A question I received: I have been very curious about this for a long time. We say that Kabbalah is not religion, or does not require a particular belief system, yet atheism is now considered a religion among many and it is one of the fastest growing, though that may be a contradiction in terms, as many consider religion a system of belief in God. In any case, we have said Kabbalah study is secular, so my question is – can an atheist be a Kabbalist, or does Kabbalah require a belief in God? After all, in Kabbalah the idea is to become like the Creator.

My Answer: Kabbalah differs from “everything else” (religion or not) in that it facilitates a clear attainment of the Creator, so that you will feel Him like you feel a friend of yours, and even more. Hence there is no room in Kabbalah for belief in something others have told to you. Rather, you have to attain yourself, the entire world, and all the souls, and inside them – the Creator in His entirety.

Atheism is a belief that the Creator does not exist, whereas religion is a belief that the Creator does exist. In contrast, Kabbalah is the revelation of the Creator, through researching Nature inside yourself or inside your perceptions.

In this regard, Kabbalah is similar to other sciences. However, the other sciences reveal the world within the senses that we already have, whereas Kabbalah does it in an additional sense – the soul, which you first have to develop inside you. In any case, just like any other science Kabbalah speaks only about the things that are present in one’s senses! It is not interested in anything that’s imperceptible and that cannot be researched, repeated, and tested, and considers these things unreal. This approach makes it a science by definition. See the definition of Kabbalah in Baal HaSulam’s article “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah” – “Kabbalah is the method of revealing the Creator to man in our world” – to every person and to everyone together.

Like all sciences, Kabbalah uses the scientific method or instrument (even though scientists find it difficult to agree with this because they are used to researching the world only through the animate body). The scientific method assumes that:

• Every scientific statement must be proven by experiment.
• Every scientific statement can be proven wrong.
• It is pointless to discuss an idea that cannot be verified in practice. For example, here is a scientific opinion about G-d’s existence: Immanuel Kant showed that it cannot be proven that G-d exists as well as that He does not. The very notion of an unattainable and almighty G-d is not subject to experiment, because if G-d is almighty, then he’s able to control the outcome of the experiment. People don’t accept G-d through evidence, but through faith. Hence, the idea of G-d is beyond science. Any question that asks “Why is so and so this way?” can be answered, “Because it’s G-d’s will.” (This is how religion compelled people to answer all questions, and therefore it slowed down scientific progress.) Kabbalah allows one to reveal the Creator and His actions in practice. However, it is just as indifferent to the things that cannot be verified in practice as the earthly sciences.
• Every scientific statement must be logical and not contradict the laws that are already known. Usually, the old laws become particular cases of the new laws.
• Every scientific statement must indicate its “weak spots”; it should mention which of it constituents are subject to doubt and objection.

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A question I received: I have been taking part in the lessons offered by Bnei Baruch. It seems to me that I’m a worse person than when I started studying. What am I doing wrong? I believe that I understand the importance of the group, but I don’t feel love for the group per say. Instead I feel this deep and ever widening divide. I’m judgmental and cynical, in my personal life I’m depressed, angry and irritable, and there is no logical rationale for it, but nonetheless I feel all of these emotions strongly. It’s like my mind or one part of me is on one track yet the feeling part of me (which drives me) is on another track headed in the opposite direction, coupled with a love/hate relationship with Kabbalah and the studies. Add to this the fact that I’m confused…

In the lessons we are made to understand that the material we study refers solely to spiritual states, but what is the goal ‘practically’ speaking? What kind of person am I supposed to be?

My Answer: All of us experience states like this, when we assess whether the spiritual growth offered by Kabbalah is correct or even necessary. Right now all of humanity is entering a period of reassessing its values, and this is why it is experiencing a crisis in all areas of life – education, politics, society, family, science, ecology, nature, and so on.

In addition, we are assessing our corporeal existence and the need to add spirituality to it (the revelation of the Upper World and the Creator) in our uncorrected egoistic desires (heart) and thoughts (mind). Your egoism will still go through many “disappointments” on the path of spiritual development, because egoism does not feel any fulfillment on this path, but just the opposite. To develop spiritually, one must eradicate one’s egoism. That is to say, one should not eradicate one’s desires and thoughts, but only their use “for one’s own sake,” changing it to “for the sake of others.”

So how can one advance away from egoism without having egoism’s support on the spiritual path? Egoism is against spirituality, and this is why egoism, our nature, is described as “Help against you,” because eventually it annuls itself. This happens because when you egoistically study Kabbalah in a group, attempting to create a connection with each other, then you attract the Upper Light, which corrects egoism. So the disappointments and descents are just egoism’s perception of the lack of egoistic fulfillment. Your future fulfillment will not come from reception, but from bestowal, from fulfilling others. It will come from the feeling of love and the realization that everyone is connected into one whole.

Hence, the only thing that will bring you to the goal – the eternal goal of creation, is persistent study, participation in the group, and dissemination, in spite of your egoism – “As an ox to the burden and as a donkey to the load.” All the Shamati articles speak about this, so always keep reading them. And remember – this path can only be surmounted by those who walk it!

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A question I received: The first revelation of evil (egoism) and the perception of the property of the Creator which follows it are very powerful. When you experience this for the first time you start running after your Beloved nonstop. But as time goes by and you put the needed amount of efforts into it (and maybe even more), this quality gradually disappears. You start to relax and to doubt that it ever happened.

How do you reveal the evil of the following degree? How do you avoid becoming relaxed? How do you follow the Creator’s desire and keep advancing? If one was brought into this world and “awakened,” then this couldn’t have happened in vain. One can’t continue living like before. So how do you “climb” out of this world again? I would really like to receive an answer to my question, even though you have said many times that one attains the real answer in his soul.

My Answer: You have described everything correctly and vividly. Previously you were not advancing by your own efforts, but by the desire that you received from above – the point in the heart. However, now in order to develop this point into the ten Sefirot and to perceive the Upper Light or the Upper World in the ten Sefirot, you have to make your own efforts. Now you will have to go through the exhausting period of accumulating efforts and perceptions, and of self analysis. The only things that can help are:

1. Patience
2. Exaltation of the goal
3. The realization of your inability to change on your own
4. Confidence in the Light of Correction.

All of these can only be received from the right environment (see Baal HaSulam’s article “The Freedom”).

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The Book of Zohar. Chapter, “Who Has Created These, of Eliyahu” (abridged)

11. Rabbi Shimon said: “Elazar, my son (the continuation of the present state, the next degree), reveal to us the supernal secret (law), which the people of the world know nothing of (which they cannot observe in their properties).” Rabbi Elazar was silent (unable to reveal this to the lower ones). Rabbi Shimon wept (entered the state of Katnut, descended to a lower degree on the spiritual ladder), was silent and then said: “Elazar, what is THIS? If THIS was the stars and the signs of the zodiac (destinies), they would have been visible the whole time and located in Malchut, i.e. created, as it is said, “by the word of the Creator were the heavens made.” Meaning, by Malchut, called the “Word of the Creator,” were the heavens made. And if THIS refers to the concealed secrets, then it wouldn’t be written THIS, for the stars and the signs of destinies are visible to all (“THIS” indicates that the object is understood).

12. But this secret was revealed on the day when I was at the seashore (the edge of wisdom). Eliyahu the prophet (the revelation of the degree of wisdom) came and told me: “Rabbi, do you know what WHO HAS CREATED THESE means?” I told him: “These are the heavens and their hosts, the works of the Creator, that man can look at them and bless them, as it is written, ‘When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your hands! Our Master! How glorious Your name is throughout all the earth!’”

13. Eliyahu told me: “The Creator revealed the concealed to the Supernal Assembly: When the ‘concealed of all the concealed’ desired to reveal himself, he first made one single point (Malchut), and this point ascended into his thought (Malchut ascended and joined Bina). With it he drew all the forms and with it engraved all the images.”

14. He engraved inside a concealed, sacred candle (inside Malchut that joined Bina) one concealed image of the holy of holies, a secret structure that has emerged from the thought called WHO, which is the inception of the structure. It is great and is concealed deep inside the name (Bina) ELOKIM = ELOK–IM = THIS-WHO. Initially WHO senses the absence of THIS, strives to the name ELOKIM. He desired to be revealed and be called the full name ELOKIM – hence He clothed Himself in a precious, radiant garment (the Light of Hassadim). He created THIS. The letters THIS of the name ELOK–IM ascended and joined the letters WHO, thereby forming the full name ELOKIM. And until He created THIS, ELOKIM did not ascend (rise) to the name ELOKIM (to the level of Bina). That is why those who sinned in worshipping the golden calf (those who fell from the property of bestowal into the property of receiving for oneself), they pointed their finger at this secret, saying: “THIS is your Lord, Israel!” (they wanted to use only the lower part of Bina, which passes the Light of Hochma to the lower ones, without comparing itself with the properties of the upper part of Bina, the properties of bestowal).

15. Just as WHO joins with THIS to form one name ELOKIM (when Hochma clothes in Hassadim), so does the name join by this beautiful radiant garment. On this secret (the ability to receive for the sake of bestowal) stands the world (the fulfillment of souls), as it is said: “The world was created by mercy.” And Eliyahu flew away (ascended to the degree higher than mine), and I could no longer see him (could not reveal him on my own). But it is from him (from this revelation he made) that I attained the touch of the secret of revelation and of the secret of concealment (how to conceal the uncorrected desires and how to reveal the desires that have been corrected by the Light of Hassadim). Rabbi Elazar and all the disciples drew near (equalized their properties), bowed down (bowed their heads, descended to the same level as the body), wept (lowered their degree) and said (only then did they reveal): “If we had come into this world (attained this degree), but only to hear (attain this property of bestowal, Bina = hearing = ears), it would have been enough for us!” (we desire nothing more than to bestow).

“Who Has Created These, of Eliyahu” – full commentary.

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The Book of Zohar. Chapter “Flower Buds” (abridged)

4. Rabbi Shimon opened (the Light): It is written in “Song of Songs”: “Flower buds appeared on the earth. “Flower buds” refer to the act of creation. “Appeared on the earth” – on the 3rd day of creation, when it was written in the Torah: “And the earth shall pullulate” (the middle line compels growth, because it comprises of the sum of the left and the right lines – desire and Light).

Then it is said in “Song of Songs”: “The time of singing has come” – and this is the 4th day of creation, the time of judgment (restriction; in order to provide an opportunity for growth it is necessary to restrict the growth of desire in accordance with its correction).

Then it is said in “Song of Songs”: “The voice of the turtle dove is heard” – this is the 5th day of creation, of which it is said in the Torah: “Let the waters swarm” – so as to produce offspring (the spiritual correction of broken desires).

And the word “heard” refers to the 6th day, where it is written, “Let us stand and create man,” and there it is said, “We shall do and we shall hear,” meaning that he will be able to perform actions (studying Kabbalistic sources, unification) that bring him to the property of bestowal (“hearing” is the property of Bina, bestowal, while “sight” is the property of Hochma, reception).

Then it is said in “Song of Songs”: “In our land” – this is the day of Sabbath, which is like the Land of Life, the world to come (“land” designates desire, “our” means corrected by the desire to bestow – the result is the corrected state called Sabbath).

5. Flower buds are the Patriarchs, the fundamental desires that entered with their correction the mind of the Upper One and the future world – Bina, and there they are concealed. They emerge from there concealed in the true prophets. Yosef was born and they concealed themselves in him. When Yosef entered the Holy Land (the soul’s corrected desires), they appeared and were revealed (to him as the Upper World). When are they revealed? When a rainbow is seen. It is the time of eradication of all the wicked from the world (final correction of all egoistic desires). That is why the flower buds can be seen in the earth. And if they could be seen earlier (if the Upper Light were to be revealed before the correction of all egoistic desires), they could not have remained in the world, and the world would not be able to exist (it would be destroyed, for Light would have come in contact with egoism, like an electrical short circuit).

6. Who animates the world and causes the revelation of the Patriarchs (the initially created desires)? – It is the voice of the children (revealed for the correction of previously concealed desires), who study the Torah (the method of correction). Thanks to these children (newly revealed desires, Reshimot) the world exists (the Creator’s revelation to people/souls). It is hence said in “Song of Songs”: “We will make you pendants of gold” (the Light of Hochma, gold, will fill the newly corrected desires). These are the children, the flower buds of the world, as is it said in the Torah (the method of correction): “You shall make two Cherubs of gold” (“cherub” comes from the word “Karov” or “Lakriv,” meaning to draw one closer – to draw man nearer the Creator by utilizing two cherubs, two lines, right and left, while the Creator speaks – is revealed, in the property of bestowal, between them, in the middle line).

“Flower Buds” – full commentary

My Comment: The Book of Zohar should be studied just like any other Kabbalistic text – with the intention of receiving the force of the soul’s correction from it. Then, to the extent that one’s soul is corrected, one begins to feel (reveal) what The Book of Zohar describes.
(See “The Introduction to The Teaching of the Ten Sefirot”, item 155.)

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A question I received: Whenever I tell religious people that we are opposite to the Creator, they always quote the Biblical verse that we were created in the image of G-d. How can I respond to this? What is “image” in Kabbalah? Is the “image” really a “shadow,” which would mean that we’re exactly the opposite of the Creator?

My Answer: By telling a religious person that we are opposite to the Creator, that we are egoistic and He is Good, you deny their closeness to the Creator. So how could they agree with this, if they consider themselves corrected!? This is where they get their conviction that they are righteous and everyone else is obliged to them; that just by observing the religious prescriptions (which are allegedly G-d’s desires), they are freed from their corporeal responsibilities.

The conclusion to be made from this is: Don’t talk to them until they discover their egoism, their opposition to the Creator, on their own. You shouldn’t make people upset if they are not ready for correction yet. After all, this is exactly why religion was invented – to last until the time when humanity will be ready to attain the Creator.

Then the exile from spirituality, from the concealment of the Creator, will end. Baal HaSulam explains “What is Kabbalah” in the article “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah.” He writes:

“Kabbalah is the method of revealing the Creator to man in this world” – and by saying this, he immediately erases all of religion! It’s because this doesn’t leave any room for faith in something you were told. Instead of the unfounded tales, one suddenly receives the opportunity and responsibility of clear revelation and attainment of the Creator.

When one reveals this, then he does not just reveal something slightly bigger than our world, the way regular science widens the world for us. Rather, one reveals the Upper World, the Creator Himself! Moreover, Baal HaSulam adds that every person and all of humanity will have to reach this revelation, until all people will clearly feel the Creator just like a person feels his friend, and even closer!

So where is there any room left for belief, if you attain everything yourself and make your own conclusions!? In addition, this allows you to attain immortality, omniscience, and perfection, because revelation is only possible to the degree that you are equal to the Creator. In other words, revelation means that a person acquires the same state as the Creator Himself!

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Questions I received on perceiving the common soul and the Upper World:

Question: Everyone and everything is inside of me. The Creator is all around me and inside me. Once you understand that everything is inside you, you start desiring to unite with everything that “surrounds” you. So far so good. However, this means that I will be doing everything only for myself, since even a chance passerby is actually inside me. So in reality I actually want to correct everything for myself and not for others?

My Answer: A person certainly discovers that everything around him is part of him, and is incorporated in his egoism. However, this only happens when one aspires to come out of his egoism and be inside others – inside the environment. First he acquires the property of Bina, bestowal, “not for one’s own sake”; and then, once he is above this property (Tshuva mi Iraa, Hafetz Hesed), he attaches everything to himself and makes everything a part of him. Then he perceives all the souls as his own (Tshuva mi Ahava) and receives the entire Upper Light into this united Kli.

Question: How do we know that the Upper Force is the only one, and that what we will feel after the Upper Worlds are revealed is not our imagination or an illusion?

My Answer: We will know this by revealing the Upper World in our soul and comparing the two worlds. Everything in spirituality is attained inside us – just like we attain this world. We draw our conclusions only from our attainment of the Upper World. The science of Kabbalah is based exclusively on Kabbalists’ practical experience.

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A question I received: You said that Kabbalah is a science without axioms. Yet in Shamati Baal HaSulam says that there is only Atzmuto (the Unattainable), Ein Sof and the Souls. Aren’t these the axioms upon which Kabbalah is based? Everything else can be derived from these notions.

My Answer: No, these aren’t axioms, but revelations made by Kabbalists. You simply don’t understand how one can say that Atzmuto exists if it is unattainable. But the fact is – one clearly attains its unattainability! The rest you’ll have to reveal for yourself.

There is a rule in Kabbalah: We only talk about what we attain. So when a Kabbalist says that something is “unattainable,” this denotes a particular attainment. The same applies to all Kabbalistic notions – they all come from clear attainment and scientific research. They were perceived in feelings that one can control, and are based on a Kabbalist’s comprehension of the connections by way of analysis and mental synthesis. However, this wasn’t done with the regular mind. Kabbalists develop an “unearthly” mind or brain, because one’s mind develops alongside one’s desires, in order to ensure their actualization.

If one’s desires are at the level of this world, then one’s mind can never step out of its boundaries, because it is produced by one’s desires. Hence, you must first correct yourself, and then, as a result of the change in your properties, you will become smarter and acquire a mind that isn’t corporeal, but is different, higher – a mind that can understand opposites as one whole, can comprehend that time doesn’t exist, and that motion means changing one’s properties in similarity to the Creator.

One then reveals an entirely different worldview (see the material on the perception of spiritual reality). One reveals the souls and the governing forces, as well as the cause and purpose of this world. In addition, one sees all of this together, as a single picture that is stationary yet moving toward revealing this state of rest.

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A question I received: In reference to your blog post: Video Conference with Canadian Television: How much longer will people have to get hurt by others in order to finally understand that we are responsible for our actions before the Creator? And as long as each person doesn’t strive to unite with the properties of the Creator, it is impossible to create a group of single-minded people who will support and reinforce each other?

My Answer: The spiritual world operates according to the impulse mode – a digital mode rather than an analog mode. That is to say, there is always a process of accumulation taking place where efforts, knowledge, and perceptions accumulate until they reach a moment when they add up to attain the following spiritual level and turn into a qualitatively new degree.

Today we are at a level where our spiritual state is concealed and we do not see how close we are to reaching the following degree – the first spiritual degree of revelation. Starting with that degree, we will have a better understanding of where we are and how we are advancing.

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A question I received: How does one pray in Kabbalah? I pray every night, yet I find myself asking whether this is the correct way to pray. It seems so egoistic to pray only for my own desires and requests. Does Kabbalah have “instructions” on how to pray, or a general, single prayer that a person can say? Perhaps every person should pray individually, according to how he feels, or is it better to just stop praying altogether?

My Answer: A prayer is a desire that comes from the bottom of one’s heart – the desire to become similar to the Creator, to bestow and selflessly love. This is the only desire that the Creator perceives as a prayer – the desire to be similar to Him, or to attain adhesion with Him. Hence, He doesn’t feel all the egoistic prayers people say, and the entire history of mankind shows this.

This is how the system of Atzilut (the system of the Creator’s connection with the creation or soul) is built: AVI (Aba ve Ima) feel a MAN coming from Malchut (the soul), and react to it by giving Malchut the Light of correction or the Light of fulfillment, depending on what Malchut asks for.

One cannot reach such a request, or the true prayer, alone. This can only be done through a group, by trying to unite with it into one whole, as requested by AVI, and as it was before the breaking of the soul. In addition, it can only be done through studying authentic Kabbalistic books – the original books of Baal HaSulam, because then one is influenced by a special Upper Force called the Surrounding Light (Ohr Makif). (See item 155 in the “Introduction to Talmud Eser Sefirot.”)

Precisely this Light creates the true prayer in a person, which immediately receives an answer from the Creator in that He reveals Himself to the person. This revelation of the Creator is called the evidence (Edut) of the fact that a person will never sin again, that is, that he will never act egoistically under the influence of this revelation. This is why the Upper World becomes revealed to him.

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