The transcript has been transcribed and edited from English simultaneous interpretation, thus there may be potential semantic inaccuracies within it.
Daily Lesson, (Morning) April 26, 2024.
Part 1: Rabash. But the More They Afflicted Them. 16. (1985)
Reader: Hello, we're reading from the Rabash articles, the article; “But the More They Afflicted Them.” You can find our study materials in the Arvut system, as well as on Sviva Tova, and you can also send questions there. Whoever asks questions here in the study hall is asked to stand up, hold his microphone close to his mouth, and speak loud and clear. The writings of Rabash, in the article, “But the More They Afflicted Them.”
Reading Article: (00:38) But the More They Afflicted Them.
Article No. 16, 1985
It is written, “But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out, so that they were in dread of the sons of Israel” (Exodus 1:12). The meaning of the words, “But the more they afflicted them” is that they will multiply and spread to that same extent that they are afflicted. It seems as though it is a condition—that there cannot be multiplication and spreading in the work before there is a basis of affliction first.
But to understand the above written, we must know our tenet, meaning know what is our essence. As it is explained in the introductions, it is only our will to receive. And certainly, when the will to receive fulfills its wish, that fulfillment is not considered work, since work means that for which one is rewarded.
In other words, work is actions that man would avoid, and he does them only because he has no choice, since he wishes to receive some reward. The reward is considered the thing that he craves, and his only desire and wish is for that thing. True craving means that this thing touches his heart so deeply that he says, “I’d rather die than to live if I cannot obtain it.” It follows that if he has no affliction or pain for not having what he craves, it is not considered a craving. And his craving is measured by the extent of his suffering.
It therefore follows that if one wishes to receive some satisfaction, there must first be a lack. This is so because there is no light without a Kli [vessel], and no one can fill it with anything if there is no deficiency. For example, one cannot eat without appetite or enjoy rest without fatigue.
Hence, one is not suffering because the Egyptians in his body are afflicting him unless he does not want to obey them and wishes to go by a way that displeases them. The root of reception in man is called “self-love,” and this is regarded as “Egypt.” There are many nations, which are generally called “the seventy nations,” that are the opposite of Kedusha [holiness], which are the seven Sefirot, where each Sefira [singular of Sefirot] consists of ten, hence the number seventy nations. And also, each nation has its own unique desire.
The Klipa [shell] of Egypt is a general Klipa. It is where the sparks of Kedusha fell, which the people of Israel—who were in Egypt—had to correct. Thus, first there must be pain and affliction for not being able to exit their governance, as it is written, “And the children of Israel sighed from the work, and they cried out, and their cry came up unto God from the work. And God heard their groaning.”
We should be precise about the words “from the work” being written twice. We should explain that all the sighs were from the labor, meaning that they could not work for the Creator. Indeed, their suffering was from not being able to make the work that they were doing be for the Creator, due to the Klipa of Egypt. This is why it is written, “from the work” twice.
1) All the sighs were not because they were lacking anything. They lacked only one thing, meaning they did not wish for any luxuries or payment. Their only lack, for which they felt pain and suffering, was that of not being able to do anything for the Creator. In other words, they wished that they would have a desire to give contentment to the Creator and not to themselves, but they couldn’t, and this afflicted them. This is called “wanting to have some grip in spirituality.”
2) The second “from the work” comes to teach that, “And their cry came up unto God,” that God heard their groaning, was because their only request was work. This is implied by the second “from the work.” It turns out that the whole exile that they felt was only because they were under the rule of the Klipa of Egypt and they could not do anything to make it only in order to bestow.
It is written in The Zohar (Exodus, Item 381 in the Sulam Commentary), “Rabbi Yehuda said, ‘Come and see that this is so, as Rabbi Yehoshua of Sakhnin said, ‘As long as their minister was given dominion over Israel, the cry of Israel was not heard. When their minister fell, it writes, ‘The king of Egypt died,’ and promptly, ‘And the children of Israel sighed from the work, and they cried out, and their cry came up unto God.’ But until then they were not answered in their cry.’’”
For this reason, we can say that if it is not time to dethrone Egypt’s minister, there is no room for choice, to repent and to be able to come out from the exile. He says (Exodus, Item 380 in the Sulam Commentary), “‘In those many days.’ ‘Many’ refers to Israel’s stay in Egypt, that is, that the end has come. And since their exile has been completed, what does it say? ‘The king of Egypt died.’ What does that mean? It means that the minister of Egypt was lowered from his status and fell from his pride. This is why the writing says about him, ‘The king of Egypt died,’ since decline is regarded for him as dying. As when the king of Egypt—who was their minister—fell, the Creator remembered Israel and heard their prayer.”
The Zohar asks this question about the verse, “In your distress, when all these things come upon you” (Deuteronomy 4). It means that before everything takes place, it is impossible to achieve perfection. It turns out that you give an excuse, a pretext that all the things that one should go through can be experienced through suffering, and this is measured by neither time nor quantity of affliction, but by the measure of feeling (see in The Zohar).
We can understand it through an allegory. If a person should make one kilogram worth of labor, which is a thousand grams of suffering, the reward comes for that as well. As our sages said, “The reward matches the pain.” This means that the labor that one should exert before he receives the reward is because there is no light without a Kli, since there is no fulfillment without a deficiency. And the labor that one gives is the qualification for reception of the need, so that afterwards he will be able to receive the filling in it.
Let us say that that person can give the thousand grams of deficiency intermittently, which are discernments in quantity and quality. A person can exert for ten minutes a day, meaning regret his remoteness from the Creator, or he can regret his remoteness from the Creator ten minutes a week, or ten minutes a month.
It is similar with the quality of his suffering when he remembers that he is remote from the Creator. Although it pains him, it is not so terrible and there are things that pain him more, things that he craves. It turns out that in quality, too, one should contemplate. Thus, a person has a choice, although he must experience the whole process of labor and affliction through the end, until he comes to a state of, “And you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice.”
Thus, man has a choice to shorten the time of the process of affliction due to the prolonging of time, which, as we said, is called “quantity,” and to add in quality, which is the sensation of suffering at being remote from the Creator.
But we should know that there is a big difference between quantity and quality in the manner of the work. When considering quantity of time, a person can arrange his schedule, meaning the amount of time he allocates to himself, even by coercion. This means that even though the body does not wish to sit for the whole time of the lesson that he decided on, he must sit for several minutes or hours and regret being remote from the Creator. If he has a strong desire and he is not of weak character, he can sit and keep the schedule he arranged for himself, since this is an act, and with actions a person can do things by coercion.
But with quality, this is very difficult because one cannot force oneself to feel differently than he does. If he comes to examine his feelings of pain and suffering at being remote from the Creator, he sometimes comes to a state where he does not care. At that time, he does not know what to do because he cannot change how he feels, and then he is perplexed.
This causes the prolonging of the exile because it is hard for us to give the necessary quantity, much less the quality. And when he begins to scrutinize the quality of the deficiency, he sees that he feels no pain, that he is seemingly unconscious, unfeeling. And although remoteness from the Creator means not having life, it doesn’t pain him that he has no life. Then he has no other choice but to pray to the Creator to give him some life, so he will feel that he is dangerously ill and needs to cure the soul.
And sometimes one comes to a state where he is in such a decline that he doesn’t even have the strength to pray for it. Rather, he is in a state of complete indifference. This is called “being in a state of still,” meaning he is completely motionless.
In that state, only his society can help him. In other words, if he comes among friends and does not criticize them in any way, testing if they, too, have the same obstructions and thoughts but have overcome them, or they just take no interest in introspection and this is why they can engage in Torah and Mitzvot, how can he be like them?
At that time, he cannot receive any assistance from society because he has no Dvekut [adhesion] with them at all, as they are too small to be his friends. Thus, naturally, he is not affected by them whatsoever.
But if he comes among his friends not with his head high, thinking that he is wise and the friends are fools—but rather tosses his pride away and follows the rule, “Poverty follows the poor,” not only is he in a state of decline and feels no need for spirituality, he also receives thoughts of pride, meaning that he is wiser than all his society.
Now let us return to the first question, regarding what The Zohar says, “And since their exile has been completed,” what does it say, “The king of Egypt died,” since he regards dethroning as death. And since the king of Egypt—who is their minister—fell, the Creator remembered Israel and heard their prayer. It turns out that there is a pretext that no prayer will help before it is due time. Thus, there is nothing that can be done, because the Creator will not hear their prayer.
With the above words we can understand the matters as they are. This is the same issue that our sages described about the verse, “I the Lord will hasten it in its time.” If they are rewarded, “I will hasten it.” If they are not rewarded, “In its time.” In other words, when the time comes, an awakening from the Creator will come, and through it Israel will repent. It turns out that the choice is in regards to time, as he says in the “Introduction to The Book of Zohar” (Item 16).
It follows from all the above that one should not consider the time of redemption—that it is written that before that, their prayer was not accepted—because this relates to the time of quantity and quality of suffering, that there is a certain time at which suffering is completed. However, we can shorten the time. The whole quantity and quality by which the suffering will appear can be shortened in a way that all the suffering will come in a short time, but all the suffering will have appeared there.
M. Laitman: (21:02) This is the entire article. Questions, please?
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (21:15) Rabash writes that a person has the choice of shortening the time by adding quantity and also adding in quality, which is to feel the suffering that he is distanced or remote from the Creator. How do we add in such quality in practice?
M. Laitman: When we are in the society and we search for means for how it is possible to feel the situation more. The existing state versus the desirable state. Then we see that there is a possibility in the society to intensify the suffering, and advance in such a way.
Student: I can understand or feel that I'm remote from the Creator, from the friends, but I have to feel suffering from being remote, to truly be tormented by such a state?
M. Laitman: This depends on how much you appreciate your state versus the state that you should attain. How precious the state of correction is to you, the corrected state.
Student: I heard this week a friend describing how he was in a difficult state of criticism towards the society, towards the organization and the dissemination, and it got worked out. When a person comes truly filled with criticism, where does he get the strength to enter between the friends, to pray, to be able to rise above?
M. Laitman: When he is in criticism, on the one hand; and on the other hand, he is in the society, in an environment that has its own processes. So, whether he wants to or not, he becomes incorporated in them, and then it works on him.
Student: What does it mean to enter between the friends?
M. Laitman: To enter between the friends means that he is incorporated with them.
Student: When a person is in criticism towards the friends, can he incorporate in them? Can he receive something from them?
M. Laitman: Yes, certainly, in a negative way or also in a positive way.
Student: What is the role of the Ten in a state where there are sufferings that are upon a person?
M. Laitman: The Ten should give support to each and every one and not really to criticize any one of the friends but, rather, only to care that as much as possible it supports each and every one in the direction of their development.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (25:08) He writes to us that there's a condition that we won't be able to get fruit from the work prior to going into the infrastructure of suffering.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: What's this infrastructure of suffering?
M. Laitman: It is a certain reception of suffering in quantity and quality that must be revealed in anything that grows, develops. And later on, comes already a process or a period of time of scrutinies and corrections and receiving the reward.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (26:38) I understood from the article that what makes us stuck is pride, he writes about that. This is really, and I don't feel that I have pride in me, I feel very good with myself. It's written, don't believe in yourself to the day you die, so that means that there's a sign that I'm still very distant. How do I do something with that, that I also have pride? How do I make myself feel that as well?
M. Laitman: Try to check yourself with those things in which your ego doesn't let you advance, try. Then you will feel where it is limiting you, and in that, you will invest forces, prayers, intentions.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (27:39) With what vessels can I measure how distant I am from the Creator, how close I am to the Creator? There's the desirable and there's the existent. The existent I understand, I'm completely, I nullify, I have everything. In the desirable, how do I examine this? How do I, can I attain this through the group, through the Ten? How do I receive the results of this examination? Are there certain vessels that need to create this? There’s no, no, yes, yes, no.
M. Laitman: That's not how it works, you cannot check yourself because you don't have a basis with which, with respect to, you check. And so you can never see the truth. Even though you're so certain of your measurements but it is entirely incorrect. We need to ask of the Creator, and be adhered to the society as much as possible, in order for a person to discover the true measure of bestowal within him. This is how it works.
Student: What is the existent state? Desirable, that's it, we know everything, adhesion to the Creator. What is the current existent state? Where does it come from and how do we use it?
M. Laitman: Well, it's sometimes revealed to a person even though it could not be the truth, but this is how it is revealed.
Student: Don't believe in yourself to the day you die, so you never know what world you're in. How many mistakes or the world of truth, or are you delusional. What's going on?
M. Laitman: That doesn't matter, it doesn't matter to a person. It should not be important to a person what is being shown to you. What is important to a person is where he places himself and what he's yearning for. This is how it works.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (30:40) I wanted to scrutinize the fall, Rav Yehuda, here it is written: As long as their minister was given upon Israel, they didn't hear their cry because their minister fell, it's written that the king of Egypt died, and then they received their cry from the work. Meaning most of the work they don't even feel that they're in exile, Israel but they're pretty happy with what they've got.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: Now, this minister who falls, who makes him fall?
M. Laitman: The Creator.
Student: The Creator? In the exodus from Egypt, it's written that Him and not another. Why doesn't it say here that this is how he fell?
M. Laitman: No, this is what it's written.
Student: It's something that was not clear to me in the article, in continuation we'll go back to the first question, it's a few paragraphs before the end. From the Zohar, it says because their exile ends as it is written and the king of Egypt died; and it's written that the descent is considered to death. What does it mean that the descent is felt as death?
M. Laitman: It's a special force, who is the Egyptian minister? It's one of the forces that work on one who is in exile in Egypt.
Student: Is it descent, like a spiritual descent? What's the state that they're talking about here, what are we supposed to feel here?
M. Laitman: We're supposed to feel that this force becomes weaker.
Student: Meaning, at a certain point we're in exile, we're working, we're satisfied, we're in Egypt, we're in the will to receive. Then at a certain point with all the prayers and the work in the group and all that we do, the Creator decides that that's it, we can bring down the control of the desire to receive, now. Then we discover, like Rabash writes here.
M. Laitman: They sighed.
Student: Yes, that, they can't do anything that will be only in order to bestow. Meaning, in the Ten sometimes I feel like I'm bestowing, but if I do a scrutiny I see that it's not only in order to bestow. I don't even know how I know if it's just in order to bestow.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (33:13) Rabash writes that there's a state where he can't even pray, it's a state of still. In that state only the society can help him, it's like a state where I don't care about anything. I know the state, it happens a lot. What kind of connection or work between us we need to build so that we will be able to help one another not reach a state of still? Or even when we get to a state of still.
M. Laitman: The good desirable state is when we are all interconnected, this is what you feel. And each one when he does something, he does it for the entire Ten.
Student: I'm completely indifferent in that state.
M. Laitman: It doesn't matter, this is what you have before you. That you must take everyone into consideration in such a way, the whole Ten. That whatever you do, you're doing it for everyone.
Student: What forces can I receive from the friends in order to come out of this state?
M. Laitman: You will receive forces, if this is what you want to do for the Ten, you will start receiving forces. It will already be a force of bestowal.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (34:54) As long as there's no cry from the person, the Creator doesn't hear the prayer, right? As long as the person has not reached that outcry. Now, a person has come to despair, but he cannot reach that outcry, yet. The quantity and quality of sufferings are what will intensify and cause him to reach that state?
M. Laitman: Usually, yes, they will determine it.
Student: A person discovers that acts of bestowal, and that the fuel that he needed to be able to carry them out in the will to receive. He doesn't want to serve that desire now, he's trying to build the intention whether the challenge in order to bestow, the intention in order to bestow can be the fuel for us.
M. Laitman: Again?
Student: A person tries to build the intention in order to bestow.
M. Laitman: Yes?
Student: Is this action, this work, capable of replacing the fuel that he had before to serve the will to receive?
M. Laitman: Well, he needs to work on that in order to shift to the side of the desire to bestow.
Student: If he came to the conclusion that his fuel was the desire to receive?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: If he doesn't serve the desire to receive anymore, there will be no fuel. But he gets fuel, where is he going to take it from?
M. Laitman: From the desire to bestow.
Student: The attempt to build the intention to bestow, is this the work that will give him the fuel to work?
M. Laitman: Well, he should try, and if not, then he should cry out and ask.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (37:09) The pain and suffering that we're supposed to suffer, they are not from troubles that we got from getting tickets or reports or traffic tickets or something like that, or fines. It’s from not being able to bestow, and if I don't feel suffering from that, I mean, I feel despair from that, that I can't bestow but not pain and suffering. Is that the Creator that's bringing this to me?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: It's not coming from me?
M. Laitman: Nothing comes from you.
Student: How do we lead to this coming? How do I help the Creator?
M. Laitman: You get deeper into these things and you ask to know what determines your state.
Student: Who do I ask from?
M. Laitman: From the Creator.
Student: How does He answer me?
M. Laitman: What?
Student: How does He answer me, through the Ten?
M. Laitman: Ask and you'll see, it will be clear to you what is it that you're asking, and what is He answering?
Student: What is it that we're not capable of bestowing because of the Klipa of Egypt? Because of the control of the shell of Egypt?
M. Laitman: Yes, that it governs us.
Student: What does it mean, the shell of Egypt?
M. Laitman: Our ego, that it governs us, and it shuts away from us reality.
Student: What's the difference between the feeling of Egypt and the Klipa, or the shell of Egypt?
M. Laitman: The feeling of Egypt is in general; the shell of Egypt is what truly controls us.
Student: Meaning, I have yet to come to the correct place to feel the suffering and pain so that my outcry will be heard?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (39:39) Rabash wrote that if a person is strong, he can sit and keep his framework because it's an action and he can pressure himself to realize this action. I have a question according to this discernment: Does one's characteristic qualities in the person, they are strong or something like that. Does it come from the Creator or is it something that he had before?
Reader: Before he came to the study?
M. Laitman: Yes, I understand. No, this is something he had before.
Student: How to grow, enlarge, the desire?
M. Laitman: By the person being in it, being drawn to it. By elevating it, working with it. By this he feels more and understands more and controls the desire more.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (41:30) He is talking about limiting the quantity and quality of the discernment of suffering.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: What kind of preparation needs to be for such a thing? Does he have enough strength to be able to do this? Or is it something he has to be buried in?
M. Laitman: It depends on the environment, it doesn't really depend on the person. As much as the person is connected to the environment, accordingly he can demand advancement on his path.
Student: Here, it's a very specific advancement, where a person says I want to limit both quantity and quality in order to hasten the path of suffering?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: Of the scrutiny of where correction is needed, actually?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: How does the environment, well, how does he know that he can do this?
M. Laitman: When he has forces and he feels that he has forces, but he doesn't yet know where to actualize them, so then he asks.
Student: He also talked about this being in permanence, so there needs to be some kind of permanent process, especially as far as quantity?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: Like once a week, devote half an hour or whatever time he puts to it, like he writes there?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: A certain proceeding preparation needs to be made there? Or is this just the society that enables this?
M. Laitman: This has to be the general atmosphere of the society, but along with that, one must determine it for himself.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (43:48) It's written that when he feels the quality of the deficiency, and he checks it, he sees that he doesn't feel the pain. He feels a state where he is unconscious. I feel this state, really well. How can we work in such a state, a state of indifference or unconsciousness?
M. Laitman: I need to see the situation, how I need to be in this. Simply, start working with this, as much as possible. Even if I don't know where to start, I start from entering that state, and from it, I yearn to turn to the Creator.
Student: When I start to recognize my state, I start to cry out to the Creator. Then, it's really a possibility, an opportunity, that I was given from Above?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (49:19) With every person, it is known that he receives records for his spiritual development in this life, in his future lives. Is it in the hands of the person? Or let's say, is it in our hands, those who study, those who are on the path to change the plan or change the records? Let's say, I want to reach the end of correction in this life, or is it all pre-planned and it's impossible?
M. Laitman: Nothing is planned, it all depends on us.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (56:12) Instead of intensifying my measure, my quota, is the right prayer, not to try to increase the quota but to ask Him to cope better with whatever we're given already and cope with it out of the intention to bestow.
M. Laitman: It's still complicated.
Student: I'll try to make it simpler: We hardly cope with whatever quota we get even now, at least I hardly cope with it. Where one may not fall into my ego that I can even ask to increase the quota because whatever may come, maybe it's better if I just stay step by step, the way that He's giving it to me.
M. Laitman: The main thing is to measure this quota according to the, you need to be in the correct environment for this. If you feel that it enters and connects to the environment, then go ahead.
Student: Meaning, accept the suffering as it is, in quantity and quality?
M. Laitman: That's not suffering, if a person receives it as a condition for development, then it's no longer suffering, it's a place for work.
Student: Nevertheless, it's my work. How do I turn it, instead of the work that I develop through this whole work? That this whole development will be with the purpose of bestowing, bestowing to the society, bestowing on the path.
M. Laitman: You want to perform an action out of this that will draw the whole society towards the Creator.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (48:36) He writes about the state of pride. That one comes to the friends with his head high, that he is wise, and the friends are poor, and poverty follows the poor. He says that he can't get help from the friends in such a state, meaning, his pride disconnects him from the society, on the one hand. On the other hand, the society is the only factor that can help him. He thinks that they are fools but in fact, in that state, the person himself is the fool because the only element that can help him is now disconnected from him. What brings a person out of this state, it's like a loop that you can't get out of.
M. Laitman: What the mind doesn't do, the time will do. He sees, he checks, he's sorry. He tries to do it this way or that way until he understands that it all depends on his attitudes towards the society. To the extent in which he subjugates himself, accordingly, he advances.
Student: Nevertheless, when he's in that state, if he checks himself, he realizes, okay, I'm feeling pride towards them. I'm going against what the Kabbalists explained to me. Then the very fact that he checks himself already lowers his pride a little bit, he bows his head a little bit, somewhat. Is this out of suffering, or maybe it can come through the prayers of the friends? Can we somehow sweeten the correction here?
M. Laitman: I don't think we need to sweeten the correction. He simply needs to see where the truth is. By what he advances to the true purpose, the true goal.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (51:09) I want to delve into the topic of the quantity and quality of the suffering. In terms of quantity, Rabash writes, we have to allocate a certain order of times. How much time do I allocate to myself to engage in spirituality, right? This is clear, in terms of quality, he writes that one should regret when he remembers that he's far away from the Creator. The sorrow itself that I regretted, is this the quality?
M. Laitman: I can't say that.
Student: This is what I understood.
M. Laitman: Well, that's how you understood, so ask yourself, you need to measure this.
Student: He also writes that there's a big difference between quantity and quality in the way we actually implement it. This difference is a quantitative one or a qualitative one?
M. Laitman: The feeling is both quantitative and qualitative.
Student: Half and half?
M. Laitman: Let it be half and half.
Question (Women Petah Tikva Center): (52:32) I want to relate to the matter that if one comes with his head high, he cannot be influenced by the friends. When a friend tells us how much he's suffering, his tough reality, immediately, a prayer emerges. It doesn't necessarily come from his personal deficiency towards the Creator but it does make him greater in my eyes and so I can raise a prayer and connect with the Creator in such a way, is that correct?
M. Laitman: Okay, to the extent in which you're incorporating that, you can also raise a prayer there.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (53:57) Sorry for nagging. I want to go back to….?
M. Laitman: You are not nagging, you're audacious, because I gave it to that guy over there to ask.
Student: I'm sorry.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (54:15) He writes here that when he doesn't care, he's in a state of descent, this is called the state of the still and then he needs the society. Now, can a Ten also reach that state of the still, feel that they're immersed in their routine?
M. Laitman: Yes, of course.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (54:44) I want to go back to that word, the infrastructure. You said that the infrastructure is a certain quantity of suffering in quantity and quality that we receive. We receive this through our records?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: We have a certain basis, I have to go through such things. My development, the way I check it, it's about how do I cope with these sufferings in quantity and quality, right?
M. Laitman: Let’s say.
Student: Now, I'm working in a group. In short, I annul, I perform all the actions that I have to perform opposite the friends. I see them as great and that they help and everything. All of my record, I only change it in the direction of developing adhesion with the Creator, let's say? How can I fall so I will not fall into a greater quantity of suffering and quality of suffering, that's it? I receive a certain amount of suffering through my records, and I can be free. I can make all of the mistakes and incorrect actions but suffering will not complete it for me, right?
M. Laitman: I don't understand this picture that you're painting for us.
Student: I received from my records a certain amount, quantity and quality of suffering. I can correct these sufferings, my attitude towards the suffering, that this is a place to work. Or let's put it this way, I can do all kinds of things that are not good, not directed towards the friends, not directed towards the Creator, but the amount of suffering is not going to change for me because I received a certain infrastructure, a certain basis, that's it. Or I actually receive additional suffering in quantity and quality, worse suffering?
M. Laitman: Even more, even more.
Question (Women Petah Tikva Center): (57:12) The article talks about exile, that the king of Egypt died. I think it also went on to say that this happens when the minister of the king is lowered. How can we consciously achieve the state where the king of Egypt died in the Ten?
M. Laitman: Where, in our eyes he's dead, there is no importance to him. That's considered that the king of Egypt dies.
Student: Then, it went on to paint a picture about the seventy nations. It's as if that the Israel, the children of Israel, were put among the seventy nations that have distinct qualities and distinct Klipa that we have to work against. In the Ten, we experience all these distinct qualities. How can we consciously recognize them, and begin to work against them for the Creator?
M. Laitman: That is revealed gradually, slowly, slowly. And we, as it's written, actually, if we were to see what's written in the book then it would be clear to us. It is revealed gradually, and we are operated by it, either by the right discernments, or without the right discernments under blows. But we, nevertheless, cascade and incarnate towards the exodus from Egypt.
Question (Women Petah Tikva Center): (01:00:13) It is written, you shall return to the Lord and hear His voice. What does it mean to hear the voice of the Creator, to listen to Him?
M. Laitman: To feel His existence and towards what He is drawing you, attracting you.
Student: What is He drawing me to?
M. Laitman: To Him, then you'll discover.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:01:08) About the matter of pride that the article speaks about. That a person who is in a state of the still has to come to the society, not with his head high, but in cooperation with them, he can correct himself and get out of this state. My question is about the society itself: Over the years, I noticed that the forces, I get the forces and the good examples from the greater society, not the smaller society that I'm in. Here, I look at the friends who give an example of the importance of the goal and the greatness of the Creator, and dissemination, and taking roles, etc., and in the small society, I don't get such examples, maybe from a few friends. My question is, what is the society for me, which one of them?
M. Laitman: The society is the Ten.
Student: There are many Tens here, they are built on the basis of giving correct examples according to what the teacher and the books tell us to do, and this is how it should be. I'm talking about a state where, if there is, if the society is not like that, it's not built in such a way. The person is in an environment where the level of the commitment of the friends is low, for all kinds of reasons, I'm not criticizing them. This is how it is, and I, therefore, can’t take examples from them, so I take examples from here. Because of that, I come here, and I look at the friends who are here. They teach me, they give me examples, they give me forces. This is why I'm asking, where is my society, what is the society for me?
M. Laitman: The society is considered that which, towards which you measure yourself, examine yourself, and with it, you advance.
Student: The greater society, in my case?
M. Laitman: Not a big society, it can be not so big.
Student: Could be two or three friends inside my small society with respect to them?
M. Laitman: No, no, it's not enough.
Student: If I don't have more than them, what can I do?
M. Laitman: What Ten, I don't know, we have to go and search and check. But not for now, okay?
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:04:05) [No English Translation] In the article, it is written that suffering will be revealed anyway, and the period of time, do we have the freedom of choice? For a short time, or for a long time. Can we choose?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: What does it depend on, it means that I have to try to receive a lot of suffering in a short time?
M. Laitman: It all depends on the extent in which you are drawn forward with the friends.
Question (Women Petah Tikva Center): (01:04:35) To continue the questions about the suffering, sometimes there is suffering that carries me very much. I even regret the fact that my pleasures in life are from small corporeal things. It really brings me great sorrow and very hard suffering because I'm stuck in my will to receive. I wanted to ask, what do you truly do with all of these sufferings? That I'm far away from the Creator, really on a level where it's very hard to live this way?
M. Laitman: First, I need to do the right examination, calculation, why these sufferings are distancing you from the Creator.
Student: Because I feel that I'm the opposite of Him, truly. I'm just a lump of a will to receive.
M. Laitman: So wonderful, then now you have something to work against, as He writes for us here. That, then we need to invest all our forces so that those sufferings that are showing us how and where and in what way I'm distanced from the Creator, that they will show me the way. And this is how I will advance.
Student: I'm allowed to enjoy something?
M. Laitman: To enjoy, of course, yes. To enjoy from today, you, making some part of, some piece of your advancement.
Student: It's difficult to enjoy.
M. Laitman: No, then we need to be in the right group, in the right society, which you build. And I don't think that it's a problem.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:07:00) Before I came to the path, I experienced many blows and suffering. Ever since I study and I'm in the group, in the Ten. I feel that I don't have any more suffering, I don't feel any suffering. How does this calculation work? Does it work on the suffering that I had my whole life?
M. Laitman: It's a calculation we don't know and we cannot know because we don't begin from zero, either. Rather, with calculations on the wager of each and every person.
Student: I feel that the suffering is what pushed me to come here.
M. Laitman: Then, yes.
Student: Right now, I don't feel suffering, I feel more calm.
M. Laitman: Calm is not good, you need to invent for oneself states in which you need to go through them.
Student: I need to initiate that?
M. Laitman: Yes, this could be in your environment, in your country, in your surroundings.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:08:44) We're actually skipping how he starts the article and I have a very hard time with it. He says, it is written, but the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied, and the more they proliferated. So they were in dread of the sons of Israel, the meaning of the words, but the more they afflicted them, they multiplied and spread. It seems like a condition that there cannot be multiplication and spreading or proliferation in the work before there is a basis of affliction at first. I want to tell you, following up the many years, I feel tormented every day. Don't make fun of it, I'm being tormented every day in any way. Is this what it means that I'm being tormented every day? How should I relate to it that I actually feel tormented?
M. Laitman: I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. The books are before you and I'll try to find the answers there.
Student: I wanted to ask you, if they come and tell me, listen, today guests will come to you that you don't really like. Sit down, prepare the house for them. I don't like these guests, I really feel tormented, we started a fight in the home. How should I feel, should I feel like I'm tormented? I feel tormented that I'm being forced to do it, to do things that are against my will. How should I respond, how should I respond to something like this? Should I agree with it, should I not agree with it? Should we get into a fight, should I feel tormented?
M. Laitman: Whatever you decide.
Student: No, I start a fight, a real fight. Then I sit and look at it, and I say, I ask myself, how did I get to such a state? Is it good that I'm being tormented, that I have to go against my will? According to what it says here: If you're tormented, you advance, you have a fight, you advance, you quarrel, you advance. If you just sit quietly, my friend was, like a friend, if you sit quietly, you stay still, you don't advance, you're in neutral. Should I say, okay, I should get into a fight and advance? How do these two things work together? How does spirituality coincide with that state that you disagree with whatever is happening to you? How do these two things work together?
M. Laitman: You will know this, soon.
Student: What does it mean, I'll know it soon?
M. Laitman: Because now, you can't see it, yet.
Student: Should I make concessions, give up on being so stubborn?
M. Laitman: No, try to actually connect all the details, all your inclinations. Try to connect them together and to see what you have from all of this.
Student: Agree with the situation?
M. Laitman: Could be that, yes.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:12:14) The more a person advances in spirituality, can the declines become shorter, just be a few minutes?
M. Laitman: No.
Student: Could there be a state where the decline happens in parallel to an ascent?
M. Laitman: [No Translation]
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:12:53) I wanted to ask about hastening. There is what we call the rewarded hastening, otherwise in its time. What he describes here is that, the reward or is that a person receives a deficiency towards bestowal? It starts by him depicting himself that I'm far away from the Creator, then I feel sorrow, then I pray, and then I can get a deficiency. What happens later? When a person receives a deficiency for bestowal, what does he do with it?
M. Laitman: He raises it, upwards.
Student: Through the society, through deeds?
M. Laitman: Yes, with the society together, and hopes to receive a response from this.
Student: A person who is in hastening, how does he feel his work differently, if at all, does he feel a difference?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: What does he feel? That he's connected to the Creator?
M. Laitman: Yes, he raises his deficiency to the Creator and wants to advance from his deficiency, which is not from the blows and such horrible states that the Creator arranges for us, but rather from him choosing to see himself in such a way, in such a state, in order to come closer.
Student: What does it mean that, because the deficiency has to grow constantly. You said I need to expect some kind of…?
M. Laitman: Don't worry about the deficiency.
Student: What should I expect?
M. Laitman: That you, by the deficiency, let it be what it may. You want to rise above towards the Creator.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:15:08) The article is very rare in Rabash articles. Usually he writes about greatness, faith above reason, uplifting, gratitude, and here he puts a focus on how to awaken the suffering. We have a very organized daily schedule in Bnei Baruch. We have the morning lesson, we have the afternoon lesson, meetings, prayers, Ten meetings. When is the best time in the day? We say before sleep, we were talking about it. Not to fall asleep with the left line but in wholeness. The morning lesson has to be in wholeness. Where is the best time to put in this checking that he's speaking about?
M. Laitman: I think that, specifically, in the second half of the day, the second half of the day.
Student: Not right before sleep?
M. Laitman: No, no, no. Before the evening prayer.
Student: Maybe after the noon lesson?
M. Laitman: Could be even before that. Noon lesson is what time?
Student: We, 12 p.m.
M. Laitman: Oh, this is the noon article, no. So, after the noon article, around 3 p.m., 4 p.m.?
Question (Kyiv 1): (01:17:27) I want to continue a friend's question: It's written that man should perform the work in sorrow by being distant from the Creator. Let's say, devote ten minutes of sorrow of being distant. What's the best way to do this work of sorrow?
M. Laitman: I don't know, this is, depends on how you experience it.
Question (ITA 3): (01:18:07) Sometimes, what we take into consideration, it's like simple criticism. How can society check without it being criticism?
M. Laitman: It can, there's checking and testing and there's criticism. Criticism is when you know, from the outset, that you have to find negative things and you base what will happen later on that. And checking, check-up or test is when you, independently, enter without any, without censorship, without bias. Without censorship, without criticism.
Question (Baltia 3): (01:19:26) How can we manage a state that is not my private state but more of a general state about a schedule. Should we as a Ten, when we try to create different types of states for ascent, for gratitude, for prayer and the Creator accepts it in blessing and responds to it, and then contacts us back so that what He wants from us?
M. Laitman: Yes, good.
Question (New York 2): (01:20:17) In the state of complete indifference, Rabash advises us to seek help from the society. How does one seek help from the Ten in this case, and how does he do it without any pride?
M. Laitman: Yes, we should look for ways to do it. It's actually good, a good kind of exertion. He will find many answers to what he has.
Question (MAK 4): (01:21:30) How can a person check what he gets pain from, if it's distance from the Creator or from sorrow of the state itself because you're really mixed up during a descent.
M. Laitman: He, in principle, he needs to place himself in the group, and there, discover how the group responds, reacts to what the Creator is doing. And then they will have a clear orientation of what's happening with them.
Student: Let's say in the Ten, somebody has a feeling of sorrow, that the deficiency wasn't filled. Can we build a true spiritual deficiency upon that? Or it's a personal work before the Creator?
M. Laitman: No, it's a group effort.
Student: What should the prayer be for?
M. Laitman: Prayer should always be on coming closer to the Creator.
Student: The friend's sorrow should disappear or not?
M. Laitman: Then all the torments and sufferings will disappear.
Question (Women Latin 26): (01:23:10) Is there a connection between the revelation of complete suffering and a revelation of evil in the vessel in order to reach receiving the Creator's light?
M. Laitman: No, no, no. But it's good to be in both.
Student: What's the difference between the different kinds of suffering, revelation of evil, and the light being revealed in the vessel?
M. Laitman: What would be the difference?
Reader: Yes, what's the difference between those three things you mentioned?
Student: How will it contribute to our path, the complete revelation of suffering, and the complete revelation of the evil, the general evil? And what's the difference between them?
M. Laitman: It will certainly help us better understand what the Creator wants from us. How He relates to us and what we should do in response, of course.
Question (Women Turkiye 8): (01:25:03) If we have a friend that feels rejected, and I feel that she's suffering from it, how can I help her come out of this state, quickly?
M. Laitman: Come closer to her, get close to her as much as you can. Ask for maybe another one or two friends to help care for her, okay?
Question (Women Ukraine 2): (01:25:43) There's no commandment to suffer. It seems kind of strange that we're aspiring?
M. Laitman: Where does it say that we should suffer?
Student: In the article, it's written that we need to suffer.
M. Laitman: You’re not supposed to suffer.
Student: When we love the suffering from the distance, should we yearn to love and ask for love?
M. Laitman: Of course, but not suffer.
Student: You said that at 3 pm. every day, with the friend, that we'll suffer every day at 3 pm.
M. Laitman: Suffer?
Student: Yes, at 3 pm. every day.
M. Laitman: First time I hear it. Is there such a thing? No, something was mistranslated to you.
Question (Turkiye 7): (01:27:08) A person works to shorten his time of suffering, so he also works to stop what makes him suffer. The intention is for himself, so, how do you come out of that state?
M. Laitman: Again, I didn't understand.
Student: If a person works to shorten his time of suffering, so he, actually, also works in order to stop the thing that's suffering, that makes him suffer, so it's for his own benefit, how can he come out of his own intention for himself?
M. Laitman: He can't, he first needs to accept, to understand that all the sufferings that he is feeling are not in order for him to come out of them. But rather for him to get closer to the group with their help. Then he will see that these sufferings are correct, and there's nothing in them that's designed to harm him. And instead of suffering, he will feel love, and love of the Creator to him.
Question (Haifa 3): (01:28:45) In the article, he mentions that choice is about time. We also heard that choice is about the environment, how do you combine those two types of choosing?
M. Laitman: I can't say, choosing the time is a choice that takes place, but first, has to be a result of choosing the environment.
Student: First, we choose the environment, then we start working with the time?
M. Laitman: Yes, yes, yes.
Question (Belarus): (01:29:49) When he mentioned pride in the article, how to understand this?
M. Laitman: You don’t have to think of all kinds of lowly states, only exalted states, and pull everyone to them.
Question (Women Latin 25): (01:30:36) It's written that he could fall into a state of the still, and only the society could help him. You answered a friend that also society can fall into a state, to that state.
M. Laitman: I didn't get her last sentence, if she could repeat?
Student: You answered a friend that society could fall into the state of the still. The question, in that state, who will help society?
M. Laitman: The Creator.
Student: If we're all in that state of still, if one falls, you can help him, but if everybody falls, it's not clear how the Creator can help.
M. Laitman: The Creator helps, the Creator will help.
Question (Women Toronto 1): (01:31:49) I'd like to follow the friend's question from quite a while ago regarding the death or dethroning of the king of Egypt. When the minister of Egypt is lowered from his status and falls from his pride. Does this happen, in part, when a person consciously decides not to automatically trust, or mindlessly, obey their own reason, anymore?
M. Laitman: Is that a question? We do not trust our mind, we don't rely on our minds. But only on the state that the Creator arranges for us.
Question (Women Heb 1): (01:33:09) If every friend of the Ten talks more to the Creator, does it raise the quota of the Ten and help it advance?
M. Laitman: Yes, yes.
Question (Tel Aviv 1): (01:33:32) The sons of Israel sighed from the work and cried, and their sigh went up to God from the work, and He heard their cry.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: We have that they sighed, and they cried, and their plea went up, and God heard. What are those states?
M. Laitman: They have to come in such a way on us.
Student: The two first states sighed from the work and cried, so he doesn't mention a response, just a sigh came out, then a cry. Then, the third is their plea went up; and four, He heard their plea. What are all those discernments, what are the first two actions that don't get a response?
M. Laitman: I guess where he can't respond to them, yet.
Student: Is there something unworthy about the first states?
M. Laitman: No, they have to be there, but we still cannot elicit a response.
Student: If we sigh or cry, that's our response, so we should get some kind of response, or maybe not?
M. Laitman: We're not supposed to, we're not able to.
Student: Our vessel isn't…?
M. Laitman: Yes, yes, we don't feel the sting, yet.
Student: In three and four, we already start?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Holland): (01:35:17) What is a complete suffering?
M. Laitman: Complete suffering is when a person sees the source of the suffering and how he should respond to them, meaning, to whom and why and how much. And what will come out of it, where is that leading a person to?
Question (Siberia): (01:36:10) This article awakens fear towards the upcoming states. To fall asleep or betray the friends and not even be aware of it. It's important to see the development of this fear, on one hand. To understand that we value our desired state so there's a fear of the current state. On the other hand, you said that we should check what's disturbing us, and also develop that type of fear of remaining in a bad state. Which is the right direction to work in? In developing the value for the desired state, or on certain states we still have to be aware that I might lose everything?
M. Laitman: Try to scrutinize, not from within the ego what you might lose, but rather out of how close can you actually be to the goal of creation. In effect, all those states lead us to the goal. There's nothing that an action would go against.
Reader: (01:37:51) Let's go to the next part and sing.
Song: (01:37:56)