Morning Lesson July 20, 2021 Transcription
1. Rav’s Introduction: We've already learned and discussed many times that the path includes two lines, left and right as it says, ‘the left rejects and the right adducts’. Meaning the left stabilizes our deficiencies, our weaknesses, our lack in approaching spirituality and weakness because we can’t attain it on our own. Therefore, one time the left awakens us that we crave spirituality, and another time the left shows us that we can't attain what we want. The ‘right brings closer’ means that between the left that rejects and the left that weakens, the right awakens in us a sense of being closer. We advance between these two opposite emotions. ‘As the light excels from darkness’, we always have a sense of getting further away and then we discover that it is not getting further away it is actually an expansion of our Kli, our vessel. The bigger and the wider it becomes, as if it is inflated, now we can attain more proximity, closeness, feeling, and understanding so one cannot be without the other. ‘One who is greater than his friend’. Why is he greater? Because his inclination is greater as well.
One does not become a righteous unless he went through all of the obstacles, as it says “there is no righteous in the land who did good without committing a sin”. One has to go through all of the sins, and then thanks to them he actually comes to the states where he justifies the Creator and becomes similar to Him. The whole work is with great patience and support among all of us. That's how we attain. It doesn't depend on the amount of knowledge, it depends on patience on the path that the Creator will finish for me. The support in the group has to bring me to the same kind of relationship with the Creator. To the extent I cling to the group I cling to the Creator, and by that through the group, I receive all of the spiritual discernments from the Creator. It’s written about it in many places, maybe we'll touch on it today as well. This has to be an exercise for us that never stops. Always when we talk about spiritual attainment we talk about attaining the connection between us in the group first. In the connection in the group we achieve connection with the upper force. Thus, we advance.
2. S. (04:37) What does it mean that the Creator will complete things for me?
R. Every time I come to some ending of a stage in the work it's because the Creator arranged it for me to begin with. And I went through several stages to develop the right attitude in overcoming to adhere to Him. The conclusion is that the Creator takes me through all of these states. I have to subdue myself like Rabbi Akiva in the raging ocean, when he had to bow his head until all the raging waves blew over him. Now that's our work. It’s not that we are passive, that we cannot do anything and the Creator is just wanting to show us how lowly and little we are. No, it’s because specifically in this way we can acquire a force of bestowal over the will to receive, the spiritual force. So each time we restrict our force of reception we accept the giving force, the upper force, upon us and we begin to be comprised of two forces.
S. How do you restrict yourself in the right way with the friends and not remain passive in the work?
R. Towards the 10. There is nothing else to do that is what is given to us that we can practically do. Only towards the 10, to the extent that I subdue myself. It doesn't need to be physical things that are seen in the external eye. It can be very deep internal work but it has to be with all of your strength. When a person submits himself to the group, meaning he is willing to do everything for the friends to reach adhesion with the Creator and he will be the cause of that with all of his possibilities. If you think about how to help my friends reach adhesion with the Creator, from morning to evening in all kinds of means I can, then you truly make a spiritual action that for now is complete. Later on more actions will be added to that with respect to the Creator that you will all be doing, you all feel that you advance towards Him in such a way that His presence connects us to a single body, and how we can all work towards Him. Then we'll begin to discover how He appears and becomes revealed to us in practice, and so on.
S. You said that I need to restrict myself and now you're saying that I need to think with all my powers how to help the friends. Do I need to restrict all of the rest of the things in my life?
R. No, you have to live in this world with everything. You have to have food, sex, family, money, power. Knowledge. You have to somehow have all of that. You don't need to go to some monastery and live there in detachment from reality. No. Rabash forbade anyone to leave their work or run away from their families, or anything. Just stay with what you have and bare with that. It only helps you advance towards the goal. ‘Anything but leave anything but leave’ means that when you are in the workplace or in the family, it obligates you to disconnect from spirituality. You hear something like it is either me or spirituality. If you can't put these things together, then you have to disconnect. Not that you have a chance to be together with the family and with the group, and with your work and with the group, and then it can't be that you detach the connection, even if you suffer.
3. S. (10:33) On what does this depend on for this connection to take place naturally?
R. What, the connection between us? The connection happens only by the influence from above there is no way that it will happen in some other way.
S. What can prevent this connection from taking place?
R. The Creator. The king who brings to life and puts to death and from both of these cases He brings forth salvation. The Creator is the reason for everything.
Excerpt 5 (11:52) Twice
4. S. (15:27) What does it mean to fill the lack?
R. He doesn't receive what he is expecting, either he then moves forward or towards the darkness. What else can you do?
5. S. (16:17) Does a Kabbalist have any preferences in advancement or is right and left equal for him?
R. He is more concerned about the left, deficiencies, desires, that he does not understand, that he feels that he is incapable because these things reveal the points of foothold in the Creator. These are the points that if he presents them to the Creator, the Creator corrects them and fulfills them. So the deficiencies, the darkness, is more important than the fulfillment, than the light in terms of attaining that goal and advancing towards the goal. There is no bad, nothing evil. The darkness that caused his progress is no less in its importance than the light. That's what we learned from what they write to us and that's what we ultimately need to start feeling and preferring. In our advancement in the work we need to begin respecting the darkness that the Creator created, which is necessary for the attainment of the spiritual goal. Only by that we discover the light. The light excels from darkness.
S. Is a complete 10 when they are all in the same state?
R. No, the 10 is revealing the goal. They are all drawn to the goal from their individual point. Each one adds more deficiency or more revelation and so on, but all in all, the totality of the friends as 10 Sefirot is coming to a new unique state where ultimately there is an appearance of the Creator to the creative being and that's how we bring Him contentment. That is their goal.
6. S. (19:06) Is it better for my 10 that I'll have a deficiency for them, or that I’ll attain the light and pass it on to them?
R. That you'll be in connection with them in whatever state you are in. We are not talking about each and every one's personal state, but about the connection and mutual completion between us. That can happen in each and every state, in all the states. We get them only from above and on top of all of these states we have to try to make connection between us. It doesn't matter in what state I am in. It is possible that specifically in the negative state I compliment the friends and by that we come to the revelation of the Creator between us.
S. What do I need to measure each moment?
R. I need to measure how in every state I am in I want to be bonded with them, to cling to them. It's not necessarily a state of revelation, it could be the opposite. Man's advancement towards the goal is measured in how he appreciates the states of darkness as light, that he feels that both of these states are needed.
7. S. (20:57) Sometimes it appears to a person that the Creator gives him an illumination from above and he needs to work for it. Is this a correct assumption or is it already the work for the next Reshimot?
R. No, there is no work with the next record, we always feel the presence state. The next to record if you want to already start working with it is that you need to come out of yourself and your 10 even and begin to take care of the external vessel. By that you can awaken the next state. That's it only by taking care of the AHP for instance humanity through dissemination and by that you can begin to feel what else you are lacking in your connection to the Creator in order to take care of them, take care of humanity and then you truly enter a complete vessel. Where there is the creator you are as the Galgata vEnayim they are the AHP and you turn to the Creator to truly correct Humanity. So you truly achieved the real spiritual work that you do that ultimately all you care about is the Creator and that humanity you have no interest in yourself.
8. S. (22:53) We talked earlier about subjugation towards states that we receive in the 10. Are there states in which we don't need to receive them in a state of subduing?
R. I don't know of course there are but what does it matter? We don't learn from states that we are not in, what's the benefit of that.
S. As an example, a friend that you hear and you think that it's just nonsense or it's taking you off the goal and you have to take those things also in subjugation?
R. Read the articles of Rabash. I have nothing to say. These are elementary things that if something important happens to the friend I need to not accept that, how else will I connect with him. How do we achieve a vessel?
9. S. (24:25) What does it mean to be in adhesion with the friends without any relation to the state that we are having in life?
R. That we have seen, you know in different movies or incidents in life, where people who get married, they say, we're going to be together for our whole life and until death will separate us. So we see that you know, people are making this promise to each other that they are going to go through all the obstacles together in life. So let's say that with its weak example we can learn what we need to do in the group that we are going to overcome all the obstacles that the Creator is going to put before us and all of them will only be until for us to find the right connection between us, the final complete connection between us. In it, we begin to discover the Creator, the spiritual world that will appear in all of the positive and negative connections between us all the way until the final correction.
10. S. (25:57) What is actually the help that comes from above? What is one who comes to purify is aided?
R. Anything that is against my will to receive and the force that helps me overcome separation that is called help from above.
Excerpt 6 (26:30) Twice
11. S. (30:30) Why can we justify the Creator only through the connection between us?
R. Because otherwise we don't even feel him. We can feel him that He exists a little bit, that He appears somewhat, but it is such an appearance, and such an influence, that doesn't go into our vessels. Our vessels are in connection with the friends. When we connect and in that connection between us we can tailor together, we can connect together the plus and the minus between us from each and every one, and then we have a vessel that contains both positive and negative forces, and then when we do that with the upper light that influences us. Then it turns out that the upper light arranges are pluses and minuses, our relationships in such a way, that with these pluses and minuses that get organized between us we begin to discover the code, the language that the Creator, who speaks to us because we cannot discover Him directly, and hear Him and see Him directly, we have no vessels for that. But when we try to connect between us, each one with the others by that we basically build the infrastructure. On that infrastructure we can begin to discover his influence. That's where we discover Him. If we don't connect between us we have no way to discover the Creator. Simply on top of the connection between us He begins to arrange our connection to each one's pluses and minuses with the others and thereby we can read his writing and that's how we can begin to discover him. Even our nature, our technology and everything in our world, it is also just built from pluses and minuses. That's how we need to feel and understand, communication between us. It is all through arranging and organizing our pluses and minuses, our forces that reject and forces of connection, and that's how we read the situation, that's how we feel that anything is happening.
S. So when we are disconnected we are less and when we are connecting we receive the positive force, is that right?
R. Positive, negative, it doesn't matter. We discover these forces and the Creator works within us with both of these forces. As it is written a king who brings to life and puts to death and brings forth salvation brings the plus and the minus and leads us to the final salvation.
12. S. (34:29) It's a state that all I have done is a lie but actually it turns out that it is advancement but it's an advancement that hurts because in that state, I am not from time to time, I am always in that state but it turns out that my advancement is from pain. How can I even advance from this and even rejoice from it and give impressions to my friends from that?
R. Very good, I'm happy that that's what you are saying that you advance through pain and you will advance more and more until you begin to appreciate your development in such a way that you will feel no pain, you will feel it is pleasure. Even though you'll be advancing against your ego, you'll be feeling that you are happy about it. In the meantime you feel pain because you need to overcome your ego, your will to receive, your pleasures. This is what is pushing you away so you have to strengthen in the group here and through envy, lust, and honor increase the passion to advance, and then you'll have no pain in progress, on the contrary.
13. S. (36:34) How can you be relying on the Creator in all states?
R. By the friends only when you grab hold of them and then connect to the Creator, and then you have no problem. In every place, shape and form, whatever state you're in, if you contact the friends, through them, you can contact the Creator and then you have no problem no fear no helplessness you attained everything.
14. S. (37:14) The excerpt we just read sounds pretty clear. What do I do with the friend that says that he doesn't hear, he is a huge friend. Yesterday evening in the workshop, he said I don't listen to the excerpts, I don't understand what we're talking about. Other than the fact that he comes, he was despaired and he doesn't hear all of a sudden. Such a huge friend and he doesn't hear, he doesn't know what we're talking about. How do you help him when he doesn't hear what was just read?
R. In our desire to help him we help him, nothing more than that. He will come and sit among us even if he is completely disconnected even if he doesn't know the language. Or let's say, he is deaf it doesn't matter if he is between us then all in all with our desire we will break through the barrier, the wall, towards him and we will penetrate his mind and connect with him and build a new state with him.
S. Not to tell him anything?
R. No, you can maybe discuss among you and he will here maybe but typically it's not really effective if he's really in a true big descent words will not help only studying together being together listening together singing together this way but not to let go keep him always among you.
15. S. (40:21) How to work between us, to remain connected as we find ourselves lacking forces in a state between Heaven and Earth?
R. The state where we are between Heaven and on Earth and we are powerless is the best state, the best possible state for spiritual progress because then we understand that we don't want to be on the earth and we can't reach the heavens, and that leaves us with just one hope to cry to the Creator that He will take care of us, so start crying.
16. S. (41:11) I hear this a lot, the connection between us, the connection to the Creator, it's hard to hold on to something that you hear about, the connection between us. What's the connection between us, is it like me, you and something else between us that I need to relate to separately or is it me and you and the connection between us and all that you have to do is just jump into the connection and what do you hold on to what do we grip to?
R. I search for how can I be in contact with the Creator and I discover that being in contact with the Creator is possible only inside the 10. There has to be this deficiency and there has to be a vessel that enables contacting the Creator, holding onto the Creator and receiving something from the Creator. This vessel has to be comprised of several people, it doesn't have to be 10, even 2, 3, 4, 5 could be enough, doesn't matter. But it has to be that the deficiency stems from this connection to each other. It is impossible that I connect to the Creator and I have no connection with the friends. But specifically to the extent of my connection with the friends I can connect with the Creator and thus be in contact with him and to receive fulfillment from him. This is built gradually. Even if there is no deficiency for that but bit by bit I suddenly discover that I do have some relation towards the friends, some need for them, some sort of contact with them. We can do all kinds of external, artificial activities to extend the connection. But in truth it all comes from studying together and making an action together until we absorb the light that reforms and it builds this connection between us
S. So let's say we feel that all that work between us and all our attempts to connect and then you say we're creating a vessel. How do you feel that it's a vessel? How do you feel we created a vessel? What sensation is there of a vessel?
R. That means that there is a deficiency to connect to the Creator, so as to bestow on Him and bring Him contentment that is the vessel. That we want to bestow to the Creator and then we connect between us in order to bestow contentment to Him, and then with that contentment we want to bestow upon Him, we receive a response from him this is called “me for my beloved and my beloved is for me” and then we achieve a coupling
17. S. (44:50) What is a state of the left in the 10?
R. The left in the 10 is that we know how to work with our desires to receive in order to raise them as well to get closer to the Creator. Let's say that we are in some state where it's not good, it's not bad, it's kind of you know, we are in the states that are useless, pointless. Then we want to awaken deficiency, we need to awaken the left.
S. I'd like to ask it this way in the text that we just read now, it is as if we need to go towards the left, to seek the state in which we rise from below. How can we connect in such a state because in such a state we feel very distant from the 10 and from the vessel?
R. We need to also discuss between us how we are trying to reach a deficiency towards the Creator, how much we want to achieve something but we can't, and this left that we need to increase. The Creator needs to help us with that, that our deficiency will be towards Him, to connect with Him, and from the connection between us we asked to be closer to Him through equivalence. When we are for him and he is for us and we become partners and that's we gradually clarify and cleanse our vessels to the point that we become closer and closer to each other. Here there's left, right, fulfillment, deficiency. It doesn't matter, what is important is above that, that we want to be in connection and so if you're in contact, you can argue with him, you are still connected, you can hug him and you're still connected. So adhesion includes in it all of the discernments in favor and against the adhesion is above these discernment, the concept of unity, the concept of adhesion is what is important here.
18. S. (48:35) Descents connected to difficulties or can it be connected to difficulties in our corporeal life?
R. We still can't tie together all that is happening together, both corporeality and spirituality but of course there's a connection between them because both are designed by one upper force. But according to what upper formula they connect the actions that appear in our spirituality and in the corporeality before us we cannot time them together yet but I think that's when we'll be able to see it better and work on it.
19. S. (50:05) Can a friend who comes permanently twice a week to the lesson participate in the workshops and the Zoom's throughout the day should we accept him as a friend like Rabash describes?
R. I won't answer these questions if he comes twice a week and participates. I don't know what to tell you when I hear these things. Let him participate but what will be the benefit for him I don't know. If he misses so much so many lessons, and you are even asked should he participate does he want to participate, this kind of attitude to the issue is not of course he is better than nothing but it's not the corrected way.
S. How should we relate to him when we're in a workshop, should we accept him like Rabash says? R. Accept him the way he is, what can you do? Accept him but in fact you need to try to influence him as much as possible in a pleasant way so that he will participate properly. It is a big problem that people that the Creator gives them a desire for spiritual progress, that they are still in such states. At least the daily lesson. this lesson. If a person misses it is a big problem, he doesn't receive, the soul does not receive the portion of the light that reforms that it needs in order to advance.
20. S. (52:29) When I hear the excerpts about descents of great Kabbalists, a sensation is created that there is no such thing as revelation of the Creator, there is a constant chase after a goal that is eluding and it is more distant and more distant from all the ascents and descents, in every circle we become more wiser and in the 10 you just have to have the strength to run after that deer that is running away in every state?
R. With everything that you went through in your study and in your changes you are right, this is what's called one judges through his own flaws. You don't see more than you don't see and therefore you say it's probably this way. It is like the worm that lives inside the radish and thinks that the whole world is bitter like the radish. So I have no more to explain. What can you explain to a baby who doesn't understand the world more than his development? Whatever he can obtain, that is his world, expand your vessels of perception and you'll see a wider world add to your perception more qualities, spiritual qualities of bestowal, opposite to our qualities. You'll discover where is the true world, that you are in and where you were before you only saw your will to receive from the inside just like inside the radish and only that. So are you right or not? I can't say because according to your attainment you are right. According to my attainment you are still inside the radish and you have to keep developing.
21. S. (54:43) Many times we say that the Creator is the inclusive one. In our 10, many times in the work on connection we receive a feeling, a lack from one another and an impression and it is very powerful from one another. Each feels that everyone is in this yearning to attain connection and come closer to the Creator but the inclusive result does not take place, meaning there's beginning to be a feeling that we're not managing to execute some additional thing that will include all these feelings together, for us to feel this inclusive state. Should we just continue in these actions, with some point where the feeling of inclusion takes place or is there some other qualitative action that is needed beyond that impression from one another?
R. What is required is not an action that being inspired from one another but an additional action that all of you together ask the Creator that he will connect you, and aim your connection towards him, that being as one heart one man is one heart and this one heart is aimed at the Creator, that's what you need to ask for?
S. Every individual in the 10 is also doing this action but it's really felt that it is each of us and we don't know, it's not clear how to include it all as one request?
R. Ask the Creator to help you do that and monitor it. Follow it to see you as much as how much you can actually connect to one heart. I don't have more to say but if you insist on that you will see that it is happening. It is working.
S. So there needs to be an additional expectation beyond all that we're doing an expectation for a feeling of a common heart meaning we need to yearn for that sensation of one?
R. Yes, exactly.
22. S. (57:16) In this excerpt Rabash is talking about replacing the forces. What does it mean to exchange this strength, from what strength to what strength are we moving?
R. From the egoistic force of each and every one to a common force that is aimed at the Creator from everyone together. We are not those who are doing it, again, all the positive, correct changes in us can happen only by the upper light. That will influence us and correct us.
23. S. (58:07) We are saying, since the beginning of the lesson, that there are no solutions other than turning to the Creator, to turn and cry to the Creator, to demand from the Creator. What is the response of the Creator to all of these appeals?
R. We will see, let's turn to Him in such a way that we will each be achieving a response but it doesn't matter what their response is, we just always have to turn to him.
24. S. (58:42) What are we building in the action of rebuilding a connection with the Creator after the disconnection?
R. After disconnection we need to sit down together and talk about how we have to aim towards him and always raise MAN towards Him and that's what we need to do. Always renew this MAN all the time, non-stop. About this, it says about the students of the ARI that they would arrange between them a Gabai, people who are responsible for raising the prayer throughout the 24 hours.
Excerpt 7 (59:43) Twice
25. S. (01:02:55) What does it mean that he revealed the truth and turned to a true prayer to this?
R. That he will feel his true state and from there from that true state he turns to the Creator to correct him. We do not need to correct this state. The state is as if something external we need to correct ourselves in order to feel the state as new and different. It is all, not with respect to the externality that the externality will change, we have to understand the externality appears in our broken vessels and then we need to ask for the correction of the vessels, that is all.
S. That's not clear, it is the first time I've seen such a thing as a true prayer is something that is concealed here?
R. Of course, I don't ask for the world to change, I ask for myself to change and then I will see the world differently. That is called a true prayer. I pray for the root of the matter, the inner true cause of what is happening and I am not saying let me see a beautiful film instead of the one I'm seeing right now. Rather I say change my quality so that I will see that this film is a great one.
S. It turns out that I am constantly asking for the 10, for the friends, and through that I discover the prayer for myself?
R. That doesn't matter for myself or for the 10. It's always a person who needs to understand that he is praying for his spiritual vessel and the spiritual vessel is the 10 and without the 10 as much as you cry and nothing will change. It will but it will change for the worse to shake you up so that you then search for the true reason for where you are.
26. S. (01:06:00) A friend sits in the lesson and has many thoughts, many disturbances. What am I supposed to correct in this state in my thoughts, what does it mean to correct myself?
R. I would ask to be connected to the group. to cling to them that all my thoughts and desires will be influenced and shaped by the group and I will absorb the desires that exist in the group and that's what I would ask for, so I wouldn't think of what is in me but what I want that will be in me that is in them.
S. This would be like a certain prayer to always adhere to the society would be a prayer in the right direction?
R. Yes.
27. S. (01:07:05) After the article practically what does it mean in 10 a person should say that it is mercy?
R. That the 10 is taken care of by the Creator and the Creator only sees through the quality of mercy, and even though we sometimes see the opposite of mercy, we should say “they have eyes and see not”. Meaning if we correct ourselves we will see there is none else besides him and it is only good that does good.
28. S. (01:08:03) According to the excerpt it's very clear that we're asking for mercy for us, for the friends, for the 10 and that is our attitude towards the situation should be such that we see it as Mercy's whether at the state is appearing seemingly on the outside more difficult or less on the other hand when we pray for the collective all together for the world we are asking for them for everything to go through in mercy, relatively in mercy, what does that mean?
R. What do you want to receive, everything in mercy not because I want to accept everything pleasantly, no. Because I want to accept it in its true form and see it as mercy, it is all mercy. But there is mercy that is concealed and there is mercy that is revealed. So I want to see the revealed mercy. There's many more questions about this later on. In terms of how can I demand it, do I demand a different vessel only? To see the mercy in the right way there are a lot of questions here and we will discuss that later on.
29. S. (01:09:43) The appeal to the Creator I'm trying to understand, I want him to correct my egotistical qualities. The moment I turn to the Creator how can he even hear me, how can I hear him?
R. I don't know I don't ask questions about the Creator, I don't answer these questions. Ask properly if you're asking
S. I'm asking the Creator to correct my desire to connect. How do I even ask him if I am an egoist and I don't want to connect?
R. You need to ask nevertheless by asking and asking from Lo Lishma you come to Lishma.
30. S. (01:10:54) Rabash writes that he should ask for a true prayer. What does it mean to ask for a true prayer, I thought the prayer is with something that I do?
R. You cannot do any correct prayer. You ask the Creator to help you understand what is important and then ask and then you can advance towards that.