I had a conversation that was recorded called “Kabbalists Write.” We discussed my fourth book, Attaining the Worlds Beyond. I spoke with Ben-Tzion Gertz, a writer and an editor of several of my books in Hebrew.

Immediately after my teacher’s passing (September 1991), I had to go to Toronto to visit my dying father. I wrote this book after I returned, following the death of my father (February 1992). I think that more than any other of my books, it conveys the feelings of a person who is beginning the path of Kabbalah, one’s impressions from encountering the world of Kabbalah. This is exactly how I saw this book – the first of a series of books that I would write.

Here is an introductory chapter from the book Attaining the Worlds Beyond:

“The need for this text became apparent to me from the questions that I received from my students, and from the questions that were asked during various lectures and radio programs, as well as from the letters that continue to flood in from all over the world.

The difficulty of explaining and teaching Kabbalah lies in the fact that the spiritual world has no counterpart in our world. Even if the object of our studies becomes clear, our understanding of it is only temporary. What we learn is grasped by the spiritual component of our ability to understand, which is constantly renewed from Above. Thus, a subject we initially understand may appear unclear at a later date. Depending on our mood and our spiritual state, the text can appear as either full of deep meaning, or entirely meaningless.

Do not despair if what was so clear yesterday becomes very confusing today. Do not give up if the text appears to be vague, strange, or illogical. Kabbalah is not studied for the sake of acquiring theoretical knowledge, but to help us see and perceive what is hidden from us. When, after we have contemplated and acquired spiritual strength, we begin to see and perceive, then our ability to attain the resulting spiritual lights and levels will bring us to true knowledge.

Until we can comprehend the Upper Light and can perceive what it presents to us, we will not understand how the universe is built and how it works, since there are no analogies to these concepts in our own world.

This text can help ease our first steps toward perceiving the spiritual forces. At later stages, we will be able to progress only with the help of a teacher.

This text should not be read in an ordinary fashion. Rather, we should concentrate on a paragraph, think about it, and attempt to understand examples that reflect in the issues discussed. We may then try to apply these issues to our own personal experiences.

We should patiently and repeatedly read and think about each sentence as we try to penetrate the author’s feelings. We should also read slowly, trying to extract the nuances of what is written, and if need be, return to the beginning of each sentence.

This method can either help us delve into the material with our own feelings, or recognize that our feelings are lacking regarding a particular issue. If the latter is the case, it is a crucial prerequisite for us to move forward spiritually.

This text is not written for quick reading. Though it deals with one subject only, ‘How to relate to the Creator,’ it deals with it in different ways. This allows each of us to find the particular phrase or word that will transport us into the depths of the text.

Although the desires and actions of egoism are described in the third person, until we can separate our personal consciousness from our desires, we should consider the aspirations and desires of egoism our own. The word “body” in the text does not relate to the physical self, but to ‘egoism,’ our desire to receive.

To get the most out of this material, I recommend reading the same passages at different times and in different states of mind. By doing so, you can better acquaint yourself with your reactions and attitudes towards the same text on different occasions.

Disagreeing with the material is always positive, as is agreeing with it. The most important aspect of reading the text is your response to it. A feeling of disagreement indicates you have reached the preliminary stage (achoraim, the backside) of understanding, which prepares you for the next stage of perception (panim, face).

It is precisely through this slow meaningful manner of reading that you can develop feelings, or ‘vessels’ (kelim). These are necessary for us to receive spiritual sensations. Once the vessels are in place, the Upper Light will be able to enter them. Prior to their formation, the Light merely exists around you, surrounding your soul, although you cannot perceive it.

This text is not written to enhance your knowledge. Nor is it meant to be memorized. In fact, we must never test ourselves on the material.

It is even better if we forget the contents altogether, so that the second reading will seem fresh and entirely unfamiliar. By forgetting the material, it implies that we have grasped the previous sensations and that they have now subsided, leaving a space to be filled by sensations we have yet to experience. The process of developing new sensory organs is constantly renewed and accumulated in the spiritual, unperceived sphere of our souls.

The most important aspect of our reading is the way we feel about the material while reading it, not afterwards. Once we experience these feelings, they become revealed within the heart and mind, and manifest themselves when they are needed in the continuous process of the soul’s development.

Rather than rushing to complete reading the text, it is recommended to concentrate on the sections that appeal to us the most. Only then will the text be able to help and guide us in our search for personal spiritual ascent. The goal of this text is to help us become interested in the mysteries of life, such as:

Why were we born into this world? Can we enter the spiritual worlds from here? Can we ever understand the purpose of the creation? Is it possible to perceive the Creator, eternity and immortality? How can we begin to grow spiritually?”

Related Material:
Purchase the book – Attaining the Worlds Beyond
Kabbalah In Our Times – Spirituality, Kabbalah and the 21st Century

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A question I received: I am a 31 year old woman, married with five children. Recently my marriage went through a difficult crisis. My husband cheated on me with my best friend (a divorcee) and then left me for her. Their relationship continued for four months, and it was very difficult for me to live through that period. Now my husband and I are living together again and trying to rekindle our relationship. He says he needs to share with me what he went through during that period, but I’m afraid that I just won’t be able to bear the pain of it all over again. I think that I have to erase everything that happened from my memory in order to go on with my life. What do you think?

My Answer: You are right. Don’t think about the past, but only about the present and the future. Think of your husband as if you’ve just met, and erase everything that happened. This is what Kabbalah advises us to do, and it’s the same with our relationship with the Creator. This action is called “Dilug” – skipping over.

One should think that events happening now are happening through one’s active participation and that they are actions that he can and must change. However, as soon as part of an action or the entire action has happened, one should immediately accept it as something that happened according to the Creator’s initial plan.

In other words, do not regret anything, but also do not be proud of what you did or think that it happened because of you, that you participated in it. Rather, accept it as something that nature gave to you and that passed over you in order to teach you about the following action – which depends entirely on you. Your attitude to the future should be ordinary, materialistic – without relying on the Creator. We learn in Kabbalah that everything depends on raising a MAN – a request for correction.

It is difficult to relate everything that happened in the past to the Creator. Yet it is necessary, because otherwise you can’t be constantly unified with the Creator. The union with the Creator lies in always perceiving Him, while attributing all of the past to Him, and all of the future – to yourself.

Related Material:
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Questions I received about the relationship between the body, the mind and spirituality:

Question: What’s the right attitude to have to your body? The body is the most perfect machine in the world. Every cell in it works like a perfect system, maybe even like the entire cosmos. This is why it’s difficult for me to think of it as just an “animal.”

My Answer: You should think of your body as a valuable animal that’s meant for doing work. You have to take care of it (but not pamper it!) – wash it, feed it, and so on – and demand for it to work.

Question: Should a person solve all or most of his psychological problems before turning to Kabbalah?

My Answer: If a person is mentally sane, then Kabbalah will solve his psychological problems. But if he is mentally ill (his brain does not function properly), then he cannot study Kabbalah. In this case I would advise doing more things to relax the mind, as well as more sports and physical work.

Question: You say that there is no connection between spirituality and corporeality. Then how can a corrected intention affect the health of one’s physical body?

My Answer: It’s because everything in our world is a consequence of the Upper Light’s (Ohr Makif’s) influence. Man is a part of the integral system of Adam, the single soul. Therefore, even if he is righteous, he can get sick and suffer, because he is contained within a single organism with others who are not yet corrected.

Related Material:
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Two questions I received on overcoming our fears:

Question: In one of your lessons on the book Shamati you spoke about fear, and you said that when a person is afraid, he should immediately connect to the Creator. Can you elaborate on this? What should I do when I feel chilled to the bone with worry about my loved ones?

My Answer: You should connect everything that is happening with the Creator, with yourself, and with the entire world, so that all of these will unite into one and there won’t be any difference between them. All of your doubts and fears should vanish within this union. And if they don’t – then it’s even better! Then you can ask the Creator to help you.

Actually, if you open The Book of Zohar , you’ll discover that the first correction, “Pkuda Kadma” (in Aramaic) is when one attains true fear. In fact, fear always haunts everyone and everything: On the still level of nature, there is fear to preserve its structure, on the vegetative and animate levels of nature, there is fear to become filled with what’s necessary and to push away what’s harmful. And it’s the same with man.

Question: Can studying Kabbalah help one get rid of his fears, for example, the fear of being on stage or of expressing one’s opinion?

My Answer: Yes, because studying Kabbalah develops your perception of the unity of everything, of the integral universe. It also replaces one’s earthly fears with the true fear – the need to attain the Creator.

Related Material:
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Shamati #38: The Fear of God is His Treasure
Shamati #138: About Fear that Sometimes Comes Upon a Person

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A question I received: In the last two lessons you gave on the article “The Peace,” you mentioned that people who isolate themselves from society cause harm. So could it be that society is wrong to imprison murderers, rapists, drug dealers, and so on, and should imprison monks and hermits instead?

My Answer: According to the Torah, there should be special asylums and courts for people who cause harm. You can familiarize yourself with these laws – they are harmonious with human nature and the Upper Governance, which forces man to sin in the first place (to murder, steal, and so on), and also controls judges and all kinds of circumstances. However, it wants man to consciously enter this system that governs him through reward and punishment.

We see that forceful imprisonment only increases the number of criminals, and moreover, they perfect their craft while in prison. But as society becomes corrected as a whole, people will start using other methods of punishing and educating. A person who desires correction should not isolate himself from society.

Related Material:
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Kabbalah Today, Questions & Answers: What Are Reward and Punishment?

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And G-d revealed Himself to Avraam in Aloney-Mamra; he sat at the entrance to his tent and the day was sweltering. And he raised his eyes and saw three men, and he cooked, and they ate. And the latter said: “I shall come back to you in exactly one year, and your wife Sarah will have a child.” And Sarah laughed to herself. Avraam went to show them the way out.

And G-d said: “Great is the sin of Sodom and Gomorra.” And Avraam said: “Will You destroy the righteous along with the wicked? Perhaps you can forgive them for the sake of the fifty righteous that are there?” And G-d said: “If I find fifty righteous inside the city, then I shall forgive the entire place for their sake.” And Avraam said: “Perhaps there will be forty there.” And He said: “I will spare them for these forty as well.” “And what if there will be ten?” “I shall not destroy them for the sake of these ten.” And G-d left, and Avraam returned to his place.

And two angels came to Sodom, and Lot saw them and said: “Sirs, spend the night here.” They hadn’t yet laid down when the people of Sodom surrounded the house and said, “Where are the people who came to your house this night?” And Lot came out to them to the entrance and said, “Do not commit evil, my brothers!” But they began breaking down the door. And these people reached forth their hands and brought Lot into the house, and locked the door. And they struck the people at the entrance with blindness.

And these people told Lot: “Bring out everything that you have in the city, for we will destroy this place.” But he hesitated, and the Angels took him by the hand and brought him out of the city. And they said: “Save yourself, and do not look back!” And G-d poured sulfur and fire from the heavens onto Sodom and Gomorra. But his wife looked back and became a pillar of salt.

And Lot settled in a cave in the mountains, together with his two daughters. And the elder daughter said to the younger daughter, “Let’s go and make our father drunk with wine, and lie with him, and bear posterity from our father.” [Read more →]

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