Shamati, Article 83,

Concerning the Right Vav, the Left Vav

Lesson by Rav Michael Laitman, Bnei Baruch, Israel

October 17, 2006

Bold and indented: Original text of Baal HaSulam
Regular: Commentaries of Rav Laitman
lowercase italics: emphasized words
Capitalized Italics: transliteration from Hebrew

We are reading from the book Shamati, Article 83, Concerning the Right Vav, the Left Vav.

There is the discernment of Ze (‘this’ in male form) and the discernment of Zot (‘this’ in female form). Moses is considered Ze, which is the King’s best-man. [This means, his attainment was of "this" kind]. The rest of the prophets are considered Zot [Their quality, their attainment, their essence with respect to the, Nukvah (female/queen), which is "that."] or Koh (the letters Chaf and Hey), which is the meaning of Yadecha (thy hand), a left Vav. There is also the discernment of the right Vav.

And this is the meaning of “the gathering Zayins,” which gather two Vavs. This is the meaning of “and one that contains them,” which is the thirteen, considered a complete degree.

There is a right Vav and there is a left Vav. The right Vav is called “the tree of life,” and the left Vav is called “the tree of knowledge…”

We can understand these things and we don’t need to interpret them: Baal HaSulam is talking about two lines. The left line is the desire; the Klipa (shell) is the will to receive in order to receive. In the Kedusha (sanctity) it’s a desire which, to begin with, comes with the intention to receive. Then a person turns to the right, to the quality of bestowal, to the Light, and balances these two lines within him with Behinat Daat. As we say Hochma, Bina, Daat, which is the side of the Gevura from the left, and the side of the Hesed or the Hochma from the right, and that is the way we build the lines.

Only in the left line is it possible to establish the creature, the force of the creature, which is called soul, because it was the Creator’s will that the creature would not be cancelled as it is with the right line. Therefore the will to receive had to be cancelled in him as a candle before a torch, as it is in Malchut de Ein Sof (the Kingdom of Infinite).

The point of Malchut is cancelled in the Light of Ein Sof (Infinity) and you don’t feel that the creature even exists. It only appears as a point of existence from absence, as a tiny black point in the Light of Ein Sof. Whereas, when the creature, that tiny black point, receives within it all of the Light, it then receives from the Light all of the Light’s qualities. Thus it expands itself to the boundary of Ein Sof, and receives all the qualities of the Light in order to receive, (namely grows in its natural qualities) and then inverts itself to be in order to bestow with all the qualities of the Light that it received within.

Then the creature exists and it just expanded itself from the point in the middle of Ein Sof to the boundaries of the outer most circle, upon all of the ten Sefirot. That doesn’t cancel the will to receive. It just grew to the point of the Creator, to the point of Ein Sof, by absorbing within it all the qualities of the Light, processing them and implementing them in such a way that now it is similar to the Light, to the Creator by itself.

Subsequently if we’re talking about this whole process with respect to the lines, then we have the left line. It is the desire and it doesn’t disappear or diminish in any way. On the contrary, from a point of a desire, it grew up to the level of the Creator. The will to receive that was created as a tiny desire that didn’t even feel its own self grew to the measure of the giving of the Light (that's the desire against it, in receiving). And it—the left line—exists from zero up to the whole length of the 125 degrees. And in contrast with it, it sustains the right line, which is the Light. It lets this Light exist because otherwise the Light isn’t felt as the Light, since it’s only felt within the desire.

Thus, when it sustains these two lines, within the desire of the creature, its desire exists and sustains the Light. Out of that combination it builds a new personality called the middle line and then these two Vavs, these two lines exist together.

So the creature is actually responsible and worthy by sustaining himself to the size of the Creator and causes the Creator to be revealed, to shine within himself, within his own desire. That is how the Creator gives the creature the possibility to express himself and express the Creator within creation.

This is perhaps similar to parents, whose love for their children is that their children will be even greater than them. Furthermore, the success of the children is accepted and felt in the parents as their own success and even more than that.

Therefore, when the Creator diminishes Himself after creation and lets the creature maintain himself with a free choice and to discover the Creator (that the Creator is now seemingly dependent upon the creature), by that He allows the creature to reach the level, the responsibility of expressing himself as the Creator and more than that. Being responsible for the whole of creation and even the appearance of the Creator in creation depend on the creature’s will.

This is what the order of three lines enables us. I wanted to stress that by that, the creature is not cancelled. He doesn’t become equal to the Creator but above Him because the evolution of the whole of reality depends upon him.

There is a right Vav and there is a left Vav. The right Vav is called “the tree of life,” and the left Vav is called “the tree of knowledge,” where there is the place of the guarding. The two Vavs are called “the twelve Challahs,”¹ two rows, six in a row, which is the meaning of the thirteen Tikkunim (corrections), which are twelve, and one that contains them, called “luck and cleansed.”

That’s the order of the Rosh (head) of the world of Atzilut, the Rosh of Arich Anpin, which arranges the incorporation for us. The two lines are incorporated in one another in a balanced form. Initially, they awaken the creature correctly from Above to be in the right balance between the will to receive and the will to bestow. So that he learns how to combine these two lines that to begin with contradict one another, because their qualities are opposite. They are not just different, but opposite at the root. How are we able to combine them? Through many actions that to begin with are opposite. Thus, they cancel one another until a person finds how he can bring them closer to one another, until they sustain one another.

Because we are in complete concealment, spirituality is hidden and we don’t understand how to reach it. Actually, by actions of these two lines where the Rosh of Arich Anpin operates and Atik (detached) that is hidden within over the broken Kelim (vessels), we slowly begin to awaken in them in the right order, such impressions and sensations that in those Kelim the right systems begin to form for understanding, feeling, attaining, expressing free choice, for discernments and decisions, for the recognition of evil, for raising MAN. Slowly, the creature studies himself in this way.

The left line first followed from within the right line because you can’t know one without the other. All of these phases of self recognition and recognition of the Creator, the recognition of reality and the system itself and controlling this system that the creature acquires, comes from the thirteen corrections of Dikna (beard) of Arich Anpin (AA), where all the forms of incorporation are rooted, right in left and left in right, which is called "systems of the thirteen corrections of Dikna."

As Baal HaSulam says the most important is that they are all incorporated in one, which is called Mazal ve Nakeh (Mazal is luck, and Nakeh is cleaning). Even during prayers we use these thirteen corrections. The Merciful God, which is where we come with our plea up to the Rosh of AA. And when the creature takes upon himself all of these corrections of Rosh AA, then it’s considered that he reaches the end of his correction, the end of his integration of all of his will to receive that was created in him and grew through the Light with all of the will to bestow that he receives from the Light.

Whereby these two lines no longer contradict one another, but sustain one another. All of that happens gradually, bit by bit, by acquiring. That’s why it’s called luck because it slowly drips in tiny portions. That’s how the creature is integrated with his qualities of the thirteen corrections of Dikna and can contain more and more these two lines that oppose one another, together into a middle line.

It also contains the thirteenth correction, called “shall not be cleansed,” which is the meaning of the gathering Zayins. The Zayin is Malchut; she contains them. Before one is rewarded with “shall not turn back to folly,” she is called “shall not be cleansed.” And those who have already been rewarded with not turning back to folly are called “cleansed.”

That’s the end of the corrections. We call that degree Gmar Tikkun (the End of Correction). The creature can reach it with his own powers, with his own choice, and then we have the correction of the accent to Tzimtzum Aleph (the first restriction), the correction of the stony heart.

This is the meaning of “will reveal its flavors in twelve roars, which are a sign in his sky, twice and weak” (in the song I will Prepare for a Meal). It is also written, “she will be crowned with Vavs and gathering Zayins” (in the song I will Praise with a Song). We should interpret the crowning with the Vavs, that the connection through two Vavs is the meaning of the twelve roars (which are the twelve Challahs) that are a sign in the sky.

A sign is called Yesod, and it is called “twice and weak.” This means that the Vavs have been doubled: the left Vav is called “the tree of knowledge,” the place of the guarding.

The will to receive is kept there, whereby you split it into discernments you can use, and discernments you can’t use.

Why do we get this explanation about the verses of songs that we sing at the Shabbat (Saturday) meal? Because the Shabbat meal symbolizes the level of the Zivug de Hakaa (mating while striking) and reception of Lights in order to bestow and the correction of the two lines at the degree before Gmar Tikkun. Why before Gmar Tikkun? Because Shabbat is still awakening from Above when the complete correction of the stony heart is still not incorporated. Thus, in all the corrections that the creature succeeds in doing through the six weekdays, the Shabbat meal symbolizes those: the twelve Challot that are blessed for them at the third meal.

Then they became weak (called “light”), and then a room was made through which it was easy to pass. Had it not been for the doubling with the tree of knowledge, they would have had to work with the right Vav, discerned as “the tree of life.” And then, who could elevate himself and receive the Mochin? [Meaning, without the integration of the left in the right of course, it’s impossible to work with the left.]

However, with the left Vav, discerned as the keeping, one is always in this form. And by merit of the keeping, when he assumes above reason, his work is then desirable. This is why it is called “weak,” light, meaning it is easy to find a place for work.

This means that in any state one is in, one can be the Creator’s worker, since he does not need anything, but does everything above reason. It turns out that one does not need any Mochin, with which to be the servant of the Creator.

Of course, that state is still incomplete; it’s temporary, it comes only as integration of the lines in one another for the time being. However, to keep itself, it must be integrated in the right, go above reason and then while being above reason, it begins to use the Daat (the reason). That’s the next phase.

Now we can interpret what is written, “set up a table before me, against my enemies.” [Meaning, by keeping me from my enemies]. A table means, as it is written, “and sendeth her out of his house, and she departeth out of his house, and goeth” (Deuteronomy 24:1-2). A Shulchan (table) is like VeShlacha (and sendeth her), meaning exit from the work.

We should interpret that even during the exits from the work, meaning in a state of decline…

He is given additions in the will to receive in the left because otherwise he won’t grow. An exit is an addition of left. It’s not that he exits the work. It’s just called that way because he temporarily grows distant from Kedusha (sanctity) but that remoteness is actually exiting in order to take some more substance for work and for elevation.

…one still has a place to work. This means that when one prevails above reason [when he is under the control of the right by force, he subjugates the left, doesn’t use it, but subjugates it] during the declines, and says that the descents, too, were given to him from Above [to subsequently rise], the enemies are thus canceled. This is so because the enemies thought that through the declines the person will reach utter lowness…

A person thinks he can't do anything with the descents that he receives, so for the time being, he's in a state where the desires control him. Subsequently he thinks what his thoughts think, and wants what his desires want and he's integrated in them. Because they control him to such an extent that he is not even aware that someone controls him now; a new egoistic degree, he doesn’t understand that it’s a foreign control.

Afterwards, he begins to realize and recognize that it is a foreign control when they begin to shine, one against the other—the Light from the right. With that, he begins to feel that this left is not him but it’s heaviness from the outside. He then starts to cope with this heaviness and as it says, he begins to understand that it comes to him specifically so as to subjugate the left under the right to rise even higher. Moreover, these enemies come precisely for correction and through them, on top of them, he rises even higher up and then these enemies are cancelled.

…because the enemies thought that through the declines the person will reach utter lowness and escape the campaign, but in the end the opposite occurred—the enemies were cancelled.

This is the meaning of what is written, “the table that is before the Lord…”

This means that " it’s not that you make a table for me against my enemies," but he sees that this table is against the Creator. The Creator sent these enemies, these foes, the heaviness of the heart and the desires, the Klipot. It doesn’t matter what we call these obstructions. It comes from the Creator so that we have a meal against the Creator.

…that precisely in this manner does he receive the face of the Creator.

The revelation of Godliness is through and within these foes, those desires to receive, which we now correct through the right to be in order to bestow. Therefore, it’s specifically in them that there is the appearance of the face of the Creator. The Creator can appear as Light of Wisdom only in vessels of reception.

And this is the meaning of subduing all the judgments, even the greatest judgments, since he assumes the burden of the Kingdom of Heaven at all times.

This means that he sanctifies the times as it is written, "Israel sanctified times." Also the worst states that they are in, being under the Klipot, in desires and thoughts that are detached from the Creator, nevertheless, by working, trying, overcoming these times too, these states, they later on add to Kedusha, to "there is none else besides Him." Whereby, it comes from the Creator for the purpose of ascension. Consequently, all of these judgments are sweetened and as it says, there cannot be a meal without spices, like pepper and salt. When the two lines are put together correctly, he receives the revelation of the Creator’s face.

That is, he always finds a place for work, as it is written that Rabbi Shimon Bar-Yochai said, “there is not a place to hide from Thee.”

Nothing is hidden from a person, from the ability to proceed in all of these states, from strength to strength unendingly, because he sees in every situation that it’s an invitation from the Creator to come closer to Him. This is why, to the extent a person is in the right and the left, in very, very opposite ways that just break up his mind, he should be prepared by the connection between them. By trying to connect them to reach a new level, the middle line in which there is him revealing the Creator’s face and an adhesion with Him. This means the qualities are joined that could not be joined logically or realistically as two parts of creation.

Question: What’s the connection between the left and the right, before we have a middle line?

Before we have a middle line, the right and the left begin to become clearer to a person, even during the time of concealment. The middle line begins from above the Machsom when a person embarks on the evolution of his soul. Prior to that, there is the right and the left that appear not as Klipot, opposite Kedusha as it is above the Machsom, but they appear as two states.

One state is called the "left," and is when a person has alien thoughts where he only thinks of himself. Why are they called left? All of humanity has them. So, is it in the left? Of course not.

We begin to talk about the left and the right even during concealment, when a person is in the preparation period, namely, when he begins to see that these states come to him from Providence. Whereas, a person who does not connect the situations that he has in life to the Creator, to Providence, is not in the preparation period, he’s not preparing himself for a connection, for bonding, for absorption.

He lives from life to life until his will to receive becomes big and developed enough in the intellect that grew next to the desire and he begins to ask, "What’s the meaning of my life?" And "what’s the meaning of my life" is actually the question about the source. "Where does my life come from?" and "Why is it so bad?" It’s in fact a question about Providence.

Consequently he asks about the concealment. "Is there a reason for it?" "Why is it?" "What is it for?" It’s still hidden; he still doesn’t understand it but that is what he thinks. That’s what people normally ask, when they are depressed. It's modern depression, without any seemingly just reason.

When he begins to ask, he then comes to the means, to the books or to our content material of the authentic sources of Kabbalah, which give him additional Light. That Light starts shining for him, begins to disclose in him even greater darkness and shows him how opposite he is from the Light. He begins to see the two apparent lines during the preparation period and starts to be integrated in both states. At one time he feels good and another time he feels bad in a sensation. Then once he feels good and another time he feels bad in discernments.

A system begins to be created in him of good and bad, compared to true and false where in the good or bad, he feels good or bad. In true and false he justifies or condemns the Creator. Why and what for?

In the beginning, the why and what for are not connected to the Creator. He still doesn’t have that concept regarding the force that operates him. Nevertheless, there is a connection to Guidance; I feel good in life, I feel bad in life. He’s mad at the bad and doesn’t know what to ascribe the good to but this is already an attitude of good or bad with respect to some Guidance.

Then it creates in him a kind of internal war, or to be in the good or bad or in true and false. He begins to prefer the truth over the bad. Perhaps, he feels bad but on the other hand, he sees that it is true, so it opens up new horizons for him. He begins to understand life better and thus, he’s willing to progress in this way. He receives within him strength because normally he is in a group, with books. That’s how this system is built; true and false opposite the bitter and sweet. Later, it becomes two lines.

During the building of this system of two lines, he’s always in conflicting emotional states and conflicting intellectual states. He either justifies or condemns; or feels good or feels bad.

There is a double concealment and single concealment as we learned. In the double concealment he feels either good or bad. Especially, if he feels bad, he loses the Upper Force and then he can’t even point to it as being the cause of the bad; there is no Providence. Perhaps, in the state where he feels good, too good; he loses the Upper Force, "I, in the might of my hand, got me this wealth." But when he draws more and more Lights from Above, he doesn’t know what he’s doing but he participates in the means that bring him progress in the process.

As a result, he enters single concealment and acquires the path of Torah, where even in the worst states he is in a certain luminescence that gives him the sensation of the existence of the Guide. Because it is not that a person became stronger. He just came a little closer and then the Upper Light sustains him in the worst states too.

Subsequently, even in concealment. It is ordinary, single concealment, not double concealment where even if a person feels bad, he understands that this is a purposeful bad. That’s why he says that the Creator exists and watches and thus, brings him closer to the good. This means even though he feels bad, he justifies that bad. That’s a big degree.

These two degrees move in such a way that sometimes he feels bad and justifies the Creator. Sometimes he falls from justifying the Creator and forgets about Him and says that he is just feeling bad and the world is filled with troubles and enemies, etc.

These two degrees continue until a person crosses the Machsom. They don’t stop appearing and sometimes he even falls into double concealment. And when he completes his effort in these concealments, that namely despite the concealments and against the obstructions he attached himself as much as he could to the Providence, that the Creator is benevolent, even though he doesn't feel it. He exists and supervises everything that happens to him always, whether or not he feels it. So, after he completes the phases of this concealment and he doesn’t know when but by that, he acquires more and more of a necessity to justify.

It’s not that he sustains the Creator because otherwise he falls into darkness, into the abyss and that’s why he has to have Providence revealed. But, he wants Providence to be revealed because he doesn’t want to condemn the Creator for the states that he falls into. He agrees to the greatest concealment not because he’s afraid and at war and feels bad but because these states detach him from justifying Providence. Then when he exerts in that as much as he can exert so as to come to a state where he has implemented everything he had to do in double concealment and single concealment, he then enters the zone above the Machsom and begins to receive the real right and left.

The left being the Klipot, the desires that stand against the Creator, to exploit the Creator. Previously, he wasn’t even given that chance, he was neutral. I have Guidance over me or I don’t have Guidance over me; good Guidance, bad Guidance. He is good but I feel Him as good or bad because of my own good or bad qualities. Until he scrutinizes these things, as if he was working relatively passively with respect to Guidance, to Providence.

Now, it’s the opposite. Now he stands opposite the Creator with the ability to exploit the Creator for himself. He should fight his ability to use the Creator for himself and he can do that. He’s given a possibility to steal from the Creator. Baal HaSulam writes about the servant, who wants to rise above the ministers. Steal, kill and do whatever you want without anything bad happening to you. Go ahead!

That’s how the Klipot show him these abilities. And he works on that above reason, but just on opposite: in order to ordain the quality of bestowal, to crown Providence above reason.

That’s the work in these two lines that really contradict one another and the creature connects them within him. Here there are many details because it’s a whole process but with this work he prepares the two lines.

He comes to the state of the Shabbat meal until he comes to the big meal. It’s called Seuda Leviatan (meal of the whale) with all the wisdom received in the will to receive. And the middle line becomes the only Kav (line). He moves into Tzimtzum Aleph and then the ten Sefirot become as one structure of one Partzuf, where the infinite Light and infinite Kli are together as one inclusive thing, without any limitations.

Braided bread (traditionally served during the Sabbath).↩

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