A question I received: Why is work forbidden on the Sabbath?

My Answer: If a person prepares himself by working the six weekdays, he reaches the understanding that the Sabbath is a state of perfection, and there is no need to interfere with it. If he hasn’t prepared himself properly during the week, he doesn’t see perfection in the Sabbath, and thereby corrupts it. He doesn’t realize he is spoiling the Sabbath, thinking mistakenly that he is adding to perfection by correcting his life and state.

On the contrary, after proper preparation and correction during the weekdays, a person suddenly sees that everything was perfect from the beginning. He only corrected himself in order to see this perfection. He did nothing but correct his own vision or perception, and in so doing, revealed the perfection of an additional part of creation or Infinity.

Then it is obvious that there is no need to do any further work now; there is nothing to interfere with. Therefore, a person works on every level, corrects himself, reveals a part of Infinity, and sees it as perfect. Then he works again, reveals another part of Infinity, and again he sees it as perfect. This is why on the Sabbaath he is called righteous.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/18/10, Beit Shaar HaKavanot

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In the News (From Vesti.ru): “Starting April 1st 2010, schools in nineteen Russian school districts will begin to teach a new subject: The Fundamentals of Religious Cultures and Secular Ethics. The curriculum covers the four main religious movements, world religions and secular ethics. …Study content includes topics like love, friendship, guilt and forgiveness. The subject breaks down into six blocks: Orthodox culture, Islamic culture, foundations of Buddhism and Judaism, the study of world religions, and secular ethics. …Parents will choose what classes they want their children to take, and the students will be placed accordingly.”

My Comment: Religion has always led to hatred and wars, terror and separation. The Creator gave only one decree: the commandment to "Love thy neighbor as thyself." All other laws are only implementations of this one, general law of nature.

All religions and beliefs are inventions of the human ego. That is why they cause opposition, evoke hatred and speculation of excess, buying off hell and accepting cash for an entry to paradise. We mustn’t dress a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Religion is the greatest manifestation of the human ego; it will only cause hatred and a disconnection between the students. See Baal HaSulam’s article “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose.” "Our religion" does not mean Judaism: It is the religion of love and bestowal to all.

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Rambam (1135-1202), Mishneh Torah, “The Laws of Idolatry,” Chapter 1 (abridged):

1. The sages in the days of Enoch and Enoch himself decided that since God created the stars and heavenly spheres in order to govern the world, they are His faithful servants. Thus the stars are worthy of praise, and it corresponds to God’s will.

2. With this idea in mind, they started to build temples for the stars, make sacrifices to them, and laud them. All of it was done with the aim of fulfilling the Creator’s will. This marked the beginning of idolatry.

3. Thus idol worshipers do not claim that a concrete star is a god. Everybody knows that only You are God. Yet people err in that they consider the unwarranted actions to be fulfillment of Your will.

4. Many days have passed and false prophets have surfaced. They started telling that God ordered them to convey to the people: “Serve some star, make sacrifices to it, build temples to it, and create its image so that people could worship it.” They showed the people a certain form that they themselves invented and said, “This is an image imparted on me in prophesy.”

5. This is how they started creating images in temples and gathering there for worship. They suggested to the people that the image can bring evil or good, and one should fear or serve it. The cult servants convinced them: “Propagate the service and it will bring you luck; do this or that, or don’t do this or that.”

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A question I received: My friends sent me a video clip, “The Western Wall,” that was presented on a Christian video club site. There are sequences including footage of you that was shot at Baal HaSulam’s tomb. Could you please comment on this?

My Answer: Our archives contain movies that were shot during our trips to great Kabbalistic sites in 1999 including Safed and the Idra Raba cave. The titles of the movies are, The Nights of Kabbalah and We, Bnei Baruch. I have no idea where the creators of the video clip in question got the footage.

We’re well-known; many people study our concepts and materials. I’ve already mentioned in this blog that people write dissertations about us in universities all over the world (for example, at Cairo University). Also, in the United States, I’ve lectured at many universities, and there are quite a few people who study our activities. We have a large educational organization in the Midwest, in  St. Louis, that accommodates many Protestant and Catholic students. We’re open to everyone.

By all means, one can continue observing his own religion and stick to his or her traditions, but, in order to correct our egoism and advance spiritually, we have to study Kabbalah. Imagine that two things are excluded from each religion: 1) teachings about “afterlife” and 2) rules of controlling our destiny (which, by the way, have nothing to do with any religion). Without these two major elements, any religion simply turns into a set of routine traditions and becomes a sort of a “weekend get-together club.” There is nothing else to it.

“Afterlife” is revealed to a person through our current reality by attracting the Light while studying Kabbalah. It’s possible to control our destiny only by attracting Ohr Makif (the Surrounding Light) and by using The Book of Zohar, each and every one of us, for our personal benefit.

Kabbalists aren’t against any religion, but intend to treat them rather as cultural inventions of humankind and not more than that. If we stick to this approach, spiritual exploitation and religious dictatorship will cease to exist and humankind will attain enlightenment.

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A question I received: I always thought that BB was a non-religious organization and that it never forced secular people to follow religious traditions, but recently I heard that you are following Kashrut (Jewish dietary laws) during Passover. Please explain. Also, please give us your opinion on whether you suggest that everybody should follow the tradition.

My Answer: We are an educational organization and have nothing to do with religion of any kind. We are based strictly and exclusively on the principles of Kabbalah as they are stated in three authentic Kabbalistic sources:  The Zohar, the works of the Ari, and those of Baal HaSulam (Rabash). We follow their advice in everything. If you have any concerns, please ask us and insist that we show you our source of information.

Even though Bnei Baruch is not a religious organization and doesn’t follow any religious traditions (“commandments” – Mitzvot), we still are practicing the actions that in our world constitute the branches that stem from spiritual roots. On the surface it looks like we observe Judaic tradition, but in fact they originate from totally different intentions and aim at internal and external connection with their spiritual roots.

I strongly advise you to re-read the “Passover Story” and Ari’s commentary to it, The Gates of Intention (Shaar HaKavanot).  You will understand why by observing specific actions we become elevated over our egoism (see also Baal HaSulam’s article “This Is for Judah.”)

Abraham’s group started to follow “irrational” earthly rituals after they managed to produce spiritual actions within their corrected desires and clarified their bodily analogies. They perceived spiritual and earthly actions as one whole (the root and the branch or the cause and the consequence).

When we fell from the level of spiritual understanding of the commandments (destruction of the Second Temple), we continued to follow only our bodily traditions rather than spiritual and physical actions interlaced together. That’s when the religions of this world were initiated.

Today we have to attain the spiritual world and reveal the spiritual actions. This will transform our customary traditions into spiritual actions. Instead of performing forceful or mechanical actions we will act consciously and will clearly see the impact of our actions onto the Upper World. That is, the attainment comes first; it is followed by the actions that stem from it.

I wish you all to “exit Egypt” and to get correct intentions while you are at the festive dinner table!

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Two questions I received concerning Jewish mixed marriages and Jewish ancestry:

Question: If there are any problems in mixed (Jew and non-Jew) families then religious representatives of Judaism say that these marriages were prohibited by the Creator. Why then did the Almighty create so many mixed families?

My Answer: I don’t see problems in mixed families. Today, most families in America and Russia are mixed. If one spouse doesn’t become religious then there are no conflicts. Kabbalah is above religions and talks about unification of all in one Creator.  Religions were invented by people and thus separate them.

Question: Recently I found out that I am Jewish from my father’s side whose ancestors lived in Portugal in the Middle Ages and were forced by the Inquisition to either convert to Christianity or leave the country. They were called “marans.” How should I relate to it?

My Answer: Don’t change anything; continue to live your life as before. There are millions of people like you in the world. All will reach adhesion and equivalence of form with the Creator and with each other.

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In the News (translated from ISRUS): “Pilgrimage to Ukraine: The Jews Fell to Paganism?” – Annual “migration” of Chasidic pilgrims to Ukraine proves that their inner world is empty. Leaving wives and children at home and running away with the guys for a holiday no matter where – that is really an adventure! This illusory bridge conceals the emptiness wrapped up in a packaging called “faith.”
My Comment: Kabbalah talks about the immaterial and abstract Creator who will take the place of all the icons and pictures, replacing exaggerated customs with inner contemplation of the Creator in the corrected self.

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News Report (translated from Cursorinfo): In a survey of Russian immigrants in Israel, 75% feel that Orthodox Jews are meddling with their lives. The majority of respondents are of the opinion that religion and government in Israel should be separated. The pressure and limitations imposed by the religious interests only intensify the hatred for the Orthodox and deepen the schism between the secular and religious groups.
My Comment: The following steps are necessary to completely separate religion from government:  Do away with all compulsory religion-driven conditions and laws, and form a joint institute of secular-religious consensus. By practicing love of others (love thy neighbor is the main rule of the Torah!), the Orthodox will ensure that religion is understood and accepted, and not hated as it is today. Their current behavior reveals the avarice of religious institutions and their opposition to the commandment of love of others. As with all the other commandments, they stole it from Kabbalah, though they don’t have the means to actualize it – the Upper Force.

Musings on true religion: To be religious is to act for the benefit of others. Because that is the nature of the Creator, everybody must achieve such an attitude toward others. The mission of a religious person is to help others become like that.

A person is considered religious when he develops that kind of attitude toward others, and not because of any rituals. Ritualistic behavior alone denigrates the Creator and religion in the eyes of the non-religious by giving the non-religious the wrong perception of the purpose of religion. See Baal HaSulam’s article, “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose.”

There is only one religion – Kabbalah. All earthly religions are formations of egoism, with their purposes being absolutely egoistic. All religions separate and control people, whereas the essence of religion must be to eradicate the egoism within man!

Religion must create the conditions wherein man could turn himself over, just as soil is turned over when it’s being plowed. Religion must create an environment that would force everybody to change their mentality and values. “Force” because otherwise man cannot change himself, no matter how hard he tries.

One of the primary intents of religion is to put everyone on the same level, regardless of religious title, social or economic status – be it king or slave, rich or poor – everyone is equal. Man is judged solely on his love of others, and not by his adherence to rituals.

A religious person cannot possibly despise others (non-religious, people of other faiths or ethnic backgrounds). The ruin of religion is that people begin to exalt it, and in so doing exalt themselves through association. Thus religion turns into another form of power!

Religion is one’s personal link to the Creator which stems from the feeling of merging with all of humanity. That is why religion is a personal and private matter, and ought not be subjected to outside evaluation.

The mission of a religious person is to inject the sensation of the Creator, the Upper life into our world.

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A question I received: I am a member of a Chile group; I work as a teacher at the University of Protestant Theology, and have a PhD in Practical Theology. The inner conflict that I have been going through relates to my analysis of everything that I have studied for the last 7 years. I understand that Kabbalah should not interfere with my work as a teacher, but it can’t last indefinitely.

I do teach Christian theology, philosophy, Islam and Orthodox Judaism. My path brings me to a conflict with my friends at work, who consider themselves to be wise. I have decided to openly declare my commitment and endorsement of Kabbalah, as the only divine wisdom, capable of correcting the heart. Today, I handed our newspaper across the department and explained to them my view. A lot is at stake, so here’s my question: “What do you think about my actions?”

My Answer: I am concerned with your future at the university, and more precisely, with your source of income. I understand that you can’t remain professionally what you were, before you came to Kabbalah.

I recommend that you start writing comparative research articles, portraying Kabbalah as the source of all religions, while underscoring the similarities and not the differences. It would add purpose to religion (bestowal and love of fellow man) and help guide people to the means of correction. I wouldn’t criticize religions and would even stay away from them!

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A question I received: What should be the connection between the Jewish religion and the state of Israel?

My Answer: There shouldn’t be any connection between religion and state. Every person should be able to lead the lifestyle of his choice without coercion. Kabbalah states: “There’s no coercion in spirituality!”

People should only be influenced by the correct education. Sure, the upbringing in Israel should be conducted the spirit of the Jewish tradition, Jewish culture and all that we received from our forefathers. However, this should be done through a gentle, kind upbringing in the spirit of the nation’s traditions.

Through the dissemination of Kabbalah, today’s religion – a set of obligatory actions, will turn into true religion. This is what Baal HaSulam describes in the article, “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose.” How will this happen?

The Upper Force that is being reveals to us today will change us, and people will then begin to feel and understand the Creator. His revelation will eliminate the need for the religious services of today and the need for intermediaries between man and the Creator, such as religion and its leaders. It is written, “And people will stop teaching about Creator, for all will know Me, from small to great.”

The revelation of the Creator will show everyone the principle of the entire Torah: “Love your neighbor as yourself,” which is currently absent even among the religious people. Baal HaSulam writes in “The Future Generation”:

The religious (ethical) form, determining the life of all nations, must first and foremost obligate its representatives to engage in bestowal to the fellow man, according to the principle, “love your neighbor as yourself.” And this will be the social consciousness of all nations… However, with this exception, each nation should be free to follow its own religion and traditions, and no nation should interfere with the affairs of another.

The science of Kabbalah explains that the main principle of the Torah, “Love thy neighbor as thyself,” indicates that the observance of the Mitzvot (precepts) and Torah means the correction of one’s egoism, where one reaches the level of love for the fellow man. So it is the correction of one’s egoistic desires that is called the observance of the precepts.

If a person engages in self-correction in order to develop an attitude of bestowal to the fellow man, this means that he is performing all the rules of Torah. This is what the great sage Rabbi Akiva said. When he was asked to explain all of the Torah while “standing on one leg” (metaphorically speaking), he cited the general rule of the entire Torah: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Another sage, named Hillel, who lived in the times of the Talmud (the beginning of the Common Era) states this principle as: “Don’t do to another what you don’t want others to do to you.”

Therefore, the entire institute of religion will definitely go through a big change, as it doesn’t stand by these principles.

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