A question I received: What is the fastest and most effective way to disseminate Kabbalah in the world?

My Answer: A variety of ways are required as we are now climbing stairs that no one has stepped upon before. Up to now, Kabbalists went their own way and taught their students using the same method that originated from Adam, the first Kabbalist. Later on Abraham established the methodology and the group that eventually became the people of Israel. However, they later fell from that spiritual level and for the past two thousand years Kabbalists have been transferring their knowledge from one to another.

Now, however, we are living in an era when millions of people around the world are waking up to the desire for spiritual ascent and are walking side by side with us. Studying Kabbalah on an individual basis has become a thing of the past. Today we are returning to Abraham’s original intention to offer correction to all Babylonians.

How should we disseminate Kabbalah under these new conditions? I can only say what I think and feel, but we won’t know for sure until we accumulate enough experience. Even Rabbi Shimon wouldn’t be able to give us advice since these new states of development have yet to be explored.

In Baal HaSulam’s time, he had hoped that his newspaper would change the situation, but it was shut down right away. He then published books and his disciples thought that these would cause a spiritual revolution and people would finally see that they are in the dark. But the world continued on as if nothing had changed.

This is why we presently are trying various methods and approaches to determine the most effective ones. One thing is clear: Dissemination has to be conducted as widely as possible in all languages and for everyone in the whole world. Abraham wanted to reach out to all of Ancient Babylon, and today, Babylon has expanded to include the whole world.

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The world is the outcome of our inner qualities, our senses. Currently our five senses – vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch – have a narrow, limited range of perception. However, we have the ability to expand our senses so they will perceive without any limitations. The way to do this is to come out of the desire to receive and to exclusively consume, and instead learn to perceive the world as it exists outside of us, instead of perceiving it through our five senses. We will then perceive Infinity, the absolute reality, without any boundaries.

Of course, the question is: How do we come out of ourselves? We can understand what it means to expand the range of our senses, but how do we come out of ourselves? If the only thing in nature is the desire to receive pleasure, then it would seem impossible to come out of it.

Kabbalists say that this possibility does exist: It can be done by feeling what our neighbor feels. Just like we reveal the world through ourselves, we are able to connect with a friend who has the same spiritual goals, and to perceive the world through him, and then through another person, and another, and so on. Once we reveal the entire spiritual reality through other people, we will discover that it is, in fact, outside of us.

This is why the condition for perceiving spirituality is “Love your neighbor as yourself.” In our world this sounds like an old, worn-out saying. But Kabbalists have a completely different condition in mind when they say this phrase. Loving your neighbor means feeling what is happening in him. It means connecting to his soul, his senses, and his perception to your own. Or, in other words, it is when you come out of yourself and begin to reveal whatever is outside of you, whatever is in him.

Thus, as you begin to examine what is outside of you, you also reveal the Upper Force, the Creator. This is called “From love for the creation, to love for the Creator.” This phrase may sound religious, but in reality it speaks of our sensory development.

The wisdom of Kabbalah teaches us how to feel our neighbor and to build a common vessel of perception (Kli), called “Shechina.” This is a sense so enormous that we can perceive the Creator in it.

This is what the method of Kabbalah is about: learning to perceive and receive everything that is outside of you, without any limitations.

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The Zohar, Chapter “VaYishlach (And Jacob Sent),” Item 16: “He who deems himself a worthless slave is better than the vain who thus deprives himself of bread.” This speaks of the evil inclination, for it constantly accuses people, swelling pride in man’s heart and desire. And man follows it with his head raised high, until the evil inclination soars over him, carrying him to hell.

This is describing a state that we have to experience. Kabbalists know it because they have already gone through it.

It is impossible for a person to reveal anything other than through his own experience. Does that mean that every person must experience hell? Yes, it does! But what is hell?

Hell is when I reveal the evil inside myself, which governs me and tears me away from the Creator. It is a terrible feeling, like being enveloped by flames of shame. I see how much I am losing out, yet I cannot help myself.

This state must be experienced by every person, as it is written: “Man shall not perform a commandment without breaking it first,” and, “There is not a righteous person in the world that has not first sinned.”

The verse, “I have created the evil inclination and the Torah for its correction” means that I must always reveal my evil inclination first. I must go inside it, immerse myself in it, in order to discover that it is evil.

Initially we don’t see that it is evil, for if we did, how could we immerse ourselves in it? Initially it draws us in with a shiny and sparkling appearance. It appears good and wonderful, and that is how evil tricks us.

A person that advances on the spiritual path “digs” within his soul, trying to reveal the form of bestowal to the Creator there. He has to go through a state of confusion, and through this confusion to descend into the state of “hell.” This state exists at every degree, and only by experiencing it can a person scrutinize the evil contained within him.

Everything the Kabbalists write comes from their own inner attainment, according to the rule, “A judge has only what his eyes can see.” The authors of The Zohar have personally experienced everything written above.

Let us hope that we too will reach such states, and go through the entire spiritual path, which encompasses everything.

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The science of Kabbalah is the method of developing the soul. However, while developing my soul, I don’t really understand the process. I don’t know what is good or bad for its development, what kind of desires should increase in me and to what extent. It’s as if I wander aimlessly between egoism, disdain and self-sacrifice.

Here we need to obey a simple rule: love for the Creator will come after love for others. I will attain Him exactly inside the connection between myself and others. Our entire study is devoted to this.

At first thinking of others seems like the most repulsive thing to me. I am sick of it, and I would prefer to just study and work on myself, but not depend on others. However, I soon discover that there is no other way to go.

Although we are not familiar with the program of our development, we can still try to establish an interconnection among us. But the fact is that the Light does all of the work. It reveals various properties inside us, revealing them individually in every person depending on the root of his soul. Therefore, one person advances in huge steps while someone else advances by small steps. Someone reveals anger in himself and someone – apathy. There are no exact templates and standard rules.

The thing Kabbalists explain to us are what belongs to everyone with no exceptions – what is the goal we all have to reach and how to exert efforts on the path to the goal. Kabbalists reminds us time and time again that no matter what is happening, we shouldn’t forget to push on the gas, always strive to accelerate and always move straight ahead.

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Kabbalists have a rule not to talk about anything except what they have actually attained, where attainment means the highest degree of understanding. In other words, until we achieve an absolutely clear realization, until the knowledge passes from the first nine Sefirot into Malchut, it is not called attainment.

Then what is the role of imagination and fantasy? Why are we given these qualities? Without imagination, advancement is impossible, and we see this from regular science. You can use your imagination, but the most important thing is not to take it for something that is really happening. However, without the imagination you would be an animal, not a human being.

Man’s entire merit over animals comes from our ability to feel the first nine Sefirot, to fantasize, and to make conjectures beyond one’s actual perception and attainment. An animal lives only inside Malchut, matter, and it feels only the forms that are clothed into it. We, however, are able to imagine an abstract form and essence, and this allows us to develop further and be called human beings.

However, we are prohibited from using our imagined knowledge until it enters our matter, just as it would with animals. This constitutes a paradox. We are always proud of being human, of having a mind that is above our animate body. However, we cannot rely on it until it acts for the benefit of the body, inside the desire.

In the spiritual Partzuf, we check our desires under a screen, and the head merely performs a calculation. Then everything occurs according to the matter that is able to take on the form of bestowal. Everything else is our external desires, and we cannot use them since we are not in control of them.

First we have to adjoin them to ourselves and accept all of the Light into them. Then the whole of reality will become unified and we will be able to use those desires. This will constitute our correction.

Until then, abstract forms only help to move us toward the full correction. With their help, we are able to connect to the Upper Level because we are able to see and check things; however, we cannot use them practically.

Our greatest problems in life come from the fact that we attribute what we desire to actuality and build plans based on fantasies, thereby separating from matter. Kabbalah advises us to fantasize in abstract form about the Upper Level and the future, but then work on ourselves in order to “pull up” our desires and matter to the level of that fantasy. Then the abstract form will clothe into matter; we will change instead of simply mistaking our fantasies for actuality.

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The Zohar: It is written of the sinner Bilam: “He walked in solitude… as a viper on the road,” as a snake that crawls alone, and a raven along meandering roads. So Bilam walked in solitude so as to strengthen his spirit of impurity.

So it is with every person who walks alone, even in a prominent place, even in a city, in known places, he draws upon himself the spirit of impurity.

Hence it is written: “Let not man walk in solitude on a road and in a city” – but only in connection with others, even where people walk and dwell.

And also: “Let not man walk alone in the night” – for during that time there are no people.

All of this is telling you: Unite with your friends. Kabbalists are saying that you cannot embark on the spiritual path alone. If you want to get on the road, but the road is dark and you can’t see anything because you have no Light (no quality of bestowal, you haven’t yet connected to the spiritual system, to other souls), then you must not leave your “house” alone. You are in the dark because you are alone.

You must not take even a single step; it will not benefit you because you’re not yet able to unite with others in spite of your egoism. You must not take even a single step, because this step will not be made in the right direction – toward bestowal, toward love, toward the Creator. First you must unite with others and then come outside. And once you unite with them, you will suddenly see that it isn’t night outside at all, but day.

But at night, you shouldn’t embark on a path, even when together, because it means that you haven’t yet achieved the required level of unity. As we see from The Zohar, when night falls, you must hide in a “cave” – the qualities of Bina (bestowal), like Noah in his shelter.

Now let us step back and ask: What is the meaning of all this? The Zohar’s aim is not to scare us with creepy stories. Rather, it is a holy book that tells us the correct approach to correcting our souls. We have to open this book with the desire to correct all of these forces within us, all the desires and qualities that we read about. They are all within us.

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While reading The Book of Zohar, we must instantly translate all the words and names into two notions (or qualities, forces, categories) that comprise everything; these two notions are the Light and the desire. Every person has to say to himself: all of these words are different desires and qualities inside me. I have to recognize them inside me and use them as an example, because through them, the Creator is showing me the structure of my soul, my world, my inner structure, and everything in existence, which He created. He thereby reveals my eternal state to me.

That is how we have to try to see what The Zohar is talking about. And we shouldn’t despair because everything is attained through efforts. As soon as each of us exerts the needed sum of efforts, he will reveal his Upper World.

No matter how confused we are during the lesson, how “numb” our state is, how incapable we feel in our mind and heart (in the understanding and sensation), none of these efforts depend on us. We have to thank the Creator for giving us the opportunity to be in front of this book.

Kabbalists call The Book of Zohar simply “The Book,” emphasizing that there are no other books besides it. That’s because a book refers to a structure, system or method that reveals the Creator to the creation.

It does not depend on the person how prepared he is for reading this book; it depends on his soul. Nevertheless, he is now placed in the best possible state for him and is sitting in front of this book and starting to listen to the lesson on The Zohar. That means he is capable of revealing it.

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The Zohar talks only about the desire and what takes place within it. My friends are also my desires; they are aspirations to connect with each other and with me in order to reveal the Creator. The desires that work against that are called my enemies.

This is how I divide all reality. There is no such thing as “this world” or “the world to come,” but only one desire. We have to get used to these definitions and stop seeing the world in other ways. We have to get rid of the habit that we have from birth – seeing the world as a structure that exists outside us. We have to feel that we have had enough of that false perception and we want to return to the truth. We don’t want to live in this illusion anymore.

I want to understand my desire and reveal the force that operates within it. This force is attained through its actions. This is why The Zohar explains how my desires are connected with each other and how they influence one another. By learning what’s going on between my desires, I begin to understand this force.

This force cannot be revealed on its own, but only through its actions inside the desires. For example, how do we recognize a magnet? We do it by seeing how it moves pieces of metal. In order to identify it, you have to be smart and understand the sequence of cause and effect. If you show it to a child, he’ll think that you are performing miracles.

We perceive phenomena through cause and effect, through the reaction of matter as well as the consequences. We can’t see an electric current, but only the resulting effect, such as a moving or rotating object. Thus, we only perceive the manifestations of something, but cannot grasp the essence, even if it’s our own essence. This is why The Zohar explains all phenomena to us inside the general desire.

The problem is that Kabbalists do not have words at their disposal other than the words that belong to this world; that is why they use the language of branches. They use words that describe things in this world to depict things in the spiritual realm. It’s a true blessing that this language exists, as it allows us to enter spirituality independently and voluntarily, by learning to understand it from the outside in.

How can we find out about spirituality if we are on the outside and we don’t know or understand anything about it? In relation to spirituality, I am like a newborn. The difference is that a baby develops instinctively, pushed ahead by nature (the Creator), whereas we have to ask Him to give us the strength to advance towards Him. Yet, by doing so, we exercise our freedom of will – the freedom to become similar to the Creator.

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In Kabbalah, “forbidden” means “impossible.” Something is forbidden because it contradicts the laws of nature and cannot be carried out. However, we are in the state of concealment, which makes us think that we are able to make this action and to reap a benefit from it. Yet, Kabbalists tell you, “It’s forbidden!” as if speaking to a baby that is trying to cause harm to himself.

The harm from such an attempt to make an incorrect action does not necessarily have to come directly; it can come in an indirect form. Therefore, it will seem to us that we acted correctly and even made a profit, while in actuality we will be wasting our lives on useless, even harmful, actions. It will take a long period of time and suffering for us to reveal this.

This is why Kabbalists warn us, “Don’t waste your time and effort. You can’t change anything this way, because the system of Nature is arranged differently from what you imagine!” As time goes by, we start to fall behind and don’t carry out what is expected of us. However, the force acts according to our maturity level, demanding greater advancement from us.

Since we don’t advance, we continue to feel pressure, problems, and suffering. This is why Kabbalists tell you, “You can’t do this!” They aren’t trying to persuade you, since they cannot explain this to you the way a teacher explains something to a child, telling you that you shouldn’t act in a certain way because you can’t see higher than your current level. This is why they tell you firmly: It’s forbidden! But in order to hear them, you have to enter a group and find a teacher.

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Suppose I understand that my life is a movie and I reveal His commands, through which He instills this picture in me. From the commands I come to Him, as it is written, “I will know You through your actions.” I begin to learn about Him and reveal the plan of creation by understanding what He wanted when He created this whole imaginary movie inside me.

He wanted me to return to Him, moving backwards along the path of my creation: from the external screen to the forces; from the forces to His thoughts; from the thoughts to Him. This means rising by the degrees of the spiritual worlds – from the world of actions to the world of thoughts, then to the world of intentions, then to the world of unity, and then to Him.

Therefore, I have no choice about my advancement. I need a book which will be my instruction guide, as well as illustrations of the process which would lay the path for me, so that I could grab onto the forms on the external screen. This is why Kabbalists tell me about this using words from our world, and I need to decipher the meaning! But how do I do this? This is no different from the way a newborn learns about our world.

For this very reason, Kabbalists give me a few recommendations which I try to carry out. These attempts eventually enable me to enter the spiritual world. Only the effort itself is accounted for, while I am certainly unable to do anything on my own. It is written, “I labored and found.”

Our efforts have to be done precisely for this sake: to imagine us all as one person, and the One who influences us as the only force and will. There should be one general image from our side, and one from His side. This is how we will make our way to each other, and this is called practical Kabbalah.

The simple reading of The Zohar without any explanations and clarifications influences a person and communicates the inner direction to him. It is an emotional immersion where one searches for what this book speaks about. It’s similar to how a child does not grow by understanding how he needs to grow, but from making the effort. He acquires understanding only later, as a result.

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