Daily Morning Lesson: January 15, 2026

Part 2: LESSONS OF THE RABASH ON TES

Reader: We will study a TES lesson with Rabash. We are going to be reading from TES, Volume 1, Part 4. We are in the “Answers to Topics,” Item 99. 

RABASH: (00:25) To understand that, Rav says, you don't have a light that doesn't have inner and surrounding light. Meaning, since each light has to come through coupling of striking. What is coupling of striking? That he has a screen and he says, “I want to receive only what I can aim in order to bestow.” Turns out, accordingly, comes the inner light by being able to use in order to bestow with great coarseness. Why can it use a lot of coarseness, that even from the degree of Keter, he can say, I don't want to receive more than that. Turns out that there is great surrounding light, by what? By the greatest limitation. Now, let's say, afterwards, in the coarseness of phase three, what does it mean that there is degree of Hochma  there, since in internality, he uses less. In internality, there is not so much limitation over Keter, only over Hochma. Turns out that the surrounding light is also smaller. In phase two, let's say the same thing. It uses what it can clothe with inner light. What it cannot clothe, that's surrounding light, so they are opposite to each other. One appears through the coarseness, and the other stays outside by the screen. So, turns out, they are always according to the degree.

RABASH (Source Text/Commentary): (02:48) That's what he says here in item 92. The measure and the entire being of the inner light depend on the measure of the coarseness and detainment in the screen. That's the rule. There is a level of coarseness that it can use, it can use in order to bestow, and there is a force of detainment where he doesn't want to receive more. By this detainment of the screen, then, as surrounding light is rejected and remains outside the Partzuf because of this detainment and coarseness in the screen. And in the screen, thus the accumulation of coarseness distances the surrounding light according to its measure. What does it mean, the greater coarseness, what he can use in order to bestow? It follows, it distances the surrounding light and intensifies the inner light, and brings it closer, brings it closer according to its measure. Turns out there are total opposites from one end to the other. In short, we need to say this: since we see two things in regards to the screen: one part can overcome in order to bestow and uses coarseness, and another part, what he cannot overcome, there is a screen over that, a limitation that he doesn't want to receive. Turns out, the surrounding light depends on limitation. The inner light depends on what? Not limitation, on the contrary, the clothing. That's why they're opposite to each other. This depends on clothing, what one can aim in order to bestow, and this one depends on the detainment force. So, it turns out there's two opposite forces in the screen. Now, let's say that the screen itself, what is the screen? It uses a part of the coarseness. And first, if he can use a part of the coarseness of phase four, on phase four, he can say, “I don't receive more than that.” It turns out that what he stops receiving beyond the degree of Keter is called surrounding light. So, the surrounding light is related to what? To limitation. What does it depend on? The inner light depends on the clothing of reflected light. So, it turns out these are two opposite actions. So, there's a part where he says, “I do receive,” that's inner light, and there's a part where he says, “I don't receive,” that's surrounding light. So, that's what he means by them being opposite to each other. Since in the screen, in the coupling by striking, there's a part there that can clothe and a part that doesn't want to clothe, that's limited, the force of detainment, then the inner light depends on how much clothing of reflected light. The surrounding light depends on the limitation force of the screen. If so, this one relates to one thing, the other one relates to another thing. So, the surrounding light wants to cancel the limitation.

RABASH (Source Text/Commentary): (06:30) 93. Who overpowers in the striking of inner light and surrounding light? Inner and surrounding lights are clashing with each other. Where does it start? Where does it start? You know, when it says, to begin with, first, the inner light certainly overpowers, as the first nine Sefirot clothe there in the reflected light of the screen. In actuality, it remains so even after the departure, as there is no absence in the spiritual. Afterwards, the surrounding light overpowered the inner light until it completely refined the screen and equalized its form with the Emanator, meaning to Malchut of the Rosh where the inner light and surrounding light are connected together. There, it received strength until the second expansion emerged from it on downward, called Partzuf AB. 

RABASH: (07:52) You want to know, he follows the words of the Rav. The words of the Rav are as follows. Since they are both connected at the Peh, where there was a single organ, what does it mean they're both connected? What and when were they separated? We should interpret as follows. His desire to do good to the created beings, that light went down and produced four phases of direct light. And there, when we say coupling by striking at the Rosh, that a part is going to be received in order to bestow as inner light, that's called inner light; and another part where he cannot aim, he will not receive that, this is called surrounding light. But this division was not yet in practice, because he didn't receive anything, where I can say that now he's not receiving. So, both of them were in potential. Why are they together? There was still no difference between inner light and surrounding light. Why? As they all came to one discernment. His will to do, to benefit the created beings, created phase four, called the will to receive in order to receive, and then he didn't receive it due to the restriction, and then equalized himself as much as he could receive in order to bestow, that's what he's going to receive, and what he cannot aim in order to bestow, he won't receive. So, this stays in inner light, and that stays in surrounding light. Therefore, when they come out of the Peh, where the separation begins, so who appears first? Who appears first? Inner light or surrounding light? Inner light, we learn, from Peh downwards, there's inner light until it comes to the Tabur, and the inner light limits it thus far, then the surrounding light also wants to shine, so we say, then the surrounding light overpowers, and the inner light departs. What does it mean, the inner light departs? It's limitation departs. Again, why does the inner light depart? Because it can no longer limit what he wants to not receive, to not receive it, so he lacks that limitation. So, the inner light also departs. In truth, the coupling by striking, what is the coupling by striking that we're learning? That he doesn't want to receive, that will be rejected at the Rosh of the degree, but what? There, he didn't receive anything yet. That's why we say they're bonded to each other. When is there a discernible separation? In the Guf. And where did it start? In Malchut of Rosh. It turns out, who overpowers first? First the inner light overpowers and expands. Then after the inner light revealed its limitation to the Malchut of Tabur, then the surrounding light rejects, and the surrounding light departs. Then it turns out, it starts talking about, he starts talking about the Malchut of Rosh until they both belong, they return to the same degree as they were in potential, not in practice. He didn't receive anything, he doesn't have anything, they go back upwards to the Malchut of Rosh. 

RABASH (Source Text/Commentary): (12:30) And he says here in item 93: first the inner light certainly overpowers, when does it start? It actually starts in the Rosh, where he says part - yes and part - no. So, after what he said that the screen overpowered the light, and he said he's not going to receive anymore, and it started expanding, then the surrounding light overpowered and canceled it. And what is he saying? First, the inner light certainly overpowers as the first nine Sefirot clothed there in the reflected light of the screen in actuality, and it was there in potential at the Rosh. It remained so even after the departure. This clothing remained, as there is no absence in the spiritual. Afterwards, the surrounding light overpowered the inner light. He says it doesn't let him shine until it completely refined the screen, and they canceled the whole screen. What was the end? And equalized its form with the Emanator, meaning to Malchut of the Rosh, where he was the Emanator in potential, and then that's called the Emanator in practice, where the inner light and the surrounding light are connected together, where there's no difference yet in what he receives in practice and what he doesn't receive in practice. And we say there, the screen is constant. Why is the screen constant there? Because there's no actual clothing there yet. There it received strength from the screen until the second expansion emerged from it downward, called Partzuf AB. Once again, it emerges in the coupling by striking between the inner light and surrounding light. 

RABASH (Source Text/Commentary): (14:50) 94. Who overpowers in the striking of the record and the descending reflected light? So, we need to know two things: what is the record, what is reflected light, or the descending reflected light? Let's see what's written inside. During the coupling, in the upper phase, the reflected light that descends from there into the empty vessel overpowers the record that is present there in the empty vessel. Although the record is much greater than the descending reflected light, since the record is after the departure of her coupling, and the descending reflected light is extended from the illumination of the coupling, it overpowers her. Who? The light that comes from the coupling. Then, when the screen is refined from the upper phase two, and the coupling departs from there as well, let's say from phase three, the record returns to phase four and overpowers the descending reflected light which is upon phase three, meaning the sparks that fell into her vessel, then the record descends into her vessel once more, and the beginning revokes the power of the sparks until afterwards they are renewed once more in the second expansion.

RABASH: (16:52) What's written here? There are two things. One, let's start with phase four as an example. The vessels that remain with the light that illuminates in phase four, the light departs from them, the records remain, so they want to attain the record, and then a coupling is performed on phase three, which is called Nekudot, or reflected light, and before the next light fills the empty vessels. Hence, in the reflected light that emerges from the coupling of striking upon phase three, descends to the vessel of coarseness of phase four, it wants to illuminate there. So, phase four, the records do not want to receive it. Why? They're contradicted to one another. There's above the record, which is phase four, which remained in a higher degree, and there is a certain measure of phase three, which is not a record, but it's only a light that comes from the coupling. What is done by this clash? So, part called “sparks” has fallen and exited this light of the descending reflected light, and descends to the vessel that has phase four. So, who overcame? The sparks that came from the illumination of the coupling overcame the record; the record is called what remains of what was left from the coupling. That's one. Yes. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (19:02) Why only the sparks descend? Why not the whole light of phase three? 

RABASH: That he calls the sparks. That which has fallen by this, that light is called sparks. Why are they called sparks? It's just like you're saying, all the descending reflected light, why does it give sparks? So, we need to understand what the meaning of sparks is. Sparks are called, it illuminates now, and later is extinguished. Extinguished. This is how he explains this. What did we learn? Who overcame? The light that came by the coupling. What happened after that? Also, phase three was refined. And what illuminates now? Phase two. We learned, what is there in these sparks? Only records remained. The coupling departed. It's now called phase two. Therefore, where there is now… what is there now? The record of phase four overcomes the sparks of the records of phase three. That's called that they're extinguished. 

Student: No, that's not what's called sparks. 

RABASH: There are two records. So, the record that includes phase four descended. That's what he's saying in the line that begins with “coupling.” Then, when the screen is refined, you see the screen. What is the meaning here? From the upper phase too, and the coupling departs from there as well. The record returns from phase four and overpowers the descending reflected light, meaning the sparks that fell into her vessel. 

Student: Records.

RABASH: (21:15) Since the sparks that don't have more than a record now, all the light departed from phase three. The previous record that overcomes, since it's a record of phase four, closer to the record from phase three, then the record descends into her vessel once more, as in the beginning. What do they cancel? They revoke the power of the sparks. Therefore, it's called sparks, since they don't illuminate in the vessel now. Just like a spark that illuminates for a moment and is extinguished. If so, what's the benefit of these sparks? Until afterwards, they are renewed once more in the second expansion. We say, what is the second expansion? The Partzuf AB. What happened here? The sparks from the level of Hochma have fallen to the vessel of Keter. He says, this is a preparation in the second expansion, where there was the light of Hochma in the vessel of Keter, it received a preparation from here, from these sparks that have fallen to the vessel of the record on the level of Keter. This is where he says here, until afterwards they are renewed once more, these sparks of Hochma in the vessel of Keter, where the light of Hochma truly comes. Where is the light of Hochma truly coming? In the Partzuf AB, in the vessel of Keter. It turns out that the sparks renew that level. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (23:00) Now, when there was a coupling over the phase? 

RABASH: Each degree illuminates upon from the lower phase; no more. Therefore, he says, two illuminates for three; no more, from three to four. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (23:22) Why not better than the light of two than the records of four? 

RABASH: That means one minute we'll have one degree, and there's a difference between two degrees. It's not so hard. It's okay, it's the same thing. Two and three, yes.