A question I received: In a previous blog entry someone asked you: “How is it known that there is only one true source of Kabbalah?” You answered: “There can’t be several because the Creator is one.”

I fully agree with you about Berg and his shamanistic business concepts, such as selling spirituality through red strings, cameos and reading spells or blessings. But I still don’t understand why there is only one, unique and single source of Kabbalah! After all, during the times of the Second Temple there were thousands of Kabbalists. Based on the qualities of their souls, each of them taught his students differently about how to attain the Single Creator. The students had a choice.

Moreover, you have said that until the 19th century most rabbis were Baalei Hasaga (they attained spirituality), so people also had a choice.

But now you’re declaring that your path is the only correct one. Can our world really be so scanty on Kabbalists that there’s no one left but you who is

a) A Kabbalist, and

b) A revealed Kabbalist – someone whom you, as a Kabbalist, can genuinely recommend to a potential student who is still at the stage of searching for the right Teacher? And what about the verse, “There are many paths to the Creator”?

My Answer: In the process of studying Kabbalah, one often experiences doubts about the correctness of the path. This happens because the path and the goal are concealed. The path is paved with descents, and times of clarity are rare. Unlike egoistic advancement, on the path of Kabbalah you are going against yourself. This is why the question arises, “Can it be true that the worse things are, the better they are?”

When I asked Rabash about how can I be sure that he is my teacher, he replied, “You have to verify this for yourself!” In fact, even Baal HaSulam wrote in his Letters that he no longer saw any Kabbalists in his generation. I also don’t see any, other than myself and my students.

Every person has to find his own teacher. I don’t have the addresses of “Teachers-Kabbalists,” but you can easily find them through the search engines by searching the keyword “Kabbalah.”

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The Book of Zohar. Chapter “The Eleventh Commandment” (abridged)

244. The eleventh Commandment is to give a tithe of the fruits of the earth. Here there are two Commandments: to separate a tithe of the fruits of the earth (desires that are impossible to correct), and to bring the first fruits of the trees (fruits of the earth), as it is written, “Behold, I have given you every herb-yielding seed.” Here it is written, “I HAVE GIVEN YOU.” Elsewhere it is written, “And to the children of Levi, behold, I HAVE GIVEN all the tithe.” It is also written, “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Creator’s.”

“The Twelfth Commandment” (abridged)
245. The twelfth Commandment is to bring the first fruits of the trees as an offering, as it is written, “And every tree in which there is fruit of a tree yielding seed.” All that is worthy of Me shall not be eaten by you. I have given you My permission and I have given you all the tithe and offerings of the trees. “To you,” and not to the subsequent generations.

“The Thirteenth Commandment” (abridged)
246. The thirteenth Commandment is to perform the redemption of a first-born son (the beginning of any degree) so as to strengthen him in (spiritual) life. For there are two appointed angels in charge: one over life (goodness, bestowal) and one over death (evil, reception). And they both (the two lines) rule over man from Above (the good and evil inclinations). And when man redeems his son (correction of one through the other), he redeems him from the angel in charge of death (transforms the evil force to good), so that the angel can no longer govern the first-born son. Hence, it is written, AND THE CREATOR SAW EVERYTHING THAT HE HAD MADE – this is in general, AND, BEHOLD, IT WAS… VERY GOOD – this alludes to the angel of life (qualities of Bina, bestowal, bestowal for the sake of bestowal), while the word VERY alludes to the angel of death (when egoism is corrected to goodness, bestowal, reception for the sake of bestowal). Therefore, by this act of redemption, the angel of life is strengthened and the angel of death is weakened. (Spiritual) life is purchased by this redemption, for the evil side leaves him and clings to him no more.

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The Book of Zohar. Chapter “The Tenth Commandment” (abridged)

237. The tenth Commandment (law of nature) is to put on Tefillin (correct one’s egoism) and thereby to attain equivalence with the Creator, as it is written, THE CREATOR CREATED MAN IN HIS OWN IMAGE. He opened (the way for the Light of Rashbi) and said (passed it on to his students), “Your head upon you is like the Carmel.” This text refers to the Supernal head – the Tefillin worn on the head of the Holy, Supernal King HaVaYaH (the governing force), written in separate letters (specific actions). Each letter (action) in the holy name (program) HaVaYaH corresponds to a certain paragraph in the Tefillin (a certain correction). Thus, the Holy, Supernal Name (the Creator’s quality) is written in the scrolls of Tefillin, in the secrets of the letters (is revealed through the correction). For THE NAME OF THE CREATOR IS UPON YOU, AND THEY SHALL BE AFRAID OF YOU (your enemies are your uncorrected desires) refers to the head Tefillin, which contains the Holy Name HaVaYaH.

238. The first passage in the Tefillin corresponds to the letter Yod of the name HaVaYaH (Hochma) and refers to the Commandment, “Sanctify to Me all the firstborns.” This is because Hochma is the firstborn (the first correction) of all the Supernal Ones (qualities). It opens the place of conception for the future firstborn with the help of a thin line of Light that emanates from Yod, which opens the womb (Bina) and impregnates it.

239. The second passage (correction) in the Tefillin (equivalence to the Creator), WHEN YOU COME, corresponds to the first letter Hey of the name HaVaYaH, the hall (Bina) that opens up under the influence of the letter Yod (Aba) in fifty entrances, passages, and chambers concealed within it. The revelation that Yod made in that hall was done so as to hear the voice of the Shofar (a ram’s horn), Bina. The Shofar is closed on all sides, but the letter Yod came and opened it so that its sound could be heard. And since it opened the Shofar and derived sound from it, Yod led all to freedom.

240. At the sounds of the Shofar, the sons of Israel were delivered from Egypt. And so shall the Shofar be blown in the future, the next time at the end of days. And all deliverance originates from this Shofar, which is Bina. This is why the deliverance from Egypt is mentioned in this chapter of the Torah, for this Shofar stems from the force of the letter Yod, which opens the womb and delivers the captives to freedom. And this is the letter Hey, the second letter of the name HaVaYaH.

241. The third passage in the Tefillin is the secret of the Unity in “Hear O Israel,” the letter Vav in HaVaYaH, which includes all and designates ZA, who contains the unity of all. Everything merges in unity within him, and he receives all. The fourth passage that reads, “You shall hear,” includes two sides, Hesed and Gevura, which unite with the Assembly of Israel, called the lower Gevura or Malchut. And this is the last letter Hey of the name HaVaYaH, which takes and includes them all.

242. Tefillin are the letters of the holy name. Therefore, “Your head upon you is like the Carmel” refers to the head Tefillin. The letter Dalet refers to the hand Tefillin, Malchut, who is depleted of Light, compared to the head Tefillin, ZA, but she contains the perfection of the Upper One.

The hand Tefillin designates Malchut. And she is poor in comparison with Bina, the Upper World. Yet, she has her own perfection, for she now receives it from Bina thanks to the unity between Nukva and ZA in “Blessed be His great name for ever and ever.”

243. “The King is held captive in the tubs” means that he is tied down and held in those four compartments of the Tefillin for the purpose of being properly united with that holy name. And he who makes this correction, exists in image and likeness, TZELEM, with the Creator. Just as the holy name is united in the Creator, the holy name is united in him. “Male and female he created them” refers to the head and the hand Tefillin. And it is one.

“The King is held captive in the tubs” signifies ZA, who is bound and unified in those compartments of the Tefillin. The compartments of the Tefillin, which contain the passages from the Torah, are called “tubs” or “troughs,” just like the tubs from which sheep drink water, for the waters of Ohr Hochma and Ohr Hassadim are bound and restricted by these Kelim, the compartments of the Tefillin. And it is the Creator who is bound tight and held in these Kelim, so as to be unified in the holy name.

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A question I received: If I watch recorded Congress lessons, then do I lose the Zivug de Haka’a that Kabbalists experience at a Congress or when watching a live broadcast?

My Answer: You don’t lose anything because everything we perceive exists like the frames of a motion picture, and we retrieve these frames and play them back. Either these frames already took place, and we only reveal them, each in his own time; or we reveal them for the first time, for example, when we gather at a Congress.

However, all of this already exists in Malchut, and we only bring about the frames’ projection in us through our positive efforts.

When we evoke the frames ourselves, then we perceive them positively, because our egoism works together with the Creator, for our benefit and in a pleasant form. However, if we don’t retrieve the motion picture frames, then they become projected forcefully – forcing us to make actions, even unpleasant ones.

So, retrieve the frames by yourselves, and participate in that which is already revealed as well as that which we are yet to reveal!

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Two questions I received on love:

Question: You often say that one’s relationship with the Creator should be similar to how a groom courts a bride, how she conceals herself, and so on. In addition, you have said that in the past women were bought for money, and it was enough to meet someone just once before getting married to them. But where is passion and tension in this?

My Answer: There is no need for love on the corporeal level, because it is created later through mutual compromise and habit. However, passion and tension are necessary in one’s relationship with the Creator because these feelings are higher – contrary to egoism. For example, it can be compared to a dramatic love story where the lovers (man and the Creator) aspire toward each other (through bestowal), against the desires of the whole world (against all their egoistic desires) – and this creates passion and tension.

Question: In a TV show you were asked, “What is love?” and you said, “It is the fundamental quality of the universe, mutual bestowal that permeates all levels of nature, except man. We are left to our own devices, and we do everything in the world except this.” However, you also say that man doesn’t have freedom of action and everything is determined by the Creator.

My Answer: This is how things were initially determined by the Creator: All nature in our world is egoistic due to man’s egoistic downfall, and the correction of all of nature depends only on man. To the degree man corrects his inanimate, vegetative, and animate desires, he also corrects the external inanimate, vegetative, and animate levels of nature.

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News Report (from Project Syndicate): The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon stated, “We all recognize today’s perils: a global financial crisis, a global energy crisis, a global food crisis. … Climate change ever more clearly threatens our planet. …today, we also face a crisis of a different sort – the challenge of global leadership. Nations can no longer protect their interests, or advance the well-being of their people, without the partnership of the rest. Yet I see a danger of nations looking inward rather than toward a shared future. I see a danger of retreating from the progress we have made, particularly in the realm of economic development and fairness in sharing the fruits of global growth.

My Comment: Even if everyone will understand that the source of all the world’s crises, including the climate crisis, is human egoism and its negative influence on Nature, they still won’t find the remedy for the progressing General Crisis. They will not understand how to change man’s nature, and that’s because this is impossible to do in our world, whose entire nature is egoism.

There is a law that states “The general and the particular are equal” (Klal U Prat Shavim). Just like a regular person is brought to Kabbalah by suffering and the question, “What is the meaning of my life?”, so humanity as a whole will be compelled by suffering and crises to come to the question about the meaning of its own existence, which is not wealth, power, fame or knowledge. Then it will find the answer to this question – that the meaning of life is to reveal the Creator.

That is when humanity will reveal the science of Kabbalah, the means to attain this. By definition the science of Kabbalah is “The method of revealing the Creator to the people in this world,” as Baal HaSulam writes in the article “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah.”

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The Book of Zohar. Chapter “The Ninth Commandment” (abridged)

233. The ninth Commandment (law of nature) is to show mercy to the poor (those who cannot correct themselves on their own) and supply them with food (the Light of correction and fulfillment), as it is written: “LET US MAKE (out of the desire to receive) MAN (ADAM from the word ADAME – similar to the Creator) IN OUR IMAGE, AFTER OUR LIKENESS,” and this man will consist of two parts, male and female. IN OUR IMAGE refers to the rich (the Light of Hochma); AFTER OUR LIKENESS refers to the poor (the Light of Hassadim).

234. From the male side, they are rich, but from the female side, they are poor. And as they are united together, merciful to each other, and help each other, so below should the rich and the poor be united as one, and should share with each other, and show mercy to one another (so that the Light of Hochma could clothe the Light of Hassadim).

235. We see this in the book of King Shlomo (Solomon): he who shows mercy to the poor with all his heart, his image never differs from that of Adam, the first man. And since he was created in the image of Adam, he therefore governs all the creatures on earth by his image, as it is written: “And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth,” all fear (desire to become like) that image, existing in him. For this Commandment, to show mercy to the poor, is the most important of all the Commandments for elevating man to the image of Adam.

236. How do we know this? From Nebuchadnezzar. Even though he dreamt a dream, as long as he had mercy upon the poor, that dream did not come true. However, as soon as he started looking badly upon the poor (as a result of egoism’s growth), his image changed at once (he lost the appearance of a human being), and he distanced from people. Hence, it is written, “LET US MAKE MAN.” It is said in the form as it was said of charity in another verse. Therefore, “MAKE” – is the same as charity.

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The Book of Zohar. Chapter “The Eighth Commandment” (abridged)

228. The eighth Commandment is to love an outsider (anyone who seeks correction) from another nation, who desires to come under the wings of the Shechina (qualities of Bina in Malchut), Malchut, who takes under her wings (protects from one’s own egoism) those who separate themselves from the other, impure (egoistic) side, and draw near her (with their qualities), as it is written: “LET THE EARTH (desire, Malchut) BRING FORTH A LIVING (bestowing) SOUL AFTER ITS KIND (according to its corrected desire).”

229. One might say that the soul of Haya (the last correction of Malchut) exists in Israel (the aspiration for spirituality) and is ready for anything (by means of faith above reason). He specified, “After its kind” (any qualities) refers to both Israel (one who aspires toward spirituality) and to an outsider (one who has just begun the path). Like chambers and passages (different qualities in Malchut) between them, the same exists in the land called Haya, under the wings.

230. The right wing (the quality of bestowal) of Malchut has two passages (conditions), which are split from this wing in two so as to let in two nations that are close to Israel. And under the left wing (the quality of reception) there are two additional passages, called Amon and Moav. And they are all called the souls of Haya (they are all corrected together).

231. Each wing contains a multitude of closed chambers and halls (separate conditions of correction). From them, spirits (Light of the level of Ruach) emerge and are divided among all the outsiders, called Nefesh Haya (Light of the level of Nefesh), but each “after his kind.” And they all come under the wings of the Shechina, but no further.

232. However, the soul of Israel (the general intention to bestow) stems from the body of that tree (the source of Light, Zeir Anpin), and from there the souls fly off (the Light descends) to this land (the desires undergoing correction, Malchut). Therefore, Israel (the intention to bestow) is the darling son of Malchut, and is sustained by her womb, and not by the wings that are on the outside of the body. Moreover, the outsiders have no part in the Holy Tree (ZA), especially not in its body. They refer only to the wings of Malchut, and no further. The outsider (the new desire undergoing correction) is under the wings of the Shechina, and no further (is protected, but not yet in her). The righteous among the outsiders also refer to the outer side (not yet fully corrected, existing under Tzimtzum Bet – the Second Restriction), and not to the inner. It is hence written: “LET THE EARTH BRING FORTH A LIVING SOUL (Nefesh Haya) AFTER ITS KIND” (not yet complete).

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Two questions I received on why women don’t stay loyal to their partners:

Question: My girlfriends and I have been wondering why one man is never enough for a woman? Why is it that even if he studies Kabbalah, she loses interest in him after a while and starts looking for someone new? Isn’t monogamy natural for a woman? As a wife and a mother, isn’t she supposed to be faithful – a loyal companion for her man? So where does this desire come from to be with new men all the time? What should a woman do with this desire, and how can she change so as to be in harmony with nature?

My Answer: I think that you are disillusioned in your men. Apart from the minimal corporeal needs, fulfillment can only be spiritual. So find a man with whom you can study the book Shamati – and you will never leave him!

Question: Could you please comment on the following news report from Ethology.ru: The managers of the IllicitEncounters.com dating website made an interesting observation. In their opinion, the economic recession and men’s bankruptcy is causing more married women to register on their site in order to find extra-marital affairs. This phenomenon opens up a broad field for further research on how a woman instinctively behaves in the areas of family and intimate relations.

My Answer: The phenomenon is indeed instinctive, egoistic, animate, and natural. There is nothing strange about it. A female chooses a partner by his ability to provide for her and her offspring. In the animal kingdom, the female chooses the partner by his strength, rather than how handsome he is or because he has a “good heart” – the way people do in the movies.

Egoism is our only force. If you want something else instead, then ask the Creator to give you the opposite force – the force of bestowal. There are no other forces in nature!

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The Book of Zohar. Chapter “The Seventh Commandment” (abridged)

223. The Seventh Commandment is to perform circumcision (of desires that cannot be corrected) on the eighth day, and thus remove the impurity (of egoism) of the foreskin (Malchut), for Malchut (the desire that cannot be corrected within the 6000 years, in the process of correction) constitutes the eighth degree of all the degrees, beginning with Bina (Bina, Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, Netzah, Hod, Yesod, Malchut). And the soul that soars from her (that ascends from Malchut Ohr Hozer ) must appear before her on the eighth day; hence, she constitutes the eighth degree.

224. It then becomes clear that the type (level) of this soul is Haya. That is, belonging to that holy degree of Haya (Malchut), and not to any other degree. And this is implied by, LET THE WATERS SWARM, as is explained in the book of Hanoch, the waters of the holy seed merge in the properties of the soul of Haya. And it is the property of the letter Yod (the level of Haya), marked on the sacred flesh, more than any other mark that exists in the world. (The level of Haya is the animate level; hence it is written, “Let the waters swarm” – Bina will be filled with parts of Malchut, which will thereby correct themselves by ascending and connecting Malchut to Bina).

225. The verse, LET BIRDS SOAR OVER THE EARTH, refers to Eliyahu (the prophet), who flies across the whole world in four flights (Yod–Hey–Vav–Hey) in order to be present in the place where the Holy Covenant (union of Malchut and Bina) is made. And a chair (the place of union between Malchut and Bina) must be prepared for him, and it must be said out loud (this must be revealed by means of correction), THIS IS THE CHAIR OF ELIYAHU. For if this is not done, he will not appear in that place (for want of an opportunity to reveal himself).

226. And the Creator created great Leviathans (Malchut in its completely corrected state). They were two: (called) Orla and Preia, male (Masach and Ohr Hozer) and female (desire, Aviut) forces. And (He also created) all living creatures (of the level of Haya). This is the mark (revelation) of the Holy Covenant (between the Creator and Malchut), the soul of the holy Light of Haya (Ohr Hozer of the level of Haya), as it is written, “LET THE WATERS (of Bina, and Malchut that connected to her) SWARM,” i.e. the Supernal Waters (the forces of Bina) that descend to this Covenant (with Malchut).

227. The reason why Israel (the correcting part) below (in Malchut) is marked in the holy form (love and bestowal), similar to its form Above (in Bina), is to separate the pure part (Malchut that becomes corrected by uniting with Bina) from the impure (one that cannot be corrected until Gmar Tikkun), to distinguish between the holiness of Israel (that which can be corrected, what remains after circumcision) and the other nations (which cannot be corrected until the end of correction, which are cut off) that originate from the other (egoistic) side. And just as Israel (parts of Malchut that can be corrected) was marked, so were the animals and birds (levels of Malchut) to determine which of them belong to Israel (which need to be corrected), and which belong to the nations of the world (which are to be corrected later). (Israel = Isra–El = straight to the Creator – meaning the parts of Malchut that can be corrected. This bears no relation to nationality, but only to one’s desire, one’s point in the heart. This happened for the first time in Babylon, when a group of people with point in the heart – the desire for correction, separated from the rest of the Babylonians).

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