Congress Lesson 4 January 8, 2022, Transcription
Transcription is made from simultaneous translation which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio
Lesson 4: Deriving the Greatness of the Goal from the Friends
1.Rav’s Introduction: I was very happy to see your preparation for the lesson, lesson number four Deriving the Greatness of the Goal from the Friends. Again we have to remember where we originated from, from this one desire that broke and none of us has this general feeling, desire, towards the correct state and its fulfillment by the Creator. That is why our practical goal, our work is in connecting internally, connecting our desires into one desire called Adam, man, or Adam from the word Dome, similar to the Creator. Then we become similar to him and the more similar we become we will get closer to him we will understand him until we reach full adhesion. And all of this happens only through adhesion of our desires, our intentions, everything inside of us and each one of us and in all of us together. The good ones, the bad ones, qualities and desires, everything in us is required for the achievement of the upper goal of similarity to the Creator, and this goal will compel us to use all of our qualities. Nothing is created in vain against us. But the worst, the most lowly desires become relevant when we are ready to work with these desires. And we will understand how to work with them in the correct way in order to turn them into good. We learn this in Kabbalah as well when we come to the restrictions and then we correct ourselves to the qualities of Bina, bestowal.
Then we rise above our egoistic desires, we don't want to use them, we push them away, push ourselves away from them and we don't want to take any actions egotistically because they are all egotistic. And then when we’ve risen up to the quality of Bina, or faith above reason, then we can start to attract the quality of Bina and the quality of reception Malchut. Not just rise to Bina but also rising Malchut to Bina. In the qualities of Malchut that we can raise to Bina we can receive the light of Hochma, wisdom. This is the light that comes from Keter, the upper light reception for bestowal. Why am I talking about this? Because all of our qualities, the most egotistical ones, the ugliest ones eventually they all have to be corrected bit by bit and it is exactly through these lowly egotistic scary desires we will be able to feel the Creator completely. And nothing is created in vain but has its goal and its use. Everything depends on the preparation of the person to use them.
The main thing for us is to lift ourselves up a little bit above our ego, to restrict it its use, to break
away from the circle that we’re in, that we were born and developed in, from an internal connection with humanity, usual egoistic humanity. We do this because we adhere to the group that has other values, other qualities, other goals, this is what we need. That is why this lesson is called 'Deriving the Greatness of the Goal from the Friends'. I can't create the importance of the goal by myself. Maybe it seems to me that I could do it but practically I will not be able to achieve it by myself. I need other opinions and support from others because by myself I am just an egoistic desire. That is why it is said in the excerpt that we will read the first excerpt from Baal HaSulam, Shamati number 225, one cannot raise oneself above one's circle. It is as if I try to pull myself up by my hair and take myself out of something. I cannot do this.
That is why one must nurse from one's environment meaning to get forces, get the right intention from the environment, greatness of the goal and if he receives this from the environment then he can lift himself up above his ego. In any case we get nourishment from the environment and we have many environments like this, a home, our work, maybe friends from a past life, but I try to put the group above all of this and the more it defines the upper qualities in me the more I can develop, and not in any other way. The person needs to check on himself the extent to which he can lift above the rest of the world, above all the possibilities he has, all the attractions he has, and so that the group will be able to give us the biggest, greatest, biggest feeling of the upper goal. So that there is nothing higher than attaining the Creator. There’s no opportunity, there’s no other means to attain the Creator other than the group. Inside of me there’s a little egoist, we all know this and we’ll advance further, we’ll reveal an even bigger egoist inside of us. This will grow inside of us as it is said the bigger you are the more ego you have. That’s why we always need to care for this environment, for this group to show us the path to Spirituality to development upper development so that this becomes the most important, prevalent thing in our life above other above anything else in our life and that’s why Baal HaSulam says, ‘therefore if one chooses for himself a good environment,’ meaning what does it mean a good environment?
The environment cannot be good or bad by itself we do it we make it good or bad. As we learn from the article Arvut and other Baal HaSulam articles, we learn we don’t choose the environment but when the Creator brings us, each one of us and ‘puts our hand on the good fortune and says take it’ I'm giving you this opportunity. That’s what the Creator says to the person then it's up for the person to realize this opportunity. So that that person will strengthen themselves in this. And this depends only on how much we elevate the group in our eyes. To the extent to which we distance ourselves from all kinds of analysis, desires and elevate above our natural environment and this will define the extent to which we can reach the goal. That’s why he says, therefore if one chooses for oneself a good environment, he saves time and efforts. So we can attain the goal of each one of us pretty fast. We need to find the time, we need to find the efforts by elevating the environment above us and by adhering to it. This way we’re flying towards the goal of creation of revealing the Creator inside of us. Now there’s a question to everyone, why can I not lift myself up? Why is it that I cannot lift myself up to a spiritual state? Let's talk about this, let's answer this question, and maybe we will hear a few answers from the groups.
Workshop Question #3: “Why is it that I cannot raise myself to a spiritual state?”
2. Rav reads: (18:37) Why did the creator create this dependency for each one towards the environment and eventually we come to all of these billions of people. We see that all of this is a structure of each one of our souls, my soul, your soul, everyone’s soul, that it’s only one soul. Why did the Creator create it and make it so that we in each one of us we always discover a bigger dependence on … it’s as if in humanity we discover more and more dependency and through all kinds of changes and conquests so people connect more culturally and scientifically as we see in our days. You see how much importance we place on tourism. Why do people want to go somewhere? This never used to exist even thousands or hundreds of years ago. People didn't have this desire, why should I go somewhere? Why should I see all these things but this is constantly developing in us. Why did the Creator create a person's dependence on the environment, their home, their city, their country or a bigger circle? I feel the whole planet and humanity and I depend on them. Especially when we're feeling how we've been feeling lately where we depend on all oil and gas, we're on some kind of crops somewhere. And this will continue in a way that I’ll feel dependent on the whole planet. This is what we are moving towards and this will bring us to a necessity of good dependence on each one on each other. We will have to change from negative to positive, and then this will cure us from all the pandemics and all these bad problems and viruses, anything you could think of. So why did the creator create this dependency that we are revealing more and more our dependency on the environment?
Workshop Question #2: “Why did the creator create this dependency that we are revealing more and more our dependency on the environment?”
3. Rav reads: (24:44) If I accept this environment that I got as something given from the Creator that is pushing me forward and relates to my main goal, my desire to reveal the meaning of life reveal the Creator, then everything depends on how I put myself into connection with this environment and how I try to annul myself before this environment, when I bow before them, when I agree with them, when I suppress my ego, when I put this environment above myself, then I rise to the Creator. Because in essence the Creator is inside of this environment, as it is said by the Creator that I am inside of it, inside of this environment. In what exactly, why do I need to check myself and how do I put it above myself? It's as if I put it on my head. How do I check myself how much I elevate the environment above myself and this guides me.
Workshop Question #3 “How can I, each day, several times a day, check how much I place the environment above myself, and that this is what leads me forward?”
4. Rav reads: (30:00) And what’s special as Baal HaSulam writes, just to pay attention to how he composes his writings, his advice to us. Even such a great Sage as Rabbi Yosi Ben Kisma it was very important for him to annul himself is before even his small students because his wisdom was a million times bigger than theirs, but the quality of mutual bestowal and connection which they cultivate between them, he doesn't have that because there are many of them and he is just one. That is why he is prepared to annul himself before them as Rabash says, the one before the zero, zero before one, the way that we need to cancel ourselves. That is why a kabbalistic group is always higher than any single Kabbalist. That is why they are higher than any sage. Why? because in this group is revealed the quality of mutual bestowal, and the main thing we need is maximum annulment before the group, before its internal setting, internal connection, getting closer to the quality of bestowal, the quality of the Creator inside of us. That is why we say that the Creator is inside of the group. The more I can reach the center and start to feel it the more I can reveal the Creator.
Song
5. S. (36:44) Do I need to restrict myself only towards the group or in general restrict myself?
R. You cannot restrict yourself in any way only when you replace your desires with those of the group and in this way the restriction happens. It is not that you just close some desire but you always try to replace it with something higher, something that is more preferable. And if you cancel your egoistic desires is important to you then you will achieve this, and how can you do that? Only if their group gives you the feeling and the understanding that this is the most important thing to restrict your ego
S. Wherever the group is that is where this law is?
R. The law works when you want to follow this law. That is why I said that the spiritual is concealed because we have to with our yearnings to reveal it.
6. S. (38:21) At the start of the pandemic it appeared for us to develop Arvut towards the virus and now is it correct to say with the latest developments can we see the state of the world as the next stage of development and now we need not to worry about ourselves only within the country but further?
R. Actually, there is no doubt that everything that happens in the world only happens for the gold. There is no doubt that all these viruses and all these pandemics come to this world in order to push us towards the same goal. No doubt. We could move toward this goal in a good way where we always have this opportunity if we choose this movement, goal, and acceleration, if we move faster than the stick reaches us from behind, that's getting ready to hit us, then we are moving forward faster. That is why we have to gather together faster, we have to learn about the spiritual state between us and reveal the Creator in it, to move towards this. Humankind has been going through all kinds of states until it came to this humanity that is interconnected, where everyone depends on everyone else, and we are revealing this interdependence between everyone and it will be revealed even more and in a hard way. We will reveal that we can't exist without others, so here there is not enough oil, there is not enough gas, there's not enough bread, electricity, anything. We will reveal a state where nobody will be able to live without other people. As Baal HaSulam says that I need the whole world. This is what we will reveal. So there are interesting discoveries ahead of us and we have to tell the world how we are interconnected so that our further steps can be fast and good, painless.
7. S. (41:40) What is the examination that I'm included in the surrounding environment?
R. I check this environment when I see it as more important than myself. I see myself only as a result of this environment when a person feels himself not in a way that someone exists but the person is a result of the environment. He doesn't have anything that is truly his own but only when what he receives from the environment. This environment constantly gives birth to him and truly the person's freedom is revealed in this. He disconnected from himself, from his ego and connects himself to the environment that from this moment onwards will define him. He enters the system of the ten. And each person enters the system and it starts to work like ten Sefirot of the soul
8. S. (43:10) If a friend understands that his environment, that he is an outcome of his environment resulting in him having a complex situation, a friend sees that this will distance him from the work for a long time, what needs to be his attitude of this friend. Do we need to help the friend or only to pray that his work will continue?
R. No. We have to do everything that we have, but in such ordinary methods we show him that we want him to be with us so that he doesn't distance himself, the more we connected between us, the more we realize that without our unity we cannot attain or reveal the Creator because he is revealed inside of our unity as a central point where everything comes from and where everything needs to come back to. That’s why we have to, we figure this out with friends and to influence him with our words with our prayers, maybe talk to him in some way so that he stays with us and doesn't disconnect from us. He won't go that far even if he leaves for several years that's no problem. I told you these stories, as Rabash students that were with him, they left for ten or fifteen years and they came back and it was just a coincidence that they came on one Saturday morning, like today. The door opens and of course and the person comes in as if he just left to go to the bathroom or to get coffee and he brings coffee and sits down at the table and doesn't say anything because in a lesson it is not customary to say anything and there is no feeling that he is been away for ten years. How can this be in a normal life? But in kabbalistic environment, yes, these ten years are zero, and then the next person came, they weren't connected at all, they just came together, they came back to their place. So we shouldn't worry, everyone will come, nobody will run away and everybody will go through their correction but it is but it is desirable for us to help each other.
9. S. (46:26) In the article that says a person has to feed on his environment. Is this because we shouldn't eat the bread of shame?
R. The bread of shame is where I receive for myself. It's as simple as that.
10. S. (47:04) When we are in the environment with a ten and let's say for example when you're out in the street and you see people rejecting their environment how does our work in the ten-influence humanity over being more accepting of the environment?
R. Outside in the street we cannot understand and accept anything in any way. We have to disconnect from anything that is happening outside apart from our group Bnei Baruch. I should say, I just don't perceive anything, I'm not interested in anything that is happening outside. They cannot participate in any movement. The only thing I do is that I try to explain, to disseminate, from us outwards. But from there inwards to us I don't want to feel any thoughts or any pressure, any influence, they can’t add anything to what we have. When time comes to do some mutual work then we’ll work with their desires and we’ll help us to shape our attitude to them to external people.
11. S. (48:48) You said that each friend connects to the system of the ten and returns to the system of the ten Sephirot. How should we do this right now in the Congress, in this lesson to try to . . . .
R. If you start to annul yourself, each one before everyone else, then you will have a state when your system of your mutual connections will come to a certain form, a certain shape; and you will perceive this as the system of the ten Sephirot. And in the quality of the connection between you, you will feel a different kind of interaction, interaction and bestowal and not in reception, which is what you are used to. This form will be called your spiritual form, your spiritual state or your soul. And what you discover between you will be your spiritual world, light, upper light, and little by little you'll reveal the source.
S. Does it mean that each friend needs to cancel himself relative to the ten? We gather everyone together, physically sitting together in one room, each one is in the lesson, each one is connected. What needs to happen to cancel relative to the ten.
R. This means that you have to define a common goal and realize that you are in one boat and there cannot be anything other than the desire to be dependent on each other until you feel everyone as one single thing. The closer you get to each other, constantly working on this, you'll be able to feel that the Creator is inside of this.
S. Meaning each friend needs to think about everyone all the time?
R. Of course.
S. Meaning to replace your own desires and thoughts with the desires and thoughts of the friends?
R. Yes.
S. What else? You said we need to think about the goal, which goal?
R. Think about your desire to feel the group, only feel this system and live inside the system, and then you will start to feel that inside of it there is an upper Force that pulls you and guides you, that shapes you inside of the ten; and the ten becomes a general system. You will see this you have to feel it
12. S. (52:14) If a state causes us harm, are there causes that can cause us harm in the advancement in the ten?
R. Absolutely everyone. The only thing that can bring you good is if you rise above all of the factors, absolutely all of the factors, that can appear in you, they appear against unity, against the ten, against the Creator, and this this exists only so that you will rise and connection between you above all of these factors
13. S. (54:56) If I free myself from these deficiencies, what are my future actions?
R. You are stealing from the friend this way. If you are hiding your deficiencies, if you are hiding it from the friends, you are stealing from them because then they have nothing to rise above. Our ascent happens only when we overcome the quality of the friends. I start to value friends in a good way and not in a bad way. I was about my ego, I see you in a negative way and I have to achieve such a state when these negative qualities will look like positive ones, as it is said “all transgressions will be covered by love.” Yes, the transgressions stay in place and I cover them in love, that is how it works and there is no other way. When I start to feel in our connections, no matter how negative we are, we can be connected in a positive way with each other. We have to learn to work in this way
S. But if I make my friends greater and see them in wholeness, does my previous outlook on them go somewhere?
R. It stays, it does not go anywhere. All your negative perceptions of the friends, your opinions of their friends in your thoughts and desires, everything stays don't worry, nothing disappears. It stays in the general Kli, in the general in the vessel and there is a negative part and there's a positive part and they will work together in a symbiosis, in a connection.
14. S. (57:24) If I try to nullify, can I get the fulfillment to the friend?
R. Yes if I attain annulment before the friends then I can come to feeling them.
15. S. (58:04) Does the person himself choose the environment?
R. The person does not choose his environment, we have to remember the articles of Baal HaSulam, where it is said that “the Creator brings us to the right state, puts his hand on the state and says, “take it.” He means the group, a teacher, books and so on, the Creator does all of this. The only thing that depends on the person is to strengthen himself on the path, and God forbid, not to leave the path, just to hold on to it with your teeth.
16. S. (58:54) What does the dependence on the spiritual environment constitute freedom?
R. Free from his ego and that’s why it’s called free.
17. S. (59:10) It is written “this is why he must nurse from his surroundings”? What is the surrounding?
R. To imbue, to take into yourself qualities, values, tastes from your environment.
18. S. (59:33) If we are completely dependent on the environment, how do we work such to achieve the goal faster?
R. Simultaneously, I work with this environment and the more I influence myself, the more I influence my environment, I’m inside of it.
19. S. (01:00:00) In what do I need to see the greatness of the friend, what point do I need to focus on?
R. I have to see the greatness of the friends because the Creator chose them, they are chosen by the Creator, that's the first thing. Secondly, I see the extent to which they are aimed to the same goal, there is the same desire in them and I value this desire, it is precious to me. The third thing is that we can help each other, they can help me to achieve the goal, everything I can get for attainment of the Creator I can only get from them by getting their qualities, their intentions, their yearnings. I can come to the Creator and inside of me there is nothing that can help me to reach the Creator. With all my qualities and thoughts I am disconnected from them so the group is the connector, is an element that connects me with the Creator, without it I cannot connect. It is like a place for a fetus in the womb, it first needs to attach to the placenta and then attach to the womb, the womb is a woman's organ and the placenta connects the fetus with the womb. The womb and the upper organism is the Creator and the thing that connects this newly formed group is the group, a group itself. If I don't connect myself to the friend, to the group, if I don't connect with them as one whole then I have no opportunity to connect with the Creator there's only one way, only go forward and not go back.
20. S. (01:03:05) Why is the quality of bestowal prevalent in the friends and not elsewhere as we learn the Creator is everywhere?
R. When we develop the quality of bestowal with the friends then the whole world will be in the quality of bestowal and in the meantime, I see the whole world as egotistical as one who rejects, he rejects because he is not corrected.
21. S. (01:03:) When there is envy to the friends, is that specifically the indicator of self-nullification?
R. Envy towards friends is not a good thing but it is a good start, if I see something in my friends that's something I envy, a thing I value and something I put above myself, it is a good start and maybe later I will be able to get closer to them if they're higher than me, if they're more clever in the spiritual way, then I don't see them above me.
22. S. (01:04:44) Can we use my states when I'm above the friends as a prayer towards the friends? Can I use the state when I see myself above my friends as a way to pray for them?
R. Yes, why not, but we have to check so that this doesn't come from this space when I think that I am higher than them.
23. S. (01:05:19) How do we raise 7 billion people and is it worth doing it?
R. The 7 billion of people all parts of my soul, parts of the soul of Adam, and that is why we attain the soul, the quality of bestowal that is called Adam, the force of bestowal that is called Hava, Eve and that is why there is nowhere to go, we're in the system we just have to open our eyes and arrange it in the right way.
24. S. (01:06:10) How does the group help us to realize ourselves for the greatness of the Creator?
R. In lots of different states I have to work in my qualities of the bestowal and this is our work, simple as that.
Excerpt 2. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 99, "He Did Not Say Wicked or Righteous"
25. R. (01:06:45) Moving on to the next Excerpt #2. If one does not have any desire or craving for spirituality, if he is among people who have a desire and craving for spirituality, if you like these people, he will take the strength to prevail and their desires and aspirations. He writes in Shamati, if a person is inside the group and the people, he sees in the group are pleasant to him and gradually by being with them he gets their desires, their ideals to understand that we're in the Kabbalistic group and lower ourselves, constantly before the group to envy them, to get closer to them and so on.
26. S. (01:09:03) You gave an example of Rabbi Yossi Ben Kisma, but we know generally in our group small one annuls before the big one, but in your example, there is such a huge Rabbi Yossi Ben Kisma annuls before his students, so my question is what did Rabbi Yossi Ben Kisma gain, earn by annulling before his small students?
R. He gains inclusion in people that are aspiring towards the goal and it doesn't matter they're on a very low degree relative to him, and he was a great person, a great Kabbalist. But he annuls towards them and he had his own egoism but he nullified towards them and by this he got included in them and then through them, through these little ones, new corrected souls, he was able to raise with them, together with himself, to the entire height of where he was and by this he went out.
S. ….
R. He felt himself lower than them.
27. S. (01:10:55) He talks about the inner work of the person, that if it is annulment to all of her friends, how do I get the importance of the goal?
R. I suggest you close your eyes and do everything that is written in the articles of the Kabbalists. You do not need anything else. But you need to do it even if you do not agree with it. So the main thing is to close your eyes towards the friends, together with them doesn't matter how great you are, take example from Rabbi Yossi Ben Kisma.
28. S. (01:12:22) In the excerpt we just read Baal HaSulam writes that we have to be among people that have a yearning toward spirituality and if I like these people, what does it mean these people that yearn for spirituality and I like them?
R. You like them, you value them, you want to resemble them, be together with them, why? Because they aspire spirituality and you also want to attain it, and you realize that without these people you will not have changed.
S. This acceptance is because they yearn for spirituality and it doesn't matter for me what they are?
R. Of course not it doesn't matter what, if they are black, white, red, or they have beards, or if they are lacking ears and noses, what is the difference to me? The main thing is that with their desires I will aspire to the same goal. That their desires yearn to the same goal and I understand that without them I will not attain this goal. Imagine to yourself that you are on the boat that is in the sea and you have all these types of people on the boat with you, ugly and strange, I don't know how, but without them you will not reach the shore. From time to time you realize this is what your egoism depicts to you.
S. You have answered a question before, you said that I should not hide my bad qualities from the friends so they can justify me, but if I don't do this, if I do not hide these negative things maybe they will have things to justify anyway?
R. Think of unity, love, warm relations, how to evoke them out of each other, we should not just bear our egoism but if it appears like this to others, it could be their problem how they feel this and they also need to work on themselves and we need to show them our example. This is already mutual work.
3. RABASH, Article 21 (1986), "Concerning Above Reason"
30. R. (01:15:27) Excerpt # 3. Thanks to the envy towards the friends that he sees that they have better qualities than his own, it motivates him to acquire good qualities. This is Rabash from the article ‘Concerning Above Reason. My friends to me and me towards the friends, that he sees they have better qualities than their own, this motivates towards acquiring their qualities. You remember how your mother told you to play with this boy, do not play with that one. Why did she say that? Because you will learn from this one something good and from the other you will learn something bad. So here there is a problem, that we need envy and to use it correctly, around this we have a lot of friends, which are full of very good qualities for spiritual advancement, but we do not envy them, they reject us maybe physically or in some other form. I need to overcome all of these rejections in our world, this externality, habits and movements and everything that can push me away from my friend. The main thing for me is to start to envy in his goal, in his ability, in this way I come closer to him and connect his aspirations to myself, and in this way, I will acquire a few of such aspirations from friends and I will have a complete vessel. So envy it develops our vessel, it allows us to make it big universal.
WSQ: (01:18:02) Let's count between us, our qualities and will be certain that using them correctly in your group, if we use them correctly all, each and all of our qualities, there are no bad qualities. Rather, all and each and every one of our qualities are necessary to attain the similarity with the Creator. Repeat the question: Let’s discuss all positive and negative qualities and understand that they are all necessary in the right connection with each other in order to reveal the Creator and to resemble him. Please.
4. RABASH, Article No. 17 (1986), "The Agenda of the Assembly-2"
31. R. (01:24:49) Excerpt #4. If two friends stick together and contemplate on the importance of the Creator, they already have the strength to receive enhancement of the greatness of the Creator. Meaning it is enough for us to sit together and think how to raise the greatness of the Creator in our eyes, by this we attain this. Meaning we need to think more about how important the Creator is, it could be in our eyes. Accordingly we will have the possibility to go forward.
WSQ: How can we do this? I am turning to you, how can we raise the Creator to such an extent and our thoughts and eyes that this will give us strength for all of our actions? Please.
32. R. (01:29:17) This is what Rabash says, he says that thanks to the friend speaking about the greatness of the Creator they get this aspiration to annul before the Creator because he feels longing, the desire to bond with the Creator. So in this way we need to act, to speak more often about the greatness of the Creator because from this we will get a greater and greater desire to connect with him. So we should not forget about this.
33. S. (01:30:33) You said that we should not hide negative qualities, how do we avoid bringing them to the group?
R. In the group we can talk about everything, so that in the beginning and the end of the conversation we will be connected with the Creator, with the goal meaning to start the conversation we need to bestow that this will bring us towards the goal, bring us closer to the goal and we end this discussion by checking how much we talk about now how much it brought us closer to the goal. Only this is taken into account and only this we need to follow.
34. S. (01:31:31) When I annul myself, I start to see the friends' negative qualities as positive or do I just love them irrespective of what I see?
R. Very good question negative qualities, they do not go away, the Creator made them in order for us to rise above them, and to start to love them as positive ones not that I agree with them I rise above them. Then afterwards I connect with them, meaning there is a very large mutual work here, so we should not do anything with this negative or positive qualities we need to raise the group and the Creator in our eyes, and all of our qualities are egoistic ones, good ones, bad ones whatever they are, accordingly they will change. Not that we will change them, but our desire to come closer to the Creator to the upper light will change us.
35. S. (01:32:50) Why is envy towards friends considered advancements? Isn't it egotistic?
R. They're great, they are yearning towards the goal. If I try to come closer to them and envy is that quality that you want to receive what is in them, then I too will get such a quality. To make the Creator great and come closer to the goal etcetera. Meaning envy is a very good quality, there are no bad qualities it all depends on how we use them. There are no bad qualities, not a single one even the most horrible quality you will see how in the right usage, we cannot even picture it right now, will turn completely into good qualities and we will see the world as absolutely good. So where it disappears the whole evil and reaches the… We will see how these things will disappear etcetera, we’ll see how these things get corrected and they do not disappear not in any circumstances but we just can't explain these things just like we can’t explain it to another. How it appears that we are corrected or where he's corrected, we can’t. Time passes and suddenly you understand it. That he understands that all of this could be viewed differently. Everything is ahead of us. The main thing is not to cancel anything, not to suppress anything, try to connect with the group with everyone in the group and all of the qualities. Do not coerce anyone to change only yourself.
36. S. (01:35:03) Can I demand anything from the friends to advance towards the goal? And if so in what way?
R. With a greater love, without paying attention to all of the negative qualities in us. If we would unite between us today, right now with all of our negative qualities, rejections, lack of trust, desire, if we connect above them, we will be able to surely reveal the Creator up until Gmar Tikkun, through the end of correction, there is no other way this is how we move forward. We only have one path to rise above our sins as it is called nullifying towards each other.
37. S. (01:36:08) How do I learn to sort desires in a good way? Desires I have to use, I have to cancel or thoughts?
R. I cannot do anything with my desires because I cannot realize them correctly, I do not know which one is bad and which one is good and how to act and each of them. I do not know. This is why I do not have this possibility to do something with them, to manipulate them somehow. It is simply not given to me, this possibility.
S. So how can I work with them then?
R. Just the way it is, try not to look at them and come closer and then they will gradually get corrected and we will see in the gradual correction how we need to act, we will learn from this.
38. S. (01:37:20) How can I help a person that does not see the importance of the friends, they sit and do not feel that they receive it?
R. Only if we do what we can do, and the rest depends on the Creator, if you need to push us forward in our work the Creator would have done this. If he is not doing this it means we need to aspire in the framework that we have to move towards the goal but if it's not happening then we need to also agree with this. In our time we are moving nonetheless I see from Congress to Congress we are moving forward, and at a good pace and I'm very happy for you. In general we are speaking about good steps forward, about actions regarding each other and towards the Creator. In my eyes you guys are great you want to be in Gmar Tikkun, in full correction, this I am supporting this, but I cannot do anything about it, it depends on your sincere desire and there is no sincere desire because each day and each and every day we need to form it, create within us more and more, this sincere desire for correction is to make such a connection between us similar to the qualities of the Creator of the bestowal and love and that’s it. You should not imagine to yourself the full correction in some strange forms.
39. S. (01:39:37) Will self-annulment of each one in the ten exclude the frictions we have to rise above to advance in the path?
R. Everything will be everything will simply be.
5. RABASH, Article 30 (1988), "What to Look for in the Assembly of Friends"
40. R. (01:40:00) Excerpt # 5 Each one should try to bring into the society spirit of life and hope and infuse energy into the society. Each friend will be able to tell himself I will be a clean slate in the work, this especially applicable to us. This is how we need to start truly a new stage of our development. I want you to think about it, what is the next degree of our development which needs to bring us already to a predefined goal, degree. What is the next degree we need to go through now, what step do we need step on or enter in order for everyone to say that everyone says that we are starting at clean slate and then I work a new life, what do we need to do, how do we change something not to leave everything just the way it was before, everyday needs to be as new. In what way can we do this? This question you need to discuss, you will also have time after the lesson, I hope.
41. S. (01:41:55) I wanted to ask from this excerpt if the greatness of the Creator depends on the greatness of the ten in your eyes should we talk about the greatness of the ten and not the Creator?
R. In general yes, it is the same thing the greatness of the Creator cannot be greater than the greatness of the ten, so if you want to know how great the Creator is in your eyes you can measure according to your attitude to the friends, understanding how great they are in your eyes. This is how it operates.
42. S. (01:42:50) The friend I hated a minute ago, I love him in a minute ahead which makes me exhausted. How does this happen?
R. You cannot do anything about it, because from minutes to minute, moment-to-moment you can be inverted like this, this is how the upper lights acts and you need to, all the time, be in this direction and in the intention to it, to the upper light and then you will not have any problems. You will accept everything easily. It will be pleasant to you in each and every one of your states.
43. S. (01:43:50) In terms of bringing the spirit of greatness, what I have is an ego. I can understand how ugly it is so according to what, the greatness of the friends. . . .?
R. Out of our constant work on yourself, my dear. On the foundation that your group will always take part in the lesson and in this way to constantly, constantly move forward. This will not just fall upon you at once, only at the constant engagements. We need to allow for the lights to work on us and for this we need time.
44. S. (01:44:46) Two questions, the first question is from students: can a ten use up all its strength?
R. Yes, it can and then it must ask for this strength from the Creator, “give us strength,” etc.
S. When I am ready to work from the Creator and get pleasure from working for Him, isn't this ego?
R. If the work for the Creator comes down to loving everyone, to wish well upon everyone, all people, and to spread in the world this desire to try to make it so that everyone in the world will understand, truly, who is the Creator and what does He desire from the creation? Then, we cannot say that this work is egoistic. You want to bring more people to this and you show them out of this, you show them your example. Of course there can be such egoistic distortions here but principally working for others, in general, with us you are working altruistically. From above you won't allow them to remain as an egoist; you will always, always move forward towards the quality of the bestowal.
45. S. (01:46:42) I understand and even feel that I have to cancel myself before the friends for spiritual advancement. But this is not that easy to cancel myself so how can I pray for the Creator?
R. In this way to pray, what is the question, there is no question. try to cancel yourself and pray for the Creator to help, that’s it.
46. S. (01:47:17) I still do not understand how can I give an example without hiding my deficiencies?
R. Specifically those things that are deficient in you and together with them, you want to give a good example, this too, is an example, a complete example.
47. (01:47:37) Do we have to raise the importance of the environment and cancel ourselves before the friends outside the group? What should be the priority of working?
R. There cannot be any self-nullification outside the group but only towards the friends in the group and only for the sake of correction.
48. S. (01:48:08) If I ask the Creator to give strength to the friends in the ten, to feel Him so that He gives them strength to feel Him, will this be an annulment before their friends?
R. Yes, of course, and nonetheless you're asking not for yourself but for the friends.
49. S. (01:48:58) Self annulment before the friends, should this be a constant state or does it appear then disappear?
R. It needs to also disappear and, in this way, in a higher and higher degree.
50. S. (01:49:19) How can I raise the Creator's greatness if I do not feel Him?
R. Not to feel Him or perceive Him? You will start to feel and perceive your attitude to the other as to the Creator and then the Creator will appear for you, then you will start to perceive Him.
51. S. (01:49:45) What do I do if envy towards a friend annoys me?
R. Get annoyed, I have nothing else to say, you simply need to see what it is that annoys you. Envy in general is a very good quality, it can force you to close your eyes in the friends in order not to see and not to be envious or opposite, it can push you forward to study more, to do something more in order not to be envious of the friends but at least to be like them so envy is a good quality we talked about this today.
52. S. (01:50:34) Why do we get friends in the ten that do not take part in the ten?
R. In this too, we need to accept and understand that this is how it needs to be because in us we also have such qualities. That with one of our qualities, we can work towards bestowal and with the other, we cannot at all, and the same thing we see in the friends, in everyone in the group. Try to bring them closer, this will all get corrected.
53. S. (01:51:13) Can we use envy in me towards a big friend that is not in the ten? Orin dissemination work?
R. Yes, but if he is truly within the spiritual work and you are in connection with him then you can envy him. But this does not replace your relations in the ten in which you need to come, truly, to grasp onto it with everything.
54. S. (01:51:50) Which necessary qualities of the next degree do we have to build in women ten to achieve the Creator?
R. Very simple quality: bestowal and love. What else is there?
55. S. (01:52:11) How to show the intention towards the group in the right way?
R. Show your friends that you love them, respect them, and all the time wish to see them successful, great.
56. S. (01:52:38) You said that the group is higher than any sage or Kabbalist, why is this so?
R. Because it is a group, it is a gathering of small ones that are aspiring towards the goal. These small ones that are still incapable or don't even know where they are yet, but they are nonetheless aspiring and they're coming together, this is why they are gathering, according to the spiritual construction is greater than one great Kabbalist. In truth, this is how it is because they inside of them, they build the Creator, meaning that their situation has greater perspective in them and this is why the Creator engages in them more.
57. S. (01:53:45) Is the desire of the friends and the greatness of the Creator the same thing in different states?
R. Importance and greatness, how can we say this? Greatness is more connected to the feeling within the intellect, and the importance is felt more in the feelings.
58. S. (01:54:16) If a friend does not bring spirit of joy in the group does it mean he is not working?
R. Yes, he is not working, he is not concerned for the group, he is not thinking about his friends. First of all the right attitude to the friends is that he uplifts them.
59. S. (01:54:45) If a person feels that he does not feel a need toward anyone how can the group help this person?
R. We need to talk to him, there is nothing you can do about it, give him an example, talk, you need to come closer together but on the other hand when you start more to work between you the friends that have remained, this will influence him more and you will see how he will, who he will turn into.
60. S. (01:55:22) How do we speak about the importance of the goal in the group in order to hear it?
R. Obligate each one to talk about it and set aside time about this every day, so every day it's one sentence, or put together a few sentences that you will read in front of everyone about the greatness of the goal so he should not be shy, there should be a habit, this is how can you speak about it and others, why? In order to raise in them the greatness of the goal.
61. S. (01:56:10) We heard from Rav that we need to transition to the next state. Could you please depict the state so we can direct ourselves to it?
R. Depict the next state. This is very simple, it is warm relations that are developed in the connections between us and then the qualities of the Creator and the true things that we aspire for the quality of connection, warmth, support, this exists. The Creator was concealed but now He is getting revealed to the extent that we can create this quality between us to reveal it and in it the Creator gets revealed according to the law of equivalence of form. So nothing can take place here unexpectedly and suddenly of course it's not really expected but nonetheless it happens every time. So we are calibrating ourselves towards the Creator and we reveal Him, this is why it is called my sons have defeated me meaning we forced Him, we obligate Him to get revealed in us.
62. S. (01:57:35) You annul yourself before your students like Rabbi Yossi ben Kisma, how do you do this?
R. You see that you force me to do this way or the other, if this doesn’t oppose teaching Kabbalah then I cancel myself and you want to learn something else or do something differently, I critique it here and there of course but in general I follow your desires. This is why it says educate a child according to his ways, in the ways he wants to but you educate him in a way he can accept. To find an approach for each and every one but in a slightly different way so he can accept this. Not to do by force but in a way, he can swallow it.
63. R. (01:59:15) The lesson was on the topic of deriving the greatness of the goal from the friends to the extent that I can feel the greatness from the goal from my friends, not from one but specifically from the friends and to this extent I can come closer to the goal, I can cultivate it in myself and develop and depict the greatness of the goal to myself as much as I want, this will not help. I will need to influence the group and that the group influences me and to this extent I will be awakened with the greatness of the goal to such an extent that I will start, it will start to get revealed in me.
64. R. (02:06:35) Like I understand you want to create a special internet channel for Kabbalah TV or something like that. I don’t really understand but it needs to be in all the languages and become truly a serious environment for all the nations of the world and welcome all the languages. I hope all our friends will take part in this as our next stage of moving forward takes into account this movement with the masses. You see what is happening in the world, they are in need of some kind of explanation and to do this we need to know a lot before that and in general this is all going together with many exit points for all humanity and we can all take part in this. Not just to send certain sum, but to make a strong investment by developing technology, creating content, amongst you there are many people with different levels and languages that can do all these things and truly then we will reach such a state we will reach every person in the world and explain what is needed in todays’ world otherwise it will enter into darkness.
This is why we spoke with you at the lesson that even such great Kabbalist as Rabbi Yossi Ben Kisma, he couldn't do anything, he was completely dependent on his students and they were little but there was a lot of them, and they wanted to come together if this was necessary for the attainment of the higher goal. So he was ready to be among them, to climb under them, because otherwise only through the people can we reach the heavens. This is what we depend on, this is what we want to support this TV channel, and as I understand it this will be this world channel of all the languages and it can be the right environment and group for all the nations of the world, all the people in the world, so I am happy you started to work on it. I thank you, a huge thanks in advance, thank you for your participation. The lesson was called Deriving the Greatness of the Goal from Friends. I cannot have the right greatness or the right goal but only that that I get from the friends people can be mistaken and think that they have the greatness of the goal and how can it be, otherwise, of course I respect the Creator, there is something there of course I respect the goal, the person simply does not have this, it is against us. The true greatness of the goal, otherwise the true attainment of the Creator, it can be formatted in each of us only in the group and I hope that you will be successful in this.
https://kabbalahmedia.info/en/lessons/cu/69i3VYLI
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