Part 2
Morning Lesson December 21, 2021, Transcription
Transcription is made from simultaneous translation which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio
Baal HaSulam - Shamati 129. The Shechina in the Dust
1.Rav reading Shamati 129. The Shechina in the Dust (00:10) “You are fond of suffering. Then he said, ‘neither they nor their reward,’ about this beauty, which wears off in the dust.” Suffering is primarily in a place that is above reason. And the measure of the suffering depends on the extent to which it contradicts the reason. This is called “faith above reason,” and this work gives contentment to the Creator. It follows that the reward is that by this work there is contentment to one’s Maker. However, in between, before one can prevail and justify His guidance, the Shechina [Divinity] is in the dust. This means that the work by way of faith, called the Shechina, is in exile, canceled in the dust. And he said about that, “Neither they nor their reward.” This means that he cannot stand the period in between. And this is the meaning of his reply to him, “I am crying for this and for that.”
2. R. There are many things about these, the words are such that some is revealed and some
Is concealed. Mostly they revealed the concealment. Let’s see.
Reader reading Shamati 129. The Shechina in the Dust (02:00) again
3. S. (04:01) Can you explain the last sentence that is what I'm crying for, where are they?
R. No, if we scrutinize the rest then we will understand where the crying is about.
4. S. (04:27) Simple question, what to do in the middle time instead of crying from what you
mentioned here?
R. Are you talking about this article or the previous one?
S. Yes, it is written that in the meantime.
R. That he doesn't discover the forces to be able to do something himself, but the cry in it of itself is something truly great. Crying in a sign of Katnut [smallness], that he achieves his inability, his helplessness and powerlessness on the one hand. Also on the other hand he feels very small, so he feels that he's related, tight to the Great; and when he cries, he cries to the Creator and by that he advances. Crying is not a point where there's nothing left to do, but through crying we achieve many things. Many things. If our work is in prayer and only through praying, can we get the forces from above, and only the forces from above can help us prevail then; the crying that we apply is a sign of smallness, it is a sign that we have no forces. We have no hope of being able to do anything ourselves but of all of our hopes we aim to the Upper; that we cry to Him. Crying is something truly great as it is said “my soul shall cry in secret” and so on. There are many songs, Psalm excerpts and many states in spirituality that are called crying, and “the matter of tears” in the wisdom of Kabbalah. Tears are those lights that cannot dress in the Masach [screen] and Or Chozer [reflected light], they're called tears; and this is something truly great. It also comes through corrections. I would say that all of our corrections eventually come from tears, because we need to discover in each and every detail, how incapable we are of correcting ourselves, and to ask; the true request always comes out of crying, always. Crying is a sign of smallest and pertaining to the Upper. So when we discover divinity in dust, the Creator is hidden, His greatness is hidden and what is revealed to us is the very opposite, the dust. This is the matter of divinity and dust. So of course when we cry here, this means to cry for the Churban HaKedusha [distraction/shattering of the holiness/temple], they are different names for it; so by that we raise MAN, we apply a great request and as a result from above we get forces. This is how it works
5. S. (08:35) Can you explain the concept of Shechina?
R. Shechina, Divinity is called the ten’s will to receive, that all the desires to receive are joined together and from that we wish to come to equivalence of form with the Creator and the willingness to receive the revelation of the Creator in order to bestow to the created beings is called, Shechina Divinity. The proper good work of connections between us as much as we can according to our condition and to our degree that is aimed directly towards the Creator that in this network of connections, we are all interconnected, meaning that to some extent we treat each other correctly, from that, from our connection, this is also how we relate to the Creator. That we want Him to clothe in us and by that we will give Him contentment and so if this is how we can connect between us and as a result of our connection, we find all in all our general connection with the Creator, that’s called Shechina. From the Shechina comes the Shochen meaning the Creator that is revealed and is clothed in it. This is our work and this is what we yearn to come to.
6. S. (10:48) It is written that the main suffering is above reason and the extent of the suffering is a contradiction to above reason, can you explain that sentence?
R. That we regret not being able to reveal spirituality within reason this is natural because reason, Daat, Malchut it is the will to receive, it’s our vessel that in this vessel we wish to receive everything in this world, the upper world, everything. When we rise above that and we naturally regret not being able to receive in the vessels of reception and we rise to the vessels of bestowal, then to the measure to which we nonetheless let go of the vessels of reception and become included in the vessels of bestowal, that we shift Malchut to the degree of Bina, then to the measure in which we raise it Bina, correspondingly we can receive the revelation of the Creator according to the law of equivalence of form.
S. But why the suffering felt above reason, why is it written that way?
R. I cross into the degree of Bina, faith above and in there I feel suffering, it could be that it is suffering as a result of leaving the Malchut in entering the degree of Bina and it could be that these are love pains. That I do not love the Creator yet and this torments me and this is how we advance. Everything is measured according to suffering and pleasure and one cannot be without the other or exist without the other. Both pleasure and suffering, they are measured in the same vessel, only without intention and connection to the goal, or with intention and connection to the goal.
7. S. (13:28) How can I have power to walk in faith above reason during the period of concealment?
R. With the help of the friends, with the help of the study, by trying to hold yourself in connection with them, even though the connection with them has not yet been revealed, that spiritual system but it still seems to you that you have a corporeal connection. Still, if you wish to keep yourself in that, and you believe in what Kabbalists write, by that, this is the way you need to strengthen yourself and achieve your spirituality, then this is how you go. The main thing is to shift across from a particular feeling. Suppose in our condition, what do we need? We need to cross from our particular feeling to a general feeling in the ten. That I don’t measure myself but I measure the ten, I don’t feel myself but I feel the ten. Do I ascend? No, the ten does or the ten descends and not me, that all the time I put myself in the ten. I want to feel that I'm inside the boat and this is how I advance in spirituality more and more. Otherwise I have no chance of reaching spirituality, I myself am not capable of performing any spiritual action.
8. S. (15:38) In the article is this written about the beauty?
R. We will work on this later it's not important to us right now. It still regrets not being able to correct all his desires to receive but only to correct those that can be to bestow in order to bestow, but to receive in order to bestow, they're still at the bottom on the ground and afterwards they will come. This is called The Resurrection of the Dead.
9. S. (16:24) Sometimes we run from the suffering but our work is to face the suffering and take it as renewing and sometimes we say it is like, the elder that bends down and searches but I didn't lose anything, the question is, is our work opposite to get inspired by this renewing?
R. Exactly, well put. If I am searching for the next with degree then I no longer feel any problem, that I'm lacking something, that I lost something on the way, that I fell. Good.
10. S. (17:25) It’s so nice in the text when it is written that the reward by this work will give contentment to His maker. What is this work in the Ten between the friends like you see in our tens today?
R. We need to correct the network of connections between us so that our connection according to its attributes, qualities, habits will be similar to the quality of the Creator and the more we become tighter in our network of connection, the more we climb the ladder of degrees from here to the end of correction. This is what we need to do.
11. S. (18:41) How can I connect my problems and sufferings with the ten with causing them sadness without disturbing them that I'm crying inside?
R. Take care of the connection in the ten that you are the smallest of them all and you want to keep them in your hands, to hold them in your hands.
12. S. (19:33) It is written that the main sufferings above reason, can I understand as much as we rise above our will to receive that there is more suffering?
R. There's more suffering, you add knowledge, you add pain but that is how it is. Less and less corporeal and more and more spiritual.
13. S. ( 20:11 ) On the Shamati articles you gave us advice to summarize it in our words. I am afraid I won't understand these articles or is it still worthwhile to write?
R. Try to do it several times and see if you better understand it. Does it come closer to you and if you cannot do it with this article then let it be and continue with another one.
14. S. ( 22:15 ) How to discern between the crying of the ego that feels its limitations and from crying like a force to connect to the Creator?
R. They're both egoistic for now. That is why we supposedly think it is spiritual. That we want to connect to the Creator. This is also an egoistic cry and no more than that but the main thing is the connection between us. The Creator isn't up there somewhere above. To the extent that I'm too close to my friends I'm close to the Creator. Nothing more than that . That is what how far you where you are from the Creator
15. S. (23:06) How to turn corporeal suffering into love pains?
R. Love pain is that I don't have love that I do not have love for the Creator. That is why I am in a helpless state. I must have love to the Creator and love to the Creator. Love to the Creator is I under the condition that I reach love for the ten. Love to the ten is only if I raise importance to the ten. That I value them. That they are really between me and the Creator and He is revealed in the ten. Not behind them but in them. Meaning as much as I appreciate value come close to the friend to that extent I'm also towards the Creator
16. S.( 24:32 ) If in Bnei Baruch we study Torah why do we have suffering? Is it because we are not studying correctly?
R. We are not realizing it correctly and we also can't exchange our suffering with pleasure. We are still in the will to receive and we have no way to work with the will to receive in order to bestow.
17. S. (25: 05) If we correctly implement, we will not feel the suffering by correctly being connected with the friends, will we annul or cancel them?
R. To the extent that we are going from receiving to bestowing to that extent we rid ourselves of suffering and then we have love suffering that I do not have enough love. To the extent that I discover or reveal love towards the friend and through them to the Creator then I already reach the purpose of creation to that extent I feel the wholeness and imperfections of the whole of reality