The Pomegranate Is A Symbol Of The Soul’s Desires

Building the Third Temple A question I received: You said at a lecture that the soul of a man consists of 613 egoistic desires and that one has to correct them to bestowal by attracting the Light during Kabbalah studies, thus coming to the quality of “loving one’s neighbor as oneself.”

This correction of the 613 desires is called observation of the 613 commandments. You also told that the soul is like a pomegranate that consists of 613 seeds in the same manner as the soul consists of 613 desires. But who checked this?

My Answer: You have described it correctly. There was an article written about the pomegranate which recounts a project where the researchers took a number of pomegranates from different countries and counted their seeds. Each pomegranate had a different number of seeds – some less than 613 and some more, but the average number of seeds was 613.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Faith Above Reason Is Bestowal Above Reception
Laitman.com Post: Discover The Correct Desires Within You, And You Will See Where You Really Are
Baal HaSulam Letter: “Igrot (Letters) P. 63”
Shamati #13: “A Pomegranate”

2 Comments

  1. What does Kabbalah have to say about IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) and will these babies have souls?

  2. Respected Rav Laitman:

    I am a beginning Kabbalah student and I have the following comment/question:

    In a number of the lectures thus far I have repeatedly heard that there is really no need to change anything in the corporeal world as it does not affect anything in the spiritual reality. It is being said that the 5 senses will continue to function as before perhaps providing the impetus from the left to progress along the spiritual path. To me this is difficult to understand because without trying to be a better person (less egotistic more altruistic) in the corporeal world even though it may be egotistically motivated, to my view it would in the very least take a lot more time to attract the Light. Is it perhaps the reason that the older Kabbalist had the restriction of having a morally mature person of 40 years age begin to study Kabbalah?

    Moreover this message of not having to change anything in the corporeal world could really mislead a lot of the younger people to continue to behave egotistically in the corporeal world thus adding to the suffering of humanity?

    Perhaps I have got the message completely mixed up but would really appreciate your throwing some light on this issue.”

    Thank you very much.

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