[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Miryam,

I agree, the wording is confusing. I would say “today we are already starting the process of climbing up the ladder”. But you’re right, we’re not yet climbing the ladder of spiritual degrees, we’re still in the “preparation period” prior to the spiritual ladder.

Albert @ KabU

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi George,

Yes, you can say that this too was part of the Creator’s will. In other words, the shattering of this system that is called Adam HaRishon was pre-programmed in the thought and purpose of Creation. Meaning that it’s not something bad that happened, but rather a necessary part of our further growth and development. It’s just like with kids. We don’t just give them a completed jigsaw puzzle. On the contrary we take it and break it down into many pieces. Then in the process of them putting it together, they grow and develop. It’s the same with us. Putting together the shattered soul is the process by which we grow spiritually.

For more details on how Kabbalah relates to the stories in the Torah, check out this blog post from Rav Laitman:  https://laitman.com/2016/05/dispelling-myths-about-kabbalah-part-4/

As well as these books: Disclosing a Portion or The Secrets of the Eternal Book.

Albert @ KabU

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Paul,

It’s not about knowledge, rather it’s the process by which we grow towards our next degree of development. In order to develop to the next spiritual degree, we need to picture it and play it. This is similar to how kids grow and develop. They imagine what it’s like to be an adult, a fireman, a doctor, a builder, etc. Then they play out these things. By that they grow and develop. Same with us, by picturing these higher degree of bestowal and playing them, we attract the light to help us to develop to those degrees. This is the process by which we activate this prayer.

Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2012/03/building-blocks-of-the-first-spiritual-degree/

Albert @ KabU

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Marion,

1) What I meant by high spiritual degree is that this is still WAY ahead of us. It’s like demanding a 3 year old to do the work of 23 year old. We’re simply not yet ready to do such work.

2) As for feelings, we’re not built in such a way that we can compare feelings. Each person is unique and feels the world through his uniqueness. As such, it’s impossible to compare how one person feels spirituality with another.

3) How can we reach the spiritual degree of receiving to bestow in practice? Ultimately everything we attain is due to the force of the light. The light makes all the corrections on us. Our work is only to extract more and more of this light.

So from now, while we’re still in the fundamentals, all the way until we attain spirituality in practice, and even beyond that point, to the very last spiritual correction, everything depends on us drawing more and more of the light.  So the best thing you can do for your spiritual advancement is to set aside some time to regularly return to the Kabbalistic sources, lessons, videos, books, Q/A forums, etc. Such a habit of regularly returning to the source of the light will help you throughout your entire spiritual development.

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

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Muhammad,

In the wisdom of Kabbalah, we learn that we are like a seed. What happens to the seed ENTIRELY depends on where you plant it. If you plant it in the desert, nothing will come out of it. If you plant it in good soil, something good will come out of it. Likewise with us. All of our choices are the result of the environment that we plant ourselves in.

Baal HaSulam writes about this in the article “the Freedom“. Here’s an excerpt:

there is freedom for the will to initially choose such an environment, such books, and such guides that impart upon him good concepts. If one does not do this but is willing to enter any environment that appears before him and read any book that falls into his hands, he is bound to fall into a bad environment or waste his time on worthless books, which are abundant and more accessible. In consequence, he will be forced into foul concepts that make him sin and condemn. He will certainly be punished, not because of his evil thoughts or deeds, in which he has no choice, but because he did not choose to be in a good environment, for in this there is definitely a choice.

Therefore, he who strives to continually choose a better environment is worthy of praise and reward. But here, too, it is not because of his good thoughts or deeds, which come to him without his choice, but because of his effort to acquire a good environment, which brings him these good thoughts and actions.

For this reason, it’s important that we find a good spiritual environment for ourselves. We’ll learn about these things in depth in the next semester.

As for “sinning” and “punishments”, these terms have a different meaning in Kabbalah.  Essentially there are no sins or punishments in Kabbalah the way religions depict it. Punishment in Kabbalah is simply a cause and effect relationship. If I disregard the law of gravity and jump from a 100 story building, then I’ll be “punished” by falling to my death. Meaning it’s not a punishment, but cause and effect, jump off 100 story building -> death.

Likewise with our spiritual work:

If build a good spiritual environment for myself -> correct my egoistic nature and become similar to the Creator.

If I don’t build a good spiritual environment for myself -> I’ll waste my time and not reach the spiritual correction in this life.

So there are no sins nor punishments, but there are laws of nature. Our work is to come into balance with these laws.

Albert @ KabU

[Albert – KabU Instructor]

Hi Douglas,

Yes, it’s like the Guest & Host allegory from Chapter 3 of Attaining the Worlds Beyond. Just keep in mind that receiving in order to bestow is a very high spiritual degree. It’s not something we can start with in practice right away.

As for the Creator receiving pleasure from us, although we sometimes say that we are trying to bestow to the Creator or to bring Him contentment, but in truth it’s just a game to help us to develop. It’s just like with kids. When we spoon feed them, they see the example from us and want to pick up a spoon and feed us back. Do we really need them to feed us? Of course not. But we still accept this from them, smile, show them how happy they made us by feeding us, etc. Since we know that through this game, they grow and develop. So ultimately the Creator is not lacking anything and does not change. And all of our attempts to bestow to Him are nothing more than a type of game for our own development.

Albert @ KabU

[Author]

Replies