A question I received: Who are these “Kabbalists of Jerusalem” you often refer to in your lessons?

My Answer: The answer appears in Baal HaSulam’s “Introduction to the Book ‘From the Mouth of a Sage’.” Here is a version I have abbreviated:

Kabbalists say that every person is obligated to study Kabbalah. And even if one has learned every detail of the Torah and is the greatest of the righteous in the world, but he did not study Kabbalah, he will have to return to this world in order to study Kabbalah.

It is because the revealed Torah is no more than a preparation for mastering its concealed part, the attainment of similarity to the Creator. And if a person hasn’t attained this goal, he will have to return and attain it. Hence, the entire nation is absolutely obligated to study Kabbalah, the means to attain this goal.

Our generation is at the beginning of the full correction, which is being delayed because people neglect the study of Kabbalah. There are several reasons for this: The language it’s written in is difficult, the material is disorganized, people are illiterate, and they are concerned with materialistic fulfillment. In order to accelerate the correction, the Creator has revealed the method needed for correction, through me.

But Light becomes revealed from darkness, and this is what happened when I moved from Warsaw to Jerusalem. I saw the poverty of the nation, the scarcity of knowledge, and the pride of fools who assert that the science of Kabbalah is absolutely devoid of reason, knowledge, and logic, that it is just a collection of words without any concealed meaning, words that should only be uttered just the way they are written. And when those who study the literal meaning of the texts increase in number, the Messiah will come and the correction will be complete.

I have met with these famous “Kabbalists.” They have spent many years studying the works of the Ari and The Zohar, and they know what’s written there by heart! I asked them: Did their teacher attain the inner essence? They responded that there is no inner essence besides what’s written, and that no one in the entire line of Kabbalists since the Ari has attained anything. And the Ari also didn’t attain the Upper One, but received his knowledge from the prophet Elijah, who appeared to him and taught him. And Elijah knew the inner part because he was an angel.

So I poured all my wrath unto them and parted with them forever.

Filed under: Spirituality - 1 Comment →

A question I received: The information you present to the world is fascinating. Everyone in my family is Orthodox Christian, and I’ve read the Bible and the New Testament since childhood. My question is: Where is Jesus Christ in your science? This worries me most of all, and is the only thing about your method that raises a concern.

My Answer: He’s absent, because I only base my teaching on the three main Kabbalists: Rashbi (The Book of Zohar), the Ari, and Baal HaSulam (view his available works in English). Just like any other science, Kabbalah bears no relation to any religion. It is the physics of forces that are perceived and examined through our sixth sense – the corrected desire.

In contrast, religion speaks about carrying out certain actions and rituals in our world, rather than correcting one’s egoism by means of the Upper Light. However, all religions want this action attributed to them.

Filed under: Spirituality - 46 Comments →

A question I received: Is it possible to publish the Torah with an explanation of its inner meaning, the Sulam commentary? Many people I know say: “I only know the Torah of Moses. I don’t know The Book of Zohar, only Moses. I don’t know Rashbi, the Ari, or Baal HaSulam, only Moses, and I read his Torah every day.” The problem is that they read a beautiful tale without the inner meaning. Is it possible to publish the Torah with explanations of its inner meaning beneath the text? Does such a thing exist? It would open the eyes and hearts of many!

My Answer: This won’t open anything up for anyone. About twenty or thirty years ago, people used to ask how Kabbalah explains different excerpts from the Torah. Lured by these commentaries, they came to learn Kabbalah – myself included.

However, today people want to know about themselves, and they don’t care about what’s written in the Torah. One considers one’s own soul as being more important. In the past, people were interested in theoretical problems, but today, they are interested in practical problems, the problems of survival.

Thus, we should speak to people directly, and not confuse them with beautiful phrases. We should succinctly explain causes and their effects, get straight to the point, and tell people how they can change their lives in a way that everyone will understand. I dismiss those who set their terms and say, “I only want to hear it this one way.” Let them receive a few more blows of fate, and then they’ll feel the approaching disaster, the suffering, and will come without setting any terms. A hungry person is ready to eat anything, and doesn’t ask for a menu.

Filed under: Zohar - No Comments →

A question I received: You say that Kabbalah uses its own terminology. But when reading Kabbalistic texts, I get confused whether it is speaking about the physical world or the Upper World. So how can you claim that the language of Kabbalah is precise?

My Answer: Kabbalah uses names borrowed from our world. However, just as other methods of rendering of the Upper World (The Pentateuch, Mishna, and Talmud), such names allude exclusively to the Upper World, to its forces and properties. So why is it better to study Kabbalah than the Talmud? It’s simply because, when you study Kabbalah, you don’t forget that you’re studying the Upper World – the system that influences you and that you depend on. Hence, you want to draw closer to it, and this desire pulls you toward it.

In addition, it’s best to study with a teacher who explains all this to you and reminds you of it during your studies. And you should study in a group that supports you in this endeavor. As a person studies these texts, precisely his intention to become corrected attracts onto him the Light that Reforms – the Torah. If you read them in any other manner, you will surely get confused and start thinking that it’s speaking about our world.

For instance, take a look at the text of the ARI (The Tree of Life):
The primary HaVaYaH (the 4-letter name of the Creator) from the World of Infinity begets all consequences, which further divide into four parts, down to our world.

1. Every creature contains four bases: fire, water, air, and the dust of the earth. They correspond to the four letters HaVaYaH, and KhuB Tum, and TaNTA (Taamim, Nekudot, Tagin and Otiyot), and ABYA.

2. And these are the four categories in the lower (of our world) Adam: a) the spiritual that’s within him; b) the body; c) the garments; d) the dwelling place. Each of them in turn consists of four: in his spiritual part there’s Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, and Chaya; in his body there’s Atzamot, Gidin, Basar and Awr (bones, tendons, flesh and skin); in the garments there’s Kutonet, Mikhnasaim, Matznefet, Avnet (shirt, pants, cloak, belt); in the dwelling place there’s Bait, Hatzer, Sade, Midbar (house, yard, field, desert).

3. In the four categories of Adam, there’s one that includes all. And there’s also the middle one between each of these categories, which includes all the adjacent ones.

4. The category which includes all is called the Light of Yechida. It has two parts: the spark of the Creator and the spark of the creature.

5. The middle category between the spiritual in Adam, which is NaRaNCHaY, and his body – is “Reviit Dam” (the fourth part of blood), and Nefesh de-Nefesh (the animate force) clothes in it. It also includes the spiritual part and the body.

6. The middle category between the body and the garments is “Searot” and “Tzipornayim” of Adam (hair and nails).

7. The middle category between the garments and the dwelling place is Oalim (tabernacles) which are made of wool and flax.

Conclusion: Only in the process of studying authentic Kabbalistic texts do you connect with the Upper World and evoke upon yourself the influence of the Upper Light (the Light of the Torah), which can transport you from the perception of this world to the perception of the Upper World. There is no other method that can allow you to achieve such a transformation! Therefore, when the world and you are ready for it, Kabbalah becomes revealed and is offered to you as the method of correction.

Filed under: Spirituality - 1 Comment →