Ask Anything

[Gil]

Ask any question and get an answer from a KabU instructor! (for tech questions see “Tech Support” Section)

[Todd]

Thanks for answering,

“The Baal Shem Tov said that he who says that there is another force in the world, namely Klipot [shells], that person is in a state of “serving other gods.””

What does this quote mean in general?  What are Klipot(shells) in particular?

[Chris – KabU Instructor]

Hey Todd,

The meaning is similar to a fruit whose skin protects the inner goods. The “shells” or Klipot, are these opposite forces to holiness, to bestowal, that encourage growth in the right direction. I identify them as “unhealthy” to my spiritual growth, but without recognizing them, I won’t have the right request for correction.

Thanks!

[Todd]

Hello again,

 

Would you say that Kabbalah is anti fragile?  In the sense that a thing that gets stronger by more stress acting on it is anti fragile.  Is Kabbalah anti fragile in a macro cosmic sense and a microcosmic sense.  In the macro cosmic sense is it true that the more bad things happen the more people will be inclined to come to kabbalah?  In the microcosmic sense is it true that the more bad things that happen to a Kabbalist the more power or inclination he has to do the work and to build his desire to pass the barrier?  How does passing the barrier work?  Has anyone passed the barrier into spirituality yet or are we working on one big collective passing of the barrier that will happen for everyone at once?  Did the common western astrology come from kabbalah?

[Chris – KabU Instructor]

Hey Todd,

Would you say that Kabbalah is anti fragile?  In the sense that a thing that gets stronger by more stress acting on it is anti fragile.  Is Kabbalah anti fragile in a macro cosmic sense and a microcosmic sense.  In the macro cosmic sense is it true that the more bad things happen the more people will be inclined to come to kabbalah?

“Kabbalah” is the light on the path. It’s the method of correction. The method, I don’t think, cannot be described as fragile or anti-fragile. You could say a person themselves change, but these changes aren’t to fragile/not fragile. The changes are whether a person is exiting their ego and coming closer to the quality of bestowal or they are sinking deeper into it. If a person is on the path of correction, then generally the trend is coming out of the ego. However, coming closer to exiting the ego actually contains within it the revelation of the ego itself which can feel as a gradually worsening state, when in reality, until the true revelation of the ego has occurred to a person, they are not willing to ask for the change to a different quality.

 

  In the microcosmic sense is it true that the more bad things that happen to a Kabbalist the more power or inclination he has to do the work and to build his desire to pass the barrier?  How does passing the barrier work?  Has anyone passed the barrier into spirituality yet or are we working on one big collective passing of the barrier that will happen for everyone at once?  Did the common western astrology come from kabbalah?

You could think of it the same way you would when looking at an adult in our world. That adult has more responsibilities and can cause more harm. The “blame” is not Kabbalah, but a person is just naturally developing. We are all working together to help one another exit this nature, and cross this “barrier”.

Thanks!

Chris

[Todd]

Hello,

Was king Solomon a Kabbalist?   Is there any importance in Kabbalah to the lesser and greater keys of Solomon the King?  Do you have to tithe once you get a group, meaning do you have to give ten percent of your income and to who?  If you start studying Kabbalah and then have to stop for some reason will the creator be angry with you or will you mess up the system the spiritual system that is, or any system for that matter?  Why are Kabu students invited to the retreat now, were they not before and why?  Do you think it would be overwhelming and difficult to deal with for a person brand new to go to the retreat especially if they are not a “people person”?

 

 

[Chris – KabU Instructor]

Hey Todd,

There are a lot of questions here, so I’ll respond to them in-line for easier reading and answering.

Was king Solomon a Kabbalist?  Yes.  Is there any importance in Kabbalah to the lesser and greater keys of Solomon the King?  Many Kabbalists didn’t write anything, in fact, most of them did not. The ones that did write and those writings stuck around until our times, then usually there’s something we can take from it. We mainly study Baal HaSulam (Yehuda Shalom HaLevi Ashlag) and the Rabash (Baruch Shalom HaLevi Ashlag) simply because what they gave to us is more appropriate for our generation than most other writings. Other than the Zohar of course. Do you have to tithe once you get a group, meaning do you have to give ten percent of your income and to who?  Whether you tithe or not is up to you. Most of the more veteran students do, but this is certainly optional until you feel you want to. It not only supports the mission of spreading the wisdom to the entire world, but there are spiritual aspects as well. If you start studying Kabbalah and then have to stop for some reason will the creator be angry with you or will you mess up the system the spiritual system that is, or any system for that matter? Don’t forget here, that if you stop studying, this is also the Creator commanding this action.  If a person doesn’t know of the spiritual system or has had no contact with it, then they can’t cause harm, well, they cause harm the same way a baby crawling knocks over the vase. Only when a person has the true choice of choosing the will to receive or the will to bestow can they affect the system in a meaninful way. Why are Kabu students invited to the retreat now, were they not before and why?  Not sure what you’re referring to when you say, “were they not before?”. The regristration opened not too long ago. These are for KabU students and most of them this is their first gathering.  Do you think it would be overwhelming and difficult to deal with for a person brand new to go to the retreat especially if they are not a “people person”. Certainly the atmosphere is set to bring people closer together. People person or not a people person, the mutual goal overshadows any of the personal issues a person might have. If they prepare themselves correctly, they will enter that place and feel absorbed within the general group and they will think less and less of themselves. Best of luck  🙂

[mrc s]

Is having a positive self esteem not being humble? Rather exalting ourselves?

[Chris – KabU Instructor]

A person needs to feel like their basic needs are taken care of, like the quote, “There’s no Torah without flour.” Meaning, if a person doesn’t have their basic needs of theirs met, there’s no way they can start thinking about spirituality. For most of us, this is a critical need to have fulfilled and can be paralyzing which makes it challenging to think of anything else. You could take this to the extreme as well and have too much of this “esteem” and it takes on a more negative function.

You’ll have to inspect this yourself and draw your own conclusions. The matter of annulment towards society is something you’ll eventually have to encounter, but hopefully, by then you would be prepared for such a decision.

Best of luck,

Chris

[mrc s]

Which is more higher nature or humans?

[Chris – KabU Instructor]

Hey mrc,

There are a few ways to interpret what you’re asking, but you’d could say humans, the speaking degree, have the ability to be like the Creator whereas all other levels in nature act only according to the laws that givern there and have no free choice.

It’s also correct to say that there is non else besides Him.

[mrc s]

Should we be able to do anything? What if we can do bad things, should we be able to do bad things?

[Chris – KabU Instructor]

You’re asking like you forgot we’re in a system that operates us 100%. If we do something “bad” this is us doing it? Or we were made to feel that it was “us doing it”?

 

[Author]

Replies