Morning Lesson October 05, 2021, Transcription
Part 1:
Baal HaSulam - A Pomegranate
1.Rav’s Introduction: We already understand that the main thing with the wisdom of Kabbalah teaches us, that the main thing that we have in this life, that we exist in this world in this time, is to reach Lishma, for her sake. Meaning to exchange our egoistic approach that we receive and feel the world in the will to receive, which is called to ourselves, which is directed seemingly to man's own benefit, and to turn it to be for the benefit of the Creator. That’s actually our goal. In this goal, there are a few matters to perform, to attain it. That we speak together, it helps us to exert ourselves, and to be influenced by the environment. The influence of the environment, the society upon men is very important as we learn. Also, how to invite the light that reforms it is not just to receive an addition of desire from this society. Rather, through the society to make the effort to draw the light that reforms, through the society together to influence the upper force - the upper source, to awaken it to bestow upon us.
All these things can exist on the condition that we appreciate the upper source. He becomes by us the only necessary thing that determines our entire life, that such we relate to Him. So, what we need, here, is to see how we are in upliftment to lift the upper above us, that He will draw us and give us confidence, that our attitude towards Him will provide us all of the forces, and we’ll truly be able to work in order to bestow to Him. The upper is concealed intentionally, that only on the condition that we’ll want to use Him to be like Him, only then we’ll be able to enjoy His force and correct ourselves and raise ourselves to the degree of the upper. That’s what we learn.
The entire wisdom of Kabbalah is that we shall be able to reach this and to exchange our approach, which is directed towards us, towards our will to receive, to change it towards the others for the benefit of the Creator. That’s called to bestow, that’s called to pass from reason to above reason. Reason is what we feel within our will to receive, feel, decide, check, measure, live inside the will to receive like everyone in various degrees, more or less. Accordingly, we have scientists and fools, and various different people but they’re all within the will to receive, below reason, or within reason.
Spirituality is above reason that we pass onto a state that we use the force of the Creator, in His mind, in His sensation, in such we raise ourselves from degrees of still, vegetative, and animate. That we still relate to the degree of animate and to rise to the degree of Adam, to the degree of speaking, similar to the Creator, this if we use the mind of the Creator. It is above our mind, because it is entirely on the intention to bestow, that He calculates all the actions if you can say such. All our actions are on the intention to receive to ourselves, very large difference, opposite, like it is written in the Zohar, ‘’I have seen it an opposite world,’’ inverse of our relation, our attitude towards creation. We have nothing what to do here, rather to make an effort to learn what actions can assist us and to reach an attitude of the Creator towards creation not in reception, rather in force of above reason, force of bestowal, that it will direct us. Let’s read the article and see. Write your questions and then ask.
Reader: Shamati, A Pomegranate (07:09)
2. R. (08:15) All the emptiness is revealed only in order to show us that we are in the empty place. If we want to reach some true foundation in our existence, we need to rise above the emptiness. This is by the actions that each time we make an effort to rise from reception to bestowal, from disconnection to connection, meaning all those same discernments that are in the spiritual world. Then, it turns out that by such efforts, even that we are empty, specifically upon the emptiness we build our spirituality, and that’s why it is called, ‘’the earth hangs on nothing.’’ Meaning, specifically, the spiritual ground is built upon the air, upon the emptiness, that there is nothing to base on but simply to build it in the force of Bina, force of Emuna (faith), force of bestowal.
Reader continues: (09:49) “this means that the emptiness ….”
3. R. We can't see the empty place in something because it is empty. How can we check how much it is above our reason, and how much we feel the emptiness that we raise ourselves above reason, above the previous corporeal materialistic foundation.
Reader continues: (10:34) “This means that the emptiness should be filled with exaltedness….”
4. R. (10:43) To the extent that we appreciate the Creator, this spiritual force is in control of all of reality. As much as we want to reveal Him, to this extent we can uplift above, rise above the emptiness, and as it says, ‘’the earth hangs on nothing.’’ Meaning, the spiritual earth is built specifically upon the empty air, that there is nothing, there is no rational foundation, egoistic corporeal foundation. Rather, it’s all, only, built upon force of bestowal and not on force of reception.
Reader continues: (11:30) “This means that the emptiness should be filled with exaltedness….”
5. R. (12:12) All the conditions that we receive are only in order that we shall be able to rise above, from reason to the degree of above reason.
Reader continues: (12:34) “This is the meaning of the verse, “God has made it...’’
6. R. (13:00) Meaning everything that we feel bad, that we are harm that we are confused, all these states in them that we feel ourselves not so good, not confident, it’s in order that we shall search how, not to find in those same states a corporeal foundation, rather that we will rise above it to the spiritual foundation.
Reader continues: (13:36) “And for this we need the help of the Creator….”
7. R. (13:43) We are incapable, ourselves, to reach faith above reason. It’s force of Bina above our nature, but we need to give forces, effort. Then, from above comes the light that reforms, what’s called, that raises us from the degree of reason, from the degree of this world, from the egoistic rationality to the degree of Bina, to a perception in the force of bestowal, an exiting of the ego. Then, we will begin to feel the world opposite, as it is written, ‘’I have seen an opposite world.’’
Reader continues: (14:32) “It follows that at that time, one must ask the Creator….”
8. R. (14:48) We are incapable ourselves of attaining spirituality, to rise above our corporeal nature rather only through the effort that we shall make them together, and this is what is written in the advice of the kabbalist: to connect, learn, ask as much as possible that we make an effort to rise each one above his nature and incorporate in the friends and only in such a manner we can reach the degree of Bina. The people who can do this are called people with the point in the heart, they have the quality of Bina that awakens in the will to receive in man called heart, and this quality of Bina draws him above this world, above Malchut; and such that he yearns, not knowing exactly to what or to whom? but he reaches us. The upper providence, the upper light that illuminates upon him brings him to a place where this person can develop and receive fulfillment. All of these things are dependent on as it is written in Yiraat Hashem that the Creator made it that it will be shown before Him. Fear prepares for us and provides us dependency on the Creator, that without Him we will now be able to reach faith above reason. we will be able to rise from the egoistic form, from this world, from this Lowly level that we are truly slaves to our egoistic will to receive, we need to reach a state that will feel, dependent entirely on the work of the Creator upon us, and so what we engage in is called the work of the Creator because He does the work, He corrects us, He makes us, and from us we all need to raise a deficiency and the more the deficiency is correct according to the rule ‘make your desire as His’ then the Creator in that same channel; He bestows back to us the Light that reforms.
Reader continues: “It turns out that it is precisely then….”
9. R. (18:10) This is intentional, because the Creator wants us to feel the need for His assistant: that we will truly want to be in the force of bestowal, the force of faith above reason, the force of Bina and thus He tempts us all the time giving us more and more obstacles along path until our desire will be sufficiently strong. That we no longer will run from the path, that we won't want some light or silly things, but rather that we will want to receive the force of Bina, the force of bestowal.
Reader continues: “at that time one has no other choice but do I….”
10. R. (20:11) Meaning the main thing is to reach a stage that we are obligated to turn to the Creator to help us. Because to reach the quality of bestowal, the quality of Bina or faith above reason, it has a few names to that same state; we are incapable on our own, not to desire it or appreciate it and not to reach it. We need to make an effort and gather our desires, our tendencies to connection, to bestowal and when we connected together then ultimately we attain to that same quantity and quality, the urgency of the quality of bestowal that already the Creator can bestow upon us; to that same collection that we have gathered from the group, that same 10, and then in the meantime we already beginning to get closer to Him and request from us on our part and the answer from His part. It's not important that we have small desires for bestowal, it is called that you are the few among the Nations, that the will to receive are large and the will to bestow in men are small. But in our efforts to Incorporated in each other in our rising above the corporeal force and annulling each one towards the others, and by this we invite upon ourselves the force of bestowal from above even though we do it in an egoistic form, the annulment towards the friends as Rabash writes in the Social articles, it then turns out that upon my annulment, my tendency to help in something, to participate and support the friends on this I received the Light that reforms from above; and here we reach a state that nonetheless is revealed in us the desire to bestow, in something, an appreciation for the quality of bestow. When we reach it, then already we can more and more incorporate with one another and to demand of the Creator the force of bestowal to be in us, in practice in the 10 and it will help us to rise. In all the previous generations over almost six thousand years that the wisdom of Kabbalah exist, from the time of Adam HaRishon to now, we have not seen this matter of the urgency for connection in order to draw the light that reforms; weather it is enough for a few people, initially there were just individuals, maybe couples, they're all sorts of connections. Only 2,000 years ago the matter of connection began and the book of the Zohar was revealed. Another 1,500 years were the books of the ARI and another 500 years after that the writings of the Baal HaSulam, and thus the matter of connection is very important. The example given of the Rimon, pomegranate is not just about the importance of faith above reason rather to be together, many seeds that are incorporate together, like a pomegranate, in one body; And then, if in such a manner we are capable to incorporate together in order to turn to the Creator, then for certain we will have the light that illuminates from above, and we will succeed.
11. S. (25:58) Following the article it seems that all the states that we go through are only designed for us to build the level of above reason?
R. Yes of course that is correct, only for this. All the purpose of our study, all our actions, everything that we do is in order to reach the degree of Bina, that it will cover the degree of Malchut in which we are in, in Malchut, the will to receive. That the intention to bestow will cover the will to receive and in such a manner we will be able to exist in the spiritual world. Meaning in the forces of bestowal.
S. You also said that we are included in the mind of the upper One through this action. How do we as a 10 enter the mind of the upper One?
R. To the extent that we want to be in the quality of bestowal, that we put the quality of bestowal above the quality of reception. That Bina is above in importance compared to Malchut, the will to receive and despite that we don't want, but in order to reach spirituality we make efforts in order to connect and let go and so on. If we do this then gradually, we reach a state that, yes, illuminates upon us, according to our efforts the light that reforms from above and thus we rise to the degree of Bina.
12. S. (28:28) You said it is impossible to measure the emptiness but you also said we can feel it. So, we can also feel fulfillment. Can you explain what it is?
R. I can't explain what it is to feel, there is no such thing that we can explain what it means to feel. We can explain how to reach a sensation but not how to feel. Explain to me please how you feel about something that I have never tasted. Let's say something salty, explain to me what is salty? There's no such thing. We can't explain such things, because they are at the foundation of our perception of the world, the elements that are revealed inside our will to receive. You can explain it in atoms, molecules and ions that go from one end to the other in the chemical process and how does it influence the end of our nerves in our brain, but in this you don't explain what it means to taste something salty, because you are explaining from the foundation of a copy of the spiritual things that are revealed as a result in the lowest level, in the corporeal matter. We don't ask about such things until we attain and here it is written ‘to taste and see that the Creator is good’ meaning that only after we taste, then from the taste we can understand the matters, because this taste builds in us new vessels.
13. S. (30:55) Throughout the whole article Baal HaSulam says the moment one begins to ask of the Creator he begins to understand and feel that no one can help besides the Creator, I always thought that the prayer comes from the opposite state, when you are despair of your own strength and that moment you have a prayer and Baal HaSulam says the opposite, only after ask of the Creator you have the feeling that the Creator can help?
R. I understand as it happened this way and that; there is prayer before prayer, there is prayer after the prayer and then there is the prayer itself. In order to reach a prayer, we need to make many spiritual and physical actions and afterwards also to pray, and these prayers or actions, they bring us to the true prayer which is called raising MAN; that our will to receive will be ready to serve to present to the Creator; to give Him to take care of it, to correct, arrange and connect it to the state that it needs to be. For us nothing is needed besides prayer. But you see, for many years we need to do all sorts of actions in order to understand what is wanted of us, what is demanded of us.
14. S. (33:00) Is the state of emptiness a precondition to awaken spirituality, to attain the degree of the Creator and is this embedded in creation?
R. Yes, all the questions result from each one and all of us together. They result from lacks, deficiencies that we once were in the Creator and then by the breaking that happened in the system of Adam HaRishon, we exited this connection and all the sensations of leaving the connection with all of the broken vessels and all of the fulfillments that were in them; it all stands one towards another; The light that exited the vessel of Adam HaRishon and the vessel itself that lost the connection with the light, meaning shattered and from that existed state, we must bring it to connection.
15. S. (34:19) What is the emptiness? The Bina it's something that I receive as emptiness or something by which I will discover the fulfillment?
R. Emptiness is called that I feel incapable of filling myself with the force of bestowal, that I seemingly want it but I am incapable and then I feel emptiness and then with what can I fill this emptiness? With upliftment (Romemut), as much as I appreciate the force of bestowal then I fill myself with this exaltedness. I don't become the force of bestowal myself but rather only that I appreciate it and then I ascribe myself to it.
16. S. (35:32) What does it mean in the article that it says in order for him to be feared?
R. The Creator did things in order for us to want his help and to see that in order to attain what we need to attain we can't do it without Him. This is called the fear of the Creator. It is not fear of not having or not getting it. But rather that I want to get closer to bestowal, to become closer to Him and I can't do that with my own strength. Then I be afraid of how I will receive the force of bestowal from Him. It's not even egoistic fear, it's the opposite, that I want to resemble Him, there are many levels in that. We will learn this and we will go through it.
17. S. (37:00) What is the relation between the three discernments, the exaltedness of the Creator, the Mitzvah, meaning the effort of a person to bestow and the fear? What is the most important thing?
R. the greatness of the Creator is the most important thing which we want to achieve because this feeling is the power that will push us forward.
S. The Mitzvah and the fear.
R. The Mitzvah, a Commandant, means anything that brings us closer to Dvekut, to the goal and...
S. The fear.
R. Fear is, we learn this also from the Zohar and Baal HaSulam, that there are several types of fear. He writes this also in the Ladder commentary, we will learn that from the Shamati articles as well.
18. S. (38:19) Can we explain what happens to Malchut and Bina in the state of emptiness and the state of exaltedness?
R. What happens to us is always between Malchut and Bina, where the Malchut is operated by the force of Bina the upper force, and by that she is constantly changing, that is it, that is all I can say. We have to try to achieve the force of Bina, which is outside of me, what does it mean outside of me? That I have to try to exit myself and then I will feel this force of Bina. How to exit myself? By being included in the friends, so even though they are egoistic. When I am included in them as they are outside of me, by that I begin to connect with the common force Bina and this is how we attain spirituality.
S. That is called that they are full of Mitzvot, commandants?
R. No, full of Mitzvot, is a different thing. It’s that we have a will to receive that includes and built from the 613 desires to receive and above these 613 desires to receive we try to install an intention to bestow. How do we do this? By appreciating the intention to bestow, raising the importance of the intention to bestow until it comes and dwells on our egoistic desires. This is why we call this Romemut, greatness pomegranate.
19. S. (40:43) I think what is written here in the article is that the emptiness is an opportunity for rising, for ascension is this an opportunity?
R. Of course, if I feel empty of spirituality and empty of corporeality that is the most correct state for spiritual ascent. In corporeality I am empty in that I don't want that whatever I got I got, just to exist but spirituality, I don't have that and it pains me Why don't I have the strength to bestow? So now I feel as it is called empty-handed in both cases. That is the best state to ask of the Creator to help me acquire some spiritual discernment so I can be in order to bestow and that in that way I am similar to him, to bestow upon creation and to bring him contentment.
S. It seems this date is good technically but the sensation is not pleasant?
R. Why will that be unpleasant?
S. Emptiness is not a pleasant sensation
R. Why, it depends, the feeling itself doesn't mean anything. The question is what does it lead me to? That is what is important. Perhaps I feel emptiness and I don't want that feeling but because it takes me to spiritual ascent it makes me happy.
S. So it's something that we can reach from experience in such a state?
R. Of course. Why are you asking me? To experience, what does matter. The state is what exists.
20. S. (43:05) Can we say that fear is the same thing as discernment of reward and punishment?
R. Yes, you can think about it like that. Basically yes. I want to be afraid and it will use it as reward and punishment.
21. S. (44 :11) In the pomegranate each seed is separated from the other so what is the meaning that each one will bring himself to his friend and then to Him?
R. It is the same with us. We don't cancel our ego in our desire to receive. We continue to be separate, each in their own shell, however we try specifically to guard the shell, to keep the shell so that it doesn't go away and on top of it. On top of the shell, I connect to the friend. He is in his shell and I am in mine. That is how we are clothed with these heavy garments, and yet we connect above that. When we try to connect above that despite the shell, me to him and him towards me. Then we must develop our force of connection 620 times more. The greater our will to receive is, our egoistic desire, the more that it works in an opposite way and obligates us to increase the power of connection. By this, we all make the work of reciprocal connection and by this we build the concept of the Creator, come and see. We begin to discover the force of bestowal that exists in nature but we don't find it outside of us. When we each try to break through the shell and connect to the other, each one under its shell. This is how we build the common force between us that we call the Creator, come and see. We make it.
22. S. (46:25) There is a contradiction on one hand full of Mitzvot (commandments) and on the other hand and emptiness, want is meant by this? How do you work with both?
R. To continue and keep going. Mitzvot means in any action where you want to connect to the friends, this is called Mitzvah. This can happen only on the condition that you turn to the Creator and ask him to help you. To help you make the action of connection and then together with the Creator you become his partner in that you all build connections between you.
23. S. (47:32) What is the connection between the emptiness and the vessel?
R. The emptiness is one of the parameters, one of the discernments in the Kli to the extent that a person feels empty and can interpret it correctly and use it, he begins to attain fulfillment then the emptiness is filled with connection. Therefore, the feeling of emptiness is necessary to advance in spirituality.
24. S. (48:31) What are the thoughts about emptiness in the 10?
R. The thoughts of emptiness that we have in the 10. we need them in order to discover how much we need the Creator's help. These are thoughts about how I don't have any grasp of the Creator, I can't touch the Creator, this brings me the emptiness. All in all, this our work, what is our goal, to discover the Creator. Where do we discover Him? In the awareness between us. That is the goal of creation, the revelation of the Creator to the created beings in this world. This is how the Kabbalists define it. The goal of creation is the revelation of the Creator to the created beings in this world. Meaning in our state, being in the will to receive. Not that we are in the states. As we are in this egoistic sensation then we specifically correct our egoistic desire to the point that we begin to discover the Creator in it, to add to the will to receive an intention to bestow. Accordingly, the upper force that opens up our whole reality becomes revealed.
S. Can we discuss our thoughts and feelings of emptiness?
R. No we can't. What can we do about that if you can't grasp it? You can try but you should be talking only about what kind of efforts and what kind of mutual efforts can we do in order to attain the force of bestowing, or faith above reason.
25. S. (51:02) We learned that usually in the 10 when hate is revealed we are supposed to cover it and greatness and bestowal and on the other hand we are supposed to work with emptiness?
R. Yes, but this emptiness that we reveal, will you respect the emptiness because that emptiness that we have, this is called the Malchut that we cannot fulfill and then we try to fulfill it with the force of bestowal. Either to receive in order to bestow or bestow in order to bestow. Meaning to fill it with the force of Bina and then the fulfillment of the will to receive in order to bestow is called Mitzvah. This is the Creator's commandment that we will attain that, achieve that.
S. What do we do with the hate?
R. It passes to the extent that you discover that you cannot attain spirituality without the friends. That in the attainment of spirituality first there is the friends on the way and then the Creator. To that extent you no longer hate them or feel them as some disturbance on the past but rather it is a unique kind of assistance that the Creator sent you. Then instead of hatred and rejection you have love and attraction.