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

Daily Lesson (Morning), June 10, 2024.

Part 2: Baal HaSulam, The Arvut [Mutual Guarantee]

Reader: We are reading from the writings of Baal HaSulam, the Arvut article, it's a continuation of Matan Torah.

Reading The Arvut [Mutual Guarantee]: (00:18)

(Continued from “Matan Torah”)

All of Israel are responsible for one another (Sanhedrin 27b, Shavuot 39a)

This is to speak of the Arvut [mutual guarantee], when all of Israel became responsible for one another. Because the Torah was not given to them before each and every one from Israel was asked if he agreed to take upon himself the Mitzva [commandment] of loving others in the full measure expressed in the words “Love your friend as yourself,” as explained in the article “Matan Torah,” Items 2 and 3, examine it thoroughly there. This means that each and every one in Israel would take upon himself to care and work for each member of the nation, to satisfy all their needs, no less than the measure imprinted in him to care for his own needs.

Once the whole nation unanimously agreed and said, “We will do and we will hear,” each member of Israel became responsible that no member of the nation will lack anything. Only then did they become worthy of receiving the Torah, and not before.

With this collective responsibility, each member of the nation was liberated from worrying about the needs of his own body and could observe the Mitzva, “Love your friend as yourself” in the fullest measure and give all that he had to any needy person since he no longer cared for the existence of his own body, as he knew for certain that he was surrounded by six hundred thousand loyal lovers standing ready to provide for him, as explained in the article, “Matan Torah,” Item 16.

For this reason, they were not ready to receive the Torah at the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but only when they came out of Egypt and became a complete nation. Only then was there a possibility to guarantee everyone’s needs without any care or concern.

However, while they were still mingled with the Egyptians, a portion of their needs was necessarily given into the hands of these savages, permeated with self-love. Thus, the portion that is given into the hands of foreigners will not be secured for any person from Israel because his friends will not be able to provide for those needs, as they will not be in possession of them. Consequently, as long as the individual is troubled with concerns for himself, he is unfit to even begin to observe the Mitzva, “Love your friend as yourself.”

Thus, you evidently find that the giving of the Torah had to be delayed until they came out of Egypt and became a nation on their own, meaning when all their needs were provided for by themselves, independently of others. This qualified them to receive the above Arvut, and then they were given the Torah. It turns out that even after the reception of the Torah, if a handful from Israel betray and return to the filth of self-love, without consideration of others, that same amount of need that is put in the hands of those few would burden each one in Israel with the need to provide for it themselves because those few will not pity them at all.

Hence, the fulfillment of the Mitzva of loving one’s friend will be prevented from the whole of Israel. Thus, these rebels cause those who observe the Torah to remain in their filth of self-love, for they will not be able to engage in the Mitzva, “Love your friend as yourself,” and complete their love of others without their help.

You therefore see that all of Israel are responsible for one another, both on the positive side and on the negative side. On the positive side, if they keep the Arvut to the point that each one cares and satisfies the needs of his friends, they can fully observe the Torah and Mitzvot [commandments], meaning to bring contentment to their Maker, as mentioned in “Matan Torah,” Item 13. On the negative side, if a part of the nation does not want to keep the Arvut, but to wallow in self-love, they cause the rest of the nation to remain immersed in their filth and lowliness without finding a way out of their filth.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (07:32) We see that today with the globalization, there is no nation that can be free from the connection with the rest of the nations. So, how could there be a state that a nation will be free from being concerned for their friends?

M. Laitman: It also can't.

Student: He says that the condition that there's 600 000 and then you're relieved from being concerned of yourself. But even millions can because they're dependent on other millions.

M. Laitman: Yes, so, in a relative manner, partial manner.

Student: Could there be a state, of like an autocratic connection, in a certain society?

M. Laitman: If you were to travel to, I don't know, Micronesia or Polynesia or somewhere, you'll find islands that live autonomously.

Student: I'm talking about what he's describing here. He says that also Micronesia, they can be burned from something that happened in Japan.

M. Laitman: Correct, we will see as we continue but it's clear that in our times it's not simple. It doesn't take place. Item 18.

Reading Item 18: (09:00)

18) Therefore, the Tana described the Arvut as two people who were on a boat, and one of them began to drill a hole in the boat. His friend said, “Why are you drilling?” He replied, “Why should you mind? I am drilling under me, not under you.” So he replied, “Fool! We will both drown together in the boat!”

Meaning, as we said, since those rebels wallow in self-love, by their actions, they build an iron wall that prevents the observers of the Torah from even beginning to fully observe the Torah and Mitzvot in the measure of words “Love your friend as yourself,” which is the ladder for achieving Dvekut [adhesion] with Him. Indeed, how right were the words of the proverb that said, “Fool, we will both drown together in the boat!”

M. Laitman: Yes, meaning despite the fact that each doesn't think about the other but by not thinking about the other, by that he's drowning the other. Yes, and here, there's nothing to do about it. Meaning, we need to see the extent in which we are responsible for one another. Otherwise, certainly, we won't be able to assure the future for anyone. Is that clear, what are so many questions about?

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (11:24) What's the difference between the Torah and a person's heart before the Exodus, and afterward when he receives the Torah?

M. Laitman: Before the Exodus of Egypt, he has no.

Student: We're saying that Abraham, supposedly used to teach Torah. There was a Torah, but it wasn't like in the way it was afterward. What's the difference?

M. Laitman: The difference is whether it would be the inheritance of everyone or not. So, here's the problem.

Student: Is it possible to keep the Arvut before we come out of Egypt?

M. Laitman: Of course not because they're not under the control of Pharaoh.

Student: We have a purpose that we want to reach Arvut but before the Exodus, what's the work in order to come out of Egypt?

M. Laitman: To run away, to advance towards the exit to such an extent that they see that there's no choice, but they have to run away.

Student: And the principle of the Arvut, it has to be somehow before our eyes in these times, in what way?

M. Laitman: It needs to be achieved for us, understood, we should be aware of it. To the extent that we can't understand its internality, and what we achieve by the Arvut, and why it's the most important thing, etc. But rather, that there is such a thing, just like a law of nature.

Student: When we read this article, we try to keep this condition in the heart, it seems not only difficult but we need everyone to be that way. Everyone should be able to give Arvut to the others and it seems that we're lacking a complete degree to be in such an approach. Also internality and externally.

M. Laitman: Right?

Student: So that's why I'm asking how to relate to this goal before we have the forces that we're supposed to receive after the exodus in order to be able to truly advance, correctly?

M. Laitman: No, but we need to recognize what's before us in the exit from Egypt. That we must exit, we must go through the Exodus from Egypt. And then, when we feel that we must leave but it's above our ability, our forces. Then we come to the recognition of evil, to the understanding that we are in shackles.

Student: Maybe it's a question you're not supposed to ask but?

M. Laitman: Well, well?

Student: What will we receive, what will we get after the exodus, that we don't have now?

M. Laitman: We will be free, a free people in our land, in our desire.

Student: How will that help us keep the Arvut?

M. Laitman: Then we won't be compelled to observe the Arvut, but rather, we will want to observe it.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (15:54) The more we read this article, it becomes more clear that it's something wondrous. I don't even know how to define this Arvut thing because each one has his own opinions, and also about the Arvut. If there was a discussion, so we'd argue how everyone's right about the Arvut. And there has to be something that is so strong, beyond all opinions that everyone agree, with one thought, We will do and we will hear. What will bring everyone to a complete agreement, with no exceptions, that this is the solution?

M. Laitman: First of all, to the extent in which we start with this mutual work to exit Egypt, we feel how we're in it, like in a swamp, that's one thing. And we have no solution other than to want for us all to leave, every single one of us, without any exceptions. And then we can exit, receive help, run away, and come out of the control of the force of our ego, and then, we come out of the exile.

Student: But he says the Torah wasn't given until each one of Israel was agreed to perform the commandment of love of others.

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: What causes that agreement, that 100% agreement? I've never seen anything like this, that people agree on 100%.

M. Laitman: That's clear but here otherwise, we remain enslaved. Enslaved to our ego, which shows us, truly, in our lives the extent to which we are completely addicted to the force of evil. And we have no possibility of eluding it, to exit from under its control.

Student: But we need everybody to agree, that's the question. How?

M. Laitman: This depends on the revelation of evil to each and every one.

Student: Revelation of evil to each one, separately, in his own form?

M. Laitman: To all the evil, and to all of us together.

Student: That's my question, what is this together, suddenly, everything in the same time, everyone agrees, with no exceptions?

M. Laitman: More than likely, we come to such a development that each feels the heart of his friend and sees the extent to which his friend is under the control of evil.

Student: The understanding that each one sees the other.

M. Laitman: Yes, the general recognition of evil.

Student: Meaning, we see this one degree of despair, despair for everyone. Sounds wonderful.

M. Laitman: Yes, for the time being, it's imaginary to us. But probably it's something we have to attain and go through.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (20:03) What can help a friend come out of that swamp because we're in the same self-love?

M. Laitman: Let's continue reading, we just came to the question.

Student: That's a good idea.

Question (Croatia): (20:27) Is it okay to feel like the one who wallows in self-love, and lets the others drown too? Should I get rid of that feeling?

M. Laitman: We'll see, I think so.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (20:50) Could it be that the whole nation agrees unanimously, we will do, and we will hear, that it’s also feeling in a person that all friends are in Arvut.

M. Laitman: Well?

Student: So, how do you reach it, how do you get closer to it, to work on it? How? Is this how I need to see my friends more and more, every time?

M. Laitman: Yes, we will see, let's see, we didn’t start yet. That question is for the future but for what we have already been through in the text.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (21:39) He writes this is the Arvut and everyone became in Arvut with one another because the Torah was only given after each one agreed to receive the commandment of love your friend as yourself.

M. Laitman: Yes, that’s how we see that they don’t receive the Torah immediately. But rather they need to develop, to enter Egypt, to be in Egypt for so and so years, and to want to exit there and to not be able to, and so on. And then they come to the reception of the Torah.

Student: Now, the action of agreeing, it seems something passive. I am willing, I agree. But on the other hand, he explains that love your friend as yourself, that’s Gmar Tikkun already, that’s the end of correction. So, what does it mean to agree that I am willing to reach it?

M. Laitman: We will see.

Student: In our work, now?

M. Laitman: Now in our work, yes. That we need to want to see that we are in Egypt and how to get out of it.

Student: Let's say in the Ten, we have to work on this in the Ten?

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: So, every friend, the moment he agrees, it says that they became a guarantee, but if I agree I become in Arvut, and then everything I have to do what is demanded of me to do for the friends?

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: We have to reach such a willingness that there is nothing individual or private, it is only the Ten. I can’t say no, it’s my life, let me go?

M. Laitman: Yes, yes, yes, yes.

Question Petah Tikva Center: (23:45) It says that if part of the nation doesn't want to keep the Arvut but to remain in self-love, they are causing the rest of the nation to remain in their lowliness. So, if we receive the Torah, we can come out of self-love. Only the Torah can correct our desire to come out of self-love and in order to receive it we need to be in Arvut, so one depends on the other. Now there are a lot of terms here, 600,000 and so on. What do I want to say, if me and another friend want to be in Arvut, it is a matter of our desire, we can both receive the Torah. It is enough that two people that together want to be in mutual guarantee because it is a desire and it’s not about agreeing or saying words?

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: We can receive the Torah that can correct a desire to a certain extent?

M. Laitman: Yes.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (25:09) What is acquired assets, possession?

M. Laitman: It’s clear what a possession is, something that belongs to a person. That’s his, his asset.

Student: Yes. Possession.

Student: What is mine? What do I have to give to someone else?

M. Laitman: What do you have? A shirt, pants?

Student: Physical things, this is what he means? He is speaking about physical?

M. Laitman: No, there he's talking about things that you have seemingly acquired.

Student: What did I acquire?

M. Laitman: I don't know what you have that you think is your assets.

Student: What is he talking about in the article?

M. Laitman: Let's read. Okay. We're talking just like that, I'm asking you, you're asking me.

Reading Item 19: (26:22)

19) Rabbi Elazar, son of Rashbi, clarifies the matter of Arvut even further. It is not enough for him that all of Israel be responsible for one another, but the whole world is included in the Arvut. Indeed, there is no dispute here, for everyone admits that initially, it is enough to begin with one nation for the observance of the Torah, meaning for the beginning of the correction of the world, as it was impossible to begin with all the nations at once. It is as they said, that the Creator went with the Torah to every nation and tongue and they would not receive it. In other words, they were immersed in the filth of self-love up to their necks, some in adultery, some in robbery and murder and so on, until it was impossible to even conceive, in those days, to even ask if they agreed to retire from self-love.

Therefore, the Creator did not find a nation or a tongue qualified to receive the Torah, except for the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whose ancestral merit reflected upon them, as our sages said, “The fathers observed the whole Torah even before it was given.” This means that because of the exaltedness of their souls, they could attain all the ways of the Creator with respect to the spirituality of the Torah, which stems from their Dvekut with Him without first needing the ladder of the practical part of the Torah, which they had no possibility of observing at all, as written in “Matan Torah,” Item 16.

Undoubtedly, both the physical purity and the mental exaltedness of our holy fathers greatly influenced their sons and their sons’ sons, and their righteousness reflected upon that generation, whose members all assumed that sublime work and each and every one stated clearly, “We will do, and we will hear.” Because of this, we were chosen, out of necessity, to be a chosen people from among all nations. Hence, only the members of the Israeli nation were admitted into the required Arvut, and not the nations of the world at all, since they did not participate in it. This is the plain reality, so how could Rabbi Elazar dispute it?

M. Laitman: Yes, as he says that it belongs to the whole world.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (30:00) In what do the forefathers compel us today? What's the connection between us and them? And why were we rewarded from their merit?

M. Laitman: I can't say, we need to scrutinize it.

Student: Do we have any connection between us?

M. Laitman: That's also a question.

Student: We say it's upon us, responsibility is upon us?

M. Laitman: You could say everything. The question is whether there is a connection. If that connection depends on us, if we can correct this connection and to come to our corrected form and what it is.

Student: Because we read that this is why we got a role, that is the chosen nation?

M. Laitman: That's a question whether it's talking about us.

Student: It's not us?

M. Laitman: I don't know.

Student: So, that's what I'm asking about?

M. Laitman: We need to scrutinize.

Student: How do we scrutinize it?

M. Laitman: That's also a question, yes.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (31:42) It seems that this Arvut can't be kept unless a person restricts his self-love?

M. Laitman: It can be.

Student: And we say that all these things we also need to ask for, we also need to ask for Arvut from the Creator?

M. Laitman: Probably.

Student: Is there something that a person does without the Creator helping him, or he has to want it, that the Creator will help him?

M. Laitman: No, I don't know.

Student: He says we will do and we will hear, so is that connected to us wanting to restrict self-love and together bestowing?

M. Laitman: Could be.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (32:54) He says that the example that was given from the forefathers of cleansing their ego, that's what helped them. That what they inherited from the forefathers is that they can be in an action called with their full commitment. What is our commitment to the Ten? Because we have examples from the books and from our teachers, we also get examples from friends. So, on our degree what would it be the action between us the friends that we say okay this is a full commitment? That from here we're told to do this, and we do it. Afterwards we start working inside it. What is this full commitment? What is this action?

M. Laitman: I don't know. We need to scrutinize it. Everything that we're asking meaning we need to discern it; we have to scrutinize it.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (34:44) Baal HaSulam says you can’t even start the Arvut until you have 600,000. So, why can't 3000 people do it for now?

M. Laitman: He probably has a calculation with it.

Student: So what can we do till then? What's the work?

M. Laitman: To increase the number. It's a number of the heads of the congregation or all together. I don't know.

Student: I don't know.

M. Laitman: So, we don't know. We'll read onwards for the time being. Meaning here we have questions, questions, questions. Next.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (35:45) What does it mean that the forefathers kept the Torah before they received it? What can we take in our work between us?

M. Laitman: I also don't know. Before they received it, how can you say that they observed it or didn't observe it?

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (36:22) What can we, let's say, start today in the Arvut?

M. Laitman: I don't know. We need to scrutinize all these matters. I'm interested in for us all to be immersed in the questions. And then we will try to sort them, to raise them up, and to try and receive an answer.

Student: What does it mean to raise them?

M. Laitman: To raise them upwards, to be in the question.

Student: And then we could get an answer on what Arvut really is.

M. Laitman: Yes? Okay. Let's go.

Reader: Should I keep reading?

M. Laitman: Yes, yes. If we don't have answers yet, we'll continue reading.

Reading Item 20: (39:19)

20) But the end of the correction of the world will only be by bringing all the people in the world under His work, as it is written, “And the Lord will be King over all the earth; in that day, the Lord will be one and His name one.” The text specifies, “on that day,” and not before. And there are several more verses, “For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord…” “…and all the nations will flow unto him.”

But the role of Israel toward the rest of the world resembles the role of our holy fathers toward the Israeli nation: As the righteousness of our fathers helped us develop and cleanse until we became worthy of receiving the Torah, for were it not for our fathers, who observed the whole of the Torah before it was given, we would certainly not be any better than the rest of the nations, as mentioned in Item 12, so it is upon the Israeli nation—through Torah and Mitzvot—to qualify itself and all the people of the world to develop until they take upon themselves that sublime work of the love of others. This is the ladder to the purpose of creation, which is Dvekut with Him.

Thus, each and every Mitzva that each person from Israel performs in order to bring contentment to one’s Maker, and not for any reward and self-love, helps, to some extent, with the development of all the people of the world. This is because it is not done at once, but by a slow, gradual development, until it increases to such a degree that it can bring all the people in the world to the desired purity. And this is what our sages call “shifting the balance to merit,” meaning that the necessary weight of purity has been achieved. They compared it to weighing on a scale, where the shifting of the balance is the achievement of the desired weight.

M. Laitman: Is that clear? Well, you're not giving a response.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (40:40) It's a beautiful depiction, it's like there are scales, and I keep adding my desire to reach the above to the scales, and from the exertion, the studying, and it gradually goes down until a good portion comes in, and that's it, it opens. It can be in the Ten, in a bigger group, and in the whole world.

M. Laitman: What can be added?

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (41:23) Why did he say that as long as an individual is concerned of himself, he can't even start the commandment of love of your friend?

M. Laitman: Yes? What's the connection?

Student: Yes, first he said you can't even start, as long as you're concerned of yourself. I'm always concerned of myself, so he said you can't even start, you have to start.

M. Laitman: How can you start with bestowal if you are still immersed in your desires to receive?

Student: So, how can I start putting that sesame on the scales?

M. Laitman: You can't.

Student: So how do you get out of it?

M. Laitman: You probably don't exit.

Student: Baal HaSulam writes, I command you to start with all your forces to love one another.

M. Laitman: He probably intended to those who have the power to do so.

Student: So where does the force come if you don't start?

M. Laitman: What can you start with if you don't have it?

Student: We said we have to start no matter what you have or not. And the Creator completes, but you have to start.

M. Laitman: What do you think? We don't think.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (43:09) The Israeli nation through engaging in the commandments has to qualify themselves and the world until they receive the sublime work of love of others. So, we have commandments that we can do in order to develop ourselves in the world towards this goal? So, what are the commandments that we can keep right now? If we still can't keep the Arvut, what can we do? What are those actions that we do in order to speed it up? Let's say, studying the Torah as we're doing, that's one of the things. Can we explain in a more general way what we can do in this period?

M. Laitman: In truth, other than this study as a preparation? Nothing else.

Student: There's a sentence he says here that each and every commandment that every individual from Israel does in order to give contentment to the Maker and not for any other reward or self-love. So, that's what we can do.

M. Laitman: Yes?

Student: Are we really doing it? Can we do it at this stage that we're not in this connection yet?

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: So, in the efforts we're doing it, is it considered something that helps us advance?

M. Laitman: Yes.

Question (Woman Turkiye 7): (45:15) Where does the condition of the Arvut start when you try to justify the friends?

M. Laitman: I didn't understand.

Student: If I need to constantly justify the friends, how can the Arvut start? Where does it start if I'm constantly justifying?

Reader: Where does the Arvut start toward a friend when she tries to constantly justify the friends?

M. Laitman: Yes.

Reader: So when does the Arvut start when she tries to justify?

M. Laitman: Well, she's already in that. There's no beginning towards her. She's already in it.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (46:23) I want to justify the friends, so it means that I'm still slandering. So how can I be an Arvut if I see them as wicked?

M. Laitman: Yes, that's a question. It's a question. Okay, what are we doing next? Prayer? Oh, that's what it is. Well, we have no choice. So we will repeat this at home, we'll go over it again, and for the time being we'll go to our prayer.

Reader: (47:01) Announcements.

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