HOCHMA: TIKKUN CHATZOT תקון חצות – LESSON WITH RAV MICHAEL LAITMAN
Baal HaSulam. The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose
Morning Lesson April 7, 2022 Transcription
Transcription is made from simultaneous translation which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio
Part 2:
Baal HaSulam. The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose (Conscious Development and Unconscious Development)
https://kabbalahmedia.info/sources/SObSZgT9
Subtitle: (00:21) “Conscious Development and Unconscious Development”
1.S. (05:22) So it is clear blows, without that you cannot move but here you start saying that the other force is Torah and Mitzvot, Commandments. First of all, where do you get this force from the Torah and the Commandments, from the blows?
R. From the system if you are waking the system then He works on you, to the extent that it has to respond based on your efforts and if you don’t awaken the system then it advances you as a still element in it that just keeps rolling forward.
S. That’s what I understand you said, the system.
R. Did you understand what I said?
S. I understood what you said, but I did not understand what the force of the system means?
R. We are in a general system called nature.
S. So what in there will push me?
R. You belong to a part of nature, nature is advancing everything that is in it towards its purpose just like you see that everything is moving, everything is changing, from billions of years, many different forces and you are among them. That’s the general force, now besides that there’s also the speed of development from each and every element each and every item. We see the specially on this still, vegetative and animate on the speaking level, they all have different forms of development which is especially about the speed of the development. Now besides that my how everything just moves and develops by forces of nature, there’s also an opportunity for the part of nature called the speaking degrees to induce a faster pace for its development and purposeful development. The combination or the participation, when they participate and come to the purpose faster, this is what we call the path of Torah and Mitzvot. They do all kinds of actions by which they awaken different forces of nature and these forces of nature advance them faster than how they will advance otherwise.
S. So it says the first force pushes up from blows and through nature. Can we lower the flames without the first part?
R. No, it is impossible.
S. Why?
R. No one will hear.
S. Is there such an option?
R. There’s no such thing that someone will advance without suffering. Why would anyone advance without doing something? Everything in nature changes itself from deeper inner layers to the most external layers by necessity. How does one feel a necessity to change, by paying, by lacking and that’s how we advance.
S. So the more advanced you prevent those blows?
R. I don’t think about that.
S. But we are suffering.
R. I’m suffering but I’m working on the goal to make the goal more important than the suffering.
S. Do they lower the amount of suffering?
R. Of course the more you advance the more you appreciate the goal and the goal shines on you and the forces you invest to attain the goal become less and less opposite to you.
S. So let’s advance.
R. Okay don’t stand in our way and we will advance.
2. S. (09:56) I thought there were two ways to advance, one was from pain and the other is the good compelling goal in front?
R. Correct.
S. I thought you just said the only way to advance was from behind?
R. We always advance from blows from behind and there is always the attraction from ahead of you and that’s how each and every desire develops but we being a part of this unique part of creation, unique desire in creation which is called Yashar Kel, straight to the Creator. That we have an inclination to achieve the goal of development by that we can advance in a unique fashion. That we receive all these forces that can work on us both pushing us from behind and attracting us from in front of us, we can embrace these forces in a correct ,beautiful way related all to the offer first and advanced or scheme that’s what we are doing. Meaning, we already relate to the forces of nature in a purposeful way, in a way that we begin to work with them and now that we just flow not knowing what would happen tomorrow. We want to know what happens tomorrow and we want to change everything from today and tomorrow the best possible way. The best possible way that we not that we would be better off but we sustained the purpose of creation and everyone else will.
3. S. (12:19) We are talking about three kinds of advancements, conscious and unconscious, isn’t the Creator who determines who will advance and consciously and who will advance consciously. It is already determined by him.
R. Yes, the Creator decides but after the Creator decides and gives you an opportunity to advance then you have free choice to accept these opportunities from him or not.
S. If I feel in myself that even during my childhood, even before I was born I decide I will be with Bnei Baruch and this is what I feel. The Creator gave me an impression, implemented it before me, gave me each suffering that directed me to Bnei Baruch. It was decided before I was born. So what is my role?
R. To strengthen on the path, that’s exactly what you are asking, what is read about to strengthen on the path because what you got from the Creator doesn’t mean anything, you could just remain what you are now. Rather, you have to grow and see that your end goal is to achieve identification with the Creator.
S. We are talking about the conscious development of the light will bypass the suffering. I don’t agree with this, because the moment I joined the work of Kabbalah, I suffered real blows in my life. I started to feel blows, now I can say that thanks to the blows, to the suffering that are about to go from my vessel, without the suffering I wouldn’t have been able?
R. You advance with the help of the blows and not despite it, specifically with the help of the blows you can advance when you will stop feeling the blows and that there are no blows and that you will see how the entire world is full of good and in the whole world or only a good force is working.
S. No translation.
R. It will come.
4. S. (15:41) First of all I want to thank you for today’s lesson. You are giving us this topic in a clear and deep way like every time. The writer of the article. I would like to hear about today’s lesson he wrote about the path of hastening the times. Obviously everything that is supposed to happen will happen but how can we still in the ten practically.
R. Only by what we are studying realizing this as much as possible every day. This is the answer there is no other answer.
5. S. (16:42) How can we implement or use the corporeal life in the society outside of the ten?
R. Outside of the ten we do not realize anything. Outside of the ten outside of Bnei Baruch we look at the whole world as the still, vegetive, and animate levels.There is no place of work there, there are no relationships that we need to establish in relation to the Creator except to disseminate material to them perhaps so they too can come closer and to the extent that they come closer between us and there is a change in the attitude towards them. Otherwise the attitude to them and just understand that we are talking about this in a respectable way, but it says that they all seemed as animals. Meaning that besides our friends everyone acts like animals. Why? Because they don’t realize their free choice and they do not advance towards the Creator or build a system of spiritual Arvut between them and therefore their behavior is similar to the behavior of the animal level of this world. It is without disregard, it is just how nature is divided into four levels: vegetative, animate and speaking.
6. S. (18:40) What is that relative attitude that he speaks about?
R. What sentence?
S. At the beginning “and from the pleasantness we feel while working for the Creator to give him contentment. A relative attitude develops and us, to see the lowliness of self love.
R. Relative meaning one opposite the other. Relative.
S. Why is it relative?
R. To the extent that you are in that then you can understand it.
S. If a person feels suffering in what he does, it means he has to stop doing what he’s doing?
R. I don’t understand?
S. Let us say that on the path I’m doing some deed or I do something that seems right to me but I suffer in it so I have to stop doing it?
R. I cannot give you any advice based on what you are telling me, cannot make a decision or tell you and give you advice here. You have to clarify this and choose based on this data, it is not possible.
S. So a person advancing on the path and suffering, he needs to change something that he is doing?
R. If he suffers he needs to change, usually he has to change his attitude, correct himself so as not to suffer, because outside of him there is no suffering.
S. So how do you do that?
R. By correcting oneself. Only by correcting oneself. How does one correct one’s self? Read as much as possible, that is what I would advise you, invest into the articles of Rabash more more.
S. Then because it is not clear why the suffering helps you advance?
R. Suffering does not let you stay indifferent. If you are to be moved you only can be moved by paying or else you will not move.
7. S. (22:02) Yesterday in the ten we scrutinized and a question arose that all of the great Kabbalists in our time, Baal HaSulam and Rabash and the ones before them were ultra-religious. I do not know how to answer this feeling that if a person is connected to Judaism it is easier to reach spirituality?
R. That is incorrect, we see this on a daily basis that as much as people could be immersed in their religion it is harder for them to reach spirituality because religion demands them to carry out some actions and a person is then measured mostly in terms of his actions and not intentions. There’s a difference between a corporeal action and a spiritual action. Religion or Judaism as you say is carrying out physical actions and that is how a person is taught and that is what a person is measured by. Why did the corporeal Judaism emerge from the wisdom of Kabbalah? There was only Kabbalah at first because there were great wars, we are talking about from the moment that they came from Egypt and even inside of Egypt but especially in the Exodus from Egypt they went into such wars with each other with regard to Lishma. Meaning that the sages had to be cautious with their words and so on there’s a lot written about that. We do not exactly understand what is Lishma and Lo Lishma and that’s why we don’t get into that but at some point we will learn how the whole wisdom of Kabbalah where it came from, Abraham as we learn, then how would we have what we call religion developed from it. We will learn that later on when we have a bit more understanding, feeling, strengthening and the wisdom of Kabbalah. Then we will know how it is really the foundation, the source of all religions, and how they came about and what the future of Kabbalah, their future.
8. S. (24:57) When we are in a lesson or in our meetings so every time we are together especially when we pray together There is a feeling of man and then you fall from it, you fall from your life and then again you come back again so how can we speed this up to enter the state of Adam?
R. We are always with our devices, computer or mobile phone, right? You should always have in front of you text for instance what we read in the lesson and you should be always looking into the text, picking into it. Let us say like these 20 quotes that you have in front of you from the lesson and you keep immersing yourself and not thinking about that. The day after you change it a little bit, advance more and so on. That is what should be in front of you and that you are always drawn to it, that you think that way, feel that way, you look at everything in the world through that and with you there are thousands of other people and in such a way you become a single Kli.
9. S. (26:45) What does it mean to grow in spirituality and not to stay in place?
R. That each time you will have blows and doubts and you want to solve them or escape them but in a way that directly leads you to the goal and you each time check whether you are advancing towards the goal. Meaning are you more detached from the will to receive and more connected to the friends and more revealing the common Kli between you in order to discover the Creator to bring him contentment? If you have such inclinations connected to this one straight line then you are in the right place and you are developing from day to day and the days do not just pass for no reason.
10. S. (28:14) Thank you great giant, Rav.
R. Why have you started giving me these titles, I don’t need them, stop speaking beautifully about me. I understand that you are trying to get me to fall into pride or something. I am not impressed by this or that. You should not do that because if you think that you have done something better for me, these thoughts will make you fatter, so that is not worthwhile for you.
S. Many years ago when I started studying with you I ran away from suffering. Today I am afraid when I don’t have suffering. I feel as if God has left me.
R. I do not think about suffering and I don’t think about pleasures. I think about first of all the line towards where I need to go and then I set this law for myself that this line, this point is where I have to go. If I suffer things on the way, if I get pleasures on the way, that’s okay. I don’t want to be impressed by this or that which will determine my path so I want to be above both this and that.
S. So not to be afraid when there is no suffering?
R. Be more afraid of pleasures.
Reading (30:15)
11. S. (37:44) In the first paragraph Baal HaSulam says that many are mistaken by comparing our holy Torah to ethics. Do I understand correctly that under our holy Torah and or religion, Baal HaSulam refers to the religion of Kabbalah and ethics refers to religious education?
R. Correct.
S. He mentions that first taste and see that the Lord is good, what does it mean to taste and see?
R. Taste and see that the Lord is good means that, King David wrote it, taste and see that he is good, meaning Taamim, flavors, the light that expands in the Partzuf that brings you to the higher degree of awareness in the Creator which is called seeing. So taste and see, start with flavors and reach sights. What will you attain? That the Creator is good that all the lights that expand are all in order to organize our vessels and fill them and to eventually bring us to the degree of the Creator actually.
12. S. (39:32) In the first part here Baal HaSulam writes that ethics and religion put a goal for themselves to bring a person to love the others.
R. From the wisdom of Kabbalah that started developing from the days of Adam HaRishon which is almost six thousand years ago, its development came a few generations after Babylon. We have this whole order of development and in Babylon it already started developing as a struggle between those who belong to Abraham’s father and Abraham. It was as if two different schools or opinions or philosophies you could say and from there until today, it is divided and we understand that this division comes from the soul. If a soul is more developed, so there is more tendency to take Abraham’s path, because there it is revelation and if the tendency is just in order to get a blessing from above, so that is religion.
Here it is already the matter of different schools Terach and so on until it comes to more advanced times that come later and then it will really clothes in reason according to the religion, everyone looks at the external form, how people dress to the external form and how they behave on everything that concerns this world, corporeal actions and so on but the wisdom of Kabbalah only relates to the internal reactions. That is why it is called a concealed wisdom because what a person does in the wisdom of Kabbalah, it is not what a person eats or how he prays or some actions he does, it is all concealed from the others and part of it is also concealed from the person themself. That is why all of the wisdom of Kabbalah until today seems outside of religions outside of Judaism outside of everything although it is the root for all of them, okay?
S. It says here that as a result of carrying out love of others one can roam free in the Creator’s world, what does this mean?
R. Spiritual world. As much as you have a desire with a screen you can do anything with that desire and to walk around them from one end to the other as much as a screen allows you because all of the actions that you will do and all of those desires will be in order to bestow.
13. S. (44:03) None of your students came to you after they were in religion, myself also when I was in my search was first in religion, what is this phenomenon that people leave and go to religion?
R. That is because they discover that the path is difficult and long and where will they get a reward? But religion is different, each and everything you do you get a reward, pleasure on the spot. You have a strengthening from the world that many people in the world are doing it and then you feel that you have that you can present yourself in a respected, nice way before everyone. That is why religion is supported by the ego and it has for us but the wisdom of Kabbalah that is not supported by the ego, it has force burt the wisdom of Kabbalah that is not supported by the ego, what force does it have, nothing.
14. S. (45:28) Religion helped build ethics and societies, today less people are connected to religion, is the religion to disappear the more the human develops?
R. Eventually we will swap out with the wisdom of Kabbalah.
15. S. (45:48) It says that the purpose of religion is determined in this world, can you explain what that means?
R. Yes because in this world we can say where the purpose of religion is and where the purpose of the wisdom of Kabbalah is. The purpose of religion is in this world a way that a person keeps everything and demands a reward on the spot and the wisdom of Kabbalah a person engaging in it is actually in a correct way he is not demanding for a reward as we used to do but he works in a way that from all of his actions he will not get any reward that he is accustomed in this world for reward. All of his reward will be that he passes it back to the Creator and then it turns out that he also does not demand to see the Creator enjoying it and that will also not be his reward.
16. S. (46:55) What is man’s free choice? It says in the article that man chooses the second path which is a path of Torah but everything that is in a person comes from the Creator so how to clarify this direction in the article?
R. He needs to hear his heart, his soul where his heart tends to. Then according to that if you will keep going in that direction he will not make mistakes. He should not listen to anyone, only himself. That is the problem, that he is always under the influence of society and strangers. If we go according to our heart, no matter what path I go, but only the heart, the heart, the heart constantly me, me, me, me, me. Meaning that I am scrutinizing my life, I’m scrutinizing my destiny that will be right.
17. S. (48:13) Should a person go through the recognition of evil in a path of suffering?
R. Actually yes if he is scrutinizing correctly because recognition of evil is knowing evil and that evil is bringing him suffering. He starts realizing that he is entirely the will to receive and from that he sees himself how opposite he is from the Creator. That brings some suffering.
18. S. (48:50) What does religion and development give a person to advance spiritually?
R. On the spiritual path I start revealing how I am similar to the Creator. How I do resemble him, how day to day, day after day I keep going and I attain more forces of bestowal. Forces to overcome above my ego and by that I come closer to the Creator. That is thanks to being adhered to the group.
19. S. (49:29) How can we avoid the evil inclination, the sense of pleasure that you feel from serving the Creator?
R. Serving the Creator and being in pleasure from it doesn’t mean that I’m in the evil inclination. It is a twisted question. I don’t know exactly what they meant. Let them scrutinize it and then ask properly.
20. S. (50:02) The Creator speaks to us through the blows. How do we understand what is his will the many times I do suffer and disagree with him?
R. I do not agree with that, I don’t agree that we are getting blows from the Creator. We are getting blows by us being stubborn in wanting to stay in the intention to receive.
21. S. (50:48) What are the characteristics of a single system?
R. What are the characteristics of a single system? That I feel that there is None Else Beside Him working in the will to receive that he created.
22. S. (51:09)) How in the desire to become one system we connect everything correctly without missing a part. What is that connection of love that is required of us?
R. What is required of us is to be closer to the friends. Then in the connection between us we will discover that there is a place where the Creator is revealed. A place meaning a desire. There is my desire and their friends desire and another desire like a third one between us. That their desire is called Shechina and in that desire I discover the force of bestowal called Creator.
23. S. (52:15) The lessons right now are dealing with coming out of the will to receive into spirituality. If a group of women will watch the lessons and other times not the lessons, will it be as effective?
R. It doesn’t matter when they watch them as much as I correct with a general world group and my individual group as much as I want to realize these things between us. That I feel myself now between all of our friends and I want that with everyone together to discover the Creator and I perform actions to come closer to the friends and by that I come closer to the Creator. That is the right tendency and that will happen. It’ll happen.
24. S. (53:14) How do we not miss the opportunity that we are now facing?
R. If you are together before this opportunity it is like being in Mount Sinai and I really advise you to be serious about this. Whoever takes this opportunity seriously and wants to realize it, to implement it no matter if small, big, beginner, veteran, everyone. As we say in the state of Mount Sinai women, men, children, babies. Whoever sees it as belonging to him and is willing to annul and make himself to participate in that state then he will succeed. He will succeed.
25. S. (54:15) It says in the article when a person detest sany self reception and his soul does not want any of the luxuries, petite physical pleasures and respect, he finds himself roaming free in the Creator’s world and is guaranteed no damage or misfortune will come upon him. When does it happen to us?
R. When you reach it. What is the question? Do you think I can give you a date? According to the calendar? No. It could be that in this woman, it will happen in two weeks and to this one two years and to that woman it could be this afternoon. Okay?
26. S. (55:19) Are the Mitzvot written by Kabbalists’ customs or do they keep some sort of framework in this world?
R. There are such, that I would still recommend to do in some way as symbols but not to get into it too deeply. It also does not belong to everyone, someone yes, someone no, whoever has a tendency to it especially women.
27. S. (55:56) Is being in religion a means of remaining in Egypt?
R. If only in line within religion then yes it is in Egypt it is not even Egypt because he doesn’t feel he is under the control of the ego, the will to receive, Pharaoh. Egypt is still a spiritual state that a first person feels that the will to receive is in control of him and doesn’t let him do anything, connect to the friends, to uplift into spirituality. If he feels that the will to receive is holding him and not letting him rise holding him on the legs, that is called that he is in Egypt. That is why it is a spiritual State. Not everyone can go into Egypt only those who will later on go out of Egypt. The sons of Israel.
28. S. (56:59) What to do if I agree with a Creator if only for a moment and then immediately fall into disagreement with him?
R. Good, so try to connect us points together more and more.
29. S. How do you conclude the lesson?
R. I summarized it as a good lesson. I think you need to understand that these lessons are very special, they are very powerful. I recommend throughout the day to repeat the lessons, to read the excerpts again and also the explanations about them is very important. If you do not have enough time during your daily meeting, everyone should do it alone in his free time. But it is very very important. We will keep going in it until we come out of Egypt. Okay? That is it and for now info.