Kabbalah Convention in Vilnius "From Chaos to Harmony"
Lesson 5: The Ten As an Embryo
1) Rabash, Vol 3, Art. 179 "Conception -1"
The created beings, after the sin of Adam Ha’Rishon, are regarded as broken and dead vessels. Meaning, their vessels are only of reception for oneself and thus separated from the source of life. But there is a spark in them which is from the Reshimo of the reflected light, which remained and descended to give life to the vessels so that they can be resurrected by it at the time of resurrection. This spark is a spark of holiness, as it is the remains of the reflected light. And it must be elevated, which is to say, received in order to bestow, which is called “elevation”, which is the elevation of MAN. Through this, the aspects of MASACH and coarseness are made and a filling comes out on it, as the reflected light fills the vessels to the extent that it clothes the lights (direct light).
2) Rabash, Vol 1, Art. 31 (1986) “The Matter of Suckling and Conception”
The beginning of the entry into the work of the Creator is the state of Ibur (conception), in which one annuls his aspect of self and enters into the womb of the mother,... Namely that one revokes self love, called “Malchut”, whose original state is called “the will to receive in order to receive”, and enters the aspect of vessels of bestowal, called “Bina”. One must believe that before he was born, meaning, before the soul came down to the body, the soul was adhered unto to the Creator, and now He yearns to return and be adhered as it was prior to her descent. And this is called Ibur, namely that one completely annuls one’s own being.
3) Rabash, Vol 2, Article 38, (1990) What is, “The Cup of Blessing Must Be Be Full”, in the Work
Before nursing, comes the Ibur (conception), meaning that the upper one corrects him. It is when one is like an embryo in his mother’s womb, where the embryo annuls before his mother, having no volition of his own, as the sages said, “The unborn within his mother eats what his mother eats”, and has no existence of his own to ask any questions or do anything on his own. Hence it is said that he is mute and has no mouth with which to ask questions.
When one can walk with his eyes shut, above reason, and believe in the wisdom of the sages and advance to the end, it is called conception, lacking a mouth.
4) Rabash, Vol 2,Art. 38 (1990) What is, “The Cup of Blessings Must be Full”, in the Work
Ibur is defined as follows: “the state of Malchut which is the smallest and most restricted is called Ibur, from the words ‘EvraVe’Dinin’ (anger and judgments)”, as it is written, “The Creator shall be impregnated in me, for your sake”. And the matter of transgression and judgements requires clarification: When one has to walk with his eyes closed, above reason, the body opposes this work. This is why, when one has to constantly overcome it, it is called “‘Evra, Ve’za’am, Ve’Tzara” (transgression, wrath and trouble), since it is difficult work to always advance by overcoming and annulling to the upper one, so that the upper one will make of him what He pleases. And this is called “Ibur”, which is the smallest possible measure of Katnut (smallness).
5) Baal Ha’Sulam, Shamati, 17. What Does It Mean that the SitraAchra Is Called “Malchut without a Crown”
Our sages said, “Anyone who is proud, the Creator says, ‘He and I cannot dwell in the same abode,’” as he makes two authorities. However, when one is a state of Ein, and one annuls oneself before the root, meaning that one’s sole intention is only to bestow, like the root, you find only one authority here – the authority of the Creator. Then, all that one receives in the world is only to bestow upon the Creator.
This is the meaning of what he had said, “The whole world was created for me, and I, to serve my Maker.” For this reason I must receive all the degrees in the world so that I can give everything to the Creator, called “to serve my Maker.”
6) MaorVaShemesh, ParashatEkev[Edited]
The main thing is that each and every one will not think of himself as righteous or special in the holy society. Instead, his only concern will be not to damage the holy society by his actions. And even if it is evident that he is an important person, nevertheless, he must scrutinize his actions, think of why he is considered notable and then annul himself completely.
And it is known that the Shechinah (divinity) dwells in each Ten, which is a complete degree, as is known, and in a complete degree there exist a head, arms, legs and heels, as we know... It follows that when each one sees himself as “nothing” in the holy society, he is considered to be the heel in the society, while they are in the degree of Rosh (head) and Guf (body) and the upper organs. And when each one thinks of himself this way, their actions open the gates of abundance and all goodness in the world. And the majority of the abundance is drawn by the one who considers himself to be a nothing and a heel.
7) The Banner of Ephraim’s Camp, ParashatVaEtchanan
“The Creator is One and Israel are One”. Therefore they are adhered to the Creator, because it befits one to adhere to one. And when will that be? When Israel are assembled and adhered in perfect unity they are considered as one and the Creator rests upon them, who is One. But when, God forbid, their hearts are divided and they are separated one from the other, they cannot be adhered to One, and the Creator does not rest upon. Rather, a foreign idol rests upon them, God forbid. This is the meaning of the verse, “and you who adhere”, namely that when you will be adhered and united together, then it is said, “you shall all live”. When they are united as one, it is good and fitting for one to adhere to One and the One Creator rests upon them.
8) Rabash, Vol 3, Art. 21 Sanctification of the Month
One must accept the burden of the kingdom of heaven in the lowest state and say that even in this state, when there can be no greater lowliness, namely, that it is completely above reason, he has absolutely no support from his rationale and emotions so as to lay his foundation upon them. Then one is regarded as if standing between heaven and earth, completely unsupported, because he is entirely above reason.
Then one says that the Creator sent him this state, where one is in utter lowliness, because the Creator wants him to assume the burden of the kingdom of heaven in this state of lowliness. Then, he takes it upon himself, because he believes above reason that the state he’s now in came to him from the Creator, because the Creator wants him to see the lowest possible state that one can occupy in this world. In any case, one must say that he believes in the Creator in all circumstances, and this is called “unconditional surrender”.
9) Rabash, Letter No. 65
Once he decides on complete annulment, he asks the Creator to help him execute it. This means that although in the mind and the desire he sees that the body disagrees with him annulling all his desires before the Creator instead of for his own sake, he should pray to the Creator to help him want to annul before Him with all the desires, leaving no desire for himself. This is called a “complete prayer,” meaning that he wishes that the Creator will give him a complete desire without any compromises to himself, and he asks of the Creator to help him always be with his righteousness.
10) Rabash, Vol 3, Art. 223 The Entrance to the Work
After one attains the degree called “Lo Lishma” he is awarded with other phenomena, namely that he arrives at a higher state, where he has no concern for himself and, instead, all of his calculations and thoughts are true. Meaning that his intention is to annul himself entirely, in respect to the true reality, where he feels that he should only serve the King, because he feels the glory, greatness and importance of the King. Then, he forgets; meaning that he has no need to worry about himself, for his aspect of ‘self’ is annulled as a candle before a torch in light of the reality of the Creator which he feels. Then, he is in the aspect of Lishma, which is contentment for the Creator, and all of his wishes and concerns are about how to please the Creator, while his own being, the will to receive, is not taken into account at all. Then he is in the aspect of bestowing in order to bestow.
11) Baal Ha’Sulam, Letter 8
There is a sublime purpose for all that happens in this world, and it is called “the drop of unification.” When those dwellers of clay houses go through all those terrors, through all that totality, in His pride, which is removed from them, a vent opens in the walls of their hearts, which are tightly sealed by the nature of Creation itself, and they become fit for instilling that drop of unification in their hearts. Then they are inverted like an imprinted substance, and they will evidently see that it is to the contrary—that it was precisely in those dreadful terrors that they perceive the totality, which is removed by foreign pride. There, and only there is the Creator Himself clung, and there He can instill them with the drop of unification.