Baal HaSulam, “The Arvut” (Mutual Guarantee), Item 18: Therefore, the Tana (Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai) described the Arvut as two people in a boat, when one of them began to drill a hole in the boat. This means that they are already connected and are in one vessel, in a boat, which is already a spiritual level of connection, but still there is a problem, a malfunction in their connection.

“His friend asked, “Why are you drilling?” He replied, “What business is it of yours? I am drilling under me, not under you.”

If he had understood and felt that he is in a collective vessel, then everything would have been fine. And yet once he was  attracted to it and he had built the collective boat with everyone, but now an additional evil inclination has been revealed in him and he doesn’t feel that he is in one vessel and that he is connected to the others. He thinks that he is by himself and doesn’t care what the others do. It is as if he is on a day off, free of the whole business of mutual guarantee. This happens to each and everyone.

So he replied, “Fool! We will both drown together!” He doesn’t just leave the group, but also drowns it since he is also incorporated in the connection.

From this we learn that since those rebels wallow in self-love, by their actions they build an iron wall that prevents the observers of the Torah from even beginning to fully keep the Torah and Mitzvot in the measure of “Love thy friend as thyself,” which is the ladder for reaching Dvekut (adhesion) with Him.

Since we are all incorporated in one another and depend on one another, then of course if someone leaves, he corrupts the whole structure. We cannot glue a patch on the side of the boat instead of him. After all, he is connected to everyone and is incorporated with everyone. Therefore, it is a great problem if someone leaves or even if he is temporarily not connected to the group.

He is severely punished for the harm he has caused to all the friends that he has left, for each and everyone. One should be very careful about the general incorporation.

If you come to the lesson and you sleep, it means that you don’t add your intentions. This isn’t a serious transgression as yet, and it does happen sometimes. However, there are much more serious transgressions.
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From the 5^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/02/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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