Morning Lesson January 04, 2024
Transcription is made from simultaneous translation, which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio.
Part 3:
Baal HaSulam. Disclosing a Portion, Covering Two
Reading Article. (00:14) “There is an idiom among great sages…”
1. R. (01:52) Meaning the people were very cautious about discussing what, according to the ability to perceive, to the people they were writing for. So, three.
Reading Continues. (02:19) “Three Kinds of Concealment of the Wisdom…”
Reading Continues. (03:13) “This means that no one will benefit…”
2. R. (04:49) That means that a student already needed to be on some kind of spiritual height for him to be accepted under those conditions. That he will know how to guard this unnecessary, impossible in the council of the Lord is for those who fear Him.
3. S. (05:21) It is written, “Know that ‘so what’ is considered by the sages as the worst corruptor.” What does it mean, “So what,” and why is it the worst corruptor?
R. “So what,” is that a person who knows how to advertise such things, he just goes and tells about it to everyone. We are talking about those times when people would automatically connect it to religions and all kinds of different unions and that is one thing. The second, is that unnecessary, and impossible, and the council of the Lord is to those who fear Him, you can't do it without dividing them and clothing them on everything we learn about. But each and every topic has these three approaches, these three stages, and you can reveal every stage under certain conditions. And usually, the beginners can't feel what we are talking about, they can't go into the depth of this prohibition. Let us say, “So what,” he doesn't know, well, what is it about that? What, do they tell me more, tell me less, this or that? When I wrote books, in Russian, I wrote it, the first book, the second, and the third. So, I wrote in the introduction that, what I'm writing here in these books was before I started studying with Rabash because I asked him if maybe I shouldn't publish it. He said, no, you can publish it but if you write it that way, it'll be enough, that's it. Because it is, well at least it was, very dangerous that a student of a Kabbalist advertises such books.
4. S. (08:45) What is the harm, he says it is very grave, very harmful, what does it mean?
R. There are a lot of discernments here, I don't know, it could be that you can't reach an inner wisdom. People who deserve it, and to be in inner wisdom, well, not the inner wisdom. People come that don't have any need for it.
S. There are many instructors here on campus and in other languages, what should they be careful of, or if it isn't related to us?
R. No, I don't think so, in our times the wisdom of Kabbalah, compared to what it was when I studied with Rabash, it’s as if a few thousand years have gone by. That is why I cannot say that today this is allowed, and this isn't, and everything just is out of control, and there is no order in anything. Maybe fifteen years ago, I was in the store in Bnei Baruch, and I saw Kabbalah books there, thousands, thousands! In my time, that did not exist, but they were written lately. That is worth writing because someone is going to buy it.
S. So, what should we take from this article?
R. To only advertise what is necessary for correction, and no more; but if no more, so you're actually cutting away from the book, all the things that are actually attracting. And then it turns out that who is going to want it, who is going to buy it?
S. But we approach people with points in the heart?
R. You are not turning to people with a point in the heart, you're not just standing on the street corner giving out books in such a way. People come; I don't even know who is coming today. Once a book used to come out, so people were talking about it, people would write about it. Today, it is just the usual things, hundreds of books come out.
S. So the test is those who remain?
R. The ones who remain, that supposedly they're worth more than the others?
S. He is drawn to what we have to say, otherwise they wouldn't stay with us, the market is filled with endless.
R. We will see. We will see.
5. S. (12:32) If we look at the wisdom of Kabbalah fifty years ago, as you say, it used to be a great thing, the awakening toward it, there was some issue with regard to the matter. Suddenly, it became trendy, everyone followed the wisdom of Kabbalah. They marketed it and they made a selling thing out of it. Today it is less so, that is how it feels.
R. Yes.
S. How do you see the wisdom of Kabbalah on the axis of time, is it something that is in demand, going to be in demand? Is it something that is going to decrease in importance?
R. Well, it doesn't stand out as much as it was a few years ago, and also throughout, maybe, only just a few years. I can't say, I think that for the modern person, there is nothing to search for in there.
S. The wisdom of Kabbalah does not have what you offer to people?
R. It does, but for a modern person, there's nothing to look for in there because what he's looking for is not in there.
S. So where will be the connection between the modern person and the wisdom of Kabbalah?
R. I don't know, I personally, do not know. It seems to me that what we need to do is not through books because books still have limited materials. It is worth, I don't know. I really am not dealing with it for a long time, I'm not writing. I only give conversations and also those talks with people who want to ask something and hear something. That's why, I don't know.
S. I'm not asking about how to disseminate over the Internet, through the books. We have experts for this that will tell us what modern people today consume. I'm asking about content, what can the wisdom of Kabbalah give to a person, today, to satisfy him, to give him what?
R. To explain to him, more and more in a clear way if it is possible, what the purpose of his life is.
S. That's an intellectual explanation, it’s big, it’ll give you abundance, fill you up. But more practically, why should it attract them? Everyone sells this so it seems that there is no difference, what is the uniqueness of the wisdom of Kabbalah compared to all the other teachings on the market?
R. It depends on what you call it, that today because there are so many books about the wisdom of Kabbalah, each one can search and find whatever he wants according to his own taste. I think that what we need today is only to reveal the connection between the development of the world to the wisdom of Kabbalah. How it explains to us where the world is developing towards and where we are heading.
S. If I focus for a minute on the people of Israel, I see that even if they take terrible blows or successes, no matter what, they don't come to the wisdom of Kabbalah, not in droves. There are those who listen, why is it like that?
R. Why is it like that, because it is a stubborn nation, they are not searching for solutions in anything. It is searching for how to exist and suffer the least possible.
S. How do you treat stubborn people?
R. In the most sneaky way.
S. Well, we see that, but what is the treatment for stubborn, obstinate people?
R. To interest them in something that will attract them to these things. That they will really see as much as they are in a lowly state.
S. That's what I'm asking about because the blows do not awaken them, don't really awaken them, and the temptation is not appealing enough. So, what would lure, what would entice a person from Israel to come into the wisdom of Kabbalah?
R. If once it was only the wisdom of Kabbalah, so today around the wisdom of Kabbalah, you have mountains of garbage. From all kinds of books in all kinds of languages that attract you through all kinds of stories that you don't have the forces in time to get something serious.
S. Within all of this garbage, what is a diamond that we have to offer?
R. The purpose of creation and the correction towards the purpose of creation; what we have from here and what is before us.
S. But it is unappealing.
R. Well, what can you do, that is something worth knowing for a person.
S. So this is what we should advertise but what would attract them?
R. Attract, only things that are pleasant for his ego, nothing but that. That is why we are coming closer to the Gmar Tikkun, the end of correction.
S. Just to organize my thoughts: What caused the eruption of the wisdom of Kabbalah over the last fifty years and suddenly this decline? It seems like there was this excitement over the wisdom and suddenly it is kind of put aside, it’s not relevant now?
R. That always happened with religion, that the wisdom of Kabbalah left the religious framework and started being advertised without any limitations of religion. It became, it started from the time of, well I forgot his name. Who was that philosopher, he was here in Israel, I think it was Martin Buber.
6. S. (21:24) I want to ask about the vision; today, when people come, I think we know we have to explain in a few dozen lessons and people agree, reciprocation, the will to receive, the will to bestow. After the first semester people understand, okay we understand what to do. You don't even know what to explain anymore. The problem is to realize it, the realization is in the Ten. Okay, that is acceptable, you can't jump on eight billion people and start loving them, I have my Ten. The problem is that, at best I see my Ten once a week, the advanced see them once a day of course, once a day. At the same time, I see that our friends who are in the Army now, are in the front and are so connected there. The external conditions force them to constantly be together in mutual responsibility. So, is the realization always in the Ten, what are we doing in the Ten? We read an article, and that is it, there is no other interaction with those people.
R. I am sorry that I cannot give you more than what I have learned with Rabash; it was reading his articles and a bit of questions and answers.
S. That is clear, but what do we need in the end, to love others, to be in bestowal? Is it only through reading articles and learning as we do six, or seven hours a day? Or can it be in the future, I don't know, it will be a different way that we can be in love and bestowal upon others. What, through actions we will love others?
R. What If you take a pill or where they connect you to some instrument that will pass waves through you, what?
S. It would be nice if we could do this.
R. It would be nice.
S. Yes, but maybe there is something else besides sitting and learning, which I understand, it has a history but maybe that is the way. Because I see that people don't connect to this method, this way.
R. I guess that we are probably really the last ones that are keeping this form. What will be in the next generation, I don't know. What do you think, please, I am willing to do everything.
7. S. (24:11) What I heard now, I think a contemporary person is searching for the purpose of his life, and most of the people in the world do find some way. A meditation or what, and also what I heard now that we are the last ones. Do you think that because what we are learning here is authentic, what we do is that we study the wisdom of Kabbalah? So, do you think that contemporary people will come to a state where they really come here?
R. With a hand on my heart I can say this: The fact that it is the truth, that is right, but the fact that it is an incomplete truth, that is also true. I guess that from our work something else will be born, I am expecting that. Maybe not from me, from you, maybe not now so in another ten, twenty years, I don't know but it has to be like that.
S. Will humanity come to a state where it suffers blows every time? Because I don't see any other way for people to really think. And from my experience I see friends going through all kinds of ways until they come here. They suffer and suffer and come to a state where they end up being here. Is the way for humanity only through blows?
R. I do not know, I do not know, obviously another degree has to be revealed that will raise humanity to a degree that they will be able to see the way, but not us, not us or it will be us but if that degree will clothe in us, I don't know.
8. S. (26:55) What is the role of the revelation, if we have to cover it? Why is there disclosure in reality if he says you have to cover it with two portions?
R. Because no revelation can be received if we do not strengthen it.
S. But how is it a disclosure if you cover it, where is the disclosure?
R. That is how it is revealed, gradually.
S. You are disclosing coverings, basically the disclosure is the covering, this is what you disclose?
R. Yes, through the screens.
9. S. (27:56) I'm assuming you meant Spinoza, that philosopher?
R. Also Spinoza.
S. Why is it so grave to reveal this, so what? What’s the problem? Okay, so the person doesn't use the information he got.
R. In our state, it doesn't matter what is revealed anymore. We are in a state, we are at the end, and that's it. Before us there is one step to take ahead toward the correction and another step to correct the end of creation.
S. From what should we be careful in our dissemination if there is something we need to be careful from?
R. What should we be careful from? I don’t think that we have anything to be careful about only from not to advertise books that will bring more confusion to humanity, that’s it.
10. S. (29:09) You said before that within all the garbage that there is in the networks that diamond that we have to offer today is the purpose of creation and the correction of creation, what we have before us, but that is unappealing, so to what extent is our responsibility in creating an interest or deficiency in the person or if he has no deficiency then we have nothing to do with him. Can we create a deficiency in a person?
R. All people are connected to one another. If part of humanity can somewhat start being interested it will go in all kinds of other forms, alternative forms, to the others.
S. In other words, if we advertise the purpose of creation and the correction of creation it will create, to some extent, it will awaken that efficiency in people?
R. Yes.
S. We need to awaken that deficiency, that is the question.
R. Yes, yes of course that is the purpose, that is the most important thing.
11. S. (30:37) You said that a new degree should be revealed, a new form, and you said that we are maybe the last generation to be studying in the old-school way. Do we need to start trying to search, research, and make experiments in order to allow this new degree to be born or will it come somehow by the Creator arranging it?
R. Well, eventually of course the Creator will organize it but we have to start.
S. Meaning to make experiments from others.
R. Yes, we have to evoke it.
S. Until something comes out?
R. (no comment from Rav)
12. S. (31:38) I have sons and daughters and I see that their world is completely different. I can't even feel, I can't stand the things that they are interested in, but I'll just say it. About a month ago I saw a Tic Toc of our friend which was really interesting. It was short, it was to the point, and it was like boom, boom, boom, and I thought whoa! Maybe, there are people here that can feel that world, the world of our children, the world that wants things like that, snap. And here we study what we study, and we maintain the purity, the purity of our method, nevertheless, we have to be connected to the deficiency on the outside and that way we can be.
R. Yes, that is clear. okay.
13. S. (33:09) What makes Kabbalists search for something beyond the corporeal commandments?
R. They want to understand and feel the force that is sustaining all of creation, conducting all of creation, and what it wants from us. What does it want from the form we have to take upon ourselves? That causes Kabbalists to know the Creator and according to that, to change.
S. It is wonderful, right?
R. Yes.
14. S. (34:29) We were talking about a new degree that has to come in and you can really feel it very strongly but maybe we should read the conditions of the last generation, so we have something to look for, to look forward to.
R. You're right, that is something we could bring here, but do we have a time and place for it? We have to ask friends whatever you say, to consult between you and anything that can benefit us and push us and awaken and focus our direction, it is worth it.