Morning Lesson May 6, 2023
Transcription is made from simultaneous translation, which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio.
Part 2:
Baal HaSulam. Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah. #40
Reading Item #40 (00:25)
1. S. (03:22) What is the benefit from all of these strikings? It constantly distances me.
R. Scrutinies.
S. But distancing, being weak?
R. That doesn't matter, it doesn't depend on you.
S. But the goal is to grow near Him.
R. The goal is to come near Him but on the way to coming near Him you have all kinds of actions that seem to be the opposite in order to scrutinize what states the vessels are in compared to the lights.
S. From each striking I reveal?
R. With every striking you have new discernments, what the connection is between the light and the vessel, between the lights and the vessels.
2. S. (04:27) We learn here that when the Partzuf is refined its lower degree, meaning the last Sefira disappears. Does it disappear completely or does it turn as we learn into the Reshimo, the record of clothing of the next Partzuf meaning that the next Partzuf is built based on her?
R. Yes.
S. Is it true that this is the Reshimo that helps the next Partzuf be built?
R. No. It helps, it seemingly awakens it but it's not that it’s built of it.
Reading Item 41 (05:31)
3. S. (08:04) Why the transition between discernment and discernment something finite?
R. That’s from the four phases of direct light where the basis for it doesn't change.
S. But we do see in the still, vegetative and animate there is a middle degree.
R. Maybe we’ll be able to learn this later. Here too there are all kinds of median states between the two but that doesn't matter, everything is defined.
4. S. (08:54) What is the main change that is happening between Partzuf and Partzuf? Is it the coarseness of the Masach of the screen that is changing or the Guf?
R. Both. It’s only that if we talk about the connection to the lights what’s important for us is the coarseness and if we’re talking about the clothing of the lights on the vessels what’s important for us is the refinement. This is why I cannot say what’s more important, it’s all according to the issue and according to the state.
S. Coarseness and refinement are to do with the Aviut, the coarseness of the Guf not the screen.
R. Right, but who works with the records of the body? The screen.
5. S. (10:08) So the Zivug, where does it happen in the Rosh or in the Guf?
R. The coupling occurs only in the Rosh and as the lights go down to the Guf there’s a Bitush, a striking inside and surrounding. But the coupling is done in the Rosh.
S. So why does the striking happen?
R. The Bitush happens since they are the opposite of each other by nature.
6. S. (10:58) Something isn't clear. He says during the rising of the screen to the Peh de Rosh and included in the striking by coupling there. Tell me what is the rising of the screen to the Peh de Rosh? What is the rising of screen, what is this concept?
R. The screen rises from the Guf to the Rosh performing actions first of all in the Rosh of the Partzuf and then it comes down from the Rosh to the Guf performing actions in the Guf of the Partzuf.
S. What is this doing where the screen is rising to the Rosh? Can you explain it in words that we can understand, how it manifests in the ten so we can understand it?
R. You tasted something good and by your belly button you have this nice feeling. These records rise to your Rosh, your head and the head plans how to get some more of that same flavor.
S. Is it okay that I'm planning to receive the same flavors?
R. This doesn't matter, I'm telling you is where it happens. Rather that you’re about to receive it or to push it away, that doesn't matter.
S. Is the Masach of Behina phase one?
R. Phase one is phase one.
S. You said there that there has been a striking in a phase one of the screen.
R. Yes, so in this screen you have phase one that is not yet refined. Upon it it performs a striking and from that it has the ability to receive it in order to bestow.
7. S. (13:12) It is written that the striking refines the last discernment, the last Behina of the Aviut of the coarseness and then the Masach, the screen of the Peh of Rosh rises and there is one less. What is the coarseness?
R. The coarseness of the screen is the force of the screen.
S. Okay. So he did one action and he came to its boarder the ability to receive in order to bestow and the striking refines the last discernment of the Aviut. Why won't he do the same striking by coupling on the same clarification?
R. How can that be? Where did you ever see, give me an example even in this world. You don't have even one action that repeats itself.
S. Today I had an appetite, you invited me for a meal, I ate, I will filled, I’m done. Tomorrow again I will eat, I will be full and it's done.
R. Do you think that tomorrow's flavors will be like yesterday's?
S. This is exactly what I'm asking.
R. Of course not, how can they be the same? If you are different, a different desire, a different situation, different flavors, there is the difference between yesterday's flavors and today's.
S. So why does the degree of coarseness come down? Why tomorrow will it be with a smaller coarseness?
R. Because you’ve used a greater coarseness and now you can use a lesser one.
S. Why?
R. Because you’ve used a greater one, you don't have another. You don't have the same appetite and hunger as you did, you cannot today perform bestowal to the Creator as you did yesterday because yesterday was the first time with all the conditions, today it’s not.
S. Does that mean from day to day I'm less and less?
R. Every day you’re less and less. That’s how it is from Galgalta, less and less. Malchut of Assiya is the last Partzuf.
S. In order to bestow in all the actions.
R. As much as you can.
S. So why are they able to bestow less after they’ve bestowed once?
R. There's the matter of the refinement of the screen.
S. So after he bestowed once why tomorrow is he weaker?
R. We have a whole chapter of the refinement of the screen to the Atzilut of the Partzuf, we’ll learn this. But what happens in short is that if you’ve ever used a degree of coarseness you can no longer use it again, you’ve already used it, you did it.
S. I understand that there will be a difference but why tomorrow am I weaker?
R. Because the surrounding light that exists around the Partzuf is much greater, the light of Ein Sof compared to the light within the Partzuf. That’s why it refines the screen, cancels it.
8. S. (17:36) Is the coming of the next screen and next Partzuf instead of the previous Partzuf or in addition?
R. In addition, it’s never instead, even if it's written “instead”, it’s an addition; there is no absence in this spiritual, everything remains as it emerged.
S. He writes in the previous items of the striking of the surrounding lights with the inner light, and when he speaks about refinement, he talks about the striking of the Masach, the screen of Guf, is there a difference between them?
R. I don't hear your confusions there.
S. In the previous items he talks about the striking of the inner light and the surrounding light. When he talks about refinement, he talks about the striking of the surrounding light in the Masach of the screen of Guf, is there the difference between them?
R. Yes there is, there the lights are opposing each other and here the they’re opposing each other.
S. Where are these?
R. These, the inner light and surrounding light, and there it’s the screen and the inner light.
S. What is the main difference?
R. No, no, no, this is something you need to read, you can't just ask if it pops in your head, in the middle, no I'm not going to answer everyone this way, it’s not the way to do it.
9. S. (19:30) Why is the process of refinement begin from the Tabur and not after each phase?
R. Tabur is the end of Partzuf.
S. But if you received in phase four in order to bestow and then in phase three, so then why does it only starts from Tabur?
R. Why there is no process of refinement, what will it refine there?
S. That he cannot receive more and he can't receive more so he moves to phase three, and he can't receive any more so he moves to phase two; why do we call that a process of refinement, what is it called only from the Tabur that he’s refining?
R. Because it doesn't come, go down to it anymore and the Tabur, the coarseness ends, the Tabur of Galgata. You have no more coarseness and from there on, it is refined, it stops receiving
S. And when he returns from Tabur of Peh, what is the difference in what he's receiving in that or when he reveals that he cannot receive in each phase, what is the difference, why is this rise called ‘refinement’ that he can't bestow anymore?
R. The screen refines itself and loses its ability.
S. you mean moving to receive in a smaller degree?
R. No, why, when you receive more and more light in order to bestow from Peh to Tabur, your screen is not refined.
S. But it is not more and more, it’s about a greater coarseness?
R. You go into more and more whole actions, complete actions; you reach the smallest lights and this is how you receive them in order to bestow.
10. S. (22:09) I want to clarify a little: let's say each day it's coarser and the person wakes up in the morning and drinks tea, otherwise he can’t start his day, if he doesn't drink his coffee he doesn't start his day. What makes that coffee of each and every day in life coarser, is it the routine, the heaviness of life, that each day it gets heavier, what are the different elements that really makes it coarser?
R. It doesn't happen as you say, it's not because of the routine or habits, rather each time you have decisions, each time decisions all over again, and this is what the Partzuf is feeling.
11. S. (23:18) So in practice, it turns out that the last cup of coffee in his last day before he's done here, is the coarsest and the heaviest cup, it's not felt this way in the daily life?
R. It doesn't happen the way you describe it.
S. So how it happens?
R. I cannot, I cannot, but it's not like that, this Aviut disappears, this coarseness disappears, it is not felt. But certainly as much as the person receives in order to bestow, he’s bestowal even to finest, weakest one, adds to the previous bestowals, it adds, and then it comes out that he receives more and more in order to bestow, even though he is receiving a small portion because it spans it sits on top of the other receptions.
12. S. (24:32) He says an item forty that “the nature of the striking of surrounding light is to bring its last discernment in its coarseness and it doesn't leave a Reshimo:. How does it mean, how is that possible that it doesn't leave a record, that the striking of the surrounding light in the screen is to make the last Behina be lost, and then he says “there is no record left”, how can that be?
R. Even the record doesn't feel what he had of yesterday and loses completely the Reshimo, the record of yesterday.
S. How is that possible that even there is no Reshimo left, nothing is left of this action he did before?
R. He doesn't want to feel it because he can't stand it, he cannot stand it, this is why he doesn't want to feel it. If he would feel it then he would be obligated to execute, and then he would go into breaking because this is a greater Reshimo, greater screen of the present, greater record of the present screen.
S. But he has a memory of this action, even to avoid this action is a memory of an action?
R. Yes it exists but not in the screen that is undergoing the actions.
13. S. (26:22) There are all these words: ‘striking’, ‘beating’ like, go off fighting, what is this thing the Creator like some “organization”. One guy says eat, the other says “I don't agree”, so the first one says “you will eat, maybe by force, you will eat:, and then the created being, it doesn't agree?
R. No, no the Creator wants for you to receive what He has prepared for you but to receive it with love, with appetite, and all of the hunger and yearning.
S. What do you mean ‘love’; look, he wrote here “by the striking of the surrounding light and the surrounding Guf completely refines the coarseness”, he beat him up, he strikes him so he will receive?
R. And how can you agree with it?
S. Just maybe to forget about it because we are always describing it like two elderly fighting over a cup of tea or something?
R. No, no, no, the opposite, these are the highest forces that exist in the nature.
S. Exactly, so it surprises me how could he write this way, like a lecture, as if by mistake it happened, as if he was born in Switzerland and he writes about Australia or something, how could he do it? You have to be in it, I don’t know how to explain, all these striking, what is this he’s breaking his face. Then he tries again and again, and he takes this chicken and put it inside?
R. Read, you will soon begin to feel it, and out of the feeling will come the pleasure.
S. Yes but he doesn't explain the tremendous pressure here?
R. You will add it, you will see it, it is written in the same words that you have read only you didn't attribute it, only you didn't attribute to the feeling.
S. Yes, that's one more thing, the way he writes, how can you contribute, strengthen your people if you're not in their state and work from there, how can he from the outside write these things?
R. Impossible, gradually comes to a person after many many years, yes, this is how the light works in the will to receive until it makes of it a Kli.
S. But all these strikings are felt on it, it doesn't receive again, one more,. I don't know that is my impression of it.
R. You are impressed correctly, the fact that you don't want it to be like this is also correct.
S. Because you need to love, so what?
R. No, you cannot love, you, all the time, less and less, want to feel love and reach love; only later it happens, this is why it is called ‘striking by coupling’.