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I have this dialog inside me and I need your help to clarify it, Gianni, please. If I started to learn Kabbalah for all the wrong reasons, certain frustrations I have from the corporeal life, and it seems like I cannot get rid of them in the work; they are coloring everything I hear or do, corrupting my work, and my frustrations are so strong I don’t even notice them many times, how should I scrutinize this and make progress? If I was in your Ten, how would you help me see and overcome this (especially the inability to notice them)?
Thank you in advance!
On suffering. I was pondering on this in the Zohar: “spilling seed is more severe than all sins, since he defiles his soul in the world and the world to come and he does not see the glory of the Shichenah” -Zohar Vyeshev
I know some Rabbis say that absolute “holiness” is required to study Kabbalah.
But we also hear that Kabbalah has nothing to do with morality.1) So are man and wife required to try for procreation every time they are “together”?
2) Would people who come to the Wisdom of Kabbalah “suffer” less if they knew this?
3) What is Teshuva for this if any? Is what some of the Rabbis say on Teshuva for this applicable today?
*this is asked with the utmost respect as I know it is a sensitive subject
It’s not sensitive for me. But these things don’t talk about this world. Same as I just answered Zorica below. We’re confused with what’s on the screen, but behind it is 1s and zeros. That is, Light and Kli. So, a person is having an imagination that he’s in this world, and he has names for all the things he observes in this imagination. Kabbalah doesn’t talk at all about what’s going on in that imagination.
That’s why we recommend if reading the Zohar to only read it with the Sulam commentary because there, next to each word, is the translation into the language of Sefirot, Olamot, etc. Otherwise, a person can’t help but think it’s about this world.
That said, what I do with my physical body doesn’t harm or help me spiritually. I can replace it all, put a pig heart in place of my heart and still reach adhesion with the Creator.
In light of the question, who am I, who has ego? The body? To what is the ego “attached”?
Thank you in advance!
Hi,
Some clarity, a most recent article in one of the Rav’s classes talks about gratitude, the article in question is ” One’s Future Depends and Is Tied to Gratitude for the Past” if the creator is a force, why does He need our gratitude, going back to the Psalms by King David, there are many psalms of praise, why does this force need our praise and gratitude, how does praise and gratitude influence the upper levels?
thank you
I’ve been following the course you and Zohar taught in 2021, “Pticha – Intro to the Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah.” Currently, I’m on Lesson 7 and I’m deeply grateful for the wealth of incredible content from KabU, thank you.
I have a question that I’m grappling with.
It’s about the concept of “reflected light.” We often discuss the idea of receiving in order to bestow, with the ultimate goal of aligning ourselves (“Equivalence of Form”) with the Creator, thereby attaining spirituality. This concept is emphasized repeatedly: our intention should be focused on “bringing contentment to the Creator.”
However, this raises a paradox. The Creator, as I understand, has no need for anything. In fact, it goes beyond mere lack of need; the Creator is averse to receiving. In “The Path of Kabbalah” by Rav, he clearly states on page 84: “Because the Creator gives, his creatures must strive for the same. Conversely, THE CREATOR HATES TO BE A RECEIVER. Being complete and needing nothing, the creature should also despise reception, as it is the root of all evil.”
In trying to make sense of this, I’ve considered what it means to “bring contentment.” Perhaps it’s not about giving something that is received, but rather fulfilling a desire. For instance, when a parent gifts something to their child, they don’t receive anything tangible in return, but the act itself brings them a sense of wholeness and completion. However, this is my interpretation and not something explicitly stated in our teachings. Moreover, the illustrative arrow does hint at some form of exchange.
So, essentially, I have two question:
1 – Does God disdain our attempts to bestow upon Him?
2 – Where does the reflected light go? Who receives it? I have come to understand that there is none else beside the Creator. Wife, children, relatives, work, and friends – everything is but the Creator, standing behind all these different forms. Does the reflected light, as we aim it at the Creator, land on all these different forms?
Hi David,
While I can’t resolve your quandary because that’s like 4 full lessons, I can answer your questions.
1 – Does God disdain our attempts to bestow upon Him?
No. It is said, “The Creator loves all the works, however they are.” Any attempts to resemble Him, He enjoys.
2 – Where does the reflected light go? Who receives it?
The Reflected Light – it’s said that it returns to the Source of the Light. This means that he doesn’t want to receive because he prefers Equivalence with the Creator. But precisely to the extent he can raise Reflected Light he can receive Inner Light. That’s as clear as we can make it for now. There are many more discernments about it in The Study of the Ten Sefirot.
Behind both questions is that you need to know that the Creator is indeed playing a game with us, by which we become like Him.
Thank you for the opportunity to ask, please:
Is it correct to Pray and Ask Creator change the collective from egoism to altruism? Or heal humanity from egoism?
Is this a correct approach to make a request for the collective?
Thank You
Yes, but it needs to start with your ten, to ensure that it’s true. That’s my sounding board by which to ascertain my true attitude to the ten, then humanity, and then the Creator. These sights have to line up or my bullet misses the target.
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