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

Daily Morning Lesson: April 20, 2026

Part 1: Rabash. Art. 21 (1989). What Is, “A Drunken Man Must Not Pray, in the Work?

Original lesson date: 01/17/2003

Reader: Dear friends, in the first part of the lesson, we will study a lesson with Rav from January 17, 2003. It's based on the article from Rabash, "What Is, ‘A Drunken Man Must Not Pray,’ in The Work?” You can find it in the second volume of Rabash writings. We'll read it together in Tens. Again, we have 35 minutes to do so. Tens who finish before the time is up are invited to do a workshop about the main points from the article.

Reading: (00:40) Rabash. What Is, “A Drunken Man Must Not Pray, in the Work?

Article No. 21, 1989

Our sages said (Iruvin 64), “A drunken man must not pray. And if he prays, his prayer is an abomination.” This means that it is better if he does not pray because his prayer is an abomination. But what does “abomination” mean?

We find the word “abomination” in relation to incest, too. In general, “abomination” means something loathsome, as it was said, “You shall not eat any abomination,” “Come and see the evil abominations they are committing here,” etc. We should understand this in the work. Why is it better if he does not pray if he is drunk, since this is loathsome?

The Zohar asks (Shmini, Item 61) about the verse, “Do not drink wine or ale”: “Rabbi Hiya opened, ‘and wine makes man's heart glad.’ He asks, If the priest should be happy and in illumination of the face more than everyone, why is he forbidden to drink wine? since there is joy and illumination of the face in it. However, in the beginning, wine is gladness and its end is sadness. And the priest should always be happy. Moreover, wine comes from the side of the Levites, since the Torah and the wine of Torah are from the side of Gevura, while the side of the priests is Hesed.”

It is also written there (Item 66), “For this reason, when a priest enters the Temple in order to work, he is forbidden to drink wine, since his actions are secretive and wine reveals secrets. This is why it is to raise the voice,” and this raising of the voice pertains to the Levites.

We should understand what is a priest in the work, what “The priest’s work is secretive” means in the work, and what is a Levite. Also, why do the Levites need to raise their voices, the opposite of the priests, and why wine is gladness in the beginning and sadness in the end, meaning what is regarded as “beginning” and what is regarded as “end”?

First, we need to know what is work. It is known that there are two manners in the work of the Creator: 1) Lo Lishma [not for Her sake], 2) not in order to receive reward. This means that he believes in the Creator, that He is the King of the world, and to the extent of his faith in the greatness of the Creator, so he feels that it is a great privilege to serve the King.

But with what can he serve the King that the King will enjoy? The answer is that we must believe that the Creator has commanded us through Moses how we can serve Him: He has given us Torah and Mitzvot [commandments/good deeds], as well as faith in the sages, to observe everything that our sages added to us, which is called Mitzvot de Rabanan [commandments of our great sages]. Also, He has given us customs to follow, which they have given us to observe. By observing all these, it is in order to bring Him contentment by observing the Torah and Mitzvot, and all of our pleasure is in having this great privilege, and from this we derive our entire life.

That is, since it is impossible to live without delight and pleasure, which extends from the fact that the purpose of creation was to do good to His creations, a desire and yearning to receive pleasure was therefore imprinted in the creatures, or else a person cannot exist in the world. For this reason, all the creatures, as soon as they are born, must receive pleasure.

The only difference between small and great is in the clothing. That is, the pleasure must be dressed in something. Hence, according to one’s maturing, the dresses for a person change accordingly. For example, a child enjoys games, and when he matures, he changes the dresses.

Likewise, a person begins to do the holy work in order to derive pleasure in observing Torah and Mitzvot. We must promise him a reward in return for his work, just as in corporeal work. Although a person derives great pleasure from rest, he relinquishes it and goes to work because the work will give him a reward, meaning things he will enjoy.

This pleasure, which he receives from the work, comes in two ways: 1) Payment, called “salary.” Through the salary, he will be able to buy things that will give him pleasure. 2) Some people work not in order to receive a salary for their work, but for respect. This is what they enjoy and what gives them fuel for work.

It is the same in the holy work. Some work in order to receive reward or respect for their work. In this, too, there are two manners: 1) The created beings will give them money or respect. 2) They want the Creator to give them money and respect, etc., in return for their work. As The Zohar writes, they want the Creator to give them the next world in return for their work. All this is called “in order to receive reward.”

However, those who want to work only in order to bestow, whose motivation is that they are serving the King, as The Zohar says (“Introduction of the Book of Zohar,” Item 191), “Fear, which is the most important, is when one fears one’s Master because He is great and ruling, the essence and the root of all the worlds, and everything is considered nothing compared to Him… And he will place his will in that place, which is called ‘fear.’”

Here, in this work, begins the main heaviness, since a person must muster motivation not from what is generally accepted, which the general public can understand, that he receives reward in return for work. That is, the work is in Torah and Mitzvot, but he receives the reward from something else, and only this, that he hopes to receive the reward, obligates him to work. That is, according to the reward he hopes to receive, he measures himself in the work, meaning how much effort to exert in the work, according to the reward he will receive.

But those who want to work for no reward at all, but in order to bring contentment to their Maker, their measurement is the greatness of the Creator. That is, to the extent that a person assumes the greatness of the King, to that extent he has the energy to work. It is written (“Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Item 14), that there is partial faith, where each one has a certain measure of faith that determines how much effort he should put into the work of the Creator.

This is as he says in The Zohar about the verse, “Her husband is known at the gates, each according to what he assumes in his heart.” This means that each person has a measure of greatness of the Creator, and the greatness of the Creator in a person is according to what he assumes in his heart. That is, there is no measure to the greatness of the Creator so that one can have the real measure of the greatness of the Creator, as it is written, “His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Your works to another.” We learn that the matter of “one generation to another” in the work is in the same person, meaning each state is called a “generation.”

Thus, during an ascent, a person has a certain measure of greatness of the Creator. During a descent, a person has a different measure of greatness of the Creator. This is called “One generation to another.” This means that through these generations, meaning through the ascents and descents, when a person calculates how much he appreciates His greatness in those two states, and he strengthens himself in the work, by this he is later rewarded with “will praise Your works.” That is, he sees that even the states of descent were for better and not for worse.

This is so because a person can evaluate something only from its opposite, as was said, “As the advantage of the light from within the darkness,” as Baal HaSulam explains (Shamati, Essay No. 34, “As the Advantage of the Light from within the Darkness” [“The Profit of a Land”]). It follows that “One generation to another” means that from both together we come to the state, “will praise Your works.” Through these states, which are repeated every time, and there can be several states, called “generations,” each day, from all those “many generations” we achieve wholeness. However, it is provided we do not escape the campaign in the middle of the work.

Accordingly, we see that in order to have fuel to work in order to bestow and not receive any reward, but the work itself will be the reward, we must believe in Him, meaning believe in His greatness. We must make great efforts to obtain faith in the greatness of the Creator. Without faith in the greatness of the Creator, there is no power to work in order to bestow. That is, precisely when we feel the greatness of the Creator, a person is ready to work without any reward.

Instead, the work itself is the reward, since serving a great King is more valuable to him than any fortune in the world, compared to this service, that the Creator permits him to come in and serve Him. Hence, we must focus all our thoughts on how to come to feel the greatness of the Creator, and then everything follows that point.

It is known that when we begin the work, we must begin on the right line, called “wholeness.” That is, a person should try to believe above reason as much as possible, and say that although he can only do a small service in Kedusha [holiness], he should believe that it is very important and he does not have the brains to appreciate the importance of the matter.

This is as our sages said, “Walks and does not do, the reward for walking is in his hand.” This means that one should appreciate even a tiny contact with spirituality, in whatever manner. The Creator accepts everything and registers it under that person’s account, and penny by penny join into a great amount.

This is as it is written in Baal HaSulam’s essay, “The Order of the Work,” that we should address the work to the Creator and believe that He accepts our work, and it makes no difference how this works seems. That is, the Creator takes everyone into consideration if he does something in the work, and it makes no difference what aim a person has at the time, but the Creator takes everything into the account. For this reason, the person, too, should certainly think about everything that is something in the work of the Creator, and a person should derive delight and joy from everything, in that he has the privilege of having any contact with spirituality.

A person must give many thanks to the Creator for rewarding him with anything in spirituality, as was said, that even if he walks but does not do, the reward for walking is in his hand. Thus, one must thank the Creator for at least rewarding him with going to the synagogue. When a person thanks the Creator for this, and not merely thanks, but he should be happy with it, this is called “right,” wholeness, and this is the quality of Hesed [mercy], the right line.

In other words, he says that the Creator has dealt mercy with him by permitting him to do something in spirituality. This quality is called “priest,” meaning that he is regarded as doing the holy work.

When a person walks on the right line, he can always be happy, called “desiring mercy.” That is, he is content with his lot, with what he has, and does not slander the Creator. In other words, when a person is happy, there is no room for slander since when he is happy, he has no complaints to the Creator that He does not treat him as The Good Who Does Good. In that state, a person is regarded as “blessed.”

It is written in the essay, “Faith in His Rav [Teacher],” this is when a person can be awarded a high degree because “the blessed cling to the blessed.” But when a person slanders, even if he wants the Creator to give him spirituality and not corporeality, there is still no difference between them. Rather, when he has complaints and discontent with his situation, and he cannot say that the Creator treats him as The Good Who Does Good, this is considered slander, and the prohibition on slander is known to all.

Therefore, when a person walks on the right line and slanderous thoughts come to him, he should reject them and say that it is forbidden to listen to slander. He should do all that he can to repel and expel from himself all the bad thoughts that slander, although when these thoughts come to a person, they say, “We are not foreign thoughts. On the contrary, we want you not to deceive yourself, but to see that the state of your work is incorrect and fix it. Thus, we bring good thoughts about the person.”

At that time, he should say, “If you are saying this for my sake, why don’t you come to me when I am on the left line?” meaning when a person concludes that he should be walking and not standing in one state. “Right” means that he is content with little. But it is known that two are required, and to tell me where I am wrong.

“Instead, precisely when I want to walk on the right line, you come to me. Hence, I do not want to listen to you.” This is called “the wholeness of the right.” This quality is always in wholeness, since he is content with his lot, and is not interested in anything but to give many thanks to the Creator. This quality is considered a “priest,” and it is perpetual happiness.

However, this work is regarded as concealed, meaning it does not reveal its wholeness outward. This is called “covered Hassadim [mercies],” meaning that he cannot show its importance outward because he has nothing to show to the external ones, for they will immediately ask him, “What are you looking at? We see that you are happy and content with your lot, so do show us what you have, what possessions have you acquired in spirituality, for which you are happy.”

He answers them, “I am content with my share.” But they tell him, “We see that you have nothing real in spirituality, yet you are still happy. Thus, you are fooling yourself.” And what is the truth? He says, “I am going above reason, so I have no need to answer the questions you are asking me within reason.”

However, we must know that “external ones” does not mean other bodies. Rather, the person himself consists of many thoughts, as it is written in The Zohar, “Man is a small world and consists of all the nations of the world.”

Now we will explain what is a Levite, why he raises his voice, contrary to a priest, whose work is secretive, meaning above reason. Since there is wholeness there, he can always be in gladness. The Levites are “left,” which is illumination of Hochma, and Hochma comes in vessels of reception. Conversely, Hassadim, which are regarded as a priest, come in vessels of bestowal.

Vessels of reception require constant guarding so they will not be taken after the Kelim [vessels] that engage in reception. Their guarding is that they also draw Hassadim, and these Hassadim look after the intention to keep it in order to bestow. This is called “receiving in order to bestow.” As soon as he is taken after the act, which is reception, he falls from his degree, since he becomes separated from Kedusha.

Hence, the work of the Levites is with a raised voice, meaning that illumination of Hochma shines there, called “revealing the Hassadim.” Revealing is called “raising the voice,” since it is revealed outward, in vessels of reception. This is why he says that in the beginning it brings joy, and its end is sadness.

We asked, What are the “beginning” and “end”? “Beginning” means when he is mingled with Hassadim. At that time he can use the Hochma, too. But in the end, when his Hassadim ends, as much as he was mingled with Hassadim, he remains with the core, meaning only with Hochma. At that time, it is impossible to use Hochma without Hassadim, and this brings him sadness because he always needs the clothing of Hassadim, but he does not have it.

Conversely, a “priest,” who must always be content, should walk only on the right line, which is Hesed, for “he desires Hesed [mercy],” and he is happy with his share and has no need for Gadlut [greatness, adulthood]. Naturally, he can always be in gladness.

This is similar to what was written (The Study of the Ten Sefirot, Part 14). It is written there that there are two discernments: 1) blessing, 2) freedom, which is carved. He interprets there in Ohr Pnimi [Inner Light] that “covered Hassadim are called ‘free,’” when he lacks nothing because he needs nothing. For this reason, he feels himself free, that he has no enslavement by something he needs to receive. It follows that he is enslaved to nothing.

This is so precisely when he is content with his share, and this is called a “priest,” whose work is secretive and he does not reveal what he has outwardly. That is, he does not need the possessions to be revealed outwardly, but believes above reason that everything he has is enough.

However, the Levites belong to the left, meaning Hochma, which is “the wine of Torah.” The Torah should actually be revealed because the Torah should be with knowledge, for Daat [knowledge] is called the “middle line,” which decides between right and left, meaning that he will not take more Hochma than he has Hassadim. If he wants to receive more Hochma than Hassadim, it is considered “drinking more wine than he can.” At that time he becomes “drunk” and loses his Daat, called the middle line, which weighs to see that he does not have more Hochma than Hassadim.

By this we should interpret what our sages said, “A drunken man must not pray. And if he prays, his prayer is an abomination.” That is, when he loses the Daat, which is the middle line, and he prays to be given more Hochma than Hassadim, this is called “abomination,” for it is loathsome because he prays to the Creator to give him Hochma without Hassadim, which will go to the external ones and not to Kedusha.

Accordingly, we should interpret what our sages said (VaYikra Rabbah 1:15), “Any wise disciple in whom there is no Daat, a carcass is better than him.” That is, he receives more Hochma than Hassadim. It follows that there is no middle line in him, called Daat, which decides between “right” and “left.” As was said, “a carcass is better than him,” meaning he is loathsome since there is no Daat in him, and he is considered a “drunk” who “drank more wine than he should,” meaning more than Hassadim. When he prays in this way to be given Torah, called “wine of Torah,” his prayer is an abomination, meaning that he is regarded as loathsome.

We can understand this as our sages said (Avot, Chapter 3), “Anyone whose wisdom is more than his actions, what is he like? a tree whose branches are many and roots are few, and the wind comes and uproots it.” That is, action is called “right,” Hesed, and he need not understand with his knowledge and intellect that it is worthwhile to do the holy work in order to bestow. Instead, he can go above reason, although the reason comes to him with Pharaoh’s questions, who asks, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice,” or the wicked man’s question, who asks, “What is this work for you?” To this he replies to them that he is going above reason. This is called “an act,” since he does not answer them with wisdom and intellect. Rather, he answers them that he is working in practice, and not in theory, and this is all of his joy, that he maintains faith above reason.

Afterward, when he is rewarded with Hochma, he does not want to use the Hochma as support, and say, “Now I no longer need faith because I have the intellect as a basis.” This is called “His knowledge is more than his actions.” However, he receives the Hochma because the Creator wants him to receive. He receives, but not for his own sake.

If he wants to receive Hochma more than his actions, this is called “drunk” and his prayer is an abomination. Thus, everything should be with reason, which is the middle line, so there is no more left than right.

Reader: We'll go to a lesson from January 17, 2003. 

M. Laitman: (34:00) The article which is called, "What Is, ‘A Drunken Man Must Not Pray,’ in the Work.” We actually heard all kinds of sayings that a person should pray in every state, I wish you should pray all day. What is this prayer, the work in the heart? In short, what do we have besides prayer? Also from our study, we know that raising MAN is the only thing that the lower one can do towards the whole process we have, whereas altogether, the whole system from above down is right before us. And just like we learned in the “Inner Observation”, part 8 of the “Study of Ten Sefirot,” he divides everything to the reality itself and the keeping of the reality, or the observing of the reality. Meaning that we have the entire system, which is the worlds, the Partzufim, and the souls, on one hand. And on the other hand, the observance or the keeping of the reality is something that comes from below upwards through a person's participation. And one's participation is considered raising of MAN. Raising MAN is called “prayer,” that is the extent in which we can awaken the Upper One to give us corrections and fillings. And here it says thus, “a drunken should not pray." “A drunken should not pray,” meaning that there are probably certain states in a person's work in which it would be better for him not to activate the prayer, seemingly, towards upwards. So, can a person do anything about such states or should he wait for it to be done from above? Of course, not. Rather, we say about this situation that a person's desires, one's approach, does not help him. One who is drunken is considered one who wants to receive the light of Hochma more than he has the intention in order to bestow. We have the desire to receive that was created; and so that the desire to receive will receive, there needs to be great wisdom, the wisdom of Kabbalah, the wisdom of how to receive. And we learn that reception can be, and the desire to receive, besides the thin candle that gives us vitality, the degree of beast, a little bit more than the degree of beast, we can fulfill ourselves only with the intention in order to bestow. Why? Because the nature of the desire to receive is that the moment it is filled, it cancels itself. It gets canceled or nullified or canceled before the filling. And if it's canceling the filling and he has no desire towards the filling, then without a desire we can, it's impossible to feel filling. And that's how the desire to receive remains, with the feeling of being empty, that there's nothing. We know in our life we could be running after something for five years, achieve it at one point, and let's say, the moment we achieve it, let's say a day, two, a week, let's say a month, let's say, that feeling that I received something that I wanted so greatly, begins to get diminished until it is completely erased. The joy leaves the heart and I don't feel at all that I have achieved something. Why? I wanted it for five years. So at least now for five years let me enjoy this thing. Yes? If my Kli was so big that I could for five years search for fulfillment, until one finds it, so at least now in this vessel, in this filling, if I were to enjoy, let's say, by time - it should be five years. No, a week goes by and I don't feel anything. And that's already normal, that's usual. Why? The filling cancels the desire. It cancels the deficiency. Without a deficiency you cannot feel pleasure. 

M. Laitman: (38:49) On the contrary, if there's pleasure before us, so if we have the possibility of enjoying something, we seek more desire. This has to do with all the pleasures we have in this world: food, sex, all kinds of activities of pleasure, leisure, having fun - we need to have desires for that, if it's possible to be filled by them. And we are concerned with having more and more desires each time for all these possibilities of filling ourselves. And it all stems from the same law that the Kli in its form, when it is filled, it is filled. It's filled, however, the pleasure disappears. And if it's filled, and the pleasure disappears, then, eventually, it's unworthy of its role, of its job. And therefore, to begin with, right from the root of creation, as far as Shoresh, the root of four phases of direct light in the vessel, such a filling is rooted that it must bestow. He has to bestow. Where does such a thing come from? From that filling, from that Creator that wants to help the created being, so that the filling in the created being will be eternal, will be whole, will truly be filled, and precisely according to the extent, the size of the desire, on one hand. On the other hand, the more it will be filled up, it will be a desire that will change and become more and more. Meaning, we need to come to a state where our desire to receive is constantly going to want more. And through the fulfillment, on one hand, we see the desire to receive diminishes more and more, and not for it to be more and more, for it to grow more. How can we do it such that the filling will not cancel the desire to receive, but rather grow it, intensify it? That should be against the nature of the desire to receive. That is, the Creator who wants to create the created being must create him outside of Him, outside of the Creator. If it's outside of Him, where the Creator is all in one quality, the created being should be in the opposite quality - otherwise there will be no created being - something that's outside of the degree. Briah, in Hebrew, “creation” is outside of the degree. The Creator chooses this quality of to bestow, and the opposite of it is to receive. To receive, if he were to receive, it destroys his desire to receive. Otherwise, he can't enjoy. If he enjoys, he's filled. If he fills the desire to receive, the desire becomes less. If it's lessened, then less pleasure, and to such an extent that eventually we don't feel it.

M. Laitman: (42:34) Meaning, the desire to receive, that receives, basically is killing itself off. So the Creator, immediately we can see, after phase one, where He created the desire to receive, the Creator immediately put inside the will to receive the preparation of the will to receive to work in the form of in order to bestow. That it is only in the form of in order to bestow, where a desire to receive works in giving outside of it, the conditions are created in the Kli, in which it can receive and grow more and more. The more it receives, the more it grows with his intention in order to bestow. Because his Kli is an external one, and there's no limitation to giving. And each time it receives filling, these fillings just grow his desire, because the filling of the desire to bestow is not just the light of Hochma, pleasure from reception. It's also pleasure from giving, from the recognition of the greatness of who I'm giving to, and this grows my Kli of giving. At which point I can each time continue until the endless states, where they're all full and are never emptied. Hence our work needs to be inclusive of both vessels: the Kli of phase one from the four phases of direct light, and the Kli of phase two. Otherwise, besides that thin candle, we won't be able to receive a thing. So the entire wisdom of Kabbalah is actually a wisdom of how to work with those two kinds of vessels at once, combine them together, such that it will, the true Kli will really be built from the correct combination between the two, which is called the “middle line.” And this combination is always called Daat - Hochma, Bina, Daat. And this Daat is to the extent in which I can work with the external vessel, meaning in order to bestow, I take my desire to receive, and I work with it with the intention in order to bestow. And if I can't, if I cannot work in order to bestow, then I at least need to work, like Rabash says, in an action which is called “above reason.” This is called “with faith in the sages.” Because my action of giving, both where I'm in Daat, and also when I haven't yet to reach Daat, is the same action; the difference is that I didn't attain the intention, or I already attained the intention. If I have yet to attain the intention, and I cannot perform an action that's above reason, it is worthwhile for me to perform it without the intention, in order to attain the force and acquire the intention. This means that we need to learn from what is being advised to us, for all kinds of such actions that we can perform, even though we have no intentions, and this is called “Lo Lishma.” I don't yet have the intention in order to bestow. My Kli is still not external, outside of me, the Kli, as it will be filled, will also cancel itself through the filling. However, if I perform these actions in my Kli, according to my faith in the sages, meaning according to the advice of the Kabbalists who told me: “do like this, child,” just like in school we learn, and throughout life, in all the periods of childhood, and youth, ages, and they tell us: “do it, listen to me, and later you'll see that it's to your benefit.” So if we follow their advice, this is considered working according to the faith in the sages. And their advice is to try and perform actions aimed to bestow on the plane of this world, as it is where we're in, towards our friends. And through this we will feel the importance of the Creator. When we feel the importance of the Creator, we will be able to ask for Him to give us the forces to bestow to Him.

M. Laitman: (48:22) By having some form of a desire to bestow to Him, from this, we will reach such a Lo Lishma, that from it, we will reach Lishma. And we don't have anyone to blame, or the system of heaven, or anything, for lacking conditions to reach eternality, wholeness, to be above time, space, movement, life and death. Because in each and every one of us there's a spark, from which - it's called the point in the heart - from which it can begin this action towards the Lo Lishma. This depiction of the work in balancing the desire to receive and the desire to bestow, and working in the most beneficial way with these two forces that are in us, these qualities, let's say the right line and the left line, these qualities are in us from phase one and phase two of the four phases of direct light and they both come from the phase of Shoresh, of root. Root is seemingly the desire of the Creator in the created being which brings forth to the created being two forces: the desire to receive from phase one, and the desire to bestow from phase two. And from within then we have this expansion into the created being, and from the created being we have this preparation for the combination of these two forces which is phase three, and it's and how it's possible to combine them. So the Creator gives us an example, seemingly, to combine them in this phase three. And this is how we need to do it. And Malchut is already the desire to receive that is seemingly ready to do so and wants to do this in order to come to the degree of the Creator. ZA towards Malchut is the example of how to perform this action. So, in the Torah we have the description for how this law is kept throughout all the levels of creation between Kohen, Levi and Israel. Kohen is the right - Hassadim, Levi is the left - Gevura, and Israel is the middle between them. It takes these two forces and realizes them correctly from below up. Also in the structure of our world we have Kohanim and Levim, Kohens and Levites. No one chooses to be a Kohen or Levite, rather these things go from one generation to the next, and it's a sign that from above we accept these two lines, and there is no participation of ours. 

M. Laitman: (52:09) Our participation begins in being Israel, to be Yashar El, the middle line, which is what we build. And in building it Rabash writes, “a drunken man should not pray.” What does it mean, “a drunken man should not pray?” Don't raise your prayer, your requests upwards. “Don't do,” meaning in spirituality, you can't do, it's impossible. Nothing is prohibited, prohibited, means impossible. That's the law of spirituality. Because we talk about work in the heart, we talk about the desires you feel in the heart. I cannot say, it's forbidden, to the heart. I can put a hand over my mouth or stop my hand from doing something, but desires, those inner things in me, I'm unable to do anything with them. So what does it mean “do not pray?” “Do not pray”, means that you cannot pray, you cannot turn upwards, if a person is in a state of drunkenness. A drunken man, means one who asks for more Hochma than Hassadim. Hochma means wine, and Hassadim is water, it's called water. Or eating and drinking. Drinking is called Hochma, eating is called Hassadim. These are all the laws, all the situations about which we read in the Torah or the Gemara, and they speak only on the combination of these two forces, the right and the left, and how we need to couple them on all levels. Zohar, also, if you open up the “Sulam Commentary”, in all ten volumes, thousands of pages, but ultimately it speaks only about the middle line, how to build a middle line on different levels, different states. It speaks only of that. That's why, “a drunken man should not pray”, means that when a person is in his will to receive more than the intention to bestow, he cannot ask for fulfillment to come to him, to truly be able to receive something. The vessels, the systems, are arranged in such a way that he will feel himself in the dark. Also today, meaning in the current state, when we feel ourselves disconnected from the spiritual world, this is the result of our incorrect prayer, meaning the desire in our heart. That desire is not good. We are still asking not for the intention in order to bestow, not for the correct combination in order to use the force of bestowal with the desire to bestow. That's why we don't receive an answer to our prayer. We don't receive a revelation of the light, the revelation of godliness. Meaning, to reach a prayer, for the prayer to be not the prayer of the drunken man - this is our goal. Until we reach it, we are in a state of the drunken man. 

M. Laitman: (55:52) That's why we say that it's truly strange, a wise disciple that has no Daat, carcass is better than him, right? Such verses. Why is a carcass better than him? Well, at least say something. A wicked man, you know, a carcass is better than him. It's an exaggeration, because a carcass is the lowest force in the inanimate, in the inanimate that doesn't turn, that doesn't pray, that doesn't ask. That is in the inanimate. It's a living degree, but the lowest degree, a living degree. And at the very least, it doesn't attract anything for itself. Whereas a wise disciple without Daat, meaning that he's in the incorrect prayer, because the person is always praying. We are, with our hearts, always in the ZON of Atzilut. With our heart, we always awaken the entire system toward us. Like it or not, we are created beings, we belong to the same system. I cannot be disconnected from the system, I'm in it. Rather, through our study, we wish to understand where we are and to understand how we can participate correctly. But even before we learn, and before we try to participate correctly in that system, we are in it. Outside of that system of reality, there's nothing. Therefore, one who does not pray correctly, the prayer of a drunken man, he wants in order to receive, he lacks Daat, then a carcass is better than him. Because truly, he's in a state where he's pulling to himself. He wants in order to receive. A carcass does not want it. It acts according to nature. That's why a wise disciple without Daat, a carcass is better than him. I mean, after receiving from above the quality of Shoresh, the quality of phase one, two, from the four phases of direct light, the bestowing force and the receiving force, we just need to learn how to couple them together so that our vessel will be an independent vessel, eternal vessel, will constantly grow without any blemish. And our ascent, meaning our advancement, depends on how much the upper light will influence us in the form of Hesed. What does it mean in the form of Hesed? We'll feel how much our vessels are distant from the quality of Hesed. For the time being, in the beginning, as I said, although we are in that same system, and from our heart, from the desire of our heart, we bestow our fate detrimentally, but it's still done unconsciously. Let's say that we went through thousands of incarnations unconsciously. Later, we begin to enter through the point in the heart to a certain timeframe called the time of preparation. It's revealed to us, gradually, through these actions in society, in the group, in the study, in bestowal, in dissemination. By that, mostly through the study with correct intention, by that, we reveal our qualities compared to the qualities of the light of Hassadim. We begin to feel ourselves despicable, evil, the recognition of evil, as we call it. It comes as a result of the illumination of the light, the surrounding light from that vessel to which we need to resemble, to become equal to, the closest vessel to me, that shows us just how much we are not in the quality of form with it. And as a result of that, there are actions where from Lo Lishma, you come to Lishma. This means that you acquire the quality of delighted in mercy, desire in mercy. And from the correction of delighted in mercy, where later we acquire the greatness of the Creator, we begin to prefer to bestow to Him instead of receiving to myself. And then we begin the work of receiving in order to bestow. And we have to understand that all these stages and the final goal are only for the sake of man, as we started to talk about it, that the will to receive cannot be filled in a certain state if he receives without the intention to bestow. The instant it feels the pleasure, the pleasure begins to disappear, instantly, that moment. We may not feel it there for a few seconds or maybe a few days, but nevertheless, our lives teach us that we're constantly running. We're not at rest. Meaning, we're never in the corrected state, full and whole.

M. Laitman: (01:02:16) And advancing toward the development of the vessel of bestowal, which is an infinite vessel, advancing to it can be only through the feeling of the greatness of the Emanator. How can I do anything in order to bestow if the Emanator in my eyes is less than me? It must be more than me so I would want that in my heart, not in words, but in my heart. My heart is connected to the system there and demands something there, forces from the system, that my heart would demand the forces to bestow. I need to relate to the desire in my heart from the side, like as a third party, looking at it from the side, and to understand that in order for it to be impressed correctly and to desire to activate the correct prayer, to demand it, he needs to feel the greatness of the Creator. If he will feel the greatness of the Creator before I have a screen, I will want to derive pleasure from the Creator for myself, according to what I have in my heart. So, I shouldn't ask for the greatness of the Creator before I'm equipped with such a screen that I will not receive His revelation unless it's for the sake of correction. That is why I need first to work with society, since from that I learn about the qualities of bestowal. Based on my failures with society, I can ask to truly have the quality of bestowal. Then the force will come from above, and I'll be able to do it relative to society, these forces to bestow. I'll also be able to ask the Creator to be revealed to me so I will have the quality of bestowal to Him. For that, we need a society. If we had only one foreign force before me, outside of me, only the Creator without the society, I would have never been able to reach Him in prayer in order to bestow. I would have had no one over which to make these exercises, how to say, and slowly building in me the correct demand to have the force to bestow. That is why Adam HaRishon does not remain Adam HaRishon as he was created. Rather his soul shattered into many souls, giving us opportunities to work for us, to work with ourselves. But it appears to us that these are not that these parts are outside of me, that these souls that are outside of me are not mine. So, in this way, in this false way, this false picture, it's incorrect, but that's how it appears to me. But in this way, I have the opportunity to work seemingly with something that's outside of me. Seemingly, because the Creator created the soul as one and intentionally inserted egoism into each and every part of it so it will have the opportunity for each and every part to work against all the other parts, to see that you don't have these opportunities to bestow, to ask the Creator the force to bestow to them. Then a man seemingly works with the same force to acquire the will to bestow toward the Creator. So, it turns out that we should never complain that we're not able to reach the forces of bestowal. For that too, there is a system around us - a society, a group, Rav, books, authors, we call books, and this system is built in such a way that we will be able to reach from Lo Lishma to Lishma. That's what... this article seems very calm, and it covers everything we already learned, you know, there are no leaps here, things that stand out, but specifically from within it, is rooted a beautiful process. Questions? 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:07:47) Covered Hassadim, is the meaning - reflected light? 

M. Laitman: Covered Hassadim and revealed Hassadim. If something is revealed, it's revealed. If something is concealed, or covered, it's covered. But I know that it is covered, or I know that it is revealed. Meaning, when something is covered, it's also a form of revelation, right? It's not a state of unconsciousness. Meaning, there's always, in a spiritual degree, beyond the barrier, there's light of Hassadim and light of Hochma, it has to be. So either the state is that there's only light of Hassadim, there's a feeling that it covers the light of Hochma, because it's not strong enough to reveal the light of Hochma, to let it stand out from within. Or the light of Hassadim is so strong that it can extract the light of Hochma from inside of it. These are not lights that collide, that clash. These are lights where the light of Hassadim develops, reveals from within it the light of Hochma, according to its ability. Because the light of Hassadim is the light of bestowal. So to what extent is capable of revealing bestowal, which is the light of Hochma? The quality of bestowal is the light of Hochma, how much I can receive. How much I can receive is the measure of how much I can give. So, how much the light of Hassadim is capable of doing it, it's doing it. So, covered Hassadim, there are many discernments there, but let's say that this is the delighted in mercy. I'll tell you why I'm saying it. Because the delighted in mercy is that even if you give all of Hochma, it wouldn't want to receive it. It would want to remain in the degree of the delighted in mercy. Now tell me, it's not the goal to remain in the “delighted in mercy.” It's not the goal. It's not the end. There are higher degrees how a person wants to stay in that. It's not considered bestowal. And in truth, if I wish to remain in a certain degree and not to ascend, even that degree, I don't deserve it. It's not considered bestowal. So, why am I in it? Meaning, a person who's in a certain spiritual state always yearns by the nature of bestowal for something greater. So, the delighted in mercy, you have to understand that it is a certain state in the system. In the system, not in us. In the system to which we need to equate ourselves on our way forward to develop further. And not that it's recommended to stay in it.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:10:52) Now, when he writes that wine begins with joy and ends with sadness. Does he mean that the force of Hassadim is always limited, meaning there will always be a limitation on how much I can withdraw the light of Hochma when working in three lines? 

M. Laitman: He says it about wine, he says it about Kohen, the Kohen and the Levite. Kohen, in the beginning, it's sadness, later it's joy, because it's forces of bestowal that work in the degree. And Levite is the opposite. In the beginning, it's forces of reception. So, in the beginning, first it's joy, later it's sadness, because there are descents after the revelation of Hassadim. Meaning, joy and sadness, or gladness and sadness, meaning that from the ascent comes a descent, and sadness and gladness is the opposite, from the descent comes the ascent. So, it depends on which forces we're in. A person has to be in both; a person cannot not be moving. And movement is from descent to ascent, and then the force of the right, and then from the ascent seemingly to the descent to the force of the left. But it's a descent, it's not a descent to the degree from the previous degree, it's a descent - a new will to receive in order to rise higher. 

Student: And the degree starts in Ta'amim and ends in Nekudot. 

M. Laitman: No, God forbid, our degrees don't start from Ta'amim and then from Nekudot. That's what we learn about the expansion from above downward. And the expansion from above downward, from the Creator, the way He builds the whole system, how He builds the vessels and organizes them towards us, that in the end of all the degrees, we'll be in a state where we can start our independent process in ascending till the end of correction, the end of our work. So, from above downward, the system just comes out, obviously it comes from something whole to something incomplete, and there it's Ta'amim and then Nekudot. But us, that we come from below upward, we start from our records, from the Ta'amim and Nekudot that expanded from above downward. So, we are supposedly on every degree coming from the opposite state. What remains, the Tagin and Otiyot, and we get them, they are revealed to us, in us. We work in order to acquire screens upon them. The screens enter the Nekudot. What does that mean? The lights that departed, the posterior of the degree. So, those you receive, and it's unpleasant feelings, it's attaining the vessels. Malchut, as a black dot, participates there, and when I acquire those Nekudot, those vessels, then I reach the Ta'amim. Then I am filled with greatness, I've attained, I've acquired a degree, and then the next degree is revealed. Because also in the records, as in the degrees, the AHP of the upper one is in the Galgalta ve Eynaim of the lower one. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:14:20) So, where's the discernment that you're entering a new degree? 

M. Laitman: The discernment of a new degree are my records. The records are revealed in me of that new degree. And according to the records revealed, I start feeling them in their posterior. What does it mean to enter a new degree? I need to have vessels to feel that new degree. I'm in it. Let's say, now I'm in this world, but in the past, I had closed ears. Now I need to open them. So I have to open the ears and start receiving from what's outside of me. It was already there. So I start from the records of the vessels. Now, what vessel do I need to open? By what do I open it? What fulfillment do I have to prepare myself for? In what way? In order to bestow, so that fulfillment will enter me and give me information, and additional feeling, and so on, and not block me even worse? Meaning, the work is on the vessels after the vessels are ready and went through all this improvement, so then I can receive the Ta'amim, the expansion of the inner light in the vessel. So, we'll learn about it in TES in the next part soon. How in every Partzuf, it goes through posterior, posterior, AHP of posterior, all the way till the states, let's say, 1,600 states of posterior of posterior until you reach the face. There's HaVaYaH and HaVaYaH, double HaVaYaH, we'll learn about it, but it's always from the lack to the whole, from below upward, and not from Ta'amim to Nekudot.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:16:21) Now, if you work fully aware of the degree, how can there be a state where Hochma causes the loss of reason, of Daat? How can there be a state where you draw more Hochma than the Daat is now capable of? 

M. Laitman: Not that I'm drawing more Hochma; the system is organized in a way that I can want to draw more Hochma but not able to. To explain to me that I want to draw more Hochma but can't, that's what the left line is for. There has to be a state that I want more Hochma than Hassadim. If I want more Hochma than Hassadim, how will I ever ask for more Hassadim? How will I ever ask for the force to bestow? My only choice is to ask for the force to bestow. So how will I ask for it if I don't feel a lack? And I only feel the lack from the recognition of evil, that I'm in more will to receive than the will to bestow. That's called posterior. 

Student: How do you govern that desire if it exists in you? 

M. Laitman: The will to receive, I was on degree 11, I felt it, and I have to ascend to degree 12. So, the posterior of 12 is revealed, it's desires that I don't control yet, but it's desires without lights. So I fall, I start getting recognition of evil, and the whole process starts from not aware that I was already on degree 11 towards 12, so I'm not in awareness, then the awareness starts, then Chafetz Chesed, then receiving in order to bestow, the whole process. Except for implementing it, everything's simple. And actually, you don't have to be so wise in order to do it. The fact that you grasp it, or someone isn't able to, there's no contact between, there's no connection between the ability to do it, or to understand it. It's not wisdom, like you learned it. In other wisdoms, if I understand it in my brain, I can do it. And here, it doesn't depend on it at all. A person can be working in the kitchen now, and not hearing the lesson, and he'll be able to do these actions without even knowing what it's called. Lishma, Lo Lishma, recognition of evil, nothing. They say about Joshua, that Moses received the Torah from the upper force, from the highest degree in Atzilut. And he passed it to Joshua. Why? Because he was his helper. He wasn't a wise student, he wasn't his first student, nothing, he was just his helper. That's it. And he gave it to him. He didn't write it about anyone else that he passed the Torah to him. 

Student: What does it mean that he passed it on? 

M. Laitman: That he prepared a vessel, Joshua prepared a vessel, that it was possible to pass it to him. Okay, we'll talk about it more.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:20:08) About a prayer. How can a person know….

M. Laitman: A prayer is a feeling in the heart. Whether you want it or not, what your heart feels, that's a prayer. What you feel right now, I don't even want to ask you, don't tell us. You also don't know what your heart really wants, but what you feel is in the ZON of Atzilut, and that's what awakens the entire system of above upon you. What will happen in every moment, and two moments, and tomorrow, or whenever, it all depends on the way your heart right now, your most inner desire right now, is working in that system.

Student: How can I tell that it's not the prayer of a drunk? 

M. Laitman: How do you know if it's a prayer of a drunk person or not? According to the answering. Are you getting an answer for your prayer? Are you being answered or not, according to that? A person always prays. If you understand it, that every time his heart is in the system, and he is determining his faith, it won't be good for him. He'll already be concerned how to better his state. Baal HaSulam speaks about the people in the Kibbutz in the south, they want rain, they don't care about the Creator, or Judaism, or anything. They just want their crops; nothing except for that. They curse out all religion and everything. It doesn't matter what they speak, whether they curse out or not, their desire in the heart, what does it ask for? If it has for something that it's life, so that determines. And Baal HaSulam really says, if they'll be in the south, and you'll build Kibbutzim, so there will be rain there, even though there was never rain there, they'll get it. More or less, water will come to them in some kind of way. They'll find wells, or they'll put a line in there. A person with his desire in the heart, isn't directed to anything, it doesn't matter. He's also in that system, and bestowing, influencing the upper providence, the way it'll bestow back to him. That's why the entire wisdom is how I can turn the system around in a way that is beneficial. Until I don't turn it around in a beneficial way, it works on me in a providence called the path of suffering. When I already start awakening it correctly, it starts working on me in a way that's called the path of Torah. But I always awaken it, always. And it's up to me, either I get suffering from there, that it develops through things in me that are felt suffering, or commands that are called Torah, or the light of the Torah. So we need very quickly to reach a state that our heart inside will get better in a way that it'll give correct commands to that system, instead of the bad ones that we are doing now. The system exists. You can't move it, you can't change anything. This is the only parameter you can change. The structure is set. It's built. You can't change anything about it. It's like pipelines, wires, everything is there. There's only one thing to influence on my heart, the way my heart will work on the system, that I'll get good feedback from it. That's the entire wisdom of Kabbalah. And it is wisdom, the way it works. And what I really need to do, and how sophisticated I have to be in working on my heart, that's a problem. The problem is working on the heart. How through all kinds of… well, sneakiness, all kinds of ways I'll reach a state that my heart will demand what's worth, what's worthwhile, because it's opposite than what I imagine in my brain. How to do it? So, they tell you: in order for you to reach the right demand in the heart, I have a society and I have guidance, which is like a lab, that here, I can do it. Why? In my society, it's as if the system, where my heart is connected to the system of reality, right? The system of the heavens, the world of Atzilut, bestowing to the world of Atzilut, I can do the same on society, but I can see it. The way my heart is affecting the world of Atzilut is the way my heart is relating to society. It's the same thing. And from this, we learn. This is the whole necessity why the created being is created in a world with a society. That's the reason why we're built in such a way, on such a degree, in such a world, with everything around us, to the smallest detail, only in order for, it's written, “go and profit off each other.” Meaning, that by us working on one another, we'll understand how we can activate our hearts correctly. If we don't, so naturally, without awareness, it's not working for our benefit. You see how we're incarnating, how humanity is always in a descent? Okay.