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

Daily Morning Lesson: July 2, 2026

Part 1: Rabash. What Does It Mean that the Torah Was Given Out of the Darkness in the Work? Article No. 21, (1988)

Original lesson date: 05/29/2002

Reader: Dear friends, today at 4:26 Israel time, the fast of the 17th of Tammuz will start, so all the cups will be collected at 4:15. In the first part, we will study a lesson by Rav from May 29, 2002. It is based on the article, "What Does It Mean that the Torah Was Given Out of the Darkness in the Work?" In Hebrew, you can find it in the first volume of Rabash's writings, page 702. We will read the article now in the Tens. We have 25 minutes, please.

Reading: (00:53) What Does It Mean that the Torah Was Given Out of the Darkness in the Work?

Article 21, 1988

It is written in the Midrash (VaYikra, Chapter 6): “Our sages say, ‘The nations of the world did not receive the Torah, since it was given out of the darkness. He says about them, ‘for the darkness will cover the Earth’ (Isaiah 60:2). But Israel received the Torah, since it was given out of the darkness, as it is written (Deuteronomy 5), ‘As you hear the voice out of the darkness.’ He says about them (Isaiah 60): ‘The Lord will shine upon you and His glory will be seen upon you.’’”

We should understand why the Torah was given out of the darkness, and why the nations of the world did not want to receive it out of the darkness. It is as though the Creator deliberately gave the Torah out of the darkness so the nations of the world would not receive it. And we should also understand why Israel did receive the Torah out of the darkness.

First, we need to know what is darkness in the work. The thing is that because the purpose of creation was “to do good to His creations,” when a person is satisfied with his life, it is considered that the world shines for that person, meaning he enjoys the world. But if he does not find satisfaction in life, he says, “The world has grown dark on me.”

It is known that in the work, we call the vessels of bestowal “Israel,” and we call the vessels of reception, “the nations of the world.” Hence, when a person wants to draw near to the Creator, meaning use the vessels of bestowal, but he cannot because the body disagrees with it, since his body extends from vessels of reception, at that time a person feels that the world has grown dark on him, for he understands that if he cannot obtain vessels of bestowal, he will never be rewarded with the upper light, which is the light of “doing good to His creations.”

It follows that the darkness he feels from not being able to obtain vessels of bestowal by himself gives him the need that someone will help him obtain those Kelim [vessels]. According to the rule, “There is no light without a Kli [vessel], no filling without a lack,” it follows that now he has received a need for the light of Torah. It is as our sages said, “I have created the evil inclination; I have created the Torah as a spice.”

Thus, the Torah is given specifically to the deficient, and that deficiency is called “darkness.” This is the meaning of the words, “The Torah was given out of the darkness.” That is, one who feels darkness in his life because he has no vessels of bestowal is fit to receive the Torah, so that through the Torah, the light in it will reform him and he will obtain the vessels of bestowal. Through them, he will be fit to receive the delight and pleasure, for those two are included in the Torah: 1) The Kli—that he wants to bestow. 2) Then he receives the delight and pleasure into the vessels of bestowal.

Conversely, the nations of the world did not receive the Torah, since it was given out of the darkness. In the work, “the nations of the world” means that the body comprises seventy nations that want the Torah not because they feel darkness when they have no vessels of bestowal. Rather, their only desire is the vessels of reception and they have no desire to emerge from that control. They want the Torah in order to add more light to themselves, meaning more pleasure than they receive from corporeal matters. That is, they also want the next world, as it is written in The Zohar, “They howl as dogs Hav, Hav [give, give], give us the wealth of this world, and give us the wealth of the next world.” That is, the wealth of this world is not enough for them, but they also want the wealth of the next world.

It follows that the Torah was given specifically to those who feel that their will to receive controls them. They cry out from the darkness that they need the Torah in order to deliver them from the darkness that is the control of the vessels of reception, on which there was a Tzimtzum [restriction] and concealment so that no light will shine in that place. But that place is the cause for the need to receive the Torah.

For this reason, since the Torah came because of the darkness, the Torah did two things: 1) “The light in it reforms him.” Then, the Tzimtzum and concealment depart from his vessels of reception because where he had vessels of reception, he has now been rewarded with vessels of bestowal. This is the meaning of the words, “And the Lord will shine upon you.” That is, as the Creator wants to bestow, so man will be rewarded with a desire to bestow. 2) After he has been rewarded with vessels of bestowal, meaning he was granted the ability to work Lishma [for Her sake], which is called “learning Torah Lishma,” then he is shown the secrets of the Torah, as Rabbi Meir says (in the Mishnah, Avot). This is the meaning of the words, “And His glory will be seen upon you,” meaning the glory of the Creator, which is the revelation of Godliness. It “will be seen upon you,” for then one is rewarded with “The Torah, and Israel, and the Creator are one.”

However, the nations of the world, which do not need the Torah in order to emerge from the darkness, which are vessels of reception, but rather need the Torah in order to add the wealth of the next world to the wealth of this world, as was said, “Give, give,” these people, who are in a state of “nations of the world,” say that they do not need the Torah in order to deliver them from the darkness, since for them, they regard the vessels of reception for themselves as “light.” Rather, they want the light of Torah to come into the receiver.

The verse says about them, “for the darkness will cover the Earth.” That is, they will not be rewarded with the light of Torah because “the light of Torah was given out of the darkness.” In other words, one who feels that he is in the dark is regarded as “Israel,” who need the Torah in order to illuminate their darkness. They are rewarded with “The Lord will shine upon you,” and “His glory will be seen upon you.”

Now we can understand what our sages said (Avot, Chapter 1:17), “It is not the learning that matters, but the work.” Also, in Kidushin (p 40), they said, “They were asked this question: ‘Much learning or much work?’ Rabbi Tarfon replied, ‘Much work.’ Rabbi Akiva replied, ‘Much learning.’ They all replied and said, ‘Much learning, since the learning leads to work.’” We should understand their words in the work, since the literal provides many interpretations to this.

In the work, meaning when we want to come to work in order to bestow and not receive for ourselves, of course we must observe the 613 Mitzvot [commandments/good deeds] in actual fact. One who learns Torah but does not want to observe the 613 Mitzvot de facto, is learning knowledge, the way one learns external teachings. It is as our sages said (Eicha Rabbah 2:17), “Should one tell you, ‘There is knowledge in the nations,’ believe. ‘There is Torah in the nations,’ do not believe.” This means that a person can learn Torah, but if he is a gentile, who does not observe the Mitzvot, which makes him a gentile, then the Torah he is learning is called “knowledge” and not “Torah.”

For this reason, one who wants to work in order to bestow must begin to work in action, and then begin with the intention, meaning to place on it the aim to bestow. However, how can we achieve the aim to bestow, since it is known that a person can work under coercion, though “his heart is not with him.” That is, a person might be compelled to work against his will. He can overcome his desire and do something against his will. Yet, changing the heart, meaning the desire and yearning, this a person cannot do.

Thus, since man was created with a nature of receiving only for himself, how can he aim to bestow? as this is against his nature! How can one work against his nature and desire, which is only to receive? Can he force himself to aim his heart with the intention to bestow?

Moreover, we must know that the Torah was given in order to cleanse Israel. That is, all the actions He has given us to do are only in order to obtain this aim to bestow. Thus, how can we do the above, since there cannot be coercion of the heart and the desire?

Baal HaSulam interpreted “which God has created to do.” “Which God created” means that it is about this that man must “do,” on what He has created. We should interpret “Which God has created” to mean that creation is called “existence from absence,” referring to the will to receive. “To do” pertains to the creatures, who must place on it the aim to bestow. This means that all that the creatures must do is only to be able to aim to bestow. This is called “Which God has created to do.” This doing belongs to the creatures.

Accordingly, we should interpret that the above words, “Much learning or work,” do not concern work that the lower ones must do, for clearly, without work there is nothing, since first we must observe the 613 Mitzvot in action. Rather, we should interpret about the Torah itself that the Torah is called Talmud [learning]. Thus, the question, “Much learning or much work?” means that the Torah speaks from two angles: 1) From the perspective of the rules, meaning in which way we should observe the Mitzvot. There is the issue of the measure of the Mitzvot. Take Tzitzit [undergarment with four fringed corners], for example. We must learn the rules of the Halacha [Jewish law] concerning the required size of the Talit [prayer shawl] and the Tzitzit, and likewise regarding the rest of the Mitzvot. This is called the “revealed” part of the Torah, since these Mitzvot are visible and you cannot say that a person makes mistakes there, since that which is visible, if a person pays attention, he can observe these Mitzvot properly. This is why it is called “revealed.” 2) The part of the Torah that does not speak of rules and laws that we keep in actions, but which speak of tales and legends of our sages and have no connection to the 613 Mitzvot. The question is, What part of the Torah is greater, meaning more important to a person, and to which he should pay more attention?

“Learning” refers to the part of the Torah that is only learning, without work, since we are not speaking of the practical part, how to observe. This is called “learning,” meaning Torah without work.

Rabbi Tarfon says that work is greater. That is, the part of the Torah that speaks of performing the Mitzvot, which is the main thing to know—the rules that apply to the Mitzvot. Rabbi Akiva said that learning is great, and everyone answered and said as did Rabbi Akiva, “Much learning.” What is the reason? For learning leads to work.

We should interpret what they said, that “Learning leads to work.” It means that while it is true that the beginning of the work is in the revealed part of the Torah, which speaks of the observance of the Mitzvot, this is only the beginning, since the Torah and Mitzvot were given primarily in order to cleanse people. This means, as it is written (in the essay, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah”), that “cleansing” means emerging from the control of the will to receive for oneself and working only in order to bestow. This is called “which God has created to do.” This work, which is done on creation, called “receiving for oneself”—to place the aim to bestow on it, this work is the main thing that the lower ones should do in order to be able to receive the delight and pleasure that the Creator wants to give them.

In order to achieve a state of “work,” which means that a person should work only for the sake of the Creator and not for his own sake, a person can still overcome the revealed part in the 613 Mitzvot by forcing himself to observe the 613 Mitzvot. However, on the concealed part, which is the aim, is something that is given to the heart, and here a person cannot force himself. That is, if the heart does not want to work and love others, man is helpless.

In that state, when a person wants to work for the sake of the Creator and the body disagrees, a person realizes that he cannot work for the sake of the Creator by himself. It follows that now the person has learned something new, which he did not know before he began the work of bestowal: He is a complete wicked, since he does not want to work for the sake of the Creator. Before he began the work of bestowal, he also knew that he was still not working for the sake of the Creator, but at that time he thought that he is not doing everything for the sake of the Creator only because of negligence and idleness, but he would succeed in doing everything for the sake of the Creator the moment he would choose.

For this reason, he was not concerned that he is not doing so now. He could say it was for lack of time, but he is certain that it is within his power to do everything for the sake of the Creator. There is a rule that everything that a person can do does not concern him because he can always do this. He attributes not having it only to the view of others.

But now that he has begun the work of bestowal and has made great efforts, yet sees that he is not progressing, and worse yet, after all the labor he has fallen into despair, now he sees that the evil in him is so great that he decides that the work of bestowal was not meant for him. This recognition is called “wicked.” That is, now he knows beyond any doubt that his body is unyielding and cannot be changed into working for the sake of the Creator. He can convince it to do only revealed things, in action, and to do good deeds. Yet, his heart is not with him. Therefore, only now can he determine that he has an evil inclination that is truly evil against the Creator, that he does not want to work for the Creator, but only for himself.

When a person comes to that state, when he sees that he has evil inclination, he must believe what our sages said, “I have created the evil inclination; I have created the Torah as a spice,” since “the light in it reforms him.” That is, his being enslaved to the evil inclination, when he was compelled to work for his own sake and not for the sake of the Creator, now, through the light of the Torah, he is reformed and can work for the sake of the Creator. This is called “good deeds,” meaning only to bestow upon the Creator and not for his own sake.

Accordingly, we see that it is impossible to bestow without the light of the Torah. It follows that the part of the Torah that a person learns, which does not speak of rules and laws, this is called “work,” as it is written, “much work,” meaning the part of the Torah that discusses the doing of the Mitzvot.

And this is the meaning of “much learning,” meaning the part of the Torah that speaks of tales and legends and interpretations of our sages, etc., the part of the Torah that does not pertain to the doing of the Mitzvot. This is called “learning.” They all said immediately, “Much learning,” “since learning leads to work.” Here the meaning of “work” refers to the intention on the work, which is regarded as the revealed. He will be able to aim the heart to work for the sake of the Creator, and this is called “work,” as it is written, “which God has created to do.” Doing refers to the heart, so that man will have the strength to work, so the heart will want to work for the sake of the Creator. 

Reader: We're going to move to a lesson from 2002. 

M. Laitman: (25:03) We read the article, "What Does It Mean that the Torah Was Given Out of the Darkness in the Work?," from the second volume of the “Rungs of the Ladder,” from the “Vayikra” portion. Meaning, in the manner in which the Torah was given, the Torah was given in order to reach an action. What is to reach this action, this work? In a person's soul, in his Neshama, there are 613 parts. To begin with, all 613 parts are in a corrupted form in us. We need to correct each and every part. This is considered observing 613 Eitin, or counsels. And after that, in the measure in which we observe every one of the 613 Eitin, all the parts of the soul, then accordingly we receive light that is deposited against each and every part of this Kli, and then it's considered that we're rewarded with 613 Pkudin, deposits or commandments of this light. Meaning, we receive vessels and we fill them, we correct vessels and fill them with lights. All 620, 613 commandments plus seven commandments of Rabanan - all 620 parts of the soul. And they are called work or action. So the Torah, the learning part, the effort needs to lead to this action, to this work. And then we are rewarded with the reception of the Torah. What is receiving the Torah? The Torah is also called… The Kadosh Baruch Hu, one of the names of the Creator, is the general light that fills the soul in Ein Sof. Because it's from this that the Kli feels what the Creator is. Outside of the Kli, you cannot feel. It's the general light. The Torah is that light that is divided in the general soul to 613 parts, to 600,000 parts, it doesn't matter how you look at it, but it's divided to 613 parts. And the commandments, the Mitzvot, are called the correction of each and every part. So it turns out that Israel, the light, and the Creator, are one. Eventually, in the final correction, that state is where the Kli becomes adapted to the light that fills it, to the individual light in each part, and the general light that comes to the general correction, the final correction. That's the final state. And in such a sentence, it's brought to us - Israel, the light and the Creator are one.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (28:44) We say that we do not attain the Creator. The created being does not attain the Creator. He only attains his actions. So what is the Creator? Is that in order to bestow, a desire to bestow? 

M. Laitman: Every quality that is corrupted in a person is against a quality that is corrected in the Creator. We can't know who the Creator is, only out of our corrupted qualities, as we correct them, in order to bestow, and from that, we will know who the Creator is. You cannot get to know anything unless it clothes your vessels. You can't be corrupted and know the Creator. To the extent in which you're corrected, you know your corrected vessels, at which point you know who the Creator is. In the measure of equivalence of form to the Creator, you know according to your vessels, so who He is. You don't feel Him, you feel your corrected vessels.

Student: So why is it not enough to take it as a goal? 

M. Laitman: That's called, anyone who negates something negates it with his own flaws. You appreciate only according to the measure of correction of your vessels. 

Student: So I now take that as a goal, let's say to correct my vessels. Why do I need this goal of reaching the Creator, adhering to Him? What is that?

M. Laitman: Oh, that's a very good question. Why is my goal not named as the correction of the soul, but rather my goal is mentioned as Dvekut, adhesion to the Creator, with the Creator. Because the goal needs to be the acquisition of the state, acquiring the state, reaching a certain state. And the correction of vessels is not a state; it's a means altogether. It's true that you need to take care of this, but why are you correcting the vessel? That's actually the main thing. 

Student: What state should I depict? What is this state, if I don't even know what it is? 

M. Laitman: What for do you need to correct the Kli? By that you're similar to a person who is asked, why are you performing Mitzvot? That's what they said, they said, very well. If you were told otherwise, then you'd do it differently. So anyway, they said and you're doing it. So just like that, to do corrections as if corrections, it won't even be corrections. To just want to be a good boy, fine, you can, that's up to you. The Torah doesn't demand that. The Torah demands reaching Dvekut [adhesion], to be adapted, to be an Adam, to be resembling the Upper One. And if you just want to be a good guy, fine, be a good person. There are a lot of people that say that they're good. 

Student: And if so, it is not just like that, I don't even know what it is. 

M. Laitman: So what for to correct? I don't understand. What's the cause for the correction? What will you have from that? What sort of personal satisfaction from it? What will you have from it?

Student: If so, but I don't know who the Creator is, what it is. So is it not reception? 

M. Laitman: You're saying, well, I'm told that the goal I have is to resemble Him, to adhere to Him. He is merciful, I'll be merciful. He is graceful, I'll be graceful, etc. I don't know who He is, so how will I know what I need to be? Yes? So again, you're returning to the same question. So if you don't know who He is, and you don't know what you need to correct, you're saying you're willing to engage only in corrections. 

Student: This is what we say.

M. Laitman: No, you were told to engage in corrections, but how will you correct yourself if you don't know what the standard is? 

Student: There's a group, we have laws. 

M. Laitman: What group? What laws? 

Student: To bestow to the other, to love the other. Is that not enough? 

M. Laitman: (33:05) I don't want to hear that; you're just talking words right now. Group, laws - these are all means for the means. “From Your actions, we know You,” only, on one hand. On the other hand, what actions can I know? How do I know what I need to be? Why do I need the revelation of the Creator? That's what you're asking in the end. Do I need His revelation? I need His revelation in order to resemble Him, in order to know what I need to be. If you will demand His revelation for that, He will be revealed to you. That's what we call, that from Lo Lishma, we'll come to Lishma. Certainly you want Him to be revealed to you, so it will be good for you. But also, with that together, there's a certain kind of relation towards Him, where you appreciate Him, where you want Him. Then the Creator opens up for you. He also, He opens up to the extent in which it will correct you, and not fill you just like that. What is correct? Where you see His qualities and not the pleasure from Him. What is the light of correction? The light of correction is where the Creator bestows His greatness upon you. You will see how graceful I am, and how great that is. Where you hear that, then you start to see that this measure is good, that it's superior from you. It's above you. Meaning, His revelation comes in two manners: either as One who's correcting you, or the One who's filling you. 

Student: This means that it's not enough to... 

M. Laitman: And you accordingly need to demand from Him. The correct prayer is where you demand correction from Him and then filling. That's what we learn also from TES.

Student: So what comes first? What's the first action that I need? 

M. Laitman: The first action that you need to do? 

Student: Or thought, let's say that I think all the time that... 

M. Laitman: You can't obligate a person to perform an action because the action for us is called a desired action, a willful action from within with an internal effort. This effort a person can't do. This effort, this action is born in a person as a consequence of his nature, his original nature, and the measure of light that came to him from above. We never say about the Kli that the measure Kli wanted to change. Let's say, it has coarseness, and records and light comes to her, and altogether this whole combination is working, and now she wants something else. Have you ever heard of such a thing? No. So what are you saying? What do I need to do or want to do? You can't determine that. Every single moment is already signed in advance, it's sealed. So if you want the future to change, we're given one choice in the study, and through the study by the society you add from the society an additional desire to yours.

Student: A desire for what? 

M. Laitman: (37:04) A desire for godliness. This is the whole matter of why the shattering was made into many parts. The soul could have descended as it is, a Kli filled with light to be corrupted. The light departs, the soul falls - one, what do we need 600,000 parts for? It's written that it's easier to correct it this way. Meaning, by many souls and many incarnations, small actions, it'll be easier to correct. But really, certainly it's not…  what's the matter here? Here, if a soul would not be divided, there would be no possibility to determine anything. So just like the Kli is filled from above with light, with its records, with its desires, with all that's in him, with the light that it bestows upon it, it's all stamped and sealed. It all comes from above, even the desire, also the lights and everything. Everything would remain with lights without desire. After that, the light would come, awaken the soul, meaning awaken the vessel, and the Kli accordingly would start moving. The fact that the general soul was divided into many parts, this on my plane gives me, not above where I cannot appeal, but in my plane where I am, it gives me the possibility for the only action and free choice. Because it's on my level where I can take an additional desire from the rest of the parts, to be impressed by them, and not to take the desire, you can't, but to take, to be impressed by them, you understand? So I, what am I, who am I, how the Creator gives me this, I don't decide. I can only add to this, you know, there's the Kli, draw for yourself the vessel and what's inside there, and what the light that comes to it, nothing can be changed, it is defined. That defines his state, what he thinks, what he wants - everything. But besides free choice, be impressed by the adjacent vessel. And this is because in the root they're connected together. If they weren't connected together, there would be no possibility. But you have, let's say, in the root, two vessels that descend together. They come down to this world, separate from one another, and by you wanting to connect and adhere somewhat to the other, you're making an active connection, like in the root, as if. You're in the place, like a triangle like that, yes? You glue them together, and according to that you are making the desire as one, his seemingly corrected desire. Because what are you taking from a friend? Longing for spirituality, to the Creator, yes? It doesn't matter to what extent he's corrected or not. That's what you're taking from him, meaning you're kind of taking, connecting two vessels together above. That's the action that you're capable of doing, only. This is the only action. And out of that, in your free choice, from this, it becomes in you like two vessels. Alone, and it becomes two vessels. You took also the desire from him, so now you took the desire from him, and you're inviting from above the light that belongs to two souls. There, there are many souls together, but at least two of them together, yours and his, are illuminating upon you. Well, that buddy is a nice addition, and so on. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (41:20) So let's say, I have a friend. What can I take from him? He has thoughts, desires, knowledge. What can I... 

M. Laitman: You can't take from the friend anything. You can only be impressed from his external form, and how he works, yes? How he thinks. You see, he's always writing. Why aren't you writing? He's constantly kind of scribing down things there, and maybe he's doing something with that at home later, maybe something else. Investigate what he's doing, with him not knowing, in order to be impressed. Look only at the good things. At the bad things, shut your eyes. Why do you need to corrupt it? After all, you need to take from the friend something good, so that you will have good, so that you will have fuel. So look only at good in him.

Student: So if I have fuel, I'll just lie down, and... 

M. Laitman: You see, you weigh 50 kilos. If you were weigh like the other friend, you'd be sleeping twice as much as he does. But he doesn't find the strength to sleep so much. You understand? So judge him to the scale of merit. See how much, how heavy he is, and nevertheless, how much he's trying. Like a good teddy, you know. It's like, yes, I'm saying this seriously. But all kinds of such small things. Look and take benefit out of it. That's called to judge a friend to the scale of merit. What the Torah doesn't say that there's any prohibition or anything, only advices for your personal advancement, for your benefit. No one needs these things, what you will do or you won't do. It's only towards you. We're talking about your personal private correction. All the sufferings are for you to have it good. All the advices are for you to have it good. That's it. Well, and to judge a friend to the scale of merit. Otherwise, what? You won't corrupt anything, you will not receive help from him, additional forces. And the loss is all yours. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (43:32) He writes that a person labors but does not advance. He even regresses. What does he mean by that? He writes in the article that a person labors, and he sees that he's not advancing. He even feels that he's regressing. What exactly does he mean by that? 

M. Laitman: When a person is laboring and he sees that he's actually moving backwards, it's a sign that now he's in the revelation of a new vessel. Where does he see backwards? Where the vessel without filling is revealed before him. It's considered that he's entered the left line, the revelation of a new vessel, new posterior of the vessel, and advances. But advances in a so-called negative way, with more emptiness. Later, that emptiness will be filled with corrections and lights. It's called that he is in the left. Later, he'll move to the right. When we switch from the right to the left, we have, as we say, the descents and ascents. These are not descents nor ascents - they are simply two stages in the corrections. Left, right, left, right. That's how we go.

Student: And if a person doesn't feel that, he feels that he's... 

M. Laitman: Of course, a person who's on the left feels empty. And certainly, a person who's in the left feels himself empty. And it seems like he's retrieving. And he certainly went backwards. He descended further away from spirituality now in order to acquire more lower vessels. He descended. He's being lowered there. It's a sign that he's worthy to eventually correct those vessels as well. Hence, a person who's experienced in the work is happy from entering despair, confusion, a state that is a little kind of foggy, where such states come to him that he can't find, you know, up and down in them, and a little kind of dispersed. This means that now vessels are being added to him. And this, from experience later, we see that it's so. Another year or two.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (45:58) And if I don't feel that... I'm in the best group, the best head of the group, and I have the books and I have the Rav. 

M. Laitman: Everything is good for you, and you're studying, and you're kind of like everything is holy and, yes, filled, thank God, yes. Commandments like a pomegranate, everything. Then it's a sign that you're not exerting enough, or you're physically exerting, but not internally. You're not adding in the search. And probably you're nevertheless not connected with the friends. You can work with them all the time. You can work physically with them all the time. Connected is called to nevertheless see something in them that you're lacking. A certain measure of envy may be missing for you. You're sufficed with what you have. Thank God, I have this and that, and that, and that. Wonderful. Thank you. Thank God. And that's it. Everything's fine. Everything's for the good. I'm in joy and I'm a righteous. So it is just right line. This is considered that a person cannot grow. He has no new vessels. What can you do? That's a problem. What can you do? This is a problem. That's clear. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (47:49) We need to constantly be in an upliftment of spirits? 

M. Laitman: You need to be an uplifted spirit, but see that although you have opposite it, that you always have against it also the balance from the left side. Every time they add vessels to you and each time you pull to the right side. But without the left line, what would it be worth? You're not growing. You can only grow from the flesh. Where does the flesh come from? From the vessels that we want to sort. This means that you lack the measure of envy. Envy of scholars increases wisdom. You're not envious of how he's studying. How does he write things down? How does he do it? How do these guys do it? How do those guys do it? Envy. Without that, you can't do it. But good envy, you know, not to bring the friend down - so that he will not study like me, he won't do things like me - but that I will be like him.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (48:48) He writes there that actually whoever feels darkness is not worthy of the revelation of the Creator, of Torah, in the article. Now, in some articles he also wrote that whoever feels himself bad, meaning that he feels bad without the feeling of the Creator, he's distancing from the Creator. And to the contrary, whoever wants to be whole then doesn't think about anything. So he also doesn't have any need or demand for the revelation of the Creator. How to connect these two things together? On one hand, we need…

M. Laitman: You can tie everything, I don't know, these are just two sentences, give me two sentences and I'll put them together, there's no problem with that, but practically, what is he talking about there? I don't want to just give you speeches here. 

Student: Like we spoke now, that a person needs to be, even if he feels he's on the left, and he's distancing, he doesn't advance. 

M. Laitman: Why? If he feels… 

Student: Because he feels darkness, right? 

M. Laitman: He feels darkness, he's not advancing? Darkness is advancement, but only on the left line, it's the same ascent, but on the left.

Student: He feels the darkness, right? So how in that will he feel himself as whole? 

M. Laitman: During the darkness, he cannot feel himself as whole, otherwise he wouldn't feel the darkness. Who told you that he can? Who told you that this is a bad state? We must feel the darkness. What do you mean? But what is the direction with which he goes down to the darkness? What does he do during the darkness? We learned that, and you were present in part 12, what is the corrections of the evening and night? The evening starts and then we take from the previous day all of the vessels and we make corrections in the evening until we can do the prayer of Shema in the evening prayer, and then we make additional corrections in the Kriyat Shema, the prayer of Shema on the bed, and from midnight onwards, we start to raise the vessels of AVI, we begin there towards the prayer of Shema, of the sacrifices, the offerings. What do you mean? You have many corrections and many things to come down to the darkness, and work in the darkness, and make corrections during the sleep, right? There's a reason why you enter a state where you seemingly want to get rid of your soul and take a new degree, a new soul, so that on the next day it will bring you a new degree. So you have to be ready for it from the night. We learned that. Now you're asking me about the darkness after you learned these things in detail?

Student: I'm asking how to connect these two things so we can be in upliftment all the time?

M. Laitman: You have to be with an uplifted spirit at night also, that's right, why not?

Student: How can you feel upliftment when you're in darkness at the same time?

M. Laitman: If you will feel the darkness as something that is beneficial, then you will be happy with it, and you will bless the Creator, and you will be in adhesion with Him. You will be in adhesion with Him also during the darkness. I'm speaking not about our degrees, but also in the darkness there are corrections there, like the 60 breaths of the horse and all kinds of such things. There are all kinds of corrections at night during the sleep, the slumber, all kinds of things that a person does. It's intentionally, in order to truly move from one degree to the next. These are truly great things. Out of the darkness we discover all of the discernments. Later on we only correct them, and later on we add an intention, but the new desires are revealed from the darkness. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (53:22) What does it mean, if a person is happy in the darkness, then darkness is defined to us like bad feelings, how can you be happy from that? We're built in a way that joy cannot emerge from such a thing like this.

M. Laitman: I can’t talk to you about feelings, because today you have these feelings, and a year or two from now you'll have different feelings. 

Student: In that case, what's being happy in the darkness? 

M. Laitman: To be happy in the darkness, means happy about the goal. The darkness is the state. Now I'm in the darkness, in such a state, but it does not mean that I cannot be happy because of what this brings me. I can now be in a bad state and along with that the surrounding light shines to me. You might say, well, if the good future shines to me, it already sweetens the darkness and I don't feel the darkness. No, I feel the darkness of now and I feel what good consequences I will get from that in the future. Of course, it's not the same darkness as you feel now, that you only feel confused and empty and helpless, powerless, and that's it. Of course, it's not the same. There is an addition of the future here, in spirituality is called the light of faith, but it is darkness. Who told you that the darkness should be... Like Rabbi Shimon who descends to the degree of Shimon from the marketplace. He determines in that degree that he is now as Shimon from the marketplace, and probably the corresponding degree will be the degree of the end of correction. When does he determine it? When he is on the degree of Shimon from the marketplace. Do you understand it? It doesn't determine it from some other state. So did he descend to the degree of Shimon from the marketplace? He descended. But who descended? Rabbi Shimon descended. He did not truly become Shimon from the marketplace. He became Rabbi Shimon who clothed in Shimon of the marketplace. So it's both this and that. He is on that low level, but he determines from his general state what this degree should bring him. That's it. You will feel, even before the barrier, you'll feel these states in a different way, so you won't be so alarmed from the falls. And all the states that we have after the barrier, we also feel them somehow before, not in the spiritual matter with our matter, but we feel it somehow. So you will feel it. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (56:07) It's written here in the article, whoever studies Torah and does not want to observe the 613 work actions, commandments, studies wisdom like the external wisdoms are studied. The question is, is this correct also with us, that whoever still doesn't observe Torah and commandments in action, in practice, is actually only studying wisdom? Is this also not really Torah?

M. Laitman: I can tell you what Rabash probably means, as much as I understand it. And it may be not how others interpret it, but how he interprets it. One who learns Torah, means one who learns how to be as a giver of the Torah. And if from the Torah, he does not extract advice on how to be as a giver of the Torah, so his Torah is just wisdom, knowledge. He doesn't study it in action. It says that this learning is good because it brings one to action. So he does not reach the action, the corrections. So if the Torah does not bring one into action, the Torah becomes just wisdom. It is written, wisdom in nations. believe it. One who wants to remain a gentile, what he learns from the Torah is called wisdom. One who wants to be a Jew, even though now he's a gentile, what we call in the will to receive, so he is truly studying the Torah. Torah, but not wisdom. The Torah, means he wants to reach through the learning, he wants to reach the lights.

Student: If so, why later does he also detail…  

M. Laitman: An action means the correction, the installing a screen on the will to receive, this is called an action. Keeping a Mitzvah, a commandment. What is it? What is a Mitzva? You take a bad desire and turn it into a good desire. This is called observing or keeping a Mitzva, commandment. Because he tells you that the commandments of the Torah have 613 Eitin, counsels, how to correct that soul. And then 613 deposits, how to fill these Mitzvot, these corrected parts with lights. And all together, once you have corrected all of these Mitzvot, all of these parts, when you perform all of these commandments and you fill them with a light, called the Torah, then you are rewarded with the general Torah. And when you already reached the correction of the entire vessel, what is revealed to you is that truly the general light, this is called HaKadosh Baruch Hu, blessed be He, the Creator. 

Student: Why does he use these words that we all know, that and not? 

M. Laitman: Well, you can't use other words that nobody knows. It's not his fault that you get confused. The entire Torah is the names of the Creator. Names. So what does it mean, the names of the Creator? It means how the light flows in the vessel, and the vessel feels the impression from the light. What does it do? What qualities does it have? As He is merciful, so you should be merciful. What does that mean? If I'll correct myself with the quality of merciful, then to the same extent I will feel that He is also merciful. This means that I have now reached knowing, discovering that holy name, “merciful.” So the entire Torah are names of the Creator. They are those lights that glow within me and give me a feeling of who is the Creator, because the Creator is the whole of the light. And I receive this whole light in portions, according to the measures of my correction. So all in all, I receive the whole Torah. And this is how I feel the Creator afterwards, because all in all, in all of these lights, I feel Him, all of Him. This is the matter of the Mitzvot. This is the matter of the Torah. This is the matter of the Creator. And the one who discovers them is called Israel. And only about that, it is written that the whole of the Torah are the names of the Creator. What does that mean? That only about that, it is written in all of the holy names. What does it mean, holy? That they were written beyond the barrier. This is called “holy,” separated from this world. So, if you read the Torah as a novel, right? What happened there between the men and the women and the children, and who was going there, and who killed, and who stole, and what did they do to him about that? That is your problem. We need to read the Torah as the names of the Creator. 

M. Laitman: (01:01:14) I had today a question about it on the internet. I received this question. It is written that every week we need to read the Chumash, the Pentateuch, the portion of the week with Rashi. Two, means one, translation. This is written that you have to read twice the portion of the week from the Chumash, the Pentateuch, and one time read Rashi's interpretation. Well, you have many other interpretations. There are 72 commentaries or interpretations, many interpretations. It doesn't matter, you could add. Indeed, these interpretations, each one of them was a great Kabbalist. Look how he wrote. Wasn't Rashi a Kabbalist, or the Ibn Ezra? It's called a well of living water. There are many truly deep interpretations. That's it. So, what to do? Read or not to read? I answered there that there is a strict, the most strict prohibition in the Torah, it is don't make for yourself any statue or image. What is a statue or an image? Where instead of spirituality, you imagine corporeality. If you read the weekly portion and you imagine instead of it a historical story, don't read that historical story. Why is it forbidden? Do not make for yourself a statue and an image. This is the most strictly prohibited, the most strict prohibition in the Torah. It is prohibited because of that you cannot reach spirituality. That's the whole prohibition. But you're not doing anything by that. You're not harming the Creator, don't worry, and also the whole world. You're not causing anything by that. But you remain a beast as you are today, because then you simply are reading a novel. This is why there is a prohibition. This is why we have to relate to the Torah as it truly is, as the names of the Creator, and then to bring it to the goal. And the fact that they wrote it with such a language, such a style, Moses wrote in such a way, he couldn't find any other language. He couldn't find any other language. What is the language of the Haggadah, the legend, or the language of the Midrash, or the language of the Halacha, or the language of the Kabbalah? All of the other languages are languages with which it is much more difficult to express details, all of the details, all of the elements that he wanted to express. It's impossible. With other languages, it is almost impossible. So, he took this language, this language, like all stories are written.

Student: There's a certain contradiction that I can't settle.

M. Laitman: What contradiction?

Student: On one hand, we're constantly all the time observing Mitzvot, doing all that we need. 

M. Laitman: The fact that you observe the Mitzvot, that you put on the Tefillin, the Tallit, the prayer shawl, you bless, you do things, you eat kosher, and all kinds of things that you do. The fact that you do all of these things on the face of the earth is because you exist in the body. If you wouldn't be in a body, you wouldn't be able to do those actions, right? Those are not the same Mitzvot about which it is written in the Torah. In the Torah it's written, I mean, not that it's not the same commandments. No, when you exist in the body, you have to do those as well. But these are not the same actions by which you reach the Holy Names. You reach the Holy Names by correcting your desire, by installing a screen on it, receiving light in it. The light that is received inside of the corrected desire is called the Holy Name.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:05:26) But it's not what he's saying, that we need to put Tefillin and we have to go with a Kippah and do all those things. 

M. Laitman: Where does he write that, I don't understand.

Student: No, he's talking about actual commandments. 

M. Laitman: What is in action? An action means that you perform some action. You install a screen on your desire. This is called the actual, the practical Mitzvot.

Student: And what is it considered the Mitzvot that I, let's say, put the Tefillin on me? 

M. Laitman: The commandments of putting the Tefillin on your hand as you do every morning? He doesn't talk about that here. 

Student: So how is it called?

M. Laitman: He's talking about the correction of the desire. He is talking about the correction of the desire. Why do you call the practical Mitzvot, those commandments like you do with the Tefillin in the morning? Why don't you call it a practical Mitzvah? This is what you do as an internal action, that you correct your desire inside. You have 613 desires, and you have to correct them. This is why you were incarnated. You want to reincarnate once again? Please go ahead, do it again. But you will have to correct those 613 desires in your soul. Those you have to correct. This is what the Torah speaks about. The fact that in a compatible manner, you also have to perform actions in this world -  these are the commandments of this world - but you want to correct yourself towards the spiritual world. 

Student: I understand, but there's a certain separation that is constantly…

M. Laitman: There is a separation here. This separation should not fail you. What is that separation? What is it my fault that I'm a Kohen and not a Levi? So I cannot perform the commandments of a Kohen, a priest, or a Levite in this world. In spirituality, I do have to do them. What is it my fault that, let's say, I'm not the elder, the firstborn, I'm not a woman, she also has commandments that I don't have, right? God bless, or I'm not yet a widower, I'm not divorced. There are commandments for those as well. There are all kinds. In spirituality, you have to perform all of these commandments, everything from A to Z, as we call it. All of these 620 desires exist within you, and you have to go through all of these states. But in corporeal reality, you don't. Do we have the temple? No. I don't work in agriculture. Do you know what does it mean to be a farmer according to the Torah? Whoa. At the time that the temple existed, what laws they had, what conducts, and I don't work in the temple. I don't bring offerings, I'm not the great priest, and all of these things - I'm not. What we're given here in this world, these are signs. How many do we have of those? And one who somehow was sent in some form, he can do it or not do it, but it does not pertain to the spiritual path. In spirituality, you have to correct all the 620 parts of the soul, what we call the 613 commandments, plus the seven of Rabanan, the seven commandments of Rabanan. That's it. I don't understand. What is so difficult here? 

Student: It's difficult that there's, I don't know, all kinds of actions that I do in the day, and they don't have the…

M. Laitman: What you do during the day with your body or with your beastly desire with respect to, sorry for saying beastly, human, it doesn't matter. With respect to all of those around you, just like that, like any person living in this world, has nothing to do with the Torah. It's not relevant for the advancement, it's not relevant for the Creator. Please tell me, before, let's say 10,000 years ago, in our world, there were also people, and they did not think about the Torah and Mitzvot, right? But they were alive? They lived. They had a wife, children, some place where they lived, and something that they would eat, right? All kinds of things, right? Did this pertain to spirituality or not? Just like your ordinary life without Kabbalah. It's unrelated to spirituality. This is your beastly existence in this world. Now, we can't say that it is completely disconnected from the spiritual world. It's not disconnected here. Everything is in branches. But this is a will to receive that exists in the still, and animate, and still, and vegetative, and animate, and speaking in this world, and bit by bit, according to the general clock of reality that keeps advancing towards the end of correction through its own process. That's it. 

M. Laitman: (01:10:27) Now, the Creator, later… Let's not say it in this way, you'll be confused. Later came a state where the will to receive reached such a state, this general state in all the humans, all people, where it's possible for parts of the soul to descend from above. What does that mean, that the will to receive clothed in all the created beings. I'm thinking about people, humans. It started to shine; the light started to shine from above in order to scrutinize and sort the will to receive. When the light shines from above, it means that the point in the heart enters. So, it entered in someone called Abraham. Later, we know he was called Avram, right? Then, from him, started the whole matter of the group. So they took him, meaning he is the first who discovered the Creator, and then after him, he started that chain with his students. If not for this, all of humanity would have continued without a spiritual scrutiny but according to the general clock of the universe, of reality. From Abraham and on, there begins to be free choice in a person. To the extent that the light shines, man has the possibility to do certain actions from within himself, by himself. From within myself, I can do a certain action only in the connection between the souls. So I need another person next to me. I cannot have someone there in America, Australia, there were also native people, indigenous people back then, as was Abraham here, but I have no connection with them. I need someone next to me, a friend, someone to be impressed by, to take something from. Only by this, this is my only free choice; only to receive a deficiency from someone who is my equal. Just like in the time of Abraham, so in our time. What did the Creator tell him? I'll make you like the stars, right, “and your seeds shall be as the stars,” and so on and so forth. He gave him conditions for free choice. Therefore, there had to be a certain group with people close to one another so one would be impressed by the other and will take the desire from the other. That's why you don't have one Kabbalist here and another there. Rather, you need a group called Jews, Yehudim. A few Iraqis, Persians, they started to call them Jews, Hebrews, which means they crossed from Ever to Israel, the land of Israel. That's it. So you should separate between the soul, the clothes in a person that you have to correct, and the body. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:14:00) I do distinguish, but the whole study that we do, we study for the soul, but still this Abraham, he circumcised himself, and now generations over generations do this very, very painful thing. When I have a child, I'll do it too. It's crazy. Why am I doing such a… What is so…

M. Laitman: Calm down, calm down. 

Student: Why do generations, whole generations do it?

M. Laitman: It's not too bad. The thing is, there are people in our world, you see, that only perform external actions. They never receive an illumination from above, and they never perform internal actions. You want to ask the following: what is the difference between these people, these two types of people, those who do in externality and those who do in internality, right? It's a simple difference, compatibility with Abraham. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:15:15) I'm asking, where is the real connection? This thing that we do only internally. Where is there a point of connection so you can find some logic in it?

M. Laitman: If you are doing actions in your body, it means that you're doing it without knowing that by that, you are doing spiritual corrections, nothing. Simply like a person who studied in the Cheder, in the Shul, Yeshiva, seminar, Kollel, a good Jew, he does what he learns, right? So you are creating your compatibility, you're doing it on your level, your degree, where you are. It's called the Domem de Kedusha, the inanimate of sanctity. That's it, but you're doing corrections. But these corrections, the inanimate of sanctity, doesn't let you grow, but it's corrections nevertheless. Just like from above, a light came and clothed in the matter, and in this matter it made a copy from spirituality, and we have in this world still, vegetative, animate, speaking, and in the speaking there are those who are a direct result from Abraham, or converts, it doesn't matter, we'll talk about them later. But in this inanimate level there are sparks of Abraham, except they're not developing them, they still didn't receive the illumination from above that will awaken them to spirituality, right? So, they do these corrections, this correction on the level of the still or inanimate of sanctity, that's it, it's correction, you cannot erase it. You cannot live from that, live meaning add, that's why it's called still or inanimate, it means lack of spiritual, absence of spiritual life. If you want to be beyond that, you need to, meaning to add; you have to add your own work, but the work is that you take deficiencies from, seemingly from the outside, you add from yourself, your only place of free choice, what you have, and by that you invite additional illumination from above, or you absorb more from above, what comes to you, that's it. Then you enter into observing or doing spiritual commandments, and you should separate these two things. That's why it's called the work of the Creator. Kabbalah is really the work of the Creator. So then, you enter the work of the Creator. And in this way, and the other way, you are simply doing the commandments of learned people, as it's called. One does not contradict the other; you actually need both, but the one who is only on the inanimate of sanctity, it seems to him that you are canceling him, because for him only that is important. If there's something more important, it becomes, this becomes not so important. And we see that in truth, those who begin to study the internality begin to look down at the externality, to such an extent that a person who always used to do all these commandments and observe everything, he starts to study Kabbalah, suddenly he forgets that he needs to do anything. Out of habit, he does other things, but if it's not out of habit, his head is already in the clouds, as we say, truly in the clouds, up above. And we see how the material, corporeal action grows weaker, also his attitude to work, the family, everything. If his entire being is tied to spirituality, it makes you look down at corporeality. Terribly. So they are right, those who say that he who studies Kabbalah doesn't really observe the commandments in action correctly here in this world, and they are right to say it, and we see it this way. Let's not try to hide those things, because that's what's happening. You have to investigate why this phenomenon is still there. Either we are learning something not good, God forbid, or we are wrong, we study it, we learn it incorrectly, or this is something natural to happen, and then later it might come back in a different way, in a different degree, in a different form of action, mutual, and both spiritual and corporeal. But these things you cannot ignore; that's what you have. We need to study.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:20:31) Why do we agree with this phenomenon? I think the friend’s question is not why it exists, but why we agree.

M. Laitman: Why do we agree or disagree? In spirituality, there's no such thing as agreeing or disagreeing. In spirituality, there's a determination of the state I'm in. As we learned yesterday, the light comes to me, a special light that maintains me, sustains me in a certain degree, then you can say, I'm a thief. Then comes another light to me, less than that, I become a robber. A greater light comes to me, I become righteous. Everything has to do with the level of light that shines in me. So you can say, oh my God, I'm a robber, I won't do you any good, because that state is a state in and of itself, and you name it. You gave it a name, and that's it; you cannot change it. You want to lie? Fine, you can label this state as righteous, but it won't do you any good. But for you, it will be a little different. That's what you're saying. Why are we not, why are we objecting to it? Why do we agree with it? I'm talking about the state in and of itself. I'm not talking about how you should respond to it. I'm saying that I wish, I want to, I don't want to, I agree or disagree. That's the state, that's how it happens, that a person begins to engage in the internality, has a disdain for corporeality, almost all the way to the end, almost to the end.

Student: So there's nothing you can do?

M. Laitman: I didn't say that. I just don't want to talk about what to do. But they are right to say it externally the way it happens, and I also see it. I agree that this is what's happening, and vice versa. People who studied Kabbalah correctly and consequently lost the value or looked down at these corporeal commandments as a result, and later forgot what is a correct study and returned to something, you know, Kabbule, like this version of Kabbalah. They begin to do these things and become good, orthodox people. I see all these changes. I talk about this spectrum of possibilities. So if I'm talking about this phenomenon, I'm not saying if it's good or not good, right? I'm not making a determination. It's like a lion devouring something there and eating it. So it's not... is it not okay? It's nature. He did it. He did it because nature obligates him. Also for us, the nature we're in at each and every moment obligates us to behave a certain way. That's it, and it's known for generations. There are many stories about that. Suddenly it's discovered that you saw through a window one person lighting a candle on the Sabbath three, four hundred years ago. We're talking about it, and I don't think these stories are fables and just stories made up by people who object to Kabbalah. No, I'm talking about it seriously, that these are known phenomena. I saw them. I felt them on myself. What are those things? Why they are like that? We'll talk about it, but there's a reason for it and an intention from above. Everything that is done is done from above, first of all. How do we need to relate to it? How do we need to behave accordingly to overcome it, to disagree with it? These things we'll talk about, but the phenomenon exists. That's it. It's not the army where you can say, no, this cannot be. No, it exists. So first of all, determining the state, that's the truth - determining the state. In order to study myself, I need to see myself through different eyes. And I see that they are right about it. And I see it. I know about myself. I will scrutinize these things. What are we studying?