Morning Lesson January 18, 2022, Transcription
Transcription is made from simultaneous translation which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio
Part 1:
Faith Above Reason - Selected Excerpts from the Sources. #15
1. Rav’s Introduction: (0:15) Yes this exactly becomes, correctly, our main topic, since this is the order of us entering the sensation of spirituality, the feeling of the true reality. Hence, we need to invest more effort in this. We will try to do this in less time nevertheless we have a lot more material that we have yet to go through, and we do need to, it adds a lot to the incorporation between us to moving a step forward, so we will go and try to somewhat bring in some new readings to our study materials.
Excerpt 15 (01:18)
2. R. (02:40) Meaning for us not to be dependent on what we receive from the Creator but, in us having a certain relation to Him, an attitude towards Him; hence, what we ask for all together is without any connection to what we receive for us, to be in the feeling of importance. Where we are, who we are engaged with, who is managing us and certainly there is None Else Besides Him that is bestowing upon each and every one so, He knows what he needs to do with each of us and He does, and we don't want for it to be dependent on what we feel but rather only on what we between us define that connection. Through the connections between us we want to reach a state in which, as much as we receive, as much as we do not receive; we rise above our sensations, our feelings to a connection with godliness; to a connection with the Creator. Which does not depend on what I feel but rather depends only on the connections between us and what we established before us, as the image of the Creator, as the good who does good in each, and every state and does not lower ourselves from that. By that, we build our spiritual vessel, meaning the less we receive and as much as we will want to give more, to be adhered with none else besides Him, the good that does good, even though we have nothing from that, we try to come close this way to the vessels of bestowal. By that we triumphed over the Klipot, over the disturbances, which actually appear only in order to give us the possibility to correctly build our attitude towards godliness. As this attitude does not depend on what I feel and receive but rather on what I want to be above feeling and receiving. Then we begin to feel the true form of spirituality towards us and enter the upper world.
3. S. (05:55) What does it mean to be about the feeling and work for the greatness of the Creator?
R. It is considered that I do not look at what I feel, because that is something that my will to receive feels and anyone who is greater than his friend, the greater we are the bigger we are; our inclination is bigger than us. We will be big specifically because, upon the desire to receive, ever greater desire to receive, we nevertheless try to be able to rise above and be against it. Therefore I do not look at what I feel, I differentiate between what I feel and who I feel it from, and why I feel it, then it turns out towards my will to receive, I always am in resistance, in a clash, in a stance against; and above that I build my attitude towards the force of bestowal and love to the Creator. Meaning I have here two directions in development: on one hand hate, the evil, the will to receive in me which always tells me how much I hate my state, how much I suffer from it, how much I do not have anything, on the one hand. On the other hand with the other vessels that I want to develop, in the vessels that are above reason, I can say, I want to say, that I specifically rise above what I had before; I rise above upon the fact that I don't receive anything in my vessels of perception, that gives me assistance in me being able to come to the conditions in which I bestow to the Creator. What do I bestow to the Creator? My attitude towards being above the vessels of reception and towards advancing and coming closer towards the vessels of bestowal.
S. He writes here in the article “I do not ask for the greatness of the Creator but gladness in working above reason” so it is like the work here is completely independent of the Creator, it is unclear?
R. The real work is established upon what I feel, because I have nothing other than that and with that, I seek where I can delight the Creator, related to the Creator above what I feel, despite what I feel; and here is the point which differentiates between this world, and the upper world. The point which actually raises me to above reason. Reason is what I feel in my vessels of reception, faith above reason is what I feel if I were to have vessels of bestowal, if I had the qualities of the Creator, and, this is how we begin gradually slowly, time after time to build our attitude toward spirituality, towards the Creator in a way that is independent of us, upon what we are. In each day we feel ourselves in a different way as it is written “and day after day should be as new to you” on the one hand; on the other hand we need to try to build our attitude towards the Creator in the qualities of bestowal. It is not important to me what I received or what I feel, I try each time to rise above that and to behave as if I received what I wanted, so how would I have behaved, how would I have felt because my vessels of reception are those that conceal from me the truth. So, I want to seemingly cancel or nullify them, or more precisely to be above them, in this way we advance.
Excerpt 16 (12:30)
4. R. (14:28) We see that there is truly no proof, there are no facts, there is no confidence certainly that all these vessels of ours are all in order to receive and that you cannot rely on them. But what can we do here? Only to go with the faith in the sages, just as they say to us: They say to us do it this way and after you do it several times and pray, just as we read in excerpt number 15 before that “The main thing is the prayer” where a person needs to pray to the Creator to go above reason so, here he continues, not exactly that but certainly relies on that prayer; that to reach and come closer to the Creator we need to just be with that prayer from within, inside our hearts- help us, help us, help us, and what does he say at the end? “Therefore if he persists in this, he can never fall; rather he can always be in gladness by believing that he is serving a great King.” Meaning if he has a group, if he has this guidance that he receives from the kabbalists, then he already has the correct direction; and this is how he will advance.
5. S. (16:21) It is not clear how by going above reason our reason also grows, can you clarify?
R. Our reason grows to the extent in which we invest forces, even if we don't succeed in going above reason, we don't yet succeed, we don’t enter into above reason but even if we come closer to that and give a little forces already from the other side we have additions in our desire to receive and then we start to see the extent in which, what I thought yesterday that I succeeded and I was already in that, today I'm no longer in it and once again I have to start in an even worse state than before and it really is a worse state because the will to receive is added to us, and then what to do? therefore those who don't advance are in a nicer, better state, they are seemingly in joy and they are relying on their reason, and we are not, we each time need to search what foundation I can put all these things upon I don't have anything else to grip onto and every day a new? And every day it’s even worse than before? that’s what they write, therefore entrance to spirituality is not so simple and the Creator prepared for us this entire process not, as he is opening for us all the possibilities and all the doors and everything, rather he gives us actual obstacles in order to grow us so that we will go through this spiritual school in a way, that we will really not waste this life of ours on the one hand, and on the other hand, so we will advance, advance.
6. S. (19:08) When a friend shows me an example that he is completely above my reason, even something very difficult to him happened in life, he still comes to the lesson, he clings to the friends. How can I thank him and the Creator in a truthful way, not just words, how can I appreciate it?
R. That is not important even if you do not yet feel that you have what to thank for, you must do it above your forces, you need to do, no one is telling you that you have to feel something here, of course not. Rather the fact that you depict to yourself how you would thank the Creator, if you were to understand and feel what he is taking you to, then thank him that way.
7. S. (20:14) A person needs to clarify the reason for which he is working? Or just to see if he is going forward without any reason?
R. A person needs to go and to do scrutiny, critiquing, just like we read which is about, up to half an hour a day and above that critique, to rise above it, and to thank, even if he is not succeeding according to that critique of his and doesn't advance, he delivers himself, gives himself in the hands of the upper, in the hands of the creator and that is how he will advance. We have no chance to enter spirituality with our vessels, with our feeling, with our intellect which is all we have, it’s what people have, because in spirituality new vessels operate, new discernments, not what we have in this world, in this current reality, therefore how do we move to the spiritual reality, together with remaining of course in corporeality? So how do we move to it? By us performing actions in faith above reason, and this way we advance and demand from the Creator to help us. Then, through the ascents, and descents, through all kinds of events he builds in us new discernments for the spiritual feeling, and you are yet to see what will be. Depict to yourselves how, what is described to us, let’s say, in the Zohar, about the students of Rabbi Shimon who wanted to kill one another, all kinds of thing like in quarreling between the students of the Ari, and more, there were things that were really harsh, really difficult, because these are the obstacles that awakened in those that come close to spirituality and they have no possibility of circumventing them, rather to go together with them until they invert into attainments. Specifically all those forms of resistance, will invert and become attainments and we have here before us, gradually, the revelation of the barrier of the Machsom
8. S. (23:48) In our case, we have the Rav, whom we trust and get confidence from, is it the same state that is described in the excerpt or are we in a different state?
R. You do not need to rely on me, rather you need to rely on the excerpts, on the material that was left to us by the Kabbalists, and the Creator. We do not need to be adhered to a teacher, rather, and it is not written in any place, maybe it is written as a means, but we need to be adhered to the Creator, so search how to be adhered to Him. Hence read and be adhered to the sources that were written to us and try to understand and absorb it.
9. S. (25.19) I wanted to ask, when you go to rely on reason only, on knowing, isn’t that what we read every day and what we discuss amongst the friends?
R. No, no, Reason is what I understand and feel according to my corporeal vessels. Just like in Malchut, in the will to receive, and what I need to raise above that will already be called Da’at, reason
Excerpt 17
10. R. (28:04) Meaning despite the fact that I am in a state that I don’t understand and can’t tie different phenomena that are in me, in my intellect, in my feeling, below the reason with above the reason and all those things I am truly in a state like a broken vessel, where there is no connection between the parts of it, nevertheless, because I received this situation, this state, this thought, this desire, all that I feel myself as existing in some reality because I received this reality all together from the Creator, then I need to feel myself as whole, as one who receives it from Him, and if the creator gives that to me, as this is a state in my eyes according to my reason, according to my vessels, in which I think is a very terrible state, most low, I can’t arrange it, I can’t build from it something, it’s kind of eluding me. I do not have any intellect or any feeling or any connection between them, nothing, but I receive it as unconditional surrender, as it is coming from the Creator and therefore this state is a whole state. It is a perfect whole state, and it belongs to a higher degree then that which I can depict in my vessels, and then I rise to that higher degree, which is called the degree of bestowal, the degree of Bina, faith above reason. According to my reason, my opinion everything is broken and I don't understand I can’t connect two things together, nothing, and when I think that it’s coming to me from the Creator, that there is none else besides him that he is the good that does good, the whole, then I start to already arrange myself relative to that absolute point, in such a way that I am arranging myself more and more correctly towards the influence of the upper light towards the bestowal of Bina and then slowly, slowly I come to a state in which I do understand and feel why the Creator arranged this work for me to rise from the desire to receive, from all the problems that I have, to the desire to bestow. From this world to the spiritual world, to the upper world and this way I rise a degree I advance this way to a state of faith. Whereas, although, I don’t yet feel it maybe in my vessels but I am starting to make room for this discernment, and this is all because I don't forget a simple thing, that what I am receiving now comes to me from the Creator, also the feeling of this world comes to me from the Creator and also the feeling of the desire to bestow, comes to me from the Creator.
11. S. (32:28) Is it correct that I feel the states of ascent, that they are shorter than the descent?
R. Of course that is good, but the main thing is not to think about that, but just to think about how we can each time ascribe ourselves, attribute ourselves to the degree of faith, above our reason. If I forget about the reason and I am just like that in a degree of, where I just feel good, and I am bestowing and in this that, that is not spirituality that is just imaginary. The real spirituality is where you feel the reason, all the things that are contradicted to the spiritual feeling, the spiritual attainment, and with that, you are in spiritual attainment, then you will feel yourself in two degrees, Malchut and Bina and then you are really in a state in which you understand, that there is your reality, and the reality of the Creator.
S. In the depiction, I understand we are depicting the same states in the same words, within reason, but the feeling is a completely different feeling every day, is that ok?
R. You will see, we will have, let us say another 15-20 minutes in the lesson and you will see how much that will change as well. We are advancing towards a state in which we will be able to correctly discern between states of reason and above reason
12. S. (34:48) How from this excerpt, it says here that from that state where you have no feeling, no mind, no nothing, suddenly you discerned that it comes from the Creator, there is unconditional surrender, how can that happen?
R. It comes from you seeing that this is impossible, what is demanded of me, what they want from me, something that is not in this world, so what should I do? That is on one hand, and on the other hand, I must nevertheless follow the kabbalists because I have nothing to do, they wrote and then it works out that I must follow their words and it happens this way that I have two degrees gradually awakening and establishing, and then I come to it. This is built anyway, there is also a matter here of a big group, in which there are many people, who are in all kinds of states and then one will help his friend and we advance that way, ok? Good.
13. S. (37:00) As I understand each new spiritual degree that we attain is like attaining a new degree of faith above reason. I am just wondering, as we attain a new degree, are we strengthening the faith above reason, or are we renewing the faith above reason each time?
R. Both.
14. S. (38:00) You said a few minutes ago that the spiritual state is a state between Bina and Malchut, we are in two opposite things. The question, when I woke up in the morning, my first thought was about the group, what does it mean about my spiritual state?
R. Just start with that and see, I have nothing else to answer and think better about what you are asking, do not take up our time.
15. S. (38:52) You say we do not want to depend on what we feel, even that we want to be above our feeling, so it is not clear, where is this gladness in the work?
R. The joy that I can be independent of what I understand and feel which awakens in me, listen, where I will have the ability to understand and feel something that is above where I am, as if I am beginning to add to myself, another degree, another state which is included with intellect and feeling of a higher up degree, which is called above my reason, above reason; therefore, I work on that which I feel and that which I understand now, okay I will put that on the side, and besides that I want to build now in me, a higher up degree, in which there is also feeling and understanding which is completely different, where I receive from the Creator, only from him and only to Him I am adhered and he decides everything for me, and all the feeling and all the intellect everything is only from Him, only. There is none else besides him, and this degree I built above me, and in such a way we advance
16. S. (40:56) If we cannot get into spirituality with our vessels, how can we devote ourselves to the Creator?
R. By us receiving new vessels. These are vessels of Bina, vessels of Bestowal, Bina. Where we need to try and ascend above what we feel and understand, and to adhere ourselves to the Creator, meaning, as if we understand and feel, that we are receiving this from the Creator. Then, what will we have? and to depict this to ourselves and slowly, slowly, from our efforts, we, from our efforts, this way we will enter a new intellect and a new feeling of the degree of bestowal and not the degree of reception.
17. S. (42:18) How to come to the turning point of resistance from the Creator to love to him?
R. It all depends on how we aim ourselves to, how much we aim ourselves towards the true feeling that we have and it doesn't matter if it is in favor or against as long as I'm always connected to the Creator; therefore, none else besides him, we are trying to maintain that and that is what is important. The most important is to think that there is none else besides him and afterwards, from none else besides him, we will start seeing how the Creator is also good that does good and that otherwise he would not be able to build us. The fact that he built us in a state that we resist, in our egoistic state, it is a necessary thing because otherwise we would not be created beings, we would not feel ourselves as even existing in some relationship with him.
18. S. (44:08) What do we need to do if we know that everything is from the Creator and we learned that we need to justify him, but we do not love those states and want to rid ourselves of them?
R. That is very good, very good, that we know that we receive what we receive from the Creator, but we do not like what we receive from him. So that is good, so we have a resistance to the Creator. He does not appear to us as good that does good. Why? Because our vessels and his vessels are different. The Creator is a higher degree towards us, the degree of Bina, we are the degree of Malchut. We have to bring our vessels closer to His, and then what we receive from Him, will appear to us as good. That is what he is preparing for the whole humanity that we are not going to feel good in our state, ever, unless we rise above ourselves to the degree of Bina that is what we need
19. S. (45:24) What is the foundation upon which is the order of our work, in order to be completely above reason?
R. The basis is even though we receive a burdening each time, in our heart and mind, or burdening in our heart and confusion in our mind, despite that, we have to long to get closer to the Creator to the good that does good, the quality of the bestowal with eyes shut and regardless of what conditions we have. Like a baby, it wants to just rely on the mother, hold on to the mother and not let go and if we are talking about the degree of conception that we need to begin to feel that we are in it, we are in it, we just don't recognize that we are and so we have to use all of our powers, all our desires, all of our thoughts, all we’ve got, to be dependent on bestowal the degree of Bina, the degree of the Creator, and in such a way we can advance.
20. S. (47:03) In excerpt 17 it is written that a person must take upon himself the burden of the Kingdom of Heaven on the lowest possible quality. Question: what is the lowest quality beyond it that humility can no longer be, or lowness can no longer be?
R. Every time a person thinks this way that he is in a lower degree, in utter loneliness that the creator doesn't let him doesn’t give him any feeling, any understanding of whatever he is going through, he is just confused empty and opposite to anything that he can imagine as spirituality, and from that point we need to advance.
21. S. (47:55) How could you help a very devoted friend that for a very long time is working out of the feeling of dust in everything, in work, dissemination, corporeality?
R. I do not know, I do not go into such personal questions. I am not getting in there. I am only following Baal HaSulam and Rabash that is it.
Excerpt 18 (48:32) twice
22. S. (51:00) This unconditional surrender does not that endanger us to go into faith below reason?
R. It is a correct question, it is a correct question. We cannot go into these scrutinies right now which have to do with religions as well, belief systems of different sorts, philosophies and so on. They are all born from people beginning to engage a little bit in the wisdom of Kabbalah and then went from there to all sorts of directions, below reason, within reason. There are three directions here, right? Above reason, below reason and within reason. It is something we still have to clarify. It will be clarified by itself, but we should be careful each time in building ourselves above reason. Meaning we have feeling, we have understanding to some extent, and we have to see how we are committed to going above that, above the feeling, above the understanding that we have in our vessels, and each time our vessels will be greater, higher. Accordingly we will receive heavier burdening of the heart and that is how we will advance from greater darkness we will see greater light and so on. One thing and its opposite that is how it will appear.
23. S. (53:36) Is it correct to say that as much as we depict correctly and come closer to the degree of above reason, then in parallel the attraction to within reason increases?
R. This is called I saw a reversed world, or that whenever I discover spirituality, correspondingly I see greater corporeality and that becomes more important and then I have to overcome that, transcend that, and thus achieve a higher state. So is the case, one thing and its opposite.
S. If so, then how will we at last make that transition to a life that is above reason?
R. With eyes shut like Baal Hasulam writes. Going above everything, whatever you feel, whatever you think, going above the mind and heart that are egoistic, and taking on the shape of the Providence as if he is in adhesion with the Creator, and then after many such actions where we have to study that state, then it is established in him and he succeeds.
S. (55:10) What is the reason for Kedusha?
R. Bestowal, bestowal, its reason that is based on bestowal
25. S. (55:24) Are vessels of bestowal vessels that are in me or outside of me?
R. Everything is in the person and except for the person only the upper force fills up all of reality. So I am not sure what they are asking, maybe, but we should properly establish all of reality in ourselves.
26. S. (56:04) How do I check that I am serving the big king and the king is enjoying from me?
R. Try it, and also speak to the friends.Excerpt 19 (56:22)
27. R. (56:47) Therefore, the more contradictions one sees, the more he needs to appreciate it because:
1. He received it from the Creator
2. These things happen to teach him and advance him
3. Now he has to respond correctly.Excerpt 19 continued (57:18)
28. R. (57:53) These are very important words, and a person comes to the recognition that he believes the Creator enjoys this work, what work? That is built entirely above reason. Meaning the fact that I go through disturbances and confusions and a bad mood, and certainly all of that is orchestrated by the Creator, because both my mind, my heart, he controls everything. Just like you are controlling a computer. That there is nothing that works besides the Creator, there is none else besides Him, so I have to understand that what I receive from Him, in the worst possible state, the most shattered and confused, it does not matter. That is exactly what the Creator intended for me to feel and think and from here I have to understand, this is the point from which He wants me to build connection with Him.
Except 19 Continues: (59:05)
29. R. (59:50) Meaning once we feel ourselves that we do not understand in our mind and we do not feel well in our heart, and certainly the mind and heart are received from the Creator, there is none else besides Him in general, what can we say. Anything I feel, does not matter what it is. I have to accept it as the good that does good and relate myself or calibrate myself in such a way, that I am facing the good that does good and then, why do I not see that I am in a good that does good and feel everything well? It is because the Creator wants me to change my foundation, my data and of course I cannot because the Creator set it up to begin with; He created me, so I have to ask him, what you created, change it; and then it happens. Our work is simple; not to forget that there is none else besides Him, that He created specific conditions in me; and now He gives me something that goes against these conditions, against them in my mind and heart so that I turned to Him and asked Him to essentially correct what He created in me, that what I’m asking: That what He created in me initially, I want Him to correct and that is what is called “my sons have defeated me'' and then He is content.
30. S. (01:01:53) In the title of the 18th article it writes that “one should have a son and daughter in the work” what does it mean?
R. It is two lines, that the will to receive, although it is not two lines for us yet both, the will to receive and the will to bestow both he needs to develop from special conditions the creator gives him. Both the will to receive and the will to bestow, meaning restrictions, screen and reflected light when he advances towards that, that’s called “a son” and that is how the whole of reality in front of us divides to: The will to receive is referred to, as woman or female, and the will to bestow is referred to, as male or man. Read excerpt nineteen again.
Excerpt 19 (01:13:19)
31. R. (01:03:23) How can it be that we feel like that, and this is how the Creator treats us? That “we sit under His shadow and His fruit is sweet to our pallet.” The solution is under His shadow, His shadow. If I am under His shadow then I immediately feel good, understanding, my feelings, in everything good.
Excerpt #19 continues (01:04:04)
32. S. (01:05:47) When you are in a state of dust and you are working in that state and connect with her friends above it, and you are praying for them when very quickly you come to some good state, to a good feeling that how good it is to be above all that. How to make it such that we do not enjoy it but rather advance? Where to advance from here so that we do not make pleasure for the sake of ourselves?
R. What can you do? We need to search for how I will change my attitude that I will not depend on pleasant or unpleasant but, what do I do and for what do I do it? Meaning change the direction that I am not doing it because it is unpleasant or pressuring me, but all those discernments, the unpleasant ones that I receive in my mind and heart; I receive that in order to change my attitude towards the friends, to the world, to the Creator. Here is the question then: How do we do it, meaning that the goal of creation will be before me as what is important, and not how I feel it but what this feeling is leading me towards? That is what is important: Just to clarify the importance and the goal.
33. S. (01:07:50) It turns out that our goal is to come from a good desire to hate: hatred towards ourselves and love towards the Creator.
R. Right.
34. S. (01:08:09) Why is there a program inside of us that makes us feel distant from the Creator?
R. That is given to us so we know how distant we are from Him, and in the meantime, we do not feel these distances but later we will start feeling; we start ranking these distances as degrees and so on.
35. S. (01:08:45) When do you receive the state in its fullness and when do you resist and ask the Creator to change it?
R. The state of wholeness I receive after I did the right work and I feel that all the conditions, the initial conditions that I received from the Creator, I realize them correctly. I have reached with them, on top of them, connection and bestowal and accordingly that makes me happy.
S. If the Creator placed all these special states in me, all the conditions in me, if everything that happened to me right now, He put in me, what do I have to ask from Him?
R. We need to always, as we started our quotes from today “that the main thing is the prayer,” our address to the Creator. The whole thing is that I need to correct myself. It is not that I correct me, but by my correction, I come closer to the Creator; and not just to come closer to the Creator but to bring Him contentment by that. Without bringing contentment to the Creator I would not even think in this direction. Meaning whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, understanding or not understanding. Whatever this state is good or bad it does not matter to me what the state itself is, but in how much I bring Him contentment. That has to be the most important discernment for us, the most precise and that we are in it. There is nothing else to pay attention to.
S. In what way can I bring him contentment now?
R. Ask, ask. That is what you should be asking. I should not be telling you that.
36. S. (01:11:53) What are the common goals that we have to attain as a ten in order to feel this?
R. That they have more understanding in moving from degree to degree, from one state to another. That there is more agreement between them about what they need to be moving forward with.