Thus, the sages have found an adequate language without trouble by which they could convey ‎their attainments to each other by word of mouth and in writing from generation to generation. ‎They have taken the names of the branches in this world, where each name is self-explanatory, ‎as though pointing to its upper root in the system of the upper worlds….

For this reason, the sages of Kabbalah have chosen a special language that we can call “the ‎language of the branches” (Baal HaSulam, “Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Vol. 1, Part 1, Inner Observation).

The language of branches is a language for communication, not for attainment.

For example, when listening to physicians, I may understand certain commonly accepted terms, but not their inner meaning because I am not a doctor. I do not know exactly what they are saying about the functioning of organs, medical parameters, tests, and so on. That is, the language of doctors may consist of words familiar to me, yet I lack the knowledge required to comprehend and evaluate them.

The same applies to Kabbalah: I may read Kabbalistic books in any language, and at the same time understand nothing in them. Therefore, there is a difference between knowing the words and understanding their meaning.

The language of branches does not speak about the mechanical meaning of words such as “screen,” “restriction,” “reflected light,” “direct light,” Hassadim, Hochma, and so on. Rather, it speaks about the fact that a word in our world designates a branch stemming from its root in the spiritual world.

When perceiving a certain word, I hear the name of a branch in our world and instantly imagine its root in the upper world: the quality of bestowal, closeness, separation, connection, and so forth, that is, everything relating to the interaction of parts within the single system of creation.

Question: Can a Kabbalist not know which spiritual root corresponds to a particular branch?

Answer: It is entirely possible. It depends on the level of the Kabbalist.

In general, the system of HaVaYaH is revealed relatively quickly, and afterward all kinds of nuances begin to appear, secondary and tertiary discernments, and so on. These harmonics add a great deal of feelings, and very important ones at that, because the quality of perceiving spiritual properties and actions depends on them. Therefore, even the slightest shades produce a tremendous effect and add depth to spiritual information.

Question: Suppose The Book of Zohar describes people, animals, gardens, the fruits of trees. Why was it necessary to convey everything specifically in this way?

Answer: Because this is the language of branches. The authors of The Book of Zohar could not write otherwise since these are the names of parts of our soul.

Question: Why then did Baal HaSulam write differently, using Kabbalistic terms such as Zeir Anpin, Malchut, and so on?

Answer: The matter is that in describing spiritual properties, there are four languages. Baal HaSulam used the language of Kabbalah, not the language of branches.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 4/1/18

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Why did the Kabbalists choose the “language of branches” for their explanations?

Let us assume that I have attained the connection between the root and branch at the very first degree, and someone else understands it at a higher degree, and a third person at an even higher one. It does not matte; the branch remains the same branch.

A child knows that if you put a plug into an electrical outlet, the toy will work. I know that there is electricity in the outlet that comes into the house through wires. And a person who is even more technically educated knows that there is a power station somewhere, and so on. But we are all speaking about the very same process regardless of how much each of us understands it and how far each one “looks into the root.”

The roots continue in the same direction toward their upper source, but the branch, in our world, remains a branch. The “language of branches” is taken from reality itself; it is impossible to invent another language. And this one does not need to be invented. It turns out that this language is prepared for us by nature for communication within ourselves, between us, and with the Creator.

Moses, in his book The Torah, was the first to describe the entire path of spiritual ascent, at all degrees, in this language. The Book of Zohar gives commentary and supplements the language of Moses with its own language.

Rabbi Shimon passed through the same degrees as Moses, which every person must pass, and in his description, he added a greater connection between branch and root. Therefore, The Book of Zohar is so effective in drawing the light (the surrounding light, Ohr Makif) from the root to its branch (to us).

Baal HaSulam described the connection between the root and the branch even further by adding Kabbalistic definitions and the connection in the three lines.

All of them speak about the same visible picture and its roots, but each Kabbalist adds the description of the connection in his own way, thereby increasing the power of ascent (the descending surrounding light, Ohr Makif), and also paving a path for us to pass through the degrees of the upper world.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/13/10, Rashbi, Zohar for All, Vol. 6, “Shmini”

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In the wisdom of Kabbalah, a student has a problem; in order to understand what the teacher is speaking about, the student must be on a spiritual level. The teacher may be speaking from very high degrees, but since by their nature all degrees are similar to each other and each contains the same details, a student can at least understand what is said according to the spiritual degree he is currently on. But if the student has not yet ascended to any spiritual degree and exists only in this world, he is unable to understand the language of branches.

The language of branches means that I perceive what exists in this world, the “branches,” and I perceive them on the spiritual level, the “roots.” Then the connection between them is clear to me, and I am able to grasp what the teacher is saying. But if I do not attain the roots, I cannot grasp what he is telling me, because the teacher speaks words that I can recognize nothing behind.

By perceiving our world, I do not actually perceive the branches, because I do not know their roots.
Branches are that which descend from the roots. There is no branch without a root, and no root without a branch. There is not even the beginning of the language of branches if we do not attain their spiritual essence, their roots.

Therefore, a student is unable to understand the teacher until he attains the spiritual roots. Only then can he grasp from the teacher all the connections between roots and branches. Unfortunately, this is how it is.

And therefore, the wisdom of Kabbalah and its study is only for those who possess spiritual attainment. As long as we have not acquired spiritual attainment, it should be clear to us that we are not studying the wisdom of Kabbalah, but only using its “miraculous property” (Segula) in order to reveal the “roots.” This is the sole reason we study.

Hence, one should not become confused by accumulating knowledge about “something we do not know what,” but should focus only on the fact that we need the light that returns us to the source (reforming light) and as quickly as possible. If I attain the roots through this light, I will begin to comprehend the wisdom; if I do not attain them, I will remain in darkness.

And do not entertain the illusion that you understand what is being discussed, that by studying the definitions written in a book you are studying this wisdom. You are not studying it because you do not know the connection between the branch and the root; you have not yet attained the roots.

Therefore, the wisdom of Kabbalah begins with spiritual attainment, and not before. Prior to that, it is only an aspiration to draw upon oneself the influence of the light (Segula).
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/29/09, Baal HaSulam, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

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The spiritual world and the soul are simply desires in their direct, pure form. But the science of Kabbalah speaks about states where the soul is clothed in a body. Kabbalists do not describe the states of a soul that is not clothed in a body, although of course they know about them and are connected with them.

The soul of a person who rises above the Machsom, above the boundary of the spiritual world, to the extent of the anti-egoistic screen already feels itself free from the body.

During one’s life in this world while a person’s soul is clothed in a body, one must correct all one’s desires so that the body does not present any barrier at all between oneself and other souls that are without bodies. Such a state is called the end of correction (Gmar Tikkun).

A special language is required to describe the states of souls because our entire language is based only on the concepts of this world. So where can words be taken from to describe the states of souls?

Kabbalists saw that although the body is made of completely different material, its structure is analogous to the structure of the soul. And therefore, it is possible to call the parts of the soul and spiritual actions by the same names as the parts of the body and its actions, even though there is no connection between them. Thus the “language of branches” was invented.

It turns out that Kabbalists use ordinary earthly language to describe spiritual phenomena, but if we want to read about what happens with the soul and not with the body, we must seek a spiritual meaning in the words, not a material one. That is, even if we do not yet know the spiritual meaning of the words, we need to remain with this question and must not imagine material images. Otherwise, we will never come out of this world.

Kabbalists gave us the language of branches and obligated us to study Kabbalistic books so that during the study we would strive to understand what is hidden behind these words, which spiritual qualities or phenomena. That is, we try to translate what is written from the earthly, human language into the spiritual one, as if we translate each word from one language into another.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/6/26, Rabash, “On My Bed at Night”

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Indeed, you should know that the reason for our great distance from the Creator, and that we are so prone to transgress His will, is for but one reason which became the source of all the torment and suffering we suffer, and for all the sins and the mistakes that we fail in. Clearly, by removing that reason, we will instantly be rid of any sorrow or pain. We will immediately be granted adhesion with Him in heart, soul, and might. And I tell you that preliminary reason is none other than “our lack of understanding of His guidance over His creations,” that we do not understand Him properly (Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot“).

We have a big problem with correct definitions. The style of Kabbalistic texts sometimes seems so religious that it pulls us far from reality and from the proper perspective from which we should relate to ourselves and the world as a certain order of forces and systems with their characteristic interrelations, vectors, numerical indicators, and measurement data.

We are used to such a specific approach; therefore, centuries-old terms need modern, clear definitions so we do not make mistakes or get confused by our assumptions.

That is why Baal HaSulam writes that the reason for our distance from the Creator is that we do not understand Him. This misunderstanding primarily relates to the definition of terms.

“The Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot” is the most important of all introductions by Baal HaSulam. It precedes his main work, showing us what kind of system of interrelation we are in, what happens between us, and how we connect with each other and with the whole of reality. We step out of ourselves into the space between us, where a force pushes people apart. By beginning to overcome this force, we form a different field, not a field of rejection, but a field of convergence – distance.

Now there is negativity, rejection (“–”) between us; it is a field in which we all reject each other. Everyone is ready to feel only themselves, and this state is called “this world.” If we step outside ourselves and begin to feel what is between us, this state is called the “upper world.”

Rejection between us is a “crime”: as Baal HaSulam writes, we transgress the Creator’s will. The desire for unity between us is called a “commandment” (+). The transition from transgression to commandment is a “correction.” The effort that I make to move from crime to commandment, from my egoism, from receiving to giving, is called an “effort.”

I can measure all these forces: how much I wanted to receive, how much I overcame, how much I turned myself from receiving to giving, how much strength I exerted, how much effort I invested, to what extent I previously felt my egoistic desire and in it this world, to what extent I now come out of myself and begin to feel the upper, spiritual world in the outer direction, and with what strength, at what level. All this can be measured.

This is what the science of Kabbalah deals with, the physics of human desires. Of course, you and I cannot yet conduct such measurements in practice, as we have not yet mastered the relevant forces. But in general, you can work with all these parameters in a real way, actually verifying our relationship: how much I give you and how much I receive from you. To do this, we need to rise above our nature and take an objective position outside it (beyond receiving, beyond bestowing, beyond everything), check from the outside, and observe and measure what is happening.

The ability to do so is called “restriction,” which lets us simply disconnect from our nature. We may not be able to fully break out of it, but we can ensure it does not rule over us. This is called “breaking free” from it. After that, we can truly measure all the parameters.
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From Kabbalah Lesson before the Toronto Congress, 9/16/11

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Comment: When you transmit Kabbalistic information in Hebrew and in Russian, it seems like there are two different people. It is as if you are translating some things from Russian.

My Response: No, I practically do not translate from Russian, although sometimes it happens. In Kabbalah, after all, what I felt was lived through in Hebrew.

And if I want to express myself sensorily and then convey it in some Kabbalistic forums, then, of course, I translate, because my sensory language on the earthly level is still Russian. But it also depends on how; it is very conditional.

I am adjusting from language to language, although my pronunciation leaves much to be desired, and my vocabulary is not that great. But if it is close to Kabbalah, then I think it is more in Hebrew.

If I am teaching a lesson or lecture in Hebrew, I am thinking in Hebrew, and I do not have any Russian words inside me. It happens sometimes that I somehow do not find the appropriate expressions. But when I search for words, I search based on my feelings that have not yet been put into words, and therefore, there is no such thing that I first put feelings into Russian, and then into Hebrew.
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From KabTV’s “I Got A Call. Kabbalistic language” 8/25/10

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Kabbalah is a sensory transmission of information. The terms used in it are not found in any language. They are not even taken from Hebrew, but from the language of the wisdom of Kabbalah. Therefore we take such Kabbalistic definitions as Sefirot, Partzufim, Reshimot, etc. into any language.

Question: Are you saying that this is not Hebrew?

Answer: Of course, it is not Hebrew. Partzuf is “a face” in Hebrew and in Kabbalah it is the structure of a spiritual object.

Comment: But the word is still the same, and it is used in Hebrew.

My Response: Yes, but it has a completely different meaning, even a different root. For example, “Reshimot“. In Hebrew, of course, there is the word “Roshem,” “Reshima”—“record,” “list,” but in Kabbalah, the word “Reshimo” means information.

Or, for example, a screen, Masach: of course, there is a computer screen, a TV screen, which is “Masach,” and there is Masach—in the soul. But “Masach in the soul” has a completely different meaning—“to act.” That is, the language of Kabbalah means that it is detached from all other languages ​​and from all of us.

What difference does it make whether you speak your native language or Hebrew or English? If you are an egoist, then you speak an egoistic language. And if you have already acquired the qualities of bestowal and love, then you speak an altruistic language, and this is the language of Kabbalah. That is, the meaning is completely different in every word, in every definition.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Kabbalistic Language” 8/25/10

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Question: You say that in Kabbalah all your feelings are in Hebrew. When you read Kabbalistic texts in this language or listen to them, how do you perceive them?

Answer: When I read a Kabbalistic text in Hebrew, I perceive it within myself. Just like when you read a text about some situation in our world in Russian, it creates a certain inner picture within you.

It is the same for me when I read a Kabbalistic text. It creates an inner picture in me because I already possess a certain set of qualities that correspond to these words, terms, sentences, and connections.

Therefore, while reading, I assemble this picture inside myself like a mosaic, and it begins to live within me. As I continue through the text, it all shimmers, rotates, connects, and separates within me. The text lives in me and carries out its actions. I feel it as my life experienced in that very moment.

It is similar to when you read fiction and become immersed in the story.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Kabbalistic Language” 8/25/10

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Question: We come to the root of suffering, why does it happen? Do we ever reach it?

Answer: The root of suffering is actually quite foolish.

The root of suffering lies in rejecting the suffering. In rejecting the suffering when I believe that what I’m going through, the pain I feel, is somehow not meant for me.

Question: So if I accepted it, I would not suffer?

Answer: Yes, then I would simply get used to this level of life.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 9/23/24

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The wicked are wiped out of Dumah’s book because he takes into the calculation only from the middle line, where the wicked are not included. And who will desire them at the revival of the dead? During the revival of the dead, the angel Matat will receive the account in writing from the graveyards from Dumah. But who will desire those wicked ones that are not counted by Dumah for the revival of the dead? (Rashbi, Zohar for All, Vol. 3, Chayei Sara, And Dumah Rises and Calculates, p.12)

Question: This text can confuse a person because how will a person perceive such words as “dead” or “cemeteries”? It is just scary.

Answer: You must understand that The Zohar is written in the “language of branches,” like most Kabbalistic books.

This is a method of transmitting knowledge and, most importantly, impressions to us in order to attract the light of correction from the spiritual world, that is, from our corrected state.

We are not talking about physical bodies or our material world—we do not need to correct our arms and legs (a regular doctor should treat them).

The Zohar speaks about the correction of the soul. Therefore, although it uses the words of this world, they all point to spiritual concepts, that is, to our inner forces and qualities.

It is these properties that I want to explore now to understand what is uncorrected in me, what needs to be changed, and what I should wish to correct. This is the purpose of the book.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/8/10, Zohar for All, “Chayei Sara [The Life of Sarah]”

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