The transcript has been transcribed and edited from English simultaneous interpretation, thus there may be potential semantic inaccuracies within it.

Daily Lesson (Afternoon) May 8, 2024

Part 1 Rabash. Record 100. “Faith and Reason.”

Moderator: Hello, we're reading from the articles of Rabash, article 100, Faith and Reason. These materials can be found online on Sviva Tovah and the Arvut systems. Rabash 100, Faith and Reason. Rav, please. 

M. Laitman: This is a very important thing. Just faith and reason as well. We have to understand what faith is and what reason is. Faith above reason, and what happens to the reason, to the knowledge when we come to faith. Let’s see, it’s a short article.

Reading Article: (01:00) “Faith and Reason.”

He asked, “Why must we draw Hochma [wisdom], which is knowledge, if all of our work is in faith above reason?” He answered, “If the righteous of the generation were not in the state of knowing, the whole of Israel would not be able to work in the manner of faith above reason.” Specifically when the righteous of the generation extends illumination of Hochma, his Daat [reason/knowledge] illuminates in the whole of Israel.

This is like a person. If his brain understands and knows what it wants, the organs work and do not need any brains. Rather, the hand and the leg and the rest of the organs work and do what they must.

No sensible person would consider asking or saying that if the hand and the leg had brains, their work would be better. Rather, the brain does not change the organs, for the organs are evaluated according to the greatness of the brain. This means that if the brain is a great mind, all the organs are named after it and are considered great organs.

It is likewise here: If the public adheres to a true righteous, who has already been rewarded with knowledge, the public can act in faith and will have complete satisfaction, and they do not need any knowledge. 

M. Laitman: (03:43) These are truly new things. Please read again. 

Re-Reading Article: (03:57) “Faith and reason.” 

He asked, “Why must we draw Hochma [wisdom], which is knowledge, if all of our work is in faith above reason?” 

Question (Petah Tikvah Center): (04:22) What is the question? If you can explain it.

M. Laitman: (04:30) That we study in the Torah different laws, different things, how the worlds are constructed, our world, how they work. But we have to achieve something called faith above reason from all this, so walk with closed eyes, close our eyes, and walk in this way, observing all of Torah and Mitzvot. This is called to walk in faith above reason.

M. Laitman reads: (05:16) He writes, “If the righteous of the generation were not in the state of knowing, the whole of Israel would not be able to work in the manner of faith above reason.” 

M. Laitman commentary: (05:33) So, if Rosh, if the first, who is there, Rav or whoever is there, who is the head of the society, he needs to be in Daat, in reason or knowledge, and then everyone else will have to perform work in faith above reason. So, have faith in what he says, that for him it's knowledge. And I don't have to know, it's enough for me to be in faith towards Him.

M. Laitman reads: (06:12) He continues, “This is like a person, if his brain understands and knows what it wants, the organs work and do not need any brains. Rather the hand and the leg and the rest of the organs work and do what they must.”

M. Laitman commentary: (06:33) This means it's enough for us that our mind, our head accepts the instructions, what to do, everything else doesn't, nothing else matters, and then we can act. 

 “No sensible person would consider asking or saying that if the hand and the leg had brains, the rest of the organs work and do what they must. The importance of the organs are evaluated according to the greatness of the brain. This means that if the brain is a great mind, all the organs are named after it and are considered great organs. It is likewise here: If the public adheres to a true righteous, who has already been rewarded with knowledge. The public can act in faith and will have complete satisfaction and they don’t need any knowledge.

If faith is enough for them, that they have a head, a Rosh, and he attains what he has to attain within reason, and they have to have faith in him and walk, follow him in faith above reason, when it does not matter what seems to them in him, but they follow what he says, and thanks to this they receive the force of faith above reason, and only the Rosh, the head, has faith within reason and they have faith above reason. 

Question (Turkiye 2): (09:19) How can we activate faith above reason? 

M. Laitman: We have to hear what the great one says. You have to listen to what the big important person tells you and act as if you understand what he says, and then gradually, gradually you will receive knowledge and you will have faith. Your faith will be above reason.

Student: In faith above reason, where is the point of Rav? Where is his help?

M. Laitman:  Here this doesn't say about the Rav, this talks about the student, the way he treats what the Rav tells him, and his Rav is in reason. A student has to do everything the Rav says in faith above reason, only through the force of reason. When he hears from his Rav, his teacher, he needs to act in a way as if he understands, as if it truly is this way, and observe the action.

Student: In each and every generation, there is just one righteous. Is that correct?

M. Laitman: No, no.

Student: But there are a few?  

M. Laitman: There are a few, of course.

Question (Women Turkiye 8): (12:16) Does the Creator send a righteous person in each and every generation? How can this be understood? 

M. Laitman: Yes, if there is a group, and if above it there is someone they chose, someone they follow, then this man brings down the reason, and makes sure they walk in faith above reason until there are those that are also rewarded with knowledge, reason. 

Question (Women Moscow 6): (12:56) If we as a Ten, when we're working, we come out of this black hole of the ego. When we clearly follow you, periodically we get this light of wisdom. Will you have this light in permanency? How can the Ten reach that state incessantly? 

M. Laitman: The Ten needs to walk after and follow the Rav's instructions, as if they know and understand that it has to do things this way, and they support each other, and they walk after their leader, and after some time they start to understand what they lack, in order to get knowledge inside of faith, so that the faith would bring them knowledge. 

Question (Women MAK 8): (14:37) What is that fulfillment from the upper one that grows into faith and bestows on us? 

M. Laitman: When we open up to the Creator, and we want to receive anything He gives, in this case, we begin to feel that we receive from Him some influences. And in such a way we get faith and reason, and then we have faith within reason, and then above reason. 

Student: The upper one hides himself so the lower one can value Him. What do we need to do in this process in order to grow the value of the upper one, to get new vessels? 

M. Laitman: To grow the greatness of the upper one, at least you have to tune yourselves to see in such a way that what the higher one says is holy, and I want to follow this.

Question (Women MAK 26): (16:17) How do we not confuse faith above reason with faith below reason? 

M. Laitman: Faith above reason is faith in spite of the reason, and faith below reason is when you just invent some faith, and it doesn't require any work. 

Student: Do we need to know that the righteous is truly righteous? Do we need to see him? 

M. Laitman: No, it's not necessarily so. There isn't necessarily a connection between man and his higher one, his teacher.

Student: How do we find the righteous in the Ten after whom we follow? 

M. Laitman: You have to turn to the teacher who teaches you and perform such actions that will help you stick to him, so that you can follow his words as the truth. 

Question (Women Lithuania 5): (18:06) From the article it's clear that the limbs don't need a brain, they function perfectly. Does it become clear for a person what part of the body they belong to? 

M. Laitman: No, no, there isn't such a thing, what part of the body he is a part of? The body is all ours, and it's all desired to receive on the animal level. 

Student: Every person should really seek that knowledge that the righteous have. Is that correct, or do we just, enough here, nullify, and that's it? 

M. Laitman: No, you shouldn't look for a reason that the righteous one has this knowledge will come to you, to the extent that you annul yourself before the Rav in order to accept his faith.

Question (Women MAK 70): (20:00) You already partially answered Lithuania's question. To unite the points in the heart in order to make this unity, in order to build a Kli, we need the higher intellect. When we cancel ourselves towards the teacher, then we seemingly incorporate into his screen. And there is this feeling that it's happening not outside of corporeality, that even corporeal pain is not so important like this construction. The spirituality that we're building, is this a force that's outside of corporeality? 

M. Laitman: This is the force of your connection with the next upper degree, with your Rav, or in general in your next degree.

Question (Women ITA): (21:33) How does faith condition reason? I mean, does faith replace reason or does it cancel it or change it in some way? 

M. Laitman: Faith doesn't have anything to do with knowledge, but a man, inside a man these two qualities can interact in such a way that faith can be above reason. And then a person that constantly wants to put faith above reason, rises on the degrees. 

Student: So, it's not true that we receive a new reason? 

M. Laitman: No, we don't. We only have to walk in faith above reason. The reason will change constantly, but we shouldn't worry about this. You should worry only about increasing your faith. 

Question (Kyiv): (23:10.) You said that we open up to the Creator and then we can feel His influence. What does it mean we open up to the Creator? 

M. Laitman: That we are ready to receive any influence from Him that He wants and perform any action that He wants and advance in this way. 

Student: What should we ask then from the Creator if I'm ready to accept anything from Him? 

M. Laitman: Accept what seems to you that you're receiving from Him. Agree with this and together with this rise.

Question (Women Heb 2): (24:09) The moment what manages our body is reception. When the body thinks it's correct, it's true, it's good, it's reception. Is entering faith like replacing reception with bestowal? That what will manage the body is a higher form of bestowal? And then it's possible that the body will be activated by it?

M. Laitman: Yes. So, that the body acts thanks to the reason, the knowledge that we received as above reason.

Student: And bestowal is more important than reception? And reception will enter underneath reason? 

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Question (Hadera 1): (25:14) According to the article, a person wants to draw the light of Hochma through his Rav? His Rav is found within the light of Hochma, is that correct?

M. Laitman: Through what?

Student: Through the righteous. 

M. Laitman: Okay, well?

Student: If I understood correctly, that's how it's written in the article. If that's correct, then going above reason is still within the desire to receive. 

M. Laitman: No, man has to walk in faith above reason. This means with all his knowledge, say that it's not worth anything, I only walk in the force of faith above reason. I don't check anything in my knowledge, I only walk in the force of faith. 

Student: It's not a matter of drawing the light of Hochma. It's not what it says here. To draw the light of Hochma? 

M. Laitman: No, we can't do this. It's forbidden for us. This is not straight away. 

Student: What is the degree of man’s soul shall teach him? What are you talking about and when will it happen? 

M. Laitman: Man’s soul teaches him when he comes to the degree, when his soul attains the upper light and then the upper light teaches man. 

Student: And faith in his Rav remains after that? 

M. Laitman: Faith in the teacher, we should have. 

Question (Women Kyiv 7): (27:21) You said we need to do actions to adhere to you. What more such actions should we do in the Ten, we pray, and we're in lessons? 

M. Laitman: If you connect between you, I repeat, if you connect between you and you want to in this general unity acquire forces that help you walk in faith above reason, in spite of your decisions. So, if you walk in spite of your understanding, then you can rise to the level of above reason and then walk forward. 

Question (Latin 12): (28:40) I'm going to change the question and I'm going to do it on a personal level. The lesson gives me a lot of trepidation. I see that I need to overcome all the disturbances. So, how do we overcome that state of knowledge that we need to overcome? 

M. Laitman: I don't want knowledge. Even a little bit of knowledge can throw me out of the state I'm in. The main thing for me is to come to the force of bestowal, the force of faith, the faith above reason, and this is what I need. 

Question (Women MAK 56): (29:54) I have a question for a friend. If I have the knowledge that the Creator is the good that does good, what does it mean to rise in that faith above reason? 

M. Laitman: I believe that the Creator is good that does good in all situations in life, in everything we see, even the most horrible states. Anyway, I think in them when I go through them, such states, all in all, I think that truly the Creator loves me and treats me with love, even though on my meat, on my flesh, my body I don't feel it.

Question (Azerbaijan): (31:34) When a difficult state comes and you don't have any strength to turn to the Creator, and you think Rav went through this somehow. He is speaking to us that we have to do this exactly this way, to connect to such states blindly without thinking about anything apart from what my teacher went through. Is this below reason or above reason? Should I do this or not? 

M. Laitman: It's above reason. No matter what, just continue that way. 

Question (Women Ukraine 2): (32:16) A question from a friend. Can we give each other an example of self-annulment before the Rav or is this purely inner work, individual work? 

M. Laitman: This is individual, internal work. 

Student: And if our Rav is the AHP of the Upper One that connects us to the source, does this mean that all our prayers go through the heart of the Rav? 

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Question (Women Turkiye 8): (33:04) Can we perform an exercise in unity outside of the lesson to strengthen our connection with you? 

M. Laitman: Of course, yes. Do it between yourselves. 

Question (Women MAK 25): (33:21) How can we overcome the distance between the calculation of the mind that the Creator is good and our true feeling in the heart? 

M. Laitman: It’ll come to you.  In the meantime, make calculations above the heart. 

Question (Women Haifa 1): (33:51) What I heard now to adhere to the Rav and be with him together above reason, this is still felt within reason. Where is above reason? Where is bestowal? This is connected to bestowal in some way? What's the connection with the force of bestowal? 

M. Laitman: That you want to go on bestowal above reason. 

Student: I believe the faith in Rav is seemingly within reason. 

M. Laitman: No, above reason. You must accept it as above reason. 

Student: There is such a point? How do I check that it's above reason and not within reason? 

M. Laitman: Out of you rising to that state, out of your conflict, you don't want to believe the Rav with closed eyes. 

Student: We need resistance? 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Question (MAK 4): (35:14) If I'm not mistaken, I heard from the Rav that the faith is within Rav, within reason. What's the difference between our knowledge above reason and Rav's reason within faith within reason? 

M. Laitman: By connecting to Rav, you connect to this knowledge and faith which exists in him, but you connect to it in faith above reason, like a little one that connects to the big one. 

Student: Yes, but you are our teacher. There is also Rabash, Baal HaSulam, the Creator. In this case, do we mean our teacher?

M. Laitman: You connect, let's say, to me. You take into account that I am connected to Rabash and Baal HaSulam and to the Creator.

Question (Women Moscow 6): (36:26) Faith is a goal or a means? 

M. Laitman: Faith is a means, a means for attainment. I'm feeling the Creator. 

Question (Women MAK 51): (36:47) I wanted to ask with regards to the Rav. Is this some force that's revealed inside and that leads you? Or we don't know how to connect this? 

M. Laitman: Specifically, how you said it. If you rise to Rav, then you feel in yourself his influence.

Student: And the contact with him can be as now I'm speaking with you, or do we have to understand something else? 

M. Laitman: In time, we'll come to understand. We can’t just run ahead.

Question (Women Turkiye 7): (37:59) With regards to this point of faith in the Rav, what do I do with the feeling I get when I think I understand you? 

M. Laitman: You need to cut off this doubt and throw it away. If I would not be your teacher, then you need to find someone else. I'm not against it. But a person cannot advance without a teacher. A teacher is a guide. Therefore, there must be someone who will be your teacher. 

Question (Women MAK): (38:55) Not seeing with your eyes, not believing our thoughts and understanding, but feeling everything through the friends. Is this faith above reason? 

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Student: And if we manage to do this, what happens to us? 

M. Laitman: What happens to you is that you form such a Kli with which you'll be able to rise higher to the Creator. 

Student: Is there a possibility that we can be mistaken, or should we not have a doubt? 

M. Laitman: No, no, no. But you need to do it just like how you said it. 

Student: Once in the lesson I heard this phrase where we have to place Rav inside of ourselves. I'm still trying to understand this. Can you explain this? 

M. Laitman: Yes, such an action is also necessary, but it gradually forms in you. 

Question (Women Rus 10): (40:16) What does the force of faith depend on? On the force of unity between us, or our yearning to please the Creator with our unity? 

M. Laitman: From your aspiration to unity, and out of that aspiration to yearn to the Creator.

Question (Women MAK 69): (40:43) You said to a friend in the world Kli, you have to make efforts. If you have some doubts or disagreement, you have to walk in faith about reason. But if I believe the teacher, I don't have rejection, does this mean I haven't achieved this? Will this happen to everyone? 

M. Laitman: No, no, no, not necessarily so. You simply always need to feel that you have a connection with the friends, and out of that connection with the friends, you are holding on to the connection with the Creator. 

Question (Women MAK 97): (41:39) In the article it says that the righteous gets from Israel, and Israel gets from the righteous of the generation. How do they receive knowledge in Hochma? 

M. Laitman: It's not our matter. A person reaches such a connection with the Creator when he receives directly from the Creator. He receives directly from the Creator, and then this person connects with everyone.

Question (Women ITA): (42:26): Is everything useful for faith, which is a vision only of good? So, reason becomes more benevolent? 

M. Laitman: No, we don't need to use that, but just in faith above reason, we rise from our degree to a higher degree. Afterwards, we'll clarify these things. 

Question (Women German): (43:19) How to receive the light of Hochma correctly in our work? 

M. Laitman: The light of Hochma? We need to receive it only as the light that corrects us and makes our vessels be in order to bestow. And I, that is expecting the light of Hochma, in order to correct my vessels, by that I need to be updated, correct. I don't want to receive it in order to receive, God forbid, that I want to enjoy from it. But I want only that it will influence me, and it will invert my desire to receive, in order to bestow. With the light of Hochma, we work only when we reach a certain level. 

Question (Women Turkiye 2): (44:50) Do distortions help us to go on faith above reason? 

M. Laitman: Of course, yes. Specifically, the disturbances, we need to understand them, to feel them, and see how we correct them because through them we rise on the ladder of the degrees. 

Question (Women MAK 86): (45:42) If the Rav comes in a dream and gives me some instructions, can this be a connection to the Source? 

M. Laitman: No, no, no. It doesn't matter what it is, but it's not the correct connection with the Rav. 

Question (Azerbaijan): (46:10) I'm looking at what you say, everything you say works. The friends pump me with faith above reason. We have around ten days until the Congress. I have a huge fear of losing the opportunity to not come in a state that the teacher expects us to come in. What kind of point would you recommend to fix with the Creator, to come as one soul, as it is said in the articles so that we all gather this together and pass this on? 

M. Laitman: To connect between you to aspire to the Creator. And when you are between you and the group, turn to the Creator, that you want to be in contact with Him. 

Student: What should I demand from myself? 

M. Laitman: From yourself and all the friends, you need to demand just one thing, that we will all connect with the group in the center of our circle. And then, out of the center of the circle, we will look at the Creator. And that's it. 

Question (Women MAK 26): (47:40) A friend is asking how to learn to turn off the first egotistical reaction of the heart. 

M. Laitman: That's only through prayer, through any words, a request to the Creator for Him to correct me, my heart.

Question (MAK 4): (48:09) Do we receive from the Rav knowledge or the force of faith? 

M. Laitman: The force. 

Question (Turkiye 2): (48:38) When we work on unity, we receive some kind of a sensation that a friend is righteous. Should we see it in this way? 

M. Laitman: No. You need to feel that you are all together. 

Question (Women Lithuania 5): (49:01) How to work correctly with the opposition to Rav and all the teachings? How to use these forces correctly? 

M. Laitman: This will pass. This will pass. 

Student: Can we use them to advance or to transform them? 

M. Laitman: Yes. Through them. That's it. 

Question (Women MAK): (49:48) When a person comes to Kabbalah, my mind couldn't explain to me, but the inner connected me to this study. To follow faith is to follow this inner feeling or add something?

M. Laitman: We will read about it in these articles that we are going through in these lessons and then you won't have any questions. 

Question (Women Turkiye 7): (50:31) I thank the Creator that you are our teacher. My question is because I doubt myself, that I'm a good student. How do I deal with this? 

M. Laitman: To improve. To be more connected with the friends. To connect them together, and then to connect to me. I am waiting for that. 

Question (Novosibirsk): (51:20) We get advice for the whole Ten that the whole Ten needs to do. We don't have the desire to do it or the ability, but we don't clarify what everyone did individually. So, in the Ten, each one has his opinion, and we clarify between us how to realize the Rav's words. 

M. Laitman: It's not necessarily so that everyone has different opinions or maybe these opinions connect to one another. They are similar to one another in some form. It doesn't matter. The main thing is that you learn to work together. 

Question (Moscow 1): (52:09) We have Yeshivot Havarim on Saturday and then on Sunday, and then after Saturday it's hard to realize maybe it's not the best, the most suitable day.

M. Laitman: As a rule, such gatherings are done at the end of the week and not at the beginning. Rabash recommended doing it on Thursday evening.

Question (Women German): (53:07) I feel a friend in the Ten is Rav. I feel that this develops me spiritually, but I can't pass this on to the friends. It's as if I'm using them egotistically. What to do with this? 

M. Laitman: So, bow to them, to help all of them, to feel yourself as small and that you are in need of their support. And that's how we'll pass. 

Question (Women ITA): (53:56) We are here in Kabbalah because we feel truth and strength. Are these attributes of faith?

M. Laitman: Kabbalah develops faith and also faith above reason. It doesn't diminish anything. 

Question (Women Spain): (54:36) We have this next degree in a few days which will be our congress. We will have a mirror congress here in Madrid and all over the world. How in this common action can we prepare as a world Kli together to adhere to the Rav and do this jump together to faith above reason? How can we prepare with the whole world Kli to make this jump in faith above reason? 

M. Laitman: Prepare yourselves like you already know how to do and be like that as much as possible to be together more and more and more, and I will try to fill you up. Good luck, everyone. 

Question (Woman MAK 30): (55:56) Faith above knowledge is the feeling of rising and light that comes after each lesson. Is this the force of ascent and elevation that comes after each lesson? But after the lesson, we can have three or four people from the group and everyone else is working. They can't make it. Should we clarify this? Should each friend feel this? Should we clarify this with all the friends or we just pray through the Ten that this comes so we can pass this on to each one? 

M. Laitman: We nonetheless need to go through these materials together.

Question (PT 6): (57:08) Can a person stop hoping for something that will pull him out and the true work is with the friends? 

M. Laitman: Without Rav, just with the friends? No. There needs to be someone who will constantly be in a direct connection with the upper force and then he would be capable through his Rav to receive a connection with the Creator and also, to pass it to the friends. That's it.

I am very happy that you understood the article. Read it again. It's called “Faith and Reason.” And until tomorrow, I wish you all the best. 

Announcements: (58:09)

Song: (59:18)