[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Matthew,

In the advanced semesters of KabU, we’ll learn about spiritual work in the group. At that point, everyone will receive their own virtual Kabbalah group with whom they can put these things into practice.

Albert @ KabU

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Nick,

That is correct that since the pandemic, the majority of the physical Bnei Baruch groups around the world closed and became virtual. But since the pandemic ended, groups have started meeting up physically again. They usually gather once a week and also for the Kabbalah conventions that take place every few months. There is still a Bnei Baruch group in LA. If you’re interested in joining them, you’ll have the chance after you learn about work in the group in the advanced semesters of KabU.

Is the virtual environment enough? Being 100% virtual is not enough, which is why we supplement the virtual connection with a few physical Kabbalah conventions every year. There is also a yearly KabU retreat around September. All of these things give us the necessary impressions to continue our work, even when we return to our daily virtual connections.

As for looking for non Bnei Baruch groups, I cannot comment on what they do or teach there. There are many groups that teach “Kabbalah”, but whether they actually teach Kabbalah is a question. Ultimately, there is no coercion in spirituality, if you choose to follow another path or stay on this one is up to you.

Albert @ KabU

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Al,

You’re right that our initial choice of the spiritual environment is not up to us. This follows the saying that: the Creator puts man’s hand on the good fate and says “choose this for yourself”. Meaning He awakened your point in the heart and brought it to a good spiritual environment in which you can nourish it. After that the rest is up to you.

So what needs to happen for me to start actualizing my free will here? After all, the point in the heart is seemingly forcing me to be here. If so, then this desire needs to be taken away from me little by little, and there I begin to reveal more and more the place of my freedom.

This is similar to how we teach a child to ride a bike. First the parent holds the child completely. Then as the child learns to pedal and balance himself, the parent lets go a little, then a little more and a little more, until the child continue to pedal without the parent holding him at all.

So we too need to learn to continue to do this work even when that initial desire for spirituality begins to disappear or when the ego grows and begins to pull us into many different directions. When that happens, we’ll feel a need for mutual work in the group, the spiritual environment. On one hand when I fall into my ego, they need to pull me out, and on the other hand I need to help pull others out when they fall. This is why Kabbalists have always studied in groups (physical or virtual).

We will learn more about this in the more advanced semesters on KabU, where you’ll receive your own Kabbalah group with whom you can practice these things.

Albert @ KabU

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Debra,

Rav Laitman wrote about it in one of his blog posts:

Question: You said that 1995 was the starting point of the current events. What happened in 1995 that you are referring to?

My Answer: I felt this because suddenly, the students that started coming to study with me were different: They were serious, diligent, and persistent in their pursuit of the goal. Today they still make up the core of the worldwide Bnei Baruch group. Of course, there were also inner changes that are concealed from the average onlooker – a clearer revelation of new spiritual forces in the world.

Albert @ KabU

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Al,

There is none else besides Him does not mean that we have no free choice. It means that we are in a closed system with absolute forces and laws. We cannot change these laws, but we can consciously work on putting ourselves under their influence in order to speed up our development.

That is our place of freedom. How do we do this? How do we put ourselves under the influence of these forces and laws even stronger? By choosing/building for ourselves a strong spiritual environment.

See my reply 357064 to Leyah below for more details.

Albert @ KabU

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Sue,

I’m not sure in which context you heard it, but in general, Kabbalah talks about how our desires evolve. First come our basic desires for food, sex, family, etc. After that level develop the desires for money, honor, and knowledge. And at the peak of this pyramid is the desire for spirituality, which we call the point in the heart.

Kabbalah only deals with our desire for spirituality. Regarding the rest of our desires, Kabbalah does not deal with these things. Our corporeal desires don’t have any relation to spirituality, so each person can arrange these desires however is most comfortable for them (of course within the context of the law and without harming others).

In practice, we don’t need to suppress our corporeal desires or live a life of poverty. We only need to work on making the desire for spirituality the most important thing. Then naturally the rest of our desires will fall into place. For example, it’s like with an artist that is so involved in his art, that he fulfills all the rest of his desires out of necessity so he can quickly return to his passion. Same with us, when spirituality is the most important desire, then we will be able to properly relate to all the rest of our corporeal desires in a balanced way.

Albert @ KabU

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