Morning Lesson November 22, 2023

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

Part 1:

Rabash. Article No. 24, 1988. What Is “The Concealed Things Belong to the Lord, and the Revealed Things Belong to Us,” in the Work?

1. Rav intro: Well, we see how much, how important this topic is, so let's hear it.

Reading Article. (01:00) “It is written, ‘The concealed things belong to Lord…’”

2. S. (43:00) This state called “the flame that rises on its own,” do we need to expect that during the work, do we need to aim to that? 

R. Yes.

S. All the work there's a lot of resistance and forces that are resisting in a person and I'm trying to understand what is the correct attitude towards this resistance?

R. That this is all in order to reach the correct goal.

S. In the article many times it says the final result which the Creator does and will do everything. What should a person do, to give up, to despair?

R. A person should do what is up to him, that's it. Each time he sees that the Creator finishes the work.

3. S. (44:17) Can we understand from the article that Rabash is gradually bringing all this explanation of how to reach a prayer, how there is a necessity and a need to pray?

R. Yes.

S. Degree after degree?

R. Yes, indeed, everything ends with a prayer.

4. S. (45:04) Rabash tries to explain here a few times why the Creator didn’t give man strength to go do the correction, why, I don’t really understand?

R. Because it's not intended for man to do such actions that he will make the Menorah and light it up and use it.

S. The whole article here tries to bring a person the feeling of why all the forces are within the Creator, what do we need that for?

R. We need to discover our deficiencies that they're all directed towards the Creator, and we only want the Creator to do it and we expect it, there’s no more work to do.

S. There's a place that he explains here that it’s in order for us to receive the Torah, that is, didn't give us the strength that we need to receive something. What's this thing that the Creator wants us to receive and not feel that it’s from ourself? What is this Torah, what do we need it for?

 R. The Torah is all of the light that includes within it the force and the wisdom and everything that a person needs in order to see ahead of him a way that leads to adhesion.

S. Another attempt, why did He create it such that all of the Torah and strength aren’t in a person to start with? Why do we need to get it from the outside?

R. Because otherwise we won’t need the Creator.

S. Why does the Creator need us to need Him, why do we need this?

R. That we will receive from Him all of the forces, all of the wisdom, all of the degrees and we will adhere to Him, and we will go through all the actions and states and we will learn what is the whole of creation, then we and Him will be together. Only in such a way can creation exist so that the Creator exists in our world.

5. S. (48:05) What are the actions we need to do in our state, forcefully, even though we understand that it's not the goal, what are the actions?

R. We need to do what is required of us, to see how much we are not capable of it but not to despair from it but rather by “each one should help his friend,” explain this to each other and our work is to connect between us and from the connection between us to turn to the Creator. Then if we turn to Him, the Creator explains to us in our mind and emotion and with power what is it that we have to do, meaning how do we reach adhesion with Him and we continue the way together. Israel, the light, and the Creator are one.

S. It seems like there is a list of many simple actions that a person can and should do, and it seems like from doing these actions he develops the understanding that he needs to turn to the Creator, the Creator can help, it’s in his strength or not, and we’ve put a lot of things aside and we're focusing on this action called the connection between us, which is also kind of an action which it’s not simple, it's like to do this or to do that. It seems like it’s something that each one feels different towards.

R. Without connection we cannot begin to build the Menorah. The Menorah symbolizes for us the upper force, the light that shines in the connection between us.

6. S. (50:43) In the state that we're in we are given work in coercion before we reveal it?

R. It’s all by coercion, it’s against our will to receive, so?

S. He explains here that the difference between Israel and the nations is that Israel accepted upon themselves “We shall do and we shall hear,” and in me there is Israel and the nations of the world so it’s a constant battle.

R. Yes.

S. How can we not escape the work in its coercion? How can we succeed in this battle?

R. Because we are in a group and so we learn from each other and we strengthen each other, this is how we advance until we pray all the time and the Creator gives us connection and guidance and this is how we advance, from one day to the next.

7. S. (52:07) What's the relation between the external action and the internal one? To continue with what the friend was saying, these actions that we're required to do, what is the focus?

R. We need to perform external actions that are not so necessary like the inner actions, that we want to reach an inner connection all of us together so that we become as one piece, so that our forces, our desires, will go through the fire and connect into one piece of gold.

S. The focus is on the inner work as you said yesterday that we need to believe that all of the good results depend on our inner work?

R. Yes.

S. How do we coerce internality, a thought, how can this be done?

R. A person should leave aside all the important things he has in this world. It's not that he quits his work, but he should arrange his life, his thoughts, and his desires so that they will all be connected to reaching one piece of desire in a group, so that only from that later on the Menorah emerges.

S. We see that after the act, the deeds, the hearts are attracted so a person doesn't have control over his thoughts and emotions, and he sees it over the years more and more. When we are in situations where there are a lot of actions like before a convention, then you go into these forces of inertion and you could do it towards the goal, but I'm asking about our daily, our mundane, how can we force the desire and the thought? Our work is pretty limited in terms of the connection.

R. It's through the importance. You need to reach a state where all of our desires, they go through the fire, and they become one piece of metal.

S. What is this fire, this flame?

R. The fire of love, the fire of connection, the fire that we want to reach the goal, but we cannot.

8. S. (55:26) It says here He asks, who taught my sons this secret, and then he explains that a secret is when you see you’re being spoken of and that you have some benefit from it, that you can create something from it. Then he says the angels know this secret but who taught this secret to my sons.

R. Yes.

S. Can you explain what this secret of faith means?

R. That we need to go towards the goal of connection with our eyes shut, connection between us and with the Creator and do everything in order to reach that point of connection and always with a prayer. 

S. Here he says that a person also has the nations of the world who tell him, “It’s not for you.”

R. Yes, there’s all kinds of disturbances in all kinds of different manners.

S. How do we search for this secret constantly?

R. Well, this is what we’re all directed to, meaning by “each one shall help his friend,” we always hold, each one holds on to the friends and this is how we hold all of us together in this direction towards this goal. That besides the connection between us and then connection with the Creator, we have nothing else in life. 

S. There isn’t this desire among most of the people? 

R. We are talking about those who are here.

S. Those who are here, they have two forces in them, the nations of the world and Israel. How can we strengthen the fact that this secret is important, that is actually the question?

R. We try to distinguish in each one of us the inner part and the external part and we try to connect the inner parts, and with the external part we actually try to move it aside. This should be our daily work.

9. S. (58:07) From a different angle than what our friend took, it says, in the matter of the work it follows this order, that it takes place in corporeality for example, if a person learns the Torah and regarding laws that a person learns, you could say, that it’s not a matter of the secrets that he didn’t know but on the contrary, the Torah says to him exactly how to keep the Mitzvot.

But while he learns the allegories of the Torah or just the allegories of the sages, and if he believes that the Torah speaks of him, he doesn’t know what connection he has in the work of the Torah and he wants to know what is written there. He wants to know that it is considered that he’s studying now the secret, and it will be called a secret. There are two conditions to it. To know what the Torah is asking him of and when the Torah says in the Dinim how to keep the Mitzvot. Could you explain that so I can continue the direction?  

R. Dinim, judgements and Mitzvot you can open a book Shulan Aruch and read there what you need to do. There are no secrets there. The second part in the Torah, that already speaks about what he says that pertains to the work of the heart.

S. Each and every one of us that are here, and we came, and we made some effort, and we like we say, we let the lights work on the one hand. On the other hand, something seeps in without us knowing and He opens it up gradually, like kids. That’s why I asked about the Dinim, the judgments and the commandments, the Mitzvot. Is that like fundamental? Do we need to add here?

R. This pertains to the practical things we learn. Things that we have to do with our hands and legs, our mouth. This is unrelated to the inner part of the Torah that he speaks of. It’s unrelated to the making of the Menorah. 

S. How can we give the Torah, how can we yearn for it more by understanding that we are part of it?

R. It is only through connection between us. There are two ways by which people develop. One way is that they develop through actions and the most important for them is to perform these actions, and the second part, is by taking care of the intention. This is already the secret Torah.

10. S. (01:01:22) He writes that we cannot overcome self-love, which is the hidden part, that is in the hands of the Creator, but we can pray that we will have a need that the Creator will reveal to us the vessel, that is the action. The action seemingly is a prayer but to arrange the prayer, what exactly should we ask for, because in the beginning he wrote that we can perform actions if we understand that we will get reward in this and in the next world. That is what he wrote about the leech and have-have, give-give, the reason he understands why it's worthwhile to do. If there is no understanding that it's an act that won't bring you anywhere, it won't bring you faith or anything else, but we have to pray and seemingly arrange our intention, what is it that we want to get from the prayer. Maybe in that too there is corruption. How can we arrange a prayer so that it is a correct deed?

R. We need to scrutinize our goal and to pray to reach the goal. All in all, the article is very, very, sharp. If we had time, I would read it again but now we do not have time.

11. S. (01:02:55) In the article he says that it is impossible to correct the will to receive by cutting it into pieces. We have to reach a state where a person has to see that he has no possibility to correct any part but only has to reach this one mass, one piece of gold, and he sees that all that’s left for him is to ask of the Creator. Now, you explained that we have to divide within a person Israel versus the nations of the world, to connect the inner parts, which are Israel together and then it is truly possible to reach a prayer. The question is, Israel are mixed in the person and we have to separate them and do it, or is it a different kind of work? How do we do it?

R. On the way to the path we’ll be increasing connection where scrutinizing who belongs to Israel and who belongs to the nations of the world.

S. This is work mostly in the Ten and we have to distinguish these things?

R. Yes, in each and every one.

S. Then to connect all of the Israels.

R Yes.

12. S. (01:04:14) What does it mean if a person will die in a tent?

R. In other words that is the condition. Torah does not exist, only for those who put themselves to death on it. To the extent that he puts the will to receive to death that’s the person, really. Then in it, in its condition, the Torah exists.

S. What does it mean to put to death the will to receive?

R. Not to use it. Not to use it as much as possible.

S. But he explains in the whole article that a person does not have such strength.

R. Okay, so he does it by the group, by the prayer, all in all, this is what he wants to reach. That he hates the will to receive in him and through the hatred he becomes further. He can’t escape that physically but internally to the extent he hates it, he detaches.

13. S. (01:05:39) He writes here that all of the doing or making is faith. That is by believing that after the doing they were rewarded with hearing therefore they were certain even during the coercion, they were able to do the deeds with joy and love because they will be rewarded with hearing. I don't really understand it, how the deed he calls it faith here because we say that…?

R. He reaches the light of faith. He reaches faith, Hassadim, to actions of bestowal, and to that they are attracted to, and they are joyful.

S. There is some issue here where in the deed he does by wanting to be rewarded with being able to bestow so it will be in order to bestow, it is already considered that he believes the result?

R. Yes.

S. In the end he reaches not having, he does not have intention to bestow, only the Creator can give such an intention.

R He wants to but he's certain that only this force is within the Creator.

S. The very fact that I'm come to the lesson and then I realized I'm just driving on the road, like a beast driving or walking. The fact that I suddenly remember, and I tried to scrutinize where am I going, why am I going, that is already help that I received from above? This is already light that starts to shine?

R. Of course.

14. S. (01:07:16) The knowledge that I do everything for my own benefit is like a revelation. This knowledge we also get from above.

R. Yes.

S. It apparently pertains to Israel, so how could it be that a person, any person, cannot discover that he's doing everything for his own benefit? It's not clear how can it be such a thing that people don’t know it?

R. Look at all of humanity and you will see how billions of people do not even ask about this and if you tell them that they only thing about themselves they will tell you that it cannot be. They have thoughts of others and if not, then how could this humanity even exist?

S. Only the light can reveal it?

R. Yes.

15. S. (01:08:35) He writes that if a person sees that it's difficult for him to hold on to the intention, the connection with the friends, what should he ask for importance or pleasure?

R. I did not understand.

S. The article says that if the Creator does not give a person pleasure in acts of bestowal, then he cannot perform such actions, so the question is what should we ask for? Importance? Or is it okay to ask for pleasure from the Creator in acts of connection?

R. I don't understand where you take these from.

S. He wrote, that’s what I heard in the article that a person works in coercion and in a certain state the Creator helps him and gives him pleasure in acts of bestowal. 

R. Yes.

S. I'm asking if besides importance we can ask the Creator for a pleasure, that he will give us pleasure in the acts, in actions because we do not want to work by coercion we want to work willingly?

R. If you have such a desire then go ahead and ask the Creator.

S. I do not have such a desire. I'm just asking if it’s okay, if it’s correct to ask that the Creator will give us pleasure in the actions of connections, connections with the friends, building the right intention or do we only ask for importance?

R. Try it, it's still a scrutiny, nevertheless. It is the opposite of the goal because it will still be to receive but for the sake of scrutiny you can try because when we ask, we are in this and then we see how to what extent this action, this request isn’t in the direction of the purpose of creation.

16. S. (01:10:49) What is the role of the Menorah in the work?

R. It is a symbol, we will learn about it. If a person creates such qualities in him, it is considered that he has a Menorah.

17. S. (01:11:16) By the power of praying for a friend can we help him and detach him from thinking of himself?

R. Yes.

S. In this way each one should do it for everyone in the Ten?

R. Yes.

18. S. (01:11:30) Can we reach the degree of “we shall hear” only through the degree of we shall hear?

R. Yes.

S. What should we do?

R. As much as possible to connect, to be close to each other in the way that we are in these desires and qualities and later on to move on to more internal matters.

19. S. (01:12:03) By doing the Torah by coercion is the state of Lo Lishma and doing Torah by choice is the state of Lishma. Is this the meaning of observing the Torah correctly?

R. Yes.

20. S. (01:12:18) Should the nations of the world eventually become Israel?

R. No.

S. What is their role?

R. To belong to their own framework and work towards the general connection.

S. Now?

R. You could say yes because it says that at the end of time Israel will expand to the whole world, and it’s talking about the force of connection, the force of bestowal, yes but we’re not talking about that for the time being.

21. S. (01:13:10) How to collect, to organize the sparks of holiness so that the Creator can ignite the flame between us?

R. Connect as much as possible, reach connection as tight as possible, and then pray to the Creator that we’ll reveal the action of connection between us.

22. S. (01:13:53) How do we light up this flame? How do we bring it to a state where it will burn by itself?

R. We need to yearn that all of our little flames will gather together to be one large flame.

S. Some constant state in the Ten?

R. It can be a constant state and the Creator will do with it what’s needed.

23. S. (01:14:42) If the Creator is the one who tore away the sparks how can the created beings connect them together?

R. Again.

S. If the Creator is the one who separated the sparks from one another, the points. How can the created beings connect them back together?

R. The Creator is omnipotent and can do everything, what’s the problem? I don't see the question.

24. S. (01:15:31) If we know that He is the one that does everything and stands behind everything. How to understand the state of “we shall do and we shall hear”?

R. He gives us conditions so that we choose from these conditions what’s closer to Lishma and this is how He teaches us how to advance to the true Lishma.

25. S. (01:16:22) There is a lot of shame that the Creator is the bestower and I'm the receiver and there’s no screen. To lift the greatness of the Creator and the greatness of the Ten, will it give the Creator joy? That’s what I am searching for. How to constantly increase the greatness of the Creator in the group?

R. For that you have to read articles and discuss it in the group and try to do it. A lot is written about it.

S. Will it give Him contentment?

R. Yes, that is what is written in the articles.

26. S. (01:17:26) What should our prayer be to have enough of an impulse to defeat the brain that doesn’t want to connect?

R. Our prayer has to be stronger than the voices of our egoism, that’s all.

27. S. (01:18:00) How does the concealed become revealed?

R. By the power of our rejection. When we reject or resist what has to do with reception and elevate what has to do with bestowal.

28. S. (01:18:25) Can we say that the Torah tells us about the inner states I have to go through in my development and that’s why I feel it speaks about me?

R. Yes.

29. S. (01:18:50) Thank you for this strong article. The question is how should we work if instead of reaching hatred to the will to receive we reach a state, it’s horrible to say it, that there’s hatred to the Creator and you feel that He did everything, He brought me to this pit.

R. Very good, that doesn’t matter, don't get overwhelmed by that. What’s important is that we scrutinize the truth. If our inner qualities are such that we begin to hate the Creator, then we fixate that and we continue to develop onwards from that point.

S. So by this I can’t say that it is prohibited to turn to Him in that way?

R. So what if it's bad, we're all bad, we’re all bad in everything.

30. S. (01:20:15) What motivates our efforts in the Ten? 

R. What?

S. What motivates the efforts in the Ten towards the Creator?

R. Only the effort of the Ten. Yes, only the effort of the Ten, the collective, common effort of the Ten.

31. S. (01:20:47) It was said that the action by necessity is rewarded with faith. How can we help a friend reach faith?

R. You have to obligate yourself to actions of bestowal, show these actions of bestowal, show these actions of bestowal that we awaken and the outcomes from them so that the friends will watch it, observe it, and learn from it, and this is what is called “One shall help his friend.”

S. So it’s all in relation to myself?

R. Yes of course.

32. S. (01:22:06) Is the article telling us that there are two stages in the work of material and the form, and then the form towards the Creator and then faith and bestowal, that faith is on man and bestowal is on the Creator?

R. You can say that.

33. S. (01:22:29) Is it possible that in the internality of the Ten certain friends present the nations of the world and other friends present Israel with the meaning of being Israel in the Ten?

R. Well during the study it changes, it varies, there are different forms, okay.

34. S. (01:23:15) Does the Menorah represent the soul?

R. Yes, yes.

35. S. (01:23:45) In the excerpt it says “by itself” two times. It says that when you raise it means that the flame goes up meaning we must light up until the flame rises by itself.

R. Yes.

S. Then at the end of the article it says likewise the Menorah, meaning by itself. The question is does “by itself” mean when Israel, the Torah, and the Creator are one?

R. That it is done by the upper force.

36. S. (01:24:37) How to change the work in the Ten from connection in coercion to do it from your own desire?

R. The work will come from desire when it will emanate from everyone's heart.

37. S. (01:25:08) How does the evil inclination, how can it love the Creator, and can the evil inclination annul before the Creator?

R. Yes, the evil inclination can love the Creator as it is written, “Love thy Lord in both of your inclinations.” How does that happen? When we get closer to the goal then we see that we attain the goal specifically through both.

38. S. (01:26:14) It was said in the article that Israel said “We will do, and we shall hear.” Does doing mean to overcome the ego, the evil inclination and hear means to think? Could we say that there is like a mirroring of what’s happening on a person's action when he goes on the path, that on the one hand, he has to overcome the ego and then he reaches the thought of creation and that’s called “we will hear”?

R. Yes.

39. S. (01:27:11) Where should our thoughts be aimed towards and where should our desires be aimed towards, just aimed to the Creator?

R. Only towards connection with the Creator between us and with the Creator. It’s all very simple.

40. S. (01:27:40) What is this work in the Ten where we strip off from the organs of the will to receive for oneself and correct them to work in order to bestow? How do we arrive at that, how do we do it?

R. That’s reading the articles every day, connecting with the friends, and making an effort to make another step forward together. The problem is that sometimes we think we’re making a step forward but we’re not doing it together, and that’s a loss.

41. S. (01:29:03) It’s written that there are two stages in man's work, first to attain vessels of bestowal, and then to feel the names of the Creator, which is the light, Israel, and the Creator are one. Then it says that the Menorah was hard for Moses, so he explains that you do the deed and I’ll give you the intention. Is the intention the light that reforms?

R. Yes.

42. S. (01:30:05) There’s a feeling that we’re not advancing. How can we give the friends confidence that the Creator will give us the forces to keep working in the spiritual work?

R. The work in connection is always in front of us and we can always do it in any case.