MONDAY PRAYER: GEVURAH-TIKKUN CHATZOT תקון חצות – LESSON WITH RAV MICHAEL LAITMAN
READING: between after midnight and sunrise of Monday
Baal HaSulam. Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah, item 3
Morning Lesson March 25, 2023
Transcription is made from simultaneous translation which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio
Part 2:
Baal HaSulam. Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah. #3
1 R. (00:12) I recommend reading, studying the Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah to the women as well. I had several questions from women whether they should or shouldn’t. I think it’s really worthwhile because it gives us knowledge about the whole system, light, vessel, screen, all those elements we need to work with in order to attain the spiritual world which is for both men and women. So it’s good for us to study these elements now in the preface. This is number one, number two, ask. As we study we can ask, of course ideally if it’s related to the text and we’ll scrutinize it.
2. S. (01:00) The moment we started studying, it’s exciting to dive into this text every time. This time it was hard to disconnect it from the context and timing, that we’re in an attack towards Passover. So should we connect this somehow? How to approach this study correctly now in these special times of an attack?
R. No, it’s difficult to connect practically because what we learn in the preface is how the vessel is built through the light and how this vessel becomes organized through the light; how it divides itself, becomes divided into the parts of it and becomes therefore with respect to the reception of the light, internal and responding, etc. So this whole vessel, this will to receive how it eventually comes through many changes in it into a state where it reaches the end of correction, the final correction. In other words everything we learn about all of reality we are learning here in the Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah; that from the beginning of the will to receive that the Creator created, existence from absence until this will to receive comes to its final function where it becomes completely equal to the upper light, to the Creator and that’s the process.
And what’s special about this process is that the will to receive begins to be opposite from the Creator which is how the Creator created it, and it completes its development by becoming completely, completely similar and close, with zero distance to the Creator, to the light. This is what we learn. So all the changes are only in the will to receive. The changes are from the point where the Creator created it opposite from Himself until the will to receive comes to identicalness, to equivalence of form with the Creator 100%. This is what happens through all of creation, more than that we don’t learn, so let’s study this.
3. S. (04:08) You felt that it would be right for us to start studying this before Passover, in this attack we’re in?
R. Yes.
S. Does it have some inner significance or meaning that we have to come closer to the study now?
R. The more we focus on the will to receive, how much it is in order to receive, how much it determines everything we feel, think and do, our correction will be more practical.
Reading Item #3 (04:54)
4. S. (08:14) On one hand we read about this deterministic system of ten Sefirot, HaVaYah, degrees. On the other hand we say that in the end it’s speaking about feelings, a hug with the Creator. How can we depict to ourselves 10 Sefirot as a hug with the Creator, as the relationship, as feelings?
R. I don’t understand, what is the difference? Everything is preordained, predetermined, divided, defined, divided into tens, hundreds, thousands, etc.. With respect to the person this is what happens, it’s how we’re built and therefore with respect to us this is how the creation seems to be built. What it’s like for other created beings let’s say maybe in other worlds we’ll gradually understand and know these things but what comes from the world of Ein Sof, from the Creator goes through the worlds Atzilut, Yetzira, Beriya, Assiya and after that comes to us; all of that is based on a system of ten. Ten and not nine, ten and not eleven. This is how we count everything, it’s how we’re built and how we should accept this whole thing.
S. The Creator’s attitude comes out in ten degrees or worlds and at the same time when you speak about relationships, love, adhesion, a hug with Him it’s like an emotion, that there are no limits there or definitions?
R. Incorrect, that’s incorrect. There too everything is defined, predetermined, divided into tens, hundreds, thousands etc. In relation to the person in our system, the system of our measurement and feeling, everything is divided into tens.
S. And we attain these tens as something whole?
R. We attain something complete and we divide it into tens and then we divide them into other tens and so on indefinitely.
S. Let’s say our connection the most important thing for us is something whole to begin with, that afterwards we can somehow research?
R. Yes, but it all changes in us, in our understanding, in our feelings. So there’s nothing complicated or complex about it.
5. S. (11:37) What does the last sentence mean that this completes creation in light and vessel called buying the light of life within it? What does that mean?
R. Everything in all of reality is divided into the Creator and the created being and the created beings are divided into still, vegetative, animate and speaking. And the Creator is depicted to us as the light of Ein Sof which is divided into Yechida, Haya, Neshama, Ruach, Nefesh. And this is how we accept these things. Basically we are learning the connection between the parts in the created being with the light, the Creator that comes and fills the created being.
6. S. (12:38) Before he reaches the world of Assiya does the created being have to go through the rest of the worlds?
R. Yes of course, we’ll soon learn it.
7. S. (13:07) In the cascading from above downward what reaches the end of its development?
R. The will to receive stems from the Creator and moves away, further and further away until it comes to the completion of its development which is the farthest point from the Creator. And it’s called the central point, the central point of all of creation.
S. And the will to receive is the biggest at that point?
R. At that point the will to receive is the smallest.
S. What is the difference between the four letters of HaVaYah to the ten Sefirot? The letters are discernments in creation of the vessel and the ten Sefirot are in equivalence of form?
R. There is something to what you’re saying but generally all of creation is divided into light and vessel and the vessel is divided into five parts according to the coarseness that’s revealed in it, root, one, two, three, four. And each of them divides into six more so you get to have ten discernments within the vessel and five discernments in the light, and the light dresses in the vessel. This way we’ll learn further down.
8. S. (14:56) If we are the desire to receive the abundance created out of nothing, what is the light, the light and vessel, the light of life between the body?
R. We are a desire, the vessel and the light that fills us that comes from the Creator which fills us and sustains us. This is why it’s called the light of life and this is how it is in everyone, in all the creative beings. In other words all of creation is divided into the Creator and the created beings and the created beings receive their vitality, their sustenance from the Creator which is called the light. The created beings receive vitality from the Creator in a minimal portion for their existence and if they want to advance, to grow then they need to perform some actions, some operations on their own in order to grow; that is, that’s what we learn about. This is why there can be growth only on the human level because it is growth in qualities, in properties and this is why man goes through all kinds of degrees of growth until we come from our beginning which is zero, until we are similar to the Creator. This is what we learn about.
9. S. (17:31) How come we feel what world we’re in?
R. When we feel we will understand.
10. S. (17:59) What does it mean that the will to receive the abundance is initiated from existence from absence?
R. That it’s coming from the Creator, that’s it. In the Creator Himself it doesn’t exist but rather the Creator creates it. This is why it’s called existence from absence because previously it didn’t exist and then it was created. How was it created, by what? By the Light that actually emerged existence from existence, from the Creator.
11. S. (18:56) The feeling of the Sefirot is the feeling of connection at a certain degree?
R. Yes.
12. S. (19:27) The will to receive ends in Malchut and that’s where it becomes more corporeal and gets its final form. Afterwards I use that additional development of the will to receive to accept all the abundance in the will to receive. So it turns out that the intention to bestow is an even more final form of the will to receive?
R. Yes.
13. S. (20:06) What condition can I implement in the ten for the abundance to be revealed more in the connection between us?
R. The connection between us needs to be greater and then the abundance that comes from the Creator dresses more in us.
14. S. (20:43) Everything depends on the Creator, that’s what I heard. What does it mean that it depends on the Creator? Do we ourselves change ourselves to see that there’s a Creator?
R. There’s one force that created everything and runs everything and it’s called the Creator.
S. So we have to believe in it first and then feel it?
R. This is already on our part. On His part, He created everything and He runs everything.
S. Thank you, that’s what I understood.
15. S. (21:35) What’s the difference between the world of Assiya and our world because we usually say that there are five worlds. So it turns out that our world is an additional world?
R. Can you wait a little bit with your questions? Don’t jump ahead. We haven’t even started learning anything and you’re already asking about the difference between the worlds.
16. S. (22:14) I heard that the will to receive comes from the Creator and reaches the central point of creation where it’s the smallest. Can you explain that?
R. The will to receive stems from the Creator and through its connection with the light it diminishes itself more and more and accordingly the light in it comes to a state where it grows smaller and smaller, until we come to the center point of the expansion of all those circles. And in it there’s already no will to receive, it’s like zero and the light is also like zero. This is how from the Creator, from the biggest circle they come gradually through smaller and smaller circles to the center where both light and desire become zero. We will learn a lot about this.
S. At what stage of our development does it happen?
R. We will learn more about it. I don’t like when you ask questions when we only said two words about it. If you can ask another question, another word you put into it. Have patience if you want to study, if you want to learn.
17. S. (24:26) Where is the abundance in this world because it seems like the pleasure has already become corrupted and now we have many more things that previously we couldn’t even dream about yet we still don’t feel satisfaction or pleasure, so where is this abundance?
R. The abundance is in the upper worlds. By studying the wisdom of Kabbalah we will rise to them, then there we will discover this upper abundance.
18. S. (25:25) So the vessel, as it cascades it’s an expression of bestowal of the vessel toward the upper one until becoming corporeal.
S. I don’t hear a question there.
S. This cascading described here in item 3 from above downward, is it an expression of the vessel toward the upper one as bestowal?
R. Not bestowal.
S. But it bestows upon it.
R. No, it doesn’t bestow. The vessel’s influenced by the light and cascades with it from the Creator to the central point.
S. But the first emergence that happened in the vessel, the vessel and the light were in equivalence of form?
R. Where do you see that?
S. In phase one.
R. Where is it written that it was in equivalence of form? You’re jumping ahead.
19. S. (26:44) Can you clarify the relationship between existence and absence?
R. What do you mean?
S. I mean from existence we receive only existence from existence, that’s stage 2 and in that stage we have the feeling that we are already finding the absence. And in Phase 3 it turns out that [..]
R. We’re not speaking towards man, it’s still about creation that cascades from its source in that way.
S. I understand, I’m asking about a quality not about a person. So in three we receive absence from existence and in phase 4 will receive a stronger absence. And from absence we receive absence, this is phase 4 and then in the fifth phase we receive existence from absence because we already have a record of the existence.
R. What existence? Who is the one who exists and has it? Who are we?
S. There’s no us, we’re talking about qualities, spiritual qualities. It turns out there are five qualities: existence, existence from existence, absence from existence, absence from absence and existence from absence. Am I right or not?
R. I don’t know that wisdom. Show me where it’s written and then we can talk about it.
20. S. (28:35) I heard you said that man is the only thing that develops in reality. What is it in man that he develops? What quality does he have that other species don’t have?
R. A Divine part from above. There are people who feel it, there are people who don’t feel it yet but they have a Divine part from above. Meaning they have a root from the will to bestow.
S. And other qualities, phases there, isn’t this the root?
R. No.
S. And do we call this root the point in the heart or doesn’t it matter?
R. The rest of the phases we call them phases only, but they don’t have a feeling of the Emanator in them, the ability to feel the Emanator.
S. And in man that’s the point in the heart that we’re talking about? This root you talked about, this root from God above?
R. Let’s say so.
S. And does it exist in every human being, physical person in this world?
R. Actually yes, a person in this world. In none of them there is a point in the heart.
S. Sorry, I didn’t understand, there is or there isn’t a point in the heart?
R. There isn’t, what do you want from beasts?
S. So who are those who?
R. But when the will to receive will be born in him in order to bestow, then he already has a contact with his point, with his origin where he starts connecting to the Creator, starts developing towards connection with the Creator.
S. What is it in this point that pulls a person toward this development?
R. His root above and then he feels that this is how it happens to him.
S. Will this point pull all the desire or will it rise by itself, ascend by itself?
R. All desires, all of them have to reach Him from small to big.
21. S. (31:18) It’s as if there’s this agreement, that I understand what we are talking about and read it and everything goes wrong and there’s a gap between what we read and what he meant.
R. Correct.
S. How do we grasp this gap?
R. We have to study according to what’s written in the text and only what’s written and not to ask questions that come out of what we read. Because then there’s all kind of wise guys here that know how to start asking questions that others don’t know about. Is that the right participation with the general study? No.
S. It says that the view of landlords is the opposite from the view of Torah so it’s felt like..
R. It’s felt in what they’re asking. It’s felt that they are the landlords.
S. How do we close the gap?
R. We just don’t won’t take it into account any more. If there are questions that aren’t to the point I won’t answer them and those people, eventually we’ll silence them and advance only according to the text. Gradually, everyone will scrutinize it and absorb what’s written and then we’ll all be speaking together equally.
22. S. (33:09) There’s a state and there’s a feeling. Like two functions one is discrete and the other is [..]
R. Don’t tell me stories! What do you want?
S. I’m trying to understand what connection is.
R. Where is it written here about connection? Where in the text we read did you see the word connection?
S. There’s light and there’s a vessel.
R. Sit and keep studying.
23. S. (33:51) We started studying in order to learn and feel how to understand what is happening in my desire when the Creator operates on me or is it so I can draw His operations on me consciously and develop together with the Creator this desire?
R. Yes and what?
S. That’s the question. What is the scheme of our study, to have some conscious development of mine? The question is, is this why we’re learning?
R. We are studying in order to understand what the Creator wants of us and to be able to implement it, that’s it.
24. S. (34:59) I feel like I’m special, like I’m chosen from the rest of the people in this world. Will this feeling continue to accompany me in the upper worlds?
R. We’ll see. For now we are studying and we need to understand that it won’t be. The more a person ascends on the spiritual ladder he feels himself smaller and smaller. Not that he’s really small or weak but the more he understands the more he feels he can encompass all of creation, that’s why he sees himself as small.
25. S. (36:04) What happens is that the text is a little difficult to understand and now with the questions I feel that we’re even more confused in the ten. So is it possible to reread the text slowly and perhaps explain and elaborate on it?
R. We’ll read it again and maybe it will become more clear. Still you will need to go with everybody, even if it’s the first time you’re hearing this. And all the wise guys here that want to ask about all kinds of more advanced things we’ll silence them.
Reading Item #3 (37:21) “The above-mentioned order of cascading, which brings the will to receive to its final form in this world…”
26. S. (40:30) What does it mean that the will to receive was inside the abundance and when it cascades it turns out that the abundance is in the desire?
R. You have the will to receive and the abundance that constantly diminish themselves until in the end, in the center of the circle you could say, the center of creation, the will to receive becomes zero and the abundance becomes zero.
S. So the final form of the will to receive is that it doesn’t want to receive the abundance?
R. It’s not its final form, it’s for now in the cascading from above downward.
27. S. (42:06) Everything begins from the four letter name which is the structure of all of reality, so if all of our desire is made of these four phases, is this all of reality basically?
R. Yes, correct, all of reality includes those four phases.
S. When we talk about desires to receive and desires to bestow, are all the things that exist in us in the structure of the desire?
R. It is all included in the four phases, yes. There is no more in the expansion of the light within the desire more than those four degrees.
28. S. (42:56) It talks about worlds and Sefirot. Can you maybe explain in a few words?
R. No, no, no, later. Whatever isn’t written don’t ask for.
29. S. (43:17) In item three he says that the will to receive should reach its final form in this world it has to go through four degrees that are interpreted as ten Sefirot. How are the ten Sefirot arranged and how are they connected to the four degrees of the will to receive?
R. We will learn that later in a few lessons. I see that all these questions are not according to the text and they’re outside of it.
30. S. (44:18) How can we describe this state of light and vessel together with respect to the perception of reality? Can we perceive such a reality?
R. All the perception of reality includes light and vessel.
31. S. (44:42) Is it describing relationships between light and vessel that go from above downward until the vessel feels the light less and less?
R. Until the vessel feels the light?
S. Feels the light less and less.
R. Yes, that’s what we’re talking about. And there in the center it’s called this world, where we are according to our perception.
S. It begins with the feeling that the light and vessel feel each other completely until the restriction in this world?
R. Yes.
32. S. (45:25) The text sounded like the disparity of form between us and the Creator grows wider and wider and that’s what I grasp from this text. Is that what he’s talking about?
R. Yes.
33. S. (45:58) It says that the four letter name in the letters HaVaYah in His name contains all of reality without any exception. What does it mean without any exception?
R. That only that, only that without anything else being in there.
34. S. (46:53) How come the will to receive is born in Ein Sof already with a yearning to receive?
R. Because the Creator created in such a way.
35. S. (47:24) In the text it says that it should cascade with the abundance in it through the four worlds. What does it mean with the abundance, is there already abundance in the desire?
R. Yes, there is already a desire for the abundance, for the fulfillment. That’s how the Creator created the desire, to yearn for what comes from the Creator.
36. S. (48:11) If he already has abundance isn’t it complete already?
R. I don’t understand.
S. It says that it needs to cascade. In order to come to the complete state it has to cascade with the abundance in it.
R. Yes.
S. So if there is already abundance in it isn’t it already complete?
R. If it has abundance so no, it’s not perfect yet because it didn’t draw that abundance, it didn’t want it. The abundance fills it not according to the desire of the vessel and that’s what it’s lacking. Correct question. Here it’s revealed that even if the abundance fills the desire, by this the desire doesn’t reach satisfaction. That’s why there’s a process in order to build the desire for the abundance and then to fill itself with the abundance, that is already called in order to bestow. Meaning we need to build a new desire here and this new desire has to come from the desire of the created being. That’s called the desire to bestow to the Creator and then if he is filled with a desire to bestow to the Creator then he will really be satisfied. In this way we reach the purpose of creation that they both give and they both receive, and they’re both satisfied.
37. S. (50:48) If the basic mechanism of the will to receive which basically works in order to feel the abundance cascades uniformly in all of us from the worlds, there’s one mechanism for all of us, why are we so different? Why does our ego separate us? Why can’t we get along in a uniform way more quickly?
R. Because our ego wants to enjoy itself and we have to invert the direction of its enjoyment to be in order to bestow that we enjoy giving and not enjoy receiving.
S. And the connection between us is the only way to make the uniform feeling?
R. Yes, the connection between us is the only means to receive the light that reforms and enjoy bestowal. Just like someone with little children enjoys when she gives him food. A mother that holds the baby in her hands and lets him eat, the more he suckles the more she enjoys it. That’s what we need to understand in our connection to the upper one.
38. S. (52:42) It says here that the world of Assiya contains within it this world as well. I would like to understand this world and the spiritual world. Is this where the Machson, the barrier, is or did I misunderstand?
R. I want to explain something to everyone. We just started studying the structure of the worlds, Sefirot, Partzufim and souls. There’s so much to study ahead of us in order to understand all of this creation, the way it’s built and where we are in it, where this world is, where the next world is, where the world of the souls are and so on. It’s still ahead of us. I can’t in such a way advance if you ask in this one page you read what’s going to be written 100 pages from now, it’s impossible. You can ask but I can’t answer because you won’t understand. That’s why let’s read it and study this according to the way the book can advance us, okay? I started studying this Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah, let’s say fifty years ago, so let me keep teaching it in the right way, otherwise you’ll get completely confused. You read what we’re reading and that’s what you learn, what we’re learning. Then you will see within a few weeks everything will start clarifying. For now all the best to you all, and rest.