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Hi Phil,
Kabbalah is not philosophy. It’s a practical scientific method by which we can correct our egoistic nature. As a result of this correction, we become similar to the Creator. As a result of becoming similar to Him, we reveal Him in practice in our lives. This follows 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/
As for Kabbalah’s relation to philosophy, essentially Kabbalah preceded philosophy. Before the destruction of the second temple, people from all over the world traveled to Israel to learn from the sages there. So the early philosophers learned directly from the Kabbalists during that time. Later on, they tried to copy the Kabbalistic method. From their unsuccessful attempt to copy it emerged philosophy.
Check out these blog posts from Rav Laitman for more details:
https://laitman.com/2011/01/kabbalah-and-other-sciences-philosophy-and-religion/
https://laitman.com/2012/12/philosophy-a-building-without-a-foundation/
Albert @ KabU
Hi Phil,
It’s closer to contemplation and reflection.
Keep in mind that in Kabbalah “it’s not the wise that learns”. Meaning we’re not learning this material simply to acquire knowledge, to store it in some box in our brains. After all, If knowledge was the path to spirituality, then a supercomputer loaded with all of the Kabbalistic texts would be the most spiritual being in the world. Obviously this is not the case.
So why do we spend so much time studying if not to gain knowledge? Because through the study, we draw the force of the light. This force is what makes all the internal changes, clarifications, corrections that need to be made. After we extract enough light and correct ourselves to a certain degree, then we won’t just intellectually philosophize about spirituality, but we will begin to feel it in practice. And only out of that feeling will we begin to truly understand it.
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 Daniel,
Kabbalah looks at everything through the lens of the desire. Our process of development starts with a raw desire to receive pleasure. This desire evolves into a purely egoistic desire, which derives pleasure from using and hating others. We then correct this desire to work in the direction of bestowal and love of others.
Heaven is that corrected state, when we tune ourselves in the direction of love and bestowal. While hell is the opposite, when there is mutual hatred between us.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2015/01/the-magic-of-egoism-and-bestowal/
Albert @ KabU
Hi Phil,
There is a connection, every single Hebrew letter and shape of the letter is a code for a spiritual state.
Check out this article for more details: http://www.kabbalah.info/eng/content/view/frame/60270?/eng/content/view/full/60270&main
Albert @ KabU
Hi Peter, great questions!
1 & 2) Kabbalah is a science. The Kabbalists are the scientists of Kabbalah. Everything we know is based on their research. This is similar to how other sciences work. The Kabbalists are those researchers that have performed a certain experiment and reached a certain result: the correction of our nature, the revelation of the Creator, the force of bestowal, etc. So if we are to replicate their experiment, to follow their procedures we should reach the same results.
But if a person is not yet on the degree of a Kabbalist, how does he relate to everything he’s learning? Like to any other science. For example, when I read a physics textbook, I see different formulas and experiments that research our reality. If I’m reading this textbook in 8th grade, then I have no choice but to accept the things written there since they come from a credible source. If I’m reading this textbook in college, I’m already given some tools with which I can measure and verify some of these things for myself. And yet there are some concepts that are so advanced, that I have no way to verify them until I become a physicist myself and get access to all the tools that will help me research these things.
Same with us here. There are some things I can verify for myself even when I’m just starting in the fundamentals of this wisdom, and then there are things that I can verify only when I myself have reached attainment.
For now, the main tool that we can use to examine this wisdom is our point in the heart. When a person’s point in the heart awakens, it naturally pulls him to a place where he can fulfill it. So on our current level, to check what we’re learning is to see how much these things resonate with our point in the heart. If they don’t resonate, it could be that a person is not yet ripe for this wisdom and will search elsewhere. This follows the rule that “one studies only where his heart desires”. Later on, once a person reaches spiritual attainment, he will discover additional means by which he can examine all these things.
3) Kabbalah does not hold the monopoly over spirituality. It’s not claiming to be the one and only method. The Wisdom of Kabbalah is the accumulation of thousands of years of experience from people practically trying to reach spirituality, what worked, what didn’t, etc. It’s not a must to use it, but as you can imagine, it’s a lot faster and easier with it.
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1. Spirituality is against our nature. So it’s impossible to do real spiritual work by ourselves. We simply don’t have the strength to do it. Where do we get this strength? From the spiritual environment. The spiritual environment is like a support group which gives us the strength to do something we’re naturally incapable of doing. It’s just like with the example of exercising. If I don’t feel like going to the gym and exercising, but if I have friends who do enjoy this and want to do this, if I value these friends, by this I’ll receive their strength to overcome my resistance and will also go to the gym and exercise.
Likewise with our spiritual work. We don’t need to be superheroes in strength or will power. We only need to build for ourselves a good spiritual environment which will influence us and help us to think the right thoughts and overcome all of the natural resistances. We’ll learn how to do this practically in the more advanced semesters.
2. If you reveal the Creator in practice, then you know. Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2012/04/when-all-doubts-will-dissipate/
3. It’s precise because Kabbalah is a science.
Albert @ KabU
Hi David,
The spiritual work of bestowal that we’re learning about here is something that we practice only with other points in the heart in the Kabbalistic group. If you practice this anywhere else, in the best case scenario you’ll build some good relationships, in the worst case, people will think you’re weird or try to take advantage of you. But either way it will not lead to the revelation of the Creator. So generally with the rest of the world it’s best to just act normal, like everyone else. Meaning don’t make a saint of yourself and at the same time don’t cause harm to others, but just act the way normal people act there.
Albert @ KabU
