Following Wise Jethro’s Advice

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe preparation for the general spiritual work consists of several stages that are described as fables. The spiritual work in groups of ten is described in the Torah in the section about Jethro. Jethro was the chief priest in Midian, as well as Moses’ father-in-law, the father of his wife Zipporah. Moses lived at Jethro’s home when he escaped from Pharaoh and it actually is according to his instructions that the structure of the nation of Israel was formed.

It is a wonder why some priest of Midian, one of the sages of the nations of the world, brought such knowledge to the nation of Israel and knew how to form each of its camps so that they would better understand the laws and behave correctly according the Lord’s sentence. What do these subtle concepts that have to do with the inner corrections of the nation have to do with a priest of Midian who tells them how to organize the nation?

Jethro advises Moses after he already has received the Torah! This may seem very strange, but the method of organizing the nation stems from the wisdom of the nations of the world, as it is written, “If a person tells you there is wisdom among the nations of the world, believe him.” Besides, Jethro is not a stranger. He actually connects the desire to receive to the Torah to the desire to bestow.

We advance according to the steps that the Torah dictates, and it determines how we should divide into groups of ten, and then into groups of hundreds, thousands, and thus, advance in our spiritual work. It is a natural division according to the nation that should exist in a group. A simple crown came out of Babylon, and Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob began to organize them into a nation.

They did not wander from one place to another in their journeys. The group came out of the general ego, from Babylon. It had broken off from the Babylonians and settled in one place surrounded by Babylon on all sides. In this place, they went through all the stages called Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then, they reached the stage in which they began to feel that the ego is separating them—the exile, the distance—despite their strong desire to connect as they learned from their forefathers. After this group had received the method of connection from their forefathers, they already knew the stages of advancement to the revelation of the Creator. They understood that it is all revealed only in the connection between them, in “Love thy friend as thyself,” from which one comes to the love of the Creator.

However, when they actually began to work on the connection between them by following the advice of the three upper levels of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they began to feel how hard it is to fulfill this. They understood how exhausting this work is and how powerless it leaves them. They go through 400 years of exile and totally lose hope.

We try to fill ourselves through different external actions just to find new powers. However, all these innovations are always external, even if we learn another new thing and organize another convention. It is all fine and right, but it doesn’t lead to meaningful advancement. We are still building “Pithom and Ramses,” which means that we make efforts in order to discover that there is no hope!

Then, a more intensive, efficient and focused type of work begins in the groups of ten, and we see that if we want to be incorporated in the spiritual work, we first must split up into groups of ten.

There is a stage in which we must split up. The work in groups of ten already advances according to the regulations that stem from the advice of Kabbalists and especially Rabash who formulated all the principles of working in a group based on the method of Baal HaSulam. We have all we need for this work, but we must learn the special structure of the group of ten, how to build it and how to fulfill the method of connection that is the method for the revelation of the Creator.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/23/13, Talk About Tens

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