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Ba’al Sulam writes in the 4th paragraph of the preface to the Zohar, concerning the “second boundary when studying the Zohar”:
“You should know that The Zohar engages only in the worlds, BYA (Beria, Yetzira, Assiya), and in Ein Sof and the world of Atzilut, to the extent that BYA receive from them. However, The Book of Zohar does not engage in Ein Sof and the world of Atzilut themselves at all.”
On the life Q&A I mentioned that the Zohar refers to “only the worlds BYA” as Matter and Form of Matter “since Kabbalist dont attain Abstract, or Essence, and I was told that the Zohar actually explains all the worlds. How is this when Ba’al Sulam says the Zohar only pertains to these three and only these three and furhter goes on to say in paragraph 5:
“And since these three boundaries are very strict, if the reader is not prudent with them and will take matters out of context, he will immediately miscomprehend the matter. For this reason I have found it necessary to trouble and expand the understanding of these three boundaries as much as I could, in such a way that they will be understood by anyone.”
What am i missing that Ba’al Sulam said that is not contradictory to the statement I just posted where he later says that the world of atzilute is actually in the Zohar. I didnt want to take up the time for the Live Q&A so I am furthering this question here.
There is no way to edit so I should clarify. There is no ego here. Ba’al Sulam warns about not understanding the text correctly. You are the teacher, I am the student. I simply am lookin for clarification because I am reading Ba’al Sulam in “The works of Ba’al Sulam Vol 1 and 2”. I need to make sure I am understanding what he said correctly, as a student I can only assume what I read, so as a teaching im asking you what is being said. During the live Q&A it was mentioned the Zohar Covered all the worlds, but in this course it was said that we only attain matter and form of matter we dont deal in abstract or essence. This particular question I am asking does the Zohar deal directly with the upper worlds of Atzilut and then the Ein Sof? If it does not, I believe it points to the torah (In kabbalistic code), because Dr. Rav Michael Leightman, in his book Disclosing of a portion writes that the torah deals with the degrees of the patriarchs and total correction (the tabernacle and unification with the creator) as being very powerful spiritual degrees. In one of the courses there was the asch incident where if one was told they were wrong even if they were right because of outer forces and pressures one would admit to being wrong. This type of confusion needs clarification of great merit, which is why I am the student asking the teacher. What is really going on here, and why does it look like only the Zohar deals with in form of matter and matter only in the BYA worlds? What am I missing?
Hey Richard,
You said a lot there, I’m not sure where to go from initially, but the last question you asked was about Zohar engaging in form or matter only in BYA. It’s a little mixed up so I’ll try to say simply.
The Zohar talks about all the spiritual worlds, but maybe you’re asking about from which degree of attainment? Then we would say, it was written from the highest spiritual attainment, the full correction – raising the broken soul to the world of Atzilut.
About form and form clothed in matter, correct. We cannot attain the essence of the form, we can only attain the form clothed in matter, meaning clothed in desire. Without desire called “matter”, there’s no attainment as there is no sense. No light without a vessel.
Hey Ty,
We don’t do it since there’s no benefit first of all in passing whatever you’ve experienced to others since there’s no way for them to feel what you feel. Secondly, whatever words are used can only cause harm since that necessarily paints some picture or redefines concepts that only confuses others, obligating them to chase after certain images or emotions that aren’t accurate. This is why each person does their work, letting the sources and the teacher guide them. Any discussions between us aren’t about personal attainments, but generally about inspiration, raising importance and giving good examples. That list is of course a bit more detailed, but that’s the idea. Whatever we do, whatever actions we make or words we say, we always have to be very careful that we aren’t confusing anyone trying to implant in others what I felt or feel.
Thanks!
Chris
I am very interesting in receiving more light from the Zohar as I read, it not just become exposed to it. It has been mentioned a few times now in quite a few recommendations when studying the Zohar, that there are 4 introductory books that need to be read to fully grasp and understand what one is reading. I own from this publisher of class text several books concerning this subject. Could you please list the books that are considered by Baal Sulam the ones I need to purchase from the student text section that are considered these 4 introductory books. Because I would very much like to add them to my study and library if at all possible.
Also there is a book by Ba’al Sulam called mastering the ladder still in print. Is it recommended to get this since with Kabu and the education therein it will be understood at some point and keep connecting more and more from the kabbalist writings so that such a connection will be revealed with the writers?
Oh weird, I see it didn’t create a hyperlink.
This is what it should show:
I own all of these books currently except a few. I dont have “The Cabbalist” and I dont have “revelations of zohar” yet. I do want both ill eventually get them. My question was, that Dr. Rav Michael Leightman said “In order to understand the zohar you must first read 4 introductory” I have also seen this in “Enter the Zohar” course. What introductory are they referring to. Where do we get this information? Is this in the recommendations you made? Or is there another source. I was hoping there was a group of books that was sold but im guessing this might be a different thing being referred to. I went on the Kabbalah Library and cant find what im looking for but I can find Introductory to the Zohar. as an outline. I am interested in the titles of the books that are the 4 introductory mentioned on the course and by other youtube instructors.
I bought the two volumes of Baal Sulam, i think i found the answer. Preface to the Book of Zohar,” “Introduction to the Book of Zohar,” “A Speech for the Completion of the Zohar,” and “Preface to the Sulam Commentary. These are all required. I am interested in finding the commentary on Hasulem itself. Will this institution offer this any time soon. I have the book of zohar volume 1 already also.
Hey yes, came here to say this that these are probably what you were referring to and you can find them here:
https://kabbalahmedia.info/en/sources/tswzgnWkThank you, yes I think this will do nicely I appreciate you not forgetting about me and taking the time to actually answer my questions. I am sorry if they have been a bit harder to answer, I have been really reading a lot of Dr. Rav Michael Leightman’s work and a lot of Ba’al Sulam and I have it seems an endless amount of questions. But thank you all for your guidance and helping me keep on the right track to good study habits when learning such a subject that if we let it , it can be quite confusing.
I have watched many videos on the Zohar, and read all of the recommended reading. It says that there are 4 introductory books required to understand it.
I was aslo looking to acquire a full set of the Zohar of Rabbi Shimone Bar Yochia with Yehudah Lev Ashlag Commentary of Hasulam. I was wondering if this was going to be offered here. I have the volume 1 but i would like a full set that is explained by Ba’al Hasulam. I try to buy the books from the class to help support the efforts.
About the concept of “a Ten”
Is it better to find a group nearby and study kabbalah together or is it better to do that with random people across the word ?
Do you organize your students in groups of ten? I didn’t see that in the courses “Kabbalah revealed part one and two”.Thank you.
Hi Rahmann,
When you finish the course and are ready to find a ten, they will probably consider who else you’re close to, this used to hold more importance, and it still is important since gathering physically is something that tens like to plan every now and then, but there are many many other tens who don’t have this option since most everything is held virtually these days and there has been much progress since this shift.
Thanks!
Chris
Two weeks into the course….Respectfully
skeptical of the existence of forces (Light)
outside of our corporal perception….How do we prove the existence of this (Light)…
How do we develop a 6th sense to bring our
minds to be aware of these forces (light)….Charles Chase
you can see that even quantum physics explains that nothing but light surrounds us. I am not an instructor but a student. Because I see we have similarities in skepticism (when I first began just a few weeks ago) I bought the book “The Science of Kabbalah” By Dr, Rav Michael Lightman from the book store. Ive read it in its entirety, and will probably visit it again. I cannot say it has every answer but I can say at the start of your journey its a great place to start if you want to aquire what you cannot see in a logical sense as plausible scientifically. Although the world around us is mostly visible there are things which we cannot see that are both beneficial and sometimes harmful. When it comes to spirituality seeing is and sensing is not possilbe, because its an internal world that exists within. And upon connecting with others we find this world is much bigger than the one we created for ourselves in our own perceptions. I hope this recommendation helps.
Hey Charles,
This is what separartes Kabbalah from other methods. If you have an inclination, some kind of feeling within you that pushes you forward on the path, keeps you here and gives you the sensation that there is truth here – then this is enough to continue to engage until you understand how it works. “Understanding” just comes from feeling it, feeling the changes and in that the “intention” of the source of what changed you. Feeling that it wasn’t just some “blip” and now you relate differently to reality. It’s this change accompanied by a bit more of a sensation of the one that’s inciting these changes – what the upper, guiding force wants as a result of that change.
These are all things that explaining will only aid in directing you down that path that will eventually bring you such things for you to discover yourself. If there was some “source code” available for the whole world to inspect, then certainly the whole world would want to know what actions they need to do to raise themselves to a higher perception of reality. But the system that we exist in, and the forces that advance the created being, expect the creature to enter that perception by wanting it, meaning wanting the upper nature’s quality. “You can’t buy desire at the pharmacy”, thus this desire is something that is a result of a person’s own inner work so they go through all the sensations of toiling and claiming the reward for that toil – thus coming to know the “why” as a result which is the purpose of creation – to be in adhesion with the Creator and His thought of creation.
Patience is key. Doubts are also crucial. These are the foundation blocks for building your true “I”, which exist outside of your own reason, your body, this animal – the ego.
Best of luck,
Chris
My question is quite simple. If the torah is not literal. Yet we use the figures in the torah to explain how old the concept of Kabbalah was. How do we know the torah is not literal. We use Avraham as the father of torah but also the father of Kabbalah. We then say Moses was giving the torah to the people at sinia. Was this literal? Or did these men exist and the stories are surrounding them but not literal (more myth and legend, or even fantasy) to allegorically explain the world we cannot see. I am just curious which point of the torah and its characters are literal. I feel this particular subject is covered by the Kabbalah explained simply, but its kind of going back and forth as credible literal and not credible literal in the writings that are offered as “Class text” for the classes. Obviously the torah is light, but does it have to be literal to be that or can the allegories of both fiction legends, myths, and fantasies, simply be where the light was hidden so the allegory could be taught. I say this because Ramesses II seems to not be recorded in our history at all as having exiled anyone out of Egypt yet the torah clearly names this person in our history as the one confronting moses.
Hey Richard,
The literal meanings have no importance. According to the law of root and branch, all spiritual roots must make a branch in this reality. The physical occurrence of what is written doesn’t matter since what’s being passed along in writing are descriptions of spiritual interactions. The focus of the study is always to connect ourselves, “stick” ourselves as close as we can to the author and when we are together and aim to desire what’s written to occur within us, between us, this is what brings the changes. We’re not looking for changes that will give us more knowledge or understanding, but to be above what the ego wants since this is the place for a higher nature.
When you build for yourself the depiction of “Moses” as an inner point within you that faces the ego, then the reading becomes an inner journey and not a tale of what might or might not have occurred according to history.
This stage passes the longer you’re on the path and you’re able to overcome wanting to draw parallels all the time and shift the focus to the intention.
You’ll probably have to revisit this many many times. But rather than trying to convince yourself that this is the correct approach each time, just “lower your head”, nullify yourself (whatever you think that means in the meantime), and cleave onto the author. This is the best approach.
Also, it’s important to note that we don’t really study the Torah. Of course those are Kabbalistic sources, and they’re still relevant for our path, but they weren’t written for our times. This is why Baal HaSulam and Rabash are important to us. These are the teachers who wrote for our generation and existed to prepare this last generation for correction. This is why the majority of our study is from what these Kabbalsits write to us since they are much closer to us.
Thanks!
Chris
.. allow me to share a dream to you when I was at the age of 10 or 11, now you must understand that I grew up as ignorant and not really religious but was sent to church and sunday school and unfortunately for me I didn’t understand really anything of what was taught or perhaps I was not interested and I’ve never heard or knew about Moses or halos and the like of it! Or neither about commandments and so forth
.so allow me to share this dream of which I had as a child, perhaps someone here maybe enlightened to shed some understanding..I’m now 56
I dreamt I was sitting on a carpeted floor in front of a single bed ejere a holy man was lying on his back stretched out and by his foot end was two men standing, one waa a tall man and the other medium of height and the holy man that was lying on the bed had a type of circle round his head of which it seemed like halo. I was sitting on the floor with the broken pieces of stone of tablet which Moses wrote the commandments on, the ones which he tjrew and broke when saw that the people was busy worshipping the idle god..and I sat with those broken pieces and said ” Look what Moses have done?!” I remember I was the only one that spoke in the dream, after I said rhose words I woke up. Today I’m 56 and still remember that dream so clearly, only thing I can’t remember or brought out is the faces of these men.
Thank you kindly for reading my message
Rowena Dawn van der PoelThe dreams most often piece together, facts and illusions, irrationally. Going to church and Sunday school, even if you did not pay attention, was a large source of dreams material. The subconscious mind takes note of much more than the conscious. The dream is most likely a mixture of facts you’ve heard/visualized (imagined while ‘not’ listening) that impressed you somehow. I remember being a kid and reading in the Bible that Moses broke the tablets (“written on with the finger of god“). I was 8 or 9, and I remember feeling enraged at Moses: “How can you hurt these tablets that the finger of god wrote?” It was like: “Moses, you broke God’s finger!” I felt hurt for God, did not want to hurt Moses, just felt that he knew better what is of value. I never told anyone. But I can see you, in your dream saying what I felt. From your story of this dream I sense that your subconscious mind was interested & preoccupied with spiritual matters and you loved god, even though you consciously deny this. I know nothing of dream interpretation if that’s what you’re looking for. The fact that you remember that dream vividly tells me that it shocked you, you frequently revisited it, and that your subconscious holds many memories unavailable to your conscious. It might be the call to develop spiritually. That’s my 2 cents. I appreciate you, and your sharing this here.
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