Description

Rav Michael Laitman, PhD discusses the first Kabbalist, the first Kabbalistic book, and our role in relation to what is written there.

Transcript

The history of Kabbalah goes hand in hand with the history of mankind. It literally goes back to the emergence of the first man, and reaches a state of entering Eretz Israel, the spiritual land of Israel, the so-called World of Atzilut, where mankind resides within its eternal realization, outside the boundaries of time and space, immortal and perfect.

It is said that his name was Adam, Adam ha Rishon in Hebrew, the first human being who marked the beginning of the entire human race. We, the Kabbalists, are also interested in him because he initiated the history of Kabbalah. He is the author of the first book on Kabbalah.

What is Kabbalah?

Man lives in our world. He feels nature around him. There is a nature of our world and a nature of the higher world. There are people who sense both of these natures inside themselves. Adam ha Rishon was one of them. He described it in his book Raziel HaMalach, The Angel Raziel. This slim book is sold in many book stores in Israel. This is what he drew himself and passed on to us; very interesting things. When we see them we realize that he was not a primitive savage, hunting mammoths, but a very advanced, strong Kabbalist who told us about the basic mysteries of the universe, not about our world. He purposefully refrained from doing that.

He was studying the Upper Worlds, worlds that are higher than the one we live in, places where the soul was before its birth and where it ascends after it finishes its journey of life. That's what he tells us about. And because he was the first soul that descended to this world, he tells us about aspects of the soul's development, about his so-called children, grandchildren, about the human race in general that extended from him. He didn't tell us about the bodies that would be born from his descendants. He was telling us about the souls that will extend from his soul, and how these souls are to make their journey on earth by dressing in bodies; how they will have to make their way on a different, higher level, and form what we call Adam.

And we’re only small particles. That is what he tells us about in his book, called Raziel HaMalach. Raziel means “mysterious,” Malach means “angel,” so to say mysterious, mysteries of the angel Raziel. Raziel, unfolding mysteries of the universe.