Engage in an exploration of the week 2 lesson and materials, receiving insights from a seasoned Kabbalah mentor.

[Julian Edwards- KabU Instructor]

Engage in an exploration of the week 2 lesson and materials, receiving insights from a seasoned Kabbalah mentor.

[Peter]

Thank you. This helped in affirming or correcting what I understood through the classes and materials. Great thanks again.

[Peter]

I have been re-reading prior class materials, and now with new perspective I have additional questions. Is this the right forum to ask these questions?

I am including the subjects and questions below. If this is not the correct forum to address these, please let me know where to post these to obtain answers. Thank you.

 

Chapter 7 Guide To Hidden Wisdom Of Kabbalah

My understanding of the reading re. Spiritual Development, and questions.  

SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT: The initial goal is to get over the Barrier so our spiritual development can begin (the point in the heart is awakened).
Climbing the 125 Ladder
The smallest element of spirituality is Sefirot
There are 5 (10) Sefirot
Mechanics of the Method
5 Sefirot combine to ONE Face
5 Faces combine to ONE World
There are 5 Worlds
Hence 5X5X5 = 125

Question 1: What is Partzuf (Face)? Is it attainment of one’s knowledge of whom one is at that level (also level of attainment of knowledge of the Creator)? Is it like a level of our own knowledge of who we are and what we would or not would do, or what we stand for or do not? I read the meaning of Face as attainment of some level of knowing who I am. I have been reading the meaning of FACE quite literally as attainment of a set of (my) beliefs or what I stand for. My face is that set of beliefs that I attained at that level. That is how one would recognize me. That is my real face (not the corporal, cellular, biological face)

Question 2: What is meant by a World.

Question 3: There are 613 desires that need to be corrected as we climb the ladder through 5 Worlds (Assiya, Yetzira, Beria, Atzilut, and highest Adam Kadmon.

Question 4: Do Kabbalist teachings associate a set of the 613 desires into each of the worlds? Meaning when we are climbing to Assiya we are correcting these desires; as we are climbing to Yetzira we are correcting these desires, etc.?

Question 5: Is the climb progressive or collective? We have to go through Assiya and Yetzira in order to start work in the world of Beria, or is the correction on multiple Worlds at the same time?

There are 5 PHASES of spiritual reality with 4 steps (Phase 0: Root Point also Keter; Phase 1: Will to Receive also Hochma; Phase 2: Wanting to to Give to the Creator, also Bina; Phase 3: Realization only way to give to creator is to do what he wants of us, also Tifferet (ZA); Phase 4: To understand the thought of Creation. Why giving is pleasurable, what does it provide, also Malchut.

Question 6: Sounds like Malchut is where we are mostly separated from the Creator, is this our future state, or current state? Is this the state that we are going towards ? This state confuses me.

DEATH, REINCARNATION, POINT IN THE HEARTH

As I currently understand it, our bodies die, we are reincarnated as a part of the process over and over again, perhaps through thousands of years (we are the same but in different clothing).

Once we are ready, in a perfectly planned way, our point in the heart awakens, and we begin our spiritual journey.

That spiritual journey can take a lifetime or many lifetimes. One way we can help speed it up is to follow the Kabbalist method including learning through connection in a 10 person group.

Question 7: How does the experience of death differ between a person within whom the point in the heart was not awakened and a person within whom the point in the heart was awakened?

[Gianni – KabU Instructor]

Hi Peter, good questions.

Question 1: What is Partzuf (Face)? This is Baal HaSulam’s definition: The 10 Sefirot, one below the other, revealed by Malchut’s acsent to the Emanator.

Question 2: What is meant by a World. A world, Olam, means He’Elem (concealment). Another from Baal HaSulam, which you can find in the glossary at the end of the green Kabbalah for the Student book.

Question 3: There are 613 desires that need to be corrected as we climb the ladder through 5 Worlds (Assiya, Yetzira, Beria, Atzilut, and highest Adam Kadmon. Yes.

Question 4: Do Kabbalist teachings associate a set of the 613 desires into each of the worlds? Meaning when we are climbing to Assiya we are correcting these desires; as we are climbing to Yetzira we are correcting these desires, etc.? Yes, some of them relate to earlier stages in the path, some relate to later stages, and all are summarized by ‘love your friend as yourself.’ Hence, one can try to reach love of others right away, though there will be many degrees in this along the way.

Question 5: Is the climb progressive or collective? Progressive, one degree at a time.

Question 6: Sounds like Malchut is where we are mostly separated from the Creator, is this our future state, or current state? We are parts of the broken Malchut. We have to correctly assemble these pieces. Hence the commandment to love the other as you love yourself.

Question 7: How does the experience of death differ between a person within whom the point in the heart was not awakened and a person within whom the point in the heart was awakened? The awakening of the Point in the Heart is the beginning, the seed out of which grows a sensation of an eternal world. But one had to grow this seed into something real, the feeling of the Upper World. Otherwise, he’ll die in the same way as everyone else.

• This reply was modified 2 weeks ago by Gianni - KabU Instructor.

[Ben]

Sometimes I feel like I can’t really grasp the importance of kabbalah, in the sense that corporeal things seem more important to me. Kabbalah sometimes feels like this unattainable idea. Is this normal?

[Gianni – KabU Instructor]

Of course. That will be the case for a long time. One has to build the importance for spirituality – otherwise it won’t be by your free choice. Therefore, it’s as if you have two animals – which one will you feed now? That’s the one that will grow.

[Carly]

What does it look like to bestow back to the Upper Force?

[Gianni – KabU Instructor]

Hey Carly,

I missed this somehow. I’m glad you got an answer but I’ll answer anyway.

Bestowing to the Upper Force doesn’t have a ‘look’ because bestowal is only in the intention. There are things a Kabbalist would do, and conversely, which I should do already if I want to become a Kabbalist. Essentially it’s delving into Kabbalistic studies whenever possible and trying to realize what I learn from them. These invite the Upper Light to sculpt my intention through which I can bestow. By no other means can I bestow to the Upper Force since it already has everything and only wants to give.

[Carly]

Gianni, I was sincere in my last comment, but I also thank you for answering. I had caught on to the phrasing of my question and appreciate you confirming it. 🙂

[Carly]

Thank you for not answering this question. I was coming at this from the wrong angle, trying to intellectualize. In your silence, I started feeling the answer. 😊

[Helen]

Hi Gianni, please let me know if below thoughts are correct, thanks

it sounds like in this world, we want many things, but none of those is what the creator wants us to have? therefore after we have what we wanted, it doesn’t make the creator happy, nor does our fulfillment last long?
after the creation, we will only want what the creator has to offer, nothing more, nothing less? thus the giver and the receiver are both happy?
how do you define what the creator has to offer? I suppose love? what is Kabbalah’s definition of Love?

 

thanks

Helen

[Gianni – KabU Instructor]

Hi Helen,

I bought my son a powerful computer with a huge wide screen monitor. I had imagined him being wildly productive at school with it. Instead, he used it only for gaming, while relegating all his school work to his feeble school-provided laptop. So, I subsequently found a reason to take the computer I bought away. He thinks he knows why he lost his computer, and even thinks it fair. Little does he know that had he at least accommodated my aims alongside his, he’d still have it. I didn’t want to force his hand, but instead caused the disappearance of that which had overshadowed my aims – restoring the correct proportions.

The Creator provides everything, and everything can be used if it’s in the direction of building the soul, that is spirituality. Anything that doesn’t overshadow the importance of spirituality has a place. If one forgets about spirituality during the act, then I don’t know.

 

[M H]

Hi Gianni,

Thank you for all the answers, I have been reading though them and it very is helpful.  I do have an out of the blue question.  The reason I arrived here was the result of a search for methods that could help me live my Faith. I was grateful to find that the foundation in Kabbalah is learning to love they friend as thyself. This seems almost impossible but I completely believe that once achieved my entire perception of this world will change.  I carry baggage that goes by the name guilt, shame, etc. Which seemed to be the foundation I was brought up with.

Is guilt ego ?

 

 

[Gianni – KabU Instructor]

Guilt is the ascription of the action to me instead of the Creator. It’s ok to decide that I would like to think and act in a certain way in the future, but as for the past, I must say that all that wasn’t me, the Creator operated everything. Otherwise – yes – it’s a trap by which it turns out that, in practice, I dwell in the lie of the concealment of the Creator, without even, at least, knowing that I’m under concealment.

[Author]

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