Arvut - the Law of Nature

It's great to see you all here in our global lesson. Sunday is the time, place, the forum of people yearning to discover the Creator. Let's start with gratitude and think about what we're thankful to the Creator for.

We're bringing you bits from the advanced lesson until you join us there in a month or so. We heard from our Rav that the Creator is revealed when a person thanks the Creator for giving him the opportunity to please Him. So how lucky are we to deal with and think of these things every day. These are such lofty thoughts - so high above our world with all its challenges. Here we can touch something very high up and special.

We learned nine principles. Today we'll talk about the last principle for building a spiritual society. It's a very big principle - which we call in the wisdom of Kabbalah Arvut, and means mutual guarantee. It comes in a few different terms but it's all the same thing and a very significant part of our learning.

Since it's important to understand the goal of this group and our internal values - we're going to review that as well in the second part of the lesson. We put together about 11 points of these high concepts and attempt to translate them into our daily life here. We live in a global world with all kind of challenges - this meeting between the high concepts and our world requires a set of values. From next week we'll be doing lessons based specific topics.

So the 10th principle is called Arvut toward the group - this actually integrates all the other principles. It's all about how to implement Love thy neighbor as yourself. Arvut is a foundation of life.

18) Therefore, the Tana (a Kabbalist) described the Arvut as two people who were on a boat, and one of them began to drill a hole in the boat. His friend said, “Why are you drilling?” He replied, “Why should you mind? I am drilling under me, not under you.” So he replied, “Fool! We will both drown together in the boat!”

Meaning, as we said, 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 observe the Torah and Mitzvot in the measure of words “Love your friend as yourself,” which is the ladder for achieving Dvekut [adhesion] with Him. Indeed, how right were the words of the proverb that said, “Fool, we will both drown together in the boat!” (Baal HaSulam. "The Arvut", letter 18)

One person cannot build a spiritual vessel. We're still in the corporeal reality where the Creator is hidden from us, the connection between us is also hidden. What is revealed are friends with a similar desire - there is an issue of mutual guarantee to build the vessel. This can be about coming to the lesson on time. It can also be about thinking about the Creator - something that can't even be checked. This principle is the first condition for building a spiritual vessel.

This story demonstrates how dependent we are on one another for our spiritual advancement. We come to study because we're interested. Then we suddenly discover there are other people on the screen with us - wouldn't it be better if I was alone on the screen? Sort of like a private lesson? And gradually we're led to understand that it's not random that there are other people with us. It's a necessity for us to advance together. But it's not so simple - we need to understand we're on a ship together. But I'd rather get in a race boat and drive straight to the goal on my own. Not only we're dependent on one another - but if I drill a hole it impacts everyone. How can I be responsible for all these people? That wasn't in intention at all when I came to study. And it makes us very nervous because it's not what we signed up for - being dependent on others. I want to invest a lot and advance just like everything else in our world.

Clip 15: Arvut - the Law of Nature

Oren: Now, I'll tell you, honestly, I'm not the most sociable type in the world, and my interest in Kabbalah is more in understanding this system, reality and what its laws are, what forces operate in it. And in the more private matter, all the social connections, that's not my style. Kabbalah doesn't suit me in that case?

Rav: There's no such thing as Kabbalah being suitable or not suitable for someone. It explains to you the law of how you are in the human fabric at all, how you are connected to everyone, that you are not free and neither are they, all of humanity, are not free from you. And all in all, we need to discover this deep mutual connection, like an iron bond that doesn't give you the possibility of escaping in any way one way or another. We're not talking about shocks that exist in this world on the physical plane, that you move from place to place, but about your mutual dependence on everyone and everyone on you.

Oren: Do you treat this matter of Arvut as a real law of nature?

Rav: It's not "really", it's literally a law of nature. The wisdom of Kabbalah doesn't explain anything except these laws of nature that we ourselves cannot discover. We can see results or cases of that law, but the wisdom of Kabbalah comes and opens this law to us in all its scope.

Oren: For example, the law of gravity, I know it and know that it acts on me, it also has consequences, I can't jump off the roof of the building and think that everything will be fine. So why don't we see this law of guarantee, it acts on me, it has some implications for me now?

Rav: It acts on you just like gravity.

Oren: What does this law say?

We need to discover this mutual connection between everyone, between all parts of creation and revive it, adding to this law our voluntary participation.

Rav: The law of mutual guarantee says that you belong to everyone and everyone belongs to you, and not just you but in general everything that exists inanimate, vegetative, living, speaking, we are all connected to each other, and we need to discover this mutual connection between everyone, between all parts of creation and revive it, adding to this law our voluntary participation.

Oren: What kind of participation is this?

Rav: That I would want to uphold this law on my part.

Oren: What does it mean?

Rav: I am now in contact with all the details of creation, only I do not understand or feel it, and it also weighs on me, but I can discover what types of connections there are between me and all parts of creation, between all humans and living, vegetative and inanimate things, between all times and all cases. I can discover it, I can discover everything. If I were to discover everything, I would discover how connected I am to all the details of creation and how much they act on me and I on them. And the mutual connection that exists between me and everyone and everyone to me is called Arvut.

What is Rav is actually saying We have a system of spiritual laws operating on you - you feel gravity and see how it works. But the law of mutual guarantee between us you don't feel. So you imagine you're operating in an empty space but that's not the case at all. Rav said we need to discover this connection between us all because it's hidden. And we need to add our voluntary participation. In this we're taking on this spiritual law. We can't do it alone but we do need to awaken these desires to implement the method of connection - this is what attracts the light that reforms.