KETER: TIKKUN CHATZOT תקון חצות – LESSON WITH RAV MICHAEL LAITMAN
Baal HaSulam. One Commandment
Morning Lesson July 5, 2022 Transcription
Transcription is made from simultaneous translation which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio
Baal HaSulam. One Commandment
1 R. (00:09) It is also an article we can say “special”, it is not written as an article but some kind of like a dictionary or short excerpts that Baal HaSulam gives some comment about or illumination of his own. That is why you cannot really learn fundamentals or things that he opens and explains in a broad manner but nonetheless we will go over all his writing so we should go over this. We haven’t much left from his writings, soon let’s hope that even till the end of the year we will go over all his articles.
Reading (01:18)
2. R. (01:27) Every sentence here is very complex, very deep, profound, we can talk a lot about it so try to nonetheless read each excerpt twice and we will see what else we can add, essentially, not just expand about it.
Rav Reading: (02:17) If he performs one Mitzvah he is happy for he assentence himself in the whole world to the side of merit, that is how it is written in the Torah. There is no serving the Creator and observing the Mitzvot except for Lishma, for her sake, meaning to bring contentment to one’s Maker, yet our sages have already instructed to engage in Torah and Mitzvot even Lo Lishma, since from Lo Lishma we will come to Lishma. Meaning in any case one should connect to a group to do all kinds of actions of bestowal, by that she comes to bestow to the Creator ultimately, even though it is far, it takes time to do that but that is the way; from Lo Lishma being in an egoistic desire, not being able to think about anything besides his own benefit nonetheless if he keeps something: The connection in the group, the lessons, gathering together, in order to none the less reach the goal, as if to reach he doesn’t have a desire in his heart to really reach the goal because the goal is complete bestowal and he has no preparations desires for that nothing.
But, if you will do what the writings say you should do, from Lo Lishma you come to Lishma. I say that the first and only Mitzvah that guarantees the achievement of the aspiration to attain Lishma is no to resolve, not to work for oneself apart for the necessary works, merely to provide for one’s sustenance and the rest of the time he will work for the public to save the oppressed and every being in the world that need salvation and benefit. Very nice words. Let’s read it again and then you can ask.
Reading (04:42) “One commandment…”
3. S. (05:58) Not to work from your own need more than satisfying your necessities but before a person attains the Creator everything is necessary?
R. No, look, whatever you do in your life you need time and strength and money for instance, and then you’re doing something. If you want to do, for instance I don’t know, to fish, so you have work, you have your home and you have many things but besides that you need to find some time for fishing, you need to buy equipment and some other things, meaning everything requires something. Here too, if you want to reach Lishma, that you are life will be spiritual that you will feel in them the upper world, the Creator governing you, you will be in contact with Him and with all of humanity differently, you need to dedicate some time, strength, forces for that, what can you do.
That’s what he says that you need to engage in your things and to restrict the concern about yourself as much as you can, not too much but bit by bit, and when you are not working for yourself to a certain extent, let’s say 5% of your strength, of your time, you dedicate to publicize the Wisdom of Kabbalah in the world; not the Wisdom of Kabbalah, the wisdom of connection, etcetera, and that is what he says, in this way you will advance.
These are things that reject us very much and I understand it. It is not accepted and no one wants this in the world, but if you want to reach a spiritual world and eternal existence to what we call Lishma we have no choice, that’s the only way to do it. for us it’s expressed this whole tendency that we have to give everyone, the world in dissemination, that we need to disseminate necessity of the engagement and connection between human beings to everyone; because the world is advancing towards that and the system of a broken Adam HaRishon is being revealed more and more, and what is required from us is to engage in correction more and more. That is basically the process that the whole world is going through, all of it, and we are in the border between the upper world and the lower world and that’s why we need those first notion we get about the upper world, the system that runs us, that governs us, we need to shift it to the low world, to this people that with us in this world, as it’s written “serving people according to the commandants of the Creator”.
Reading twice (20:03) (11:20) “there are two advantages in this Mitzvah…”
4. S. (12:31) He writes about two advantages of this commandment: which commandment?
R. Serving people according to the commandant of the Creator meaning because the Creator organizes all these things for us this way that we have to reach adhesion with a Creator which is the goal, but I come to that by serving people, meaning bestowing to people, bringing people closer to the Creator.
S. Serving the friends, let’s say incorporating in their deficiencies, that is not Lishma?
R. No, Lishma is a spiritual action. When you are already in action of bestowal, in the force of bestowal and that’s why you can do these actions and have these forces. Reaching Lishma is our goal, meaning reaching a true action of bestowal from the smallest action to the biggest one, the most comprehensive one that is the goal.
S. What does it mean to be in the force of bestowal?
R. That whatever you do your actions are all to bestow through others to the Creator. That you, according to your degree, you’re using your will to receive only to perform actions of bestowal for others and the Creator and if you cannot do that you don’t. Besides essential things for the existence of your body.
S. You say that I do everything for the benefit of the Creator. Do I feel it, do I feel His response?
R. No. Before you do it for the Creator you cannot feel Him. No. How can it be? With what vessels you will feel Him? You don’t have common vessels. If you’re in an action of bestowal, even the smallest ones then you can already to a certain extent feel the existence of the Creator in the world. Only this way.
S. So it’s the same question, this example that we are speaking about the guest and the host. The guest has a connection with the host, how can you do something for the host if you don’t feel Him?
R. So how do you feel the Creator without having intentions in order to bestow? With what will you feel Him, your vessels of reception? That is why there is this world where we do a preparation and one who really wants to reach identification with the Creator, bestowing to the Creator to the extent that he acquires this intention, to that extent you start revealing the Creator in a more, and more, clear way.
S. It is not clear, because on one hand we say that an action towards the friends isn’t something that we will call for her sake yet, it has to be for the Creator, but if you don’t feel the Creator, I don’t understand how to build the intention to words what?
R. But If you’ll feel Him you won’t be able to perform intentions in order to bestow, so whatever you do will certainly be in order to receive.
S. Right, but how to do it practically?
R. That is why you need to work with the friends in order to reach connection with them, to bestow to them and in bestowing to them you will start feeling that you can bestow to the Creator because bestowing to the friends will lead you to that, to bestow to the Creator.
S. It turns out that we relate to His attitude and not really to Him?
R. Of course we’re only talking about relations; I to the Creator and the Creator to me.
S. So it turns out that we in the connection between us discover this relation and that is what we work with not the Creator we will not reveal the Creator Himself?
R. What you’re trying to say is: The Creator Himself we do not attain, that is true. We attain his relation to us, His relation to us but He, Himself, no. We cannot. We cannot attain it. Simply, I can’t attain it. I don’t know what is going to happen there after the 6,000, these things the Wisdom of Kabbalah doesn’t talk about. There are some clues but the Wisdom of Kabbalah doesn’t talk about it, we are talking about things that a person can attain here in this world, we are in the lowest world and what’s above us that’s what we are talking about, how to come out to the spiritual realm, the upper world, then there are other degrees where we can understand what it is about. But, nonetheless whatever we attain is the Creator’s relation to us and Him Himself we don’t attain. I do not know what happens later, again, but only what we attain. There’s a verse saying “the judge has only what his eyes can see”, whatever we get that is what we have. That is why it’s called the Wisdom of Kabbalah, we are not philosophy. Clear?
S. It turns out that we are aspiring to discover this relation in all the actions towards the friends or in advance we take it as a given and we…?
R. We want to build between us, in the ten, such relations with which we can approach the Creator, otherwise we will not have what to serve the Creator with. It is as if you’re cooking something in your ten, some food, and when we all agree and we all want and we’re all content with this food, then you present it to the Creator and you can be certain it is good. Is this clear?
5. S. (20:50) Tell me please I want to reach Lishma, I want all of reality to be in this, so how will the quality belong to this?
R. I want to understand and it’s saying a bit of what it is and as much as I can bestow to the others, because we are at the time of the End of Correction, Gmar Tikkun.
S. After that, if I am in the quality of Lishma to the others I bestow to the Creator, how can I shift from bestowing to others to completely bestow to the Creator?
R. Gradually. It’s not the same thing, you’ll see. You’re asking about things we’re not in yet. What should I explain here?
6. S. (22:00) It says in the article, the intention should be to observe, to observe the Mitzvot of the Creator. Can you please explain what it means practically to observe these Mitzvot of the Creator? What does observing mean?
R. Observing the Mitzvot means to come with our will to receive to a state that we are bestowing; that we don’t want to receive but we want to bestow. We are speaking about the intention and not the action. With the action I can receive but by this am I bestowing or not? That is the question. That is why we weigh or measure all of our actions according to our intentions.
S. So you mean actually to come to the right intention you need to be able to observe all the time the Mitzvot of the Creator, is that the scrutiny we make all the time?
R. Yes. I need to observe the commandments but which ones? Connection. Connection with the ten and connection with the Creator first of all. Afterwards as much as we understand to do actions of dissemination, by that we also bring people closer to be in one connection, in one big group, one international group. We are preparing them for the revelation of the Creator; bringing them close to the Creator. We are building a apiritual humanity.
S. So we can help each other by observing these Mitzvot in the ten?
R. Yes, of course. What is the point of the ten, to help each other to give an example to one another how to come closer between us.
7. S. (24:26) There is one day that I am willing to give up everything for the friends and the connection the next day, I won’t even let go of my cup of coffee for connection, so how can I determine my necessities as he writes here?
R. It’s all in order for you to see as much as you are selfish person if some smaller illumination shines on your from above you’re willing to give up everything if it doesn’t shine on you from above you are not willing to give anything of yourself nothing not inside and not in deeds. Meaning you are shown as much as you are under the control of the upper force.
S. So according to what you can determine your necessities this is something general were?
R. What does it have to do with necessities? Or as much as I need and the rest of the stole that is something you determined every time in a new way. Every time in a new way. What does it mean ‘new’? That you will try to divide your energy and your time in such a way the leave at least something for dissemination, something for the group, something for the studies and then in such a way you will advance and be realistic.
8. S. (26:30) If I understand correctly the story about the host and the guest, the host wants the guest to eat and in the end the guest agrees, meaning he gives his deficiencies that is the relation with the Creator but relation with the friends we should also bring our deficiency or should we give and bestow?
R. Each and every one that incorporates in the ten needs to help the others in advancement, man will help his friend by their she shows everyone as much as he yearns for the goal, as much as he keeps all the times we decided and he is willing to help everyone work in the ten and with them approach final corrections, that is what we have to show each other.
S. So don’t bring my deficiency to my friends?
R. By this you are showing your deficiency.
10. S. (27:45) It says this work is approved and agreeable by all the people in the world, what does it mean?
R. No one will tell you that you are not allowed to bestow, no one. Everyone respects actions of bestowal or bestow, do, go into all kinds of organizations that give food to the needy people, that do all kinds of nice actions for people, nobody will tell you it is not right. On the contrary you will be respected.
11. S. (28:38) This transition, is it by habit, one should accustom himself to bestow all the time?
R. Yes, habits are one of the components.
S. So you have to perform any actions in Lo Lishma, not to cancel them but until you move to Lishma or should I begin with aim myself with every action to be in Lishma?
R. We need to the actions of bestowal between us as much as possible and not let go in order by that to give an example to others and by that man will help his friends. We can reach a state that it opens Lishma before us.
Rav Reading (30:00) “The Part of the Torah Concerning Relations…..”
There are two parts in the Torah one concerns man and the Creator and the other concerns man and man and I call upon you, Baal HaSulam says, at any rate to engage and assume, he’s turning to us, that which concerns man and man for by this you will also learn the part that concerns man and the Creator. Again he emphasizes how we have to bestow to the friends and from that develop and bestow to the Creator otherwise it will be like a religion or like everyone thinks that the Creator. I have no problem it all works out with Him, I want to be with Him how can you if you’re not in the right connection with the environment but only and as much as you are in a good nice connection with the environment to that extent you are with the Creator and it can’t be otherwise.
Reading again (31:21)“The Part of the Torah Concerning Relations…..”
12. S. (31:56) Working with others should be accompanied by the aspiration to attain wholeness in the work of the Creator?
R. Of course, this has to actually be as one but we have to understand that to give contentment to the Creator is to give contentment to the Creator is the goal and love your friend as yourself. To give contentment to the friends is the means and you can’t reach the goal without the means because the means is building the vessel, without it I can’t bestow to the Creator but it’s still just the means and the goal is to give contentment to the Creator. Think about it and understand the relations between them what’s before, what’s afterwards and in what way it has to be and in each and every degree we have to work in the connection between us to give contentment between us and from between us to the Creator. Only in that way we advance that’s why in each and every state, first the love of the created beings and from that the love of the Creator, love of the created beings and love of the Creator, and only in the final goal is where we connect them both together.
13. S. (33:49) I wanted to understand how can we reach the love of the Creator through love of others, it’s by actions?
R. As much as we bestow upon one another, as much as we want to connect in one desire as one man with one heart, to be closer to one another in reaching the Creator. Not that we have to be more connected in our life, no, it has nothing to do with it. Each one has his profession, has his family, has his qualities but towards the Creator that is where we, that’s the only thing we have to to focus on, that is where we have to be as much together as we can and in mutual support in aiming ourselves that in the connection between us and the Creator specifically to the Creator that is where we discover him.
Reading twice (35:18) “Speech, thought, and action.”
14. S. (40:54) In this excerpt the prayer, being in fixed times it sounds very special but I cannot connect it to this?
R. That is something a person determines for himself also times doesn’t mean time but it means an awakening someone wakes up at night someone in the morning some during the day and so on and so on. There’s nothing constant about this but it’s something a person determines for himself when he wants to pray to ask of the Creator to help him and so on so usually a person comes to it when he has a desire when he has a need. Kabbalists say that it’s worth determining these things according to the time to schedule and then you’ll feel as much as you have a desire or you don’t have a desire as much as you’re committed or not and through that you can hasten your times.
15. S. (42:27) In the second excerpt he distinguishes between man and the Creator and the Mitzvot between man and man, he says that the Mitzvot between man and the Creator the act itself testifies to the intent. What is he talking about?
R. He says that if you come to a state that you can give contentment to the Creator so you are already on that degree and you do it and there’s no doubt but between man and his friends. It means you’re still in the preparation period and it’s not sure yet it’s unknown whether you’re in action of bestowal or not. Something very special, we can bestow upon one another in this world many things when are we sure we did an action of bestowal, when we can with that action of bestowal feel that we are in connection with the Creator. Then it’s an action of bestowal, a true one and a right one and if we didn’t reach it, yet if the Creator clothes on our action of bestowal so we still haven’t reached bestowal even though we want to reach it so it doesn’t mean anything.
16. S. (44:13) In this excerpt he connects thought to intention when Kabbilists say that everything is scrutinized in the thought they mean that everything is scrutinizing the intention?
R. Yes, it’s actually this same thing, thought and intention it’s not the same thing but actually that’s how it is for now if you want to go deeper in this more to scrutiny so you will feel the differences between thought and intention, that the thought is the action itself and the intention is supposedly it’s arrow.
17. S. (44:58) According to your answer previously, if the action is with the Creator so the thought and speech are the preparation for that?
R. Thought, speech and action obviously the action is, meaning that is the action.
S. So what are the thought and speech with a relation to the action?
R. It’s like a preparation for it or it escorts it
18. S. (45:38) What does it mean that a person becomes like a seal?
R. By us working in the group each one receives like an imprint from the group and then all these forms connect between them and discover that they are resembling the Creator that they’re bestowal is similar to the action of the Creator.
19. S. (46:28) Are you meant to do these three actions on every reception on every work of reception that you do?
R. Whether we want it or not we do it and we’ll only scrutinize it more and more when we come closer to spirituality so from the light that reforms we’ll be able to feel how we include thought speech and action.
S. Are there any reception in the corporeal world that you cannot perform these three actions on?
R. No, it happens, thought, speech and action are incorporated in each and every action in different values in different relations between them.
20. S. (47:37) Beyond the fact that I care about the friends I should also be doing it for the Creator to enjoy it and also I should ask the Creator for a force of bestowal so is there is some order here or it can all mix?
R. For now it doesn’t matter, it’s not important but eventually you turn to the Creator you get forces from Him and with these forces connect to the friends with the friends you build the vessel and with this vessel you bestow to the Creator.
21. S. (48:29) Yesterday a friend said that he doesn’t have strength of his own to work for the friends. How can a person awaken actions of bestowal to the friends as though an awakening from below not only to wait for an awakening from above?
R. He needs not to wait for an awakening from above but to try and awaken an awakening from below by his awakening the awakening from above. By his awakening from below we have to try to initiate the action and in the group it is possible each one is going through different states and then man will help his friend by that we can awaken us to always try and be aimed towards the Creator.
22. S. (50:15) How can a feeling that the friends are the means not diminish from the love to the friends?
R. Think about it, that you can’t turn to the Creator unless you connect to the friends, it’s just impossible. It’s possible to connect to the Creator only through the group so what can you do, why is the whole world disconnected from the Creator, why doesn’t anybody feel him. At least a few that connect between them and turn to the Creator correctly so there is no problem, he is always welcome, it’s a law we are learning about the laws of nature if we observe them we’ll succeed for sure.
23. S. (51:13) If to bestow to the friend is the means towards the goal, so what does it matter to what friends. I give pleasure a friend from my ten or a different friend from Bnei Baruch maybe even our students?
R. It doesn’t matter what does matter is that all of our actions will be aimed to the Creator He is the final goal and our means are the actions between us.
24. S. (51:51) How does it feel to be connected to the Creator? What is this feeling?
R. It is a good feeling.
25. S. (52:02) A feeling of frustration of not being able to bestow like the Creator and with an internal request to be this way does that bring us closer to the Creator?
R. It’s not worth being frustrated it’s good to be in actions working between us scrutinizing between us asking turning to Him from us to be practical.
26. S. (52:30) What does it mean to turn the evil inclination to the good inclination? What are we doing to the inclinations by our prayer?
R. I don’t understand actions in the evil inclination are actions that distance us from one another and actions in the good inclination that connect between us and the Creator.
27. S. (52:58) What are we lacking to advance to the Creator in the path I will hasten it?
R. What are we lacking in order to advance Achishena only to come closer between us and as much as possible to the extent that we have distances between us. To the extent that we close on the distances between us, we come closer to the Creator because He is in the center of our connection so as much as we try to be in that center, by that we are connecting by that we are coming closer to the Creator.
28. S. (54:00) What action should we focus on during the day to aim our thought correctly?
R. Each and every one any friend women or men also in the men’s groups we need to try and think of all our friends as much as we want to be connected and close that we can finally connect in the way that the Creator can be revealed. It all depends on the closeness between us and the closeness meaning a heartfelt closeness the more we speak about it even if we don’t want to if we think about it gradually these things invite the light that reforms and from that we build our vessel for revelation of the Creator. There’s nothing more important and nothing better so let’s try to still come closer between us so the Creator can appear between us.
Thank you everybody, have a good day and we read a lot of things today so let’s not forget about them throughout the day and try to come tomorrow continue the lesson prepared. May be rewarded with connection and the light of the Creator to shine between you.