Morning Lesson May 18, Transcription
Baal HaSulam. "Study of the Ten Sefirot" (TES). Vol. 1. Part 1. Chapter 1, item #60 (“The term “spiritual distance” has already been explained “)
Repeat words of Ari “Ein Sof then restricted himself in the middle point.”
Item 60 Inner Light
The restriction of the light around the middle point
3. Ein Sof then restricted Himself (40) in His middle point (50), in the very middle, restricted that light, and drifted (60) to the sides around that middle point (70).
Inner Light
47. R (02:29) Drifted means it took on some change, some disparity of form thing, changing of a desire to change within it from the previous state this is why it is regarded as leaving the previous place and arriving at a new place, inner change within the inside the desire is what moves the desire from place to place, from state-to-state.
S. Maybe a few words
R. We said that spirituality is, we have the Creator who is expressed before us with the light of Ein Sof, he creates reality. This reality is a desire and the light fills the whole of the desire and operates inside the desire. It operates in such a way that the desire will acquire all kinds of forms, meaning changes within it such that it will be able to feel that besides the desire itself which feels itself, there is also something outside of it. What is outside of it? The light, so that it would reveal the light has a higher force in the desire and that it wants from the desire to come out what created it, what it wants, the desire to do and how it should change as a result of knowing the light in the desire. Why is the desire required to acquire the qualities of a life, the qualities of bestowal that are opposite of the desire that exists in the quality of reception? Everything we learn happens from the influence of the upper light on the desire that it created inside it, that is it. In order to create a desire in the right way, the upper light that created it departs from it, meaning it puts a restriction upon itself and then the will to receive feels that it is alone, it was left alone. Then it begins to look for the light as we for example hide ourselves as a little child, we think that we don't exist, that we are nowhere around. We likewise look for the upper lights, for the Creator, where is he, what about it, that He vanished from our perception, from our egoistic feeling. He performs all kinds of operations to allow us to discover it in the manner of equivalence of form so it will come to that same desire, the same form as itself and then we will be able to discover it. Discover it according to our being in a similar state as it because attainment can really be only on condition that I understand it, feel it and its place see, this is a spiritual attainment. Corporeal attainment seems to us as if we understand what is happening outside of us, but it is always a lie and a mistake. We see that we keep making mistakes that we have to correct our perception again and again. Whereas in spirituality if we discovered some spiritual perception, it's a true perception. It may be incomplete as a matter of degrees, but it is always truth it is a part of the complete state and this is all of our work. To diminish the spiritual distance between us and the Creator by acquiring the quality of bestowal.
48. S. (7:18) The process that is explained here, is this the same process of courting that should have awakened longing within us, the yearning for the upper light?
R. We will scrutinize this along the way.
Item 70 Inner Light - relates to the word of the Ari drifted around the middle point.
70. The above-mentioned four phases are also called “four sides.” The ARI tells us that although the restriction was only in the middle point, meaning phase four, the light nonetheless departed from all four phases as well. It happened because there is no partial in spirituality, and thus it departed from the three phases as well.
49. R. There is no part, no sum in spirituality meaning that if the perception has to be a perception and all four phases of the will to receive because it cannot be partial or a desire is operated in part of it is not, because all four phases in the world to receive are interdependent. Either in all of them exist there or none of them. If it exists in one it exists in the 2nd and the 3rd, 4th. In all the parts of the will to receive, but the will to receive basically determines in general what is in it. Meaning that spirituality is indivisible, it is always a complete measure, four phases and each one is filled with a certain measure of light and therefore although each of these four phases feels itself individually, and its own unique way, they are all interdependent and establish one another.
Reader Continues:
4. Words of Ari “The space that remained after the restriction was circular
4. Then there was a vacant place (80), air, and an empty space, from the very middle point.
Behold, this restriction was even around that empty middle point (90), in such a way that that place of space was circular on every side, completely even (100). It had not a shape of a square, a perpendicular angle, for Ein Sof too had restricted Himself like a circle, even on all sides.
50. R. I will read: this space that remained after the restriction was circular, meaning the upper light filled all the desires that the creator created and then departed from the desire. It departed equally, evenly, so that as the desire remained circular it remained circular after the light departed from it. Then a circular space was created.
Item 4, then after the light departed there was a vacant place, air and an empty space, from the very middle point.
R: Meaning all kinds of discernment where he speaks about the space that remained,
from the very middle point, meaning with respect to the middle point of the desire which was circular.
The hold this restriction when the desire respected itself was Even and around that empty Middle Point. Meaning it wasn't in One Direction More than another but as it was circular before the light departed it remained circular in such a way that that place of space was circular on every side, completely even. It had no shape of a square, perpendicular angle for Infinity also had restricted himself like a circle even on all sides.
R. Meaning the Creator created that desire, that desire was circular because the upper lights when it is complete it created the desire in his complete circular way. Then the upper light Departed leaving a circular empty desire, very simple and in that empty desire we exist.
51. S. (12:59) He writes in a different way, air, space, vacant space
R. These are discernment in the will to receive where we have four phases, 1 2 3 4 so we have a place, and empty space, all of the discernment exists in the will to receive in order to tell us the discernment in the will to receive after the light the parts from it. We will learn this. All of our work is inside that empty place, how we bring back the light, the Creator into that empty place but we bring it back, we are responsible for it with our intention to be filled with the Creator according to the equivalence of form. We redraw the light that departed and that light gradually returns to the circle of these desires which become filled but they are filled in such a way that the created being, the will to receive that remained empty, determines and brings back the Creator into it. Therefore, it is regarded as understanding, feeling, determining this is called my sons have defeated me, that the created being is managing the business. This is what the Creator lets the created being do. By building to created beings from zero and filling it with his light, with his presence, then the created being pushes away the Creator, or the Creator himself pushes himself away from the created being we will see how we understand it. What is most important is he gives, He lets the created being bring back the upper light, the Creator into the created being and then they achieve Dvekut adhesion according to the created being’s desire. This is why I hear the created being becomes the one that determines all the future states, this is what the Creator wants to give us.
S. What can the Creator determine from that state?
R. By being emptied the created being we also learn it, it studies, it searches in what state it is in, what it gets in that state, what it can do and accordingly it continues to operate. That is, it. I'm not jumping like you are, I'm talking about the reality that we read about now.
52. S. (16:19) What is that discernment of the middle point?
R. It is the middle point of the desire to receive and the middle point on which the upper light operates, the middle point of all of creation. It is where the Creator and the created being are as the place of mutual existence.
53. S. (17:03) He says the circle was round and it was all even and not in the shape of a square, or perpendicular angle, what does he mean by square and circle?
R. The will to receive can be as it was created by the light, this is regarded as being circular, when there are no differences between the parts, the levels in it, it has four levels this is why it is called four or levels, and it doesn't feel that the differences in it determine, decide anything. Afterwards when the light departs and the will to receive wants to draw the light and discovers that it can be done only by the equivalence of form with the light, to the extent that the will to receive is similar to the light, it can be similar not according to the will to receive so it becomes similar to the will to bestow in some way, but rather it can resemble the desire to bestow by operating in the will to receive with the intention to bestow.
Then the two, in terms of their operations become similar. The will to receive wants to bestow upon the light and the Creator wants to bestow upon the will to receive. but when the will to receive begins, after the restriction when the light departed from it, it begins to bring the light back to it, it sees that it can't do it that simply. In its desire it has 4 phases, four discernments and these discernments, these desires are different in their intensity, in all kinds of forms or manners. This is why I can use the will to receive and the roots phase of 1 2 3 and 4, and in each discernment, each phase, in a different way and intensity and accordingly there are differences between its phases in the will to receive. Therefore, when it wants to turn them into two operations in order to bestow these operations are already different. Then the light that fills these, the empty space that remains after the restriction, becomes a different light. It turns out that instead of having four phases, degrees of the desire, we have very different degrees and the light that fills them is also a different Light NRNHY and the light too also changes, and now it has not four but 10 discernments because Phase 3 stands out in that it contains within it 6 internal degrees, this makes up 10 and not 4.
S. (21:16) Why does he say that from ten sefirot he restricted himself to a circle, so now it is clear what you said, so why does he add that from 10 sefirot he restricted himself like a circle?
R. In a circle there was no reason to restrict them in a different way from one another, but rather as the light created the desire as one light and its influence was 1 and then all of those desires were as one. Let's put it this way, just as when a mother has four children, she relates to all four children. From her perspective, she relates to them equally. There is no difference between the children, she tends to all of them. Afterwards, we will see that each child has its own problems, its own will to receive, bigger, smaller, and accordingly the mother begins to relate to those desires differently. Some desires require more treatment and some less treatment because they do better on their own.
54. S. (22:49) Does the change in Behina Shoresh limit the phase of Shoresh?
R. The restriction operates only on the desires that are revealed after the restriction. I cannot influence the root in any way. There is no backwards response, only forwards as this are how everything in nature develops.
55. S. (23:43) How can we understand the vacant space if there is nothing else besides him? How could there be a vacant space that the Creator is not in?
R. The Creator is everywhere, this is why there is a concept of the empty space. This space is empty only from the perspective of the created beings and in general we are speaking only from the perspective of the will to receive that the Creator created and not from the perspective of the Creator, only from the perspective of the created beings, this is all we speak of in the wisdom of Kabbalah, from the perspective of the Creator there are no degrees it's all one. This was revealed in the beginning of creation that He feels all of reality and He remains feeling all of reality, but everything that happens and becomes revealed is from the perspective of the created beings who are on that level.
56. S. (24:52) What is this whole matter of equivalence of form that when the light comes back that the vessel will get the form of the light? What is in this? What does it add between the connection of the Creator and the created being and equivalence of form?
R. That the created being acquired equivalence with the Creator, that it achieves the degree of the Creator. He feels creation from beginning to end and becomes as eternal and complete as the Creator. This is the level that the Creator wants that created being to develop to.
S. The fulfillment from the Creator once He meets the vessel, He gets the form of a light He wants me to smile, I smile, He wants me to love I love what is the equivalent of form here?
R. That the created being achieves the degree of the Creator. The created beings achieve the level of the creator. The Creator has all the knowledge of all of creation of which we know nothing as of yet all of these things that created beings attain in wholeness, in completeness. Today we are below all of those discernments.
S. Can't give the knowledge of him?
R. I'm not speaking hypothetically. Can the Creator or can't the Creator. Go to philosophers and philosophize with them as much as you want. We are talking about what is happening, about what the Kabbalists are telling us about the laws that are revealed in nature. You can't start your own science. Kabbalah is a science. And saying what if Earth didn't develop this way with all of its geological qualities and eras and so on, it's not scientific, science deals with the reality before us not with make believe.
S. What is the equivalence of form that helps us to reveal the Creator?
R. Equivalence of form, if I acquire the same form as the Creator this is called by your actions, we know you, so how do I know the Creator? By changing and the changes within me teach me precisely who the Creator is.
57. S. (27:53) In every degree is there a sort of perfection in some way?
R. No, in each and every degree, spiritual degree there is a part of the wholeness and there is a part that is incomplete. This is what actually designs each degree, it is called a part in it from the darkness and apart from the light. We have to govern both and turn the darkness into light until we come to a place that is all light and this is the end of correction.
S. When we reveal a greater light, we also reveal a greater darkness?
R. Yes
58. S. (29:10) Is this vacant space the starting point of the real created being?
R. You could put it this way.
59. S. (29:33) Are all four phases at the same time, do they develop one after the other?
R. They develop consecutively one after the other and afterwards they exist all at the same time.
60. S. (29:58) Opposite of this is a complete bestowal? How do you make something of something that doesn't exist? The Creator creates something, the complete wholeness and then creates something shattered, how can something so pure come out of that?
R. This is exactly what the Creator can do, this is why it is called Bore come and see, creation means existence out of absence. Something that didn't exist before and now it does. The Creator creates the bad, the evil, it doesn't have this evil within it but he created it, why? How did he create it? Because in the beginning of creation and the end of creation are equal, they are the same, so when he creates evil it's from our perspective but from his perspective, he sees the end of the operation, what will become of it, it will be good, but it will be 620 times better. This is why now he creates the beginning of creation which is the restriction and the darkness.
Reader: Item 90 Inner Light “Meaning without discriminations of great and small....”
We should not wonder about that since the disparity of form in the middle point had already been exposed by the departure of the light from it. Consequently, the smaller measurements were necessarily recognized as well, one smaller than the other.
For example, phase three is more refined than the middle point because the measure of her will to receive is less than phase four. Similarly, phase two is more refined than phase three because her measure of will to receive is smaller than phase three, and phase one is the most refined of all, for she has the least will to receive, rendering her disparity of form the least apparent.
61. S. What does it mean a lesser amount of desire?
R. There's a big desire there's a big desire because all of these phases came out of the root when it gives birth to the desire to receive it was in the upper light and the will to receive was formulated from a point and from it started expanding, this desire was expanding more and more and from higher and higher levels from the root to phase 1 2 3 and 4. The upper light, the force of bestowal of the Creator, bestows upon the point of the desire on the root of the desire. It develops that point until the degree of phase 4 comes through the five levels of the desire and we learn from reality that in the light there are those abilities to develop a point of a desire that develops through the four phases.
Reader continues: Item 90: Meaning without discriminations of great and small. T
Thus, we have a differentiation of great and small in the degrees. In that case, why does the ARI say that the restriction was even around that point? The answer is that the restriction did not turn the middle point into a Sof [end/conclusion]. In other words, if the light had left the point because of her disparity of form, then it would certainly become a Sof, meaning the lowest degree.
Then we would also regard the three preceding phases as more important than the middle point, as one above the other. However, it was not so, for the restriction did not occur due to the disparity of form in the point. This cannot be, for we are still concerned with Malchut of Ein Sof, in which there is no disparity of form between her and the light; they are both in simple unity, meaning He is One and His Name One.
62. R. Meaning it is not a matter of life and desire that are opposite, distance from each other, this is not the issue, it is not the reason for the restriction as they can be together. There wasn't disparity or form because everything was still under the control of the light called upper light controls it all and sustained the desire, that's a desire entirely immersed in the light.
Reader continues” The Restriction occurred only because his simple desire wished....”
The restriction occurred only because His simple desire wished to create the worlds, etc. (see item 40). It means that He wanted that equivalence of form which is destined to appear by the creation of the worlds, meaning the form of reception in order to bestow contentment to the Maker.
There is a great virtue in that: on the one hand, it is complete bestowal, because the desire is only to bestow contentment upon the Maker and not at all for one’s “self.” That makes the form completely equal with the upper light of the Emanator, and in complete adhesion with Him.
63. S. (40:45) no translation
R. Bechinat Shoresh, yes, we will learn that. It is before us. You are running a bit ahead.
64. S. (41:08) What does it mean, he writes that the restriction is where you turn the middle light into the Sof end but there is Partzuf so what is the end with respect to the division into Rosh Toch Sof?
R. We will talk about it later and the second it is not exactly what you are saying, Sof means the end of development that it can't be more than what has developed until now in the 4 phases. That bestowing in the will to receive, and the will to bestow, that the upper light, the will to bestow appears in such a way in the will to receive, that the will to receive develops through the four phases and no more than that. Meaning as much as their development is whole and complete and direct without any limitations, this mutual bestowal between them brings them to the development of the 4 degrees from the route which we call route 1 2 3 4 and no more than that.
S. What does it mean? He writes that the restriction of the infinite desire turns this desire into the point of the end.
R. There is no more than these four phases, in the qualities of receiving and the quality of bestowing. There is no more discernment that still needs to be clarified except for these four phases, these are combinations from 2 it can be 4.
65. S. (43:30) It says when it came upon His simple will there was a restriction,
What is this restriction?
R. I don't know yet. A restriction doesn't belong to the world of Ein Sof, there is the world of Ein Sof and where does the 4 phases finish developing, meaning the relation between the light and the desire, the desire to receive and the desire to bestow, but they connected between them and between them they build these four discernments, it can’t be more, from the root. So, from these four phases all of the possibilities are represented, it can be 1 or the others or the first in the second or the third in the 4th.
S. Was man created here or was it just a system?
R. There is just a desire, I don't know what man is, we learn what he is writing and right now there are two forces that exist in a mutual connection between them.
66. S. (45:02) It says that the restriction took place only because in his simple will he wanted to create the worlds, is this like a shame?
R. There is nothing, it is called a simple desire and it comes like this from the intention of the Creator to create a created being and before that there is nothing that came before.
67. S. (45:40) Is the intensity of the desire measured by how much he wants or how much he's willing to exert into what he wants?
R. The magnitude of the desire is measured according to its ability to perform its action, we will learn it is something else, before the restriction, after the restriction, the desire is measured or weighed in different discernments.
Reader continues: “On the other hand it is possible to deepen....”
On the other hand, it is possible to deepen and increase the vessel of reception indefinitely and eternally. That is because now the form of reception does not produce any disparity of form, as it comes from within the will to bestow.
68. R. That is the whole matter when bestowing becomes reception and reception becomes this table because we add to the action itself what has happened before us, we add another matter of great or small in the eyes of the giver and in the eyes of the receiver, so it comes out that from that the giver becomes a receiver and the receiver becomes the giver. Just like in this example of the bride and groom. This is the whole matter and all that we are doing with the Creator, that to the extent that we develop our vessel, that it will be able to receive from the Creator and he is only the desire to give, if we are able to organize ourselves in such a way that we can receive from him, in order to give him contentment so it is by this we are really giving contentment. By this we are really giving and not receiving. How can it be that I am receiving? My intention is to use what I'm receiving in order to give to him then I can receive all of his Revelations, all of his upper lights in order to bestow contentment, this is called but I am giving to him and then he is giving to me, that I when I am receiving but with the intention, I want to give him pleasure, this is what I am doing it for. This is why I have a restriction but I don't want to receive anything for myself and beyond that restriction as much as I received this is called that it is equivalent, it is equal, as if I am giving. This is why that poor little man that isn't destined for anything, suddenly becomes the source of this bestowing towards the Creator.
Reader continues” We learn from the above that the primary....”
69. R. You will have to read it again throughout the day so we can advance onwards. ..... no translation ......
Item 100 “It means that there was some image that had to .......”
(no translation)
70. R. We need you to get used to speaking in the words of geometry, physics, all kinds of discernment from this world, but we mean spiritual discernment, emotional, that are in us. When I say circle, I need to depict the circle in my feelings that there is no discernment, let's say I have a few children and I treat them completely equal, that's called that it is I am with them connected like a circle. If I'm speaking about a circle inside of a circle so there is already a connection of a few discernment that in the circle I am equal with everybody but a circle within a circle oh, there is a difference between the circles and so on. Here we will already need to pass these certain things from a spoken language to the inner, emotional language, we will talk about it.
71. S. (56:20) In different times I often try to maintain the intention but I can't combine, keep the intention and follow the text, the meaning of it oh, the efforts to understand at is it is written there
R. You will ask and I will answer and gradually it will connect but it's not only your problem, so we should stand on it. Let's say the exercise that I just said that instead of geometrical forms oh, we should make emotional forms inside of us. We want to be in a circle, in the 10, what does it mean to be in the circle in the 10? It is when we are in complete equality between all of us, what does it mean to be equal between all of us? That it doesn't matter to me what friends, these, those, I don't make a difference between them even though I feel the difference is, but in my attitude towards them I also don't make these differences the main part but you were late different to them. I can't not relate in a different way, the difference is our according to their differences and not my attitude towards them.
S. I'm losing the meaning of the text.
R. yes because you have a tendency to go to a different language oh, not the language that he is writing but the language that you are feeling and then it seems that the text is escaping.
72. S. (59:08) Does the restriction not limit the light of Mercy? So only the light of Hassadim enters the phases?
R. The light of Hassadim has no limits, there is no restriction on it, the restriction is on the light of Hochma. We will end here. Today you have a lot of work, also discussing the first part of the lesson, the intentions and also the second part TES, try to get in there, not to philosophize and get confused, just to simply understand what is written, try and go to an emotional language. I would also try to read 300 and 400 so we can reach Chapter 2.
Item 5 “The reason was that since the light of Ein Sof....”
Item 300 “If there had been a differentiation of up and down ..”
73. S. (59:06) There are two meetings in the 10 in the first one we have ... and then the other part way Rabash like you recommended before.
R. Go over TES and Rabash articles are important, repeating the lesson is a must.
Item 400 Inner: Light “Indicating a degree that has but three....”
74. R. We will see you tomorrow, with God's help we will start chapter 2.