FRIDAY PRAYER: GEVURAH-TIKKUN CHATZOT תקון חצות – LESSON WITH RAV MICHAEL LAITMAN
READING: BETWEEN AFTER MIDNIGHT AND DAWN FRIDAY
Zohar for All. Introduction of The Book of Zohar. The Donkey Driver, item 95
Morning Lesson January 11, 2023, 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”. The Donkey Driver. #95
https://kabbalahmedia.info/sources/KJWljPMB
1. Rav’s Introduction: (00:33)Yes, we are continuing with the holy book of Zohar, item 95 and let’s get into it, let’s get into it. Let’s bring, let’s understand even more on what the influence of the Zohar on us depends because this is mostly what we have to do; to build it, to direct it, as much as this composition that was written by the Kabbalists who received the upper Zohar, the upper radiance, the upper light, they arranged it, interpreted it and directed it to us. So please.
Reading Item 95 (01:48) “The holy throne, Malchut, fell,..”
Reading 96 (08:43) “He went down and struck the lion..”
2. S. (19:30) It says in the text that the Keter of Malchut fell into exile. I wanted to know in what way the study of the Zohar influences it to come out of that exile?
R. The study of the Zohar awakens the upper light that influences the person who is studying the Zohar, especially when these are people who connect into a ten, just like the Book of Zohar itself was written by a ten, the ten of Rabbi Shimon, so it is with us. As much as we connect and we want to resemble that ten of Rabbi Shimon, we absorb the light of the Zohar and this light influences us and elevates us, bit by bit, gradually to those same levels but less than them but it does elevate us towards them. And then we attain, to some extent, what they have attained, and this is the measure of our correction that we bring to the world through the book of Zohar.
3. S. (21:10) What is the meaning of saying, Hav, Hav, relative to the dog?
R. That we do not want anything from in order to receive, not from this world and not from the next world.
4. S. (24:45) Interesting what they write here that what it says here is that the main contribution is the MAN. So how can we raise MAN, so we will be able to raise reflected light?
R. It doesn’t seem to me that we need to think about it; how to raise reflected light. You should be, we don’t need to be concerned about how we raise reflected light. We need to think about how do we elevate ourselves in order to bestow, according to what the Zohar is talking about and how do we liken ourselves, resemble ourselves more to those mighty men of the Zohar. And this is how it is going to happen. Bit by bit, we will understand how we will get closer to the correct raising of MAN and the correct actions, but it doesn’t come all at once but rather gradually.
5. S. (23:25) It is interesting why it eats like a lion. The question is: does Bina also need some overcoming in order to absorb the MAN that a person raises?
R. I didn’t quite understand the question.
S. He eats the sacrifice like a mighty man, like a lion. Why does he need to be like a mighty man, like a lion to Bina? The question is: is Bina also overcoming?
R. Of course Bina overcomes. This is why they say I am Bina and Gevura, might, is mine because all of the overcoming, the classification is in Bina. It has to overcome and start the work of in order to bestow. You think that Bina means mercy and it doesn’t need a lot of strength but actually all of these forces have to be revealed in her. I am Bina, and Gevura, might is mine; this is how it is written and in Bina there is also the word, Gavout, overcoming that it has to overcome the will to receive and turn it into a will to bestow.
S. It says if a person does not eat, if the food ceases, he dies and also if you don’t feed this lion, the sacrifice, the lion also dies or something like that.
R. Well we will read more about that. These are things that I do not want you to be confused with all of these corporeal images and stay within the inner spiritual topic.
6. S. (25:55) Does the increase in coarseness…
R. Repeat please.
S. Does the increase in coarseness, the increase in Aviut: is our work in increasing and our purification increasing?
R. Yes, of course. The coarseness grows and their refinement also grows, the correction grows and our work on them also grows and the result out of them also grows. Yes and upon all of these results it will be great coarseness that has become refined and equalizes itself with the level of refinement by that the spiritual degree is revealed.
7. S. (27:10) It says that we raised MAN but create courage, might with overcoming the screen. It seems like the screen is permanent and the MAN should be a result of this permanence. How can the MAN reinforce this screen? What does it add to it? What is the screen as a result of it?
R. The coarseness, the will receive that only wants to receive and fill itself with whatever it wants for itself. After that we make corrections over it, of restriction, so that we don’t use the will to receive as it is, and we transform it through the actions of the light over it to be in order to bestow. And then we do not receive and later on we even receive in the opposite form in order to bestow to the host. Earlier, we were receiving from the host, food, let’s say and we enjoy it and later on we stop this pleasure, and we didn’t receive anything from the host because the host is suffering. That is the reason because the host is suffering. Then we can continue to receive from the host, but it is already in order to bestow to him. That is because he wants to bestow to us, we receive from him in order to bestow to him. He is called receiving in order to bestow; this is our work. Now what are you asking?
S. The question is how can we understand it practically, that our MAN is in order to give strength to the screen? If all our thoughts and desires are for that?
R. If I am engaging with the host and I do not know what to do or I know what I need to do but I don’t have the strength for it in the mind and the strength and I turn to the host and I ask of him that he will explain it to me, that he will give me an example, that he will help me, that he will be with me like a grown up with a little one. Just like the mother takes the spoon with a child and she helps him to move the spoon to the mouth and then again and again she shows him things, and this is how he gets used to it and he knows what to do and we also want that the Creator will teach us. We should not be ashamed about it or hold ourselves back. The Creator is enjoying it when we expect His help.
S. They say that the screen that we are building is the connection with the Creator.
R. The screen is the connection between us and the Creator.
8. S. (31:21) Does offering a sacrifice mean that we rise above our ego? What is that state where the lion descends from above?
R. The lion descends from above and it eats the sacrifices: the offerings. This is already reception in order to bestow. Let’s not tie the story with what we are learning that is happening inside of the person; inside the emotions of people. What is more important for us is to transform everything into the forms of reception and bestowal from these images of the lion and all kinds of other such images.
9. S. (32:52) Is Gevura, might, a quality in my relationships?
R. Let us say so.
S. And to say this correctly: on that child who is asking the Creator how to receive correctly from him, what kind of quality is that in the relationship?
R. We need to learn the image, the form of the lion that is eating the offerings. The offering that is the MAN, well we will reach that gradually. You should go there gradually
10. S. (34:00) When the screen already raises reflected light, what is the place here for MAN? Is that the filling of the vessels in order to bestow?
R. Say it more clearly.
S. When the screen raises reflected light, what is the place of MAN here? Is it the action of the filling of the vessels in order to bestow?
R. Well.
S. So what is the place of the MAN here? Is it an action that precedes reflected light?
R. Can the action of the MAN?
S. Yes, doesn’t that precede the action, the lower one raises the deficiency and then the screen opens up to them to bestow contentment to the Creator?
R. MAN is the result of good deeds and Bina receives or accepts the good deeds in the MAN and as a result of that she raises the children of Israel up. We read about that now or did we?
S. The MAN constantly changes, it’s upgraded in the process of connecting with Bina?
R. Yes, and in reading therefore, the offerings called Behinat are considered that they bring the children of Israel closer to the Father in heaven and since they were complete, whole and they were raising MAN only in order to bring contentment to their maker, the MAN would rise all the way to Bina. There, there is the light of Hassidim and bestowal in the form of a lion, Hesed. And it is considered that the lion of Bina accepted the good deeds and demanded the children of Israel be raised. Those who want to connect and they saw how their MAN were as prey to the upper Bina. The light of Hassidim and Bina was extended through the direct light of MAN. Direct light was crouching over the prey, which was the MAN eating it, and this is how they would receive or accept the offerings. Meaning that there are opposing forces here. There are forces that eat, devour, that live out of that and how out of that eventually good deeds emerge out of that.
Item 97 (37:55) “Since they caused the iniquities…”
11. S. (43:20) The offering that we give the Creator, is that our egoistic desire?
R. Yes, of course. We have nothing else but that and other than that what else can we give to the Creator. Only return to Him our egoistic desire which we need not use in the right way; the way we received it. This is the meaning of offering or sacrifice and by returning it to Him, we approach Him. That is why it is called Koban from the word Karov, from the word ‘near’. Okay?
12. S. (44:38) Why lions specifically?
R. Lion is the site of Hesed and that is what the writers of the Zohar saw. That the root and branch in our world that the branch is the lion. We will learn from many such examples of animals, the root, the branch, and the root; what is the corporeal result of the spiritual root.
13. S. (45:40) We recently learned about the letters, what is the meaning of the spiritual meaning of the replacement of the final Mem and the final Nun?
R. He explains it sometimes and other times he doesn’t but there is an entire wisdom behind it.
S. Why does he sometimes explain it and sometimes not?
R. Well they think that this is enough. After all you cannot talk about the entire Torah in one book but from the state of attainment we begin to enter and understanding of the wisdom we begin to understand by ourselves.
14. S. (46:38) In item 96, it says that there are one or two, it says twice have Hav, Hav, give, give us the wealth of this world give us the wealth of the next world and this is the strongest Klipa. What is this Klipa and how can we avoid it in the ten?
R. We do not need to know it, we simply need to know how can we remove ourselves. Not to know exactly what is happening with each and every shell but what is the principle that we need to remove ourselves from anything that is a shell in order to receive. That is it. Let’s treat it this way. I think this will help us succeed avoiding contact with the Klipot, with the shells.
15. S. (47:57) This lesson, this meeting, it is like an offering that we offer to the Creator, like a sacrifice?
R. Of course we wish for it to be as an offering to the Creator but before that each one of us should think that we want to come near to the Creator. In our nearing what is our intention, that we would come near Him or that we bring Him contentment? This is the choice of a person. What is more important to do with the intention? It is possible that in this, actually we do good to ourselves and to the Creator but what is our intention first and foremost, to give contentment to ourselves and to the Creator or to give contentment to the Creator and by that we will also be content. This is the fork in the road. Slowly, slowly, there is a lot of material before us. We will scrutinize these things until it works itself out. We will know what states we are in, and accordingly more and more internal systems will open up to us if they are still concealed.
16. S. (50:08) With your permission, at the beginning of this item about ZA and in order to focus on the fact that it has Mochin they use Gematria, Adam in Gematria is Aleph-Dalet-Mem, 45. Is this a proper way to do it in the Zohar or is it only in order to simplify the definitions?
R. No, they use it in many places because the Gematria of MA is the Gematria of ZA and Adam in the numeric value of the letters and that is how it is customary. Gematria of BON is Gematria of Nukva and of Malchut. That’s it. We’ll talk about it quite a lot. It is quite prevalent.
17. S. (51:13) It says here that you are called men and the nations of the world are not called men. What is the difference between the concept of men and the concept of a Jew? Jew versus Adam, man, what is the difference?
R. Yehudi, a jew, is a person who is drawn to unity, Yehud, with everyone and with this unity we attain we become similar to The Creator we resemble Him, we approach him and begin to be adhered to him that is why it is written, and you are called a man, Adam, like Adam HaRishon, that same image. And the nations of the world are called the egoists, those who do not wish to adhere to one another and to be as one and that is why they are not called Adam, man they cannot reach that system called Adam, just like the Creator created man and that’s what’s written.
S. Can I ask something else? How does the Zohar influence the soul, what does it do to the soul?
R. The Zohar bestows to the soul with its light and by that the will to receive begins to acquire the right direction in approaching the others and adhering to others in order to bestow and by that they resemble the Creator according to their qualities. The Creator is completely bestowing, all bestowing and the desires that adhere between themselves become stronger in the action of bestowal and then they come closer to the Creator. All the way until they reach complete adhesion.
18. S. (53:40) When we read the Zohar we can feel that there is an addition of great work by Baal HaSulam there. It seems to me just like the ten of Rabbi Shimon did their work. What do we do when we actually read it and sit together?
R. I can’t say that I have collected something or added something in the Book of Zohar. How can I even allow myself to make any changes? Who am I compared to Rabbi Shimon and Rabbi Aba who wrote and taught the Book of Zohar to the first ten ever in history? The first ten that advanced towards the Creator. I of course have no such intention. I simply want to translate, to convey the message of the Zohar. That is it.
S. Yes but we can feel this warmth. It is not just some invention; I mean you feel it in your heart.
R. Because you are feeling me.
19. S. (55:33) This intention as you explained it, that we are on a crossroads and we have to choose if it is for my sake or the sake of the Creator. How can we enter such an intention?
R. I don’t know how to say it to you simply need to yearn for it. Mainly to try to reach it, to come to it and then find ways to try and see how the Creator will correct you to do it this way or that way and then you’ll make it.
But the important thing is with the friends and the connection between them to look for the shape of connection, the form of that connection between you, together, where you come to a state that is felt in you as if you are coming closer to the Creator. Let us make such a shape, such a form, as a special unit, a commando unit, that the inner attitude between us will be able to point to, to show us, the shape of the Creator, the form of the Creator, the quality of the Creator, the character of the Creator. That is what we need to get to.
The more we advance from day to day, we will be able to understand who is the Creator, who are we, what is the distance between us and what else do we need to do in order to close that distance. And each day we should have such exercises, such exercises.
20. S. (58:00) When this text penetrates you a feeling appears that you are like this dog, that is eating the lion and the lion is actually the image of my friends, the pure image of my friends who are truly trying to advance in bestowal. You on the one hand, are full of joy out of it, and on the other hand you calculate and you have this feeling, that you are truly not advancing for the Creator but that you are doing everything for yourself; for that self-pleasure. So how to behave correctly in such moments?
R. When you scrutinize it along the way you have no way of testing it in advance. Rather each and every moment each and every day we try to connect, we check is our form more and more real? Are we in mutual bestowal to one another and just understand this is the first exercise the Zohar is placing before us. Maybe you can say it like that.
The first exercise for us to connect in the ten, in mutual bestowal and mutual connection, just mutually we will come to a state where we will be connected, truly together and by that we will begin to approach the form of the Shechina, the form of the lion. It has nothing to do with physical proximity, only to emotional closeness; internal, spiritual.
21. S. (01:00:50) What is the state where the screens are revoked, and it is no longer possible to raise the MAN. It sounds like a very serious disconnection, no coupling so it is a very serious disconnection. What is that?
R. He writes it here in such a way it is the first time that it has happened. We will see more happening in the Zohar.
22. S. (01:01:50) Reading the Zohar together now all sorts of images appear. It is as if some kind of flow goes through us. It goes through me, through all sorts of images. You just said about this image it is a mutual exercise so how does this exercise exactly work with these images? How Do you work with these images because if you see an image of a lion that is being eaten by dog, a dog with the head of a lion. So what are those images?
R. I do not imagine either a lion or a dog in front of me. I do not want to remember the dog or the line. it is simple what is a dog what is a line those qualities that I wish for them to live in me or not in my expression towards the friends everything is measured towards in relative to the connection in the Ten, so move away from dogs and come closer to lions.
S. It is a nice explanation, but I don’t understand. Maybe I do not feel what you said. Maybe you repeat it in other words? How can we work with these images correctly? You know when you read it through it I did not get what you just told us.
R. We will continue we will talk about it, somewhere a person has to accept these forms not these depictions but the inner forms of what these words are pointing to he has to receive it from above
S. When it comes to this inner form not the image there are images but how do you come to the inner form of the images? How can we help each other with these inner forms?
R. We will talk about it soon. I also do not want to explain it and seemingly steal the search from you. Let’s see a little bit more
23. S. (01:05:12) I wanted to ask you to direct us before we really whether we’re reading so that we will all be searching for that intention, the same intention yearning
R. I do not expect you to be in the same intention and the same yearning but that you will be searching for that intention and yearning that you need to be in, because the main thing is the search, it is the questions. This inner torment that you cannot come to it and from the search and the ability to come to it, it is already a prayer and then you will begin to attain what you need to attain. The Creator needs to arrange for you the deficiency for you and he has no range for you the feeling, the answer and that is how it will be but we need to be searching.
24. S. (01:06:25) According to the text it says that ZA is called a MAN when he has Mochin from the Bina which is s 45 in Gematria, what is that in our study what does the geometry give us that the Man is forty-five.
R. For the time being it is Gematria. That’s it. You have reached this form of ZA. Later on we will see there is no reason for it in the way that you are asking for it
25. S. (01:07:30) When we slander and complain and speak against the connection, are we just like that dog that is barking at how to give or should we maybe we be careful with our thoughts?
R. Yes, you can say that. We will resolve it soon
25. S. (01:08:16 ) We are talking about an internal attainment of a friend in the Ten or is it the connections in the Ten between friends?
R. We want to attain the connection between us in the Ten so that the network of the connection between us will be the correct network and through it we will be able to connect it even more between us and rise to a higher degree. This is how it works
Reading item 98 (01:09:15) “And he struck the lion inside a pit on the day of the snow..”
25. S. (01:13:12) How is the study of the Zohar as a world group from the study of what it was in previous generations
R. In the previous generation there were several groups in several generations. You could say that there was one group in every generation, for example the group of Ramchal. Maybe I don’t know if there was Noam Eli Melech. There were no groups, there were a few groups that said and studied and read the Zohar, that in itself was rare. therefore I can say that Baal HaSulam who started it again in his generation and even though we are the first generation to print it, disseminate it, receive it, open it, and study it this book and I hope this book this will spread throughout the world if we have people who can try to somehow translate the Zohar. Of course we will later double check these translations but to bring it closer to publication in a different language. Since this is how we can bring the Zohar closer to humanity it will bring all of humanity closer to correction and instead of the path of suffering we will rise to the path of the Torah.
Reading #99 (01:16:22) “Afterwards, it was written, and he struck an Egyptian…”
26. R. (01:18 59: ) This can be interpreted in one thousand directions, how it is written in the Torah, how it is written here. I think we should just continue.
Reading #100 (01:19:12) “A man in view. In view it is as it is written..”
27. S. (01:21:41 How is it possible to translate from the colors to feelings?
R. We will still learn that, but I really do not know how to explain these things. It speaks about the clothing of the returning light in all kinds of forms that through this clothing of the upper returning light the degree above can Shine from above downwards and it can raise all of the vessels from below upwards from the degree of lack of Correction to correction.