A question I received: Does it make a difference how a person is buried?

My Answer: First, Kabbalah engages only in the correction of the soul. When a person comes to a Kabbalistic group and begins working on himself in order to unite with the friends so as to reach the quality of a mutual guarantee, he realizes that he hates the others and is repulsed by them. This rejection of friends is, in fact, the egoistic quality that a person needs to correct by turning it into love toward them.

This is possible only with the help of the Light that influences a person while he studies Kabbalistic texts (especially those written by Baal HaSulam and RABASH). A corrected attitude to the neighbor, up to the point of loving him, is what forms a person’s soul, which becomes filled with the Light of bestowal and love: the Creator.

Second, the human body has no sanctity. This attitude to our animal body comes from religions which are based specifically on the concealment of the Creator and on the fact that people don’t feel the soul and mistakenly attribute it to the animate body. It seems to a person that there is something special or unique about the body since they don’t feel anything except the body and perceive everything only through it.

In ancient times, food, utensils, and slaves were buried along with the body of a dead master in order to help him in his future life in the same body. For that purpose, the body was embalmed. American Indians (Native Americans) still dig out the bones of the deceased from the grave, wash them, and return them to the grave as a token of respect. Hindus choose an infant for worship and make him holy. Christianity has an array of relics as well, which they argue about to this day.

Funerals are accompanied by a variety of  rituals. They all are based on ignorance and the adoration of the flesh. Muslims believe that the pleasures of our world also exist in the future world. Over the years, as Judaism descended from feeling the spiritual world and the Creator to the exile (Galut), Judaism became clothed in various external rituals. People began to honor graves and to practice fortune-telling and other “spiritual” manipulations. And although people are trying to re-build the Temple, they are doing so only in an external way according to their exiled spiritual state, and in this way it will be nothing more than an ordinary building.

Conclusion: There is no sanctity (eternity, perfection, and divinity) in our world (our thoughts, feelings, actions, objects, and rituals). Our whole world consists of three levels of nature: inanimate, vegetative, and animate. We need to reach the “human” level (from the word “Adam,” meaning Dome – similar to the Creator) through our work on correcting the mutual hatred among us into mutual love. Thereby, we will become similar to the Creator and thus feel eternity and perfection irrespective of our animate bodies.

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Question: Can a Kabbalist determine who’s going to cross the Machsom (barrier to spirituality) and who is not? Can this be determined based on a student’s body language or by “seeing” his desire?

My Answer: Everyone is ready to cross the Machsom and has freedom of will in this regard: either to cross on their own and quickly or under pressure and slowly.

Question: What is self-discipline according to Kabbalah?

My Answer: To aim every single minute of one’s time toward drawing closer to the Creator in one’s properties.

Question: You mentioned that doubt (temptation) follows a person around because of unfulfilled desire. What if one is constantly haunted by a partner’s romantic past and their own lack of one? What does this mean and is it possible to resolve?

My Answer: The studies will put everything into balance and provide the right attitude to the eternal spirituality and the transient corporeality.

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A question I received: You spoke repeatedly about our tendency to run away from spirituality long before actually nearing it. In other words, our egoism pulls us away from the spiritual state by taking certain steps back. How can we avoid erring and go against the ego?

My Answer: You need to prepare yourself ahead of time. When it is already happening, nothing helps. The ego tricks and entices you anyway. You need to secure yourself beforehand, constantly. It is similar to a mountain climber that is tied onto one person and that person is linked to another person, and so on. This mutual interconnection is essential.

On our path, a person can lose his grip at any second. Without this link to the others, he falls into a chasm and then needs to climb back up. A whole life can be wasted on this. This is why one may fail to reach spirituality or advance through the spiritual 125 degrees within his lifetime.

Everything is arranged in a very precise, logical, and proper manner. It is nature’s law. There is no pampering from the Creator’s side, where He says "Oh, you are so small, I love you, I will do everything for you…" No, this doesn’t exist. The force of bestowal and the force of reception are in opposition to each other. One needs to find the right interconnection between them and act precisely. This is a law.

It is not like our world, where we adjust somehow and create unnatural conditions for ourselves. There is no mercifulness in nature according to our understanding of this term. Our understanding of mercifulness is receiving what we don’t deserve. However, this is inaccurate. Why should it be so? Is it because you’re so beautiful?

Therefore, if we understood nature’s essence and how we should behave with regard to it, we would truly succeed. We would justify the Creator’s actions instead of expecting mercy. We should study nature’s laws and carry them out precisely within ourselves. Then there will be no problems. We will see how perfect and eternal it is and that we will become like it.

Question (continued): So what is the solution? How can one prepare himself ahead of time?

My Answer: Only by being connected to others. This condition has been assigned to us. Only the state of a mutual guarantee can help. It is just like mountain climbers. Only you and I together can reach the goal. In other words, I need to think about you and myself equally. I need to worry about each of your actions just like I do about my own.

Question (continued): With mountain climbers, it is obvious: if someone falls, it’s possible to actually see it. But here, it is different. You return to the tastefulness of this world all the time, and it makes you happy.

My Answer: This also falls under the same program of a mutual guarantee, a mutual realization that we advance in this state and need to hold each other. We need to realize this.

A person should be concerned with what happens to others because otherwise he will not reach the goal. Then, under the influence of the Upper Light, you acquire such a sensation with regard to them that they become more important than you. Just like in our world, when you begin to care for someone else’s child, this child becomes important to you and you begin to love him. This is the influence of the Upper Light.

Try it, and you’ll see.

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Question: Do you sometimes get angry at someone and later look back and regret because you remember from Whom it came?

Answer: I don’t get upset as long as it doesn’t concern one’s free will. If it lies within someone’s capacity for free will, I could get really mad. By “free will” I mean that it concerns spreading the wisdom of Kabbalah. In that case, beware: This has nothing to do with the Creator. This is directly connected to one’s sense of responsibility. Here I am unforgiving.

Question: But everything comes from the Creator?

Answer: No, not this. Spreading Kabbalah efficiently, correctly, and well lies within one’s free will; it’s one’s duty and one must see to it. Otherwise, why study Kabbalah? Why do we need it? We just remain as animals. We are humans only inasmuch we use the wisdom of correction that was granted to us. It is our duty to draw Light for our correction. When a person doesn’t do his part or does it poorly, especially when given an opportunity, I can’t put up with it.

It’s the only thing that causes my anger and nothing else. In all other areas, I don’t even have the power to force a person to do or not do something. I specifically refer to free will and the fact that it is given to a person to use.

Question: Does free will imply not only dissemination but studying as well?

Answer: It concerns studies, attitude to the group, the Kabbalah books, the teacher, and the Creator: everything that is related to individual and general advancement toward the purpose.

Sometimes a person needs to go through bad states. One must experience them. His free will strengthens when he suffers through them on his own. I can’t interfere. Otherwise I would be acting like the Creator, as it were, externally, from Above, but it’s not right and I am not allowed.

Question: So there are two types of free will: one with a liability (dissemination) and one without it (painful states)?

Answer: No. They are the same in that they both demonstrate one’s attitude to his spiritual growth. They are fully connected.

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A question I received: In Kabbalah, advancement depends on the intention and desire to learn the material. Is it possible to study a new language by building the right intention? Suppose I want to learn Spanish. I don’t understand it, but I want a textbook to influence me. I apply effort and maintain my desire to gain knowledge of it. Will I learn Spanish this way? Or does this method apply solely to Kabbalistic books, such as The Zohar?

My Answer: The Zohar doesn’t need your understanding, meaning that you don’t have to comprehend it to become a Kabbalist. You won’t really understand anything until you actually become a Kabbalist; whatever The Zohar describes will be concealed from you.

You read The Zohar only to attract the Upper Light. When the Upper Light begins influencing you and raises you to a new level, then you will obtain a vision of what you read. Only then will you understand it. Until the Upper Light elevates you, The Zohar will remain a mystery for you.

Question cont’d: So I won’t learn Spanish without understanding it? In other words, I can’t put a Spanish textbook in front of me and wait until it influences me. It won’t happen.

My Answer: No, a Spanish textbook won’t influence you, but The Zohar will. When it comes to The Zohar, it doesn’t depend on knowledge, but solely on the impact of the Upper Light on you.

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A question I received: What is a Kabbalist’s position on sports and a healthy lifestyle?

My Answer: Kabbalists are in favor of healthy lifestyles. Baal HaSulam used to like to swim out to the ships in the harbor. My Teacher Rabash and I would frequently go to the gym, the sauna, and swim at least 400 strokes in the sea. I currently ride a bike for 1.5 hours, swim 400 strokes, power walk for 1 hour, and work out every morning. A person needs to take care of his body, otherwise it can’t serve him.

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Question: I would like to know if I started to study Kabbalah in this life and don’t achieve correction before I die, will I come to Kabbalah again in a next life? Will I remember something about this wisdom in my next incarnation?

My Answer: You must be confident that you will attain the full correction now! If not, then in the next life you will quickly return to Kabbalah on the level that you have reached now.

Question: How should friends of a fellow Kabbalah student, who has died of an illness, relate this to the Creator?

My Answer: We cannot judge about the reasons because we do not see the system of souls and do not understand why death happens to each of us, as for example to the Ari who died at 38. When you will reveal the system of souls you will understand the role of bodies.

Question: What is the best and easiest way to explain death and incarnation to children according to Kabbalah?

My Answer: Explain it in the same way you explain it to an adult. They will accept it, be satisfied, and won’t be scared!

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Two questions I received on proper Kabbalah study:

Question: How can someone dedicate appropriate time to studies if he or she discovers Kabbalah in their 40’s and dedicates most of the day to work to maintain a family, and the little spare time to their spouse and children? It’s very hard these days to even stop and find a few minutes to study or reflect and the 40 hours a week work routine seems something so difficult to remove or change.

My Answer: It’s not a matter of time. It’s only your free time that matters and whether you contribute it entirely to your correction.

Question: I live in Israel but do not speak and read Hebrew yet. My friend who studies in a Yeshiva told me that if I learn Hebrew I will have so much more books to read about Kabbalah like Rav Kook, Rav Nachman etc. He said after a conversation that I sound like I have a good grip and is in a good position to learn Hebrew, but since I only read the books that are translated to English by Bnei Baruch I stand before many options but am limited because I only read Rabash and Baal HaSulam.
I truly feel like those books, you, and the group is enough for me, but what do I know? So my question is, can I get as far as I am supposed to go only by the books translated to English, or will my progress be better and faster if I can read books from Rav Kook and Rav Nachman too?

My Answer: What you are reading now is absolutely enough. In addition, watch us continually on the  Kabbalah TV – Channel 66. You will get all the Light from there!

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A question I received: I am giving a Kabbalah internet class with a group of eight people right now. One couple has studied other Kabbalah books on their own. They talk about the Sefirot as lights in parts of our body that need to be awakened and they are confusing me because I have studied with you that the Sefirot are levels of attainment.

Can you explain to me what the Sefirot really are so that I can clarify it in the group? I want to tell this couple that they can’t come and confuse the students with other Kabbalistic views that are not authentic. They also mentioned a book named Bahir that they say is very important in Kabbalah, but I haven’t heard of it here in Bnei Baruch. I need to establish with them that we study only authentic Kabbalistic writings and not every Kabbalistic book that is found out there.

My Answer: Don’t listen to those who say that our body is a receptacle of spiritual forces. This is the foundation for all mistakes. As for the book Bahir, nobody understands it and because of this, many are reading this particular book. It would be better if you would avoid these people.

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Two questions I received on Kabbalists’ attitude to the world:

Question: Our Kabbalah study group in Seattle was asked to give a presentation on Kabbalah to a club that meets to learn about different spiritual traditions. The talk went very well and after it was over, one of the participants asked: “What do Kabbalists say we should do with desires when they rise within us?” How would you have answered such a question?

My Answer: We will fulfill them with the understanding of the Creator.

Question: If the Kabbalists do and have always known all, in my opinion, they are responsible for explaining to all of humanity and even individuals, why the Creator seemingly treats them so poorly.

My Answer: It’s you, not Kabbalists, who perceive the Creator’s attitude in this way. You will understand the rest on your own once your impressions of the world start changing.

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