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

Daily Lesson (Morning) February 6, 2025.

Part 2:  Rabash. Fear of Heaven, 634.

Reader: We are going to read from the writings of the Rabash, Article number 634, “The Fear of Heaven”. You can find the study materials on Sviva Tova and the Arvut system, and you can ask questions through the websites. So Fear of Heaven 634.

634. Fear of Heaven

Reading: (00:27)Yom Kippur [Day of Atonement] September 16, 1964

“Antiganos Man of Socho complained to Shimon the Righteous … but rather be as slaves serving the rav [great one/teacher] not in order to receive reward, and the fear of heaven will be upon you” (Pirkei Avot, Chapter 1).

We should ask about the connection between “And the fear of heaven will be,” etc., and “not in order to receive reward.”

If a person works not in order to receive reward, the question is, Who obligates him to work? By nature, it is the reward that obligates one to work. If one has no intention to receive reward then who obligates him? When a servant serves the rav, it is because he has no choice, for the master governs him. But here, in the work of the Creator, it is a matter that is given to choice.

The answer to this is “and the fear of heaven will be upon you.” That is, the reason that obligates the work will be only the fear of heaven. The matter of choice pertains to the fear of heaven, as in “Everything is in the hands of heaven but the fear of heaven.” This was given to man to choose for himself his own fear of heaven, and each one has his own measure.  

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (03:03) He writes that everything is in the hands of heaven except for the fear of heaven, and that was given to man to choose his own fear of heaven, and each one has his own measure. What does it mean to choose the fear of heaven? What is that choice and fear of heaven? 

M. Laitman: Well, what does he want to be fearful from? As if it is in the desire to receive a reward, we can say, I want this, or I want that, and in receiving punishment, we are already not so able to scrutinize. And then, what do we do? It's like as much as appears to us as the least is the best. Also, in the same ladder. 

Student: What does it mean to choose the fear of heaven for himself? What is this choice? What is it made of? 

M. Laitman: It's made of a person depicting to himself precisely what the sufferings are from receiving punishment, what the joy is from receiving the Torah, and how he can choose in this and withstand it. Well, this is really a problem.

Student: And that's something that takes him towards adhesion with the Creator, that choice?

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: We need to be in this choice constantly, to be in the choice? 

M. Laitman: Actually yes. 

Student: That's how we can govern the Creator upon us all the time, as a result of this choice? 

M. Laitman: As a result of that choice.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (05:57) This inversion from becoming a servant that serves the Creator, it's clear, from wanting to receive something and being a slave, you just need the forces to serve. The transition is clear, right, in a person's life. 

M. Laitman: Not so much so. 

Student: Why, I can recognize, if I want to receive something, some action, or I just want to give joy to someone. 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: The transition is clear, that's what I wanted to ask, is the transition towards bestowal or Lishma?

M. Laitman: It's not the transition to Lishma. These are scrutinies for the time being.

Student: Between the friends, between us now and the Tens?

M. Laitman: No, you tell me in what you saw that it's a transition between Lishma and what else, and what, Lo Lishma? 

Student: When he writes, he has the servants who serve the Rav not in order to get reward. So that fear of heaven that a person gets when he sees himself as a servant, what is that? That quality, that feeling, the fear of heaven. 

M. Laitman: That he's afraid of the Creator, and therefore, he is willing to do everything.

Student: I don't understand what the fear of the Creator is, I know that I'm afraid I can't bestow to someone who's important to me. 

M. Laitman: That's it, you're a good boy. How could it be that that's all you think of. 

Student: No, I'm not there, I'm just saying that I understand the state that a person, like a mother that only wants to bestow to the baby and searching for what he's lacking.

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: The state that a mother is taking care of a baby, that's, if a person will be in that way towards the Creator, with the greatness he gets, so then he becomes a servant, is that right? 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: And how to reach that with the friends, each one? 

M. Laitman: You need to receive the nature of the mother, and for the friends to receive, in your eyes, the nature of the opposite, and then the relations between the mother and the friends, your friends, meaning you towards the friends, and you towards, that's a servant, so you'll have it clear what is meant here in being towards others and towards the, those who are relatives are close.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (09:42) He writes that the reward is what obligates you to work.

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: A person, the only thing he has, he has to reach the fear of heaven, he has to reach that spiritual fear. How does a person change his drive from wanting to receive reward, a prize, as he says, to being in fear? That should be his drive, to constantly be in spiritual fear and not receiving a reward. How does that transition happen? 

M. Laitman: There's no answer. 

Student: I think it has something to do with the greatness of the Creator. It's not fear, it's... It's like an awe, like a big honor to be standing before a King and you feel that you don't have any good deeds. So it's fear, it's a fear not from getting a blow, it's a fear of honor, of awe. So, the greater the king is, you have more greatness of the Creator than you…

M. Laitman: All right, well, you feel that way. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (11:28) Can we say that you get inspiration of the reward that the friends get? 

M. Laitman: It's not written that way, here. He doesn't want to enter into all kinds of other possibilities.

Student: I'm asking because what the friend asked in the beginning of the lesson, there's the matter of the work of man towards the Creator or the work of man towards a group. Towards the Creator is entering Lishma, towards the group is entering connection in order to reach it together.

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Student: So we have to be sensitive towards one another?

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Student: And in that sensitivity, I think the matter of reward or punishment, it's an opportunity that... Well, what I think the friends are receiving all kinds of things. That's why I'm asking about that point.

M. Laitman: All right, we'll scrutinize it. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (12:37) This sentence that grabbed me here is that everything in the work of the Creator depends on choice. The moment you've chosen to work the Creator, it's like wanting to work the friends in each and every moment. You want to be there. Even your request is for the friends because it comes from your desire. There's like a jump that every day you're already there. That's where the fear comes from, that you're afraid to lose that connection, that you really want to be there all the time for the friends. And from the friends to the Creator, that this connection won't stop for a moment. So that choice is actually... Every day, you know, I can't say that today I'm choosing, I chose. And you feel it in the Ten. If you choose to be there with the friends, the effort is the reward because you want to be there. And it doesn't matter what the result is. The fact that you're here in the friends, in that connection, the Creator already does what needs to be done.

M. Laitman: Nice.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (14:04) What fear do we need to come to the Congress with?

M. Laitman: What do we want? We want to be connected. As one man in one heart. All of us together. In one desire. In one point of desire and to succeed in this, that's actually the desirable goal. Whether we will be able to come in the form that we are now, I see there isn't a chance. And then we need to scrutinize ourselves and critique ourselves as we ask the Creator to give us the possibility to see ourselves correctly. And then decide what we're lacking. That, also with the prayer and the answer from above. And then, if we aim our efforts to the goal correctly, then we will receive all the components to reach the correct goal. To locate the goal, that's the main thing.

Student: Because that's something that should escort us constantly.

M. Laitman: No, not all the time, but at least during these two weeks. We need to constantly be seeking, searching. How we awaken our goal, and how we correctly see our place.

Student: Is that personal work, mutual work? 

M. Laitman: From individual to collectively, completely. We hope that we will understand this, feel this, discover this, and participate in it.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (17:59) About the spiritual fear. A person hears he needs to have fear towards the Creator, and then he can check inside and see that even if it's true, he doesn't know how to work for the Creator. He doesn't know how to serve his Master. And here there's the matter that he can say that naturally his heart can say, it's not for me, it's not for now. And he moves away from that fear because he doesn't feel mutuality in this connection between him and the Creator. What should be there beyond fear that could bring a person into the actual work?

M. Laitman: A person needs to be guarded, protected against the punishment. Wherever there's a reward, there's also a punishment. And then, is he working due to the punishment? Or is that not important to him already? Where? He already is really in love of others, it's hard here to define. 

Student: Should a person invent for himself the reward and punishment? If he doesn't feel, or whether he feels he needs fear, or if he has it, but he doesn't feel the reward and punishment in his actions, or in the lack of his actions, so he can't move from here, it's like he has to invent some way, or receive a feeling of reward, punishment. So, is the feeling of fear, does it already awaken the feeling of reward and punishment in him?

M. Laitman: Where would he take this from?

Student: That's exactly the question, because also if there is fear, how do we advance from this to the beginning of the work? If the beginning of the work is a feeling of reward and punishment on one thing or another, a person still doesn't have the feeling of what will bring him a reward, or what will bring him punishment.

M. Laitman: Yes

Student: So here the scrutiny is how to start getting a connection with the system, and feeling what your place is, what you should be doing, and not... Sometimes there is a feeling, maybe it's not for you, maybe next time, so why is there such a feeling? If he already has fear, and that's everything that was dependent on him.

M. Laitman: Because it's a great burden, it's heavy for him. The desire to receive doesn't give a person the freedom to choose the sufferings to advance and come close through pain and suffering. It's not to his liking.

Student: So what's the advice for people who are the Creator's servants? What's the advice to enter from this stage into the work? 

M. Laitman: Enter into actions that are all connected not to pleasures but to sufferings. And then he tries to come out from under the network of sufferings and enter under the net of suffering, not expect pleasures. Rather, to the extent in which he has sufferings, he is willing to be in this as long as he can scrutinize the truth.

Student: So, it's more important to reach a state that it's important to bestow to the Creator than the feeling of the suffering that could be revealed. 

M. Laitman: That is for sure, yes. We need to think about this. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (23:42) I want to continue this a bit. Fear could be a great burden. The Creator is controlling all, and a person wants to bestow it on him because of that. On the other hand, the will to receive is going wild inside and always in resistance. And then he's between the Creator's controlling all to the will to receive that is constantly really giving him suffering.

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: So, how do you come out of this loop? What should we add to the fear? That it won't turn into suffering. 

M. Laitman: All our work is not to be in spiritual fear just because of the suffering in it. Otherwise, you're not a human being. Otherwise, you're simply a consequence of that which is happening to you.

Student: That's the nature of creation put us into. 

M. Laitman: But we need to rise up. So how do we rise up?

Student: Rising is from suffering. You rise because of the suffering. 

M. Laitman: What do you mean due to sufferings? 

Student: Because the Creator is in control. He determines everything for you. So you're afraid of that, of His force. On the other hand, He does allow you. He does give you a connection with Him, but you keep that connection because of the suffering. Why? Also not because of yourself. Because you have the will to receive in you. The Creator put it inside of you, and you are in between. So I'm asking, what should a person add to his fear from the Creator who controls all, that it won't become suffering, that it will be outside of that definition of suffering?

M. Laitman: I don't know what to say to you. Continue.

Student: I thought about the matter of love. But we always say that there is fear and love. So what is love? Will it come from something in the future? Or maybe it will open this? Or from the work a person has to imagine what it is to love the Creator? Something has to be added to the work that it won't be in such distress all the time. What is love? Where does that appear? How do we add that to the work of the Creator? Also when we're coming to such a big event like a congress, I think it's a great opportunity to maybe express love of the Kli, that the Creator is escorting us as a whole vessel for so many years. That's my impression.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (27:44) I want to join the friend that the whole matter of Lishma, you can't talk about Lishma without love. Because it says we have to keep the Torah,Lishma. The Rav writes the love of the Torah, that all this emotion that we see how the Kabbalists are bursting out of emotion when they speak. So when we talk about fear, I thought it's a fear that we won't reach this love that we're yearning for so badly. Like you told us, that you want everybody to have a big piece of meat in the congress and not a little piece. So, I think if we add this term of love, the love of the Torah, what it means that I love the Torah, if we chose the word Lishma, so we have to add the Torah Lishma, this whole approach, we have an opportunity for a huge emotional inversion. So, I just wanted to join the friend, and I wrote a friend about it too, so maybe you can add something.

M. Laitman: No, no, I have nothing to add, but thank you.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (29:27) Who can help a person enter, going into suffering but only in order to scrutinize the truth. 

M. Laitman: Who can? Only the Creator. There's None Else besides Him.

Student: And how to ask of Him in a way that we’ll receive the ability to choose in that way? 

M. Laitman: It's a prayer. It's the prayer. A prayer where you're asking for guidance.

Student: How to awaken the Creator? How to ask of Him correctly that will give us the force to enter suffering in order to scrutinize the truth.

M. Laitman: Yes. How do we do this? 

Student: The request, as you said, how to go under the suffering of the Creator without going through suffering.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (32:04) One of the signs that we're coming closer to the goal is suffering.

M. Laitman: Well? Yes, yes, let's say. So what else do we have to do?

Reader: We'll go studying between the friends. Let's summarize the lesson first.