Bold and in quotes: Original text of Baal HaSulam
Regular: Commentaries of Rav Laitman
lowercase italics: emphasized words
Capitalized italics: transliteration from Hebrew
Shamati, Article #119: He, the Student Who Studied in Secrecy.
The student who studied in secrecy, Betash be Bruria and he said he’s prepared in everything. If it is prepared in Ramach (248 parts) it exists. 'Chashai' means Katnut (smallness) and 'secrecy' means Katnut: from the word 'Chash-Mal'. ' Chash' means the vessels of the faith (anterior side). And 'Mal' are called the vessels of the posterior side, which are the vessels below the Chazeh (chest), which bring to the aspect of Gadlut (greatness).
This pupil thought that if he would've attained the aspect of Chash, which is the desire to bestow, and all of his intentions are in order to bestow, he is already one, all of the wholeness. But since the purpose of the creation of the worlds was in order to benefit His creatures. It means, to receive all of the Upper pleasures that a person shall receive, like a whole level, even below the Chazeh, meaning all of the Ramach—all of the 248 parts. Therefore, itsaid the phrase of Bruria, is prepared in everything—in all of 248.
It means,the whole level, that he should extend even below the Chazeh, namely that you need to pursue also the Gadlut. This is Mal, meaning, the speech, which is the aspect of revelation that he should reveal the complete level.
However, in order not to harm, they have to previously receive the Katnut, which is called Chash, (from the Hebrew word Hashai, secret) which is in secrecy that is still not revealed. Afterwards, he needs to scrutinize also the aspect of Mal, which is the aspect of the Gadlut, and then the whole level was revealed.
This is Arucha and Shmura (prepared, ready and kept). It means, since already it is in keeping, meaning, the Katnut, he can already perceive the Gadlut and he has nothing to fear.
Within the soul are 613 desires built by the 613 Lights. The general Light created the desire, “out of nothing.” Afterwards that general Light divides into 613 Lights, and so 613 distinct desires are revealed within the desire. Usually they are not counted by their numbers or by their names. All of that is already found in a simpler, easier to understand way in the books of Intentions, in the Shulchan Aruch, and in the Gmarrah.
The Partzuf of the soul is divided into 613 desires. It is Ramach (248) limbs, Shasa (365) Gidim (tendons). The Ramach are desires of bestowal which is the Galgalta ve Eynaim (skull and eyes) above the Chazeh and Shasa Gidim—365 desires of reception—are in the AHP (Awzen, Hotem, Peh) of the Partzuf below the Chazeh.
First the 248 limbs are corrected while the 365 desires are in hibernation and are restricted. In the Partzuf of the Katnut there are HBD (Hochma, Bina and Daat), HGT (Hesed, Gvurah and Tifferet) of Kelim (vessels) and HBD, NHY (Netzah, Hod and Yesod) of Lights. We don’t use the vessels of AHP and the Lights Neshamh, Haya, and Yechida. When you obtain these states you reach thefear and awe—the level of reward and punishment, the levels of intermediate and incomplete sage, and Chanukah. All the names belong to the state of Katnut—using only bestowal of the states of Galgalta ve Eynaim, the vessels of Chash. Meanwhile,the vessels of AHP (Awzen, Hotem and Peh) are in restriction and are not being used.
Afterwards, the work is already on the next level. The AHP de Aliya are being used, the vessels of 365 desires. The Light reforms the vessels. These are precisely the desires that we need to reform, to repent of because their intention were “in order to receive” during the breakage. After the breaking, when we transcend beyond our corporeal body and this world, we begin to correct the breaking. We begin to correct the Galgalta ve Eynaim and later on, especially, the AHP.
The Galgalta ve Eynaim became broken due to their connection with the AHP. The Katnut is only the preparation for the correction of the AHP. The correction of the Galgalta ve Eynaim is called the correction of Israel. The correction of the AHP is called the correction of the nations of the world. Israelexists only to mix with the vessels of the AHP—the nations of the world and then pass on to them the method of correction.
The general correction you make upon the AHP, afterthe correction of Galgalta ve Eynaim, is called Purim. And after you complete these two corrections ‘love and fear’— Galgalta ve Eynaim and AHP, comes the end of correction and then the Angel of Death becomes an Angel of Holiness. It means that those shells that were completely impossible to correct, even as the AHP of ascension (Haman, Amalek, Pharaoh), the desires which are in the foundation of creation that were not able to be included with the sparks of bestowal to receive them inside and to correct them, are also corrected by the special Light which comes from the general correction of all these 613 desires.
So they begin to learn the Torahwhich is to realize the corrections in secrecy. Afterwards, there is a revelation to the eyes of each and everyone.
Question: Why are there vessels along the way which a person can correct and on the other hand, especially at the end, he finds that there are still vessels that he cannot correct?
Your question is not quite clear. A person about to correctis going to correct all of the vesselsrevealed in him. Revealed in him are both the vessels of bestowal and the vessels of reception. All the steps (levels) are states of the soul, the innerness of a person. He has all 613 desires on each and every step. The whole issue is to which extent are the desires revealed, sensed, and felt within a person. Accordingly, he gets into a certain connection with them, with a certain kind of work.
The desires are revealed as a special mixture according to the level he is in because they’re the levels of the worlds; either the Neshama, the soul is in Yesod (foundation) of the world that is either in Hesed (mercy) or in Gvura (valor) on which Aviut (thickness/coarseness), from which root is the soul itself in Adam ha Rishon (the First Man). If it's the soul which belongs to the head, or to the heart, or to the liver, or to the kidneys, or to the leg of Adam ha Rishon, it's also called all the 613 desires.
But when it is on a certain level—Yesod, or Hesed of Assiya (action) and Yetzira (creation), for example, then the root of its soul where it exists, in which state all the rest of the corrections exist, all of these factors influence. Other influences exist by which the soul is corrected: days, holidays, and different mixtures, meaning an Awakening from Above; these are spiritual times and states upon the soul which determine the order of the correction it has to go through. This issue is very complex.
Question (cont'd): What is the principle in which someone scrutinizes the Rapach, only his 288 desires and from within this all the rest are scrutinized?
The Rapach is a different calculation than that of the 613. The Rapach desires refer to the 320 (Shah) desires which go through the breaking. Out of the Shah desires that the Kli has preceding the breaking there are only 288 desires, which can be corrected. Why can’t we correct the 32 desires? These will be corrected as the world of Atzilut (nobility) and the worlds of BYA (Beria, Yetzira, and Assiya) after the breaking of the Kelim in the world of Nikudim. We are talking about the correction of the worlds.
In the worlds there is also a part which is possible to correct, called Rapach, the 288 parts of the general broken Partzuf and 32 parts of the broken Partzuf, which it is impossible to correct. These parts are left frozen and uncorrected. Each time something is corrected there is a part which belongs to the 288 and a part belonging to the Levha Even (the stony heart). The two must be distinguished and you mustn’t use the stony heart. This is what it means 'to correct it meanwhile'.
Here, we are talking about the corrections of the worlds—the world of Nekudim which was broken. Previous to the breaking we make a calculation, which is the Rapach and 32 together. There are 320 parts because the world of Nekudim divided into eight angels and in each one there are four parts. So there are 32 parts, eight times four. There are ten private Sefirot, in total 320 parts in the eight Malachim in the world of Nikkudim that go through the breaking. These 320 parts are called Shah—Shin, Chaf—320.
When we begin to scrutinize by the Light of AB SAG, which comes to these Shah (320) parts, we can scrutinize only the 288, the first nine Sefirot; the Rapach. 320 divided by ten equals 32. 32 multiplied by 9 equals 288, Rapach. So we can correct the first nine Sefirot. And from them is corrected the world of Atzilut and the ABYA.
The 32 parts, which belong to the Malchut (Kingdom), cannot be corrected. These 32 parts remain in the Mador ha Klipot (the shell section), below the Hazeh of Yetsirauntil the end of all the worlds. This state is before the birth of Adam ha Rishon.
So the numbers Shach, Rapach, Lamed Beit (32),the stony heart, belong to the world of Nekkudim andto the corrections in the different worlds. Afterwards, when the worlds of AK (Adam Kadmon) and ABYA emerged and the end of all the worlds is in Chazeh of Yetzira, they now begin to build a Partzuf, which is the soul, the future creaturecalled Adam ha Rishon; he is the first. There is neither secondnor third. There was no one before him ever.
This is what we do. All the worlds are ascending so that the end Malchut of Atzilut rises to Bina (intelligence) of Atzilut. It means, as it receives the force of Bina it becomes strong and powerful with the force of Bina and Hochma (wisdom), and then it makes a coupling. A coupling is made by connecting the first nine Sefirot, which are called all the worlds, AK and ABYA together with Malchut, the middle point of Infinity. Then it makes a coupling. By the coupling, a Partzuf is being born which is called Adam ha Rishon.
This Partzuf is more internal because we are not using the external Malchut for the building of the worlds. But now that internal Malchut participates, which is the middle point of all the worlds of the world of Infinity, the Partzuf that emerges is called the internal world inside all the worlds and that is called Adam ha Rishon. Adam ha Rishonis the same desire that, according to the Thought of Creation, needs to become similar to the Creator, to come to adhesion with Him.
It's called Adam and Rishon since it is the first Partzuf. Afterwards more Partzufim emerge until the final Partzuf of all the Partzufim which will become similar in form with the Creator.
This last Patrzuf was made by the connection of the first nine and the Malchut while between themselves there is still no connection. It's like the way Malchutde Galgalta is connected, i.e. NHY (Netzah, Hod, Yesod) of Galgalta, Reshimot Dalet and Gimel influenced Nekudot de SAG. By restricting the Nekudot of SAG, Malchut restricted the Bina and so a restriction was being made in Nekudot of SAG and not a connection.
The connection was made in a coupling in Nikvey Eynaim (the holes of the eyes) in the Rosh of SAG on the common Reshimot. First, on the Katnut and afterwards there is a connection between Bina and Malchutin Gadlut. And then there was the breakage.
And the same should be here. First of all, in the Partzuf of Adam ha Rishon that has been born, there are the first nine Sefirot, the worlds, and Malchut, the point of Ein Sof. If they are not connected together, they don't participate together.
Now, we need to get them to participate together. So Adam haRishon from the beginning was born circumcised, in Katnut as is the case in the world of Nikudim. This is still not participation. The only participation is still with the vessels of bestowal. The vessels of reception are restricted, frozen. Afterwards, a couplingin Gadlut occurred called “the eating of the Tree of the Knowledge” when the Lights expanded below the Chazeh, exactly the way it is in the world of Nikkudim during its breaking. Adam haRishon also got broken.
But when Adam haRishon got broken, we do a different calculation. The calculation is not of Shasah (320), Rapach (288) and Lamed Beit (32), rather we do a calculation of Taryag (613), Ramah (248), above the Hazeh, Chasah (365), below the Hazeh and 7 more in the ending.
These are called the precepts of Rabanan. Rabanan comes from the words Rav, Gadol, big, huge that will come afterwards. Altogether, it is Rapach and Shach, which are Taryag (613), and 7 more which in total is Tarah (620). Ramach and Shasa: 248, above the Chazeh, and 365 below the Chazeh, altogether Taryag, 613 that we correct until the end of correction and an additional Zayin (7) that we correct at he end of correction. In total we have 620; this is called Tarah (620).
In Gimatria it comes to the word Torah or Shai. It is written “Shai of the world”; Shai–two times, a double Shai. These are calculations used in order to describe the structure of Adam ha Rishon. These are only signs for us.
We cannot discern between all these details what are they and ‘tell me please, what is the desire number 157 out of a Rapach or Ramach or whatever you say. I don’t know what it is or what it speaks of and what he is speaking of.” But when a person works with these desires which are all found for his use, he then understands the desire which is being referred, the Light that isfound against it, and how it should come to correction.
The Torah speaks of nothing more but how to correct these desires by the Lights that come from Above and how to be redeemed by the Light that reforms. It means, that we correct the desires until they come to the intention in order to bestow. We can read the texts that Moses wrote or Rabbi Shimon, the Ari, or Baal HaSulam. The author and language doesn’t matter.The book could be in the language of Talmud, in the language of Legend, or in the language of the Bible.
They are speaking only about the correction of these 613 desires. The student who’s found inside these correctionsunderstands in each and every level more and more how to correct these 613 desires. This is like a drop of semen. The semen has all the information regarding the future body. The only thing needed is matter because within the sperm contains all of thegenetic information about the future person.
This information is found in a small person, in a bigger person, and also in an even bigger person. The only difference is in revelation.
That’s why the Sefirot, even the ten small Sefirot that we are correcting in our souls, even within the point in the heart that we are currently working with, have all the desires in it, of all Infinity, but only to the extent as a drop which is indistinguishable. That’s how we find it on each and every level.
So, there are levels where you can barely clarify the desires, and other levels where we are clarifying the desires more and more, and there areother levels where we clarify and work with desires that are solely in order to bestow and we’re able to differentiate these desires from all the other ones. We work with them“these against the others,” with the Rapach 288 against Shasa 320, GE against AHP, and then afterwards with the AHP of Shasa. And that depends on the level of the person according to his character, meaning the root of his soul, and the state at which he is in the world, his current role, the level he is in out of the 125 levels, and external conditions like the holidays and the times, Itarute de Lele, (awakening from Above).
Then desires develop in him that he has to clarify one way or the other. Those desires he has to correct.There are a lot of additional systems within it but the Kabbalists don’t speak about all the corrections because they give us only principles. They are mainly concerned about two things in the books: the first thingthey provide us with are principles of the components of creation and in which order they all should be corrected. They sharebits to realize where we are. And the second thing is mostly to draw the Light that reforms. Don’t think that they can express all the details that are found in the correction of the soul, which is called “in the spiritual world.”
The spiritual world is what we feel in our correctionscalled the Upper World. The Upper World cannot be explained because it is only revealed in the end as “the Creator that fills the creature.” This includes an infinite number of details which becomes an endless verification. We are describing all of creation as the creature, as the vessel that is filled with Light. This is the first discernment and first phase called Behina Aleph (the first phase). Before that, there is Behinat Shoresh (Phase zero), Light, existence from absence, that he creates upon the black point and he starts to develop it.
He opened this black point up to the general desire, which is called the first phase, Behina Aleph and He filled it. That’s it. From the point of view of the Light, it is as if it has ended. Then the first phase, Behina Aleph, starts to develop and feels the one who fills it and all of these processes, all these advancements, the process itself, happens inside of this first phase, first discernment that starts from inside to only develop her own private internal sensation.
Who is the One who is filling me? What does He want from me? How do I feel it? How does He relate to me? How do I relate to Him; the clarification of attitudes, of relationships? This is what happens inside the creature. Absolutely nothing happens outside but everything is inside that first phase. So in the present we are found in it and in the end of correction we are found in it. Never do we come outside of it. All filling is only inside.
This is our world (all the worlds together). This is our reality. That’s why each and every stateincludes all situations. It is the same first phase that every time feels itself like this or the other way. That’s why we don’t have more than ten Sefirot. Clearly or less clearly, we feel them.
Question: There are questions regarding the discernments of the desires and to how the corrections are being made. Do desires that belong to the 'Mal' discernment bring us to correction through speech?
Right now I cannot clarify how the corrections are being made. All the corrections are done by the Upper Light that comes to the desire and corrects the desire. First the Light brings the desire a screen not to receive, then gives it a screen to bestow, and afterwards, a screen to receive in order to bestow. That’s what’s happening and this is being done all by the Upper Light and not by the mouth that the person opens.
Concerning the mouth, we need to understand what is said about speech. When Moses spoke to the Creator and said, “I’m hard of speech. I don’t know how to speak. How will they understand me?” We need to understand what it means ‘hard of speech.’ Why don’t they understand him and why can’t he explain things to them? This is one of the three signs he had to bring to the nation of Israel before taking them out in the exile of Egypt.
It is the snake and the stick, the hand that he brought in and then out. When we come closer to Pesach (Passover), we’ll learn this. It is not by talking that will open and close our mouths; there is the upper lip and lower lip. In the last letter from Baal HaSulam it is written: “There’s a language for the Upper One and one for the lower one.” There is more to learn about, of course, but it does not belong to our corporal mouth at all. I wish we won’t open our mouth our whole lives and it will not restrict us from making corrections.
Hash and Mal,are explained here. Mal are the vessels that have to be in restriction before you correct the vessels above and below the Chazeh. First I correct the desires of bestowal and later I correct the vessels of reception. Therefore, there is Chash and Mal. It relates to animals which feel and those which mumble. Thesehave to keep silent in the meantime and these desires cannot be worked with. And those which mumble, I can work with them, it’s like a light speech, as if it comes from downupwards; it’s a returning Light, only in bestowal, it’s still not speech.
Question: How is it possible to awake in us more vessels that we will later on have to correct? Do we have to awaken vessels and correct them later on?
A person never knows which vessels he has to correct, and it’s of no concern to him since he doesn’t know the root of his soul. If we’re going from down upwards then how can we know what we need to correct on the next stage? We cannot. However, it’s written, “what is in your ability to do, then do.” And the desires that are revealed each time are those which have to be revealed. Meanwhile, when a person corrects something, he doesn’t know what he corrects because he can never measure himself on that same step in which he is in, but only towards the lower step. This happens also in our daily corporal lives.
We don’t know in which world we live in neither do we know the rules of that world whether they are on the speaking or human level, because we ourselves belong to that same level. Still, vegetative, and animate, we can research and understand. We cannot understand ourselves. But on the living level, on the body, we can. But ourselves on the level of the speaking, the person--we can’t. Therefore a person develops only on condition that he works beyond what is revealed to him. We always learn that the desire to receive increases and we overcome it. The desire to receive is especially brought about by fear and awe and through that fear a person is able to overcome.
Question: Are 611 in concealment and the 12 and 13 aren’t? Or are they already levels of revelation?
No, you haven’t understood it correctly. I am saying this again: on each level all 613 desires are being corrected, to the extent that they develop and open up in a person and don’t make a calculation like the desire number one I correct; the desire number two, number three… There is no such thing, they are all as one. I will use the example of a child which develops even in the embryo. First of all, the head is developed, afterwards the hands, legs, and then the limbs. We don’t recognize all of the parts which are developing in the first stage. Does it mean that they are not developing? We simply don’t identify them. There is an order.
In the drop of a seed, there are all the limbs; they begin to develop. They develop in this, more after this, after that; areas, first head, then legs, then hands. And there is a tail. Then it disappears. There are different accumulations of forces. A person along the way also goes through all the forms of the still, vegetative, animate, and speaking. And it’s no wonder, because everything begins from zero in the development. This is what confuses the Darwinists. But always all the general structure is ten Sefirot.
Question: Does it matter to the soul or can the soul know to which part of the general of Adam ha Rishon it belongs and if it knows, does it influence the correction or it’s relationship to the desires that are revealed.?
If the soul needs to know in order to bestow to the rest of the souls to a certain situation, a certain place, a certain role to which it belongs, then of course it knows about that. If it is for any other reason, then no. These are already private things, which belong to the functioning. Moses, according to the story, doesn’t know anything about himself or his role before he kills the Egyptian and flees into the desert and lives for forty years by Jethro. Afterwards, he comes back to his role into Egypt. What did he know?
What did Rabbi Akiva know? He was a shepherd that didn’t understand anything until he felt such a great desire awakening in him and he came to his role. What did Abraham know when he made the sculptures and sold them? He had a good business and thought only about how to succeed. Suddenly everything turned over. Isn’t this like each and every person in life? A person receives his perceptions and knowledge according to the situation. And as for the spiritual levels, he has to be available for that role.
And if you look at those great spiritual leaders of the nation and humanity, as Baal HaSulam says, “like a fruit on the tree until it grows to the end, it receives such forms, that it’s unbelievable to think that something comes out of this.” This is the same here; Abraham, he works, he makes statutes, which is even worse than the other ancient Babylonians, which are fishing, farming, and doing other things. And what does he do? He sells them idols!
Today what would you think of an amulet maker? He earns by lying to people! Moses grew in the house of Pharaoh. He is a Prince. He sat on Pharaoh’s knees. He knows and understands all their philosophy, all their religion. He knows all these things. In him, there is the understanding that he is from the Jews. He is as a step grandchild of Pharaoh. But it doesn’t bother him. After all, he is a prince. Do you know what a Prince of Egypt is? In such an empire, it’s unbelievable.
In many countries such as Japan and China, there are still laws stating that even a prince which has killed someone for a certain reason, must be punished. I’m not sure which punishment is meant but it should be death for anyone who kills. In Japan there is a law that even a prince can’t away with it. You need to make hara-kiri and that’s it, this is the way. So, he flees to the desert.
Look what beginning he has—a Prince! He flees to the desert; he marries the daughter of some High Priest from the Median nation. And where is he going? Look what happens, the greatest personality, greatest ruler in history. Is it possible to see, according to the levels of development, what’s going to happen? Can a person know if he will come to a role or not? A moment before, he doesn’t know. Therefore, one must be available.