Morning Lesson November 29, 2023
Transcription is made from simultaneous translation, which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio.
Part 1:
Rabash. Article No. 11, 1988. What Are the Two Discernments before Lishma?
Reading (00:47) “The Zohar (Exodus) asks about the verse…”
1. (23:34) Rav intro: What a special article.
2. S. (24:00) I have a few questions and the most important question that comes up to me, is here he describes the two stages in Lo Lishma. The first stage is when the person is happy with the work because he's getting forces from the surrounding light then he goes into the stage of more inner work where he has to cope with the ascents and descents. The transition from the first stage to the second stage seems to me like a stumbling stone in which many friends have a hard time. This is something that can throw us out of the way from the path if we’re not strong at that point because the ascents and descents begin, things are not so clear, suddenly I see that I am not really in Lishma, and bestowal is not exactly what I was thinking. How do we create fences that will keep us on the path so that we don't fall away in this transition from the first state to the second?
R. What do you recommend? That's what the person faces, that is all, that’s what a person faces. He also writes in the heading, in the title, what are the two discernments before Lishma. Well, I think that we should read it again.
Reading again (26:05) What Are the Two Discernments before Lishma?
3. R. (51:10) The article is complete. There is nothing to add. He doesn't try to make it brief; he opens it up in a methodical way.
4. S. (51:30) It was mentioned before that this state, the second phase before Lishma, that friends are becoming distant and leaving but those who remain and are unable to influence. They need to give a good example for the group, for the Ten, but they are not able to do so. In this state, they understand, not just for themselves, they understand that they are not able to. How can we deal with this state that we know we have to go through, but we are in oppositeness of bestowal in that same state, and also the fact that it's many friends, I feel that in the Ten there are many friends in this state, it’s a lot of weight there.
R. Yes, in truth the feeling of exile is not in a single person but when he also sees the environment, he's in a state of exile and what to do here? Only to cry out, only to cry out, to pray as much as possible, and sometimes mutual support, this is all “The children of Israel sighed from the work.” It was clear to them that other than the Creator, nothing else, no one else could help them. However, they can nevertheless awaken the Creator.
5. S. (53:40) Is it a process like we learned from the exile of Egypt that it's long, it’s a long process?
R. Yes.
S. How does the group fall onto such a thing?
R. Out of lack of choice first of all, out of lack of choice, what shall I do? This is what I have on the path and there is no other way. It is a long way, and we have to walk on it, however nevertheless as much as possible we should support each other, keep ourselves in the framework and this is how we continue until and nevertheless the Creator brings us new vessels.
6. S. (54:52) I have a simple question: when does the Creator help man come out of the exile from Egypt? Because a person sees that regardless of all the efforts that he makes he goes back, he doesn't advance, he wants to escape so when does the Creator help?
R. When a person nevertheless even though he feels like quitting the path he does not quit and he remains with the hope that the Creator will help him.
S. But still people have been sitting here for many years?
R. That's not longer than their lifetime.
S. Right, not longer than their life but until the end of life a person makes a lot of effort, he doesn't know what to do, he doesn't want to run away because it’s all other than leave but he's not advancing either?
R. Why should he advance? What kind of pride and will to receive does he have that nevertheless he does want to realize it?
S. I didn't really understand.
R. Why does he want to advance in his eyes?
S. Why does the person put effort in for it? To feel that he's advancing, that he's reaching some goal that he put upon himself and he sees that he's not?
R. This is pride.
S. I want to explain, not that I'm complaining. It's clear to me that a person needs to make his efforts according to his ability but in general, that's the feeling that the person puts in years, and he invests.
R. And what?
S. He doesn't feel that he's coming closer toward the goal, the sublime goal?
R. But this is the work of the slave that he doesn't ask about the end he only asks about the strength that he will have each and every day to do the owner’s will.
S. According to what you are saying I need to understand that the efforts I invest I am advancing?
R. In them is the goal itself.
7. S. (57:31) Almost every day friends ask you about a state that the person isn’t enjoying spirituality anymore, sorry he's not enjoying spirituality anymore and he also doesn't have spirituality. He doesn't enjoy corporeality and he doesn't have spirituality; he says here that he reaches a state where he doesn't want to use the vessels of reception but he doesn't, he hasn't yet attained the vessel of bestowal and the result is some kind of cry, a scream that the person needs the Creator to help him. I wanted to ask what is preventing a person from extracting this scream? If that's the way to connect with the Creator we need to scrutinize how this is done, alone or together?
R. Apparently, he didn't reach the end of his scrutiny.
S. He's suffering? He's suffering from being between heaven and earth. We give it all kinds of names, but the person has been studying here. He's not enjoying corporeality like before for sure. He expects something different, but he doesn't have anything else of this different. He looks at his nature, maybe he's not able to exert maybe he feels guilty for not putting everything he should be. There are all kinds of calculations but there is no cry where will his cry come from?
R. From the person himself, from the fact that the Creator shows him the end of the path, and in the end of the path he sees that the way continues, meaning that he does not have a solution. If you want to be a slave you don't ask what will come later, what is the reward but rather you only ask about one thing, for you to have the strength to carry out the work. This means that this is the state where you truly work for the owner, the landlord.
S. There is great work in annulling oneself, you need to have this fight with your nature?
R. Yes, that to begin with is the state of slavery and servitude.
S. That where a person feels he fails, he's not able to beat his own nature and be a devoted servant. He sees he's constantly between these two calculations. How can one beat, like win against himself completely?
R. This is why he is in a Ten.
S. What does he need to get from there?
R. Forces, forces, hope, yes.
8. S. (01: 01:08) Also in the Ten there are calculations. What is correct, what is incorrect, what should we do?
R. I don't listen to it. Do not listen to it. You must reach a state where besides participating in the form of a slave you don't want anything more, we have to end, we have to go through this period of time.
9. S. (01:01:52) How does this period end?
R. When he agrees with this slavery and does not want to quit?
S. In the article, he gives a description of the two lines, and he says the right line is that a person is happy from the Creator revealing his true state. How can I be happy from revealing that all that I do is eventually for myself? How can that be? I'm with a Ten, I'm trying to give to them what I can for a long time, and I give, and I give to the Ten. When I scrutinize myself, I then find that I do it for myself. How can I be joyful of that?
R. Well, you have someone to turn to. Turn to the Creator and ask that he will give you a different kind of slavery.
S. What does it mean to ask from the Creator?
R. Now you're working for your evil inclination, right? It is controlling you, so ask the Creator that he will be your employer, your landlord.
S. Let's talk for a second about this landlord, this employer. I feel that this is the Ten, it's a body that is very important for me like we learn here. Is that the evil inclination, it's not the evil inclination?
R. You chose that, so I don't know.
S. What do I need to choose?
R. You should like what he writes here: When do we reach the point when the Lord heard their groaning? When everyone in the Ten cries out to help us, save us. That is it.
S. Then we will transition into this new slavery that you mentioned.
R. Yes.
S. What will be new in that slavery?
R. We will see, we will see. In the end, we emerge from the realm of the previous landlord and we enter the realm of the next landlord.
10. S. (01:05:08) What gives fuel or motivation to the slave?
R. Fuel to the slave? The fact that he feels in his work a lack of perfection.
11. S. (01:05:43) He writes the fact that he wanted their work to be for the benefit of the Creator not for their own benefit but are not able to do this work and this was their outcry. About this point, they were unable to do the work, and when we reach this awareness, the endpoint, we can't, so I wanted to get advice. There are friends in the Ten that I see they are putting in maximum effort. You can see it when they come to ask from the Ten. You know that they are simply not capable. You see it and it touches your heart and you truly with all your heart want to help them. They are asking and I really…
R. You envy them.
S. I envy them. They truly enter my heart. I truly think about them, and then there are friends who suddenly show up, I would say without having earned it, without putting in the effort they come and ask from the Ten to let's say think about them, but they do not enter my heart. What do we do about them? When they say that they need you to think about them? What do I do?
R. You give him a correct example.
S. You give him an example but when they ask, how should I relate to them, how should I truly bring them into my heart? I'm not convinced, then again, anyone who sees flaws is seeing flaws in himself. I know they didn't put in the effort, but they are already asking.
R. Okay, so you cannot ask for them.
S. Right, so what do I do?
R. You turn to the Creator, ask for scrutiny, and ask for strength that you want to continue the mutual work in all of the Ten because, without the connection without the forces of the connection in the Ten, you will not exit.
S. This means that I have to reach?
R. You need to reach connection with all the friends that are by your side within each other and with a Creator.
S. Without looking at all that he puts in 10 grams and the others will put in 70 grams.
R. It is not your business.
S. It is not my business, okay.
R. Good.
12. S. (01:08:49) What do we lack in order to hold onto each other?
R. To hold onto one another, what are we lacking? Only to feel that you need the other as a partner. That together, when you combine your desires with your strength, only by that do you reach the goal. Otherwise, the Creator will not respond to that.
13. S. (01:10:01) What are we lacking in the Ten to build a state that the surrounding light will also shine in the vessels of reception? When we go into states of descent. How do we continue at that point?
R. From what to what I did not understand.
S. Each and every one goes through states of descent, the state of the exile in Egypt a deep state. The question is how do we build a state within us where the light will shine when we don’t have the strength to continue? How do we connect in the strongest and correct way?
R. I see from this that you have not yet reached a correct state that “Israel sighed from the work.” What you need to do is continue to scrutinize when exactly we are crying out, from what states we are crying out to the Creator to save us and how do we arrive at the state of such a cry?
14. S. (01:11:47) This order that he describes, where from the degree of Israel, we shift to Jacob, I thought it was the other way around. I thought from Jacob we reached Israel but here the order of the actions is the opposite.
R. Whoever is in general, toward the Creator, is called Yashar Kel, straight to the Creator and Jacob is already a more internal degree.
15. S. (01:12:29) In the article he talks about the questions of who and what. Can you explain exactly what those questions are of who and what in our work?
R. Who and what we learn in other places from Egypt. From the stories of the exile who is the Creator that I should listen to Him and what is this work for him for you? These are the two questions that usually a person can say that this is what awakens in his mind and in his heart.
16. S. (01:13:26) What is the voice of the Lord so that I should listen to Him?
R. The voice of the Creator, it is in the person means that the person hears the degree that he is in and the fact that it directs him, it aims him.
S. How do we learn to hear and listen to the Creator?
R. That does not come right away but we need to keep working. We have to keep working but it is coming. It is not far; it is not far.
17. S. (01:14:52) Does the person feel doubts only in Egypt?
R. No, in Egypt, he feels real doubts between the Creator and pharaoh, but all in all there are a lot of doubts on the path.
18. S. (01:15:32) This article gives a lot of impression on this work, on the right on the left where he explains the mortar and bricks. How do we make from the will to receive each time a form of bestowal and give it to the Ten? Is that right, did I understand it correctly? Meaning these bricks are destroyed each time and we return to this work? It turns out we need to return to this opposite connection where canceling the line in order to come to the Ten and from the Ten to the group, to the Creator, and each time to give it a new form?
R. Yes, keep working and you will see. The work itself directs the person.
19. S. (01:16:49) In the place where you are pushed away from the will to receive for yourself. There is this feeling of delight and also not coming out to bestowal. When a state comes like this you can enjoy it even somewhat. How not to fall into the trap of the evil inclination and not enjoy for one's own sake?
R. Hold on to the friends. This state is called Bein HaMetzarim, in between the straights.
20. S. (01:17:37) This internal degree of a Jacob, what you just said, is the state of Jacob in the Katnut in the work. What does it actually mean for us in the Ten to bring each other to the state of this internal degree called Jacob?
R. It is the state of Katnut, smallness, infancy, meaning that we want to be together in our common work but, all in all, we are only able to remain in smallness.
S. Does that mean that we are already coming to a cry-out in that state?
R. Well not yet.
21. S. (01:18:48) In the middle of the article he writes that in this transition to the expansion of the vessels of bestowal when he feels the importance of the greatness of the Creator, that the restriction and concealment are removed from him. I have a question about this, when I wrote this and also for the second time, I do not want this to be removed. I want this restriction and this concealment, this part of my vessel of my lack of spiritual fear; These are my building blocks of my complainer.
R. I understand you, but it is not the same concealment that we are asking for. Keep going. I want to work above the concealment you are right, but along with that, we want to be more above, stronger than the concealment.
S. We are here speaking not only about Lishma but about a complete Partzuf, like receiving in order to bestow?
R. That we are about to build such Partzufim, yes, such relations.
22. S. (01:20:40) How can I emerge from this feeling of wholeness when I receive this thin light from the pleasures of the corporeal pleasures like envy, lust, and honor?
R. How can I come out of corporeal pleasures as such envy, lust, and honor?
S. Yes, she says that she feels this feeling of wholeness and wants to emerge from that state of wholeness. Yes, inside of those pleasures.
R. She feels wholeness and pleasures of envy, lust, and honor? I don't understand.
S. Yes, how to come out of those feelings when I'm feeling the corporal pleasures? Envy, lust, and honor.
R. Well what can you advise her? She is a woman who excels, and she's asking. What can I tell you, you need to keep going, we need to keep going. The light works gradually, it can take a long time and then the person is willing to pay for letting go of all those three pleasures of envy, lust, and honor. This is what I can tell you.
23. S. (01:23:14) You talked about servants. The moment you said servant, I felt, first of all, myself and also in the Kli, I'm unique and special, I'm a copy of the Creator, how could I be a servant? That is actually the entrance into the spiritual work. Until I break that barrier inside of me, with the help of the Ten and the help of the friends and thus come to the correct path. I think it's one of the biggest barriers in I think this is how I feel and also in the Kli, what do you think?
R. I will tell you truthfully, to break the barrier on the path to adhere to the Creator, it's in your
hands but you do not want it. You do not want to, you are strengthening that barrier. You are not interested in breaking it and that is a problem. That is why, that is why we need to bow down before the friends and ask for their help and ask for help.
S. After many years I have come to the conclusion that I want to be a servant. I remember the contemplations and what doubts and I'm sure others have this also. But this is the point that I want not to do this because the person needs to do it alone and also in the Ten. The meaning of entering the work of Lo Lishma and Lishma, I think that is the initial discernment that we need to do which I've done but it has taken me years.
R. Okay so keep going and ask. I have nothing to say. I have nothing to say.
24. S. (01:25:42) This article is beautiful. It turns out that it is similar to the process of birth. A person cries out and is given both the bricks and the mortar and he builds a new home, and this home is the temple of the Creator meaning in this temple we can be the servants of the Creator?
R. Yes, yes.
25. S. (01:26:31) There was a question that if I see in the Ten that a friend is asking and I see he did not do everything for it, and so on. I nevertheless ask, but is this also simultaneously a sign for me that I'm doing the exact same thing? That this deficiency is associated with me too and it’s in me and I need to work on it too?
R. Yes. It is written that he who prays for his friend is rewarded first. It comes out of this.
26. S. (01:27:21) Does the outcry need to be from us wanting in the Ten to work for the benefit of the Creator and are not capable we are distant from it? There needs to be an outcry that is precise. It needs to be a complete desire that this is all we want, to work only for the benefit of the Creator?
R. Yes.
S. This needs to be clear in the Ten that everyone wants, or part of the Ten?
R. As much as everyone wants.
S. Then each can ask for the others?
R. Yes.
S. When he is crying out.
R. Yes.
27. S. (01:28:24) How do we come to this one complete outcry in the ten, to give the control of our ego to the Creator if each one of us is in a different state?
R. That is something that the Creator already organizes in the correct connection between us.
28. S. (01:29:02) The sharpest question is “Who is the Lord that I should listen to Him?” Are there questions that you are prohibited from asking? Are there any questions that you are not allowed to touch?
R. No, there are no questions that you are not allowed to ask if the questions come out of the will to receive out of your exertion, so you're also rewarded with the answers.
29. S. (01:29:41) What for us in our state is to cross the Machson and what are we missing for that?
R. I cannot express it in words.
30. S. (01:30:17) The joy that was in some of the friends has disappeared. What would you recommend in this process? How to?
R. I advise them to find happiness, in the state that they are in.
S. What helps that most?
R. General support, one friend to another.