Morning Lesson October 03, 2021 Transcription
Part 1:
Baal HaSulam - What Is Support in the Torah, in the Work? (On one hand, the Torah is important because)
https://kabbalahmedia.info/en/sources/Lwu1K6tc?language=en
1. Rav’s Introduction: We know that the Shamati are the most important part, the main part of our spiritual work, so it is worthwhile for us to read. We will repeat the part that we read already, article 6, “What Is Support in the Torah, in the Work?” Let's read it, let's try to read it directly from beginning to end. You will write down questions as you should, try to be good students. Later on you can ask the questions, so we do not suddenly stop somewhere according to the desire of each and every person and then we will not understand the flow of the article itself.
Reading Shamati 6 (01:24)
2. S. (10:04) In the beginning of the article he writes that love is a result of studying Torah and then he continues, if I understand correctly. Precisely when I am happy with the friend, that feeling comes as a result of learning, is this something we should ask?
R. No, no. Not only as a result of the study but as a result of the connection. I myself, all in all, can receive from the Creator a tiny spark, very tiny light called a thin candle, small illumination. If I connect to others, the more people I connect to, then through them I can receive all in all light. Because the light that comes to me through others is a lot stronger than what I get by myself. Because if it is with the friends, then I have to rise above my ego, I have to take them into account, I simply have to pay for the connection, to exert. Then, I get through them light and this is already something else from what I can get directly. Therefore, the main part of one's connection with the Creator is through others. At least, it should be the group, let's say five to 10 people, and this group should be concerned about having such a connection between them that whatever each one gets goes into the center of the group. There each and every one is with his heart and thus he discovers the Creator.
S. The fact that we are receiving the light through the friends is this the love between us?
R. Well, connection at least. Love is something that is not so clear. Love is considered that to the extent that I connect with the friends and I want to bestow to their vessels, and everything that passes through me to them, that operation and the result of it, all of this is called love. In short, adding to my will to receive, by this already becomes a desire to bestow to the friends, the desire to receive of the friends, and to bestow to them. That is called love. Therefore, it says that, ‘love covers all crimes,’’ that here we will have over all the egoistic distances between us. Then, we get the light and mostly the light that we get, we get it through everyone. This is why dissemination is so important for us, and studying together, and so on.
3. S. (13:42) The fact that I see, in the friend, the Creator is ‘’The Good and does good,’’ is this within reason? Should that give me joy?
R. How can you see that within reason?
S. I see that the friend is happy.
R. How do you see it’s good for him, what he gets from the Creator? You can see money, honor, all kinds of such egoistic things that he gets in his life. However, not what he receives from the Creator.
S. And the fact that he’s glad?
R. He can be glad for a thousand reasons.
4. S. (14:34) There is something here that I can’t really understand. On the one hand, we learn that the state of descent is good because in that state we have work. But the article says that in that state I am wicked, not so good, because we do feel the flavor in the work. How do these things, how do they reconcile?
R. I don’t understand what you’re asking.
S. Normally we learn that the state where we don’t feel good taste in the work or joy, it’s a good because now we can choose, we have choice.
R. Why is it a good state when we don’t feel joy and pleasure in a world that is managed by the Creator?
S. Because we’re still receiving pleasure in the vessels of reception.
R. That’s something else. That’s what you feel but not the state itself is good. The good state is when we’re full of pleasure which we get from the Creator. In that pleasure we discover both what the Creator is giving us with the pleasure and also that it comes from Him. That the host is giving me Himself, what He is giving me. These two I get them and enjoy both of them.
S. If I am still in an uncorrected state and I receive in my vessels of reception, its better that I don’t feel flavor?
R. What do you mean, you don’t feel? You cannot feel. In the vessels of reception you have no connection with the Creator.
5. S. (16:16) What is this light that has the feeling of vitality while keeping the Mitzva (commandment) as opposed to keeping the Torah?
R. I don’t quite know what you're asking about. The light that shines, through actions of bestowal, is called the light of Torah. In that light there is light that comes to a person by him simply being above his ego, only that. This is called light of Hassadim (mercy). The other greater light is that he passes through him the light to others, and this is called the light of Hochma (wisdom). So we have two lights here. We are talking about the fact that the light of Hassadim (mercy) is the light of the correction of creation and the light of Hochma (wisdom) is the light of the purpose of creation.
6. S. (17:39) You can’t be happy when someone else feels bad.
R. The happiness should be about the fact that through friends we’re giving contentment to the Creator, we’re making the Creator happy. That’s our goal, why? Because the Creator, all in all, is the force that exists between us, connecting us, and brings us back to the highest and best state. Then, because it’s the way of the good to do good, then we discover Him in such a way. Therefore, to the extent that I want to bestow to the Creator, I realize that I am corrected.
7. S. (18:44) He says here that the person when he engages in Torah, he obtains some way in the work. He can use this way, even while he’s not engaging. What is this way in the Torah that he attains when he engages in the Torah?
R. Usually, we can be on the path and feel some general satisfaction from this, not as a result of our actions that we are doing right now, but in general. Because we are connected to our group, we are connected to the Creator but in the form of such an illumination that doesn’t quite depend on our actions. We don’t yet have truly actions of bestowal. Whereas, as if we already have some connection between us and are able to bestow to one another, we hold one another, then we reach the Torah because we’re truly performing actions of bestowal.
S. What does it mean to engage or not engage in the Torah?
R. That’s a broad thing. Just studying, that one wants to reach the qualities of bestowal or even just general study, it is also considered that one is engaging in the Torah. But really, the Torah refers to the reforming light, when we study in order to awaken it. We study and perform all kinds of actions in order to awaken upon ourselves the upper light, and that it actually shines on us. Then, to that extent we rise above our will to receive and are capable of connecting between us. This is how we advance, this is called the Torah. This is in our state, but in general the Torah is all together all of the light that is intended for creation, in order to correct the whole of creation, that is the broken vessels of Adam HaRishon and to fill it. All of this is called the Torah, the inner power that exists in the Creator's relation to the created beings.
S. Is there a state when the 10 doesn’t engage in the Torah? Can such a thing be when the 10 doesn’t engage in the Torah?
R. When they are studying like students who have no intention of reaching mutual bestowal, mutual connection, then it is considered that they are not yet studying the Torah but rather, they are studying wisdom. The Torah means that we, nevertheless, want to reach connection, what Kabbalist tells us about. Then, in this special form of study, we are drawing light that corrects us and it is called the Torah, as it says, ‘’I have created the evil inclination and created the spice of Torah.’’ But if I am not thinking about correcting my evil inclination, then what I study is unrelated to the Torah or the spice.
8. S. (22:30) I didn’t really understand, from the article, how to feel pleasure, from the friend feeling good?
R. This is to the extent that you connect with him, in the form that he is your friend ‘’Haver’’, Haver from the Hebrew word ‘’Chibur’’ (connection). Then, by you realizing that if you attain the Creator, you will attain Him in the connection between you. Then, this friend becomes truly a part of you, and then you‘re happy with whatever. However, he is advancing on the path.
9. S. (23:17) Is there a special way to show the friends that the Torah is not some black and white piece of paper in front of my eyes, but my internality where I actually plug in into the friends, and I give my insights to Him and my intentions above everything, and not do it just like I do anything else.
R. Try to write all kinds of articles, small parts about the correction, about what you are thinking. But consult, however, with our dissemination managers. Check with them, then publicize it. You'll see how much this helps you. Baal HaSulam also writes that everything that he was rewarded with, he was rewarded with it because the generation requires it. This is what he did in order to advance the generation.
10. S. (24:54) There is the reforming light, does it change in each degree with respect to the person? If so, does a person draw the light by performing a Mitzva?
R. Yes. By performing the Mitzvot (commandments) we draw upon ourselves the reforming light. That light depends on from which coarseness, and from which quantity and quality, of a will to receive we are awakening. It depends on, is it my will to receive or does it comprise a few people, a few individual souls, that we want to connect into a single soul. It depends on the height of our deficiencies. All of this determines what we awaken in the upper force, then comes and corrects us, and fills us.
11. S. (26:00) Can we say that the general light when the person doesn't engage in the Torah and receives as you said and a light which receives when one engages in the Torah, that they are surrounding light and the internal light?
R. No, it is unrelated, we should talk about that some other time. Do get into the study just stop and stay with this framework of the article and don't get confused.
12. S. (26:33) He writes in the article that precisely if he enjoys his friends feeling good, this gives him high spirit and gives him joy from his friend feeling good and then he can say that the Creator is a good leader. Now, we keep hearing about all the problems that friends have, so how can we say that the Creator's a good leader when the friends have troubles.
R. This already depends on the correction we go through on the path. Let's hope that we reach a state that instead of these corruptions we will truly feel, not just say but we will truly feel that this is all mercy, first simple mercy and then truly revealed mercy with the illumination of Hochma.
13. S. (27:34) What is the elation and freshness?
R. It means that I wake up in order to aim my desires through the friends to the Creator: ‘Israel, the light, the Torah, and the Creator are one’.
14. S. (28:06) What kind of relation toward the friends should we come to so I can see constantly that the Creator is good to them and it brings me pleasure?
R. All the time, you cannot see good things because otherwise you would not advance. The advancement is both ‘at night’ and ‘during the day’. Therefore there is no such thing as ‘all the time’. However, we need to realize that there are changing times and we have to know how to use both of them, both the night and the day.
15. S. (28:47) How can one know that he is, indeed, learning Torah and knowledge?
R. This is according to the extent of his connection with others. Only then can he come out of his ego and he exists outside of himself, so that’s one of the indications. And pretty much, what does he think about; how does he bestow to the Creator through his connection to the friends; and, then he is considered studying Torah. When he is asking for these forces, desires, yearnings whereas in other forms when he is studying, it is not considered Torah. It might bring him there but it is not called the Torah. The Torah means that he wants to serve to the Creator the vessels that the Creator can take care of, connect, correct and fill them and this is all in order to bring contentment to the Creator, Himself.
16. S. (30:08) What you just explained, now, is this what Baal HaSulam means when he writes, ‘that the Torah he attains in the work, that way he attained, he can use it even while not engaging in it.’?
R. Yes, yes, even when he doesn’t have the light but he has the method, then he is a grip on the method, it exists inside him.
17. S. (30:43) Where do we see that we can delight the Creator?
R. That’s not now, yet. I can see it when I have equivalence of form but right now I don’t yet have equivalence of form.
18. S. (31:04) Which is preferred: to exert to make efforts in connection, to perform a Mitzvah, or reach a conclusion that we cannot achieve this?
R. No, we just have to press forward, forward, forward to the connection between us, and to the connection between us and the Creator – this is actually the only commandment. The fact that we are not capable, well, we will discover that along the way on the path if we deserve to discover it in such a way.
19. S. (31:46) The article mentions the ‘time of preparation’. Who are the wicked and the righteous in the ‘time of preparation’?
R. Those who walk on the path of preparation, that’s called a righteous; and one who does not walk on the path of preparation, even though he has an opportunity, is considered wicked. And maybe both of them exist in a person at different times.
(32:31 - 32:55) Continuing Shamati 6 “In general, we must know that the upper light….”
20. R. (32:57) That is what we are talking about the wisdom of Kabbalah, the lights, the vessels, it is all out of the fact that there were people who attained it and they told us about it. We will also attain it, maybe we will attain such things that they have not attained, even greater ones. So we will tell about those as well, and all of this is called the wisdom of Kabbalah, what we receive from the revelations within our corrected vessels.
Reader cont.
21. R. (34:08) According to one’s feeling, what a person feels, according to that he names the Creator because, of course, he's getting everything from the Creator – the whole world is the display of the Creator to us. So if we complain about the world, then we are called ‘wicked’ because eventually this is what we are saying about the Creator, that He is bad.
Reader cont.
22. R. (36:35) Yes, we cannot feel both good and bad, it’s either bad or good; accordingly, as much as we feel ourselves in the Creator's world then we point to Him to as the source of what we feel that the Creator is good, or God forbid, He is bad.
Reader cont.
23. R. (38:36) In the action he is in, he feels no vitality. He does not receive a special light for a special spiritual action, therefore this is regarded as ‘engaging only in the Torah’.
Reader cont.
24. S. (41:26) How can we know inside of us what is the true reality?
R. How to check, how to criticize what we’re feeling – only through the environment, only through the society, there is no other way. If you are within yourself, you can imagine whatever you want either bad or good but you will never know the truth. If you are with the friends and you check yourself with respect to them then you build a network of connection, where you progress together. Each one is either up or down because it has to be this way in a properly diverse society but, in general, you’re moving forward like the wheel – some go back, some go forward – but all in all, we have movement, you are the same. So the main thing is the connection in the general progress, that's it. And never check the situation according to your personal state because it will never be right. You might be going backwards in the turning of the wheel but in truth you are moving forward as a group, this is the example from Rabash.
25. S. (43:21) What are the organs that should feel the joy he refers to at the end of the article?
R. The corrected desires that are connected with the friends into a single system when you can put together the body that has some vitality in it, already, so that within the system you feel the spiritual vitality, and it is never in a single person. This is why I am so concerned about dissemination because only through connection between us, “the King is glorified in the multitude of people”, so the more people know about what should happen, even if they do not do what we do, perform their own kinds of operations, it will still promote everybody to the revelation of the Creator.
S. If so, that joy the person really receives it from those parts of the friends, those points in the heart that are succeeding connecting – from there we get the pleasure not from the light?
R. Yes, from those parts, but of course it is because the light spreads in them and fills them already.
26. S. (45:07) How can I reach a state of ‘the Good that does good’ to see that the Creator is actually ‘the Good that does good’. How or what can I do in the state of wicked towards the 10?
R. If you want to discover the Creator as ‘good who does good’ according to the law of equivalence of form, so you also have to become good and doing good to some extent toward the friends because to the Creator you can’t – what can you give Him? But only towards the friends, if you connect them, promote them as much as possible, you work on dissemination and connection, to this extent you can discover from the Creator the power of correction and the power of fulfillment, and by this you discover the Creator also as good that does good. In other words, to the extent you relate to the friends, to mankind in general, you can feel that the Creator is truly good and doing good.
27. S. (46:28) Does the light of Hochma spread from the left or the right, or simultaneously from both sides?
R. No, Hochma spreads on the left, Hassidim on the right. We haven't spoken about it yet but we will soon learn it.
28. S. (47:07) You said the Creator is ‘good and does good’ but I cannot judge this situation according to my vessels but only according to the environment so what does this mean?
R. How can you see yourself, only through the environment. To the extent you awaken the environment and you operate on them, and you do for them all kinds of servitude helping them, in meetings, meals, you prepare materials for the lesson, dissemination is the most important because now we are in a state where we are far from each other, physically, but we can disseminates together. So by this, we hold each other, we strengthen each other and this is our main work therefore studying, connecting in the group, and through dissemination, bestowing upon the whole world. By this we, mainly, give contentment to the Creator. The more you promote the world toward the Creator, to reveal the Creator to all created beings, by this you bring Him contentment, that’s it.
29. S. (48:50) In the beginning Baal HaSulam claims that until a person is in the preparation of entering the King's Palace, these are not the true ways. Towards the end he writes that not all of one’s thoughts are true in the way of work; and, you also add now that it is not worthwhile to try to check individually your state so should we understand this in a way that engaging in any kind of self change, self-analysis is wrong, a priori but only to support the inclination toward connection and when there are descents and ascents, we have to learn how to work with it, so what kind of analysis can we do in the 10, how to do this correctly?
R. We have to see ourselves only through a complete 10 because this is something that exists before or in the eyes of the upper force. Let’s put it this way (Rav is drawing a picture): this is where we are, broken, all kinds. And above us there is the system which is the system of Adam HaRishon which is basically the ideal circle. This is Adam, a soul, Neshama, and above it, the upper light. So how can we see ourselves toward this abstract upper light, which is the Creator, only through the system. To the extent that we build this system more and more, out of all those vessels that we want to assemble into a state where in the end they become a single 10 which is built entirely, correctly and nicely: Keter, Hochma, Bina, Chessed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Hod, Yesod, Malchut. So this whole system will be connected into 10 Sefirot and then this system is called Adam because when it is connected correctly, it is similar to the Creator. This will all in all be similar to Creator, this is why it is called Adam from the Domeh, similar.
S. What is the relation to the soul, meaning to see the 10 as complete, what does this mean?
R. Adam is the soul.
S. But in our state, how should I look at my friends in the 10 who seem to me, as broken, disintegrated?
R. We build out of ourselves the system that is called the soul, Neshama.
S. And this means, emotionally, what?
R. We become incorporated, Rabash writes and Baal HaSulam writes, actually Rabash writes in all the Social Articles how to connect with the 10; how to be zero and the other, etc.
30. (54:08) What does Baal HaSulam intend when he says Mitzvah, this concept?
R. Mitzvah, commandment is only one thing: to come to a work in order to bestow, there is nothing else. So how can we perform these acts of giving in order to resemble the Creator, in the connection between us. When you take their friends in the group and you try to relate to them in giving like the Creator even to the point of love, by this you make yourself similar to the Creator and you come to a state there with these dispositions towards the others, you begin to reveal the Creator’s relation back to you. This is called “I am for my beloved and my beloved is for me” and in this way according to the law of equivalence of form, according to the extent you relate to the friends even without showing it, because it is all internal. So the extent you have this position to them you will begin to feel in your relation to the friends, the Creator’s relation to you, this is it. This is why it is called from the love of people to the love of the Creator, because the higher light the Creator’s relation to you has something to dress into, in you loving people, so the Creator can dress with in your love as in the vessel and live within that vessel and revive you, this is how he is revealed to the created beings. We have to arrange our vessels and we arrange these vessels out of our selfish desires on which we place restriction on the selfish use of the desires and on the inclination, the disposition to others, to the friends above the ego in connection, in the tendency to give, to love and accordingly, according to the power of our efforts, we can feel accordingly that the Creator shines and dresses in us, this is the whole wisdom of Kabbalah, there is nothing else
S. What's to analyze here in the 10 in our work?
R. According to the system we realize each day, according to the rule that the king is glorified in the multitude of people, the more people we have who understand, who feel, who engage in this even a little bit, each one it will be easier for all of us. Because we are connected, we are in this system of Adam, the shattering, the breaking happened only from our perspective so we will feel disconnected from each other, that we hate each other, that we are far from each other but in truth it is only in order for us to correct our feeling and then we can see that the world has always been good and does good, it is always connected and there is nothing evil in the world. It is only us who had to correct ourselves. Why, in order to in practice to become similar to the Creator and by this we truly become the degree which can understand him.
31. S. (58:45) What you said has awakened so much feelings towards the friends to awaken each other to raise the light. How can we perform and remind the friends that this deficiency, the coarseness that comes from the Creator is for?
R. About this don't ask me, if I cannot advise you anything, but when you here, each of you in your own society in your own country where you are you have to see how you, in a gentler, subtle way, how it is accepted by the environment and how you can influence the environment that you can share some of these general things that we are learning. But be considerate of the audience that they accept it well. Don't pressure them.
32. S. (01:00:05) Here it said the created being is either in complete adhesion with the Creator or he is wicked, here we say there is the middle ground by the wisdom of Kabbalah, yet here that is not considered?
R. First of all the wisdom of Kabbalah is the middle line which contains both lines right and left in the middle line, so don't think that you can throw away your advancement on the right or the left and that you walk only in the middle that is incorrect. You think if by this you are making your life easier and it doesn't work this way. Rather we have to take the vessels of reception from the left and all of our ability to overcome and realize above our ego which is the right and connected and this will turn out to be the middle line. We will learn how to do this in practice but the middle line contains both lines together, it is not like we can just cast away one of them.
33. S. (01:01:45) What does it mean to feel good or bad for a Kabbalist?
R. WSQ: Now we're going to do a workshop, what is the correct way to use the 10 in our correction in our main correction we have to perform.