Part 2:
Baal HaSulam. "Study of the Ten Sefirot" (TES). Vol. 1. Part 1. Inner Observation
1. R. (00:39) I want to say that the study belongs to both men and women because I heard that the women think it's not for them, they could do without it. These parts that we are studying are equally important for men and women. That's it, it's a very important book very long book very great, based on the writings of the ARI, the Etz Chayim, Tree of life right life that's about it it'll take us a while, many lessons but each time we'll go through these stages as new for us.
Reading Starts (01:44) “First we must know that when dealing....”
2. S. (07:58) Why do we need a branch to point to the root? Can't we work directly with the root?
R. Well without us grabbing some end of it, called a branch in this world, we need to grab the part of it that is close to us or even in us and then from there rise to the root and in that way we understand it.
3. S. (08:25) Where is the inner reality of the person?
R. The inner reality will see that later.
Reading Continued (08:38) ”Indeed, those whose eyes have not opened....”
4. R. (09:54) That also it's not precise because students can't grasp it precisely but somehow to have at least an ability to continue step by step ahead.
Reading Continued. (10:08) “This is what I have trouble to do in this interpretation...”
5. R. (10:54) Okay I'm happy we have no questions let's keep going chapter one.
Reading Continued. (11:09) “Know that before the emanated beings were emanated...”
6. R. (12:34) Here we see there aren't really answers or any explanations it's only an introduction so number one
Reading Item 1. (12:50) “There is not one thing in the whole of reality...”
7. S. (19:02) What's the difference, how is the difference between wisdom and sweetness similar to the difference between bitter and sweet, truth and false.
R. It's all the influences of the light that way we can bring them into a common base in the wisdom of Kabbalah.
S. He talks about the difference between sweetness, what did he mean?
R. That all these things have a common reason which is in the light of the Creator.
8. S. (19:46) What needs to be stronger in spirituality, emotion or imagination and how to relate correctly to the spiritual work? What leads us to when unique and unified?
R. Only emotion, no imagination.
S. Meaning in Kabbalah we learn to develop the emotion?
R. It doesn't confuse us, exactly because of that.
9. S. (20:30) He gives us feelings above all kinds of things, he gives us many different desires, senses and so forth. Why did he make it so that there's this multitude of states where the root is just one.
R. When we will learn onward about the rest of creation, we will gradually understand why the Creator organized everything in this way and not in a different way. I have nothing else to answer you. When we'll learn it's like a child going out into the street and asking about each and everything up from the mother so what can she say she explains a bit about this and a bit about that but actually when he grows and incorporates and all those terms he starts understanding that in each and every one of them there's certain attitude towards Him.
Reading item #2. (21:52) ”Two discernments in bestow: before it is received...”
10. R. (24:57) What's he saying that actually we are all incorporated under the influence of the upper light that affects us in a unified way towards everyone completely. Everything that everyone feels in his life, corporal reality, spirituality whichever degree and whichever style it all depends only on the receiver himself. As much as he's distant or close to that light that is spilled on him from above but in the light there is no difference it appears on everyone.
11. S. (25:45) What does it mean that with regards to the horrific reality we are witnessing these days
R. We are at a time that the upper light is bestowing upon us in a certain extent that we are calling judgment, limitations, distancing, restrictions and obviously that we feel it's influence as unpleasant not nice but is I guess what we deserve according to our current state because each state only us we invite it and we feel it and we receive it.
12. S. (26:49) He writes that everyone receives it according to his form even those there's infinity and everything. The question is whether through intuition with the friends we can require a new forms or everyone has this forms and that's it?
R. We'll check that with the differences between each one being able to receive or each one receiving in the connection between us.
13. S. (27:20) Following what you started with the friend, so basically each of us sees it different perception of reality if everyone according to his vessels and light bestows to everyone but everyone sees his perception, his reality the way his perception works. Then how do we basically everyone has his correction, his unique part in the system that he needs to correct and incorporate in?
R. But we need to connect and we build one system that in it we all incorporate together the Ten as one and that's why we feel the Creator that he is accepted in our unique vessel. This is the whole matter of the perception of the Creator by the created beings.
14. S. (28:28) He writes that “each and everyone would taste everything they wanted, one taste better, one tastes sweet”, what's it depend, bitter or sweet?
R. It depends on the vessels, the vessels of the receivers.
S. You said that, you spoke a while ago about how the receiver builds the bitter and the sweet, so to continue what the friend asked and I want to ask you today, what are we feeling today in this country, we feel so bitter, so bitter and we can't make it sweet, what does it depend on?
R. It depends on our vessels, if we change our vessels we will feel sweet instead of bitter, instead of enemies we will feel friends, and so on.
S. We can change all the bitter to sweet in advance, basically?
R. Yes.
15. S. (29:35) If the Creator includes everything, how can He include something opposite to Him? Again, if the Creator contains everything, includes everything, how can He include something opposite of Him?
R. Because He includes everything, so what's the question, the Creator includes everything.
S. What, specifically?
R. That is why all the forms, whether direct or indirect are in Him, we according to the equivalence of form, can discern between all His forms what is suitable towards us from the law of equivalence of form.
16. S. (30:53) We read something simple, that everything depends on the simple pleas …. everything is included within.
R. Yes?
S. What is the meaning of it?
R. We'll learn it, we didn't even start, we're hearing it for the first time, that the upper light that comes from above has all the forms in it from zero to infinity, nothing but that, that's all we heard.
17. S. (32:40) No Translation
R. Of course, otherwise what are we studying for, in order to come closer to the root and incorporate in the root, resemble the root, unite with the root and then we actually reach the center of all created beings, of all of creation, all of reality in the place of the most, the truest place.
S. In getting closer can we change our fate?
R. Of course, by that we change our destiny because we're coming closer to the center of all reality.
18. S. (34:11) First of all, can we say that the Creator is like this big puzzle that we see from the perspective of Malchut and it exists within us?
R. Yes, let it be like that for now.
19. S. (34:57) Maybe you can explain: In what way we should approach this unique study of the Inner Observation, Part One, why did we choose to study it now and how can we approach it to get the most out of it?
R. We want to know in what way the influence of the Creator appears on us from above, that this, it's a good influence, in order to help us advance to Gmar Tikkun, the end of correction. That we will understand and see and feel and know all of reality as one; that's why we have to go through all kinds of stages of development, as we all learned in school, all kinds of places. That's how here, too, we have to go through all kinds of classes, stages, until we understand what exactly the Kabbalists want to tell us about. Where we need to feel the truth, the true world, and in this way will reach a state that is called the center of creation. That is what we're studying this part in TES for, it's the main part of the structure of all of reality. And in the beginning of the study, Baal HaSulam gives us a few necessary discernments that we have to know about. So they are a bit general and formless but we have to hear them too, there's no choice, we have to write down maybe something for ourselves in order to repeat it every so often. And that's how we advance like students, the wisdom of Kabbalah has the part that belongs to science and the part that belongs to feelings so we have to develop this and develop that.
Reading Continued .Item #3. (37:48 - 39:41) “How can we perceive the soul as a part of godliness?”
20. R. (39:43) So we have a few questions here: The Kabbalists say that the soul in the Creator is two things, that the Creator is a mountain, a whole, and the soul is divided away from the Creator, just like a stone that falls off the mountain. So there's a question, how is the soul separated from the Creator and why is it separated and disconnected from Him, can we bring it back, connect it back, how did they separate, and he keeps going; now he's asking questions, himself.
Reading Continued Item #4. (40:40 - 43:26) “The spiritual is divided by disparity of form, as the corporeal is divided by an ax”
21. S. (43:34) What is this form that is different between different parts?
R. Something in one part isn’t similar to the other part, that's why there's that difference between them and then distances them from one another.
S. Is this part of me and the friend close to me or is it a different desire in me?
R. It could be any of them.
S. And a form, many, many years we said that ‘a form is intention’, so is a form also a desire, actually?
R. Desire, intention, there's a lot of discernment, there's a lot of discernment.
22. S. (44:39) It says here “the body can discern the form of the soul and tell if each specific soul is a good soul or a bad soul, and likewise with the various forms, can you please explain that, how can that be?
R. That the body which means the Kli that holds the soul, the light, can recognize according to its changes what kind of light fills it.
23. S. (45:25) It says “as their faces are not similar, their views are not similar “,so what needs to be the work here if no none is similar to another?
R. To get closer to one another.
S. In the end we need to be similar to each other?
R. Yes, ‘as one and with one heart’.
S. Even though they have different opinions?
R. Yes.
24. S. (45:52) It says, “you have seen me without a form”, who brings the form, the upper one until it comes to wholeness only through annulment and the complete form, is it the same complete common soul that we create and is there any help for the lower one to find the soul?
R. There's help, we will learn about it, but all of that is on the way towards the upper one.
25. S. (46:36) In this completely integrated system, when we talk about we are building the Creator in the connection between us in the ten, isn't that actually how we discover the Creator?
R. We become incorporated by connecting between us and with the Creator, this is called an action towards attaining the Creator because this is called 'from Your actions we know You’. Meaning that as He created us, divided us and then connected us, by that we discover Him.
26. S. (47:34) Can I ask something you explained about the previous item: I heard you saying that we're at a time that the upper light is bestowing on us to a certain extent that we call ‘judgment’. How can we change the sensation that it will become ‘mercy from judgment’, what does it depend on?
R. We summon the actions of the light that either brings ust together or it pushes us apart, so in our actions towards getting closer or, God forbid, push each other away then by that we influence the Creator and by that we receive His influence.
S. Is it possible to change every moment, it's in our hands?
R. It's completely in our hands.
S. Even during the judgment in a moment we can change it to mercy?
R. I don't know about the same instance or the same moment or not, but we influenced the Creator instantly, how He responds to that is already a different matter.
27. S. (49:00) If you can explain better, the situation that is the Creator, mountain and soul as a rock?
R. The whole versus a part refers to how the different parts of the will to receive feel, that they are giving up their own individuality for the sake of their connections. So they become whole from each and every part that each one has, that's it. But more than that he doesn't say for now, that each one has to nullify his individual part and respect and appreciate their connection. Of course that goes against each and everyone's ego where I'm willing to work many times harder only for us to be together and if I'm on my own I could be at rest without hard labor. Meaning, to the extent that we appreciate connection between us as opposed to personal existence.
Reading Continued Item #5. (51:15- 55:40) ”How can there be disparity of form and creation with respect to Ein Sof?”
28. S. (55:46) So can we say that the upper light, the Creator, can feel Himself only according to the vessels of the created beings, is that right?
R. We can't discuss this, we're not discussing the Creator in and of Himself. We explained that there's an upper light in complete rest, this means that no actions of the created being affect Him.
S. Kabbalists tell us that without a creative being, there's no Creator?
R. Correct?
S. So how to understand it?
R. That we can understand the Creator or somewhat talk about Him only through the vessels of the created beings, only through the way in which the Creator is clothed in the created beings?
S. So if I understand, the Creator is light so I, well, not me but, the soul is a desire with a without a restriction and a screen, so in that way, we resemble the Creator with the restriction and a screen?
R. Yes.
S. So that's the difference between the created being and the Creator, but I want to ask, as much as a person advances in spirituality, it's not simple, so what are vessels or light, is there a difference between them, so it's not clear. Do you understand what I'm trying to ask?
R. To the extent that one advances toward the Creator he remains in the will to receive; however, according to his actions, he resembles, makes himself more and more similar to actions of the Creator, of bestow. Even though in his nature he’s opposite in his desire to the Creator but according to the action he makes upon himself, restrictions, screen, reflected right, then he achieves actions of bestowal like the upper light, the Creator that bestows to him. And then they dress into each other, the Creator dresses and the person the person dresses in the Creator.
29. S. (59:43) I heard that in order to turn the judgment into mercy, we need to connect between us more, are those actions of connection that we do in the tens or the connection in the nation, in the world?
R. Mostly in the group.
S. So these actions of connection in the group, how do they reach the Creator directly, with which intention are we doing these acts for connecting the nation, the world, to give the Creator contentment, what should be in there?
R. The connection between us, we want it to be as a medium to make room for the Creator to appear in the created beings, the highest state of the Creator is that He can dress into the creative beings, and that's what we want to make for the Creator.
S. So in every action and connection we're doing throughout the day in all of our tens, our goal is that the Creator will be revealed in the connection between us and from their affect everyone?
R. Yes.
30. S. (01:00:18) Does “name” mean attainment of the creative being after the restriction?
R. Yes.
31. S. (01:00:32) Is the law of equivalence of the form a vessel for correcting the soul?
R. Yes.
32. S. (01:00:48) What happens with my soul when it melts into the friends?
R. Connects with the souls of the friends.
33. S. (01:01:08) We're in a very ‘not simple’ in reality and our army is fighting inside Gaza and we really want to support the soldiers, should we have Ramchal duty in order to really pray all day?
R. We have to try to adhere to our desire for the Creator in each other and this is how we correct the world.
S. What on what a Ramchal duty help if we take that duty upon ourselves to increase our prayers, will it help a bit?
R. Maybe but I wouldn’t recommend everyone to do this, only those who are truly capable
S. And when we pray and read Psalms, not to expect anything, just to pray and not to expect anything because sometimes the expectations just makes us fall, at least me.
R. Try to connect among you, that's what's required, that's all.
32. S. (01:02:42) What were we rewarded now for this study, with the whole situation in the background, how can we use it to mitigate the judgments in reality?
R. We want to get internally closer to each other as much as possible and make room for the revelation of the Creator, to bring Him contentment as much as possible.
S. What questions would you want us to awaken in the study, how to approach it, with a mind our heart, for prayer, for remedy? What is the right potential to get from the special study of the TES?
R. How do we feel that we're getting closer to a single heart, how we feel that we're making the place and the Creator comes closer to dress into our single heart.
33. S. (01:03:54) How can one keep his faith always alive and nothing is coincidental and everything is managed by the Creator?
R. One has to adhere to the environment and try with all his strength to unite his environment and be at its center, and then he and his environment will get closer to the Creator.
S. So the amount of faith we have always depends on how close we are with the friends. that's what you say?
R. Yes, yes.
34. S. (01:05:08) If the spiritual law says that there are few, a lot of souls, how can we unite the souls if they're not identical, because the vessels are built differently?
R. But according to our intentions we bring them together and everything moves towards correction to a single Kli.
35. S. (01:05:39) You said there's a part that is intellectual and a part that is emotional, what's the intention we need to do in each one of those parts?
R. We have to become incorporated with both emotion and the mind, it all needs to be together as we prepare everything to present it to the revelation of the Creator, for it to His created beings.
36. S. (01:06:07) I see that reality is showing me that there’s kidnapped people, kidnapped Israelis in Gaza, can we make something to help that change, that they’ll be released?
R. Yes, we can correct the entire world with this!
37. S. (01:06:26) Two days ago you gave us a question for a workshop, to think of an exercise for humanity and they'll understand that they have no choice but to end the suffering that they all, that each one feels for himself. How do you reach the middle and the good, what exercise would you give humanity?
R. Me, it’s a simple exercise: how do we get to a state where we don't invite any change in any part of creation; how do we summons, subtract, such a state where there's no difference in any part of creation?
WSQ: (01:07:47) Summarize the main points we heard in the lesson.
WS: Build a common prayer for the day
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