[Volume 1 Issue 1] May 2011

The Wisdom Of

Kabbalah This wisdom is no more and no less than a sequence of roots, which hang down by way of cause and effect, in fixed, determined rules, weaving into a single, exalted goal described as “the revelation of His Godliness to His creatures in this world”.

Yehuda Ashlag (Baal Hasulam).The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah

Special magazine for inmates

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Table of Contents

EDITORIAL ........................................................................................................................................... 3

ABOUT BNEI BARUCH ....................................................................................................................... 4

WHY SPIRITUALITY? ........................................................................................................................ 6

Why Now? ....................................................................................................................................... 6 What Is Kabbalah? ......................................................................................................................... 6 Why Kabbalah? ............................................................................................................................... 7 The Truth About Reality .................................................................................................................. 7 10 Myths About Kabbalah ............................................................................................................... 8 What does Kabbalah Teach and What does Studying Kabbalah Do for Me? ................................ 9

YEHUDA LEIB HALEVI ASHLAG (BAAL HASULAM) .............................................................. 10

Writings of Baal HaSulam: There is None Else Beside Him......................................................... 12

BARUCH SHALOM HALEVI ASHLAG (THE RABASH) ............................................................ 15

Writings of The Rabash: What “You Have Given the Strong to the Hands of the Weak” Means in

the Work ........................................................................................................................................ 18

THE ZOHAR ........................................................................................................................................ 24

MICHAEL LAITMAN ........................................................................................................................ 26

DAILY LESSON & RAV’S BLOG: SELECTED EXCERPTS........................................................................ 29 In The Reflection Of The Upper Light ........................................................................................... 29 A Black Point In An Ocean Of Goodness ...................................................................................... 30

GOOD ENVIRONMENT .................................................................................................................... 31

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS FROM RAV ................................................................................................... 31 PICTURES ............................................................................................................................................ 32

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Editorial

Dear friends,

You are holding the first issue of the special magazine for inmates "The Wisdom of Kabbalah".

We have created the magazine in order to open a communication and share with you an ancient wisdom about the meaning of human life – the wisdom of Kabbalah. Revealed more than four thousand years ago Kabbalah - a ―science of reception‖ – talks about the meaning and purpose of person‘s life, the Upper Force and about how you can get in harmony with the Creator as a source of life.

It teaches a method of seeing through events and circumstances of one‘s life in order to perceive a reality at the higher level. Knowing how to see and receive correctly what is sent one‘s way is the key to human development and fulfillment.

Built on the basis of authentic Kabbalistic texts our magazine will introduce you to such topics as laws of Nature, Goal of Creation, The Upper Worlds, Spirituality and Ego, Perception of Reality, Free Choice, The Reason for Suffering, True Prayer and more.

From the first issue of the magazine you will learn about what Kabbalah is and is not. You will know about people who had translated the ancient wisdom into a contemporary language comprehensible for our generation - Baal HaSulam and Rabash and you will read your first Kabbalistic texts.

You will also learn about how authentic Kabbalistic knowledge exists in today‘s society. A section ―Good environment‖ speaks of Bnei Baruch – the organization devoted to building a better society through spiritual education and spreading the word about wisdom of Kabbalah to the world. We will bring to your attention the information about the current activities of Bnei Baruch, international events we participate in and our centers all over the world.

Here you will find excerpts from the daily Rav‘s Laitman lesson and blog. In this issue we are placing answers that Rav has given to the questions asked by inmates which we believe would interest you too. We see this section of the magazine as our meeting room, the space where you will have a chance to get to know other people like yourself who have started studying Kabbalah, where you can support them and share your good vibes with them. Here you can also express your opinion about the study and the magazine helping us to improve it to better fit your needs.

We welcome you today as you become a member of a movement of many thousands of Kabbalah students worldwide. Together we are going to ascend from the hatred and loneliness of this egoistic world to the kindness, love and freedom of the spiritual world. Through our connection we are going to connect to the Upper Force.

We are happy to have you with us on this journey.

In Unity,

Editors of the "The Wisdom of Kabbalah" magazine

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About Bnei Baruch About Bnei Baruch Bnei Baruch is the largest group of Kabbalists in Israel and around the world, sharing the wisdom of Kabbalah with the entire world. Study materials in over 25 languages are based on authentic Kabbalah texts that were passed down from generation to generation. The Message Bnei Baruch is a diverse movement of many thousands of students worldwide. Each student chooses his or her own path and intensity, according to one's personal conditions and abilities. In recent years, the group has grown into a movement engaged in voluntary educational projects, presenting genuine Kabbalah sources in contemporary language. The essence of the message disseminated by Bnei Baruch is unity of the people, unity of nations and love of man. For millennia, Kabbalists have been teaching that love of man is the foundation of the people of Israel. This love prevailed in the days of Abraham, Moses, and the group of Kabbalists that they established. Love of man was the fuel propelling the people of Israel to extraordinary achievements. In times when love of man shifted to unfounded hatred, the nation declined into exile and affliction. If we make room for these old-but-new values, we will discover that we possess the power to put aside our differences and unite. The wisdom of Kabbalah, hidden for millennia, is now stepping out. It has been waiting for a time when we would be sufficiently developed and prepared to implement its message. Today it is emerging as a message and a solution that can unite the factions in and between the nations and bring us all, as individuals and as a society, to a far better state. History and Origin Michael Laitman, Professor of Ontology and Theory of Knowledge, PhD in Philosophy and Kabbalah, and MSc in Medical Bio-Cybernetics, established Bnei Baruch in 1991, following the passing of his teacher, Rav Baruch Shalom HaLevi Ashlag (The Rabash). Dr. Laitman named his group Bnei Baruch (sons of Baruch) to commemorate the memory of his mentor, whose side he never left in the final 12 years of his life, from 1979 to 1991. Dr. Laitman was Ashlag's prime student, personal assistant, and is recognized as the successor of Rabash's teaching method. The Rabash is the firstborn son and successor of the greatest Kabbalist of the 20th century, Rabbi Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag. Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag is author of the most authoritative and comprehensive commentary on The Book of Zohar, The Sulam Commentary (The Ladder Commentary), the first to reveal the complete method for spiritual ascent. This is also the reason for Ashlag's epithet, Baal HaSulam (Owner of the Ladder). Bnei Baruch bases its entire study method on the path paved by these great spiritual leaders. Funding Bnei Baruch is a non-profit organization for teaching and sharing the wisdom of Kabbalah. To maintain its independence and purity of intentions, Bnei Baruch is not supported, funded, or is otherwise tied to any government or political entity.

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Since the bulk of its activity is provided free of charge, the prime source of funding for the group's activities is tithing, contributed by students on a voluntary basis. Additional sources of income are Dr. Laitman's Kabbalah books that are sold at cost, and donations. Dr. Laitman received his PhD in philosophy and Kabbalah from the Moscow Institute of Philosophy at the Russian Academy of Sciences, and his MSc in Medical Cybernetics from the St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University. In addition to his scientific engagements, Dr. Laitman has been extensively engaged in Kabbalah for the past thirty years. He has published over thirty books, translated into more than twelve languages as well as hundreds of articles on Kabbalah, and over 10,000 hours of video/audio Kabbalah lectures. Laitman's extensive contributions to the field of Kabbalah led to his receiving the title of Professor in Ontology and the Theory of Knowledge, granted by the Highest Interdisciplinary Academic Attestation Commission of the Russian Federation. Additionally, Dr. Laitman collaborated with prominent scientists conducting unique research on modern science and Kabbalah. In 2005 he co-authored a book on this topic with Prof. Vadim Rozin of the Lomonosov Moscow State University, the State University of Human Sciences in the Russian Academy of Sciences. Kabbalah Lessons As Kabbalists have been doing for centuries, and as the centerpiece of Bnei Baruch's activities, Dr. Laitman gives a daily lesson at the Bnei Baruch center in Israel between 3:15-6:00AM Israel time. On Kabbalah TV, the lessons are simultaneously translated into seven languages: English, Russian, Spanish, German, Italian, French and Turkish. In the near future, broadcasts will be translated into more languages (see all languages currently available and in development at Kabbalah International). As is true for all activities of Bnei Baruch, the live broadcast is provided free for thousands of students worldwide.

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Why Spirituality? Source (http://www.kabbalah.info)

Kabbalists discovered that our desires for pleasure evolve by five stages:

The first, and most basic desire, is the desire for food, health, sex, and family. These are necessary desires for our survival.

The second stage is the aspiration for wealth. Here we think that money guarantees survival and a good quality of life.

The third is the craving for honor and power. Here we enjoy controlling others, as well as ourselves.

In the fourth stage appears the desire for knowledge. Here we think that having knowledge will make us happy.

But only when the fifth, and last stage of desire appears, we become attracted to an unknown "something" that is beyond us. Here we feel that connecting to this unknown "something" can bring us greater and lasting enjoyment, and we search for ways to make this connection. This desire for something higher is called "the desire for spirituality."

Why Now? Source (http://www.kabbalah.info) The Zohar stated that it is specifically in our era that the wisdom of Kabbalah would be revealed. This is because people's desires would evolve and start demanding spiritual fulfillment-proof, understanding and sensation of a peaceful life beyond our current one-and only the wisdom of Kabbalah would be capable of providing this fulfillment.

What Is Kabbalah? Source (http://www.kabbalah.info)

Although its origins are rooted in deep antiquity, from the time of ancient Babylon, the science of Kabbalah has remained virtually hidden from humanity since it appeared more than four thousand years ago.

This very concealment has sustained Kabbalah‘s undying allure. Renowned scientists and philosophers of many countries, such as Newton, Leibniz, and Pico della Mirandola, have investigated and tried to understand the science of Kabbalah. However, to this very day only a few know what Kabbalah really is.

The science of Kabbalah does not speak about our world, and therefore its essence escapes people. It is impossible to comprehend the invisible, the imperceptible, and that which has not been experienced. For thousands of years, humanity was offered a wide variety of things under the name ―Kabbalah‖: spells, curses, and even miracles, all except for the science of Kabbalah itself. For over four thousand years, common understanding of the science of Kabbalah has been cluttered with misconceptions and misinterpretations. Therefore, first and foremost, the science of Kabbalah needs to be made clear. Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag defines Kabbalah in the following manner in his article The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah:

This wisdom is no more and no less than a sequence of roots, which hang down by way of cause and effect, in fixed, determined rules, weaving into a single, exalted goal described as “the revelation of His Godliness to His creatures in this world.”

Scientific definitions may be complicated and cumbersome. Let‘s try to examine what is being said here.

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There exists the upper force or the Creator, and governing forces descend from this upper force into our world. We do not know how many forces there are, but this is actually unimportant. We exist here in our world. We are created by some upper force that we call ―the Creator.‖ We are familiar with various forces in our world, such as gravity, electromagnetism and the power of thought. However, there are forces of a higher order that act while remaining hidden from us.

We call the ultimate, comprehensive force—―the Creator.‖ The Creator is the sum of all of the world‘s forces and the highest level in the line of the governing forces.

This upper force gave birth to the upper worlds. There are five worlds in total. The so called Machsom—a barrier that separates the upper worlds and our world—follows them. From the upper force—the Creator, also known as ―the world of Infinity‖—the forces descend through all the worlds, giving birth to our world and human beings.

The science of Kabbalah does not study our world and humans in it, as traditional sciences do. Kabbalah investigates everything that exists beyond the Machsom.

Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag says that ―this wisdom is no more and no less than a sequence of roots, which hang down by way of cause and effect, in fixed, determined rules...‖ There is nothing other than forces descending from above in accordance with precise laws. Moreover, these laws, as Ashlag writes, are fixed, absolute and omnipresent. Ultimately, they are all directed so that one can reveal the ultimate governing force of nature while being in our world.

Why Kabbalah? Source (http://www.kabbalah.info) One who has a desire for spirituality differs from one seeking earthly and human fulfillments (i.e. the desire stages 1-to-4 outlined above). We already know how to fulfill our earthly and human needs, but when the desire for spirituality awakens, we no longer know how to soothe it. Most people with a desire for spirituality today aren't even aware that they have it. Some of these people with a desire for spirituality might even be despising the very word "spirituality" thinking that it is something unrealistic and unrealizable. Such people feel their lives empty and purposeless, without knowing that it is due to this new, more evolved desire for spirituality awakening in them. They are unaware that this is the reason for their dissatisfaction and discontentment with life. As children, many people ask themselves, "What am I living for?" But as the years go by, we are inundated by desires and temptations that divert us from this question, and the need to find a genuine answer withers away. Nevertheless, at some point, the desire for spirituality awakens, and with it the questions. Those who insist on finding the answers come to Kabbalah, which was specifically designed to provide the way to their answers.

The Truth About Reality Source (Rav Michael Laitman, PhD. A Guide to the Hidden Wisdom of Kabbalah. Chapter Two)

In Hebrew, the word Kabbalah means ―reception.‖ But Kabbalah isn‘t just that—reception. It‘s a discipline of study, a method that teaches you how to receive. Kabbalah helps you know where you truly are in relation to where you think you are. It shows the boundaries of our five senses and opens up the part that they can‘t reveal by helping you develop a ―sixth sense.‖

This sixth sense not only enriches your life with a new dimension, but opens a door to a ―brave new world.‖ There is no death in this world, no sorrow, no pain. And best of all, you don‘t have to give up anything for it: you don‘t have to die to get there; you don‘t have to fast or restrain yourself in any way. In short, Kabbalah doesn‘t take you away from life; it adds a whole new meaning and strength to everything that happens.

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10 Myths About Kabbalah Source (http://www.kabbalah.info)

Myth #1: Kabbalah is a religion. Fact: Kabbalah is a science - the physics of the overall reality. It is a wisdom that reveals the comprehensive reality that is normally hidden from our senses. Myth #2: Kabbalah is connected to red strings and holy water. Fact: There is no connection. Red strings, holy water and other products are a lucrative commercial invention created in the past two decades. Myth #3: Kabbalah is reserved for a minority of persons and only men over 40 years of age are allowed to learn it. Fact: During the exile Kabbalah was only studied by a few select individuals. However, since the time of the Ari (the 16th century), it is available to all. Myth #4: Kabbalah deals with magic. Fact: Kabbalah does not deal with magic or any other sorcery; rather, it deals with a pragmatic investigation of reality. Myth #5: Kabbalah is a sect. Fact: Kabbalah is a wisdom and a science open to every person without any restrictions. Myth #6: Kabbalah is related to “New Age” and is a trend - a passing phenomenon. Fact: Kabbalah is humanity‘s oldest wisdom. Its beginnings were approximately 5,000 years ago. Myth #7: Kabbalah is related to tarot cards, astrology and numerology. Fact: Tarot cards, astrology and numerology, in their mystical practice, have been mistakenly associated with Kabbalah. Myth #8: There are amulets in Kabbalah. Fact: In our world, there are no physical objects that bear any spiritual contents. Amulets can only help a person as a psychological support. Myth #9: Kabbalah involves meditation. Fact: Kabbalah does not involve meditation. Meditation is another element that was connected to the word ―Kabbalah‖ amid its confusion in the last few centuries by non-Kabbalists. Myth #10: One needs to have studied the Torah and Talmud prior to approaching Kabbalah books. Fact: Without Kabbalah, one cannot understand the spiritual meaning of these texts, and is stuck with thinking that they refer to physical events and actions.

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What does Kabbalah Teach and What does Studying Kabbalah Do for Me? Source (http://www.kabbalah.info)

The science of Kabbalah is unique in the way it talks about you and me, about all of us. It doesn‘t deal with anything abstract, only with the way we are created and how we function at higher levels of existence.

One of its sections talks about the descent of the higher forces from the world of Infinity. The world of Infinity is our initial state, and there we exist as a single, unified system of souls, completely interconnected. Then, from the world of Infinity, we study the sequence of worlds, Sefirot and Partzufim as they descend to the world we live in.

Many Kabbalistic books have been written about it, starting with Abraham the Patriarch four thousand years ago, who wrote a book called Sefer Yetzira (The Book of Creation). The next important work is The Book of Zohar, written in the second century CE. The Zohar is followed by the works of the Ari, a renowned 16

th century Kabbalist. And the

twentieth century saw the appearance of the works of Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag.

Ashlag‘s texts are best suited for our generation. They, as well as other Kabbalistic sources, describe the structure of the upper worlds, how they descend and successively bring lower worlds into existence, and how our world came into being, the universe, our globe, and how life evolved. Studying how that system was created and how it descends to our world allows us to master the method of entering this system and governing it.

We, for the most part, study the six volume textbook Talmud Eser Sefirot (The Study of the Ten Sefirot), written by Yehuda Ashlag. It is designed as a study aid with questions, answers, materials for repetition and memorization, explanations, graphics and drawings. This is, if you will, the physics of the upper world, describing the laws and forces governing the universe.

This material gradually transforms the students, because when searching how to enter and begin to live in the spiritual world, one gradually adapts oneself to the material.

The science of Kabbalah does not deal with life in this world. Instead, by studying this system we re-attain our level before we descended, the same level where we will be at the end of our ascent from this world. During this ascent, the study of Kabbalah builds within the student a system equal to the higher system.

This system begins to organize and manifest itself in the person who wants to achieve it, and who studies it for this purpose. Just like a drop of semen can potentially evolve into an entire human being, and subsequently grows into a mature grown-up, the science of Kabbalah develops our desire to attain a higher level of existence.

At first this is a tiny desire, called ―a point in the heart.‖ This point is like the embryo of our future states. By studying the structure of the upper world, we develop the ―genetic‖ information within it, and as it grows, the structure resembling the higher levels forms within us.

This is why studying is so rewarding. Even if we do not understand a single thing about what we are reading, simply trying to understand the Kabbalistic texts nurtures the point in the heart, the desire for the Higher One, and the point begins to grow. The more it grows, the more we feel the appearance of a new creation, a new and different feeling of a world within ourselves.

In so doing, the science of Kabbalah gives us the opportunity to feel the upper worlds, to understand everything that happens to us, and most of all, to control this process for ourselves.

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Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag (Baal HaSulam)

Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag (1884-1954) is known as Baal HaSulam (Owner of the Ladder) for his Sulam (ladder) commentary on The Book of Zohar. Baal HaSulam dedicated his life to interpretations and innovations in the wisdom of Kabbalah, disseminating it in Israel and throughout the world. He developed a unique method to the study of Kabbalah, by which any person can delve into the depth of reality and

reveal its roots and purpose of existence. Baal HaSulam was born in Warsaw, Poland on Sep 24, 1884. At the age of nineteen he was ordained as a rabbi by the greatest rabbis of Warsaw, and for sixteen years he served as a Dayan (Jewish orthodox judge) and a teacher in Warsaw. Baal HaSulam‘s teacher was Rabbi Yehoshua of Porsov. In 1921, Baal HaSulam immigrated to Israel and settled in the Old City of Jerusalem. The word of his coming quickly spread among Jews who emigrated from Poland, and he soon became known as an authority in Kabbalah. Gradually, a group of students formed around him, attending Kabbalah lessons in the wee hours. Later on Baal HaSulam moved from the Old City and settled in Givat Shaul, which was then a new neighborhood in Jerusalem, where for several years he served as the neighborhood rabbi. Baal HaSulam spent the years 1926-1928 in London. During his time in London he wrote the commentary to the Ari‘s Tree Of Life— Panim Meirot uMasbirot, which he printed in 1927. Throughout his stay in London, Baal HaSulam conducted extensive correspondence with his students in Israel, which were assembled in 1985 in a book titled Igrot Kodesh (Letters of Sanctity). In 1933 Baal HaSulam published the tractates Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah), HaArvut (The Bond), and HaShalom (The Peace). Baal HaSulam‘s two major works, the result of many years of labor, are Talmud Eser Sefirot (The Study of the Ten Sefirot), a commentary on the writings of the Ari, and Perush HaSulam (The Sulam Commentary)onThe Book of Zohar. The publications of the 16 parts (in six volumes) of Talmud Eser Sefirot began in 1937. In 1940 he published Beit Shaar HaKavanot (The Gatehouse of Intentions), with commentaries to selected writings of the Ari. Persuh HaSulam on the Zohar was printed in 18 volumes in the years 1945-1953. Later on Baal HaSulam wrote three additional volumes containing commentaries on The New Zohar, whose printing was completed in 1955, after his demise. In his Introduction to the Book of Zohar, Baal HaSulam writes as follows (item 58): And I have named that commentary The Sulam (ladder), to show that the purpose of it is, as with every ladder, that if you have an attic full of goods, then all you need is a ladder to reach it, and then all the bounty of the world is in your hands. Baal HaSulam wrote a series of introductions that prepare the student for proper study of Kabbalistic texts. Some of these introductions are Preface to the Book of Zohar, Introduction to the Book of Zohar, Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah, Preface to the Sulam Commentary, General Preface to the Tree of Life, and Introduction to Talmud Eser Sefirot.

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In 1940, Baal HaSulam published the first and, as it turned out, the last issue of the journal HaUma (The Nation). The journal was shut down by the British Mandate authorities after having received malicious information that the journal propagated communism. Baal HaSulam encountered enormous difficulties printing his books. We can learn of the importance he ascribed to printing and disseminating Kabbalah from the 2003 Israel Award laureate Prof. Shlomo Giora Shoham‘s description of his meeting with Baal HaSulam in the early 1950‘s. I found him standing in a dilapidated building, almost a shack, which housed an old printing press. He couldn't afford to pay a typesetter and was doing the typesetting himself, letter by letter, standing over the printing press for hours at a time, despite the fact that he was in his late sixties. Ashlag was clearly a tzaddik (righteous man) - a humble man, with a radiant face. But he was an absolutely marginal figure and terribly impoverished. I later heard that he spent so many hours setting type that the lead used in the printing process damaged his health. This excerpt was published on Dec 17, 2004 in Haaretz newspaper, in a story by Micha Odenheimer. Baal HaSulam did not merely put his ideas on paper; he acted vigorously to promote them. He met with many leaders of the Jewish settlement in Israel of the time, leaders of the Labor movement and many public figures. Among these figures are David Ben-Gurion, Zalman Shazar, Moshe Sadeh, Chaim Arlozorov, Moshe Aram, Me‘ir Yaari, Yaakov Hazan, Dov Sadan and the great poet Haim Nahman Bialik. According to Ben-Gurion, he met with Yehuda Ashlag several times, and was apparently surprised: I wanted to talk to him about Kabbalah, and he wanted to talk about Socialism (Ben-Gurion Archive, Diaries, Aug 11, 1958). In his essay Three Meetings and In Between (Amot, Tel-Aviv, 1963, p.49), Dov Sadan writes: Rabbi Yehuda Leib Ashlag, among the greatest Kabbalists of the time, aimed at turning the fundamentals of Kabbalah into a historic engine of our generation. Through his socialistic perception, which is based on the above, he sought contact with the Kibbutz Movement. It might be surprising to think that Baal HaSulam sought connection with the Hebrew Labor Movement and its leaders, considering the mental and educational chasm between them. However, deep study of his writings reveals a fascinating and intriguing figure of an erudite who was very much involved in the events of his time, both in Israel and the world over, a figure whose ideas are considered revolutionary and daring even to this day.

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Writings of Baal HaSulam: There is None Else Beside Him

(Ein Od Milvado) The Book of Shamati, Article # 1 I heard on Parashat Yitro, 1, February 6, 1944 It is written, “there is none else besides Him.” This means that there is no other

force in the world that has the ability to do anything against Him. And what man

sees, that there are things in the world that deny the Higher Household, the

reason is that this is His will.

And it is deemed a correction, called “the left rejects and the right adducts,”

meaning that which the left rejects is considered correction. This means that

there are things in the world, which, to begin with, aim to divert a person from

the right way, and by which he is rejected from Sanctity.

And the benefit from the rejections is that through them a person receives a need

and a complete desire for the Creator to help him, since he sees that otherwise

he is lost. Not only does he not progress in his work, but he sees that he

regresses, that is, he lacks the strength to observe Torah and Mitzvot even in Lo

Lishma (not for Her Name). That only by genuinely overcoming all the obstacles,

above reason, can he observe the Torah and Mitzvot. But he does not always

have the strength to overcome above reason; otherwise, he is forced to deviate,

God forbid, from the way of the Creator, even from Lo Lishma.

And he, who always feels that the shattered is greater than the whole, meaning

that there are many more descents than ascents, and he does not see an end to

these states, and he will forever remain outside of holiness, for he sees that it is

difficult for him to observe even as little as a jot, unless by overcoming above

reason. But he is not always able to overcome. And what shall be the end?

Then he comes to the decision that no one can help him but the Creator Himself.

This causes him to make a heartfelt demand that the Creator will open his eyes

and heart, and truly bring him nearer to eternal adhesion with God. It thus

follows, that all the rejections he had experienced had come from the Creator.

This means that it was not because he was at fault, that he did not have the

ability to overcome. Rather, for those people who truly want to draw near the

Creator, and so they will not settle for little, meaning remain as senseless

children, he is therefore given help from Above, so he will not be able to say that

thank God, I have Torah and Mitzvot and good deeds, and what else do I need?

And only if that person has a true desire will he receive help from Above. And he

is constantly shown how he is at fault in his present state. Namely, he is sent

thoughts and views, which are against the work. This is in order for him to see

that he is not one with the Lord. And as much as he overcomes, he always sees

how he is farther from holiness than others, who feel that they are one with the

Creator.

But he, on the other hand, always has complaints and demands, and he cannot

justify the Creator‟s behavior, and how He behaves toward him. This pains him.

Why is he not one with the Creator? Finally, he comes to feel that he has no part

in holiness whatsoever.

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Although he occasionally receives awakening from Above, which momentarily

revives him, but soon after he falls into the place of baseness. However, this is

what causes him to come to realize that only God can help and really bring him

closer.

A man must always try and cleave to the Creator; namely, that all his thoughts

will be about Him. That is to say, that even if he is in the worst state, from which

there cannot be a greater decline, he should not leave His domain, namely, that

there is another authority which prevents him from entering holiness, and which

can bring benefit or harm.

That is, he must not think that there is the force of the Sitra Achra (Other Side),

which does not allow a person to do good deeds and follow God‟s ways. Rather,

all is done by the Creator.

The Baal Shem Tov said that he who says that there is another force in the world,

namely Klipot (shells), that person is in a state of “serving other gods.” It is not

necessarily the thought of heresy that is the transgression, but if he thinks that

there is another authority and force apart from the Creator, by that he is

committing a sin.

Furthermore, he who says that man has his own authority, that is, he says that

yesterday he himself did not want to follow God‟s ways, that too is considered

committing the sin of heresy. Meaning that he does not believe that only the

Creator is the leader of the world.

But when he has committed a sin, he must certainly regret it and be sorry for

having committed it. But here too we should place the pain and sorrow in the

right order: where does he place the cause of the sin, for that is the point that

should be regretted.

Then, one should be remorseful and say: “I committed that sin because the

Creator hurled me down from holiness to a place of filth, to the lavatory, the

place of filth.” That is to say that the Creator gave him a desire and craving to

amuse himself and breath air in a place of stench.

(And you might say that it is written in books, that sometimes one comes

incarnated as a pig. We should interpret that, as he says, one receives a desire

and craving to take liveliness from things he had already determined were litter,

but now he wants to receive nourishment from them).

Also, when one feels that now he is in a state of ascent, and feels some good

flavor in the work, he must not say: “Now I am in a state that I understand that it

is worthwhile to worship the Creator.” Rather he should know that now he was

favored by the Creator, hence the Creator brought him closer, and for this reason

he now feels good flavor in the work. And he should be careful never to leave the

domain of Sanctity, and say that there is another who operates besides the

Creator.

(But this means that the matter of being favored by the Creator, or the opposite,

does not depend on the person himself, but only on the Creator. And man, with

his external mind, cannot comprehend why now the Lord has favored him and

afterwards did not.)

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Likewise, when he regrets that the Creator does not draw him near, he should

also be careful that it would not be concerning himself, meaning that he is remote

from the Creator. This is because thus he becomes a receiver for his own benefit,

and one who receives is separated. Rather, he should regret the exile of the

Shechina (Divinity), meaning that he is causing the sorrow of Divinity.

One should imagine that it is as though a small organ of the person is sore. The

pain is nonetheless felt primarily in the mind and in the heart. The heart and the

mind, which are the whole of man. And certainly, the sensation of a single organ

cannot resemble the sensation of a person‟s full stature, where most of the pain

is felt.

Likewise is the pain that a person feels when he is remote from the Creator. Since

man is but a single organ of the Holy Shechina, for the Holy Shechina is the

common soul of Israel, hence, the sensation of a single organ does not resemble

the sensation of the pain in general. That is to say that there is sorrow in the

Shechina when the organs are detached from her, and she cannot nurture her

organs.

(And we should say that this is what our sages said: “When a man regrets, what

does Shechina say? „It is lighter than my head.‟”). By not relating the sorrow of

remoteness to oneself, one is spared falling into the trap of the desire to receive

for oneself, which is considered separation from holiness.

The same applies when one feels some closeness to holiness, when he feels joy at

having been favored by the Creator. Then, too, one must say that one‟s joy is

primarily because now there is joy Above, within the Holy Shechina, at being able

to bring her private organ near her, and that she did not have to send her private

organ away.

And one derives joy from being rewarded with pleasing the Shechina. This is in

accord with the above calculation that when there is joy for the part, it is only a

part of the joy of the whole. Through these calculations he loses his individuality

and avoids being trapped by the Sitra Achra, which is the will to receive for his

own benefit.

Although, the will to receive is necessary, since this is the whole of man, since

anything that exists in a person apart from the will to receive does not belong to

the creature, but is attributed to the Creator, but the will to receive pleasure

should be corrected to being in order to bestow.

That is to say, the pleasure and joy, which the will to receive takes, should be

with the intention that there is contentment Above when the creatures feel

pleasure, for this was the purpose of creation – to benefit His creations. And this

is called the joy of the Shechina Above.

For this reason, one must seek advice as to how he can bring contentment Above.

And certainly, if he receives pleasure, contentment shall be felt Above. Therefore,

he yearns to always be in the King‟s palace, and to have the ability to play with

the King‟s treasures. And that will certainly cause contentment Above. It follows

that his entire longing should be only for the sake of the Creator.

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Baruch Shalom HaLevi Ashlag (The Rabash) The Golden Lineage

In many ways, the Rabash was the last of a ―golden lineage,‖ the final link in the chain of the greatest Kabbalists. This line started with Abraham the Patriarch and ended with Rabash‘s father, Yehuda Ashlag, followed by Rabash himself. His role in this line is perhaps the most significant for us, as he connects us to all those great Kabbalists. With his works, he adapted the method of Kabbalah to our generation.

Although he was at the apex of the spiritual ladder, the Rabash was very well connected to ordinary folk who simply wanted to know if there was something higher than this world could offer. Because of his high spiritual degree, the Rabash understood why those of us living at the close of the 20th century needed to discover life‘s secret. He was able to adapt the wisdom of Kabbalah in a comfortable, straightforward, appropriate language for our generation. In doing so, he introduced us to a wondrous, eternal world, and paved the surest way for us to get there. Leaving Home When Baruch Ashlag was 13 years old, his father decided it was time to leave Poland and move to Israel. Baal HaSulam hoped to find more Kabbalists in Israel who would join him in disseminating Kabbalah. Therefore, in 1921, the Ashlag family left Warsaw and settled in Jerusalem. In Israel (Palestine at the time), the Rabash was ordained as a rabbi by Rabbi Avraham Isaac HaCohen Kook, the Chief Rabbi of Israel, and Rabbi Chaim Sonnenfeld, the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem and the spiritual and political leader of Israel‘s orthodox community. Rabash was only seventeen years old when he was ordained. His Father‟s Student Rabash felt the desire to discover life‘s secret early in his life and pursued it determinedly. His only wish was to become a student of his father—the greatest Kabbalist of the generation. He wanted to continue in his father‘s footsteps and delve in the study of Kabbalah. He knew that nothing but Kabbalah would satisfy the desire that burned in his heart. Indeed, once Rabash proved his intentions were sincere, Baal HaSulam accepted him in his group of students. To attend his father‘s lessons, Rabash had to march several kilometers nightly, from the old city of Jerusalem to his father‘s home in the neighborhood of Givat Shaul. On his way, he had to sneak past road agents and through barriers of the British military forces, which were part of the British Mandate (1922-1948) to govern the land of Israel.

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Despite the harsh conditions in Jerusalem of the early 1930s, Baruch Ashlag had a strong desire to cling to his father‘s way, and never missed a lesson or an event that his father attended. He stayed glued to his father‘s side, accompanying him on all his trips, doing his errands and serving him in every possible way. In time, Baruch became Baal HaSulam‘s closest student and began to study separately with him. His father taught him The Study of the Ten Sefirot and The Book of Zohar. Rabbi Ashlag also answered his son‘s questions and prepared him for the role that Rabash was about to undertake—disseminating the wisdom of Kabbalah to the masses in the clearest and most suitable language for our time. I Heard Rabash, the dedicated student, wrote down everything he‘d heard from his father in a notebook he titled, Shamati (I Heard). He gathered thousands of notes documenting Baal HaSulam‘s explanations of a person‘s spiritual work. At his deathbed, the Rabash bequeathed the notebook to his personal assistant and student, Rav Michael Laitman, who later published it as a book, carrying the same title. The Rabash was his father‘s student and personal assistant for more than thirty years. During that entire period, he absorbed his father‘s teachings and his spirit of love for the nation and the world at large. He imbibed the recognition that we will be awarded complete redemption only by spreading the wisdom of Kabbalah throughout the nation and the world over. Years later, Rabash‘s students asserted that this spirit had been his ―hallmark‖ through his entire life, the essential message he had bequeathed to his students. Connected to the World, Yet Isolated from It Like his father before him, the Rabash did not want to be celebrated or extolled as a Kabbalist. He refused to accept official duties that were offered to him. Instead of being revered and a leader of many, Rabash dedicated his entire time and efforts to internal work and to preparing Kabbalah students. They would disseminate the wisdom of Kabbalah and continue on Baal HaSulam‘s path with sincerity. Internally, the Rabash was connected to the entire world. Externally, however, he was a secluded man. His widow, Feiga Ashlag, testifies that ―Even our neighbors didn‘t know that he was teaching the wisdom of the hidden.‖ But despite his modesty, those who really searched found their way to the Rabash. His student and assistant, Rav Michael Laitman, says that among those who approached him were renowned rabbis who would discreetly come to Rabash‘s house to study the wisdom of the hidden. In his work with new students, Rabash developed his unique contemporary method. He wrote weekly articles in which he described in simple words each phase of a person‘s internal work along the path to spirituality. Thus, he entrusted us with a true treasure, a complete, tested method that can bring every person to perceive the spiritual world.

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These weekly articles were collected and compiled into a series of books called Shlavey HaSulam (Rungs of the Ladder). The Rabash left behind him many study groups in Israel and elsewhere in the world. These groups continue to study his books and those of Baal HaSulam. The Rabash succeeded where others did not by presenting us with the best way to discover the deepest aspect of reality: the Higher World. Baruch Shalom HaLevi Ashlag was unique. He was a hidden Kabbalist whose vocation was to educate a new generation of Kabbalists by nurturing a new spiritual method that was appropriate for contemporary students. He was convinced that if he could adapt the method of Kabbalah to our time, it would be his greatest contribution to humanity. Ashlag wanted to promote a brighter future for everyone in the world, and he succeeded. All we need to do is to use this failsafe method he developed. When we do, we will be rewarded with the revelation of the complete, true, and eternal reality, discovered by every Kabbalist throughout the generations.

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Writings of The Rabash: What “You Have Given the Strong to the Hands of the Weak” Means in the Work

Article No. 13, 1990-91

Here is the order of the work: When a person wishes to do everything for the Creator, that his actions will be in order to bestow and not to receive reward, it is against nature because man was created with a desire to receive for his own benefit. This is why we were given the work of exiting self-love and working only in order to bestow for the sake of the Creator.

To be able to perform this work of exiting the domination of self-love, we were given the commandment, ―love thy friend as thyself,‖ which, as Rabbi Akiva says, ―Is a great rule in the Torah.‖ As it explains in the book, The Giving of the Torah, through it we will exit the domination of the will to receive for ourselves and will be able to work for the sake of the Creator.

And concerning ―love thy friend as thyself,‖ we should make two interpretations:

1. Literally, between a man and his friend. 2. Between man and the Creator, as our sages said, (Midrash Rabbah, Yitro, 27:1), ―Do not leave your friend and the friend of your father.‖ ―Your friend‖ is the Creator, as it is written, ―For the sake of my brothers and my friends,‖ which is interpreted as the Creator, who called them ―brothers‖ and ―friends.‖ It follows that ―love thy friend as thyself‖ refers to achieving love for the Creator as for yourself.

Thus, there are two discernments in ―love thy friend as thyself‖:

1) We should say, as a cure. In other words, the reason why one must love his friend is only because through it, he will be able to come to love the Creator, too, as presented in the book, The Giving of the Torah. Hence, as with love of friends, when a person wishes to cling to friends, he chooses with whom to bond. In other words, when a person himself chooses friends, he searches for those who will have good qualities.

Likewise, when one wishes to love the Creator, he should try to see the greatness and importance of the Creator. This evokes the love of the Creator in a person. If he cannot see the greatness and importance of the Creator because the evil in man indicates to slandering the Creator, one must pray for the Creator‘s help, that He will help him have the strength to overcome and say above reason, ―I want to believe in the greatness and importance of the Creator so that I will be able to love Him,‖ as it is written, ―And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.‖ In other words, love of friends is a means by which to attain the goal, which is the love of the Creator.

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By that, we can interpret what our sages said, ―It is good to have Torah with the right conduct, since toil in both makes iniquity forgotten.‖ This means that toiling in the right conduct, which is the work between a man and his friend, is a cure by which one can come to love the Creator, who is called ―Torah.‖ The essence of the teaching is that through the Torah, one bonds with the giver of the Torah. Our sages said about that, ―The Creator said, ‗I have created the evil inclination; I have created the spice of Torah.‘‖ In other words, through the Torah, which is the spice, one is rewarded with adhesion with the Creator, which is regarded as ―reforming him.‖

This is the meaning of, ―Toil in both makes iniquity forgotten.‖ In other words, through labor between a man and his friend and between man and the Creator, meaning by exerting in the Torah, it makes the iniquity forgotten. Therefore, the iniquity of the tree of knowledge, from which the iniquities extend, is corrected by both.

The writing says (Psalms 33, Rejoice ... You Righteous), ―Behold, the eye of the Lord is toward them that fear Him, toward them that await His mercy; to deliver their souls from death, and to keep them alive in famine.‖ We must understand what is meant by, ―The eye of the Lord is [specifically] toward them that fear Him.‖ After all, the eyes of the Creator roam everywhere. We must believe that the Creator watches over the whole world in private Providence, in benevolence, and not necessarily those who fear Him.

We should interpret that we speak of the Creator only from the perspective of ―By your actions, we know You.‖ This means that it is specifically those who fear Him who feel that the eye of the Creator is watching over the whole world. In other words, only those who fear the Creator attain that the Creator watches over the world in private Providence, in benevolence. But as for the rest of the world, for them there is concealment of the face, since they cannot attain His Providence, which is benevolent.

It is written in the ―Introduction to The Book of Zohar‖ (p 138), ―As long as the receivers have not come to completeness, being able to receive His complete benevolence, which He had planned for us in the thought of creation, the guidance must be by way of good and bad.‖

In other words, as long as our vessels of reception are littered by self-reception, it is impossible to see Providence as benevolent. Rather, those who can see the eye of the Creator, that His guidance is benevolent, are only those who ―Await His mercy.‖ This is because ―His mercy‖ means that they yearn to receive the quality of Hesed [mercy/grace] from the Creator—the quality of bestowal—which is called ―equivalence of form,‖ known as “Dvekut [adhesion] with the Creator.‖

Therefore, when they are rewarded with the quality of bestowal, their vessels of reception are no longer littered. At that time, they are rewarded with ―The eye of the Lord,‖ to feel that His Providence is one of benevolence. But those who do not wish to obtain the quality of Hesed, meaning vessels of bestowal, are under the influence of good and bad.

But to whom does the Creator give the Hesed, called ―vessels of bestowal,‖ which is the second nature? Not to everyone. There are many people who await His mercy—for the Creator to give them the quality of Hesed. However, the Creator does not give the Hesed, called ―vessels of bestowal,‖ to those people who think that the matter of Hesed is only an addition, meaning those who consider themselves whole and need the Creator to give them the quality of Hesed as a fair supplement.

This is so because only those with Kelim [vessels] for the filling are given from above. In other words, if there is no real deficiency, it is impossible to fill it. So precisely when is it possible to satiate a need? When a person does not ask for luxuries but for necessity. Then a person receives because luxuries are not considered a deficiency.

When it is written, ―The eye of the Lord is toward them that fear Him, toward them that await His mercy,‖ who are these above-mentioned people who await His mercy? That is, for what purpose are they yearning for the Creator to give them the quality of Hesed? It is specifically such people who feel that they need the quality of Hesed, ―To deliver their souls from death.‖

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In other words, it is precisely in those people who wish to achieve Dvekut with the Creator, to adhere to the Life of Lives. Otherwise, if they have no Dvekut, they feel that they are tantamount to the dead, as our sages said, ―The wicked, in their lives, are called ‗dead.‘‖ For this reason, they ask of the Creator to deliver them from death because disparity of form separates them from the Life of Lives.

Dvekut with the Creator is considered life, as it is written, ―But you that did cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day.‖ It follows that the reason they are asking for the quality of Hesed is because they do not wish to be as ―The wicked, in their lives, are called ‗dead,‘‖ and it is to them that the Creator gives the quality of Hesed, meaning vessels of bestowal.

When it is written, ―To deliver their souls from death,‖ meaning his request of the Creator to give him the quality of Hesed is in order to ―Deliver their souls from death,‖ this is called ―a deficiency,‖ which is a Kli [vessel] that can receive the filling. But those people who need the help of the Creator as a luxury have no real Kelim [plural of Kli], no real need for the Creator to give them the Kelim, ―To deliver their souls from death,‖ but as a luxury.

Hence, they remain with the vessels of reception, caring only for their own benefit. They do not feel that they have soiled Kelim, that it is impossible to insert Kedusha [holiness] into these Kelim, since Kedusha and self-benefit are two opposites.

It therefore follows that only those who understand that if they cannot perform acts of bestowal they will become separate from the Life of Lives will ask the Creator to give them the power to bestow. This is a second nature, as Baal HaSulam said that as the Creator gave the first nature, the desire to receive, it is impossible to change the first nature into a second one. Rather, only the Creator can do it.

As in the exodus from Egypt, the Creator Himself delivered them from the dominion of Pharaoh, King of Egypt, as our sages said in the Passover Hagadah [Passover narrative], ―The Lord brought us forth from Egypt, not by an angel, not by a seraph, and not by a messenger, but the Creator Himself.‖

However, when does one receive the help that the Creator will deliver him from the rule of Egypt, which is the will to receive for himself? It is precisely when a person has a real need and not a redundancy. Hence, if one wishes to achieve Dvekut with the Creator, one receives help for the need. In other words, he should feel that he is lacking, meaning not lacking completeness, but lacking life, since the evil in him is so extensive. Hence, he is informed from above that he is a sinner, as it is written in The Zohar about what is said, ―If his sin, which he has committed, is made known to him.‖ It asks, ―Who made it known to him‖? And it replies, ―The Creator made it known to him that he is a sinner.‖

This means that the Creator shows him the truth of how remote he is from the Creator and that he is in real need of a life of Kedusha. Thus, then one asks of the Creator to help him and give him the desire to bestow because he is deficient of life. And then, since he already has a real need, the Creator gives him the desire to bestow, which is the second nature.

According to the above, we should interpret what is written (in ―And of the Miracles‖), ―And You, in Your great mercy, have placed the strong in the hands of the weak, the many in the hands of the few, and the impure in the hands of the pure.‖ This comes to tell us that before a person comes to a state where he sees how weak he is, how the evil in him is in such profusion that he cannot overcome, and how impure he is, it is impossible to receive the filling from above. This is because he still doesn‘t have a complete Kli that can receive the filling, which relates to the deficiency of the Kli.

This is why it is written, ―For you were the fewest of all peoples.‖ In other words, ―The Lord did not set His love upon you, nor choose you because you were more in number than any people, for you were the fewest of all peoples.‖ Thus, when a person sees that he is worse than the whole world, specifically in the state of lowliness does the Creator choose you and

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deliver you from the domination of Egypt, as it is written, ―I am the Lord your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, ...to be your God.‖

It is written (in the psalm, Hanukah Song), ―I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up, and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.‖ We must understand who are David‘s enemies, of which David said, ―And have not let my enemies rejoice over me.‖ We should interpret that it is known that David is considered Malchut, meaning the kingdom of heaven. That is, that the creatures should take upon themselves the burden of the kingdom of heaven with the aim to not receive reward, but because ―He is great and ruling,‖ and not for self-gratification.

But the whole world resists that and hates doing everything for the Creator and not for self-gratification. Therefore, Kedusha is entirely to bestow, meaning to benefit the Creator, as it is written, ―You shall be holy for I the Lord am holy.‖ Thus, as the Creator only bestows upon the creatures, the creatures should bestow upon the Creator, for this is called, ―equivalence of form,‖ which is considered Dvekut [adhesion] with the Creator.

It turns out that all those who wish to work only for themselves and not for the Creator are called ―the Creator‘s enemies,‖ meaning the enemies of the kingdom of heaven. By that, they are called ―David‘s enemies,‖ and this is the meaning of David‘s words, ―And have not let my enemies rejoice over me.‖

Generally speaking, there are only two discernments to speak of: 1) the Creator; 2) the creatures. In other words, the Creator created the creatures to impart them with delight and pleasure, as it is written, ―His desire to do good to His creations.‖ Prior to the sin, Adam ha Rishon had wholeness of his Neshama, for at that time, he had NRN from BYA and NRN from Atzilut. Only after the sin was there departure of his NRN and he remained with only Nefesh.

Then he had to repent, to raise his Kelim, which fell to the Klipot, and reunite them with the Kedusha, meaning to adhere unto Him once more in order to bestow, and this is called ―repentance‖ [in Hebrew—―to return‖], as it is written in The Zohar, ―The Hey shall return to the Vav.‖

Hey means Malchut, which receives in order to receive and all the souls extend from her. This is why Malchut is called ―the assembly of Israel,‖ which contains all the souls. A correction was placed over this Malchut, to correct her into being in order to bestow, and this work was given to the creatures, where by engaging in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments] in order to bestow, they cause each one to be in order to bestow at the root of his soul in Malchut of Atzilut. In so doing, they cause unification above, which is called ―the unification of the Creator and His Divinity,‖ meaning Malchut, who is called ―Divinity,‖ with ZA, who is called ― Vav of HaVaYaH.‖ This is the meaning of ―repentance‖ when The Zohar says, ―The Hey shall return to the Vav.‖

In general, we should make three distinctions: ―one,‖ ―unique,‖ and ―unified.‖ It is written in The Study of the Ten Sefirot (Part 1, Item 1), ―One indicates that He is in uniform equivalence. Unique indicates what extends from Him, that in Him, all those multiplicities are uniform, like His essence. And Unified indicates that although He affects the many actions, a single force operates all of them and they all return and unite in the form of unique.‖

The meaning of One is that He is in uniform equivalence, meaning that He created creation with a single desire—to do good to His creations. Unique means that although we see that there are many actions, meaning good and bad, that is, He appears as doing good and bad, He is called ―Unique‖ because His various actions all have a single result—doing good. It follows that He is unique in every single action and does not change through all His various actions. Over each act, there rides a single form—doing good.

One must believe that. In other words, even though a person feels that this action comes from the Creator and it is not a favorable action, one should still believe that this action will enable him to attain the good. This is man’s work, to believe that this is so, even though he doesn’t understand it, and to give thanks to the Creator for it.

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Our sages said, ―One should bless for the bad as one blesses for the good.‖ In other words, a person must believe that it is for his own good, or the Creator would not let him feel those states, since His desire is to do good to the creatures, for that was the thought of creation.

―Unified‖ means that a person has already been rewarded with seeing how all the many singular ones have adopted the shape of the Unique, meaning he was rewarded with seeing how for each bad, he already received the good that belongs to it. One is rewarded with being unified only after he has corrected his Kelim to be in order to bestow. At that time, a person is rewarded with the purpose of creation, which is entirely good.

This is the meaning of what is written in the psalm, The Opening of the House for David. The ―opening of the house‖ refers to the Temple, that in the work, a man’s heart should be a Temple for the Creator, as it is written, ―And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.‖ One should be rewarded with the presence of Divinity, as our sages said, ―The Merciful one needs the heart,‖ meaning that all the Creator needs is man‘s heart, so as to give him what He wishes to give him.

And when a person is rewarded with being Unified, he sees that he has been rewarded with the construction of the Temple. David said about that, ―I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up, and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.‖ This means that all the enemies—which are desires for self-reception—who were obstructing the Kedusha, the Creator has saved him from all the enemies and he was rewarded with admittance into Kedusha. This is the meaning of the words, ―O Lord, You have brought up my soul from the nether-world; You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit.‖

We say (in ―Help of Our Fathers‖), ―You are the first; You are the last; and besides You, we have no King who redeems and delivers.‖ We also say, ―You are before the world was created; You are after the world was created; You are in this world; and You are for the next world.‖ We understand it literally as relating to the greatness of the Creator. However, what does that come to tell us in the work?

It is known that the order of the work is that one must correct his vessels of reception so as to have the strength to do everything in order to bestow. And one should exert and do all that he can. At that time, he comes to a resolution that without the help of the Creator, there is no way that he will exit the dominion of the will to receive for himself. This is called ―redemption,‖ when he comes out of the exile in Egypt, that is, the domination of the will to receive.

Everyone understands that redemption is a matter for the Creator, since a person sees that it is utterly impossible to come out of exile by himself. And yet, we should ask, ―How does one know that coming out of the exile of the will to receive depends solely on the Creator and is beyond man‘s capabilities?‖

The answer is that in his view, he has already done what he could do but did not move an inch from his will to receive. On the contrary, he sees that since he started the work, in order to reach the degree that all his actions will be for the Creator, now he sees very differently—that he is regressing!

In other words, he sees that now he is more immersed in self-love than ever. For this reason, when a person is rewarded with redemption, with coming out of this exile, he says that only the Creator can deliver the people of Israel from Egypt, meaning that redemption belongs to the Creator.

However, entering the exile, meaning surrendering to the dominion of the will to receive, this certainly belongs to man. In other words, it is man‘s fault that he cannot overcome the will to receive for himself. Thus, a person goes into exile by himself.

To that, the writings tell us that this is not as we understand it. And although one should say, ―If I am not for me, who is for me?‖ meaning that everything depends on man‘s decision, one should still believe that everything is under Providence, meaning that everything depends on the Creator. It is said about that, ―You are before the world was created.‖ It is known that

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Olam [world] comes form the word He’elem [disappearance] and concealment. And we should know that concerning the exile, there are two discernments to make: 1) When a person doesn‘t feel that there is disappearance and concealment, and 2) when a person feels that he is in a state of disappearance and concealment.

This is the meaning of the words, ―You are before the world was created.‖ In other words, the fact that a person does not feel that he is in a state of concealment is the Creator‘s doing. But this is for man‘s benefit, since before a person can correct the evil in him, there is a correction of not seeing the bad. Thus, the Creator created the situation that precedes man‘s entrance into the disappearance and concealment.

This is the meaning of, ―You are before the world was created,‖ meaning before the concealment was created. Afterwards, a person comes to a state of disappearance and concealment. One comes into that state precisely according to his effort in Torah and Mitzvot to reach a degree where all his actions are in order to bestow.

This is the meaning of the words, ―You are after the world was created.‖ Thus, the fact that one came into disappearance and concealment was from You. This is the meaning of, ―You are after the world was created.‖ And after he is already in exile, then comes redemption, and this is, ―You are the first; You are the last.‖

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The ZOHAR

Source (http://www.kabbalah.info)

1) What Is The Zohar? The Zohar is a collection of commentaries on the Torah, intended to guide people who have already achieved high spiritual degrees to the root (origin) of their souls. The Zohar contains all the spiritual states that people experience as their souls evolve. At the end of the process, the souls achieve what Kabbalah refers to as ―the end of correction,‖ the highest level of spiritual wholeness. To those without spiritual attainment, The Zohar reads like a collection of allegories and legends that can be interpreted and perceived differently by each individual. But to those with spiritual attainment, i.e. Kabbalists, The Zohar is a practical guide to inner actions that one performs in order to discover deeper, higher states of perception and sensation.

2) Who Is The Zohar For? As mentioned in answer no. 1, The Zohar was written for people who have already achieved spiritual perception. It contains the depictions of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (Rashbi), who attained all 125 degrees of the spiritual ladder of degrees. Rashbi expressed the entire spiritual path and titled it Zohar (―radiance‖ in Hebrew). The Zohar is built so that only those who achieve a certain spiritual level can benefit from what they read in it. Prior to studying The Zohar, one needs to study other texts that teach how to properly approach the text in The Zohar.

3) Who Wrote The Zohar, & When? According to all Kabbalists, and as the beginning of the book writes, The Zohar was written by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (Rashbi), who lived in the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE. There are views in scholastic circles stating that The Zohar was written in the 11th century by Kabbalist Rabbi Moshe de Leon. This view was contradicted by Rabbi Moshe de Leon himself, who said that the book was written by Rashbi. In the Kabbalistic approach, the question of why The Zohar was written is far more important than the question of who actually wrote it. The purpose of The Zohar is to be a guide for people to attain the origin of their souls. This path to the origin of one‘s soul consists of 125 stages. Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag writes that a Kabbalist who has passed these stages and shares the same perception as that of the book‘s author, sees that its author could be none other than Rashbi.

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4) Why Was The Zohar Hidden For So Long? The Zohar was kept hidden for 900 years, between the 2nd and the 11th centuries CE, since those who possessed its wisdom understood that at the time, people did not need it and would misunderstand its contents. Only in the 16th century CE did a Kabbalist arise who explained the fundamentals of Kabbalah - The Holy Ari, Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534-1572). The Ari stated that from his time on, the wisdom of Kabbalah was ready to be opened to everyone. Commentaries on the works of the Ari and The Zohar appeared only in the 20th century - the century that saw the fiercest outburst of human desires in history. During this period, a unique soul appeared - that of Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam). Baal HaSulam explained the wisdom of Kabbalah in a way our generation could understand. Moreover, Baal HaSulam was the only Kabbalist in the 20th century who wrote commentaries on The Zohar and on the works of the Ari. This does not mean that there were no great Kabbalists before him, but only that their works are not easily understood by contemporary students. Today‘s popularity and high demand for Kabbalah testify to our generation‘s readiness to absorb its universal message, and to comprehend the authentic texts that speak of the root of our lives and how to attain it. 5) Where Do I Find Out More About The Zohar? The Zohar cannot be understood and felt directly, but requires preconception of spirituality, before one approaches the book. The greatest Kabbalist of our time-Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam)-wrote introductions to The Zohar precisely to guide one‘s approach to this profound book prior to studying it. Such articles cultivate one‘s spiritual qualities to perceive the Higher reality. Additionally, these texts provide knowledge of how to approach certain terms, phrases, and concepts in The Zohar, to maximize its use as a guide for spiritual attainment, avoiding being lost in materialized depictions that the human mind is prone to form. The Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute provides not only these introductions, but free lessons on them, as well as shorter articles describing concepts from The Zohar, and how to prepare for the encounter with these concepts. Discovering The Zohar means discovering your inner world and your unlimited potential. Bnei Baruch wishes you success in your spiritual advancement!

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Michael Laitman

Dr. Laitman received his PhD In philosophy and Kabbalah from the Moscow Institute of Philosophy at the RussianAcademy of Sciences, and his MSc in Medical Cybernetics from the St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University, in the faculty of Biological Medical Cybernetics. In addition to being a scientist and a researcher, Dr. Laitman has been extensively engaged in Kabbalah for the past thirty years. He has published thirty books on Kabbalah and numerous publications on

Kabbalah and Science. Dr. Laitman was the disciple and personal assistant to Rabbi Baruch Ashlag, son of Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag, author of the authoritative Sulam (Ladder) Commentary on The ZOHAR. Dr. Laitman follows in the footsteps of his mentor‘s mission in life—promoting the dissemination of the wisdom of Kabbalah throughout the world. Laitman's scientific method provides individuals of all faiths, religions and cultures the precise tools necessary for embarking on an inspiring path of self-discovery and spiritual elevation focusing primarily on inner processes that individuals experience at their own pace. In 1991, after his mentor‘s demise, he founded the Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute. Bnei Baruch is a non-profit organization that welcomes people of all ages and lifestyles to engage in the rewarding process of studying Kabbalah. The organization charges no fee for any of its diverse activities. Bnei Baruch produces daily live TV broadcasts of Kabbalah lessons and programs for various channels throughout the world. Bnei Baruch also broadcasts live daily video and audio Kabbalah lessons over the Internet with simultaneous translations from Hebrew to English, Russian, and Spanish. The organization established and sustains the largest, most extensive content site on Kabbalah, hosting more than half a million unique visitors, with more than 2.5 million page views a month, as well as a Newsletter in five languages with 28,000 subscribers. Available on the site are authentic Kabbalah texts in twenty-two languages, and a comprehensive web-based media and text archive, all of which is provided gratis. Dr. Laitman‘s extensive educational and scientific activities led to a title of Professor in Ontology and the Theory of Knowledge, granted by The Highest Interdisciplinary Academic Attestation Commission of the Russian Federation. Additionally, Dr. Laitman collaborated with prominent scientists conducting unique research on modern science and Kabbalah and in 2005 wrote a joint book on this topic with Prof Vadim Rozin of the LomonosovMoscowStateUniversity, The State University of Human Sciences in the RussianAcademy of Sciences. Other projects are in various production stages with leading scientists such as Dr. Jeffrey Satinover—a psychiatrist and Theoretical Physicist at Princeton and NiceUniversities.

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Today, Dr. Laitman‘s thirty years of research into the science of Kabbalah is recognized among renowned scientists and researchers in hard science that adhere to the classical scientific paradigms. In the framework of his scientific and educational program, Laitman participates in international conferences alongside scientists from the world over. He is the founder and the president of the Ashlag Research Institute (ARI), established to research interconnections between the sciences of our world and the science of Kabbalah. In March 2005, Dr. Laitman held a successful public meeting in San FranciscoCalifornia with leading American scientists, contributors to the hit docudrama What the Bleep Do we know?. Below are some of the scientists‘ impressions: Fred Alan Wolf, PhD. author of eleven books, among them The Yoga of Time Travel & Matter into Feeling: a new Alchemy of Science and Spirit and Mind into Matter: "You are really a master. I would love to sit at your feet and study for a long time." Jeffery Satinover, M.D, M.S. – Author of seven books on Quantum Physics and Psychiatry including The Quantum Brain and Cracking the Bible Code, Department of Physics, University of Nice, France: "The emergence of Kabbalah from its concealment in a genuine form is historically significant and is truly remarkable. I have had the great privilege and honor of getting to know Rav Michael Laitman personally, and I am pleased to endorse this, his latest book on Kabbalah. Dr. Laitman brings to this ancient discipline a warm heart, deep learning and experience as well as a thorough grasp of modern principles of empiricism. Great minds throughout the ages have found in genuine Kabbalah (by contrast to its many superficial variants, I hasten to caution) a fount of non-sectarian, humane, spiritual guidance. Some more endorsements from leading figures in the world of Kabbalah appear on one of Dr. Laitman‘s latest publications Awakening to Kabbalah (Jewish Lights Publications, 2005): Prof. Daniel Matt, one of the world‘s leading researchers in Kabbalah. Prof. Matt served as Professor of Jewish Spirituality at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California from 1979-2000. Additionally, he taught at StanfordUniversity and the HebrewUniversity in Jerusalem. He has published six books, including: Zohar: The Book of Enlightenment; The Essential Kabbalah; and God and the Big Bang. He is currently working on the first annotated English translation of Sefer ha-Zohar (Stanford Publishing): ―Rav Michael Laitman is a unique and fascinating figure: a talented scientist who has created a meaningful synthesis of science and Kabbalah.‖ Rabbi David A. Cooper, author of God Is a Verb and Ecstatic Kabbalah: ―An excellent resource for those who seek authentic traditional mystical Jewish teachings the way serious students have studied them for hundreds of years. Based on the well-known Sulam commentary to the Zohar, which up to now has been the primary source for anyone who explored esoteric Kabbalistic revelations, this is an essential text for a well-rounded Jewish mystical library.‖

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Arthur Goldwag, author of The Beliefnet Guide to Kabbalah: ―There are no red string nostrums here, no facile promises of worldly success. Instead, Rav Laitman invites us to transform ourselves—and the world—through the challenging, often painful work of Kabbalah. Fascinating, learned, sometimes startling … will provoke and inspire any spiritual seeker.‖ Tamar Frankiel, PhD, author of The Gift of Kabbalah: Discovering the Secrets of Heaven, Renewing Your Life on Earth: ―Explains how Kabbalah, understood properly, is a science of spiritual wisdom that transforms our desires so that we can bring benefit to all of creation.‖ Dr Laitman is a member of the World Wisdom Council, a think tank organization headed by Prof. Ervin Laszlo in conjunction of the Club of Budapest. Prof. Laszlo was one of the first representatives in the area of systems philosophy and general theory of evolution, and published nearly 70 books translated into as many as 18 languages. In the course of his long academic career as a professor of philosophy, systems philosophy and future sciences, he worked in teaching and research at a variety of reputable universities in the US and Europe amongst are the Sorbonne in Paris, the Universities of Houston, Portland State, Indiana, Northwestern University, and the State University of New York. Here are some of the words that he wrote to one of Dr. Laitman's publications Kabbalah, Science and the Meaning of Life: ―At a time of critical choices for our future on this planet, the ancient wisdom of the Kabbalah has renewed relevance and utility. The wisdom contained in the classical scriptures has to be brought to bear on the problems we face and the opportunities open to us and the message needs to be made available to all people, in Israel and in the whole world. Rav Michael Laitman is qualified like no other to meet this crucial challenge and fulfill this historic mission.‖ *Note: The title ―Rav‖ was given to Dr. Laitman by his students in respect for his teachings and his dedication to spreading the wisdom of Kabbalah throughout the world. Rav Laitman was not ordained as a rabbi by a rabbinical school and does not serve as an orthodox rabbi.

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Daily Lesson & Rav’s Blog: Selected excerpts Source (http://www.laitman.com)

In The Reflection Of The Upper Light

Posted on April 28th, 2011

Question: If the Creator is unchangeable, why do each one of us perceive Him differently?

Answer: Each one of us perceives the Creator differently to the extent of the development of his or her soul, according to his or her desires and qualities. This is because the Creator Himself cannot be perceived. I never feel Him; I perceive myself in relation to the ―simple upper Light.‖ And in relation to this simple upper Light, I discover myself.

So, where am I? You are the entire world. Do you feel it? Yes. Do you exist together with those around you? Yes. Well, then you are this entire world. It is your desire where you perceive everything.

Do you feel as if it were happening on the outside? You are wrong. All of it is inside you. The entire world is inside you. You simply perceive your reality this way, against the upper Light. You do not perceive this upper Light, but it exists, and also not on the outside, but inside of you.

Anything you could ever imagine is inside you, the upper Light as well. But what is the upper Light? You can only speak about it based of your experience. Where is it? It is inside your desires. Everything is inside man.

This goes on until we actually reveal the upper force.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/26/2011, Shamati No.1

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A Black Point In An Ocean Of Goodness

Posted on April 28th, 2011

The entire difference between Kabbalists (people with the point in the heart who follow the path of spiritual development) and the religious masses is in their attitude toward the Creator. Kabbalists say: ―Everything depends on me. I must change, while the Creator is absolute and hence unchangeable.‖

The only ones who can change are those who can be better or worse, but the Creator is just ―good, who does good.‖ How could I ask Him to change and improve himself? Would this not make Him ―bad‖ now?

A Kabbalist believes that he is the only one who needs to change, and nobody else is subject to correction: neither the world, nor friends, nor the group, not a single person. Right now, I exist within the good who does good, the Creator, the single force of nature ―there is none else besides Him.‖ How I perceive Him depends on my qualities.

When I work with a group, I am the one working; I am the one changing. This is why it seems to me that there is the group that goes through different states, but in reality, I work with my shadow, my qualities.

It is the same in regards to the Creator. It seems to me that He treats me in different ways. Sometimes He comes closer to me, and sometimes He distances Himself, but it is I working with myself against the absolute, the good who does good, and there is none else besides Him. I am within Him.

Thus, ―everyone judges according to their own flaws.‖ I see my shadow against the Creator. This is me seeing myself on the outside, the reflection of my own qualities.

This way, the entire world, except for Kabbalists, is asking the Creator to change, and they are ready to do anything only so that the Creator would be kind to them. They do not think that they need to change their nature, correct their ―evil inclination,‖ their ego, but they are asking the Creator to be kind to them as they are.

Kabbalists say the opposite: The Creator is ―good who does good,‖ and ―there is none else besides Him,‖ the universal, single force of nature. Nothing else exists besides the Creator. Besides Him, there is only a point of the desire to receive pleasure, ―existence from absence.‖ Various actions take place within this point, and these are changes in its consciousness, its existence in the upper Light.

Suddenly, this point feels that it is expanding to the scale of Malchut of Infinity, the worlds form, and some changes happen. However, it is the same point experiencing all of this. Nothing has changed. All the changes are only happening in its sensations.

This goes on until it reaches a constant state, a sensation that it is like a black point that exists within ―the good who does good,‖ the only One who exists. This entire circle, which we pass within creation until its complete correction (Gmar Tikkun), is only intended for determining our actual place, revealing the Creator.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/26/2011, Shamati No.1

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Good Environment

Questions & Answers from Rav

Question: Why am I in jail?

Answer: Otherwise you'd never heard of the path to reach Creator

Question: Did God leave me?

Answer: On the opposite, He has created conditions for you to reveal him; otherwise you'd never do this on your own, but became beastly just like others.

Question: I feel completely useless, what sense is in continuing all of this?

Answer: You can reveal eternal perfect upper world and true yourself inside of it - what can be better comparing to this ugly temporary world?

Question: Am I a bad person?

Answer: There are no bad or good people, but there are those who reveal or do not reveal their destiny - achieve personal connection with Creator and become like Him.

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Pictures

Daily lesson As Kabbalists have been doing for centuries, and as the centerpiece of Bnei Baruch's activities, Dr. Laitman gives a daily lesson at the Bnei Baruch center in Israel between 3:15-6:00AM Israel time. On Kabbalah TV, the lessons are simultaneously translated into seven languages: English, Russian, Spanish, German, Italian, French and Turkish. In the near future, broadcasts will be translated into more languages (see all languages currently available and in development at Kabbalah International). As is true for all activities of Bnei Baruch, the live broadcast is provided free for thousands of students worldwide.

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Conventions When we get together at large conventions and become included in one another with our desires, then I perform one action and all the others perform a multitude of other actions which join mine. If I remained alone, I would never complete this work!

Posted on Rav’s Blog, April 10th, 2011

World Kabbalah Convention – „Connecting for Good‟ (Israel Nov 2010) About 7,000 people from more than 50 countries joined this convention.

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World Kabbalah Convention – „WE! Make it Real‟ (New Jersey, April 2011) The worldwide WE! Convention that was held in New Jersey was the first convention where we already felt that it doesn‘t matter where we are. People felt the same thing no matter where they were.

Posted on Rav’s Blog, April 11

th, 2011

The second day of the Convention (schedule) 7:30 - 7:45 AM Lesson Preparation 7:45 - 9:15 AM Lesson 4 with Dr. Michael Laitman - "The Purpose of Society" 9:15 - 10:00 AM Breakfast 10:00 - 10:30 AM Exhibits and Activities 10:30 - 11:15 AM Yeshivat Haverim 11:15 - 11:45 AM Exhibits and Activities 11:45 - 12:00 PM Lesson Preparation 12:00 - 1:30 PM Lesson 5 with Dr. Michael Laitman - "Global Education" 1:30 - 2:30 PM Lunch 2:30 - 3:30 PM Exhibits and Activities 3:30 - 4:45 PM Workshop 4:45 - 5:15 PM Exhibits and Activities 5:15 - 5:30 PM Lesson Preparation 5:30 - 7:00 PM Lesson 6 with Dr. Michael Laitman - "The Babylon of the modern World" 7:00 - 7:30 PM Exhibits and Activities 7:30 - 8:30 PM Dinner 8:30 - 9:30 PM Exhibits and Activities 9:30 - 10:30 PM Cultural Evening

Studying Kabbalah is a fascinating journey. It changes your perspective on the world and the people around you, and opens parts in you that you never knew existed. It is a journey of discoveries happening within, affecting all of life‘s levels.. It shows the boundaries of our five senses and opens up the part that they can‘t reveal by helping you develop a ―sixth sense.‖ ..You don‘t have to give up anything for it: you don‘t have to die to get there;

Rav Michael Laitman, PhD. A Guide to the Hidden Wisdom of Kabbalah. Chapter Two