READING: FROM MIDNIGHT TO DAWN FRIDAY

Rabash. But the More They Afflicted Them. 16 (1985)

LESSON MATERIAL

But the More They Afflicted Them

Article No. 16, 1985

It is written, “But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out, so that they were in dread of the sons of Israel” (Exodus 1:12). The meaning of the words, “But the more they afflicted them” is that they will multiply and spread to that same extent that they are afflicted. It seems as though it is a condition—that there cannot be multiplication and spreading in the work before there is a basis of affliction first.

But to understand the above written, we must know our tenet, meaning know what is our essence. As it is explained in the introductions, it is only our will to receive. And certainly, when the will to receive fulfills its wish, that fulfillment is not considered work, since work means that for which one is rewarded.

In other words, work is actions that man would avoid, and he does them only because he has no choice, since he wishes to receive some reward. The reward is considered the thing that he craves, and his only desire and wish is for that thing. True craving means that this thing touches his heart so deeply that he says, “I’d rather die than to live if I cannot obtain it.” It follows that if he has no affliction or pain for not having what he craves, it is not considered a craving. And his craving is measured by the extent of his suffering.

It therefore follows that if one wishes to receive some satisfaction, there must first be a lack. This is so because there is no light without a Kli [vessel], and no one can fill it with anything if there is no deficiency. For example, one cannot eat without appetite or enjoy rest without fatigue.

Hence, one is not suffering because the Egyptians in his body are afflicting him unless he does not want to obey them and wishes to go by a way that displeases them. The root of reception in man is called “self-love,” and this is regarded as “Egypt.” There are many nations, which are generally called “the seventy nations,” that are the opposite of Kedusha [holiness], which are the seven Sefirot, where each Sefira [singular of Sefirot] consists of ten, hence the number seventy nations. And also, each nation has its own unique desire.

The Klipa [shell] of Egypt is a general Klipa. It is where the sparks of Kedusha fell, which the people of Israel—who were in Egypt—had to correct. Thus, first there must be pain and affliction for not being able to exit their governance, as it is written, “And the children of Israel sighed from the work, and they cried out, and their cry came up unto God from the work. And God heard their groaning.”

We should be precise about the words “from the work” being written twice. We should explain that all the sighs were from the labor, meaning that they could not work for the Creator. Indeed, their suffering was from not being able to make the work that they were doing be for the Creator, due to the Klipa of Egypt. This is why it is written, “from the work” twice.

1) All the sighs were not because they were lacking anything. They lacked only one thing, meaning they did not wish for any luxuries or payment. Their only lack, for which they felt pain and suffering, was that of not being able to do anything for the Creator. In other words, they wished that they would have a desire to give contentment to the Creator and not to themselves, but they couldn’t, and this afflicted them. This is called “wanting to have some grip in spirituality.”

2) The second “from the work” comes to teach that, “And their cry came up unto God,” that God heard their groaning, was because their only request was work. This is implied by the second “from the work.” It turns out that the whole exile that they felt was only because they were under the rule of the Klipa of Egypt and they could not do anything to make it only in order to bestow.

It is written in The Zohar (Exodus, Item 381 in the Sulam Commentary), “Rabbi Yehuda said, ‘Come and see that this is so, as Rabbi Yehoshua of Sakhnin said, ‘As long as their minister was given dominion over Israel, the cry of Israel was not heard. When their minister fell, it writes, ‘The king of Egypt died,’ and promptly, ‘And the children of Israel sighed from the work, and they cried out, and their cry came up unto God.’ But until then they were not answered in their cry.’’”

For this reason, we can say that if it is not time to dethrone Egypt’s minister, there is no room for choice, to repent and to be able to come out from the exile. He says (Exodus, Item 380 in the Sulam Commentary), “‘In those many days.’ ‘Many’ refers to Israel’s stay in Egypt, that is, that the end has come. And since their exile has been completed, what does it say? ‘The king of Egypt died.’ What does that mean? It means that the minister of Egypt was lowered from his status and fell from his pride. This is why the writing says about him, ‘The king of Egypt died,’ since decline is regarded for him as dying. As when the king of Egypt—who was their minister—fell, the Creator remembered Israel and heard their prayer.”

The Zohar asks this question about the verse, “In your distress, when all these things come upon you” (Deuteronomy 4). It means that before everything takes place, it is impossible to achieve perfection. It turns out that you give an excuse, a pretext that all the things that one should go through can be experienced through suffering, and this is measured by neither time nor quantity of affliction, but by the measure of feeling (see in The Zohar).

We can understand it through an allegory. If a person should make one kilogram worth of labor, which is a thousand grams of suffering, the reward comes for that as well. As our sages said, “The reward matches the pain.” This means that the labor that one should exert before he receives the reward is because there is no light without a Kli, since there is no fulfillment without a deficiency. And the labor that one gives is the qualification for reception of the need, so that afterwards he will be able to receive the filling in it.

Let us say that that person can give the thousand grams of deficiency intermittently, which are discernments in quantity and quality. A person can exert for ten minutes a day, meaning regret his remoteness from the Creator, or he can regret his remoteness from the Creator ten minutes a week, or ten minutes a month.

It is similar with the quality of his suffering when he remembers that he is remote from the Creator. Although it pains him, it is not so terrible and there are things that pain him more, things that he craves. It turns out that in quality, too, one should contemplate. Thus, a person has a choice, although he must experience the whole process of labor and affliction through the end, until he comes to a state of, “And you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice.”

Thus, man has a choice to shorten the time of the process of affliction due to the prolonging of time, which, as we said, is called “quantity,” and to add in quality, which is the sensation of suffering at being remote from the Creator.

But we should know that there is a big difference between quantity and quality in the manner of the work. When considering quantity of time, a person can arrange his schedule, meaning the amount of time he allocates to himself, even by coercion. This means that even though the body does not wish to sit for the whole time of the lesson that he decided on, he must sit for several minutes or hours and regret being remote from the Creator. If he has a strong desire and he is not of weak character, he can sit and keep the schedule he arranged for himself, since this is an act, and with actions a person can do things by coercion.

But with quality, this is very difficult because one cannot force oneself to feel differently than he does. If he comes to examine his feelings of pain and suffering at being remote from the Creator, he sometimes comes to a state where he does not care. At that time, he does not know what to do because he cannot change how he feels, and then he is perplexed.

This causes the prolonging of the exile because it is hard for us to give the necessary quantity, much less the quality. And 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. In other words, if he comes among friends and does not criticize them in any way, testing if they, too, have the same obstructions and thoughts but have overcome them, or they just take no interest in introspection and this is why they can engage in Torah and Mitzvot, how can he be like them?

At that time, he cannot receive any assistance from society because he has no Dvekut [adhesion] with them at all, as they are too small to be his friends. Thus, naturally, he is not affected by them whatsoever.

But if he comes among his friends not with his head high, thinking that he is wise and the friends are fools—but rather tosses his pride away and follows the rule, “Poverty follows the poor,” not only is he in a state of decline and feels no need for spirituality, he also receives thoughts of pride, meaning that he is wiser than all his society.

Now let us return to the first question, regarding what The Zohar says, “And since their exile has been completed,” what does it say, “The king of Egypt died,” since he regards dethroning as death. And since the king of Egypt—who is their minister—fell, the Creator remembered Israel and heard their prayer. It turns out that there is a pretext that no prayer will help before it is due time. Thus, there is nothing that can be done, because the Creator will not hear their prayer.

With the above words we can understand the matters as they are. This is the same issue that our sages described about the verse, “I the Lord will hasten it in its time.” If they are rewarded, “I will hasten it.” If they are not rewarded, “In its time.” In other words, when the time comes, an awakening from the Creator will come, and through it Israel will repent. It turns out that the choice is in regards to time, as he says in the “Introduction to The Book of Zohar” (Item 16).

It follows from all the above that one should not consider the time of redemption—that it is written that before that, their prayer was not accepted—because this relates to the time of quantity and quality of suffering, that there is a certain time at which suffering is completed. However, we can shorten the time. The whole quantity and quality by which the suffering will appear can be shortened in a way that all the suffering will come in a short time, but all the suffering will have appeared there.

LESSON

Morning Lesson August 30, 2023

Transcription is made from simultaneous translation, which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio

Part 1:

Rabash. Article No. 16, (1985). But the More They Afflicted Them

Rabash. Article No. 16, (1985). But the More They Afflicted Them  (00:25)

1.S. (20:20) How to hasten the time and the matter of quality? And quantity, it says that you can do actions through coercion to coerce oneself to do more actions. And quality, the intention of thought, the internality of them and he summarizes the article here that it can also be in quality and quantity.

R. Yes, by connecting with the environment then he concentrates the influence of the environment on himself and in this way he accelerates the time. I would read it again. Do you agree with me? 

Reading Article Again – Rabash. Article No. 16, (1985). But the More They Afflicted Them (21:54)    

2. S.  (42:18) This pertains to the question of hastening the time, hastening already its time. I feel that it’s not really a matter of hastening or in its time, but rather things are accelerating. we just have to keep the pace. I mean I came to the lesson this morning and I had to ask myself why do you want to be here? and I said to myself I just want to adhere, I can’t do anything more. You speak to us about listening through the words and the power keeps increasing in such a Time can we be open to each other and to everything that comes to us more? Please.

R. It depends on a person’s heart. To what extent can he be awakened with words. It’s a relatively external form and awakening a person he needs to use, to try to awaken himself from inside. 

S. He does awaken it’s even more clear because he’s making small deviations to ones who are not even counted today. The payment is great. It’s like you’re driving a car at high speed and there you better not deviate from the path.

R. Right clear. true.

3. S. (44:05) He speaks about the quantity and quality of the sorrow, the affliction, the suffering that we feel. The question is as follows, if in all day long throughout the day there are all kinds of computations that the ‘will to receive’. when you sit and think with yourself wait a minute what do I really crave one of my lacking is it something external that I like or do I think the Creator. then you stop yourself, you’re not filled with nonsense because really is nonsense in what you really need is the Creator and your sorrow. Is this sorrow quality or quantity?

R. More quality.

S. Quality of sorrow what is it with the quality then how I bring myself to Sarah with quality do I set up times?

R. Yes.

S. He speaks a lot about the sorrow here on the path we have to speak about joy and gratitude to be in joy here he writes according to the sorrow is the reward, the more you’ll be in sorrow the more you will gain rewards so how does it work along with the joy?

R. Try and work and you will see.

S. In sorrow?

R. Try and work and you will see.

4. S. (45:50) What does it mean the quality of the suffering if he says in the end that we seemingly have to go through all the suffering? all of this suffering will have appeared there.

R. There are calculations here the amount of suffering, the qualities of them to the extent that accumulates together so accordingly we advance.

S. But we have to go through all the suffering it doesn’t matter if you have higher quality or lower quality?

R. Yes, it doesn’t mean that we don’t need to pay attention until they pass but with our attention we can shorten their time.

5. S. (46:42) How do you toss away your pride?

R. That a person needs to find in themselves the means how they can annul their pride or more precisely ask the Creator to annul their pride, and by that advance. Pride is the hardest thing. 

6. S. (47:43) It says here that a person can bend himself in terms of the amount of the exertion but not in the quality.

R. Well?

S. And on the other hand we read in the introduction to TES that people who invested a lot of exertion but were negligent in the quality didn’t reach their, why can’t we shift things that we can decide through the quality of exertion but only through the quantity and how can we truly have a high quality labor?

R. We will try to advance and then see what his quality and quantity of the exertion and how we can add and compensate one on the other.

7. S. (48:46) He says that there is a state where meaning that there will be no ascent before the prior descent however the state of descent can reach the state of the still where he does not even have the power to pray and only the society can help him. Then he has a long list of demands. What does it mean that society can help them come between the friends, not criticize them and see that the friends are overcoming all kinds of things. Usually when a person is in a decline he only sees the opposite. He sees that the friends are not good, that they are lowly and not successful etc. Seemingly we have two hats and a situation and sometimes you’re the one that needs help in the society and sometimes you’re a part of the society and we have the strength to organize the society but in the state of decline who has the responsibility to lift the person who is in a lowly state? Does a responsibility rely on the society or does he have to come to the society like a needy person so they can save him?

R. Both.

S. Does it seemingly depends on both means that the person doesn’t come to the society but the society tries to save him? It’s not going to work for them?

R. Again, it all depends on the state, the attitude between them.

S. How can you prepare for it so that in the state of descent, the society will save me? For example, right now, everything’s okay. We’re connecting. What should I do? What preparation should we make so that when I’m going to state that I have no desire for anything, I’ll be able to get help from the society because I won’t see them as great or working or in adhesion or nothing. How can I prepare now for such a state so that they can help me in a state of decline?

R. According to what is understood from Rabash, then you likely need to minimize yourself to come to them in a way that you are able to receive from them all of their best that they have, and that will save you. The state that you do not have the vessels, the correct desires, here and only here we’re prepared for everything only in order to be influenced by them.

S. What do I need to do in preparation in that state before it comes because I don’t trust myself that what I’m going to decline and they are lowly they can’t help me they’re not worth anything. that is the essence of the state of descent that they’re engaging in unimportant things. Everything is black. So I’m asking about the preparation for the state because I know the state will come. It’s not the stay right now, what can I do now so that I will be able to?

R. To be connected with them as much as possible. That is what can always save you.

8. S.( 52:12) It says in the middle of the article that until the minister of Egypt falls and they reach the state of and they sighed, the prayer is not heard. Towards the end he writes that if one doesn’t hear the suffering because he lacks the Creator and there is no advice but to pray to the Creator to give him some life so we should pray before the Minister of Egypt falls.

R. Because he has no choice. He has no other advice.

S. So that prayer is heard?

R. Yes.

S. What exactly is the prayer that is heard or is not heard when they sighed?

R. A prayer is always heard. A person needs to always increase prayer as much as possible.

9. S. (53:08) It says in the article that it follows that the choices with respect to time, what kind of choice is it if the awakening only comes from the Creator? How can we attain the desire for spirituality if the Creator is the one who awakens this desire?

R. The Creator is always first. There’s no question about that, but we need to be sensitive for even the smallest awakening.

S. What does it mean to be sensitive?

R. That we are expecting. 

10. S. (53:50) What is the difference between spiritual suffering and corporeal suffering?

R. It depends on a person, how he arranges it. 

11. S. (54:06) What is the correct attitude towards suffering that awakens one to spirituality? How can we not feel it as coercion?

R. There’s no coercion in spirituality. Any thought, any urge, any desire that we receive with respect to spirituality, we have freedom of choice to receive it or not. To add to it our strength or not.

S. This means that in spite of the suffering, one has to find within himself a desire for spirituality?

R. Right.

S. So, won’t be the suffering that pushes him but is internal desire?

R. Yes.

12. S (54:58)What is the meaning of the work that we do in the Ten so that it is with quality and not just quantity?

R. Again.

S. What is the meaning of the work that we do in the Ten,which is in quality and not just in quantity? How can we distinguish between the two? How can we put emphasis on the quality?

R. To the extent we prepare ourselves that we come closer to spiritual actions. That is our work in the time of concealment and later when the time of action comes to us we are already prepared, to prepare ourselves, to justify the Creator and to do the actions of connection.

13. S. (55:52) Does the Creator not connect us yet because we didn’t want it enough? We didn’t suffer enough and we didn’t develop enough yearning?

R. Of course.The Creator gives us all these things, but we cannot join them together and turn to Him.

14. S. (56:16) What is the necessary measure of suffering in order to create a true desire for connection to the Creator? Is there such a measure?

R. Better to be dead than alive. 

15. S. ( 56:47) At the end of the passage, it said that the prayers will not be answered before it’s time, that seems to implicate Reshimot. How can we accelerate our development if our prayers are answered so how can we affect our Reshimot?

R. Only in group work. In the efforts between us, only then can we turn quality into quantity, sorry quantity and quality. 

16. S. (57:42) In the article, it says that there is a certain measure of the quantity of suffering that needs to be revealed, but later on, the suffering stops. If it is so, then can we expect that the suffering will only be for a certain time and then the suffering will end?

R. Yes, of course. We’ll have a different kind of suffering. Okay? 

17. S. (58:41) It says here that Israel sighed from the work and they cried out and the Creator heard their cry and then he says he repeats here again about the work because they’re two different things described here what are these states?

R. We will see that later. We will see it.

18. S. (59:21) It says that a person needs to give the required effort, the required quantity. How can you do that if he is in the state of unknowing?

R. Specifically from that place of being perplexed, he can raise a prayer.

19. S. (59:49) A while ago, you were asked what are we were looking in order to advance. Ravs answer was suffering. The question is why suffering?

R. That was not today, right.

S. That was not today, but here he says that prayer is not enough. He also needs pain. He repeat it in a different way?

R. Well, it is suffering but in quality. What kind of suffering that I can receive or cannot receive that I can bestow or I cannot bestow that I can connect what the suffering is about? That is what we have to check.

S. It is not really too beastly suffering, animal sufferings?

R. Not necessarily.

20. S. (01:00:58) It says to hear that if we add quality it says to add the feeling of being distant from the Creator so the quality of the work is the amount of suffering of being distant from the Creator, how to add to that quality? What does it mean that you are distant from the Creator? What is the criteria for this quality?

R. In order for us to increase the quality and quantity in our state of darkness we have to connect with the friends and try together to be with them in one heart.

S. Let’s say we connect with the friends in the lesson or some meeting about the quality of our work, it says that quality is our sensation of distance from the Creator. How can it be expressed if you’re working quality or not?

R. Speak between you and then pray to the Creator that He will explain to you your situation.

21. S. (01:03:28) If a person in these times feels sorry for not feeling enough sorrow, for not being able to come closer to the Creator, is that also considered quality?

R. No, no.

S. So, the quality cannot be improved?

R. You cannot increase the quality through the suffering that you demand.

22. S. (01:03:47) It turns out that you need to go through a certain quality of suffering,how can we make ourselves go through sufferings and not escape them?

R. It’s not exactly suffering. It is our sensitivity to the connection with the Creator.

S. What does it mean that the sufferings come in a short time and that becomes shorter or they experience internally not externally?

R. We will see that through practice.

23. S. (01:04:30)Thank you very much for your but your reaction yesterday we were nourished the whole day through. We have a question about the article now. How can I support the friends to overcome the egoistic desire and to take the first step towards the fulfilling spiritual experience  and to step out of the exile of their own limitations?

R. I can only enter a connection with them and come closer to them to see how difficult it is to pray to the Creator that he will help me to connect to them. According to the vessel that the Creator gradually builds between us I will be able to see my progress towards Him, towards the Creator.

S. We did an exercise after the lesson,to enter the heart of the friend. Could you please give us an exercise so that we can do an exercise after the lesson today to actually enter this state where we can support the friends now?

R. We will see. We have additional lessons. Maybe at the end of the entire lesson.

24. S. (01:07:18) Should not the suffering become sweet if the scrutiny is right?

R. Well at least they make a change.

25. S. (01:07:48) Is there such a state that the ascents and the sense of the friends are more meaningful, more painful than my own?

R. It could be.

26. S. (01:08:11) In the state where I do not feel anything, what leads me on the path is my obligation in the group but I’m doing an egoistic scrutiny here and from not wanting to feel shameful I make an effort in the group. My question is if I consider the defense that I got as qualitative is that still from the will to receive?

R. Bit by bit, through this, you can change. You can actually change through this.

27. S (01:09:04) Are we lacking the quality of the deficiency for the Creator to fulfill it?

R. We always lack that.

28. S (01:09:30) When it says in it’s time if instead of a person developing naturally, spiritually where it says hastening we understand that he is ahead of natural development if a person’s development is determined by the Creator either way how can we say anything about this whole process?

R. Our process is the same process that is clear. We only get one day to the next day more activations from above in our will to receive and in different qualities of it and in terms of the help and it is also through the society and from within us. therefore each and every day appears to us as new. However what we need to do is to try to see what is important for us today. How the Creator is operating on me? Especially today. How is He awakening me? What is he inviting me to scrutinize my vessels, my desires? That is today specifically. Then I go through all kinds of changes in my states with respect to the Creator and I want to manage them on my part through my attitude to the friends according to my relation to the friends as much as I can change my relation to the friends according to that I will advance. That is all.

29. S (01:11:52) What does it mean that the king of Egypt died and what is the answer on the Creator’s path? What does it mean?

R. He raises within us the king of Egypt so that he would rule us, and therefore, if he brings them to death, it is a stage already in our spiritual development.

30. S. (01:12:53) How can we increase our qualitative effort while we work on the connection between us?

R. It all depends on the quality and quantity of the connection between us. We need to try in each and every state to change, to rearrange the connection between us so that we will feel in it and you state a new degree.

31. S (01:13:38) According to what signs can a friend check, can a group scrutinize what is a still state in a friend?

R. StIll state?

S. When she does not have sufferings towards the Creator. 

R. Why should I check that in the friend?

S. You don’t need to?

R. I don’t want to see such things in her. Only an ambition, a yearning to reach the Creator, the connection between us.

S. To see a fall and advance?

R. I don’t want to see that or think about it in advance, we never wish such a thing for the friends.

S. So we shouldn’t do it? To depict to myself that the friends shouldn’t fall?

R. That they are about to fall into my eyes now or in the future?  Why should I think about that? On the contrary, I should think about how I’m going to lift them and support them. It is really incorrect.

32. S. (01:15:26) This quality that makes us grow with intention in order to bestow it also makes us have the revelation of evil and the judgments that come to a person. How can we overcome what we know? That this is how it is when the reveal has to be revealed without falling into self-pity?

R. This is done through the connection between us. When I’m connected to the friends and they are connected to me. Typically, we think, how we can hold one another up, reinforce one another in advance, and in this way, this is what we need.

33. S. ( (01:17:04) Is the quality does the quality of our work that is it related to Heart of Flesh as opposed to heart of stone

R. Again.

S. Is the quality of the work related to the heart of flesh as opposed to the heart of stone?

R. Of course, certainly.

34. S (01:17:47) You said that the Creator wants to show me that I’m connected to the friends and it’s acting on me?

R. Everyday the intention is that a new discernment awakens in me, relative to the spiritual work.

S. How is it correct to decode the Creator’s tone every time?

R. Try this depends on you and your connection with the Creator with their friends.

S. In the work of the Ten, how can we determine? How can we identify because there are so many things that happen? It seems that the Creator is turning from different angles from different systems?

R. The system is very simple, open yourself up towards the friend and adhere to them with an open heart and then you will feel in it what is required of you.

35. S. (01:19:13) Why do you find yourself in the states when all you can do is pray? You can even hear the articles, and all you can do is pray?

R. That is not exactly correct. Listen, we have a white pass that we are connecting to the group and we can arrange for ourselves this kind of connection with the Creator to establish that he is that He…[ no translation].. and we need to begin to work with that too and this is how we will advance.

36. S (01:19:26) How can a person turn his prayer to a strong prayer?

R. [no translation] and then to Him and the friends will connect together.

37. S (01:21:25) During the time of suffering,and I turn to the Ten in the time suffering so during the suffering then the time shortens?

R. Correct.