Ask anything about week 1 lesson and materials and get an answer from a senior Kabbalah instructor.

[Tony Kosinec- KabU Instructor]

Ask anything about week 1 lesson and materials and get an answer from a senior Kabbalah instructor.

[Al]

After seeing the video I have 2 main questions:

1. why or how do we descend from the reality into our world? was that a punishment?

2. I would like to know more about the 125 steps

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Al,

1. We were created in the state of perfection, in complete adhesion with the Creator. (Baal HaSulam describes this in the article Introduction to the book of Zohar). But this was an unconscious state, like a baby in its mother’s womb. So we necessarily had to come to the complete opposite state, to lose that state of perfection, in order to once again reach it, but this time consciously.

And the fact that we had to lose this state is not something bad, but it’s a necessary part of our development. It’s just like with kids. We don’t just give them a completed jigsaw puzzle. On the contrary we take it and break it down into many pieces. Then in the process of them putting it together, they grow and develop. Same with us, this process of losing that state is a necessary part of our further growth and development.

This process also adds to us a certain level of freedom, without which, we would be no different than machines, or robots, that were programmed to act a certain way and they just carry out this inner script. Instead, we were programmed one way, and we rise above this inner programming, become independent of it, and then develop our own desire to advance towards this goal.

Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2014/01/from-perfection-to-perfection/

2. The number 125 comes from the structure of the upper worlds. This structure is just a division of the spiritual desire that we need to correct into sefirot, partzufim, and worlds.

The most basic division of the desire is 1 Sefira. 5 Sefirot compose 1 partzuf. 5 Partzufim compose 1 world. There are 5 worlds in total. So 5 worlds each with 5 partzufim each with 5 sefirot equals 125 (5x5x5) steps on the spiritual ladder, or in other words corrections that need to be performed on the desire.

In the book Kabbalah for the Student, there’s an article called Foreword to the Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah which lists these 125 steps in the language of sefirot/partzufim/olamot(worlds). For now, these are just technical terms for us, but in the future lessons we’ll dive deeper into these things and learn how to feel and experience them.

In simpler words, the 125 steps represent the difference between us and the Creator. The Creator is a desire to bestow and we are the desire to receive. Adapting our desire to receive to work in order to bestow takes 125 steps. So to the extent that we correct our nature, make it similar to the Creator’s nature, to that extent we’re “climbing” this ladder.

In other words, ascending or descending this ladder is not a physical action, but rather depends on how much we’re similar to the Creator’s quality of bestowal (ascending) or less similar to it and more egoistic (descending).

All of this operates according to the law of equivalence of form. Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details:

https://laitman.com/2013/04/everything-is-attained-by-the-equivalence-of-form/

Albert @ KabU

• This reply was modified 8 months, 2 weeks ago by Albert - KabU Instructor.

[Park]

Hello. I’m wondering if there will be instruction to use any of the books that was recommended to supplement this course.

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Park,

Each weekly lesson has recommended reading materials from the course books. Here is the link for week 1.

Furthermore, it’s recommended to just read through Kabbalah Revealed from beginning to end. After that, you can also read through Attaining the Worlds Beyond.

As for Kabbalah For the Student, this is a textbook of primary sources, it can be very difficult to read on your own. We’ll go through those articles together throughout the semesters.

Albert @ KabU

[Park]

Thank you Albert. I appreciate your response. I’m wondering, is there a link you may be able to share pertaining to the recommended readings for each week? Also, does the course notify us when we have completed a week?

I’m very excited about the readings. It’s why I asked. Can’t wait to dig in!

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Park,

Each week has its own link for the recommended readings. You can find them in the left-hand navigation bar.

If you completed a week, there is a check mark in all the activities of that week, also found in the left-hand navigation bar.

Here’s a screenshot example:

Albert @ KabU

[Park]

Thank you! I didn’t notice it in my mobile browser.

[Aleta]

Please help me to understand <i>Lo Lishma ( not for Her sake ). </i>

Thank you.

[Park]

.

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Aleta,

Lo Lishma and Lishma refers to our intention, the reason for why we’re studying Kabbalah. Lo Lishma means that we aspire to spirituality egoistically, for our own sake. While Lishma is when the light corrects our initial egoistic aspiration and makes it operate purely in the direction of bestowal, for the sake of the entire system.

Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2011/07/lo-lishma-having-something-to-correct/

Albert @ KabU

[Aleta]

There are many variations of the word/name Adam in the readings. Please explain the varied use and meanings. Thank you.

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Aleta,

Adam is Hebrew for man or person, it could also be the name of a person.

Adam Kadmon, which translates to: primordial man, is part of the system of worlds. It is the first form of the desire to receive that became similar to the Creator, but it operates in a different way then the rest of the system, so it’s called primordial.

Adam HaRishon, which translates to: the first man, is the active part within the system of worlds. This is similar to how you have planet Earth and you have people or those that inhabit the planet.

So Adam Kadmon is part of the system of worlds, while Adam HaRishon is the active part within that system.

Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2014/05/the-human-is-the-innermost-part-in-the-system-of-worlds/

Albert @ KabU

[Aleta]

There seem to be so many entrance points into the information. please simplify/clarify for me as I am not a natural user of the internet!!! ( Be kind to an old woman as I suspect I am probably asking these questions in the wrong place. )

 

1. What is the direct link to my subscribed courses?

2.What is the difference between these sites and what do they provide? Can you navigate from within one to another?Are any interactive for questions and answers? kab.info,  kabbalahmedia,  www.tv,  kabuconnect.com,   KabuU

3. What is Kabbalah Today?

4.  What happens live on Sunday? on Tuesday?

5. Are there some kind of presentations on Facebook? on YouTube?

Thank you.

 

 

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Aleta,

1. Here is the direct link to the KabU courses: https://kabuconnect.com/all-courses/

2. kabuconnect.com is the main course site.

kabbalahmedia.info is the archive of Kabbalistic sources from Baal HaSulam, Rabash, and Rav Laitman. It also has 20+ years of recorded lectures from Rav Laitman, so it can be a bit overwhelming. It’s more geared towards advanced students that finished the KabU courses, so you can revisit it later.

kab.info is the general Kabbalah website. It’s more geared towards people who are just doing a basic google search of Kabbalah. It’s not really geared for students that are already part of KabU.

laitman.com/eng is Rav Laitman’s blog.

There are other websites, but those are the main ones. If you’re lost, just stick to kabuconnect where these courses will take you from the basics of Kabbalah all the way into the advanced sessions where we learn how to practically apply Kabbalah.

3. Kabbalah Today was a newspaper we once published. We stopped updating that content and site many years ago, so it’s not something I would really recommend.

4. There are live events, like Q/A with Tony and Julian and other broadcasts where Kabbalah is explained in a simple down to earth way or through current events. You can find the schedule and links here: https://kabuconnect.com/live/.  These are essentially bonus materials. Again if it’s too much or you’re lost, just stick to the KabU courses.

5. The live events from question 4 do take place on Facebook/Youtube and the Q/A sessions are also on Zoom, so KabU students can ask the instructors live questions through Zoom.

Albert @ KabU

[Aleta]

How and  by whom ( native speakers? Disciples? ) are the Kabbalist sources we are reading been translated from the language in which they were original thought, spoken and written to English? Thank you.

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Aleta,

Most of the books have been manually translated from Hebrew into English by Chaim Ratz. He’s a native Hebrew speaker and veteran student that has been studying with Bnei Baruch and Rav Laitman for over 20 years.

He’s an expert at what he does, possessing a very high proficiency in both Hebrew and English. And if there is some doubt about the proper way to translate a word or phrase, he checks directly with Rav Laitman to ensure that he’s passing as much of the inner meaning of the words as possible in the translation.

Albert @ KabU

[Author]

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