A comment I received: I’m shocked and moved to tears to find out that we are also potential Nazis. Why did great Kabbalists, who attained Gmar Tikkun (final correction), continue to take part in cruel slaughter and use of animals? How can it be possible that the exalted teaching of Kabbalah ignores cruelty to animals?

It’s obvious that it won’t correct anything in the soul if we were all to become vegetarian. But great Kabbalists corrected everything and did not become lovers of miserable animals. How can this be? Maybe there are 126 levels and the time of the complete Gmar Tikkun has arrived only now, when “love thy neighbor as yourself” will also include animals, plants and the still level of nature? As far as I understand with my simple mind, we must ultimately feel love for ants and bugs as well…

My Response: There are rules for how to act in order to correspond to the general law of nature, called Elokim. Man has been created opposite to this law, and our task is to change ourselves in order to be the same as this law. This is the purpose of our existence in this world. This change in a person, from our level to the Creator’s level, can be attained only by studying Kabbalah. Baal HaSulam writes about it in the article “Introduction to the Book ‘From the Mouth of a Sage’”: “Even if a person is completely righteous in this world, knows the whole Torah and has fulfilled all the earthly commandments, but did not study Kabbalah, then he must return to this world again in order to study Kabbalah” – because only by studying Kabbalah does he attract the Light of Correction to him, as written in the “Introduction to Talmud Eser Sefirot,” item 155.

By correcting himself, a person unwillingly acts according to the Upper Laws. When this happens, how does he relate to the nature around him? He relates to it based on the degree of his equivalence of the Creator. And no matter what he relates to, he does so based on his equivalence to the Creator. But perhaps his actions and behavior won’t seem righteous to you, because you imagine righteousness differently to what it is in the spiritual world.

Filed under: World - 5 Comments →

A question I received: You are constantly making stabs at the Kabbalah Centre and for the life of me I can’t understand why. They have the lineage. Rav Berg learned through Ashlag and the lineage. Is it because you were connected, but not given the Kabbalah Centre? You then started your own center. I read your books, including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Kabbalah. It is a book without religion or spirituality, it is just science. I enjoyed it, but the Kabbalah Centre offers spirituality, holiday observance and they have lineage with Brandwein, Ashlag and the Ari. It just hurts me to see someone who is into Kabbalah, like yourself, putting down other people for the red string and their own beliefs. Isn’t that anti-Kabbalah?

My Answer: Personally, I consider Berg a failed Kabbalist. He just didn’t have a true teacher. Berg did not study Kabbalah with any true Kabbalist; you can ask Ashlag or Brandwein about it. No true Kabbalist could have taught him to sell Kabbalah for money. And I never wanted his center. I had a teacher – the last great Kabbalist, the eldest son of Baal HaSulam and his spiritual successor – Rav Baruch Ashlag. I was never connected to the Kabbalah Center. I was there once to give an introductory lecture and immediately understood that there is nothing to learn there. After I was studying with Rav Baruch Ashlag for a year, I offered teaching a class to Berg’s lecturers in the Kabbalah Center, in order to teach them at least something. As a result, they left his center and came to my teacher, and they became Kabbalists. That acquaintance and my visit to his center took place in 1980, but I opened my center only in 1995. Please tell me: what Kabbalistic sources are used for study in those “Kabbalah” centers? What works of the great Kabbalists do they study there? But after all, it’s only by studying them that a person receives the recognition of evil and its correction (Ohr Makif). And about me envying Berg: There was a time when I was giving lectures in LA and he offered me a teaching job in his center. I said I would do it, but on the condition that we study from the original sources. He laughed when I said this to him, and he told me “Who will pay you the kind of money for this that I’m now getting?” And he was right…

Related Material:
Myths About Kabbalah
Kabbalah Today Article: Kabbalah – User Manual

Filed under: Spirituality - 20 Comments →

A question I received: Sometimes you can’t hear the lesson! That is, you’re listening to it, but you don’t hear it! Sometimes you sleep through it… And sometimes it seems that you understand every word, and it’s simply a revelation!

What determines one’s sensations at the lesson? Is it the lesson itself, the people who are present at the lesson, the person, the material being studied, or something else?

What can I do to hear the lesson like I did the first time, when I couldn’t hold back the tears?

My Answer: I understand you. This happens to everyone. It’s because the Creator only gives a person the initial desire for the spiritual goal: He awakens one’s point in the heart. And He brings a person to the source (a book, a teacher, a group, the Internet), and no more than this. And it’s up to a person to continue developing this desire he received from above, to develop it to the size of the World of Infinity.

This is impossible to do unless you study Kabbalah in the correct environment. (See item 155 of Baal HaSulam’s “Introduction to Talmud Eser Sefirot,” and also his article “The Freedom.”) Otherwise you will spend many years eating yourself up.

In addition, it’s very important to prepare for the lesson. The preparation begins before going to sleep. You should fall asleep with a Kabbalistic book in your hand. Wake up half an hour before the lesson and attune yourself to the lesson. If you don’t attune yourself, the lesson will be ineffective.

You should go through this period more energetically: from the point to the Machsom. Good luck!

Related Material:

Preparing for the Lesson

Filed under: Spirituality - No Comments →

Two questions I received on the subject of faith above reason

Question: A person who studies Kabbalah works in faith above reason before the Machsom (barrier). How does this notion change for this person after he acquires the screen? And does he even need it once he starts perceiving the Creator?

My Answer: It’s only after the Machsom that a person is able to work in faith above reason. Before the Machsom he only aspires toward it, but he can’t act in such a way yet. It’s because faith is the property of bestowal that one acquires above the Machsom, above egoism (knowledge, reception). “Faith above reason” = “bestowal above reception.”

Question: When a person attains a certain spiritual level and he desires to rise even higher, to even greater equivalence of form with the property of bestowal, and when he is on the path of faith above reason, does he use the previous level in his actions, or does he refuse to use it as well?

My Answer: He already considers the previous level as completed and egoistic compared to the next level. And this happens every time. The Upper Level is called “the Creator,” and it changes every time. Today, a person attains the Creator of yesterday, and acquires a new Creator, whom he will attain tomorrow.
[1474]
Related Material:
Chapter 1.10 in the Book The Path of Kabbalah: Faith Above Reason
Chapter 5 in the Book Attaining the Worlds Beyond: The Purpose of Studying Kabbalah

Filed under: Spirituality - No Comments →

Three questions I received on the notions of nationality and Israel

Question: If a person is physically born a Jew, does it mean that he will always reincarnate as a Jew?

My Answer: Yes, because his soul came from Babylon and took the path of correction, then ascended to the level of complete personal correction during the times of the Temple, and then fell from that level to the state of all the souls in this world, in order to spend 2,000 years together with them (and even worse off than them), while being in exile from spiritual life. Precisely this soul must ascend and help everyone else do the same – help all the souls attain the full correction.

Question: If the answer is yes, then is it because the nation of Israel was chosen to carry the plan of the Creator, and this would mean that all the other people will also continue being born with the same nationalities that they started with?

My Answer: Yes. However, we don’t know about the other ten tribes, where they are and who they are today. It’s possible that today they are several billion people – those who were on the spiritual level and fell from it during the times of the First Temple. We learn about this fall and its correction from the breaking of two Partzufim, DACHGAT and NHY, in the World of Nekudim, their common fall and then their common correction. See parts 6 and 7 of Talmud Eser Sefirot.

Question: What if a person converts to Judaism and works very hard trying to attain the Creator? Does he also become a part of the nation of Israel (physically and spiritually)?

My Answer: There is no such nation. These people are ancient Babylonians who began correcting themselves back then. The others, who continued developing egoistically, went on to develop from the 70 forces of Zeir Anpin of the World of Atzilut, and this is why they are called “nations” – and each one has its own form of egoism.

The former are called “Hebrews,” which comes from the word Ever, meaning “across” (across the Machsom), “Jids” – because they await the correction or the Mashiach, and Yehudi (Jew), which comes from the word Yehud, meaning union (with the Creator). This is what set them apart from their brothers, the other Babylonians. So one doesn’t just “convert to Judaism,” the way we see it in our world, but rather spiritual Judaism is when one corrects oneself to the level of the Creator, one attains the Creator through studying Kabbalah. Just like in ancient times, those who are the “nation of Israel” today are those who separated from the other Babylonians by starting to correct their egoism.

You should see the world as that same Babylonian civilization, a part of which temporarily corrected itself, and today everyone must become corrected and become like the Creator. There is no such thing as corporeal Judaism, just like there are no religions, faiths, and so on. All of these things are incorrectly, egoistically understood Kabbalah. Where did people even get such notions, even if they’re mistaken? They came up with them either because their soul hinted at them from within, or from the fall of Kabbalah to the egoistic level. Who were the ancient nations? They were pagans or believers like Romans and Greeks. Everything else came from the spiritual fall, in order to accelerate the development of the Babylonians and bring them to the necessity to become equal to the Creator.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: What Is the Spiritual Root of the Holocaust?
Laitman.com Post: Kabbalah Is for the Whole World
Laitman.com Post: Israel Isn’t What You Think It Is
Kabbalah Today Article: Havoc in Modern-Day Babylon
Kabbalah Today Article: Happy New Year
Chapter 18 from the eBook The Open Book: Introduction to the Zohar, Who Is to Blame?

Filed under: Israel - 2 Comments →

A question I received: You insist that a person studying Kabbalah shouldn’t make any external changes in his regular life, and that he should be concerned just with the inner work. In addition, you speak exclusively to the secular audience. So why does everyone in Bnei Baruch in Israel, where all your lessons are broadcast from, wear skullcaps? After all, for a secular person this is a dramatic change in outer appearance.

My Answer: As long as society hasn’t reached a complete understanding of what is Kabbalah and what is religion, we must be acceptable to the entire society. And the society, even a secular one, thinks that a Kabbalist has to look religious and wear a skullcap. In addition, this is a tradition, part of the Israeli nation’s culture, its custom, and this is why we observe it in Israel. Of course, it completely doesn’t matter what I wear around my animate body, but to people who are still uncorrected, such an external aspect also makes a difference.

Filed under: Spirituality - 1 Comment →

A question I received: Can a person who gave everything he had to dissemination, inner work, the group, and love of friends, who participated in congresses and worked with all his strength and desire, suddenly leave this path and go to another Rav? How can someone be so passionate about this and sacrifice himself for the goal, and at the same time look for another teacher?

My Answer: Everything is possible. I’ve seen all kinds of things. Every person has his own path and others shouldn’t interfere with it, including myself. We should help and give to people, but after that everything depends only on the person himself. One’s spiritual development is one’s own choice; there is no coercion when it comes to one’s spiritual path. This is the only approach that will prove to be genuine and will attract everyone, and only this attitude to one another conveys true care and love, and corresponds to the law of Nature.

The goal of creation is for every person to attain complete equivalence with the Creator through free choice. Therefore, we can only bring the method to the surface, offer people the group and our forces, but the choice is up to the person! If you ask people who’ve been in the group and studying with me for fifteen to twenty years already, they’ll tell you that I never ask questions even when someone leaves the group or disappears all of a sudden. A person’s soul should teach him how to correct it.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: One’s Soul Shall Teach One
Laitman.com Post: Everybody Has Their Own Path
Chapter 42 from the eBook Interview with the Future: What Should One Go Through in Order to Obtain Spirituality?
Chapter 6 from the Book The Kabbalah Experience: Soul, Body and Reincarnation

Filed under: Spirituality - No Comments →

Two questions I received about sharing Kabbalah with others

Question: In response to a question, you said “Don’t talk about Kabbalah to anyone except the people you study with.” But then how should we push people to Kabbalah? I feel that if I don’t remind certain people about this topic or give them hints, then they’ll never even find out that such a thing exists, at least not in this reincarnation.

My Answer: You can give them a “hint” but no more than that, and don’t push. You should be especially careful with the people you have constant contact with. It’s better if others will talk to them about Kabbalah. Keep your relationships with them regular, on the level of this world.

Question: Can a student without spiritual attainment rely on his direct intellectual understanding of Baal HaSulam’s works? I’ve been listening to the Bnei Baruch lessons and reading Talmud Eser Sefirot almost every day for over a year now. Every time I feel that I understand something I read, I have a strong desire to share it with other students. Can I write about the things I understand and give it to others to read? Or can I only give it to people who have spiritual attainment?

My Answer: You can, but don’t overload others. Do it only for making contacts. After all, by doing so you won’t be studying the main material, the Kabbalist’s thoughts, but your own thoughts.

Filed under: Spirituality - No Comments →

A question I received: Why is He concealed? Sometimes this game of “hide and seek” brings me to despair… I’m trying with all my strength to advance toward the quality of bestowal and the revelation of the Creator, but my earthly life really interferes and makes me curse a lot. How can I accept the fact that everything that’s coming from above helps me get closer to the Creator, if He keeps sending me endless blows? I know that He’s doing this out of love, but it pushes me away instead of attracting me. I’m sick and tired of all these games and lies already! Who can I appeal to if He’s the one setting all of this up for me?

My Answer: There’s no one to appeal to, other than the force (Light) that can correct you if you want it to. This force exists in nature and it will influence you to the degree that you will aspire to change from a “receiver” to a “giver.” Moreover, there’s no one to curse at. It’s all nature! The force that can change you can be found only in Kabbalah studies (study in a group and dissemination), using the books of Baal HaSulam. This force is called Ohr Makif (Surrounding Light). So aspire to it!

Related Material:
Shamati Article #4: What Is the Reason for the Heaviness One Feels in Annulling Before the Creator in the Work?
Lesson: Shamati Article #4 – What Is the Reason for the Heaviness One Feels in Annulling Before the Creator in the Work? [26-06-06]
Lesson: Shamati Article #4: What Is the Reason for the Heaviness One Feels in Annulling Before the Creator in the Work? [26-06-06]
Lesson: Shamati Article #4: What Is the Reason for the Heaviness One Feels in Annulling Before the Creator in the Work? [26-06-06] – Transcript

Filed under: Spirituality - No Comments →

Two questions I received about the soul

Question: You say that there are only 600,000 souls, or in other words, 600,000 fragments of the soul of Adam. But today there are 6.7 billion people in the world. Does this mean that over six billion people don’t have a soul? I hope you can clear this up for me.

My Answer: 600,000 is the number of initial fragments, but after that they are fragmented again into whatever number is necessary for the optimal correction in each generation – so that each fragment will have as much egoism as it’s able to correct. Therefore, to the degree that egoism grows, the world’s population grows as well.

Question: As I understand it, the higher a soul was in the spiritual world, the lower it fell after the breaking. So whatever seems to us as being the lowest will become the highest after correction. If this assumption is correct, does it mean that the people who hate Kabbalah now will become the highest souls after correction?

My Answer: No, since this doesn’t indicate that their souls fell to a very low level, but it only indicates people’s opinions, which they were taught from childhood (Girsa de Yankuta). These people don’t have souls at all yet. The soul emerges from the point in the heart (the desire for spirituality) and develops from it only under the influence of the Upper Light, which shines upon a person only during Kabbalah studies, and in our generation only while studying the works of Baal HaSulam and Rabash. You can’t tell anything about one’s soul by looking at external expressions of one’s thoughts, desires and actions. Those people do not have a soul yet. It is concealed from you, since you – the observer – aren’t able to “see” the spiritual structures. You should therefore relate to everyone equally, seeing them as people who are being controlled and who need help in becoming spiritually independent.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: One’s Soul Shall Teach One
Laitman.com Post: Can One Independently Merge with the Creator?
Laitman.com Post: Adam – We Share One Common Soul
Lesson: The Revelation of Godliness (Matan Torah) [28-10-05]
Lesson: The Revelation of Godliness (Matan Torah) [28-10-05]
Lesson: The Revelation of Godliness (Matan Torah) [28-10-05] – Transcript

Filed under: Spirituality - 3 Comments →