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The transcript has been transcribed and edited from English simultaneous interpretation, thus there may be potential semantic inaccuracies within it.
Daily Lesson (Afternoon) December 1, 2024.
Part 1: Rabash. “And Behold, The Lord Stood Over Him”, Article 368.
Reader: Hello, we are reading the book, “Writings of Rabash”, part 3. In Hebrew, pages 1782, Article 368, “And Behold, the Lord Stood over Him”. You can read the materials for the lesson on kabbalahmedia.info.
And Behold, the Lord Stood over Him
Article 368
Reading: (00:33) “And behold, the Lord stood over him and said, ‘I am the Lord, God of your father Abraham… This land on which you lie, to you I will give it and to your descendants.’”
RASHI interpreted about the question, Why are the four cubits where he lies important? He brings the words of our sages, “The Creator folded all of the land of Israel underneath him, implying to him that it will be as easy for his sons to conquer as four cubits, which is man’s place.”
We need to understand the words by intimation. Eretz [land] is called Malchut, which is the kingdom of heaven. The whole of the land of Israel, meaning the Creator folded the whole of the spiritual land under the kingdom of heaven, like the verse, “What does the Lord God require of you? Only fear.” That is, we need nothing more than to accept the burden of the kingdom of heaven. By this we can be rewarded with the whole of the spiritual land, called “land of Israel,” as our sages said, “Anyone who has fear of heaven, his words are heard” (Berachot 6b).
In other words, a person who has been rewarded with the kingdom of heaven can control all his thoughts and desires. This is regarded as his organs hearing the words. This is the meaning of the Creator folding all of the land of Israel underneath him, meaning beneath the land that is called “kingdom of heaven.”
The Zohar interprets “And Jacob departed from Beer Sheba,” meaning departed from the land of Israel “and went to Haran,” meaning abroad. By this he comes to a state of “anger.” In a person, there is the quality of “rising,” when he stands upright, and there is the quality of “lying down,” when he falls from his degree. The falling is called “lying down.”
The Zohar interprets “And Jacob departed from Beer Sheba,” meaning departed from the land of Israel “and went to Haran,” meaning abroad. By this he comes to a state of “anger.” In a person, there is the quality of “rising,” when he stands upright, and there is the quality of “lying down,” when he falls from his degree. The falling is called “lying down.”
Hence, one should make great efforts for it, since the whole of the merit of the land of Israel depends on this land. The Creator promised, “To you I will give it and to your descendants,” and if you receive the land, everything will be in your hand.
They interpreted that this is why the Creator folded the whole of the land of Israel under the earth, to make it easy to conquer the land of Israel. As it is written (Midrash Rabbah, and presented in the “Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot”), “The Creator said to Israel, ‘Be sure, the whole of the wisdom and the whole of the Torah are easy. Anyone who fears Me and does the words of Torah, the whole of the wisdom and the whole of Torah are in his heart.’”
This is the meaning of the Creator folding the whole of the land of Israel underneath him, meaning under this land called “the kingdom of heaven.” If the four cubits, meaning a person’s height, is filled with fear of heaven, called “kingdom of heaven,” it will be easy to conquer it. This is what He promised him, “This land on which you lie, to you I will give it and to your descendants.”
M. Laitman: Questions?
Question (Women MAK): (06:14) What is the quality above the Malchut and the faith that the Creator controls the world, The Good That Does Good?
M. Laitman: Yes, this is exactly our work.
Student: But if I don't see The Good That Does Good, this fear has to emerge, correct? How do I turn this fear into faith?
M. Laitman: Well, this depends on the person how he perceives this. If he sees the Creator's guidance as something that brings fear, that's not good. He needs to turn this into a good attitude from the Creator to him and from him to the Creator.
Student: How does one check constant faith in the Creator, and how does one strengthen it?
M. Laitman: Constant faith in the Creator means that a person always wants to stay in connection with the Creator, to see His guidance, His control, the results of His governance, and he gradually gets used to constantly seeing only the Creator in everything.
Student: Is there a difference between faith in the Creator and faith that He puts into our heart?
M. Laitman: We have to check this. Each one needs to make sure that he only has faith in the Creator in his heart.
Student: Is properly realizing the faith in the Creator of all the creatures equal to the faith in the Creator?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Women MAK): (08:49) How do I correct in the Ten to reveal the sacred Shechina of Israel? Do I have to live physically in Israel for that, or simply in Arvut is enough to unite in the system of Arvut?
M. Laitman: It's not necessary to live in Israel but just think that you need a connection with the Creator, and you constantly think about this and try to bring it closer to yourself. Shalom
Question (Turkiye 2): (09:44) What does it mean to accept the burden of the Kingdom of Heaven? And what is the basic deficiency the person has to have to be eligible for that?
M. Laitman: A person has to constantly develop within himself a lack for the feeling of the Creator. So, think about this constantly. Connect, get closer to this constantly, and then a man will see to what extent he has this or he has a lack in this. This is what we have to work on.
Question (Women MAK 25): (10:59) What does it mean in our work to conquer the land of Israel?
M. Laitman: This means that a man needs to elevate this desire that he gets for the Creator and expand it to such an extent that it takes up all his consciousness.
Question (Women MAK 43): (11:37) When a person starts feeling trepidation as the joy of serving the Creator, while realizing that he's realizing his will, the fear starts becoming light and the dissents are perceived differently?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: If the land of Israel is given as a gift, can we say that this heritage is something that you can only reveal as the constant effort of a person?
M. Laitman: Correct.
Question (Women MAK 104): (12:17) A person does not control his thoughts or desires, and even the effort is built by the Creator. What efforts can we put forth to come closer to the upper Malchut?
M. Laitman: Not to depart from the yearning for the Creator to such an extent that this would fill us and would push us forward.
Question (Women MAK 98): (12:54) In the article it says, come to the quality of rage. What is this quality in spirituality?
M. Laitman: The quality of rage? It's similar to the way it is in our world when he has a quality of rage.
Student: How does this rage influence the spiritual state of a person? What tools can we utilize to overcome this quality? Because we have to overcome this anyway?
M. Laitman: We have to not only overcome the quality of rage, but we have to remove all the qualities that can distance us from the Creator. We have to distance these qualities from ourselves.
Student: What steps can we take in order to develop the trepidation before the heaven in our Ten? How do we develop this fear, this trepidation? What else can we do?
M. Laitman: You have to work together on this in the Ten and always expand, expand and deepen this feeling.
Student: Can we somehow infect the friends with this trepidation?
M. Laitman: Yes, yes, of course. What's the other way? We can't.
Question (Women Moscow 5): (14:30) It is said here that when a person has merited the upper Malchut, he can control his thoughts. Can we control our thoughts, meaning that we are building the intention? How can we control our thoughts?
M. Laitman: Yes, exactly.
Student: And then he continues. This is regarded as his organs hearing the words. What organs are words?
M. Laitman: All the feelings in our heart are subject to these thoughts.
Student: We come to the state of being co-Creators? It's not that we're equal. We cannot be equal with the Creator.
M. Laitman: No, no, but we can strive to get these qualities under control.
Student: At the end, it is written, it's not very clear when he is promising the land on which you lie, so we have to rise and then he will give us the earth?
M. Laitman: No, no, this is that a man lies on the ground, that he wants to be closer to this quality of the land. The ground is enough to get this land, to inherit the land.
Question (Women Lithuania): (16:15) What does it mean, that God has given all the land of Israel under him, and how do we do it, how do we fold the land?
M. Laitman: Land and desire. Eretz is desire, the land of man's whole desire, with which he wants to turn to the Creator. The person gathers this, puts this together, and he asks for the opportunity to get this filled by the Creator.
Question (Kyiv): (17:14) What does it still mean? What does it mean to lie on this land, on the land of Israel?
M. Laitman: Lying means that there's no lower state, that he agrees to this state, that he will lie on the ground, on the land, and in such a case, he will have contact, a connection with this land.
Student: How do we lie correctly on this desire, on the land of Israel, in order to have minimal contact with it?
M. Laitman: This is how you have to accept it. You have to lie on the right side and feel that you're lying on the ground.
Student: What does lying on the ground, on the right side mean? What desire am I lying on in my state?
M. Laitman: So, you want to be connected to the land with your inner desire.
Student: With what land am I connected?
M. Laitman: The land of Israel, Eretz Israel.
Question (Women Spain): (19:32) In the Zohar it’s written that Jacob departed from Beersheba. It tells us that we can direct ourselves toward a spiritual state—negative, positive. How can we draw on the balance between these two elevated spiritual states, Beersheba, and the challenges of Haran in our life?
M. Laitman: We can do this through a connection between us. The stronger the connection is with us, the more it is directed at bestowal from the friends to the Creator. Then we'll be able to direct ourselves.
Question (Italy): (20:23) Should we love the fear of God, or at a certain level, will there only be the love of God?
M. Laitman: Both love and trepidation will connect, and this will become love of the world. Love forever.
Question (MAK 39): (21:16): How can I keep the material that we study in my mind, in my consciousness, let's say, in the Ten, for it to be one thought? Since we know that everyone perceives the material according to the qualities of his soul. So, what I understand is that another person can understand in a different manner. Is there a method that exactly inside of the Ten, the qualities are created, the ones that reach the consciousness of every person?
M. Laitman: For this, we need to be more connected between us and the Creator in all circumstances, and then we'll feel it.
Question (Women Hebrew 2): (22:17) The promise of the Creator, about the land and the necessary effort from a person, always increases when it's easy to conquer. Is it the required measure to connect to the Creator from a person?
M. Laitman: Yes, you're right.
Question (Women Ukraine 2): (22:49) What does it mean that a person has fallen from their degree?
M. Laitman: That the desire he used to have for the Creator and for actions disappears, and this means that he falls.
Student: In this article the trepidation takes an important part, so what does the Creator demand from you except for fear, but what about love for the Creator?
M. Laitman: Love will come later, first fear.
Student: In order to go through most states, we have to add the state of the quality of fear?
M. Laitman: Fear is the first quality.
Question (Moscow 1): (23:52): In psychology, there's an expression that a person has lost face or his personality. He's lying on the ground. Is it a transfer, so to speak, to a different perception?
M. Laitman: Yes, yes.
Question (Novosibirsk): (24:22) I heard you say that you have to overcome bad qualities such as rage and displeasure. How do you distance them from us? So, a question about a prayer. Let's say we feel, yes, somebody's angry, somebody's discontent with life, or somebody has egoistical fears. It's a true state, let's say. And we can understand that we're detached from the Creator, and we cannot treat it calmly.
On the other hand, there's what we are striving towards when we're asking for the friends, when some correct words are being pronounced. So, how do we understand? On one hand, there's something personal and on the other hand, we can reveal the state. We are detached, and from this, we're addressing the Creator. So, what's the correct approach here? When everybody works personally or when we reveal it?
M. Laitman: No, we need to do it together. Necessarily, the Creator feels the first desire that comes from the group, from the Ten.
Question (Women Italy): (25:47) It is the fear that Creator places on the heart and this place is a common place. How do we make every heart a common one. So, how do we bring all the hearts to this common place?
M. Laitman: Through unity, when everyone thinks about others in the Ten, or even more, so that they would have one desire for one Creator.
Question (Women English 1): (26:42) What was Jacob angry at? Was it the state of Israel having to carry the kingdom, or the burden of the kingdom of heaven? Does it matter what the anger is toward in this state?
M. Laitman: No. We have to know what state we're in, what state, what desire we have to come to.
Question (Women Spain): In relation to the states, the question is how do we maintain the consciousness directed to the work?
M. Laitman: Think about this. Think about this all the time.
Student: Can we say that realization is ego?
M. Laitman: No, not always. Consciousness, thought, desire. My desire that I direct at the future.
Student: Is it a part?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Women MAK 113): (29:04) To lie on the ground is a very serious state. Is it to adhere to the Creator and fully annul your ego and ask for Him to act correctly in this life?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Women Lithuania): (29:32) Is it possible for a person to feel unbelievable heaviness of the burden of the kingdom, but at the same time to feel unbelievable joy for this opportunity that it's being revealed to the person?
M. Laitman: Yes, in general, this is how it happens.
Question (Tbilisi): (30:26) In order to raise the importance of the Creator and to be in fear before Him, I don't know to what extent it's correct, that's why I'm asking. Even if I'm breathing and I'm in constant fear and trepidation towards Him, even my physical action, I connect to Him to be connected to Him. To what extent is this correct?
M. Laitman: It's not necessary. The main thing here is for you to strive to be together with Him, not physically, but rather with your soul. This will be more correct.
Student: Yes, but this gives me a sensation that I receive from Him, and everything I have is from Him, and I express my trepidation to Him through this.
M. Laitman: In general, it's correct. Continue, and you will succeed.
Question (Lithuania 1): (31:56) You get used to the fact that everything is from the Creator, but it is said that we have to reveal and conceal to feel this difference all the time. What does it mean in the work that you conceal and then reveal and then conceal?
M. Laitman: Exactly on actions like this. Our attainments in spirituality are based on revelation and concealment, concealment and revelation. This way we advance, and we realize what the Creator wants of us.
Question (Women Moscow 6): (32:53) Is the land of Israel that unity we have achieved, or is this a yearning?
M. Laitman: It's an aspiration towards unity.
Question (Women Polish): (33:12) How do we determine whether it is the true fear of trepidation or from corporeal fear and how do we develop this?
M. Laitman: For this, you have to turn it all into love, and then you won't have any fear before revelation, before concealment. Rather, you will simply have a pull towards the Creator.
Student: Another question. Rabash speaks of the importance of the realization that the Creator stands above him. What do we do when the feeling of the Creator is absent? What do we do to strengthen this connection, even if all your actions seem barren, fruitless?
M. Laitman: You strive to move towards Him, despite whatever feelings that this process has given you, as the most secure option.
Question (Women Kavkaz 1): (34:35) How do we develop such qualities in the Ten, so we would be called by the name of Adam. Is it to develop such quality of overcoming, to overcome all the obstacles?
M. Laitman: No. You simply have to accept the Creator as the highest force that controls you. This way, He is called Adon, like a master in Hebrew.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (35:30) What's the connection between fear of heaven and conquering the land of Israel?
M. Laitman: Without fear, you cannot approach the land of Israel.
Student: What's the connection between fear and conquering?
M. Laitman: Without the fear of heaven, you cannot even start conquering the land of Israel.
Student: All the movements, the change of place that's described in the Torah, what does this speak of?
M. Laitman: It's telling us that we have to undergo a lot of changes in time and space and actions in order to come to the state when we unite with each other and with the Creator.
Student: When it's described that he moves from Be'er Sheva to Haran, is this a change in the man, a change in attitude to the friends?
M. Laitman: Changes in a person means changes towards the Creator.
Student: When he describes the state of lying down, is this a positive or negative state?
M. Laitman: Usually negative.
Student: So, it doesn't mean that he's in annulment, and he's in… Is it better to do so?
M. Laitman: The preferred status to stand.
Student: What does Jacob mean? Israel?
M. Laitman: Yes. Israel starts from Jacob?
M. Laitman: Yes. Jacob is a big name. It's a big name. A small name is Israel.
Student: What's the difference between Israel and Abraham? We say that everything comes from Abraham and Jacob, where Israel starts.
M. Laitman: Israel. The Creator has called Jacob Israel.
Student: Is it just a name or something else starts?
M. Laitman: No, no, it's the essence.
Student: And what used to be before, before Israel?
M. Laitman: It wasn't spoken about.
Student: When we say that Yasher El, straight to the Creator starts from Abragam, what does it mean?
M. Laitman: You cannot really compare it to Jacob yet.
Student: The foundation of our nation is from Abraham or Jacob?
M. Laitman: From Abraham.
Student: And what's the connection between Abraham and Jacob?
M. Laitman: Israel came out of Abraham, and then the nation starts being called Israel.
Question (Women MAK 26): (38:53) When a man falls and feels himself disconnected from the Creator, is this what the state speaks of?
M. Laitman: What state are you talking about?
Student: When a man falls and he feels that he's disconnected from the Creator, and he has some desire, feels some desire. Does this speak of some...
M. Laitman: He's feeling himself in a descent.
Student: What does this speak of? This describes some land of Israel?
What does this describe? A state of ordinary descent or is this a special state?
M. Laitman: It's a specific state, and the descent is very big, and then a person doesn't truly know what he's doing, what state he is in, and how he can elevate himself from this state.
Student: Here it says that we need to make an effort, and then if he receives it, he will rule over everything.
M. Laitman: It means that he has to ask, to pray.
Student: But does he want to rise, or does he want to agree to the state?
M. Laitman: It's possible that he's not able to ask to rise, so he has to accept the state. It's also not good. So, it's a state in the middle where he finds himself.
Student: What is the effort?
M. Laitman: The effort is to still elevate yourself, and come closer to the Creator, and ask Him well enough in order for the Creator to help.
Question (Women Almaty): (40:58) Is the rage he speaks of the true rage that each person should feel on himself?
M. Laitman: Not necessarily. No, not necessarily. Basically, we all go through all kinds of states, and we feel, and we study from them, learn from them.
Question (Women MAK 23): (41:34) What does it mean that something stands before us, the Creator stands above him?
M. Laitman: That's the way the person feels.
Student: Another question. From the article, “The Creator folded all of the land of Israel underneath him…” meaning the upper Malchut. What is this land that's called upper Malchut?
M. Laitman: There's upper Malchut, there's lower Malchut. The Creator is collecting us in the upper Malchut.
Question (Women MAK): (42:20) How can we be impressed by the desires of the friends? How to have a greater space to be impressed by the friends?
M. Laitman: Lower your head and try to feel what he feels inside of himself inside of you. Try to feel it.
Student: Another question. What is the return from fear in the work in the Ten? What is this work?
M. Laitman: The return from the fear in the work in the Ten is when a person is in the state of fear before the Creator, and this state of his wishes to reveal in his friends.
Student: And the return from love in the Ten?
M. Laitman: This is when a person feels love towards the Creator, and he wishes for all of his feelings, thoughts, intentions, for all of them to be soaked in this feeling of love towards the Creator.
Question (Women Moscow): (43:43) From the article it sounds like that from rage… Can we ask to correct our rage?
M. Laitman: Yes, lower your head.
Student: How can we get up from that place? The Creator also gives this state.
M. Laitman: Everything is given by the Creator, but we also have to act ourselves. A person has to lower their head and ask the Creator for correction.
Student: This wouldn't be against the Creator?
M. Laitman: No, no.
Question (Women Brasil): (44:57) The Creator rose over him. “The Creator folded all of the land of Israel underneath him…” That's when we went from Jacob into Israel, full correction?
M. Laitman: No, we continue on and the Creator is working on us.
Question (MAK 25): (45:47) We learned that fear is in the land of Israel. What is the fear before the land of Israel? Is this different?
M. Laitman: Yes, of course, it's different.
Student: What if we revealed that we don't have fear?
M. Laitman: You go towards the connection with the friends and you will pass these feelings on to each other.
Question (Women English 1): (46:26) Is the upper Malchut kingdom of heaven and is that the plan of creation to do good to us? That's what this article says we should strive for always?
M. Laitman: Yes, everything that you said is correct.
Student: And then it says that if we are awarded with this, then we will be given thoughts and desires, which is the spiritual land, Israel. Does that mean that when we are given this attribute, this quality, then we will be able to think like the Creator, walk with the Creator, and bring the plan of creation into our world?
M. Laitman: Yes. That's exactly it. Yes, that's for sure.
Student: And that's what we should pray for, that we have to reveal the fear?
M. Laitman: Yes, absolutely. Without the prayer, nothing will work.
Question (Mak 11): (48:33) What is fear of the Creator? It's more or less easy to understand. What Is love of the Creator?
M. Laitman: Love towards the Creator means love towards Him as the source of everything that I think, feel, for everything that is inside of me,
and this invokes in me unlimited love, incomprehensible love, immense love.
Question (Women MAK 97): (49:18) Can we say that these three pillars, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, are not a stable state so to speak, and we have to include the fourth quality, Malchut, in order to rise to the Creator?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Women MAK 104): (49:51) When the Creator disconnects you from everything, He removes the strength and the will, and you don't feel your I, and He takes you out of your state, and you get a desire to work. Can this state be called correction?
M. Laitman: Yes, yes.
Student: How do we not lose time in this state?
M. Laitman: Get ready for it, prepare for it.
Question (Women MAK 43): (50:27) If love is connected to the feeling of fear, and trepidation is from the realization of your smallness before the Creator, can…
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: Will this be the middle line?
M. Laitman: No, no. There is no need to jump over to this.
Question (Women Italy): (50:53) We move forward with the strength that comes from above, but sometimes the question is, we feel a shock, and we are agonizing. Is it always like this, or how can we break this cycle?
M. Laitman: We will break it. The main thing is not to forget that everything comes from the Creator.
Question (Women Hebrew 2): (51:44) These four elbows can we say that they are the four levels of connection from Abraham to Jacob?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: And then this turn from lying down to standing up, can we say that we ask for the force of unity in the Ten, so we appreciate all the states in the work as important to accept the power of the upper Malchut?
M. Laitman: Absolutely correct.
Question (Women Spain): (52:33) How can we interpret from the land of Israel to the Upper Malchut, and how is this expressed in a physical way?
M. Laitman: Land means Malchut, Eretz, from the world Ratzon, desire. Eretz is desire. Land is desire.
Student: What does this have to do with the Malchut above and every day?
M. Laitman: We want to elevate this land to Heaven and then reveal in it all the qualities that we're lacking.
Question (Women Kavkaz 1): (53:44) If I feel that I'm lying on the ground, the minimal connection with this desire of Eretz Israel, and I feel His force, I feel the fear, how do I transition to the state of love?
M. Laitman: We're not close to that. These two desires, I'm sorry, are not close. You have to try more and more and more until you feel that you start approaching it.
Student: I don't understand getting closer. You said earlier that getting closer to people, I enter this interaction more in the Malchut, these desires, and I reveal even bigger trepidation, and at some point this needs to become love, and if it's not close to them, am I walking in a different direction?
M. Laitman: It's not that you're walking. You're walking towards the correct side, but you just have to get some patience and go on. Continue.
Question (Women Rehovot 1): (55:22) This is a very important quality on our path. The first days in the land, the first that came to the land of Israel used to lie on the ground. Is this connected to spirituality, or is this a corporeal tradition, habit? Maybe it has to do with this?
M. Laitman: Yes. It's connected.
Question (Women Almaty): (55:58) Can we reach the quality of Lishma before the Congress?
M. Laitman: Why are you so impatient?
Student: Well, it's interesting. Is it possible or not?
M. Laitman: It is, of course, and not to you, but to everyone. It's possible for everyone.
Question (Women Moscow 5): (56:35) To what extent can we study the topic of Jacob without connection with the previous topics? And for Abraham, Isaac, how to study this system without connection with others?
M. Laitman: You can read all kinds of chapters from Torah and perceive them the way you want. It will benefit you anyway.
Question (Women Spain): (57:13) With regards to bestowal, can we say that bestowal is something that's split into these little things?
M. Laitman: Yes, also. Correct. In every quality there's a lot of degrees.
Student: Can we know what element or detail we're working on?
M. Laitman: Not yet.
Question (Women French): (58:01) How is it possible to develop love with regards to the Creator and at the same time work on love towards the friends?
M. Laitman: How does one interfere with the other? It's not in the way. It's okay. Try and love the friends and also love the Creator.
Student: But it's complicated trying to feel the Creator when we try to go through love towards the friends, from love of the friends to love of the Creator. I don't understand how to feel the friends in the Creator.
M. Laitman: I don't know what to tell you right now. But it's possible to both love the friends and love the Creator.
Question (Women Ukraine 2): (59:30) What's the difference between trepidation and faith, fear and faith?
M. Laitman: Fear is fear. Faith is faith. These are two different feelings.
Everything else we'll discuss tomorrow. Embrace you all and see you tomorrow.
Announcements: (1:00:02)
Song: (1:00:48)