Archives: VOD

How does the meaning of life described by Kabbalah stand up to the meaninglessness and nothingness of life described by nihilism? Is Kabbalah simply one of several orders, with its ideas of good and evil, morals and ethics, and a view that provides meaning to some people’s lives, but which ultimately resides upon a nihilistic black hole—or is it something else entirely? Also, how does Kabbalah respond to the crisis of nihilism unfolding in our current era? Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam) wrote no more than two sentences directly about nihilism. In his short critique of nihilism, he swiftly positioned the philosophical view that negates all traditional values and institutions within the limits of the human ego and offered an alternative arrangement that comes not from the ego, but above it—attainment that exists outside the inborn senses and mind that philosophers use to devise their theories. In this “Kabbalah Explained Simply” with Markos, we will open up Baal HaSulam’s critique of nihilism. Also, we will look into why nihilism has become such a popular view in recent times, how nihilism’s popularity fits within the evolutionary process described by the wisdom of Kabbalah, and also the future steps of this process—and how to actively apply ourselves to them.