The transcript has been transcribed and edited from English simultaneous interpretation, thus there may be potential semantic inaccuracies within it.
Daily Morning Lesson: May 30, 2025
Lesson 1: Rabash. A Real Prayer Is over a Real Deficiency
Reader: Hello friends. We will begin the lesson with a recorded talk with Rav about the article, Rabash's article, “A Real Prayer is Over a Real Deficiency.” You can find the article in kabbalahmedia.info as well as through the Arvut platform, the study materials tab. You can also send us questions live. The recorded talk will be about half an hour long. Again, a talk the friends held with Rav about the article, A Real Prayer is Over a Real Deficiency.
Student: So, we have our weekend. We want it to be a weekend of connection, and we decided that the subject will be prayer. We want to have three days of prayer, and we brought excerpts to scrutinize our prayer, our preparation for the prayer, so we can dive deeper into that. And in general, we want our next big convention to also be on the subject of prayer. So, we'll do this little pilot on ourselves to see how it works. So, let's start reading Rabash’s article together.
Reading: (01:13) A Real Prayer Is over a Real Deficiency
Article No. 11, 1986
The writing says, “These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt. …And a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. …And the Egyptians compelled the sons of Israel to labor rigorously … And it came to pass that the sons of Israel sighed from the work, and they cried out, and their cry because of the work went up to God … and God heard their groaning.”
We should understand why it is written, “and their cry because of the work went up to God.” Did they not have greater torments in Egypt? Here it seems that their cry, meaning their torments, were only from the work. It is also written, “And God heard their groaning,” meaning that hearing the prayer was over their groaning, which is only about the work.
We shall interpret this according to our way. It is known that before a person begins to work in order to bestow, but for reasons that are written in the holy Zohar (“Introduction of the Book of Zohar,” items 190-191), that there are two reasons for engaging in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments]: 1) to have the pleasures of this world. If he does not observe the Torah and Mitzvot he is afraid that the Creator will punish him. 2) To have the pleasures of the next world. His fear that he may not be given causes him to observe Torah and Mitzvot.
When the reason that compels him to observe Torah and Mitzvot is his own benefit, the body does not resist so much because to the extent that he believes in reward and punishment he can work and feel that each day he is adding more. And this is the truth, that each day of performing Mitzvot and engaging in the Torah joins the day before, and so he adds to his possessions of keeping Torah and Mitzvot.
The reason is that his intention is primarily the reward, and he is not thinking about the intention, meaning that his aim will be to bestow. Rather, he believes in reward and punishment, and that he will be rewarded for what he is doing. Therefore, his aim is only to perform proper actions in every detail. Otherwise, if the actions are improper, it is certain that his work will not be accepted so as to reward him for them. When he sees that the work he is doing is fine, he has nothing more to worry about.
For this reason, his concern is only with the quantity, meaning that he should try to do more good deeds. If he is a wise disciple then he knows he should delve deeper into his learning and be more meticulous in the Mitzvot he is performing—to keep them according to the law according to everyone’s view. He always tries to be rigorous with judgments that are usually treated more lightly, while he tries to be more rigorous, but he has no other worries.
It follows that such people—whose reason for observing Torah and Mitzvot and assuming the burden of the kingdom of heaven is to be rewarded in this world and in the next world—do not need the Creator to have the strength to engage in Torah and Mitzvot, since to the extent of their faith in reward and punishment the body allows them to keep, each according to his degree.
This is not so with people who want to do the holy work in order to bestow without any reward, and want to observe Torah and Mitzvot because of the greatness of the Creator, and it is a great privilege for them to be allowed to serve the King, as it is written in the above-mentioned holy Zohar: “Fear, which is the first, is that one should fear one’s Master because He is great and ruling, the essence and the root.”
He interprets there, in the Sulam [Ladder commentary on The Zohar], that there are three manners to fear of the Creator: 1) fear of punishments in this world, 2) fearing punishments of Hell, as well. Those two are not real fear because he is not keeping the fear because of the commandment of the Creator, but for his own sake. It follows that his personal benefit is the root, and fear is the branch and results from his own benefit. But fear that is the essence is that he will fear the Creator because He is great and rules over everything.
It follows that the greatness of the Creator is the reason that compels him to observe Torah and Mitzvot. This is regarded as his desire being only to bestow upon the Creator, called “bestowing contentment upon his Maker and not for his own benefit.”
Here begins the exile, meaning that he is not permitted to aim his work to be in order not to receive reward, since it is against nature. And although one can force oneself although the body disagrees, just as one can practice abstention although it is against nature, but this pertains to actions. That is, to do things against the body’s will he can go above reason, called “against the body’s will.”
However, he cannot go against his feeling and intellect, meaning to say that he feels otherwise than he does. For example, if a person is cold or hot, he cannot say that his feeling is untrue, and force himself to say that he understands otherwise than what his mind does, or that he feels otherwise than what he is feeling. His only option is to say what he sees.
It follows that when one wants to keep Torah and Mitzvot in order to bestow upon the Creator, it is the nature of the body not to move at all unless it sees that it will have some reward. Thus, he has no way to work for the Creator and not for his own benefit.
Here begins the exile, meaning the torments that as much as he works he sees no progress. For example, if he is twenty years old he can say that he has acquired possessions of twenty years of engagement in Torah and Mitzvot. On the other hand, he can say that he has been keeping Torah and Mitzvot for twenty years but has not achieved the ability to do anything in order to bestow, rather everything is built on the basis of self-love.
It follows that all the torments and pains he suffers are because he cannot work for the Creator. He wants to work in order to bestow, but the body is enslaved to the Klipot [shells/peels] and does not let him have this aim. At that time he cries out to the Creator to help him because he sees that he is in exile among the Klipot, they govern him, and he sees no way that he will be able to emerge from their control.
It follows that at that time his prayer is regarded as a real prayer because he cannot come out from this exile, as it is written, “And He brought Israel out from their midst, for His mercy is forever.” Since this is against nature, only the Creator can deliver Israel from this exile. But since it is known that there is no light without a Kli [vessel], meaning that there is no filling without a lack, and the lack is the Kli that receives the filling, for this reason, before one enters exile, meaning if he does not see that he cannot deliver himself from the exile by himself, it cannot be said that he should be brought out. This is so because although he cries, “Get me out of the state I am in,” it is not a real prayer because how does he know that he cannot come out by himself?
Rather, this can be said precisely when he feels the exile, meaning that he will pray from the bottom of the heart. There are two conditions for praying from the bottom of the heart: 1) His work must be against nature. That is, he wants to do everything only to bestow, and wants to exit self-love. At that time it can be said that he has a lack. 2) He begins to exit self-love by himself and exerts in it, but cannot move an inch from his state. At that time he becomes needy of the Creator’s help and his prayer is real because he sees that he cannot do anything by himself. Then, when he cries out to the Creator to help him, he knows this from the work, as it is written, “And the children of Israel sighed from the work.” This means that by working and wanting to achieve the degree of being able to bestow upon the Creator, they saw that they could not emerge from their nature so they prayed from the bottom of the heart.
By this we will understand what we asked about the verse, “and their cry because of the work went up to God.” This means that the worst torments, over which was all their crying out, was only over the work, and not over other things. Rather, it means that they were crying out over their situation—that they could not emerge from self-love and work for the Creator. This was their exile, which tormented them—that they saw that they were under their control.
It follows that in the exile in Egypt they obtained Kelim, meaning a desire that the Creator will help them emerge from the exile, as we said above that there is no light without a Kli, for only when we pray a real prayer, when one sees that he cannot be saved, and only the Creator can help him, this is considered a real prayer.
Student: (14:32) How can you reach such a state where a person is honest with himself, true with himself, like a knife that cuts, that slices, where he understands that he is the complete opposite and only prayer can help him? How to maintain such a focused state. Sharply focused within, to always aim towards the prayer, not to be faking it and, you know, saying everything is fine, without calming oneself down? How?
M. Laitman: How is it possible? Speak with oneself.
Student: Speaking with oneself. He'll tell himself whatever is good for him.
M. Laitman: No. Not that much if he speaks with himself and not in the presence of others.
Student: In his thoughts, but with himself?
M. Laitman: So then he truly sees how much he deceives himself.
Student: And when the person talks with himself and discovers that he's been deceiving himself, what comes next?
M. Laitman: Afterwards, repentance, as it is called.
Student: His state where he's deceiving himself is unpleasant, so he immediately runs away.
M. Laitman: He doesn't escape. No. On the contrary.
Student: I've discovered that I've been deceiving myself.
M. Laitman: Well?
Student: What next? I discovered it.
M. Laitman: What next? Repent.
Student: Meaning?
M. Laitman: That you will be able to divide your states into a few parts. That's all.
Student: What is a person who deceives?
M. Laitman: One who deceives is one who deceives oneself.
Student: In what am I a cheater?
M. Laitman: That you lie to yourself.
Student: I'm not to sweeten the lie by saying that certainly the Creator created things this way, there's private Providence, that I start giving myself various justifications.
M. Laitman: Yes. I have nothing to answer.
Student: How do I stick a sharp knife directly into that point and not let it escape me?
M. Laitman: So do that, just like with a knife.
Student: And what is the prayer to the Creator when a person discovers that he is deceiving himself?
M. Laitman: That he doesn't want to deceive himself and he requests Him to help him.
Student: Does the Creator owe him anything here?
M. Laitman: The Creator needs to give to everyone.
Student: And what does He owe?
M. Laitman: That He does not escape from you.
Student: Does He appreciate it when a person discovers that he is a cheater and turns to the Creator?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: (17:44) We just read that there is someone within us enslaving us, and then we shout for help. So, it's interesting, back in the days you had slaves, they were captured and forced to labor, that's pretty clear in terms of enslavement. Nowadays, we're made to work 12 hours a day, 15 hours a day, and we get many advertisements for all sorts of things that I have to go and buy, and this modern slavery, as we call it. And there's another kind of enslavement where I don't even identify that there is something within me, a will to receive, enslaving me. So here's the question, why does it take so many years until a person understands that he's being enslaved by the will to receive?
M. Laitman: It's not talking about years, it's talking about the truth that the person starts seeing.
Student: Yes, so why is it so difficult to see? And by what does he come to see it?
M. Laitman: He sees that as a result, that he disagrees within to be enslaved under his will to receive.
Student: Yes, but a step before that, what should a person do in order to feel it? If now I felt that someone is enslaving me, certainly I would cry out to the Creator from morning to evening.
M. Laitman: Well.
Student: The question is, we study, we try to connect the light, you know, we sit together five, six hours drawing the light. So why and it can be years, why doesn't it come to a point where, okay, we have this intellectual understanding of things, but there's no real feeling, there's no feeling, you don't feel that someone is actually enslaving you. How do you come to feel that?
M. Laitman: That is called that you still do not identify who is your true enemy.
Student: Yes, that much is clear to me. So, I'm asking, as a result of what actions? I suppose I'm not performing the right actions, which will result in me feeling that someone is enslaving me. So the question is, as a result of what will I come to feel it?
M. Laitman: It's as a result of you talking with yourself in an open manner.
Student: I think I do.
M. Laitman: You think that in any case you hide things from yourself.
Student: Yes, a person can't work without fuel. So, I suppose this fuel is leaking somewhere. Because on the one hand, I have the power, the fuel to come to the lessons and continue in dissemination and connect. Because if you don't have that, the person just leaves. But on the other hand, I don't reach that shout. Maybe it's something that a person can't reach by himself. Maybe it has to do with the Arvut, or others also have to, or maybe it's something individual.
M. Laitman: Something personal.
Student: So, I don't depend on the Ten in terms of reaching that shout?
M. Laitman: No.
Student: It doesn't matter how many hours they think about it, and it doesn't depend on that.
M. Laitman: No.
Student: Okay, so it's only my personal work.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: (21:01) Now you return to the advice of talking with oneself. Why does he hide the truth that way? He feels it, or rather, he feels the truth, but he hides it from himself. He conceals it from himself. So, how to transition from concealing the truth from yourself and shining a light on it?
M. Laitman: If he talks with himself, inside himself?
Student: Yes.
M. Laitman: So then he should do so in a way where it is impossible to escape from it.
Student: How? That's what I'm asking. What is the means, the instrument, the means which will help me not run away from myself?
M. Laitman: The instrument that will help you not to escape from yourself is the feeling of truth, that if you escape it then you hate yourself.
Student: And from where does the feeling of truth come to the person?
M. Laitman: From that he talked to himself many times beforehand, and now this opportunity opens for him.
Student: (22:39) By what do you define truth?
M. Laitman: According to clear data.
Student: But in relation to what? You say that a person is deceiving himself, so what does it mean that he is in the truth?
M. Laitman: That a person deceives himself, it means that he does not want to ask about the truth.
Student: And what is the truth?
M. Laitman: The truth is certainly against him, and he doesn't want to hear anything against him.
Student: So it turns out that in this entire process we're going through, you're always going against the truth. The truth is the opposite of you, always.
M. Laitman: But you need to hold it before you.
Student: You hold it in the sense of wanting to be there, or are you in it already? Are you in the truth, or do you want to be there?
M. Laitman: That you want to reach the truth.
Student: And does the person ultimately reach the truth, or does he just want to?
M. Laitman: If the Creator will help, then yes.
Student: How do you make God help?
M. Laitman: You cry, you shout, you demand.
Student: (24:11) He writes in the article that the reason for the fear is that a person attributes it to himself. How to put it? The point of ego, that's where he comes from, that's what motivates him always, that fear. How to transition to the other side where he hinges his fear on God?
M. Laitman: What in fear is the point of the Creator?
Student: The person is just the will to receive, the ego, and that's where he acts from. The fear, fear about himself, his children, his future, all those fears. Is that not true? What is the foundation? What does he hinge his whole existence on?
M. Laitman: Connection with the Creator.
Student: Connection with the Creator, that's the corrected state, if he hinges everything on that. That's desirable.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: But he's the opposite of that. He was created to be opposite by nature. He hinges everything on his self. So how do you change, invert that point that you come from, where I start acting from the connection with the Creator and not out of my self? How to invert that?
M. Laitman: To stay on that point. I don't see another way.
Student: (25:52) He follows that self-benefit is the root and fear is the branch.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: I'm asking how to invert it, so that the fear of the Creator will be the root?
M. Laitman: It's only by prayer. We have no forces for that, we have no ability, only prayer.
Student: In the three days that we're going to have together, how will we always maintain the prayer? Everything holds to the prayer, everything returns to that.
M. Laitman: That we all hold onto that same demand, elevated from us to the Creator, from all of us to the Creator, together. And then we will see what there will be.
Student: In what can we help each other build a common prayer, a shared prayer?
M. Laitman: Each one pushes the others so that we will have a common prayer.
Student: What is that act of pushing?
M. Laitman: Pushing is that I want to constantly remind the friends about the purpose of the connection.
Student: Reminding verbally, talk about it, or is it something more internal?
M. Laitman: Both.
Student: (27:29) What prayer should we reach?
M. Laitman: A prayer that I want, in the biggest desire of mine, to scrutinize how to talk with the Creator.
Student: What does it mean, how to talk with the Creator?
M. Laitman: How to talk, that's all. That He will teach me.
Student: (28:06) Who speaks with the Creator? Each individual?
M. Laitman: Everyone.
Student: And what is the Ten’s discussion with the Creator, is there such a thing?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: How do you come to a state where the Ten is talking to the Creator?
M. Laitman: That we apply efforts and connect among each other, and then, what we feel is that we, somehow, become connected between us. And we raise that feeling to the Creator.
Student: Now, there is a situation where I speak with myself, I speak with the Creator within me, and then there is trying to aim at something that we have in common - reminding the friends of this, pushing them, looking for our common prayer. Should we aim more for that, or does it not really matter? And the main thing is just to engage in it?
M. Laitman: It doesn't really matter.
Student: We need to reach a common prayer. One prayer, together?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: (29:26) He writes that everything is attained by the power of prayer.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: But it's very difficult to hold to the prayer, to use it as a means that you know how to use. How to gain control over your prayer? How do you hold on to the prayer?
M. Laitman: Start from the end, that you prayed and you reached some kind of connection with the Creator, from that point, and then - in return.
Student: But through one's development, you come to a state where you naturally act from the prayer or does the prayer only come after many exertions, many efforts?
M. Laitman: Many efforts.
Student: It will never be natural?
M. Laitman: No.
Student: Why is it so? Why does the prayer come from exertion?
M. Laitman: Because you need to scrutinize it. A question or an exertion without scrutiny reaches nothing.
Student: And the exertion clarifies the prayer?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: So, it turns out there aren't many prayers in the person. If you look at a person's life, there are a few peak points where he comes to an actual, real prayer, right? Or is every little effort defined as a prayer?
M. Laitman: Every little effort defines the prayer.
Student: Okay, so what's special about the big, deep prayer? Is there's a certain aggregation of all the little prayers?
M. Laitman: Yes, the prayers accumulate.
Student: Into what?
M. Laitman: Into one big prayer.
Student: And what is that big prayer made of?
M. Laitman: One big goal. From employing these inner forces of a person, so that it will be clear to him why he wants to turn to the Creator, in truth.
Student: And this is called the answering of the prayer?
M. Laitman: No, it's not an answer.
Student: Gaining new strength and being fulfilled, that's not an answer to the prayer?
M. Laitman: No.There are forces and we'll ask.
Student: What is the answering of the prayer?
M. Laitman: The answering of the prayer is that the person feels that he receives from above answers.
Student: (32:22) How does the prayer turn into a vessel, a Kli? Rabash writes that the prayer is a vessel for the revelation of the Creator. So how to truly turn the prayer into a Kli, a vessel?
M. Laitman: The prayer itself is a vessel.
Student: Medicine, for example, is a Kli. Kli also means “a means”, an instrument in Hebrew. So I know how to treat a person with that. So how can the prayer become a means, an instrument through which I can talk to the Creator?
M. Laitman: It is composed of your desire, your true desire. That is a request.
Student: Does it have any kind of specific structure? What is it made of? Knowledge of how to turn to the Creator?
M. Laitman: A prayer is that you, out of all of your calling and thoughts, reach a state where you reach that in which there is nothing other than prayer.
Student: It's a channel through which one can speak with the Creator?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: So it's just a channel?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: Can you imagine it? Can you say that the Creator is like a magnetic field and when I generate a prayer it's like a wave on some wavelength, and then He receives it, and then He answers me?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: Like we have electromagnetic waves which we can generate. We can generate a certain frequency and then receive it. Is it the same way? Like physics, like that?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: And so it turns out that there are several conditions for generating such a wave within yourself.
M. Laitman: Everyone needs to be in desire, in connection. And then they all connect and elevate it to the Creator.
Student: This wave captured in that field, it's generated within me, is it connected to everyone else also?
M. Laitman: To all the friends.
Student: We talk about the prayer of many, so let's say, I have a wave of a magnitude of 5 gigs, I don't know, and to reach the Creator we need 25, right? Is that right to say? So, I myself cannot generate an intense enough wave, wave of sufficient magnitude, right?
M. Laitman: Try.Try. The reason to leave is that you don't have the answer to the prayer.
Student: So there's no answer to the prayer because the request is not strong enough.
M. Laitman: That's also correct.
Student: (35:39) We say that every lack is felt by the Creator as a prayer. Let's say, I want to eat something or any other thing. He answers that also? He answers everything?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: So, He just waits for us to ask for the right thing? Baal HaSulam writes that even lice, woodlice, prays for food.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: What's the difference between the woodlice’s prayer and a person's prayer? How are they different? All of the inanimate, growing, living, they're all praying unceasingly.
M. Laitman: It turns out that, yes.
Student: So, what kind of prayer do I want to reach? Something where I'm aware of it? What's special about a person's prayer?
M. Laitman: Special in that he scrutinizes that and reaches the outcome.
Student: The person's prayer, is it expressed through thought? Is it a mode of thought?
M. Laitman: Prayer includes thought, and desire, and inclination.
Student: Can you say that a person's prayer is a prayer for others? Is that what distinguishes between the…
M. Laitman: I wouldn't say for the others.
Student: Not for others?
M. Laitman: No. The Creator answers.
Student: (37:17) What does it mean to pray for the friend? Isn't it something more sublime? We even say that if a person prays for himself, it's a sin. The Creator punishes him for it.
M. Laitman: No, I don't think that way.
Student: Don't think that way? It's not true? It brings ruin to one's soul, as it's written, if a person prays for himself. One who prays for himself brings ruin to his soul.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: It's not clear then. You can pray for a friend and you can pray for yourself, asking for yourself. Which is preferable?
M. Laitman: It's preferable to pray a complete prayer.
Student: What is whole and complete about it? What does it include?
M. Laitman: That it comes out from a person, it dresses into what he receives from the Creator. And from there it rises under the throne of honor.
Student: So, that's me and Him, I turn to Him and receive from Him.Where is my Ten here? The vessel, the Kli, where are everyone?
M. Laitman: Connect to everyone.
Student: Why do I need to connect to everyone if I have a channel directly to Him, if He receives my prayer?
M. Laitman: No, you cannot be alone with the Creator.
Workshop
Song: (47:28)