The Fair Substitutes

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam, “Disclosing a Portion, Covering Two”: This means that the secrets of the Torah are revealed only to those who fear His Name, who keep His Glory with their hearts and souls, and who never commit any blasphemy. This is the third part of the concealment of the wisdom.

This part of the concealment is the strictest, as this kind of disclosure has failed many. From the midst of those stem all the charmers, whisperers, and “practical” Kabbalists, who hunt souls with their cunningness, and the mystics, who use withered wisdom that came from under the hands of unworthy students, to draw bodily benefit for themselves or for others.

The wisdom of Kabbalah is different from all the sciences of the world. Any other science is available to anyone at least to some extent, and if you don’t understand it today, then you will understand tomorrow. It doesn’t matter who you are by nature, you don’t have to change your character. For instance, a physicist may be a Nazi and misanthrope, or conversely, radiate kindness and generosity. In short, in every field of knowledge a person can move forward without changing himself.

On the other hand, the science of Kabbalah is attained only in the corrected vessels, meaning desires in the corrected properties. Therefore, people who just live in this world don’t understand it. How should I change myself? What should I change in myself? Indeed, regular studies do not help in Kabbalah, and lab experiments and practical parts acquire a very different character here. In this science, actions are performed not on a physical level and the analysis is conducted not by our present mind.

As a result, people don’t understand what the science of Kabbalah is. It really is hidden from them. It’s not even clear what it requires to overcome this threshold.

Kabbalists initially hid their books, wanting to save people from confusion. Indeed, many would study Kabbalistic texts in a vain attempt to get to the truth. “Maybe it is necessary to read at a certain time of day? Or perhaps memorize?” To avoid this, Kabbalists hid their science from humanity as if it never existed, and succeeded in doing so until a certain time, although problems still arose when some knowledge leaked out here or there.

So, the wisdom of Kabbalah is not understood by humanity or philosophers, and is incomprehensible to scientists. After all, before revealing the upper world, a person must change himself. But people, alien to this approach, have decided that it’s sufficient just to read Kabbalistic books.

The same thing happened with the Torah, which everyone rearranged in his own way, creating religions and beliefs to his taste and thus turning the “elixir of life” into the “potion of death.” Indeed, with this approach, we just destroy ourselves, sink into a greater egoism. Instead of attracting the Light, people prefer the “traditional” use of the primary sources in the hope that this will satisfy their self-love. Meanwhile, the Torah is given only to correct the heart in which the evil inclination rules.

In addition, there is another problem; Baal HaSulam writes that many, including scientists, still believe that simply by reading a Kabbalistic text, they understand what is written. People do not see the need to get a new mind; to become imbued with a new spirit, new feeling, and new attitude; to change their mentality, outlook; and to change their inner world. Without changing internally, they regard themselves as experts, write theses, and in general, talk “competently” about Kabbalah.

It’s a pity if a person stumbles on this shallow external approach to the issue. After all, only one who can first correct his own properties can understand Kabbalistic books. The science of Kabbalah was opened for everyone’s studies only in our days only for inner correction with the help of the Light that Reforms. Therefore, he who studies not to attract this Light for self-correction still doesn’t know what the Torah and its internal part, the science of Kabbalah, are. If a person doesn’t aim in this direction, the “elixir of life” turns in the “potion of death” for him.

Thus, not only do various “philosophers” reflect on the science of Kabbalah, but they also move away from the truth and confuse others. This is a pity when the thing that Kabbalists wanted to prevent takes place. Obviously the world needs a long path of correction before we are able to get rid of this debilitating flaw.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/16/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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One Comment

  1. This is a lovely post, and a correct one. There is indeed a great chasm between studying a set of rules or a philosophy for whatever egoistic purpose, as opposed to feeling the need to immerse yourself in the same study so that you can actually “become” what it is teaching you that you should be. Is that not true faith and isn’t that most likely felt more than analyzed? The same principle can be observed in any church, synagogue, or mosque. How many people are actually “feeling”, understanding, and believing in, the reason they find themselves there, as opposed to the number that are there, mechanically feeling good, because they are doing what their particular society deems correct. These are two totally different things. That being said however, study is the basis of understanding anything, and understanding is the basis of connection. Now how you get the whole world there…?… you must simply have a little higher help…

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