WEDNESDAY: TIFERET-TIKKUN CHATZOT תקון חצות – LESSON WITH RAV MICHAEL LAITMAN
READING: FROM MIDNIGHT TO DAWN WEDNESDAY
Rabash. Concerning the Debate between Jacob and Laban. 11 (1985)
Morning Lesson August 7, 2023
Transcription is made from simultaneous translation, which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio.
Part 1:
Rabash. Article 11, (1985). Concerning the Debate between Jacob and Laban
1. Rav’s Introduction: (22:03) Is this clear? Seemingly yes.
2. S. (22:22) It turns out before the act, the shell tells a person you’re an egoist, it’s a waste of your time, just stay an egoist and that’s it and after the act it tells a person look at you, your such a big warrior, it’s like inflating his ego, each time it’s like trying to manipulate the person somehow, trying to bury him inside the ego.
R. Well yes.
S. Where’s the opening here?
R. I think her purpose is actually to correct the person to cleanse him from all kinds of incorrect intentions,before the deed and during the deed and also after the deed. The shell or the peel the Klipa keeps the fruit so it will grow correctly..
S. Is correcting him by showing him negatively,like his lowliness ?
R. Yes, it can’t do it any other way, it can’t do it any other way, it’s nature, it’s way through negation, to bring the person through correction.
S. How does a person come to correction through negation?
R. It shows him that he needs to do this or that with incorrect things and he already sees that these things are not good. It’s forbidden to go in this way, it’s forbidden to do that, it’s forbidden to think, or speak like this. This is how she corrects him, this is why it is called to help me against him.
3. S. (24:26) In the Ten a person can see that he’s operating as a shell towards the friends? He can see it in himself? Meaning to decide that his action was as a shell towards the Ten?
R. Again.
S. In different states, together with the friends and trying to scrutinize something between us, can a friend say to himself that now he’s operating towards a friend’s shell or does he always have this place that he wants to justify himself and only after?
R. Help him or help me so that I will understand him.
4. S. (25:39) I think if I feel him correctly that a person can be in a state that he’s saying the shell is now operating me towards Ten. Can a person really feel this and say this is the state or is it really only afterwards like retroactively that he says oh the shell operated me?
R. Well, it could be.
5. S. (26:16) We really have a very current state which we are trying to scrutinize with you. It really jumped me out of my seat. I couldn’t sit and listen to the article. I felt like I wasn’t connected. Why do we have someone in his attitude and make everybody jump out of their seat?
R. In the Ten.
S. Yes, and instead of giving confidence and spirit it gave it a completely different sensation and we’re together. Since yesterday I’m entirely disconnected. I feel from this attitude, this response of all of us are incorrect, except him. How do I fix this inside me?
R. First of all, learn from the views of the other nine people opposite the 10th one. He’s one of you right? How are they different, what does he demand versus them, why does he disagree with them and so on, it’s good that you can achieve many discernments.
S. Okay and what about annulment towards the friends?
R. Let’s say that he sees that he cannot give up. Maybe it is so great that he’s not capable of conceding that it’s very precious for him or he sees that in such a way he’s going to have to give up on all of his principles so what do we do?
S. That is why I’m asking you?
R. No, I can’t tell you. Each one of you needs to decide. What to do. It’s not that there’s only one of you, here and one decision. Each one in the Ten should see how he himself, how does he resolve this matter? Does anyone have a solution or any questions to the friend?
S. This will accompany us in the course?
R. That is why I am asking.
6. S. (29:19) This is always repeated till the end of correction that first of all we need to give thanks to the Creator for the state he’s revealing to us. He is revealing to us a new Kli, a new coarseness. I want to give thanks to the state and then we can pray. That’s what we did yesterday. These states always repeat themselves and in this state and the shell we can’t remember these things .Maybe other friends can be reminded and then pray for the friend. Its an opportunity to rise to a new degree.
R. (nods)
7. S. (30:07) During the article I was asking myself what is it to work for the Creator in simplicity? If I would know what it means to work with the Creator and simplicity then I guess I’ll be able to really see the Creator of the whole time that is good and does good and that all the states I have here and their benefit and order that will truly reach this wholeness and the whole correction, what is the work with him simplicity?
R. To serve him simply but let’s say that you can continue the same way towards correction that the Creator wants to see it in, the created beings and you try to continue it in the Ten.
S. My instruction all the time is to give him contentment no matter what I feel personally? It needs to be in it all the time in front of me to reach the greatness of the goal?
R. Yes certainly.
8. S. (31:23) I wanted to ask, he summarizes the article at the end, that a person should check if the person is looking for a reward or the greatness of the Creator? Isn’t the greatness of the Creator a reward?
R. Actually it could be but it is possible that it is not.
S. What does he mean by working for a reward?
R. Not working for a reward means that he has another reward, not this one.
S. That’s clear because he writes that in order to be rewarded with the glory of the king that we pray and faith and pray and give exertion to subdue oneself. The order seems to be the opposite right? How do we first rise above reason and faith if we can give exertion that brought you to prayer?
R. Well, let’s say it would be this way or could be that way it doesn’t really matter on the way we can shift from one to the other.
8. S. (32:41) How to put up how to answer the same shell that weakens a person on the path?
R. The shell is always right.
S. If I go after it, if it sees it as right, will it take me off the path
R. Yes, but In its way, it is so right.
S. How to deal with it correctly?
R. I do not listen to you. Instead I do this and this and that.
S. But if I go after it then it’s what a season’s right that it takes me of the path?
R. Yes, and in its way, it is right.
S. How to deal with it correctly?
R. As he writes in other places, that I do not listen to you but rather I do this and that.
S. A person is capable of freeing himself up from the shell too?
R. If he will demand support and strengthening from the Creator, he can.
S. Then the shell leaves him, it increases against him?
R. It participates from the left side.
S. Rabash also writes that every person should understand that every person understands that it is worthwhile for him to work to attain something except for the greatness of the Creator because we don’t understand.it and this is what we really lack so how to add it in the importance of the King?
R. Through the friends, if you adhere to them a little bit then through that point of adhesion with them, you can receive an addition of greatness of the Creator.
S. How to constantly increase the value of holiness so that it will always be greater in my eyes?
R. Work on it all the time, working on it all the time, so that all the time you’re more and more connected to the friends, adhered to them and you borrow from them the greatness of the Creator.
9. S. (34:36) I don’t understand why they work on the importance and greatness of the Creator and she calls Lishma why is that not egoistic.
R. What do you want to do with the greatness of the Creator? The fact that you want to discover the greatness of the Creator could be very egoistic but what are you doing with it what do you need it for?
S. That’s it he writes that when a person naturally annuls himself right as a small one before the great one ,that if I say if the Creator is right, I naturally annul myself. I never really exited my nature. How do we do it out of a different nature?
R. You cannot not draw this other nature but rather the moment that you connect with the friends and you turn to the Creator your prayer can bring you to a new connection with the Creator.
S. Withwhat do I need to turn to the Creator of the moment that I connect with the friends?
R. That the Creator will be revealed more in the connection between you.
S. What does that mean exactly?
R. That the Creator will be revealed in the connection between you more than he was before and then it turns out that you already reach a greater degree in the connection with Him.
S. What does it mean more available than beforehand?
R. In a more powerful way, that you exist in a greater egoistic connection and He shines on it with His greater light and in this way you change the connection between you from an egoistic one to love to an altruistic one.
S. This is called the greater revelation of the Creator that He makes a change in the connection between us?
R. Yes, He in and of himself, He does not exist, there is no such thing, that rather He exists in tying them together all the parts of creation in raising them in the form of mutual bestowal, this is how He manifests.
S. If we revealed the greater ego between us then we need to force that ties us together more strongly?
R. Yes.
S. That’s called the greater revelation of the Creator.
R. It happens opposite to the Creator. The Creator raises the evil inclination and we with our prayers with our works seemingly going to work against Him and we elevate the good inclination.
10. S. (38:20) I want to go over what the friend brought up and maybe tie it to another friend. Many time it turns out that I look at a friend I seemingly see something about the friend I mean that’s how I feel that it’s easy for me to analyze the state and understand maybe what he needs to do, what kind of understand what’s going on, what’s happening with him and he doesn’t really see it right he’s where he is and the state. The advice we usually give in such a status that we give the friend as an example right? We give an example of maybe a different state but many times you give an example when a person is like he’s at a state I’m an state and it kind of turns out it’s like I’m annulling the friend as if there’s a problem with me. What’s the advice here? That I do a greater scrutiny, maybe understand that the problem is with me and not him, that I don’t just disqualify him. How do I accept this?
R. Also through a friend.
S. What can I do with a friend or with the Ten in order to help me exit this place?
R. To annul, to annul before everyone and try to bring yourself to a state that you are the worst of everyone.
S. For example, I don’t know if we may have a workshop now where we talk. I don’t know, we can talk about the greatness of that friend and maybe I’m disqualifying him, I’m diminishing him. I have complaints about him and all kinds of thoughts about him. I’m looking for just some practical advice here, something we can do at this point annulling myself is kind of?
R. Practical meaning whenever you do with the group.
S. Yes, yes, there’s a state, let’s say in the Ten, a friend said something, I say that he it’s not okay and I suddenly realize that I’m the one disqualifying him and I need to do something, what do I ?
R. Awaken in the group a discussion that will help you to get out of the state that you fell into.
S. What should we debate in this state?
R. According to whatever is happening and if there is nothing to discuss then you read an article or something and there you go over all kinds of states, usually every article explains to you a certain manner of descent and distancing and forgetting and in what form it is possible to shift it into an accent into connection and encouragement.
11. S. (41:53) In the Ten we’re always going from harmony to disharmony, you can feel the dissonance, you can really feel it. There is a strong tendency to talk about connection, everything’s just falling apart in our hands and of course it’s good, this is our life. It’s our reward for this work that is clear to us. I want to ask, each one of the Ten is really different. The Creator arranges it that each one has a different personality externally. We have those who can really awaken everybody and burns them up and some that are just really quiet. What to do if it appears that there is a tendency towards breaking up so hardship can be revealed through a specific friend it appears, so how should the Ten relate to this? Talk in a family or try to ask it?
R. I don’t know. I think that we should relate to the inclination towards breaking things apart from something that is unacceptable. There’s no room for it. First of all because it is against the purpose of creation, it is against the inclination of the whole of creation towards correction and therefore an inclination towards disintegration is only in order to scrutinize the things for more correction. Qualities and the inclinations and actions that must be corrected and by that specifically we can advance towards connection this is what we should always see.
S. Meaning first of all is the obligation of each friend doesn’t matter what state is going through to always raise the Ten?
R. Yes.
S. This must be an obligation right and what if our friends find it hard for them to do this?
R. It depends on the root of one’s soul.
S. How do we help a friend in this, maybe a harder friend, maybe he’s doing a greater exertion to give some positive atmosphere, maybe it’s a greater effort and maybe it’s easier?
R. But all together if everyone realizes that this is the situation this is what we have to do and everyone comes together then in this integral connection we help each and every one.
S. We need to see in the Ten that if we’re all make the correct connection in this jump that specific friend will straighten out and enter connection?
R. Of course the Creator will finish it for me.
12. S. (45:08) To demand that the Ten that each one will speak in the workshop, is it a demand for correction that each friend will have a turn?
R. It’s actually towards connection.
13. S. (45:34) If I understood correctly the greatness of the Creator is the greatness of the quality of bestowal, and the action of the giving of the Ten a clear sign that I don’t want reward is that I don’t want to give up the work correct?
R. Yes.
S. What if more than the revelation of love between the friends right that’s the revelation that we’re supposed to be feeling?
R. In the end, yes.
S. If I understood love in our world I guess it must be something different?
R. Something all together different, a different vessel, a different desire, different purposes.
S. A person is just not ready to concede like if the Creator comes and I want to be revealed then the person is like no I’m not going to do the work?
R. I didn’t stumble across such things.
S. He says here that a person in the state doesn’t want to give up his exertion, his effort?
R. Yes.
S. That’s a sign that you’re not working for a reward?
R. Yes.
S. If everything in the Ten, in the sensation of love, why do we have so many things in the world and in the universe just for this?
R. Because it’s all simply one man.
S. He could have made a small room with Ten people, why like this?
R. Because in order to scrutinize with all the details all the possibilities that exist inside a person in order to divide the one light into many particular lights so that the person will feel it and decide and accept every light in its own form that you will feel it and later on when he will connect all of these lights together he will truly feel the light of the Ein Sof.
S. All this is still for the future to come? All these systems in the body. I don’t even know what is happening with them?
R. Right.
S. Now it’s just about working with the 10 and the love and bestowal and the small self?
R. Yes.
14. S. (48:12) I asked to give thanks to the friend who is here who here has to give contentment to the friends, to the Rav, and to the Creator and my sensation has exceeded, thank you to the friend and you’re a huge friend.
15. S. (48:47) He writes that all of man’s work is only to recognize the greatness and importance of the Creator and we scrutinize over the lesson if I understood correctly the only through the friends because it is by being adhered to the friends right, and here he writes too, he talks about the three conditions and how a person can be rewarded with it sensation of the greatness and the importance of the King, can you explain how these three conditions work and the connection between them? That a person is ready to attain what is the greatness and importance of the king?
R. Read it a few times then we’ll talk.
S. I read it 10 times, he writes that first love will be rewarded with the glory of the Creator and then we have to pray to the Creator but then we have to make an exertion, to subjugate ones inclination and only after this these actions he is rewarded with the glory of the Creator. Practically how do I do it with the friends? Is there a special order here? It says here the first faction, second action, third action?
R. There are entire articles on each one of them, if you look you’ll find them, it’s all exertion.
16. S. (50:18) When he speaks about pride he adds here that it reads like a gift and he pleads with the inclination to accept this gift. What is this about? It’s not clear at all?
R. Again?
S. It says that he’s proud that he’s the strongest man among all. The inclination says that you are the strongest among all, no one else is betowing like you, then he is in a state. It says here that then Jacob brings a gift, and Jacob pleads with him and finally Esau does receive it. What is this about? He seemingly gives the inclination all of the work and says that he has given the inclination all the work and now he wants to begin in the work anew?
R. He searches for how to work with the whole evil inclination, that’s what Jacob wants.
S. What is this action of the gift that he talks about here?
R. These are parts of the package he has to pass to give to the evil inclination.
S. A person works and wants to engage in order to bestow, in the simple way, then the inclination comes and increases his pride and it says here that you’re the only one, in the strongest one and he should move away from the friends and Jacob resists it. What exactly does he do with respect to the friends with respect to the evil inclination it’s not clear?
R. Jacob, he wants to remain in smallness, Katnut, and the evil inclination, Esau, is driving him to Greatness Gadlut, adulthood. To use the vessels of Jacob and by that to enter greatness otherwise he cannot even get close to them, that’s what’s happening here.
S. Jacob insists to remain in Katnut, that’s the work here to remain in Katnut?
R. Yes, yes.
17. S. (53:11) How can a person see his stay as worse than his present state, how can the ego and the evil inclination allow such a thing to happen?
R. That’s how it’s done, that the Creator raises the evil inclination and man is drawn to him because he is in that same evil inclination that is before him, greater ability to receive illumination, to receive light, to receive fulfillment.
18. S. ( 54:08) In this debate, an argument between Easu and Laban, what does it mean that Esau says, you can have whatever belongs to you?
R. Because if he doesn’t feel desire for something then he has no true inclination, true tendency, and because of it he’s not really going to get into a conflict with Esau.
19. S. (54:45) If we work and I see that I need to see the merits of the friends as my problems that I have to work in such a way that it all exists inside of me but if I begin to realize that there is a gap let’s say a tear between the friend and the Ten and there is this kind of general revelation, and one friend doesn’t agree with the view of the Ten even with the view of the Rav for example, how can such a how can we use such a phenomenon for the sake of ascent?
R. I think that maybe we need to debate this together to scrutinize the matters and to bring it to some summary, some decision. What do we do in this case?
S. Let’s say that we had a meeting about it and we’ve reached a certain summary, so the friend doesn’t agree with us. That’s it we are stuck in a certain state at a certain point. It’s not just that we disagree or the friend disagrees. What’s next, do we just pray, do we stop at that point, do we get stuck in it or should we advance in some direction?
R. I would advise to write this down the state, and after some time maybe a day or two to repeat it, talk about it, and come back to it and talk about it and see how much things have changed. There are things you cannot solve on the spot. The mind of each and every one is still so locked on something that a person cannot understand and accept and decide on something else.
20. S. (57:20) It’s written in all the books that before we start to engage in Torah and Mitzvot a person should build attention to raise the Shechina from the dust. How can we build such a state where before any action, any study, we will aim ourselves in such a way to raise the Shechina?
R. We need to be together before the lesson and bring ourselves to a state,to the goal and by the lesson, we will reach a connection and inside the connection to decide from the correct form of the solution, that we see in the article.
S. Let’s say that we make an intention towards unity. Will we consider this successful work?
R. If you reach one solution that’s a good thing, that’s called success.
S. What does it mean, a single decision?
R. That you reach something that everyone receives.
21. S. (59:03) As of today corporeal life has lost its value but each and every day I have to live in the corporeal world, I have to make decisions and to make actions and in truth in order to make the Creator happy I have to connect with the friends and always keep them in my heart but in practice when I make choices in this corporeal world what I choose to do for the friends and for the world also doesn’t really make me happy and doesn’t make me feel like I’m in the right direction towards spirituality so what should I do when I feel that I’m falling into the shells in my corporeal choices?
R. I guess you need to still need to establish your state towards the world in both spiritual angle and corporeal angle, usually from the corporeal perspective we need to simply exist in a simple manner, but from the spiritual perspective by the force of connection between us, that’s between us and the group.
22. S. (01:00:42) Please tell me,can a situation appear in the ten that the ten cannot cope with?
R.
23. S. (01:01:03) It says in the article Leban, he claimed everything was his and Esau on the contrary says that’s what you have.. and later on a softest claiming everything was his so there’s a change there and it looks as if the Klipa is changing roles or suckling to gripping from gripping to suckling what’s actually going on here, in this change?
R. We always feel reality only in inversion between light and vessel, between good and bad only in opposites and thus we attain everything. That’s how we attain everything. Is that clear?