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Hi Moi,
Kabbalah is a science because it uses the basic scientific method to research reality. The Kabbalists are the scientists of Kabbalah. Everything we know is based on their research. This is similar to how other sciences work. The Kabbalists are those researchers that have performed a certain experiment and reached a certain result: the correction of our nature, the revelation of the Creator, the force of bestowal, etc. So if we are to replicate their experiment, to follow their procedures we should reach the same results.
But if a person is not yet on the degree of a Kabbalist, how does he relate to everything he’s learning? Like to any other science. For example, when I read a physics textbook, I see different formulas and experiments that research our reality. If I’m reading this textbook in 8th grade, then I have no choice but to accept the things written there since they come from a credible source. If I’m reading this textbook in college, I’m already given some tools with which I can measure and verify some of these things for myself. And yet there are some concepts that are so advanced, that I have no way to verify them until I become a physicist myself and get access to all the tools that will help me research these things.
Same with us here. There are some things I can verify for myself even when I’m just starting in the fundamentals of this wisdom, and then there are things that I can verify only when I myself have reached attainment.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2011/01/kabbalah-and-other-sciences-philosophy-and-religion/
Albert @ KabU
Hello, I have a question , why did the fall of tower happened if Abraham was teaching the knowledge of kabbalah?
Also why did the one language got changed into many languages what was the reason behind it? Who did that and why?
please elaborate……. thank you
Hi Natasha,
Kabbalah is the method by which we correct our egoistic nature and thereby reveal the Creator, the general force of love and bestowal. Correcting our egoistic nature is gradual work “from light to heavy”. Meaning that first we correct the smaller, less coarse, less egoistic desires, and then we work on the bigger and bigger desires, until we correct it entirely.
So even though Abraham was teaching Kabbalah, the method at the time was enough to correct a certain level of egoism. Afterwards, when they succeed in that correction, a higher level of egoism was revealed. Meaning that revealing more ego and more corruptions is not bad, it’s a sign that they succeeded and now they are given a higher level to work with. This is similar to how we educate kids, that if they succeed in solving one puzzle, we then give them a harder puzzle so they can keep growing and developing.
As for the languages becoming confused, that is a natural by product of a growing egoism. As the ego grows, we fall deeper into ourselves and feel ourselves less connected with others, less able to understand others.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2023/12/we-are-suffering-because-of-the-tower-of-babel/
And if you’re interested in learning how to properly decipher the Torah, check out the books: Disclosing a Portion or The Secrets of the Eternal Book.
Albert @ KabU
“We often talk about altruism as a spiritual ideal — giving to others, thinking of others first. But I’m wondering… is what we call altruism always truly selfless? Can it sometimes be a way to feed our ego or find meaning for ourselves? Is there such a thing as pure altruism, or is it always, in some way, about the self?”
Hi Michael,
True altruism does not exist on the level of our world. Bestowal is the Creator’s nature. While our nature is that of pure reception. So it’s impossible for us to truly bestow. At best we can perform more and more covert actions of reception. For example, I go to the store and I give them my money, but obviously I want something in return. It’s the same with all of our actions of bestowal in corporeality. Either I do it to receive pleasure directly or indirectly from fame, honor, money, or even the pride of knowing that no one knows about this action, or even avoiding pain or guilt is also part of this same calculation.
So real bestowal, above any calculations for receiving for oneself, does not exist in our world. Real bestowal is purely the Creator’s quality. If we want to acquire such a quality, we first need to correct our nature. This is done by the force of the light we evoke through the Kabbalistic studies. This light begins to work on us, even if we don’t have the true desire to bestow. Even if we’re just like little kids, pretending to be spiritual grown ups. It takes this aspiration of ours and corrects it little by little, building in us a true desire for spirituality, for the spiritual qualities of love and bestowal.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: http://laitman.com/2013/02/sunbathing-in-the-rays-of-the-reforming-light/
Albert @ KabU
I have a question about cultivating intention: since the intention is to reveal the force of bestowal itself in order to align with it, would I direct the intention of my actions towards what I am responding to or would I imagine that I am directing it towards the creator.
In the video Tony mentions that we are going to learn about authentic Kabbalah and from a perspective of practitioners. I am curious to know if at any point in the course we will hear from Tony or read in other materials what the opinion is of other Kabbalist teachers that can be found on YouTube like David Ghyiam. My question is not meant to introduce conflict, but rather to understand viewpoints and perspectives on how this class might differ from the videos and courses he shares.
In my very limited and cursory review, it mainly feels to be a difference between audience and approach. However, since I am early in this course with KabU, I hope to gain more insight from those who are much more familiar with the nuance of Kabbalah.
Hi Albertina,
There are many spiritual methods out there, even among those that also teach Kabbalah, but in KabU we follow the method of Baal HaSulam as he taught Rabash, who taught Rav Laitman, who is the teacher of Tony and the rest of the KabU staff.
We don’t mix other methods into it because it will corrupt the results we’re trying to reach. Sort of like trying to replicate a science experiment without following the procedures in the original experiment. Or like following two GPS systems simultaneously, one leads you to the goal through the west highway, while the other through the east highway. If we follow both, we’ll just wind up going in circles.
So I’m not saying what others are teaching is wrong, but if we want to succeed in this method, we should not mix anything else into it.
Albert @ KabU
In the texts, the “will to receive” is described as the essence of creation. At the same time, egoism — receiving for oneself — is considered the root of all evil and separation from the Creator.
Should we clearly distinguish between the “will to receive” and “egoism”? Are they identical, or does egoism only emerge when the will to receive becomes self-centered and conscious?
Genesis says that creation was “very good” — yet egoism is described as the very thing that makes us unlike the Creator. How can creation be called good if its fundamental nature leads to separation and evil?
Is there a coherent way to understand this paradox — that we were created with something (the will to receive) which we must then overcome or transform in order to return to the Creator?Hi Blaho,
Our nature is the desire to receive pleasure. It simply means that every calculation we make is to chase pleasure or avoid pain. This is similar to how any other animal functions. By itself, there is nothing wrong with this nature, it’s simply the program by which we function and preserve ourselves.
Egoism is when this program begins to be used in a way that harms others. Not only do I want to receive pleasure, but I want to receive it at the expense of others, at their detriment. This is the corporeal ego.
There is also a spiritual ego. Spiritual egoism is everything that stands in the way of our connection with the Creator. Normal people don’t have a spiritual ego. This is only something that we discover after doing some serious spiritual work.
We’ll learn how to work practically with the spiritual ego in the more advanced semesters. In the meantime, check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2010/10/true-evil/
As for why we were created with egoism even though it separates us from the Creator? That is done on purpose for our own 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 initial 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/
Albert @ KabU
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