Afternoon Lesson March 23, 2023
Transcription is made from simultaneous translation, which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio.
Lesson on the topic of "The Conditions for Studying with Friends" – selected Excerpts from the Sources.
1. Rav's Intro: (00:19) Yes, this topic is truly the most important because through our study, we need to come to love thy friend as thyself from which we rise to the next degree, the final degree which is' Love thy Lord thy God''. The main thing is to rise to this degree of love thy friend as thyself. Because there's not that much work that is additional that we need to rise to the love of the Creator. Rather, the main thing is to reach the love of friends, the love of the created beings, so please read.
Reading excerpt #4 (00:56) "Since in the…"
2. R. (01:33) This means that the main thing in their study in such a way was the attainment of connection for it to completely be freed of any filth, any Klipot, any shells, anything that would bother them from connecting all together, as one man and one heart. Therefore, when they come to such a unity of 'love thy friend as thyself', they would attain these conditions to advance from there to the love of the Creator. This is called until the instruction came forth. It is this that we have to come to also in our work in the group. In which altogether, we need to attain our connection so that we will have no differences between the friends and where we will come to Dvekut, to connection, to such a feeling that we are truly as one man in one heart. We understand one another and feel one another. As if we belong, it's like parts in one man.
3. S. (03:14) What Klipot shells do we have to remove between us to reach such a pure connection?
R. Our entire will to receive needs to bother us along the way because that's what it's meant for, the will to receive. When we connect, when we want to connect, and for us to connect correctly. Our ego awakens and bothers us, with us, in order to guide us to the complete, whole connection. Therefore, we need to sit in a circle both externally and internally and to help one another. And to argue with one another, only in order to aim ourselves towards one connection to the center of the ten. This is how we gradually attain these conditions in which each will be connected as one man in one heart. And from that point, we are drawn to connecting with the Creator. But without the proceeding of connection between us as one man and one heart. We can aim ourselves to the Creator as well.
4. S. (04:45) To argue in a way that will lead to connection. What's the line that differentiates between an argument which is ego, and an argument that will truly give birth to more connection. How do you keep the purity here?
R. This depends on our intention and how we give each other an example to be pure from any other intentions other than connection.
5. S. (05:23) Can you explain to me what does 'a heart cannot serve the true Kings' actually mean? Does it mean I cannot both love myself and my friends? Or does it mean I cannot both search for money, woman, faith, and serve the Creator?
R. Of course I cannot. I need to choose for myself one goal. The Creator, and to adhere to Him, come close to Him, and pray to Him. And only he should be before me.
And only in such a way I come closer to Him and reach Dvekut with him. And if I have some other goal, I cannot attain anything. The goal needs to be one and I need to be aimed towards it constantly, truly, non-stop incessantly
6. S. (06:41) When a friend is in the degree of anything but leave, they can become very indifferent. How can we open our hearts before this person?
R. You need to feel him and to feel in what way you can come closer to him. With what you can turn him towards you and in what way you can turn yourself towards him. So that all together, with the help of each towards the others, you can be aimed towards the Creator. Each will see in the connection with the friend one goal, the Creator. Such that without connecting between you, you don't attain the goal. And then it will succeed.
S. How can we take the friend out of the indifference?
R. Through your example, as you are showing him the example of how aimed you are, how connected you are, how concerned you are with reaching adhesion with the Creator. And you turn to him and ask him to be a partner in this. For you to connect and have the strength to attain adhesion with the Creator. Since no one can attain this alone, that's why we have a ten. If we all connect to the same goal, as much as each can do so, then for sure eventually, we will discover and attain the Creator between us.
7. S. (08:50) What does it mean that we are as one bundle, and one Sanhedrin?
R. We sit and go in meaning in a semi circle, in a circle, in an equal manner. And we all connect and we all help one another. We yearn to feel ourselves sitting together in a way that it's impossible for anyone to distance from the circle. Or to somehow run away with his thoughts to some other place, out of this circular thought. This is how we try to be in love of created beings to the love of the Creator.
S. How from that state do we find ourselves in a state in which we don't suspect one another? Meaning how are you pure in the connection?
R. I need to get to a state where I'm certain and confident that my friends want to reach the goal with all their heart. And I give myself to our connection, and this is how we come to the goal.
S. But there's always this layer, where you have these doubts and resistance, and critique. How do you?
R. We need to pray for them and to overcome all the doubts, and to ask the Creator for help, since we are all wanting to be adhered to Him. Even that, which doesn't seem to me and I suspect the friends that it's just the Klipa that's eating me. And I want to rise above it. And to reach Dvekut with everyone.
S. When we approach this strength, how do we build ourselves in these two layers, a layer of, let's say, resistance, and above that, a layer in which we're in mutual agreement?
R. That's how we need us all together, we need to come to being as one man in one heart on one hand. On the other hand, we need to erase from ourselves all the difficulties, all the questions, and disturbances from the Klipot and to purify ourselves from them. And come to a state in which we have no more in our connection, but for us to reveal the Creator. The form that should stand before us is that we are connected. And in our connection, in its center, we will find the Creator and we
only in such a manner, come closer to one another.
S. In the excerpt we read, he writes as they hear one another, they argue with one another until proper instruction came forth.
R. Yes.
S. How does the argument help us? What does it mean that proper instruction comes forth?
R. That we refine more and more what it means to be connected between us in order to reveal the Creator between us. Then, more and more we help one another in all these states to reach being as one man in one heart and inside that state, have the Creator be revealed. To come to such a state in which the Creator will be revealed.
S. There's states where we sit together, the madness like in making decisions for, not necessarily in connection. How do we come to a common decision unanimously? What makes contradicting opinions in the spirit of mutual agreement? Or agreeing first with a certain opinion?
R. No, that's not the example. The fact that we can be in all kinds of disputes, yes. disagreements, that is not so important to us. This is a matter of each seeing things from his point of view. Of course, there will be disputes here. But the fact that we need to be dependent on one another and connected to one another. With our connection to come to identifying with the Creator.
We need to think about that all the time. But if we will have disputes, like, for example, we see in the Talmud, and well, you know, all kinds of other cases. And that's not important because this has to do with scrutinies of the way things should be done on the path. But these bring to our connection above all doubts, which bring us to a greater adhesion with the Creator and for Him to be revealed between us in one heart.
S. What makes contradicting opinions to one opinion? What upgrades as to being unanimous?
R. The Creator connects us. We want to reach adhesion with him. In connection and love and support and sole devotion into truly being one heart
8. S. (15:24) How do we advance together? All of us? There's the great ones who are on this path their whole life, and there's me for three years on this path. How do we all together advance to the Creator? Each at his level will rise one degree forward? Or will we feel something?
R. You will reach a connection each according to the measure of his adhesion in the ten and from the ten in all the tens, one will feel how he's connected to the Creator and by that each gives one's devotion, and that's how we advance.
9. S. (16:27) How can we grow in us the confidence by each friend being devoted to the path fully, even if it appears to us as something else?
R. We need with force between all our friends, all our men and women to be wanting to be connected in order to build one vessel. And to the extent in which we will have more people and to the extent in which each will put forth their forces. Then we will quickly attain the vessel within which the one Creator will be revealed to everyone.
10. S. (17:28) What's the meaning to see and feel one another?
R. To feel what's in a friend's heart. That's it.
11. S. (17:45) When you feel this feeling of Dvekut, even the smallest, what should a person do from here?
R. To strengthen it, to strengthen the connection with the friends to the extent in which I will feel the one force that unites us between us. Which is the Creator.
S. At that point, there is a feeling that there's some room for a new prayer. What exactly is that prayer?
R. That is for the Creator to be revealed and to connect between us.
Reading excerpt #5 (18:40 ) "The Sanhedrin…" Twice.
12. S. (21:22) What does it mean to see where this force of love is sparkles?
R. To the extent in which you can add in connection to the friends, to the extent in which there won't be any gap between them, any space between them. Any misunderstanding, rather, they will all be as one man in one heart. Certainly each and every one of them has thoughts, desires, and different approaches. But everyone wants through this connection, to come to the one who is the Creator.
S. Is there some inner observation that this?
R. Yes this is an inner inclination from the heart, towards the hearts of the friends. To reach the common heart within which the Creator is revealed.
13. S. (22:35) It's written here, that in each of them there is a good point, which is the quality of righteous, the quality of Moses in regards to his friend. What is this inner point that enables us to see this in a friend?
R. We need to address each of the friends and to try in each of them to discover the point of Moses. Which is the central point in the heart of each and every one. This is how we will connect, and we will build the point of Moshe between us. This point will draw from the word Moshe, Moses's from the word to pull, to attract us to take us out of this ego of ours that's been in exile Egypt outwards. Outside of our ego which is called the exit from exile.
14. S. (24:08) We can say that in a circle we look at each other. We must not see the people, but that point of the inner essence that's in each and everyone. Because only in this, we can find the Creator. Can this be a sign for true connection or is it not enough?
R. No, this is enough. If I look at the friends and want to feel their point in the heart and to connect with those points together, in which I nullify before those points, that's enough to connect with them and to reveal the Creator in our point of connection.
S. Is this a new spiritual observation that we are seeing?
R. Yes, this is the new spiritual vision.
15. S. (24:43) We perform all kinds of agreements like being in the lesson and all kinds of commitments and the question is, the moment we observe these agreements to be advanced or its correction?
R. Usually, yes. If I agree with the friends, even though maybe we don't quite find ourselves connected to the true goal. But the fact that we're going together, that's already a great big step forward.
16. S. (26:34) What does it mean that the Sanhedrin, we're in a semi circle?
R. Yes, for them to be able to see one another. We learn that we connect in a circle not in a semi-circle.
S. It turns out that we need to connect to such an extent that we will be able to feel the friend not as if I feel in her place. But to truly feel her and what she's living and what she's thinking.
R. To that extent, yes, that means that you emerge from your own ego.
S. But here I'm bothering myself, no one's bothering me.
17. S. (27:47) The concept of Moses today between us practically what is it?
R. I don't understand what he's asking.
M. The friend wants to know practically, what is the concept of Moses between us?
R. That the desire which includes us all together, and raises us above the exile in our ego. That's called the quality of Moses.
S. When we pray for the Creator, who are we turning to? Are we turning to the Creator or to the group? How does Moses help us in this way?
R. In all our prayers to the Creator, Moses actually is in the middle and helps us.
18. S. (28:51) Every student in the ten attracts light according to his work as far as I can understand. If so, how does connection actually happen in the ten? If they are all that different spiritual levels.
R. But we want to reach one goal. If the goal is one, then each to the extent to which he draws the reforming light connects himself, and all the friends to the same goal.
S. What is required from us as Bnei Baruch to reach the degree of our sages?
R. To only be connected like they define us. That's it, altogether the main thing here is persistence. Constantly, all the time, try to be as one man in one heart.
S. Also in the past, I always felt the help protection of the study came over us, is it correct to demand help?
R. Very good, very good. If you feel that way.
19. S. (30:44) In the text, it is written that the thought of each of them illuminates through the friends?
R. This means that when he connects with each friend he starts to feel what's happening with him. What's with him?
S. We work with faith above reason. Do we withstand this in faith above reason?
R. Not yet. We're on the way.
20. S. (32:08) What does the Sanhedrin represent inside the ten?
R. Connection, where we want to feel ourselves in a circle. And we learn like this in a circle, discuss, scrutinize everything. The Sanhedrin is like a seminary seating like a connection in a circle. While they're in such a seating, that they are discussing all kinds of conditions.
21. S. (33:11) It turns out that if I asked for forces from the friend, and that's what each of us does in the ten, that each of us receives the light. And that's called that they're nourishing one another?
R. No translation.
22. S. (33:41) What is it to nullify before the point in the heart of a friend?
R. That you're praying for him.
Reading excerpt #6 (34:07) "The main merit…" Twice.
23. S. (36:01) Specifically during physical conventions, if we connect, and men stand next to us and do a workshop. You can really feel it powerfully, this force. During this time, where does the women Kli need to aim their thoughts so that it will bring contentment to the Creator? What to do when we feel that light from the men?
R. Towards spirituality there's no difference between men or women. There simply isn't. Also a man and also a woman are compelled, obligated to reach that same degree of adhesion with the Creator. There's no difference between them.
24. S. (37:05) Here before the friends and the group, appears to the extent in which we reveal the greatness of the Creator?
R. Yes.
S. The devotion to the Creator, we also discover it through that devotion to the friends?
R. Necessarily so.
25. S. (37:45) It is written that by discussing together, conversing together, he makes his friend keener. Why are they conversing? What is the meaning of this?
R. They are scrutinizing. Conversing means scrutinizing.
Reading excerpt #7 (38:10) "Israel are not…" Twice.
26. S. (39:50) So what do we need the sorrow and the enslavement to the madness and all those things if we're not redeemed from that?
R. So that you will rise above that.
S. Meaning there are all those things but in the end, the goal is to reach this sitting with each other.
R. Yes, and we're happy and we're truly enjoying the fact that we're connecting with one another and with the Creator. We don't need to feel any sorrow.
S. How are all these things like madness and jolting all that lead me that I'm supposed to sit together with my friends, to read and learn, and to hear their voice. How does that happen?
R. This happens is all those feelings are despicable, and they need to show you how non-important the will to receive is, how zero it is.
27. S. (41:04) When we read this excerpt, it really brings in goosebumps in our body. And the question is how do you come to such a state in which we will truly be connected to one another? That our voice will be heard by the Creator?
R. We will ask sir. There's nothing we can do. We need to ask for such a connection with the friends and through them with the Creator that simply no empty space will remain. Rather everything will be connected as one man in one heart.
S. But to ask, each needs to do so alone or we need to be connected in the Ten? Because the question is how will we become connected or can everyone ask?
R. We, between us, agree that each thinks about this all the days and night hours, all day long.
S. It actually needs to be like that on a daily level? Day to day and night to night, all day and all night. That's the way that we will truly be able to feel this short statement here.
R. Correct. We will get there. I hope this will take place for both you and me even though we're old.
28. S. (42:51) How to not lower one's opinion versus the opinion of another, when we hear them talking in a circle. How to connect them to one?
R Try to nevertheless connect them all together. Not to divide the friends to these, and those and those, but rather connect them together. Then from the connection between them, I want to attain the Creator, to reveal him. This is the essence of the connection, the power of the connection. The central point of love between us.
29. S. (43:56) What is the meaning of two lights connecting together? What two lights are we talking about?
R. In excerpt number 6, the last verse there, this is the way of the Torah that whenever two lights unite together, they multiply. Well where each draws a certain personal light. But when they connect together, these two lights connect to one. That's called the multiplication of the lights.
30. S. (44:55) What's the significance of Israel will be redeemed? That they will emerge from the Klipot, from the shells.
R. Because Egypt is a Klipa, it will receive in order to receive. And when a person emerges from the desire to receive from his thoughts. It means that he's exiting Egypt. Okay?
31. S. (45:33) We know that the sufferings of this world, they were all what brought us to the wisdom of Kabbalah. But when we come to the ten, we get a lot of answers to most of our questions. But then, new sufferings come, sufferings that we can't connect, that we don't have enough forces for this. And these sufferings are supposed to bring us to the purpose of creation?
R. Yes, you said everything correctly. Very well.
32. S. (46:13) You talked about the multiplying of the lights, where they double one another? How does that happen in the work? How did the friends add with their efforts?
R. The lights connect with one another, just like the hearts connect. And therefore, each feels the mutual feeling of his friend. Meaning you will feel how the friends are filling me. To the extent in which you want to fill the friends you yourself are filled.
S. How is my effort or the effort of the friend of the group? How does it become light? And not just some kind of actions?
R. Your effort becomes an expression of revelation of the quality of bestowal, that's called light.
33. S. (47:22) Can I ask from the Creator to connect me with the ten so that we will all together enter the heart of one specific friend?
R. That's possible. Connection with the ten you can always ask for.
S. When we, let's say, have a task to support a certain friend we need to connect but in order to operate on her?
R. Yes.
34. S. (48:02) You said earlier, in the answer to a friend that we need to ask all day and all night. For us to be connected.
R. It's written, 'I wish they would pray all day long.'
S. Yes. We also learned today in the lesson that there's a point in each of them. If I look, I see that the points of the friends are great, they shine, they're burning. And from day to day, they truly rise in the degrees of holiness and love. And in me, they're just being filled every day with sandbags. How do I cancel the sand in me so that I can absorb this?
R. Do you care?
S. Why?
R. Let it be that way, even if it's sand. The main thing is that I see that my friends are rising. Let it be sand, as long as that, I maybe help them rise up a little bit.
35. S. (49:13) He says that Israel are not redeemed by affliction or from?
R. Yes, yes.
S. How not from sorrow, let's say now we have Passover that usually comes close to this sorrow, from the cry that we outcry that we come from it. That's our redeemed.
R. Yes, but we're not sorry, from the fact that we're in sorrow. But the fact that we cannot be in love and connection, mutual help. That is called that we are connecting. Without that, we are not redeemed from Egypt.
S. The connection precedes redemption?
R. Yes.
36. S. (50:25) If a friend enters the group that was created in the German Kli, men and women who study Torah. She doesn't come to the ten and doesn't connect with us. How can we be as one with her?
R. If she doesn't come, what can you do with her?
S. That's exactly the question. She sometimes, not to frequently, comes. But when she engages in Torah, she doesn't come to the ten.
R. Well, you need to see yourselves. I don't exactly know what the relations are between you. What kind of obligations and commitments. I can see that she's going somewhere to hear Torah that it's so bad, it's not bad. If it's in place of your study, then that's already it's a kind of, like, betrayal. And you yourselves need to see if it's something that you can get along with or not.
37. S. (51:48) What do we do and we see that another team has a problem? It's a close ten to us. Do we include them in our prayer that things will work out?
R. Yes to the prayer of our group we can join each and every one that we want to improve. And rise up in degrees of holiness towards bestowal, love, connection, the Creator.
38. S. (52:28) I still have doubts about how to come to this state. In which even though I have liked the ground, the field, the joy of the friends uplifting.
R. You need to learn more.
39. S. (53:04) How do we free the emotional states from ego? Thank you very much.
R. Prayer together with the friends, pray to the Creator for him to release us from the connection with our egos.
Reading excerpt #8 (53:47) "There is a very special power…" Twice.
40. R. (55:15) What is he telling us here? If there is a connection in the ten, each of the people in the ten receives the powers of everyone. Certainly, he is not missing anything.
41. S. (55:36) Are we raised in spirituality not lowered? Is it that we want to raise the friends in our eyes?
R. Correct.
S. Then the society becomes a holy one?
R. Correct, look at what he writes for you. There's a special power in the adhesion of friends. Since the views and thoughts pass from one to the other through the adhesion between them, meaning to the extent in which we can see me more and more united together, connect, understand, want to be closer to one another. Therefore, each is included from the forces of the other. As if I have nine friends, I am the 10th, I'm incorporated from all those nine hours. And then, I become a Partzuf. Where I have nine Sefirot that are Upper, and I as Malchut receive from them.
You understand the extent in which this is a miracle: it's a true find, it's a discovery. Therefore, although each person is an individual, he has all the power of the whole society. Only connection between us and the ten is what's missing. I don't want to think about anything else except for this because nothing else will even help me except for connection with the friends. And then it's not important what qualities they have, what problems they have. Everything will be corrected by connection in the ten.
42. S. (58:05) If I could ask two questions friends that don't have microphones sent to me.
R. Oh yes, yes.
S. Thank you. So first question. Well, maybe you already answered. But the friends who are sitting in a circle, what are they discussing? About the study material or?
R. No, no. They are only discussing how to connect between them in order to reveal the Creator.
S. Second question: what during this argument helps us see the others as great and important?
R. We need to depict to ourselves the extent in which all our friends are great and important. We do want to see them in such a way. This is what it's speaking about.
43. S. (59:12) The piece of how they saw each other in Israel, we know that there's no love without resistance, without hatred. Does this mean that we don't see the friends as whole if we don't see the deficiencies in them?
R. Yes.
S. Do we need to see deficiencies in some of the friends or part or all?
R. It's not a must, I want to see all my friends as they're all corrected and are truly in the final correction. That's the way I want to see them, that they're all already truly 100% corrected. I pray of this to the Creator and ask Him to help them, correct them, to draw them to Him and for them to feel that they are inside of Him, inside the Creator. And me too, maybe I will enter with them together.