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

Daily Morning Lesson: May 7, 2026

Part 1: Rabash. Art. 19 (1986). Concerning Joy

Original lesson date: 02/09/2003

Reader: Dear friends, in the first part of the lesson, we will learn a lesson with the Rav from 2003, second lesson, from the two lessons based on the article “Concerning Joy.” We're going to read together from the paragraph, "Therefore, each time he remembers while performing some act of Kedusha," until the end of the article. We have 25 minutes. Tens that finish ahead of time can start a workshop on the main points they heard in the article.

Reading: (00:45) Rabash. Art. 19 (1986). Concerning Joy 

Therefore, each time he remembers while performing some act of Kedusha, great joy immediately awakens in him that he was rewarded with having some contact with matters that the Creator commanded him to do. Although he knows that everything he does is Lo Lishma, he is still profoundly happy since our sages have promised us that from Lo Lishma we come to Lishma.

He is even happier because our sages said, “He who repents from love, sins become for him as merits, and he who repents from fear, sins become for him as mistakes.” It follows that when he is rewarded with working Lishma, all the Mitzvot he had performed Lo Lishma will enter Kedusha and will be as important as though he had performed them Lishma.

Thus, even while he is still working Lo Lishma, it is as important to him as though he is working Lishma. That is, he thinks that everything he does is certainly more important than sins and are bound to be corrected into being good, and he regards everything he does, even the smallest thing, as a great Mitzva [commandment]. It is as our sages said (Avot, Chapter 2), “Be careful with a lesser commandment as with a greater one, for you do not know the reward for the commandments.”

For this reason, when he calculates the works he is doing, whose Mitzvot he is observing, and when he says some words of Torah, he tells himself, “Whose Torah am I learning?” And when he blesses for pleasure, such as before drinking or before eating bread, he thinks, “To whom am I speaking now?”

It turns out that then he is in utter wholeness, and that wholeness begets joy because at that time he is adhered to the Creator, just as he assumes that he is speaking to the Creator, who is good and does good. Naturally, he receives joy from the root, for the root of all creations is the Creator, who is called “the Good Who Does Good.”

Our sages said, “Good to him and does good to others.” This means that at that time he can believe that the Creator is doing good to him and to everyone. This means that then he can believe above reason that this is really so, even though he concludes with his external intellect that he does not see the good in completeness.

But now, through the calculations he does with his work in Torah and Mitzvot, when he is somewhat adhered to some extent to the Creator, he has the power to believe above reason that this is really so. Naturally, “truth will show its way.” The result of his thinking that now he is speaking to the Creator is a great awakening of joy, as it is written, “Majesty and splendor before Him, strength and joy are in His place.”

We should understand in relation to whom it was said that there is joy in His place. Certainly, all the names we mention are from the perspective of the creatures, meaning according to the perception of the creatures. However, in the Creator Himself, our sages said, “There is no thought or perception in Him at all.” Rather, everything is said only from the perspective of the creatures.

Therefore, this means that those who feel that they are standing before Him feel majesty and splendor, as well as those who think that they are standing in His place, since “place” means “equivalence of form.”

But there is another interpretation, that it means a mirror, as I heard from Baal HaSulam, that in the place one thinks, there one is. Thus, if a person thinks that he is standing and speaking with the King, then he is in the place where the King is present, and then he feels as it is written, “strength and joy are in His place.”

By this we can understand what we asked about what our sages said, “From the beginning of Adar we increase joy.” We asked, “Why increase joy?” That is, joy is a result of some reason, so what is the reason that we can awaken so it would bring us joy?

According to the above, it pertains to increasing advancement on the right line, called “wholeness.” When a person is in a state of wholeness, it is called “equivalence.” That is, the whole, which is the man, is now adhered to the Whole, as it is written, “The blessed adheres to the blessed, and the cursed does not adhere to the blessed.” Therefore, if one is in a state of criticism, called “left line,” he is in a state of “cursed,” and then he is separated from the Whole. For this reason at that time he can feel only darkness and not light, for only light brings joy.

However, we should understand why specifically on the month of Adar we should increase joy, and why can’t we be on the way of the right all year long? We should reply to this that since the miracle of Purim was on the month of Adar, when the light of the end of correction illuminated, as it is written in The Gate of Intentions (The Study of the Ten Sefirot, Part 16, p 1813, item 220), “Therefore, in the future [end of correction], all the holy days will be cancelled but the scroll of Ester [Purim].” The reason is that there has never been such a great miracle, not on any Shabbat or on any good day.

For this reason, the preparation for such a great light should be joy, which is the preparation to greet an esteemed guest, which is the light of the end of correction. Hence, by preparing through increasing joy, we extend the light called “the days of feast and merriment.”

This follows the rule that is written in the holy Zohar: “The act below awakens the act above.” That is, according to the work of the lower ones, the work above awakens. This means that when the lower ones engage in joy, in the same manner they extend light of joy downward, as it is written (Esther, 9:21), “And Mordecai wrote, to oblige them on those days when the Jews rid themselves of their enemies, and it was a month which was turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday, that they should make them days of feasting and rejoicing,” by which they will extend the light of the end of correction that illuminated then.

We should discern concerning the extension of the joy. We said that the reason for this is that at that time a person thanks the Creator for bringing him closer. It follows that when he gives thanks, he engages in bestowal because he thanks and praises the Creator for giving him a thought and desire to have some contact with spirituality.

But now he does not want the Creator to give him anything. Therefore, he is not asking anything from the Creator, and now his only aim is to give thanks to the Creator. It follows that now he has Dvekut [adhesion] with the Creator because he is engaging in bestowal. Thus, by this, joy and wholeness are drawn to him from the Dvekut because now he is adhered to the Whole one. This is the meaning of increasing joy by this.

This is not so when he engages in litany, for a prayer that is from the bottom of the heart is full of deficiencies, since to the extent of the sensation of lack so is his prayer deeper. It follows that then he cannot be happy. Thus, the reason for the gladness is when he engages in praise and gratitude and not when he engages in examining deficiencies.

According to the above we can interpret what our sages said, “If he is deliberating with idol-worshippers, let him judge it on Adar.” This means that there is deliberation with a foreigner as though it is customary that Israel deliberate with foreigners. Does this belong to people who engage in Torah and work, and who do not engage in any work or trade?

In the work, we should interpret that this refers to the idol-worshippers that there are in all of Israel, meaning in one body. Those people who want to walk in the path of the Creator, their bodies resist them. It is as our sages said about the verse, “There shall be no foreign God in you.” They said, “What foreign God is there in man’s body? It is the evil inclination.” This is called “idol-worshippers,” since it resists being Israel. This is regarded as deliberating. And then, on the month of Adar, when they were rewarded with the miracle and there was joy and merriment to the Jews because they feared the Jews, and it was turned into the opposite—that the Jews governed their enemies—for this reason on this month one can sentence the foreigner within him, and he will certainly succeed on this month, for it is regarded as “turned to the contrary,” as it is written, “And the Jews governed their enemies.”

We must remember that one deliberates with one’s idol-worshippers because each one argues, “It is all mine.” Israel argues that the body was created only to be Israel and a servant of the Creator, and not for self-love, while the foreigner within him argues, “It is all mine,” too, meaning that the whole body was created with a desire to receive because the body needs to see only to its will to receive. Why should it think about wanting to bestow? It shows several proofs that it is right because this is what everyone does.

That is, it tells him, “Go see what everyone is doing. Is there anyone who is concerned with others while his own needs have not been satisfied? There are very few people, not more than a handful, whose needs have been satisfied completely, so they began to see to others’ well-being. However, even then they watch very carefully that their concern for others will, God forbid, not blemish their self-love. But you are saying, ‘It is all mine,’ meaning to completely avoid thinking about self-love. Instead, you want to use all your energy to serve others, and you excuse your desire to work for the friends, which is called ‘love of others,’ by telling me that this is not the end, but that you think that by engaging in love of others you will be able to achieve love of the Creator. That is, you want to be completely annulled before the Creator. But then, what shall become of the body, if you want to give your whole body to the Creator, to completely annul before Him? You tell me, how can I agree to this? This is very difficult to grasp. Therefore, I am forced to argue, ‘It is all mine,’ and not let you move one step forward.”

In that state, there is a big war because each one says that he is right. The Israel in him argues that since the Creator created us with the intention that His will is to benefit His creations, He certainly knows what is good for the creatures. That is, He understood that only by doing everything in order to bestow contentment upon the Creator they will have the strength to receive the highest degrees, called “revelation of Godliness,” which dresses in the inner mind and inner feeling in the heart. Thus, only in this way they will be able to receive all the delight and pleasure that the Creator wanted to give to the creatures.

This would not be so if they received with vessels of reception. Besides causing separation, there is the matter of being content with less. That is, we must believe what is written in the holy Zohar, that there is a faint light that shines in the Klipot [shells/peels] to sustain them. That is, all the pleasures in the corporeal world are as faint light compared to the delight and pleasure that is found in Kedusha [holiness/sanctity].

In other words, even a small degree of Kedusha, such as Nefesh de Assiya, contains more pleasure than all the worldly pleasures. If one were to receive the abundance in the desire to receive for one’s own benefit, he would settle for this and would not be able to go and attain higher degrees because for self-gratification, this illumination of Nefesh de Assiya is satisfactory, and he would have no need to add anything to the pleasures he was enjoying.

However, when one is taught to work in order to bestow contentment upon one’s Maker, one cannot say, “I settle for what I have been granted,” since everything he receives is to benefit the Creator. Therefore, he cannot say, “I have enough, since I pleased the Creator by receiving a little upper light and it pleases the Creator so I do not want to receive anymore.”

It is forbidden to say, “I have enough because I already pleased Him by receiving this small illumination from Him.” Instead, one should try to bestow more and more contentment upon the Creator each and every time. And since each joy above is when the purpose of creation, which is to do good to His creations, actually reaches the lower ones—and this is what pleases above—hence, on the month of Adar, when the time of the miracle awakens—as it is written, “and it was turned into the opposite, that the Jews governed their enemies”—the time is ripe to awaken the foreigner within him. It is as our sages said (Berachot 5), “One should always vex the good inclination over the evil inclination,” as it was said, “be angry but do not sin.” RASHI interprets “vexing the good inclination” to mean making war with the evil inclination.

Here it means that on the month of Adar he can defeat the evil inclination, since then, when there was the miracle from above, it is as our sages said (Shabbat 88), “They observed and received.” They observed what they already received. RASHI interprets, “What Rabba said, that the generation received it in the days of Ahasuerus, was because of the love of the miracle that was done to them.”

But on the month of Av, the time of the ruin of the Temple, when we should mourn it, then the meaning of what our sages said “diminishing joy,” is the way in which we engage on the month of Adar—in the right, in order to awaken the miracle that appeared on the month of Adar. It is as our sages said, “For the love of the miracle they observed and received.”

But on the month of Av, when we must mourn the ruin of the Temple, we must work on the left line, meaning criticize our actions, that we must be in the path of Kedusha, which is in order to bestow, and how one is remote from bestowal.

When one thinks about this, he is in a state of remoteness from Kedusha and is immersed in self-love, where his whole basis for engaging in Torah and Mitzvot is in order to satisfy the will to receive with every possible satisfaction.

Therefore, when considering one’s lowliness he can awaken the pain of the ruin of Kedusha that there is in each and every one. And then the verse, “All who mourn Jerusalem is rewarded with seeing the comfort of Jerusalem” comes true. 

Reader: Now we will move to a lesson from February 9, 2003.

M. Laitman: (26:00) Page 150. We speak a lot about the matter of joy. No phenomenon can be felt in the vessel unless there is a preparation for it. This is why one who mourns Jerusalem is rewarded with seeing the comfort of Jerusalem, one who regrets with the public is rewarded with seeing the comfort of the public, and so on. That is, everything follows the same rule: the vessels must precede the lights, they must come before the lights. And this is our whole problem, this is our whole work, to prepare the desires for those lights that the Creator prepares for us. And this is the work that we should constantly focus on. That is, what is the goal that we prepare the vessels towards that goal? There are two ways to relate to that goal. There is the general relation and the individual relation. The general relation, as Rabash writes, is - there are holidays, special days, the days of Shabbat, the first of the month, all of the holy days. And in these days, there is a connection between the branch and the root. Each and every day, there is a connection between the branch and the root. And we can use this general illumination that shines to those who use this holiday or special day. And this is how people can certainly enjoy the holidays and the special days. There is Yom Kippur, and corresponding to that, we have Purim, the ninth of Av, Hanukkah, Pesach (Passover), Shavuot. The person who is incorporated in these holidays, in the flow of the holiday, he nevertheless receives some general illumination from above that pertains to that day. It is called the holiness of the day. He participates in the customs and rules that apply in those holidays. This is why in such a case, it's really worthwhile to mention Pesach (Passover), that Baal HaSulam held very strongly, specifically, in Pesach. And in Sukkot, the building of the Sukkah, and to be according to the maximum adornment and the maximum precision. Also in Passover, keeping the laws and the adhesion in the holiday itself should be also in corporeality, it should be very meticulous and very strict. This is because there is truly a connection between the branch and the root, and it is possible to enjoy from those illuminations that come to a person who observes these holidays, and he understands why he is observing them, and he wants to enjoy from them for his spiritual ascent. And so certainly it's worthwhile to do so, especially on these holidays. This is why he also writes here in “Concerning joy,” that because our root exists in absolute rest, in tranquility, and wholeness, and eternity, this is manifested in a vessel that feels this phenomenon as joy. Then according to the root, of the branch and the root, on the holiday, which is, let's say, Purim, we should keep this relation to the root as much as possible. This is considered that it's a great joy. To be in joy is a great commandment. And to the opposite, when a vessel without light is revealed, on the ninth of Av, then we should be in the opposite state, that is, we need to diminish all of the special things. Or let's say, what we have between Pesach (Passover) and Shavuot, which are the days of Katnut, the days of correction, when we correct the 49 Sefirot of ZON, until the reception of the Torah. So when we engage in corrections, we engage in negation.

M. Laitman: (31:55) So also, we don't have joyous events, weddings, and so on. This means that all of these things follow the laws of the branch and the root. And all of this also joins the walking of a person who is drawn to spirituality, that he nevertheless also uses it on the corporeal plane, in this world. And besides that, by seeing the customs and laws that were established by the sages in those special days in the year, he sees in that details, that if he will turn them to spirituality, meaning to the spiritual meaning, then he will truly see their spiritual states, conditions, and laws that he will have to keep in order to enter this holiday, this spiritual stature, which is already above time and above place. There, there is no longer any clothing in corporeality like in this world, in the customs, but rather, this is already keeping the degree which has the same name as the holiday or the custom, but keeping it only internally. But nevertheless, the fact that in the meantime, he keeps it only in the external form, that too should bring him joy, because nevertheless, he is connected with the root, even though this connection is not yet scrutinized, and he hasn't attained it yet. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (34:16) Baal HaSulam writes that you should be in criticism half an hour a day, only half an hour. How come? 

M. Laitman: On an ordinary day, a person who rises to Kedusha, that he truly wants to rise towards the goal and reach spiritual attainments, so he must be for twenty-three and a half hours - this symbolizes that he needs to be in joy all the time. What does it mean to be in joy? Joy is a result, right? To be adhered to the Upper One, adhered to the Creator and walk on the right line, not to look at his vessel, what he has, but as much as possible to be adhered to the Upper One and absorb from the Upper One His qualities, His character, to be as connected as possible, annulling his individual self and adhere to the Upper One. Meaning, he engages in the uniqueness of the Creator and “There is none else besides Him,” that he attributes everything to the Creator, that's it. And if he tries to do so, and he truly tries and it works for him, then for half an hour a day, he must, just like he must for twenty-three and a half hours a day to forcefully bring himself to disconnect from myself and adhere to the Creator, in the sense of Providence, right? Likewise, for half an hour a day he should engage in that, seemingly - he does exist and everything depends on him, and what then is in his powers to do, and what belonged to him to do, and where he himself was adding and doing, and so on - meaning, on the left line. To look at the state from his vessel, whereas for twenty-three and a half hours he was going and walking in such a way that all the disruptions that come - and disruptions will come all the time, right? - upon them, he will connect even more to the Creator with an effort to determine that there is none else besides Him. This is the work that is called the work of the individual. Here, we talk more about the work of the collective, according to the topic of the article, that's it. Actually, both individual and the general. Ordinary people also keep all of these customs and laws, and from that, we have some sort of extension of the general lights.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (37:38) According to what you're saying here about the connection between the branch and the root, is there a connection to the calendar?

M. Laitman: To the date?

Student: Yes. 

M. Laitman: Is there a connection between the corporeal date and the upper spiritual light? 

Student: According to this.

M. Laitman: So let me ask you in a different way, I'll ask you in a different way: why is our universe arranged in such a way that we have the sun and the moon and planet Earth? And why does planet Earth turn in such a way that we have the day and the night? And why do we have relatively 12 hours, let's say, in the day and in the night? And there are all kinds of things. There is nevertheless a division which is not natural, but also there's a division on the human level that we have these special days, right? So, let's say, the month is determined by the moon - that's fine, the sun is determined by the sun - that's okay, this still seems to follow the rules, the laws of nature. But a week, why did we divide a month into four weeks? We don't know, right? Seven days, what kind of difference is in them? We have six days, and then we have the seventh day, right? Now, within these 365 days, we have special days. What is so special about them? If you just bring someone from the jungle, he might have his own calendar, but he will also divide time into month and year. But the other things that pertain to the human customs, of course, he's not going to have those but rather, every nation has its own, right? In the end, they actually did receive it from us, mostly, but that doesn't matter. This means that nevertheless, there are things that come, that are more connected to nature, to the degree of nature. And besides that, things that are connected to the human degree. Both these and those are all branch and root, but it's two degrees of branch and root. In spirituality, there are special laws between the lights and the vessels, right? We have special degrees, certain degrees, and the lights come from there. And in our world, it all materializes in the laws of nature, let's say, right? As it is according to the laws of astronomy, right? That we have the year, and the month, and the day, and the night. And also, according to the spiritual laws, Kabbalists dictated for us how we should mention every day that is special. According to the months, according to the weeks, according to the days, according to the hours, seemingly, they give us special signs for each time. And they do it not just because they felt like it, but rather, in that, there is the matter of the branch and root. That there is nevertheless a general illumination for this whole world. It revives this world, and operates this world, and fills it. So, in this illumination, there are many shades that are more general, which sustain the whole universe and its movement, and there are things that are more specific, more subtle, seemingly. 

M. Laitman: (41:46) Just like we have always the degrees of the still, vegetative, animate, and speaking - the five degrees and their roots. So, it is also in the general illumination towards what exists below the barrier. From above the barrier this illumination comes, and it sustains, revives the things we have here. And in this illumination, there is this subtle part that is high. From this general illumination, meaning that does not pertain to the individual work of the person that he draws through his efforts, some additional illumination upon him, which is personal. But rather, this general illumination, it also comes with changes. It changes according to the changes in the root. This is how, in this world, things change all the time, things happen. And also, in every day and every hour and every time, there is some specific force that changes, specific special illumination. And the person who wants to be connected more to it should perform certain actions that correspond to the branch and the root. It's still, just like this illumination is still, meaning without a direct relation from below up towards it, a volitional attitude in order to reach the goal. And this exists, for example, as we use all kinds of holidays, or why do we study specifically in these hours before the sun comes? It is all for a reason, it follows also the branch and the root. Baal HaSulam would start studying from midnight, because according to what we learned from the “Study of the Ten Sefirot,” according to what he explains to us, from midnight onwards begins the preparation for the revelation of what we have in the morning, towards the Shema prayer in the morning. And all of these things are because we exist in this system. We don't quite pay attention to it, we're all immersed within ourselves, within the feeling of our heart towards the goal. How can we aim that towards the goal? And all of the other things which are more external and pertain to nature, the customs, all of these things, we don't yet have the human forces to be focused on them as well, and to aim them also to us, but Kabbalists, nevertheless, mark these things for us, that through customs like Pesach and Sukkot especially, we attain lights, a great addition of lights, a very big addition of lights. And there were other customs, even ones that were kind of weird, strange. They had… Let's say, on the 9th of Av, or before the 9th of Av, they would actually have a great feast, and there was great joy instead of sadness. And the reason was to seemingly emphasize by that, that this is preparation for the end of the correction, the shattering of the vessels. And on the 9th of Av there is the shattering of the vessels, the shattering of the Temple, etc. Meaning, that there is truly a direct correlation to the customs and the calendar. However, it's just impossible for a person who's just beginning, in the beginning on the path - you cannot demand, you cannot turn to him with these things, that he will keep those as well. It's very difficult for him altogether to be focused on what is happening in this world. He's quite disconnected from reality. 

M. Laitman: (46:04) Whereas later on, to the extent that he does keep improving and he accustoms himself to be in an inner effort towards the goal, then he can also be assisted with more external things, like the customs, and laws, and holidays, and in general, the corporeal commandments. In them too, there is branch and root. They are also; they shouldn't be canceled. However, one who is a beginner is not capable of that. Even one who was a beginner and would do things really, really well, he would truly keep the corporeal commandments meticulously, he also grows weaker with them in the first stages of advancing towards spirituality. Because his vessel is still small, he's entirely focused on what pains him, what he lacks. He doesn't yet have any feeling, any connection. He doesn't feel himself where he is. He hardly even keeps himself with all the events that he's going through on the beginning of the path. And therefore, a person cannot then work in an ordinary and correct way - to work with some additional external study, and do his work, and keep in the family everything that's needed, the correct attitude to the wife and the kids. It's all difficult, it's very hard in the beginning. But later on, as he keeps going and he advances, then it is to the opposite - he sees how much all of these things can actually help him and that the whole world was truly created up to the very last detail to help us to advance towards the goal. But this is something that you can see only gradually.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (48:26) Is it because that there is a general illumination on the holidays, so this is a better time for the group, spiritually?

M. Laitman: Yes, this is why they're very good. This is why before the holidays come, and there are more general lights that shine in this world to our degree, if we all participate together in preparation for the holidays, and observing the holidays, and doing them - we connect to the holidays as much as possible - we are rewarded more with these general lights. And then we feel the result. Also that because we're working hard together and we're going through the holiday together, all of it, really. Look at Passover, two months beforehand - we begin to work; and a month before it - you don't see day or night. And the whole holiday - 20 something, 22 meals, the whole time we are together. So, after the holiday, we come out with a great position. Not a great position, because the transition to spirituality is still… But the lights of Passover are the ones that… If a person comes to these states, the lights of Passover take a person across the barrier. This is why we have to all participate in this. Rabash himself, I would go with him to buy all the groceries for Passover. This person never spared money. I ran his account, I know, his bank account, I know. But for Passover, he always had this pile of money. Like 10 centimeters of money. And before Passover, he would use it. He would save all year long. All kinds of things - he would buy it all concentrated, a machine for coffee, for grinding coffee, all kinds of things, he had his own, he would buy, and all those special things for the food. It was something awful, it was a lot of work. It was very meticulous. He was very meticulous. And all the Kabbalists are like that. It's an ancient tradition. Sukkot as well. Building the Sukkah, to keep it isolated. That's it. So that preparation should help us, of course. Besides connecting to the holiday in the popular, regular, general level way. To the general lights that come for the holiday. And also personally, because each one also has a goal. Why he is making efforts? What does he want from this, which regular people don't have, and we want it? So, we have an addition of a very big vessel that we want to fill as well.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (51:52) We speak about all the holidays and the months and all of that. We say these are the laws of nature. Now with the laws of nature, we know that…

M. Laitman: No, I didn't say about the holidays and customs that are included in nature's laws. In nature's law, we have the year, the month, the day and night. That's it.

Student: But day and night, week, seasons, isn't that related?

M. Laitman: Okay, but these are things that we… All of our holidays are not in the nature that we see. Yes, I look at the world and, oh, if I'm not a Kabbalist, if I don't feel it, I don't know it. I look at the world and I say: “Today is the beginning of the year.” Is there such a thing? Can a person feel it? With the holy spirit, as it's called, meaning it's not in nature. So what are you asking about this?

Student: I'm asking about these laws. I mean, as we know, Passover is the holiday of the spring. Shavuot is the holiday of harvest, holiday of the first fruits. And all of these times, they have their essence. Like we had Tu B'Shvat now, the holiday of the trees. So each thing, nevertheless, this connects us to the Creator, right?

M. Laitman: You're saying that besides having a reason for these holidays from above, which is a certain cycle, a certain degree in spirituality, in our world, this spiritual degree, even though it's not visible to the eye, yes? Let's say, the four seasons we have, right? Four beginnings of the year. But we, when we celebrate this holiday, we see that it belongs to nature too. Except we don't have clear signs in nature that today, do you know when the 15th of Shevat should be? Do you smell it according to something? Do you see it according to something? Is it a day, a night, suddenly a star falls and shines on you above Jerusalem? Tell me, when is the 15th of Shevat? No, we see that it's connected to nature too, but without clear signs.

Student: I'm saying we're so connected to nature, so how come we..?  

M. Laitman: Of course, we are connected to nature, everything in our nature comes from roots, each one, every phenomenon in nature. And there are infinite more phenomena, they all come from spiritual roots. 

Student: So why are we the opposite in our nature? 

M. Laitman: We're not opposite from our nature. We're not opposite. We are in the same nature as is our nature. And the spiritual roots made it this way for us. They arranged everything for us. But now you're asking, if the spiritual roots, they are probably in order to bestow, and these branches are all in order to receive. So I'll tell you, they're not in order to receive, these branches. In order to receive, means an intention which only man can have. All of nature is still, it's simply receiving. There's no question about it, about what it does. There is a direct connection between the branches and the roots. Only man must, on his degree, correct what can be corrected with the intention to bestow, where it's possible to add the intention to bestow, and then all of nature joins him. Go ahead, ask. There are many things that are usually not clear about this. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (56:19) The purpose of all of this is to my benefit, this whole matter of nature - the fact we have winter, and spring, and summer, and autumn. Otherwise, seemingly the world wouldn't have this. I mean, it's some kind of a routine. I wait for each of these things. I wait for Purim now, then I wait for Pesach, for Passover, then I wait…

M. Laitman: What's the question?

Student: So what's my question? These things that come, it feels like it makes me wait, yearn for them. I want to be happy.

M. Laitman: What is the question? 

Student: These things come from the Creator. 

M. Laitman: You're saying that if we didn't have holidays, we would feel a lot more kind of stale, tasteless. And now we have reason to rejoice, right? Great. So the whole people, the whole nation, each have their own holidays, and they have all kinds of feasts and festivities, and they have these customs and games. So what's the problem? If we relate this way to our holidays, we'll be like all the other nations. When you're saying, I'm waiting for some holiday because it's nice, and it gives me joy, it gives me a good life - right, that's the way regular people relate to it. But the intention is not this. The intention is to use the holidays and the customs and the special days in a purposeful way. Because in them, we can also enjoy the general surrounding lights that appear at that holiday or occasion. That's it. And not, the Creator didn't give these special days so you would sit at home like that, nicely. On the contrary, on a holiday, we are commanded to do hard work. If you take the prayer book and you'll see how much you're demanded to do according to your appeal to the roots to do on holidays, you'll see how much your work should be harder. Look at it according to the prayer, according to everything. If you translate it into internal actions that you must do, and then you will really be at the level of the holiday, then you'll see what it is, how difficult it is. It's joy as a result of observing it, of preparing the vessel, and the filling. And then the sensation of additional adhesion comes, really comes, and that's interpreted as joy. But the holiday itself, just like that, it's very hard work, it's great corrections. Just the additional sacrifices that a person must sacrifice of himself. What corrections.

Question (French): (59:41) But if there's someone who is drawn to spirituality and is not Jewish, he doesn't have our customs.

M. Laitman: If he doesn't have our customs, he doesn't have to. If according to the branch and root, he doesn't have these things, he doesn't have to do anything. So, individually, when he already belongs to this phase of Israel, because he has Yashar El, straight to the Creator, an awakening toward the Creator, then individually, of course, he goes for it. But in general, he's not obligated. As Baal HaSulam says, at the end of correction, even at the end of correction, each one can remain with his own customs. On a still level, by all means, stay in your customs. But there's a question. A person has already reached the end of correction. How will he not observe the rules that according to the branch and root belong to the Jews? No, because according to his branch, he's not Jewish, according to his corporeal branch. This connection between the general and the particular is not clear. But it doesn't affect, it doesn't hinder his work.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:01:16) What does it mean that he elevates the still, he adds the still to him? You said that this is how we should determine. What does it mean, nevertheless, that he adds the still to him, and the still also rises?

M. Laitman: Baal HaSulam writes in the “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” in the beginning, items two, three, four, I don't know exactly, he writes that a person corrects himself and with him corrects the whole world. And then the whole world rises along with the person. Do you remember, something like that is written? That's it. How? I don't know. Why? Because. First of all, he writes, so you should accept it. Put it into your head first. Then, if you have questions, doubts, or to the contrary, agreement, add to it. But this has to be as a title. It exists, and it is so. That's it.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:02:08) So, a person who's not Jewish in his branch, the system doesn't obligate him to match the corporeal branch to the spiritual root. He's not going to feel a need, let's say, on the level of corporeality to go through conversion or things like that. Because we see that in the advancement of the person, he performs all kinds of physical corporeal actions in order to adapt himself, match himself to the root. The inner feeling obligates him. 

M. Laitman: Again, I can’t answer your question, how a person who advances to spirituality, let's say, when the non-Jews begin to approach, as well, the purpose of creation.  Will they have to, and the whole world will have to behave exactly like the branch and the root? I don't know. Baal HaSulam writes; you saw what he writes. I have nothing more to say beyond that. What I think is what I think. I'm still not at that state, at that degree that I can tell you - it'll be like this or like that. I'm not touching, I don't touch this root. So, I have nothing to say, I'm telling you, Baal HaSulam, this is what he writes.

Student: But we see that Kabbalists …

M. Laitman: The fact that throughout history, those who were drawn to the root also joined the branch, there was such a thing, correct, but either it happened because this is how this world is built, and circles, and you understand? In other words, he didn't have a choice. And we also see now that we constantly have questions. Those who take interest in Kabbalah from other nations, should they too do something? And I always tell them they don't. 

Student: I have a question about the topic we discussed before, if possible, why … 

M. Laitman: It's written about Abraham and Sarah, that he was converting the men and Sarah - the women. Well, they didn't have a choice. They too, they themselves were like that. He discovered the uniqueness of the Creator in the world. The Creator was revealed to him, right? As a result, he understood the purpose of creation and the whole path. And from this, as a result, he began to disseminate. He disseminated among whom? Among his family there, right? His clan. But with his father, he couldn't do anything. He was an idol-worshiper, right? But as much as he could, among all his guys, he did some work, some dissemination. He added to himself. It's written that they converted those Iraqis, Persians, as much as they could. They were his disciples. Afterwards, when his sons were born and the grandchildren and so on, it's a family already. And afterwards, when they came out of Egypt, it was already a nation. So they all rose out of not observing anything in corporeality, and through recognition of spirituality, they began to observe the corporeality. And then as a result of the spiritual recognition, that was still from above downward, this is still from above downward - the revelation in this world. This is why they are called the patriarchs, the fathers. Until the ruin of the Temple, it's still all from above downward. The exodus from Egypt too, it's all upper roots that were revealed in this world in this way. But it's still being revealed from above downwards in the cascading, in the descent. And the ruin of the Temple, this is already in the exit, the last exile. There were exiles before that. So that's the last exile, when all this cascading from above downward was ended, and in our time the first ascent begins. We are the first ones actually in the entire system, we're beginning to rise from below upwards. And before us, all of them are also roots. All those Kabbalists throughout the generations are also from above downward. They created related to a person with a special intention and brought a person to a special degree to continue the development of the method. It's all for our generation. And only from our generation onwards, the correction begins, the actual correction of the souls. Before that, there were shatterings, there were preparations, exile, mixture, incorporation, all kinds of things. And only now begins the correction. When the mixture has been completed in corporeality, we return to the land of Israel, as Baal HaSulam writes. And now we have to continue this in spirituality. 

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:07:47) So why do we divide it until the time of The ARI, from the time of The ARI? 

M. Laitman: We can divide it to many periods: Abraham, Moses, Rabbi Shimon, The ARI, Baal HaSulam. But all those things were still as preparations. Preparations, means from above downwards. It's called from above downwards. It's in order to bring into this world the method, the method of recognition of godliness.

Student: Okay, now I have a question about the previous topic.

M. Laitman: Right, so this is why we… Well, there's a lot to it in relation to the branch and the root.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:08:33) We see how Rabash in his articles, he seemingly connects the person to the inner work in a way that is much simpler, let's say, than other books. He connects the person to the inner work through, let's say, the “Rungs of the Ladder.” But as a, let's say, a beginner, it's easier for him to connect to the “Rungs of the Ladder”, because he feels that his internality is somehow made of these articles. My question is, why wasn't there another Kabbalist who built his explanation about spirituality corresponding to the things that are happening here? If we have branches, let's say, the whole of nature is around these branches, why not explain to people that the spiritual action that will help to connect the person, like, who is confused, like you said in the beginning? Let's say, by explaining some spiritual degree by, I don't know, by the sea going up and down or a hurricane storm, I don't know, whatever. So the person will be able to connect these things. Why do Kabbalists choose not to do so?

M. Laitman: Meaning, why is the method of correction, a means by which a person rises up to the root of his soul, is a method that first of all operates on the inner part of man, and then also adds to it external parts? It is according to the same rule that Baal HaSulam said, that if man rises, then all of nature — animals, beasts, trees, and flowers, and planet Earth, and all the other parts of the universe, all of them, even they, yes, yes — rise in their degree, on their degree to spirituality. Everything is according to the acts of man, and within man, everything also develops from his internality to his externality.

Student: But in the work, we see the other way around. I first build, let's say, a society, that has to influence me, all things, all those things. There's nothing in it. Then I build, I don't know, I get married, so it will influence me, additional things inside of me. Eventually, the inner point, it changes, and it's the hardest thing to do. So you say now the opposite, that first inside, and then I go out, outwardly, I don't understand.

M. Laitman: (01:11:19) I don't understand what you're saying. I can rise to the root by increasing my inner vessel, my most inner vessel. The root of my soul is literally at the degree of Ein Sof, that's where I'm adhered. Here in this world, it's a point in the heart that has descended from it, and it's found within me, in my heart, and I work from the point in the heart. I actually need to do just one action, that is, to bring that back, meaning now, also, as much as I understand what is Ein Sof, what is the Creator, who is He, what is He, I need to connect my point to Him, to glue it to Him. Other than that, I have no problem in life. Now, the solution of this requires attaching all kinds of actions, all kinds of possibilities that exist before me. So, I'm told, with your point, you can't return to the root, because at the root, your point is this big. It grasps the entire root. Each one of us is like Adam HaRishon. What do I need to do for that? For that, to rise to that degree, you have to connect all your other pieces. Where are they? They exist in all of humanity, in all of humanity. It doesn't matter if there is 7 billion people, or just, say, 70 people. Doesn't matter how many. The weight of the spiritual vessel is the same spiritual vessel. Either you divide the soul to many pieces, or to less pieces. It just changes, the weight per person will change, let's put it like that. If you could divide spirituality that way, but for the sake of explanation, let's say so. But, essentially, no. And you have to do that, so I have to turn to the society and work with them, and so forth. So, what are you asking? I'm working from my inner point. I don't scatter to external forms. I'm not going to try to take care of trees and rocks and animals and beasts, but also in a way that I need to attach them to me. What does it mean to attach them to me? The more, I also use them for the same goal, I have to use the whole world the same way. This is called inner work. So what's external here? What's externality?

Student: Externality is that when you're trying to create, at least with the society, this image, that externality is always before internality.

M. Laitman: No, the fact I relate to a person like this, to his beastliness, to his corporeality, let's say, sorry, let's not call it beastliness, let's call it corporeality, that's nicer, and not to his soul, but to bodily human desires, I relate to him like that because that's revealed to my eyes. If his soul were revealed to my eyes, and I could take his soul and attach it to me, and he could have seen and did the same thing with my soul, all the better, but we're not yet at those degrees where we don't see bodies and we only see souls.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:15:20) Let's say, in the work with the society, what are you trying to do? You're trying to do… Society is like a magnetic field that creates the greatness of the Creator, this field is moving somewhere, and then the point of the heart is seemingly lagging behind, and so by envy, lust, and honor, it will adapt itself to advance to the point where I can imagine the society for it to be. And then, based on that, I build first an external environment, and the point of the heart is the last thing that adapts itself, because internality is the thing that cannot tolerate the Creator the most. So I'm asking, how is it first internal and then external?

M. Laitman: Development is nevertheless internal at first. But you're saying this - if I activate the external forces, which are anti-spiritual: envy, lust, honor, that's a big will to receive, but I want specifically through that will to receive to activate the point in the heart towards the Creator, and that's point in the heart too, towards the Creator, I activate it egoistically, beastly, I want to enjoy Him, I think it'll give me much more than all the pleasures of this world. I am still in wholeness, I don't have oppositeness or collision between what I work with towards the Creator, the point in the heart, or my beastly qualities, my natural qualities, no such thing, there's just one point of resistance, that I need to somehow connect to others so as to acquire from them their relation to that same goal. That means, I acquire their point in the heart. I also don't know where is exactly your point in the heart, how I'll take it, borrow me some, you know. Spirituality doesn't divide, so you're not going to lack anything. “Give me, give me,” I don't turn that way to each and every one, I can't. Instead of that, I require external expression, I say: “You have to provide me greatness of the Creator, beastly greatness, just as you think the Creator will fill all your heart's wishes, that's how I want to receive that awakening from you, egoistically, egoistic awakening, give that to me.” If I yearn for the Creator and you yearn for Him, I want your yearning too, then I'll fly twice as fast, and if it's a hundred times more than a hundred times as fast, that's what I want from them, I simply want the egoistic awakening. There is still nothing here that you just have to realize, that we should pay for the friend in order to take from him this yearning, his desire for spirituality. There's still nothing here that goes against nature, you don't need to break yourself here in any sense, only greatness of the goal. That's why I'm saying we have to play in that, and act crudely, and advertise this to each other as an important thing, and each one should show to the other how much he longs for the goal, and whoever does something for society, for the connection, for all of that, we should really… All those things are just to increase the desire to receive spirituality, desire to receive, not bestow. Later, by beginning to think that this is really, really great, then grace of holiness will also come from above. That's done by the light, the surrounding light does that, I don't demand that from the friends to tell me to do this in order to bestow, the friends can't provide me that. The light that comes from above, Baal HaSulam writes about this, that light brings grace of holiness, it's called. 

M. Laitman: (01:19:33) Just as the light changes phase one so that phase two emerges, the light that will influence me will give me that piece that I will want to give. Why? Because He's so great that besides enjoying Him, I also want to adhere to Him, belong to Him, relate to Him somewhat, somehow. That is in nature. That's the difference between phase one and phase two. It's rooted in nature. If that wasn't the case, then the entire world would be just beasts. Because there is such a thing, inversion, that the light in the Kli can also insert His nature, other than the pleasure, somewhat of His nature - that is our salvation. But that comes from the light itself. The friend himself can't do it. He can tell me from dawn to dusk: “you have to bestow, you have to bestow,” so what? What will that give me? I need inner change. From the friend, all I need is greatness of the goal, greatness of the Creator. That's all I need. Later, we'll see to bestow - it's the opposite. If we will now only talk about bestowal, we'll all run home, run away home. No one needs bestowal here. Except, that it's worthwhile. Very simple. That's what I need to get from society. And then I work on that with the friends. They have to bestow to me good spirits. They have to elevate me. We have to talk about the greatest, how we are the greatest, and then that's the only thing we need to do. And you looking at some other forums where people talk about us and say the opposite, you shouldn't see or hear that. It's not worthwhile, it's not going to give you anything. There will always be people like that. I just need to hear good things about the path, about us, about the Creator. And all the rest - just don't take it into account, they don't understand anything. And I too, for the time being, also don't understand anything to really do the right inspection. To inspect anything, I have to rise to a higher degree. That's it. Therefore, there has to be a very, very simple society limited in its activity. And it's very simple. We just need one thing to have here, like he writes here - to have a burning fire, like Rabash writes, burning fire. And other than that, nothing. The burning bush, from that, the Creator becomes revealed.

Question (Petah Tikva Center): (01:22:41) Why is this so difficult? We're not impressed from one another. It's so difficult to be impressed. It's not that we're not influencing one another, we are, we're bestowing to each other. So why? What's missing? 

M. Laitman: Why this such simple thing is so difficult? Because inside of it sits the oppositeness. That here we have to go through an inversion, and the light doesn't come to us directly, but through inversion. That's one thing. Secondly, it's concealed. You don't have an example in this world that shows, it's worthwhile. We see a lot of people who are capable of doing something for an abstract idea. People are willing to go to a monastery. A hundred years I lived there, I was born there, I don't leave there. Right? I pray to my gods. I do whatever you say. Just bread and water, like he writes there. That person is willing to do that and suffer his whole life. Correspondingly, from the Klipa, he gets direct light to his egoistic vessel, and he understands the reward. Because the reward exists directly, not through an inversion on the way there. It's directly towards me. I live a hundred years in this world, I suffer throughout this hundred years, but afterwards, for infinite time, I'm in such a place that is worthwhile. Besides that, there's brainwash, but everything follows the same light and vessel, just will to receive and pleasure, simply, directly. Because the Klipa doesn't need to invert so as to provide our desire with that illumination of future pleasure. And we can't receive from our root that I'll feel good if I'm going towards my goal, because on the way there, I have to invert, to invert my phase from in order to receive to in order to bestow. And so, these lights that are destined there to be in Ein Sof, we have no measurement at all towards anything there, and these lights can't shine on me, and I'm not drawn there. Only if I have some little, small vessel, the smallest vessel of bestowal, then accordingly, correspondingly, I'll feel light. If I have a vessel of reception, I feel light from the Klipa. Even the point in the heart in me is still a spark from the broken screen. And there too, I think, in the point in the heart, I think about enjoying from receiving spirituality, not from bestowing. It turns out that just generally, directly, I don't receive anything, any light from my root, just surrounding, surrounding lights. So the work is very difficult. Even when I go to the friends and say: “Guys, this is such a great thing, we can gain so much, we have a hundred people here, let's do something,” no one awakens. Nobody awakens, because there's no illumination from above, correspondingly. They feel it subconsciously, deep, deep within the senses, there is some sensation against that root, that there is some inversion, some oppositeness, that goal doesn't seem attractive, it seems dark, even repulsive. If I and you can go together to make a few millions, we won't go together? We'll hold each other, and keep each other, sleep together, eat together, whatever. If just by holding each other together, we'll win the lottery, of course, we'll do it. 

M. Laitman: (01:27:45) But here, there's no illumination, because the vessel has to be inverted to feel the light. That's why there's no force to do it. But because there's no force to do it, you nevertheless approach the point where this inversion works on you. You have to do the labor. There, you do work where you work for the goal. You have a very simple goal - to gain more. This light shines on me. After I'll get rid of this world, I'll rise to heaven, and I'll be paid something great. And it shines on you directly, like the lottery. No problem to work for it. Still, you need to appreciate it, more or less, opposite all the pleasures that face you, but it's still in the same beastly vessel, directly, light and vessel. The light provided by the Klipot, the shells, it's in order to receive, and the vessel is in order to receive. It's all clear. We work like that in this world as well. And if you are truly connected to the real goal, none of that can be. There has no existence in this world. Only if you elevate that idea to the spiritual degree, the connection between the friends has to be somewhat elevated. Everything is already connected to something that relates to the goal. So you can't just say: “Guys, guys, we can benefit here, let's go together.” You have to…, the greatness of the Creator must be there. Okay, let's study. There are many more questions here. All of the questions that I'm not answering, I'm asking, write them down for me in the forum, or not in the forum, the questions that belong to the same lesson. When you go into the general forum, there's a thread, questions for the Kabbalists, I think, something they titled it. So there's a few places there where you can write it down. So it says, “Morning lesson, Rungs of the Ladder.” Write your questions there, and I'll answer them. I'll try to do it today. Very good questions.