Morning Lesson December 14, 2023

Transcription is made from simultaneous translation, which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio.

Part 1:

Rabash. Article No. 9, 1986. Concerning the Hanukkah Candle

Reading Article: (00:34) “It is written in Masechet Shabbat…”

1. S. (29:55) What is the middle of the work where we park?

R. That’s exactly Hanukkah, this park, this parking in the middle.  

S. What does it signify? We started with to receive in order to receive, we end with receive in order to bestow. Why are we in the middle?

R. When we came out of in order to receive and have not yet arrived at in order to bestow.

S. If a person identifies the will to receive he feels the shame, but in the end when he receives in order to bestow he does it without shame, or the shame still exists?

R. How can you, in order to bestow, how can you engage with shame? When you want to come out of the shame, come out from in order to receive?

S. Can I say there’s an indication of where if I’m receiving and not feeling shame is that the correct direction, can you work with it?

R. Yes.

2. S. (31:17) He describes two states, a house, and traveling guests.

R. Again.

S. He describes two states, a house, and a traveling guest. We come to the house in the end, right?

R. Right.

S. In that state of a traveling guest, when a person should be on the path and advance, what is that parking taking place?

R. When he is done with the vessels of bestowal.

S. It’s only one time on the path you have this pause?

R. Yes, yes, in the middle.

3. S. (32:09) In the correction of creation, the first part of the article, he says that a person has to come to a state where the intention will be like the action, to bestow in order to bestow, and then he gives an example, who can you aim at? Either someone you love or someone important. 

R. Yes, yes.

S. What’s the difference between the two when you wish to attain the intention?

R. When you wish to attain the intention in order to bestow then whoever you love you do it out of love and whoever you respect then you do it for a different reason, for due to the greatness of that person.

S. But both are done egoistically. It’s not corrected yet.

R. Because it’s in the middle, yes.

S. How do we do it so the intention will be like the action?

R. The intention will be like the action that’s only in Gmar Tikkun, final correction. 

S. He speaks here about the correction of creation, not the purpose of creation.

R. But in the correction of creation we can’t do an act as an intention.

S. Here it speaks of two stages, not receiving in order to bestow, only bestow in order to bestow.  He says that the intention follows the action.

R. Yes.

S. Okay, so we perform a maximum number of actions and everything in bestowal to the friends.

R. Right.

S. Now I have to acquire the intention, so the intention will be not to himself but to Lishma. So here, what is the difference if it’s coming out of love or out of the greatness of the friend?

R. What’s the difference between the greatness of the friend to love to the friend?

S. Yes.

R. So.

S. Will other stages, gradations between them?

R. Love is above all conditions and that is why it is the highest possible thing. We need to reach love.

S. How do you do it so that this love will be without any reward to oneself, to be Lishma?

R. If I connect to a friend in a way that I want to give him, pass on to him everything that I’m able to, that means that I love him.

S. In action?

R. In action. If I ask from the Creator to give me strength to connect to a friend and to bestow upon him everything I’m able to receive from the Creator, then I pass on to him, to the friend.  That’s considered that I love him with all of my soul, my Nefesh.

S. The fact that I am asking this of the Creator.

R. Yes. Also, what are you asking?

S. Why the greatness of the friend here?

R. The greatness of the friend is that I want to love him to such an extent that I give him everything that I’m able to get from the Creator. 

S. Because he’s great? 

R. Yes, in my eyes.

4. S. (36:59) How to enter that the reception will not be in order to receive?

R. How do I use the vessels of reception?

S. I don't know if it's vessels of reception, but it says here that I have to receive because He wants to give me good not because I wish to receive. How do I be sure that once I receive it, I don't enjoy the flavor of reception but because it became bestowal?

R. That's through Zivug de Hakaa and the returning light that to start with I'm not going to receive if it will be in order to receive.

S. How do I make this pause? This moment of reception is already inside flavor. How do I stop?

R. Are you talking about along the path?

S. Yes, how do I stop this parking, so it won’t enter the vessels of the reception, that I'm receiving because He wants to benefit me, not because I wish to enjoy myself?

R. No. The fact that you don't want to enjoy it is not considered that you're stopping.

S. What exactly is the pause, the parking?

R. This pause that I want to do now this parking, in order to give contentment to the Creator.

S. I do this by receiving because He wants to give me?

R. Yes.

S. So here, this second that I receive, that same moment it's swallowed. Everything I've done a second earlier, everything disappears.

R. Why?

S. That's my question: how do I keep it? How do I not let all the flavors take control of my intentions and desires, I keep my focus? How?

R. You receive from the Creator that wants to give but what you receive you don't use in order to have the corrected vessels of reception but in order to have vessels of bestowal.

S. Is there anything I can do to separate it? I know this is a vessel of reception, this is a vessel of bestowal?

R. Yes, sure, how to identify, how to differentiate between them? According to the action.

S. This is reception, this is bestowal?

R. Either it's reception or it's bestowal.

S. I distinguish this action after my deed? Where do I distinguish the deed itself?

R. In the intention, what do you want to do?

5. S. (40:24) He writes that he needs to remain true that the outsides, the externals, will not grip to his action. How to ensure that the externals will not take you out of the intention?

R. I would say the following: we need to connect among each other and to keep the circle of ours together so that no foreign thought will enter the connection between us.

S. In between a person is not always in direct connection with the ten for example, the environment, although the aspirations to constantly be in contact with the ten even in the thought

R. Yes.

S. What does a person do when he must mix with things that have to do with necessities, work, and so on?

R. On the contrary that helps him. The fact that he is in the corporeal world, in the society, in his job, in all kinds of changing connections with friends, relatives, close or distant, it only helps him.

S. How does it help? How do I use this external world specifically to enter the ten even deeper?

R. Upon those same sensations, those same states that you experienced with the world then you try and be connected with the ten more and more. It brings you into more connection with the ten.

S. Meaning it grows my request to enter inside. So, I don't need to try hard to run away, to cancel, to shut my eyes and ears?

R. Look, it's recommended to accelerate the times. They calm themselves.

6. S. (43:32) When we light the candles of Shabbat for the sake of domestic peace is there no matter of bread of shame here?

R. Again.

S. When we light the Shabbat candles for the sake of domestic peace is there no bread of shame during this action?

R. I don't think so. How is one connected to the other? I'm asking.

S. The added receiving necessities. Are the necessities considered lighting the Shabbat candles?

R. No. That's what they're asking?

S. Yes, in Africa they ask, besides the desire to give contentment to the Creator are there additional desires we may want to acquire for the sake of the Creator?

R. The Creator has only to receive pleasure from him in order to bestow upon Him. All of the rest is unrelated to the Creator.

7. S. (45:11) Who do I actually park during Hanukkah? Who do we park? Why is this called parking?

R. Parking means that you stop using the candles, and the light, but only for the light.

S. I didn't get it. What does it mean to stop using the candles?

R. What comes before Hanukkah?

S. We engage in the correction of creation as he says, it’s the stage we are in.

R. Yes, and Hanukkah?

S. We pause, again, that's what he explained. We pause, we reach the state bestow in order to bestow?

R. Yes.

S. And he calls it Lishma also.

R. Yes, so what are you asking about that?

S. I'm asking, what is this action of parking, of pausing? Why is it called this way? Why don't they say moving from walking to running for example?

R. Between bestowing in order to bestow and receiving in order to bestow you park. The second half of Hanukkah is already towards Purim.

S. Maybe, I don’t understand, maybe from a different direction. We always say that we have to perform a restriction, a screen, reflected light, and then, in the end, there's a coupling with striking. If you do all these actions and in the end, we have an action called receiving in order to bestow. What's bestow in order to bestow? What do I do with all these actions? Only restriction? Is that bestowing in order to bestow?

R. Bestowing in order to bestow is only the correction of the vessels.

S. What do you mean? After only performing a restriction, screen…?

R. Restriction, screen, and returning light and use the force of bestowal, the desire to bestow.

S. What's the difference between using this power in order to bestow and the coupling and striking, it's not the same?

R. No. Coupling and striking Zivug de Hakaa is already against the will to receive and in Hanukkah, we are not yet working against the desire. We don't yet have such vessels, such strength. We're only doing actions of bestowal.

Reading Article again. (48:38) “Concerning the Hanukkah Candle…”

8. S. (01:17:09) He writes about the control of the Greeks and I want to understand, there are two discernments here. First of all, he talks about the work in the Torah and commandments that they didn’t let them work in vessels of bestowal and the thoughts of aiming for the sake of the Creator. One he calls them externality and one internality so what's the difference between them?

R. In a physical action or an internal action.

S. He means physical Torah and Mitzvot, commandments?

R. Also.

S. What is a physical act of Torah and Mitzvot, commandments?

R. Just like it's written in the Torah. Besides intentions, there are actions or deeds.

S. Normally this is not how we speak.

R. We don't speak this way but it's actually correct.

9. S. (01:18:18) Hanukkah is a state that's not related to time and on Hanukkah, because we parked, there is a fear that he says as if we, there's fear that we might think that the war is over. How do we overcome the state of thinking that the war is over?

R. We need to understand that we didn't work with all the vessels in order to bestow but rather we're just coming to bestowal in order to bestow, and to receive in order to bestow not yet, so at least half we could say it this way or the majority of the war is still ahead of us.

S. In a state where I am simply not receiving for myself, I'm only bestowing in order to bestow, can you say that I'm receiving a new vessel which is the intention?

R. Yes.

S. Is this a real fear that now because I'm not receiving for myself, I’m only giving, I might think that the war is over? Is this the great fear?

R. The great fear is that I will understand by this that I am working only in vessels of bestowal in order to bestow that that's the end.

S. What is the miracle here in the gap between Hanukkah and Purim, which is also a state, that is in the will to receive in order to bestow. How do I go through this period and tell myself; how should I behave in my connection with the friends during this period?

R. How do I need to behave, with whom? With desire, with the friends, with who?

S. With my desire, and behave correctly as it says here, in my connection with my friends so I don't think that that's it I did my bit and now I'm sitting on the couch waiting to receive what I need to receive.

R. We continue to battle and the fact that there is a pause or a break in the middle of the war, it's only for us to move to other vessels, coarser heavier vessels, to vessels of reception and for us to work in them in order to bestow which is already something that's associated with Purim, that's it.

10. S. (01:21:33) What is the difference between loving the friend and love in the fact that the friend is bringing me closer to the Creator?

R. To love the friend is simply to love the friend. There are many in such that are in some form of connection, even in love with one another, but to love the friend because through him I connect to the Creator, actually that's different, that has to do with the purpose of creation, it has to do with the whole great deed that I want to carry out. 

11. S. (01:22:26) It is written that in vessels of bestowal we do not receive pleasure but only look at the candles but in the light of Mercy there is pleasure, so what do we do with the pleasure that we feel?

R. There is pleasure in the light of Hassadim, but we cannot receive it, we cannot, hence there's no question here.

12. S. (01:23:00) What comes first Shabbat or Hanukkah because we always compare Hanukkah to Purim so here because Shabbat is a kind of the next world.

R. I didn't understand.

S. In the spiritual work what comes first Shabbat or Hanukkah?

R. Shabbat is the end. It’s the final correction, it’s the end of correction and Hanukkah is in the middle, even before Purim.

13. S. (01:23:43) I want to scrutinize something with you. Hanukkah, we stop and get reorganized. Out of this we what? We're going towards Gevurah because we need the moves of the continuation of the war. Is this accurate so far?

R. Let's say.

S. How do we do this when we do it in the ten, the same process? We know that we are in a process, and we have to reorganize and we open our hearts to the possibility. How do we build this new infrastructure?

R. The new infrastructure is built upon vessels of reception so they will be in order to bestow.

S. What are the judgments that we have to put on ourselves because that's the process of the continuation of the war?

R. That we are drawn to the same purpose but in the next step in the next stage, the second stage.

14. S. (01:25:12) How can we protect ourselves from the external ones?

R. Through the connection with the internal ones.

15. S. (01:25:34) The state of home he describes it several times, he’s talking about going out of the house, becoming wanderers. What is the state of home?

R. A home is that place where we assemble, gather together between us, and put together all the, how should I say, everything we can collect everything we can gather.

S. Why do we need to go out of the house, out of our home, and become wanderers?

R. Because that's just half of the journey. Hanukkah is still just half of the path, and we cannot deceive ourselves as if we've reached the end of the path.

16. S. (01:26:44) What was the state of Noah not complete in?

R. That although he was righteous, he did not yet reach the deed of a complete righteous.

17. S. (01:27:20) What did we learn from Shabbat in this in-between state of Hanukkah?

R. That we receive additional forces in order to enter the second half of the war with our ego.

S. So this Shabbat is it actually the preparation of learning from Shabbat in this time of pause, this time of parking, to prepare us for the transition to come to receive correctly in the vessels of reception?

R. Yes.

S. So Shabbat is actually? How can we learn from this Shabbat to do this correctly in the ten, to make this transition?

R. We don't need to do that, we don't need to do any kind of revolution here. We don't need to perform any sharp transition here. What we need to do is that we continue in order to bestow in order to bestow and that leads us to Hanukkah and to Purim.

18. S. (01:29:30) Receiving in order to bestow. Can we say that it's receiving in order to benefit the friends of the ten?

R. No, it's much more. To receive in order to bestow is very big work and it doesn't end in the ten, it ends in the Creator, we will talk about this.

19. S. (01:30:24) What is this not using the light of the candle in the ten?

R. That I'm not using the upper light in order to see but rather only in order to correct the state for the time being of bestowal.

20. S. (01:31:16) It was said that the state of wholeness consists of two parts: wandering and being at home at peace at home. When does it all become one state, the state of domestic peace?

R. To connect with the whole world and want to bestow to everyone.

S. The state of peace is that a Kli, a vessel as well?

R. Yes.

21. S. (01:31:55) What does it mean to correct the vessels of bestowal and that we can only see them?

R. You cannot receive in vessels of bestowal to receive in order to bestow. That's why you can only see them, to enjoy the light but not from the reception of the light.

22. S. (01:32:34) What is the connection between my will to receive and what do I feel against the friend?

R. My desire to receive is my enemy that I need to deal with, and what else?

S. How is it connected to the resistance that I have in me towards the friend?

R. My will to receive places me against the friend and I need to try with my will to receive in such a way that I will be together with it, together with the friend. Constantly spin my will to receive from against to for.

23. S. (01:34:11) Do we, should we maintain the condition of shame in the condition between us in the ten?

R. It depends on what states you are in between you.

24. S. (01:34:49) If bestowing in order to bestow is a great concern how can a person agree and want to find a desire to continue to the next and higher degree?

R. Meaning towards to receive in order to bestow. This is on the way, we can see how much we can receive, how much we can bestow, where the boundary between them is, and this is how we come to it. And it's very important here that through the connection with the friends we can rise more and more.

S. How can a person see the boundary you just talked about?

R. Through the friends. He needs to connect with the friends and in the connection, in the form of connection he has with them, he will see where he is, where he is facing.

25. S. (01:36:51) It is written in the article, in English it is written burnt offering, so what is a burnt offering?

R. Yes, the sacrificial offering. There are several offerings, this is a certain offering, but it's not so important right now. In truth, we're not learning about the burnt offerings or offerings in general.

26. S. (01:38:00) Can you give us an example of actions I can do that are acts of bestowal in order to bestow in the ten? What should we do in practice in order to reach this degree?

R. To bestow in order to bestow we need to be in a complete connection with the friends in order to help their advancement.

S. Can you give us some concrete exercise?

R. Help one another and then you will see how it works.

27. S. (01:39:07) In the article it says that there are poor people who cannot buy candles for both Shabbat and Hanukkah. The question is, does poor mean someone who doesn't have a connection with the Creator, vessels of bestowal? So who are the poor who are on the one hand on the spiritual path and in the spiritual work and yet they cannot reach the light of Hanukkah, who are they?

R. Because they have yet to merit it, that is why, that is why they are called poor.

28. S. (01:40:04) The work in that home is very complicated, to do it we have to learn to love?

R. Of course.