READING: BETWEEN AFTER MIDNINGHT AND DAWN FRIDAY

Baal HaSulam. Shamati, 4. What Is the Reason for the Heaviness One Feels when Annulling before the Creator in the Work?

LESSON MATERIAL

4. What Is the Reason for the Heaviness One Feels when Annulling before the Creator in the Work?

I heard on Shevat 12, February 6, 1944

We must know the reason for the heaviness one feels when he wants to work in annulling his self before the Creator and not worry about his own benefit. A person comes to a state as though the entire world stands still, and he alone is now seemingly absent from this world, and leaves his family and friends for the sake of annulling before the Creator.

There is but a simple reason for this, called “lack of faith.” It means that one does not see before whom he nullifies, meaning he does not feel the existence of the Creator. This causes him heaviness.

But when he begins to feel the existence of the Creator, his soul immediately yearns to annul and connect with the root, to be contained in it like a candle in a torch, without any mind or reason. However, this comes naturally, as a candle is canceled before a torch.

It therefore follows that the essence of one’s work is only to come to feel the existence of the Creator, meaning to feel the existence of the Creator, that “the whole earth is full of His glory,” and this will be one’s entire work. That is, all the energy one puts into the work will be only to achieve this, and nothing else.

One should not be misled into having to acquire anything. Rather, there is only one thing a person needs: faith in the Creator. He should not think of anything, meaning that the only reward that he wants for his work should be to be rewarded with faith in the Creator.

We must know that there is no difference between a small illumination or a great illumination that a person obtains, since there are no changes in the light. Rather, all the changes are in the Kelim [vessels] that receive the abundance, as it is written, “I the Lord did not change.” Hence, if one can magnify one’s Kelim, to that extent he magnifies the illumination.

Yet, the question is, With what can one magnify one’s Kelim? The answer is that to the extent to which he praises and thanks the Creator for having brought him closer to Him, so he would feel Him a little and think of the importance of the matter, meaning that he was rewarded with having some connection with the Creator.

To the extent of the importance that one pictures for oneself, so the illumination grows in him. One must know that he will never come to know the true measure of the importance of the connection between man and the Creator because one cannot assess its true value. Instead, as much as one appreciates it, so he attains its merit and importance. There is a Segula [power/remedy/virtue] in this, since by this he can be rewarded with this illumination staying permanently within him.

LESSON

Part 2:

Baal HaSulam. Peace in the World (In Practical Life, the Four Attributes Contradict One Another)

Reading (00:24) “Practical Life, the Four Attributes Contradict One Another”

1.  (07:17) R. We see that justice and peace and in general the attributes are in contradiction to one another and it is impossible to make sure that the one covers the others and there will be some form of balance between them. That all four can exist satisfactory. 

2. S. (07:56) These attributes, mercy, justice are these forms of desire within a person?

R. It comes from the human nature that gradually developed them. In this way it is expressed in us.

S. We learn in the wisdom of the evolution of desires and here we have some attributes in the person. What is that ? What does it have to do with human nature, his development?

R. It has to do with our nature? How else? These are four attributes,four qualities that development in us and they are positions once against the other. Each attribute is position one against the other.

3. S. (09:12) He says that justice contradicts peace. What is peace and justice? Why do they contradict?

R. Check what is written and you will see.

S. I will tell you why I’m asking you, it says they won’t be quiet until they overthrow the government and that enslaves the great and the energetic ones, and exploits them against the weak. Therefore there is no peace for the collective.What does he want to say that we are not taking care of the weak?

R. Of course.

S.  Why is this really, What is this  concept of not taking care of the weak?

R.  Why care for the weak. I care about myself according to my nature, I care about myself.

S.  He says that justice contradicts it as if something is opposite? Justice right now is opposite to peace? What then do we need to do? What is our role in that?

R.  We cannot do anything except for one thing to equalize all of the attributes.

S. It is too opposite vessels and we need to equalize their form?

R.  Yes.

4. S. (10:50) Is this a kind of intermediate stage? These four attributes of development?

R. What are you asking?

S. I wanted to confirm that the contradiction between the qualities is an intermediate stage of the development. We learned that we have to achieve the attributes of peace and mercy.

R. We will continue to study. we will see.

5. S. (11:30) How can we practically bring the four attributes to balance in our  life?

R. I guess we will learn about it next. For the time being we see that they’re in contradiction.

Reading heading (12:08) “The attribute of singularity in the egoism affects ruins and destruction”

6. S. (15:55) There is an interesting saying statement here. That truth and false are relative. How do we use both of these qualities in the Ten between us, if we don’t know or can’t actually reach the attribute of truth?

R. That’s how we work, we do what’s good for us.

7. S. (16:41) He writes that the problem with singularity is that it goes into the egoism and what’s sitting in my mind is the sesame seed that each one needs to give in the Ten. How do we pass or shift to the singularity to do that towards that sesame and rather than egoism? How do we distinguish this from that?

R. I don’t know. I think it’s there from the very beginning. We just need to see on what side we wish to place that sesame, but our ego is either from one side or another depending on what we choose.

S. That’s the reason and the intention that will cause the sesame seed to be a sesame seed?

R. Yes.

Reading (17:38) using the nature of singularity..

8. R. (26:18) You hear that, that we too, even in our generation we can reach the conditions of the last generation, it all depends on us.

9. S. (26:45) We need our ego for our corrections. On the other hand, if we consider our ego as the cause of destruction doesn’t that mean that the destruction itself is also an act of construction?

R. That the destruction itself is what?

S. Is a positive action destruction?

R. You could say it like this that the destruction is not exactly a destruction, it’s rather the revelation of the evil that exists within nature still. Until we are rewarded with discovering and correcting it. Yes.

10. S. (27:48) Can we reach the tipping point of the screen as the singularity of equivalence of form?

R. Yes.

11. S. (28:12) How do these natural tendencies for food, sex, family, money, on her knowledge come to be expressed in the form of singularity in order to bestow?

R. By screen and reflected light, as we learned, that you have a screen and then these five desires that are in you, they become in order to bestow.

S. How are these desires expressed, let’s say lust or desire for control, or money or knowledge? How are each one of these when they are in order to bestow comes to be expressed can you describe it?

R. Through the friends to the whole world. What’s the problem?

S. Let’s say a person has a strong inclination toward money or control and now he has corrupted his intention in order to bestow. What should he do, what is he going to do with the money and knowledge that he craves?

R. According to his new inclination he’ll use him that way.

S. Can you give an example?

R. You don’t know how to use money or wisdom or how to use anything that you do? For the sake of others?

S. Can you imagine it like that simply. Let’s say he has money and he gives it away/

R. Let’s say so.

S. He has knowledge and he shares it with the world?

R. Correct.

S. He has control so now he arranges everyone in such a way that he’ll be able to reach the Creator. it’s like that? Simply?

R. Yes, yes.

12. S. (30:20) The article Peace in the World is genius explaining the problems in the world. I’m impressed by all the time and I remember 8 years ago I asked you, why don’t we present this article maybe with some rewrites and you said,” who will hear you?” Has the time changed today with everything that’s happening in the world?

R. People are wiser,more prepared to accept what is written here, but I don’t think it will influence them, that they will actually settle into it and prepare themselves to change, I don’t think so, I don’t think so.

S. At some point will the writings of Kabbalists be accepted by the people or is it only for us to understand the system of creation and so on?

R. I can’t tell you exactly but I think that it will still take time, it will still take time. We’ll have to make more efforts in dissemination. Everything is in front of you, don’t be passive about it.

S. Will they accept it because he’s going step-by-step and he’s explaining it to you systematically ,why is there no peace in the world? Really, it looks like the solution to everything, But will it be accepted? I heard you said maybe now we should. I don’t know if it’s not clear to me.

R. Trying it is worthwhile, it’s worthwhile to try.