Entries in the 'Kabbalah Study' Category

Information Field

65Question: Is there a difference between whether a person listens to your lecture directly in the study hall or from somewhere else like watching it on television?

Answer: If a person is in the audience, it certainly gives him a greater intensity of information, sensations, and has a very strong influence on him.

Question: So there is a certain energy in the room?

Answer: No, you can connect to this from any distance. It all depends on the receiver. Information is not contained in the air of this particular room. I assure you that you will be able to connect to the state of Rabbi Shimon and his disciples, who were sitting and studying some part of The Book of Zohar.

Question: Does it mean that this state exists within the system, and you simply connect to it?

Answer: Of course! It exists eternally, nothing is transient. It is all as if there, and everything is like in Baron Munchausen’s “frozen sounds”: the flute thawed and started to play.

Question: Which is more important: hearing or seeing the letters themselves?

Answer: You need to see it too. In general, seeing helps a lot. After all, it includes another vast area of connection with information, and the most important is that it is the connection with the source.

We do not understand in what volume we exist, who we are. We do not see our real selves—our spiritual, energetic image. We do not know ourselves! We are not at all what we imagine ourselves to be, and we do not feel what we are connected to.

This book lying before us, this amount of information, this enormous realm of our connection that extends somewhere into the n-dimensional spiritual space, we do not see it all! Everything is completely hidden. This is why we must strive to be tied to everything.

There are some things that perhaps at the first contact interfere and distract. But in general, it is necessary to try to absorb it as closely as possible, to enter into an inner contact. The inner contact is, of course, very important.

If a person is not yet in the spiritual world, then the inner contact cannot appear. But once it appears, it does not matter where and how you live, because all of this is information that is recorded and exists permanently.

You connect to it and exist within it. You yourself are both its consumer and the source, the transmitter. You are like a detector existing in the information field, moving, and therefore capturing its information.

This information is called the Creator. He is the informational field: eternal, perfect, and of an unknown nature! That is, we capture a tiny fraction of it, but it is all huge, vast, boundless, and exists in some incomprehensible volume and space. Moreover, there is not as if there is a certain volume, and the field fills it. This field is primary.
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From KabTV’s “I Got A Call. Information Field” 7/9/10

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Short Stories: A Pattern for a Happy Life

288.1Happiness is the fulfillment of a person’s deepest desires. As a rule, it arises in contrast to a sense of dissatisfaction.

For example: hunger brings pleasure from food, separation leads to joy of reunion with a loved one, and so on. In other words, we are built in such a way that we can only experience the positive through the negative.

This raises the question: “Should we even strive for happiness if we must first go through suffering to later feel happy?”

The fact is that the Kabbalistic method allows a person to experience happiness simultaneously with the feeling of lack. That is, at the moment I taste something, I feel both longing for that taste and its fulfillment.

I do not have to separate this in time, first suffering and then receiving. This is why for people engaged in spiritual practice, there is no question of time. They exist beyond it, simultaneously experiencing states of suffering and fulfillment, hunger and satiation.

This is what the wisdom of Kabbalah is: the wisdom of receiving! It teaches a person to receive what is desired, not in a month or a year, but at the very moment of desire. At the same time, two seemingly opposite states, minus and plus, coexist in harmony.

In our world, this does not exist. Here, there is one big minus, and we almost never receive the plus. But according to the Kabbalistic method, the very act of receiving pleasure awakens in us both the desire for it and its fulfillment.

Question: But how can we achieve this? How can we truly become happy in this world?

Answer: This is possible only when I am fulfilled, not independently, but through others. This is the patent for happiness, because I can never truly fulfill myself. However, if I feel and absorb the desires of others, then by fulfilling them, I fulfill myself, since their desires become mine. It turns out that I fulfill myself by existing in others.

The secret is that I step outside of myself, discover desires beyond me, accept them as my own, and fulfill them. That is, both the desire and its fulfillment exist outside of me, but this is precisely what constitutes my soul.

Question: Does this mean we also fulfill a person’s corporeal desires?

Answer: We satisfy all of a person’s desires but only to a certain extent. Corporeal desires are fulfilled only to the degree necessary for existence and no more. But spiritual desires are fulfilled to the extent that we strive to rise together, since my ascent and his ascent are interconnected and complement each other.

Thus, fulfilling the desires of others gives us a sense of happiness.
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From KabTV’s “Short Stories” 10/22/14, Part 2

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Everything Is Relative to a Person

437Question: If the past does not exist, why do I see old buildings?

Answer: All of this exists within you. If you were not here, then none of it would exist.

Comment: If I tell someone: “This is all inside me. You are a part of me,” they will think I am crazy.

My Response: That is natural. Even if you explain that physicists or philosophers propose similar theories, they will still say the same thing. What Kabbalah speaks about closely resembles some philosophical or physical theories. There is nothing unusual about it.

Understand that there is no way around it. What “seems” to a person or not does not matter. There is reality, and that is what we are discussing. Our corporeal reality exists only relative to us. If our qualities change, reality will change as well.

Scientists already write that time exists as an objective reality only relative to us. There is nothing truly objective. Everything is relative to us. Physicists directly speak about time flowing forward, backward, in any direction, or not existing at all. If time does not exist, then what is left? That means nothing exists at all.
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From KabTV’s “I Got A Call. The Reality of Perception” 7/20/10

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The Open Path for Development of the Soul

65If during the lesson you make an effort to concentrate as much as possible on what I am saying, you will feel how through these words I am opening a path for you to develop your soul.

We have texts that we study and discuss in a group. At the same time, we are influenced by the laws of nature, the laws of ten, the laws that bind us at a higher level, and the laws that bind us at a lower level, and we must constantly be in this cycle.

And when I get inside the book, it becomes my rightful ruler, like a mother to an infant who changes his diapers, bathes him, and changes his clothes over and over again. We must strive to reach a state where the Creator would want to care for us just like a mother cares for a baby.

Nothing limits us in our work, and everyone has the opportunity to make even greater efforts. But it happens that despite investing a lot, we get minimal results.

And this is a consequence of the fact that in our work there are forces acting on a person’s desires, and there are forces acting on a person’s connection with reality. And we must strive to achieve the greatest success in both of these areas.

We need to choose words and passages from The Book of Zohar that will draw the maximum illumination to us and so move forward.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/24/25, Continuing the Convention With an Ascent

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I Want to Live Inside The Book of Zohar

526The Book of Zohar is sacred and speaks in a completely unique language, an extraordinarily precise one. It allows us to grasp the entire global picture and then focus on a single specific detail that it wishes to reveal. It has the power to expand one’s vision to the maximum and then contract it down to a single point.

And when we read Kabbalistic texts, The Zohar or the writings of Baal HaSulam or Rabash, we must connect with our hearts to the one who is transmitting this knowledge to us.

For example, if we take The Introduction to The Book of Zohar by Baal HaSulam, we see that his intention with this introduction is to connect each of us to The Zohar for All, that is, to the book that should be the most sought-after among the entire nation of Israel. It is for this purpose that he wrote and disseminated this introduction.

When we begin to read such texts, we must distance ourselves from literal interpretations and strive to connect with the spiritual message that the Kabbalist wishes to convey to us. And after reading each passage, we must return to it and try to let these words enter our hearts, so that through them we can connect our hearts with the heart of its author Baal HaSulam.

The works of the Kabbalists are of immense importance to us, because they are messages passed down to us by our teachers. Through this message they wish to bind us with a thousand threads between us and with The Book of Zohar. In The Introduction to The Book of Zohar, we can find all the words and laws that will help us draw closer to the Creator and cleave to Him. These texts connect us to spirituality and eternity.

If a person aspires to connect with the spiritual source through The Book of Zohar, then each time they return to it they will discover how this text increasingly ties them to the spiritual in all its forms. And then they fully open their eyes and heart with the sole desire to ascend and cleave to the spiritual root of which The Zohar speaks.

And even when I am not reading The Book of Zohar, I want to live inside it. That is, I strive to be connected with my friends, with the group, and with my ten, and in this way I draw closer and closer to the Creator until I see that I have entered a certain gravitational zone where the Creator begins to pull me inward into this field.

To live inside The Book of Zohar means to strive to reveal what this book wants to tell me with each of its words and sentences. And then The Zohar draws me into a stream that carries me from the beginning of the book to its last word.
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From the Daily Kabbalah 2/24/25, “Continuing the Convention With an Ascent”

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Living through the Sources

209Question: What are the distinctive effects of The Book of Zohar and The Study of the Ten Sefirot on us?

Answer: The Study of the Ten Sefirot (TES) is an original textbook studied worldwide that explains all the states the soul undergoes. The Book of Zohar is divided into chapters, so we cannot study it from the first to the last page in a continuous manner.

We will study both. Strive for these books to become your true sources so that you live guided only by them. And then you will see how what is written in them becomes clothed in you, in matter, and in time.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/23/25, “Continuing the Convention with an Ascent”

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Spiritual Ascent

232.05Question: You said we are attracting much more light than desire (Hisaron). Can this really happen?

Answer: Of course, we attract a negative amount of light. There is a continuous connection between the Reshimot (spiritual information data) created as a result of the descent of souls from the world of infinity to our world through the 125 degrees of the worlds. As a result, we are at the bottom, and we have information records of all the past states that we parted with when we descended into our world.

Now each of us must make the same journey from bottom up just as was descended from top to bottom, but only on our own accord. This is the difference between descent—fall and ascent—rise in that we must stock up in advance, find, form, and create a desire for bestowal, a desire for love, and a desire for connection between us.

Initially, when we fell, we did not have this desire. It is unnatural because we do not want to rise in attributes of bestowal, love, and unification. We want to receive, grab, dominate, and be filled. In our world, we imagine a spiritual ascent, a connection with the Creator, in an entirely opposite way of how it happens. These pictures are presented to us in an egoistic way as, for example, Muslims think that 72 virgins are waiting to dance for them in the world to come.

That is, people have taken the greatest pleasure in the material world, sexual pleasure, and made a paradise out of it. A person in our world cannot imagine anything more. There is nothing to laugh about. Clearly we have nothing else. Food, sex, such eternal fun, this is paradise.

But we cannot imagine this is about bestowal, absolute love, and connection between us, where on one hand you remain as a person, but on the other hand you completely give yourself, dissolve into everyone else, and work only for their desires. We avoid such thoughts; we dont’ want it to be like that.

Therefore, the return ascent is so difficult because every ascent, every small step, has to have an underlying desire. We must want to rise to this degree in advance, that is, to become more giving, more connected to each other, and more dependent on others.
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From KabTV’s “I Got A Call. Virtual Community, Part 1” 5/16/10

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Two Objectives of the Kabbalistic Method

599.02As seen above, there are two modes in religion: 1) Lo Lishma [not for Her sake], which is pure utilitarianism, meaning aiming to establish morality for one’s own good. One is satisfied when acquiring this tendency. And there is a second tendency to religion, being a mental need to adhere to Him. This is called Lishma [for Her sake]. One can be rewarded with the above through actions, and from Lo Lishma one comes to Lishma (Baal HaSulam, “The Writings of the Last Generation”).

Question: When a person is working in Lo Lishma, does he have a sense of the Creator’s presence, a feeling that there is none else besides Him?

Answer: No, of course not. He is in a state of self-benefit.

Lo Lishma means performing actions for one’s own sake, and Lishma means for the sake of the Creator, for the sake of others, beyond oneself.

Question: Can we say that the majority of humanity is in Lo Lishma?

Answer: No, they are in an animalistic state. But if a person develops within a Kabbalistic group correctly and precisely fulfilling all the conditions, he transitions from complete egoism to a willingness to give to others. He wants to give altruistically, without any connection to himself, but he is not yet able to. This is called Lo Lishma.

The transition from Lo Lishma happens through the reforming light (light that returns one to the source). Precisely because a person wants to give, but is still unable to, the light influences him and brings him to Lishma, to actions for the sake of others.

Question: Should we constantly have the feeling that we are moving toward Lishma?

Answer: We have to think about this. A person has no right to lock himself in the thought that it is for his own benefit, even though his intentions are essentially egoistic. This is precisely the prison, the bondage, the feeling of Egyptian exile—when we feel that we would like to free ourselves from the rule of Pharaoh (egoism), but are unable to. These are not easy states.

Question: To transition from Lo Lishma to Lishma, we work in a group. Where I am like an expert who observes everything from the outside? Does this happen simultaneously?

Answer: Yes, because a second system is created within you—the quality of bestowal. From it, you observe your own qualities of reception.

Question: On one hand a person tries to become aware of the state he is in; on the other hand he has the opportunity to engage in group activities aimed at unity mechanically, without thinking. How can these actions be done non-mechanically?

Answer: This happens under the influence of the right environment. There must be an active attitude of the group toward each individual. Each person must feel the pressure of the group, its correction, what it wants to do with him, and at the same time feel how much he resists this and how much he agrees to surrender. This is the expert point within each member of the group.
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From KabTV’s “The Last Generation” 12/19/17

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How Can Hatred Be Managed?

600.02Comment: Some scientists believe that the most important process underlying creative genius is the tendency to pay attention to things that are usually ignored.

My Response: That has long been observed.

Question: For example, when Alexander Fleming noticed that blue mold was killing the bacterial culture in a Petri dish, he could have just washed it down the sink. But he continued his research and discovered penicillin.

Another example is that when we go for a walk in nature, our clothes can pick up burrs, which we simply clean off. But George de Mestral, while walking in the forest, paid attention to this phenomenon. While examining burrs under a microscope, he uncovered the principle behind Velcro.

To draw ideas from everything around you—unpleasant people, opponents, the world itself—you need to be an active listener, fully immersing yourself in your surroundings, and treat every moment as an opportunity for growth. Is this useful for an ordinary person?

Answer: An ordinary person will not benefit much from that. You truly need to be a Fleming or Einstein to notice such peculiarities of manifestations in nature to see something special in them that is interesting and warrants study.

How many people have cleaned mold from their dishes and pots? So what? You have to be a scientist to think: “What is this interesting formation? Why does it occur? What is the reason?”

For this, you need either to be a scientist or have an eccentric mindset—that happens too, but it is rare. Only then can you see a natural phenomenon and realize that it could inspire the creation of something, like a machine.

Comment: You have said that people in the society of the future will be valued for their inner beauty, involvement, and kind attitude. Right now, however, people seem to do the opposite; they focus on themselves, their own thoughts and emotions, and ignores what is happening around them.

My Response: That is actually good.

Question: Can the cognitive disinhibition of scientists help an ordinary person learn the inner beauty we need to achieve?

Answer: No, it cannot. That is not the way to achieve it. Humanity progresses very simply—only negative events lead to positive outcomes. If I see that something seriously hinders me, only then will I transition from it to something positive. That is the law of negation.

Therefore, there is no easy path to good outcomes for people. Only our negative discoveries about our lives, relationships, and everything within us will serve as a driving force for fostering better relationships.

Question: Can it not happen the other way around?

Answer: It is impossible! It is a law of nature. You need to argue more often. You must provoke such states deliberately, so you can later achieve better relationships.

Question: What does it mean to deliberately provoke?

Answer: “Let’s argue!” You cannot imagine how much this will free you from negative energy and how much you will uncover in a friendly way. And it must be friendly! Because you did not want to argue, but are now discussing things openly.

You start saying truthful things to one another and perceiving them in an entirely different way. In principle, you do not see each other as enemies, opponents, or adversaries. That is why you will perceive objections and remarks differently, in a friendly manner. It will become difficult to object to one another.

Comment: When we act friendly, there really is no inner defensiveness. A person becomes open to what the other is saying.

Answer: Exactly. Try combining these two approaches, and you will see how successful you become and how much less you argue for real.

Comment: People argue over trivial things because they simply do not hear each other.

Answer: No, it is not trivial! Never think that. Inside, there is a serious contradiction. A trivial matter is just a trigger that brings this state out, like in a war—something seemingly insignificant ignites the whole situation. But, in reality, a massive amount of explosive material has been building up inside.

Sports function this way, to defuse tension.

We need to reach a breaking point, an explosion, and only then can we continue developing positive relationships. Without these explosions, it is impossible. Without a moment of hatred, we cannot move toward the next degree of cooperation. It is a law! There is nothing you can do—it is a law.

There can be no good without evil. We must properly manage both states.

Question: How can a person value evil as the starting point for achieving good?

Answer: By treating both equally. Only then can we maintain balance, approach life correctly, and use both the positive and the negative to advance along our life’s path.

Question: How can this be done

Answer: By rising above both the bad and the good.

How? Only in the right environment with the science of Kabbalah can we transcend our nature. Then you will be able to manage it.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 1/25/20

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Completely Different Logic

219.01Question: When you share information with someone, do you not have a sense of its consumers to better understand what they want?

Answer: In the article “Prophecy,” Baal HaSulam writes that he asked the Creator to lower him from the high level he was on so he could write something for people and they would understand what Kabbalah is, get closer to it, and use it. After all, Kabbalah is a purely practical science that needs to be implemented within oneself. How successful he was is a question.

When we read his works, we gradually begin to understand his style and his greatness. He managed to express vast spiritual volumes, properties, and actions very beautifully with a small number of words.

But I do not think he was satisfied with himself. It seems to me that he would have liked to write in such a way that a person, after glancing at the page, would gasp, freeze, and stick to the text as to a picture that would enter him and imprint on him, like an external image on film. This is how Kabbalistic material should be imprinted.

Light is reflected on a person’s desire. Moreover, the difference between the desire and the light is minimal so that the image can be transferred from the light directly to the egoistic desire that is opposite to it.

I do not think Baal HaSulam achieved this. Many read, but understand nothing. People who know Hebrew perfectly, with a university education, come to me and ask: “What is this about?” They cannot connect words into sentences because it is a completely different logic.

I remember myself. I did not understand the structure of the phrase itself: it seemed to be predicate-predicate-predicate, without a subject or verb. That is, it is illogical both in spelling and in vocabulary. So we still have to work as well.
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From KabTV’s “I Got A Call. Feel the Consumer” 9/9/10

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