World Kabbalah Convention 2018 Absorbed in the Upper One

World Kabbalah Convention 2018 “Absorbed in the Upper One”

Lesson 4: Entering the “Ibur” With the Help of the Creator

1. Rabash - 2. Art. 26 (1990) What is “There is None Holy as God, For there is None Else Beside You” in the Work
It is difficult work for us to become Ubar (embryo), meaning that the will to receive will take into it the new desire, called “the will to bestow”. And when one merits the state of Ubar, meaning that the will to bestow enters inside his will to receive, this is called “the Creator formed an image within an image”. And we must understand the significance of the miracle that “He formed an image within an image”. And as we have already explained, this is a real innovation and a true miracle, because it goes against nature, and only the Creator can change nature; it is not in the hands of man. And this is the “New Thing”, that the Creator has formed the depiction of bestowal within the depiction of the mother, which is a depiction of reception. And this is called “The Kedusha, which the Creator grants”. And for this reason it is written, “There is none holy as the Creator”, because “there is none else beside You”, since there is no one in the world that may change one’s nature, to form something else inside the vessel one receives from nature, being the will to receive, and change it, so that afterwards he will have a new nature, which is called “the will to bestow”.

2. Baal Hasulam. Shamati 5. Lishma Is an Awakening from Above, and Why Do We Need an Awakening from Below
Why one should seek advice and counsels regarding how to achieve Lishma. After all, no counsels will help him, and if God does not give him the other nature, called “the Will to Bestow,” no labor will help one to attain the matter of Lishma.

The answer is, as our sages said (Avot, 2:21), “It is not for you to complete the work, and you are not free to idle away from it.” This means that one must give the awakening from below, since this is discerned as a prayer.

A prayer is considered a deficiency, and without deficiency there is no fulfillment. Hence, when one has a need for Lishma, the fulfillment comes from Above, and the answer to the prayer comes from Above, meaning one receives fulfillment for one’s need. It follows, that one’s work is needed to receive the Lishma from the Creator only in the form of a lack and a Kli (Vessel). Yet, one can never attain the fulfillment alone; it is rather a gift from God.

However, the prayer must be a whole prayer, that is, from the bottom of the heart. It means that one knows one hundred percent that there is no one in the world who can help him but the Creator Himself.

Yet, how does one know that, that there is no one to help him but the Creator Himself? One can acquire that awareness precisely if he has exerted all the powers at his disposal and it did not help him. Thus, one must do every possible thing in the world to attain “for the Creator.” Then one can pray from the bottom of one’s heart, and then the Creator hears his prayer.

3. Rabash - 1. Art. 29 (1986) LISHMA AND LO LISHMA
A person who wishes to walk on the path of bestowal, he must understand that from above he is given a special treatment, that he was lowered from the previous state so he would begin to really contemplate the goal, meaning what is required of man and what man wants the Creator to give him. But when he is in a state of ascent, when he has desire for Torah and Mitzvot, he has no need to worry about spirituality. Instead, he sees that he will stay this way his whole life because he is happy this way.

It therefore follows that the descent he has received is for his own good, meaning that he is receiving special treatment, that he was lowered from his state where he thought that he had some wholeness. This is apparent in his agreeing to remain in the current state his whole life.

But now that he sees that he is far from spirituality, he begins to think, “What is really required of me? What should I do? What is the purpose I should achieve?” He sees that he has no power to work, and he finds himself in a state of “between heaven and earth.” Then, man’s only strengthening is that only the Creator can help, but by himself, he is doomed.

It was said about this (Isaiah, 4:31): “Yet those who hope for the Lord will gain new strength,” meaning those people who hope for the Creator. This means that they see that there is no one else in the world who can help them regain strength each time. It follows that this descent is actually an ascent, meaning that this descent that they feel allows them to rise in degree, since “there is no light without a Kli.”

4. Baal Hasulam. Shamati 122. Understanding What Is Written in Shulchan Aruch

When one wants to work entirely in the form of bestowal, and that all of one’s thoughts for self-gratification will be revoked. Then, when one feels what he is saying, his heart can fear lest his prayer will be accepted, that is, that he will have no desire whatsoever for himself.

And concerning self-gratification, there appears a state where it seems that one leaves all the pleasures of this world, all the people, friends, his kin, all his possessions, and retires to the desert where there is nothing but wild beasts, without anyone knowing of him and of his existence. It seems to him as though he loses his world all at once, and feels that he is losing a world filled with liveliness, and takes upon himself death from this world. He feels as though he is committing suicide, when he experiences this image.

Sometimes, the Sitra Achra helps him picture his state with all the dark colors. Then the body repels this prayer, and in such a state, one’s prayer cannot be accepted, since he himself does not want his prayer to be accepted.

For this reason there must be preparation for the prayer, to accustom oneself to the prayer, as though his mouth and heart are equal. And the heart can come to agree through accustoming, so it would understand that reception means separation, and that the most important is the adhesion with the Life of Lives, which is bestowal.

5. Rabash - 2. Art. 1 (1991) What is We Have No King but You, in the Work
One must say that the reason he is in this low state is not because he is getting worse, rather now, because he wishes to correct himself, that all his deeds will be for the sake of heaven, he is shown from above his true state, namely what is in his body, that thus far were hidden and not seen on the outside, but now the Creator revealed them. About this one says that it is mercy that the Creator revealed to him the evil inside him so that he will know the truth and be able to ask the Creator a true prayer. It follows that on the one hand one can now see that he is far from the Creator, and on the other hand one must say that that the Creator is near to him and takes care of him and shows him his deficiencies. Therefore one must say that these are mercies, as it is written “I will sing of the mercies of the Creator forever.” That is, a person has joy on the one hand and this is what he sings about, and on the other hand one sees that he must repent, meaning that he has to ask the Creator to bring him closer and give him the desire to bestow, which is second nature.

6. Rabash - 2. Art. 23 (1989) What Is, If He Swallows the Bitter Herb, He Will Not Come Out, in the Work?
when one begins the work, he begins with faith, but the body resists this work, and then comes a state of labor, when he must overcome the body and seek all kinds of counsels, as our sages said, “In trickery shall you conduct war,” since the body does not want to relinquish self-benefit. To the extent that he exerts, to that extent he begins to feel that he is incapable of doing anything since in his view, he has done everything he could. After the labor, he comes to know that only the Creator can help, and it is out of his hands. Then comes the third state—a prayer—and then the prayer is from the bottom of the heart, since it is utterly clear to him that no one can help him but the Creator.

However, even when he comes to know that the Creator can help him, and he understands that the real advice is only prayer, the body comes and makes him see that “You see how many prayers you have already prayed but you received no answer from above. Therefore, why bother praying that the Creator will help you? You see that you are not getting any help from above.” At that time, he cannot pray. Then we need to overcome once more through faith, and believe that the Creator does hear the prayer of every mouth, and it does not matter if the person is adept and has good qualities, or to the contrary. Rather, he must overcome and believe above reason, although his reason dictates that since he has prayed many times but still received no answer from above, how can he come and pray once more? This, too, requires overcoming, meaning to exert above reason and pray that the Creator will help him overcome his view and pray.

7. Rabash - 1. Art. 24 (1986) The Difference between Charity and Gift

When he does not see results over a long period of time of making efforts, and he does not see a satisfaction of his deficiency, torments and pain begin to form in him because he has made efforts but sees no progress in his work. At that time the thoughts begin to come one-by-one. Sometimes it is with sparks of despair, and sometimes he grows stronger, but then he sees once more that he has fallen from his state, and so on repeatedly. Finally, a real deficiency forms in him, which he has obtained through exertion in ascents and descents. These ascents and descents leave him with pain each time at not having been granted Dvekut with the Creator. Finally, when the cup has been filled sufficiently, it is called a Kli. Then the filling of it comes from the Creator, since now he has a real Kli.

It follows that his seeing that now—after several years of work—he has retreated, this happens deliberately so he will ache at not having Dvekut with the Creator. It turns out that each time he must see that he is approaching the making of the Kli, called “real deficiency.” That is, his gauge of Katnut [infancy/smallness] and Gadlut [adulthood/greatness] of the deficiency is to the extent of the suffering he feels at not having the filling, which is called here “Dvekut with the Creator,” where all he wants is only to bring contentment to the Creator.

8. Rabash - 1. Article 21 (1988) WHAT DOES IT MEAN THAT THE TORAH WAS GIVEN OUT OF THE DARKNESS IN THE WORK?
The Torah is given specifically to the deficient, and that deficiency is called “darkness.” This is the meaning of the words, “The Torah was given out of the darkness.” That is, one who feels darkness in his life because he has no vessels of bestowal is fit to receive the Torah, so that through the Torah, the light in it will reform him and he will obtain the vessels of bestowal. Through them, he will be fit to receive the delight and pleasure… It follows that the Torah was given specifically to those who feel that their will to receive controls them. They cry out from the darkness that they need the Torah in order to deliver them from the darkness that is the control of the vessels of reception, on which there was a Tzimtzum [restriction] and concealment so that no light will shine in that place. But that place is the cause for the need to receive the Torah.

9. Rabash - 2. Letter 65
A person must decide that he wants the Creator to give him a desire to completely annul before Him, meaning not leave any desire under his own authority, but that all the desires in him will be only to give glory to the Creator.

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 - 1. Art. 19 (1985) “Come Unto Pharaoh - 1”
We should pay attention to “Come unto Pharaoh” and believe through the worst possible states, and not escape the campaign, but rather always trust that the Creator can help a person and give him, whether one needs a little help or a lot of help.

In truth, one who understands that he needs the Creator to give him a lot of help, because he is worse than the rest of the people, is more suitable for his prayer to be answered, as it is written, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.”

Therefore, one should not say that he is unfit for the Creator to bring him closer, but that the reason is that he is idle in his work. Instead, one should always overcome and not let thoughts of despair enter his mind, as our sages said (Berachot, 10), “Even if a sharp sword is placed on his neck he should not deny himself of mercy,” as it was said (Job, 13), “Though He slay me, I will hope for Him.”

We should interpret the “sharp sword placed on his neck” to mean that even though one’s evil, called “self-love,” is placed on his neck and wants to separate him from Kedusha by showing him that it is impossible to exist this authority, he should say that the picture he sees is the truth.

However, “He should not deny himself of mercy,” for at that time he must believe that the Creator can give him the mercy, meaning the quality of bestowal. That is, by himself, it is true that one cannot exit the authority of self-reception. But from the perspective of the Creator, when the Creator helps him, of course He can bring him out. This is the meaning of what is written, “I am the Lord your God, who took you out from the land of Egypt to be your God.”

11. Rabash - 2. Art. 6 (1989) What Is Above Reason in the Work?
This is the meaning of the words, “king of Israel and his redeemer.” That is, once they have taken upon themselves the kingdom of heaven, called “king of Israel,” they attain that the Creator is his redeemer, meaning that only the Creator redeemed them from the control of the evil, and they themselves were powerless to do so.

In this way, we should interpret the words “Lord of hosts.” This name means, as Baal HaSulam interpreted, that as he said, Tzevaot [hosts] are two words: Tze [leave/go out] and Ba [comes]. That is, Tzava [army] are men of war. These are people who go each day to fight the evil inclination. They are called “army.” Therefore, after they have been rewarded with redemption, meaning after they conquer the evil inclination and emerge from the control of the evil, their conduct in the work is by way of ascents and descents, which is called Tzevaot [plural of Tzava (army)]. Meaning, at times they emerge from their control, and then are under their control again. Thus, the name for ascents and descents is Tzevaot.

During the work, a person should say, “If I am not for me, who is for me?” At that time in the work, they think that they themselves are doing the ascents and descents, that they are men of war, called Tzava, “mighty men.” Afterward, when they are redeemed, they attain that the Lord is of hosts [Tzevaot], meaning that the Creator made all the ups and downs they had.

In other words, even the descents come from the Creator. A person does not get so many ups and downs for no reason. Rather, the Creator caused all those exits. We can interpret “exit” as “exit from Kedusha [holiness],” and Ba [comes] as “coming to Kedusha. The Creator does everything. Hence, after the redemption, the Creator is called “Lord of Hosts.” And who is He? “The king of Israel and his redeemer.”

heb_o_rav_2018-01-02_kitei-makor_achana-le-kenes_n1_p1