TUESDAY PRAYER: BINAH-TIKKUN CHATZOT תקון חצות – LESSON WITH RAV MICHAEL LAITMAN
READING: between after midnight and sunrise of Tuesday
Lesson on the topic of “Working in Ascents and Descents”
Working in Ascents and Descents – Selected Excerpts from the Sources
1. RABASH, Article No. 34 (1988), “What Are Day and Night in the Work”
Anything that a person wants to taste any flavor, whether it is worth using, he must learn one from the other, as it is written, “as the advantage of the light out of the darkness.” Likewise, a person cannot enjoy rest unless he knows what is fatigue.
For this reason, a person must go through a process of ascents and descents. However, he must not be impressed by the descents. Instead, he should exert not to escape the campaign. For this reason, although during the work he must know that they are two things, at the end of the work he sees that light and darkness are as two legs that lead a person to the goal.
2. RABASH, Article No. 6 (1990), “When Should One Use Pride in the Work”
A person should pay attention to this and believe that the Creator is tending to him and guides him on the track that leads to the King’s palace. It follows that he should be happy that the Creator is watching over him and gives him the descents, as well. That is, a person should believe, as much as he can understand, that the Creator is giving him the ascents, since certainly, a person cannot say that he himself receives the ascents, but that the Creator wants to bring him closer; this is why He gives him the ascents. Also, a person should believe that the Creator gives him the descents, as well, because He wants to bring him closer.
3. RABASH, Article No. 6 (1991), What Is, “The Herdsmen of Abram’s Cattle and the Herdsmen of Lot’s Cattle,” in the Work
Since in every beginning a person must start over the acceptance of the kingdom of heaven, it is not enough that yesterday he had faith in the Creator. For this reason, every acceptance of the kingdom of heaven is considered a new discernment. That is, now he receives a part of the vacant space that was devoid of the kingdom of heaven, and admits that empty place and fills it with the kingdom of heaven. It follows that now he sorted out a new thing, which did not exist before he took that empty place and filled it with the kingdom of heaven. This is regarded as elevating a new spark into the Kedusha. Finally, from all the ascents, he always raises sparks from the vacant space into the Kedusha. It follows that from each descent he arrives at a new beginning and raises new sparks.
4. Baal HaSulam, Letter No. 25
If the descent is for the purpose of ascending, it is regarded as an ascent and not as a descent. Indeed, the descent itself is the ascent as the letters of the prayer themselves are filled with abundance, and with a short prayer, the abundance is small for lack of letters.
5. RABASH, Article No. 29 (1986), “Lishma and Lo Lishma”
The descent he has received is for his own good, meaning that he is receiving special treatment, that he was lowered from his state where he thought that he had some wholeness. This is apparent in his agreeing to remain in the current state his whole life.
But now that he sees that he is far from spirituality, he begins to think, “What is really required of me? What should I do? What is the purpose I should achieve?” He sees that he has no power to work, and finds himself in a state of “between heaven and earth.” Then, man’s only strengthening is that only the Creator can help, but by himself, he is doomed.
It was said about this (Isaiah, 4:31): “Yet those who hope for the Lord will gain new strength,” meaning those people who hope for the Creator. This means that those who see that there is no one else in the world who can help them regain strength each time. It follows that this descent is actually an ascent, meaning that this descent that they feel allows them to rise in degree, since “there is no light without a Kli.”
6. RABASH, Article No. 43 (1990), What Is, “You Shall Not Plant for Yourself an Asherah by the Altar,” in the Work
A person must believe that the fact that he suffered a descent is because he was thrown from above. This is why he fell into such lowliness. At that time, he can work on himself, correct corrections so he does not fall again, since he must believe that the descent is a correction for him.
7. Zohar for All, Beresheet [Genesis], “Let Us Make Man”, No. 159
According to the extent of the Panim of the degree, so is the extent of its Achoraim. The instilling of the Achoraim is a calling and an invitation to instill the Panim. This is why by the measure of the concealment of the Achoraim that they attained, they knew the measure of disclosure that they were about to attain.
As Rabbi Shimon heard, he was calling him Shimon and not Rabbi Shimon. This means that the instilling of the Achoraim, which is a calling, was so strong that he lost all his degrees and became a simple person, Shimon from the market. By that, he recognized that it was a calling and an invitation for very high attainment of Panim.
8. Talks with the ADMOR of Mogalintza
Once, a famous man confessed to the Rabbi of Lublin that all the restrictions and limitations he applies on himself do not save him from the evil inclination and there is hardly a day without a sin. The Rabbi of Lublin answered him: “It sounds from your words that you still have not begun the work of the Creator whatsoever, since anyone from Israel who does not find in himself 400 sins from the morning to the morning prayer, it is a sign that he has not begun to serve the Creator in holiness and purity.”
9. Adat Tzadikim, published 1864, p 11
Rabbi Tzvi Sofer told the Baal Shem Tov, “Why are you silent? Is it time to be silent? And now do something!” The Baal Shem Tov answered him, “Right now, I do not know anything; all my strength has been taken away from me. Perhaps you remember something of what I taught you? Remind me.” Rabbi Tzvi said, “I too do not know anything except for the simple alphabet which I remember.” Then the Baal Shem Tov cried out, “And why are you silent? Read the alphabet to me!” Rabbi Tzvi Sofer began to read to him, Aleph, Bet, Gimel, Dalet… and the Baal Shem Tov repeated after him out loud with great enthusiasm, as was always his custom, until it brought back all of his strength as before.
10. Likutey Moharan, Last Edition, Mark 48
The work of the Creator requires great persistence, whatever happens to him. Remember this well for you will need it very much as you begin the work of the Creator. It requires great tenacity, and to be strong and brave, to brace oneself and stand still, even if you are dropped down every time. You must not allow yourself to fall off altogether, for it is necessary to experience all those falls, descents, and confusions prior to entering the gates of Kedusha [holiness], and the true righteous, too, have gone through all of it. Know, that man must cross a very, very narrow bridge, and the rule and the most important thing is not to be afraid at all.
11. RABASH, Article No. 6 (1991), What Is, “The Herdsmen of Abram’s Cattle and the Herdsmen of Lot’s Cattle,” in the Work
When a person sees that he has descents, he should be careful not to escape from the campaign, even though he sees that he is not progressing. Rather, he must try to start anew each time. That is, the fact that he begins to ascend does not mean that he returned to his previous degree. This would mean that he did nothing by his work, since he thinks that he is now ascending to his previous level. Rather, he must believe that this is a new discernment, that each time, he raises different sparks, until he raises the sparks that pertain to his essence.
12. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 19, What Is “The Creator Hates the Bodies,” in the Work
One must especially try to have a strong desire to obtain the desire to bestow and overcome the will to receive. A strong desire means that a strong desire is measured by the increment of the in-between rests and the arrests, meaning the time gaps between each overcoming.
Sometimes one receives a cessation in the middle, meaning a descent. This descent can be a cessation of a minute, an hour, a day, or a month. Afterward, he resumes the work of overcoming the will to receive and the attempts to achieve the desire to bestow. A strong desire means that the cessation does not take him a long time and he is immediately reawakened to the work.
13. RABASH, Letter No. 77
We must not be impressed by the descent, since many pennies join into a great amount.
This is as we learned, “there is no absence in spirituality,” rather that it has temporarily departed in order to have room for work to advance. This is so because every moment that we scrutinize into holiness enters the domain of holiness, and a person descends only in order to sort out more sparks of holiness.
However, there is an advice that one should not wait until his degree is lowered for him, and when he feels his lowliness he goes up again, and that ascent is regarded as sorting a part into holiness. Instead, he himself descends and elevates other sparks, and raises them into the domain of holiness.
It is as our sages said, “Before I lose, I search” (Shabbat, 152), meaning before I lose the situation I am in, I start searching. It is as Baal HaSulam said about King David, who said, “I awaken the dawn.” Our sages said, “I awaken the dawn and the dawn does not awaken me.”
14. RABASH, Article No. 30 (1989), “What Is the Meaning of Lighting the Menorah in the Work”
Only one who labors and works as much as he can, and goes through ups and downs, can say that he tastes the taste of darkness because he cannot overcome his will to receive for himself.
Thus, the descents that a person receives when he wants to walk on the path of truth are instruments for the sensation of the help he will receive. We must believe the words of our sages who said, “He who comes to purify is aided.” A person must not escape the campaign when he sees that he is not making progress. Sometimes he gets thoughts of the spies, who said that this work is not for us and requires special people who can walk on the path of overcoming.
All this comes to him because he understands that each time, he must see how he is making progress.
15. RABASH, Article No. 34 (1991), “What Is Eating Their Fruits in This World and Keeping the Principal for the Next World, in the Work”
Those who say that they want to escape from the work but have nowhere else to go, since nothing satisfies them, those people do not walk out from the work. Although they have ups and downs, they do not give up. This is as it is written, “And the children of Israel sighed from the work, and they cried, and their cry went up to God from the work.” In other words, they cried out from the work because they were not advancing in the work of the Creator, so they could work in order to bestow contentment upon the Maker. At that time, they were rewarded with the exodus from Egypt. In the work, this is called “emerging from the control of the will to receive and entry into the work of bestowal.”
16. Baal HaSulam, Shamati Article 83, “Concerning the Right Vav and the Left Vav”
It is written, “and sent her out of his house, and she departed his house, and went” (Deuteronomy 24:1-2). A Shulchan [table] is like VeShlacha [and sent her], meaning exit from the work.
We should interpret that even during the exits from the work, meaning in a state of decline, one still has a place to work. This means that when one prevails above reason during the declines, and says that the descents, too, were given to him from above, by this the enemies are canceled. This is so because the enemies thought that through the declines the person will reach utter lowliness and escape the campaign, but in the end the opposite occurred—the enemies were canceled.
This is the meaning of what is written, “the table that is before the Lord,” that precisely in this manner does he receive the face of the Creator.
17. RABASH, Article No. 16 (1985), “But the More They Afflicted Them”
When he begins to scrutinize the quality of the deficiency, he sees that he feels no pain, that he is seemingly unconscious, unfeeling. And although remoteness from the Creator means not having life, it doesn’t pain him that he has no life. Then he has no other choice but to pray to the Creator to give him some life, so he will feel that he is dangerously ill and needs to cure the soul.
And sometimes one comes to a state where he is in such a decline that he doesn’t even have the strength to pray for it. Rather, he is in a state of complete indifference. This is called “being in a state of still,” meaning he is completely motionless.
In that state, only his society can help him.
18. RABASH, Article No. 31 (1987), “What Is Making a Covenant in the Work”
Making a covenant is when he begins to work even in Lo Lishma. And since now he wants the work, for who would force him to come into the work of the Creator, now he must make the covenant and say, “Even if there comes a time of descent,” meaning that he will have no desire for the work, “I still take upon myself not to consider my desire but work as though I have a desire.” This is called “making a covenant.”
19. RABASH, Article No. 6 (1990), “When Should One Use Pride in the Work”
Every single thing that he can do, he must do as though he is in a state of ascent. Therefore, when he overcomes a little during the descent, it is called an “awakening from below.” Each act that he does, he believes that it is the Creator’s will, and by this itself he is rewarded with greater nearing, meaning that the person himself begins to feel that the Creator has brought him closer.
20. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 33, “The Lots on Yom Kippurim and with Haman”
Without a push one is idle to make a movement and agrees to remain in the state he is in. But if one descends to a lower degree than he understands, this gives one the strength to overcome, for one cannot stay in such a bad state, since one cannot agree to remain like that, in the state to which he has descended.
For this reason, one must always prevail and emerge from the state of descent. In that state, he must draw upon himself the exaltedness of the Creator. This causes him to extend higher forces from above, or he remains in utter lowliness. It follows that through the Se’arot, one gradually discovers the exaltedness of the Creator until one finds the names of the Creator.
21. RABASH, Article No. 9 (1991), What Is, “The Smell of His Garments,” in the Work
When a person is in a state of ascent, he must learn from his state during the descent in order to know the difference between light and darkness, as it is written, “as the advantage of the light from within the darkness.” However, for the most part, a person does not want to remember the time of darkness because it pains him, and people do not want to suffer for no reason. Rather, a person wants to enjoy the state of ascent that he is in.
However, one must know that if he considers the descents while he is in an ascent, he will learn two things from this, which will benefit him and he will therefore not suffer from descents for no reason: 1) He must know how to keep himself as much as he can from falling into a descent. 2) “As the advantage of the light from within the darkness.” At that time, he will have more vitality and joy from the state of ascent, and he will be able to thank the Creator for bringing him closer to Him. That is, now a person has a good feeling from being in a state where he understands that it is worthwhile to be a servant of the Creator, since now he feels the greatness and importance of the King.
22. RABASH, Article No. 15 (1991), What Is the Blessing, “Who Made a Miracle for Me in This Place,” in the Work
To the extent of his gratitude, so grows the giving that the Creator gives. Therefore, we must take note to be grateful, to appreciate His gift, so we can approach the Creator. Hence, when a person always looks during the ascent at the state he was in while in descent, meaning how he felt during the descent, he can make a distinction as in, “as the advantage of the light from within the darkness,” and he already has new Kelim in which to receive joy and be thankful to the Creator. This is the meaning of what is written, that a person should bless, “Blessed is He who made a miracle for me in this place,” meaning in the place where he is now, during the ascent, since there cannot be an ascent if there was no prior state of descent.
23. RABASH, Article No. 43 (1990), What Is, “You Shall Not Plant for Yourself an Asherah by the Altar,” in the Work
Every descent is a trial. If a person can endure the trial, meaning that the thought that comes to a person causes him to see if he is under the governance of Kedusha or not, during the descent, a person can see that at the time of ascent, his whole structure was built on the will to receive for oneself.
During the descent, a person cannot make any calculations. But afterward, when he receives nearing from above once more, which comes to a person by what is written, “I am the Lord, who dwells with them in the midst of their impurity,” meaning that even though a person is still in the authority of self-love, still, an illumination comes to him from above, called “an awakening from above.” At that time, he must awaken the state of descent that he had by himself, and think what was the reason he received the descent, and what he must correct so as not to come into a descent once more.
24. RABASH, Article No. 29 (1988), “How to Recognize One Who Serves God from One Who Does Not Serve Him”
During the ascent, a person should read everything that is written about the time of descent. From this reading he will know how to ask the Creator for his soul so He will not throw him once again into the trash. Also, he will know how to thank the Creator for raising him from the bottomless pit, as it was said, “A king who puts to death and brings to life, and brings forth salvation.” That is, salvation grows out of the descents and ascents.
25. RABASH, Article No. 29 (1988), “How to Recognize One Who Serves God from One Who Does Not Serve Him”
When does one learn and profit from the descent? Certainly not during the descent, for then he is dead. However, afterward, when the Creator revives him, meaning gives him an ascent, this is the time to learn what happened to him during the descent, meaning in what lowliness he was, what he craved and what he expected—that if he were to have it, he would feel like a complete human being. At that time he sees that his entire life of being in descent was nothing short of the life of an animal. […]
It follows that the great benefit from this descent is that he sees his own lowliness, to what state he might come, and that only the Creator has brought him out of that lowliness. This is the time to see the greatness of the Creator, that He can bring a person “out of the miry clay,” where he could drown and remain forever in the hands of the Sitra Achra [other side], and only the Creator has brought him out of there.
26. כשאדם רוצה להתקרב לה’ יתברך ולשוב בתשובה צריך שיעברו עליו אלפים ורבבות ירידות בלי שעור, וצריך שיהיה גבור חזק לחזק לבבו בכל פעם לבלי להניח את מקומו משום ירידה שבעולם, והעיקר הוא התחזקות לחזק את עצמו תמיד אף אם הוא כמו שהוא להאמין באמונה שלמה, שאין שום ירידה בעולם, כי בכל מקום יכולין למצֹא את ה’ יתברך, כי אפילו כשנופל לשאול תחתיות, אעפ”כ צריך לחזק את עצמו תמיד ולבלי ליאש את עצמו לעולם, כי גם שם ה’ יתברך, וזה עיקר הכלל בעבודת ה’ והיסוד, שהכל תלוי בו לבלי ליפול בדעתו לעולם, אף אם יעבר עליו מה.
(ליקוטי הלכות. אונאה, הלכה ג’)
27. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 1, “There Is None Else Besides Him”
One must always try and adhere to the Creator, namely that all his thoughts will be about Him. That is to say, even if he is in the worst state, from which there cannot be a greater decline, he should not leave His domain, namely that there is another authority that prevents him from entering the Kedusha [holiness], that can bring benefit or harm.
That is, he must not think that there is a force of the Sitra Achra [other side] that does not let a person do good deeds and walk in the ways of the Creator. Rather, all is done by the Creator.
28. RABASH, Article No. 6 (1989), “What Is Above Reason in the Work”
During the work, a person should say, “If I am not for me, who is for me?” At that time in the work, they think that they themselves are doing the ascents and descents, that they are men of war, called Tzava, “mighty men.” Afterward, when they are redeemed, they attain that the Lord is of hosts [Tzevaot], meaning that the Creator made all the ups and downs they had.
In other words, even the descents come from the Creator. A person does not get so many ups and downs for no reason. Rather, the Creator caused all those exits. We can interpret “exit” as “exit from Kedusha [holiness],” and Ba [comes] as “coming to Kedusha. The Creator does everything.
29. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 191, “The Time of Descent”
when one becomes reconnected, he should always remember his time of descent so as to know, understand, appreciate, and value the time of Dvekut, so he will know that now he has salvation above the natural way.