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

Daily Lesson (Morning) February 9, 2025.

Part 2:  Rabash 265. The Inner Keys and Outer Keys 

Reader: We are reading in the writings of Rabash, Article number 265, “Inner Keys and Outer Keys.” 

RABASH, 265. Inner Keys and Outer Keys

Reading: (00:28) “Raba Bar Rav Huna said, ‘Anyone in whom there is Torah but no fear of heaven is like a treasurer who was given the inner keys but was not given the outer keys. Can he come in?’ Rabbi Yannai declares, ‘It is a shame about one who has no Darta [Aramaic: courtyard/house] yet makes a Taraa [Aramaic: gate/door] for the Darta’” (Shabbat 31).

This is a known question. This allegory implies that the Torah is the internality. From the words of Rabbi Yannai, it seems as though the Torah is the externality, and fear of heaven is the internality. We should also ask, Why does he compare fear to the outer keys if “The fear of the Lord is His treasure,” and here it is implied that the fear is the internality.

We should say that there is Torah that is called “internality,” and there is Torah that is called “externality,” and fear of heaven is in the middle.

Accordingly, the Torah on the externality is called Taraa, meaning “a gate,” and fear of heaven is called “internality.” In other words, through the Torah, we achieve fear of heaven.

With respect to the inner Torah, fear of heaven is called “externality,” meaning that through fear of heaven we come to the internality of the Torah. Hence, fear of heaven is called a “treasure” because it means that it is only internal, since we achieve it after the Torah.

The writing says, “I wish they left Me and kept My Torah; the light in it reforms them” (Jerusalem Talmud, Hagigah, Chapter 1). Yet, how can one observe the Torah without the Creator? How does He say, “I wish they left Me”?

However, this refers to those who want to be rewarded with “Me,” meaning to have fear of heaven, to have Dvekut [adhesion] with the Creator.

Then they are told, “Do not stand in this work to be rewarded with Dvekut [adhesion] by having a desire and yearning for the Creator, since the Creator cannot connect to one who is in the quality of falsehood,” as it is written, “He who speaks lies shall not be established before My eyes,” or one who is proud, as our sages said, “Anyone in whom there is crassness of spirit, the Creator said, ‘I and he cannot dwell in the world’” (Sotah 5).

It is also written that if one does not correct the evil inclination, called “serpent,” then as our sages said, “Man does not dwell in the same abode with a serpent,” much less the Creator. Rather, one must correct one’s actions and then he can be rewarded with faith in the Creator.

This correction is found in the Torah. This is why they interpret, “And kept My Torah,” for the light in it reforms them. That is, through the light, the Torah will reform them, and then they will be rewarded with the treasure of fear of heaven.

It follows that the Torah is a gate by which one can enter the treasure, and the treasure is called a “house,” which is Darta.

Therefore, one who wants only to stand at the gate and does not notice that he can go through the gate, meaning take from the Torah the light so as to be reformed and thereby be rewarded with faith in the Creator, called “the treasure of fear of heaven,” he is as one who only builds himself a gate but has no intention to build himself a house, for the main purpose of the gate is only to serve the house. But when one has no house, meaning he does not intend to achieve fear of heaven, why does he need the gate? An opening is only made to be a place of transition, meaning when we want to enter some place, we must find the door through which to enter.

Or in a place that is closed all around, he makes himself an opening in order to get in. But to make an opening and not come into the house? This means that all his work on the opening was to no avail and a waste.

Afterward, we enter the house, called “fear of heaven,” which is the treasure, and then we come to the internality of the Torah. This is the meaning of learning Torah Lishma [for Her sake]. That is, after the Torah has brought him to Lishma, called “fear of heaven,” the secrets of Torah are revealed to him and he becomes as a flowing stream. It follows that the heart of the work is to be rewarded with fear of heaven, called Lishma.

This is why Rabbi Yannai declares that if fear of heaven is the most important, and then one is rewarded with the Torah from above, then one who learns Torah and does not see that the Torah will reform him, to be rewarded with fear of heaven through the Torah, meaning that all his concern and labor will be for the house, which is the treasure of fear of heaven, while he wants only the Torah, and the whole point of the Torah is to serve as a gate for the fear of heaven, then he is as one who has no house, yet builds a gate for the house. Thus, this opening he makes is to no avail and in vain.

In this way, we should interpret the allegory about the keys that it is as a person whose concern and desire are to be rewarded with the internality of the Torah but does not see that he has the Lishma, which is fear of heaven. About this he says, “Can he come in?”

One who learns Torah Lishma, meaning for the Torah to bring him to Lishma—and is rewarded with fear of heaven—is rewarded with the revelation of the secrets of Torah. But before he has been rewarded with Lishma, it is not revealed to him. It follows that here his work to be rewarded with internality is in vain.

Hence, we must pay attention mainly to the Lishma, to fear of heaven, and that everything one does will focus only on this point, which is fear of heaven, since this matter is concealed and one must reveal it.

This is the meaning of “The Creator has in His treasury only a treasure of fear of heaven, as was said, ‘The fear of the Lord is His treasure.’” This means that one should make an effort to find the fear of heaven.

As for the Torah, the Creator reveals it to him without any labor, as Rabbi Meir says, “Anyone who engages in Torah Lishma,” that the only reason he engages in Torah is to achieve Lishma, which is fear of heaven, and in this is all of his labor. Conversely, when a person has been rewarded with fear of heaven, the secrets of Torah are revealed to him.

Regarding “concealment,” it means that we should seek, for without seeking, it is impossible to find. This is the meaning of “If you labored and found,” where by laboring, he is rewarded with finding, meaning when he finds what He concealed in His treasury: a treasure of fear of heaven.

But as for the Torah, Rabbi Meir says that the secrets of Torah are revealed to him and he becomes as a flowing stream and as a river that does not stop. This is the meaning of “Everything is in the hands of heaven but the fear of heaven,” for he himself must find the treasure of the fear of heaven.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (14:56) In order to seek the fear of Heaven. 

M. Laitman: What he says.

Student: He explains that you have to seek it and you have to labor in seeking it, but he doesn't explain where to seek it.

M. Laitman: Maybe we should read it a few more times until you find it. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (15:52) What does it mean that one reveals the Torah to the person without any labor? What kind of Torah does He reveal to him? 

M. Laitman: According to the will to receive. 

Student: The Torah is light, bestowal. How does He reveal this to the person without any labor? What kind of Torah does He reveal to him? 

M. Laitman: He, the Creator, reveals to him the path for his development. 

Student: He says that the fear of heaven one should find himself.

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Student: While the Torah, that is revealed to him without any labor. So, how can a person not get confused between Torah and the fear of heaven? It seems like the Torah can be like a hole that he gets stuck in. What does a person need to reveal other than to reveal the Torah? He talks about the fear of heaven. What is fear of heaven? 

M. Laitman: Well? 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (17:28) He wrote the following. Therefore, we need to mainly pay attention to the discernment of Lishma, meaning the fear of heaven, and for all of one's actions to focus only on that point, which is the fear of heaven, because that is concealed and one must reveal it. What does it mean that everything a person does needs to focus on the point of the fear of heaven? 

M. Laitman: Apparently, they should all be directed only towards revealing or discovering the fear of heaven.

Student: Which is the reward I want to receive from every action, for the fear of heaven to grow in me? 

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Student: Can we say that it's the same thing as having the exaltedness, the greatness of the Creator grow, or are these two different things? 

M. Laitman: For the time being, I don't know. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (18:27) I also want to add a bit of the confusion, because he says here, you labored and you found. He relates to laboring and finding the fear of heaven, and I thought that laboring and finding is about faith, because you labored and found belief, right? And it's often mentioned by Rabash. So, what is the connection between the fear of heaven and faith?

M. Laitman: That is also a question.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (19:06) Maybe now it's more clear. I want to ask this. A person has a set of keys, right? As we talked, as we mentioned, and he tries this key, that key, he sees that none of them open. And now we aim towards the fear of heaven, which will allow us to open it and receive the fear of heaven. How do we arrange our actions, prepare our actions, such in the Ten and in this society so that we don't repeat, we don't again and again try to use the key that doesn't work, but instead change ourselves more and more so as to ultimately reach the proper fear of heaven, which will open the... How to do it? 

M. Laitman: That is a question. Maybe if you ask, maybe we'll have some more answers here.

Student: Maybe through the connection with the friends, in the connection with the friends to always try to see if all my actions are for the purpose of coming closer to them, or as he writes here, so that I will enter the gate, right? I want to enter the gate, but where is the house that you need to prepare? Is there such a distinction? 

M. Laitman: No, you're just twisting these things instead of serving them the question. 

Student: I don’t follow?

M. Laitman: Are you asking them, the friends? Or are you making it into something that they can't open up? 

Student: I relate to each and everyone to the extent that he is capable of entering more and more, or do I look at the friends and want to refine a kind of connection there that doesn't depend on them but depends on the upper force? That He causes it, and so that I'll identify that He did this. So, this way or that way? 

M. Laitman: Through what do you want to cause it? 

Student: By being opposite them, but as you said not long ago, I look at things as if from the side, and I care for them, I prepare things for them, I pray for them, I'm not sure what that is exactly, but I do everything for that force to be revealed there, the upper force. And I don't regard, he talks here about how not to regard himself highly  and be humble, and so on. And a person really needs to examine himself to see what he wants and for who, yes? 

M. Laitman: Okay. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (22:52) He writes, don't stand in this work, people who want to attain me to have fear of heaven, don't stand in this work to attain adhesion. But the state before that fear is fear for the self. Should I erase that state, or can we use it as a means, as energy? 

M. Laitman: What is the difference? 

Student: If I use my attitude as a means to come and help the friends, it's a bit higher, that state. Question is, is that the direction, or should I erase that state entirely and look for the higher kind of fear? 

M. Laitman: No, not to erase it, not to erase it. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (24:27) How to hold the heart always, such that it's directed towards the house, the gate? To always look towards the fear of heaven and not to stray left or right?

M. Laitman: By coping with the lock.

Student: He warns us in the article, that the lock isn't the important part. What's important is the house.

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Student: So, dealing with the lock, if it's not with the right intention, then there's nothing to this. I can break the key, I can… 

M. Laitman: Okay, so? 

Student: The wisdom is to maintain the proper intention while dealing with the lock, that the fear of heaven is a reward. Yes, this is laid upon the person, but… 

M. Laitman: To adapt oneself to the lock.

Student: I'll think about this. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (25:56) Here, it mentions many times that Lishma is fear of heaven.

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Student: He writes that here and I wanted to ask, what's the difference between Lishma, what we want to achieve, and the fear of heaven? 

M. Laitman: Lishma can be for the sake of the Torah. Lishma can be for other things, maybe. However, what is important for us is what do we want through the act of Lishma. So, it turns out that through this act of Lishma, we want to reach adhesion with the Creator, and it's not that by this action or some other action, but only with the Creator. And therefore, we always seemingly have some deviation between Lishma and between Lo Lishma. 

Reader: Should we end the lesson? 

M. Laitman: Yes. 

Reader: All right, so we'll continue together, studying amongst ourselves, the friends. Yes, now we'll have a summary of the lesson, please.