The transcript has been transcribed and edited from English simultaneous interpretation, thus there may be potential semantic inaccuracies within it.
Daily Lesson (Afternoon) September 25, 2024
Part 1 Rabash. Record 97. The Torah Must Be Received with Both Hands
Hello, we are reading the writings of Rabash, Volume 3, Article 97, The Torah Must Be Received with Both Hands. You can find the study materials also on our websites, Sviva Tova and in the Arvut system.
Reading Article: (00:28) The Torah Must Be Received with Both Hands
It is said that we must receive the Torah with both hands. The verse says, “Long life on her right, and wealth and honor on her left.”
Long life means that one should not stop the work of the Creator, but always be in Dvekut [adhesion] with the Creator. The reason why right is called Hesed [mercy] is the annulment of reality—that he wants only to bring contentment to the Creator.
Reality is interpreted in two manners: 1) in corporeality, 2) in spirituality.
“In corporeality” simply means that one is serving the Creator devotedly. In spirituality, reality means the vitality and pleasure that one feels during the work.
When one’s intention is for the sake of the Creator, he wants the annulment of reality. That is, he agrees to serve the Creator without any vitality or pleasure, a complete annulment of the spiritual reality, for then it is certain that he has no reward for his work. For this reason, he is certain that he is serving the Creator only in order to bestow, which is called “the quality of Hesed.”
Naturally, he will not be able to have any descent in his work because all the descents come because he has no pleasure or vitality, for which reason he cannot continue with his work. But if he agrees to work in such a state, and even yearns for it, he cannot have any cessation in the work. This is regarded as “long life.”
By this we should interpret “My soul shall be as dust to all,” meaning that his soul, the vitality clothed in him in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments], will be in the annulment of reality, which is regarded as “dust,” completely tasteless.
“To all” means for both the Torah and the Mitzva [sing. of Mitzvot]. He agrees to come to such annulment, and one who achieves such a degree cannot have stops in serving the Creator, which is called “day,” and this is regarded as long life.
“Wealth and honor on her left” is the left line. This is the meaning of the persistence of reality. Honor is called Neshama [soul], as it is written in Shaar HaKavanot about the verse, “Hence, give glory to Your people.” “Wealth” is regarded as the quality of the Torah. It is as our sages said, “There is none who is poor except in knowledge” (Nedarim 41a). This is called “with both hands,” and then the Torah is his middle line.
M. Laitman: (05:16) Read it again.
Re-Reading Article: (05:32) The Torah Must Be Received with Both Hands
M. Laitman: (09:55) We have a few questions.
Question (Turkiye 2): Question not translated.
M. Laitman: Loyalty to the Creator is when a person cannot accept anything that is important for himself, what seems important, except for connecting everything to the Creator. To what extent can this something be important for the Creator? That's the calculation he's making.
Question (Kyiv): (11:06) What is the work without pleasure and without strength? What are these actions?
M. Laitman: Pleasure and forces come and go. We have to think about how we will serve the Creator, work for him without any help from our strength, from our desire, etc.
Student: For example, if I don't feel anything, but I know I have to connect to the lesson, to a call with the Ten, prepare some meetings. Is this the kind of actions that this article talks about?
M. Laitman: Yes, these actions too.
Student: These are external actions that we can understand. but internally, what's the sequence, what's the order, how to adjust for this?
M. Laitman: You're tuning yourself towards the fact that all my thoughts and intentions and desires would be targeted towards the Creator, only coming from this connection of ours, that I stop this way. Can I consider myself existing in the desire that he accepts?
Student: We know that we cannot make any effort without pleasure, how do we do it?
M. Laitman: So, exactly, I'm asking the Creator to give me pleasure, or to not give me pleasure, so that I would work to fulfill his desire. Without pleasure, it's not important to me. What is important to me is for me to perform.
Student: With regards to the goal of creation, I have to enjoy what the Creator gives me. If I agree to cancel any pleasures, do I not cancel getting closer to the goal?
M. Laitman: No. You reveal that exactly in this case, actually, you work for the higher pleasures, but you attribute them to the Creator, and you address them to the Creator.
Question (English 1): (14:22) It's a lovely article, but what is the annulment of reality? What does that actually mean to us?
M. Laitman: The annulment of reality is when I do not receive inside of myself, and do not feel myself as the one who stands between the Creator and the action.
Student: And if I can attain that, what you've just said, that's when I will actually attain a soul in reality, and not just be dead to this world?
M. Laitman: Yes, yes, that's correct.
Question (Women MAK 19): (15:36) Self-annulment is the lack of feeling, the bread of shame?
M. Laitman: Yes, it's connected to this.
Student: How do we accept this lowly state and not feel shame? Is it possible?
M. Laitman: Of course. It doesn't have to be that it's me, I'm so lowly and fallen, etc. It's the created being that was created by the Creator. I have to give it the most personal steps and place everything in order.
Question (Women MAK): (15:45) When a person is above his pleasures and suffering, and he yearns for the Creator to please him, and he's ready to work without taste, where does the state of joy that needs to be there come from?
M. Laitman: From the fact that he's going to meet the Creator.
Student: Is the state of Hafetz Hesed possible without joy?
M. Laitman: No.
Student: And does this make the Creator sad?
M. Laitman: Of course.
Student: How do we generate this joy?
M. Laitman: Think about it. You have to think about it. The more you're going to think about it, the easier it's going to be to express it later.
Student: And the state of Hafetz Hesed and the state of correction?
M. Laitman: No.
Student: Do the three states—Hafetz Hesed, the state of correction, the process itself—bring the Creator joy in equal measure?
M. Laitman: Of course not. To an extent to which a person can work around the states to make them closer. After processing from all these states to address the Creator.
Question (Women MAK 25): (18:23) Why is it written that in our work we have to try and cancel spiritual reality? We seem to strive for this reality?
M. Laitman: I don't know why you think so. Where is the translation like this?
Student: I will read it if I may. “When one’s intention is for the sake of the Creator, he wants the annulment of reality. That is, he agrees to serve the Creator without any vitality or pleasure, a complete annulment of the spiritual reality…”
M. Laitman: Yes, and spiritual reality means something in our work that fills our desires, and a person wants to cancel it.
Student: So that everything would be only for the Creator, no fulfillment?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: Why does fulfillment get in our way?
M. Laitman: What do you mean? You'll be feeling pleasure all the time that comes to you from the Creator, and you will be fully fulfilled; it fulfills you.
Student: And it will substitute the goal for us, right?
M. Laitman: Of course.
Question (Women MAK 98): (19:48) When I cancel my ego, do I cancel this reality? By annulling ourselves, the ego, do we cancel the reality?
M. Laitman: No. No.
Student: What then? What does it mean that I nullify my ego?
M. Laitman: I cannot get any pleasure to it. I can feel nothing in it.
Student: What does it mean I annul my ego? I just took it and annulled it? We work on this every day to annul ourselves?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: But do we see that it gives us something? I think that with time it will. I hope so.
M. Laitman: Yes, that's correct. But the thing is, it depends on how much you feel yourself a zero, meaning nothing, something lowly in relation to the Creator. You can counter yourself and the Creator this way.
Student: What is this reality? The more we study, the more it seems like this reality is not real at all. It's like unreal reality.
M. Laitman: No, this reality is real. We just have to understand that everything depends on us asking the Creator. According to this, the Creator will make everything become real.
Question (MAK 39): (21:54) The foundation of everything, let there be no pleasure, but the foundation is the greatness of the goal? This is what should guide us, right?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Hadera 1): (22:17) In the fourth paragraph from the end, he says the following: “Naturally, he will not be able to have any descent in his work because all the descents come because he has no pleasure or vitality, for which reason he cannot continue with his work. But if he agrees to work in such a state, and even yearns for it, he cannot have any cessation in the work.”
Of whom does he speak? What kind of man? Can I understand, agree to this state without pleasure in my life, but to yearn for it? This speaks of a man who's in attainment already.
M. Laitman: It speaks about the person in the attainment, and he wants all his attainments, all his feelings, to be so that they would come from what he's feeling. That's how he's feeling reality.
Student: And what moves him and what gives him force? That he's already tasted, and it says that it's sweet to his palate?
M. Laitman: Let's say, yes.
Student: And it's his attainment that this kind of work is impossible?
M. Laitman: Yes, of course.
Question (Women Moscow 8): (24:05) Can we say that we have two tool, our study, the Torah, the spiritual instrument, and the commandment in the corporeal world limits our left line, and by using these two tools, we can achieve longevity and work without breaks?
M. Laitman: Yes, yes.
Student: We know that there have to be descents, that they are intended by the method.
M. Laitman: So, what?
Student: Can we speed up these descents if I fulfill commandments in addition to our unity?
M. Laitman: I don't know what you mean. Observing commandments in our physical world is what we learn about, and the wisdom of Kabbalah is receiving the light of the Creator and us becoming closer in order for us to fulfill Him.
Student: This is a method. I understood this as Torah. I understood that following commandments is observing the commandments as it's written in Shulchan Aruch?
M. Laitman: It's not exactly like this.
Question (Women Petah Tikva 38): (25:45) I have a question about breaking in the work of the Creator. How do we come to a state when it truly happens in the Ten with no breaks? When in the mutual support, giving strength to each other so it's with no breaks.
M. Laitman: Yes, correct.
Question (Women MAK 30): (26:33) In our Ten we feel huge joy when we meet together in the morning readings and in the lessons and in the workshops in the evening. In the Ten there is some joy from these conversations. How do we look at this? Should we increase the feeling, or should we annul ourselves? We understand that we don't do enough. This feeling advances us a lot. What do we do?
M. Laitman: We need to open up according to what you can, as much as you can.
Question (Women MAK 43): (27:35) When we understand and accept servitude to the Creator, there is some satisfaction, but not because we get satisfaction, but because we get the opportunity to serve the Creator. How do we hold on to this state? Because there are constantly new desires to receive, and they are stronger, they are harder. How do we hold on to this?
M. Laitman: I personally would advise you to always be in this. Do not exit this state.
Student: So, if I understand correctly, the desires that come to me for myself, I have to always direct them at pleasing the Creator. Always be in a restriction, right?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Women MAK 12): (28:46) This article describes two states. One is bestowal for bestowal, when there is no reception, and that's why there can be descents and a higher state of reception for bestowal, when we give everything to Him, only want to please Him, and then we have an opportunity to receive the pleasure and the strength for this. That's why this longevity doesn't stop without any losses?
M. Laitman: More or less like this. We will be clarifying these states in the future.
Question (Women Kavkaz 1): (29:31) This article revealed the right and left line. The right is when a person walks in feeling that everything comes from the Creator. He thanks the Creator for everything and feels that. And the left is when I realize that the Creator's attitude to me depends on my action. I cause His attitude with my own action. Can we say so?
M. Laitman: Yes, it's approximate still, but you can say like this already.
Student: And when I act in this way, so as to please the Creator, not more than I can cause pleasure in Him?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Women Tbilisi): (30:41) How do we receive vitality not from Klipot, but from sanctity and work for the Creator?
M. Laitman: What you have to do is to know that any contact with spirituality would invoke a feeling of great ascending and would give you, would pump you, would pump your desires with advancement and attainment.
Question (Women Hebrew 2): (31:23) What is the work when there is no vitality, no force? When he had to work when he has no feedback.
M. Laitman: But there are states like this. There are. And therefore, we need to also speak about them, talk about them.
Student: And in such a state when a person has no vitality to continue the work, to make efforts, if he doesn't feel that there is any fruit to his work.
M. Laitman: Close your eyes and continue working, even above reason.
Student: There are such dry actions?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Women Hebrew 2): (32:23) How is this expressed in the work in the Ten, if I close my eyes and just try to keep going? How does this happen in the work in the Ten if we're in such a state? What can I do? How do I come out of this not to bring this to the Ten?
Question Repeated: This state, when I close my eyes, as you responded to the friend, there are such states we go through. If it exists in the whole Ten, and if we just meet, what can I bring to them? If I close my eyes and everyone closes their eyes, what do we do in the center of the Ten in order to... So, I don't ask to come out to this state. There are such states. How not to bring this to the Ten, not to bring this, the closing our eyes to the Ten.
M. Laitman: Not to bring this to the Ten they don't pass on some wrong impression. If I can't bring anything, of course not to bring by closing my eyes. Just meet them.
Student: But if I don't feel anything, if I don't express with my closed eyes...
M. Laitman: Answer inaudible.
Question (Women Petah Tikva 33): (34:21) In the article, it says: “By this we should interpret “My soul shall be as dust to all,” meaning that his soul, the vitality clothed in him in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments], will be in the annulment of reality, which is regarded as “dust,” completely tasteless.”
I try to understand his state, the soul dust, from all sides, but I don't understand. Can you explain this?
M. Laitman: If we take something after our actions, it is revealed as dust. This means that we can't do anything, and there's no chance to raise this to a spiritual level.
Student: I try to imagine to myself such states, in what seems like a desirable state.
M. Laitman: Yes, it's a desirable state for us. It's desirable for us to work on it.
Student: So, we have to bring every state to such a state when it seems like it's dust?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Women Piter): (36:36) How can we not be in the way between the Creator and action.
M. Laitman: Act ourselves. Act on our own.
Question (Petah Tikva 35): (36:55) What does it mean that the person works for the Creator in the state of ‘go’? What does it mean that a person works for the Creator in the state of “A”?
M. Laitman: It means the Creator is shining upon him and he receives the shining of the Creator and from there he receives the forces to advance, the strength to advance. He can clearly state what is close to the Creator and what is far.
Question (Hadera 1): (37:57) What it says in this article, the state when he has a desire to give and the desire to receive, it speaks of the feeling in the desire to receive. And in the degree of correction, the desires are for bestowal and for reception.
M. Laitman: Yes, that's correct.
Question (Women MAK 97): (38:34) from this article, it follows that the state of dust is the best in spiritual and in corporeal. It seems to me that canceling the pleasure in the corporeal is very simple, very easy. But when the tastes comes in spirituality, what to do with them? How to fight with them or raise a prayer for Him to take away these tastes in the spiritual work?
M. Laitman: No. We have to rise above pleasures, not in a way that we kill them, slaughter them. It's not that we scratch them off. On the contrary, the Creator wants us to be in pleasure. The last degree of the whole correction is in absolute pleasure, when light fills all the vessels fully, completely. So, we need to go towards bigger and bigger pleasure, fulfillment. The only problem is for this bigger amount of pleasure to be connected with the Creator and our vessel, our Kli, and so that we would in no way start to substitute the Creator with the pleasure itself.
Question (Women MAK 36): (40:35) At the end of the article it says: “Wealth and honor on her left” is the left line. This is the meaning of the persistence of reality.” Honor is called Neshama, as it is written, and wealth is called the quality of the Torah. I don't understand this at all. Wealth and honor on the left?
M. Laitman: We'll be conversing about this tomorrow more. It's just that I'm out of strength to speak today.
Question (Asia): (41:27) The feeling of spirituality for everyone. So, this is like... I have the needle…
M. Laitman: Not to this extent, but in this direction, yes.
Question (MAK 24): (41:50) How do we combine self-annulment with pride as serving the Creator, the group. How can we be in this state where you want to annul ourselves? I understand the importance of the goal and the importance of intention.
M. Laitman: Act exactly like this, that for the goal, for the intention, you agree to feel great states, but you do not desire them in any way to receive them for yourself.
Student: Yes, but the question here is when we meet with the friends, and we learn to see the friend is great, that he's needed for the group, and he annuls himself. His disconnection
is annoying. We don't want him to annul himself. He's great. He's worthy of being elevated.
M. Laitman: The fact that he's annulling himself does not affect this feeling inside of you, the way you feel him.
Student: But I see this inconsistency in him. He annuls himself, but he's not like this.
M. Laitman: Try to elevate him.
Student: I can do this?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Women Brazil): (43:46) When we work with these states, with closed eyes, how can we create such points of relationships, and not just be between heaven and earth?
M. Laitman: Wonderful. Now I think your way is the whole Kli in Portuguese is present, so please, start asking questions. Tell them to tell us everything you need, men and women.
Student: The question again. How can we, thanks to these states of closing our eyes, find the correct point of attitude, and not just be between heaven and earth?
Moderator: The question is like this. You said earlier that if any state comes to a person, he needs to close his eyes and continue. The friend is asking if a state is heavy, and you advised to close our eyes, so not to be between heaven and earth in this state.
M. Laitman: As I close my eyes, I don't want to see the current state, my current state. And I'm ready to mobilize all my forces, engage all my forces, for them to be for the sake of bestowal towards the Creator. This means that the state is not exactly evil, is not exactly bad. And then I come to self-annulment of the state, in order to connect my desire to receive there too.
Student: And what does it bring?
M. Laitman: That's how we advance.
Question (Women Moscow 8): (46:35) Do we understand correctly that the thoughts and desires directed at the friends raise us above our egotistical desires and thoughts? How does this happen?
M. Laitman: We'll be studying it.
Question (Women MAK 26): (47:01) When the Torah becomes a potion of death, should we avoid this state? There is no opportunity to build the correct intention straight away, or does this state come as a result of big mistakes?
M. Laitman: No, no, these states, they come from big pressure and big prayer.
Student: So, we yearn for them and have joy when this state of poison comes?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Women Tbilisi): (47:43) Can the whole Ten receive the state of dust at the same time?
M. Laitman: This is actually not an easy state if the whole Ten receives such a feeling.
Question (Women Ukraine 2): (48:10) What does it mean to act by ourselves in the Ten? For example, when we have doubt in making decisions How do we know where to act?
M. Laitman: You have to act in accordance with your spiritual state, and then you will succeed.
Student: What to do in corporeality? Do you see how the Creator will finish for us?
M. Laitman: You just put the corporeal to the side.
Student: Put it away. And if the corporeal and spiritual cross?
M. Laitman: There's no such thing. It means that it just didn't manifest itself fully.
Question (Women MAK): (48:58) What isn't in longevity as that exists in…?
M. Laitman: Longevity is unfinished work. In eternity, there is no work like this.
Student: What action is enough to go from longevity to eternity?
M. Laitman: We will locate this.
Question (Women MAK): (49:30) What are signs of the correct reception of the force of bestowal and correct usage of it in our daily work.
M. Laitman: Try here and there; control yourself. Move from bad states to better. Try.
Question (Women Petah Tikva 33): (50:08) If we feel pleasure, that we feel a good desire of the friends, or the pleasure that comes from the general efforts, even though the Creator sends a state. Is this considered spiritual pleasure that we have to annul?
M. Laitman: Every desire, every pleasure that in any way participates in us coming closer to the Creator is called a spiritual one. And everyone, everyone, all the others, except for those, are called corporeal.
Student: So, it's unclear by what we have to annul spiritual pleasure.
M. Laitman: We just have to check it.
Student: If we check this pleasure, it turns out that it's honor. We feel great; the ego shows us. Should we annul this?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: What is the pleasure that the Creator swaps for a new one? How do we discern between them? How do we know we're getting pleasure for the Creator and not from the pleasure itself, then not from the Creator?
M. Laitman: It's a problem. Sometimes it's a problem. We still are not able to differentiate or maybe detach one from the other.
Student: Another question. If a man feels from the beginning that it's a pleasure from the Creator, and then he gets confused. He finds himself hearing that in no case should we change the Creator for the pleasure. What's the correct path to come out of this state as fast as possible?
M. Laitman: The fastest way, the best way to come out of this state is to start to scrutinize, detaching the Creator from all the other pleasures that we were in towards Him, in relation to Him. And what invokes in you, what gets inside of you as a result of this scrutiny, will be closer to the true pleasure.
Student: To clarify, what would be the Creator and what's the pleasure that's not the Creator? Is this a correct discernment?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Women French): (53:58) When I fight my ego, I can be very coarse. I'm afraid of harming my friends. I want to exist for them. What can you advise us about not being too tough with the friends?
M. Laitman: I think that everyone must make a zero out of yourselves towards all the other friends in the Ten, and guard and keep the desire for the zero to be stronger and stronger.
Question (Women MAK 56): (55:10) It turns out that all the obstacles of the corporeal world are given by the Creator so we learn to annul ourselves?
M. Laitman: Of course. Otherwise, what is evil for in the world?
Question (Women Hebrew 2): (55;37) If I understand correctly from the article, there are states where the lack of meaning in the work falls upon a person. Is it correct to have a pure intention so a person should pray and get inspired? Is it some elevation of the spirit?
M. Laitman: If after this, it will be revealed to him that he was playing some child games.
Student: So, it's wrong then?
M. Laitman: Yes, it was not correct.
Student: What feeling should a person strive for in the revelation of the Creator?
M. Laitman: For the Creator to provide him with a feeling.
Student: If the Creator gives him correct states.
M. Laitman: There's no good or bad. Speak up with other words, without a feeling. No matter what feeling he would feel, he has to decide that it's good.
Student: If there is a feeling of pleasure, how does he work with this pleasure?
M. Laitman: He cannot work with it because he doesn't know if it's good for him.
Student: So, what does he do? How does he continue to connect with this state?
M. Laitman: He cannot act like this because he still didn't clarify his vessels.
Student: How do we begin to clarify our vessels, so we aren't like animals that run away from suffering towards pleasure?
M. Laitman: For this, he has to start uniting with the friends and try to only be in bestowal.
Student: What does it mean to give to the friends? How do we do this?
M. Laitman: He wants to bestow upon a friend from the state in which he is now, and then it will be revealed to him that it is so, how much in bestowal he is.
Student: It means to unite in the feeling in the heart with the friends? What is this action, this bestowal, to ask to find pleasure? What is the essence of this request?
M. Laitman: He has to address the Creator with this plea so that the Creator would reveal his vessels and would show him how to work with them.
Question (Women Tbilisi): (58:48) If the Ten feels itself in a state of dust, how does it start to ascend?
M. Laitman: To start elevating himself from the dust. This means to add to your actions, to your prayers, more and more words about the desire to bestow, to fulfill, and this way ascend.
Student: And if we're in the Ten, can we use the covenant of salt that we made when we were in an ascent?
M. Laitman: Yes, you can.
That's it, my dears. I have half a minute left. I'm praying for you, and I hope to see you tomorrow. All the best.
Announcements: (59:56)
Song: (1:00:25)