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

Daily Lesson (Morning) August 28, 2024.

Part 1: Baal HaSulam. Letter No. 52.

Reader: (00:03) Shalom, we are reading from the writings of Baal HaSulam letter 52 in the Hebrew version it's on page 752. You can find the study material on our website, on Sviva Tova, kabbalahgroup.info and in the Arvut system and you can also ask questions there, anyone in the study hall here is requested to stand up, hold the mic, speak concisely and clear if you're asking a question. 

Reading: (00:43) Baal HaSulam, letter number 52.

14 Tishrey, Tav-Reish-Peh-Het, October 10, 1927, Sukkot Eve, London

To ... may his candle burn:

I received your letter and the notes. ...interpreted for me the verse, “Seek the Lord while He is found; call upon Him while He is near.” This is perplexing. If the Creator is already with him, and He is already close, why is there still a need to seek and call upon Him? He explained that the writing speaks to those who have already been rewarded with constant closeness to the Creator. The prophet warns them that although it seems to them that there is nothing more to seek or to obtain, we should never think like that, for it is like cutting down the plantings. Rather, one should seek further and call upon the Creator for greater attainments.

Let me interpret this according to our way. Clearly, anyone who has been rewarded with his Maker’s fondness, the Creator grants all his wishes, as do lovers and friends who complement each other’s wants, each according to his ability. Because that person has been rewarded with befriending the Creator, he necessarily consists of body and soul. Therefore, he is not ... for them room to display them before the Creator.

Still, “Love will cover all crimes.” Especially before Him there are no obscenities or crimes, as it is written, “No filth will defile You; a fire that consumes fire will not burn You” (see “Poem of Unification”). Therefore, through the genuine love between him and the Creator, it is inevitable that man will also reveal bodily desires before Him.

Clearly, the Creator will not fail in fulfilling His loved one’s every wish, both proper and improper, since the Creator’s capability is tied to His will. But once the Creator has satisfied his desire, that person himself seemingly regrets the excessive wishes he presented before the Creator, and we learned that from above there is giving and not taking, since the Creator has already sanctified him.

It therefore follows that the person must mend the above-mentioned wrong, in two: 1) that he insulted the Creator’s honor by presenting bodily wishes before the King, 2) that he was not careful in appreciating the gift of the King of all kings, the Creator, whether great or small.

This is so because there are two values to each gift. The first value is the gift—whether it is great or small. The second value is the giver—whether he is important or unimportant.

Naturally, when an important person gives even a small thing, the gift has great value, according to the importance of the giver. It is as our sages said ... to be in the king’s palace and must come out to be corrected. And once he goes outside, he loses all the attainments he has already been rewarded with attaining because the Creator’s gifts are united in “world, year, soul.” That is, there must be a chosen “soul,” a chosen “time,” and a chosen “place.” And since he has changed his place, his year and soul change, too, and then a person is in great bewilderment.

The prophet warns about that: “Seek the Lord while He is found,” meaning return and continue to attain all the matters of spirituality that he attained, for in matters that concern the soul, the Creator is found for all. It is written about that: When He is found, “Call upon Him when He is near,” being the bodily matters, which he has already attained because He is near.

The prophet warns that here it is forbidden to ask because it is an insult to the King to come to Him with bodily wishes. Rather, one must “call” Him only “by that name.” That is, when he presents his prayer before the Creator, one must mention all His benefits, which He has done for him before with benevolence, satisfying bodily wishes for him, so it is a given that He will satisfy the matters of the soul for him now.

This is the meaning of the words of our sages: “The heaven between me and you will make a way for a plea.” The words are profound. In these words, the rest of the Haftarah [final part of each Torah portion] is explained—that the foreigner concerns bodily matters, and the eunuch concerns matters of the soul, and the enlightened will understand.

The above interpretation is immensely profound; who will understand it? Therefore, I will explain by way of “seventy faces to the Torah”: When a person introspects and feels his poor state, he awakens to return to the Creator and pours out his prayer in great longing to adhere to the Creator. He thinks that all those prayers and all that awakening are by his own power. He sits and awaits the Creator’s salvation, small or great. When time passes and he sees no sign of welcome from the Creator, he falls into despair because the Creator does not want him, since after all this longing, He did not turn to him at all.

It is written about this: “Seek the Lord while He is found.” That is, when the Creator presents Himself to you for asking, then you will necessarily seek Him, too, for it is man’s way to move first. In other words, the Creator first gives you the heart to seek Him. When you know this, you will certainly grow stronger, as strong as you can ask, for the King is calling you.

So, it says, “Call upon Him when He is near.” That is, when you call on the Creator to bring you closer to Him, know that He is already near you, for otherwise there is no doubt you would not be calling Him. This is also the meaning of the verse, “Before they call, I will answer,” meaning that if you are calling Him, then He has already turned to you to give you the awakening to call upon Him.

“While they speak, I listen,” meaning the measure of the Creator’s listening depends precisely on the measure of the longing that appears during the saying of the prayer. When one feels excessive longing, he should know at that time that the Creator is listening to him attentively.

Clearly, when he knows this, he pours his heart out even stronger, for there is no greater privilege than the King of the world being attentive to him. This is quite similar to what our sages said, “The Creator longs for the prayer of righteous,” for the Creator’s desire for a person to draw near Him awakens great power and longing in the person to crave for the Creator, for “As in water of the face to the face, so the heart of man to man.”

It follows that the saying of the prayer and the hearing of the prayer go hand in hand until they accumulate to the full measure and he acquires everything. This is the meaning of “spirit draws spirit and brings spirit.” Note these words, for they are the first foundations in the ways of the Creator.

You wrote and asked that I would accept you as a student. You also suspected that I am displeased with you because I already have enough students. But to tell you the truth, it is harder for me with you than with others, as you are of a more eminent lineage. You must have heard that Rabbi Elimelech refused any students with eminent lineages, and the Rav of Rufshitz pleaded with him and cried bitterly, but to no avail, until all scent of eminence had faded from him. This is what he said to him: “Why is it my fault that my father is so eminent?” Once he recognized the sincerity of his words, he accepted him.

Do not be surprised that in the eyes of landlords, it seems that the eminent is closer to the Creator than an ordinary person, as he sees and observes the good deeds of his father from his youth, and the childhood upbringing is set more firmly in the heart.

But the thing is that in each and every movement in His work there are two opposites in the same carrier, as I have elaborated in previous letters, as the receiver consists of body and soul, which are opposites. Hence, in each attainment, great or small, He makes two opposite forms.

There are two concepts in the work of the Creator: 1) “prayer and plea,” 2) “praise and gratitude.” Naturally, both must be at their highest. To complete the prayer, a person must feel the Creator’s closeness to him as mandatory, like an organ that is hanging loosely, for then he can complain and pour out his heart before Him.

But opposite that, regarding the complete praise and gratitude, a person must feel the Creator’s closeness to him as an addition, a supplement, as something that does not belong to him at all, for “What is man that You should know him, the son of man that You should think of him?” Then he can certainly give complete praise and gratitude to His great name for choosing him from among all those who are standing ready to serve the Creator.

It is great work for the complex man to be completed in both those opposites, so they are set in his heart forever at the same time. The second discernment, to feel himself lowly and far, and the kindness of the Creator as a supplement, is a far harder concept than the first. For the most part, all those who are rejected fail only in the second concept.

By this you know that the one of eminent lineage is farther from the second concept than an ordinary person because he feels the Creator’s kindness toward him as mandatory.

Nonetheless, I have no such suspicion because I have already enslaved myself to the Creator, to serve Him in any way I can. No work is too heavy for me to do for His great name. On the contrary, I always love and relish at great exertions that bring Him contentment, and the evidence is that I chose the land of Israel as my workplace, where the ruling of SAM is the most. And not only that, but in Jerusalem, where even the ARI was afraid to open his seminary. ... I also collected into my seminary all the eminent ones from Jerusalem ... by which you can know that I am not avoiding work. Thus, everything depends only on you; always remember that.

Time is short, and the good day is approaching, so I cannot elaborate for you on that. But if you believe me, you will also be rewarded with understanding me…

Yehuda Leib

M. Laitman: (23:05) We can see how far we are from attaining what Baal HaSulam wants to communicate. It's truly a huge gap between us and him. On the other hand, we also see that we have to keep going and try as best as we can, with all our strength to fulfill the demands that Kabbalists write for us, for connection, for prayer and to not let go. Questions? 

Question (Petah Tikvah Center): (24:28) He writes at the beginning of the letter that there needs to be this constant demand for greater attainments. What is this state of a constant demand? How do we reach such a state? 

M. Laitman: We get there if the Creator wants, however our heart doesn't depend on us. Rather, when we ask, when we pray that He'll do something, then we probably attain.

Student: I have another question. He writes in continuation about fulfillments of the soul and corporeal fulfillments. What is the difference between them? 

M. Laitman: Body and soul. That's it. That's the difference. 

Question (Petah Tikvah Center): (25:58) He writes here about two elements in the prayer, which is the prayer and the request, and praise and gratitude and then he says that two of them need to make one feel close to the Creator, and the first one's easy, because if one doesn't feel close then the plea doesn't come out. The second one, he says, that everyone fails him. Why do people fail? What is the failure there? 

M. Laitman: Seemingly, along with the feeling of distance, they can't be grateful for that, as they are opposite. 

Student: He says that since the Creator chose you to relate to you, so you need to be grateful for that.

M. Laitman:. Yes. 

Student: So why do we miss that? Why do people fail that? People feel some kind of relationship?

M. Laitman: Because the moment such an illumination comes to a person that brings him a sense of closeness and it is increasing further and further, then it's hard for him to find any flaws in his state and to ask and feel himself distanced.

Student: Then what does he miss here? 

M. Laitman:. He's missing the matter of two lines. That one line is getting closer, and it comes from the Creator, and the other line is from man, who feels himself that if he's already getting closer, then how will he find the vehicle for prayer? 

Student: So, the person misses out on the ability to make this, even when he has the opportunity? 

M. Laitman:. Yes.

Student: So how can we be cautious or to prepare ourselves for that? 

M. Laitman: Well, that's mostly related to the group, where a person examines himself and hopes that he feels correctly. It's not simple, it's not easy. 

Student: So, can you say that the group gives a reason to request something? 

M. Laitman: Yes. If a person observes truthfully, then he always sees how much more progress he needs to make in order to reach his friends.

Question (Petah Tikvah Center): (29:50) I understood, that a person who feels that the Creator is close to him, here is the great obstacle, that he receives it as a natural thing and he doesn't know how to appreciate it enough, so he doesn't have ‘praise and gratitude’. He doesn't give advice on how to deal with that, what do we do when the person is used to the Creator being close to him, and if he looks at himself he sees that he's not grateful for it, that he treats it as something natural? Baal HaSulam writes here that it's a great problem.

M. Laitman: He's unaware that despite all of his states, closer or farther from the Creator, the Creator still gives him the same state from which he can correctly turn to the Creator and ask. Meaning, he doesn't see the upper force as built into every state that comes to him, and he has to respond to it in a complete way. 

Student: What is the complete form? It's like a son who feels that his father is always with him, and if he wants something, so he requests and receives and it's something natural. 

M. Laitman:. Yes. 

Student: So, in this state, is the part of gratitude something that is not understood by him? That it needs to be clear that the Creator is close to you, and he doesn't have that, that's a lack of wholeness in the work. So, what do we do that from within that state, the person can say and feel that he has what to be grateful for, in that the Creator is there for him as a father?

M. Laitman: We must not forget that our work is in three lines and to the extent that we know how to feel and appreciate the side of giving from the Creator, bestowal from the Creator, likewise, we also have to maintain the state where a person is woven into the adhesion with the Creator. Then, he discovers how his uncorrected qualities prevent him from reaching adhesion and then he cannot complete the left line and unify them. That we still have to learn. 

Student: At the beginning of the letter, he uses an interpretation that the student writes, that the person needs to constantly aspire to greater and greater attainments. 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: Does the Rav think that this is truly the solution? That a person's in that state and he needs to demand greater attainments in order to be able to receive, and then he'll be able to say thanks because it's a state that's unnatural relative to the previous state. Meaning, he has great changes in the work in what he receives. Is that something that really, that additional demand from that state that you'll have a greater attainment? Is that a solution to exit that state, so that in the end you will have gratitude, praise and gratitude to the Creator? 

M. Laitman: Here, there's truly an issue that the greater the fulfillment you receive, you as if have more opportunity to be grateful, that's in simplicity, that's only in one line and if we're talking about the relationship in several lines, then there could be a collision here, a clash between what a person receives and what a person would have liked to respond according to his nature. So, it ends up that there is a gap between what the Creator does, and what man wants to feel, and then what happens is, that one needs to lower himself, to nullify even more than before and advance towards the Creator only according to how much he detaches from himself and is incorporated with the Creator. Then, when he's included in the Creator he can better and better discover the elements that separate between them. I still can't describe this. 

Student: It's very clear what Baal HaSulam writes there as well, that the main thing here is to reach greater and greater annulment as the solution. It's unclear with what means we can do that? 

Question (Petah Tikvah Center): (36:47) How do you continue to pray to the Creator when you feel closeness and not deficiency? 

M. Laitman: It's difficult. That's difficult. The problem is that we begin to demand not in truth, rather, if we're close, then the demand can also be such that I want to ask from within the state itself, and that's not good. Therefore, this demand of call upon Him when he's close is a difficult one. 

Student: So, what is the advice? How do we hold on to the truth and the deficiency?

M. Laitman: How can you while you feel close ask of the Creator as if you're far? 

Student: Exactly. How? That's the question.

M. Laitman: By that, you ask for the truth, that you're far, and you wish to connect your true state with the state that you feel, as being close; how could you have two opposite states within one? One has to discover both.

Student: How in an opposite state, where a person feels the feeling of distance, he continues demanding, he doesn't give up?

M. Laitman: It's the same state that when he's far, he feels close, and vice versa. That the matter is not how he feels himself, but I don't know how to say it, how he truly is in the eyes of the Creator. Because, also, in our world, we know that, the closer the baby is to his mother, is when he's inside his mother, so he hasn't yet separated from her. When he becomes distinct and starts growing, and becomes independent then essentially, he needs to be less close when he has independence. So, how do you make it so that this independence and let's say it's not a flesh and blood baby, so how do you make that created being feel like it's getting closer and closer to the mother, based on what, based on the desire that's growing in him at the age of 1, 2, 5, 50, it doesn't matter how much, he feels that he's getting closer and closer, becoming incorporated in the mother. So, same thing here. 

Student: You said that the matter is not how a person feels himself, but how he's truly in the eyes of the Creator. How should a person see how he truly is before the Creator? 

M. Laitman: In the eyes of the Creator, you appear to the extent that you are connected to the mother. 

Student: The end, the approach is to go from distance and closeness, and to adhere in each state? I don't understand the opposition, and how to work with it in parallel.

M. Laitman: What helps you? Specifically, that you're opposite, that you're in contrast, that you must awaken the opposite force. Because, building the right attitude to the Creator, you can do that only on the condition that you have resistance. Otherwise, how?

Question (Petah Tikvah Center): (42:50) What does it mean to build the correct attitude to the Creator? 

M. Laitman: The correct attitude, basically, the law is simple. The correct attitude to the Creator is that I have to reach adhesion with Him, without any connection, seemingly, to my inner state, so, it doesn't matter how I change, I'm with Him in adhesion. 

Student: Earlier you talked about some kind of clash that takes place. So, I'm asking, in order to prevent that clash, you gave an example there on the value of the gift, in relation to the value of the one you give the gift to. So, I'm asking, is it that it's hard for us to thank the Creator for everything He gives us, really, we don't see enough greatness of the Creator?

M. Laitman: No. Greatness of the Creator is measured according to how much you appreciate Him, with respect to the states, the forces that appear to you. How can you say that he's great? Towards what? How do you measure? So, to the extent that a person measures the greatness of the Creator opposite, well, it depends on your values, meaning, firstly the greatness of the Creator is beyond anything you can imagine, above everything, that's how a person measures it.

Student: But how in my vessels, each time when I receive new vessels how do I measure in my vessels, in my connection with the friends? At the end of it all, if I understand correctly and I feel correctly, my connection with the Creator is through the friends and as much as I feel the friends more as a part of me, so that is my closeness also to the Creator. So, how do I measure that each day in my vessels, the greatness of the Creator in my connection with the friends? How do I make that measurement each day anew? 

M. Laitman: Yes, that's the need for the shattering of the vessels and the correction of the vessels.

Student: He gives advice here, that the prayer and the gratitude need to be on the same level. 

M. Laitman:. Yes.

Student: What does it mean that the prayer and gratitude need to be at the same level? 

M. Laitman: If you feel in what you receive from the Creator, love, that He's doing everything only for you, for your own good, to bring you closer to Him. So, out of that, it turns out that you necessarily love Him, thank Him, and so forth.

Question (Petah Tikvah Center): (47:04) He writes that there are two inclusions in the work. One, he calls it a prayer and a plea, and secondly, praise and gratitude. So, what he says, secondly, ‘praise and gratitude’, that most people fail in that and it's worthwhile to sharpen it on that thing. So, I wanted to ask, praise in that he was chosen and to feel his closeness, and then I heard that you said that the correct attitude is that only when you have that opposition to it, the resistance. If the Creator wants to bring a person closer, and the person is a will to receive, he just wants fulfillment, and the Creator cannot bring him closer through giving him the fulfillment, that's clear. So, the person, if I understand from the article correctly, that the Creator gives this longing and that is the closeness of the Creator and it could be that it demands from a person a special attitude to that longing as this resistance, because the person is seeking fulfillment, the Creator gives longing. So, what is the correct attitude to longing, where it's seemingly unpleasant to the will to receive? 

M. Laitman: Can someone reply to him?

Student: (48:44) What's the right attitude to a longing? It says that the Creator awakens him, the longing, and that he needs to listen to him and feel that he has no greater privilege. Other than that, the Creator listens to him, and then he needs to strengthen in opening his heart, pouring his heart out to him. 

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Student: (49:10) Not just that, I also need to add, he writes here that the second discernment is to feel himself at lowly and far, and the kindness of the Creator is a supplement. So, that's also why. 

M. Laitman:. Okay.

Question (Petah Tikvah Center): (49:32) Question from a friend. If he identifies that his pride is what interferes with him connecting with the Creator, so is his work is to battle his pride or to leave that and to focus on the deficiencies of the friends?

M. Laitman: That's already a different kind of question. He should cope with or confront his pride, which is the main force that separates or pushes him away from his friends.

Question (Petah Tikvah Center): (50:18) The Creator fills all of the person's needs and Baal HaSulam says that we need to be grateful to the Creator for that. So, I noticed that I'm afraid of being grateful for Him in order to not be addicted to these things. So how do we be grateful and still be able to hold on to that clean work?

M. Laitman: To try through all of your connection with what you feel, what you're lacking, in all of those works you want to be connected to the Creator, aimed at the Creator. Both in the deficiencies that He awakens in you and in the fulfillment that He brings you, it's all in His hands.

Student: It's as if the bodily fulfillment, He already fills me with everything I need. The question is, do I need to emphasize that in gratitude? It's something that seemingly and also bodily fulfillments, if we start paying attention to them, then all the spiritual work becomes, it's in danger. That we want some spiritual fulfillment in the will to receive, puts all your spirituality in danger. So as if, I put it aside, I'm not grateful to the Creator for that, I just put it aside because if I start thanking Him for that?

M. Laitman: You want to see how by the Creator giving you everything you feel in this moment, how you are aimed at the purpose of creation. How much He helps you, either with deficiencies, disturbances, blows or the opposite, a natural direction towards good, and accordingly you move forward. 

Student: Around the purpose of creation. 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Question: (PT6): (52:51) It's written that a person needs to feel the Creator's attitude to him as something that is obligatory. How does a person start working in terms of this obligation to the Creator? 

M. Laitman: Again, what changes how? 

Student: What changes in the person's work on others that starts making him feel this work in an obligation to the Creator?

M. Laitman: That's right in the beginning of the work that he doesn't connect to his friends because he's going to feel good out of it in some way. Rather, in order to advance to the goal.

Question: (Haifa 1): (53:48) It's written, there is no heavy work in the world that will be for the Creator and I always love those great exertions that bring Him contentment. What are those great exertions that bring the Creator contentment? 

M. Laitman: Well, this is something that a Kabbalist knows what he's facing.

Question: (Women Turkey 8): (54:18) How can we increase my longing more to the Creator?

M. Laitman: Well, this has many options.

Student: They also asked, it's written, and since he has changed his place, his year and soul changed too, and then a person is in great bewilderment. What is that great bewilderment that a person is in? 

M. Laitman: That he as if loses the foundation, that on which he advanced so far.

Question: (Women Kiev 7): (55:03) it’s written, a person needs to go outside to become corrected, and when he goes outside, he loses all the attainments that he has already been rewarded with attaining, because the Creator's gifts are united in world, year and soul. What does it mean that he needs to go outside in order to correct and that he loses all his attainments?

M. Laitman: In our work, we have such exits or seemingly pauses; where a person disconnects and then re-enters. And all of that is in order to take on a new stage, a new state, a new degree.

Question: (Women PT 6): (56:03) What's the feeling of the Creator that we now have in our state? How can we identify it? 

M. Laitman: Pray, ask, open the heart, and certainly see that I got nothing more than attaining the Creator.

Question (Petah Tikvah Center): (56:46) I heard earlier that there's this law that we need to be in adhesion with the Creator without connection to our inner state. What does it mean to be in adhesion with the Creator?

M. Laitman: Adhesion with the Creator meaning, that in all of my thoughts, actions, I want to be adhered to Him. 

Student: So, me, a person who measures my inner state, I say that I'm not there, I don't want to be adhered to the Creator. So, what does it mean in any case to wish to be adhered to the Creator, in that he is not adhered to the Creator? How do I measure that? 

M. Laitman: Pray. I don't know. That's according to actions, thoughts, and desires; everything that the person has.

Student: I'll explain. There is, at least how I see things, there's a very clear line between a desire for the Creator and not wanting the Creator and a person can measure his yearning for the Creator, and whether he also does not have longing for the Creator. So how can we reach a state where I'm adhered with Him when I have no such desire? It's if the Creator takes the desire from the person at a certain stage. 

M. Laitman:. No desire for adhesion with the Creator, that's what I got to begin with. That's what there is.

Student: On the contrary, the Creator gives you that desire to come close to Him, in order to see that afterwards you can see what's lacking. Upon that desire disappears, that longing, I in any case I build adhesion with Him. It's as if this thing disappears.

M. Laitman:. It doesn't disappear, it's something you need to develop, to increase, from the love of the created beings to the love of the Creator, that's how you should go. There's nothing in the middle here, there's love of friends through which you learn how you can rise from desires of reception to desires of bestowal and in desires of bestowal, how can you rise from bestowing to society, to man, and then to the Creator? It's gradual.

Reader: We're going to the preface to the Sulam commentary. Before that, we'll sing a song.

M. Laitman:. All right.

Song: (01:00:13)