Morning Lesson May 17, 2022 Transcription
Transcription is made from simultaneous translation which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio
The Approach to Studying the Wisdom of Kabbalah - Selected Excerpts from the Sources. #15
Reading Item 15 (00:39) “The Torah has the power to reform a person..”
Baal HaSulam. Foreword to The Book of Zohar. #36
Reading item 36 (02:30) “There seems to be a contradiction in their words…”
Rav’s Introduction:
1. R. (06:18) Yes, what does he want to say to us? many things here but what is relevant for us right now is that the Creator in order to relate to the Created being which He created as existence from absence with a desire which is purely to receive. In order to bestow to it there needs to be a connection between Him and the will to receive which is opposite of the Creator. Therefore He builds this relationship with the created being through the ten Sefirot which are certain measures by which the force of bestowal, the Creator, connects to the force of reception, the created being. And, the created being has to be in a form that is opposite to the Creator to feel the Creator. He has to be composed of the qualities of the Creator and so in order for the Creator to bestow to the Creator being, He also has to be in a relationship between Him and the created being.
Therefore we have the system of the worlds which means concealment, Haalama. What does it mean? that the Creator bestows to the created being, He has to gradually reveal Himself and where He does not want to reveal Himself, he hides himself. So, over the Creator there’s a system of concealment and revelation with respect to the Created being, and the Created being has to be built in such a way that he will be impressed by the levels of the concealment and revelation that the Creator presents before him. Therefore the will to receive in the Created being, meaning to receive the Creator's bestowal; it is built in a way that in its character, in its nature it’s built to feel the relation of the attitude of the Creator in the way that it feels all of the contrasting and opposite and similar forms between him and the Creator. That is how the relationship between them becomes revealed, apparent. And here the created being must pay attention to how much he wants that connection through various conditions which could be in favor or against something.
Meaning to prefer his connection with the Creator as opposed to whatever kind of other conditions that seemingly hinder this connection, because my that he actually expresses himself, builds himself in his relation to the Creator. Therefore the nature of the created being is what we refer to as the evil inclination; whose purpose, the goal of this inclination, means desire, its goal is to bring the created being all sorts of opposing forms, towards the appearance of the Creator before him. This means that just like, let's say we can play with a baby or in life when others play with us, so in front of us there are securities to make sure that i can attain something but I have to pay for it with something, to give something for it. Then in such a way the created being can be grown, as much as he prefers connection with the Creator as opposed to other conditions and fulfillments.
This disturbance that stands against us and opposite the Creator is our will to receive that wants to enjoy, that shows us all forms of pleasure in connection with the Creator, but on the the account of knowing and getting closer to the Creator and that is why we always need to be making a choice between this and that: Do I prefer getting closer to meeting the Creator or to fulfill myself in all kinds of ways opposite to that but pleasant to me. The fact that they are pleasant to me means that is my will to receive, which seems to be making an opposite action to the goal here, of reaching the Creator, becoming similar to the Creator, understanding the Creator. But it actually works this way in order for me to grow in my choice of preferring connection with the Creator as opposed to connection with the pleasures. Therefore, the Creator being was created in a very unique way; this is an invention of the Creator here to give the will to receive a desire to enjoy something but in contrast it will lose connection with the Creator.
So in the connection between these two qualities the created beings have a free choice, in order to build such a systems through which the Creator relates to them in that way, the Creator set up this system of connection between the created things to the extent that the created beings connect between them, that will be against their will to receive which only wants to control and rest. It turns out that the will to receive here is really “help made against” meaning on one hand it helps assist the created being in knowing where they are, as opposed to connection to the Creator and resembling the Creator. And, on the other hand He rejects them in giving them a sense of distance and that brings the created being a correct precise discernment about how they can know that they are missing correction, and in such a way they turn to the Creator and He helps them. So, it turns out that the will to receive created by the Creator we cannot really identify with the Creator, even though we begin to fight against it. And, our work is basically only to relate that to the Creator as well, to the upper force; there is only Him, there's None Else Besides Him. And, everything that will happen, will happen only to be solved between us and the Creator. These Corrections are called “measurements”: To the extent that I prefer the measure of judgment or the measure of mercy, what brings us closer and what pushes further away.
How can I relate to both of them coming from the Creator, because they have both the same single purpose; to connect through the whole of creation and through that to the Creator. If I do not know how to relate to all of creation then my adhesion with the Creator, my contact with the Creator will also be incomplete. Therefore the created being begins to discover the gap between him and the Creator in very small measurements, until he comes to greater measures and can connect all of creation to his connection with the Creator. In item 36 here, in the forward, he is basically telling us everything: there is a scheme of all of creation here. Maybe we'll go deeper based on your questions. Basically what is happening here, what is explained here in item 36 is then explained throughout the whole Study of TES, the whole Wisdom of Kabbalah; in terms of the network of connection between the Creator and the created beings.
2. S. (18:18) What does it mean that in any given moment from all forms to prefer the connection with the Creator?
R. We essentially always need to depict a simple state to ourselves: That I'm at the choicepoint and what do I prefer, connection with the Creator or connection with my desire to enjoy? And, In such a way I decide. That I'm not cutting off my sense of connection with the desire to enjoy, the will to receive, but I prefer this over that and this preference is what we call restriction, screen, reflected light and the building of the faces. Meaning how much I prefer this over that.
3. S. (19:53) He says that: They are in Beria because of the union made for the correction of the world, what does this mean?
R. Beria is Bina. What is Bina? Bina is already the revelation of the will to receive that has an imprint on it, demonstration of the desire to bestow to Malchut, that is why the world of Beria has a very special degree that connects between the influence of the Creator from above downwards and the response of the created beings from below upwards.
4. S. (21:06) What does it mean that through the connection with the friends we discover the Creator from the lowest world to the highest one, can this be measured?
R. We need some device with which we can work like the Creator works through the worlds, Partzufim, Sefirot, by which He weakens His influence towards us, and that is how He can make a connection with us. How do we come to the connection with the Creator? So in order to allow the created beings to gradually connect in the will to receive and in contrast of the will to receive. The Creator Created all the worlds meaning the will to receive; when it is divided and sorted based on the levels of the Partzufim and Sefirot, then we can determine how much we want to connect with the Creator as opposed to being connected to our will to receive. That we will have an opportunity to know where we are. In short, in our desire we need to feel black and white. The Created being lives in the difference between say himself and the Creator. So, I have to have in my system of attainment, of feeling, of understanding, everything that I have in all of my five levels of attainment, I have to have discernments and therefore we build this relationship between us.
S. So the more space friends take within me the more I'm filled with the love of friends and the closer we get to the upper worlds and pass them, correct?
R. Yes, to the extent that we manage to build the connection between us, that connection gives us a sense of the upper system. Because what we build between us is a sort of assimilation of the upper system and It influences us, the upper system. Then we begin to see and our senses in our relationship between us changes. These changes give us an understanding of where we are in the relationship between us that is not corporeal but also spiritual. Then bit by bit by wanting to resemble the spiritual system that we learn about, we are trying like little kids, by that we awaken the light that reforms; it influences us, it awakens us, it plays with us in favor and against, “through light and darkness” as we say, and by that we grow.
Then we begin to better and better discern between light and darkness, good influence and bad influence. After that we begin to prefer the influence of the Creator over the bad influence and that is how we move from what we call “within reason” which means in our direct sensation, to a feeling that is “above reason” which is no longer in our direct sense but based on spiritual discernments that are in order to bestow. If it is more in order to bestow is considered more preferable to me, higher then in order to receive. Then it turns out that I no longer measure my relationship based on how pleasant or not but based on how much there is more or less in bestowal above reception. So, it turns out that I move so far into preferring actions of bestow, even though it goes against my nature, even though in my nature of reception I discover pain and unpleasantness. But that unpleasantness becomes something I'm willing for, something I want, something I love and I am drawn to. And, that is to the extent of the greatness of my connection with the friends, with the Creator, as opposed to feeling pleasure in the direct let's say corporeal or beastly desire. This is how we grow from Lo Lishma to Lishma.
5. S. (28:14) We heard the expression: I saw an opposite world. Does it depend…?
R. “I saw an opposite world'' means that my values and what I measure in the spiritual world is opposite of the corporate world. In the corporeal world I measure everything based on how much I received, and in the spiritual world I measure on from whom do I receive? so I'm good with just receiving 1 gram of something from the Creator and it could be bitter as opposed to receiving 10 kilos of something corporeal, that is also sweet. So everything depends on appreciation. There are many examples like the one who carries a suitcase and so on. So we take into account the greatness of the Creator for the creative being and not what the created being receives from the Creator. Because in truth, what we get from the Creator is only contact and it is not possible that He will give something else.
6. S. (30:18) Can you explain what it means that the quality of judgment connects to the quality of mercy?
R. If we are only talking according to the will to receive, this is called the measure of judgment. If we add to that also the will to bestow, this is called the quality of Hesed, mercy. The measure of Hesed and Bina. Our whole work is between Bina and Malchut; from the Malchut we have to rise always to the level of Bina, until the whole Malchut rises completely to the level of Bina.
7. S. (31:18) If I receive pleasure and we become fully aware it’s from the Creator and we don't stop it, we return that with an intent of gratitude, like a prayer, thanking the Creator for giving us the opportunity to feel the pleasure in order to get closer to Him. Is that what you're talking about that we have our senses and we don't turn them off but we turn them around in the form of gratitude, a prayer?
R. Yes, we learn how to use our whole nature but in the form of not reception, but bestowal. That we connect all of our senses, all our nature to The Giver. The Giver becomes the primary determining factor for me and we do not remain on the level of the receiver.
8. S. (32:40) In our world we divide everything, there is judgment or there is mercy, how can we understand this association between judgment or mercy?
R. We still cannot because we do not have those systems, first we have to reach a state where we want to connect with the forces of bestowal, of giving, of connection to the extent that we want to connect between us, it turns out that then I will have two systems in front of me. One system where I want to connect to another system, where in order to connect I also have to detach from the system of reception to the point that I'm actually undergoing a restriction and I do not want to receive anything. Later I will once again open the system of reception to receive but that will be in order to bestow already so then I end up having two systems, this system of reception and the system of bestowal and this will be in two lines and I will work in correctly connecting both to express my whole complete relation to the Creator.
In order to express it correctly and not make mistakes the Creator created a system of the worlds as well as my will to receive was divided into so many pieces that are also opposites between them and then I discovered them as the friends, the group and how each one of them is complex. All of that is in order for me to prefer the level of connection, clear, then it turns out that we connect with all kinds of qualities that the Creator prepared in us. When we prefer the connection this spite regardless of whatever quality each and every one that has this is called “love covers all crimes”. Crimes refers to the qualities of each and everyone and love is the connection. So the more we try to build such a connection between us on top of whatever egoistic calculations, other calculations by that we build ourselves.
S. So the Creator is revealed through the judgment and the mercy, he is revealed in the middle between these two opposites?
R. The Creator will be revealed as a result of both yes. I remember that I was complaining to Rabash that there are some of the students that I just cannot stand, really cannot bear them. So he actually hinted at me that with them I have to achieve connection more than with others and it was tough for me and I could not accept it. It is the same as in the family, we have to accept whatever we have as an opportunity to nullify the ego, we can see all of those things were built with the end result in the initial thought. The Creator created the end first and from the end it goes there it goes down all the way down to our place and that is why we see our world so completely opposite to the wholeness.
9. S. (38:20) How do I need to pay, how do I know that I paid in preferring the Creator, how do I pay for it?
R. You pay by connecting to others and you want to discover the Creator in the connection between you. The Creator is the result, come and see. According to how much you can incorporate the friends together in your heart to that extent you discover the Creator. It is not so difficult if you depict yourself how much the upper light which created the will to receive and broke it and scattered it and played with until he arranged all the system and we are in that system. So it turns out we simply need to collect all the broken pieces together and return to the image of the Creator before us or within us.
S. If I feel your pain because I gave up on the corporeal pleasure to connect with friends does that mean that I've paid.
R. This I cannot say, why did you make that concession, that is a question do you understand. This is where we have to scrutinize.
10. S. (40:17) It was not clear to prefer connection with the Creator, is this something that is felt as painful to the will to receive?
R. Of course, of course, because the Creator is desire to bestow and therefore we cannot be in the desire to bestow, to prefer the desire to bestow, to respect it and here's all of our work where I, through the connection with the friend's, through studying, through the request, through the recommendation of the Kabbalists who tell me this is what I need to do. I still need to let go of what I think, what I understand, what I feel and prefer bestowal to reception, it is a big problem. Look what is happening to our system. People still gathered and from this perspective of the upper system, the upper light, it operated on each one of us in order to bring us to the study, to connect to hearing men, women, hearing about the system and what we need to do.
We are told that by this we reach the Creator, eternity, wholeness, and still look how incapable we are. We are truly willing to shut our eyes and give up on it and quit. It's a problem, it's a problem. Why are we unable. Because we are not troubling ourselves to connect, the minute we decide to some extent but all of us to come to some collective mutual responsibility then it works. Then it works. So that collective responsibility is called Arvut, the mutual guarantee or mutual responsibility. If we try erecting it, such a system of Arvut, of responsibility for others where I think of the friends and I am concerned with their success and in this way all of us, for all of us. So precisely that thought of each friend, it becomes like a string that runs between us and this is what builds the spiritual vessel. Within this needing, where we need the connection between us we build the spiritual vessel. This is why Arvut is necessary and the most important thing.
S. So the system of Arvut we need to build it enough to make this committed in our thoughts that we agree to think about each other all the time. Is this enough or should this be expressed outwardly somehow?
R. No, we need to depict the system constantly within us, how connected and dependent on others and other than me, how much in the network between us only how when this network we come to feel and bestow upon the Creator. How much we in the system clothe the Creator, we grasp him in our system in our network of Arvut and this is how we come to connection, to embrace, to adhesion with him. That system of Arvut, the mutual responsibility that we reveal between us is the most important thing. Therefore we receive the reforming light only in order to build a network of the mutual responsibility between us where no one is important, what is important is only the connection between us and the higher the souls, the more they are crueller, the more egoistic they are and then it is difficult for them what is the mutual responsibility and to begin to implement it even to the slightest extent.
11. S. (46:28) At the end of 36 it says hence the Zohar calls the Sefira Bina by the name Beria, because prior to that association there was no image or form in Bina, so now Bina that takes on the form and image of Malchut and what is that, what is that the image, what is that form?
R. Malchut that rises to the quality of bestowal of the Creator imprints its quality of reception in the quality of bestowal of the Creator and then we can depict ourselves the Creator's bestowal towards each and every quality of the will to receive that exists in Malchut. In this way, we arrange the Creator in the matrix, in the network of Malchut and we can begin to work with his form of bestowal from within our will to receive and it is all the association of Malchut and Bina. These words are still perhaps not very clear but we are approaching such actions then it will be clear.
12. S. (48:40) If I understand you correctly when we nullify with each other we need another step so as to come to what our address to the friends would be?
R. it has to come first, it is written the end of the action is in the preliminary thought, first there has to be why I do it, then I come to connection, why do I need connection then it will be purposeful.
13. S. (49:34) How do we feel, how to know that we are connected correctly with the others?
R. With the friends in the ten, how do we check if we are connected correctly or not? Ideally I should relate to each and every friend as personally and individually as possible particularly within the ten. My relation to each and every friend should be as I relate to the others but in a different way according to all kinds of elements between us for and against and ideally I should bring all of those elements that I have and all the friends have, in such a way that on the one hand it is clear to me that everyone is different and it's clear to me that everyone is equal. That is one thing. Number two, how do I organize myself with respect to the friends so that I am willing to do everything for them just as for the Creator but for the friends demands of me actions, clear actions, activities, right. So here the question is to what extent I am thinking of them. There are some that can do a lot of things with their hands, some can sing or speak, other people can give high spirits to everyone, others are more introverted, cannot do it. But here in the group
I have to come to a state where my disposition toward connection with them will still be felt in them as much as possible. A group is something very special and very deep. Picture the group from what you have today until it encompasses all of humanity, includes all of humanity, so if you have ten friends then you will have 10 billion people. How would you relate to them? How would you see that you connect them? How would that happen, how would that work then. So try to depict it this way and see how much work we have on increasing the importance of the friends in our eyes but in truth in our relationships in the group we act on those 10 billion souls.
14. S. (53:50) The third part of item 36 Baal HaSulam says there that association of the quality of mercy with judgment, it turns out that what the Creator did happened in the world of correction is the same character of behavior that we need to create in our ten. Overcoming on one hand, the desire on the other hand, in every moment the Creator assists us with this mercy.
R. So what is the question? I do not understand what is your question.
S. The question is can this assist me in such confidence that to begin with that in a manner of behavior the revelation of the desire is already built in each and every moment there is this assistance the Creator?
R. Yes, correct question, this is called the end of the act is in the preliminary thought. That's in the Creator's turning to us there is already the solution and all we have to do is to annul ourself and then that solution will also become clarified in us. That in other words we do not need to be smart, we just need to annul ourselves before the ten and then it will be clear to you what is your next degree. Then out of that it will be clear to you what are the qualities, characteristics, forms of connection between you, everything will be clarified through the annulment. Therefore, as it is written, it is not the smart one that learns. We do not have the possibilities of attaining the wisdom but only to approach more connection and more connection is not through knowledge, through smartness, but through annulment. So to the extent that a person can annul himself, by this he also annuls his intellect, his feeling, only to be more connected by this he enters the system and then this system begins to explain to him what is happening in it, that is why it is not the smart one that learns, it is something that is very important. To our intellect and ego it is very primitive, we do not want it but precisely this way we attain.
15. S. (57:57) About ten minutes ago you said that Rabash would say that he has students that first those that are less pleasant to you, you need to love them first, so about the relationship with the ten as far as I understand first you need to relate to all the friends in the ten equally, love everyone, nullify towards everyone. In my ego I perceive each one of them differently, some are more pleasant some are less, some I actually really hate. How do I work then with the friends in the ten to relate equally to everyone or make some additional effort towards the one that it's harder for me with?
R. We need to be in both, you need to increase your good relationships with those you can, those who are close to you and try to take from there the power to correct the not-so-good relationships with the friends, who are a little farther from you. Still it is like a raft, like a boat, a small boat, we need to constantly try to be in balance because the connection between everyone is what's important, it comes into the final calculation. In other words if you have a ten and you have a small connection between everyone it is more important than if out of the whole ten you have two or three who have a strong and a high connection, you understand? Quantity is more important than quality.
16. S. (01:00:27) Following Moscow's question, if a friend gives a bad example in the ten with him too I have to connect?
R. Yes, you have to connect in order to raise him, speak to the friends so you can come from several sides to that friend who is constantly pulling you down and you together, of course in such a way that he doesn't feel it, you will try to lift him up.
S. Is it supposed to be in thought, in action, what do you recommend doing?
R. Of course in the thought. This is obvious but because the end of the act is in the preliminary thought, so first of all in thought, speak and decide and then act.
17. S. (01:01:44) In a group where during the day more than half the friends weren't in the lesson and they talk about the greatness of the friends, is there way and how you can nullify in such a state?
R. First we have to try to come to a state where you love them. Even though we connect in this not so perfect way. After you come to a state that you are with them and you regret together with them that they are in such a state, then embrace them, connect with them, cling to them, adhere to them, not in where they are outside of the connection but where you can and try to raise them with all kinds of examples of bestowal, all kinds of excerpts that they cannot say that they don’t want to hear them, we have many such excerpts that touch the heart so they cannot not participate in them.
Besides you need to understand that there are different times and different states to friends and we need to think about and talk about the importance of the connection so if I'm in a state where I don't want to hear, I don't want to connect, I don't care about anything, I'm fed up with everything then it's enough for me to be as though dead among them, I'm truly dead. In terms of what I think at that time, but if I agree to be dead among them then they can take me on a stretcher, they can do whatever is possible, I'm willing to be in their hands. This is how we need to see the friends.
18. S. (01:04:40) Did the Creator create the world with the measure of judgment so that with prayer that created being will ask for the quality of mercy and then bring those two together?
R. Exactly who said it so beautifully, good, great. Yes, go ahead great, this is great, continue.
19. S. (01:05:26) How can we attain the quality of mercy, how can we feel it?
R. By feeling that I have an inclination, a disposition, nearing, warmth, even love for the friends and out of this approach I begin to feel something new, a new relation to spirituality. Within this disposition to embrace with the friends, I begin to feel my relation to the Creator. I begin to feel more correctly the connection between the various parts of creation, the Sefirot, the actual Sefirot, what it means to be in the ten Sefirot, in the worlds, how much this whole external envelope operates on me and I on it. It is all attained through the connection with the friends, we have to understand that we do not have connection to the worlds, we do not have connection to all those up or forces but when we are connected between us even to the smallest extent, above our egos, by this we awaken the upper forces.
We have no other way to influence spiritual forces in the world unless we build a network of connection between us in the group and we want to awaken this network of connection. Only in this way, do we bestow, do we influence, do we have any influence because we have the similitude, the mold, the congruence, the presentation of how through it we influence the upper world, the upper forces, only through the connection between us. It is a kind of a key that the Creator gave us and that's why he broke the vessel of Adam HaRishon and to the extent that we want to re-establish this vessel, we influence all the forces of nature.
Also all along the way if we want to influence spiritual forces it is only to the extent that we try to connect among us, more and more. The Creator for his part shows us and increases our ego and our conflicts and problems so we will invest more in connection, all of our exertion is only in connection throughout the spiritual path. By this we awaken from the upper spiritual forces, these things have to be imprinted, written in our minds and in our hearts that only through improving our relationships in the ten we influence the upper system and draw out of it influence on us and that influence, the upper light will already correct us and direct us and do everything but how do we draw the upper light, how do we influence it? By trying to connect among us even though we always have contradictory forces, forces that contradict connection.
20. S. (01:09:25) How can we find the strength to connection with the Creator over our desire to enjoy if that is all we are?
R. It was given to us because we are the result of the shattering and now you can understand the benefit of the shattering. When we learned that there is a correct system, a complete system and everything is fine and suddenly a will to receive appeared on a higher level then was in the correction that's why the whole system broke. The intensified desire that appeared in it, it drew lights, which are above the screen that it had, that was in it, and that's how it broke.
Because of it we already have all the data, the elements to bring the system into correction and the shattering took place on the highest level, on the fourth phase. This is why now we need to correct, and the correction we do, we shift from the desire to receive to the intention to bestow, from not wanting to do, to wanting, from ascent to a fall etc. We constantly have to work on the connection between us. How it is more important than anything else, this is the correction and by this we weaken the lights that broke the connection that we had between us, so as much as we now seemingly want to connect, we awaken those lights that fled from us but because we are working on drawing them against our will to receive then we are drawing them 620 times higher than what we had then. This is our whole work, this is why the system is ready, the method is clear and we become even clearer to the extent that we establish it and use it, that's it.
21. S. (01:12:12) The connection with people who are unpleasant to me should only be an effort in inner work or try to achieve an effort to embrace externally with these people?
R. Perhaps there are people who need hugs, they need some sort of an external connection, there are people who don't. It depends on a person's character, on his corporeal character. But it doesn't really point to spirituality and you also understand from experience already that people come who are so warm and they hug you and they sing and they do everything, after sometime they disappear. Because it depends on a person's corporeal encounter, it is how they present themselves.
S. You gave the advice that Rabash recommended you to go closer to people you have some inner rejection towards, these people that I have a lack of desire to work with them, I need to work some inner work or work some physical contact, what he describes as warmth and hugs?
R. You can't answer this, you need to see, according to external and internal in the group according to what's customary, when you will be understood correctly you have to see how much, to what extent you do to bring in more connection among the friends.
22. S. (01:14:19) What will help us reach that state of Arvut, is it worthwhile for the tens to start from even signing an Arvut document, in writing like you sign a marriage agreement or if so what needs to be written there?
R. Right, sit together, all the group, open a page on your computer when you can't physically sit together, open a page on your computer as a shared page, and there each one should have shortly, the ability to write what is this Arvut and connection agreement. But she has to sign, it's also for the men, each one has to sign, give his signature, he's going to try to do that. Read that agreement everyday and every day you can change, you can add, it should be as new to you.
23. S. (01:15:46) Is this the correct action and you said you have to check why did you exactly make the concession, the question is why do we need to scrutiny if we know we're always working out of self-love, it's clear we are not working correctly, so why do we have to scrutinize it?
R. It should be clear to us that we act only on the behalf of our egoistic desire, it has to be clear. That every time you will see how you discover these things in a different new way, and an unpleasant one.
24. S. (01:16:38) What's the difference between an image and a form, or a shape?
R. I can't say about image and form and shape and exact definition because everything is revealed to the ones who are on the path and it changes for them every time. An image, a figure is when you speak of some character, that is revealed in a more creative way and shape is more schematic. More able to be measured to be changed, influenced.