Make for Yourself a Rav and Buy Yourself a Friend - 1

We're happy we have this opportunity to open this article by Rabash and allow him to format our thoughts - to lead us to the worlds he discovered. There is a sentence - to be in the dust of the great Kabbalists. We'll go deeper into the articles because we have time in this lesson to connect with one another and with Rabash.

This is a foundational article that starts with a very important statement - “Make for yourself a rav [great/teacher], buy yourself a friend, and judge every person favorably.” We see how these are eternal words that summarize the whole path for us. We'll watch clips by Rav that help us connect to Rabash.

Let's try to get the right approach to the article from Rav. There are many ways to enter a room but for sure Rav has the best advice for us:

Clip: The intention is only our relationship with the Creator

All the articles that the Kabbalists wrote were written so that we would rise from the level of the beast, that we think like that in our entire world, to the level of man, that we would become like the Creator, that is, that we would think like the Creator, do actions like the Creator, all for the bestowal and love of others as opposed to our level of love and thought of ourselves.

Therefore, here too in the article "Make yourself a Rav, and buy yourself a friend, and judge all people fairly." The intention is only our relationship with the Creator, because apart from the Creator there is nothing in the world, and the fact that He hides behind all kinds of figures, all kinds of actions, all kinds of what we feel as if the world is full of all kinds of things, this is all in total so that we find the correct relationship with Him in a complete way, and then we correct ourselves in this.

Because there is nothing else besides Him, this is a condition that exists, this is a fact that exists, the only in reality. And most of the situations we go through, still, vegetative, animate, and speaking, it's all in order to later discover the Creator who includes all these forms, and we need this entire environment here and in the upper worlds, also just to build the right relationship with Him and see only Him who fills the world. Michael Laitman

Rav is saying all the articles the Kabbalists wrote are to help us rise from the level of animal, with the help of the light that reforms. We need to become similar to the Creator, think like the Creator, act like the Creator - all for the sake of bestowal to others.

The source (see below) is about how a person studying Kabbalah needs to relate to Rav and to Rabash. Throughout the article he's focused on explaining what it means "to do" - what does doing mean? Something that is above reason? He's saying there is religion - and there is something we need to do above it - toward the ten, the Creator or the world. What is religion? Our will to receive. Apparently doing things above our will to receive is an act of doing.

Make yourself a Rav means someone big. So if the attribute of bestowal is important to mean it means the act of bestowal and love is important to me. I truly value this ability inside me to do this.

There are some terms that it's important for us to understand. Rav will explain in the following clip -

Clip: Rav seems to be a Creator

What the Rav is talking about, he is talking about the Creator. It is not about your teacher who could be, but he calls the Creator "Rav". Rav is from the word "great", so he calls the Creator that way. Therefore, "make a Rav for you and buy yourself a friend", Rav means the Creator. And you reach Him by working with the friend, by "buying yourself a friend". Then the Creator also becomes your "friend", from the word "connection". Michael Laitman

How can you do this? Only by working with the friend - each of us in our ten need to make the attribute of bestowal important in our eyes. We need an environment that constantly raises the importance of bestowal because we need to become like the Creator.

Clip: A group is the modem for connecting with the Creator

If he can't justify his friends, that's the main thing, and he probably doesn't justify the Creator either, then what can he do? He needs to work on it. Why do I say that the Creator certainly doesn't justify either. Because if he doesn't justify his friends, he doesn't justify the Creator, it's the same thing. Because the Creator brings him the friends, and says, take them, try to connect with them. I'll help you with everything. Then, in connection with them, we'll meet. The Creator invites you to meet with him within the group. He tells you, this is the modem to call me, to discover me. Do it. If you disrespect the group, you disrespect the Creator. That's just how it is. Michael Laitman

Make for Yourself a Rav and Buy Yourself a Friend - 1

Article No. 1, 1985

In the Mishnah (Avot, 1), Yehoshua Ben Perachia says, “Make for yourself a rav [great/teacher], buy yourself a friend, and judge every person favorably.” We see that there are three things here: 1) Make for yourself a rav; 2) buy yourself a friend; 3) judge every person favorably.

This means that besides making for himself a rav, there is something more that he must do in relation to the collective. In other words, engaging in love of friends is not enough. Additionally, he should be considerate toward every person and judge them favorably.

We must understand the difference in wording between “make,” “buy,” and “favorably.” Making is a practical thing. This means that there is no mind involved here, only action. In other words, even if one does not agree with the thing he wishes to do, but on the contrary, the mind makes him see that it is not a worthwhile deed, this is called doing, meaning sheer force, with no brains, since it is against his reason.

Accordingly, we should interpret in relation to the work, that the fact that one needs to assume the kingdom of heaven is called “an act.” It is like putting the yoke on an ox so it would plow the ground. Although the ox does not wish to take this work on itself, we force it nonetheless.

Similarly, with the kingdom of heaven we should also force and enslave ourselves because it is the Creator’s commandment, without any rhyme or reason. This is so because man must accept the kingdom of heaven not because the body feels that some benefit will come to it as a result, but in order to give contentment to the Creator.

But how can the body agree to it? This is the reason why the work must be above reason. It is called, “Make for yourself a rav,” since there should be the kingdom of heaven because “He is great and ruling.”