Morning Lesson November 12, 2023
Transcription is made from simultaneous translation, which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio
Part 3:
Baal HaSulam. The Shofar of the Messiah
1. R. (00:12) Yes, a beautiful article, very short, laconic. Let's go over it, it's only a page and a half but very important.
Reading (00:31) “Redemption Only through Kabbalah…”
2. R. (01:35) Meaning there were such periods in history when they thought that this group called the children of Israel, people of Israel, that they can reach the end of correction and after them the whole world will reach it but it did not transpire because of this.
Reading (02:11) “Writing The Zohar and Concealing It..”
3. S. (04:47) How is our time different from the time they were in because they said it was the time of the Messiah and we say that we’re in the time of the Messiah, so what’s the difference?
R. The difference is that back there was also a time worthy for the complete redemption probably but in something it was lacking. Let's read further and see what was nevertheless lacking at that time.
4. S. (05:31) What's the danger that the wicked would know how to work their masters?
R. Because without correcting themselves they can somehow serve Him and receive from Him various answers, maybe correct answers that will bring them up the degrees even without being worthy of it, without changing internally. They will raise themselves virtually and create the conditions for climbing the ladder.
S. That reminds me of Lo Lishma a bit.
R. It could be, you’re right.
S. But that's an essential degree for advancing towards Lishma.
R. No, that's not a necessary degree. How do I explain it? Without correcting your vessels with which you’re going to be working with the light and the records, without that you can’t approach the light and the records and do whatever you want with them because after all you're not corrected; certain things awaken in you, uncorrected desires and actions.
S. So there's an opportunity to receive without correcting ourselves?
R. Yes, this opportunity’s even highlighted. Seemingly it exists inside the system on one hand, on the other hand we are not allowed to use it. It was given specifically so we will be able to reject it. Specifically here some of the correction comes to this proposal of a certain path, a certain way but we reject it.
5. S. (08:09) Does it mean that we receive in reason with no faith, this depicted state?
R. We will scrutinize it further; what is faith without reason and reason without faith or that both of them exist simultaneously.
6. S. (08:43) There's an expression in Aramaic here that maybe explains the fear of the sages in revealing the Zohar. What’s the meaning of this expression?
R. That we’ll have to reveal it, reveal The Book of Zohar to everyone. Because they saw that time was still too soon for Israel's redemption they hid it, that composition, that wasn't a time of the sages, the Savoraim.
7. S. (09:49) On one hand we relate to this world as fake, on the other hand we’re working with everything the Creator’s sending us through this world. What’s important and what isn’t important? Why did the Kabbalists bother writing if all the attainments are above this world?
R. The Kabbalists bothered writing for several reasons, some of which we don't know about and we wouldn’t understand even if we knew about them. We need to understand nevertheless that everything they’ve done created corrections in the upper world that brought the light closer to us and specifically through their labor we are approaching revelation. Soon we’ll begin to feel where is the part of the Kabbalists and where is our part. It’s like in every generation when we advance then the more we build games for kids, we publish books, we do all kinds of things for their sake, by that they become wiser, more mature, healthier if you can say compared to children who lived a long time ago.
8. S. (11:50) We know that when we study Zohar we do it for the reforming light that will develop us and we work in the group, that's where the work is. What’s the danger of the nations revealing the Zohar, they won’t find anything in there, why is it dangerous? They can’t discover what’s in there, they can’t.
R. I think this speaks of the nations of the world in a person. If a person wants to use all these means in order to attract for itself these people or bring itself closer to the Creator, that was their fear.
S. That it will stop the development for him in the world?
R. Yes, it was holding onto the Klipa, to the shell.
S. That's man itself but we see in the world there's people that study the Zohar, they supposedly find all kinds of stuff in there. So that stops the worlds development, this attitude to learning the Zohar?
R. Certainly. There are those who fall into this type of study and they wish to extract an addition to internal development, all kinds of wisdoms, philosophies and they twist themselves and humanity perhaps in an opposite direction. There’s a lot there, humanity’s in it for thousands of years.
9. S. (13:49) What does it mean to receive without correcting himself? It seems that the restriction works here and here the restriction doesn’t work, so how does it work exactly?
R. One of our corrections is even when the upper light opens up we create a restriction and refuse receiving it although we want it really badly but we stop ourselves, we restrict ourselves. By that we grow up.
10. S. (14:50) I asked you a question and you answered, read The Zohar and we have fourteen chapters of this Zohar. Don't you feel sorry that anybody doesn't read it? I don't know how to read it, can you explain it?
R. To start it simply read but in a language that you can understand.
S. In Russian.
R. Yes, if you have Zohar in Russian read it, start reading it. Gradually, maybe you're not going to understand anything but you will receive various stories, legends and nevertheless it will change you, you will change. So I recommend to everyone to read The Book of Zohar.
S. Should we have a certain preparation before it, maybe read it alone or in a group?
R. No, no, you need nothing. It's very complex to read in a group, to assemble. For the time being read on your own, each one can open up the book and start reading The Book of Zohar. Simply sink into it, immerse in it. Don’t read all the introductions but The Book of Zohar itself. The article of the letters, the article of Rabbi Hiya, similar. That’s all, just read it.
S. Sometimes I have like a bad mood so it doesn't matter what mood I'm coming to, to read the book with?
R. Why should you have a bad mood?
S. That's my nature, I always have a bad mood.
R. That's because you’re proud.
S. Yes.
R. Yes, it’s a big problem; you’re not trying, you’re not trying.
11. S. (17:30) Who were the Savoraim and what does it mean that they rode their matters in the Zohar?
R. The Savoraim were a group of wise people, sages, who at the time wrote parts of The Book of Zohar.
12. S. (18:00) Are there any souls who have already reached the final correction?
R. Yes, there are such souls but for the time being, very few exist.
13. S. (18:36) He talks about a book called The Tikkunim, is that a book, is there a book called The Tikkunim is there a book called The Tikkunim because we know about The Zohar, I don’t know any book called Tikkunim.
R. No, there's the Book of Zohar and there's the book called Tikkunuz, or Corrections of the Zohar, but it doesn’t matter, for the time being, we can read both.
Reading (19:23 - 20:26) “Disclosing the Kabbalah Is the Creator’s Will..” Twice
14. R. (20:32) Rabbi Moshe de Leon was one of the last great Kabbalist who came after Rabbi Shimon, Rabbi Shimon was in the first, second century CE and Rabbi Moshe de Leon was in the twelfth, thirteenth centuries CE. So of course, she knew nothing about it but when she remained a widow and moneyless, she started to sell his books, to sell off the books of Rabbi Moshe de Leon. And in this way The Book of Zohar got published or publicized because she sold it to anyone who wanted to buy it. And since then The Book of Zohar was revealed to the world by this woman; she didn't know what was written in it, she didn't know anything about the prohibition to disclose it, but that's what happened. What did he say, that “the Creator’s will is that the Kabbalah would be revealed and it says that it happened through the widow of Rabbi Moshe de Leon.
Reading “Israel’s Troubles Are because of the Disclosure of Kabbalah..”
15. R. (22:31) Meaning, it was something that happened not according to His will and it caused many problems for the nation of Israel. He continues, “Israel’s troubles are because of the disclosure of Kabbalah.
Reading (23:03 - 23:38) “The Benefit from Disclosing the Kabbalah..”
16. R. (23:43) Yes, in everything there is good and there is bad, so the good is that the wisdom of Kabbalah was revealed and the bad was that it made its way to people who are not ready for it in their inner development, not ready to hear it, perceive it, to receive it properly and that's what happened for now.
Reading (24:10 -25:00) “First Benefit..”
17. R. (25:02) Meaning, even though the wisdom of Kabbalah was disclosed in such a way through all kinds of people who were ignorant about what it’s being spoken of, they didn't speak the language of Kabbalah, that didn't know how the methods of correction, connected to the lights that expand from above down, and all the vessels and so on. So even though this is how it's happening, nevertheless there is no bad without good, there's no good without bad, that's how our word is made. That gave a serious push to the development of the wisdom of Kabbalah and the dissemination of it, as well. We are truly before the final revelations of the wisdom of Kabbalah to everyone, to all humanity.
Reading “Second Benefit…”
18. S. (27:09) He says that” we are at the end of redemption if we just know how to spread the wisdom in the masses”, so what should we know in dissemination, what does he mean?
R. That in the dissemination of the wisdom of Kabbalah, we would quickly come to the revelation of the wisdom of Kabbalah in all humanity, and by that, we will be rewarded with the revelation of the general upper force in us.
S. Is there something special that we should know about the way we disseminate?
R. We don’t need to know because we lack the vessels for it, we simply need to bring about the dissemination of the wisdom of Kabbalah throughout all humanity as much as possible.
19. S. (28:19) I heard that we should start reading The Zohar so maybe we can start this so hard with you reading the lessons?
R. Okay, I hear you.
20. S. (28:34) Does the meaning of dissemination of the wisdom for the whole world is that all the people have to come and study like we’re studying it?
R. Anyone who wants, yes.
21. S. (28:57) Is there an importance to how we got it, that it was revealed by chance, or is it important that it was revealed, or also how, is it important how he passed it on?
R. The important thing is that it was revealed and in what ways the Creator arranges it according to His own calculations. We will finish the lessons so all the best to all of you and we will continue tomorrow!
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