- This topic has 313 replies, 120 voices, and was last updated 2 weeks, 1 day ago by
.
- Replies
I am still struggling a lot with this language of “roots and branches”. I understand that Kabbalists used corporeal words to describe the Upper Worlds, but does this mean that nothing described in Kabbalistic texts actually historically happened? Meaning for example that people like Abraham and Noah in fact never lived and all the events in their lives never happened?
Hi Julia,
The Torah is entirely written in a type of code called the language of roots and branches. This code uses words of our world to describe spiritual phenomena. So none of it is literal. On the other hand there is a law that every spiritual root must touch the corporeal branch at least once. Meaning although these are spiritual phenomena, they must have a corresponding corporeal branch in our world.
For example, Egypt represents the uncorrected egoistic desire while Israel represents the corrected desire, those are the roots. But in our world these things exist as branches as well. There is actually a physical place that is called Egypt and Israel. Likewise with Abraham and Noah, there were indeed Kabbalists with those names. Still, despite all the above, the Torah is not a history book, not a single word of the Torah speaks about our world, history, morals, etc.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2016/05/dispelling-myths-about-kabbalah-part-4/
If you’re interesting in learning how to properly decipher the Torah, check out the books: Disclosing a Portion or The Secrets of the Eternal Book.
Albert @ KabU
Julia, that was an EXCELLENT question – one I have struggled with, personally.
Albert, I also really appreciate your answer and that you have provided further information on the subject.
It is my understanding that, while (some or all) of the people and events in the Torah may have actually occurred, their significance is not limited to the actual event or person spoken of, and the purpose of the written Torah is exactly as Albert stated, which may be described as a chronology of the states each person goes through on the path to spirituality.
Please correct me if I have misspoken.
When we manage to connect to the Creator and the Creator helps us to correct our ego, then almost immediately a new layer of ego appears, greater than before. Why is this so? What is the mechanism of this ego building up? Is there an end to it?
Hi Julia,
We reveal a new layer of egoism in order for us to keep going until we correct everything. And this is a good thing. Through this process we can continue to develop spiritually. It’s like Baal HaSulam wrote in letter 5, that he’s happy when the ego gets revealed. Here’s an excerpt:
“I rejoice in those revealed corruptions and the ones that are being revealed. I do, however, regret and complain about the corruptions that have still not appeared, but which are destined to appear, for a hidden corruption is hopeless, and its surfacing is a great salvation from heaven. The rule is that one does not give what he does not have. Hence, if it has appeared now, there is no doubt that it was here to begin with but was hidden. This is why I am happy when they come out of their holes because when you cast your eye on them, they become a pile of bones.”
And yes, there is an end, it’s called Gmar Tikkun (the final correction). Meaning when we complete all 125 degrees of correction, we will reach that state of the final correction.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2010/10/what-happens-after-the-final-correction/
Albert @ KabU
If a person consciously refuses to receive to their Kelim (refuses to satisfy a desire), does this person emit the light of Hassadim?
Hi Julia,
It’s not enough not to receive, but we also need the intention to bestow.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2010/01/the-light-of-hassadim-is-all-we-need/
Keep in mind that bestowal, restriction, etc all of these things are practiced only within the Kabbalistic group. This is because spirituality is found only in the connections between us and not in any one of us individually. We’ll learn how to put these things into practice in the more advanced lessons.
Albert @ KabU
Hi Melissa,
Restriction means to stop using the desire to receive. After the restriction comes the screen, which is an attempt to use the desire to receive in order to bestow. Check out the Guest and Host analogy in Chapter 3 of Attaining the Worlds Beyond for more details.
Albert @ KabU
I think part 2 video has Answered my question. 🙂 The influences slowly bring us to a place of finding the one influence that we can control. Is there a limit to the number of lives we have to succeed in this. ?
Hi Paul,
We’re not limited by the number of lives. Rather, the end goal is set. All of life is constantly pushing us to that goal. Our choice is in building for ourselves a spiritual environment, a type of spiritual incubator to help us speed up this process of reaching that goal, or wait for the pressures in life to build up and start pushing us towards that goal.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2011/01/lets-go-with-the-light/
Albert @ KabU
This does make sense. I do question though. I have had some pretty remarkable synchronicities in the last few years that have brought me to this place of seeking. Without these things happening I may never have arrived at Kab U at all. I had been reading the Old Testament Literally, also the New Testament my whole life and I know it very well, but all of a sudden I began to see verses and meanings that I had been blind too. An example is In Luke 11;52 , Jesus talking to the Scribes and Pharisees . He says. ” Woe to you experts in the law ‘for you have taken away the KEYS of knowledge: you yourselves have not entered in, and those who were entering you have hindered.” That verse caused me to question my understanding of the entire new testament. I still knew that ” Love God and love thy neighbor as they self” Where his most important teachings. I am actually here trying to learn how to do both of those things to the fullest. I see wisdom here and I think you have the KEYS of Knowledge that are spoken of in that verse. I almost feel like I was led here. Yes I know I could make the choice to turn back but that doesn’t seem like a choice to me at this point. I also question about those who have not witnessed or been shown or been influenced in ways that we have. Is that free will ? or have they just not had the events or understandings that prompted me to keep searching ?
Hi Paul,
All of humanity is part of one system. In this system, we don’t choose when to be awakened, but rather there is a certain order of corrections that needs to take place, and each one receives a spiritual awakening when it’s his/her turn for correction.
It’s similar to building a house. There is a certain order in which you need to build it. For example, first you dig the foundation, then pour the concrete, lay the beams, etc, and only at the very end do you paint the house. Meaning that there is no point in even taking out the paintbrush before you finish all of the preliminary stages.
Likewise with us. Those that were awakened to this work first are like the foundation of the house while the rest of the world belongs to the later stages. So until those with awakened points in the hearts complete their correction, there is no point in even awakening the rest of the world for their correction. So we don’t need to wait for humanity to wake up, we need to finish our correction, and this will wake them up.
Albert @ KabU
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
