READING: BETWEEN AFTER MIDNINGHT AND DAWN THURSDAY

52. A Transgression Does Not Extinguish a Mitzva

LESSON MATERIAL

I heard on the eve of Shabbat, May 14, 1943

“A transgression does not extinguish a Mitzva [commandment], and a Mitzva does not extinguish a transgression.” It is the conduct of the work that one must take the good path. But the bad in a person does not let him take the good path.

However, one must know that one does not need to uproot the bad, as this is impossible. Rather, one must only hate the evil, as it is written, “You who love the Lord, hate evil.” Thus, it is only hatred that is needed, since it is the conduct of hate to separate the adhered.

For this reason, evil has no existence on its own. Rather, the existence of evil depends on love for the evil or the hate for the evil. It means that if one has love for evil then one is caught in the authority of the evil. If one hates the evil, he exits their premises and one’s evil has no dominion over that person.

It follows that the primary work is not in the actual evil, but in the measure of love and the measure of hate. For this reason, a transgression induces a transgression. We must ask, “Why does he deserve such a punishment?” When one falls from one’s work, he must be aided to rise from the fall. But here we see that more obstacles are added to him so he would fall lower than the first fall.

But in order to feel hatred for the evil, he is given more evil, so as to feel how the transgression removes him from the work of the Creator. Although he regretted the first transgression, he still did not feel regret enough to bring him hatred for the evil.

Hence, a transgression prompts a transgression, and every time he regrets, and each remorse certainly instigates hatred for the evil until the measure of his hatred for the evil is completed, and then he is separated from the evil, since hatred induces separation.

It therefore follows that if one finds a certain measure of hate at a level that prompts separation, he does not need a correction of “a transgression induces a transgression,” and therefore saves time. When one has been rewarded, he is admitted to the love of the Creator. This is the meaning of “You who love the Lord, hate evil.” They only hate the evil, but the evil itself remains in its place, and it is only hatred to the evil that we need.

This extends from, “Yet You have made him but little lower than God,” and this is the meaning of the serpent’s saying, “and you shall be as God, knowing good and evil.” It means that when one exerts and wants to understand all the conducts of Providence, like the Creator, this is the meaning of “A man’s passion shall bring him low.” It means that one wants to understand everything with the exterior mind, and if he does not understand it, he is in lowliness.

The truth is that if one awakens to know something, it is a sign that he needs to know that thing. When one overcomes one’s own mind, what he wishes to understand, and takes everything with faith above reason, this is called the greatest lowliness in the human attribute. You find that to the extent that one has a demand to know more, yet takes it in faith above reason, you find that he is in greater lowliness.

Now we can understand what they interpreted about the verse (Numbers 12:3), “And the man Moses was very meek,” humble and patient. It means that he tolerated the lowliness in the highest possible measure.

This is the meaning of Adam HaRishon eating from the tree of life prior to the sin, and that he was in wholeness. Yet, he could not walk more than the degree he stood on, since he did not feel any lack in his state. Hence, he naturally could not discover all the holy Names.

For this reason, “He is terrible in His doing toward the sons of man” made him eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Through this sin, all the lights departed from him; hence, he was compelled to start his work anew.

The writing says about it that he was expelled from the Garden of Eden because if he had eaten from the tree of life he would have lived forever. This is the meaning of the internality of the worlds. If one enters there, one remains there forever. It means that once more he would remain without any lack. And to be able to go and reveal the holy names, which appear by the correction of good and evil, he therefore had to eat from the tree of knowledge.

It is similar to a person who wants to give his friend a big barrel filled with wine, but his friend has only a small cup. What does he do? He pours wine into that cup and takes the cup home and he pours it. Then he begins to go with the cup once more and once more fills it with wine. Then, he goes to his house once more until he receives all the wine barrels.

I heard another parable that he said about two friends, one of whom became a king and the other became very poor, and he had heard that his friend had become a king. So the poor man went to his friend the king and told him of his bad state.

Then the king gave him a letter to the treasury minister that for two hours he would receive as much money as he wanted. The poor man came to the treasury with a small box, went in, and filled that little box with money.

When he came out, the minister kicked the box and all the money fell on the floor. This continued time and time again, and the poor man was crying, “Why are you doing this to me?” Finally, he said, all the money that you took this whole time is yours and you will take it all. You did not have the receptacles to take enough money from the treasury; this is why that trick was played on you.

LESSON

Afternoon Lesson November 21, 2023, Transcription

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

Part One:

Baal HaSulam. Shamati 52. A Transgression Does Not Extinguish a Mitzva

1. Rav’s Intro: What can I say about this, that a transgression does not extinguish a Mitzva meaning it’s actually good. If I, God forbid, make some kind of a transgression then this transgression does not extinguish a Mitzva that I did previously. All the Mitzvot accumulate probably although there are also transgressions that accumulate so let’s see what Baal HaSulam and Rabash tell us in this, and also the stages that came before them. A transgression does not extinguish a Mitzva. 

Reading Article: “A transgression does not extinguish a Mitzva…”

2. R. (11:49) Means we’re incapable of learning at once all the wisdom of receiving at once the revelation of spirituality in our small vessels, but what does happen is that we fill them up each time a bit more in a bit more and a bit more and that’s how it is day after day after day a lesson after lesson and we fill up our vessels until we can take everything and reveal that this is the complete measure, that’s what happens to us. Therefore, the transgression does not extinguish a Mitzvah because we always receive drop after drop meaning a little bit, all in all, a little bit more, and a little bit more, that’s how it happens to us. Until we’ll be able to fill up, until we’ll be able to fill up our vessel in wholeness, okay?

3. S. (13:38) How to build faith above reason that the Creator is merciful because I feel like I’ve lost my faith that he will give me his life and will change me so, I cannot even come to morning lessons as much as I want to. How to build faith above reason that the Creator is merciful I feel like I’ve lost my faith that he will give me his light and will change me so I cannot even come to morning lessons as much as I want to. 

R. Continue, simply continue as much as possible more and more and more come closer to the Creator and bestow to him as much as you’re capable, and then ultimately don’t lose hope that you’ll fill up your box and you’ll receive everything.

4. S. (15:38) The small box that the poor man had, is that analogous to one’s own desire? Which we can grow with determination and will so we can take more of the treasure until that’s completed?

R. Yes, correct. We have small desires and a big force and only through this multiplicity of actions can we reach a state where we gather our efforts more and more and more, and through that, we gather into a small box more and more results out of the small exertions until all of reality is revealed to us in a complete way.

S. Can we do this with a will, a determination, and a want?

R. Yes, of course, that’s what we do. Only out of the connection between us and returning to the same actions of connection. 

5. S. (17:16) He says to stay in internality and stay forever in the eternal worlds. Do we want to stay in them?

R. You can come out.

S. I’m asking are we in them or are we not in them?

R. No we’re still coming out from them, and we don’t even feel ourselves next to them.

6. S. (18:16) How can we awaken the need to know the Creator? I think it relates to the verse where it says, “If a person is awakened to know something, he needs to know it.”

R. In each and every person there’s a point in the heart with which he can connect to the Creator and start to awaken the Creator for him to correct him. That’s how it is. 

7. S. (19:08) Can we come to a state where the Creator would not need to spill our small box each time? Can we reach a state where we have a vessel that is big enough to not have to do it again and again?

R. No, no. Until we don’t finish everything that’s in the treasury toward us, we cannot see the boxes full. 

8. S. (19:59) Should a person begin with loving the Creator before he starts hating the evil, or should these two activities be done at the same time?

R. It happens in parallel, whoever loves the Lord hates evil and that’s how it happens.

9. S. (20:40) Not long ago you answered me that we need to analyze our work and our state, and we usually check with our reason, and by that, we want to know more. How is that different than the desire to know more where it’s written in the article that you should not use it and need to go above reason?

R. Go according to how you’re led, and you will receive an explanation. 

10. S. (21:43) How to reach a state in which we have the ability to hate the evil, that we can be separated from it?

R. Again.

S. How to reach a state where we have the ability to hate the evil that we could be separated from the state of evil from ourselves?

R. Gradually you’ll reach this, you need to start to get revealed so it just depends on your readiness to receive it.

11. S. (22:42) How to reach a state where I can hate the evil if I still cannot feel it?

R. You’ll start to feel the evil, the moment you start to feel it you’ll start to feel how much it disturbs you from reaching the connection with the Creator, and then you’ll start to hate it. 

12. S. (23:18) It is written that to the extent of the regret so is the hatred to the evil. How to awaken in myself the regret because it’s such a state in which in your mind you have to understand the evil, but the heart does not feel, does not understand it?

R. Be even more connected with the friends, there’s nothing you can do about it, only this can help you.

13. S. (23:56) If a person feels a lot of pain for the Mitzvah does, he not distinguish the evil or at least keep him separate from the noise will be done, yes?

R. Yes, and for as much as he does good things, he feels the evil more. Which is why it’s written, “Those who love the Lord, hate evil.” This is why specifically because of that, they hate evil.

S. A lot of pain opens the door toward the Creator. Does only great suffering that the person suffers from open the door to the Creator?

R. It’s not that suffering happens but that he feels his qualities that are still in him, and he suffers from it. 

14. S. (25:40) It is said that if a person reveals on his own the measure of hatred, then he does not go on the path of transgression, brings the transgression, and comes into the love of the Creator. The question is how can I, through the revelation of the evil in me run away from this descent?

R. No, that’s impossible. In all the measure of all the descents, in any case, there will be falls and the person needs to be ready and needs to understand that from all these things from the descents bring him to the ascents.

15. S. (26:43) If the extent of regret is like the measure of the hatred to the evil so how to reach the correct measure of hatred towards the evil but at the same time be in joy that he’s with us in order to stop. How to reach a level of hating the evil on the one hand, but on the other hand, to be in joy in the work? That there’s evil but we still enjoy receiving from the Creator that everything there is, is good. How do these two opposite feelings, how can I connect to them?

R. They connect very well, you’ll see to what extent the evil and the good help one another. They help to grow one another, to discern between one another, and although it looks, it seems to us that the good and evil are ready to extinguish one another, that’s not how it is. In truth the evil brings out the good and good reveals even more evil and, in this way, it helps a person to hate the evil and to love the good.

S. How important is it that specifically when you hate the evil, they say that the hatred is what separates so the feeling of the hatred does that need to be emotional, or should it be an understanding that we need to be separated from the evil?

R. It’s not a simple calculation in the head, this needs to be felt in the heart. Like love, the same way hatred, it needs to be felt in the heart.

16. S. (29:15) That means that when the joy appears you feel it in the heart, and it helps you to reach the Lord.

R. Yes.

17. S. (29:28) Can we only through the ten recognize our personal evil?

R. Yes. Only through the ten because of all of the influences that come from the Creator, through the ten, to a person. Then the person can differentiate in them, the good influence, the bad one, for what it is, etc. Otherwise, he does not identify this influence, as if he doesn’t have the appliance to identify the Creator’s attitude toward him.

S. How can we help the ten in order to be more aware of this so that we will become more connected?

R. Talk about it with the friends. As much as you’ll be connected in the ten, you’ll be able more quickly and, in more depth, to clarify all the relations that are between you and reach a state where you’ll understand the Creator and the connection between you. From the very beginning, you don’t feel it but afterward, you’ll discover that all the connection that’s between you in the ten isn’t incidentally but rather you need specifically these friends in order to discover correctly the Creator’s attitude towards you and how to respond to him in the correct way. 

18. S. (32:19) So in order to reveal all the good and all the bad we need to reveal all the hatred and the evil?

R. Of course.

S. So what helps us balance it so the hatred will only stay and will not come out and only stay in our internal work?

R. We need, the main thing we need, to be in connection between us and to try to reveal the Creator’s influence on us and then we’ll understand what he wants from us.

19. S. (33:33) I asked a friend what is the evil, is it my desire to receive and we also need the quality that doesn’t allow us to connect so, in order to hate the evil, we need to understand what it is, what is evil?

R. Evil is what doesn’t allow, it prevents you from connecting, that’s it. 

20. S. (34:08) A person to a certain extent must use the evil, it’s his ego when it grows it needs to learn something, it needs to understand something, and the ego advances us to a certain extent, and then afterward when we come to the study to Kabbalah where it’s explained and we begin to understand what this evil is and then in the ten we learn how to nullify. But how do we come to this realization of this evil which we cannot really reach until we use it, we have no other way.

R. We gather in the ten, that’s the first thing. The second, we agree between us to connect all the ten together, and everything that is revealed between us interrupts or disturbs the connection we write it down, as much as possible. How much of these qualities do we have, and all of these qualities that interrupt the connection, are called evil inclinations. The harmful attributes that are bad to the Creator from them we need to get rid of. Therefore, write it in your group’s journal, or diary and then check it once a week. What did we get rid of already, what is still there, and so on? This will bring you to the correct understanding of who you are. 

21. S. (36:51) How to work correctly with this group journal what do we write in it, and what qualities? How do we work with it?

R. Truthfully this is a system or method that many use; a person comes to a new job, he opens a notebook, and he writes in it all those things that he doesn’t understand. He heard a moment ago he needs to maybe change in himself and so forth and then he checks, he examines it in such a way, that he’s keeping track of himself as much as he advances to what extent he advances.

S. That’s individual work, but the group work, how do we do it? We gather once a week, what do we need to write in that journal altogether?

R. You write it on a common page on a computer. You have some sort of a group page of your ten, create such a page, and write in it all these things.

S. What do we write?

R. Write, for example, you’re writing there yourself, you write your name, impression, really short. Leave this writing and then another friend and another friend, etc. Don’t overload it, and don’t overfill it too much, in order for it to be clear for you and the friends and then you need to put a date on it and your opinion about it.

S. If I understood correctly, you said that we need to write some bad qualities down there.

R. Not only that but also the next qualities we need to deal with.

S. What’s the main thing that we should write there?

R. My impressions from connecting with the friends that’s what I need to write there.

S. But if it didn’t work for me and I felt some kind of rejection.

R. Write it, write it down. It is very, very important specifically that you write.

S. Okay but can I even write such things for the friends to see it? I felt the first certain rejection from the friends.

R. Yes, why would you want to hide it?

S. What to do with it then?

R. Correct.

S. So then we need afterward, we need to have some kind of a summary?

R. You will see later on in the group.

S. It won’t take the friends out if they start reading such things?

R. No it will not divert them towards anything else, they will see that you are honest and you are naked and the feeling that they can do business with you, that you show your flaws you’re writing it, you can look at it from the side, or in a different state that you no longer have these feelings that you had before these thoughts that you already look at it from the side you try to work on it.

S. Then at the end of the week can we make a certain summary?

R. Yes, of course, you can gather together and read this diary and somehow scrutinize and talk about it and then you will be more open towards each other because of that you’ll understand each other better. You don’t need to be ashamed, you don’t need to hide, you need to be inside the group, to be as one man with one heart. You’re not to depict to yourself to what extent we are revealed with an open space.

S. What kind of open space?

R. I am referring to a space which is filled with the Creator.

S. As a result of this work?

R. Of course.

22. S. (42:03) What is there in that Stony Heart which gets corrected only in the last phase in demands a shattering?

R. It is fossilized, it’s the hardest stone. We have to break it. 

23. S. (42:35) As I progress in the study, I feel that I can imagine more and observe different lives better. I feel their pain more than on the other hand, I feel more alienated from them. I both hate them strongly and I also have this passion and this compassion towards them. What does it all mean?

R. This is the Creator for now showing you your qualities to what extent you’re still flawed and broken.

24. S. (43:23) Can we say that to the extent that we cancel our ego, we get more strength from the Creator and reach true knowledge, and this renewal and the connections?

R. Exactly in such a manner we receive the new qualities from the Creator, instead of the egoistic qualities that we had that we wanted to get rid of.

S. And then in this way we reveal all the names of the Creator?

R. Yes.

25. S. (44:08) This is really not an event, and we haven’t had a chance to cool off yet. The Creator revealed in me this measure of evil in which it was impossible to do anything with and of course thanks to my ten I ran as quickly as possible to the group, to my friends, and thanks to them I had a chance to rise above and to correct a small part of the ego and this pressure came to enjoy and the friends are happy together with you. Can we be happy with that and please the Creator with it?

R. Yes everything that works towards coming closer, nearing, you can be happy about it. 

26. S. (45:25) You gave us this very good exercise right now and there we need to write down just our own feelings and not criticize the friends. How do I express these things that I cannot correct my own feelings and raise a prayer?

R. Start writing and later on you will talk between yourselves and you will start to understand how exactly to shape, formulate, and organize it so that there will be a common mutual benefit from it.

S. And what if I don’t know what to correct in the ten, share my feelings and the ten will help?

R. Yes, usually the person forgets about these qualities that he needs to correct. 

27. S. (46:24) When she’s seeing the relation of evil between two friends in the ten. How could she help them connect?

R. To try, maybe to talk to some other friends in order to help the general connection in the group.

S. If she has criticism towards one of these friends which is not working out is it beneficial to say it?

R. No, no.

28. S. (47:01) He says that he doesn’t because of a transgression, and this is a transgression, then he saves time, what does it mean?

R. He gains time. He doesn’t have to go through many ascents and descents, he corrects them through a shorter process.

29. S. (47:40) Question regarding the connection. If we could go there a little deeper, higher resolution sometimes their states where after the revelation of hatred opens up a new dimension of the love and connection in the ten. But sometimes it’s felt by me that I cannot go beyond that without even more hatred being revealed. How do we go deeper into the love between us?

R. Only by deepening the good connection, focusing on the good connection. I don’t have any buts, I don’t have anything else.

30. S. (48:27) I wanted to ask specifically about the collective evil. In certain lessons in the meeting, it’s not just nazism it’s not just a historical thing, but it exists. For me, I thought he was talking about the American community and not in Israel and I feel the nazism so much. But here the snake opened its mouth and appeared there was nazism on the smaller court. How do we relate to this collective evil? This is very scary.

R. We together, all of us decide that we want to connect and come closer to each other, and in such a way we correct the common rejection between us.

S. What’s waiting for us?

R. That’s it that’s it, lady. I’m finished with you next time find out how to ask in one sentence and receive a comment in one sentence, okay?

31. S. (50:05) Why does the Creator hit someone much harder and then become softer, and those that become opposite harder?

R. This you have to ask the Creator.

32. S. (50:23) Yesterday we had an organizational meeting of the ten and we scrutinized how to build the meetings, the night lessons, and all sorts of things. Maybe we can cancel in the ten and there was this tiredness in the ten that was revealed. We discovered that there were too many things accumulated and from this tiredness, a friend nonetheless took it upon herself to take on another role she gave this example to the ten and we turned out to be in a certain place where we felt this common demand to pray for each other and we came out in such a field.

R. What’s the question?

S. The question in that field is the feeling that we received in order to bestow but that’s not correct.

R. In general if you receive anything it’s only in order to bestow.

S. Is there a possibility to feel that we can only receive a certain percentage in order to bestow or not?

R. This will come later for now it’s still early.

33. S. (51:49) Question from the text to the extent that he has demands no more, he takes it on faith above reason, meaning we don’t need to extinguish the desire to know, but we need to reveal it through the feelings and to invest more into the connection.

R. Yes, yes. 

34. S. (52:16) When we connect in the ten and receive everything, accept everything the Creator gives and there are no rejections in the ten and then we see in the Bulgarian group that we unite and there’s an even greater and greater desire to unite.

R. This is correct, continue.

S. This all happens from the ten? 

R. Yes. 

35. S. (52:53) Can I ask for your advice?

R. yes, yes.

S. You said to the group that we need to make comments about what we feel. Is it possible because then when we share our impressions it causes each one to feel it from himself, and it’s not, it’s not absolute?

R. Yes, I understand you, but the Creator understands you even better so please do not be concerned if you cannot express something correctly, if you’re not able to express something. 

36. S. (53:50) If there’s, if I build a connection in the ten, only in connections and I run away from the questions that can evoke a bad feeling in the friends, can we reveal the evil in the shattering between us?

R. Yes, succeed, good luck. 

37. S. (54:24) A question about the journal activity. How can we reveal the flaws with the ten with the friends, it would hurt their feelings and it wouldn’t be a showing of positivity and love so to prevent hurt feelings should we only share the flaws we see in ourselves?

R. For now write whichever way you think and later on we will talk about it when we have a path already. Then we will see ahead what to do, we will correct ourselves on the path. 

38. S. (55:42) In summary I don’t understand what I need to write in that group journal. I write my name circle and what do I write after?

R. Whatever you think that you should do in the group for the upcoming week. 

39. S. (56:08) If humanity committed a great sin at the beginning of creation and all the lights were separated. How do we build these separated lights into our vessels and feel this deficiency?

R. The Creator does that, as well as the corrections in the vessels and the entry of the lights into the vessels as well, that’s it. 

40. S. (56:50) I wanted to ask how we balance proceeding in the right line at all times with accounting for the forces that separate us from the friends?

R. This is life’s experience that will give you the answer.

41. S. (57:40) When the evil inclination gets revealed is it better to act in such a way to renew it and then start everything fresh and forget everything that happened that was yesterday or even the second before or do we need to dive into this evil to recognize it and only then to work?

R. We need to constantly advance forward without forgetting the past and why sins are in front of me always.

42. S. (58:16) The attitude in writing the journal when in discussion needs to be towards qualities and not something personal.

R. In such a manner you will never finish talking forever.

S. But do I need to actually talk about the disturbances?

R. As I said. 

43. S. (58:48) In the work in the ten we’re always aspiring towards bestowal and love between us, and we revealed more and more evil, and we hate it. We separate from it in a request we use the Aviut, coarseness for even more connection between us. If you allow me to ask this question, what is the work in the middle line?

R. From that I would not answer, and I didn’t think you’d start digging into such things that’s very shame, shame.

44. S. (59:50) Carrying out the exercise you gave us today, how correctly can we accept what the friends write?

R. Let’s see, in a week’s time we’ll see. For now, goodbye, farewell, be well, until tomorrow, goodbye.