The science of Kabbalah defines life and death only with respect to merging with the Creator. A state similar to the Creator is called life, while one that is opposite to Him is death. Therefore, egoistic desires (Klipot) are considered dead, whereas the “poison of death” refers to the force that separates the creature from the Creator.

Death is not a loss of existence, as we observe the disappearance of one’s form in this world (at our degree). All that is created (desire) changes only with respect to drawing closer to or further away from the Creator in its intention to bestow; in everything else (in its desire), the creature remains the same. Hence distancing from the Creator, losing the state of adhesion with Him, is called “death,” whereas adhesion with Him, acquiring the quality of bestowal, is called “life.”

In his article, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” Baal HaSulam writes that the science of Kabbalah is a means for the creature to reveal the Creator in this world. To reveal the Creator means to assume His qualities.

Although we exist in a world of the still, vegetative, and animate matter, by acquiring the human level of similarity to the Creator, we come to feel ourselves and our existence as perfect and eternal, like the Creator. The science of Kabbalah changes us to facilitate our ascent to the next level (degree) where we begin to see that we do not disappear, but simply change the level of our existence.

From the Evening Zohar Lesson 4/21/10

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: There Is No Death, Only A New Degree
Laitman.com Post: Kabbalah Is Not About Empty Promises
Laitman.com Post: Feeling The Breath Of Eternity

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Perception, Zohar - No Comments →

A question I received: Kabbalah says that a person must always strive to be in a better environment. So what specifically should I do?

My Answer: You have to try to worry at every moment about the fact that you are entirely dependent on your environment. Within this worry you will start to have thoughts and desires to connect with others, and you will reveal that the environment contains everything.

Even though these people are still uncorrected, they contain the corrected system. They don’t even feel it themselves yet, but you will reveal it through searching. Spirituality already exists in its corrected state, but its revelation depends on our desire, as it is written, “Every person judges others to the extent of his own defect.”

You have to strive to feel the influence of the environment. This influence carries energy, understanding, and the need to turn to the Light, the importance of the goal. It has everything you need to attain the spiritual goal. Thus, everything depends on your attitude to the environment; everything depends on you!

The whole world and all humanity were created by the Creator in order to give every person the opportunity to advance independently by creating the right inner attitude to the group. Otherwise, you will move toward the goal by the path of suffering.

From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/22/10, “Peace in the World”

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Envy, Honor And The Environment
Kabbalah Revealed: “Choosing the Right Environment for Correction”
Shamati #225: “Raising Oneself”

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Free Will - No Comments →

The Zohar, Chapter “Shemot (Exodus),” Item 177: The Ruach clothes a man’s Guf in this world, sunken inwards like the sunken letters in a seal, since it is the interior of the Guf, which protrudes outwardly, as it is considered externality. This is why there is only light of VAK in it. The Ruach, the interior of the body, is sunken. When the Ruach spreads from the Guf and rises to the Garden of Eden on the earth, that Ruach is protruding… The Ruachs that rise there have the same form as the Guf in this world, which protrudes.

It’s similar to dough being squeezed through a form. If the form is in the shape of a star, the dough comes out in the shape of a star; if it’s round, the dough comes out round. In other words, the Light that was present within the desire (Kli) gets accepted by it within the Reflected Light (like a spiritual vessel) and that is why the Light becomes revealed. It gets the shape that the “body” (desire) had. Even after the Light leaves the desire, it still retains a “recollection” (Reshimo) about the shape of the desire in which it used to be dressed.

It’s a special Light. It’s not the abstract, simple Light that’s never been accepted by the body. The body has already received this Light and corrected itself in its form. It completed a certain type of correction. Now, the Light that previously “visited” the body and the body itself oppose each other. The body continues to correct itself on a new level and in more advanced ways, but the prior form doesn’t disappear.

Previous forms help us further correct ourselves since the Light that visited the body dresses in the same body and helps it attain higher states. This is the same as our prior life experience helping us make future decisions even though our next steps may be of a totally different nature.

The same pertains to the Light (spiritual wisdom) that used to be dressed into our body and helps us pursue our Path further. Each state remains intact, “nothing disappears in spirituality.” Each prior level leaves a “form” that helps us attain new states. Comparison, clarification, and connection of these forms lead to wisdom which is the science of Kabbalah.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/15/10, The Zohar

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: The Light Of The Future
Laitman.com Post: Feeling Light’s “Breath”
Video: What Is Practical Kabbalah? – 5 Minutes Of Light (5:27)

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Zohar - No Comments →

The Zohar, Chapter “Shemot (Exodus),” Item 177: In the Garden of Eden on the earth, everyone stands in the shape and form in which they were in this world. [A spiritual step at which a person stays at any given moment is called “this world.”]  And this concealment and secret is given to sages. The spirit that descends to people, which is from the side of the female, is always carved in an engraving such as this seal, whose letters are sunken. This is so because the image of the body in this world is protruding outwards and the spirit is carved into its internals. When the spirit spreads from the Guf [body] and rises to the Garden of Eden on the earth, that spirit protrudes in the Garden of Eden on the earth in the shape and image of the actual Guf in this world, since it is always as a seal.

“The body” (desire) and the “spirit” (Light that fills the desire) match each other like a seal and its imprint. They separated in order to reconnect. The wisdom of Kabbalah teaches us how to make them match. It’s called “Kabbalah” (receiving) because we are the ones who organize and control the entrance of the Light into the desire, defining the shape of the Light’s entrance into desires and their filling.

For that reason, we study the nature of Light and the nature of desire for their nature is unknown to us beforehand. We have to connect with Light and desire, receive an accurate form of Light and desire, and “tune” them to each other so that one can enter the other. The result is called the “science of receiving the Light” which is the science of Kabbalah.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/15/10, The Zohar

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Kabbalah Is A Patent For Infinite Pleasure
Laitman.com Post: The Method of Spiritual Birth
Video: A Scientific Approach With New Tools – 5 Minutes Of Light (4:42)

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Zohar - No Comments →

A question I received: Is there a chance to do something beyond the boundaries of the movie we live in? Can we “improve” the script?

My Answer: Aside from the script, there is an opportunity to delve deeper into the “internal science” by studying yourself. We cannot limit our studies to the “outer sciences” such as psychology, culture, sociology, or politics. All of these are the “external forms” through which we perceive the world. They actually don’t tell us much about this world, which is the reason for the many mistakes we make. Those sciences don’t shed any light on the laws of this world, nor do they show us the direction of the changes we undergo.

Psychologists, sociologists, politicians, and others draw an “external” picture which they perceive according to their personal standards and goals, their own point of view.  That’s why we desperately need the wisdom of Kabbalah since it allows us to go deeper within ourselves, to the level of “basic particles,” and study the authentic material that we are built of; it is closer to the truth than our subjective psychological fantasies.

We would stop making mistakes if we were able to go deeper inside ourselves and begin to realize what’s going on within us, at the deepest level; if we break through all the shells that we are dressed in, like layers of an onion, through the various forms of perceiving the outer world, we would learn to trust ourselves and understand what’s going on and why, what allows us to advance, what is beneficial or harmful.

This becomes possible only if a person obtains the ability to see within. In order to achieve this result within the boundaries of the “external sciences,” we have to build a particle accelerator by using our inner sight. A collider is within me. I need to reach the degree of accuracy that allows me to sense forces that act within me, that perform the job of a collider.

This is what the wisdom of Kabbalah allows us to achieve. Only by reaching this point will we be able to understand the origin of creation, our place in it, where we are heading, and where we will arrive – our entire Path. By doing so, we will be able to direct ourselves correctly and stop making mistakes.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/15/10, The Zohar

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: The Science Of The New World
Laitman.com Post: How To Move From Darkness Into Light
Video: The Relation Between the Most Advanced Theories in Science and Kabbalah (6:58)

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Zohar - No Comments →

A question I received: First there was an earthquake in China, then a plane crash, and now everyone is talking about the volcano erupting in Iceland which left all of Europe covered in volcanic ash. There’s a feeling that we’ve entered a streak of global catastrophes.

My Answer: Tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions are natural phenomena. However, everything that happens depends on human beings or, rather, on our alignment with the Creator, on our balance with nature. Since we’re becoming more and more egoistic, we’re interrupting the balance of nature’s forces more and more. This is why we feel the negative influence of nature in us and on us.

The consequences of the spiritual imbalance of forces that we create are unknown. Our opposition to nature, the Creator, is revealed on all levels (inanimate, vegetative, animate, and speaking) of nature. An eruption can occur anywhere since we’re living on a burning volcano. Our entire planet is a fire ball covered by a thin layer of the Earth’s crust; there’s a blazing volcano within.

These occurrences are a slight hint at the fact that we’re not taking care of our home, the Earth. Human beings need to bring the forces of nature into balance. The science of Kabbalah discloses to us how to do this.

However, at the present time, humanity doesn’t want to realize that everything that’s happening is a consequence of our own qualities and that everything depends on us. If our imbalance with nature intensifies, more serious problems will occur.

From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/19/10, Article “The Freedom”

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: The Key To Balance Is In Man’s Hands
Kabbalah Today Article: At Odds with Nature
Video: What Can We Do To Change The World? (3:25)

Filed under: Crisis, Daily Kabbalah Lesson - No Comments →

Revelation is a result of efforts. When we read The Zohar, we only need to exert effort. By trying to discern the properties The Zohar is talking about within ourselves, we penetrate toward a more inner screen within us, toward a deeper picture of the world. This is where the revelation of the Creator occurs.

Personal interpretation and commentaries of the text do not bring revelation. To feel a new world within, to interpret The Zohar internally, in sensations, a person needs to direct himself toward an increasingly inner state when reading the text.

A more internal state means that a person connects the text with his internal properties to a greater degree. He sees them in himself; he discovers that every word points to a property or action within him such as the “twelve tribes,” “Jacob,” a “desert,” and a “well.” As a result of his efforts, he reveals their true meaning.

This is why Kabbalah is called “Torah Emet” or the true Torah. Such understanding of the text cannot be conveyed in words. Rather, it can be revealed only within a person, in his new properties which appear as a result of efforts.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/19/10, The Zohar

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Efforts Yield Revelation
Laitman.com Post: Correction Comes Only From Studying In Order To Evoke the Light
Baal HaSulam Article: “A Speech in Celebration of the Conclusion of The Zohar”

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Perception, Torah, Zohar - No Comments →

Our actions in the science of Kabbalah are similar to those of scientists. We are discovering a new world; we are correcting ourselves, and in the process of making these corrections we learn and continually evolve alongside the corrections and within them.

That is why nobody can know his future degree until he attains it. A person does not advance along a clear, open path. Nothing is revealed! Whatever a person reaches was always concealed and unintelligible until the last moment. This is how we advance.

From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/16/10, The Zohar

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Returning To The Root Of One’s Soul
Laitman.com Post: The Common Soul Develops Like An Embryo
Laitman.com Post: Why Rush Out Of Egypt?

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Zohar - No Comments →

The wisdom of Kabbalah rejects the concept of death thereby revealing the only action that we are able to perform. In everything else we are totally dependent on nature and act involuntarily. We spend our entire lives trying to ignore death, as if medicating ourselves in order to avoid the truth. It is a game we play, chasing money, honor, and power within an imaginary reality.

What do we do with the help of Kabbalah? Kabbalah provides a solution to this fundamental human dilemma by explaining how to reach eternal life here and now. We are shown how to gradually transition into an additional dimension without leaving this life; in fact, we become fully integrated together with it.

This is the meaning of “freedom from the angel of death,” described in the Torah as the covenant carved on stone tablets. Torah offers: “I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life… (Deuteronomy 30:19).”

However this opportunity was concealed, and people learned how to distract themselves. Therefore, the dissemination of Kabbalah has to include the explanation of this choice. In other words, Kabbalah not only leads to a good life on this earth, but also helps attain everlasting existence. When masses come to this realization they will no longer hide from the idea of death.

The practice of spiritual advancement proves that a person begins to acquire this realization (presentiment) only after initial studies, which bring the influence of the Upper Light. Then one is granted a chance to sense eternity to the extent one moves closer to the property of the Creator (bestowal, Hafetz Hesed). By doing so, a person enters eternity and is already present in the infinite flow of life. This opportunity is available to everyone.

From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/15/10, Article “The Freedom”

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Freedom: Achieving Eternity
Laitman.com Post: Feeling The Breath Of Eternity
Laitman.com Post: The Method of Spiritual Birth

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Free Will - 2 Comments →

Baal HaSulam’s article “The Freedom” starts with the words “’Harut (Carved) on stones; do not pronounce it Harut (Carved), but rather Herut (Freedom), to show that they are liberated from the angel of death.” What does a person need in this world while he is still unable to feel the Upper spiritual worlds and simply worries about his life like any other animal? At this time, a person’s primary concern is the issue of life and death. There is a reason that it is written that freedom means liberation from the angel of death. The science of Kabbalah is the method of achieving eternity, and it is fundamentally important for everyone.

Humanity subconsciously hides the issue of death from itself; this issue has no solution, but it reduces all of us to a level of worthless beings. Everything we do in this world (culture, education, work) is done in order to conceal the certainty of death. We try to push it further away and not think about it, as though it does not exist. However, if this question arises within a person, one feels completely powerless since nothing can be done to stop a person from dying. We can deal with anything and achieve anything except for one thing – eternal life.

The inevitability of death cancels out the human being in me. Therefore, everything that humanity engages in subconsciously comes from this one thought. We don’t understand to what extent we would view life differently if we were immortal. Our whole attitude to our existence, to reality, to other people, and to ourselves would be completely different.

From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/15/10, Article “The Freedom”

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Feeling The Breath Of Eternity
Laitman.com Post: Beautiful Moment, Do Not Pass Away!
Laitman.com Post: Birth Instead Of Death

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Perception - No Comments →