home email us! feed
March 18, 2024

Archive for Kabbalistic Sources

Your Spiritual Key to Crack The Zohar Code

Your Spiritual Key to Crack The Zohar Code

The Zohar can’t be understood & felt directly, but requires preconception of spirituality before one approaches it.

We need to relate to The Zohar as to the Book that contains a certain secret code, a sequence of spiritual instructions. In order to establish connection with these spiritual instructions, I read The Zohar. However, the connection emerges not by my hearing or reading the text; rather, it is built to the measure of my desire to unite with this inner code so that it could transform me.

Read the rest of this entry »

  

What Does It Mean to Discover the Zohar

Start Digging for Your Treasure

Discovering The Zohar means discovering your inner world and your unlimited potential.

Start digging inside yourself and look for the qualities that The Zohar names, as though you’re in the dark with nothing but a candle. Just as a child gradually begins to perceive his environment, so this new inner world will gradually begin to form within you. I must delve into myself and there discover which inner quality each word alludes to. This is how The Zohar changes us when we search for what is written inside of us. After all, a person is a small world.

Read the rest of this entry »

  

Holocaust Memorial Day Reflections on Nazism and Israel Then and Now

Holocaust Memorial Day Reflections on Nazism and Israel Then and Now

In the Daily Kabbalah Lesson on Holocaust Memorial Day, April 28, 2014, there was a discussion of the nature of how the Nazi Germany regime emerged, and how Nazi and Fascist regimes emerge in general, what is bringing about today’s tendencies toward Nazism and Fascism throughout the world, how can they be prevented, and what is Israel’s role in the rise of Nazism and Fascism?

Below are excerpts based on the lesson.

What Happened to the Germans?

What happened to the Germans is one of nature’s wonders. They were considered among the most civilized nations, and all of a sudden, overnight, they became savages, the worst among the most primitive nations in history. Moreover, Hitler was elected by the majority’s vote. —Baal Hasulam – “The Solution

Much of what takes place in humanity’s process of development doesn’t accord to human logic and reason. For instance, how could Germany, Europe’s most developed nation for many years, with a history of monarchy, which was at the height of technological, industrial, musical and scientific development, reach a state where such proponents of high culture turned to burning books and wanted nothing but control?

 

Nazism Is Not Only a Product of Germany

The world erroneously considers Nazism a particular upshot of Germany. In truth, it is the upshot of a democracy and socialism that were left without manners, religion and justice. Thus, all nations are equal in that; there is no hope at all that Nazism will perish with the victory of the allies. Tomorrow, the British will adopt Nazism, since they too live in a world of democracy and Nazism. —Baal Hasulam – “The Solution

In other words, the Nazi regime is one of the stages in humanity’s egoistic development, which is necessary and impossible to prevent. As such, it can take place in any nation according to each nation’s development. Whether or not one country suffered a lot from a Nazi regime doesn’t mean anything. Tomorrow, that same country that suffered from Nazism could become a Nazi regime itself.

Nazism needs to appear. That is, unless beforehand, people who have been granted a point in the heart (i.e. a desire for spirituality, called “Israel,” from “Yashar Kel” [straight to God]) work for their unity in order to reach equivalence of form with the Creator (i.e. the Creator being Nature’s quality of love and bestowal). Only if unity is aimed in the direction of reaching such balance with the quality of love and bestowal, can a Nazi regime be prevented in each and every country. If not, then there is potential for Nazi regimes to sprout up in any country.

To put it into different words: After capitalism, which characterized pre-Nazi Germany, if we will not want a Nazi regime to emerge, we will thus need to bring about the kind of unity that people desire in a form of bestowal, and not in an egoistic form.

The word “fascism” in and of itself emerges from unity (i.e. fasces, a bundle of rods tied around an axe, which signified strength from unity). Thus, a change in the direction of unity is required. Even today, tendencies toward Nazism are appearing worldwide and will continue growing if those who have been granted a point in the heart will not bring people, through dissemination, the reforming Light. If the reforming Light is drawn, then the whole process leading toward Nazi regimes and a possible third World War can be prevented.

 

Why Does Nazism Emerge After Socialism and Democracy?

It is because at a certain point, democracy cannot satisfy people’s will to receive pleasure. Democracy reaches a state where the growing will to receive demands progress, and envisions progress through unity.

However, what kind of unity does it reach? Where can it be implemented? Unity can either be egoistic (to benefit people) or altruistic (in balance with the Creator, i.e. with the quality of love and bestowal itself).

If people evolve naturally, egoistically, then the unity is egoistic, for a certain people’s or nation’s own benefit, and as such, those in unity seek to arrange those who are not a part of that unity to be their slaves. That approach can be seen in many countries, where after democratic periods, the countries’ started feeling that they lack some form of unity.

Therefore, the need to unite needs to become expressed, but how? It can thus only be expressed toward another people or nation. That is, the strength of the nation and its unification are expressed in a war against others. Such is the natural, egoistic tendency of unity.

 

2 Stages of Nazism’s Emergence

Even in today’s world, there is progress toward Nazism from one month to the next. Whether in the decisions in the common market, or in many countries including the US and Russia, Nazism is gradually becoming increasingly accepted.

The first stage of Nazism’s emergence is expressed in the topic of Nazism entering the conversation in the media, in conventions, the news, etc. more and more, which increasingly legitimizes it. People start getting used to it as topic of discussion.

Afterwards, the second stage takes place when the discussion changes course, where Nazism and fascism are not just topics of discussion, but messages of needing to unite the nation against its challengers and enemies start propagating through the media. In other words, Nazism and fascism then become promoted to people as being necessary for their nation’s existence.

There is a technique by which a certain nation can be sold anything within a few years. Hitler also didn’t do it in one go. Look at how many years went by from the First until the Second World War. Today, it becomes even easier to propagate such messages because unity is much more in demand today due to much greater despair from humanity’s development.

 

Internality and Externality. Israel and the Nations of the World

Holocaust Memorial Day Reflections on Nazism and Israel

Bear in mind that in everything there is internality and externality. In the world in general, Israel, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, are considered the internality of the world, and the seventy nations are considered the externality of the world. Also, there is internality within Israel themselves, which are the wholehearted workers of the Creator, and there is externality – those who do not devote themselves to the work of the Creator. Among the nations of the world, there is internality as well, which are the Righteous of the Nations of the World, and there is externality, which are the rude and the harmful among them.

Additionally, among the servants of the Creator among the Children of Israel, there is internality, being those rewarded with comprehension of the soul of the internality of the Torah and its secrets, and externality, who merely observe the practical part of the Torah.

Also, there is internality in every person from Israel – the Israel within – which is the point in the heart, and externality – which is the inner Nations of the World, the body itself. But even the inner Nations of the World in that person are considered proselytes, since by cleaving to the internality, they become like proselytes from among the Nations of the World, that came and cleaved to the whole of Israel.

67) When a person from Israel enhances and dignifies one’s internality, which is the Israel in that person, over the externality, which are the Nations of the World in him, that is, when one dedicates the majority of one’s efforts to enhance and exalt one’s internality, to benefit one’s soul, and gives minor efforts, the mere necessity, to sustain the Nations of the World in him, meaning the bodily needs,

by so doing, one makes the Children of Israel soar upwards in the internality and externality of the world as well, and the Nations of the World, which are the externality, to recognize and acknowledge the value of the Children of Israel.

And if, God forbid, it is to the contrary, and an individual from Israel enhances and appreciates one’s externality, which is the Nations of the World in him, more than the inner Israel in him,

With these actions, one causes the externality of the world in general – the Nations of the World – to soar ever higher and overcome Israel, degrading them to the ground, and the Children of Israel, the internality in the world, to plunge deep down. —Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to the Book of Zohar,” Items 66 -67

Everything depends on how Israel (i.e. those who have been granted a desire for spirituality) draw the reforming Light, and the world’s order depends on that. Those who have been granted a desire for spirituality (called “Israel”) are either to blame, or on the contrary, are those who will bring themselves and the world into balance with nature’s quality of love and bestowal, and as such, will become awarded with the internality (i.e. the desire to bestow) being more exalted and stronger than the externality (i.e. the desire to receive for self benefit).

There is no place to struggle with all kinds of seeming enemies. The struggle is only in one place: to organize Israel (i.e. the desire for spirituality) to be in internality (i.e. connected to its source of love and bestowal) as much as possible, to draw the reforming Light (i.e. to increase the influence of the quality of love and bestowal upon themselves and to others), because the Light comes from above, from internality to externality, like we draw the Partzufim, one within the other.

 

Israel’s Role to the Nations 

In such a generation, all the destructors among the Nations of the World raise their heads and wish primarily to destroy and to kill the Children of Israel, as it is written (Yevamot 63), “No calamity comes to the world but for Israel.” This means, as it is written in the above corrections, that they cause poverty, ruin, robbery, killing, and destruction in the whole world.

If the world’s “map” would not be arranged properly, with internality channeling out to externality, and again internality channeling out to externality (see image at the top of this post) then the “Children of Israel” (those with desires for spirituality) would cause all the bad in the world.

  • Israel = internality, the desire to bestow, the point in the heart, desire for spirituality, altruism
  • Nations of the World = externality, the desire to receive, egoism

If that would be the order, then the Upper Light will accordingly descend and spread to everyone, and would thus fulfill everyone completely.

The Free Kabbalah Course is based on the articles of Baal HaSulam and provides step-by-step guided learning from experienced Kabbalah instructors of Kabbalah’s basic concepts based in Baal HaSulam’s articles. Baal HaSulam was the first Kabbalist in history who wrote articles not only for Kabbalists, but for the broad public, in order to explain Kabbalah’s fundamentals, because he understood the need that would emerge in humanity to answer deeper questions about life’s meaning and purpose. Moreover, many of the terms encountered in Kabbalah, like “Israel,” “nations of the world,” “Creator” and many others have completely different definitions to how they’re commonly defined. Therefore, if you’re interested in such topics, we recommend taking the free course and start learning about the world around you and inside you anew. Click the banner below to sign up for the free course …

Free Kabbalah Course

  

How Can We Say Anything About a Person Having a Soul?

How Can We Say Anything About a Person Having a Soul?

Firstly, what is a soul? This is a completely separate question. People say that it exists in the body. But what if we change the body, begin changing and replacing all of its organs?

You know that this is already possible today, and if it impossible then we will be able to replace absolutely everything in 50-100 years. We can already transplant the heart; therefore it’s clear that the soul does not relate to the heart. Neither does it relate to the arms, legs or anything else. Well, perhaps it relates to our head? Let’s suppose that in a few dozen years we will be able to replace the head. What then? Will our memory disappear somewhere? It’s probably recorded here, in the head, so if we change the head, will the memory disappear? Maybe they will put a girl’s memory in me and I will have her memory? Or does this not matter?

Maybe memory is also not stored in the head. It only seems to us that it is stored there just as it seems to us that our feelings are located in the heart. The heart simply restricts and reacts to changes in pressure, and it seems to me, “Oh! I feel it in my heart.” But in reality this feeling is not in the heart. All feelings are completely not in the heart. An engine can work instead of the heart, and I will feel all the same. The same thing is true for memory.

What about the soul? Where is it located? Is it in the body?

Let us change the body, change everything, transplant all the organs; will it change then or not? Where is it, this soul? Maybe if I cut a piece of flesh out of me then I will simultaneously remove the soul? I will take another organ from someone else and transplant someone else’s soul, and then will we be able to implant souls? This already becomes interesting. Maybe if I put a couple of souls into myself then I will live longer?

In other words, in principle, if we delve into these questions, we find that we completely do not understand anything about them.

In Baal HaSulam’s article “Introduction to the Book of Zohar,” he tries to slightly explain it to us. Baal HaSulam says that the soul is a part of the Creator in man. What does “a part of the Creator in man” mean? This means that I somehow chop off a piece from the Creator (the quality of love and bestowal) and take it for me, and the same for every one of us, right?

As a result each one of us has a piece of the Creator. Where is this piece located? For some reason I don’t see this piece in any of you. You all don’t look anything like people who contain a piece of the Creator. And the same goes for me. We do not have anything eternal and perfect. Something that’s chopped off from Him is located inside of me? A piece means that it was torn off or somehow separated from Him? And so, the question we have to clarify is: what does “a part” mean, where is it placed in me, why do I need it, where can I discover it, what should I do with it, and so on.

These questions are quite complicated. Baal HaSulam answers them in “Introduction to the Book of Zohar,” and they are also dealt with in an easier, step-by-step manner in the Free Kabbalah Course.

The Free Kabbalah Course is based on the articles of Baal HaSulam and provides step-by-step guided learning from experienced Kabbalah instructors of Kabbalah’s basic concepts based in Baal HaSulam’s articles. Baal HaSulam was the first Kabbalist in history who wrote articles not only for Kabbalists, but for the broad public, in order to explain Kabbalah’s fundamentals, because he understood the need that would emerge in humanity to answer deeper questions about life’s meaning and purpose. Therefore, if you’re interested in such topics, we recommend taking the free course and start learning about the world around you and inside you anew. Click the banner below to sign up for the free course …

Free Kabbalah Course

  

How Can a Perfect, Eternal, Absolutely Good Creator Create Such Egoistic, Stupid, Greedy People as Us?

How Can a Perfect, Eternal, Absolutely Good Creator Create Such Egoistic, Stupid, Greedy People as Us?

How can the Creator (the quality of love and bestowal), which is eternal, perfect and absolutely good, give birth to such insignificant and small creatures as us, who are egoistic, stupid, greedy, and absolutely opposite to Him? If this comes from the Creator, how can something imperfect and defected come out of or originate from the One who is Perfect and Eternal?

After all, if it comes from the Creator, this means that there is a root or thought about them in Him as well? And if this is present in Him, does it mean that He contains an imperfection? If not, then how could He have created something completely opposite to Him that was not present in Him? This is impossible to understand. However, in principle, even if a thought was conceived about such opposite and insignificant creatures, doesn’t this suppose that this is present in Him, and this speaks about an imperfection in Him? These are very serious questions of a philosophical type; they are very deep, and Baal HaSulam (Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag) raises these questions and answers them in his article “Introduction to the Book of Zohar.”

Next, Baal HaSulam also asks the following questions: how can we imagine the appearance of something new at all? In our world we say, “Oh, look, something new suddenly happened.” How? It is because we do not observe all phenomena, since some phenomena are concealed from us. Something suddenly manifests, but we do not see the inner connection that caused this phenomenon to manifest, and therefore it seems to us that it is something new and supernatural. It is like a baby who looks and suddenly sees something, thinking that it is a miracle or fairy tale. The baby does not see all of the connections that give rise to this phenomenon. An adult does everything, doing something for this to happen for the baby. This is a mystery to the baby, a manifestation of something new from nothing.

Generally, how can we imagine anything “from nothing”? “From nothing” means that there were no preconditions of any kind at all. How can creation be absolutely new? That is to say, there was the Creator (the quality of love and bestowal), and from some moment on, creation (the quality of reception) appeared. If creation is not present in the Creator in any other form, then how can it suddenly appear? From what? From the thought? In that case it is not new, rather it existed, but only in thought rather than in matter; nevertheless, it existed.

All of these questions are examined in Baal HaSulam’s article “Introduction to the Book of Zohar.” In reality, we are unable to clarify them in such a short space as they are very deep and very interesting, voluminous. Also, it depends for whom: there are people who are more fascinated by this and others, less so, depending on each person’s development. Gradually you will reach a point when you will see that it is not for nothing that Baal HaSulam works through certain questions for us. As we ascend along the ladder of self-attainment, we will have to feel, study, and answer these questions ourselves. We will simply build ourselves out of them.

The Free Kabbalah Course is based on the articles of Baal HaSulam and provides step-by-step guided learning from experienced Kabbalah instructors of Kabbalah’s basic concepts based in Baal HaSulam’s articles. Baal HaSulam was the first Kabbalist in history who wrote articles not only for Kabbalists, but for the broad public, in order to explain Kabbalah’s fundamentals, because he understood the need that would emerge in humanity to answer deeper questions about life’s meaning and purpose. Therefore, if you’re interested in such topics, we recommend taking the free course and start learning about the world around you and inside you anew. Click the banner below to sign up for the free course …

Free Kabbalah Course

  
Next entries »




Copyright © 2024