A question I received: I’ve been reading your books for a while now. I grew up in a Christian family, but all my questions went unanswered. You mentioned many times that the Bible is not to supposed be interpreted literally because it is written allegorically. I was convinced of the same thing a long time ago. But why does the Bible use the notion of sacrifice for sin? Why is there a need for the commandments of the sin offering, considering that the most important belief in Christianity is that Christ offered himself in sacrifice for the sins of the world?

My Answer: The entire Bible (Torah) speaks about how to correct man’s egoism in order to reach the level of complete equivalence with the Creator. When the Bible enumerates all the possible sins, it is speaking of the revelation of the human ego.

This means that when a person reveals his own egoism, he feels that he is a sinner because he uses others for his own benefit. However, the Bible (Torah) also offers a solution, telling us how to correct our egoism. It explains the different levels of the ego (still, vegetative, animate and human) as well as the method of correcting the ego. More exactly, it tells us how to correct our intention from “for my sake” to “for the sake of others.”

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A question I received: It says in Beresheet 25:6: “But unto the sons of the concubines, that Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts; and he sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.” What gifts did the sons of the concubines receive from Abraham? Where are these gifts?

My Answer: These gifts are all the beliefs and religions in the world, except Kabbalah. Kabbalah, however, is the sole method of egoism’s correction. The sons of the concubines did not wish to correct themselves and to be Abraham’s students, and therefore he sent them eastward – Kedma, to a source from which they would begin to return to Kabbalah.

By the way, the Torah does not speak about people in our world, but about spiritual forces. Therefore, the Kabbalists did not mean that a woman named Sarah gave birth to child named Isaac, for example. Rather, they meant that two spiritual Partzufim, called Abraham and Sarah (in Kabbalah they are generally called Father and Mother, Aba ve Ima), gave birth to their common, more advanced state, called Isaac.

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A question I received: What is your opinion on preparing the Torah scroll in order to bring it into the Temple?

My Answer: It is necessary to prepare the people to serve at the Temple so they will attain the quality of the Creator. Hence, the Torah scroll isn’t the most important thing. It’s because the Torah has been given to us for our correction, as written, “I created egoism and the Torah for its correction.”

The Torah scroll will not be beneficial if man isn’t corrected. So it’s best if you put your effort into the correction of people.

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Two questions I received on the study of spiritual texts:

Question: Can your teaching replace the study of Gemara? What is the connection between Gemara and the science of Kabbalah?

My Answer: Gemara is the continuation of the Mishna. Both are part of the Babylonian Talmud. All of these texts speak about the Creator and the creation, creation’s correction and attainment of the goal – similarity to the Creator. Other than this, there is nothing for a person to do in this world; it is the reason why he is here.

In order to explain this, Kabbalists used four languages: Tanach, Alachot, Agadot, and the language of Kabbalah. The language of Kabbalah is the most precise, and therefore it’s the one Kabbalists use most. Only occasionally do they resort to other languages. All of these texts speak only about the Creator’s actions. This is why these books are called “holy.” See Baal HaSulam’s article, “The Teaching of Kabbalah and Its Essence,” the section, “Four Languages are Used in the Wisdom of Truth,” and my article, “The Language of Kabbalah,” the section, “Four Languages.”

Question: After listening to your lessons for a long time, I finally reached the conclusion that you repeat the same thing over and over, just phrasing it differently. Do you do this intentionally, or is it just more convenient and acceptable for you not to reveal new things from the primary sources? For example, I have never heard you try to reveal new aspects of the Mikra (one of the Biblical primary sources). But you are a Kabbalist and should therefore see the inner meaning in these writings.

My Answer: At our lessons, we follow a certain program, just like Rabash‘s students did. You can verify this with any of his students. I also discuss the weekly chapters of the Torah on my TV shows. All of these programs are available on the Internet.

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A question I received: Can you please remind all of us of the story about the student of a Kabbalist, who served the other students by preparing the study room, cleaning it and serving the students food and coffee, and how he had the highest spiritual attainment of all of them?

My Answer: This story is about Joshua, who helped Moses to teach his students by preparing the place of study and creating the necessary conditions. By helping his Teacher, he merited to become his successor, to be the spiritual leader of the nation.

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A question I received: In the article, “The Revelation of Godliness (Matan Torah)” Baal HaSulam quotes the sages, “The Creator offered the Torah to all the nations and in all the languages, but they didn’t accept it.” What does this verse mean?

My Answer: Usually a person only feels and is controlled by his natural egoism. In this case he is called “the nations of the world.”

If the point in the heart surfaces in him (the embryo of his soul, the future quality of bestowal and love for the neighbor), then because of his goal, he is called, “Straight to the Creator” (IsraEl, in Hebrew).

So what the sages meant is that if a person does not feel the point in the heart (if he still belongs to the nations of the world), then he does not need the Torah, the Light of Correction, since he does not feel a need for correction.

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A question I received: Why does the Torah justify Jacob when he lies to Esau? Esau comes to Jacob with open arms, yet Jacob turns away from him and tries to buy himself off with gifts.

My Answer: The Torah speaks about a person’s correction, whereby he becomes similar to the Creator. Jacob represents the intention of bestowal and Esau represents the will to receive, our egoism. Esau doesn’t understand that he always remains empty because his intention is “for the sake of himself,” and that only by changing it to the intention of “for others” will he instantly be filled by the Upper, eternal fulfillment – the Light. This is something egoism doesn’t understand, and that’s why a person must trick his egoism. He has to entice the ego to work on spiritual development by telling it that it will avoid suffering and to be filled by spiritual fulfillment and revelation.

This way, one’s egoism helps one to study Kabbalah, because it expects fulfillment from it. It studies Lo Lishma – for the sake of oneself. However, in the process of studying, connecting with friends, and thereby receiving the Light of Correction, the person ceases valuing the intention “for himself” and instead starts valuing the intention “to bestow” – for the sake of others, for the sake of the Creator.

This happens by virtue of the Light’s influence. And when one’s intention changes, he can begin to use his egoism (Esau) in order to receive for the sake of bestowal. This is how one attains eternal, perfect fulfillment. This maneuver is similar to the way we trick or entice a child to study, and eventually he comes to understand that it was done for his own good. This is how the Creator plays with each and every one of us.

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A question I received: Why do you say that the word Mashiach (Messiah) originates from the word Lishmoch – to pull? I think it originates from the word Limshoach – to anoint, and it refers to one who is anointed for service.

My Answer: To be anointed means to draw the Upper Light of Hochma upon a person. In our world, this Light is represented by oil. This is how a person ascends to a level required to serve the Creator.

This procedure was done by a prophet who was on such a high level that he could pull a person up to the spiritual level of service to the Creator. Kabbalah doesn’t talk about “whom, how and with what to anoint,” but tells us about the essence of this phenomenon: about the reception of the Upper Light that actually gives a person the force and right to be God’s anointed, to be close to the Creator. I “translate” these words to get directly to the essence of what is happening.

By the way, these letters are interchangeable in Hebrew. However, if you feel more drawn to corporeal anointment, then you should read the non-Kabbalistic explanations. Everything written in the Torah can be understood directly, as physical actions, and/or according to its true, inner meaning. Still, by understanding the text literally, one does not reveal its true meaning. It is because the Mashiach is the force of liberation from egoism, and not a person.

It says in the “Introduction to the Book of Zohar, Item 70: “Alas, these people, who make the spirit of the Messiah vanish from the world, so as never to return, make the Torah dry, without the moist of mind and knowledge, for they confine themselves to the practical part of the Torah, and do not wish to try and understand the wisdom of Kabbalah, to know and educate themselves in the secrets and the reason behind the Torah and Mitzvot…”

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A question I received: “In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) Why? What was the motive? What was the plan? How could the Creator make this world without thinking through all the consequences!? This is proven by the story of the flood where G-d said “I will blot out man whom I have created… for I am sorry that I have made them” (Gen 6:7) – as if He didn’t know this was going to happen.

My Answer: There are only two things in existence: the creation – the will to receive Light, and the Creator – the Light, the will to give pleasure. As long as the creation is equivalent to the Light and wishes to receive “for His sake,” in order to please Him – it receives the Light. And if the creation does not desire to act “for the sake of Creator,” then it is opposite to Him, because He desires to please the creation. Then the creation does not feel Him or His Light, but instead feels complete darkness, a black copy of the Light – our world.

“In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth” means that He created the qualities of bestowal and reception. What for? In order for man to intermix these qualities within and make a free choice about which of them to use: egoism or altruism. You can read the rest in my books (available for free download).

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A question I received: It’s written that the villain Bilam was a great prophet, like Moses. I understand that this is describing the desires that become revealed in a person, and Light cannot be revealed in uncorrected desires. But why is the most uncorrected desire, Bilam, not only able to reveal the Light, but even the level of a prophet? How could Bilam reach the level of prophecy while being in such an uncorrected state?

My Answer: It is written that Pharaoh knows the Creator, and that the villain Lavan embodies the complete Upper Light. Similar things are written about many other “evil” characters. The Torah talks about the spiritual roots of characters in our world, rather than their earthly manifestations. When you look at the root of their souls from the spiritual level, then you define who they are, even though in our world these characters play their roles unknowingly.

Pharaoh is equal and opposite to the Creator. This is similar to how there are four pure worlds of ABYA (worlds of the good forces of bestowal), and opposite them there are four impure worlds of ABYA (worlds of evil forces of reception). These two systems are opposite, parallel, and equal to each other in order to sustain the conditions of freedom of will for the souls.

The souls are equally influenced by both, and their choice lies in choosing the right environment in order to receive additional forces so as to prefer the right side – the good, bestowing side. It is written that at every moment one should see oneself as half-sinner and half-righteous, and the only way to tip the balance is by being impressed by the group. This is why it is so important for us to create the most complete virtual influence of the Bnei Baruch group on everyone who desires it.

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