You already know that there is no absence in the spiritual, and that transference from place to place does not mean becoming absent from the first place and arriving at the next place, as in corporeality. Rather, they remain in the first place even after they have moved and arrived at the next place, as though lighting one candle from another, without the first being deficient (Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to the Science of Kabbalah”).

In spirituality, there is no moving from place to place. Everything that is in its place can also change and move to another without leaving the previous one.

Comment: Now even quantum physicists have discovered that electrons can be in different places at the same time.

My Response: This is not the same thing. In spirituality there is no transition from a past place to another or reproduction, as is possible in our world. It is just that the property of each spiritual object is such that it does not disappear from where it once was, but generates another state from itself.

Comment: For example, in one of the articles, Baal HaSulam gives an example of water that can freeze or evaporate, i.e., change its properties.

Answer: Yes, but these are aggregate states; however, the essence does not change.
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From KabTV’s “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah” 11/7/23

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“This is called “a handmaid who is heir to her mistress,” since the very power of the mistress—the control of the internality—is by the force of our wisdom and knowledge, as it is written, “we are distinguished, I and Your people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.”
Now, the handmaid has stepped forth and prides herself in public that she is the heir of this wisdom” (Baal HaSulam “A Handmaid Who Is Heir to Her Mistress“).

Mistress means the desire to reveal the Creator and the handmaid is external aspirations.

The problem is that now the external part of the knowledge of nature prevails in the world. That is completely wrong because it turns all the devices and governance of the world upside down. It turns out that people do not want to perceive the inner part of nature, study it, and master it. That is how all sorts of other teachings appear.

Even though, initially the handmaid’s aspirations were intended to single out the mistress, it turned out that she seized the place of the mistress and rules instead of her and hides behind something else, which is lighter, more pleasant, and more understandable. Therefore, people do not want to do the hard work of revealing the Creator.

Question: If we are talking about a ten, how can we determine that the handmaid has taken or is beginning to take the place of the mistress?

Answer: This is a very serious issue. In principle, it all depends on how a person feels and what he is drawn to—either to reveal all sorts of secrets of the universe or to follow the recommendations of the Creator. That is the difference.
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From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/10/23, Writings of Baal HaSulam “A Handmaid Who Is Heir to Her Mistress“

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Question: The expression “clash of civilizations” is very common in the mass media. There are about ten civilizations in the world, but among them there are two main ones: Western and East Asian.

When you hear that there is conflict and different values between these two civilizations, what can you, as a Kabbalist, say about what is happening between them? What characterizes East and West?

Answer: At present there are no clearly defined civilizations. But if we talk about the East and the West, then Eastern civilizations are characterized by their commitment to religious problems, which they try to put into practice. And Western civilizations are more interested in the problems of their material existence. Therefore, the difference between them is quite large.

In Eastern civilization there are people who care very much whether their spiritual values are preserved, and they are ready to fight for this. Western civilization wants to preserve itself in the form in which it came to exist today. Therefore, it is very difficult for them to establish contact with each other.

Question: The great Kabbalist Baal HaSulam writes that there are two opposing forces in nature—negative and positive. They developed the entire material universe. If we talk about the human level, then these are the forces of good and the forces of evil. So, is war between these two forces the natural state of humanity?

Answer: Yes, this comes from the structure of their souls—Eastern and Western. It is unknown for how long this confrontation will continue. But so far, we see that it does not end.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 10/29/23

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Question: From the point of view of Kabbalah we see that at the corporeal level there is some harmony within the inanimate, vegetative, and animate nature; otherwise our world would not exist. At the same time at the human level wars never stop. Why is war our most natural state?

Answer: War is our natural state because the biggest egoism is in the human being within all of nature.

The confrontation between the two civilizations, the East and West, is a war of values. The values that exist in the Eastern part belong to their internal structure. While the values that exist in the Western part are more mercantile and materialistic.

Therefore, the difference between them is very big—psychological, mental. Based on this we cannot say that certain values hinder us while certain ones bring us closer together.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 10/29/23

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Question: On one hand enjoyment is our life. What do we have beside it? On the other hand, this is described in Kabbalah in a very incomprehensible language. Even in our world we see how important it is for us to know, for example, the laws of physics. But how many people are interested in these laws?

Answer: We are only interested in what will benefit us, but the wisdom of Kabbalah, which studies the way to receive the upper light, is not in the sensations of our pleasures and therefore no one yearns for it.

Question: But we are talking about pleasures from reception, from connection with the Creator. What could be better?

Answer: It does not matter. Does anyone yearn for the Creator?

Comment: But 80% of humanity or even more are not atheists. Atheists are only 2% of the world.

My Response: It does not matter even if there were 100%. The fact is that we do not know, do not feel, and do not understand the connection with the Creator. We treat it based only on fear of death, disappearance, or misfortune. But in reality who needs the Creator in everyday life? We remember Him only when we feel bad.

If we saw that the Creator is the quality of love and bestowal, then we would rush to Him. But the Creator concealed Himself to make our path to Him easier. Otherwise, His pleasures would simply defeat us, obligate us to be His slaves. That is, we would interact with Him at the level of instincts like animals.
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From KabTV’s “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah” 9/26/23

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Question: There are well-known periods of egoistic development: a sharp surge of the Roman Empire, then Byzantium and the Crusaders. But why did all this revolve around the Holy Land?

Answer: If we talk about the earthly level, then I believe it was all about politics, nothing else. However, in principle, all this happened in order to further and further develop humanity toward a gradual understanding of today’s spiritual processes. Everything was moving only forward, only toward the future goal.

With the emergence of the great Kabbalist Ari, the process of Renaissance began because the world started moving toward its correction. Prior to Ari, there was a period of breaking and mixing of various internal fragments of shattered humanity. But starting with him and onward, a period of purposeful flow toward correction had begun.

This is when the Hasidism of Eastern Europe and many Kabbalists emerged. Simultaneously, there was a general development, the discovery of lands by Columbus, Gutenberg’s printing press, and other discoveries and technologies—everything started to develop.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. The Evolution of Discoveries” 10/31/11

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Hasidism is a trend built on the exaltation of the teacher, the exaltation of the Creator. And a Kabbalist, besides this, also has a critical attitude toward a teacher because a person who studies Kabbalah consists of two properties: egoism and a point in the heart directed against the ego.

The fact is that the egoistic property of the Hasid is ready to submit to the teacher, just as small animals serve a person and they feel good next to him.

I remember when I began to study Kabbalah, literally a year or two later I met my friend, who by that time had moved to America, to the Lubavitcher Rebbe: “Michael, I found a Rebbe! I found a teacher!” He said this with such enthusiasm that I became envious: “And me? I don’t have any of this. And he is so happy, overflowing; he found the whole world.”

The next day I came to my teacher Rabash and told him everything. I was young, independent and said everything as it is: “I am, of course, uncomfortable in front of you, but I don’t feel that I have found a teacher that I am so happy that it fills me and I have everything in the world. I do not have anything. I didn’t find anything, I’m always under pressure, searching. In my life I have already gotten used to this, but why are the paths so different?

He replied: “You were given a good lesson from above—the feeling that you really have nothing in your hands.”

And it will get worse and worse until the person really screams, demands with all his might, feeling: either death or a decision. There can be no other. But to reach this point, he must invest a lot. He should not wait until it manifests itself, but put pressure on it all the time.

It’s very hard. It takes a lot of nerves, many, many years. All this applies to those who have a point in the heart. And those who do not have it, they have no complaints at all.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Hasidism” 10/1/11

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Comment: Certain circles also study Kabbalah, and they are actually trembling after they read, for example, The Book of Zohar. They sit by candlelight and believe that something is happening to them there.

My Response: There are many mystics everywhere.

Question: What defines mysticism in general? Why is Kabbalah not mysticism?

Answer: Kabbalah speaks about things a person must correct within himself in order to attain what is written in Kabbalistic books. Most people do not feel the need for it. But they were told that Kabbalah is very important, so they study it.

I met such people at RABASH’s. The fact is that his father, Baal HaSulam, had students who really wanted to attain the upper world. They moved toward this and really became Kabbalists and entered into the feeling of the upper world.

But they had children without any need for this. They lived by sometimes studying Kabbalah or simply reading Kabbalistic books, some of them more and some less. They had no desire for more. I met them at RABASH’s.

Look how many students come to me—thousands! And then they leave because they see: “We need to work on ourselves, do something with ourselves.”

They are trying to find some secrets and interesting “gadgets,” just not to change themselves in order to feel the world around them through this.

But it is necessary to work seriously on yourself, to change the whole setup of your egoistic perception and thinking. “Why? Better show me some kind of trick,” but there are no tricks! They confuse Kabbalah with mysticism, become disappointed, and immediately leave.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. The Secret Information” 8/20/11

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Question: Is it possible to develop a sect from Kabbalistic teaching?

Answer: A sect is a certain structure of a closed organization where there is an unquestioning submission of the members of the sect to the guru and the so-called truths they blindly bow down before. It is possible that sects have their own paraphernalia, some conditional actions, mantras, physical techniques: dances, postures, etc.

It is impossible to make a sect out of real Kabbalah because the most important principle of Kabbalah is the spiritual development of a person. Therefore, entry and exit are absolutely free! This is the first thing.

Secondly, Kabbalah is based on personal comprehension. Third, there is no pressure on a person to do something or think this way and not otherwise. As far as you can, you adapt this knowledge inside you.

In addition, all Kabbalistic literature, which has existed for thousands of years, is absolutely open to everyone.

Comment: But sects also use well-known literature, for example, the Bible.

My Response: Maybe. Frankly, I do not know. Sect, not a sect, I have never been interested in this. I am interested in teaching Kabbalah and spreading it.

And what they say about us… People will always talk! Sometimes such opinions are suddenly revealed about me that I cannot even imagine how people can think like that if we are open to everyone.

Books in all languages, television, the Internet—everything is absolutely available. Please, come to a lecture. If you do not want to leave the house, there are virtual classes. What is there to stir up the mystery if we act quite openly? And yet, sometimes people have such ideas!

I attribute this to the fact that a person must work out his understanding of nature, society, and the universe. Therefore, these representations are formed in it. A person needs to pass them.

So it was at all times. Kabbalists have always been in a terrible state of exile, even from their own society. They lived as if within the framework of the Jewish religion, but they were not perceived there, not revered in any way, in no way respected. It was very hard for them!
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From KabTV’s “I Got A Call. Kabbalistic Sect” 8/27/11

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How many things in our lives do we take on faith without having the facts? We do not even realize how much we rely on what is going on outside. It is done purposefully and comes naturally. Thus, previous stages are worked out in us before the real attainment. Nothing in the world should be destroyed!

Baal HaSulam writes that all religions must remain. And even at the very last stages of the development of humanity when it will be able to see the whole picture of the universe, all religions and beliefs will remain in the culture anyway. Nothing should be destroyed. What dies, dies. What does not, does not.

The question arises: when everything is revealed to man and the complete picture of the worlds is attained, will there be room for faith? Of course not. After all, faith is what I accept without verification, analysis, and without making sure of anything. This will no longer be the case. But Baal HaSulam claims: whatever they want will remain as culture.

That is, everything should work out naturally. Man must go through all this, or he will not develop. You cannot drag him through a stage like through a class at school. He must gradually attain all this. Therefore, there is no violence in spiritual development.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Why do Sects Exist?” 8/27/11

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