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

208. The fourth Commandment (the basis of the universe) is to know (to attain in one’s corrected properties) that HaVaYaH (the One who created you and your desires, inside which you are now attaining the Light) is Elokim (the One who loves and bestows, the properties of Bina), as it is written: KNOW THIS DAY (in your mind) AND LAY IT IN YOUR HEART (in all of your desires) THAT HaVaYaH (your Kli, the soul’s body) IS ELOKIM (Bina, love and bestowal). That is, the name Elokim is included in the name of the HaVaYaH, and there is no distinction between them. HaVaYaH is ZA, and Elokim is Nukva. It is essential to unite ZA with Nukva by making their properties similar, so there is no distinction between them. Thus, the name Elokim of Nukva will be included in the name HaVaYaH of ZA, so that Nukva (man) herself will become as HaVaYaH (the Creator).

209. Hence, it is written, “Let the stars in Heaven shine upon the earth.” This means that both stars, the two names, HaVaYaH and ELOKIM, are as one. This way, Malchut (Elokim) should merge with the name HaVaYaH (ZA). The black Light (Malchut) with the white Light (ZA), as one, without distinction. The white cloud by day (ZA) with the pillar of fire by night (Malchut); the property of day (ZA) merged with the property of night (Malchut), so they shine as one star.

210. This is the sin of the primeval serpent that unites below but separates Above; hence, it caused what it caused to the world. What should be united Above, should be separated below. The black Light, which is Malchut, should be united Above with ZA into a single whole and then separate it from the “evil side.”

211. Nevertheless, one should know that Elokim and HaVaYaH are one, without distinction. HaVaYaH is Elokim. If man knows that all is one and does not cause any separation, then even the opposite, impure forces disappear from the world, instead of descending below.

212. The secret behind the word Me’orot, which consists of the words Mavet (death) and Ohr (Light), is that the impure forces follow knowledge, understanding, and thought. And this is Light, which is the opposite of death – Mavet, for the Light (Ohr) is inside death – Mavet (spelled as Me’ot) in the word ME’ohrOT. This alludes to the fact that Light separates death, but when Light disappears, the letters unite and form the word “death.”

213. Chava started with these letters, and brought evil into the world. As it is written, the woman SAW that it was good to bring the letters of the word Me’ohrot back. From there she took the letters Vav–Tav–Reish–Aleph, leaving only the letters Mem and Vav. And they took with them the letter Tav, thus forming the word Mem–Vav–Tav (Mavet – death). And they brought death into the world.

214. And look: Rabbi Elazar said, “My father, I have learned that after Chava had removed the letters VeTiR’E from the word Me’ohrot, the letters Mem and Vav did not remain. Only the letter Mem remained, for the letter Vav, which is the letter of life, turned into death. This occurred because it attached the letter Tav to itself, thus forming the word MaVeT.” He replied: “Blessed are you, my son!”

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A question I received: Does Kabbalah see the Jewish nation as the chosen people of G-d?

My Answer: The chosen people are a group of people who may have any earthly features or qualities. The important thing is that they have “points in the heart” – an aspiration for the goal of creation: adhesion with the Creator through equivalence of form. This group must also have a sense of its mission: to master the method of correction and to teach it to the whole world.

The group is called Israel (from the words Isra – straight and El – the Creator) because it is directed “straight to the Creator” – to bestowal and love for one’s neighbor. Anyone in this condition is named Israel, and is “chosen.”

We all came from the ancient civilization in Babylon – one nation. Some of the people in ancient Babylon accepted the method of correction that Abraham offered to everyone, and because of their intention, this group was named Israel.

Today, we – the whole of mankind, are recognizing that we’ve reached a dead end of the egoistic development, which has lasted for 4500 years, since the times of ancient Babylon. This recognition will compel us to rise above our egoism, and together to reach the Creator’s level. This is Nature’s plan.

Those who feel and recognize this call have the task of leading all of humanity, all of Babylon. That’s what makes them chosen. Here is what Baal HaSulam writes in item 19 of his article “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”:

Rabbi Elazar, the son of Rabbi Shimon, author of The Book of Zohar, clarifies this concept even further by saying that it is not enough that all of Israel be responsible for one another, but that the whole world must be included in that bond… The end of the world’s correction will come when all the nations of the world join together in their aspiration for the Creator. He will then reveal Himself to all, as the sages said: “And the Lord shall be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord shall be one and His name one. And the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, and all the nations shall flow unto Him.”

The role of Israel toward the world is that they are obliged to ascend spiritually and to prepare all of humanity to accept the exalted work of “love for one’s neighbor,” which is a means, a ladder leading to the goal of creation – adhesion with the Creator.

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Questions I received on how to improve our lives through Kabbalah and what to study:

Question: How do I improve the quality of my life when I don’t even know what I want to do with my life? How do I find my area of interest?

My Answer: Read the book Attaining the Worlds Beyond, join a group and try to receive the meaning of life from the group.

Question: It is better to listen to lessons from past congresses or to study with the worldwide Bnei Baruch group?

My Answer: Study whatever you feel attracted to.

Question: Why do our thoughts keep returning to things that happened in the past?

My Answer: Because you don’t aspire forward!

Question: How can a person who is studying Kabbalah avoid the changing of the conditions of his advancement, and what causes it?

My Answer: This is not our business. The only thing that’s in our power and choice is to intensify the influence of the Upper Light on us. So concentrate on this!

Question: How can studying Kabbalah help me overcome panic and anxiety attacks?

My Answer: You will start being anxious about other things, such as “Why don’t I love the Creator and my neighbor? I’m such an egoist! Why am I not inside the group with all of my aspiration?” and so on. These worries will outweigh your current ones.

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Questions I received on vegetarianism, antidepressants, and lifting curses:

Question: Is it worthwhile taking antidepressants? What if a man is 36 years old, he doesn’t know what path he’s on, isn’t married or dating, doesn’t know what to do with his life, what kind of job to look for, and just feels totally confused – what should he do? What does Kabbalah say about this?

My Answer: The only question Kabbalah answers is, “What is the meaning of my life?” and not one’s mundane concerns!

Question: I recently discovered that a curse has been put on my close relatives. I don’t know whether to believe it or not, but either way, it’s pretty scary. How can I tell if this is really true and how can the the curse be lifted? I don’t know who to turn to, please help!

My Answer: We are all interconnected in one soul like cogwheels in a single mechanism. Hence, negative opinions and thoughts influence the person at whom they are directed. When the influence is stronger than usual, it is called “an evil eye,” “a curse,” and so on.

The only solution is to have the opposite influence – good thoughts and opinions. I am sure that the best protection from all the bad things is our lessons! By watching them you attract the Upper Light to yourself, and it leads you toward the goal. Its influence is of a higher order than any earthly influence! Desire a connection with the Creator, and take refuge in Him.

Question: What does Kabbalah say about vegetarianism? Is there any point in giving up on food and clothing made of animals?

My Answer: Everything in the world must be used sensibly.

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A question I received: Today the wisdom of Kabbalah isn’t passed down the way it was in the past, from a Rav to a student. Instead, it is implemented in a big group. Spirituality is attained in a group, where all 600,000 people reach attainment together like at Mount Sinai. Is it true that there are no more individuals who can attain spirituality by the old method? Is this the reason why the mutual guarantee, “love your neighbor as yourself” in a group is now the method for attaining equivalence with the Creator?

My Answer: Kabbalah was revealed by Abraham in ancient Babylon. It’s a method of correcting the egoism of the whole civilization, bringing it to equivalence with the Creator – eternal and perfect existence. However, since the people of Babylon did not want to correct their egoism, but wanted to develop egoistically, we have now reached the dead end of such development, just like The Book of Zohar predicted.

Today that entire Babylonian civilization has spread around the whole planet, and it is reaching the conclusion that it’s necessary to implement the method of egoism’s correction. There is simply no other way to go, as otherwise we will destroy ourselves. The way to implement the method of correction is for everyone to unite into one soul, to “love your neighbor as yourself.” In the Torah, this is explained as the condition of the Creator’s revelation at Mount Sinai.

Throughout the past 4000 years the method was preserved and adjusted to fit the times. This was done by a lineage of individual Kabbalists who lived in every generation. Today it is presented to us through the compositions of Baal HaSulam in a form that’s ready to use. I am a faithful student of Baal HaSulam’s oldest son, Rabash (as stated in Rabash’s obituary in the newspaper “HaModia” on September 15, 1991) and my role is to help people understand these materials.

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A question I received: I cannot focus on studying The Book of Zohar, even though it is my greatest desire to understand this book. The most prevalent commandment in Christianity is, “Thou shalt not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people; but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am Jehovah” (Leviticus 19:18). Jesus taught that we have to love those who hate us and pray for those who haunt us. Isn’t this also a principle in Kabbalah?

My Answer: Every religion puts itself above other religions and teachings, and this is because all religions emerged from man’s egoism. This is the reason for the hatred between different religions and nations. Even within one religion, there is hatred between its different branches.

The commandment “Thou shalt not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people; but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” is incomplete. Kabbalah teaches us to love not only our own people, but all the people in the world. Looking back at history, we won’t find anyone who loved those who hated and haunted them. On the contrary, history is full of hatred and violence, which are spawned by religion to this day. Religion has always divided and separated different nations from each other, instigating them one against the other and imposing itself on the people by fire and sword.

All religions will die out because they arose from egoism after the destruction of the Temple. This was when the people of Israel fell from the level of “love for one’s neighbor” to the level of “unfounded hatred for one’s neighbor” – and they are still on this level, along with everyone else. Kabbalah is above religion; it appeals to everyone in the world because it teaches that we are all part of the common soul of Adam, without any difference between us. Every person is equally necessary in order for everyone to attain the full correction. If even one person is missing, then it is less than perfect!

Kabbalah appeared in ancient Babylon when the whole civilization was falling apart from the growing egoism. Kabbalah, represented by Abraham, pleaded with people to unite. And now, after our entire bitter history, Kabbalah is telling all of us the same thing again: “Unite, otherwise you’ll destroy yourselves!” And to this day, the religions are still preaching separation – and that is because they were produced by egoism. The religions appeared when the nation of Israel fell from love for one’s neighbor to hatred, from the spiritual level to the corporeal, egoistic one. That is when Judaism appeared, then Christianity, and then Islam.

Baal HaSulam writes that religions will remain as the cultural traditions of the nations. The religions will have to take their proper place and stop engaging in something that is beyond them – the soul and its correction. They don’t have a connection with the Light and the Creator in order to engage in this, and this is what we are witnessing today by the results of religion’s impact on people.

The period of the Light’s concealment from man is over, and hence the period of religious domination over people is also over. The Light is becoming revealed, and religion is becoming substituted by Kabbalah. Religion will then remain as a cultural tradition.

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

198. The second Commandment is inseparably connected with the Commandment of fear, and it is the Commandment of love – for man to love his Creator with absolute (perfect) love. What is perfect love? It is a great love, as it is written, “He walks before the Creator in complete sincerity and perfection.” And this signifies perfection in love. Thus, it is written, “And the Creator said, ‘Let there be Light’” – this is perfect love, called “great love.” This is precisely how man should love his Creator.

200. Therefore, there is he who loves the Creator in order to gain riches, live a long life, have many healthy children, and rule over his enemies – he receives everything he wants, and this is why he loves the Creator. However, should he receive the opposite, should the Creator lead him through a wheel of suffering, he will come to hate the Creator, and will feel no love toward Him whatsoever. Therefore, such (egoistic) love lacks the necessary foundation (for spiritual adhesion).

201. Love is considered perfect if it exists on both sides – on the side of judgment (suffering) and the side of mercy (success in life). As we already mentioned, when one loves the Creator, even if He were to take away his soul, this love would remain perfect on both sides: mercy and judgment.

Therefore, the Light of the First Act of Creation was revealed and then concealed. And because of this concealment, strict judgment appeared in the world, and both sides, mercy and judgment, united to form perfection. And this is the desired love.

202. Rabbi Shimon kissed (united with) him. Rabbi Pinchas approached (his degree), kissed (united with) and blessed him. He said, “It is clear that the Creator has sent me here. This is the tiny ray of Light that was said to be shining in my house, and would later light up the whole world.” Rabbi Elazar said, “Certainly, fear must not be forgotten from all the Commandments; especially in this Commandment, the Commandment of love, fear must be attached to this Commandment at all times. How is it attached? Love is good when it brings goodness, health, sustenance, and life from the Beloved One. And it is here that fear of sinning must be revived, so that the wheel does not turn against him, as it is written, “Happy is the man who always fears,” for his fear is contained in his love.

203. This is how fear should be evoked from the perspective of strict judgment (restriction of egoism), for once man realizes that strict judgment hovers over him, he must evoke within him fear of his Master. Thus, his heart will not be hardened, of which it is written, “He that hardens his heart shall fall into evil,” into the other side (his egoism). This is called evil. Therefore, fear unites with both sides – with goodness and love, as well as with strict judgment, and consists of both. And if fear is united with the good side and love, as well as with the strictness of judgment, such a love is perfect.

Related Material:
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Questions I received on the connection between root and branch:

Question: I heard that there is no connection between spirituality and our personalities or physical qualities. On the other hand, there is a notion of root and branch, which says that every thing, object and quality in our world has a connection to its root. There seems to be a contradiction here. Doesn’t this mean that physical properties and personality are set according to spiritual roots?

My Answer: Of course there is a connection, and it’s direct: the root determines the result, such as one’s personality, habits, inclinations, and so on. However, the result does not undergo change because in our world it is impossible for any qualitative changes to occur. The only thing that’s always changing – even if we don’t realize it – is the soul, which strives toward the root and belongs to the Upper World.

Generally speaking, everything revolves around the soul. Because we don’t perceive the soul, we don’t understand the flow of life, since everything taking place has only one purpose – the soul’s correction.

Question: According to the law of root and branch, can a smaller one influence a bigger one, like in the example of the guest and the host?

My Answer: This is exactly what the Creator is waiting for us to do – to take control over the universe and thereby attain Him, become like Him, and reach adhesion with Him. Then there won’t be any difference between Him and us (by “us” I mean the common soul that’s absolutely united into one whole)!

During the process of correction, on the way to the final state (adulthood, Gadlut), we are like children, and all of the Creator’s actions revolve only around us – not us in the physical sense, but only our souls. We have to remember this, and if we wish to understand Him, we have to stop thinking about bodies (that is, about the excess things besides what’s necessary for the body to exist) and start identifying ourselves with the soul. We should perceive the body as temporary, something we were given during the period when we’re not fully corrected yet and are separated from the soul.

Question: Is there a spiritual root of good and evil? If yes, then what is it?

My Answer: The root of everything in existence is the one, unique Creator, the single force that governs everything. However, we perceive this force dually, depending on whether we are with it or against it.

For more on this, read the articles “Thou Hast Hemmed Me in Behind and Before,” “There Is None Else Besides Him,” the letter from page 70, and watch the lessons that I gave on these articles during the 2008 Odessa congress (see the Related Material below).

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Odessa Congress – Lesson 1
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Odessa Congress – Lesson 4
Odessa Congress – Lesson 5

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

189. BERESHEET BARAH ELOKIM (In the beginning the Creator created) is the first commandment, the root and foundation of all creation, called “fear of the Creator” or RESHEET (beginning), as it is written: “Fear of the Creator is the beginning of wisdom.” It is also written, “Fear of the Creator is the beginning of knowledge,” for this fear is called “the beginning.” And it is the gate (the first property) that leads to faith (the property of bestowal). And this Mitzva (law of the universe) is the foundation of the whole world (all other laws are derived from it).

190. There are three types of fear, two of which have no real basis, but one does. If man fears that his children may die, or fears illness or bodily suffering, or fears for his material well-being, this kind of fear (even if constant) is not the basis or root, for only desirable consequences constitute the cause of fear. This is called “the fear of punishment in this world.” But there is also another type of fear: the fear of punishment in the world to come, in hell. These two types of fear – the fear of punishment in this world and in the world to come – do not constitute true fear.

191. The true fear is the fear of the Creator, for He is great and almighty, for He is the Source of everything, and all else is nothing compared to Him. Man should concentrate all his attention on attaining this kind of fear.

192. Rabbi Shimon started to weep, wailing, “Woe if I reveal and woe if I do not reveal: If I reveal the means of attaining fear, the sinners will know how to work for the Creator for their own sake (without exiting their egoism, and hence they won’t correct themselves). And if I do not say how to attain fear of the Creator, it will not reach my friends (those who do wish to exit their egoism). Wherever there is true fear (which allows one to act above one’s egoism, not for his own sake), opposite it and correspondingly below stands an evil fear, which strikes and prosecutes. It is the scourge that whips the sinners (punishing them for their sins. This is why he is afraid to reveal it, for the sinners may learn how to avoid punishment, and punishment constitutes their correction).

193. But he who fears the punishment by whippings, the true fear of the Creator cannot descend upon him. Instead, evil fear overtakes him in the form of fearing punishment by whipping.

194. Therefore, the place that is named “fear of the Creator” is called the beginning of knowledge. This is why this Commandment is included here. And it is the foundation and source of all the other Commandments of the Torah. And whoever observes the Commandment of fear of the Creator, thereby observes all the others. But he who does not observe the Commandment of fear of the Creator, does not observe the other Commandments of the Torah, for this Commandment constitutes the foundation for all the others.

195. Therefore, it is written, “IN THE BEGINNING” (signifying fear) THE CREATOR CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH. For whoever transgresses FEAR, transgresses all of the Torah’s Commandments (laws of the Upper World, which are based upon bestowal). And his punishment is the evil scourge – the evil fear that whips him. Further in the Torah, the words, “AND THE EARTH WAS UNFORMED AND CHAOTIC, AND DARKNESS WAS UPON THE FACE OF THE DEEP, AND THE SPIRIT OF THE CREATOR” refer to the four punishments of the wicked.

196. WITHOUT FORM refers to strangulation. CHAOTIC refers to stoning – the stones that fall into the great deep to punish the sinners. DARKNESS signifies burning. THE SPIRIT OF THE CREATOR refers to beheading.

197. The spirit of the Creator means beheading, for the scorching wind (Ruach Se’ara) is a flaming sword – punishment for whoever does not observe the Torah and Commandments that are mentioned after the Commandment of fear, called “foundation,” as it includes all the Commandments. This is because after the word BERESHEET (BEGINNING), which signifies fear, and further it is written WITHOUT FORM, CHAOS, DARKNESS and SPIRIT – the four penalties of death.

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News Report (translated from smi.marketgid.com): “Polish priest proves the existence of G-d.” 72-year old priest and mathematician Michael Heller has been awarded the world’s largest scientific prize for his work that indirectly proves the existence of G-d. Father Heller’s theories not only contain a proof of G-d’s existence, but also cast doubt on the existence of the corporeal world around us.

Father Heller has developed a complex formula that is able to explain everything, even randomness, through mathematical calculations. Previously, German researchers conducted a series of mathematical calculations showing that the probability of God’s existence is 62%.

My Answer: As usual, the mass media presents inaccurate information due to insufficient understanding of the subject: a theory cannot serve as proof. Proof can come only from a clear sensation, as well as the ability to repeat this sensation and to compare it with what others perceive. In other words, it must abide by the rule, “A judge has no more than what his eyes can see.”

Only the wisdom of Kabbalah enables man to reveal the Upper World or the Creator with such clarity. That’s because Kabbalah creates new qualities in man that are equal to Creator’s qualities, and then one perceives the Creator inside these qualities, according to the law of equivalence of form.

Everything else is like playing hide-and-seek in a dark room – instead of relying on clear sensations, people play around with numbers and philosophize using the earthly logic.

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