SUNDAY PRAYER: NETZACH-TIKKUN CHATZOT תקון חצות – LESSON WITH RAV MICHAEL LAITMAN

READING: BETWEEN AFTER MIDNIGHT AND DAWN SUNDAY

Zohar for All. Introduction of The Book of Zohar. The Donkey Driver, item 101

Morning Lesson January 12, 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. #101

https://kabbalahmedia.info/sources/KJWljPMB

1. Rav’s Introduction: (00:31) We are continuing this matter, this topic of the ‘Donkey Driver.’ So let’s simply continue, let’s continue. I don’t have much to say because the text itself is pulling us forward so much that there is no need to add.

 Reading Item 101. (00:57) “The Egyptian had a spear in his hand…”

2. S. (07:11) How can it be, what is the staff that he curved and there’s this new kind of split in time?

R. What are you talking about? 

S. He is saying that he took the staff from the Egyptians and then 120 years…?

R. Listen, whatever you think could be according to what’s written here and there maybe it is correct and maybe you can join these texts together but listen to what the Torah says. There is no early or late in the Torah. There is no matter of time in the Torah; it could be a leap from one place to another so just wait, you are speaking like a linguist who checks the book, where is it written?

S. The same question, how do all these different events connect? What is the staff?

R. The things in the Torah are written like that; in the Torah there’s no early or late, there’s no time in the Torah. It all comes through the reforming light, the upper light, and therefore it could be the first page of the book of Torah or the last page of the book of Torah with a few excerpts in the middle, It is completely unimportant because it all speaks about the field of light that operates on the broken created beings in order to arrange them more and more and more and to unite them into the structure of Adam HaRishon, that is all.

S. Well what’s the staff that Moses takes and he walks with it all the time, he is always with this staff?

R. Let’s read and see. It’s good that you have this question.

3. S. (09:47) Here it says that he struck it twice. What does it mean twice?

R. We will see that it is actually not good that Moses hit it twice. He struck the rock twice with his staff not once, this is seemingly a lack of faith. Later on we will see that there’s a lot written about it. 

4. S. (10:33) What do we have to learn from the difference between striking the rock and speaking to the rock?

R. This is the difference in the measure of faith. It will all soon be explained in the text ahead of us.

5. S. (11:05) What does it mean to strike the rock which is Bina meaning speech? Why was he striking Bina?

R. He had to turn to the degree of Bina, that’s right. But to strike, well, not only strike even more to strike twice. I don’t want to take away from the story, I want you to remain with the question and soon we will reach the answer that the Zohar gives.

6. S. (11:57) A staff is some kind of vessel to bring Bina to Malchut?

R. Yes.

 Reading Item 102. (12:13) “And he went down to him with a club..”

7. S. (17:35) In the text it speaks about the peace of HaVaYaH, what is the work we need to do on Shabbat so that we will connect to the lower Hey?

R. I’m asking you to ask according to what we are reading. Even though your questions could be very nice, but I didn’t see here a place for such a question. What is Shabbat, what is the accent on Shabbat and corrections. we will reach that.

8. S. (18:50) What should be the connection between us the friends in the ten so that the reading will enter more into our hearts?

R. What should be the connection? The connection needs to be as much as possible. What do you mean what connection, if there is no connection then there is no place for the Torah to enter; the Torah enters in the connection that we build. The connection between Bina to Malchut actually and this is what we have to arrange, to prepare, then there will be room for the revelation of the light of the Torah.

S. Because they’re friends that say that Rabash’s writing is awakening their emotion and maybe their thought, so what is the right attitude to the writing of the Zohar in what vessel should we try to grasp what is going on here?

R. Look, there are those who like to read the Zohar and those who like to read other books even by Baal HaSulam, like TES or the Tree of Life, there are all kinds. However, we have to go through this book which is called Introduction to the Book of Zohar, which truly includes within it the entire Book of Zohar and really all of the Torah. So, we will go through it patiently not too slowly but rather we are advancing with a good pace as much as we are able in the first reading to get into it. Later on you will see how much it helps you; it opens up the soul, you will see how much it will actually be so.

9. S. (21:01) Lately we spoke about what is going on and there is some kind of feeling that this is happening in the world of Atzilut and now I hear about Partzufim BON SAG, and this is the world of AK so…?

R. Well it’s not really the world of Adam Kadmon, it still belongs to the world of Atzilut.

10. S. (21:45) It won’t exist without Mochin de SAG means if there’s no Hassadim Israel cannot bring the Shechina above their heads. 

R. Yes, Mochin of SAG is the same light of Hassadim that holds within it the light of Hochma, if there’s no light of Hassadim the light of Hochma has no place in which to clothe. This is why the first correction has to be that the light of Bina will fill the vessel, the will to receive.

11. S. (22:34) What’s the difference between a rock and a flint? 

R. we will learn about this; he did not turn to, he did not pray, he did not unite with it but rather he proceeded by striking. We will learn what it means, we will learn about it soon.

12. S. (23:10) What does it mean that SAG and BON are canceled so they can enter into the land of Israel?

R. SAG and BON are Bina and Malchut, right; they join and together and they establish this concept called ‘the land of Israel’: Land, Eretz is Ratzon, desire, and it comes from Malchut, and Israel is Yashar-El, that through Bina it reaches Keter.

13. S. (24:04) How can we get rid of this part of our will to receive, is it lack of shame and how do we pay attention to it?

R. We don’t get rid of any part in the will to receive; we correct the will to receive in such a way that it won’t hinder us and even assist us in getting closer to the light of Ein Sof. 

14. S. (24:42) What happens to our desires in the ascend of BON to SAG?

R. What happens to our desires? Oh, quite a question. If a  person is in a state where he can theoretically rise from Malchut to Bina then he enters directly into the next world. He reaches the throne of honor. To rise from Malchut to Bina is a very big correction. Let’s say as we learned before; Malchut receives the first correction when it rises to Bina, then the second correction, when it rises to Hochma and to Keter. These are great corrections; that the will to receive gets forces and intention to bestow. 

15. S. (26:42) Does the soul of Moses have to or is able to correct its sin to nevertheless enter the land of Israel?

R. We will learn this in the future, for the time being let’s leave the question as in an adventure, that we are reading and we have questions and we don’t yet know the solution. Ok? How did Moses enter the land of Israel? Who will help him if he should enter and if not how can such a thing remain? we will learn that, it is a very good question. We will get the answer in the right place.

16. S. (27:43) Why Bina is punished with the death of Moses, isn’t Bina not Hassadim, mercy, should she be actually not punished?

R. Bina is responsible for the correction of Malchut, so whatever is happening in Malchut, Bina has to correct. We will talk more about that but first we should know that.

17. S. (28:38) here it is written that at the end of correction BON becomes SAG and becomes the land of Israel, and there won’t be any more exiles. What happens that there’s not going to be any more exiles? 

R. Because there’s no more corrections. If the BON is destined to rise to SAG and MA to rise to AB, then instead of ZA and Malchut there’ll be a coupling between Hochma and Bina then, there is nothing more to do. This is why this will be the ‘end of correction’.

18. S. (29:38) I am perplexed, it goes from SAG to BON so what happened to Ma?

R. I didn’t understand? We have AB SAG MA and BON, so MA rises to AB and BON rises to SAG. Soon we will go through this, and more than once. 

19. S. (30:28) Is using the staff as a flint it’s some kind of action against a friend?

R. No, no. We are not talking about such states that we are going through, and using all the tools that we read about in this part, that seemingly in our hands. No. We should learn gradually how we get closer to these qualities and then we should see if we actually are worthy to attain their degree and learn how to use them. This is how it will happen.

20. S. (31:30) I can’t scrutinize here in the middle of 102 it is written that for the same reason that the illumination of Moses to Israel was nullified because of his sin in the connection of BON and SAG when he struck the rock. Then later it says that his illumination was canceled for good after BON itself was renewed and became the quality of SAG. So, it is not clear why this action of Moses is called a sin, there is an impression that because of his action that he did, came up the opportunity to connect BON and SAG, can we scrutinize that?

R. No, I cannot explain it. I want you to understand it yourselves when we are reading in the Book of Zohar. We don’t simply read just to understand, we read also to connect with the Book of Zohar, that this book will influence us.

S. Why is this action of Moses called sin?

R. Because he didn’t use the right action of the force of the staff in his hands. 

21. S. (33:21) How can such a high force like Moses do something incorrectly like hit the rock?

R. There is no question about that at all. Everything that is done by all kinds of characters, let’s say in the book of Torah, is all done by the Hand of The Creator. And, it’s not that it is Moses’ fault or someone else but rather that they are doing it because the creator has manipulated them, so this is what they do. Nothing is done except by the Hand of the Creator.

22. S. (34:14) What is this action of the staff in the ten?

R. The action of the staff? We will study that. There are a few actions there.

23. S. (34:30) How do you describe the rock, what is the rock?

R. The Rock represents the will to receive that has a hard time connecting with BINA.

24. S. (34:53) what’s from our work in the ten is telling us to rise from Malchut to Bina? 

R. Yes, of course. That is the main part of our work. We as it is written that MA to be AB and for BON to be SAG, etc. We have to see these things ahead of us.

25. S. (35:57) When BON and SAG cannot be connected together on one hand but when Moses strikes the rock it turns out that they fell because they were connected together. How could that be?

R. AB SAG MA and BON we nevertheless see that this is how they are connected; Hochma is revealed in ZA and SAG is revealed in Malchut.

S. Yes it turns out that Moses didn’t know that they were connected. He thought that he made a coupling that he would cancel BON but he also canceled SAG, that is the main sin? 

R. I don’t know yet. I don’t know. I am not going to give you an answer and the way you explain it, it’s a nice explanation for children’s stories.

26. S. (37:31) What does it mean in the ten to rise Malchut to Bina? 

R. That all the will to receive we have we don’t  want to use in order to receive, this is the restriction and we want by our efforts to use it only in order to bestow. That is when Malchut rises to Bina; that she by herself doesn’t use her force which is the will to receive it doesn’t use it and then she receives strength from AB which adds her the strength to receive in order to bestow. 

S. That is already in the next degree? 

R. We will learn that. You jump from one place to another in all different degrees.

27. S. (38:51) We learned that there is the sin of Adam HaRishon, and we learn what is the good result that came out of it in the Torah and there are many sins. What do sins mean especially if we are talking about the cascading from above downwards, what are the sins in the Torah?

R. The sin in the Torah is everything from receiving in order to receive to the smallest things that there are. The fact that they can’t or won’t use them with a screen in order to bestow this is actually the sin.

S. Yes but how does it happen from above downwards, how does these things take place that the Creator seemingly brings reality down to the created beings, what does it mean that there are sins there? If we are talking about from below upwards then seemingly it is about us. We as Moses rise and make sins. Where is it all placed?

R. Prayer. Everything is all prayer and we do not have anything to rise or to raise up and nothing to fall down, only prayer. If we want to join the same forces or awaken in the same forces that can make us more vessels of bestowal.

S. We try to awaken this is what they say, we are trying to awaken the force of Moses in us, could it be they we may sin. What does it mean when we awaken this force, should be aware of these things that we are reading about?

R. Depends on what state we are in, if we are connected together then we are already building a force called Moses because Moses is the general of Israel, the total of all the vessels that want to connect and rise towards the Creator and then we pray that we will have such strength.

S. That’s right and this is what we learn but what does it mean that we will pray and there will be some sins and some sin will emerge, can such a thing happen?

R. If we ask for incorrect things then for sure there can be a sin, but where is the promise that if we ask then you always receive something good.

S. We may also sin as it happened to Moses?

R. It is an example that it can happen.

28. S. (41:43) The right usage of the staff recreates a reflected light?

R. No.

29. S. (41:58) It is not clear how we talked about Moses is the whole of the people of Israel. In actuality it is a gathering, it is the assembly. How can it be that there is some sort of corporation in such a degree but still it is possible for a sin to occur there and what is a sin, what is the problem?

R. It is because they didn’t think from the strength that they had, and they wanted to receive for the Creator, but it turns out that they receive for themselves. We will see, there is no reason to  speed ahead, you want everything in place and you want it corporeally.

S. It’s just that you say that when there is connection in the ten it’s actually enough for us to actualize it?

R. This is the first condition, connection in the ten is that you guys are holding hands and having like a power and there are many other conditions and many ascents, many restrictions that you need to receive upon yourself. It depends on the degree that you want to reach and what you are asking for.

30. S. (43:46) What happens when this force called Moses that when they say he’s snatched the spear from the hand of the Egyptian and killed with it?

R. This is also ahead of us as well, in this way he thought that he is going to correct the will to receive in kingship that was just revealed.

31. S. (44:38) Do we receive something for ourselves or for bestowal, how do we clarify this?

R. First of all we see it from the extent of the connection with the friends, if I am connected with the friends in such a way that I feel that we are really as one body, then I guess I am going towards the correction. If I didn’t think about this and I didn’t care for this connection between us, then I guess I am going in the wrong direction. First of all we need to prepare the vessels.

S. If we have this connection can we feel that whatever we receive is for bestowal?

R. We need to take care to make sure that our reception and every action that we do, doesn’t matter, it will only be in order to bestow. To whom to bestow and how much to bestow, what is the result that needs to be as a result of and these are all the things that we need to see in our question. 

32. S. (46:40) Moses sinned and he made a sin and he lovingly accepted punishment from the Creator, should we learn from him not to sin or to lovingly accept the punishment from the Creator because Moses is a righteous?

R. This and that, it’s a correct question. Also try not to sin, but nonetheless whatever I get from the Creator I will receive it in order to all with love.

33. S. (47:34) What does it mean that the infinity rises in the correction of our will to receive, what kind of request do we need to raise so we don’t fall into the will to receive?

R. What we feel in the will to receive and what to use the will to bestow instead, this is what we ask for correction, that the light will come and will shine on the will to receive. The will to receive will invert to a desire to bestow and then we will be able to bestow and then rise to its degree.

34. S. (48:23) It was written here about a state in the twilight, between the suns that you cannot distinguish between Malchut and Bina, what is this state in our work?

R. This is a state that we cannot exactly distinguish between in order to receive and in order to bestow the good force and the bad force, it’s a problem. This is in the narrow, between the narrow straits, that you are in a state that you don’t know exactly how to discern between the good force and the bad force. We will encounter that and we will correct it and we will learn, there’s a lot of things.

35. S. (49:30) What is this staff in the work of the ten?

R. Staff is this force that we hold it and if we hold it then we don’t make any mistakes and we don’t fall, it is a connection between Malchut and Bina.

S. What does it mean and what is the correct work that we do and how do we use this staff correctly to not make the sin?

R. By us connecting together we build the staff our connection, and then by the connection between us we connect to Bina. Because each one cancels a little bit of his will to receive and all of us connects to his little will to bestow and all in all we are grasping this concept this force called staff, that the will to receive it’s called lower in importance, lower than importance.

S. The staff that we can hold it, how do we do this?

R. You try to show the friends and then everyone else as well will do it, how can we together hold this staff.

36. S. (51:44) In the time in the twilight shouldn’t we try to separate Malchut from Bina with a prayer and the Creator will do the work with just a prayer?

R. Yes, you are correct when we don’t feel a clear state this is the time for prayer. It is also in the morning and in the evening.

S. Can we say that specifically because of this Moses didn’t understand because here the Creator wanted to operate and Moses tried to do the work instead of Him?

R. No, we will see after what the purpose of this mistake and if there was a mistake at all we’ll research it later on we don’t need to try and come up with all kinds of conclusions.

37. S. (53:07) A person even a ten never knows what’s correct or what’s not correct and when they’re in such a boundary you said more than once that even if a ten makes a mistake it’s worthwhile to do it because it will be in the right direction. How can we distinguish between these two states, try to do it and be wrong or don’t do anything is better?

R. Again.

S. It is written, there is no righteous who did something and did not sin?

R. And righteous in the land who didn’t do good and didn’t do sin.

S. On the one hand we learn that on the sins, maybe not us  but on a higher level. There are  also states where it is written, sit and do nothing is better. Can we somehow have the tools to distinguish between these two states?

R. When do we need to prefer this state or that state, it’s actually a good question, usually your questions are good, but I still cannot explain it. Sit and don’t do anything is talking about states where they are not completely scrutinized. No righteous in the land who did good and didn’t sin, this is speaking about these ascents each time, that a person needs to try and be righteous and he reaches a state where he’s a normal person and then he rises to the level of righteous. Then becomes the no righteous in the land that did good and didn’t sin and then he sins and he falls even into a greater will to receive and then he is bigger and then he does it again. It’s a state of assent.

S. It means that it’s not in our hands to distinguish between this and that?

R. We’re undergoing those states so we’re going through those states and we know them and then we understand that this is the path of correction.

38. S. (55:49) Is the property of the staff a result of the connection where the individuals correct the connections and do they accumulate and create the properties of the staff through connections?

R. Repeat please.

S. You said everyone corrects a little bit so when we correct the corrections do they accumulate so the properties of the staff result from the connections between us?

R. Yes of course.

39. S. (56:47) You said that Moses is Israel and through Moses a feeling would come to all the vessels so the question is,  Moses completes the correction of Israel this spear that killed the Egyptian, does it mean that he put to death his own ego?

R. Moses isn’t a person, it’s a general force that exists in all of those who are connecting and are trying to rise to the level of the Creator. We should see this thing as a force that for sure is within each and every one of us.

40. S. (57:56) We say that the staff is this upper force and connection between us which we succeed]d in holding and here it seems as though the action of Moses it even says that he snatched the staff, it seems like a directed action and it’s not something that’s operated on him from above?

R. Correct, correct, as much as Moses here it’s a degree between the nation Israel and the Creator. Then we will see sometimes that the Creator acts together with Moses and sometimes it seems like Moses is working for the nation of Israel and sometimes working for the side of the Creator and there’s between them some kind of, not tight connections. We will see that otherwise there will not be a connection to the correction, the correction needs to be some kind of channel and some kind of transition between Moses and Israel and the Creator and then there’s a few other degrees in the middle.

S. He thought he was making a correction or he was just collaborating?

R. This degree is for sure always in the desire to try to be corrected but in order to be corrected he has to sin and he has to fall and strike it twice.

41. S. (01:00:08) Is the condition in order to connect is first to change the intention or is the condition in order to change the intention to connect, which one is the condition for the other?

R. First connect to this is before everything with closed eyes it doesn’t matter with what intention let’s try to connect and then by connecting with these and those. The main thing is that we have a ten and within the ten we need to determine this connection and that’s it. From that we will see what happens to us after and we will learn what it’s called connection.

Reading number 103 (01:07:06) “It was written he was more honorable than the 30..”

42. R. (01:10:44) The connection between the three Sefirot HBT HGD, it will continue onwards.

Reading number 104 (01:10:56) “Even though he was still not counted and calculated..”

Reading number 105 (01:14:09) “Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Aba bowed..” 

43. S. (01:18:43) We’re trying to perceive this depiction and really making a lot of efforts in the connection between us and there is an external story of the donkey drivers and then the Zohar suddenly takes us to Moses and then into the order of Bina and Malchut and suddenly David and then the external story of the donkey drivers. Maybe you can give us a bit of an order in this depiction, where is he taking us, why David and Moses and how should we look at this correctly so we can perceive this great picture that the Zohar is trying to draw before us?

R. All in all we are talking about the will to receive, that this is the Malchut that needs to receive corrections and rise to the level of Bina to bestow in order to bestow from the will to receive to the restriction to a desire to bestow in order to bestow. Afterwards even in order to receive in order to bestow that are the corrections that all the desires that are all included inside the will to receive they need to receive, that is what is spoken about here. This is the entire creation of the will to receive that needs to rise from in order to receive to receive in order to bestow these four degrees. Restriction, screen, reflected light bestowing in order to bestow and then receiving in order to bestow and this is considered as complete bestowal, that is what we’re talking about here. The fact that there are many names, many states, degrees, pieces, and the will to receive and the states that he’s going through. But actually all in all the entire creation, it’s material which is the will to receive and it needs to receive on itself the intention in order to bestow, that is what’s going on here. They are explaining to us in what order we make the corrections.

44. S. (01:21:54) Why did the donkey driver leave them, does that mean there will not be any spiritual degrees?

R. Let’s see, I do not know there are many questions here but as is our custom here we prefer to read on, we can go back if you want but it will not add much. To go forward with the hope of getting answers, in the end we will get an answer for everything as long as we keep going.

45. S. (01:22:55) From this excerpt I see that when we ascend on the degrees there’s ascents and descents and we cannot prevent the descents, meaning we can get a screen and then process it and then lose it and then get it again and this is a process and we should accept it is that right?

R. That is right.

S. What does it mean that they sat and wept until they couldn’t speak to each other anymore?

R. Couldn’t find a connection in order to rise and solve the problem on the way and continue to climb.

S. After they were successful in ascending to a certain degree, what does it mean that they left the donkeys at that place?

R. They have no more work with the matter Chomel, and I guess they have to climb a different way.

46. S. (01:24:08) There is a feeling that it’s speaking about our ten, what do we do when we understand that we cannot raise MAN from a certain degree, what is the point that will take us out of this pride?

R. If you feel that you can rise from your state higher, that is not good it is a lie. The ascent should be only through the connection between you.

S. It’s despaired from my own forces and from the ten’s forces, so what’s the exit point to go out into the next degree?

R. The recognition that we need to connect and only this way ascend.

47. S. (01:25:13) About the donkey driver that only with the help of the donkey driver we can reach Haya and Yechida and you said the connection between us is the donkey driver, that lion that devours and then the staff and now Haya and Yechida with the help of the donkeys is that always the force of the screen?

R. Always the ascent from one degree to the next demands an external force by which to rise.

48. S. (01:26:12) In the beginning of 105 it says that Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Aba fell and didn’t see Him so he’s asking what does it mean that they didn’t see him in the work and why he disappeared?

R. He disappeared from their attainment, that is what happened, and that is why they are perplexed. They do not know what to do next.

49. S. (01:26:51) What is the place that Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Aba left their donkeys?

R. I do not know that is what it’s called the place of the donkeys.

50. S. (01:27:14) Why couldn’t they stand the light?

R. They couldn’t stand the light because they don’t have vessels of bestowal suitable for receiving the light in order to bestow.

51. S. (01:27:28) What’s the importance of Rav Hamuna Saba?

R. Rav Hamuna Saba is the highest degree of the world of Atzilut.

52. S. (01:27:52) Do we prepare the vessels with prayer?

R. Yes.

53. S. (01:27:57) Is the state that we can’t discern between good and bad meaning we cannot count on our own reason or feelings, is that state a previous state to the next degree that we can connect to only with faith above reason?

R. Yes.

54. S. (01:28:24) I always hear that we have to read the sources twice, why are we reading the Zohar only once?

R. In order to read through it once and then think what we do next we have a lot of material to cover.

55. S. (01:28:41) Why is the creator burdening our hearts?

R. He’s not burdening or hardening it, He’s actually opening it up.

56. S. (01:28:59) It says that he couldn’t stand this great light that was revealed during those secrets and they fell before Him, how can we reveal the light without a vessel?

R. It’s surrounding light they couldn’t tolerate it, they didn’t enter the vessel it exists around them.

57. S. (01:29:33) What does it mean the ability to withstand the light?

R. To carry the light, to have a screen that you can receive in order to bestow.

S. Where is the criterion that they couldn’t stand it, that the pleasure was so great what happened?

R. That it blinded them and they couldn’t receive it in order to bestow.

S. I want to understand this criterion of receiving in order to bestow when we hold on to the Creator or we feel that we are bestowing to Him what is the criterion?

R. That every direct light you will receive and reflected light it’s very simple.

S. What is that?

R. Reflected light what we do from below.

58. S. (01:30:56) When we lose our donkey do we lose our connections and we have to start completely new from the beginning?

R. Not from the beginning but we lose the connection.

59. S. (01:31:18) It says for now they could no longer receive from the donkeys the strength to raise man from the excerpt, so do they receive the strength to raise man from the donkeys and from their egos?

R. Not only from their ego from their will to receive that was under the influence of the upper light.