The transcript has been transcribed and edited from English simultaneous interpretation, thus there may be potential semantic inaccuracies within it.
Daily Morning Lesson: September 12, 2026
Part 1: Baal HaSulam. Understanding What Is Written in Shulchan Aruch. Shamati 122.
Reader: Hello, in the first part, we will study a lesson by Rav from September 24, 2003. The lesson is based on Shamati 122, "Understanding What Is Written in the Shulchan Aruch," in the writings of Baal HaSulam. You can find it on page 621 in Hebrew. Let's read the article together in the Ten. We have eight minutes for that, so please.
Reading: (01:50) 122. Understanding What Is Written in Shulchan Aruch
I heard on the eve of Shabbat, Nitzavim, Elul 22, September 4, 1942
Understand what is explained in Shulchan Aruch [Set Table—the Jewish code of Law]: The rule is that one should repeatedly reflect upon the prayers of the Terrible Days so that when the time of prayer comes, he will be accustomed and used to praying.
The thing is that the prayer should be in the heart. This is the meaning of the work in the heart, that the heart will agree to what one says with one’s mouth (otherwise, it is deceit, that is, one’s mouth and heart are not the same). Hence, on the month of Elul, one should accustom oneself to the great work.
And the most important thing is that one can say “Write us to life.” This means that when one says “Write us to life,” the heart, too, should agree (so it will not be as flattery) that one’s mouth and heart will be the same, “for man looks on the eyes, and the Lord looks on the heart.”
Accordingly, when one cries “Write us to life,” “life” means Dvekut [adhesion] with the Life of Lives, which is specifically by a person wanting to work entirely in the form of bestowal, and that all of one’s thoughts of his own pleasure will be revoked. Then, when he feels what he is saying, his heart can fear that his prayer might be accepted, meaning that he will have no desire whatsoever for himself.
And concerning self-pleasure, there appears a state where it seems as though he leaves all the pleasures of this world, together with all the people, friends, his kin, all his possessions, and retires to the desert where there is nothing but wild beasts, without anyone knowing of him or of his existence. It seems to him as though he loses his world at once, and feels that he is losing a world filled with the joy of life, and takes upon himself death from this world. He feels as though he is committing suicide when he experiences this image.
Sometimes, the Sitra Achra [other side] helps him picture his state with all the dark colors. Then the body repels this prayer, and in such a state, his prayer cannot be accepted since he himself does not want his prayer to be accepted.
For this reason, there must be preparation for the prayer, to accustom oneself to the prayer, as though his mouth and heart are the same. And the heart can come to agree through accustoming, so it would understand that reception means separation, and that the most important is the Dvekut with the Life of Lives, which is bestowal.
One must always delve in the work of Malchut, called “writing,” considered “ink” and Shacharit [blackness]. This means that one should not want one’s work to be in the form of “Libni and Shimei,”1 that only at the time of whiteness does he adhere to the Torah and Mitzvot [commandments], but unconditionally. Whether in white or in black, it will always be the same for him, and that come-what-may, he will adhere to the commandments of the Torah and Mitzvot.
Reader: And now we will move on to the Rav's lesson,
M. Laitman: (08:48) "Shulchan Aruch," about the prayer in the terrible days. Why is it called terrible days, when a person should really judge himself and self-scrutinize? What is he praying for? We learn that every spiritual action begins from raising MAN. All in all, the Creator's action in creation is to bring the created being to a state that allows the created being to have free choice.
The choice of what? In which desire to be. And the upper light is in absolute rest, and the person must choose the right desire. Each time when he chooses the right desire more and more and more; what does it mean, more and more? That he understands inside the previous desire that developed that he chose correctly so he develops with greater precision. So, once again he makes this calculation and judgment, and again, he chooses the correct desire. And this is how he reaches His desire to benefit His creations fully.
So, all in all man's prayer is the examination whether his desire, his present desire, which he feels each time, is a desire that, according to how he can check it and understand it and measure it, is according to the Creator's desire to benefit His creations.
What does it mean that he checks it? How does he check it? We learn this is done in a group. The examination cannot be in any other way, because we have no possibility to see the Creator's will- how the Creator bestows upon the created beings. If we want to resemble Him we must also bestow to the created beings. Now, to bestow to the created beings, on our part this law is clarified according to the sentence, the phrase, "love your friend as yourself."
If we fulfill the desire in this way this means that in our desire we're equal to the Creator's desire to do good to His creations. He has no other desire. And only in this form is His will manifested, realized. And only in the form of "love your friend as yourself" does our will become realized in accordance with the Creator's will.
If we do not equalize with the Creator's will, then immediately this general law of doing good to His creations, the thought of creation acts upon us in such a way that it seeks to correct our will. Immediately, forces act upon us through all sorts of means from our environment in order to correct us, to bring us back to the fulfillment of that law of "love your friend as yourself," or of doing good to His creations.
M. Laitman: (13:25) This is our entire life. Whether we want to or not, we exist only in the fulfillment of this law, more or less. When a person begins to understand this and begins to examine himself in accordance with the Creator's general will, and decides that this must finally be in his heart, that his mouth and heart will be equal. This means that he arrives at a state called Rosh Hashanah. And the terrible days are truly terrible, because he begins to judge himself with a true and just judgment. And he sees that he has nowhere to run to, but only to uphold the only condition that truly exists above him.
It seems to him as truly terrible, that it is impossible to uphold it, until he understands that it is terrible in that, if he doesn't uphold it, then he will not reach some sort of nearness to the Creator. And then that decision, when he examines himself, when he prepares himself for it during all of what we call the month of Elul, asking for forgiveness and examinations, ultimately this decision becomes clarified in him. It is cooked within him to such an extent that he asks the Creator from the bottom of his heart that this quality of "love your friend as yourself," meaning of doing good to His creations, will exist in his heart as it exists in the Creator.
And this prayer, this is the only prayer that is accepted in the Creator. As we learned that this is the MAN which is accepted in ZON of Atzilut from the broken souls that ask for correction. The correction is only over that and over nothing else. And if a person reaches that, it means that he has reached Rosh Hashanah. Is there a question here? Is there anything to ask according to the article?
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (16:58) Why does it look like he moves from his world, he goes to the desert?
M. Laitman: Exactly. When a person truly starts to understand that he needs to ask for the forces of bestowal- for the quality of bestowal, that quality of bestowal, when he examines where he is, it seems to him that by that he will completely lose his entire life. He will no longer think of himself and of the friends as he was thinking about them before, and about the family as he was concerned about his family, and about his private possessions in any way.
If he truly comes closer to the quality of bestowal, he understands that in his mind and heart no place remains for him, for himself; rather all the concerns begin to be outside of him. And then it seems to him that he completely disappears. He loses himself, his selfness. And this feeling of the "I" that exists within us, that point of the "I," is the strongest point. It is the point of existence, the point of existence, existence from absence. And then the person has this feeling that he is seemingly coming back to absence. Where is he? Until he finds his existence not in himself, but in that his absence will be connected to the Creator, to the existence. Which means that he is willing to cross this abyss of existence from absence; that he was created beyond the Creator, on the other side of the Creator. Rather to bring himself back into the Creator, into this quality of bestowal, to exist in it and find in it his, quote-unquote “existence”.
This is a problem, as Baal HaSulam also writes, that it is also a psychological problem, meaning on the human level, and also on a deeper level. But the feeling is certainly a feeling that a person if he doesn't think about himself, if he's not concerned about himself, then because he doesn't yet have a grip on the vessels of bestowal, then in which vessels does he feel himself? It's as if he disappeared from the world.
Meaning his world also disappears, his whole world. It's about how he depicts his existence in the vessels of reception. Actually, when I imagine a certain image the way I imagine the world it's an image of how I imagine in which way I can enjoy anything around me. I feel the air. What is air? I feel in what form I can enjoy from that, or, God forbid, I suffer from it.
But, there is nothing within me where if I feel reality, I feel it, I measure it in any other form. I enjoy it or I do not enjoy it. Only in this way I measure everything, and I enjoy or I do not enjoy in all kinds of degrees, all kinds of manifestations. This is what depicts for me the image of the world.
I don't photograph the world like some kind of a photographic machine, a camera that takes a photograph according to light and darkness or some other parameters. My parameters are only to enjoy more or less. Only according to that, it is depicted within me. And here, if I already stop examining and relating it to myself, to enjoying more or enjoying less, then what kind of an image can I have?
It turns out that the person feels as though the world itself disappears. It becomes, as we also feel to a certain extent, that it becomes devoid of any taste. And later on, he altogether loses all of his sensitivity to it, as though it does not exist. We also feel to a certain extent, until we truly feel a state of what we call the imaginary world, that it is only imaginary in our vessels of reception, in our measurement with respect to our pleasures.
M. Laitman: (22:19) So, it turns out that this image disappears. This is why it's called the imaginary world. And we start to measure everything already according to the quality of bestowal. So, according to the quality of bestowal, we call it the true world instead of the imaginary world. Why? Because in that quality, in that measurement we begin to see the details, let's say, of reality. And so, we begin to see it… First of all, we begin to see a completely different image, a true image, because it doesn't disappear and it doesn't change, but rather it changes only with greater details according to the development of our quality of bestowal. And ultimately, we reach the point where we see what is called the upper force. But it is possible to see that not over our vessels of reception, how much I feel good or bad, as we naturally measure the whole of reality. This is why it is called an imaginary reality.
But rather, we begin to measure in the desire to bestow. This means that this sensitive paper, this photographic paper on which we photograph it is already now sensitive not to reception and pleasure, but to bestowal and giving. The difference is that then this paper begins to incorporate hearts, if we can say so of the desires of all of the souls, besides my own. And through them we then begin to see reality. It's a completely different photograph. And this photograph is called the Creator. What is depicted in all of the other souls in such a way, that is called the Creator. In contrast to what is depicted inside my individual desire, which is called the imaginary world.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (25:21) With regard to the MAN, is there like a warehouse where the MAN needs to reach, and then it all raises at once, or how do we get there?
M. Laitman: You're asking how to reach the true MAN. If we have Reshimot- records, and these records, meaning, that is the desires; or I would say it's not desires. The records are parts of the screen that used to belong to be a part of my soul, at a time when it was an inseparable, integral part, meaning it was connected with all the other parts in the soul of Adam HaRishon. We can't even say a part that was connected, because then there was no such concept of a part that is connected. It was all in unity. And this screen, this glue that existed between these parts, when it was broken, it was broken in stages. And the stages of the breaking of the screen — not the desire, the desire remains a desire, but the screen that was broken — it was broken gradually. And all of these degrees, the way that the screen was broken they now exist in me. And from the last stage, from the last record of the broken screen, the smallest one, I begin to awaken. That is, the fact that I feel a broken record, let's say, right?
I feel in a broken way that same desire to bestow, that same attitude that I had towards others, and with the others towards the Creator, that I need to correct it each time. That is, what does it mean to correct? I have to reach a state where my intention is the opposite, and it should be in order to bestow. I don't need to search for which desire and which intention I should have. I need to search for the right direction, the right form. That is, in what way the form that I have now, within me right now, is the opposite of the true one. This is called the work of the scrutiny, and from that we reach the prayer, the request.
That is, the moment that I see how I can use it correctly, in which direction I can use my desire correctly, at that moment my desire is called MAN, a prayer, a request. And at that moment, when I truly find the right direction, the right form, at that moment it is received in the upper one. Because my upper one and the record within me that has awakened right now are congruent with each other. I just need to make that rendezvous point between them, that connection. This is called to raise the MAN, to incorporate the MAN in the upper one. This is done through the attainment, the understanding. My feeling that this must be corrected in the right way.
If I understood what is the right form that needs to be, it is considered that I raise the MAN to the upper one. And each time that I realize this prayer of mine, then a higher record is revealed to me. It is higher and broken, right, from these degrees, from these records. That the screen was broken through them, and this is how I seemingly in return rise back to that same point that existed before the shattering.
As he writes, that the soul needs to return to the same state as it was when it was attached as a point to the root. And through my work that I search precisely for that form how it needs to be. I correct the shattering of the screen, meaning the direction of instead of for myself, towards the Creator. This is actually the broken screen upon each and every desire that is revealed. So by that, I return to the same state as I was back then; but I build it, I get to know it, I want it. That is, now it is done through my awareness, it becomes my possession.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (31:13) How can we get to the same amount, or same quota of mistakes, or do we just simply have to raise them?
M. Laitman: Baal HaSulam says that, all in all, we reach it through 100 or 125 degrees or 620 degrees. It doesn't matter how you count it. All in all, there's a predefined number of our self-examination and requests, meaning raising MAN. It's not an infinite number of records. All in all, we have, let's say, five worlds, even though we count it in a different way, it doesn't matter. But let's say five worlds, five Partzufim, five Sefirot, so it's 125 degrees, that's it.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (32:09) Is it possible to raise the raising of MAN from now on?
M. Laitman: To raise the elevating MAN? A person can do it only through the society, because what does it mean, raising MAN? Raising MAN means that instead of realizing the record that exists within me right now, I have to check, I have to understand, I have to research and decide that I'm going to use it in order to bestow. I want to use it in order to bestow, but I can't. And in that, I turn to the Creator. So, I work, I examine here, I criticize the direction towards myself versus the direction of the Creator, that the direction of the Creator, I can check it truly only with respect to the society. The Creator is hidden. Only with respect to the society, that I want to bestow, I don't want to bestow, yes or no, to be incorporated in them or no. Here, I check whether I truly want to use the record correctly. I have no other examination.
So, if I establish around me the society, the environment correctly, so it will awaken for me as precisely as possible — what does it mean, bestowal? That it will awaken me towards that as quickly as possible, so that I'll be able to see in it and feel the correct image of bestowal and measure whether my intention is correct or not, yes, no. Accordingly, I reach the prayer faster. This means that the environment should be such that it will compel me in that simply I will feel inside the environment that if I think about myself and not about it, not about the environment, I will feel terrible, that this will be shameful, it will be contemptible and so on. This has to be in the society truly burning, and then in such a way, of course I'll advance quickly.
In such a way, certainly I won't suffer so much, but rather, I will quickly go through the suffering in breaking myself and thinking in order to bestow, deciding that in order to bestow is truly the right direction. That is, everything depends on the society, as much as the society will influence me with the importance of bestowal, of resembling the Creator, and so forth. If the society can give me that truly good publicity and truly the feeling that this is something which is on fire and important and it is the only thing that must exist, then, for me, it won't be difficult to be in that.
We see how a person is sold out to the society in everything that the society decides. Therefore, our choice is in finding such a society. That is, that I won't settle for a society which is somehow, as he writes there, that he enters among tailors, which are not so good, or maybe they are good. Rabash writes about it in the letter, so it's not so bad. If you want to be a good professional, you have to enter among the best professionals so that they will tell you. You made some garments, let's say, among tailors, you made a nice garment, and if not, they will tell you to the very last detail, this is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong.
Meaning that they respect something which is perfect. Among such people, you will also become an expert. You will also want to do things this way. You will also want to be able not to tolerate things that are not quite fine. Everything depends on a society. So, if you want to be a good professional, you need a society that truly, completely demands that, and then it won't be difficult. That is, all of our hardship, all of our problems, that we are incapable, and that we fall off the path, and that we struggle, we are struggling, each one with the other, and with his will to receive; it is because we do not build a society. We shouldn't feel any effort in our work if our society will be corrected accordingly, because I will certainly want to keep it. According to my nature, I will want to keep what is in the society.
M. Laitman: (37:38) Therefore, the fact that each one is concerned about how he advances in spirituality, it's nonsense, it's truly foolishness. He should be concerned that in the society, this concept of advancement will be to the extent that he needs it to exist in the society, then he will keep it. Because we are truly a direct outcome of all of the desires, all the thoughts, and the whole purpose and the importance that is roaming in a society. And therefore, if we're already talking about the correction of the records, then the correction of the records is only through the social work.
And here we see how all of these things are organized correctly on that same topic that you are taking care of. If you are taking care of your attitude towards the society, which is actually towards the Creator, that this actually influences you and awakens you back to that same work. That is, you see that all the elements, all the forces, all of the beginnings and everything that should be revealed in the end, it all exists in a single subject. You don't need to move and run around in a thousand and one different factors. You have one factor in which you begin and end all of your labor, all of your exertion, and all of the correction of the vessels and the filling of the vessels. This is how it ends up.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (39:36) If I remember correctly, you said once that he has everything ready. How do we perform this action? What exactly is that?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (39:51) How, in the general society, inside the general society, we can build a society that will obligate us to advance in the direction that I chose, in the right way.
M. Laitman: We already saw that it doesn't help us to divide into groups of fives or tens. We've seen that everything depends on investment, not in those that artificially surround me, but in what I'm actually incorporated with. And it's true that sometimes it helps a person choose a few people with whom he'll have closer communication and somewhat, perhaps to connect with them in some way. But you see that, all in all, the more we advance and go through states, we don't find that it is correct to close ourselves in some small form. Ultimately, society is not a society that has specific boundaries, that this and this and that are a part of my society.
The society is a spiritual concept that perhaps I can't even see and show myself what kind of concept that is. But rather, all of the longings, desires, understandings, connections to the upper force, everything we do as our general labor, all of that is the concept of society. And what's missing about this concept is that the greatness of the Creator, the greatness of a goal, will be so much on fire that it will obligate each and every one, to the point that you'll have no difficulty at all to think about it. And you won't be able to stay out of it, the whole time, all the time. But small groups, we've already passed that. There are people who still, in our society too, there are some who are looking for putting together some small groups. I look at it like a child's play that some small group together is doing. That's already not too advanced, I would say. It's kind of falling behind.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (43:37) You said that if I want to be a good professional, I should enter among good professionals, and they'll tell me this is not good, this is not good, that's not good. On the other hand, we say that actually our society is not supposed to criticize me, but give me the greatness of the goal. So it doesn't work exactly in the same way. Usually they're not supposed to criticize me and say this is wrong, what you're doing is bad, that's not, that's wrong, but rather they are supposed to give me the greatness of the goal, those professionals that I'm looking for, that I'm searching for, for our path. So how does it coincide?
M. Laitman: What the society needs to give the person is the greatness of the goal. Now, in order for the person to be in a state where he can listen about the greatness of the goal, we have to stabilize him in that he comes and sits down and reads and participates and puts in the labor, even if he doesn't want to. From all the efforts he makes, he might be willing to hear. By external actions, by external efforts, he could come to a more internal effort. Because to the truly inner desire, not him and not us, can reach and control.
So certainly we have to inspect the person, and it is written that a person needs to search for a society. To change society, to benefit society, is when he’s already in it, and he is included in it, and he is active in it as a useful part on the path; and he wants the same direction, he wants to be useful for the same path. Then, please, perhaps he has such advice that we still don't understand. Okay, we'll discuss that. But he can't go against the rules of society. If he wants to build a new society, go ahead, but why build it from us? How does he know better than us that we need to change the society this way or that way? Rather, according to the guidelines that our teachers give us, accordingly, we need to accept each and every advice of a person.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (46:41) Which should it include, specific pinpointed things or general things?
M. Laitman: I obligate you to sit next to the table comfortably, not to do any foreign thing, reading, hearing, speaking, nothing, but to be attentive to what we're dealing with. This means I put conditions before you, I put you in some sort of framework, and from that there is hope that perhaps what exists here will enter both the ear and perhaps the heart. You as a teacher can understand that. What do you do at school or any other place? That's how we organize ourselves, that's how we want to organize everyone in society, to give each and every one the obligation and opportunity to absorb from society the importance of the goal. What else?
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (47:52) How can the society actually make me intend this thing that we're talking about all the time? "Love your friend as yourself." At maximum, they can sit me down and tell me to do something, but how can it cause me to intend?
M. Laitman: You're asking how can the society reach your heart and change your heart from in order to receive to in order to bestow, so that you wish to love the friends? We cannot do that, and you can't do that, only the upper light can shape it like that, correct you, if you truly want to be corrected. But to be the cause of the cause of the cause of that somehow, society can do that, and that's what it should do. That's your free choice.
Student: To add to me a desire for this thing?
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: How does the society add to me a desire for this thing?
M. Laitman: The society adds the desire for you because you appreciate society, whether you like it or not. The opinion of the public governs you. That's our structure. We care about the public opinion, because a person in his "I," in his ego, in his sense of self, he has no more than the "I," this existence from absence, and this "I" is more important than life. And in order to sustain that "I," a person is willing to do anything. That's how he's built. And a society should use that correctly.
I could say a man is someone who's drinking Coca-Cola or a beer somewhere, right? Like we see in advertisements. So I'm playing with what you already have in nature. This way, our society should be built to use the force of the "I" in each and every one, but to instill our values in it. Same approach. Baal HaSulam writes there in the article, The Freedom article about free choice, very simple examples from life, meaning it's for our use.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (50:20) How can I make sure that this thing truly comes in? We see that there are many societies where they have these slogans on the walls, on the cars, on everything; but to differentiate it, how can we make sure that in our case, it enters the desires, it doesn't just stay on the walls?
M. Laitman: How to make it so that the slogan will really go in and become necessary for each and every one? That also depends on how society relates to that. There's no other way to do anything here. In short, if you wish to reach Rosh Hashanah, you'll have to undergo all these things.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (51:16) He speaks here about this transition, the stage of transition, that when a person discovers something, he immediately kicks it, it erupts, and then his mouth and heart are not equal, not the same. How can the society help it so that the person won't break loose, that a person will be able to overcome it?
M. Laitman: How could it be that a person will not regret, will not run away, will not, but rather go towards the goal? A person himself has no strength. The person has no force. He can only influence himself through society. You guys don't realize there's just one answer here. From the four parameters that he tells us about, the source, the development of the source, the society, the development of society; these four parameters give us no ability to change anything about them except for the influence of society upon us. That's all. And if I want to change something about me, I have to go to another place that will influence me. If I want to change something else, I have to go to another place to influence me. So, I have to choose. Is it worthwhile for me to speak to you or not? To ask this one, this person, or not? To hear this or not? To see this or not? I should always choose what influences me. That means that I restrict myself, and now I choose. How do I develop?
Meaning, I choose the goal, I choose the means, and I realize that only by the means, in such a way, I influence myself. So, it's as if I work on myself the way the Creator works on me. I have the same tool as the Creator, and I look at myself from the side, like a doctor looks at a patient. And I relate to myself this way, as a third person, as something external. And I have the option, I have the ability to do something about this "I" called Michael. I know that I am incorporated with such and such desires, and passions, and thoughts, and everything. How can I rearrange everything to be closer to truth? What I currently understand as bestowal, as the goal of creation, as the equivalence to the Creator. How then, can I change these qualities about myself, these values, to make them closer?
So, accordingly, I need to check with what devices I can do that. But, of course, these are external devices. By the society, by the outside influence over me. There is no other way. But if I know what I need to be, and if I know in what form I am now, then I can more or less assess, evaluate to myself what kind of external factor is needed to transition me from point A to point B.
And then I look for such a factor, such a society, such a force that will change my direction, that will give me appreciation of something else. And then, more or less, I can imagine what kind of society it needs to be. I need these people, I need people that are slightly different, I am inspired from this or that or something else in this society. I choose before I go in. After I go in, it's done. Meaning, there's an ability to make some restriction, like some incision, and say, now I'm thinking of what's going to influence me, and then decide. And then truly establish this influence in such a way as if I choose my future form, meaning I create myself, I shape myself.
So my work is truly the work where I use all the forces of creation. My work is just like the Creator's work, I study Him through it, I have all the data. We just need to put into the heart and the mind once and for all; it's not going to be once and for all, but let's say, each time, right? And understanding that I can influence myself not by — ah, I'm trying to kind of, you know, crunch something from within — and no effort internally is going to help me. It's only the effort through the society. Why? Because this way I also acquire the quality of bestowal. I don't just want to change myself to be different. Being different, how I change myself through the society, will certainly be in the form of bestowal. And I won't imagine to myself that I'm becoming more spiritual, it won't be spiritual at all; it won't be more bestowing, it'll be something typically of reception. What else can you have besides bestowing or receiving? That's all.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (57:24) In this external criticism from the society, what kind of feedback does the society have to make a correction on the path? How can the society correct itself? What kind of feedback do we have?
M. Laitman: What ability does the society have to correct itself, to self-scrutinize? So you want to ask this: what exists above the society, so that through that the society can examine itself? A person examines himself according to the society that he considers greater, higher, and it describes his future state for him. So how do I check? I only check according to what I understand, from my experience and from the books. I don't have anything more. And books, meaning there's a Rav, there's the books, there's my knowledge of it, and so on. You're not going to reveal something that you perhaps imagined to yourself, some revelation. The revelations happen from within, they're from within. It's all in all how you understand, that's how you operate.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (59:11) I understand, but if the society has good intentions to do what's needed, how can the society know that it is going in the right direction, that it is operating properly?
M. Laitman: How does the society know if it's in the right direction or not?
Student: Yes.
M. Laitman: Only from attaining through self and the books and the Creator.
Student: But the attainment is for individuals, each one separately. It's not what the society understands.
M. Laitman: Each one, what he understands, and then together we decide, that's all. You don't have… Where did you think you'll have something else? Tell me, what form are you dreaming about that you're going to have? What are you expecting to get? What, that the Creator will appear to you through the radio? Through what? You'll have some picture on the wall, it will suddenly appear? That's how ignorant people imagine the revelation of godliness to themselves, through some imagery or, God forbid, some pictures or what. Only what you attain from within is what exists, that's all. There's nothing else. You have a Kli, a vessel. What appears in that vessel is what you have. What else there is to expect, I don't understand.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:00:47) I understand that I'm influenced through the society, but the society in general, it works, it reads, it invests.
M. Laitman: The society itself as a whole… Look, you work, I don't know how, you don't know how, and the society perhaps doesn't know how. But when you don't know and you're looking, that's your free choice. If you're looking for some standard that's always given to you from above, it's not going to happen. That's not going to happen, because by that, you transform from a human to an animal. No free choice. You immediately become a beast. Is that what you're looking for? Please.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:01:33) According to the greatness of the Creator that's missing in our society, which you said, we needed to burn in our hearts the greatness of the Creator. What is this thing that's missing?
M. Laitman: What is it we're lacking in the greatness of the Creator in the society? It's very simple. The greatness of the Creator is called that force I receive from appreciating the upper one. Where I appreciate Him, value Him, what does it mean? Where I think that being like Him, being in His place, is worth it all. That every state I have now, everything I have: what does this mean?
All the pleasures I can receive now, all the labor I can put forth, everything I have, I'm willing to give in order to be in place of the upper one. That is what we see in this world. A person looks, I want this. I don't care about anything, just tell me how much. I'm willing. That means that he appreciates that thing, or values that thing. This you need to receive from the society. That's it.
Now, build a society artificially in such a way that for them to do it for you like that, and that's it, you don't need anything else. A society which is included of people like you, of no understanding in spirituality, who don't know what it is in order to bestow, maybe are even disgusted by it. Start talking about it, and somewhat start with some small efforts to do this advertising of bestowal, one towards the other. And each will somewhat want artificially, in a game way, actually playing it, to start incorporating in this. We're playing with this. We're actually playing in this. The whole society is working towards me. They don't understand what it is. It's not important to them. But we are building the environment in such an artificial way that it will influence us. And it's not important that the society itself is artificial. Its influence upon me, upon you, and upon each of us will be true bestowal, true influence.
If it wasn't that way then how would I myself, the uncorrected one, build a corrected society that will bestow upon me? Rather, I, the uncorrected one, meaning one who is in falsehood, a liar, in a lie, I place a society of liars, truly, who talk only about love and bestowal, liars, everyone. But when these liars influence me, they wash my brain in such a way that I start receiving it correctly. Where I receive it, it's important, as truth. That's how a person can take himself out, like this, like pulling himself by the hair out of this. That's it. That's the only way we have.
How does a child do this, where he doesn't know, where he imagines that he's playing games like the adults, that he wants to be like them? He also does it in this way. Meaning, we can only grow in a way where we, as if, yes, make of ourselves a greater, a more mature way, seemingly.
M. Laitman: (01:05:58) So there's no point in having some kind of upheaval about not having possibilities. You have it all. You were given the exertion, and you were given a few people. Start doing. It's true that it's a kindergarten, but we don't need more than that. We don't need more than that. Just organize from them, so they will just cry out all the time the importance of the society, love of friends. But, in short they should cry out in such a way that it will influence everyone. You can. Why?
Because this is a law from above that if many people cry out, I start to accept it. That's how I'm built. So from the lie that you're going with — because bestowal for you is a lie, is considered a lie right now for you — it becomes important, truly. And this is how all our stigmas in life are. We only live according to the values, these values that were put into me, that were put into us, where there's nothing truly real.
Money, honor, knowledge, all those things, besides those things that are necessary for the body: food, family, children, things like that, that the body wants itself. All the rest, it's 99% of our life that we're burning our life over. It's for all kinds of advertisements that the society did to us, as if it's important to me. Honor, as if it's important to me to be famous in the world, as if it's important to me to know and to be knowledgeable and be with money and all kinds of… Where I hold my "I" in the society, to not fall so I must have this and that and that. How could he have it? The "I" has to hold on to to keep. But if I move this "I" from non-existent to existent, then I have no problem already.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:08:24) We can see that there really is an appreciation for bestowal, of labor. People work 24 hours. So what's missing is, what is their… Maybe bestowal of something else?
M. Laitman: We have enough. You say exertion. You say we have enough of a big society. According to the hours, according to the quantity of exertion, according to the forces we invest. We invest a lot. What's missing? What is missing is the main thing, where all the rest of the things are less important. What we're missing is a plan. What does this mean, a plan? What am I doing this for? Where in every state in which we do something, we don't understand that by this, we are building a society that will influence each and every one of us to respect the quality of bestowal.
This means that we are doing like machines a lot of work. Yes, but this, let's say, it's a big number, an amplitude of production. You're running for 100 kilometers, and at great speed, and you're sweating a lot and everything, but there's nothing in the head. Why did you do this? What did you want to bring forth to happen by this? The main thing, which is what determines why you do this, that we lack. It is still… It's there, but it's still not sufficient yet. If each and every one… Well, you see how the sages decide. Before every effort, before every action, "Blessed be the Lord, our God, the King of the world," ta-ta-ta-ta-ta, and so on and so forth. What does this mean? What am I doing this for? What do I need this for? How do I intend here? Who am I turning to? What do I want to come out of this? That's considered the matter of the blessing. The connection, the direction, why I'm doing this. And you see, for every comma, they determined a certain way you should relate.
Otherwise, the action itself isn't worth a thing. That's called a Mitzvah without an intention is like a body without a soul. So your body is performing many actions, but there's no soul in it. There's no spiritual force that you want to enter into it. That is really missing. That is why I always say, even here in the holidays also, that we should buy as many machines as possible, work as little as possible, and make efforts; so that a person will have more room in his mind to think why he's doing it. Because sometimes that's what bothers you, that you have to work so much, and there's pressure, and now we're working on the holidays like this, that we won't have the opportunity.
That's why it is worthwhile to make all the efforts before the holidays, and then, when we unite together, for there to be the ability for each and every one to somewhat leave room for thought, for the intention. I've been talking about this all throughout the holidays, all the time, and also on a daily basis. This is missing, and this is really our obstacle, our stumbling block here. We're doing a lot, you're right. We're doing the commandment, yes?
The action that we want, that will come out of this something, but without the intention. This is called a commandment without an intention, or a Mitzvah without intention. It's not just the people on the outside that are taking the different symbols of the holiday and doing all kinds of actions with them. We're not talking about that. We are operating according to the commandments. There they operate according to the commandments of the learned people who taught them how to do so. We want through every action to attain something.
So where is what you want to attain? Is it clear to you? If it's clear, in what way is it clear? If you're turning, "Blessed be the Lord, King of the world," you really want that some nearing to the upper force will happen for you here, that by this you want to resemble, to come closer, to do something. So that is truly a blessing. That is true connection. So you are certainly performing a commandment, a Mitzvah, with the intention.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:13:55) But it's hidden. We don't see it. We see only the action.
M. Laitman: Of course, this thing is concealed. It depends on a person's heart. That's why it's the intentions, and why it's called the concealed Torah, the Torah of intentions. This is what we always need to do. They always say about Kabbalists that they're sitting in the corner, not doing anything. Yes? They're performing intentions. What else do you need to do in this life? To run? All of humanity is running. What's the benefit from that? The main thing that we need to do is intentions. We have many deeds we built around us, an entire system of work and dissemination, but upon this, what's missing is the intention. We don't understand in a sufficient way how to make the intention, how to put it upon the action. We also, from the intention itself, we run away from the intention itself, because we want by this to come closer to the bestowing force, the Creator, the force that's bestowing, to resemble Him, to know what it means, what it is to bestow, who is the bestower. And by this, I change myself so it will happen, and this is what will happen to the actions that I'm performing now. If a person accustoms himself to doing so, then it happens.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:15:36) Now, in fact, it's my society. A person has to be influenced by the society, so I constantly think about it, not from actions. But again, it's hidden, I don't feel it.
M. Laitman: What's concealed?
Student: The intention.
M. Laitman: This intention is always concealed. What do you want? I don't understand, the intention of the society?
Student: I want to be influenced by the society. Alone, I cannot change anything. If I want to change myself, I change the society. I don't feel its feedback.
M. Laitman: I don't understand the question. You want all the society's intentions to be scrutinized well for you, by heart. You'll hear these intentions. So, these intentions we hear. We read articles, letters, we study even the "Study of the Ten Sefirot," which explains to you there, in all kinds of languages, either in the language of feelings, in the articles and letters, or in the terms and the definitions of the wisdom of Kabbalah, what is intention. They're not explaining to you anything about anything besides the intention, because the deeds are already sealed. The deed is the observing of the desire. It's clear that that will happen. You need to add an intention to this, what we call a screen and reflected light, in other words. And wherever we study in our books, we study only about intentions. I've been saying about the desire all the time, that we don't need to work on the desire.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:17:30) How to be influenced by a friend's intention, not by his action?
M. Laitman: How to be influenced by the intention of the friend? The friend is prohibited from showing you or to say with his mouth: I intend this and that, you know. Check yourself, whether you too can be like this and like that. No, that's prohibited. There's a general kind of agreement or law between us that we agree upon. In general, we can talk about what we're longing for, what our society is, etc. Individually, each and every one must be with his intention, with himself. That is considered concealed. That must be concealed from everyone. And really, a person won't even be able to express his intention, unless he were to write like it's written in TES, for example. What does it mean that I am speaking about a certain action in words like in the "Study of the Ten Sefirot"? There I express the intention of the desire that is in a certain degree, in a certain state. That's the entire wisdom of Kabbalah. Because the opening of the desire depends on the intention, the extent in which it will open up and be filled with light, and with what light, with what connection with the Creator.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:19:17) In our society, one of the important parameters is how much a person does. Is there a connection between this quantity and the intention?
M. Laitman: We respect people according to externality, and how it should be, to the extent in which a person did things. And then we say about him, he did this, and he did that, and he did that. Why? Because this is considered the Torah, the concealed Torah. That which he performed, the deeds that he did in order to advance, actions. The intentions, which are actually called the real actions or the real deeds in Kabbalah, those intentions, yes, we can't count them, we can't measure them, we can't talk about that as well, because if we do, there's a grip to the external ones upon this. So each and every one of us is not quite protected against the other, and also not protected from harming the other. That's why we don't talk about that.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:20:17) What's the connection between the number of external things I do and the intention improving in me?
M. Laitman: The connection between deeds and intentions exists, because the person who invests in deeds starts to ask himself why he's doing it. And gradually the deeds… It's written that the hearts are extended after the actions, after the deeds. So there is a connection here, because we are nevertheless in one body, also our intentions and also our deeds. And by a person doing something and not getting there, he starts asking, so that then he starts to understand that it comes due to a lack of intention. Intention is the quality of the deed, what I want from this.
So without the intention he is just a machine that's performing something and doesn't want anything from it. It doesn't want anything, so it doesn't receive anything, meaning in the direction of advancement. Or maybe he intends something completely different. But he worked five years in order to receive respect from the society, and then he claims, why don't I have spirituality from your society? You didn't intend spirituality, you intended honor. So now, of course, you have a nice job, and we respect you as a strong man, a man of actions. You received respect from us. Why are you complaining about spirituality? Spirituality, altogether you should have demanded from the society. But that's already your personal claim, your inner one.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:22:09) How to be influenced by the Torah, from all the identity the Torah makes, how to be influenced not by words, so it doesn't remain in words, but will really be something?
M. Laitman: If we were to play this in a serious way… You know, they say that a game is a very serious thing. It's really very serious, because our whole life is one big game. And also it's written that the Creator plays with the whale. It's a very serious thing. These are very deep things. Why playing or acting? Because it's as if I've not yet gotten there, but I want to be there. That's called playing. If I'm not yet in a certain state, but I'm kind of assimilating it somehow, doing something similar to it, that's actually acting or playing. So if we were to play this seriously, each of us would be impressed by it. None of us would have the possibility of escaping the influence of the environment upon himself, and each of us would advance. It only depends on the society's decision and the seriousness the society puts into this. We're going towards this direction, but we can still see that the situation is not satisfactory, and that's nice.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:23:51) If I didn't bury myself in the intention of the actions, and in each action I would debate what is the intention, I would come to a state where I'm talking what he's talking about, but I wouldn't be able to do anything. I would just run away. I would disconnect, switch it off and go home. So how can I really feel the influence of the society? Because it cannot touch me. How can I keep the intention and keep doing it? Because the body is afraid. It doesn't want to do it.
M. Laitman: What you are saying is that maybe I feel myself as weak, maybe I feel in danger, that I could stop this whole path if I were to see my true state, what bestowal is, and where I am, and what needs to be done for that. If I were to see all that truth I would escape the path. I would simply shut down everything. I would go to a simple life, I will disconnect my mind somewhat from the criticism, and I'll live however I live. Yes, some little business, everything's fine, and thank God, I'll suffer less, I'll lower myself from the degree of a great person, Adam, to the degree of this. The claim is just. We do have such a fear, and we always want, if something is already threatening us, we want to run away and be like that. But we're incapable of doing that.
Baal HaSulam calls our state of being as if under the press of development, and therefore I can't stop myself. The fact that I'm not escaping is because I eventually learned that I can't escape. I can't escape. Why? It'll be worse for me. Eventually, I'll reach the same thing. So, I'll prolong time, so another six months, another year, I'll come back to it, another incarnation. Well, life teaches me that I will not escape. If I were truly to come to such a maturity where I must now develop records that already are belonging to spirituality, and not still to the previous desires before that, then I have nowhere to escape. Simply, that's it. That doesn't depend on a person. It's possible to spoil, corrupt your life through all kinds of things, like with drugs, for example.
But I don't want to enter into calculations here of who makes this calculation, you or the Creator, and why, and how, and what. That's above our understanding now. This is under the providence, not even reward and punishment, but the eternal providence. But Kabbalists would relate to students in a very, very not good way. Always, a truly harsh way, we could say. Blatant, in a way. Because truly, if a person really wants, if he's capable, he stays. You don't need to make any special conditions for him. No conditions. Even the opposite, make very harsh conditions. Because there's nowhere for a person who's already ripe to escape to. Simply, that's what Baal HaSulam is saying. If you have a question, what's the meaning of my life? A real question that's raging, that he no longer can, like yesterday, flow with the streams of life. So what will he do? He won't do a thing. Maybe he'll go to all kinds of rabbis, gurus, I don't know, looking for his path. He should go. Nothing will help.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:28:24) You're saying, keep demanding reward, although you're getting away from it. So I'm asking, can the society do it? At this point, can the society do it? If I don't have the strength?
M. Laitman: It'll be good. Guys, we need to study a little. Well, answer. Well, Teshuva, yes.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:28:55) We are in such a society that highly appreciates physical labor. According to what you say, it's actually…
M. Laitman: We appreciate in our society physical work because there's no other way to measure a friend. I come to you with my tape measure, meaning, how many forces, how much forces have you given to the society? I can't measure how many intentions you gave to the society, even though the intention is what our society needs from you and not the forces. Forces I could hire some labor that would do the work for us, and I don't need anything. Just activate your intention. We don't need to sweat. And spirituality is, anyway, only intentions. You don't need to work with your hands or your feet, nothing. But we have no ability to measure.
Rather, we assume that if a person does a lot of things in this society, then he's doing this with intention. After all, he wants something from this. What does he want? He wants to be big, okay. He wants to be the wiser from everyone, okay. He wants people to talk about him. They'll talk about him, fine.
Eventually, all those things will gradually bring him to a state where he will see all of that, that's not the reason he's sitting here. He must receive something more lofty. Then he starts disregarding his deeds. And here, the society already needs to demand from him, "No, no, don't disregard the deeds. You need to join the intention to these actions." And this is what we can see after a certain stage where a person works hard and really comes, gives forth all his forces. And where's Malkiel, yes? I remember he was… Well, he's not here now. He was probably in Zitrin. In the other hall. Oh, in the other hall, okay. So you'll see, after about a year, a year and a half, two years, pfft, the air came out of his sails. Why? I'm just giving an example that really stands out. He was turning around with such a spirit, yes? Why? Add the intention. Why are you lowering your deeds, your actions? It's a sign that you didn't have the intention before. Okay, then add. Now, you can. This is usually the problem. But we don't have the possibility of measuring a person's actions unless it's through his deeds. We will never be able to enter intentions. We don't want, we don't check, and God forbid, to tell one another. This, a person must develop on his own.
Have you ever seen me saying personally to someone, where are your intentions? If I'm yelling at some department there, or at someone who's not working correctly, God forbid to touch the internality, the intention. The intention is between the person and the Creator. How can I enter that? I can somewhat there, help him somewhat to understand, to think about this more, a little bit, somewhat, like this from the side, but not to enter inwards. That's the personal connection, the internal connection of a person with the Creator.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:32:30) So, it detains me from… I can't demand two things. Either I demand respect, or I'm running away from shame. I do this because of something, something that pushes me.
M. Laitman: Yes.
Student: But I need to do it only because I want to know the actions of the Creator, to be a giver like Him, to feel His intention. Now, if the society, this is what is great in it, and I'm influenced only by the society, then sometimes I'll remember that I'm doing this for the Creator, but my action will be mostly for reward from the society. It's something that stops me. It's like a corruption. How to build it in a way that it's actually from the society that I get the need, not for this?
M. Laitman: Everything is on the path, on the way. Okay, we are coming to the "Study of the Ten Sefirot," or "The Gate of Intentions." What? This.
Reader: Let's share impressions from the lesson, and what we take from it to implement in the Ten.
Song: (01:39:49)