Daily Morning Lesson. January 15, 2026
Part 1: Rabash. How to Recognize One Who Serves God from One Who Does Not Serve Him
Reader: Dear friends, in the first part of the lesson, we will watch a recorded lesson from March 3rd, 2003 on the article, “How to Recognize One Who Serves God from One Who Does Not Serve Him,” Rabash’s article number 29. We will now read this article in the Ten, and if you're done reading it before the allotted time, you're welcome to start a workshop summarizing the main points of the article.
Reading: (00:36) Rabash. How to Recognize One Who Serves God from One Who Does Not Serve Him
Article No. 29, 1988
Our sages write in [Masechet] Ketubot: “Rabbi Hiya Bar Ashi said, ‘Rav said, ‘All infertile trees in the land of Israel are destined to bear fruit, as was said, ‘For the tree has borne its fruit, the fig tree and the vine have yielded strength.’’’”
The MAHARSHA interprets that “Although it is an infertile tree, which by nature is unfit for yielding fruit, it will still bear fruit.” We should understand what this teaches us in the work.
The Sulam [Baal HaSulam's commentary on The Zohar], in its commentary on the “Essay about Letters” (“Introduction of The Book of Zohar,” Item 23) writes, “It is known that God has made them one opposite the other. As there are four worlds ABYA de [of] Kedusha [holiness/sanctity], there are four worlds ABYA de Tuma’a [impurity] opposite them. Hence, in the world of Assiya there is no distinction between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him. Accordingly, how can we tell good from evil? However, there is one, very important scrutiny, which is that another god is barren and does not bear fruit. Hence, those who fail in him and walk by the path of ABYA de Tuma’a, their source dries out and they have no blessing of spiritual fruits. Thus, they wither away until they shut completely. The opposite is those who adhere to Kedusha. Their works are blessed, ‘As a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.’ This is the only scrutiny in the world of Assiya to know if he is in Kedusha or to the contrary.”
We should understand the meaning of “fruits” in spirituality. The word “fruits” is used to mean “profits,” similar to saying, “I struck a big deal but it is yet to bear fruit.” It means that he is still not making profit out of it. In work matters, we should interpret that when a person begins to take on the burden of Torah and Mitzvot [commandments/good deeds], the understanding he has about fear of heaven and the importance of the Mitzvot, and especially the importance of the Torah, when he is at the age of twenty or thirty, he does not know much about the work of the Creator, meaning what is fear of heaven and what is the feeling in Torah and Mitzvot.
Although he sees that he has already acquired the possession of several years of engagement in Torah and Mitzvot, he has not progressed in the understanding that he had since he became obliged to engage in Torah and Mitzvot. That is, he thought that as he grows up, he would probably have different intentions than when he first began the work of the Creator. However, he has remained in the same intention and he agrees to the general view that says about him, when they see that he observes Torah and Mitzvot in all its details and intricacies, they respect him and exalt him and honor him for his work in Torah and Mitzvot.
Therefore, he is in a state of “The whole world tells you that you are righteous.” For this reason, he can never achieve wholeness, called “serving the Creator.” He remains “a servant of himself.” That is, all the work he does is for his own benefit. This is called “not serving Him.” Instead, he is working for himself and not for the Creator.
In work matters, it is impossible to become a servant of the Creator before we come to a state of “not serving Him,” for they are two degrees and it is impossible to rise to a higher level before one is on the lower level. Rather, first one enters the degree called “not serving Him.” That is, a person must come to feel that as long as he is working for his own benefit, it is called “not serving Him.”
Also, “not serving Him” does not mean that he sees that he is in a state of Lo Lishma [not for Her sake], which is called in the work, “not serving Him.” He accepts the situation regardless of the excuses he has for this, since the reasons do not change the situation. Therefore, if he agrees to remain in that state, it is regarded as still not being in a state of “not serving Him.”
When he sees that he is in a state of “not serving Him,” he seeks advice to emerge from it, both by books and by authors. It pains him that he is in such lowliness and so immersed in self-love that he cannot emerge from this control, and he fears that he will stay this way forever. This is called being in a state of “not serving Him.”
However, we should ask, How should one name the situation where he sees that he is in a state of “not serving Him”? That is, when a person comes to that state where he sees that he is immersed in self-love, and all the beastly lusts awaken in him—such that he has never dreamed of—in a state of “not serving Him,” such thoughts and desires awaken that according to the work he has invested, which he exerted in order to be rewarded with Kedusha [holiness/sanctity] and for which he should have at least seen that although he has not been rewarded with Kedusha, he should have seen himself liberated from beastly lusts.
Otherwise, he asks, Our sages said, “The reward matches the pain,” meaning that a person is rewarded according to the effort he has made. Yet, now he sees that he made the effort, but what reward did he receive? That he has become worse. Before he began the work of bestowal, he knew that he was a worker of the Creator. Although he knew even then that there are higher degrees, meaning those who work Lishma [for Her sake], he knew that work Lishma was meant for a chosen few. At that time he was certain that although he was not counted among the chosen few, he was regarded as a worker of the Creator like the rest of his environment. But now that he wants to work for the sake of the Creator, he is regressing. That is, he feels that he is worse than before. This brings up the question, Where is what our sages said, “The reward matches the pain”?
The truth is, as Baal HaSulam said, that because he has invested much effort to be rewarded with a little bit of Kedusha, by this he was rewarded with attaining the quality of truth. That is, he was rewarded from above with awareness of his true state—how the evil within him, meaning the will to receive for himself is so worldly and remote from the Creator. This means that before he began the work, he could not understand the lowliness of his state whatsoever.
Rather, as we said in previous articles, The Zohar interprets the verse, “if his sin is made known to him,” that the Creator tells him that he has sinned, or the Torah notifies him that he has sinned. For himself, a person cannot see the evil in him, since a person is close to himself and is biased, and it is written that “bribe blinds the eyes of the wise,” and the blind do not see. For this reason, a person cannot see the evil in him by himself. Instead, he is notified from above, which, in the words of The Zohar, is regarded as the Torah or the Creator notifying him. Both are made clear to us by one matter, meaning that it comes from above and not from himself, since recognition of evil is knowledge from above.
By this we can interpret what people ask: On one hand, our sages said (Nida 30b), “He is sworn, ‘Be righteous and do not be wicked, and even if the whole world tells you that you are righteous, be wicked in your own eyes.’” They ask, But the Mishnah (Avot, Chapter 2) says, “Do not be wicked in your own eyes,” so how come they say, “Be wicked in your own eyes”?
There are many answers to this. According to the above said, recognition of evil comes from above, and a person cannot come to the recognition of evil unless he has exerted in Torah and Mitzvot in order to come to work for the sake of the Creator. At that time he is shown from above the evil, and only then can he see that he is wicked. Naturally, in such a state, when he is shown from above that he is wicked, although judging by his actions, he seems righteous to the world, since no one can know what another has been shown from above.
It was said about this: “Even if the whole world tells you that you are righteous,” since they do not know you, meaning your intentions, you should still know the truth. For this reason, they said, “Be wicked in your own eyes.” “In your own eyes” means not as the world regards your externality. Rather, “in your own eyes” means the form of the intention, which none can see but you. This is called “in your own eyes.” Then, you will see that you are wicked, as it is written, “Be wicked in your own eyes.”
However, as said above, a person cannot see the truth, that he is wicked, until he has made great efforts in Torah and Mitzvot in order to achieve the truth. At that time he is shown from above the truth that he is in a state of “not serving Him.” But by himself, without help from above, a person cannot see that he is wicked. This is the meaning of what is written, “Do not be wicked in your own eyes.” This means that from his own perspective, a person cannot be wicked. Rather, this requires help from above.
For this reason, a person must ask the Creator to let him know the truth about his state in spirituality, where he is, meaning if he is among those who are called “servants of the Creator,” or among those who are called “not serving Him.” But by himself, a person cannot know. This is why they said, “Do not be wicked in your own eyes.”
Now we will explain what we asked, How should one name the situation he is in, if he sees that he really is in a state of “not serving Him,” meaning if he is not moving at all in the work but is regressing and his work has been in vain, without any profits? He should believe in what our sages said, “The reward matches the pain,” but he evidently sees that it would be better if he did not begin this work of bestowal in the first place. He sees that he is only descending in the work, and not ascending. Accordingly, the state of “not serving Him” should have been named “a descent.”
However, according to what we said, that it is impossible to achieve a higher degree prior to attaining a lower one, regarded as “not serving Him,” it follows that that state is not regarded as a “state of descent,” but rather as a “state of ascent,” for such is the way: The lower degree is the reason and the cause of the upper degree. Therefore, this descent, when he feels that he is in a state of descent, causes him to ascend to a higher degree.
That is, “the reward matches the pain.” In other words, to the extent that he suffers from being in a state of “not serving Him,” it causes him to seek counsel and advice to emerge from that state and ascend to a higher degree, called “serving the Creator.” For this reason, that state is called “a time of ascent,” and it is called “a state of progress toward the goal.” However, even at a time of “not serving Him” there are ups and downs, and these descents are also regarded as ascents.
Explanation: A descent causes a person to see the state of the bad in him—to what he might come, meaning to what lowliness it might bring a person. That is, during an ascent, when a person has passion for Torah and prayer, and he thinks that now he is among the servants of the Creator and he no longer needs the Creator to help him out of his evil inclination since he feels good taste in the work, he looks at the times he was in descent and is ashamed of himself. It pains him very much if he remembers his descents.
But suddenly he falls “from the rooftop to the deep pit.” That is, he feels from a state of thinking that he was already in heaven into seeing that he is already in a deep pit. Moreover, he does not remember how he fell into the pit and for what reason. Once he falls into the pit, he is there unconscious, meaning he does not feel how he has fallen into the pit. However, after some time he recovers and begins to feel that he is in the pit. The recovery time may take a minute, or an hour, or a day or two days, or a month, until he regains consciousness and sees the lowliness that he was in.
Afterward, he is given once more from above a desire and craving for the work. Once more, he is in a state of ascent, and this is the time that he can enjoy the descent. That is, during the ascent he can know the benefits from experiencing the descent, since according to what is said, the punishments given to a person are not as with a flesh and blood king, who avenges the person not following the king’s orders. Rather, here there is a matter of correction. Thus, what benefit can he say that he has from the descents?
The answer is that the descent was not given to man so he would learn from the descent while he is in descent. During the descent he is unconscious. That is, he does not feel that he is in descent, since at that time there is no living being to feel some lack in vitality of Kedusha, since he has lost the awareness that there is spirituality in anyone in the world, and all his thoughts are only about life in self-love.
That is, since it is known that without life, it is impossible to live, therefore, each one chooses the right clothing from which to elicit life, which is called “pleasure,” since there is no life without pleasure. When a person cannot find pleasure in his life, he immediately chooses death, which is called “committing suicide.”
Therefore, during the descent, when he finds pleasure in some clothing, it does not matter to him what is the clothing, but how much pleasure he can derive from this clothing. This is called that at that time he does not think about spirituality, since the pleasure he receives makes him forget everything else, for he is completely preoccupied with continuing to obtain the pleasures in the dresses that suit his spirit at the time. In this he is immersed. At that time, he has no thoughts that there is such a reality called “service of the Creator,” since a descent is called “death.” That is, the little bit of spirituality when he was somewhat adhered to Kedusha has departed from him. For this reason, at that time he is regarded as “dead,” without vitality of Kedusha.
However, afterward, he wakes up and begins to see that he is devoid of spiritual life. His awakening from the descent is called “the revival of the dead,” when he begins to feel that he is deficient of life. Conversely, one who is dead does not feel that he is deficient of life so as to want to be awarded life.
Yet, the question is, Who revived him? The answer to this is “A King who puts to death and brings to life.” And why do we need this? The answer is “and brings forth salvation.” This means that by the Creator giving him a descent, called “putting to death,” on the one hand, and on the other hand, by giving an ascent, called “and brings to life,” by this comes salvation, as it is written, “and brings forth salvation.”
Thus, when does one learn and profit from the descent? Certainly not during the descent, for then he is dead. However, afterward, when the Creator revives him, meaning gives him an ascent, this is the time to learn what happened to him during the descent, meaning in what lowliness he was, what he craved and what he expected—that if he were to have it, he would feel like a complete human being. At that time he sees that his entire life of being in descent was nothing short of the life of an animal.
Let us take, for example, when trash is thrown in the garbage. When the cats in the area feel that there is some leftovers of an animal that was thrown in the trash, they find it and eat it. With the strength from eating, each of them runs to its place to obtain other pleasures. If a person observes during the ascent, he understands that it is not worthwhile to occupy his mind and heart in beastly lusts. In his current eyes, it is complete trash. When he looks at such a life, it makes him so nauseous that he wants to vomit.
It follows that the great benefit from this descent is that he sees his own lowliness, to what state he might come, and that only the Creator has brought him out of that lowliness. This is the time to see the greatness of the Creator, that He can bring a person “out of the miry clay,” where he could drown and remain forever in the hands of the Sitra Achra [other side], and only the Creator has brought him out of there.
Accordingly, we can see that during the ascent, a person should read everything that is written about the time of descent. From this reading he will know how to ask the Creator for his soul so He will not throw him once again into the trash. Also, he will know how to thank the Creator for raising him from the bottomless pit, as it was said, “A king who puts to death and brings to life, and brings forth salvation.” That is, salvation grows out of the descents and ascents.
Thus, after he has completed the first stage, called “not serving Him,” begins the time of being “a servant of the Creator.” That is, once he has tried every advice and tactic to exit the state of “not serving Him,” he receives help from above, as it is written in The Zohar, “He who comes to purify is aided,” by giving him “a holy soul.” By this he emerges from the governance of self-love and can work only in order to bestow.
Thus, how can a person come to be a servant of the Creator? By being rewarded with a soul from above. This is regarded that now he is bearing fruit. And what is the fruit? It is that he has been rewarded with a soul. This is the fruit. In other words, a person must know that before he was rewarded with fruits, called “a soul,” he cannot be a servant of the Creator. Rather, he must be serving himself, which is called “not serving Him,” for the above reason that a person cannot go against the nature in which he was born, which is self-love. Rather, only the Creator can make this miracle.
By this we should interpret what our sages said, “All infertile trees in the land of Israel are destined to bear fruit.” That is, once a person has been rewarded with Eretz Yashar-El [Land of Israel], by being rewarded with a soul, everything becomes corrected, meaning even the quality of “infertile trees,” which do not bear fruit. This refers to the time of “not serving Him”—that it also receives correction, as in “sins become to him as merits.”
In other words, it is impossible to be a servant of the Creator before one feels that he is in a state of “not serving Him.” That is, through the descents and ascents he had while in a state of self-love, these ascents and descents were stages and degrees so he would be able to climb up to the place of wholeness, and then everything enters Kedusha because all those things helped him achieve wholeness.
Now we can understand that “infertile trees,” which are naturally unfit to bear fruit, will still bear fruit. That is, when a person is in Lo Lishma, that state is far from bearing fruit, meaning with being rewarded with understanding in work and Torah, regarded as being rewarded with entering the King’s palace. But in a state of Lo Lishma, it is to the contrary: He moves himself away from Dvekut [adhesion] with the Creator. Still, after he has been rewarded with entering the land of Israel, all the Lo Lishma, called “infertile trees,” will bear fruit, meaning that the upper light, called “a soul,” will be on those Kelim, as well, since everything comes into Kedusha.
Reader: We will enter a lesson with Rav from March 3rd, 2003.
M. Laitman: (32:25) “Rungs of the Ladder,” part of the “Masechet Ketubot,” “How to Recognize One Who Serves God from One Who Does Not Serve Him.” This recognition cannot be during the work. During the work, it's difficult to tell who serves the Creator and who doesn't. But this is done through the fruit, by the fruit. As it says, the king who puts to death and brings back to life and cultivates salvation by putting to death, by bringing to life, then salvation comes. And it's not possible in any other way to reach the goal of being a servant of the Creator. And this advancement happens only through the scrutiny of what the main thing is, what the primary thing is. If it's the clothing or the pleasure or the pleasure itself. In the spiritual world, the clothing of the pleasure is called reflected light, and the pleasure itself is the revelation of God, divinity, that feeling. In our world, the clothing is called truth or lie, and pleasure is the inner. Whatever a person prefers, well, he scrutinizes that until he cannot tolerate the false clothing anymore, to the point where he gives up the pleasure and it doesn't matter to him. The main thing that matters to him is that the clothing will be a clothing of truth. Even to the point where he remains empty, unfulfilled, willing to perform a restriction, if only to hold on to the truth. Hold on to the truth. By that, he scrutinizes his state. Now, certainly, these things are an outcome of the influence of the upper light on us during the study, and the extent to which, as we study, we aim to summon the influence of the light upon ourselves, and the extent to which we intend to do that, of course, that is also dictated by us. By the extent to which we think about this beforehand, preparing ourselves for the lesson, the lesson itself being our contact with the upper light, which can influence us. So, for the rest of the hours of the day, the 24 hours of the day, a person must think about how he's preparing himself for the lesson, because here he will connect to the source of the reforming light. And in order to maintain alertness for 20 hours, waiting, expecting the lesson where he will receive the upper light, he needs the importance of the goal, which only the society can provide. And so if a person collects, gathers together all the means, which is the society, the environment, the Rav, in order to reach the lesson and truly demand a correction, then accordingly the upper light influences him such that he begins to scrutinize with precision that is proper for his degree, which is more important - the clothing or the internality, the pleasure? So much so that he adheres more and more to the clothing, and that brings him the feeling of fulfillment. The more he's willing to fill himself up with reflected light, the light of Hassadim, bestowal in truth, instead of the pleasures that lie inside. Above these pleasures, he scrutinizes his clothing, and he adheres to that. And although he may be in a state of constant exertion, despite that, it cannot be that a descent won't come, because without a descent, he cannot measure his ascents. And so ascents and descents, again, that is with respect to the importance of the clothing, the fulfillment. However, if the upper light acts upon him as is proper, meaning that he truly draws it during the study, then he can see that in the descents, as well as the ascents, stands that king who puts to death and brings to life and cultivates salvation. That is the source which he adheres to in all states, because then he truly, certainly achieves salvation. And then, when he reaches the fruit, you could say that there is a clear distinction between one who serves the Creator and one who does not. Was there anything else there?
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (38:48) What does it mean when he writes that man's progress depends on the recognition of the evil that comes to him?
M. Laitman: A person's advancement depends on the recognition of evil that comes to him. Certainly. What else? Even now, I'm in Ein Sof, infinity. Do I discern anything in this? Nothing. Now the upper light will come and give me some tiny feeling that I'm in some state other than this beastliness. Did something change other than my perception? No. What then? I became slightly more sensitive. This is called a measure of recognition. I rose from complete unconsciousness to some little consciousness, and then a bit more and a bit more, until I returned to a state, the state of Ein Sof, infinity. What changes other than my perception, my feeling? Nothing. Did anything change outside? Nothing. Everything that happens occurs within me. I recognized the true state in which I am. Before that, I was either unconscious or partially conscious. Partially, meaning I'm in the worlds. Some of the Ein Sof is concealed from me, and some is revealed, until I rise above all these concealments and reach Ein Sof. I opened up all my channels, and I feel, certainly the true state with no limitation. It's called Ein Sof, infinity. No limit to my perception. That's it.
Student: This is a criterion for a person?
M. Laitman: Certainly, my measure of sensitivity, my perception, is called my degree. Is that clear?
Student: It's clear, but I'm trying to see what is the value in our state, and what is in the other state.
M. Laitman: There's no difference between our state and the next one. Everything depends on the measure of perception and the extent to which I truly perceive the state I'm in.
Student: What do I need to ask so He would show me my true state?
M. Laitman: What do I need to ask for to be shown the true state?
Student: Yes.
M. Laitman: There's nothing to ask for. If you want to see the true state, then you see it. You will see it. Everything comes according to the will, according to the vessels. You imagine to yourself this state. I ask, and maybe I'll be given, maybe I won't be granted. There's no court judging you from above: this was good, this wasn't, maybe we'll do this, maybe not. These are set, deterministic laws which exist with the purpose of bringing you the maximum benefit from the Good Who Does Good. And then, however you orient yourself towards this reality, towards these laws, so you receive. It's not that there's a system judging you, taking into account various things. We can say that, yes, this is how it happens, but it happens automatically. There's no will or something like that here. The Creator's will is set. The Good who does good. Meaning that I pray, I ask, I want - that's how we say with our words. By that, we simply open up our channels, more, less, ready, not, like this, like that. That's it. And according to what you do, you’ll receive. There's no other system that later needs to approve your reception. It's there from the beginning, Good who does good. His sentence to benefit his created beings, that comes first. Or rather, His judgment to benefit the created beings. Therefore, what does it say? The reward is according to the sorrow. According to your exertion, your labor, you will receive. Bring your labor, that's it. Nothing is weighted. Whatever cup you come with, you'll receive into it. One liter, two, a ton. That means that even now, we are at the end of correction, Ein Sof. The question is, how much can you receive?
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (44:23) How do I worry about the pace of the exertion? How do I do this?
M. Laitman: So here we have a problem. How do we tend to the pace? How do we change the pace, the quickness of the exertion? That's correct. That depends on the need, I guess. The pace of it, that's the frequency. How often, in minutes or seconds, of my beastly life, in that time of beastliness, how quickly do I return to contact with spirituality, that entrance, as we call it. That depends on the sensation of, the sense of need, the feeling of the greatness of the goal, consciously, in all the advertisements you hear about this, that it will affect you properly. Everything depends on this, on being convinced. If it's an important thing, then I think about it all the time.
Student: But how can I tell that I'm not going through a velocity, rather than an acceleration? How can I feel it?
M. Laitman: How can you measure your speed? Well, let's say, on the terrestrial level, you know, there's a stopper, where you can count, you go into some place, and they count how many people enter. So, get such a stopper, and each time you remember the Creator, and try to connect to Him, press it, and you'll see at the end of the day, what number you've reached. For the time being, we can do this exercise. Often? Well, between us, you know, you don't need to. Sometimes, weeks can pass you by like that. But at least that way. So, what does it depend on? From within, who knows when you'll awaken? So, it depends on external factors, either the Creator, the heavens, or the environment. Well, the heavens, who knows? That's not up to us. But the environment, if you can spin, if you can tune the environment like an alarm clock, to send you some message every minute to awaken you, that's the only thing within your power to do. Because by nature, the inner or superior nature, it's not known to you when you will awaken, and it's also out of your hands. What's in your ability to do is to set an alarm clock. And that is the society.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (47:27) What does it mean to think about the Creator?
M. Laitman: Thinking about the Creator, that means thinking about the one, unique, unified force, which is the cause of all my desires and thoughts and everything that happens to me. That's the meaning of thinking about the Creator. The Creator is the root. Root, means that in Him, we gather, aggregate, or everything that comes from Him returns to Him. Meaning, everything that's outside of me, within me, in mind and heart, it all comes from Him. So, if I want to think about Him, to return to Him, to connect to Him, then I need everything that I have in my mind and heart, everything, everything, I need to again collect and gather into Him. That's the meaning of returning to the Creator. Returning.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (48:35) We said that you don’t need to tie everything to the Creator. Remember, the group?
M. Laitman: What do I remember? I remember you filmed me in Ireland and I talked about this for hours. Right? And now you ask the same thing once more.
Student: No, every leaf that falls, I tie it to the Creator. Everything suddenly that falls, I tie it to Him. And we said it's not that well, it's not good.
M. Laitman: It's not so good to tie oneself to the Creator?
Student: To the small, the small corporeal actions. On the leaf, you know.
M. Laitman: No. No. Tying himself to the Creator means that all the forces, all the outcomes, everything that is happening, I connect everything to the force, to the one source. It doesn't relieve me from the work, because I am not in it myself. I simply determine that this is how it should be, but myself, I am not already in this point. I can only imagine it, I depict it for myself, and there's a gap between how much I need to exert in order to imagine the point of connection, where everything is in Him, and where I am right now, where I don't need to imagine anything. I feel myself; I feel the world, I feel what's happening with me, all these actions. So there's a gap between what I am with my brain and my heart, my thoughts, my desires, and the world that surrounds me and how it influences me, and what I imagine as everything concentrating in Him, and there's truly nothing but Him. And relative to me, it appears to be divided into all those things: internal, external, and even more external, right? So there's a gap between what I feel and think, and what I can actually imagine with my imagination. This gap is really the difference between myself and my true state, and I wish to erase that gap. I wish to skip over it, truly be the feeling, the awareness, the thought, the everything, with all my being, all my feelings, in a place where it's truly “Him and His name are one.” Now, when I'm not yet in “Him and His name is one,” rather I only say it is so, but I don't feel it, I don't think it, but I can try hard to imagine it, then I need to work to correct the gap between what I feel and think, and what it's theoretically, what the sages tell me about, that this is how it is. In other words, it doesn't relieve me from anything. Oh, “There's none else besides Him,” I'm going in that direction, “He and His name is one,” and that's it. No, that's already a lie. If I could truly be in it, okay, but if I'm not in it, I can't throw all my problems at that, rather I have to correct this gap. This is our work, there's nothing more than that, to see all of life, and all the occurrences, and all the mess, and the problem, and confusion, and the thoughts, and desires, and everything, only as the difference between “Him and His name is one,” and where I am, outside of this final point. A person has to evaluate his state from where he is, his state, not theoretically that there is end of correction, and Ein Sof, and everything is there. Of course it's there, but are you in it or not? That's why I don't understand. I hear people, oh yes, “Him and His name is one,” or “There's none else besides Him,” all those things. What do you mean, “None else besides Him?” Is that how you behave in life, that there's none else besides Him? Is this the law of your life, do you live in it, is this your degree, meaning yours? Rather it's laziness, or negligence, or I don't know how to say, that you're running away from exertion if you say it this way. Before you reach, “There's none else besides Him,” there is no “There's none else besides Him.” It's called philosophy. If you accept the imaginary picture as reality, it's philosophy. Kabbalah is entirely against that. It's the exact opposite. You must live in the reality of your vessels. That's why we constantly say, Berur, scrutiny, scrutiny and discernment. And only from that, “a judge has only what his eyes see,” what you have in your vessels. And the more the vessels are sensitive, the more prepared, certainly more advanced, ready to be corrected, everything depends on the sensitivity between the state of “Him and His name is one,” and my state, and all the different ways that I'm checking it.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (55:59) I know that I need to connect my point, myself, with my actions and the Creator, all as one. But what are these three things, actually? What is the “me?” What is that image, that picture I live in, and what is the Creator that I need to connect them to?
M. Laitman: I spoke about it a thousand times, who is the “I,” and my action, and the Creator. The “I” is my inner state, my inner condition. How should I put it, maybe there's another word for it? My inner state, my desires, my thoughts, my status, yes? My degree. Where am I in all the tests that I can do relative to spirituality, to the Creator? Now, who's the Creator? Creator, the force that gives, that does good, as much as I can imagine what it is, and my action, when I can bring myself closer to resembling Him. If I can cross these three things as one, or superimpose them as one, then you can say that I am in the possible connection with the Creator. Make some effort, you'll see. Maybe for one moment, one second, it's possible, and later it will immediately disappear, and again, and it disappears, and again. It's difficult, I agree with you. It constantly disappears, but the fact that it disappears, it's a sign they're giving you immediately, another opportunity, and another, and then a habit becomes nature. You will look for this contact, to live in it, and from within it, to determine your world.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (58:35) Is it my own action, where I can imagine myself to come to resemble Him, or…?
M. Laitman: My action, my intention, you're right, I didn't say it precisely. I, the Creator, and my action, the action meaning the state I'm in. Let's say, now I'm at work, or some connection with people, that I need to do something in my life, or with my landlord, or, it doesn't matter - a state where I'm at, even the most external, it also has more internal states, it doesn't matter - that state I'm in, to do the connection in it. It's not like I’m…Meaning also in corporeality, not only spirituality.
Student: The action, is it to make the connection, or to see how it works on me?
M. Laitman: To make the connection in that state.
Student: And connection, is that my effort to maintain the state or to observe it and see how it activates me, how it operates on me?
M. Laitman: The way it works on me in my state, it's still just a test, but the connection has to come. When I say, I am and the Creator, it that state, who am I? I am the one who's arranged by the Creator that feels this way and sees this way and judges. And what am I going to do from this perspective of the Creator that created me? Now I'm in the Creator's eyes and His hands that He designed me this way. I now from that, I can imagine who's the Creator. And now, after I positioned my “I” and the Creator, now the state that I'm in, how can I tie Him and me and that state together and to work from these three points to be as one?
Student: This discernment of who I am, that is already a kind of connection.
M. Laitman: It's a type of connection, but not a type of action. The fact that I check myself, I check the Creator and I establish these two characters, it's still a diagnosis or analysis. And then when I will connect them inside the single action that is now arranging for me, the surrounding state, if specifically within the state that's around me, if I can connect these two things, what I notice, me and Him, this is the meaning of finding inside my state, the point of Ein Sof, the point of contact.
Student: In this whole thing, it's not clear to me who I am. The Creator exists; the state exists.
M. Laitman: Okay, guys, a bit more realistically. Who am I? What am I?
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:02:08) In the article, “The Freedom,” he writes that the society is the ability to change nature through habit becomes a second nature, as it says. Here, Rabash says that only the Creator has the ability to change nature, that it's a miracle. If so, what power does the society actually have?
M. Laitman: The society can invite, can summon for you each time a different desire to awaken it. If it's not there, nothing will help. If you bring a cat over here, put him on the chair, like this joke with the cat and the mice that started to serve the food, right? So you can't go against nature. You cannot take someone who has no affinity, right? I could say, to spirituality and to have him sit here and something will happen to him. It will advance him in truth a little bit because he has a point, but it's very much concealed. It will take a lot for it to be revealed. So it will bring him a certain pace of advancements and progress. But bottom line, you need to have people here who have a point in the heart. After he has a point in the heart, through the society he can awaken that point, can make it awaken more and more. So society can awaken this point, so it will begin to control the heart, dominate the heart. What are we doing? I awaken you. This point is asleep. Sometimes it awakens, sometimes not, by the upper light from above, right, they give you all these signs from time to time. It seems like it's you, perhaps, but it's clear it's not a person. There's no mechanism in a person to do it by himself. Now, the society can awaken that point. When the point awakens, you begin to work from within it, to draw something of that surrounding light. And progress comes in this way. Progress comes only from the surrounding light working on the point of the heart. Without the light, there's nothing to do. Meaning, the society cannot build you, but rather it can awaken you more and more to turn to the Creator, let's say, to the surrounding light.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:04:43) So, what is this second nature, habit becoming a second nature?
M. Laitman: Habit becomes second nature means that there's in us…We learn that when a person summons on himself a certain pleasure, this light, this pleasure, the light builds a deficiency in him, and then a person needs to fulfill this deficiency. There's nothing you can do. That's called a habit that it wasn't there before.
Student: So, a habit is a vessel that is formed. I don't understand where the society is in this and where the Creator is here with respect to the formation of that Kli, that vessel. I don't understand where the society is and where the Creator is in the sense of forming that second nature.
M. Laitman: He speaks in shorthand there; show me what he writes. No external factor can build anything in you unless it will make you turn to the light, and the light will build the vessel to Him. There cannot be any other way.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:06:50) How can one tell if he really has a point in the heart?
M. Laitman: A point in the heart, a person can know if he has it or not, if he prefers the truth compared to the pleasure.
Student: But it keeps changing.
M. Laitman: It's changing constantly according to the point of truth, that inner point, it awakens more and more. There are people that are satisfied with the clothing. In truth for me, let there be law and judgment in Israel according to this form of justice, and we're done; I don't need anything more. The second person needs to let animals live, and that's it; we need to take care of them. This is the truth, but all our clothes are around the true point, because truly human things also come from the qualities of Bina and Malchut, but nevertheless, it's still a point that will later awaken.
Student: How can a person know if it's a point of truth?
M. Laitman: A person doesn't know the point of truth that he has, he doesn't. He simply has to develop. He develops it from his necessity.
Student: But how can he tell if his desire for spirituality is true or maybe it comes from frustrations and other desires?
M. Laitman: His desire, if it's aimed at spirituality or not, you can see that only out of experience. What is he drawn towards?
Student: But if he's already entered a system which creates this second habit in him, then it becomes his nature, it's like education.
M. Laitman: No, no, no, no, second nature means that you create a vessel, it's not that… Look, second nature, means something you did not have previously, now you receive, now you add it. And this language, you can't take a cat and form a second nature in it to write songs, I don't know what, a certain impulse to introduce a deficiency into it. What is second nature? How come I will now be changing? What changes in me? Why I can acquire something additional that is called the second nature and a beast cannot. They also have all kinds of habits, it is known, they can do it. But in them, it's very simply, plainly, it remains primitive.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:10:02) How can I tell that I'm adding something new? Maybe the point in the heart was shut off sometime and I continue with, well, just because it would be uncomfortable not to. How can a person know if he's truly adding something? How can he measure his point in the heart? Opposite to what? With respect to what?
M. Laitman: I don't understand what, what, yes.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:10:46) In the article about, “The Freedom” article, he writes about the influence of the environment.
M. Laitman: In your words, I don't want to hear. Give me the sentence from Baal HaSulam.
Student: He writes, let's say, that he will not need the created beings. Then he…
M. Laitman (Source Text/Commentary): (01:11:12) Where is this from, the Matan Torah, [The giving of Torah]? Which page? 111? 114, last paragraph. Let's say, he protects himself in his, the way he's accustomed, so he's not needing the others. Meaning, he attained the matter of envy to the, to being stingy with being able to give up his time and having a reality from this fear. It turns out that he's changed a lot towards the benefit of the measure that he inherited from his forefathers, and sometimes manages to uproot this evil inclination in him completely, and becomes a habit, that is good to become a second nature. Well?
Student: This whole chapter about the influence of the environment, he describes the influence of the environment of one's forefathers. And in page 117, there is about free choice. And then in free choice, he describes that in the first paragraph, that the society has to lift him. That's what I understood.
M. Laitman: I don't feel a question. I don't know what, what's the topic.
Student: He describes a state where society is what brings the person to go through a process that through habit, it becomes a second nature.
M. Laitman: The society awakens a person to go through a process called “habit becomes second nature”, also. A person can do that himself as well. And also the society can do this. But what does it mean, habit becoming second nature? Where I don't need specific actions on behalf of my nature. Yes? Meaning I don't have a deficiency. I don't have a deficiency to do like this, knock on the table, like this. I don't have a deficiency. The society says, you know what? Every minute, do this. I do, then a deficiency happens in me that will compel me to have to do so. This is considered that the society became a cause, and the second nature became in me an additional deficiency that on my behalf was not there before. They obligated me for it to be a deficiency for me. Everything in our life is second nature. That the society at one point obligated us to do so, and it became a deficiency in us. Everything. Take the primitive human being, put him in to naturally to live, look at him. That's how you need to be. All the rest is what you receive from the society as second nature. He writes, I don't eat what I want, and I don't dress the way I want to dress, or I don't do anything that I do because I want to do so. Rather, those who are around me want it so, and that's why I do it. That's it. That is called second nature. They created me, they give birth in me to deficiencies that are not there from nature. By what? By putting into me all kinds of these exercises. They're working on me. So, what are you asking? So I need a society that will make me good deficiencies for the goal and not deficiencies for all kinds of nonsense.
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:15:38) What are deficiencies?
M. Laitman: What are deficiencies? We don't have one deficiency. We have many deficiencies. Later, they accumulate into one deficiency.
Student: I'm asking, how does my action of connection cause me an action? Can I, with my mind in my current state make an action called “From Your actions, we know You?” Can I try to understand who is He through what I get in my vessels?
M. Laitman: “We know You from Your actions,” you can say if you know, understand, feel His actions, you can decipher them correctly, then you also have a system to examine things, and discern besides that that they're truly analyzed, and they don't belong to you, but they're completely objective, and you will learn. To learn means that you're not connected to all kinds of... how shall we say this? To all kinds of your interests. If you can study in such a way what the Creator is doing to you, then from that, there's the possibility to learn from His actions, “We know You.” Please, learn. When can you do this? Certainly, after you have a restriction on your entire will to receive, so you will be free. Only then you can see the actions of the Creator. Before that, you don't see them, you don't feel them. Prior to that, you can't decipher them. And then, how can you do “From Your actions we know You?” What vessel do you have in which you feel what He's doing? You need to adapt yourself to such a thing. How will I feel? If my ear grasps a certain wave, a certain tone, or a certain melody, then I can. But if I don't receive, don't grasp, then how? So, I need to have a vessel already. It's not enough to have that point of impregnation and spirituality. According to my vessels, we know You.
Student: So, how can I build the image of the Creator if I have no ability?
M. Laitman: The image of the Creator is called the measure of my correction. The picture of the Creator, the image of the Creator is the picture of the Creator. A person's picture is the Creator's picture. I can only depict the Creator according to that which I am corrected in. The corrected part in me is the image or the depiction of the Creator.
Student: Meaning, that Israel, the light, and the Creator is one.
M. Laitman: Now you can see that Israel, the Creator, and the light are one. It precisely comes out like that. In the part that's in me, it will be called Israel, and there's the Creator, and there's the Torah, and everything. Rather, how else could I depict them? With which desires and with which thoughts? Only in corrected desires and thoughts, which are called Israel in me.
Student: Meaning that my unity in every moment is my corrected part?
M. Laitman: Yes, your unification is exactly the part that is corrected in you at any given moment. Rather, otherwise what? Is there something outside of that? Only according to your corrected vessels you can depict what the Creator is. What else can we speak about here? Is that not clear? And what other vessels could you depict such a thing? Is there something else besides that?
Student: It's not clear, because as long as I remain in this current state, it forces itself on me.
M. Laitman: Whoever negates something does so in his own flaws. Yes. Exactly. Now, too, you're depicting it according to what relative measure you have in the corrections. What we do right now, in general, is how can we even imagine it? We need to try. Certainly, we don't have even the smallest measure to depict what the Creator is. For that, I need to be at least somewhat bestowing. What it is to bestow? Not to do, but to be able to bestow somewhat. With what vessel would I perceive that, the quality of the Creator, if I'm not adapted to it? I don't… how are you asking about such things?
Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:20:45) I don't understand. How do you see a picture of your corrected state for a long time?
M. Laitman: That's another question. How can I constantly hold on to the picture of the image of the Creator in me over time? If I'm in a state that's above the restriction in me, the states that are above the restriction are changing more to bestow, less to bestow. Also, He puts to death, and He revives and brings forth salvation. But also, these are also beyond the restriction. So certainly, a person is, in the feeling of the Creator, in His presence, simply in His world, it is called.
Student: I don't understand. You're saying, in the current state, as long as you're not above the restriction, you have no ability to judge correctly. So, how do you know your corrected state?
M. Laitman: We'll come and see, okay? I don't know. Maybe I'm not hearing today. I'm not hearing exactly what you're saying. You see, they're also asking, how can I be certain that what I see is given to me from above and not what I imagine in my sickly imagination, maybe, something like that. Yes? How? Before we go through the restriction, we cannot distinguish whatsoever what the true picture is. It's not just like that, that it's written, we were dreamers. It's certainly that way. I wrote there in—I don't remember which book it was—such an example where a person imagines inside his dream as if that he's alive. And this dream is really truth. It's what he feels. Well, and if he remains in this dream all the time, enters into some special comatose status of the dream, so he can't awaken. So, what's the difference between his life and such a dream? Is there a difference? Who can tell him that it is or not?
Student: No one.
M. Laitman: No one. Exactly. That's how we are.
Student: How can he be expected to come out of the dream, to do something to awaken from it? There has to be something that allows him to come out.
M. Laitman: Well, how will you come out? Now you're in a dream. Right now you're really asleep, and you're only imagining within the dream that you have now, inside your dream, you have now a dream that we're sitting here and arguing with you. What will you do? How will you wake up? Now your mother will come to you and say, “Son, wake up.” And if she doesn't come and say, “Son, wake up,” then you will constantly just imagine that we are here arguing? What will you do? There's nothing to do, that's right, so sit down quietly.