MONDAY PRAYER: KETER-TIKKUN CHATZOT תקון חצות – LESSON WITH RAV MICHAEL LAITMAN

READING: BETWEEN AFTER MIDNIGHT AND DAWN MONDAY

Baal HaSulam. Introduction to the Book of Zohar, item 22

Morning Lesson January 07, 2023 Transcription

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

Part 2:

Baal HaSulam. Introduction to The Book of Zohar. #22

Reading Item #21 (00:53)

1 S. (05:26) He says that the soul is the will to bestow in corrections of reflected light, so how can you even define something called soul?

R. It’s the will to receive with the intention in order to bestow.

S. So each one of us has it?

R. That’s a different question already. Whoever has a will to receive in order to bestow in the first degree that’s called he has a soul, Nefesh.

S. So we have to build this Nefesh?

R. Of course.

S. So with reflected light?

R. Yes, that’s the means already.

Reading Item #22 (06:16)

2 R. (07:29) Yes it’s clear what’s the difference between humans, only in the difference between these three desires.

Reading Item #23 (07:40) continues…

3. S. (08:52) it is not clear, if we could scrutinize a bit here.

R. What about the text are you asking about?

S. In excerpt 23, after it’s dressed in a human body it generates needs and desires and ideas to satisfy its desire to bestow. I though we’re speaking about the light of Nefesh and here he says that he’s getting a Kli of Nefesh, a desire.

R. A desire, yes.

S. What’s the difference between Nefesh which is a vessel or the light of Nefesh?

R. One is a desire the other is a filling, a fulfillment.

S. It sounds like the filling is receiving a desire because what else could you ask for a desire to bestow? That’s what we want.

R. Yes, it’s the same.

Reading #24 (10:13) “The essence of the body is but a desire to receive for itself, and all its manifestations and possessions are..”

4. S. (12:35) In 22 it’s written that according to corporeal qualities you can understand spiritual qualities and that’s not clear.

R. Corporeal are in order to receive and accordingly you can say that if a person corrects that, conversely you can say what degree in order to bestow you will rise to.

5. S. (13:07) He writes that each one’s desires, our regular desires, the three types of desires are combined in each one in different amounts and that the difference between people.

R. Of course.

S. And from that you can conclude about his spiritual qualities. From the corporeal qualities you can understand..

R. Yes, in them too there is a different merger between each and every one, so it gives each and every one different discernments. By this each and every soul is different from another.

S. The question is is according to those tendencies and corporal desires as we see here with the friends can you learn anything about the inner essence of each one?

R. Yes, yes. You can’t really say that this is equal that but something resembles, yes.

S. So a person that has let’s say a tendency for honor or wealth and knowledge he’ll have it in spiritually but only in an internal way?

R. Yes but certainly bu this people are different one from the other.

6. S. (14:38) What’s the difference between the essence and a desire? What is a spiritual essence?

R. A spiritual essence is a spiritual foundation that a person has and a spiritual desire, a desire may change, it can change. In each and every degree the desire may be new, more, less, different in this way.

7. S. (15:15) People have different levels of desire. Does a big will to receive, a corporeal one does that mean that in spirituality they will have a greater desire to bestow?

R. No. Completely doesn’t mean anything. A big desire to fill oneself with all kinds of corporeal pleasures of this world doesn’t point to anything about a spiritual desire, nothing.

8. S. (16:07) If we’re separated by 3 different desires so the degree of the soul we acquire is also made of 3 parts?

R. No, Nefesh is Nefesh. Obviously there are more degrees in there but we don’t count them as degrees because they’re so small that there’s nothing to really do with them.

S. The different steps of connection between us, does the first step, the first degree also awaken such difficulties and is also made of 3 parts?

R. Mainly they invite this difficulty in us because we need to exchange, to change our attitude towards one another and the world. And afterwards, it’s like going to a first grade, you don’t know anything, how, what, what do they want from me, and afterwards it gets clear.

S. How much should we bang on this point of connection? How much should the friends bang on this point so that the greatness of the Creator you can work with will appear?

R. The war on connection is constant, it’s endless until the end of correction.

S. So that we’ll get Nefesh anyhow?

R. It depends on your common, mutual agreement. Speak to the friends and decide that’s what you’re going for. The most important is that first degree.

9. S. (18:44) When the corrected desires rise to the Garden of Eden what happens with the uncorrected desires, what happens to them in the final correction? It’s written here that the corrected desires rise to the Garden of Eden and the absence of the corrupt body completely raised it. So what happens to the uncorrected desires?

R. How could it be not corrected if it’s the end of correction? Everything will be corrected. The fact that all of us will reach the end of correction, there’s no question about that. The question is to what extent do I help the Creator draw with me as many created beings as possible, the parts of the will to receive that I can connect to myself and through that to somehow carry them ahead.

10. S. (20:40) I have certain qualities, 613 of them and in these qualities I’m like in a cage, all of a sudden I started to understand that even this world I see differently than my friends in the ten. You said that we should change our attitude toward the world, what can I change in my relation to the world?

R. Very simple, from rejection to connection and love in all your qualities, exchange them to one another.

11. S. (21:44) If the Creator created us with so many qualities and we’re not so much like each other how can we use them in the ten so that each quality can help everyone advance?

R. Just simply relate in a nicer way towards one another and you’ll see how it can be done. And also when you do it now you’ll be able to stabilize all the negative and positive qualities and in that way see exactly what is happening in you.

12. S. (22:50) In the beginning of item 24 it’s written that whatever you acquire is the fulfillment of that corrupt will to receive which is contemptible and that has to leave this world in order to reach the third state. But along with that it says that everything that exists is in the eternal first state as well as in the third state. Can you explain that?

R. Everything was created for us to fix. One in another, in a mutual way, each one in himself in order to resemble the friends, be closer to them, that’s what we have to aspire for in any moment. And then we’ll see how we’re changing quickly, practically to such an extent that from all of us this figure, this new quality will be built. And in that way we’ll start learning from it what the figure of the Creator is. It’s supposedly like snow, we build an image, all of us together and gradually we see that thanks to our mutual work this image receives the form of the Creator.

13. S. (25:08) Can we open a little bit this matter of giving contentment to the Maker? What does this mean, how can we do that?

R. Giving contentment to the Creator? He broke the created being in order for the created being to want to be like Him. Meaning to collect itself together by connection between everybody, by devotion, by uniting, connecting, adhesion. And by this to resurrect that image of the Creator to the extent that they love the Creator and want to be more and more close to one another to such an extent that each one forgets about himself, doesn’t want to feel himself alone but only to feel the others. By this they show everyone and themselves as much as they love the Creator because by this they resemble the Creator. Now what are you asking about that?

S. We are seeing from the beginning of the article the need to invert the will to receive that we are born with to something else. This something else is to bestow which is basically only to change the intention from receiving to giving contentment to the Maker. However between this exalted thing and the low place I’m in there is a huge gap because I cannot even in my perception understand what it means to do this thing except for lip service. The feeling that you just described is there in the ten, you can feel it but there’s always a thief asking did you give contentment?

R. So you feel that thief, you feel the opposite quality, you feel it all so have a war between them or peace between them and connect them in the right way, like you should.

S. What is this sentence to give containment to the Maker? How can I practically do it?

R. By you assembling that form that resembles the Creator, by that you’re giving Him contentment.

S. At the same moment when you do that all the rest of the things does this silence them?

R. If you don’t deal with it it disappears.

14. S. (28:21) I heard previously that our advancement is according to the number of created beings we connect to ourselves. You connected to yourself the entire Bnei Baruch. What is required of us? To connect as many people as possible or that all of Bnei Baruch will be as one man?

R. I can’t connect you if you don’t connect amongst yourselves. That’s why when each one will want to connect to all the other friends in Bnei Baruch except for himself by that he’ll do the same work as I am doing. That’s it.

15. S. (29:12) What is the addition that the soul receives and how is that distinguished from the essence itself? Meaning the fact that the soul is eternal is clear but the fact that it acquires more and also becomes seemingly eternal, what is he talking about here?

R. He’s speaking about if the will to receive is with the intention that it’s giving good and contentment to the Creator then that will to receive becomes equal to the Creator, comes closer to it, enters adhesion with Him and isn’t separated with the Creator in anything. In this way the created being returns to the Creator.

S. If I understand what you’re saying correctly, the soul in this context is like the right connection between us, is this correct?

R. Yes, let’s say.

S. How does it require this knowledge that also becomes eternal?

R. All this knowledge exists in the quality of love and bestowal, that’s what it attains.

16. S. (31:11) What is the desire to experience the Creator? Is it the desire to develop?

R. Yes, it’s a desire to develop.

17. S. (31:48) You said that seemingly between ourselves we have to take a decision that we’re going for an attack, for the first degree and to decide that we have no doubts. The Creator will finish the work, this state exists already, we just have to discover it?

R. Yes, that’s right. I’m very happy that those are you goals and desires.

18. S. (32:38) You’re saying that we create the Creator by the connection between us and if we don’t where is He?

R. There’s no Creator.

S. How is that?

R. That’s the way it is.

S. For example we’re not connected and other tens have connected and they make the Creator. So does He exist?

R. When we build the Creator He exists when we don’t He doesn’t exist.

S. And concretely we should build Him in our ten?

R. Yes.

19. S. (33:23) Do we optimize the connections, maximize the number of connections and the quality of connections between us activity in the form of annulment?

R. Yes.

20. S. (34:00) You said that it’s good for us to summarize in the ten but we’re going for an attack. We have a virtual ten that’s spread all over the world and we say there is no distance, we’re holding each other and the Creator and we have no doubt that the Creator will finish the work. This state exists and we simply have to discover it, thank-you.

R. Thank you.

21. S. (34:44) How come we replace our qualities from rejection, hatred to connection and love? How can we replace these qualities?

R. How to replace them? By the environment as Rabash writes us. That is if a person enters an environment where people respect connection he starts understanding that the purpose of the environment is connection. And connection can only be done if a person comes out of himself and is incorporated in the others and the others in him. Then they build such a system where no one belongs to himself but to the others and this systems is called spiritual system.

S. What is the first step we take towards that because it sounds inhuman?

R. It sounds inhuman. The first step that we take is that we come to the group and want to connect to one another, that we won’t feel our corporeal bodies but only our hearts that will connect together.

S. How can we help each other do this?

R. Again?

S. How can we help each other to do that?

R. By giving an example, an example.

22. S. (36:41) We read that all the people are special because they have a different will to receive according to the correction each one receives and also the will to bestow is accordingly different. Each one also has his own Creator because each one corrects his will to receive. When we say that we’ll write a prayer in the ten or yearn together for the Creator what Creator are we attacking if we don’t have a common Creator?

R. Each one for himself the way he describes it for himself but eventually it becomes something mutual.

S. It is unclear. When people they somehow depict a goal. Here each one depicts what?

R. Here each one depicts his Creator and together we turn Him into something mutual.

23. S. (38:01) We try to love our friends more than ourselves but we’re not successful there. Are we still giving contentment to the Creator because we’re trying?

R. Yes even the fact that we’re just trying and not succeeding but trying that is giving contentment to the Creator.

S. How to give contentment to the Creator if the Creator is a force? What does it require?

R. If it’s a force what does it need? The Creator wants us to be good, that we won’t do any evil to one another, that we’ll come close to one another, that we’ll connect and hug and help one another. That’s what the Creator wants, He only has a desire to bestow. That’s why He wants all the good things to take place in us.

24. S. (40:00) I know I’m simplifying it but is he saying here that since eternity is part of our essence if we do the work to take the will to receive to the will to bestow that He will reward us by changing our corporeal concepts to eternal concepts?

R. I didn’t understand the question.

S. In the last paragraph it says that eternity is part of our essence. If in that essence we want the will to bestow and if we can do that work He will change our concepts, that will be our reward?

R. Yes.

25. S. (41:58) A question about the congress, we’re a group of friends from the far north that are about to reach for the unity evening, we’re all coming in one car. We’ll be on the road for 3 hours and we want advice. What should we do when we’re driving and how to use this time optimally so we can come to this unity evening ready?

R. Yes, you have a few hours to be on the street so what do I do I recommend? Put some lesson on, sing a song, meaning prepare music, lessons and that’s it. Take a good nap before, have some Nigunim maybe, things you’re used to and something you can sing together. Maybe stop along the way, have some ice cream to refresh yourself and then keep going. So you’re coming to the center right? Our center is always open day and night so come and see that we’re waiting for you.

S. Thank you very much Rav.

R. Good luck, have a smooth path here.

26. S. (44:16) Before we can reach the first degree of connection between us in the ten we need to decide, to agree, to summarize. Can you please specify what should we decide on and agree about?

R. I want to enter this ten without any conditions, without any conditions, just give me the opportunity to do it. That’s what each one should say.

27. S. (45:28) What does it mean that there’s an individual Creator and a general Creator? What’s the difference between them?

R. You bring yourself closer to your private Creator and your common Creator and then you’ll see the difference between them. It’s not something I can pass on but the difference is huge.

S. In the feeling right?

R. Yes everything is in your feeling.

28. S. (46:09) I want all of Bnei Baruch to to be connected and from my heart I turn to the Creator, ask the Creator and do whatever I can in order to support the organization but I never thought this would be the work as you are doing it. Is it not too ambitious to believe that I can do what you’re doing?

R. It’s written I have learned from all my students. Specifically the teacher learns from the students and I see that it’s truly like that, that I have a lot to learn from you. So come on, that’s how we’ll learn from one another.

29. S. (47:37) Can we say that the connection is the means to move from corporeality to spiritual lessons?

R. Yes.

30. S. (47:54) A person’s is where his thoughts are. What’s the best way to turn an alien thought to a good thought that will help all the ten advance to the purpose of creation?

R. Try and adhere to the friend, that is the most certain thing. That you disconnect from what you have.

31. S. (49:47) How can you summarize the lesson?

R. I will summarize that today was a nice, good lesson. We were speaking about the connections especially in the group, in our ten. What each of us should do in order to incorporate in the ten. That each one has a ten ready and prepared that draws him and gives him a place and it all depends on the person. So we’ll make efforts in order to cause the person to enter the ten and fill his place, that’s it. Until noon. So our heart and our head will be filled with the purpose of creation and our work. Good luck.