Part 2

Baal HaSulam, The Freedom- Habit Becomes a Second Nature

Reader: (00:20) The third reason is a conduct of direct cause and effect…

1. R. (04:53) Meaning there are no limits to the changes in a person, just like that. environment.

2. S. (05:21) According to what I understand a person through bestowal and the influence of the environment can change his source from egoistic to altruistic? Meaning that it can be such a shift?

R. A person can turn from an egoist to an altruist but it all happens by the help of the upper force.

S. It's not the example that he gives?

R. No I guess not.

3. S.(05:56) What process is undergone so a person changes his inclination for the better?

R. I guess we'll read it again.

Reading (06:18) “Habit becomes a second nature…”

4. R. (08:40) Meaning with the environment we can really change ourselves, from one end to the other.

5. S. (08:53) It's not only a matter of the environment he says that because it turned into a reason so what does it mean that it turned into reason and from there the society decides into what direction this inclination goes?

R. Yes, that's a point that I get too, from my will to receive and then at that point I can already turn myself around supposedly to a new direction.

S. Meaning the inclination or the tenancy is coming from a third place and it has to turn into something weak in the air?

R. It's not in the air it's a thought, a concept that I'm willing to take upon myself a goal, a different one.

S. This tendency still exist in me?

R. The previous one.

S. What does it mean previously ?

R. Because I'm changing one tendency to another tendency.

S. But the change didn't happen in the reason?

R. That's what he wanted to say that by this we actually become something new.

6. S. (10:24) A person was born with it tendency to be frugal, but he lives in the environment and from his nature he begins to acquire reason, and what is reasonable?

R. That's according to his nature.

7. S. (10:41) Can we try to scrutinize it ?

R. Try.

S. A person was born with a tendency to be frugal. He lives in the environment and from his nature he begins to acquire reason, according to his nature. This is how he was raised that he's frugal and he's good with it and he doesn't owe anyone so it feels good to be frugal.

R. Yes.

S. What does he say,he says that if a state comes and he doesn't owe anyone then he will be freed from his stinginess, how will he suddenly be freed from his stinginess? All of his life he was raised. It's good to be frugal and stingy and he doesn't know anyone so what suddenly happens now that he releases and let go of this tendency.

R. He doesn't want to be dependent on other people.

S. Right, this is why he's stingy.

R. Specifically, that tendency of not to depend on others, changes him. Let's say that the one who protects himself that he won't need the others so he acquired a scale of frugality and when that fear is absent he can waive it.

S. Yes, meaning a person is stingy because he doesn't know anyone, if the state will come where he feels free from this fear, needing the others he will stop being stingy.

R. Right.

S. How does it happen suddenly that he's freed from fearing the need of others?

R. That he acquired a scale of frugality that when fear is absent he can waive it.

S. Yes, meaning if he will get a twist that he stops the fear from needing others then, he will let go of his stinginess, how was such a thing happened to him? He said that this is through the habit, what does it mean through the habit? What habit will a stingy person need to follow again again and again? To do what? Not to need others? To top being stingy to others?

R. Yes, let's say he feels pressure from them.

S. Presse mure from them so what to stop being stingy?

R. He moves away from that frugality.

S. What are you saying that being stingy is bad?

R. I don't waive it. Meaning that if he won't see a reward so it follows that he has changed substantially for the better, from the tendency he inherited from his forefathers and sometimes one manages to completely up root a bad tendency. This is done by habit which has the ability to become a second nature. Meaning it's possible to come out of it. We say that all kinds of tendencies are in a person from nature but he can uproot them, change them.

S. How? He says through a habit how? A person is frugal, what habit does he need to do to uproot this bad tendency?

R. He has to be in the right environment.

S. What will it give him?

R. He needs to get an impression that he doesn't need to use that frugality in order to succeed.

S. How will he be impressed if he was impressed his entire life by an environment that showed him how good it is to be frugal. How suddenly let's say he moves to a different environment.

R. Here he has a resistance and inner resistance between what he has from when he inherits it from his parents let's say, and what he has.

S. What is the force of resistance between what he acquired?

From his parents he got a tendency to be frugal.

S. Yes.

R. He discovers that he has a different tendency.

S. Where is the other tendency from?

R. From within him.

S. He also acquired it?

R. Yes.

S. Meaning he has two opposite tendencies for frugality and openness?

R. Yes, there are such examples in history.

S. Let's say he has such a conflict.

R. He's saying this. Let's assume that someone who has frugality becomes the reason. He understands that it's in though. Meaning it already went from being in his feelings, in his inner feeling, it was his own, now it's already in his mind. Meaning it reached a degree that it can change. That he can hear things against it proof, to see results, maybe negative effects of being frugal and so on and by that he'll change. That happens with each and everyone. If you pay attention you'll see all kinds of older tendencies and how you came out of them.

S. What is the habit a person needs to get himself used to in order to follow the good tendency?

R. Only to change an environment it could also be the same environment but it has to change.

S. How will he start hearing different things from the environment?

R. First of all he changed, then he can hear what he's told in a different way.

S. The same environment but he hears from a different?

R. Let's say.

S. What to see change to, in order to be impressed?

R.The change happened to him.

S. But the change cannot happen if the environment did not act on him?

R. Let's assume that the one who is stingy from his own nature through the environment it became his thought so he understands it's in his thought. Meaning first it was emotional and now it's in thought.

S. It turned into a concept, how from the state unreasonable he begins to acquire new reason?

R. Then he can deal with it because in concept that's not emotional, that's in reason, it's through proof or examples so he can change himself.

S. How does he activate this environment?

R. In according to the extent that he decides.