TUESDAY PRAYER: GEVURAH-TIKKUN CHATZOT תקון חצות – LESSON WITH RAV MICHAEL LAITMAN
READING: between after midnight and sunrise of Tuesday
Zohar for All. Introduction of The Book of Zohar. The Fourth Commandment, item 213
Morning Lesson February 12, 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 Fourth Commandment. #213
Reading 213 (01:10)
1. S. (07:35) Why did Eve do this?
R. Because it is closer to corruption, to the shells compared to men. She has more of the will to receive in order to receive compared to what Adam had the after they separated, after the vessels were shattered, after they fell, after the darkness approached. Then Eve was closer to the darkness compared to Adam on the one hand, on the other hand all the corrections have to be made and Eve, it’s extremely that she participates in them.
2. S. (08:37) It says therefore they caused death in the world about the letters. So what did the letters do to cause death in the world?
R. The letters are signs, that’s what a letter is, it’s considered a sign, a symbol. And these signs are made so that men can use good forces and bad forces and in this way he begins to be involved more and more in creation. Hence the reason creation was divided into letters, words, sentences and into all kinds of signs, this is done deliberately so man, so Adam would scrutinize all the details of creation and want to connect them correctly. That through them the upper light would pass through all the broken vessels, all to the separate vessels and then he would connect them and the correction of the world will return once again.
3. S. (10:38) Text mentions Eve and Lilit. what is the difference between Eve and Lilit?
R. Eve is the mother of the entire female side of Adam HaRishon and Lilit is the evil side in Adam HaRishon. We will learn about it, it’s still ahead of us. We’ll have to open up all the qualities that exist in the still, vegetative, animate and human, to what extent these qualities are interconnected and how we correct them separately and together; and to have a system before us of a corrupt world and the corrected world and how do we come from a corrupted system to a corrected one.
4. S. (12:03) We learn that the quality of male is for vessels of bestowal and here it says there is a male of the Sitra Achra. How should we understand it?
R. Both in the male and in the female out of the shattering and incorporation there are those parts and these parts, all kinds in order to give creation the ability to understand what was created, to understand the Creator, understand themselves. The Creator has created everything from reception and bestowal then shattered these qualities, mixed them up, separated them, then brought them closer together. And through such actions the created beings begin to feel on themselves the changes of times, places, thoughts and these desires develop, generally speaking all the created beings. This is what we need to see in ourselves.
5. S. (13:41) You told us the signs, that we seemingly discover through them how to connect our broken parts. Is it through the scrutinies that we discover the problems with our connection and by scrutinizing them we raise it to the Creator, is it prayer? Are these the signs of correction?
R. Of course, you said it correctly, we’ve been talking about it for a long time but it is good that you understand.
Reading 214 (14:25)
6. R. (16:53) This is what we have read about the fourth commandment.
7. S. (17:04) Is there a connection between the order of letters and the type or quality of connection between us? Can there be a connection?
R. Between us?
S. Yes, between us in the ten and world Kli.
R. We don’t know it but certainly there is. There is nothing that is without order, a deep kind of order that is connected to the beginning of creation, the end of correction and all around it in all levels and all manners. But we still don’t feel this entire picture.
S. Can there be a connection that is not good?
R. Ultimately no, ultimately everything the Creator created and when he shattered all the vessels it’s all in order to disclose his actions as good.
8. S. (18:11) What is the sIn connected to the Tree of Knowledge?
R. It’s to receive in order to receive, there is nothing else except each time it can appear on all kinds of levels, different degrees, different modes. All the transgressions are in order to receive. The intention is in order to receive and all the commandments are the intention in order to bestow. In other words it doesn’t matter if you receive or give in practice but the intention is important. What do you wish to get to through this action, connection or disconnection? That’s it.
S. The fact that the serpent advises Eve to make a coupling below is this the sin?
R. We’ll get to it later.
S. Can you give us a general precision? The Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, what does that mean?
R. Mutual connection is good and disconnection is bad. That’s it, the principle is simple.
9. S. (20:10) You said that practically it doesn’t matter if I give or receive what matters is the intention. So any act of reception can be brought into the intention to bestow?
R. We don’t weigh things in spirituality according to the action only according to the intention.
S. What’s the secret here? How do we come in every action? Is it possible that in every action to receive, is there a universal way to bring it into bestowal?
R. You want to connect to everyone and to the Creator? That’s okay then. If you don’t want it or you want the opposite of that, meaning for yourself, you versus the Creator, that’s a transgression.
S. So if I can add such a thought to every act of reception, even if it’s artificial does that mean that I’m doing it in order to bestow?
R. At least like that, yes. I don’t know what that word is. I wish to reach something to come to certain actions with the friends. In order to come to it I ask, I turn to the Creator. What am I doing in order to reach bestowal? That’s what’s important.
10. S. (22:06) It describes here desires that intention to receive joins them. It turns out that each desire has its own order of operations so this intention does not cling to the order of desires.
R. Desires, our desires are corrupted from the beginning because we are a result of the shattering, we are born out of shattering, out of sin. Hence all of our desires and our thoughts are in order to receive. That’s why we don’t have much need to check things rather each and every moment that we have a desire and intention we need to immediately look for how we’re using it in order to receive, how can we detect that it’s in order to receive and ask the Creator to correct our intention. Because we don’t need to correct our actions, although it sometimes seems this way but only the intentions.
S. So that’s the question. It turns out that correcting the desire and the intention happens through prayer but the prayer maybe should be different. It turns out that on the one hand it’s the same work but the desires are different.
R. The questions, the thoughts, desires, prayers, requests there are many of them but the intention, what is it for this for, for the sake of what should they be? That’s only one. If I want them in order to connect everyone, so everyone would be as one man with one heart or I agree with the dispersion like we for example see around the world right now. The whole world is dispersed, everybody sees how nothing is important, the connection with others, and we have to work completely opposite to that to be together.
11. S. (25:02) We’ve been reading the third commandment and now we’re reading the fourth commandment. If I read those at the beginning then I don’t see any difference. Can you explain what the difference is, what we have to do in the ten between the third and the fourth commandments. What is the difference, the approach?
R. Not so quickly, we are not able to connect these things. Nukva attaches herself to the letter Vav and connects with Tav and is missing a letter and angels are using it. We can’t quite work with all of those vessels, wait for it, it will come.
S. It says for the third commandment that to know that there is a great and ruling God in the world and we have to unify Him each day. The fourth says to know that the Lord is God, so where is the difference? Maybe I have to wait, you’re correct with that but it’s very difficult to see the difference between the third and the fourth commandment for us to use.
R. Wait for it, wait. We’ll read it a few times and all kinds of connections with other Commandments and you’ll see how this will all work itself out. I promise you that eventually you will see the entire system, how it clothes on the entire system of the still, vegetative, animate and speaking and how it activates us, everyone. And how we are starting to feel and understand what has to change in the system so it will become more and more established as a result of our actions. We’re approaching it but it takes time. But you’re ready for it, you’re capable. The Creator is giving us the patience, He adds new friends to us and we’ll advance accordingly.
12. S. (28:00) In item 213 he talks about SAM and how Eve heeded the advice of the serpent. Why did SAM lie to Eve and how do I know in the states I’m given how to choose between good and bad?
R. SAM isn’t lying, that’s its nature, this is who he is so that’s what he said, he’s got no problem there. Let’s say if he had shame but he wouldn’t feel ashamed because what he did was carry out the orders, the commandments of nature that exist in him and that’s how it happens. It’s like you cannot say to a lion not to catch and devour a rabbit for example because that’s its nature, it’s an inner command that exists in him.
13. S. (29:27) I wanted to scrutinize something. If the intention changes so the relation with the other person changes.
R. We both feel, discuss and hear different things, different things. And now for example when we are starting to approach the congress, the convention, we have to feel how with each passing day there is a greater connection between us and in general an embrace above us thanks to starting to open ourselves up more and more to everyone, each one for the others. And we want to get to know everyone’s feelings and everyone’s attitude. I truly hope that we are starting this week before the congress and that we’ll have a beautiful Congress.
14. S. (30:55) In the excerpt the male and a female of the Sitra Achra are represented by the letters of Mem and Tav. So the male and female side of Kedusha, are they different?
R. We’ll learn this soon. This has to do with the letters and the proximity of the letters.
15. S. (31:30) The first commandment was fear, the second love, the third is to know the God of your father. Basically He caused the shattering so we would begin a process that He demonstrates to us with the help of the commandments that we are studying right now?
R. Yes because we’re incorporated from these actions. We build ourselves through these actions and accordingly we advance to a state where we include both the commandment of fear and the commandment of love.
S. Can you see this article as a test that leads us to the end of correction, the process of development and breaking and everything?
R. I can’t tell you that it’s taking them to the end of correction but that’s how the Zohar is built, yes.
16. S. (32:34) Can you explain what is SAM and Lilit in the article?
R. There are seemingly good forces and seemingly bad forces, the Creator created both kinds because there cannot be light without darkness. Hence the systems of the light and darkness, the good and bad, they have to be balanced systems otherwise it would be as if there was no justice, no equality in creation. We have to learn how we’re built, how we’re made, how we’re doing these actions and we will see it.
17. S. (33:46) Does the fact that we have the same intention and we’re working in the same direction, does that mean we are connected?
R. No, not yet. We need to think about the connection and from the desire to connect we need to then get to different actions in order to carry out the connection.
18. S. (34:28) Somehow I have an inner sensation that actually the one who fell inside a trap was SAM. Generally we relate to the matter that he set at trap and we fell into it but somehow I think that the Creator set the trap for all of us and I don’t think SAM is the one doing action. Can you elaborate on this?
R. Know only one thing, what was done was done only so that we would be incorporated both from the positive side and negative side and we’ll compare them and we’ll place one above the other. We’ll fall one time into the good, into the bad and into the good; we’ll come out of the evil and come out of the good in order for us to include all of creation. And then we’ll be able to control all of nature, everything. That’s what the Creator says that my son’s have defeated me. I’ve done both good and bad, reception and bestowal and they took everything, they organized it and it brought it into a complete and holistic system. What did they do? Out of the broken system they assembled a system called Elokim, you have made me. That’s what the Creator is saying, that we ourselves took the broken vessels and like children who put together things from blocks or something, put together little cars, whatever, in the same way we put together creation, all of creation. And as a result we understand how it works, how it’s built and we can raise ourselves through this game until the height of the Creator.
19. S. (37:15) How do we become impressed by the friends if the intention is concealed?
R. We can feel them nevertheless more and more, according to how much we open ourselves up accordingly we can feel them. It all depends on the opening of our hearts.
S. So my responsibility to the friends is to open my heart and accordingly I’ll feel their intention?
R. Of course, how else?
20. S. (37:56) It sounds as if you have made me, the Creator is by us doing the balancing between the two opposites. So the Creator is the balance between the two opposites?
R. Of course the Creator does everything but we have to ask, to begin, to pray. We have to begin everything.
S. The question is, is the Creator the balance?
R. Yes of course.
21. S. (38:40) It looks like that there is a pattern here in the first two commandments where on one hand in the third one we are asked to investigate and analyze and in the fourth one to integrate and unify. Is that correct and is that how we advance?
R. In the relation between the commandments, between our actions there are different relations in measuring them one opposite the other or corresponding to the other, and connecting them and moving them apart. And by this we understand the results that exist in nature from every operation, from every situation. If we don’t perform such actions with don’t get to know nature.
22. S. (39:47) Kabbalists say that in order to demonstrate our process of development and how a person can attain the Creator they use different allegories. One of them is about the slave of the king who the Creator wished to promote to the degree of a minister and what helped that slave face up to all the dangers seemingly is his belonging to the Creator. He knew that he belonged to the Creator, he is serving the Creator, this is what helped him during the most difficult states to face up to the danger and to triumph. So in our states we each time have to arrange ourselves relative to challenges the Creator is sending us. How to maintain our devotion?
R. Only through connection, only through connection. We have to be connected and through our connection, within our connection we have to turn to the Creator. These two operations should constantly be happening in us.
S. We really depend on one another and I feel this dependance.
R. Great.
S. I feel that on this path if not for my friends I have nothing, I simply lose.
R. So it’s great! You have in front of you a congress this week, a gathering of friends, you see the friends, you see how much they want to unite, how we learn that the connection is our entire correction. Excellent, great!
23. S. (42:20) From what we learned so far especially from item 214 I had a few discernments and one intention.
R. Do you want to ask something? Don’t say, just ask.
S. What am I doing here?
R. You should ask yourself this question.
S. I’ll tell you what I’m doing here. Realization of myself, meaning using the desire correctly, meaning Lishma, meaning the soul of the person should teach him, meaning to receive with the intention to bestow contentment to his maker and not at all for his own sake. Is this our path?
R. That’s our path.
24. S. (43:30) Getting to the congress, my question is about the connection with the friends. How can the Creator assist us even more? In what way can the Creator help us even more?
R. How can the Creator help us? I don’t know but it’s certain that what He does is what He does and we only learn how to use what He prepared.
S. The fact that He’s doing it it’s certain, we feel it but where can we add something to what He’s doing to us?
R. In the connection between us. What are you asking? As if it’s not obvious. We only have to try to get closer to each other, helping one another.
25. S. (45:01) You give advice that to feel the intention of the friends more clearly we have to open our heart more. How do we open the heart correctly?
R. We pray, we pray, we ask the Creator. All the hearts are controlled by the Creator.
S. In our work is there a way to open the heart so it doesn’t become a psychological therapy?
R. Turn to the Creator together.
26. S. (45:46) In spirituality the male has to meet a female, she needs to receive in order to bestow but here in corporeality, our day to day how can we live in the connection between the male and female?
R. We will learn this, we haven’t learned it yet. The connection between male and female we haven’t learned it.
27. S. (46:22) This is a technical question, I’m sorry if it is a little bit of topic. When we read the Zohar it opens up emotions both the good and the bad emotions. So how do we maintain the balance in the ten to work, to not get too much into the bad ones instead of holding the balance between them?
R. Only through connection. You are speaking as if you didn’t go through all the material. Only through connection do you correct any situation in you.