Morning Lesson October 5, 2023
Transcription is made from simultaneous translation, which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio
Part 1:
Baal HaSulam. The Love of God and the Love of Man (And to Adhere to Him)
1. Rav intro: We're continuing on the same topic, the development of the soul, our topic. How we bring that fourth and what we need to reach in the development of our soul, in the feeling of the Creator, and adhering to him. Therefore, even the heading of our lesson is to adhere to Him. That's the goal. Meaning why do we need to get to this? In order to adhere to the Creator. To adhere means to be like him in all that is in us. All the forces, habits, all there is. We actually need to resemble the Creator in them. That's called Devkut, adhesion. Whereas in every form of our qualities, no matter what, we need to be truly like the Creator. It's hard to depict to ourselves how this can be, but to that degree, that level, that state, is what we need to reach. As much as it sounds unrealistic, exalted, but that's what we need to attain.
Reading: (03:06) “And to Adhere to Him”
2. R. (05:15) Meaning we need to learn the qualities of the Creator, how He presents them before us, how He demands of us, and to try and approximate them and resemble them. The qualities of the Creator are called Mitzvot in which he commands us to carry out and do and through them resemble Him more and more.
Reader continues: (06:04) “However, we must still understand the source.…"
3. S. (09:21) How with all our existing qualities can we be like the Creator? How can we reach that?
R. Kabbalists tell us how to attain it, what exactly we need to attain, because we cannot understand what it means to resemble the Creator, but in essence all our actions, all of our growth, is summed up in accepting upon ourselves more and more the qualities of the Creator. So much so that we become completely similar to Him eventually. That's the purpose of our development. Undoubtedly it will be attained because it was defined that way by the Creator. The question is whether it will happen now or later, and with what means, softer or more harsh ones. He will aim us to resemble him no matter what.
S. How can we accelerate it and go on a softer path?
R. That's what Kabbalah teaches us how we ourselves can resemble the Creator. Therefore, during the last week, we learned how to be closer to one another, how to support one another. What relations need to be created between us. That eventually in the Tens we will begin to generate the quality of the Creator. Those relations that will eventually be created in the group, will make them similar to the Creator. That's all we need to do. When we rise to the degree of the Creator, we disconnect from our corporeal bodies, so much so that in essence we don't actually need this beastly life. This is how we come to a new state.
4. S. (13:49) In the beginning you said sometimes it seems unrealistic to achieve equivalence of form with the Creator?
R. It is completely unrealistic to attain qualities of equivalence with the Creator. We are opposite in every way to Him. But with His help, we, under His influence, can completely change. We can change not only under His influence on us, but also evoke and awaken His bestowal upon us. Meaning to begin with, behave that way and build the relations between us so that the Creator will operate upon us faster, more powerfully and for us to advance towards Him for equivalence towards him in our efforts and the pace on the path.
S. We will try to implement, during the day, all the advice that I received during the day in the morning lesson but many times a person disconnects?
R. In order to uplift us from one degree to the next to resemble Hm, the Creator on one hand shows us what we need to do, and on the other hand rejects corrects us. Meaning He evokes in us other opposite desires. It turns out that we're walking seemingly on two feet. The right foot we're going on resembles the Creator and on our left foot in the opposite direction. The problem with these two legs seemingly, one resemblance, one differentiation, that's how we advance. More correctly, how do we advance forward? By all the negative qualities of the left being corrected with the qualities on the right. Then a person seemingly starts from zero, little beastly egoism. When he begins to work with himself, in order to resemble the Creator, opposite qualities to the Creator are awakened in him. Therefore it was said anyone who's greater than his friend his inclination is greater than him. That is whoever's soul is greater his egoism is higher as well and it's more difficult for him. When he deals with it and gets along he becomes closer to the Creator.
S. We go through many states during the day for every state there is different advice. Can you give us general advice on how to advance as quickly as possible through all the different states?
R. The quickest way to pass through this is when the goal is clear to us always. We must in the relations between us, be similar to the creator.
5. S. (19:06) On the way to adhesion with the Creator, how can we break this resistance to adhesion or resistance to love?
R. We hear that we come towards adhering to the Creator, which means and to adhere to Him, and we make a group, one will help his friend, and in the connection between us we want to actually engage in relations that are natural to the Creator. Love, connection, mutual help, that's what we need. That's how we will come closer, advance towards the Creator.
S. The resistance constantly grows, so from where can a person take the power to continue?
R. We are in a system which includes within it all our steps, from the very first step to the final step, the end of correction. It's all inside the system. Therefore whenever a person receives he receives actions, states, that advance him. Sometimes they advance in a long way and sometimes in a short way. That is in accordance with the person but we advance. That's why all of our work is in the way in which we arrange the relations between us so that they will become more and more similar to the Creator. To the attitude that should be between us in order to resemble Him. Meaning all of our work is that we want to resemble the Creator in the relations between us. This is eventually called to incorporate one in another. in connection, love, mutual help, support, as much as possible. The more a person listens and considers his connection with others, accordingly he can perform actions and these actions advance him to resembling the Creator more and more.
6. S. (23:20) Today is my last day and the first day here in our home. Yesterday I was talking with our friends in terms of medicine. I said what I heard in this Congress and they pushed me to testify my hearing from the whole world Kli and to ask you a question. My experience regarding connection. Every morning starts to open the heart to the Creator and pray. In my prayer there is always first of all my Ten, my Italian group and all the world Kli. In this Congress I felt many female friends and male friends have a hard time to open up their hearts and to open to prayer. I wanted to say that if you pray everyday for the friends the Creator shows that He is present, so I want to say to the friends, men, and women you don't know what you're losing, what you're missing because this means to actually live in a different way. Now I come to my question, how come I don't feel such difficulty to open up and pray as I feel this difficulty in others in the world Kli?
R. Again he doesn't feel difficulty?
S. Interpreter: He doesn't feel difficulty to reach a prayer as he feels this difficulty in the other friends in the world, Kli.
R. He feels that in the world Kli people can't open up towards one another?
S. Interpreter: Yes, and it is hard for them to pray. Whereas he says for me it's not difficult to reach your prayer, so he's asking how come they have such difficulty and I don't have that?
R. He will know later. That's not so important. What is important is that he knows what he is doing to the extent that he's coming closer to his friends, and wants to be with them as one man with one heart, that's all. That's what one should aim oneself for and advance that way. To connect the hearts together more and more.