Ask Anything

[Gil]

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

[Brad]

I understand that kabbalah was before the religion of judaism.

But How can kabbalah be separate from judaism ? Can one exist without the other? My orthodox friends challenge me this,  saying you cannot have kabbalah without judaism, Ive been practicing rabbinical judaism the past 8 years, and  after joining KabU, i see there is a deeper meaning with the mizvots. But kabU’s main audience is non jews, how do i fit in if im wearing keepah and tzit tzits tallit etc in my ten?  I feel like they might think “i think im better than them”. Or im stuck in religious mind, Am i to throw it all away?

I understand now that nothing physical gives me spirituality but am i to throw it all away after  8 years? The baal Hasulam never did…this is what im confused about. If kabbalah is seperate from judaism that means you can have one without the other? Why physical myzvot than?

 

 

[Chris – KabU Instructor]

Hey Brad,

That certainly would be an opinion but according to Kabbalah’s history, this was began with Abraham. There were no religions at that point. Judaism of today is just an outcome of the point in the heart becoming dormant and after thousands of years what became important is the external actions and distancing from the inner work. Such an emphasis on the external actions only highlights them more and more throughout the years and the Judaism of today is what we see as a result of many many generations engaging only in the externality of the Torah.

There are many on our path who came from religious backgrounds. The only advice we ever offer is “pick one and stick to it.” That doesn’t mean that some don’t keep Shabbat or don’t adhere to certain customs, but they aren’t going to the synagogue and being exposed to a different interpretation of the Torah, for example. A person trying to blend the two will only confuse themselves and at one point will need to make a decision anyway, so it’s best to choose one and not waste time. There certainly will be a kind of “un-learning” where you’ll be used to thinking a certain way and that will change with time, you’ll just need to be flexible.

The way I would look at it is, yes Kabbalah is “separate” from Judaism, but don’t think of it as two branches of the same thing. There’s one which is the authentic method of correction, and the other which appeals to those who have no awakening of the point in the heart. I’m not sure what you mean “throw it all away”… if you ultimately arrived to this path and this is where you feel truth is, then what are you throwing away?

But the reason that causes him to want to ask the Creator to take him out of self-love and give him the light of faith is only that he is Jewish and must observe Torah and Mitzvot because the Creator has commanded us to observe His will. But he sees that he has nothing to do with bestowing upon the Creator. Rather, all his concerns are as those of the gentiles, only self-love. This motivates him to go and ask for something—to be able to be a Jew and not a gentile who belongs to the nations of the world.

 

Best of luck!

Chris

[Brad]

Well said Chris. What i meant by “throw it all away” is my tzit tzitz, tallit, keepah etc.  And dare even eat un kosher food!?

[Chris – KabU Instructor]

Ah, understood. Keep it! I think you’ll see it all in new light if you stick around for long enough to go through the significant changes that occur to us all on this path. The whole Jewish religion will be seen in your eyes as different and you’ll understand what happened there. You’ll also understand where the Kabbalists were coming from with the customs they set in place.

Kosher…you do what you want with that. Obviously here in Israel there are many friends who keep it, I would probably say most, and there are some who don’t. What’s important is the intention. This is what we learn in Kabbalah. The action without the intention–is just an action, like you said earlier. The action, with the intention is something completely different. Until we reveal what these actions even are, they’re just actions. If a person keeps these actions but inwardly only wants to bestow to the Creator through love of the created beings, this is a great benefit. The two will eventually align, but this takes time.

The most important actions in the meantime are what revolve around the group, the friends, the environment and our interactions there…what’s our intention when engaging with them? This is the most critical. The rest will fall into place.

Thanks!

[Brad]

Im very satisfied with your answers,  last question, Rabbi Adam Polinovskiy, a student of Rabbi Gottlieb (who is supposedly a successor of Rabash, at least, thats the claim.) he has engaged in conversation with me, after i posted an article where Rav Laitman says there is no obligation to keep traditions. His claim is that if the Baal HaSulam or Rabash heard he said that, they would have cut ties with Laitman, and that statement is utter falsehood.
Its easy for me to find quotes from the Baal HaSulam that say along the lines that “physical mizvots mean nothing without intention” but is there anywhere that he says specifically that one is not obligated to keep traditions”?

i personally desire to know, not just to have an answer, but it’s important for me. Thank achi

 

[Chris – KabU Instructor]

Baal HaSulam says in one of his articles that during the time of correction everyone will keep their customs and traditions and even religions–as they all are necessary in the correction. I’ll try and see what article it’s from but I want to say “The Peace”. We’ll see.

But again, if you find yourself in a back in forth with religiously mindset people, they certainly would not bend in their ideology for something that basically completely negates their beliefs. Don’t ever expect anyone to understand through words what you feel from Kabbalah. Keep that in mind.

Here’s the part (The Writings of the Last Generation):

The religious form of all the nations should first obligate its members to bestowal upon each other to the extent that the life of one’s friend will come before one’s own life, of “Love thy friend as thyself”. One will not take pleasure in society more than a backward friend.

This will be the collective religion of all the nations that will come within the framework of communism. However, besides that, each nation may follow its own religion and tradition; one must not interfere in the other.

[Michael]

hi.  i’ve for a long time felt like i dealt with the problem of the concept of god simply by not thinking about it.  and i understand why thinking about duality and the interactions of opposites is logical, and why the concept of unity expresses our desire.  but i never understand where the idea that there is a creator and we are the created being comes from.  why is the additional concept necessary?

[Chris – KabU Instructor]

Hey Michael,

This is simply the construct of our reality. When a person begins to explore what reality truly is, they begin to feel the way it’s being depicted to them. Meaning, that they are as if “robots” being operated upon–yet, with this one single point of awareness that observes this happening. When a person begins removing concealments and the attitude of the Creator is opened up to them bit by bit, the thought of creation is revealed to them to a certain extent and this “attitude” from the Creator is towards something, the thing that the Creator relates to, the thing He created. It’s not an additional concept it’s just the way a person feels when they’re not in complete concealment–that He created us and He treats us. There is only these two in reality.

Thanks!

Chris

[Simona Vazquez-Sartori]

Hi everyone, I’m quite new here but I keep hearing about Adam Kadmon and Adam Harishon and I think I’m confused as to what those terms represent and the difference among them. Can you please help me get clarity? Thank you so much.

[Chris – KabU Instructor]

Hey Simona,

“Kadmon” is referring to what we learn in “the structure of creation” as the initial world that exists–also known as the world of “Ein Sof” (no end).

Adam HaRishon is the single system of our one soul that exists which was shattered and this is the part that undergoes correction.

Thanks!

[Rue]

I am a big meditation person. I hear that meditation is not really a part of Kabbalah. But is there any kinds of meditation or even prayer that I can do at all with Kab?

I like a lot of the ideas of Buddhism. I find certain themes running through both Kab, Buddhism and other esoteric ideologies. Like altruism, the idea of suffering etc. Anyway, I am trying to be more loving and kind and am more conscious of my desires and where they’re stemming from. And I’m trying to connect with my intention and become synchronized with my predestined plan.

Lately, I’ve been feeling more empty than usual. Like I need to be constantly filling a desire that quickly fades away. More than usual. I try to then sit with this emptiness and truly feel it instead of filling it with a desire. I wonder if that could be a part of my Kab journey. Like the beginning stage. Even though I’ve just joined Kabu. But I’ve been reading an awful lot.

Anyways, sorry for ranting. I really didn’t know exactly what or how to say or express what I’ve been feeling. Oh yeah, the whole idea of “being social” as being the one desire that doesn’t like fade away or whatever. Like connection. I find that ironic since I have a severe social phobia. Maybe it’s a sign that this point in my heart will lead me to face this fear. I don’t know.

Again, sorry for the rant. But if there’s any ideas or anything anyone can do to send me some clarity, that be great. Ultimately, I’d love to find some peace of mind too. Thank you. Rue

[Chris – KabU Instructor]

Hi Rue,

Can I ask, what is it about meditation that you’re hoping would be beneficial to you on your path studying the wisdom of Kabbalah?

I ask because typically when we have students that come from this background, there’s still some tendency to hold onto methods they’re used to, habits even…expectations etc., and although as beginners on the path there are many things to learn and understand and there is plenty of time for that–but we will always recommend “choosing” one method and sticking with it. Meaning, if you want to study Kabbalah, then this is what you will need to decide to stick to and not bring in other tendencies but rather adhere to what our teachers teach us and follow their path. If a person is reluctant and wants to walk on both paths, this is where they become confused and are unable to reconcile the discrepancies they feel within them.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with Kabbalah or Eastern methods but once someone finds Kabbalah, it’s typically because they felt there was still something missing. If that’s the case, then the best, safest approach to the wisdom is to start with a clean slate.

Another important aspect is something we refer to a lot which is just “redefining” what meditation is for you and when you can do this within the framework of Kabbalah, meaning you leave the “instructions” you previously had for how to meditate, and instead adopt meditation as internal efforts you make which are aimed in alignment with how Kabbalists tell us how to conduct inner work. Meditation, then, takes on a new form for you and in fact a very critically important aspect Kabbalists call “prayer” which I’m sure you’ve heard in other contexts or methods previously but also here, you’ll need to redefine the word according to the wisdom of Kabbalah.

This is all an inner journey and it takes time. You’ll gradually adjust and orient yourself in reality and you’ll see be shown exactly what it is you’re supposed to do and it will feel internally clear to you what it means to “work” or “pray” and the benefits of these internal actions and what results you expect to see.

Best of luck,

Chris

[Ali Nadalipour]

Hi .some days I feel very emotional and recepreception  is veryvery strong in me if i maybe have a point in the heart it s burning me and by studying kab would be in tears by no (any) reason.but in other days receive none and everything (nothing) looks normal.i wanna know is there a factor outside of me doing such things or something inside caused it? thanks sir

[Chris – KabU Instructor]

Hi Ali,

This is a good time to try and notice that we are not in control of our thoughts/desires/emotions. Certainly each moment is given to us with a very precise and calculated opportunity from above. We don’t understand why we receive each state this way or the other–but eventually we will want to exit this calculation of feels good/feels bad or bitter/sweet to calculations that someone who craves spirituality (bestowal) over reception which are calculations of truth/falsehood.

According to our nature, we will always want to feel good, we will always want to control our states or feel that we are in control. Part of spiritual development is this gradual transition to accepting that there is only one governing force in reality. The more we can use each moment to realize it the way we best understand, clinging to the environment and not wanting to leave its influence of the importance of the goal over us–the closer we are to behaving correctly within every given state.

Best of luck,n

Chris

[mrc s]

Is Satan and his followers have the biggest ego as they are fartherst from G-d?

[Chris – KabU Instructor]

Hey mrc,

As we’ve discussed before regarding “Satan” — this is just another form of the will to receive takes in a person, the force that reigns and wants only in order to receive.

Chris

[Author]

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