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

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Lesson 5: From We to One

1. You lack nothing except to go to the field that the Creator blessed, and gather up all the scattered organs, that were scattered away from your soul, and gather them up into one body. In that perfected (complete) body the Creator will instill his Shechinah permanently and unceasingly.
—Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Letter No. 4”

2. Thus, when one completes one’s work in love and bestowal for one’s fellow person and comes to the highest point, one also completes one’s love and bestowal for the Creator. In that state there is no difference between the two, for anything that is outside one’s body, meaning one’s self-interest, is judged equally—either to bestow upon one’s friend or bestow contentment upon one’s Maker.
—Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Love for the Creator and Love for the Created Beings”

3. When does creation find favor with the Creator? When all Israel are bundled together, and there is no jealousy, hatred and competition between them whatsoever, and each one of them thinks only about the correction and well being of his friend. Then the Creator rejoices in His creation, as it is written, the Creator rejoices in His works. And this explanation is in reference to “Love thy friend as thyself, I am the Lord (YHVH)” to tell us that if we love our friend as ourselves, then the Creator will be in your midst and love both of you.
—In Remembrance of Miriam,  Chapter 11

4. It is said in Midrash Tanhuma that “Israel will not be redeemed until they are all one society [… ] when they are united, they receive the face of Divinity.” I presented the words of the Midrash so that you don’t think that the issue of a group, which is love of friends, relates to Hassidism. Rather, it is the teaching of our sages, who saw how necessary was the uniting of hearts into a single group for the reception of the face of Divinity.
—Writings of Rabash, Vol 2, “Letter No. 34”

5. It is written, “and the people camped as one man in one heart” meaning that they all had one goal, which is, to benefit the creator. And we must understand: How can it be ‘as one man in one heart’, since we know that the sages said, “as their faces are not alike, likewise their views (opinions) also are not alike,” so how could it be “one man in one heart”?

Answer – if we are saying that each one cares for his own needs, it is impossible to be “as one man,” for they are not the same. However, when everyone annulled their authority and their only concern was to benefit the Creator, there were no longer any personal cares, since all their individual cares were annulled and thus all entered into oneness, unity.
—Writings of Rabash, “Letter No. 42”

6. The essence of keeping the Torah is in behinat haratzon (the will) in unity. Hence, each one must be included in the Assembly of Israel as one big collective. Hence, when (Israel) received the Torah they immediately became Arevim one for the other in order to be incorporated into one desire, so that they were all mutually accountable one for the other, since they were all equally important, and as one. And precisely when each were responsible for the other, which is behinat Achdut (unity), they were able to keep the Torah. And without this (condition), it is impossible to keep the Torah in any way, since the essence of Torah and love is in the will, when each is content with his friend, and there is no variance between them since all are incorporated into one desire, and thus they are able to be included in the upper will, which is the purpose of unity.
—Rabbi Nathan of Breslev, Likutei Halachot, “Laws of Arvut”

7. As we know, “The Creator is One and Israel are one,” therefore they are adhered to the Creator, because it is the pleasing to be adhered one with the other, and when will that be?

When Israel is assembled and adhered in perfect unity, they are considered as one, and the Creator dwells among them, who is One. This is the meaning of the verse, “and you are adhered,” namely that you are adhered to each one and hold on to each other, then “you are all alive,” when they are united as one. Thus it is good and pleasant to be adhered one with the other, and the Creator dwells in their midst As One.
—Moshe Chaim Ephraim, “Banner over the Camp of Ephraim,” Parashat VaEtchanan

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Lesson 4: From Me to We

1. There is indeed only one soul in the world. That same soul exists in all the children of Israel, complete in each and every one, as in Adam ha Rishon, since the spiritual is indivisible and cannot be cut—which is rather a trait of corporeal things.

Yet, saying that there are 600,000 souls and sparks of souls appears as though it is divided by the force of the body of each person…

For this reason, two discernments were made in the corporeal body. In the first discernment, one feels one’s soul as a unique organ, and does not understand that this is the whole of Israel.

In the second discernment, the true Light of the soul of Israel does not shine on him in all its illuminating force, but only partially, by the measure he has purified himself by returning to the collective.

The sign for the body’s complete correction is when one feels that one’s soul exists in the whole of Israel, in each and every one of them, for which he does not feel himself as an individual, for one depends on the other. At that time, he is complete, flawless, and the soul truly shines on him in its fullest power, as it appeared in Adam haRishon.
—Writings of Baal HaSulam, “600,000 Souls”

2. A man of Israel who desires to who desires to attain the Light of Life in Truth, must agree to plant himself in the Assembly of Israel with all his heart and with all his strength and might, physically and spiritually.
—Rav Kook, “Whisper to Me the Secret of HaVaYaH”

3. One must not exclude oneself from the assembly, or pray for himself, not even to bring contentment to the Creator, but always pray for the entire assembly (collective), since the one who excludes himself and asks only for himself does not build, but rather, he brings destructions upon his soul… And one must be connected to the assembly of Israel with all his strength, in all his requests from the Creator, whether in prayer or in the work, that he may be included in the root of all Israel.
—Baal HaSulam, Pri Chacham on the Torah, “It is not Yet Time to Gather the Sheep”

4. My teacher of blessed memory warned me and all the friends that were with him in the society, that prior to the morning prayer we should accept upon ourselves the positive commandment to “love your friend as yourself” with the intention to love all Israel as our own soul. And thus his prayer will rise together, with the prayer of all Israel, and achieve the correction above.

And concerning the love of friends among us, each and every one of us must include himself and feel as if he is a limb inside of his friend. And my teacher, blessed be his memory, warned me greatly, concerning this matter.
—Haim Vitall, “Gate of Reincarnations,” Introduction #38

5. Advice and council to serve the Creator is to unite our hearts with the Love of Friends, to connect each with the other in love and One Heart, and to serve the Creator together… We need to connect with each other and lock our hearts together, that we may be as one bundle, to serve the Creator with our whole heart.
—The Light and the Sun, “The Secrets of Rosh Hashanah”

6. The advice for one to be able to increase his strength in the rule, “Love thy friend,” is love of friends. If every one is nullified before his friend and mingles with him, they become one mass, where all the little parts that want the love of others unite in a collective force that consists of many parts. And when he has great strength, he can execute the love of others.
—Writings of Rabash, Vol 1, “According to What Is Explained about Love Thy Friend as Thyself”

7. One must know that love is bought by actions. By giving his friends gifts, each gift that he gives to his friend is like an arrow and a bullet, making a hole in his friend’s heart. And although his friend’s heart is like a rock, still, each bullet makes a hole. And the many holes join into a hollow into which the love of the giver of presents enters.

And the warmth of the love draws to him his friend’s sparks of love, and then the two loves weave into a garment of love that covers both of them. This means that one love surrounds and envelops the two, and they naturally become one person because the clothing that covers them both is a single garment. Hence, both are annulled.
—Rabash, Dargot HaSulam, “Man as a Whole”

8. And once I have acquired this above-mentioned clothing, sparks of love promptly begin to shine within me. The heart begins to long to unite with my friends, and it seems to me that my eyes see my friends, my ears hear their voices, my mouth speaks to them, the hands embrace, the feet dance in a circle, in love and joy together with them, and I transcend my corporeal boundaries. I forget the vast distance between my friends and me, and the outstretched land for many miles will not stand between us.
It is as though my friends are standing right within my heart and see all that is happening there, and I become ashamed of my petty acts against my friends. Then, I simply exit the corporeal vessels and it seems to me that there is no reality in the world except my friends and I. After that, even the “I” is cancelled and is immersed, mingled in my friends, until I stand and declare that there is no reality in the world—only the friends.
—Writings of Rabash, Vol 2, “Letter No. 8”

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Lesson 3: There Is None Else Besides Him

1. …The Creator’s desired goal for the Creation He had created is to bestow upon His creatures, so they would know His truthfulness and greatness, and receive all the delight and pleasure He had prepared for them
—Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar” #39

2. 116) … all that there is in the world is from the Creator, that He alone did, does, and will do all the deeds in the world. He knows in advance all that will unfold in the end, as it is written, “Declaring the end from the beginning.” And He watches and does things in the beginning in order to repeat them and to do them perfectly after some time.
—”Lech Lecha [Go Forth]”

3. Thou hast hemmed me in behind and before, meaning the revelation and concealment of the face of the Creator. This is because indeed, “His kingdom ruleth over all,” and everything will return to its root because there is no place vacant of him. But the difference is in present tense or future tense, because who connects the two worlds, discovers His clothing in the present: everything that is done is a clothing for the revelation of divinity… through the will of the dresser, for that is precisely His wish.
—Writings of Baal Hasulam, “Thou Hast Hemmed Me in Behind and Before”

4. We know that “the whole earth is filled with his glory” and so should every man believe; however, the Creator made a concealment so that one cannot see it, to give place for choice, where there is faith – to believe that “The Creator fills the whole earth and is involved with the whole earth.” After a person engages in Torah and Mitzvot and keeps the commandment of choice, then the Creator reveals himself to him so that he sees that the Creator rules the world.

It follows that one makes him king, to rule over him, which means that one feels the Creator, that He is the ruler of the whole world, and this is called that one makes the Creator king over him. Until one reaches this feeling, the kingship of the Creator is in concealment. About this we say, “On that day the Creator will be One and His Name One,” meaning that the glory of His kingdom will be disclosed to us. This is the entire correction that we should be doing in this world, and by this we continue all the best in the world, where all the bestowals above continue by working in Torah and Mitzvot, with the intention to continue His Kingdom over us.
—Writings of Rabash, Vol 2, Letter No. 76

5. The purpose of the soul when it comes in the body is to attain returning to its root and to cleave unto Him, while clothed in the body, as it is written, “To love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to cleave unto Him.” You see that the matter ends in “to cleave unto Him,” meaning as it was prior to clothing in the body.

However, great preparation is required – which is to walk in all His ways. Yet, who knows the ways of the Creator? Indeed, this is the meaning of “Torah, that has 613 ways.” He who walks by them will finally be purified until his body will no longer be an iron partition between him and his Maker, as it is written, “And I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh.” Then he shall cleave to his Maker just as he was before the clothing of the soul in the body.

It turns out, that there are three aspects: 1. Israel, is he who strains himself to return to his root; 2. The Creator, which is the root one longs for; 3. The 613 ways of the Torah, by which one purifies one’s soul and body. This is the spice, as it is written, “I have created the evil inclination, I have created for it the Torah as a spice.”

However, these three are actually one and the same. In the end, any servant of the Creator attains them as single, united and unified. They only appear to be divided into three because of one’s incompleteness in the work of God.
—Baal HaSulam, Igrot, “Letter 17”

6. The essence of one’s work is only to come to the sensation of the existence of the Creator, meaning to feel the existence of the Creator, that “the whole earth is full of His glory.” This will be one’s entire work, meaning all the vigor that he puts into the work will be only to achieve that, and not for any other things.
One should not be misled into having to acquire anything. Rather, there is only one thing a person needs, namely faith in the Creator. He should not think of anything, meaning that the only reward that he wants for his work should be to be rewarded with faith in the Creator.
—Baal HaSulam, Shamati  #4, ”What Is the Reason for the Heaviness One Feels when Annulling before the Creator in the Work”

7. Even if we see that there are two parts to the Torah: The first—Mitzvot between man and God, and the second—Mitzvot between man and man, they are both one and the same thing. This means that the actual purpose of them and the desired goal are one, namely Lishma.It makes no difference if one works for one’s friend or for the Creator…  Thus, when one completes one’s work in love and bestowal for one’s fellow person and comes to the highest point, one also completes one’s love and bestowal for the Creator. In that state there is no difference between the two, for anything that is outside one’s body, meaning one’s self-interest, is judged equally—either to bestow upon one’s friend or bestow contentment upon one’s Maker.
—Baal Hasulam, “The Love for the Creator and Love for the Created Beings”

8. May we be granted with His Light and follow in the ways of the Creator and serve Him not in order to be rewarded, but to give contentment to the Creator and raise Divinity from the dust. May we be granted adhesion with the Creator and the revelation of His Godliness to His creatures.
—Baal Hasulam, Shamati #3, “The Matter of Spiritual Attainment”

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Lesson 2: Arvut

1. The main root of the Arvut comes from behinat kabalat HaTorah (Receiving the Torah), when all Israel were Arevim (responsible) one for the other, and this is because in the root of the souls of Israel, all are considered as one, since they are drawn from the source of unity. Hence, all Israel were resposible one for the other at the time they received the Torah.
—Rabbi Natan of Breslev, Collections of Laws, “The Laws of Arvut,” #5

2. All Israel Arevim zeh LaZeh (are responsible one for another), meaning that their lights and livelihood intermingle in each other. Hence, we, the people of Israel, are commanded and obligated to literally keep the commandment ”Love your friend as yourself.”
—Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Witebsk, Pri Haaretz, “Letter 33”

3. When does creation find flavor with the Creator? When all Israel are bundled together, and there is no jealousy, hatred, and competition between them whatsoever, and each one of them thinks only about the correction and well-being of his friend. Then the Creator rejoices in His creation, as it is written, “The Creator rejoices in His works. And this explanation is in reference to “Love thy friend as thyself, I am the Creator,” to tell us that if one loves his friend as himself, then “I, the Creator, am in your midst and love both of you.”
—In Remembrance of Miriam, “Chapter 11”

4. And when one begins to feel the love of his friend, joy and pleasure immediately begin to awaken in him… His friend’s love for him is a new thing for him because he always knew that he was the only one who cared for his own well-being. But the minute he discovers that his friend cares for him, it evokes within him immeasurable joy, and he can no longer care for himself… And since he is beginning to feel pleasure in caring for his friend, he naturally cannot think of himself.
—Writings of Rabash, Vol 2, “Letter No. 40”

5. One must always pray for his friend, because (praying) for himself it is not very effective, since ”one cannot free oneself from prison,” but his friend comes to his aid quickly. And so, each one should pray for his friend, this way one helps the other and both are helped. This is why it was said, “Israel Arevim (are responsible) one for the other.
—Rabbi Elimelech, Noam Elimelech, “Likutei Shoshana”

6. It is impossible to keep the Torah and Mitzvot without the Arvut, namely, when everyone becomes responsible for his friend, since the essence of keeping the Torah is in behinat haratzon (the will) in unity. Hence, all who desire to accept upon themselves the Torah and Mitzvot… must be included in the Assembly of Israel as one big collective. Hence, when (Israel) received the Torah they immediately became Arevim one for the other in order to be incorporated into one desire, so that they were all mutually accountable one for the other, since they were all equally important, and as one. And precisely when each were responsible for the other, which is behinat achdut (unity), they were able to keep the Torah. And without this (condition) it is impossible to keep the Torah in any way, since the essence of Torah and love is in the will, when each is content with his friend, and there is no variance between them—since all are incorporated into one desire, and thus they are able to be included in the upper will, which is the purpose of Unity.
—Rabbi Nathan of Breslev, Likutei Halachot, “Laws of Arvut, #5”

7. If six hundred thousand men abandon their work for the satisfaction of their own needs and worry about nothing but standing guard so their friends will never lack a thing, and moreover, that they will keep it with a mighty love, with their very heart and soul, in the full meaning of the Mitzva, “Love thy friend as thyself,” then it is beyond doubt that no man of the nation will need to worry about his own well-being.Because of that, he becomes completely free of securing his own survival and can easily keep the Mitzva, “Love thy friend as thyself.” After all, why would he worry about his own survival when six hundred thousand loyal lovers stand by, ready with great care to make sure he lacks nothing of his needs? Therefore, once all the members of the nation agreed, they were immediately given the Torah, because now they were capable of keeping it.
—Baal HaSulam, Matan Torah, #15

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Lesson 1: The Ten as a Spiritual Vessel

1. Rabbi Yochanan said, it is written, “I will be sanctified among Israel.” Everything concerning Kedusha (sanctity) cannot be in less than Ten.
—Talmud Bavli, Masechet Megilah, Page 23/2

2. Rabbi Chalafta Ben Dosa says, Ten sitting and engaging in the Torah, Shechinah dwells among them , as it is written (Psalm 82), “The Creator stands in the congregation of the mighty.”
—Mishna, Masechet Avot, Chapter 3, Verse 6

3. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai was expounding on the secrets of Torah, with the friends listening to his voice and uniting with him, and being in this connection, each replying with his portion.
—Ramchal, “Mighty in Heaven,” 24

4. They were sitting in half a circle, affectionately and with love, as one bundle, like the Sanhedrin, not suspecting each other, since they could see one another and hear one another discussing with each other, resulting in proper instruction.
—Rashi Commentary on the Talmud Bavli, Masechet Cholin

5. Israel will not be redeemed out by sorrow, nor by bondage, nor out of their wonderings or madness and not by pressures or lack of food but by Ten people sitting together, each one reading and sharing with their friend, thus their voices will be heard, as it is written (Obadiah chapter 1), “Upon Mount Zion shall be deliverance and there shall be holiness.”
—Tana Dovi Eliyahu Zota, Chapter 14

6. 105) It is written, how loved are Israel before the Creator, that wherever they are, the Creator is with them, because He has not removed His love from them, as it is written, “And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them,” since the Shechina comes to the synagogue early.

106) Happy is the man who is among the first Ten in the synagogue, because by them is the congregation completed, which it is not less than ten. They are the ones who are sanctified by the Shechina first. But there must be ten in the synagogue at the same time, and not come bit by bit, so that the completion of the organs is not detained, for all ten are as organs of a single body in which Divinity dwells.
—Zohar Laam, Nasso, 105-106

7. When several friends gather together, each one has but a small amount of this power, that is better to come out of self love, but they do not have enough power and importance of bestowal, to become independent and without outside help. Thus all these individuals annul themselves one to another. At least in theory, together they will have the strength to Love of the Creator, yet they are unable to carry it out.  However, by each one joining the society and annulling oneself to the society, they create one body. If, let’s say, this body is made up of ten people, this body has ten times the strength of a single person.

This is on the condition that when they come together, each one will think that he is now joining for the purpose of annulling his self love, namely that he should not think about how to fulfill his own will but rather, one should think as much as possible about the love of the friend. Only this way one is able to receive the will and the need that is necessary to attain the new attribute, called the will to bestow. Thus, from the love of friends one is able to get to the love of the Creator, namely that his desire is to bestow contentment to the Creator. It follows that this is the only way by which one can gain the understanding that the matter of bestowal is so very important and necessary, and that he was able to attain it only through the love of friends.
—Writings of Rabash, Vol 1, “Concerning the Love of Friends”

8. The main purpose for the assembly is for all to be united as one, and that all their requests will be directed towards one goal – to reveal the Creator, “In each Ten dwells the Shechina.” And certainly, when there are more than ten there surely is a greater revelation of the Shechina (Divinity), and each and every one joins himself to his friend… and annul to him and his friend to him, until all are the annulled. Hence, when this is the assembly’s intention, then naturally… the Creator draws himself closer to them… and the good Chasadim (mercies) are revealed and drawn to the assembly of Israel.
—Rabbi Klonimus Kalman Halevi Epstein, Maor VaShemesh, Parashat Vayechi

9. Wisdom and insight into how to serve the Creator comes through the unification between us in the love of friends.. to be connected one with the other in love and in a single heart, to serve the Creator and lend a shoulder… meaning, that we must unite one with the other, and be locked into each other’s heart, and become “one bundle,” to serve the Creator with a whole heart.
—Maor VaShemesh (Light and Sun), “The Secrets of Rosh Hashanah”

10. The most important aspect of love and unity is found in the will, that each one should be content with his friend, so that there will be no variance between their desire, but that they would be incorporated into one desire, and through this they are able to be included in the upper will, which is the purpose of unity.
—Likutei Halachot (Collection of Laws), “Law of Arvut,” 3:30

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Convention in Guadalajara “Day Three,” “The Importance of the Prayer of Many,” Lesson 5

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