Bold and in quotes: Original text of Baal HaSulam
Regular: Commentaries of Rav Laitman
lowercase italics: emphasized words
Capitalized italics: transliteration from Hebrew
We are reading in the book Shamati, Article #114, Prayer .
We must understand how a prayer, considered “mercy,” is relevant. After all, there is a rule: “I labored and did not find, do not believe.” The advice is that one should promise the Creator that he will give him the labor afterwards.
Creation is something very interesting. Let’s say we have two situations: the initial one, and the situation that develops out of it. How can we go from one state to another? It’s not a simple thing. It's even hard to imagine that it’s possible to accomplish. Because to switch from one state to another, means that I am in a certain state and [have to come out of it.] It could be me or some object, or some force, a Kli (vessel)—it doesn’t matter how we picture it.
What does it mean to switch to another state, to change something within that same creature? If that creature deserves to change, then it already has these changes. If it doesn’t have these changes, then it is in its present state.
What does it mean that it undergoes a change from state to state and receives additions and changes within it? I don’t quite have the words, but it’s something not simple. How can that be in nature? If nature contains everything, like is the case in Ein Sof (Infinity),then nothing changes there. Why? Is it because nothing is missing? Is that why there are no changes? No, it’s because there is complete unity among the pieces.
And all the changes are only because there is separation among the parts of creation below the state of Ein Sof. That separation makes everyone lack in their connection to the other compared to Ein Sof, compared to completeness. And only in the connection can we make changes toward bonding. Therefore, this is why connection is the only thing that there can be prayer about, and towards which there should be work on, and finding.
A change can occur only because the complete state exists already. And each one is integrated there in complete integration with everyone. Also, as for those who make an effort, what kind of effort do they make? They don’t attain a new state. In their present state, they somehow want to reach a state that they don’t yet know, don’t understand, and they are not in it: thus that new state is called finding.
So, why do they deserve to reach that finding? Because when one finds that he reaches that finding, it is so due to the power that extends to him from there, from his real state. It means we find that the state we reach is a predefined state, which we are in already. If we weren’t in that predefined state, we would never be able to reach it. We wouldn’t be able to receive strength to enter that state.
Because the final state exists already, we receive an illumination from there, which brings us closer and drives us there. The effort by which we prepare ourselves to enter that state is simply by hating the present degree and being willing for any change in the next degree. Because we don’t work on entering the next degree, but we do work in order to be annulled before it, so that it will happen to us, so that everything will come to us as a finding.
The AHP (Awzen, Hotem, Peh) of the Upper One is in the Galgaltave Eynaim of the lower one. In the essay, The Association of the Quality of Mercy and Judgment Rabash says there that the lower one should actually cancel itself before the AHP of the Upper One. The lower one doesn’t understand what the Upper One is; he doesn’t get it. He only canceled before all the negative qualities, states and perceptions that the Upper One shines for him.
The whole negativity of the Upper One is actually Mount Sinai. It is that recognition of the ego itself that he should overcome, and on top of it, cling to the Upper One. If the lower one is willing to accept that negativity of the Upper One, to only be together with it, in its state above reason, then he gets it as a finding the AHP of the Upper One in him is Mount Sinai. And that’s the state he hates. For the Upper One, it seems like that cancellation of the ego is what the lower one should do. So by that, the lower one prepares itself to receive the Upper One as a surprise, as a finding, because he doesn’t know what will appear to him and he is willing for whatever will appear.
And it’s the preparation on part of the lower one. This is what he prays for: he prays for help from the Upper One to cancel oneself. It means to receive the AHP of the Upper One, the dark AHP, the loathsome one, which is “against him” to receive it as something desirable. And what’s there? He doesn’t know.
In essence, this is the prayer. It is the request for this lack, for the AHP of the Upper One, and to see his whole world as a good Upper One. As Baal HaSulam explains to us in the Introduction toTES, regarding double concealment and single concealment, which a person should try to achieve.
If he is willing to be canceled and asks for it, then the Upper One gives him the strength for it. When he receives the degree of the Upper One, he finds he couldn’t have asked for it, that degree was not disclosed to him. If the degree of the Upper One had appeared to him with all its Lights and wonderful attainments that appear there, he wouldn’t have been able to overcome his will to receive.
To receive the degree of the Upper One he has to overcome his own AHP, his vessels of reception, not his vessels of darkness. So, when he receives the degree of the Upper One and begins to know it, he didn’t work for that. So, why does he deserve it? But when he relinquishes the AHP of the Upper One like the mountain of hatred and darkness and he is willing to cling and accept it above reason, and wants it to happen to him, then he begins to know the greatness of the Upper One slowly, in Ibur, Yenika and Mochin (conception, suction and mindedness). And then he begins to work on the degree itself and repays the labor afterwards.
What does it mean “repays the effort afterwards?” It means that in the connection between everyone, where all the souls are at a higher degree and always more connected, until they reach the state of the perfect bonding in Ein Sof, he participates there in bestowal. Bestowing everything he can toward the other souls; this is called paying back the effort afterwards. This is when he is being elevated to that level and is given the same opportunity and then he performs the actions. And in that, it is considered that he completes his effort.
Perhaps, we can compare it to relationships between parents and children. A child who grows cannot give back to his parents anything of what they invested in him. When he grows up he still can’t give back what they invested into him. But when he grows up and has children of his own, then, he gives back to them.
And because we are talking about a perfect system, it turns out that this is how it works among the souls. That, that first state that shines to the second state moves this second state to the third state that sustains it and the third state shines to the first state as Baal HaSulam explains in the Introduction to the Book of Zohar about the three states. This is why all these states exist, because they support one another and sustain one another.
This is why only in the completeness that exists in Ein Sof, from the beginning and by the force of the Creator and at the end, in the common force between the Creator and creature, do we have the state, the ability to make corrections from the first state to the third state through the second state where the creature seemingly receives what it doesn’t deserve. How can that be? What about shame, bread of shame? How is it even possible to give to the creature without his complete preparation a degree that he didn’t work for and takes it as a surprise, as a finding?
But because these three states complement one another, the perfect system exists and from within it there is a work and completion from everyone to all. Then there is this ability to rise from degree to degree, to change the situation. It means to progress toward the unknown state with the previous qualities and enter the new state even though it still doesn’t exist in the previous state of the creature and thus the creature can’t quite work on it and can’t provide the vessels for it.
It’s as if against nature’s law that Lights and vessels are arranged deterministically, in a way that’s designed for one another and equalizes with one another. Here it seems that the Light that Reforms reaches vessels that are not ready for it but ask for a little bit and get help and forces from a higher state.
How can this contact be the connection between the Upper and the lower? When the Upper One asks a little bit and a lower one does so much work on it. It doesn’t seem to be according to the law of equivalence between Light and vessel. So, this law is that the Upper One can help the lower one and give it what it doesn’t deserve while the lower one is, at the moment, in the degree it is in.
But more than that, it stems from the general system where the lower one later on gives it back to the system. And because that system exists eternally, there is this ability. Then all the creatures can progress from one state to another until the perfect correction. This is why a prayer is the sensation of need in the lower one to some state that is imaginary, which seems to be in the Upper One. Actually, it is not the prayer for the answer that he is getting in return.
Question: Does that mean that everything is predetermined and a person can pray only to take all that with gladness, so to speak?
Yes, it’s not written about it here. What’s he asking? If it’s a real prayer, of course, it has to be with gladness. A real prayer is for a person to be at a higher degree than he is right now. It means to be in states of giving more, a state of better connection with all the other souls in order to find in them the Creator. Because by that, he brings Him contentment.
If you arrange all these elements of the desire together and really want it to happen, to come to be, then a person is happy. First of all, he is happy that he succeeded in coming to be in that state. He is also happy because that state came to him as he deserved it, not at his own expense, because he is talking about bestowal, which is what he wants to reach. But everything is at the expense of the general system, the Creator. He also is happy that he will soon come to that state of being integrated in it. And integrated so as to intervene into it less, but rather cause the revelation of general bestowal, called the revelation of the Creator.
If it’s not accompanied by joy, it’s a sign he doesn’t want it. That’s why a prayer should be with gladness. Gladness is a sign that a person is coming closer to the Creator. Because it’s impossible that he gets closer and cries. It’s a perfect state, a state where he is more filled with Lights of bestowal. So, how can it be that he is suffering from it? That’s why the sign for the vessels of reception is sadness and the sign of vessels of bestowal is gladness.
And it’s natural that a person who is searching is tense, irritated and sad, as Baal HaSulam explains to us in the Introduction toTalmud Eser Sefirot. This is actually what happens to him when he goes through the two phases of concealment, at the beginning of the way, during the preparation period. It’s understood that he is in all kinds of unpleasant states.
But in any case, from the Machsom (barrier) onward of course, he is in internal gladness. But even before the Machsom, he should try through criticizing the sensation of the situation, to see if he is, with respect to the Creator, closer or not, even though this proximity is egoistic. It’ll be egoistically closer but still it’s a sign.
Question: Should a prayer come from the intention or through words?
The external expressions have no connection to the internal sensation. And the internal sensation that a person feels has almost no connection to what really happens in his internal Kelim (vessels), which he cannot reach and which he doesn’t feel. We are in the system of Ein Sof, even now, but we are 125 degrees of concealments away from it, the diminution of the state. So, we feel that perfect state in a vague sensation, it’s just nothing compare to what’s there.
All of these systems, in all 125 degrees, are in me, in you, in everyone in a perfect state. In the depth of our sensations, our Kelim, the Lights in us, we are in them. What we feel is from that internal and infinite state in everyone together, passed the 125 degrees, which are the concealments in us, plus the barriers, a state that is completely detached from that perfect state—this state we feel is called this world. This is how the state of Malchut deMalchut of the world of Assiya appears in five corporeal, physical senses.
So, of course, there is detachment here, complete detachment in that sensation of the truthfulness of the situation, recognition of the truthfulness of the state. And a person doesn’t know what he prays for or what impresses him, he doesn’t know. But he should therefore, not worry about the external expressions of how many tears he will drop and the cries that he’ll cry and how much he tremors or whatever physically or how deep he bows during his prayer or beats himself on his chest; all of that is artificial.
We are talking about the extent to which a person works through the study, through bonding with the group, on one’s awareness along with one’s sensation, to penetrate deeper through all these coverings that exist between him and the state of Ein Sof within him. Working on that is called a prayer. This is why it says, “What is a prayer? Work in the heart.” A prayer doesn’t mean that I am now standing in the middle of the desert and cry, but the prayer is meticulous work with the study, with the friends, with the group, with scrutiny. That’s the prayer. It’s not just a cry a few minutes a day, it is written, “I wish you prayed all day.”
Every time you look in yourself, as much as you can, to understand the systems within and ascribe them more to spirituality, this is called the work in the heart. From this effort, from this search, you have a sense of MAN to your state in Ein Sof, in your internal inner most point, and from there, you get progressive states that you feel as the descent of MAD, the ascent of the prayer, the descent of the prayer, the response of the prayer, all of that is a constant work.
Actually, there is nothing more than the work of the prayer. And in that, there are many ways, the request, the gratitude and the scrutiny, it’s all in that. So what’s a prayer? A connection with the Upper One, that’s the prayer. So, if a person doesn’t fall into unconsciousness from spirituality, then he is in a state of prayer.
So, we have no regard whatsoever for those superficial behaviors or practices that exists in ordinary people’s prayer. We have regard only to the ability to raise MAN, the real need for the more progressive spiritual state, which a person can perform. Even though, on the other hand, we should say that all of the externality that exists in prayer, the times for the ordinary prayer, the practices that they decided on, what to do and how to do it—all of that was determined by Kabbalists very meticulously.
There is also a difference between the sects of Jews as far as these conducts are concerned, and it’s good because it brings a person back to some order. Because even though it’s a corporeal order, detached from spirituality, it still brings him back, keeps him under some framework. That’s why it’s good to have anything that can help a person to watch over himself, on condition that it doesn’t freeze him from progressing in spirituality, to the purpose of creation, to the purpose of his life.
That’s why on the other hand, we are forbidden to cancel the ordinary upbringing that exists in society; “Don’t put an obstacle before a blind person.” We need only complement or improve the upbringing. That’s why it says, “He who beats a beast should pay,” pay meaning complement. If you beat it, if you show it that its upbringing is insufficient that he doesn’t bring it for the purpose of creation, that the time of the Exile is over and it’s time to come out of it, you have to do that in a pleasant and good way, just as you treat a beast; “he, who beats an animal soul,” means a soul that is not progressing. So now, if you want it to progress, you have to open for it.
Open how? You give it some questions, awakening questions in him. “He doesn’t know how to ask”(Passover Haggadah). So, you are awakening the questions about the life in him, about situations, about the reasons for them. This is called awakening a deficiency for a prayer. But you should also teach them how to realize that deficiency correctly, how to reach the prayer. So, they would know where to take strength to complement that deficiency.
That’s why he, who beats an animal soul should pay, complement it. That’s why the prayer of the whole, which is accepted in the public of course, we should complement with the real intention, which is the work in the heart, in addition to the external work. Then a person will understand to what extent he belongs, to this external work or not. Of course, he would then be more worried about his inner work through which he reaches the purpose of creation.
Question: Effort is something hard. Is all that I need to do is to exert myself by asking of the Creator to change my nature and that’s it? Is that the whole work?
It’s a big problem. A person can picture under the title ‘exertion’ millions of things. He thinks he has to do something with his muscles or with his nerves or with his thoughts or with internal psychological efforts. And for every such thing he can say, “I am making tremendous efforts, look at me, sweating, carrying, as Rabash says, “Look at the luggage I am carrying.” And then he is told, “But you did not call upon Me Jacob, because you labored in Me, Israel.”
What does it mean? It means that if you enter Dvekut (adhesion) and have the right effort, you see how easy it is and you don’t sweat. But if you’re not in Dvekut, then this effort is very hard, because it resembles our life that seems very difficult to us without any benefit. Anyone would get rid of them and change them for something else.
The truth is that when you discover the truth you don’t want to change this life. You justify it, and you feel that every moment is filled with pleasures and infinite revelations. Because there are two opposite points of creation, Ein Sof and our world, when they appear together within this creature called man, it’s not man, it’s a kind of special Kli. That’s how we seem to ourselves, just how we feel ourselves from within, made of the body in all kinds of forms. It’s just how it appears in our screen, with respect to us.
So, precisely in this gathering of strengths, of Lights and vessels can we reach the tightest and strongest bonding of Lights and vessels, of the revelation of the Creator. So, the effort is not in performing certain actions; the effort is to sort out what state do I have to be in compared to the present state. It means the effort is not in acting. That’s actually, called “the acting” because the intention is the act. The effort is in constantly scrutinizing his state and the state of greatest adhesion with the Creator.
And accordingly, a person sees that he is not asked for anything other than that effort. No physical actions, no practices of any sort, nothing besides to gradually enter deeper and deeper in what is called the drop of unification.
Question: How does a person who studies Kabbalah, cope with the state of decline during the day compared to the study at night with the group?
When you are with the rest of your friends along the way (people you study with), of course you are incorporated in them. There are keener clarifications here, for better or for worse, the sensation is better or worse but it’s always actually, for the better. Even when you find how bad you are, it’s good, it’s the scrutiny, it’s progress.
So when a person is studying, he is under the influence of the group and the teacher. Thus, he is affected by huge forces. You can’t say that it’s his real state. First of all, in that state he should, as much as he can, want to absorb the powers that work in society: thoughts, powers, expectations of the group. It’s not the group that he sees on the screen or when he is here. It’s the world group, which is several times greater than what we have here.
So, we should want to be incorporated, integrated with everyone, connected to everyone and receiving from everyone the power to progress and giving to everyone from all of his own powers. To put it simply, he should want to be canceled, to be annulled in everyone, to be integrated in everyone.
If everyone thinks about that and wants it to happen, then that force that they have during the lesson, exists in everyone. It’s not divided; it exists in everyone. And then, during the day, a person doesn’t fall and doesn’t exit the group, doesn’t leave the group. At least that state, if not more, begins to be in him.
This specific person is asking why, during the day, am I not in that state? It is because during the lesson, he isn’t integrated with others and others are not integrated in him. That’s actually the only reason.
And this is why he exits the group and drowns in everything that exists in the world—in physical and human concerns, what is good for his body, what is good for this external society, the human society. And he begins to do what his body asks of him. His body meaning his family, his relatives and what the world asks of him: money, honor, knowledge, to be this, to be that, social status, etc.
If he, during the study, had been integrated in the group, in this single system, like Adam ha Rishon, like the sum of desires and inclinations and expectations, then that power of the whole would sustain him regardless of the situation he is in during the day. Because, his five senses, where he connects to himself, to his relatives and to society are much less than the spiritual power of the society. And society could have helped him to sense the society, meaning sense the spiritual state and sense the corporeal state.
Then he could sanctify all of his physical actions by which he would really elevate himself to spiritual degrees, and that’s the real work. So, the whole preparation for the work is during the study. Now, we are approaching a part of Talmud Eser Sefirot so, while we are studying it, we should constantly think about the unity of society.
So, during all the twenty-four hours, we want to be connected to each other. And then all of life’s events and these pictures from the imaginary world I feel inside as my internal states and as something external that surrounds me, I will see them only as opportunities for adhesion with the Upper Force, with “there is none else beside Him” that works through all of these forms, only so I will unite them with Him.
Перевод: И. Романова