SUNDAY: MALCHUT-TIKKUN CHATZOT תקון חצות – LESSON WITH RAV MICHAEL LAITMAN
READING: FROM MIDNIGHT TO DAWN SUNDAY
Rabash. Make for Yourself a Rav and Buy Yourself a Friend – 2. 8 (1985)
Morning Lesson August 11, 2023
Transcription is made from simultaneous translation, which leaves a possibility for differences in the audio
Part 1:
Rabash. Article 8, (1985). Make for Yourself a Rav and Buy Yourself a Friend – 2
1. Rav’s Introduction: (21:07) The article is very beautiful. What does and judge every person favorably” as “making,” not “buying.” “every man to the cup of merit” mean? It turns out that there is no person that you do not judge by the cup of merit? Well, who can answer? What do you think?
S. (21:44) The matter is quite complex, but the last verse may summarize the whole story. Perhaps you would like to explain this? He says: “Therefore, in reason, he does not see their greatness. And between a man and his friend, we said that it should be “buy”, while (here) he should use the property “do”, which is in above reason. And this is called: “Judge every person by the cup of merit.”
Now, in reason, he does not see their greatness. It is clear that we do not see friends … you see them small, you do not see them big, so what does it mean? That every time we must be in above reason in order to see the friends as greater than me. How to do it? How do we come to such an agreement? Could you explain this?
R. Even if I do not see them, because I do not determine that this is how I will see them. But I’m trying to come to this: to see them, that they are all greater than me. Yes?
S. Yes. But it is clear that we are not able. No, I can’t see a friend greater than me, no way. I always see myself as greater than them. What should I do? I’m in a ten? I’ll give an example, so that I will understand what is happening here. You are in a Ten, and you are full of pride. I know everything and I do everything. However you see the friends each one shows up when he feels like , sometimes he feels like coming, sometimes he doesn’t. How can you justify a friend and to make him greater than me, when you see that you are doing more than him? That’s how you feel. What do he tell: to be in above reason, to see that he – yes, he comes on time, yes, he comes to morning lessons …?
R. Does the Creator want to show me that I am greater than others? Are you talking to me? That I look at my comrades and see how the Creator shows me that they are all small, and that I am in front of them at least in some way, but bigger than them? Yes? Well…?
S. How can I force myself? Why deceive yourself?
R. Do not cheat. No no. You are in a state that now you have a place for work in front of you: to ask the Creator that by showing you everyone that he is less than you – how can you make yourself a “place of prayer”, ask for the strength that will lift all comrades to the level at which you want to connect with them so that you have the respect, the strength that you are in the tendency to connect with them.
S. (25:05) All my life, you see, in family relationships… You see: no matter what you do, they always “lower” you to the ground. You are trying… so that “the Creator will help me”, but you see that nothing works, that everything is not happening like that…
R: I don’t understand. And in the material, in the family, you must return yourself to such a form that you are in a special relationship, for example, with your wife: that you value her and try to be on good terms with her. What’s the problem with this?
S. You tell me this every time. I am laughing. Why? Because you get to the point where they push the button for you, and you flare up like a wick …
R. It all depends on preparation.
S. What is this preparation?
R. That you are constantly preparing yourself for states, that even if they throw you out of a “good” state, in any case, even in a state that is not so “good”, you find the strength to justify a friend or wife.
S. What is it – “above knowledge”?… When you sit with your wife or in the top ten, what does it mean that you work with them above reason? Are you starting to think what a good guy he is? How small? What am I thinking?
R. What is not … as Rabash writes in his first articles, that a person should see himself as the smallest in relation to everyone.
S. That is to reduce yourself all the time, right?
R: To reduce oneself, not only to reduce oneself artificially, but to see that it really is so.
S. How can I see myself so small? How can it be that I will truly see that I am small?
R. I look at them and I see that indeed, each of them has something that I don’t have. And indeed, I see myself as a small one among them.
S. When can one come to such a point in order to really see? Who helps you see that you are so small?
R: Creator.
S. Where do you get such strength to see that you are so small?
R. Because it is really so.
S. Really? Ok understood, thank you.
S. (28:15) If we can find out what is called “buy” and “make” in relation to friends because he talks here in the article about making which is above reason. I come to the friends and I try to see how great and greater they are than me. And buy, when I work with my intellect and trying to buy a friend and I see him, what is the order in the work in buying and doing. What comes before what?
R. This is in relation to how you are being managed from above.
S. I can be in a state now where I am buying friends because I see them as great or I am not great and I can do it accordingly.
R. No. Buy yourself a friend, make for yourself a Rav, so there are two actions here.
S. What does “buy” mean? This is not entirely clear.
R. That with your strength and your efforts by the actions you make your relationship with the friend such that is buy yourself a friend. You do all kinds of good things that you can do for him so that he sees that it is worthwhile to connect with you. Simple, egotistically simple.
S. This “buy” we can do this above reason or not necessarily? Because there is states that we can buy it, and I want to see him as great? because I see it as big
R. That’s not above reason, it is within reason.
S. In the Ten when we always say to make the friends great, this work of buy and make and let’s say we take every single action and uplift each one, those positive qualities in the friends, is this action of buy and make action easier?
R. Yes of course, because you made them greater in your eyes.
2. S.
R. The Creator wants to show me that I’m more than everyone. That’s what you’re telling me. Yes. when I look at the friends I see how the Creator shows me that they’re a little.
S. How can I cause myself one if I am lying to myself, what am I doing?
R. No no not lying. You are in a state where you now have a place to work, how to ask the Creator that by showing you each one as such meaning lower how can you make such a place of Prayer of yourself, such a force that will raise all the friends to the height that you will want to connect to them. That you have respected power in the inclination to connect with them.
S. My whole life with my relationship, no matter what you’re trying to do you’re always being low to the ground. You’re simply spitting blood you see it doesn’t work
R. No I don’t.
S.You tell me this each time.
R. It all depends on preparation.
S. What is that preparation?
R. Preparation that you always prepare yourself, that to such states that even if you’re thrown out of a good state, even as you are in a bad state you find strength to justify the friend or your lady.
S, What is, that above reason you’re sitting with your partner, your spouse (frozen.)
R. The person has to see himself as the smallest out of everyone. to make himself smaller, yes. but not in an artificial way but rather to actually see that he is such.
S. How can I really see myself so small, what do I need to do for that?
R. I look at them and I see that truly in each of them there is something that I don’t have. that I don’t have. but I see myself as the smallest of all.
S. Really who helps you remain so small? Where do you get that from and get the strength?
3. S. (28:15) If we can scrutinize the matter of buy and make with the friends and I try to see how great they are, how great they are for me and buy is when I work with my intellect and I want to buy a friend, and I see his merits. What is the order in the work in the Ten, what should be first of all: buy or make?
R. That’s in relation to how you are being managed from above.
S. I can meet a state where I’m buying friends now because I see them as great? or I’m not great and then I can do it according to what I’m doing?
R. No, buy yourself a friend and make for yourself a rav. so there are two actions here. two actions.
S. What is by it’s not so clear?
R. That with your strength and with your efforts, by the actions you make your relationship with the friend such that it is by yourself a friend. you do all kinds of good things that you can do for him so that he will see that it’s worthwhile for him to connect to you. simple. Egotistically simple.
S. Can we make the buy or that we can do this above reason or not necessarily? Are there states that we can that want to see him is great, but….?
R. Then that’s not above reason that’s within reason.
S. If in the Ten when we always say to make the friends great, this work of buy and make, let’s say that if we take every single action and uplift each one come of those positive qualities in the friends, so is this action of buy and make easier and better?
R. The last sentence was what again?
S. If the buying and making will be easier let’s say the moment we start uplifting a certain quality in a friend then in the 10 we decide this one is good at this and that one that, so these actions that they can do can be much easier?
R. Yes of course. because you made them greater in your eyes.
4. S. (31:35) What’s the difference between make yourself a RAV and judging a friend to a scale of Merit, or judging a person fairly so both have to be done above reason so what’s the difference?
R. Create for yourself a Rav means that you relate to the friend as a great, and that’s how you position him above you.
S. To judge every person favorably also needs to be done about reason so what’s the difference?
R. Yes.
S. Why do we need to differentiate between them?
R. That all kinds of different states we’ve got, that one time it’s a friend and another time it’s a Rav and another time it’s like you and another time is more than you or less than you and you wish to determine your attitude to Him as above you.
S. Let’s say let’s not take it toward the Creator but toward the friend. What is to judge a friend favorably and make yourself an Rav towards a friend as well, what is the difference between those two discernments?
R. To judge the friend to a scale of merit meaning that he’s always right, he’s always important and that’s how you relate to him.
S. What else?
R. Make yourself a Rav toward the friend is also the same thing. Basically the same thing, yes. Buy yourself a friend or refer yourself a Rav is a friend is more on a corporeal level and Rav is more on a spiritual level. Rav is that he is greater, above reason more precisely. And we start judging it, so if it’s wrong I accept him above my reason that where I can’t reach with my intellect and with my calculations, that’s where the Rav can.
S. Also to judge favorably we need to go above reason?
R. Yes.
5. S. (34:26) He starts from the Creator needs to first go above reason and then within reason and then to do the work, and then between a friend and his friend a person that his friend he has to do within reason and then buy him first and then to make. Then he differentiates between some subtitle here between a person and every person, meaning that he includes here the people that are not in the Ten or people that don’t study the Wisdom of Kabbalah. Is that the meaning here?
R. Well let’s say so.
S. There’s a matter of judging favorably. Many times we zoom in or focus on positive things and relate to the friends and the Ten. Here he is truly emphasizing that there is some other spiritual matter where the rest of the public are like people in the streets. Usually we don’t relate to this too much. Can you open up a little bit what is our spiritual attitude toward the whole world, those that don’t study with us and are not in our Ten?
R. We don’t treat them in a spiritual way. We don’t raise them or lower them or anything we relate to them the way they are.
S. He actually writes here, he is actually giving spiritual attitude towards the general public. Those who pray in the synagogue and the congregation, he has to judge them favorably and say that he’s truly more important than himself and that it’s our own fault that we cannot appreciate the greatness and the importance of the public and he’s adding here more and more on this. There is an actual spiritual attitude towards the general?
R. No, he respects them as they are themselves, even though he can’t find anything spiritual in them, but that’s how it is. What is our attitude toward people off the street? We have to see them all together as human beings that are connected with us in a simple way, to a scale of merit we try to see them favorably.
S. A scale of merit is already at work, it’s not usual, I actually have to judge them favorably?.
R. Because according to where they are, what they are, they are in a state that we should appreciate them.
S. (37:34) Meaning if a person in the spiritual work feels some kind of danger towards people in the street or general things, decisions, all kinds of things that he sees and has nothing to do with the wisdom of Kabbalah and he feels angered by it?
R. That has nothing to do with them at all, it has to do with the Creator.
S. That is, if a person in spiritual work feels anger towards people on the street, or what is happening in general in the world, all sorts of decisions that do not belong to Kabbalah, and he feels anger towards them?
R. Yes, it’s because what he sees in the public is how the Creator clothes into the public and governs them.
S. We need to put attention to this, because in our entire day we usually aim toward engaging with the Creator in the Ten. Do we have to pay some kind of special attention to this?
R. I need to judge everyone to the scale of merit because everyone is under the reign of the Creator, and myself I need to judge not to the scale of merit, but according to how much I am now making the effort to relate to them correctly, spiritually. Those who are under the rule of the Creator, I have no complaint to them. They are governed by the Creator.
S. It’s interesting because many times the students ask and we usually aim in the beginning of the spiritual work, let go of the world, let’s concentrate on working in the study group.
R. That’s true and that is also true.
S. Here he is adding this other layer that there’s actual active work of a person who is working spiritually in the spiritual, he’s also working with the collective of the public?
R. Correct, correct.
6. S. (39:36) Can we relate this way to what Rabash wrote that only those in the congregation started to work in love of others and felt that they were maybe worse than all the rest of the people in the congregation that were praying?
R. Yes, yes.
S. That is because of in the shattering, those that were at the highest fell the lowest, and it could be that these people who are engaged in the correction of the world are studying the wisdom of Kabbalah and it’s specifically through them that all of the evil is being revealed and they are working on the correction, they’re making the bad become the good and we can look at these people that they’re not in that. Can we judge them favorably at this point?
R. Certainly what’s best is if we ultimately judge them to the scale of merit.
7. S. (40:51) Can we take all these levels and consider them as one action, one thing that a person does in spirituality?
R. A person who is engaged in spirituality typically feels himself lower than everyone.
S. Let’s say on the first degree I need to make the Creator greater, yes correct? Let’s say that I want to buy the friends right now, I want to make a meal for the friends, then first I need to make the Creator greater and then make a meal and if they enjoy it then everything’s okay and I bought them okay? Then what is that next state step that I make them and raise them above reason and make them great friends on the same action?
R. Not the same action, because an action is an action. But each time you have to try to raise them even higher and you rise as well even though that’s not what you’re intending for but the more you elevate the friends, the more you elevate with them.
S. It’s not in the same action, let’s say I’m doing the meal for all the friends, but it can come in some other step of that connection in which I’m raising them is great ones?
R. That doesn’t depend on time.
8. S. (42:34) I see here at a certain point that I wanted to scrutinize that it seems like we don’t have by at all in the society because we were put into aTen and they said that it’s like we are about to buy a horse and I went to some sale and I saw some cow and I checked their teeth and I checked their hooves and make sure everything is good and healthy, is it not necessary to examine the intention of the friend. You have to do it like that and it’s okay. What is my work?
R. Because the Creator set these things up.
S. He says check that it’s not bad that he’s not connected to someone bad, make sure that he’s suitable for you. Why am I saying this? Because sometimes in the Ten there are states where a friend annoys someone because of something, and he says leave me he’s not suitable for me, he’s not fitting for me. Why is it dangerous? Because I can’t take him above reason. It’s like I didn’t examine it in advance and I don’t agree and I have the split here.
R. There’s no split. Rather the Creator sets up these friends for you so that you will calibrate your attitude correctly toward them.
S. I understood that I have to go above reason, and not within reason?
R. That’s clear. That’s obvious. If you accept a friend that’s given to you by the Creator then you have no choice but to accept him.
S. The danger is examining him later that I received him and then to look back and I’m spying after him to check if he is okay or not okay. When he needs my hand to hold his hand so they won’t fall I say no no maybe you’re not my friend, there’s a certain danger along the way because we need to hold on to one another.
R. No, you have to accept everyone. You have to accept everyone. and treat everyone as given to you from the Creator. That’s it.
9. S. (45:22) Rabash writes that each one must feel himself as smaller than everyone else. How can a person compel himself to be smaller than everyone else?
R. The further we advance the more we will see how your inner feeling will be as such. That you feel like you don’t understand anything, you don’t feel anything, and you are not capable of anything, and you are among people who are all greater than you.
S. This is just a result of natural development?
R. Natural spiritual development. One who is greater than his friend his inclination is greater than himself therefore he sees how lowly he is.
S. I don’t need to do some active action and to depict to myself how lowly and despicable I am?
R. No, that’s not going to help to do that, no.
S. What does that mean? That each must feel himself?
R. He must bring himself to such a state in the work where he sees that he is worse than everyone.
S. To judge every single friend that’s also a result of that?
R. That will come out like that, yes.
S. What makes a person feel as the lowest and making him your Rav and bringing him to a society like that?
R. That always always trying to get closer to him like that and he feels how from that influence he sees himself as lower. That’s how it follows. What can you do? This feeling is such a feeling that we’re not used to because we are used to being able to see things at eye level with everyone at least to some extent and here a person sees from every direction that he is lesser than everyone.
S. What’s the benefit in a person making himself feel that his smallest? Why does the Creator make him feel that he is the smallest for?
R. First of all he has the opportunity, the ability to turn to the creator. to become corrected, that is one, Two, when he feels himself this way he can truly connect to the friends and learn from them, from each and everyone, what he’s going through. Meaning to learn from each one something.
S. Meaning when a person is lowly smaller than the friends he learns from them?
R. Of course no other way.
S. When the Creator corrects him from that state of lowness, what’s his attitude toward the friends that is equal to them or is he still smaller than them?
R. He’s even lowlier.
S. Where do you come in this connection and this connection is an equivalence is one?
R. Above reason.
S. I didn’t understand what above reason is here?
R. Even though he feels that he is lesser than everyone, from wanting to connect with them he raises himself to hug them.
S. What is that state? That above reason that he feels that he’s supposed to feel?
R. He’s expected to feel or he feels that his state is correct,correct. He has no complaints.
S. Meaning that he’s in a lower state and it’s good for him with that?
R. It’s not that he’s good with it, he accepts his lowliness and he continues to connect to everyone.
S. When does a person emerge from his loneliness is there such a state?
R. I don’t think that in terms of self-esteem or self analysis that he goes out of lowliness.
S. It sounds like a very low state to be in.
R. No it’s not a lame, ignoble state it’s that he sees that he is the lowest one of everyone. Look at what Psalms writes, some of the prayers.
10. S. (51:05) To continue from the friend, I understand that you’re talking about natural development on the side of bestowal. Meaning naturally is person who’s developing will naturally feel that he’s the lowest and the smallest of them all but in practice, nature is the opposite if I have merited to see that I am smaller than something my nature in a natural way distances me from that, he doesn’t want to see itself as small it wants to see just how greater I am and how better I am. How does that workout here?
R. Keep going and going and going and hopefully it’ll fall into place. I don’t have anything to say.
S. Beforehand you said about one’s inclination, whoever’s greater than his friend his inclination is greater than him so we can look at this from both directions. We can look at it from the side of bestowal that a person is great and he’s supposed to develop to greatness and then eventually he will feel himself and then the quality of reception is kind of like loneliness. But we start from another place, meaning that I start from being in a place within the will to receive, how do I free myself from that and feel that it is really lowly?
R. I understand you. Keep going. Continue.
11. S. (52:48) As far as the matter of truth, I am a zero in the aspect of truth?
R. What do you mean in the aspect of truth? I don’t know. Truth in what sense? How the Creator sees me? The friend? Me? In what?
S. The way the Creator sees me?
R. The Creator? That I don’t know.
S. This is all the interpretation of Psalms, everything that Rabash wrote?
R. Yes.
12. S. (53:35) He writes and because of that when what those people agreed to unite into one group who engage in love of friends is because each of them felt that they had one desire that can unite all their opinions so that they will be able to receive upon them love of others. What do we have to look for this one desire? Is it a result of our connection? Is it a preparation that each of us does?
R. Yes.
S. One of them I didn’t understand?
R. It’s a result of the labor that we make.
S. The one desire is the result of our efforts and connection?
R. Yes.
S. What does it mean that each of them feels that it’s in their feelings? Is it a feeling?
R.Yes.
S. What does it mean that each of them has it in their feelings? Maybe we should say it like this that between a person and his friend it’s first of all like how we at Bnei Baruch,first of all agree that Bnei Baruc is the place where we can truly advance spiritually.
R. Yes.
S. Then we need to perform the connection just like the friend said earlier, that an agreement in advance by that when we buy yourself be a friend that first of all to examine this. First we examined everywhere else and we found that there’s no truth anywhere else except for here. That’s already our agreement. Can we say that?
R. Let’s say.
13. S. (55:40) Now during the lesson I’m hearing questions, let’s say a friend just now asked to come out of himself. Can I help in some way with that?
R. Try to be with him together in the same desire.
S. Can I incorporate with this desire and feel him?
R. Yes.
S. What’s next?
R. Make some effort together with him, whatever you think, whatever you feel.
14. S. (56:21) How to raise a prayer for the friend if you sense a huge resistance in the appeal to the Creator?
R. That’s even better. You want to help with a friend and you feel the resistance, so as much as you can you should do it.
15. S. (56:50) What’s the difference between the state of annulling before a friend and conceding to a friend?
R. Is that not clear to nullify or to cancel?
S. To annul versus concede?
R. To nullify before a friend means to bring my desire to zero and then with all of my ability to be with him, yes. Meaning, my desire to diminish, his desire to raise and be with it.
16. S. (57:41) What does it mean to us, a bad friend in the article that he writes and distance us from a bad person, what does that mean to us?
R. To us, a bad friend means that I see that his influence on me throws me out of the straight path, out of the right direction. That is what you call a bad friend.
17. S. (58:18) What concessions and self-love does Rabash talk about in the article? What exactly am I giving up?
R. I gave up on everything, besides one thing; that besides the desires, thoughts, attributes with which I can be bonded with a friend. That’s how it is. All the rest I push out and move away from.
18. S. (59:27) How can we build the right environment?
R. The right environment is truly what we need, and that is what we should do. And this is by showing an example to each other both in terms of the positive force, how we bestow to each other or influence each other with good things, with good examples, and how we bring each other negative examples. Negative examples meaning the extent to which each of us is in a desire to receive and feel himself as if he is in bad, bad shape. So both in terms of plus and minus, we have to show each and every friend the examples. Alright?
19. S. (01:01:09) It is written here that he says about judging favorably, sometimes we judge the friend favorably and sometimes to the scale of merit and sometimes we judge the opposite, to the bad side is also for our merit. Is that right?
R. We have to continue and see how it falls into place.
S. What I’m asking is actually every person?
R. It doesn’t depend on the person.
S. There are those that we judge this way and those that we judge that way?
R. What’s important is to work with it, what’s important is to work with it.
20. S. (01:02:11) It’s a question of a friend: I understand correctly that the correction of the desires that when I turn to the Creator I raise MAN and he corrects my desires as the answer. But I have the fear that I will kind of nudge the Creator like this all of my life until everything will disappear and there will be no answer. What do I do?
R. You continue to do what you’re capable of, what you understand, and what you can. Don’t worry, nothing is ending with your life. Don’t make a calculation with respect to the end of life.
21. S. (01:03:15) The article is actually discerning between three states and two of them we work above reason, that is above reason because that’s the Creator and I have nothing to work with but I put him above reason to the degree of Rav. And in the reality that there’s also the Creator above reason that I work and judge favorably, I don’t have a way to work with it. So there is a certain critique that is happening here and all of the revelation of evil that I relate to the ten meaning I only allow myself in the ten to actually work because I need to buy the friend despite what I feel. Is that right?
R. That is right.
22. S. (01:04:03) The degrees of relation between one and another, between a friend and his friends, and the rest of the people, what do these calibrate, these three degrees in a person?
R. This relation of the person and how he relates to himself, to the friends, to any person, and to the Creator, it is all shaping his spiritual vessel in the right way.
23. S. (01:04:50) You said to be spiritual, one has to be the smallest. Is the process of annulling to the friends as well as faith in the Creator and the sages with intention to bring correction to the system of nature. Is that what smallness is all about? So that we become a conduit and a partner for the Creator?
R. Correct. The Creator nevertheless stays in the picture, He governs everything. And to the extent that I lower myself, I can be with Him in connection and pass through me His desire, His instructions, commands, advice. That’s basically what’s happening. Understood?
24. S. (01:06:28) It seems like most of our work is mostly how to bring ourselves to a state of feeling small in the ten?
R. Yes.
S. What happens in a state where you actually feel like that? What is our work then?
R. That I feel myself as a small one in a ten. First of all, what is up to me is to adhere to them as much as possible, to connect to them, to go with them. Just like how the little one grabs the hand of the adult and goes with them and is slightly behind them, that is how I need to be with the ten.
S. For several years it has been like this, even though I feel that we are together and I feel that they are greater than me with everything that is happening on the path, so what else can we hold on to? I try to be with them as much as I can but I’m not so great, so I feel small. It’s like you said, it’s like a child who’s trying to be like the big ones but he’s not, he knows he’s a child.
R. What’s the problem? Your problem is to grow.
S. What’s the work then? We’ve talked here for almost half the lesson?
R. If you nullify towards the ten all the way to zero like Baal HaSulam and Rabash write in the articles about the group, by that you merit what they all merit. That’s how it is.
S. The work is to hold on to that state?
R. Hold on to that state of being zero with respect to everyone.
25. S. (01:08:28) To be small is to accept that I’m being judged?
R. Yes, is it an inner feeling that can happen.
S. What can I do in that state if I resist it?
R. To resist is good.
S. To annul myself in any case?
R. Of course. Of course. That’s how Rabash would say ‘let him suffer’ pointing at himself, ‘let him suffer.’ These are lofty things.
26. S. (01:09:29) You talked about one’s attitude towards himself, a person is included from a heart and a point in the heart and it’s clear because the heart is pretty lowly. What is the attitude towards the point in the heart because he received it as a gift?
R. Again.
S. What is my attitude towards the point in the heart?
R. Yes?
S. It’s like something a person received as a gift from the Creator?
R. Yes.
S. What is the correct attitude towards the point in the heart and all the desires that are towards connection?
R. That he wants to diminish all of the desires with respect to the point in the heart, that the point in the heart will as if direct all of his desires in the same direction, it’s direction.
S. And a person needs to feel that his point in the heart belongs to him or belongs to the Creator?
R. That is not a simple question, not a simple question. Essentially, the point in the heart belongs to the person but the person has to discover that it is under the control of the Creator.
27. S. (01:11:05) What does it mean exactly to annul? What does one nullify?
R. To nullify means after I feel all kinds of influences on myself that eliminate and erase my ego, my power, my consciousness all that I’ve got, that I can relate to myself. So after I shape myself that way.
S. But what is the force that enables annulment?
R. The force that enables annulment? There are a few forces, it’s actually one, but it takes on different forms. At first, well let’s not say it first, but a force that enables annulment is that I truly discover that I do not have anything to nullify.
S. But why is it annulment? It’s kind of like from not having it you simply go with it. There is no annulment here, so what does it mean to annul where you are completely nullified before them?
R. To nullify means that a person based on his demand, he goes down to a state where he has no demand.
S. What remains? Something remains in the annulment or it sounds like you are completely erasing yourself.
R. No, no. Except for one thing: that with all the thoughts and desires that I have, I want to bond with the Creator.
S. The inclination towards adhering to the Creator, I don’t change but all the rest gets canceled or annulled?
R. All the rest is unimportant, yes. I’m willing to give that up.
S. So what is your fuel in annulment?
R. The same fuel that leads me to adhesion.
S. And how do I connect to Him and do it when you nullify, how do you nullify before that specific fuel and operate from it?
R. Because I have nothing besides that, I have nothing besides that. Beyond that point, I am willing to have nothing.
S. Clear and now maybe I’ll ask it a last time: when a person wants to nullify, what leads him to the annulment? How does he come to the decision that he must nullify?
R. That is from above.
S. That is not dependent on a person?
R. No.
28. S. (01:15:03) I really want to see the friends as great. I am trying but I’m in a state where I see the same friends asking the same questions, getting the same answers every day. How can I see them as great?
R. I see that it’s the same for me. So what?
S. It’s as if they don’t hear, they are blocked, they are clogged. The answers that you give them, I can find them on your website, in your blog and give them the same answers.
R. And how about you?
S. I can just cry and feel sorry about it.
R. How are you with yourself?
S. I can’t listen to this anymore, they’re asking the same questions and they don’t hear you.
R. And with respect to yourself?
S. I’m not asking, I’m only asking… let’s say there’s Preface and also now it’s not even the study materials, it’s all dry, it’s all stand by, it’s stuck.
R. Okay and what about you?
S. I don’t see what I’m supposed to do. I don’t see it right, maybe I’m missing out on something?
R. I’m asking you, how do you see it?
S. I see that everyday they are asking the same question.
R. I’m asking about you.
S. I want to advance.
R. So advance, what’s the problem?
S. Half a lesson goes by on the same questions and the same answers and there’s only one small part. And again, I don’t know except for feeling sorry and praying and crying.
R. Pray on the friends.
S. But the Creator isn’t doing anything, maybe He’s stopped answering them and spoiling them?
R. Complain to Him.
S. Maybe you could answer them less?
R. Yes, complain about me, too.
S. Really?
R. Yes, yes.
S. The country is burning, the world is burning, and we’re asking a thousand times how to come out of the intention, how to reach connection, how to reach prayer?
R. What else do we need to do?
S. Let’s ask Him the same questions, maybe listen to the lesson again?
R. This that you don’t know, I hear that.
S. Maybe turning to you, maybe you can help us advance more because you have all the secrets of creation and all the secrets of the Torah and maybe you’re waiting for us to do something?
R. No, we need to advance as we advance.
S. But we’re not advancing, that’s what I think.
R. Well okay, what to do?
29. S. (01:17:54) I want to continue what the friend is saying from the other side. I want to take this opportunity to say to everyone here how great they are. How everyday we wake up in the morning before we come here and I just give gratitude for having this environment and the world Kli. And we have the privilege to be with you, here everyday and how great that privilege is and what force it gives me to wake up and be here everyday, every moment. I’m just giving gratitude that we have each other here and it is the force that lets us be here every moment and to thank for it every moment. And I’m saying there have been times, from experience I’m saying, that I did not have the ability to give this gratitude and I felt it going sideways like a leaf in the wind. And I’m saying to everyone, what a privilege we have that we have each other and you, Rav, and everyday and in every moment and to say thank you to everybody.
R. And to the Creator.
S. And of course to the Creator that gave us each other. I feel like it’s going to the meal and setting a table with a nice, white tablecloth and the nice white dishes. It doesn’t matter how the food tastes anymore, you just want to prepare the meal and that’s what is important, how to set the table before we are even going to go eat which is most important. L’Chaim, friends.
R. L’Chaim.
30. S. (01:19:55) Make yourself a Rav and buy yourself a friend that is the work of man and afterwards to judge the whole world to the scale of merit. In order to judge the whole world, I have to be in the scale of the other side first?
R. It could be.
S. And to go into slandering them means to lower myself first?
R. Yes.
S. So the Creator brings a person to lowliness?
R. Yes.
S. That’s like, ‘Come to Pharaoh?’
R. Yes, let’s say.
S. Because Moses, ten times he came in and out of that state?
R. Well, that’s Moses.
S. Well we are doing it a thousand times, we fall and get up, fall and get up.
R. What’s the question?
S. In order to take the whole world into Gmar Tikkun?
R. Yes. That’s it?
Reading Letter #21 Baal HaSulam (01:21:30) “If you do wish to cleanse the sins…”
R. (01:22:55) Yes, you identify with what’s written here?
31. S. (01:23:08) I’m lacking some kind of information. I want to sit in the ten, we are sitting in the ten, I am annulling, he is annulling, we are all annulling, we are all zeros. How do we actually advance? And you told me, look, we have to come here with the knife between our teeth so we are all zeros, how do we advance?
R. If everyone has zeros and annul towards each other then the Creator’s among them?
S. Okay, so I don’t want to annul. I feel in the ten I don’t want to be a zero before everybody and in the third and fourth sometimes yes, sometimes no. What’s going on?
R. That’s how it happens.
S. What should we do? What is our work between us? If everybody is zero that’s okay, but if not, what if one or two don’t want to be zeros?
R. Then in that same attitude the Creator is there nonetheless.
S. How do we reach here with a knife between our teeth in the ten? We have to reach it at some point, so how do we get there if we all try to annul?
R. Make the effort.
S. And then?
R. Whatever the mind and intellect doesn’t do, time does.
S. How do we advance? You know we will all still be zeros, we will all just still be drinking coffee…?
R. No, no.
S. How do we advance?
R. Day by day there are changes.
S. And that means?
R. I’m telling you day by day you go through changes and you don’t see how much the changes are passing on each and every one. Even you!
S. How’s that expressed? How do you see it being expressed when you see it being a change? How do you see that we are advancing and you see changes in the work?
R. I see it and I see it even in a person although he is degraded and he is incapable of anything. But nonetheless, he comes tomorrow again.
S. According to what you’re saying we don’t have to come with the knives in our teeth and devour each other to advance, we don’t need that?
R. Why? The opposite, we need to raise one another.
S. To lift them it’s okay but how do we reach the hatred that we are speaking about? How do we reach that?
R. We don’t intend to reach hate, we intend to reach connection, love, annulment. And instead of this, it can be that we reveal the hate among us increases more and more but there was hate before him, too, just that we see it more truthfully.
S. The work itself will bring it?
R. You need to do only good things.
S. The Creator will take care of us?
R. Yes.
32. S. (01:26:53) I don’t know what to do, I forgot, what should I do?
R. But now that everyone is looking at you and they want to hear from you words of wisdom.
S. So help me, I will do it. Years ago I asked you if spirituality doesn’t change and you said it doesn’t change. I’m happy you said that, what can you say about it today?
R. Same thing.
S. Things don’t change, what does change?
R. Only we towards them can rise up in order to see spirituality more dominant, more controlling.
S. Why the more a person is greater he needs a more refined screen?
R. A more refined screen is a very hard screen, very hard. It is ready to go through all the obstacles in the sharpest manner possible.
S. Is the screen the force to overcome?
R. Yes.
S. I wish for everybody, Amen.
33. S. (01:28:40) If the ego does not let me see the friend as higher than me and I use the tool of above reason to continue in the work, when will I see the friend as being good within reason?
R. A friend within reason, you will see as big only in the end of Correction, that we are all connected and we are all equal.
33. S. (01:29:37) How to learn to see the Creator’s help and to be happy from the disturbances and the rejection that I feel towards the friends?
R. We need to understand that either the force of repulsion or drawing us, nearing us, that is what is advancing us and so it doesn’t matter right now whether it’s pulling us or pushing us, the main thing is that it’s working and accordingly we’re in motion.
35. S. (01:30:25) What is better if I come to the lesson lightly without a big resistance and I’m happy, the friends aren’t angry with me, or when I come against a lot of rejection, resistance, to be with the friends?
R. There is great rejection and opposition, that is better.
36. S. (01:30:45) We learned that our stages are restriction, screen and reflected light; when I see myself as the small and low one in the world, is that the restriction?
R. Yes, that’s good.
S. How can I check that it was not the ego who drew this picture that I becames low?
R. No, the ego cannot do this.
S. I can see the true picture that I am today lower than yesterday.
R. That is how you will see it and it will be good.
37. S. (01:31:38) Can a meal with the friends be stronger than the Morning Lesson?
R. It could be, yes, but it depends on the person, depends on the person.
38. S. (01:32:14) It is not really a question but more of a request for help from the Tens: Yesterday in one of the articles it says that “bestowal is a source of life:, lately the Creator is limiting us in the abilities to bestow by giving us different corporeal conditions. I see the friends, I justify them, and I understand that it all comes from the Creator. Suddenly there is a complaint to the Creator ‘why isn’t He giving us this connection’, and we would like to ask you for help from the world Kli on what to do in order to bring the ten back to work?
R. Ask, ask.
S. Is it enough that we have two or three in a meeting?
R. Start with that.