Morning Lesson September 20, 2023

Transcription is made from simultaneous translation, which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio

Part 2:

Selected Excerpts for Rabash Memorial Day (Yahrzeit)

Reading item #2 (00:24) “At the end of the day, this is a group of people who…”

Workshop: (02:56) Who is the Rabash for us? Let’s speak in praise of Rabash.

Reading item #3. (05:20) “I received your letter..” twice.

1. S. (10:21) What does it mean when he tells him to spend the bulk of your time preparing your body to muster strength and courage? How is that related? Just got this Smicha and now he's..?

R. To prepare himself to work on higher degrees than where he is now to rise higher and higher and higher.

S. I read many times, I read this text, but suddenly I find emotion. It was as if Baal HaSulam sounded like a teacher but here he sounds like a father, and I was wondering about the connection between the two? Maybe you heard it from Rabash about the connection between him and his father Baal HaSulam? Did he talk about it?

R. No, if needed then at some point I will say.

2. S. (11:41) He gives great importance to Smicha, that Rabash got and he wants him to get another one. Are these things specific to Rabash?

R. Specifically to Rabash.

S. He says that Baal HaSulam writes that instead of the seven wisdoms and the mortifications that used to be in the past by Ari and the Baal Shem Tov gave us the ability to advance without these things?

R. Yes.

S. The Ari is the study of TES mainly?

R. The study of The Ten Sefirot is originally the book of the Ari?

S. The Baal Shem Tov?

R. That is a Kabbalist sage who we study from as well. He didn't write almost anything.

S. That's it, so he writes that he received them firmly, with both my hands he gives both importance to the Ari and the Baal Shem Tov. What can we learn about the Baal Shem Tov from this?

R. We can learn that from the Baal Shem Tov we get all of the oral Torah and from the Ari we have all of the written Torah. Meaning we have what to learn from both but from Baal Shem Tov there wasn't almost anything left because he barely wrote, he only spoke, and all of his work was to go from place to place. He would live in the area of white Russia somewhere along these lines, Ukraine. He would go from village to village, wherever Jews were living and he would stop and teach, but because he didn't write so much then all we have it's just from the people who heard him and wrote afterwards, from that we have something. He taught about the five worlds and the whole teaching, meaning in his teaching he spoke about both the subject of the study of TES and the inner work. He was very, very high in his attainment.

3. S. (15:23) Baal Shem Tov didn't write but will it be correct to ascribe on the world of Hasidism that came from him, all the writings of Maor VaShamesh, all of the writings that came from this, is it right to ascribe their writings to the internality of Baal Shem Tov?

R. I cannot say I haven't compared what he spoke and what they wrote and of course they all had spiritual attainment, but not in comparison to Baal Shem Tov himself that's all I can say. Baal Shem Tov is according to what is told about him here and there, you can say that he was above all of the attainments of others.

4. S. (16:23) In the end he writes, we will certainly pass them on to you when you are ready to receive from “mouth to mouth.” What does that mean “mouth to mouth?”

R. That he spoke to them not through the writing but through speech.

S. But only “mouth to mouth” can one pass?

R. I don't understand that we will get there if we will.

5. S. (17:07) Baal HaSulam writes that the path is long and the supplies are scarce. What is the path here? Why is it scarce?

R. We have to invest as much strength as possible in the study and mostly in using what we're studying in this way we will manage to understand what they spoke about.

6. S. (17:54) You gave us advice that if we connect the heart of Rabash we will feel what he said in our heart. Is that also advice for studying from “mouth to mouth?”

R. No, don't learn from what you're just hearing, we need to learn things fundamentally from the ones who have learned.

7. S. (18:43) Did the Rabash ultimately receive from “mouth to mouth” and did he pass it onto you?

R. I'm not permitted to answer these questions, they are personal about the people.

8. S. (19:12) I heard from you that if we don't make it in this life we will continue in the next life cycle and there's no time in spirituality and through our prayer to the Creator we have unlimited possibilities but here it says that the path is long and the supplies are scarce and we have to speed up?

R. No, we need to always feel that we are out of time.

S. Why is the supply scarce?

R. That's how it said that we should use every opportunity in order to advance.

9. S. (20:21) He says that in the preparation is to be “an ox to the burden and as a donkey to the load” and he continues and says that to cling to the teaching of Ari and the work of Baal Shem Tov. It's a bit of a new thing because usually it seems like “an ox to the burden and a donkey to the load” is like this difficult work and all kinds of things. What does it mean to us that there are preparations?

R. With all your forces you have to try to come closer to the work with your brain and the heart and the group of friends to attain the Creator in order to give contentment to Him, that's it, with all the different moments, with all your strength.

S. Meaning not to lose a moment and to always be immersed in either the writings or the work with the friends?

R. Yes.

10. S. (21:18) The truth is that something that's interested me for a while now, this issue that Kabbalists themselves didn't write and only happened afterwards like Baal Shem Tov didn't write and people heard him and then wrote. Also Ari didn’t write but his students wrote it and also the Book of Zohar they didn't distribute it between them. I can't remember who but one spoke and one wrote, why is it done this way, the materialization of the correction is a role itself?

R. I think that this is how it was customary in their days but the students who were by the teacher and they heard him, they almost got just like the teacher and they remembered what's written. We also need to understand that there were not so many books in those days, The Book of Zohar was written, no, Rabbi Shimon spoke and someone translated and someone wrote it and that's how it was. This is why we don't really understand how they were deep in what they were learning. They were in attainment, in the place, and what they heard from their teacher in adhesion between them and with the teacher.

S. The teacher himself couldn't write these things?

R. No.

S. Had to happen by someone else?

R. Yes.

S. Why? Is it like a filter or something?

R. That's how the Creator arranged, that's how it was customary to perceive the Torah that way.

11. S. (23:40) I feel the spirit and wondrous light of Rabash throughout the world and throughout the world Kli and between us. Does the Rav miss Rabash?

R. No, each one has to be in his own place and to do his work, fill his place.

S. How can we raise the importance and the greatness of Rabash in our Tens?

R. Out of using his writings and trying to realize them.

12. S. (25:07) When we begin again this part of the lesson and this question, what does Rabash  mean to you, I truly felt like he is like a clothing for the light. We talked about this earlier that somehow a student can connect to his vessel almost. My question is: I realize that this vessel is not owned by someone, like it's connected to the common vessel. How can we use our relation with Rabash and the connection, how he brings to us light and how we clothe in his words, our connection to this vessel. How can we use this to come closer to each other “as one man in one heart?”

R. We should try to connect to each other according to the way Rabash directs us and then we will reach in his clothing to the Creator.

13. S. (26:56) With respect to what Baal HaSulam tells Rabash, I hope that you will succeed and come into strength until you come to the King's Palace. I feel like he's saying this to all of us and I thank the Creator that we found Rabash and we found you and we love you very much and big hug.

R. Thank you, this is how it is arranged from Above; truly from heaven.

14. S. (27:54) Is there an importance in going to Rabash's grave on this day?

R. That's something each one should decide for himself.

15. S. (28:19) Even though we are many students and we're far away from you, can we feel the spiritual proximity like what you had with Rabash? How can we achieve this proximity?

R. Only through studying and connecting between us.

16. S.(28:54) I wanted to ask, what is the attainment of the student towards the AHP of the teacher?

R. To the extent that the student is adhered to his teacher, accordingly he is able to attain something from him, that's it. I have nothing more to answer about this.

17. S. (29:43) I wanted to ask about the question we discussed in the workshop. When I prepared for the lesson, I tried to write who is the Rabash for me and what's interesting is that in that action there was more prayer than I was ever able to pray. I learn more about myself than being able to learn what Rabash is for me. I couldn't get close to understanding who Rabash is.

R. You need to ask, you need to ask.

18. S. (30:52) About the teacher it is said “revealing a portion and covering two,” and it's felt from you that our teacher, that you always revealed a portion and covered two and leave us with a living and healthy deficiency. What can we learn or embrace by that approach in the relationship with us or relationship to dissemination or our environment?

R. No, when you are together you should be open with each other as much as you can. All the rest, the Creator will cover.

19. S. (31:41) I want to say that Rabash is a teacher but I have come to feel that he is my teacher as well. For me Rabash made what is so difficult for the previous sages to communicate to the masses so simple, to give us a system to climb the ladder and for that I am grateful. I feel Rabash as a father and a mother with this wonderful cord that we can hold on to get to the upper world. There is no word because if you read all of his articles, it's like he has this ingenious power to explain something that is so complex in a very simplified manner which as long as we connect, we can begin to feel his message and realize his message. I always feel like it's connecting the African people to spirituality, that he actually warms the hearts of the African people. He pulled them towards spirituality and is connecting the entire world towards spirituality. Thank you.

R. Thank you.

20. S. (33:17) I wanted to clarify because Baal HaSulam gave Rabash an approach here for continuing the path and I wanted to know if it's worthwhile for us. For us we know less about the Baal Shem Tov and Ari, we're more in the writings of Baal HaSulam and Rabash. I wanted to know if it's worthwhile for us to have a little bit of this and that?

R. No, we shouldn't go to all the sources when we study. We don't have such a big head.

S. What I mean is a little bit of Baal HaSulam and a little bit of Rabash, that is what I meant. Is it worthwhile for us? Rabash would read Shamati before he fell asleep?

R. Yes, that's correct but we have Shamati and we learn it and now during the Congress will also read something from Shamati.

21. S. (34:39) Baal HaSulam is so huge and great and pleasant to read and agreeable. Rabash is kind of negative, more accurately it's hard to read him in the beginning, it's like he's scary to the ego because he tells you all the tactics of the ego in advance and also tells you what to do with it. You cannot kind of evade it and say I didn't know what to do. When you read Baal HaSulam he describes some laws of the expansion of the lights, even when Baal HaSulam writes about Arvut, it's not that scary as every article of Rabash. Is it the right measurement that the more that I'm impressed by Rabash and love him more is that the right path? How do we in the Tens, can we make this person so great because he gave everything so concretely to us?

R. This all depends on you, and according to the way that you will want to perceive him, to follow him, this is how you will succeed.

22. S. (36:48)There's a feeling that the process is such that from above the system was first given and then the system was filled with feeling with joy, which is in the beginning and at the end it's the same time, but in between there is time, its..?

R. It's okay, I understand. Thank you.

23. S. (37:28) When someone close passes away to a person, there's a memorial day of sorts but really the person lived with that other person every day, he lives with them everyday, he doesn't need that special memorial day, same for us, Rabash, we live him every day, we absorb him through you, through the articles that we’re reading again and again. What kind of special attitude do we need to add on this day? I don't feel like there's a unique addition?

R. Carry out what he suggests to do.

S. That's everyday.

R. That's it.

S. What is so special for us today?

R. This is the meaning of living with him.

S. I'm asking whether there's something special that we need to add on this specific day

R. No, no, the words of the wise live in the ones who keep them and carry them out.

24. S. (38:38) What does it mean to be liked by the Creator?

R. To be liked by the Creator means to come to be an equivalence of form with Him to a certain extent.

S. It sounds as though it depends on the person on the one hand, on the other hand it's not?

R. “As He is merciful, you are merciful,” it's equivalence of form.

S. How do we advance towards that in the fastest, best way?

R. Through your society, through the society I don't know any other way. This is the teaching of Baal Shem Tov.

25. S. (39:41) It was written that Baal Shem Tov and the Ari made the path easier as it was before. I feel that when we read Baal HaSulam that he's very severe, very difficult to hold on to the inner demand that he puts before a person. In contrast, Rabash kind of caresses you and gives you a path. Is it correct to say that Rabash made the path even easier for us to attain the goal as opposed to what it was before because if I look at what Rabash writes I can somehow follow him?  Baal HaSulam in the articles of Arvut and others, he gives a feeling of such totality that it's hard to hold onto. Can we say that adhesion with Rabash suffices us to rise up all the way?

R. I think so, Rabash, Ari, Baal Shem Tov, Ramhal, these are the foundations on which we should try to hold on to.

S. Is this discernment correct as you don't see the same Baal HaSulam is much more severe and hard to meet the demands that he places in front of the person as opposed to what Rabash gives to us?

R. No, it's only their style, it's only a style. The path is the same and the demand is the same.

26. S. (41:54) The state that we are being rewarded with, recently, all of us, I'm sure to hear the Rabash better, who is responsible for that?

R. I didn't understand.

S. Who should we thank first? Rabash is taking part in that, too?

R. If not Rabash how would we get closer to Baal HaSulam?

S. That fact that we are rewarded with getting closer to Rabash in a significant manner.

R. Yes, of course we have more and more connections to all of those. I don't distinguish them. I don't distinguish between them but it's a matter of style and that's what we have.

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