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

Daily Lesson, (Afternoon) July 1, 2024.

Part 1: Ruin by Eders-Construction; Construction  by Youths-Ruin.                                                                                                                         

Hello, we're reading in the Writings of Rabash, Volume 3, Article No. 44, “Ruin by Elders, Construction; Construction by Youths, Ruin.” You can find study material on the Sviva Tova system and through the Arvut system, and send live questions through there as well.

Reading Article: (00:32) Ruin by Elders, Construction: Construction by Youths, Ruin.

Elders are those who are accustomed to the work of the Creator. Youths are those who are in the beginning of their work. “Ruin” means a descent or a fall, where previously they had some ascent in the work, which is regarded as building, meaning that they appreciated the ascent, but the ruin is when they felt some fall, which comes from the concealment of the Creator, that the Creator hides Himself from them. This is called “ruin.”

“Ruin by elders” means that they say that the Creator sent them the concealment. It follows that they are already building, since they believe that the Creator is tending to them, and from this they derive vitality.

Faith is apparent primarily during the descent, when it does not shine for a person. At that time, he faces a dilemma: Either, he says, “I do not need any benefits. Rather, I want to bring contentment above and I do not care what I feel,” or it is otherwise.

M. Laitman: (02:18) Thank you very much. Again. 

Re-Reading Article: (02:22) Ruin by Elders, Construction: Construction by Youths, Ruin.

Elders are those who are accustomed to the work of the Creator. Youths are those who are in the beginning of their work. “Ruin” means a descent or a fall, where previously they had some ascent in the work, which is regarded as building, meaning that they appreciated the ascent, but the ruin is when they felt some fall, which comes from the concealment of the Creator, that the Creator hides Himself from them. This is called “ruin.”

“Ruin by elders” means that they say that the Creator sent them the concealment. It follows that they are already building, since they believe that the Creator is tending to them, and from this they derive vitality.

Faith is apparent primarily during the descent, when it does not shine for a person. At that time, he faces a dilemma: Either, he says, “I do not need any benefits. Rather, I want to bring contentment above and I do not care what I feel,” or it is otherwise.

Question (Turkiye 2): (04:29) How can I grow my faith every day?

M. Laitman: By thought. If you think that the Creator is with you in connection, even though you do not feel it to any extent, and that He expects and awaits from you, for you to turn to Him and ask for something from Him, do something for Him, and want to receive something from Him. That's what we need to try and be and do all the time. 

Question (Women PT 33): (5:23) In the last paragraph, he writes, I need no benefit. I just need to bring contentment above, and I do not care what I feel. When I feel this sentence, there is this feeling that it comes from… I have no choice, I have nowhere to run, I have nowhere to go. This is what we have. Accept it. This is the work that the Creator brought you through. But I know that it's not what I need to reach. Eventually, we need to come to this complete desire of bringing Him contentment. So how do we move from that state of, I have no choice where to go, to that complete state of, I want to bring the Creator contentment?

M. Laitman: Between those two states, there must be prayer. Prayer. Where you ask the Creator to help you rise to Him, come close to Him, feel Him, so that you'll have a different mood from this, a different attitude towards the spiritual work, and this is what you expect and await. 

Question (Women MAK): (07:01) What does it mean to sustain yourself in the right state during a descent?

M. Laitman: In a state of descent, we need to hold ourselves connected to the Creator no matter what, because a fall is not a fall. Rather, we just stop feeling the closeness to the Creator. It doesn't mean that we're distancing from Him. It's actually from such states where we need to draw Him even more, and in such a way, specifically in such states of relative descent, we have to rise even higher and even higher.

Student: The elders have a certain technique of moving through states of descent, and they go through it patiently. And that patience is like a habit. Does that not have to do with a descent?

M. Laitman: Truly not. Each time it's new work and new efforts.

Question (Women MAK 98): (08:22) Why is this ruin or clash from the Creator called so? It turns out that we're in more clashes and in life we don't do anything?

M. Laitman: Yes, that's how it is. That's why, we necessarily, the moment we start to feel that we're in descent and distancing from the Creator, we have to invest efforts to emerge from our descent to the Creator, to coming closer with Him.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (09:09) Who is called an elder and who is called a youth? Is it a matter of how long you're working, a veteran?

M. Laitman: It's also seniority, yes. You could also say that that's correct. Besides that, a person who feels that he is under the care of the Creator, by the Creator, is in a state of constant change.

Student: When does a youth become an elder?

M. Laitman: It doesn't have to do with age, it only has to do with his attitude or his relation to the state. If he has such an attitude with the Creator that is such that even if the Creator lowers him, distances him, he nevertheless understands from his experience already that all these states are sent by the Creator in order to bring him closer. Then, specifically, he uses this descent and this distancing from the Creator and sees in this an opportunity for nearing.

Student: So, what do the youths not understand?

M. Laitman: The youths don't understand that by feeling distance from the Creator is actually the opposite, that the Creator is kind of fluctuating and shaking them so that they can continue.

Student: And how does a youth change his attitude to becoming an elder?

M. Laitman: By him turning to the Creator and praying, crying, that he wants closeness, and the Creator sends him each time states of nearing and distancing, like that. From that, a person eventually understands how he needs to behave in order to constantly go on the line of nearing.

Student: Is faith measured when it's darkness in a person?

M. Laitman: Faith is measured when a person feels distant from the Creator.

Student: And when he feels close to the Creator, what's the role of faith here?

M. Laitman: When he's close to the Creator, he doesn't need faith, he has a feeling. 

Question (Women MAK 70): (12:18) How in an attempt to always come from these ruins to agreement? Is annulment the correct way?

M. Laitman: Yes, annulling myself towards the friends is the correct action, one of the actions that we need to do.

Question (Women MAK 70): (13:03) We had the opportunity to pray for a friend in the Ten. She was having problems in the corporeal world, not simple, and I asked for a week for her. I kept her in my prayers, and I discovered after two days, I could not hold on, and I stopped praying. When I discovered today that, again, she has a problem in the corporeal world, a certain ruin, a clash was born in me. On one hand, I couldn't pray for her.

On the other hand, the Creator gave me these states, so that I will again and again note that thoughts about myself are stronger than prayer for a friend. There's this inner pressure that is very deep, and it seems to me that we need some kind of help from the outside to overcome this.

M. Laitman: There needs to be this general atmosphere inside the group, so it will be easier for you to pray for the friend. It's the group, in general, that needs help with this.

Question (Women Moscow 6): (14:38) It is written, the ruin by elders, that they believe that the Creator is engaging with them and takes their vitality. How do we take this vitality away from ourselves and be similar to the elders? 

M. Laitman: The ruin of the elders' construction is like a connection, and the connection between the youths is like a certain clash, rejection. So, what do you want to ask? 

Student: How should we take the force of vitality to be similar to the elders? 

M. Laitman: How to collect the forces to be like the elders? For that, there needs to be a certain connection with the Creator and find a new connection each time. That's it. Besides that, we don't need a thing. 

Question (Women MAK 56): (16:02) Can we find the elders and the youths inside us? 

M. Laitman: It's possible. You will gradually start to understand who's for, who's against, and so on. 

Student: What are these? Are these desires? 

M. Laitman: Yes, these are our desires. 

Student: And that's why Rabash writes in the end, that it doesn't matter what I feel, if I receive pleasure, as long as I bring contentment to the Creator? 

M. Laitman: Yes.

Student: How to discern that my degree has moved to a degree of elder? 

M. Laitman: That's something that you will gradually see. 

Question (Women ITA): (16:58) When the Creator is hidden, we must increase faith, but how can we increase strength? 

M. Laitman: It's the same thing. The strength of faith, the force of faith. That's what we need. We have nothing else to look for. 

Student: Is faith the expression of faith for the Creator? 

M. Laitman: Faith is the connection between a person and the Creator. 

Question (Women MAK 51): (18:09) To the extent of our maturity, the states of descent will be strengthened in quantity, quality, length. How not to despair in such states? 

M. Laitman: That's what we need friends for, for us to have many friends that engage in the same path that you are, in nearing the Creator, talking about this and consulting between them.

Question (Women MAK 104): (18:48) In all the states there is a desire to bring contentment to the Creator. How from a state of descent do we bring contentment to the Creator? 

M. Laitman: In all the states we need to bring contentment to the Creator.

Student: How can we bring contentment to the Creator from a state of descent, when you are in a descent? 

M. Laitman: From wanting to exit from the state of descent to bring Him contentment, not for it to be better for you, but for it to be good for Him. 

Question (Women Piter): (19:44) How during this state of clashes can we measure our faith in nearing the Creator? 

M. Laitman: Right now, we can't do that yet. We can maximally decide that we're turning to Him or not to Him, but later, this will all take on concrete forms.

Question (Women MAK 36): (20:23) How do we accustom the mind that everything is from the Creator? 

M. Laitman: Constantly, forcefully be in this; hold yourself in it. 

Student: This habit of the mind has to go through a certain cycling? 

M. Laitman: Yes. It's all near us. We need to understand that what appears to us as spiritual, the Creator, etc., It's all much closer. 

Question (PT 6): (21:04) Can we say that my Creator is the same thing as another student’s Creator? Do we have the same Creator? 

M. Laitman: Why not? 

Student: His Creator, no? And His Kli, His light, and His concealment.

M. Laitman: Let it be that way. 

Student: The question is, how do we connect so that my Creator and his Creator, how do we connect in the Creator? 

M. Laitman: The Creator does that Himself. You just need to make sure that you can be as close as possible to Him.

Question (Women MAK 25): (22:04) How, during the state of descent, does a person not get confused and feel the light? How can he decide and move towards faith above reason? 

M. Laitman: Only hold on to the friends, the friends, the group, the articles, what we study, only in such a way. 

Student: Can we bring this to the group, or is it internal? 

M. Laitman: Of course you can. 

Reader: We have another short article. Let's go to the other article.