel. Let's say if I take my hands and hold a baby’s hand and I'm going into the streets let's say, the baby knows only one thing, he doesn't know what's happening around him outside and he is tied to me holding onto me, and that is his state, his world we call Nefesh. And what I attain outside the vessel of the baby is called Olam, world, so it is the difference in the degrees of attainment. We can understand that from a corporeal example applied in this world. For example, when one person says to another now, I am going to Jerusalem, when he says the name of the city everyone knows and recognizes that city. They are all certain of the place he is speaking of since those who have been to that city know what this is about. That's called that we expand in such a manner the vessel. We have Olam, Shana, Nefesh, world year and Nefesh. Here we have a Shana, year the changes we have in that place, Olam is the general attainment and Nefesh is the private attainment, seemingly the person himself. He doesn't explain more here but there are more articles and in sum total when we get closer to them, we will learn more.
2.S. (08:46) Is it appropriate to pray for the unification of the ten inside each friend in the ten and if so, what is the Creator's response to such a prayer?
R. No we don't know how to pray for each individual because we don't know their state, rather what seems to us in our corrupted vessels, what does state of the friend is and what we need to pray for everyone together in order to be connected together and from within the connection already that we will understand what is upon us to do. We always have one thing to do to be even more connected and this increase in connection is what brings us understanding, sensation and correction.
3.S.(10:02) You just spoke about the world, Olam world, what exactly is the meaning of the words in this context because normally you would say it is concealment and here it is more about attainment can you explain what it means in this article?
R. The world is also revelation and also concealment, if we know how to conceal our intention to receive and rise above it, then everybody from within this we come to attainment, we reach attainment. The world Olam has many meanings to it, the concealment, but from within that concealment we reveal these concealments that for us they turn into degrees of attainment because from above from the side of… we have the concealment, dressed by restriction and there is protection and there is made all these degrees until infinity and each time the concealment is greater and we need by connection to open it and to make from the concealment in which it has already been revealed, so each state which is called Olam world includes in it both the concealment and the revelation.
S. Are there different ways to work, let's say in the ten and let's say you go for attainments or you use it let’s say for concealments. Are there different ways of working in the ten?
R. I don't know what you mean by different ways or different paths. I know that we always need to be in increasing connection in which we prepare the place for revelation of the Creator more and more. More stabilized, great, big and clear and all this is in order to bring Him contentment, to reveal Him. This is actually the bringing of contentment to the Creator itself.
4. S. (13:04) To make certain I understand correctly, when a collective, it is at a certain attainment we can call it a world so does that mean that a collective can be called the world of Nefesh?
R. The mutual attainment is called Olam, the private attainment is called Nefesh.
5. S. (13:50) Rav, what is attainment in the perception of the spiritual reality?
R. It’s called understanding in what spiritual state, meaning the extent of reception in bestowal that I am in and which I attain in these qualities.
6. S. (14:20) Teacher, how in every state to demand more faith rather than security?
R. And not concealment, why not concealment? I need to be in complete confidence. I am in the light of infinity which a great self, according to degrees of concealment called Olam, world, and it’s what’s revealed in me. And then the Creator is concealed so I will reveal Him and I am willing to play with Him in the same game of hide-and-seek. That He is concealed and I make the effort to reveal Him.
S. You don't feel confidence until you reach these degrees, right?
R. That is true but I accept the game upon myself, first of all from lack of choice and then later from this that I understand I cannot develop my sensation for revealing the Creator. And simply I lower myself with the friends, I subjugate myself to the friends, and each time to revelation and control. But I understand that all of this comes to us from the forces of this world and if I want to reach a higher degree, a spiritual upper world then I need to exchange the forces in me to the forces the foundations and this is how I can rise from these terms to higher ones.
S. That's what I'm asking, how to demand more faith rather than confidence or security?
R. I want to be in the force of faith and bestowal to make an effort to desire it, and to want to be in it by force instead of being in reception and even understanding. I don't care to understand. I know by my mind as much as I have learned in my life that it is not worth anything. The mind, all the knowledge that we acquire over the course of our life, it doesn't bring us to anything good, rather the desire controls, and not the mind. Look at all the wise people of the world. What controls them, the mind or the desire? Desire. The desire brings them to states that you would be ashamed to look at them. People seemingly so smart and we think we can listen to them say wise things, and they start to speak and they speak like little kids or maybe even crazy people because they haven't corrected their desire. Or they just fill their mind with all kinds of knowledge. We need the main thing which is to correct the desire, and that’s what the wisdom of Kabbalah talks about because that’s our foundation. The mind clothes according to the desire, and if the desire is an intention to receive then knowledge is in the intention to receive of the egoistic mind. The other form of the intention to bestow clothes a different mind of altruistic knowledge. That is what we understand what needs to be until we reach the spiritual world, and this is called I have seen an opposite world.
7 S. (18:23) The new state called ‘Olam’ [world] is a general attainment. So the Neshama [soul] is a personal attainment, a personal advancement, it can’t exist without the state of the world, the Olam, the general attainment?
R. Yes, the spiritual attainment is divided into internal and external. We attain both, this and that, but it depends on the degrees. It is like a baby. At first, we see ourselves that are in the internal care of the Creator, which is like a womb, and there it is a very unique phenomena that we will still need to understand them. That baby in its mother's womb sees from one end of the world to the other end. Later, when he is born, he goes through restrictions and begins to grow according to the upper force, but also according to how much he identifies with the upper force, from the degree of Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, and so on. So there are differences in this and we will learn it. First, we need to understand in general where we are, how we connect to these forces that are developing us, how much it depends on the connection between us and so on. Later, we will connect to higher degrees.
8. S. (02:24) When a person advance does, he only attain the feeling of Nefesh of Atzilut? Is it the same feeling of the purpose of creation?
R. I don't understand where you're taking these things from.
S. As I am reading this article which is really difficult.
R. This article. You have read thousand other articles. Why are you asking that we only attain Nefesh of Atzilut? We need to reveal NRNHY of all the worlds, then even above it which is called Ein Sof [Infinity].
9 S. (21:11) In order to reach attainment we need to first do it in reason, and then in the heart?
R. To reach attainment we need to make the effort to connect with the friends, which is the means to rise above the will to receive. From this state of rising above the ego, we need to make the effort to reveal phenomena of bestowal outside of us. These phenomena, we talked about, are called Sefirot [attributes], Partzufim [faces], Olamot [worlds], and so on. It is all talking about the connection between us above our ego, in contradiction to our ego, in contrast to our ego, that there is coarseness. Above that, there is restriction, screen and reflected light. The reflected light when we reach it, we have attainment.
S. So to the extent that we are far, the force that we place in reaching the goal is our attainment?
R. Yes.
10 S. (22:47) When you describe every morning the spiritual world, how important is it to organize our life like your life is so we can feel what you are describing?
R. My life? Everyone has their own life. From what he hears from what the Kabbalists say, how much he understands them. He can take advice from the ten, you can also ask me, but ultimately from this he puts together his spiritual world.
11. S. (23:24) Man rises above his will to receive and incorporates in his friend in the ten, so what does it mean in this incorporation he attains the concept of Neshama or Nefesh?
R. He attains himself as much as he identifies with the Creator, and that is called Neshama. On one hand, it is the desire of man that is corrected on the intention to bestow and something, and in this he receives his identification with the Creator. That is called that he reveals a part of the Creator from above.
S. What does it mean after that?
R. That he connects with a more widespread, intense, internal manner. Then, accordingly, he has a vessel for the revelation of reality which is more intense. It is like you are changing the skill of measure from smaller to greater, more detailed.
S. So it is with the year?
R. Yes.
12. S. (24:57) What does it mean that I am connected to a friend, how to depict that?
R. Connect, then you will see what it is. To be connected to a friend is called that I feel together with him one faith, one goal, and more or less one process. As much as we are tied together and support one another, like we are in a boat, that only in connection between us depends on if we will reach the shore.
S. This means that my thoughts are more into how to do something good to this friend?
R. Of course, and through him to the Creator.
13. S. (26:3) How can we examine that our attainment is not confusion, but true spiritual attainment to a certain extent?
R. We will enter spirituality and go through a few degrees, and then it will be clear to us that we are in spirituality. Otherwise, no.14. S. (26:35) What is the difference between faith and confidence in the process of attainment?
R. The whole topic in and out of itself that we need to learn, but in the extent that we have confidence, we can increase the faith. The opposite, as much as we acquire the faith, we will have the sensation of confidence. Faith and confidence is a whole topic in and out of itself.