Question: From the point of view of all religions, there have always been sacrifices of plants and animals. Several thousand years ago, there was even a Temple in the State of Israel where animals were sacrificed. How should we relate to it?

Answer: Simply like it is—that it was necessary to sacrifice inanimate, vegetative, and animate, and as if to atone for one’s guilt by it. But in fact, this was done for a person to understand what the real sacrifice is.

It comes down to a person not to kill another but to limit himself, his animate, vegetative, or inanimate nature so as to use it sacrificing his feelings, his desires, his intentions, and thus correct himself.

But since people could not fully realize this or do it inside themselves, the sacrifice began to manifest itself in external actions. It existed among all nations, all religions, all communities.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 1/8/23

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Comment: The group requires absolute compliance to its rules and discipline, as this is the only way to salvation, is given and a characteristic of cults.

My Response: What does the way to salvation mean? We are not talking about salvation. We are talking about correction. In ordinary society, there is a salvation army or rescue from drowning. We, however, do not have such a word. We have correction.

Humanity must correct itself and get rid of its ego, then it will come to a good life. Until then, its ego itself will be “pushing it with a stick” to happiness.

We talk about it everywhere. By the way, the Torah and all religions talk about this. They all agree that “Love your neighbor as yourself” is the main slogan of humanity. They just do not implement it. Kabbalah shows us how it can be implemented.

A cult is a closed organization with a clear, strict, and secret statute, which very cautiously lets people in and does not let anyone out. It has special norms of behavior associated with mysticism and some physical actions, like when people make self-sacrifice or self-restraint, etc.

There is absolutely no such thing in the Kabbalistic group. Everything is only within yourself and only regarding a friend, and then regarding the world with absolute kindness and love.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Kabbalah about Cults” 12/18/13

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Comment: There is a notion in the classification of cults that if you begin to doubt the teachings of the group because the promised success does not come, then you should always blame yourself since you supposedly do not work on yourself enough or have little faith.

My Response: Yes, this really is so. Why not if everything depends on you? Everything that we study, we take from true Kabbalistic sources. In accordance with the recommendations of Kabbalists, we form a group, activities, daily routine, way of life, and dissemination.

If people have some claims against us, then let them turn to these sources and begin to criticize them. I can tell them where all this is written. Literally against each of their accusations or statements, I can show what is written in the Kabbalistic books. We are just trying to follow these instructions.

So, their claims are not against me, but against our sources, against those great Kabbalists who attained the upper world, described it, and gave us the entire Kabbalah, the entire Torah. Because the Torah is the outer part of Kabbalah. And Kabbalah is the inner part of the Torah. Therefore, Kabbalah is called: Torat Emet  – True Torah.

This means that they have a problem not with us, not with me, and, in general, not with the group, but the problem of self-identification, with understanding who they are. In fact, they exist in this world in order to advance themselves somewhere, correct, find the source of life, the purpose of creation, and go toward it.

I do not think my answers about the difference between Kabbalah and a cult will help someone, because people opposed to us are obliged to prove to themselves that they are right. Time will convince them differently, or rather the blows of fate. We are approaching this. That is why it is said: “What the mind does not do, time does.” The same will happen to them.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Kabbalah about Cults” 12/18/13

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Comment: Criticism from the outside is considered an additional proof of the righteousness of the group is purported to be a defining factor of cults.

My Response: I do not think this is correct. Criticism from the outside is the natural criticism of people who do not understand what we are dealing with.

I think that we should not pay attention to criticism. Personally, it does not put me out of temper and does not set me against the critic. I do not disrespect him. There are even philosophers who come out against me. I do not perceive their words as criticism at all.

You can criticize when you understand the subject, when you have a clear opinion about it from the point of view of the knowledge of this subject. What if they do not know it? That is, they themselves have not attained it. Even so there are disputes among Kabbalists because this is science and this is the disclosure of a certain part of the universe—gradual, stepwise, to a bigger and bigger extent. There are Kabbalists who have revealed more and those who have revealed less, like scientists in our world.

Therefore there is discrepancy among them, disputes, and so on. I do understand this. There are some very interesting fights going on there. There are entire books devoted to how each of them perceives the unfolding universe and why. But they discuss it pointedly. Why do I perceive things differently from you? What is the problem? Why are we built in the way that we perceive the same thing differently?

There are different types of souls. Some of them relate to direct light, others to surrounding light, and so on. And it is precisely in their clash, in the process of clarification, that an even greater elevation of both of them takes place. They zealously argue among themselves, but these are people who are in the same attainment, in the same world, they have what to talk about, they understand each other, and their clarifications are very serious.

And what is there to talk about here? If I am reading a novel and crying, or watching a movie on TV and laughing, and a cat is sitting next to me, how can he participate in this? Not in any way. He is only moving his ear toward the sounds I am making and thinking: “What is the matter with the master? I wish he would sit quietly and doze.”

It’s the same with those who criticize. You irritate them with your studies of Kabbalah. They feel that there is something in you that you can explain everything and that your predictions come true, although you are not a fortune teller. Long before the crisis I said that it would come. And when it started I said that it would not end. But they shouted: “The crisis will be over in a year or two.” And now they are silent and do not contradict me.

But who is pleased when you predict such bad events? Moreover, nothing will change because of your predictions.

Everything can change only due to our intensified dissemination, and there is no point in just talking. There will be still more critics. Still more people will slander us, that we, so to say, hate everyone because we are talking badly about the future when we say: “We ourselves are to blame for what is happening.” And so on.

That is, people will of course defend themselves; this is their natural reaction. That is life.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Kabbalah about Cults” 12/18/13

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Comment: According to the classification of cults, “The group fills all your time with assignments, selling books or newspapers, recruiting new members, attending courses, and meditation.”

My Response: Kabbalists do not recruit anyone. On the contrary, we believe that everything should be absolutely open. We do not pull people to us, but disseminate our knowledge outside. A person can watch our classes on television and on the Internet; we are open to everyone more than any other organization.

A closed organization is, first of all, a characteristic of a cult. We are not like that. A person can come or leave, marry, get divorced, or change jobs or professions. We have African Americans, Chinese, Europeans, South Americans, Native Americans, and other peoples.

We have branches in Germany, Holland, France, South and North America, and so on. There is not a single country, including most of the Arab countries, in which we do not have our students.

What cult can you talk about when it is open to everyone?! We openly show it and bring it to the widest broadcast.

Comment: But it also says,”the group fills all your time with tasks.”

My Response: If you are in a group, then you have to devote some free time to dissemination because the world depends on it.

The world has no other method of salvation, but only through the correction of human nature from egoistic to altruistic, from hatred to love. I think it is clear to everyone.

Every person in the world should make time to work on themselves and pull others to the same correction. Otherwise, what are we going to do? Sit and wait for even more blows on the head? No, we are for peace and friendship.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Kabbalah about Cults” 12/18/13

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Comment: There is a factor in the classification of sects that the group separates itself from the rest of the world, for example, by clothing, food, a special language, and a clear regulation of behavior and interpersonal relations.

My Response: I do not see any peculiarities in the global Kabbalistic group. A person works like everyone else; he must have a family, children, and take care of them. He freely communicates with his parents and relatives, goes on vacation with his family.

He has a TV, radio, telephones at home, no one lives in isolation. We are disseminating to wider society. We do not have a specific dress code. No one is obliged to wear a Kippah if he does not wish to.

Our only peculiarity is that we study Kabbalah from three to six in the morning, but this is how all Kabbalists usually study.

We do not differ from others except for the internal behavior between each other. We must strive for connection with each other, for an internal connection of hearts. As the Torah says: “To be as one man with one heart.” This is our characteristic.

Nothing else is required from a person, only to support a friend by showing him the importance of the goal that is achieved by connection between us. That is all. We are no different from others. Only by this requirement. The member of the group undertakes to carry it out to the best of his ability.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Kabbalah about Cults” 12/18/13

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Comment: Another factor in the classification of cults is: “The group wants you to break off your old relationships as they stop your development.”

My Response: In our organization no one controls anyone. You can keep in touch with your past friends and go with them wherever you want.

It is your personal business who you are going on vacation with; it does not matter. But since your entire system of attitude toward the world and your preferences are changing, then naturally, you, like everyone else, become bored with people who do not share your passion.

For example, if I play chess, I am interested in those who are also interested in it, and I spend time in their circle. How else? All people have some kind of hobby according to which they choose their friends. If a person does not have a hobby, then he just lies on the couch watching football. That is all. What is wrong with the fact that I chose friends according to my hobby?

Today I am studying Kabbalah, and tomorrow, I will maybe be interested in scuba diving or fishing, so I will choose the appropriate environment for myself.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Kabbalah about Cults” 12/18/13

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Comment: In the classification of cults there is a condition that the teaching of the group is considered the only true eternal knowledge.

My Response: Do ordinary Judaism, Christianity in all its manifestations and parts, Islam, Hinduism and other movements not think so? So, everything in the world is a cult.

Question: Why do people call something a cult when it is beneficial for them, and something else is either teaching, or wisdom, or religion?

Answer: But they are people! What do you expect from them? They use what is beneficial for them, convenient for them, and raises them above the rest. It is like politics: Today I need to scold someone, so I scold; tomorrow I need to praise him, so I praise him. We do whatever is beneficial for us. This is genuine human nature.

If you do not study Kabbalah, then not understanding how a person is arranged can, of course, irritate you. But when you study Kabbalah, you understand that a person cannot do it any other way, this is how he is arranged, and this is how he must act because egoism compels him.

Therefore, I am in no way offended by anyone who slanders me; such is their nature until they begin to correct themselves. When they finally come to this knowledge, they will see how wrong they were.

I will be happy to teach those that hate me today, and in no case will I remember anything hateful they used to say about me. This is how we are arranged from the very beginning, and we must turn evil into a good inclination. For this we have been given Kabbalah. To the extent that a good inclination, altruism, and the qualities of bestowal and love are formed in us, we begin to feel the upper world, the upper system of governance.

If people do not feel this, then what opinion can they form about Kabbalah and about me? Naturally, anything goes, the main thing is to denigrate, to slander, because by this they somehow justify themselves. It is very difficult for a person to live without justifying himself; it does not even make sense for him to exist. Therefore, all his actions are aimed only at raising himself or lowering others.

I have no complaints about them; they just work according to their nature.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Kabbalah about Cults” 12/18/13

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Question: In some movements they promote not pondering over the group’s teachings. The members say: “It’s impossible to explain, come to us, you have to experience this.”

Answer: That is correct. There are things that you can’t appreciate from afar, even music, until you get used to it, understand it, receive explanations, and get trained. This is the same as culture that teaches a person how to perceive paintings, sounds, dancing, and ballet.

If they take you now to the opera, for example, you will run away from there, because you have a clip-perception. And here in front of you on stage for two or three hours, they will be singing about love, and you will be admiring and crying. You must be ready for this.

Comment: Often such misunderstanding is used as criticism.

My Response: Of course there will be criticism. How is it possible not to criticize what I don’t understand? It is easiest to say: “Ah, it’s worthless, empty.”

Personally I have no complaints about such people. They are just shallow, small people who, without being able to figure something out, talk about it.

Likewise, the lyrics philosophize about physics. But they have nonetheless the opportunity to ask around and understand something in an easy way, but this is impossible in Kabbalah. In Kabbalah, you must see it and feel it, because this attainment is not from our world, not in our senses. We do not have adequate perceptions about what we feel when we acquire spiritual sense organs.

That is why I have a problem explaining this to a person. My parents asked, “What are you doing anyway?” I couldn’t explain it to them.

I am engaged in Kabbalah.

What is this?

This is the science that speaks about the upper world.

And what is the upper world? Is it the world we get after death?

We get nowhere after death.

Where do the souls reside?

Souls don’t reside anywhere, there is no place.

Where then is the upper world?

And it doesn’t exist until I create it with my changed qualities.

“It looks like our child skidded off somewhere. It’s a pity, he gave such hope both for science and business. He gave up science, then opened his own business. Quit business and went somewhere into Kabbalah, and really got enslaved with Kabbalah,” my parents said and they left for Canada.

That is all.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Kabbalah about Cults” 12/18/13

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Comment: Due to the growing popularity of Kabbalah and the development of the Bnei Baruch organization, there are many views on how to classify it. Some consider it as a cult. For example, it is considered that it offers you the exact recipe for success and happiness, just for you.

My Response: There is nothing personal or “just for you” in Kabbalah. It can only be for everyone because the universe is common, unified, and there can be no happiness for one.

Comment: According to the classification of cults, the first meeting opens up a completely new way of looking at things for people.

My Response: No, this is not the case in Kabbalah. By starting to study it, you are just beginning to realize that you are facing something radically new. But what exactly it is, you do not understand.

It takes a lot of time for a person to get into it. First he must prepare his senses and expand them. He must begin to work for bestowal, and then in this acquired quality, he will begin to feel the upper world that we are talking about.

The upper world is the world that is felt in our altruistic desires. While I do not have them, I do not reveal anything. I just feel that it is really something special: big, deep, and ancient. But this impression is very general. It may be incorrect. After all, all of it is individual.

Comment: When a person feels something unusual in Kabbalah, let’s say he checks some things in life.

My Response: No, these are not spiritual, but all kinds of personal psychological impressions, which he often has when confronted with something new—terrible or beautiful, it doesn’t matter what. This is not Kabbalah.

How can a person who has just started studying, at the first impression feel and understand what Kabbalah is?! It is not from our world at all. Therefore first he must see that there is a huge, ancient wisdom embedded in it. Maybe the first time he does not understand something, but instead he simply feels that this is not mysticism and not divination, i.e., it is absolutely nothing that he has read about anywhere else.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Kabbalah about Cults” 12/18/13

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