Local Meeting

"Preparation for the World Kabbalah Convention - In One Prayer"

This week we begin internal preparations for the World Kabbalah Convention "In One Prayer" by reading from the Study Materials, as well as technical preparations on the Arvut System.

In the local meeting, we will read excerpts from the study materials and go over the technical aspects of the Arvut system.

We will also have extra clips from Rav Dr. Michael Laitman, as well as have the opportunity for questions on the study materials and the convention in general.

Lesson 1 - "The Power of Prayer"

1. Baal HaSulam, Letter No. 57
Everything, small or great, is obtained only by the power of prayer. All the labor and work to which we are obliged are only to discover our lack of strength and our lowliness—that we are unfit for anything by our own strength—for then we can pour out a wholehearted prayer before Him.

4. RABASH, Article No. 246, "Concerning Shekalim – 2"
When a person wants to make a move in order to bestow, if he begins to weigh its benefits, the body objects to him because it does not see what it can gain if he acts in order to bestow.
At that time, his only counsel is prayer. This is the meaning of what our sages said, “A prayer makes half.” It was said about this, “The Lord helps us,” which our sages explained, “Were it not for the Creator’s help, he would not overcome it.” It follows that a person can only give half, which is a prayer, and the other half the Creator gives.

Lesson 2 - "A Prayer before a Prayer"

1. Noam Elimelech, A Prayer before a Prayer
May it please You, our Lord, God of our fathers, who hears the outcry of pleas and listens to the voice of the prayers of His people, Israel, with mercy, to prepare our hearts, establish our thoughts, and send our prayers in our mouths. Do lend Your ear to the voice of the prayer of Your servants, who pray to You with an outcry and a broken spirit.

5. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 122, "Understanding What Is Written in Shulchan Aruch"
There must be preparation for the prayer, to accustom oneself to the prayer, as though his mouth and heart are the same. And the heart can come to agree through accustoming, so it would understand that reception means separation, and that the most important is the Dvekut with the Life of Lives, which is bestowal.

6. RABASH, Article No. 13 (1988), "What Is 'the People’s Shepherd Is the Whole People' in the Work?"
When a person learns Torah or engages in Mitzvot, or when he prays, he should focus his thoughts on wanting reward for all his good deeds—that the Creator will give him complete faith. This is as it is written in the prayer of Rabbi Elimelech (“A Prayer before a Prayer”): “And do fix Your Faith in our hearts forever and ever, and let Your Faith be tied to our hearts as a stake that will not fall.”

Lesson 3 - "The Conditions for a Prayer from the Bottom of the Heart"

1. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 209, “Three Conditions in Prayer”
There are three conditions in prayer:
1) Believing that He can save him. Although he has the worst conditions of all his contemporaries, still, “Will the Lord’s hand be too short to save him?” If it is not so, then “the Landlord cannot save His vessels.”
2) He no longer has any choice for he has already done all that he could but saw no cure to his plight.
3) If He does not help him, he will be better off dead than alive. Prayer means “lost in the heart.” The more one is lost, so is the measure of his prayer. Clearly, one who lacks luxuries is not like one who has been sentenced to death, and only the execution is missing, and he is already tied with iron chains, and he is standing and pleading for his life. He will certainly not rest or sleep or be distracted for even a moment from praying for his life.

2. RABASH, Article No.6 (1984), "Love of Friends - 2”
We must also use faith to have confidence that we can reach the goal and not despair mid-way and flee the campaign. Rather, we should believe that the Creator can help even a low and ignoble person like myself. It means that the Creator will bring me near Him and I will be able to attain adhesion with Him.

Open Discussion with General Questions that can be raised as preparation in the local meetings:

Anyone who has been to a World Kabbalah Convention can tell an exciting story about their first congress.

As a group, what new level of unity do we want to reveal at the congress?

On a personal level, what do you hope to achieve or experience at the congress?

How can our group contribute its own uniqueness to the congress?

Clips

Workshop questions for lessons 1-3

1) What kind of power in prayer do you expect to feel at the congress?

2) What is the importance of a congress toward preparing ourselves for prayer?

3) In your own words, what conditions are needed for prayer?

The Arvut System

After preparing with the study material, we will give a brief live tutorial of the Arvut System and leave time for questions. A full tutorial will be sent for each person to view and use, questions can be asked throughout the week and time will also be given at the live local meeting next week.

Annoucements

1) Tens - we will put together the new tens and open the ten's chat. Students are welcome to join. The instructors in the local meeting will give a short explanation on how the ten starts (how to organise basic zoom meeting and briefly the rules of the ten's chat), and this will be explained more in the chats and ten's meetings.

2) No tens course this Wednesday. We recommend continuing reading the Congress materials (preferably together in the ten).

3) Next Sunday class - on October 5 - we are all together in our room in Arvut (men tens room and women tens room).

Next week:

Lesson 4 -  "A Prayer Above Reason"

Lesson 5 -  "A Prayer in the Ten"

Lesson 6 -  'A Complete Prayer"

See You Next Week!