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

Daily Lesson (Morning), November 15, 2024. 

Part 2: Selected Excerpts from the Kabbalists - Topic: On the Verge of Lishma

Reader: We are continuing with our next part, which is selected excerpts from the Kabbalists on the topics of On the Verge of Lishma. We are, so far, at Excerpt Number 6. This is from the article from Rabash, we'll read it:

Reading: (00:25) Excerpt Number 6. RABASH, Article No. 23 (1987), "Peace After a Dispute Is More Important than Having No Disputes At All"

We should know that the degree of Lo Lishma is a very important degree, and we haven’t the intellect to appreciate the importance of Torah and Mitzvot Lo Lishma. Baal HaSulam said that “as much as one may appreciate the work Lishma, which is important work, he should know that Lo Lishma is more important than the importance that a person attributes to Lishma, since one cannot properly assess the importance of observing Torah and Mitzvot even Lo Lishma, although observing Torah and Mitzvot should be Lishma.

M. Laitman: Any questions in the audience? 

Reader: We have questions in the hall here.

M. Laitman: Let's hear the questions because the excerpt is clear.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (02:00) It's written that Lo Lishma is very important. How to work with the claim of the evil inclination that says you're not working for the sake of the Creator. What are you doing? As it's written there, it's not my suitcase that you carried. 

M. Laitman: We need to raise the importance of the state a person is in. So, from that state on he can start to rise to Lishma. That is why the state that he's going through has to advance him; it's part of the process.

Student: This is the labor that we do, Lo Lishma, and we're saying that that's Lishma for us? That's why we're doing it for the sake of the Creator and that is considered that we're doing it with the correct intention? 

M. Laitman: The right intention, yes, but you also need to understand that the situation is still in Lo Lishma. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (03:42) He writes that we don't have the intellect to be able to understand the importance; and that we have to consider it within reason. I know that appreciating something, the greatness of something raises the yearning, raises the pleasure, not the pleasure, the pleasure that you're a partner with. How do we grow the importance if it's not in the mind?

M. Laitman: Through actions, by talking about it, getting impressed by friends, impressed by the excerpts, the verses.

Student:  There's a feeling that one of the things that I can be, it doesn't matter if I'm Lishma or not Lishma, I'm on the way. Can I hold on to such an intention?

M. Laitman: No, it’s not enough. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (04:54) Why is Lo Lishma more important? 

M. Laitman: Lo Lishma is important because it's the beginning of the path. It's the beginning of the path and through that, we get to Lishma. That is why we need to pay attention to the way we, to our state, to which actions, questions between us. How it will bring us, little by little, to forms of Lishma.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (05:57) He writes that the work in Lo Lishma is more important than the work there is in Lishma. What is the work in Lishma? It seems like there's work in reaching Lishma but what is the work in Lishma? 

M. Laitman: The work in Lishma is when I have the power to aim myself for the sake of the Creator in a certain way, to a certain degree, and I'm doing it.

Student: The difference between this and Lo Lishma is not clear. 

M. Laitman: Lo Lishma, not for her sake, I also don't know how clearly directed I am at the Creator. In Lishma, when I get there, I know that I am in contact with the Creator, in a mutual connection with Him. 

Student: And the work, itself in that state, in relation to Lo Lishma, is there a difference? Or is it the exact same work, we just need to give more the importance of when I'm not in connection. That I need to give importance to that state and the work in that place being greater. 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: Okay, so it's just the relation to the work, that's it? 

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (07:45) Rabash writes here that we need to know that the degree of Lo Lishma is very important, and we don't have the intellect to appreciate the importance of Torah and Mitzvot in Lo Lishma. He says that Baal HaSulam says that to the extent to which a person knows to consider the importance of Lishma, that he should know that Lo Lishma is even more important than it. Are Rabash and Baal HaSulam are trying to teach us that the work without reward, even in the case of Lo Lishma because, seemingly, Lo Lishma is not the reward that we want to reach. We want to reach Lishma but that there is something very special here, that when we work even though it's Lo Lishma. And we seemingly don't have spiritual reward from it, and that, too, we already start the process of correction. It looks like something deeper that Rabash is saying here? 

M. Laitman: The process of correction starts much earlier – that's true – but we need to advance from the degree we're in and go further from there. So, the work in Lo Lishma is extremely important, without it, you cannot reach Lishma.

Student: It's very important because it's the beginning of the person working without reward? Because he wants to reach Lishma but it begins in Lo Lishma, so that's the importance that it has, that the reward becomes something neutral, that it's not the central thing that moves the person? 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (09:46) To continue the friend's scrutiny, he writes that he's not able to appreciate the importance of observing Torah and Mitzvot, even Lo Lishma. Now, we're before a great Convention, before a big important action, and the goal that we put for ourselves is to reach Lishma. Now, the question is if according to what he writes here, we need to first before we perform that action, come to a state where we appreciate the Lo Lishma first – our state today, to appreciate it. How should we relate to what he writes here before the Convention, in this period?

M. Laitman: We are on the way to Lishma and each and every action of ours is bringing us closer to that. We expect each action to bring us into Lishma and we'll be able to give contentment to the Creator as a result of our actions. 

Student: You could guide a little bit, because in what he's writing here, we also have this goal to reach Lishma. When you aim to a certain distance target, you don't see what's right in front of you. Sometimes you disconnect and you're immersed in the future, in the goal. How do we combine correctly the goal that's ahead, and also to be present here and appreciate what we have here and now? How do we combine those two?

M. Laitman: We need to understand that we're still in order to receive and our goal is to reach in order to bestow. And there are also several degrees in order to bestow that we need to find our bearings on them. So, we need to climb step by step.

Student: How do we combine correctly the focus on the goal because in corporeality, when you have a certain goal, you're immersed in the goal all the time. And you want to achieve it and you're thinking about it, and many times you miss what you have right here and now. And you appreciate less what you have and your pleasure will only be when you attain your goal. How in our path do we approach the Lo Lishma, truly appreciate it and see it as a great and important period every moment and also want to reach Lishma? How do we combine those?

M. Laitman: We constantly think that we are in Lo Lishma, meaning we can't aim at the Creator, purely. We wish to receive the power of the light from above that will correct us and allow us to truly make actions in order to bestow. We hope this will happen in each and every action.

Student: In our stage, now, what's more important: To be immersed in the moment and not appreciate the state that the Creator gave us and what good conditions and effort in this? Or to be immersed in just attaining the goal? Where is it best to be? 

M. Laitman: Of course, it's important to obtain the Lishma, but it's not there. We look down at Lo Lishma, where we are, we have to use everything in our disposal to rise to the degree of Lishma.

Student: If I understood you, correctly, we need to work in parallel. On one hand, think about the goal all the time, what we want, and go back to what's now and constantly do the calculation I have now, how now I can do the maximum in order to reach that goal, and to work in parallel all the time. 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (14:54) Rav, I heard you say earlier that we have to come to Lishma an individual and not the Ten. Also, Lishma, is that something that a person attains or is it something that the Ten attains?

M. Laitman: A person attains from within the Ten. 

Student: What's that separation between the work in the Ten and that which a person attains Lo Lishma or Lishma? Where is that disconnect?

M. Laitman: It's not a disconnect, on the contrary, you have an opportunity to think about his connection with the friends where in this connection, he truly advances himself to Lishma.

Student: It sounds like there's two systems here, a system that I have with the friends, and from within that there's also a connection to the Creator. Because it's not clear what these two forms are, that now they connect. 

M. Laitman: They connect in that, for the time being, a person lacks a clear form in his connection with the Creator, so he connects to the friends and he builds together with them a system, a closed system which exists in the combination between the merging between them, and that's how he advances.

Student: So, what, the Ten just a means to reach that form of connection with the Creator?

M. Laitman: I don't know in the work only. He can do without it? No, he can’t.

Student: No, you can't without it but what else? Meaning, is it just something that supports a person and gives him a supportive environment in order to reach that connection?

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: What is beyond that, beyond the support? 

M. Laitman: There are many conditions in the society, in the group, and the combination between more internal work, more external work.

Reader:  There are no more questions in the hall but we have the World Kli, if you want. 

M. Laitman: I think we’ll disconnect, right now? 

Reader: No problem, we'll continue here. 

M. Laitman: We were together an hour and a half, nevertheless, and when are we back?

Reader: We have to do a Lesson at noon but I don't know if it will be broadcast or not, so we'll update everyone, soon.

M. Laitman: Tomorrow in the morning lesson, we'll see you, all the best to you!

Reader: We're going to do a summary now in the Tens. Let's summarize in the Tens, we had a rich lesson – like a pomegranate with many pearls from Rav. Let's do a summary in our Tens and then we'll move to the next part. So, summarizing the lesson.