The transcript has been transcribed and edited from English simultaneous interpretation, thus there may be potential semantic inaccuracies within it.
Daily Lesson (Morning) November 6, 2024.
Part 2: The Conditions for Studying with Friends
Reader: We are in a lesson topic of “The Conditions For Studying With Friends” from the Babylonian Talmud, item four in the document.
Item 4. RASHI Commentary on Masechet Hulin, 5:1 Babylonian Talmud. (twice read)
Reader:(00:28) In the Goren, since in the Goren, they would sit in affinity and friendship, and as one bundle, like the Sanhedrin, without suspecting one another, since they would see each other and hear each other, and argue with one another until a proper instruction came forth.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:40) What are they arguing about?
M. Laitman: What they have between them.
Student: Typically, when we sit together and read something in our, some excerpt in our meetings or in the lesson that's going to happen, we kind of agree, there's not that much to argue about. We try to stick to the author, the teacher. What is it, what is worthwhile to argue about?
M. Laitman: I don't know what's being discussed.
Student: It says when they argue with each other until there is a proper instruction. So what is worth arguing about?
M. Laitman: It seems like there are, in any case these precisions in the Halacha that they need to complement.
Student: What is worthwhile scrutinizing, getting into? What is worthwhile arguing for?
M. Laitman: In order to bring themselves to clear Halacha.
Student: He also writes, until there is a proper instruction. What does that mean?
M. Laitman: So that it will be clear what we work with, with the instruction, and the instruction itself, the Halacha itself, and that we reach it.
Student: If we read some excerpt and it's not clear to one of the friends, then we should start some discussion. This is a point of an argument until there is a proper instruction. What the Kabbalist instructs us.
Reader: (03:58) Excerpt number five. This is from Likutei Halachot, from Rav Nachman of Breslov.
5) Likutei Halachot, “Rules of Blessing and Gratitude,” Rule No. 6
Reading: The Sanhedrin was as a round semicircle so they would see each other. The love is mainly that they saw each other, for they could not tolerate one not seeing one’s friend. When they see each other, they receive from one another and the mind of each one sparkles through his friend, for in each one there is a good point that is discerned as righteous, the quality of Moses with regard to his friend. Therefore, through the sparkling, the mind sparkles. Hence, the vitality is mainly through peace and love among Israel, which is regarded as seeing one another.
M. Laitman: Yes, there are no questions. There is one. Go ahead.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (05:44) It's written that the love is mainly that they saw each other for they could not tolerate one not seeing one's friend. What is it about seeing the friend that makes it important?
M. Laitman: Seemingly, it doesn't matter who is speaking to me, but I accept him as equal among everyone.
Student: Equal to everyone?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (06:38) Are we talking about a physical matter in this world as well, or we're talking about spirituality? That they must see each other, and be in that connection, and they can't tolerate not seeing each other?
M. Laitman: I don't know. I cannot say anything about that.
Student: Is there some extra value in them not seeing one another? In this world, we see one another.
M. Laitman: For the time being, yes. In our world, that's how we're constructed, that they add this connection to us.
Student: Even when they connect virtually, let's say if friends open their camera. They're seen or not seen.
M. Laitman: In any case, that influences.
Student: It does have an influence, okay.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (07:32) When we read it, actually nothing is clear here. What is by looking, the sparkles, the brain, and the peace and love among Israel, which is regarded as seeing one another.
M. Laitman: Well, whichever way you can interpret this, try and interpret it. Of course, that all those who are called Israel, meaning that they are drawn to the Creator, and they want to discover Him, and in a way of Yashar Kel, so they have something to help each other with.
Student: What is to look and see his friend?
M. Laitman: Each one can imagine this whichever way they want. We're not on that degree yet.
Student: He says that this brings peace and love.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: So there's no point of interpreting this. Each takes his own commentary.
M. Laitman: For now, yes. Well, next.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (09:00)) Mostly when I look at friends, I see regular people. I don't rise above that. Do I need to do some kind of exercises to aim myself to be in some higher observation?
M. Laitman: You need to try and see them on a spiritual degree.
Student: By majority if I see something, I see the friends, and then I feel my flaws, and then also, uncontrollably, I distance myself, or I'm polite, not too close, and not to get hurt. How do we perform an action of nearing, of not being afraid of these things?
M. Laitman: Try and do it together what is written. That's it.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (10:03) Yesterday, we finished a physical course of students who started eight months ago, and they saw how many started, how many ended, and in our way, we try, of course, and pray, and teach, so that next week we're starting again. We're moving from the physical course from Egypt to Syria, and they're going to come to the holy city of Petah Tikva and join the group here some of them, most of them, and it was interesting. There's a group, a very warm, familial group that was built there. Also, when it ended yesterday, the meal we did at the end of the lesson, everyone's cleaning and everything, and they're saying, we want something else. What do you mean? We didn't learn. We want to learn. So I said, yes, let's sit down, and we opened this excerpt, and I said to one of the students, choose a number from one to ten. She chose five, and we read this specific excerpt. And each on the way, even those who left, and those who are here made like… swore that this is the key, that this is the truth. This is what I want to remain in all my life. We try to put into them, don't believe in yourself to the day you die, anything but leave. But if you now stand before such students, what is one thing that can be said to them to try and evoke in them, awaken in them so that the importance will triumph over all kinds of things in life, because each is going through his own states.
M. Laitman: Search for a way to annul before them for them to do this, the students,
Student: That we will do it, for us to nullify?
M. Laitman: Yes?
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (12:03) I was hoping someone else would ask this. It's written here that in each there is a good point, which is the point of a righteous, the point of Moses in regards to his friend.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: Can that be explained somewhat? What does it mean to be the quality of Moses with regard to his friend?
M. Laitman: Moses is a very high degree, that he will lead the whole nation through the desert and the days of exile.
Student: Sometimes there are sources from these ancient sources that there's like this wisdom that if we could somehow grasp what it means, the quality of Moses with regard to his friend, it would be for me one more way to understand how to connect with a friend. What do I need to feel towards him, or what's in him that I need to connect to? That's what I would like to achieve from this excerpt, that each of us has this good point, like a discernment of the righteous, and the quality of Moses with regard to his friend. And it's clear that they know what they're writing, they're not just saying words. But to grasp that there's something missing, because I never saw anything that explains that with these words and in such a way in our writings. Something that will give us some form of grip on this.
M. Laitman: We will get there.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (14:04) I wanted to ask on another topic, if it's possible to open. In two and a half months, we have a convention, a world big convention, and its main subject is Lishma, entering Lishma, on the verge of Lishma. It's a topic that we're talking about for some time now, aiming ourselves to there. First of all, what do you think about this subject, this topic as a central topic for the whole world Kli for the convention?
M. Laitman: I think it's so relevant. We're in it. We need to reach it. That's what we have to advance towards.
Student: For a convention that will engage in the matter of Lishma, if we truly persist also in the preparation, also the two days of the convention. Where can it truly lead us to?
M. Laitman: It all depends on the preparation. It can bring us to Lishma in practice.
Student: Now, the three months that we have till the convention is actually our time of preparation. It's probably even more precious than the convention itself, the more we prepare ourselves.
M. Laitman: Right.
Student: So to ask you about this period, if we want to build ourselves in the lessons, in the study materials, in the gatherings of friends, week to week, make steps in that direction. What are the building blocks that we can put before us in this process of reaching Lishma?
M. Laitman: We need to scrutinize what Lishma is. How we reach it. In what stages we get there. And that's it. To come closer to it.
Student: First stage is to examine what Lishma is altogether, how we get there. First of all, understand what this is. Now, what do we need Lishma for?
M. Laitman: Because that's the purpose of the study of the Torah.
Student: Okay, but this Lishma, does the person need it for himself, for his friends, for the world?
M. Laitman: For everyone. For himself and all the created beings, and the Creator.
Student: And on the way to Lishma, are there other things that we need, or is just that the goal?
M. Laitman: That is the purpose. That's the goal.
Student: So there's no intermediate goals on the way there. It's simply Lishma. That's our main station.
M. Laitman: Right.
Student: What other elements do they need to be in the preparation that will prepare us to the matter of Lishma?
M. Laitman: Only to learn, to study it, that's it. Do exercises and try and come close to it as much as you can.
Student: In our study, there are many values, principles, discernments, everything leads to Lishma. No matter what page we take from the sources, it's somehow connected to Lishma in the end. But we should try to somehow focus ourselves to understand what, there's Arvut, there's prayer, there's dissemination, there's a million and one conditions that Rabash wrote about. What of them do we need now to focus, to raise more in importance, in order to bring us to Lishma?
M. Laitman: We need to learn it.
Student: It's still not clear what the conditions for Lishma are, the central conditions.
M. Laitman: The conditions for Lishma, that first of all we understand how much we need it, how necessary it is to attain it, in what qualities we discover it, in which conditions we discover it, and in this way we advance.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (19:01) Thank you, Rav. To continue this. Lishma is a goal. When we place such a high goal, we try to create some intermediate points, like setting the grip on along the way, to advance to this great goal. What means do we have in our ability to reach Lishma, or what are the central means?
M. Laitman: Just to depict before us what Lishma could mean, and to connect between us, and try to be drawn towards Lishma. And that's it. And then start exerting.
Student: Meaning, the first stage is to read Baal HaSulam and Rabash articles that specifically write about the topic of Lishma, and try to incorporate it and gradually get absorbed into their spirit, and then try to find our way.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (20:29) We're talking about it now, and it's about almost two and a half months before the convention. Now, on one hand, it's like very far. We still have a moment. We're learning another topic right now. On the other hand, we also know that there's a great importance to the preparation. How should we relate to this correctly? We have two and a half months. The convention, the topic grows right now, Lishma. How should our correct attitude be towards it?
M. Laitman: That we'll try to go deep in the materials, and get an impression from it.
Student: The materials will influence us, 100% will influence us.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: But how do we need to now see ourselves already in the convention? How do we need to eat this thing? It's a big, beautiful thing. This Lishma is actually the purpose of life.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: How do we break it down to portions that will be tangible, and not some abstract, distant thing that will happen in two and a half months?
M. Laitman: We need to simply take the materials we have, and divide them between them, into stages, into degrees, into steps. And in this way advance.
Student: And to see every day another addition on this path in the preparation?
M. Laitman: Yes, yes, of course.
Student: And how to feel it on our flesh, that it will be important to us.
M. Laitman: That already is according to the importance and exertion of each and every one.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (22:36) Meaning that maybe the beginning point can be to take Baal HaSulam articles or Rabash articles and try to break them down and see if there are central points there, like Rabash shared that he used to once take an article and try to engage in it.
M. Laitman: Yes, but well, whichever way you want. Whichever way you want to prepare yourself. The main thing is that we'll see what to do.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (23:15) But I wanted to ask, on the way to Lishma, what changes in a person?
M. Laitman: On the way to Lishma, man changes. The purpose of life changes. His attitude to what he does in his life changes. That's it.
Student: What to pay attention to?
M. Laitman: Pay attention to as much as I understand more what Lishma means. How I want to be adhered to the Torah. How I can watch over my Ten that along with them I reach Lishma. I don't know what else.
Student: What I'm trying is, how do you check yourself that you are going correctly and you're on the way to Lishma?
M. Laitman: From every day learning the sources, I understand them in a way that it's closer to me. And in this way I advance.
Student: So, the sources, meaning through the sources a person enters Lishma, meaning what do the sources do upon a person in the process of entering Lishma?
M. Laitman: Through the study, reaches the degree we're talking about.
Student: The sources race you to that degree?
M. Laitman: When I learn them, when I study them. So I'm incorporated of the questions of deficiencies that are in there, what they're telling me and in this way I can advance.
Student: So, if I get it from you, to enter Lishma you must go, you have to wash yourself a lot with those sources.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: And can you define what the preparation for Lishma needs to focus on? Meaning can a person be ready for Lishma?
M. Laitman: Alone? I don't think so.
Student: So how do we prepare ourselves for Lishma if you can't do it alone? How do we prepare ourselves to enter into Lishma?
M. Laitman: When a person is between the friends and feels that they have the purpose of life called Lishma, and they want to reach it, and he gets the desire from them, their tendency, and in this way he advances.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (27:23) If I understood correctly, the first stage is to wash ourselves in the sources, in the study, on the topics of Lishma as much as possible.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: So this is first. Now you said we simply need to take these materials we have, the study materials, and to divide them, between them, to stages, to degrees, to steps, and advance this way.
M. Laitman: I don't know, let's say so.
Student: I just want to know how to divide these stages, this order. Because there are many sources, we can bring the ones that stand out, where he relates very directly to Lishma and not those that are indirect. But how from them do you start identifying the correct stages in the preparation to enter Lishma?
M. Laitman: Let's start. And we'll start scrutinizing, and we'll go inside more and more and more into the topic. And in this way we'll advance.
Student: To prepare a plan ahead, we can't?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: Meaning we have to go step after step, meaning through the sources that will guide us? Is this what I'm hearing?
M. Laitman: Yes, that's more correct.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (28:54) To continue the friend. Let’s say now we're learning the introduction to TES. Does this introduction advance us towards Lishma?
M. Laitman: Yes, of course. All our materials are directed towards Lishma.
Student: So maybe I'll ask it a little differently. How can we take out from the daily study the next step of our Lishma?
M. Laitman: That is the next step for Lishma that we'll understand that we have those vessels that need to grow through the upper light, the light of the Torah.
Student: Let's say today when we read the introduction to TES, then he talked about judging the world to the scale of merits, don't believe in yourself to the day you die. How do we see in that introduction to TES our advancement towards Lishma? How to identify the Lishma in that study there?
M. Laitman: Entirely. All the introduction to TES is in order to organize a person to set him up in the right way towards Lishma, to attaining Lishma.
Student: So the introduction truly establishes us and prepares us for Lishma?
M. Laitman: Yes, yeah. All together. All the words of Baal HaSulam.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (31:00) Would it be correct to say that the deficiency for Lishma must move through a deficiency of incorporation between us? And if we want to scrutinize the right steps, we have to first perform some form of scrutiny, a general scrutiny?
M. Laitman: It doesn't have to be general.
Student: No?
M. Laitman: We need to actually go towards attaining Lishma.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (31:47) We define the convention, the topic actually, the verge of entering Lishma. I identify from what we're learning that it's actually work that is called, from Lo Lishma we come to Lishma.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: That it's kind of like we're entering the verge of entering the work that is constantly in these changing states that are leading from Lishma to Lo Lishma. How correct do you think we can define our topic so it will be that work and not that state called Lishma?
M. Laitman: What percentage do you want me to tell you?
Student: If you were going to guide us to understand the topic more and incorporate it better, are we talking about the state, or are we talking about the ability to work? Do we want to talk more about the state of Lishma and what it says, what it is, or do we want to concentrate on the work that's called from Lo Lishma we come to Lishma?
M. Laitman: I got confused again.
Student: Okay, then we'll leave it.
M. Laitman: No, ask. Ask.
Student: There's the state of Lo Lishma we can learn about it. There's a state of Lishma that we can learn about. But we are working and we're not in one state or the other. Our study is how we work from Lo Lishma to reach Lishma. So, to concentrate on the study and the engagement of how our work is happening and how we perform this work and what is the work from Lo Lishma we come to Lishma, or should we learn about these states apart?
M. Laitman: What do you mean to learn about the states of Lo Lishma and Lishma?
Student: Yes, what is a person and what he feels in Lishma? What does he feel when he's in Lo Lishma? Those are states. But there's our work, our labor. Our labor is not a state. It's a certain action that we need to perform to reach, to approach, a certain approach to the world that brings us from Lo Lishma to Lishma. So should we learn these two states and also the work or only this matter of what is this approach? What is this way a person should depict them to himself that from Lo Lishma we come to Lishma?
M. Laitman: In which way of work we reach Lishma.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (35:13) I don't want to wait two and a half months to the convention. Can we start it today, right now? Can we announce it and then all the actions of the Tens, and the preparations, and all the activities that we're doing here and everything we're reading for it all already be in the convention, although we know we're not allowed to do something that can weaken us until the convention. But maybe the time has come for us to start doing the preparation, two and a half months, enter the attack from now and do something that we never had in this humanity and make a new stance of preparation for the convention. Can we do that?
M. Laitman: I guess so.
Student: So can we announce that it started already?
M. Laitman: First we have to decide, yes.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (36:09) Since we started to study the introduction to TES, what I see is that we're only learning about Lishma. All the four degrees of fear and love, all the study from the convention, like we defined it. It was defined from France. It's exactly what we're doing now.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: Start to join the friends with that same kind of tremor that we're studying now, the topic specifically of what we're talking about. And this is what we're engaged in. How do we collect everyone in this?
M. Laitman: Simply, each one has to explain to the friends that we're always on this path called from Lo Lishma to Lishma. And that's our direction. That's our path.
Student: Is there some kind of proceeding study that we can do? Maybe, because it's really...
M. Laitman: You know all of our sources.
Student: Yes.
M. Laitman: That's it. No more.
Student: So what to explain to one another? What's your advice?
M. Laitman: Yes, try it like that. Okay?
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (37:37) I want to just bring an impression from the meeting yesterday in the young group. They were impressed by the whole process from today. I'm even envious of them, because I see that their desire to reveal the Creator is greater, much greater. And I really, you wished me good luck yesterday, so I truly came and I passed this along to them. I want to ask you to give them today and advise how they can prepare themselves to the next convention. To us that's coming to us.
M. Laitman: What's next?
Reader: Next is studying between the friends.
M. Laitman: Okay, let's go.