Questions I received on Kabbalah books and how to study them:

Question: Why do Kabbalists advise us to read The Book of Zohar even if we don’t understand or attain what is written there?

My Answer: You can find the answer to this in item 155 of the “Introduction to Talmud Eser Sefirot.”

Question: Five years ago you started studying The Book of Zohar with us. When do you plan to resume teaching The Book of Zohar?

My Answer: We study it for about an hour every week – see the media archive.

Question: The books that help to correct us are the books of the Ari, Baal HaSulam, and Rabash. But I cannot read them yet, and I’m not sure if I will be able to in the future. Can’t I advance by reading your books?

My Answer: Of course, my books also contain the force of spiritual advancement, but the books of our Teachers – Baal HaSulam and Rabash, are more universal and their Light is more powerful. Nevertheless, I agree with you that my explanations are closer to you and easier to understand. My advice is to read the texts of our Teachers, and then study my explanations.

Baal HaSulam did the same thing – he based his teaching on the texts of The Book of Zohar by Rashbi and the texts of the Ari. He took these books as a basis and wrote his commentaries to them. This is also how I teach: first we read the original texts, and then I give my commentary on them.

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During the Odessa Congress we filmed a very special video clip for the “Shana Tova!” (Happy New Year) competition. It took a crowd of about one thousand people, most of whom do not speak Hebrew, about a minute to learn and sing the Hebrew New Year’s song. The lyrics mean: “You’ll see, you’ll see, how good things will be, in the new year!” Watch this video to see how it all happened:

Anyone participating in this contest is participating in our common work!

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News Report (translated from membrana): Valeria Fuso, a young Italian designer, has created an “Experience Recorder” – a device that will enable people to exchange their experiences online. The “glove of perceptions” is equipped with movement and temperature sensors, photo and video cameras, and an audio recorder. The device can work in automatic regime, capturing every moment of the user’s life. The novelty device also has an option of immediate and independent access to the Internet via Wi-Fi. The data received over a period of time is transmitted into the user’s blog.

My Comment: Other new technology that’s being rapidly developed is Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), where everything is done through voice, including commands, communication, and so on. It is very convenient to use it while moving around, for example in telephones.

All human communication will soon come down to a virtual connection. The external attributes are fading away, and people’s “inner content” and connection with the environment are becoming more important. This will be followed by a need for a spiritual connection – a connection between man and the Creator. This also determines where our priorities are going with regard to the dissemination of Kabbalah in the world.

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Two questions I received on educating children and understanding their growth process:

Question: I’m a teacher. What is the best way to teach and educate young children (from the age of 5 to 12) within the framework of a profane school today?

My Answer: Through personal example – your goal and meaning in life.

Question: We learn that one reveals a completely new world on each level of advancement because one’s qualities undergo a fundamental change. So why is it that on our earthly level, the things that happen to a child in the first years of life lay a mark on him for the rest of his life, and it’s practically impossible to change his character traits later on? Why aren’t his qualities renewed when he grows up?

My Answer: It’s because everything in our world is pre-programmed. When a creature grows on the animate level, it develops the same qualities. However, when one grows spiritually, one increases his equivalence to the Creator and gains completely new qualities.

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Questions I received on different projects people would like to see completed by our Kabbalah Academy:

Question: Why doesn’t your website have all the chapters of the Talmud Eser Sefirot, and where can I find the entire Talmud Eser Sefirot in English?

My Answer: All of the translations are done by our friends. This is an enormous job, and in order to accomplish it we would need a whole group of people to work on it full time. We just don’t have the funds to make this happen. Whoever considers this project a priority is welcome to finance it, and we can provide the workers who can complete this project.

Question: Is it possible for your site to display a map of the world showing all the participants of the virtual friends’ gatherings in real time, represented by blinking dots on the map?

My Answer: If someone can create this map, then we will be happy to display it on our site. There are many good projects, but there aren’t enough funds from the Maaser nor people who can work to complete all the projects. You’re welcome to help us in both ways, or try to do it on your own.

Question: The books that help correct us are the books of Ari, Baal HaSulam, and Rabash. When will these books be available in English?

My Answer: When we have the people and the funds for it. You’re welcome to help (yourself)!

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Three questions I received on sharing one’s personal attainments, staying connected with the Creator on every new level, and overcoming disgust of Kabbalah:

Question: Why is it harmful to share your personal attainments with others? And if so, what is meant by “attainment” in this case? Is the prohibition only on sharing one’s “communication” with the Creator, or are there other forbidden topics? Is it harmful for people to share their experience of going through different states, such as how they came out of descents, and their relationships with the environment? I feel that other people’s experience really helps me, and enables me to discover new perspectives on how to do inner work in Kabbalah.

My Answer: You cannot bring your personal relationship with the Creator outside of you. The Creator is envious! This can be compared to a situation where you love someone, or your intimate relationships, or how much money you have in the bank, and so on. There are things that you don’t want to share with everyone.

In Kabbalah, there are several reasons for the prohibition:

• One does not speak with anyone about the things he holds most dear;
• Any person can harm your spiritual path with his thoughts and desires, even unintentionally;
• Corrections are done through the intention, not through words.

Question: On every new level, what can help me stay connected with the Creator, and perform a correct analysis of my thoughts and desires, considering that everything starts from zero on every new level?

My Answer: The only thing that can help is a framework that you set ahead of time:

• systematic studies for 1-3 hours a day;
• dissemination for 1+ hours a day; and
• attending a gathering of friends once a week together with other people who are physically near you.

Question: Over the last week or two, I feel disgusted during the morning lessons. But I also feel an inner urge to persist in studying and coming to the morning lessons. This also happens in relation to the friends in the group. How should I deal with this situation?

My Answer: You should overcome yourself, but without breaking or forcing yourself – only by raising the importance of the goal, “The Attainment of the Creator.” You should see all the disturbances as a mountain that you have to climb in order to reach the goal, the Creator.

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A question I received (my answers appear in bold font): In this blog entry you wrote: “You shouldn’t fight against anything, except your own laziness in carrying out the instructions of Kabbalists.” If a group of men has agreed to carry out the instructions of Kabbalists – we have composed a charter and created a group – but then began to experience group laziness, then what should we do?

• Admit that we’re not ready, that we can’t carry out the part of the instructions that deal with friendship and the group, and then get together to discuss what to do next? Try to fight this state by elevating the importance of the goal.
• Pretend that nothing is happening? Definitely not! Otherwise this will go on forever.
• Focus on dissemination? This is the only way to work together and perform actions of bestowal. Hence, the best thing to do is to get together only for dissemination and weekly gatherings of friends. Later, once you mature, you will be able to expand your relationships.

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When it comes to being persistent, the men have something to learn from the women. Women never cease asking – how can they be equal to men? The sensation of inferiority subconsciously weighs down on them. It comes from the “Creator’s curse” described in the Torah. Hence, it is present in every woman and she feels it in everything.

In spiritual work, our desires are “the woman within us,” whereas the intentions of bestowal that we have to acquire over these desires are “the men within us.” Our “inner women” have to desire to acquire their “inner men,” to unite with them and give birth to sons – the corrected souls filled with Light!

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Questions I received on Jesus, the Pyramids, organ donations, and lucky pendants:

Question: Does Kabbalah say anything about Jesus?

My Answer: No. Kabbalah speaks only about the correction of the soul and the revelation of the Creator. It bears no relation to any religion.

Question: What do the ancient pyramids represent in our world?

My Answer: Man’s belief in a bodily, material afterlife.

Question: According to Kabbalah, is it permissible to donate human organs?

My Answer: Yes.

Question: Someone gave me a pendant called “the key to financial success.” It is a silver key with some Aramaic words inscribed on it. The problem is that I accidentally broke it! I don’t know if there is a connection, but ever since it broke, I started having financial problems. Is there a connection between these two events? And what should I do with the broken pendant?

My Answer: Fix it! Faith in the “lucky pendant” works. (Although I also heard that what works best is to catch a banker and eat his liver raw at midnight on a full moon. Then his bank account will immediately and secretly be transferred to yours.)

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A question I received: When I started studying Kabbalah, I was fascinated and dedicated, and everything was all right. I had downs and ups, but after a down there was always an up. The problem is that some time ago I started feeling depressed all the time. I can`t stand my reality, I feel sick, I am moaning all the time, and I can’t reach balance. I’m still trying to study with my virtual group, but because of my work, I can’t watch morning lessons. I also feel that my intention is worth nothing now. I don’t even know where it is. I feel confused and weak. Also the people around me keep telling me that I have changed, that I’m aggressive and nervous, and that I am thinking only about myself. And I feel that this is true, but I can’t change my behavior.

Is all of this natural for a person studying Kabbalah or I am doing something wrong? What can I do to pass this and be better for everybody around me and for myself, because I feel that I hate myself as well?

My Answer: We all go through states like this. Kabbalah compresses all of your future states for many years ahead, leading you through them over a shorter period of time. Hence, it isn’t easy to live through this period. Everything inside you changes suddenly and drastically. You get thrown from Light into darkness, from joy into depression, and so on.

The only thing that will help is to lower your head. In other words, regardless of your thoughts and desires (your mind and heart, and the sensations in them), cling to the group as the only source of salvation in this world given to you by the Creator. Organize systematic, daily studies for yourself, and spend all your free time participating in dissemination. Accept the fact that this life was given to you in order to come out of it and enter the Upper Life.

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