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

Daily Morning Lesson: November 9, 2026

Part 2: Baal HaSulam.  "Study of the Ten Sefirot" (TES). Vol. 1. Part Two. Inner Observation. #29 

Student: Hello friends, we continue studying TES, ”The Study of the Ten Sefirot.” We have a lesson from Rav, approximately 35 minutes long, and you'll probably recognize that this is from “Inner Observation,” Part 2. It's similar to something we learned in the first part of the lesson, so we recommend that you draw what Rav draws, write down what he says, maybe you'll find some little practical pointers that you can use today. 

Student: Yes, and if something is not clear, you can prepare your questions, and we'll try to answer them together. We are reading in “The Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Volume 1, Part 2, the “Inner Observation.” We are in Item 29. Again, we are in “The Study of Ten Sefirot,” Volume 1, Part 2, “Inner Observation,” Item 29. Let's enter the lesson and write comments, and then we'll relate to this.

Reader: The Study of the Ten Sefirot, Volume 1, Part 2, Inner Observation, Item 29.

Reading: (01:30) The Study of the Ten Sefirot

Malchut of Hochma became the first substance in Bina. With the emergence of her light, the vessel of Bina herself emerged.

29. The same is learned in the substance of phase two, called Bina. Her cause is the desire in phase one, called Hochma, meaning only Malchut of Hochma. The desire in the degree is always called the vessel, or Malchut of the degree. That Malchut of Hochma clothed and became the first substance in the Sefira of Bina, so as to draw the light that is attributed to her. This is the first discernment in the substance of phase two, called Bina. Then, when she drew the light that is attributed to her, called Neshama, her substance emerged from being Malchut of Hochma, which is phase one, and acquired its own form, meaning the actual phase two, called Bina. 

M. Laitman (Source Text/Commentary): (02:50) Still it's difficult for us to understand how it can be that there's this transition between Hochma and Bina, what he explains. What can he explain? You see here, verbally, God forbid, it's not a flaw in him, it's a flaw in the capacity of the language to explain this. But he says, he says, the Malchut of Hochma became the first substance in Bina, with the emergence of her light, the vessel of Bina herself emerged. The same is learned in the substance of Phase Two, called Bina, meaning there is no real explanation, and there can't be one, for how Hochma turns into Bina, how Bina turns into Zeir Anpin, meaning how the light that's within the substance, through its action within the substance, gradually, slowly changes the substance, such that it becomes something different than before. Where before it wanted to give, and now it wants to receive, and then again to give, and then again to receive.

How does the light within the substance operate on it that way? What happens to that substance? How does it absorb the light? How does it change by so doing? We cannot explain that. Which is to say, we don't have the words with which to explain these operations, the same way we don't have words, even in basic science, to explain how forces work. The force of gravity, how does it work? We study, we do research, as we talked about it, something falls, how much does it weigh, what shape is it, what the color may be, I don't know what: plastic, iron, doesn't matter. I can study these phenomena and what changes, variables there can be there, and then I gather all that data, and for me then it's called a law, the law of gravity. But how it works, I do not know. What emerges from one substance and enters a different substance and catches it as though pulling it, and that one objects and resists and the other one pulls, I don't know that.

I'm just studying the phenomena itself, not the nature of the phenomena. Its nature is unknown. As he says, I don't know what electricity is, I don't know what I am, I don't know. I have no knowledge of that. And the same thing, it stems from here. Yes, the light acts within the substance, changing it from degree to degree, from quality to quality. 

Reader: Item 30. 

Reading: (06:05) 30. In this way, you will also learn the substance of phase three, called Zeir Anpin. Malchut of Bina is its cause, and she became the first substance of Zeir Anpin, which is phase three, so as to draw the light that is attributed to it, called Ruach. The second discernment is that after he drew and received his light, his substance stopped being regarded as Malchut of Bina, and received the form of Malchut of Zeir Anpin.  

M. Laitman: Continue.

Reader: Item 31. 

Reading: (06:59) Malchut of Zeir Anpin is the first substance in Malchut. With the emergence of her light, the vessel of Malchut herself was revealed.

31. So are the two discernments in the substance of phase four: Malchut of Zeir Anpin is her cause, which clothed and became the first substance of phase four, called Malchut. When she received sufficient light of Nefesh that is attributed to her, Malchut of Zeir Anpin went out from the phase of Zeir Anpin and became phase four, meaning the phase of Malchut of Malchut. 

M. Laitman: (07:46) You see, when did this happen? When she sufficiently received the light of Nefesh that belongs to her, meaning the light acted within the substance, and then everything inverted. This quality, which was in the substance previously, was inverted. Bestowal, inverted into reception. Now, the previous quality does not vanish, the light just adds this upgrade. It makes an upgrade within the qualities, meaning now when we say how Malchut of Keter became Keter of Hochma, Malchut of Hochma became Keter of Bina, Malchut of Bina became Keter for Zeir Anpin, Malchut of Zeir Anpin became Keter for Malchut, it's always the light acting within the vessel, adds and adds and adds into the vessel qualities and discernments, and all the previous qualities and discernments remain within the vessel, and they're active. Nothing that comes later cancels out the thing that was previously, even if it's the opposite of it.

It's the same way as when we come to some decision, and it's opposite to our previous decision, opposite to our several previous decisions, but it is built through them. Same thing here, don't think that something cancels something in a way where it deletes it. It's built upon it, it relies on it, and so it is with all the qualities. Everything in spirituality is only, it's only additive.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (09:28) What does it mean that the light operated on her? 

M. Laitman: That's what we have difficulty explaining, because there aren't so many words here. The light operates within the substance, within the will, and when it operates within the substance, the will, the will feels pleasure, and then within that pleasure, it feels that there is a source for the pleasure. Then it studies and learns and reaches an understanding regarding the nature of the source of said pleasure, opposite my nature, and what He wants from me. Meaning, he goes from his feeling of pleasure all the way back until he reaches his root, that there is someone who thought about him to delight him, and therefore created him something from nothing, existence from absence. He goes all the way to the thought of creation. Now, he shortens his state somehow, he's with the thought of creation. Now, he connects, he attains from that connection, but now that light is acting to penetrate into him, to put into him, to birth in him the next discernment, and then from this connection with the thought of creation that he reached through a sequence of inner sensations, these inner investigations, it awakens in him, the next form of his development is depicted in him, and then from the quality of reception, maybe even the quality of bestowal from Malchut of Zeir Anpin to Keter of Malchut, and so each time. Each time he reaches a decision - he can reach that only if he shortens himself through the chain of actions, of operations that happened thus far - he brings himself back to the thought of creation, which is to do good to His created beings, which is within that point of something from nothing, and then it advances him another degree. And then again, he goes back to see from that degree who I am, what I am, what's happening, who is with me, and again he advances, and so substance cascades, meaning in matter, in the substance, a new point is created each time.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (12:17) Is that how a Kabbalist lives?

M. Laitman: I don't know, this is also not possible to… lives? No? You live, we're alive. You're right in saying that in this process one feels life, constant renewal, the renewal of the connection with the Emanator, with the thought of creation, which gives the Kabbalist an ability to attain the Emanator more in depth, another discernment, and another discernment, a tighter bond, more connected. This is adhesion, adhesion to that thought of creation.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (13:09) Where's the element of the intellect here? Where's the element of the mind that scrutinizes the desire?

M. Laitman: In spirituality there are no mind and heart which are disconnected from one another, because the mind is born alongside the substance, the will to enjoy, the desire to enjoy, next to the emotion, and it's simply an aid to that emotion, and we can't differentiate between them in the same way as we do in this world, between mind and feeling, intellect and feeling. There are no such systems in spirituality also, systems which aren't, say, emotional.

The worlds, the angels, these are forces within the soul, they don't exist outside of the soul. Inside the soul, that's how we name its components, desires which aren't fully scrutinized, where a person still doesn't understand the connection between them and the source. What's in those desires, what is their exact purpose and the right way to use them? They're called “angels,” you understand? But ultimately, we're talking only about the soul, because only that is the created being, nothing else exists. And what appears to me as, I don't know, demons, spirits, angels roaming around, infinite forms, these are all my inner forces. The same way as in this world, I see a projection, a copy of them, infinite forms of the still, vegetative, animate, and speaking, but all of this comes from my single desire, which paints for me this picture of the world, because that's the way in which it's still not connected, not scrutinized, not unified, not one. And ultimately, through its correction and quality, it needs to scrutinize only one thing: the light, the one bestower, and no more. So all these variations, these forms, come from an imperfect state.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (15:55) What nevertheless is the vessel that scrutinizes?

M. Laitman: The vessel that scrutinizes can only be phase four, all the forms before that are still unclear, unscrutinized forms, not sufficiently at least. And so they're the previous forms: the still, vegetative, animate, halls, angels, demons, spirits, holy beasts, and so on, many names for this, many, many names. These are the desires which are unscrutinized within the person, with which a person cannot perfectly do the work of bestowal. And so that's what they're called. Things which join the human. That's why everything written about this world, it's not written about this world, exactly. What are all these desires? They're not taken into account in and of themselves. They're all showing the degree of man to assist him. Why? Because the inanimate, vegetative, living, roots, one, two, three degrees, the degrees of these desires, they can only be clarified on the fourth degree of the will, where you have a connection with the Creator, only on the fourth degree. Where you have shame, you have everything, a connection with the Creator, and therefore all the previous forms, the worlds and everything that fills them, they all need to incorporate with the fourth phase. And the fourth phase, well, she scrutinizes. And then, according to the scrutiny of the phase four, they receive correction, the inanimate, the growing, the living. And they join phase four, and they remain in that way, this Yod Hey Vav Hey, this primary Yod Hey Vav Hey. It's never canceled. "I, HaVaYaH, did not change," meaning they only join this incorporation in that work of the general, collective, and single screen of phase four.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (18:04) We say the light clarifies or discerns. What does that mean? 

M. Laitman: The light clarifies, because the person himself cannot clarify. How can he? He doesn't have the vessels for this, the means, discernments. "With Your light, we shall see light." I need light, which is a standard, right? Some kind of standard according to which I can check who am I, what's happening to me, with what qualities, what intensity? It's all according to the light. And the light that comes always arrives, seemingly, from my corrected degree. And then, for me, there is this standard now, which I can measure things against. How do I check myself? Have you ever felt shame?

Student: Well, let's say, yes.

M. Laitman: Let's say, so this comes to you from some imagination, where you felt what's good, and where I am opposite that, in relation to that.

Now we will study, we want to carry everything towards inner work. 

Reader: We're in Item 32. 

Reading: (19:23) Item 32

The above-mentioned vessels of reception are only for drawing.‎

32. Understand that although we have clarified and ascribed a phase of reception in each and every phase in and of itself, it relates only to the drawing of the light, where each phase draws for itself its respective light. However, the real vessel, which merits being called a “vessel of reception for the emanated being,” is specifically phase four, and not the three preceding phases.  

M. Laitman: Clear, yes? The true vessel of reception is phase four, and not the preceding three phases. And so we speak about scrutiny, about correction, about the true action that comes from the created being, and this only starts with phase four.

Reading: (20:40) Chapter Four explains the precise meaning of the four phases of coarseness, as our sages wrote about the four phases (Psachim, 25): 1. Impossible and not intending. 2. Possible and not intending. 3. Impossible and intending. 4. Possible and intending.

Explanation of the four phases in the desire according to the four phases in possible and intending. 

33. In order to provide an accurate and elaborate explanation, I will now clarify this to you through the words of our sages (Psachim, 25): “It is said, ‘Pleasure that comes to a person against his will, ‎Abaie [name of a sage] said, ‘permitted,’ and Raba [name of another sage] said, ‘forbidden,’ possible and intending, impossible and intending, the whole world does not dispute that it is forbidden. Impossible and not intending, the whole world does not dispute that it is permitted. The dispute is over possible and not intending, and RASHI interpreted ‘possible’ as possible for him to separate himself. ‘Intending,’ intending to approach in order to enjoy, such as a scent of that which is forbidden.” 

M. Laitman: Meaning, we have four phases. Yes? 1, 2, 3, 4, Aleph, Beth, Gimel, Dalet, of the will, and I now want to explain to us what the difference is, after having discussed in Chapter 3 how only Phase 4 can scrutinize these things, and in the previous parts, the light is still working within these parts, it's still active. The light is within the will. Here you have the light, and here you have the will, and the light is acting within the will and developing it. The light and will together we call “root,” Shoresh in Hebrew. Now it begins developing it. So, how does it develop the will? How does the will change? We talk about how the light acts within the substance, and then the substance assumes the right forms. So what is phase 1, which is the light developed by working in the point of existence from absence?

Reading: (23:22) Phase one is impossible and not intending.

34. Four phases of receiving pleasure are found in their words: Phase one is “impossible” for him to separate himself, and “not intending” to approach and enjoy, for by receiving forbidden pleasure in such a way, the whole world does not dispute that it is permitted since reception and the desire do not matter when there is no way or a choice not ‎to receive, and there is also no desire to approach the forbidden in order to enjoy it. 

M. Laitman: So in that form, what? Efshari, meaning permitted, allowed. Not permitted to act that way, but in the state that he's in, it doesn't mean that he's transgressing. It doesn't mean that he's receiving, even though he's in that situation.

Reading: (24:38) Phase two is possible and not intending.

35. Phase two is “possible” for him to separate himself, and not intending to approach and enjoy. Regarding the reception of forbidden pleasure in such a way, Abaie and Raba are disputed: Abaie thought that although it is possible, meaning that he has a choice to draw far and refrain from enjoying the forbidden, it is still permitted to approach and enjoy it since he is not intending. In other words, because there is no desire in his heart to approach the forbidden, it is not regarded as reception, although he draws near and enjoys the forbidden. Raba said that because he can refrain from approaching and enjoying the forbidden, he is forbidden to approach and enjoy, even if he has no desire to approach the forbidden and enjoy.

M. Laitman: So, in this way, we have a question, a dispute in the Gemara, because if he can refrain, it's possible to refrain, then it's a prohibition here, right? There's a prohibition on this if he's there, but if he doesn't intend to enjoy it, then it's permitted for him to be there. So, with these two factors, what to do? It's a question. Continue.

Reading: (26:16) Phase three is impossible and intending.

36. Phase three is impossible and intending. This means that it is impossible for him to separate himself and draw far from the forbidden so as to refrain from enjoying it. Intending… 

M. Laitman: No, not intending. Where? Not intending. Where are you exactly? Oh, three. Excuse me. So, yes, intending. What did I do here?  

Reader: Phase three is impossible and intending. This means that it is impossible for him to separate himself and draw far from the forbidden so as to refrain from enjoying it.

Reading: (27:12) Phase three is impossible and intending.

36. Phase three is impossible and intending. This means that it is impossible for him to separate himself and draw far from the forbidden so as to refrain from enjoying it. Intending means he has a passion to enjoy the forbidden. The whole world does not dispute that reception of a forbidden pleasure in such a way is forbidden, for although he cannot, and has no way to separate himself from the forbidden and refrain from enjoying, because he has a passion in his heart to ‎ enjoy and approach, this passion is regarded as reception of pleasure from something that is forbidden to enjoy, and he sins. Yet, some say that even here, Abaie thought that it was permitted. 

M. Laitman: That's what I wrote here, permitted, maybe with a question mark. Why? Because he's coerced, under coercion. If not, if it's impossible for him to refrain, and this is how the situation influences him, where he starts also intending to enjoy it, then he's forced. It depends on how we see here in the state who is the one in charge, who is controlling this situation. The state, the situation controlling the intention, or the intention controlling the situation. As I go into some place, that place rules over me, changing my intention. So, if so, then in what am I sinning? So here, where it's permitted, this is a question, a question mark here. There are those who say that it's permitted, but in reality the prohibition is clear. And phase four herself…

Reading: (29:16) Phase four is possible and intending.

37. Phase four is possible and intending. This means that it is possible for him to separate himself and distance himself from the forbidden, and refrain from enjoying it. He is also intending because he has a passion to approach and enjoy the forbidden. Here, the whole world agrees that it is forbidden since it is receiving pleasure from the forbidden in the most crass manner, for he craves the pleasure, it is possible for him to separate himself, yet he does not do so. Therefore, it is regarded as the greatest will to receive in its final form, which is forbidden according to everyone. Even according to those who speak according to Abaie, who permitted in the third phase, here they admit it is forbidden. 

M. Laitman: Questions, please. On this subject, although you are not accustomed to studying the Gemara, but you did now learn something from the Gemara. And we see how there are things there related to spirituality, not just that they exist there, it's all related to spirituality. It only depends on who's studying and who's interpreting. As Baal HaSulam says in the “Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot,” two people studying the same book, one learns the concealed and the other learns the revealed. Right? So, it depends on who's studying.

So, we're speaking of the desire and the light, which from the phase, the discernment of the root, begin to develop the will. The light develops the will. And what then happens? The light then goes through four stages of development until it reaches its completion in phase four. As we said, where I want, I'm receiving everything, enjoying everything, intending to do so, that is the form of Gadlut, of greatness, of reception that exists in phase four. So, what don't you understand according to this scheme? 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (31:57) Earlier we said that phase four has all the discernment It's not clear what is the meaning of this, what's forbidden here in this?

M. Laitman: If you can run away, but you don't, and you intend to remain there and not run, in terms of your ability to do so, and also in terms of the situation you're in, then your enjoyment from this is completely in order to receive. And if, let's say, I'm handcuffed somewhere, yes, or if we speak about the scent of idolatry, we don't know what that is, right? But I cannot separate myself from this. Am I in a situation where it's forbidden, and am I violating some prohibition or not? Well, let's see. Impossible to separate oneself, to refrain, yes? And if I don't intend to enjoy, then it's permitted. I'm completely forced by this, coerced, and I have no intention, my intentions aren't prepared. If one can separate himself, but doesn't intend to enjoy the thing, well, I don't have a vessel for that. So, there's something there next to me, but I don't identify it. Let's say, a baby somewhere, he doesn't understand, doesn't grasp, has no intentions with respect to that thing at all. We're not talking about overcoming. For the time, we're talking about Yod Hey Vav Hey, yes, and so forth.

You can see from the other side here how the light acts within the substance. It's impossible for him to separate himself. That's clear, because there is a point of existence from absence. There is a desire here, the point of existence from absence, and the light acts on it. So, where can it run to? It's impossible to separate for this will. And also, it's undeveloped yet, it has no intention. That is the first phase of development of the four phases of direct light.

What happens next? How does the light construct these following discernments? What does he put into them? The ability to separate, meaning, at least seemingly, it can stay away from the form of reception, and that is what actually happens in the phase of Bina. She leaves the form of reception and transitions to the form of bestowal, not intending to enjoy it yet, because she has no attitude, no relation to the actual pleasure itself. Now, what does the form of Bina do? She has her own desire now. How does she build the phase three? Not possible to separate. Yes, the third phase is mandated, and in the second phase, it's just the Rosh of Zeir Anpin. Zeir Anpin is VAK altogether, but what phase two does to him is he now enjoys. She's going to enjoy something. She wants to develop the will to receive and give it pleasure, so she builds him in such a way that he will enjoy it.

And what happens following that in phase four? Is it possible to separate? Fact is, then he makes a restriction and a screen and everything, intending to enjoy, of course, because phase three and phase four aren't opposite to one another. It's simply the next development, receiving more freedom for its amplified will to receive. So what we see here is how—we talked about this many times—how these discernments, the four phases of direct light, cascade from one to the next.

We need to finish. All right, we'll continue with this. Essentially, he's explaining to us what he tried explaining in Part One of the “Study of the Ten Sefirot,” regarding the four phases of direct light. I'm not ashamed to say that he tried, even Baal HaSulam, because these are very, very deep things. A few books even won't suffice for us to explain this first HaVaYaH. Well, but we'll advance and get to know it from the inside.