Entries in the 'Spiritual Teacher' Category

Next to Rabash

963.5Comment: You said that when you traveled with RABASH to Tiberias, there were moments when you did not understand anything and hated yourself.

My Response: Yes, of course there are such states.

During the long evenings in Tiberias, I would sit on the open terrace, smoke a pack of cigarettes, think, and not know what to do. I could not imagine any possibility of taking even a small step: “How could I? Look who I am with! The only great Kabbalist in the world! And I am beside him, alone, right now! What can I ask, what can I talk about, what can I absorb from him?”

But after such hours of questioning, searching, and self-torment, a true question, a true desire began to awaken. All of this is necessary preparation for each of us and for the whole group.

Question: What was the main topic of your conversations with Rabash? What did you talk about with him? You could not have spoken only about Partzufim and Sefirot all the time.

Answer: We talked about that too. I asked many questions about the general development of the system of creation, which greatly interested me.

I wanted to form a clear inner structure for myself, even if not developed in minute detail, because there are so many details and not enough inner energy for all of it. Frankly speaking, detailed research did not interest me much because it is meaningful only when you feel it with your senses.

But overall, the very structure of the universe seemed incredibly enticing to me: the beginning of creation, the end of creation, the entire sequential cause-and-effect, purposeful, inevitable, step-by-step process, the forces acting at each stage, the necessity of every action, and so on.

That is, nature itself, its unified, natural law passing through from the upper worlds, through our world, and back to the upper worlds—how could that not be interesting?

Back then, I discovered this system for myself as if molding it within me. It helped me, first, to understand many Kabbalistic texts, and second, everything else that I later revealed.

The attainment of reality, the forces operating at our level between it and the upper world, the interaction of man with nature, the development of languages, the development of history—all of this gradually assembled itself for me into a single picture.

It is precisely with this picture, based on the spiritual model of the worlds’ development, that I went through my entire life. I formed it within myself by the age of thirty-five and afterward continually added new data to it from what I read, heard, and researched.

I always wanted to see the synthesis of all ideas, qualities, and manifestations. The picture of nature is one, unified, whole, eternal, perfect harmony: on one hand constant and unchanging and on the other, evolving before our eyes depending on the level of perception, on the worlds, on the degrees.

It is such a stunning, multilayered, multifaceted, multistage tapestry across many dimensions that gives a person a feeling of eternity, perfection, and attainment, and it fills him! That is just how I am built.
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From KabTV’s “I Got A Call. Next to Rabash” 8/14/10

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The Duty of a Kabbalist

963.4Comment: You, as a Kabbalist on high spiritual levels, constantly go against your own desire and come to the lessons most likely in a difficult state, not with the same joy as the newcomers.

My Response: So what? That is my duty. Of course, it is hard for me, but I feel the highest obligation. There is not even a question about it.

How can I not come to the lesson when it is a means of dissemination, of conducting the Creator’s line in this world?! I have been authorized to do it.

I am simply fulfilling a mission from above, and I am grateful for the opportunity to carry it out. And every day it is a miracle that I manage to give a three-hour lesson, explain, write a blog, answer questions, and appear on some television program.

I see this as a gift, a great favor that the Creator has done for me. What difference does it make whether it is hard or not? It is so important, so necessary! At least that is how I see it. That is what gives me strength.
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From KabTV’s “I Got A Call. When There Is No Desire” 8/12/10

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Rabash Is Always with Me

961.2Question: When you were studying with Rabash, you did not know what a group was as such?

Answer: I had a different preparation. Rabash thought that there would be a group, he believed that he should do it. I brought students to him. We can see what kind of articles he wrote.

But the group did not form as a result of these articles. It was I who came out of it. No, the others came out of it too; I am by no means diminishing them. They are all my former friends, and I love and value each one of them because they are also students of my teacher. But the group was not formed from us.

Now each of them works on their own. I do not judge anyone. Each one just does as much as they can and how they can. I am the same, one of them. But still, I was the student closest to Rabash, his assistant. He spent a huge number of hours with me together in study, in everything.

That is why I have developed an internal sense of connection with him, which leads me forward. I feel that he is with me. I have an absolutely sober and clear feeling that in all my endeavors, he stands behind me, and I am fulfilling everything by realizing my teacher in myself.
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From KabTV’s “I Got A Call. You or Group” 8/1/10

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In the Network of Forces

264.01Question: Is it better for a person to go through all the states intensely together with you or separately in a group?

Answer: It is preferable to go through all the states as quickly as possible, that is clear. It is also desirable to go through them while I am still here, that too is obvious. After all, there is support, hope, guidance, advice.

But it is impossible to go through them only with me; it is better to do it in a group. Without the group, it is not possible. Without a teacher, it is possible.

Question: You keep putting the emphasis on the group. But how do you feel that it is specifically the group that is the mechanism a person must integrate into instead of using some other method?

Answer: You see how much I talk about this, and it is still not clear.

There is nothing else besides the system of souls, the connection between souls, the network of souls. This interconnected network of souls is the only global mechanism that the Creator created. We exist within this network, but we do not feel the connection between us.

It is as if we are torn apart in our perception. It is an illusion, but for us it feels completely real. In that illusion, each one of us feels themselves as existing on their own. That illusory feeling manifests within us as “this world.”

But as soon as I begin to restore my connection with others, that is, to restore this network of forces in my perception, it is as though I revive myself and return to consciousness. Then I immediately begin to feel this network or the upper world or the Creator.

When I feel only myself, I feel what is called “this world.” When I feel myself within the network with everyone else, I feel the upper world or the Creator, the unifying force, which is the common quality of this network. That is it. There is nothing else. There is no other space around us. None! Only this network of forces, and we are within it.
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From KabTV’s “I Got A Call. You or the Group” 8/1/10

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Adapt Kabbalah

912Question: You are a teacher. Who could replace you in teaching?

Answer: I do not think that it is even necessary. There are around 20,000 recorded lessons. There is an enormous volume of knowledge, advice, and practical exercises in Kabbalah,  more than enough for deep study and real application.

As long as I am able, I will continue moving forward. Once I stop, nothing more is needed. People can take these archived lessons and study them systematically. There is at least ten years’ worth of material; it is plenty to achieve everything needed. It is more than enough.

Still, everyday I try to offer something new. I continue to find clearer examples, simpler language, and more accessible ways to express the material.

In Kabbalah, simplicity is key. Unlike philosophy or other sciences where complexity is often valued, Kabbalah demands the opposite: to convey lofty, abstract, and intangible concepts in ways that are close and understandable, especially to the average person. Today Kabbalah is meant for widespread dissemination.

I am working to make it accessible to everyone. The great 12th century Kabbalist Rambam wrote that we must develop this method and simplify it so it is ready for women, children, and those without formal education, in short, for all people. Not just for intellectuals or a small elite, but for every individual in the world.

Ultimately every person must correct their nature and attain the level of the Creator. That is the essence of our generation’s mission or perhaps of the next one, but within the coming decades, we must reach it.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. 20000 Lessons…” 8/3/10

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Passover—The Exodus from Egypt

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe Torah, “Leviticus,” 23:4 – 23:8: These are the Lord’s appointed [holy days], holy occasions, which you shall designate in their appointed time: In the first month, on the fourteenth of the month, in the afternoon, [you shall sacrifice] the Passover offering to the Lord. And on the fifteenth day of that month is the Festival of Unleavened Cakes to the Lord; you shall eat unleavened cakes for a seven day period. On the first day, there shall be a holy occasion for you; you shall not perform any work of labor. And you shall bring a fire offering to the Lord for a seven day period. On the seventh day, there shall be a holy occasion; you shall not perform any work of labor.

Question: Why is it forbidden to work on the first and last days of Passover?

Answer: It is because we distinguish between two states in the spiritual work: awakening from below and awakening from above.

During the awakening from below we evoke the cooperation between the light and the vessel by our yearning. The light corrects the vessel and gives it the right intention. During the awakening from above, this work is fulfilled from above but only because we have created all the right conditions for it in advance.

We make efforts, and thus create the right conditions for the first and last days of the holiday since the week of Passover has to be closed at its ends by states in which we don’t do anything since the upper light does all the work. The first day of the holiday is the beginning of the exodus from Egypt. The last day is the end of the exodus that seals it.

It is important to say that the nations of the world have different calendars. The Christian calendar is based on the movement of the sun. The Muslim calendar is based on the movement of the moon. While the Jewish calendar takes the movement of the sun, the moon, and the earth into account since the earth is the central object between the sun and the moon.

On one hand we take the year into account, which means the revolution of the earth around the sun, and on the other hand we take the month into account, the revolution of the moon around the earth, and compare the two. Thus the Jewish calendar doesn’t change and so, for example, we can calculate in advance which day of the week will be the first day of Passover in another 35 years.

What is more, based on the comparison between the movement of the sun, the earth, and the moon, we can say that Passover cannot be on certain days of the month. This means that everything is accurately related to the general astrological system.

Question: The Torah refers to holy assemblies several times. Why do we have to gather in Passover?

Answer: Holy assemblies during Passover are the most important thing for the Israeli nation since it is actually thanks to their desire to unite that they need to come out of Egypt.

A person’s union with a group of people, with the society, with the nation, or with the whole world is actually different levels of the exodus from Egypt (from the ego). When we attain the force of unity, a certain tension, this exodus, the detachment from the ego, takes place.

It is always among us, separating us and making us feel repulsed by one another. If we begin to compress and condense it, try to unite and connect to one another, then the exit from the ego begins the moment we first attain unity.

On the first day of Passover (the exodus from Egypt) we begin to tighten this connection. Then we work on it during the week and totally unite on the last day of the exodus from Egypt. From that moment on we are a united nation.

But in the meantime, people don’t understand what they should do, although there is a direction that spurs the desire to escape from the ego, it is merely an animalistic instinct without the proper awareness. People will acquire the recognition when they gather at the foot of Mount Sinai.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 5/28/14

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The Program by which We Develop

294.2Question: Do you think the audio and video lessons, lectures, and programs you’ve recorded in the past are suitable for future learning?

Answer: I think no one will come to replace me so quickly or will begin present material in an even simpler form. At least I don’t see the next person to lead. But that doesn’t matter. It doesn’t bother me.

First of all, what can I say or do? Everything is prepared from above, on the one hand. And on the other hand, it’s simply not necessary. People will have the media recorded in good quality, and they will study it, adapt it to themselves, and apply it.

That’s enough, because everything has already been explained. As long as I have the strength, the time, and the years, I may be able to simplify the material even further. At the very least, people can easily use the content from the last ten years, they can work with it and benefit from it.

And in the end, neither I nor they are the masters of our states, the Creator is. Whatever He decides, that’s how it will be. There is a program by which we are developing.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. 20000 Lessons” 8/3/10

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Connect to the Primary Sources

209Question: Before explaining a certain topic, you always ask to read the relevant article first. Why do you do that instead of just starting to talk about things in general?

Answer: I could speak for myself as well. But I want to teach people to be connected to the primary sources because the main thing for us is to be connected to those great Kabbalists, participants in the common system of souls, who perceive the unified field, the Creator, and exist within it.

That is why we study a book written by a Kabbalist who once lived in our world. In truth, this is a soul that felt the field of the Creator and described it: what happens in its relation to us, how it created us, developed us, and brought us to the state we exist now.

Question: But your own texts are also very deep. Don’t you transmit from your level just like other Kabbalists?

Answer: Yes, but I still do not claim the role of Baal HaSulam, my teacher Rabash, Rabbi Shimon, or the ARI. These are great Kabbalists—powerful parts of the collective soul—who are in deep, vast connection with this field, with the Creator.

They described their sensations and perceptions in a special way. And if I adhere to them through what they wrote, then I connect to their sensations as a small part of them, and in this way I can move forward. But if I do not interact with their source, how can I move forward?

After all, in our world, we also learn from others. If I try to learn by myself, it would take me twenty to thirty thousand years to become a human being. Imagine a child abandoned in the forest, what does he grow into? Nothing more than an animal. He can never become a man.

So do you want me to leave myself and my students alone in the forest? We must make use of everything the great previous generations have done for us, and they have prepared everything!
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From KabTV’s “I Got A Call. The Importance of the Sources” 7/15/10

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The Importance of the Sources

255The great Kabbalists of the past prepared a spiritual system for us, just as we have prepared this world for the next generation that can make use of it. Imagine thousands of details surrounding a newborn and then accompanying them year after year throughout their development.

How much we have done so that a person can grow and enter this life correctly! At every stage we try to create something that will develop them, support them, and push them forward. Humanity has conducted a tremendous preparation for their birth. It is the same in the spiritual realm. We cannot even imagine what the Kabbalists have prepared for us.

Today you take their materials and start explaining to others what has already been clearly and explicitly written, and they do not even understand what you are talking about even though it is all explained so simply and logically. You see the ends in this world, the beginning in the upper world, and try to explain this to them.

They do not even perceive what concerns our world: free will, the system of governance, human behavior, the development of humanity under the influence of egoism, the reasons for crises, or our interconnectedness. Only a few people in the world speak about this at all, and even then they do not feel or perceive it. So how can we do without the sources? If only we could learn from our own mistakes.

Comment: Still, when you explain many things, I think that for future generations your texts will become just like the articles of Rabash are for us.

My Response: Maybe so. I am, in some sense, an intermediate link between this or the next generation and Rabash.

Of course, I see myself as someone who can be a connecting link, an adapter, between the Kabbalistic texts and people, because I explain what Baal HaSulam and Rabash wrote. My task is to create a point of contact between a person and the sources.
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From KabTV’s “I Got A Call. The Importance of the Sources” 7/15/10

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Depending on the Level of Development

281.02Question: Can a child be provided with the information that an adult possesses?

Answer: It is absolutely impossible. First you must develop the child to the level of an adult, to the level of the Creator. Therefore, as Maimonides writes, things should be explained to beginners gradually, in small portions, until they grow and can properly absorb the information. This is the mastery of the teacher, on one hand.

On the other hand, it is not so bad if everyone hears this information because everyone will still feel it better or worse, closer or further from oneself. So in a lesson, both beginners and people with serious experience and understanding can sit together and each one will understand something.

But there are some feelings and knowledge that should not be conveyed to beginners because they will not perceive them anyway. Strangely enough in Kabbalah, there is no concept of “forbidden” as in our world. Everyone thinks that there are prohibitions and secrets there.

There are no secrets at all. Both an underdeveloped person and a more developed one understand everything at their own level. The development of each one, in principle, is limited by himself. And there is nothing you can do about it.

I cannot whisper some secret into your ear; you simply will not understand it. It is like whispering some human idea to a cow. What will it do? Wiggle its ear and nothing more.

Therefore everything depends on the development of a recipient.
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From KabTV’s “I Got A Call. Mastery of the Teacher” 7/7/10

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