The Book of Zohar — Introduction: “The Letters by Rabbi Amnon Saba,” Item 29, Lesson 4
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Talmud Eser Sefirot 3, Part 8, Item 8, Lesson 12
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Baal HaSulam, “Beit Shaar HaKavanot,” Item 81
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Rav Yehuda Ashlag “A Handmaid that is Heir to Her Mistress,” Lesson 7
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It is dangerous to study The Book of Zohar with a desire that is not ripe yet, meaning a desire that still hasn’t exhausted itself in this world. This kind of desire still doesn’t understand that there is nothing to be done in this world other than to ascend from it to the world of correction.
A person can only reveal Kabbalah if he looks for the meaning of life and has to find what to live for. However, if he still does not have this question, then he begins to interpret Kabbalah egoistically and to adapt it to his own benefit, deceiving himself by thinking that he is correcting himself. He starts selling it and using it as a weapon for his ego. Instead of using it against egoism, he uses it to conquer things for the ego, and that’s how he turns it from the elixir of life into a deadly poison for himself and for others.
That is why Kabbalists feared revealing the science of Kabbalah and invented many prohibitions, such as first reaching the age of 40, the need to first learn the whole Torah, as well as total observance of the commandments. They even scared people off by saying that you can go crazy. All of this was done because egoism was still undergoing the process of its development.
The Book of Zohar itself states that it is destined to be revealed only at the end of days. Then this wisdom would be revealed for the correction of the world, which is now ready for correction. That is when Kabbalists come out, telling us that the time has come!
That is why Rabbi Shimon cried about how to write The Book of Zohar in such a way that even if it were to become revealed at the wrong time, it wouldn’t cause harm. This is why he wrote it with the help of Rabbi Abba in a special, secret code. We read The Book of Zohar without understanding where Rabbi Shimon is concealed behind Rabbi Abba, who wept so much about the revelation of the great secret.
Rabbi Shimon used Rabbi Abba as a "shield," an external shell, an opportunity to write in a concealed manner. A person can reveal the secret that was hidden by Rabbi Shimon only on the condition that he penetrates inside Rabbi Abba’s protective shell. Then he can accept Rabbi Shimon’s secret message, but he is unable to read it before that time.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/14/10, “A Handmaid that is Heir to Her Mistress”
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“The Light of the egoistic desires (Klipot) is when we think that if only we had a million dollars, then we would be happy.”
– From the book The Point in the Heart
Question: It is written that Klipot tempt the souls. What does this actually mean in our sensations? What is the temptation?
Answer: The will to enjoy beckons us, “Go there! Do that! Earn more! Take it! Steal it! Succeed!” All this happens inside the egoistic Kelim or desires in a clear, simple form where the benefit is clear to every person.
This is the work of Klipot, and very great work indeed! It is necessary to understand that Klipot help us; they are help against our ego. Their work is blessed.
Since we are all in a broken state, what else can influence us? The Upper Light cannot affect us because there is a law of equivalence of form. I cannot hear or perceive the Light and it does not influence me. Its influence on me takes place from “behind the scenes” because the Light is present everywhere, but it influences me through an intermediary.
The practical influence on me that actually makes me move happens through Klipot. They are what I understand and have a connection with. Therefore, there is a system of impure worlds (Klipot), which is my uncorrected environment, in which I, too, exist in an uncorrected state. That’s why we understand each other: what’s worthwhile for me to do and what isn’t, why should I do something and for what purpose. It’s clear that I should earn more, make the whole world work for me, and use everyone. I understand the world and the world understands me, and we don’t have any problems. We cannot complain about anyone because we are the same and so is the whole world.
We are in a broken state that is detached from the Upper Light and is opposite to it. In this state the Light cannot influence us. All the actions that nevertheless help us to awaken and reach correction take place by virtue of the system of Klipot. So say “Thank you” to them! It is written that Pharaoh brought Israel closer to the Creator. This is his work. And he really does work very hard.
Would I move from my current place by the will of my mundane egoistic desire? I wouldn’t move at all! Even a grain of sand cannot be moved unless it is affected by a force. Moreover, in order to move a person from his place and in addition, to make him move not mechanically as an animal, but to awaken him to development, it is necessary to give him a great motivation or driving force. This is what the Klipa does, being a system that knows no rest.
Look at what it is doing to the whole world and how it brings everyone closer to correction! For the time being it is doing this work instead of holiness, the forces of bestowal. Holiness is unable to do this because we do not have any connection to it.
One exists against the other: The broken me is in a broken world, whereas the correct me reveals the corrected world. The world around me immediately changes to the degree of my correction or lack thereof.
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/14/10, Beit Shaar HaKavanot
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Why did the Light create us opposite to it, like a shadow on its background? This is because it is impossible to attain the Light itself; we can only attain it from its oppositeness, as it is written, “The advantage of the Light is revealed from within darkness.”
As creation, we do not feel the phenomenon itself, but are able to perceive something against its opposite, such as sour and sweet, cold and hot, etc. It’s precisely the polarity of experiences that creates a sensation in us.
This is why the Light had to create us in the form of darkness, opposite to it, and then help us to get to know it from this darkness. This way, it becomes clear how the Light acts upon us.
Its action is expressed in two ways. On one side, it increases my desire, and on the other, it creates a sensation of the One who affects it. In the first case, the Light acts through pleasure, and in the second, it is like it introduces itself.
This is the way my desire develops. It grows to a certain degree and begins to recognize Who develops it. Then, it grows even more, and I already begin thinking about what will happen with me further, how I can become similar to Him and acquire His properties.
In other words, my desire not only becomes bigger, but it also grows in quality. In the end, it turns into a very big desire. Its magnitude becomes equal to the pleasure that acts on it, while the quality which I desire is what the Light wants.
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From Kabbalah for Beginners, “Light” 12/8/10
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Question: Will there be any positive outcome if we affect other people, most of whom do not aspire to spiritual growth, by our example and thus facilitate good relations and communication in the entire society?
Answer: Yes, when we become an example, we will positively impact the entire society. Baal HaSulam describes it in his article “The Future Generation.” If the entire society decides today that we can’t exist in the egoistic form anymore and must start to consider each other, it will be a tremendous correction.
You may ask: “If a regular person does it without having a goal to reveal the Creator and bestow to Him, won’t it repeat an unfortunate experience of socialistic Russia?” However, in our times, there is a Kabbalistic group practicing bestowal and the dissemination of Kabbalah, and everyone who might wish a greater awareness can join us.
As to all the others, it is enough if they assist and support us, as do people who usually don’t enjoy studying and loading their mind with knowledge. If there is a balance in society, whereby one of its parts, such as the “head” which maintains the intention, draws the Light that Reforms to all through itself, and the other part carries out some supplementary actions, then we can achieve great success.
Let’s hope that we will succeed. The whole of mankind is designed as a pyramid, and according to it, that is exactly how it has to be. Only a few are responsible for the connection with the Creator and draw the Light to the masses (See Baal HaSulam’s article “The Future Generation”).
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/10/10, “The Freedom”
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The problem is not that we break a person’s character and spoil something in this world. Rather, by disregarding his or her individual properties, we pull certain parts out of the common correction, and without these parts the whole system will not be perfect.
In spirituality, everything has to be perfect. If the entire huge system is missing one little cell, this makes the whole system imperfect. It presupposes a total mutual inclusion, meaning each one in everyone. Each person includes himself into everyone else and contains everyone in him.
This means that even if one is uncorrected, there isn’t one single corrected soul. If one soul is corrupt, this is felt in all the other souls and in the system as a whole. Each defect is accumulative because, being inside one soul, the defect multiplies by spreading onto all the other souls and influences each soul by multiplying due to their mutual inclusion.
That’s why by protecting individual freedom, the Kabbalists are not looking for beautiful relationships between people, but come from the structure of creation, seeing it from beginning to end. Hence, they say that we can’t do as we wish at a given moment, but have to proceed only from the true form, the corrected end state (Gmar Tikkun).
If we have to reach the end of correction, then, today, we have to treat everyone most carefully, considering his personal qualities as our collective property which nothing can replace. We just have to help each other connect with everyone else. This is how relationships should be in society.
Next, each person has to be given the opportunity to develop toward connecting with the rest. He shouldn’t be developed personally, expecting all types of egoistic successes and distinctions. This is what today’s schools are busy doing. They are not educating a person, but just giving a “professional orientation.”
Instead of this, schools need to occupy themselves with educating a person in society in particular. Thanks to this, all his natural capabilities will develop properly in him because all his genes, hormones, and innate qualities exist only for his connection with the rest. All this is directed only toward society and connection.
Otherwise, they would be invisible to us. We see them only because we went through the breaking. That is, each one’s personal qualities are the consequence of the breaking of the collective soul and can be corrected only through connection.
Really, a person has nothing else to do in this world apart from connecting with others. By doing this, he can develop all his personal qualities and natural tendencies in their most optimum form. This guarantees a blossoming of the mind and feelings in their most balanced form.
Furthermore, through a connection with others, he can absorb from them any number of additional qualities, impressions, and feelings, everything he needs. He will be nourished by everyone, by the entire system correctly, and that will enable him to develop harmoniously and perfectly himself.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/10/10, “The Freedom”
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Baal HaSulam, “The Freedom”: Know, that this [personal tendencies] is the one true possession of the individual that must not be harmed or altered… Thus, anyone who eradicates a tendency from an individual and uproots it causes the loss of that sublime and wondrous concept from the world, intended to emerge at the end of the chain, for that tendency will never again emerge in any other body.
These are exactly the principles on which the system of education has to be based. Children have to be treated as adults; we shouldn’t try to make them into something we want as if they are dough from which we can form any shape we desire.
A person has to be provided with influence that will let him develop his personal properties. That’s why in education, any suppression is unacceptable.
The Kabbalists write about this, and we have to understand the reason why. The protection of personal freedom is a compulsory law because, at the end of the day, we’re not influencing or correcting any one of us. We’re simply fixing the bonds between us.
We all, me, you, and him, have to connect with each other with the right type of ties. Then, in these ties, we will reveal the Light like in resistors of an electric circuit or in the spiral of a light bulb. The connections that will become revealed between us will be called the spiritual world or the Creator; it’s not going to be each of us individually.
What belongs to me personally does not relate to the spiritual world. Only our bonds are spiritual. That’s why the individual qualities of everyone have to stay. If I spoil any quality in me or in anyone else, the connection between us cannot be absolutely correct anymore because this connection requires a “bridge” from his nature to mine.
That’s why the law of protection of personal freedom is not the requirement of a nice “democracy.” It’s a necessary requirement for reaching correction.
From this, it’s clear how spoiled our system of education is: It imposes continuous pressure on children and manufactures trite individuals according to an adopted standard. The attitude toward rearing and education has to be radically changed.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/10/10, “The Freedom”
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When turning to a Kabbalistic text, especially The Book of Zohar, we must realize the importance of spiritual attainment. After all, at the end of the day this is the only thing we want: not knowledge or scholastics, and not general knowledge of the material, but only pure attainment, which signifies that a person has revealed the Creator. This is the criterion by which we value things.
On the path to attainment the operating law is the law of equivalence of form, which does not make any compromises. On one hand, a person fully and entirely depends on the influence of the Upper Force. Nothing else can help him; he needs only help from Above. Whoever understands this builds the right attitude.
The Torah talks about this when describing the Egyptian exile: “The sons of Israel cried out from the work and their cry rose to the Creator.” In other words, they firmly knew that they will never attain anything by themselves.
On the other hand, spiritual progress is always built on the combination of opposites. Therefore, we also have to participate in the process ourselves. As a result, we make great efforts while at the same time being sure that only a “miracle from the heavens” will lead us out of the land of Egypt into the land of Israel.
It is necessary to reach despair from one’s own ability, and a person should not run away from this feeling. In addition, one must be confident that there will be help from Above and ceaselessly demand it with all of one’s strength.
A person must find himself in the state of the sons of Israel who cried out from the work. That’s when everything inside him along with the external environment fuses into one whole and creates these conditions, bringing him significantly closer to the exit from Egypt.
Therefore, we must try to correctly imagine ourselves in this point. This is where we perform all the necessary actions and later we don’t run away from the despair, but on the contrary, we transfer the entire force of our despair to a cry, a demand for correction.
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/14/10, The Zohar
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The Light is a certain occurrence in the vessels (Kelim), their reaction. The Light, per se, does not exist, as Baal Hasulam explains to us in the article “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah.” We experience only the Kli’s (vessel’s) reaction to something. The vessel’s reaction to the stimulating factor is called the “Light.” It’s namely a reaction.
We do not attain the Light itself. Its essence is out of reach. We get to know only the forms acquired by the Kli after the Light’s impact. We perceive each other in the same manner. Are you truly familiar with and understand me? Do you know who I am? Actually, I am not familiar even with myself; it’s impossible.
Only the following is possible: Everyone perceives another in their own way, putting his image together from their own inner reactions. Therefore, as it is written, “Everyone judges according to his flaws.” Based on this, we can understand that the best we can do is come “to the place.” But what is this place?
Our uncorrected desires face an example, a visual illustration of the corrected Kli. It is called Elokim (God) or ZAT de Bina (seven lower Sefirot of Bina). We are speaking of the desire to enjoy that has emerged in the second phase, Bina, and wishes to bestow, to become similar to Keter.
This is what we call the beginning of the creature, “the Creator’s presentation” which demonstrates what it means to be in bestowal, to receive in order to bestow. This is what the lower part of Bina does by generating bestowal in relation to the others. We wish to reach it, learn from it how to receive pleasure from the Creator, and pass it on.
We can bestow only what we receive from the Creator. To whom do we bestow? We bestow to the others. Thereby, from love of others, we gain love for the Creator by way of that very “place,” ZAT de Bina.
All our actions on the way to it present Mitzvot (commandments) which define the relationship between man and the Creator (“Makom” in Hebrew, lit. the “place”). This is the place of revelation, bestowal, unity, and guarantee.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/9/10, “Introduction from The Book of Zohar,” Article “Mother Lends Her Clothes to Her Daughter”
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Question: What should every person’s concern be at the lesson: The purity of his own spiritual work or just unity?
Answer: It’s not enough to be schematically concerned about unity in general. As Baal HaSulam writes, we have to build the unity of Israel, the Torah, and the Creator.
We are in a state where every person and all of us together decide everything. Every person adds his “penny” to the group’s common desire and from it receives the right aspiration to prayer. Then his personal prayer once again pours into the unity of the common prayer.
The individual work always combines with the common work: A person completes the whole, and also completes himself with the whole. As a result we form a single prayer, about which it is written, “The sons of Israel cried out from the work.”
In order to achieve this, the goal must be extremely important to us so that we wouldn’t trade it for any “achievements” or theoretical knowledge. We are not satisfied by the calming rhythm of the daily routine because at the current rate we can keep “advancing” for another thousand years. We are not satisfied by success in dissemination because this is obviously just a means. No matter how great our achievements are, we cannot consider them the goal of our lives, not even a temporary, intermediate one.
We cannot calm ourselves by the results of our work and efforts, hoping that they will do the job with time. Instead, a person must immediately shift his gaze to the most important thing and place the true goal in front of him: the revelation of the quality of the Creator, the quality of bestowal inside him. We should demand this unequivocally and tirelessly. Any break harms the person and his connection with the Creator. Therefore, this is where the common prayer is necessary, which is able to be constant.
We have to understand that it takes very great efforts to enter the spiritual world, but they are not so difficult to make in the group and depend only on our agreement.
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/14/10, The Zohar
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