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.

[nidia]

Is the kabbalah only passed on orally? Or is there also an original passed on version of the kabbalah that is written?

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Nidia,

There is a part that is passed orally and there is a part that is written.

There have been many Kabbalists and Kabbalistic books written throughout the generations. Although some of those writings still exist today, we don’t really study them directly in our days. In our days we mainly study from the writings of Baal HaSulam and Rabash. This is because egoism grows from generation to generation, so Kabbalah, the method for its correction, needs to get adapted in each generation for that level of egoism. For example it’s like in medicine, if a person has a headache he can just drink a tylenol and that’s enough to fix him. But if it’s not just a little headache but something cancerous, then that tylenol won’t do anything for him but he needs a completely different regime to heal himself.

This is why Kabbalah gets adapted in each generation to the level of egoism that is currently found in that generation. So although there were many different Kabbalists and Kabbalistic books throughout the generations, nowadays we mainly learn from the writings of Baal HaSulam and Rabash, since their writings contains the light that is most suitable to correct the egoism that is found in our generation.

Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2015/11/the-great-kabbalists-and-their-works/

Albert @ KabU

[Jonathan]

How should a Kabbalist forgive someone out to harm him or her?

We have to develop a conscious awareness of our integration with the whole system. In this system, some people are out to cause me as much harm as possible. How do I relate to these individuals? I do have to connect with everyone on one level or another, but some people are violent and mean extreme and actual harm to me.

Thank you for KabU,

Jonathan

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Jonathan,

Internally, we try to see all these things as coming from a single benevolent source. This is called “there is none else besides Him”. But externally, we should respond in the normal way. If I’m sick, I go to the doctor. If someone is causing me harm, I move away from them, call the cops, sue them, etc. Whatever is the normal way of dealing with these things, that is how we need to respond externally. And we shouldn’t mix our internal work with our external work. Both are necessary.

We’ll learn more about these things in the more advanced semesters, in the meantime check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2017/12/there-is-none-else-besides-him/

As for connecting with others, this is done “from light to heavy”. Meaning first we build a strong connection with other points in the heart together with us on the spiritual path. It’s like we’re building here a certain nucleus. Once we build that nucleus, we will be able to add to it wider and wider circles of the world, until we’ll come to include the whole world in that connection. But this is gradual work. And until we build that nucleus, we have nothing with which to do any spiritual work towards the world.

Albert @ KabU

[Jonathan]

Thank you Albert! Awesome answer.

[Mike]

I understand how Abraham began to teach Kabbalah, but is it plausible to think that Kabbalah actually was circulating prior to Abraham ?

is the bestowing of the creator always good, or is there evil as well or is it that we just perceive certain things as bad such as natural disasters or health issues?

 

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Mike,

1. Kabbalah actually started with Adam close to 6000 years ago. The reason why we sometimes attribute it to Abraham is because Abraham was a major milestone in the Wisdom of Kabbalah who turned it into a practical method.

Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2016/10/what-came-first-the-torah-or-the-wisdom-of-kabbalah/

2. We learn from the Kabbalists that every single moment comes to us directly from the Creator, this is called “there is none else besides Him”. Furthermore, they also say that He is the “good that does good”. Meaning that every moment He is sending us nothing but goodness. But why then don’t we see this in our world? Why do we see so much suffering and problems in the world?

This is because our world is governed by our egoistic nature. This egoistic nature is opposite to the Creator’s nature. Because of that, it inverts the Creator’s goodness into something bad. It’s just like multiplying numbers: a positive times a negative equals negative.

So as long as we remain within this egoistic nature, we will continue to see and feel more suffering and horrors in the world. But if we correct our nature to be similar to the Creator’s nature, then we will reveal the true reality in which only goodness exists, and our previous egoistic state would appear as nothing more than a dream.

Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2011/06/how-can-we-justify-the-creator/

Albert @ KabU

[Mike]

Thank you Albert, much appreciated

[Judy]

Recently, over the last few months, I had begun to learn about Kabbalah. At first while watching a few of the courses and listening to the Zohar readings I felt connected, joyful and peaceful. Now though I am having difficulty processing and retaining the materials, feeling so little joy and troubled. Even so, I still desire to study and listen to the Zohar readings.

Will this seeming disconnect and discomfort pass? Will bestowing become more natural from my heart than consciously remembering to bestow?

 

[Judy]

Thank you Albert!

Your message is quite clear to understand and very helpful. The blog post from Rav Laitman  you recommended is excellent. And one I will continue to refer to for better understanding to correct my intention toward the light and to pull the light upon us.

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Judy,

Spiritual advancement happens specifically from the ups AND downs. It’s just like the EKG chart that measures the heart. If there are ups and downs, the heart is beating, the body is alive. If it flatlines, the body dies.

Likewise in our spiritual work, our advancement is composed of many ups and downs. But if we’re in the same state for a long period of time, then we stop advancing and are spiritually dead.

So what you are experiencing is normal. We go through many states on the spiritual path. Many ups, downs, and everything in between. The main thing is to just keep going, to keep placing yourself under the influence of the light, especially during the Kabbalistic lessons, and it will balance everything out.

Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2013/02/sunbathing-in-the-rays-of-the-reforming-light/

Albert @ KabU

[Jay (Chaim S.)]

I have 2 questions please.
1. How might I nurture my desire to connect with the friends and the Creator?
2. Would you please elaborate on the process of developing intention?

Thank you. Peace

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Jay, great questions!

1. For now, our main contact with the friends (those with active points in the heart on the path with us) is through the weekly lessons and Q/A forums. So if you want to nurture the desire to connect with them, you can spend more time on these forums, incorporating in their responses, in their questions and answers.

In the more advanced semesters, everyone will be grouped into virtual groups of ten where you can work on building the connection in a much more practical way.

2. Our nature is egoistic. As such, it does not allow us to have a clean intention for bestowal. In the best case scenario, we can ASPIRE towards the intention of bestowal. We can play pretend AS IF we want bestowal. This is as much as our nature allows and actually this is enough. Such a game, especially when played with other points in the hearts in the Kabbalistic group, is how we extract the reforming light. It’s ultimately the light that corrects our nature and gives us the intention to bestow. Our work is to extract more and more of it, until it begins to work on us and makes this aspiration a reality.

Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2012/03/building-blocks-of-the-first-spiritual-degree/

Albert @ KabU

[Jay (Chaim S.)]

Thank you Albert. Very helpful answers. Much appreciated.

Jay

[Justin haynes]

I have been pursuing the teachings of Kabbalah for almost 10 years, honestly, it has been an on and off process. At first, I was frustrated with my level of understanding, it led to mental burnout. I realized I was looking for a concept to put my burning existential questions at rest for they continuously haunt me. I have taken several “breaks” from the teachings and experienced the guilt of falling or backsliding… I have come to innerstand and overstand that it is my journey. My question is, how do I avoid the extremities of chasing these teachings which I am so passionate about that eventually lead to the sensation of “falling”, maybe I do know the answer to the question already and I’m merely seeking confirmation but any insight or perspective will still be appreciated.

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Justin,

I’ve heard Rav Laitman describe it once that “to learn to walk, one needs to learn to fall”. In other words, falling is part of the process. But if we don’t understand this, every time we fall, we’ll disconnect from the process completely and stop progressing. So we do need to learn how to fall and get back into it.

For this reason, Kabbalists have always studied in groups. So that if one person falls, the group will give him the strength to get back up. It’s like with mountain climbers that tie themselves together. So if one falls, the others catch them.

We’ll learn how to apply these things practically in the more advanced semesters.

Albert @ KabU

[Justin haynes]

I appreciate your insight Albert, thank you

[Author]

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