TUESDAY: GEVURAH-TIKKUN CHATZOT תקון חצות – LESSON WITH RAV MICHAEL LAITMAN
READING: FROM MIDNIGHT TO DAWN TUESDAY
Baal HaSulam. One Commandment
Part 3:
Baal HaSulam. One Commandment (Serving People According to the Commandment of the Creator)
Reading article (00:11 – 01:41) “One Commandment”
Reading heading (01:49 – 04:48) “Serving People according to the commandment of the Creator” Twice.
1. S. (04:51) Baal HaSulam writes here that the first things is that the Mitzvah has to be agreeable to all the people in the world, that this working for other, we see that’s not agreeable, it’s not approved?
R. Look, except for a deed, but actually in general, you could say that to everyone, and it will be understood for everybody, the fact that they will not be able to perform it, that is something else.
2. S. (05:46) The matter of the intention for the sake of the Creator, he says “naturally the intention should be to observe the mitzvot of the Creator, to benefit the Creator; when a person does not have this intention, instilling it artificially. A person does things, it’s clear to him that the both is a heart and his head are for the sake, in the action for others, but how can he put the intention so that it will truly be not just ‘lip service’, not just a slogan so that it will catch on?
R. Whether we want it or not, we are in the world which is entirely the system of the Creator and whether we want it or not we are performing the commands of nature, whether in a revealed or in the concealed matter. That is, where I, whether we agree or not, it really depends on how we interpret this, either we pass it through us with understanding and clear attainment and agree to the laws of nature, that we relate it all to the upper force, the upper desire, or relate it to nature itself, just blind nature but either way you still do it, you have no choice. Also what you think and decide and agree and or not agree, it is all the commands of nature, you have no choice, you cannot run from it.
S. This brings an even greater question of this condition, the intention for the Creator, it’s something so?
R. The intention for the Creator raises you above blind nature, corporeal nature, to a degree that you with awareness and then with attainment can keep the laws of nature in the whole way, anyway you’re performing it.
S. The question is how to do it in that way?
R. So that’s what he’s speaking about.
S. But a person does not have thise intention truly as long as in the will to receive.
R. But if he gradually starts it, meaning feeling, understanding that he is in the system of nature, that a closed system upon them, so he starts asking “how can I come out of this?”.
S. And in practice, now a person is doing some action for others, his friends?
R. He’s not doing it for the others or for the friends, he is still doing it for him friends, but that is what we call it.
S. Good, it’s clear that it’s for himself, but then he’s told,”no, Baal HaSulam and all of our teachers tell us you should do it to aim to give contentment to the Maker”, so what should he say to himself, should he lie to imself ‘as if’ he’s doing it for the Creator?
R. No, I can say it in the different way: That there is an upper law in nature and he has no choice, he is inside this law. Now is the question is is he keeping it because nature is obligating him, or because he gets an opportunity to feel, understand, attain, and then perform it.
S. And what is that scrutiny he’s now doing, how does that contribute to the intention?
R. Because then he will feel and understand and reveal this upper force; just like a child, what do they tell him, “you have to do it and there is no choice”, and he does it, even though he cries about it and all his little tricks. Or he starts learning and feeling and understanding that what he’s demanded to do, that is the right thing and he does it by agreeing to it, understanding it.
3. S. (10:47) So it turns out that the other people don’t interest in it at all, just the purpose to give contentment to the Creator, that is what is important for me.
R. Yes, but how to reach it, the Creator’s revealed that He is in the created beings?
S. And and they themselves?
R. That is why your attitude towards them determines your attitude towards the Creator.
S. What is the right idea that I should have for other people?
R. To bring to them as much as you can to a nice, whole connection with the Creator.
S. This is considered ‘to serve others’?
R. Okay, yes.
S. And what does it mean ‘to serve others according to the Creator’s commitment’?
R. That is what the Creator wants, that we will all be connected between us and to Him.
S. But the end it’s to Him, that is what is?
R. Yes, that is the general law of nature, all of nature has to be connected as one mechanism.
S. And other people are important to me like the Creator, it’s the same weight or it’s just a means to reach Him?
R. it is not just a means, also the created beings and the Creator are a system that I exist in.
4. S. (12:17) He writes that “the preparation is part of the goal”, so if I do things against other people it is also serving the goal isn’t it?
R. Why?
S. Because it is part of the preparation?
R. Why?
S. Because I’m doing my work, meaning if we say that everything is part of the goal?
R. But the goal is to be connected with all the created being and the Creator in one system.
S. But previously I heard you say that anyhow everyone is working towards the goal?
R. But for or against or in which direction, that’s the difference.
S. What’s the difference?
R. The difference is as much as you are in the desire of the Creator and in the process you are going through is according to His plan or not.
S. But again he writes that the preparation is part of the goal, so even if I go against the goal, it is also a preparation so it’s part of the goal?
R. No, that is the question, whether you are going according to the plan or not; your whole intention is to feel and understand the plan and to go along with what flows.
S. Okay but let’s say it is not me, someone who is not aware of the goal.
R. Someone who is not aware about it we cannot speak about him because he is just performing the will of the Creator.
S. So again if he’s doing the Creator’s will and he’s going against other people, so he’s serving the goal?
R. Yes, yes, everybody is performing the will of the Creator only in the way of whether they understand it and raise themselves to that degree of understanding and agreeing or not.
S. So suppose this person is doing things against other people, he’s raising himself to the degree of awareness then he flips or?
R. In each and every moment, we cannot determine, we can’t, usually in the end he joins the plan.
5. S. (14:56) The relation between the truth and false is something that is painful, what can one do in order to make it sweeter, to mitigate it?
R. To agree!
S. The relations is true and false, when we say that people accept the mitzah, the commandment, so there is a question about truth and false.
R. I don’t understand you, repeat it.
S. When I read the text, I discover that the people are suffering from not being able to agree with the truth because they live in a lie.
R. Yes?
S. And we have a role, so that the relation between truth and false, truth and lie will be a positive thing, so my question is, how can we act?
R. We, if you are asking us, need to learn the laws of nature which are the commandments of the Creator, and to keep them, perform them between us; that is the right and the only thing that we have.
Reading heading (17:20 – 18:00) “The part of the Torah concerning relations between man and man”
Reading heading (18:06 – 21:22) “Speech, Thought, and Action”
6. S. (21:25) The excuse that he gives here, that between a person and the Creator it does not incorporate the thought in it. What is not clear is why he writes in the beginning that “the work should be in thought, speech and action”. Why is speech and action not enough, why ask for the correct and for the correction to occur?
R. And what about the thought?
S. It’s not clear why this isn’t required, he also writes between a person and the Creator there is no need for thought because the action is in it already. Why does he necessitate the matter of thought which can only occur between the person and his friend?
R. Everything will be clarified in thought.
S. But what does that mean because of the ultimately the action is what is important, isn’t it?
R. No, no, what ded, ini your hands?
S. To bestow contentment to the Creator?
R. And what can you bestowto Him, with what deed can you bestow to the Creator?
S. Why is it that ‘the thought’, why is everything scrutinized in the thought?
R. That’s what’s written, “everything will be clarified in the thought” because our scrutiny is in the thought.
S. We, as created beings?
R. Yes.
Reading again heading (23”13 – 26:12) “Speech, Thought, and Action”
7. S. (26:17) If I understand correctly, it goes like this: There is action which are actions of connections between people, the thought is ‘what am I doing it for’, meaning is it for the Creator, and of course, the ‘speech’ he gives a definition, which is a prayer, for it to succeed otherwise without prayer, you can’t, is that correct? What’s not clear here is he says in a second part that if you connect and you perform actions of connection not for the Creator, you can never merit.
R. Yes.
S. So if I understand correctly it’s important for the thought to always be there, how can we explain this to people? It is relevant to our days, the work for the sake of the Creator, because that is the only thing that can connect people?
R. We want to connect between us, to give a place for the Creator to be revealed to the created beings.
S. How can we explain this to a person that is not learning Kabbalah, what for the sake of the Creator means?
R. That the upper force that is in nature will be revealed between us more and more, to the extent that we will know how to connect correctly, simple. The laws of nature will be more clear, more revealed, we will know how to connect to them, we will know how not to make a mistake.
S. It’s simply that the concept of the Creator, each one understands it differently.
R. The Creator is the general law of all of reality, the general law of all of reality; that all laws of nature that we’re learning here, there, they are all including Him. It includes everyone, including everything and conducting everything.
S. So a person when he goes to work, no matter where he works, he should think whatever I’m doing, I’m doing this for this general law?
R. Whether he wants it or not, that is how it happens but if he thinks about it, he brings himself closer to it, to revealing this force so everything will become clear.
8. S. (29:20) If everything is scrutinized in the thought so why do we need to speech and the action?
R. This is how it is determined nature that thought, speech, and action are three, how do I say it, channels that a person can work with, also between people and also with the entire nature, also with the Creator.
S. So not everything is clarified in the thought, you need the speech and the action?
R. Yes, but the thought is the foundation.
9. S. (30:11) To continue what the friend just asked, the speech, doing it in fixed times is when we meet in our ten in fixed times during the day, we are having scrutinies, we read articles and we scrutinize, that’s also prayer we can say?
R. Everything we do in this world, no matter what you do, it is all scrutinies for the Creator, that we are scrutinizing Him.
10. S. (30:53) Between a person and the Creator, is that ‘necessity’?
R. What do you mean is that ‘necessity’, commandments, actions, prayers, what?
S. He writes in the beginning of this article that the best way to reach Lishma is to assume, not to work, just to work for your necessities.
R. Yes?
S. So question is working only for my necessities?
R. For his corporeal existence.
S. Yes, is that between a person and the Creator?
R. No, it’s man for himself, he must supply himself for his corporeal existence and that is enough.
S. And all the things that he does in this action of doing for himself, keeping his substance, he does not do it in the framework of others, doing things for others, he goes to work, he runs his family.
R. Yes?
S. So the question is, is this considered between a person and the Creator, doing things that are more general, I don’t know if you can call it this way?
R. No, he does it in order to exist, we’re speaking about just people.
S. And if he does it with the goal to later the clear his time to work for others so is that considered a different type of work, not for himself?
R. Everything depends on the intention, everything, meaning an intention will be clarified.
S. So what I’m trying to understand, what is it that he writes here “between the person and the Creator that is where the action and the intention are the same”, what does that mean?
R. Because he means he is intending toward the Creator, the place.
S. So what does it mean because Baal HaSulam distinguishes between what is between the person and the Creator, so what does it mean “between a person and the Creator??
R. The general upper law of nature.
S. But what is incorporated in this action between the person and the Creator?
R. Anything a person does, eventually, everything a person does whether he knows about it or not, it is not important, it is all including towards the Creator.
S. So if a person does the action he does, both in his necessities and also for the friends, connecting to others with the intention to the Creator, does that mean he is doing for the Creator ultimately, between a person and the Creator?
R. It depends on his intention, I don’t understand you, if he intends by this to bestow to the Creator, right, so whatever he’s doing is aimed towards the Creator.
11. S. (34:38) How can I examine, because everything depends on the scrutiny, in the thought, so how do I examine myself why am I acting? Because sometimes it seems to me that I’m egoistic, sometimes everything seems okay, so I guess there’s some place where I can’t really scrutinize in my thought why am I acting, so what does that scrutiny depend on so that I can understand how far I am?
R. What are you scrutinizing for, what are you aimed towards?
S. I’m trying to understand if my intention is to be like the Creator as much as I can switch my calculation to become the opposite of what I usually have. Sometimes in the work we discover, suddenly, that my thoughts or my intention is not as it should be, it’s egoistic, sometimes I don’t see it, I’m thinking what am I doing this for and it seems to me I’m okay, I know theoretically, guess I’m not but I don’t see it. So is it a lack of scrutiny or what should I do in states where I want to scrutinize?
R. So he says that the scrutiny is always an addition; if you’re in a doubt, so add towards that direction what you’re doing and, let’s say, in the connection with a friend, in a prayer to the Creator, in something, so then you can scrutinize how it was, that scrutiny is always an addition.