READING: BETWEEN AFTER MIDNINGHT AND DAWN SUNDAY

Rabash. What Does the Rule “Love Thy Friend as Thyself” Give Us. 5 (1984)

LESSON MATERIAL

What Does the Rule, “Love Thy Friend as Thyself,” Give Us?

Article No. 5, 1984

What does the Klal [“rule,” as well as “collective”], “Love thy friend as thyself” give us? Through this rule, we can come to love the Creator. If this is so, what does keeping the 612 Mitzvot [commandments] give us?

First, we need to know what a rule is. It is known that a collective [Klal] consists of many individuals. Without individuals, there cannot be a collective. For example, when we refer to an audience as “a sacred audience,” we are referring to a number of individuals who have gathered and formed a unit. Afterwards, a head is appointed to the audience, etc., and this is called a Minian [ten/quorum] or a “congregation.” At least ten people must be present, and then it is possible to say Kedusha (a specific part of a Jewish prayer) at the service.

The Zohar says about it: “Wherever there are ten, the Shechina [Divinity] dwells.” This means that in a place where there are ten men, there is a place for the dwelling of the Shechina.

It therefore follows that the rule, “Love thy friend as thyself,” is built on 612 Mitzvot. In other words, if we keep the 612 Mitzvot, we will be able to achieve the rule, “Love thy friend as thyself.” It turns out that the particular elements allow us to achieve the collective, and when we have the collective, we will be able to achieve the love of the Creator, as it is written, “My soul yearns for the Lord.”

However, one cannot keep all 612 Mitzvot alone. Take, for example, the redemption of the first-born. If one’s first-born is a girl, he cannot keep the Mitzva of redemption of the first-born. Also, women are exempted from observing time-dependent Mitzvot, such as Tzitzit and Tefillin. But because “all of Israel are responsible for one another,” through everyone, they are all kept. It is as though everyone keeps all the Mitzvot together. Hence, through the 612 Mitzvot, we can achieve the rule, “Love thy friend as thyself.”

LESSON

Morning Lesson September 29, 2023

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

Part 1:

Rabash. Article No. 5, (1984). What Does the Rule, “Love Thy Friend as Thyself,” Give Us?

1. Rav’s Introduction: (00:35) This is really, you can see how much the world is changing, people are changing, the relations between people are changing, and this rule ‘love thy friend as thyself’ is becoming more and more contradictory to that which we feel all around the world. Where people are distancing more and more from one another, they’re feeling more closed within themselves and this rule is becoming one that stands out more and more, and we understand how important it appears. And more than likely, this is what we need in order to bring the world to correction. There’s actually nothing more to do in the world but to correct this action, this thing that the Creator prepared for us in which He created one man and then broke it into many individual pieces whereas each of them is independent, non-connected to any others, and we need to bring all of reality to the source so it will connect, unite, adhere to the Creator. This is the correction of the world, there is no other action except for the act of connection.

The connection needs to be to such an extent that we will not feel distant, divided or broken, but we all have to return to the structure even though our bodies don’t change, we need to raise up above our ego, as we call it, we need to erect above this a network of connections between us called love, connection. So much so that we are returning to that system in which there was one man, this is how he existed until before the shattering, until before the sin. This is why we need to think about how we are returning to the same state as it was before the creation of the world. Because creation, Beriah, called Bar, outside which was prior to it, the one system. There was a force that connected all these pieces, all these parts, and everyone felt as connected to one man, to one heart, to one mind, to one soul. So much so that we couldn’t depict any differentiation between them and this was the system that was before the shattering and we need to try and reach this system. That’s our work. We have no more than to yearn for this, to raise the system and know it as we should, as this should be one whole system. Therefore what is he writing to us, what does the rule of ‘love thy friend as they self give us?’

Reading Rabash. Article No. 5, (1984). (07:17) What Does the Rule, “Love Thy Friend as Thyself,” Give Us?

2. R. (13:27) Meaning in the relations between us there are 613 connections, which we need to observe with love and then the connection between us will be a whole one. This is what we need to reach. This is what will be called the end of correction. We don’t know how to observe each and every detail, however as we are drawn to connection, to nearness, to one another, we begin to feel more where else we are lacking in connections and love, then in such a way we return to one system with all its parts just operating towards connecting to one another. Of course, we don’t know what the right connection is, how each must be connected to the other, but if we try to connect in love and fondness more and more and together learn how to be active together and by that we invite the Reforming Light. This is that force that fills us when we were before just like we were where we were before the shattering of Adam HaRishon and then we draw upon ourselves.

This is how He rearranges us together, in the right way, each of us correctly with the other, and we just see the results of the action of this upper Force that connects us. This is called the action of the Reforming Light and we discover ourselves again connected together in the system of Adam HaRishon. This is what we need to reach. This is actually the whole process we need to go through and feel upon ourselves how it works. And revealing this process upon ourselves is called revealing the Creator to his created beings, where the one force, the force of connection and love and nearness, this one force is connecting us back. This is the final correction, the end of the world, the revelation of the Creator to all of his created beings, the revelation of all the created beings as belonging to one system, with one common feeling and thus, we already remain that way in the corrected state. This is what the rule, ‘love thy friend as thyself’ gives us. 

3. S. (18:21) Yesterday you had a very strong introduction to the lesson about the Shechina dwells between the attracting force and the rejecting force, and as long as I study with the friends and with you I feel that everything is revealed inside me, inside my feelings. What does it mean that the Creator is revealed between us?

R. The Creator is that force which connects us the force of bestowal. And it is then revealed between us, connects us together into one network and therefore, we need to yearn towards that system, to draw it as much as possible. All of our work is in order for the Creator to be revealed between us. There is no more than that. In that, we will attain ourselves and the extent in which we are opposite to connection, how much we’re coming close to connection, to what extent we need to perform actions, which are left for us to correct. This is how we will come closer to one another, in order to reveal the common force that connects between us and fills that void between us called the Creator. That’s why the Creator is called, ‘come and see’ where you come to- Bo– where you come to that state in which you see, meaning feel, receive in all of your senses, because seeing is called the highest degree of connection of recognition of awareness, and this is how we come to depicting Him, locating Him, receiving Him, holding onto Him.

To the extent that we connect to this force that is between us and connects us. Without this force, we’re not capable of even being connected to one another. We must have the Creator be revealed, this force of bestowal between us for Him to be revealed between us, and this is how we reveal Him. Against that it’s the building of this system, unified, the Creator says, “I have created the evil inclination.” Whereas instead of the force of connection, He discloses the force of separation, distancing, and resistance. This force accompanies us, arranges us, and shows us where we need to perform corrections. It shows us where and how we need to see the connection between us. This is how we come to correction. All of creation is actually the corruption of what was created at first, where the Creator prepared creation in a shattered manner. That’s called “I have created the evil inclination,” the ego between us and the rejection between us and “I’ve created the Torah as a spice” where there’s a certain remedy, a medicine which corrects us, brings us closer and connects us.

4. S. (24:05) In the yearning between us are there 613 connections?

R. There are 613 connections between us. That’s something that we’ll learn upon ourselves. Now, for the time being, it’s too early to reveal. We’re not capable of feeling it to that extent. Just like when a baby is born, he doesn’t feel light. Then he starts to feel light and darkness, but not colors. Also, not only in his vision but in his hearing, meaning we gradually operate in a manner that our senses are opening up and it is from this that we come to recognizing reality, and also to the central force of reality, which is the Creator.

S. Can we receive some direction in the work? You said He is merciful so you be merciful?

R. Yes, in general our work needs to be in coming closer to one another. But we don’t yet understand what it is to come close. Look at little children, explain to a child that you need to be his friend, and give him something, he won’t understand he’s under the control of his ego. That’s how we are also, this is also that every single sense, technically and in every way that it’s being revealed, it is always revealed in a thing and its opposite. Whereas if you want to see and you want to get to know light, you also have to get to know darkness, and the gap between it and darkness will give you the intensity of your vision. Therefore, we need to yearn upon all the disturbances to understand the things that are opposite them.

5. S. (26:53) What does it mean to invite the Reforming Light?

R. To invite the Reforming Light is called to come close according to the extent in which a person is capable to the upper Force, which is completely in bestowal, love, connection, and in the same inclination towards the upper Force, which we will feel, and begin to incorporate with, to come close to, to be filled and that’s how we correct ourselves. We cannot correct ourselves besides evoking this force of connection between us. We don’t need anything else but that because the force of connection is the Creator, and if we reveal Him, we reveal a new world, and this force of connection controls and rules all of reality. In each of us, in us, and then we begin to already feel a different world.

S. What makes the Reforming Light ‘reforming?’

R. The Reforming Light is a special force that stems from one root. It’s the nature of the Creator which is One. Therefore, in illuminating upon us it pushes us, He connects us to one, to one system. Even though we are indifferent, contradictory in forces opposite one another, through this light we are improved, refined, connected, and drawn towards one another.

S. Are there special conditions in our attitude, in our way, in our actions so we truly get Reforming Light and are there conditions to get that Reforming Light? What are those conditions?

R. If a person were to feel himself as existing on his own, then he wouldn’t have so many possibilities, but to cry out to that force that created him and created is called Bar meaning outside the state that was before, which took him out of the good state. And a person would only appeal to this upper Force, and wouldn’t be able to attain anything because there would be no examples for him, with creatures like him. Therefore, the Creator created many people, bodies, souls which are in contradiction to one another between them, in all sorts of measures, levels, that, it’s really, eventually they make actions which draw them to one another, inevitably, due to all kinds of thoughts, plans, desires, and this is how they gradually connect between them, despite of the rejection between them, which also increases.

Then it turns out that this overcoming of the will to receive is what brings them to the right, true connection. That there are two forces here, a rejecting force and a connecting force and this is how we connect ourselves between us. Such that the force that doesn’t let us connect is like this coarseness that is between us and the force that is connecting us, is the force of adhesion which we attain from above, from the Creator in coming close to His nature. Then it turns out that the system of connection between us includes within it two contradictory forces, the force of attraction, and the force of rejection. With this, we learn that with all of our forces called the force of reception. From here on there’s a lot to ask.

6. S. (33:48) You talked about the high degree of attainment. Is it in our hands to attain this? What does it mean that it’s in our hands? Is it in our hands to attain the high attainment and by what means?

R. To the extent in which we, the Creator establishes these things on purpose between us and we try to overcome them, meaning to cover them with the forces of connection, then we have the forces of disconnection and the forces of connection. These two forces, in the two of them, we use. Then it works out that just like in all of nature, as we learn two contradictory forces in which we can establish together one against the other and learn from them how we build a system, which on one hand includes the forces that are distant to one another and on the other hand, it includes the forces that are drawn to connection to one another. From these two forces we see that the system is constructed and this is how we learn it, accept it, and are included in it.

S. How can we command the Creator in this manner to advance us today, and tomorrow in the most efficient manner?

R. That is actually a very big portion of our study and how can we impact the upper Force who created us, established us, as rejecting one another, the ego being created as I have created the evil inclination as he says, and we need to bestow upon Him in such a way that he will correct things. Meaning, we’re obligating the Creator to bring back the good connection that should be between us. That is called ‘My sons have defeated Me’. Where the Creator just shows us the force of rejection and distancing and we bestow to Him and obligate Him in such a way that instead He will open between us the force of connection and love.

S. By what forces of rejection that we reveal that we need to overcome them?

R. To the extent in which we feel the other in our world. We gradually discover the force of rejection between us. Between a person, the still, the vegetative, the animal, and the speaking, and that’s in each and every person. But that level is a human level, when we begin to learn the wisdom of Kabbalah then we start to study that we need to rise above the rejections between us and to try and relate to all of reality. Not just including still, vegetative, animal, and speaking, but rather in one towards the degree of speaking, towards the degree of Adam that we need to reach between us, and to connection and to be seemingly as if there was no shattering, no distancing between us, and this is called the correction of our nature. This correction can be observed only through prayer. Only in the request and demand in which we turn to the Creator and One force of None Else Besides Him, and He corrects us. Meaning He replaces gradually the force of rejection with the force of connection.

S. A question regarding the new world. You said that we need to feel in the world, how can we reveal this? How do we feel this?

R. The new world is the new connection between us. Whereas we need to build relations between us and we build them not just from the still, vegetative, and animal, but only from people, between them to begin with, in an egoistical negative relationship towards one another. Between us, they gradually, through efforts, do what the wisdom of Kabbalah recommends for them to do, it’s by that, that they observe conditions that reforms them towards a good attitude between them.

7. S. (41:51) I cannot feel that the Creator loves the friends. I can feel that He loves me, doesn’t love, above reason, towards myself I can feel something. I understand that His love towards others is actually these acts of bestowal those things actually because I can respond to Him only towards bestowal and this is also only toward the created beings. So is that the way that I connect the vessels to the friends and love them?

R. We need to understand that the force of the Creator, the nature of the Creator is bestowal and love. Which is actually the same thing. In our terms, in our world, love is bestowal. That’s how it’s expressed between us. We need to make the effort to see how the expression, the revelation of bestowal between us, even on the earthly level, all of these expressions help us to come closer to one another, to bestow to one another and to advance in this manner.

S. How can I love a friend directly, not the Creator, when I feel the love of the Creator towards me?

R. Yes, the Creator is the general force of the connection, the general system that everyone is connected through.

S. Then I can really pray for the friends?

R. Yes.

8. S. (44:48) How can we constantly evoke the force of connection especially now when we’ve gathered for the convention?

R. It’s very important. That’s a good question because what do we need Congresses for? In order to be impressed, to be inspired, as much as possible from one another. In order that we will get closer, as close to each other as possible. And then we’ll understand that this is the development of the created beings. It is the most important thing for us to get closer internally to one another. That the entire world will feel, especially women, that each one shall feel that the friends support them and that others are helping them, pushing them forward. That’s what I can say.

S. Where to take that audacity or sternness to connect above like that?

R. Ask, demand, like little children that demand from their parents. They don’t feel that they have any audacity or that they have some calculations. Whatever they want to receive from their parents, that’s what they demand. They see in their parents that they must do this for them, they raise them, care for them, educate them, provide for them everything that they need, fill them with everything they need, and so they should feel what the child is asking for, right? And so, the part of the children, the small children, there is no calculation other than to get what I want. Look at even in the animate level, the little chicks, right, they open up their beaks, their mouth, right and they suckle from their parents everything that they need. That’s how it needs to be. That’s how it’s the same thing with us. We need to grip onto the Creator, to get to suckle everything from Him, that we need for our development for our spiritual growth. And even not just the spiritual, but also our corporeal development, if we will relate to Him in this manner, He will only be happier from it.

9. S. (48:23) It’s written in The Zohar that wherever there are ten, the Shechina can dwell. What is this love between two friends? What is this connection between two friends?

R. Connection between two friends is that same, minimal, spiritual unit that we can build in this world without that will have at least one friend, the truth is you need at least ten, but at least one more, that I have such a friend, and I am in connection with him, that each of us worries about the friend will have desire to bestow to the Creator, and then in such a manner we can grow fast and correctly.

S. We have seven friends in my ten, not ten, so how does that work out?

R. That’s not important, it’s just that the minimum of many is two. Two is already enough, but it’s desirable optimally according to this spiritual unit it is ten. More than ten is also not good.

10. S. (50:30) How can we understand that we have come to a connection between us and could you give a concrete example for this?

R. It’s very concrete, the moment that we connect between us, then in this moment we begin to reveal the Creator. In a small extent at first, that by us is called the light of Nefesh then the light of Ruach, Neshama, Haya, and Yechida, that’s how we grow. So these practical actions and we need to see in them the results, practical results.

11. S. (51:58) Our nature, the matter that we’re made of, is the rejecting force. At the end of correction does that disappear altogether? How can that be if this is the matter that we’re actually made of? What happens to it?

R. The matter that we feel, it’s our internal sensation, there is no matter, there simply isn’t. It’s the sensation of distance, rejection, repulsion. That’s what there is, and thus, we feel that this matter remains and it must remain, as the posterior of the spiritual degree and because of this matter we feel the height of our ascent in all of the 125 degrees, that we need to reach through them to the Creator and so nothing disappears. It just receives its correct form and correct connections between them.

12. S. (53:44) She meant the force of rejection that you were talking about earlier. Does this force disappear at the end of correction? Where does this force of rejection disappear which is our engine?

R. It doesn’t disappear. If it would disappear between us this force of rejection, alienation of opposition then we would stop to feel reality because reality includes two forces. It comprises two forces and both of these forces must be in order that we will feel it. Like us, darkness-light, plus-minus and everything we need to feel two forces, and the relation between them gives us the sensation of reality, where we are between both of them. And so nothing disappears. All in all, we just open up the true reality that it is entirely based upon nearing and distancing and alienation, not that we’re here, it’s through this that we identify reality, heat-cold, noise-quiet, and all sorts of relations between us. The spiritual reality we reveal it, in all of our emotional relations between us, between love and hate, repulsion and attraction and this is how we establish the spiritual reality, stabilize it, begin to live in it and begin to feel the relations between all of the parts of creation. And thus, we open up our sensations that begin to establish in us, stabilizing in us this new form of reality. According to attraction as a nearness and distance that is emotional, spiritual.

13. S. (56:41) What’s the connection of living in the degree of Adam and to feel the suffering of people, of other friends, of people?

R. Again.

S. What’s the connection between feeling the suffering of others, of other people?

R. This is called the degree of Adam, man. That I feel suffering or pleasure that there is in other human beings, besides myself. And I don’t ascribe it to myself, but rather I truly refill what exists in them. We need to reach a state where all of our tendencies, internally, that they will truly be to feel what is happening in the other. What’s happening in each and every friend, in each and every friend. In the meantime now we can’t because in our friends there still isn’t the correct sensations towards one another, but soon they will begin. Also, I hope that in these days maybe we’ll begin to detect them, to locate them and then we’ll see what the spiritual environment is in comparison to the corporeal one, the corporal atmosphere.

14. S. (59:15) You said that we have to be tightly connected to the Creator to feel both corporeally and spiritually. Spiritually it’s clear that we’re asking for His nature. For corporeal development it’s not so clear because it distances us from spiritual development. Can you explain what you meant?

R. We need to make the effort to grow in the force of bestowal and then accordingly we’ll understand more, the nature and everything that we have here and so that’s what we need. The spiritual force is in man out of this that he yearns for connection with others. The corporeal force is in man to the extent that he yearns to be above the connection with others and that’s how we grow. The force that we want to connect between us is called the force of connection, yeah and the force that we are distancing, this is the force of alienation and we have nothing more actually, these are very simple things, that to the extent that we get closer, to the extent that we get farther, accordingly, to that extent, we have all our sensations and all our discernments. Try to see reality through this and you’ll see that there is no more in the world other than nearing and getting farther.

15. S. (01:02:08) Very happy to see you all. The question is, you said Rav, that each one of us must be connected to the next, to the other and we make effort but are those actions that we need to do individually, collectively or all together?

R. Both, also one person, all of Bnei Baruch and all the corrections in the world but these are very difficult things, that without the external example without incorporation with others and so what the upper Force did is He broke the vessel, the will to receive of man and arranged many such parts, human beings. We are correcting ourselves only according to the nearing between us until we reach ‘as one man with one heart,’ until our incorporation, it must be such that we will not feel anything besides incorporation and there’s no difference between one and the other. We are not talking about human distances but truly in all of our sensations our discernments our understanding, that we feel that between us there is some gap, no more and that’s how we attain spirituality.

16. S. (01:05:00) I feel that in our group there are some frictions and we can’t connect, how to connect them?

R. I can’t tell you how to connect but you must make the effort to connect between them and to form them, establish them, stabilize them and not jump from connection to connection and all sorts of things but there all the time to look for the continuing of the path that you were in a moment ago, continue. You were in it a moment ago and you continue to the next one. It’s clear? It’s very important to be persistent in this.

17. S. (01:06:10) I heard that the main purpose of the convention is to come closer and be impressed by one another, in what way are we distant from one another?

R. In our ego.

S. How can we come close so that the only thing that bothers us is the ego?

R. We need to rise above it.

S. How can I be impressed by the friends, coming close physically is not a problem?

R. Physically, it’s not considered, it’s more specifically the internal coming near in thoughts, plans; that’s the most important.

S. I don’t even know how to ask: what impressions?

R. That you understand that same, in the same manner, your purpose of your life; as if you have the same goal.

18. S. (01:08:26) How does coming closer to friends bring us closer to the Creator?

R. I would say it’s the same thing, the same thing because the Creator is between the friends and the moment that we close the gap between friends we are aimed and directed towards the Creator.

19. S. (01:09:24) During the day we go through many corporeal things, family, work and such. What’s the difference between someone that is constantly in connection and someone that is not constantly in connection?

R. Difference? We don’t see the difference because this is a person and this is a person but if we would see the actions, the spiritual actions then we would see that this is a beast and this is a man. Whoever is only for their own body, their own self, they’re called a beast, just like in our world as we see, yes. Whoever cares to reveal and to enlarge his soul he is called Adam. That’s the difference.

20. S. (01:11:10) I worry that we have the opportunity to connect deeper in this Congress and we raise this opportunity and obviously connection is the goal. I want the friends to remember that the purpose for us to be here is to achieve a deeper connection and for me the biggest concern I have is we may just forget about what we’re here for and miss this opportunity. I wonder if we can really become more sensitive to our friends’ spiritual needs so that we don’t leave this place the way we came because that’s what’s going to make the difference. That’s what I wanted to say.

R. I think that that won’t happen. That we won’t change for the good, already we are different compared to the same moment that we arrived, first arrived here and I think that what is upon us to do is just to ‘open the heart’ and to feel what there is in the hearts of the friends. And in this manner will feel our progress, even from moment to moment, with each question that every friend asks, with each moment that passes, that’s it and so we have nothing to be afraid of. I understand the concern. I’m familiar with it and I respect it but I hope that we’re here already in the process that will pull us forward correctly. Alright?

21. S. (01:14:10) A penny, another penny add up to a great sum and when they’re accumulating we should feel changes in us, in the friends, when we’re in the ten, in the world Kli we see these changes and this impresses us and allows us to move forward. What’s important to us is the feeling of the result. But while we’re making these efforts it doesn’t give us the possibility to see the results from it. What should we concentrate on, focus on in our daily efforts when there is nothing besides that when you’re there, where we’ll be able to continue to make efforts and exert?

R. Without any connection to the friends it’s practically impossible, a person is fooling himself but if I’m connected to the friends, then we have a system. If we want to be connected more tightly, more internally then we make an internal effort and it works out. The important thing is the effort, those inner efforts to come closer to one another.

S. Is it possible to say that the motivating force that makes us exert is the force of importance and greatness of the goal?

R. That doesn’t start from that. I can’t make the Creator greater if I have no foundation for it. If I decide to come closer to the friends and together with them and build a serious system of connection, then I will succeed.