TUESDAY PRAYER: HOD-TIKKUN CHATZOT תקון חצות – LESSON WITH RAV MICHAEL LAITMAN
READING: BETWEEN AFTER MIDNIGHT AND DAWN TUESDAY
Zohar for All. Introduction of The Book of Zohar. The Letters of Rav Hamnuna Saba
Morning Lesson December 25, 2022 Transcription
Transcription is made from simultaneous translation which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio
Part 1:
Zohar for All. “Introduction of The Book of Zohar”. Otiot de Rav Hamnuna Saba [The Letters of Rav Hamnuna Saba]. #23
1. Rav’s Introduction: Yes we already discussed many times that the book of Zohar is the seminal book in understanding the upper world and also our world actually, understanding how it is operated by the upper world. And we just have to get used to the language. As in every science, there is a unique language in Kabbalah as well, and that’s what we need to learn, to delve into. But the more we advance, the more we see how this upper world is built, how the upper world runs this world, and how from our world we can attain the upper world. If you want to ask questions go ahead, we have to understand what’s happening.
Reading 23. (01:41)
2. R. (02:00) Letters are vessels. In science as in any wisdom, we have laws of connection between two elements, here it’s light and Kli in Kabbalah. And in our case it is between various forces of nature. There are two forces, spiritual forces, all together: they are a rejection force and an attraction force like in our world and these forces build in their relationship the whole of reality. And the sign for the connection of these forces of attraction and rejection is expressed in the letters, in the symbols, the shape of the letters. So he writes when He wished to create the world, all the letters came before him from the last to first.
Reading (03:40) “And the letter Tav went in first..”
3. R. (03:46) [Tav] Which is the last letter in the alphabet.
Reading (03:50) “Oh lord of the world, it is good to create the world with me..”
4. R. (04:37) Meaning that you have some flaw so that in your quality alone I cannot build the entire world.
Reading (04:50) “Since you are to be inscribed in the forehead of men..”
5. S. (17:31) It’s written that the essence of the letter Bet is the blessing she has no opposite to the Klipot. What does that mean?
R. I don’t know, we will read and then we’ll see what he meant. There is a counterforce opposite any force except for Bet because the Bet stems from the Creator and its meaning is blessing and that comes only from the Creator. Therefore even though all the forces have counterforces the force of blessing that comes from the Creator is above all the other forces and we’ll understand that and see whether it’s correct.
6. S. (18:50) It is written that the essence of the entire article of the letters is this blessing, that it’s written that thanks to the letters of blessing it’s written “test me in this”, it’s testing if it’s correct work or not. How can we use blessing to scrutinize if we’re working correctly or not?
R. Whatever we do we come to a state where we understand that without help from above, without the Creator’s help, we cannot do anything. Either we do and then make mistakes, it doesn’t matter that we make mistakes, what’s important is that we come to the conclusion that without the Creator’s help, without the blessing, we can’t achieve anything. That’s still ahead of us, we will read about it.
S. When he receives this blessing everything comes out and works properly. Even in our world it says everything works out, everything is good. Is it really like this?
R. Like a little child that asks for help from his parents, they help him with his toy somehow and then he succeeds.
S. Perhaps it’s also a discernment, is this how it works?
R. No, it’s not a matter of examining ourselves and the Creator but through these pleas we get closer to Him, we adhere to Him, we get to know Him opposite our weaknesses and we recognize his correct behavior; how He’s helping us, what He’s teaching us and so on.
7. S. (21:20) If letters are vessels, Kelim, what does it mean that the world was created with the letters, Otiot?
R. Vessels were created. The light is incomplete rest, no one created the light.
S. So if we understand this article in what the Creator is creating the world and letters. Those are vessels?
R. Right, He creates the vessels, the light fills the vessels and begins to play with or engage with the vessels and then there’s a connection between lights and vessels. To the extent that the vessels, which are also us, we begin to take on the qualities of the light, understand how to work with it and accordingly the world begins to improve and achieve the right connection between lights and vessels. And then the vessels begin to shape themselves in accord with the lights so that both the lights and the vessels will correspond to each other. And on the other hand they’ll work with each other to achieve connection in a way that both the lights and the vessels are all aiming for such a connection where there is no difference between them, adhesion between the vessels which are the created beings and the light which is the Creator.
8. S. (23:51) We read in the article that it’s written that in the world of Assiya there’s no distinction between work of the Creator and one who doesn’t work for Him, no distinction between Kedusha, sanctity and impurity.
R. One who works in order to receive or in order to bestow, we can’t tell the difference between the two because we don’t yet have a distinction of the intention. That’s how it is in the world of Assiya, the lowest world.
9. S. (24:33) Is there an infinite number of letters?
R. No, all together we have 26 letters. Why infinite? But these letters are sufficient. There are nine letters that are the upper letters and 9 middle letters, that’s 18 then 4 more more lower ones which are Kuf, Resh, Shin, Tav, the last letters and that gives you 22. Other than that there are also 5 letters, well we’ll learn that but it’s not that there are infinite letters. It’s sufficient, just like the alphabet in any language, they’re built according to the same principle of the Hebrew alphabet. Where from a limited amount, a limited number of letters we can build all kinds of words and from the connection of the words we can build sentences and then we are no longer limited in communicating any wisdom or any message from one to another.
10. S. (26:30) A blessing is when we begin to work out of the contradiction?
R. We’ll learn later what the blessing is in the letter Bet.
11. S. (26:55) It’s written here that the opposite order is MAN and the direct order is MAD. What does that mean?
R. A lot has been said here and we’ll learn more later and elaborately in the next pages. Each such action of MAN and MAD is the rising from below upwards of a question, of a desire and the MAD is the descent from above downwards of the light that fills the question and realizes the desire.
S. So these letters are forces?
R. No, MAN is Mayin Nukvin, meaning the water of the female. And MAD is the water of the male, Mayin Duchrin. MAN rises from below upwards, MAD descends from above downwards.
S. So it turns out to be the same force?
R. No, who told you that? No, and it’s not the same letters, it’s just these signs. You don’t need to draw any conclusions here, you haven’t started hearing anything and already you’re trying to put some system together here. No, by no means, just listen.
12. S. (28:41) There is a reverse order between the lights and the vessels as written. What does that mean in the work in our ten? Why is it so important to know this?
R. Oh boy, how are you disturbing us from following the Zohar exactly. Wait a bit and write it on the side somewhere. It’s a good question but to answer it I have to go to a completely different route than the text.
S. I’ve been wondering this for a long time, how this really works in the ten, this reverse relation. I’ve been writing it down and have been working on it a long time but OK, I’ll wait for it.
R. I can’t, I have the text in front of me after all from Baal HaSulam and Rabbi Simon and I have to follow it. All of you follow the text if you will be patient, bit by bit you’ll achieve their intention and not your questions and my answers but much more than that.
Reading (30:21) “The letter Tav entered first…”
13. R. (30:38) Meaning that all the letters come before the upper light or the Creator and they wish to say that their quality is worthy to build the world with because by that quality she can clarify and show to all the created beings the qualities of the Creator.
Reading (31:16) “Because each of the letters of the alphabet..”
14. R. (31:42) Meaning she has unique qualities, that her quality deserves building the world with it. We already understand that each and every letter has unique properties so it’s interesting what will be the quality with which the Creator will build the world, is there such a quality that can be a foundation for the world.
Reading (32:12) “It is known that the Sitra Achra..”
15. R. (32:55) Malchut as the last Sefira of the 10 Sefirot, of all the letters, of all the influences from above downwards, she continues from above downwards the light, some little illumination. Because also the lower ones, the Sitra Achra, the vessels that are opposite to the Creator, they too need to exist. They too need to connect to other forces and together with other forces participate in some general structure. Because there is no good without bad and no bad without good. They have to be one opposite the other, otherwise there won’t be a world, there will be only the upper light, the Creator and no room for the created beings. The created being is already something that is opposite to the Creator, different from the Creator. So Kabbalists explain to us here how the upper light, which is entirely sacred, entirely bestowal, it nevertheless has to create the quality of reception and position some of the upper qualities as if against the Kedusha, sanctity. And then the world will thus exist in both good and bad and in the relationship between good and bad, plus and minus, light and darkness there will be a place for the created beings. And then everyone can exist and exist in such a way that from this entire system they will advance towards a complete good, the final correction. And specifically by working together, the light and the darkness, then the light that will appear in the final correction will be much greater than the light that existed in the beginning of creation. That specifically by the amplification of the light through the light and darkness, the resistance and the acceptance, they will achieve a state where the light is 620 times greater and the Creator will grow to fulfill all of reality. But that’s not right now.
Reading (36:00) “Of only 22 letters, only in the Kuf..”
16. S. (43:05) In the spiritual world, the spiritual process what is the right definition of the letters we need to receive? Can we say that letters are parts that put together the body of creation?
R. Letters are the vessels from which everything is comprised, simply vessels, Kelim. If we’ll begin to scrutinize the vessels and check we will see. There are nine letters let’s say in Keter, 9 letters in Hochma, 4 letters in Bina up to the Parsa and below this are already the results from them. So in sum total we have 22 letters. Besides this there are 5 ending letters or finishing letters, that the Malchut that seals all the 10 Sefirot has Masachim, screens to seal all the five discernments, five aspects. So Kuf, Resh, Shin and Tav have such a form that they are finishing letters, sealing letters. There are a few more like this but not much, so in sum total he have 22 and 5, that’s 27 letters in sum total let’s say in our toolbox in order to create everything, to build everything, to pass on everything to every place. It’s sufficient for us 22 letters and the additional 5 ending letters, sealing letters. And this is all the result of the relation between light and vessel, not that it comes over the course of periods in history where things were taken a bit from here and a bit from there, some qualities and whatnot. Rather it results only from the relation between light and vessel. That from this, this alphabet was created.
17. S. (46:08) It is written that if there is anyone to call Him falsely, there is, it is one who calls and does not know whom he is calling. What is this state that says that one who calls and does not know whom he is calling?
R. We need to always turn to the Creator which is the source of all the changes and there are no changes in reality other than from Him. So we need to learn how to turn to the Creator in order to awaken Him. It’s not that He’s asleep and we need to wake him up it’s rather we need to know how to send Him a question from which we will surely receive a response. And this is what we learn about, in sum total this is our entire study, how to turn to the Creator.
S. So generally we study that there is a lack and when there is a lack we turn the Creator who can fill it. But now you say we also have to direct it to the Creator.
R. You need to know exactly to whom you are turning, with what question you are turning, what do you want to receive as a response, is what you are asking something you can turn to the Creator with and can He respond to you? You need to check yourself in order to be precisely in that same line, that same lane. That you can turn to Him and He can answer you back in that same lane.
S. So this is the truth we are learning?
R. Yes, and this is the main study, the main learning.
18. S. (48:54) Can the letters come out of Kedusha and enter the control of the Sitra Achra, is it possible?
R. We’ll see, actually why not, it all depends on the receiver. If the receiver suddenly wants by this to attain something for himself, not on the intention to bestow then already he has a problem and the Creator will not answer him. We will see about all sorts of such states ahead of us.
19. S. (49:49) You already answered most of the questions but still there is one thing left. I see a very complex process here, I don’t understand its meaning and I heard from you that it’s still early for us, just listen. And all of a sudden I hear that it’s this way or that way and he explains things more in-depth here. Will we be able to use some of this in the group soon?
R. The entire wisdom of Kabbalah is a practical science. Accept all of these things as tools in your hand.
20. S. (50:59) I heard that letters are qualities, are they qualities of intention?
R. Not intention, they are qualities of the desires, letters are desires. Soon it will be clearer to us, just be a bit patient.
21. S. (51:29) You said that the book of Zohar aims us very precisely. Why did the author of the letters article start from Tav?
R. Because it’s the last letter.
S. Why does he start there?
R. Why does it matter? The letters begin either from the beginning, from Aleph or from the end with Tav.
S. It talks about, what does it mean to to help the king?
R. No, he doesn’t talk about that here so we won’t talk about that now, later on.
22. S. (52:48) I want to understand a bit, the letters that we learn is that in order to raise our prayer to assemble the letters correctly so that it’s the correct prayer? How does it practically serve us to know this?
R. Letters are vessels.
S. S they are supposed to serve us in assembling them correctly so that we can produce a prayer? How do we use them practically?
R. Practically we need to connect the vessels in such a manner that they will give us the precise actions of the light. And afterwards from this, within this we’ll understand the actions of the Creator toward us, the qualities of the Creator towards us through all the letters. But it’s on the condition that the letters connect between them in a certain unique way and then in the order of the letters we’ll be able to understand what the Creator wants to tell us. We will learn with you also the form of the letters, the rules of connection of the letters. We will also talk about how we speak with nose, mouth and throat, why the speech is arranged this way, what is the connection between my throat and your ear, the connection between all these vessels we learn all these things. All of these things belong to communication between us and the wisdom of Kabbalah talks a lot about this, why the Creator did it this way.
S. So later on when it opens up in us we will learn how to use in our internality the same letters and shapes to raise our MAN?
R. Yes.
23. S. (55:26) About the letter Tav it is said that you are called truth and it indicates the ability to adhere to the truth to attain the degree of truth. Is Tav sufficient to achieve the degree of truth or is it insufficient in order to adhere to the Creator?
R. This that the connection is incorrect between the Creator and the created being, between the light and the vessel, that the light cannot influence the vessel sufficiently, not in the correct manner, because the vessel is not placing itself properly and establishing itself properly towards the light, speaking intentionally in such a corrupted language. So it turns out that there is no correct connection between the Creator and the created being, between the light and the vessel.
S. It was also said that the Creator answers that she is not worthy of building the world because with her force there is too harsh a judgment. Why is that?
R. We haven’t learned this yet, you want to understand everything. Just understand that there are harsh judgements and thus the Creator does not want to express them. If the vessel would be too harshly in relation to the light then the light won’t be able to do anything. These are called harsh judgements, the two contrasting forces are strongly against each other.
24. S. (57:25) In the excerpt we read it seems that the letters want to build the world. What does it mean that the letters want to build the world and why is it so?
R. Letters are the vessels for revelation of the Creator. They open up and they are filled with lights and by the entrance of the lights in the vessels everything becomes clear, where everything comes from and why, and how everything was created. We are also in the letters, we are also vessels. Our desires are components of the letters, and thus we exist and begin to become familiar with the Creator through the letters.
25. S. (58:35) Basic question, every created being is created by a certain letter?
R. No, letters don’t belong to each and every created being, rather they are vessels by which the Creator is revealed towards the created beings.
26. S. (59:10) It says here that he who lies doesn’t know who he is speaking to. We talked a lot about prayer. I would like to understand how to turn to the King when you know who you turn to?
R. We need to continue studying and turn only with the request for assistance, for a screen. Only for the request for assistance with everyone, to help everyone.
27. S. (01:00:13) I heard that the person needs to be in one line with the Creator to turn to Him correctly. How do we know if we are in the correct alignment with the Creator to turn to Him correctly?
R. If we would receive a response from the Creator on our question then it’s a sign that we are in the same line, in the same lane with Him. The response can be positive, negative but somehow that we are in some manner of connection with Him.
28. S. (01:01:06) If we learn the letters like a baby who doesn’t know how to express words yet and he just utters sounds towards that adults, is that what we are like with respect to the Creator? That we don’t know how to express it and bit by bit we learn the right words and the right letters?
R. Yes, we learn, we learn our whole life.
29. S. (01:01:44) I heard you say that the letters stem from the relationship between light and Kli so can we relate to it like computer code?
R. I don’t know, I don’t want to get into this language of computers and confusions.
S. Because it’s also built from 0 and 1.
R. I don’t want a discussion in this direction.
30. S. (01:02:22) The letters that build the world, do they come out of themselves? It doesn’t depend on anything?
R. Only according to the program of the creation.
S. If we don’t build the vessel of Kedusha the Sitra Achra is built by itself?
R. Nobody has any opportunity to do what they want. Only men. Keep sitting and listening. You’re asking too many questions which are still too early to answer them.
31. S. (01:03:20) Says here that he started to reveal the ZON and brought all the letters of the ZON before the Creator. What does it mean that the world is built by ZON and that the letters of the ZON come before the Creator?
R. I don’t know, he doesn’t say. I see that I need to speak differently with you.
32. S. (01:03:55) In the letter Tav, it talks about the seal. What’s the connection between the seal of truth and death, or is there a connection between those things there?
R. We will talk about that later on. The seal is the attitude of the Creator. Like everything actually, the attitude of the Creator to the created being who is in a certain state. If he can receive the lights then for him this seal is the seal of life. If he can’t receive the lights, then this seal brings him death. The conditions for this we will learn yet ahead of us.
Reading Item 24 (01:05:11) “The letter Shin entered before him..”
33. S. (01:11:51) Are letters vessels of reception or bestowal?
R. Letters are vessels. We build from them bestowal or reception, depending on who uses the vessel. So, between the letters there are those that are closer to bestowal, close to reception, heavier, lighter but to use them is already in the hands of man, Adam.
34. S. (01:12:44) What represents the struggle between the letters, that each letter wanted the world to be created by her?
R. That’s precisely the answer. Each letter wanted the world to be created by her, that she will be the most bestowing.
35. S. (01:13:10) Did the Creator create the letters before the creation of the one soul as a relationship of the future broken vessels?
R. He created letters in order by them, to manage the world, that the world will accept its forces, its management, and in such a manner advance to the desirable correction.
36. S. (01:13:42) It says that in the world of Assiya there is a very important scrutiny, it is to know that other g-ds are sterile and will not bear fruits. What is this?
R. That we scrutinize that only the Creator is the one who controls the whole world. He did, he does and he will do all actions, he alone.
37. S. (01:14:14) What is the death discussed in the letter Tav?
R. Death is considered disconnection from the upper light. We’re also considered death, as there is a verse that the wicked in their life are considered dead.
38. S. (01:14:36) How to build something by something that starts both life and death, both truth and false?
R. A person is given an opportunity to choose on what side he wants to live. From the Creator nothing comes in a clear manner, it’s all given to man.
39. S. (01:15:08) How to build in the ten the Kli that starts in the letter Bet, the blessing?
R. That is something we will learn. That is a nice question, yes. Before we go to do something, can we aim ourselves to a certain quality and to build some quality from ourselves? Yes.
40. S. (01:15:35) Does it help to start with the letter Bet, blessing in the ten?
R. Yes. You can open the prayer book and you will see everything starts from the blessings.
41. S. (01:15:57) Are the letters vessels that will help us connect between us?
R. Yes. Letters should help us with everything.
42. S. (01:16:07) Question about the study of the Zohar. Are we supposed to study the Zohar not in the mind and reason, but to obtain the things that are written in the Zohar, is it correct to listen to the text in Hebrew or even though we don’t understand?
R. No. First of all, we have to understand what this is about, and then later we should learn, a little bit, the original text even though we don’t really understand it in order to slowly come to understand it.
43. S. (01:17:49) In the text we read: It was written that Nukva gets along only with that who does a vessel out of her, who makes a vessel out of her. What does that mean?
R. In our world I think this is clear to everyone that the man who is the first to have an intercourse with the woman, he’s the one who makes the vessel because he makes room for the entrance of a seed in her and to the beginning of the creation of an embryo and then this is the way, one way of a woman to connect to her man and this stems from spirituality.
44. S. (01:18:38) We didn’t lose the thread, we just froze in fear and it says that those Kelim through which the world was created are aligned with every letter.
R. I didn’t understand you.
S. It is written, all the vessels through which the world was created are composed with the book?
R. [..] are made of letters.
S. When will we attain these letters?
R. Study quietly and everything will fall into place. This is the first time you heard today that the world is made of letters, so Beresheet, in the beginning, was the word. We will soon come to that and you will start understanding.
45. S. (01:19:53) You explain the letters of our desires, in the text it is written that the 22 letters of Malchut are small letters, and in Bina are big letters, but what is confusing is that in the text ZA are just called letters. What is exactly the role of ZA? Does it combine the small letters and big letters? Can you explain this because it’s confusing?
R. We don’t yet have what to explain, soon. You want to hear in every direction instead of following the text exactly.
46. S. (01:20:36) This process of construction of the world for us, is it a practical process each time in which we will also use the letters?
R. Well it’s not like it’s written here but yes we will use them. We will correct the world, the letters by filling them with life through the screen and this way we’ll fill the whole world with letters.
S. To fill the entire world with letters, what is it? Is it a state?
R. This means that we will formate all our desires in a way that it will all be aimed at bestowal.
S. Meaning that the world is made of letters, is our desires.
R. Yes.
47. S. (01:21:49) Is each Partzufim a letter and then when we build and incorporate with other Partzufim that’s the Creator playing with the letters?
R. Yes.
48. S. (01:22:12) Can you explain please in the spiritual context, what does it mean that the letters are coming like symbols, like light, they’re coming through our study?
R. When we use vessels we correct them, we draw light, we receive it in order to give and this is considered that we are using the vessels in the right way.
49. S. (01:23:03) Does the combination between the letters change the quality of our desires and do we use them to build a Masach?
R. Yes.
50. S. (01:23:45) I want to go back to the topic of the prayer. Do we need to start our prayer with the letter Bet each time?
R. Let’s learn. You will understand everything, we went through half a page and now you’re starting to ask questions about actions. That is not the way to do it, this is not serious.
51. S. (01:24:07) I noticed also you answered right now when they ask questions, what is the correct form of study that is the best?
R. Ask your questions about what we’re learning, not about what was said in half a word.
S. What is the right form, how do we study?
R. This is the right form.
S. What do we think about?
R. About what we are reading. You read 1 or 2 or 3 verses, now you have some sequence, some matter he’s talking about so ask about that, that is okay but if one word was said and now you’re asking? That is not serious.
S. I ask you because you always say when we study Zohar or when we study TES, we need to draw the light that reforms not necessarily questions. So what do we need to think about in the middle of the Zohar, when we read The Zohar. What do I think about?
R. Think about how you will be connected with everybody through the ten to the whole world, in order to draw the light that reforms and build the whole vessel in the entire reality.
S. Thank you.
R. Write it down. Tomorrow you will ask again.
S. Because you remind us every 5 minutes, attract the light that reforms, attract.
R. See that’s your question, there’s a complaint that I don’t remind you like I used to.
52. S. (01:25:59) Do the lights have a certain quality of reception? And other letters of intention?
R. Yes this is how it works.
53. S. (01:26:11) Questions for myself can I ask you? Lately when we started reading the Book of Zohar and there is a feeling in the heart, this beating like the rain in the heart, I don’t understand this state and it constantly grows. What does it mean? It feels like without reception I cannot continue and I have some heaviness, laziness.
R. Calm down a little bit, have some more physical activity and it will pass.
54. S. (01:27:03) You said that we will rewrite the world with new letters and then […] how do letters work in Gematria?
R. We are not learning Gematria, the numerical values of the letters of how to build the world through letters. We’re learning about this book so I recommend to you to go into this specifically.
55. S. (01:27:27) I wanted to clarify about the nature of the study. We read an excerpt and Rav said there are no questions, so we probably lost the thread. Now we went into questions and I feel through the questions I lost the thread and I feel like reading the Zohar it’s like a movie and then we go into commercials.
R. That’s correct. I am to blame, you should hold me more. I’m going, when I see the question marks so I have this urge to answer them, and then I hear these questions that have nothing to do with the matter or anything, so what can I do? But in the meantime, they’re asking and they taint the air of the lesson.
56. S. (01:29:14) What does it mean that he writes in the text about the letter Shin that she was chosen to the end of Nukva?
R. We are not learning about that. It’s only to know.
57. S. (01:29:50) Can I ask about the approach to the study for instance? Are there new students that just recently entered work in the tens and feel that the study of the Zohar is too high for them. What is the direction for them?
R. The study of the Zohar cannot be too high because it is suitable for everyone. The fact that we sometimes use all kinds of definitions because we’ve learned the preface and TES, that is correct, but you can explain that to them in two words. The Zohar is intended to anyone who wishes to start with the wisdom of Kabbalah. He has no problem with learning that, all he needs is to invest a bit of strength into it. Explain that to them. Have an hour week or something to explain a bit more about that.
Reading (01:31:00) “The Creator replied to the Shin..”
58. R. (01:42:17) Up to here this is okay. We will have to read it if you can at home at every opportunity you have, return to what we have just read. It’s not a simple thing. The more we hear it, the closer we are.