Morning Lesson November 16, 2023
Transcription is made from simultaneous translation, which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio
Part 2:
Baal HaSulam. "Study of the Ten Sefirot" (TES). Vol. 1. Part 1. "Table of Questions for the Meaning of the Words"
R. We'll read the Table of Questions and interpret explanations to the meanings, 1-2-3, etc., and if there are questions you will raise your hand.
Reading Table of Answer for the meaning of the words from #1, 2
2. R. (01:41) And besides those two, there's no nothing else in reality, next.
Reading #3 Circular Light
Reading #4 Simple Light
3. R. (02:17) In other words, the light is so close to the vessel that you can’t distinguish between them, this is called ‘simple light’.
Reading #5 Light of Hochma
4. S. (02:52) What is the first expansion?
R. Is not written what is the first expansion.
5. S. (03:06) It is written that “the light is what was extended to that emanated being”, so what is that emanated being, it's not that either of them?
R. The emanated being is the will to receive that the Creator created.
S. More than once in the last few days, I see that it’s written, “ the will to receive in the emanated being”.
R. Yes, there’s the matter in the emanated being, there’s the will to receive in the emanated being, there are many qualities in the emanated being, the emanated being is complex.
6. S. (03:50) About the definition of “simple light”, I did not understand, it’s like it annuls the light and annuls the vessel. Can we read it again?
R. Do you have a book in front of you?
S. No, I see it on my phone.
R. Okay, it’s not good. “The simple light”, he says, “is a light that contains within it the Kli, the vessel, to the point that the light and the vessel are indistinguishable, this is called “simple light.”
S. What does it mean ‘indistinguishable’?
R. There are no distinctions, no discernments.
S. Is there a state without discernments?
R. I suppose there are, and it's called simple light, “simple light is a light that contains within it all the discernment”.
S. Without discernments or all the discernments?
R. All the discernments, he says that, “simple light is the light that contains within the Kli, the vessel, to the point that the light and the vessel are indistinguishable”. Okay, not everything is clear, the definitions are correct definitions but to the extent that we understand them, we will understand them in time.
6. S. (05:37) Simple light was before reality was created?
R. I'm writing you down in my book so that afterwards when you ask, you will not get permission from me to ask, wise guys still like you I don't accept, we are learning what is written, that’s it.
7. S. (06:09) The light of Hochma extends from the emanated being, we draw that light?
R. The light that is drawn to the emanated being in the first expansion, this is what is written, it is drawn.
S. Who draws it?
R. I don't know, did you hear it? I will not open up for you another book where everything about the light of wisdom will be written there. You don't understand how we study: there is the definition and there's Baal HaSulam who adds to these definitions, only these words.
S. What is extended?
R. I do not know.
Reading item #6 (07:21 - 07:33)
8. R. (07:40) “The light of Hassidim is a light that clothes the light of Hochma and extends to the emanated being at the first intensification”
9. S. (07:49) What does it mean that ‘it clothes upon it’?
R. I don't know, guys, don't you understand how we study, I'm not going to open up for you all of the sixteen volumes, the sixteen parts of The Study of the Ten Sefirot. You cannot get into each word and ask what is it, he gives these definitions and that's it. Or we have to stop here and open up all of the books, that's not the way to study, at least not here.
10. S. (08:31) How should we study it?
R. The definition, you hear the definition, you picture it to yourself as much as you can, and you continue, you go on. Otherwise, we will not move because here in one definition you have so many words that you have to interpret and in each word, there are more interpretations, etc.
S. It just awakens the desire to research, so if we don't ask the questions?
R. We are not researching, we are only hearing the definitions, that's it.
Reading item number 7 (09:24 - 09:43) Twice
11. R. (09:49) That's it, so in other words, there is the light of Hassidim and after it clothes the light of Hochma, before it clothes the light of Hochma, it is called “empty air” because there is no light of Hochma in it.
Reading item #8 (10:14)
12. R. (10:27) “That which stems from its previous phase is called “afterwards”.
Reading item #9 (10:37)
Reading item #10 (10:44)
13. S. (11:22) Again about the approach to the study, you once said about these definitions that Baal HaSulam said we should learn it by heart, all of these definitions?
R. I don't know such a thing, that he demanded us to study by heart, but in principle, we simply have to read and try to understand what he is trying to say by this, not beyond that. We shouldn't get into all kinds of inner twists in there because you can change every sentence here thousands of times.
14. S. (12:32) Baal HaSulam explains in the Introduction to The Ten Sefirot that we need to learn the words like put in a ‘black box in your head’, what did he mean by that?
R. I don't know what he means, let's for the time being study as we are.
15. S. (12:57) Where do we aim our prayer, is there a discernment in the different types of light that we should aim our prayer towards?
R. Here he does not talk about prayer, I’m sorry that is not the way to study.
16. S. (13:18) What you recommended in the evening, to study for half an hour, so we are studying it, we are just reading; and then today when we hear these definitions, it stays in the head very well. And there's the order of studies before TES, how we should learn it.
R. Very well, let's hope that you will do it.
Reading item #11 (14:00) Twice
17. S. (15:07) If I understood it correctly, I want to scrutinize when he said that “there is existence from absence is the substance of the vessels”, so the Creator is what we discover the actual will to receive that was created?
R. Yes.
S. We're not talking about any force but about what we discover and in what we were created.
R. Yes through our substance.
18. S. (15:52) It feels like there's a contradiction here between the one that he gave in the previous definition and the Creator in the next degree. First, he says that “one is the upper light that expands and there's no change into the world of Assiya”, and then when he talks about the Creator, he says it’s the innovation, existence from absence?
R. Yes?
S. I don't understand it.
R. He says two words, there he explains what one is and here he's speaking about the Creator, or the light of Hochma, or simple light, it's different things.
S. I understand they are different things, but what, the Creator doesn't exist in the world of Assiya, I don’t understand it?
R. I don't know that, I don't even know what the world of Assiya is; guys you want to learn, the way it is written from Baal HaSulam, please. If you want to study like your teacher at school taught you, I don't know, here in every sentence that he wants to explain to us, we have many questions and we cannot start scrutinizing because it's like going into the forest and losing yourself.
Reading item #12 (17:48) Twice
19. S. (18:28) When I read this definition, “adhesion is equivalent to form it brings the spiritual and attaches to one another and disparity form separates it from one another”, I as a student studied it for many years. And now that I read it, do I have to erase what I learned before as if I never heard it?
R. I don't know, you need to read what is written here and to be adhered to that same sentence
S. So there is no room for any question here, we just have to attach ourselves and that's it?
R. Could be.
S. What question can help me in the society?
R. I don't know, you can ask a thousand questions on every word here,
S. Right, but about all of the thousand questions, nine hundred ninety-nine are wrong, and one that will contribute to the society?
R. We're going to go over those thousand questions?
S. No, I want to choose exactly the question that will contribute.
R. I don't know.
S. How do I choose?
R. Who's telling you you have to choose, you have to read what Baal HaSulam is giving you as an answer to his definition.
S. Okay, on the other hand, we read and you stop us and Rav is expecting questions, so what questions is Rav expecting from us?
R. Only if the words here aren’t clear, if you don't understand something about the words here so that's something else, otherwise, we will not finish one page.
Reading item #13 (20:26 - 21:02) Twice
Reading item #14 (21:07 - 21:40)
Reading item #15 (21:49 - 22:00)
Reading item #16 (22:10 - 22:52) Twice
Reading item #17 (23:03 - 23:22)
Reading item #18 (23:25 - 23:21)
20. S. (23:34) For someone like me who doesn't understand anything about this, are these definitions supposed to awaken in me some understanding? Because they are creating even more entanglements and bifurcations, and I don't find myself finding anything in these definitions?
R. Why?
S. Because every word is, let’s put it this way, if I'm not told a definition of a word and I was only given the definition I would have no idea what the word is.
R. Okay so listen.
S. I just need to listen?
R. Yes, listen.
Reading item #19 (24:33 - 25:05)
Reading item #20 (25:14 - 25:32)
21. R. (25:35) So that's clear, that's the before and after.
Reading item #21 (25:40 - 26:18)
22. R. (26:20) That's difficult, we will try to discuss it tomorrow.