Morning Lesson December 2, 2023

Transcription is made from simultaneous translation, which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio

Part 3:

Baal HaSulam. The Arvut [Mutual Guarantee]. #18

Reading Item #18 (00:29) “Therefore, the Tana described the Arvut..”

1. R. (01:09) The problem is that the other one doesn't understand that both of them are connected to the reason that might drown them.

Reader continues. (01:20) “Meaning as we said, since..”

2. S. (02:11) What is ‘the iron wall’, it says,”those who engage in self-love build an iron wall that prevents those who do want to work”?

R. They cannot understand what is happening on the other side of the fence.

S. What is that fence, the fact that they are busy with themselves, that's clear; they don't understand that they're in a boat and they're harming others.

R. So?

S. That's their level of development, what can you do?

R. Yes.

S. So what is this ‘iron wall’ or ‘iron fence’ that’s stopping everyone?

R. Their ego isn't giving them any ability not to think and not to see the different state.

S. Do they have a choice to do otherwise?

R. No, not yet, they have to do a lot of actions, pre-actions, to try and reach a state that we're all connected to everybody, we’re all responsible for everybody, and only in such a way, they can break that wall, break that fence.

S. But for themselves, they don't know it, they don't see it?

R. No, they can't imagine that it’s possible, that it’s possible to come to a state where everybody just lives in a different style.

S. Here, he's not talking about them, he's talking about us, right?

R. Yes.

S. So, there are situations where a person does harm and he doesn't know he's doing it?

R. Yes, it's usually like that, if he wants to not do damage but to benefit, so he has to work in faith above reason, there’s no other way.

S. And there's no middle way here, either he does harm or he does good?

R. Yes.

S. Either he's drilling a hole in the boat or..”

R. No, only on the side of the hole.

3. S. (04:50) He’s not detaining himself, he writes that “he's hindering, detaining those who observe the Torah”?

R. Because among them there are a few that for sure can reach great spiritual degrees, and pass the light of correction to humanity, and he won't let them do it, either.

S. Yes, I’m continuing the previous friend.

R. Well?

S. But he, himself, can’t do anything against it.

R. Right.

S. So, on the systemic level, what does that mean, meaning if he can do anything against the situation he’s in and yet he's detaining everyone else’s development, so how do we come out of that catch?

R. We don't come out of it.

S. So what's the Creator's logic in doing this?

R. I don't know what's rational in that state, but He's telling you about what’s happening, and we see it in reality.

4. S. (06:03) What action can a person who is drilling the hole in the boat do in order to rise above reason?

R. How can he rise above reason, his reason is in that hole.

S. Can he see?

R. He can't see the damage.

S. Is there a way that he can see he's..?

R. No, no, how could that be?

S. So how can we diagnose it in the Ten?

R. Only if a few friends come to me, and maybe can take him out of there, give him a different viewpoint on what’s happening.

S. But in the Ten, sometimes, we interpret it this way, sometimes that way?

R. That’s a question of thousands of years that we’re in this already.

5. S. (07:16) We see over the last year in our country, there have been many situations that are similar, you can see people drilling holes. Here, he’s drawing his attention telling him, “stop, fool look what you’re doing”, but what do you do if two people think that the other one is drilling a hole in the boat; how do you come to know what is right?

R. So it's lost that each one, the more he makes mistakes, he thinks he’s doing something better.

S. But this is our reality.

R. Yes, I agree with you, but what can we do?

S. So what can we do?

R. Only dissemination of the wisdom of Kabbalah can, maybe, correct people, that they’ll see what the path of truth is.

S. Which is really to bring them here, to spread the connection between us?

R. To here, some other place.

6. S. (08:28) Within a person, can one desire tell the other desire, ‘you're drilling a hole’?

R. Could be, could be, but it still wasn't decided, yet.

S. In the end, all our desires and qualities, should they reach some sort of mutual guarantee between them, that they’re walking together toward the goal?

R. A person is influenced by a thousand cases around him, that's why we can hope that he will reach the truth.

Reading Item #19 (09:37) “Rabbi Elazar, son of RASHBI,..”

7. S. (13:14) Who are “the Fathers”?

R. “The Fathers” are the ones who gave us rules on how to advance and adhere to the Creator.

S. Are they desires, souls, people?

R. Souls.

S. Can there be previous states, what does it mean that their corrections gave us some sort of a merit?

R. We connect to them and all become one soul, somehow, and by them, we ascend and connect to the Creator.

8. S. (14:05) Rabbi Elazar, when he writes that “the whole world should enter into the Arvut”, where is it written about it in “The Zohar”, if it is maybe we should study there?

R. No, not now, it's enough what he's writing here.

9. S. (14:35) In the beginning, he explained that one nation when it wants to engage in Arvut, it has to have everyone absolutely engaging in it. Here, he says with the nation, one nation is enough, why is that?

R. I don't know he's talking about rules that we need to come closer to and attain, and then we can see.

S. But there's a relation towards themselves, here he gives us one rule, and with respect to the general Kli, with respect to the world, it’s a different discernment?

R. You need to understand that the fact that he writes about it, it’s not that you read it and right away you can go and keep it and perform it, this is a light shining on you somehow. So think about it and try to get closer to it and see whether you’re drawn to it or not.

Reading Item #20. (15:50) “But the end of the correction..”

10. S. (18:53) The transition between items 19 to 21, is the means for its dissemination?

R. it could be, it could be a few more means, like what?

11. S. (19:16) For Kabbalists, is Arvut something constant or is it something that we have to renew all the time?

R. The Arvut, the mutual guarantee, is absolutely fixed.

S. He accepts it and never falls down from it?

R. No, because it's..

S. Even if we get new shattered vessels?

R. It’s the law of the world.

12. S. (19:50) It looks like he is emphasizing the matter of the intention of Lishma, here, in order to bestow, and he says that the whole world, “the whole nation will be such”?

R. Well?

S. But it's not applicable. It seems that the whole nation will keep this exalted work of Lishma, to reach adhesion, how is this possible?

R. I don’t know, but you see the Creator created the will to receive, our ego, and we’re to keep, safeguard, this ego, and sustain it quickly in any situation, so why can’t it be otherwise?

S. Because we see then only run away from blows, even the blows can’t connect us, and here we’re not only speaking about blows but through love. Not to reach like family around the table but something more exalted?

R. If the Creator illuminates in this, there will be no problem, whatsoever!

Reading Item #21 (21:31) “These are the words of..”

13. S. (24:49) What are we adding to the scale of merit, what does it mean “to put one sesame of Arvut”?

R. That each and every one of us understands how the law of Arvut operates and we want to join that law.

S. But what is, ‘one sesame shows a process of many sesames’?

R. Whatever the ability each one has to add to this decision is called, “one sesame”.

S. What do you add to this decision?

R. That I wanted to be this way.

S. In a certain moment, let’s say, because you know you can add and subtract?

R. Yes.

S. So what am I adding or subtracting?

R. When you understand that only in this way does the person and the world achieve their desired correction.

S. So sometimes I see and remember, then I forget?

R. So you are correcting yourself, so you don't forget.

S. You cannot forget?

R. In the Arvut, in the mutual responsibility, in the mutual responsibility.

S. Arvut is a condition that stays or is it temporary?

R. It’s a condition that everyone wants to observe because otherwise, everyone will suffer.

S. But it's like, it’s a state that somehow is attained and remains, or not?

R. No, we attain it and keep it forever.

S. So when he says to “determine the scales”, what does he mean?

R. That we tilt the scales to the side of merit.

S. But once we tilt it, it can go back to the other scale?

R. Yes, if we let go of it, it will go back.

14. S. (27:02) He writes at the end twenty, that “every commandment that each one of Israel performs in order to give contentment to His maker, or not for any payment or reward of self-love, it works in it, so it's a measure for the development of the whole world”. So that commandment that we do, is that to raise a desire to the Creator and get a correction on every desire?

R. Our relation to creation, by this, we point to, we influence everyone.

S. What does it mean “not for any self-reward”?

R. That I don't want anything in this other than to make everyone reveal the Creator and know the general correction of the world.

S. How does he know that he finished correcting a certain desire if he doesn’t ask for a reward for himself?

R. I don't know, I have not reached it, but I think that to the extent that we get closer to these things, we begin to discern them more and more and understand them.

15. S. (28:35) To understand correctly, so we create an environment that the aspiration for Arvut always exists?

R. Yes.

S. That's a consent that we don't sway from?

R. Yes.

S. And each one in that environment, will fall, go up, come down, come back?

R. Correct.

S. Is there a state where everybody is already constant in it, and not only the environment but also privately each one feels the obligation for Arvut and doesn’t let go of it?

R. I think that in the end, yes, we will feel more and more, how much we either through Torah or through the suffering, we will feel that we have to realize the Arvut together.

S. It is our game as a collective with the Creator?

R. Yes.

S. It’s not that if we want Arvut, it will be like that?

R. Correct, it’s the Creator deliberately building between us all kinds of relationships that we learn from them what Arvut is and how necessary it is for us.

16. S. (29:59) The topic of Arvut does it speak about the corporeal world too or only spiritual desires?

R. In the corporeal world of course it is but mainly it is in spirituality.

S. I’ll start from the corporeal that I see all only in a very small group we can speak about Arvut. Once it reaches a group..?

R. Yes, it's not felt any more.

S. Not only that you don't feel it, you feel the opposite, that there are certain groups in the collective that they are like psychopaths and..?

R. We're not talking about that.

S. Clear but can it even be possible to have Arvut at a corporeal level or it’s not what we’re aspiring to or talking about?

R. It depends under what conditions a person is in, it may be that he sees the truth to such an extent and the conditions for attaining the truth; that he sees that he has no choice, that it’s like he has to go for it all out, like he's willing to die for it.

S. It's like the maximum we can do, each one in their circles whether the Ten, Bnei Baruch, like certain pockets in the world where you can start building this relation?

R. Yes.

S. Will this have any influence on the general reality or are we not dealing with it?

R. The general reality meaning what?

S. Corporeal, nine billion people living here, the world here that’s going into flames or are we saying no, that's external conditions and..?

R. No, of course we influence it, our corporeal conditions are a result of our inner actions.

S. So all in all the right approach is as much as we can to start the Arvut in the close circles to you and to try and reach the highest level there?

R. Yes.

S. And what’s happening around us?

R. It will pass.

17. S. (32:36) Could there be spiritual Arvut without corporeal Arvut?

R. You’re asking me about things that I’m not really sure I can say something about them. These are already revelations of the final correction. Corporeal Arvut, spiritual Arvut, to what extent they will connect with one another I’m not sure, I don't know.

S. Now in our state in the Ten or our society?

R. We too in our state, to the extent that we feel responsible for the Arvut between us so that the world will exist, how can you say it? That we really have it like the law of creation.

S. I'm asking because Rabash said that the friend's corporeality is my spirituality and so on.

R. So what? He said it, in the meantime what does that have to do with me?

S. That's what I'm asking, could there be a state that I'm in guarantee to the friend internally, being concerned about his importance of the goal but in corporeality let it happen, could there be such a thing?

R. Let it happen, you have to accept these things as a package. The question is to what extent are we built for it, ready for it? These things are still very, very far.

S. The matter is how much I can in practice, support corporeality or spirituality with the friend but everything is about Arvut, corporeality and spirituality?

R. Yes.

18. S. (34:48) States in the Ten happen that we feel that we’re all in the Ten, able to relieve ourselves of all kinds of things that happen in life and be in a moment of Arvut. Usually it’s if a friend has a difficult state but suddenly corporeality works out, you don't think about work, you don’t think about eating, nothing. It’s like a sensation that what’s important is only the Arvut between us but when you wake up from it you see it's not practical, you can’t remain in this. Every time corporeal life pulls you, you have to go to work, do things but for a certain moment there's a state that you feel the Arvut. The purpose is to let go of everything and to only be in that feeling?

R. No, you have to include them together.

S. What, entrances and exits?

R. It could be entries and exits and perhaps both of them simultaneously, we'll talk about it.

19. S. (36:04) Again and again I fall asleep and then when I wake up I discover that I was drilling a hole, so from here onward if I’m not for me who is for me but up till now None Else Besides Him. Why did the Creator drill a hole again and again?

R. You didn't ask Him beforehand, so He forgot about you.

S. Before I fall asleep I have to ask?

R. That the Creator will not let you fall asleep.

S. When do I use, how do I use it so I discover that I'm going to be a hole in our Kli?

R. Ask Him, ask the Creator.

S. Ask Him to use what He..?

R. Whatever you want in any language you know, ask Him.

S. What exactly am I asking for?

R. I don't know, whatever you want. He’s asking me what he should ask the Creator for, a person should scrutinize it by himself.

20. S. (38:10) The Arvut, does it happen in practice or should we create it?

R. It’s the law of nature, it is revealed according to a person's development.

S. From what I understand the Arvut is a condition that everyone has to want to keep so if it's a law of nature what does it matter, there's gravity and nobody asked me?

R. No, no, no, that law of gravity operates on you to the extent that you need it.

S. That's not clear so much. If this law exists, it exists?

R. It doesn't exist, it exists only toward certain people under certain conditions that depend on a person's work.

S. How does a person drill a hole in the boat if..?

R. He doesn't know or he doesn't care.

S. How is he even connected to the boat if he doesn’t know and doesn’t care? How is he even connected to this, he’s not connected?

R. You remember the story, there are two people in a boat, one is drilling a hole and the other one wants to stop him and he tells him you shouldn't care, I'm drilling on my half, so what are you asking about this?

S. He doesn't know, he doesn't belong to the Arvut, he doesn’t care about it so how is he drilling? He doesn't exist in that reality of that condition of Arvut, he doesn’t exist there.

R. Everyone exists in the conditions of Arvut, everyone exists, we are all in this planet.

S. Then a person doesn't have to agree to be in the Arvut?

R. No, if we agree to the conditions of Arvut then we will reach wholeness.

S. I still don't understand why we need man's agreement if he exists and it puts him in there. Whether he knows it or not he’s there, he’s in the Arvut.

R. He’s in the Arvut but he's doing harm, there's a difference between doing harm or saving everyone.

21. S. (41:00) Yesterday in the meal a friend asked you about that they’re afraid of their sons, about fear. They say that they feel such fear that they don’t know what’s happened with their children and the friend asked you how do I turn that fear into spiritual fear. I hear that there's a state where I'm drilling a hole in the boat in every moment. How can I use the fear I know from this reality in order to change it to be afraid that every moment I’m harming the Arvut between the friends? How do I take a corporeal feeling that I can feel and turn it into something spiritual to work with?

R. Only through an internal effort, I have nothing else to add, here I have nothing to add.

22. S. (42:28) How can the Ten help a friend understand that she is doing damage? How can a person understand he's doing damage, that he’s disconnected and doesn’t know where he is, what can help?

R. Speak to her like you speak to a little kid.

S. If she doesn't accept it correctly?

R. Everyone together convinces the friend that there are states here that she's not accepting.

23. S. (43:23) We learned about the covenant of the eyes, the covenant of the tongue, that silence is gold. What other covenants are there to help us attain the end of correction? We also learned about the covenant of the heart.

R. Besides this there's nothing.

24. S. (44:02) What's unique, in what are we better or less than other people that the Creator brought to Bnei Baruch that we got an opportunity or an obligation to determine the world to the scale of merit?

R. We still don't know that, we’ll know this later on. What happens to a person in this world we don't know but you see that there are people like this, like that, with this fate or that fate but why? We can only talk about this but not understand it.

S. Can we say that it’s a reward or a punishment, is it an opportunity or an obligation?

R. In principle it's a privilege.

S. There's an opportunity in this incarnation to do it or it's an obligation?

R. It’s an opportunity.

25. S. (45:29) When we look at the laws, the general laws like gravity we see it works completely without taking anything into consideration of our development, it’s constant and that’s it. Here there's a different set of laws that has a consideration to the level of development. We don't see the Arvut working completely if humanity isn’t developed enough.

R. Yes.

S. How is that, it’s strange, it’s like there’s an additional system of laws that works in a different way?

R. Yes.

S. How can people use these laws, discover them because it's different than discovering regular laws?

R. Let us advance a little more. In the meantime we don’t know how to use our strength correctly, our qualities, we can’t.