It Takes Preparation To Tune Into The Book Of Zohar
A question I received: What is the use of studying The Book of Zohar in our times? Do you have to study it to attain spirituality?
My Answer: Yes, the time has now arrived to study The Book of Zohar. I waited for this a long time, because we had to go through a preparation period. Now we have reached a state where a great mass of people all over the world is able to ascend up the spiritual ladder. This is why the commentary to The Book of Zohar is called Sulam – The Ladder.
That is why we are starting to study The Book of Zohar together now. Every person who joins us for this study, and who is able to nullify himself like a baby in order to study together with us, will be able to break through into the sensation of what The Zohar describes.
The Zohar cannot be studied with the mind because it speaks to a person’s heart and develops his sensations. The aim of this is to let him feel two qualities: bestowal and reception. That is why Baal HaSulam named his commentary to The Zohar “Sulam” – The Ladder.
In addition, The Zohar cannot be studied on your own, but only in a group. In fact, that is how it was written, by a group of ten Kabbalists whose souls were completely united. The ten Kabbalists who wrote The Zohar made up a spiritual vessel comprised of the ten main Sefirot. Each of them represented one Sefira, or one special force of the wholesome vessel (Kli) that was created by the Creator. Therefore, if we aspire to become such a wholesome vessel, then we will be able to receive this message from them, and it will influence us.
If we try to study The Zohar in a group now, we will quickly feel how the force concealed in this book connects us. And to the degree we unite, we will be able to accept and understand its message. Actually, we will be able to feel it, because understanding happens through the heart. There are specific desires that are organized particularly in order to understand the spiritual message.
It is impossible to attain The Zohar with dry reason. There has to be a group that has gone through a great path of preparation, whose members have already tried to attain spirituality through other means and have been freed of their delusions. They have discerned many things and are ready to cancel themselves because they understand that alone, with their individual forces, they cannot achieve anything. Then, they are ready to start studying The Zohar and to tune into it.
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Rev. Rav,
This seems to me to be one of the most iportant posts — PREPARATION —
Not many of us are willing to undergo this type of preparation, as ismentioned in later posts/lessons, that “EGOISM” is the big obstacle in the pursuit of G_D; we must let go of our own concerns to look to the Holy-Other! This is not easy in this modern world where we are enticed at every moment to look upon self and our own personal desires and needs.
Sometimes I feel that we are progressing much too quickly and that it is not allowed to truly TUNE into the reality of the moment in relation to the past and the coming future!.
This all seems so paradoxical to me! Moving ahead, and yet being still at the heart, that is with the mind in the heart at ll times. It takes a very advanced person to sustain this “LIVING stance” at all times.
Would this be a true “Teacher”, that is one who is not only on the WAY, but is an embodiment of the WAY?
shestelle