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Thank you for this first video and summary. I have questions but am going to think more on them before I ask too many. One being what are your thoughts about using and praying from books like the Siddur. From what I understand they were utilized by Kabbalists including the Ari. If it is good, could you please give some pointers on how to utilize said books to their fullest potential.
I have often felt anxiety and depressing, and I’ve found that careful and meaningful prayer has helped me grow so much. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thank you so much.
Hi Yochanon,
The Siddur was put together by Kabbalists. So if you find it helpful, go ahead and use it.
Here is a quote from Rav Chaim Vital on what the Ari recommended him to do:
“My teacher cautioned me and all the friends who were with him in that society, that before the morning prayer, to take upon ourselves the commandment to-do of “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and to aim to love each one from Israel as his own soul, for by this his prayer would rise comprising all of Israel and will be able to ascend and make a correction above. Especially, our love of friends, each and every one of us should include himself as though he is an organ of those friends. My teacher sternly cautioned me about this matter.” (Rav Chaim Vital, Shaar HaGilgulim, Introduction, 38)
Keep in mind that friend (חבר Haver in Hebrew) comes from the word connection (חיבור Hibur in Hebrew). So when we say “friend” in Kabbalah, we’re not talking about our corporeal acquaintances and buddies, but specifically the Kabbalistic group where people are aspiring towards a spiritual connection within which we reveal the Creator. That’s where we put everything we learn here into practice.
Likewise with Israel (ישראל), which refers to Yashar (straight – ישר) El (to God – אל), meaning it’s those with active points in the heart that want to reach the Creator.
Through our prayers we need to reach a state where we rise above our ego, connect with other points in the heart, and start to feel them as our own soul.
We’ll learn how to do this practically in the more advanced lessons, in the meantime, check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2017/03/what-is-prayer/
Albert @ KabU
Hi Tony,
This isn’t about this weeks lesson but I need to work through something I anticipate as block to my connecting with the lessons. I watched most of the related videos, I’m doing the reading and as a women I feel excluded by the use of “he/him” when referencing the Creator. Obviously the Creator isn’t a man and is both sexless and genderless. I get that. At the same time, hearing exclusively masculine pronouns makes it harder for me (and many women) to feel directly connected to the teachings. I know this tradition has deep roots in Hebrew language and culture, but I wonder if there’s a way to hold both the traditional phrasing and a more inclusive understanding at the same time, maybe by occasionally naming that balance out loud?
Hi JD,
In spirituality, the force of bestowal is a male force while the force of receiving is a female force. This is why we call the Creator “Him” and the created being “her”. But these are just technical terms, similar to how in electronics we call the plug the male part while the socket is the female part.
Interestingly enough, because our nature is the desire to receive, all of humanity is considered a female in relation to the Creator who is the bestower.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2018/06/man-and-woman-in-kabbalistic-terms/
Albert @ KabU
In this lesson I read that The Creator controls all that we do and will do. Does this mean that there is no freedom of will?
Hi Edwin,
The Kabbalists tell us that “there is none else besides Him”. This means that every single thought, desire, and life event comes to us from the Creator. Our job is to become more sensitive to that.
But it does not mean that we can just sit around doing nothing all day. The correct way to work with this concept is to split our work to internal and external. Externally I continue to exist on the level of this world so I must function in a normal way in society, follow the normal rules and laws of society, to work, take care of my family, health, etc. Meaning to do everything normally.
And internally, I try to attribute everything that is happening to the Creator, to “none else besides Him”. But this is our internal work and it does not cancel out any of the normal external actions that we need to take.
We’ll learn about free will and how to do this work practically in the more advanced lessons. In the meantime check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2017/12/there-is-none-else-besides-him/
Albert @ KabU
I’m feeling nourished by all the information and teachings here, but one refrain keeps going through my head: “Where are the women teachers on this path?”
Hi Krista,
Throughout history, there were many women Kabbalists, such as Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Leah, and Miriam.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2015/11/the-modern-woman-and-kabbalah/
Albert @ KabU
Why did the books of Kabbalah become public in 1995? What happened that year, and who decided it was time to make them available to everyone? Thank you.
Hi Joan,
I did not define that, this is what we learn from other Kabbalists.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2016/03/dispelling-myths-about-kabbalah-part-1/
Albert @ KabU
Hi György,
Although we point to 1995 as to when Kabbalah became revealed, technically the prohibition was lifted much earlier, from the time of the Ari. He was the one to make a very special correction within the entire spiritual system, after which its not only possible, but a must to openly disseminate the wisdom of Kabbalah in order to help the whole world reach its correction.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details on the Ari: https://laitman.com/2010/08/the-ari-rav-isaac-luria-the-godly-man/
So why do we say 1995? Let’s put a few things into perspective:
Kabbalah is the method of correction of our egoistic nature, thereby revealing the Creator, the general force of love and bestowal. Why was it necessary to conceal such a wisdom? Because egoism was still not yet fully developed. For example: if you compare Kabbalah to a medicine that can cure a rare disease, obviously you can’t take the medicine before you’re diagnosed with the disease, but once the disease actually manifests, you can take the medicine and be cured of it.
It’s just like the 5 stages development of a disease within a person. First a person is healthy. Then he is sick, but he does not feel it. Then the disease spreads to the point that he starts to feel pain and symptoms of the disease. This then pushes him to go to a doctor to get diagnosed and find the cure, and etc.
2000 years ago, egoism was still on a very low level, there was no need to correct it. Starting from the days of the Ari, egoism already grew to a certain extent (and technically the prohibition on Kabbalah ended there), but humanity still didn’t feel sick, on the contrary the ego was the main driving force of all of our development. Then from around 1995 egoism peaked and began to show itself as bad, like a cancer that begins to kill the host body. This is the peak at which there was a true need for the cure. Which in essence is what the Kabbalists have been waiting for all these years, for the desire, for egoism to fully ripen.
Albert @ KabU
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