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Hi Davison,
Kabbalah talks about acquiring a new nature. Morals on the other hand don’t change our nature, it’s a continuation of the same nature.
Our nature is our ingrained operating system. Let’s say that I have a Windows PC. I have a few programs installed on it. Changing our morals is like picking which program to install on that PC. I can install Word, Powerpoint, Excel, etc. But regardless of which application I install on it, I will always be working with the same Windows operating system. In other words, regardless of the morals a person chooses to follow, that person will continue to exist within the same egoistic nature he was born into.
Whereas changing our nature is like switching to a completely different operating system, like to a Mac. Or in the Kabbalistic sense, we’re talking about acquiring the nature of bestowal.
As for studying “Torah”, it’s not about memorizing a few pages from a book. Rather it’s about having an intention for the light to change you through the study. We’ll learn about this in the upcoming lessons, in the meantime, check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details:
https://laitman.com/2013/02/sunbathing-in-the-rays-of-the-reforming-light/
Albert @ KabU
Hi Garry,
The point in the heart actually does need a correction. This is why it’s called a “black dot”. Since it’s still aimed in the direction of reception. If it was already corrected, we would be experiencing spirituality within it.
As for the population, this is simply a reflection of the level of egoism that each generation is working with. The greater the population, the more that our common egoism is divided between us, and the easier the work is for all of us.
Rav Laitman writes about it in one of his blog posts:
“600,000 is the number of initial fragments, but after that they are fragmented again into whatever number is necessary for the optimal correction in each generation – so that each fragment will have as much egoism as it’s able to correct. Therefore, to the degree that egoism grows, the world’s population grows as well.”
Albert @ KabU
Hi Patricia,
Yes, 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
Hi Davison,
Yes, you can say that you’ll be missing out by reading it at face value. Furthermore, you can also say that you will also be missing out by extracting morals from it.
Kabbalists use the Torah primarily for the Ohr (light) that is in it. This is a special force that has the ability to correct our egoistic nature. As a result of this correction, we become similar to the Creator, to His qualities of love and bestowal. As a result of becoming similar to Him, we reveal Him in practice, in our lives. This is what the Torah is intended to help us to do.
Morals on the other hand don’t correct our egoistic nature, they simply band-aid it up, making it look pretty. So Kabbalists are not interested in using the Torah to extract morals from it.
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
Hi Anne,
Torah comes from the Hebrew word ohr (light). So when Kabbalists use the word Torah, they are not referring to the physical book, but rather to the light. This is a special force that we can extract, especially through the Kabbalistic studies, in order to correct our egoistic nature.
And when Kabbalists use the word Mitzvot (plural of Mitzvah) they are not referring to the corporeal Mitzvot that a religious person performs with his hands and feet. But rather the Mitzvot are the INTERNAL processes by which we draw the light and correct the egoistic desires. So no need to convert to Judaism. All we need to do is extract more and more of the light, especially through the Kabbalistic studies, and we’ll begin to correct our egoistic desires. This is essentially how we fulfill the commandments to correct ourselves.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2010/11/spice-up-your-desire/
Albert @ KabU
Hi Katharine,
Yes, an online group is enough. In the more advanced phases of KabU, everyone will receive their own virtual Kabbalah group with whom they can put all these things into practice.
We also host one or two physical KabU retreats throughout the year. It’s good to supplement the virtual connection with such retreats.
Albert @ KabU
