Entries in the 'book' Category

Begin A Dialogue With The Creator

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe main requirement for a person is the proper reaction when the Creator addresses him. The Creator is primary. The Creator always begins. A person is the consequence, the reaction to the Creator’s influence on the desire. I am a reaction of the desire to the Light’s influence on it. The Upper Light comes to us from Above through the four stages 1-2-3-4, HaVaYaH (Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey). The created being has no other connection to the Creator.

Therefore, we should try to react properly to the Creator’s appeal to us; that is, to our perception of ourselves and the world at every given moment. We should recognize a constant dialogue with the Creator in our existence. He created a connection between the initial point of addressing us, the tip of the letter “Yod” (Kutso Shel Yod) and the last letter of HaVaYaH – “Hey,” in which we and our world are situated.

The connection between the initial point of the letter “Yod” and the last “Hey” can include all five worlds, 125 degrees, and then we do not feel a connection with the Creator. The connection is revealed immediately as we ascend to the first degree, number 125, Malchut of the World of Assiya. And then follow the degrees 124, 123, and so on, until we ascend to the World of Infinity, the uppermost degree.

And all this is within HaVaYaH, between the beginning of the letter “Yod” and the last “Hey.” This HaVaYaH (my connection with the Creator) starts to become more and more clear to me, as though the fog (the concealment) clears.

I achieve revelation of the connection, by continuously directing myself to the Creator in response to His influences on me, trying to connect everything to Him, according to the principle “There is none else besides Him.” How can one react in the most proper and effective manner? The most effective reaction, directed precisely at the Creator in any circumstance, is to try to carry out a common action of “appealing to the Creator” together with the friends.

However, the appeal is only effective if it is directed back through the HaVaYaH. This is achieved by reading authentic Kabbalistic sources. When you read about what happens in the HaVaYaH, you direct Malchut to Keter; that is, you direct your unification to the source.

To the extent that we unite, we exist in Malchut. This is only if we come together. And as we read The Book of Zohar all together, we desire to launch the HaVaYaH back through the reflected Light to its beginning, the letter “Yod.” After all, Kabbalah books only tell us about the connection between Keter, “Yod,” and Malchut, the lower letter “Hey.” Therefore, when we read without the revelation and understanding of the connections in the HaVaYaH, we rouse this connection onto ourselves and cause this system to be revealed.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/28/10, The Zohar

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Breakthrough

Dr. Michael LaitmanWe exist in this world on the animate level, where we are completely controlled by our nature. However, at some point in time, we reveal that this life is insignificant and pointless, and experience a desire to rise to a higher level. Yet, how can we ascend above the animate existence, which is automatic and involuntary? How can we become “human,” free and above the life of our animate bodies?

“Human” means “similar” to the Creator (because the word “Adam” comes from the word “Domeh,” similar). In order to realize this ascent, to build a new, “human” nature inside the “animal,” so that our new nature will be equal to the Creator, we have to draw the Light that Reforms upon ourselves. This is a special Upper Force that influences and changes us so we ascend, raising our understanding, sensation, abilities, and perception. That is how we rise to a higher level called “Human.”

 

This is not just a mechanical ascent or an accumulation of more knowledge, but a transition to a different level of nature. We don’t understand how it occurs because right now we are all looking at the world from within our animate bodies. I am hiding inside this animal and I perceive this world through its eyes, ears, and other senses. I am unable to see the world differently until the Light comes from Above and enables me to be liberated from this animate skin and its sensations, and to clothe into a human guise. Then I will see and feel a new reality.

Right now we don’t know what kind of reality we exist in or where we have to arrive. Each of these things can only be assessed and researched based on the other. However, in order to set this entire process in motion, we were given two main pieces of advice: Be in a Kabbalistic group and study Kabbalah books. Through the group and the desire to unite together, we are able to come out of ourselves and become human. A human being is one who is connected with others and has the ability to bestow to his neighbor. With the force of our desire, a book draws Light upon us and turns what we desire into reality. That is how we actually attain the human level, equivalence to the Upper One.

Each of us has this desire to become human and not remain an “animal.” And we have the group which affords the opportunity to make efforts in order to come out of the animate sensation and unite together. Our connection is what will enable us to be called “people.” The Upper Light that we draw through our mutual reading will complete this work for us and will transform our efforts into a new, actual reality. So let us study together with this hope.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/27/10, The Zohar

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A Wonderful Infusion

Dr. Michael LaitmanWhen we read The Zohar, we should expect salvation. Baal HaSulam writes in the “Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Item 155:  “Indeed, there is a great and marvelous quality concealed in Kabbalistic books, worthy of being publicized.” In other words, by studying The Zohar we can unite with the Source, the Creator, Who exists in other dimensions.

We exist in our dimension, in separation from Him, while The Zohar creates a connection between us and Him, the higher dimension. From there, to the extent of our aspiration, we receive the Light, the remedy that flows into us one drop at a time, like an infusion.

The Torah does not demand anything unrealistic. After all, the Upper One knows us better than we know ourselves; what is expected of us is measured according to the way we’re created. One is told: “Sit down with a book. You must connect with your environment because that is your spiritual form.”

Currently a person is on his or her own level. One is an egoist and doesn’t care for anyone, wanting nothing except egoistic pleasure. A person doesn’t even know what exactly is wanted, but the Upper One knows it well. It is He who creates these desires, even the most disgusting qualities in a person. And only occasionally do we slightly feel what He does.

Having created all of this in within us, the Creator expects just one thing: “Try to unite with Me just a little bit, based on all the things given to you from Above.” A person has to reveal the present state, and just wish to become like the Upper One.

However, in order to become like the Upper One, one needs to imagine the state when he and the group are together in a state of mutual bestowal, mutual guarantee. Imagining our self and them as one whole means we want to feel this state of the Light already operating between us in a single whole. We want to feel that we’re together and the Light is fulfilling us because we become like the Light to the extent of our unity. This is the state that we need to imagine.

It is clear that we are not together or connected with one another, but we are trying to connect, which means we want to grow spiritually and become like the Upper degree. Thus, to the extent of one’s aspiration, The Zohar creates a connection between that person and the Upper degree, injecting this infusion, which are drops of Light called “drops of luck” (Mazalot) that flow towards him.

There is no other difference between a person and the Upper degree, aside from the fact that one is better connected with others on the Upper degree. Try to imagine this upper state, the inner connection of mutual bestowal with everyone, which is called the “Upper Light.” This force, the Surrounding Light that rears a person like an infant, influences from that same state that one imagines, dreams of, and aspires to.

From the Evening Zohar Lesson 5/13/10

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Bestowal Has A Thousand Names

Dr. Michael LaitmanAll words are names of the qualities of Malchut; this is the only thing we read about in Kabbalah books. You might object because the letters originate in the following way: nine come from ZAT de Bina, nine come from Zeir Anpin, and just the last four letters of the alphabet are contained in Malchut . So why do all the words come from Malchut? It’s because we receive everything as an imprint in Malchut, no matter where it comes from.

Every name is the will to enjoy through the action of bestowal, meaning through reception for the sake of bestowal. The intention to bestow is what gives the desire a specific form. We don’t name the desire and the Light themselves, but their connection, the relationship between desire and Light. Only it has a name.

For example, a “plant” is not just a desire to enjoy, but a desire that contains the force of the Light that forms it into a plant, which is a desire of the vegetative type. The original Kli HaVaYaH is not yet a name, but just its basis. Names are fulfillments that are contained inside this name, or the Lights that can clothe inside this matter according to equivalence of form. This is why all the names come from Malchut.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/4/10, Beit Shaar HaKavanot

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The Book About You

Dr. Michael LaitmanA question I received: How is The Zohar’s influence on us different from that of other books?

My Answer:
Other compositions influence us in a more open manner and affect our material feelings and mind. As we read them, we’re able to imagine that we’re in a similar state. For example, the book of Shamati addresses our emotions and feelings while other articles by Baal HaSulam appeal to our mind.

In contrast, The Zohar doesn’t address our external, corporeal mind or emotions; we have to reveal the inner meaning instilled in it. That is, we have to discover what this book points to inside our soul, qualities, and inner sensations. Until a person is able to do this, he feels that he’s not connecting to this book and that it exists completely separately from him.

Kabbalistic books and especially The Book of Zohar are very personal and intimate. When you go inside them, they reveal your soul to you. You begin to feel that this book knows you more thoroughly than you know yourself; the book tells you about your true self. It opens you more and more and explains who you are inside.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/13/10, The Zohar

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Revealing The Creator With The Book Of Zohar

Dr. Michael Laitman Kabbalists who revealed the Creator, wrote books about this, starting from Adam, the first person to attain the Creator, through Baal HaSulam. There are many Kabbalistic books mentioned in The Book of Zohar, which we aren’t familiar with. Apparently, these books have been lost. All the books written by sages from the nation of Israel up to HaShla HaKadosh (17th Century) were written from spiritual attainment.

Later, as a result of the descent of the level of the generations from the 17th Century on, not all authors of books on Kabbalah were in spiritual attainment. For this reason, a question arises regarding the authenticity of some books. We have at our disposal hundreds of books by authentic Kabbalists who wrote them while they were in our world and simultaneously had the perception of the spiritual world, a connection with the Creator. Hence, they were able to transmit their attainments to us in the form of texts, so that we, in turn, would obtain contact with what they attained.

However, The Book of Zohar is the only authentic Kabbalistic book about which it is written that through it we will come out of exile and rise to the level of those Kabbalists – the authors of these books. Indeed, The Book of Zohar truly has a special Light. The fact that there are other books, through which we can acquire a greater impression or understanding, is irrelevant when actually attaining the level of connection with the Creator.

There are many Kabbalistic texts, such as: “The Tree of Life” by the ARI, the Tanakh, the Gemara, and the Mishna, which are written in a rational, logical language that we understand. In contrast, when we read The Book of Zohar, we don’t understand what is written. It carries us into various directions. However, the special connection that it creates between our souls, between us who are beginning this path, and the source of Light that is able to correct us – is not present in any other book.

Therefore, of all the books, only about The Book of Zohar is it written that due to it we can come out of exile, to deliverance, and reveal the Creator. Other Kabbalistic sources also contain a connection, since the Kabbalists writing them possessed spiritual attainment. Their connection is expressed in their compositions. Nonetheless, only The Book of Zohar, can help us.

The Zohar’s Secret Influence

Dr. Michael Laitman A question I received: Naturally, every book influences people even if it’s a health-food book. When we read Rabash’s articles about the group or Baal HaSulam’s articles like “Matan Torah” (The Giving of the Torah)” and “The Arvut” (The Mutual Guarantee), it’s clear to us that these articles speak about unity. When we read The Zohar, we believe that Kabbalists wrote about unification, but this isn’t obvious to us from the text. How does this text influence people?

My Answer: There are books that affect understanding. For example, when we read an organic cookbook, we understand what this book is about and this affects our mind. However, The Zohar is written in a way that doesn’t speak to our physical mind, which is why we’re unable to understand this book. The Zohar speaks to our spiritual mind; yet, at present, we don’t have a spiritual mind. We weren’t created with it; rather, we must attain it. We can’t yet understand what the authors of The Zohar wrote about; to do so, we must rise to the level of their mind and sensations.

Sometimes we can feel these changes inside ourselves such as when we suddenly perceive things that previously we were unable to grasp. All at once, we can see that there’s an absolutely different perspective from which we can view things. This is an inner perspective that doesn’t exist in this world. In this world, so far, our vantage point is with the intention of Lo Lishma (for the sake of receiving). Consequently, once we understand the meaning of Lishma (for the sake of bestowal) and acquire the spiritual mind and senses, we will feel as if we are from another planet, not from this world.

The Zohar is written in two layers in order to bring us to this. The first layer is tales that are seemingly about this world, but are written in a very strange form such as about the Tabernacle, animals, the Sinai desert, and so on. The second layer is a more inner level written with Kabbalistic terminology such as Zeir Anpin, Malchut, the three lines, ascents and descents, Aba ve Ima, and so forth.

We have no connection with either of these planes. Essentially, however, these are not two planes, but two languages that speak about the same phenomena. I can still visualize the plane that is closer to me, the one that seemingly speaks about this world such as a tent, the Tabernacle, and people that do things. I can also visualize the second plane, somehow, of the right and the left lines, up and down, the passing of the Light, and ascents and descents of Partzufim.

A lot of effort is needed to visualize both planes as one whole and see that all of this is within me. This is about my connection with the forces of bestowal; all of this is only about the forces of bestowal. Where are the Tabernacle, the tent of gathering, Zeir Anpin, and Malchut? Everything is within me. I must treat both of these planes like they are my inner spiritual qualities. I want to bring them out from within me and feel them, which is called “Opening The Book of Zohar” or revealing it. This is why Segula (Remedy) operates here.

Cookbooks or weight-loss books brainwash us. We acquire the author’s mind, he influences us, and his opinion begins to interest us. The Zohar doesn’t “brainwash” or coerce; it doesn’t contain anything like that. The remedy in it only operates according to our desire. We need to have a very strong desire so The Zohar will really influence us so that spirituality will become revealed to us.

The Book of Zohar Won’t Let Us Delude Ourselves

method When we read The Book of Zohar, we understand that it talks about qualities, forms, and images that we don’t perceive yet. It is precisely this sensation of not understanding that pushes us forward and makes us form the right perception.

If we read other Kabbalistic books, then we might perceive everything in a purely mechanical manner, with our mind, or in the form of material pictures. Then we will be satisfied with the perception that lowers all the concepts to the level of our world, without understanding that they are all imaginary. Alternatively, we might consider them spiritual, yet merely theoretical.

In contrast, The Book of Zohar with Baal HaSulam’s Commentary forces us to search for a new perception and to unite these two images. This results in the emergence of the true perception of reality. A person doesn’t understand how it happens, but the book works on him and he gradually acquires a new perception.

The Zohar Speaks In The Language Of Branches

public.jpg The Zohar, Chapter Chayei Sarah (The Life of Sarah),Item 12: …Hence, the wicked are wiped out of Dumah’s book because he takes into the calculation only from the middle line, where the wicked are not included. Therefore, who will desire them at the revival of the dead? During the revival of the dead, the angel Matat will receive the account in the graveyards from Dumah. But who will desire those wicked ones that are not counted by Dumah for the revival of the dead?

A question I received: This text can confuse and frighten a person with words like “dead” and “graveyards.” What is the right way to perceive these words?

My Answer: We must understand that The Zohar speaks in the language of branches, as do most other Kabbalistic books. The method imparts not only knowledge, but more importantly it conveys impressions to us. This is in order for us to attract the Light of correction from the spiritual world to attain our corrected state.

We’re not talking about physical bodies or our material world, and we mustn’t try to correct our “hands and feet;” we aren’t attempting to fix physical concerns that should be treated by a regular doctor. Rather, The Zohar speaks of the soul’s correction. Therefore, even though The Zohar uses words of this world, they all allude to spiritual notions, meaning that they relate to our inner forces and qualities.

It is these qualities that I now want to study. I do so in order to understand which part of me is “ailing,” which part must be corrected. I do so, so that I will need to desire to correct it. That is the purpose of The Book of Zohar.

The Miraculous Power Of The Book Of Zohar

hiddenpart A question I received: It’s not entirely clear how the Light that Reforms operates, or the special force (Segula) that is contained in The Book of Zohar.

My Answer: It’s impossible to understand it, which is why it is called a “wondrous quality” (Segula) or a miracle. It’s when you use something that isn’t real.

I am told, “Jump up and down ten times and a light bulb will light up on that wall.” I don’t know the connection between one and the other, but meanwhile, someone might have set up a sensor beneath the floor that causes the light bulb to light up when I jump ten times. I don’t know about it, but obviously, there is a connection between the two. This connection is concealed from me and that’s why it is called “Segula.”

Segula is a law existing in nature that I am not familiar with. Those who have already researched it tell me, “Use it in the following manner and you will cause it to operate. Although you can’t see how, you do set it in motion.”

Baal HaSulam says that if an alien were to come to our planet and compare a human baby with a day-old calf, he would think that the calf will grow up to become Napoleon and the human baby will grow up into a miserable toad. What else could come of that helpless creature?

Yet, we know that if we feed these two creatures and give them everything they need, one of them will grow up into an animal whereas the other will grow up into a human. This is a miracle (Segula). Although we are used to seeing this happen, in reality it’s a miracle. Just think of how a tiny baby suddenly starts to understand, react, and perform various actions. Day by day he starts having new skills, which come from within him. But where do they come from so suddenly? We don’t do anything about it, so why does it happen?

This phenomenon is completely habitual for us and we simply understand that this is how the developmental process works. However, essentially this is the revelation of life’s force, the spiritual force that operates in creation and becomes expressed in this manner.

The same thing takes place in our spiritual development. Spirituality is not somewhere far away, but is a system that is slightly more concealed from us and that we are not used to. However, in a short while people will start to use it the same way as everything else because these are laws of nature.

Kabbalists tell me, “There is a force in nature whose influence you can evoke upon you. How? Pick up The Book of Zohar and start reading. The more you read it, the stronger, smarter, and more sensitive you will become, and then spirituality will be revealed to you. Why? Because this book changes you.”

You might object, “But aren’t there many other Kabbalah books that change me?” Yes, there are, but the other books only work to arrange your inner inclinations, qualities, and abilities. They merely organize your inner system and develop it, whereas The Book of Zohar performs a special change in you because you can use it to evoke a higher influence upon you. The result of this book’s influence is called a miracle because you begin to perceive, feel, and reveal a different system inside you. This, in turn, helps you to open up a new, spiritual world.