Dr. Laitman's summary of
Rabash's article "The Matter of Truth and Faith"
Truth and faith are contradictory. Likewise with prayer: Deficiency and gratitude.
- From the depth of the heart, for the heart not to be complete, rather entirely deficient. The Creator listens to the prayer of the poor. It is found that the main aspect of prayer is a broken person, who has no virtue, who is full of deficiencies. Then he truly prays from the depth of his heart. The greater the lack, the more important the prayer.
- Praise and gratitude, contrary to a request, for the measure of the gratitude is according to the measure of the benefit one received, for he needs to realize that the Creator has completed all of his deficiencies. Thus, he should try to see that he lacks nothing, that the Creator has fulfilled all of his deficiencies and he has no lacking. Then he is able to give gratitude to the Creator.
Prayer and request, praise and songs, are opposites. Since in prayer, one has no wholeness, rather deficiencies, hence the prayer is complete. In praise, it is the opposite, all is whole, so one can give true gratitude.
Why is it contradictory? Because inside there is a delaying force and a force depicting the form of the fetus, so it won't be miscarried.
In spirituality, there are two discernments regarding conception:
a. The form of conception, Katnut (smallness), its true form. However, it is in Katnut, hence it is a deficiency, therefore the Klipot (shells) may grasp it, causing a miscarriage, prior to the completion of the pregnancy. Thus, something delaying is required, giving it wholeness, Gadlut (greatness).
b. It does not advance in itself. Therefore, the fetus eats what its mother eats. Whatever it receives, is received in the mother's vessels. Hence, although the vessels are not capable of receiving Gadlut, they can still receive with the vessels of the upper one, as it nullifies itself completely before the upper one. Then, when it receives Gadlut, it is complete and the Klipot have no grasp. Thus, it is called "the delaying force."Therefore it is safeguarding.
It turns out that there are two states in a person's work:
1. The true state he is in, his Katnut. For the feeling of Katnut begins when he wants to go the path of the truth, in order to bestow, then he begins to see his Katnut, for he is distant from bestowal. That is the truth and then the Sitra Achra could cling to it, resulting in desperation. For he enters the work of conception with the possibility of falling from his degree. Then a new conception is necessary, to begin his work anew, as if he had never been a worker of the Creator.
Thus the delaying force is necessary, for him not to fall out, but to be in wholeness, and feel he lacks nothing in his work, for he is close to the Creator. The delaying force, for one should have faith above reason, that His hold truly is a great thing, that importance and truth constitute the vessel for the Light of the Creator to dwell within.
Yet, in his own vessels he feels worse than the masses, for he used to advance every day, whereas here he is losing. Furthermore, he does not desire to bestow and is incapable of giving up his self-love. The more he draws closer to the truth, the more he sees the truth better, that he is incapable of exiting self-love. However, in the Upper vessels, meaning above reason, he can elevate himself and say, "My state is unimportant if I am bestowing unto the Creator." The Creator knows what is best for me.
The Creator wants to guide me along this path, the path of faith, the path of goodness and benevolence. If I have faith in that, I should be grateful.
Thus two contradictory things are necessary: To walk the path of the truth, becoming distant from self-love and drawing near to the love of others, and realizing how much we lack "To praise and sanctify His name."
"Truth" - What he feels in his vessels, that spirituality is not so important, and how much he is sorry for that.
"Faith" - Above reason, without considering his feeling and knowledge, rather that the Creator is the Messiah and knows what is good for me. Thus, the main thing is to work "for Her name," although I am lacking completion of work in my vessels, yet in the vessels of the Upper One, I am complete.
That allows:
a. The truth - He sees his true state, a place for prayer, a deficiency. He prays for the Creator to complete his deficiency.
b. The faith - Wholeness, giving praise to the Creator and then to be in happiness.
Question: Why is my state insignificant if I am bestowing unto the Creator?