MONDAY PRAYER: KETER-TIKKUN CHATZOT תקון חצות – LESSON WITH RAV MICHAEL LAITMAN
READING: BETWEEN AFTER MIDNIGHT AND DAWN MONDAY
Zohar for All. Introduction of The Book of Zohar. The Donkey Driver, item 74
Morning Lesson January 07, 2023 Transcription
Transcription is made from simultaneous translation which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio
Part 1: Zohar for All. “Introduction of The Book of Zohar”. The Donkey Driver
1. Rav’s Introduction: Yes indeed, donkey (Chamor) is a from the word substance or matter (Chomer) and it means the desire to receive so how is it possible to bring the desire to receive to its correction, to the opposite form of itself? And how does the light of the book of Zohar can do that? This is what we have to study so let’s start and everything simply becomes clarified along the way when we lead the donkey or the donkey is leading us. Let’s see.
Reading The Donkey Driver item #74 (01:07) “Rabbi Elazar went to see Rabbi Yosi..”
2. R. (02:05) It means that if we go up on the path, if he wants to go up on the path we have to open up the words of the Torah. This is one thing we he says and the other thing is that the donkey cannot move forward except from stinging, meaning each time we have to operate upon him and the person who is stinging it is aiming it to walk on the right path. If you have questions, please ask. The most important is that on this path we will open up the doors of the Torah, that by engaging in the Torah we are opening up the past and we will walk on it in the right way, in the right direction and this is how we get there. Meaning we have here a few conditions on how to progress and it is the path of the Torah which is the force on how we can influence our donkey, our substance, so it will progress properly and how we in general can lead and drive this donkey.
3. S. (03:41) Rabbi Aba is the one initiating here when he says “Let’s open the Torah”, what is this force? Why is Rabbi Aba the one, why not somebody else?
R. We do not know this from the article yet but it is written that Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Yossi that they are going on the path that Rabbi Aba was with them seemingly on the side walking with them together, and the men who is driving their donkey’s, leading the donkey’s, stinging the donkey’s and directing them so they could walk on the path so he was walking behind them. It is just a person who did not know anything but how to take care of the donkey’s so that they would go and carry whatever they have to carry in order to reach the goal. Rabbi Aba said that we have to open the doors of the Torah because by engaging in the words of Torah we can progress correctly.
4. S. (05:28) When we have our meeting between us, how to open the words of the Torah if we are not understanding anything at all in the Zohar?
R. As much as we know we do it as much as we do not, we do not but bit by bit we are being taught from above and we are just continuing to listen and let the Zohar to influences and we are collecting all kinds of impressions on the path and through that we grow wiser and we take on new qualities and we grow up.
S. How do we receive and not confuse each other?
R. First of all we have to think about what it is that you want to ask and then ask, okay.
5. S. (06:30) I want to ask you the opposite of what the previous friend was asking. We are already reading the Zohar for a while and we feel something in the air, something special, something deeper even if we do not understand what is written, and I wanted to ask you what is special about this time that you have directed us to read the Zohar?
R. We already talked about it, that actually the book of Zohar is the foundation of the wisdom of Kabbalah and what is written in the book of Zohar that’s the foundation of this wisdom. Meaning the foundations of the attainment of the Creator by the created beings who are in this world and the Creator is in the upper world. Meaning that he is entirely, completely in a different discernment in which we do not feel and we do not understand for the time being and we have to reach that.
The book of Zohar takes us from the bottom world to the upper world and when we read it, we gradually, well we read it as it is written, pretty much and also in a more concealed manner it is working on us through the forces that open up, the lights that open up. This is why it is worthwhile for us to be engaged in it, as the Kabbalists say, that in the beginning there was nothing besides the book of Zohar and also there was no book but rather people were sitting around Rabbi Shimon and they heard him speak and they so much wanted to disconnect from this world and not to follow whatever their character was pulling them to.
They were so much in adhesion with him and this is what happened to them and the attainments and the things that Rabbi Shimon passed on to them and revealed to them, this is what they wrote. Among them there was somebody who would read, somebody who would write, somebody who would speak and somebody who would ask; they pretty much had different roles.
S. Yes, we had a physical meeting of friends yesterday after a long time and we did that in the center and we felt something special in the connection between us, something that the words not always can express this but we are really thankful for this special time, thank you.
R. Excellent, good luck.
6. S. (10:15) What does it mean the stinging, what is the stinging?
R. This is what the person has to hold in his hand in order to lead his donkey to manage his ego. It is a stick and you have to aim his donkey, his substance to walk on the right path towards the goal. Otherwise it is not going to go there either it is going to just stand and stop or maybe it will walk in another direction. This is why we have to hold this stick with the sting at the end and then constantly think about how through this sting, how do we correct our donkey.
S. Through effort?
R. Yes.
7. S. (12:01) We are talking about the individual ego that needs to be pushed like a donkey, is there such a concept of a group ego?
R. That would be the next stage already, the next degree. If we want to rise to the next degree then we have to imagine ourselves as one whole in our ego, as one whole, and then rise to that degree. This is how we have to do it each time.
S. How does it manifest in the group?
R. It usually manifests that sometimes as an individual ego which is divided into 10 parts, sometimes as a collective or common one, when we choose a different direction, a different path. In such a way we come off the right path and we will see as we walk the path.
8. S. (13:41) Yesterday in the ten we were talking exactly about this and it arose from the friends that this stinging is actually the Creator’s work with us. That he somehow pushes us but we also understood that the sting is in our hands. Can you explain what is the difference if the Creator is doing it or it is in our hands?
R. To begin with the Creator does that but if we take it into our hands our own development, then we truly feel already how much we can influence our direction, our goal and our speed. Then we seemingly manage the donkey driver so that he will go forward faster and he will go more correctly and we will understand that this donkey driver is the result of our efforts and he does whatever we will feel.
9. S. (15:16) You almost answered that, who is this man driving the donkey? It is like the collective one but is it actually the Creator driving the donkeys of the friends?
R. The Creator leads the donkey not the friends.
S. Why is this driving associated with stinging? I thought we learned that we just want to go forward by the carrot and not by the stinging.
R. We would have liked to advance through the carrot but we do not want to get closer at all because coming closer means more and more investment in bestowal. So it turns out that the donkey driver has to sting them because the donkey if you do not sting it it just stops; it takes a step and then stops. It takes another half step and stops again. It is not an animal that likes to walk, it is an animal that likes to stand. It chooses a place, it has four legs, puts itself there and it is very hard to take it out of there. To start to walk with it is very difficult and so the donkey driver has to be equipped with this sharp stick in order to force the donkey to move.
10. S. (17:40) What is the most precise and effective way to manage our individual ego?
R. It is through envy, lust and honor. When the person is afraid that he may stay and everybody else will advance ahead of him and then what shall happen to him. That’s one thing and second […]
S. Besides this envy, honor and lust, is shame also important?
R. All the qualities are important. However, they may exist or not exist in the same person who needs to take that step forward.
11. S. (19:27) How can we together in the ten create such a force of our donkey driver?
R. We should talk and connect between us and then it will work.
S. What does it mean that we create this force? What does it mean that it guides us and drives us? We never pressure the friends or put any incentives in front of them but we work only out of love. What is this force that can drive us?
R. It is called the Stimul, the stick with a sharp end. Meaning the reason that the donkey, the substance, our ego, it doesn’t understand it is worthwhile to advance.
S. Let’s say that in the ten, I can do something like that to create an incentive that if you do not come to the lesson then you will get some punishment. It is also an incentive but we do not do that. We only work out of love to try to raise importance but this is something else?
R. I do not know. Maybe also some negative things that may push people that can also help. So long as we are in the ego, positive actions can help us but also negative actions; we have to use both.
S. In this case it works like that? This is what it’s about?
R. Yes, exactly try to operate in any possible way so long as you are able to shake the friends that they will be more sensitive to the actions of the group over them.
12. S. (21:58) How do the Reshimot affect the speed and direction of our development?
R. The Reshimot are those same elementary foundations upon which we exist in a certain state. In each and every state we exist in it because some of our Reshimot have manifested. Now we have to get to the next state then the Reshimot in the next state awaken in us and they operate either from the side that they sting us or from the side that they pull us, draw us but it is all the records.
13. S. (23:05) What is the stick and how to use it?
R. We didn’t study that yet. We will read about that soon.
14. S. (23:33) You touched the fear that others would advance and I won’t. How to work on that fear and not try to forget it or remove it?
R. The group has to warm itself up such that each one of the friends would feel that he is truly lagging behind in relation to the others. This has to do with the honor, envy, lust and honor. So honor, this is something truly great it then pushes people forward.
S. There is a feeling that I am not afraid of the consequences that might be if I do not work towards connection. How to raise that feeling from these implications and consequences?
R. If we are in a ten and we determine something like a daily schedule: what to talk about, what to study, then everything depends on what we choose and accordingly we are influenced by the material.
S. The use of the honor that you talked about is a very delicate force. How to make sure that we do not hurt the friends but push them forward without hurting them? How can we do that?
R. It all depends on the materials that you choose, what you study, you read and talk about because by this you elevate it and give it importance and then each and everyone starts to receive it and accept it with a greater height; this is how you all converge and gather around it.
15. S. (25:49) When we clarify in the ten and we do these scrutinies, can it also be the states that come to us like that donkey driver that guides us?
R. Yes.
16. S. (26:25) You mentioned the Reshimot. Are the Reshimot a glimpse of the corrected state?
R. The Reshimot are of the corrected state or not corrected yet but it needs to be corrected the Reshimot are a state on the path.
S. Can I ask how we perceive the Reshimot looking into the future or is it an urge that [..]
R. The Reshimot awaken and they wake up the emotional memory in our cerebral, intellectual memory and they depict to us a state that exists in them. This is called Reshimo or impression.
S. Is it a corrected state or it shows me how broken I am?
R. It depends on which Reshimo, it depends on which Reshimo. Usually when we speak about our path we get broken Reshimot and we have to arrange them and put them together and prepare from them the next corrected state.
17. S. (28:12) You answered before when we started reading that you said that Rabbi Aba went with him, you said that he kind of went next to him. I did not notice that I had a more general picture and the question is: do we need to notice what is written or whatever comes, it comes through the attainment? Do I need to try to see more than I see now?
R. You need to adapt yourselves to the Reshimot that awaken in you. That’s what is called walking on the path because you have your donkey, you have your donkey driver that leads your ego to correction and you need to pay attention, to be attentive to what the donkey driver is doing. It is all done from above, that you need to try to agree with it and work in unison with it; this is all.
18. S. (29:43) Is the sting and restriction two different things?
R. Yes, these are two different things and it’s not worthwhile for us to start to connect them or to try to make some calculation with them.
19. S. (30:12) If we progress quickly toward the carrot, does this mean that we improved our lives personally, as well?
R. Of course.
S. For instance, in matter, in corporeality or there is no connection?
R. Of course there is a connection: if I am going towards the corporeal matter, then I succeed in it usually, wherever I invest my forces.
S. The carrot, how do we feel the carrot in the work in the ten?
R. The carrot in the work in the ten, first of all, the carrot is intended for the donkey not for the man, the Adam, meaning that if we feel that we have a carrot ahead of us and it pulls us, it’s a sign that I am on the degree of the donkey and I’m going according to my substance, my will to receive and according to my will to receive, this is how I see the a carrot and drawn to it, and I need to detect this and examine it.
S. We say that we cannot move a finger without some personal gain?
R. That is truthful but it’s not that, well, there is a difference: on one hand I am going according to the carrot and I want this carrot and I chase after the carrot, or on the other side, out of lack of choice, I take the carrot and going according to what I want. But I take the carrot because I am hungry, it is not my purpose to eat the carrot but to reach that goal.
20. S. (33:19) Isn’t the whole existing nature around us a donkey driver for us?
R. Yes, the Creator does that, nature, that’s the Creator, Elokim, God in Gematria, is nature; therefore nature prepares for us all kinds of exercises. It could be like a carrot from the side of the carrot or from the side of the stick so we would reach more and more subtle, precise discernments and this is how we will advance and what’ll we prefer, how will we prefer one over the other?
S. So when nature is in danger, for example, is it also a donkey driver for us?
R. Yes.
21. S. (34:41) Can you explain what you mean when you say that when the Creator awakens a broken record that we have to work with it?
R. All of our Reshimot, our record, are broken Reshimot, broken records, broken does not mean that they have a few pieces but rather that according to these record, the person is drawn not to the right goal but to the opposite, this is called a broken record, Reshimot.
S. What do you mean by ‘you need to work with it’, you need to agree with it?
R. To work with it means that I need to detect in this record what it is leading me and is connected to the goal, and what is working in the opposite way. The opposite is also really towards the goal but in a roundabout way and this confuses me and makes the way longer. The end, of course through all kinds of work, I will reach the end of the purpose of creation but there is a short way and a long way, and we need to try to walk the short way, that’s all. We’ll talk about it more.
22. S. (36:32) There is the impression that we have particularly in this lesson, that we have a very strong encounter with the Zohar. I have a question about this process because we only read like three or four sentences and the feeling is that the whole world is opening up. When a person feels that he is drawn in this world, it is not so much deficient for knowledge but he’s becoming deficient to be drawn into this world. In this moment, how should he relate to unity and connection with his friends?
R. We have before us an opportunity to enter the spiritual world; however, the entrance to the spiritual world is only for vessels that are going to correct themselves. Meaning that we have to be here in an inclination towards each other in order to connect. We support each other, we hold each other, we are embrace each other, only in such a way that we are able to get closer to the entrance to the higher world. And then to the extent of our of the necessity that we will feel for this, and this necessity includes in it two opposite forces: on the one hand, we see that on our own we are not able to enter the upper world. On the other hand, we are at the entrance to the upper world, and this feeling eventually pulls us, it pulls us to the upper world, and then we enter a connection between us and in the connection between us, this is already that state where the upper begins to be reveal its structure and so on.
23. S. (39:42) What needs to happen so that the donkey driver will drive our donkeys?
R. First of all we have to depict ourselves that we are donkeys, that we have above us a force that can arrange us and connect between us, and that we agree to that and most importantly, in order to hear from Him commandments, commandments. Which way to go, how to go and why to go, this donkey driver will teach us everything!
24. S. (40:59) I would like to ask from a different angle: the Creator governs the entire world, for the person, an ordinary person who is not studying Kabbalah, the picture of the world always changes for him, too, so can we say that the whole change, the whole feeling of the world that the person is feeling, it is also a Reshimot?
R. Of course it is, of course he is also going according to his records but is not actualizing them in the same intensity, the same pace like us.
25. S. (41:52) The question is: it is translated into English, I would like to become more sensitive to the forces that are described but the way it is translated into English, it says that “when they engage in it”, engage is clear, they renew their renewed light. What does it mean, how is this process of finding these very fine forces and describing?
R. We go through the same degrees that have already been arranged for us in advance by nature but when we do this, we get stuck in each and every degree, and we ask for forces in order to rise from degree to degree. And this is why we, how should I put it? This is why we receive from each and every degree, several times over, more feelings and knowledge, we absorb from each and every degree the lines: right, left, and middle, straight and opposite, cause and consequence, all of these things that become incorporated in us and more, we begin to understand that we exist in a new world.
S. So the authors discovered these forces within themselves and they put the names on them?
R. That’s correct, that’s correct.
26. S. (44:45) It is written “driving means stinging”, how is it possible to drive the donkey by stinging?
R. The donkey means substance, the will to receive, it only wants to feel good. It feels good when it’s standing put and not moving and it feels good when it receives whatever it is used to, food and water and nothing besides. So it is possible to sting it with all kinds of things besides that.
27. S. (45:44) Why do we sting the donkey without adding hoofs to the donkey, why cause such suffering; if you give it a carrot it’s better, strengthening you more, what do we need to ask of the Creator to rise above that state?
R. We only need connection, only connection because in the connection we begin to see what is good for everybody and by connecting the broken records we begin to see what should be the purpose of creation, the purpose of the connection and how we can carry that out.
Reading #75 (46:53 – 52:19) “… Rabbi Elazar started and said, “You shall keep My Sabbaths..”
28. S. (52:40) How does the first Sabbath work on the development of the second Sabbath, how does the first Sabbath that was created on the fourth day called, Netzach, influences the general seventh Shabbat, Sabbath?
R. I don’t understand what you are asking, ask more slowly and more clearly.
S. We just said that the first three days belong to the Fathers, which is HGT, patriarchs, it says that “the seventh day is Sabbath again that was not created and it needs to be disclosed in potential”, how does the first influence the other?
R. Without the emergence of HGT, NHY cannot emerge later, this is why they have to come one after the other. HGT is the Patriarchs, the Father, and NHY is the sons, those that are born and come after them.
S. Like fathers and sons, right?
R. Yes.
29. S. (54:19) Are the first three days pure bestowal quality, what is the spiritual meaning of ‘the day in a week’ mentioned here?
R. “The day in a week” means a special influence, special bestowal of a special unique force from above: Hesed, Gevurah and Tifferet, these are things that are not connected to each other however they all influence the lower ones.
30. S. (55:10) At the beginning it says that “Rabbi Elazar opened and said”, what did he open?
R. Usually “started” or “opened” means that he opened the conduits, the pipelines of the abundance, meaning he opened the pipeline of the lights so that the lights can impart from above and reach down to people, to the lower ones.
31. S. (55:51) Why is the Malchut called the seventh or fourth?
R. Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, those are the Patriarchs, that’s what it’s called, ‘the first three Sefirot of Zeir Anpin, Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet; following them, Malchut can already operate or after Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, it also is included in Netzach, Hod, Yesod and then Malchut, meaning Malchut can stand either after Tifferet or already after the Yesod. This is called Katnut or Gadlut of Zeir Anpin and according to that, Malchut receives either from HGT or from NHY.
S. What is this addition in the work of NHY that the Malchut can connect there?
R. These are very important vessels, the vessels of reception that are included in Zeir Anpin in order to pass through them the lights to Malchut.
S. So the work always comes from above down so that the light comes first and then the Malchut is included in it?
R. Let’s say so.
32. S. (57:38) What in our work are the ‘six work days’ that are even more important than the Sabbath?
R. Without the six weekdays there cannot be the Sabbath but because the Sabbath is altogether the results of the six weekdays. This is why it says “one who did not labor on the eve of Sabbath”, meaning during these six days, “then what will he eat on Sabbath” and not be able to receive anything as a result of it. And this is how it works, we have a week and a Sabbath, a week and a Sabbath, and the Sabbath is all together the result of the week, six days.
33. S. (58:28) I don’t know if I understood this correctly but you said that the Gadlut is when Malchut receives from Zeir Anpin and the Katnut is when it receives from Netzach, Hod and Yesod, is it correct?
R. Yes Malchut receives from Netzach, Hod and Yesod, that is correct.
34. S. (59:31) It doesn’t work for me: we always learned that the five Sefirot of Zeir Anpin are like the first five Sefirot, meaning like Keter Hochma Bina Zeir Anpin and Malchut sand Zeir Anpin there is Sefira number four, here seemingly the order is broken because here the Sefira of Hesed is not Zeir Anpin, so how can we put it in order?
R. I didn’t understand anything you said, I hear half of it, I don’t hear the other half, speak straight to the microphone.
S. We learned that Zeir Anpin is composed of the first five Sefirot, meaning it’s analogous to Keter Hochma Bina, Zeir Anpin and Malchut, and Yesod is the Sefira that includes all of them.
R. Yes that’s right.
S. Here the first three Sefirot, Hesed Gevura Tifferet, that’s seemingly clear, the fourth Sefira should be in the role of Zeir Anpin but we say that it is Malchut, that is not clear?
R. Hesed Gevura Tifferet are the first three Sefirot of Zeir Anpin, Netzach, Hod and Yesod, these are already the vessels of Zeir Anpin in which it receives whatever it received in Hesed Gevura Tifferet, so what’s your question? In Hesed Gevura Tifferet it received, in Netzach, Hod and Yesod, it prepares what it later on passes through the Yesod to Malchut.
S. So the Sefira of Netzach, here it says that it’s Malchut but if we simply take it in a simple form of the first five Sefirot which are Keter, Hochma, Bina, Zeir Anpin and Malchut, there the fourth Sefira is ends up being Zeir Anpin, that’s my question.
R. I don’t understand your question.
35. S. (01:02:10) What is the thing about keeping the Shabbat that we talk about it so much in the Zohar?
R. It’s unrelated to what we’re studying now but “the keeping of the Shabbat’ means that we keep it so that everything we receive during the six work days it will enter Malchut.
36. S. (01:02:40) It’s written that “the voice of the turtle dove will be heard in the land”, what is ‘a turtledove’?
R. It’s a kind of an animal, a dove like a pigeon, a pigeon, let’s say it’s a pigeon.
37. S. (01:03:24) Do I understand correctly that the first four days are the personal understanding that you individually attain and pass through you, and the other days are already dissemination?
R. No, no, no, we will learn that, you shouldn’t think that way.
38. S. (01:04:03) Is it only the Creator who stings our donkey or is there a state where seemingly, I’m trying to ask, I’m not sure how to phrase it, but something happens in the ten and this stinging will come from our side, this impulse?
R. The sting comes from the driver, the donkey driver that wants to awaken the general matter, the general donkey, the general matter of the group to advance, that’s why He stings it, the Creator is upon us, He is riding us, and accompanying us.
39. S. (01:05:02) Is Kedusha and Torah the same things?
R. Yes.
S. Thank you, so the same conditions to receive both?
R. Yes.
40. S. (01:05:42) Who is the donkey driver of a person, who is the donkey driver in our life?
R. The Creator.
S. Only the Creator with all of His different forms?
R. In all forms.
S. Meaning through nature, the ten, the wife, everything?
R. We are in Him and There is None Else Besides Him.
41. S. (01:06:14) This article is a classic piece for us, for the veterans, I guess it will also be for the new ones. He speaks about Fathers and Sons, and then we reach the Shabbat, so will the authors of the Zohar will come and tell us that all the souls that exist now are a consequences of the Fathers and Sons, and that’s it if we reach the Shabbat?
R. Yes.
42. S. (01:06:57) “He is walking following the carrots”, it that Lo Lishma and if through the stinging is it then it is Lishma?
R. Probably, in those cases.
43. S. (01:07:19) Can I ask a question about the Reshimot?
R. No we haven’t learned it now.
S. Something we talked about?
R. Ask and see that it’s not to the point.
S. Did the Reshimot bring us to study Kabbalah?
R. Yes.
S. Was there a possibility for me not to study or there was no such possibility?
R. No such possibility.
44. S. (01:08:11) If the Creator is the donkey driver, it doesn’t it seemingly lower His honor, I mean this role, this duty?
R. He created all matter and He drives matter to the final correction, to the way, a state where the matter is similar to Him and where we are is what’s called, the work of the Creator after all the work of the Creator, the Creator is doing the work.
S. Usually it’s said that He is so?
R. I don’t know what we’re talking about, I know what’s written.
45. S. (01:09:02) You said that I take the carrots because I’m hungry, that’s not my goal, my purpose so if in the ten we want to move without stinging, should we want the carrots for His sake instead of for ourselves?
R. We need to portray our mutual work together as a carrot, as a carrot
46. S. (01:09:37) It sounds these all seven days are one degree so what is Sabbath in the ten?
R. Shabbat is the seventh day which is like conclusion of everything, concluding all the six days of work.
S. How to tie this with the ten, the day of Sabbath?
R. That we all have to work to include within us Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, when we do this whole work on ourselves in order to connect between us, we have to see the result of our work as the result of our common effort, and by that we see the next degree.
S. This is the innovation that keeps happening?
R. Specifically, in this degree there is a constant renewal, yes, because the Sabbath is called “a part of the upper word”, meaning the next degree.
47. S. (01:11:22) The stinging, we need to do this, and become more sensitive toward connection in the group, meaning the stinging of the donkey?
R. The sting has to be such that we won’t stop but rather advance, that is why it’s needed otherwise we will keep stopping, our ego will not want to advance even in one step, therefore this sharp stick with which you sting the donkey is called Stimul. Stimul means that it’s or stimulus means that it stimulates the donkey to advance because otherwise it will feel the sting. So it makes the calculation that is better to advance rather than keep feeling the stings, that is the life that should be for the ego.
48. S. (01:12:57) The six work days, this is spiritual work or physical work, and the rest is that corporeal or spiritual?
R. The six days of work are days of the spiritual work meaning that we raise the importance of connection, forcefully we raise that importance above all our other states, and after we do this work then we come to conclusion, to the seventh day where there is nothing more important than connection and ascension above our ego and we begin to find in this state a kind of the next world meaning something of the upper degree, that’s how we rise in degrees.
49. S. (01:14:36) What is the difference, if there is, between when Rabbi Shimon opens the pipe or Rabbi Elazar opens it?
R. Each one of these ten Kabbalists has his method or channel or conduit through which they radiate or stream downward their light. Afterwards we’ll learn what kind of light comes from who, what is important is to begin feeling the differences between these lights but that is gradually.
50. S. (01:15:43) Why is the poke that comes from the Creator feel like a disturbance and how can I accept this poke with the right intention?
R. The spike that comes from the Creator is felt i the will to receive as disturbance because it pricks you, that is how it’s felt; but if we elevate the results of His work on us from this stab, from the prick we’re willing to accept this stab as if like I go to take the shot and healthy, to be more health. Even though it’s not pleasant I will take the shot, so this is how we advance.
S. To receive the sting, it’s like faith in our sages, that means I have the right intention?
R. Yes, it all depends on the importance because I remember I was very ill, it was dangerous and it took time until they made the operation. Ultimately I ran to that operation room and I lie down on my own on the operating table and I said operate on me, I really demanded it, and this is all I wanted. And now I am here before you.
51. S. (01:18:23) What does it mean that the ego advances, towards where?
R. The ego is connected to the goal just like altruism is, they both lead us to the final correction, it’s just that they work one after the other in an intended way.
S. Is shame like an incentive that pushes us?
R. Yes, it’s a very big incentive, nothing is more important for a person than to run away from shame.
52. S. (01:19:18) Why is it more difficult to get a sting from the friend than from the Creator, even to get help from the friend, it’s more difficult than the Creator?
R. We may ascribe everything to the Creator, you will understand everything, you will accept everything, it’s like our parents, whatever you do they will forget us. But with a friend, it’s not this way, this is why with a friend our calculation is more strict compared to our parents or the Creator.
S. How to relate to the ten correctly, how to work with it?
R. We should have it in the way that everything is the same for us, everything closes down to the Creator, Himself.
S. It is not clear, it sounds as if I have to see the Creator in the friend?
R. You have to relate to everything as the Creator.
53. S. (01:20:50) We say the days are like the Sefirot so why aren’t twelve months like the Sefirot, too?
R. We will learn where this stakes, the root from the month, weeks, days, hours, seconds, these are all different roots of the upper forces. You have good questions but we need to learn some more.
54. S. (01:21:46) This “voice of the turtledove in the land of Shabbat in Malchut”, what is this voice telling us, what does it tell us to do?
R. That the Shabbat has come, the seventh day has come and that we must not work because now the correction is by not working. Rather in the seventh day the Creator works.
55. S. (01:22:47) To continue what our great friend said, how do we know that Shabbat has come and we should not work, that we have connected for six days and then the whole ten feels it?
R. It has nothing to do with our world and our work.
S. Yes I understand we’re not speaking about a regular Sabbath but how do we feel that we should give the Creator the work and He works?
R. It will confuse you all, you will start resting on Saturday, and you actually work on this Saturday more than any other day! Keep on going as you are, keep on going as you are.
S. How did we come into the next degree?
R. What is the connection between Sabbath and the next degree?
S. We’ve connected and we reach a feeling that we connect more so we get forces to connect more, we all feel it together. So what I’m saying is I’m running ahead and where are my friends? They have to feel it in the ten.
R. Yes, in the ten.
56. S. (01:24:39) Netzach of Zeir Anpin, that’s the first Shabbat but that’s Wednesday, and then the second is Malchut, what’s the difference between them?
R. It’s not Shabbat, I didn’t say that is Shabbat: the first Malchut of Zeir Anpin is Hesed, Gevurah, Tifferet, Netzach, and the second of Zeir Anpin is Malchut. We just read that once and we will read it more times, you should not summarize things if you heard it only once.
57. S. (01:25:44) Sometimes it feels like we’re here to receive a wedding cake, nevermind a carrot or sting, now the question is about the ‘conditions’. One of the conditions is connection and unity, do we all the members of the world Kli have to be connected at the same time to receive these gifts from above because sometimes I want this unity but sometimes I don’t want it at all?
R. First of all, there are times for this and times for that, some times for connection and some times for disconnection, we should simply go through them, be impressed by them, collect them inside ourselves but not to do a summary accordingly, immediately. Just go through it and bit by bit it will be connected in us, collected in us, and we will know what comes out of it for us. It’s like when your child you collect all kinds of Impressions and later on we grow up and all these impressions connect in us and give us some new bases when we become adolescents.
S. Does that mean that our connection comes individually not like in one force together with the ten and with the entire world vessel?
R. I am not asking a thousand questions all at once like you do, what my teacher tells me I try to understand, to feel until tomorrow, until the next day, then I will swallow one more portion of new things and that’s how I advance. Even though, forgive me for saying, it’s best to not be so active, to hear more, hear more.
Reading Item 76 (01:28:51 – 01:29:29 ) “Fire, water, and wind are HGT, the first three days.”
Reading Item 77 (01:29:33 – 01:32:30) “But it is written on the third day, “Let the earth spring forth grass …”