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

If we want to improve humanity’s condition, The Book of Zohar has to become the primary book for the whole world. The Zohar is not a book, but rather a system. Reading The Book of Zohar activates a positive influence of the Upper spiritual system onto our world, bringing it abundance.

All the goodness that is revealed in our world passes through the communications system of all the creatures, and this system is called The Book of Zohar. Every second of our lives, we instinctively act to achieve goodness. Therefore, this apparatus, The Book of Zohar, which enables the reception of the positive force, should always remain before us.

If we manage to achieve this even to a small degree, we will see improvement in everything: emotions, reason, perception, and action. The whole reality will change, and the world will become entirely different. Suddenly we will feel how the presence of one force, higher and full of goodness, envelops us. We will feel its actions; the air will as though grow thicker….

The purpose of The Book of Zohar is not to activate abundance and goodness; rather, it is a communication system between us and the Creator. Let us hope that we will heed the advice of the great Kabbalists, and use The Book of Zohar to achieve the purpose of our existence.

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Dear friends, I am starting to publish excerpts from my upcoming book, A Guide to The Book of Zohar.

Author’s Preface

Dear Reader,

If you are wondering why you need this book, read one page and it should tell you whether or not to continue. The science of Kabbalah and its main book, The Zohar, explain the reason and purpose for our existence, the program of spiritual advancement originally instilled in nature, as well as how to attain the purpose of life using the shortest and easiest path.

As described in The Book of Zohar, the Creator created a program of human development: to bring man to the state of the Creator. Why? Because this state is the best there is. But in order to lead man towards this state, it is not enough to fill him with pleasures or provide him with the knowledge of eternal and perfect life. It is also necessary for man to fully experience this state. For this, man needs to attain this perfect state of the Creator on his own. He has to learn how to separate pleasure and suffering from truth and lie by choosing the bitter truth over sweet deception.

It is not an easy path of development. We cover part of this path unconsciously in the course of multiple reincarnations. But our generation has reached the last stage of human development, and that is why we need to perceive the essence of life and to understand what is going on with us, where and why we live. These questions will gradually lead everyone to the wisdom of Kabbalah, just like they made you open this book right now. This is because after extensive search people will not be able to find a genuine answer, the revelation of the source of their existence, anywhere else.

This book describes the stages of your development, up until reaching complete similarity to the Creator. This process is inevitable and mandatory for everyone who lives on Earth. Whether you decide to close this book and continue to live as you did before, or you make an attempt to realize the usefulness of the wisdom of Kabbalah, it will define your future.

You will either live under stress caused by the circumstances of life, which will eventually force you to refer to Kabbalah anyway, or you will apply the effort to reveal the guiding hand of the Creator. In that case, you will discover the path, the purpose, and the reason for everything that happens; you will find out how to attain an existence similar to that of the Creator in an easy and pleasant way. Good luck!

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The Zohar, Chapter “Lech Lecha (Go Forth),” Item 237: When the Creator, Bina, wished to create the world, which is ZA, He elicited one flame of the harsh spark and blew wind into wind, and the flame was darkened, as well as burned. He elicited a single drop from the sides of the deep and put them together—the drop and the flame—and created the world with them, ZA.

The Upper Governance descends to us from the system called GAR of the World of Atzilut. Below it, resides Zeir Anpin whom we call the Creator because he is the Upper One in relation to Malchut of the World of Atzilut, the place of the gathering of all souls.

At present, however, our souls are broken and they reside below Malchut. When the broken souls desire correction, they raise their prayer to her. Yet, how do they know what this correction entails? They wish to stick together! They say: “We are willing to pledge for each other and unite!” Malchut means assembly of all souls that yearn for the Creator (Isra-El). Only he who wants to be with the others without any exception will be able to enter Malchut; and the one who doesn’t will not.

The condition is very clear and simple, and everyone is welcome. The door is open, come in! But at the entrance, you will have to meet the condition, and if you do, you will enter; if you don’t you will not. If you wish to come in, prepare yourself.

All souls who enter Malchut come together and raise a prayer to the Creator (Zeir Anpin). This prayer is a request to become similar to Him. In the beginning, with the help of the group, we raise our first prayer to Malchut. From Malchut, we raise the prayer (MAN) further, to Zeir Anpin. Zeir Anpin collects our prayer and raises it to Bina (Ima Ilaa), and there, he receives the force, Light, and anti-egoistic screens on our behalf. Then, he descends and passes this force down to Malchut, who passes it on to the souls included in her. In this way, everyone who has entered Malchut is granted the entire Light promised to him from Above.

This is what all of The Zohar is talking about. And this is the only system that exists in Universe.

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

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The Zohar is the crown of the science of Kabbalah. It is no coincidence that it holds a special place in the treasury of humanity’s heritage. And it is not by mere chance that it rouses such respect and fear. There is a great gift in this book which we received directly from the Creator. It is a special and wonderful force capable of bringing us all to goodness, eternity, and perfection.

This is precisely why today, when the whole of humanity is at the turning point of its development, this book is being revealed. No other book (not even any of the other Kabbalistic books whose purpose is to raise us to the Upper World) can compare to The Book of Zohar in terms of its influential power. It engages, captures, and attracts the reader to such an extent that one wishes to return to it, to place oneself under its influence, again and again.

For a reader who has already delved into it, it becomes a source of energy, strength, and life. This book reveals the secrets of both the Upper Worlds and this world, which science is still unable to discover today. With the help of The Book of Zohar, we can understand what happens to us, reveal a new life for ourselves, and unite with a source of goodness and perfect fulfillment.

The purpose of this book is to prepare the reader for studying The Book of Zohar. The Guide to The Book Of Zohar is meant to be studied independently, as its title denotes, as a guide to The Book of Zohar, and it does not require any preliminary knowledge in the wisdom of Kabbalah.

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The Zohar, Chapter “Lech Lecha (Go Forth),” Item 153: NR are not two separate degrees from one another. Rather, they are one degree, and they are two that are conjoined. And there is one that is superior who governs them and clings to them, and they to her. And she is called Neshama.

The Zohar tells us how, after achieving the first spiritual contact, we intensify this connection and see the subsequent manifestations of spirituality in it. Then we feel not only the first degree of unification called Nefesh (N), a state of rest (Nefisha), and the ability to maintain ourselves in this connection, but also the common great life, which is revealed from within the point of our first contact as another higher, deeper dimension called Ruach (R).

If we do not reach the first contact, the place of our unification, we will not reveal the entrance to the upper dimension (the quality of bestowal). Yet, when we establish this contact among us, the Upper Light begins to affect it. It reveals it, and we enter a completely different dimension through it: the spiritual world.

Everything that happens within this connection is called the spiritual world. First it seems to us that attaining this universal connection between people promises us a good life, safety, and pleasant sensations. However, that is not all! Within this common point, an entrance into the spiritual world is revealed.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/27/10, The Zohar

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The Zohar, Chapter “Lech Lecha (Go Forth),” Item 211: Seven firmaments did the Creator make above, which are the ZAT (seven Sefirot) de Atzilut, HGT NHYM. All of them are in order to know the glory of the Creator and all of them are poised to announce the meaning of the high faith.

Why are the Sefirot called firmaments? A firmament is a screen, and there are many types of screens. A screen that partitions spiritual levels is called a firmament.

We are talking only about desire, and above it there is a screen and Reflected Light. The desire is under restriction. It has Aviut (thickness or size of desire) and to the degree it overcomes it, a screen.

These are all technical terms. However, when we work with desires and the opposition to them, we reveal feelings and impressions. There is a will to enjoy, and inside it various phenomena become revealed. We are talking precisely about the phenomenon and not the actual desire that evokes the phenomenon.

Suppose I am able to give a detailed explanation about a violin, its structure and material, and exactly how I slide the bow across the strings, with what pressure, speed, and so on. Alternatively, I can verbally convey my feelings and impressions of a melody. In both cases I am describing a phenomenon, but I do it in different languages. One is a technical language that is understood by the mind, whereas the second is a language of feelings, understood by the heart.

The Book of Zohar speaks in a language of feelings, and therefore it is clear to those who feel these phenomena. Baal HaSulam added the language of Kabbalah to The Zohar‘s text, which is a description of The Zohar using technical terms (Sefirot, Partzufim, Aviut, and screen). Thus, we have a parallel description in two languages, which helps us to connect these two languages and come closer to revealing and uniting with the actual phenomena.

In order to reveal the text, I must unite with the environment, the group. That is exactly how the authors of this book, the group of Rabbi Shimon, revealed it. It was precisely through the connection between them that they attained all 125 levels of Upper Light and called it “Radiance” (Zohar).

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/29/10, The Zohar

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Question: If we don’t really understand the state of having to unite together as one man with one heart, then what should we focus on or imagine while reading The Book of Zohar?

Answer: There is nothing more than this. We live in a world that contains all the exact components that enable us to come together physically or virtually in order to join our aspirations to reveal the Creator while reading The Book of Zohar.

Our world is identical to the spiritual world in every detail with the only difference being that the spiritual world is a world of forces while our world is a world of material objects that are the results of spiritual forces. Every level is an imprint of the Upper Level, and in this manner they descend from Above downward, from the World of Infinity to our world along 125 levels. The only difference between the levels is their matter, which becomes increasingly less spiritual during the descent. However, every level consists of the same details.

"Ascent" means the revelation of a greater connection between the world’s components. Everything that is happening in our world today is pushing us toward this. What do you lack? A connection between people. Inside this connection you will reveal the spiritual level called "Ruach," and when you attain a greater connection you will reveal the level of "Neshama."

Right now the connection between us is egoistic. You have to start turning it into a real, spiritual connection. Whoever desires to reveal the Upper World in this lifetime must first and foremost understand that this revelation takes place according to the laws of nature.

Therefore, Kabbalah advises people not to invent their own methods, but to heed the advice of Kabbalists.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/27/10, The Zohar

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The Zohar, Chapter “Lech Lecha (Go Forth),” Item 117: Similarly, it is written about the exodus from Egypt, “And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go,” by which Pharaoh gave him the Kelim of his own decision and his own will. This discernment is considered the scrutiny of the Kelim, the Mochin de VAK of the degree of the light of Haya, since he [Abraham] did not attain it through the word of the Creator but through a sin and a test.

Perception of the spiritual world is devoid of any corporeality; there is neither Egypt, nor Abraham there. We use these words to signify the spiritual forces that form these objects in our world. This means that we take the words of our world and use them to name the upper forces. We read The Zohar as if knowing nothing about our world and its history. After all, The Zohar tells us about the spiritual states that lie in wait for us.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/23/10, The Zohar

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We experience the world within our desire to receive pleasure. Everything we are able to perceive through our five sensory organs, such as sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch, results in the picture we observe from within. This is the reality we perceive.

Is there a way out of this limited perception into a broader one, which is not restricted by the physical body and its five sensory organs? After all, our vision of the world and our self is dictated by our animate body. It all depends on perception. Perhaps, there are countless forms beyond the body, but our body filters them allowing us to feel only what it is able to process. It means that we will never be able to experience the ultimate reality. If this is the case, then maybe we will see it is the true reality after the body dies? Yet, how is this possible if our five sensory organs die with it?

Kabbalists tell us that we are unable to perceive the entire reality because it is experienced “within myself” and thereby limited to only partial perception called “this world.” However, we can shift into the “outer” perception, the one outside the body. There is a force that changes our range of perception, where it is possible to experience reality outside of myself. In other words, instead of focusing on myself, I focus on the others and put them above myself.

When we are reading about the outer reality, it influences us in such way that we gradually begin perceiving it. It is called, “labored and found.” We must exert effort in order to obtain this new perception. After a few months of such laboring we start noticing changes occurring within us, and how different our perception of others becomes.

The most effective way to advance in this process is through a group reading The Zohar, regardless of how well we understand it. What counts is our desire to be affected by it, which will gradually help us start experiencing the outer reality.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/23/10, The Zohar

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The Zohar, Chapter “Lech Lecha (Go Forth),” Item 108: The act of Egypt is extension of the light of Hochma from above downwards, like the sin of the tree of knowledge….

However, there is a degree that is close to the act of Egypt and is not the real act of Egypt. He [a person] extends illumination of Hochma from above downwards once, to strengthen and to increase the [lights of] Hassadim that are covered from Hochma…. Hence, this degree is considered close to Egypt, but not the actual land of Egypt.

If a person holds back and does not use his desires, how does he grow in his anti-egoistic screen? He needs to draw some pleasures to himself, but even receiving them, he should feel a lack of pleasure. This is the first exercise. Then, as he allows himself to gradually feel the pleasures, he should still remain in the intention above them.

For example, one could be enjoying something tasty, but using the pleasure to see how much he can rule over it and rousing the pleasure in himself only for the purpose of nevertheless feeling that he is above it. Another exercise: a person consciously brings himself closer to a source of fear or shame in order to feel whether he has power over himself and can hold himself above this feeling.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/22/10, The Zohar

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