HOCHMA: TIKKUN CHATZOT תקון חצות – LESSON WITH RAV MICHAEL LAITMAN

Baal HaSulam. Introduction to The Book of Zohar, item 49

Morning Lesson February 16, 2022 Transcription 

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

Part 1:

Baal HaSulam. Introduction to The Book of Zohar. #49

1. Rav’s Introduction: Yes, we see already according to this introduction, how much Baal HaSulam is focused on explaining to us the degrees of the attainment of the Creator, adhesion with the Creator, coming closer to the Creator that we go through on our path, and how precise he is with the details that it’s possible to talk about them. That it is possible to explain them, he tries to do that. So let’s continue. These are the steps that we have to go through, each and every one of us, those who are in the study of the wisdom of Kabbalah, those who are not in it, each one, nevertheless, has his own trail in order to reach that point, his point of origin where we were once all connected in a single system.

The system was shattered and we came out of the connection between us, and thus we have lost our connection with the upper force, therefore, the upper light departed from us, and we remained as we are now, that we exist without connection, without understanding, without feeling of who we are, what about us, and we should already with understanding, with awareness and with our own efforts, our own labor, we have to return to that state as we were before, however, that we are now climbing that mountain through the degrees of ascend, and we help each other, and we understand, and support each other, each one should help his friend.

In that way we should think each one about the others, and not about oneself, and in that way, in each degree, in each state, more and more, to think about the others, and not about oneself and the top is ahead of us. So he explains to us here we already started to learn these degrees that we have to climb on so we are now on the way to it attaining the light of Neshama, Ruach, Haya, Yechida of these degrees where each one of them includes five and five more, all in all 125 degrees.

Item 49 (03:46)

2. R. (06:55) As we see here that in that same degree, that same system, this process, this system is truly capped, everything works according to the degrees of the coarseness of the Kli, the screen that it obtains and to the extent to which it’s able to sort these things gradually, these degrees are predefined and this is how we also need to advance in attaining the light of Neshama, until we reach the light of Haya. I realize there’s not so much here, well first of all the details related to it, we cannot study them yet, what is so special here, even in a way that is unique and specific to the attainment of the light of Neshama. In what is it special? Just realize that this pertains to details that are more scrutinized with vessels that reunite each one with his own ego, which he had acquired during the shattering.

When we search how to relate, how to come together, and complete each other together, so that each one completes the other, no one thinks about himself, because by that he won’t scrutinize anything, his whole scrutiny is in completing the others, and through him in this way he gives contentment to the Creator because by this he builds the system, you can say he builds, or corrects it, or he comes back to that system, that existed to begin with in the structure of Adam HaRishon. Therefore, this is how along the way when we bring the system back to its original form, seemingly it’s as it was before the shattering, in this way from below upward, we seemingly rise on the degrees in which the soul descended from Ein Sof down to this world.

We in return bring it back through incorporation, through the right engagement and we serve it to the Creator in a way that is more, and more united and corrected, and along the way when we make efforts about the connection between us, accordingly, the lights come, lights of correction, lights of feeling, and in that way we realize, we understand and attain the Creator’s operations we invite them, we take part in them, and they’re for the people who succeed in that work are called the servants of the Creator and this is actually all of our work.

3. S. (10:54) If we can expand on why Baal HaSulam compares these spiritual concepts with the corporeal, the flesh, why does he take the body of a person as an example?

R. We learn from all kinds of other places that Kabbalists wrote and so did Baal HaSulam and other Kabbalists also that we see, understand, and feel as our body is actually the very last degree, the corporeal degree of the spiritual attainment, there is no corporeality. This world also does not exist but rather it appears in our desires because besides desire nothing else exists, and those desires when they are disconnected from each other, disconnected meaning that they are not connected in the disposition to adhere to each other, in order to adhere to the Creator but rather they just exist only through the upper force, that connects them in order for them to exist and awaken into the spiritual work, to the purposeful connection between them. So, those desires give us the feeling of this world, and from them we begin the corrections. They themselves we don’t have to correct but rather all of our work is above them, above them, and this is why, that is how we depict the ascents.

Now, because all of the degrees from Ein Sof, where they exist in such unity that we’re not capable of elaborating and until they descend downwards more and more and then we can start to recognize the differences between them, the relations between them. This is why we explain in such a way the connection between them, the degree of distancing, the degree of connection, only in that, we really have some grasp on spirituality and not only in that, but also the Creator, we attain Him through connection and disconnection between us, these are the vessels, and the vessels, we are able to reach an understanding a feeling of connection, whereas besides that we have nothing else in our hand. We cannot feel beyond the connection and disconnection between us, nothing else. All of the attainments, all of our understanding, are only about what is happening between the vessels, to what extent they’re broken, to what extent they unite, connect and this is our whole reality. Go ahead and ask please, maybe I’ll be able to find other words.

4. S. (15:04) What does it mean that the light purifies the will to receive, how does it happen in the practice of the ten?

R. We are the created beings and we are capable of feeling reality only when it is incorporated to opposite forces, darkness and light, vessel and light, and not more than that. If there is only one of them, then we entirely do not understand where we are, and what is it that we’re doing, and in general we have no feeling. If let’s say the light would, God forbid, depart all together then we also wouldn’t have any awareness of the vessel that we exist in, and the other way around, if we would exist in the light but without a vessel. This is why we have to grow gradually in such a way that we are walking on two legs, more light, more vessel, more vessel, more light, and this is how we attain one opposite the other, because we the created beings can attain not one of two, but one opposite the other light opposite the vessel and the vessel opposite the light.

When we obtain some light opposite the vessel but the vessel is not yet scrutinized then it is called surrounding lights, there are all kinds of lights that exist around the vessel, and they awaken us and shake us. Whereas, if we are talking about, when we speak about the vessels, then also it’s only through the lights, the lights shake the vessel, the vessels itself will to receive in itself according to its nature it cannot make any movement because it doesn’t have any power of life, any vitality. The vessel can feel itself that it wants something, it’s not capable of it but only through the light awakening it, and bringing it to new sensations.

5. S. (17:44) The last three lines in the text say that light relative to the still, vegetative and animate, and spiritual level is also according to the corporeal levels?

R. I’m not sure how it was translated to you there and the only difference between the world of Assiya which are the still, vegetative, and animate related to the Sefira of Hochma, aid him in receiving the light of Sefira of Hochma to the fullest as it was the light of Nefesh as it was also called the speaking of Kedusha. Since it corresponds to the purification of the speaking heart in man’s body, meaning the particular will to receive. The value of that light in godliness is as the value of the speaking in the corporeal still vegetative and speaking this means then one changes the sensation of others. It is a special light that makes him feel what is happening in others in a way that the measure of the greatness of that light relative to the measure of the previous light of the spiritual still, vegetative and animate is as the measure of the corporeal speaking relative to the still, vegetative and animate.

Meaning, he’s giving us an example here of how much that degree that he now reaches, the degree of speaking, that it relative to the previous degrees the still, vegetative and animate, the spiritual ones, it’s just like in our world that man is on a greater degree than the corporeal still, vegetative and animate, he cannot tell us any more than that, there are no examples. Once we attain it we will know to what extent we have a difference between the spiritual still, vegetative and animate and the corporeal speaking as it is higher than the corporeal still, vegetative and animate so it is in the spiritual, so that is the only comparison he can make. I also have nothing else to add here, these are very high degrees. What is the difference, we can talk a lot about it but all in all what is the difference? The corporeal speaking understands and feels where he exists, he understands that he is connected to the upper force, that he exists in an interconnection with it, he can pray to him and receive from him in return additional forces, he can say about himself that he is developing.

That’s how it is just like in our world we develop a lot more than the still, vegetative and animate around us and we can determine through our own efforts for our addition, we can determine our development just like it is in our world. You see how humanity is evolving and it all depends on our labor. The Creator awakens a desire, we actualize that desire, if we didn’t have a desire then we wouldn’t do anything we would just remain on the same level of development as before and as it is this is how we develop. However what we need is, in the connection between us we need to develop the spiritual will to receive. That is, it only pertains to the level of connection between us. This is why people, human beings, were given a very great and important feeling of others and it depends on how we use it.

Therefore, love your friend as yourself is the great rule of the Torah. If we would develop the interconnection between people and this is upon us specifically, upon Bernard Baruch, we want to care for the whole world that they will all connect and by that they will give a place to the Creator to bestow and by this we give the Creator pleasure so he can take care of people and bestow to them, so this is our work. Only that. Ultimately our work the more we advance will seem to us as working on the great masses, on humanity, explaining to them that connection which is something that is so much hated and distant from all of us, it actually is our purpose. The more we will try to avoid this work, the more we will suffer individually and all of us together, and as much as we will advance in it we will be rewarded with blessing and everything that we have in our life, the corporeal life and our spiritual life, the great masses, on humanity, explaining to them that connection which is something that is so much hated and distant from all of us, it actually is our purpose.

6. S. (23:47) You said earlier that our corporeal world is the relation between?

R. Our corporeal reality of course, it appears to us as the result of the shattering between the parts. That we discover more and more the shattering yet it’s not that it was broken all at once and that’s it but rather the system that was shattered, the system of Adam HaRishon, reveals more and more the degrees of its shattering up to details that are more and more precise. I would say subtle, that we didn’t think before that they’re in it and everything that we are discovering in our development, the human development, in the families, in the societies, and all kinds of different connections we have. In the businesses that we want to have as it says go and make a living out of each other, all of that is in order for us to determine how much we are far away, broken, separated from each other, how much we don’t and we do want to know still how to build connections between us through all kinds of wisdom, science, human methods, psychological methods, and cultural, educational

All of that, these two are great scrutiny, we do them in a corporeal matter, and they also are all in all preparing us for the spiritual closeness. It is all only in order for us to discover our shattering and to show us that we have no choice but rather to connect in some way and then we try to connect through all kinds of building of businesses. Because we have to ensure ourselves that we are gaining somehow and by us, in order for us to have such a gain, a profit we have to connect. Therefore we come together, all kinds of greater and greater communities. It’s no longer a village, before we had we didn’t have villages at first people lived by themselves then there were villages and small towns. Now it’s great cities, and countries, until some time ago that didn’t exist.

A great city would already be a state on its own and this is how nature is teaching us about degrees of connection and in our time already many people feel emptiness in all of these engagements, these businesses and they’re coming closer to the understanding that there has to be a connection which is in a way that is more than corporeality, more than human nature. We don’t get this knowledge directly, because this would already be directly against our nature because we wouldn’t see any profit in making concessions to each other. Then, the connection in the ten is built only on mutual concessions and we don’t understand that, we also don’t yet understand how we can make concessions also in families and in all kinds of things. This problem of concessions, self annulment, this is the main problem we have in our egoistic desire. Nonetheless throughout the whole spiritual path we will have to learn that and establish it, will have to establish it.

S. You give us a complete picture if I can ask more, all of human development is this program that brings us to the concessions between the desires, the friction between them?

R. Yes only concessions, our whole development is how do we reach the annulment of the existence as we call it, there is no more because by that you erase the boundary that exists between you and the Creator

S. When we speak of that connection, the desires begin to form between them, the connection is in the intentions not in the desires themselves right?

R. Yes, but already when I want connection will take place when the upper light is the one that performs the action. The connection itself, I cannot do it, even to think about it in a complete way I cannot. I can only be drawn to it seemingly. I pray and always in that disposition to make more connection, more connection and more connections. I do it through all kinds of actions in faith above reason, I pray that it will be done and the Creator as we say, the Lord will finish it for me. This is how, this is the way with several steps.

7. S. (30:44) You touched on something very special in regards to that we go through breakings, ups and downs, and for some of us these things are normal but yet complicated still after so many years and still it’s very much alive, you know we live as if it’s the first time. What is the most important thing while going through this, especially right now in the world, when many things are happening? What is the most important thing going through these states of connection and disconnection, ups and downs that we can all hold on to each other and what for?

R. When we, whenever we annul our ego and we feel that area in which we annul our ego there we prepare a place for the revelation of the Creator between us. This is how it happens. Okay?

8. S. (32:09) What are those concessions that humanity is required to make?

R. It’s all in all about one thing, that I, it’s not I who determined something but rather the Creator. On the way to the Creator because the Creator is all in all the forests of bestowal, I annul myself towards the desire of the group. This is what we have to do in practice.

S. You said canceling of the existence, what is it?

R. My ego, simply put.

9. S. (33:06) What is the difference between the degrees of development in the still ,vegetative animate and speaking from the point-of-view of concessions, completion and thinking of the friends how does that develop?

R. I don’t understand, in what it develops. It develops according to the records that awaken all the time and they bring us all of us together and each one accordingly, they bring us new individual states. In those states when we try to give them a certain spiritual characteristic to some extent, towards coming closer to each other, by that we actualize them, implement them.

S. You said that we can’t even think of concession in a complete way, fully? Where do we start?

R. By each and everyone making room for his friend more.

S. How to portray that stay a bit more, what does it mean making room?

R. Support, support the group in any way that you are capable because you are describing and depicting that in the group that’s where the Creator is revealed. So by that you’re giving him contentment, that’s it. So it turns out that as much as I annul myself I am making room for the Creator.

S. I can support the group without annulling myself?

R. No.

S. Why supporting them has to do with annulment?

R. How can it be, in what can you support the group without annulling yourself?

S. I can help organize and do things.

R. That doesn’t actually happen even Rabbi Yossi ben Kisma, look at the example that he gives it’s only by annulling himself towards his students. It’s impossible any other way, it’s the law of the system.

S. There’s a gap between the support that you referred to and what I understand.

R. Yes that’s true, the whole world is like that, not only you.

S. So how to correctly see yourself because I want to support it according to how I understand support and you described annulment.

R. So you need to take, not what you understand but what Kabbalists say, what they say to you, to accept the view of the Torah, meaning whatever happens inside of the group instead of inside of your reason, make your will as his will.

10. S. (36:10) In our work in the ten we discover the shattering, reveal it, it comes in the form of rejection, opposite opinions and then we have the opportunity to connect above it, how does that happen in the general world?

R. I can’t tell you how it happens in the world, in the world we can not yet see with our eyes in which way, through which currents the world is connecting. Because nevertheless it is connecting and advancing but this is happening through such forces and actions that we cannot yet see in general. But nevertheless it is happening. Specifically through collisions, overcoming and efforts one standing opposite the other, the world is coming to connection because all in all, we need to consider ego, relinquish our ego and the more we are capable of it, the more the Upper providence subjugates us, by that we actually profit and advance. I think that what happened now let’s say in relation to Russia and the Ukraine, if it will actually pass in such a nice and free manner meaning it will just kind of evaporate, that they’ll move away from each other and let it be, and seemingly forget about it, this will be a great correction. Great progress and everyone will gain from it.

11. S. (38:32) To the extent that we revealed the degrees of shattering, how do we manage these emotions in order to make room for the friends in the connection?

R. I have to move, so much so that all the friends will have some space and where will I be? In the same place where there is no place, this is where I am. So the ‘I’ becomes absent and I exist among everyone, I arrange everyone. I give room to everyone. This actually is our work in connection.

12. S. (39:45) In the beginning of the paragraph that says 613 organs, what is the connection between 613 organs and 613 Mitzvot?

R. 613 organs are the 613 desires, as if there are 613 organs in the spiritual body that we have to correct from in order to receive, when they are broken these organs, to in order to bestow, make corrections in them.

S. Does it mean that each organ needs a particular unique correction in order to take on bestowal and nothing can happen before that?

R. Of course, each one needs to receive a private correction and the end of correction is the general correction of everyone.

Item 50 (40:52)

13. R. (43:00) Just as we have differences between five discernments of the Partzuf, so we have differences between five Partzufim and the five worlds and this follows the same pattern.

Item 51 (43:25)

14. R. (43:56) Meaning what is the repentance that needs to be, when a person is certain that he is not going to repeat what he has done before.

Reader continues: (44:08) “as we have said if one purifies….”

15. R. (47:44) Meaning we continue according to the same order, there is nothing special here, some new principal or something, I will also read 51. Know that repentance and purification are not accepted unless they are totally permanent so you will not return to folly, he corrected it and there cannot be any more corruption in it, that part is corrected. As it is written when is there Shuva, repentance, what is it? When he who knows the mysteries will testify until the upper light that shines on these vessels, notifies us by that that this vessel will not return to its folly, will not be corrected again. Thus as we have said that one who purifies the still part of his will to receive he is rewarded with the Partzuf of Nefesh of Assiya. Meaning he purified the still part in him the Nefesh of Assiya, he ascends and clothes the Sefira of Malchut of Assiya.

This he attained spirituality in it. This means that he will certainly be granted the permanent purification of the still part in a way that he will not return to folly. I cannot fall from it. Then he will be able to rise to the spiritual world of Assiya for he will have definite purity in equivalence of form with that world with Malchut of Assiya. For the rest of the degrees which we have said our Ruach, Neshama, Haya and Yechida of Assiya corresponding to them one should purify the vegetative, animate and speaking parts of one’s will to receive so they will clothe and receive those lights. Yet the purity does not need to be permanent. Meaning even to a small degree, wherever he is standing he has to correct that part completely, that still part, and even additional parts, vegetative animate and speaking of the world of Assiya he doesn’t need complete them in complete permanence until he knows the mysteries will testify that he will not return to folly.

Meaning that he will not make any mistakes there, he can rise and fall, make mistakes but in the still part he corrected that fully completely. That is because the whole of the world of Assiya with all of its five Sefirot KHBTM, are actually only Malchut which relates only to the purification of the still and the 5 Sefirot are five parts of Malchut. The whole world of Assiya is Malchut therefore since he has already been rewarded with purifying the still part of the will to receive, he already has the equivalence of form with the whole of the world of Assiya. He understands and feels the principle of the world of Assiya because he corrected the still part and the entire world of Assiya is the inanimate and whatever is in the world of Assiya, outside of the still, the degree of ZA and Bina, Hochma and Keter, to Malchut of Malchut of the world of Assiya proper but this is in addition. Because the world of Assiya and all its five Partzufim KHBTM are actually only in Malchut which relates only to the purification of the still and the five Sefirot are but the five parts of Malchut.

Therefore since he has already been rewarded with purifying the still part of the will to receive, he already has an equivalence of form with the whole world of Assiya. However although, he did not fully correct all the parts because they are incorporated in the world of Assiya from higher worlds, higher degrees, but Assiya of Assiya he corrected. However each Sefirot in the world of Assiya receives from its corresponding discernment in the worlds above it. For example the Sefira of Tifferet of Assiya receives from the world of Yetzira and the Sefira of Bina of Assiya receives from the world of Beria and the Sefira of Hochma receives from Atzilut. For this reason although he is permanently purified the still part, if he purifies the remaining three parts of his will to receive meaning if not permanently, he can receive Ruach, Neshama and Haya from Tifferet, Bina and Hochma of Assiya though not permanently, just like his correction is not permanent. Since, when one of the three parts of his will to receive awakens again, other than the still part of Assiya he immediately loses these lights then he falls. But it doesn’t matter, the part of his fundamental part, the still of the still, Malchut of Assiya, it remains his in permanence.

Rav reads Item 52: After he permanently purifies the vegetative part of his will to receive, he permanently rises to the world of Yetzira where he attains the permanent degree of Ruach because the world of Assiya is all Ruach and you can also attain the lights of Neshama and Haya from the Sefirot Bina and Hochma that are there. Which are considered Neshama and Ruach of Ruach and Haya of Ruach even before he has been granted with purifying the animate and speaking parts permanently, as we have seen regarding the world of Assiya. Meaning we can always receive an addition from higher worlds, in the state that we are in, down below although it will not be in permanence, certain illumination from there we can receive. He says, yet this is not permanent but after he has permanently purified the vegetative part of his will to receive, he is already an equivalence of form with the whole of the world of Yetzira to its highest degree. As is written about the world of Assiya.

So by attaining the degrees, the small degrees, because each and every degree is tied according to its structure from above down, also tied to all of the other degrees, we can receive certain corrections in the incorporation but the degrees in which we are not there yet. That’s what it’s all about, this is the incorporation is in the problems that we have from the shattering, and the advantage of the shattering there is this incorporation between the degrees in the Partzufim and even the states where we are below a certain degree, we can receive an impression from the grease that are above it and understand things. As we understand one thing from another it helps us come to know and to be helped by all the states above us. Let’s continue and see he keeps going in the same style.

Item 53: after he purifies the animal part of his will to receive and turns it into the desire to bestow until he who knows all mysteries will testify that he will not return to folly he is already an equivalence of form with the world of Beria and he rises there and received the permanent light of Neshama. Through the purification of the speaking part of his body he can rise to the Sefira of Hochma and he can receive the light of Haya that is there although he has not purified it permanently as with Yetzira and Assiya, but the light too does not shine for him permanently. Because his vessels are not corrected but rather incorporated between the degrees.

Item 54: When one is rewarded with permanent purification of the speaking part in his will to receive he is granted equivalence of form with the world of Atzilut and he rises there and permanently receives the light of Haya. When he is rewarded further he receives the light of Ein Sof and the light of Yechida dresses in the light of Haya and there’s nothing more to add here. That’s what he says. These are such exalted things so grand that we have no way to add anything, rather when we attain it we begin to understand what just opened up for a person who comes to it.

16. S. (59:30) In the correction of the degree of the still, how does he testify that one will not return to folly by obligating himself?

R. On the degree where he corrects himself we say that with this correction he cannot make any mistakes, he cannot turn back to in order to receive, he cannot break the connection he attained in permanence forever. This is the meaning of correcting it, but together with that because of the incorporation of the degrees in the Sefirot, he also correct his connection with the additional degrees in Sefirot to some extent but not in permanence there he can fall make mistakes and it’s not considered a transgression because whatever he was going to correct, he only corrected the still of sanctity. Although there’s the beginning of the correction of vegetative, animate and speaking that are included in the still part, thus he can make mistakes there and it’s not considered a transgression on the contrary, when he makes mistakes he seemingly holds onto them and he starts to correct them. This is according to the rule of “there’s no righteous person in the land that they do good and did not sin”. Meaning he needs to see the corruptions and by that he can advance and perform corrections. Therefore revealing the corruption is a necessary thing here.

17. S. (01:01:36) It’s not clear to me, what does it mean to correct the desire permanently?

R. Permanently meaning he cannot make any more mistakes in it. You stand there in a corrected form and you will always bestow with that desire.

18. S. (01:02:08) Food, sex, family is that the still of the will to receive?

R. No. No. These aren’t desires in our world, there’s no place for overcoming them or not, so you can keep eating and don’t restrict yourself, you only need to restrict yourself in the correct connection between the friends and with the Creator and in our world don’t do any limitations. It has nothing to do with it, otherwise you will imagine yourself to be one of those Saints who sit there in a Lotus pose and prays from morning till night with all kinds of unifications, it is not the method. It’s not our method, don’t ever do it. The wisdom of Kabbalah speaks of the restriction of the desire, when by stopping to eat you are not restricting the desire otherwise all of those who are dieting all the time would have been Saints by now.

19. S. (01:04:07) On the one hand it says that the person is rewarded with the lights permanently, on the other hand we all remember from the story of Rabbi Shimon that he fell all the way?

R. This is important work on the greatest ascent before each ascent there is a descent and the person loses all the degrees he has but he loses it for the time being in order to recruit new forces for the new degree. So what he had before will not stand in his way. We also see ourselves, anyone who advances, that we get two states where a person suddenly loses everything, I have nothing nothing, I studied, I knew so much from before, I had attainments and I would understand, I could feel but now zero, everything disappeared. So am I now worse than before? Yes you are worse than before and understand less, but you look like a person who is losing his mind and his feeling and everything he’s got but that’s right before a great ascent that you didn’t have before. Hence you have to lose all the degrees in order to acquire a new degree in a new form so it will be new in principle. You need to move away from your previous understanding and rise to the new degree with the new intellect and feeling everything’s new. You need to have ten degrees, new degrees, clear?

20. S. (01:06:28) Two things that delay us a bit, delay me, one is that I thought the Partzuf was the result of an integration between the vessel and the lights that enter and exit it and through all kinds of operations, now on one of the passages he says that the Partzuf is light, so what is correct?

R. Partzuf is a desire to receive that performs an action in order to bestow. Therefore, the light fills it and then this Partzuf becomes like a source of light.

S. The other thing is who was the one who knows the mysteries?

R. The Creator.

21. S. (01:07:33) How in our state can we correct the evil that we discover?

R. Same style as before I don’t understand your questions, is it just important for you to ask? Connect to the ten, study properly, pray, and expect salvation that’s it. Think of your questions.

22. S. (01:08:09) It says here that he has purified the still part permanently and the other three parts of the desire not permanently, what is the difference between purifying permanently and purifying not permanently?

R. That if he can still fall from it, it’s not permanent if he can fall from it it’s permanent I can not explain more.

23. S. (01:08:45) You said that the diet is not considered restriction of the desire, why is it not considered restriction of the desire?

R. Because this is the meaning of replacing or exchanging a cow for a donkey, it’s not in order to attain spirituality but to attain let’s a health, since spiritual attainment demands a person not to restrict himself what he eats, to have a restricted diet but to have a restriction on his will to receive that corresponds to the shattering in regards to connection in all the desires that stand in a person’s way. Towards on the way to connection with others, bestowing to others, that’s what it is but bestowing to his body is not considered a spiritual correction.

24. S. (01:09:46) Food and family it’s not the same as sex, in sex you have the feeling of guilt and distancing with the many as this desire increases so there’s always a question, the feeling that this desire actually hinders connection, why do we get these feelings actually with these basic desires? This question always comes up because it always seems to hinder connection?

R. Look, we are still not cleansed with all kinds of spiritual corporeal discernments and this confusion for us regarding our ego that dictates for us what to do, and other discernments, half spiritual or half corporeal discernments. We are still confused so we shouldn’t do it, we just need to take things where it’s clear to us. Connection to the ten and the study of Torah, that’s it.

25. S. (01:14:06) Through the others I can feel the Creator so who am I filling if the Creator is only a quality of bestowal am I bestowing to the others?

R. The Creator and others are the same thing. If we disconnect one another we are not in the Creator and we are not in the other. We could not connect to the Creator unless it is through the other and you could not fill the other unless it is through praying to the Creator to fill them.

26. S. (01:14:48) What does it mean that Bina of Assiya receives from the world of Beria, we learn that all the lights come from Ein Sof and go through all degrees?

R. That is correct that all lights come from Infinity through all the worlds and the Partzufim. Olam world comes from He’elem concealment meaning that the worlds weaken the light and stabilize them in the correct way towards the receiver. That is how it actually happens, where everything comes through the worlds, through the Sefirot to the tens and to the people in the tens.

27. S. (01:15:44) About relinquishing the ego, what does it mean that the higher power will bend us, will gain more?

R. Because the upper light arranges us, it needs to do with us all that we give it permission to do with us. What is creation in? Creation is us giving permission in the will to receive for it to define what it wants and we are given to be above our will to receive to bend it, bow it and restrict it and let the light perform on the will to receive everything that the light wants to do. Here we are in a struggle with the will to receive to the extent with which we can subjugate it accordingly, we let the lights have the possibility to care for the will to receive, stabilize it and fill it.

S. So what do we gain from it?

R. The will to receive takes on the form of the light and we become like the Creator.

28. S. (01:17:06) By making room from space for myself and making room for others do I erase myself from reality and live in the others?

R. Is only called like I’m erasing myself from reality, I can’t do anything with reality, I just define with these words the extent with which I receive reality in a manner that it is and not in which I depict it in my shattered vessel. So to the extent that I am connected to the general reality and describe it as outside of me, whole, correct, good I that I actually received a reality more correctly.

29. S. (01:17:59) How will we make sure that the ten has completed their correction?

R. We will know about this and the upper degrees when we begin to rise to them, what degree we are in and what we are acquiring, how to rise from one degree to the other. This we need to do in the ascent and the ascent comes through conceding and annulling to it.

30. S. (01:18:33) What is the still degree in us compared to the ten, is there an example for this?

R. The degree of still in us is where we become in our spiritual manner, not corporeally in our manner like still. Meaning I do not want anything to receive spiritually rather to just be and live in a passive manner. I am willing to do everything for everyone what they need in a passive way to participate with everyone, that is called the degree of still of wholeness.

31. S. (01:19:30) The desire comes from the Creator or how can I restrict what comes from the Creator?

R. By me being opposite the Creator I close myself off from the Creator completely. So to restrict is possible only after I become somewhat similar to the Creator, when I am willing to help others, to serve others in such a way that the good force of the Creator will move from me towards them. That is still ahead of us.

32. S. (01:20:17) Do I need to perform all the connections while I am in this imaginary world?

R. We need to try and be in connection as much as possible so that we will be in our general structure as much as possible close to the Creator.

33. S. (01:20:43) You mentioned that diets do not bring you to sanctity so what does it mean to restrict the desire?

R. Restricting the desire is not considered that I eat less. Restricting the desire is to restrict the desire not that I limit myself. I need to limit myself with my ego towards the society and not through a diet.

34. S. (01:21:22) What does it mean to restrict my ego towards my society?

R. It is when I think less about myself. But by me becoming let us say a vegan, it does not mean that I am less concerned with myself but maybe even more. That is not what we are talking about. There are many methods which call themselves spiritual because they eat less or drink less or breathe less or do all kinds of other actions, physical actions, certain physical activities in a special way there is no connection between that and spirituality. A Kabbalist can be an athlete or one that does not do any physical activity, he can eat anything that he needs, wants, it has no connection to it. We need to work with our internal part with our desire and relative to others and relative to the Creator therefore it has nothing to do with being a vegetarian or anything. We truly need to learn how to differentiate spirituality from corporeality.

35. S. (01:22:58) How can we imagine that we complete one another at least on an imaginary level?

R. Help one another come to a state in which the connection between us above all of the differences will be the most important thing and for us not to enter into each and every one and start to correct the friends but rather for us to rise above all of the differences, above all of the rejection is between us and take care of only the connection between us. That is it and vice-versa, anything that doesn’t seem right in the friend, these and those things in his behavior, his habits, his form, I rise above that and want to connect to his point in the heart. There he is connected with the Creator and through that point in the heart the Creator awakens him, therefore that is the point that I need to connect to and together with that point adhere to the Creator. Because the Creator is common between us.