GEVURAH: TIKKUN CHATZOT תקון חצות – LESSON WITH RAV MICHAEL LAITMAN
Baal HaSulam. Foreword to The Book of Zohar
Morning Lesson May 10, 2022 Transcription
Transcription is made from simultaneous translation which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio
Baal HaSulam. Foreword to The Book of Zohar
1. Rav’s Introduction:
Together with studying TES which is a long time, we should add to it some of the Articles of Baal HaSulam that we have not learned and we should review them, each one of them has a certain aspect, a certain addition for the correction of the soul. Both our collective soul and each and everyone’s individual soul. Therefore we should really go through all the writings of Baal HaSulam and we will go to the forward of the Book of Zohar. What belongs to the Book of Zohar is the foundations of Kabbalah and Baal HaSulam is unique in that because surrounding this book he wrote many things. So this forward adds a lot to knowing the components, elements and discernments that help us approach the Zohar.
Item #1 (01:56) “The depths of wisdom in the Book of Zohar”
2. R. (02:15) Which means hidden from the ordinary person.
Reader continues: (02:16)
3. R. (02:29) Because where it’s talking about spiritual matters of which we have no feeling and no language and even those that feel that discover the upper world, they cannot communicate it to someone else, if that someone does not feel it and even if they both feel it they still require a common language so they know what and how they want to communicate to each other. Therefore….
Reader continues (03:04)
4. R. (03:19) Meaning to understand the Zohar and to converse about the Zohar, meaning exchange views and emotional and intellectual impressions, it is not simple. This means that these two people have to be on some spiritual level and connect on that spiritual level in some way and then they can communicate to each other their views, their impressions.
Reader continues: (03:48)
5. R. (04:04) Meaning that he wants to communicate to us the beginning of the knowledge of how we can understand the book of Zohar, how we can somehow communicate, communicate with each other and enter the wisdom Kabbalah which is what the book of Zohar is all about.
Item # 2 (04:29) “First you must know….“
6. R. (05:28) Meaning of everything we learn is about the ten Sefirot in what way they are interconnected, how they contain the lights, and how they connect to each other so that each time they provide us with data, feelings and specific new revelations. Everything that we receive is from the upper light which is referred to as the upper radiance, the Zohar. Everything is received through the ten Sefirot, which means that those parts that are radiant or shining, luminous, The Zohar means radiance and this is how we need to read the book and open the book to ourselves.
Item #3 (06:33) “first boundary there are four manners in the ways of ….”
7. R. (06:53) Meaning matter, form and form dressed and matter and essence exist in everything that we attain, if we attain anything it is through these four discernments, matter, form and matter abstract form and essence.
Reader continues: (07:15) “Know that the Book of Zohar…”
8. R. (07:32) Meaning in the third and fourth of this list, matter, form and matter, abstract form and essence, abstract form and essence are out of our attainment, later on we will know how Kabbalists know about it, what they attain about it.
Reader continues: (07:54)
9. R. (08:00) That is the only thing that we are engaged in and also we should carefully understand this and being meticulous about it so that we do not detach from matter and form in matter, form dressed in matter. Otherwise we will start flying through some imaginary things and definitions that have no basis, no real foundation. So what we attain, what we discuss is only what a person can actually reach and attain and where we can gather a complete understanding and attainment and that is matter and form dressed in matter. So abstract form in essence, we have no utterance there, no way to touch that.
10. S. (09:06) You said that we study everything through the 10 Sefirot and we learn how they interconnect and afterwards you say we learn how they convey to us attainment and lights, how’s it attained by Kabbalists?
R. I don’t know, I’m learning along with you, let’s learn and see. He is starting to explain from scratch how we attain this hidden spiritual world. So write down all your questions and bit by bit along with Baal HaSulam we will try to get closer to the questions, to understanding and then to the answers.
11. S. (10:07) Is every form that doesn’t clothe in matter under the definition of being abstract?
R. Before a form dressed in matter it is called abstract form, yes, and therefore we obviously cannot obtain it because all of our attainment happens through matter, through the will to receive, when the will to receive takes on the form it is no longer abstract form. That is how we attain through the will to receive when it takes on the certain form we attain what the thing has clothed in it and this is what we call form dressed in matter.
Reader continues #4 (11:02) “second boundary we distinguish…”
12. R. (12:04) Meaning we have the world of the Ein Sof, Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, Assiya in the world of the Ein Sof we cannot engage we have no attainment of it. The world of Atzilut we cannot engage in it because we don’t have with vessels sufficient to attain it but the way the world of Atzilut appears in the worlds of Beria, Yetzira, Assiya we can engage there including the world of Atzilut and the extent it is connected to Beria, Yetzira, Assiya and the worlds Beria, Yetzira and Assiya themselves.
13. S. (12:51) Can you explain what you mean by form, form and matter, abstract form and essence, something that I can hold onto these concepts?
R. Matter is the will to receive, form clothed in matter is a certain form that the desire takes on in the resembling the light, abstract form is something that we do not actually attain but we can somehow imagine it even though there is no actual research of it. There is no actual clear distinction, precise distinction there and essence we do not touch and attain whatsoever. This is the way Godliness appears to us in these levels, essence, abstract form, form clothed in matter and matter. That is from the top down.
14. S. (13:53) If during the learning we can discuss only what we are supposed to attain, so what does the text talk about when it says we are not even supposed to approach the rest during the learning?
R. We learned what the Kabbalists write to us and from wanting to attain the Creator which is above our desire, which is the source of all life in existence and fulfillment of both mind and emotion, we long towards him and to the extent that we do, we awaken our connection with him. Here Baal HaSulam explains to us in what ways and what forms, in what levels or definitions we can actually attain the Creator. Everything comes from him, everything is actually a revelation of him even with what we discover here in this world through the still, vegetative, animate and speaking of this world and what we are discussing with regards to the upper world. All of it, all in all, is there a relation of the Creator, there is none else besides Him.
So we just have to discern where we are in attaining Him, in connecting to Him, adhering to Him. That is what the wisdom of Kabbalah is all about, we are inside the Creator, he is all around us and inside of us, there’s nothing besides Him. So we only have to give the right definition of where and how we attain him and how we are going to advance in this attainment. So we are told that in terms of advancement in our attainment, it is done through the equivalence of form, that is because we are opposite to the Creator, we are receivers and he is a giver and so we can do that with an intention to bestow. So that our will to receive remains a will to receive and the extent to which we are able to use it in order to bestow is how we get closer to the Creator and begin to understand the Creator and to attain the Creator and feel the Creator. That is what the Zohar discusses here, that in terms of attaining the Creator there are these four forms, matter, form clothed in matter, abstract form and essence. The essence we surely cannot reach, abstract form that is not reachable as well at least for now, we will see what is next but form and matter we can attain and our matter which is opposite of the Creator which is the will to receive.
So we have our matter that is for certain and it is growing and changing and opening up to us and form clothed in matter we can attain to the extent that this form resides in a will to receive and how we can make it in order to bestow, that form. By that we resemble the Creator, we make yourself similar to him. So even though our matter is a will to receive, the way in which we use the will to receive could be in order to bestow and thereby we become similar to the Creator. So I can build from my will to receive a shape, a form that is similar to the Creator and thereby I begin to know him. So I build within me the image of the Creator who is opposite to me. I’m entirely a will to receive, all reception and yet I build such an intention within me of bestowal and in this intention of bestowal I build an image of the Creator like this character, like this shape in me and in this character with him I play in different shapes.
This is how can examine the shape and see how did I do and what did I do, how can I understand the Creator and suddenly I can discover how that image that I built, to the extent that I built it correct I begin to see the Creator helped me build this image in me, the form of bestowal he helps me build it. He also helps me to know him through this image. Meaning that I begin to study him through that and this is called “you have made Me”. In doing that, creating this intention to bestow over the will to receive, we make ourself similar to the Creator. These forms of the will to receive that we build within us that are similar to the Creator, these forms are exactly what we are learning about the Partzufim, Sefirot spiritual worlds, that is our work. By that we are building our relation to the Creator, our bestowal upon the Creator the way we think, imagine, learn, from that the Creator relates to us and thus we come to a state that he bestows to us and we bestow to him and through this mutual bestowal we begin to recognize Him and know and understand Him, feel Him. He begins to dress into us in that form, in the same form that we relate to Him and then we achieve adhesion.
That is what we are studying. There’s a lot that can be said about it but you need to think about it. You need to turn it around inside of your feeling, in your mind and you will see this is our work. It is actually similar to what we are doing in the material world. If I want to understand some system and the Creator is a system of bestowal with respect to us. So I have to build within me a model, an image of that system and from playing with it and turning it around and working with it, I can recognize who I’m dealing with. This is what we do in technology and science, in everywhere. Only the problem here is that we need to do it with ourselves, with our desires, with our intentions above our ego.
15. S. (23:00) Baal HaSulam writes that essence and the abstract form we do not attain, if I understand the essence is the essence of the Creator and the abstract form is what he feels, so this is what we cannot attain, what does he feel here, is this the abstract form?
R. No, we are not talking about the Creator himself at all, the Creator how he feels his forms outside of the created being we cannot talk about any of that. We will discuss this but right now I do not have the words.
16. S. (24:02) The minimal form of the Creator is not revealed without our ascension, it doesn’t exist?
R. Everything that we attain is only to the extent of equivalence of form with the Creator, the Creator himself has no form, has nothing, to the extent that we can build within us a model, an image, the correct image of him then in that image then we can build within us, we discover Him. I have to assemble within me such an image that will be somewhat similar to the Creator then I will feel it, I will be able to learn from him and connect with him and engage with him.
17. S. (25:10) We are at a very special point right now, our connection we can feel, we can talk, we can invite the reforming light between us. We are still discovering it, it is very beginning but I can feel we’re coming together all of us. I’m very happy for it, I know that you are very perseverant and you are very tough. I love it and I thank you for keeping us with Baal HaSulam and Rabash and together, to accept, to want to hear.
R. Do you have a question then ask if you’re taking time from everyone.
S. My question is how can we use together, how can we use this time right now the best possible way to influence the Arvut?
R. Your question is not in the right place and I’m asking you to learn what we are engaged with, what is the topic we are learning and focus and ask only about that and when you were asking you have to be conscious that you are taking time from thousands of people with us in the lesson right now. You have to be responsible for what you are doing to everyone and I’m not going to let you ask so easily next time. We have to prepare our question in the way that it will be suitable to everyone.
18. S. (27:55) When you talked about A and B you said that this is what we can work with and C and D we cannot, so my question is if he is preparing us right now to give us laws to understand how to read and how to analyze what are we are about to read the Zohar, is this what he’s doing?
R. I’m not hearing a question.
S . Is he giving us laws here to learn by which to study the Zohar?
R. Yes, so what’s next.
S. With these laws can we interpret the way the friends asked before, to analyze the matter of the material, the form, form and matter, abstract and essence, can you analyze it for us?
R. I cannot, I am studying Baal HaSulam together with you and I don’t understand, why are you being so smart, why don’t you want to follow Baal HaSulam that is teaching you in a systematic way going through 1 2 3 4 in such a didactic matter why you jumping and being so smart.
S. It’s not about jumping, it’s a matter of being.
R. If you don’t understand then shut up, and try to understand don’t, ask something that he’s not talking about. I don’t understand this approach. All of you at least went to school or other courses or at least some higher education, is this how you study? Ask about what is being shown to you, you went through a few definitions, fine, you can ask something about these definitions, about what these few lines tell you. I don’t understand where you get this wild imagination from.
19. S. (30:42) I heard from you that you explained that the way we built within us the image of the Creator, so I discovered that the Creator helps me build the image of the creation, so do you have the words how to answer it?
R. Again.
S. How is his help expressed in building his image within us?
R. By the light that he affects us with, our will to receive, by this he builds different shapes in us similar to the light and from these forms we can understand Him, this is how it works.
20. S. (31:55) Where in these four forms do we reach complete equivalence of form with him?
R. The essence which we do not attain but in the abstract form, yes. We gradually come to the matter and the form clothed in matter from there we get an illumination from the opposite form and even from the essence, that is it.
Reader Item #5 (32:32) “There are three discernments in each…”
21. R. (34:00) So here we have to be aligned. What the wisdom of Kabbalah discusses is only for people who want to discover the Creator the same line through which the Creator wants to bestow to them from the top down, they want to attain Him from below upwards. That is unchangeable, it should not confuse us but in a direct way towards the Creator that is where we should go and this is how we should attain him, that is given to us and we will not make any mistakes see through me only follow that. So we should not determine all kinds of other goals for us besides attaining the Creator and only in those levels through which the Creator bestows to us all the way to him, this is called “me for my beloved and beloved is for me”, only that way. In the meantime, we don’t even touch them even though in our wildest imagination and mind and heart want to go there. No, we discover everything through the friends, the ten to the Creator, that there inside the ten we discover him and that is the only thing that we aim for. Everything else will only confuse us and we will not attain the main thing, the source of all, the Creator.
22. S. (35:45) Concerning revealing the Creator in the ten, as you said from below upwards, these parts that he is describing we do not attain them or do we attain them as the Creator, the ten Sefirot, souls, Keter?
R. All of that is a system that belongs to the attainment of the Creator but we are aiming at the Creator and therefore on the way there we discover all these discernments where the Creator appears to us.
S. When it writes here about the upper souls, the souls of people, how do we relate to it or is it also part of the will to receive?
R. The will to receive that the Creator created when it receives a form of in order to give this is called a soul, a man’s soul. This is called a part of God above, why a part, because on one hand you can say because the Creator is a whole and this is a part, no. It is also because the created being can make out of his will to receive something, somewhat similar to the Creator, that is why it’s called a part. It is part of the will to receive of the created being that can resemble the Creator with the intention to bestow. Which means in the opposite form to what it was originally created as a will to receive, so that part will be called a soul that is why we say a part of God above meaning in that part a person feels in the same in himself the attainment of the Creator, Dvekut, adhesion with the Creator.
S. It is just that in order not to make mistakes as you said we have to direct ourselves to the ten and we will discover something there, say souls or parts, are these parts of the Creator?
R. Whatever is clothed in our will to receive when it is arranged with the intention to bestow, what then fulfills it is called the part of the Creator this is called Boreh, the Creator, Bo and Re’eh, come and see, you come to the force of correction in that you discover the quality of love and bestowal and that is what we call the Creator.
S. It follows that everything we discover in the ten is all the Creator?
R. What becomes revealed in the connection between us is called the Creator.
23. S. (38:59) It means that the book of The Zohar essentially explains how to reveal the Creator from….?
R. We receive and feel and control only the will to receive, our will to receive. To the extent that we can receive help from above this is how we work with the will to receive, that is it, not more than that. What we discover is all in the will to receive which receives, acquires all kinds of forms through the restriction, screen and reflected light and by that we make the will to receive similar to the forms of bestowal and by this we make ourselves similar to the Creator who is entirely in the desire to bestow and we with the will to receive learn who is the Creator. It is come and see, the Creator means come and see, come means we build his template, his mold in our will to receive, the mold of bestowal. Then we come and discover what is the form of bestowal and this is how we study the Creator, this is why he’s called Boreh, come and see and this is what we attain. The Creator is attained in the part in the created being that is correct in our corrected will to receive we discover a quality that is called the Creator. I think that we already talked about it but if there’s more questions, ask, it should be clear and to the point.
24. S. (41:16) This reality of angels, places, garments in the worlds, are we working with this or is it abstract forms?
R. I don’t know, whatever he said, he said, and what he didn’t he didn’t, that is why you didn’t see.
25. S. (41:47) What does it mean to annul myself within the ten?
R. To the extent that I can help them to be incorporated in themselves, to the extent that I support them and that I build the common form of bestowal between us and we assemble the image of the Creator, by this we attain him through the power of Arvut, mutual responsibility.
26. S. (42:22) If we try to explain these concepts simply of form, abstract form, so let’s say a desire to enjoy water, so in the water itself is the crystals of it and what is behind it, can you look at water this way?
R. No, in all these things you were saying I suggest not philosophize in them and study only what he is talking about, that is it. You may give example as if something is similar, we sometimes use these things but to say that it is it, certainly not.
S. So what, we have to grasp the will to receive as a whole?
R. The desire to enjoy in the created being is called the will to receive.
S. So it’s something that is not clothed in anything, I have to take all the pleasures at once?
R. I don’t know what you’re talking about and I cannot speak in this way because everybody will be confused, do you know what the will to receive is or not. If you want to enjoy something, is that clear to you, so talk about that, don’t get into philosophy. Straightforward as it is. Otherwise with your imagination you will leave immediately fly in every direction, that is completely unrelated to science, the wisdom of Kabbalah is a science that is why he is giving you the definition and he wants you to know definitions as much as possible in a confined and restricted way as possible and not immediately fantasizing and expanding them in every direction.
S. I’m trying to get an example, one example from you. The will to receive I understand but how does it go to form clothed in matter and abstract form it is unclear to me.
R. So wait but don’t fantasize.
Item #5 again from the top (45:11)
27. R. (46:40) Clear so far, that is how it is directed from above.
Reader continues #5 (46:46) “Since these three boundaries….”
28. R. (47:16) So the first thing is for us to divide all of reality into ten Sefirot and soul, spirits and souls of people, NRN, Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama and the rest of realities around so all in all everything is directed towards the souls of people so that the people will attend the upper force, attain the Creator.
Reader #6 (47:45) “You already know that there are ten Sefirot…”
29. R. (49:18) So what is he telling us in general. Everything is divided into ten Sefirot and every single place can acquire different denominations, in one time is worlds, in another time is Sefirot or maybe other degrees. But all in all, everything is made of ten Sefirot. In each of these ten divided into ten, another ten and another ten and this is basically how all of reality is.
30. S. (49:53) Everything is comprised of ten Sefirot and he writes that each is attention of the souls of people in some world and that if we attain the ten Sefirot we attain all of it?
R. Correct, one who attains the Creator attains Him in ten Sefirot. What does it mean, in the will to receive that is organized and arranged in order to bestow and that structure of the will to receive that is organized or arranged in order to bestow is called the ten Sefirot otherwise it will not be arranged in order to bestow. We will not attain the Creator, he has to build of himself a mold, a pattern called ten Sefirot and then what he attains in them is called the Creator.
31. S. (50:52) He says that the world matches the Sefira, what does it mean that the world is in the quality of the Sefira?
R. We can divide all the reality into ten parts and then another ten and another ten and another ten and so on indefinitely. This is why we speak in this way. We only need to find appellations, names to all the parts to all the parts of the will to receive that can correct themselves in order to work to bestow. There are parts we call the bigger parts of the will to receive and there are small parts of the will to receive, smaller and smaller and smaller. That is the way it is and they all have names, these names basically give us the size, the measure of the will to receive, the measure of the correction in order to bestow upon it, that’s it and there’s nothing more.
32. S. (52:11) When the will to receive is clothed in matter that includes the person?
R. The will to receive is already in the matter, you cannot separate it, distinguish it from the matter, but the matter requires the form of reception, the form of the will to receive, that is it. Then we’re talking about the correction in the will to receive this is already the restriction, screen and reflected light to the extent that the will to receive can reveal the form of bestowal above itself, which it puts above itself, on top of itself. As if we are dressing ourselves with the intention to bestow, the desire to bestow and in this way we seemingly act towards the Creator as if we want to be similar to Him.
You see, just like you see little girls play with dolls, how did they know it, it is just that nature compels them to act out, to play at being mothers, this is how they grow. We need to do the same, to play in relation of bestowal between us. To this relation to bestow between us which we play with, we want it to happen to us and through such forms we come to a state where the upper light influences us. Because our actions will be as a prayer, as raising MAN, as raising a deficiency and as a result the light influences us from above, a power that gradually, according to our desire to be similar to bestowal to be like being grown-ups, like the girls playing with dolls, the same way it influences them and us and this is how we grow.
S. Can you give us some example, if there is one, of the will to bestow clothed in matter?
R. Of course do such activities like girls with dolls and you will see how you will grow through it to acquire forms of bestowal. Try it out and see. What example can I give you, about someone else, how would you know? But by you making efforts you will receive. That is it, this is the whole point of the commandments, we perform acts of bestowal and accordingly receive from the Creator powers, that changes and truly give us on top of our will to receive, an intention to bestow.
33. S. (55:52) Could you please tell me what is the souls and what is the spirits?
R. Different desires to receive are called by these names, that is it, look how he defines it for us, beyond that we will learn later.
34. S. (56:25) I also wanted to ask some of the question with regards to the souls, does it mean that is it all the forms of correction that this should go through, is that what it means?
R. Let’s say that.
35. S. (56:51) He says that all the ten Sefirot are the worlds of ABYA and in each world is ten Sefirot and then it is HBTM and the root Keter, and HBTM is nine and then he says ten Sefirot. So the Keter is in each world or only above?
R. We just say it this way.
S. So it includes the Keter?
R. Yes, sometimes we count the Keter in the ten Sefirot and sometimes we say it as if it is disconnected from the Sefirot of the created being, it depends on how we define the created being. When it receives the Keter is not present when it is completely united with the Creator we call it ten Sefirot. It will come out later, these things are not essential.
36. S. (58:09) to play with actions of bestowal is the work of the restriction?
R. The act of restriction is included in the acts of bestowal.
S. You told us to play as if like little girls play with dolls, so what is the difference between playing and the action of restriction, that happens?
R. That even though we’re still not in the restriction and we can do anything with the will to receive, we need to act as if we are ready with the power of the screen, the power of the restriction, the desire to bestow and this is how we relate to one another. By this we awaken the upper light to come to us from the Creator and to tend to us and to change us.
37. S. (59:58) Is reading the forward to the book of Zohar will it prepare us to properly absorb TES?
R. That too, of course and besides the main thing is not to really absorb the study of the ten Sefirot, all the excerpts, all the material, we read it so that it will influence us, so that it will change us, by this we want to draw reforming light. This is what’s important for us.
38. S. (01:00:39) Continuing to ask about TES and the Zohar, is the content of the Zohar and TES similar in terms of the drawing the light?
R. There’s several questions here. First of all we’re always talking about the Upper system, about the connection between us and the Creator, and we are here and the Creator is there and there is connection between us. We have to renew that connection, activate it, make it more effective, active, excetera. This we awaken through all the writings of the Kabbalists, all the writings of the Kabbalists, but there are differences in them, according to our state, according to the power, etc. This is what we are trying to do but we have to learn both, all of them, and therefore we have to go over all the writings of Baal HaSulam and we’re gradually doing it, there’s a certain order to it and we also need to gradually, slowly, go over the study of the ten Sefirot, it’s not important what we’re learning, the important thing for us is to learn and to yearn for adhesion through the friends to the Creator, this intention is what determines, and this is how we advance.
39. S. (01:02:13) How is the readiness for studying the book of Zohar created? What is the feeling that should happen?
R. We’re not studying the book of Zohar. The book of Zohar is the first book in the Wisdom of Kabbalah, there were also excerpts, all kinds of writings, all kinds of short books or booklets that were very restricted from Kabbalists who preceded Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and the book of Zohar and his disciples, but they we don’t we don’t study them because they spoke still in a manner that was not organized, each one spoke with his own words, in his own language, so to speak, this is why we don’t study them, but around the book is Zohar, yes, all of our learning is around the book of Zohar which is a seminal book in the Wisdom of Kabbalah..
40. S. (01:03:26) What does it mean that everything discussed in the book of Zohar are values of the ten Sefirot?
R. There’s nothing more in the relation of the Creator and the created being than ten degrees in the will to receive and how it comes from the will to bestow of the Creator to the will to receive in the created being and the connection between them from the Creator to the created being and from the created being to the Creator.
41. S. (01:03:58). Are the ten Sefirot between us in the connection between us? How do we feel them?
R. That ten Sefirot are in every connection between the will to receive and the will to bestow. We have no will to bestow. The will to bestow is the Creator, we need to build a connection with him and then that connection is built through ten Sefirot, meaning ten desires that gradually come to similarity with the Creator’s will to bestow.
42. S. (01:04:40) When and how we see the image of the Creator?
R. See the image of the Creator? That’s only in our will to receive when we can relate to others in this way, by relating to others in bestowal, when I picture, depict my relation that in this way I want to resemble the Creator, in this way I discover in my relation, the image of the Creator, it is called and “the name of the Lord will be upon you” when you relate to others like the Creator.
43. S. (01:05:27) Do we aspire to obtain the form in our daily interactions in the ten?
R. Of course we do, of course we do.
44. S. (01:05:44) What we can perceive in our feelings we can imagine but what we can imagine will be an image of the system similar to the Creator?
R. If we are connected together in mutual bestow upon each other and out of this bestowal we’re also directed toward the Creator to come to bestow upon him from within us, from all of us, then this whole form becomes a soul, an organized form, where we direct ourselves to the Creator and return from him to us, I from my beloved and my beloved for me, we discover it, it’s a mutual relation.
45. S. (01:06:53) How can we understand where we are in merging with the light? How can we find the opposite form to it to resemble in our intention?
R. If I try to relate to my friends in a manner of bestowal like the Creator, I can according to how I can imagine how the Creator relates to them, if I want to relate to them like the Creator does, that to me is the example, that school, that’s study, that learning, that I, by which I will know how to relate to the Creator. But again it begins with me beginning to understand and it takes a long time, it sometimes takes many years for a person to begin to discover that he needs to relate to each one of his friends in the ten as he imagines the Creator relating to them, meaning with love, with connection, with an embrace, and then out of this he begins to feel to that extent the Creator also relates to him, that in the same way a person relates to his friend in that same relation the Creator dresses on him, and then he begins to understand and feel that in the same way he relates to the friends he can relate to the Creator, now he’s got that possibility, and then from the love of people to the love of the Creator. In this way he begins to attain the Creator in practice and this is basically the steps we need to walk on. I don’t really have the words for it. Try it and see how it happens.
46. S. (01:09:22) Right now in the lesson if I don’t understand and it’s hard for me to focus on understanding, is it enough to just work on my intention?
R. As much as you can, each one as much as you can, and then you’ll understand that all in all we only need to soften our hearts and you will see all of humanity, look at all of humanity, how they’re going through these stages, how humanity is suffering blows and a new organization. We’re all going through a very special state.
47. S. (01:10:04) Is the form of matter the first thing we begin to understand, to feel?
R. The form of the matter we begin to feel, yes, everything is attained from the matter. To the extent that our will to receive is opposite from the Creator and here for us the most important thing is to keep ourselves on the goal so that the oppositeness of form, our oppositeness of form from the goal actually gives us a point of gripping on to the goal, because we’re opposite but from the point of oppositeness we have to grab the Upper force.
48. S. (01:11:48) You said that we all, through the connection we open our heart to the connection, the question is what do the books give us, why do we learn from books?
R. We will learn what letters mean, what words, sentences, mean, what is the concept of a book, the book of Heaven, the book of earth, we will learn it. You touched on something very very big. The wisdom of Kabbalah discusses it a lot. We will not be able to miss out on this topic, what is the book, books, a story.
S. He writes about it and item eight very soon.
R. But we haven’t read item seven.
S. Yes we’ll get there tomorrow.
R. You’ll have it in the next lesson.
49. S. (01:13:26) I just wanted to ask If after the forward and preparation to reading the Zohar we’ll also get to read the Zohar?
R. You want to add another hour or two to the lesson? No problem. What can I do? I can’t do anything, it all depends, it’s a question of time, it’s time dependent, we’ll get there for sure, we’ll get there, you’ll see, we’re going through the introductions and the forward and then we’ll get there.