Morning Lesson November 29, 2021, Transcription
Transcription is made from simultaneous translation which leaves a possibility for differences from audio
Part 1:
Baal HaSulam - Shamati 76. On All Your Offerings You Shall Offer Salt
1.Rav’s Introduction: First of all I'd like to say a few more words about what we had last night. The Yeshivat Haverim, the Assembly of Friends where all the groups of Israel and all the groups from overseas were truly present, they all connected and this gave a very new feeling, a new discernment in our relation. It's not just a feeling, it is already truly a determination of a state. That we are as one vessel on the face of the Earth. We are one bundle, a very special one where we are all interconnected and we want to be connected with the Creator and we are trying to discover in the connection between us, a connection with the Creator. This is something which is truly great; actually it never existed in history. It is truly a very important stage in the correction of the world. We should be proud and appreciate what the Creator is doing with us and of course it is not that we are doing it but only the upper force, He is doing with us all of these processes, all of these exercises and he is arranging us in such a way. Therefore I am very happy to discover and to feel such states in which we are connecting more and more between us and in our connection, we can already see somehow the future of the whole of humanity and the entire spiritual vessel where we exist in one desire, one intention and we discover between us one Creator.
All of that is in order to give him contentment, to be in bestowing towards him according to the equivalence of form, also to enjoy the adhesion with him. I'm very grateful to everyone who took part yesterday and those who were not able to take part but were with us in heart and soul and we will have additional such meetings once in a while. They are very important even though maybe we still don't understand what are these degrees by which we are going from state-to-state. But we will discover them later. It's just like a person who begins to understand himself to feel himself, he has to go through the entire nine months of pregnancy and then we are born and to grow for a few years until he truly starts to understand what he is and who he is. That he even exists and that he is operating and being operated and it's the same with us. We exist, we are operating and being operated and now we need to establish ourselves more so that our whole attitude to the Creator and the Creator's attitude towards us, all of these relations will be as mutual as possible. “I to my beloved and my beloved to me.” Then we will begin according to those relations to see the true reality, the whole reality exists in our relation to the Creator and the Creator is relation to us, meaning direct light and reflected light. Besides that there is nothing, all the rest is just the imaginary world.
Yesterday it was already more felt relative to everything that we had before and I'm very grateful to the Creator who is connecting us and bringing us closer to him. I very much hope that the next stage will be already that we will start to feel also ourselves what form we exist between us and with him, with the Creator. Because spirituality is a relation between the created beings and the Creator. Let's hope that we will reach some form of bestowal between us so that also between us and the Creator that same form of bestowal will become clear and it will awaken the entire feeling of the upper world. Let's read our articles from Shamati and let's continue, let's advance but truly again I'm saying thank you very much to everyone, all those who participated in it in all kinds of different forms in this meeting. It worked on us in a very good way, a very beneficial way and we will see that later on.
Shamati 76: (07:06) On All Your Offerings You Shall Offer Salt
2. R. (08:50) Yes, that means that every step that we take and we only get closer even though maybe we don’t feel it, we're not aware of it, that we are coming closer to the Creator. But each and every day this process is becoming realized. It's just that it's not revealed so much and it becomes revealed only on the condition that we will want to feel it and we will demand it. This is how we will advance, not out of the Creator taking us through it but also that we take part in this process of coming closer to him. Starting with emerging out of our egoistic state, what we call the Exodus from Egypt, then the desert that we feel that we're in for the time being and until we enter a state called the will to bestow, which is called the land of Israel. This is how we should understand that in each and every place we have a connection with the Creator and we need to determine on each and every step along the way that we have the Covenant of the Salt.
Meaning that love between us works the proximity between us or not, we operate according to how it was before and even more coming closer more and more between us. So we don't look at what we have today but rather we continue everything that we had before and even more than that for tomorrow. The most important is this covenant, the agreement that works between us and that agreement is done at a time that there is room for connection. Then out of this connection which we feel that we have now we need to operate. Why? Because clearly our path is built out of descents and ascents, there was evening and there was morning one day. Each and every new stage begins from the darkness, from separation, from lack of forces, lack of desire. Then we need to operate according to what we had before, according to the desire, according to that great inclination, that great yearning that we had before even though now we have nothing. So we need to awaken such states from the past, so that through them we can be drawn to the future and this is how we will see it.
This is considered on all your offerings you shall offer salt, meaning upon all the degrees of nearing, as you come closer, you can come closer only on the condition that you take from yesterday, from all the previous states, your awakenings, you extend them and even more than them, upon the present states and this is how you advance. This is considered that you are making a covenant, a connection and this connection is of salt. Salt is something that doesn't spoil, on the contrary, you put salt on something it helps conserve it. This is the matter of that if we come closer in such a way where we don't have right now and is a special awakening, we're not drawn in any special way, we don't have any special connection but we extend it from yesterday, from the way it was to today and today we use the awakening that we had yesterday. This is considered that we are coming closer, Kerev in Hebrew, to bring closer but also to sacrifice offering means from the word, to come closer also, so how can we come closer to the Creator more and more each time. Specifically, by us taking all of our impressions that we had yesterday and extending them, we continue them for tomorrow. Our work in that is very important because this is exactly our own participation.
We have nothing, we're not the Creator so that we have forces of bestowing that we can develop and increase them. However when we, in such a way reveal from what we had yesterday, from the awakening that we had before and we extend it upon the leg of awakening that we have now, then by that, we are truly operating. Even though we are using the awakening we had yesterday from the Creator and now we're using it in a place where we have no awakening from the Creator, so then it is our work. Otherwise the created being has no spiritual forces. It's impossible to awaken in any other way except to take what we received yesterday well and extend it, continue it upon what we are lacking today and this is called on all your offerings you should offer salt but if you want to come closer and make an action of your own, go ahead and do it. The possibility because what you had yesterday is gone already, it already happened and we can take it and use it as though it is yours.
3. S. (16:01) To the extent that I connect with the friends to that extent I am keeping the covenant?
R. Yes because you cannot take a step forward. Rather, all the steps are according to how much we are more and more close to each other internally. That we get closer to the Korban, offering sacrifices, from the word nearby, close, Karov, so we can come closer to the Creator only on the condition that we come closer and closer between us. In such a way we discover that as much as we cancel the distances between us, we feel more and more the quality of the Creator that needs to be revealed between us which is the quality of connection and love.
4. S. (17:25) The article speaks of covenant with one another in the Torah it also speaks of God's covenant with Abraham. What does it mean to make a covenant and how can I push that in my ten?
R. The covenant in the ten means that we are willing to be connected between us above our ego in order to build out of our egoistic desires that will be the coarseness and above these desires to build a connection between us a connection of giving a connection of love. On top of the coarseness it will be restriction, screen and reflected light, meaning refinement and out of these two stages where we compose it so that the coarseness is on the bottom, and above it, on it is refinement. This is how we build the condition for the spiritual vessel and according to the gap between the coarseness, the mutual rejection that we have between us and the mutual connection that we forcefully, truly by the teeth we are holding onto the connection between us. So in the gap between these two opposing states we measure the vessel and according to the intensity of the contrasts that we have between these two states, however we do want to hold them together. This is called the intensity, the power of the vessel and with coarseness 01234, according to that we discover the Creator.
In that same gap between the minus in the plus, the minus means that we don't want to connect and it gets greater and greater, each time we get a very big rejection and the plus is that nevertheless, above the rejection we do want to connect and we asked if the Creator that he will give us forces for a connection. Then the gap between these two elements, the minus and the plus, the rejection and the connection, it will give us such a difference in potential that according to the magnitude of the mutual rejection and the magnitude of the mutual connection above the rejection we establish the condition, the vessel for the revelation of the Creator and then the Creator is revealed. Because in our reality we have no conditions such that they can be revealed in a natural way and we can discover the Creator but rather out of us building those conditions like in a laboratory. We ourselves are in that laboratory so we come closer to the revelation of the Creator. We establish him, in that gap between us, between the rejection and the coarseness that is revealed and working above the coarseness and this is how we advance. It's precisely between the minus and the plus, so there we discover the phenomena and later on we can measure those phenomena in intensity, just like we know from our life.
5. S. (22:03) Your words caused confusion that made me think about the past. We know that dealing with the past is a shell. I'm confused, maybe it has to do with Reshimot, Tagim?
R. First of all it's good that you said you're confused because indeed you are confused. You said that engaging in the past is the Klipa, shell. Without us taking something from the past we will not be able to build a future. Imagine to yourself that everything that you go through each and every second is erased from your ego, from your desire, and you don't take into account its past, so each time you'll remain in the same state as it was, you will not advance from step to step going forward. That is we do need to understand and not to just repeat words that are written but rather to understand it, what are they even talking about, those words. So we need to take something from the past as it is written, there is none as wise as the experienced one, experience means something that you had from yesterday and the day before, on the entire path that you went through and you collect these things and you advance.
This is how we advance in science, in wisdom, in everything. We collect the right things from yesterday and this is how we advance more correctly today and we don't repeat the same mistakes that we made. On the other hand we realize that we have to also work with the mistakes because from that we learn. Mistakes, errors have the same strength, the same importance so that we advance through them as well. So on all of your offerings you should offer salt, what we are studying now means that upon all of the states of nearing we have to make calculations and advance specifically such that each time we are seemingly making agreements that by that specifically, in such a way we want to advance. All of the good things, we will take them for the future, all of the bad things, we will also take them in order to learn from them and to correct them through us. Without that it is impossible.
6. S. (25:56) You just said on all of our acts of nearing we should calculate, what calculation should we make?
R. What am I getting closer to, who am I getting closer to and how do I measure it? How do I want to exist with the friends and with the Creator? All of these calculations I somehow need you to depict them to myself. I need to know what is going on and try to build the right system so that the vessel that I am building, meaning the form of the connection, the intensity of the connection with the friends will resemble the light, the Creator. Then I will discover the Creator, the Creator is called BoReh, come and see, we don't discover the phenomenon of the Creator himself but rather come and see the way that he performs certain actions in our desires according to the changes in our desires and the connection between us this is how we discover him. Just like we never discover any natural phenomena but only the consequences of the phenomenon itself. Look how physicists discover in some particle accelerator, in everything that we do in chemistry, physics and everything. We never learn the phenomenon itself but only the consequences from various phenomena and it's the same here. Because we are the created beings, we can only learn from how we caused something in nature and according to the consequence we learn, apparently this is what happened and it is always our work. Our connection with whatever is happening is only in such a way, only in that way, can we learn.
S. And using these states of a scent like the meeting we had yesterday, how do we use that for us today in order to connect more forcefully, more intensely?
R. You should try to awaken the records from yesterday and try to continue them to today's date and advance even more, so that what was yesterday was the peak of our connection, today it will be something that is ordinary and the new peak is what you will see ahead.
S. How do we awaken yesterday's record practically?
R. By each one thinking about why was that, what was that what was it for, what was it made of this connection and in this way you will advance.
S. Can you tell me this covenant of salt? Does it include the state of descent, for example now we're happy with the friends were making a covenant in order to use the situation, use it in a situation when we are in a fall, a descent?
R. Yes, yes, you have to, it's exactly about that because then we connect the coarseness that will be revealed in the descent with the refinement that was revealed in the ascent and the two of them build the degree for us.
7. S. (30:19) Through our covenant and our connection such we experienced in the unity event we feel the Creator as the good that does good. So the question is what is the effect on the public from our connection and will they ever see good in the world from our development?
R. We begin to feel our power not in the ten but rather in the general Kli of Adam HaRishon which includes all the nations, all people, that truly covers the entire earth. This is what we are beginning to feel, how much our differences if we connect above those differences, it works so as to increase the power of our vessel. Those gaps as much as they were distancing between us, when we nevertheless connect, so these distances, these gaps actually create the intensity of the vessel they establish in us in a way that is more and more important. The greater the difference in potential is it actually works and contributes to the power of this action, this is what we feel. Therefore our vessel with the Creator's help, I hope that soon we will start to feel it, more and more how it is truly working around the entire planet. You will feel it all the rest are on the levels of the still, vegetative and animate and we are on the level of the speaking. You are called men as it says and this is how we will feel ourselves, with our power we will connect more with the Creator. The Creator will be revealed in us and will fill us and we will be able to pull behind us the whole of humanity. In order to bestow contentment to the Creator
8. S. (33:17) Can we call the states that we go through in the ten points and to these points we can go back to them in order to raise the future?
R. We don't need to be concerned about how to go forward besides strengthening between us. The conditions, the elements, what we call the records, let them be revealed the way they are, it doesn't matter what they are. I don't think about tomorrow, I think about how to be ready for tomorrow in the connection we had between us today.
9. S. (34:09) To make the covenant of salt we first have to feel the covenant of love of the Creator towards us, is it not so?
R. Certainly in order to make a covenant with the Creator we first need to make a covenant between us. But it's not about taking some piece of paper and writing there some obligation and we take this to a notary, get the approval of a notary or some courthouse or something. But rather if we come closer bit by bit on the one hand, we discover how necessary it is even though we don't want it, so already we have two opposite things here. In each and everything we should try to discover two opposite things, one from the side of the Creator and the other from the side of the created being. Then bit by bit we establish ourselves this way, what's called love covers all crimes and this is how we will get closer.
10. S. (35:42) What should we feel like we are losing if we can't carry out the agreement we make with the friends, what should hurt us?
R. Everything is in the hands of the Creator. We have to realize that everything is done by the upper one, by the Creator and in spite of all of these states we should yearn only to come closer to him through us coming closer.
11. S. (36:19) What is the King in our relationship in the ten, what represents the King in the ten so we maintain the connection between us?
R. It's that we determine between us, times for the study, systems by which we can operate where we truly reach, coming closer, connecting each and everything that we establish. This is considered that we are giving birth to our spiritual children, spiritual operations so that from them and onward we are advancing more and more to a connection between us and connection with the Creator, giving room for the Creator to be revealed between us. This is actually our work.
12. S. (37:34) Yesterday was an event that we prepared for ourselves in the ten and the whole world Kli, this helps us reach this occasion of connection. How can we generate new peaks of connection without this envelope of congress's or conventions?
R. Congress comes from the word congregate, connect, participate. So it's impossible without such systems to exist, especially that we are still in a physical connection amongst us through the framework of the lessons and all kinds of participation in dissemination and so forth. A congress is one of the means to congregate and connect and bring us to a state where we, in the connection between us. We clothe ourselves in such a way that on the one hand there's distance between us, egoistic forces operating, to push us apart, but we nevertheless want to draw the power of connection which is the power of the Creator himself to connect us. In this way love covers all the crimes, in this way we discover spirituality, the upper force which is revealed enough. So without big conventions once every 3 or 4 months, you have to decide on that, we can't advance. We still have to do it, it gives us the feeling of how great we are, how big we are, how strong we are, how united we are, although it seems to us, we are very weak because each one feels that he has nothing in him. But it is all through the connection with the Creator and we don't really have a grip on this connection with the Creator, we don't really control this connection with the Creator. We haven't mastered it but on the other hand it gives us a way to feel our power and how we really are advancing. You should appreciate and be proud that we have such a special connection between us and in this connection, we are already in a spiritual process and in a disposition nearing to the purpose of creation. We really are the last generation who is taking these steps towards the general direction of the world and there is nothing, there are no other groups in the world like Bnei Baruch, so we have to be proud of that and also feel responsible because of it because actually the more we advance, the closer we have to become.
13. S. (41:42) In what is the covenant different from the mutual guarantee or are they the same?
R. Mutual guarantee is one of the conditions of the covenant. The covenant is a condition where everyone is in mutual cooperation, a strong one, a correct one. Mutual responsibility is a form of connection of the covenant.
14. S. (42:19) Renewing the covenant each and every day without waiting for ascents, is that what we should do?
R. Renew the covenant not every day but every moment, every single moment we want to close the gaps between us more and more and more and to try to be in such a way that we don't feel the distance between us emotionally. We don't feel it. It really determines our spiritual advancement.
15. S. (43:02) How can we reach the right level of fear from the Creator in order to have the Covenant of the Salt each and every day?
R. We don't quite know if we can't measure spiritual phenomena. What we need is to try to get closer to each other and be connected on the one hand. On the other hand we should be afraid that we might fall, that fear guards us.
16. S. (43:38) How can we awaken the ten to remember the covenant, with which actions?
R. We have to help each other. So we really help each other as much as possible and give each other examples and talk about it more and more and through the conversations, the speaking and these dispositions we will feel how the connection between us strengthens.