Audio Version Of The Blog – 2/13/20
Posted on February 13th, 2020
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Egypt, the land of slavery for the people of Israel, is located in Africa. Africa is the birthplace of Pharaoh, global egoism. 400 years of Egyptian exile enabled the people of Israel to receive the Torah and to reveal the Creator. Therefore, all the nations that developed in Africa and became enslaved no longer to Pharaoh, like the Jews, but to the European nations in America, are more prepared for the correction of the soul. I hope that soon we will see that people in Africa are more receptive to the method of Kabbalah.1
The whole of humanity needs the science of Kabbalah in order to reveal the upper force. Thus, all of human development has been accompanied by problems, disasters, plagues, and wars all in order to force a person to think about the meaning of his life—what are we living for? Humanity could find no answer to this question until the science of Kabbalah became revealed and provides the answer that the moment we attain the upper force which controls our whole life, we realize what we live for and what the essence of our life is.
The question is how to reveal this single upper force that governs the universe. We have no means of changing our lives except with the help of the upper force. The moment we reveal the upper force, we receive the answers to our questions. This is the uniqueness of the science of Kabbalah, the method of revealing the upper force, which gives the answers to everything.2
The consequences of European colonization are still felt in Europe. Slavery has been long abolished, but European countries still try to use the natural and human resources in Africa and ignite conflicts there by selling them weapons and facilitating emigration. This is a difficult issue for Africa, but I feel that Africans will eventually understand that only through unity of all can they achieve the upper force. Then they will feel free rather than oppressed as they do to this day.
This solution for Africa can only come from the science of Kabbalah and nothing else. The genuine freedom of Africa is impossible without the sensation of spiritual freedom. After all, the African nations have always had financial independence, but European and other countries from all over the world have always meddled in their lives. Nothing will help until the Africans feel genuine, spiritual freedom.
They will then have the power to resist those who are trying to influence them, and will be able to feel inner freedom not just from the Europeans, but from all external powers, from philosophies foreign to Africa.
It is impossible to achieve freedom before establishing connection with the Creator. Until then, it will only be imaginary, material freedom. We can call the African nations free even now since there are no slaves there, but they are still being exploited, used in all sorts of ways. It happens all over the world as each country wants to use the other and squeeze all the natural resources out of it.
In this regard, African countries are no different from other states. Anyone who wants to become independent nowadays must reach closer, correct connection with the Creator. Freedom in the upper world will bring us freedom in this world because this is not just spiritual, forces are projected down upon us allowing us to stand up against everyone. Then, nobody will be able to hurt us.
It is enough to look at the people of Israel and their path. Various nations tried to oppress and destroy them throughout history from Pharaoh onward. But no one succeeded in ruling over the people of Israel, not Pharaoh, the German Nazis, the Spanish Inquisition, the Russian Tzar, etc. This is because Jews have a connection with the upper force. I advise the same for the African nations: to receive the same support from above and then nobody will be able to harm them.
There are many different religions in Africa, but the science of Kabbalah contradicts none of them; it only explains how to achieve connection with the upper force, which is above all faiths and religions, through unity. Such unity, which existed a long time ago among the people of Israel, kept the nation together to this day and disallowed their becoming slaves to any nation.3
From the African Virtual Congress 1/18/20, The Importance of Society, Lesson 1
1 Minute 28:40
2 Minute 46:05
3 Minute 48:00
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With Love From Distant Africa
“The sons of Israel cried out form this work”—this is a joyful cry—we’ve been liberated from working for the will to enjoy, to which we were enslaved. We have come out to freedom! The Creator is our only hope. We are 100% dependent on him. There is no happier moment than this!
We will reveal the 4 degrees of the Creator’s love for the creatures, prepare from our side a Kli for love, which is possible only inside the group. To the degree of my love for friends, for the ten, I discover the Creator’s love for them and for me, meaning for the ten in which I am included.
If I fall—it means the Creator has pushed me down. And therefore, this descent is sweet to me. I am like a baby in its mother’s arms, annulling myself completely. A fall means that I am no longer governed by my egoism. It has lost interest in me—and I can become a spiritual embryo!
A person tried to perform actions of bestowal, to be included in the right environment, to work on dissemination—and he was disillusioned—his ego doesn’t feel profit. If he goes above egoism, then he continues to act. If pride doesn’t allow him to follow the teachers and the friends, he falls!
The world is a relationship between forces of love and hatred. We make efforts to reveal love within us, but we discover hatred, and then love is revealed again. “There is no righteous man on earth who did good and did not sin.” We reveal both forces of the world!
The four worlds of bestowal and love, ABYA, are four degrees of revelation of the Creator’s love for the creatures. The essence of the Creator does not become revealed—we do not know who He is. We reveal His attitude to us, His love. This is the Creator’s name, HaVaYaH.
As much as I am included in the ten, in love of friends, I reveal the Creator’s love for us. The Creator’s love is infinite—it depends only on the vessel, and the vessel depends on me. I might be in a group of beginners, but if I relate to them correctly, I will reveal the complete force of the Creator’s love.
From Twitter, 2/13/20
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Question: Where is the place for prayer when we transition from love to hatred and from hatred to love?
Answer: Now it seems to you that it is very simple to be in the state of love or hatred and to transition from one to the other. In reality, you will discover that you cannot do that.
Imagine that you do not love someone, even hate and reject him. Now try to change your state to the opposite one. Can you do it? No, you cannot.
However, you do want it, and you need to change yourself. You understand that this hatred that you have pushes you away from spirituality and you cannot begin feeling the upper world. What can you do? Then you begin to ask to change your hatred to love.
How is it possible? You should not worry about it. A small ray of light is sent to you from above and you become a different person—young, beautiful, loving, and loved. Everything blossoms. This is the prayer.
[259524]
From KabTV’s “Fundamentals of Kabbalah,” 12/29/19
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Question: The struggle of opposites takes place for the sake of struggle, or should truth always be born in it?
Answer: The struggle of opposites is necessary in order to reach the middle line between them. It will be the line of truth.
Question: Is the opposite the absence of what exists?
Answer: It depends on what we are talking about. If you mean people, then I need them in order to get to know myself by looking at them.
[258964]
From Kab TV’s “Fundamentals of Kabbalah.”12/15/19
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Question: According to the Kabbalistic principle, in a group it is recommended to talk about spiritual terms from the primary sources. For example, if we read Talmud Eser Sefirot or The Book of Zohar, can we use terms from these texts to communicate with each other?
Answer: Yes, it is not prohibited.
Comment: There is also another principle. It is important to ignore other spiritual practices and techniques while studying Kabbalah.
My Response: Naturally. In order to attain a certain technique, you must delve into it. You should not make a salad of all kinds of methods and approaches. And there are lots of them.
There are eastern and western teachings, and scientific and psychological ones, and there are the teachings of Baal HaSulam and Rav Kook. The methods of Vilna Gaon and Baal Shem Tov have long been known, and so on. That is, there are a great variety of paths to the Creator. Therefore, in order to succeed, you need to deal solely with one branch.
Because I found my teacher and I was Rabash’s student and assistant for the last 12 years of his life, I follow this principle and try to adhere to it.
Rabash was the eldest son of Baal HaSulam, so we study the materials of Baal HaSulam and try to implement them as much as possible. Baal HaSulam wrote that we belong to the generation when Kabbalah must open to the world and appeal not only to the people of Israel, but also to the nations of the world. This is the way we act.
Question: For whom did your teacher write articles about the principles of working in a group?
Answer: He wrote them for his students and for those who would come after them in the next generation.
Baal HaSulam and Rabash did what the Ari and Baal Shem Tov did in their time. The Ari developed the wisdom of Kabbalah, and Baal Shem Tov developed practical Kabbalah.
Baal HaSulam did the same, paying attention mainly to the wisdom of Kabbalah and describing it according to the Ari. Rabash continued to develop practical Kabbalah. I cannot imagine what else can be done after them, that is, where there is room in Kabbalah to enter and add something.
Numerous written books only dilute the wisdom of Kabbalah. I do not think it is necessary. What remains for us is, perhaps, to adapt their works for beginners, translate them into other languages, and bring the method of correcting the world closer to the nations.
[258265]
From KabTV’s “Fundamentals of Kabbalah,” 3/6/19
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Lesson Preparation
| [media 1] | [media 2] |
Writings of Rabash, “The Whole of the Torah Is One Holy Name” (1985)
| [media 3] | [media 4] |
Lesson on the Topic “We Are All United Around The Central Point” (Preparation for the Convention in Desert)
| [media 5] | [media 6] |
Selected Highlights
| [media 7] | [media 8] |
Listen to an Audio Version of the Blog
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Humanity is one big vessel, one soul, called Adam HaRishon. In order to be corrected, this vessel is split into two: Israel and the nations of the world. We cannot correct it all at once because there are some very deep layers that the light cannot reach right away.
All corrections start with the easier ones, progressing toward more difficult ones. Thus, the first to be corrected are the upper, lighter layers, as it is said about Israel that it is “small among the nations,” meaning that it has the lightest type of desire to enjoy. And in the nations of the world the desire is much heavier, which will appear when they start to awaken.
Each person that receives the awakening toward spirituality in our days is a part of the common soul called Israel (Yashar Kel), straight to the Creator. They must hurry with their correction because their main work consists of helping the other desires, the nations of the world.
Israel channels the light that reforms through itself, through its unity. Then the nations of the world awaken and begin their corrections, demanding more light from Israel until everyone unites into one soul, as it is written: “My house will be called the house of prayer for all nations.” Israel must correct itself in order to correct the whole of humanity.1
The people of ancient Babylon were called the “generation of discord.” This was the time when the common soul of Adam HaRishon was split into two: Galgalta ve Eynaim (GE) and Awzen Hotem Peh (AHP), into the head and the body of the desire, into Israel and the nations of the world. Babylonian society was divided into these two camps.
It is said that this was the generation that started humanity’s decline. Before that time, the egoistic desire, which needed correction, did not exist. Beginning with it, the part called Israel has an obligation to correct its egoistic desire into an altruistic one.
This was the generation of Abraham. Abraham is the force that divided humanity into two parts with the appeal: “Who is for the Creator—come join me!” And “Love will cover all crimes.”
Before that, the desire to enjoy was so small in people that all Babylonians intuitively felt what the correct behavior should be and naturally followed it. They spoke the same language and lived as one family.
But by the time of Abraham, the desire to enjoy grew, and they broke their old idols not knowing what to do about their egoism. It is said that Abraham defeated the idols, but in fact, it was an entire process taking place with all the people. They did not know how to keep on living, so part of the nation followed Nimrod with his egoistic method of correction, calling them to fulfill the American dream. And the other part followed Abraham, who called for them to become Israel, to aspire to the Creator.
To worship the Creator means to follow the force of connection. All commandments aim us at connection within the tens in order to become as a ten to one union, one group, one understanding. This is the essence, the meaning, and the purpose of commandments because we need to correct the broken vessel.2
From Adam to Abraham, humanity kept developing and its desire to enjoy grew. Inside a person, who was still an animal, human qualities began to emerge, i.e., egoism. He started separating himself from the rest of the people: his wife, children, his own house, possessions, work, property, trade.
Everyone felt more and more distanced from others until it came to the point that they began fighting among each other and believing in different idols, i.e., different forces. An idol is not just a mere statue that one bows down to; there is a deep internal philosophy that stands behind it. It is active in people to this day and we see that the world still has a great separation between all religions, each one worshiping its own symbol. This entire breakage began in ancient Babylon.
The desire to enjoy keeps growing step by step, causing certain consequences: Shoresh de Shoresh, Alef de Shoresh, Bet de Shoresh, Gimel de Shoresh, Dalet de Shoresh (0-0, 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, 4-0). The development on level zero has come to an end and level 1 has begun: 0-1, 1-1, 2-1, etc. So, the desire kept on growing until Galgalta ve Eynaim stopped developing and Abraham appeared as its consequence.
Abraham is the connection of Bina and Malchut. Thus, he can be the father to the nation, meaning to give Malchut the quality of Bina. Therefore, Abraham breaks the idols showing that it is Bina, the quality of bestowal, that should be worshiped instead of Malchut, reception. Bestowal becomes our God, and this is the whole difference between Abraham and Nimrod.
This was is ideological. There are only ten Sefirot, Galgalta ve Eynaim and AHP, the relationship between the broken vessels and the work toward correction.3
Abraham was the first man who created the link between Bina and Malchut. He raised his Malchut to Bina in 40 years during which he started to attain the Creator, the quality of bestowal, Bina. This is how he created his methodology and started teaching it to others.4
It is said that “the world stands on three pillars: the Torah, spiritual work, and kindness.” The order is: Abraham—Isaac—Jacob. Abraham is Chesed, kindness, the light of Hassadim. This is the light that reforms, our preparation for work. The work is Isaac, Gevura, strength. Through this work we come to Jacob—Torah, Tifferet. This is the process we must go through.
The light comes, we work on our connection and reveal the Creator within our unity.
The “three pillars that the world stands on” are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Abraham is Chesed, a man of kindness who exerted efforts in bringing people to kindness. Isaac is the pillar of work who put himself on the “sacrificial altar”; meaning, he sacrificed himself for the work, strength. The sacrificial altar refers to our desire to enjoy that we keep working on as we sacrifice it, wanting to change it to the desire to bestow.
Jacob is called “the man of the Torah.” Torah is the middle line that we arrive at through hard work on our egoism, with the force of Abraham, meaning, due to the work of Isaac, strength (overcoming). All the sufferings of Jacob represent the struggle with the evil inclination.
The order of the work:
1. We receive the force from above called Abraham.
2. We work hard on our desire to enjoy this force in order to organize it correctly—this is called the work of Isaac.
3. We then arrive at the middle line, the connection between the quality of the light, the intention to bestow, the quality of the desire, and they all merge into the middle line called Jacob.5
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/15/20,” Israel’s Duty Toward Humanity”
1 Minute 0:20
2 Minute 7:30
3 Minute 13:00
4 Minute 19:00
5 Minute 23:40
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The Times of Israel published my new article “Racist Attitudes Toward Ethiopian Jews Displays Need to Unite Above Differences”
What do Israelis think about Ethiopian immigrants?
One third of Israelis “would not marry an Ethiopian Jew and would not want any family member to do so,” according to data from a recent survey commissioned by Israelis Against Racism. The disturbing data further revealed that “22% believe the Jewish religious identity of Ethiopians is questionable,” and 16% “did not want to live in the same building or even the same neighborhood as Ethiopian Jews.” Despite living as part of Israeli society for more than 40 years, the amount of racism in Israel toward the Ethiopian community is still astounding.
Sadly, the painful survey results do not entirely surprise me. When I immigrated to Israel in the early 1970s, the theater, cinema and TV programs were peppered with the poison of racist humor: Sephardi, Ashkenazi, Persian, Moroccan and Kurdish Jews would all poke fun at each other. The air of the country was soaked with ethnic ridicule, which I found disgusting.
Add to the general atmosphere of insensitive humor at the expense of ethnic newcomers, the long marginalization Israel’s Ethiopian-Jewish community faced regarding their Jewish status, differences in mentality and culture, and the barriers that have prevented full Ethiopian integration into Israeli society become clear.
As if that is still insufficient, there is a human tendency to be suspicious of anyone who looks different from us, speaks a foreign language, and holds customs foreign to ours. I saw this in myself when, as a child, I gaped at the strange Georgian fruit sellers in the Leningrad markets only to be shocked to discover when I grew up that they were fellow Jews.
In many ways, Israel is a microcosm of the increasingly globalized world in which we live. Israelis literally come from all over the world, each with our unique cultures, characters and approaches to life. We are Asian, European, American, Latin, Middle Eastern, and African all packed together onto a tiny piece of land, in a hostile neighborhood, under great pressure, and as such, cannot be expected to get along without frictions.
However, Israelis can learn to appreciate and complement each other, and we must—for ourselves, and as an example to the world that needs to learn this skill just as badly as we do. However, it is going to take more than political pacts, religious policy changes, and positive public icons to unite us. Unity above our differences requires consistent methodical education. Education is a necessary precedent to complete the healing of the general rift in Israeli society and the fragmentation that destroys us on a daily basis.
Over many generations, Kabbalists have devised an educational method specifically suited for our times and circumstances. It teaches us how to recognize the divisive egoistic drives within us, making us connect to stigmas and nationalities instead of transcending them with unifying values above the differences. What the struggles of Israel’s Ethiopian-Jewish community can show us is the extent to which we live in denial of discrimination, and the true extent of conflict and separation among the Jewish people.
Primary to this form of education is the learning of how to pattern society according to the laws of nature—laws of connection, giving, equality and love. By comprehending how nature works to unify all of its parts, we can apply the same altruistic tendency to realize true balance in Israel’s pluralistic society.
By acknowledging divisive drives as part and parcel of human nature, we can then use such tendencies to build a new layer of positive connections upon them, according to the principle, “love will cover all transgressions.”
The heartbreaking statistics of discrimination against Israel’s Ethiopian-Jewish community should highlight the extent of the division in Israeli society, how much it hurts us, and the need for us to unite above it. We need no more than to be aware of the division that tramples our unity, and then springboard to a reconstruction of a new unified society above our differences “as one man with one heart.”
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