Excerpts from my upcoming book, A Guide to The Book of Zohar

In order to let us realize the entire process of spiritual development, the Creator created the system of connection between Him and us. He uses this system to control us from Above, and from beneath we can use it to ask for and receive help from Him.

This system divides into several parts:
1. The World of Infinity, where the Creator is found with His fully revealed strength.
2. The level below the World of Infinity referred to as the “World of Adam Kadmon,” where the Creator divides His influence into five types, according to the five levels of our ego above which we can ascend.
3. Beneath the World of Adam Kadmon, there is the governance and surveillance system which we refer to as the “World of Atzilut.” The World of Atzilut divides into five parts: Keter, Hochma, Bina, Zeir Anpin, and Malchut that are called Atik, Arich Anpin, Aba ve Ima, Zeir Anpin, and Malchut (Nukva).

• The Zohar refers to Atik and Arich Anpin as to the “unattainable head” of the World of Atzilut;
• Aba ve Ima are Hochma and Bina from where all the Lights of Hochma and Hassadim come to us;
• As they pass through Zeir Anpin, these Lights come to Nukva, that is, Malchut of the World of Atzilut, which is called “Shechina” since all of the Light from Infinity, intended for the souls, comes to it. This Malchut is also called the “gathering of the souls of Israel” because it incorporates all the souls that wish to become “Isra-El” (“straight to the Creator”), that is, to ascend to the World of Infinity.

4. Beneath the World of Atzilut are the Worlds of Beria, Yetzira, Assiya (Worlds of BYA), where our souls exist.
5. This world is located beneath the Worlds of BYA.

In the language of The Zohar, Malchut is called “earth” and Bina (Ima) “heaven.” In The Zohar, Zeir Anpin and Malchut are also referred to respectively as Shochen and Shechina , the Creator (Kadosh Baruch Hu) and the gathering of the souls of Israel, the Groom and the Bride, the Masculine and the Feminine parts (Zachar and Nukva). Every one of these components of reality receives many names from The Zohar in the language of the legends (Midrash). And for this reason, in order to help us connect with their inner essence, Baal HaSulam meticulously adds Kabbalistic terminology next to the words of The Zohar.

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The Zohar, Chapter “Lech Lecha (Go Forth),” Item 356: “The law of the Lord is perfect” because it contains everything. Happy are those who engage in the Torah and do not part from it, for anyone who is separated from the Torah for even an hour, it is as though he has parted from life in the world. And it is written, “For it is your life and the length of your days,” and it is written, “For length of days, and years of life, and peace, will they add to you.”

In the wisdom of Kabbalah, we study the two components of creation: the Light and desire. The Light impacts the desire, whereas the desire merely results from the Light’s impact on it, as it is written, “Light moves desires.”

The universal Light called “the Creator” (Kadosh-Baruch-Hu), the Light of Infinity, leads the entire evolution of the desire through various states, step by step, in a cause and effect order to the equivalence with Self. It is done so that the desire, despite its being created as “existence from absence,” would attain the same condition as the Light, “existence from existence.”

Actions taken by the will to receive pleasure while progressing in stages toward this goal (equivalence with the Creator, the property of bestowal) are called “discernments,” “corrections,” “fillings,” the purpose of which is “adhesions” (Zivugim). “Adhesion” means partial or complete (at the end of all corrections) equivalence to the Light. During these adhesions, the bond between the “will to receive in order to bestow” and the Light, the property of bestowal, manifests.

All our actions are called spiritual work, during which our desire with the help of the intention to bestow attains at least some equivalence with the Light, partial adhesion with it, until such actions reach the highest adhesion called complete correction.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/5/10, The Zohar

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Question: Why is it said in The Zohar that “There is nothing new under the sun”? Is there something new above the sun?

Answer: There is something new above the sun since the Light does not bring new desires (Kelim) to the creature. The creature has to discern within itself, want, put forth efforts, and find new desires and deficiencies of fulfillment.

The Light of the sun is the Light of Infinity. Creation senses the sun’s Direct Light as minimal illumination (Nefesh de-Nefesh), and in this way it discerns new deficiencies within itself against the revelation of the Creator’s greatness. This occurs through multiple discernments of being opposite to the Light and of egoism being opposite to bestowal. By doing so, the creature discovers new possibilities of bestowal. Because of this, in the light of His greatness, the previous Light of Nefesh de-Nefesh, a sensation of the Creator, is then sensed as endless “Yechida” of the Light NRHY.

The revelation of this great Light, the greatness of the One Who bestows, is the reason for the Light “above the sun.” It is higher than knowledge, desires, and fulfillments coming directly from the Creator to the creature. Therefore, the Light of the sun is only a spark of life, and the rest of creation is built above the sun, adding the aspiration of love to the original desire.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/5/10, The Zohar

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Question: What is the unity between us that we demand from the Creator when we read The Zohar?

Answer: In truth, we don’t know what unity is. What does it mean to unite? Is it to be friends like in our world, where we connect through common interests, desires, and pursuits, and where we enjoy spending free time together playing soccer, fishing, drinking beer, or working out in the gym? Or, should we be like a solid submarine crew where everyone has gone through hard psychological training and is prepared to die for the others?

Unity in spirituality means something completely different. The spiritual life that you find in such unity is collective. It is similar to that of Siamese twins where, when one dies, so does the other. They can live only as one. There is no division into “mine” and “yours,” or “half for one and half for the other.”

This common life is called spiritual unity since everything that you gain is through the bond with the others. You share one “body.” It is a spiritual vessel called the body of the soul. Inside this spiritual vessel is the Light of the soul; it is one soul. If this oneness disintegrates, the body disappears and the Light with it. As a result, there is no soul or spiritual life.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/4/10, The Zohar

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Question: What should we tell ourselves when Pharaoh’s questions overcome us?

Answer: A religious person does not suffer from these questions, he is content by the fact that he receives knowledge by studying the Torah. However, a person who studies Kabbalah constantly checks: Why am I doing this, where am I, and when will I reach the purpose of creation? That is, one exists in a constant state of inner analysis.

The environment that surrounds him also exists within the same circumstances, the same scrutiny, and it influences him. In addition, the environment is not just comprised of people that directly surround him, but of thousands of people all over the world that study Kabbalah and think in one direction. They all move synchronously, as though they are swept up by a powerful wind or by waves of a tsunami that approach one after another.

Therefore, these questions emerge in every person: “Who is this Creator, and why should I listen to His voice? Who am I doing all this for? What does this work give me?” That is, why am I doing all of this? Is it in order to reach bestowal? But what will that do for me?

These questions come from Pharaoh, our ego, and they are very fair and correct. It is written in The Book of Zohar that Pharaoh was smarter than everyone, and the greatest wisdom was accumulated in Egypt. Pharaoh personifies the whole spiritual vessel, the whole desire that was created by the Creator. Therefore, when the Creator wishes to draw the person (Moses and the nation of Israel) closer to Himself, He says: “Let’s go to Pharaoh!” Where else would a person get the desire to reveal who he is? Only from Pharaoh. The Creator says: “I will go with you Myself.”

It is like they have no choice. They need to turn to Pharoah, to get the strength from the egoistic desire since without it advancement is impossible. Where else would they get this wisdom? Only from Pharaoh, from the Light of wisdom, the Light of Hochma that exists in these desires.

Therefore, it is good that Pharaoh’s questions emerge in us. We just need to work with them.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/3/10, Article, “These are the Generations of Noah”

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Excerpts from my upcoming book, A Guide to The Book of Zohar

Truth be told, we are not very successful at connecting all positive and negative things to the Creator or at understanding that everything comes only from Him and only for the sake of a positive goal. Therefore, our work consists of asking Him for the strength to connect everything to Him as to the only source.

Our ego grows constantly, becoming stronger, worse, and crueler every time. This forces us to turn to the Creator increasingly often to receive continually greater strength from Him to overcome our egoism. This is so that our ego will not confuse us, causing us to think that there is someone else besides Him and that He is not just good and does good.

Thus, due to this growing ego, we ascend higher and higher until the entire egoism that is concealed within us is revealed, and we reach complete adhesion with the Creator by becoming just like Him.

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Question: Can we say that the flow of the words in The Zohar changes the strength and the direction of the forces that bind us together?

Answer: We do not know how it works. Something about it is still deeply hidden from us. The Book is written in a language that seemingly allows us to discern quite logical things in it, relate to them, and somehow picture ourselves in them or them in us. There is a certain interaction between me and the book, a connection and understanding that the Book talks about me and I am inside of it.

But this is a completely false sensation. It is simply the form in which the story is presented to us, the story that is extremely distant, unfamiliar, and foreign to us. It is like some beast that acquired a human form, talked to us, and we could only grasp its outer form: its arms, legs, or head. But it is absolutely not the case.

Consequently, we need to relate to The Zohar as to the Book that contains a certain secret code, a sequence of spiritual instructions. I do not know how they are written from the inside and cannot come into contact with them. In order to establish at least some sort of connection with these spiritual instructions, I read The Zohar. However, the connection emerges not by my hearing or reading the text; rather, it is built to the measure of my desire to unite with this inner code so that it could transform me.

The Book can be written in a variety of forms, and I may not understand a single word of it. What counts is my desire for the inner content of the Book to correct me. Its inner content is the spiritual world with its entire apparatus, actions, and forces, not the paper and print within the cover.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/4/10, The Zohar

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The Zohar, Chapter “Lech Lecha (Go Forth),” Item 315: “Bless the Lord, you His angels… upon hearing the voice of His word.”

A person is called an angel when he performs actions automatically, without using his mind. He doesn’t have his own head (Rosh) and does what he is told. He carries out what someone else thinks. This state is called “angel” since an angel is a force that acts without any discernment.

Hence, in the instruction of “we shall do and we shall hear,” we carry out “we shall do” as angels. This is why it is written: “…His angels…upon hearing the voice of His word.” We too shall act and then we shall hear. Acting without inner agreement or a clear understanding of the reason and purpose of our deed (since they are the attributes of a higher state), we merit a higher degree.

As a matter of fact, this is the most natural way to act. It is similar to a child who while playing an unfamiliar game repeats the words of a grown-up even though he does not understand the meaning. We can say any nonsense, and the child will repeat it seriously. If we perform an action, he will copy it with total willingness and passion. This is how a child learns. A “small one” doesn’t possess a mind (Rosh, the head of the Partzuf); a mind is the attribute of a “big one.” A “small one” has only a body (Guf of the Partzuf) to carry out the tasks.

However, when the lower one follows the Upper One and annuls himself before him, then he acquires the mind of the Upper One and becomes similar to him. This is the essence of “we shall do, and we shall hear.”

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/3/10, The Zohar

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Excerpts from my upcoming book, A Guide to The Book of Zohar

We exist in the reality which includes the Creator, the Creator’s communications system with the created beings, and the created beings themselves. Through this system the Creator governs us with the aim of bringing us to the goal of creation “to delight the creatures” and to make us similar to Himself. The Creator wishes to share everything He has with us.

Therefore, from the very beginning we need to view everything in reality as though it was created by a loving Father. However, He has to bring us to independent development so that we will grow and be independent. To do so He has to influence us from two sides: mercy and judgment. And even though they both stem from Him, from His kind and loving heart, they are divided into two opposite forces which we perceive as manifestations of good and evil, mercy and judgment, light and darkness.

When we perceive all the circumstances of our life “down in this world” we shouldn’t forget that we receive them from the kind Father, and even the worst and harshest of His methods of influence stem from His desire to delight us. As long as we don’t forget this and connect everything to Him, “There is none else beside Him, and He is Good that does good,” we combine these two lines back into one which is the same source. And because we combine them in our heart and mind, in so doing we merge with the Creator.

It follows that our entire work lies in constant attempts to relate everything that happens to Him.

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The Zohar is the main book in the wisdom of Kabbalah. It is written that there is no book more magical, secret, concealed, magnetic, or incomprehensible than The Zohar. This is truly so.

The Book of Zohar is revealed in two stages. First of all, I need to form the right outlook on the book, meaning to correct myself, the reader. In order to read The Zohar, instead of regular “glasses,” I need completely different ones which allow me to recognize the spiritual phenomena within this book. Therefore I must first acquire spiritual organs of perception (Kelim). Then the book will be revealed to me and it will truly be the “Zohar” (Illumination) which the authors of this book revealed and described 18 centuries ago.

Kabbalists attain the Upper Light that created a desire to enjoy and that gave it the force “to receive” (pleasure). Then the Light gave it the intention to act “for the sake of bestowal,” and afterward “broke” this desire, turning it into an egoistic intention. In this manner the desire to enjoy became a desire to receive for its own sake. And now from our world, we gradually correct this desire to enjoy so that it becomes a desire to bestow, and thereby reach correction.

All these phenomena (the descent from Above downward, meaning the corruption of the desire and the intention, and their subsequent correction) are carried out by the Light since there is none else besides Him. All the changes, everything that happens within the desire to enjoy, are done by the Light. There is no one else who performs any action. And all the actions of the Light are above matter, which is the desire to enjoy. Prior to the Light’s influence on it, the desire to enjoy is merely formless matter. The Light decides what to turn it into and what form to give it, as it is written, “The Light moves the desires.”

Therefore, if we wish to change, we need to draw the Upper Light onto ourselves. This is why we read The Book of Zohar with one intention: for the Light to come since it is the force that will change me. By reading The Book of Zohar I demand my correction. This is the right attitude toward the Book.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/30/10, The Zohar

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