Lost In Translation

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe language used by Kabbalists seems outdated. They call the Creator a “King” and use words that are no longer used very much. Their wording, style, and use of citations distance a modern person from the inner content.

This is an obstacle that must be overcome by extracting the true essence from the text. As a person immerses himself into the article and feels it come to fruition in spiritual space, he begins to agree with the way the text is presented. He truly begins to call the Creator a “King” even though he has never encountered this phenomenon in our world, living in a democratic country with ideals of freedom and equality.

Once in spiritual reality, a person becomes acquainted with the ladder of spiritual degrees and feels their powerful connection. Then he has no other word by which to characterize the Creator other than “King.” He naturally agrees with the definitions given by Kabbalists to the various phenomena of the spiritual world. Nevertheless, because we are obliged to bring Kabbalah closer to our contemporaries, we must continue trying to "translate" the beginner materials into modern language.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/22/10, “The Agenda of the Assembly”

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What Happens When You Fall Twice?

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: What happens if I don’t make efforts while studying Kabbalah?

Answer: If you don’t make efforts, then you are left alone for a short while and are awakened again at a later time. If you still don’t make efforts at that point, then you are left alone because you’ve proven yourself unworthy. This time, you may be left alone for years or even until the next life cycle.

The first time around, a person is given an opportunity to attain self-realization. The second time, he is sent a reminder, a new opportunity, and a punishment. In truth, it isn’t a punishment but a correction because he is “stung” with negative sensations in order to aid him even though it appears like something else. A person was wasting his time without being productive, and then suddenly something bad happens to him. It could be related to work, money, or anything else.

This serves as a reminder, as if to say: “You wanted to get more comfortable in this world instead of continuing on your spiritual journey, so see for yourself how unfriendly this world can be.”

And if that doesn’t help and you continue to seek other paths that don’t follow the spiritual direction, then you are left alone. It is written: “He who has sinned again, henceforth he is allowed”; now you can do whatever you like. Your turn for correction will come only after the other souls correct themselves, but reaching this measure of separation is extremely undesirable.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/22/10, “The Agenda of the Assembly”

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Spiritual Geometry: From A Pyramid To A Point

Dr. Michael LaitmanI join the group and with its help I start forming the image of the Creator in my mind. Meanwhile, I don’t wish to unite with the group, to listen to the friends, or to accept their opinion above my own mind. Yet, gradually I develop a clearer, more detailed understanding of the notion of “group,” where I must keep annulling myself. As a result of this opposition, I gradually discern the place of my free choice.

Baal HaSulam explains that free will implies choosing the group. At the current stage, the general understanding of this is: Join the group, realize yourself inside the unity, and everything will be fine. But in truth, all the worlds or all the 125 steps of spiritual ascension to the goal are located exactly between me and the group. When I adhere to the group inseparably and irreversibly, I will reach the full correction, the World of Infinity, where we are united together in one point.

All of the worlds are laid out along this path and they are all yours. Our entire work lies in unifying with each other. In our times all of mankind is standing at the threshold, as it were, in the form of a pyramid. We, the souls who are a little closer to starting this work, are the upper part of the pyramid. The remainder of the pyramid below is the rest of the world. The difference is that we at least are trying to unite, while the rest of the world isn’t even thinking about it. Yet, the world is experiencing extreme pressure through suffering and the global crisis.

Why is it global? It’s because mankind is being shown that it must come together, that this is imperative in our era, and that our aim is unity. Granted, this is a long and difficult process, but nonetheless, it has been set in motion. This point is being rubbed into every person’s face.


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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/24/10, “Waste of Barn and Winery”

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Blessing And Condemnation

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: What are the blessings and condemnations that The Zohar talks about?

Answer: A blessing is a force that enables me to rise above egoism and connect with others. To bless means to give the strength to love and bestow. A condemnation is a reverse action, when a person is deprived of the opportunity to love and bestow.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/24/10, The Zohar

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The Zohar Becomes Revealed To Everyone

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Do we have to feel what The Zohar describes within us, or should we seek the sensation of The Zohar in our connection with the group?

Answer: The Zohar tells us about various states that each of us undergoes individually. However, a person can prepare for this only through unity in the group, similar to the authors of The Book of Zohar, which they wrote while in the state of unity.

They wrote about bestowal, unity, as well as its various levels. The levels of unity are the 125 steps of ascension. At each rung, a multitude of a person’s desires and qualities come together in order to become equivalent to the Single Light.

From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/24/10, The Zohar

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“Turn Your Face To The Wall”

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe Zohar, Chapter “VeYechi (And Jacob Lived),” Item 392: A wall is the Lord of all the land, Divinity, as it is written, “Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth.” Thus, the ark of the covenant, Divinity, is the Lord of all the earth, which is a wall, and for this reason, “Hezekiah turned his face to the wall.”

We must turn to Malchut, our collective spiritual vessel (Kli, desire) where we are all connected. This is called “turning to the wall” with a request that we want to wholly assemble it and to see that it separates us from the Creator.

As we restore this wall by uniting all our desires, it begins to link us to the Creator and transforms from a separating screen into a connecting one.

What is the condition that makes it possible? If we “recline,” meaning we do not perform any actions ourselves, then the Rosh (head), Toch (body), and Sof (extremities) of our spiritual Partzuf (soul) are on the same level. Thus, we turn our face to the wall and wish for our connection to truly become a connecting point to the Creator.

That is when the Shechina, our unity, becomes a vessel (Kli) of fulfillment.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/24/10, The Zohar

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How To Enter The Book Of Zohar

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe Zohar, Chapter “VeYechi (And Jacob Lived),” Item 376: Wherever blessings are required, the Creator, Malchut, should be blessed first. And if the Creator is not blessed first, the blessings do not persist.

When we read holy books, we read about the states we will have to go through in the future. However, we don’t yet feel the text which the Kabbalists wrote in this form.

It is impossible to describe spirituality in any other way besides taking words from the material world. There are no words in spirituality. So how can someone narrate about it? How can one explain phenomena that do not exist in our world?

It is necessary to take something similar from our world and use those words to describe spirituality. In any case, a person who is not in the spiritual world does not know what is being described. He simply reads.

Nevertheless, if we read about spirituality even without feeling it, but desiring to adhere to those who revealed spirituality and wrote about it in their books – Rabbi Shimon and his students, the authors of The Book of Zohar, and Baal HaSulam, who added his commentary to The Zohar, if we desire to unite with them so their attainment and force would influence us, then we develop as naturally as children who desire to be next to an adult, to learn from him, and to get everything they can from the adult. That is how they grow.

Therefore, while reading The Book of Zohar, we must be as close as possible to its authors. In spirituality, someone who is close means he has the same quality; closeness is not measured by distance or proximity in space. In spirituality, I am considered close to someone if I have the same quality, if I am similar to him.

The quality of the authors of The Zohar is bestowal, whereas our quality is reception. So how can we become closer to them? I have to imagine that I am together with my friends and nullify myself before them. Then I attain a state where we are all together in one desire to unite, trying to adhere to the authors of The Book of Zohar. That is how we come closer to the state of unity that influences us. We are influenced by the state where we are more connected with each other, with bestowal, and with those who have the quality of bestowal – the authors of The Zohar and the text they wrote.

It works even though we do not understand what they tell us about, like babies, we desire to receive from adults. Then their entire force and the attainments they put into those books influence us and we start to change like a baby. This is our work, which takes place according to the same natural conditions and the same phases of development as in our world. That is how we advance.

Therefore, when reading The Book of Zohar, we mustn’t forget how to unite with its authors. Then we will reveal its inner meaning, will enter The Book of Zohar, and will become its participants.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/24/10, The Zohar

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson 09.26.10

Rabash, Shlavei HaSulam, “They Helped Everyone His Friend
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The Book of Zohar – Selections, Chapter “VaYechi (And Jacob Lived in the Land of Egypt),” Item 395
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Rav Yehuda Ashlag, Talmud Eser Sefirot, Vol. 6, Part 15, Item 103
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Baal HaSulam  “600,000 Souls,” Lesson 2
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