The Book of Zohar Leads Us Into The Upper World

rise The science of Kabbalah tells us that there are five worlds separating us from the Upper Force. They are positioned one beneath another, where everything existing in a higher world descends and is completely copied in all the worlds, all the way until the lowest world – our world.

The difference between the worlds is not their details, but the material of each world. The higher a world, the more spiritual (bestowing) is its material. The lower a world, the more corporeal (receiving, egoistic) is its material.

Because the details of all the worlds are identical, by comparing them we can try to imagine the difference between their material or desire, and we can desire for this change to happen to us. The Book of Zohar is special because it creates a projection of the spiritual world onto our world. It tells us a story about this world, and parallel to it, about this world’s source in the Upper World. Moreover, it describes all of this in great detail, enabling us to enter the picture of one world’s superposition over the other.

We thus find ourselves between two worlds: between that which we can understand in the story about our world, and the higher picture that we try to imagine. The difference between the two pictures is that the images in our world are visual; we see them, perceive them and understand them. But in the spiritual world, the images are qualitative; they are qualities, forces, desires and intentions.

If a person is always positioned between these two worlds, then even if he doesn’t yet recognize the Upper World nor have the spiritual senses to perceive it, nonetheless by always trying to imagine the Upper World instead of this world, he begins to feel a revelation. In this way, he comes closer to being born into the spiritual world.

This is what makes The Book of Zohar special. At times it attracts a person and at times it repels him; through these varying movements, it brings him closer to the Upper World, or the next spiritual world above him.

If a person is already on a spiritual level and desires to ascend higher, then this special book performs the same action to him. It works on all 125 levels of the spiritual ladder.

Therefore, when reading or listening to The Book of Zohar, behind every word and action being described by this book, we have try to envision the most correct concept of “what might this really be on a higher level?”

These efforts will enable us to feel the Upper World. The understanding will come after the sensation. For now, the higher senses are starting to form in us, parallel to each bodily sense. That is how we will enter one world from the other.

Study The Book Of Zohar Together With Rabbi Shimon And His Group

purposeThe Book of Zohar always talks about the unity of friends. It was written by the group of Rabbi Shimon, where he and his nine students make up the wholesome desire for bestowal (the Kli or vessel) which is similar to the Creator. Each of them represents one particular quality out of the ten Sefirot, and each one describes the situation differently depending on his nature. Each one describes the particular way that he connects with the Creator.

That is why The Zohar talks about ten friends, each of whom reveals the spiritual world from his point of view. Yet, all of them work together, because attainment and Light can only be revealed inside unity.

The Torah speaks to a person who stands opposite the Creator, and The Zohar talks only about a person’s inner forces. Therefore, when reading it, you have to imagine that everything is being said about you alone, and it all happens inside you.

You have to understand that your destiny depends on how you connect with your friends right now. This is the condition set for us from Above. There’s no other way to go; you have to study The Book of Zohar together with your friends. When all of you together follow the path by which The Zohar leads you, you begin to perceive the same things as the people who wrote The Zohar – the group of Rabbi Shimon.

You don’t need a lot of intelligence to perceive the spiritual world. All you need is heartfelt devotion and work on your egoism within a group, with friends who are next to you, as well as those who wrote The Book of Zohar for us. When we delve into this book time after time, trying to unite, then the book reveals itself to us and illuminates us with its Light – the Zohar (which means “Radiance”).

Let The Book Of Zohar Take You Into The Unknown

The Book of ZoharWe are now beginning to study The Book of Zohar, so let us speak about how to go about the study. You don’t have to read the text. It’s enough to just listen to it and to let everything being said go through you. Let it happen inside you while you aspire to feel the picture that The Zohar is depicting for you.

Maybe you won’t understand any of what The Zohar is telling you, as if it’s talking to you in a foreign language. Still, your greatest desire should be to know what it is talking about. And indeed, it is telling you about you and your life there, in the Upper World! By aspiring to imagine your existence in this other world with the help of this incomprehensible text, it will simply happen. Out of nothingness, total emptiness and numbness, new sensations will start awakening inside you. These will be your reactions to the words of this book.

The Zohar is written on two levels or in two languages. One language describes certain events using images of your world, the world familiar to you. Meanwhile, the other language that speaks parallel to it leads you into spiritual concepts. You are being shown two worlds that are parallel to one another. However, these are only two levels of perception that exist relative to you. In reality, there is just one perception and one picture, which you divide in two for now.

In order to enter the new world, you have to imagine and feel that additional, spiritual level of perception which is being described. These two levels have to exist inside you one parallel to another. Meanwhile, you have to aspire to ascend from the material description to the spiritual one.

The teacher does not have to explain anything. The student has to consume the text and open up all the “entrances” in order to let the text flow through him freely, like an expansive, tranquil stream of water. You should be expecting and waiting for the new sensations and picture to form in your perception.

You shouldn’t envision any physical images or actions. The text of The Book of Zohar is a journey deep into the soul, and its words have to elicit direct sensations of what is happening inside you, inside your qualities and forces, and eventually, your relationship with the Creator. This has to take place in the deepest place inside of you.

The Most Serious Game Of All

whim All the obstacles and problems are there to help us, in order for us to learn and grow. In fact, this is exactly how adults treated us when we were kids, and how we act toward our children when we give them assignments, activities, games, and tests. Even the children themselves are constantly looking for something to break, build, do, and then see the outcome, as well as something to learn from adults. Even though this is called a game, it is a serious process of growth that every creature in the world goes through.

If it weren’t for this game, we would not grow up into human beings. We would be like children that are lost in the woods and grow up with animals. Everything depends on one’s preparation for life and on the help one receives from the Upper Level. This help comes in the form of obstructions, problems, exercises, and assignments, which we have to perform one after the other.

We create different games for children of different ages. These games and exercises are different for each age group. That is also how Nature (the Creator) places the necessary obstacles in front of the person that He wishes to elevate. And with the help of these obstacles, a person ascends to the next level.

Therefore, we are receiving help rather than obstacles! Our task is to build spiritual human beings out of ourselves, and for that, we have to carry out a multitude of exercises that will make us similar to the Creator.

We Have To Learn The Laws Of The Upper World Before We Can Enter It

The Machsom Can Be Crossed Individually and as a GroupA question I received: The science of Kabbalah is the method of revealing the Creator to the created beings in this world. But how can we reveal the Creator?

My Answer: Suppose I want to explain quantum physics to a little child. I will have to begin the explanation from the simplest things and the most basic laws. And it will take many years for the child to learn all the formulas and definitions. We advance in the science of Kabbalah in the same manner, step by step, gradually moving through the degrees of the worlds, which are concealments that hide that which can harm us for the time being. Layer by layer, we reveal what is to our benefit to the extent that we are able to learn it.

It is impossible to enter the spiritual world without knowing its laws, just like in our world we could not survive without knowing the laws of this world. In fact, we are taught about the laws of this world for the first 15-20 years of our lives. Likewise, a person can only enter the spiritual world once he has all the necessary knowledge about the soul’s existence in it.

This is why there is a period of preparation, which we are now going through. The next stage of our development will be revealed to us as soon as we are ready for it.

Therefore, when we feel bad all of a sudden, when we experience difficulties and feel like we don’t understand things, when we are overcome by “darkness” and disappointment, we have to see this as help from Above. Like children, we should rejoice about the game that the “Adult” is playing with us.

Each person is bound to attain the Upper World in this life. All we have to do is go through the right preparation to be able to feel it and live in it.

Creation Is The Desire To Be Like The Creator Himself

others.jpg A question I received: What is so special about the fourth stage of Direct Light (Bhina Dalet) that makes it be called creation?

My Answer: It receives all the Light that was present in the first stage, but besides this, it has one important addition: It not only wants to receive the Light, but it also wants to attain the Creator’s very status. It wants to become just like Him; in addition to enjoying the Light, it wants to enjoy the position of the Giver!

This can be understood through a parable about a rich man who meets a pauper, and they realize that they were childhood friends. So, the rich man invites the poor one into his home, dresses him in the best clothes, feeds him with the best food, and wants to keep him in his home forever, and to give him everything he could possibly wish for.

However, his friend is sad. When the host asks him, “What else can I do for you?” the other replies, “I don’t want to feel like I’m the receiver. I want to feel like you.” But that is something the rich man cannot provide for him even if he were to give his poor friend everything.

Thus, because the fourth stage of creation was in this state, lacking independence, it decided to cease receiving the Light and performed an action called Tzimutzum Alef – the First Restriction. It thereby cut itself off from the Creator and became independent.

After that, creation’s (our) further development is all about how to become similar to Him.

True Love Is Expressed Through Bestowal

east A question I received: What is bestowal?

My Answer: Bestowal is love. However, love is an attitude, whereas bestowal is an action expressing love.

What we normally call love in our world is an aspiration to fulfill our ego. But what is real love between us? I have a desire, and you have another desire. If I am able to attach your desire to mine and make your desire more important, then my desire will serve yours; it will be aimed at fulfilling your desire. That will mean that I love you. Furthermore, when I fulfill your desire in this way, this is called an action of bestowal.

We were all created as one desire. But afterwards, this desire was broken into many pieces and we separated from each other. The ego emerged between us, making us feel distant from one another. Now we have to apply efforts towards building a connection among us above our egos. We shouldn’t destroy the ego, but use the ego to make our connection stronger!

As a result, the unity we achieve will be 613 times greater than the original whole desire created by the Creator. We will then feel similar to the Creator, because we won’t be filled by the original Light of Nefesh, but by the supreme Light of NaRaNHY – the Light of love and bestowal!