READING: FROM MIDNIGHT TO DAWN TUESDAY

Lesson on the topic of “To Criticize Oneself

To Criticize Oneself – Selected Excerpts from the sources

1. RABASH, Article No. 5 (1986), “Concerning Respecting the Father”

If one wants to test if he is advancing in the work, he should do it in two ways: 1) by looking at the reward he hopes to receive from the Creator. If he is receiving a greater reward each day then the gauge is the vessels of reception. 2) How much he enjoys serving the Creator, and all his reward is that he is bestowing upon the Creator. For example, if he is serving the greatest man in the country, he enjoys it. But if he is serving the greatest in the generation, he certainly enjoys it more. Therefore, he wants the Creator to be greater and more important in his eyes each day. This is the real measurement.

2. RABASH, Article No. 146, “Suffering and Joy”

When a person examines whether his actions are on the path of truth, in order to bestow. At that time, he sees all of his faults. This is called “suffering,” meaning that it pains him that he is so weak about bestowal.

At that time he sees the truth, that he is unable to do anything with the aim to bestow and has no way out of his situation, and he sees that only the Creator can help him. Therefore, then he has room for prayer, to pray to the Creator from the bottom of the heart.

3. RABASH, Article No. 28 (1987), “What Is Do Not Add and Do Not Take Away in the Work?”

To the extent that he feels the importance of spirituality, so he establishes the praise of the Creator.

Once man has come to feel the importance of spirituality, which is called “One should always establish the praise of the Creator,” then is the time when he must shift to the left line. He must criticize how he truly feels within reason the importance of the King, if he is truly willing to work only for the sake of the Creator.

When he sees within reason that he is bare and destitute, that state when he sees the importance of spirituality, but only above reason, that calculation can create in him deficiency and pain for being in utter lowliness. Then he can make a heartfelt prayer for what he lacks.

4. RABASH, Article No. 16 (1989), “What Is the Prohibition to Bless on an Empty Table, in the Work?”

In spirituality, “left” means something that requires correction. This means that a person should dedicate a small portion of his time to criticize himself and see how much effort he can put into working solely for the sake of the Creator, and not for his own sake, and if he can say that if he does not work in order to bring contentment to his Maker, he does not want to live, and so forth.

At that time he realizes that he cannot do this on his own, but only the Creator can help. It follows that now is the time when he can pray from the bottom of the heart. That is, he sees and feels that he is powerless to change the nature with which he was created, called “will to receive for himself and not to bestow.”

5. RABASH, Article No. 27, “Three Lines – 1”

One should mainly walk on the right line, meaning do good deeds and feel himself as complete, and serving the king. One must believe that everything he does brings contentment to Him.

At the same time, he should dedicate time to walking on the left line, meaning to criticize, but the left should surrender before the right. That is, he walks on the left not because he wants the quality of the left, but in order to improve the right, to show that despite all his criticism and knowledge, he is going above reason, meaning in the “right,” which is called “faith.”

This is called the “middle line,” which decides between the two lines and leans toward the right.

6. RABASH, Article No. 518, “He Who Comes to Defile”

One who regards oneself as whole and does not criticize one’s actions is righteous according to his understanding and belongs to the general public, whose work is in a manner of reward and punishment.

“Until they gain knowledge and acquire much wisdom,” while they are in a state of “still” and are searching for the truth, “they are shown that secret” of the meaning of Lishma [for Her sake]. Who reveals it to them? It comes from above. This is called “He who comes to purify is aided.”

7. RABASH, Article No. 776, “Still of Kedusha”

There is no criticism whatsoever on all the things that man takes upon himself by rearing. Moreover, there could be two opposites in the same carrier, since there is no criticism. But when one takes upon oneself things that he did not receive by education, on those there is criticism and he cannot receive two opposites in the same carrier.

The reason is that every new thing that he is going to do, the question is, “Why am I doing it? Who obligates me, and what benefit will I get out of it?” Also, “For whose benefit am I doing it?” Only the intellect that obligates him to work can he do it. Otherwise, he suffices for what he received through education.

But then, when he receives new things, he needs faith. And to the contrary, only then is faith pertinent, since he already has criticism, there are always contradictions, and he cannot receive anything if not through the power of faith.

This is not so in the manner of education, when he has no criticism. At that time, he does not have much need for faith, since he is used to doing all those things by habit.

8. RABASH, Article No. 17 (1984), Part 2, “The Agenda of the Assembly”

At the very beginning of the assembly, when gathering, we should praise the friends, the importance of each of the friends. To the extent that one assumes the greatness of the society, one can appreciate the society.

“And then pray” means that everyone should examine himself and see how much effort he is giving to the society. Then, when he sees that he is powerless to do anything for society, there is room for prayer to the Creator to help him and give him strength and desire to engage in love of others.

9. RABASH, Article No. 13 (1986), “Come Unto Pharaoh 2”

We should know that there is a virtue to love of friends. One cannot deceive himself and say that he loves the friends, if in fact he doesn’t love them. Here he can examine whether he truly has love of friends or not. But with love of the Creator, one cannot examine oneself as to whether his intention is the love of the Creator, meaning that he wants to bestow upon the Creator, or his desire is to receive in order to receive.

But we should know that after all the corrections that man is given to do without the Creator’s help, he will not be granted any progress in the work of bestowal. And we asked, “Why, then, should one do things in order to later be rewarded with the help of the Creator? After all, the Creator can help even without the work of the lower ones, and man’s work on progress in the work will not help in any case.”

However, if one does not begin to work, he doesn’t know that he cannot triumph over the inclination. But when a person begins to walk in the work of the Creator and does what he can do, then he can offer a true prayer for the Creator to help him.

10. RABASH, Article No. 17 (1984), Part 2, “The Agenda of the Assembly”

After examining ourselves and following the known advice of praying, we should think as though our prayer has been answered and rejoice with our friends, as though all the friends are one body. And as the body wishes for all its organs to enjoy, we, too, want all our friends to enjoy themselves now.

Hence, after all the calculations comes the time of joy and love of friends. At that time, everyone should feel happy, as though one had just sealed a very good deal that will earn him lots of money. And it is customary that at such a time he gives drinks to the friends.

Similarly, here each one needs his friends to drink and eat cakes, etc. Because now he is happy, he wishes his friends to feel good, too. Hence, the dispersion of the assembly should be in a state of joy and elation.

11. Baal HaSulam, “The Freedom”

There are no two people on earth whose opinions are identical, because each person has a great and sublime possession bequeathed to him from his ancestors, and which others have no shred of them.

Therefore, all those possessions are considered the individual’s property, and society is cautioned to preserve its flavor and spirit so it does not become blurred by its environment. Rather, each individual should maintain the integrity of his inheritance. Then, the contradiction and oppositeness between them will remain forever, to forever secure the criticism and progress of the wisdom, which is all of humanity’s advantage and its true eternal desire.

12. RABASH, Article No. 1 (1990), “What Does ‘May We Be the Head and Not the Tail’ Mean in the Work?”

As long as one is placed under the governance of the will to receive for himself, he cannot know what is good and what is bad, but must accept everything the way the sages determined for us, or dust and dirt will enter his eyes and he will not be able to move forward, but when we do not criticize the words of the sages and do not want to accept their words within reason, specifically by this we are rewarded with knowledge [reason] of Kedusha [holiness].

13. RABASH, Article No. 21 (1985), “We Should Always Discern between Torah and Work”

If there are already sparks of bestowal, meaning that he has already received something from the remedy of the Torah and Mitzvot in the form of cleansing the thought and the desire, and is in a state of self-criticism in matters of work.

But one should not criticize oneself at all in the Torah. Rather, he should learn Torah as is. All we have to do is seek advice on how to appreciate the Torah.