The transcript has been transcribed and edited from English simultaneous interpretation, thus there may be potential semantic inaccuracies within it.
Daily Morning Lesson: July 13, 2026
Reader: Friends, in the first part of the lesson, we'll watch a lesson from 2002 based on the article, "What Does It Mean that the Creator Favors Someone, in the Work?" This is a Rabash article. You can find it in Kabbalah Media. We're going to first read the article together in the Tens. We have 34 minutes.
Reading: (00:40) What Does It Mean that the Creator Favors Someone, in the Work? Article No. 33, 1991
Our sages said (Midrash Rabbah, Chapter 11:7) about the verse, “The Lord will turn His face to you [favor you]”: “One verse says, ‘The Lord will favor you,’ and another verse says, ‘who does not turn His face [favor].’ How can these two verses be reconciled? When Israel do the Creator’s will, ‘The Lord will favor you.’ When they do not do the Creator’s will, ‘who does not favor.’”
We should understand this. If Israel do the Creator’s will, why is being favored needed? To understand what they explained, we first need to understand what is the “will of the Creator” and what is the “face of the Creator.” We learn that the Creator’s will is to bestow, as it is written, that the purpose of creation is His desire to do good to His creations, meaning to bestow upon them delight and pleasure. The face of the Creator is called “revelation of the face,” when one is rewarded with attaining open Providence, that the Creator leads the world as The Good Who Does Good.
It is written (“Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Item 83), “The first degree of the revelation of the face is the attainment of the Providence of reward and punishment in utter clarity. This comes to a person only through His salvation, when one is awarded the opening of eyes in the Holy Torah in wonderful attainment, and becomes ‘a flowing spring.’ In any Mitzva [commandment/good deed] in the Holy Torah that one has kept of his own labor and choice, one is granted seeing the reward of the Mitzva intended for him in the next world, as well as the great loss in the transgression.”
According to the above, we should interpret what we asked about what is written here, that “Those who do the Creator’s will, He favors them,” if they are doing the Creator’s will, why do they need “The Lord will favor you”?
The thing is that the face of the Creator is revelation of His guidance as a guidance of good and doing good. Since there was a correction that before one corrects the will to receive so as to work in order to bestow, there will be concealment and hiding on His Providence. Hence, before one achieves the state of “doers of His will,” meaning that as the Creator’s will is to bestow, so man should come to want to bestow.
When there is equivalence of form, the Creator can give him the revelation of His face, which is the opening of the eyes in the Torah, and he is rewarded with the attainment that the Creator leads the world in a manner of good and doing good. But this can be only after one does the will of the Creator, meaning that one has been rewarded with desire to bestow, for specifically then the Tzimtzum [restriction] and concealment are lifted.
Before Israel do the Creator’s will, when they rather want the Creator to give them everything in vessels of reception, which is the opposite of the Creator’s will, whose desire is to bestow, there must be guidance in a manner of “who will not favor,” but in the manner of Achoraim [posterior], called “the concealment of the face of the Creator.” This is regarded as “who will not favor,” and it is because of the correction that there will not be the matter of shame.
Likewise, we should interpret the above verse in relation to the time of the beginning of the work, before one has been rewarded with being among those who have been rewarded with “doing the Creator’s will.” We should interpret “doers of His will” to mean those who are walking on the path to achieve being among those who do the Creator’s will, since when they walk on this path, they are already named after the road on which they walk. This is as Baal HaSulam said about what is written, “will give wisdom to the wise.” He asked, “It should have said, ‘will give wisdom to the fools.’” And he said that this refers to those who already want wisdom; they are already called “wise” because they are walking on the path toward obtaining wisdom. And since they are giving an awakening from below, they are given wisdom from above.
It is likewise here: When they want to achieve the power of the desire to bestow, this is regarded as doing the Creator’s will. According to the rule, “He who comes to purify is aided,” they are given help from the Creator. For this reason, the writing tells them “The Lord will favor you,” meaning the Creator shines His face to them, namely helps them.
And what is the help? This is as it is written in The Zohar, “He who comes to purify is aided.” He asks, “With what?” The reply is “with a holy soul,” which is called “the face of the Creator,” as it is written, “For by the light of Your face you have given us the law [Torah] of life and the love of mercy [Hesed].” In other words, through the light of the face, they receive the love of Hesed, which is bestowal. That is, the Creator gives them the strength to love Hesed, meaning to love being a giver.
This is called “The Lord will turn His face to you [favor you] and will give you peace.” Peace means as it is written (Psalms 85), “I will hear what the Lord God shall speak, for He shall speak peace unto His people, and let them not turn back to folly.” It follows that “peace” means that the Creator says “peace,” that he will not sin again, and he is rewarded with being at peace with the Creator. This is the meaning of “When they do the Creator’s will,” they receive the assistance of the Creator, as it says, “The Lord will favor you.”
But “when they do not do the Creator’s will,” when they are not walking on the path toward achieving the desire of the Creator, which is the desire to bestow, it is said about them, “who does not favor.” That is, He cannot help them by satisfying their wish, since their wish is the opposite of Kedusha [holiness], so how can He give them something that contradicts the Creator’s will, since all that one should do in the work is correct his actions so they are in order to bestow? If the Creator favors them, meaning that they receive help so they work for the will to receive for themselves, it is as though the Creator is failing them. Hence, the Creator helps them by not favoring them, so they do not remain in self-love. It was said about this, “He who comes to defile, it is opened for him,” but he is not helped, unlike when he comes to purify, who is assisted.
Now we can understand the meaning of repentance. What should one reply, since Teshuva [repentance/answer/returning] means that he received something and must (return) what he received? The thing is that since man is born with a nature that is the will to receive for his own benefit, when he wants to work only for man’s sake, meaning that he wants the Creator to fill his vessels of reception, a person should repent on this, meaning do everything for the sake of the Creator. In other words, what he receives, he does not want to receive for his own sake, but rather all that he receives is in order to bring contentment to the Creator. Since the Creator wants man to receive, as it is written, “His desire is to do good to His creations,” it follows that all that he receives is only in order to return. Otherwise, he does not want to receive. This is Teshuva [to return], meaning he returns everything that he receives.
This is as it is written in The Zohar (Nasso, Item 28), “Anyone who repents, it is as though he returned the letter Hey, which is Malchut, to the letter Vav, which is ZA, who is the son of Yod-Hey, completing the HaVaYaH. This is certainly repentance, for it is the letters of ‘The Hey shall return to the Vav.’”
And in The Zohar (Nasso, Item 31), it says, “This repentance, which is Malchut and the Hey of HaVaYaH, is called ‘life,’ as it is written, ‘for from it is the offshoot of life,’ which are the soul of Israel, the offshoot of Malchut, who is called ‘life.’ She is a Hevel [mouth/breath] that goes out and into a person’s mouth without toil and without labor, which is the Hey of BeHibaram [when they were created], for the letter Hey is expressed by the mouth more easily than all the letters, and it was said about it, ‘And the image of the Lord does he behold,’ since Malchut is called ‘the image of the Lord.’ Also, ‘Only in the shadow shall one walk,’ and because it is on the man’s head, he must not walk four cubits bareheaded, since if it departs from over man’s head, life immediately departs from him.”
We should interpret the words of The Zohar when it says that repentance means the return of the Hey to the Vav. The thing is that all of our work is to take upon ourselves the burden of the kingdom of heaven although it is concealed and hidden. That is, although the thought of creation is to do good to His creations, there was a Tzimtzum and concealment on the kingdom of heaven so there would be room for choice, meaning that man would be able to say that he does not accept the burden of the kingdom of heaven out of self-love, but in order to bring contentment to his Maker. If the King were revealed, man would accept the revelation of the King because of self-love, since we must believe that there is no greater pleasure in the world than to see the King’s face. It follows that at the time of the acceptance of the kingdom of heaven, man was compelled to be separated due to disparity of form, as it is known that disparity causes separation in spirituality.
It follows that this concealment causes that it is difficult for us to assume the burden of the kingdom of heaven and believe that His guidance is in a manner of good and doing good. Only when one walks on the path toward achieving equivalence of form, meaning that all his actions will be for the sake of the Creator, to the extent that his aim is to bestow, to that extent the concealment and Tzimtzum [restriction] are removed from him. At that time, a person can obtain the delight and pleasure, since then he receives in the manner of Ohr Hozer [Reflected Light], meaning that he enjoys only because he wants to bring contentment to his Maker. Hence, the reception of pleasure does not inflict separation. In that state, a person receives the abundance, according to the rule, “More than the calf wants to eat, the cow wants to feed.” Then, a person has no more work to obtain anything because the upper one can already give because he already has the Kelim [vessels] of equivalence of form. It follows that the heart of man’s work is to obtain vessels of bestowal.
According to the above, we should interpret what is repentance, when he says, “the Hey, which is Malchut, shall return,” as she is separated from the name HaVaYaH. That is, Malchut, which is the totality of the souls and should provide for all the souls. If the created beings work (as) they must, meaning doing everything in order to bestow, each of them causes a desire to bestow at the root of his soul. At that time, Malchut receives equivalence of form with the Creator, who is the Giver.
It follows that the abundance pours down to the creatures without any toil and labor, as in the words of The Zohar, since the giving of the abundance belongs to the Creator. He will give, and man will have no work to obtain it. Rather, all of man’s work is on the Kelim, so they will have equivalence of form. This is called “the work of the earth,” meaning that the work is for their kingdom of heaven to work in order to bestow.
This is as it is written (Berachot 33), “Everything is in the hands of heaven but the fear of heaven.” We should interpret that “everything” means the filling that the Creator gives. There are many kinds in the abundance, but in general, they are called NRNHY, or Hochma, or Hassadim. The Creator gives all those without any labor on the part of man, other than fear of heaven, where fear means that one must work to have fear that he might not be able to work in order to bestow. This pertains to man’s work.
In other words, a person is afraid he might not be able to aim in order to bestow. We attribute the matter of not receiving to man, and the matter of giving, we attribute to the Creator. It follows that fear of heaven means he is afraid to receive, since he might thereby come to separation from the Creator. This work, (we) attribute to man. That is, all of man’s work is to obtain vessels of bestowal, but it is not upon man to seek advice how to obtain abundance, since we need not worry about this. Rather, all our worries should be how to obtain the desire to bestow, since Malchut, who is called “life,” from her are the offshoot of life.
This is after one has obtained the vessels of bestowal, by returning the Malchut, called “the receiving Kli,” to now be as a “giving Kli,” meaning that the created beings have corrected at the root of their souls, which is Malchut, that she will work in order to bestow and not to receive. At that time, Malchut bestows upon them life, as it is written, “for from it is the offshoot of life.” This, one receives without toil and without labor, which is the meaning of the Hey of BeHibraam [when they were created]. In other words, once a person has corrected the Malchut, which is the final Hey, into equivalence of form with the Yod-Hey-Vav, the abundance extends to the man who has corrected her without toil or labor.
This is the meaning of saying “It was said about her, ‘and the image of the Lord does he behold,’” since Malchut is called “the image of the Lord.” We should interpret that he wants to tell us that all the work is only on “fear,” meaning not to receive the abundance, lest he will not be able to aim in order to bestow. This is as it is written about Moses (Berachot 7), “‘And Moses hid his face for he was afraid to look.’ They said, in return for ‘Moses hid his face,’ he was rewarded with ‘the image of the Lord does he behold.’”
In other words, the labor is on the fear, as it is written, “for he was afraid to look,” after which came the reward without toil or labor, when he was rewarded with seeing the image of the Lord, which is Malchut, as it says, “for Malchut is called ‘the image of the Lord.’” It follows that all of life came from Malchut, as he says, “Vav-Hey of HaVaYaH is called ‘life,’” which comes without toil or labor.
This is the meaning of “Only in the shadow shall one walk.” Baal HaSulam said that “shadow” means “shade,” and shadow is where the sun does not shine, which is concealment. In other words, once a person accepts the kingdom of heaven as concealment above reason, he is rewarded with knowledge of Kedusha [holiness]. This is the meaning of what is written, “Only in the shadow shall one walk,” precisely when one takes upon himself the kingdom of heaven as a “shadow” by which one can ascend the rungs of holiness. This is the meaning of “shall one walk.”
Also, we should interpret what is written, “One must not walk four cubits bareheaded.” “Head” means knowledge and intellect. Covering the head means that he covers the intellect and does not look at it, but goes above reason. “Four cubits” are the man; this is his height. It means that one is forbidden to walk without faith above reason. If he does walk within reason, meaning “bareheaded,” “Life immediately departs from him.” Rather, specifically by covering the head, he will be rewarded with the knowledge of Kedusha.
However, this work of faith above reason should be with a sound mind, for only then can one understand what is above reason. Otherwise, a person is mistaken with the meaning of above reason. This is as our sages said (Avot, Chapter 4:23), “Do not appease your neighbor while he is angry.” Hence, when one is angry, when he is dissatisfied with the situation he is in and begins to introspect, he falls into mistakes and cannot calculate truthfully, as our sages said (Sifrei Matot), “Once he comes by anger, he comes by every mistake.”
Man’s main anger at himself is expressed in work in sadness at the state he is in. Hence, all the calculations he does are wrong, since he himself is in a state where there is no peace of mind in him. In that state, he should not make any calculations but take upon himself the kingdom of heaven without any calculations. Only once he has taken upon himself the burden of the kingdom of heaven by force, and when his anger has subsided, can he calculate, to know what is above reason and what is below reason, and what is within reason.
We should know that when a person is angry at something, he feels that he is in an uncomfortable situation. At such a time, it is impossible to believe in private Providence, that the Creator leads the world in a manner of good and doing good. Hence, in that state he slanders the guidance of the Creator, and naturally becomes separated from faith, since there is a correction from above, which our sages called “One does not sin unless a spirit of folly has entered him.” This means that the spirit of Kedusha that he had has departed from him. This is done in man’s favor, since when he does not have the spirit of Kedusha, he cannot blemish what he does not have.
Hence, when one falls into a state of sadness, meaning he has nothing from which to derive joy, he becomes separated from the Kedusha. At that time, there is only one advice, to take upon himself, by force, the burden of the kingdom of heaven, and pray to the Creator to help him so that this coercion that he has taken upon himself, the Creator will help him make it with joy, as it is written, “Serve the Lord with gladness.” Since now this work is compulsory for him, from where will he take joy?
For this reason, one must pray to the Creator to help him be able to observe what is written, “Serve the Lord with gladness.” Also, at that time, one should overcome in the manner of “an awakening from below,” and believe that it is a great privilege that he was able to overcome his situation and be able to do something against the intellect, which is called “above reason.”
Also, he should believe, once he has overcome above reason, this is regarded that he is a servant of the Creator. That is, this overcoming that he is now doing is called “work of the Creator,” since now he is working with faith above reason. In other words, only now is he considered “working,” since the body does not agree to this work.
It therefore follows that when one comes to a state where the body does not want to do the holy work, and a person is in a state where he has no spirit of life, this is the time when a person is regarded as having no faith in the Creator, since faith in the Creator brings joy. Hence, when he is irritated and angry with himself to the point that he cannot stand anything around him, he is considered to be an “idol-worshipper.”
This is as our sages said, “Anyone who is angry, it is as though he is committing idol-worship.” This is so because he has no faith. Hence, a person should try to be thankful to the Creator for every contact that he has with spirituality, and then he unifies the connection with the Creator. In other words, even if he is in a state where the body rejects anything of Kedusha, he can maintain contact with the Creator even over this, meaning that a person must say at that time, “the fact that I feel that I have no desire for work, this, too, is called ‘contact.’”
That is, a person sees that he does not always think about work, whether or not he wants to work. Rather, he should think and worry about other matters, which have no connection to spirituality. Hence, now that he has contact, he is thankful for it, and by this he can reenter the work and begin to live a life of Kedusha.
Although there are many discernments in the connection that one connects oneself to the Creator, any contact is a great thing. It is written about it (Psalms 48:11), “As Your name, God, so is Your glory.” This means that as much as one can appreciate the greatness and importance of the Creator, to that extent he can thank and praise the Creator. Clearly, the more one can depict to oneself the greatness and importance of the Creator, he will be able to give greater praises to the Creator. However, by overcoming and praising the Creator over something, regardless what it is for which he thanks the Creator, this act already gives connection to the Creator, and by this he can come to do the holy work in truth. Hence, in every situation, only prayer helps.
Reader: We will now continue to the recorded lesson.
M. Laitman: We read an article from the writings of Rabash, "What Does It Mean that the Creator Favors Someone, in the Work?" Any questions?
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (33:33) Individually, I stand opposite the Creator, and everything we do here is actually group work. We say that we need to reach a state of love of others. So, how do these two things — how to connect these two things together and do the work correctly?
M. Laitman: It is said to adhere unto Him, that this is the goal that the Creator requires of us, which is the end result in the initial thought. First, meaning that there was a thought that there will be a created being like Himself. And from that thought, the created being was created with the same qualities and conditions so that he can reach the state that He has, like the Creator. So exactly one opposite the other, meaning the nature of the created being and the environmental conditions, meaning the influence of the Creator upon him, they're organized in such a way that allows the created being the possibility, through his own free choice, through his sense of freely choosing, to achieve adhesion with the Creator; that he will achieve adhesion with the Creator. This thing happens only between the Creator and the created being. There's nothing outside of these two in reality at all. There wasn't, and there is none, and there will never be. The matter is that since everything emerges from the thought of creation, to do good to the created being, and bring that single created being to adhesion, to equivalence of form with the Creator, so whenever we discuss any questions of nature, of character, of the path, of the stages that the created being goes through, how the Creator influences him; in each and every step, if we don't know why it happened, we need to go back to the thought of creation which is the end result, meaning the end state, the final state of the created being. And from there, from the end, the Creator, as if, went to the beginning, and then started creation, from the final picture. The final picture determines everything that He started, and how He, what He gave to the created being, and how He influenced the created being to slide all the way from beginning to end. So that was determined from the end.
M. Laitman: (37:03) So, if we're asking any question, let's say, we know that in all the states, in every aspect, we're talking about the requests, the connection to the Creator, man's individual work, that I feel myself as singular, and it's also what we learn everywhere. If we study the Preface, this is a study of the Ten Sefirot, it says that some vessel connects with another vessel, and some soul with other souls — no such thing. Each and every Kli, each and every soul faces the Creator. So why did the Creator create all these souls, and this law that they have to connect together, and so forth? So again, it comes from the same statement, that the end result is in the initial thought. That there, where there was the initial thought, that's where the end result should come. From there, we essentially have to derive all our answers. Meaning that this is probably necessary, that the created being will divide to many pieces, that through the connection between all the pieces, it will somehow exercise connecting with the Creator; that by connecting with all these pieces, he'll understand what it means to connect with the Creator, how to connect with the Creator, how to find the strength for it, maybe it needs to be asked from outside, from the Creator, and so on. He'll have something to study with, somewhere to start, some place to examine himself. So the division of the created being is necessary, just like he himself, to begin with, was created in a nature that's opposite to the Creator, and he has to come to an equivalence of a nature, an equivalence of form. So how to know the equivalence or disparity, distance or proximity — all of those things cannot be learned with the Creator, because he's detached in disparity of form. It's called detachment. It brings him lack of sensation. So how can he nevertheless begin the path and continuously walk on it all the way to the end, so that where he is detached from the Creator, to the extent that he's detached, he'll still have some mechanism inside that will complete this detachment? I'm detached from the Creator 100%. How can I see that I'm detached? So I'm told — there are a few friends next to you, check how detached you are from them, and know that to the extent that you equalize with them, to the same extent you are also going to equalize with the Creator. So even though I'm in concealment, I have some sort of a place, a state, an opportunity to see myself, to examine myself, to supervise myself. Therefore, the created being doesn't remain one created being, but is divided into many, many pieces.
M. Laitman: (41:10) How many pieces? To the extent that he has all kinds of discernments within, to that many discernments it's divided. So, let's say there are 620 parts in us, 620 desires. So each and every desire of Adam HaRishon… Adam HaRishon has Rosh, Toch, Sof. His Toch, which are his vessels, and the Sof also, altogether his Guf, his body, has been divided into 620 pieces, organs they're called, desires. And each and every desire, each and every desire exists in and of itself. If so, how can it connect to others? It can't connect to others. It has to know what is in the other. It has to somehow become incorporated with others through some quality. So we're saying the shattering has been made so that as a result, every desire of the 620 desires absorbed into itself an incorporation of all the other desires. And then it also divided and divided and divided, to the point that now in every individual desire there are many other desires. As I always say, that any cell in the body needs to include and feel all the other cells in the body. That's how it truly is, and we're revealing this in biology. So in any closed system, it can't be any other way, if it truly works in a complete manner. There has to be such a law that everything is incorporated with everything. And from here we understand how man can reach adhesion with the Creator. If he works within himself and connects all his pieces, even though they are now scattered, if he connects them together in bestowal, in equivalence of form with what there is towards the Creator that he has to reach — but he doesn't think with respect to the Creator, he's thinking about how to do it with all his other desires. If he connects each desire to another desire, from there he acquires the quality of bestowal. The quality of bestowal in his body, in his collective soul called Adam. But this quality of the soul also works with respect to the Creator. Why does it work with respect to the Creator? Why do I care about the Creator if I work in connection with the rest of the souls? So we are connecting, and that's it. The thing is that there has to be a goal in the first place, the goal of creation. The goal which is the same, to connect with the Creator. And so, in order to connect with the Creator, I'm going to connect the other souls to me, the other desires, to correct my attitude to them. Meaning to the extent that I acquire the Masach, to connect with the other desires, with the rest of the souls, to that extent, if I first think about that, then I'm going to connect with the Creator. Why? What's the connection? So I thought that by this I'll have a connection with Him. No. The connection is built not from what I think in advance. That's not sufficient. It should be, but it isn't sufficient. You know, there's this necessary condition — this condition of "necessary but insufficient." It's from science. You can also find it in mathematics, similar conditions.
M. Laitman: (46:09) So the necessary condition is that, to begin with, I think about the Creator. I want to connect with Him, and therefore it necessitates me to correct my attitude and connect with the rest of the souls, with the rest of the desires in the general created being called man. When I go with this intention to adhere to the Creator, when I go to connect with them, I have difficulty in connecting with them. This difficulty is that I'm connecting these two directions together. I make a condition. I'm connecting to them so as to connect with the Creator. I make this condition, and this condition bears great difficulty for me. This condition needs to bring me to a state where I realize that I can't connect with them; that the power to connect with them needs to be received from Him, and by that I achieve the connection with Him. Meaning, then my direction to connect with the other souls becomes the means to reach the necessity to connect with the Creator, to demand strength from Him. On the face of it, I have the work of me and the friends, and I want to connect with them in order to reach some spiritual goal. Right. But I see that I'm incapable of doing that, and this work that I cannot do necessitates me to turn to the Creator once more, and then I'm certainly in two processes as one. To the extent that I want to connect with the friends, to that extent I feel the urgency to turn to Him to ask for strength; and to that extent I connect to Him, and I go back to connect to them, and it becomes one and the same. Afterwards, at the end of the road, or even in the middle, when I understand what I do, I see that my connection with the rest of the souls and my connection with the Creator, they become not two directions that I need to connect to each other, but they're literally one. They're just one. They exist in a single carrier.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (48:53) By the way, this too is similar what we said, that the group needs to build one shared vessel, collective vessel, meaning it's a state where I'm working with myself. It doesn't matter that there's a friend here, or someone else, somewhere over there. It doesn't matter. I connect with him in order to connect to the Creator, so we connect only in that regard. So we said that we need to create something collective, and so each one needs to place himself into something that we share.
M. Laitman: Now, to begin the path, so first of all, like Rabash writes, that we have gathered here to reach the degree of man. Man, Adam, means "Edame LaElyon," shall resemble the Upper One. So this is the goal, first of all. That's why we need to connect between us. Right? Or like he explains about the man wandering in the field, and so on. So we're going to connect between us, only because of the necessity to achieve adhesion with the Creator, not for any other goal. This has to be a complete obligation. Then we will succeed on the path and won't be mistaken. And afterwards, when I say I'm already equipped with this intention that I want to connect with the Creator, and then I turn to people who are like me, who also want to connect with Him. Then we understand that we are then like the body that was divided into 620 let's say, or more and more pieces; that there are several pieces in this body that understand that they need to reach adhesion with the Creator. Yes? And then we need to connect between us to do this work. Why do I need to connect specifically to them? I could connect to some foreign people, strangers around the world in some countries, or my relatives or something, I don't know. No, we're told that the connection is with respect to other people, and you start influencing them, and of course it needs to lead you to the goal. But this is very difficult work, because you're not going to find any fuel in this work. You're not going to find any support. Therefore, you want to find such people, such souls, that are like-minded. And then there's mutual work. We are trying to connect mutually, to strengthen each other, because each and every one of us wants to connect with the Creator. And afterwards we'll discover that the connection between us and the connection with the Creator is one and the same. What does it mean that it's one and the same? That between me and you, if there is a point of connection, a point of contact, that welding between us, where we have that drop of glue between us that will glue us — only in that drop of glue the Creator will dwell, not within you, not inside of me, but between us. If we make that connection, in that connection it will be revealed. And so certainly it's desirable to find people who are like-minded, who have the same goal. Now, why?
M. Laitman: (52:55) Because all together I find support in him, and he finds support in me. That leads us to another question. So if we have, say, a hundred people, so good, so I'm just going to connect with everyone. We're breaking all the barriers and we're told, no, this is very difficult. I can't focus on a hundred people and give attention to all of them and connect to all of them. So what's better? Better that there'll be people that I feel their response, that they feel my effort, they understand me and I understand them. So they should be somehow, in terms of mentality and perception and character, somewhat closer to me, in a beastly external way, that we can somehow understand each other. Because all together I'm looking for someone. I look for my brothers, right? What does it mean? That there is someone somewhat close to me, that I'll understand them better, that they'll influence me better. And maybe he has such conceptions that what I do to him will be interpreted differently. Who knows? Therefore, we also want to connect in such a way that there’s a better understanding between people. Now, this correct understanding could follow the original character, and it could be according to signs that are a bit more external. That people somehow have an interest together, they work together, they engage in something together in some close way, in a human way, let's say. So it's not literally the character, you know, that I'm going to measure how much are you stingy or overbearing or this or that, no. But it could be just the way you feel it. But the way you feel it means, let's say, how much we understand each other in helping each other, in influencing each other, disturbing each other — it doesn't matter, but that we will correctly interpret each other, that's all. There are people here who truly don't understand each other. And I admit that I’m like that as well.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (55:45) Is there a connection or a difference between these two issues? One issue is connection with the Creator, the other is being like Him. Is there a connection between them?
M. Laitman: Connection to the Creator, similarity with the Creator, it's the same thing. It's not in corporeality, where one can be similar but not connected, or connected but not similar. In corporeality, you have two cars which resemble each other, but they're not one car, they're not connected. In spirituality, there is no such thing. In spirituality, the more they have in common, meaning these qualities, then they become one. That is the law of equivalence of form, the law of the spiritual space.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (56:42) The fixed state is actually still. How do you make it a new connection each time?
M. Laitman: A fixed state is still. How to make that state constantly undergoing change, not be still?
Student: No, that the new connection will be the constant state.
M. Laitman: Don't be still, and then it will be a new connection every time. I don't know what you're saying. And what is a new connection? A new connection means that two people — I don't need to connect to more, and you to others. If we both keep changing, then it's constantly a new connection. So if they're not similar, if they're not still, then they're constantly renewing their connection.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (57:34) On the one hand, a person yearns to connect with the Creator. On the other hand, work the Creator with joy. It's two opposite things.
M. Laitman: The Creator let us work and also said, you should be happy while you work. Yes. And He's making fools of us, or does He want us to suffer? And also, yeah, it's like someone hitting me and I say, thank you very much, yes? In spirituality, every time when you say this and that, this and that, it's an indication that there is such a state, and maybe you haven't gotten to that state where this is like this, this is like that, but it exists and you need to reach that. So if it's written, "Serve the Lord with gladness," then there is such a state. And from that state onwards, the work gives you joy and happiness, and you don't need anything other than the work itself. The action itself satisfies you, and it is in itself the reward. You haven't gotten there yet. Well, I understand you.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (59:00) It says in page 63 that a person should not look for counsels how to attain the abundance, because there's nothing to worry about that. All of man's worries should be how to attain the desire to bestow. What could be a more sophisticated advice?
M. Laitman: Man was created with the will to receive, wanting to enjoy. To enjoy what? The Creator created the will to receive. It's impossible to say I want. If I want something, it means that there's something I lack. And this thing, if I receive it, I will feel that I do not lack it anymore. Because only the Creator exists, who then created the created being, that it is clear that the created being is a lack for feeling the Creator. Where the Creator isn't present, there exists the created being. Let's put it this way. What did the created being begin from? Malchut of Ein Sof restricted the light, the light departed, and then the will remained. We say the expansion of the light and its departure makes the vessel qualified for its role. Where the light departs, a lack is revealed, because it's not there. Where the Creator is absent — light and Creator, that's the same thing, yes — there we have the created being. What did you ask exactly?
Student: The question is, why does he write it in such a way, and he doesn't say, you want to attain the infinite abundance, come get the desire to bestow?
M. Laitman: No, that's not the same thing you said before. What did you say before?
Student: He writes here, a person shouldn't look for advice of how to attain the abundance, but all of his worries should be how to attain the desire to bestow.
M. Laitman: Now, the person was created to look for pleasure. He wants to find pleasure. In truth, he wants to find the Creator. All of our desires — we don't know that right now, but ultimately we want Him, we want to feel Him. All the pleasures that you see actually come from Him, in various clothings. He stands behind it, He fulfills us, and there is no other source of pleasure. Yes? That's it. Now, the problem is, if so, we need to come to a state where we don't chase Him, as in until it doesn't let me sleep, yes, being lovesick, which is called Lo Lishma. The person ultimately comes to a state where he covets, not the pleasure, but connection with the giver of said pleasure. For him, this affinity, the importance, this regard for the Creator becomes more important for him than to use the Creator as pleasure, to fulfill oneself. To begin with, the Creator's importance is zero for us. The desire to use Him, to exploit Him, to enjoy Him, that's 100%. Now, I need to reach a state where this 100% desire to enjoy Him will be zero in me, and the desire to know His importance, to connect with Him, to be with Him, yes, 100%. Meaning to increase the importance by 100%, opposite my desire to just delight in Him, and that's it. So, how to do that? It is said that this desire for importance, I have to receive it. I can't get it from myself. I can only receive it from the environment. If the environment does not provide me with this desire, I have no chance of finding it by myself, and that's it.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:04:01) I'm going for connection with Him. I give up some pleasure to go for true connection with Him in order to go for more pleasure, so there's no…
M. Laitman: You're talking about a state of Lo Lishma, not for Her sake, where we go and keep increasing our desire to enjoy, to enjoy spirituality instead of enjoying corporeality. In this world, God bless, I have what to enjoy, yes? Food, sex, family, the home, beastly pleasures, bodily pleasures, as we call them, and then human pleasures: money, respect, knowledge. Opposite that, I want to now develop my regard for a different kind of pleasure, which is spiritual pleasure. Why spiritual? The spirit, it is a bit more distinct, separate. You don't feel it so much. So now, through the society, through the study, I develop a desire for spiritual pleasure, which will be greater than my desires for corporeal pleasures; the corporeal pleasures that are in front of me. If I succeed in reaching a state where I'm dying for a spiritual pleasure, that I want the Creator, fawning over Him, opposite, against all the pleasures that I have in corporeality, and this will be fixed, constant — we have ascents and descents in this — if I reach it in a permanent, constant way, it's a sign that I've reached the Machsom, the barrier. Maximum will to receive, to receive spirituality. Nothing more is required of us. Nothing more is demanded. If I come to that, after that, I'm allowed to enter spirituality, but this is given to me through the screen. I'm being taken care of at that point. It's not I who transitions myself from the greatest to the smallest. It's not me doing it myself. My problem now is only to increase the importance of spirituality the way I understand it to be, which is something where this whole life, this whole world is unworthy. It's only there for me to step on it and jump towards spirituality. How can I do that? I feel spirituality. I understand it. I see something somehow — no. Will I wait to be given punishments and blows, wanting to flee this world towards spirituality for lack of choice? That is not called the path of Torah. That is a very long path, thousands of years of further development. So, it's only the society that needs to provide me with these things. I need to enter some society that will brainwash me to think that spirituality is so much better than this life. This life is garbage. Spirituality is everything. Or, more correctly, to say, this life is good. You see, we enjoy it. And all the time we're being given the understanding that there's something more to enjoy. But spirituality, that is just dazzling. It's something I don't know. And this is what I need to hear from the friends. Right? Not so much. I agree with you. It would have been better if it was simple. Just press a button and it's done.
M. Laitman: You want something?
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:08:11) If you hear these things, these exalted things from the friends, and it turns out a bit gross, a bit artificial…
M. Laitman: No, no, no, we don't need to tell all the guys, look, guys, the Creator is great, look, what a product I have, I want to sell it to you, look how beautiful, look, it's all shiny, it's like that — that's really… It's not that it's not nice. They'll never buy it. I won't be impressed by you starting to talk to me in such a way, specifically since we're not the most delicate of people here, and it's really so that the people who come here with a good coarse desire to receive, kind of relatively big — and that's why we need to find a language, and such means, and such clothings where each will be able to be impressed maximally from what's happening around him, in our society. After all, in truth, we're just running away from this picture, but I have no other possibility to connect to the Creator if I don't take the fuel, the forces, the push from the environment. Because in me, myself, there's nothing to begin with that I can even rise one step, one degree. There isn't. I need to receive the necessity for that degree from the environment. I don't have a deficiency for the next degree. The necessity towards it I receive from the environment; the recognition of the greatness of the Creator, the greatness of this degree, the recognition of it I receive from the environment. So, it comes to me as the possibility, as a push towards Him, and I receive the forces necessary to move to her, to the next degree. All the possibilities are only from the environment. To begin with, I don't have the vessel, and this is because if I were to have this Kli, I wouldn't need anyone, I wouldn't need the Creator either, I don't need. Besides the Kli, nothing is missing. Everything is there. I just need to reveal this vessel. If I were to reveal it within me, then from the Kli the revelation would take place, then the Creator would be revealed. But it's from being revealed, it's the One who fills the vessel, otherwise I wouldn't be needing Him. This way I receive a deficiency from the society — it's not mine; greatness from the society, which is not mine; I turn to Him by shattering myself in relation with the society, I already became worthy of receiving the force in order to bestow from Him, and that's it.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:11:56) What is my investment in the society?
M. Laitman: Your investment depends on buying yourself a friend and making yourself a Rav.
Student: What if everything I'm looking at is how to acquire a deficiency?
M. Laitman: Correct. I connect with others in order to receive from them what I don't have, only in a healthy way, that way — otherwise, how?
Student: So, it's clear: how to connect, what do you invest, how to connect?
M. Laitman: Yes, if I have to give him something, then for that I have to give him something. So, I'm looking to see what he wants, and for the sake of what I can receive. There's a very simple work here, we don't need to run away from simplifying it, and not look for something that's exalted here.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:12:49) How, by connecting with the friends can I learn their desires?
M. Laitman: The fact that you're going to connect to the friends in order to reach adhesion with the Creator invites upon you the surrounding light, which opens up your soul. You start to see how opposite you are from this light, and it starts revealing to you the ego. If you discover your ego in connection with others, just as your ego, then you're discovering it only you against a friend. It's not the same ego that you need to discover towards the surrounding light, towards the Creator, towards in order to bestow. It's something completely different, that's an animalistic or beastly ego. Just like those who break it, like psychologists in the military, so in all kinds of groups that you need to connect people, you should break the ego of each of them in order to have the necessity that they need to connect in order to be saved or survive. That's different. And if you're going to connect with the other because of a desire to connect with the Creator, this brings to you the surrounding light, and the Creator is already between you, within you, and reveals to your ego, your evil inclination, the whole recognition of evil of yours in accordance with Him, not just according to the beast that just needs to connect. A couple comes to me, husband and wife, they're quarreling there, what wars, what blaming and bad talking, mouthing each other, etc. What, now they're going to start each breaking themselves, and what, they'll start connecting between them? What will be between them? It's written, man and woman, the Shechina is between them. This is not talking about our animal level. Meaning, if we do not take into account from the beginning that the end of the action is the initial thought — the very initial thought needs to be there, connected with them — and now, I'm going to perform this action and connect with the friends, then it will succeed. Yes.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:15:22) In every state where these connections and publicizing the Creator in the society give a person some illusion of fulfillment and a sensation that it leaves him all the time without truly feeling his own state…
M. Laitman: It is written that a Creator's servant needs to be as hard as iron. What does this mean? I need to be driven all the time, readied, and to measure with what thought I went, to hear some information, advice, something from the friends. The meaning is to absorb what it did in me relative to what I wanted before that, what I reached, after receiving an impression from them, let's say. Does this impression now really give me not just satisfaction that I — oh, thank God, I'm in loyal hands to society, I can shut my eyes like a baby, and they'll take me to some place? Or that I have truly received from them an impression, not mine, but now I make it my own? Do you understand? Now I truly start to digest this thing that I'm taking from the side, in me, in mine. What does this mean, in mine? I open the book, I start to read an article. It's best from, like, Shamati or things like that. I go to study some part in TES. By their impression, now I want to invite upon myself the surrounding light. This surrounding light, if it comes, it will turn off this impression and give me a feeling even more in my bad vessels and give me even more recognition of evil. But I use this recognition of evil because I received an impression from them, and I invited the surrounding light. Meaning, there are true possibilities to work here. And it's not that I'm sitting, oh, God bless. Thank you. I received some good feeling from my friends. We're on the way. And that's it. It depends how you use what you received.
Student: But theoretically it can happen, because there are people who are sitting here, and they are trying to get into this niche of…
M. Laitman: Yes, there are many people that enter this niche like that. You're right. That's why I'm saying each and every one must have every day a part in the study, a part in his work, in his workplace where he works, because that also becomes difficult. And for that, too, he needs a certain influence in society, support from the society, and to sustain himself at home with his family, and to also certainly do some kind of actions for dissemination. So, if you don't receive support from the society, you will work on all these things just all stressed out, barely, until it just becomes formal work only, a formality. The calculation with a person is in the good states; not in the bad states. Rather, in the good states, when you are given either from above, or from above through the friends — which is, let's say, through the friends — a certain impression, some fuel. Do you use it for good things, or did you fill yourself and you're sitting like that? You took some other bottle of beer, you sit on a hammock somewhere, and that's it. Yeah, let's just put it this way: you got it all set, everything good. Or you take this impression, and you really open a book and see where you couldn't understand anything, but you're longing. Let's say in the "Introduction to TES," I had many places that I couldn't decipher, and then I waited for those moments that I'm a little bit more impressed, a little bit more clarity, a sharper feeling, and then I would open those places. Maybe nevertheless I will see something more in them. He also writes that that's what we need to do, and in Shamati there's an article like that.
Reader: Share with each other our impression from the lesson, what can we take to apply in the Ten?
Reader: We'll move to the next part of the lesson, but first, sing a song together.
Song: (01:26:43)