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

Daily Morning Lesson June 16, 2026.

Part 1: Rabash. What Is, Warn the Great about the Small, in the Work? Article No. 28. (1990)

Reader: Dear friends, in the first part of the lesson we will watch a recorded lesson from the 2nd of March 2003, based on the article, "What Is, “Warn the Great about the Small,” in the Work?” Rabash. "What Is, “Warn the Great about the Small,” in the Work?” We'll read the article together in the Ten, we have 33 minutes for that.

Reading: (00:41) What Is, “Warn the Great about the Small,” in the Work?

Article No. 28, 1990

Our sages said (Yevamot 114a), “Say, and you said, to warn the great about the small.” RASHI interprets this as follows, “Say to the priests, sons of Aaron, and you said these two sayings, ‘Why warn the great about the small? So they will not be defiled.’”

We should understand the novelty about warning the great about the small. When speaking of the work, at which time we speak of one body, what does warning the great about the small imply? That is, who is the small when we learn within one body, and who is the great when it comes to tell us that we must warn the great about the small?

It is known that the labor and the work that we must give in Torah and Mitzvot is because we are born with a nature that we want to receive for ourselves. Therefore, in everything we do, and which the will to receive enjoys, we cannot speak of labor. It is as we see in our world, that a person is never unhappy when he is hungry but has a nice-smelling meal, and say that now he is going to do hard work and great labor in that now he is going to eat, since where there is pleasure, we cannot speak of work and labor.

Accordingly, we should understand this, since the Torah is called “For they are our lives and the length of our days.” So, why is it said that a person must labor in the Torah? Is there anyone who does not want to live and enjoy life? It is written about it, “Who are nicer than gold and from much fine gold, and sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.” Therefore, why is it considered “labor” when we observe Torah and Mitzvot?

The answer is that if the pleasure in Torah and Mitzvot were revealed to all, the whole world would certainly observe Torah and Mitzvot. This is as it is written in the “Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot” (Item 43), “If, for example, the Creator were to establish open Providence with His creations in that, for instance, anyone who eats a forbidden thing would immediately choke, and anyone who performed a commandment would discover wonderful pleasures in it, similar to the finest delights in this corporeal world. Then, what fool would even think of tasting a forbidden thing, knowing that he would immediately lose his life because of it, just as one does not consider jumping into a fire? Also, what fool would leave any commandment without performing it as quickly as possible, as one who cannot retire from or linger with a great corporeal pleasure that comes into his hand, without receiving it as quickly as he can? Thus, if Providence were open before us, all the people in the world would be complete righteous.”

We should therefore ask, Why is Providence not revealed, but we must believe in reward and punishment? Would it not be better if everything were revealed? The answer is that since we must achieve Dvekut [adhesion] with the Creator, which is equivalence of form, because of it, we must do everything for the sake of the Creator, meaning in order to bestow contentment upon the Maker. If the reward and punishment in Torah and Mitzvot were revealed, it would be impossible to work for the sake of the Creator, since the pleasure would force a person to observe Torah and Mitzvot.

We see that when a pleasure is revealed in corporeality, although it is only a pleasure that is a “tiny light” compared to the pleasure in Torah and Mitzvot, how difficult it is for a person to say that everything he does is in order to bestow, or he would relinquish the corporeal pleasures if he could not aim in order to bestow upon the Creator.

Therefore, with the great pleasures found in Torah and Mitzvot, it would certainly be impossible to be able to say that if he cannot aim in order to bestow, he gives them up. Hence, this correction was done that before a person can say about the small pleasures in corporeal things that he accepts them only on condition that he can aim to bestow, he is placed under Tzimtzum [restriction] and concealment where he does not see any pleasure. Rather, he must believe that this is so. That is, a person must believe that the Creator leads all creations with a guidance of The Good Who Does Good.

This is as it is written in the article (Shamati, No. 40, “Faith in the Rav, What Is the Measure,” 1943), “One should depict to oneself as if one has already been rewarded with whole faith in the Creator, and already feels in his organs that the Creator leads the whole world in the form of ‘The Good Who Does Good,’ meaning that the whole world receives from Him only good.”

According to the above, it follows that when a person engages in faith in the Creator, he should dedicate some time to depicting how he would feel if he were rewarded with being near the Creator, and he would see with his own eyes the delight and pleasure extending to him and to all creations, how high spirited and elated he would be.

This depiction requires continuation—that his faith will be as knowing and seeing, meaning that the measure of the faith should be like seeing and knowing. This is a lot of work because this is a path of truth, and it is as it is written, “truth and faith,” meaning that for his faith to be true, it is specifically like this depiction, that he must believe in the measure of the greatness of the faith as though he saw it, that he was believing with his eyes.

In other words, to the same extent that he was inspired when he saw, so should be his excitement when he does not see, but only believes that this is so. This is why it is called “faith in the path of truth.” That is, his faith is true as though he knew this. This is called “true faith,” or as it is written, “truth and faith.”

And since the whole basis should be built on faith, and at the same time we were given intellect and reason to understand everything with the intellect we have, it follows that faith is against our nature, for we can follow the intellect and not be stupid, doing things mindlessly. It follows that on one hand, we teach a person to walk according to the intellect and behave this way with one another, but when a person begins to observe Torah and Mitzvot, he is told that although he should follow the intellect, between man and the Creator we were given faith. That is, we must believe in the sages and follow this path, although it contradicts the intellect, as it is written, “And they believed in the Lord, and in his servant Moses.” In other words, we must believe what the sages said to us and not look at our intellect.

But since this contradicts our reason, we have ups and downs. That is, at times we can believe the words of the sages and depict before us the depiction of truth and faith, meaning that his faith is truly faith, namely that there is no intellect there but everything is against our reason, what we understand. This is why it is called “true faith” or “simple faith,” since there is nothing to understand there but everything is above reason.

Hence, it is beyond man’s power to always be on the same degree. Rather, he ascends and descends, as our Baal HaSulam said, Why is assuming the burden of the kingdom of heaven called Emuna [faith]? It comes from the word Oman [craftsman], Omenet [nanny], who raises the child slowly until she rears him. Therefore, when working on the basis of faith, until we are rewarded with permanent faith, there is the matter of “partial faith.”

For this reason, during the work there are ups and down. That is, sometimes a person might depict the greatness and importance of Torah and Mitzvot, and of the greatness and importance of the Giver of the Torah. In other words, when he can depict to himself the greatness and importance of the Giver of the Torah, he feels that he is in a state of ascent. In other words, he feels that he is above the corporeal world. He sees people who follow corporeal things as beasts and animals who settle for nourishments that suffice for the animate level. But for himself, he feels that he can receive sustenance only from what suits the “speaking” level. As is written in the introductions, the whole merit of the speaking level in man is that he is fit to receive the sensation of Godliness, and this does not pertain to the animate level.

However, afterward, he descends once more from his state and falls into the multiple authorities. That is, now he is in his own authority, and not as before. Therefore, during the ascent, when he feels that there is no one in the world but the authority of the Creator, and he himself does not merit a name, since he wants to annul before Him unconditionally, therefore, during the ascent, a person is in the singular authority, and during the descent, he is in multiple authorities, meaning he already has two authorities.

However, sometimes when a person falls into a state where he is worse than two authorities, since when a person says that there are two authorities, at least he believes that there is a Creator to the world, which is one authority. That is, the Creator is the host, and He does what He wants, but there is another authority, meaning that man, too, is a landlord and does in the world what he wants. At that time, the person wants the Creator to serve the person according to his wish, meaning that the Creator should be at man’s service and the Creator will serve man according to man’s command.

However, even worse is when one does not believe that there is a Creator and a leader to the world, at all. It follows that for this person, there is nothing more than his own, singular authority. However, a person sees that many people have this view, and they all say that they are their own landlords. In other words, each one does what he needs and does not care about other people. If sometimes someone does something good for another, it is because he expects his friend to return him a favor and not be ungrateful.

This is as it is written in The Zohar and in the “Preface” [to the Wisdom of Kabbalah] (Item 57) about the verse, “The mercy of the nations is a sin,” “Since all that they do, they do for themselves.” In other words, they will probably receive something in return for the favor. At that time, “authority of many” means “many individuals.”

It follows that this is not regarded as “two authorities,” meaning the Creator’s authority and man’s authority, and the person still believes in the authority of the Creator. But when a person falls into the authority of many, of many individuals, he does not incorporate the Creator at all, and this is certainly the worst state.

It follows that before one is rewarded with permanent faith, which is a gift of God, and not within man’s hands, he is always in ascents and descents. At that time a person needs heaven’s mercy in order not to escape the campaign. At that time, the order of the work can be only during an ascent, meaning when he is in the domain of Kedusha [holiness].

At that time, a person must work and pay attention to the state he was in during the descent. That is, during the ascent, he can calculate and see the difference between light and darkness, as it is written, “As the advantage of the light from within the darkness.” In other words, at that time he can observe what our sages said (Avot, Chapter 2:1), “Consider the cost of a Mitzva [commandment/good deed] compared to its reward, and the reward for a transgression compared to its cost.”

In other words, during an ascent, a person understands that reception for oneself is considered a transgression, meaning it removes him from the Creator, and there is no transgression greater than this. But during a descent, a person cannot understand that if he does not aim to bestow, it is considered a transgression and that he should have the strength to believe that we must do everything for the sake of the Creator. Rather, he only believes what is written, that a person should observe the 613 Mitzvot that the Creator commanded us through Moses to do. But he will certainly not commit a transgression, breaking what is written in the Torah.

Rather, sometimes a person is angry at why the Creator treated us this way, forbidding us so many things. That is, a person says that if the Creator had asked him about observing the Mitzvot [plural of Mitzva], he would have asked Him not to be so strict and forbid so many things that he covets. Nevertheless, he observes the Mitzvot.

But during the ascent, a person is angry at the opposite: Why did the Creator make us do such things that are necessary, like eating and drinking? It would be better if He did not create them at all and we would not have to do them.

It follows that during the ascent, he wants to have fewer pleasures in the world, and during the descent, he is angry that the Creator forbade us many things that we would enjoy had the Torah not forbade them. We therefore see that there are ascents and descents when a person wants to be rewarded with Dvekut with the Creator. Therefore, we should call the time of descent, a “state of Katnut [smallness/infancy],” and the state of ascent, a “state of Gadlut [greatness/adulthood].

By this we can interpret what we asked about the meaning of what our sages said, “Say, and you said, to warn the great about the small.” We asked, How can we speak within one person about “great” and “small”? According to the above, we should interpret that “great” or “small” does not refer to two bodies, since in the work we learn everything within one body. Rather, “great” and “small” should be interpreted in two times in a single subject, meaning one person at two times: 1) During the ascent, it is called “great.” 2) During a descent, it is called “small.”

By this we should interpret that when a person is in a state of ascent, he must pay attention and consider that he might come into a descent. And what is a descent? That is, who says that a descent is so bad? After all, he sees that there are many people who live and enjoy life although they are in a state of descent. Therefore, when he himself is in a state of descent, he is taken after them, and then he, too, enjoys life like they do.

However, we can say about the state of descent that this person had a road accident and he was hurt and he is unconscious. That is, he does not feel that he is in a state of descent. Rather, he enjoys the state he is in and does not feel a descent, since he has completely forgotten that there is spirituality in the world and we must strive to achieve Dvekut with the Creator. He forgot everything because of the accident he had, and therefore does not ache because he is in descent.

Therefore, when a person is in a state of ascent, he can think and fear that he might have a road accident. That is, now that he is exerting to advance to spirituality, that he will not fall from his degree in the middle.

But during a descent, he no longer remembers because he has no sensation of spirituality. He can know all this only at the time of Gadlut. Hence, the text tells us: “Say, and you said, to warn the great about the small.” In other words, during the Gadlut, which is the time of ascent, this is the time to be careful with Katnut, meaning not to come into a descent, called “small,” for only during an ascent can one think about the matter of Katnut, meaning about the reason he has come into Katnut, for one should know that there must be something that causes the descent.

This is as I had heard from Baal HaSulam (written in Shamati, No. 35, “Concerning the Vitality of Kedusha,” Tav-Shin-Hey), “Yet, we must also know that if one could sustain any luminescence, even a small one, but if it were permanent, one would already be considered whole. In other words, one would have been able to advance with this illumination.

Hence, if one loses the luminescence, one should regret it. This is similar to a person who placed a seed in the ground so that a big tree would grow from it, but took the seed out of the ground right away. Thus, what is the benefit in the work of putting the seed in the ground? Moreover, we can say that he dug out a tree with ripe fruits out of the ground and corrupted them. That is, had he not dug out the seed, a tree with fruits would have grown out of the seed. Likewise, if one had not lost this tiny luminescence, a great light would have grown out of it. Therefore, he should regret having lost a great light.”

We therefore see that a person should keep himself with all kinds of precautions during the ascent. Then, even if he feels that he has a small sensation, if he does all that he can not to lose it, he will march forward every time.

This is the meaning of the words, “Say, and you said, to warn the great about the small.” That is, during the Gadlut, which is a time of ascent, he must make every calculation so as not to come into Katnut, meaning a descent. He must calculate what is the importance he has now, even a small connection to spirituality.

He must work with himself to believe that this feeling comes from above, meaning that at that time, the Creator is calling him, and to think how important it is that the Creator is calling him, and also, that if he can keep this small sensation permanently, he will certainly go forward, as in the allegory, that this ascent is regarded as only a seed that is placed in the ground, but that a big, fruit bearing tree will emerge from that seed.

It turns out that he must appreciate the state of ascent and depict to himself as though this is how he is looking at the purpose. That is, as though he already has a big fruit bearing tree—in what way would he guard the tree so people would not spoil this big tree? In this way, he should continue until he feels in his organs that he must always watch over the tree, and he even does things to hide the tree from people so they cannot cast an evil-eye on the tree.

Likewise, a person should keep this feeling that he has now in a state of ascent, so that strangers will not cast the evil eye on him.

Thus far, we have been talking about the importance of the ascent. However, this is only one side.

However, we should also think about the state of lowliness during the descent. This is called “looking at the other side that there is to think about.” In other words, only during an ascent can a person think about the lowliness of the state of descent. This is called “Warning the great,” meaning a state of Gadlut, “about the small,” the time of Katnut, meaning what he might lose if he comes to a state of descent, for only during an ascent can he calculate “as the advantage of the light from within the darkness.” This can be precisely when he has

light. At that time, he can compare between light and darkness, but not while he is in the dark.

This is as our sages said (Avot, Chapter 5:1), “The world was created in ten utterances. But it could have been created with one utterance! However, in order to avenge the wicked, who are destroying the world, it was created in ten utterances, and to give a good reward to the righteous, who are sustaining the world, which was created in ten utterances.”

This is seemingly perplexing. We can understand “to reward the righteous,” so they will have a great reward. But “to avenge the wicked”? Why did He do so? After all, the Creator does not complain against His own creations! Why did He make it so there would be much suffering?

We should interpret that in the work, this means that a person should think what is the good that he might lose, and what is the bad that he might suffer, and from those whom he will come to need to keep the Gadlut, meaning the time of ascent. Otherwise, he will see what he can suffer from the state of descent. This is the meaning of “to warn the great about the small.” 

Reader: We'll move on to the lesson from March 2, 2003. 

M. Laitman: (33:42) This is from Volume 5, “Rungs of the Ladder.” This takes a saying from “Yevamot,” What Is, Warn the Great about the Small,” in the Work?  Rabash divides the state of a person in the world into three possibilities. 

There is a host, a landlord, who feels only his own authority, he's in the world; and there's nature, environment, society, humanity around him. And he determines, and his environment determines what happens to him. And there is a state, a situation in which a person feels the existence of the Creator, or he believes in the existence of the Creator. 

We still need to find an understanding of what it means, what is the difference between faith and feeling. In a state where a person feels the existence of the Creator, there are two states in that. There is a state of ascent and a state of descent. 

The state of descent — when he's in a state of descent, he feels that he's under his own authority. He also feels that the authority of the Creator exists, meaning that there's another force that acts in reality other than himself, a state higher than the host, the landlord. But he wants this force to serve him. Or it can be really from the Sitra Achra [the other side], if we're truly in the upper worlds and we have forces in us that really want to enjoy the presence and existence of the Creator, for the Creator to serve them, to satisfy all those desires. That is called the Sitra Achra, the other side. But this is still a connection to the Creator, just not the desirable kind, but still nonetheless a connection. 

Meaning, higher than the status of the host who the landlord rather, who doesn't feel the Creator and lives in nature like a beast. 

And there's a higher state called an ascent, whereupon a person rises to serve the Creator. Not that the Creator will serve him, he will serve the Creator. And these three states, these are the only three states that exist. And a person's work is to constantly check, monitor where he is, because sometimes he can fall into the degree of the landlord. And of course, sometimes being in a spiritual descent, in the Sitra Achra - two authorities, or in ascent - singular authority.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (37:43) He writes that if a person is in ascent, he feels a singular authority. On the other hand, he writes about that state in that paragraph, whereas during the ascent, the person is angry. If I'm angry, upset during an ascent, it means that I think that I would have done things differently. How can it be still considered to be in a singular authority? Because angry, means it's against what I think or feel. It means that I need to feel that there is me as well. How can it be that in an ascent, I'm in a singular authority, if you have that?

M. Laitman: There are many facets to the ascent and the descent. An ascent, means that you're under a singular authority, meaning you know that there is one single authority. The singular authority, in that, there are also several aspects to this. Different ways, and you can agree with it. You can disagree with it. You can surrender to it. You can accept it gladly to receive it, support it, and you go into it and maintain it, hold it with power and desire. There are many different states in this. It's not a simple black and white. In each state, there are many, well, sub-states of its own. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (39:31) In the page 207 he writes, that we should believe what our sages told us and not look at our intellect. Now, the sages what they tell you usually they don't give you too many tools. They eventually, practically tell you in the end, "whatever is in your hand and power to do, do it." Now, on the one hand, I need to try to understand from his relations, from his attitude with my intellect. On the other hand, I have to do what is in my hand and power, and.. 

M. Laitman: Many words I didn't… 

Student: But he writes that we should use our intellect, because I can't use my intellect on my degree. On the other hand, what other tool do I have? So, he tells me to do what the sages said we should do. But what the sages say to do is, "whatever is in your hand and power to do, do it." So, what is the feeling? 

M. Laitman: How do you summarize these things, all these things, in this way? I'm not sure, but… The problem is that during the time of concealment, period of concealment, we cannot know, we cannot tell how we're advancing. 

We're given counsels, advice. It's called Eitin, Pikudin, meaning advice and commands or deposits. They give us advice here. Try working with that. Intellectually, we want to understand the reasons and causes and to weigh which is more important or less, and which states are more desirable. The intellectual approach is… It's good that a person utilizes that. He's working somehow, he's moving. But it's not that it's actually effective at all. Advancement comes only according to the inner exertion a person gives. And when he gives, when does he give this inner exertion? That's difficult. It's very difficult to discern. 

The exertion is a willing effort, or it could be against one's will. It has nothing to do with the intellect. It has to do with the will. And it's very difficult therefore to measure when I exert and how I give the exertion. 

The exertion usually is in connecting myself to the Creator, to the highest status I think can be, meaning with all my power to make an emotional effort to bring oneself out of the degree of the landlord to the degree of spiritual descent and to the degree of spiritual ascent. 

The Creator, I don't know what He's doing, but what I will make of myself, even now I understand, even now, I and all of my entire life, and my actions, and the Creator are one single state. It's such a state where I cannot differentiate between these three things. This effort that a person makes is called exertion, because other than myself, nothing exists. That is what we need to reach. And we need to always see if we're in that or not. If we're not, then we try to make this kind of effort. And for that, we need to do as they write, "whatever is within your power and ability to do - that do.” 

And it's not intellectual efforts that we need to make here. Those aren't counted as effort at all. And here it won't help the person if he scrutinizes the state more or less. There are people who are more sensitive, they have a better ability to critique things, to scrutinize things. But no, this doesn't help at all. There is no natural inclination that a person is born with that can help him advance towards the Creator. 

In this, all are equal. So, from this, we can see how we can't measure exertion. There are those who are blocked, no emotion, and the others have no intellect, and some who have no emotion and no intellect, both. And there are those who are always impressed, inspired, uplifted. And what can you tell from that? You can't tell anything about anyone. We cannot measure. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (46:07)  It's an emotional effort trying to reach… 

M. Laitman: It's not emotional. I mean, I don't know what adhesion to the Creator means. But however I describe it, however I imagine it, to the extent that I can, this is what I need to yearn for, and to somehow try to get myself into that in each and every state. 

Student: So, the exertion is… 

M. Laitman: The exertion, this is called exertion. Exertion means to hold myself in a state of adhesion, assent, to hold myself in a state of assent, as he describes it here. 

Student: But what do we need to hold on to? The yearning itself? 

M. Laitman: Not the yearning - myself. To constantly see myself in a state of ascent. And if I conduct criticism, and I study my states, this must never cause- affect my state. This will never affect my state such that I bring myself to a state of ascent, feeling of adhesion. Unless half an hour of the 24 hours a day, this is permissible. 

Criticism, not to bring about a descent. Criticism, never brings about a dissent. And if people do the opposite, 24 hours, all sorts of scrutinies, this is against the advice we're given. This goes against the advice. Yes I'll tell you, during criticism, when conducting criticism, a person is opposite to the Creator, not compatible, not close. He's not drawing upon himself the surrounding lights which promote us. It's not the intellect where he thinks. You understand? He's just in the intellect, in some kind of machine, and not at all in the spiritual, holy system. But in some kind of mechanism, where you have wheels and all sorts of things, it's mechanical, it's beastly. It's not for nothing that they advise us to be in adhesion, inspiration, and only half an hour in criticism. 

The effort, the exertion, that's a very, very special and specific thing, which, again, I repeat, has nothing to do with intellectual criticism. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (49:26) So, why does he call faith above reason, simple faith? Why is it simple?

M. Laitman: What does he say is simple? 

Student: He says, "this is why it is called true faith or simple faith, since there is nothing to understand there, but everything is above reason." 

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Student: But we see, it's not so simple. 

M. Laitman: It's not simple to get there, but it's not complicated. This is, it follows reason. We have to understand that the reason, the intellect, stands next to the emotion. And it works within the system of this world. But the moment you're only in the intellect, you're disconnected from spirituality. If the intellect can serve spirituality, then go ahead. But I'm telling you, it means not to demote you to the degree of adhesion, but rather assist more and more to climb in it. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (50:33) In our state, a person can see which actions he is seemingly performing above reason, as if… 

M. Laitman: It depends how you define “above reason.” And accordingly, you can say… 

Student: Well, sometimes it's against the desire, as if against the desire…

M. Laitman: Well, against the desire. Many people act against the desire in the world. My desire right now is to sleep, but I make an effort and I get out of bed and I go to work. Is this against the desire or not? Seemingly, yes, my desire is to sleep. But what? I calculate what's ultimately in my best interest, and then I perform a different, I execute a different desire. 

The desire to have food, a house, family, and so on, and so I go to work. And a small desire is thus rejected by a bigger desire, because I have several desires. If I had only the net desire to sleep, then come, kill me, it doesn't matter. I'm going to sleep, because I don't feel any other desire. The desire to live, for example, I don't feel. If you come and kill me, right, you kill me, fine. I can't even make the calculation. Where do I make calculations, perform calculations, when I have several desires? So which desire is bigger, which is preferable to the other?

Student: Yes, but the spiritual reward, we don't know. We receive, if we receive some paycheck at the end of the month. 

M. Laitman: With the spiritual reward, it's also the same. It also enters into our calculation. So they say the following. If you still have calculations, so what are these calculations? Either it's calculations you have in the framework of this world: the desire to sleep, or the desire to get the paycheck. So I go to collect the paycheck, and so I get up from bed, I go to work. These are calculations on the plane of this world, right? These are the calculations of the landlords. There is a calculation where you already take the Creator into consideration. He has His authority, I have my authority, and so how do I get along with Him? I cannot erase Him from the picture. He exists in reality. And so I only have to make a calculation about what is my relation with Him? What kind of connection do we have? I want to gain from Him. In what form can I do it in the most optimal manner? Or it could be a different calculation. That I will take Him into consideration only as the only force that is operating, and myself as a force that is not operating, but only in order to attach myself to this unique force. And then all of my calculations are about Him. All of my forces are in Him. It is as if I have no authority, I give up on my authority. And then, bit by bit, when I try to make such exercises, I certainly begin to see that this is how it is, that I have no authority. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (54:19) What does it mean to go above reason? 

M. Laitman: Okay, we will scrutinize it now. I don't have any... 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (54:35) It's written in one of the articles that a person needs to spend one hour a day improving his heart, meaning the hour before he awakens, meaning the hour where we sit here right now. What does it mean to improve one's heart? If it's forbidden to enter a state of descent, what does it mean to improve one's heart? How do you perform this criticism without falling into a descent? How do you enter such a state? 

M. Laitman: How do we perform criticism that does not bring forth a descent?

Student: Yes. 

M. Laitman: In spirituality, it is considered that first you have a restriction. Following the restriction, you start to make the calculation of how much you can give to the Creator. That it is certain that this calculation of how much is without taking myself into consideration. But this means that you have already ascended to such a degree where it is certain that I have no calculation about myself, and your calculation is only with respect to the Creator. And as much as you will have now, it is truly according to your forces and His desires.

Student: In the state of preparation?

M. Laitman: In the state of preparation. In the state of preparation, our efforts can be only to feel ourselves incorporated in His action.

Student: And what about the half hour, hour where Baal HaSulam says that one needs to improve his heart? That hour, he says, is after waking up. So, what to do in that hour? 

M. Laitman: Take the Shulchan Aruch book. See what it says there. How a person should get up from bed, in what form, what corrections he needs to make on himself. And you will see. You're asking about the corrections, apparently, already.

Student: I'm not asking about corrections. I'm asking what to do internally, what kind of work. If he tells us that also most of the day, as you say, we need to… 

M. Laitman: Also immediately, when you get up from bed, start striving to find contact with the Creator. And to do it immediately.

Student: The question is, in that half hour or hour where we engage in criticism, how to perform criticism in a way that doesn't bring me to a state of descent?

M. Laitman: I cannot say more than I said already. We perform the criticism, like in spirituality, first we make the restriction, then we make the calculation of how to rise higher. Also imagine in your state that you will do something like that. If a person feels that he might fall as a result of the criticism, he must not enter criticism. Now, somehow to cause the decline of a degree? There's nothing worse than that. And we oftentimes have calculations. Okay, fine, but later on I will rise, I will have, seemingly, if I have a greater minus, we will rise to a higher plus. It will never be that way. The minus does not occur during the time of the minus. The minus is done specifically at the time of the ascent, when you see how much it is to the opposite, how your vessels are opposite to the lights.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (58:33) What is the difference between faith in the Creator and feeling the Creator's existence? 

M. Laitman: Emuna, faith, means Hassadim. The attainment of the quality of Bina, this is called faith. This means some kind of a force that will come to me, to my vessels of reception, to Malchut, let's say. Let's also talk about it in terms of Kabbalah. And it will give me the ability to be protected, shielded against my desires, my nature, to such an extent that I will not want to use my will to receive, my nature, and make a calculation of what will happen to me within my vessels of reception. 

When I rise to the degree of Bina, it is considered that I acquire the degree of faith, I have faith. This is only net, pure faith, as we call it, that against my will to receive I acquire the force to be above my will to receive, not to use it. 

Let's say my will to receive has desires to receive and enjoy from their NRNHY, and I received such a power that the whole of NRNHY, even if it comes, if somebody will bring all of it before me I don't care, it doesn't matter to me at all. It's not that I don't care, but rather I feel it. 

I feel my vessels of reception, and I feel the pleasures that I have before me, but the power of faith, that is the connection with the Creator, the spiritual force that I receive, the importance of the adhesion with the Creator compared to the pleasure of the NRNHY within my vessels, so I prefer the adhesion with the Creator. This is called simple faith. 

And there is faith when I already begin to also use my vessels of reception, when I fill them with the lights of Hassadim and later on with the lights of Hochma. This is called whole faith. All of this refers to Malchut, to the vessels of reception that acquire corrections so that I can make some effort and hold myself, so that I don't enjoy. 

What it means is that I don't want to use these pleasures at all, and I have some protection, a shield against it, but it all remains alive, both my desires to receive and also the pleasure that I feel opposite them. I feel all of that, all of these elements, all the things that create this state for me. 

If I wouldn't feel it, it would be the quality of Bina, the category of Bina, you know, something that is abstract. But we are talking about Malchut that corrects itself to the degree of faith. That is, it does not change on its own.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:02:53) What does it mean when he writes that the world was created in ten utterances?

M. Laitman: The world was created in ten utterances, it means that if the Creator would have wanted to delight Malchut and the created being, He would have created the will to receive, and He would have filled the will to receive with pleasure. And by that, He would finish this whole thing. 

Let's say, like in Malchut in phase one, or even Malchut of Ein Sof, before she feels the difference between her and the Emanator. That's it. So, this would be something that is still. What is the difference between the still, vegetative, animate, and speaking? That they already begin to feel, they have some degree of freedom from the Emanator, that they grow, they exist on their own. So, the Creator wanted the created being to be on His degree. And so, we need to gradually give the created being forces with which to reach infinite freedom.

And in order to reach that, we need to give the created being the qualities of the Creator. The qualities of the Creator that come to the created being first come through negation, showing the difference between the qualities of the Creator and the qualities of the created being. And later on, if a person justifies it, that is, he makes efforts to rise higher through the nature of the Creator and the nature of the created being that exists in him, then he is rewarded with a reward. The reward is adhesion- the final ultimate status. 

Student: So this is to give reward to the righteous, right? 

M. Laitman: Well, and to avenge the wicked first. We need to show the person how he is the opposite, far away from the Creator, in a state that is not corrected, when he condemns the Creator. So it means, he's wicked. And later on, a good reward for the righteous. When he corrects it, then the wicked one becomes righteous. No matter how wicked or righteous in two different bodies, we're saying all of this in a single body.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:06:05) There are two things here which appear to me contradictory. On the one hand, we say that there is only one authority, and that's what we have to believe in. On the other hand, it seems that there is some kind of other authority that has to protect me, to protect the state of ascent. And it seems, if there is one authority, what is that part in us that has to sustain the state of ascent? And we say that it doesn't depend on us at all, too.

M. Laitman: How many authorities are there, you're saying, according to what is written? There is only one. Are you in that? When you say, there's only one authority, does it exist or not? So what are you talking about? Do you exist in a reality where it's, as it is written there, or as it is written in your heart?

Student: I'm trying to learn.

M. Laitman: Learn what? You can learn whatever you want. When you learn about Atzilut, are you in Atzilut? They tell you that you exist in a lie. It seems to you that you exist, that you do something, that something depends on you, and in general you are able to operate. This is all illusions. So by the fact that they tell you it's all illusions, does anything change? You hear it, fine. So the sages came and said that, but it's no more. We need to reach it. Until you reach it, you exist in a... Now, if you want to reach it, then you need to believe that it is truly so. You have to believe them, to have faith in the sages. You need to believe the method, that it is truly possible to reach discovering that indeed there is only one authority. The God, "the Lord is our God, the Lord is one." One, means not us or Him or something else, but absolutely one. And when you make efforts and you reach it as a result, then you will say that indeed there is only one authority, but for the time being. It’s not even two authorities. 

For the time being, our state is that we exist in a state of the landlords. What does it mean, the landlords? I exist, and that's it. I'm the landlord, and besides me, there's nobody else. This is considered that I'm the landlord. That's it. 

Now, if it is already me and Him, well, that is already spirituality. It could be the shell. It could be a person who is fighting against his nature. He understands that in reality it is one, but still in his vessels it is two. He exists in the right and in the left. But it is already spirituality. It could be the shell. It could be sanctity, the shell or the Kedusha. It's only about the intention. It's only about how we relate to it. What does Pharaoh say? "Who is the Lord that I should listen to His voice?" So he… believes. 

I mean, he feels it, but he only wants the Creator to fill him. This is his will to receive. The moment he feels the existence of the spiritual pleasures, he wants them. This is already two authorities. Two authorities, it's a revelation. But we have nothing. We don't even discover our own authority, but it's just beastliness. This is called to be the landlord. How is it different than a beast? In nothing. 

If not for the point in the heart, it's only an addition of envy, hatred, honor, knowledge. These things also exist in a person only in order to cause a development in him towards the point in the heart. So, you will see the necessity of it, but certainly... 

Student: (01:10:38) So, this demand to sustain the state of ascent…

M. Laitman: The demand to keep that state of ascent. The state itself, you don't cause it. And you don't reach it. The light that works on you, but when you're in that state of ascent that it was given to you, and now you get a recognition of your contact with Godliness. Now, when you have that force, and you have that feeling that you're in contact with it, so, it's worth it to this state to gradually, gently add all kinds of thoughts and desires, disappointments, everything you have. Join them in there too. 

Then by that, you're strengthening your ascent. You are supposedly participating in it. Also, during the ascent, you have to study more, because then from that state, you scrutinize more, you expand your vessel. But by keeping that state, the fact that you are in a descent, you don't say that it has to come. When you fell, you fell. You caused it. You forgot to make efforts to try and remain in the ascent all the time. You wanted to rest a bit. Just enjoy without an effort. And then you fall. 

And sometimes a few hours, a few days, until you feel that you fell. But, you fell in that same second, actually, the moment you stopped making the efforts. Just fell, surrounding light, somehow, until it goes by. There's like a temporary point, a time of a delay, that a person doesn't feel that he fell yet.

Student: So, in that state, I have to say that the Creator made me fall to that state.

M. Laitman: The Creator never makes a person fall. The Creator's desire is always constant to bring him to the best possible state. I don't know what you mean by those words. Maybe, you're saying something right, but I don't hear. I'm not allowed to say that the Creator made me fall.  

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:14:03) He writes in None Else Besides Him, that thoughts of the incarnation of a pig, he should be sorry for it. He should regret having come to a state where the Creator installed thoughts in him. 

M. Laitman: Okay, so are you hearing what you're saying? I am sorry that I came to a state, where the Creator gave me those thoughts. Meaning, I'm causing it. The light never causes a descent directly, let's say. 

Obviously, yes, but not directly. Meaning still, His desire is to do good to the created beings in every moment, in every state. That's why I said I don't know exactly what he meant by that word. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:14:55) What does it mean that he writes that a person should guard the ascent from foreigners? He writes, "guard it so that there will not be an evil eye on that."

M. Laitman: With the evil eyes?

Student: Yes. 

M. Laitman: We live in our world. We use the connection with each other. And that connection is from our vessels, right? From one vessel of mine, there is a relation to your vessel, and that relation is called envy, hatred, or love. 

The relations between the vessels can be positive, and it could be negative. The negative relation between the vessels is called evil eye. That's in corporeality, and it has forces. It does have very strong forces. Let's say psychological forces in the level of this world. As a person can convince himself, just psychological, to hold himself more, or the contrary, to lower himself. It also works on his health, on his mood, on everything. Same with other people. They can affect him. They can influence him. That's called evil eye in corporeality, let's say. There's a lot about it, but it's only about corporeal things. 

There's nothing spiritual about it to such an extent that someone can cause a death on another person, but it's still corporeality. In spirituality, evil eye, it's towards the Creator. How do you look at His attitude towards you? That's called either good eye or evil eye. Like we say in this world, to see it in a good eye. So, what are you asking? 

Student: What does it mean that he writes to guard that inner state, to hide the ascent from people?

M. Laitman: A person, in order to not cause himself harm and not cause others harm, he should always conceal his spiritual state from external people. Why? Also in order to not cause them envy. By this, you are lowering the person beside you from a good degree to a bad degree. You are bringing him, like you're showing him you have such a good thing that he doesn't have it and he has no choice. His vessels aren't under a restriction and a screen, so he starts becoming envious. So, you lower him in a degree. First, he didn't have it. First, he looked at it from his degree. He thought everything's good and nice, so you can't cause him evil eye.

Student: So, what should we... 

M. Laitman: Meaning, you have to take the friends into consideration, that there are in certain degrees of correction and aren't great ones. And you can't, one can't open towards the other what's in his heart towards the Creator.

What you have in your heart towards, I don't know, your landlord, work, family, we don't care about that. But, what is in your vessels, that you can't show. That's called giving grip to the external ones. There're external and internal within a person, but also a person can see himself in an evil eye, and also towards external ones, towards someone foreign altogether. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:20:14) So, what should I envy the friend about? 

M. Laitman: He writes how you should be cautious of it by concealment. Not that the Creator is concealing, but I'm concealing. I even have to conceal myself from myself. Myself from myself I have to conceal, because I have such desires and such things that I don't use them, and I conceal from them this other corrected part of mine. 

That's what's happening in the spiritual Partzuf; there are desires where you receive in order to bestow, and there are desires that you don't even touch. They're under restriction, you keep them. So, same thing; not that in one Partzuf there are two parts, but same thing. 

The same way towards external people in this world that you also have to do that. And it's from two reasons: that they won't cause me damage, and I won't cause them damage by obligating them to be envious of me. 

If I cause that so it's my loss, because what can they do? They have a certain degree of correction. They can relate to me as an equal, but suddenly they see that I'm, if I'm gonna show everybody that I'm on a certain degree, I don't know what, and everybody knows. So, there's really, that are in a higher degree than others here. So, that will already be a grip to the external ones. So, it's better to say, no there's nothing in Bnei Baruch, and that's it. 

Student: So, what should I envy the friend about?

M. Laitman: Also in our other groups that are abroad, when they look at us, what we're doing, they don't have a special respect to us, no. The internet works in a way that they're supposedly inside, and they feel what we're speaking, and they see… what were talking about. They, they're nothing. And it's good that they think that and not to cause them. 

If you cause them positive envy, that they want to be like you, okay. But here, there can also be negative envy. Then the loss will be great, and it's not worth it. The wisdom is for the modest, as we say. You have to cover, or you reveal a part and cover twice. A person has to cover these things.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:23:23) I found this sentence I was talking about. He says, a person should then regret and say, "the fact that I did the transgression is because the Creator threw me from holiness to filth, to the toilet, to the place of trash, waste." He presents it as if the Creator threw me. 

M. Laitman: That the fact that I did a transgression is because the Creator threw me into the filth, a low place. Why did He toss me there? The Creator is the light that does good. I have not changed, HaVaYaH. He is doing good in each and every state. So, how could it be that that light tossed me into the place of filth? Did He change? No? Yes or no? 

Student: No. 

M. Laitman: So, how can it be that it happened?

Student: He probably doesn't give the same light.

M. Laitman: What do you mean, ‘doesn't give the same light’? You said the light doesn't change. Meaning, the reason that the person can't hold on to that same state. 

Meaning, don't drop it on the Creator, that's what I'm trying to say. Because in the end, you want to say, “so the Creator did this to me, what can I do? So, now I'll sit silent, later on, He'll pull me back up.” No, on His behalf, it never happened. 

You always rise in holiness and never lower. It cannot be on His behalf, any action that will cause a descent. But your degrees, your preparations, your new states, they maybe obligate you. That's all great. But don't say it came from the Creator. Say, “now it's in my structure that I need to fall.” That's also a question. What does it mean in my structure that I need to fall? So, in short…

Student: So, what authority caused it? He says… 

M. Laitman: Oh, you're asking from the authority, if there's one authority how could I be in an ascent and a descent, right? When you're in a descent, you're not in one authority, you're in two authorities. You can say that about the Klipa, the shell. So, that's also the Creator. So, that's also His authority. So, then it's one authority. So, there's no ascents and descents there. Don't connect two or three states together, they are one. 

You can't, from this current state that you're in this world speak about the end of correction. Or to say that in this world, there's also the state like in the end of correction. No, towards you, it's not like that. So, how do you pull these things in here? It's wondrous. It's like a person on the street saying, "none else besides Him." What are you talking about? What "none else besides Him"? Look, I'll pinch you, look, what are you going to do? 

Do you go according to what comes out of your mouth, or according to your true vessels? If you are saying that you're in a descent, so you're not in "none else besides Him." So, you're not in one place. You're in two desires. There are two forces working on you, at least, if it's spirituality. If you descended, and you're in a shell and holiness, one against the other, you can weigh them. So, it's not "none else besides Him." It's two, two authorities. You can't speak, you're just moving in between degrees, or the end of correction, or a few less degrees, a few thousand degrees. It's all the same. "None else besides Him." Where are you? In Be'ar or the Klipa? Where?

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:28:08) What I'm trying to understand is how I should approach such study so I will see it.

M. Laitman: You have to reach a state that there really is None Else Besides Him. And to hold on as much as you can. If you reach it, be cautious of the descent and do all the efforts to hold on as much as possible. The disturbances come, so don't think that it's the Creator wanting to throw you. He wants to strengthen the connection with Him. That's why He's adding all these small disturbances. And they're never more than what you can overcome. You have to believe that every time He adds disturbances, it's that you strengthen the connection even more. And if you say that He tossed you, so you're already in two authorities. There are a few questions here. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:29:22) Could there be positive envy in spiritual work? 

M. Laitman: Of course, it could be. It's like in our world, there's envy that I want to be rich like him, and there's envy that I want him not to be rich. Then, I won't suffer. Here's another wise guy like you.

Question (Internet): (01:29:55) If we need to be confident that our reality that we're getting from the Creator is the best, so how could we ask for anything else?

M. Laitman: What do you mean the best? You see, he's trying to pull into a state, the end of correction, where everything is beautiful and great, where people are getting confused. Here's another wise guy.

Question (Moscow): (01:30:38) When I'm constantly in a struggle with myself, and I don't let my ego, I don't give it any freedom, so then is that exerting and in contact with the Creator?

M. Laitman: I don't know in what he's in a struggle with himself. It has to be like Baal HaSulam says, me and the action I'm doing, meaning the state I'm in and the Creator, they all have to be together. The effort I make to join these three points together, that information, that data, that's called exertion. So, I don't know in what he's in struggle. Maybe he has to be on a diet, and he wants to eat. That's also a struggle.

Question (USA): (01:31:42) If a person—everything's great in his life—he's happy, but he doesn't feel contact with the Creator. Is that a descent?

M. Laitman: It's like a cat sitting, laying in the sun. Everything's great. What do you want from me? That's an ascent for me. Meaning again, it depends towards what are we checking our descends and ascends. So, it doesn't even depend on the feeling. The feeling has to be a result of that. It's like we say, learning Lishma and Lo Lishma. Lishma means for her sake, that after you reach adhesion, you have to feel the tastes, the special tastes in it, the infinite pleasures in it. That's something a person has to reach. If you're in an effort, and you think you're constantly struggling, and you have pain from it, so you're not in "He and His name are one," that the vessel resembles the light, and you're making efforts to be in adhesion with Him. That's not with Him. That's right, but don't check according to only a feeling in the vessels of reception. Also, there's a question about the evil eye. There's a question, a friend from Paris.  

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:33:39) You're saying, every moment I have to take all the desires I have in me to connect them with Him, to pray, to connect them with Him because He brought them to me. So, now we have to organize the right framework around us so it will help us in the inner work?

M. Laitman: No, no, not anymore. There's someone here asking, 

Question (Internet): (01:34:14) What would Baal HaSulam say? 

M. Laitman: What? It was erased? Where is it? 

Student: They're asking about keeping the Shabbat. 

M. Laitman: I want to say, first of all, how a person hears us and asks these things. We are relating to all the commandments that you have to keep them. You hear, I hope. We have to keep all the commandments in order to organize around us the right external framework that will help us for our internal work. Okay. No, no, let's study. 

Reader: Let's share impressions from the lesson and what we take from it for working the Ten.

Reader: Let's go to the next part of the lesson. Before that, we'll sing a song.

Song: (01:41:21)