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In Kabbalah Revealed Reading, it talks about how Nature is synonymous with the creator and then goes on to say “The term “Creator” does not signify a supernatural, distinct entity, but the next degree that a human being should reach when pursuing higher knowledge…..Thus, the word, “Creator” is a personal invitation to experience the spiritual world.” Does this mean that Kabbalist don’t believe that a G-d exist in the normal Judo-Christian sense? That there isn’t a higher-all knowing power? Do they believe that the creator is essentially a higher state of Spiritual being, like a higher level of conscience? If so, then when the Torah is saying that G-d is talking and telling them Mitzvah and the laws of the Torah, who/what is that communicating with them?
I’ve always believed in a higher power of sorts so this paragraph has rocked me a bit.
Hi Nicole, great questions!
1. Kabbalah is a science. As such, there is no blind belief here. Everything that the Kabbalists explain is based on their research and attainment.
2. Kabbalah differentiate two parts to the Creator.
The first is His essence (atzmuto in Hebrew). This is He Himself, His point of view, the Creator as an entity separate from the Created beings. We’re incapable of researching this part of the Creator simply because our research tools are not built in such a way that we can grasp such things. Perhaps after we finish the process of correction, we’ll discover additional research tools through which we’ll be able to research these things, but until then we limit ourselves and don’t talk about this part of the Creator because we cannot properly research it.
The other part of the Creator is called Bo-Re (Hebrew for Come (Bo) and See (Re)). This is the part of the Creator that we can research and reveal. How do we research this? Through the desire. When we take a part of our desire to receive and correct it in the direction of bestowal, in that corrected desire, we reveal a certain phenomenon, we call this phenomenon the Creator. This is why there are many names for the Creator (in Hebrew), since every time we correct a different part of the desire, we reveal a different aspect of this thing called the Creator.
So all of our understanding of this thing called the Creator (and any spiritual phenomena) is based on what we reveal within the corrected desire. But whatever exists outside of the corrected desire, whatever we don’t grasp, perceive or attain within the desire, whatever is beyond our tools of research, we don’t talk about. We need to keep these limits in mind in order to stay within the realm of science and not venture off into religion or philosophy.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2017/11/the-concept-of-god-in-kabbalah/
3. As for the stories in the Torah, these are written in a type of code called the language of roots and branches. Meaning that it uses words of our world to describe spiritual phenomena. As such, these stories are not literal; not a single word in the Torah is speaking about history or our world.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2016/05/dispelling-myths-about-kabbalah-part-4/
Albert @ KabU
Good day to you all, my question is in our world of outcome, where we exists in the flesh, and seem to either good or evil judge other people”s actions as well as other people judge our actions, What happens when we die. And All the people of that generation passed. What is the outcome than?
Hi Michael, good question!
It depends on whether or not a person has acquired a soul. Kabbalah defines the soul as a type of a desire. Our nature is the desire to receive. When we correct this nature, for it to operate in the direction of bestowal, that corrected desire is called the soul. So right now we don’t have this corrected desire, so we don’t have this thing called a soul. We only have a soul in potential which is called the point in the heart. If we realize this potential, then with it we build the soul. If not, this same potential will continue to reincarnate again and again until it gets realized.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2015/06/what-happens-to-the-soul-after-death/
Albert @ KabU
What of Sin and Forgiveness, Is it attainable or does the creative force not reconcile that, and Could Jesus have been a Kabbalahist, he says alot of things that Line up with Kabbalah. I’m trying to learn more, just trying to find the place to lay my head.
Hi Mark, good questions!
We’ll learn in the upcoming lessons the concept of “there is none else besides Him”. This means that there is a single force behind ALL of reality. All of our thoughts, desires, all of the external events of the world come from this singular force. If so, then there is really no room for sin in the traditional sense of the word.
The Kabbalistic definition of sin is closer to a mistake. And mistakes are not bad, but rather the natural process by which we grow and develop. Similar to how kids have a tendency to break a toy in order to learn how it works.
Likewise in our spiritual work. There is a saying that “there is no righteous man on earth who does good and does not sin” and “a person does not keep a commandment if he has not failed in it first”. Meaning that it’s impossible to advance without first making such mistakes. They are a vital part of our development.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2010/05/there-are-no-sins-in-this-world/
As for Jesus, we could speculate one way or another, but in general, we should keep in mind that Kabbalah is a science. Kabbalah only deals with the correction of our egoistic nature and the revelation of the Creator. It has no connection to faith, religion, or religious leaders.
But ultimately these things are not so opposed. Both talk about the importance of loving others as yourself. Kabbalah goes even further and gives us a method to actualize loving others to such an extent that we can reveal in our lives the Creator, the general force of love and bestowal.
Albert @ KabU
Hola kabu. Quisiera preguntar si es posible desde la kabbalah trabajar para eliminar toda la corrupción y opresión de algunos gobiernos sobre sus ciudadanos?
google translation of Henry’s question:
Hi kabu. I would like to ask if it is possible from the kabbalah to work to eliminate all the corruption and oppression of some governments on their citizens?
Hi Henry, good question!
We’ll learn in the upcoming lesson on the perception of reality that the entire world is nothing more than a reflection of my own uncorrected egoistic state. As long as I’m not corrected, I will see in front of me a bad world, full of suffering, corruption, etc.
It’s like I have these dirty glasses through which I see the whole world as dirty. But the moment I clean my own glasses, I’ll look at the same world, but now it’s clean and perfect.
In other words, we don’t need to become humanitarians or make any corrections in the external world, we only need to correct ourselves, and we’ll see this correction reflected in the world.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: http://laitman.com/2014/04/in-neutral-gear/
Albert @ KabU
ojojojo if my results from the first knowledge checkpoint are anything to go by, 0 out of 4, I am even more disconnected than I thought!! I thought that the work was hidden as much by accident, language, time and the ability for students to understand, than by desire to hide the information. my questions are ; is there a set order to study the material? why have I understood so little? could it be I am not meant or able to understand?
In general, I am very confused and struggling to make sense of so many things in my life, let alone the meaning of life. The change I sense in me is not for the better, it is based on being more selfish!! is this just feeding ego? As a younger man I felt a strong connection with nature and what I shall call a force, something bigger and omni present, but I most definately struggle with the image of an old man representing god and judging for heaven or hell. Feeling instead that what ever this omnipresent force is, it is here now controlling us but not judging us. If we work within the natural paramètres or laws we could be in heaven conversely if we work against said laws it could become hell. So my next question is; why does what we do as individuals seem to have such little effect? from experience I know that giving myself can leave me unfulfilled, but I also see that being selfish is not working, it leaves me feeling worse than unfulfilled because in my heart I know I was not put here to be selfish. Was I not giving myself correctly? does this only work if we give collectively? is our path nothing to do with this? am i going mad? best wihes keith
Hi Keith, great questions!
1. Just follow along with the course, it provides a good foundation and order to study the materials. If you want you can also read through the course book “Kabbalah Revealed” from beginning to end, this will also give you a good foundation.
2. As for the knowledge checkpoint, this is just a tool we use to help students stay engaged. But keep in mind that ultimately it’s not through our knowledge that we attain spirituality. After all, we can take a super computer and load it up with all of Kabbalistic books as well as all of the knowledge that this entire world has to offer. But this computer will not attain spirituality. Spiritual attainment depends on one thing and one thing only, the desire. If we build the right desire for it, within that correct desire, we will reveal spiritual sensations. That’s it.
Although we spend a lot of time studying, the goal is not to acquire knowledge, but through the study to draw the light, a special force that helps us to build the right desire. Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2013/02/sunbathing-in-the-rays-of-the-reforming-light/
3. As for the changes we go through on the spiritual path, we need to understand that Kabbalah is the method by which we correct our egoistic nature. In order to correct our egoistic nature, we first need to discover this ego. So by engaging in spiritual work, we don’t just become saints. Rather, each time we uncover more and more of our egoistic nature and then we have what to correct. This follows the sayings that “there is no righteous man on earth who does good and does not sin” and “a person does not keep a commandment if he has not failed in it first”.
4. What we do has little effect because our world is the world of branches. To change something here, we need to do it on the level of roots. It’s like watching TV. Let’s say I’m watching a TV show and want to change something in the show. I can start yelling at the show or even turn it off, or go to sleep or make a thousand other actions. Ultimately none of this will change the show itself. In order to make any changes, I would need to go to the source. In this case maybe to contact the director or producer.
Likewise with our world, We’re on the level of branches, like that end result of a TV show that was already made. In order to make any changes here, we need to go to the roots. Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2009/09/the-law-of-roots-and-branches-the-most-imporant-law-in-kabbalah/
5. As for being able to give, we need to keep in mind that true altruism does not exist on the level of our world. Bestowal is the Creator’s nature. While our nature is that of pure reception. So it’s impossible for us to truly bestow. At best we can perform more and more covert actions of reception. For example, I go to the store and I give them my money, but obviously I want something in return. It’s the same with all of our actions of bestowal in corporeality. Either I do it to receive pleasure directly or indirectly from fame, honor, money, or even the pride of knowing that no one knows about this action, or even avoiding pain or guilt is also part of this same calculation.
So real bestowal, above any calculations for receiving for oneself, does not exist in our world. Real bestowal is purely the Creator’s quality. If we want to acquire such a quality, we first need to correct our nature. This is done by the force of the light we evoke through the Kabbalistic studies. This light begins to work on us, even if we don’t have the true desire to bestow. Even if we’re just like little kids, pretending to be spiritual grown ups. It takes this aspiration of ours and corrects it little by little, building in us a true desire for spirituality, for the spiritual qualities of love and bestowal.
Albert @ KabU
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