MONDAY PRAYER: HOD-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 109
Morning Lesson January 14, 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. #109
1. Rav’s Introduction: Yes, we continue the same article, one of the primary ones in the book of Zohar that explains to us the force that is leading us on the way from Lo Lishma to Lishma, from being in Egypt to being in the land of Israel. Well almost, not really the land of Israel but in the exodus from Egypt towards the land of Israel which means from the concealment of the Creator to the revelation of the Creator, so let’s read.
Reading 109 & 110 (01:06)
2. S. (08:47) Based on the writing, without the light of Hochma can we clarify how to connect?
R. Without the light of Hochma can we scrutinize how to connect? Without the light of Hochma of course we cannot but where is this related to?
S. He is mentioning first the light of Hochma and then this whole process without drawing the light of Hochma it cannot happen?
R. Yes, it is correct.
3. S. (09:58) We are reading at the beginning that the degrees of GAR can receive Hochma without Hassadim?
R. The GAR of Hochma can dress into the vessels without the dressing of Hassadim which are already very high degrees.
S. Who can attain this, man?
R. Usually yes, the person can attain this usually but the garment of Hassadim is no longer the most important as it is on the first degrees in study but rather already the light of Hochma comes and it fulfills the vessels.
4. S. (11:09) What is the upper Garden of Eden and what is the lower Garden of Eden and what are the Partzufim that we cannot see and don’t feel?
R. Partzufim that we cannot see and don’t feel means that Malchut is rising to the lower Garden of Eden when it is fulfilled with the light of Hochma which is called Eden so there is the lower Garden of Eden and the upper Garden of Eden, the ZAT of Hochma and GAR of Hochma.
5. S. (12:03) There is this state described here when we begin to completely understand in our whole nourishment that everything we received from the environment that is comprised of creation, that is closed into the body of the Creator, is this called the upper Garden of Eden?
R. Yes.
6. S. (13:05) Here in relation to the lower Garden of Eden it is written that all the righteous are in the spirit that is dressed into the garment of armor as they were in this world, does this mean that in between the friends there is a competition in bestowal?
R. There is a competition in helping each other which is a competition in bestowal. Who can be more of a bestower to the others, so there is some kind of a competition, yes.
7. S. (13:56) What is this world and who is on this degree?
R. This world is the degree of the Malchut, usually that is called this world in each and every degree. The next world in each and every degree is the degree of Bina.
S. What is the difference between people and souls?
R. This depends on where we are talking about people. People are usually the general carrier of the soul and it is not a physical or biological substance. The soul is the spiritual vessel, the desire to receive with the intention of in order to bestow.
S. The degree of this world is this as stated that the person already has a soul? In what state people are on the level of this world? When he says this world, what should I describe to myself, what states are the vessels in on that level?
R. I cannot answer in such a way that you are asking. A person who is in this world, what degree is he in? He is in this world.
S. So it is still called in order to receive?
R. Yes.
8. S. (16:13) What does it mean to acquire the garment of Hassadim?
R. We ask from above for correction so that the force is coming down to us, and it elevates us above the desire to receive and we are in the force of bestowal, and this is considered that we have received a garment of Hassadim.
S. How can we implement this in the ten?
R. This is what we are coming closer to and what we are doing. You should be with us in all of the lessons, in all opportunities and you’ll see how we are advancing and how we are along on the path acquiring all of these states. We start to understand more, hear more, and activate ourselves more. How? It is only in practice that we are actually doing it. It is impossible in any other way. The wisdom of Kabbalah is a practical wisdom, only whatever we do not attain we do not know.
9. S. (18:11) It says that the righteous appear to people like angels from above, is this in order to help us to move from Lo Lishma to Lishma? Or does it happen only when we are already in Lishma?
R. In every state and in everything when we rise from a lower degree to a higher degree we have somebody, it are not people these are forces, spiritual forces that are elevating us from state to state and they are like those who are coming with donkeys, like the donkey driver or all kinds of others like angels, this is how we are rising from degree to degree. We cannot do anything without these forces that truly take us by the hands or on the hand or in other forms and they elevate us.
10. S. (19:49) From the passage, sometimes these righteous people make miracles for them. Is this what you meant by helping us to rise from degree to degree, is this what making miracles means?
R. No these are not miracles, miracles are against the laws of creation. Here, what we are learning is according to the laws of creation; how the spiritual Partzufim that are in certain places can rise to higher degrees. Of course they need an addition of power and help, a certain help, but it comes to them according to the degrees that they are on, those souls.
S. What is meant by making miracles in the passage?
R. Miracles it is a name that is used in multiple places, sometimes they say miracle which means that it is not reaching, it is not coming to the degree because that degree is not expecting it, seemingly the degree does not deserve that there are such transitions from state to state where the lower cannot understand why he deserves it and the Upper one is performing such corrections over him and other such things. We will talk about it. There are many different kinds.
11. S. (21:56) Is the light of Hassadim helping us to build a screen?
R. Yes, the light of Hassadim is building the screen.
S. Is the light of Hochma clothed by Hassadim leading the person to perform actions to receive in order to bestow?
R. This is true.
12. S. (22:27) Who is the righteous that is rising to the upper Garden of Eden but ultimately has to go down here, are we talking about Kabbalists?
R. We are always talking about Kabbalists that they rise and descend and it is all for the sake of the general correction, because in the general system in the system there is a need for all of the vessels to become incorporated with all the other vessels and so there are many ascents and descents and the ascents and descents where these parts, these souls are constantly forming and are involved in different actions and movements and then those who do it in order to bestow are called righteous and those who are taking care of them in the meantime they are still called souls.
13. S. (23:49) When we the students are listening as if from the outside to the depiction of the Kabbalists of spiritual places, what can turn us from outside listeners to really join the Kabbalists and go along with them.
R. You need to feel how much you do not understand it and how much you are not incorporated in these actions and how much you do not have anything in you so to belong to it on the one hand, on the other hand you really want this and you pray and you are requesting and then, then it will happen. There needs to be a prayer, a request from the fact that we really want this and we know that it is not within our power and understanding but we very very much ask for it, and if the ten makes such an effort then it receives help. This article is not for us yet.
S. Thinking about this example that we have here about Indians who could not to see their ships and then they started to see them when they were told about them and they started to see, what was that point when they started to see what they could not see before?
R. Only the prayer.
14. S. (25:52) It writes here about the form of people. What is the form of people that the Zohar talks about?
R. Usually it’s those souls that include within them already a male part and a female part and through such an incorporation together they work but we will see next week he has in mind.
S. Because he talks about how the righteous see that these souls descend to the level of this world but it seems like there is a difference here between what he calls people and righteous and souls.
R. It all refers to the souls to the desires in the end where in the desires there are all kinds of different levels or forms of the will to receive.
15. S. (27:39) About the form of study I want to clarify with you. We read a book that we still do not have a grasp of. We make efforts and Baal HaSulam in the Introduction to the Book of Zohar he explains all the terms, what are souls and different forces. Now when we read, is there any room really for questions? We don’t understand it anyway and you once advised us to nullify to the reading to just sit and make an effort. Now every question is like a slap it like slaps you’re making efforts to somehow collect the deficiency and then direct it to, I don’t even know how to say it. Is there any room for questions when reading the Zohar?
R. There are a few approaches to the reading. There is indeed room for questions and there is a room for prayer. I recommend for the time being the room for prayer that is seemingly I don’t understand anything I do not know anything like a baby sitting next to the mother and the mother is reading for me some book or baby and she explains something to me I look at this big colorful pages of this book for babies and I still do not understand anything, but I sit next to her and I enjoy the process itself, this is the first stage which we need.
The next stage is that I already begin to enter into the explanation of the matter, I don’t quite understand what is happening but following her explanation she points at something for me at the pictures, the words, something, and I go along with her and I simply in such a way bit by bit I begin to get to know the page, the pictures, the words, and this is how we are drawn to the internality of the matter bit by bit there is nothing we can do about it.
S. When a friend has the courage to stand up in the lesson in the middle of the great effort that everyone is making, if he has the courage to stand up and ask a question, what kind of responsibility does he have?
R. What kind of a responsibility he has? He nevertheless wants to clarify something he also wants something to be more clear to everyone, nevertheless it is worthwhile, it’s worthwhile to ask, maybe not something that is not clear to everyone but we should continue and ask. I am not telling those who ask that they are not okay, that they should restrain themselves or hold back, no.
16. S. (31:54) What is wisdom of the 32 paths?
R. The Hochma of the 32 paths is something that we did not hear yet. Hochma of the 32 paths all in all we have 22 letters and 10 more so it’s called 32 paths. We will study this later, wait, to explain such things we need an entire lesson.
17. S. (32:45) It says in the text that the righteous are clothed and the hidden between us like people in this world. Is this about this?
R. It is the matter of the garment the clothing of the reflected light. Just like in this world, we can attain the garment of reflected light so the righteous also acquire the reflected light and it becomes their garment.
18. S. (33:29) What does it mean that miracles are against the laws of creation? That’s also what Baal HaSulam says about miracles. What does it mean?
R. A miracle is something which is against nature that everything inside of nature is called a law, the law of nature, and whatever is against these laws or different formulas in physics or mathematics et cetera but it does exist it exists so we call that a miracle, a miracle that it’s not according to nature, therefore in the Torah we read about the miracle of the exodus from Egypt that when they fled from Egypt and reached the Red Sea they see before them water, and they didn’t know what to do, and then one person one guy who was among them whose name was Nachshon, he jumped into the water, the first one, and he said I’m going to go even if I’m going to drown. Everyone followed him and this is how they passed through the sea.
This is an example of an action in faith above reason, meaning against reason, against logic, so these things are called miracles. A miracle means above nature that there are the laws of nature and there is something that happens above the laws of nature or against the laws of nature.
19. S. (36:04) Following a previous question when you learned with Rabash did somebody besides you ask questions during the study of the Zohar?
R. They hardly asked any questions, me. We simply heard what is written in the Zohar and if Rabash would add a word then I would write down that word and that was it.
S. What has changed? We’re even coarser than those students, right?
R. They wanted to hear the Zohar because the first or even second time or even a third time you just hear it, you hear the book, what is the book talking about, and the after a few such times then we begin to discern, to ask, to hear it, there is some familiarity with it. It’s like a little child who does not yet know the language but he hears he listens. What does he hear? He doesn’t know but he hears some sounds not words but sounds and therefore it turns out that this is how we should also study, we should listen, and later on bit by bit we can start to get into the language, into the words, into the questions, that come out of the text and so on gradually.
S. The question awakens some disappointment and it’s hard to pray afterwards.
R. You are not pleased with the fact that the friends are asking.
S. Yes, most questions awaken disappointment, it’s harder to keep the flow of the reading afterwards.
R. That is true on the one hand however on the other hand people need these questions. I cannot tell you to tell them to hold back and later on they can understand it even though in most cases, a few lines later, they will talk about it and explain it.
Reading 111 (39:15 – 41:54)
20. R. (41:56) So this means that nevertheless there are degrees that we can attain, understand, we feel, we connect to them, and there are degrees that we are not capable of entering their internality and in this way to become incorporated with them. There are all kinds so nevertheless, however, in the end the person understands everything and feels everything however not on the spot; sometimes we have to rise a few degrees before the person attains what he had a few degrees earlier. Even in this world we learn some methods and we do not understand what exactly it means in school, let’s say, and what is it that they want from us in a certain grade. A year or two later we start to digest what it was and what it was about and how we should relate to it and so on. This is how we are built and in the wisdom of Kabbalah, in general, it is written that “nothing is attained in its place but rather we have to rise above”, and to see where this degree come from, who establishes it, for what form, for what purpose, what is the beginning, the entrance, and what is the exit from it, and then we can understand what it is about and then we can grasp the complete matter and we can completely scrutinize it and work with it.
This is why we always speak of the attainment of the degree, not in something that you are in it, when you are in it you cannot understand because you are still in it. But only when you are above it and even a few degrees above it then you begin to research that earlier degree, the degree that became lower now, and then you understand it. And we see this is even in our own lives and in each and every state, it stems from the character of the spiritual degrees. That the in each degree we can always start counting it each and every degree, it is called the still, vegetative, animate, and speaking; in short, we have to rise three degrees at least and then we can speak about first degree and it is usually 5 degrees and so on.
21. S. (45:06) So the Creator told Moses, “you cannot see my face for man shall not see my face and live”, what does it mean?
R. We will learn this, that there are such degrees where the person who is rising to those degrees must get rid of his previous vessel, it’s considered that he has to ‘put to death’ his previous will to receive, soon we are going to get there.
22. S. (46:05) You said that there are a few approaches for reading The Zohar where one of them is a prayer; can we connect to you, is there also the possibility also to connect to the ten and ask the Creator during the hearing of The Zohar the light would influence the friends
R. I didn’t understand, what do you mean?
S. You said that one of the approaches is to pray during the hearing of The Zohar, the other is to ask questions, so when we pray is it possible to connect to you and ask that the light would influence the friends?
R. That the light of The Zohar will influence them? No, no you should not turn to me with prayers, only to the Creator.
S. Okay, so now, you said indeed, about the second approach: can you explain how when you were reading it with Rabash how the lesson was going in terms of questions, etc., how was it?
R. There were barely any questions and each and everybody would pray, ask the Creator and to the extent that he would understand, he would understand, and this is how the person would advance. What Rabash did was mostly read, he would mostly read, and also not him, but rather a reader next to him would read, that’s all. If there were truly special questions then we would ask Rabash, that’s all, it was very simple, everything was given to the hands of the students. You want to know more, you want to know, then ask and pray, and request and receive a response from the Creator.
S. How do you see us, should we ask questions during the lesson, how do you see us?
R. I see that you need to work more between you and then you’ll get answers and just asking is not going to give us much benefit.
S. Is there a room for a workshop maybe so we’ll connect in our hearts and then we’ll be able to hear The Zohar in a different way?
R. Possibly, do a workshop, no problem I’ll be happy.
23. S. (49:39) In order to attain a certain degree we have to rise a few degrees above it and this is why a sage is preferable to a prophet because he has experience?
R. Let’s say so.
24. S. (50:08) What is the difference between seeing in our world and seeing the Creator?
R. This I do not have an answer for. I can’t explain what it means to see that Creator.
25. S. (50:57) What does it mean that the righteous is preferable to a prophet, is it a higher degree?
R. The sage attains in his power, his attainment and the prophet is seeing what is he is being shown from above, from a higher degree, that’s the difference between them.
26. S. (51:42) What is this pure persimmon called special souls?
R. We are going to have to learn this, it’s not something we can talk about it right now. There is a big article and a lot of content about this, a great person, a pure person.
27. S. (52:46) The Garden of Eden, is that the final form following the 125 degrees that we discover or is there anything else?
R. Not yet, ask to the point.
Reading 112 (53:14)
Reading 113 (55:43)
Reading 114 (01:01:58)