Lesson 6: Making a Covenant in the Ten
Lesson article: Rabash. Article No. 31, 1987. What Is Making a Covenant in the Work? > >
Additional source excerpts as preparation for Lesson 6
1. RABASH, Article No. 3 (1987),”All of Israel Have a Part in the Next World"
"If two people understand that it is worthwhile for them to love each other, why should they make a covenant? How does an act of seemingly signing a contract help? What does it give us?” Then he said, “It gives us that when we make a covenant we mean that since it is possible that something might separate them, they are making a covenant now, so that just as now they understand that there is love and equivalence between them, this covenant will persist even if afterwards things will come that should separate them. Still, the connection they are establishing now will be permanent. Accordingly, we should say that if afterwards things will come that should separate them, we should say that each one should go above reason and say that they will not notice what they see within reason, but go above reason. Only in this way can the covenant hold and there will be no separation between them.
2. RABASH, Article No. 9 (1984), "One Should Always Sell the Beams of His House"
“If the two of them love each other, of course they do good to each other. And naturally, when there is no love between them because the love has waned for some reason, they do not do good to one another. So how does making a covenant between them help?”
He answered that the covenant that they do is not for now, since now when the love is felt between them, there is no need to make a covenant. Rather, the making of the covenant is done purposely for the future. In other words, it is possible that after some time, they will not feel the love as they do now, but they will still keep their relations as before. This is what the making of the covenant is for.
We can also see that although now they do not feel the love as it was when the society was established, everyone must still overcome his view and go above reason. By that, everything will be corrected and each will judge his friend favorably.
3. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 76, "On All Your Offerings You Shall Offer Salt"
When two people do good to one another, when there is love between them, they certainly do not need to make a covenant. But at the same time, we can see that precisely when there is love, this is the usual time for making covenants. Then he said that the making of the covenant is for later.
This means that the agreement is made now so that later, if there comes a state where each of them thinks that the other’s heart is not whole with one’s friend, they will have an agreement. This agreement will obligate them to remember the covenant that they had made between them, in order to continue the old love in this state, too.
This is the meaning of “On all your offerings you shall offer salt,” meaning that all of the Krevut1 in the work of the Creator should be about the covenant of the King.
4. RABASH, Article No. 738, "A Covenant of Salt"
A covenant against the intellect, for when one takes good things from one’s friend, they should make a covenant.
A covenant is needed precisely when each one has demands and complaints against the other, and they might come into anger and separation. At that time, the covenant they made obligates them to maintain the love and unity between them, for the rule is that whenever someone wishes to hurt the other, they have a cure—to remember the covenant that they had made between them.
This obligates them to maintain the love and peace. This is the meaning of “On all your offerings you shall offer salt,” meaning that any nearing in the work of the Creator should be through a covenant of salt, as this is the whole foundation.
5. RABASH, Article No. 471, "You Stand Today – 2"
When a person feels the love of the Creator, he understands that it is worthwhile to leave other loves for the love of the Creator. But later, when the awakening passes away from him and he no longer feels the love of the Creator, he will want to return to the other loves that he had already decided to toss away.
At that time, a person needs the covenant and maintain the same conduct that he had while he felt the love of the Creator, although now he has no feeling whatsoever. Then, the work must be compulsory, to enslave himself to the covenant that he had made before.
6. RABASH, Article No. 9 (1984), "One Should Always Sell the Beams of His House"
If a society is established with certain people, and when they gathered, there must have been someone who wished to establish specifically this “bunch.” Thus, he sorted out these people to see that they were suitable for each other. In other words, each of them had a spark of love of others, but the spark could not ignite the light of love to shine in each, so they agreed that by uniting, the sparks would become a big flame.
Hence, now, too, when he is spying on them, he should overcome and say, “As all of them were of one mind that they must walk on the path of love of others when the society was established, so it is now.” And when everyone judges his friends favorably, all the sparks will ignite once more and again there will be one big flame.
7. RABASH, Letter No. 5
You should do more in love of friends. It is impossible to achieve lasting love, unless through Dvekut [adhesion], meaning that the two of you will unite in a tight bond. This can be only if you try to “undress” the clothing in which the inner soul is placed. This clothing is called “self-love,” for only this clothing separates two points. But if we walk on the straight path, the two points—which are discerned as two lines that refute one another—become a middle line that contains both lines together.
And when you feel that you are at war, each of you will know and feel that he needs the help of his friend, and without him, his own strength will wane, as well. Then, when you understand that you must save your life, each of you will forget he has a body he must preserve, and you will both be tied by the thought of how to defeat the enemy.
8. RABASH, Article No. 34 (1989), "What Is Peace in the Work?"
It is written, “As the advantage of the light from within the darkness.” In other words, it is impossible to receive light if he has no lack and need for the light.
For this reason, when a person sees that the nations of the world in him object to the Creator, and he cannot tolerate the enemy of Israel within him, he becomes jealous for his God and does not look at any descents he has, and does what he can and cries out to the Creator to help him be able to defeat the wicked ones within him.
By this he overcomes and does not escape the campaign. At that time, the Creator gives him the covenant. That is, he makes a covenant with Him that there will be peace between him and the Creator, by receiving a gift from the Creator, which is the vessels of bestowal. This is regarded as making the covenant.
9. The Ramchal Group Takanon [constitution]
These are the words of the covenant that the friends have taken upon themselves. They have hereby signed that they will observe them for the sake of unifying the Creator with His Shechina [Divinity] for they all became as one man to do this work, the work of God. And in this work, each of them will be considered as all of them.
This is what they have taken upon themselves:
This learning will not be in order to receive reward of any sort of expecting reward or for any other thought or inclination, but only for the correction of the Shechina and the correction of the whole of Israel, the people of the Lord, to bring contentment to their Maker.
They will receive no reward from this, but rather merit performing more such corrections, and so as to unify the Creator and His Shechina, and to correct all of Israel. This learning will by no means be regarded as a personal correction of one of the friends, even for atonement of iniquities. Rather, the only complete intention in him will be to correct the Shechina and for the correction of all of Israel.
10. Zohar for All, Aharei Mot [After the Death], "Behold, How Good and How Pleasant", Item 66
And you, the friends who are here, as you were in fondness and love before, henceforth you will also not part until the Creator rejoices with you and summons peace upon you. And by your merit there will be peace in the world, as it is written, “For the sake of my brothers and my friends let me say, ‘Let peace be in you.’”