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

Daily Morning Lesson: May 16, 2026

Part1: Baal HaSulam. Shamati, 40. What is the Measure Of Faith In the Rav?

(Original lesson 10-25-2018)

Reader: Dear friends, today we will dedicate the entire lesson to the greatness of our Rav, and the eternal living connection between him in every state. In the first part, we will read from Shamati 40, “What Is the Measure of Faith in the Rav?” Then we will study a lesson from October 25, 2018. In the second part, we will move on to the weekly discussion of the management and continue the discussion about the greatness of Rav. So now we will read together the article in Tens. We have 10 minutes for the reading, please.

Reading: (00:52) Shamati 40, What Is the Measure of Faith in the Rav?

I heard in 1942

It is known that there is a right path and a left path. Right comes from the words “to the right,” referring to the verse, “And he believed in the Lord.” The Targum says, “To the right, when the rav says to the disciple to take the right path.”

Right is normally called “wholeness,” and left, “incompleteness,” that corrections are missing there. In that state the disciple must believe the words of his rav, who tells him to walk in the right line, called “wholeness.”

And what is the “wholeness” by which the disciple should walk? It is that one should depict to oneself as if he 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 only good from Him.

Yet, when one looks at oneself, he sees that he is poor and indigent. In addition, when he observes the world, he sees that the entire world is tormented, each according to his degree.

One should say about that, “They have eyes but they see not.” “They” means that as long as one is in multiple authorities, called “they,” they do not see the truth. What are the multiple authorities? As long as one has two desires, even though he believes that the entire world belongs to the Creator, but something belongs to man, too.

But in truth, one must annul one’s authority before the authority of the Creator and say that one does not want to live for oneself, and the only reason that he wants to exist is in order to bring contentment to the Creator. Thus, by this one annuls his own authority completely, and then he is in the singular authority, the authority of the Creator. Only then can he see the truth, how the Creator leads the world by the quality of good and doing good.

As long as he is in multiple authorities, meaning when he still has two desires in both mind and heart, he is unable to see the truth. Instead, he must go above reason and say, “they have eyes,” but they do not see the truth.

It follows that when one regards oneself and wants to know if he is now in a time of descent or a time of ascent, he cannot know that, too. That is, he thinks that he is in a state of descent, and that, too, is incorrect, since he might be in a state of ascent now, meaning seeing his true state, how far he is from the holy work. Thus, he has now come closer to the truth.

And it might be to the contrary, that now he feels that one is in a state of elation, when in fact he is now controlled by receiving for himself, called “a descent.”

Only one who is already in the singular authority can discern and know the truth. Hence, one must trust the opinion of his rav and believe what his rav tells him. It means that one should go as his rav told him to do.

And although he sees many arguments and many teachings that do not go hand in hand with the opinion of his rav, he should nevertheless trust the opinion of his rav and say that what he understands and what he sees in other books that do not coincide with his rav’s opinion, he should say that as long as he is in multiple authorities, he cannot understand the truth, and he cannot see what is written in other books, the truth that they say.

It is known that when one is still not rewarded, his Torah becomes to him a potion of death. And why does it say, “Not rewarded, his Torah becomes to him a potion of death”? This is because all the teachings that one learns or hears will not bring him any benefit to make one able to be imparted with life, which is Dvekut [adhesion] with the Life of Lives. On the contrary, one is constantly drawn farther from the Life of Lives, since all that he does is only for the needs of the body, called “receiving for oneself,” and this is considered separation.

This means that through his actions he becomes more separated from the Life of Lives, and this is called “the potion of death,” since it brings him death and not life. It means that one becomes ever farther from bestowal, called “equivalence of form with the Creator,” by way of “As He is merciful, so are you merciful.”

We must also know that when one is engaged in the right, the time is right to extend upper abundance, because “the blessed adheres to the Blessed.” In other words, since one is in a state of wholeness, called “blessed,” in that respect one presently has equivalence of form, since the sign of wholeness is if one is in gladness. Otherwise, there is no wholeness.

It is as our sages said, “The Shechina [Divinity] is present only out of gladness of a Mitzva [commandment].” The meaning is that the reason that brings him joy is the Mitzva, meaning the fact that the rav had commanded him to take the right line.

It follows that he keeps the commandment of the rav, that he was allotted a special time to walk on the right and a special time to walk on the left. Left contradicts the right, since left means when one calculates for oneself and begins to examine what he has already acquired in the work of the Creator, and he sees that he is bare and destitute. Thus, how can he be in wholeness?

Still, one goes above reason because of the commandment of the rav. It follows that all his wholeness was built on above reason, and this is called “faith.” This is the meaning of “In every place where I mention My Name, I will come to you and bless you.” “In every place” means although he is still not worthy of a blessing, nonetheless, I gave My blessing because you make a place, meaning a place of gladness, in which the upper light can be.

Reader: We'll move to the lesson from October 25th, 2018.

M. Laitman: (11:21) We have a problem on the way to spirituality, the path to spirituality. The teacher has to be a means between the Creator and the student, and the student has to hear what the teacher is saying, what the Creator is saying, and it's not simple to hear. It's not given to a person just like that to hear, rather it takes many, many years. To the extent that he is willing to annul towards the teacher, accordingly he is willing to annul to the Creator, and no other way. There's also annulment towards the group, the friends, but all of this because he has to receive the force of faith. 

To the extent that he has faith in his Rav, to that extent he receives the force of faith through him, and by that he can raise himself. In our work there are many actions, actions in the study, in dissemination, in teaching, in general to disseminate the wisdom of Kabbalah to create a new order in life, and so on, and so forth. The study of the wisdom of Kabbalah demands of a person to perform great changes in his life. And here we have the matter of agreeing, agreement with his Rav, his teacher, and accordingly until you come to faith in the Rav, because there are actions in our world that seemingly appear to a person as unimportant. Then he needs to see how important it is to his Rav, his teacher, and do them according to that same level of importance that the Creator is showing him through his Rav, through his teacher. Otherwise it would not work.

If the teacher is telling him, telling the student that you have to do so and so, he has to understand that if he hears it, if he hears it simply, physiologically, if he can hear it then he has a problem now, if he does it or not. Because if he doesn't do it, it doesn't mean that he doesn't hear, because he doesn't do it. It means that he is now transgressing, that he disregards, that he rejects his connection to the teacher and to the Creator, and there's no other connection. 

Therefore, if the teacher is saying something, it's worthwhile to hear, and to know that if I don't, I'm transgressing. And then don't ask later, why am I not advancing? Yes, no, in what way? This is how it is. 

M. Laitman: (15:41) Especially when the teacher explains about external actions, this is the matter of the study, the group, and most importantly, dissemination. Through dissemination you receive a deficiency that you cannot receive from the group or from the study. Rather, the connection in the action of dissemination with the general public, absorbing from them deficiencies that we- who are in the process of that last generation must be incorporated in. Because specifically, when we incorporate, intermingle with those deficiencies, we invite forces that push us from below, that take us on their shoulders. So don't disregard what the teacher is saying about the opportunity to disseminate. It doesn't matter in what way. It appears to, it seems to a student or does not seem right to a student, it doesn't matter. We're not talking about it. When the teacher is saying, it becomes either a Mitzvah, or a correction, or a transgression. Now let's read.

Reading: (17:03) Shamati 40, “What Is the Measure of Faith in the Rav?

Article 40, Faith in the Rav, what is the measure? It is known that there is a right path and a left path. Right comes from the word the right, referring to the verse, "and he believed in the Lord." The Targum says, right, when the Rav says to the disciple to take the right path.

Right is normally called wholeness, and left, incompleteness. The corrections are missing there. In that state, the disciple must believe the words of his Rav, who tells him to walk in the right path, in the right line, called wholeness.

And what is the wholeness by which the disciple should walk? It is that 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 good that does good, meaning that the whole world receives only good from Him. Yet, when one looks at oneself, he sees that he is poor and indigent. In addition, when he observes the world, he sees that the entire world is tormented, each according to his degree.

One should say to that, "they have eyes and see not." It means that as long as one is in multiple authorities called they, they do not see the truth. What are the multiple authorities? As long as one has two desires, even though one believes that the entire world belongs to the Creator, but something belongs to man too.

In fact, one must annul one's authority before the authority of the Creator, and say that one does not want to live for oneself, and the only reason that one does want to exist is in order to bring contentment to the Creator. Thus, by that, one annuls one's authority.

One's own authority completely, and then one is found in the single authority, being the authority of the Creator. Only then can one see the truth, how the Creator leads the world by the quality of benevolence. But as long as one is in multiple authorities, meaning when he still has two desires, in both mind and heart, one is unable to see the truth.

Instead, one must go above reason and say "they have eyes, but they do not see the truth." It follows that when one regards oneself and wants to know if one is now in a time of descent or a time of ascent, one cannot know that either. It means that one thinks that he is in a state of descent, and that too is incorrect, because he might be in a state of ascent now, meaning seeing his true state, how far he is from the holy work.

Thus, one has now to come closer to the truth, and it might be to the contrary, that now one feels that one is in a state of elation, when in fact one is now controlled by receiving for self called a descent. Only one who is already in single authority can discern and know the truth. Hence, one must trust the opinion of one's Rav, and believe what his Rav tells him.

It means that one should go as his Rav told him to do. And although one sees many arguments and sees many teachings that do not go hand in hand with the opinion of his Rav, one should nevertheless trust the opinion of one's Rav and say that what he understands and what he sees in other books that do not cohere with his Rav's opinion, one should say that as long as he is in multiple authorities, he cannot understand the truth. One cannot see what is written in other books, the truth that they say.

It is known that when one is still not purified, one's Torah becomes a potion of death to him. And why does it say, not rewarded, his Torah becomes a potion of death to him? This is because all the teachings that one learns or hears will not bring him any benefit to make one able to be imparted the discernment of life, which is Dvekut, adhesion with the life of lives. On the contrary, one is drawn constantly farther from the life of lives, since all that one does is only for the needs of the body, called receiving for oneself, which is considered separation.

This means that through one's deeds one becomes more separated from the life of lives, and this is called the potion of death, since it brings him death and not life. It means that one becomes ever farther from bestowal, called equivalence of form with the Creator, by way of, "as He is merciful, so are you merciful." We must also know that when one is engaged in the Torah, the time is right to extend upper bounty, because the blessed adheres to the blessed.

In other words, since one is in a state of completeness, called blessed, in that respect one presently has equivalence of form, since the sign of completeness is if one is in gladness. Otherwise there is no completeness. It is as our sages said, "divinity does not stay but only out of gladness of a Mitzvah."

The meaning is that the reason that it brings one joy is the Mitzvah, meaning that the Rav had commanded him to take the right line. It follows that one keeps the commandments of the Rav, that he was allotted a special time to walk on the right path. The right and a special time to walk on the left. Left contradicts the right, since left means when one calculates for oneself and begins to examine what he has already acquired in the work of God, and he sees that he is poor and indigent. Thus, how can one be in wholeness? Still, one goes above reason because of the commandment of the Rav.

It follows that one's entire wholeness was built on above reason, and this is called faith. This is the meaning of, "in every place where I cause My name to be mentioned, I will come unto thee and bless thee." In every place means, although one is still not worthy of a blessing, nonetheless, I gave my blessing.

Because you make a place, meaning a place of gladness, in which the upper light can be.

M. Laitman: Questions? Here, no questions. Nice.

Question (St. Petersburg): (26:20) Can I ask a question about dissemination? I like studying the wisdom of Kabbalah, being in Yeshivat Haverim, and meals, and singing songs with friends, but I don't like disseminating. I'm not disseminating. So, what kind of perspective do I have, and when will the Creator be revealed to me?

M. Laitman: You're engaged only in the construction of the inner Kli, inner vessel, and you don't add to it the external vessel. Additionally, you're not doing what the teacher is telling you. You don't want to accept what Kabbalists are telling you, that the Creator yearns specifically for the correction of the world, and not only your Ten. That all those Tens are ultimately a means for the correction of the general vessel of all the nations of the world, the whole world in general. This is the intention of the Creator. That's why He gave the power, the validity to the small group, to be as the conduit, as we learn from the giving of Torah, from Arvut. That Israel are the conduit that passes the force of correction to the whole world. You don't want to hear it. You don't accept that you're in the time of the last generation, as Baal HaSulam says. 

Meaning your action, I'm saying, is 90% flawed. It's corrupt. You can stay and study and become a professor, please, but it will not do you any good. It can help only on one condition, that you are in a group, and the group is telling you, listen, you must work in the kitchen, or work on our equipment, without which we can't disseminate or anything. So we obligate you, like it or not, we obligate you to work in that, and don't go out and disseminate. This is for you dissemination. This action for you is dissemination. And then it's fine. Also, on a certain condition, because nevertheless, we have to do everything interchangeably. But to sit and study and work only in the group in the Ten without going out to the general public, it's impossible. 

First of all you have to see the rate of exchange in the groups, and it will even grow, rate of attrition I should say. And you will see that only a few Tens will remain of the groups until it will be established in the right way. And if you don't work on dissemination, you will discover that very soon, that you have no one to study with. And additionally, I'll tell you if you're not doing what the teacher is saying, don't be smart, you can check it, you will be a bad example for others. But it's okay,  because at least they'll learn through you what becomes of a person who doesn't hear, not only the teacher's advices, but that doesn't want to connect with the teacher, and through the teacher to the Creator. 

Otherwise, you have no other way to connect. Simply, this is the only way. That's how everything comes down to us, like a pyramid. The teacher is before you and he will always remain before you. I can be greater than him later. We had such cases in history, many. But even if you receive, you will always receive through the teacher, although you might receive more than him.

Question (Kyiv): (31:33) You give us many recommendations and advice, things that we can take and implement every day. The question is, is this responsibility for each and every one of us, talking about dissemination, the preparation for the morning lesson, etc., or is this a mission for the whole group that has to scrutinize how to do it?

M. Laitman: No, I'm not giving it to the group, I drop it on each and every one. All the recommendations I drop it on each and every one of the students. Make a list and let's see how difficult it is or how impossible it is. It's possible to do it. It's absolutely possible to do it, if you want to make your life other than hours of work and hours of with the family. If you want to make your life aimed at the goal.

Question (Naharia): (32:40) Is the work in my internal war between what I'm being shown and the faith above reason what Rav is talking about?

M. Laitman: Yes, very simply, you said it nicely.

Question (Astana): (32:59) A question about dissemination. Suppose we give lectures and many people come. The ones who really hear are few. Most of the people, they're actually aggravated, it's not for them. People only start hearing when they feel bad.

M. Laitman: About dissemination? To talk to the general public about dissemination?

Reader: I don't think he's talking about dissemination.

M. Laitman: You have to tell people what they want to hear. First of all, what they want to hear, otherwise you'll remain too in the lesson and it'll never grow. You have to come to a person, whatever he wants to hear you should tell him, and you need to let him understand that whatever he wants to attain in life, he attains it in your way, and you're not cheating him, because the upper light will do everything he wants to get out of life in the most correct way.

Question (Moscow): (34:27) From the point of view, from the external point of view, I've forced myself. I did the action, no problem. But how can I reach an internal agreement and gratitude to the Creator, an inner point of adhesion at the same time while externally I coerce myself to do what I should.

M. Laitman: Until the end of correction you will disagree. Although you can say, he is right, but I disagree. It's like with the Creator. It's always like that. In the ascent, you agree, you adhere in adhesion, how good it is, love, boom, fall into hatred. That's how it is. We have to come to know it and be in it.

Question (Vilnius): (35:27) In order for the student to hear the teacher, there has to be an internal connection, a common language.

M. Laitman: No, no. I’ll say it again, no. You need to hear it with your ears and write it. Write what you heard, and then read with your eyes. Really, is that what he said? Suddenly you will see that what you wrote and what you heard is not the same. Read what you heard from the teacher, and then you will see that this is before you. You must do it. You can do it. What's stopping you? And you will relate to it. But first, write it. Write it. Write it down. Not like they tell me here, I give many orders. You must, must, must. If you write it, you will see how many we're talking about. If there's a problem, why am I saying this? Put a question mark next to it. Well, scrutinize. You'll see that I'm not doing it, I'm not coming to you and telling you you have to serve me and you have to do something, I don't know. But all for the correction of the soul in the shortest way possible.

Question (Eilat): (37:16) How to maintain this connection in dissemination that, on the one hand, is what the public wants to hear, and on the other hand, you're connected to the desired direction? That you're connected between what they want to hear and what you want to pass on to them?

M. Laitman: I'll tell you the problem. The problem is that I'm saying, I'm telling the group what to do. Let's say, engage in dissemination, and there is no opinion of the group that works on each and every one. And then, in this way, they never obligate themselves. Good — the teacher said, yes he said, he said many things as we see how we're accepting it. The group doesn't accept it as its opinion, its reason, and doesn't pressure each and every one to do it. And in that, you have a great loss. It's a loss that runs for years. I don't exaggerate. We could be in a totally different state. It's a loss that runs for years.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (38:45) Just to continue about dissemination, we want to say that yesterday, as a result of your request, we had a world Kli Zoom at 11:30 and at 5. 11:30, we had more than 330 connections. At 5, over 250. Today, we're also going to have it. And maybe we can hear our impressions from friends later. But we read excerpts in three languages. 

M. Laitman: That's a great thing.

Question (Jerusalem): (39:16) If someone didn't hear Rav's words, and he made a sin, who should he ask for forgiveness from?

M. Laitman: In a sense, from the Creator, from the Creator. But there is no request for forgiveness. Rather, if he understood it after some time he must, as quickly as possible, try to do it. Try and do it. You didn't hear for several years what I'm saying, at least today you can start doing what I'm saying.

Question (Kyiv): (40:22) My connection or my relation, the relation of my Ten to all the other Tens, is that faith above reason?

M. Laitman: No, no, no. Faith above reason is the attitude, the opinion, the force of bestowal that we receive from above and then it dwells in us. It's not on us to establish faith above reason. On us, it's only to cause it to happen, to bring it closer. Not more than that.

M. Laitman: We didn't see the groups today. We have Latin America, Hebrew, VG, other groups perhaps. No. They didn't ask. I'm done with the lesson. Anything else? No. Okay. Toronto has a question?

Question (Toronto): (41:52) Regarding dissemination, you're saying that one person can disseminate, but how can he go out and disseminate on his own? We usually talk about the group, so it's not clear how one person can disseminate. He doesn't have a desire. He doesn't have a force to do it.

M. Laitman: I'm trying to teach everyone. You have to accept it inside the group, this recommendation or this order, commandment. It's a commandment already, Mitzvah. And think how to do it and to do it in the whole group. And if in the group there are such that you say, he has to be in the kitchen, and he has to be in broadcast, and we will go to disseminate, then it could be like this. Fine. But in a sense, the group determines and it has to be in it completely, all of it. I'm saying it especially today to the central Bnei Baruch group.

Question (Almaty): (43:14) I've come with the intention to study from you. And if I don't understand all the way and I see my friend understands better, I'll read it again. And again, I see I didn't understand everything you wanted to pass on to us. So how to keep on coping with it? It turns out that I'm not really a good student.

M. Laitman: A good student is the one who hears what the teacher says and not one who works with his intellect. As little intellect and as many actions that bring about connection. And you will succeed.

Question (Netanya): (44:03) How to increase the importance in the group so that the view in the group will be only to realize Rav's advice? How to increase the importance in the group so that the view of the group will be to implement Rav's advice?

M. Laitman: The group has to talk about it. Talk about it. How much Rabash writes about it. Of course.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (44:35) What should be the relations between the friends when some of the friends do go out and implement the advice and some don't?

M. Laitman: They harm.

Student: But between the friends, what should happen?

M. Laitman: They harm. They need to feel from the group that they are harmful.

Student: One part should show the other part that it's harming?

M. Laitman: Yes. Yes, why not?

Student: Because maybe I'm not seeing the picture correctly. Maybe I'm not judging correctly.

M. Laitman: What is there to judge? Are they doing it or not? Are they disseminating it or not? Or everyone heard something different? We are going with you over a lot of material, it's true. Each time we scrutinize and have an opportunity to ask questions. And I explain again and again, and I leave nothing that is missing an explanation. Ask,  and I'll explain again. But the group that takes upon itself the willingness to go towards the goal, then according to what is it going? Where do you see something that is not organized as a group and that doesn't have someone who is taking it towards the goal? How can it be? What, you coming to a university? Obviously you’ll receive university.

Student: Shouldn't I see every friend as the greatest of the generation to justify him? But if I'm practically looking at him, he's not doing an action, so what, am I disrespecting him?

M. Laitman: You can do as you say, please. But I don't know where you're going to find yourself after a few years. Take some friend, consider him as the greatest of the generation, and together with him, go, you know, get out of here, wherever he's going.

Student: Should I tell him or just, how to relate practically?

M. Laitman: We have to talk about what you heard from his Rav, and according to that, you didn't read it anywhere? 

Student: We read it. 

M. Laitman: So, why are you asking me? It's written also in Ramchal, everywhere. After the lesson, you sit, discuss, what did you hear, what should we do? It's written. I'm not saying it because you owe me anything. You owe it to yourselves. You don't do it, and then you look at me later. No, what's happening to us? What's happening to you? Whatever's happening is happening.

Reader: Now we will share our impressions from the lesson, and what do we take from that for implementation in the Tens. 

Song: (53:47)