I heard in 1943

After the Tzimtzum [restriction], the first nine became the place of Kedusha [holiness]. And Malchut, over which there was the Tzimtzum, became the place of the worlds. There are two discernments to be made: 1) a hollow place, which is a place for the Klipot [shells/peels], whose essence is the desire to receive only for themselves, and 2) a vacant place, meaning a place that became vacant for inserting what one chooses—Kedusha or the opposite.

Had it not been for the Tzimtzum, the whole of reality would have been in the form of simple light. Only after the Tzimtzum was there room for choosing to do bad or do good.

The abundance extends into that place through choosing the good. This is the meaning of what is written in the writings of the ARI, that the light of Ein Sof [infinity] shines to the lower ones.

Ein Sof is called “the desire to do good to His creations.” Although we discern many worlds, ten Sefirot, and other names, it all extends from Ein Sof, called “the thought of creation.”

The names, Sefira [sing. of Sefirot] and “world,” are because the abundance that pours out from Ein Sof descends through that Sefira and world. This means that since the lower ones cannot receive His bounty without preparation and correction, for the lower one to be able to receive, corrections were made by which there is ability to receive. This is called Sefirot.

In other words, each Sefira has its unique correction. Because of this there are many discernments. But they are only with respect to the receivers, since when the lower one receives the abundance from Ein Sof, he receives through a special correction which adapts it to receive the abundance. This is the meaning of receiving through a special Sefira although there are no changes whatsoever in the abundance itself.

Now you will understand the matter of the prayer that we pray to the Creator, which is the light of Ein Sof, being the connection that the Creator has with the creatures, called “His desire to do good to His creations.” Even though there are many names with the aim of the prayer, the interpretation is that the abundance will pour out through the corrections in the names since precisely through the corrections in the names will the abundance be in the hands of the receivers.

M. Laitman: Okay, we will read it again.

M. Laitman (Source Text/Commentary): (04:19) After the restriction, the Tzimtzum, the first nine, you have ten Sefirot  altogether, there was a restriction in them. So after the Tzimtzum, the restriction, the light departed, and the first nine of the ten became the place of Kedusha [holiness]. And Malchut, over which there was the Tzimtzum, the restriction in the will to receive, the first nine are not the will to receive, it's a desire to bestow that comes from the Creator. So, over which there was the Tzimtzum, the restriction, Malchut, so that became the place of the worlds. There are two discernments to be made there in Malchut: 1) a hollow place, a place for the Klipot, the shells, whose essence is desires to receive only for themselves, that's the hollow place, and 2) a vacant place, meaning a place that became vacant for inserting what one chooses, Kedusha, holiness, or the opposite. What does it mean opposite, or a Klipa [shell]? Meaning there are desires that can be in order to bestow and can also be in order to receive, and that's the place of choice, which is called the vacant place. Had it not been for the Tzimtzum, for the restriction, the whole of reality would have been in the form of simple light. We can't talk about the light. We can only talk about the light that is in something, in a vessel that reveals it, otherwise you can't reveal it. It's like looking at the sky at night. It's dark, but we understand that if we place some sort of something there, some sort of a screen, something in the middle, we will see light. There's something that the light encounters, because it fills all of reality, so if it encounters some sort of disruption, some sort of a screen, it shines. In other words, the screen is what reveals the light. Therefore, the hollow place is, as he says, it's a place where there are shells, and if we turn the hollow place into a place that is vacant of shells and place our screens there, through them we reveal the light. Just as we see in the sky that it's all dark, but if something comes and interferes with the darkness, as if it interferes, it doesn't really interfere. On the one hand, it's as if we place a partition in space, but by that we discover that there is light there. It's counterintuitive, wasn't there light there before? Of course there was, but we couldn't see it because we didn't place a screen, a barrier. So he says this, had it not been for the Tzimtzum, the whole of reality would have been in the form of simple light, filling all of reality. We don't need any screens or anything. Only after the Tzimtzum was there, was there room for choosing to do bad or good. So what did the Tzimtzum do? Why was there a Tzimtzum? To allow us to choose to be similar to the light or opposite, according to our nature.

(08:46) The abundance extends into that place through choosing the good. In other words, it is revealed. It was there before. There is None Else Besides Him, the Creator fills everything. But if we place a partition, then we discover that He is in this place. This is the meaning of what is written in the writings of the ARI, that the light of Ein Sof [infinity] shines to the lower ones, because Ein Sof is called the desire to do good to His creations. From the upper force, that fills all of reality on the one hand, on the other hand, a place becomes a dark place. Although we discern many worlds in the beginning, ten Sefirot and other names, it all extends from Ein Sof, called “the thought of creation,” to do good to His creations. The name Sefira, singular for Sefirot and world, are because the abundance that pours out from Ein Sof descends through that Sefira and world. Meaning, we call the light and the world and the phenomenon according to the light of Ein Sof that should come down. As it comes down and appears through some special qualities, special threads, and accordingly, we call it a world, or a degree, or a Sefira. This means that since the lower ones cannot receive his bounty without preparation and correction, for the lower one to be able to receive corrections were made by which there is ability to receive. This is called Sefirot. So what are the Sefirot? They are corrections on the will to receive, where the will to receive that acquires the form of the Sefirot, loses the light of Ein Sof, processes the world of Ein Sof, which is not processed in the feeling of the lower ones, into all kinds of forms that the lower ones can digest, take in, and that's the functioning of the Sefirot. In other words, each Sefira has its unique correction, its unique correction to connect the part from Ein Sof with Malchut, which is a created being. And then we have nine Sefirot that are along the way from Keter to Malchut, and by which the light of Ein Sof that shines in Keter can undergo all kinds of changes and be received in Malchut and awaken Malchut to perform such operations on itself that it reaches even Keter. Because of this, there are many discernments. But they are only with respect to the receivers. Everything is only from the perspective of the receivers. If not from the perspective of the receivers, we can't feel or name anything. Since when the lower one receives the abundance from Ein Sof, it receives through a special correction, which adapts it to receive the abundance. 

(12:40) We can't just receive the light of Ein Sof. We have to perform corrections on ourselves, and according to these corrections, we receive some sort of illumination from above. What is the light of Ein Sof? We never know. We know only what we can receive in our corrections. This is why the Creator is called Ein Sof, because we can't discover Him, feel Him, understand Him, ever. What we can do is to some extent become similar to Him, each time in a different way, and the sum total of our manners that we connect, we call this phenomenon “come and see,” Boreh, Creator. And this way, we to some extent attain with great limitations and with great restrictions. But this is called Creator, come and see. It's clear that it's only toward us from our perspective. This is the meaning of receiving through a special Sefira, although there are no changes whatsoever in the abundance itself. Now you will understand the matter of the prayer that we pray to the Creator. After we said that we can't become similar to the upper one, we can't reveal Him the way He is Himself. So there is room, there is always room for a deficiency, and the deficiency brings us to the prayer, which is when we pray to the Creator, which is the light of Ein Sof. We can't reveal, feel, attain Him ever. This is why it's called Ein Sof, no end, because we receive only at the Sof, at the end in the vessel. And Ein Sof, no end, is the connection that the Creator has with the creatures, the created beings. In Ein Sof, you also have several degrees that we can discern, and above it, too, where we can't discern at all. Normally, we talk about them as attainment of the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth millennium, and beyond that, after the end of correction, who knows? But Kabbalists do insinuate, insinuate these things. So we pray to Ein Sof, which is a connection that the Creator has with the created beings. On the one hand, the Creator is called come and see, on the other hand, we attribute it to Ein Sof. There are many discernments here. As we get closer to it, we will learn it and discover it. So the connection of the Creator with the created beings is called “His desire to do good to His creations,” which is what we reveal. Meaning, to the extent that we establish our vessels in order to bestow, accordingly, we can reveal the bestowing upper force, which is called “His desire to do good to His creations,” this is what we discover. And although there are many names with the aim of the prayer, the interpretation is that the abundance will pour out through the corrections in the names, since precisely through the corrections in the names will the abundance be in the hands of the receivers. In other words, we perform all kinds of corrections on our will to receive to make it similar to the aim to bestow to the Creator according to the equivalence of form. We discover in the will to receive in order to bestow our level of adaptation to the Creator, and that's why we call Him the Creator, come and see, what we reveal. And it's all about only through similarity with the intention to bestow. “I to my Beloved and my Beloved to me.” To the extent that I bestow upon the Creator, I discover that the Creator wants to bestow upon me. And this is called the contact of the created being with the Creator.

Question (Holland 1): (17:54) I have a question about the first paragraph about these two discernments of these places. It mentions that the second place or where the vacant place is about Kedusha or the opposite. Is the opposite of Kedusha, are those not the Klipot? 

M. Laitman: The shells are not a vacant place. There are many discernments, the will to receive in order to receive, when I discover it clearly, this is the place of the shell, the Klipa. Then I understand that I cannot use these desires. Let's say, I have a certain attitude toward a friend. I criticize him, I can't stand him, and so on and so forth. I put a restriction on that. I don't want to use it. Before I discovered my attitude, it was not scrutinized, not clear. After I discover how I relate to him, I see that it's a place of the shell. My will to receive in order to receive depicts him to me in this way, because if I didn't have a will to receive I wouldn't relate to a friend whatsoever, much less criticize him. After I restrict myself, that place becomes a place that I can already correct,  meaning I rose. What does it mean that I restricted? I rose above my intention to receive, and now I can even, perhaps, turn it into the intention to bestow. How? I connect to others, not to this friend. I can't, because I'm relating to him negatively. So, I connect to other friends, and I try to receive from them additional powers, to become incorporated in them. And then, when I'm incorporated with them, it's considered that I have connection with the Sefirot, with the remaining Sefirot, right? And then, I come to correct my relationship with this friend, a specific friend. And then, it's considered that I elevated myself above the degree of reason, to the degree of faith above reason. And in that place, I can then discover my connection with the Creator, because if I correct my relationship with the friends in this way, by this, I actually clean myself from the aim to receive, and I approach revealing the Creator. 

Student: If we have this state of feeling empty, this emptiness, which is sometimes very hard to bear, is this actually the vacant place where we have to choose? 

M. Laitman: Emptiness has several discernments. When you feel emptiness, it can be because you're not working among yourselves. Meaning, it is before the work, prior to it. So, there isn't any correct form in it. It's just for a lack of connection, positive, negative, that's what it's about. Our work begins only when we scrutinize the essence of the connection between us, whether it's positive or negative, because that's what we have to come to. We have to discover the truth in our relationships. So, by improving our relationships, we can discover the Creator through the method of come and see. So, in our relationships, we reveal how much we can bestow upon the Creator, and to that extent, the Creator can clothe in us, because He needs this vessel. So, look at the articles, The Arvut, mutual responsibility, The Peace, love your neighbor as yourself, this condition. All of our corrections are corrections in relationships among people. So, now that humanity is coming to a state where the whole world is connected, and connected in contradictory states, this is the place where we need to explain to humanity what should be the correction, because there is already a corrupted place that's clear to everyone that it's corrupted. So, let's scrutinize it. Let's bring it, bring it the correction.

Question (Rehovot): (23:42) What's the meaning of names in this article at the very end? I don't think I understand it.

M. Laitman: Names are the light that dresses in the vessel, and according to the essence of the vessel, that's what we call the light, because the light has no names. It's only the light of Ein Sof. Something, this primordial origin, but as it traverses the vessel and reveals itself in this way there, then we can talk about the light. But it's basically the same phenomena that it assumes on itself because it traverses, travels through the vessels. It's like in technology, in our physical world. When a certain phenomenon travels through wires or something, it acquires the limitations of the wires or the vessels it goes through, and then we talk about the light, let's say, red light or blue light. What are these lights? They travel through various vessels and take upon themselves these dresses, attires, and then we say white light, blue light, red light, but the light itself is colorless. It is only because it dressed in certain external phenomena. The same goes for us. The same goes for the Creator. We don't attain Him, Himself. The way Baal HaSulam writes, “Beware not to touch Him.” We rather talk about the Creator as come and see, that by coming to Him in all kinds of dresses, through these dresses we can know Him, understand Him. As we talk about the friends, about all the phenomena we discover, we don't reveal any phenomenon the way it is in itself. We can't, there's no such thing, but only according to the extent that we can dress this phenomenon in our reflected light, in our relation, in our understanding, in our minds and hearts. According to this, we reveal. 

Student: And another clarification, what's the connection between that and the names we use daily, like Moshe, David, bicycle? 

M. Laitman: In these names, we only reveal that manner of a phenomenon that is revealed to us, and we are attached to it. So, these names are only levels of our connection to some spiritual phenomenon, basically to the Creator. It's always the Creator. And this is how we discover a phenomenon and name it. There are no people,  there is nothing. Besides man, there is only the Creator. And the fact that we find all kinds of phenomena, it's because through the sum of these phenomena, we will discover Him. The Creator cannot be revealed in His complete manner to a vessel that is completely not corrected for it. This is why there is the breaking from the perspective of the vessel and a breaking seemingly from the perspective of the light. And then through many lights and many vessels that are corrected, when we correct them in the connection between them, in reception in order to bestow between them, by this we come to a state where we have one vessel and one light, but that vessel already comes from us. Our participation is involved there. Okay?

Question (Zafon 2): (28:14) How to correctly pray for a friend in the Ten? What do we ask of the Creator? 

M. Laitman: Ask the Creator. First of all, it might be that He will correct us to see the truth, and perhaps then we will see in his friend in the Ten different things from what we saw before. Afterwards, what we detect in him, that he probably doesn't see and we do see, then there's the matter of doing the correction for him or helping him in different ways to carry out corrections. But the main thing is that our correction is only in order to come closer to him emotionally. Not in words, not openly, but emotionally come closer to  him and help him be connected to us internally. And in this way, save him,  understanding that by this we save ourselves. Not that we save him because then we save someone from the Ten, but when we see the flaw in him, it is a flaw in us. And therefore, in fact, by this, we are correcting ourselves. Okay?  

Question (PT 19): (30:15) What is the meaning, significance of the abundance and the Good Who Does Good? How is that expressed in our feeling and perception, and can you even feel the Good Who Does Good on the path? 

M. Laitman: We need to believe that we are in a big, a very big cloud that is all Good  That Does Good. And in order for us to connect with this cloud, we see in place of this cloud, still, vegetative, animate, speaking of this world, and we need to change our attitude towards them, like to the Creator. Where actually, these still, vegetative, animal, and speaking are coming to us from the Creator so that through the changing of this attitude towards them, this connection in which I protect them, look over them, love them, and watch them in the right way, I'm not otherwise allowed to kill or destroy anything in reality but only in order to benefit the general reality. In this way, I need to see my attitude towards the Creator, all together, through all of His representatives, if we could say it that way, which are the still, vegetative, animal, and speaking in my world. 

Student: But there's a point that I feel that He's the Good That Does Good, and He's giving me the abundance, or I should work on it? 

M. Laitman: About that, you have to say, they have eyes and see not, ears, and hear not. Meaning that you're seeing from your flaws, you're seeing everyone flawed. Correct yourself towards them, towards all of reality, and then you'll see everyone as corrected. They have no form. You, when you look at them, you give them form. If you weren't in your…if you weren't to relate to reality through your will to receive, then you'd be in the light of Ein Sof that has no forms,no forms whatsoever.

Student: What does a person feel? This good, this abundance, what should they feel? I understand it's not related, but what should he feel? 

M. Laitman: You need to feel that you're in the light of Ein Sof, in the Creator. And that it's, that He’s Good That Does Good only, and all the creatures that you identify now are all together your parts that you're seeing outside of you because your soul is incorrect, it's not corrected. Okay, these are things that you need to think, and gradually it will be revealed as well.

Question (Belarus): (33:34) After the restriction of the first nine, Malchut becomes a place for the worlds. Why do we distinguish the Malchut from the upper nine if it's still made of these nine? 

M. Laitman: The Malchut is not included by the upper nine, but rather it works in a manner that if she restricts her desire in order to bestow, more correctly, her intention in order to receive, and the extent in which she wants to work with the intention in order to bestow, then she identifies with the first nine. And as much as she is capable of rising above her will to receive in order to bestow, then she rises seemingly above herself to the first nine, and accordingly feels them. That's considered that we reveal the upper world, above Malchut. Anyway, you can't explain this with words until a person reveals it as being so.

Question (ITA 1): (34:45) Do we make the ten Sefirot? To correct each other, do we need to relate between us only with a Masach and not with our open hearts? 

M. Laitman: Yes, you could say that in the relations between us, in the Ten or in Tens, in the Bnei Baruch group in general, we are building the ten Sefirot, yes. Have you seen laborers that are erecting a building? The way they all work, each in his place, each on his floor. These are standing up the walls, let's say, and these are dragging the pipes, and these are doing this, and those are doing that. That's how we are erecting our general building. 

Question (Karmiel): (36:01) I heard you say that the Klipot, the shells, are not a vacant space. So, it's not so clear what this place where the shells are, and how do we move from this space to the vacant space, and in this vacant space, what choice do we have? How do we choose? What is this whole process between A and B, Aleph and Bet? 

M. Laitman: That's already too broad of a question. We will have to learn this, and we will learn it. For the time being, read what you can find. 

Question (PT 31): (36:43) The Ten is asking, what's the intention of names in the Ten? 

M. Laitman: Names? 

Student: Yes, the names, the appellations. 

M. Laitman: The names for the ten Sefirot were given to us by the Kabbalists, and they explained to us this whole system, and we can read about that. There is in the Zohar, there's also in… there's a part in the Zohar, what volume is that? Twelve, or I don't remember, where there is an explanation about the numbers, the names, well  somewhat. So, there is such a thing. So, it could be that we also have already in, and on the internet, that we can give a link about that for everyone if they want to know. We will discover that. 

Student: Can I ask one more question? Sometimes it seems that the whole Ten is this vacant place, and the only vacant place is outside of it. What can we do in such a state? 

M. Laitman: I can't talk about that, because it's all not right and not precise. You have to scrutinize these things though. The Ten and avoid, I can't talk like that. Just like whatever I will intend, you will intend to something else, and we can't talk about it in a precise way, and later it will be recorded, and who will learn from that, and who knows what, and when. I am cautious about talking about things that I can be misunderstood. Clear? 

Question (Tel Aviv 4): (38:38) Forgive me, but I simply can't understand what it says here. I can't connect to these things. I don't understand what connection means. I don't…all the time, my mind is vague, my thoughts are…  

M. Laitman: So, you have a very special state today. You're in between degrees, between states, between one scrutiny and another, you have a confusion, and that's nice. It's a time of preparation to a higher degree. But don't distance, continue, and you'll see that you will understand in the next stage more, and you'll feel, and that's the main thing, and you'll feel more. And maybe you'll understand from the feeling. Which is even higher. 

Student: What should I do now? Should I accept it, or, because I feel everything's running, and I'm just standing still. 

M. Laitman: It's okay, that's how it is. The states between the degrees are always like that, and also about that you can read. 

Question (PT 3): (39:52) What's the advice he gives us here about the prayer? What is this advice Baal HaSulam gives us about the prayer? He says what? To pray to the Creator, to Ein Sof, to the names? Should the prayer be specific or general? 

M. Laitman: It's not specific. You can't compose a prayer if you don't feel. The prayer altogether is the raising of a lack upwards, MAN. Do you have a deficiency to transfer to Him, to pass to Him or not? Ask yourself. Ask your friends whether you can put together such a lack. That would be great. So, try to do so.

Reader: Now we'll move to studying with friends, and we'll sing a song before that.

Song: (40:48)