Introductory Lecture: “The Approach to the Study of Kabbalah” – 08.03.10
Posted on August 3rd, 2010
The Zohar is the main book in the wisdom of Kabbalah. It is written that there is no book more magical, secret, concealed, magnetic, or incomprehensible than The Zohar. This is truly so.
The Book of Zohar is revealed in two stages. First of all, I need to form the right outlook on the book, meaning to correct myself, the reader. In order to read The Zohar, instead of regular “glasses,” I need completely different ones which allow me to recognize the spiritual phenomena within this book. Therefore I must first acquire spiritual organs of perception (Kelim). Then the book will be revealed to me and it will truly be the “Zohar” (Illumination) which the authors of this book revealed and described 18 centuries ago.
Kabbalists attain the Upper Light that created a desire to enjoy and that gave it the force “to receive” (pleasure). Then the Light gave it the intention to act “for the sake of bestowal,” and afterward “broke” this desire, turning it into an egoistic intention. In this manner the desire to enjoy became a desire to receive for its own sake. And now from our world, we gradually correct this desire to enjoy so that it becomes a desire to bestow, and thereby reach correction.
All these phenomena (the descent from Above downward, meaning the corruption of the desire and the intention, and their subsequent correction) are carried out by the Light since there is none else besides Him. All the changes, everything that happens within the desire to enjoy, are done by the Light. There is no one else who performs any action. And all the actions of the Light are above matter, which is the desire to enjoy. Prior to the Light’s influence on it, the desire to enjoy is merely formless matter. The Light decides what to turn it into and what form to give it, as it is written, “The Light moves the desires.”
Therefore, if we wish to change, we need to draw the Upper Light onto ourselves. This is why we read The Book of Zohar with one intention: for the Light to come since it is the force that will change me. By reading The Book of Zohar I demand my correction. This is the right attitude toward the Book.
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/30/10, The Zohar
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Question: It is difficult to tear ourselves away from our current state and bring ourselves into the hands of the environment in order to rise to the next degree. Is there some other way that this can this be done?
Answer: This is the only way to ascend the spiritual ladder! It seems to you that the spiritual world is something opposite to nature. However, this is not the case. We are part of nature, and by following the advice of Kabbalists, we act according to the laws that exist in it.
From a higher degree, which emanates Light and brings about darkness, the two opposites, the Light and desire, become revealed. They come and develop from there according to their nature: One is giving, while the other is receiving. In this manner, these two attributes of bestowal and reception spread out from Above downward, intertwined together, until they reach us. In turn, we study how we are arranged according to this two-fold nature (the double helix of spiritual DNA) and how we can ascend by these natural degrees.
So do not look for some other ways. Kabbalists describe indisputable facts that exist in nature. Whether we like it or not, we will be forced to accept them. After all, one who does not follow the laws of nature will be punished by suffering.
An animal, contrary to a human being, never makes mistakes since it is a part of nature and cannot act against it. Meanwhile, a human being is the only creature that has egoism. Yet, egoism raises us above nature. The inanimate, vegetative, and animate parts merge with nature. They cannot think, desire, or act otherwise. There is an additional level above them called “human.” This level is opposite to the Upper nature, meaning to the Creator.
And egoism is the source of all our mistakes and transgressions. It is created precisely for the purpose of showing us our opposition to the Creator. Our whole problem is: What do we do with the degree of “human” in us? The whole potential of our development above the natural level is instilled in it.
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/2/10, Article, “The Matter of Truth and Faith”
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Excerpts from my upcoming book, A Guide to The Book of Zohar
If we want to improve humanity’s condition, The Book of Zohar has to become the primary book for the whole world. The Zohar is not a book, but rather a system. Reading The Book of Zohar activates a positive influence of the Upper spiritual system onto our world, bringing it abundance.
All the goodness that is revealed in our world passes through the communications system of all the creatures, and this system is called The Book of Zohar. Every second of our lives, we instinctively act to achieve goodness. Therefore, this apparatus, The Book of Zohar, which enables the reception of the positive force, should always remain before us.
If we manage to achieve this even to a small degree, we will see improvement in everything: emotions, reason, perception, and action. The whole reality will change, and the world will become entirely different. Suddenly we will feel how the presence of one force, higher and full of goodness, envelops us. We will feel its actions; the air will as though grow thicker….
The purpose of The Book of Zohar is not to activate abundance and goodness; rather, it is a communication system between us and the Creator. Let us hope that we will heed the advice of the great Kabbalists, and use The Book of Zohar to achieve the purpose of our existence.
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Dear Friends, please ask questions about these passages from the great Kabbalists. I promise to answer them. The commentaries in brackets are mine.
The Reality Contained in the Science of Kabbalah
Kabbalah uses only names and appellations that are concrete [attained in our senses and then examined in our mind] and real [revealed to us to the extent of our correction]. It is an unbending [absolute] rule for all Kabbalists that, “Anything we do not attain [clearly, in our corrected qualities], we do not [it is impossible to] define by a name and a word.” [It is because a name explains the quality of the object being attained, and that quality is attained to the degree of similarity to the object’s qualities, according to the law of equivalence of form: Only similarity is attained.]
Here you must know that the word “attainment” (Heb: Hasaga) implies the ultimate degree of understanding. It derives from the phrase, “that thy hand shall reach” (Heb: Ki Tasig Yadcha). That means that before something becomes utterly lucid, as though gripped in one’s hand, Kabbalists do not consider it attained, but understood, comprehended, and so on.
– Baal HaSulam, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”
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From Baal HaSulam’s article, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”: Now you can understand their words (Sanhedrin 98a): “The Son of David comes either in a generation that is all worthy, or all unworthy.”…
Indeed, we should thoroughly understand that this matter of redemption and the coming of the Messiah that we hope will be soon in our days, Amen, is the uppermost wholeness of attainment and knowledge, as it is written, “and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, saying: ‘Know the Lord’; for they shall all know Me, from the greatest of them unto the least of them.”
When the Children of Israel are complemented with the complete knowledge, the fountains of intelligence and knowledge shall flow beyond the boundaries of Israel and water all the nations of the world, as it is written (Isaiah 11), “for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord,” and as it is written, “and shall come unto the Lord and to His goodness.”
Every person has to attain the degree called “Messiah.” This degree can only be attained by disseminating the knowledge of the Creator, meaning circulating Kabbalah in the world and to the nations. This has nothing to do with the power of the nation of Israel, but with circulating the idea of the correction of human nature, the idea which will be understood by humanity and will capture its heart.
This is referred to as the “king Messiah,” the kingdom of Isra-El, the intention to achieve the Creator by the way of equivalence of form, when everybody unites as equals in mutual bestowal, thereby revealing the Upper Force and eternal life. This work must be done by every person.
However, there is an added responsibility to complete it for the group of people that received this method of correction in Ancient Babylon. This group called the nation of Israel has already gone through correction in the past, then fell to the state of the rest of the “Babylonians,” mixed with them, and now must undergo correction first because this group contains the record of its past corrected states.
Circulating the method of correction in the world is called the time of the Messiah.
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/1/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”
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Rabash, Shlavei HaSulam, “These are the Generations of Noah”
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The Book of Zohar – Selections, Chapter “Lech-Lecha (Go Forth),” Item 302
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Rav Yehuda Ashlag, Talmud Eser Sefirot, Vol. 6, Part 15, Item 7, Lesson 6
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Rav Yehuda Ashlag, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot,” Item 6, Lesson 6
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Question: In work with three lines, the left line looks big, heavy, and thick since it embraces our entire evil inclination. In contrast, the right line looks very light and works only as a “spice.” Is this only my personal sensation?
Answer: Of course, a person sees himself as an important “substance” that “owns” the whole material world with all of its egoism. This is an extremely heavy weight. On the other side, there is spirituality, some lightweight, insubstantial “spirit” (Ruach). One wonders: “What power can it have if it is totally elusive?”
Quantum physics investigates elementary particles that cannot even be “caught,” but rather detected only by the deflection of a needle. We know from this world that the more invisible a force is, the more powerful it is. Likewise, spiritual reality defines and retains everything in its “network” by applying its power. Everything that happens originates from the inner forces; their actions materialize and thereby enable us to see elementary particles as well as our entire Universe. Spiritual energy gives birth to the whole material world.
Hence, it is unfeasible even to compare the powers of Light and matter. The Light has created only one black point, “Yesh Mi Ain” (existence from absence). This point never changes, it always remains a point. Within this point a process of apprehension begins: “I am black. I am different from the Light. How different am I? Can the difference be that big?” Afterward, this enormous divergence that, in fact, is represented by just one black point widens to the extent of the realization of its evil nature, thus creating all the worlds. This one point is the essence of everything there is; all of its power comes from the Light.
Due to the presence of the Light and its small desire, this point is able to produce the Returning Light. It is similar to an amplifier that produces a weak signal at the entrance, but by applying an outside power to enhance the weak initial signal, it intensifies it and thereby turns it into an extremely powerful signal at the exit. That is how you use “outside” energy of the Light, apply it to your tiny desire towards spirituality, and thus make huge changes.
By using your desire to produce the Returning Light and give bestowal back to the Creator, you engage the whole power of the Light, the strength of the Creator, and apply it to a small desire of yours. That is when a huge Reflected Light emerges and equals itself in strength with the Direct Light, the Creator’s influence.
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/30/10, The Zohar
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Question: Lately people often ask me, “What is the science of Kabbalah?” And I am unable to give them a simple definition in one sentence. How do we explain what we are learning? Is it to love the neighbor?
Answer: We are learning how to reveal the Upper Force which controls us. According to Baal HaSulam’s definition, “Kabbalah is the revelation of the Creator to the creatures.” Love for the neighbor is only a means. Revelation of your evil inclination is also a means, and the Torah is a means for correcting that inclination. The result of all these efforts is the revelation of the Creator.
However, a regular person will be confused by the word “Creator” and is likely to assume that it has to do with religion. Therefore, we should explain that there is a force in our world that controls everything and puts everything in motion, and we need to study it.
In fact, our fate depends on this. The science of Kabbalah reveals that Upper Force to us and then we begin to understand everything that happens to us in life. This explanation is more comprehensible to people because everyone is concerned with their fate.
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/2/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”
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