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Hi Michael,
Our world is ruled by our egoistic nature.
The spiritual world is a world ruled by love, bestowal, unity.
When we begin to aspire to those qualities, we’ll begin to reveal the spiritual world.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2015/09/where-is-the-upper-world/
Albert @ KabU
Une question generale: je vois l, image d, un arbre mais pourquoi on parle seulement des racines et des branches et pas du tronc de l,arbre dans la kabbale ? svp. merci.
google translation of the question:
A general question: I see the image of a tree, but why do we only talk about the roots and branches and not the trunk of the tree in Kabbalah? Please explain. Thank you.
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Hi Marguerite Marie,
The trunk consists of a line which represents the barrier between the upper world and our world. And the trunk itself symbolizes the communication channels between the upper world and our world.
We talk a lot about this in technical terms like in the Study of the Ten Sefirot when we learn about the process of raising a deficiency and receiving an answer in return.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details:
https://laitman.com/2019/12/the-tree-trunk-as-a-symbol-of-communication/
Albert @ KabU
This lesson was interesting and answered many of the questions I had about Kabbalah,
There’s a couple that could still be clarified, though.
First, in the 5 levels of life from still-vegetative-animate-speaking and the final one, how is it that there are 5 discrete levels when biology goes against this, for example fungi might be placed in the vegetative level for certain features but have communication methods that surpass animals (or even humans), the same could go for some insects like bees.
Second, One of the readings talked about restriction which happens when the person starts their process of correction. This is not a new concept to me, but the way it was described in the text reminded me of how i’ve observed some people pass through the spiritual experience, first with what appears to be a rejection of worldly things and desire, as the screen or masach develops the first restriction is more intense. I think this is really universal knowledge that is not limited to a specific sect or religion, so is it simply so that Kabbalists use these terms that other traditions may also use?
Thank you !
Hi Dana,
1. There are 4 levels in nature: still, vegetative, animate, and speaking (human). Within each level, there are 4 sub levels: the still of the still, the vegetative of the still, the animate of the still, the speaking of the still, etc. And there are also intermediary degrees which contain aspects of both, like the coral and monkeys.
2. It’s possible that other methods borrowed these terms from Kabbalah. But it’s not recommended to associate what you learned from other methods in Kabbalah, this will lead you in the wrong direction. Even when things sound similar, like restriction.
The restriction that Kabbalists talk about is not performed by a person in isolation, like a monk, and not from worldly pleasures. The restriction is relative to the spiritual work that is done in a Kabbalistic group. It’s when the group, or connecting to the group is more important than myself.
Until we begin to do spiritual work in a group, we don’t even begin to reveal the true egoism that needs to be restricted. Until then we remain on the speaking sub-level of the animate degree, meaning we’re just human animals. The true speaking degree is a spiritual degree that is still ahead of us.
We’ll learn how to implement these things in the more advanced semesters where everyone will get their own Kabbalah group to put this into practice. In the meantime, check out this blog post from Rav Laitman: https://laitman.com/2011/01/get-down-to-pure-egoism/
Albert @ KabU
If a person does not find Kabbalah to be a teaching as you offer it in this setting, will they still enter the correct states naturally, or do they all have to join a group like this? I am so grateful to be here for all this wisdom.
Hi Linda,
It’s impossible to enter a corrected state “naturally” as this would violate the law that “there is no coercion in spirituality”. Naturally we’re egoists, so by nature we cannot want spirituality, meaning we cannot naturally want to acquire the Creator’s pure qualities of love and bestowal. And thereby we cannot be given it naturally.
It requires a special type of work within a Kabbalistic group to evoke a true desire for spirituality within us. We’ll learn how to do this type of work in the more advanced semesters.
As for the rest of the world, how would they reach this correction if they’re not studying Kabbalah?
That already depends on us. That is because all of humanity is part of a single system, within this singular system, there is a certain order of corrections that need to take place.
It’s like building a large jigsaw puzzle. First you start with all the corner pieces, and only then do you gradually work your way to the center. It’s the same with our spiritual work. There are those that are awakened to this work earlier and those that are awakened to it later. Those that received awakened points in the hearts are like those corner pieces of the puzzle that need to start the whole process. Later on, due to their good work, they pave the way for the rest of the world to join this process.
So ultimately, whether a person receives a point in the heart now or later depends on their place in the system, which is called the root of one’s soul.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2010/10/the-root-of-the-soul/
Albert @ KabU
est ce que dans la vie chacun suit ces 4 etapes tout droit, on ne peut pas arriver à la révélation puis rechuter dans la double dissimulation?
est ce que l, experience de croyant , pratiquant selon les enseignements des religions font suivre le meme cheminement ?
Je suis né, elevée, grandie dans une famille croyant en Dieu dans la religion Catholique et trop pratiquant, entrée au couvant comme religieuse à 15 ans .à l, age de 36 ans j, ai quitté le couvent, je n’ croyais pas ,non plus au vatican, jeme souviensque j’ avais l, evidence qu, il n y avait pas de Dieu à Rome, mais je croyais en Dieu en moi,depuis 5 ans je visce que je viens de comprendre comme la double dissimulation, brisée totalement dans ma santé totale, dans ma vie materielle, je me suis demandée, etj, ai pleurée plusieures fois ou est Dieu ´. j, ai connu la Kabbale depuis 2 mois , et j, ai etais attirée à m, inscrire à tous les cours possibles . Jee suis peuteetre à ma simple dissimulation et je regarde avec beaucoup de grattitude la suite du cheminement, enfin j, ai trouvé le vrai chemin de trouver Dieu que je cherche jeune , j, ai manquer mon enfance, ma jeunesse ma vie d, adulte à le chercher dans un monde de méchants , menteurs , sans amour . cela sonne tellement bienfaisant quand j, entends dans la kabbale insister sur l, amour du prochain comme soi meme… Merci à vousGoogle translation of the question:
Does everyone in life follow these four stages in a straight line? Is it impossible to reach revelation and then relapse into double concealment?
Does the experience of a believer, practicing according to the teachings of religions, follow the same path?
I was born, raised, and grew up in a family that believed in God in the Catholic religion and was very devout. I entered the convent as a nun at the age of 15. At the age of 36, I left the convent. I no longer believed in God, nor in the Vatican. I remember having the certainty that there was no God in Rome, but I believed in God within myself. For the past 5 years, I have been living what I have just understood as double concealment, completely broken in my overall health and in my material life. I wondered, and I cried many times, “Where is God?” I discovered Kabbalah two months ago, and I was drawn to register for all the possible courses. I am perhaps in my simple concealment stage, and I look forward to the rest of the journey with great gratitude. Finally, I have found the true path to finding God, whom I have been searching for since I was young. I missed my childhood, my youth, and my adult life searching for Him in a world of wicked, lying, loveless people. It sounds so comforting when I hear in Kabbalah the emphasis on loving one’s neighbor as oneself… Thank you.___________________________
Hi Marguerite Marie,
1. It’s not a straight line, it’s possible to go back and forth between these stages.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2012/01/understanding-his-providence/
2. I’m not an expert in religions, so I cannot comment on what they do there.
Also, this course is entirely in English, if you want to study in another language, we have courses in other languages as well: Check out Kab.info for details.
Albert @ KabU
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