The transcript has been transcribed and edited from English simultaneous interpretation, thus there may be potential semantic inaccuracies within it.
Daily Morning Lesson: October 27, 2026
Part 1: Rabash. What Is a Flood of Water in the Work? Article No. 4, 1989
Reader: In the first part, we're going to study a lesson from Rav, from October 27th, 2003. The lesson is based on the article "What Is a Flood of Water in the Work?" which you can find in the writings of Rabash, or follow the study material links. We're going to read it together in the Ten. We have 38 minutes to do so, please.
Reading: (00:44) What Is a Flood of Water in the Work?
Article No. 4, 1989
The Zohar, Noah (Item 148), interprets the verse, “Behold, I bring the flood of water on the earth.” These are its words: “Rabbi Yehuda opened: ‘These are the waters of Merivah [Hebrew: quarreling], where the children of Israel quarreled.’ He asks, ‘Did the children of Israel not quarrel with the Creator elsewhere?’ He answers, ‘These were the waters of quarreling, which gave power and might to the accuser to grow stronger because there is sweet water, and there is bitter water, Kedusha [holiness] and the opposite of the right line. There is clear water and there is murky water, the Kedusha and the opposite of the left line. There is water of peace and water of quarreling, Kedusha and the opposite of the middle line. Hence, the verse says, ‘These are the waters of Merivah, where the children of Israel quarreled with the Creator,’ indicating that it is the opposite of the middle line, for they extended on themselves what they should not have extended—the opposite, called ‘waters of quarreling’—and were defiled in it, as it is written, ‘And He sanctified in them.’”
We should understand the meaning of the three types of water, which he says correspond to three lines. What is it in the work? The Zohar certainly speaks from high degrees, where there is the matter of three types of abundance that manifest in three manners, but what can we learn from this in the work?
First, we must know what is “a flood of water” in the work. This flood was the saboteur who “obliterated every living thing.” It is known that when a person begins to work in the work of bestowal, the body complains, “What is this work for you?” “What point is there in it, that you do not want to work for your own benefit? since you must see that you will enjoy life, and bestowing means that you will not work for yourself. What benefit will you derive from working to delight the Creator by observing His Torah and Mitzvot [commandments/good deeds], which He has commanded us through Moses? Will He reward you for your work, that you labor in Torah and Mitzvot?”
“To this, you tell me that you want to work without reward. How is it possible to understand such a thing as working for no reward? It makes no sense! Our inherent nature is a desire to receive delight and pleasure, and if we exert in something, it must be that we are receiving delight and pleasure in return for our efforts. Thus, it is against our nature!” This is called the “What” argument.
However, there is another argument by which the body resists the work of the Creator when a person tells the body, “We must believe in the Creator, that He is the overseer who leads the world as The Good Who Does Good.” At that time, the body comes to the person and makes the Pharaoh argument, who said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?” That is, it is hard for him to believe in the Creator. He says he can work for the sake of the Creator, but on condition: If he felt the greatness of the Creator, he would understand that it is worthwhile to work for Him.
It is as we see in corporeality: If a great person comes and many people determine that he is great, and common sense agrees with those who say that he is great, then just as in corporeality, a person can work and serve the great one. Clearly, if he could feel this greatness about the Creator he would also be able to work and serve the Creator. Yet, we do not have this feeling with regard to the Creator. Rather, as we see, the Shechina [Divinity] is in exile and there is no sensation whatsoever of the greatness of the Creator. Thus, how can he annul his self-benefit before the benefit of the Creator?
When those two—Mi and MA [“Who” and “What” respectively]—connect, it creates the combination Mayim [in Hebrew]. This is the meaning of the words “a flood of water on the earth,” by which they died. That is, all the spirituality, which is called “life,” was lost due to these waters, which are the two questions, “Who” and “What.” The spirit of life of Kedusha departed from them and they remained dead, as it is written, “The wicked in their lives are called ‘dead.’” This is called “the waters of the flood” in the work. Because of these waters, they died in the work and could not continue the work of the Creator due to the arguments, “Who” and “What.”
This is the meaning of what is written in The Zohar (Item 200): “Rabbi Yosi said, ‘He saw the angel of death coming with the floodwater and therefore went into the ark.’” This means that the saboteur, who is the angel of death, is within the arguments, “Who” and “What.”
The salvation of the ark from the flood in the work means that there is the matter of above reason. This is regarded as wanting to walk with his eyes shut, meaning that although reason and the senses do not understand what our sages tell us, they assume upon them faith in the sages and say that we must take upon ourselves faith in the sages, as it is written, “And they believed in the Lord and in His servant, Moses.” Without faith, nothing can be achieved in spirituality.
This discernment is called Bina, which is covered Hassadim and is called “desiring mercy.” This means that he does not want to understand anything, and says about everything that it is certainly God’s Hesed [grace/mercy] that He does with him. Although he does not see the Hassadim [plural of Hesed] that the Creator does with him and with the entire world, he still believes that the Creator leads His world with private Providence of benevolence, as it is written, “And all believe that He is good to all, the good who does good to the bad and to the good.”
This is covered Hassadim, meaning that although he does not see that it is Hassadim, he still believes above reason and says, “They have eyes and see not.” This is also called an “ark,” for one who enters covered Hassadim and accepts everything above reason, in that place there is no control to the Sitra Achra [other side]. This is so because all the questions that the Sitra Achra asks can control only within reason, but above reason, that territory belongs to the Kedusha, for all the questions are only according to the external mind.
Conversely, the internal mind comes after a person has been rewarded with equivalence of form. At that time he understands within the internal mind and sees that everything that the external mind thought that it was right, once he is rewarded with the internal mind, he sees that everything that the external mind argues is untrue, as Baal HaSulam wrote in an essay in Tav-Shin-Gimel [1942-43].
Accordingly, “the saboteur being inside the floodwater and puts a person to death” means that within the water, which is the “Who” and “What,” meaning with these arguments, he kills people. This is the meaning of what The Zohar says, “Rabbi Yosi said, ‘He saw the angel of death coming with the floodwater and therefore went into the ark.’”
In other words, he saw that with these arguments he would lose his spirit of life. At that time, he went into the quality of above reason, which is Bina, which desires mercy, meaning that he wants only to bestow and not receive a thing. Instead, he is happy with his share and regards whatever understanding and feeling about the work of the Creator that he has as a great reward. He is also happy about all the arguments he heard from the “Who” and “What” because now he can go above reason. By this he is saved from the flood of water.
According to the above, we can interpret what The Zohar says (Noah, Item 196), “A person should certainly hide himself so as not to be seen by the saboteur when he is in the world, so he will not look at him, for he has permission to destroy all those seen by him.”
(And in Item 200) “This is why the Creator sought to cover Noah and hide him from sight. And Noah came to hide from the eye, from the water of the flood, for the water pressed him into the ark. He saw the water of the flood and feared it, hence he came to the ark.”
We should understand how it can be said about a sabotaging angel that if Noah enters the ark, the angel cannot see him because he is in the ark. How can we understand this if the Creator advised Noah to enter the ark so the sabotaging angel would not see him? Clearly, when he saw the ark, what would he think, that this is an empty ark without people? Even if the saboteur were corporeal, he would certainly want to see what is in the ark, all the more so with an angel, does he not see what is in the ark? Is this possible?
In the work, we should interpret that the sabotaging angel sees those people who walk within reason. With them, he can argue with arguments of “Who” and “What.” But when the Creator told him to go into Bina, which is called “the covered world,” meaning it is covered from external ones, who are those who go with the external mind, the saboteur can see them because they have a common language, meaning externality.
But those who go above reason, who do everything because of faith in the Creator and through faith in the sages, who give them guidance how to go and achieve Dvekut [adhesion] with the Creator, and be rewarded with the internal mind, called “the mind of the Torah,” in that place it is regarded that the sabotaging angel has no means to see because his vision is in vessels of reception.
For this reason, our sages said, “Once the saboteur is given permission, it does not distinguish between good and bad.” We interpreted that this means that when the saboteur is given permission, even people who engage in reception in order to bestow, who are considered good, since they engage in reception, there can be slandering by him. Hence, they, too, enter Bina, which is vessels of bestowal, where the Sitra Achra has no grip. This is regarded as the sabotaging angel not being able to see who is in the ark, since his grip is only on vessels of reception, where he can slander and accuse.
But one who walks into the ark, which is Bina, a vessel of bestowal, the Sitra Achra does not see them. That is, they have no common language making it possible to understand what the Sitra Achra argues against the work.
When a person walks on the path of bestowal, which is regarded as above reason, faith, until the point of faith the Sitra Achra can argue with a person. But as soon as a person has entered the ark of faith, above reason, the Sitra Achra remains standing by the gate of faith and cannot continue.
It is as it is written in The Study of the Ten Sefirot (Part 14), “This Bina is still not regarded as devoid of Rosh [head] (meaning wholeness) because Bina does not suffer from any force of Tzimtzum [restriction].” This means that since Bina is regarded as desiring mercy, which is a vessel of bestowal, she does not need anything for herself, and anything that she can do above reason, she feels that she has something to give. That is, Tzimtzum is called “lack,” and the lack always comes by one’s desire to receive something. If he needs to receive and someone interferes, meaning that the giver says, “Yes, I will give you, but only on my terms. If you agree to my terms, you will receive. Otherwise, you will not.” Here there is room for interferences.
That is, if the receiver is unfit to meet the terms that the giver requires then the giver is deficient. That is, the conditions that the giver requires are called “limitations and restrictions,” and the receiver is not always willing to meet these terms.
But if he does not want to receive anything from the giver, he does not mind that the giver wants to give only according to restrictions, since he has no business with the giving of the giver. This is called Bina, a vessel of bestowal. She wants to give and not receive anything.
However, there is great depth here in Bina wanting to give and not receive anything. Here, there is already a condition on the part of the lower one, the giver. That is, the fact that the lower one wants to bestow, the lower one says, “Only according to the term I will present to You, I am willing to bestow upon You. Otherwise, I cannot give You anything.” What is the condition? “I want to see if You are really important. And not simply important, but in order for me to be able to give You everything and leave nothing for myself, but observe ‘with all your heart and with all your soul,’ I can give You this only on condition that I feel Your greatness and importance. Then I will be ready for anything. Otherwise, I cannot give You what You ask of me.”
It follows that when a person does not feel the greatness of the Creator, the body cannot annul before Him “with all your heart and with all your soul.” However, in truth, by presenting a condition that says, “I agree to work for You only on condition that I see Your importance and greatness,” he already wants to receive from the Creator—the greatness of the Creator—or he will not want to work with all his heart. Thus, a person is already limited and placed under the governance of concealment, and he is not free to say that he wants nothing but to bestow. This is not true since he does want something before he observes “that all your works will be for the sake of the Creator.” That is, he first wants to receive the greatness of the Creator, and then say that he will annul before the Creator. Certainly, this is not regarded as Bina because Bina desires mercy and wants nothing, for she does want.
It follows that Bina, whose quality is desiring mercy, meaning that she does not need to receive anything, is therefore free, since only one who needs to receive is limited and dependent on the view of others. But one who goes with his eyes shut and does not need any greatness or anything else, this is called “freedom.”
However, we must know that it is a lot of work before we attain the quality of Bina. That is, to be content with little with his feeling and his mind, and be happy with his share, with what he has. That person can always be in wholeness because he is happy with his share.
But what can one do if he has not yet obtained this quality, and he sees that he cannot overcome his will to receive. At that time, he must pray to the Creator to help him so he can go in the work with his eyes shut, and will not need anything, and will be able to do everything for the sake of the Creator despite the resistance of the body to this.
That is, he does not tell the Creator how He should help him. Rather, he must subjugate himself and annul before the Creator unconditionally. But since he cannot overcome his body, he asks the Creator to help him win the war against the inclination, since he understands his lowliness.
For this reason, he asks the Creator to have mercy on him because he is worse than other people, who can be servants of the Creator, whereas he is worse than them. He sees that he has a desire to receive in self-love more than all of them. Therefore, he is ashamed of himself that he can be so lowly. For this reason, he asks the Creator to have mercy on him and deliver him from the governance of the evil inclination.
Yet, he does not ask for help because he is more important than other people. Rather, he is worse than the rest of the people because his will to receive is more developed and works within him more vigorously.
However, he is not asking to be given more knowledge about the greatness of the Creator, and then he will be able to emerge from the governance of evil. Although this is true, he does not want to tell the Creator that he wants to present Him with conditions and only then he will annul before the Creator. Rather, he agrees to remain with little understanding and little feeling, not more than he has now. But since he does not have the power to overcome, he asks the Creator to give him the power to overcome, and not brains, mind, or feeling.
Any advice that a person gives to the Creator seems as though he is setting conditions, as though he has a status and a view. But this is insolence of a person to present the Creator with conditions and say, “If You give me, for example, good taste in the work, I will be able to work for You. Otherwise, I cannot.” Instead, one should say, “I want to annul myself and surrender unconditionally, just give me the strength to really be able to emerge from self-love and love the Lord ‘with all your heart.’”
If a person presents conditions, it does not point to one’s lowliness. On the contrary, it shows that this person considers himself worthy and proud. It is as though he says, “The rest of the people are mindless; they can work for You. But I am not like other people; I know better what it means to be Jewish and what is the work of the Creator.” Therefore, he says to the Creator that He should treat him as he understands it, and not as the Creator understands it.
Accordingly, we can understand the matter of three lines, where The Zohar introduces three discernments: 1) Sweet water, and the opposite of Kedusha, which is bitter water. It is known that “right” means wholeness, as it is written in Baal HaSulam’s essay from Tav-Shin-Gimel [1942-43], that one must believe above reason that he is complete. The opposite of complete is that the Sitra Achra comes and shows him all the deficiencies, how he is not following the path of the Creator, thus dropping a person into a state of sadness to the point that the person wishes to escape the campaign. At that time he only wishes to kill time and sees everything as black.
2) The “left line” is when a person wants to introspect within reason to see what he is truly like according to his eyes, whether he is whole or lacking. Since he has prepared himself for this scrutiny and shifted to the left line because now he wants to pray to the Creator to help him love the Lord with heart and soul, this is called “clear water,” since there is no waste or mixture here. Rather, he wants to find a place where he can pray to the Creator.
Conversely, the opposite of Kedusha comes with complaints and makes him see that he is just fine and has nothing to pray for. This is called “murky water,” for “clear” means that there are no mixtures there. That is, he sees the truth, as he sees according to his view and mind. He sees that he is wrong and has the power and desire to pray to the Creator to help him be rewarded with loving the Creator “with all your heart.” At that time comes the opposite of Kedusha and mixes falsehood there, telling him that he is fine and has nothing to pray for. This is murky water, where falsehood is intermingled in that they say that he is fine and has nothing to pray for.
We should also interpret what The Zohar says, “There is water of peace and water of quarreling, Kedusha and the opposite of the middle line.” The law is that the middle line is a merger of the two lines. Since the right line of Kedusha is wholeness, with respect to above reason, and the left line means that he sees within reason that he is incomplete, but quite the contrary, he is full of deficiencies.
For this reason, the middle line consists of two lines. That is, it is impossible to go above reason before he has reason that shows him the situation, how it seems to him within reason. Then it can be said that he is not looking at what the mind obligates him to do. Rather, he goes above the intellect and believes in the sages, in what the sages tell him, and does not use his own mind.
But if he has no mind and reason to tell him something, it cannot be said that he is going above reason. This is why the middle line is called “peace,” since he needs the two lines. That is, by having two opposite lines and needing both.
But why is it called “peace”? We should interpret that when he has two lines together, he must raise the right line over the left line, as it is written in The Zohar. It means that the line of wholeness is built on the above reason, on the left line, and by this we acquire the desire to love the Creator. This is the Segula [virtue/remedy/quality] of above reason.
It is as Baal HaSulam said, that the fact that the Creator wants us to serve Him above reason, the Creator chose this way since this is the most successful way for the created beings to be rewarded with Dvekut, and then they are rewarded with peace. It is as it is written (Psalms 85), “I will hear what the Lord God shall speak, for He shall speak peace unto His people and unto His followers, and let them not turn back to folly.” It follows that the merging of two lines is called “peace,” and this is the middle line in Kedusha.
Conversely, the opposite of Kedusha is called “waters of quarreling,” since they extended upon themselves that which they should not have extended, called “waters of quarreling,” and were defiled in it. This means that the opposite of Kedusha raised the left line over the right line, meaning said the exact opposite of Kedusha.
The path of Kedusha is that we need the “within reason,” which resists what the “above reason” says. The reason why they need to use and engage in the left line is not that they want to walk in the left line and listen to it. On the contrary, they need to use and engage with the reason so as to have room to go above reason. But what did the opposite of Kedusha do? They extended the left line so as to control the right line, meaning go within reason.
This is real Tuma’a [impurity], for Tuma’a in the work is called “the denseness of the heart.” That is, the will to receive blocks the heart so the Kedusha cannot enter the heart due to disparity of form. Thus, a quarrel with the Creator ensued over why the Creator is not giving them delight and pleasure, which is the opposite of peace. For this reason, we must try to go with faith above reason.
Reader: Then to move to a lesson from October 27th, 2003.
M. Laitman: (38:39) We read the article by Rabash that pertains to the portion of Noah, "What Is a Flood of Water in the Work?" And these articles that pertain to the flood, to Noah, the entire explanation that the Zohar gives, Baal HaSulam, Rabash, regarding the Ark, regarding the power of Bina, faith, which a person acquires in the beginning of his spiritual development, without which he cannot advance. It is a force that is like the fundamental pillar that he needs to build and to already exist around that, and scrutinize, and correct the rest of the discernments. We said that the power of the Bina, which is like the Ark, is a force that the person needs to build inside himself and to build around him as the group and as all of humanity. It is the force which is called Arvut. It is a force which a person acquires, which he acquires as a result of working with the disturbances that come to him, like he says from the questions of “who” and “what” that come to the person and that a person needs to give them some kind of answer. And the force of faith is the force that helps him, that saves him.
It's a force that then, in order to move away from all those disturbances that come to him from the will to receive, he is also concealed from the Creator, and he clings only to the force of faith. Faith above reason. And in that, he builds that for himself; he builds the foundation, as it says that a sage will live in his faith, the righteous will live in, meaning that if a person acquires the force of Bina, of faith, afterwards, in the measure to which he has the vessels of bestowal, he already adds to them the vessels of reception.
Meaning he begins to correct his desire, correct himself. But first of all, one needs to acquire the qualities of the Creator, of Bina, that only by acquiring the qualities of the Creator later on can he add to that his own qualities. And this too, for us, needs to be as our turning point to our state and the group, that we need to be disconnected from our will to receive in the beginning of the work, not to take it into consideration, not to go into the scrutinies and disturbances themselves, to work with them, but only to rise above them. And to see the group and the world, that they're corrected, and that the disturbances that come to us come from the Creator, and that these disturbances they come only in order for me to justify the Creator, like it says that a sage will live in his faith; meaning that above all the disturbances that the Creator sends me with the questions of “who” and “what,” and that I see them in the world, and how the friends behave, and how they seem to me in their uncorrected ways. Despite that all, I go above it, as if I don't drown in the waters of the flood, but to the contrary, I want to be saved. I lock myself, close myself. I don't go into criticism and different calculations that my will to receive presents me with, and all of my senses.
M. Laitman: (43:54) But I justify that the Creator He sends me all of that in order for me to go above it, and to justify Him, and to justify my environment. And only when I relate this way to whatever happens to me do I develop my Galgalta ve Eynaim, the vessels of bestowal. And when I already have the vessels of bestowal, namely, I've acquired the quality of the Creator, I already have the foundation of "a righteous shall live in his faith," and "Tzadik Yesod Olam," meaning, I have acquired the qualities of bestowal, faith, as the very basis of the world, its foundation. Now, based on that I can also begin to scrutinize my vessels of reception, which are my real vessels. But after I've acquired the vessels of bestowal from the Creator through faith, now, by the faith I can add to that further vessels of reception, because it's already the AHP of Ascent, and begin to correct them. Only after I have the Yesod, the basis, therefore, even though that the vessels of bestowal are little vessels, Chafetz Chesed, Israel, which are the smallest of all nations, but without that basis, you can't work with the vessels of reception. And therefore, all the disturbances at first, we need to take them in order to build above them, in faith above reason, this foundation. So, vessels of bestowal only. And afterwards, when he really has that Yesod, then we begin to correct our vessels and relate to those disturbances of the questions of “who” and “what” in a useful manner. Useful differently; meaning that we take these questions, these disturbances, and we work with them, meaning we begin to discover inside of them also the ability to use them in order to bestow. Meaning also the bad, the worst things, and the uncorrected qualities, to see in them too opportunities to work with them in order to advance even further upwards toward the Creator. That's called the AHP of Ascent. But this is already a different kind of work, and this stage will come. And from that, we also need to learn how we should relate not only to our little group but also to our entire broader group, bigger group. That regardless which people we have there, and with what kind of preparation, and with what depth of understanding do they have, where and what they are, all that doesn't matter. I must accept them as partners on the path, and not to criticize them, and to relate to everyone equally, just as if everyone's corrected and are completely righteous. And that above all the disturbances and all the questions that I have about them, I build my relation towards them like toward the Creator only by way of bestowal. And then, after we build this approach, we will be like a fundamental pillar around which we will already be able to see how all those who aspire for the Creator will come and cleave to that fundamental pillar, and that will truly be the foundation of the world. Yesod Olam.
And if we will now pay attention through our uncorrected view to those people who are also uncorrected but that are only in the beginning of their path, in the direction of correction, the direction of the Creator, then of course, we will go into the waters of strife, and malicious waters, and all of those discernments, and the Bina that do not lead to correction, that do not lead to anything beneficial. And this is not the approach which Kabbalists advise us to take.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (49:23) Rabash writes here that when a person begins to work in the work to bestow, the body claims, "What is this work for you?"And the second claim is, otherwise it's a time where a person tells the body that we need to believe in the Creator, that He is the one who governs and manages the world as the Good that does Good. And then a person comes to the body and says, the Pharaoh's claim, "Who is the Creator that should hear His voice?" What's the distinguishment between these two questions?
M. Laitman: These are the two main questions. What is this work? And who is the Creator that I should listen to Him, obey Him? These are the questions of Pharaoh. Pharaoh is the generality of our will to receive, and this is what he's asking. That's it, there are no other questions, only that. What do you need the work of in order to bestow for? And if so, who forces you to? Who is He? What is He? To go, and you need to go in faith above reason in that work. It's in correlation with the double concealment that a person's in.
Now, all of our questions and disturbances, they're actually included in these two questions. What is this work? What do you need this work for? Meaning, if you're standing with your will to receive you have nothing to answer. If you look at it nothing to answer. I remember that when my mother still lived here in Israel, and I couldn't explain to her what it is. "What do you need it for? You're so successful, you have such a great business, wife, kids, everything. What all of a sudden do you need? Why are you going all of a sudden against life altogether, and against success, and against your health? Wake up early in the morning, go to different places." Maybe you hear the same too. Ah, she'll reach; she can tell you. I was also about 29, 30 when I started. And I was successful. My business, I had my own business, a wife, and kids, and everything you need. I had a nice penthouse in the city of Rehovot. "What else do you need? Carry on. All of a sudden you close everything, and you go to some old man in the city of Bnei Brak. You have parents you want to take care of someone, then take care of them. Why do you need to take care of some old man?" I felt that they didn't understand these questions. Meaning against the simple will to receive that asks, not in a cruel way or something, but, you know, on the human level, "What's up? What happened to you?" I remember I put on a Kippa, so people started asking, "What happened? Did someone pass away?" You have nothing to explain. Therefore, against these questions of what do you need this work for that is unbeneficial to the will to receive, you have nothing to answer. What can you say? I had nothing to say to my mom, really. It's really against all rationale.
M. Laitman: (58:28) therefore, when the will to receive itself is right, if I'm in it you can't answer, you can't say anything, you can't move but you really need to obey what it says, because it's right. In this world it rules. The rationale, the power, the laws of this world show me that it's worthwhile. I'll join no problem. The Pharaoh is as if innocently asking, "How could that be? You see how everyone succeeds in this world. And you are going foolishly against the laws of nature." And therefore, this question of what do you need this work for is a very essential one that includes many disturbances.
For an extended period of time, it appears to the person standing before him, and he needs to stand against it, really, this eternal question. And he has nothing to answer. Face to face, nothing to answer, really, you're right. These are the laws of nature in this world, and according to all of these laws, does the animate exist, still, vegetative, and the inanimate?
Only if you want to say that you're the speaking level, and you have some kind of part that is above that, and that part demands its existence and it's not evident to the eye, then you have no choice. And already, according to that you search for a different world. So, it's not the laws of this world, and not existence in this world, but rather you, with the part called the speaking in you, must find a different environment for it to live. That's already a spiritual world. It's not apparent to the eye, and it is not apparent to the desire to receive as something realistic that exists. That's why this is where there's a gap and disconnect between those that have a yearning for the Creator and those that don't yet; that are living on the still, vegetative, and animate, and don't yet feel the speaking in them. And there's nothing you can do with them, but rather simply tell them, "This is what I feel like, this is what I can, this is what I feel that I must, and that's it. Forgive me, but what can you do?" This is considered that the reason of Torah is opposite that of the landlords. The landlords are those who feel there's a law and relationships of laws in this world that they have to observe in order to exist. And the reason of Torah, where you're drawn to the light around them to be their world. So, they're already opposite, and there's nothing you can do here. That's why for this question, "What is this work for you?" there's no answer. As it's written in the Zohar, and as the Rabash writes, you have to beat him on his teeth. If it feels like that, it's a disturbance within, you simply have to give it, sock it in the teeth, and say it's not your matter. You live like a beast, you'll receive like a beast, and that's it, and no more than that.
M. Laitman: (57:50) Why and what can he come to you and ask, "So why do I suddenly deserve altogether, what do I deserve in order to exist?" Are they right when they say this or not? And it turns out she's not correct, because if you relate truly to the still, vegetative, and animal in you as to natural inclinations, then look at the beast. You're like me, you're a little overweight. Have you ever seen a fat beast? A beast will never eat more than it needs for its health in order to exist. You see, you can even see this with dogs and cats, and there's an abundance, they bury it somewhere, they cover it with some dirt, as if for later, yes? They'll never eat more; you thank God, you sit and continue, yes? Yes, we, altogether humanity, and all the different flavors and what the beast doesn't have; that I'm eating because of taste, I eat because it's healthy, that I feel that, that's the weed I need, that's the flesh I need, that's the meat I need, and the quantity I need. Therefore, if you relate to still, vegetative, and animal in you, and only in this way, it won't suffer; you're not robbing it. On the contrary you simply don't enter the speaking into it, this abundance, this redundance.
It turns out, I asked the friend how you need to live a healthy life, yes, nutrition. Give to the body like to the beast. Don't pay attention to the flavors, to the tastes, and all those special things. That's why it's not the beast that asks what's going on with me, but rather, when you want through the beastliness to be rewarded with spirituality, this incorporation, let's say, phase four and phase three, then these questions come to you. And here you have a clear answer: that nevertheless, these phases, these discernments you want to bring into the beast, the spiritual ones and to gain something in this world, in the redundancies, in the excess, in a true normal way where you'll live and nothing more than that, than the degree of the beast.
All spirituality should truly be in the spiritual world. If you were to observe it in such a way, it would be the healthiest way to do so. Because all the excess that humanity wanted to develop in this world was all against us. We saw that nothing good came from that. We're not sick less, we're not happy and less successful, and are only in trouble, and putting ourselves into danger, and that's it. If we were to live as beasts, each would receive as his body demands, we would be satisfied and much happier.
That's why there's no true claim about what to demand on behalf of the body, but rather its demands are ones that don't belong to the body. Because a person is the one who wants to put into his beastly life a part that is spiritual, where the answer is already beyond, in a level of beyond this world, in a manner of the spiritual life. That's the question of what is this work for you. The question is, are you about to go to acquire a vessel of faith? Do you have vessels of bestow right now? Fill them with exertion. Well, and the second question, “Who is the Lord that I should listen to Him?”
That is really about the essence, the driver, the purpose. That's really a much more complex question. If I am going to spirituality because I feel a drive for it, out of fascination, out of curiosity, out of all kinds of inner drives in me that I don't even know where they come from either, but I feel like… one feels like football, and the other about spirituality, all together is here. And here I need to already answer what pushes me, what drives me, meaning what precisely is the reason I'm going towards this.
M. Laitman: (01:03:11) And that's already different. Where also between those who are drawn to spirituality, there's already a different question. “Who is the Lord that I should listen to Him?” Either I go to spirituality in order to acquire the perception of there being angels that are working for me, or this world, the next world, the reward next world, and all kinds of things. Or that I already begin to relate to my entire spiritual development as adhesion to the Creator, what we call being the Creator's servant, where He is the one who obligates, not my desire to receive, and my curiosity, and my desire to swallow this whole world and the next. So, that's already a question from a different type. But nevertheless, it also needs to be gradually clarified to the beginner. And from that question, we approach the first question again, in return, and start scrutinizing the first question of “What is this work for you,” for the sake of what do I want all this development, and they need to go hand in hand. As long as a person has yet to correct his desire to receive and is between BYA of Klipa and BYA of Kedusha, he has these questions. This is against the mind and heart in all the different manners. Altogether, these two questions: one against the desire to receive and the second against the Creator. There is no more than two. Then these two main discernments: desire to receive and the Creator against him, opposing him.
So, the correct use of both the Creator and the desire to receive are these two questions in which they appear in a person. Why are you about to go use them in a manner that is not as your nature? And the answer is only: blunt their teeth. There's no logical question. If you're in the desire to receive, that you're in it's right, the desire to be bestow in you is correct. And in the middle between one and the other, there's nothing. Only simply define a fact that that's how it is, and that's it. That's how it is in relation to himself, he has to also decide all the time. And the Creator, of course, enters all the disturbances, the entire nature which comes to a person as an obstacle so that he will build upon all of nature faith. And these disturbances are ones against mind and heart, against what is this work, and who's the Creator. Where when you're in a state where you look and it's, well, what am I based upon in this work? What am I doing? People live, earn big, solid, obese, politicians that know what they're doing, police and militaries behind them. And me, what am I working with? What rule am I working based on? What, can I come to them and argue with them? Can I convince them to say something to them? I don't have with what? Meaning not them seemingly, but their incorporation in me, who I mean to deal with them. And this question is in me, so it's as if they're coming within me and they're asking from within. And I feel myself so weak that I have no way to answer. And really, there's nothing to answer. Just to give it in the teeth.
M. Laitman: (01:07:52) Where a person scrutinizes and sees that the Creator really brought him to the fate, the correct fate. That He put his hand on the fate, and now a person needs to strengthen. Where the Creator gave him nevertheless to see that development needs to be on a different path, on a different lane, and our life as well begin to prove to us that it is so. Because it was once only those that… and today when the general folk has to get to all this work, then lower layers of the will to receive open up. And there we can see the extent to which this entire method of the desire to receive to fill itself and altogether working according to what understands and how much they lead to only only to ruin. We can see this. This is already revealed, and I every day receive such articles of scientists. I received one movie yesterday. Shame.
It's amazing how the scientists are getting close to understand the spiritual, that everything's thought, and also what the physicists and mathematicians discover is how, usually it's people that are, you know, they're dry, they don't have an inner impulse to go from science to a different type of research as much as it's all… it just proves that there has to be a different approach. Meaning, it's a lot easier to have the ego in the teeth, because eventually you can see that it doesn't satisfy us. Our demands are a lot greater, and if we go along with it, even in our beast we can't fill it, even there we lose.
If a person could tell the difference between his beast to money, honor, knowledge, and he could fill his impulses for money, honor, and knowledge also with spirituality, his beast would have been satisfied in a secure, confident life, completely fulfilled. Because he wants to take his human qualities and acquire the whole world; that's where all the destruction in the world comes from. What do we need when we're drawn to spirituality? Money, lust, honor, knowledge, all these things for us, they start yearning, or they start being directed towards that one goal. We want a beastly life in this world, right? Keep it simple, normal, to exist, nothing more; we don't want more. Give me this in the minimum way that I know that I live, and I'm secure, and the rest, mind and heart, all my awareness, I want it to be upward. In this way when also my humane qualities: the money, honor, and knowledge is also directed towards spirituality, so my beastly life can be even now, we know that if the world would use its forces to give normal, beastly needs to everybody, and all the other impulses would direct it towards spiritual attainment, so everybody today would have bread and everything they need. That's clear.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:13:24) Rabash says that the matter of preparation for the revelation of the Creator is not to set conditions for Him: what to help with, what to give, but rather simply to annul, to yearn to annul oneself, and ask for strength. And we seemingly work, search for greatness once across the barrier, so seemingly if it will happen, then it will be okay, but how does it work out? Are we correct in that?
M. Laitman: I didn't understand you.
Student: He says on page 41 that a correct appeal to the Creator, let's say, is not to set conditions, like saying, "Give me Your greatness, and then I'll do something." Or not to determine the form.
M. Laitman: Not to give. Put conditions before the Creator means that all the disturbances that come to me, I relate to them like beneficial things; that above them have to acquire a relation of bestowal. These disturbances in my will to receive are in order to show me where in my will to receive there is still little places that I didn't correct yet in order to bestow. Where I still didn't cover them with faith; where I still can't justify the Creator; that I start demanding, that I start criticizing what's happening.
If I have a lack of that I'm not satisfied in my world, in my existence, for sure it came from the Creator, that He is causing me this unpleasant feeling. And eventually it comes from Him, in the end, and through all kinds of disturbances. So, what does this feeling point towards? That the place where I feel it, there's no covering of Bina. There's no correction of Chafetz Chesed. Clear or not?
Student: What is Chafetz Chesed then? There's no covering?
M. Laitman: (01:15:56) If I relate to something, if I feel in somewhat not good, is it the Creator doing or not? That's what they say, you're right. That's what they say, right? So, meaning, I'm relating to Him incorrectly, that He's not okay, right? So, I'm still not righteous. I'm still not justifying what He's doing to me. In this place where I feel that He isn't okay, that He isn't righteous, in this place, I'm not righteous. In this place, I'm still lacking faith, the correction of Chafetz Chesed. So, every disturbance that comes from the friends, from the world, from whatever, it comes to point to my uncorrected qualities that I didn't correct them with Bina. And who is a righteous? That whatever comes to him… let's say his entire will to receive has been revealed, and upon all of it, he has the covering of Bina. Called a complete righteous. Finished all the corrections of the righteous, of the Bina itself. Acquired all its Galgalta ve Eynaim. He has a big, true AHP. He doesn't use it, but upon it, he built Galgalta ve Eynaim and restricted the AHP. So, he has the entire body, his whole soul, the whole Guf, the body of the Partzuf. He doesn't use the AHP and uses Galgalta ve Eynaim. Like the state of Adam Rishon before the sin.
Now, you finish with that. You became a complete righteous. Now, the place where the complete righteous work, the place where the ones who repent work, the righteous can't stand. Why? Because the ones who repent, it's even greater. Now, you're starting to become someone who repents. You take the AHP, you start correcting it in order to bestow. That's called that you are repenting. That you are bringing it back towards your AHP, gradually. So, our work has to start that upon all the disturbances we have, we make corrections. None else Besides Him. Everything came from Him, and He's the Good that does good. Until I see the world in this way, it's called that I didn't correct my faith. And this relation is that we need to begin with, we have to develop this relation towards our reality. Towards our reality in this world. As he writes in item 17, in the "Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot" that he who studies has to commit to strengthen his faith. His heart will be sure that there is someone supplying the forces, and from Lo Lishma he will reach Lishma, and so on, and by this he must exert. meaning only to direct themselves to see the Creator that is conducting the whole world, managing the whole world in the best possible way, and where I see things that aren't good. I see them because of my corrupted vision, because of my corrupted will to receive. That in this the Creator is showing me where I need correction, a covering of Chafetz Chesed, a covering of the quality of Bina. And if a person aims towards it so he continues and says that with due time, he acquires the quality of Bina, and according to that he can enter spiritual life, and that depends on the quality during the study, especially during the study.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:21:01) I understand that it's impossible, but where to take the strength from?
M. Laitman: You take the strength by getting inspired of how the others and you together sometimes want this, and to get inspired in a way that it will be, that it will stay in you for longer and longer times, and when you go out to the regular life you won't forget about it. So, there's a force in society, and if it's a big society so even more, there's such a force that you will demand this fulfillment. And you see how we today are in a state that if we're not in such a feeling that we feel bad, or we can reach the feeling that we're not only one group, but we feel connected with the rest of the groups, meaning, we already have conditions from above. It's like a person who's hungry, or if he feels bad, or if he's ill, or a drug addict, whatever, that he's already drawn to something, and he sees that without this he can't exist. So now, there's going to be a state that we won't be able to exist without feeling our state only by belonging to this yearning for spirituality. Less than that, it'll feel as something bad. It's called that the righteous lives in his state. He lives in it; otherwise, he doesn't feel he's alive, he feels like he's choking, he feels bad, feels ill. That's how we have to feel. And for that, we're making these corrections that we're gathering together, and connecting together, and we feel a strong fulfillment, and then that fulfillment lets us join it all the time and draws to that level, that same level of life.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:23:45) Doesn't it become like an escape from the bad?
M. Laitman: No, it's not trying to escape evil, because first of all we understand that it is beneficial, and it doesn't come for us to run from it, but that we will build a different relation to spirituality above it. It's not running from bad, but there's a very great role that if you step on it, we rise up. Not like the world thinks that the evil has a purpose that will dwell in all these beastly desires and go through all these failures again from every generation to generation, that they're always failing and always repeating it. We don't need to repeat it. Enough. We're using the evil that is revealed in us as a revelation from the Creator that's specifically above it, we have to acquire the force of faith, the quality of faith. That's the only reason the evil exists. If all of humanity would use the evil in that way, there would be a complete, calm, great life.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:25:13) So, why is it called restriction in the will to receive?
M. Laitman: I'm restricting the will to receive. I'm only using it in the necessary way. That's how it turns out anyway: that if I yearn for spirituality, and I want to live in it and experience it, so anyway it turns out that I'm using everything else only in a necessary way. I don't have to limit myself how much I'm eating or drinking; this form that I'm not relating to it through my desire, but just from necessity. So that form is already... it sets all the things I use in this world. Let's say I need billions, I need the best technology in the world, I need thousands of people to work. That means that I want to acquire them? If we're doing it in order to spread the wisdom, cause correction, so obviously we're going to have to use everything.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:26:41) How can my society, which is uncorrected, how can it give me the right direction?
M. Laitman: An uncorrected society gives you a direction because it's not corrected. The question is how an uncorrected desire can give you a direction. If you had a corrected society, would you see that you're corrupted? How could you appreciate their corrected qualities? You look at a corrected Kabbalist, oh, it's something, oh my God, that's what I'm going to be like? On the contrary; you grow through the shells. They give you, they feed you, they nourish you. It happens in such a smart but simple way. Really how it was possible to plan this, I don't know. By a society being uncorrected, that it seems to you that it's uncorrected, specifically in this way it can come to you, and you'll start reading these things in an opposite way. That a corrected society—and I'm not corrected. That's why I call it to the extent that they're not corrected. If I'm righteous, they're not. If they're righteous, I'm not. One of the two. So you decide what your approach is.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:28:27) So the society can actually direct me much more correctly than Rav?
M. Laitman: Society can direct you more correctly than Rav for sure, no doubt, no doubt. Society, if it's directed correctly and you are directed correctly one towards the other, you don't need anything else. But Rav is standing on the side like a kindergarten teacher, helping you here, "Play nicely, kids." That's the only thing. The rest, you learn this game from playing with one another. And a person learns from within himself, from what's clarified to him, what's revealed in him, of course.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:29:13) On the one hand, you said earlier that the person needs to... On the other hand, there is a mother, and father, and the physical laws here, meaning what's more worthwhile for me? To study Kabbalah or to be with my mother at home?
M. Laitman: Simple question, right? You have that too, right? Oh, I see a lot of people here. Meaning, how should I relate? In a simple way, not spiritual. It's written, "Respect your father and mother," right? It's a commandment. And there are a lot of sayings and quotes, right? On one hand. On the other hand, if I truly depict my mother, can I, with my ego, right? Because I'm just an egoist. I want to go and deal with spirituality. So I leave my family, supposedly disregard my work, and everything, and my relatives. I hardly see them. I don't want to see them, right or not? And how can I allow that? I remember when I felt that question in my parents too. "We raised you. We gave you all of our soul, everything we had. Instead of that, you're going to Bnei Brak to take care of this old guy." Right? That's what it looks like on the outside. What's up? Not that they demanded it from me, but in a natural way, that's what comes out. What are you doing? And the Creator of that, completely, I don't know. Something happened to the guy. So what to do? What can you do? You do what you think. It's written simple. Everything comes from the question of “What is the meaning of my life. And what am I alive for?” If a person can silence that question and just live according to the desire of his relatives, do that. If he understands that he can't do that anymore, and he grew out of it, and he isn't alive in order to keep the desires of his mother and father, that is a previous degree, and he should move on. So he'll move on. My question is one. That's the only thing you don't listen to your parents about, or all kinds of other things you don't listen to them?
Student: That's the only thing.
M. Laitman: That's the only thing, suddenly, that you don't listen to your parents. Okay, here you go.
Student: It's harder here.
M. Laitman: They take it harder. If you go according to all other things, so it's clear what's happening, that's completely fine. But not this, because it's not accepted in them. I understand that, but it doesn't matter. I'm asking if you hear or not. I'm not asking towards what. So it turns out that you don't listen to them. And this is where you bump into something. So, here you're starting to pity them already, right? How many crucial things you did in the world, in your life, cruel towards them, I mean.
Student: But that doesn't affect my whole life. I did things where I didn't listen to them, but it doesn't affect me throughout all of life, like Kabbalah. If I want to enter it, then it's from now onwards. So that's what I'm saying. It's not this lifelong...
M. Laitman: (01:33:55) That's not right. You don't ask them who you're going to get married with, even though they don't agree, you're not choosing the profession or where you're going to live, 90% of what you do, the parents don't agree with. They don't agree. It's a different generation. It's always like that. That's the problems of fathers and sons. It's always like that. It's not from today. That's nature, the new generation. And you're not allowed to go by your parents. Also, in the rules of the country and the world, you grew. That's it.
From now on, you have to be on your own. You have to get married. You have to live your life. You should respect them, but not by living according to their plan. Respect them, support them, help them on a beastly level only. They gave you life as a beast, and not on a human level.
On a human level, every generation adds upon the previous generation. So, there's nothing new here. Only spirituality you have to start finding justification. Why not? I went through all these things. Ask my mother today. She's 85 or 86. And she'll say the same thing. What compared to 30 years ago when I started studying Kabbalah? It's not hard. It's my life, and that's her life. It's interesting. I even tell her, "Mother, look how many books I wrote. Look at all this." And she says, "No, but if you'd live in Rehovot, it would be so good, and you'll be healthy and calm. Why do you need all this?" A friend remembers. The parents are our previous degree. That's why we have to respect them on their degree. The beastly life, yes. And the Torah obligates it too.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:36:40) You said earlier that the Creator shows me through disturbances. How does a person build a desire in the correct way? In what way does he correct it?
M. Laitman: After seeing society, and the world, and everything uncorrected, and I see it in a natural way, a person always feels himself as righteous, that he justifies himself, and that's our nature. And everything he sees incorrectly, he relates it to the externality, right? And eventually ascribes it to the Creator. Maybe it's subconscious, or he doesn't know, but that's called “to blame the Creator.” Now the question is, how can we change this natural approach, this natural observation in us, that when we see the negative outside of us, but ascribe it to our desires and qualities that aren't corrected in me yet?
Student: And what do I do with it? Let's say I even got that message.
M. Laitman: (01:38:12) No, first of all, how can I catch myself and read the picture correctly, right? That outside of me everything is perfect, and the end of correction, and all the corruption is in me. That only society can remind me about it. It's a rumor, it's an opinion, it's an idea in society. Only then can I awaken each and every one, or I can awaken by books, writers. That's also society. It's also something outside of me, but it's a lot harder. But if this idea is burning, is in our air, so each one will remember a few times a day that this is how he needs to relate to it, to everybody. To relate that we're in a corrected state, what seems bad towards them, I must say that it was me who was uncorrected. Now here has to be some kind of like correction here.
This is the only way I need to relate to the friends that are in the end of correction, that they're completely corrected. Only the friends that are with me on the path and not people that are in society or harming, or people that are in society and just annulling, but only those who are truly with me together in the same direction. And the rest of the world, I don't relate to them. It's still not for us. Later on, we'll have the same approach to them, too. After I remember that this is how I have to relate to everyone, and I try in this way to constantly bring myself back forcefully and look at everybody like this, if I truly try, I'll start feeling that this is how the Creator is relating to us. I start feeling it as a thought and a general force that is truly in the world in such a way. Then I'm already living on a different level of connection. Now, what should I make of this? What's the result of this attitude change towards society? It is that from here on, I start searching how to be in that state.
Meaning, what does it mean to be in that state? I don't start devouring myself that I'm not okay, and this isn't okay, and then I dwell in my evil, but I'm always searching how to be in an uplifted state. By this, I put myself in the right state, then the surrounding light can come and correct me. I resemble it. I want to be close to it. I want to live in it, in its values. Then it works upon me. But if I'm dwelled in me, I'm horrible, and I'm not okay, and so by this, I move away from the upper light. I'm in the negative. Also nonsense, because in the end, I'm also corrected. It's just in order to change my relation, my intention. I don't have good or bad desires.
When we start relating to desires so it seems like I have good and bad in me. The intention is the difference between the good deeds and bad deeds, and the intention is what am I adhering to. So specifically, not to go into the bad, not to think about it, not to try and correct it, but to always adhere to the good, and to see everything like the Creator sees it. That's what brings the surrounding light. That's called to yearn for faith, what he says, "The righteous will live in his faith." And by this, you awaken the surrounding light, and the light that reforms, it corrects. Not you, not by devouring yourself, not by all kinds of things. The light is what corrects. That's it. You do the maximum you can to come close to the light, and it will do the job.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:43:22) What does it mean that the light corrects me? What does it mean?
M. Laitman: It brings you importance. It shows you the importance of spirituality in such a way that you already… you accept, you receive the force of faith from it. That's it. Faith doesn't mean that you're going with your eyes shut like the masses think. I close my eyes, the more fanatic I am, and I don't listen to anybody. That's it. I just scream something, and I'm done. Why? Because that's not faith. Faith is a force that rides upon all the will to receive. When you take it into account, you don't erase it. The masses erase it. That's why it's called faith below reason. We call it faith above reason because we're constantly getting an addition of a will to receive, and even though we feel it, we are constantly going above it.
Meaning, I see all my flaws, I see the disturbances, I see the corruptions, but along with that, I adhere to the Creator. I want to be in the desire to bestow. Then it turns out that my Galgalta ve Eynaim grew upon the AHP. The AHP, I'm just restricting it, I'm not using it, but it is in me, in my awareness. That's why it's called faith, the force of Galgalta ve Eynaim, that I acquire above the AHP, above reason. But the masses, the people, they're not allowed to ask. They're not allowed to look at disturbances. Only to take something and stand that stigma. That's called faith below reason. That's also called faith. What is faith? That they respect the quality of bestowal, or something like that. And that's in every religion, no matter what and where. But they are doing it below reason. And that's the difference between reception. That's the difference between Kabbalah and all the other religions, or fanatics. There's still differences, but compared to Kabbalah, they're all like beasts. That's it.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:45:59) Is the correcting light supposed to remove the disturbance from me?
M. Laitman: The light that corrects, what does it correct? It gives you a feeling of importance. And from that, you can appreciate the quality of faith, the quality of bestowal, more than your vessels. It helps you ride upon it. By that, you increase your Galgalta ve Eynaim, the bestowal, more than reception. That you build the Galgalta ve Eynaim above the AHP. What does it mean, you build? You don't put a block on a block. The values you have towards the Galgalta ve Eynaim are greater than what you have towards the AHP. That's it.
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Reader: Share your impressions from the lesson and what we're taking from it to realize in the Ten.
Reader: We'll enter the next part of the lesson, but beforehand, we'll sing a song together.
Song: (01:53:06)