Question: How can a person know that his teacher is a real Kabbalist?

Answer: How can you know that he is a true Kabbalist? He cannot show you any specific diploma or perform miraculous acts that would look spiritual to you since how do you know what spirituality is anyway? Hence, you can only listen to your heart and examine whether what you hear resonates with you, connects you to the root of your soul.

I studied in five or six places before I found Rabash. And I used to leave them not because I would find something better; I just saw that there was nothing else to do there, nothing else to learn. And it isn’t because their intent was to deceive me; it’s just that each of them had their own method, ideas, and delusions.

But I was seeking a place where I could study Kabbalah as a science. And when I met Rabash, I immediately saw that his students studied authentic primary sources: The Zohar, the works of the ARI and Baal HaSulam, which are the most fundamental Kabbalistic texts, and that he attached deep meaning to the concepts in a logical form, without external religious acts or meditation.

In other words, he used a strictly scientific approach without shifting to one or the other side. By then, I had already realized that everything else has nothing to do with truth. I had a sense that wherever they talk about some actions related to the corporeal body or fantasies, it doesn’t have anything to do with spirituality.

I had a very clear feeling that here there was some entrance into a more internal world that doesn’t depend on the body or imagination, on all those attributes I have at the moment. It is required that a person reveals a certain internal layer within, and I was searching: How do I do that? And when I came to Rabash and started to study, I saw that that’s exactly about what he was speaking.

Baal HaSulam writes that anyone who wishes to receive spiritual knowledge must find himself a teacher, an authentic sage-Kabbalist who seems to be right for the job. But if he feels that he is in a place which doesn’t suit him, he shouldn’t stop looking. After all, time is running out.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/13/2011, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

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We always experience extreme difficulty when studying anything relative to Partzuf Adam HaRishon (“the First Man”), which consists of two parts, the male and female ones, Adam and Eve (Zachar and Nukva). It could be the simplest of things, but since our structures are different (it has the spiritual structure while we have the material one), in our case 1+1=2, and in its, 1+1=3 (as it is written, “Husband and wife, the Creator, Shechina (Divinity), between them”). And we are incapable of understanding this.

We don’t need all these infinite details that are described in Talmud Eser Sefirot; we study them only in order to draw the Light that Reforms. And inside the entire content that we discuss, there is our intention, the expectation that the Light will come. That’s all we are talking about.

But we have to keep in mind that it talks about me, the structure of my soul, the various spiritual states it undergoes. I don’t feel them just yet, but all of them are given to me for one reason: to live through each state, from start to end. I can’t escape any single state described in the book.

Each of us passes through the same states on this path. Therefore, a student’s job is to cleave to the upper one, to the teacher. After all, the upper one has already gone through these states, and by clinging to him, you will pass through them as well. We draw the Light namely by studying what is written about your soul.
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/13/2011, Talmud Eser Sefirot

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The Kabbalistic “language of branches” is the language of those who attain spirituality. It is incomprehensible for a person who hasn’t attained the connection of the branches with the spiritual roots.

First, I have to start sensing the upper world. And then, hearing the words that belong to the lower world, I will clearly understand what phenomena of the spiritual world, in which I exist together with the authors of Kabbalistic books, they point to. I will acquire a common language with Rabbi Shimon and Baal HaSulam since I, too, will be at the same level or place, that they are telling about.

Since I exist in this world in my physical body, I know what the words of this world mean: “sun,” “earth,” “vegetation,” “donkey.” First, I become familiar with the terms themselves, and then I hear their names: words, language. I ascribe this real, perceptible object, the “sun,” a name in any language. This is how we name all phenomena of this world, thereby creating a language, and it allows us to comprehend what is being described.

If I exist in the spiritual world as well, I attain an additional reality called “sun,” “earth,” “vegetation,” “donkey.” I sense these properties and find out their names. Now the author of the Kabbalistic book starts explaining to me the connection between all these phenomena of the spiritual world by using the words of this world.

Since I exist in attainment of the connection between the material branches and the spiritual roots, it’s clear to me what he points to in the spiritual world. This “language of branches” turns into my language; it explains everything to me.

When we teach a child to talk, we show him objects and name them. This is how we can explain everything to a “child” in the spiritual world as well. For this, he needs to sense the spiritual reality and discover how it is called. That is, he needs help in understanding the connection between branch and root as well as the connection between parts of the spiritual reality.

Kabbalists teach us to find our bearings in the spiritual world with the help of the “language of branches.” But first we need to sense what the spiritual flowers, grass, or sun are….

There are spiritual terms which a person does not yet sense, while a Kabbalist helps him perceive them. This language advances, builds us. The connections inside the language explain to us the meaning of words or why the words are composed out of particular letters. This is because in Hebrew, the form of the letters and their order in a word indicate the properties of a spiritual object that has this particular name. This is how the spiritual information is passed down to us.

This language is already prepared for us because all the worlds, from Above downward, are interconnected. We are born into this world, feel it, and get to know the connection between the words. Now we must rise from the lower world to the upper one, and we take everything that there is in this world, the knowledge of all branches and all their names, and start ascending equipped with this.

The connection directed at the root has extended upward till Infinity. Each level contains everything that exists in our world, but each time it becomes revealed to us in more qualitative terms, meaning that they are more strongly connected with one and unified root.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/10/2011, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

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It’s all about efforts: A person has to believe in the principle of “I labored and I found.” That is why Baal HaSulam writes in Item 17 of “Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot” that “the student pledges, prior to the study, to strengthen himself in faith,” as it is said in “Ethics of the Fathers”: “Faithful is your employer who shall pay you the reward of your labor.” And this reward will be the passing from egoistic intention, Lo Lishma (not for Her Name), into the altruistic one, Lishma (for Her Name).

Before and during the studies, a person must see himself as looking forward to this change in himself. This is where all the efforts lie. In the same “Introduction,” Baal HaSulam explains that one must not display negligence, neither in the quantity nor the quality of efforts.

As we begin to study, we, probably, want to change by way of the study and the Light present in it, but then we forget about it and get distracted, meaning we do not exert enough in the quality of efforts. The quantity may be enough, but the most important is the quality: To what degree I experience pain and, thus, cannot leave the goal, as a sick person who constantly thinks only of healing. Whatever he does, everything is meant to help him get better.

One cannot attain such a need alone. This can only be done with the help of the environment. It will oblige a person through the importance of the goal, and only in this way will he be able to move forward.

Summing up all of the means we have, we see that both the group with its traditions, and I, myself, as well as the Creator, the teacher, the lessons, and the dissemination, all of it is necessary in order to create in a person a strong need for changes, prompted by way of the study. We must arrive at precisely this point; it must be the result of all our efforts.

Then, during the lesson, a true need for the Light will arise in us, and nothing else. It will neither be a need for knowledge, nor for wisdom, nor for distinction in anything—only for inner changes. And the strength of this need will be so great that it will really bring about transformation. This will allow a person to start relating to the Torah as to a “spice” and later, as to the Torah of life, instead of the “deadly poison” which he was using before.

We discover our evil inclination with the help of the Light. This Light is called the “angel of death.” On one hand, it shows a person that he is spiritually dead, and on the other, it then helps to kill his egoistic desire. This is how we advance.
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From the 1st part part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/7/2011, Writings of Rabash

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Question: How does The Book of Zohar fit into Kabbalah?

Answer: The Book of Zohar is the main book in Kabbalah. We study it every day. I have just finished going over The Zohar in order to simplify its language and replace all of the Aramaic words. We are now translating this book into other languages and soon it will be published.

This book explains the laws by which the spiritual, global world operates. The difference between the spiritual world and the material world is not that spirituality is somewhere up in the sky, beyond all the galaxies. The spiritual world is right here, in the same place, but we do not feel it because it works at a different frequency, so to say.

We are looking at the world through our egoistic senses where each person perceives only what is beneficial to himself. But if we change our senses and attitude to the world and desire to see it as being single, great, and one whole, then we will see the world as an integral system of forces right here and now.

This is the world that The Book of Zohar tells us about. However, this book is written in a way that takes the reader and without him even noticing, leads him into the sensation of the new world. That is why it is such a powerful and unusual book. The Zohar works through our mind and feelings, influencing us from all sides.
From my lecture in Paris on 2/1/11

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Question: How do we teach children the language of branches so they will come to understand the roots as quickly as possible?

Answer: I would read the Tanakh (the Pentateuch) with your child and explain the inner meaning to him. Children have good memories and imaginations, and they can easily translate the superficial tale into the internal process that you explain to them.

Then I would suggest to them to do the opposite by writing down the things they see in our world from an internal point of view, using the language of roots instead of branches.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson on 2/10/11, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

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Question: There are situations in life when someone insults me, making me feel very wounded and degraded. What is the exact order of analyzing this kind of situation?

Answer: In our current state, we are unable to tell what the right attitude to reality is. We are confused, being halfway between the sky and the earth. I haven’t revealed the Creator yet, but I am no longer in full concealment either. I perceive all sorts of wise sayings like quotes, expressions, and pieces of knowledge, as revelation, but that is not so. Everything has gotten mixed up inside of me.

That is why Baal HaSulam writes in “Introduction to Talmud Eser Sefirot” that during these years, a person has to maximally focus his development. This is a period of great confusion when I cannot understand the truth, but I no longer agree with the lie. I am simply thrown about from side to side.

On one hand, there is no one besides the Creator. I am standing in front of Him. So how should I treat reality if the only thing around me is Him? And where am I? If He has screamed at me, should I scream back at Him? But it’s the Creator, so does that mean I have to hold myself back all the time? Should I remain totally humble, even in the face of a death threat? At times one looks at things this way.

In reality, there is not a great deal of advice we can give people in these cases because a person is subject to change at every second. That is why Kabbalists prescribe a specific order of actions for us, which is determined by concealment.

Why do they give us this advice? Because we are subject to the influence of two forces. The Creator did not create a very simple state were I stand before Him and reveal Him without being distracted by anything. Who am “I”? I am the forces of disunity and separation from the Creator. Moreover, these forces appear to me as myself as well as what is around me, but not as the Creator. To me the Creator is an invisible and imperceptible ideal.

The forces of disunity conceal Him from me and I have to unite them into one whole. These forces separate and distance me from the Creator, covering Him up. They divide into two worlds: inner and outer. In essence they belong to one nature of disunity, the egoistic desire, but appear to me dually, as opposites.

I have to unite them with each other and discern precisely the disunity in them. Looking at actions, thoughts, desires, and anything there is around me, I connect the inner and the outer, doing so only in order to attain unity. In that case, if I am able to do this, then I do not err.

We have to apply just one principle here: “A person judges things according to what he sees.” I do not try to reach the One who is concealed from me. But as soon as I unite all of the forces—my own and those of others—into one whole, I discover the single Creator inside.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/10/11, Writings of Rabash

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Question: What stages does a person go through when attaining the science of Kabbalah?

Answer: When a person begins to study, he first learns to perceive this world correctly, even though he studies a higher level, the following dimension where we are all united together, meaning an integral world. Yet, by studying it, we actually begin to understand how separated we are from one another here in this world, and how each one of us eats up the entire system instead of working to complement it together with everyone.

Every person exists like a cancerous cell inside the common body. This sensation and understanding comes precisely by studying the global state of the system. Then the difference between these two levels: the upper one that’s united in harmony, and our level, which is completely divided into individualists and egoists, begins to be felt very acutely.

By studying together with other friends from the whole world, he begins to attract the force of development to himself, which gradually influences him. This force is present inside nature and it begins changing him and making him more connected to others. As a result, he begins to perceive this world as a single, common system.

This happens naturally, from within, but not artificially, the way we forcefully connect one thing with another today. Then a person’s attitude to the world, to life, and to himself changes, as well as his plans for life. And because he begins feeling the world better, more correctly, and more globally, the world becomes transparent for him.

He sees the connections operating behind the external picture of the world, among all the parts of reality. It is like embroidery: on the front side you see flowers, while on the reverse you see the connecting threads that tie all the parts together.

A person sees all of this and is no longer in the dark. He feels how everything is connected together. Thus, he becomes wise and no longer acts foolishly. This is the first phase of attaining the science of Kabbalah.

Next, when a person penetrates deeper, he begins to reveal the levels of connection between all parts of reality. He begins working with all of these connecting forces. Then it becomes clear to him that everyone in this world acts like puppets on strings.
He sees how everything is controlled by these strings, which extend from the reverse side of the “embroidery.” We, who live in this world, have no freedom of choice. Our behavior is determined by genes, hormones, and the forces governing us. But this person attains the level where decisions are made and can determine on his own how to behave and what kind of future he wants to see.

That’s because he sees the general system correctly and becomes included in it, becoming of one opinion with it. His desire begins acting together with the desire of this system. This is the second phase of attainment. After that there are more phases—all together there are five.
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From my lecture in Paris on 2/1/11

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The language of branches is attained when you ascend from this world, and then in the upper world, you reveal the roots of everything existing in this world. But the goal isn’t simply to connect the branch with the root. This language does not connect us with the spiritual world, but with our teachers! This is the means that helps them to teach us.

We do not understand the spiritual language they speak as we did not learn it. And we do not have to know it because we are already familiar with it from our world. That is why we can hear it and learn from them about what happens in the spiritual world.

You open up the book in which some kind of words are written. If you were not living in this world, then you would not understand anything. But from our world, you are already familiar with what Kabbalists talk about, and you desire to attain the root to find out what they are pointing to in the upper world since they do not say a word about the material world.

Kabbalists do not describe our world with even one word. The Torah is not connected to our world and a person who interprets it this way materializes it and commits the greatest crime, creating “idols” for himself. It is talking only about the spiritual world. But in order to speak the same language as you, Kabbalists describe the spiritual world using words of our world in order to awaken some kind of connection or attitude to them within us.

This was deliberately planned in the thought of creation so we would begin rising from our world to the spiritual world. Thus, we have to take all of the means for this existing in this world.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/10/11, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

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Question: How can I accelerate the revelation of the broken desire between myself and the friends?

Answer: We go through states where we are always sent an awakening of evil. The question is: How do I accept that evil? Do I perceive it as a disturbance? Why do I discover that I hate others? Why do conflicts between us keep surfacing?

If you give in to the hatred and don’t want to see one another, then go home, stop uniting, and don’t set your sights on spiritual work. However, this work lies precisely in revealing the evil, the hatred (Sinah), all the way until Mount Sinai. We have to know that this is the path: We are revealing destruction, the breaking.

And no matter how big the extent to which it is revealed, we do not correct it artificially. We do not hold fraternity parties with rowdy toasts following a hearty meal, and we do not “make up” like kids in kindergarten. Rather, we want to correct the evil by means of studying, by means of the Light that Reforms. With the understanding that on the external level there is hatred and repulsion between us, we do not cover it or try to smooth it out. We want the Light to come and change this hatred and repulsion, to turn it into connection, all the way until love.

No matter how much hatred becomes revealed, we do not touch it. We do not strengthen or weaken it; do not suppress it or correct it. We do not do anything to it, but only wish to bring it like a valued treasure to the Light that Reforms.

“Finally I revealed a little bit of hatred! This is the Upper World, but in the reverse. It is the opposite side of the spiritual Kli. When it turns to connection and love, it will become a full-fledged vessel for the Light!”

We have to treat this hatred with great care, making it special, and then bringing it to the Light. Yet, what we do instead is cross it out as if everything is already OK, or we go our separate ways, or split up the group. True, sometimes there are hopeless situations because the people are still weak and cannot act or understand otherwise. Then a division is suitable as a temporary solution. But in essence the real work is done precisely on the background of hatred. So let’s not forget that this is our path: We are working on ourselves.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/8/11, Writings of Rabash

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