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So, there really is no contradiction between the Tao, the Zen understanding of the world, the Jewish worldview at its core, and Kabbalah, because the latter is the most basic understanding of all the former, and it reveals the way the universe and reality really are. Kabbalah, predating religion, is the way by which we can detect the world above, correct our perceptions of reality, and live better, more fulfilled lives. Is that correct?
Hi Sam,
I’m not an expert in religions or any other spiritual method, so I cannot comment on what they do or teach there. As for Kabbalah, Kabbalah is the method by which we correct our egoistic nature. As a result of this correction, we reach equivalence of form with the Creator, with spirituality. As a result of that, we reveal these things in practice, in our lives.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2011/06/kabbalah-without-a-trace-of-mysticism/
Albert @ KabU
Exactly how did Adam HaRishon decend through a system of worlds, through 125 steps? Are theses steps degrees (in) angles of light? What are the system of worlds, and what are the 125 steps?
Hi Taylor,
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 (http://www.kabbalah.info/eng/content/view/full/64187) 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 represents 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
I am really confused after reading Walking the Path of Truth. Can someone please help me to decipher it?
Thank you
Hi Yana,
I agree, it’s a tough article. I think it’s a bit beyond what we can grasp in the fundamentals, but you can check out this blog post from Rav Laitman which explains the main takeaway from this article: http://laitman.com/2012/02/checking-the-aims-precision/
Albert @ KabU
Hi!
In reading some of the others’ questions a question of my own formed.
Regarding the effect of my correction: I understood that I can correct my part which is found within the whole system. This way, I can feel whole with the System and the Creator as a result of the spiritual fractality explained on a link you have placed. Have I understood this correctly?
The main question regards the effect of my correction upon the world. So my correction will help the others ‘understand where they fit’ and ‘I correct my part within everyone’. I cannot grasp either of the expressions within quotes. Could you clarify further please?
How can my correction help my neighbor who in his opinion/mind believes there is nothing beside the material world? How can my correction help at all if everybody else still needs to be corrected anyway?
Hi Francisco,
Great questions and I’m glad to hear that you’re reading your fellow student’s questions. It’s a really good way to develop your desire for spirituality.
1. Yes, if you correct yourself, you reach equivalence of form with the whole system and feel the whole system.
2. As for how my correction affects the correction of the world, some food for thought: Why is it that you were awakened now to ask about the meaning of life, to study Kabbalah, to correct yourself and rise above the material world? Why not a year ago, or 20 years ago, or in the many reincarnations that you had before this one?
It’s because we’re all 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 turn for correction.
It’s similar to building a house. There is a certain order in which you need to build it. I’m not an expert on house building, but for the sake of the example, let’s say 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.
In other words, the fact that my neighbor does not care about spirituality does not depend on him, it depends on his place in the system. So how can my correction help my neighbor reach his correction? If not for my correction, my neighbor will not be awakened to this work, just like we saw with the above house example.
3. As for the fractality of nature, I agree that it’s very difficult to comprehend. This is because the system of nature is one whole, while we are completely opposite: separate and divided. As long as we remain within this egoistic nature which paints for us this picture of a divided reality, it’ll be impossible for us to truly understand the wholeness of nature.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2009/10/how-do-you-calculate-infinity/
And for anyone else reading this question later on, here is the link Francisco referenced in his question: https://laitman.com/2017/04/the-fractality-of-nature/
Albert @ KabU
Hi Albert,
Thank you so much for your reply. I think i got it :).
Just so as to confirm, regarding your answer to point 2: As such, the fact that we correct ourselves and connect to the Creator, leads the Creator to wake up more points in the Heart?
Still related: is the work made more difficult by the fact that every year the population increases? Say now we have 8 billion people, maybe in 10 years we will have 10 billion. But maybe in the past we had maybe 500 million. Wasn’t it easier to correct Humanity then?
Last, but still related: since the vast majority of people can barely get past the level of Human survival and of the remaining the vast majority is alienated, how is it that Global Correction can be achieved?
Thanks again!
Hi Francisco,
1. Yes, you can say that. To the extent that we correct ourselves, to that extent more points in the hearts are awakened in this common system to which we all belong.
2. It’s actually the opposite, the bigger the population, the easier the work becomes. This is because the size of the population is directly related to the level of egoism that is found in each generation. The bigger the population, the more this egoistic desire is divided up, and the easier it is to correct it. On the other hand, if the population was to shrink, then each person would receive a bigger chunk of this common egoism, which thereby would make the work that much harder for each one.
3. We don’t need to correct humanity. We just need to correct ourselves. To the extent that we correct ourselves, we’ll see the external world corrected as well. This follows what we learned in the lesson on the perception of reality, that the external world is just a reflection of my own uncorrected state. It’s like I have these dirty glasses through which I see the whole world as dirty. The moment I clean my own glasses, I’ll look at the same world, but now it’s clean and perfect.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2014/04/in-neutral-gear/
Albert @ KabU
From the shattering there came 600,000 pieces/souls, then another shattering to today’s 8 billion sparks/points in heart. Does this mean the point in my heart/spiritual desire is linked to millions of others and these together combine to make one piece of the 600,000?
Hi Joseph,
Yes, you can say that. But keep in mind that 600,000 is less of a quantitative number and more of a qualitative number. It represents the strength of the spiritual desire after it’s been fully corrected. So essentially all of humanity is included in this number.
Check out this blog post to see how this number is derived: https://laitman.com/2010/09/love-and-hatred-of-600000-souls/
Albert @ KabU
What should our feeling be toward our friends who are not points in the heart? I have a group of friends whom I am very close with and have known for a long time. But I struggle to relate to them sometimes because their desires seem to not match mine and I feel frustration and sometimes resentment toward their complacency with material/worldly living. Should I still try to connect with them? Or does only our connection towards other points in the heart matter? In other words, is any effort put toward connecting with non points in the heart wasted and doomed to futility?
Hi Branden,
Friend (Haver in Hebrew) comes from the word connection (Hibur in Hebrew). So when we say “friend” in Kabbalah, we’re not talking about our corporeal acquaintances & buddies, but specifically the Kabbalistic group in which people are aspiring towards a spiritual connection within which we reveal the Creator.
As for your corporeal acquaintances, it’s not my place to tell you what to do there. But in general, I wouldn’t recommend to make big changes in your corporeal life. I would recommend to simply set aside some time to regularly return to the source of the light, meaning the Kabbalistic lessons, books, videos, etc. From that you’ll begin to relate to everything else in life in a very balanced way.
And of course remember that “there is no coercion in spirituality”. So don’t pressure anyone to engage in spirituality if they are not ripe for it.
Albert @ KabU
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