Morning Lesson December 18, 2023

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

Part 2:

Baal HaSulam. Introduction to the Book Panim Meirot uMasbirot - Item 9 

Reading Item 9: (00:17) “In return for that, we are privileged by Him…”

1. S. (06:32) He gives the allegory of the person drowning in the river and that he can be saved from the hairs of his head or from his heart and he said how the ARI came to save us from the head and the Baal Shem Tov from the heart. What does it mean to say from the head or from the heart?

R. To talk to people of their generation where there are those who are closer to the heart and those who are closer to the intellect.

S. Those who are closer to the intellect, what does it mean to save them? What can you give them from the Godly wisdom that will touch their mind?

R. It's like what the ARI did where he wrote not “The Study of The Ten Sephirot”, Baal HaSulam wrote that but according to the ARI’s writings where, nevertheless, addressed the mind of a person and after that, in the other time it was turned through the heart.

S. When turning to the mind, what do the Kabbalists want? Let's say the ARI and Baal HaSulam, with that plea to the mind, what did they want to explain to a person that they feel it'll save them from drowning?

R. To awaken him to turn to the Creator with the others, like usual as we are talking.

S. Does that provoke his intellect to the mind?

R. Yes, also the heart but mostly it's the mind because that is where it’s an explanation about the form of creation, its picture, and so on.

S. The heart when the Baal Shem Tov wanted to save us from the heart?

R. He talked more about connection, about the relations between people, and wanted to awaken toward connection between them.

S. Why did these actions save a person from drowning? Where does he drown, and why does it save him?

R. He is drowning in his ego. Each and every one, all of us, are drowning in our egoistic desires and we don't have any possibility to be saved from this besides the means, and the means can be either the Torah that comes to us through the mind or the Torah that comes to us through the heart.

2. S. (09:13) Our generation today, how to save them? Through the mind, through the heart?

R. It seems to me that it is through the head. That is how it seems to me. I am not sure, I am saying this to you, really for myself that I am not certain, but it seems to me that it is through the head, through the mind. Our hearts are very dry. 

S. Through the head they can get it?

R. Through the head we are capable of absorbing and thinking, and connecting with one another, and discussing and philosophizing with one another, and this way gradually from the smallest to the greatest, there can be somewhat connected to the wisdom.

S. What about the heart?

R. The heart will follow afterward, after the thoughts, the hearts will awaken. 

3. S. (10:45) He writes that he warns us, the ones who look through the windows. Who are those, that he didn’t write it for them? Who are those people?

R. They do not actually want to know the wisdom and to use it in practice like the Kabbalists aimed, but they have some corporeal matter to know and to acquire through this maybe, some wise name or something like that.

4. S. (11:40) You explain that the ARI tried to work through the minds, to try to help us through the minds and Baal Shem Tov through the heart, and when the friend asked how to help this generation you said through the head.

R. Because this generation is closer to the work with the mind.

S. When we, between us, and also when we go out, we're only speaking about connection, only the heart, where’s the head? We don't teach the public ten Sefirot and all kinds of…

R. You will not be able to do that, to teach them about the ten Sefirot but nevertheless, what are they drawn to and what do they grasp better? I don't think that they will receive from you verses about love and connection and embracing, rather that will follow later.

S. Maybe I don't understand something, but our dissemination revolves around connection, we're not speaking about wisdom.

R. You can't talk about wisdom when we, just like that, talk around with thousands of people around, you can’t.

S. What does it mean that we have to turn through the head? I didn't understand.

R. This is already talking about those who are coming closer to the wisdom and want to know the matter of what we're talking about. That is how it seems to me. I don't think that the Baal Shem Tov is suitable for our times. He simply was not understood so much, he didn't advertise himself, maybe enough. We also don't see a serious movement of his, a vast movement like the movement of the ARI, but I do not know what to say. I also thought beforehand, what, Baal Shem Tov, so okay, stories, but he actually drew to him people, he drew the people to work above reason.

5. S. (14:58) He says that he writes that, I didn't write for the ones who look through the windows, only for the ones that the words of the Creator are important for them and they want to learn the words of the Creator in order to reach the purpose they were created for. 

R. Yes.

S. So Baal HaSulam puts a very serious filter here. He says I'm writing only for those who have a point in the heart and it's burning.

R. That is clear, but Baal HaSulam himself, has “The Study of The Ten Sefirot” and he has articles, the article of the spiritual work and that's how it is.

S. He also says that a great expansion for the wisdom of Kabbalah we needed in the people and so on. How do those all work out?

R. The wisdom of Kabbalah you have two. You also have the wisdom itself and also the spiritual work which is more internal.

S. I'll scrutinize that later.

R. We will scrutinize more. 

6. S. (16:43) What did Baal HaSulam think when he put out the newspaper of ‘The Nation’ and all those articles?

R. A Kabbalist cannot lose, he is afraid to lose an opportunity that he has for correcting the world and that is why he did what he did.

S. It's clear that he did correctly but what did he expect? To put out an article like “Matan Torah” and “Arvut”, then what, he expected the whole people will read it?

R. That will influence, that it would influence people and for them to awaken. What else can you do?

S. So we also tried to gather points in the heart, that was his purpose?

R. Yes.

S. Even though he did it in a relatively global way back then?

R. He did what he had in his hands to do, what his hands were capable of doing. He did not have too many opportunities. He wanted to open a leather processing plant and all kinds of things to connect to people to make from them some kind of association of laborers that are studying, but it did not work out for him. Just like Rabash used to say, he said that the time was not yet worthy for him, not yet worthy, that was it. Are we in a worthy time, in the appropriate time, who knows? We need to try to at least continue in that direction. In what will be afterwards? The Creator will arrange but we need to try and prepare for Him all the necessary states. 

7. S. (19:20) Judaism never disseminated itself. It was usually a proselyte who wanted to come but was rejected. The other religions disseminated, also through wars, Islam, so why when we want to disseminate, let's say.

R. We want to disseminate not Judaism but rather the correction of man which belongs to everyone. We are in the last generation, in the generation in which we must execute these actions and corrections.

S. How do you disseminate something for someone who doesn't feel that it is lacking?

R. I try to write it and to reach him in the best possible way, the most correct way, for him to be impressed and that is how it will impact him.

S. We have to show him that he'll get an impression that it's something good; on the other hand, he doesn't have it, because, on one hand, you need to.

R. Yes, yes, also in the lack and also in the filling. We nevertheless see that today thousands that are incorporated by this and want to learn and are studying, and this is a great achievement in our times. It is not like it used to be; you understand. So, we will live and see. There is more to see.