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

Daily Lesson (Morning), July 3, 2024. 

Part 3 Mishna. Pirkei Avot. The Chapter Of The Father, Chapter 5

Reader: Hello, we're studying Pirkei Avot, the chapters of the Fathers, and we're in Chapter 5.

With ten utterances the world was created. And what does this teach, for surely it could have been created with one utterance? But this was so in order to punish the wicked who destroy the world that was created with ten utterances, And to give a good reward to the righteous who maintain the world that was created with ten utterances.

M. Laitman: That means that there's a difference in minus ten for the wicked and plus ten for the righteous. All in all, in twenty utterances is the difference between the righteous and the wicked. That's what I understand from this. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:49) I would add, and say, that the wicked are from both, broken. The righteous inherited the land.

M. Laitman: I don't know, it's not written here. Main thing is to come, and say, and confuse everybody.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (02:13) What's the difference whether the righteous or the wicked if they have ten utterances or one utterance? It's like it all depends on the change towards the upper force, altogether?

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Student: So why is it the ten that's specifically what's important? 

M. Laitman: They want to bring life to the world and ten utterances. And they, want to cancel the world. 

Student: Nevertheless, it's enough for there to be a difference of one between them, for this to be in one direction. And the other in another direction. What's the matter to show this gap?

M. Laitman: There's ten in each direction.

Student: Yes.

M. Laitman: These ten, as opposed to, those ten. 

Student: It's enough if I'm one against the other, on the other side, and it's already?

M. Laitman: No, you think that.

Student: So, what's the point here, what does it mean that it comes against the upper force specifically?

M. Laitman: There must be one desire, complete, which comes through ten utterances. Otherwise, you can't demand of the wicked or give a good reward for the righteous.

Reader: #2: (03:40) [There were] ten generations from Adam to Noah, in order to make known what long-suffering is His; for all those generations kept on provoking Him, until He brought upon them the waters of the flood. [There were] ten generations from Noah to Abraham, in order to make known what long-suffering is His; for all those generations kept on provoking Him, until Abraham, came and received the reward of all of them.

M. Laitman: Yes, that's clear, ten generations from Adam until Noah and afterwards the flood. And another ten generations from Noah until Abraham and then they get a reward. Through Noah, comes the flood, through Abraham comes the reward. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (05:13) I didn't see it so far but it's the first time I'm seeing that in Pirkei Avot, it's truly like this order of verses. There was a verse, then a verse, then a verse, and here all of a sudden he's giving Noah to Abraham, Abraham to, like this, a certain order to things. Or was it all together also like that before, but we just didn't notice?

M. Laitman: We didn't pay attention. 

Reader: Mishna #3: (05:43) With ten trials was Abraham, our father (may he rest in peace), tried, and he withstood them all; to make known how great was the love of Abraham, our father (peace be upon him).

M. Laitman: That means that in order to scrutinize the measure of love that Abraham had. He had to go through ten attempts that, then, he can be revealed and understand them.

Reader: #4: (06:33) Ten miracles were wrought for our ancestors in Egypt, and ten at the sea. Ten plagues did the Holy one, blessed be He, bring upon the Egyptians in Egypt and ten at the sea. [With] ten trials did our ancestors try God, blessed be He, in the Wilderness, as it is said, “and they have tried Me these ten times and they have not listened to my voice” (Numbers 14:22).

M. Laitman: Yes, here it's trying the Creator. And next is even worse.

Reader: #5: (07:31) Ten wonders were wrought for our ancestors in the Temple: [1] no woman miscarried from the odor of the sacred flesh; [2] the sacred flesh never became putrid; [3] no fly was ever seen in the slaughterhouse; [4] no emission occurred to the high priest on the Day of Atonement; [5] the rains did not extinguish the fire of the woodpile; [6] the wind did not prevail against the column of smoke; [7] no defect was found in the Omer, or in the two loaves, or in the showbread; [8] the people stood pressed together, yet bowed down and had room enough; [9] never did a serpent or a scorpion harm anyone in Jerusalem; [10] and no man said to his fellow: the place is too congested for me to lodge overnight in Jerusalem.

M. Laitman: Yes, clear, questions?

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (09:03) Actually, for what happened to Abraham and Noah: What's the difference between the first ten attempts and the ten attempts of Abraham? Why is there always twice ten here?

M. Laitman: Towards Abraham, those ten blows were ten signs of love. 

Student: And why towards Noah, is it different? 

M. Laitman: And towards Noah; in the generation of Abraham, they were all, compared to Abraham, supposedly, they all wanted to contradict the Creator. And for Noah, there was still a desire, a small will to receive. That's what I'd say.

Student: If I understood correctly, it's written that also the ten first one, and also the second ten were angering the Creator. So, I'm trying to understand the difference between what happens in the process of, between what happens in the state of Noah and those attempts that he feels in the level of Abraham?

M. Laitman: I would say that in the generation of Abraham, you could, already, see in those blows, love between Abraham and the Creator. But on the generation of Noah, it wasn't evident, yet, couldn't see it yet.

Reader: Four. (11:50) Ten miracles were wrought for our ancestors in Egypt, and ten at the sea. Ten plagues did the Holy one, blessed be He, bring upon the Egyptians in Egypt and ten at the sea. [With] ten trials did our ancestors try God, blessed be He, in the Wilderness, as it is said, “and they have tried Me these ten times and they have not listened to my voice” (Numbers 14:22).

Reader: (12:35) Can I ask about this matter of the attempts? 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Reader: I heard earlier that in order to scrutinize the measure of love that Abraham had, we have to go through ten attempts. What are the attempts that the Creator gives a person and how is he supposed to respond? In what way does the Creator chastise us?

M. Laitman: He drops ten states on a person, and each and every state causes a person to want to annul the Creator's oneness. If a person withstands these attempts, it means he succeeded in standing against it.

Reader: What does it mean to withstand the attempt? 

M. Laitman: That he didn't move from being confident that the Creator is a good who does good. And not like now, that trouble, all kinds of trouble comes. It's all the plagues of Egypt. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (14:08) It's written, here, that ten attempts, ten trials, our forefathers were attempted, our ancestors in Egypt. What does it mean that the fathers were tried this way? Where is this happening, this attempt to try the Creator in the desert? 

M. Laitman: Until they tried, according to all their demands, the relation to the Creator, as many blows the Creator gave on Egypt. So, then there were ten in Egypt, ten on the sea, ten to the sons of Israel. Would check the Creator supposedly, and they didn't adhere to His advice. That's what happens between them, it's in order to increase the will to receive, to reveal more will to receive in the Creator. And to supposedly distance Him from the created beings.

Student: And what's interesting is that it happened in the desert, in a place that there's nothing?

M. Laitman: Right, the rest is the opposite, you see. Onward the ten miracles for our fathers in the temple, that's already a different place in the desert. 

Student: The place of a beginning of an ascent, of sorts?

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (16:32) What are wonders or miracles? 

M. Laitman: A miracle is something that comes against nature; not according to the laws of nature.

Student: Is there a connection between withstanding the attempts and meriting the miracles?

M. Laitman: Withstanding attempts is that whatever you already have, you withstand against the facts that the Creator is sending you. And it is completely not similar to you standing against a miracle. 

Student: Withstanding a trial that the Creator puts on a person. So, a person is expected to go through an effort, which is called to withstand a trial, yes?

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: And a miracle? What's the situation to withstand a miracle, what's the situation of a miracle?

M. Laitman: A miracle is that a person can stand against the laws of nature that comes to him and wants to cancel his reason, of man, because He wants to disconnect him from his attempts, from his trials.

Student: And then what's the response that is demanded of a person?

M. Laitman: To withstand it. That he can sustain and whatever the Creator is doing and won't annul what He does want to annul beneath that blow.

Reader: (19:01) Announcements. We’ll conclude, good luck to us as a society. LeChaim.