The Zohar: In Gehenom (hell) there are sections upon sections: the second, third and so on until the seventh (seven Sefirot–Klipot). Happy are the righteous (those who bestow) who guard themselves from the deeds of the sinners (those who act for their own sake), who steered clear of criminal ways (ways that are opposite to the Creator, to love and bestowal) and did not defile themselves with sin (reception).

But this is not so with those who have defiled themselves. When they die (when they part with the Light of Life) and go to the world of truth (when they realize the truth), they descend to the lowest section of Gehenom (in order to fully realize the nature of reception and bestowal).

Two sections of hell (egoistic qualities in man) adjoining one another are called Sheol and Avadon. Those who descend into Sheol are judged there (they judge themselves) and receive a punishment (which helps them become corrected). They are then elevated one section higher. And so they ascend degree by degree until they come out of there. However, those who descend to Avadon never ascend from there (because this quality cannot be corrected). That is why it is called Avadon, for he who finds himself there is lost (“Avud” in Hebrew) forever. This quality will only be corrected when all the souls reach the final correction. Every soul must undergo all the corrections, and no one is free from these two egoistic qualities.

This is all talking about inner discernments that a person must make within. Not a word of it speaks about this world, but only about one’s inner world. After all, a person is a small world.

I must delve into myself and there discover which inner quality each word alludes to. There are actually just two qualities within me: reception and bestowal; there is nothing else. So start digging inside yourself and look for these qualities that The Zohar names, as though you’re in the dark with nothing but a candle. Gradually, a new dimension will start opening up inside of you and you will begin to see all kinds of qualities of reception and bestowal. All the words of The Zohar will then find their places there. Just as a child gradually begins to perceive his environment, so this new inner world will gradually begin to form within you. And then you’ll begin to understand that your familiar world is also perceived within.

This is how The Zohar changes us when we search for what is written inside of us, instead of trying to judge it with our minds as if it were something external.

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The Zohar: The soul says to the Creator: “Let me in on the secrets of the Upper Wisdom. Tell me, what do You see and how do You govern the Upper World? Teach me the secret wisdom that I had never known or learned, so I won’t feel ashamed walking on the Upper Levels.”

The phrase, The soul says to the Creator indicates that a person has already attained a connection with the Upper Force and therefore he feels how the Creator acts and awakens him. Let me in on the secrets of the Upper Wisdom is a request to know how I can attain the Light that will correct me, so I would be able to reveal the entire Upper System.

We reveal everything inside our desire. Nothing was created besides this desire, and therefore it is the place where everything becomes revealed, including this world and the world to come, the Creator, creation, the worlds and all the spiritual levels. Everything takes place inside the desire and we can only ascend by correcting it.

What do You see and how do You govern the Upper World? At this point we might wonder: why is the soul so curious? It’s because knowing the Creator is the same as bestowing to Him, as it is written, “Know your Creator and work for Him.” Our objective is to come to know the entire universe on the level of the Creator, and to become equal to Him in every way.

That is why the soul asks, Teach me the secret wisdom that I had never known or learned! We ascend to higher levels with the help of the Light that Reforms, and on every new level a person has to reveal a new inner desire for the secret wisdom – the wisdom of how to use all of your qualities in order to bestow to the neighbor.

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The Zohar: Every person who goes to that world without having attained the secrets of the Torah, even on account of many good deeds, is banished from the gates of the Upper World.

“This world” is what we feel right now, and “the world to come” (Olam HaBa) is our next state. Everything becomes revealed according to one’s desire. One’s desire can either be changed naturally, by means of Reshimot that make it more egoistic; or it can be corrected by one’s work with the group and the Surrounding Light.

If I don’t correct myself, then all the gates to the spiritual sensation will remain closed to me. I can’t feel the spiritual world without preparing my desires and Kelim for it, without correcting egoism to bestowal. That is how I can open the gates!

Every person who goes to that world without having attained the secrets of the Torah (which is possible only by studying Kabbalah in order to receive Light into one’s corrected desires), even on account of many good deeds (the way people think in this world), is banished from the gates of the Upper World (meaning, that person has no opportunity to feel and enter the eternal world).

On the spiritual path, this happens on every step of the way when we go from one state to another. You can only advance by revealing secrets – that which is concealed from you right now. Everything happens inside your desire. Your current desire and sensation are called “this world,” and a more corrected desire and sensation are called “the world to come.”

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The Zohar: The wisdom that a person (every person without exception) needs is to know and see the Creator’s secrets, to attain who he is, how he was born, where he came from, where he is going, how he can correct himself, and what awaits him when he appears at the court of the world’s Ruler.

We have to attain knowledge, as it is written, “And Adam knew Hava.” Knowledge is attained when you unite with the Creator, thus uniting the only two things in existence. Thus, attainment or knowledge is formed when the Light of Hochma clothes into the Light of Hassadim – into one’s corrected desires (Kelim). This is the true unity.

When a spiritual Partzuf receives Light inside, this Light is called the Light of Knowledge. This is both wisdom and mercy, the Light of Hochma and the Light of Bina, the Light of reception and the Light of bestowal united together.

If I want to include my soul in Malchut – the sum of all the souls, the only created creation, known as the soul of Adam, then my desire to be together with everyone makes me part of Malchut. Malchut then raises this desire to the level of Daat (knowledge), and then Aba and Ima (Father and Mother, Hochma and Bina) give me this knowledge. This is how the Upper Mechanism operates.

(From a lesson on The Book of Zohar, the chapter, “The Wisdom That A Person Needs”)

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When we study The Book of Zohar, we have to remember that it was written by a group of Kabbalists and therefore, it can only be understood within a group as well. In order to understand this book, we have to first unite, find the connections among us and try to reveal those connections with the help of this book. We will be able to reveal this book only inside the connection between us.

Everything that The Book of Zohar talks about is between the souls, between us. If we desire to bestow to one another, these desires will become our souls, and inside them, inside the connection among the souls, we will reveal the Creator, the Light that connects us together.

The Book of Zohar talks about how we can reveal the Upper Light: It is revealed inside the intention of bestowal and love. That is why preparing for the study and engagement in The Book of Zohar is the same as preparing to acquire the quality of bestowal and love, the thought of unity, mutual guarantee, and “love for your neighbor as yourself.” We are preparing to attain this state in order to reveal the Light of bestowal and love. This is what The Zohar will help us to accomplish.

This is exactly the reason why Kabbalah is being revealed in our time: in order to help humanity attain this quality. But it will only happen to the degree we realize that it is necessary.

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The Zohar: And the Creator said: “Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.” And they came from the East, from the ancient days of the world.

And they found how to use the secret wisdom of the first people, the generation of the flood, so they wouldn’t have to submit to the Creator. And they built a city and a tower.

“Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens.” They decided to act according to their ego and to rule all the way up to the heavens themselves.This is completely opposite to elevating oneself over one’s ego in order to reveal the Creator and life in the Upper World.

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. This was the situation in Babylon: Even though they were egoists, their ego was so small and undeveloped that they lived as one people, in complete understanding, as though they were speaking one language.

And since they all had one heart and one desire, and they spoke the holy language (the language of bestowal and love), they were able to accomplish anything they put their mind to. And there was no one who could stop them.

These people are opposite to the Creator and want nothing to do with Him, but because they are bound by bonds of love, they are invincible. They are like a band of criminals who are staunch friends and look out for one another to the bitter end. Their connection is loyal and true, but their goal is egoistic – to build a city with a tower.

They do not use their connection to become similar to the Creator, yet they created their connection upon the quality of bestowal, which makes it indestructible! That is what the Creator “complains” about.

This connection is equal and opposite to Him, and that is precisely why the people had to attain it. It is in order to then tear it asunder and recreate it once again, but this time in likeness to Him.

It is very similar to the world’s situation today. It’s the same as if we now decided to liquidate the crisis and reject all our egoistic interests by establishing a connection between all the nations, yet we would do so without thinking of the Creator or the goal of creation. We would then return to the state of Ancient Babylon. Today we are discovering that the world is global, that everyone is interconnected, and that we must treat each other well lest we will destroy one another. However, if we begin to establish good relationships with one another without thinking of how to connect to the Upper Force and without an objective of achieving the goal of creation (to reveal the Creator), this would lead us to self-destruction, just as it happened in Ancient Babylon.

The Creator would shatter our connection just as He had done in Babylon when He “mixed the languages” (meaning, when egoism emerged between the people) and people stopped understanding one another. This would happen in order for us to understand that our connection requires another component – the Creator. Only He can bind us with a true connection and allow us to feel life on the Upper Level – a life that is perfect and eternal.
From a lesson on The Book of Zohar, Chapter “Noah”

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It is common knowledge that The Book of Zohar is unique. The reason for this is that it is the only book with the power to bring human beings into the spiritual world. This unparalleled mission is what brought this book to fame and has made humankind have a special relationship to it.

Nature prepares a very peculiar entry into this world for us; we are born without any knowledge and nothing is explained to us ahead of time. A child does not inherit an intellect, senses or memories from his parents or preceding generations. A person is born as an empty shell and then starts sensing this world as warmth, coldness, light, darkness, sound and silence.

In the beginning a baby doesn’t feel anything at all. But gradually it begins reacting to sound and light, and later on it recognizes its mother and notices actions that are being done to it. In response the baby laughs or cries, and gradually starts to explore the world and to want to find out what is going on around it. It begins to identify with its body and that is how it grows up.

Compared to this, it’s surprising that baby animals get to know everything and learn to survive independently in just a few days, whereas a human baby remains totally helpless without an adult’s care for a long time. If we leave a human baby in the woods, it would grow up just like the animals that surround him.

A human baby’s development is based solely on impressions, examples and behavioral models of this world, which he receives from adults. People have created music for children, toys, playgrounds and games designed to teach children to take things apart, reassemble them, and distinguish between colors and sounds. The purpose of these games is to prepare a child to live in our world.

A child’s parents and the people around him are ready to give everything that is needed for the child to grow up in accordance with the standards of his generation and the world he lives in. Our instincts direct us to transfer our knowledge to a child, since otherwise he won’t be ready for life in our world.

This type of upbringing is natural and cannot be changed. We are unable to feed a human being with information by connecting him directly to a computer that will transfer encyclopedic knowledge to him. We cannot simply “install” a proper upbringing in order to develop a child’s feelings and reactions. We can only do so gradually as he shapes his personality by acquiring and accumulating impressions.

This process takes at least 20 years of a human being’s life. And when we become adults, we still continue to learn and develop, and often we end up regretting that we didn’t acquire more knowledge earlier in our lives.

Our birth and development in the spiritual world involves similar processes, but the difference is that we also continue to exist in the material world, a sort of inconvenience. Just like in the physical world, growth in the spiritual realm requires parents, surroundings, toys, education, a proper upbringing and explanations. If we don’t get the right examples, then we won’t be ready for living in the spiritual world, and therefore it won’t reveal itself to us. Even if it did, we wouldn’t be able to recognize it.

Baal HaSulam writes the following in the article “Body and Soul:” “A human being cannot exist in our world without having knowledge of it, and similarly his soul is unable to exist in the Upper World without having knowledge of it. Moreover, knowledge about the Upper World actually serves as a way of sensing life in it.”

If an infant were left alone in his cradle without any attention and only his immediate physical needs were satisfied, it would become nothing more than a living, breathing body. We are incapable of developing unless we receive new and diverse impressions on a regular basis. It doesn’t matter that we don’t understand the meaning behind many of these impressions, just like a child doesn’t understand much of what happens to him. Regardless, we are still filled by these impressions and use them to grow. The same thing happens in the spiritual world: We must fill ourselves with diverse impressions that originate from the spiritual world, and that don’t exist in our world.

And that is exactly how The Book of Zohar influences us and why this book is so special. When a person reads or listens to this book, it starts transferring impressions of the higher, unknown world to him. It doesn’t matter whether we understand the meaning of its contents or not; we’re still filled by those impressions. There is no other book that makes such an impact.

Gradually, as we advance through studying The Book of Zohar, we start receiving and accumulating impressions from the spiritual world. When those impressions enter our being, they advance our development in the spiritual world even without our awareness that this growth is taking place.

When we read The Book of Zohar at our lessons, I will provide explanations of the text in order to help connect a person with its contents. However, a person can read The Book of Zohar without any explanations whatsoever. All we need is a desire to understand and connect with the text, the same way that a wide-eyed child explores the world around him and can’t sit still for a minute because of his natural tendency to learn and absorb everything around him. If we open our feelings, heart and intellect to absorb what flows out of this book, just like a child who soaks up everything in this world, we’ll advance in the spiritual world.

It is of little importance whether a person possesses a brilliant mind or whether he has trouble learning, whether he is lazy or hard-working, rational or emotional; everyone will develop in their own way, which is best for them.

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A question I received: You have explained that all worlds from the World of Infinity to our world are similar to each other in all their details as branches and roots. When I read about these worlds in The Book of Zohar with the desire to attain spirituality, and if I connect to the text, then I will enter the Upper World and see the spiritual picture through earthly images and through the book. Is this correct? Does this contact happen only when studying at a lesson?

My Answer: When we proceed through the text in The Book of Zohar, we start seeing an internal spiritual picture by receiving impressions and qualities from the text that the book talks about. We start identifying names of characters, objects, and places of our world as qualities of reception and bestowal that are big or small or good or evil.

A panel of qualities emerges in us in parallel to the picture of this world. This spiritual picture remains in us as a model that corresponds to the allegorical story line. The Zohar uses words of our world to explain the world of the qualities of reception and bestowal, which make up all that exists. These two qualities draw a picture of our world for us, and they also form the picture of the Upper World.

As we accumulate examples of correspondence of the two languages and the two worlds while reading The Book of Zohar, as we learn and organize them within us, we are able to perceive more spiritual impressions.

Question cont’d: For now, does my whole study consist of sitting in front of a book and trying to feel what is written in it, so that it will create spiritual models within me?

My Answer: The result of all our actions in the group and in dissemination, and the conclusion of all our efforts to attain the spiritual world, is revealed within us as images of reception and bestowal, and of qualities of the creature and the Creator as well as their various combinations. Revelation of the soul, which is the sensation and understanding of the Creator, happens as a result of these actions.

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