The transcript has been transcribed and edited from English simultaneous interpretation, thus there may be potential semantic inaccuracies within it.
Daily Morning Lesson: October 20, 2026
Part 1: Rabash. A Prayer of Many. Article No. 15, 1986
Reader: Hello, in the first part we will study a lesson from Rav from April 29, 2002. It's based on the article, “A Prayer of Many,” which is in “The Writings of Rabash,” or you can find it in the “Social Writings”, Volume 1. We'll read it together in the Ten. We have 21 minutes to do so, please.
Reading: (00:53) A Prayer of Many
Article No. 15, 1986
It is written in The Zohar (Beshalach (When Pharaoh Let), and in the Sulam Commentary, Item 11), “And she said, ‘I dwell among my own people.’ He asks, ‘What does that mean?’ He replies, ‘When Din is present in the world, one should not part from the collective and be alone because when the Din is present in the world, those who are noticed and are noted alone are caught first, even if they are righteous. Hence, one should never retire from the people because the mercy of the Creator is always on the whole people together. This is why she said, ‘I dwell among my own people,’ and I do not wish to part from them.’”
“When Din is present in the world” refers to the desire to receive, which is self-love, the nature in which the creatures are born, due to His will to do good to His creations. And because there was a desire for equivalence of form so there would not be the bread of shame, a sentence [Din] was passed that it is forbidden to use the vessels of reception, except when one knows that he can aim for the reception to be in order to bestow. Then, one is permitted to use the vessels of reception.
Accordingly, the meaning of “When Din is present in the world” is that when the whole world is immersed in self-love, there is darkness in the world because there is no room for the light to draw the creatures down due to the disparity of form between the light and the creatures who receive the light. It is on this disparity of form that the sentence was passed that the upper abundance will not be given to the creatures.
Therefore, when a person awakens and wishes for the Creator to bring him closer, meaning give him vessels of bestowal, which is called “bringing closer,” he asks the Creator to help him. However, it is known that the help that comes from the Creator is called “upper abundance,” which is called Neshama, “a soul.” It is as The Zohar says, that the aid received from above is in a holy soul.
For this reason, when a person comes to ask the Creator to bring him closer to Him, but he is seen alone, it means that he understands that the Creator must bring him closer personally. Yet, why does he think that the public can remain in its current state and that only he should be treated differently by the Creator?
It is because he understands that he has merits that others do not. And although these are individuals who do not belong to the collective because they understand that they deserve to draw near the Creator more than others and consider themselves righteous, they are caught first. In other words, the Din, which is self-reception, is present in them more than in all the others, and they become worse than others in the qualities of self-love.
This is so because he thinks that he deserves more than other people. In other words, it is enough for other people to have what they have, but when he considers himself, he deserves more than the rest of the people. This thought is considered actual reception, meaning 100% self-love. It follows that self-love begins to develop in him more than in others.
It therefore follows that he is constantly working in self-love. And yet, to his own eyes, he seems righteous, since he wishes to work as a giver. He tells himself that his request of the Creator to bring him closer is right because what is he asking? For the Creator to give him strength to keep Torah and Mitzvot in order to bestow. And what fault could there be in wishing to serve the King?
With that, we can interpret the words of The Zohar. It advises those people with an inner demand, who cannot accept the state they are in because they do not see any progress in the work of God, and believe what is written (Deuteronomy 30:20), “To love the Lord your God, to listen to His voice, and to cleave unto Him; for this is your life, and the length of your days.” They see that they lack love and Dvekut [adhesion/cleaving], and they do not feel the life in the Torah or know how to find counsel for their souls to come to feel in their organs that which the text tells us.
The advice is to ask for the whole collective. In other words, everything that one feels that he is lacking and asks fulfillment for, he should not say that he is an exception or deserves more than what the collective has.
Rather, “I dwell among my own people,” meaning I am asking for the entire collective because I wish to come to a state where I will have no care for myself whatsoever, but only for the Creator to have contentment. Therefore, it makes no difference to me if the Creator takes pleasure in me or can receive the same pleasure from others.
In other words, he asks the Creator to give us such an understanding, which is called, “entirely for the Creator.” It means that he will be certain that he is not deceiving himself that he wants to bestow upon the Creator, that perhaps he is really thinking only of his own self-love, meaning that he will feel the delight and pleasure.
Therefore, he prays for the collective. This means that if there are a few people in the collective who can reach the goal of Dvekut with the Creator, and this will bring the Creator more contentment than if he himself were rewarded with nearing the Creator, he excludes himself. Instead, he wishes for the Creator to help them because this will bring more contentment above than from his own work. For this reason, he prays for the collective, that the Creator will help the entire collective and will give them that feeling—that they receive satisfaction from being able to bestow upon the Creator, to bring Him contentment.
And since everything requires an awakening from below, he gives the awakening from below, and others will receive the awakening from above, to whomever the Creator knows will be more beneficial for the Creator.
It follows that if he has the strength to ask for such a prayer, then he will certainly face a true test—if he agrees to such a prayer. However, if he knows that what he is saying is only lip service, what can he do when he sees that the body disagrees with such a prayer to have pure bestowal without a hint of reception?
Here there is only the famous advice—to pray to the Creator and believe above reason that the Creator can help him and the whole collective. And he should not be impressed if he sees that he has already prayed many times but his prayer was not answered. This brings one to despair and the body mocks him and tells him, “Can’t you see that you cannot do a thing? And as if you are completely hopeless, you are now asking of the Creator to grant you things that are unacceptable to reasonable people.”
At that time, the body argues, “Do tell me, who among the pious and practical people wish for the Creator to give them something that is completely unreasonable? Moreover, you can see for yourself that you were not granted even smaller things than the demand you are making now of the Creator to help you, even though you asked the Creator to help you. And now you say that you want to ask the Creator to grant you something great. It is indeed a very important thing because there aren’t many prayers in the world that ask the Creator to give them strength to do things for the collective, that the whole public will be rewarded with delight and pleasure by your labor. This is called ‘pure and clean bestowal without a hint of self-love.’
“And you think that your prayer for small things was not granted, but great and important things are certainly priceless.” For example, we might say that it is worthwhile to go to a certain person who has such precious paraphernalia that you’d have to search the entire world to find such objects, since they are found only among a chosen few. And a person from the middle-class came, who barely had the usual paraphernalia in his house, and it suddenly occurred to him that he, too, should try to obtain those objects, too, which are found among the chosen few. Certainly, if someone heard about it he would laugh at him.
It is the same for us. When a person is not educated, but is below average, yet wishes to ask the Creator for Kelim [vessels] that are found with a chosen few in the world, here the body itself mocks him. It tells him, “You fool, how can you even think of asking the Creator for something that even learned people do not have? How can I give you strength to work on such nonsense?”
And here begins the real work, since man’s work in this world is to exit the domain of the evil inclination, which is called “receiving in order to receive.” And now he wishes for the Creator to help him walk on the path of pure and clean bestowal without a hint of self-reception.
It follows that this work is truly against the evil, since he does not wish to leave any possessions with it. Rather, now he wants his work henceforth to not be for the will to receive. Rather, he asks the Creator that even what he worked for before, and what was registered in the domain of the will to receive, will all be moved from its authority to the authority of the Creator.
It follows that now he prays for the Creator to give him the strength to repent. That is, the Creator will give him the strength to bring all the deeds that were for the will to receive back to the Creator’s domain, both those of the past, and those of the future. It is as Maimonides says (Laws of Repentance, Chapter 2), “Repentance must be for the past, as well.”
He writes, “What is repentance? It is for the sinner to leave his sin and remove it from his mind, and resolve in his heart never to do it again, as it is written, ‘Let the wicked forsake his way.’ And he should also regret the past, as it is said, ‘For after I turned back, I repented,’ and He who knows all mysteries will testify that he will never return to this sin.”
Now we can understand the importance of a prayer of many, as it is written, “I dwell among my own people.” The Zohar says, “One should never retire from the people because the mercy of the Creator is always on the whole people together.” This means that if one asks the Creator to give him vessels of bestowal, as our sages said, “As He is merciful, you be merciful, too,” one should pray for the whole collective. This is because then it is apparent that his aim is for the Creator to give him vessels of pure bestowal, as it was written, “The mercy of the Creator is always on the whole people together.” It is known that there is no giving of half a thing from above. This means that when abundance is given from above to below, it is for the whole collective.
For this reason, one must ask for the whole public, since any abundance that comes from above, always comes for the whole people. This is why he says, “The mercy of the Creator is always on the whole people.” Thus, there are two meanings to that, since to have pure bestowal, it would have been enough to pray for only one person besides himself. But there is another issue here—a person must ask for a whole thing because it is a rule in spirituality that what comes is always a complete thing, and all the observations are only in the receivers. For this reason, one should ask for the whole collective.
And since the abundance comes to the whole collective, and since there is no light without a Kli [vessel], meaning it is impossible to receive fulfillment if there is no vacancy for it where the filling can enter, he is therefore answered for that prayer that he was making for the public. It is as our sages said (Baba Kama, 92), “Anyone who pleads for mercy on his friend is answered first, since he needs the same thing.” It means that although the abundance comes to the collective, the collective lacks the Kelim.
In other words, the abundance that comes from above is enough for the whole people, but without Kelim—deficiencies, so they can fill the cavities—the public does not attain the abundance that comes from above. Rather, he who has deficiencies is answered first. comes to the collective, the collective lacks the vessels. In other words, the abundance that comes from above is enough for the whole people. But without vessels, deficiencies, so they can fill the cavities, the public does not attain the abundance that comes from above. Rather, he who has deficiencies is answered first.
He doesn't have a translator. Like, Zohar is translating to English, and we're translating. Our body doesn't have a translation of internality. And when we read Rabash, we suddenly get a translation to what's happening within us. It kind of adds another flavor to reality, another color. It's like it paints it in multi-color. So I have gratitude for us having the privilege of sitting and reading a Rabash article and to truly dive into the depth of our soul. Rabash seemingly projecting a film from within a person's internality lets him see these characters inside of him, what each one says, how it speaks to him, how it influences him, and what actually influences him and holds him, and also how to behave. It's all simple. Either you do it for the sake of the Ten, or...
Reader: Let's go to a lesson from April 29, 2002.
M. Laitman: (21:36) We heard the article, “The Prayer of Many,” from Volume 2, “The Rungs of the Ladder.” This is a very special thing. But he's saying here that there is such a thing, such a concept, called “the prayer of many.” How is this possible? We say, each and every soul is a desire in and of its own that develops in its ways. Well, of course, it could be connected with other desires, other souls, but nevertheless, it's on its own, and each has his connection with the upper force, with the Creator. Lo Lishma, later Lishma, however, is not the way of development, the soul descends from a special place where it is as a root, a point, adhered to the Creator. Descends to this world, meaning receives the addition of desires of the body, beastliness, and against this beastliness, a person works so that this beastliness will not be a partition between him and the Creator. Then again, he seemingly returns to the same state like before, where they were adhered, even when he returns to adhesion, despite the resistance of the body. Then he acquires, according to the resistance of the body, he acquires the force, the power of adhesion, the power of nearness and acquaintance between them. This is all so personal for each and every one.
And here they say “prayer of many,” where it's as if there is a possibility for a person to feel the other, to take from him deficiencies, to be sorry with the friend's sorrow, to pray for this sorrow. How is that possible? Maybe there's some benefit from this, but how is it possible? It's specifically possible because if a person annuls the addition of the body - we're talking about a spiritual concept, but Guf, body, not the beastly body, yes, the addition of the Guf, the body that the Creator drops upon him as a clothing of the point of the soul, so this addition of the Guf, of the body, if a person wants to neutralize it, and to even place it under the authority of the soul, meaning for this entire coarseness of the body, not just to perform a restriction on it, but also use it and to receive in order to bestow - so it turns out that a person in this body, the way is to use it, and all his qualities must be connected to all the souls. Specifically, the body enables the soul to connect with the rest of the souls. Prior to this, the soul is adhered to the Creator on its own, and feels herself as a point, a seed, truly, one point alone. And by working against the desires of the body, she begins to be connected with the rest of the points.
M. Laitman: (26:23) This is what provides her with her final stance of not being a point, but to be a general soul, including, all-inclusive. By this soul acquiring connection with the rest of the souls, it begins to be as one Kli towards the Creator. And then we truly reach the prayer of many, meaning there isn't just in that point, in that soul, a deficiency that what she has from the nature of her creation, but rather she acquires all the deficiencies of all the souls, and that is truly a prayer of many.
Meaning, when is it the prayer of many? In the final correction, in truth, yes. Whenever there's a connection between everyone, and each soul feels all the rest of the souls, is connected with them unlimitedly, without any partitions of bodies, and everyone has a mutual, a common deficiency. If a person on his path to the corrected state works upon himself in connecting with the souls, with other deficiencies, it turns out that constantly, his prayer, meaning the feeling of his lack, his appeal to the source of fulfillment, grows.
And that is why, although as he goes to connect with the rest of the souls, and is immersed within a greater deficiency, he also receives fulfillment, both the first and also the greater one. And it is only in such a way that he advances. Meaning, to reach the prayer of many, that is to incorporate with the rest of the desires as much as possible, is the means for development. The point with which a person is born remains a point. There's nowhere to take additional desires to be revealed in her, if they're not there.
Rather, the body is a partition, which the Creator puts upon the soul, when a person against the body begins to be connected with the rest of the souls, this is what acquires the soul volume. This is what gives the soul an addition of deficiencies. So each soul begins to be included of 600,000 deficiencies. And in such a manner, she attains the final correction.
Meaning, on its own, this point does not grow. It only grows at the expense of her connection with all the rest of the points, all the way to the number 600,000. Hence, the more she joins to herself from all the souls, a little more from them, a little more from them, a little more from them, accordingly, we say that this soul has the prayer of many. It has a Kli, which is composed of many, many seemingly foreign deficiencies, when she begins to be incorporated by them as her own deficiencies. And then her demand, the deficiency in her, is called “the prayer of many.”
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (31:03) He writes that the collective lacks vessels, so how can he nevertheless be full of deficiencies in his prayer, if the collective is missing vessels?
M. Laitman: I don't know precisely what he writes there. The meaning is that the individual and the collective there's here a matter of the extent to which the collective can supply the individual deficiencies of his own and support of his own, accordingly merits also receiving from the individual. That is, if there's some great Kabbalist, and you know just one thing, that you're sewing his clothes, and when he's with these clothes, he will do his work, his spiritual work, and you hope that from his spiritual work, because you helped him with his clothes, you'll have something spiritual.
That's a prayer. And that is spiritual work, what you're doing. Meaning, it's not that you're sewing in that, not about the cloth or that you're making some garment out of it, but rather you're putting forth labor, so that you will have some spiritual reply from this, yes? And you relate to this person, like to an upper Partzuf, as he, by you raising his MAN to him, and doing it specifically in this world, it's very important, on truly these lowly, low degrees, practical ones, then you are rewarded with a reply. This is the whole matter of serving a great man. But this is under the condition you truly have such an intention. If there's no intention, it's...
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (33:12) There has to be a demand from the collective, the prayer?
M. Laitman: So there needs to be a demand from the collective, there needs to be an understanding in the collective that they're doing important and great work, since they are associated with spiritual development. Also for those people who are more and more individual, because in spirituality, we lean towards the individual, and this means that if individual and if we go after the collective you can receive him. In corporeality, you go after the many. Meaning, if he goes after these corporeal laws, and he has to adapt himself to do them, this is what the collective is capable and can do.
Meaning, these actions are both in corporeality and spirituality, it's the same thing, they're inner content. But if we're trying to perform this in corporeality, then there's an additional force here. Because it's nevertheless the final point, the final degree, which points to the intention. And what is interesting, I don't know yet how to explain it, maybe, is that doing this, meaning, if you did some spiritual action and then it is stopped, then you're not in it, and it doesn't bestow upon you, it disappears. Meaning, spirituality cannot be if it's not in an internal manner. That is, if you already rose to a certain degree and you're there, you've acquired it, it's yours. Less than that, it cannot be. But if you perform a spiritual action and bind it with a corporeal action, then because this corporeal action exists, it sustains the inner content, the spiritual content that is in you, and doesn't let it escape you.
This is something that he explains a little there about the, in the article for the, what's it called, the article? The “Article for the Conclusion of the Zohar,” yes. He explains it there. It's like a student turns a Rav, seemingly. But altogether, this is how we need to also, us towards the Creator. We need to try for our action to be also in corporeality, together with the spiritual action. That's the whole matter of needing to both observe the commandments and also make an intention on it. Because if you do it together, it has more wholeness, and it holds better.
Only, Baal HaSulam says that we need 99% weight to put to this, an importance to what you're putting inside, to your intention, to your desire, to what you want to reach, and 1% in knowledge and external execution, which really doesn't demand more than that. And what external people do, they are very meticulous with the external action, and completely leave the internal matter, which can be studied only from Kabbalah. They don't understand that Kabbalah is the Creator's work, very simply. Everyone's crying out, “It is the Creator's work, Creator's work,” and they don't know that it's only in Kabbalah and nowhere else, that it is, this is the Creator's work. It's what's written, “Prayer is the Creator's work.”
What is prayer? Raising MAN. How much do we have to work for that? How much preparation do we have to make for that? It's true that it's the end of all the matter, the correct appeal, asking for the screen.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (37:45) What is in our state to ask for the collective now? Not like…, right now?
M. Laitman: What is in our state to ask for the collective? I can't tell you. It's something that, it's either in a person or not. Either he reaches through his development to being pained for the sake of the others or not. You're asking, what does it mean to ask for the collective? If I were to explain to you now what it is to ask for the collective, then you'll ask. Is it even possible to ask according to one's mind for it to be explained to you? Do you understand? To ask means to realize the demand, the inner deficiency. Maybe you can ask, how do I come to a state in which I will have a request for the collective? That's already something else.
We can assist ourselves in reaching certain deficiencies. So I won't have a deficiency for some movie or a steak, but for me to have a deficiency for more exalted lofty things. There is a level of development, a specific level of development. From there onwards on the spiritual development path a person starts caring for the collective. It's like he writes that through the surrounding light that comes during the study with intention as much as we toil at it, this surrounding light brings a person this grace of Kedusha. Grace of Kedusha- Chen of Kedusha, is something very inclusive. What is a sense of Kedusha? A sense of Kedusha is that which is beyond my body, beyond my five senses within which I supply my ego.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (40:06) You said that if we do a spiritual action connected to a corporeal action, then seemingly the corporeal action remains a spiritual content, if I understood?
M. Laitman: He writes this differently, he says that because we are under the barrier, and all our intentions and longings are not permanent, eternal, that they're not corrected in a screen, in spirituality, when you come to a certain degree, you don't fall. You descend from it, correct, in order to ascend even more. We are raised in holiness, not lowered.
Whereas in our world, you see people came studied, and then they fall, they leave, they go and disappear. It's true that something remains in them from what was here, in which they absorbed, grasped. But these are not things that are speaking in them, they're not advancing them. Meaning, corporeality is not like spirituality. It can change in return as well. That's why we need certain support to not go down from the degree. For that, I need to organize around me a framework, group, Rav, books, an alarm clock, maybe a wife that will remind me about spirituality, all kinds of things.
That's on one hand. On the side of negation where our corporeality, our state, is one that can truly drag us backwards. What about the positive side from our state? From the side of the positive in our state, although I'm not in spirituality permanently, but sometimes I have this passion for spirituality, really. Let's say, once a month for five minutes, and then it disappears. But if I, once a month, in these five minutes now, come to some great Kabbalist and shine his shoes, I want to advance with him by this. This becomes eternal. It becomes permanent. Because my thought is not eternal yet, my desire is not eternal, but I made an action in corporeality that does not disappear. I did this, you can't say that I didn't. The shoes are polished, and I adhered my intention to them. We're done. This is an eternal action. It's also a spiritual action that adheres to corporeality. This is actually what he's telling us there.
I'm talking in a very simple manner here. This is what he explains to us there in the “Article for the Conclusion of the Zohar,” that a student who serves his Rav can be rewarded from Rav being in the upper world. He is in the lower world, but his use, where through his use, he transfers his passion. And if he has no passion what is there to use? But through his use, he can pass along the message for it to remain to the scale of his merit. I'm not talking about a Rav and a student, but we towards the Creator. It's the same. If we join to the action intention, then certainly by this we benefit eternally this intention which remains.
I put on Tefillin. If I did it without intention, nothing happens in spirituality. It's still of Kedusha, it operates, but on a still level. That's it, it exists and no more. It doesn't give the possibility to grow anything from this. We must do this because it all comes from the ground, from inanimate, from the still. But this is just the foundation from which there's still nothing yet. To the extent to which I can join this action in my intention, we see that this action begins to be the foundation upon which he begins to grow something. And the intention is what I said today, and I have today and tomorrow. But because I did it together with this action, and also the next day it exists because I did this action. It already exists, and the thought comes with it.
Meaning, this is the whole matter of having to do actions, called actions of Mitzvot, of commandments, but not do them like those who are learned, who were taught when they were in kindergarten, in the seminary, in the Cheder, and by that they continue their whole life in this action. This is called the commandments of so-called learned people. But to do it with the intention that constantly changes towards the Creator in order to bestow, to reach Lishma, etc.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (45:44) Before the barrier, a person doesn't control his intention?
M. Laitman: So before the barrier, even though you're not in control of your intention, as much as an intention has a certain impulse to reach spirituality, it remains connected to the action, and it remains, it stays. Therefore there's no doubt that you have to do the commandments with the intention. And do them, by that you determine, you truly collect all of your intentions. There's a need for it in this world. Otherwise we don't understand why did we reincarnate here? What's the benefit from that? What's the benefit from giving us commandments? What is it? It's such an error when people suddenly heard about the commandments that you have to do spiritually, and then they copied it, and they're doing it corporeally. Like animals, no.
The mistake, the error, was from the time of the destruction of the Temple when they lost the intention in order to bestow, and they continue to do the same actions without any intention, or in order to receive. This is the descent. Meaning, it's not about the action, but about the intention. And the action, Kabbalists say, don't add and don't detract. Meaning you shouldn't overdo it, as some people do. Meaning, adorn things more, and they make a whole ritual out of it. But with the intention, you need to refine it each time. Upgrade it, update it. That's what he writes at the end of this “Preface to the Book of Zohar.” It has to be, the internality has to be important. It has to be very, very big on top of the externality. On top of the commandments, you have to develop as much as possible the intention and the yearning.
What are you doing this for? Otherwise, we won't understand the order of the world. Why do we need to do all those things? Why do we need to exist in a different way externally that's special, that's different than other nations, and so on and so forth? Why do we need to do everything in corporeality, from circumcision all the way to the Temple? From being in Egypt all the way to being dispersed among all the nations? Let's do it in internality, and we're done, be done with it. Why do we need to do it in corporeality? Why do you have to go through these things? It's in order for us to connect internality and externality together. It's because through the external observance, the internality leans against it. We don't know what it means to simply keep those in corporeality compared to keeping it together with the intention. You introduce spiritual weight into it. You shorten, you hasten all of creation from beginning to end, from end to end.
You can’t see it now. You can’t see, what can I say? I saw how the Rebbe would do all sorts of things. Sometimes, you know, he wouldn't conceal it. We were together in Tiberias, other places, in the hospital, other places, he would perform a Mitzvah, a commandment, together with the intention, and he couldn't conceal it out of his weakness or special effort. It's not that I'm a Chassid. He probably thought I'm not a Chassid, I'm not chasing extreme things. But this was felt, also externally. Meaning, throughout the entire degree of the body, it was felt. I don't know how to talk about it, I'm not accustomed to talk about it.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (50:56) Is there a specific intention for each commandment, or do we?
M. Laitman: What do you mean, a specific intention for each commandment? What is the intention? It's keeping that commandment spiritually, that's it. Spiritually, to keep the commandment of Tefillin. It's to extend a certain illumination and GAR of Zeir Anpin, when he's great, when he's in coupling with Nukva, and so on and so forth. You have an illumination from behind, an illumination from the front, Tefillin of Rosh, of the head, Tefillin of the hand, the crown of Tefillin, and so on and so forth.
This person who does these things on the level of the world of Atzilut, on this level, as they describe in our books, it means that he's doing it with intention. What is intention? Intention is exactly the work with the screen in receiving the light in order to bestow on the degree of the ZON of Atzilut, for example, in Gadlut [adulthood], called “laying of the Tefillin.” Now, if you're doing it together with the body, then you simply did the action in two worlds. That's intention.
What is the intention? By that, we think about it. We don't know what is the intention, what does it mean to lay Tefillin in spirituality, then we think this way. We think that by tying this box on my hand here, I think how to gain something. That's not intention. True intention is purely keeping it on the degree where it's happening, of this spiritual action. A screen, reflected light, direct light, receiving in order to bestow. Certainly, before the correction that you come to this degree, this is called the intention. So the house of the gate of intention, the gate of intentions, the prayers, the prayer book of Rashash, all those intentions, you'll see what it is. They don't talk to you from this world, you aim to have something in the spiritual world. No, you have to be in this degree and do something. This is called an intention.
It's inner work, spiritual work, that's called intention. What is intention? Intention is exactly your effort now in your heart. How are you going to receive, to bestow, to bestow in order to bestow? In short, the calculation of the screen is called intention. Now, if you're doing it with an action in this world, that's wholeness, both of them together. That's why this world truly exists.
What does it mean, exists? That there exists such matter on such a low degree, such a lowly degree that cannot even have any intention in it. Meaning, what does it mean? That if not for the soul in me, then my beast, with all of its senses, all of its desires, will think only to receive pleasure for itself. Because I have a soul, that I'm keeping an intention in it, and I keep- I make a spiritual action in receiving in order to bestow. And in the body I do the same action as before, it doesn't change in the body. If I will not give any fuel to the body, it will not move. Same body, both for a Kabbalist and for a regular person, nothing changes. So in your two parts, you're doing the action. This in the soul, this in the body.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (54:57) What's the difference between the intention when we study? When we study we have this intention and what happens later when we perform a commandment?
M. Laitman: The fact that we study and we have the intention to reach spirituality through the study, this is not the intention of keeping the commandment. You can say that this is the intention behind the observance of the commandment of studying Torah. Right. But it's not observing in actuality the commandment whereby that you keep the commandment of washing the hands or blessing over the food or laying of the Tefillin or wrapping stuff in the prayer shaw
Those commandments that are about eating certain things and making certain blessings before them and so on. By that, you're simply drawing in general the light of correction, the light of correction on yourself, meaning there are actions by which I'm drawing the light of AB-SAG and I correct myself. This is called the act of correction, and the intention behind it is that I wish to be corrected for the upper force to come to me and correct me. Just correct me, in this way, I prepare myself for the commandment. And then, now that I received a certain force of the screen from above, now I have a different intention. Now I'm going to do this action in order to bestow. Before I had an action, I had the intention to correct. Now the intention is to do it in order to bestow. These are two intentions.
In the prayer book of the Kabbalists, what they talk about in the books, they typically do not speak of the corrections you have to make before doing the commandment, before the spiritual action, before the work of the screen. Rather, they speak purely on the work of the screens and from that, you know what you have to do, how you need to respond, how you can come to it. And there are things that they tell you in what way to reach it, to come to it. Or they tell you about the entire path you can go through stage by stage: Ibur [inception, conception], Yenika [suckling], Mochin [adulthood], in what forms you need to do all those actions.
But the intentions, as you are reading in the Shulchan Aruch [The Set Table], or we're not really using “The Set Table here,” but let's say, you take the great set table or the four columns, Arba'a Turim, let's say all these books that speak in truth about how to make a commandment. It says that you have to take it after you finish Tefillin everything, you have to take it with the right hand and move it, and then put it exactly against the heart, and then not to be able to see it, and then to start to turn it, let's say three, and then seven, and again three, and so on and so forth. So all those things that are written this way, if you take the prayer book by Rashash or someone, then it says that you have to add this letter to that letter to read these three letters, and not to read them the way you read them as you're doing the action, then to perform these letters, meaning these other signs, let's say as if he's looking at sheet music with notes, and you play the music.
So you look at these letters and you perform an internality, the same thing as in “The Set Table,” what's written that you have to do in externality with this beastly strap of leather, with this beastly box on your hand, on your beastly hand - it's the same. You have to do the same thing in the soul, with the forces of the soul, on the vessel, on the body, with the vessels of the body, meaning the hands and these objects called Tefillin, but this is really, it's the same record. Where do they take the idea of how to do it in this world? From what they saw, how things happen in spirituality. What is there, and what is there, what's happening in spirituality, what are the branches in corporeality? Meaning, a person who knows spirituality, he takes the book “Set Table,” for example, and accordingly he can do exactly what's written in the book of Rashash, where there is, you have the letters and all kinds of signs and symbols, points and letter combinations that we don't understand. These are like musical notes, you don't know what these notes are, right? And you have to understand that we're connected, incorporated of these two parts, a body and a soul. You do it inside the soul, and this is called spirituality. You do it inside the body, it's called corporeality, that's it. Together, exactly, together.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:00:32) If every corporeal action has an opposing spiritual root, then why specifically…
M. Laitman: Wait, what do you mean? Each and every corporeal action has a spiritual root. Where do they take these corporeal actions from? What, someone just sat there and felt like doing like, let's drop on these people all kinds of weird things, let's lay this Tefillin on, what, you mean just like that? Where do they take all these things from? What, it certainly looks strange, there's nothing rational about anything, any prayer.
I have a good friend and he says, well, and I remember also thinking the same thing, he said, well, the blessing of the food is good, why? After the food, you have to sit a little bit until you digest the food, so you need to make a blessing over the food for five minutes. So, wise people who understand about medicine probably established this good custom, right? And you can say this about each and every commandment, you have entire books written in this way, where it's really healthy to keep commandments, yes, the taste of commandments, right? You understand? But in truth, it's all abstract, and has nothing to do with reality. You know, the most outstanding example is the Kaddish of the dead, who has passed away, and I'm saying, “Praise the Lord, how great You are, how good You are.” Only Jews can maybe say it or invent such a thing. No commandment has its root in this world, a rational root. You take the four species, look from the outside, you wouldn't know this custom, right? Like either it's barbarians who think that..
Student: They're getting rid of demons.
M. Laitman: Yes, they exorcise the demons or something, right? What are they doing? Look at these customs, it's, and these are old ones, right? Oh, you know, back then people were primitive, so we're the same, they're holding on to that. They sat in the Sukkah, in the tabernacle a thousand years ago, and we'll also sit there, you know, it's a tradition to remember them, you can say that. But in truth
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:03:21) All the corporeal reality that is not connected?
M. Laitman: You know, keeping Kosher, the Sabbath, what's rational about it? Is there anything wrong about it? There's nothing in it. What, it's not healthy to eat pork, meat with dairy, it's not healthy? Who said so? You see, you see, you see the Gentiles getting sick, and the Jews that don't eat it, no. No, all these commandments, it's Kabbalists who attained the upper roots from Abraham, the patriarch. He attained the spiritual world, and according to the roots in the spiritual world, they started to keep these things in corporeality in accordance with that. As it was written, “Our fathers kept the entire Torah,” there is such a saying. What does that mean? Out of their attainment, out of feeling the upper world, naturally, from the roots to the branches you also keep it in are world.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:04:37) What's the difference between the spiritual root of a commandment and the spiritual root of a corporeal action that's not a commandment? Both of them have a spiritual root.
M. Laitman: You say it like that. Every action in this world has a spiritual root. And the action itself in this world is its corporeal branch, right? What's the difference between an action of this world that I call a commandment and an action in this world that I don't call a commandment? I'll tell you. Because, in effect, the actions in this world that are not a commandment, this action has a spiritual root that extends into corporeality. And in this world, there's, corresponding to it, a corporeal branch. Whereas no root of a commandment, which is a spiritual action, has a branch in the corporeal world. These are pure spiritual actions that I also want to find a copy of them, a projection into the corporeality. Tell me, the Tefillin, does it grow on a tree, or you can find it in some natural way somewhere, or anything? Where I say, before the food, the blessing of the food, or before that, or after that, there's nothing. There's no branch in this world. It's simply the Kabbalists who took them from the spiritual world and introduced it into the world. They wrote it to the people and said, guys, let's do this. And they explained that with that the spiritual receiving, meaning the cascading down through the generations. It's also cascading from above down.
The previous generations were purer. They could feel spirituality more than us. In other words, no commandment in our world has justification, has a corporeal branch. That's why I said that this is, in this world, it's not real. It's not rational. It's irrational. Really, the gentiles can really make fun of these customs. Well, such customs they also have, nations also have such customs, and there it comes from belief in all kinds of forces. But practically, such things and such philosophies look at what we're doing. We don't know about contributions and tithing, paying a tenth. There's a whole Torah about it, so many details. It's terrible. If we would know what it is. Right now it doesn't exist because we don't have land there are no priests, no Levites, but this is all according to the laws in spirituality, where this is. How else into such parts and use a part that's called a Kohen- a priest in your vessel, and with that what's a Levite, and this is Israel, and this you give to the poor, and it's terrible. They take that because they're working with spiritual vessels, so they know they have to scrutinize each and every vessel in this way and place a screen on it. So, in this world, accordingly, when you have a country, a land, then you keep those things, but otherwise, there's no justification for these things. Meaning every action in this world has an upper root except for what the Jews do.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:09:00) After all of this, I go at the end of the lesson, and I take my Tefillin. What do I do?
M. Laitman: You promised not to do it before the TV.
Student: Practically, what do I need to think, to want? What in the end is the bottom line for me, that I'm coming to do what I need to do?
M. Laitman: We need to do everything that's written in the set table. Where is it? Let's open the book Kabbalah for Beginners, Kabbalah for the Student. You see what he writes, Baal HaSulam, introduction. Welcome to the study of Ten Sefirot. I'm not, it's not like I want to make you one who becomes religious, make you religious, a beautiful religious person.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:09:48) What's my, which intention am I doing over these actions, what's the approach?
M. Laitman: Baal HaSulam writes that you have to study, he doesn't write it, so you get rid of, you know, the Haredi people come and jump on me, write the real words, he says, at least according to the abbreviation you have to observe Mitzvot, and he tells you which commandments, what does it say? The commandments that come up to you during your life. God forbid, if I'm not an orphan, and I don't need to know all the rules about mourning. And if I'm not a woman I don't need to know all the things that pertain to a woman. If I'm not a Kohen or a Levite, I don't need to know these things, and all other things. I need to know what I need to do in practice, and these things we have to learn and do. Now, that's what he says about observing. How much should we add to the observation, how much intention? This already depends on the person, but each one must know that a commandment without an intention is like a body without a soul; it's dead. You have to give life to this body; it's dead, but at least now it's dead, and you have to know and regret that it is dead. Now start reviving it. So, the first intention is how I acquire life. I want life, this body to stop being dead, and then, what do you do? I'll tell you. If you now think in everything you do, which act in spirituality could be compatible to what you're doing in the corporeality, then you will be thinking about the intention. It should be. Intention is a spiritual observation. So, if I'm thinking, let's say, okay, Tefillin, and when I put it on, I think, what could Tefillin be in spirituality? It has to be an intention to bestow on a degree where I receive light of Hochma, in the Rosh of Zeir Anpin when he is in Gadlut. It's an awful degree, so you already regret, you already want, you somehow yearn for it. This is already your intention; it's the beginning of the spiritual observation that at one point, you'll get it, and if you connect it with an action, then it's already a complete thing. And likewise, everything.
With a prayer we have a problem because we cannot always go with a prayer that is written there, blessed are You. You're in all kinds of states, ascents, descents, you know all kinds of things, and I cannot quite find myself there. So, I work in that if I read I sympathize with the text or not, then you have to add a soul to your intention, because it was all written by Kabbalists. If you use it mechanically, the body is dead. You have to explain to it how to revive it, but if you see that you are dead compared to what they wrote, that's the work already. But in a prayer, something a little different; it could be that at this time, your prayer is different from what you're reading. This is why you cannot say, Do what is written in the book. It says, don't force your heart. Your heart may be saying something else now, but things that pertain to corporeality, to doing things like wearing Tefillin, by this you will also learn what it means to do it in spirituality and ask for correction. Sorrow is already a prayer. This is very helpful. And at the end of the Introduction to the Book of Zohar, he writes that there should be a minimal execution, nominal if there is such a word in Hebrew, normal. Do what you need to do. As much as you can add the right intention to it, meaning spiritual observation, all the more so. Meaning don't disconnect the spiritual world from this world. Just connect them.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:15:31) And this can help our advancement so much?
M. Laitman: It cannot help our advancement, and that's the whole problem: that we are misunderstood. Corporeal observation cannot help you for spiritual advancement. Understand correctly. This is very subtle. It can help on condition that through it, you want to think and add an intention. If you don't add the intention, it does not advance you in any way. And I don't want to say it, but it can be the opposite. You start being satisfied with doing it, and you start being righteous, and maybe overdo it, and then you even prefer externality to internality, and by this you are destroying yourself, and the nation, and the world, and you're causing all the damages in the world. This is called inverting the ball. That's already a different story.
So I'm saying again, these things have to be together, but internality is, I don't know how many times more important than externality. Externality, just let it go, and that's it. Don't make a big deal out of it; as much as you can. See what he writes about Tefillin in the prayer book, say, Rashash, or someone else. 50 pages, an intention. What is an intention? Performing this act in spirituality, on the degree of ZON of Atzilut, in Gadlut, you understand? Doing this when you go over all those actions, incidents, and effort in passing the lights. Just see, according to the number of letters and combinations of letters, you see there, see what it is. Rachel, Israel, Apostle Jacob, the lights pass through those Partzufim there. So in this, he says, put all the emphasis of your effort, and also put that box on your hand.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:17:50) If you're not in the degree of Zeir Anpin there, then what you're doing is just to remember that it exists in order to aim to search for it?
M. Laitman: Not only this; not only remembering that it exists and intending to search for it. The corporeal act has to be also, because there needs to be a connection between the two worlds, and every root must reach its branch, and the branch must rise to the root through the intention. A person who has both intention and action connects the two worlds by this. Otherwise, you cannot add an intention to bestow to our world. It's a will to receive that's called dead, still. Zion, you're listening to me? The will to receive in our world, below the barrier, is a will to receive on which you cannot place an intention to bestow. The will to receive was now added to the soul. It was clothed on a soul, and that structure together is called Adam, man, person. Now, if a person performs actions in the soul and actions in practice, it's as if he corrects this act, even in this desire that you cannot put an intention on at all. In other words, at such a point where no upper light enters in such a desire, the desire of the soul the Creator created, there's also a part in it where the upper light cannot reach. It cannot give the feeling of the host there. This is why this desire cannot respond; it cannot feel that there is shame, that there is a landlord, that I have to do something in relation to Him. Meaning, this will to receive below the barrier is denied of corrections. You cannot bring it to any correction; it doesn't respond, you understand? Tell your cat you're wrong, you're not this, you're not that, why did you steal this salami from me, shame on you. You understand? So, the will to receive is like that; so how do you correct that part of reality. The rest of the parts we can correct. This is called spirituality, where we feel the landlord. But the will to receive is different, higher. Our will to receive, which is called in this world can be corrected only by adding it to spirituality in this way. You do something with it, and with the intention you make the intention in the soul. This is why man consists of both parts: this world and the spiritual world. Both parts are man, because besides man, there is nothing. Imagine you're that great, that in you, there is both a spiritual world and a corporeal world. And besides you, there's only His self, that's it.
Student: It's not clear.
M. Laitman: Not clear?
Student: So, there's something that's impossible to correct, and what does it matter if you attach to an intention or not? He doesn't understand this language at all.
M. Laitman: Baal HaSulam writes that by a person being, well, in Katnut, placed in this will to receive, and then during Gadlut, he also acquires spiritual desires. These things connect together, and a correction reaches this desire too. I can't explain it more clearly. A person can be, because he is in both states. There are no words for it, but we already started talking. It will come. Otherwise, this world, meaning this region in the will to receive where light does not penetrate, there's nothing you can do with it. So leave it as it is. So, it's impossible to leave it as it is, or we won't get to the end of correction. Why is all of the wisdom of Kabbalah about revealing the holy names, meaning revealing all of spirituality to a created being in this world? Why should we care? Why do we need a body in this world? Let's have a soul. A soul begins from the black point and begins to rise and attain spirituality. Why do we need a body? In five senses, meaning, what is our body? Our body and we in this world are what we perceive in five senses. These five senses are a projection of the five degrees of coarseness, five degrees of the screen in spirituality, but there's no screen in them and cannot be.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:23:21) So, if corresponding to internality and externality, I'd say the Gentiles don't need to perform the commandments, and also their body...
M. Laitman: The Gentiles, this is why they don't need to observe the commandments, because according to the written branch in our world, they belong to a part that cannot be corrected, the AHP, which is forbidden to use. After the first or second restriction, when you correct the Jew in Galgalta ve Eynaim, the Gentiles can join them and also support and observe to the extent that they can and should do it together with the Jews. This is called, in the Temple, you will also have the section of the Gentiles. You have the Kohen, the Levite, Israel, women, and the nations of the world. All the parts of the will to receive have the work of the Creator, the work of God. The Raised AHP is the Gentiles that join the work. This is called bringing them on their shoulders.
Student: There always remains a majority that cannot join. The AHP of the idea is a very small part, but the majority...
M. Laitman: The part that cannot be joined is corrected by not wanting to join because it cannot join. It's as if it puts a restriction on it. That's its correction. The stony heart is corrected. How? By not using it. Is it corrected? That's a correction. I cannot use it, but I limit it and don't use it. So, there are such people in the nations of the world who will, let's say, restrain from stealing, and that's a correction. You don't need more. By this, they join the holy nation, meaning the part that is corrected. Let's say, every person on earth does as much as he can in order to join holiness. So maybe one person will be 100% like Rabbi Shimon, and one person just 1%; not even 1%, just refraining from using his evil, and that will be his correction. Then it'll be complete correction for him and for Rabbi Shimon. With respect to the correction, they are equal. Both corrected themselves 100%. But one was created refined, and one was created that coarse. What can you do? You don't judge that. You judge the level, the measure of correction. This is why, at the end of correction, there is no difference in the level between the Gentiles and the Jews. If everyone completed their correction, then it doesn't matter who I am, who you are. To begin with, it's not a problem. It's on the account of the Creator. It comes from the Creator. This is why we reach equivalence. Equality.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:26:47) So, how should we understand the saying that a Gentile who keeps Shabbat deserves death?
M. Laitman: A Gentile observing Shabbat should deserve death, which means that it's forbidden. In Kabbalah, forbidden means it's impossible. What does it mean that it deserves to die? It will die. What does it mean it will die? It observes Shabbat, It raises itself with its will to receive to Atzilut. This is called observing Shabbat. How can you be with the will to receive in Atzilut? You'll burn yourself. It's death.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:27:30) You gave an example that if a polish a Kabbalist's shoes and add an intention to it, this intention becomes eternal. This action turns into something eternal. So I wanted to ask, what is an eternal action?
M. Laitman: What does it mean eternal?
Student: What does it mean an eternal action? An action to which an intention was attached.
M. Laitman: An eternal act is an act that is in the spiritual world. In the corporeal world, all our actions are actions that do not leave any trace after them. Very simple. There is no benefit whatsoever from them. It's amazing to look at a person and see how much he wants to preserve what he did, what he achieved, what he contributed. He wants something to remain after him. He doesn't understand that these things have no lasting value, eternal value. In spirituality, it's the opposite. Why? Because to begin with, spirituality is spoiled. You correct it, fill it with light. By this, you built a Partzuf, and that already remains. Afterwards, it becomes refined, meaning reaching more advanced stages. But what you did remains. You acquired a screen, it remains. By this, you build vessels, and you keep moving to the last vessel you sympathize with, and the rest remain after you like a chain that you gave birth to, and that's it. In corporeality, there's no such thing because matter only changes form, and that's it. And the previous form completely disappears. So what are you asking about this?
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:29:38) You said for the matter in this world that we need, in practice, needs to be with intention. What action, intention?
M. Laitman: To what actions can you add the intention? Only to acts of commandments. To do or not to do?
Student: Is it just regular actions that we do in this world?
M. Laitman: Simple actions that I do? There's no point, no need to add intention to them. What intention? It's like they said in Kotzk. What intentions should there be in eating? Chew well. Something like that. Yes. Chew well.
Student: How do we nonetheless correct them?
M. Laitman: You don't need to correct. You have nothing to correct in this world. Let's say I'm this cracker. What intention should there be in the cracker? If I start connecting it with something that pertains to the work of the Creator, yes. But in this act alone, there's nothing. What does it mean, intention? An intention means I take not the act in this world, but its root in the spiritual world. And now I want to observe this root. This is called an intention. In other words, I took the Tefillin, I placed it on my hand, I put it on my head. That's it. I did the deed. Now, what is the intention in that act? The intention is, now I'm imagining what it means to wear Tefillin in the spiritual world. It's called rising to the level of the world of Atzilut. Let's say I'm almighty. I have screens. I have everything. I rise to the level of Atzilut, I enter the level of Partzuf of Zeir Anpin of Atzilut, its Gadlut perform this act, do it from beginning to end. This whole spiritual performance is called intention. This whole corporeal performance is called an act in this world. All of the spiritual act is called an intention. So what is an intention? An act in spirituality. Because you have no hands and legs there, only your inner emotional effort. This is called an intention. Why is it called intention? Because it needs to be directed towards the Creator in order to bestow. This is why they took this name.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:32:31) You also said the prayer over the food, over something you ate. You ate some food, like anyone else, and you attached a prayer to it, a blessing. The prayer over the food is not something that needs to be done, we're not commanded to do it. It's not a commandment?
M. Laitman: No. It's written, "You shall eat and bless the Lord your God."
Student: So you have to do it over something that every animal does? Tefillin, It's not something natural like food, it doesn't need correction?
M. Laitman: The blessing on the food does it exist in this world? Yes. I do it. Why? I go blah, blah, blah, after I finish eating. People look at me from the side, something happened to him. Because it's unnatural. Why do I do it? Because I have a spiritual root that I connect to, and I do that thing in spirituality as well.
Student: The root for the blessing, not for the eating?
M. Laitman: The blessing not the eating? What do you mean the eating? The commandments are something that is not real? It’s something that happens in the spiritual world, which in this world we simply do a projection of it? If there weren't Kabbalists who told us that there is such a thing in spirituality we would not know, and we would never do it. Look at other nations, are they more stupid? Don't they understand? Why don't they know about these commandments? Or maybe they do know, because they took it from us so they also say blessings for these things. They took these things from us. Because naturally, it doesn't come to a person. That's it. What's to say? Take all Shuchan Aruch, the Jewish code of law. You'll see nothing is natural.
Student: So there are commandments that are even before Tefillin, and say a blessing, and also during the Tefillin, and all of this has a spiritual root, but eating itself is already corrected? Only its blessing is, is that, that's the commandment?
M. Laitman: Of course. So what is the act you do in this world which is called the commandment? Does not have justification in this world; its only justification is the spiritual root it has. A blessing, of course. When you eat an apple and you bless before that, you're blessing the apple. The apple is something tangible, everyone eats, but a Gentile doesn't say a blessing, and you do say a blessing. Why? Because you attain the spiritual root correspondingly, so you also do it in this world, because if there weren't a spiritual root, you wouldn't do it. The 620, well, 613 plus the seven, seven actions, commandments, these are spiritual actions that person has to do in order to correct his soul, and we do it in this world. We simply add them, all kinds of natural actions in this world. I need to do all kinds of things, I need to eat, and work, and lie down, sleep, have kids, tend to things, etc. I add to my life another, how many? 620 commandments. These 620 commandments I do in this world, or in fact—how should I put it—by this, I sanctify, by this I sanctify all my actions in which there is no spiritual root, only in corporeality. Maybe we'll find a way to talk about it easily.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:36:42) What is the difference between the 613 commandments and the seven?
M. Laitman: The seven are of the great ones. It's a different degree.
Student: And corresponding to mating, receiving the most spiritual action, there's no blessing that a person says over this?
M. Laitman: I don't understand you. You're asking this:bBefore I eat an apple, I say a blessing on the fruit of the tree. Before I use a woman's body, I don't say any blessing. Both are pleasures. Why is there no blessing for this? I don't know. On first thought, I think maybe it's because a general pleasure that contains within it all the other pleasures—intercourse, a coupling in spirituality and corporeality. It is something that is the most natural and comprehensive, encompassing; maybe that's why there is no intention on it, although there are all kinds of… but I am, all kinds of counsels, but they don't belong to… I'll tell you. In the spiritual world, every reception of light in order to bestow or to bestow in order to bestow, every contact with the light is called a coupling. Understand? It's not when you eat an apple and enjoy in this world and you want to put an intention to bestow on it, spiritual, let's say, correspondingly, it will also be called a coupling. In this world, you take a bite from an apple, and in a spiritual degree, you make a coupling with the apple, light, and the screen, you understand? In other words, it's always called the coupling in spirituality. A pleasure with a desire, as with a woman. But why specifically in that there is no blessing?
Student: So there won't be a blessing in vain?
M. Laitman: No, no, no, no. This is serious. I cannot say. Basically, it's like eating an apple or other things. Here, too, you need to do it in order to bestow and sanctify the act like anything else. In the act, you're forbidden to eat it in the first three years, because there are corrections in every act before that. More. I'll tell you, I have a lot to say, but I don't think… I need to check, to look at it. I'm pretty blurry. I also worked with Skopeloy until 1 a.m.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:40:31) I understand the Creator's commandments, but why are there millions of actions that people just do, like collecting stamps? What's it for, all these actions that a person does throughout life?
M. Laitman: Oh, you're asking this. In our world, there are strange actions that Kabbalists told us to do; unnatural actions, right? They said, do specifically this. Take a piece of leather, put some parchment with a text on it, tie it on your hand, and just do it. Meaning, irrational things are natural, so fine, we listen to them. In our world, there are natural actions that, from experience in this world, we've come to the conclusion that we need them, or that the body itself draws us to do them, right? Either it's an actual beastly act, eating, drinking, mating, sleeping, things like that, or a little more evolved things, which the body pushed us to do. So, you're asking this; The act of the commandments, if you do them artificially in this world there's justification in the spiritual world. In other actions that we do in this world, is there also a spiritual root? Of course there is, of course. What's the benefit in doing them? Should we place an intention on them?
M. Laitman: On everything, without exception, we need a general intention. That I do them, I live, as it's called, in order to reach the purpose of creation. I'm driving a car in order to bestow, or something like that. There's no such thing. You can't do something in order to bestow if it doesn't exist in spirituality. What intention can you add, if you don't have a spiritual desire on which to perform such an act? In spirituality, there's no such thing as driving a car. Do you understand? Meaning, that you do the exact same thing in spirituality. These things are artificial.
Student: And if a person goes to do an action of dissemination?
M. Laitman: But there is such a thing as building a house, and then there are corrections on the roof, on that. Yes, general states.
Student: And say, if a person goes to a booth now, and sell our books right now. Isn't that...
M. Laitman: A general intention to reach the purpose of creation, that's it.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:43:49) It's not just like driving in a car right now?
M. Laitman: It doesn't matter. In the end, all the commandments that you do have a more intentional intention, a special intention, because they're clear spiritual actions, right? And everything else that have roots in the spiritual world, and branches in this world, including the commandments, all of them are only an intention to reach spirituality, in order to act in order to bestow. Both. Regular.
Beastly actions everyone do, Jews and non-Jews, and also actions that only Jews do, commandments. The purpose of both is only to reach the end of correction, adhesion. In every single act, you can add the intention. But what is special about the act of commandments? What's special about the commandments is that they are actions that you do in spirituality per se, they are degrees, and acts in this world, the rest of the acts you do in this world, are acts in this world. In spirituality, there's only a general intention on them in order to bestow. I would say more than that. These actions are natural actions. They are actions that come for the purpose of sustaining the general, the common vessel. In order to exist, a soul, in spirituality too, it must have its own level of existence. Let's say I'm at a certain level of existence. Let's say in the middle of Yetzira, the world of Yetzira. So, I sustain myself through a permanent screen, through the permanent things I do at the level of the world of Yetzira. And now I'm going to do a higher act, to rise to a higher degree. Here, I'm already activating an additional commandment, which I didn't do before. You understand? It's like a person in this world having to work, learn, have kids, do everything, right? On this, he has a simple intention to exist in order to reach the goal, just like in the middle of Yetzira that I said. And beyond that, to perform a commandment. Enough about that.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:46:43) Somewhat related question. Everything has a root and a branch. Everything here has a root and branch from above. But nonetheless, there are things like air conditioning that were made here. How can it be?
M. Laitman: How can it be that in our world there are things that have no roots above? There's no such thing. There's no such thing as not having a root above. No thought can come to you to invent a screw. If it doesn't exist in spirituality. Where did the thought come from? But where is the screw in spirituality from which it came to me? This thought came into my head to create a screw in corporeality, right?
Student: How does a person manufacture this when it doesn't exist above?
M. Laitman: No, no, no, no, no, no, no. God forbid. There is no act below that can be without a root above. But I'm saying these are natural things in order to sustain the body, in order to sustain the spiritual body and sustain the corporeal body. Natural. They're not actions by which this body exists upwards and higher and higher. Advancement from degree to degree is only through performing a commandment, a special act where you take a part of the will to receive, acquire a screen on it in order to bestow, and you took a certain level, measure from the will to receive, acquired a screen on it in order to bestow. By this, you now receive a light in order to bestow on this part. This is called observing a commandment, doing a commandment. These are actions by which you advance, step from below upwards. There are, however, acts to sustain yourself. At every degree you rise to, there are new acts to sustain yourself. Let's say I'm at Netzach of the world of Yetzira, and then I sustain myself. I need to eat, drink, have a home, have around me a field with animals and beasts, right? And my level of existence, to have land to till, et cetera, this is my level of degree in Chase, in Hod, or Netzach, Hod of Yetzira. I need to rise from Netzach to Tifferet of Yetzira. Or in Tifferet of Yetzira, I need to perform some commandment that I didn't do before, a spiritual act in order to rise. Let's say, in order to rise from one to the other, I now need to start saying, I don't know what, some special blessing. I did it, I rose. I'm just saying this sort of, so you'll see. I rose to another degree. Now I rose to the degree of Tifferet de Yetzira. To exist in this degree of Tifferet de Yetzira, I can no longer do it by living in the field with beasts, and cows, and cattle, and all kinds of things. And there are many things I do there without blessings. Like a Gentile, a Jew too, a regular person. But now that I live in a high degree I live in the city, I have a car, I have a bus, I have all kinds of things. I live in a different way. On them too, both the Jew and the Gentile live in the same way. And in them too, I don't say any blessings or anything. I need to sustain them in order to exist at a level called Tifferet de Yetzira. You see, that's it. Now to rise from Tifferet de Yetzira to Gevura. For example, I need to perform another commandment. Let's say, there I made a blessing on something, here I need to do something special. I don't know, observe something. When I rose to Gevura de Yetzira, oh, now I'm not just in the city. Now I need a refrigerator, a washing machine. Oh, look at these artificial things. I didn't know about them before. According to my previous level of development, I didn't know. Now I do know. Now it came to me. You see? And then I seemingly invent them.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:51:08) So, that means humanity is already developing in accordance with...
M. Laitman: This is how humanity develops, of course. The problem is that technological development in this world comes to us from higher spiritual degrees, but our internal mental development is behind. This is why we feel trouble. Everything I invent, I invent them with Hochma. It comes down to this world according to the pace of that machine that's moving. But I have to advance internally at least as quickly at the same pace emotionally, and I don't do it. This is why all of my inventions are, in the end, they work against me, not in my favor. People come to me today and say, the landlord is forcing, my boss is telling me to work 15 hours a day. You know, I read in history that during the technological development 200 years ago with the steam machines, you know when they started they worked 10 to 12 hours a day. I hear that people need to work 15 hours. What have we gained? You understand? This is what you have because the wheel that's turning us gives us inventions according to its natural pace, and we, in our pace, in keeping up with it in our soul, are not following along.
Student: So, the Kabbalists moved the big wheel?
M. Laitman: It's not the Kabbalists moving it. It's this big wheel that's moving with its speed over 6,000 years, and we need to advance accordingly, and we're not. I am now receiving my corporeality, my development according to, let's say, Hod or Tifferet de Yetzira, and in my development I'm still in Assiya in my emotional development. So, you understand how corporeality is advanced compared to spirituality? So, all of that becomes to my detriment, against me.
Student: Because of the incompatibility that more pressure is created for us here?
M. Laitman: This incompatibility is that atoms are about first of all, how to destroy, chemistry is how to destroy. It all comes from the need to destroy one another.
Student: I'm talking even about us. Because of this, people leave work, and they don't feel they're working, and here, it's like they add more work from the outside. So, there's an incompatibility here.
M. Laitman: Okay, there are many consequences from it, but what can you do? Those who advance, too, and want to advance in such an environment, they have a big problem, but it's the plight of many, the trouble of many.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:54:27) Can we say that the root of the commandments is in the reflected light as opposed to other things that don't come from the reflected light?
M. Laitman: The root of the commandments? What is a commandment? It's an act by which I acquire a spiritual degree. There are 620 degrees. This is why there are 620 acts, rising to each degree. And this act is called a commandment, Mitzva. Correspondingly, Kabbalists said, do this and that act in this world, corresponding to what we do in spirituality. To what degree should our world develop in corporeality, compared to spirituality? This is interesting. The last degree of the corporeal development, that corresponds to the spiritual final correction.
Reader: We'll move to the next part of the lesson, and before that we'll sing a song together.
Song: (02:02:28)