Before reading The Book of Zohar, we have to prepare ourselves so that this reading benefits us. The Zohar talks about the correction of the soul, that is, about the correction of the connection between us. Thus, while reading The Zohar, we should strive to realize in us the corrected states described in the text. This means that we desire to reveal what The Zohar talks about.

Revelation isn’t understanding in the mind. How can I understand what I have never seen? It’s possible to see only on the condition that new models of sensation form within me because vision is a sensation in our desires, the vessels of reception. A sensation may occur only when my specific internal state matches that described in The Zohar.

This can be achieved only if I ascend to the degree of the giver as The Zohar requires. How is this possible? It’s possible if I connect with the environment, in relation to which I can express the extent of my bestowal. Thus, even before we open The Book of Zohar, we have to strive to join together in such a state, on such a level, with such a force that is suitable for the revelation of The Zohar in the connection between us.

To the extent one cancels himself and we connect together in mutual bestowal and guarantee, to the same extent we can achieve the condition in which we’ll feel what The Zohar talks about, at least to the smallest degree. All this depends on the force of unity between us that has to be at the level of the first spiritual degree. Then, we will feel what The Zohar relates to us.

Baal HaSulam writes about this in the “Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Item 155: A person striving to know what he studies draws upon himself the Light that Reforms. In essence, all our work is to aspire to be in this state, to sense it. Thus, we are required only to have the desire to feel the need for revelation.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/24/2011, The Book of Zohar

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Writings of Rabash, Igrot Letter 37
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The Book of Zohar – Selected, Chapter, “Truma (Donation),” “A Persimmon and a Sedan Chair,” Item 20, Lesson 2
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Talmud Eser Sefirot Vol. 1, Part 1 “Histaklut Pnimit,” Lesson 20
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Explanation of the Article, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” Item 5, Lesson 4
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The Zohar, Chapter “Truma (Donation),” Item 4: … Jacob, who was whole, brought love in both worlds, meaning he married the two sisters, Leah and Rachel, the two worlds, Bina and Malchut.

Question: Which of my inner desires are called sisters?

Answer: A person contains the still, vegetative, animate, and human levels of desire. The entire world that I see is my desire, divided into many particular desires, each of which forms a certain earthly image in my perception.

We “see” our desires. We look inside ourselves, into our desire that is divided into parts, the objects of the world. We see the world in three dimensions, as if we are looking through 3-D glasses. And we don’t even feel that we are in this virtual reality because we don’t have anything to compare our sensation to. That is why it seems to us that we exist in the authentic world.

That is, we perceive something inside our desire, but it seems like we see it outside, in front of us. However, if besides this world, we would see a different reality, then we would discover that the reality of this world is relative. Parts of my desire depict images of inanimate objects, plants, animals, and people. However, these are not people who appear before me in this world, but my desire on the human level, which divides into many parts and I see each part of my desire in the form of an image of some person.

I also have desires on the animate level and therefore I see different animals in this world. Moreover, there are desires that are present in me now, as well as ones that were present in the past or that will surface in the future. This is why I see a developing world, extinct kinds of animals, or new species that suddenly appear in front of me. This means they surface in my consciousness and disappear. And the same thing happens on the still and vegetative levels.

There is no world. These are just my sensations inside of my desires when certain Reshimot (informational genes) come to the surface, replacing others, and by perceiving the realization of my Reshimot in this way, I feel that I live in them—in essence, that I live in the world. This is an internal movie that is projected to me by the constant Light, which awakens Reshimot that replace one another.

In the process of the Reshimot’s development (where a Reshimo [singular form of Reshimot] is an informational record in my memory), a part of them depends on my willingness to process new Reshimot, while part of the Reshimot awaken on their own. This entire process of development, which happens by itself, is called “Beito” (in due time). But if I want to accelerate it and am able to, this path of development is called Ahishena (accelerating time).

However, in any case we are only talking about Reshimot that awaken in me, which I perceive as the world, myself, and the entire process of development.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/25/11, The Zohar

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Shamati #25 “Things That Come From The Heart”
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The Book of Zohar – Selected, Chapter, “Truma (Donations),” “Who Is She Who Looks Forth Like the Dawn,” Item 1, Lesson 1
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Talmud Eser Sefirot Vol. 1, Part 1 “Histaklut Pnimit,” Lesson 19
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Explanation of the Article, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” Item 4, Lesson 3
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Question: What is so special about The Book of Zohar? Why is it so popular and why do people consider it to be the source of the greatest power?

Answer: Baal HaSulam writes that The Book of Zohar is the greatest and most revealing Kabbalistic composition of all time. After all, ten Kabbalists that were suitable for creating a single vessel (Kli) got together to write this book. They connected into the ten Sefirot on the level of the final correction (Gmar Tikkun), in all 125 degrees by which the soul must ascend in order to obtain its final correction.

They ascended to the state of the final correction (Gmar Tikkun) and from there wrote about this revelation. This is why this book is called The Zohar, the highest “radiance” (Zeira Ilaa) there is.

This book is written as a commentary to the five books of the Torah. All that has been revealed by the great Kabbalists from the time of the First Temple to the time of the Second Temple is presented in this book on the level of the final correction. Also, it was written in a very unique way: Rabbi Shimon spoke, Rabbi Aba wrote it down, and all the others shared their revelations. This means that it gives descriptions through various points of views, and for this reason it suits all souls that will ever reveal it and wish to correct themselves by means of the Light that Reforms.

The story of this book is unique and tragic. It was concealed for a long time and only became revealed in the 11th century in Spain, thanks to Rabbi Moshe de Leon, then followed a few more stages of its concealment and revelation, until the appearance of Baal HaSulam in the 20th century.

During that time, the return to the land of Israel began and all Kabbalists began to feel that the time had come for the realization of The Book of Zohar, meaning for the correction of the souls and coming out of the final exile to the final redemption. This is why Baal HaSulam received permission to write a commentary to this book called “Sulam” (ladder).

The Book of Zohar is “caged behind a thousand locks” and locked with many different keys; it is written in such a way that a regular person can’t even touch it. You can buy it and read it, but you won’t know what to do with it and how to use it correctly. Through his four introductions written to this book and the “Sulam” commentary, after which he received his name, Baal HaSulam hands us the key, defines how to reveal and view this book.

From this moment we can really say that we received The Book of Zohar in order to realize it. It becomes the source of great Light that we can use day after day.
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From the program on Lag B’Omer on 5/17/11

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Writings of Rabash, “Who Causes the Prayer”
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The Book of Zohar – Selected, Chapter, “Mishpatim,” “Neshikin (Kisses),” Item 555, Lesson 20
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Talmud Eser Sefirot Vol. 1, Part 1 “Histaklut Pnimit,” Lesson 18
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Baal HaSulam, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” Item 1, Lesson 2
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The holiday of Lag B’Omer (the 33rd day of Omer) is celebrated to honor Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the author of The Book of Zohar, who died on that day. In the chapter “Idra Zuta,” article “Azinu,” The Book of Zohar describes Rabbi Shimon’s passing in this way: For the Lord bestowed blessing, even eternal life upon him” (Psalm 133). Rabbi Abba said: The holy Light did not finish proclaiming life until his speeches were completed. I recorded it and thought of recording some more, but did not hear. And I did not lift my head because there was a very great Light that I could not look upon. Rabbi Eleazar and Rabbi Abba stood up and took him away from his place. And the whole house was filled with a fragrant scent. They placed him on the bed and no one touched him besides Rabbi Eleazar and Rabbi Abba. When they carried the bed out of the house, they heard a voice. Then everyone entered and gathered together for the celebration to honor Rabbi Shimon.

The Zohar uses these colorful descriptions because it is written in the language of Midrash (story telling). But of course, it is not talking about his physical death, but the passing of the soul which goes on to the state of the end of correction. That is why this is such an important event and why this entire system, which includes his students, receives such a great Light.

This is not talking about a person’s death, but about the thinning out of a spiritual Partzuf. First the Light comes and dresses into a Partzuf, forming inside it Taamim, Nekudot, Tagin, and Otiyot. The clothing of the Light into a Partzuf and its disappearance make the Light fit for being used, and that is how Rabbi Shimon’s soul attains its true action—the last level, the general end of correction. This is what The Zohar describes.

All the other friends, all the souls that depended on him and that resulted from his Partzuf, which became filled with Light and is now freed from it, now receive through it the entire Light that leaves it. They are those who were attached to it, connected to it, and participated in attracting Light when it passed away.

The death of a Kabbalist means that the entire Light he absorbed inside of his soul together with his students, accumulating it with their help for all humanity, is now made free by him and passed to all the other souls. Now this Light becomes like an illumination, like surrounding Light which he gives to others. His passing symbolizes this passage of Light.

That is why we celebrate this day in this way and are happy about receiving this upper Light, which is called “The Zohar,” capable of correcting all the souls, of connecting and elevating every person to the Creator’s level. That is why this holiday is called the holiday of Light—the Light that reforms, the Light of correction. Every person has to ask himself: Does he really use this Light?

This Light has been given to us, but are we using it and are we realizing ourselves correctly? This is called participating in the holiday of Lag B’Omer.
From the program on Lag B’Omer on 5/17/11

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Question: Does the network of connection between the great Kabbalists of the past also work on the souls that have not yet awakened spiritually?

Answer: No, these people don’t turn to them for help. You can study the Torah, read thousands of books, and this will not change anything in you. Moreover, even if you read the texts of Kabbalists with the intention to advance, the question is whether you are in the group, whether you desire to create together with others the same form of connection that exists between these Kabbalists.

Do we desire to create in the bond between us the same network of connection that exists between these Kabbalists? Do we want to move from the connection between the broken souls that think only about how to enjoy all sorts of earthly pleasures to the connection which unites our holy forefathers, the great Kabbalists of all generations? Do we wish to move from the broken system of connection between souls to the corrected one? We ask them to help us become similar to them so that they accept us in their assembly.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/17/2011, The Book of Zohar

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Question: What corrections did the Kabbalists of the past perform for us?

Answer: Baal HaSulam writes in “Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Item 11: The sages of the Talmud have made the path of Torah easier for us than the sages of the Mishnah. This is because …they have provided us with a new means instead of the penance presented in the above-mentioned Mishnah, Avot: the “Light in the Torah.” It bears sufficient power to reform a person….”

Why did the sages of the Talmud replaced the path of asceticism (“live on bread and water, sleep on the ground, lead a meager life, and exert in the Torah”) only with the study of the Torah? It’s because they corrected the network of connection between them. This general system of souls already contains the souls that act in it, and we can avail ourselves of their help.

After the breaking, the broken souls exist in the general system of souls. And although in the diagram we depict them as if scattered in a sphere, the system has a strict hierarchy which existed in the world of Nekudim before the breaking. The souls break and fall down following the same hierarchy: each one according to its level of Aviut (the thickness of desire), meaning that the souls with a bigger Aviut fall lower.

This system contains special souls, thousands of Kabbalists who are bonded together by a special connection. This resembles a skeleton of the spiritual system.

Reading their manuscripts, we evoke the illumination from the network of connection that they have built between themselves. This illumination corrects us, and we can avoid the path of suffering and deprivation which people followed in the past, without awakening the Light, but rather subjecting themselves to suffering so that it would help them destroy their ego.

We can’t follow this path. We are weak and unable to fight our ego directly. We can do it by awakening the already existing network of connection. We as though rest in the hands of the Kabbalists of the past, as a newborn baby in the hands of a caring mother, and they look after us.

We connect with their manuscripts, especially The Book of Zohar, the texts of the ARI and Baal HaSulam, and receive from there the Light, the care of these great souls.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/17/2011, The Book of Zohar

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While reading The Zohar, we should keep trying to see forms of the connection between us instead of the words. Essentially, it is the only thing that the words describe since there isn’t anything besides Malchut which ties all souls within it. This is the connection we are supposed to see behind the words of The Zohar.

In that case, all images that appear in our imagination, all the sensations we experience below Malchut, below this connection, are regarded as either the dividing worlds (BYA de Pruda), the concealments, or our own world that exists solely in our imagination. And everything above Malchut de Atzilut, meaning the forms of our mutual connection, exist from Malchut of Atzilut through Malchut of Infinity, and all are revealed in Malchut.

Hence, this is the only picture we should be seeing behind the words, trying to recognize what form, type, and expression of our mutual connection The Zohar is describing at a certain moment. After all, Kabbalists, the authors of The Book of Zohar, see nothing but that as well.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/17/2011, The Zohar

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