[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Joshua,

1. Yes.

2. Yes, although Kabbalists use this word differently. Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2017/04/consciousness-beyond-time-and-space/

3. Yes, we can say the roots are different but the path is more or less the same.

4. In Kabbalah we look at everything through the lens of the desire to receive pleasure, but we don’t engage in anthropomorphism. Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2015/07/a-devil-with-horns-or-our-own-egoism/

Albert @ KabU

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Peter,

The main goal of Kabbalah is to correct our egoistic nature in order to become similar to the Creator and reveal Him in practice. On our own, we are powerless to do anything against our own nature. So in order to make this correction, we need the force of the light. Our entire work boils down to extracting more and more of this light, which we do primarily through the Kabbalistic studies, and it does all the rest.

Albert @ KabU

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Nathan,

There is no one closer to a person than the Creator. It’s like an embryo within the mother, even without words the embryo is in a constant connection with the mother. Likewise with us, we don’t need any special words or prayers. Whether we’re conscious of it or not, we’re in a constant connection with the Creator. So much so that the Kabbalists tell us that “even a thief in hiding calls on the Creator”. So how does one ask for help? Simply ask. Internally, externally, on a piece of paper, it does not matter, just ask. Start being an active participant in this constant dialog with Him.

That’s on the side of asking. As for receiving the help, for that we need to clarify what is our current state and what is the future state that we want to reach. As we learn, the purpose of creation is not simply to stuff us full of pleasure like we stuff a turkey, or to take some drug that’ll make us happy for the rest of our lives, but the purpose is to elevate us to the highest best possible state. Meaning to become similar to the Creator, to His qualities of love and bestowal. Everything we experience in life is there to help push us towards that direction. So if we want to receive an answer, our requests need to also be pointed in that direction.

But where can I test myself? To see if I’m truly like the Creator, if I truly am bestowing? For this we need a spiritual laboratory. A safe place for us to do spiritual work. This is the Kabbalistic group. In the Kabbalistic group is where we focus all of our spiritual work. It’s like we’re building here a certain nucleus. Once we build that nucleus, we will be able to add to it wider and wider circles of the world, until we’ll come to include the whole world in that connection. But this is gradual work. And until we build that nucleus, we have nothing with which to do any spiritual work towards the world.

We’ll learn how to do all of this practically in the more advanced semesters on KabU.

Albert @ KabU

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Joshua,

I’m not an expert on grammar but it seems to me like Kabbalah is used as a proper noun, so it gets capitalized.

Albert @ KabU

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Peter, good question!

We learn that there is no time in spirituality. Reaching it does not depend on hours of study or acquisition of knowledge, but rather it works according to laws. One of these laws is that “there is no light without a kli (vessel)”. Meaning that if we don’t have the vessel (desire) we have nothing with which to get the light (the fulfillment for that desire).

In other words, everything depends on us, if we build the right desire for spirituality, we will right away reveal it. If not, then even if a few more thousands of years pass by, we will still not reveal it. This is called “there is no coercion in spirituality”. Meaning if we don’t want it, we will not receive it.

And although we spend a lot of time studying, the goal is not to acquire knowledge, but through the study to draw the light, a special force that helps us to build the right desire. Meaning that we don’t need to be super strong, wise, or talented in order to succeed in Kabbalah, all we need is to extract more and more of this light and it does all the rest.

Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: http://laitman.com/2013/02/sunbathing-in-the-rays-of-the-reforming-light/

Albert @ KabU

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Sarah,

I cannot comment on what they teach in religion. It’s best to keep Kabbalah and religion separated. It does not mean that you should stop being religious, but we should not mix these two things together.

As for properly relating to the Creator, you are correct that we don’t know how to properly relate to Him. After all, we learn that “there is none else besides Him”. Meaning that all of my thoughts, my desires, all of the life events that I see, EVERY SINGLE MOMENT comes to us directly from the Creator.

After we stabilize ourselves correctly and see everything as coming from Him, then we can continue this thought process ask “but why is He showing me this picture of the world, why is there so much bad in it, what can I actually do to change what I see”, etc?

We’ll learn about these things more practically in the upcoming lessons, in the meantime, check out this blog post from Rav Laitman:

There Is None Else Besides Him

Albert @ KabU

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