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

Daily Morning Lesson August 11, 2026

Part 1: Rabash. What Is “For It Is Your Wisdom and Understanding in the Eyes of the Nations,” in the Work? Article No. 36, 1989.

Reader: Dear friends, the first part of the lesson is based on the article, "What Is, “For It Is Your Wisdom and Understanding in the Eyes of the Nations,” in the Work.” Let's read the article together in our Tens. We have 24 minutes to do it.

Reading: (00:43) What Is “For It Is Your Wisdom and Understanding in the Eyes of the Nations,” in the Work?

Article No. 36, 1989

It is written (Deuteronomy 4:6), “So keep and do them, for it is your wisdom and your understanding in the eyes of the nations, who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding nation.’”

We should understand this, since we do not see that the nations of the world are saying that Israel is a “wise and understanding nation.”

Also, it appears from the text that specifically by “keep and do them,” the nations will see the wisdom and understanding in the people of Israel. Even within the people of Israel we see that the secular despise the religious for observing the Torah and Mitzvot [commandments/good deeds], so how can we say that the nations of the world will respect the people of Israel for keeping them and doing them?

We should interpret this in the work. It is known that in the work, the person himself is a small world consisting of all the nations in the world. Since each nation has its own specific lust, as it is known that there are seven qualities of Kedusha [holiness], and opposite them seven qualities of Tuma’a [impurity], and each quality consists of ten, thus, in general, there are seventy nations. Then there is Israel.

The seventy nations want to control the quality of Israel, since Israel want all their actions to be for the sake of the Creator, for Yashar-El [straight to the Creator] indicates that all his actions will be for the Creator. But the nations of the world in a person want specifically that everything they do will be only for their own sake. We call the evil inclination, “nations of the world,” and we call the good inclination, “Israel.”

The order of the work is that when a person wants to work only for the sake of the Creator, the evil inclination, which is the nations of the world, come and resist with all their might. Each one makes a person think that he should go its way, according to the root of the lust in each and every nation. They make a person think that they are correct through intellectual and reasonable arguments.

Each time they see that the person does not want to listen to them, they come with stronger arguments and clearer evidence that they are right. They are certain that according to the reasoning and arguments that they make a person understand, he will have nothing to reply to them. Hence, they are certain that they are the smartest in the world, since they see, according to their intellect and reason, that man’s mind, can only give them silly answers, and the answers will be dismissed before their intellect and reason. Then, naturally, the person will have to follow the path of the nations of the world and idol-worship, meaning do work that is foreign to us, to the Kedusha, since Kedusha means working for the sake of the Creator, while they want to work for their own sake. Their entire certainty lies in their intellect, that they are making sense.

Indeed, how can a person defeat his evil, even though his evil speaks with reason, wisdom, and knowledge, and know that they are the smartest in the world? They are so sure of their arguments and that man will stay with them, under their control, forever.

We must know that the power of Kedusha is faith above reason. That is, when they come with their arguments and show how correct they are, one should not tell them that their arguments are wrong. Instead, he should tell the nations of the world within him, “Know that everything you say is true. Reasonably speaking, you are correct, and I have nothing to reply to you. However, we were given the work above reason—that we must believe above reason that you are incorrect. And since the work on faith must be above reason, I thank you very much for your correct arguments that you have brought me, since it cannot be said that a person goes above reason unless he has reason and intellect. Then, it can be said that he is going above the intellect.

But when there is no reason, it cannot be said that he is going above reason. That is, “above reason” means that this path is more important than the path within reason. However, when there is no other way to tell him, “Walk in this path!” it cannot be said that he chooses the path of faith above reason. For this reason, precisely through the power of faith above reason is it possible to defeat the views of the nations of the world within man.

Now we can understand what we asked, What is the meaning of, “for it is your wisdom and your understanding in the eyes of the nations”? The writings says, “keep and do them.” We asked, What does “keep and do them” imply?

According to the above said, that all the power we have against the arguments of the nations, who come with sensible arguments that their way—within reason—is the path of truth, all we can reply to them is by way of faith above reason. Above reason means “doing,” since they are not given an answer within reason. When we answer not with reason, this is called “doers of His word.”

This is the meaning of “Man and beast You save, O Lord.” Our sages said, “Those who are as cunning in reason as men, and pretend to be as beasts.” That is, they go above reason as though they have no reason, and by this they defeat the nations of the world within them.

It is as it says (Midrash Rabbah, Ecclesiastes, p 12) about the verse, “I said to myself concerning the sons of men.” These are its words: “‘Concerning the sons of men,’ concerning words that the righteous say. And why did God create them? To clarify to them the measure of their righteousness, so they will see that they are beasts, to see and to show the nations of the world how Israel follow Him like a beast.”

We should understand why we need to show the nations of the world how Israel follow Him like a beast. According to the above, the nations of the world means the nations of the world within man’s heart. They must be shown that the fact that we want to work for the sake of the Creator and not for our own sake, we do not do this within reason, as you want to argue with us who is right. Rather, we do everything with faith above reason. We do this like beasts, without any rhyme or reason. Therefore, do not think that we will ever listen to your views because for us, everything is above reason.

We ask the Creator about this, that He will help us from above to overcome all the answers you require. Your questions are included in two questions, called “Who” and “What.” We believe with faith in the sages that we must seek the Creator’s help, and He will certainly help us, as our sages said, “He who comes to purify is aided.” That is, He will help us follow Him above reason, to show the nations of the world how Israel follow Him like a beast. This is the meaning of the works, “So keep and do them, for it is your wisdom and your understanding in the eyes of the nations.”

That is, your observing the action, which is the above reason, and by not veering off from this path, you will certainly succeed in emerging from the control of the nations of the world, and the nations of the world within you will annul before the Kedusha, as it is written, “And you will love the Lord your God with all your heart.” Our sages said, “With both your inclinations,” meaning that the evil inclination will also turn to good. It follows that his “nations of the world,” called “evil inclination,” will also be servants of the Creator.

Then, the nations of the world in man will see that once they, too, have been rewarded with the good, since all the wisdom—by which they could defeat the nations of the world and admit them into Kedusha—was faith above reason, called “do them.” That is, all the wisdom in the quality of Israel is specifically in acting like a beast, and this was their entire wisdom.

This is the meaning of the words, “who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding nation.’” That is, the nations of the world, too, once they have also been admitted into Kedusha, as in “with all your heart, with both your inclinations,” when the evil inclination, which are the nations of the world, also enters the Kedusha, then they see that all the wisdom that Israel had was that they heard the statutes, which is an act.

Then they are a wise and understanding nation, for all their wisdom was not as we think, that we will obtain wisdom only with inquiries and intellect. On the contrary, they were rewarded with wisdom precisely by following Him like a beast, meaning that precisely by “doing,” which is called “working above reason,” they were rewarded with wisdom. It follows that they are called a “wise and understanding nation” because they followed Him like a beast, and not with wisdom. This is all of the wisdom of the people of Israel.

Concerning doing, which is called “above reason,” we should interpret what it says (Midrash Tanchuma), “‘And it shall come to pass that because,’ as the verse says, ‘Why should I fear in the days of evil, the iniquity of my heels shall surround me (encircle me).’ Because there are light Mitzvot among them, which people do not notice, but throw them under their heels, meaning that they are light, for this reason, David feared the day of judgment. He would say, ‘Lord of the world, I do not fear the grave Mitzvot; what I fear is the light Mitzvot.’”

We should understand the meaning of light and grave Mitzvot in the work. “Light” means that it is unimportant. The fact that a person should work above reason, a person finds no importance in the matter, and this work tastes like dust to him. It is called “Shechina [Divinity] in the dust.” That is, the fact that a person must take upon himself the burden of the kingdom of heaven above reason, this work is “in the dust.”

Yet, we must observe Mitzvot and do good deeds and learn Torah so the Creator will raise this work from the dust, meaning from its lowliness, as we pray—that the Lord will raise the Shechina from the dust, as it is written, “The Merciful One, He will raise for us David’s fallen hut.” The reason why she is in lowliness is the concealment that the Creator has made, so there would be room for choice, meaning so we will be able to work in order to bestow, called “Dvekut [adhesion] with the Creator.” This is why we were given this work in the form of concealment of the face.

Hence, the heart of our work is to make for ourselves vessels of bestowal through the preparation we make during the work at the time of concealment. We have vessels of reception from the Creator, and on these Kelim [vessels], there was a correction not to use them because they cause separation as they are in oppositeness of form from the Creator. Hence, we were given Torah and Mitzvot by which we will be able to obtain the vessels of bestowal.

For this reason, all the slanderers and accusers appear over this work and say, “We agree to serve the Creator, but the goal you want to achieve through observing Torah and Mitzvot, to this we do not agree. They bring a person many arguments, meaning thoughts that make him think that this whole purpose is not worth working for. Hence, if a person does not agree to change the goal of obtaining vessels of bestowal, they do not let a person observe Torah and Mitzvot for this purpose, and anything a person does comes to him with great efforts.

As soon as a person forgets the goal and begins to work like the general public, meaning to receive reward for the work, he once again has the strength to respect it and to work with energy, since the purpose of the work is not against man’s will. But when a person begins to work and forgets the goal, and finally awakens once again and wants to work in Torah and Mitzvot in order to obtain vessels of bestowal, the arguments of the spies rise against him once again and make him feel the taste of dust in this work. Then it is difficult for him once more to move ahead. This is called “light Mitzvot,” meaning working with the aim of obtaining vessels of bestowal, namely for the sake of the Creator and not for one’s own sake. There is reason to fear in this work because he has many dissidents.

This is not so with “grave Mitzvot,” meaning that which is important to a person. That is, if a person works in order to receive reward, he regards it as a grave matter, since his self-benefit would lose if he did not observe the Torah and Mitzvot. But if the reward and the loss are for the sake of the Creator, this is not so important to a person.

For this reason, here a person slights because he introspects and says, “Since in any case, I will not lose a thing,” since he says that he will not receive anything for himself, for he says that the Torah and Mitzvot should be done primarily for the Creator and not for his own benefit, then who can benefit from his work? Only the Creator. By this, a person slights and belittles in this work. Hence, a person often tells himself, “I should not even bother exerting in the work. If it comes easy, I can work. But if I have a small disturbance, I have no power to overcome.”

The reason is that working Lo Lishma [not for Her sake] is not important, so it is not worth exerting over it. At the same time, what will he get out of working Lishma [for Her sake]? Therefore, usually, a person says that it is best to go to sleep and get some rest from all these things, as they bring him nothing but despondency and discontentment. This is called “light Mitzvot,” “which people do not notice, but throw them under their heels.”

David said about this, “Why should I fear in the days of evil, the iniquity of my heels,” the light Mitzvot that a person slights? That is, when we want to go in the work of bestowal, I fear this —perhaps I will not be able to observe them. In this regard, meaning regarding obtaining the vessels of bestowal, only the Creator can help. That is, as the Creator gave man the vessels of reception, we must ask Him to give the vessels of bestowal instead of the vessels of reception.

That is, just as a person enjoys working for his own benefit, so he will receive great importance and pleasure from working for the sake of the Creator. That is, he will feel that it is a great privilege for him to serve the King, and we obtain this by “keep and do them, for it is your wisdom and your understanding in the eyes of the nations.”

Reader: Moving on to the lesson. 

M. Laitman: (24:18) The portion of Va'etchanan, from the article “For It Is Your Wisdom and Understanding in the Eyes of the Nations,” in the Work.” Where did this question come from? "What is, “For it is your wisdom and understanding in the eyes of the nations”?" Because really, it's a question. Israel are the vessels of bestowal, Galgalta ve Eynaim. 

Galgalta ve Eynaim in them there can't be neither Hochma nor Bina. Also, when we say Bina, what we mean by Bina is the Hochma in Bina, and not the Bina in the Bina. And the vessels of bestowal, there is no benefit aside of bestowal, aside of what exists in the other vessels that the Bina fills. And therefore, how come Israel has wisdom in the Galgalta ve Eynaim? 

Israel need to be as of a nation that works only in bestowal, and they have no intellect, no mind. But since the created being is not the vessels of bestowal — there's no such thing as vessels of bestowal, a desire to bestow; a desire to bestow is the Creator. So, a created being is the desire to receive, and upon it there can be a correction, that he absorbed from the Creator the quality of bestowal, and then he works with his desire, with his nature as the Creator works, acts. But who's sitting on the inside, working on the inside? The will to receive. 

Therefore, when we talk about Israel, about the created being, we are talking about the vessels of bestowal that have received the quality of in order to bestow upon their will to receive, and that's how they work. Therefore, there's really room for the question of what is your wisdom and  understanding. Where does the Hochma and Bina come from? It comes from that the vessels of bestowal are being used upon the vessels of reception, and that means that Israel have to go above the nations of the world, above the wisdom of the nations, which is called above reason. So that each time, as much as the vessels of reception awaken and we go above them, meaning we use the vessels of reception in order to bestow, then the light of Hochma will better enter the reflected light, the vessels of bestowal, and from that, really, there will be the wisdom and understanding of Israel. 

And this is the entire principle that we have in the work with our nature: to discover the vessels of reception in the measure to which we can go above them, meaning to take them in order to use them as vessels of bestowal, meaning as the AHP of ascent, and this way to correct the vessels of reception, use them, just like the Creator bestows and uses His desire. And why is it "in the eyes of the nations?” It's not just so, "what is your wisdom and your understanding," but "in the eyes of the nations," meaning that it needs to be upon the vessels of reception, the true AHP, to rely on them, to lean on them. And in that, actually, the vessels of bestowal that work take the vessels of reception into them as the AHP of ascent, that the AHP is there on the inside, that they work with the AHP in the measure to which they can add them to the vessels of in order to bestow. Then it is "in the eyes of the nations," meaning that they take the lights of Hochma and use them in order to bestow.

M. Laitman: (29:15) "In the eyes of the nations," meaning "eyes"—it's the vessels of reception of the AHP, really. Not that the AHP is included in the vessels of bestowal, but the AHP that works in the vessels of bestowal as the AHP of ascent, that's called "in the eyes of the nations." And this is how it is until the end of correction, whereas in the end of correction, then the wisdom of Israel and the wisdom of the nations becomes a single wisdom, one wisdom. 

And this state is called to be a light unto the nations, that we already shift into the vessels of reception, where all the lights can work in order to bestow. It's called that the Bina adds to itself all of the vessels of reception. This is what we learn about the vessels of Leah, that then all of these vessels of the ZAT of Bina, they receive the great, big lights and fill the Malchut in Ein Sof, and receive in order to bestow. And until then, the principle is to work only in the incorporation of the vessels of reception and the vessels of bestowal, which is called above reason. This is something that works on the smallest degree and on the greatest degrees, until the end of correction. 

Therefore, on each and every degree, there's the same principle kept. And in each and every state, we need to divide, for it to really be clear to us that these are the vessels of reception, these are of bestowal, these I work with in order to bestow, these I work with in order to receive. 

If a person begins to filter this way, scrutinize his desires, it becomes easier for him. He understands why does he goes into a descent, how could he hold himself a bit in ascent, how he needs to arrange his vessels. As if the control from the outside over these two angels, the vessels of reception and of bestowal, these two forces that are foreign, foreign to the soul, that you only need to use correctly from the outside, as if the person is the third part, third. Why? 

Objectively, if we look at it, because man is the middle line, and therefore he needs to look through the middle line. I have no middle line, so I don't, but I'm not influenced neither by bestowal nor reception. I look at myself and these two things from the outside and work in order to merge these two in a way that I will build the middle line. If we first succeed in separating ourselves from these vessels of reception and bestowal, and then to begin to work with them in a measurable, corrected way and the right connection between them, that means that you go above reason. 

The middle line is above reason, meaning faith above reason, meaning that you take the principle of bestowal above reason, meaning above the vessels of reception. You use the vessels of reception as much as you can with the intention in order to bestow.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (33:23) Page 31, the third paragraph. It's not so clear, “Therefore on this work, they come.” 

M. Laitman (Source Text/Commentary): (33:40) I'll read it. Page 31, it says:

Therefore, all the enemies and slanderers come to this work. They say, "We agree to work and serve the Creator, but only the goal that you want to attain by keeping the Torah and Mitzvot is something that we disagree with."

Torah and Mitzvot means all the means by which we reach in order to bestow, as it says, "I have created the evil inclination, I have created the Torah as a spice," the Torah as the correcting force. Were we born with corrected vessels in the end of correction, we wouldn't need the Torah and Mitzvot. 

But "I have created the evil inclination, I have created the Torah as a spice," the light in it reforms. It's like we say about the light of AB SAG, our actions from below in order to draw the light of AB SAG upon us. These are called our actions in the Torah and Mitzvot. And the force that corrects is the light that comes from above and corrects. That's called the light of the Torah, that comes and corrects. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (35:03) Who are those slanderers? 

The slanderers and all those enemies that awaken in the person, these are all the forces upon which he needs to work. That if he doesn't use them, then he will not be able to rise through any degree. Meaning nothing was created needlessly. The vessels of reception—and, by the way, also the vessels of bestowal—that are at our disposal in order to advance and exist in them, and spirituality, they come to us in a broken, uncorrected way. And then, when they come that way, and we feel them, they all come as those slanderers and accusers against the work of bestowal. Meaning even the vessels of bestowal that are revealed to us by way of that it is worthwhile to bestow, but in order to receive. The question is, why won’t I receive the vessels of reception and the vessels of bestowal correctly? I study, and as a result, I get good desires, corrected desires. I love spirituality more, the Creator more, the friends more. Each day that I do something, suppose I did some good deed, and then I see that by that I gain good things. Were it so directly, meaning I did something, I got a good reward, something good; I did something else, I got something else good. Good, meaning what? Even the vessels of bestowal, suppose I even agree to it. I agree, do what you want with me. I'm working now. You're telling me to work in the kitchen or something, I go, I work, and in return, what is revealed in me are good desires that appear in me against my own nature. I agree to do it, let them operate on me, like I always give this example. So why doesn't it come this way? A person, as if, is ready already, because he's nonetheless ready, because his will to receive tells it to him from the inside. If it were to receive a correction directly in this way, this correction comes in order to increase the vessels of reception, meaning a prayer for what you need to come to is something that you can't raise now out of your vessels of reception; the reward that you'll receive, you can't imagine now in your vessels of reception. You nonetheless need to go through a certain crisis in these things, each and every time a crisis. And this crisis, it happens in the way where you don't, you're not really aware of it? You simply reach a state where you're fed up, you can't take it, that's it. You don't understand why and how does it happen that instead of all the good things comes the opposite, and you can't agree to it. And that point is what corrects the state, the situation. Meaning what? That then what you suffer in that state, at that point, is the exact correction that goes over you, over your vessels of reception? Were you not to go through this feeling, through this state, then it's called "catch the thief." Then you would have been as if running after spirituality with your old vessels, your old mind, your old everything, and you would have received corrections in that same desire to receive. Then you'd simply grow then, becoming a greater Rabbi, a greater scholar, etc., etc., more knowledgeable.

M. Laitman: (39:40) But the crisis that you go through at each and every stage, where you work and then you don't understand what goes on, and you make an effort; and then, you know, the result from what I went through is something that I don't grasp, neither in my mind nor in my heart, then exactly that feeling is the light of Torah that corrects the state. Meaning, without those slanderers, accusers, etc., you can't advance. They're a revelation. Why is it that all of a sudden your desire to receive begins to cry out, disagree, toss everything, and all this spirituality, you disagree with it, and with the Creator, and with the entire method and path and everything — which is called the slanderers and accusers. It's the same desire to receive that now goes through the correction. It flips. It actually feels now the light against it. So, these temporary cases are very good. It's really like an operation in which the person's corrected. If it's a true remedy, it can't be good. It's a lie that we get medicine and different, you know, sweet coatings. 

In principle, a remedy, medicine, is always bitter. You know, all these remedies, you know, their symbol is a snake. It's always poison. I think even vegetarians understand this, and vegetables, and fruits, and all those things that are good to the body, their basis is poison. Suppose onions, garlic, things like that. What corrects the body, that has the power to cleanse the body—these are poisons. And also the corrections that we do, like anesthesia in an operation or something, because the correction cannot be sweet, even in our world. 

Therefore, the degree of man, his ability to stand in spirituality, is measured by his intellect, and not even by his desire, but his willingness to suffer, understanding that I have no choice and I need it. Let them operate on me, correct it. And then, in those points where you feel those slanderers and enemies, a person feels that now I'm going through correction. If my will to receive is crying out, then it is to its benefit. These are exactly my corrections. We simply don't remember those simple verses, that suffering cleanses the flesh, sweetens, mitigates, that there's no other way about it. To begin with, in the initial correction, it says, "drink a little water, eat a little bread, sleep on the ground," really go into direct torments in relation to the will to receive, and you work in the Torah, and that's good for you. You reach a state where you praise it, that you feel that no matter how much suffering you go along with it—spiritual, emotional, bodily sufferings, torments—you reach a state where you feel that it's good for you.

M. Laitman: (43:53) You come to this awareness that this suffering, along with the Torah, along with the knowledge, with the message that you go through with it, if you go with it, it is a sign that you're correcting yourself. And from here comes the question of what the sages of the Gemara: they made this correction where they eased the torments, and instead of the suffering, we use the reforming light and the Torah.

Is it like a sweet coating over a bitter medicine, remedy, or is it simply the continuity of that same remedy that didn't become any sweeter eventually, but to our will to receive, these deeds that are done along with the study of the Torah are not enough? So we say that the truth is that a person that is on our path, walks on our path, he doesn't reduce the suffering, or he doesn't suffer less. 

A person on our path doesn't suffer less than those who lived in a barrel, eating little bread, studying Torah. But he simply can't, with his grown will to receive that grew in our time since the days of the Mishnah, he can no longer work with those means from back then. Were he to work with the means from back then, he'd actually go into pride now, because the light that they drew through those actions is too little for us. He'd fall into this type of study, we'd begin to discover the evil, and then we'd begin to hear those enemies and slanderers. And there's much more to the article, but…

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (46:17) What is a correction of fear? A person enters a state of fear, or what kind of evil is that?

M. Laitman: There are many types of fear. Fear is either fear of things being bad, that bad things might happen, or that a person is afraid of losing something in this world, in the next world. Fear, it all comes as… it's a fear of loss, of losing. So, not to lose in his vessels of reception, in what he imagines as this world, or his vessels of reception and what he imagines the next world, until he crosses into the vessels of bestowal. The fear of losing what he has, it exists all the time, it's there. 

He Then he moves on to a different kind of fear, fear in the vessels of bestowal. Am I bestowing? Am I bestowing enough? Can I reach whole, complete bestowal? Fear, it's fear of losing the fulfillment, depending on what kind of fulfillment do you feel, whether it's in the vessels of reception or in the vessels of bestowal. But it's about losing the fulfillment, meaning what you'll have in your Kli. This feeling in relation to filling the Kli is called fear. So there's fear also in the vessels of bestowal.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (48:02) You said that suffering is good, if I understand correctly.

M. Laitman: No, no, no, no, no. Suffering is good? No, you can't say. Because the purpose of creation is to do good to His created beings, and to do good to His created beings is not only at the very end of the path, until then we suffer. You know, in Russian they say it's using the stick to bring you to happiness. We know this already. There's no such thing actually, in spirituality. In spirituality, there's no time. In spirituality, each degree you acquire, spiritual degree, the smallest, you feel a part of the end of correction in it. Otherwise it's not spirituality. You cannot feel actually a part of the end of correction, meaning the end of correction is 100%, and now I am in a quarter percent. And then you don't feel that this is part of the end of correction, you understand? It has to be a complete degree according to your degree, a complete measure. That's why, when I talk about the willingness to suffer, or that we, through suffering, we get to happiness, it's incorrect, really, when you get through it. The vessels of reception feel it, but nevertheless, in each and every spiritual degree that you come to, you come to pleasure in it. Whereas for us, when we are in the time of preparation, it could be the other way around.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (49:45) The question is, why does it exist?

M. Laitman: What exists?

Student: The suffering and the correction that you just spoke of. What we feel in the work with the light of the Torah and the vessels of reception.

M. Laitman: I don't get the question. 

Student: We talked about the slanderers, etc. That you feel fine with it. 

M. Laitman: During the time of preparation, it depends on my state. If I'm in a more advanced state, I'm happy about my — the suffering that I'm going through. I understand these sufferings are affecting my will to receive, my body. I look at my body as something I'm about to get rid of. Although I'm suffering, I feel like I'm suffering, but together with that, I acquired a point in the heart, in permanence. And from within it, I can observe the body and see it as suffering, true suffering. I suffer, I feel bad, but by that it will get healthy. Meaning, I decided I'm getting a surgery. I want to have this surgery. It's true that I'm suffering. What can I do? Here, everything relies on the degree of necessity. I'm telling you about the surgery, the operation, because I thought I will have, you know, I will be anesthetized and then I'll be healthy. But you know, I had this hole in the back here. You do it without anesthesia. You know, you take this pipe, like thick, like a finger, and they stick it between your ribs into the lungs. And you start to suck out the water and everything that accumulates there. And you do it without anesthesia. I screamed. It was horrible. It was really painful. Painful when they put it in between the lungs. 

You know, this is a beautiful feeling, a wonderful feeling. If they would tell me, think that you're going to get it done again. You understand the level of necessity you have to come to in order to want to have this done to you. If I'm thinking, well, surgery is not that bad. You're lying down, they put you to sleep. And thank God, there's hope that you'll be better. But here too, there's the hope that you'll be, you'll get better, but compared to the suffering, what kind of importance the health has to have. So the suffering that I feel, it won't feel so bad. I might not even feel it at all. I need this life afterwards so much that it will cover the suffering completely. When I'm talking to you about it now, I feel the sensation of getting this pipe stuck in my lungs. It's terrible. This is one of the biggest pains there is for the body, to open the ribs. That's it. 

So here a person starts to make a calculation. So without a calculation, without the goal, you cannot work with the suffering. Now, the importance of the goal — either you grow it using all kinds of means, or they grow it for you through suffering. They give you all kinds of suffering in this world. So you’ll think that it's better to run off to that world, right? It's egoistic. Or, in place of the suffering, before the suffering comes in this world, you awaken yourself to the good that it is to go to that world, because it's good there. That's the matter of saving time and suffering.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (54:07) You find some kind of mitigation in the suffering?

M. Laitman: No. If you find mitigation, sweetness, in the suffering before you come to recognize the greatness of the goal, then it's not suffering. You are merely growing your will to receive more. You make it into some righteous, and you are walking together with it, on top of these sufferings, in order to fill it with better things. 

It's like, let's put it this way, it's like a rich person who sometimes they don't want to use his chauffeur in the car, he wants to drive himself, you know, to have fun. He even pays someone money to work as a taxi driver for half a day. Sometimes rich people play these games. This means that you rejoice in the suffering, as you say, before you discover the necessity of the goal. 

Rather, you work, because ultimately it brings you pleasure. The will to receive is sophisticated, because the will to receive, you understand, the will to receive itself doesn't have any way to feel good and have a good time. It doesn't have the ability to have a good time. It has to enjoy also through having some connection with vessels of bestowal. Just like that, directly, we're not able to fill the will to receive. Even in our world, there are always vessels of bestowal inside. So here, we use it, you know, bestow in order to, seemingly to bestow in order to receive. To be in contact with other people to enjoy these things. 

It's expressed in such a corrupt way through such deviations where people like to be spanked and beaten and yelled at and so on and so forth. This is the spectrum of all the pleasures. The clothing, ultimately, doesn't matter the type of clothing it has. The bottom line is that it's the will to receive that's working.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (56:33) The importance is in the vessels of reception?

M. Laitman: The principle is simple. If you perform a restriction and you grow the goal, and you only do it for the sake of the goal without disconnecting from it, called Israel, the Creator, and the action you do is called the path of the light, and they are one, then you're not mistaken. Only on this condition.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (57:11) But the state where you all the time feel pain and then more pain, and you know that only go and grow, it weakens you.

M. Laitman: No, I'm not waiting for the pain. Why are you saying that?

Student: I mean, you don't expect the pain, but still.

M. Laitman: Why do you have to wait for pain? I don't get it. You say that it's not working simply, where if you are in a regular, normal state in your normal life, you're not able to advance without suffering, without pain. You know yourself to such an extent that you say, my will to receive is much stronger than me, much stronger than my philosophy, my wisdom. Where one time I felt bad and I thought that's it, from now on  I'm going to advance, but by my own forces, I'm not going to wait for anything. Now you get additional will to receive, and again, here I am, because I got an additional will to receive on top of all this previous wisdom. The previous degree that I corrected, compared to this higher degree, all the correction from the previous degree is barely considered as anything. 

It's barely even considered compared to this degree. There's no correction at all. Meaning, what to do? That's why in each and every state, you have to think of the importance of the goal. You have to feel, suffer, and torment that you're not in the goal. And this you cannot do without these simple actions in society. That's why ultimately you come to a state where all the wisdom doesn't help, your intellect doesn't help you, all this philosophizing. It simply doesn't yield any fruit. You can sit and read articles and be an erudite and know a lot of things, and it doesn't add. You will not reach the suffering from it. Never. You'll never reach suffering. You will understand with your intellect that it's correct, and that's how it needs to be, and how it should be. And in truth, you'll understand the principle, but you'll not realize it if you’ll  work only with the books.

It's not for nothing that he writes, "he who chooses a good environment each and every time.” He doesn't talk about choosing better books or a better Rav, he says a better society. Do you get it? It just doesn't stick to our understanding, you know? It's the wisdom of Kabbalah, you acquire spirituality, something disappears. What does that have to do with a few extra beasts like me that are next to me? But that's how it is, because without the work with the friends, truly like that, you have an opportunity, especially, and for us the opportunity is excellent. Society is seemingly broken apart, the state is very convoluted, God willing, I’m running away, that's it. 

If not for such work, there's nothing to do. As far as I'm concerned, close the books and work only in that, it's best. To such an extent that more study and more intellect and more wisdom from the books, it's really wrong. Nothing will help you without, as we call it, his wisdom is greater than his actions. That's why it has to be extremely balanced, well-balanced, investment in the society and the study. Otherwise, it brings to a person to a certain distortion, and this distortion can take many years before he understands, or he begins to understand, that you need to invest in the society instead of investing in the study, connection with the books and so on. This is direct work from within his desire on top of other desires. This is simply practical work.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:01:58) Why can't we come together and hasten the path, do something drastic together? 

M. Laitman: Why doesn't it work easily, and you cannot accelerate the path and connect together on the side? Yeah, like in a Kibbutz, in a collective commune, or any other society where you finally decide to do something together and you do it, right? Because with us, subconsciously, we have the understanding that this is going against the will to receive. If this were together with the will to receive — let's say, right now, we're building a factory, right? As if I'm saying, I'm not reminding you that it's in order to bestow, because it's in it, right? I'm saying, guys, let's build a factory, we'll work, we'll disseminate to the whole world, we'll acquire the whole world, we'll control the world, we'll be the rulers of everybody. Come in, come on. Inside, it's the will to bestow, there's a spiritual goal, so nothing works from all of my words. That's why these words don't attract anyone. That's why no one gets excited about it. Nobody gets excited. Nobody gets fired up, you know? I don't know how to tell you. The will to receive simply doesn't let you work. 

As if there is going to be some profit, some gain, but the gain will come to me or to the Creator? Oh, the Creator? Okay, so let's wait a little bit. It's not too bad, we can wait. I'm meeting people. Let's say today I wrote a letter to someone who lives in the UK, in a castle, it’s a palace, a castle. His house is this mansion, this castle, and I have many people like that. You get it? If a person wants money or something, for him, the body doesn't let him, it doesn't feel it's not attracted to such things, for such people, because it doesn't gain anything. He feels that he's not going to gain anything. You know, it's so difficult for such people, rich people, high up, honorable people, compared to the simple people. 

Also in our work. You can do it. You know, will it be for me or not for me? That's why, as real as it is, and everything’s before you, it's very difficult to realize it. Just like the connection with the friends, just like this work. You see, I'm telling you, you and Mark, they're actually working up there. They're not here. I say, well, come up here and start organizing. He wanted to shout at everyone, you know, everybody knows him. Well, start. He's sitting quietly off to the side. He has nothing to say. You'll see what will happen. Where you truly feel the will to receive in front of the real work, he's willing to be satisfied with little. You see it with such doers. 

You know, suddenly as the truth approaches, he's willing to give it to someone else. You'll see, you'll sense it here, and then we see there's a hundred men here, men, serious men, not little silly kids, right? Everybody's sitting here and they're unable to move. Before, they would earn well and succeed and be in control and everything. And here, they're sitting here and like waiting, as if they retired, they went into early retirement. It's clear to me. It's natural. It's correct that it happens. 

Now, the solution for it, the remedy, is only in inner connection against this force, against this state. This special state is an excellent state, it's a true state. And that's what we need to have. For me, it's not a miracle. We need to fight against that specifically. This exertion, this work, this is what it is. And specifically from this clash will come out spirituality. It will develop and will be disclosed. But it's not clear to the intellect when you see it. When I have to run from one department to another, from one to the other, where, what, such a thing. It's not, it's inconceivable. Everybody's sitting quietly and waiting. It's going to come and yell. What can you do?

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:08:05) What I don't understand is about choosing the environment or the society.

M. Laitman: Choosing the society? I'll tell you. I'll tell you what it means to choose a better society. You have people who have the same goal. Now, you tell me. When you look at everyone, you know, what's his name? Maroz. You know. Does Maroz have a higher goal in his eyes, a strong goal, compared to your friend Gilad, let's say? Where can you tell? How can you tell, how do you know? Meaning, the question is this: how can I tell if it's better for me to connect with Micha or with Roman? Roman is yelling, he's going on, and Micha is sitting quietly. How can I figure out who to choose, who to connect with? His face? According to my taste, that's somehow according to his external qualities, is to my liking, is wiser? He can explain to me. He's stronger externally or internally. He can support me, or I will learn some good things from him somehow. 

I’ll get support and reinforcement from him, or the other way around, that I'll see that he humiliates himself, lowers himself towards the society. What should I take as an example, perhaps, regarding who to connect with? Or maybe I'm not taking any example; I'm just taking a few people without any… just randomly. I tell everyone, I'm willing to do a lottery. There's 100 people, let's make 10 groups out of these 100 people, maybe even fewer than 10 in each group, just randomly, and we're done. Why do I have to choose people according to my intellect? Who knows? Fate comes from above, and that's it, I'm going to go with fate. 

Meaning, what does it mean to choose? Nevertheless, they say, "he who chooses each time a better environment." How do I choose, by what? I'm asking you. Give me advice, you're an educated man, doctor in chemistry, physics, something, conjure something for us. 

Student: The answer is, I'm going to give you…we have no meaning, because to choose the society is to be inspired by everyone in every moment. That's the choice, but it doesn't come from within. 

M. Laitman: In other words, you're saying this: I recommend not to choose some society, meaning some small group, but rather each time I will force myself to cling to those that inspire me the most. Today I'm inspired by Gil—Gil is working there, does all kinds of things. Tomorrow, I'm inspired by Owen, Owen is reading beautifully, he's excited. Then I hear about Avihu, yelling at everyone; look at him yelling, how he demands everyone, how worried he is.

Student: No, it's not what I meant. I meant that…

M. Laitman: Why is it not good what I said before? Why are you canceling it?

Student: I didn't say it's not good, it's not what I meant.

M. Laitman: Oh, okay.

Student: To be inspired that he's in that state, it's also to find some kind of desire in me to get inspired by states of everyone.

M. Laitman: In other words, you're saying, in each and every situation, if a friend is in front of me, I can find something to be impressed by even though it's not a good state, in a state of a falling. He still pushed himself over here, he's here with us, maybe he's making greater labor than those who are smiling and feel happy, and it's just like that, fine. But what does it mean a better society? He says these words there. What does it mean "good" for me, for my progress?

Student: That I get greatness of the Creator. That's the purpose.

M. Laitman: So what? I'll keep switching, changing societies? Within me, I have to constantly choose with what eye I look at them. It doesn't matter what state they're in. And each time, in whatever state they're in, I take from them the maximum inspiration. Is this called choosing society? That's what you're saying? If that's the case, you don't care what society to be with. I mean, from those who are among us who have a goal, but it doesn't matter which people.

Student: The character, I understand, but not the goal.

M. Laitman: So still in terms of character, you're saying that, because otherwise you don't get their mentality, right? That's still important. Okay. What do others think? They don't think at all. Do you? Well?

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:13:34) That if I'm in society and I look at them from all the things that they influence me in a certain way, so to choose a better society is to look at them and to see how I can get better. Meaning, what is the next degree that would be better? That I'm willing for them to be in a higher degree, a better degree, and then to do everything so it'll happen.

M. Laitman: You're speaking about very beautiful things, very beautiful states. I look at the society. I also picture it as being better, higher. I'm already impressed by its future form- all kinds of things. We are talking about a person feeling himself not in such a good state. For the good states, I don't need reinforcements.

I can be impressed by the society. I look at them with a good eye, not all fault, fault, and his own fault. I'm in a different way. I feel good. So I see them as good. And then I have no problem. I'm talking about impression from spirituality should come to me when I really need it. When I'm in an ascent, it's not a problem. I can contribute to them. I love them. You know, when I'm happy, I love everyone. What do I do when I feel bad? Here is where we need to check what is happening to me; how I can be assisted.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:15:27) But now, when you feel bad, you can't increase someone that you're looking from the outside. There's no chance. Everything he's gonna do, I'm gonna… If you feel bad, you can't see anyone is great. And when you're in a descent, you can't get greatness of the Creator from anyone. That's why I think that we shouldn't invent a society that'll supposedly get greatness of the Creator. You can look at other societies. Like we said, that certain societies, Baal HaSulam writes, they didn't succeed because they didn't have the Creator. If I connect to my friends on a beastly basis, like if I was in the army, or studies, if I put the Creator between us, I put the final goal called Creator, that's what will strengthen me. Because the moment I'm on a descent from the path, this friendship that a person can get along without the Creator, that's what draws me. Because getting a smile from that person, now when I'm in a descent, it's still a smile. It'll still bring me back.

M. Laitman: Let's look at you in states of descent and how much you'll be looking for a smile. 

Student: I'm saying it's still more than the fact that I'll have to see him as great, or he's gonna tell me about the Creator.

M. Laitman: In short, you're looking for a society with smiles.

Student: No, I'm saying a better society would be now also any other place. But the difference here is that we have the goal of the Creator, and everything is built on that.

M. Laitman: (01:17:06) I don't really understand. A good society here is also a society that will be good everywhere else. But here, in addition, it also has the matter of the recognition of the Creator or its goal. Why should it be good also compared to that, to the situation outside?

Student: Because I connect to people. I'm now in my vessels of this world. I'm not gonna go work on…

M. Laitman: You're saying then, if you choose friends who are special people in corporeality, then in a state when you're in a descent in corporeality, these people will still be to you a kind of like a weight of importance, right? And that helps you hang on to them and not throw it away and disregard them. Is that what it's about? Yeah?

Student: Before I came to spirituality, I chose friends according to my corporeal will to receive. Here I'm saying, all I have is my will to receive, so I'll choose, I'll add the purpose of the Creator. I'm not gonna invent rules that I can't work with, things that I don't know. I know what I have. In that, I'm trying to find this thing that will lead me to spirituality, because I have nothing else.

M. Laitman: So, he says that here he has to find a society that is suitable for him according to the corporeal conditions with which he can get along with, which he knows. And then in all the states, at least he'll have a connection with them. And…

Student: We tried that, part of the groups, that's what we did. 

M. Laitman: This is how you chose, and this is what you do according to what is called mentality, or character, or whatever. There was this connection, and then it helps in all the states. Whereas if there weren't a group of people who were close in terms of their previous lives, then they wouldn't get along during their descent, because then during their descent, they would see themselves each time in their previous corporeality. This spirituality disappears, so each one goes into the previous corporeality, and then they're not in connection between them. This is what I hear. Fine.  

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:19:56) The question is, what do you do when there's a descent? In a descent, I can't choose anything better. I can only think how to get better in an ascent. In a descent I have to think how I survive. Only during an ascent, I can really choose a better society.

M. Laitman: In other words, choosing a good society, you need to do that during the ascent, you're saying; not during the descent.

Student: In an ascent, I can think of all the descents and say, think what I'm going to do with them.

M. Laitman: All right, we'll see. I think that tomorrow we will engage in this a little bit. Instead of this whole lesson in the morning, we will have here like an assembly, a meeting of our organization. I recommend that we, first of all, divide it according by departments. There you'll have computer people, here you have videos, cinema, there are authors of books, whatever, kitchen separately, others. In short each one to his own department, and then we will see what was written for us on the board, our whole structure. We will see them this way, where each one is, and we'll also see people who are still not assigned to certain departments, certain areas, and then we'll see what we do. This is a connection that is certain that we have to have it for the sake of dissemination. 

Now, the question is this. Let's say each one finds his place in some division, some department, in some place according to his profession, and I look at my department, and I see that you have there people who, although I'm with them in terms of profession, but I have no connection to them. Maybe I should switch profession? Maybe I should go to the kitchen instead of being in computers, or in painting, making movies, cinema. Why? There, their are people that I feel closer to in terms of spirit. What can I do that they're all cooks? Yes or no? Or, if I connect to them according to the profession, then I'll gradually get their spirit, and we will get along this way too. What should we do?

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:22:51) If we're talking about a descent, so doing gets you out of it as much as possible. So maybe connecting according to a profession can be a great idea, because the commitment—it's not just doing, it's a commitment. I'm committed to some action towards people here or the outside. If I do it or not, there's an immediate response. I can't let myself be depressed and not to see the greatness of the goal. It obligates me in a way that it'll instantly take me out of a descent.

M. Laitman: In other words, it'll obligate me according to my department?

Student: Yes, more than the smile of a person I connect to with my own nature. What happens if a person works in a few departments? Where would he sit? Where he thinks is the best for him?

M. Laitman: Let's go according to simpler questions; not like this for now.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:23:44) During a descent, there's a responsibility and a commitment. If I'm working somewhere, it obligates me. So what will obligate me here during a descent, when the society is towards the same goal?

M. Laitman: You're saying that during the fall, nothing in life obligates me? When you're in a bad mood at work, is this what you also tell your manager?

Student: The manager is going to tell me that he's going to fire me.

M. Laitman: In other words, the fear of suffering keeps you. Otherwise you'll be fired, you'll have nothing to eat, your wife will be mad at you, the kids will shout, so you have no choice, so you work. 

So here, too, we need to find some sort of fear that you might lose or you'll be fired. So you're saying the fear here can be only spiritual, not corporeal. So, if I'm in a descent, spirituality disappears. Corporeality is not here. I have no corporeal gains here. So I don't care if I get out of here during the descent. I want to be at home, disconnected from them. Maybe subconsciously, I think, maybe later I will still need them, it's not nice. I feel unpleasant, there's some corporeal gain. This is why we have meals together, weekends together. My wife is connected here, other such things. This is what keeps me here a little bit. If not for that, and it was only the spiritual issue, during the descent it would tear, the connection would tear, I would sit at home, forget about them, they don't exist for me. 

Therefore, therefore what? Therefore, we need to create as many corporeal connections between us as possible so that during the fall, you know that if you're quitting, you're losing. That's it, you're losing. It's like you're doing the Chuppah, the wedding ceremony with your wife. Yes, I was there, right? So, thank God you did some sort of a—you made some sort of an agreement, now whether you want to or not, that agreement holds you to it. This is called a covenant. You don't do it for the good times, you do it for the bad times. 

In other words, in our society now, we need to instill into it, into its foundation, all kinds of such corrections for the bad states, because in a bad state, a person will fear disregarding the society, and each one needs to somehow create for himself such reinforcements for the times of the falling. Otherwise, he'll feel a loss in corporeality, because spirituality disappears at that time. So, in corporeality, he'll see that he is losing. So, anything to add? We need to think about that. It should be a great concern. What do we do about this matter so I will see a corporeal benefit from the society?

Student: He's saying that responsibility isn't enough, because that you don't care when you're in a descent. Even if you did something and people will shame you, it's not too bad.

M. Laitman: It depends to what level the response, you don't care about the responsibility, depends to what level. Still, as he says, at work, even though he cannot move, he's trying to somehow be there, be present there, to pretend as if he's working. Some sort of a—he's faking it, he's putting on a show. He doesn't have a choice, or he will be thrown out and it'll be terrible.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:27:57) Is this a difference? As in the profession, let's say if Yasha doesn't work in the kitchen, so nobody's gonna eat. But let's say if Dolan's sitting in front of the book, then that day he won't do anything. 

M. Laitman: So? 

Student: So, nobody's gonna know about it.

M. Laitman: No. If he's got a department manager, if he's got a department manager over him, so, I'm sorry, of course he'll feel it, just like it should be at work. We said it should be a factory.

Student: But in that profession, he'll feel responsible after a week. 

M. Laitman: Why? No, a manager should be, for sure. What is a manager? And you're saying?

Student: There are things that aren't expressed quickly. 

M. Laitman: Just like at work. 

Student: Maybe that can actually make the corporeal feel bad. Now, there I'm not lacking. Now, here I am.

M. Laitman: Okay, I hope you will discuss it and come to something. 

Reader: Let's share impressions. What are we taking to implement in the Ten? 

Reader: We'll move to the next part of the lesson, and before that, we'll sing a song together.

Song: (01:35:25)