Do You Have to Be Married to Study Kabbalah?
Questions I received on whether being married is necessary for spiritual advancement
Question: Can an unmarried man study Kabbalah? Someone told me that he can’t.
My Answer: He can, but it’s harder for him to advance.
Question: Is it necessary to get married in order to cross the Machsom and to advance spiritually?
My Answer: It’s not necessary, but it’s preferable. A person must advance into spirituality from this world, that is to say, he has to be present in the world by having a family, a job, and so on, rather than be a hermit.
Question: If a man with a point in the heart wants to get married but can’t find a wife, will the Creator respond to this kind of prayer?
My Answer: There is nothing but the Light and the desire It created. And there is only one prayer (or one desire that’s perceived by the Light and impels It to act) – to become similar to the Creator.
Question: Is the requirement to get married obligatory?
My Answer: No, but it is extremely recommended for spiritual advancement. The Torah says that a woman was created to be “help against you” (against your egoism).
Question: If a 21 year old man desires spirituality in life, will this be denied to him if he’s not married?
My Answer: No, a bachelor can attain spirituality as well – everything depends on his efforts. He will have to try harder, and then he will understand that it’s more natural to do this in a family. This is how nature has arranged things, and a Kabbalist involuntarily follows its conditions. After all, Nature is the Creator.
Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Being a Hermit Keeps You from Becoming Corrected
Laitman.com Post: Why Did the Creator Create Love Between a Man and a Woman?
Kabbalah Today Article: Man, Woman, and the Snake Between Them
Thank you =)