New Jersey Convention – “Completing The Circle” Preparation For Lesson 6

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Lesson 6: Completing The Circle And Starting Anew

– What have we attained?
– How to be content with our attainment?
– The Covenant

1. This is the meaning of what is written, “You stand today, all of you,” meaning everything you went through, all the states you have experienced—states of Gadlut or states of less than Gadlut, which were considered intermediate or so. You take all those details and you do not compare one degree to another because you do not care for any reward, but only for doing the Creator’s will. … In other words, the state he is in right now is as important to him as when he thought he was in a state of Gadlut. At that time, “The Lord your God makes with you this day.”

This means that then the Creator makes a covenant with him. In other words, precisely when one accepts His work without any conditions and agrees to do the holy work without any reward, which is called “unconditional surrender,” this is the time when the Creator makes a covenant with him.
Writings of Rabash, Vol 1, Article 19 “You Stand Today, All of You”

2. Let him be content with his portion, and give praise and thanksgiving to the Creator for giving him a small part in the service of the king, even if only one minute a day or one minute every couple of days. Let him consider it great treasure.

And even if his deed was very simple, nevertheless he should try to be happy, and he will receive livelihood from the fact that he was allowed to serve the king. And he is obligated to give praise to the Creator in every opportunity.

I heard from Baal HaSulam that by the praise and thanksgiving that one gives the Creator upon approaching the Creator, one continues the Light of Kedusha downward, so that he will feel himself complete, and then it is called that he is in the state of Baruch (blessed), and Baruch adheres to Baruch. But when one keeps himself in the state of accursed, Baruch does not adhere to accursed, as the sages said.
Writings of Baal HaSulam, Vol 2, Letter No. 36

3. The same applies when one feels some closeness to holiness, when he feels joy at having been favored by the Creator. Then, too, one must say that one’s joy is primarily because now there is joy Above, within the Holy Shechina, at being able to bring her private organ near her, and that she did not have to send her private organ away.
And one derives joy from being rewarded with pleasing the Shechina. …
—Shamati 1 “here Is None Else Besides Him”

And that person should be happy, and offer thanksgiving and praise to the Creator for rewarded him with a small grip of Kedusha, regardless of how much he has… Hence he says, the small grip that I have on the Torah and mitzvot is more important than any of the worldly pleasures… and I see that there are people who don’t have it. It follows that he is the one in whom the blessing dwells, and he has a reason to be happy. He sees that the rest of the people are happy and joyful with nonsense while the Creator gave him wisdom and understanding to rejoice in the Creator.
Writings of Rabash, Vol 2, Article 19 “What ‘There Is No Blessing in That which Is Counted’ Means in the Work”

4. …There are many people in the world who were not given the strength to work the holy work even in the simplest of ways, even without the intent and in Lo Lishma (not for Her Name), even in Lo Lishma of Lo Lishma, and even in preparation for the preparation of the clothing of Kedusha (Sanctity), while he was imparted the desire and the thought to nevertheless occasionally do holy work, even in the simplest possible way, if one can appreciate the importance of it, according to the importance that one ascribes to the holy work, to that extent one should give praise and be grateful for it.

This is so because it is true that we cannot appreciate the importance of being able to sometimes keep the Mitzvot of the Creator, even without any intent. In that state one comes to feel elation and joy of the heart.

The praise and the gratitude that one gives for it expand the feelings, and one is elated by every single point in the holy work, and knows whose worker he is, and thus soars ever higher. This is the meaning of what is written, “I thank Thee for the grace that Thou hast made with me,” meaning for the past, and by this one can confidently say, and he does say, “and that Thou will do with me.”
—Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article 26 “One’s Future Depends and Is Tied to Gratitude for the Past

5. Baal HaSulam explained the matter of making a covenant: When two people see that they love each other, they make a covenant between them that their love will always stay. And he asked, “If they love each other and understand that this love will never leave them, why this covenant? Why do they make this covenant, meaning for what purpose?”…

…If there is ever a state where one will have complaints against the other, they will both remember the covenant that they made when love was revealed between them.

It follows that making the covenant is for the future. It is like a contract that they sign that they will not be able to regret when they see that the ties of love are not as they were, that this love gave them great pleasure while they were doing good to each other, but now that love has been corrupted, they are powerless and none can do anything for the other.

But if they do wish to do something for their friends, they must consider the making of the covenant that they had before, and out of that they should rebuild the love. It is like a person who signs a contract with his friend, and the contract connects them so they cannot part from one another.
Writings of Rabash, Vol 1, Article 19 “You Stand Today, All of You”

6. And you, the friends who are here, just as you were previously in a state of love, so you should remain inseparable from now, until the Creator rejoices with you and calls peace upon you and by your merit shall there be peace in the world. “For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, ‘May peace be within you.’”
The Book of Zohar with the Sulam [Ladder] Commentary, “Aharei Mot,” Items 64-65

Related Material:
New Jersey Convention – “Completing The Circle” Preparation For Lesson 1
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New Jersey Convention – “Completing The Circle” Preparation For Lesson 3
New Jersey Convention – “Completing The Circle” Preparation For Lesson 4
New Jersey Convention – “Completing The Circle” Preparation For Lesson 5

One Comment

  1. I didnt understaand. I dont care for rewards? Since wheeen?

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