As long as we exist in the perception of this world alone, we cannot understand that it is imaginary. Right now matter is the only reality we know, and we don’t feel anything else. Yet, our objective is to start to clearly perceive the world on two levels: the material and the spiritual. Then we will understand that one of them is imaginary. This doesn’t mean it does not exist; “imaginary” means it is a reflection of the true form, whereas the second, spiritual form is the real thing.

There is something that’s authentic, and then there is a reflection of it, like in a mirror. You can’t say that the reflection doesn’t exist. Moreover, it is precisely the reflection that enables us to come to the perception of the true, spiritual form.

One never perceives the spiritual form separately, by itself. On the path of correction, a person continually develops a greater spiritual perception of the forms of the Creator, but he reveals them within the imaginary form of this world. Therefore, we cannot detach from it until we ascend all 125 degrees of the spiritual ladder.

Along the entire path of correction, on all the phases of attainment, one’s spiritual perception constantly grows stronger while being based on these two forms: the imaginary and the real. The imaginary form is only called imaginary. But do we really imagine our world? After all, we live in it – this is our current reality.

The true reality is the realm from which forces, decisions, and facts come to us, while only their reflection exists in this world in order to help us attain the true reality. When we begin to attain it, we call this world “imaginary.” Yet, it isn’t some non-existent fantasy, but is necessary for us to discern spirituality.

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When we read The Book of Zohar, we understand that it talks about qualities, forms, and images that we don’t perceive yet. It is precisely this sensation of not understanding that pushes us forward and makes us form the right perception.

If we read other Kabbalistic books, then we might perceive everything in a purely mechanical manner, with our mind, or in the form of material pictures. Then we will be satisfied with the perception that lowers all the concepts to the level of our world, without understanding that they are all imaginary. Alternatively, we might consider them spiritual, yet merely theoretical.

In contrast, The Book of Zohar with Baal HaSulam’s Commentary forces us to search for a new perception and to unite these two images. This results in the emergence of the true perception of reality. A person doesn’t understand how it happens, but the book works on him and he gradually acquires a new perception.

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Rabash, “The Meaning of Torah and Work on the Creator’s Path”: When one intends to study the Torah, he should keep the goal, the reason for which he intends to study, before his eyes. The goal, that is, the benefit which he wants to extract from the Torah is the Light that Reforms that’s in it.

Essentially, we don’t need anything else. We should imagine and attempt to feel that everything happens because of the Upper Light, that “there is none else besides Him,” that He is the ruler and the lord, and only He performs everything.

Therefore, we only need to desire and wait for His actions and their consequences. Our entire work consists of attracting His actions upon ourselves, feeling that we are the lower degree, while He is the Upper One, and becoming similar to the Upper degree, the Light. He will act upon us and make us similar to Him in as much as we will aspire toward Him, that is, desire to become like Him.

So it follows that our work is very simple. It’s not important what passage of The Zohar we are reading or what it is about; it’s not important how much we understand what we are reading. There exists a system of connection between us and the Upper Light, called “The Book of Zohar.” We have to utilize it and aspire to become similar to the Light during the study.

This desire will awaken the Light, and it will act upon us. Slowly, we will begin to feel the results of its influence.

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Preparation To The Study of The Zohar
Until the very End of Correction our picture of reality will contain an element of fiction, an imaginary breaking, which allows us to make steps toward unity.
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The Book of Zohar – Selections, Chapter “BeHukotai (In My Statutes),” Item 11
I should be happy to reveal the “sinners” or egoistic desires within me because it’s a sign of my readiness for correction.
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“Beit Shaar HaKavanot,” Item 30, Lesson 10
When the Kli is ready to become like the Creator, even in the “thin line,” this readiness constitutes the very essence of creation.
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“Introduction To The Book of Zohar,” Item 71
All countries and nations should make it their priority to view Kabbalah as a means for solving today’s problems.
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A question I received: You have me completely convinced, but what specifically should I do from this moment on?

My Answer: From this moment forward you must understand that the future depends on you, to the extent of your dissemination of the science of Kabbalah in the world. This is because it is the method of correction for the whole world: It is for us to connect with each other and with the Upper Force.

If we will come to widespread dissemination of this principle, as a cure for all our problems, then we’ll succeed. We only need to make attempts to achieve it and the Upper Light will do everything else for us. To the extent of our efforts it works through us, on ourselves and the whole world.

Thus, I strongly recommend everyone who has the opportunity to come to our convention on March 24th, 2010 in Israel, as well as to our World Zohar Convention 2010 that will take place in New York, May 7-9, 2010 (registration is already open). These events influence spiritual advancement very effectively.

Baal HaSulam attempted to disseminate Kabbalah to the people some time ago, but he had no success because the time had not come yet. At that time, all that he wanted to do didn’t work out. However, everything that we now do in this direction is successful. It is evident that we are receiving a blessing from Above, and everything depends on us.

Let us hope that together with all our groups and friends around the world, we will bring the world to correction.

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A question I received: You advocate single-sex education. Yet, leading countries of the world have long abandoned it. Is it what Kabbalah recommends?

My Answer: Kabbalah recommends single-sex education beginning from age 2 to 3. The physiology and psychology of a human being, not just his soul, testify to the need of separate education. Scientists are finally beginning to recognize it as well.

Die Welt published an article by Wolfgang Bergmann, a renowned German pedagogue and family therapist. He states that today’s boys are girlish and effeminate. Little boys want to make noise, fight, gain their social position, and nevertheless be loved. But there is no place for this in a pedagogically correct female world. Boys become increasingly enveloped in female understanding; they are forcefully balanced and feminized. The world has become too small for the boys. It is too normalized, and boring.

What boys do especially well is not appreciated neither at daycare nor at school. The world of pedagogy has “conspired” to wean them from masculine traits. The boys become restless and absentminded; many suffer mentally, are hyperactive or depressed.

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My new book in Hebrew, The Point in the Heart (Nekuda she ba Lev) has been published. The book contains the best of my blog material and is a perfect present for your close friends, relatives, or anyone you want to acquaint with the science of Kabbalah.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Encountering A Wisdom That Reveals A New Life
Laitman.com Post: The Home Of Our Soul
Wondrous Wisdom:  “A Point in the Heart – the Soul”
Kabbalah Books

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To be fulfilled by the Light of Infinity depends only on our connection. It is for this reason that before we begin to read The Zohar, we must imagine connecting our points in the heart in our desire to unite into one soul and merge with the Creator, the One. And in doing so, then the only thing remaining will be: He and His Name as a single whole. We do not see physical bodies, only individual aspiration towards the Creator which binds us into a single desire. If we were to unite this way, we would discover the Light of the World of Infinity amongst us.

The tighter we come together in our connection, the higher we ascend in the spiritual world. This is because there is no top or bottom there. These words only represent our attitude towards the value of bestowal.

We now need to discover that everything happens in this one common desire and that there is nothing other than it. The only thing that exists is Malchut of the World of Infinity which divides into worlds, Sefirot, Partzufim, and different states. But all these things are located in the same place, the same desire. The Zohar is only concerned with revealing this desire, while we wish to connect to it and to imagine what happens within it.

Connecting to the desires of others does not mean that I am connected to these people with binding strings. Rather, I incorporate and embrace their desires as my own, and I then become the entire Malchut of the World of Infinity.

It’s like a mother who receives her child’s desires while he is physically inside her until he is born. This perception of your neighbors’ desires as your own, where you internally don’t differentiate between yours and theirs is called “Love thy neighbor as thyself.”

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A question I received: What inner transformations should I expect during the The Zohar study, and how can I open myself to the influence of the Light more?

My Answer: The best way to test how The Zohar acts upon us is to examine our readiness to unite with everybody to be in Malchut of the World of Atzilut together. This is the condition for attaining the Light that Reforms.

The condition for the revelation of the Torah at Mount Sinai is becoming one man with one heart. The condition for being in spirituality is being like brothers who are sitting together. “Sitting” means that a person annuls himself, that he is ready to be together with everybody. People standing differ in height; people while sitting are all equal.

Therefore, if after studying The Zohar for a few weeks or months a person feels that his attitude toward the connection with others is changing; if he feels that he is willing to listen more, that a certain inclination to unite appears in him; if he reveals the importance of unification, begins to sense that everything really works this way, and he is ready to accept it, this is the sign of advancement, an indication that the Light is acting upon him.

Spiritual progress is determined only according to one’s willingness to unite with other souls. This is the test. Everything else bears no relationship with the science of Kabbalah, with the advancement toward the goal.

The goal is attained in uniting. The difference between us and the World of Infinity is that in the latter, we are totally, unlimitedly connected together. All the stages on the path to Infinity are defined by our connecting with each other more and more. This means that there are 125 degrees of connection, which are increasingly compressed and adjoining.

Therefore, a person can determine his advancement only by his readiness to unite with others. All other tests are completely wrong; everything else can occur in the egoistic properties as well.

Our movement toward spirituality is also egoistic. We aspire to attain spirituality, to unite with the others in order to reach the goal. However, this happens in the intention Lo Lishma (not for bestowal). We already understand that we have to let go of our ego in order to deserve something more exalted. For the time being, egoism still motivates us, yet it already acts toward the goal.

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Regardless of whether we understand The Zohar or not, we have to desire the Light of Correction to shine upon us during the study and expect a miracle to occur as a result of it. A miracle means there is no connection between the result of the reading and what I am now reading, understanding, and feeling. There is no logical connection between my action and the result because this connection is concealed.

We can speak to no end about the fact that The Zohar is an Upper System that conducts Light to us, and that we activate this system by tuning into it with our desire, similar to how a baby in this world makes efforts and grows without understanding how he grows. Nevertheless, he gradually matures and becomes a person. Yet, no matter how much we talk about this, it still doesn’t explain the essence of the miracle that is happening.

I might be imagining that I am in the spiritual world already and just don’t feel it. I can imagine that reality is unified and I cause it to influence me like a baby who doesn’t understand what he is doing. Yet, there are connections and influences upon me that are impossible to convey in words. All that remains is for us to take this like medicine.

It is written that the Creator created an egoistic desire in a person and created the Torah as a “spice” (Tavlin) for it. The Torah is the means to correct the egoistic desire because the Light contained inside it. Spices such as salt, pepper, and mustard are unpleasant to the taste on their own, but when combined with our egoistic desire, our nature, they create pleasant fulfillment.

Similarly, it’s impossible to use our egoistic nature because instead of pleasant fulfillment it brings us bitterness. This is why we have to connect the desire with the intention; then our life will become eternal and perfect in the Light of the Torah.

As long as we cannot use these two ingredients together correctly, we will suffer from our egoism and the “spice” to it. This state is called Lo Lishma; it is the time of preparation, before the food and the spices connect inside us correctly, pleasantly, and sufficiently. We constantly add more spice to the food and then taste it to see how pleasant it is; thus, in the middle line we can eat and enjoy.

However, as long as we haven’t attained this wonderful result yet, we have to patiently wait for the “food” to cook and be mixed with the “spice.” Then we will feel a pleasant taste from the study. Thus, The Book of Zohar is all about truly delicious and healthy “food.”

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