The transcript has been transcribed and edited from English simultaneous interpretation, thus there may be potential semantic inaccuracies within it.

Daily Lesson (Morning) December 30, 2024.

Part 2: Rabash. 77. Greeks Have Gathered Around Me

Reader: We are reading in The Writings of Rabash, Article 77, “Greeks Have Gathered Around Me”. 

77. Greeks Have Gathered Around Me

Reading: (0:18) Rabash. “Greeks have gathered around me, then in the days of the Hasmoneans.”

The Greeks are the Klipa [shell/peel] opposite from the Kedusha [holiness]. Kedusha is the quality of faith above reason, and the Greeks go explicitly within reason. The Greeks come specifically in the days of the Hasmoneans, meaning right when one wants to walk on the path of Kedusha. Before this, there is no room for the Greeks because “God has made them one opposite the other.” This is the meaning of “Anyone who is greater than his friend, his inclination is greater than him” (Sukkah 52).

This is as it is written, “He who comes to purify is aided” (Shabbat 104a). Why is one not assisted from above before he comes? The answer is that before he comes to purify himself of his vessels of reception, although he believes that the Creator helps, as our sages said, “Man’s inclination overcomes him every day, and unless the Creator helps him, he cannot overcome it” (Kidushin 30b), and one must believe that this is so, but within reason, he sees that man does everything anyhow.

But one who comes to purify himself of vessels of reception sees that it is not within man’s power. Rather, there needs to be a miracle from above, and if this miracle does not happen, he is lost. He sees this within reason—that he needs assistance from above—and within reason, there is no way that he will emerge from the control of the will to receive.

It follows that when one wants to walk on the path of Kedusha [holiness], the Greeks come and ask as it is written, “Why should the nations say, ‘Where is their God?’” At that time, it is forbidden to answer within reason, but rather above reason, meaning that only the Creator, who is above our reason, for He created our reason, He can answer all the “Where?” questions that they ask.

We see that on Shabbat [Sabbath], in the Kedusha of Keter [part of a prayer], the ARI says there that in the word “Where?” shines the light of Shabbat, which is called Mochin de Haya, for precisely over the above reason over the Greeks, when we hear the “Where?” comes the answer of the light of Shabbat, which shines and cancels all the judgments, as it is written, “And the Judgments are removed from her.”

It follows that through Greece, meaning the Klipa [shell/peel] of Greece, who go according to reason, we descend into the abyss and it is impossible to rise, as it is written, “I have drowned in the abyss of Greece” (Psalms 69), and only from above is it possible to lift up.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (04:55) He writes, here, that the person needs to see that he cannot act. He cannot make an act of bestowal, to truly be rid of the vessel of reception. And then he says that he can still continue the action above reason. So, reaching a state where you see that it's impossible to do it, that's clear, we feel it. But what happens after that? What is the action? 

M. Laitman: From that, he has two directions: To either perform the action within reason or above reason. Within reason, it's like he didn’t know when he performed a certain action; and the second is when it's above reason, that's actually what the Torah intends, means. 

Student: So, taking the action above reason, does it happen in a different way than anything that came before? 

M. Laitman: Well, what do you guys think? 

Student: Well, I don't know because if a person performs some action, and now he's stuck against a wall where he can't continue. The question is should he still try to continue doing the same thing, and that will be called faith above reason? Or is there something else that he needs to start doing? 

M. Laitman: What do you think? 

Student: I don't know, this is my question?

M. Laitman: Does anyone know how to answer?

Answer (Petah Tikva Center): (06:58) It follows that when one wants to walk on the path of Kedusha [holiness], the Greeks come and ask as it is written, “Why should the nations say, ‘Where is their God?’” At that time, it is forbidden to answer within reason, but rather above reason, meaning that only the Creator, who is above our reason, for He created our reason, He can answer all the “Where?” questions that they ask. So, perhaps, there's a question that can be derived from this as well. If he writes that it's only in the days of the Hashmonaim, meaning only when you want to walk the path of holiness, only then the person's reason is revealed to him. And then, he continues and says that we're forbidden from, or rather we can't answer within reason, but only the Creator can help rise above reason. So, I want to continue the friend’s question, essentially: What is the action where you don't engage with reason, you don't engage with that thing, but rather try to rise above reason? What is the actual action of rising above? 

M. Laitman: I suppose there are degrees above reason and that we can climb them. 

Student: So, he gives these degrees only to the Hashmonaim, the one who wants to talk about reason. And this is an indication that he's working correctly, he gets some resistance. 

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Student: So, specifically, this is the critical point, so how can a person not fail at this critical point? What does it mean to turn to the Creator because He is the one who created reason? What is this, how do you turn to the Creator? Is it a prayer?

M. Laitman: It's not important. It's not important in what form you clothe your request.

Student: Alright, so a request is needed? 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: Alright. Now, in the previous part, if I can go there. I heard you say that we need to speak to the Creator openly, with simple words. 

M. Laitman: Well?

Student: What does it mean to speak to the Creator with an open mouth, with openness? 

M. Laitman: I don't know.

Student: You said it. 

M. Laitman: I said? 

Student: Yes, I wrote it, I can read what I heard. So, you speak to the Creator with an open mouth, and you want it to happen to the best of your understanding – something like that, maybe it's not exactly word-for-word. Okay, I'll ask differently: The request, should it come through, should it be expressed through speech, words? Or, sometimes we say that the request is in the heart. A person's inner desire is sufficient. 

M. Laitman: Yes? 

Student: Does it have to be clothed with words? 

M. Laitman: No.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (10:33) Okay, so it's still not clear because he also writes here that there's the manner of Shabbat, Mochin of Haya, I don’t understand that. But in Shabbat, we say, that you don't do any work. 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: So, the question is should he continue doing the same work he was doing until he reached that point?

M. Laitman: Don't confuse us. 

Student: So, what to do, I don't know. 

M. Laitman: Don't do nothing. 

Student: So, what does it mean that from that specific moment you start going above reason? 

M. Laitman: When, from that moment, from the entry of Shabbat? 

Student: Yes. 

M. Laitman: Well? 

Student: What is our work there? 

M. Laitman: We return to the connection between us and the Creator within reason.

Question (Women Zichron 1): (11:55) How can you discern between reality and imagination in this work of above reason? 

M. Laitman: I don't think, it's so difficult. When you receive upon yourselves or you have such relations between you that are this way or another, they're called above reason. And if there are these and those relations, so, they're called within reason, and that's it. 

Student: So, what is this boundary, how is it defined? 

M. Laitman: What do you mean?

Student: So, what are those relationships above reason or within reason? Where's the limit? 

M. Laitman: The boundary is within reason. 

Student: What is within reason? Everything that I feel and think, everything that I can justify and think is logical, that is within reason? 

M. Laitman: It's within your reason.

Student: So, everything beyond that? 

M. Laitman: Above your reason. 

Student: Well, I cannot justify or explain but I go towards it, anyway. 

M. Laitman: How can you go, nevertheless? 

Student: Only if there is a force that comes outside of me.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (13:43) Rabash writes that he sees within reason that he needs assistance from above. So, that state where within reason he sees that he needs assistance from above, is that the beginnings of above reason? 

M. Laitman: Where one needs to receive within reason assistance, yes? 

Student: Yes, within reason he feels that he needs assistance from above, that he is powerless to continue. Is that the beginning of above reason? 

M. Laitman: That's really the beginning of above reason, yes. 

Student: This situation where a person is between within reason and above reason, it's as if a juncture. But what is that state, does a person truly have the freedom to choose between within reason and above reason? 

M. Laitman: It's not for us, yet; a few more days and you'll start to feel. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (14:59) He says that the gentiles, the nations, ask where is their God, that's a question they ask. It pushes the person to say, okay, I have no excuse within reason, I must feel above reason. What is that question, where is their God? 

M. Laitman: Where is He? 

Student: The nations, those are the desires to receive, in us?

M. Laitman: Yes, yes. 

Student: And they want to receive Him for their own pleasure? 

M. Laitman: According to who you study with, who you're working with, observing. 

Student: And then what should a person do with that question? 

M. Laitman: Check yourself.

Student: He says, here, to go above reason, what does that mean? 

M. Laitman: That you don't want to argue with them but, rather, you are going above their demands. 

Student: Not to look for where is their God above reason, but say, “you shut up, I'm going a different direction”.

M. Laitman: Yes. Blunt his teeth, yes. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (16:25) What is the purity that we go through in terms of the vessels of reception? What is the purity we receive? 

M. Laitman: What is the purity you get when you go to purify your vessels?

Student: He says that one who comes to purify himself, he sees that it's not within man's power, it needs to come from the heavens. 

M. Laitman: Yes?

Student: What does it mean that a vessel is pure? 

M. Laitman: I don’t know.

Student: Perhaps another question: He speaks specifically about holiness. The Greeks are revealed when a person wants to follow the path of Kedusha, that's also not clear. What does it mean that a person wants to walk in Kedusha? 

M. Laitman: That he wants to go, in faith above reason, upon all that he now has bothering him. 

Student: And what is this quality of the Hashmonaim? Why is that the quality that's currently leading? 

M. Laitman: It's not written about that.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (18:15) The action that a person must take above reason. He must perform that action in front of the Ten? Or is it something that we as a Ten have to be doing? 

M. Laitman: Yes, you did.

Student: For example, before the Unity Day, we took two hours to prepare together. We brought food and the friends come with a very strong, healthy desire. And then, what I find is that suddenly all these forces, well, each one pulls in its own direction, then that's how it's revealed to me. And at that moment, I don't know what to do. You need to stop everything, say, wait, friends, let's see how we can try to rise to some point that's higher. Or, should I have the situation remain as it is and only do the work within myself? 

M. Laitman: If you're asking me, to our point, you have to perform the work within you. 

Student: But I really see this before me. 

M. Laitman: You can see many other things but it's desirable to be, the best way to deal with wisdom is silence. 

Student: In stopping myself, did I already do some work? And what's the next stage? 

M. Laitman: When it will be revealed to you, then you'll see; then you'll know.

Student: And the forces, what's revealed to you, it's the Creator drawing, painting this image for you. Is that the result of proper work? 

Reader: (20:26) Okay. We will continue studying with thee friends.