The Arvut - Letter 26 - Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Academy

We're heading toward the end of The Arvut article by Baal HaSulam, and things are becoming a bit challenging. There are many biblical terms, and we want to explain them from the perspective of the wisdom of Kabbalah.

From Letter 19 Baal HaSulam started talking about the structure of the corrected vessel - first we correct the pure desires and then the thicker desires. Here he's talking about the nation of Israel - all those people who their point in the heart has been awakened. That's why Rav always explains that our whole group is a part of that. We need to understand the inner meaning of these terms otherwise we'll become confused. We spoke about Israel needing to be corrected first. How the Creator asked all the nations, and only the desire called "Israel" was prepared to take on that responsibility. So when we see terms like the Nation of Israel - it's talking about us. When Baal HaSulam is talking about Arvut (mutual guarantee) - he's talking about us in our tens.

"Bear in mind that these matters are evident to every educated person in the invitation that the Creator had sent to Israel through Moses prior to the reception of the Torah. It is as it is written (Exodus 19:5), “‘Now, if you surely listen to My voice and keep My covenant, then you will be a Segula [virtue/power/cure] unto Me from among all peoples, for all the Aretz is Mine; and you will be unto Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you will say to the children of Israel.’ And Moses came and called for the elders of the people and set before them all these words which the Lord had commanded him. And all the people answered together and said, ‘All that the Lord has said, we will do.’ And Moses reported the words of the people unto the Lord.”

Just to remind you Aretz - means Israel. You were a Segula among all peoples - means that you were willing to start the correction. The Creator is talking to Moshe and asks him to pass this onto the nation. Baal HaSulam is talking about a very high spiritual state where the first desire is ready to be corrected. Meaning a person is ready to follow the Creator.

These words do not seem to fit their role, since common sense dictates that if one offers one’s friend to do some work and wants him to agree, he should give him an example of the nature of that work and its reward. Only then can the receiver examine it, whether to decline or to accept.

But here, in these two verses, we seem to find neither an example of the work nor its reward, because he says, “If you surely listen to My voice and keep My covenant,” and he does not interpret the voice or the covenant and to what they apply. And then He says, “Then you will be a Segula unto Me from among all peoples, for all the Aretz is Mine.” It is not clear whether He commands us to labor to be a Segula from among all peoples, or whether this is a promise of benefit for us.

This following clip explains the level of dedication required for this task -

Clip: The Covenant Article, Letter 26

Are we in such a situation, some of us? What does He say about this invitation by Moses? "And now, if you will indeed obey my voice," says the Lord, if you will obey. "And you will keep my covenant," that is, I give you a promise, a bond with me called a covenant, that we are together in some agreement between us. "And you shall be to me a special property out of all the peoples," you must, it does not belong to you, I chose, "the Lord has chosen you."

99.9% of people would run away from this whole covenant. Who needs it? We have suffered enough from it throughout history, we can say that we have never felt anything good, that perhaps we may see a little of it for now. So it was written from above, and we must, and we accept it, there is no argument. It is written "and you shall be to me a special property out of all the peoples," that you must be the transition from me to all the peoples. A special property, a special property, according to three lines, that you are able to transfer my leadership to all the peoples. "For all the Aretz is mine," all the desire to receive that was created is under my control, I want it to pass to your control. The Creator chose us, and we must control our desire to receive "all the Aretz is mine."

"And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests," you will work in this, and your work is to convey to all the nations these sparks of bestowal so that everyone will come "and all will know me from the smallest to the greatest." But in this you will be "a holy nation. These are the things that you shall speak to the children of Israel." That is to say, it is not that everyone receives directly, opens their ears and thus hears, or that it enters their heart directly. But through the point in their heart called Moses. That is to say, not in a simple way, not in some big, wide tube, where everyone is immediately filled with the feeling, with the knowledge, with everything, and hears the word of God. No.

It is not the Creator who says, "Moses" says this, that is to say, someone who is found to convey the things to the children of Israel. And according to the stories of the Torah, we know how they received it, how they agreed, and how they did not agree, and his difficult role, and how difficult it was for the people to accept it. But still, they work together, little by little, in harmony with each other, and arrive at a correction. "And Moses came and called for the elders of the people," that is, near his level, the elders of the people are those who have wisdom in them, so that there would be a connection between the levels. "And he set before them all these things that the Lord had commanded." He presented them. "And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord has spoken we will do. And Moses brought the words of the people to the Lord." Thus."

This means that the mutual agreement is at our root. It is already active, working, it does not matter that we do not feel it. We must not accept or sign back, but only renew it according to our development, of today. Although today we have severed the connection, as it were, on our part, but this does not detract from this whole matter of our connection with G-d, and the connection between us. Rather, it is a total great decline, which is the revelation of all the evil that is among us, in order to correct it and sanctify it. To correct it, that is, to bring it to the level of "bestowing in order to bestow" and to sanctify it, to bring it to "receiving in order to bestow." These are the things we need to do. Michael Laitman

Baal HaSulam is talking about there being a Covenant between the Creator and man - just like he awakened all the people on the screen here. The Creator expect the person to be able to agree to implement his role. Each person is special in that he/she was chosen. But the task is to agree to the process and pass it on. Meaning first we need to implement it in our own ten. We need to actualize the things we're learning. Passing it on says just the fact that we're working on our connection is paving the way for all our other friends. We read this in the morning lesson. There is another practical side of actually passing it on. Like this lesson - right now it's being translated to 20 languages. These great friends are passing it on through this holy work. So each of us can be active in anything connected to spreading the wisdom of Kabbalah.

Today's source -

26) Bear in mind that these matters are evident to every educated person in the invitation that the Creator had sent to Israel through Moses prior to the reception of the Torah. It is as it is written (Exodus 19:5), “‘Now, if you surely listen to My voice and keep My covenant, then you will be a Segula [virtue/power/cure] unto Me from among all peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you will be unto Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you will say to the children of Israel.’ And Moses came and called for the elders of the people and set before them all these words which the Lord had commanded him. And all the people answered together and said, ‘All that the Lord has said, we will do.’ And Moses reported the words of the people unto the Lord.”

But here, in these two verses, we seem to find neither an example of the work nor its reward, because he says, “If you surely listen to My voice and keep My covenant,” and he does not interpret the voice or the covenant and to what they apply. And then He says, “Then you will be a Segula unto Me from among all peoples, for all the earth is Mine.” It is not clear whether He commands us to labor to be a Segula from among all peoples, or whether this is a promise of benefit for us.

We must also understand the connection to the words, “for all the earth is Mine.” All three translations—Unkelos, Yonatan Ben Uziel, and the Jerusalem Talmud—find it difficult to interpret these words, as is the case with all the interpreters—RASHI, Nachmanides, etc. Even Ezra says, in the name of Rabbi Marinos, that the word “for” means “although.” He interprets, “Then you will be a Segula unto Me from among all peoples although all the earth is Mine.” Even Ezra himself tends to agree with it, but that interpretation does not coincide with our sages, who said that “for” serves for four meanings: “either,” “lest,” “but,” and “that.”

And he even adds a fifth interpretation: “although.” And then the writing ends, “and you will be unto Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Here, too, it is not self-evident if this is a Mitzva, and one must exert in this, or a promise of benefit. Also, the words “a kingdom of priests” are not repeated or explained anywhere in the Bible.

The important thing here is to determine the difference between “a kingdom of priests” and “a holy nation,” for by the ordinary meaning of priesthood, it is one with holiness, and it is therefore obvious that a kingdom where all are priests is a holy nation, so the words “holy nation” seem redundant.