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

Daily Morning Lesson: June 24, 2026

Part 2: Baal HaSulam. Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah

Reader: Hello friends! We continue a lesson series on The Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah. Today we don't have a lot of time, so we're going to keep the introductions short. Just to remind you that yesterday, we finished watching Lesson Number Four, which lesson is about an hour and a half divided into portions. And so we finished Lesson Number Four; Lesson Number Five we won't watch, we got a link yesterday because of the sound quality, so we're all invited to watch it at home, be impressed there – it's mostly a Q&A lesson. 

Today we're starting on Lesson Number Six, the first part, it's relatively short, 20 minutes, the Rav will draw less but he will answer questions. And we propose that you take a pen and paper and mark the main points the Rav is mentioning. 

Reader 2: A word before that — this lesson is important because this part that the Rav is talking about speaks mostly about the intention. So if we're studying how important the intention is, the Rav really emphasizes for 20 minutes and devotes it to that. And it's worthwhile for us to be concentrated and attentive and listen to that. 

Reader: Yes, let's go to the recorded lesson!

M. Laitman: (01:38) The first stage, we study and don't understand where we are, altogether. The second stage is where we learn, maybe we understand where we are somewhat, but we don't understand what we're learning. Then we don't understand what we're studying for, I'm saying seriously. A person is confused because he is in this world, and all his senses, desires, and thoughts that are in us are from this world. Also from inheritance, and our culture, and everything that we have from our experience; and all our senses, and our body, it is all from this world. And here we're speaking about something that does not exist towards us, seemingly. And although they write, but what do they want? It's hard for us to imagine, there's no such example; and that's how it will be until a person enters in practice into spirituality, to the upper world. Meaning until he starts to feel the upper reality, nothing will help. You can read this material a thousand times to know it by heart. You can philosophize about all these things but it will be totally disconnected from you and, meaning, from reality. 

Now you're asking actually, how can I adopt all these things and begin to truly work in what I'm reading? That is, I read that this is how we do and this is how we look, and this is how we feel. Well, where is it like that? That's the next stage, by studying, as he writes in The Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot, Item 155, in the end of the introduction: that from studying and not understanding anything, but longing to understand, meaning to attain what we're studying, by that we awaken the surrounding light upon ourselves. The surrounding light is that light, that upper, the spiritual abundance. That, if we were to acquire a screen, it will enter us, meaning, if we reach spirituality, it will enter us. And for the time being, there's the upper source to which we, seemingly, aspire to reach, we were given a desire for this. And from this source, before we reach there, in our current state, arrives to us, meaning in our place, a light from afar, a spiritual light called surrounding light. Surrounding, because it can't yet enter us. That's why it's called surrounding and not internal. It kind of surrounds us and constantly is playing with us, and preparing us towards really feeling Him internally. And in this preparation, there are several stages until a person crosses the Machsom, as we call it, the barrier. The barrier is where a person begins to feel and act spiritually, practically, in an active manner in his actual senses. 

Prior to that, there's the period of preparation, the time of preparation, and Baal HaSulam said about the time of preparation, it's like you're giving a child chalk to write on the board. Paper used to be very expensive, so they gave him chalk to write on a chalkboard. And until a person learned how to study, when he wrote nice, they gave him paper., and the nicer he wrote, he is given an even more refined piece of paper. And that's how he talks about Kabbalah also.

M. Laitman: (06:30) So, during our time of preparation, we are learning ourselves, and somewhat learning from the surrounding light about what spirituality is. And to the extent in which you're contradicted with spirituality, why do we need this? We need this in order to simply reach a state in which we will know in the most safest and clearest way that we are only in the matter of the desire to receive in order to receive. Matter that can never be connected to spirituality, in opposite qualities to spirituality, and that we cannot rise above our matter and belong to eternality and wholeness. All those things we attain from resisting opposite feelings between the light and ourselves, and our vessels and our desires. From this we come – well, if a person gives a certain quantity and quality that is sufficient in his efforts, he reaches the state that he's broken. Before that, there's all kinds of shatterings, despairs, falls, people leave, return. And this is something that takes sometimes years, and sometimes also 10 years, it can take.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (08:22) Years until the barrier?

M. Laitman: Years until the barrier, and if you think that from today to tomorrow you'll enter spiritually, then I'm telling you, no! You have this life, in this life you have to get along in a way that you will truly come to the best state that you can. But for the time being, you invest, under the condition that you put forth the labor. In the Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot, in the beginning, he writes that period that a person is in this immense effort and ability to reach spirituality is actually from three to five years in that period, if he truly gives forth the quantity and quality of labor in a sufficient way. 

But I'm saying this in advance, that this thing is almost impossible but rather it takes a few additional years. And then a person truly enters –  just like you asked when we will feel what we're practically learning about – and then a person reaches this. But theoretically, let's put it in the best case scenario, three years is already enough. What for do we need these three years? In order to examine ourselves in all our work, in all our activities towards spirituality. To reveal surrounding lights to such intensity against all our desires and qualities, so we will with certainty know that we're completely opposite in all our desires against all the qualities of the surrounding light. This against that, if they adapt, they're fit but only in oppositeness of form. 

So, we need to discover that we sufficiently put in quantity and quality, and we want all our desires to be revealed towards the qualities of the surrounding light in quantity; and in quality, all our qualities, the qualities of the light, of the surrounding light will be very clear in the most exalted way. And will be revealed to us in all our terrible qualities, and worst ones inside of us, and those two pulls will maximally in all the desires and qualities towards the surrounding light. If it's revealed, then a person reaches a state of, The people of Israel have sighed in the work, as it's written in Egypt. And then he cries out that he's not capable of anything, and that he needs a connection with the Creator, this is actually what needs to be. Because the entrance into spirituality means connection with Godliness. You can't just enter some site that now is somehow, you go and float amongst the angels and move around there freely or something. The spiritual world means that you're connecting with the Creator. You're in nearness with Him, in a connection, in a dialogue. And this actually happens only after a person is truly despaired from his own forces and sees he's incapable of entering spirituality. And then, when he breaks through the prayer and this outcry to the Creator that he's not capable, he breaches the barrier and enters spirituality, then a totally different state begins.

M. Laitman: (12:18) From that point onwards, he's already in what we call, The king's palace, and there, there are degrees of nearing the final correction, as we call it, the apex, the purpose of creation. And the degrees there are divided to 6,000 years, as we call them, 6,000 degrees, and the person constantly comes closer and closer. This is all that we study in The Study of the Ten Sefirot. And a person actually needs to go through all these stages, also the period of preparation; and also the time of this walking on the spiritual – towards the spiritual world – until this apex throughout his lifetime. According to the definition of the essence of the wisdom of Kabbalah, from the Giving of the Torah book, Baal HaSulam writes that, The wisdom of Kabbalah is the revelation of the Creator to His created beings in this world. Not after 120 years there, that it's in some place and some state or something, but rather in this world. Meaning, what we're studying, we're studying the method of revelation of godliness to us, here, very simply.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (13:40) How do you do it faster? Or is there something that can harm it or accelerate it?

M. Laitman: The smallest extent, the slowest advancement to the Creator we do if we don't do anything, what's clear?

Student: Clear.

M. Laitman: And that is called the path of suffering, so, what is the path of suffering? A person who does not act in any way in bringing himself closer to spirituality, and in order to give him a direction towards spirituality and to bring him closer to spirituality, the Creator sends him suffering, what does this mean? The Creator sends him, precisely, in order to bring him closer to spirituality, the Creator sends him sufferings, meaning He gives him blows, discloses deficiencies. And through them, a person needs to run and escape the sufferings. And the Creator precisely gives him those sufferings that bring him, that person, closer, against what would make him run from the purpose of creation. 

And to the extent in which we use the surrounding light ourselves, and long to reach the purpose of creation, we hasten our path and constantly – it's like the stick is late in being able to blow us – that's called that Israel hasten, sanctify the times, shorten the times. Where Israel is above stars and such things, we can go on the path of Torah, the path of light, as it's called the path of Orah, or by the light be drawn forward and not feel the sufferings. But in truth, again, this is out of knowledge, out of experience, I'm saying it's almost impossible. And certainly there's this and there's that, a person can't always run ahead. And there are descents, there are falls, failures is given in order to feel all kinds of – let's put it this way – there's a place for everything. But no matter what, here is where our actual choice is, between the path of Torah and the path of suffering. Meaning, I can accelerate myself to such an extent that within three years, I reach spirituality, and there, the time is no – is totally beyond time, in all definitions, and so I can't even say within how much time – meaning, it all depends on us. What does it mean, upon us, by what can a person intensify this surrounding light? Now, the question: it's, to the extent in which the surrounding light is greater, a person will be more drawn to the goal, that's clear because the surrounding light comes down upon him.

M. Laitman: (17:28) Now, by what can I long more to the surrounding light? Through a deficiency towards Him. And how will I want more of the purpose of creation? Precisely to the goal, that is the goal that doesn't appear to us as a goal? So for this, he says there are three reasons. The first reason is, for this is the correct books, meaning only books that speak in the correct and precise way and is suitable to our souls. There are many discernments in this, meaning, the correct books. The correct books for our generation is the Holy Zohar, the writings of the ARI, and the Zohar, the writings of the ARI with the commentaries of Baal HaSulam, who wrote the Sulam Commentary for the Book of Zohar, and for the writings of the ARI, he wrote the Study of the Ten Sefirot. So actually we study the writings of Baal HaSulam, this is what it turns out to be, that's the books. 

Now the group and Rav, two other factors for the growing of the desire for the surrounding light and the purpose of creation. Rav, meaning one who can lead or guide this path. The group is where there will be people around you who truly, precisely long for the same goal, and are in parallel with you. Certainly they will be so connected together that there will be an incorporation of desires. Let's say, 50 people are sitting here now; if you were incorporated with them, then you would receive from them, well, let's put it according to regular calculations, 49 more desires besides your own. So you would be already 50 times more longing for the surrounding light than you do right now. And let's say that everyone has that desire, but according to the spiritual calculation, it's much more. In order to nullify yourself and be connected to someone else, you make more effort than your desire, much more. So, by that, for your labor in connecting to someone, you eventually create a Kli, a desire that is much more powerful than you have. 

So it turns out that you're not adding to your desire his desire, you're adding, besides your desire and his desire, your labor that you put forth for connecting. That labor, that exertion, can be a thousand times your desire and his desire. So, you understand, that if you connect with 50 people, for there to be a force to connect. And for you to truly be able to connect, you build such a Kli that could be billions times more than your vessel, and then you can simply reach quick and immense achievements. Meaning, group, Rav, and books is actually all that you need, and this is what we're doing here, okay? This is actually why we're doing what we're doing here.