Chapter 12. Reflections and Thoughts
Does the Creator Exist?
Q: Before one begins to study Kabbalah, one must answer the question, “Does the Creator exist?” Otherwise, how is it possible to search for contact and unification with something that does not exist?
A: Does the Creator exist? The Kabbalah is studied precisely in order to find out, meaning to feel and see the Creator. You, too, will find Him, notice Him, see and feel Him. Only then will you be able to say whether or not the Creator exists. It is only possible according to the measure of equivalence of form with the Creator. If you could feel the Creator right now, you’d be a Kabbalist.
Does the Creator Have a Body?
Q: Prophets who can contact the Creator say that He doesn’t have a body, or size or image. Thus, they shatter all the common concepts about the Creator. Yet, idioms such as “the hand of the Creator,” “under the foot of the Creator” are abundant. How do you explain it?
A: Not only does the Creator not have a body, but we creatures, too, have no body. The creature is not a corporeal, physical, biological body, but pure desire. The desire to be filled with the Light of the Creator exists in each of us, and it is called a “soul.”
The soul is divided into parts named after parts of the body, but there is no connection between those parts of the soul that are called by names of organs of our corporeal body. Kabbalists have found a way to express in the words of this world, concepts in the spiritual world. These could not otherwise be expressed except by making use of the language of the branches.
Kabbalists take words from this world and use them to depict spiritual powers, which are the roots of those objects.
Pharaoh and the Creator are Equal
Q: Who is the Creator really, if Pharaoh had priests capable of doing what Moses did and even more? If I possess the same powers and I have everything – then how can I know that your God is better?
A: There is only one power: the Creator. He influences man in a variety of ways, using contradicting forces. Thus He forms man, affecting him in various ways, generating various reactions. In these ways, we develop an attitude to the Light and to the darkness, and an understanding of giving and receiving and so on.
The created desire in its entirety, which is equal to the Creator’s greatness, is called “Pharaoh.” A born man receives only a small desire, and little by little discovers his Pharaoh, rising spiritually to the extent that he can overcome him.
The difference between the Creator and Pharaoh is not in the power, but in the goal. If it is “for myself,” then it is Pharaoh; if it is for the Creator, then it is the end of correction.
What should I Remember?
Q: What is the most important thing that a person should keep in mind throughout one’s life?
A: That there is only the Creator, and that there is no other. Read, “There is None Else But Him.”
The Origin of Sin
Q: Researchers found that genes determine character. Therefore, how can a person be blamed for one’s sins; after all, they are committed without any freedom of choice?
A: One’s character is predetermined by nature, and it certainly has no relevance to the essence of man. It is the same for animals; they all have their unique predetermined characteristics. Anyone who works with animals knows that they have just as complex a character as humans.
The character is fixed and cannot be changed. It can be less or more conspicuous, depending on the circumstances, but it never changes.
However, the origin of sin is not found in the character, but in the lack of knowledge of the truth. If one would know, one would not sin!
Generally speaking, “sin” does not exist in the corporeal meaning we ascribe to this term. Man always works by the situation he is in: if the Creator is concealed, man only performs actions that are dictated by his nature - that is the only thing that motivates him. However, if we could see the Creator, to the extent that we could see Him and His Power, we would correct our actions, meaning that we would act out of a new motivation. That is why the revelation of the Creator is the one remedy for sin. That remedy can only be attained through the wisdom of Kabbalah – the method that reveals the Creator to man, for only then can we see how to operate correctly.
Before the revelation of the Creator, all of man’s actions are called sins and the punishment for them is the sensation that the act is negative and the recognition of the negativity of the act. Those sensations and recognitions help man exit his situation.
Cam we talk about freedom of choice with animals? And what about humans? If we knew all the components that comprise one’s mood, character, health, environment, the way it works on each person, etc, we could accurately predict one’s reactions in every situation. Where is our freedom of choice? Why does it exist, and why is it not sought in animals?
Freedom of choice becomes possible only if a person has the ability to work against one’s own nature. For that, we must be completely freed from ourselves. We must be able to observe ourselves from outside ourselves, and from that perspective decide and execute.
What does it mean to be “outside one’s own nature?” In spirituality, besides man, there is only the Creator. To the extent that we acquire the attributes of the Creator in addition to our own, we are freed from our own nature, and from the nature of the Creator.
Then, we become independent and free to choose whether to remain as we are, or to be like the Creator. There is no third possibility. From this we learn that in order to have freedom of choice a person must be a Kabbalist and attain the attributes of the Creator.
I or He
Q: What’s greater than I?
A: Nothing, if that is how you feel it. But if you feel the Creator, your "I" disappears. There is nothing except these two.
Learn From Sin
Q: Is there a correction for a person who has been a sinner all one’s life?
A:There cannot be a correction if there is no sin. Therefore, each must go through a spiritual phase of a sinner, an evil. Only after that comes the corrected spiritual phase of “righteousness.” I wish for you to first attain the phase of “complete evil” and then go through all the degrees of correction.
The progress and elevation to a higher essence is gradual and built through falling in each degree: first becoming “evil,” and then correcting your sin and becoming “righteous,” and so on. That means that it is impossible to advance without mistakes.
On the contrary, each progress incorporates within it a new sin, a new recognition of evil and its correction, and then again sin, recognition, and correction. There is no other way for us to learn, because man learns only through himself.
We must experience each mistake, be tormented by it and correct it by ourselves. From the moment we begin to study Kabbalah, we will have time to correct. We can do more in one lifetime of study than in hundreds of lifetimes if we do not study Kabbalah.
War in the Spiritual World
Q: You once mentioned a war or a battle in the spiritual world, but never explained what you meant. Can you explain it now?
A: The laws of nature and the entire creation are clearly divided between positive attributes (those of the Creator) and negative attributes (forces that object the Creator). The Creator arranged it this way on purpose.
The bad powers help to select the good powers. We need the bad in order to choose the good.
We seem to be between these two systems of good and bad. If we use them correctly, we will develop to the level of absolute equivalence with the Creator. We gradually absorb within us bad powers, study them, discern them as harmful, disqualify them and prefer the acquisition of the powers of the Creator to them.
These two systems – of good powers and bad powers – are not fixed, but change both synchronically and a synchronically, according to certain rules such as: weekday, holiday, Shabbat (Saturday) and many others.
In addition, the Creator cannot be imagined as frozen or as a dry law that doesn’t change. Generally speaking, everything is in motion, and the attainment of that literally grips the soul. Thus, sometimes you see that the devil wins, and sometimes the good is triumphant.
The Righteous are the First to Fall
Q: When a whole people degrade, sinking deeper into egoism, the first ones to fall are the best. Why is that so?
A: Because they live among us only to convey the Light of the Upper World to us, and if we don’t deserve it, then there is no reason for their existence in this world. So they go.
When Things Close In
Q: What do I do when everyone around me pushes me into the corner… What do they all want from me?
A: It is wonderful when you feel your present situation as intolerable, because now you are willing to leave it! The Creator Himself puts you in those circumstances because He wants to bring you closer to Him. All you have to do is shout, “What do you (the Creator) want from me?” And address that shout to Him, because He is the source of everything.
But in order to direct the cry correctly, to be aimed at the Source of life, at the Creator, and not at blind faith, you need Kabbalah. Otherwise your cry is like a cry in the desert. One feels this world just as a desert. It offers nothing to satisfy our petty desires.
Your cry should be accompanied by a longing for the Creator, and not just a desire for everything to be right again. This world was created precisely for pain! If you want out of that situation, get out of this world. That is what Kabbalah offers you. Read constantly, and you will get it.
Suicide
Q: Why is suicide considered so terrible in Judaism? If one sees no point in living, why cannot that person choose death? After all, it is known that man cannot tolerate pain, so how does suicide sit with the purpose of creation?
A: If a desperate person separates from life only in order to avoid pain, it shows that the most important thing for that person is not life, but pleasure! Without pleasure, life becomes a burden that any person would love to get rid of. It follows that we are nothing but a desire to enjoy.
One should always be aware that whatever the torments arise, they are given by the Creator for the purpose of correction, for advancement. Suicide is one’s total refusal of the offer of the Creator to advance, a rejection of the means for correction.
We must remember that the only place for advancement is this world, and only in this body. That fact might sometimes be hard to accept, but it is nonetheless true.
Obtain the Picture of Reality
Q: If we feel bad about ourselves and want to be rid of our troubles, can we begin to study Kabbalah?
A: We can never see with the senses of this world what is in store for us. We cannot see where our troubles come from; they only appear before us as a fact of life, as a reality that we are born into. In order to succeed in seeing how that picture is formed, we must study the wisdom of Kabbalah.
With this wisdom, we learn exactly how the picture of reality is built. There is no special wisdom that we need to acquire; mere interest is enough. But here is where our problem lies: we are not interested!
If we haven’t sufficient interest in understanding what happens with us, the collective force of reality comes and acts upon us. It forces us, in order to escape the torments, to open the books, or at least take some interest in the fact that we belong to a collective reality through which we should influence this world.
The System of the Universe
Q: What do you mean when you say, “control nature?” Has man ever done that consciously?
A: Leading means knowing the system and knowing how to affect it in the desired way. By intervening with the system, we evoke movement and change in it. Naturally, we assume that it is always we who perform the actions, but the question is how well do we know the system we are trying to influence? Often enough, we want to do something a certain way, because we want to attain the best result for ourselves, but instead, we get a bad outcome. This is because we only know a part of the system, and we see that we did not calculate the outcome of our action correctly.
In fact, man always stands opposite the collective system of the universe, and deals solely with affecting it.
Instinct
Q: Why doesn’t man receive this knowledge naturally, like animals?
A: It’s true that animals know how to sustain themselves correctly and naturally. They receive this information as instincts, because they all exist in a certain and fixed level of development, as it says, “A day old calf is called an ox.” This is all they need.
The developing man, however, does not receive the inborn attributes of animals naturally. That difference is so apparent, that it is amazing to see the difference between the correct and meaningful movements of a calf, and those of a human infant. You can read more about it in the essay: “ The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose.”
Affecting Nature
Q: What is the connection between ordinary science and Kabbalah? Is the objective of that science to help man better utilize the corporeal laws of nature, as with physics and chemistry, or perhaps even discover new laws?
A: Neither! Kabbalah teaches man to aim his thoughts and desires correctly in order to best relate to his environment. It tells him how much his thoughts, and specifically the way he relates to what happens around him, affect more than his physical acts. The stronger the means and the force, the deeper they are hidden.
We begin to discover that nature feels how we relate to it. For example: a plant feels if a person next to him is good or bad. If an animal wants to eat it, the plant does not react because it was created for just that purpose, it is inherent in it. But if a person thinks negatively about it, although the plant might be treated well with water and care, it still withers.
Scientists have recently begun to see that the result of an accurate experiment depends on the person who performs that experiment, meaning, the results of a concrete physical experiment depend on who performs it. We all press the same button, but we will get different reactions.
Q: So what is the right way to affect nature?
A: An act by which a person can affect the world, apart from a physical act, is called an “aim.” If we learn to think correctly, we can instruct nature to perform useful acts through our thoughts. But in order to know how to influence the world, the entire reality, there is a great deal to learn. And just as in any other science, not everyone is willing to study that much in order to succeed.
People are unhappy in our world, although they all want the opposite. But in order to be happy, one has to know what to do in order to feel good. We should know that our very existence affects our world in one way or another. Therefore, the more we do, the more we should learn about the effect of our actions.
Q: Will a person who has not yet learned how to influence the world correctly suffer during one’s studies?
A: When we begin to study Kabbalah, our approach to nature changes entirely, because nature relates to man according to his aims and not his actions. Therefore the most important thing is to try and aim right.
An Answer for a Scientist
Q: I am a scientist. You say that Kabbalah is a science. Is it possible to come to the spiritual world using scientific tools?
A: It is an honor for me to discover the scientist in you, because the wisdom of Kabbalah is a science, and that makes it easier for us to understand each another. Anything that a person discovers in this world through scientific methods is not spiritual because, by definition, spiritual is something that one can feel only in spiritual attributes of giving, called a “screen.” That screen is a vessel for the understanding of the other world, and that understanding can only be acquired through the wisdom of Kabbalah.
Our body has impressive secret abilities, sophisticated ones, but they are all corporeal! We can develop those abilities by training. Animals have those abilities as well; these are throughout our world, but we cannot actually feel them.
Only when we acquire a screen do we begin to feel spirituality, but those sensations cannot be conveyed to one who does not have a screen. I would not want you to regard my answer as mere excuses, as they don’t actually answer the question, but regrettably, it is impossible to convey the idea in such a dialog (without knowledge of terms and definitions in Kabbalah), regardless of the education level of the listener.
Is Man’s Origin from the Ape?
Q: At what stage in creation did the ape evolve to become a man?
A: The Kabbalah calls the phenomenon you are referring to “ Malchut of the upper becomes the Keter of the lower.” This is a passage from one level of creation to the next, but not from one nature to the next. It is a mistake to think that it is possible to switch between levels of the screen in the same manner, or between the four parts of the will to receive in creation: still, vegetative, animate and speaking.
Such passages are impossible! The spiritual genes are eternal! That is why there cannot be a development from a rock to a plant, and from an ape to man. But it is certainly possible for a person to develop spiritually, meaning rise spiritually from a level of “still” to the level of “vegetative,” to the level of “animate” and to the level of “speaking,” called “man.”
This only refers to the manners and the abilities to use the desire, and the implementation of the coarseness, referring to a change in quantity, but not in quality. The Creator created the collective desire in a strict formation, and man utilizes it gradually, according to the level of his adaptation to the screen.
Q: How is that metamorphosis done? If possible, please explain the feeling it creates in the heart, rather than how it is done technically.
A: A new situation cannot materialize before we begin to find the previous insufferable, and want wholeheartedly to replace it with a new one. In fact, there is a detachment between man’s present and future situations. That detachment stems from the fact that an act “above reason,” meaning against the mind, is needed to cross over. Just as a seed must rot completely in the ground before a new bud grows, so must our desires. The present desire must “rot” entirely and then we must reject it. Only then can we even contemplate the possibility of something new materializing.
Q: Is it true that our responses and character belong to our world and do not change when we become Kabbalists?
A: It’s true. The Zohar says that the character is a collection of natural habits that relate to the “animate body,” or corporeal desires that do not change, precisely because they belong to our world, and everything in our world is considered dead and unchanging compared to the spiritual world.
That is why in Kabbalah, birth is the reception of the first, minimal, screen, immediately after we cross the barrier from the sensation of this world only to the sensation of the spiritual world. This is called “the crossing of the Red Sea.” That concludes the first phase of our development, after which we enter the spiritual world.
Q: Can a person become a Kabbalist and an altruist in spirituality, and yet remain an egoist in our world?
A: You contradict the definition of the term, “spirituality.” Spirituality can be attained only by attributes that are adapted for spirituality. Such attributes as bestowal and giving are called “for the Creator.” All other intentions, such as “for other people,” “for mankind,” etc. are actually “for myself.” These aims come from the desire to be rewarded indirectly, or they stem from desires for control, power, respect, and so on.
Only if we attain complete detachment from our own nature, and that is possible only if our intentions are “for the Creator,” do we become liberated from our desires. Then, we see that through the intent “for the Creator” we begin to love all mankind and actually wish it well.
We come to that precisely because we attain the attribute of the Creator. We begin to love people as much as the Creator does, but only from the attributes of the Creator, and not from within our own attributes.
Perhaps you have a different definition of egoism and spirituality. Perhaps spirituality is, for example, something fragile, noble, lyric and pleasant, detached from the world, and so on.
But all these definitions of spirituality are completely different from ours because they are felt and surface in another substance, different from our own nature. That is why they are sensed completely differently from the way we are accustomed to sensing them. Here is precisely where Kabbalah becomes the wisdom of the hidden.
Regrettably, only those who attain spirituality can understand Kabbalists. But that is precisely the source of the dispute between Kabbalists and other people, between the Creator and the corrupted creatures, and between those who object to Kabbalah and those who attain it. A Kabbalist’s spirituality is different – while we value everything in our world as good or bad based on whether it favors us or not, to a Kabbalist the world seems completely different, because they are above it.
A Kabbalist sees everything that extends to our world, including the source of agony and the reasons for everything that happens in the world. He sees what disrupts the happiness and completeness of the world. You can read by yourself and see how sharply great Kabbalists write about the cause of humanity’s suffering, which can be traced, in fact, to the lack of the desire to study Kabbalah. Only the study of the Kabbalah extends the Light that brings happiness and bliss to our world!
I recommend that you read the “ Introduction to The Book of Zohar” by Baal HaSulam.
The Demise of a Kabbalist
Q: When a Kabbalist dies, who takes his place?
A: You will not be able to understand the meaning of the connection of a Kabbalist with eternity, with the Creator, and with his dimension of existence, but I will try to answer you just the same. The Creator is the one who places the Kabbalist in this world, and when there is a need, He replaces him and puts another in his place. The Creator does not do this because the previous Kabbalist didn’t do enough, or grew old, but because each soul performs only the task it is assigned, and cannot perform other tasks.
The Creator places the force and then replaces it, but does not change it, because each soul can perform only a specific assignment, and from there it moves on to another act, a more sublime one. You cannot see it, but Kabbalists can.
And what will become of my disciples? When I am gone, they will receive the necessary guidance from other leaders. As a whole, death in this world should be met with joy, not with grief, but that is another topic altogether.
Q: I am surprised to find that great Kabbalists can be victims of murder and persecution. I always thought that Kabbalah renders unlimited powers and control in the world, whereas now I think that Kabbalah has nothing to do with this world. Why is a Kabbalist who rises in the spiritual world not immune to the torments of this world?
A: You are beginning to think correctly! There is no connection between the corporeal (animate) world and the spiritual world, as we imagine it to be. The body of a Kabbalist is no different from that of any other person. There are no such links between the body and the soul, where the soul influences the protein, corporeal substance of the body. The Creator does not change the law of creation especially for Kabbalists, and all the physical, natural laws apply also to Kabbalists. The Kabbalist cannot fly in the air like a sorcerer, or perform other unnatural operations, and he can get sick, like any other person.
The world gets it wrong because it doesn’t feel what a soul really is, and so it searches for spirituality in matter, or searches for connection with the matter. A Kabbalist need not do anything external, because spirituality is in a different dimension. The link with spirituality happens through inner contact. Nothing in our world is directly connected with the Upper One.
The characteristics of this world are no more than signs that there is no spirituality in them! Man finds spirituality through his soul, which is a part of the Upper World. If he feels it, he finds a link (spiritual coupling) with the Upper World, with the Creator.
Is All of Nature Inside Me?
Q: I was always amazed by the versatility of the types of birds, plants, fish, etc. Finally, in one of your lectures, I received understanding. It is all a result of the reciprocal penetration between the Sefirot and the cooperation between them in the spiritual world. My question is: Does man include everything within him, and how is it reflected in me? Is it in the versatility of my emotions?
A: What happens in one body, in one soul in the spiritual world, is divided into many bodies within our own. For example, inside man there is a Pharaoh, Moses, birds, fish, everything around us and anything we can possibly imagine is within us. They exist in us in the form of spiritual forces, desires.
Each of these inner attributes also exists outside us, as a separate body, a different species and a different attribute. In fact, it would be more correct to say that I am the one who divides, through my emotions, the force that surrounds me into bodies, attributes and various forces. This is what we call “our world.” But the spiritual commandment of “Love thy neighbour as thyself,” for example, is obvious, because both the other and I are one spiritual body.
That is why the good attitude of one particle of the collective body toward another is obvious. And so it is with all other things that are separated in our world. All our problems stem from the fact that we feel the various parts of the universe as disconnected and independent of one another. But since inside each person there are all the forces and the attributes of our world, it is said in the Torah that he who corrects himself, corrects the entire world.
It is more accurate to say that when we correct ourselves and begin to relate to the whole world as we do to our own body, we thus correct within and outside ourselves.
Where is the Soul?
Q: If science can clone people, where then is the Creator, and where is the soul?
A: Kabbalists hid the wisdom of Kabbalah for hundreds of years, and in fact, they only permitted it in our time, when the souls are ripe enough for that study. In the past, many people wanted to misuse it, but there aren’t such people anymore; people are too immersed in fulfilling their petty desires to take pleasure in such things.
The prohibition against disclosing such sublime knowledge in public was applied to other sciences, as well. Both Aristotle and Plato mention in their writings the prohibition against teaching and disclosing scientific knowledge for people to trade for money or other pleasures. They saw in the knowledge itself a power that was not to be conveyed to people for use against others. The few that were of high enough standards to keep this knowledge secret were accepted as disciples.
Unfortunately, that rule has been broken for hundreds of years, and we suffer the consequences. We did not gain a thing from our technological progress because it is not in accordance with our moral development. Therefore, all we get from it is pain.
You want to know where is the soul in a cloned person. Let me ask you this: Where is the soul in a non-cloned person? Where is it in a person who’s had an implant operation? What is a soul, anyway? Does it exist in an ordinary person, in an animal, in a wild, savage person? How developed should the body be before it is worthy of being clothed with a soul? Why doesn’t a cloned person deserve to have a soul?
The soul is a special sensory organ that I like to call “the sixth sense.” In that sense, we feel the Upper World, something we cannot feel with our natural senses. It is the reality beyond this world. That sense can be developed only through the system of Kabbalah. It is called Kabbalah (Heb. “reception”) because it is a system that enables one to receive a supreme sensation, attainment, and everything that is beyond ordinary sensation.
Life is a Game and We Are All Toys
Q: How do you relate to computerized robots and their reactions to humans?
A: Believe me, I don’t have any! Of course, they are only mechanical toys without any egoistic desire. However, they can be programmed to simulate desires, and then they’ll have demands according to the program. It will fool us if we wish to be fooled, and if the toys are sophisticated enough (which will certainly happen in the future), it will be hard to distinguish between programmed and natural behavior.
The point is that it makes no difference whether it’s the object’s own desire or it was installed in it. Watch how education and advertising imprint desires in us that become our own! What else, besides these acquired desires, do we have?
So the important thing is not how these toys are made, but one’s attitude towards them and whether or not we project ourselves on them, thus animating them. These developments occur so that we will mature and realize who we are, and ultimately correct ourselves reaching the Creator’s level.
Human Robots In Kabbalah
Q: How can you compare a living human with a mechanism, programmed by nature? In this science of yours, everything boils down to a predetermined behavior. But then, even you speak about feelings, so where is the logic?
A: You probably read about modern programmable toys. Some of them even look like real animals! They are equipped with very sophisticated programs of behavior, including seemingly spontaneous acts, and can be self-taught. In time, the program develops and a person gets the impression that the toy grows up, recognizes its name, and needs to be fed (recharged) when it expresses a desire for food.
Since people attach feelings even to their computers, they start relating to such toys in a special way. They project their emotions on it. The toy recognizes only its owner’s voice and obeys only its owners’ commands. By tuning the toy to one’s needs, a person acquires a better friend than a computer, and not worse than a dog or a human.
People are growing lonelier today. They are often single and childless. This is caused by the development of our egoism. Therefore, such robots will fill a growing part of our void. It all means that real feeling, as all of us will soon discover, is possible only toward the Source, the Creator.
We will feel toward everything else the way we do to those toys. But through the Creator, we humans will grasp the entire world and learn to love all people as we love the Creator.
Q: Will they clone people to harm mankind in the future?
A: You don’t have to be a prophet to say the simple truth: everything we do before we see the entire system of creation is only to harm us. It is only the wisdom of Kabbalah that enables us to see it.
Vegetarianism
Q: I have recently stopped eating meat and fish because I think that living creatures (those with a nervous system and a sensation of pain) shouldn’t have to suffer just to serve as my food. But Judaism permits eating fish and animals, and does not see anything negative in it (at least it does not forbid it). Is there a profound meaning to eating meat that is hidden from me?
A: The whole of nature, including all the Upper and lower worlds, was created for man, and rise along with man. That is why we must use everything for ourselves: extinguish pests, grow and slaughter domestic animals, sow and reap, cultivate the good and extinguish the bad. This is how nature becomes included within man. Then, if man rises, he raises nature along with himself.
The purpose of creation is that man will enjoy his surroundings in the most correct way. He cannot act as he pleases: isolation, denial of pleasure, fasting and restrictions are against the practice that the Torah preaches.
If you continue to study correctly, you will understand what you must do (although there is not a single word about vegetarianism). Such is the virtue of Kabbalah: the very study builds in the student the right outlook on life.
Keeping Fit
Q: If someone does things to strengthen to become more fit for the spiritual work, do these acts become spiritual acts, if that is the purpose of keeping fit?
A: During the twelve years that I served as personal secretary and assistant to Rabbi Baruch Ashlag, I regularly went swimming with him, or on walks in the park or went with him to a gymnasium. He was between the ages of 75 and 86 at the time! He made great efforts to keep physically fit so that he could lead and accompany dozens of young students. Moreover, we took voice lessons so that he could talk for hours nonstop, without fatigue or hoarseness. Something that is needed for the spiritual work is indeed considered a part of it.
I hope that you can clearly discern your true motivation for your choice of physical activity, so as not to portray the desired as the actual. You can do what you like in your physical activities, but whatever you do, refrain from any kind of meditations and thoughts.
The Corporeal Development and its Purpose
Q: Does one’s physical activity reduce the quality of the spiritual Light?
A: There is no direct and solid correlation between the spiritual Lights and the corporeal bodies and forces, though it becomes clear only above the barrier. The essence of man’s physical activity lies in the detailed analysis of one’s approach toward the Creator and his connection with Him. The connection is only possible through corporeal dresses.
Even at the end of correction we will still need the ties and dresses of our world, in order to feel the perfection at its fullest.
Fashion and Dress – From a Shell and From Holiness
Q: What is the root of fashion, jewelry and cosmetics?
A: Like all our actions, man’s desire to have an attractive appearance is dictated by the inner urge. Kabbalah states that all clothing is, in fact, corrections. This alludes to Adam who, upon sinning, discovered his nakedness and the lack of correction in his egoism, whereas previously he had felt no shame before the Creator, since his egoism had been concealed from him.
In our world, the urge to be covered stems from a different form of egoism, since it comes not from the feeling of the Creator but from our aspirations to power and fame. As a result, dress and jewelry do not come from the desire to be corrected, but contrary to that, as with all shells that aspire for the external and add more outside covers.
Those who seek the innermost revelation are ready to give up everything external, pay no heed to medals or citations, and can walk around in rags. It happens because they increasingly discover their inner depths. Hence, what was felt as the inner yesterday, becomes external and destined to be shed today.
Art and Spirituality
Q: It is hard to believe that the greatest artists are ordinary people. I think they were “marked” by the Creator and have attained divine goodness.
A: There are many people in our world who have special talents – for better or for worse--beginning with the most wicked, scientists, musicians and politicians, and ending with philosophers, religious figures and scholars. However, that fact does not testify to their attainment of the Upper World. It can be proven easily that, despite their genius, they remain in their uncorrected desires, and in that area, they are often less evolved than ordinary people.
Those people have a mission of their own, which is sometimes corporeal and not spiritual. The fact that we feel their creation and achievements as something sublime stems from the fact that we can only appreciate that kind of human attainment and production in our uncorrected attributes.
A Kabbalist is a person, who, in all his senses, openly and vividly, lives in the palace of the Creator, just as we live in our world. He can study the acts of the Creator and move and thrive in spiritual worlds.
If you acquire spiritual attributes, you will feel the Creator and notice the change in your priorities. But before that happens, do not fear that as you grow, you will stop admiring art. Just like a child that has grown, you will learn and attain the meaning of true wholeness through your new spiritual attributes.
The Attitude of Kabbalah to Art is Relative
Q: How do you relate to art?
A: One’s attitude towards everything in the world has to be constructive. Everything was designed for us as a basis for correction. Once, as Rabash and I were passing by a stadium, he pointed out that we should respect this place since it brings pleasure to a lot of people.
You may draw your own conclusions, but this was said by a man who had entered the Higher World. In regard to art, I can refer you to the words of the first rabbi of Israel, Rabbi A.Y. Kook. Unlike his opposition, he was a prominent Kabbalist, hence a Zionist, and approved of establishing the first Israeli Academy of Arts “Betzalel”
The Kabbalists’ attitude to the world is somewhat different from that of the orthodox public; hence the saying, “The rule of Torah is opposite to the rule of the masses.”
Literature and Kabbalah
Q: What do you think of literature in general, and books in particular?
A: All the books, except Kabbalah books, were written by people who perceive only our world. Therefore, they are either incorrect or at best, correct in a very narrow sense. It is not recommended to live by them, just as you cannot build man’s education on imaginary disciplines.
Lately, we see how many rules, disciplines and suggestions come and go and how quickly they replace one another, because they lose their validity.
Kabbalists, on the other hand, write their books from their perception of the connection between the spiritual root in the Upper World and its physical branch in our material world. Therefore, Kabbalists cannot err in their advice.
It is a completely different matter that their advice is hard to follow, but this is the only advice that produces a happy result, starting from “how to choose the right spouse” to “how to feel another reality.”
Because everything that happens in our world is a consequence of operations performed in the spiritual roots, we cannot understand what happens correctly as long as we remain within the boundaries of the knowledge of this world, since the majority of creation is out of reach for the researcher in our world.
How can you advise without seeing the root of events? The problem is that genuine Kabbalists are not interested in giving tips about improving our corporeal life; this is not their task. Their task is to raise mankind to the Upper World, reach spiritual attainment and live in the spiritual world in our own right.
I certainly do not favor burning books, although many mistakes and dead-ends can be avoided. Man naturally learns only by his own mistakes.
Fantasy
Q: What is fantasy in Kabbalah?
A: Fantasy is a combination of knowledge that stems from the inner Light and a certain speculation that stems from the surrounding Light. Only a Kabbalist can fantasize because pictures of creation can only be formed from a Light and a vessel.
Kabbalistic Music
Q: The songs of Rabbi Baruch Ashlag have really inspired me. Can you explain the place of this music in the study of Kabbalah?
A: The songs and the melodies are also Kabbalah, but in a different language--one we can all understand. It permeates us even when we still understand nothing, and begins to “act” on us from within. I recommend that you listen to the music more frequently, even in situations that are unsuitable, or when you are not in the mood for music. You can even listen to it while driving.
This music will accelerate the process of changing your situations and lead to faster advancement. We are interested in spreading knowledge about Kabbalah and allow you to copy it in any form you choose. Just, please do not alter it.
Influence
Q: How can people who did not receive such an outlook from childhood be taught to think the way that Kabbalah teaches?
A: We must simply and clearly explain to everybody that man should know how to conduct himself in this world. After all, everyone wants to be happy and fortunate, and they don’t turn to scientists for that, but to fortune tellers and Kabbalists.
That means that people believe there is a way to influence our future and our luck. If you look at the instructions written in a Kabbalistic prayer book, you will understand what can be done with the upper Sefirot, which we can use to lead the world.
That system of affecting the world is called “aims.” However, those are special aims, which can only be acquired through Kabbalah.
There is No Coercion in Spirituality
Q: I read the Torah, the Zohar and your books. I feel that I’m beginning to understand that these books plant seeds in me. I want to extend that Light to others. But these days, people do not relate to Torah and Kabbalah. How can I persuade them that this is the only real Torah?
A: The Kabbalah strictly forbids any persuasion. It permits only demonstration, guiding and explaining. The extent depends on one’s desire to listen. There cannot be any coercion; otherwise you are performing the most anti-spiritual act there is!
Coercion has no room in the spiritual world. Even in the corporeal world, the origin of coercion is not in purity, in holiness, but stems from the shells ( Klipot).
Beginning students are overwhelmed with emotions and want to share those feelings with others and excite them, as well. But the expression of emotions must be passive only. It can be done by distributing flyers, books and tapes, not by coercion. Otherwise you will only harm yourself.
Sharing Emotions
Q: Is it good to share what I feel with others?
A: You must not share your relationship with the Creator, or describe how you feel about Him with anyone. But that does not apply to the knowledge you have acquired in the wisdom of Kabbalah.
When you disclose your feelings before an uncorrected person (not the knowledge, which can be conveyed), you allow, even if against your will, that person’s uncorrected thoughts and aims to penetrate your soul. The other person is not aware of it and wishes you no harm. However, his lack of correction is joined with yours and harms both of you.
Children Learning Kabbalah
Q: Is Kabbalah a way to look on life that does not require studying in school or in university?
A: You can begin to teach the wisdom of Kabbalah to little children at school because it relates to them, as well. They, too, live in both worlds, and they, too, like adults, still can’t feel the wisdom, for it has not yet been revealed to them.
Great Kabbalists had hoped to come to teach the wisdom of Kabbalah at very early ages. For example, the GRA (Gaon from Vilna) said that if it were possible, he would start teaching children as early as nine years of age, or even six, which Kabbalists regard as special ages.
Naming Children
Q: Is it good to give a child a second name? Can this be done when a child is not a baby anymore?
A: Give one name of a deceased close relative of yours if the name had an upper root of a middle line from the Torah, or any other name from there. That is quite sufficient.
I don’t advise giving children random names designating objects of nature and the like as is fashionable today. One’s name should correspond the name of a sacred Partzuf.
Family Disintegration
Q: What will the future connection between men and women be like, and what is the future of the family? Can Kabbalah and spiritual evolution improve it?
A: One of the consequences of human development is the disintegration of the basic family unit. Soon, the term “family” will cease to exist. As mankind evolves, the ego evolves, and we can no longer be together with others.
Once, there were towns and villages populated by large families. In the generations that followed, the basic family unit was still observed by man’s animate nature, but today even that is gone. We are alone with ourselves; nothing ties people together anymore.
That is why families disintegrate. There is an ongoing process called “the recognition of evil,” whereby ordinary, non-spiritual contact gives no reward. The basic family unit disintegrates because it is unreal.
However, genuine contact should start from within, and that is possible through only the Kabbalah. Kabbalah allows you to find your true mate, create the genuine spiritual contact with him/her. Because everything is included within it, everything else will be corrected on the human-biological level.
The amazing quality of Kabbalah lies in its ability to revive humanity. Everything we see in the development of our world comes from that “spiritual gene” in us. Humanity should come to a situation of complete fragmentation, after which a process of correction will begin.
If we want to picture the future family, it is possible only to the extent that a man, with his spiritual masculine gene, and a woman, with her feminine spiritual gene, bond in so well that they will be connected like the male and female in spirituality.
Those who have learned the wisdom of Kabbalah know that there is a Partzuf called ZON, which is Zeir Anpin and Nukva, the ideal image of man and woman in our world, the spiritual masculine and feminine origin. The same bond should exist between biological men and women. Otherwise, there will be no connection at all.
That is the situation our world is headed for. Therefore, the unification of all parts of creation, including the feminine and masculine, will take place as all other corrections, through the wisdom of Kabbalah.
Q: You mentioned that there were women prophets. What possibilities await those who come to the world in the body of a woman? Do they only perform assisting roles? Are there any exceptions?
A: This is a very delicate question. Are all the people, all nations and all types of personalities capable of attaining the purpose of creation? Or is there perhaps a difference between sexes, age, nationality, etc.?
The Creator formed His creation with still, vegetative, animate, and speaking. The lowest form is the still, and the speaking (Man) is the highest. Also, each degree is naturally divided by two genders.
Man is different from nature because he has a task he must perform: attaining the purpose of creation by himself. All other parts of creation depend on attaining their purpose of creation, their perfection and eternity, through man.
Thus, everyone ultimately attains the purpose of creation. People are also divided by degrees, and inner and outer parts. As I have previously mentioned, the feminine and masculine part of creation stand in contrast to one another.
Before our time, studying Kabbalah was the privilege of a chosen few. But from our time onwards – as was written by all the great Kabbalists of the past and as Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag, the greatest Kabbalist of our time, writes, everyone can study Kabbalah, including women. There are no exceptions.
Women usually aspire to play masculine parts, but how is the part of a woman expressed in creation? The difference between the sexes in this world stems from a difference in the spiritual root. Therefore, the method of the study and the application of the knowledge of the wisdom of Kabbalah are different between men and women. It is for this reason that they need to study separately.
Spiritual Development
Q: If the meaning of life lies in spiritual elevation, what is the meaning of the lives of billions of people who do not have even one of the 600,000 souls?
A: The meaning of life of every creation, even vermin, lies in nearing the ultimate state of perfection. But the attainment of that situation does not depend on the level of still, the vegetative and the animate of nature, only on that of the speaking level, man.
Everything has a soul. Every person on earth has an animate soul, similar to that of any other animal. In addition, everyone has an embryo of a spiritual soul. People can develop that spiritual soul and become eternal. Otherwise, they remain like any other beast.
The number 600,000 is the number of sparks of the collective soul, named “Adam,” that broke into tiny pieces, and then continued to develop. Therefore, you needn’t worry--there will be enough for everybody, because the most important thing is that there will be someone who will want to receive them and rise.
Correction Through Illness
Q: Who are the mentally ill, and what is their part in the world?
A: Mental illness is one of the many corrections that souls must go through. However, not all souls experience that situation; in fact, there is a reciprocal connection among them. Some of them perform this correction for all other souls, just as in our world, a person has need of every trade, but doesn’t have to learn all the trades in order to enjoy their benefits.
There is an extensive system of interrelations and reciprocal connections between people that stems from what occurs on the spiritual level. That phenomenon is called “the inclusion of the souls.” It is a reciprocal bonding and connection between souls.
Q: What makes people who believe in the existence of the Creator relate to mentally ill people or autistics as “men of God,” as if these are people through whom the Creator speaks? Is there any truth to that?
A: The mentally ill do not attain the Creator. They are miserable people who cannot even attain this world, much less the spiritual world. At some point we will find out why the Creator needs them and for what.
Some do, indeed, regard mentally ill people as spiritual, higher, as “men of God.” Those who think that actually yearn for the “switching off” of the mind and skepticism; they actually want fanaticism.
But the path to the Creator does not go “below reason,” without testing the validity of the path. In this way, there is no attainment of the Creator.
The path to the Creator is built in such a way that each lower degree cannot grasp the reason of the Upper Degree, or understand it. That is why we need the help of the Creator. Only when He is revealed, and one can feel Him, can he act against his mind, and thus rise.
When one negates one’s present mind, one receives the next, higher spiritual degree, one that has greater wisdom. That is why Kabbalists go against the mind and above it, and thus become wiser, whereas those who go against the mind and below it grow more foolish and more extreme.
When a person rises, the mind grows. That is why Kabbalists respect the wiser, whereas the masses respect the ignorant. That is why all religions, which go below reason, bow their heads before torments, without exception. They are unaware that the Creator is the One who sends those torments precisely in order to get us going, and not for us to blindly obey and place the torment as a goal. That is how the forces of impurity speak in man, they call upon him to suffer and respect the situation.
Now you can see how different the divine Kabbalah is from manmade religions.
Q: What is insanity? Why are the insane punished?
A: Insanity is a hindrance to health to the point where one’s self-awareness and freedom of choice are denied, and the person becomes totally captive by the will of nature – the Will of the Creator. No one has complete and objective freedom of choice, though we think that there are many degrees of freedom in the choice of every act. But if we examine the behavior of normal people from the side, it will not be clear to us in what way they are normal.
The correction in the existence of mentally ill people is that within the collective soul, Malchut, called “The First Man,” there is a part that must be corrected in such unconscious states. That part of Malchut exists in all of us.
In our world, each trait of the collective soul appears in separate individuals, but in the collective soul of The First Man, all the parts merge and complement one another. That is why the mentally ill correct something for us, and we correct something for them.
Q: Is there a connection between one’s illnesses and one’s spiritual world?
A: Yes, certainly. One’s illnesses, as with every other kind of suffering, is one of the ways to reveal our nothingness, and consequently push us toward the question, “Why am I alive, why do I suffer so, and how can I change it?”
The Upper Light that descends on us heals us from spiritual, as well as from physical, illnesses.
I cannot say, however, that Kabbalists are healthier than others. A Kabbalist who rises in the spiritual degrees begins to include within souls of other people in order to correct them, raise and thus save them. Then, the Kabbalist seemingly collects their illnesses. But that relates only to special Kabbalists.
From Suffering to the Goal of Creation
Q: The vessel is forced to develop only by suffering and by the “point in the heart.” Therefore, starting from Phase 1 and until the end of correction, everyone is destined to develop. Suffering is sent to achieve the purpose of creation, finally providing the vessel, which is by now anguished by thousands of descents into this pathetic little world, with a happy end – eternal and perfect delight. One may believe that, too, but please explain why is this not fanaticism.
A: If you believe that everything will happen as you pictured, then you are right. But suffering pushes us to understand, grow wiser, achieve, wish, love, aspire. The suffering we get is not for the pleasures, but is rather strictly selective, in order for us to sense the Creator and become like Him. The purpose is not to be beaten and then be given pleasure for relaxation.
Troubles force us to develop and arrive at the right suffering – the one that brings delight, pains of love felt as Light and pleasure, not fading but ever-growing. We are so tired of corporeal suffering and wish for nothing more than rest and relaxation. We cannot swallow something different and complete with our exhausted soul.
I understand you, but… save yourself! The question, “What is the meaning of life?” is the necessary precondition to the development of which I speak. Develop it correctly, don’t let it quiet down and it will lead you to the Creator – and the answer to your question.
The Connection Between Our World and the Spiritual World
Q: There are many questions about the connection between the spiritual world and our own. You say different things in different places. If there is no connection between the two worlds, then how is spirituality connected with externally observed Mitzvot?
A: You are, indeed, quite right. Only the Mitzvot performed inside connect man with the Creator. However, observing Mitzvot externally also becomes a means for connection. Everything comes through the soul. A Mitzva is a spiritual act of giving to the Creator, which likens man to Him. External action has no such effect.
The Creator doesn’t put on Tefillin made of animal skin. His action is the Light of GarDeHochma in Gadlut of Zeir Anpin, which is defined as Tefillin. That is what one must attain.
What is Your School of Judaism?
Q: Which schoolof Judaism do you belong to?
A: I belong to the only ancient ever-existing school, which was started by Abraham, the very first Jew. Upon the destruction of the Temples, as a result of a spiritual downfall, various “schools” of Judaism emerged because, as Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag writes in his Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot (item.1), an iron wall has been erected between us and the science of Kabbalah. Since then “schools,” “currents,” and “parties” emerged.
Kabbalists never related themselves to anything, since their course has always been directed towards uniting with the Creator, and there is only one method to achieve that goal – Kabbalah. We are not connected with any “schools” or “streams” that were formed to reflect a character, a way of life, or a relation to Zionism.
These worldly relations produce various communities, sects, parties, call it what you will. Since we do not take into account anything material, believing that man should confine himself to his aspirations to the Creator, there is no basis for defining any other “schools” beside the one we mentioned and to which we belong.
Why Only Jews and Men?
Q: The things you say are so right. But I cannot understand this nationalistic differentiation. Why are most of your disciples Jewish and why aren’t there women among them (in the photo), if this science really brings truth?
A: Jews are obliged to correct themselves and pass this method on to the world. Gentiles are not forbidden from it, if they like it, but it is only an obligation for the Jews.
Women receive the Light through men. The duty to correct themselves and the world lies solely on men. The wife’s role is to help. Our world is designed in the likeness of the Upper World. Learn from it.
How Can One Feel Responsible?
Q: Can one say that the Jewish people are the Keter of the nations of the world?
A: The Jews are the GE ( GalgaltaVeEynaim) of the collective soul of Adam. They must be the first to receive the Torah. They must learn how to correct man’s nature, and then, as Rabbi Elazar (the son of Rabbi Shimon, the author of Zohar) said, they must pass this knowledge of man’s correction to the rest of the world.
Therefore, if the world is bad, the Jews are the ones to blame! So instead of “pride,” let us feel “responsible.”
Pointing at the Problem
Q: Why do you believe you have the right to blame Israel for its misfortunes?
A: If we look at ourselves, we’ll come to the conclusion that we are innocent. As the poetess asks in her poem, “Why does the whole world blame us…?” As Jews, we love to count those prominent representatives our people gave to the world and the things we contributed. Yet somehow, the world pays no attention to our credits; on the contrary, it hates us and regards us as superfluous.
This is clearly a paradox: we are the smallest nation, which has contributed to the world more than any other nation, without even a land of our own. We are still trying to prove to the world that we can be useful, that we are just like the others, hoping to get our own place in this world. But no one ever considered us to be like the others! Let us stop rationalizing the irrational. This is not about religion.
The solution to our eternal problem can only be found in the Higher World. That is why the Torah was given to us. If we use it correctly, to seek the Creator, then the world will live in peace.
There is no other way to stop terror. Our stubbornness will lead to disasters. I do not blame anyone. I am just pointing out the problem and its solution.
Expecting Good Things – Waste of Time
Q: You write: “If we use it correctly, for seeking the Creator, then the world will live in peace. There is no other way to stop terror. Our stubbornness will lead to disasters.”
This world deserves no peace, and we will probably fail to complete our “mission.” So let us just wait for the end of the 6000 years and then the Creator Himself will correct everything, and peace and good will prevail. We don’t have to wait too long… In regards to terror: we will have to fight the Arabs, the whole world, and the Creator… And you, Rabbi Laitman, stop being a local Cassandra (the role won’t pay off), since it doesn’t help anyone, only irritates!
A: You have just described how I look in the eyes of society; there is nothing I can do about it. It will only get worse, I know. Everyone will be against Kabbalah, curse it as they now curse the Jews. Then this circle will get smaller. So much the worse for the world, since it will receive even less Light. But perhaps there is a chance, because Kabbalah was given from Above!
The Critical Mass
Q: More and more people discover Kabbalah, including those who join in through your disciples. Nonetheless, Jewish affairs are only getting worse. I wonder what critical mass of people studying Kabbalah is needed to stabilize the world?
A: Up to 10% of our people.
Why Did Prophecies Stop?
Q: In biblical times we had many prophets. Then at some point they disappeared. Why?
A: Because Rabbi Akiva’s disciples’ spiritual downfall from the level of “Love thy neighbour as thyself” caused the entire Jewish people to fall and led to the ruin of the Temple. From that moment on, the connection between the spiritual world and ours ceased to exist and, as Baal HaSulam says, “an iron wall has been erected between Israel and Kabbalah.”
However, all this describes falling from the level of the 2ndTemple ( Mochin De Neshama). Before that, there was the ruin of the 1stTemple, a fall from the level of Mochin De Haya. At that time, all prophets vanished, since a prophet’s level is Haya if he says “I saw,” and Neshama if he says, “I heard.”
In addition, to be able to interpret a prophecy, one must be on a certain level of spiritual attainment. A prophet is not a fortune teller who tells you your future. Rather, he explains to you what essential corrections you can make, even without seeing them. And if you can’t make any corrections, then a prophet will not appear. That is why they disappeared.
Liberalism
Q: Can one consider liberalism among Jews and non-Jews as a subconscious, and hence distorted, attempt to fulfill the principal commandment of the Torah – “Love thy neighbour…”?
A: Kabbalah sets the general principle of correct human behavior: whatever the circumstances, first establish a connection with the Creator, and then start researching the current event.
If all of our actions stem from the purpose of creation and we do not lie to ourselves, then they can be called adequate.
Love
Q: What is love?
A: Love is a consequence of equivalence of inner traits, meaning attributes. In Kabbalah there is only one law: the law of equivalence of form, attributes and desires. If two spiritual objects are equal in attributes, they unite. That does not mean that from two they have now become one, but that they are as one. Everything that happens to one, enriches the other, is immediately felt in him.
That mutual feeling, that two separate objects equally feel in the senses between them, that there is absolute equality between them (be it two people, or the Creator and a person) – is called “love.” Love is the sensation of equivalence of spiritual attributes. Distancing in attributes and desires distances people from one another, even to the extent of hate.
The nearness of desires, thoughts and attributes (which is actually the same, because the attributes determine the thoughts and the desires), makes them draw near, love and understand one another.
Kabbalah states that the greatest pleasure in the world is the sensation of equivalence of form with the Creator.
A Limited Ability to Act
Q: Does the ability to lead the world necessarily demand purification?
A: Yes. To the extent that we purify, we merit the right to determine our own destiny. Otherwise, we might harm ourselves and others.
For example, nature doesn’t give its powers to an infant, for fear he might harm himself. Nature determines that the powers that a person receives be proportional to one’s knowledge of how to use them.
The rule that applies in the wisdom of Kabbalah is that a person will never be allowed into the spiritual world and perform a spiritual act that pertains to a greater measure of correction than one’s own for fear of harming self or others. That is why the spiritual forces that correct a person place one at a certain degree, and only in that measure is one included in the system of the leadership. Hence, there is nothing to be afraid of, because man cannot do anything of his own choice, but only out of his degree.
The Collective
Q: Can I help others by the study of Kabbalah?
A: Certainly. All problems and troubles stem from a shortage of the Upper Light. The wisdom of Kabbalah gives us the ability to extend that Light and be filled with it. By that wisdom, we can attain the structure of the soul of man and all other souls and bond with them, because we are all parts of one collective soul called Adam HaRishon, or the “First Man.”
Therefore, to the extent of correction that a Kabbalist attains, he must correct his individual part that is in the other souls. And so we all must correct. That is why the Mitzva of “Love thy neighbor as thyself” is the basis for progress. No elevation is attained without bonding with other souls and the collective correction with them.
Therefore, a collective study in a group is the most practical measure for spiritual advancement.
Conditional Family
Q: Which is more important, to study the wisdom of Kabbalah, or to be nice to others?
A: Treating others nicely is not real if it is not based on spiritual attainment. We see how in our days the family disappears, and in five or six years, the concept of the family will cease to exist. Even today in many families in Europe, husbands and wives work in different cities and meet only on weekends.
The will to receive (egoism) will grow to such an extent that even a tiny unit such as a family will no longer be able to exist. That disintegration will continue until humanity comes to realize that it must live by equivalence of form with the Upper System, and that this is the only way for it to ever be happy.
Only then will it understand and be able to actually do something good for itself. Then, too, the family will return to being a family, but only through the wisdom of Kabbalah.
Man and woman in our world are a consequence of the spiritual structure called ZON De Atzilut ( Zeir Anpin and Nukva of the world of Atzilut). A family can exist correctly only if it functions similarly to that spiritual structure.
People will be so immersed in their own pains that they will resolve to build their relationships on spiritual foundations. Such a spiritual attainment will show man the perfection of it, in order for him to be able to do the same in our world. Until then, there will not be any affection among people.
The Collective Egoism of Society
Q: Is it not enough to not steal and curse and be kind to one another?
A: Certainly not. That is not what the Creator demands of us. The spiritual attributes that we must attain are quite different from what is considered as good in our society. We have created definitions for acceptable behavior, such as how not to annoy one another. We call it “a civilized society.”
In truth, it is only a modified use of collective egoism and has nothing to do with the spiritual attributes that we must attain.
We have to develop within us spiritual attributes through the influence of the Upper Light, which shines and affects us only by studying the books of Kabbalah. This is because, when the author wrote them, he had attained a certain spiritual degree and was in contact with that Light.
A New Approach to Welfare
Q: The question,” How can I help the world?” bothers me all the time. Should I use Kabbalah for that?
A: How do you intend to help the world? Even if you can help all the poor and homeless people on earth, what can you really influence? Mankind is beginning to understand that this is the wrong approach.
We cannot correct anything with a direct approach, but only through the Upper World. If we try to do something directly, we are manipulated from Above in such a way that we feel more pain and uselessness and misery.
The contradiction is that the harder we try to do good to our world, the worse it turns out to be. The world is now far from creating new Hitlers and concentration camps. Therefore, we have to stop trying to improve the world that way, because everything we do is turned to evil!
If we become ill, there are doctors to help us. The doctor has permission to cure. It is a spiritual law. We do have to build welfare systems in the world, but we cannot correct the world this way. The correction of the world can only be accomplished from Above, where it is controlled.
The Only Peace
Q: To what extent can the study of Kabbalah change the world around us?
A: It says: “Bear in mind, that everything has internality and externality. Israel, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is generally considered the internality of the world, and the seventy nations are considered its externality. Within Israel also, there is internality, which are the wholehearted worshipers of the Lord, and externality, those who do not devote themselves entirely to the work of God. And among the nations of the world, as well, there are internal parts, which are the Righteous of the Nations, and external parts, which are the rude and the destructive among them.” ( Introduction to The Book of Zohar, item 66)
Is it not enough to observe the practical Mitzvot in order to change the situation? No, it is not enough! Especially today! Moreover, it is written in that Introduction that he who does not study Kabbalah makes the externality of the world overcome the internality. This means the worst, the most harmful and destructive among the nations of the world, rise over the internality of the nations of the world, the righteous gentiles, and bring worldwide wars and destruction.
It does not mean that everyone must immediately immerse themselves in systematic Kabbalah studies. It is enough if we overcome our inner inhibitions and begin to take an interest in this wisdom, in a very simple way.
Believe me, after only a few days, you will feel stronger and more confident than ever before. It is as though you connect to a new source of power that immediately begins to charge you. Your enemies will begin to feel your strength and will immediately withdraw. They will subconsciously understand that that is a power they cannot deal with.
But as long as we remain inactive, we bring about the negative forces that “land” on our heads in order to force us to act. All the destructors in the world raise their heads, aching to destroy Israel. We have already seen it happen, and today we are witnessing one of the peaks of that process.
We can change all that. Our personal situations, how the world relates to us, and the situation of the entire nation all depend on the study of the wisdom of Kabbalah. The power we derive from the study of the Kabbalah works on the people of Israel and the nations of the world alike. It will help everyone to begin to prefer internality to externality.
Spiritual and physical redemption are linked together. A spiritual redemption will bring the whole world to genuine happiness, freedom from terror, disease and death, and unity with the Upper Power.