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If all the stories in the Torah are Kabbalistic allegories…did they actually happen? Or were they written to teach us something? Or did they happen, and now we are learning from what happened to other real people? I am fine either way, I am not stuck on the idea that they really, literally had to happen – just checking to see what the Kabbalistic viewpoint is on this.
Hi Avi,
On one hand, the Torah is entirely written in the language of roots and branches, meaning it uses words of our world to describe spiritual phenomena. So none of it is literal. On the other hand, there is a law that the spiritual root must touch the corporeal branch at least once. Meaning although these are spiritual phenomena, they must have a corresponding corporeal branch in our world.
For example, Egypt represents the uncorrected egoistic desire while Israel represents the corrected desire, those are the roots. But in our world these things exist as branches as well. There is actually a physical place that is called Egypt and Israel. Still, despite all the above, the Torah is not a history book, not a single word of the Torah speaks about our world.
Check out these blog posts from Rav Laitman for more details:
https://laitman.com/2014/10/the-deluge-and-other-natural-disasters/
https://laitman.com/2016/05/dispelling-myths-about-kabbalah-part-4/
Albert @ KabU
Hi,
In the first lesson talk about the 5 spiritual worlds or 125 steps from the physical world to the higher world. my questions is what are the steps consists of and how to break the barrier.
In addition, is Mitzvah, have the same definition for non Jews.
Thanks.
Hi Josue,
125 steps represents the difference between us and the Creator. The Creator is a desire to bestow and we are the desire to receive. Adapting our desire to receive to work in order to bestow takes 125 steps. So to the extent that we correct our nature, make it similar to the Creator’s nature, to that extent we’re “climbing” this ladder.
In other words, ascending or descending this ladder is not a physical action, but rather depends on how much we’re similar to the Creator’s quality of bestowal (ascending) or less similar to it and more egoistic (descending).
All of this operates according to the law of equivalence of form. Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2013/04/everything-is-attained-by-the-equivalence-of-form/
Regarding Mitzvot, there are 613 desires that we need to correct. Corresponding to each desire, there is a mitzvah (commandment). These are the INTERNAL processes by which we correct that specific desire. In other words, Kabbalists don’t look at the 613 mitzvot as physical actions to be performed by our hands and feet, but rather as allegories to the internal process of correcting our desires.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2016/02/mitzvot-commandments-the-correction-of-desires/
Albert @ KabU
From the readings in Week One of Course One, please further elucidate:
Mitzvah, particularly as a requirement.
Also, the frequent mention of the “Principle of Reward and Punishment” which I don’t think is the same as good and bad?
Thank you.
Hi Aleta,
There are 613 desires that we need to correct. Corresponding to each desire, there is a mitzvah (commandment). These are the INTERNAL processes by which we correct that specific desire. In other words, Kabbalists don’t look at the 613 mitzvot as physical actions to be performed by our hands and feet, but rather as allegories to the internal process of correcting our desires.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2016/02/mitzvot-commandments-the-correction-of-desires/
2. Regarding reward and punishment, in the context of upper providence, when providence is revealed to a person in the form of reward and punishment, it’s like a direct correlation: when we do good, we get rewarded, when we do bad, we get punished.
Although reward and punishment is a very high spiritual degree, it’s still an incomplete state. There is an even higher level where providence is revealed as completely good, regardless of our actions. It’s like a mother that loves her child no matter how the child acts.
See page 31 of Attaining the Worlds Beyond for more details and this blog post from Rav Laitman: https://laitman.com/2017/06/reward-and-punishment-in-our-lives-part-3/
Albert @ KabU
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