Morning Lesson November 07, 2023

Transcription is made from simultaneous translation, which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio

Part 1:

Rabash. Article No. 1, 1988. Why Life Is Divided into Two Discernments

1. Rav intro (00:22): Yes, let's read the article. It's not little, it is a good idea to go through it, all of it. 

Reading Rabash. Article No. 1. (00:23) “Our sages said (Berachot 18), ‘For the living…’”

2. S. (39:06) What else remains for us to merit spiritual life?

R. To start and to finish the work.

S. What does that mean to begin and finish the work?

R. It means that we need to relate ourselves and ascribe ourselves to all of those actions that the Creator is dropping on us and see in all of them as an invitation to advance.

3. S. (39:45) What is a sin?

R. It's tough, tough to define it but you can say it like this, in order to receive is evil.

S. If I perform a certain action without intention to bring contentment to the Creator?

R. It depends on the degree you're on.

4. S. (40:38) We are a desire that wants to enjoy and there are two ways to enjoy either in a vessel of reception which is me or in the desire of the friend and if we build such a connection then we have a connection we have a connection with the source, from this it turns out that there are two ways, where I try to make the most of the desire to delight myself and the second when I'm trying to use the desire of the friend that I'm using my desire for bestowal but we cannot not enjoy, how can I enjoy when I'm bestowing to a friend?

R. You connect with him, and you feel the opinion in him.

S. A sin is when I want to enjoy in my desire to receive? Is that a sin?

R. No translation

5. S. (42:05) What is it to feel the greatness of the Creator, to feel?

R. To feel the greatness of the Creator means to feel its dominion over your desires.

S. For egoistic desires?

R. For all desires.

6. S. (42:40) How can a person refine, purify his desire to receive from his own nature and to run away from his ego?

R. This is ongoing work extended work and he is doing it through the friends, He is connecting to the friends and gradually he relates his will to receive to his friends and through this will to receive he is trying to bestow to the friends more and more and in this way these forces of bestowal become truly in order to bestow. 

7. S. (43:50) In the beginning of the reading, it was written you will inherit hell if you don't observe it you won't enjoy your life or your death. In the end it's written that you will not inherit hell and death and in life you didn't enjoy. Why is it written in the beginning that you will inherit and then later that you won't inherit it?

R. It depends on who you are referring to, who you are using?

8. S. (45:16) The article makes it very clear we do not want to commit any transgressions. How can we make sure that we do not? There are so many prohibitions like we talked about the prohibitions against slander, a prohibition against looking at women, a prohibition against the mouth, there’s a long list of them. How do we make sure that we do not unknowingly or unintendedly commit any sort of transgression?

R. The solution is when I do not think in the direction of a transgression rather I constantly think in terms of how I can perform a Mitzvah, commandment. I am not afraid to fall into a transgression but rather I am constantly trying to think how to rise to the degree of a commandment. Gradually I come to a state where I can perform commandments and not transgression.

S. How can we differentiate between the feelings or the causes of the feelings when we have a negative feeling or emotion? Won't it be caused by the unintended transgression or the second because there's an opportunity for the correction that is floating in the descent that is really and this opportunity to step up a level. How do we differentiate between the two? How do we really know what is really going on?

R. We should not really deal with that. The Creator will bring us back to those points that need our scrutiny, but we ourselves it is not worthwhile to think into these things these points or those points, what did I do wrong. It is not worthwhile; it does not add to us.

9. S. (48:12) Can you explain what is the life of lives?

R. When I live in the bestowal to the Creator, and I feel that he is bestowing to me to that same extent and I feel my life as alive.

10. S. (48:52) Why does the body resist the work for the sake of the Creator and how is that connected to faith above reason?

R. The body objects to any action that is not felt in the vessels of reception. That is how it is built, constructed. So, we have to see in it an opportunity of how we aim ourselves in order to use the vessels of bestowal and to run away from vessels of reception. That is our correction. If this is not ok then ask again.

11. S. (50:35) If the state of descent is death, is this perception of this death within ourselves? If so, how to invert this difficult state of descent into thinking of this state as an opportunity to serve the Creator?

R. It will not be work in restriction, it will be working above the restriction. To receive in order to bestow. This is more exalted work, higher work. First is to abstain from our desires to receive so that we would not use vessels of reception and then gradually start pulling them towards our actions in order to bestow.

S. Why is it that our body constantly seeks pleasure in corporeality?

R. Because this is how it was built; it is the desire to receive. The Creator created it. According to its nature it is constantly seeking pleasure and ways to enjoy itself. Everywhere it feels itself. The main work is to arrange itself in the most convenient way possible.

12. S. (52:47) When a person is in these states, how to ask correctly from the group and how to later pass on to the group so it's not to enjoy? How much I overcome this situation?

R. I did not understand the question.

S. When a person is in a state of descent, how to ask for help from the group in order to pass this together and then when you overcome, together with a group and you rise to the Creator, how to move this state of overcoming to the group, to not enjoy myself from this?

R. He must annul himself before the group and do everything the group wants to do in order to be incorporated in the group. When he is incorporated, he begins to feel what else he can help the group with, in what way, from his own personal quality.

S. All the forces he receives he aims in order to feel the desires of the group?

R. Yes, and there he also finds his own desires.

13. S. (54:27) Long ago you gave us an exercise that everything I do, I will do for the sake of the Creator. I drink for the Creator; I get dressed for the Creator. To what extent is that habit of doing everything for the sake of the Creator? How much does it really take us out of the intention for ourselves or is it some lie to myself?

R. It is possible that you are lying to yourself. Nevertheless, it is bringing you out to a higher degree because habit becomes a second nature.

14. S. (55:21) There are two things in this article, one the need for a prayer that looks like there is no chance and that alone there is no chance whatsoever, only with the help of the friends. Another feeling from the state of now is that we will need one another more and more through the general force of ours. How to receive more of ours towards the state and to use it as an opportunity and not as disturbances, as an opportunity for every state that will happen? How can we aim ourselves more? It's felt really strongly in the heart right now.

R. Only connection, where you can see the deficiency in the connection there you need to add. We have no other work. No other work.

15. S. (56:30) The correction begins with the restriction. Where does he have the strength to do the restriction?

R. You get it, of course. We do not have it, but you get it.

S. We need to pray for Him to give us the force to do the restriction and then continue in prayer?

R. To restrict the will to receive, yes.

16. S. (57:15) You said that we need to restrict the will to receive. I do not see where we receive from when we work in the Ten. We perform many actions, we make efforts and there isn't some feeling that I'm receiving, but rather I feel like I'm giving so where do I receive?

R. Yes

17. S. (58:04) While working there comes a voice that diverts us from the path and shows us that corporeal matters are more important and when we move to corporality a lot of trouble happens in life and remember we have to return back to spirituality. When does this process stop, and we focus only on the spiritual work?

R. When the Creator will help us and raise us above corporeal pleasures. Let's hope that he will do it soon.

18. S. (59:01) Is it fair to say that our intentions and attitude in our work determine whether it is a Mitzvah or transgression?

R. Yes, it is possible, yes.

S. Should we consider it as an invitation for having faith above reason?

R. Yes. That is always the case. That is what He intends for us to do, that we will rise to faith above reason.

19. S. (01:00:11) How can you grow our desire to reach the life of lives? Can you give us some advice?

R. Only through the connection between us we will grow our desire for the Creator, clear?

20. S. (01:00:57) You said that at first we will rise above our desires and then into this state we will draw the correction of our egoistic nature. How do we do this? How do we first rise above our desires and then correct?

R. We learn to not use our egoistic desires to receive and later we begin to feel in that state how we can work towards bestowal, in order to bestow.

S. How by example now in the lesson do I not use my egoistic desire and then add to that?

R. Incorporate in the friends and then you will see that it is possible.

21. S. (01:02:05) I heard from you in the lesson now that I am constantly holding on to the degree of the Mitzvah. How can a person justify Creator in difficult states and make a state change to an opportunity?

R. You constantly need to think about how to reach the purpose of creation, where the purpose of creation is to connect the whole world into one Kli and for the Creator to dwell in the center of that system. When one thinks about it, that is how he gets there. He approaches it more and more.

22. S. (01:03:24) How do I keep this small law that the small one can serve the great one. That the ego is deleting me each time, that I do not believe that I'm small and how do I keep that correct relation so that I will understand that I'm serving the great one?

R. Approach the friends and you will see how it's working itself out.

S. Only work in coming too close to the friends?

R. Yes.

S. What is the meaning of hexing the evil inclination with a good inclination?

R. It depends on the state but most of the time we do not want to take it into consideration.

S. I should not relate to him at all in the states that He is giving me?

R. Yes do not pay attention at all except for the side of the bestows.

23. S. (01:04:38) A question from the text he writes' and he runs away from the transgression meaning run from the state that you are in now is a transgression and for you to say that the Mitzvah induces the Mitzvah, what is it say that you will tell me, why is that important what does that influence?

R. Take into consideration that you have to insist on this condition.

S. That I commandment induces commandment. Also he talks about the day of his death means the place for choosing the ability to say. Where is there a choice of the conditions or the ability to say this or that? A person appreciates, balances?

R. That is the result of a feeling of a person, there is nothing to do. This is how you go through the states, and you feel it.

S. The words of Raba, what does it mean that you should not inherit hell, upon your death and in your life and you did not enjoy the world. How to relate to that?

R. Do not do not go to the level of the will to receive and don't connect to it anyway.

24. S. (01:06:11) This article reminds me of a question that I asked you about the Mitzvot. that Mitzvot actually are not limitations but opportunities from the Creator. We heard from you that the Commandment is actually the light and here in the article it says that a Mitzvah induces a Mitzvah. Help me understand the light that illuminates up on the uncorrected vessel, is that not Mitzvah yet but you are saying that it induces another Mitzvah through the request of a person? Is that a revelation?

R. That is already the revelation of good.

25. S. (01:07:06) It is written that one who comes to be purified is aided. Meaning that it is important that the person himself will ask for help otherwise he will not be helped?

R. Yes, a person needs to ask for it himself. Of course, we also request these things for everyone but nevertheless a person needs to have a vessel. A person has to ask from within himself. Otherwise he will not have a vessel he needs a personal vessel for receiving the help.

26. S. (01:07:56) It is not so clear about the ego. How do I discern that I'm running away from the ego and other corrections themselves from the states that I am given?

R. If you continue to work with it you will feel you will be able to scrutinize it. I cannot give you these calculations when you will come to recognize them quite quickly.

27. S. (01:08:28) In a few words, how to move from state of receiving in order to receive, to receiving in order to bestow ? What are the steps? How to implement it in the Ten?.

R. You have to try and connect as much as possible between us and from the connection between us, to raise a question to the Creator that we wish to be connected to Him and then to incorporate yourself in Him, in it. Then on top of all the changes we will feel in ourselves between us, we have to insist on it and not let ourselves come down from it.

28. S. (01:10:13) Do we need to know all the states of the fall in order to rise to the next level?

R. Whether we like it or not, we will have to know them. As light excels from darkness and the more we recognize the descents we will also recognize the ascents.

29. S. (01:10:57) He writes that when he is shown from above what is for the sake of the Creator not for his own benefit, the body escapes that work and does not want to work anymore. We know and you explain many times that our friends who have left us or who are distancing, discovered that they are not receiving all of a sudden, in their will to receive what they want. Now I've noticed that if the Ten does not give a certain attitude relations to a friend it causes him to distance. I want to scrutinize what kind of attitude do we need to give to one another?

R. We need to explain to one another the meaning of spiritual work. We prefer the adhesion with the Creator, the revelation of the Creator. A relationship with the Creator compared to all the adhesion relationships that we may get in this lifetime. That is, this has to be a serious thing.

S. Does this attitude, you feel this very childish relation that we are in a different place like we do not have to show a friend. Maybe after all he is distancing, the question is whether we understand the friend and truly give him this attitude or is our work something different?

R. You must ,you must give him the correct attitude.

30. S. (01:13:04) He writes at the end of the article that' if I say that it is now they that I received from that state a force of confidence that I'm going to go with in the continuation', he also writes but I say that there is no such state of a descent but rather I ascend in a degree, to the degree of truth. We are in the Ten are constantly implementing this advice because we are playing like playing the goal of one to one another all of the time but nevertheless the question is how to come to a decision that these words that Rabash says will really not be based on a statement but truly to put in feeling?

R. You will need to think about it a bit more.

31. S. (01:14:16) A question about attitude towards pleasures in the will to receive during the state of correction. We know that there's no calculation with bodies and you said that Rabash used to smoke and you too and some friends like to play tennis and some like to play tennis and watch movies on TV and some like to go to the beach and go for a walk there. How should we relate to this because I'm trying to understand what is harmful on the path that a friend does some kind of action that he enjoys, how to relate to it?

R. I do not think it is a transgression we need to see if by this he is increasing his vessels and then works in a group so it is vessels of bestowal.

S. The question is does it disrupt me on the path or not?

R. It depends on the intention and usually the intention of a friend is something that we don't know, it is concealed so that is why we can't talk about it.

S. How do I relate to this pleasure?

R. Try to see over time what direction towards what direction they change the friends, towards us, towards the group.

S. If a pleasure does not disrupt we can just continue with this?

R. Yes, of course.

32. S. (01:15:55) A friend is asking regarding the article; it says that the wicked in their life are called dead because they make themselves as if they do not know. What does it mean that they make themselves as if they do not know?

R. Usually a person who is in that state does not want to know anything. That is why it is called that they are in a transgression.

33. S. (01:16:44) It's written that one should always vex the good inclination over the evil inclination, what does that mean in our work?

R. That we always need to be in the middle of the struggle between the good and the bad in order to receive and in order to bestow. In order to determine precisely who we are with, and which side we are on.

34. S. (01:17:42) It is written here that if a light commandment does not help we should read the Shema reading and we should remind him of the day of death. What does that mean to remind him of the day of death?

R. That is in order to restrict the ego.

S. Meaning I have to use fear against the ego.

R. Yes, why not.

S. Is it the same fear that talks about the three kinds of fears?

R. No, I don't want to get into this now. For now, think about it yourself.

35. S. (01:18:30) I want to ask regarding the state of pretending like you said about Rabash. He used to jump and this way he could bring about a positive state here if I say they will make it a day not that can it begin here with pretending to become truth afterwards?

R. Yes. yes.

36. S. (01:19:06) He writes that he runs away from the transgression. He runs away from saying the state you were in now is a transgression but rather you should say the commandment ii cannot be a transgression so what is the transgression? if there are any transgressions?

R. What is the transgression? When a person does not use what is given in order to ascend.

S. Can a person discern this when he is giving this or only in retrospect?

R. Yes, yes such things exist.

37. S. (01:20:13) Why should I not say this state that is happening to me because I'm in the transgression? Does it mean that I do not agree with it coming from the Creator?

R. I do not understand what you are asking.

S. He is asking why should he not agree that he is in the state of a transgression and say the opposite: that he is innocent, and he has advanced on the path of truth and not that he's on the other path.

R. We will scrutinize it some other time.