Morning Lesson June 13, 2021, Transcription
1.Rav’s Introduction: We need to see that there are no more than two states, other states where
the person feels himself or he feels what is outside of him. ‘Outside of him’ means between himself and his friends. This is it. This is what we have. Whereas, the person, if he is inside himself, he is in his ego, this is called the imaginary world that he is feeling. If he's outside of himself, trying forcefully to come out of himself then he is in the upper, spiritual world. Two states, one versus the other. This is how we need to see how through a special overcoming we break through and break out from our inner prison of the will that locks us into the ego that grips us. How do we come out of that into the relationships between us? We can come out of those relationships between us on the condition that we correctly portray the situation where outside of us is the Creator, outside of our ego and I have friends who are also outside of me, for the time being. And with their help I can, also, somehow come out of myself, come closer to them and this way I simply raise myself from my egoistic world, my lowly, lower world which I feel inside of me, to the spiritual world, the upper world which is outside of me. Between us, between the friends. This is how we need to go each time. In overcoming between us, overcoming ourselves towards the space between us. Coming out towards the friends is like coming out towards the Creator. We see from a few verses, this is also what the Kabbalists say, that behind every friend the Creator is standing. What is important for me nevertheless is to connect between us in mutual help between us. This way we measure our advancement only in relation to this. This is really the essence of overcoming: how do I try to come out from feeling myself, meaning my ego, my evil inclination, which is opposite to the Creator, to its opposite. When I come out of myself, I begin to feel the connection with the friends which is like the connection with the Creator. More and more, in this way, I arrange myself properly relative to the friends, this is our work. The entire wisdom of Kabbalah speaks only about this. From this, we get a new perception of reality in place of the false reality where I look into myself, into my egoistic will to receive, into my restricted, distorted will to receive. Then, I come out of myself towards what we call ’the enlightened world’, ‘the good eternal world’. By that, I not only change how I view things, but I also change my vessels of perception, all my forces, desires, feelings in my mind. This is a new perception of reality which is called the wisdom of Kabbalah: how to receive and perceive the true reality which is, indeed, a great wisdom and it is a high degree. It is a great change and the person's inner world, the world that he receives. Let's read the verses, let’s scrutinize them and try to connect our inner changes with the external world perception, seemingly external, or all of it is inside of us as it is now. Also, the whole world that we feel both inside and outside, everything is happening inside of us. So how do we come to the world of truth, the truth world?
2. S. (6:04) If the perception of what’s between us is in us and the perception of love is within us, how do you work with that? How do we search for this ‘between us’ if it’s also inside of us?
R. When we begin to connect between us, to be as one man in one heart we start to understand that the whole reality is a single system. There is no internal or external. me or others. It is all in all, one created being and the Creator who fills him and organizes him. This is the perception of reality.
Excerpt 1 (07:00 - 09:29) Twice
3. R. (09:32) We have to understand that in truth the Creator receives contentment from our appeals, when we turn to Him. Maybe I do not get any reaction from the Creator, any response. I do not see that I am changing in my states each time a few changes between the good and bad state which I feel in my ego, of course, for the time being there are states I understand more or less in the study or in general in my life. And that I also feel inside my ego. The feeling that connects me to state that I can say they are seemingly spiritual. Something changes in my life. Still, it’s not spirituality. I see that all my forces are egoistic and I cannot change them, for the time being. They are not changing. Nevertheless, there is great pleasure for the Creator when we are in those states. We don't let them go and we wish to remain in them. We wish to advance but even when we remain in those states, we go through years this way, but we don't despair. We keep going. As Baal HaSulam writes ‘a person needs to be in those states for 20 or 30 years until he, perhaps, comes to spirituality and then he advances forward. After all, our advancement is in getting to a state where we want to bestow. If you want to bestow then your greatest bestowal is when you do not feel that you are bestowal like a baby not feeling who you are dealing with, who you are connected to still you simply move forward and try more and more. Even though you have no way of thinking of bestowal. Nevertheless, by continuing to go, you bestow. This is why to advance by overcoming as is the name of the lesson, even when we think we are doing nothing or we are not capable nevertheless, we wake up, come to the lesson again and again, and to the workshops, the gatherings in all those things. This is what we present to the Creator, we offer it to Him and by this, we give Him contentment. Of course, the less we understand and do not understand anything of our work but nevertheless we do it. We are doing the most important, most pleasant work for the Creator. And when we grow up and become more understanding, more feeling, don't think that then we can give greater contentment to the Creator. No. Rather, do, in the state when He is giving you to do what you’re capable of doing and from that He will receive contentment. In this, He will advance us. There is a thing and it's opposite, as usual, in the wisdom of Kabbalah where the more we advance, the less we bestow.
4. S. (14:26) In the article it says and you also just explained that we also don't despair but we keep on going but we also learn that we need that this pair to have something to overcome. Can you explain this again because I do not understand what means of course we have to go on but we need this despair because we need something to overcome.
R. We despair, we grow weaker, we get confused. The egoistic desires are revealed in different ways to show we can disconnect us from advancing towards the Creator, that's one hand. On the other hand, Kabbalists tell us that we need to understand, that our ability to come out of these states depends on receiving the force of bestowal from the Creator to rise above the will to receive that gives us all these forms of weakness and disappointment and so on. Only by connecting between us, when I come out of myself, there is the meaning of coming out to a field that the Creator blessed, to these forces that are outside of me, between me and the friends, between us. There we find that field, the Creator, this force of bestowal outside of me and if I try to come out of myself with the force of bestowal toward the friends, as the Creator has arranged for us in a very special way that then with the help of this force of connection, the force of Arvut we can attain the same conditions by which the reforming light will influence us, called the Torah. Then He will advance us certainly towards the correct connection between where we reveal in practice the force of connection called the Creator.
S. I understand it a little but we say that we need to get despaired of our own work, we try everything and everything and certainly we cry out because we get totally despaired of yourself of your own filthy work, this is what we see. We really need is this, is this a different level what we are talking now is this a different state in this despair what we are talking about now?
R. The state will change both in quantity and that quality what we feel between as we're inside of me, this we will assume different forms different force is different intensity different levels I will feel more and more that what is in me is only the will to receive and what is outside of me is only the will to bestow and the question is how much I am incorporated in that will to bestow that is outside of me. It means how much the force called the created being, me, entering that force outside of me, the Creator and the society which is seemingly outside of me as those parts that belong to me that were seemingly inside of me now come out of me through the shattering through the sin of the Tree of Knowledge, the destruction and all of this is as great help for me where my friends have this feeling of being distanced from me. Then I can be drawn to them, I can attract them to myself or the other way around I can pull myself towards them and this way we can forcefully, out of these exercises, come to connection with the Creator, this is called through the love of the created beings to the love of the Creator.
5. S. (19:59) In order to reach the Creator hearing us, do we need to reach despair on my own or together with the whole ten?
R. Alone, but of course that 10 has to support you and help you on your own. You don’t need to bring the 10 into despair you need to reach despair of your own strength when you are unable to hold onto spiritual it in any way or shape or form unless you are incorporated in the 10. Even the correct despair you can only come to when you are incorporated in the 10, let alone coming out of this despair.
6. S. (21:08) In the excerpt, Rabash describes two states one is negative where we need to overcome, not to let the mind absorb thoughts of despair and a positive state where the Creator is close to the broken hearted and saves the crushed in spirit. What is the difference between these two states?
R. We will come to it, shortly. It’s a correct question, ask then.
7. S. (21:57) On one hand, the Creator shows us that only through addressing Him we can turn something towards good on the other hand He shows us that only the right prayer can do something and then we understand that we cannot produce the right prayer on the level it is needed you have everything you have the friends you do what you can but we cannot produce that kind of prayer, what to do?
R. It is possible that you pray so beautifully to the Creator that He does not want to help you. He just enjoys your request, so what to do then, so in your request, in your demand prayer, you give Him contentment and you can stay in that so keep trying.
S. He just creates such conditions that He forces you to turn to him.
R. For that we should be grateful that the Creator arranges for you such a state that make you have to turn to Him. This is something.
S. So the question is how to build this after all, that I understand that I need to pray but the quality and the depth of the prayer but I see that I cannot do this, I am not capable, how to do this work?
R. This depends on the degree and the depth of your connection to the friends as much as your prayer will be the prayer of many, the prayer of the public, when you turn to him in the state of being one man with one heart. Then in this way you come to the correct prayer after all whatever the mind does not do that time does, in other words you don't have a choice, the Creator will help and is helping in each and every moment he is guiding you. He says I am the first and I am the last but we need to continue, we have to keep going, there is no more than that, we do not understand what we are doing and how much they are doing. Especially today when we are in the stages of The Last Generation, we cannot make any calculations for ourselves, for our little, tiny circle. Instead, we have to not make calculations, but to understand that with all of humanity is on the same path, we are gradually entering the work where all the people in the world are in it, everyone. Our problem is that we are not speaking of a tiny group or the 10 or not even all the 10s. Let's say we have thousands of tens, we are together surrounded by and connected to whole of humanity, this is what the end of correction is all about, this is called The Last Generation. We make calculations, everything is fine but whatever may be whatever may come we have to continue, it is certain that we are progressing every moment but we do not see those great changes because it is distributed among billions of broken souls who are on this path with us it is like you are tied to a cart and if before you used to carry only yourself or your 10, now you are pulling the whole humanity. So even 1 millimeter forward is a great correction and only this way can you correct the whole humanity, so relative to you this is a small step but relatively to the entire broken vessel of Adam HaRishon, this is a great correction, great progress.
S. In this case He demands work not only with the 10 but with everybody else.
R. Yes, we tried to do it. Maybe you don't understand, you do not know what we are doing but we try to do everything. Those who can take part in this towards the whole mankind we have many people who are working on this both for salary which we get from the Maaser you pay and also volunteers who work in dissemination, if we are doing it, everybody must understand that if he knows how to do it if he's capable he has an opportunity then we must give the knowledge of correction to the entire world.
8. S. (28:00) So to the extent the person is becoming more bestowing, he begins to perceive that he gives less, that he thinks he bestows less to have more deficiency?
R. This is correct the more progress it seems to us that we bestow less although we bestow more this is one of the signs of progress.
9. S. (28:52) How to reach a state where I see myself worse than other people?
R. You need to simply make corrections and as a result of those corrections if you see yourself as a worse than the others, this is fine, it is the result of the correction of the influence of the reforming light on you.
10. S. (29:27) What is coming out of myself and incorporated in the friends?
R. The meaning of coming out of myself and incorporating into the fence when I come out of the feeling of this world into the feeling of the upper world because I stop feeling myself and I begin to feel something outside of myself. Outside of myself is at the Creator but in order to hold on to the Creator, I have to be incorporated in a special structure, a special system called the 10 and then inside this structure 10, I discover the upper force called the Creator.
S. What does it mean to be lazy in the spiritual world?
R. To be lazy means to cool off from coming closer to the friends.
11. S. (30:37) What am I supposed to take responsibility for here and what is that I can influence and what stays under external influences?
R. We simply have to understand that if I am with myself, it is a shell, if I am inside the friends, it is sanctity, holiness and the more I come out of myself into the others, there I eventually reveal the Creator. To have an opportunity to discover the Creator to attach myself to him, I have to emerge in that there is this imaginary form inside of me or I exist in the 10. The Creator did this intentionally so I have a certain systemic opportunity to come from me to the Creator, I cannot grasp the Creator I can grasp or perceive only this special structure which is divided into 10 parts. If I wish to connect with these 10 parts that appear to me as strangers and the evil inclination is between as if I try nevertheless, overcome these disturbances, the rejection of the evil inclination between me and my friends, then by that I can feel it the level of the connection the force of connection between me and the Creator.
12. S. (32:42) You said that we are surrounded by the whole entire world and can you explain this entire mankind?
R. We are surrounded by the whole of mankind with our 10 and many of our tens connected later to a single 10. let's say a hundred 10’s connects together to 1000 people but it's not a thousand people, it is still at 10. It is seemingly bigger, more powerful but we will feel it as a single 10 or there will be seemingly 100 people or 1000 or 10000 people, it does not matter. This is the same with mankind after all it is 10 Sefirot, 10 forces as we learn from the study of the TES because of the changes between each one and the special combination between everybody reveals the Creator. As much as these forces are forming different relationships between them, that form of these relationships, this mainly gives us the opportunity to get to know the Creator to hold on to him, to understand the Creator.
13. S. (34:36) When is a friend permitted and not permitted to share his state of despair in the group if they are unbearable to him?
R. The best is not to open this sad topic ever because I can bring the friends down from their state you can say but later, he will overcome it and this overcoming is not my business. I must help the friend, always to be in a positive high-level, relative to this reality, to be close to the Creator. This is my job to constantly put a positive atmosphere into the 10.
14. S. (35:42) Can there be a state where I am already in the friends but I do not feel the Creator there
R. Yes, it is possible but it is called the group of criminals, a gang, a motley crew, then they go to rob something they have certain agreement between them, certain closeness but they are not aimed at the upper force, it is possible.
S. So how to change this?
R. You have to think about the purpose of creation and this purpose obligates you to connect with them and then the connections be purposeful.
15. S. (36:43) The topic is very complex inside the 10 we are supposed to discover the Creator of the created that is revealed in the 10 out of the first three circles of the HaVaYaH?
R. If we come to the feeling of those circles then we will feel the Creator as the first three circles.
16. S. (37:24) We have the time when we are together in the lesson when we meet during the day, the question is beyond those times how to progress in overcoming in the 10?
R. Overcoming in the connection between as in the 10 should take place in all hours of the day and night as much as each one tries to keep his forces to this.
S. If there is a time when I do not progress in overcoming when I cannot do this, will the system ultimately increase my state and cause me to overcome?
R. Yes, if we don't overcome eventually the system wakes up kicks in and pushes us towards corrections because of course the Creator does not trust us to correct ourselves but in addition there are forces that wake up in humanity and in each person to overcome but this is called the path of suffering and this is not the path of Torah as Baal HaSulam writes in the article The Giving of the Torah (Matan Torah)
Excerpt 2 (38:46) Twice
17. S. (40:28) We already are accustomed to problems in life and these jumps of coarseness so it seems that there are states that bring more than what we can actually handle?
R. None as wise as the experienced, we have to learn from all the states and the most important is to be incorporated in the friends. After all, the wisdom comes from incorporation. If we come closer to each other according to how much you try, the fact that you cannot it is ok, but you have to try, and as much as you put effort in it to come closer to each other, these ideas, these opinions somehow reach an inner incorporation in you, and you get the wisdom from that and from the incorporation of the opinions of each other. The person by himself cannot be so wise, so smart, but only by mixing with the others by integrating with the others.
18. S. (41:56) Why do we call this evil inclination when this is only here to help us?
R. Yes, but it confuses us during the process, so until the end it is called evil information, because this confusion pushes us away from the purpose of creation, not letting us to approach it directly only by overcoming it. This is why on one hand it is called evil inclination, on the other hand it is called help against, help against, and then I begin to see that it is truly helping me by repelling me, confusing me, holding me from progress in all possible forms. By this, specifically, from these opposites, it points my attention to the Creator and to the purpose of creation and eventually I start to understand it and appreciate and even love it. It says that the Angel of Death becomes the holy angel. The evil inclination is called the Angel of Death, but when we reach the purpose of creation, we can see wholeheartedly that it is a holy angel. It is the force of holiness coming from the Creator but it has this role to confuse us, to twist us and to try to push us away from the path, progressing on this path. We seemingly couldn't come to the goal, this is the job of this evil inclination and with its help, by wanting to come closer to the Creator but that we cannot because of this evil, by this way acquire wisdom, how to get around and escape from it, how to arrange such actions that help us overcome. The evil inclination here helps us to be smarter, stronger, to come to be similar to the Creator. This is the work of the evil inclination so we need to respect it, we have to resist it on the one hand, we have to disagree with it, we want to erase it, and then together we have to understand and accept it as a helping force. There is nothing in the world that would not be purposeful in order to help our progress, only for that.
19. S. (44:56) It is not clear that the evil inclination can help us to approach to work in bestowal?
R. If it were not for the evil inclination there would be no way of starting, what would you work against what would stop you in your progress, only the evil inclination so you have to perform certain actions against it. This evil inclination both in your mind and heart and feelings, everywhere in you. For example, seeing the kids in the school, in the college and in the work, what they are doing, it is all by the evil inclination, it is stopping us putting those brakes on everything we do everywhere, that gets in my way, it is a force that is setting up against my movement. Everything is so difficult for us, we do not want it, we cannot do it mentally, they want to exhaust us physically. This is all the evil inclination specifically, and because of that when we think why it is there, work in order to overcome it, try to know how to rise above it, from that we get the wisdom. We get the efforts we have to put in which becomes where we are becoming greater experts and the Creator is revealed in my eyes on top of the evil inclination that I discover. All this without the evil inclination would not have been revealed. The Creator would remain as a tiny spark pushing me to something and then what's next, where do we find the end? The moment this spark starts to appear in the person the evil inclination comes against it and doesn't want to give us opportunity, or it wants to give and stimulate the person. This is how we advance. We have to understand the evil inclination although it is working against. Specifically, by resisting the person's effort to approach the Creator he is doing a holy work, the main work. To receive forces from above is not a problem, but to receive forces from above to correctly use the evil inclination is true work.
20. S. (47:50) How does one avoid excuses in the work of coming to connection between us? To receive from the force from the Creator the force.
R. I do not know what to tell you, this is a great problem. A week ago, we had a Congress. In my eyes, it was a very powerful Congress, strong, unlike anything we’ve had, very powerful. On the other hand, I got comments from many people that it was not so strong, maybe we should do it differently, right? (Rav asking Niv, one of the organizers)
S. (Niv): Yes. There were some voices like that as well.
R. Where do you think it’s coming from?
S. I think those who were involved and there were many friends involved who prepared for it I think they felt the Congress more. And those who were less, they felt like just three Shabbats in a row.
R. Yes, a great burden, I understand. In short, this is what I lament. That there are people who still do not feel any progress, although in my eyes this was the greatest act of connection and closeness, we’ve had in all the years of Bnei Baruch. Therefore, those who are not connected to such actions, well, it is good on the one hand they have a good, healthy evil inclination; on the other hand, he has to have a feeling that he must use the force of repulsion, rejection from such actions, specifically to rise above their ego, above this rejecting force to the force of connection. It is very difficult, it is not simple, it is easier said than done, I get it. I went through it and felt it more than once. But that’s the actions that we need to perform, here. And then we won’t have any problems with all the corrections. By this we are connecting to a huge, massive vessel where the Creator dwells with all of His power.
21. S. (51:17) In order to receive from the Creator, the force to overcome, how important is it to organize everything that’s happening in our corporeal life so that we can be more committed in the lesson, dissemination, and the 10? What advice can you give us?
R. We learn this all the time, I do not know what to tell you. Everything we are learning, you need to listen to each lesson again throughout the day and extract the summaries from it, and this is how you go from day-to-day. But look at what we are doing! We assemble all the materials we compress it and they bring it to us in a very concentrated way, like these verses, and this is how we advance. If we were to study in the regular way, for one verse we would read a whole article -- a one, two-hour long article. This way, we read it in a few minutes and then we have some time to talk about it, answer questions.
22. S. (53:04) What to do so that the evil inclination does not stop us? How can we become more vigilant against it?
R. We have to be connected because in the connection between us the upper force is revealed.
23. S. (53:46) What is the meaning in the last excerpt we read where he writes ‘not to reply with lame excuses?
R. Don't reject it but use it on the condition that you can use it to attain the goal. You have to understand to attain the force of bestowal. We need to understand that to attain the force of bestowal we cannot do this without the evil inclination, without the force that resists bestowal because this force exists only inside in the egoistic desire. If I come with my egoistic desire and I demand the force of bestowal then as much as I can assemble on top of the ago the force of bestowal, from that I am beginning to receive the full intensity of bestowal. Meaning it is like in every engine or everything that we try to derive or work, I must have the force of resistance there. Without it I cannot extract force, I cannot derive any power to work. This is in our corporeal world and it is also in the spiritual world. Without the force of resistance, without the will to receive, resist the action, I cannot perform an action. What would I perform it over? I need something that resists it.
24. S. (55:40) What was unique and powerful in the last congress?
R. We had a considerable revelation of the form of connection between us. We understand that we are in this one organization, one process, one goal. (We are) with this one force working on us. It surrounds us and we can feel ourselves under a guiding hand from above that is moving all of us together and together with us, all of humanity. Gradually, slowly, we are starting to feel that humanity is moving, also, with us. That all of these actions that we have also come to all of humanity. We are in the center of this vortex. Humanity is on the outskirts but nevertheless it is starting to move and revolve more and more with us. This is what we will feel. This is what I am saying. Soon there will be another pandemic or it will seemingly make a comeback, it doesn’t matter what form.; and other such things. Meaning we will feel how we are being manipulated by the upper force and how our world, through us, is also acquiring or receiving that force that revolves it. We are coming closer to the world or more accurately, the world is coming closer to us and together with it we will approach the upper force. For the time beings, we need to be more connected between us, in the 10s and all of Bnei Baruch as one 10. But the process that the Creator will apply pressure on all of humanity so it would pay attention for our existence, here, what we are saying, what we are doing, what we are creating between us this momentum, force of connection humanity will feel it and we will feel how much they are turning to us more and more. And we will carry out our role to be a conduit for all of humanity.
S. In September there will be another Congress, so how should we prepare for this Congress in order to feel the power, these energies that you described?
R. Yes. September is a powerful month. Again, it is the connection except each time it is going to be tighter and tighter. Such connection that we would feel ourselves connected even more. I don't have anything more to say but from time to time we will feel ourselves closer and more together until we begin to feel to what extent we determine our inner, spiritual states. Each one and everyone, on everyone. Later, us, relative to the world and the world relative to us. We are the Galgalta ve Eynaim, GE, of the structure of the entire world, of humanity and all the vessels of the outside world are as AHP, what Baal HaSulam is describing to us in the Introduction to the Book of Zohar.
25. S. (01:00:04) Are all the desires that awaken in us Reshimot? And if so, how to overcome them?
R. There are Reshimot and they're are desires -- records and desires -- but each and every desire stem from these records. We are not responsible for which record awakens, when. We can only determine the pace by which these records emerge according to how we work with them. I feel a desire inside of me and, as much as possible, it is recommended immediately that I think about what to do with it. How do I come closer to the Creator with it? How do I realize it? Then quickly, quickly, as much as possible, these records and desires change, and I get to a more advanced state.
26. S. (01:02:22) You said September is a powerful month. I would like to ask why?
R. There are other special days there, that’s why. It is not that there are going to be better states for humanity, it has to do with the fact that September is the time for the holidays, festive days, all those special times.
S. What actions within us allow us to see the bad is good?
R. Coming closer. Only coming closer to one another
27. S. (01:03:25) About the Congress, I want to thank you and all of the friends for giving me an opportunity and everyone who has a desire to be a part in the preparation. The Congress is very sincere and deep and powerful. Thank you for this.
R. Thank you.
Excerpt 3 (01:04:03-01:05:50) RABASH, Article No.22 (1985), “The Whole of the Torah is One Holy Name”
28. R. It is exactly what we have talked about when we have the question, can we perform any actions without the will to receive and without overcoming without this collision between the two.
Reader continues.
29. S. (01:06:02) Still, there is a difference from the will to receive and the evil inclination. How, writes here, if he has no will receive, he has nothing to make a screen on?
R. If I am sitting idly by and I'm watching football TV or something, is this the will to receive or the evil inclination?
S. Good question.
R. It is the beastly will to receive but if I'm aimed at the goal and directed at the goal and there's something that hinders my efforts to reach the goal this is called the evil inclination because it disturbs me. I want to reach the purpose of creation and I am sitting to watch football instead of studying the lesson, so the desire that is disturbing me here is called the evil inclination, if it has nothing to do with attending the goal then it's only a desire. This is why the evil inclination, the evil desire is only found in those who engage in the wisdom of Kabbalah, who are aimed at attaining the purpose of creation.
S. He has no desire to receive, he has nothing to make a screen on, then what kind of desire to receive?
R. Also desires to receive are only about those who interfere, so if you don't have a desire to interfere, then what screen do we have to talk about?
S. How can I do this without lying to myself that it's the evil inclination and not just the desire to receive, how can you really scrutinize that?
R. According to how you feel, if I'm sitting in front of the computer and there's a button for me, on one side it says morning lesson and on the other side it says soccer game or something else, now I have free choice, what do I choose?
S. The question here is, there is a lot of room for bribery here on behalf of the desire to receive?
R. That is the question, can I make a choice after all the twists and turns? I'll tell you the bottom line, you can't do anything except the group that helps you make the choice that's why our free choice is only in incorporation in the ten.
30. S. (01:09:28) He writes, overcoming means taking a part of a vessel of reception, how do we do this calculation to taking only a part of a vessel of reception, because when we are in the situation, whatever it is, it is a full situation and it is not a part situation, so how do we do this calculation and after, adding it to the vessel of bestowal?
R. We will learn about it, it is not so simple. You want to learn, how do I work inside my desires to bestow, my desires to receive, how do I connect them, combine them, build a vessel. This is still ahead of us. Maybe Volume 4 of TES.
30(a). S. (01:10:34) How to identify a state of descent in a friend in order to help?
R. I don't know what to pick into the inner states of the friends I just have to generally be helping them in raising their spirits and the general awakening.
31. S. (01:11:00) What is the screen, Masach, built from, what is the substance?
R. The screen is a force of resistance that resists my desire to receive. I want something and there is an opposite force against it, this is the screen, let's say you want a piece of cake, but the doctor told you no you shouldn't, that is the screen.
S. Is this some vessel that we build it from?
R. You build it from the same force of the will to receive except in the opposite form, the desire to receive becomes the restriction and the limitation.
32. S. (01:12:06) I heard that only incorporation in the 10 will help a person choose spirituality when he has a dilemma. Is this based on something a person needs to do when he needs to make a decision or is it in his preparation in advance, and at the moment of choice it is automatic?
R. What you said was correct but I didn't hear a question.
S. Is the incorporation in the 10 to make the choice, does it happen at the moment of the choice or it's a result of preparation?
R. It is a result of all the preparations that we have. We can't even say how far. Meaning in total, this exists in the person, and the person receives the results of that. It comes out of him.
33. S. (01:13:08) In our state where we are, what exactly do we build by overcoming?
R. Ultimately, we are building a screen, Masach. A force of resistance to the will to receive where the will to receive will appear with all its might, and the screen will cover it and hold it. Then the screen and the will to receive will participate together as the will to bestow from the created being towards the Creator.
34. S. (01:35:50) You said that we can make the right choice thanks to the 10, and what’s more than this, the 10 makes the right choice. Now let’s say I'm sitting in the evening and I have two options: watching soccer or go to sleep. In both cases, I’ll come to the lesson but in one state it’ll be after a good night’s sleep. So, how does the 10 help me make the choice?
R. The 10 can decide if everyone goes to sleep. No one stays up to watch soccer, we are going to bed, everyone is going to bed. This is a must. It’s the law and you would have to accept it because if you are not doing it as a 10. It says, ‘you are thrown out of spirituality’. You have to be careful not to do it, go against the group. In such a way that you lie to and steal from them. You take yourself out of this process of spiritual advancement. Even if they won't know about it you do it quietly it will cost you, dearly.
Excerpt 4 (01:15:57 - 01:18:52) twice Baal HaSulam, Letter No.18
35. S. (01:18:57) Based on the excerpt, ‘The Fool’ is a fool because he is lost or because he's not looking?
R. The fact that a person loses something, that comes to him from above, from the Creator. But the fact that he is not searching for it, this is already his negligence, lack of connection with the 10. The Creator cannot awaken us except if we are connected to the 10. There’s a structure in us where we can realize something. Accordingly, He awakens us. This is how we need to accept our states.
36. S. (01:19:54) The three tactics in the excerpt: what is the one of confidence?
R. It is the feeling of connection with the environment. Where in the environment, he needs to close his eyes and trust the environment to direct him. If he is in the system of the 10, he, himself, doesn't need to decide anything; it is all decided by his annulment toward the 10. This is called ‘confidence’. His annulment towards the 10 is called ‘faith and feeling the force that he receives in return from the 10 is called ‘confidence’.
37. S. (01:21:00) According to the excerpt, when ‘He is a Fool’ who walks in a flood that comes on him from before (and behind?) and he doesn't feel the sensation as a great iniquity, we say we always have to be in adhesion and here it seems opposite. Can you explain?
R. No, think about it. I don't have anything to add. Think about it and then ask again tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.
38. S. (01:21:50) What is the force that brings us to the 10 if we have no free choice other than the 10?
R. But we have no choice in a 10, we don't choose the 10. It says in the article of Arvut that ‘The Creator Brings a Person to the Good Fortune and says: Take This”’. We don't choose a 10, we don't vote where we're going to be or not. Seemingly, He places me from above and I have to accept it. Then I see. I look at it and it seems as if there was no guiding hand here but the guiding hand is actually working. After all of our calculations and confusions, this is what is working, here. This is why I have to accept my presence in the 10. (As if) I fell into some 10 and (wonder,) did I choose this or someone else did it? We have to accept and make things work and from above everything will be arranged for us then we'll see it's not the 10 but the Creator who is arranging for me these forces and relationships in order to connect to Him.
39. S. (01:24:08) I feel that let’s say, the lesson is boring, the questions are repetitive and the answers are repetitive. Is this lack of importance on my part?
R. Also, yes. Of course, everything that happens with a person happens relative to him, because of him.
40. S. (01:24:57) It's not clear to me: what is the connection beginning of excerpt 4 that ‘the Keter is in Ein Sof and equal to all’, and from there to ‘the fool walking under a flood of preventions? It’s not clear its beginning and how it continues, that the Keter shines to all equally?
R. Yes, it illuminates to all completely, equally. (But) He's not giving everyone the same, He's giving everyone what they are missing, not more and not less.
41. S. (01:25:43) Why doesn't he feel this flood of preventions, this fool?
R. Because he is a fool! He doesn't take them into consideration. He feels but he doesn't ascribe them to the Creator. Regular people don't get interruptions, disturbances? the world is full of suffering but who is taking those sufferings as coming from the Creator on purpose to give a person an opportunity to overcome faith above reason? No one. If we would all, do it, we will come to the correction immediately.
S. And one who is already working in the 10 he also has this state where there is a flood over him and he doesn't feel it, even?
R. No, he knows who he is in contact with, that's the difference there. Then all of these disturbances he uses to rise up the degrees. Whereas those who don't accept it as coming from above as a disturbance, they cannot rise above those disturbances. He has no way to climb, no ladder.
42. S. (01:27:08) I have a question about ‘choice’. Please tell me how to learn to choose correctly? Because what I need to do, I don't want to do and, what I do is incorrect. This is how it turns out.
R. You need to follow yourself and see exactly what you're thinking about. What do you want? From that to understand how you are working. Everything you do, even in thought, why are you doing it and why not? You should scrutinize and criticize everything that awakens in you and how you react to it. This way you will build a constant system in you, your system of governance and providence, relative to how the Creator relates to you in His governance and providence. Then these systems of the Creator and your system will begin to be connected and will direct one another until they begin to complement one another.
43. S. (01:28:43) If there is a corporeal problem that prevents a person from connecting, how to approach it in order to gain more adhesion? It seems the solution and the problem are completely corporeal?
R. You should approach it as a corporeal problem with a corporeal solution, as long as it doesn't disturb you. It doesn't matter how you take these disturbances as long as I take it as a disturbance, corporeal or spiritual - doesn’t matter, and in spite of it, I am drawn towards connection.