[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Ann,

Although we point to 1995 as to when Kabbalah became revealed, technically the prohibition was lifted much earlier, from the time of the Ari. He was the one to make a very special correction within the entire spiritual system, after which its not only possible, but a must to openly disseminate the wisdom of Kabbalah in order to help the whole world reach its correction.

Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details on the Ari: https://laitman.com/2010/08/the-ari-rav-isaac-luria-the-godly-man/

So why do we say 1995? Let’s put a few things into perspective:

Kabbalah is the method of correction of our egoistic nature, thereby revealing the Creator, the general force of love and bestowal. Why was it necessary to conceal such a wisdom? Because egoism was still not yet fully developed. For example: if you compare Kabbalah to a medicine that can cure a rare disease, obviously you can’t take the medicine before you’re diagnosed with the disease, but once the disease actually manifests, you can take the medicine and be cured of it.

It’s just like the 5 stages development of a disease within a person. First a person is healthy. Then he is sick, but he does not feel it. Then the disease spreads to the point that he starts to feel pain and symptoms of the disease. This then pushes him to go to a doctor to get diagnosed and find the cure, and etc.

2000 years ago, egoism was still on a very low level, there was no need to correct it. Starting from the days of the Ari, egoism already grew to a certain extent (and technically the prohibition on Kabbalah ended there), but humanity still didn’t feel sick, on the contrary the ego was the main driving force of all of our development. Then from around 1995 egoism peaked and began to show itself as bad, like a cancer that begins to kill the host body. This is the peak at which there was a true need for the cure. Which in essence is what the Kabbalists have been waiting for all these years, for the desire, for egoism to fully ripen.

Albert @ KabU

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Zorica,

Yes, it’s possible for these states to alternate. Ultimately though we should keep in mind the rule that “one is raised in holiness and never lowered.” So we never go backwards. It’s possible that we receive an additional challenge that belongs to a higher degree and that challenge can feel like we’re going backwards, but it’s still a step forward. Similar to how a bodybuilder that masters a five pound weight moves on to ten pounds. That ten pounds is much more challenging and he cannot do as many reps as before, but this is nonetheless considered progress and advancement.

Albert @ KabU

P.S. I’m not sure what BTG stands for, please clarify if you want me to expand on that.

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Luke,

The 613 desires that we are learning about are spiritual desires, meaning desires that we don’t yet have. This is similar to how a single cell in a body only has some basic desires. But when that cell is part of a greater body, it reveals there higher desires which are impossible for the individual cell to have: desires for money, honor, power, etc. Same with us, until we integrate with the general body of Adam HaRishon, we don’t reveal or understand these 613 spiritual desires.

Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2008/12/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-613-desires/

As for the 613 Mitzvot, each Mitzvah (commandment) is an INTERNAL process by which we correct the corresponding desire. In other words, Kabbalists don’t look at the 613 Mitzvot as physical actions to be performed by our hands and feet, but rather as allegories to the internal process of correcting our desires.

Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2016/02/mitzvot-commandments-the-correction-of-desires/

Albert @ KabU

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Dustin,

There are no free rides towards correction. This is called “there is no coercion in spirituality”. Meaning that no one gets corrected without putting in their own efforts towards their correction.

So what then are we seeing in the world? On the one hand, we see how the ego is constantly developing and pushing us forward. On the other hand, we see how the very thing that drives us, our ego, is actually the source of all of the problems in life. This process is called “the recognition of evil”. It’s a necessary part of our development, since without seeing the harm caused by the ego, we don’t feel the need to come out of it.

Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2015/08/the-sinking-of-science-the-past-pride-of-humanity/

Albert @ KabU

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Dustin,

The system we live in is built such that you wont be able to use the Creator as a scapegoat, even if you tried. Let’s take an extreme situation where a person kills another person and then tries to tell the judge “but there is none else besides Him”. The judge will still send that prison to jail.

We need to keep in mind that ascribing everything to the Creator is our INNER work. Externally we must continue to function in this world in the normal way. If I’m sick, I must still go to the doctor. If someone is hurting me, I must stop them, call the cops, etc. If I hurt someone, I should apologize, make amends. Externally, we must continue to deal with all of our problems in the normal way. Internally on the other hand, we will begin to feel ourselves connected with the Creator through everything that we experience. More on this in the future.

Albert @ KabU

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Andreanne,

In the next semester, we’ll learn this concept of “there is none else besides Him”. It means that there is a singular benevolent force behind EVERYTHING that is happening to me. All of my thoughts, desires, life events, EVERYTHING comes from Him.

If so, am I to blame for what I did in the past? No. This force arranged everything the way it needed to happen. So it’s not good to dig into the past. The healthiest attitude towards the past is to say “there is none else besides Him” and that we went through exactly what we needed to go through. And instead we should focus our spiritual work on the present moment, on trying to reveal this force behind everything that is happening to you in the present.

More on this in the future, in the meantime, check out this blog post from Rav Laitman: https://laitman.com/2017/12/there-is-none-else-besides-him/

Albert @ KabU

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